The surface level of the water barely changed, but Dorin couldn't take any more. It felt like the water was rushing around in his body, slowly warming as it completed a full revolution through his veins.
"From what I can tell, this is not the first time you've connected to an element."
"In my first life I was able to absorb an entire river, why am I struggling to take a single layer of this pond?"
Vale mused for a moment, as if debating what to tell him. "You said you have a shark as an ego beast?"
". . . yes?"
"Show me." The old man pushed him with surprising strength towards the water, and Dorin fell in with a splash. He expected to be able to stand up, but there seemed to be no bottom for him to place his feet.
Something brushed by him, and as he felt out with his hands it was some kind of slimy creature. After he touched it, the beast pushed him downwards with a strength he didn't feel should be possible in this pond.
'Something's not right here . . .'
Dorin tried to swim upward towards the surface, but he found that it was much further away than he thought. As he struggled to breathe, he realized that manifesting Jax's form was his only way to survive.
He felt his skin morph, and the water felt oddly warm. He opened his eyes and all the creatures that seemed so small before were dozens of times his size now. Whiskered fish gave him a glance before continuing on their way, telling him that he wasn't a threat.
Something about that irked Dorin, he had been used to being an apex predator in this form, but now he was more like a minnow.
Dorin tried to activate his vital sight for the first time since coming to this world, but his hunger came back a hundredfold. It was so bad that his body felt like it was shriveling up.
'I need to eat something. NOW.'
Dorin smelled something really good, which was odd since he was underwater. He followed his senses and eventually saw a flurry of sea creatures surrounding what could only be the whiskered fish that Vale sent to its doom.
That small fish that fit in the old man's hands now looked like a whale with his current perspective, and its head seemed to be the only place clear of any other creatures.
Dorin swam towards the head, as he couldn't risk fighting over the body. The white eyes of the fish made Dorin feel uneasy as he got closer, but there was no turning back.
His first bite was followed by a wild tearing of the fish's face as Dorin consumed everything as fast as possible. Dorin could feel the flame inside of him roar, just like Vale had said. He hadn't known what that feeling was before, but it was obvious now.
So far Dorin had barely managed to pierce its skin, and the further he got the harder it was to continue. Once he got to the muscle in particular, it was as if he was trying to chew metal.
'Is this truly all I'm capable of? What is the deal with this pond?'
Suddenly the revealed muscle spasmed, and he quickly rushed out of there. A strong current pushed him away from the dead creature, and when he looked back, the fish was staring straight at him. Its two white eyes were locked onto him above a grinning mouth filled with sharp pointy teeth.
'Dark hells, it's not even dead.'
Dorin's body shivered at the thought of being caught within the fish's teeth, as there would be no escape.
His hunger had been sated, but he wanted more. Sadly there was no way for him to participate in the feast any longer.
After searching through what seemed like an endless body of water, Dorin came across a bundle of eggs, not too different from what was engraved in the walls of Drak. Each one was thrice the size of his body, and his hunger flared in the presence of such a bounty.
'That's more like it.'
. . .
Morah
"Either you participate in the game, or you can try your luck against my minions." Sala gestured to her albino moles which were making quick work of the losers.
Morah didn't want to try her luck on that black slab, but it looked like she would have no other choice. There were only two people who hadn't stepped up, her and the red haired man who had asked to be her partner before.
"It's time." The man gave her a prideful grin, as if he didn't doubt his chances at all. "No hard feelings, no matter who wins."
". . . Okay." Morah had been hyping herself up for this challenge, but she couldn't get her legs to move. She had never been in a true battle, as the daughter of the Spire. Tocho had made her his servant once she had awakened her mark. He said that it was a curse, and that she would never get to wield her own power.
The man grabbed her arm, and pulled her towards the blank slab. Morah could only look at the floor ashamed, wondering why she had been brought to this world in the first place. She had always wanted to be strong, like every other spark, but she had only ever been able to use other people's egos to a limited extent.
Suddenly everything went dark, and Morah felt her body burning. It wasn't a horrible sensation, as if she had lost all sense of pain as a strong warmth covered her body.
After a few moments, Morah felt a sense of dread. Something was pushing against her, wanting to crush her into the ground. Morah hoped that it would go away, but it only grew stronger.
The feeling of that strength made her wish for another chance. That if she had to do everything over again it would be better, and she would have fought for a better life. She imagined her father looking over her, staring at her with dark eyes filled with disappointment.
Something in Morah's mind clicked at that moment, and the sound of his thundering fists rang out. The sense of dread left her, and freedom was all that remained. Morah felt her blaze stretch out into the distance, as if it was another limb she could control.
Morah touched a true flame in the distance, which was painful like fire should be. She recoiled, not wanting to continue, but the feeling of her father watching over made her reach for the flame anyway. The pain cut through her mind, but she didn't stop. The feeling of her father's glare pushed her ahead, and she used the pain as fuel.
Light filled Morah's vision as the burning sensation faded away. The pain was still there, but it was all in her mind, a remnant of her desire.
"I'm so happy you decided to show your true colors, envy." Sala clapped as she walked towards Morah, just as her moles rushed towards the red haired man. "You will be my champion."