Arc 1 Chapter 12
Blake and Cuttlefish made it down the hatch. It was dark with light emanating from the end of the corridor. The two them make at the end and look around inside the base. It was vacant, not one octoling was standing guard. Blake and Cuttlefish continue on scanning the area unsure why there wasn't any octarians anywhere.
"Where are they?" asked Blake.
"I'm not sure, something isn't right, you'd think Octavio and the rest of his army would be here," said Cuttlefish baffled.
"let's keep going, captain," said Blake.
They spotted more octoweapons that haven't been activated, one of them looked like a giant metal fish with sharp teeth. As they walked by it, two lights came on behind the mesh screen that was its face. The fish jerked and opened it's mouth and shut it. It spotted Blake and Cuttlefish walking past it as it locked on to its prey. It clattered a sit moved behind them.
"What's that sound?" asked Blake.
"I don't know but...BUCKO! LOOK OUT!" shouted Cuttlefish as he grabbed Blake to dodge the giant octoweapon jaws. It came close to snare Blake and eating him as it slammed against the floor.
"That was close! I owe you captain!" exclaimed Blake gratefully.
"Think nothing of it Bucko!" replied Cuttlefish.
The octoweapon shook and glared back at Blake and Cuttlefish.
"I guess we're going to have to beat this thing," said Blake clutching his bamboozler.
"You go for the right! I'll go for the left!" ordered Cuttlefish.
"Got it!" shouted Blake.
The two of them shot at the giant metallic fish as it flopped up and screeched. It coated the floor in octarian ink and sank in. "Watch out Bucko! I don't know what it's up to," said Cuttlefish.
After a moment its teeth appeared around Cuttlefish. The teeth soon closed up with Cuttlefish snared by the creature's jaws. "CAPTAIN!" yelled Blake as she shot at the octoweapon's head. "No! Captain!" shouted Blake again as the octoweapon turned its sights on him.
The octoweapon froze just as it was about to attack Blake. Inside its mouth Cuttlefish shot some of the teeth out reveal that he wasn't swallowed by the creature. "Look out Bucko! I'm about to give this thing a bad case of indigestion!" shouted Cuttlefish shooting at the creature's mouth. A tentacle popped out of its throat and the captain took this opportunity to lob an ink bomb in it.
The captain squid formed and jumped out of the giant fish's mouth before the ink bomb exploded. This caused the octoweapon to jerk around and start violently hissing. It soon exploded into a pile of metal with a zapfish inside flopping around in the ink puddle it left behind.
Cuttlefish landed down and Blake rushed over towards him. "Captain that was amazing!" shouted Blake.
"That thing was pretty easy to beat! Well, I guess that means theirs more of them zapfish around. Let's hurry and keep going. He gotta still stop Octavio and his plans," said Cuttlefish.
The two of them pushed further in the base until they came across some octotroopers and octolings with them. Blake and Cuttlefish hid behind some crates on each side of the room. They appeared to be guarding the inner portion of the base as Cuttlefish and Blake pondered on how to get past them.
"We may have to shoot our way through, Bucko," said Cuttlefish.
"you may be right, captain," said Blake as he looked back at the octarians.
Just then the base started to shake and the octarians fled, opening the large doors and entering inside shutting doors behind them. "What's going! Is this an earthquake!" shouted Blake.
"I don't know! But let's get to those doors before the ceiling falls on us!," shouted Cuttlefish.
Cuttlefish and Blake were struggling to stay on their feet as the base shook violently. The two them rushed to the large doors, but they couldn't get them to open.
"Come On! Open!" shouted Blake as he banged on the large doors.
"Bucko, we have to get out of here, Let's get back to the hatch!" shouted Cuttlefish as he grabbed Blake's arm.
Blake and Cuttlefish rush back to the hatch and ran outside of Octavio's. They met back with Ammoses and the others who were also clueless about the tremors and were struggling to stand themselves. Ammoses and Mimi rushed over to Blake and Cuttlefish and informed them of what was happening topside.
