(Warning: Some swearing in the song but not in the chapter)

Third Person

The Tide Changers were getting restless, scared even, but there was a good reason for it.

War was upon them. Atlantis was rising up, even with no true royalty leading them. Their troops were looking endless, thousands upon thousands of them. There might have only been a couple battles, but all of them were huge losses and they were losing ground fast.

While CannibalCrab and CrankyCrab worked in the kitchen trying to feed the soldiers, they picked up some information on what the battles were like.

"Great General Spartacus' got troops by the waters." They'd say, shaking their heads and drinking until they needed to breath. "Thirty two thousand troops right by the beaches." Both of the cooks could hear the fear in their voice, no matter how hard they tried to conceal it.

More and more murmured in agreement. "Thirty two thousand troops right by our beaches... When they surround our troops-"

"They surround our troops!" More cried.

"When they surround our troops!" All the soldiers yelled in harmony, and took a collective drink to forget what they saw.

CrankyCrab surveyed the crowd, huffing. "Never thought I wouldn't like having all these customers... War is terrible for us all, we're going to run out of food if this keeps up!"

But CannibalCrab thought differently. "I wanted war." He admits, getting his cousin to raise an eyebrow.

"Why?" He asked. "Why would you want this? What could you possibly gain?"

CannibalCrab sighed and shook his head. "As a kid in the slums, I wished for a war." He explained, getting a couple soldier's attention. "I knew I was poor, I knew it was the only way to-"

"Rise up!" The soldiers cried, knowing the exact same feeling. CannibalCrab shot a grin at them, straightening himself up.

"If they tell my story, I am either going to die on the battlefield in glory or rise up!" The other soldiers joined in when he added the last part. Confidence flowed through him like the very blood within his veins. He began to address the ones listening to him, gaining more attention. "I will fight for this land, but there's only one man who can give us a command to RISE UP!" He shouted with the rest of them. His attention turned back to his cousin. "Understand? It's the only way to-"

"Rise up! Rise up!" CannibalCrab laughed as the whole bar began to cheer, repeating the same phrase and gaining more cheer than before. His eyes drifted to the balcony, and froze at something in the distance. Three things in total, but one stood out from the rest.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind what it was. "Here he comes..."

"HERE COMES THE GENERAL!" An Illithid soldier called from the stairs and rushed down. Soon, the whole bar emptied out, pouring down the stairs and scrambling to get into formation. CannibalCrab followed, sinking into the troops lines. This would be his chance to see him again, and possibly learn what was truly going on.

The troops lined up neatly as they could by the entrance, all anxiously waiting nearby. One broke ranks and cleared his throat. A stone golem, with glowing blue parts in his head and chest. CannibalCrab recognized him as Gnash, one of the top soldiers of his rank. He had been hearing rumors about him getting promoted for quite some time, but no proof that it would actually happen. "Ladies and gentleman!" He announced, his voice booming over everyone.

"Here comes the general!" Some soldiers continued to say, excitement in their voice. CannibalCrab noted a badge on their uniform, signifying they were part of the new enlisted. They probably never even met him before.

"The moment you've been waiting for!" Gnash yelled, now rallying the troops. So many had been waiting for the news from him for hours, and now he was finally back from his scouting mission.

"Here comes the general!" More and more were joining in on the chant.

"The pride of the Conch Command!"

"HERE COMES THE GENERAL!" The first line of men saw him first and soon, as he stepped into the building, everyone could. Though there might have been two bodyguards behind him, two very large turtles, everyone knew that he was the general that everyone was talking about, even the one's who never saw him before. His purple skin and shining yellow eyes that shifted around the room made him stick out from everyone else.

"IT'S KRAKENKID!"

KrakenKid stepped in the room and took a deep breath, collecting himself before facing everyone. "We are outgunned!"

"WHAT?" Many of the soldiers replied, wanting to know more.

