Last time around our heroes helped clean up the mess at Duel Academy. They discussed what happened with Matt. Elyon had an idea and brought Nerissa onto the scene. The former Guardian suggested that Matt try to master this power, instead of getting rid of Shagon entirely. Matt agreed, but only so that he would be able to protect Will better. With that Will located the next Rainbow Crystal.
One more thing, Martin determined that Taranee would have won her Duel with Hassleberry.
Still one more thing, Chazz is back. 'Nuff said, on with the show!
Chapter 25: Duel By The Ocean
Our heroes emerged from the Fold onto a wide sandy beach surrounded by a large dark blue ocean. They were on a small island, barely a hundred meters in diameter, with several large palm trees in the middle.
"Didn't we just leave an island?" Syrus asked.
"Out of the frying pan," Irma said, "Into a smaller one."
"We're definitely on another world," Will said as she pointed up; three White-dwarf suns were high in the pale blue sky.
"Definitely another planet," Jaden said.
"I think I've been on this world before," Cal said, "This planet is called Mintakos V. Here the surface is covered with 90 water. We're lucky to have gotten here on dry land."
"Lucky us," Addicus said, "But where's the next Rainbow Crystal?"
"That way," Will said. The Heart of Candracar was pointing out towards the ocean.
"There's nothing out there but water," Caleb said.
"I think what Will means, son," Nerissa said, "Is that the crystal is underwater."
Will confirmed this by transforming, then flying out over the open water until the crystal pointed straight down. "It's about half a mile from shore," Will said after she returned to the others on the island.
"That far out," Martin said as he made a quick calculation in his head, "The water has to be at least 250 meters deep."
"And we don't have any diving equipment," Chazz pointed out in his usual annoyed attitude, "Typical."
"We didn't know we were going to a water world," Cornelia said, "So just back off."
"I'm just saying that someone should have anticipated this situation," Chazz said.
"Like you would have ever thought of brining along scuba gear?" Cornelia asked.
"Knock it off, you two!" Elyon said, "I'm at zero-tolerance right now, so no BS from either of you!"
"Yes ma'am," Chazz muttered.
"Even if we did have diving equipment," Martin said, "I wouldn't recommend using it. At such depths, the pressure can impair judgment and can cause blackouts. Meanwhile, nitrogen and other inert gases begin to build up in the body. If one were to ascend too quickly, these inert gases begin to form bubbles in the bloodstream, and any bubbles in the bloodstream can be deadly."
"I could get down there and back without any bubbles forming in me," Irma said, "I am the Water Guardian after all."
"No offense, Irma," Will said, "But I doubt even you could hold your breath long enough to find the crystal. For all we know it could be buried under three feet of sand or coral."
"Couldn't you just block off the water from that area?" Hay Lin asked.
"We're talking about several hundred cubic meters of water," Martin said, "Possibly thousands, we really don't know how wide a search area we have."
"I don't think even Cassidy could move that much water," Nerissa said, "And keep it from rushing back in."
"Excuse me," Lillian said, "But Christopher and I may have a solution to this dilemma."
"I thought you two were going back home," Cornelia said.
"We decided to tag along," Christopher said, "Anyway, we may know of a way that can allow a human to breath underwater without risk of decompression sickness."
"Gillyweed?" Cal asked.
"No," Christopher said, "Something better, something that'll last longer than an hour."
"We found a spell," Lillian said, "One that has the same effect as Gillyweed, but last for up to four hours. Now, where the Grimoire?"
"Didn't you pack it?" Christopher asked.
"I thought you packed it!" Lillian exclaimed, "Are you telling me that we forgot our spellbook?!"
"No, I'm sure I've got it!" Christopher said hastily as he opened up his backpack, "It's got to be here somewhere!" he reached in and pulled out a CD player, two large CD cases, an MP3 player, a Nintendo DS… "I'm sure I packed it,"… a pad of paper, three pens, a flashlight, a wide variety of potion ingredients, a liter of soda, a foot-long sub with everything… "Oh good, it's still good," …an expired library card… "So that's where that went," …and finally a large book with a gray cover and gold-leafed symbols.
"So that's a Grimoire," Hay Lin said.
"How did you get all that stuff into your backpack?" Cornelia asked.
"We used a spell that can increase the carrying capacity of any object," Lillian said, "Out backpacks can now hold just about anything we want and as much as we want."
