Chapter 85 - Oceabal

The Northern Continent was a vast land, almost as large as the Central Continent. It was also the furthest from the other landmasses of Topor, so it only made sense for it to be surrounded by an abundance of water.

When the initial colonists came upon this land, the first place that had been developed was a port city. Time passed by, and this port city came to be known as Oceabal the City of the Ocean.

The city remained as a major hub of trade between the Northern Continent and the other continents of the world, while the colonists spread out through the continent. They also encountered the natives, and after some skirmishes, they were able to come to an agreement that allowed the natives to hold some sway and power in Oceabal.

Through that, the port city continued to thrive over the decades since its founding.

.

.

Tide went over what he knew about the port city, Oceabal as he tore through the sea at an incredible speed. His powerful tail fin waved behind him, stirring up the water and propelling him at even faster speeds.

Not too far behind him, a whole swarm of merfolk swam, tearing through the water at an impressive speed, but not nearly as fast as Tide. The only one who could somewhat keep up with him was Ariel.

Unlike what most people thought, she was quite fast, compared to the rest of kind, the Cecaelia. They were generally slow or of an average speed underwater, but through some strange methods that Tide was not privy of, Ariel was able to go beyond those limits.

"We are getting close." Tide spoke around the water, and his voice travelled back to the merfolk behind him. He spoke in their native tongue, one that was developed for speech underwater, so it was not a problem for him. That was the reason why his words always possessed a slur whenever he spoke above water.

The others nodded and continued swimming at breakneck speed. There was a reason why the merfolk ruled the seas. There, they were the apex predators, and when they set their sights on something in the sea, there was no escape.

An hour later, Tide peaked up from above the still waters some distance out from the port city. Large cargo ships and smaller fishing ships were docked at the bay, swaying ever so slightly with the cool morning wind.

He returned to the sea and turned to face his people.

"You know what we planned already. Let's get to it." He said and the rest all nodded. With that, they went to work. With tide at the front, they began swimming in a circle, going faster and faster until they had formed a whirlpool in the sea.

Ariel remained at the center of the whirlpool, with her tentacles stretched out as she spun with them. She would remain as the center of the whirlpool that they were forming in order to direct it to the shore.

It was devastating attack that she had used multiple times in the past when sieging locations like this, and it was very effective.

Minutes passed as the whirlpool grew in size. Soon enough, it was so powerful that the water had begun to reach above the sea and grow into the air. That was when the people of Oceabal noticed it.

"What is that?"

"It's heading straight for us!"

"Take cover! Leave the ships!"

Like headless chickens, sailors, fishermen, and traders ran about in fear as they searched for where they would take cover from the coming calamity.

The merfolk that were swimming in circles to form the whirlpool had already stopped, and it was now Ariel's job to guide the watery calamity towards the shore.

When the violent swirl of water touched the largest ship that was in its reach, the sound of splintering wood rang across the harbor as the sturdy ship was ripped apart under violent currents. Ariel used her considerable strength to tear herself away from the calamity and rushed back to the distant group of merfolk. Some of them were already swimming around the dock to strike from the sides of the city. Tide was at the forefront of those who had swum ahead.

Ariel would remain underwater to dispel the effects of that crazy move for a while before she too joined those who were attacking.

Tide swam at the head of the attacking merfolk. The water literally parted ways at his approach due to the speed he was moving at. In fact, with the speed he was moving at, it almost looked like he was playing back when the group was approaching the port city. It was only now that the other merfolk realized that he was moving slowly only so they could keep up earlier.

Splash!

Tide shot out through the water, and onto the land with a loud splash, shifting forms in the air. He snatched a random piece of cloth that had been flying through the air, in the aftermath of the earlier attack, and put it on. It was uncomfortable, but after the repeated reminders that Malim had given him, he thought it would make more sense for him to wear clothes at the very least.

Splash! Splash!

The other merfolk emerged from the water, and a few of them that held leather bags went about with handing out clothes for the others to put on.

"Hurry up, I'm going on ahead." Tide grumbled before taking off through the alleyways of the city. He encountered a random soldier and knocked the guy out with a single punch before carrying on. His destination was the furthest building from the sea, also the largest one. That was where the leaders who watched over the port city stayed most of the time.

He guessed how they would most likely remain there, in one of their bunkers, or maybe they might be trying to escape the city.. He wasn't sure, but he would see what he could do.