Half an hour earlier, after Cuttlefish and Blake made their way down to the octarian base. Mimi, Ammoses, and the inklings stayed on the surface to watch for any octarian activity. ten minutes pass a platoon of octolings appraoch Octavio's from the village in attempt to recapture it and take it from the inklings. "Heads up, octolings approaching!" shouted one of the inklings.
"prepare to fight! We have to hold out for Blake and Cuttlefish!" shouted Mimi.
The octolings started firing as soon as they got in range. The inklings fired back splatting some of them. Mimi and Ammoses took cover while the inklings defended Octavio's.
"Send in the Octopods!" shouted one of the octolings before getting splatted.
"Octopods?" asked Ammoses.
Just then, these metal-like creatures shaped like torpedoes with legs ran toward the inklings. "What are those things!" shrieked Mimi.
"I don't know but shoot em' " shouted another inkling. One of the Octopods rushed toward one of the inklings and detonated when it was close enough. It exploded causing it and inkling to burst into ink.
"Oh no! Don't let them get close to you!" shouted Mimi as she aimed at one of the octopods running towards them. It detonated prematurely after taking enough shots. The rest of the octopods were eventually destroyed and the remaining octolings retreated toward the village.
"Yeah! You better run!" shouted a cocky inkling waving his bamboozler.
"Don't get cocky! I'm sure they'll be sending reinforcements!" shouted Ammoses.
Another 10 minutes pass as the inklings were guarding the area getting ready for any retaliationfrom the octarians, they noticed octobombers flying overhead. "Octobombers!" shouted an inkling. "Take cover!" said another one. The octobombers kept going not paying the inklings any mind.
"Wait...surely they would have seen us," said Mimi confused.
"I'm not sure, something's up," said Ammoses wearily.
All of a sudden the ground started to shake and inklings were starting to panic.
"Ammoses, what's going!" said Mimi trying to keep her balance.
"I don't know! Cuttlefish and Blake need to get back here right away!" exclaimed Ammoses.
After a moment a large aura of light burst from the octarians side of the valley and the trembling continued. The inklings weren't sure what to make of the phenomenon as they stared, wondering what It was. Then Blake and Cuttlefish run out of Octavio's to be met by Mimi and Ammoses.
Mimi and Ammoses explain to Cuttlefish and Blake about the octobombers and the strange source of light they witnessed not too long ago coming out of the octarian territory.
"We need to investigate, let's head over towards the octarian territory now, there's no bit of telling what Octavio is up to," commanded Cuttlefish.
Cuttlefish, Blake, and everyone else hurried to Octarian territory as fast as they could.
They reached a hill that overlooked the octarian's side of the valley and was jaw-dropped at what they were seeing. "What the!" was all Blake could get out.
Octavio made his way back to the domes. Once inside he made his way to a large chamber occupied by octarian forces that were all huddled around a giant circular pad with computer consoles surrounding it. A moment passes and the large pad opens up revealing a giant cat-fish like creature with curled whiskers emitting sparks of electricity. Octavio walks toward the giant electric fish.
Octavio observes the creature for a few seconds and turns toward one the octolings manning a computer console.
"commence the operation, unleash the giant zapfish's energy at full power," ordered Octavio. The octoling complied and pushed a button.
The machine hummed as the giant zapfish was lifted up in an orb putting off a yellow glow. The ceiling of the chamber opened up as the giant fish ascended further and further up. Soon the giant zapfish emitted one strong discharge that lit up the octarian's side of the valley. The ground was shaking and breaking apart, then the octarian's territory split away from the rest of the valley and floated upward.
"Good, those machines in the domes are suspending our side of the valley thanks to the power being produced by the giant zapfish we captured," said Octavio.
The octarian side of the valley was floating and was slowly creeping above the inkling territory. Blake, Cuttlefish, and the others were utterly flabbergasted at the sight of the large floating landmass. Just then a piece of land was floating above as Blake noticed it.
"Captain! isn't that your cabin on the chunk of flying rock?!" exclaimed Blake in shock.
"It sure is! Why is flying away!" said a shocked Cuttlefish.
