The Kraken ruined everything.
It was almost ironic. Everything was peaceful, just sailing across the seven seas, and then, bam, a storm comes out of nowhere and a giant monster literally from the depths of the ocean attacks your ship.
Cleo was sitting in her captain's quarters, lounging around while her crew worked the sails. They had reached a spot of calm waters, and Cleo was savoring it. They were in the middle of the ocean, the sun was shining, the water reflecting the light and having a very bright blue hue. Compared to the other rough days the crew had lately, this was nice for a change.
She adjusted the sunflower in her hair. It was a flower from her home, and she had plucked it before she had gone off on her first voyage. She missed that old village. It was a rickety collection of houses by the bay.
From the start, though, Cleo had always loved the water--she went with her dad when he was off on his long fishing expeditions, and she swam around in the bay with the other village kids.
Then came the opportunity to go off with her own crew and explore more than just the nearby lagoon, but all the seven seas. Cleo had had quite the adventure so far--she'd braved the rough storms and hard nights, seen the sunset over the seas, and seen some amazing creatures and habitats out there. If you asked Cleo, there was never a boring day out on the ocean. There was always something new.
"Captain Cleo!" came a shout. Cleo snapped out of her reminisce and ran outside. The man up in the crow's nest was yelling at her. "There's a storm coming. It looks rough. Ya might want to brace yourself."
Cleo groaned. "Again? This is the ninth time this week!"
"I can't control the storms, miss. Best to go back inside."
Cleo squinted at the oncoming storm. It looked normal enough: stirring water, dark clouds, the occasional flash of lightning. But there was a dark mass near the middle. Was it just a heavy part of the storm?
Then, the mass moved. Cleo backed away instinctively. There were ten smaller masses branching off from the bigger one. Arms. They were arms.
That couldn't be it. Cleo had heard stories--who hasn't in their village?--but she had dismissed the absurd tale as fake. The giant squid that attacked sailors and sank their ships? The Kraken? It seemed impossible.
But she was looking straight at it. And it was very much real.
It was larger than anyone had described. It had eight large arms and two tentacles that were more than enough to sink Cleo's ship. Her ship, that she had always thought of as grand, was now dwarfed by the sheer presence of this sea monster. And her ship was heading straight for it.
Cleo snapped into action, yelling at her pirates. "Why are you just standing there? Steer the ship away!" When no one complied, she ran up the stairs to the helm and grabbed the wheel, violently yanking it 180 degrees. The winds were getting stronger. Either this would play to their advantage or serve them on a silver platter to the awaiting Kraken.
The storm was coming closer and closer. The Kraken just seemed bigger up close, and it didn't help Cleo's nerves. She gritted her teeth and focused on steering the ship away. Her crew was being useless and running around, screaming their heads off.
After a few tense moments, the ship began to change course, heading at a steep angle to the right. If Cleo could pull this off, they would be just out of the range of those long arms.
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Hermitcraft: Origins
Fanfiction"Each world has its own story. Even if you tried to get a story from me, I wouldn't be able to tell you half of it. There is so much life in each build and block, and each event has told their own tale. But it has to start somewhere." Fate has the o...
