<div class="floatright">(https://imgur.com/SSvCEc6.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: Courier;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>S T O R Y T E L L E R</strong></span></span><hr/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">Next Post: 5.19.22 | June 10th, 1:15pm | Down River | <strong>Angel</strong>, <strong>Billie</strong>, <strong>Devina</strong>, <strong>Elle</strong>, <strong>John-James</strong>, <strong>Robin</strong></span><hr/>The enormous, angry, aquatic Sarlic pit seems relatively unphased by their collective panic. They are ants - or perhaps minnows is a more apt analogy - to this creature. This<em>force</em>. Because creature though it might be, is it any less potentially devastating than a hurricane? On the water, not so much. While Angel debates the benefits of creating an explosion with Cloudie, the three find they are listing to the side as the canoe fills with water - and as the boat tips, the upper edge dips under the water. Pretty much as soon as that happens, Angel, Billie, and Cloudie are unceremoniously dumped into the water as the canoe twists to its side and begins to sink.<br/><br/>Devina - provided she doesn’t flail around too badly - is supported by her life vest, and thus can keep Baphomet up above the water's surface. He’ll just get wet adjacent. Damp. Splashing sucks. Sad Kitty has had better days, as Throne abandons the canoe and Robin entirely. But, fortunately, they’re stuffed animals - breathing isn’t something they need to do. But the mildew that’s coming? Oof, that’s a worse fate.<br/><br/>Robin, frozen by panic, sits in his canoe protesting the kraken’s actions - or perhaps appealing to its better nature. And when that doesn’t look like it’s going to work it rather looks like he’s going to be its first victim. The tentacle coils, and even brushes against Robin’s shoulder. It’s notable from Robin’s unique position inside the canoe that the kraken seems not directly interested in<em>him</em>but rather in the boat itself. Something that holds true for everyone in the water too - as the vehicles sink into the river, they seem to be left alone. Unfortunately for Robin, he’s in the boat - and with no time to get out now. But as the tentacle begins to tighten to crush him and his canoe, a flash of hot white slams into the flesh. There’s a distinct and instant smell of burning - and a horrific, high pitched, scratch from the kraken’s beak. Its tentacle recoils and yanks up into the air. The whole creature dives beneath the water, and the tentacles follow it. There’s a great disturbance in the water as it plunges and its shadow vanishes somewhere in the depths beneath them. Just like that they seem fine.<br/><br/>At least until two tentacles, like little rockets shoot out on either side of Elle’s kayak - one at the front, and one at the back. Much less timidly, the ends of these tentacles wrap around in a flurry around the boat and<em>yank</em>. Just like that, Elle’s kayak and Elle herself are plunged under the river.<em>Gone</em>.<br/><br/>On the surface of the water, as soon as Elle is out of sight, the fog lifts. Like a curtain it just sort of rises away until it’s gone. The campers in the water are being gently pushed by stillwater’s easy current. Robin, has the only canoe left. Fortunately, all around them are the comfortable shores of the river waiting for them - and the looming forest that towers over them. But almost more notably than that is the lack of Sean or other campers. They're all just gone, and there's no immediately apparent sign of them.<br/><br/>And Elle? Well, the kraken is more interested in her kayak than it is her. She can figure out - if she’s calm enough - that she is plunging deeper than this river can possibly be. But nothing is binding her into the kayak, so once she gets her wits about her, she is able to leave the kayak and flail for the surface. The life jacket will get her there. Eventually. Hope she doesn’t scream!