General Vilsimbra smartly made her way through the expansive Shadowhold. The Ectolian wore her typical uniform of dark green and purple. A high collared black cape fell behind the general. Her uniform was highlighted by several pieces of silver jewelry.
Vilsimbra followed a familiar path through the carpeted halls of the Shadowhold. This massive fortress was the home of the Empress of Darkness. The structure itself was thousands of years old and its origins were the stuff of legends. The Empire of Darkness had been forged in the distant past and had endured all of this time. While nations rose and fell around it, the Empire of Darkness had persevered. Now it would reclaim this world, re-conquering territory it once had controlled. The Empire would regain all that had been lost.
During this time Lady Darkness had continued to sit upon the throne. There had been much trouble during the Empress' long exile to the strange world known as Earth. The Empire began to crumble without the iron hand of the Empress of Darkness to guide it. Territories rebelled and boldly declared their freedom. Chaos and turmoil raged across the Northern Continent of Terra Nova. Shadowhold itself had nearly fallen. Such a thing was nearly unthinkable.
But the Empress had returned from exile and with the aid of her personal warriors reclaimed the throne. Shadowhold was restored to its previous glory. Its ebony surface had been cleaned and polished and now shone, as it never had before. It had taken slaves working around the clock nearly a week to refurbish the fortress. That process had been completed and the Empress had officially returned.
Vilsimbra paused as she reached the huge jet-black double doors that gave entrance to the audience hall of the Empress. A squad of a dozen men in black leather armor stood on guard to either side of the door. Two of the men moved to open the portal on Vilsimbra's command.
The General paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. The Empress' goals were proceeding nicely. Old territories were on the verge of being reclaimed. Some returned willingly, others needed to be persuaded. All in all, the Empress should be pleased. However there was one situation that had not turned out as expected. Commander Friza had been dispatched to enslave the Tanbora Islands and reopen the fabled Tanbora Mines. It was a task that Friza had failed to perform.
Five days had now passed since Friza's last report. Divinations revealed that Friza was still alive, but was shielded against being magically located. Either Friza was defeated and taken prisoner, or she had failed and was now in hiding. Either way, Friza had failed the Empress. Her life was clearly forfeited. Such was the harsh code of the Ectolians.
The Ectolians were a most unusual race. Only female Ectolians had ever been seen in public. Each was, at most, five feet in height and had glossy jet-black skin. Typically, they had white to silvery hair and eyes either of purple, dark red, or black. Legend had it that the very first Ectolian had been carved from a block of jet and magically animated by the first Empress of Darkness. Vilsimbra didn't know if this was true or not. Regardless, she didn't really care.
Like all Ectolians, Vilsimbra hungered for power and showed a disdain for all lesser creatures. With the sole exception of the Empress of Darkness, the Ectolians considered none to be their master. It was common for Ectolians to plot and assassinate one another to quench their thirst for power. It made the race strong in body if not in number, as the weak did not survive.
At Vilsimbra's command, the doors to the Empress' Hall were thrown open and the general was announced. Vilsimbra stepped forward and walked down a long ashen carpet to the Empress' throne. The Empress' Hall was a vast chamber and it would take Vilsimbra nearly a minute to reach the throne.
Lady Darkness sat on her throne, legs casually crossed in a regal manner. As always, she wore her shiny black outfit that completely covered the woman from the neck down. The outfit and the woman's lustrous black hair were sharply offset by the Empress' fair white skin. A plain-looking stone circle rested on the woman's head. In addition, Lady Darkness also wore an ermine-trimmed cloak and had the Scepter of Rulership lying across her lap. Handsome scantily clad male slaves were feeding the Empress small pieces of fruit while other men fanned her with long handled fans.
A pleased look came to the Empress' face as she saw General Vilsimbra approach. "Ah, General. What have you for me today?" She waved the feeders away to better concentrate on the General's report.
"Pleasant day, Your Imperial Majesty," Vilsimbra intoned as she bowed in respect. "I have the daily reports, My Empress, and one item that I find most disturbing."
