Terror of the Deep [Episode]

Episode:

Storms had never really bothered Anton in the past. That was, before he joined the marines. Really, when it was thundering outside, Anton was always inside, nice and warm, and ready to greet visitors into the family inn. But now, here he was, on a marine ship during a storm, and it was proving to be one of the most tense experiences in his life. It certainly didn't help that he was a Devil Fruit user. If the ship tipped over, Anton was sinking straight to the bottom of the sea. The very thought caused Anton's stomach to turn, something that wasn't helped by the rocking of the ship.

Celia watched as Anton slumped on his desk, groaning. The smaller woman sighed, reaching into her jacket and pulling out what appeared to be a small bottle of pills. A gift from the ship's doctor. "Here, take one of these. It'll help settle your stomach." "Thank you..." Anton groaned, dropping the pill into a glass of water and gulped it down. He then slumped back into position, waiting for the medicine to take effect.

"You know, if you're to really go far in this career, you need to get over your seasickness." Celia stated as a matter of fact. Anton groaned. "I don't want to go far in this career, and you can't make me..." Ok, that was a lie. It was very easy to make him. Just right now, his sickness was overriding his fear and obedience. Celia sighed. He really did have the potential to become a great and powerful marine, just like his older brother. He just needed to get over those hangups of his. Had basic training been that bad for him?

Suddenly the ship rocked violently, almost knocking Celia over, and throwing Anton out of his seat and onto the floor. "Gah! What the hell!?" Anton screeched out. Celia rose to her feet. "Looks like something's going to make you. Now come on!" She turned and ran for the door to the cabin.

Anton was tempted to just lay there. He was feeling sick. He wasn't fit for duty. Nobody could blame him.

Oh who was he kidding. They would so blame him. With a sad groan, he pulled himself to his feet and followed Celia out of the room.

As the pair of them made their way up to the deck, the sounds of shouting could be heard. And it didn't sound like a regular storm. There was the clashing of metal, and what appeared to be the sound of pain. Was there a fight going on? Had pirates attacked the ship? There hadn't been any cannon fire, and when the ship rocked, it didn't feel like they had been rammed. Even in a storm like this, a pirate ship wouldn't have been able to sneak up on them so easily.

As they burst through the door, out onto the deck, the pair of them paused. Their eyes widening. What they saw out there was, well, horrifying.

It was massive, big enough that its sheer size was causing the ship to rock. Not a giant, by still pretty close. The darkness made the figure appear black, with numerous spines coming off of his body. The only clothing he seemed to wear was a pair of dark slacks, with more spines jutting through the cloth. On its head, Anton could see one red eye, the darkness preventing him from seeing the second, closed eye. In its large hand was a great cleaver, which it was using to smack around the marines on the deck like flies.

Anton was the first to speak. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!?" At his shriek, the massive, spined giant turned, his red eyes glaring right at him. Celia's eyes widened as she took a step back. "I-I don't know what, but if we don't do something, he's going to wreck the entire ship." Anton turned to Celia, clearly panicking. his seasickness was all forgotten. "Then we need to get out of here! Abandon ship!" Celia glared at him. "And where are we going to run to? I'm pretty sure that thing is a fishman. If we try anything, he'll just chase us down!" Really, what else could it be? How else could something of that size just appear in the middle of the ocean. "Anton, I know you're scared, but if you don't do something, we're all going under. You're the strongest here!"

He really wished she wasn't right. He wished there had been someone stronger on board. But the truth was, there was nobody else. It was all on him. He hated it, but that was the case.

Slowly, sword in hand, trying not to tremble with fear, Anton approached the gigantic horror.

Boss:

Anton La'croix uses
B Flat - AoE at Dep
UT at Dep

Dep Horra uses
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
Lt at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 5, 12

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 3, 15, 18, 1

Anton gulped nervously as he approached the massive beast before him. The dark, spike covered giant let out a low growl, stomping towards him, cleaver in hand. Each step caused the ship to rock, making Anton's stops uneasy. Before the two even met, Dep Horra let out a loud roar and lept towards Anton, cleaver risen high into the air. Anton let out a yelp, bracing himself. As the cleaver came down, Anton shot upwards. The blow struck the wooden floor, missing Anton as the marine, now shifted into his hybrid form, twisted in the air. (Brutal Cleave - MT - miss). With his legs vibrating, Anton shot down towards the giant. He was a pretty big target. He couldn't miss really.

And miss he did not. His foot came down hard on the giant's arms, and there was almost a small shockwave that ran through his arm. Dep let out a loud growl of fury, stumbling back. Through the spines, Anton could see some blood. Not exactly a crippling blow, but the beast certainly felt it. (B-Flat - AoE - hit).

