Air Kraken vs. Cuffs

Sky had been watching the skies above for over an hour when she uttered a quiet, “Uh-oh…” Scottie stopped counting money from a large black bag and turned to his wife, “Uh-oh?” He swung a leg over the parapet and straddled it, watching her intently, “What’s ‘uh-oh’?”

Sky didn’t dare turn her eyes from the telescope Scottie had mounted on the roof, “I’ve been watching the air kraken all night and now I see a ship that appears to be engaging a smaller and apparently lone kraken.”

Scottie looked incredulous, “They’re trying to take down a kraken at night? Are they insane?” Sky shrugged, “It’s not unheard of, really. A very experienced crew can have much better luck at night if they can drift in and catch the creature sleeping. Unfortunately…” She drifted off, seeming to forget about the conversation.

Scottie furrowed his brows, “What?” Sky waited a moment before pointing somewhere to the east, her eye never leaving the telescope, “The little kraken has company. These fools didn’t check around for long enough. I would say momma’s about to have herself a fine meal.”

Scottie set the bag down and hopped onto the roof, grabbing for the telescope, “Let me see!” Sky batted his hand away, again without looking away, “Get your own telescope!” she hissed. “That is my telescope!” Scottie retorted, but just crossed his arms and tried to peer into the general direction she had pointed.

Sky spoke quickly, “So they fired harpoons into the little one, and from behind comes mama. It could be daddy, I can’t tell through this. You need a stronger telescope.” Scottie huffed and grumbled, “I’ll keep that in mind the next time I’m shopping for a telescope I won’t be able to use.” Sky ignored him and continued her play-by-play, “They were set to pull in the little one, but now mama has their aft in her grasp. Apparently they weren’t watching. Idiots.”

Scottie was nearly jumping up and down, wanting even a moment to watch the battle, but Sky refused to relinquish the telescope, “Ooh, they cut their ropes to the little one and are trying to turn. Just a bit more…. there! They’ve fired at mama. Ooh, that’s just gonna upset her…”

Scottie could hear the faint rumble of cannon fire in the distance, accompanied shortly thereafter by the screeching wail of an air kraken in pain. “Mama recoiled, but is now lashing out the little ship. There goes…. oh, people. Men overboard. There goes a sail too. It’s smoking, so I’m guessing a boiler is about to…”

The couple heard the loud crack and Scottie spotted a spark of light in the distance, followed by another volley of cannon fire. “The ship is burning and just let loose again. That’s given mama pause. The little one has circled behind mama. The ship is trying to get away.”

Scottie cocked his head, “Where are they gonna go?” Sky replied calmly, “Ummm… it looks like they’re coming… yeah. They’re coming this way.”

“You mean toward Port?” Scottie asked, squinting up into the sky. Sky shook her head, “No, I mean toward here, Portside Books.”

Sure enough, a moment later a pinpoint of light appeared in the distance. It grew larger as the ship hurdled toward them. Another moment passed and the ship was in full view, winding through the air as the pilot attempted to regain control. It was followed quite closely by a writhing mass of tentacles. “Let me guess,” Scottie asked, “Mama’s no longer paused and holding a grudge?”

Sky straightened up from the telescope, motioning to it with a playful smirk, “All yours.” Scottie harrumphed, no longer needing it to witness the approaching fireball. “We should really move. If that ship hits the shop, this place will go up like a tinderbox.” said Sky, with more than a hint of worry in her voice.

Scottie shook his head and grabbed Sky’s arm, pointing to the ship, “It’s veering off! It’ll miss the shop!” The ship banked hard to its right, arcing across the Port, the mammoth air kraken in pursuit.

Sky screamed, “It’s heading for Cuffs!” The couple stood transfixed as the ship slammed into the open hole on the side of their little tavern. Another explosion erupted from what they realized was a backup boiler and several men abandoned ship.

Scottie sighed, “Well, it’s not really that bad. I think we could have that cleaned up quick…” Mama kraken had other ideas.

The kraken slid in just over the little tavern and started lashing at the little ant-like men. The men seeked the nearest cover they could find, Cuffs.

“No! Not in there! There’s a huge hole in the wall! That won’t keep you safe! Try the music place! Or the dress shop!” Sky screamed at the top of her lungs, but to no avail. Once the men were inside, the kraken’s tentacles shattered the window, splintered the door and of course slipped through the giant hole in the wall. The tentacles suctioned to the ceiling and tore the roof off. It scooped up the little men and pulled them into its gaping maw. It knocked over the brick walls and crushed the chimney.

Sky was finally shaken from her stupor and unsheathed her sword, making a mad dash to the stairs. Scottie picked up the black bag and followed his wife, bounding down the stairs and shouting, “Sky, there’s nothing you can do! Let it go!” He chased her outside where the kraken was still tearing up the tavern.

Dock hands stood clear and sailors stayed on their ships, watching as the beast searched for survivors. Finding none, it grew frustrated and lashed at the ground fitfully. Sky screamed and swung her sword wildly as she pounded her way up the tracks from Portside to Cuffs.

Just as they neared, a tram from Clockhaven rolled up and ran over one of the tentacles, severing the tip. The kraken screeched and lashed at the tram, throwing into the Port. Deciding it had enough, the kraken slowly ascended before taking off into the night.

Sky jumped and swung at a trailing tentacle, missing it by inches. She stared red-faced and trembling in anger as she watched the kraken disappear. Scottie caught up to her, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. The couple looked on at the shattered remains of their beloved little tavern. Silent, hot tears rolled down Sky’s cheeks.

“Don’t worry, we’ll a build a new one. We’ll get the debris cleaned up and call in construction crews immediately,” Scottie said quietly, squeezing her gently to him. He held up the black bag, “After Commander Jervil sold his entire stock to most of the bars in town, he gave us our cut. I think we could add a second floor…”