"Outmanned!" Another 'What' made him sigh and wipe his forehead in frustration. "Outnumbered, out planned!" The whole line of troops began to make sound effects of a gun in the adrenaline they were feeling. "We gotta make an all out stand!" He yelled, then surveyed the room. "Ayo, I'm gonna need a right hand man!"

As he began to walk up the stairs, most likely to meet up with Darrel, he paused in the middle of the steps and whipped around. "Check it! Can I be real a second? For just a millisecond?" CannibalCrab couldn't believe his ears when the whole room quieted down within the same time it took to snap a finger. "Let my guard down and tell the people how I feel a second?"

When no one objected, he huffed. "Now I'm the model of a modern major general, the vengeful, vindictive veteran whose men are all lining up, to put me on a pedestal, comparing me to my relatives and embellishin' my elegance and eloquence but the elephant is in in the room!" He called, narrowing his eyes. "The truth is in your face when you hear their cannons go-"

"BOOM!" The soldiers echoed, most knowing exactly what they sounded like.

KrakenKid took in another breath. Something told the cannibal that he was slowly losing his cool. "Any hope of success is fleeting!" He let out a frustrated noise. "How can I keep leading when the people I leading keep retreating?"

Instantly, the crab noticed some guilty looks within the crowd. Clearly, some people were not as happy with their choice to flee as they felt in the beginning.

"We put a stop to the bleeding as Atlantis takes Sector Four. Knight takes rook but look, we are outgunned! Outmanned! Outnumbered, out planned!" The yellow eyes swept over them, and just for a moment, CannibalCrab felt his gaze on him. "We gotta make an all out stand... Ayo, I'm gonna need a right hand man!" He called once again, before having to leave, letting the soldiers to chatter with each other.

CannibalCrab grinned, now knowing he had a chance at joining the war.

CannibalCrab pressed his back against the wall as he began to slip the bullets inside his musket as well as mentally readying himself for battle. Not just any battle, his first large scale one. He had already been in one or two, but he never got to even fire his gun, they were over so quickly.

As he squinted his eyes, carefully loading the gunpowder, a shadow loomed over him. The crab blinked and turned his head up, now seeing who exactly was in front of him.

Gnash, the stone golem, now examined him with interest. "CannibalCrab, huh?"

CannibalCrab perked up. "Yes sir."

His eyes trailed over him, and he laughed. "Did you used to be a cook? What are you doing out here, on the battlefield? Are they that desperate for more men?"

CannibalCrab had to hold in a glare from his comment. How dare he act higher than me! "I joined on my own account!" He shot back. Gnash's eyes widened a little bit and looked him up and down again.

"Really?" He said, clearly very surprised. "Well... Don't get yourself killed newbie, we don't want to have to draft your cousin if you die." It took every part of CannibalCrab not to lash out at the golem as he walked away, going farther down the makeshift wall they had built to defend themselves.

CannibalCrab could tell they weren't going to be the best of friends.

"INCOMING!" Cried the voice of the general, catching his attention and even worse when he heard a large 'Boom' follow it soon after. The soldiers scrambled to avoid any debris flying out.

CannibalCrab was the first to get up, trying to figure out where it hit them. "They're battering down the battery, check the damages!" One Illithid instantly obeyed, getting up and running down the wall. The crab sighed and faced where Atlantis was holding their ground. "We got to stop them and rob them of their advantages!"

Upon hearing other murmurs of agreement, something caused CannibalCrab to jump on the wall and address them all. "Let's take a stand with the stamina that has been granted for us because Cannibal won't abandon ship!" His eyes glanced over, and spotted something that couple help them. A wicked smile formed on his face. "Yo, let's steal their cannons!"

As more cannon fire went off, KrakenKid found himself ducking for cover. "Boom!" Many of the soldiers imitated.

"-Goes the cannon, watch the blood and the spit spray!" He tried to avoid the sight of blood, never being a fan of it. Another cannon nearly hit him and tore right through his wall like it was paper. Having no other choice, he ordered a retreat. "-Goes the cannon, we're abandoning crystals bay!"