"I don't know! But how are we going to get to it!" asked Blake.
Cuttlefish bent over and squid formed. "Blake! grab my tentacle and hold on!" commanded Cuttlefish as he jumped on Blake's head.
"What?!" shouted Blake before he was pulled by Cuttlefish during the squid jump and getting covered in Cuttlefish's ink.
Cuttlefish and Blake manage to land on the floating chunk of land before they got out of range. Blake was blinded by Cuttlefish's ink and stumbled backward toward the ledge before Cuttlefish grabbed him by the arms. Cuttlefish pulled Blake back and Blake landed on his knees on the floating rock before he wiped the ink off his face.
"Th...Th...Thanks, Captain" Blake said getting his words out.
"That was close, bucko, you almost took a fall," said Cuttlefish helping him up.
Blake turned toward the Ammoses and the inklings as they got further away from them.
"Blaaaake!" shouted Mimi.
"Mimi, you and everyone stay back while me and Cuttlefish find out what's going on!" yelled Blake to the group.
"OK!" yelled Mimi faintly as Blake and Cuttlefish got further.
Blake turned away and looked towards Cuttlefish who was staring at what appeared to be a giant tea kettle.
"What's that!?" asked Blake.
"I don't know, Bucko, this wasn't here before and what's it doing near my cabin!?" exclaimed Cuttlefish.
"I bet Octavio knows," said Blake sternly.
"your probably right," said Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish kicked the kettle and suddenly a hatch opened on top of the kettle. Cuttlefish and Blake looked at each other then back at the Kettle.
"Maybe it's some kind of... portal? said Blake.
"I'm not sure bucko" responded Cuttlefish.
Just then the tea kettle made a boiling sound and turned on as they got closer to the octarians's floating landmass.
"Well I guess we're about to find out," said Cuttlefish as they both looked at the giant landmass then back to the kettle.
Cuttlefish squid formed and hopped into the kettle reaching his tentacle out to Blake. Blake looked at the tentacle hesitantly and gulped. He finally grabbed the tentacle and closed his eyes. "Hang on Bucko!" yelled Cuttlefish as the tea kettle steamed and the two of them shot out towards the giant floating land.
The floating landmass moved over the inkling territory and floated towards the human ruins the inklings fled to after the octarians attacked them.
"Sir, we're approaching the ancient human city," said an octoling.
"Good, the operation is entering its final stages. Get to your stations," ordered Octavio.
The octolings saluted and moved to different areas in the domes, readying themselves for the next stage of Octavio's scheme.
Octavio made his way to his flying DJ booth activating it and its weapons. He floated out of the domes and back onto the surface waiting for his plan to come in motion as he flew above the octarian army that was waiting for further orders.
"I might not have finished with those inkstains, but I'm going for a bigger prize, soon no one will stand up against me and the octarians," said Octavio as he made his way in front of the octarians.
Octavio positioned himself and gave a commemorative speech for the octarians.
"The time for octarian rule has come. We will reign supreme as we conquer the land. No longer will we have to fear for the rising seas or the inklings taking our territory. The future is now as we ascend above our new city full of technology left behind by humans from long ago. We will not share the same fate as they did and will vastly improve our society for years to come. Long live the Octarians!" shouted Octavio.
The octarians gave a loud cheer as they looked forward to the operation being completed.
DJ Octavio glanced back over toward the human ruins and gave a sinister smile. "Soon, this will be the octarian capital and no one will stand before us. Our dreams will soon become reality," said Octavio.
"Sir! 10 minutes until our arrival over the ruins," said one of the octolings that stayed back while the others made they're way down.
"Good! Victory is assured, now head down with the rest of the army and prepare the zapfish," said Octavio. The octoling saluted and rushed down to the domes.
"Soon, no one will stop us, not even that fossil," jeered Octavio as he continued to look toward the ruins.
After a while, Octavio decided to go down and check on the giant zapfish.
Cuttlefish and Blake made it out of another tea kettle and found themselves in one of the domes. Blake was shaking in fear from the trip. "I...I... (pant) never(pant) want to(pant) do that again," said Blake catching his breath and trembling.
