'I wonder, where did things go so horribly… wrong? strange? Not even sure what to call this.'
'This' being the fact that I was holding two Octolings who tried to murder me down with both hands. The didn't pose any threat to me, being human and all that, but by the end of this, I would have several ink-contaminated clothes and pieces of gear.
It started fairly normal with Hina and I talking about all kinds of things, Physics right now to be exact to start planning of the generator, but we were alone. That is somewhat strange as normally she always had a few guards with her.
Them simply being there to guard us or maybe having some ulterior motive is not something I cared too much about as long as they didn't do something really dumb like the toilet incident.
But this time no guards and I didn't believe for a moment that it was supposed to be like that.
I decided to ask and Hina only shrugged in response, something she picked up from me.
We continued our work until the guards came back, to be exact the previous ones came back.
"Is something wrong?" I asked them carefully.
"Probably nothing." Inky answered she was the tiny team leader that chewed me out for the pool incident. All around exactly what you would expect from a military person in her rank, hardass and a sailor's mouth. "But until we get word back we are on extended shifts." She grumbled the last part and went to the PC that I set up with a music collection for them, and started playing some rock.
Hina cringed a little, preferring things with more Bass in them.
We continued working for a while, three hours to be exact and no new or different guards showed up, and it was grinding on the nerves of the Octolings, even Hina was starting to get nervous.
"What the heck is taking them so damn long." Inky started to lose her patience.
"Don't you have some way to call them?" I asked them.
"We shouldn't need to. We have a team outside for Operation management." Inky answered. "I am waiting for 30 minutes. If they don't come in here begging I am going out there to kick their ink sacks!"
That was surprisingly lax for military, but that could be another cultural difference.
We waited for the 30 minutes, the music we listened to got progressively more aggressive as well, going from simple Rock to Metal.
"All right, that's it. I am going to kick their ink sacks so far up that they will take the over the space where their brain's use to be!" After I finished translating that in my head I broke out laughing.
"And what do you think is so funny!" she shouted at me.
"I will need to show you a movie called Full-metal-jacket one day, you will probably love it." I explained. With that, we got up and made for the city.
The walk was an uneasy one, communication wasn't working and we had no idea where the team was. Horror movie start like out of a textbook.
As we entered the city I started to hear music playing.
It was a rather fast but simple melody that was heard everywhere. Reminded me a bit of club music.
"Is there some kind of festival going on or some holiday?" I asked into the group.
"Not that I know of." Hina said. "Why do you ask?"
"The music." I explained.
"What music?" she asked carefully.
"Don't you hear it?" I asked back with a raised eyebrow. "It's everywhere." I pointed around us at the speakers.
"I..." her face strained and the Guards around us also stopped and started to listen as well.
One of them then started to hum along with the melody and within a minute the others managed to hear it as well.
"Weird…" One of them commented. I started recording, something was definitely of here.
As we walked we noticed that despite the number of people most of them were so quiet and looked drowsy. I felt like I was in some Silent Hill knockoff.
"Hehehe" Came from behind us, we turned around and looked at the source. I recognized her insignia, she only joined Hinas personal guard a while ago. I suspected her position was the equivalent of a private, she also looked a bit young as far as my Octoling age judgment was concerned.
"Spifi? The splat is wrong with you?!" Inky ordered. Surprisingly she didn't snap at attention instantly instead she started to sway back and forth while mumbling incomprehensibly.
"The hell do you mean with that?" Inky stepped up to her and started shaking her. I suspected that she was speaking some dialect or mixing words because I didn't understand the answer at all.
"Snap out of it!" With that, the rookie got slapped across the face.
She had a comedic look on her face but she seemed to be lucid for a moment."Whaa, I… feel so… strange." With that she again got a silly smile on her face and started swaying mesmerizingly on the spot.
"Ok, this is setting off, like, all of my bad horror movie alarms, if someone starts to chant praises to Cthulhu I am out of here." I commented as I picked up the Rookie and swung her over my shoulder.
We continued towards the palace with increased pace throughout the early streets.
As we approach the building things start to look more normal actually. The guards are posted where I expected them to be and little looked out of place.
I was starting to think that this strange madness was just some kind of quirk of their society and the squad played a prank on me.
Then we saw her, the Queen, standing there battle ready and in full military attire. "Visitors!" she shouted. "What business do you have with the great kind Octavio!"
"Ok, this is as far as I will go." I said to Hina. "What the hell is going on here, I know for a fact that the Queen hates Octavio."As I turned to Hina she and the rest of the squad only answered in shocked expressions. "I mean that was a thing right?" I asked trying to reaffirm my knowledge.
"Allll, Hailllll, Kiiiing, Octaviooo..." The rookie sang out from where she was on my back.
"Ok, this is getting creepy on so many levels, I am out of here!" I announced when I started to walk back.
"I…" For the first time I heard hesitation in Inki's voice. "I am behind you. Let move!" The last part was directed to the whole squad.
"You behave strange visitors. Do you not wish to stay and talk to the King?" This sickly sweet voice sounded utterly wrong on the Queen and only made me move my legs faster which forced the others to run. "You are strange, in fact, you are to strange..." I did not like that at all. "Get them!" by now I was at full sprint, the squad was ink diving and the ink started to fly around us, I picked the rookie from my back and hugged her to my chest to shield her.
As we charged out of the plaza and to the nearest exit the assault nearly doubled.
Just as we were about to leave I saw them putting the finishing touches on a makeshift barrier. Looking it over it didn't look very stable and while the Octarians had a little trouble putting the pieces in place I suspected I would have little trouble with it.
I had no think further on my theory and decided to try a head on approach, I picked up speed and shoulder checked the blockade.
It gave in, I still felt a sting on my shoulder but damn that was satisfying. I felt like the Hulk, or Juggernaut.
Around me the others just slipped through the gaps while shooting at a few other Octolings here and there. The fact that they didn't die when they exploded didn't make me feel better as metal as it sounded.
I was a bit jealous at how nimble they were, not having to stubble about in the rest of the barricade made them pull ahead a bit but we still reached the door more or less together.
I didn't have to stop as they opened the door ahead of me and we continued our mad dash until we weren't secure in the room of the base.
"What the SPLAT is going on here!" Hina shouted beside me.