With a growl of fury, Dep surged himself forward, slamming his entire body against the marine. From where he was, Anton couldn't do anything to avoid the attack, letting out a cry of pain as the spines jammed into his exoskeleton (Impale Tackle - LT - hit). Before Anton could push himself away, Dep reached out and seized him in a mighty fist, and threw him hard across the deck, sending him crashing into a wall. The wood splintered, threatening to break under the impact. (giant Throw - LT - hit)

Anton groaned, trying to shake the stars out of his eyes. He returned to his senses just in time to see Dep charging at him, cleaver raised high. Anton let out a yelp and lept forward, the massive blade crashing into the wood, but missing the grasshopper. Moving forward, Anton shot through the giant's legs, his blade catching him in the leg. (Dep's UT - miss) (Anton's UT - hit)

Anton landed on his feet, panting. This giant hit like a truck. But it wasn't entirely hopeless. Anton was faster. And the giant could be hurt.

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
Sonic Cannon - HT at Dep
UT at Dep

Dep Horra uses
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
UT at Anton

Edit: Wrong profile.

The member 'Victor Abio' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 11, 16

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 3, 4, 6, 19

Those hits had hurt, but Anton was still going relatively strong. More importantly, he noticed that the giant's movements were going a bit slow.  That last blow he had landed on him had certainly effected him. And it seemed the giant hadn't been expecting it either.

Dep reared back his head and let out a bestial roar, before suddenly spinning around and launching himself into the air, full intent on body slamming Anton. the grasshopper marine let out a yelp before suddenly leaping underneath him, causing the giant fishman to land straight onto the deck. The impact rocked the ship violently, causing numerous marines to cry out and grab onto something for security. Anton however stumbled, ending up tumbling over and landing flat on his back. (Body Impact - MT - miss).

Anton groaned, blinking and looking up, just in time to see Dep rear up and raise his cleaver above. Anton let out a cry as the monstrous fishman swung downward. Anton stuck his legs out in front of him."Sonic Cannon!" The blast of compressed air hit the cleaver dead on, causing the weapon to jerk back. Dep let out a cry of shock, stumbling back and falling onto his ear, as the force of the blast rocketted Anton back. He quickly flipped backwards, landing back on his feet. (Beheading - LT - miss) (Sonic Cannon - HT - hit).

Anton suddenly lept into the air, shooting straight for Dep. The spike covered fishman quickly recovered, his red eye almost glowing in the dark as he growled and swung a punch at Anton. Anton flipped over the attack, driving his sword down and stabbing Dep right in the wrist. (Giant Punch - LT - miss) (Anton's UT - hit). Dep let out a roar, more of anger than anything, before swatting at Anton with his free arm, catching the marine and sending him crashing to the floor. a solid hit, but nothing compared to his more painful strikes. (Dep's UT - hit).

Anton quickly flipped back onto his feet. He was scared, there was no doubt about it. But he had been successfully hitting this thing over and over again. Just how much punishment could it take? And can Anton last that long?

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
Insect Launch - HT at Dep
UT at Dep

Dep Horra uses
HT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 4, 2

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 13, 11

Dep Horra seethed in anger. Normally, when the massive giant had attacked ships in the past, they had gone down relatively easily. He would bat them aside like their insects, and then sink their ship with little effort. But this time. This time one little, screaming insect was proving increasingly difficult to swat. More aggravating, was that the bug in question was actually able to hut him! His body was starting to ache from the blows he had endured, and he had even made him bleed his own blood! This was too big a slight to ignore!

Dep let out a bellowing roar, causing everything to shake around him. Turning to glare down at Anton, the giant slowly raised his cleaver high above his head. The marine's eyes widened. He sword he could see something swirling around the blade. As the massive blade came down, Anton lept to the side, the cleaver coming down onto the deck hard. Anton watched in horror as a massive crack travelling along the length of the ship. He could hear the wood splintering all around. If that massive giant kept this up, he'd end up destroying the entire ship! (Ship Breaker - HT - miss) More than ever, Anton needed to beat this monster and do it quickly. Before Dep could pull back, Anton shot up at him at high speed, twisting in the air and delivering a sharp kick right to the giant's face. Dep let out a roar of pain as he stumbled the black, the blow even knocking some teeth loose. (Insect Launch - HT - hit)

Snarling in race, Dep swung out with a fist, trying to catch the bouncing insect. However, it proved to be in vein, as Anton flipped over the attack, slicing at his wrist on the way past. (Dep's UT - miss) (Anton's UT - hit)

Meanwhile, down below, things had exploded into chaos. The massive cracks caused by Dep's attack was causing water to start flooding onto the ship. Crewmen were running around frantically, trying to get the water out. At the same time, Celia made a dash for the office. There was a Den Den Mushi in there, in case of emergencies.

Reaching for the snail, Celia spoke into it frantically. "Any marine vessels in the area, we're under attack! Our ship's taking on water! Any marine vessels in the area, please send help immediately!"

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
C-Sharp - AoE at Dep
UT at Dep

Dep Horra uses
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 5, 3

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 11, 11, 14, 5

Anton could hear the ship creaking, the wood splintering, and through the chaos of the storm, could hear the shouts coming from down below. That last attack had done a lot of damage to the ship. It wouldn't matter if Anton beat this monster or not if they all ended up drowning anyway. They needed to repair the ship, to stop the damages. But they couldn't do that with this big monster trying to destroy the ship! And it seemed like Dep had the same idea, as he prepared to bring his arms up to strike down at the ship.

Anton shot forward, closing in on the giant. As he got close to the giant's leg, the grasshopper began to tremble. The air around him began to tremble. The wooden planks beneath him creaked and groaned, some of them splintering. And most importantly, the vibrations shot up Dep's leg and into the body of the giant itself. Pain shot through him, as Dep let out a confused growl of pain, his attack forgotten. (Demon Slam - MT - miss) (Trembling Din - AoE - hit)

Dep almost stumbled off of the ship, before catching himself and staring balefully at Anton. The giant let out a roar of fury, swinging a fist at Anton to try and punch him. Anton lept up onto the fist, before shooting up towards Dep's face. (Giant Fist - LT - miss) Closing in on the giant's face, Anton swung his blade, trying to catch him across the face. Dep managed to turn his head to the side, only catching the blow in the cheek. (Anton's UT - hit). Dep let out a furious roar, trying to grab at Anton, but failing as the nimble marine ducked out of the way. (Giant's Throw - LT - miss) With frustration mounting, he swung a fist, trying to smack him to the floor. No such luck either. (Dep's UT - miss)

Anton needed to keep the giant occupied. He couldn't risk any more damage to the ship. He could see that their vessel was having difficulty keeping together as is. Below deck, the marines were scrambling to try and patch up any holes that they could.

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
C- Sharp - Aoe at Dep
UT at Dep

Dep Horra uses
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 6, 10

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 1, 3, 3, 19

This should not be happening. How was this happening? Dep was panting heavily now. He could feel blood oozing between his spikes, and it wasn't the marine's. His body was aching, all the damage starting to build up. This was just some insignificant bug! Dep through back his head and let out a roar of fury. If this damn insect refused to be squashed, then he'd bring down the whole ship around them!

With a roar of fury, Dep launched himself towards Anton. As the grasshopper marine lept to the side to avoid the attack, Anton realized to his horror that the giant had aimed himself towards the mast. Dep's massive body crashed into it, causing the wooden shaft to crack and break. He could only watch as the mast began to tip, crashing into the ocean. (Body Impact - MT - miss)

This was bad. Very bad! Dep was now focusing on destroying the ship. Anton had to end this, and end this quickly. As Dep raised up his cleaver and drove it deep into the damaged wood, Anton charged towards him, leaping into the air right at Dep's face. (Beheading - LT - miss). Closing in on the giant's face, Anton quickly rubbed his legs together, producing a piercing shriek. Dep let out a booming roar, his hands coming up to his head, which was throbbing in pain. (C-sharp - AoE - hit).

Dep's attention was shifted back to Anton, the giant bristling with fury. With a booming shout, he surged forward, trying to hit the marine out of the air. Anton quickly shifted his position, rolling along the giant's back as his body surged underneath him. His blade sliced along Dep's back, earning a growl of pain from the giant. (Impale Tackle - LT - miss) (Anton's UT - hit).

Dep was absolutely done with this. He wasn't going to give the grasshopper a chance to jump away. Spinning in place, he brought his fist up, catching Anton from below, launching him skyward as the giant fell onto his back. (Dep's UT - hit)

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
Grand Strike - HT at Dep
UT at Dep

Dep Horra uses
AoE at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 11, 11

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 5, 4

Up in the air, Anton could see the full extent of the damage done to the ship. The ship looked like it was barely being held together. And below him, that massive giant was rising to his feet, his one red eye looking straight up at him. This was it. Anton had no direction to go but down, and the giant fishman was waiting for him. Dep was getting ready to destroy this infuriating insect, along with the rest of the ship. If Anton didn't end this fight now, than they were all going to die.

