The Broken Sword

"I'm not worried about myself, Captain, I'm worried about your crew... my people!"

"Oh, well... we'll make do. Every man and woman here is ready to give their life for you, worry not."

Kelnozz opened his mouth to retort but closed it instead in frustration. He did not want anyone to die for him, because of him, and near him. He ground his teeth and turned to stare at the land as the ship shuddered and settled another foot beneath them all.
"Shark!" Yamara cried out, pointing off into the water. Sure enough a large fin cut through the water and swam rapidly towards them. A very large fin.

"Gods, that's no shark, that's... what in the Nine Hells?" Surun said, baffled at how large the fin was. It was easily twice the size of the largest shark he had ever seen.

It closed rapidly enough and dispelled any thoughts of not being a shark, however. It parted the water with an immense body and equally large jaws, which is displayed for the suddenly terrified sailors by severing two of the rubbery stalks further out from the ship in a single bite.

"The enemy of my enemy?" Yamara offered, wondering if it was going to dispatch of the tentacles for them.

"...Is still my enemy," Kelnozz finished, knowing beyond a doubt that anyone foolish or unfortunate enough to be in the water would be chum.

The boat shuddered under them again, dropping them a few more inches as another supporting piece of wood was smashed away. The sailors were looking around hopelessly and helplessly, wondering what to do. Many looked to Kelnozz, expecting him to deliver them from certain death.

The shark swam closer, clearing out a few more tentacles and investigating the ship as well as the elven blood it smelled in the water.

Kelnozz watched it pass and nodded, realizing what he needed to do. He walked to the railing and lashed out with his foot, kicking a section of the rail free of the boat and into the water. Several of the tentacles swayed towards the wood, sensing the movement. The shark circled rapidly and came back in as well.

Before anyone could ask him what he was doing or stop him, Kelnozz backed up and then ran forward, springing off the edge of the boat an incredible distance. In mid-air he drew Cirithallion and let its point lead his descent into the path of the giant shark. He struck true, sinking the blade all the way into its slick skin, and held on for dear life as he slammed into the rough skin of the fish. The shark went into a pain filled frenzy, thrashing and rolling in the water and then swimming rapidly trying to dislodge Kelnozz and his blade.

The Elf King held true, however, and managed to draw Llarothimaril with his other hand and work it into the shark's body as well. He held on and did his best to catch fleeting gasps of air when he was able to.

The shark dove then, plunging underwater and making Kelnozz certain that he would run out of air or be crushed by the pressure of the depths long before he had a chance to see the sky again. It was only able to dive a few dozen feet, however, for the reef marked the edge of a shelf that the island nearby sat upon. It swam back up even faster, breaking the surface and launching its massive body, easily twice that of a great white, out of the water.

Kelnozz reacted instantly, gasping in fresh air and withdrawing one sword and plunging it back in, then doing the other. He fought the urge to grunt when he slammed back into the water, the shark coming down upon him this time, and focused on keeping his grip on his swords while he tried to clear his head.

The shark swam a while longer, diving low and then coming back up to the surface, its movement slowing. It was swimming partially on its side, allowing Kelnozz a chance to lift himself free of the water and gasp in much needed air. The shark was tiring and, risking a look behind him, he realized it was also leaving a wide trail of blood in the water. Not only that, but it was leaving the boat behind it. Kelnozz cursed yanked his swords free from the shark, cursing again as he saw fresh gouts of blood leak from the wounds as he fell into the water behind the shark.

He sheathed his weapons and started began to tread water, fighting the weight of his clothing and equipment easily in the buoyant salt water. He studied the shark and saw it continue away from him, slowing further with each passing minute. He looked back and saw that ship was still much closer than the shore, but it was a considerable distance and he was already weary from the battle. Taking deep breaths to freshen the air in his lungs, he saw something that gave him a fresh boost of adrenaline : another shark bearing down on the fatally wounded one.

Kelnozz stroked smoothly towards the ship, trying to make as little noise in the water as possible while putting as much distance behind him as possible. Legendary Champion of the Elves that he was, he was still tiring from the swim. This was the man that had once ran from ogres for days without rest, and now he was letting a little water get the better of him. Kelnozz struggled on, his will undeterred even if he body was beginning to show signs of it.

