instructed to insert some of their flames inside the ball. This worked as a lantern that they could use to see better underwater.
Aura lingered, hesitant to put his mask on. “We’ll have no flame, no wings, and no death touch down there,” he said.
“I know. I hate to admit it, but I kinda wish Shiva was here for this,” Ash said.
“Hah. Yeah. No doubt she’d be the first one in the water.”
“Headline!” Bliley said. “Death toucher wets pants before getting wet!” The other nobles got a good laugh out of that.
“Damn it!” Aura said. “Screw this! Shiva would have already jumped in by now, and I’m just as brave as she is!” Ash followed his friend to the edge of the pier and watched him strap his helmet on. Ash did the same, making sure the helmet fit snug on his head and he could breath properly through it.
“Let’s go,” the death toucher said and stepped forward off the pier. Ash waited only a second before joining him in falling to the murky water below. With a splash the boys plunged through the surface and fought their every instinct to swim back up to the top.
Aura’s breathing was all wrong. His survival instincts were going nuts, telling his body to breath faster and harder because he was completely submerged in water. When he started hyperventilating, Ash saw him clutching at his own neck, struggling for air.
“Aura, you have to breathe like normal! Trust me and just breathe!” Ash’s words came out loud but muffled through his helmet. He wondered if Aura could even hear his words of encouragement. In his youth, Ash had been a frequenter at his local lake’s public access beach. He felt totally in his element in the water. He even got used to snorkeling there, though he never saw anything spectacular in his lousy lake.
Their glow-globes failed to illuminate more than a few feet in front of them, leaving them essentially blind and one-half drowning. Aura seemed to be calming though, perhaps even due to Ash’s words. Ash tried focusing his attention on any dangerous demons that might be lurking nearby, looking for an easy meal, as demons tend to do. He hoped the puny little knife he was given wouldn’t have to be used.
After a few seconds of sinking, the boys touched down on the sandy bottom. Because of the rain above, the sea was choppy and rough. The boys were tossed back and forth by the currents running amok. It became hard to even tell which way was up. If the breathing hoses weren’t leading the way, Aura doubted he could even make it back. He began to tremble from both coldness and fear.
“See how peaceful it is down here?” said Ash.
Aura stopped thinking. He tried to turn everything on his mind off. The water, although bitingly cold, had an amazing energy-giving property to it as well. He suddenly realized how alert and awake he was. Suddenly being blown around by the currents wasn’t so bad, it actually felt kind of fun. His fear disappeared, and a thought sprang into his mind.
Thank you, Ash.
Now Ash was experimenting with his glow-globe, seeing how far away from him he could make it go. Pushing a flame through water was entirely different from pushing it through the air. There was an actual force of resistance to go through. He’d managed to move it over five feet away, but still it did nothing to illuminate his surroundings. They were deep in the dark.
Beams of darkness swept across Ash’s face, and after thinking a moment about it he realized what they actually were: shadows. Lots of shadows. He checked on his partner, assuming this development would not be good for his breathing. But Aura was clueless, staring off his own way and attempting to push around his own glow-globe.
He doesn’t even have a puny knife to protect himself with ! I better grab us a squid quick so we can get the hell out of this mess.
The boy took a step forward holding the knife defensively. More shadowy objects moved across his glow-globe. The current pushed him hard to the
Aura lingered, hesitant to put his mask on. “We’ll have no flame, no wings, and no death touch down there,” he said.
“I know. I hate to admit it, but I kinda wish Shiva was here for this,” Ash said.
“Hah. Yeah. No doubt she’d be the first one in the water.”
“Headline!” Bliley said. “Death toucher wets pants before getting wet!” The other nobles got a good laugh out of that.
“Damn it!” Aura said. “Screw this! Shiva would have already jumped in by now, and I’m just as brave as she is!” Ash followed his friend to the edge of the pier and watched him strap his helmet on. Ash did the same, making sure the helmet fit snug on his head and he could breath properly through it.
“Let’s go,” the death toucher said and stepped forward off the pier. Ash waited only a second before joining him in falling to the murky water below. With a splash the boys plunged through the surface and fought their every instinct to swim back up to the top.
Aura’s breathing was all wrong. His survival instincts were going nuts, telling his body to breath faster and harder because he was completely submerged in water. When he started hyperventilating, Ash saw him clutching at his own neck, struggling for air.
“Aura, you have to breathe like normal! Trust me and just breathe!” Ash’s words came out loud but muffled through his helmet. He wondered if Aura could even hear his words of encouragement. In his youth, Ash had been a frequenter at his local lake’s public access beach. He felt totally in his element in the water. He even got used to snorkeling there, though he never saw anything spectacular in his lousy lake.
Their glow-globes failed to illuminate more than a few feet in front of them, leaving them essentially blind and one-half drowning. Aura seemed to be calming though, perhaps even due to Ash’s words. Ash tried focusing his attention on any dangerous demons that might be lurking nearby, looking for an easy meal, as demons tend to do. He hoped the puny little knife he was given wouldn’t have to be used.
After a few seconds of sinking, the boys touched down on the sandy bottom. Because of the rain above, the sea was choppy and rough. The boys were tossed back and forth by the currents running amok. It became hard to even tell which way was up. If the breathing hoses weren’t leading the way, Aura doubted he could even make it back. He began to tremble from both coldness and fear.
“See how peaceful it is down here?” said Ash.
Aura stopped thinking. He tried to turn everything on his mind off. The water, although bitingly cold, had an amazing energy-giving property to it as well. He suddenly realized how alert and awake he was. Suddenly being blown around by the currents wasn’t so bad, it actually felt kind of fun. His fear disappeared, and a thought sprang into his mind.
Thank you, Ash.
Now Ash was experimenting with his glow-globe, seeing how far away from him he could make it go. Pushing a flame through water was entirely different from pushing it through the air. There was an actual force of resistance to go through. He’d managed to move it over five feet away, but still it did nothing to illuminate his surroundings. They were deep in the dark.
Beams of darkness swept across Ash’s face, and after thinking a moment about it he realized what they actually were: shadows. Lots of shadows. He checked on his partner, assuming this development would not be good for his breathing. But Aura was clueless, staring off his own way and attempting to push around his own glow-globe.
He doesn’t even have a puny knife to protect himself with ! I better grab us a squid quick so we can get the hell out of this mess.
The boy took a step forward holding the knife defensively. More shadowy objects moved across his glow-globe. The current pushed him hard to the
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