ocean-life Book 5: Chapter 46: The Impossible
Book 5: Chapter 46: The Impossible
Book 5: Chapter 46: The Impossible
All I could do was watch as the god-empress unleashed her strike. I had given the vast majority of my power away, reserving just enough to protect Ruby, Steven, and Fin. I could use that reserve to teleport the pair of divine cultivators to safety, but I wouldn’t. That would leave my friends and their newborn vulnerable.
The golden spear continued its violent path. Though the tip was needle-thin, the rest of it wasn’t. By the time it finished passing through them, Fern and Eustace would be left with savage wounds. No matter how much chi Maria poured into them, I doubted they could be saved. In less than a second, their fates would be sealed.
A suave crab had other plans.
His claws slammed together. Twin explosions rang out. And Rocky slammed into Fern’s back, knocking both her and Eustace out of the way, leaving himself in the spear’s path.
He’d used most of his chi on the explosions, which had been necessary to get him there in time, but now he had nothing left to defend himself. Most of his momentum had been transferred into the two divine cultivators, so he remained in place, the spear’s power forming cracks where it struck the center of his mighty shell.
He could use his claws as a shield. Or he could angle his body and try to escape. Instead, he produced a cigarette from nowhere, lit its tip against the burning spear of golden light, and brought it to his mouth.
I watched a coin-sized circle of Rocky’s shell start to deteriorate, but he just took a deep drag of his cigarette, accepting his doom. A stabbing pain appeared in my chest. Beside me, Borks whined. Maria’s hand squeezed mine like a vice. Paul, Toby, and Theresa yelled something, its meaning lost on me.
The sound of Rocky’s carapace shattering made the stabbing pain pierce further into my chest, making its way toward my heart. I couldn’t see the damage to his shell through the blinding spear of light, but I heard the dozens of cracks, all overlapping one another. He must be covered in them. Why wasn’t anyone saving him? What could I do to—
The yellow-furred head of Borks appeared from behind Rocky. The good-boy opened his mouth, bit down on Rocky’s rear end, and pulled the crab to safety. I whirled around as I heard something hit the sand behind me.
Rocky.
Wisps of smoke rose from both the top of his head, and the cigarette in his claw. His shell was whole, and though cracks lined his shell, they were the red ones he always bore. As my panic turned to relief, I could finally think straight, and I realized what’d happened.
The cracking sounds hadn’t come from Rocky’s carapace. They’d come from Borks, who’d opened a portal to retrieve the suave crab. Maria made a word echo across our connection—the one that Paul, Toby, and Theresa had yelled: Fetch. No wonder Borks had whined earlier. He’d had to wait for permission, forced to watch Rocky get assaulted by the god-empress’s divine spear.
Now that I knew Rocky was safe, the stabbing pain faded, and I rubbed my the side of my chest through my suit jacket.
Borks closed his portal to open another, and a moment later, Eustace and Fern came sailing through it. He’d angled them toward an immovable object—Teddy—and their flight ended abruptly when they struck the giant bear’s flank. Maria was at their side in an instant, her pink chi flowing out to heal them, which was the only task Paul and the others had given her for the battle.
The two women literally had holes in them, but they were safe now, so I faced the bay once more. I found the god-empress irate, her face locked in a half-snarl, her hateful stare directed toward us. She took a shuddering step forward. Golden light poured into her from the silvery artifacts lining Theoris’s hull.
Paul, Theresa, and Toby were once again the first to speak.
“Roundhouse!” Paul and Theresa yelled.
“Shields!” Toby yelled at the same time.
A few things happened at once.
Paul and Theresa’s heads whipped around, giving Toby a questioning look. Toby’s cheeks flushed red, and much like his sister had done earlier, he stared up at the sky, refusing to meet Paul or Theresa’s eye. A hundred meters south, I spotted two silhouettes come into view as Deklan and Dom rocketed to their feet. They froze, looked at each other, then crouched back down, disappearing from sight.
My mind raced. Was that where everyone else was hiding? The twins had likely shot up in response to what Toby had yelled. If the code to summon them was ‘shields’, ‘roundhouse’ likely meant—
The god-empress exploded forward, another spear already forming in her clenched fist, drawn back to jab at the prone forms of Eustace and Fern. Before she made it more than a few meters, a deafening honk drew her attention, and her head shot to the northern sky above her, where she spied Pelly rocketing down from the stratosphere.
The roundhouse kick of immaculate form, however, came from the south.
Cinnamon squealed her victory. The high-pitched scream was undercut by a thumping boom as she kicked the god-empress in the back of the head, and a booming thump when the god-empress’s body hit the front balustrade of Theoris.
