Miniature Odyssey
a
Trust Machines story
by
clancy688
Slowly, Naomi floated through the deep blue, pumping water through her mantle from time to time to keep her torpedo-shaped body from sinking. A carp, one third her length, swam closer, inspecting the new neighbor. The curios fish unsettled Naomi, after all, its mouth was big enough to seriously injure her body, and therefore she dispatched a trio of her tentacles, gently but determined pushing the fish back.
Startled by the suckered, fleshy limbs suddenly sweeping over its scales, the fish apparently decided that it's best not to tangle with this fellow and darted away, and Naomi emitted an inward sigh of relief. Swiftly, she retracted her limbs again, positioning them behind her main body so that they didn't produce extra drag. The motion came almost naturally to her now.
Hm, it seems as if I'm getting better in controlling my tentacles... she contemplated while she continued cruising along. The first hour in her transformed body had required some getting used to. Sporting ten tentacles with hundreds of suckers had felt way too weird in the beginning and she hadn't been able to move them purposefully at first. But this had changed over time, and by now she had no trouble anymore in moving all of them independently, including utilizing their suckers.
Simultaneously, she had grown more and more accustomed to the rest of her cephalopod body. She didn't shed a second glance at her weird physique anymore, practically only being a torpedo-shaped head with a beak where the neck should have been, surrounded by ten, fleshy tentacles. No, it felt perfectly normal now to be a three-feet long squid, her tentacles nearly tripling that length.
With Naomi mastering her new body, her previous doubts about her task had vanished and she was even looking forward to it now. Although I'm not sure if I'll be able to do a performance as convincing as the others did... she pondered. Andrew's Hydra performance during the last game session had been Oscar-worthy, there'd been not the slightest evidence that the head- teeth- and talon-sporting monster which had undoubtedly viewed the party as a welcome snack had actually been a transformed human.
And Joanne's Werewolf act the week before had been both awe- and fearsome as well. Compared to that, she'd probably look like a high school drama club's surrogate actor. But nonetheless, she would try to make her appearance as a fearful sea-monster as convincing as possible. Now only to wait for the right moment for her great entrance...
Naomi rolled her torpedo-shaped body slightly to the side so that one of her gigantic eyes could take in the large shadow floating on the surface above her. Actually, her eye wasn't that large, barely one third of feet across, but that translated into two third's of their miniature party's human members' body length! It was actually larger than the dwarf members were high (or wide)!
Anyway, it wouldn't be long now. Soon, the shadow above her, her sister Tamara actually, would reach the middle of the lake. And then, Naomi would bring some action and suspense to her friends' so far idly pleasure cruise.
I know you were pissing and moaning when you pulled the short straw, dear sister... Naomi thought while waiting for the right moment, But actually you got the chilly job. You just have to let yourself drift. I for myself have to act for a living... well... now she had to smirk inwardly, at least there's free food which comes with the job...
*******************************************
Like an adamant mountain, the large, burly human stood at the ship's bulwark, his bearded face gazing out over the storm-beaten see. Nothing of his calm, composed demeanor betrayed the anxiousness which was hidden behind the mask. At least not to human eyes.
"Concerned, are we, Riagar?" a full, sensual voice rang out from behind and with a sly smile, the human turned, taking in the person who'd joined him on their vessel's poop deck. She was tall, nearly as tall as he himself, and he already topped most of his fellow humans by more than a head.
She was a dark elf, with a luscious brown complexion, not entirely black, but not white either. Her feet were encased by leathery mocassins, her groin and breasts only hidden by a short top and a loincloth. She was showing a maximum of bare skin and a minimum of modesty, and each time she moved one of her spectacular legs, Riagar felt something stirring between his legs.
"Why do you think I am concerned, Shandrin?" he asked back lightly and the elf laughed, showing dazzling white teeth.
"Don't take an elf for a fool." she chided him while taking stand next to him, her long, whitish, silken hair flying in the wind. Riagar took another wistful sight of the beauty next to him and then battled down his desires. Making advances on Shandrin would be suicidal. He'd seen the elf pushing a dagger through a werewolf's head as if she was cutting butter, and even if he somehow managed to disarm her, there'd be no telling what Garfark would do to him with his hammer.
Why the beautiful elf had taken a dwarf for a lover of all things was anyone's guess. The stocky party member was practically as wide as he was big, with a scrubby fuss where his face should have been, only an unshapely knob of a nose and two eyes peering out of the undergrowth, but she'd made her choice. And there were rumors that the body height which Garfark was clearly missing had been invested in other places by the Gods...
Riagar pushed these thoughts to the side, their party's internal relationships weren't of interest at the moment. "I don't know." he answered therefore thoughtfully. "I just think that the whole thing is... fishy..."
"What?" Shandrin asked back amused, her eyes twinkling. "You don't believe that sturdy Tamara here-" she patted the ship's bulwark, "-will safely bring us to the Eastern shore? She does look like a good ship to me, not like a floating coffin. The horrors which undoubtedly await us when we go to shore, those you should be concerned about. But until then-" she nodded at the main deck where most of their party was assembled, "-we should simply enjoy the crossing."
Riagar sighed. "It's not the ship. It's the crossing itself. Somehow, I'm not convinced that the 'horrors' you cited will await us on the shore. I mean, sure, that's what we've been told. But somehow I don't believe it. It sounds too good to be true. 'Simply let yourself float over the ocean and start hacking once you're ashore until you reach the lost treasure.' Right." he snorted, then looked at his companions.
"And there isn't that much 'enjoyment' involved, either." he added glumly. "This damn storm is making half our members seasick. Just look at Calfury! You see how green he is?"
To that, Shandrin had to laugh. "No wonder. He's a dragon. But I think you may be right... after all, Thomlin and Anpe are not at it."
Now Riagar laughed. Thomlin, a centaur, was humping his girlfriend Annpe, also a centaur, at every possible occasion. Much to the other member's chagrin actually, since centaur mating rituals tended to be loud affairs. Especially on wooden ships where their hooves clattering wasn't dampened. But right now, both were simply sitting on the swaying deck, hoofed legs folded below their equine bodies and snuggled close to each other.
Besides the dragon, the two centaurs and Shandrin's dwarf lover who was currently busy tending to his war hammer, there were three more humans, two male and one female, two brutish, hideous looking orcs (nobody wanted to guess their gender - if they even had something like this) and a gorgeous male wood elf on the deck. And none of them looked particular healthy.
