Tim's mouth was gradually losing the air, he had taken in from the surface. He was still being dragged down the deep lake, which gave him the impression that there was no bottom.
("I'm not sure how much longer I can hold my breath! The stress of being dragged is exacerbating the problem!") The bubbles continued to rise to the surface. He stared beneath his feet, attempting to free the leg that was entangled in a black tentacle.
("What is that thing?! An octopus?") The answer was ambiguous, and he couldn't figure out what was pulling him through the water.
He began to notice that the rate at which he was sinking through the lake had increased. The power of the water was forcing his hair forward, and the scarf around his neck was unwound, it began to float back up.
He tried to yell out for the scarf with his mouth open, but he couldn't. The sound was badly paired from air to water, and he had no choice but to intensify the problem of the air in his mouth. He was forced to cover his lips with one hand as he began to lose consciousness.
"I've got to get out of here! I can't go on like this for much longer!"
He couldn't kick or pull his leg away from the tentacle; he didn't have the strength to summon his blade, and the flames would be useless in the lake.
("There's no way I can use the fire here, out of all the times I need it! This is the worst possible place for me right now!")
Codey's eyes, which had been greatly confused by that particular pose, were still displaying the silhouette of the girl. He couldn't let go of his suspicions about that girl, and no matter how hard he tried to find her, he could never catch up to her.
"This is ridiculous... We've been hunting this girl for nearly an hour now and have only spotted her once. Even so, I'm not sure she's the girl we're seeking for, and Elliott had no choice but to abandon me without warning!"
Codey smashed his toes on the ground as a result of the difficult time he was having.
It was, nevertheless, a miracle. His ram of the toes revealed a rather astonishing hole. It was a hidden cave or room, and by kicking once more, he opened up a larger hole "What is this place?" He crouched and peered inside, seeing the same symbols he had seen in the cave.
But it was the individuals at the bottom who surprised him the most. They were all smiling and waving up at him.
"Finally, we've been found! Please help us; we've been stuck here for a while!" Codey was perplexed, but he questioned them anyway. "Who are you guys?"
"We were the scouts who went in search of that girl, but when we located her, she vanished into the mist! We tumbled down here as soon as that happened, and no matter how hard we tried to flee, we couldn't!"
"Surely you're the scouts that the girl told us about? What is going on on this island, I don't understand?"
"We don't know either, but we've lost a few men in our group, some of whom we haven't been able to locate! We started off as a group of seven, but now there are only four of us remaining! Please, could you help us climb out of this quagmire?"
"The problem is that I'm not sure how I can help you. If I try to go down there, I might get trapped as well, and we'd be locked together; on the other hand, maybe I'll be able to figure something out."
He looked around after saying that and came up with a fantastic plan to assist him get the scouts out. "Would you mind waiting for a couple of minutes down there? I'll have you out of here in no time."
"Thank you very much! Just don't abandon us down here!"
"Don't worry, I'm not going to." At that point, he rose up and stretched. "All right, let's get started."
Ayuka was exhausted since her body became overheated as a result of how much she used her talent. She believed everything was over, but then something caught her attention. Jawjack's arm slammed into her neck and grabbed it, making her eyes shiver with fear.
"No, be careful!" Karisa, who had been watching their fight, called. She saw Ayuka's body being carried into the air by Jawjack's power. "A rat like you thinks she can defeat me?! I don't need my jaws to kill you! I'm strong enough to do it without them!"
By being gripped by the neck, Ayuka struggled and was unable to breathe normally. She tried to take Jawjack's arm away from her, but she was too weak after the last fight.
Despite the fact that she was sweating and losing oxygen as a result of the heat, she responded. "I sure can.... I won't let them down..."
Jawjack responded with a giggle and a hard grasp on her neck. Her eyes shivered even more as a result of the discomfort. "You normies are such stupid beings! Even if they're on the edge of death, they talk loudly after a few successful hits! Such attitudes have always sickened me, and it never gets old!"
Karisa's booming voice echoed behind Jawjack as a startling disturbance occurred in front of them. "LET HER GO!" Everyone was taken aback by the abrupt screams, even Ayuka, who rolled her eyes at Karisa.
"Did you say something, tiny girl?" Jawjack swung around to return his gaze to Karisa's solemn expression. Despite the fact that she was showing dread, her expression was still fearful, but caring. "I said to let her go..." She continued to speak despite gulping her saliva.
"What else do you want from us?! You've already taken a number from us, and now you're going to steal the life of a guest?! You're an absolute monster! You're irresponsible and self-centered! Do you ever consider what other people are going through?! I'm not going to stand here any longer! So, go ahead and let her go!"
"Karisa... What are you doing...?" As she began to lose consciousness, Ayuka's sweet words rang out clearly. Karisa then snatched up a rock and hurled it straight towards Jawjack's face.
It was a direct hit, and her actions alarmed everyone else in the area. "No, Karisa, don't do that! You're going to frustrate him!"
"If you're going to kill someone, make it me! But I'm not going to make it easy for you! Now let her go!"
"You, you..." It had finally become apparent. Jawjack's rage was visible on his face. He raised Ayuka high enough for the others to be terrified once more. "You, girl!" Jawjack's rage was not a joke, and as a result, Ayuka's body was smashed into the ground with amazing force.
As the ground opened a large hole where the floor cracked, her back nearly cracked. The tornado rose up back, nearly blowing others away as Ayuka's skull bled from the hit.
The dust surged up and completely obscured Jawjack, but it wasn't long until he reappeared in front of them. He was now forcing his right sole into Ayuka's chest, immobilizing her.
Karisa, Hidd, and Elder Rai were all terrified by the incident. "Now that's what I'm talking about when I say a good hit." Jawjack laughed as he rubbed his foot against Ayuka's chest, forcing it harder. Her pain was audible in her voice. She tried to move her hands, but she was too weak to do so, and she couldn't even breathe.
He then grinned as he gazed down at Ayuka. With his hand, he made a fist and raised it high above his head. "One more should do the trick!" That's when the arm came crashing down, the wind whipping over his knuckles.
That split second. That one terrifying experience. Karisa's biggest, most terrifying fear was wrapped up inside her head after witnessing that horrific incident. Jawjack's fist slammed into the floor as she forced a loud scream from her mouth.
It wreaked devastation on the ground once more. Increasing the size of the hole, splitting the ground, and causing another whirlwind. Ayuka's voice was cacophonous quiet, while others stayed immobile. Anxiety and stress were seen in their facial expressions.
Despite this, no one was hurt. Jawjack's expression became perplexed, and when he turned to the side, he noticed a figure standing aside. They had Ayuka's body leaned over their shoulder in their arms. She wasn't dead; she had already been saved by the most unlikely of people.
"Tandaji..."
Jawjack and Tandaji were both familiar with each other, and they were each looking at each other with a different expression on their faces.
"I thought you left this island a long time ago, Tandaji..."
To be continued...