The crab stretched as he woke from a delightful dream.
A pleasant, continuous torrent of warm water washed over him, holding his body down against the floor.
mory of his dream was already fading, and only hints of its feel remained.
He moved his joints, each creaking a little after his slumber.
With eyes still closed, he stood, stretched—and collided with the roof.
He blinked his confusion, and the scene below brought a mont of vertigo.
A roiling sheet of red and black was beneath him, folding into and swallowing sections of itself with unerring sluggishness.
The vertigo was cleared away as his mories returned. The veins of molten red, the orb of power hidden within, and above all else, the searing pain.
He peered down at his claws, opening and closing them, the sight giving him a bout of dissociation—they weren't his claws.
No... he thought. They are mine, just... different. Bigger.
Continuing to clack them softly, his awareness lded with his new form. He marveled at the strength they held, and extending one out above the pit of lava below, he slamd one closed.
An explosion of noise shot out, followed by a destructive force. Quick as it arrived, it dissipated, washed away by rising water columns from below.
He nodded to himself.
I can't wait to show my leader...
He turned and started his passage back to the surface.
***
"Fischer..."
My sleep-addled mind barely registered the word, and I pulled the blanket up, delighting in its warmth.
"Wake up, sleepyhead," a sing-song voice called, warring with my body's attempt to fall back asleep.
A soft weight rested on my chest, and I opened my eyes, blinking through blurry vision at a beautiful sight.
Maria knelt between and the daylight streaming into the shelter, her head cocked to the side as she smiled at , her hair falling around her face.
One hand was resting on my chest, and she patted softly.
I covered my mouth and yawned, stretching my other arm above my head.
"Good morning. What ti is it?"
"It's midmorning," she said kindly. "I made you breakfast, but you can go back to sleep if you need more rest."
I shook my head, pausing to yawn again.
"I'll get up. I've already slept too long."
She nodded and left the shelter, and after one more yawn, I threw the blankets aside and stepped out into the daylight.
The sun shone down from above, warming my skin pleasantly. I stretched my arms up, breathing in as I bathed in the sensations. The air was still cool as it passed my nostrils, the canopy above still holding a portion of the night's chill.
A welco scent drew my attention, and I smiled.
"Mmm. Coffee," I said.
Maria giggled.
"I said I made you breakfast, didn't I? What's a brekkie without coffee?"
I smiled at her use of 'brekkie'; despite my overall joy with this new world, it gave an unexpected bout of comfort whenever soone used Aussie slang.
"Too fracking right," I said, walking toward the campfire.
A plate and cup awaited , so I sat down behind it.
"Thank you, Maria."
She bead from her spot beside .
"You're welco. I figured you needed the rest after last night, so I let you sleep in."
"About last night—"
"It's fine," she said, cutting off.
I gave her an awkward smile.
"I won't bla you if you want to run away now that you've slept on, well, everything you learned."
She shook her head.
"Nope. I'm good. I'm not sure why, but you being a hidden cultivator kind of makes sense."
I looked up from spreading jam over my croissant, raising an eyebrow at her.
"It does?"
"Yep." She took a sip of her coffee. "The amount of things you've accomplished since coming to Tropica is kind of staggering, and I already felt there was sothing about you, even before learning the extent of it."
I took a bite of my croissant, unsure of what to say.
She took a bite of a bun, making a pleased sound as the jam hit her taste buds, then washed it down with another sip of coffee.
"How are you after last night?"
I swallowed my food and took a sip, appreciating the bitter contrast to the sweet jam as I considered how I felt.
"Honestly... I'm confused. I've never lost control like that, let alone used any sort of cultivator power before—other than my improved strength, I an."
She smirked at .
"You don't usually go around shooting beams of light through trees?"
"No." I shook my head with a smile. "I can't say I do. It's kind of worrying, though. That could have seriously hurt soone if they were in the path, and I wasn't exactly... myself at the ti."
"I seriously doubt you would have unleashed that toward soone by accident, but I take your aning. It took out a tree—a person wouldn't have stood a chance."
I nodded, chewing my cheek.
"I think I've been in denial about a lot of things, and touching on my past opened the floodgates."
I sighed.
"I do feel much lighter, though. I needed to get that conversation out—perhaps the beam of light, too."
She giggled.
"Yeah, it can't have been comfortable holding a pillar of pure light in like that. Sounds bad for your health."
I gave a half smile.
"Anyway, thank you for listening last night and being so attentive. I appreciate it."
"It was my pleasure. I owed you for bringing on this trip."
She took another sip of coffee.
"Next ti you unleash an unsolicited blast at the heavens, though, you'll owe one."
"Deal."
I held out my hand, and after looking at it for a second, she shook it, both of us smiling.
"By the way," I said. "What would you like to do? Stay here longer or head back to the village today? It's your trip, so it's your call."
"We should probably head back. I wouldn't want my dad to track us down and challenge you to a duel for my honor—now that I know you could slap him into oblivion, I an."
I winced, but she laughed and touched my shoulder.
