Chapter 170: 162 – Giant Surprise

Chapter 162 – Giant Surprise

After gazing at the beautiful coral city long enough, we begin to move. Since Meru is obviously much more familiar with the area, she takes the lead and I follow after her. Doing my best to keep myself close, I earnestly rely on her knowledge of the terrain and the surroundings of the reef. Her confident movements certainly are a good sign.

First, we start heading further away from the settlement, passing by a few big leaves of seaweed. Making sure to stay as much out of sight as we can, we use them to our advantage and take a peek from behind the underwater flora, trying to look out for possible enemies. We’ve spotted a bunch of Sahuagins down in the village so we definitely need to stay on guard while swimming around.

Soon, we reach a small cliff and Meru dives into the decently spacious crevice. I quickly do the same and we zig-zag deeper just by the vertical slope. There aren’t many things for us to hide behind so she picks up speed and guides me to the destination she is aiming for. It turns out to be a small cavern hidden behind a blanket of algae. I watch her pass through it in a blink and do the same.

As expected, we end up in a somewhat narrow tunnel. It looks to be natural, with just some faint traces of external activity. It’s not much so I guess this passage wasn’t that well-known to the villagers. It might have been some kind of a curious secret amongst the younger generation or some group of friends.

In any case, Meru slows down a little and I catch up to her. We travel through the hidden tunnel side by side. The walls are covered with pretty mould which illuminates the stone corridor in a light brown hue. To some extent, it feels like we are going through a mountain-crossing road with more or less regularly placed lamps. It’s always been a trippy thing going through those.

After a short while, we slow down even more and Meru gestures at me to keep as quiet as possible. I nod at her and let my fierce sharkgirl mate swim first. The path curves upwards and becomes slightly less spacious anyway, forcing us to split. As we travel through it, the mould gradually disappears and a more natural light illuminates the exit of the passage.

Meru rushes through it first, obviously, and makes a sharp turn to the left. Already able to recognize the big chamber on the other side, I swim through the hole too and choose to turn right to avoid crashing into her in case she would have stopped for whatever reason. Nothing and no one raises any alarms or attacks us so I assume we’ve made it here safely.

Looking around, I realise that we aren’t exactly in a chamber but a massive aquatic coral tree of the same colour as the mould we’ve passed by on the way to this place. There are plenty of small holes in the entire structure of the coral, letting in light from the outside. They thankfully aren’t big enough to easily peek inside, but that can’t be said about peering through them towards the outside world.

Still admiring the beautiful and very mysterious sight, I try to swim up to Meru, who is moving around by one of the coral’s walls and looking through the gaps. I join her, gently running my hand over her smooth back. Bringing myself closer and giving her tail a few tender rubs, I take a glance through the natural windows too.

It turns out that we are located pretty much in the very middle of the coral village that we’ve seen from the edges earlier. This massive structure grows on a small hill and its branches extend to the sides in every direction. Some of them are definitely wide enough for at least one of us to swim into them and peek outside that way too.

But, the view we get from the trunk of this coral tree is already impressive. Just to make it a little bit better, we rise by about two floors of a commonly-sized house and gain an even better angle. It allows us to see the entire settlement, up to the very borders. It seems to be even bigger than I first assumed. The terrain isn’t perfectly flat so many buildings are at different levels, be it higher or lower, which might create the illusion of a less busy area.

Obviously, that’s extremely misleading. You could compare this underwater coral formation to some bigger villages inhabited by the people living on the surface. I can see and recognize houses, shops, warehouses, perhaps even inns. The majority of those have been carved inside smaller and bigger corals. Their colours vary greatly and the charming town is a mix of different shades. Besides coral, there are also buildings made of rocks, stones, and even underwater plants.

Unfortunately, besides occasional fish bastards, we don’t spot any other entities on the streets. If not for those raiders and plunderers, this reef would definitely have been completely abandoned. A total ghost town. Just evidence of their crimes. It’s sad but we haven’t gotten our hopes up in the first place. Meru’s home was attacked way earlier than the Merfolk were.

“Can you see anything useful?” I whisper gently, reassuringly brushing my fingers over the length of Meru’s tail.

“There’s a lot of blood on the streets and the walls of the buildings. I don’t think there are any residents that are still alive after this much time has passed. It should be alright for us not to hold back in fear of hurting someone hiding in one of the houses,” she answers with her eyes focused on scanning the terrain.

“We’ll get all of them. I promise.” I bring myself closer and place an affectionate peck on her temple. “What do you have in mind right now?”

Meru peels her attention away from the world on the other side of the coral and turns her sharp face to me. With a very faint smile, she flaps her tail to hover closer to me and I pull her into a delicate hug, brushing through her dark hair as we look at each other.

