An Inkling of Sympathy Ch. 13
Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry it took me so long to update this story. We have the introduction to a new character in this chapter, one that's been alluded to a few times but never outright mentioned. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and be sure to fave and review! Best of luck in life and literature. -Kiba
"Long ago, farther back than all of Inkling kind, before the Great Turf War, before anything in our world was able to form thoughts other than 'eat', a fantastic race made a fantastic journey through the stars. These beings, which have been known as the Great Old Ones, took over the world in its entirety. They were immensely powerful and terrifying. Many creatures who looked upon them simply died because their minds could not process what it was they gazed upon. For eons they ruled over everything, from the deepest ocean to the highest bit of sky, until finally, something fantastic happened.
No one knows for certain, but some shift in the celestial alignment allowed for the destruction of the Great Old Ones. All of them simply vanished into nothingness and finally life could once more blossom freely as it was meant to be. Except that not all were gone. A small shard of the one known as Cthulhu, waited beneath the waves of the ocean, for he knew what the others did not, that where they were going there could be no return.
A galaxy outside of our own was incinerated, every speck of life inside of it burning to rid the universe of the Great Old Ones. Cthulu's essence was protected, unable to be found by the fiery inferno that sought to consume him, and when at last things ended, he knew that it would be several eternities before it was his time once again. With that, his eyes closed, and the Old God fell still, in such a deep sleep that he straddled the line of living and dead."
Callie's hand tightened around mine as he told his story, unable to stop herself from shaking. "Grandpa, I don't understand." She whimpered, the fear in her voice evident. "Why are you telling us these things?" My hand returned her squeeze, causing her to seemingly take solace in our contact while she waited for a response.
"I'm sorry Squiddos, all of you. This is going to become harder than it will be easier, and I'm afraid by the time we're done you'll have even more questions and fewer answers than you started with. But this is important, so I need you to bear with me. After that, came the time of the great beasts. The first of our kind, the Cephalopods, were formed as servants to Cthulhu. We began to work, building a vast empire for our master beneath the waves, known only at R'yleh. Soon, Cthulhu arose and wiped out the great beasts of the surface, sparing only those who were loyal to him.
When at last, the carnage was completed, he sat beneath the waves in his palace, returning to the slumber from whence he came. Time and time again, beings rose to conquer the earth, and our kind watched as Cthulhu destroyed them all. But then, something different happened. A new race was formed, one whose intellect and influence were rivaled only by the Great Old Ones. They began to shape our world, changing it how they saw fit. These 'humans', as they called themselves, began to explore every inch of the earth. Their minds did not focus on the concept of 'feeding', but solely on the quest for knowledge and understanding.
They stumbled upon our city, the city of R'yleh. They began to live among our kind, even paying homage to Lord Cthulhu as he slept. Great ships were built and sunk, utilized to craft his palace to become even grander than before. For some of us, it was the hope of a new era. The existence of a race that could be peaceful with Cthulhu. No longer would we have to watch as life was destroyed needlessly. We were wrong.
When he awoke once more, Cthulhu turned on the humans who'd sought to serve him. Erasing them from existence, he felt, was not enough. He would punish the lands above by making them watch as every last one of them drowned beneath the waves, just as his kingdom had. In the end, we, the Yuggya, were forced to watch as another race was eliminated from existence.
That was when we decided to flee the city of R'yleh. That wicked place held no safety in our minds anymore. If Cthulhu was willing to slaughter those loyal to him, it was only a matter of time before it happened to us. We began building our world on the backs of the humans. Ten thousand years after their fall, we'd taken their place as the rulers of the Earth. We prepared ourselves, however. Some of us forgot the ways of our ancestors, but the rest of us looked at the ocean, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Cthulhu awoke once more."
"So...Cthulhu is waking up?" Marie asked, resting her cheek in her hand. Callie and I were stunned by the nonchalant manner of her question. In her eyes was a concern that her grandfather had grown senile. After witnessing the transformation in myself, Callie knew he was not.
"No." He stated, a smile coming to his lips. "The time did come for the Great Old One to rise once more. He attempted to destroy our race, but there was one thing he did not count on. There was a prophecy that he would one day fall, and little did he know that he would fall by his own hand. All of the Yuggya: Octolings, Inklings, and every other race, banded together to combat the dark lord. We assembled a team of our finest warriors to fight against him. This team was known as Squidbeak Splatoon."
