Thin Oceans

By Battista Ingrande

Thin Oceans is a tale of a world in distress. The creatures living upon it may not know that fact, but it is so. Conoza, Varia, Baranee and others journey through their world to find out their place in the world they live in. It is not an easy journey by any means; nature, Flay, and others will continue to conspire, intentionally or otherwise, to stop them in their path.

 

Approx. page length 389

• Language: English
• Publisher: Battista Ingrande
• Release date: Aug 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9798986521404

Book preview

Prologue

When this world was young, it was vibrant, lush, and bursting with the things that made this world unique among most others. Throughout the ages, throughout the time passing by, it remained untouched, unrefined, and pristine. All who lived upon this world knew of its importance. They knew, to an extent, how they came to be, how all things came to be in this world. However, for whatever reason, they began to lose sight of things; they forgot how it was they came to be and how they ended up as they did.

As the world changed, so did the creatures living upon it; from their original forms, they morphed and shifted into something unbecoming. And as their forms changed, so did their memory, the memory of what they once knew, the memories of what they once were. All of it became nothing more than a grain of sand dissolving into the tides of the sea.

From whence they came, to what they are now, from the names lost to us, to what they now call themselves, the Flay may never know their history. Though the Flay are the lucky ones, there are still those who rank among the Flay as intelligent or perhaps even more, but they became lost in the dark of their own existences; perhaps they too are forever lost.

Worst of all, they had forgotten the world itself, the Flay, the creatures, the others. They had such a wide array of knowledge, but now they had so little that their world turned from one of expanse to one of insular isolation. Even the name of the world had become lost. Their Dayulit had become nothing more than a name that no living being could be aware of. Throughout their struggle, the struggle of platitude and casual acceptance of the status quo, the Flay especially became self-centered, their divisions formalized by physical distance and ignorance.

From that ignorance came a top-down ruling; the needless affectations and inefficiency became standard place. With very little in the way of memory, they soon became dependent on one another. Their methods became crude, their efficiency became stark, but worst of all, with the world having changed so much, they could not flail and expect everything to be granted to them. The Flay, the creatures, and the others that once filled this world to the brim now have dwindled to the bare minimum.

With this lack of resources came the times of trouble, and within the living memory, that was all they knew. Though this did not mean they came to accept it, the Flay did not become immature as a whole, as they knew their suffering could be alleviated if not for their surroundings. Famine became a way of life, a simple cycle of having and not having. Being known to most, especially those who were less than active, this cycle proved to be too much for some.

The Flay are lost, as a whole, and on an individual level, the situation is not getting better, and without change, without adjustment and realization of that fact, they may not have long left within these waters and outcroppings.

Who is to say whether or not the Flay are at fault, or the creatures at large, for their current circumstances. Be it purposeful or a cycle all of its own, this is life for this world, and with life comes change, and with change comes new life. The purpose of this life is all its own; whether for survival, power, belief, or an unknown force, it continues for the time being.

Chapter 1 - Pathways

Please Elder, I want to go with you and the others to the next gathering!

The elder of the legion turned to the shouting individual. Explain to me exactly why I should let you come along with us after you failed to meet the requirements of the last gathering?

The individual stopped their explanation mid-sentence and peered downward to the shallow waters, just barely masquerading their feet but not before resuming their squawking. Listen to me!

The elder piped up once again, stopping the partially submersed person from speaking. Conoza, I cannot allow you to come with us. Not because you failed the last time, but because your insistence on coming with us will cause you to lose focus on the objective ahead.

Conoza, for the second time, looked back up at the elder with downtrodden eyes and proclaimed, You just don't want me to come along because you know I’ll catch more food than anyone else in your group, and you don’t want their mates to be embarrassed by them!

The elder suddenly grabbed Conoza’s face with his massive rubbery hand and said, Conoza, who do you think I am exactly?

Conoza remains silent.

Conoza, who do you think I am? The elder said while speaking more loudly and firmly. He squeezed Conoza’s face tightly.

Conoza finally responded, Elder Junaway.

hr-mp. Elder Junaway smirked and released his grasp on Conoza’s face. That's right, don't you forget why exactly I am in the current position I'm in. The sea breeze suddenly pushed a wave into Elder Junaway’s face. The several nation members behind him let out a small chuckle. Elder Junaway turned to the group, addressing nothing that just transpired. Alright. We're moving out. Get your supplies in order. The group got a move on and departed with heavy satchels, blue, glowing spheres, and sharpened obsidian tools.