Salvation came in the form of Regnar. The dragon swooped down and gently lifted Kelnozz from the water, his talons gripping the elf's shoulders. Kelnozz mumbled his thanks and fought to will the energy back into his body. They made it back to the ship, with Regnar panting from the exertion of carrying someone, and landed none to gently. Kelnozz rolled to a stop and stood up wearily, to cheers from the surviving crew. Even Yamara was smiling and nodding towards him.

"There's more of those things out there," Kelnozz said, gesturing. The cheering died quickly as the implication set in.

"We must go now if we're to have a chance of making it, while the one I killed is being eaten."

"What of the tentacles?" A sailor asked. He trusted the King and his Captain both, but he was still worried.

"You've all got swords, use them when they come close! Fight them off as best you can... we can't say here." To accentuate Kelnozz's words the ship, or what was left of it, shuddered under them again. The stern deck was under the water by then and three of the four longboats were in the water and unharassed by the tentacles.

Captain Surun nodded at the plan, brief though it was, and started giving orders to the crew. Almost as quickly as the first person dropped into a boat the tentacles became interested in them instead of the ship. Cutlasses and pistols were put to use, slicing and firing into them as quickly as they could. A few men were pulled overboard, but before long those tentacles closest had either been severed or retreated into the briny depths.

The boats were loaded full, with still nearly a score of men stranded upon the ruined ship, including the Captain. "I'll not leave a man behind," he told Kelnozz, then used a pole to push his King's longboat away from the doomed vessel. Regnar flew overhead, unburdened and able to keep a lookout.

The dragon flew ahead, breathing lightning into the water where tentacles clustered and watching them twitch and retreat rapidly from the electrocuting assault. The longboats followed in his wake, with several people rowing and every other person ready to fight whenever a tentacle appeared.

"This is kind of stupid," Yamara observed at one point, after she thrust her short sword through a tentacle and tore it out on side.

"I'm open to suggestions," Kelnozz replied from where he stood with his swords in his hands.

"We know what is at stake, I should be one boat, you in another, and Vanya in a third."

Kelnozz grunted, then drove his sword into the water to impale a rising tentacle. "Where was that idea 30 minutes ago?"

Yamara made no response, knowing it would do them no good. Instead they battled on, fighting their way clear of the field of aggressors. One of the boats behind them was not so lucky, being torn apart by grasping tentacles. That left three boats, roughly 60 people, all rowing frantically towards the shore that was nearly half a mile distant.

Regnar flew overhead, watching carefully for any further threats. He pulled up abruptly at one point, then performed a wingover and hurried back towards the longboats. Vanya watched him and knew that it could only mean trouble.

"Row faster!" Kelnozz urged, also having seen the dragon.

In moments the dragon was there, circling overhead defensively. He launched himself into a dive and spat out a bolt of lightning into the water, then dipped lower and raked beneath the surface with his claws. A fin broke the water a moment later, as large as the one on the shark that Kelnozz had slain. Four others followed suit, though they did not slow as the electrical shock had not stunned them as it had the lead one.

"Archers!" Kelnozz cried out so that everyone could hear him. "Aim for the wounded one! If the sharks smell its blood they may turn on it instead of us!"

Three or four elves on each boat dropped their swords and grabbed up longbows. They fired into the water, some arrows biting in but most having no effect due to the shark's tough skin and the water that deflected their arrows. The other four sharks began circling the boats, with one disappearing and then bumping the lead boat.

One of the archers lost his foot and fell overboard. The two elves nearest to him scrambled to drop their oars and pull him back in, slowing their progress but rescuing the sputtering man moments before another shark darted in and clamped down on his bow, swallowing it whole.

Another elf lashed out, nearly losing his balance as well as his sword cut a shallow gash in the shark's skin.

"Leave that one alone!" Kelnozz berated him. "Blood near us will draw them closer, aim for the wounded one."

Chastised, the elf leaned away from the edge of the boat and watched warily for the next shark.

