Akikta bit into the succulent and warm crab flesh he broke out of the shell. He nearly teared up at how good it was. Or maybe he was just so hungry that the crabmeat was the closest thing to heaven.
Of course, he had cooked it beforehand. He knew the dangers of eating raw shellfish.
At first, he was worried about how he would cook the meat. Luckily for him, the ship's cargo had everything he could've possibly asked for.
Akikta had found an oversized pot the crab claw could fit into. Getting it off the ship was difficult, but he managed.
Shortly after, he discovered sealed barrels of fresh water. After gulping down a few large sips, he rolled them off the ship and used the water inside to fill the pot.
Then, he made a makeshift campfire out of the destroyed chunks of the ship's wooden hull.
All of that proved to be a real workout, but getting the claw inside the pot was the worst part.
Multiple times, he feared the pot of boiling water would spill onto him, which made the task unnecessarily long. He cursed himself for not starting the fire after the claw was in the pot.
Either way, he eventually got the large claw inside without toppling the whole thing over.
While it cooked, Akikta rummaged through the ship's cargo further. He found various clothing that didn't quite match the attire the Wild Claws wore, like a black jacket with a hood, black sweatpants, and large black boots with a blue rim on their bottoms. Coincidentally, they were all his size.
He wore the jacket since he could use the hood to hide his hair. Paired with the mask, he'll be able to adhere to Sal's second warning, something he wished he listened to earlier.
The black boots would provide protection for his feet, so he took those as well.
As for the sweatpants, he didn't really need them. He just liked their style.
Clothing wasn't the only thing Akikta found.
There was an assortment of weapons. At least, they appeared to be weapons. Most were unlike anything he's ever seen before.
Still, he thought it best to protect himself with something, so he searched for an object that didn't look too lethal or unfamiliar.
The weapon of choice was a blunt object resembling a gray baseball bat. There were better options, but everything else was razor sharp, and he didn't trust himself with sharp objects.The baseball bat proved useful for more than just protecting.
He had returned to the boiling pot and blew out the fire before dumping the water out onto the sand.
Admittedly, this was his first time cooking crab himself. He had only ever seen his brother and grandfather make it. But it looked fully cooked.
Steam rose from the crab claw; the wind blew said steam into Akikta's nostrils. The delectable smell caused his mouth to water.
His dinner was ready. All he needed to do was crack the shell more than it already was. Cue the baseball bat.
It took a few strikes, but Akikta eventually split it open. He couldn't quite dig in though, as the meat was hard to separate from the carapace. He'd of eaten it straight off the claw had it not been for the fact that some pieces were teeth shattering hard. So much so, he had to grab a cutlass to cut the chewable chunks of meat off.
As Akikta ate, he found the meat less tender than usual. It was a bit chewy.
Dang, must've overcooked it. He thought, believing that's why some parts were hard to separate and the chewable bits had a rubbery texture.
But he figured it was better overcooked than undercooked. Besides, he hadn't eaten in twelve thousand years. He would not complain about overcooked but edible food. It was rather delicious anyway- if only a little weird tasting.
After finishing the last bit of meat could cut off, he looked over to his side.
Laid there in the sand, wrapped in the same rope they previously tied Akikta in, was the unconscious Nakji.
He had brought her off the ship prior to cooking his meal, hoping he could convince her he wasn't an enemy.
Akikta walked over to Nakji and crouched down next to her. Now that nothing else was actively trying to mess him up, he could get a better look at her.
Around her neck was a spiky collar of some sort. A type of accessory, maybe?
She wore a black sleeveless suit of light armor with a gray belt wrapped around her diagonally.
Below her waist were skin-tight short black leggings that left her ankles exposed.
Further below were Nakji's feet, which didn't have any shoes or armored boots to match her attire. Instead, purple and green toeless striped socks covered her feet. They appeared to be made of some cloth-like fabric.
Akikta found it hard to believe she wasn't human. After all, she had a similar build to him, only being a foot shorter, slightly more bottom-heavy, and lighter in skin tone. The markings around her eyes could be explained away as tattoos.
The only real dead giveaway was her smooth purple hair that had suction cups around the large horizontal tentacle in the middle. Even her eyebrows were smooth and purple.
What was she, exactly?
He stood up and placed a hand on his chin, closing his eyes as he became lost in thought.
Miraculously, an idea popped into his head.
Akikta unstrapped the radio from his belt and held it to his face. "Orca, you there?"
Static crackled through the radio before O.R.C.A's iconic symbol appeared on the radio's screen. "Yes. Is there anything you need?"
Akikta turned the radio to face Nakji. "Can you tell me what she is?"
There was a moment of silence. "Commencing biometric scan. Please hold." The sounds of a printer overtook the whistles of the wind. "Scan complete. It appears this specimen is of the Octarian species, part of the Octoling variant."
"Octarian? Octoling? Orca, have you forgotten how to speak English, bro?"
"Apologies, allow me to clarify. Octarians are the evolved descendants of octopodes. Octolings are a subspecies of Octarians." O.R.C.A explained.
