"Need a little help, princess?"
"C'mon, strike with more force! Maybe you can finally scratch it!"
Nion's taunt worked effectively to enrage Orm, to the degree that his face distort disgustingly and his palm bruised as he struck the shield with all his strength. Yet his efforts were for naught. The shield remained strong against all his attackes, its golden tint never diluting.
And the man he had come to kill stood on the other side, taunting his fruitless efforts. However, Orm was anything but a coward. He struck the shield relentlessly, trying to find a weakness in the shield. Form lightning to Gigantuan waves.
Yet as the time passed, he learned of his arrogance and ignorance. He had struck the surface in pride of his power, in his inadequacy. However, he could not run now. He could not retreat. He could not bring the war he started home.
He was impulsive enough to attack the surface without much preparation, but he will not have Atlantis pay for his failure. If he were to be defeated and killed, Atlantis could feign ignorance of his action.
Nion looked down at his watch, a replica of the Omnitrix. Time was crawling in strides in his perception. His digitized mind pulsing in nanoseconds, analyzing all that its and to be. His mechanical form weighting under Earths gravity.
Maybe he should have let Zion handle this.
It is utterly boring to fight a child.
The hourglass symbol on his watch pulsed, a voice echoed with clarity.
"Sorry for the hold, Zai. I will take care of this."
He could sigh if not for the incapability of his mechanical form. His work was finished and he could returned to having a turf war with the omniscient computer. She was relentless, yet unfeeling.
How can a machine feel without its ability to comprehend?
A door opened next to him.
***
Orm saw his adversary walk into a magical door and disappear.
His frown deepened as he understood that he had bored his adversary away. That he was so insignificant that he was not even worth the effort to defeat.
The realization only fueled his anger as he conjured lightning to strike the shield again. He lunged out with the sea, pulling the wave along. He struck the shield with all he could muster and more.
Its result, Redundant.
However,
In his anger, he failed to notice that a creature had cut through the water towards him. Its scales blended with the dark waters of Gotham. Its presence only illuminated by a spot of light that glowed softly.
It vanished deep into the water, leaving no shadows behind.
Orm fell back into the waters, unaware of the predator that lurked beneath. Orm scanned the docks, waiting for any kind reaction. Notices non of significance. A few strode out of their home, to watch them, to watch him.
Orm decided to retreat, to the deep.
He swam down into the ocean, to retrieve as many soldiers as he could. He swan in the dark waters of Gotham, that looked undeniably dark for a water not that deep. He swam to its depth, scanning its bed for his allies.
He found them, unconscious and unharmed. He swam toward the fallen soldiers and checked his vitals. He shook the guy, trying to wake him up. He need him awake so he could help him.
Unbeknownst to him, a predator had already locked in on him.
The creature left its hiding and swam straight toward the incautious Atlantean. Its speed a blur in the dark and a rippled in the water. Its actions sudden like a shark in a Jaws movie.
Orm only noticed the anomaly when it was already upon him, he kicked the Atlanean Soldier away and raised his trident in defense. He collided with his attacker, a creature that send chills down his spine.
The esca(antenna) on its head illuminated its face in the dark water. Its rows of teeth grinded against his tridents, its beady green eyes staring into him with hunger. Its hands moved like sharp sword underwater, ripping his atlantean armour to shreds. The force of its push dragging him through the sea bed.
Orm steer to keep the claws from reaching him as he tried to kick the abomination of the creature away. He was already being harmed, his blood drying the water as it left a trail of water. He had a spark of idea and induced the lightning magic imbued in his trident. The lightning sparked in the dark numbing his hand but it also managed to shock the creature away.
He reeled back, away from the creature to see what it was.
The creature face looked like a cat fish with beady green eyes that glowed in the dark with an angularfish's esca on its head. Its rows of teeth were like that of a shark, sharp and pointy. Its arm muscular and covered in black scales, green finns growing in its arms. Its four fingers webbed, ending with sharp claws. Its tail was long and sharp covered in similar black scales. Its body was like a male mermaid with white scales and a massive fin on its back.
Orm recognized this creature from the stories his mother had told him. A creature from the Trench, the darkest part of the ocean where even Atlanteans fear to enter. Where King Atlan had banished the dark creature. He had no idea why or how this creature was here.
He raised his trident ready to fight, creatures from the Trench were driven by hunger and he should kill it before it killed him. And alert his people of its presence in case they returned.
The creature shook its head and recovered from the shock. It's green eyes looked on him. Its waved its tail and charged at him with frightening speed.. Orm raised his tridents in offense.
He thrust the spear forward at the last moment to kill the mindless creature. The creature twisted its body at the last moment to avoid becoming kabab and swung its tail, striking Orm away before it turned and swam towards him.
Orm quickly raise his trident in defense, the collision pushing further back. The force of the strike made his hands numb and he barely avoid the follow up. He recovered from the continuous assault and began to think. He jumped back with the attack and waited for another claw strike and deflected it to the die before slashing at the creature.