I had thought ‘Prime Vessel’ was just an empty title, but it seemed I was wrong. Cinnamon’s Teddy-empowered attack would have sent the god-empress careening through every one of Tropica’s buildings, but Theoris's ornate wooden railing hadn’t moved an inch.
Cinnamon landed gracefully on the deck. She took a low stance, presented an upturned forepaw, and gestured for the stunned monarch to bring it. When the god-empress didn’t responds, she gave the Prime Cadre and Seer Anius the same gesture, but they didn’t respond either, simply staring at the martial bunny in unfettered shock. A barely noticeable smile played on the corner of Cinnamon’s lips in response.
Though I felt like I should be grinning along with her, all I could focus on was the anxiety building in the pit my stomach, made worse the longer I considered the situation. There was the damage done to Eustace and Fern, for one thing. For another, Rocky had almost been cracked open like a coconut. Yes, he’d played it cool. And yes, Borks had waited until the last minute to save him, only delaying until Paul, Toby, and Theresa gave the order.
But that was the crux of the issue.
We had thrown all of our eggs in that basket, and twice already they had given contradictory orders—once when Theresa ordered an attack while the others called to ‘hold’, and again when Toby yelled ‘shields’, the others calling for Cinnamon. They were small errors that hadn’t resulted in disaster, yet they were errors all the same. What if there had been a miscommunication earlier, resulting in Rocky’s rescue being delayed? A few seconds could pass like that in the heat of battle. No matter how cool Rocky had played it, he would have been seriously injured if he’d remained in the path of the god-empress’s attack any longer.
Worse, all this had occurred when there was only a single battle taking place. The rest of the enemy forces were stunned, but I doubted they would remain so. The severity of any errors or miscommunications would increase exponentially if the rest of the invaders conquered their fear of the crustaceans clustered on each deck.
That doubt resonated against my chest, making some of the stabbing pain return.
My introspection ended when I noticed the conversation taking place behind me.
“Hiiii!” Slimes burbled. He was clinging to Eustace’s back, his head stretched around to look into her eyes. “My mistress tells the truth! You are not in danger. In fact, this is likely the safest place in all of Tropica for you to rest and recover.”
I turned to find dubious expressions on Eustace and Fern’s faces. Maria gave them a bemused smile in return.
“It is all true,” hissed Rocky, still puffing on his second cigarette of the battle. “I thank you for kindness earlier, apprentice Fern. You thought I was an unawakened crab, yet you tried to hide me, even spoke in my defense when another suggested stomping on me. You did all this despite knowing you could be punished for it. Bravo, Fern. Your bravery warms my blood.”
It was a touching speech, and would have gone a long way towards convincing them they weren’t in danger, except they clearly had no clue what Rocky was saying. If anything—judging by the way both women recoiled from the sincere crustacean—they heard his hisses and bubbles as a threat. Slimes only made it worse by nodding along emphatically.
Maria laughed.
So did I, in spite of my doubts. I translated for him. “Rocky thanked you for not stomping on him, and for risking your own safety by trying to hide him. He finished off by praising you, and saying your bravery warmed his heart.”
“Warmed my blood,” corrected Rocky.
“Mate, I know you said they warmed your blood, but that’s way creepier. They’re not crabs. See? Look at their faces. One mention of blood and you almost lost them.”
Rocky nodded to me in acknowledgement, then bowed to them in apology, his intention clear to anyone with eyes.
“And for what it’s worth,” I continued, “I completely agree with Rocky. You standing up for him and trying to protect him showed remarkable strength of character. I reckon you’d fit in here after all is said and done. Assuming you want to stay, of course. We aren’t in the habit of forcing people to do anything.”
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Eustace frowned, and she gave me a curious look, like I was a particularly colorful beetle she’d stumbled upon whilst on a garden stroll. “You mean that, don’t you?”
“Yep. As far as I’m concerned, you two saying ‘frack that noise’ and trying to run from your god-empress only makes me trust you even more. We can chat more about it later, after my mates beat the ever-living piss out of your god-empress.”
I turned back to the battlefield just in time for the god-empress to get to her feet. A calm fury ran through her, so strong that even I felt it with my weakened senses. She exploded across the deck and jabbed a divine spear at Cinnamon’s heart, who slipped to the side and whirled around, cracking the god-empress with a spinning heel kick to the ribs. She crashed into the starboard railing this time.
“Are you going to kill them?” Eustace asked.
Though I wasn’t facing her, I didn’t miss the sadness in her voice.
Ruby snorted. “I can only imagine what you think of us, given you were raised in a ‘divine’ kingdom, but we’re not monsters. If Fischer’s plan was to obliterate everyone, I wouldn’t be standing here with my baby.”
The conversation continued, but I tuned them out. Maria had stepped up beside me, leaving Slimes to finish healing Rocky’s shell. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it softly.
