The Mad Squid

-Henry (Thinking): "Why? Why? Why my grandpa? What was the point in killing him? When I find you Ranic, I'll rip the answers from your bones. It's obvious that I'm furious and that might be what's causing it, but my chest has been killing me since I left that kid in the forest. Maybe it was a bad idea to just leave him behind. Well, it's not like he's helpless or anything. "

("Kow, Kow, Kow")

-Henry (Thinking): "Wait what's with that sound? Something is coming this way....what is that?.....a red light??? Wait, where did it go? What was that thing? It felt so menacing and aggressive. Well, it's gone now, no point in worrying about it. Right now, I have a target, and I can't afford to deal with anything else until I find this guy."

-Henry: "Finally, the ocean, I made it back. Alright what did the kid say again? He said to head to the ocean and dive down a couple miles from where town is. I guess it's time for some snorkeling then."

I jumped into the ocean and began to descend straight down. From what the kid was saying it looks like I'm gonna be diving for a while.

-Henry (Thinking): "This better not be a lie; I've been going down for 5 minutes now and I have nothing yet. Come to think of it, how far down is a few miles anyway? At the speed I'm going I should have at least seen something by now, right?"

Then like lightning I had my danger sense alerted. Is it him? The water feels heavy. My body is tensing up, I can't move. I can feel something watching me but for the life of me I can't move to find out. My entire body is paralyzed; I can't even move my eyeball.

-Henry (Thinking): "Whatever this is, it's ticking me off."

As soon as I thought those words, I began to get some movement in my right arm then eventually my whole body came to. When I became completely free, I started looking around for that thing I felt watching me. Suddenly, I heard something like a voice, but instead it was a signal of sorts in my head. It was like an echo or something like that. More like a ping to go somewhere. It was telling me to go back up to the surface. Then I heard it say:

-The Voice: "Come back to the surface little larva, I'm waiting"

The minute I heard those words; I started to swim up to the surface like a bullet. That evil murderer was just sitting up there this whole time watching me. Who does he think he is? Calling me out like this must mean he doesn't think I'm gonna be much of a fight. This guy just keeps making me angrier.

I shot through the surface and hovered above the water. I scanned the entire area, but I saw nothing, then I heard a voice. A voice of laughter that said:

-The voice: "So it was you then, hm?"

Then the voice let out a chuckle and said:

-The voice: "I never thought I'd see the day when I would meet one of my own kind again. I had thought for the longest time that I was the last one".

The voice chuckled again and said:

-The voice: "How very interesting and how very cruel".

I looked all over but I still couldn't see him, this voice, but he can't be far if I can hear him; so where is he?

-Henry: "Ranic!! Where are you hiding you coward. Come out and fight me, you monster."

Again, he chuckled and said:

-Ranic: "Well how do you like that? You know who I am, tell me boy, before I kill you. Who told you that name?"

-Henry: "It doesn't matter who told me his name. I couldn't care less what they call you. I'm here to avenge my grandfather, as well as getting some answers. Now come out and face me, you murderer!!!"

He chuckled again but even harder than the last few times then he said:

-Ranic: "What a hopeless little larva you are, boy; is something wrong with your eye? We've been face to face since you made it back to town."

The moment he said those words he appeared. He was floating right in front of me, looking me in the eye. My body became paralyzed again and I couldn't move. His presence had a sort of weight to it. It's obvious he was completely beyond my reach. His skin was like mine but instead of blue it was dark with a purple glow in his markings.

His core also had a purple glow, and it pulsed like a heartbeat in the shape of some kind of a spiral. When I looked into his eyes, I saw utter confusion, corruption, disorder, and what I can only describe as complete and utter madness. It was like I was looking into the face of nothingness.

I tried to force my body to move but before I could, the tentacles on his head grabbed me by the throat with crushing force, then he asked me:

-Ranic: "What is it that you see boy? Hmm? Did you see my truth? Did you see my wisdom? Did you see my ambitions? Did you see my divinity? ANSWER ME BOY!"

His head tentacles wrapped around my throat squeezing tighter with every question he asked, until I could no longer see his creepy face.

-Henry (Thinking): "The light is beginning to fade; I think I'm going to pass out. But I can't just let this guy off the hook. Who does he think he is? He's acting so high and mighty when he's just a filthy murderer! He really thinks he's a hot shot, doesn't he? Well, I'm gonna humble this guy, I just need to summon a portal. If I could, I'd get into one of them so I could turn into that other form and wreck this guy."

-"Man, losing all this oxygen is making it hard to think. Wait, I can see that red light again, it's like it's calling to me. It's getting closer; I gotta reach out for it. I'm not sure what this thing is but something is telling me it's gonna be helpful. The red light flew towards me as I was reaching out, then it went straight into my body."

A surge of power flew into me and filled me with strength I had never felt before. With my new strength, I broke free from Ranic's tentacles. Ranic quickly rebounded and stood before me with a huge smirk on his face. He chuckled and said:

-Ranic: "No one has overpowered me like that in centuries. Hell, no one has ever been able to break free from my brainwash."

