"Our lives are in your hands now, Arata. I'll buy you seven minutes. But right after seven, you're going to be on your own. I still need to fix the ship and fight back the "What's your plan, Arata? Give me the gist of it, and maybe I could help you out even after seven minutes. I could give you a tool, maybe?" Captain Israel added. Those were the words Captain Israel threw at me as soon as I told her my intentions. However, I wasn’t finished. And Captain Israel demanded every little detail of the plan I had in my mind or the summary of what was going to happen.With the little intelligence I had, I extracted my thoughts and abridged what I had in mind. “Basically, I want you to give me seven minutes. There’s something I want to do with the weather.”With no questions asked, Captain Israel nodded. I had no idea if she got what I intended, but it didn’t matter. The resources I needed were all in front of me, and I just had to execute it. If there was an insulator… maybe a metal rod of
The plan was like this. It was as straightforward as it could possibly get. Before the thunder could strike, I have to lure those monsters into the designated place, use my sword for… some reason, and redirect the lightning towards the creatures. But the question was, how can I do that? I had an idea how, but there was no certainty that I could pull it off with the power and resources I had with me. First, I had to lure this thundershock towards the monster. Second, I would be using this metal rod… err, sabre to redirect the lightning at the two creatures. Third, I would copy her ability to… ‘Why do I have the feeling this will not work out?’ I told myself, and reassessed my plot for the second time. The third, fourth, fifty,... For one hundred times, my plan inside my head, which should’ve flowed smooth, actually went on a rough bed of nails. Whatever I thought about, the situation would lead me to one conclusion. I would die because of that lightning. I wouldn’t be fast enough t
I manevuered my way back towards the shelter after pinpointing the place where I wanted the lightning to strike. As luck would have it, my powers allowed me to see or calculate the chances where it would land. According to my system, it was just around the corner. And it was right beside the shelter where the pirates and my sister were located.The situation never eased. However, the time was spent well, and we only had a minute left from the countdown. Fortunately, everything was already prepared, and the only thing I had to do was within my grasp.While I was at it, I glanced at Captain Israel and thought about her situation. Her condition looked grim. As she fought back against the horde of aquatic small-fries together with the megalodon and the Kraken, Captain Israel suffered wounds and bruises all over her body. She had been spitting blood for the past few moments. And if I had to guess it right, Captain Israel’s body was nearly reaching her limit.Even so, we never heard her co
Bonus Chapter: Margarette’s Perspective (1)___________________“Wakey, wakey, mother, father! I brought some fresh tomatoes and onions! Maybe we can have tomato soup for dinner!” I giddily said, and pulled off the blanket my parents had been using.“Margarette! How are you awake already!?” mother said, as she shook her head and woke herself alive. Father lifted his entire body and went towards the door before I could even exit the room. “I smell food! What are you cooking, Margarette? Is it fish?”Father’s eyes sparkled when he asked me that question. I shook my head and answered, “No. It’s tomato soup for breakfast! But if you want, I could cook you fish for lunch or dinner?!”My mother heard our conversation and attempted to cut me off and say she would be the one to prepare the meal. But I refused her aid and told my mother to rest for the day or she could plant crops and watch the sunset.I got up early, went to the land we owned, and collected the ripe tomatoes. They were beati
Bonus Chapter: Margarette’s Perspective (2)___________________I treaded the forest, which was near our house. It was around fifteen minute of walking towards the middle, and another five for seeing the signs. Once I saw the landmark, the sound of waves crashing entered my ears. There should be more shops and stalls available on the road. However, as I reached the place near the coast, the stalls were destroyed. And nothing remained. I checked the place and, as it turned out, the people selling their items left in a hurry. But this wreckage surely happened a few weeks ago, but the result was still fresh from the site. These stores should have been auntie’s competitors, but not rivals from the market. They were just living just like anyone else. Moreover, this place should’ve been lively just like what I had imagined. But it had only been a minute, and yet people ran away and they were never to be found. By the time I had arrived near the coast, a cottage greeted my eyes. Auntie wa
And as we gathered ourselves on the kitchen table, auntie explained what had happened to this shop and the rest of her livelihood. It was not just her, but auntie narrated the stories of her nearby competitors running beside her shop. They weren’t rivals. But these people also had businesses to attend to, and yet they all shut down because of the sudden inflation. “After hearing the increased taxes, I set off towards the sea and tried catching all the fish I could. I brought a lot of canned sardines and preserved food for the trip. But I ran out of luck. I couldn't find the time, and when I ran out of food in the boat, I ate the ones I caught - those little fish which should’ve been sold in the market were eaten by me. I… Life is hard. And when I got back, things stayed the same… maybe worse than before,” auntie unfolded what she had been through from that body of water. But she had reaped no fruits from her hard labour. And just like what auntie had mentioned, the currency increas
“I know you’re in here, Sisa! Open this door before something terrible happens. And we don’t want that, do we?” The guard spoke with confidence as he continued pounding his fist against the door. “We saw your ship near the coast! It’s impossible to think that you’re out and went for the woods! There’s no escaping us, Sisa! We have you surrounded.”However, no words entered the guard’s ears as they barged themselves inside the house and took auntie by her hand. I wanted to break auntie free from the guard’s shackles; however, I couldn’t. Not when she specifically told me I should stay away from trouble and I had to be persistent with the soldiers that I was just a bystander unrelated to auntie. One of the guards tried dragging me together with Sisa. This man held me as if I was a tool and an item without feelings or nerves. His nails punctured my skin. When my hand was grappled like a rope, I couldn’t help but let out an instinctive scream as I reacted to the pain. I wanted to retort,
“What do you mean you can’t help Sisa and me? Sisa, the owner of the fishing store, has been captured! And she has been treated incorrectly by the soldiers! Our local guards could help us if they want to, and they are working inside of Gustavo’s mansion!” I intoned. The villager in front of me shook his head and apologetically answered, “There’s no way Gustavo would hear us. And besides, I don’t want my store to be closed and forgotten just because of… Just. I don’t want to deal with this anymore. Please, just leave me alone.” “Don’t look at me. I can’t help you, even if I want to. My family still needs me.” “You’re a good girl, Margarette. But there are things we… just can’t do.” The next person said the same thing, and the next local protected himself more than saving one’s life. When I asked them to join forces against Gustavo, they all chickened out and refused to take my hand, even if it was for the sake of Sisa. These people knew Sisa as the guardian of the coast. Whenever th