"No way!" Callie cried, hey eyes glimmering with excitement. "Gramps, you were the one who killed Cthulhu?"
"I can hardly take all the credit." He muttered, scratching his chin. "There were others, of course. Octavio, Amos, myself...we all worked together to end the tyranny once and for all. But then something terrible happened. I fear that things went a little awry." Sitting down on a stool, his eyes locked directly with mine, sending an uncomfortable chill down my back. "The Octolings betrayed us. Their leader, Octavio, was once my best friend. But he had a moment of cowardice. He explained to the group that he feared we would not be able to defeat Cthulhu, and that if we joined him once more we could be spared. We ignored him, reminding him of the humans who thought the same before him. He pulled out his forces, electing instead to attack us to show his devotion to the Drowned God."
"He did what?!" I snapped. It was all starting to make sense now. The propaganda, the underground cities, the assaults on the surface. History was repeating itself and the helm of it all was Octavio. "How could he do something so evil?"
"He did what he thought best." Captain Cuttlefish snapped. "Do not make the mistake of assuming that Octavio is some sort of super villain, because at the end of the day, what he did he did to protect all of Octoling kind. He may have been misguided, but he is not evil."
I fell silent. It was obvious that in his heart, Captain Cuttlefish still saw Octavio as his friend and ally. "Sorry." I whispered. "I know he is your friend. But he has ruined the lives of many Octarians. I know you say he isn't evil, and maybe he's not, but that doesn't mean I can just forgive him for everything we've been put through."
"The story isn't over yet, bucko." The sailor reminded me. "We managed to defeat Octavio's assault, driving him back into the city of R'yleh, which we now named Octo Valley. Those underground cities of yours are built on the skeletal remains of the awful and wretched place that was destroyed so many years ago. It was then that Cthulhu arose from his slumber, and surprisingly, we managed to defeat him."
"How?" Callie asked.
He smiled. "Amos Shellendorf was an absolute genius. He was a master at crafting weaponry and his invention that led to Cthulhu's death was nothing short of a piece of art. It was lost long ago, but we managed to destroy the Old One once and for all."
"But what about me?" I demanded, beginning to grow impatient. "What does any of this have to do with my dreams?"
"I suspect," he lectured, "that the electrical shock to your system jolted something in your hind brain. Perhaps you are reconnecting with Lord Cthulhu once more, and as such meaning that we missed some minor aspect of him that has now awakened. It's up to you three now. I'm far too old. The Ink of Cthulhu, 'R'yleh Ink', is able to heal any wounds you sustain, but it unfortunately makes him aware of you. I've used it in each of you at least once, I'm afraid. With him dead, there was no need for concern. But right now, Lusca, you are descending quickly into madness."
All three of us sat there in a hushed fear. Cthulhu was starting to be able to control me? That meant that both Callie and Marie were in danger. Everyone was. Captain Cuttlefish was right, I was too dangerous for the public. Looking down at the table, a small tear fell to the wood. "I understand."
"Good."
"Just...make it quick. Alright? Aim for the hearts, not the mantle."
"Lusca, you can't be serious!" Marie snapped at me, as Callie gripped my hand tightly.
"We're not killing you!" She agreed.
"Were neither of you listening?" I shouted. "If Cthulhu has control of me, even a small piece, that means that I'm incredibly dangerous. This is the only way that I can be certain that you two will be safe. I want you to remember me this way, not the broken mind that is controlled by some freakish abomination."
"The girls are right." Captain commented, puffing a bit of tobacco smoke from his pipe. "Dying, I'm afraid, would not be the solution any more. Your body will still be controlled as a husk, moved on its own accord to act out the whim of its master. Sadly, I'm afraid that without you resisting his influence, it'll be that much easier for him to control you."
"Then what are you expecting me to do?" I demanded.
"That answer should be a simple one." He replied with a wink. "The three of you are going to kill Cthulhu again. Whatever piece of him is still left over, you're going to destroy it."
"Right." Both girls agreed in unison, standing up to begin making preparations. I watched them both in shock.
"But what about the weapon?"
"Amos' grandson, Sheldon runs a weapons shop in the square." Callie explained. "He should have some idea as to where it is. He's pretty smart too, he may even be able to recreate it for us anyway."
"But...Octavio…" I tried again.