It began to become almost rapid fire, causing the kraken to watch one of his ships crumble before his eyes. "There's another ship-" He jumped as more walls fell. "We just lost southern tip and-" KrakenKid narrowly avoided another one as it landed a foot away from him.

KrakenKid rushed forward, assembling what was left of his troops together. "We gotta run the harlem quick! We can't afford another slip! Guns and horses, giddy up!" He yelled, signally the people with more mobility to go first. "I've decided to divvy up my forces!" He ordered, quickly splitting them up.

Even as he appeared as confident as he could and screamed encouragement that they would win, he could see the fear rooted in their eyes. "They're skittish as Atlantis cuts the sectors up..." He muttered under their breath and shook his head, retreating to his tent to make plans. "This close to giving up! Facing mass scrutiny, I scream in the face of this mass mutiny!" He groaned to himself.

Entering his tent, he plopped down at the desk and hit his head against the table. "Are these the men with which I am to defend the Conch Command? We ride at midnight, Atlantis in the distance." He rubbed his eyes lightly, trying to get rid of the stress. "I can not be everywhere at once people!" He let out a exasperated sigh. "I'm in dire need of some assistance..."

The folds of his tent fluttered, making his head shoot up and come face to face with a golem. "Your excellency sir!"

KrakenKid blinked. With so many men, it was hard to pick out some from the crowd. "Who are you?"

"I'm called Gnash, sir! Permission to state my case?" He asked delicately.

KrakenKid already had someone in mind, but perhaps it wouldn't be the end of the world to hear him out. "As you were."

"Sir!" Gnash cleared his throat. "I was a captain under General Montgomery, until he caught a bullet in the neck outback, and well, in summary, I think I can be of some assistance!" His eyes glinted. "I admire how you keep firing at Atlantis from a distance!"

"Huh..." KrakenKid examined him carefully. Personally, he hated having to be in the distance. He wanted to fight up close and personal, but he kept his mouth shut, wanting to see where this conversation would go.

"I have some questions, a couple of suggestions, on how to fight instead of fleeing back!" Gnash told him proudly.

"Yes?" KrakenKid raised an eyebrow. This ought to be good.

"Well-" Gnash began, but both were interrupted by someone new coming in. Gnash was astonished to see KrakenKid's eyes light up and whipped around, wondering who could possibly cause that.

CannibalCrab and Gnash exchanged looks, both very confused to see the other there. "Your excellency, you wanted to see me?" CannibalCrab said, stepping forward but still unsure.

"Cannibal," KrakenKid smiled. "Come in, have you met Gnash?"

CannibalCrab nodded. "Yes sir," The pair met eyes.

"We keep meeting." They said in unison.

Gnash quickly shook his head and turned back to KrakenKid. "As I was saying, sir, I look forward to seeing your strategy play out-"

KrakenKid cut in. "Gnash?"

Gnash gulped. "Sir?"

"Close the door on your way out."

Gnash's eye widened, a little shocked that he was being kicked out but he wasn't going to disobey a direct order. He hurried out as quickly as he could, leaving the crab all alone with the kraken.

CannibalCrab tried not to show how nervous he was, but KrakenKid noticed right away. "Have I done something wrong, sir?" He asked, but the kraken just laughed.

"On the contrary! I called you here because our odds are beyond scary. Your reputation precedes you," He lightly shook his head. "But I have to laugh!"

"Sir?" CannibalCrab cocked his head.

KrakenKid locked eyes with him, amused. "Cannibal, how come nobody can get you on their staff?"

"Sir!"

KrakenKid chuckles again, knowing he's struck a bit of a sore bone with him. "Don't get me wrong, you're a young man with great renown! I know you stole Atlantean cannons when we were still downtown." His eyes glint a little, seeing that CannibalCrab was a little surprised that he found out. "Darrel and Harold both wanted to hire you, you know!"