One of the marine predators pulled away, drawn by the irresistible scent of blood in the water. It attacked the wounded shark, drawing an attack in turn. Soon the water was frothy and red as they savagely went at one another. Everyone watched, fascinated, and dared to hope that their desperate ploy might work. In moments another shark joined the bloody battle, and then another. It seemed to be going well when the rending sound of wood being torn apart reached the ears of those aboard the lead boat. Panicked screams soon followed.

The third longboat was doomed, a shark having torn away a large section of the side and bottom mid ship. It disintegrated under the elves in it and, try as they did to swim away, they were soon claimed by the denizens of the deep. Kelnozz counted and quickly realized that more sharks had arrived, some not so large as the first ones, but there were no less lethal for it.

He tightened his jaw and his knuckles, furious at his inability to help his people, and silently urged them to row harder and faster. Indeed, the screams of the dying seemed to bring renewed energy into the arms of the rowers, making the boats surge ahead towards the shore, which was now only a quarter mile distant.

Vanya leapt up lightly on the prow of the longboat, balancing precariously in a position that anyone, even Kelnozz, would have been hard pressed to do. She drew her powerful bow back and took careful aim, loosing an arrow and fitting another to the string as the first speared into the head of a smaller shark that emerged from the water to snap at the side of the second boat. The shark slammed into the side, now thrashing in the water and swimming erratically. It was no longer interested in the boats and their tasty cargo, it was fighting the agonizing pain that had burrowed into its brain. In moments another shark tore into it, ending its misery and creating yet another feeding frenzy in the treacherous waters.

Vanya stayed up, aiming and shooting when an opportunity presented itself. Not every arrow ended a threat, but every arrow did find the target she intended. Her well timed shots saved many an elf, but so distracted was she by it that she did not see the large one that emerged from the water and tore out the aft of their own boat before swimming away.

Three elves were swept into the water, and two of which managed to desperately scramble back towards it. The third was pulled under, a red cloud spreading seconds later. One of the elves managed to get back into the boat, helped by his comrades, but the other one screamed in agony as he was pulled back into the water and out of the grasping hands of his fellows.

"Row, damn you!" Kelnozz shouted, pushing an exhausted sailor out of the way and grabbing up his oar and putting his considerable strength to it.

Vanya's knees bent as she rode the impact of the boat well, she kept her balance and now focused on the sharks that hurried toward the aft of their boat, keeping up a steady stream of arrows until her hand grasped only air. Her quiver was empty.

She looked at the boat and leapt, clearing five ranks of sailors and landing with her legs astride the sixth and final rank. She pushed him out of the way, surprising him greatly, and took his oar from him. She pulled mightily, surprising the muscular sailors with her own strength as the boat surged forward a little swifter in the water.

Yamara was focusing, a dull ache by now forcing its way into her head. Every bit of energy she had she devoted into trying to lift the boat as high in the water as she could. Between that and trying to deflect any incoming sharks, she felt as though she was tearing her mind apart with the strain.

"Regnar!" Kelnozz yelled out, drawing the dragon closer from where he was flying low over the water striking out when he could at the unbelievable amount of marine predators. Other things had joined the fray, no longer were sharks the only things to harass them, other creatures that none of the sailors had ever seen were present as well.

Kelnozz grabbed up a sturdy rope and, stepping upon one end of it, he tossed the coil high into the air. The dragon swooped in and caught it, slowing his flight as the Elf King tied it off at the bow. He worked hard then, stretching the rope out until it was taught then beating his wings hard to help pull the boat to shore faster. None to soon for Yamara cried out and collapsed, senseless and unable to focus on anything.

The boat dipped deeper in the water, but the added speed that Regnar supplied kept the water from coming far enough into it to swamp it. The other longboat did not fare so well, unfortunately. It was bumped repeatedly, with elves being knocked about and some out of it. A serpent rose out of the depths and plunge into it, biting down on an elf and smashing into the flooring of it, cracking the timbers and providing a heavy leak before it pulled the struggling man into the depths. In minutes the boat crumpled under the brave sailors. In minutes nothing but a red churning froth remained to mark their watery graves.

