CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Mortal Combatants.

The people inside Clanker were safe and sleeping very comfortably as the shark maneuvered in the deep. He had helped Kazooie and her friends once again, and a warm feeling spread through his metal shell as he trundled along. He chuckled a murrgy chuckle, which brightened his odd sharp-toothed gaze.

But problems would soon arise. Traveling carefully between various sunken wrecks as to not cause a collision, a voice called out to him.

"Who dares enter my private sect!" spoke a high and kingly voice. "Many have learned of my wrath, and you will be part of that many!"

Clanker slowed down very carefully, as to not disturb his sleeping friends, and looked towards the voice.

An eerie silvery-green glow emitted from behind a weed-choked sunken ship, swaying in the current. A mighty BLARRR was uttered, and the beast arose from its hiding place.

It was Lord Woo Fak Fak.

The self-important anglerfish spoke, the newly replaced Jiggy swinging atop his head. "You have initiated the defending ritual known as the duel. I shall defend my honor, as I have done successfully for many centuries."

"Murrg...sen...trees," muttered Clanker, trying to understand the word.

"You doubt the longevity of my defense?" said Woo Fak Fak, misunderstanding. "It is valid, as sure as I am floating here!"

Clanker's mind at that moment flew to a more disturbing dilemma. "Banjo..." he uttered, suddenly realizing the bear was no longer with his friends.

"How..." spoke the anglerfish. "How could you have known of my one pitiful defeat? This cannot stand! En Guarde!" The lord dashed at the shark.

Clanker's large, curious eyes focused again on the adversary. Shrugging everything Woo Fak Fak had just said, he began to leave.

"Oh no, you don't!" spoke Woo, sending a crystallic glowing beam at him. The metal fish, sensing danger, weaved left and down at the attack. But in doing so, he crashed his left flipper into a rusted barge.

"MURRRG!" yowled the garbage grinder. Not in pain, but in shock of the fact that water was now spilling into his insides, possibly drowning Kazooie and the others.

"Pitiful," uttered the lordly fish, rolling his eyes at the apparent weakness he saw in the mech. "You are not worthy. Your family, your friends should be ashamed of you. You have lost."

His friends. Clanker knew he had probably drowned his friends with the hull rupture. He HAD lost. Anger filled his vacant eyes as he turned to Woo Fak Fak. "Friends...!"

"What--?"

Clanker dash towards a surprised Woo at full speed, shouting his newfound trademark phrase: "MMMUUUURRRGGG!"

The two fish collided. The sheer force of metal against flesh knocked Woo Fak Fak out. The lord had been upturned.

"Murrrg," Clanker cheered with glee. He swam away, looking back only to see the upside-down anglerfish, beaten once more.

It would be a long night.