That last item attracted the full attention of the Empress. "Explain yourself, Vilsimbra."
"It has been five days now since Commander Friza's last report. I have ordered divinations cast and have come to the conclusion that Friza has failed in her task. The Tanbora Islands remain free and their mines lay unworked."
"No one fails me!" the Empress of Darkness raged as she rose to her feet. Her previously serene look had rapidly changed into one of great anger. The men fanning the Empress ceased in their task out of fear. "Where is Friza now?"
"Unknown, my Empress. Friza is shielded by powerful protection spells. Either she was captured or is in hiding."
"She can attempt to hide from my wraith, but she will be found. I want her groveling before me in chains within the week. I want to hear her beg for mercy while she licks my boots clean. Then I want to see her blood flow down the steps of my throne while she breathes her last. Such is the price for failing me!"
Vilsimbra bowed upon receiving the command. "It shall be as you command, Majesty. If I may be so bold, I believe I have a young Ectolian eager to prove her worth to you. Her skills would be ideal to hunt down and capture Friza."
Regaining her composure, Lady Darkness sat down upon her throne once more. The men with the fans started their work once more while the Empress re-crossed her legs. "Who is this Ectolian you speak of?"
"She is Vina, an amanzi inkonzo."
The Empress of Darkness considered this for a moment, her vinyl clad hand resting on her chin. "A sea sorceress? Yes, very good Vilsimbra. I approve of this course of action. Young Vina has one week to prove her worth to me. I trust I shall not be disappointed a second time."
Somewhere out in the expansive Great Southern Sea, the Windsabre sailed along. Wind filled its crimson sails, propelling the vessel forward. Spells cast by the ship's sorceress had also increased the Windsabre's speed. The ocean-going vessel now traveled at a rate far faster than any regular ship could hope to. But in spite of that, for some people it just wasn't fast enough.
"God, this is boring," the man known as Captain Valor loudly complained. Valor stood off to the side, leaning back against the ship's railing. He had discarded his costume long ago and currently only wore poor fitting, laced up leather pantaloons borrowed from one of the crew. As befitting the tropical setting, he had gone shirtless and shoeless for most of the voyage. He considered it a treat for the ladies and something for the men to shoot for.
A week had passed since the Windsabre had set sail from the Tanbora Islands. While the Windsabre might have been considered a fine vessel on this world, the Love Boat it was not. Being on such a small vessel with so many people and so few creature comforts was enough to drive anyone crazy. It was a very tight community onboard ship. Everyone knew what everyone else was doing. Privacy was an almost alien concept.
The crew of the Windsabre rushed about Captain Valor carrying out their tasks. Each crewman was constantly busy and had little time for rest. Sailing a vessel such as the Windsabre took a highly capable crew who could work in tandem with each other. Captain Jess was a stern taskmaster who had earned the respect of her crew.
Captain Jess stood on the stern castle, watching as her men worked. She was the spitting image of an earth heroine known as the Scarlet Sabre. Even their outfits were vaguely similar. Captain Jess wore a scarlet blouse tied off below her breasts that left her belly uncovered. In addition she wore scarlet leather gloves and boots. One of the boots came up high on her thigh, while the other was folded and tied back by the knee. Instead of a mask covering the top half of her face, a scarf covered the top of Captain Jess' head. A large golden earring dangled from her one exposed ear. A real saber hung from her sword belt.
In spite of those similarities, these were two entirely different women. Captain Jess considered herself to be a freebooter. Most others simply called her a pirate. Such was the way of things on Terra Nova where fighting for one's life and slaying foes in cold blood was the norm. It was a concept that Captain Valor had yet to grow accustomed to.
A little over six weeks ago, Captain Valor found himself stranded on this strange new world of Terra Nova. The Captain had arrived in the isolated Tanbora Islands. The only inhabitants were primitive natives who Valor could not understand. With the sole exception of the protector of the islands, Kaloni, Captain Valor had no one to talk to.
