Private How to Kill a Sea Monster

[Ishani Dinn]

Dr. Vancil walked through the war camp, scribbling down notes on his datapad. In his neat gray suit and tie, he looked incredibly out of place among the natives hard at work preparing for battle.

He nearly tripped over a wooden stake embedded in the ground—a mistake which could’ve caused the tent it was holding up to collapse, though luckily it was firmly set in the dirt. Righting himself, he glanced toward the tent belonging to Mrs. Rhiannon Dinn, his current patient.

It was located near a tall cliff overlooking the ocean. With the sun setting over the sea, it provided a lovely, serene view of the horizon—if not for the shrieks of the giant sea monster lurking in the caves below, hungry for blood. These roars were so loud and so bloodcurdling, Dr. Vancil didn't even dare peek over the edge to catch a glimpse of what the beast looked like.

Apparently Mrs. Dinn intended to slay this monster, whom the people of the nearby city worshiped as a god. Dr. Vancil had no idea how she intended to do this, and the whole operation struck him as rather brash. Reaching into his pocket, he felt the small polished stone which Mrs. Dinn’s husband had given him. If he rubbed it a certain number of times, it would allow him to contact the red-haired sorcerer from anywhere in the galaxy.

Well, it seemed that now was the perfect time to use it, before things got too far out of hand. He stroked his thumb along the smooth surface a few times. Nothing happened. He tried it again…

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Arcturus appeared quite suddenly a few feet from the man (or more aptly, the stone in his hand). He looked ragged, brows creased with concern, and that left Arc worried himself. "What is it, where is she?" he asked, covering the space between them swiftly. It didn't take him long to realize that they were in the middle of an encampment. "What--" Turning full circle, he glared at the various tents and signs of war, then narrowed his eyes further at the Psychiatrist.​

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"Why wasn't I sent for sooner? Chaos, Vancil! You didn't think this was something I needed to be warned about?"​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Dr. Vancil’s bushy gray eyebrows rose when Arcturus suddenly appeared a few feet away, but otherwise he didn’t seem all that surprised. He was quite used to crazy things happening by now.

“To be honest, Mr. Dinn, I figured going on a crusade was normal behavior for a woman whose listed occupation is ‘goddess’,” he replied. “She asked me not to contact you, and since she is my patient, I owe her a certain amount of confidentiality anyway. However, given certain recent developments, I must inform you of what is happening—”

He was interrupted by the roar of the sea monster below. Waiting for the howling to abate, he resumed speaking only when it fell silent again.

“Mrs. Dinn is in there,” he said, gesturing to Rhiannon’s tent. “She and your son Forrest have been killing slavers for the past week. They quarreled briefly with two individuals by the name of…” He checked his notes. “Darien Cordel and Theryn Hearthfire, but that matter was resolved. Now she intends to kill that creature below the cliffs and eat its heart. Er, and she also informed me this morning that she is pregnant.” No doubt a calculated announcement on her part. "It seems to me that things have gotten out of hand."

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Arcturus sort of just stared at the man, as though it was he who was the sea monster - perhaps one sporting three or four heads even. They'd quarreled with Darien and Theryn, gone on some mad crusade through the desert, and now were hoping to--​

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"Pregnant?"​

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Slipping past the psychiatrist before he could clarify anything, or before Arc could pry further, he hurried into the tent. What madness had gotten into her? If she knew herself to be pregnant, why the kark was she still here?​

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"Rhiannon, I---"​

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To say that he wasn't expecting her to be bathing would be an understatement.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

It was a hot bath. The heat had turned her cheeks rosy and loosened up her tired muscles. She relaxed in the tub, soaking in water cloudy with soap.

When Arcturus ran into her tent, she just looked at him. "Oh, you're back," she said, as if it were a casual observation warranting only mild surprise. But then she smiled. "I missed you."

Oh, she had planned to be a lot harsher. But the moment she saw him, her sternness and anger melted away. She just wanted him and the kids to come home again.

Lifting an arm out of the water, she started to reach toward him, but hesitated. No, she couldn't be this soft. "I told Dr. Vancil because I knew he'd tell you," she said, her smile turning a touch crafty as her resolve hardened. "I wanted you to be here to see this and everything else I've done, all the progress we've made." She seized his hand, droplets of water transferring on contact. "I've discovered a new hobby. I love to go on holy crusade, killing slavers and reuniting families. Forrest and I have purified the desert. Your desert, darling."