He looked up to the sky then he said:

-Ranic: "In all my life I have only known one who could best me. Do you want to know what happened to him?"

-Henry (Thinking): "Honestly, I don't care what happened to the guy who bested him. All I care about now is beating this guy to a bloody pulp. Ranic's power was still far greater than my own, even with this weird power up, the gap between us is plain as the ocean below. I know he's holding something back..... just the thought of what that may be makes me wanna run."

-"Even so, I won't let my fear beat me. Even if it seems impossible and I have absolutely no chance of winning, I'm not gonna back down to a monster like this. As long as I'm breathing, this sea will one day be your coffin, you twisted murderer. To think, something like this was just roaming the ocean all this time and nobody knew. Just imagine what else could be just right under our noses. What a terrifying thought."

Out of nowhere, Ranic stopped talking and looked at me with a cold, dead, calculated stare. It was like he was peering into my very soul. The look in his expanding pupil gave me chills. It made me feel so defenseless.

With his unraveling stare fixed on me, he relaxed his head tentacles and said:

-Ranic: "Boy, I have tried my best to enter your mind, but it would seem as if I'm being blocked somehow. There is just no way a naive larva like yourself would be capable of such a thing; to resist my mind reading."

His eye went back to normal, and my vision became a bit misty. The tentacles on his head flared like feathers on the neck of a morning hawk, then he said:

-Ranic: "Who are you boy? Where did you come from? Of what line do you decent? I know for a fact that no one alive can resist my mind peering ability, well......not anymore at least."

Before I knew it, he was an inch away from me, rearing to impale me with some kind spike coming from his left arm. There's no way out of this; he was way too close and far too fast to dodge. I'm in trouble. I closed my eye in anticipation, just waiting for the stab of a lifetime.

-Henry: "Is it over? Is this really it? I'm so sorry grandpa, I can't avenge you."

("SHWOP!!")

The blade hit my stomach, and I was sent flying backwards.

-Henry (Thinking): "What's going on? Didn't I just get stabbed? Why am I being pushed back? Wait a sec I'm not bleeding; no hole, no pain, no nothing... PHEW!!. I really thought I was a goner there. I wonder why the blade didn't go through? I mean, I felt him hit me, so what gives? Well, no point questioning it, I just gotta count myself lucky and move on."

Without a second glance at the thought, I charged into action. Ranic stood still and blocked my every attack like they were nothing. Yet even though I wasn't landing any of my blows, I could feel he was putting in more effort each time I attacked. My blows are getting heavier by the second and I could just tell he was feeling it as much as I was.

-Henry (Thinking): "I can't keep hitting him like this forever. Even though it seems like he's having a bit of trouble, I still have this uneasy feeling that he's up to something. It's getting harder to keep throwing out all these attacks."

-"If I keep this up for any longer, I'm going to burn out. Wait, is he smiling? Could that be his plan? Is he trying to tire me out? Something feels weird. My body feels numb and I feel kind of anxious. I bet this is Ranic's handy work. Just how many abilities does this monster have? Oh man, what's this feeling?"

Not much longer, a dizzy spell came over me and I stopped my attacks.

Ranic laughed and said:

-Ranic: "You know, I have this itchy thought that's just been irritating me. A few moments ago, I was very sure I stabbed you straight in the gut; yet you somehow stand here before me unharmed."

His face became snarled and crinkled, like a sea leopard about to devour a helpless creature. He raised his left arm then he extended his crystal blade and said:

-Ranic: "Do you know what this blade is?"

Of course, I was way too exhausted to give him an answer, so I didn't say anything. He pointed the blade at me then said:

-Ranic: "This blade is one of my own body; something I created from my own bones and cells. I gave this blade the ability of severing; meaning it deconstructs anything it touches on a molecular level. Now that you know all this, could you please explain to me how a weak, little, pathetic, nobody like yourself managed to pull off what should be COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE?!!!"

I looked him in the eye and tried my best to sound out some words, but all that came out was an empty breath. That response did not please him, no not one bit.

-Henry (Thinking): "Boy I wish I could move right now but it seems like I might be paralyzed somehow. Well, this might actually be it. If he decides to swing that weapon of his again, I doubt I could survive it this time. Whatever power I had earlier has already left and now I'm completely defenseless. It seems like he's preparing for another attack now, but I can't feel my limbs, I can't dodge him. This is it for me, I'm sorry grandpa. It looks like I'll be seeing you soon."

I looked up to the sky in desperation then something caught my eye.

-Henry (Thinking): "Huh? What's up with those clouds, it looks like a thunderstorm is coming. I've had just about enough of this weird weather. Although—something feels familiar about these clouds. Wait, is that?........."

("ZHAMM!!")

In a flash of lightning, I saw a familiar face but less armory this time. It was the mystery boy I left in the forest, but he moved so quickly. As soon as he arrived, he shot a bolt of lightning at Ranic with his lance, then he grabbed me and left in an instant.