Chapter 25: The Journey to Akarios Island
"How long is the journey to Akarios Island?" Vincent asked as he turned to Captain Bartholomew.
Captain Bartholomew stroked his beard thoughtfully before replying, "It should take us about six hours if the weather remains favorable and the sea is calm."
Vincent nodded, satisfied with the answer. He glanced at his team, who were already settling in, their eyes scanning the horizon.
"Are there any sea monsters that we might encounter?" Alpha 1 asked.
"To tell you the truth…there is one," Bartholomew said in a scary tone. "There is a monster called Kraken."
Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Kraken? What's that exactly?"
Captain Bartholomew's expression turned serious. "The Kraken is a giant sea creature, known to attack ships that venture too close to its territory. It's rare to encounter one, but sailors speak of its massive tentacles and the way it can drag even the largest vessels beneath the waves."
Alpha 1's eyes widened slightly, but he kept his composure. "Sounds like something we should avoid."
Bartholomew nodded. "Indeed. But don't worry, we have routes that steer clear of its known hunting grounds. As long as we stay on course, we should be fine."
"But what if we encounter one?" Alpha 3 asked concernedly.
Captain Bartholomew's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "If we encounter a Kraken, our best bet is to avoid provoking it. We can try to outmaneuver it, but if it comes to a fight, we'll need every hand on deck."
"Like can it be killed by your hunting tools that you have all here?" Alpha 4 inquired, looking over at the array of hunting equipment like the net launchers and harpoons.
Captain Bartholomew shook his head "Unfortunately, no. Those tools won't even scratch its hide. The Kraken's skin is thick and nearly impenetrable. Our best hope is to avoid it altogether."
"Shit…this is making me anxious on this trip," Vincent chuckled nervously.
"Boy…you should calm down. Nothing has ever happened yet. Let the professionals like us handle the seafaring part," Captain Bartholomew reassured with a confident smile.
Vincent took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. We might be overthinking things. We'll leave the sailing to you."
The ship sailed smoothly under the clear sky, the gentle rocking of the boat almost soothing. Vincent and his team kept themselves busy simply gazing at the dark environment.
Seconds later, Vincent felt the ship lurch suddenly, almost throwing him off balance. He grabbed onto the railing, his eyes wide with surprise.
"What was that?" he shouted to Captain Bartholomew.
Bartholomew's face tightened as he steadied himself. "We must have run into something," he replied, scanning the horizon.
Vincent was dumbfounded. "Run into something? There's nothing but the ocean around us! How could we possibly run into anything?"
As if in response to his question, something massive began to billow up from the ocean, casting a shadow over the ship. Vincent's eyes widened in horror as he saw the silhouette of an enormous octopus leg emerge from the water, dripping and glistening in the moonlight.
"What the heck is that?!" Vincent exclaimed.
"No…It's impossible! It's Kraken!"
The crew's initial disbelief turned into chaos as they realized the terrifying truth. The Kraken's massive tentacle, glistening in the moonlight, loomed menacingly above them.
Captain Bartholomew, regaining his composure, barked out orders. "All hands on deck! Prepare to defend the ship!"
"Wait, I thought you couldn't fight with what you got?" Vincent asked.
"Yes we did say that but do we have a choice here?" Bartholomew spat. "The Kraken shouldn't be here in the first place. But we have to fight it if we want to live. We have a cannon here."
The crew scrambled into action, manning the cannons and preparing the harpoons. The Kraken's tentacle, thick and muscular, crashed onto the deck, splintering wood and sending men flying.
"Fire!"
A deafening boom echoed across the sea as the crew fired a cannon at one of the tentacles. The cannonball struck the Kraken's skin but bounced off, slipping off its rubbery surface like a pebble skimming across a pond.
"That didn't even dent it!" Alpha 1 yelled, his face contorted in frustration.
The Kraken retaliated, another tentacle rising from the depths and wrapping around the ship's mast. The vessel groaned under the immense pressure.
[Emergency Quest!]
[Defeat the Kraken]
[Rewards: 1x ticket for Wheel of Fortune.]
"All stations! Fire at the Kraken's tentacles!" Vincent ordered.
Alpha 1 to 5 sprang into action, their M4 Carbines at the ready. They aimed and fired in unison, the rapid bursts of gunfire filling the night air. Bullets riddled the Kraken's tentacles and it pierced, causing one of the tentacles to thrash violently, knocking several crew members off their feet. The ship rocked dangerously, water splashing onto the deck as the battle intensified.
Captain Bartholomew watched as Vincent and his men effectively pushed back the Kraken, but this was not the time to be amazed as the Kraken wouldn't give up so easily.
The Kraken, now enraged by the persistent attacks, wrapped all its tentacles around the ship in a desperate attempt to drag it underwater. The Sea Hawk groaned under the immense pressure, wooden beams cracking and splintering as the monstrous creature tightened its grip.
"Brace yourselves!" Captain Bartholomew shouted, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of the sea monster's thrashing and the ship's protests.
Vincent steadied himself, gripping the railing as he looked to his team. "Keep firing!"
"Sir it won't let go!" Alpha 3 shouted as his finger pulled the trigger all the way down until the ammunition was exhausted.
"We need more firepower!" Alpha 5 said.
Alpha 5 was right, they need firepower. The only thing that he could get is through his system. He opened his system and his eyes quickly scanned through the system interface, searching for rocket-propelled grenades and other heavy weaponry that could give them the edge they desperately needed.
[RPG-7
Cost: 3,000 gold coins
Make: Soviet Union
Description: The RPG-7 is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. It's known for its reliability and effectiveness in various combat scenarios.
Specifications:
Caliber: 40 mm
Weight: 7 kg (empty)
Effective Range: 200 meters (against stationary targets)
Warhead: High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT)
Ammunition Cost: 100 gold coins per rocket
FGM-148 Javelin
Cost: 6,000 gold coins
Make: United States
Description: The Javelin is a man-portable, fire-and-forget infrared-guided missile system. It's highly effective against a variety of targets, including heavily armored vehicles and fortifications.
Specifications:
Caliber: 127 mm
Weight: 22.3 kg (missile and launch unit)
Effective Range: 2,500 meters
Warhead: Tandem HEAT
Ammunition Cost: 500 gold coins per missile
AT4
Cost: 4,000 gold coins
Make: Sweden
Description: The AT4 is a single-shot, disposable, shoulder-fired rocket launcher. It's designed to be lightweight and easy to use, providing effective anti-armor capabilities.
Specifications:
Caliber: 84 mm
Weight: 6.7 kg
Effective Range: 300 meters
Warhead: HEAT
Ammunition Cost: Included in the launcher cost
SMAW (Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon)
Cost: 5,000 gold coins
Make: United States
Description: The SMAW is a shoulder-launched rocket system that fires a variety of rounds, including HEAT and High-Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) rounds, making it versatile against both hard and soft targets.
]
Vincent chose.
[AT4 Purchased: 4,000 Gold Coins]
The rocket launcher materialized in his hands. Vincent didn't waste a second. He placed the AT4 on his shoulder, aimed at one of the Kraken's tentacles that were wrapped around the ship, and fired.
The rocket-propelled forward with a trail of smoke, striking the tentacle with a massive explosion. The Kraken roared in pain, its tentacle loosening from the ship's mast and causing the entire vessel to shudder violently.
And moments later, its tentacles uncoiled from the ship, splashing back into the ocean with tremendous force. The creature let out one final, guttural roar before disappearing beneath the waves.
"Wait, it's running away!"
[Emergency Mission: Defeat the Kraken.]
[Status: Failed]
"That was it?!" Vincent cursed.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone