Chapter Thirty-Seven:
Under the Pond
Afternoon (1:03 P.M.), Empeza Pond
At the water's edge, Romsca's tiny hands twitched constantly, hers eyes darting around the water's surface erratically, "Come on, come on..." her impatient fidgeting had gone on ever since Stream had dove under the water, which rippled with every drop of cold sweat that fell from the Helioptile's forehead. Please, hurry! The suspense is killing me! We're supposed to be a team! I can't stand just waiting here, just being a blind spectator! I feel so useless! She beat the ground with her tiny fist. Just be alright, you two!
Below the pond's surface, at its very bottom...
"()W-What i-is it?()" Stream stammered, the two somewhat recovering from their shock at the sight of the gem-holding skeleton.
Normally, Lloyd would think of telling her that it was a skeleton in a rather smartass tone, however, in his fright, he answered rightfully, analyzing the structure of the bones, "()W-Well, given the size and b-bipedal look of it, a-as seen w-with the bones constituting its paws and feet, and the l-l-large fangs p-p-protruding from the l-lower jaw, it's m-most likely the remains of a G-Granbull...()" he was lucky for those two distinguishing details, for the skeleton was covered in signs of age, underwater plant-life and filth coating it, the white of the bones lost to the time it had spent under the pond. Only the blue gem appeared clean, oddly enough, still shining in its sapphire radiance, as if it had been maintained throughout its stay in the pond.
"()W-What could have happened to it?()" the Ducklett wondered, a wing held over her beak, herself swallowing nervously at the possible horrible things that could have happened.
"()W-Who knows...()" Lloyd gulped, "()It could've been anything...()"
"()Huh... I wonder if it was an explorer...()" Stream suggested, "()That thing it's holding looks pretty rare... Familiar too...()" her mind made the slight connection to the gem she had seen Quin give to Veri, but this gem seemed to be the opposite of that one, save for the shape, which was the same. The Ducklett wondered what it could be. Maybe the gems are similar, but considering that one came from the former King Diabolus's royal family treasury, maybe this one came from another royal family. Despite her thoughts, her gaze seemed to be transfixed on the gem, more so than she consciously allowed, "()L-Lloyd, th-there's something weird about this gem, something... captivating about it...()"
"()Yeah...()" Lloyd nodded, his vision leaving the skeleton to focus on the crystal it held. W-What is this feeling? He felt like he could not look away; he felt drawn to it. Both times he came to the pond, it was more than the water that had called him, it was this gem, this crystal! But the reason why eluded him, mystified him. His eyes grew wide, almost dulling. W-Whatever it is... He held out a paw, reaching for the crystal. I... I...
"()!()" Stream shook her head clear of the fixation, eyes widening, her call breaking him from the almost trance-like state, "()Lloyd! You shouldn't-GYAAAAA!()" she yelped in sudden agony, for the Basculin had returned, biting down hard on her wing!
"()Huh?! STREAM!()" Lloyd cried out, racing for her, "()WAH!()" only to have the Basculin fling her right into him, sending both flailing back through the water!
"()YOU!()" the Basculin snarled with fury, "()GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM MY TREASURE!()"
"()Your treasure?()" Lloyd blinked, recovering to cast a glance to the gem again, only to have his attention stolen, "()Stream?! Are you okay?!()"
What caught his eye was the red liquid escaping into the water around her from her wing, "()D-Don't worry...()" she stammered through pain, the Basculin's Crunch having bitten her wing hard enough to draw blood, "()I-It's just a f-flesh wound...()"
"()Oh, it'll be more than a flesh wound when I'm done!()" the blue-striped piranha growled, regaining their attention, "()Leave that gem alone! It's mine! It's the pride of my territory!()"
The Ducklett nursed her bleeding wing, "()R-Really? It seems to belong to the skeleton.()"
"()No! NO!()" the Basculin gave a sudden thrash, "()NO! It's mine! MINE! ALL MINE! I put the gem on the bones for decoration!()"
Lloyd put his concern for his ally to the side and narrowed his eyes at the fish, "()Wow, really?()" gritting his teeth, he sarcastically retorted, "()What a likely story that is.()"
"()SHUT UP!()" the Basculin snarled again, "()HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME?! SO WHAT?! I'LL DO THE SAME THING TO YOU AS I DID TO THAT GRANBULL!()"
"()!()" they gasped in horror at the true reason for the skeleton.
Stream's eyes widened, "()H-How... How could you do such a thing?!()"
"()What the hell happened?!()" Lloyd demanded, the water around them masking his cold sweat.
"()Heheheh!()" the Basculin snickered, "()It was easy enough; the damn bastard must've tumbled into the clearing, fell clean into the pond. Whether he had trouble getting out because he got tangled in the plants, couldn't swim, or whatever else doesn't matter to me. He was invading my territory! So, while he flailed and struggled to get out of the pond-()" he grinned, revealing his large fangs, "()-I kept him under, and helped myself to a good, long snack!()" they recoiled in disgust, which he smirked at, "()Heh, guy took a while to finally drown, then it took forever for the pond to stop being red...()" his tongue passed over his fangs, savoring the memory, "()And to top off the meal, I got a skeleton for decoration, and a treasure that will be mine forever!()" they recoiled further, and he laughed, "()Hahaha! Who cares what you think! Heh... Be that as it may-()" he bared his large, sharp fangs and charged them, "()-your skeletons will make fine decorations for my territory!()"