4 Chapter 1 - Into the seas

Part 3

Laum

The big waves and the rocking of the wooden ship were now far calmer than the earlier. Broken woods floating in the seawater were once part of the ship but now dragged by the retreating long and vicious tentacle.

Nearly beneath the old man's ship, I was steadily sinking and getting a closer look at the Kraken's mighty figure.

Now, the old man and his crew were looking down on the water. They were troubled and worried. Instead of worrying, I should retort them that the best course of action they should have taken was to sail away from here since they had the time to escape now that I had the Kraken's attention. However, they stopped with their panic withdrawal and watched me as I dove deeper underwater to have a fruitful negotiation with the young Kraken.

The young Kraken became more irritated when my red bubbles first said 'hi' exploding to its tentacles. The young Kraken immediately replied 'hello' to the water flea that needs affection. I mean, I was the water flea who's lacking affection and demanding some cariňo brutal. Two big round eyes with its round deep black pupils angrily greeted me.

"BRAAAAAAAAAAAWL!"

The young Kraken roared. I heard him like he was asking for a brawl.

He was not a squidy at all! He was an oversized octopus with more than eight tentacles from a bigger perspective. An ostentatiously large water beast with myriads of swirling tentacle of ranging size around its dreadful grinding mouth.

What perplexed me was; should I named him octopus even his tentacles exceeded eight?

'Ah, Nevermind. This beast's name is Kraken, anyway...'

Nevertheless, that was a good way to initiate a proficient and productive conversation to negotiate for a ceasefire.

"Well, now that I got your reply, let me walk the talk"

I cast another set of red bubbles and exploded them to the tentacles. The results were the same as the earlier attempts. The tentacles were utterly unharmed. It was as if tough shell also covered on his tentacles. How could I not damage its swirling tentacles when I clearly blasted some earlier above water?

"Like I already said, that simple trick won't work once the Kraken is underwater." Marikit inserted while poking the back of my head with her finger. "Once the kraken's underwater, he has high immunity against magic attacks."

'Eh, is that so? How am I going to defeat this squid - I mean, this Kraken then?'

"So, I can't kill him with these bubbles… how naïve I am. Then, what's the plan, Marikit?" I asked the pixie.

"I am the one that should be asking you that question. I thought you have a good plan since you dove in this water with such grace." Her eyes were dead, looking at me with disappointment. "Weren't you listening to Nanang? She told once a story about a pirate that defeated a mature kraken… and he killed the monster underwater." The pixie tried to remind me while I was busy evading a horde of swinging tentacles.

"Underwater? Has she told one once?" I asked. "Sorry, but I am currently busy, I cannot recall."

"It can't be helped then" She crossed her little hands. "Well. As far as I remember, the captain of the Flying Dutchman named Capt. Coco defeated the Kraken by letting himself be eaten by the kraken."

"Whut?!" I turned at her. "Eaten by the kraken?"

I dodged another horde of tentacles while still sinking down closer to the mouth of the kraken. Marikit was not worried about strengthening the barrier as long as I was moving around, playing tag with the Kraken's tentacles.

"What 'whut'? That is, the Kraken is invincible from the magic attacks underwater from the outside, and it doesn't mean it's not susceptible from the attack from the inside" She passed back.

"Are you serious? You mean, we go inside its guts to kill it? No way." I heeded a glance at her.

"I am always serious. Look at my pretty face, it's full of seriousness"

Thankfully now, she started paying attention to her task, supplying additional mana to the bubble barrier, as another large wave of tentacles was incoming.

'Hmm, let the Kraken eat us, huh. Now that you mentioned it, I am certain that Nanang did not tell a story as perturbed as that, but I definitely heard the story before. Ah, who cares? We have a situation in front of us right now.'

"Ney, Marikit, do you think the barrier would stand a second against it?" while I was asking, the young Kraken grabbed a descending log and crush it with such unrivaled force reminding us that we would be in a pinch if we let the large tentacles grab us.

The mouth of the kraken was the last thing someone would like to see. The sharp things, which resembled teeth inside in its mouth, were the likes of the jawless lampreys. One smack of it, whale's meat will be grinded in an instant.

'Hmm? Do lampreys use their mouths to grind meat? I doubt, no. However, this Kraken here definitely uses its mouth for grinding ships into several small pieces.'

"Leave it to me. I have enough mana reserve left," She said tapping my shoulders twice. She sounded so confident so I thought I could lay my back on her like I always did.

"I guess it's a go, then." I faced her with a nod plus a smile.