Less than two weeks ago, slavers led by the Ectolian sorceress Friza arrived. Valor tried to fight them off, but was nearly drowned by Friza. Only the arrival of this world's version of the Avengers saved the Captain on that day. Much like Captain Jess, these Avengers were familiar in appearance, but much different in personality.
These Avengers had traveled to the Tanbora Islands in an attempt to retrieve the lost soul of their fallen leader, the Hunter of Evil. Lead by the warrior woman Lyndah and aided by Captain Valor they succeeded in restoring Hunter and defeated Friza in the process.
Later the Ectolian joined the Windsabre crew as their new sorceress. It was an uneasy situation, as all naturally feared the Ectolian. Captain Valor didn't know quite what to make of the woman. While she had the typical female appearance, Friza had glossy black skin, purple eyes, and long, shocking white hair. She wore what appeared to be a metallic bikini that was purple in color with matching leather boots. A stylish purple-red cloak billowed out behind the small woman.
Friza acted and sounded like a villainess during her attempts to enslave the Tanbora Islands. She was definitely an exotic woman and just a tad kinky, which Valor found highly attractive. However, the fact that Friza was so small reminded the Captain of a little girl and that just turned him off. Compared to someone like Lyndah, who was delightfully all woman, Friza was just a little girl. (Editor's Note: A brief re-cap of the first Captain Valor mini-series in Troubleshooters #16-18.)
After all that he had been through, Captain Valor found himself back with the Avengers once more, at least in a sense. With their quest complete, the Avengers were now returning to the mainland on board the Windsabre. Captain Valor was now one of them, but still he remained a curiosity to his new teammates. Likewise, Valor was somewhat taken aback by his new/old teammates.
The changes were dramatic. Lyndah was the incarnation of Black Diamond. She even favored tight black leathers in battle that sort of reminded Valor of the famous heroine from earth. But unlike Black Diamond, Lyndah didn't have any other identity to become while not engaging in heroics. She was a warrior ready for battle at all times.
Lyndah was as tough and gorgeous as Black Diamond was. Captain Valor couldn't help but stare when Lyndah was around. She was so hot in her black leather armor. He always had lusted after Black Diamond, but never could get anywhere romantically with the heroine. So instead, he pushed those feelings down and tried not to dwell on them. But now, with Lyndah so close those old emotions couldn't help but rise to the surface once more.
Captain Valor had spent much time with Lyndah in the week since leaving the Tanbora Islands. The two would drink and swap stories. Valor told Lyndah much of his world and his Avengers, while Lyndah told tales of the Avengers of Terra Nova. Sometimes one of the other Avengers or even Captain Jess would join in, but for the most part it was just Captain Valor and Lyndah trading stories until the wee hours of the morning.
It was late one night when Lyndah complained about the full beard the Captain had grown while marooned in the Tanbora Islands. Much to Valor's surprise, Lyndah shaved it off with a razor sharp dagger. There was something erotic about having a gorgeous woman sitting in your lap while shaving you with a dangerous weapon. He couldn't help but think of how badly he wanted to spend the night with Lyndah. It was then that Valor realized that he had fallen hard for Di all over again. But was Lyndah as untouchable as Black Diamond always was?
Captain Valor was superficially familiar with the other Avengers. For instance Black Diamond was superhumanly strong, could fly, and was diamond tough. Lyndah had no such advantages. She wore armor for protection and was deadly with her long sword. Valor did find out during one of their talks that Lyndah wore a magical belt that gave her the strength of a giant. Because of this Lyndah had superhuman strength, but was still not in the class of Captain Valor himself.
The bald priestess of Azrella, Kristine, was this world's answer to Nightingale. Valor thought it a crime for 'Gale to have shaved off her gorgeous ebony tresses. Valor liked his women with long, glorious hair. Kristine was also a healer and had limited mental powers. In addition she could cast magicks in the name of her goddess. That last part didn't make much sense to Valor, but he didn't dwell on such things. All he knew was that Kristine was even creepier than her Earthly counterpart. At least he could keep his thoughts private around her.