Arcturus Dinn

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Rhiannon sounded simultaneously surprised and unsurprised by his abrupt arrival in her tent. He too had intended to come in here a little angrier than usual, if only to try and put some sense into her, but seeing her so rosy and bright with child he could hardly find the words forming upon his lips.​

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Steps were taken to her side, and therein he knelt beside the bathtub.​

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"I missed you too, love," he said, before he listened to her explanation. His eyes hardened a touch, before his brow softened into a tender frown. ​

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"You shouldn't be out here right now, my busy bee" he whispered, as he took the offered hand and gave it a gentle kiss. "There's a baby growing in you, I don't care about reuniting families if it means potentially tearing ours apart."​

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His free hand reached out, gently dipping into the water to touch her swollen stomach. It was then that he felt it, three pinpricks in the Force, and he gasped. "Three..?" Triplets? His heart thudded even faster. ​

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"Sweetheart, please... please come home. Multiple pregnancies are risky enough as it is. I appreciate the gift, I love the sentiment, ridding this place of slavers is more than I could ever ask for, but let others finish up here. Trust Forrest to work in your stead. Please, beloved..."​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"Oh, I haven't been fighting much, my lord," Rhi said. "I manage the crusade, make sure we have enough supplies and troops, and serve as a diplomat to every non-slaver settlement we find. Someone has to make sure Forrest doesn't kill everyone in his path."

There was a catharsis to it, too. One that spoke to a need to see families reunited in a way which the pieces of her soul could not be, though she didn't speak of that. She didn't want to make him feel any more guilty right now. If she played her cards right, they would all be together again soon.

Rhi followed the path of Arc's hand with her eyes as he dipped it into the water to touch her belly. She wasn't very far along, but three babies, even at such an early stage, took up a lot of space altogether. The look on his face when he realized they were having triplets was priceless. "Oh yes. The seed is strong." She suddenly laughed, threw her wet arms around him and pressed her lips to his in a hungry kiss. "Don't worry, the latest batch of Dinns are quite safe. I've been feeding them well too."

He urged her to come home and let Forrest finish the campaign. She tutted in sympathy, studying him. What a stubborn, splendid, adorable fool he could be at times. They were a truly evil pair, killing and devouring and playing at godhood, yet he had insisted she speak to a psychologist after she dared to choke a brat. What had he hoped to accomplish? He was just as fucked up as she was. Perhaps even more so, the poor man. She’d like to see what dark twisted secrets of Arcturus’ psyche would be dragged screaming into the light during a therapy session or two with Dr. Vancil…

"I will go home as soon as we kill this sea monster," she assured him. "I already have a plan on how to do it. We'll use a sacrifice as bait to draw her out, then slay her. Now that you're here, my beautiful God of Death, why don't you help us kill her? The quicker she's slain, the sooner we'll be home..."

Her fingers tugged on the back of his shirt. "But for now, you're all travel-worn. Why don't you join me? I'll wash your hair for you." The tub was big enough for two, and the water was still warm. A week without Arcturus was like a week without water to drink. And Rhiannon had been traveling through the desert the whole time…

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"My Lord..?" Arcturus' brows creased in discomfort at the way in which she'd said that, and he shook his head though didn't address it further than that. No, there was far too much being said to get hung up on silly titles that likely meant nothing. ​

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"Someone, sure, but does it have to be you?" ​

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The seed was most definitely strong, wasn't it? He couldn't comment on it before her arms were around his neck and she was hungrily kissing him as though she needed it to breathe. He found himself fast caught up in it, though, one hand traveled up through her hair and the other snaked to her back as he deepened the kiss.​

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"Chaos, I missed you" he breathed, "Life away from you is hardly worth living at all."​

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It was then declared that she would not leave with him until the sea monster down below had been tended to. With such in mind, he was soon rising back up to his full height, turning toward the entrance to the tent. "Then let's go-- oh." Rhi's hand was wrapped in his shirt, and her words were certainly alluring. ​

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She'd wash his hair? When was the last time someone had done that for him?​

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"You promise once the monster's slain, we can go home?" he asked, as he turned back to face her and knelt down by the tub again. "The children miss their mother, and I miss my wife." Perhaps they needed a few minutes together, enveloped in the warmth of the water.​

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"Can I wash your hair too?" he asked, already loosening his boots. Bathe, prepare for battle, and see the deed done. Then they could work on being a complete family again.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"My Lord..?"

“You’ve called me your lady and your goddess.” She smiled at him. “Can’t I also call you my lord and my god?”

"Someone, sure, but does it have to be you?"

“There aren’t many other adult gods around to do it,” she pointed out. “Chernsemie is ill-suited to this sort of thing, Darien hates people by his own admission, and he refuses to let Theryn out of his sight. In fact, they were both hostile to us when our armies passed near Mercuitie. I was able to assuage the situation, but Theryn still wound up dueling Forrest.” She spoke as if she found the situation amusing; evidently there was no great loss of life or limb involved. Or at least, not from anyone she cared about.