Since I had affirmed she had still mana left to support the bubble barrier, I swiftly rushed our way toward the young Kraken. Large tentacles tried to intercept us, but I was too sneaky and successfully evaded the tentacles with ease. A hit or two of those big tentacles and the barrier would smash into tiny pieces if Marikit's aid were uncounted.

"Not close enough" she demandingly said while grabbing my ears to maneuver me as if they were like the wooden steering wheel of the Old man's Ship. "And don't let the large tentacles grab us, or we'll be crushed."

"Eh? I thought you have enough mana to deal with that?"

"I thought you were talking its mouth only" She pointed the mouth of the Kraken. Around the mouth, wiggling small tentacles, as big as my arm, were guarding.

'Ah, misunderstanding is the thing that will kill us here. Even with her aid, we would be looking ourselves floating dead in the middle of the sea if we let those big tentacles grapple us!'

"This stupid pixie is always disappointing me. Then we don't have any choice but to – "

There's no time to play dodging tentacles. My mana was also stabilizing the bubble barrier and my mana pool is not unlimited. Therefore, I had to get inside the kraken's gut before my mana run low.

I charged straight to the mouth of the young Kraken with full speed. I could feel the resistance of the seawater as my speed rapidly increased. I was like the bullet aiming to shoot straight into the hole. Taking up my challenge, the Kraken's gory mouth roundly opened attempting to catch us.

"Here we go, Marikit….YAAHHHHH~~!" "I am not prepared to die yet. Noooo!"

"SHOOOOOOT!" The Kraken roared again.

Our speed was continuously increasing. Every second passed, we grew closer to the mouth of the young Kraken. Some tentacles tried to interfere our charge, however since I could do no more but only to add more speed, I did not move to change my direction and hoped that the tentacles will not block our way on time. I only went straight like an arrow.

'Eh?!'

Suddenly we went full stop. My face, as well as the pixie's, kissed the bubble barrier. I faintly shook my head to gain my focus again and to grasp the situation we were in or to see if we were able to succeed in getting inside the kraken's gut. However.

The kraken successfully caught and trapped us by its mouth!

The Kraken was intelligent enough. It wasn't letting us enter it guts alive. Its tooth-like grinding thing started to press harder against the bubble barrier. Oh, it's Kraken's teeth after all!

"J-just a few more" I tried to push as hard as I could. I poured more mana to the bubble barrier to move. I could see the opening, a hole toward inside its guts. It was just sitting right there. "Just a little more!"

If we manage to pass through from that opening, certainly, we will be inside the Kraken's guts.

The Kraken's mouth gripped was tremendously powerful and its sharp tooth-like structures, or should I call it 'sharp teeth', began to pierce through the barrier. Marikit had a pale expression as she was aware of the barrier's weakening. The Kraken's mouth was stronger than the barrier's defense, and sooner, the barrier would break and… and… the kraken would grind us alive!

"L-Laum?" Hearing her shaking voice asking my situation, I freaked out.

"No good, Marikit, we're… still stuck!"

I was still trying hard to push forward but I could not even budge an inch.

"Hurry up! T-This barrier's not gonna last" she yelled.

"I know! I know! Just focus on maintaining the barrier."

'T-this will not do…' Forcing the bubble barrier to move would bring nothing but our certain death.

I had to stay calm so I could think of a way to escape in the dire situation we were in. 'Think Laum, think…' but only an idea came out. Our dreadful death would be inevitable if this pinch would continue. As we must escape with this tremendous grip no matter what, I decided to play the only plan I came out. For that plan to be successful, I needed the pixie to follow my instruction exactly.

"M-Marikit, weaken the barrier as I say so"

"Moron Moro. Has your brain's vein already dried up which is why you could not come out a plan or something? Don't tell me - are you planning to die here?!"

It was an expected reaction of her. She knew what I felt bad when I had left my village. She knew that I was not willing to leave and I would rather die than lose the purpose I was building since I was just a small kid. However, I have her. I still have this pixie. I would not risk her life because I was planning to kill myself. Perhaps my Grandmother allowed her to accompany me knowing I could not forsake the pixie's safety.

"Of course not, just listen to your Laum!" I told her while still focusing and trying to push the barrier.

"Then, what are – jeez! D-don't blame me later" She must have seen the seriousness in my eyes. She backed down with her voice telling that she had agreed on what I had planned even though I had not presented it on her. Well, it was not a perfect time to present my agenda on her since we were stuck inside the Kraken's mouth who's trying to chew us. I guess it was her being reasonable enough.

'But blame, huh? Like I can still blame you if we're both dead after. Maybe, in the afterlife?'

The cracks were ceaselessly escalating as second passed by and it was only a matter of time before the misguided young Kraken would turn us to ground meatballs.