Visuals appeared on the screen as the AI clarified his response, not that they helped Akikta understand any better.
Akikta was still unaware of what an Octarian was exactly, but he understood the gist of what O.R.C.A was saying: Nakji is an octopus.
Why she had a humanoid appearance continued to elude Akikta. But at least he knew what she was now. "Huh, I knew downloading you was a good idea." He said before reattaching the radio to his belt.
The clicking noise of him reattaching the radio must've alerted Nakji, for she started awakening from her unconscious state.
She softly groaned, which caused Akikta to jump. The sudden movement caught her attention, and she woke up faster.
Once fully awake, it took only a few moments for Nakji to register what was going on.
Before Akikta could say anything, Nakji transformed into what appeared to be an octopus, though it didn't look like any octopus he's ever seen.
The transformation not only caught Akikta off guard, but it also allowed her to slip out of her binds.
When she transformed back into her human form, she rushed Akikta, who was still processing what he just witnessed. She knocked him onto the sand as she rushed by.
Even though he braced himself, she was stronger than she looked. A lot stronger.
Akikta tumbled to the sand hard, unable to catch himself. He looked up to see Nakji didn't pin him like he thought she would. Instead, she swiftly grabbed the cutlass he had used to hack away at the crab meat.
Unfortunately, he had put his bat down next to the bladed weapon after using it to break the claw's shell. He was defenseless.
Before he could get up, Nakji charged at him with the cutlass raised. His heart rate skyrocketed as he instinctively raised his hands. "W-WAIT!" Akikta shouted as he squeezed his eyes closed, expecting her to go for the killing blow.
Nothing happened.
Hesitantly, he opened his eyes.
Nakji stood there with a confused expression on her face. Her hands gripped the cutlass tightly."Please, just hear me out!" He begged, which caused Nakji to tilt her head.
"What?" she voiced. She sounded confused.
It took Akikta a second to realize he didn't have the translator on his mouth. He had taken it off to eat the crab meat.
He used one hand to reach down into his sweatpants' pocket, where he had stuck the device. Nakji flinched, about to attack, but Akikta waved his other hand, gesturing for her to hold on.
She was about ready to pounce when he pulled his hand out of his pocket until she noticed he wasn't pulling out a weapon. Nakji must've recognized the device from earlier when Styg pointed it out.
He spoke again after putting on the translator. "I'm not here to hurt you!" He blurted.
Nakji furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head to the wrecked ship. She then gave him a doubtful look.
"L-look, your pals didn't give me a choice! I didn't want to hurt them- and honestly, I didn't mean to destroy your ship."
She gripped the cutlass in her hands tighter, clearly not believing him.
Akikta scooted back quickly with one hand. "Hey! Just- hold on! If I wanted to hurt you, I would've killed you while you were unconscious, wouldn't I?!"
Nakji stopped as her brows raised. There was another moment of silence.
"You... have a point." She responded before lowering her blade. Akikta breathed a sigh of relief. Her guard was still up, but he was just happy she no longer had the weapon raised.
"Look, uh, Nakji, was it?" She nodded. "I'm really sorry about your crew and your ship. I didn't want to hurt them, but I couldn't let them extort me for money. Not when I've got things to do." He said as he got up and dusted himself off.
Nakji tilted her head. "What things...?"
Akikta froze. "Well, uh... let's just say I've got someone I want to help. And to do that, I need to do this favor for a friend."
"What kind of favor?" She questioned.
"Why are you so pressed about it?"
"I'm sorry; who has the weapon again?"
This sassy little- Akikta calmed himself the moment his irritation rose. He didn't feel like getting sliced today. "I need to ab- er, find this person named Marie... do you know what she looks like, by chance?"
"Never heard of her," Nakji responded.
There was yet another moment of silence.
"Well, anyway. I'll just be on my way and-"
"You're leaving?"
Akikta fumbled at her words. "Am I not supposed to?"
She blinked at him a few times.
"Listen, I know I jacked up your crew, and you're probably mad about that. But-"
"I'm not mad," she interrupted.
"You're not?"
Nakji shook her head. "I was just another member, nothing special. The captain was... quite demanding at times." She explained. "Technically, you helped me. So..."
Akikta knew what she was getting at, or at least he thought he knew. "Alright? You're free then. So go on about your life or whatever it is you octo-people do."
A small glint gleamed in her eyes. Nakji looked surprised. "You're not gonna make me come with you?"
He raised a brow. "What? Why would I do that?"
"I... sorry. That's just... not what I expected."
"What? You thought I was gonna make help me in exchange for your freedom?" He said sarcastically.
She nodded.
Nakji's thought process baffled Akikta. "W- huh?! Why would I want to do that? You attacked me!" He reminded.
"Yes, but... that was before I knew you weren't trying to hurt me." She looked down, shame present in her eyes. Did she feel guilty about almost killing him?
Akikta eased up. "Well, hey. Don't worry about it. I mean, I kinda did tie you up, so I get why you'd think I was out to do something to you..."
Nakji looked back up at him. "Hmm..."
Her staring made him uneasy. "What?"
"Are humans always this friendly?" Her question reminded him of something.
