Hurricane Crain and the Storm of the Seven Seas

Far across the wild oceans beyond the Marble Kingdom sailed the most feared and legendary weather marble ever known.

His name was Hurricane Crain.

Hurricane Crain was enormous, powerful, and impossible to ignore. His marble shell swirled with raging blues, storm greys, lightning whites, and deep ocean blacks that spun endlessly like a living hurricane trapped inside glass. Tiny flashes of lightning crackled around him whenever he became angry.

And he became angry quite often.

Wherever Hurricane Crain travelled, storms followed.

Waves crashed higher.

Thunder rolled louder.

And ships quickly sailed in the opposite direction.

Some marbles believed he controlled the weather itself.

Others believed the weather controlled him.

One stormy evening at Bablock Hythe, Jack Mitchell noticed something alarming.

The River Thames had begun flowing backwards.

Dark clouds twisted across the sky.

And giant waves crashed violently against the riverbanks despite there being no wind.

Bernard the talking dog looked terrified.

“That is absolutely unnatural.”

Suddenly a huge lightning bolt struck the river.

KABOOOOOOOM!

Out of the storm emerged a gigantic black ship with glowing blue sails spinning through the rain.

Standing at the front of the ship was Hurricane Crain himself.

“We need help!” he shouted.

Everyone stared in shock.

The most dangerous storm marble in the world was asking for help?

Apparently deep within the Ocean of Whispers, an ancient weather machine called the Tempest Core had awakened beneath the sea.

Long ago the Tempest Core controlled the balance of storms across the Marble Kingdom. But centuries earlier it had been sealed away after nearly flooding the world.

Now something had reactivated it.

Massive whirlpools were forming across the oceans.

Lightning storms stretched for hundreds of miles.

And giant tidal waves threatened coastal towns everywhere.

“If the Tempest Core fully activates,” warned Hurricane Crain, “the Seven Seas will become one endless hurricane.”

Within hours Jack, Imogen, Lenny, Bernard, and Hurricane Crain boarded the mighty Storm Chaser, a gigantic battle ship built to survive impossible weather.

The voyage quickly became terrifying.

Waves taller than castles smashed against the ship.

Whirlwinds spun across the sea.

At one point an entire waterspout lifted Dragon Fire into the air after he accidentally tried surfing on a door.

“This is AMAZING!” Dragon Fire yelled while spinning upside down.

Deep within the storm they finally discovered the Tempest Core rising from the ocean floor.

It was enormous.

A giant spinning crystal machine surrounded by swirling hurricanes and lightning storms powerful enough to split mountains apart.

But someone else had reached it first.

Evil Sprocket.

Naturally.

The mechanical villain had connected giant energy cables to the Tempest Core, hoping to harness the storms to power his newest machines.

“I call it,” he shouted proudly, “the Weatherinator Supreme!”

“That name alone is dangerous,” muttered Bernard.

But the overloaded Tempest Core had become unstable.

The storm system was growing beyond anyone’s control.

Even Hurricane Crain looked worried.

The skies darkened completely as the giant storm expanded across the sea.

Massive lightning bolts exploded around the Storm Chaser while enormous waves lifted the ship high into the air.

“We have to shut it down now!” shouted Lenny.

Working together, Jack and Imogen battled through the flooding machine platforms while Hurricane Crain fought directly against the raging hurricane winds surrounding the Tempest Core.

For the first time in his life, Hurricane Crain stopped trying to control the storms…

and instead listened to them.

“The sea is afraid,” he realised quietly.

The storms were not evil.

They were out of balance.

Hurricane Crain rolled directly onto the spinning Tempest Core while lightning exploded around him.

“Storms are meant to guide the oceans,” he shouted into the roaring winds. “Not destroy them!”

Using his incredible weather powers, Hurricane Crain slowly redirected the raging energy currents flowing through the machine.

The giant hurricanes began calming.

The whirlpools slowed.

The violent lightning storms weakened.

But Evil Sprocket’s unstable cables suddenly exploded.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The entire Tempest Core began collapsing into the ocean.

Without hesitation Hurricane Crain used every ounce of his strength to hold the machine steady long enough for Jack and Lenny to safely disconnect the remaining power systems.

Finally—

PHOOOOOOOM!

The Tempest Core powered down completely.

Instantly the skies cleared.

The waves calmed.

Moonlight spread peacefully across the ocean once more.

The Seven Seas had been saved.

Back aboard the Storm Chaser, the exhausted crew watched dolphins swimming peacefully through the calm water again.

Even Hurricane Crain smiled quietly beneath the stars.

“You know,” said Jack, “you’re not quite as terrifying as the stories claim.”

Hurricane Crain grinned.

“Oh, I absolutely am,” he replied proudly.

Before leaving, Hurricane Crain handed Jack a tiny silver compass filled with swirling blue mist.

“It always points toward safe waters,” he said.

Bernard held it tightly and nodded.

“Excellent,” he said. “Because I would very much like fewer exploding oceans in future adventures.”