We ran through the streets of Coral Bay, people were scurrying back and forth across the lane, preparing for the assault. Some of them joined us as we ran, holding weapons. All the while, the siren wailed into the oncoming night. An inkling girl, with grey eyes and pink tentacles, started running with us. She was wearing an online jersey and a baseball cap with the same strange logo as the one on Zane's captains hat. She began yelling at Zane frantically.
"Captain! They're flooding up the southern shore! And not just the usual Smallfry, Boss Salmonids! The local fisherman won't be able to fend them off!"
"I know, I've already called the ship, they're on their way, we just need to hold 'em back till the cannons are in range."
"But Captain, it's getting dark, and the docks don't have very good lighting. I don't think they'll be able to see the shore, let alone hit anything."
"We don't have any other options, the citizens can't fight, sure they can deal with the seasonal Smallfry, but what hope do they have against Bosses, we need those cannons!"
"We need the light, Zane!" gasped the inkling with grey eyes. "Our cannons are no good if they end up destroying these people's houses!"
"What about the lighthouse" chimed Lucas.
Both Zane and the other girl stopped. They spun around to look at us.
"What!? Where!?" exclaimed the girl grabbing Lucas by the shoulders.
"Just a couple blocks down, I used to sit on the balcony and watch the waves when I was younger" spoke Lucas, taken a back by the sudden gesture.
"Alright, Ashtyn, go with Lucas here to the lighthouse, activate the beacon and wait for my signal. Here take this" said Zane tossing the grey eyed inkling a small silver plastic pouch.
"Eye eye, captain" smirked Ashtyn, catching the silver packet and clipping it to her hat. "Lead the way Lucas!"
Zane turned to me as his friend grabbed my brother by the hand and ran back up the street. "Okay Cynthia, I don't know how much battle experience you have, so stick close to me. When the light leaves the sky, it gonna get chaotic, and one last thing" Said Zane grabbing my shoulders and looking me in the eyes "do NOT, hesitate to splat the Salmonids. Show no mercy, for you shall receive none. Now let's move."
"Wait!" I cried out, trying to catch up with him. "What do the Salmonids look like?"
"This way, quickly" I cried, Ashtyn had let go of my hand and I was now running ahead of her, we sprinted through the streets, they were becoming less and less populated the further we ran. I turned a corner and was met with the cold hard feeling of metal.
"Get back Lucas! Move to the side!" shouted Ashtyn
I scrambled away, drawing my dualies as I stood up, rubbing my nose. I saw what had hit me, a large fish like creature, coloured grey, orange, and lime, it carried a cast iron frying pan and had sharp teeth and bulging eyes. As it moved it created a dark green trail of slime. In less than a second it was dead, splatted by Ashtyn who now stood with a splat brella unfolded. She released the canopy, and it flew down the lane, taking out some smaller looking fish creatures as it went. She paused and looked at me.
"Don't just stand there, Lets go!"
Ok, ok but what are they? I asked as we began running, weapons at the ready.
"They are Salmonids, the one that hit you was a Cohock, and the others are called Chums. You've heard of them surely, I thought you said you hung around here when you were young?"
"I did, and I have heard about Salmonids from the local fishermen, but I didn't know they got so big- Look out!" I said pushing her out of the way and dodge rolling forwards, splatting a group of Chums that were coming from a side street.
"Nice save, and yeah, they don't usually. At least, the ones the fishermen encounter. Those are just Smallfrys, annoyances at best. These Salmonids, these are fighters. Once every 70 years or so, their numbers increase drastically, and we usually have to keep them in check to prevent them from coming too far inland."
"We? Who is we? You and the Captain, surely you two don't try and stop these things by yourself. Do you?" I asked as we continued to the lighthouse, splatting more Salmonids along the way.
"Ha! No, not just us. We work for Grizzco. Industries. Zane is the Captain of our crew, there's me, his first mate, then there's Emily and Mason. They're on the boat right now. We recently just picked them up as we were a few workers short of a crew. And together we are just one of many work crews that are responsible for Salmonid containment and Egg collection"
"Egg collection?" I responded with a puzzled voice as we reached the lighthouse.
"Yeah, well, it's a complicated job. But never mind that right now, we need to light the beacon, hurry up" responded Ashtyn as she ran up to the door. Damn it! its locked, how do we get in Lucas!"
"I think there's and old ink rail at the back, we can use it get to the top" I said. We ran around the side and found it near a small service shed attached to the back of the building. There were more Salmonids coming up from the shore. More than previously, probably because the lighthouse was so close to the sea. Ashtyn held them off with her splat brella while I started the generator that powered the ink rail. "Got it!" I cried as the ink rail hummed to life. I shot it with my dualie, and it started spouting ink. "Let's go-" I said turning back to Ashtyn.
"Get down!" she yelled, tackling me to the ground, seconds before missiles bombarded where I had just been standing, "Flyfish, damn it. Lucas, go up to the tower and light the beacon, I'll take care of this joker."
I nodded and hoped on the rail. Down below I could see Ashtyn fighting a strange machine, it flew using a high-pressured jet of ink and had two missile launchers attached to a cockpit, similar to tenta missiles. Ashtyn threw a splat bomb into one of the launchers and it exploded, momentarily disrupting the machine's flight. It started to sputter away, and Ashtyn hoped on the ink rail. I reached the top and opened the glass cage which held the light. Seconds later Ashtyn popped out of the rail, radio in hand.