But their humor quickly subsided. "In fact, I think you may be on to something. Apart from this damn storm, it's too calm." Shandrin mused. "But what do you think could attack us here? Besides a Leviathan, of course? And those creatures apparently are only interested in catching eagle flies."
Riagar nodded. When they'd set out on their journey, the appearance of the mountain-like fish had startled them. But after some time, they'd realized that those creatures, despite easily being the size of their vessel, didn't show any interest in it. Instead, they were quite busy catching the monstrous insects which were buzzing around all over the water. Nobody had complained, of course. The fish were busy catching flies, the flies were busy surviving, and nobody had bothered them. "I don't know." he admitted. "Giant Eagles and other flying creatures? Pirates, maybe? But then, I'm not seeing any ships nearby. Or Merfolk?"
"You wanna have me take a look?" a rasping voice sounded from behind them and Riagar and Shandrin turned, looking at the final member of their party who had made her way down from the main mast to the poop deck from where she'd kept watch until now. As an eagle-born, Canla was truly a sight to behold. Her body's shape was roughly that of a human female, with curves all in the right places. But that was about everything which was human.
Her whole figure was covered in grey and brown feathers, her feet actually being yellow-scaled talons and her arms being long, wide wings. There were dainty fingers hidden in her arms, similar to those of a bat, so she could grab and manipulate things, but of course the main occupation of these limbs was moving her body through the air. But the most unsettling (or fascinating) thing about Canla was her head - a full eagle head, with a curved beak and small, attentive eyes. "I just heard your conversation and thought that I'd offer my help." the eagle-born rasped out of her beak while she clicked closer on her talons and Riagar raised an eyebrow.
"You're doing a reconnaissance flight? That would be helpful, really."
"It's my job." Canla simply stated and hopped on the bulwark, her talons burrowing themselves deeply into the painted wood. She stretched her impressive wings and in the next moment, she jumped. With a powerful flap of her wings, the bird-woman soared into the sky.
Chuckling, Shandrin watched her go. Canla wasn't of much use in fights. One hit and she'd be a bloody mess of feathers. But she had other virtues, and having a flying scout had more than once saved their skins over the journey. Now she was gliding over the water, searching for anything unusual with her fabulous eyes.
"I don't actually think she'll find something." Riagar stated while observing Canla gliding over the waves, "But at least it'll help in soothing my-" he didn't get any further. In one aspect, he had been right. Canla didn't find something. Instead, something found her. The big human stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes flying wide-open, as a trio of truly titanic tentacles erupted out of the sea. Two of them only hit empty air, but the third hit Canla right in mid-flight, snatching the eagle-born out of the air and pulling her down into the abyss.
Aghast, Riagar stared at the spot where his party member had disappeared in the fracture of a second. Only a few tumbling feathers and a bubbling spot of water remained as proof of of the bird woman's existence. Next to him, he heard Shandrin swallow, a motion which made him tremble slightly. He'd never heard the combat-skilled elf swallowing. Ever. And then, he saw movement in the sea. Like shadowy snakes under the surface. Creeping closer. And he realized that all his uneasiness, all his fears, had fallen way short of the real menace which awaited them.
"To your feet, TO YOUR FEET!" Riagar bellowed as loud as he could, reaching for his sword, Shandrin next to him doing the same. But the surprise was total. Their companions were still in the process of scrambling to their legs, still wondering what was going on when the sea at the ship's sides started seething.
"KRAKEN!" the leader screamed from the top of his lungs and then, all hell broke loose.
"Concerned, are we, Riagar?" a full, sensual voice rang out from behind and with a sly smile, the human turned, taking in the person who'd joined him on their vessel's poop deck. She was tall, nearly as tall as he himself, and he already topped most of his fellow humans by more than a head.
She was a dark elf, with a luscious brown complexion, not entirely black, but not white either. Her feet were encased by leathery mocassins, her groin and breasts only hidden by a short top and a loincloth. She was showing a maximum of bare skin and a minimum of modesty, and each time she moved one of her spectacular legs, Riagar felt something stirring between his legs.
"Why do you think I am concerned, Shandrin?" he asked back lightly and the elf laughed, showing dazzling white teeth.
"Don't take an elf for a fool." she chided him while taking stand next to him, her long, whitish, silken hair flying in the wind. Riagar took another wistful sight of the beauty next to him and then battled down his desires. Making advances on Shandrin would be suicidal. He'd seen the elf pushing a dagger through a werewolf's head as if she was cutting butter, and even if he somehow managed to disarm her, there'd be no telling what Garfark would do to him with his hammer.
Why the beautiful elf had taken a dwarf for a lover of all things was anyone's guess. The stocky party member was practically as wide as he was big, with a scrubby fuss where his face should have been, only an unshapely knob of a nose and two eyes peering out of the undergrowth, but she'd made her choice. And there were rumors that the body height which Garfark was clearly missing had been invested in other places by the Gods...
Riagar pushed these thoughts to the side, their party's internal relationships weren't of interest at the moment. "I don't know." he answered therefore thoughtfully. "I just think that the whole thing is... fishy..."
"What?" Shandrin asked back amused, her eyes twinkling. "You don't believe that sturdy Tamara here-" she patted the ship's bulwark, "-will safely bring us to the Eastern shore? She does look like a good ship to me, not like a floating coffin. The horrors which undoubtedly await us when we go to shore, those you should be concerned about. But until then-" she nodded at the main deck where most of their party was assembled, "-we should simply enjoy the crossing."
Riagar sighed. "It's not the ship. It's the crossing itself. Somehow, I'm not convinced that the 'horrors' you cited will await us on the shore. I mean, sure, that's what we've been told. But somehow I don't believe it. It sounds too good to be true. 'Simply let yourself float over the ocean and start hacking once you're ashore until you reach the lost treasure.' Right." he snorted, then looked at his companions.
"And there isn't that much 'enjoyment' involved, either." he added glumly. "This damn storm is making half our members seasick. Just look at Calfury! You see how green he is?"
To that, Shandrin had to laugh. "No wonder. He's a dragon. But I think you may be right... after all, Thomlin and Anpe are not at it."
Now Riagar laughed. Thomlin, a centaur, was humping his girlfriend Annpe, also a centaur, at every possible occasion. Much to the other member's chagrin actually, since centaur mating rituals tended to be loud affairs. Especially on wooden ships where their hooves clattering wasn't dampened. But right now, both were simply sitting on the swaying deck, hoofed legs folded below their equine bodies and snuggled close to each other.
