3rd Wave

[tentacruelest]

[Jones is a deep, deep sleeper but he wakes with the sunrise. Each day is a new, hellish experience on the Barge but he scowls and stomps his way through them regardless.

Imagine his surprise when this morning he opens his door - releasing a small flood of his usual seawater, which, thanks to Maintenance, is contained by a make-shift dam - and spots children running about.

Not the handful of children he knows to be part of the Barge. New ones. And smaller people are easier to bully than full-grown ones.

Resolving to go about his day unbothered by the mechanics of the Admiral, Davy instead storms his way to the mess hall, literally using his claw to forcefully swat aside anyone smaller than four feet]


I'll thank whoever remains their true, full size to keep the vast majority of whelps under control. I've a mind to toss them over the side one by one; no ship is in need of this many cabin boys. No navy is.

Mind your brats. Or I will.

Comments

[runslikethewind]

[Well that's an abrupt change of tone. But she'll take it.]

Accepted, sir. If any of the children bother you, let me know. I'll find something to occupy them.

[See? There's always a civil way to work things out.]

[tentacruelest]

A gag, a heavy chain wrapped 'round their ankles and a short walk to the side of the ship would occupy them soon enough.

I hadn't realized you were such a lover of the wee ones.

[runslikethewind]

It could occupy you just as easily.

I have several siblings, most of them younger. There's no reason not to like other children.

[tentacruelest]

Only if yeh had the strength.


There's reason enough to dislike men in general, and children are only half as large and twice as shrill.

[runslikethewind]

There's other ways to accomplish things aside from brute strength, sir.

So are you saying you only like women then?

[tentacruelest]

Men as in mankind.

[runslikethewind]

[She's aware of what you meant. She was just giving you a hard time, like she's continuing to do.]

So how do you feel about other races then?

[tentacruelest]

I don't suppose you mean those what reside in the West Indies and the African continent?

[runslikethewind]

I would say no, seeing as I've never heard of the West Indies or the African continent.

[tentacruelest]

All men die. It matters not where they come from or what they do. All their sins are the same.

[runslikethewind]

We've established how you feel about Man, yes. But I'm asking about races not of Man. There are many. [ Obviously. Just look at who's talking to him.]

[tentacruelest]

I know not of any races not of man except the occasional mermaid, and I don't trouble myself over the likes of them.

[runslikethewind]

I'm of a different race. And there are gnomes, trolls, murlocs, naga, really the list is quite long.

[tentacruelest]

Perhaps in your world. Mine's run differently. The world of men has eliminated its competition.

[runslikethewind]

What competition?

[tentacruelest]

Who rules the lands and the seas.

[runslikethewind]

I mean who were their competitors?

[tentacruelest]

Dragons, sea monsters, mermaids, all of the sea.

There is...there was a kraken, once.

[runslikethewind]

How did they manage to beat all the dragons?

[tentacruelest]

Pushed them out, killed their food source, formed teams to take them down. Yeh can kill most anything you set your mind to, provided time and resources.

[runslikethewind]

Are you saying that the dragons didn't fight back in force? [Because that is the only thing that makes sense, even though it doesn't really.]

[tentacruelest]

They may have, in their own time. Before mine.

[runslikethewind]

Dragons are powerful, magical beings. They wield the very powers of Creation and Destruction. I just don't see how, if they were threatened, they could be taken down by mere mortals.

[tentacruelest]

You're speaking of gods, not dragons. Dragons have little cosmic power.

[runslikethewind]

No, I'm not. Dragons have a great deal of cosmic power. It was granted to them by the Titans.