The lead boat bumped into the sandy bottom, drawing the exhausted but terrified passengers to rush out of it and fall onto the sand. They all felt the ground shake as Regnar, exhausted from his effort at helping to pull the boat to shore, crashed into the ground and lay there gasping for breath himself. Vanya hurried to his side, winded herself but in better shape than all of the others save Kelnozz. The Elf King stared out at the sea, silently mourning all of the fallen.

Nine elven sailors had survived, though one was wounded and bled freely from bites on his arm. Nine elves plus the four of them. It made for a poor party able to survive on a strange new land, especially now that they had no transportation back. Kelnozz turned, bidding the elven sailors farewell and turned to face the island.

The beach extended inland for a little over a hundred yards, and stretched on to his right and left further than he could see. Beyond the fine white sands a jungle rose sharply. He could feel the humidity from where he stood, in spite of the faint breeze blowing in from the ocean. He looked at the survivors and realized that they were all exhausted, camping on the beach might be the best thing for them to do for the night, rather than risk exploring a strange new land that may be fraught with unknown dangers.

"We camp here tonight," he announced, drawing some grateful sighs from the elves. "When everyone is rested we'll organize a party to get some firewood and perhaps find something to eat. We'll need to see what supplies we have remaining as well, because a trip home could be a long time in coming."

That sobered the elves up quite a bit. Yamara heard him as though through a headache induce fog. She nodded and let herself drift off to sleep, her mental exhaustion overwhelming her at last. Vanya glanced at the boat, hoping some of the archers had some arrows left that she could replenish hers with. Regnar was alright, just exhausted and in need of rest as badly as the rest of them were. She patted him on the neck and sat down beside him, resting against him companionably.

Chapter 20

The night passed seemingly without incident. In the morning, however, one of the sailors was missing. After several minutes scouring the perimeter Vanya found signs of her passage, and a brief foray into the jungle revealed her fate. A trail of blood led away from the trampled foliage and dark stains where she had been attacked. The tracks left behind by the sailor's attackers she did not recognize, save to note that they were not human. The only other part that remained was a ripped piece of her tunic, colored the royal red of the Elven Navy.

The survivors of the shipwreck were gathered together on the beach awaiting a decision from Kelnozz, who chewed the news of the murder over thoughtfully. His first instinct was to rush into the jungle to investigate, but he dared not lead what remained of his people into such unknown dangers. He feared little for himself, but rather for the others. He was even forced to discard thoughts of leaving them behind while he investigated alone, for his leadership and presence was needed.

The Elven King sighed at the heavy weight of responsibility.

His sigh was short lived, however, for they all felt more than heard a shudder. It was followed by another, as though something heavy had fallen against the ground. They continued, coming more frequently but with seemingly no pattern to them. Shortly they noticed the sand shifting with each reverberating boom as well.

"They are getting closer," Vanya said, on one knee with her hand on the ground.

Yamara shot her a brief scowl, but held her comment to herself. It went unnoticed by the ranger, who instead continued. "There are multiple creatures... more than two certainly."

"What are they?" Kelnozz asked her over his shoulder as he made gestures to the sailors to arrange themselves defensively.

"I don't know," Vanya admitted, rising to her feet and reaching for her bow. "But they're big."

From the distance came the sound of a wood cracking and breaking, accentuating her point. The sailors kept their position stoically, although more than a few glanced anxiously to one another.

A roar from behind caught them off guard. Turning to look they saw a creature emerging from the woods and on to the beach. It stood twelve feet tall at the head, and the head was mighty in and of itself. Bipedal, it possessed a mottled brownish green leathery hide and small arms that looked to serve little real purpose, at least compared to the rest of the body of the beast. It's head was reptilian in design, with a mouth easily large enough to swallow a dwarf or halfling whole.. Whatever it was, it charged up the sand towards them, though it was a long bowshot distant.

"Hold your ground, it's a trap," Kelnozz warned them, turning so that he could keep an eye on the rapidly approaching monster while still being aware of the forest on the other side where the other noises had come from.