Besides the dragon, the two centaurs and Shandrin's dwarf lover who was currently busy tending to his war hammer, there were three more humans, two male and one female, two brutish, hideous looking orcs (nobody wanted to guess their gender - if they even had something like this) and a gorgeous male wood elf on the deck. And none of them looked particular healthy.
But their humor quickly subsided. "In fact, I think you may be on to something. Apart from this damn storm, it's too calm." Shandrin mused. "But what do you think could attack us here? Besides a Leviathan, of course? And those creatures apparently are only interested in catching eagle flies."
Riagar nodded. When they'd set out on their journey, the appearance of the mountain-like fish had startled them. But after some time, they'd realized that those creatures, despite easily being the size of their vessel, didn't show any interest in it. Instead, they were quite busy catching the monstrous insects which were buzzing around all over the water. Nobody had complained, of course. The fish were busy catching flies, the flies were busy surviving, and nobody had bothered them. "I don't know." he admitted. "Giant Eagles and other flying creatures? Pirates, maybe? But then, I'm not seeing any ships nearby. Or Merfolk?"
"You wanna have me take a look?" a rasping voice sounded from behind them and Riagar and Shandrin turned, looking at the final member of their party who had made her way down from the main mast to the poop deck from where she'd kept watch until now. As an eagle-born, Canla was truly a sight to behold. Her body's shape was roughly that of a human female, with curves all in the right places. But that was about everything which was human.
Her whole figure was covered in grey and brown feathers, her feet actually being yellow-scaled talons and her arms being long, wide wings. There were dainty fingers hidden in her arms, similar to those of a bat, so she could grab and manipulate things, but of course the main occupation of these limbs was moving her body through the air. But the most unsettling (or fascinating) thing about Canla was her head - a full eagle head, with a curved beak and small, attentive eyes. "I just heard your conversation and thought that I'd offer my help." the eagle-born rasped out of her beak while she clicked closer on her talons and Riagar raised an eyebrow.
"You're doing a reconnaissance flight? That would be helpful, really."
"It's my job." Canla simply stated and hopped on the bulwark, her talons burrowing themselves deeply into the painted wood. She stretched her impressive wings and in the next moment, she jumped. With a powerful flap of her wings, the bird-woman soared into the sky.
Chuckling, Shandrin watched her go. Canla wasn't of much use in fights. One hit and she'd be a bloody mess of feathers. But she had other virtues, and having a flying scout had more than once saved their skins over the journey. Now she was gliding over the water, searching for anything unusual with her fabulous eyes.
"I don't actually think she'll find something." Riagar stated while observing Canla gliding over the waves, "But at least it'll help in soothing my-" he didn't get any further. In one aspect, he had been right. Canla didn't find something. Instead, something found her. The big human stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes flying wide-open, as a trio of truly titanic tentacles erupted out of the sea. Two of them only hit empty air, but the third hit Canla right in mid-flight, snatching the eagle-born out of the air and pulling her down into the abyss.
Aghast, Riagar stared at the spot where his party member had disappeared in the fracture of a second. Only a few tumbling feathers and a bubbling spot of water remained as proof of of the bird woman's existence. Next to him, he heard Shandrin swallow, a motion which made him tremble slightly. He'd never heard the combat-skilled elf swallowing. Ever. And then, he saw movement in the sea. Like shadowy snakes under the surface. Creeping closer. And he realized that all his uneasiness, all his fears, had fallen way short of the real menace which awaited them.
"To your feet, TO YOUR FEET!" Riagar bellowed as loud as he could, reaching for his sword, Shandrin next to him doing the same. But the surprise was total. Their companions were still in the process of scrambling to their legs, still wondering what was going on when the sea at the ship's sides started seething.
"KRAKEN!" the leader screamed from the top of his lungs and then, all hell broke loose.
*******************************************
In the end, Naomi couldn't exactly remember what had prompted her to start the attack now. She'd risen up from the depths several minutes before, following her target from closely beneath the surface, when she'd spotted the shadow whizzing over the waves above her. Whether it had been instinct or knowledge that it belonged to a member of the party, as she had unleashed her tentacles, the sudden rush of adrenaline had whitewashed the actual decision making process.
All that mattered know was the task at hand - or tentacles - and three of her massive limbs reached out of her hide, greedily searching for prey. And one became lucky indeed. Naomi felt something impacting on her third tentacle and immediately, she fixated her catch by entangling it with her suckers.
In the next moment, she let her tentacles retreat into the sea again, the victim helplessly struggling in the unfamiliar and deadly element. She didn't even have to think, her squid body knew exactly what to do, and so her other tentacles swerved away while the one with the catch deposited the floundering creature into her readily waiting beak. Without second thought, without mercy, she closed it shut, only noticing a slight resistance as it cut through living flesh.
The struggling stopped while a warm, thick liquid mixed with the water around her beak, and with a couple of more voracious bites, her haul was in pieces and travelling into her stomach. It was only then that Naomi realized that she'd basically just eaten one of her friends.
Oh... wow... she thought dazed and stopped for a short moment. That went... smoother than I'd anticipated... In fact, Bert, who had invented the whole Kraken-scenario, had encouraged Naomi to eat some party members while in squid-shape. First, if all killed party members were assembled in her stomach, they could be changed back immediately, simply by putting her, with their remains inside her, into the next Venn Machine. The experience wouldn't be that pleasant for her victims, but it totally beat being a three-inch tall water-corpse for several hours. After all, it was probably just a trifle difficult to locate a finger-sized dismembered body floating in a lake.
And second, it added to the scenario's appeal. If the party was up against a giant Kraken, then it should of course be a man-eating Kraken. After all, why should a Kraken attack a ship if not for food? It wasn't something new, actually. The werewolves they had been up against two weeks before had been hungry as well, according to the scenario. Much to Tamara's chagrin who'd found herself a victim of the werewolves and had therefore missed most of this day's role-play. But to make the whole thing more appealing, more real, there had to be some casualties. Every player just had to make sure that he or she wouldn't be among those.
That being said, Naomi had felt a bit uneasy when becoming a man-eating monstrosity. Actually, the monstrosity part was quite okayish. She wasn't a fantasy fan for nothing and becoming a legendary creature out of myths had a certain appeal. But the man-eating part, especially if the men and women in question were her friends, had made her anxious a bit. Now though... after she'd devoured the first unlucky player, it was feeling natural.
At least I've 'avenged' Tamara now... Naomi realized with an inward smile her current body wasn't capable off. I've just eaten a flying party member, so it must have been Joanne in her eagle-born character's body.
