Hello all! I hope you've all been well. I have one week of this horribleness of a semester left and then I can go home and go swimming and hopefully write more fun shiz instead of essays. I had such high hopes for this chapter but I just don't think it came out as I pictured it being. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this. I hope you have a good few weeks and I'll see you guys soon! Remember, Review!
Zen sat up slowly. The water around him swirled, tugging on his hair. All around him, the Xerturts screamed in battle. His comrades struggled desperately to defend themselves and their home, and far away there was the ominous approach of the monster. Zen took a deep breath, then rose. He lifted just a few inches from the ground, then spread his arms.
The three other mers fighting felt a gentle push on their backs, nothing they couldn't brace themselves against. But the Xerturts were blasted backwards. The few who had time to fight the current could only stay still for less than a second before being overpowered. They were blasted straight back until they were out of the pod's home entirely.
The three mers, gasping and bleeding from multiple wounds, turned to see Zen.
Zen looked down at them, blinking in confusion. He raised his arms, and stared at the extra fins he had grown from his forearms. His tail lashed the water, just a little longer and a little more powerful. His eyes still glowed, and he could see the light reflecting on his forearm fins.
"Zen…what happened to you?" Said his one partner, dropping her sword in shock.
Zen tried to speak, but suddenly he felt a rumble in the water. He turned around and saw the monster, slowly approaching the village. Expecting an easy meal, as per usual thanks to the Xerturts. When he snapped up some of the unconscious Xerturts instead, he narrowed his eyes on Zen, who was a glowing beacon – floating up over the top of a rather tall building. The monster could smell the mers inside.
Zen's gills flared, and he looked at his bloody companions. "Get inside." He ordered, his voice sounding different to him.
The mers hesitated, then gathered their weapons and swam down to Shirayuki's shop. The enchanted dagger flew to Zen's side. Zen studied it. Somehow he was able to see the white light covering all around it. Zen could see the magic holding the knife at the ready.
The monster rumbled, and Zen turned. He remembered his nightmares, but didn't shake. He knew what he had to do. Zen swam straight up, high above the pod. Just a mile away from the surface. His tail stroked the water, sending him flying into the air with more power than he had been expecting. The knife following at his side.
The monster followed them with its glassy gaze. Then it bunched its muscles up and sprung. It opened its maw impossibly wide, fully intending to swallow Zen whole.
Zen braced himself, when a green blur lunged out of Shirayuki's windows. Zen blinked, so he missed the travel to the bottom of the monster's impossibly wide jaw. The green blur slammed into the monster so hard its mouth was forced closed and its head pushed back.
Shirayuki spun up and out of the monsters reach. Her fin had elongated like Zen's, and her arms had sprouted green fins. Her hair was like a scarlet flame, and her gold eyes glowed so bright they were like spotlights.
Zen was speechless, she was so beautiful.
As the monster groaned and did a slow flip to right itself, Shirayuki swam up to Zen's side. "You look different."
"So do you." Zen managed.
Shirayuki flexed her fists, curling her tail up. "I'm not sure what happened. I feel so strong."
Zen remembered the voice that had held him captive. "The Sea gave us her shield."
Shirayuki stared at the fins on her forearms. "The Aigua?"
"I suppose so." Zen snapped to attention as the monster righted itself and grumbled at the two mers. The only mers to ever have given him a fight.
Shirayuki flicked out the backs of her hands tentatively.
The monster was flung backwards by a current so strong it might as well have been a wall. Its body shook with its resistance, but when the wall faded, the monster looked up at the two mers with a murderous gleam in its eyes.
Zen whistled, which sounded nothing like it should underwater and made Shirayuki jump. "That's amazing."
"You can try next." Shirayuki offered as the monster swam towards them.
Zen flung his hands upwards, and the monster was thrust literally out of the sea with the push from its underbelly. "Whoa!" The thunder of it breaking the surface was so loud it felt as if it shook the water.
Shirayuki smiled and looked at Zen excitedly. "Shall we?"
Zen smiled back. "We shall."
The two mers darted towards the surface as the monster fell back into the sea. Zen lunged first, slamming his fist into the side of the monster's head.
Shirayuki grabbed it by its tiny tail and swung it around and around, slowly beginning a whirlpool. Zen caught on to the idea and raised his hands to the surface. The water plunged downwards, the point of spinning water so sharp it looked like it could pierce skin. Instead, it went straight through the monster and Shirayuki, swallowing them up.
After a second, Shirayuki exploded from the whirlpool. She rolled like she was doing a somersault, landing next to Zen. She smiled at him. "Well done." She flicked her hand and her enchanted dagger flew towards her. She caught the hilt, studying it. "Where should I aim?"
Zen, who was focused on keeping the whirlpool going fast enough the monster couldn't break free, thought. "It's gills, I would assume."
Shirayuki nodded. She pulled the knife close to her mouth and whispered. "To the gills." Then she lifted the knife backwards in one hand. She steadied it, then tossed it through the water. As it sailed towards the whirlpool, she also thrust out her palm towards it. The knife charged forward with the extra push of the water, straight into the currents.
There was just the roar of the whirlpool. But the knife suddenly returned to Shirayuki, trailing ribbons of red blood. It shook itself clean, and Shirayuki scooped it out of the water.
Zen lowered his hands.
The whirlpool slowed, and the body of the creature was freed. Its head hung limply, its gills cut up and leaking trails of red blood.
Shirayuki and Zen looked at each other, in shock at what they had managed to do. Shirayuki began to grin, but then they both felt the maniac clawing's of the Xerturts disrupting the water, signaling that they were coming towards them. Shirayuki didn't hesitate. She grabbed the dagger and dropped down, slamming into the thick of the Xerturts, slashing and literally ripping them apart. The water acted like a shield around her, not even their blood could touch her.
Zen jerked, realizing he should help. He swam down as well, and grabbed two of the closest Xerturts. He smashed them together – like, smashed them. Their bones cracked under his hands and against each other. He grabbed another one and slammed it into the roof of a house, spinning around as the water around his tail felt the approach of the other Xerturts. He tail-slapped them into the ground, then launched upwards and pulled off the head of another.
In the end, Shirayuki and Zen weren't even out of breath. Not a scratch on them, they stared at each other in shock. Shirayuki smiled again, and lifted her hands. The bodies of the Xerturts were lifted high into the sea, near the body of the monster.
Zen lifted his arms and moved them to the side in a wave motion. The monster and the bodies of the Xerturts, the tormentors of the pod for weeks, were all pushed away into the depths of the sea.
Shirayuki and Zen rose to watch them go.
Zen was in awe at his new power. He looked down at his arms. He had been through a lot in the past few weeks, but this was one of the more unique experiences he really couldn't find fault with.
Shirayuki suddenly threw her arms around him, and he gasped in surprise, hugging her back. "You can move!" He realized, finally. They spun around three times, tails chasing each other and Zen felt a weird tugging on his heart with joy.
Shirayuki giggled into his shoulder and pulled back. "I know!" She back flipped away from him and went swimming upwards, twirling and spiraling in a dance of sheer excitement.
Zen watched her, star struck.
She swam down finally and put her arms around him once more. She sighed and leaned into his neck. "This is amazing."
Zen looked down, and saw the pod was slowly emerging. They looked up at them in shock, in awe, in confusion. "We have to explain a lot."
Shirayuki looked down and blinked. "Oh. Um, I'm not sure if we can."
Lioj swam up to them and circled them excitedly. Shirayuki laughed as her hair was spun upwards. She held her hand out and Lioj rested his chin on her hand.
Zen smiled at the affectionate display. "We can try."