[rework] Minglings - chapter 23: Back from whence we came

Jake forced himself to slow down as soon as he was out of sight of the others. If he wasn't careful, he might swim into something nasty that wanted to eat him. Taking deep breaths of salty sea water felt like drawing air in the cool morning near his grandparent's mountain cabin. Swimming along a tall purple reef, he finally managed to calm himself down, though the simmering rage from the dream somehow hung in the back of his mind like a dimly burning coal.

I'll find a way to fix this, he thought, looking around. If need be, he would let Mason tie up his hands.

The daylight had caused many smaller animals to hide, while colorful fish the size of his leg swam around in small packs. From what he could see, they were all predators, eyeing each other and even him while hunting tiny silvery crabs that dashed out of the mud on the bottom between the reef.

He made his way into the shadow of a dark coral and looked if there were any hidden holes that could eject nasty critters. All he found was red and purple fungi growing over it in small patches, and he finally hovered in the water, looking around and uncertain what to do. Telling him to find something with dragon blood was all well and good, but he realized now that he had no idea where to start.

After a while of trying to come up with a plan, he sighed. Standing around doing nothing wouldn't help. Keeping his eyes out for anything that looked like a dragon-blooded thing, he began swimming around in expanding circles from where Mason and the others should be. Below, patches of white sand glistened between the mud, some wafting up the water if he came too close.

An hour later, the violent mood from the dream finally dissipated. He was in a deeper area of the sea, and large towering plants with broad green leaves created an underwater jungle. Small brown fish hid below the leaves, nibbling from them.

As he inspected one that looked like a potato, a heavy thudding sound erupted. Jake's heart rate spiked. He looked around but didn't spot anything. Slowly he calmed, and with some focus, he suddenly realized he could pinpoint the source of the noise. It came from deeper inside the vegetated area.

Half a minute later, he was still unsure if he should explore the denser area when the sound stopped. "Fuck it," he muttered before swimming towards one of the leaves and hiding underneath. It might be exactly what he was looking for; something with dragon blood. He stayed high and dashed from leaf to leaf, hoping it would hide him from anything watched from below or above.

Sadly, the plant density kept increasing, and after what he guessed was a few hundred meters, he had no other choice but to dive below the safety of the higher leaf cover. As he swam over the bottom leaves, holes appeared in between, and between the sandy floor and shadows from above, everything looked dark and gloomy.

Then the pounding sound started again.

Dammit, Jake thought as he dashed sideways, slamming into a nearby trunk, green and the size of a tree. He looked back, but there wasn't anything there, and it took him a moment to calm enough to find that it came from below. He mechanically swallowed, then mentally kicked himself when he felt a wave of cold sea water slide into his stomach.

After a few seconds, he swam down along the trunk, ready to rush away if need be. Slowly an image cleared up below, and he saw a tiny mound of mud mixed with dark gray and black stones that marred a large area of pristine white sand.

There were crevices and cracks in the mount, and through them, he saw a small fissure leading down. The rocks seemed to be blocking it.

The pile suddenly shook, and a loud bang came from below.

Something is trying to get out!

Jake almost left, but as the rockpile remained as it was, he finally calmed slightly. Still, by now, he was so antsy he thought if anybody screamed boo, he'd probably die of a heart attack.

A quick look showed lots of plants strewn about, seemingly uprooted by something.

Wait, did something already come out off-

With a massive thud, tiny rocks erupted upward while the top of the pile slid down.

Jake backed up until he was on top of one of the plants, his gaze locked to the pile. It began shaking again, more stones floating slowly down to the sea bed, and all of a sudden, a long blue tentacle surged out from a crack between the rocks, tearing away the others.

Shit, I should have left when he had the chance! Jake froze as a hideous thing crawled out from under the stones.

If a lobster had a baby with an octopus and became the size of a small car, it would probably look just like what he was looking at now. A gray, mottled shell covered half of a purplish blob of a thing. Jake immediately saw it was wounded. Its four massive legs could barely keep it off the ground, and a thick bluish liquid oozed from deep lacerations on its legs and the unprotected sides of its body. From below the outer shell, all along the edges, dozens of long blue tentacles dragged it towards the opposite side of the underwater forest. It left a blue trail behind on the white sand while blood quickly clouded the water.

Sitting motionless and watching as the monstrous tentacle crab disappeared inside the forest, Jake only relaxed when he couldn't see any part of it. Only the thinning trail of blood remained. That could have gone worse!