"Has no idea." Marie commented, selecting splattershot from the wall and holstering it on her back. "He won't be able to interfere with us so long as we keep our heads down. Besides, we're just two Inklings and an Octoling rogue. He won't see us as much of a threat."
"On the cautious side, however, I've been sending Agent 3 to investigate the missing Great Zapfish. She'll most likely find out that Octavio is behind it, but even if not, she'll keep the Octarian forces plenty busy."
Callie took my hand, pulling me towards the wall of weapons. "Take your pick." She offered gesturing towards it. "You'll need something to defend yourself, right?"
"But...I…" I began to stammer. Everything was moving so fast and it was making my head spin. Callie hoisted a collapsing roller from the rack and strapped it to her back as well, turning to smile at me.
Placing her hands on either side of my cheeks, she stared deep into my eyes. "Lusca, it will be okay. I promise." She whispered to me. "I know it's confusing. I'm not even sure if I understand it completely. But there is one thing I understand and that is that if we don't do this, I will lose you. I can't let that happen." She paused for a moment before finally uttering. "I love you." With those three words, echoing in my mind, she leaned forward and placed her lips against mine sweetly. I could feel Marie's eyes on us both as Callie pulled away, running her tongue over her lips. "Come on. If we're going to do this, we'll need to get going soon. The less time we spend in Octovalley the better."
I nodded in agreement, unable to speak. Instead, my mind left her words to focus on the task at hand. Reaching upward, I grasped the modified .52 Gal, it's weight feeling comfortable in my grip. "Alright." I finally answered. "Let's go kill us a monster."
Agent 3's eyes opened slowly as the sound of a monotonous buzzing filled the air. She stared intently at her phone that now hummed and danced on her nightstand, as if that would allow her to turn back time so it would not have awoken her. After another buzz, she let out a frustrated groan before her hand reached out for the device. Flipping it open, she placed it beside her ear with a sleepy yawn. "Hey Agent 3. Sorry to wake you so early, I've got an assignment for you."
She frowned, taking the phone from her ear to glare menacingly at her phone. Just who did this old man think he was calling her at...she checked the clock beside her bed. 3:00 AM! She groaned, hitting her head against the headboard in irritation.
"This is Captain Cuttlefish...you know, the old man you spoke to a few days ago."
Agent 3 never was much of a talker. Indeed, much like many other young Inklings her age, she preferred to speak in a series of rolled eyes and sarcastic scoffs, to great irritation to the older Inklings around her.
"Right then...I need you to head down to Octo Valley. It's time you got started on your fight against the Octarian forces." As he prattled on, she covered her mouth for another yawn, looking back at her pillow and contemplating how long it would take him to realize if she just muted her phone and went back to sleep. "So you see, my granddaughters will be there with a young man that has a funny looking symbol on his head."
Agent 3 blinked. She'd zoned out too much and missed what he said. She let out a sheepish and confused "Umm…?"
The captain sighed over the phone, clearly growing impatient with the younger Inkling. "I need you to listen very closely." He enunciated, causing her to focus as much of her attention as possible through the phone. "Grab your gear. Head to Octovalley. There's a big mission that needs you and I'll be guiding your actions as you go. You'll most likely bump into my granddaughters and a young Octoling with a symbol on his forehead. Do not eliminate him, he is one of ours. Understand?"
"Mmhm." She hummed, swinging her legs out over the bed. Before the Captain could give her confirmation he understood, however, she shut her phone, hanging up on him. Opening her closet, a soft and mischievous grin came to her lips. Finally, she was going to be facing a real challenge. Grabbing the hero vest, she slipped it on over her school uniform (which she felt was surprisingly fresh), before arming herself with her favorite gun and sidearms. Popping a piece of gum into her mouth, she blew one apathetic bubble before lowering her headphones down over her ears. The Squid Sisters, she knew, were like her secret weapon. Whenever she heard their music, the rhythms inside just spoke to her and guided her through the battle field.
Peering out her bedroom door, she could still hear the sound of the TV on in the den downstairs. Her parents were probably passed out on the couch again after arguing all night. Better to not risk waking them.
Pushing open her window, she sprayed a quick burst of ink along her wall. Everyone was asleep, so no one would see it before it disappeared, but even if they did, ten minutes later they'd have no proof anyhow. She knew her parents were dumb enough to fall for the mannequin she left in her bed, so without a worry, she leapt into the ink and slowly slid down the wall before leaping to the ground smartly.