“I was worried about you,” she whispered softly so only I could hear. The god-empress got back to her feet and flew at Cinnamon again, only for a savage uppercut to catch her on the chin and send her reeling skyward. “I could feel your doubt,” Maria continued. “I thought I’d have to come over here and slap some sense into you the moment I finished healing them.”
I gave her a tight smile. “I’m still not feeling great about it all, but talking some smack did wonders for my attitude.”
“You know, I’d think that was a personality flaw if it were anyone else.”
“What makes you think it isn’t a personality flaw for me?”
“Because I know for a fact you’re not a cruel person.” Maria grinned as Cinnamon turned tail and wiggled her tooshie, taunting the god-empress. “You revel in being absurd, but it’s never at the expense of anyone who doesn’t welcome it, or doesn’t deserve it. Though you did take it a bit far earlier...”
“What? When?”
“What do you mean when? You accused the god-empress of trying to undress you, then alluded to Mother Nature caressing your ... bits.”
“Oh. That was nothing.” The god-empress fell for Cinnamon’s taunt and charged in, using streams of her golden essence to propel her forward. “I’ll have you know I was using all my restraint. I didn’t even unleash my best bit of confusing information, because it would have for sure pissed her off.”
Cinnamon ducked the god-empress’s charge and hit her with a double-kick to the abdomen, sending the god-empress flying out toward the left wing of the Divine Fleet. Cinnamon hopped after her.
Maria cleared her throat, so I risked a glance her way. She was giving me a flat stare. “Go on.”
“Whatever do you mean, my love?”
Her eye twitched. “You know I’m gonna ask, so just tell me.”
“I need you to say it.”
At the far end of the V formation, Cinnamon was exchanging a flurry of blows with the god-empress, who was holding her own ground by absorbing streams of divine chi from the containers lining her nearby ships.
Maria was watching me instead. She quirked a brow, tried to give me a serious expression, then ruined it with her beautiful laugh. “Gods, you’re annoying sometimes. Fine. I’ll say it. What was your best bit of confusing information?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” I beamed at her. “Forty two.”
“... What?”
“Forty two. The meaning of life. It’s from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which was originally a radio sitcom, but got adapted into novels, a text-based game, and a TV series. The adaptation everyone knows is the movie, though, which was when it really hit the mainstream. The movie was based on the novel, and some people really hated it, but—” I flinched as Cinnamon kicked the god-empress in the chest so hard that a shockwave ruffled my shorts, cooling my... legs. “—but I reckon the movie was actually really well done, considering the limitations of the medium. Besides, Adams changed the story every time he adapted it, so people shouldn’t have expected a faithful retelling of the novel. You can’t please everyone.”
Though Maria had let me finish my rant, she didn’t look happy about it. “What in Eris’s winged strife are you talking about? What does any of this—” She gestured at the Divine Fleet. “—have to do with the meaning of life?”
“Forty two,” I said. Before she could whap me on the back of the noggin, I repeated her gesture at the enemy fleet. “It’s how many boats they have. Forty two.”
She opened her mouth to respond, then made the smart decision and closed it, shaking her head. “You’re right. That absolutely would have pissed the god-empress off. I’m in love with you, but everything you just said made me want to headbutt you over the ocean.”
“Thank you. It’s nice having my art seen and appreciated.”
Cinnamon and the god-empress exchanged another series of blows, and for the first time, Cinnamon lost the exchange. The shaft of the god-empress’s spear caught my martial bunny on the side, and I felt my jaw clench as Cinnamon smashed down onto a nearby deck. The wooden planks splintered beneath her, almost breaking in half. The assault shrimp and recon crabs aboard scuttled to surround her, raising their open clackers toward the sky in threat, but Cinnamon got back to her feet. She hadn’t been injured. My jaw remained tight.
“Wedge!” the god-empress screamed. Her voice was ragged, laced with divine chi and guttural tones. “Wedge formation! And fight!”
Half of the enemy forces obeyed instantly, and the other half followed suit a second later. Each ship had five mages, two of which started flooding divine chi into the sails, repositioning the ships. Wedge. They were going to form a triangular flotilla. Each ship’s remaining three mages immediately attacked their respective cluster of crustaceans. The assault shrimp and recon crabs counterattacked, but only enough to nullify the strikes coming their way.
In the air behind them, Cinnamon and the god-empress clashed head-on. Cinnamon lost this exchange as well, careening into and ripping through an unfurled sail before landing vertically on a mast. Her lip tugged up into a grin as she launched herself back at the enemy monarch.
No orders came from our three strategists, so I looked at them. They were staring back at me, and though I couldn’t feel their emotions, I could see the stress and worry wrought on their faces. Except for Theresa. She was giving me a fierce scowl.