Arcturus melted in her arms, greedily kissing her back. And like always, the pain and hurt of separation dissolved in the heat of their embrace. Two halves reforming into a whole again.

When he pulled away from her, breathing out a declaration of love, she smirked and leaned back in the water. But she licked her lips, still longing for the taste of him, and finally whispered, “I missed you too. I want all this to be over just as much as you do. But there’s still work to be done, and I won’t leave it unfinished.”

"You promise once the monster's slain, we can go home?"

She nodded, still smiling and looking up at him as if he were the only person that existed in the entire universe. “We will go home.”

"Can I wash your hair too?"

Her smile widened. She had won. “If you like,” she replied. Once he was undressed and in the water, she slid into his lap, a small bottle in her hand. When she uncorked it, the fragrance of the contents filled the air. It was shampoo with a light, pleasant scent reminiscent of incense, Zaathrian flowers and spices. “I made this myself,” she said, before dumping the contents on his head and beginning to work it into his hair with her fingers. “I hope you like it...”

---

Word traveled fast through the camp that Arcturus had returned. By the time he and Rhiannon were ready to go, both the Shaal and the Zaathri had gathered around the entrance, waiting for them. Tens of thousands of soldiers, many of them recently freed slaves who had joined the army, cheered at the sight of the couple emerging from the tent hand in hand. Their voices drowned out the roaring of the sea monster below.

The cheering seemed to go on forever—or rather, it resolved itself into melody. They were singing a battle hymn to Desdinova. Through the Force Rhi was able to understand the words, and to her surprise she found it quite moving. When the psalm was finished, she wiped her eyes and raised her arm, holding up Arc’s hand in hers. “The God of the Underworld himself has returned to help us,” she confirmed.

More cheering, though she quickly put a stop to it with a wave of her hand. “To the people of the city of Nacria who fear the loss of their patron deity’s protection, know that I have already conceived the true Goddess of the Sea." She touched her stomach. "Thalassa incarnate grows in me now. We will feed this false god’s heart to her before nightfall!”

The crowd went wild, rushing forward to grab their weapons and assume their positions along the cliffs. A rope and pulley system began to lower the sacrificial bait down toward the sea monster—it was none other than Dr. Vancil, who did not look very happy about being in this situation.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

She certainly had a point, didn't she? Why couldn't she use similar honorifics? All of that was fast drowned out by what came next: if not her, then who? Arcturus pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration when it was mentioned how Theryn and Forrest had clashed, no doubt he'd never hear the end of that. Darien was probably angry with him again, but he had needed to see Zachariah off. It would have been wrong of him not to.​

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He'd deal with that later. Once the beast was dealt with. He reckoned he had a lot to deal with then.​

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Soon he was sat before her in the tub, having pleasantly fragranced shampoo massaged into his scalp. His hair was getting longer, ragged even, he needed a good haircut and a shave but worrying about that now would only extend the time that their family was apart and matters weren't properly tended to so he left it as it was and simply moved to reciprocate the act of care.​

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Together with his wife he stepped out of the tent, dressed in Godly splendour, to the awaiting mass of men and women who rejoiced to see them together hand in hand.​

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Rhi took charge once the crowd had finally settled, though in the back of his mind he couldn't help but feel the pressure to step up himself.​

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In fact, he was about to speak when he saw who exactly it was that was suspended in the cage. The psychiatrist. He had been expensive, heralded as one of the best... And yet look at the pure chaos which had happened under his watch. Rhiannon had meant to be remaining in her Holy City while he was away. This was not the Holy City.​

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He had not reached out when Rhi had left, when she had decided to go on a crusade, when she'd come to a stop at Mercuitie, and allowed Forrest and Theryn to fight as though they weren't divine beings. Arcturus looked upon the man and all he saw was failure.​

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If the beast down below did not kill him, then he'd soon fall to Arcturus' own hand. Of this he was certain.​

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"I want one from each group of freed slaves set before me now," he called out, "As well as Nacria's strongest warrior. We will tackle this monster united. There has been too much discord among our people, our faith, as of late. No more. Let it now be known that I, Desdinova, would see this world unified. Separated by City and Culture, but not race. You are all children beneath the Dyad and our Pantheon, and I tire of these meaningless games. Let this be the first step toward a prosperous future, let the felling of this beast bring forth a tide of change!"​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

She hadn’t been sure whether Arc would object to her using Dr. Vancil as bait. Watching his expression carefully, she found a mirror of her own anger at the psychiatrist’s uselessness. But she had always found him useless—and incongruous. “In the future,” she muttered in Arc’s ear. “I don’t care how crazy you think I am—don’t just leave me with a shrink. Meet me at my madness, my love. After all, by most standards we’re both insane.”