CannibalCrab couldn't stop himself from scoffing. "To be their secretary? I don't think so!"

The crab's arms cross, allowing the leader to pick up on his mood. "Now why are you upset?"

"I'm not!" His childish tone instantly gave him away.

"It's alright you want to fight, you've got a hunger." He smiles a little bit, with the smallest amount of sadness behind it. "It was just like you when I was younger... Head full of fantasies of dying like a martyr?"

CannibalCrab lights up. That's exactly how he was feeling. "Yes!" He shouts, excited to find out KrakenKid felt the same way once.

KrakenKid couldn't help but let his smile drop. He made a lot of mistakes because of his hunger for blood from Atlantis, and seeing this one before him have the same feelings? He wasn't going to let him go down the same path of pain that he did. He grabs his shoulders and looks him dead in the eyes. "Dying is easy, young man! Living is harder!"

CannibalCrab would have stumbled by the sudden change in his tone if he hadn't been steadied by him. When he lets go, CannibalCrab begins to wrack his brain. What's this conversation really about? "Why are you telling me this?"

The kraken sighed. "I'm being honest, I'm working with a third of what we have been promised! We are a powder keg about to explode, I need someone like you to lighten the load." His piercing eyes shoot at him again. "So?"

CannibalCrab nearly found himself breathless, but a phrase the soldiers in the restaurant used to shout came back to him. I am not throwing away my shot! They'd chant. I am not throwing away my shot! Ayo, I'm just like my country, I'm young, scrappy and hungry-

And CannibalCrab knows just what to say. "I am not throwing away my shot!"

KrakenKid shakes his head. "Son, we are outgunned, outmanned!"

"You need all the help you can get!" He replies just as fast. "I have some friends: Bruce, Larsa, my cousin, CrankyCrab, okay what else?"

KrakenKid almost hesitates. How did he solve that problem so fast? "Outnumbered, out planned!"

"You need some spies on the inside, some royal's men who might let some things slide!" He began to pace around, getting worked up that he is given the chance to lead a little. "I'll write back and see about getting supplies, you rally the guys, master the element of surprise!" More and more ideas came to him. He whipped around to face the kraken. "I'll rise above my station, organize your information until we rise to the occasion of our new nations, sir!" He saluted him.

KrakenKid just smiled. This was the one.

The soldiers all began to clammer together as the kraken came back from his meeting to give orders. "Here comes the general!" They alerted each other.

"Rise up!" Called others. The two groups began to repeat the phrase, over and over until KrakenKid stood before them all. "Here comes the general!" They all yelled.

He signaled the crab who lingered behind him to come forward. "What?" He blinked as he obeyed the command.

KrakenKid didn't even look at him and just put an arm around his shoulders. A grin broke out on his face. "And his right hand man!"

Nearly half the troops gasped, and CannibalCrab could barely believe it himself. He was a what now? To WHO?

The news hit him like a cannon.

*****************************************************

A little unusual for me to switch it up, but hear me out!

Normally I have Cody playing Hamilton and Rasmus as George Washington, but after I realized this really fit CannibalCrab and KrakenKid for these parts, I decided to switch it up a bit! How'd I do?

Not all of it follows my personal head cannons about how I think CannibalCrab joined and ascended in the ranks of the Conch Command, but it fit the song. Plus, though it would have been just as great for Rasmus, the line "Dying is easy, young man. Living is harder." Seemed equally if not better for KrakenKid to say, given his backstory of growing up an orphan and with so much hate for Atlantis. I imagined that in many ways, KrakenKid might have seen himself in Cannibal and wanted to make sure he grew up the right way, taking him under his wing/tentacle

In short, even before Blooper was born, KrakenKid had dad instincts.

Anyways, I hope y'all liked this! Be sure to comment what you thought of it, and I'll see you all later! Goodbye!

--JustAnAtlantisWriter