The Hunter of Evil was the Terra Nova version of Hunter. Since he had just been restored, Hunter was not fully himself yet. He still needed much rest, but memories were slowly coming back to him. With each new day he made progress. From Lyndah's stories, this Hunter seemed very similar to Valor's Hunter.
At the side of the Hunter of Evil throughout all of this was his beloved wife Katrina. To everyone else, Katrina was a wild woman. There was almost a feral quality to her. But around Hunter her demeanor softened considerably. Valor had never met his Hunter's estranged wife, so he had no idea just how much Katrina matched up to the real thing.
Sargon was the Avenger's sorcerer and another former teammate of Valor's. Instead of a stage magician's outfit, this Sargon wore dark robes embroidered with strange designs and patterns. They reminded Valor of something like Siegfried and Roy would have worn. Surprisingly, he had spent a great deal of time chatting with Friza. Must be a wizard thing.
Last, but not least was Robert of the Forests. He was the lone Avenger that didn't have an Earthly counterpart. To Valor the woodsman was a complete stranger. Robert didn't speak much but was a crack shot with his bow. Valor got the feeling that Robert didn't approve of his presence. Not that it would bother the Captain in the slightest. Let Robert glare all he wanted at Valor, after all he was just jealous of the Captain.
But now having been shipboard for a week, cabin fever was setting in again. Valor desperately wanted something to do. Hell, he'd be in seventh heaven just to read a book or a magazine! Even some wimpy woman's magazine would be a welcomed relief. But there was no such thing on Terra Nova. Once more Captain Valor had time on his hands and no way to make use of it.
With a heavy sigh, Captain Valor rose to his feet and ambled over to the gangway. It would be night soon and his favorite part of the day would soon be here. Tonight he would drink and swap stories with Lyndah and anyone else who cared to join in. Valor treasured the time he spent with black-clad warrior. And then later on when he turned in for the night he would dream about the luscious Lyndah.
It was the middle of the night in the Tanbora Islands. For the most part, the natives were asleep in their huts. Few dared to venture out during the night in fear of those horrible things that slept during the day and hunted under the cover of darkness. Had anyone been up and if they had been looking offshore of the largest island they might have been surprised by what they saw.
The calm water suddenly began to churn and bubble as something rose up from underneath the waves. The long sharp points of a trident were first to be seen, followed by a most unusual woman. A crown of coral rested upon her head, above her long silvery blue hair. Now fully out of the water, the strange woman actually stood upon the ocean and took in her surroundings.
The woman's skin was jet-black like all Ectolians, but had streaks of deep green and blue that gave her flesh an almost marble-like quality to it. Even stranger, her hands and feet were webbed. Her minimal attire consisted of clamshells supported by strings of pearls over her breasts and privates. Other sea-oriented jewelry adorned the strange woman, along with a deep blue cloak that turned white near the ends. It reminded one of waves crashing on a beach.
Vina had arrived at the Tanbora Islands. The amanzi inkonzo had traveled here in search of her prey, the renegade Friza. Vina had vowed to return with Friza as her prisoner within the time of a week. To succeed meant earning the favor of the Empress, which was crucial in Vina's drive for power. Like all Ectolians, the amanzi inkonzo wanted to lord over all lesser beings. To gain power at the expense of another Ectolian just made it all the more sweet.
Using her powers, Vina had merged with the ocean to facilitate rapid travel. She had stepped into the Great Southern Sea back on a beach on the Northern Continent. Now she was in the distant Tanbora Islands, having traveled thousands of miles in mere hours.
Vina took her trident in both hands and pointed towards the ocean in a circular gesture. As she did so, energy began to gather between the tines. She mouthed the mystic words to her spell, "Kuvuliwe iluwan zinwela ishilangu!" and repeated them over and over.
In response to her casting, a circular area of the ocean changed and began to display an image. It was an image of recent events and showed the fleet commanded by Friza arriving. As Vina watched with great interest, the water before her replayed the events of Friza's failure in the Tanbora Islands. It showed how Friza had surrendered like a coward to save herself. The sight sickened Vina.