Two weeks ago, Joanne had made up the werewolf pack which had harassed them. She hadn't been able to control all her bodies simultaneously, but she'd never attacked with more than three bodies at once. With her first attack, Joanne had descended upon hapless Tamara who'd doubled as their scout (since Joanne had been busy with doing something else), and the dainty elf woman had barely had time to realize her peril when three foaming snouts had started ripping her apart.
That had probably played a part in Tamara's complaints over the assignment she'd drawn. Tamara was the kind of woman who nursed grudges until they died of old age and then stuffed them so that she could venerate them on a shelf. She'd probably looked forward to the opportunity of getting even with Joanne. Naomi had felt sympathy towards her sister's desire, after all, she'd been witness to her violent 'death' two weeks ago and it really hadn't been a pretty sight. But of course she hadn't ceded the fun assignment she'd had the luck to draw and therefore sulking Tamara had been forced to become the party's sailing ship while Naomi had become the giant Kraken.
Swiftly, Naomi pumped water through her body and flicked forward towards her sister's inanimate, wooden body. Now that she'd exposed herself, she had to move fast, or the moment of surprise would be over. Just too bad that Tamara will become one of my next victims as well... Naomi smirked while she maneuvered her cephalopod body into position. Time for some trolling... she thought cheerfully and then broke through the surface with ten tentacles at once.
All that mattered know was the task at hand - or tentacles - and three of her massive limbs reached out of her hide, greedily searching for prey. And one became lucky indeed. Naomi felt something impacting on her third tentacle and immediately, she fixated her catch by entangling it with her suckers.
In the next moment, she let her tentacles retreat into the sea again, the victim helplessly struggling in the unfamiliar and deadly element. She didn't even have to think, her squid body knew exactly what to do, and so her other tentacles swerved away while the one with the catch deposited the floundering creature into her readily waiting beak. Without second thought, without mercy, she closed it shut, only noticing a slight resistance as it cut through living flesh.
The struggling stopped while a warm, thick liquid mixed with the water around her beak, and with a couple of more voracious bites, her haul was in pieces and travelling into her stomach. It was only then that Naomi realized that she'd basically just eaten one of her friends.
Oh... wow... she thought dazed and stopped for a short moment. That went... smoother than I'd anticipated... In fact, Bert, who had invented the whole Kraken-scenario, had encouraged Naomi to eat some party members while in squid-shape. First, if all killed party members were assembled in her stomach, they could be changed back immediately, simply by putting her, with their remains inside her, into the next Venn Machine. The experience wouldn't be that pleasant for her victims, but it totally beat being a three-inch tall water-corpse for several hours. After all, it was probably just a trifle difficult to locate a finger-sized dismembered body floating in a lake.
And second, it added to the scenario's appeal. If the party was up against a giant Kraken, then it should of course be a man-eating Kraken. After all, why should a Kraken attack a ship if not for food? It wasn't something new, actually. The werewolves they had been up against two weeks before had been hungry as well, according to the scenario. Much to Tamara's chagrin who'd found herself a victim of the werewolves and had therefore missed most of this day's role-play. But to make the whole thing more appealing, more real, there had to be some casualties. Every player just had to make sure that he or she wouldn't be among those.
That being said, Naomi had felt a bit uneasy when becoming a man-eating monstrosity. Actually, the monstrosity part was quite okayish. She wasn't a fantasy fan for nothing and becoming a legendary creature out of myths had a certain appeal. But the man-eating part, especially if the men and women in question were her friends, had made her anxious a bit. Now though... after she'd devoured the first unlucky player, it was feeling natural.
At least I've 'avenged' Tamara now... Naomi realized with an inward smile her current body wasn't capable off. I've just eaten a flying party member, so it must have been Joanne in her eagle-born character's body.
Two weeks ago, Joanne had made up the werewolf pack which had harassed them. She hadn't been able to control all her bodies simultaneously, but she'd never attacked with more than three bodies at once. With her first attack, Joanne had descended upon hapless Tamara who'd doubled as their scout (since Joanne had been busy with doing something else), and the dainty elf woman had barely had time to realize her peril when three foaming snouts had started ripping her apart.
That had probably played a part in Tamara's complaints over the assignment she'd drawn. Tamara was the kind of woman who nursed grudges until they died of old age and then stuffed them so that she could venerate them on a shelf. She'd probably looked forward to the opportunity of getting even with Joanne. Naomi had felt sympathy towards her sister's desire, after all, she'd been witness to her violent 'death' two weeks ago and it really hadn't been a pretty sight. But of course she hadn't ceded the fun assignment she'd had the luck to draw and therefore sulking Tamara had been forced to become the party's sailing ship while Naomi had become the giant Kraken.
Swiftly, Naomi pumped water through her body and flicked forward towards her sister's inanimate, wooden body. Now that she'd exposed herself, she had to move fast, or the moment of surprise would be over. Just too bad that Tamara will become one of my next victims as well... Naomi smirked while she maneuvered her cephalopod body into position. Time for some trolling... she thought cheerfully and then broke through the surface with ten tentacles at once.
*******************************************
Riagar and Shandrin could only stare in horror as ten massive tentacles, each one longer than the main mast and as thick as a tree broke through the surface. For the blink of an eye, the suckered limbs simply towered over the ship, dripping water on the deck. And then, they crashed down.
Canvas tore and wood splintered as the Kraken's arms impacted on the decks, reducing bulwarks to shreds. Hungrily, the pinkish flesh wriggled all over the deck, searching for victims. Of their mortified companions, Calfury the dragon was the first to react. With a furious snarl, the scaled creature launched himself towards the nearest tentacle, burrowing his teeth in its flesh.
In agony, the tentacle whipped around, dragging the stubborn dragon over the deck. For a moment, Riagar thought that Calfury's jaw would be powerful enough to bite the giant limb in two. But instead, more tentacles slithered towards him, almost like flesh-eating worms, coiling themselves around the dragon's limbs until Calfury was burrowed under a twitching mass of suckered flesh. And then, the Kraken simply dragged into a different direction with each tentacle.
The whole deck was sprayed in a rain of blood and gore as the sea monster's limbs ripped the proud, scaled creature apart like a child an ant. Greedily, the tentacles dragged the biggest chunks back into sea, only leaving red-stained planks behind. But Calfury's sacrifice had provided the party the breathing space it had needed to get itself organized, and now the surviving members gathered themselves in a defensive circle on the deck.
Both Riagar and Shandrin launched themselves down from the poop deck, joining their fellows. Not one second too early. There were already half a dozen tentacles probing their way towards them again. But this time, they were prepared.