"I could fit even… wait, I think…" he reached into his backpack again, "Yes, I thought there'd be one in here. A little help here, Lillian, please,"
"No problem," Lillian said. She reached into the backpack and helped Christopher pull out a kitchen sink.
"That better not be from our place!!" Irma exclaimed between bouts of laughter.
"I hate to interrupt," Taranee said, "But what about the spell you were talking about?"
"Oh, yes," Lillian said. She opened the Grimoire about to the middle of the book and held the book out so that Cal, Dylan and Elyon could read it.
"This looks complicated," Dylan said, "But if we do it right, it's sure to work."
"How long do you think this will take?" Elyon asked as she read the spell instructions.
"I estimate at least half an hour prep time," Cal said, "Maybe a bit more, depending on how many people we need to cast the spell on." The then spoke to everyone else, "I need to know how many wish to go looking underwater."
"I'll go," said Will.
"Me too," Irma said.
"Same here," Addicus said.
"We're in," Taranee and Nigel said at the same time.
"This old soldier ain't afraid of getting wet," Hassleberry said.
"Of course you're not," Chazz muttered.
"Thanks for volunteering," Cornelia said.
"What!?" Chazz exclaimed, "I never said any such thing!!"
"Oh come on, Chazz," Addicus said, "It's not like you're gonna melt."
"I wonder," Syrus said.
"Six," Cal said, "I think we'll be ready in about 45 minutes."
"All I see is lines and dots," Beck said as she read over Cal's shoulder while he was going over the spell instructions.
"That's because you're totally inept at magic, Sister," Cal said, "Only some who's adapt in the mystic arts can understand the language of this Grimoire."
"I don't see any words," Cornelia said.
"Me neither," Will said.
"Different kind of magic," Dylan said, "Your powers work on a different level than other magic users. The same goes for former Guardians."
"Well in that case," Nerissa said, "I can use the time to start Matt's training."
"What are you going to do to me?" Matt asked nervously.
"Nothing physical," Nerissa said in a reassuring tone, "And no bodily transformations, that I promise you. All you'll be doing is some mental exorcises that'll help you stay in control the next time you transform. Eventually you'll be able to transform at will. Speaking of which, Will, you're needed for this as well."
"But I'm needed to look for the crystal," Will said, "Who else is going to use The Heart of Candracar to find it?"
"If there's one think you need to know about The Heart of Candracar, Will," Nerissa said, "Is that even though it has chosen you as it's Keeper, any other Guardian can use it as a scrying tool."
"That's right," Hay Lin said, "Remember back when we first got our powers, and Phobos kidnapped you, Will?"
"How could I forget?" Will said.
"The Heart lead us back to you, Will," Taranee said, "We took turn holding it as it lead us across Metamore to the palace dungeons."
"You're right," Will said, "But who should I lend The Heart too?"
"Oh! Oh!! Pick me! Pick me!!" Irma exclaimed eagerly.
"Um," a slightly embarrassed Will said. She then looked towards Taranee.
"I don't think so," Taranee said, "Nothing personal, but Irma's got the best chance of finding the crystal."
"Why are you going, anyway?" Syrus asked, "Isn't your element Fire?"
"I'm doing it because I need to," Taranee said, "I used to be terrified of fire, but I got over it as I became more comfortable with my powers. Now I need to learn to be comfortable around a large body of water, and going several hundred meters underwater for up to four hours; there's nothing more frightening than that that I can think of."
"I'll be right beside you the whole time," Nigel said reassuringly.
"Alright then," Will said, "Irma, The Heart is all yours. Take good care of it."
"I will not fail you!" Irma said eagerly as Will handed her The Heart. "So, while we're waiting for the magic users to ready their mojo, who's up for a Duel?"
"Not me," Hay Lin said, "I'm all Dueled out for now."
"Same here," Addicus said, "No offense, but I need a break."
"I think I'll pass," Syrus said.
"Oh come on!" Irma whined, "I want to Duel!"
"I'll play you," Jaden said as he activated his Duel Disk, "Ready to get your game on?"
"Um, err," Irma said, "Maybe not, Jaden."
"I think Irmy is looking to play with someone who isn't at such a high level," Cornelia said.
"Thanks for volunteering, Blondie," Chazz smirked.
"I didn't…!" Cornelia exclaimed, "I never said…What I meant was…Oh all right, I'll Duel her!"
"Sweet!" Irma exclaimed.
