A/N: Nothing much to say here, except the fact that I have two more chapters for this story. Plus, it's raining SO HARD right now, it at times sounds like hail. (Not that I can get hail in FL) Enjoy!
'~ CHAPTER 14 ~'
Sky's POV
Right now Seto, Deadlox, Jerome, CaptainSparklez, and I are watching as Bodil make the potion. I was surprised though that most of the ingredients needed weren't in the lab, as Bodil had collected three ink sacs from the fully deceased squids, a Steve head or mask, and two water bottles from the pier. On the way to Seto's house though, Bodil seemed to tell most of what had happened, Sparklez rarely added anything in, as I didn't say a word.
Bodil made it sound like a dramatic story like how you'd tell a little kid, when in reality to me it felt like a near death experience. I could see though why he would say it like that, as I'm sure Bodil's intention was to not worry the others, and I knowing myself, I'd probably do the same thing.
"Ok…here we are," Bodil announces in a careful tone handing it to me, "Now, I have set this to a perfect amount. Although the amount in here looks plentiful, this will only allow you an hour till your hybrid 'powers' disappear."
"So, this turns me into…one of you. Is that all that I can do?" I raise an eye brow.
"You'll actually also obtain all the things hybrids can do. Let me demonstrate," Bodil says. I widened my eyes, as four tentacles sprout on his sides, "You of course can have extra hands…tentacles I mean." He then picks up a separate glass bottle with a tentacle and then sets it down.
"Then there's the usual. You can breathe underwater, speak the squid language, swim faster than a normal human, and apparently when one drinks this you only have two pairs of tentacles not three," Bodil flattens his lips briefly changing his arms to tentacles then back.
"Great," I sarcastically exclaim, "Anything else?"
"Ooh, yes! I almost forgot the weapons part," Bodil snaps his fingers.
"Weapons…?" I slowly ask, as out of Bodil's tentacles grows out sharp, single-stroke claws, one on each tentacle.
"Sky…are you ok?" Deadlox asks me, as I felt a bit sick to my stomach.
"Yeah, Deadlox, just a bit…too much to take in," I swallow the lump in my throat.
Third Peron's POV
"Those stupid hybrids!" King Squidicus furiously grunted, "Who in their right mind thought that they could defy me?" The angered king then looked downward at an angle, his eyes landing on Lea who looked unconscious.
"Get her to the castle," he ordered two of the squids, "We just might be able to make a deal with her." The two squids nodded simultaneously and swam down. But once they reached her, her body suddenly jolted up. As she did so, she swung her tentacles at the two squids sending them into the sand. It was only till then that she realized she had taken a swing from one of the squid's claws, when saving Bodil.
"Don't just sit there! Get Lea! Don't let her get away!" the king yelled pointing an accusing tentacle at said hybrid. Lea now noticing this, took off into a cave. What she'll soon find out is, this was not an ordinary cave. It was a death-filled maze.
Sky's POV
"Well…bottoms up," I awkwardly say, gulping down the unusually potion. After staying silent for a few moments I spoke up.
"It didn't do anything," I obviously said puzzled by it.
"That's because you're not concentrating on anything relating to squids, which is you," CaptainSparklez shrugs, "Try growing some tentacles. Focus on that and it'll have to happen."
"I'm scared," I shrank back.
"Sky-" Sparklez was cut off by a squid entering the lab, "Lea's mother!" he exclaimed kneeling by her side.
"Oh…my…Notch," Jerome's mouth drops to the floor and his eyes were wide as a ghast. As Deadlox does the same, he closes Jerome's mouth.
"Sky, this is a better test. Tune in to her and your mind will translate it," Sparklez explained.
"I'll try…"
"Ok, so *squid language*?" I shook my head in confusion. The squid then looked between me and CaptainSparklez. I narrowed my eyes from concentration, making the squid shrink back a step.
"Where's my daughter Lea?" she asked. At that I showed a shocked and victorious expression.
"I understood her…I understood her!" I widely smiled.
"What'd she say, Sky?" Seto asked, making my smile fade away.
"She was asking…where her daughter…Lea, is," I responded.
"Uh, guys, the sun is setting. We have to go like now," Jerome points out to the window.
"I don't have time to learn this, Sparklez. Jerome's right, we have to go now," I walked a bit towards the door that led to the outside world.
"Ok, um," Sparklez turns to the squid, "We're going to get your daughter back," he told her in the squid language, "And…I'm sad to say your husband died. We have set him near the lake in the back yard, if you want to see him…" She, in response, merely nodded and he led her out. I followed the two, as did Seto as well. I sighed in sadness, as I watch Lea's mom slither over to Lea's deceased dad.