He had barely finished the thought when a host of evil-looking merman surged out of the shadows below the forest left of him.

Where the hell did those come from? he thought, holding his breath.

The merman nimbly moved their smooth gray upper bodies in bone-breaking angles, waving around with vicious taloned hands. They were propelling themselves forward with shark-like tails that seemed oversized.

"Kli'n nar doh!" the first one shouted in a high-pitched voice before rushing into the hole, followed by the others.

A scream of surprise and anger came shortly after, and a moment later, the merman flooded back out, quickly locating the trail of blue blood. Their fairly human-looking faces were warped by rage as they disappeared after the crab.

Are you kidding me? Jake thought as moments later, the sounds of battle came from further away.

Fucki- that's plenty of excitement, for now, he thought.

He slowly and stealthily swam back up until he was above a few layers of leaves before turning around and moving away as fast as he could. It was time to find Mason and Sandra and tell them there was no dragon-blooded creature in the area to hunt but a ton of dangerous things to be wary about. And shark-merman.

--

Two hours later, as the setting sun turned the water a dirty orange, Jake gazed in shock at the spot where he had last seen Mason and the others. A bloody mist still hung thickly in the water, and scales in different tints of green, blue, and red littered the ground. Small fish began popping out of their holes, dashing towards the bits.

Oh no, Jake thought as he carefully swam forward, gaze not leaving the Hydraci corpse that lay propped against the wall. Its puffy tongue lolled out of its wide open mouth, but curiously, none of the fish moved anywhere near it. There was no doubt what had killed it as a deep gash ripped most of its neck away.

Jake clenched his teeth, barely keeping himself from screaming his friend's name. Looking around, he scanned for any indication of where they might have gone. Besides the scales, the jostled sand, and a few scrapes across the reef, there was nothing.

They must have fled, Jake thought as he looked up and around.

There was nothing swimming near the surface, and though he knew it was a major risk, Jake propelled himself up through the water like a cannon. When he was above the highest parts of the reef, he spun around, hoping to spot his friends. All he saw were more reefs, colorful fish, and water. Panicking, he went higher, far beyond what was safe, and finally, he spotted something.

A group of tiny figures, barely more than grain-sized dots, was chasing another group, far in deeper regions.

Jake got ready to rush over when a gurgling sound made him swerve, and he barely dodged a long tentacle. Behind him, a giant turtle gently swam forward with deceptive speed. Freaking out, Jake dove down as fast as he could, dodging left and right. He managed to take one last glance at the distant shapes that he hoped were his friends before he fled into the reef. As soon as he dashed below an overhang, the turtle gave up and began chasing a school of fish, fleeing the commotion.

Waiting until his heart stopped racing, Jake sat with his back against a wall, making himself as small as possible.

That was way too close, you idiot, he thought, mentally kicking himself. He should have paid more attention to his surroundings. He was no use to anyone dead. Pushing himself from the wall, he oriented himself before looking towards a broad path leading towards the depths of the sea. Those spots had better be his friends, or he would have no idea where to start searching.

The night passed in a blur of fear and haste as he swam as fast as he could, praying he was heading in the right direction.

When morning finally came, Jake sat on an outcrop, staring up and waiting for daylight. He felt lost and had no idea where to go. His final plan was to swim up, shout a few times while trying not to get killed, and hope his friends were close enough to hear him.

If they aren't, then...

He didn't finish the thought, glad to see the water lose its rising-sun red.

After a hasty scan and nothing in sight, he swam up, searched for his friends in vain, and finally roared Mason's name at the top of his lungs. Paying far better attention than the day before, he saw the giant shadow approach rapidly before it could get to him and quickly swam back down. Back in the relative safety of the reef, he huddled on the ground for a moment.

Nothing, they aren't here. Now what? He knew the answer. He would have to try again until he saw them while making his way to the first island. If they... if they had survived, that's where they would go.

He attempted to call his friends three more times. The last time he stayed far too long and almost got caught by one of the tortoises. He knew it then. If they had been anywhere near, they would have responded. The only thing he was doing now was getting himself killed.

Somber and trying to resist the temptation to sit down and wait for help, Jake started aimlessly wandering the reef, hoping to find anything familiar to point him in the right direction.