"Whatever," Cornelia said. She then glared at Chazz, "I'll get you for this, rich boy."
"Promises, promises," Chazz said.
"You ready?" Irma asked while she and Cornelia shuffled their decks.
"Ready to chew you up and spit you out," Cornelia said.
"In your dreams," Irma said confidently.
Hassleberry then flipped a coin; Irma called it correctly, "Heads."
"Duel!!" they both said.
Irma's Life Points: 4000
Cornelia's Life Points: 4000
"All the times you've poked fun at me," Cornelia said as she and Irma drew their hands, "I'm gonna pay you back for every insult and mean remark you've ever made about me, believe it!"
"You've been hanging around Naruto too much," Irma said, "Anyway, I'll start off by playing the Spell card 'A Legendary Ocean,' which increases the Attack and Defense points of all WATER monsters by 200."
"And downgrades their level by 1," Cornelia said as the area was filled with the holograms of an underwater ruin, "We know this already."
"Then you won't mind if I summon a monster," Irma said, "Mother Grizzly in Attack mode!" The monster that appeared in front of Irma was a huge blue-furred bear.
Mother Grizzly
Attribute: WATER
Type: Beast Warrior/Effect
Level: 4, downgraded to 3
Attack: 1400, increased to 1600
Defense: 1000, increased to 1200
"I'll throw down a facedown," Irma said, "And end my turn."
"My move!" Cornelia said as she drew her card, "I play two cards facedown," she did so, "And summon a monster in Defense mode. Your move."
"Alright!" Irma said as she drew her card, "I summon 7 Colored Fish in Attack mode!" The monster that appeared was a huge fish whose scales were the colors of the rainbow.
7 Colored Fish
Attribute: WATER
Type: Fish
Level: 4, downgraded to 3
Attack: 1800, increased to 2000
Defense: 800, increased to 1000
"7 colored Fish!" Irma said, "Attack that facedown monster!" He fish then 'swam' across the field and struck Cornelia's defensive card, which revealed itself to be…
Sand Moth
Attribute: EARTH
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 4
Attack: 1000
Defense: 2000
"Your fish is as strong as my Sand Moth's Defense," Cornelia, "So nobody loses Life Points this turn."
"Alright then," Irma said, "I play one card facedown and end my turn."
"My move!" Cornelia said as she drew her card, "I play the Spell card Hammershot! This allows me to destroy 1 face-up Attack Position monster with the highest Attack points on the field, so say goodbye to your 7 Colored Fish!"
"I don't think so!" Irma said, "Activate Trap! Spell Shield Type-8! This Trap has two effects, so I'm using the first one, which allows me to negate the activation of a Spell card that targets one of my monsters and destroy said Spell card!"
"Damn," Cornelia muttered as she was forced to send her unused Spell card to her Graveyard, "No matter. I play the Spell card 'Canyon!'" Her half of the field was then filled with the holograms of a familiar natural landmark from Arizona.
"That was a good move on her part," Syrus said, "'Canyon' doubles the damage taken when an attacking monster is repelled by a Rock-type monster in Defense mode."
"I'll summon a monster in Defense mode," Cornelia said, "And end my turn."
"What are the odds that she just summoned a Rock-type monster?" Eric asked.
"Almost 100 certainty," Taranee said.
"My move!" Irma said as she drew her card, "I play the Spell card, Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 cards," she did so, "I now play the Spell card, Stop Defense. Your monsters are forced into Attack mode!"
Cornelia had no choice but to switch her monsters positions, while at the same time revealing her facedown monster to be…
Golem Sentry
Attribute: EARTH
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 4
Attack: 800
Defense: 1800
"I knew it," Eric said, "She played a Rock-type."
"And now," Irma said, "I summon Mermaid Knight in Attack mode!"
Mermaid Knight
Attribute: WATER
Type: Aqua/Effect
Level: 4, downgraded to 3
Attack: 1500, increased to 1700
Defense: 700, increased to 900
"Mother Grizzly!" Irma said, "Attack that Golem Sentry!!"
"Activate Trap!" Cornelia said, "Ordeal of a Traveler!"
"Good move," Syrus said, "Now whenever Irma attacks, she has to guess a random card in Cornelia's hand. If she guesses the type of card wrong, her monster goes back to her hand."
"There's just one problem with that," Addicus said, "Cornelia has only 1 card in her hand."
True enough, Cornelia had only 1 card with to show for. She held it up so that Irma could see only the back of the card.