Canvas tore and wood splintered as the Kraken's arms impacted on the decks, reducing bulwarks to shreds. Hungrily, the pinkish flesh wriggled all over the deck, searching for victims. Of their mortified companions, Calfury the dragon was the first to react. With a furious snarl, the scaled creature launched himself towards the nearest tentacle, burrowing his teeth in its flesh.
In agony, the tentacle whipped around, dragging the stubborn dragon over the deck. For a moment, Riagar thought that Calfury's jaw would be powerful enough to bite the giant limb in two. But instead, more tentacles slithered towards him, almost like flesh-eating worms, coiling themselves around the dragon's limbs until Calfury was burrowed under a twitching mass of suckered flesh. And then, the Kraken simply dragged into a different direction with each tentacle.
The whole deck was sprayed in a rain of blood and gore as the sea monster's limbs ripped the proud, scaled creature apart like a child an ant. Greedily, the tentacles dragged the biggest chunks back into sea, only leaving red-stained planks behind. But Calfury's sacrifice had provided the party the breathing space it had needed to get itself organized, and now the surviving members gathered themselves in a defensive circle on the deck.
Both Riagar and Shandrin launched themselves down from the poop deck, joining their fellows. Not one second too early. There were already half a dozen tentacles probing their way towards them again. But this time, they were prepared.
*******************************************
Quite in high spirits, Naomi devoured her second catch. Based on its size, it probably was Johnathan. Well, deserved him right. She'd always thought that him choosing the character of an elephant-sized dragon was distorting their game's balance. At least now he'd gotten his comeuppance for his ridiculous size.
And who'd have thought this...? she mused while her beak cut his last remaining parts into proper potions and swallowed them, Dragons taste like chicken. Although the rest of the pack is quite stingy...
Slightly irritated, she retracted one itching tentacle from the surface and moved it in front of one eye. It wasn't seriously hurt, but there were cuts and stitches, caused by the ship's surviving crew. Currently, her main body was still hovering a feet below the surface, her tentacles fumbling over the deck blindly, but besides the dragon, she hadn't been successful in grabbing more prey. Instead, the laughable creatures up there had started prickling her with their glorified toothpicks.
Getting uppity, are we? Naomi bristled, by now immersed in her play of the mighty Kraken, Then let's show you who's the boss in these waters. I wonder how you'll be able to stand up to me when I'm seeing where you are!
And who'd have thought this...? she mused while her beak cut his last remaining parts into proper potions and swallowed them, Dragons taste like chicken. Although the rest of the pack is quite stingy...
Slightly irritated, she retracted one itching tentacle from the surface and moved it in front of one eye. It wasn't seriously hurt, but there were cuts and stitches, caused by the ship's surviving crew. Currently, her main body was still hovering a feet below the surface, her tentacles fumbling over the deck blindly, but besides the dragon, she hadn't been successful in grabbing more prey. Instead, the laughable creatures up there had started prickling her with their glorified toothpicks.
Getting uppity, are we? Naomi bristled, by now immersed in her play of the mighty Kraken, Then let's show you who's the boss in these waters. I wonder how you'll be able to stand up to me when I'm seeing where you are!
*******************************************
"What did I say?" Shandrin shouted, a bit out of breath but grinning widely, while she bludgeoned a writhing tentacle with her daggers, her dwarf-lover next to her cheerfully hammering away at the same limb. "We should enjoy the crossing. Isn't this fun?"
Riagar was way too occupied with alternating between evading whipping tentacles and striking at them to look at the beautiful elf, but he had to smile at the exclamation. To his surprise, Canla and Calfury had stayed the only casualties so far. While the Kraken's tentacles were undoubtedly mighty and manyfold, they apparently lacked guidance. So him and his surviving party members simply had to make sure to shun the fleshy things and everything would be good. Maybe my first impression was too negative... he considered.
"I have to concede you a point there-" Riagar shouted therefore while ducking, and a furious tentacle missed him barely by hand's width, crashing into a wooden crate which disappeared in a cloud of tiny shreds, "-this really is fun!" One of the two orcs who was standing next to him grunted an acknowledgement, the hideous, green face with the black, rotten teeth distorted in an excited snarl. "But how long do you think the Kraken will keep this up?" Riagar added and burrowed his sword's tip deep into the tentacle the brutish orc was hacking at with its sword.
"Until one of us loses interest." Shandrin replied merrily. "So let's just make sure that it's the Kraken who's- WATCH OUT!" suddenly, the elf's eyes became wide and she jumped to the side. Automatically, Riagar copied the leap, without knowing what had spooked Shandrin. But over the course of their adventures, he'd developed a healthy respect for the elf's instincts, and the treacherous cracking noises behind him gave him a crude idea of what was happening anyway. The impact on the hard deck pressed all the air out of his lungs, but despite the sudden pain, he whirled around, just in time to see the Kraken getting lucky - at least indirectly.
A pair of tentacles, pursued by the sword-swinging human trio, had crashed into the main mast. It hadn't been the first hit the mighty trunk had suffered, but this hit had, finally, accomplished what the previous hits hadn't - wood started to crack and the mast tilted. Within moments, the mast came crashing down, directly towards the spot which Shandrin and Riagar had vacated just before. The orc, though hadn't been as lucky. He had barely enough time to turn around and gape at his onrushing doom before the destroyed mast crushed it.
"Ouch..." Shandrin murmured while unraveling herself from fallen canvas and peering at the dirty green and black splotch on the deck. "That's gonna hurt..."
"You not saying..." Riagar grunted, tearing his eyes away from the remains of their fallen comrade. Their ship was steadily being transformed from a proud, shiny vessel into a swimming wreckage, but this was actually a good thing.
"Silly Kraken!" Garfark rumbled, appearing apparently unhurt from the wreckage. As far as Riagar could see, Orzthak had stayed the only victim of the mast's collapse, the rest had either evaded the falling timber in time or was now digging themselves out of the debris. "That's only to our advantage. The more spots for us to hide from its tentacles."
"I don't think that it planned to kill the main mast." Shandrin shouted back while slashing at another curious tentacle. "And don't taunt it. I'm pretty sure it's not dumb. So don't lower your- what?" For the second time in a matter of minutes, Shandrin was cut off in her speech and stared open-mouthed at the enemy tentacles - which abruptly wriggled themselves away from the deck and disappeared into the water.
Astonished, Riagar looked at the sudden calm scene. "What the hell...?" he muttered, then shook his head. "It quit? That soon? Did we really hurt it that much?"