--

Mason glared at Sandra, ignoring the blood flowing from the gashes and cuts across his body. It was dark outside the small cave, and they were far from where Jake had left them after fleeing Hydraci for a day and a night.

"You two have to stop fighting!" Emma croaked, trying to stop her crying as she held onto Willson's hand.

The soldier looked down at her with his dark eyes, giving her small shoulder a gentle squeeze. "She is right, Sarge. O'Reilly isn't getting any better and why Tergin hasn't died yet is beyond me. But they both need us, all of us."

When Sandra ignored him, Willson tried again, staring at Mason this time. "Listen, boy. I know you love your friend and want to help him, but running- or swimming out there without a plan or even knowing where he is, is suicide. "

Mason shook his head, staring at Willson. He knew the other was right, but he didn't want to listen. Listening meant leaving Jake alone in this infernal sea... again!

"Think for a moment! Together we are a bigger target, easier to spot. What if Jake finds us while you are out there being a hero?" While Willson tried to talk some sense into Mason, Emma moved towards him, the Kobold towering over her, and she grabbed his golden-red fist.

Mason shivered at the touch before unclenching his fingers and looking at the little girl.

"Please. You can't leave me too!" she whispered. Her tears, thicker than the water, slid from her eyes like mercury before floating up.

Mason followed their journey to the cave's ceiling before closing his eyes. He had promised Jake he would always be there for him, and now what was he supposed to do? Within the few days since their arrival in this new world, they had been separated twice already! And both times in this blasted sea! Feeling Emma squeeze his hand as hard as she could, he lowered his head. Jake would never forgive him if he just left her here or got her killed in some fool gambit. Soft-hearted bastard. With a shuddering breath, Mason relaxed and pulled her into a quick hug.

"You are making the right choice, and the fact it is so hard on you only shows what a great friend you are," Willson said gently, visibly relaxing before looking at Sandra. "Sarge, we need to find that island before our supply of plants runs out. Do you still know the way?"

From the side, Mason looked at the soldier. Something had changed about the burly blue-scaled soldier, and he only noticed it now. He wasn't as subservient as he was at the start. Was it because of the physical change or because they were in the water? He had no idea, but he saw from the narrowing of her eyes that Sandra picked up on it at the same time. The cut-and-dry relationship between her and the soldiers was changing, and soon Wilson would probably not just do as she said anymore.

Mason wondered how she would deal with it. Then he turned to the cave entrance and stared at the multicolored fish swimming through the dark reef.

Stay alive, Jake. We will find each other somehow!

--

Staring at his prey, Jake held his breath before shooting through the water. The dark gray fish felt something was wrong and tried to flee inside a small hole, but he was too late. A week of practice had made Jake an expert at catching the tiny things. His nails pierced through the silvery flesh, causing blood to ooze out, tinging the water red.

Grabbing the bleeding fish, he drifted down to the sandy sea bed and used his nails to gut the fish in a swift, practiced manner. As soon as he got to the white pearlescent flesh, he stuffed his mouth, chewing with relish. Swimming, as he did, burned a ton of calories, and although the seawater provided him with energy, it wasn't nutritious. He had realized within a day that he definitely couldn't do without food.

The hand-length fish was gone all too soon, and he looked around for more of the same. He was incredibly deep in the sea, and the water was dark and cold. Not that it posed any problems to him. So far, he had barely noticed the cold, and there was plenty of light from the luminescent algae and coral.

A swirl of motion came from across a flat green growth as a host of colorful fish swam past him. They were way slower than the smaller ones and bigger, but he knew better now. Those would just give him a stomach ache. Again.

"No more underwater diarrhea... I would rather starve, " Jake muttered to his protesting stomach.

Finding no more gray fish, he unhurriedly swam in a random direction. He had long since given up on finding his way out and was now content with just staying alive. And that meant hunting. Constantly. Although he was far faster and stronger than ever, no food still meant the same thing as before, death.

Passing through a stone canyon, he saw a dark hole halfway up the steep gray wall. It was easy to spot from below, but a slight outcrop hid it from anything swimming over.

Time for a nap, Jake thought, trying to remain lighthearted, though his heart began pounding. He resisted sleeping when he could, afraid of not waking up again. The rising panic lasted only a moment before he felt the odd tranquility return. He'd noticed that his panic had subsided faster than he thought was reasonable but attributed it to being in the sea and the abundance of blue energy specs that drifted around.

