This wasn’t going to be the last time that Lucretia had heard about the fish problem nor would it be the last. Several other instances of this problem had already been dealt with, ranging from giant serpents to ghost sharks the woman had figured out each and every one of them. Adjusting her straps on her new armor her expression hadn’t soured since she step foot on the docks; if anything it was fairly light hearted and she’d slowly shift her gaze around the various boats. They had grown used to her presence here and with one of the captains that she didn’t recognize approaching her she’d remain on guard.

”Yah been dealin with these so well most folks figure yah’ll have em done by the nights end.”

”What is it this time?”

”Not sure really, folks think it’s a whale of some kind. But it’s all wrong somehow.”

Lucretia nodded her head and stepped lively towards the ship that would be carrying here. The elder captain upon seeing her waved; the rain that was pelting everyone at the moment instead of drawing ire from many seemed relaxing somehow. Lucretia ran a hand through her hair as the man quickly explained how far out they’d need to go to reach that ‘cove’ that held the problem child.

”Looks like it’s one such type of animal that learned it’s place a lil too well lass. Maybe a good idea to kick it out of the water to make good uses of your skills.”

”The other captain said that it was wrong somehow. What’s he mean by that?”

”Got arms and legs along with the general sort of things killer whales have. So it’s a bit screwey. Lots of screamin too. Figure that’s what’s spookin the fish.”

Lucretia nodded her head and stepping on board of the familiar ship she’d note that it was a lot better looking than before. A lot of the issues had been washed away and there were a few new faces on the vessel. She’d turn her attention to the captain that was helping cast off…

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The ocean was an unforgiving place and one that lucretia was fairly familiar with even though that the woman herself had a hearty fear of it. It was the depths that she worried about nearly nonstop. Were she not strong enough it would claim her time and time again. The woman gritted her teeth as she felt the rope around her waist. She was seated near the mast while everyone else was running around keeping things in order.

They had maybe an hour before they arrived at the location that the captain had spoke about; only a few miles off of the coast of Astera was the cove they sought. That being said with the storm and it’s intensity lucreta had to wonder how close they needed to be before she could dive into the ocean. Adjusting her spear that lay across her lap she could feel the spirits of both the lion and the wolf that resided within her. One after another. They always bickered and argued but often more than not the wolf won out; especially now that it was much stronger than the lion.

She’d step over to the side of the ship, staring down at the water with the rope still firmly around her waist. She could make better time than this ship could really if she put her mind to it. She’d turn her head to the captain who was gripping the helm tightly and she’d motion with her spear that she was going overboard. He’d give her a nod before the woman stepped over the railing and without so much more than a nod she’d be off. The rope coming undone with a flick of her offhand.

Before she even hit the water the woman had grown a whole meter in height; the splash that she made in the water sending ripples through it even though it was a damn mess with the storm. Growling to herself she’d start to swim with ease through the turbulent waters. Eventually she’d reach the cove that was in question; though it was a lot larger than she had expected what she was gifted in terms of situation was not what she expected.

There were a host of these orca looking things; yapping with one another and upon seeing the woman standing there spear in hand they all went dead silent. There wasn’t just one, there was about twenty of them. Each varying in sizes and each of them having a weapon or some kind of mutation that gave them an actual edge. The largest of them was beached and had been more or less enjoying the water from the storm pelting it’s hide.

Standing up it’d growl and lucretia would frown before spinning her spear in a slow fashion. It was a challenge that many would usually accept and it was obvious what lucretia had to do here. It was a bit frustrating what she was forced to do for the port city but if they kept doing this… well she had no choice didn’t she? She didn’t see any children here nor did she see anything other than the tortured forms of these orcas forced to be monsters.

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Thinking that it would be a one on one would have been foolish, but it was something that lucretia knew wasn’t going to happen. The second the largest one bellowed out the rest of them charged her like she was some invader. Rightfully she had been, but the port city came first compared to this tribe of mutated orcas. If there was some effort of communication beforehand this wouldn’t of happened. But the very first mutant reached her and the woman didn’t even hesitate, her spear coming down in a brutal arc effectively slicing them in half from head to toe.

The ease of the motion and the lack of resistance from the body in front of her told her all that she needed to know. These normally would have been a threat to other humans but lucretia stood about your regular human; it wasn’t hard to see that and many wouldn’t question it either. Stepping over the first body she’d set into a rhythm of slaying the varied other tribal types. Her eyes never leaving the large beached orca that slowly was getting to his feet.

The anger was apparent that his people were getting slaughtered but without his intervention it wasn’t like that was going to change. Hell it didn’t matter if he came over here or not the woman would still kill him. Stepping lightly through the waters she’d note that he was a lot bigger than she thought initially and his beached status didn’t really count now that she saw that part of him was still in the water.

A positively huge mutant that would rightfully be called a monster in every regard; adjusting herself after drawing her spear out of the last of the tribal mutants she’d stare at this behemoth in front of her. Like a predator sizing up it’s prey the woman considered how to go about this.

His reach was longer than hers but he didn’t have a weapon; it was very likely that he used his mass rather than any form of skill and while lucretia was just a novice of sorts with the spear this wouldn’t be that difficult for even someone like her. Leaping forward the woman was instead met with gusto and a roar that she hadn’t really been expecting. The intensity of which made her ears flick and flatten.

Her hearing was fairly acute and honestly she couldn’t really fight against a sonic ability like that. It was grating and she wasn’t about to let him do it too often; the larger orca mutant drew itself fully up and lucretia was gifted briefly with the sheer size of her opponent properly….

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The battle was less so than that than an actual slaughter. The beasts’ hide wasn’t impressive in it’s durability; it’s speed was lesser than the woman had anticipated out of the water and the rain had made its footing somewhat less than what it likely had hoped for. She had parried its strikes with ease, adjusting herself out of other ones and without much issue had avoided many of its large sweeping strikes.

She’d land behind it; her armor barely scratched by this beast and its massive claws. Eyeing the arms that she had stabbed a few times she could tell that it wasn’t going to be fighting for much longer. The woman spat on the ground before leaping up and running along its back slashing at various spots as she went with the bladed portion of her spear.

Nearing the crest of its flailing body she’d draw her arm back and drive it forward with such force that the spear not only went through its neck, it went out the front. She got to see the gout of blood that came from its mouth and mixed with the forward motiom it was easy to see that blow had been the end of it. Slamming against the ground, Lucretia hardly budged with the fact her spear had been driven so deep into it that the ground itself was pierced when it fell.

Standing there amidst the fallen bodies of the tribal mutants the woman considered what this meant long term for the area. They would no longer have an impact but she couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for them. Sighing the woman would draw her spear back and go take a seat near the water’s edge; her ride was far away and she knew for a fact she’d be here for a few hours at least.

It barely felt like a fight. It barely felt right honestly. Maybe she should talk to someone in astera for some long term plans to keep this from happening as often as it did…

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