Chapter 121. Not Fins
"Captain, is that a shark?" Curiosity sparkling in his eyes, Dipp grasped the door handle with one hand while leaning most of his body outside to scrutinize the sea illuminated by the Narwhale's searchlights.
Charles swiftly estimated the distance between the Narwhale and the unknown entity. From this, he judged that the fin was nearly two meters in length. However, he couldn't discern the size of the underwater entity due to his vision being obscured by the dark waters.
"Just keep an eye on it. Ignore it if there aren't any anomalies," Charles instructed as his grip on the wheel unconsciously tightened.
If it was just a giant man-eating shark, there was nothing to fear. Compared to other things in the sea, natural, logical creatures were all too adorable.
Just as Charles thought they would simply pass by each other without any issues, more fins suddenly emerged from the waters.
They gathered and closed in on the ship like a herd of sheep. As they approached, the densely packed fins stirred a wave of unease among the crew on board.
The fins gradually narrowed the distance, and the towering ship's edge obscured Charles' view.
"Dipp, steer the wheel," Charles instructed and quickly walked to the edge of the ship. He looked out and peered into the waters.
The fins halted their approach. Instead, they started to circle the Narwhale. It wasn't just the Narwhale that received such a treatment. Charles turned to his left and saw another exploration ship being circled by a cluster of fins.
"Since when do sharks hunt in groups? I thought only dolphins like to be in groups and follow ships."
Richard’s voice suddenly echoed in Charles' head after a long period of absence. Nothing felt worse than having someone who had attempted to kill you hiding inside your mind.
"Scram! You promised!" Charles' abrupt roar startled Dipp.
Trembling, he turned to look at Charles and asked, "Captain? What's the matter? Did something happen?"
Richard went silent.
Charles turned toward Dipp with a dark expression. "Tell the Chief Engineer to overload the turbines to the maximum. We have to get out. We don't have time to play with these things, no matter what they are."
Thick black smoke, tinged with sparks, billowed from the Narwhale's smokestacks. The ship accelerated, and Charles' sleeves fluttered under the intense wind.
The fins seemed to want to keep up, but their speed clearly couldn't match that of the Narwhale. The steel hull of the ship slammed into them with a large impact.
An ear-piercing screech, akin to nails scraping a blackboard, resonated from below the waters. Everyone on board instinctively covered their ears.
Contrary to their anticipation, the scene of flesh being ruptured by steel did not happen. Rather, the Narwhale jerked violently.
Despite the somewhat tumultuous process, Charles' objective was achieved, and the Narwhale broke through the encirclement of the fins.
"How can those fins be so hard? What the hell is under the water?"
Charles dashed to the stern and stared at those fins in pursuit. The moment he laid his eyes on the silvery metal fragments on the fins, a chilling guess emerged in his head.
Meanwhile, the fins circling another exploration vessel in the distance started rising. The black, gigantic body attached to the fins soon appeared above the water's surface and was revealed before Charles.
A mass of black covered in barnacles connected the rows of fins. As the black creature moved, the fins moved in unison.
The realization struck Charles instantly. Those were not fins; they were the teeth of some sea monster!
The waves parted as a monstrous mouth, larger than an exploration vessel, opened wide and appeared above the surface.
Clank!
The teeth clamped down and pierced into the ship's hull. The giant mouth held the steel ship in its bite and prepared to drag the vessel down with it into the deep abyss.
"Damn it! It wants to swallow that ship!"
Charles dashed into the ship's bridge and steered the Narwhale toward the direction of the endangered ship.
"Lily, ready the cannons! Fire away at the thing in the water!"
"Got it! I'm pretty skilled at this!"
As Lily and her mice swiftly controlled the ship's cannons, a barrage of cannonballs rapidly flew toward the distant monstrous maw that had emerged from the waters.
As the projectile struck its target, dark purple blood speedily stained the waters.
However, the monster seemed unwilling to let go of its prey. It stubbornly clung onto the ship and tried to drag it into the water. But in the face of Lily's cannonballs, it soon lost its chance to give up.
The explosive blasts ripped apart the massive maw, and before long, a shredded, sack-like remnant lay lifeless atop the water's surface.
Charles sounded the horn for the freed ship to follow its lead to assist other ships. The orange-hulled exploration ship quickly responded with an affirmative.
With an exploration ship in tow, Charles embarked on his rescue mission. Soon, the number of ships around him increased.
Of course, not every ship required Charles' assistance. Explorers were no pushovers. Several exploration vessels managed to kill the monstrous mouths with unknown methods. And one of them was Feuerbach's Waverazor.
Ultimately, all seventeen ships escaped danger. They left the waters stained dark purple by the creatures' blood and continued their journey forward.
The sailors on board every ship erupted into cheers. A wave of relief washed over them as they survived yet another dangerous ordeal.
While the crews were immersed in their joy, the captains had more on their minds. They hadn't anticipated running into such major trouble before they even arrived at their destination.
Though not a single ship sank, some unfortunate ships suffered heavy damage from those monstrous mouths. Several also lost considerable supplies during the battle when the cargo fell into the sea.
Charles stared at the distant ships as he sank into deep thought. After a moment of contemplation, he turned and instructed his vampire sailor, "Audric, notify the other captains to meet me in the captain's quarter of the Narwhale. I need to know the extent of their losses."
Audric nodded and unfurled his cloak. With a kick against the railings, he morphed into a bat in mid-air and flew toward the closest ship.
One by one, the exploration ships drew near. The captains, dressed in diverse fashions, soon gathered in Charles' captain's quarters.
As they settled into the stools that had been readied for them, the cabin suddenly felt somewhat cramped.
Charles didn't convene this meeting for no reason. At sea, the supplies of others affected the survival of oneself. Those who made their living at sea had a relatively flexible moral compass.
In dire circumstances, where food or fuel ran low, betraying one's companion was an inevitable choice to ensure one's own survival.
If even companions would backstab each other in desperate times, things would be much uglier for their hastily assembled fleet.
"Let's start with you, young man. How much freshwater and fuel did you lose?" With a notebook in one hand, Charles pointed his fountain pen at the largest and most intimidating captain in the room.
"Charles, show some respect. I'm twice your age," the addressed captain replied with a trace of annoyance in his voice.
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