“This place should be good to judge how many Sahuagins have been left behind. I hope we can locate the building the leader of this group has taken for the temporary base, just like the one in the previous town. Having their general numbers and strength in mind, we should be able to come up with a plan of action suitable for the situation. I know that you would be able to think of something good, Alastair,” she says calmly.

“I appreciate the honest praise.” A warm smile curls my lips up. “From what I’ve seen, these individuals don’t look similar to the Sahuagins we’ve encountered in the protected settlement. At least in terms of gear and equipment. The main force must have continued marching forward quite some time ago and these guys caught up to the village. No idea what they could be cooking up here. I guess we need to observe them for a moment.”

Meru glances to the side, gazing through the holes again. I let her go, expecting the quiet sharkgirl to return to scouting the enemy’s strength once more, but Meru surprises me a little and brings her face close to mine again, placing a soft kiss on my lips. After that, she turns around and swims to a different region of the coral tree, peering through the natural gaps. Smiling to myself, I move in the opposite direction and also continue our reconnaissance.

We spend about twenty minutes gazing outside, directing our eyes at every segment of the reef. The number of Sahuagins we spot during that period isn’t too high. We aren’t sure if there isn’t some building they took over for barracks somewhere, where more of this swimming scum is hiding, but the streets hold no more than maybe forty of them at most. That much is very doable, even with just the two of us.

After ten minutes more, something actually catches our eyes.

There were no members of other aquatic races spotted anywhere in the town until that point. Unfortunately, the first person Meru manages to notice isn’t going to be cooperative in any way. One of the monstrous bastards comes into the street with a body flung over his shoulder, belonging to a Triton, most likely. The complete lack of movement from the half-man, half-fish doesn’t bode well and we both understand that.

The Sahuagin starts swimming through the reef with the corpse in hand. We follow the ugly guy with our gazes, trying not to lose him in some side alley. After moving from one side of the town to another, he brings the dead Triton to a sizable warehouse, where two other Sahuagins open the big doors for him, closing them right after.

Something is fishy there.

Of course, they could very well be getting a snack in that storage or such, but I feel like there is more to it than meets the eye. One look at Meru confirms that she thinks so too. They are moving quite well-preserved bodies from place to place, and that is suspicious enough on its own.

“I know a good path to that warehouse. Should we check what they are going to do with that body?” Meru asks as our eyes meet.

“Your call. I’ll follow you. It might give us a hint about them in general, perhaps,” I answer. “Everything alright?”

She makes a faint nod. “Yes. You don’t have to worry about me this much. I haven’t spent that much time around the person he was dragging around. I barely even remember them.”

“I see. Don’t feel afraid to let me know about anything.” I smile at her lovingly. “Lead the way then. There are asses we have to kick and the day isn’t endless.”

After one more round of gazing through the holes in every direction, we head out of the insides of the giant coral tree through the same tunnel we’ve come in earlier. Instead of swimming all the way to the cavern on the cliff’s side, Meru suddenly takes a turn I hadn't noticed during our first journey through this passage and we continue ahead in the general direction of the warehouse.

It looks like it’s not just a single path but an entire net of tunnels underneath the town. Very interesting.

I need to keep close not to lose her in the web of holes and openings and we keep moving forward at a decent pace. As we finally begin going up, I prepare myself for our return to the underwater surface, ready to take action as soon as we are out. Meru stops in front of a dead end and presses her palms into it. With some controlled strength, she lifts what seems to be a rock and moves it aside.

She hastily bolts out of the hole and I follow suit. Right after I’m there, she covers the entrance back, camouflaging the secret, underground network of passages. We both scan our surroundings, realising that we’ve resurfaced between some random two houses made of jade-coloured stone. Meru takes a peek past the corner and nods at me, confirming that our destination is in a very close vicinity.

We stealthily bolt from one alley to another, skilfully avoiding detection, up until we show up in front of the warehouse. But, right before we start discussing how to enter without alerting anyone, the main doors are pushed open and we quickly hide on the roof of the storage, which is perfectly flat, allowing us to lie atop it and poke our heads past the edge.

Three Sahuagins come outside, each holding onto something. One seems to be some kind of a clay jug with a cork. Another looks like a small chest. And the final thing is just an ugly sack filled with Goddess knows what. Though, the faint scent and trace of blood leaking through the low-quality material give us a hint about the contents.

~I bet they are now transporting things related to the body we’ve seen earlier,~ I comment mentally.

~There’s no doubt about it. The bag is full of flesh, most likely cut into pieces. If I’m not wrong, then we could assume that the jug holds blood and the box stores some other parts,~ Meru replies.

