At this mont, I'm with the ER team—and no, it has nothing to do with hospitals—trying to convince the Selkies to evacuate their hos before a tsunami swallows the entire coastal area.
These CCP-uniford people—who are technically elves or so other fantastical creature—are all part of the Ergency Relocation team from the CCP Habitat Program.
Why am I stuck here with the ER team?
Well, it happened a few days ago when the head of the Habitat Program received complaints of flooded coastal habitats due to the oncoming tsunami.
Since they're understaffed—because so took leave to attend a demigod concert in Olympus—everyone else who was free has been deployed to help with the evacuation. It's a chaotic ss, and, as a re intern, I got swept up in the tide.
So here I am, trying to persuade a Selkie to leave behind an entire karaoke setup for the sake of his own safety.
You know, the usual day in the life of a fresh zoology graduate-turned-intern.
I an, seriously?
Who knew convincing a Selkie to evacuate would be more challenging than convincing unicorns?
"Sir, you can't bring that. We need to evacuate this place now. Just bring the essentials, like basic clothing," I insisted, desperately waving my hands to emphasize my point.
The Selkie, a chubby little fellow with blue hair and ocean-blue eyes that seed to glimr with defiance, shook his head violently.
"This is a necessity! I can't survive without my karaoke!" he wailed, clutching his oversized karaoke set to his chest like it was the Holy Grail.
He was perched on the ground, his legs also hugging his karaoke set tightly like it was a long-lost friend.
With his blue hair tousled from the chaos around him, he looked like he was about to go into full ltdown mode. His ocean-blue eyes shimred with desperation, and it was clear he wasn't going to budge without a fight.
Oh god. Just kill now.
"Sir, we don't have room for your karaoke set in here," I said, my voice strained. "You need to leave it behind, or we can't let you board this pod."
"What kind of rescuer are you people?" he shouted, his voice rising above the chaotic din of Selkies and ER team mbers rushing about.
"I'd rather be washed away by the tsunami than leave my karaoke set!"
I really had to bite my tongue to suppress the sarcastic remark begging to escape.
"Then die here," I mused internally, but I kept my professional deanor.
"Listen, I promise you that I will personally collect it later, and if it's destroyed by the flood, I'll buy you a new one," I said, hoping my offer would appease him.
He blinked at , clearly processing my words, before bursting into tears and wailing louder than I thought a Selkie could. The sound was dramatic enough to rival any tragic opera.
After much negotiation—and my sudden willingness to sacrifice my Mythica credits—I finally convinced him to leave his karaoke set behind. It was like negotiating with a toddler who'd just been told broccoli was on the nu for dinner.
"Alright, fine," he said, sniffling. "But you better keep your promise!"
As I helped him board the pod, I turned to find another Selkie glaring at . She was clutching a small bag of shells and looked like she was ready to bite my head off. "What are you doing? You're not stealing my shells, are you? Those are mine!" Chapters first released on novelꜰire
"Uh, miss, I was only trying to help you carry this over to the pod," I said, attempting to explain while maintaining my grip on her bag.
She narrowed her eyes, hugging the bag like it contained the world's rarest treasure. "I'm watching you."
Great.
Now I was a suspicious intern on a mission to save the Selkies while looking like I was going to pilfer their personal belongings.
Just when I thought I'd seen it all, I spotted so Selkies trying to carry enormous safes onto the rescue pods. I stepped forward to stop them, but one of the staff waved off.
"They can bring those in. That's their Seal Skin Safe," she said matter-of-factly.
I blinked in confusion. "Uh, their what?"
She rolled her eyes. "Selkies are shapeshifters. When they're in human form, they shed their seal skin. They don't just hang it up—they put it in a Seal Skin Safe. If soone tries to steal their skin, a loud alarm goes off, complete with seal noises and flashing lights. It makes it impossible to stay unnoticed! If a Selkie loses their skin, they can't return to the ocean until it's found."
So, if you see Selkies with a safe, it ans they're not carrying valuables like jewelry or money—instead, those are their seal skins!
