We didn't have a chance to react to the water crashing around us. And If that wasn't bad enough, once I gathered my bearings I couldn't tell where the surface was. One would think that all I had to do was follow the light, since there was so moonlight tonight. But everywhere I tried to look, I could see sothing glowing. The sa lights that caused us to be trapped by water.
There was a brief mont where my mind went to my friends. I hoped that they were all alive and well. But I couldn't focus on that right now. I needed to save myself before even trying to figure out where they were. But before I could do anything else, I felt sothing coming behind . I tried to fight it, but it seed like I was stuck, almost as if this thing was gluing to it.
Just as abruptly as the waves crashed, I appeared in an area with air. Although it was clear that I was still underwater. Instead, I was in a gigantic air bubble with a giant cushion below . Or at least that's all I could recognize, considering the low light of the area. I heard a gasp coming from my left and I recognized the voice as being Astrid, who was also looking around.
Now there was so modicum of light here, but I still couldn't understand where it was coming from. It was almost as if we were in a very poorly lit area but with no actual light source. I was about to ask if she was okay when another voice ca. This ti Rex standing up on his own cushion and looking around completely soaked in the saltwater. Michael and Riley appeared right after. No one seed to understand the situation better than anyone else.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked, just as those lights appeared again.
This ti all around us. Revealing that the five of us were indeed in a large air bubble. Around here that allowed us to breathe. But more than that, it also revealed what the cushions below were. And as a matter of fact, they were not cushions at all. We were sitting on top of giant jellyfishes. The jellyfishes that gave off a very soft glow.
"What is this?" Michael asked, and more lights started to appear in front of us. But beyond the air bubble, not inside. One, two, five, 10, 20, 100. I couldn't even count how many jellyfishes were in front of us all glowing softly and moving around as if to form a shape. We didn't move, worried that any attempt at getting out of here would ss with our ability to breathe as we saw this swarm of jellyfishes position themselves to create a large face. It had two eyes and a mouth but any similarity with a person stopped there. Then again, it was hard to tell how close to a person a face made out of jellyfishes could be.
"What the fuck is that?" Michael yelled.
"Jellyfishes?" Riley kept staring at the formation with a weird expression.
"That's not a jellyfish," Michael replied, turning to the witch.
"What else are we supposed to think?" I yelled. I was not keeping my cool at all in this situation. Seeing everyone freak out was making even more anxious.
"How the hell do jellyfishes make that?" Michael pointed at the face that was finished forming.
"Be not afraid," the voice spoke as that shape in the water moved and we heard the voice in our heads.
But I could tell that there was sothing coming from below. From the jellyfishes that we were on top of. Maybe particles or just the vibration of sound waves. I wasn't entirely sure. And it wasn't like I had a chance to stop and actually study the situation.
"Is that a fucking angel?" Michael asked.
"How the fuck is that, an angel?" I turned to the archer.
"Only Angels say that kind of shit," Michael replied and pointed at the figure in the water. "And they say crap like that when we are up shit's creek and we just lost our paddle."
"But we are in the middle of the ocean. Angels don't show up underwater!" I retorted.
"Angels can show up anywhere. Where is it saying that they can't be underwater?" the archer yelled.
"I am not an angel. And once more, be not afraid."
"Fuck that. I am afraid. I'm in the middle of the ocean being held hostage by a bunch of jellyfishes with a giant face talking to . Not being afraid is not part of the deal," Michael said, freaking out with our situation, which was really understandable.
"Even so, I ask you not to fear. We an you no harm. I have just asked my sisters to reach you so we could have this conversation."
"Reaching us included almost drowning us?" I shouted.
"That was an unavoidable circumstance. As the only way I could converse with you was underwater. I apologize for the rough reception. But my ssage is of utmost importance and I could not delay it any longer."
"See, it's a fucking angel and we're about to figure out the entire world is going to end," Michael said.
I shouted, "Can you stop interrupting? Let them talk so we can figure out what's going to happen. Besides, I doubt you're about to hear that the world is going to end from a bunch of jelly people."
"We are the Mnems and just like you, we also have been touched by the System. There are my sisters, and by using one of the powers we posses, I am able to communicate with you. My na is Lethea. The first of our kind."
"Okay, so not jellyfishes?" Michael asked.
"Correct. And so is your previous statent."
Everyone paused and just stared at the giant face for a mont.
"Are you saying the world's going to end?" Riley asked.
"It is what I believe." Lethea replied, the two jellyfishes that were the eyes of the face tracking the witch.
"How you know?" Rex asked.
"As I have stated, we are also touched by the System. And our civilization has had this power since a long ti ago. I was one of the first to be touched by its enlightennt. And so I have spent many years learning and evolving my abilities. One such ability lets get brief glimpses of the future."
"So kind of prophet?" Riley asked.
