Editing The Boy's Challenge

This story, part of the community effort on the [[Abyssal Jaws]] chapter, tells of a teenage boy's attempt at getting a chance at becoming a space marine.
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A boy of only 14 years sat alone on a small boat adrift in morning haze of the equatorial seas of Maresia. His breathing deep and rhythmic as he stared up into the deep green moon of Noxyssus hanging high in the sky above. In both hands he held a long knife made of the teeth of a scythe fish he had killed the week earlier. His hands still bore the scars from that battle.

He would succeed where his brothers had not. He would win honor for his mother where they could not, he would show them that he didn't need to wait another two years before attempting this daunting challenge to prove himself worthy of even the notion that he might be capable of becoming a space marine of the Abyssal Jaws. The promise of girls fighting for his attention for the short interlude he'd have after his success also boosted his confidence.

He cast his eyes back down the choppy waters as he stood up, offering a prayer to the Emperor, to his ancestors, and to the abyss in a hushed whisper. In a practiced motion he dragged the knife across his cheeks, slicing into his flesh just deep enough so that his blood would flow to stain the waters red yet not endanger his life unnecessarily. He stared into the deep, his chest heaving to fill his lungs with precious air as he waited and watched.

Moments later he had the sign he wanted, a dark shape easily larger than the dinghy he stood upon passed underneath. He dove into the water and sunk deep beneath the surface. He opened his eyes and steeled himself for what was to come. Each moment felt like an eternity as the dark shape several dozen meters in length made another pass around him.

He had what he wanted, a trident whale: a vicious beast with a triple-jawed maw full of teeth, capable of taking a blasting spear to its carapace and shrugging it off. The only way to kill the damn thing safely was to feed it a torpedo or shove something similarly explosive into its gut. That wouldn't cut it though; he needed to prove himself, so carving its heart out from the inside would be the best bet.

It all happened in a moment, the beast surged forward and opened its mammoth maw and he swam forward with all his might, hoping that he'd make it in time before it snapped its jaws shut and tear him apart.

All he could feel was his heartbeat... no that wasn't his heartbeat, that pressure he could feel all around him was its heart. Though no one could see him, he beamed a wicked grin and took his knives to its soft insides and tore into them with pride, its thick oily blood coating him as he homed in on its beating heart.

Almost three minutes after he had dove into the water the boy surfaced coated in the beasts viscera and blood, carrying with him the prized heart almost as big as himself. Now all he had to do was row it back to the hive while it was still fresh.

[[Category:Abyssal Jaws]]