~Sick bastards. What do they even need those for?~ I quietly click my tongue. ~You go after them, I’ll take a look inside this warehouse.~

She glances at my face for a brief moment and nods delicately. We check if no one is looking our way and Meru swims ahead, sticking to the roofs as she stalks her targets. As for me, I observe as the gates are slowly being closed and get an idea. Just before the left wing fully closes, I summon a Void Chain and lower it into the gap from above.

Whoever is pulling that side, doesn’t notice that the top of the wing gets a little bent outside and the left gate doesn’t reach the proper position to get locked. I wait a few seconds to see if they notice that fact, but no one corrects the mistake. Listening attentively to any noises, I swim closer to the gap I created and widen it enough to slip in.

The interiors of the coral warehouse turn out pretty much as I expected them to. All the shelves are carved out of its structure, creating one, large composition. Even the additional rooms with open or closed tops are part of it too. Some crates and boxes litter the storage but it’s obvious that most things have been moved out.

Though, it’s something else that attracts attention.

As I swim right under the ceiling, trying to keep myself as far as I can from the crystals illuminating the spacious hall, I find a bunch of the ugly fishfaces sitting in a circle in the very middle. The initial sight makes me scrunch my nose. There’s just so much blood floating around them that I can taste it even from my position.

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“Be careful out there, my Hero.” She places her dainty hands on my chest and stands on her tiptoes to leave a tender kiss on my lips. “I don’t think I would be able to bear losing my beloved husband again.”

I pull her in for a much deeper kiss, giving her soft bottom a good squeeze.

“You will never be alone again. I’ll be back in just a second. Love you.” I brush the side of her noble face with my other hand and step back.

“I’ll make sure he comes back to you in one piece. At least where it counts.” Cornelia taps my back with a small grin.

I roll my eyes at her while the petite Queen giggles adorably. We share the last farewell and our side departs to ruin another party.

Shortly before we reach the village, we split into three groups. The first one, consisting of Cornelia and Neira, stays on the very edge of the coral reef. The second one, made of my Slime beauties, swims to a spot on the opposite side of the ritual site. And finally, the third one, which is me and Meru, heads right for that place.

Everyone knows what their role is and we take positions without an issue. My team confirms that the shaman is still there, watching over the preparations. Cornelia and Neira watch over the outskirts and we wait for a signal from them when all or the vast majority of Sahuagins will be within the settlement.

We don’t wait for too long and the operation begins.

I watch with Meru as a swirling current starts flowing around the entire village, becoming more and more noticeable. Soon, a spiralling net forms, with each line spinning at quite dangerous levels. There is no doubt that anything that touches the massive dome will be ground to dust or bloody mist in this case.

But, that’s not all.

We notice a cyan flash by the edge of the settlement and thick frost quickly climbs up the still-swirling torrential cage. In about five seconds, it becomes solid, closing off any access to Meru’s hometown from the outside world, and naturally, any way of escape from the inside. The angled lines of the mesh are so close to each other that nothing can squeeze through, yet they are wide enough for my two lovely wives to send ranged attacks at any idiots foolish enough to try.

Though, I don’t think many will have the leisure for that.

The ground shakes strongly and the two of us direct our gazes towards the source. Right on the opposite side of the village, we spot two massive figures stomping through the streets. The emerald and sapphire pair of giants barely fits under the frozen dome. Safi and Emi make good use of their new ability and wreak havoc everywhere they look and move, crushing and melting buildings and Sahuagins. Naturally, after receiving permission from Meru first.

“This should be enough chaos. Most of the grunts are rushing their way. Shall we begin?” I smile at Meru as we stand on the roof of a random house near the ritual site.

She nods and prepares her trident. “I’m ready.”

We turn towards the ruined market square and locate the shaman. He seems to be shocked by the sudden attack and ice dome. Only a few normal Sahuagins remain by his side, mostly those who have been drawing with blood and spreading organs so they aren’t exactly armed and dangerous. Without wasting any more time, our duo rushes forward.

Meru shoots ahead thanks to her much bigger experience underwater and she catches up to the first nearby grunt and skewers the poor guy with her weapon, temporarily enabling the five-spoke mode. Before her opponent even notices that he has been stabbed in the chest, there’s a huge hole in it with a missing heart and part of both lungs. Meru releases a loud, fierce battle cry, capturing the attention of everyone else.

She won’t have any issues with the basic idiots but the shaman starts casting some ominous spell.

“Oh, no you don’t.”

I speed towards him from behind, shaping my draconic hilt into a battle scythe. Death comes for the evil bastard right from his blind spot... and misses.