I prepared myself by amassing and concentrating mana. I waited for the right time to signal the pixie to weaken the barrier. As soon I had concentrated enough mana, I was ready to fire up my signal to her.

"Now!"

As soon as the pixie heard me, she immediately weakened the barrier and I jumped grabbing the pixie in my hand then curling up my body with knees bent. The kraken successfully smashed the barrier but as soon it happened, I hastily created a new smaller barrier, in which inside of it, a squeezed pixie and me.

Succeedingly after creating the smaller bubble barrier, like a bluebird longing to escape its iron cage, I utilized the anticipated moment gushing my way inwards into the Kraken's guts. I burst my way inside the Kraken guts as the stampeding grip of the kraken's mouth loosened for a split of a second.

The pixie shrieked at the time the sharp teeth crashed the outer barrier but now, the rackety pixie became muted and dumbfounded.

I could not blame her not to, even I, my loud heartbeat stopped, troubled if the new smaller barrier could make it on time with an additional effort of boosting my speed up as fast as I could when the new smaller barrier formed. Sure, it was a not-so-easy plan while time had only given us a blink of an eye to carrying out the rash plan to save our lives.

However, it was an undoubted successful or maybe we just got lucky. We cheated death and no matter how we look at it, we were still kicking and alive and had entered the Kraken's belly. No, let me rephrase that, we were half-dead, panting as I enlarged the bubble barrier when we entered inside the kraken's.

"Whew, I thought I was a goner."

The pixie let out a sigh of relief but instantly retracted it back and her pale face became whiter as the clouds seeing the great horror laid before her eyes. "What in the world is this?!" she blurted out like she was looking into a tragic and gory scene, which in fact was the case.

Broken woods, which were parts of a sunken ship, along with the countless ripped corpse, heads, torso, a leg, an eye, everything was there, floating above a boiling greenish and slimy liquid with red spots. I bet these misfortunate ships were mostly pirate' ships.

Inside the Kraken, guts was another strange world. It was like we were inside a spacious hall of a cave except for its walls, which were the Kraken's inner linings, moved as if a heartbeat, reminding us that we were inside a living thing.

Also, the wall of its guts was shining with dim blue lights.

"Laum, I want to get the hell out right now. I am going to die if I see this stuff here any longer -blee."

Holding her mouth with her tiny hands, she shook herself not letting her breakfast go waste. Her eyes were wet enough for me to notice.

"This stuff… you mean this" I flipped a dissolving body with my stick. "It seems his last meal was grasses and leaves… and green grasses. What is he, a goat?"

"Kill… kill, Laum, Kill this creature immediately!" Black miasma and red bloodshot eyes, the pixie was scary. She glared at me threatening I would untimely meet my creator if I would not kill this Kraken right away.

'You sounded like a heinous criminal!'

"I, I am just kidding, Marikit… hehe… Calm down."

"Then, speed things up!"

"I know. Just close your eyes and don't you ever puke at me. It's gross…"

"Huh, gross? That thing…bleeh" she covered her mouth again holding herself "- is the definition of gross," she pointed out another dissolving human with entrails fully displayed. Finally freed, her puke was.

"Y-yeah. I get your point. I also think it's not good for our health staying here inside someone's belly without their proper approval. If I don't hurry, surely those green vicious and boiling liquid will also dissolve any unwanted guest like us."

"Bubble attribute: seven stars of Ulfsaar"

Another set of red bubbles.

Boom!

A loud explosion bounced inside the guts of the kraken, followed by 'MOROOOON' as the monster groaned.

It was working but not quite enough. As the pixie had said to me earlier, the wall of guts of the Kraken was much more vulnerable to attacks. I could kill this young Kraken from the inside.

It was possible firing several rounds of red bubbles until I made a hole on the Kraken's guts. Its inner lining was far less sturdy than the outside shell. However, my mana permitted me not to. I was running low on mana. Instead of wasting my remaining mana, I cast again the bubble barrier to find an alternate way of killing this young Kraken.

"If you want to get out as soon as possible, then help me out"

"Humph! How? Uhm, wait. I might not help but that wreckage over there might," She pointed.

"Alright, that…"

We went over the wrecked ship to see something that would help us. Wrecked ship is not an appropriate description, nope; a bank of raggedy woods once part of a ship will be more fitting. Perhaps a holy sword that could cut through the Kraken's flesh was hidden beneath this. However, there was no such hopeful thing in these piles of broken and dissolving woods.

"Nothing here's Laum"

She said that but as if to reproof her, something floated up on the green slimy sea of juices. It also her fault bringing up the idea to examine this part, to begin with.

