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He didn’t feel any of the rocks hitting him. He opened his eyes and looked to see the projectiles being stopped in mid-air about three feet in front of him. The ‘key’ had setup a wall.
“Heh heh,” chuckled Marlin. “I guess that’ll show you not to mess with the power of Marlin.” He forgot himself and let the hand holding the key point away from the crowd.
A small rock whacked him on the forehead.
When he regained consciousness he found himself on a small cot. Athon, Kyra, and a man he had never seen before were all sitting around a table. Marlin attempted to sit up. He was still pretty woozy.
“Ah, Marlin, you have returned to us,” said Athon.
“What happened?” inquired Marlin as he rubbed his forehead.
“The townsfolk thought you were someone else.”
“I recall them shouting something about ‘Merlin’.”
“A wandering alchemist who came to town and made big promises he didn’t keep.”
Marlin got up from the bed and stumbled over to a chair at the table. “Why did they think I was Merlin?”
“That’s who you told the townspeople you were.”
“Merlin? Um um um...no, Marlin.” His memory kicked back in and he was able to recall all of the events which had lead him to this place.
Should he tell the others that he was really Roc Sandstorm, the Master of Intrigue? Or should he keep up the pretence of being Marlin Clamor, forty year old accountant who probably still lived with his mother? He decided to stick with his cover. “My name’s Marlin Clamor. I’m sure you already know these two,” he said indicating the siblings.
Kyra introduced Marlin to the strange man sitting across from him. “Marlin, this is Keel. He’s a shipbuilder.”
The two shook hands. “These two tell me you want to build a ship to travel under the water.”
“Yes. May I see some of your handiwork?”
“Certainly. Come this way.”
Keel led the trio out of the small room and into a large one.
The large room was filled with wooden bits and pieces of boats. Two completed hulls were situated on either side of the room.
Marlin walked around the room inspecting the bits and the two hulls. “We can make a submarine fairly quickly if we cement those two hulls together to form a shell.”
Keel considered Marlin’s words. “Possible,” he mused. “Then what?”
“Then we’ll have to worry about the inner workings. Things like ballast tanks, entryways, propulsion, and air to breathe.”
“I’ll get to work on those hulls. If you can put designs of what you need on paper I’ll have them attended to.”
The four spent the next three days constructing the submarine. It had been built on a boat launch. When it was done they stood in front of it admiring their achievement.
“Now she needs a name,” said Keel.
“A marlin is a type of fish, isn’t it?” Kyra asked.
“Yes it is,” answered Marlin. “My Dad named me. Boy did I ever do a lot of fishing when I was a kid.”
“That’s perfect then,” chirped Kyra.
“And without Marlin she never would’ve been built,” Athon chimed in.
“It’s settled then,” Keel concluded. “This underwater ship will be called ‘Marlin’.”
“Gee guys,” Marlin stammered. “Isn’t that going to be bit confusing?”
“It fits doesn’t it?”
“Yes, but..”
“Climb aboard and prepare to launch,” Keel told them.
The trio piled on board and assumed their positions. Marlin in the mid-front steering; Kyra in front navigating; and Athon in the rear atop a bicycle-type contraption providing the power.
Two knocks from the outside and three back from inside indicated that all was ready for the launch.
The ship was launched without a hitch. It slid straight into the water and began to sink slowly when her crew opened the ballast tanks.
“Drives like a dream,” commented Marlin to no one in particular. “How far ddddd....” he stuttered as the ship shuddered. It settled again. “Which reminds me; did we remember motion-sickness bags?”
The ship floated along at a leisurely pace just below the surface of the water. No leaks could be found. Athon increased his peddling.
“How are we going to retrieve the harp if we find it?” Athon
“First we’ll test the ship and find the city. Once we know how far down it is we’ll have a better idea of what we’ll need to explore further.” Marlin said.
The churning of the silt made it even more difficult to see where they were going. Lighting for the outside of the ship was something they still had to work on. The ship couldn’t remain submerged for long because of the lamps inside were burning up precious oxygen. This was not foreseen as being a problem for the maiden test voyage.
Without warning the ship jerked to a halt.
All three peered outside to find out why they had stopped.
Long slender tendrils had wrapped themselves around the ship and were holding it in place.
“What’s that?” Marlin
“A seawhip,” Kyra informed him. “They don’t generally attack other sea life. Sea whips are highly intelligent plants.”
“Ah, there’s nothing like sentient plant life to really spruce up the place,” commented Marlin.
“Why would the seawhip grab us?” Athon asked as he tried to peddle harder.
Kyra took the seat next to Athon and began to peddle. “I bet if we filled you with drink you could break free.” She smiled at her brother.
“Drink?” puzzled Marlin.
“Yeah,” Kyra explained. “Whenever Athon drinks he gets really hyper.” She laughed.
“Hmmm,” mused Marlin. “That would make the ‘Marlin’ the first Athon-alcohol powered vehicle.”
They all smiled at each other. The ship began to move again.
“Uh oh...reality check..” Marlin said. “Save your strength, you two. Why does this thing want us?”
“Seawhips have been known to be used as sentinels by some port cities. Easy way to get rid of unwanted ships. Or prevent them from docking.” Kyra said.
The ship began to creak and moan as the ship was dragged deeper and deeper toward the sea bed.
“Oh this isn’t good,” lamented Marlin. He found himself getting lightheaded.
The lamps went out. “No, this is definitely not on the ‘good’ list,” Marlin surmised as he slumped over in his chair.