The Monster Lurking Deep Beneath

Oh, have you come to listen to another tale from your old man? Come, take a seat on the bench. Let those waves crash on the rocky shore while grandpa tells you about one of his many adventures... ...Huh? You say you're too old for children stories? Sonny, these ain't just stories. Every cut and every scar on this wrinkly face is as real as the sand underneath your little feet. Now, stop acting all grown-up and let me remember about the good old days on the sea...

Ah, yes, this is a good one. Like all good tales, this too starts all nicely, with me and my boys all working our bones on that old whaling ship. We were sailing deep into the Deep Ocean, so far away you couldn't even see the Continent anymore. It had been a good day, but towards the evening the wind started to blow. We were all afraid of facing a storm, so far away into the Deep Ocean... But we couldn't return to the shallower seas that surround the Continent, not without something to show, that is. So we keep looking for a sign of pearly whales, the most prized and most elusive crummers of the sea. One of those would feed us grown men for days, and we could sell the skin and split the money so we all had something to give back to our wives and children.

And as we test the waters with our ship's tools, we find something big moving deep underneath. You know how the tuner works, grandpa showed you last year, remember? It vibrates based on the energy of whatever is in front of it. Now, that thing, it begins to hum slowly, so we say "eh, maybe it's something worth the trouble," but oh no. That slow hum... It was not because the fish was small or something, oh no. It was because that... thing was buried deep into the ocean.

That thing moves under our ship, slowly raising, making the surface of the water boil, and how it boiled! We thought Hell was roaring as it opened its gates to swallow us whole. Suddenly, huuuge tentacles jutted out of the depths, looking to grab hold of us and sink our whole ship! If Tammy Boy and your granduncle weren't there to bombard the beast with their magic, I wouldn't be here today. But that's not all. As the monster retreats from our riposte, it tries to hit the ship one more time. And it hits. It hits me across my left arm, breaking my bones, grabbing hold of me with its suckers! But I quickly draw my shortsword and try to cut the damned beast. Blood spills everywere! I quickly get drowned by its bluish blood, gushing out of the muscular tentacle as it retracts back into the ocean.

What, do you think grandpa is lying to you? Well then, good thing that the suckers scarred my arm! Hah-hah-hargh! Now this, my boy, this is something to be proud of!