From the bottom of my heart, thank you to my p4tr0ns: Morpheaus, and RTB <3 <3 <3
Become a p4tr0n too and read up to FOUR chapters ahead!:
h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / t r a s h w i t h g l a s s e s
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Instead of a single canoe, then there were about six of them, and instead of three, we were many. We were all wearing minimal clothes to reduce the weight underwater, and to swim better, and stopped right above the skeletal sea coral. We all exchanged glances, and Hyber announced: "Let's do it…", he jumped into the water, and was soon followed by all his other clan members, Ike and I.
With our lungs filled with air, we dived into the ocean, and swam towards the dragon skeleton, this time with determination and fighting spirit, knowing very well what we would face.
One of the Deathbeads conjured a big boulder, and a couple more created a force to push it forward and against the horn of the dragon: just like before, then, as soon as there was an impact against the horn, the long face of the yellow eel revealed itself, and also just like before, it wasn't looking happy for having its house messed with.
It lunged forward and tried to bite a couple of Hyber's Clan members, but the sleepy boy himself, with a large smile on this face, conjured a small iceberg that floated up and hit the eel on its chin, closing its mouth with an audible crash.
From above, I pointed both hands downward and created a boulder that fell down, and pinned the eel's head against the iceberg: or it WOULD have done it, if the fish hadn't already swum away from the slowly falling stone.
Next, it was the attempt of the close-quarters combatants to deal with the creature, and they all held firmly onto their knives and axes and picks and spears, and swam after the beast. They could not match the eel's speed underwater, however, and as the eel left completely its bony den, the Deathbeads failed in their attack and were able to only defend themselves, cutting and slashing only when they were about to be eaten by the creature in a risky and not very effective dynamic.
"Blub!", bubbles started to escape everyone's mouths as we were exercising ourselves all this time without breathing.
Our feet and hands started to move, and the Deathbead Clan, Ike, and I started to swim to the surface again for a quick breath before trying something else to kill the animal. But this time, the eel was enough pissed that it wouldn't let us escape so easily anymore, and it followed us.
When we broke through the water's surface, the eel did so too, and this time with a couple of our companions in its mouth.
"Shit…", Hyber complained and dived back again, his grin dying just a little. I took some more air and followed the sleepy boy.
Underwater, everyone was focused on using either ice or stone spells, but none of the floating ice spikes or sinking stone hammers were fast enough to wound the creature. Except for one.
"Kkkhhh!", the water carried the sound of a very angry eel being caught by a massive ice formation that involved all of its tail. It was Hyber, conjuring a truly impressively big spell of four meters.
The little moment of distraction from the animal was enough for Ike to slash against the eel's mouth once more, and free the hurt Deathbeads from the terrible maws. Once they were freed, a big ice arrow pointing upwards and to the beach was conjured by Hyber again, and everyone understood it: it was time to retreat.
Everyone started to swim in my direction, as I was still close to the surface, and I saw the eel breaking free from Cloudy's spell, and trying to gobble our companions again.
To protect everyone, I opened my arms wide, and conjured the widest stone bock I could, a six-meter-wide piece, and let it fall right on top of the enormous eel; Cloudy's eyes even went wide as he saw my spell. The fish couldn't swim fast enough to avoid the six-meters-wide block, and the stone broke against the creature's head tainting the waters around with powdered rock, and blood.
The creature didn't die, but the hit was enough to give up on the pursuit, and send it back to its den, annoyed.
I followed everyone to the breathable air, and when I broke through the water's surface, Hyber ordered everyone: "Back to the canoes… We're retreating for today", I climbed onto the same canoe as the sleepy boy, when he spoke again: "And, Coyote… thank you for saving my Clan members."
"You don't need to thank me for that", I smiled.
For all the chain links I had broke, I still couldn't imagine myself killing, or allowing the death of a thinking person.