Friza agreed to serve on the Windsabre as the ship's sorceress. It was almost unthinkable to consider another, save the Empress of course, to be superior. Not only was Friza a coward, but a disgrace to her race. Vina was going to enjoy removing this stain to the Ectolian people.
While Friza had wisely used her magic to conceal herself, the Windsabre itself was another matter. The ship could be easily tracked magically by Vina. Satisfied with her efforts, Vina caused the image in the water to dissipate. Then she slowly lowered herself back into the water. The Windsabre was hundreds of miles away by now, but it would only be a matter of minutes before Vina would catch up with them. The other scum on the vessel would be cast into the unforgiving depths of the ocean to be devoured by its myriad creatures. Only Friza would survive, but then she would await the Empress' unforgiving pleasure.
Captain Valor shifted uncomfortably in his bunk. Space was at a premium on the Windsabre as it was not a vessel designed to carry many passengers. There were only two small private cabins on the ship, discounting the Captain's Cabin. Hunter and Katrina were using one of the guest cabins. The remaining cabin belonged to Friza, as no one wanted to be alone with such a dangerous being. That just left a male billet and a female billet for everyone else. While he found the female quarters to be far more interesting, Valor reluctantly slept with the other men.
Comfort seemed to be an alien concept to those who designed these quarters. The bunks were primarily hard wood berths lacking any type of mattress or pillows stacked three high. Valor found it hard to believe that anyone could get a good night's sleep in these things. Even worse, the builders had obviously never run into anyone as tall as Captain Valor. His feet dangled out the end of the bunk.
But somehow the male crewmembers did sleep here and soundly at that. They were probably so exhausted by the end of their work shift that they could sleep just about anywhere. Even on these rock hard bunks. Those who romanced about simpler times or fantasized about being a pirate would probably find the real thing unbearable, primitive, and barbaric.
And don't even get Valor started on the smell. Apparently deodorant was not something that existed on Terra Nova. These cramped quarters desperately needed an air freshener. Personal hygiene was not a high priority. It smelled like a sweaty locker room. Valor had no doubt that some of his roommates had lice and other critters living on them. They were not going to attract ladies by being dirty and smelly. Well, not the kind of classy woman that Valor wanted to be with anyway.
Then there was the ship itself. The wooden vessel creaked and moaned regularly as it rolled with the ocean waves. Maybe it was complaining about the smell. On top of it all was the motion of the ocean. It was enough to make just about anyone nauseous. While the Captain had managed to retain his lunch, Sargon was not as fortunate. Valor had spotted the man draped over the railing several times so far retching during the voyage. It was a most undignified sight.
Such thoughts and gripes were quickly forgotten as the quiet of the night was shattered. One moment Valor was lying on the top bunk. In the next moment, Valor was sprawled out on the floor with other men on top of him. It was as if the Windsabre had struck something and was forced to a sudden, complete stop, but everyone inside had kept going.
"Get off me, you smelly twits!", the Captain growled as he regained his composure. Valor shoved the bodies on top of him off to the side. Cries of pain and surprise filled the sleeping chamber. Valor was the first to his feet and was out the door before anyone else could gather their wits.
The Windsabre was actually lurching slightly to one side making footing all the more difficult. As Valor made his way through the crowded corridor, he spotted a familiar face. Lyndah emerged from the woman's quarters. She was still in her black leather outfit and had her sword drawn. Most likely, she had yet to turn in for the night. The two had wrapped up their evening of drinking just a short time ago. Much like Captain Valor, she towered over the much shorter crewmen.
"To arms, Captain!", Lyndah cried out. "The Windsabre must be under attack! Let us lead the charge to repel the invaders!"
"Music to my ears, darlin'," Valor countered with a grin. A good knock down, drag out would shake the Captain out of his mood. There was nothing quite like laying the smack down on some criminal thug and then posing for the press and fighting off the female admirers.