"Don't think so..." Garfark responded, suddenly looking thoughtfully. "But when it's not quitting, what's it doing then?" The answer to this question came almost immediately. Suddenly, the water on the starboard side started to seethe again and every creature on the ship gaped as a monstrosity surfaced. The previous fight had cut the bulwark away, and since part of the mast was hanging over the ship's side, it was listing slightly to starboard, giving everyone on the deck a perfect view on the water's surface and the creature which showed itself there.
It was titanic, easily two thirds the size of their own vessel. Ten tentacles framed the cylindrical body, now swerving away to reveal a large beak which opened hungrily. But the most unsettling thing of the Kraken was its visible eye, half as large as a human was tall, rolling around with undeniable intelligence and searching for prey.
For a few seconds, the two parties simply stared at each other, Kraken and shipmates, predator and prey. And then, the tentacles slashed forward and this time, the Kraken knew exactly where its prey was. The centaurs, the largest party members left, where the first victims. Anpa cried out as a pair of tentacles grabbed her, but the Kraken didn't loiter. With a sick feeling in his stomach, Riagar watched on as the screaming and kicking centauress was thrown into the waiting beak. Loud crunchs sounded as the Kraken crushed its victim's head and then started devouring the equine shape, the water around it taking on a reddish color.
Furiously, Thomlin launched himself at his mate's murderer, but the Kraken didn't even stop. It simply catched him with two tentacles and kept the ranting shape in the air until it finished its first meal. Then, Thomlin followed and his cries for vengeance suddenly ceased as the Kraken's beak closed on him as well.
Uhoh... Riagar thought numbly while the Kraken devoured its follow-up meal, tentacles already rushing out again to grab more prey, I think I'll have to give Bert some lessons about game balance later... not that it's gonna help us now.
Riagar was way too occupied with alternating between evading whipping tentacles and striking at them to look at the beautiful elf, but he had to smile at the exclamation. To his surprise, Canla and Calfury had stayed the only casualties so far. While the Kraken's tentacles were undoubtedly mighty and manyfold, they apparently lacked guidance. So him and his surviving party members simply had to make sure to shun the fleshy things and everything would be good. Maybe my first impression was too negative... he considered.
"I have to concede you a point there-" Riagar shouted therefore while ducking, and a furious tentacle missed him barely by hand's width, crashing into a wooden crate which disappeared in a cloud of tiny shreds, "-this really is fun!" One of the two orcs who was standing next to him grunted an acknowledgement, the hideous, green face with the black, rotten teeth distorted in an excited snarl. "But how long do you think the Kraken will keep this up?" Riagar added and burrowed his sword's tip deep into the tentacle the brutish orc was hacking at with its sword.
"Until one of us loses interest." Shandrin replied merrily. "So let's just make sure that it's the Kraken who's- WATCH OUT!" suddenly, the elf's eyes became wide and she jumped to the side. Automatically, Riagar copied the leap, without knowing what had spooked Shandrin. But over the course of their adventures, he'd developed a healthy respect for the elf's instincts, and the treacherous cracking noises behind him gave him a crude idea of what was happening anyway. The impact on the hard deck pressed all the air out of his lungs, but despite the sudden pain, he whirled around, just in time to see the Kraken getting lucky - at least indirectly.
A pair of tentacles, pursued by the sword-swinging human trio, had crashed into the main mast. It hadn't been the first hit the mighty trunk had suffered, but this hit had, finally, accomplished what the previous hits hadn't - wood started to crack and the mast tilted. Within moments, the mast came crashing down, directly towards the spot which Shandrin and Riagar had vacated just before. The orc, though hadn't been as lucky. He had barely enough time to turn around and gape at his onrushing doom before the destroyed mast crushed it.
"Ouch..." Shandrin murmured while unraveling herself from fallen canvas and peering at the dirty green and black splotch on the deck. "That's gonna hurt..."
"You not saying..." Riagar grunted, tearing his eyes away from the remains of their fallen comrade. Their ship was steadily being transformed from a proud, shiny vessel into a swimming wreckage, but this was actually a good thing.
"Silly Kraken!" Garfark rumbled, appearing apparently unhurt from the wreckage. As far as Riagar could see, Orzthak had stayed the only victim of the mast's collapse, the rest had either evaded the falling timber in time or was now digging themselves out of the debris. "That's only to our advantage. The more spots for us to hide from its tentacles."
"I don't think that it planned to kill the main mast." Shandrin shouted back while slashing at another curious tentacle. "And don't taunt it. I'm pretty sure it's not dumb. So don't lower your- what?" For the second time in a matter of minutes, Shandrin was cut off in her speech and stared open-mouthed at the enemy tentacles - which abruptly wriggled themselves away from the deck and disappeared into the water.
Astonished, Riagar looked at the sudden calm scene. "What the hell...?" he muttered, then shook his head. "It quit? That soon? Did we really hurt it that much?"
"Don't think so..." Garfark responded, suddenly looking thoughtfully. "But when it's not quitting, what's it doing then?" The answer to this question came almost immediately. Suddenly, the water on the starboard side started to seethe again and every creature on the ship gaped as a monstrosity surfaced. The previous fight had cut the bulwark away, and since part of the mast was hanging over the ship's side, it was listing slightly to starboard, giving everyone on the deck a perfect view on the water's surface and the creature which showed itself there.
It was titanic, easily two thirds the size of their own vessel. Ten tentacles framed the cylindrical body, now swerving away to reveal a large beak which opened hungrily. But the most unsettling thing of the Kraken was its visible eye, half as large as a human was tall, rolling around with undeniable intelligence and searching for prey.
For a few seconds, the two parties simply stared at each other, Kraken and shipmates, predator and prey. And then, the tentacles slashed forward and this time, the Kraken knew exactly where its prey was. The centaurs, the largest party members left, where the first victims. Anpa cried out as a pair of tentacles grabbed her, but the Kraken didn't loiter. With a sick feeling in his stomach, Riagar watched on as the screaming and kicking centauress was thrown into the waiting beak. Loud crunchs sounded as the Kraken crushed its victim's head and then started devouring the equine shape, the water around it taking on a reddish color.
Furiously, Thomlin launched himself at his mate's murderer, but the Kraken didn't even stop. It simply catched him with two tentacles and kept the ranting shape in the air until it finished its first meal. Then, Thomlin followed and his cries for vengeance suddenly ceased as the Kraken's beak closed on him as well.