"It's a Monster card," Irma said, "No, wait! It's a Trap!!"
"Wrong!!" Cornelia said, "It's a Spell card!" She showed the card to Irma just long enough o confirm that it was indeed a Spell card. With that, Irma's monster was returned to her hand.
"Nice," Irma said sarcastically, "But I've got two more monsters on the field! 7 Colored Fish! Destroy Golem Sentry!" With that her fish 'swam' across the field and delivered a devastating head-but to Cornelia's monster, destroying it.
Cornelia's Life Points: 2800
"Mermaid Knight!" Irma said, "Destroy Sand Moth!!" Her mermaid then 'swam' across the field and slashed at Cornelia's monster, destroying it.
Cornelia's Life Points: 2100
"And thanks to 'A Legendary Ocean," Irma said, "Mermaid Knight can attack twice in the same turn! Mermaid Knight! Attack Cornelia directly!"
"I don't think so!" Cornelia said, "When Sand Moth is destroyed as a result of battle, I can special summon him to the field from my Graveyard, but this time, his Attack and Defense points are switched!"
Sand Moth
Attack: 2000
Defense: 1000
Sand Moth then intercepted the direct attack and withstood Mermaid Knight's sword slash. The attack rebounded on Mermaid Knight and she was destroyed.
Irma's Life Points: 3700
(I know that in the real game, Sand Moth has a different effect. But remember, in this story they're using Duel Academy rules, which are sometimes very different from the rules of the real game. Besides,THIS IS FAMFICTION!!)
"I end my turn," Irma said.
"My move!" Cornelia said as she drew her card, "I summon Giant Rat in Attack mode!" the monster that appeared in front of Cornelia was a large rodent with bright blue fur.
Giant Rat
Attribute: EARTH
Type: Beast/Effect
Level: 4
Attack: 1400
Defense: 1450
"I didn't know you were fond of rats," Irma commented sarcastically.
"I'm not," Cornelia replied, "That's why I'm using this Spell card, 'Ectoplasmer'! This allows me to Tribute one monster on my side of the field to the Graveyard, and inflict damage to your life points equal to half of the original Attack of the tributed monster, so Giant Rat goes to the Graveyard, and you lose 700 Life Points!"
Irma's Life Points: 3000
"Next," Cornelia said, "I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device! Your 7 Colored Fish returns to your hand!" With that, Irma's monster was removed from the field, leaving her wide open.
"Sand Moth!" Cornelia said, "Attack Irma directly!!" Her monster reared up and slammed into Irma, temporarily burring her in a tide of holographic sand.
Irma's Life Points: 1000
"I end my turn," Cornelia said as the sand cleared from Irma's side of the field.
"This is intense," Hay Lin said, "At first Irma was winning, now Cornelia has her on the ropes."
"It ain't over yet," Hassleberry said, "This battle could still swing either way."
"My move!" Irma said as she drew her card, "I play the Spell card, Reload. This allows me to add my hand back into my deck, shuffle and draw the same number of cards as before." She did so.
"I now play the Spell card, 'Monster Reborn', bringing back Mermaid Knight from the Graveyard. Then, I activate 'Xing Zhen Hu'! As long as this Trap is on the field, you can't use two of your Spell/Trap zones."
"What's Irma up to?" Syrus asked, "I'll be she's got something big planned."
"Here we go!" Irma said, "The move that's gonna help me win this game! I use the special effect of my Unshaven Angler card. I can use this monster as two Tributed monsters, but I only need one, so I can summon Mobius the Frost Monarch!!" the monster that appeared in front of her was a huge knight wearing bluish-green tinted armor.
Mobius the Frost Monarch
Attribute: WATER
Type: Aqua/Effect
Level: 6, downgraded to 5
Attack: 2400, increased to 2600
Defense: 1000, increased to 1200
"And thanks to Mobius' effect," Irma said, "I can destroy up to two Spell or Trap cards on the field, so say goodbye to your Canyon and Ordeal of a Traveler cards!"
"Well this sucks," Cornelia said as she was forced to send her cards to the Graveyard.
"It's about to get worse," Irma said, "Mobius! Destroy Sand Moth!!" Her armored knight then sent a beam of magical ice at Cornelia's monster, blasting it into a thousand frozen shards.
Cornelia's Life Points: 1500
"Mermaid Knight!" Irma exclaimed, "Attack Cornelia directly and end the game!!"