"Hurry, light it already" she cried looking down over the rail. The boat's horn went, it sounded closer than before.
"I'm trying" I replied frustrated. I opened a hatch and found a sleeping zapfish. I knocked on the metal and woke it up. It let out a little squeal before it began buzzing, sending power to the lighthouse.
"Yes! We did it Lucas!" shouted Ashtyn. The sounds of cannons could be heard down below. Just then her radio buzzed. Zane's voice crackled over the line.
"Great job you two, I should think about giving you a raise, ha ha- oh wait. Oh Cod, no, Ashtyn, do you see this! The boat! Quick use the special-"
Boom!
Ashtyn fell back from the balcony right into me, hit by missiles. Her radio smashed to pieces. "Ow ow owwww, my arm…" she whimpered as the damaged Flyfish from earlier sputtered into view, rising from below.
"Lucas quick, the boat, use the special" cried Ashtyn, clearly in pain, her arm lay limp at her side as she tore the silver packet from her hat with her other hand and thrust it to me.
"But what about you!" I cried in protest.
"I'll be fine" she said, cradling her arm. "Please, I can't use the special, I need two arms. It up to you!"
I could hear the whine of the Flyfish's engine behind me. I nodded and stood up. I set my feet and tore open the package, feeling the familiar rush of energy as a Stingray appeared. I pulled the trigger and out came a stream of extremely high-pressured ink. I aimed it at the Flyfish, piercing the cockpit and killing the pilot, sending the machine tumbling out of the sky. I quickly then re angled the beam towards the boat, just as the after shockers kicked in, sending a pulse along the beam towards my target.
"Behind you!" I shouted at Zane. He dove to the ground rolling away as I blasted a group of Chums scurrying up behind him.
"Nice call Cynthia, you're a natural." Responded Zane, turning and unleashing a torrent of ink at a nearby Drizzler with his hydra, making short work of it.
We had been fighting on the docks for only 10 minutes so far, bur it felt like hours. I was exhausted. The light had all but left the sky and I was bruised and battered from the fighting. All around us, local fishermen were using whatever weapons they could find. Old splattershots, rusted chargers, dry inkbrushes, Driving back the lesser Salmonids while Zane was taking out as many Boss Salmonids as he could. I had tried to help Zane, but I was still nowhere near as effective at it. But I did manage to take out a Steel Eel that was wreaking havoc by the shipping cranes.
"Stay sharp Cynthia, no time to rest-" he was interrupted by the sound of the boat's horn. It sounded really close. "Come on Ashtyn, where are you." He muttered and took out his radio and started speaking into it. "Emily! Stop the boat, I Don't know how far away you are, there could be rocks nearby that could scuttle the ship. Hold position and man the cannons. Wait for the light."
"Yes Captain!" came a chipper voice from the radio "we're ready and waiting."
"Good, now Ashtyn, can you here me. the boat is in position. We need the-"
The words had barely left his lips before light flooded the docks. The people cheered.
"Great job you two, I should think about giving you a raise, ha ha-" Zane stopped laughing, his gaze fell on the boat. "Wait. Oh Cod, no, Ashtyn, do you see this, the boat! Quick use the special. "
I could barley see what Zane was talking about as I looked out over the water. The boat's cannons were busy firing away. Then I saw them. Small blinking lights, leaving trails of slime leading up the side of the boat. My attention turned back to Zane, he was yelling into the radio still.
"Ashtyn, Ashtyn! Do you copy. Target the Maws. Do you copy!? Arg, its no good, line is dead." He let out exasperatedly.
Just than an ear-splitting shriek sounded from above. Everyone's heads jerked up and saw a stingray scream across the sky from the lighthouse. It swung up, causing a small explosion of ink in the sky. It then turned towards the boat and the pulse from the after shockers kicked in. We all stared at the boat in anticipation, the cannons were still firing, unaware of the danger they were in. Three explosions of orange ink.
Zane and the fishermen cheered. I did as well, the Maws were dead. we were going to make it. The cannons were just clearing up the mess. Zane began talking into the radio once more.
"Thanks Captain, we own you one"
"Thank Ashtyn, not me. She was the one with the stingray"
I looked up at the lighthouse. I could see someone waving, I waved back, happily jumping up and down. We did it. Coral bay was safe. I was about to turn back when something caught my eye. A damaged Flyfish was spinning out of control, spouting green ink everywhere, it streaked down out of the sky. It was getting close. I followed the path with my eyes.
"Oh no. Zane, look out!" I screamed feverishly. He didn't hear me. I ran and pushed him out of harms way.
A flash of light, pain, then black…
. . . .
Well, that's another chapter done. Coral bay is saved! But what about Cynthia? This Chapter was a bit longer than before and I thought about splitting it up but decided against it. Do you like the new length, It takes longer to write so IDK.
Some of you may be wondering about the time this occurs at. Normally when its night in salmon run, a special event occurs. I had considered maybe having a Goldie rush but i figured I'd save it for later. The sky looks more like the sky of Ruins of Ark Polaris.
Anyway, hope you liked it so far, please tell me what you think, what I could do to improve, or suggestions of where to go next, as always...
Au Revoir!