He ducks under the mesmerising blade as I take a swing powerful enough to send an arc of water flying into the ground, creating a deep cut in the coral tiles. Switching his attention to me, he points his crystal staff ahead and finishes the incantation before I can move away. With tormenting wails, a horde of black, ghost-like shapes surge towards my chest and crash into it, sending me spinning to the side.

Thankfully, besides the initial force of impact, I don’t suffer much more. The wailing is quite bearable for me, though extremely annoying. This seems to be a curse as those ghosts keep circling me and serving as a quite successful distraction.

~Are you alright?~ Meru asks through our bond.

~Yep. Didn’t expect to be countered right away like he has eyes on the back of his head,~ I reply while shaking my head. ~Don’t worry. I’ll get him in a flash. Wreck the little guys.~

I can’t really borrow any useful ability from my lovers since I should technically uphold the borrow from Meru that turns me and Cornelia into aquatic hybrids. Therefore, all I can serve my opponent is either magic or combat techniques based on the artefact hilt. The former might not be as effective. I feel like this monster knows its shit when it comes to the spiritual.

So, not giving him any chances to prepare or cast anything else, I launch myself forward once more, this time without a sneak attack. The dude has no other choice but to block my scythe with his staff this time. Unfortunately for me, he is quite strong and buff for a mage, which lets him struggle but parry my attacks with just that oversized walking stick.

Quick glance around confirms that Meru is obliterating his subordinates without granting them any possible mercy. She appears quite close to me just as I strike the shaman’s guard and flick it away so I step back and we do a quick switch. She receives my opponent and I turn to the few remaining grunts. I promised Meru revenge, and even if this one might not be directly involved with the fall of her reef, he is doing much worse shit in secret.

I leave the bastard to her and jump at the minions. They can’t compare to their boss and I cut my first one in half with the very first slash. That makes his friends slightly warier of my moves. So, to spice it up and confuse them a bit, I change my weapon into a spiked mace and pull it apart, creating two copies, red and blue. Wielding both, I become truly unpredictable to those slow brains.

There could be something much better in terms of weight and aerodynamics, or rather hydrodynamics. But I’m strong enough to pretty much ignore those aspects and hit them with a bonk on their already somewhat flat heads. Their empty skulls crack neatly whenever they connect with the head of either of my maces. They find it hard to block, parry or defend in a regular fashion as the best they hold are small ceremonial knives made of bones.

On the other hand, Meru dances with the boss all over the plaza. She skilfully dodges his attempts at casting magic at her with the use of the orb and leaves multiple cuts on the bastard’s skin. As expected, he isn’t that much of a big deal without his allies, who are majorly dead. She still isn’t able to just get rid of the buff guy with some simple swing or technique.

I wrap up the grunts in a few minutes. In the meanwhile, the shaman is barely hanging onto his dear life. Meru isn’t giving him even a moment to rest, barraging him with unpredictable swings and slices. I consider stepping in to help her, but...

Literally a second later Meru has the leader under her blade, holding the spokes of the trident by his neck. Fury and thirst for revenge were clear in her yellowish eyes. But, at the same time, the ground starts shaking even stronger than what we’ve grown used to today and we take a glance to the side.

A massive figure of Emi is currently running our way, causing a small earthquake with each jump. I chuckle and move even more aside, choosing to just observe. Meru stares at her for a brief moment and then stabs the guy’s arms with two precise strikes. She pushes him forward with a mighty smack on the back and steps away too.

The two of us watch as Emi reaches the edge of the square and jumps as high up as the frozen dome allows. She brings her legs to her chest and squeezes her knees close to her body. The shaman looks up at the falling giantess and manages to let out just a cut-off grunt before Emi’s enormous butt hits from above.

Since Emi chose to remain almost fully opaque, the shaman’s figure disappears right before our eyes as the unique Sahuagin gets swallowed by the southern entrance in a flash. Emi’s bouncy body slaps the ground hard and jiggles like crazy. She grins at us from above, taking our attention away from the fact that she is currently melting a certain entity inside of her body.

What a way to go out...

Well, maybe it would be if not for the acids powerful enough to melt literal steel.

“Emi got rid of all her opponents and came to get the big bad good!” Emi exclaims proudly.

We share a glance and the faintest smile with Meru. The ground shakes again and we watch as Safi approaches us with some more self-control. Her movements still cause her enlarged, jelly body to wiggle where it matters.

A moment later, my neck starts hurting from looking up. Though, the sight certainly is something else.

“I’d have never ever thought I would get to stand right under a giant pussy.” I shake my head with a wry chuckle. “I always thought of myself as slightly above average, but this, this definitely is not my league.”

Admiring the view for a moment, we take a short break to catch our breaths.

Things aren't yet fully finished. At least not until the array is gone.

And a certain someone finishes melting.

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