Tina Daniell - Maquesta Kar-Thon

Releasing herself from the chain the moment she felt it start to surge upward, Maquesta decided to buy the Perechon some time. Swimming at another tentacle, she thrust forward with her sword, stabbing at the rubbery mass. Myriad suctionlike cups wriggled at her, but she kept out of their way, hovering just at the end of the tentacles' reach. Withdrawing the sword, she plunged it in again and again. Then the world turned black around her as the water darkened like the midnight sky. She twisted her head all about, but it was pitchblack everywhere. Not even her sensitive vision permeated the darkness. Then her eyes began to sting, and she realized the octopus had released an inky substance, turning the water black.

Maq was disoriented, not knowing which way was up, which way to the ocean floor, where the octopus might be lurking. Kicking her legs, she began to move, guessing that she was rising toward the surface. She held her sword tightly, and waved it back and forth in front of her to keep any tentacles at bay. As a jab of pain shot through her leg, she realized a tentacle had found a way around her flailing weapon. Perhaps the leviathan could see through its dark cloud. The octopus tightened its grip, and Maq gritted her teeth, trying to block out the aching sensation. Twisting in the black water, she continued to flail about with her blade, hoping it would connect with something.

Again and again she dragged the sword through the water, until at last it met resistance. Jabbing there, she felt a rush of bubbles against her body. She must have hurt the leviathan. Stabbing again, she cringed as a tentacle found her sword arm. It gripped her tightly, but she kept her fingers wrapped about the blade's pommel, refusing to let go. With one tentacle also still holding her leg, the tentacles began to move away from each other-the octopus intended to tear her apart!

Maquesta fought back a wave of pain and groped out with her free hand. She felt the tentacle about her sword arm, and she fumbled frantically until she felt her captured hand and the pommel still held tightly within it. Grabbing the sword, she started sawing through the tentacle with it, trying to free her captured arm. The tentacle tugged more strongly, nearly wrenching her shoulder out of the socket, but she persisted. The tentacle tugged again, and Maq screamed, though no sound came out, only a stream of bubbles. She cut faster, and at last she was rewarded when the tentacle about her arm writhed away. Doubling over, she felt about her calf, at the tentacle still firmly holding her there. Again she started cutting. This tentacle released her quickly to avoid being severed, and she kicked her legs to propel herself away from the creature.

She felt herself rising, and she kicked harder. Maquesta knew that if this giant octopus was like its smaller cousins, it would be able to regenerate its rubbery limbs. But it would take several weeks, and she and the Perechon would be long gone. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest, the thundering sound filling her ears and increasing her terror. Her feet churned, and she felt out of breath, dizzy, but at last her head broke through the surface of the water and she started breathing air. She coughed, spewing out the saltwater that had been in her lungs. Blinking furiously as the light of the morning sun hit her full in the face, she turned about in the water, looking for the Perechon .

The anchor dangled from the ship, which was a little better than a hundred yards from her. As she watched, the sails reached the top of the masts and began to billow with air. Sheathing her sword, Maq started swimming toward the ship. No use trying to fight the giant octopus when she couldn't see it for all the inky water, she decided.

"There's Maq!" It was Fritzen's voice. "Wait for her!"

Don't wait for me! Maq's mind scolded, hoping Ilyatha was still reading her thoughts. If I reach the ship on my own, all right. But get out of here before… Her last thought trailed off as she saw a giant tentacle rise above the water and drape itself over the bow of the Perechon .

Panicking, Maquesta swam faster, taking great gulps of air into her lungs and watching as the sailors ran toward the rubbery mass that threatened to capsize the ship. As she closed the distance, the water began churning in front of her, bubbling like Lendle's soup caldron. An enormous, bulbous head broke the surface of the waves. The leviathan had risen, seeking to add another ship to its trophy collection on the sea floor.

"You'll not take the Perechon! " Maquesta seethed. "You can't have my ship."

The great beast seemed not to notice Maq, it was so intent on the ship. Waving another two tentacles in the air, it dropped them across the deck, one between the mizzenmast and the mainmast, and the other over the aft section. The giant octopus began to rock the ship wildly, and Maq saw Vartan and Hvel get pitched into the water.

On the deck of the ship, Koraf gave up trying to steer the Perechon . He drew his sword, grabbed a belaying pin, and rushed at the tentacle that lay between the masts. The rubbery tentacle had broken the railings on both sides of the deck and, like a snake, had begun to constrict about the center of the ship. The minotaur grimaced as he heard the wood groan in protest. Motioning wildly, he directed the bulk of the sailors to join him. Gathering on both sides of the thing, they began hacking on the leviathan's tentacle, cleaving into the thick tissue and trying to dislodge it.

Fritzen had grabbed hold of the tentacle on the aft section of the ship and was trying to pry it loose. His muscles bulged, and the veins stood out on the side of his neck. Wrapping his left arm about the tentacle where it tapered on the port side, he reached to his waist and his fingers closed about the hilt of his dagger. Drawing the weapon, he pulled it back behind his head, and then let it fall, stabbing deep into the beast's flesh. Dark red blood spurted out, making the deck slippery. It was all the half-ogre could do to keep his balance. Then the tentacle turned on him.

Releasing the deck, where it had splintered the wood, and leaving a gaping hole open to the galley, the tentacle rose up into the air. Like a snake, it came down and coiled about Fritzen. It picked him up from the deck and shook him as a baby would a rattle. The halfogre concentrated to keep from dropping the dagger. As the thing flailed him about, he stabbed into the tentacle repeatedly.

A great cry erupted from the leviathan's wide mouth. Fritzen and the others were hurting it! In anger, the giant octopus hurled Fritzen at the mizzenmast. The half-ogre flew through the air until his back soundly struck the mast halfway up. The wind knocked out of him, he plummeted to the deck, near where Koraf and the others had just managed to sever the tentacle that had been wrapped about the ship's middle.

The half-ogre groaned and shook his head. For a moment it looked as though there were two minotaurs, two of everyone. He shook his head again, and his vision began to clear. Stumbling forward, he fell against the tentacle and began pushing the severed part into the water. The stump that remained started thrashing about maddeningly. Koraf ordered the sailors to back away, lest they be beaten by the thing. As they complied, the flailing stump hit the mizzenmast, cracking it. The tall beam teetered for a moment, then the top half of it snapped off and crashed to the deck, pinning two fleeing crewmen, and covering the rest with the collapsed sail.

Tailonna and Ilyatha struggled against the tentacle at the bow of the ship. The sea elf hummed and concentrated, while the shadowperson struck at the rubbery mass with his barbed staff. Violet darts flew from Tailonna's fingertips, striking the tentacle and causing it to rear back in pain. As the tentacle pulled back, it struck Ilyatha, knocking him into the water.