"Nope, look," I said to her disapprovingly.

Since she was sitting on my shoulders, it was easy for her to turn up to where my finger pointed.

"What about that floating barrel?"

With the aid of my bubble, I lifted the barrel out of the slimy liquid. I made a small hole to know what the barrel contains.

"Powder keg, black powder"

"But it's only one, not enough. One set of red bubbles is far stronger than that sole barrel. You need more than ten barrels of black powder to decimate the wall, I guess. And… wait, don't tell me -"

Severely shriveling, she just had read the train of thought bouncingly running inside my head. Since the barrel suddenly appeared in front of us as if telling to save his little friends down there, I thought I should check it out.

"Yup! There may be other barrels deep down" I grabbed the pixie quickly who tried to escape outside the bubble barrier." And you're going down with me"

"Nooooo!" Like a powerless child forced to do the thing she detested the most, she complained as hard as she could. "No, no, no!"

"Yes!"

I ignored her complaining screams. I dragged her down with me as we submerged again. I could not leave her alone here, could I? Of course, there's that issue about her safety however the most important thing that I could not overlook was that I was certain she could lend me a hand just in case.

This time, we were under the green juice of the Kraken's tummy. These juices apparently dissolved every organic material and our skin would have already dissolved minutes ago if not for my bubble barrier. But how about the pile of raggedy woods? How come did they not dissolve completely?

The pixie thoroughly had her eyes closed and her nose handheld as we went down. The under water's, or under juice I argue, surrounding was too dim, therefore I was right to drag the pixie along with me as I needed the pixie's aid.

"Hey, I barely see anything, could you –" I humbly requested for her help but she was still grudging.

"No! I only see the dark. Good, I only see the dark"

"Of course, you're shutting your eyes off. Help me or I'll toss some pixie outside my barrier."

"Th-that would be bad! Yes! I'll help!" Upon hearing her answering my humble request with such liveliness, she eagerly started chanting a spell without opening her eyes.

"Lineaments of the sun, the stars, and the silver moon of the clear night skies,

Apportion a little illuminant to her blurry eyes,

Hear me, oh, take heed my request for I –

The queen of the south, of the Faerie Cry."

"Bubble bulb" She finished chanting her spell.

"Much appreciated." My animated toned was enough for her to tell I was smiling at her grateful.

"Humph!"

A small bubble just the size of my fist lighted up to guide our way down as soon as she finished her spell. Sooner than I expected, wooden barrels, there they were, sitting together in a group as if they were longing for help to come.

"Oh, Bighearted Marikit, could you lend me a hand again"

"No. I don't want to for I should not open my eyes"

"You said you want to get out her quickly. Just lend me a hand, okay… Or else…"

"Jeez, alright… so?"

Taking into account what I had said, she slowly opened her eyes.

It was not as grotesque submerged on the slimy juices' of the Kraken. At least, I had slight toleration with these things. However, the pixie had no immunity with gross things and puked immediately seeing the acidic green liquid dissolving some meaty stuff.

"Okay, okay… just let it out."

****

Laum

Inside the Kraken's guts.

There were thirty-three large barrels tightly tied together. I just wondered why they were still in perfect shape since they were soaked on the acidic juice of this kraken for probably a long period of time.

I got curious enough and took a closer look to inspect. Ah, protection seals. I thought seeing the carvings and seals on the barrels. It must be responsible for its acid resistance. Convenient for me, but not for those who own these barrels.

"Okay. I'll take Twenty-three, you take care of the rest."

"Okay~"

"Bubble Attribute: Bubble barrier" "Bubble Barrier"

With that, the bubble barriers floated up with the barrels inside. I hurried my way up emerging from the sticky, slimy, acidic stomach juice for the pixie had been making weird faces and groaning for a long time now.

We surfaced at last.

"So, what's next?"

"Let's see" I placed one box rechecking what the barrels contained. "Black powder, see?"

The pixie nodded.

"But we have to replace it near the vitals of the Kraken. Moreover, it is not enough just killing the kraken. We need our way out." She sat again into my shoulder feeling better now.

"I know. The inner linings kraken is throbbing. Just on that, I could locate where its heart is."

The more intense the throbbing is, the closer the heart is.

She flew away from me. "However, don't go assuming that this kraken has only one heart. Aside from that, how do you plan to escape these living walls?" She returned wiping some sticky liquid on my clothes after grazing the red wall.

"Just don't worry about that"

"Of course, I do! Sorry but I have to remind you we're inside a Kraken!"

"You do worry too much, don't you? Just sit on my shoulder and watch, okay?"