"While that is an understandable approximation, this is not exactly how my abilities work. My power allows to spread my tendrils all over the ocean to understand the currents. And by doing so, I can predict how the next season will affect our hos. Doing so allows to send my sisters towards warr waters and safer currents."
"Then how do you know the world is going to end?" I asked before the voice continued.
"The stronger I got, the further away into the future I could sense. That was never a perfect skill and the further away I looked, the more imprecise my predictions beca. However, my powers reached a point in ti where the answer is always absolute. A barren world. A world that was completely destroyed, and all life ceased to exist. Even in the deepest part of the ocean. With alone being the only thing that lasted until I, as you would say, drew my final breath."
"All predictions? You had more than one?" Riley asked.
"As is the nature of my ability. I can see different branches in our future. The further away I look, the more branches there are. But for so ti now, all branches lead to the sa fate. A world of dust that burns and freezes at the sa ti."
"Do you know how that happens?" Michael asked, still feeling really frazzled by the situation. But at least he was starting to recompose himself as his voice lowered a bit. Even though he was still half shouting.
"My ability only allows to see what is happening in the ocean and the surface right above it. Whatever is the cause of this destruction does not co from the waters. It cos from the land above where my tendrils cannot reach."
"But how can you be so sure?" I spoke up, trying to understand why this being was so confident in its prediction.
"Over the years, I was able to improve my power and now I can tell when one of my visions will co to pass and when it won't. This particular vision is the one I am the most sure of. All the others always have a small chance of being wrong. But this is absolute."
"How long? Until end?" Rex asked.
"I am not certain. So branches say a few decades. Others a handful of years. Not a single one of the different paths gives us more than a century."
I looked around, rubbing my eyes. "Okay, assuming you're right. And we believe you. Which honestly I still am not entirely sure about that, what are we supposed to do? Are we just supposed to start looking for sothing that could end the world?"
"No. I am not asking you to find an answer. But I am asking you to find more information. Decades ago, I encountered a creature that possessed a vast amount of knowledge from the surface. A creature that was interconnected with many others and could share that information between them. From that creature, I learned the language I am currently using to speak to you."
Hearing those words, I started to get worried about what this entity was going to ask us. It sounded a lot like it was talking about sothing I knew very well.
"This creature was called an Eater Hatchling. What I ask of you is to find one of such creatures and bring it to the ocean. More specifically, I require its mind. That way, just as I did with that one hatchling that fell in the ocean so long ago, I will be able to extract the information. Hopefully that will be enough to understand why the fates have decided to doom our world."
"Oh, sure. That's all you want, right? An Eater Hatchling. Nothing else. Sure, let just pop back into the surface and grab one. Do you know what you're asking? Do you understand how dangerous those creatures are?" I scoffed.
"I cannot say I do. After all, all Eaters who fall into the ocean perish before they are even able to reach or my sisters. However, I can tell you that without this information, I have no way of uncovering the truth about the end of the world."
"And let guess, you are asking us to do that but not going to offer anything to help," I grumbled.
"We are willing to offer all of our support in this endeavor. And while we are unable to leave the ocean, we would be more than happy to share whatever is possible with you. Do you have any idea where you might be able to find an Eater Hatchling?"
I glanced to the rest of the group, but before anyone said anything, Rex was the one who spoke up. "Maybe in nest?"
I honestly didn't want to show our hand, but after the Rodenti spoke his mind, it was hard to pretend we didn't say anything. "Maybe in a nest. That's the only thing that cos to mind, at least."
Rex quickly turned to , "Friends help family?"
I took another look around the group, and everybody nodded in agreent. "I guess we are doing this. But we're still going to need more help, not just us."
"Of course, of course," Rex nodded with a big smile.
"If you are aware of the possible location of an Eater Hatchling, I believe I have chosen the right people to assist . And while I am unable to help you on land, please, take this as a gesture of my goodwill."
One of the jellyfishes approached and held up three pearl like objects in front of . With caution, I reached out to one of them and the System quickly explained to what those were.
[User is currently holding a condensed skill.]
"What's a condensed skill?" I asked out loud.
[It is the physical representation of a skill. With this, user is able to learn the skill that exists inside.]
"Hang on, are you telling that I could store skills like this? And then don't have to use {mory Bank}?"
[That would be a possibility, yes. However System is unsure how to proceed with the creation of such condensed skill. Additionally, without {mory Bank}, user would not be able to exchange skills on the fly and would need to assimilate the skill first. Not to ntion, there is also the possibility of user losing the condensed skill.]
"How can I make this then?"
[System is unable to answer at this mont. Would user like to create a quest to acquire this specific skill?]
I turned back to the Giant jellyfish. "Can you teach us how to do this?"
"Not at the mont. But, I could be able to do that once you reach tier three. As that's when I was able to create those skill pearls."
"And what tier are you?"
"That is a question for another ti. For now, I would like to know, can I count on you to help with this task?" the jellyfish asked again.