"bucko, when you recompose yourself, we need to find out where we are and what's going on," said Cuttlefish.
Blake nervously nodded as he tried to shake it off.
Cuttlefish looked around. "Where are we?" Cuttlefish asked.
"I'm not sure," said Blake as he and Cuttlefish walked around. They soon spot a computer ahead of them. Blake and Cuttlefish approached the screen of the console.
"Blake, that looks like human language, like on that ID card you had," motioned Cuttlefish.
"You're right, and look on the corner of the screen, it's that Namabo symbol," pointed Blake.
"Yeah, but... what does that mean?" asked Cuttlefish looking back at Blake.
Blake didn't respond as he read the windows on the screen. It gave information about the domes and their purpose. They were built as a resettlement project for humanity when they descended back on earth from the ark. Blake looked desperately on the roster on the computer for his last name assuming the names of his family. Blake finally stopped scrolling as he found the four names with the same last name as his. Blake had froze and stared at the screen with distressed look.
"Blake! what is it?!" asked Cuttlefish with concern.
"I think...I found my family," is Blake could say, in a stunned tone.
"What?... that's good bucko...but where could they be?" asked Cuttlefish.
"I don't think they're here, the last dream I had of them was (sigh) They flew out of this large spaceship they were on, looking for me... They landed back down on earth and swam toward an island they spotted when they crashed the ship they were on," Blake said depressingly downing his head towards the floor.
Cuttlefish walked over to Blake and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Bucko I'm not sure how long you were in that pod we found you in... but, I promise I'll help you find your family after we deal with Octavio," said Cuttlefish trying to be supportive.
"You...will," said Blake as he lifted his head with pleading eyes.
"I promise," said Cuttlefish with compassion.
Blake and Cuttlefish hugged each other and made their way further into the domes. They came across an elevator that appeared to go up. The two entered the elevator that brought them to a large chamber housing the giant zapfish above them. The two walked over toward the giant fish and stare up at it.
"What is that thing?" asked Blake as he was stunned by the appearance of the large fish.
"I think that's the giant zapfish, I've read about them in school, They produce a lot of, what did Ammoses call it, elec...tricity? and they're rare. I wonder how they came across it," exclaimed Cuttlefish in fascination with the huge fish.
"Captain look at this!" shouted Blake.
Blake was pointing to a large cable that was plugged into the pad that was below the giant zapfish. The cable ran from a large device that had other cables running in different directions through the underground facility as well as a large antenna that was emitting signals from it.
"Captain, I wonder if this fish is causing the octarian's territory to fly in the air, maybe even powering the octarians equipment too," said Blake.
"That's a good possibility, but let's not do anything until we confront Octavio," advised Cuttlefish.
"Well, here I am!" roared a familiar voice.
Cuttlefish and Blake jump and turned to the source of the voice. It was no other than Octavio with his army standing behind with weapons drawn. Cuttlefish and Blake glared at the octarian leader. Ready for a fight.
"Octavio! you have a lot to answer for, all the inkling lives you've taken and homes you destroyed! Let's finish this!" shouted Cuttlefish.
"Oh cry me a river hipster, You, those inkstains and that human are history. Once my plans come together no one will stop me and the octarians will reign," gloating Octavio.
"Blake! head back to the great zapfish! Unplug it when I say so!" commanded Cuttlefish.
"No Cuttlefish! I won't let you take him on by yourself! This isn't like what it was when you fought them in the village!" protested Blake.
"Blake! I can take him! Just get to the great zapfish so you can turn the power off! Hopefully, you're right about the device it was hooked up to and that we can stop Octavio's plans," explained Cuttlefish.
"But, captain... (sigh) just kick his octopus ass!" said Blake as he left back to the giant zapfish.
"Deal with that talking fossil!" ordered Octavio to some of his troops. "I'll deal with this hipster!" jeered Octavio.
The final battle between the races was about to begin, mono e mono, former friends about to duke it out as Blake was being pursued by the octarians stopping him from reaching the zapfish. Let the fight begin!