Valor surged forward, pushing his way through the hallway. Upon reaching Lyndah, Valor wrapped his arm underneath Lyndah's and lifted the swordswoman into the air. Together, they flew down the short passage, bowling over crewmen in the process and emerged up on the main deck of the Windsabre.
Captain Valor and his passenger hovered a few feet over the main deck. The pair quickly looked about, trying to locate the source that caused the Windsabre to stop. Lanterns holding magical light brightly illuminated the deck. Valor turned in a tight circle and quickly found the source of the problem.
A gigantic creature had risen from the ocean and had wrapped itself around the bow of the Windsabre. It looked like an earthly octopus to Captain Valor, but no such creature on earth had ever grown to this size! The beast had latched on to the Windsabre and was holding on with two of its tentacles. The head of the creature was the size of a large truck, while each of its tentacles was as thick as a man. Valor couldn't help but note the octopus' eyes as they were yellow in color and seemed to blaze with intelligence.
"Holy crap!", Valor exclaimed. The Captain had heard stories of sea monsters spun by the sailors and others, but to see something like this up close and personal was another matter entirely!
Several of the sea monster's tentacles were thrashing across the main deck of the Windsabre. One sailor was wrapped up tightly. The man screamed loudly as the giant octopus squeezed the life from him. Still others were sent sprawling from impacts with the writhing tentacles.
"To battle!", Lyndah cried out. Obviously the woman-warrior wasn't as shocked at the sight of the giant octopus as Valor was. Lyndah squirmed free of Captain Valor's grasp and landed on the deck. Fearlessly, Lyndah moved to combat the invader.
The door to Captain Jess' cabin opened and the master of the Windsabre came forth. She was also armed and ready for battle. No one attacked her ship and lived to boast about it! "To arms, me lads! Use fire on the beast! Send it back to hell scorched!"
Lyndah reached the man who was being crushed by the tentacle. She raised her long sword over her head and brought it down again in a mighty two-handed strike. The blade neatly sliced through the appendage. The sailor collapsed to the deck, still wrapped in the severed tentacle. He would live and rolled free of the cut off limb.
The octopus stared at Lyndah. Valor could almost feel the hate coming from those malevolent yellow eyes. Another tentacle swung in and struck Lyndah in the side. The black-clad swordswoman was knocked from her feet. Lyndah rolled with the impact and tumbled right back up. Her sword found purchase once more and inhuman cries of pain came from the octopus.
Captain Jess entered the fray with her saber. Deftly, she sliced and slapped away those tentacles close to her. Behind her, crewmen carrying torches came forth. They touched the torches to the octopus' tentacles, causing the beast to thrash about in even more pain.
The other Avengers emerged from the gangway to the below decks area. Robert of the Forests stepped onto the deck, longbow armed and ready to fire. He squeezed off a volley of attacks directed at the head of the octopus itself. The missiles struck their desired target, but were probably little more than bee stings to the giant creature.
The mages Sargon and Friza came forth as well. "Shall we, my dear?", Sargon intoned. The two sorcerers had once been dire enemies until Friza's defeat and defection. However, once on board, the situation changed slightly. Much to Sargon's surprise, he and Friza had spent much time together discussing things arcane. In this regard, Friza was the only one that he could speak freely with about his lifelong studies of the magical arts. Sargon found the Ectolian to be highly versed in this particular subject. The two had even swapped several spells. In a sense, they were kindred spirits.
"By all means, weselisa", Friza purred in response. "Darkness, grant me power!" Together the two very mismatched mages began spell casting. Arcs of lightning erupted from Friza's fingers and slammed into the octopus. The tentacled beast thrashed wildly from the pain of the arcane energy. Before it could recover, Sargon launched bolts of magical energy that tore into one of the octopus's tentacles.
From seemingly out of nowhere, Katrina leaped into the fray. The wild woman held a curved, razor sharp dagger in each hand. She screamed an unintelligible growl and landed on top of one of the tentacles. Katrina locked her legs around the wailing appendage and at the same time drove both of her blades repeatedly into the tentacle. The octopus whipped its limb about in an attempt to shake Katrina off, but the wild woman held on fast.