She holstered her gun, taking off down the street towards downtown Inkopolis. There was only one place to enter Octovalley, she knew, and she intended to get there before the other agents. This was the way she was. Everything was a contest and Agent 3 never lost.
As the three of us approached the sewer grate, my eyes turned back to the two cousins who trailed behind me. Did Marie know about what happened between Callie and I? She saw the kiss in front of the weapons rack, but she could be in the dark about the rest of it. Even still, I noted a hint of annoyance in her features. I couldn't talk to either of them with the other present, however. Things would just break down into an argument between them.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Marie commented.
"Sorry?"
"You've been staring intently at me over your shoulder every few minutes. Is there something that's concerning you, lover boy?"
I let out an irritated huff. She wasn't ever going to let anything go. I wanted to tell her that yes, I was concerned that she would off herself like she tried to do not even a day ago, but instead I held my tongue.
"Don't tease him, Marie." Callie lectured. "If you were in his shoes, you'd fall for us both too, right?"
The two girls giggled amongst themselves, only serving to make my cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Great, now Callie was in on the jokes too. It felt like I could never catch a break. The radio in my ear let out a slight buzz as the Captain called in. "Agent 4…"
"What is it?" I snapped. "Care to contribute some more jokes to the conversation?"
"Jokes?" He replied puzzled. "Well, I know the one about the mollusk and the sea cucumber…"
"Never mind, forget I said anything," I grumbled. "What can I do for you?"
"I just wanted to let you know that Agent 3 is en route to your…" His words were cut off as a big splotch of ink suddenly blasted from my right, causing me to quickly roll out of the way. Our guns were drawn as a lithe shadow slid in and out of vision around us.
"Not now Cap. We're under attack." I growled, looking intently through the trees. There! There were ripples in the ink. I quickly sprayed a line just in front of it, only for a squid to leap high over it. As it fell back towards the ink, I could have sworn it winked at me before diving back under as Callie and Marie backed towards me. "It's an Inkling!" I declared, bracing myself. "A friend of yours?"
They both shook their heads as another quick stream launched towards us from the side. Whoever this soldier was, they were super quick. I shouted to Callie and Marie, causing us to separate, narrowly avoiding being splatted. That was when I realized it...the Inkling was only targeting me! Which mean that it viewed Callie and Marie as collateral. As much as I hated to admit it, I'd have to use that to defeat our mysterious attacker.
I quickly ran towards Callie. Diving forward, I tumbled just beneath another stream of ink before grabbing her. She looked at me in shock as my arm went across her shoulders as if I were shielding myself with her. "M-Mr. Octoling?! What are you doing?"
I could hear the splash from behind me. Amateur mistake. I quickly released Callie, turning and lashing out with a fierce kick that struck the airborne Inkling, sending it hurtling back into the ink with a surprised squeal. "That's right, I've figured out your little trick. You waited for me to be distracted by the girls before attacking me from behind. It won't work anymore." I shouted to the figure who seemed to remain stationary. That was when I heard the beeping. Looking down, I managed to leap out of the way, just as an Inkmine detonated.
A small bit of ink landed on my arm, but to my surprise there was no pain. The enemy was shooting blanks? What was the point of that? "Lusca!" Marie cried, leveling her splatter shot as a shadow fell over me from the street light.
"Marie, don't!" I called, just as she pulled the trigger. Turning, I lashed out with my arm, grabbing the shocked Inkling out of the air by the throat and tossing her hard to the ground with a pained grunt. Marie's ink sailed harmlessly to the ground a ways away as I leveled my gun at the now visibly teenage girl. "You've made a big mistake, kid." I snarled.
She didn't say anything, simply staring up at me with big eyes of admiration. "Lusca, do you know this girl?" Callie asked, stepping beside me as Marie suspiciously approached. "She looks familiar, but I can't say I know her."
"What's your name, kid?" I asked, causing a glimpse of annoyance to cross her features. Clearly, she was not pleased by my nickname.
"I swear, if you move an inch, I'll blow your brains out!" Marie ordered, causing the young Inkling to look at her in surprise. Her gaze quickly ran across all of us again, a big smile running across her features. Before Marie even had a chance to react, the girl dove at her, knocking the splatterscope's barrel upward and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist.