"Speaking of humans, that anglerfish guy mentioned something about us being extinct. Is- is that true?"
"Well, I thought so until you showed up," she started. "There are bones of them everywhere. Especially here in this desert. You might find some if you look hard enough."
"Bones..." He mumbled to himself. Akikta didn't like the mention of bones, especially not after what he's seen back in Alterna.
Negative thoughts crept into his mind, until suddenly, Nakji started touching his hair. "What the- hey!"
He backed away, but that didn't deter her as she came close to him again and went right back to touching it. "Feels weird... and fluffy." She said absentmindedly.
"Quit it! My hair is messed up enough as is!" He grabbed her hand by the wrist and pulled it away.
She frowned. "Come on! It'll only be for a little bit."
"No! I've spent enough time with you as is. I've gotta get going."
Nakji frowned even more before abruptly smiling with an open mouth. The inside of it was purple, along with her tongue.
Akikta became weirded out at the placement of her canine teeth. One was on the left side at the top and the other on the right side at the bottom.
"I'll come with you."
Her words caught him off-guard. "What?"
"Yeah! I'll come with you and help you get this Marie person."
"Why would you do that?"
"Well, again, you helped me. That crew was pretty oppressive." She lightly bounced on her feet. "Consider this me returning the favor. Besides, you'll need me."
Akikta rubbed the back of his head, uncertain if it was a good idea for her to tag along.
He wasn't sure how Sal would feel working with one of these creatures of the sea. Nakji seemed far more intelligent than that pet of a snatcher, so she could plot against both of them.
And what if she was lying about her relationship with the Wild Claws? Styg seemed pretty friendly with her. If she were to learn about the location of Sal and his clan, she might expose them to the world. Then the humans really would go extinct...
Then again, Akikta knew little about the surface. Nakji could teach him about how things worked on their way to the criminal. Plus, she was skilled with a blade, so it would help to have a partner who could actually fight... and talk to.
Akikta weighed down his options once more.
Well, maybe taking the risk would be better than letting her roam around freely. She knows I'm a human, so it could be bad if she went around telling whoever or whatever else roams around these lands.
He looked up at Nakji, who was patiently waiting for Akikta's answer, a smile plastered on her face.
She looks so giddy. I guess that's to be expected. To her, she's basically having a meaningful interaction with a prehistoric creature. Shoot, she might follow me anyway, even if I do say no.
Eventually, Akikta reached a decision. "Alright, fine. If you insist, I guess I see no reason why you shouldn't come along."
Nakji's smile widened.
"Good! Before we go, I need to get my weapon."
"Don't you have it in your hand?"
"What? Oh, no. This isn't mine. I have a different weapon."
"Ok, I can wait."
"Oh, it's not here."
Akikta slowly blinked. "It's... not here...?" He repeated.
"No... I hid it somewhere else."
"Why wouldn't you keep it on the ship?"
"Because Captain Claw would've added it to his personal collection! He takes anything he likes and doesn't care how other people feel about it! And even if he didn't, I was afraid others would steal it." Nakji looked down again. "It's... it's important to me, alright!" She yelled and looked back up at Akikta.
Akikta's hand gently touched his mask in response to her yell. He understood that look in her eyes. How could he not?
He gazed up at the sky, which wasn't as bright as before. If the simulations in Alterna were accurate, it was close to evening. Even if you say that, that'll delay me for sure. He thought.
Akikta looked back at Nakji. She had a serious glare in her eyes. She wouldn't be coming with him without this weapon of hers.
"Ugh. Fine, let's just hurry, alright?" He caved, and Nakji smiled again.
"Don't worry; it's not far. Actually, those stone pillars mean we're close. Cmon!"
She tossed her cutlass and led the way, sounding a little too excited about this. Nakji's appearance and skills with a blade did not match her personality.
Akikta found it strange how she could easily slice him to bits and still be so... childlike. Then again, he couldn't talk. He wasn't much different from her in that regard.
Even at seventeen, he continued to do childish things. Or- he used to.
Maybe everything he's been through caused him to mature sooner. In which case, what has Nakji been through?
She didn't seem much older, assuming their two species aged the same, which was unlikely. Even then, he could tell they were both adolescents.
Going off that fact, he doubted a child would willingly join a band of pirates, and her easy shift in loyalty proved she wasn't born amongst them. So, what happened to her?
...Maybe I'll ask her another time.
Akikta recovered his bat and wedged it in between his utility belt and hip before quickly following behind Nakji.
"Hey." She said.
"Yeah?"
"You never told me your name."
"Oh, it's Akikta. Akikta Miles."
Nakji groaned in response, as if she were uncomfortable.
"What?" He could tell something about his name bothered her.
She fidgeted before giving a response. "It's... too long."
"What? No, it isn't?"
"It is. I'm calling you Aki."
"Please don't call me that."
"Sorry, it's already been decided, Aki!" Nakji declared with a giggle.
Akikta was already regretting his decision.
He sighed before changing the subject. "So, where exactly are we headed, anyway?"
She looked over her shoulder at him. "Splatsville."