A continuation of the Kate Uhlu saga
Special thanks to Cam, Sean, and Toast for contributing their ideas to the project 🙏
Long past the setting sun, Toast went below deck to get some rest. He left Santiago, Chile, by sailboat and although he’d been sailing for several weeks, he had a couple more to go before he reached Scotland. The waves outside the hull were tall, but nothing to worry about. As Toast crawled into his bunk, the boat listed to starboard. This undersea push was accompanied by a loud, deep, thud as something struck the boat.
“I’m not sure I want to know what that was…”
Toast loaded a flare gun and walked carefully onto the deck of his ship.
“Hello?”
The glassy Atlantic ocean was a moving black pitch, occasionally lit by the waning moon.
“Must have been my imagination…oh my…”
Distance flashes of lightning in the darkness revealed tentacles, tall as skyscrapers, splashing out of the black water. The writhing mass of shadows slipped back beneath the waves, rushing to its next victim. Toast gripped the deck rail to steady himself against madness.
“I’d bet my boat that’s one of the monsters Kate Uhlu was warning us about. Guess I’ll be wearing these boots to bed, just in case.”
Cam waited patiently in the thick forest underbrush near Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan, US. If Kate Uhlu was right, there was a chance he’d finally see the Michigan Sasquatch with his own eyes. Cam had no intention of capturing the beast, but he definitely wanted evidence. After choosing a superior vantage point on the shore of Lake Betsy, Cam filled the forest floor with triggers leading to sophisticated camera and detection equipment. Even if the mythological Sasquatch was nothing but a vaporous ghost, Cam would secure solid proof.
Hours passed before the subtle snapping of a dead twig brought Cam to full alert. The forest floor was still as death. Cam’s heart threatened to beat through his chest, “This is it, I can feel it…”
A young doe poked her head from the treeline and sniffed around an errant bush.
Cam laughed quietly. No danger here…
A small dark shape dropped from an overhead branch, landing directly on the doe’s head. The deer let out a shriek of pain as the small, fuzzy creature tore at her neck with sharp claws and glistening fangs. A great roar came from the forest, and when the tree branches parted the Sasquatch stood, foaming at the mouth, and hunched over prepared to attack. The small dark figure leapt from the doe’s neck and tried to scramble up a pine. The Sasquatch sprang from the treeline, bolting up the tree’s trunk, and crushing the Drop Bear in its immense jaws.
With the tenderness of a parent, the Sasquatch comforted the dying deer and stroked its head.
Cam was confused, “Drop Bears are from Australia, what the hell is that thing doing here?”
Cam realized too late that his freezing breath was giving away his position in the trees. Sasquatch had already noticed, so Cam slowly took a knee and tightened the laces on his boots from Kate Uhlu.
“Let’s see if these things do what Kate says they will. Hey!” Cam stood and waved his arms comically. “Yeah, you with the bad home perm. You have to get a permit to eviscerate Drop Bears in this county. I’m going to need you to…”
The Sasquatch began to charge toward Cam, snarling and swinging its blood-soaked paws. Cam stood his ground, looking the beast square in the eyes as it closed in.
When the Sasquatch’s massive hands closed around Cam’s neck, the beast was blasted back by an unseen force. As the monster tried to regain its composure, a large circle of purple light and sparks of electricity formed behind the Sasquatch.
This ring cut like a welding torch through reality. The beast was pulled toward the ring and lashed out a final time, tearing into Cam’s clothing and dragging him along. The three meter tall creature resisted mightily, but at last slowly disappeared into the ring with Cam in its sinister grip.
The ring became smaller and smaller until it flickered out of sight.
Captain Althea would only be in Jakarta for another few hours, but a lot of bad things can happen in a few hours. The cup of warm tea on her table provided a temporary peace, a lull in activity. She planned to spend the next few hours on the cafe’s balcony which overlooked the bustling daytime docks.
Her delivery to Jakarta had gone smoothly and her pay was secured. She was ready to cross the vast oceans to the North Atlantic. The port had been on fire with talk of strange sightings at sea. Some even went as far as claiming they’d seen the mythological Kraken. Althea didn’t believe those stories, but an alarming number of ships were leaving port to cross the Atlantic and never returning.
Local kids tipped her off to a global message from someone named Kate Uhlu. She said monsters were everywhere, “unleashed” somehow. Captain Althea secured a pair of boots that Kate insisted would help push the monsters back into their hiding places, and the rest of her pay went toward retrofitting her ship, the Azure Serpent, for the most dangerous mission of her career.
The shopping mall surrounding Jakarta’s docks collapsed into panic. Like a rampant wildfire, fear spread through the crowds of shoppers and they began to rush away from the water.