I suddenly realized how much of an idiot I had been. My senses might have been muted, but theirs weren’t. Considering their ideals, they’d absolutely be able to sense my doubts. What kind of commanders wouldn’t be able to tell when someone’s morale bottomed out? I’d tasked them with leading this battle, then undermined them before the real fighting even began.
It was starting now. The divine forces were finally attacking. The god-empress was drawing from the chi within the ancient constructs lining her fleet, using the power held within to overpower Cinnamon, who had been kicking the crap out of her only minutes ago.
And our three commanders were too busy worrying about me to focus on the task at hand. They might be leading this battle, but I was the leader of Tropica. They looked up to me, and I was letting them down.
I had to do something.
Maria brushed my arm and took a step away, withdrawing. She understood exactly what I was thinking—her senses weren’t dampened like mine—yet she wasn’t going to offer me any assistance. I thanked her for giving me the space, and for knowing me better than anyone else. This was something I had to do on my own.
The first thing I did was call out to the tunnels below. They were absolutely bristling with power. The last time I’d filled the network with power, it had empowered my cultivation to a ridiculous extent. If I could just harness a fraction of the latent chi dwelling beneath me...
But no. It hadn’t changed since the other day. The essence was down there, but it was occupied, seeming to be ‘maturing’, for lack of a better word.
Now that I knew that wasn’t a possibility, I changed tack, focusing on the only other thing I could do.
I had to conquer my doubts.
It was far easier said than done. If anything, the pressure to get over my worries only made them worse. I bit the inside of my lip as anxiety swelled in my stomach, making it churn. A wave of nausea washed over me. I bit down harder, focusing on the physical sensation, hoping it would help. It didn’t.
What could I do? My mind raced through all the possibilities, but the harder I tried, the worse it got. I made myself slow down. Trying to force the answer to arrive wasn’t working, so I let go of that need, focusing on my breathing instead. I fixated on the sensations. The air cooled my nostrils when I inhaled. As it filled my lungs, my chest expanded, making me feel powerful—in control. And when I exhaled, my breath was warm and humid between my pursed lips, leaving my entire body with a lingering sense of calm.
I let my mind wonder, believing it wouldn’t lead me astray, and trusting myself enough to hand over control.
Trust, I mused. Had it ever led me astray?
The first thought that arrived was when the network—which would go on to become the basis for expanding both my Domain and my personal power—had told me to trust my friends back when King Augustus and the rest of Gormona had attacked Tropica. Because I had listened, multiple breakthroughs and advancements had occurred. My friends had gotten stronger, lifting Tropica’s overall capability.
Though that was the most obvious example, it'd hardly been the first time trust had benefitted me.
Not long after my arrival in Tropica, I had trusted Barry enough to ask him about the System, and to let him know about the awakening of Sergeant Snips. Both were enough to see me collared by the capital—and had given poor Barry an existential crisis at the time—but look at all the good that had come of it.
I had trusted everyone with the truth that I liked fishing and seafood, even after I discovered it was considered heretical. I had trusted all my animal pals not to go full murderhobo back when they first awakened—even Rocky, back when the lingering soul of an evil cultivator was making him batshit insane.
I had trusted Teddy to go off and discover his ideal, and I’d trusted him not to obliterate Dodge when the bear found him, Toby, and the sick Theresa in the forest.
I had trusted Paul to show Toby and Theresa the ropes around Tropica, and I’d trusted him not to subjugate them when the misguided part of himself had assumed that to be the pragmatic choice.
I had trusted Claws to do whatever she wanted with the tree of fulgurite, despite how rare and powerful natural artifacts were.
I had trusted Ellis, despite his secrets. And I’d trusted his abyssal co-conspirators, letting them create—and pur random concoctions into—what’d looked like a funnel to hell in the middle of Tropica.
I had trusted Snips by ceding my will to her when I created her eyepatch, fully believing she would use it to protect everyone from the subsequent explosion, which she had, of course. That’d felt like a leap of faith at the time, but it was nothing compared to what I had done today. I’d trusted Teddy and Lemon and the rest of Tropica with the vast majority of my power. Teddy and Lemon could have done anything with it. They literally could have used it to stab me, and everyone I loved, in the back. I’d not doubted them for a second.
I barked a laugh, letting it boom out over the battlefield. I was too overjoyed and relieved to care if it angered our enemy. Gods, I could be such an idiot sometimes. When I opened my eyes, I didn’t have to force the smile that stretched from one side of my face to the other.
“My bad,” I said, shooting Paul, Toby, and Theresa a wink. “Promise it won’t happen again.”
No longer did stress and worry line their faces. The three tacticians grinned, turned toward the bay and all of Tropica’s forces, and yelled at the top of their lungs.
“Attack!”