He swam to the horizontal door-sized entrance and looked inside. He had learned more than a few new things in the last few days, but the most important was probably that you shouldn't just rush into a cave without checking for inhabitants. Remembering that lesson, he shuddered and absently rubbed his left shoulder. The scales had already healed, but he could still recall the long stinger jabbing through his scales.

Luckily, this cave seemed empty. He moved a bit further in and saw it was deeper than he had initially thought, shadowy, and with a gentle slope up. Swimming inside, he lay down at the highest, furthest point, which gave him a clear view of anything that might enter.

"Please, no more nightmares! I need to find Mason before I turn, alright?" he pleaded, hoping against his better judgment that some benevolent divine entity would listen and help him. Closing his eyes for the first time in days, he almost immediately dropped into a deep sleep.

--

Something was coming! Opening his eyes, he growled deep in his throat, causing his final two siblings to hide in the corner of the cave. They were so small compared to him! Looking at the entrance, he saw the shadow before a large eye looked inside.

No, not him! Fear clenched his throat tight. He wasn't strong enough to fight that one! How had he found them?

Hearing the soft and scared keening of his siblings, he panicked. He could flee instead of fighting, but not while carrying the others. A soft sensation came, and then he felt the familiar presence in his mind.

Help us! Please!

He didn't know how he did it, but he voiced his plea. Something was wrong, though! It felt like he was crying to himself, or was someone else crying to him? What was going on? His mind began descending into chaos, and he barely noticed the large head move inside the cave staring at him hungrily.

Jake woke up with a shock, his body tout as all his muscles cramped. An incredible pain coursed through him, and he felt like he was in two places simultaneously. He could see the cave around him, dark and empty, and at the same time, the head, now only a few feet away, snarling and with razor-sharp fangs. A dim glow originated from a point he couldn't see, causing the cave walls to light up while a cloud of dust seemed to rise in the water. The pain was now so bad that he found himself wishing for it to end, no matter how. Even death seemed salvation, and he felt his mind fracture. He needed to flee, escape, hide, fight, ANYTHING!

Then he felt it: a pull, ever so slightly, and a promise of relief. Without hesitation, the remnants of Jake's consciousness rushed towards it.

A wave of memories, emotions, and experiences crashed into him as he felt a foreign yet familiar body cry out at him.

Where did that dust and light come from? he thought in confusion.

No, there was a predator lizard! It was in here! Pushing the chaos in his head away, Jake stood up on all four, banging his head against the ceiling, causing him to growl in anger. Who did that? Swirling his head around, he saw two yellow eyes look at him. They belonged to him! Memories of fighting a worthy foe that grew too fast flooded his mind. It was that predator that was out for his siblings!

Wait, I'm an only child... right? Jake thought in confusion before shoving it away. Not now!

Stepping forward, he felt his powerful limbs course with energy, and at the same time, he was hungry, so incredibly hungry. How had he not noticed this? The lizard hissed, and somehow the foreign sound was what drew him awake fully. Like a blanket lifted, the blurriness around his vision dissipated, and he focused on the yellow lizard. It was only half his size, and attempting to back out of the cave. Seeing the weakness, Jake pounced, finely honed instincts working without active thought. He moved so fast that he barreled into the other, knocking it out of the cave and onto the black basalt rock surrounding the cave.

Pressing his claws on the struggling torso, Jake felt it try to slip away, and with anger and hunger growing, he roared into its face. The thing froze for a second, and with a vicious bite, Jake ripped out the unprotected throat, causing blood to spurt everywhere. The lizard thudded onto the ground, its eyes fogging over before turning still and dead.

Jake swallowed the hot liquid, feeling the hunger flare up more. Unable to resist, he ripped a mouth full of flesh from the bleeding wound. Without chewing, he swallowed the meat, almost instantly feeling a wave of energy course through him as his body grew an inch.

A soft noise came from behind him, and he saw two small, wingless serpents looking at him from the entrance. He could feel their uncertainty and slight fear, and he understood. He wasn't the same as he was moments before, not in body or mind. But even then, he felt the warm, protective feeling, a remnant of his other half, and he growled reassuringly deep in his throat. It was all the two needed. Ravenous from starving for days while hiding in the cave, they rushed out of the cave and began ripping into the bleeding carcass.

I failed Mason, Jake thought as he looked at them, then around the forested area around him. But I'll find you!