"Ah, whatever" She replied with contempt but she did the same as I floated again the barrels.

After minutes had passed, I decided to place the barrel on a part of the inner wall of the Kraken where I thought it was the closest on its heart. No doubt it was, for the wall was throbbing so hard as if it was the waves of the seas and the sound were the drums of our homeland.

My preparation to take down the Kraken was nearly complete. All I had to do was to ignite these barrels of black powder. However, before that, I needed to assure if the pixie had still mana left to maintain the barrier.

"Just don't worry about that, okay?" She said. She's still angry about earlier, isn't she?

"Of course, I do. My life is in stake and so is yours" I replied, slightly agitated.

"You do worry too much, don't you? Just hold on tight and watch," She said with a carefree tone.

"Eh? I think I heard this conversation before."

"I bet, you did"

"Huh?" I tilted my head.

"Just do whatever your plan is. But do you think it will dig a hole for our escape?"

"Probably"

"Probably!?" She gritted her teeth.

"I'll cast ten sets of red bubbles to heighten the explosion "

"Ah, whatever. I'll strengthen the barrier, right?" She finally sighed and smiled. "Fine by me"

"If I had some mana left, I'll help you maintaining the barrier."

"You made this plan without my consent, just get this through already"

I heard her clearly. Therefore, I started casting ten sets of red bubble according to my plan. After that, she turned to me, still unconvinced. "Wait. Seriously, how will we able to escape from this?"

"You do have little faith in me, don't you?"

Still protected inside the bubble barrier, I floated near the pile of explosive barrels while facing the red wall. Even without saying a word, the pixie got my plan.

The plan is to make use of the explosion's force as a driving fuel to propel us forward and to pierce the resilient meat of the kraken.

"Haha. I see. Not bad, but…" Her voice sounded diffident somehow.

"We don't have any other option, right?"

"How about its mouth as an exit?"

I responded to her with a stare.

"I guess that's not possible."

"Yeah. So…"

I gave her a 'go' nod. I tapped my arnis sticks once and the bubbles heard it. The bubbles simultaneously grew red, ready to go wild and explode.

"Marikit"

She nodded. "Leave it to me"

This pixie got immediately what I intended her to do. She strengthened the bubble barrier again with her remaining mana while we were too close from the barrels and red bubbles.

BOOOOOOOM!

Everything became white and that part Kraken's guts got reduced into dust. The water above started to bulge and the ship swung like in a cradle as the large waves formed from the shockwaves of the huge explosion.

I checked upon the pixie. She was gritting, pouring her remaining mana into the barrier's defense.

'Oh bad… H-Her mana cannot hold the explosion.'

Still, the power of the explosion pushed us and the bubble barrier pierced into the living walls.

The white light completely enveloped my sight and the explosion's heat started to radiate into my skin. I never did a blink as I helped Marikit maintaining the bubble barrier.

A miscalculation was my fault.

I knew it was hopeless. I could tell. The explosion was too powerful and her mana and mine could not stabilize the bubble barrier's formidability any longer. Surely, we would perish too.

I knew the possibility that this might happen but regardlessly I ignored it since we did not have any choice. It was our only chance.

If we did stay alive after this, mana depletion would make us unable to move and the seawater would drown us along with the Kraken's carcass. In addition, large burns would cover our cooked body.

I opened my eyes slowly feeling something less intense replaced the blinding and burning light. It somehow felt good on my skin. I could feel the warm air. It was too refreshing for me. My hair was turning up, dancingly swaying with the sea breeze. The sea and the sky were in harmony. They were in the same color unlike earlier. I witnessed I was still breathing with my lungs.

'I-impossible… How?'

We found ourselves flying downwards from the blue sky with great speed. Miraculously, we cheated death again. The bubble barrier was still intact in spite of the very fact that the explosion had completely engulfed us.

Marikit must have done something.

"What did you - ?"

She shrugged and smiled at me as she leaped into my shoulders. We were above the blue seawater, just the two of us.

"Now, even myself is also surprised. We even defeated the monster. Though it was young and not on its mature age, it was still a Kraken, you know, a Kraken." She averted her eyes from my stare.

She was right.

"But, I feel bad for the Kraken somehow." Yes, I felt bad for the kraken somehow. Surely, he was doing only his primal instinct. Just kidding, to the depths with you, squidy.

But whatever happened, it would not change the fact that we were still alive. She smiled like the usual smile she gave to me, a warm and gentle smile to ease my curiosity on what she did. I could not help myself but smile back at her. Then, we laughed at death, which we had ditched twice today.

However, I was sure Marikit did something she wanted me not to know how she saved us from our certain death.