The sunlight shone on Arcturus’ red hair, gleaming like fire against the clear blue sky. Even ragged and unshaven, he looked divine. It wasn’t just the magnificent clothes he wore, either. Something in his face seemed to suggest that he was meant for this role.

Hearing him speak to the people only further cemented that belief. He proclaimed that he would unite the tribes, put an end to the war and usher in a new age. Was it a naïve, idealistic dream? Perhaps, but he made them all believe in it.

It took some time, but one designated representative from each group of freed slaves gathered at the cliff’s edge. The Zaathri’s hooves clip-clopped against the stone, their fur tinged yellow. It took even longer for Nacria’s greatest warrior to arrive, but when he did, he did not disappoint. A male Shaal, he cut a menacing figure in his painted skin and armor, which was decorated with mementos from past kills. Most striking of all was his helmet, made from the skull of a predator animal, and the large gossamer wings strapped to his back.

He emerged slowly from the crowd, approaching Rhiannon and Arcturus. “I am Omelas of Nacria,” he said. His enormous black eyes probed Arc’s face, then fell upon Rhi. “You are Adamanthea?”

“Yes.”

His gaze lowered. With slow reverence he dropped to his knees before her and pressed his ear to her stomach. Rhi was a bit startled by this, but made no move to stop him. After about a minute of listening with his eyes closed, Omelas lifted his head to look at her. “I hear three hearts,” he said.

“Yes. One is Thalassa. But how did you know?” she asked. Surely he shouldn’t have been able to hear anything at this stage…

“I hear with my soul,” he replied. She blinked, then began to understand. Omelas was Force Sensitive—a shaman as well as a warrior. He could sense that there were three.

Omelas rose to his feet. “I pledge my fealty to the Lady of the Waves. I will help you slay the false goddess, and place the true one on her throne.”

---

“Hello? Someone help!” Dr. Vancil cried, beating his fists against the bars of his cage. But they wouldn’t budge, and he remained dangling over the edge of the cliff, a hungry monster just below him.

“If I were you, I’d resign myself to my fate,” a voice said. “Make things easier on yourself.”

Dr. Vancil looked up, and saw a male Shaal crouched among the rocks. Red-skinned and crowned with enormous, glossy black horns, he bared fanged teeth at the psychiatrist in a ghoulish grin. It was Dev Ossian. Since Rhiannon and Forrest had begun their crusade, he had been brought along with them to serve in their army. He had no real qualms against slavers, but he did enjoy killing. It had been a very fun and pleasant journey for him—a great change in his fortunes since the death of his master.

“This whole thing is going to collapse in on itself,” Dr. Vancil spat. “I made sure of it.”

“Oh? Whatever do you mean, good doctor?”

“I exposed what Rhiannon and Arcturus have been doing here. A full length report has been sent to the Alliance, the Jedi Order, everyone! I even sent a copy to the Sith Order!” His anger was the one thing keeping him from breaking as he shouted, “They won’t get away with this!”

Dev laughed, a deep and cavernous sound. “You say that like this system has Holonet reception. But don’t worry—even if your report ever does reach them, I doubt the Alliance, the Jedi, or the Sith would have given a damn. You see, if there’s anything I’ve learned in my travels, it’s that the problems of two people—or one—don’t amount to much in the greater scheme of things. The galaxy is a big place, and Zaathru is an island apart from it all.”

He spoke wistfully. Meanwhile Dr. Vancil had fallen eerily silent. The ropes creaked as he began to drop.

“Looks like it’s time to slay this beastie. Goodbye, doctor!” Dev called down to him as he was lowered within reach of the monster. Tentacles seized the cage and dashed it upon the rocks; the battered body of Dr. Vancil was then tossed into a maw ringed with lamprey-like teeth.

Archers fired volleys of arrows at the monster from the cliffs. She roared and headed toward the sea—only to be faced with an army of Zaathri and Shaal warriors, brandishing their weapons. Dev leaped across the rocks with the aid of the Force, his lightsaber a black shadow as he plunged it down upon the creature’s head. Rhiannon could not join the fight, but she watched from above and helped where she could, flinging rocks at the leviathan and igniting its flesh with pyrokinesis.

Black blood splattered the white sand and stones like ink upon a page. It swirled in the water, tinging the seafoam gray, until at last the source of it all, the Heart of the Ocean, lay exposed to the salty air, the last of its vitae ebbing away as the sea monster writhed and died.

Arcturus Dinn​