Uhoh... Riagar thought numbly while the Kraken devoured its follow-up meal, tentacles already rushing out again to grab more prey, I think I'll have to give Bert some lessons about game balance later... not that it's gonna help us now.
*******************************************
Skillfully, Naomi dispatched a pair of tentacles towards a heap of canvas behind which she'd just noticed slight movement. She was rewarded by the feeling of sharp things penetrating her skin. But by now, she'd learned to simply ignore the pain. The party members couldn't really hurt her seriously anyway, therefore she simply slithered her tentacles through the hide and felt for living flesh.
It didn't take long until she made a find and she coiled one of her tentacles around a leg, retracting a kicking figure. Curiously, she dangled it in front of her eye. Based on its physique probably one of the human males, but not the impressive looking leader. So either Ronnie or Kathleen. I wonder who of the two this is...? she pondered for a moment but then simply gave the mental equivalent of a shrug. It didn't matter at the moment and therefore her catch simply disappeared into her beak, just like the previous catches before.
That's... eight, I think... Naomi contemplated thoughtfully while munching her recent victim. Besides the eagle-born, the dragon, the two centaurs and the human now, she'd eaten a dwarf, a male elf and a female human. Bert had told her to harass the party until they would put her to flight, but this was clearly not gonna happen. So she could either devour everybody until she alone would be left or play the satisfied, sated monster which retreated back into the abyss. While the first option had a certain appeal, the second option was surely the better one for avoiding hostility with her friends later on.
I guess he simply made me too... powerful... Naomi thought a bit guiltily as she retracted her tentacles. As soon as she'd surfaced and added her eyesight to her attack, the fight had effectively been over. Anybody who had shown him- her- or itself on the deck had been snatched away by her tentacles and deposited in her voracious maw. The only choice the surviving members still had was taking cover under the debris on the deck. Which simply made it a bit harder for her to catch them.
Naomi gave the devastated ship, her transformed sister actually, a last glance and then submerged, leaving the wreckage drifting behind her. And truth to tell... she thought complacently, I'm genuinely sated.
It didn't take long until she made a find and she coiled one of her tentacles around a leg, retracting a kicking figure. Curiously, she dangled it in front of her eye. Based on its physique probably one of the human males, but not the impressive looking leader. So either Ronnie or Kathleen. I wonder who of the two this is...? she pondered for a moment but then simply gave the mental equivalent of a shrug. It didn't matter at the moment and therefore her catch simply disappeared into her beak, just like the previous catches before.
That's... eight, I think... Naomi contemplated thoughtfully while munching her recent victim. Besides the eagle-born, the dragon, the two centaurs and the human now, she'd eaten a dwarf, a male elf and a female human. Bert had told her to harass the party until they would put her to flight, but this was clearly not gonna happen. So she could either devour everybody until she alone would be left or play the satisfied, sated monster which retreated back into the abyss. While the first option had a certain appeal, the second option was surely the better one for avoiding hostility with her friends later on.
I guess he simply made me too... powerful... Naomi thought a bit guiltily as she retracted her tentacles. As soon as she'd surfaced and added her eyesight to her attack, the fight had effectively been over. Anybody who had shown him- her- or itself on the deck had been snatched away by her tentacles and deposited in her voracious maw. The only choice the surviving members still had was taking cover under the debris on the deck. Which simply made it a bit harder for her to catch them.
Naomi gave the devastated ship, her transformed sister actually, a last glance and then submerged, leaving the wreckage drifting behind her. And truth to tell... she thought complacently, I'm genuinely sated.
*******************************************
"Jesus Christ!" despite being whispered, the voice was almost painfully loud, and Riagar peered up at the duo of identical looking giants who were staring at the ravaged something which had been a proud ship this morning. They had been washed ashore a couple of minutes before and the sudden loss of the ship's constant wobble made his footing unsteady, so he'd taken a seat on the deck for the time being. "What the hell happened to you, Andrew?"
"Hey, Bert." Andrew responded with a wryly smile, "Naomi happened. At least I guess that it's been Naomi. She made a fairly persuasive Kraken. Although a bit overpowered. What do you think?"
Bewildered, Bert took in the sight of the ship he'd transformed Tamara into. Her entire upper-side was devastated, all the bulwarks and the rudder gone, the mast in pieces, the deck coated in blood. All in all, truly an apocalyptic sight.
"I'm just thankful that she decided to call it a day after she ate two thirds of the party." Andrew added and both Bert's swallowed.
"Oh... wow." one of them said. "I didn't think that she'd be that overpowered. Guess I fucked up there. You really couldn't do anything against her?"
Andrew snorted bitterly. "We could barely scratch her..." He pointed to the side where Naomi, the large squid or Kraken, depending on the size of whoever looked at her, was floating below the surface peacefully. "Does she look hurt to you...?"
Embarrassed, Bert shook his head. "Um... nope. Guess I fucked up here. I'm sorry. But I still think it's a nice scenario. I just hope it was fun..."
A weak laugh sounded. "Oh, don't worry. It was fun. Really fun. At least for those who weren't eaten. Or partly eaten. The fact that death seemed to be certain added a special something to the mix. Made you feel more alive. Made the whole scenario feel more real. If you know what I mean."
Both Berts nearly choked as they took in the sight of the voice's owner. The dark elf was sitting on the ravaged deck, her dark complexion now pale because of blood loss, and her right upper arm ending in a ligated stump, but she still had a victorious smile on her face.
"Ouch... Tyler... what the fuck?" stunned, Bert ogled the brutally maimed elf woman. "Doesn't that hurt?"
Tyler chuckled. "Not that much. Don't forget you dialed down our changed body's pain receptors. But it's still no pleasure getting your arm cut off."
"Ripped off, you mean." Bert added automatically, shedding a short glance at Naomi's tentacles which were bobbing up and down with the lake's water's movements.
"No." Tyler corrected him. "Cut off. Naomi grabbed my arm with one of her tentacles. I, uh, somehow lost my composition for a short moment as she ate my girlfriend and charged without thinking. The tentacle was too thick to cut through, therefore the next obvious choice was cutting the arm off. Thankfully, Andrew here's a fast thinker." She shrugged. "It beats getting eaten by a Kraken, I guess."
"Wow." Bert marveled at this explanation. "You're totally the hardcore LARPer. I'd probably have suicided after receiving such a wound. It's shortly unpleasant, but then it's over. But running around with such an injury? Urgs..."
Andrew laughed at Bert's incredulous faces. "Oh, come on. Tyler's already worked this injury into his character's history."