But the creature reeled back, avoiding the slash before it pushed forward, smashing into him before he could recover from the swing. Its claws gripped the tridents and pushed him into the sea bed, dragging him against the decaying crates before throwing him through a the sunken ship.
Orm tore through the ship's decayed wall and landed on the sand bed, kicking up dust. He groaned in backpain and concussion. Yet before he could even recover, the creature was on him. Its clawed hands reaching for his throat.
Orm invoked the lightnin from his tridant to hit the creature before commanding the sea to smash it. The creature was stunned and was thrown into the wreaked ship. The sea stopped not as it crushed even the ship with the creature.
Orm slowly got up from the bed, blood cover his wound as shreds of Atlantean armour struck to him. He used the tridant as a support as he watched the wreckage he had caused. His eyes squinted as he scanned for any signs of movements.
*Bang*Bang*
Sound of something smashing against the wreckage rippled ominously in the dark, causing Orm to flinch before he commanded the sea to flatten the wreckage, killing the creature in the process. The creak and crunch of metal followed as the sea flattened the wreaked into the sea bed. The wreakage could not sink deeper and silence returned to the sea.
Yet Orm waited, ready in-case the creature survived.
However, before his could react, tens of share tooth dug into his shoulders, painting the water red. Orm tried to moved his tridents but felt an iron grip holding it. He tried to moved the sea, but the helmet was ripped off his head, leaving cuts on his face. The creature tightened tightened its jaw, crushing his shoulder, causing pain to shoot through the atlanteans body.
It ripped trident of his loosened grip, throwing its further from his reach. Its claws dug into his arms as the water reddened further. Pulling them out to rip them away. Drawing more blood that its turn the water crimson.
All orm saw was blood, he breathed in the taste of his blood. He knew he was dead, he was caught off guard, he would die here, as food to the trench creature. His eyes began to darken as his blood leaked more. His pain began to reduce, the hundred teeth ripping his flesh no longer a sensation.
Orm knew, his death was near.
*BOOM*
A shockwave rocked his body, yet Orm could feel nothing but the dust scratching his dimming eyes. His eyes moved in the darkened water, searching for a way to escape. His ears rung as it heard something, a voice. Yet he was far gone to survive.
Sorry mother, I could not avenge our people
It was all he could thing as the darkness swallowed him.
***
"Release my child, Creature!"
Screamed the Queen of Atlantis, her silvery-white hair flowing like water. Adorned in her Armour, her eyes filled with fury as she stared the creature that hand its deadly grip on her child.
Behind her stood the Atlantean Royal Guards who had accompanied her, ready follow their Queens commands.
She pointed her trident, invoking its power. However, the creature swam through her attack or used her son as its meat shield. Her son was bleeding and he would die soon, yet the creature did not looked scared bit its smiled with its hundred teeth.
It tightened its clawed grip on her son, drawing more blood. Its raised him before her and used his other hand to claw his chest, ripping his flesh and dying the deep crimson.
It was a show of force. Her son would die if she were to attack.
"Do you wish to strike me, Atlana?" It questioned in its gugling voice, shocking Altana. She had not expected a creature from the trench to speak. But its second question made her pause. "Do you wish to war with the Land?"
Atlana lowered her tridents, but her hand never relaxed. She would attack the moment the creature let its guard down. She reined in her emotions and asked. "What are you? What do you want?"
"What I am is nothing to you, Atlana. Answer me, Do you wish to war with the lands?" It questioned, dragging its claws further.
"Not if you harm my child," Atlana answered through her increasing anger. Seeing him bleed only made her heart break.
The creature lifted the prince of Atlantis, displaying his broken figure for all to see. "You son struck this city, to drown its citizens and exact his revenge on my people. I do no take lightly to those that threaten my people.
How should I punish your son for his crimes?" The questioned growled out of his throat. His intentions clear.
Atlana felt disappointment wash over her, but her child's safety took priority. "I do not wish to war with you. I apologies for his mistake, but let us end this here."
The creature lowered the prince of Atlantis, removing his claws from him. He pulled back and threw the prince towards Atlana. "I hope you keep your words, Atlana," He said. "Nion would like to have a conversation with you.."
Atlana stared at the creature with realization.
"God is eager to show us mercy when we truly seek forgiveness for our sin, But I am not God." He answered his form glitching. "Make your apology grand, Queen of Atlantis. " He vanished. (Joel 2:13)
Atlana stared at the water for a moment before turning to her Son. He looked pale, his heart slow. He had lost too much blood. The ships doctors approached and took him in. She turned and commanded her guards to return.
Yet her eyes stared at the shadows of Gotham.
Her stupid son had brought trouble to their door step and now they had to meet the land. this is not she was expecting to deal when her firstborn returned.
Maybe she could change this into an opportunity for her kingdom. Maybe Atlantis doesn't need to hide no more.