"Activate Facedown!" Cornelia said, "Negate Attack. Your attack is canceled and your turn automatically ends!"
"Dang!!" Irma swore, "Almost!"
"My move!" Cornelia said as she drew. She frowned at what she saw, for that card was the only thing she had in her hand. But then a look of faint hope dawned on her face. "I play the Spell card, Swords of Revealing Light! You can't attack me for three of your turns!" The field was then illuminated as several glowing swords appeared in front of Irma, blocking her monsters from Cornelia.
"I end my turn," Cornelia.
"Right," Irma said as she drew her card.
1st Turn
"There's nothing I can do right now," Irma said, "I end my turn."
"My move!" Cornelia said as she drew her card, "I end my turn as well."
"My move!" Irma said as she drew her card.
2nd Turn
"Again, nothing," Irma said as she looked at what she drew, "I end my turn."
"My move!" Cornelia said as she drew her card, "I play Graceful Charity." She then drew three cards from her deck, then sent two cards from her hand to the Graveyard, "I end my turn."
"My move!" Irma said as she drew her card.
3rd Turn
"I end my turn," Irma said. The gleaming swords then faded from the field.
"I get it now," Hay Lin said, "Irma was waiting for Swords of Revealing Light to expire. Now she can attack Cornelia on her next turn."
"I hope Cornelia has something good up her sleeve," Caleb said.
"My move!" Cornelia said as she drew her card, "I play the Spell, Costdown, so I can summon a high-level Monster without need for a sacrifice, so I summon Hieracosphinx in Attack mode!!"
Hieracosphinx
Attribute: EARTH
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 6
Attack: 2400
Defense: 1200
"Glad to be here, partner," Hieracosphinx said.
"Glad to have you back, partner" Cornelia said to her Spirit guide, "Ready?"
"Always!" Hieracosphinx replied.
"Good," Cornelia said, "'Cause we're having fish for dinner! Hieracosphinx! Attack Mermaid Knight!!"
"With pleasure!" Hieracosphinx said eagerly. She charged across the field and slashed at Irma's monster with her razor sharp claws, destroying Mermaid Knight.
Irma's Life Points: 300
"I play 1 card facedown," Cornelia said as Hieracosphinx returned to her side of the field, "And end my turn."
"My move!" Irma said as she drew her card. She then laughed excitedly at what she drew, "Alright! This is exactly what I've been waiting for! I've been itching to try out this monster!!"
"What!?" Cornelia asked, "What monster?"
"This monster!" Irma said gleefully, "I now tribute another Unshaven Angler, only this time I'll use his full effect, so I can summon Ocean Dragon Lord Neo-Daedalus!!" The monster that appeared in front of Irma resembled Levia-Dragon Daedalus, only the new one was easily twice as big and had two heads.
Ocean Dragon Lord Neo-Daedalus
Attribute: WATER
Type: Sea Serpent/Effect
Level: 8, downgraded to 7
Attack: 2900, increased to 3100
Defense: 1600, increased to 1800
"Isn't my monster the coolest you've ever seen!?" Irma exclaimed while grinning like a madwoman.
"It's big, alright," Cornelia said nervously.
"And it's about to look even bigger!" Irma said, "But first, Mobius! Take out Hieracosphinx!!"
"Oh bollucks!" Hieracosphinx exclaimed just before she was hit by Mobius's ice beam and shattered into a thousand pieces.
Cornelia's Life Points: 1300
"Any last words?" Irma asked, her two-headed sea serpent growling in anticipation of finishing Cornelia off.
"Nope," Cornelia said in a defeated tone, "Just get it over with."
"That's probably the smartest thing I've ever heard you say," Irma said, "Okay then; let's finish this! Neo-Daedalus! Attack Cornelia Dirrectly!!"
Her two-headed sea serpent reared its head up and began charging twin beams of blue energy.
"Psyke!!" Cornelia exclaimed happily, "Activate Trap! Call of the Haunted!!" The monster that she brought back from the graveyard turned out to be…
Exxod, Master of The Guard
Attribute: EARTH
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 8
Attack: 0
Defense: 4000
Her golden monster finished materializing on the field and assumed a defensive posture, just as Neo-Daedalus shot its twin-beams at Cornelia. Exxod took the attack and held firm.
"How did that get in your Graveyard!?" Irma asked accusingly.