"Oh, really?" interested, both Berts cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah." Tyler grinned. "Shandrin, the one-armed elf woman who lost her arm and lover to a horrible beast. Scarred for life and on a long quest to find oblivion."
Now Bert chuckled as well. "And where does Sarah fit in? After all, she's your dwarf-lover who has been killed."
"Oh, I don't know... I'll find something." Tyler pondered. "She can become my animal companion. My tame wolf. Or my unicorn...? Lots of choices..." she kept pondering.
Both Berts laughed and then moved towards a pick-up truck, retrieving a large plastic crate. They lowered it into the water and waited until Naomi the squid had deposited her body inside, then they heaved the water filled box with the squid out of the lake and put it onto the truck's bed. Tamara the ship, or rather its remains, followed, and last the tiny LARPers transferred from Tamara into a padded Tupperware box.
"Hm... Andrew, Tyler, Ronnie, Sam, Dominik... is that all?" one Bert asked the five tiny people in the box and the surviving orc piped up.
"Yep." it said a bit miffed. "Jenifer is that green splotch under the mast. She didn't get eaten though, I guess that's something..."
"Um... riiiight." Bert responded, eyeing the spot in question. Then he sighed. "I'm really sorry for all the overkill. I just hadn't thought that the Kraken I'd devised would be that superior. I just hope that nobody will held a grudge..."
Andrew chuckled. "Yeah, I hope so, too." he said and one Bert looked at him questioningly while his other body entered the truck and started the engine.
"What do you mean?"
"Well... three of the party members who have been eaten by Naomi are Sheila, Damian and Renee. And all three of them will be devising next week's scenario."
Bert's face fell and his twin at the steering wheel froze as well. "You mean...?"
"Yeah." Andrew was grinning broadly now. "If these three now hold a grudge against you, next week's challenge can be... interesting." he twinkled at Bert's stricken expression. "I'm sure it'll be lots of fun. Just like today. Don't you think so?"
"Hey, Bert." Andrew responded with a wryly smile, "Naomi happened. At least I guess that it's been Naomi. She made a fairly persuasive Kraken. Although a bit overpowered. What do you think?"
Bewildered, Bert took in the sight of the ship he'd transformed Tamara into. Her entire upper-side was devastated, all the bulwarks and the rudder gone, the mast in pieces, the deck coated in blood. All in all, truly an apocalyptic sight.
"I'm just thankful that she decided to call it a day after she ate two thirds of the party." Andrew added and both Bert's swallowed.
"Oh... wow." one of them said. "I didn't think that she'd be that overpowered. Guess I fucked up there. You really couldn't do anything against her?"
Andrew snorted bitterly. "We could barely scratch her..." He pointed to the side where Naomi, the large squid or Kraken, depending on the size of whoever looked at her, was floating below the surface peacefully. "Does she look hurt to you...?"
Embarrassed, Bert shook his head. "Um... nope. Guess I fucked up here. I'm sorry. But I still think it's a nice scenario. I just hope it was fun..."
A weak laugh sounded. "Oh, don't worry. It was fun. Really fun. At least for those who weren't eaten. Or partly eaten. The fact that death seemed to be certain added a special something to the mix. Made you feel more alive. Made the whole scenario feel more real. If you know what I mean."
Both Berts nearly choked as they took in the sight of the voice's owner. The dark elf was sitting on the ravaged deck, her dark complexion now pale because of blood loss, and her right upper arm ending in a ligated stump, but she still had a victorious smile on her face.
"Ouch... Tyler... what the fuck?" stunned, Bert ogled the brutally maimed elf woman. "Doesn't that hurt?"
Tyler chuckled. "Not that much. Don't forget you dialed down our changed body's pain receptors. But it's still no pleasure getting your arm cut off."
"Ripped off, you mean." Bert added automatically, shedding a short glance at Naomi's tentacles which were bobbing up and down with the lake's water's movements.
"No." Tyler corrected him. "Cut off. Naomi grabbed my arm with one of her tentacles. I, uh, somehow lost my composition for a short moment as she ate my girlfriend and charged without thinking. The tentacle was too thick to cut through, therefore the next obvious choice was cutting the arm off. Thankfully, Andrew here's a fast thinker." She shrugged. "It beats getting eaten by a Kraken, I guess."
"Wow." Bert marveled at this explanation. "You're totally the hardcore LARPer. I'd probably have suicided after receiving such a wound. It's shortly unpleasant, but then it's over. But running around with such an injury? Urgs..."
Andrew laughed at Bert's incredulous faces. "Oh, come on. Tyler's already worked this injury into his character's history."
"Oh, really?" interested, both Berts cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah." Tyler grinned. "Shandrin, the one-armed elf woman who lost her arm and lover to a horrible beast. Scarred for life and on a long quest to find oblivion."
Now Bert chuckled as well. "And where does Sarah fit in? After all, she's your dwarf-lover who has been killed."
"Oh, I don't know... I'll find something." Tyler pondered. "She can become my animal companion. My tame wolf. Or my unicorn...? Lots of choices..." she kept pondering.
Both Berts laughed and then moved towards a pick-up truck, retrieving a large plastic crate. They lowered it into the water and waited until Naomi the squid had deposited her body inside, then they heaved the water filled box with the squid out of the lake and put it onto the truck's bed. Tamara the ship, or rather its remains, followed, and last the tiny LARPers transferred from Tamara into a padded Tupperware box.
"Hm... Andrew, Tyler, Ronnie, Sam, Dominik... is that all?" one Bert asked the five tiny people in the box and the surviving orc piped up.
"Yep." it said a bit miffed. "Jenifer is that green splotch under the mast. She didn't get eaten though, I guess that's something..."
"Um... riiiight." Bert responded, eyeing the spot in question. Then he sighed. "I'm really sorry for all the overkill. I just hadn't thought that the Kraken I'd devised would be that superior. I just hope that nobody will held a grudge..."
Andrew chuckled. "Yeah, I hope so, too." he said and one Bert looked at him questioningly while his other body entered the truck and started the engine.
"What do you mean?"
"Well... three of the party members who have been eaten by Naomi are Sheila, Damian and Renee. And all three of them will be devising next week's scenario."
Bert's face fell and his twin at the steering wheel froze as well. "You mean...?"
"Yeah." Andrew was grinning broadly now. "If these three now hold a grudge against you, next week's challenge can be... interesting." he twinkled at Bert's stricken expression. "I'm sure it'll be lots of fun. Just like today. Don't you think so?"