“What the…” Captain Althea stood to see what was going on. The sun was briefly obscured as a large flying beast passed over Captain Althea’s table. “Merciful gods, it’s a Ropen.”
The massive pterosaur flapped its leathery wings, swooping down and picking people from the panicked crow, one by one, to drain their blood. Captain Althea leapt from the balcony and raced toward the Azure Serpent, taking shelter when the beast returned with bloody claws clicking.
When the Captain reached her boat, she fired a large net at the flying monster. The net swooshed past the Ropen as it devoured an American tourist. The beast turned and trained its black, empty eyes on Captain Althea. “This is bad, really bad.” Before the Captain could jump below deck the Ropen grazed her clothing with its deadly talons. An unseen force smashed the Ropen into the water as a blurry purple ring formed below the surface. The creature continued to sink into the ring and disappeared from view.
Captain Althea looked down at her meticulously shined boots, “Looks like these things work. Good to know.”
The Azure Serpent set sail for the north Atlantic; if the Kraken had risen from the depths, Captain Althea intended to send it back to hell.
Toast arrived at the north Scotland port of Iverness. After docking for a few days, he made his way to Loch Ness. Kate’s message mentioned that she grew up near the loch, and Toast figured that he could be most helpful at the source of the situation. The sky was a gorgeous flint grey with low, foreboding clouds. The surface of the loch was calm and Toast was alone on the famous body of water.
Toast expected to see a lot more vessels, at least tourist cruises, but the loch was eerily silent. He hoped that the calm day would make it easier to find Kate, and he didn’t have to wait long…
A voice skimmed across the loch. It echoed against the surrounding hills.
“Ahoy!” Toast screamed.
Ahoy the voice called back. A flashing light caught Toast’s eye and he saw a figure waving a lantern on the beach.
“Looks like they are calling me in. Maybe they know Kate.”
As Toast turned his sailboat, it lifted on a sudden wave. He steadied himself on the rail, and watched as the loch began to bubble and rise. Penetrating the surface like a missile, the mighty Loch Ness Monster rose high above the sailboat and looked down on Toast.
“Oh dear. Perhaps this is why no one is on the water. Hello there, water monster. Nessie, if I may be so bold. I mean you no harm.”
The creature stared intently at Toast, waiting for any sign of flight.
“Well, if it’s alright with you, I’m going to head to shore. Have a nice day…”
The Loch Ness Monster struck at Toast like a coiled snake, smashing its head through the deck of his boat.
“Hey, that was uncalled for! You should apologize.” Toast flicked the beast’s nose.
On contact, the monster was flung into the air like a ragdoll. An immense circle of purple sparks formed in the sky, growing until it swallowed the monster whole, and then disappeared.
The dark figure on the shore was gone, melted into the fog and greenery surrounding the loch. Toast wiped his forehead and sat down. The deck of his boat was compromised but the vessel was still sea-worthy for now.
Toast started to hear his name again. “Oh dear, what now?”
“TOAST!”
Cam fell from the sky and splashed into the dark water. Toast jumped in and helped Cam swim back to the boat.
“Cam, where did you come from?”
“I can’t say. All I know is one of those monsters pulled me into their purple portal thingy. In a flash I was falling through the sky toward your boat.”
“You’re timing is great; the Loch Ness Monster just left.”
“What is really going on?”
“Kate was right, and these boots seem to be the only thing standing between humanity and these creatures.”
“Yeah, but why now? What tipped the balance and unleashed this plague of monsters? And why did it bring me here?”
“I don’t know Cam, but get ready, we have company.”
In the distance, an Indonesian tall ship approached from the southern tip of the loch.
“Great. If the rest of this day is any indication, this is going to turn out bad.”
“Maybe they are here for the same reason you are.”
“Let’s hope so.”
The ship fired a warning shot near Toast’s pride and joy.
“Hey!” Toast waved his arms hoping to communicate his desire to remain afloat.
A loudspeaker crackled to life:
This is Captain Althea of the Azure Serpent. I order you to board my vessel, and bring your gear. This is not negotiable. I am not hostile, I’m here for the same reason you are.
“What should we do, Cam?”
“Let’s hear what she has to say. At least she’s a human.”
Captain Althea wasted no time. After shaking Toast and Cam’s hands she got to the point. “We are all safer on the Azure Serpent. I have been tracking the Kraken across the Atlantic. I cornered it and forced it into the River Ness.
“Wait,” Toast interrupted, “does that mean?”
“Yes,” The Captain answered swiftly, “It is somewhere below us now. We must strike before it slithers out of the loch and endangers Iverness.”
Cam leaned forward, “Count me in Captain; what’s the plan?”
“Which of you has the most experience piloting a ship?”
“That’d be me,” Toast offered.