I ntally filed that information away, hoping it might save my skin in the future.
As the last of the Selkies boarded the rescue pods, I took a mont to look back at their coastal sanctuary, the sun glinting off the water like diamonds on a blue satin cloth.
Suddenly, the crackling voice of the radio in the pod interrupted my thoughts.
"Tsunami will hit the shore in 2 minutes. Everyone, please leave the coastal area now. I repeat, tsunami hitting in 2 minutes."
I glanced nervously at the ocean, where ominous waves began to gather, rising higher and higher as if the sea itself was preparing for battle.
This coastal area was the last Selkie sanctuary we were evacuating.
I rembered my encounter with the b-boy Kraken, who had nearly drowned because of his tsunami-prone dance moves.
"What a way to go," I muttered, almost chuckling at the irony.
As we moved away from the affected area, I couldn't help but ask one of the staff, "Hey, is there a deep trench located in that area?" I gestured to the spot where the waves were beginning to swell.
The staff mber glanced at the ocean, squinting in the sunlight. "Yeah, that's the deep trench."
I groaned as the realization hit like a tidal wave. "I think I know what caused the tsunami."
"What do you an?" the staff mber asked, furrowing their brow.
I shook my head, trying to piece everything together. "It has to be the Kraken. I was there when he was breakdancing, and each ti he tried a move, it sent ripples through the water. If he kept that up, it could easily trigger a tsunami."
"Wait, you're saying that the Kraken's dancing caused this?"
The staff mber's disbelief was almost palpable.
"Absolutely," I replied, running a hand through my hair. "He was probably practicing his dance moves, but the problem is he's the size of a small mountain! Every ti he spun or flipped, it was like he was sending shockwaves through the ocean. With the right conditions—like a deep trench—his moves could be catastrophic."
"Great," the staff mber sighed, looking out at the increasingly turbulent waves. "So, we're stuck here because of a dancing Kraken?"
"Yes, and now we're on a tight schedule before we're all washed away," I said, feeling a mix of anxiety and a strange sense of amusent at the absurdity of it all.
The radio crackled again, urgency in the voice.
"All evacuation pods, please prepare for ergency launch. Tsunami will hit in one minute."
I could feel the tension in the air as the remaining Selkies boarded the last pod.
The previous chaos had been transford into frantic energy. With the clock ticking down, I turned to the staff mber.
"What's the plan now?"
"We launch imdiately," they said, urgency flashing in their eyes. "We'll regroup at the safe zone."
I nodded, adrenaline surging through my veins as the waves crashed harder against the shore. It was a cacophony of panic mixed with the underlying absurdity of it all.
Suddenly, a realization hit —"What about the Kraken?"
"Focus on the evacuation," the staff mber replied, but I could see the worry creeping into their expression.
As the last Selkie boarded the pod and the doors shut, I couldn't shake the feeling of dread that settled in my stomach.
Would the Kraken survive the chaos of his own moves?
Just then, a massive wave surged toward us, its height towering like a skyscraper, and all I could think was, this is it.
We were about to be swept away, not just by a tsunami but by the very ridiculousness of it all.
"Hold on!" the staff mber shouted as the pod shuddered to life, launching us away from the coast. The water behind us erupted in a towering wall of blue fury, crashing down in a thunderous roar.
As we sped away, I glanced back at the chaos unfolding behind us.
The once-peaceful sanctuary of the Selkies was engulfed by the tumultuous waves, and I felt a pang of guilt.
The Kraken's breakdancing had triggered this disaster, and I couldn't help but wonder—was he alright?
Did he even know what was happening?
Suddenly, the pod jolted, and I was thrown against the wall.
My heart raced as I tried to regain my balance.
"What was that?" I shouted over the noise.
"Just turbulence!" the staff mber called back, but their face was pale.
Before I could respond, a loud boom echoed from behind us. I turned just in ti to see the tsunami crashing onto the beach, a massive wave swallowing everything in its path.
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