"I sent my Master of The Guard to the Graveyard when I used Graceful Charity!" Cornelia said, "Seemed like a good idea at the time, and it paid off!"
Exxod then threw off the twin energy beams, forcing Neo-Daedalus' attack to rebound onto itself, destroying Irma's sea serpent.
Irma's Life Points: 0
"That's game!" Cornelia said triumphantly as the holograms faded from the field, signaling the end of the Duel.
"You tricked me!" a shocked Irma said, "You've never done that before!"
"First time for everything, I guess," Cornelia said, "Good game?"
"Very good game," Irma said, "But I'll get you next time, believe it!"
"Now who's spending too much time around Naruto?" Cornelia asked.
"Touché," Irma said, "Miss Oh So Blond and Pretty." Irma then repacked her deck, but one of the cards slipped form her fingers. It was Mermaid Knight. As Irma picked it up, she felt sympathy for what was easily becoming her favorite card; how that Mermaid Knight kept getting destroyed during the Duels that Irma played.
Just then something weird happened. As Irma was looking at Mermaid Knight, the picture on the card winked at her.
"Huh?" Irma said.
"Is it really so hard to believe?" a girl's voice asked Irma. She looked behind her to see the transparent image of Mermaid Knight.
"Oh my!" Irma exclaimed, "Are…are you real?"
"As real as you want me to be," Mermaid Knight said, "For I am your spirit guide."
"My spirit guide?" Irma asked. She was so entranced at this impossible yet wondrous event; she didn't realize that Martin was trying to tell her that Elyon, Dylan and the other magic users were ready.
"Irma seems to be acting a bit strange," Nigel said, "-er," he added.
"She's fine," Cornelia said as Hieracosphinx appeared next to her, while Raging Flame Sprite appeared above Taranee's shoulder.
"Irma's more than fine," Will said as the transparent image of Dark Magician Girl appeared behind her, "She just made a friend."
A short time later, Irma, Taranee, Nigel, Hassleberry, Addicus and Chazz stood just above the tide line, waiting while Elyon, Cal, Christopher and Lillian applied the finishing touches to their work. Irma wore a blue and green two-piece, while Taranee had on orange single piece swimsuit. Hassleberry, Chazz and Addicus each wore matching swimming trunks with the Duel Academy logo on them, while Nigel sported blue and yellow trunks. Dylan was explaining what was going to happen.
"The spell will take effect once you touch the water. Once it activates, it will last for exactly four hours, not one second more. If you find the crystal before the four hours are up, the spell will be negated once you're back on dry land."
"So exactly how are we going to breath underwater?" Taranee asked.
"Maybe we'll be able to hold our breath for four hours," Addicus said.
"No amount of magic can allow someone to go without oxygen for that long," Cal said, "No, this spell will make you temporarily grow gills and webbed limbs. It's the same as if you ate some Gillyweed, but a lot more of it."
"Great," Nigel said sarcastically, "I always wanted to be a fishman."
"Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the pond," Irma said in a deep tone, like that of a movie preview narrator, "'Son of the Creature from the Black Lagoon,' Rated PG-13. Coming to theaters this Halloween. Starring Chazz Princeton as 'The Creature.'" Several of our heroes, including Hay Lin and Syrus, giggled at Irma's joke, as well as the astral form of Mermaid Knight.
"That was so funny, I forgot to laugh," Chazz spat, "Can we just get this over with already!?"
"I hate to agree with tall, dark and grumpy here," Addicus said, "But he has a point."
"Let's light this fuse!" Hassleberry said eagerly.
"As you wish," Cal said. He then read out loud from a specially prepared scroll that he, Elyon and the other magic users helped make. It seemed that Cal was speaking backwards, while as he read, the symbols and strange characters on the scroll began glowing bright blue. Finally after about ten minutes, Cal finished the scroll. The glowing writing flashed brightly, then faded from the parchment, like the words were never written.
"Done," Cal said as he rolled up the scroll for late use. Even mages recycle.
"That's it?" Chazz asked.
"Well what were you expecting?" Cal asked, "Just jump into the water and you'll grow gills in a heartbeat."
"If you say so," Irma said while making sure that The Heart of Candracar was secured to her wrist. With that she, Taranee, Nigel, Addicus, Hassleberry, dove into the water, unaware of the nightmare that awaited them beneath the surface.
The end of chapter 25. Next chapter, Irma and her group face unknown terrors in this strange ocean. Reviews will be rewarded with cake a pie. See you next time!