111. Sea Assault: Ruku

After drinking that disgusting potion Tait and I headed straight for the coast.

“I would swear that was Eluf, Allvarlig and Nasmeh there. They are a hard trio to mistake.” Tait said.

“Best not to ask too many questions,” I warned him, “Besides, I am pretty sure Eluf had a date tonight.”

“Humph,” he grunted, unconvinced.

It didn’t take us long to get to the beach, and Tait’s bond Nifo was waiting for us. Nifo would take us to the cave. He wasn’t nearly as fast as my Opo was, but he was reliable and good in a fight. I could swim as fast as he could, but letting him pull us meant we would get there fresh.

I greeted Nifo and tossed him a small fish I had caught that afternoon.

“You spoil him too much. He has been putting on weight now that I am desk-bound a lot.” Tait complained.

I glanced at him, “Nifo’s not the only one.”

“Cheeky sod.”

Nifo swam us up the coast, and we waited submerged just off the entrance to the cave for the right time.

When the time came, we moved into the cave. My sonar was tracking the depth and the shape of the cave forming ahead of us. I kept my Sonar on a frequency I used privately and at a soft level. The stronger the pulse, the further it goes and the greater the frequency spread. In other words, the more likely another sonar user will hear it. As we got closer to the cave, the sea got shallower. I started to scan the sonar frequencies I could access. Each user differed in their natural range, and I had a wide range available to me. There was a common frequency range for communication. Somebody in the cave was blasting sonar very strongly. There was at least one Mer in the cave. We would be detected as soon as we left the water. The water would distort the sonar’s return signal from under the water, but they would start sensing an anomaly if we got too much closer. That was probably why they were using it so strongly.

There was a lantern shining near the back of this cave area. I found that very strange because everybody here should have Darksight or similar. Ocean Sense was telling me something wasn’t right. What it did show me was that there were the shadows of three figures standing near the water. One was to the side, standing on a protruding rock, and the other two were on a small, almost sandy beach area where there were two boats beached. One of the boats was like the outrigger canoe that I used, and the other was a more substantial daysailer.

I signalled to Tait that he and Nifo should take the two on the beach, and I would take the one on the rock. I would let Tait and Nifo go first, which would draw the attention of the one on the rock. I moved away from Nifo and readied my spear and Water Sprint.

Nifo might be aging and putting on weight, but he wasn’t slowing down. If anything, he might be getting faster. He certainly beat Tait out of the water. He made a clean bite on his target and then shook it like a rag doll. When a 6m long, one-ton saltwater crocodile suddenly grabs your leg, shakes you about and starts to pull you into the water, there is not much you can do. Tait wasn’t far behind him, but Humans aren’t built for this type of attack like Crocs are. Tait got a spear into the other person, but it wasn’t a fatal strike.

My turn to move. I launched myself off the shallow seabed and used Water Sprint to clear the rock, and used Piercing Strike to spear the Mer on the rock in the chest. Using water Sprint, I used to be able to get more height in my leaps from the water than Opo did. Up until he learned it from me, that is. As the Skill grew, we could get a lot of height in our leaps, and Opo was unmatched in his speed. Unlike Tait, my strike was fatal, and the Sonar ceased abruptly.

There was also a fourth person in the cave. In the back by the torch. She was moving toward Nifo with a shield and mace, so I moved to intercept her. She was good. I kept her away from me with my spear, but I couldn’t get past her shield. She must be a shield master because even with my Spear Master and Fast Strikes, I wasn’t getting past her shield. I was deciding whether to Enhance an attribute, bring water into play, or both when I heard Tait finish his opponent and yell at me.

“There is a boat incoming!” he yelled.

He had Hearing Aid so that he would pick up sounds much sooner than I would. The lantern and the blasting of the Sonar now made sense. They were both there to guide a boat in. The people on the boat have now been warned as I cut off the Sonar. The woman I was fighting didn’t like being outnumbered, so she Shield Bashed me back and backed up onto the protruding rock where I had killed the first Mer. This meant we could only come to her one at a time, and I think she was hoping to join up with those in the boat. Or maybe escape with those in the boat.

Nifo returned to the water, and my Sonar finally picked up a small daysailer entering the cave mouth. My opponent Shield bashed me again, then threw her shield at me and dived into the water, striking out toward the boat. She was in leather armour, so it wouldn't weigh her down, which is why she divested herself of the shield. An arrow nicked through my spiritually enhanced Monster Seal Skin dive suit. It didn’t penetrate my Tough Hide skin.

Tait yelled again, “There is another bond in the water. A Shark. Nifo can’t survive a shark!”

“I will help Nifo. You deal with the boat.” I didn’t wait for a reply but dived into the water after the woman I had been fighting.