Dep inhaled a deep breath. His massive form began to tremble. He was building up to something. Something big. As he did so, and Anton started to fall, he drew his blade.

Dep threw his head back and let out a bellowing roar. The air around him seemed to ripple from a shockwave, and the ship beneath him seemed to explode. Timber and splinters flying as beneath him, the damaged ship finally split apart. The shockwave rippled upwards, engulfing Anton as he fell.

As someone who utilized shock waves, Anton was pretty used to it. As such, when he came down, Anton came down screaming, sword held high above his head. Dep's remaining eye widened at the sight. He had expected that attack to completely destroy him. Why was he still coming down at him!?

Dep didn't get time to think as the sword struck him.

The blade shot down the whole length of the giant's body. Anton was like a bladed missile, slashing him from top to bottom.

And then, Anton fell through the whole formed in the ship, crashing into the water below. He would be followed shortly after by the falling form of Dep Horra.

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Water. The last time Anton had been in water like this, it was back in basic training. After he had been mistakenly fed his devil fruit. He had almost died that day, his body locking up in the water and almost drowning him. It was only due to the quick response by his commander that Anton was saved. And then his training had gotten even worse. With the revelation that he had a devil fruit, they had decided to put him through harsher training, make him stronger than the normal marine.

And now, here he was, back in the water. He could see Dep's unconscious, bleeding form sinking alongside him. He couldn't move a muscle. Everything had been locked up. Was this how he was going to end? Sinking along with the ship in a terrible storm? Oddly enough, Anton could actually see that. During his time in the marines, he thought of numerous ways of how he would die. Still, the giant fishman was something new.

And then, something grabbed him. Something gripped him by the shoulders and he started to move upwards. Someone was pulling him up! Anton couldn't turn his head to look at his savior, but someone was definitely trying to save him from a watery grave.

When he broke the surface, he let out a gasp for air. He had almost forgotten that he needed to breath. Finally able to look around, he saw that one of the marines on the ship had dived in the save him. The ship was in two pieces, barely kept afloat. Numerous marines were in the water, trying to scramble back onto the ruined ship. He could see Celia sitting on the edge, waving the marine over to drag Anton towards her. Multiple hands reached down and pulled the coughing Anton out of the water.

"Anton! Are you alright!?" her face was nothing but pure worry. Anton coughed up some more water before flopping on the wet floor. "Remind me never to go swimming ever again," he groaned. Celia looked out over the water. "And that monster?" Anton slowly turned his head to look up at her. "This might sound crazy...but I think I beat him." Celia blinked and then gave him a smile. "I knew you could do it," she said softly.

At that point, shouting could be hear from the other side of the ship. All eyes turned to the marines, who were looking off into the distance. Anton needed to be propped up, as through the wreckage he could see some familiar white sails.

A marine ship was approaching them.

"So, let me see if I've got this correct," The captain spoke, looking between Celia and Anton, the latter of whom was laying in a bed in the ship's sickbay, "You were all attacked by a giant fishman, whom reports have stated has been sinking ships in this region for some time now." "Yes, that's right." Celia replied in all seriousness. Anton, meanwhile, remained quiet. The captain looked over at Anton. "And you're telling me...HE beat it?" Oh, there was no denying that tone. That was the tone of someone not believing what they were hearing. Celia's expression went flat. "Captain, I can assure you that was indeed what happened. All the surviving members of the crew can vouch for him."

The captain blinked and looked over to the ship's doctor for help. The doctor shrugged. "Well, from what I can see, he has some bruising and the like, but nothing too serious. Honestly, you'd think a monster like that would have harmed the guy more if they fought." A haughty expression appeared on Celia's face. "Well, Anton's tougher than you all give him credit for. He was even willing to sacrifice himself in order to bring that monster down. And it barely left a scratch on him." Anton's eyes widened as he looked over at Celia. What the smaller marine wasn't telling them was that him falling in the water was entirely by accident, and that the giant was so slow he could barely touch him.

The captain looked over at Anton, still trying to process it all, but seeming a little convinced. "Well, guess there's more to you than I gave you credit for. I'm sure HQ would like to hear about this. In the meantime, I'll let you rest up." He gave Anton a smile as he rose to his feet and left the sickbay. Anton turned his head to Celia. "Celia..." Celia looked down at Anton, seeing his worried face and tried to give him a reassuring smile. "Everything will be fine Anton," she said, leaning in, "Heck, after all this, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a promotion coming your way."

Anton let out a small groan. For someone who didn't want to be in the marines in the first place, a promotion was the last thing he wanted.

[End]