Akeil Ironfin
The Great White steadily swam off the coast of Monte, just north of the city, about five miles out. His thickly muscled arms were pressed snugly against his body and his legs against his tail. Akeil had removed his armor and weapons and stashed them in a small alcove near the shore. All he carried was a long bowie knife strapped to his chest. This allowed him the much needed mobility and speed for his current task…
A familiar scented reached his nostrils. His mind focused on the smell. Whale. About two miles to the southeast. Almost immediately his predatory instincts activated. Akeil’s pupils gaped as his muscles tensed.
No. He must remain in control. His body was his own. It obeyed him. Akeil was the master, and his mind the tool. Too many times he’d nearly been killed for allowing himself to fall into a frenzy. Not again…
Akeil slowly eased his muscles into relaxation and closed his double-lidded eyes. He breathed in deeply, taking in the still peace of the deep, desolate ocean, and then exhaled his fiery rage… The mutated shark drifted in the water for several seconds before opening the outer lids of his eyes. With his mind finally clear of the red haze, Akeil focused his mind.
Within his mind he saw the water. He felt the currents, the stillness, the waves, and the peace. Akeil focused on the molecules around him. Slowly, he saw them begin to pulse and vibrate. The water began to churn, foam, swirl, and increase in temperature around him. Finally, like a living torpedo, Akeil shot through the water. Only a few bubbles remained in the space he once occupied.
The shark rode the powerful current generated with his mind, following his nose. Gradually, as the scent became stronger, he allowed the animal instincts take over. His muscles tensed and his pupils dilated. Akeil could sense the whale getting close, about three hundred yards off. He reached for the knife on his chest and unfastened it. Two hundred yards. His arms braced into a flattened “X” position in front of his head with his knife’s blunt end pressed up against his left arm. One hundred yards. Akeil braced for impact. Fifty yards. The hunter extended his arms out slightly in a tackle position.
Thump.
The Great White collided into the side of the whale, knocking it out cold. A shock wave rippled through the water around them. Even though the impact had stunned Akeil himself, he aroused himself in time for his next move of attack.
Before the whale could react, the shark creature gripped the knife in both hands, raised it above his head with the blade pointing downward, and plunged it into the mammal’s torso. The blade bit deeply into the heart and lungs of the beast. Finally, with incredible brutality, Akeil twisted the knife ninety degrees and tore downwards along the whale’s body, slicing through the liver, stomach, and intestines. He ripped out the blade from the mutilated body.
Panting, with blade in hand, Akeil stared at the stagnant corpse of the whale before him. A massive cloud of blood oozed out from the open cavity he just made. The blood reached his nostrils, and that was all he needed to submit into a feeding frenzy…
Akeil dove into the open cavity and devoured the beast from the inside out…
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The Great White shark began his swim to shore, leaving behind the sinking corpse of the mutilated whale. His carnivorous appetite sate… For now.
Akeil located the alcove where he stashed his equipment. The first thing he grabbed was the device that allowed life for him on land possible. One piece of it was a pair of conjoined tanks. Attached to them were clear tubes that led to the second part of the device – sack-like objects that, when placed in his gills and inflated with water, allowed him to breath.
He opened one of the tanks and it immediately filled with water. Combined with the other tank, a replaceable one filled with compressed oxygen, it created a flow of constantly recycled water to and from his gills. Akeil strapped the tanks to his back and slipped the open-ended sacks into his gills. Then he turned the machine on. It gave off a low hum as he breathed steadily.
Akeil strapped on his chest and back armor after he installed his breathing device. These protected both the vital organs on his front as well as the tanks on his back. Next he slipped on the plates for his shoulders, upper legs, and tail, fastening them with leather straps. Finally the mercenary strapped on his sheathed scimitar, javelins, and shield.
The shark made his way up to the shore and up onto dry land. After making sure he didn’t smell like the whale he just slaughtered he began his journey toward Monte.