Water is my affinity, and diving into the ocean means I am in my element, and my Water Manipulation is at the Master Level. First, I dealt with the woman, which was easy. I had the water grab her and drag her under. I made it suddenly compress her chest, getting all the air from her lungs and then filling them with water. There is no such thing as a fair fight. I stabbed her on the way passed to speed up her death, as I had more urgent tasks. The blood would also hopefully distract the shark.

The advantage the shark had over Nifo was speed. Fortunately, we were fighting in a confined waterway, limiting the manoeuvring space. Nifo and the shark had already engaged, and there was a lot of water turbulence. I caught a glimpse of the shark, and it was a Tiger Shark. That was bad. I managed to grab the shark with water Manipulation, but it only slowed briefly and then slipped away from it. A Shark was very different from grabbing a human. There was now blood in the water, so I assumed it had wounded Nifo, I got a glancing spear cut in it as it swung out for another pass.

There was a splash, and another person entered the water from the boat. I assume it was the shark's bond. I couldn’t just drown them as they were a type of Mer with gills. They were fast in the water, and I only just got away from their knife strike. My Whirlpool Armour probably deflected it.

My spear would be too unwieldy in this fast environment, and I was about to discard it when an explosion reverberated through the water. Tait was dealing with the boat. This disorientated the Mer briefly, and I got my spear lodged into them instead of discarding it. That should slow him down while I enhanced my Physical Agility to speed up. I left the spear lodged in the Mer and grabbed my knife, and Water Sprinted an attack on the shark. The Shark dodged the stab, so I only got an eye and a thin cut down its side.

I saw Nifo go for the kill on the Mer, and the shark was coming back around to defend its bond. Shit, Nifo had lost a leg and was bleeding badly. I managed a Water Surge to push the shark off target, and Nifo got the Mer in his jaws. He had him right across his stomach, and there was a swell of blood and guts. Nifo would not be letting go now.

The shark went berserk. It was a combination of reacting to the blood and his bond’s death. Unfortunately, I was the one he saw with his one good eye. I almost got out of his way, but a last-minute twist meant he got my foot in his jaws, and I was yanked away with his momentum. I could feel the bones breaking and his teeth in my calf. I twisted my body and stabbed him in the eye nearest me, but this time I was going for his brain. I got him too, but his death throes caused a lot of damage to my foot and lower leg.

I finally managed to pry my leg free. The Seal Skin suit was tight to reduce blood loss, and it also helped keep my leg together. I was going to need to breathe soon. My Oxygen Efficiency is great, but this is an extreme level of activity, and my wounds didn’t help. I saw Nifo. He had ripped a leg off the Mer and was busy swallowing it. I went over to him and got him to follow me to the beach. We both needed to stop our bleeding, especially Nifo.

We both crawled up onto the small beach to see Tait coming around to meet us. I looked around for threats, and we were clear. There was boat wreckage and more bodies in the water. Tait pulled two potions from his pack and tossed one to me, and I gulped it down. He fed the other to Nifo and pulled out a bandage to bind Nifo’s rear stump. I saw Nifo had some other bite marks as well. My Seal Suit was doing its job and limiting my bleeding, so Nifo was the more urgent of us. I knew the Royal Marines had a team of highly specialised veterinarians specifically for the bonds. Nifo would be fine in a few weeks.

I pulled my slim pack off my back and pulled my First Aid kit out when Eluf, Allvarlig, Nasmeh and Tabitha came from the main cavern. After assessing the cave for threats, Allvarlig, the dwarf, assisted me and started work on my leg. I could see Eluf had recognised Nifo, and his eyes zeroed in on Tait.

“Captain Tait?” he asked.

“Nice to see you again, my Lord,” Tait responded. “Somebody told me you were on a date. You have chosen a very romantic location.” He waved his arm toward the sea, which was stained red with blood and covered in floating wreckage and bodies.

“I didn’t choose this location, but the purpose of a date is to get to know the other person.” He glanced at Tabitha, “from that perspective, this date has been very successful.”

Tabitha came over to me, “There are a lot more bodies here than expected. What happened?”

“We had some unexpected guests, one of them with a shark bond, which is responsible for our injuries,” I replied. “We got them all.” I reassured her. A rampaging shark, maddened by the loss of their bond, is no joke. I have had to deal with one of them before.

“Can you walk?” she asked.

“I will need a crutch, but Tait and I will grab that beached daysailer and take it back to Obalno. It is best to get Nifo to the vet as soon as possible unless you need us for something.”

“No, everything is under control. Make sure you see the healer as well and send me the bill. The three of you have gone above and beyond all expectations. Just let me know if you need anything, and I will make it happen,” Tabitha said.

I needed to warn Tait because the way she makes things happen is dubious at best.