"I'm only joking, Fischer. I'm not worried you're going to hurt him. If anything, I'm reassured, because even if he decides to attack you with a farming tool, you'll be fine... probably. He does have one hell of a swing."
"I'll endeavor not to piss him off enough to start swinging at , then. I hope I didn't actually bring your honor into question by bringing you out here..."
She snorted.
"As much as we joke about being a noble lady and you being my loyal servant, I'm no such thing. Dad may be overprotective, but they know I can take care of myself, and they trust you."
She moved her head from side to side, weighing her words.
"Well, mom trusts you, and dad knows better than to call her judgnt into question."
"A wise man," I said, laughing.
She grinned.
"Only sotis. So, should we pack up and leave after brekkie? I haven't even ntioned the main reason I want to get back to the village."
"Oh? What's that?"
"I love animals, Fischer. You told last night that you have so rather cute and friendly animals in your possession."
Her eyes narrowed playfully, all but shining with her intensity.
"I intend to give them all the pats."
***
Sergeant Snips, first chosen of Fischer and protector of his lands, led a procession across the sandy flats. They headed south, toward the distant mountains and far from the citizens of Tropica.
If soone were to spot the motley crew, they'd no doubt run and alert the first person they saw—if they could run fast enough to escape, that is.
The sea snipper walked beside her as the annoying otter darted around them, occasionally wreathing her limbs in sparks and shooting off at outrageous speeds.
Despite her frustration with the overly enthusiastic creature, she couldn't help but appreciate the power she'd sohow harnessed.
Anything that benefits our master is a welco addition, she thought, attempting to remain objective and, therefore, not annoyed at the toothy ball of fur showing off.
Snips felt the now-familiar power surging again, and knowing what was about to happen, let out a bubbled sigh.
The next mont, Corporal Claws shot in front of them, a chirp of pure joy heralding her passage.
Snips shook her carapace, failing to keep all the frustration at bay.
Unlike Snips, the lobster tracked Claws' body with keen curiosity. He appeared to hold no annoyance, only a sense of wonder—perhaps awe—for the otter's new ability.
They passed over the rocky shore where they'd found the opalescent stones, and Corporal Claws dashed into the hole, disappearing beneath the water.
Snips urged the sea snipper on, and they continued—she knew the troubleso creature would catch up. Sure enough, she reappeared not long after, flying past them with a surge of electricity, an opalescent stone held in each forepaw, and a toothy grin plastered on her face.
With a disapproving shake of her body, Snips picked up the pace toward the distant mountains.
They reached the forest at a mountain's base before the sun had reached its peak in the sky. She gave them directions, and they set off to explore.
As Snips scouted the area, her thoughts drifted to the male crab that kept sneaking into the saltwater pool. When she'd woken that morning, she had searched for him, suspecting to find him tucked away sowhere beneath the waters. He hadn't been there, and she'd found herself almost… disappointed.
Realizing she needed to focus on the task at hand, she banished any thoughts of the vexing crustacean and resud her scouting.
When they reconvened a half hour later, Snips, Claws, and the lobster nodded to each other; the area was clear.
Snips pointed at herself, then the otter.
The lobster scuttled back, making space.
Corporal Claws knew the ability to harness lightning would bother Snips, which was the exact reason her furred rival had been taunting so flagrantly.
Despite the annoyance, the developnt was welco, and Snips had learned a rather important detail as a result: battle and struggle aided growth.
Snips blew questioning bubbles, and Claws nodded, sparks crackling around her legs.
The air stilled, growing thick with tension.
As one, they attacked.
***
As Maria and I disassembled the camp, I found myself surprisingly excited.
Packing up after a trip was said to be a morose endeavor; a prelude to the return to reality.
I felt no such thing. I couldn't wait to get back ho and see my animal pals.
"Ready to go?" Maria asked, nudging from my thoughts.
She stood in her washed and dried clothes, the sa set she'd worn when we left Tropica, and I got lost in the view of her, marveling at her allure.
She tossed her head to the side, sweeping hair back behind an ear.
"What is it?"
"Nothing," I said. "Just appreciating how beautiful it is here."
She snorted.
"Smooth."
I laughed.
"I have my monts. Let's go."
***
The next two days were an enjoyable trek. We took our ti, taking in the scenery as we joked and talked. We fished, we laughed, and we ate, our conversation never straying back toward my outburst.
At the end of the second day, the sun was just setting as we neared where I knew the road would be.
"As excited as I am to get ho," Maria said, "I feel like I could just do this forever."
I smiled at her.
"I know what you an. It's—"
A twig snapped sowhere to our left, and I stopped on the spot.
Maria looked at , then toward the bush I was staring at.
"What—"
I held up a hand, cutting her off.
"I heard sothing."
I walked between her and the bush as the creature disturbed leaves on the forest floor, the sound clear as day to my enhanced hearing.
With careful, quiet steps, I crept forward.
I reached the bush and, sweeping branches aside, peeked between the leaves.
When I caught sight of it, I froze.
Is that—
"What is it?" Maria whispered, leaning over my shoulder.
When she saw it, she took a sharp intake of break.
"Oh, no..."
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