An awkward silence fell all around us as we just watched a visibly stunned Marie being embraced by this kid. "I...guess she's a fan…" Callie suggested, causing Marie to shudder as she squirmed uncomfortably.
"Fan or not...someone please get this child off of me." She pleaded, but the girl simply nuzzled closer to her.
"Lusca!" Captain's voice boomed in my ear, causing me to wince.
"Gods, what do you want Captain?!" I snapped.
"Listen to me, damn it! That's not an attacker, that's most likely Agent 3. I told her to meet you there, but knowing her she doesn't say 'hello' like most other folks."
"Yeah, no kidding. She's got an iron grip on your granddaughter right now."
"Oh right…" He murmured over the radio. That sounded like trouble.
"Right, what?"
"Agent 3 may not have known that my Granddaughters were the Squidsisters. I believe she's a big fan."
"Of Marie more than Callie." I noted, turning back to the girls and flashing them a thumbs up. "Agent 1, Agent 2...meet Agent 3."
"Her?" They both cried in unison.
"But she's just a little kid!" Marie protested, causing the young Inkling to grimace again. So she was sensitive about her age. "There's no way she's got what it takes to be a secret agent."
"She had you on your toes." Callie pointed out with a smile. "Welcome to the Team Agent 3. I'm Agent 1, my cousin there is Agent 2. That guy over there is Agent 4. I guess you know who Agent 2 and I are. His name is Lusca. What's yours?"
Her deep blue eyes turned to regard me with a quizzical expression. "Lusca?" She tested, the first word she'd spoken since we'd arrived there. She walked closer to examine me, releasing her grip on Marie.
"Somehow, I doubt that's your name." I commented sarcastically, causing her smile to become bigger.
"Steph." She finally murmured. "My name is Steph."
"Those were some very interesting tactics, Steph." I commented. "Where did you learn them?"
She simply shrugged, returning to her silent ways. Callie suddenly remembered where she'd seen the girl from as her expression brightened. "Oh! I know who you are!" She declared excitedly.
"You do?" Marie asked.
"So do you! Remember the Splatfest we hosted the other week? This girl was the highest scoring participant. Stepha…" The little girl covered Callie's mouth quickly to stop her, indicating for her to keep quiet about her name. Seemingly understanding, Callie nodded to her. "Don't worry, I won't tell them your full name." She giggled.
The teenager let out a sigh of relief. I'd have to remember that later if i needed to keep her in check. Teenagers were always trouble, I'd decided long ago. Even still, this one was very impressive. It wasn't like me to become jumpy over a kid. Touching the earpiece, I spoke into it. "Alright Captain, we've rendezvoused with Agent 3. Any instructions for me to give to her?"
"Tell her to proceed towards Octostamp Warehouse."
I scoffed. "Captain, I know you're not asking me to send this kid on a suicide mission."
"Don't underestimate her, squiddo! That girl's got about as much brains and skill at her age as you do now."
"I don't even know if I can take on an Octarian Warmachine by myself!" I protested. "At least tell me we're going with this girl."
"Negative! You need to get to R'yleh as fast as you possibly can. I told you, that mark isn't going to hold forever and if it gets even just a little damaged, you'll find yourself in a very troubling position."
I looked at the young girl who was now staring up at me expectantly. So she'd latched on to someone else now. Wonderful. I groaned. "Fine, I'll tell her." Deactivating the earpiece, I turned to Agent 3. "Alright, your orders from the Captain are to proceed towards Octostamp Warehouse. Be careful! Those warmachines aren't a game and if you use normal ink on them like you were just using with us, it will not be pretty."
She simply grinned, holding up a few Ink tanks charged with anti-Octarian toxin. Popping another bubble from her gum, she slid her headphones back on. I could hear the sound of Callie and Marie singing through them as she waved to us, and quickly dove into the porthole leading to Octo Valley.
"Looks like Marie isn't the only one with a new admirer." Callie teased, standing beside me. "Just think, she'll be legal in just a few years."
"Shut up." I groaned, walking towards the grate. "We've got work to do. Let's go crack open that ancient city and get my sanity back, please?"
"Oh, Lusca. We all know you were never sane to begin with." Marie smirked, standing beside me before phasing through the grate. This was going to be a long mission, I decided. As Callie followed after her cousin, I did a quick look around to see if we were being followed. As I leapt into the grate, I didn't even notice the glowing eyes that would follow us down the hole.
To be continued...
