The sound of tower bells echoed through the city as more of them began ringing to warn the citizens, spreading deeper into the city. People were running toward the mountain, away from the city’s port. Between the sea and the mountain stood four defensive walls, and the guards closed each gate once the crowd had passed into the next ring.

The city guards moved through the streets, seeking any lost people who would be directed toward the mountain where the shelter lay. To the confused people, they shouted, “Tide! The tides are coming!”

A man in dark blue robes stood up on the box to be perfectly visible to all the people, so everyone could see him above the fleeing crowd. “Gods are punishing us!” he shouted as he took off the cloak, revealing a bald head with extra eyes painted with white dye on his tanned forehead. “Do not fear, as this is judgment from the seas! Those who accept the punishment will be welcomed in heaven as they understand their sins!”

People rushed in panic; only a few of them spared the man a glance. There was no time for them to listen to the talk of a madman while their lives were at stake.

The guard in a red uniform and blue coat grabbed the man and forcefully brought him down to the ground. “The world was drowned for a reason!” shouted the madman as he was pressed to the ground by the guard.

“Shut it!” shouted the guard as he used the butt of his musket to knock out the man. Once the man was unconscious, the guard picked up his own black tricorn hat, which had fallen during the struggle.

The guard dragged the man to the side and continued controlling the rushed and confused crowd. On the side of the mountain, there were five gates. Guards moved the citizens into the shelters inside. Guards slammed one of the gates shut as the shelter was full. On the outside, they looked the same, but inside each one was different. The shelter that was closed was reserved for the richest, as they paid quite a sum to build those shelters. With that, they secured a sure spot for themselves and their family.

Even though the cataclysm was coming, their shelter was furnished like a royal banquet hall, and they gathered there to feast while people in other shelters were trembling in fear, hoping that the tide wouldn’t reach them.

Soldiers in dark and gold uniforms lined up on the walls with their muskets aimed at the shore. Dark metal helmets on their heads reflected the last red light from the distant sun.

More to the side of the walls, between the soldiers, stood people in leather armor with metal plates. Each carried a differently built musket. The only thing they shared was a mark painted on their armor– crossed muskets painted with orange paint.

Under the wall, behind the gates, other soldiers and hired guns stood there, waiting for the possible breach. Between them stood people with silver armor and teal cloaks. They, on the other hand, didn't have guns like the soldiers or hired guns. Each one of them had a different melee weapon, like swords, spears, and axes. On their teal capes was a symbol of the orange sun rising from the horizon.

Before the sun could even set, a fog rose from the water, and a cold breeze brushed their faces with the salty smell of the sea. The officers signaled the soldiers, and all of them aimed their muskets at the water. Once it got darker, foam along the shore began to glow blue, and a strong stench of dead fish drifted on the wind. The water began to boil, and the first creature appeared from it.

It resembled a human, encrusted in barnacles. Its body rotted, bones exposed through torn clothes. As its head stuck out of the water, the first bullet was fired. A man with a musket that had a scope attached to it announced to his fellow hired guns, “That’s one credit for me.”

The water began to boil in more places, and more of the creatures covered in barnacles appeared. Some of them had a swordfish skull instead of their hands.

At first, only the hired guns opened fire on the sea creatures, but when more of them appeared, the officers gave the command “Fire!” Rows of soldiers pulled their triggers, killing hundreds of monsters in a single volley. Musket smoke drifted toward the city, carried on the sea wind and mixing with the reek of decay.

A young man stood beside the officer, also wearing a soldier’s uniform, but he didn’t wear a helmet and had a flintlock by his belt. His duty was to deliver messages from the officers if necessary.

“Seems like a usual tide. Barnacles and nothing special. Getting mercenaries and Order of Tomorrow seems like a stretch,” the young man stated ignorantly.

“It may seem like that, but there was an omen. Ten times more foam than usual was gathered within a week. This is just the first wave. Something big is coming…” answered the officer as he searched for unusual creatures.

Between the barnacles appeared a new creature– a massive dark blue turtle with empty eyes. It was as tall as three men, and the muskets had no effect on it.

“Prepare the cannons!” ordered an officer, and to his side of the wall appeared four cannons. “Fire!” On his signal, all four cannons shot at the turtle, leaving its shell shattered and riddled with holes, splattering blue liquid around the stone ground of the port.

More turtles appeared, forcing the cannoneers to reload the cannons constantly. Many dead shells were left on the ground, making the barnacles walk over them.

Suddenly, the water erupted near the port like a geyser, and a loud roar accompanied it. The fifteen-foot-tall creature emerged from the sea, looking like a shark with a bit of a humanoid shape and a turtle carapace on its back like armor. A few ribs stuck out from the front of the shell. In its hand, it held an anchor that had a chain attached to it. 

The creature let out another roar that showed its teeth, which were more of them compared to a normal shark, as if it had three lines of them one in front of another. 

“Anchor has emerged!” shouted one soldier as he observed the monster with terror in his eyes.

Before the officer could even give a command, one cannon shot at the monster with an anchor. The steel ball hit it in the chest, only forcing it to take one step back. The beast got angered and began running.

The officer grabbed the soldier who fired at the monster by the collar and screamed at him, “You fool! Aim for its head!”

As the monster was running, it picked up an empty shell and threw it at the wall, destroying the cannon that shot it. The young man helped the officer stand back up after falling to the ground.

Once the officer looked up and saw another flying shell– but this time it wasn’t empty. Barnacles were inside it, and two of them fell out, hitting the tower and dying.

“Watch out!” shouted one of the soldiers who was standing behind the wall, warning everyone about the falling shell. 

The people scattered around to avoid the falling shells. The barnacles began walking out of the shell, forcing the soldiers and hired guns to open fire inside the city.

“Looks like they are slowly breaching through the wall,” a young woman in silver armor stated. Her blond braid fell against the teal cape. To her belt, she had attached one short sword and a dagger, both of them with teal wrappings on their handles.

She was grabbed gently by the shoulder, forcing her silver eyes to turn toward the person. It was a man in silver armor and a teal cape like hers. He was a head taller than her with wide shoulders, making him look even bigger than he already was. His hair was slightly darker than his tanned skin, with a beard stretching from one side to another. His hair was cut short, barely reaching halfway across his forehead.

“Let us see tomorrow’s sun,” said the man as he got closer to the woman.

The woman pressed her forehead against his, and both of them closed their eyes. “Let us see tomorrow’s sun. My love…” she whispered back and grabbed the man’s cheek for a second before letting him go.