Chosen One's Sidekick

Chapter 8

“What’s happening?” Monzo asked in shock.

“The ship suddenly stopped, Captain!” shouted Tiru from the steering wheel.

Monzo quickly looked up at the sails, but they were still full of wind. He could feel the breeze himself. He ran to the edge of the ship and looked down into the ocean, but saw nothing.

“Investigate what’s going on!” he ordered loudly.

“Jaune, are you okay?” Destine hurried over to help her twin, who had fallen face-first onto the deck. Jaune hadn’t grabbed onto anything in time and had slammed into the floor.

“What just happened? Did the ship seriously brake like a bus?” she asked, confused, as she stood.

“It’s like what you said is already happening,” Destine replied.

Jaune’s eyes widened. “Cliché,” was all she said.

They were interrupted by chaos among the crew. The ship wasn’t moving—as if something was holding it back.

“Monzo, what’s going on?” Destine asked, watching him peer over the edge.

“I don’t know. You two should go to your cabin, Destine. This doesn’t look good,” he replied without looking back.

“He said we should hide,” Jaune tugged her sister’s arm, but Destine didn’t budge. “Destine!”

“I have to help, Jaune.”

“What are you saying? You know it’s dangerous right now. You’ll be the first one to get hurt. It’s better to hide. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Then you hide for now. I’m not abandoning them.”

“Destine!” Jaune shouted after her as she ran to assist the crew. She shook her head in frustration. “She’s really doing it. This is exactly how heroines end up in trouble. I don’t want her to get hurt. I’m just a sidekick.” Jaune ran off and locked herself in their room.

She jumped into bed, covered herself with a blanket, and began to pray.

“This place is beautiful, but I don’t want to get involved. There’s way too much chaos here. Please, let me not be the sidekick that has to die.”

Meanwhile, Destine peered over the side of the ship. Something really was holding it back. It couldn’t have just stopped like that—not with the sails full and the wind strong.

Monzo’s crew lowered small boats into the water to investigate beneath the ship. Destine watched two men row out, one of whom jumped into the sea and disappeared underwater for a moment. When he resurfaced, he was clearly panicked and terrified.

“What did you see?” Monzo asked.

“Captain, it’s a gigantic octopus holding the ship in place!”

The crew gasped, and Destine froze at the news.

“Everyone move! Get the harpoons ready!” Monzo shouted. Chaos erupted as the crew scrambled to grab weapons.

Harpoons were tossed to the men in the boats, who caught them quickly. One man dove into the water, aiming his harpoon below. Moments later, they released their shots—but to everyone’s horror, one of the harpoons was caught midair by a huge tentacle and thrown away like a twig.

Tentacles began rising from below, slithering over the edges of the ship.

“Ready the cannons!” Monzo ordered.

The crew rushed to their positions.

Destine grabbed a spear she saw lying nearby, only to freeze as a massive tentacle slithered toward her. She struck it, causing it to thrash violently, making the others below the deck go wild.

Arrows fired, cannons roared, and shouts rang out as crew members were caught and tossed by the enormous limbs. The tentacles crept across every part of the ship.

“We need to drive them back!” shouted Tiru.

“Destine, what are you doing?” Monzo yelled when he saw her with a bow.

“I’m not going to stand by and do nothing, Monzo! I’m helping,” she said firmly.

He scanned the area. “Where’s your sister? Where’s Jaune?”

“She doesn’t need to be part of this. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“But isn’t she your guide? She predicted this would happen and she might even know how to drive the creature away. Call her!”

“Monzo,” she stopped him. “My twin is just a normal person. She’s not a guide or a seer. She’s not predicting anything. She just talks about things she’s seen in our world. That doesn’t mean they’re all going to happen here.”

Monzo shook his head in disbelief.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to make that octopus leave.” She shot another arrow, piercing a tentacle that had been reaching for Monzo. “We’re turning this squid into sushi!”

~~

Jaune gasped loudly when she heard the gunfire outside her cabin. The sounds of shouting men only made her more anxious.

“What’s happening?” she muttered, throwing off the blanket and looking around. Nothing inside seemed out of place, but the noise outside was unmistakable. “Oh, Destine...” she whispered.

She glanced at the closed window—only to scream as a massive tentacle suddenly slithered across it. Its suckers pressed firmly against the glass, and Jaune let out several high-pitched screams.

“A Kraken!” she cried, backing up until she was pressed against the headboard. Her eyes were locked on the tentacle sliding past the window. “It’s impossible to defeat a Kraken, Destine!” she shouted. “You shouldn’t be helping the men right now. I know you’re the main character and the only one who can defeat it—but the ship has to be destroyed first before a Kraken can be beaten. That’s how it always goes!”

—

Destine swiftly loaded bolts into a large crossbow and fired at the enormous octopus tentacles gripping the ship. Each bolt tore into the flesh, causing the limbs to flinch and retreat beneath the waves—only to resurface again moments later.

“Destine, be careful!” Monzo yelled over the chaos.

Destine gave him a quick nod. She then aimed at another tentacle wrapped around one of the crew and fired. Running out of bolts, she hurled the crossbow aside and grabbed a sword lying nearby. Just as another slimy appendage surged toward her, she slashed at it—slicing it clean through. The tentacle spasmed like a severed worm and dropped away.

~~~

Jaune flinched again in shock when she heard a loud explosion. She shook her head, frustrated.

“Destine, even if you’re helping right now... you shouldn’t stay out there too long. Main characters always end up in the most danger. What if one of those tentacles grabs you? You’ll be in real trouble.” She couldn’t help but pray as the thought crossed her mind. “There’s no way you’ll survive this—unless a miracle happens. Unless someone unexpected helps you. That’s the only way this ship is going to be saved.”

She exhaled sharply, bracing herself. But before she could gather her thoughts, glass suddenly shattered. Jaune screamed loudly as a giant tentacle burst into the room.

“Destine!” she cried.

She jumped off the bed and rushed to the door, but before she could escape, the slimy tentacle coiled around her body. Jaune screamed and thrashed wildly.

She grabbed onto a post to keep herself from being pulled out, but her grip slipped—and the tentacle dragged her out of the cabin.

She could see the ship, the battle, and the chaos as the crew fought the raging beast. “Destine! Help me!” she shouted at her twin.

Destine looked up—and her eyes widened in horror when she saw Jaune. “Jaune!” She was about to leap forward, but Monzo quickly held her back.

“You can’t jump, Destine!”

“Let me go, Monzo! I have to save my sister!” she struggled in his grip, trying to break free.

But the tentacle dragged Jaune down into the depths of the ocean.

She had no choice but to hold her breath. Her eyes went wide in terror when she saw the massive Kraken clinging to the bottom of the ship.

The shock made her inhale water, and she panicked. She thrashed even harder, struggling to get free—but the tentacle only pulled her closer to the creature. She watched in horror as the Kraken turned to her, its round mouth opening to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth.

At that moment, Jaune thought she might die. She screamed silently underwater and prayed with all her might for a miracle.

Before she could even register being swallowed, everything went dark—and she lost consciousness.