Tentacles rose from the water, at least four of them, and all surrounded our ship. Our vessel, losing its momentum, couldn't escape the approaching monster, nor would it have been able to even if it had been fully intact. Another wave crashed over us, lifting the ship up, only to throw it back into the abyss with a deafening roar. One of the sailors lost his grip and nearly flew overboard, but I managed to grab his hand and pull him back.
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From the ship's bow, I saw a gigantic tentacle wrapping around our vessel, trying to break it apart.
"Damocles! Don't let the beast drag us to the depths!" Heron's shout pierced through the roar of the sea and the hissing rain.
I gripped my spear, and it lit up with bright, blinding energy. My eyes filled with power. The spear's tip flared, glowing bright red. All the energy I had gathered during the battle exploded in a single burst. The tentacle reached toward the side of the ship, but I was ready to meet it.
"AAAAAA!" My battle cry broke through the storm.
Releasing all the accumulated energy, the tip of the spear sank into the flesh of the tentacle and began tearing it apart from the inside. Cracks spread across the monstrous limb, and soon it exploded into pieces, showering me with blood and bits of flesh. I felt the hot splashes hit my skin and wiped the blood from my eyes.
The Kraken, it seemed, felt the pain, letting out a guttural roar and yanking the stump of its tentacle back. With another powerful swing, it smashed the bow of the ship, splintering the deck and throwing me toward the center of the vessel.
"Cut off its tentacles! Quickly!" Heron shouted.
The Spartans attacked its limbs with fury, but each tentacle easily threw the warriors aside like straw, knocking them down and crushing some into the deck.
No matter what was happening, I kept gathering energy for another focused strike. Only with that could I destroy its tentacles.
The ship rocked sharply, and I felt it being pulled forward. Turning around, I saw one of the tentacles wrapped around the bow of the ship. The Kraken's monstrous head emerged from the water, gigantic, the size of several ships combined. It opened its mouth, full of terrible teeth, like a vortex, ready to devour anything in its path. Another tentacle wrapped around the stern, lifting the ship and dragging it toward its maw.
I returned to the bow of the ship and stared into the eyes of the creature. Only a madman would take such a step. Sprinting to the other side of the ship, I gained momentum and, gathering all my strength, leapt into the abyss. In mid-air, the spear filled with new power. I didn't know what drove me at that moment madness or heroism but everything around me seemed to freeze when I made the jump into the raging sea.
The spear struck the base of the tentacle, holding our ship in place. The focused strike tore through the flesh, leaving a deep wound on the creature's body. I had long lost my shield, and, drawing my sword, I drove it into the creature's flesh, holding on to avoid falling. The monster howled in pain. The waves and tentacles surged in fury. The ship was torn from its grasp and fell into the water, but I could no longer rise.
As soon as I tried to swim, the tentacle would grab me and devour me. All that was left for me was to cling to its body, dodge its strikes, move across its slippery flesh, and prepare for the next spear strike.
I recharged the spear with energy and aimed for its head, hoping to break through and deliver the final blow.
The spear filled with power, and with a lightning-fast strike, I literally exploded part of its left jaw. The creature roared in agony, and I was once again drenched in its internal fluids. Its whole body began to tremble, and the Kraken rapidly descended into the water, seemingly trying to drown me.
It was cold in the dark abyss. But as long as there was strength in my veins, I kept striking the monster again and again. Air was running out, and the water pressure kept rising. I couldn't even see my own nose anymore. I just clung to it, feeling my lungs fill with pain, demanding a breath, but all around was nothing but water.
My hands grew weak, I dropped my sword and nearly lost consciousness. The spear was still in my hands. I didn't know whether the monster wanted to finish me off or had spared me to let the sea take me. I felt nothing anymore. Only the pressure of the water, compressing me from all sides. I couldn't tell up from down. Where should I swim?
I was drowning. Sinking deeper. The weight of my armor only made it worse, accelerating my descent. Was this how I would disappear? Just drown? But even if I could escape the underworld again, I would have nowhere to return. I wouldn't give up so easily.
The spear filled with my will once again. Light flashed in my eyes. With one last effort, I aimed it in front of me. The flow of energy cut through the darkness. There was no air left. With all my strength, I poured my will into this single surge, aiming the spear upward. It pulled me higher and higher, and soon the surroundings grew lighter.
My body broke free from the water. I gasped for air my first breath burned my lungs. The spear carried me higher, and I found myself among the clouds. Looking at the sun, rising above the dark clouds, I felt its warmth. But then my strength left me. I began to fall.
I was swept through the storm clouds and crashed into the water with a splash.
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Meanwhile...
"What... what is that?" one of the Spartans said.
Heron looked up and saw a beam of light rising, cutting through the clouds. He was about to look away, but then he noticed a body falling down.
"Turn the ship around, we must save Damocles!" Heron ordered.
He hoped they would make it in time and wouldn't let him drown. When the Kraken sank beneath the waves, the sea gradually calmed. The raging waves subsided, and now only small but powerful waves hit the ship's side.
The only reason the ship hadn't sunk was that the Spartans, working together, were bailing out water using whatever they could helmets, buckets, barrels. The damage was severe, and it would have been foolish to return for a single man, but Heron couldn't abandon Damocles. He knew that if it hadn't been for him, they'd all be dead. And what were they if they weren't ready to risk everything for the one who had saved their lives?
Heron threw off his armor and jumped into the sea first, shouting:
"Fish out Damocles!"
He was unconscious, eyes closed, but his heart was still beating. Struggling to lift him onto the deck, they cleared the water from his lungs. He coughed and began to breathe.
"What have we done to bring the gods' wrath upon us?" Heron whispered.
He knew little of the Kraken, but he had heard of it in ancient myths. The appearance of the Kraken was usually associated with moments when the gods lost patience and punished people, sowing chaos and discord in the sea. There were other legends about how the Kraken destroyed ships on a whim. However, there were few witnesses, and such events were often attributed to sea storms.
And so, their ship finally reached the shore. With great effort, they ran it aground and made their way to the Spartan landing site, where they would set up camp.
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Author's Note
So, Spartans, you have your orders. Raise the job to the top!!!!!!!!! Enemies are everywhere and they will not break our spirit.
Seriously, don't forget to throw stones, because this week's work fell out of the top 10 in the category "Monthly
≤30 Days" and top 40 "All-time >365 Days".
Thanks to everyone who threw stones all the time and kept the work in the top.