Snapping out of his momentary surprise, Captain Valor flew forwards towards the deep-sea invader. He weaved his way through the flailing tentacles and headed towards the source of the problem: the head of the octopus itself!
"Grabby bastard, aren't you?" Captain Valor closed his fists and flew straight into the head of the giant octopus!
The maneuver surprised virtually everyone, including the octopus itself. It never conceived that any of its foes could reach its main body with such ease. The octopus glared at Captain Valor and drew several tentacles back to deal with this particular pest. As it did so, the beast tightened its grip on the Windsabre. The sound of wooden planks shattering filled the air.
"Here, Captain!", Lyndah called out. "Slay the beast before he sinks us!"
Valor turned at the sound of Lyndah's voice. He saw her throw her long sword towards him. Time seemed to slow as the sword sliced and twisted through the air. Valor reached out and plucked the weapon out of the air with ease.
Captain Valor stood on the octopus's head with weapon in hand, unsure just what to do. It was not in his nature to kill his enemies. In time he might be able to physically overpower this sea-going nightmare. But the sword would end the conflict much faster and potentially save the lives of everyone on board. Obviously, this thing was more than some dumb creature.
"Strike now, you oaf!", Captain Jess called out while struggling with one of the other tentacles. "Kill the damn thing or we're all done for!"
Placing both of his hands on the hilt of the blade, Valor raised it as high as he could. "Die you ugly sucker!", he cried out and drove the sword into the octopus' head with all his might. The blade easily sliced into the octopus, tearing flesh and bone, sending blood spewing forth. The blade had been nearly buried to the weapon's hilt.
Still holding onto the weapon, Captain Valor strained to move it further. More of the octopus's flesh was torn and its malevolent yellow eyes started to glaze over. In seconds a huge gash was ripped into the head of the sea beast. Its life fluids flowed freely forth, covering Valor and dripping into the ocean.
The movement of the beast's tentacles began to slow. Its grip on the Windsabre began to weaken. The bloodied head of the octopus fell back into the sea, dragging the rest of the creature with it. Slowly the giant octopus disappeared beneath the waves and drifted away.
Stunned by what he had done, Captain Valor nearly went down with the creature. The ocean waves washed over Valor, cleaning him of the octopus' blood. Finally, he gathered his wits enough to fly back up and land on the deck of the Windsabre. Lyndah's long sword was still gripped tightly in his hand.
"Well done, Captain," Lyndah called out as she approached. The warrior-woman hugged a still stunned Captain Valor and kissed him on the cheek. "You've slain the beast and saved us all!"
"Perhaps," Captain Jess grimly responded. "But we're not safe yet. It depends how much damage that devil from the deep did to us." The master of the Windsabre stored her saber and made her way below decks. She had clearly heard the sound of the hull being breached. The octopus might no longer be a threat, but the Windsabre could be taking on water and be in danger of sinking.
While the crewmen rushed to help their injured comrades and tend to the Windsabre, the other Avengers went to congratulate Captain Valor. All save Robert of the Forests, who stowed his bow and stalked off to the below decks area.
"We'll make an Avenger out of you yet," Sargon noted with a smile. He gave Valor a hearty slap on the shoulder.
"Maybe I underestimated you," Friza said in a mocking tone. No one could help but notice the lustful look the small Ectolian woman was sending Valor. "The heart of a warrior just might beat in your chest after all. It just needs some prodding to bring it out. I could mold you into something spectacular."
"Uhm, thanks," Valor finally managed to say. The fact that Lyndah had kissed him on the cheek hadn't sunk in just yet. He still couldn't believe what he had done. He had slain the beast. Who would've thought of it?
"That's right, just call me Captain Valor, Monster Slayer," Valor boasted, his swagger returning. "Calamari always creeped me out anyway."
The celebration was cut short as cries of alarm came out from the below deck region of the Windsabre. Word spread through the crew like wild fire. The hull of the Windsabre had been breached! The ship was taking on water! Unless something was done quickly, the Windsabre would sink!
