Ocean of the Deep Ones (2)

The deck rang out with clangs of steel and shouts of warring men. The tang of blood and smoke filled Connie's nostrils as she defended her vessel relentlessly, her swords colliding against the invaders' in bursts of sparks. Her loyal crew cried out as they were forced back by the endless onslaught.

Connie was one of the Huogg, a four-armed race of humanoids that were considered giants by most. Connie herself was a purebred Huogg, which gave her a tremendous advantage in fighting these human pirates.

With her two arms holding scimitars, she used her other arms to hold a flintlock rifle.

She was a true terror, standing at about 8 feet tall (2.4m) and releasing energetic energy as she crushed anyone who stood in her way.

Connie was one of the few non-human species that traveled the Landfill. When she was young, she settled down in this place and became a smuggler to earn money to enter one of the territories bordering this grand ocean.

However, she has been here for over 50 years and still hasn't left.

She sported long, dark green hair that was always wet; many of her crew rumored she just put seaweed in her hair. Connie's eyes were brown, but so dark you would think no light could enter them, and her skin was a dark tan that could put the copper monks of Varn to shame.

Connie had long resigned herself to her fate, ever since she'd fled her home so long ago. "At least I'm not like the rest of my people," she reminded herself day after day.

Life had long lost its meaning as she fought day and night, bringing supplies to different islands in the Archipelago.

But it was her life, and she would live it to her last breath. Connie had grown accustomed to this life; she had grown accustomed to its staleness and repetitiveness.

But unlike this repetitive day, it suddenly changed.

The air shifted as the entire sky appeared dyed in red. Suddenly, a figure descended as the red converged on them. They hovered downwards before taking a step on the deck of her ship, the Red Titan.

He stared at her with the most radiant smile she had ever seen. His short black hair seemed to shift with the wind as his dark green eyes innocently inspected her entire body.

In a flash, he stood before Connie, grinning ear to ear. "I'm new here. I heard of other beings, but never expected human-like ones. May I ask you questions?" He extended his hand in greeting.

Connie narrowly fixated down on Cain for a few moments before she couldn't control herself anymore. Laughter as loud as a whale emptied itself from her iron lungs, and the entire battlefield was bathed in the sound of her heavy laughter.

Even a few pirates had to plug their ears to make sure blood didn't start flowing.

"HAHAHA! What an interesting thing to say, Human! But now is not the time for this; as you can see, my boats are being invaded, and I'm trying to fend them off."

Cain tilted his head before his eyes and his mouth curved into a mysterious smile. "If that is the case, then I can help. Just make sure to answer all my questions."

Before Connie could agree, Cain turned around, and fog seemed to separate from his body and encaptured the entirety of the battlefield of the entire trade route Connie was sailing. Like her, many other merchants and smugglers were also fighting off this pirate fleet.

This was the mist that killed millions, yet it didn't show its bloodlust and simply acted as a weight upon anyone caught in it. Focusing on the invading pirates, the fog became heavier as more of it gathered and pressed down on the enemy; it was as if gravity itself was bearing its weight on them.

In an instant, all the pirates were immobilized, and Cain raised his voice; it was as loud as a megaphone.

"Stay down, and I won't kill you! Those that don't comply will die, and the rest will leave now!"

With his words finished, the fog receded and returned. From then, the pirates looked around in a daze; eventually, their eyes befell their leader a few ships away from the Red Titan. He didn't move for a moment, stuck in thought. However, he recollected himself and chose very wise words.

"Retreat!"

The order smoothly clicked, and the pirates retreated under the victorious yells of the merchants and guards. Especially Connie's smuggler crew, who saw the man who singlehandedly saved them.

Turning back, Cain kept the same smile as before.

"Can you answer my questions now?"

Connie replied, "I would be happy to."

....

Still stunned by the bizarre man's incredible powers, Connie brought Cain into her quarters. The red titan was big but because of her size her captain's quarters took up a chuck of the ship, being custom-made just for her.

She then scrutinized him as she slowly answered his barrage of questions one by one.

One of Cain's first questions was about her race, for which she gave a detailed description and history of her people.

The Huogg or Four-armed Giants, nicknamed by humans, are humanoid beings with four arms and are incredibly tall; the tallest person in Connie's tribe being 11 feet (3.3m). Huogg are strong and live a long life, reaching almost an average of 400 years. Connie herself was around 150 and considered an adult.

The Huogg once lived in the mountains before human rulers forced them out. Connie's people scattered, and after years of wandering, she settled in this archipelago.

Cain asked more detailed and anatomical questions to which Connie also gave her answers.

For one, the Huogg did have their own language, but it was in the form of their arm movements, which was impossible to use with only two arms.

Next, the Huogg tribe had incredible physiques and muscles and could crush boulders with ease.

Connie's physical body herself could crush Cain easily.

On to the more personal questions, Cain was amazed to learn that Connie's race didn't have a gender. Babies were made through mitosis in the sense of the word.

Every hundred years, a Huogg would grow weak, and their flesh would become soft and malleable. From there they could rip off enough flesh and form a child using a special ritual; however, after losing their homeland, this is no longer possible.

At 100, Connie reshaped herself to look more feminine, an advantage when dealing with humans. From there, she found that humans responded better to her, and she kept the change.

It wasn't just questions Cain asked about her people but also this Ocean.

"Well, if I had to describe it. This place is called the Archipelago of United Islands, unlike as you probably know it. It's a collection of islands stretching the entire ocean and is used as trade routes between two big countries, as well as a tourist attraction."

"Oh, so have you been conquered by one country?"

"No, they fight to keep neutrality, though they would jump at the opportunity to get one up on the other. This place is mostly ships going back and forth with supplies and pirates trying to make money; it's all very boring."

"I don't think so, I have only been through deserts so far, so seeing so much water is great! Anyway, is there anything else you know?"

Connie smirked. "I've lived here 50 years, of course! For one, each island is like its own government with alliances here and there. You'll be fine since there's no currency, and everything is based on trading; however, gold coins used by both countries have been popular as of late. Finally, don't go to the center of the ocean; it's a terrible place that no one returns from, its the home of the Deep ones."

Cain devoured the information like it was dinner and collected them in mental files in his mindscape for safekeeping.

He planned to learn more about these deep ones, they seemed tied to the territory in some way.

"So where are we headed?"

"The island of Kyrli. More importantly, one of the main cities of the Archipelago, Gyan."