“Grand. Toast, you stay aboard to make sure we have a rescue at hand and eyes on the surface. Cam, you and I are suiting up to take this monster on.”
“Let’s do it.” Cam was ready.
Cam and the Captain suited up rapidly.
“We’re all wearing our boots, correct?”
Both answered yes.
“Good, I think we’ve all seen their power. As long as we can get a hold of it, we should be able to push it back.”
Toast held up crossed fingers; the Captain and Cam crossed theirs as well.
The loch was deep and dark. The cloud cover overhead prevented light from breaking the water’s surface, and the darkness made the water feel like walls slowly closing in as they dived deeper. Soon, the water became black as ink, and Cam’s flashlight no longer reached farther than a half meter.
The Captain’s voice came over the communicator, “The beast is resting. It deployed its ink defense to slow any approaching attacks. We’ll be lucky if we see it before it sees us.”
Suddenly a gargantuan yellow eye opened beneath the divers.
The Captain and Cam swam frantically toward the surface as kilometers of swarming tentacles began to unfurl and consume the floor of the mighty Loch Ness.
As Cam reached for the Azure Serpent’s ladder, the tip of a tentacle wrapped around his ankle and began to pull him back down. Cam struggled but the tentacle was far too powerful. The Captain swam down and pulled a large dagger from her suit. With one expert slice, she cut Cam free and they both climbed onto the deck of the Azure Serpent.
Toast helped them sit upright and take off their equipment.
Cam gasped. “Something’s wrong. It touched me and nothing happened.”
Captain Althea’s face grew dark. “I touched it as well.”
“Why would the boots stop working?”
“Maybe they only work once?” Cam offered.
“Toast, did you use your boots?”
“Yes. The Loch Ness Monster attacked me, if you can believe it.”
“This is a real bad time to realize we are defenseless.” Cam looked over the side of the ship into the dark water. “We need another pair of boots. And we need them now.”
“Wait!” Toast smiled broadly. “I bought two pairs. One to wear, one to sell.”
The Captain grabbed Toast’s shoulder, “Please tell me you brought them.”
“Of course, they’re always in my backpack.” Toast smiled, “I’ll be right back.”
Toast disappeared below deck and The Captain joined Cam watching for any signs of the Kraken.
“Thanks. I owe you one, Captain Althea.”
“Just be there for me, and we’ll call it even.”
“You have my word.” Cam kept searching the murky depths. “What is it doing down there?”
The immense yellow eye, wider than the boat, snapped open below the surface.
Massive tangles of tentacles rushed from the depths high into the sky. The wall of unspeakable horror formed a deep chasm with the Azure Serpent surrounded on all sides by unscalable fleshy barriers.
The Captain called out, “Hey Toast, the time is now!”
Below deck, Toast pulls boxes from his backpack, frantically searching for the spare boots.
“There you are!” Toast began to unwrap the boots and pull them onto his feet. “Oh man, these feel absolutely perfect.” A tentacle smashed through the hull of the ship knocking Toast to the ground and bringing a rush of saltwater into the belly of the vessel.
On the deck of the Azure Serpent, Captain Althea and Cam dodge tentacles speeding across the bow and stern like missiles. But the attacks come faster and faster and the heroic pair were overwhelmed.
As tentacles closed over Cam’s mouth Toast burst from below deck and leapt over the rail. He pulled his knees up into a cannonball position and hit the water. He sank toward the menacing yellow eye until he was engulfed in a web of thick tentacles.
The Loch Ness began to glow purple. Purple flames shot skyward from the water, and the light became blinding. Cam was freed as all of the tentacles turned their focus on the growing purple ring below the boat.
The Azure Serpent was tossed and nearly capsized as the Kraken thrashed and fought against its fate. Finally, the Kraken was banished and the purple ring faded away.
Cam leaned the rail, “Dammit, Toast! You didn’t have to go down with that monster. What a dumb…”
“Dumb? I just saved your life.” Toast pulled himself onto the deck of the Azure Serpent. Cam and The Captain both hugged Toast, relieved to see him in one piece. “Is it over now?”
“Maybe.” Captain Althea answered darkly. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
The trio received a push notification from Dave:
WARNING, Kate Uhlu is not who she claims to be. 37 traced her account back to SimonSays. Do not accept any messages or gifts from that account. I think Simon is trying to infiltrate Aglet directly. Stay tuned for more details, and good luck.
“If Simon’s involved, there’s a good chance The Cooperative is too.”
“Do you think they made these monsters appear, Cam?”
“More likely that they made the weird portals they fell into.”
The Captain tapped her head, “And the boots, don’t forget the boots.”
“Right.” Cam leaned back on the ship’s rail. “They’re playing around with that stolen Metarun, and I can’t say I like the results.”
The End?