"Seto, stay with her, will you please?" Sparklez asks, and he silently nods, "Come on, Sky. Let's at least make one part of this day happy." I smiled and nodded back. Before I went with him, I took one more look back and managed to see the female squid wrap her tentacles around Seto's waist, and Seto gently hugged her back.
Lea's POV
"Oh snap," I softly muttered when I approached a two way section. I panicked and chose a left, hearing the squids getting closer. After taking a few more rights, I turned too early, and slammed my injured side on the wall. Hearing a rumbling on top of me, I swam forward just in time before to roof of the cave clasped. And right on time, the squids found me, but stood on the other side of the wall of rocks. They tried slamming it a few times but failed.
"Come on, she'll never survive for long in there," one of the squid said. Then I heard them swimming off. I sighed in relief, sitting on a rock that jutted out of the wall. I took a few moments to look down at my wound. Thankfully, there wasn't much blood and ink coming out. Wait…I thought hybrids don't have ink of any kind? I shook the thought off, as I continued swimming further into the cave system, desperate to find an exit soon.
~~~Line Break~~~
After swimming for what felt like a few hours, I decided to rest. I glanced yet again at the still bleeding wound, as I had not been able to find anything to wrap it with. Looking around, I had the chance to notice that I was in a larger part of the cave. I felt though this should be called a way of transportation of some sort because, judging from how long this was, it was way too big to be called a cave, let alone a hole in the wall.
But as I was trying to clear some of the blood away, a rumbling noise was heard. I turned to my right where the last tunnel was and saw the ceiling about to come down. In this…system, I had gone through the other three only to find dead ends. I made a dash for it but was too late. I stopped myself from getting crushed, as I could only stand back and watch my last option being blocked. You know what…maybe the squids were right. I'd never survive much longer down here.
Sky's POV
"Now Sky, this perfectly fits with the next step: changing into a full time squid," Bodil says it in a way a teacher would, "You just have to think about it once. So you don't have to keep repeating the word 'squid' in your mind."
"Ok…think squid," I talked to myself. I closed my eyes and thought about it once, and I opened my eyes. Suddenly, Bodil was a bit taller than me.
"Yes! Now let's go!" Bodil cheerily screamed before jumping into the water. Knitting my 'imaginary' eye brows together, I looked at CaptainSparklez, who just shrugged his shoulders.
Lea's POV
After the blood from my wound seemed to slow, I took a 'tour' around the room, hoping that I had missed something.
"Please be something," I muttered to myself, as I forcefully swam upward to the ceiling. I backstroked around tiredly, observing the ceiling in every which direction. Finding nothing again, I floated down now just lying on the rocky ground. My body by now was aching, asking me to just rest. But I couldn't…I couldn't be stuck down here forever.
Sky's POV
I dived in after Bodil, CaptainSparklez following behind. As we started swimming towards…I forgot the city name, I found the swimming power of the squid much stronger than I thought. I was about to ask a question when I realized I couldn't speak in the squid language, and I don't know how to turn to the mixed form. 'Maybe if I think hybrid…' I talked to myself. I stopped swimming and closed my eyes, and I knew I did it when…
"Whoa, Sky, great job! You learned something on your own," Sparklez exclaimed. I gasped, taking in my…being. Just like Bodil said, I only had two pairs of tentacles coming from my sides and all my skin was dark blue! All I was glad for was the fact I still have my arms and legs...and pants.
"Thanks…are we almost there?" I asked, swimming over to Bodil.
"Yeah, it shouldn't be much longer," Bodil responds. We were pretty much in an awkward silence, so I had to break it.
"So…is this what you two and Lea do in your spare time?"
CaptainSparklez's POV
I, as unnoticeably as possible, swallowed a small lump in my throat as I turned to Bodil.
"I wouldn't…put it that way…" Bodil trails off, turning to me for help.
"I think what Bodil is trying to say is, not really. In case you didn't know her father was her city's army leader," I explain, as we continued along through the water, "And because of it, her dad isn't home a lot, so she has to take care of her mother. Not that she is ill or anything but her and the house, you know that type of thing."
"How do you know so much about her?" Sky in a challenging yet puzzled tone. It shocked me for a moment. The tone showed a lot of…demand or force, but didn't come out a military type person...but from a concerned friend.
"I used to be her boyfriend..."
A/N: ...See you in chapter 15!