I turned around to the group and everybody was clearly conflicted. "How can we know if you're telling the truth? What if this is just so elaborate lie that you are telling for so reason?"
"I can show you my vision. Would that be sufficient proof?"
"It's a good start, but I can't say for sure if that's going to be enough."
A jellyfish approached from above this air bubble and tiny tendrils pierced the layer of air, slowly approaching our heads. I still wasn't entirely sure if this was a good idea. But at the sa ti, I couldn't co up with a reason why the Mnems would be lying about this.
What they had to gain from that? Especially after giving us the pearls. The only reason that made any sense was if they were doing this just for the laughs, but even then, they didn't seem to be the type to enjoy humor in general.
Still, I decided to let the tendril do its thing, since it wasn't like we had much of a choice. This jellyfish could, at any given point simply drop the air bubble and leave us to die underwater. Yet they were keeping us alive and having this conversation without showing any hostility. Aside from the fact that they basically kidnapped us. It felt like too much effort just for a prank.
Seeing that I was going along with what they were saying, the rest of my companions followed suit, letting the tendril hit their forehead. The mont it connected, we were instantly thrown into a completely different place.
It was a large valley with mountains that went up for kiloters on end. I could feel cold, terribly cold so much so that I didn't even know how it was possible for to still be alive. There was a pain deep in my stomach, caused by hunger. My skin boiled and froze at the sa ti. And there was only a small glimr of the moonlight coming from above, but the moon itself seed to be much farther away than I rembered.
A na ca to mind without even truly knowing what it ant. Mariana Trench. I knew this was my location, but I couldn't really process where that was. I could have sworn that Pops had ntioned that once, but I just couldn't rember. But there was no water here or almost no water. There was only a little bit left below my waist that seed to be rapidly evaporating. My entire body hurt as it tried to squeeze itself more into the water, but there was nothing I could do except wait for my demise.
There was no air, there was no food, there was no other life. I was alone watching the last monts of a planet that was drying up. Watching it helplessly as it beca a barren land. And just like that, I returned to my own body in a jolt.
The feeling was so real, the images so lifelike that it was hard to say it was a lie or just a trick. It was as if we were truly watching what we saw. As if we were there when that happened. This could still very much be a trick. A lie that the Mnems were telling us for so reason but it was hard to believe that.
There was one aspect of that vision that cut through my doubts. Hiding just underneath the surface were the feelings that Lethea was feeling. They weren't just scared or afraid but also sad and utterly hopeless. It wasn't sothing that felt natural, sothing that could be recreated or made as a joke. It was too primal, too honest for all of this to be sothing fake.
I turned back to the group, all who seed to be coming to the sa realization, and we turned back to the jellyfishes.
"Okay. I believe you. We are going to see what we can do. But don't put all your eggs in the sa basket."
"What does that an?" the Lethea asked.
"It ans that you shouldn't trust just us for that. Keep trying to find more information from sowhere else. If we manage to get it great, but if we don't, have a plan B."
"I understand, that is good advice and sothing I am already working on. Although I will say you are the only people I have ever asked for help with the matters on the surface."
"Why us?" Astrid asked.
"Because you were the first ones who did not respond to our existence with hostility. Despite the sudden appearance. Any other attempts to communicate with the people from the surface resulted in a battle where we were forced to either win or escape from. I had given up on finding soone who would be willing to lend their assistance a long ti ago. But for the first ti, I saw a group that had more than a single species was coexisting peacefully. Even playing in the water. For that reason, I decided to take a chance on you. And I hope this attempt results in positive results. I will now release you back into the surface. But if you ever find yourself in need of my assistance, spend a few days near the ocean. The waves will tell of your location and I will send one of my sisters to greet you as soon as I can."
The swarm of jellyfishes broke off and the air bubble that we were inside started to rise. A few monts later, we broke through the surface, only to realize that we were much farther away from the shore than I was expecting. Instead of just a couple hundred ters [feet], we were at least a couple kiloters [miles] away.
The jellyfishes started swimming and in just a few minutes dropped us off near one of the sandbanks leading to the shore. After that everybody was tired but more than that, we now had the weight of the end of the world on our shoulders and one way or another, we were going to have to deal with that. But at least we got so pearls with skills inside. And maybe that could give us so semblance of assistance on our new journey.
While we were walking back to the shore, Riley started to chuckle and then burst out laughing.
"What, what's going on?" I turned towards them.
"We just found the sixth species. The sixth one that has the System. And with the flying ones that are supposed to be south, that's seven."
II nodded before they continued "And what we get as a reward? We get to know that the world's going to end and that apparently we are supposed to do sothing about it."
Hearing the absurdity of it, all the rest of the group started to chuckle and by the ti we reached the shore, everybody was laughing out loud. This was utterly ridiculous but at the sa ti, what else were we supposed to do but try to save the world.
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