Conoza stared off into the horizon in a haze much like the one that began to roll in from the south. A gathering of persons was situated nearby Conoza and Elder Junaway’s scuffle, but now that Junaway’s grouping had left, they began to disperse. Conoza made his way to the resting area, which was situated around thirty feet above the sea’s plateau in a cave-like indentation. The indentation lay within a towering 300-foot sea stack, forged from ancient volcanic activity, and chipped away via various storms and crashing waves. Conoza stumbled forward, laying on bedding created from a type of seagrass and creature fat.

Conoza thought to himself, I wish that he could know what it feels like to be a scavenger in a place like this. He rested on that bed for quite some time until his stomach began demanding food. Ugh, what am I going to have to eat this time to get through another time of rejection and failure?

Conoza arose from his bedding and walked towards the entrance of his accommodations. He peeked over the edge to the other compartment below. Conoza put on a stoic disposition and jumped onto the veranda. Seeing as that Conoza had no protective foot coverings, this was a bit of an unpleasant landing for him as he nearly fell off the veranda and into the shallow water below. After recovering from that 'graceful jump,' Conoza turned to find nobody was currently home and began making his way to some charred Toolber, a short, pudgy creature that is commonly found in the area.

However, before he could take a single bite, someone called out to him from the entrance of the shaft-way. HEY! What do you think you're doing in here, Conoza!?

Conoza froze, knowing the voice all too well. Oh hey... Conoza casually tried to direct attention away from his thievery. The figure came into full view from out of the sunlit frame while Conoza stared in silence.

Conoza, The figure gave a disappointed and slightly pitied look, You can't keep doing this while Junaway is gathering food.

Conoza continued to stare but said, I just needed a little snack to keep me from ya know, dying.

What would have happened if this was someone else's home and not mine? The figure asked.

well... Conoza stammered, and found it difficult for words to exit his mouth. After thinking on it, he finally responded, Serala, I know what I'm doing can and has gotten me into trouble, but what else am I supposed to do... He trailed off yet again, Serala not exactly impressed with his 'excuse'.

She had him sit down at a raised portion of the floor, just as cold and devoid of feeling as the rest of the stack. What seemed like five missed meals to Conoza was probably more akin to a few minutes in actuality. However, the point seemed to have reached him as Serala finished berating Conoza with life lessons. Serala walked over to the pile of what was once a jiggling pile of living Toolber and cut a piece off using a short-serrated obsidian knife.

You could thank me, you know, she said as she plopped down a fat piece of Toolber. I was technically going to eat this because I was desperate, but if you're going to give me some, do you think I can get something slightly better...?

Serala glared at Conoza, who begins to pull away from the meat and fat with his finger.

Wait, wait, okay, maybe I’ll eat this not because I'm hungry but because you made it, Conoza said while giving a half-hearted grin.

Conoza finished his meal and practically passes out right there. Serala caught him before he smashed his head into the floor. Oh Conoza, what am I going to do with you. 

Time passed, but the sky stayed stagnant. After a while, Conoza woke up to a surprising sight. Next to him lay Serala, sleeping against him, propped up against the wall. A commotion is stirring outside. Conoza decided it was probably best not to wake Serala up and just let her sleep. In the distance, next to a neighboring sea stack, water was flailing about in every direction, and a scream could be heard near the splashes.

Conoza, not wanting to get involved, merged with a group nearby that had also come to see what was producing the noises. As Conoza got closer to the epicenter, a gruesome sight befell the area. One of the gatherers from the hunt arrived back early as to take in a preemptive glory for himself. However, in his vanity, he took it upon himself not to kill the beast but to restrain it, to show his prowess and valor. Only using Finkin vine, a material made out of a type of floating algae, he had incorrectly tied a knot that could not hold, and he was struck from behind while gloating.

The creature he had captured was a Hool-beast, a terrifying animal with three swiping mouths, two of which can act as an appendage specifically for grabbing small prey. Some start to shift away, unable to handle the carnage unfolding before them. The Hool-beast, partially tied up, was yanking and pulling at the hunter's limbs, torso, and anything else it can get its grubby mouths on.

A few minutes passed. The man was clearly dead, but the beast continues to flail about, tearing his ears off a flinging them towards the crowd.

During this time, the people who left the scene went to retrieve the home guardians, a collection of persons with the specific task of defending the stacks from raiders and beasts.

The guardians rushed over, pushing the crowd out of the way as they go, and with their obsidian-tipped spears they repeatedly strike and prod at the Hool-beast. Only a few implements were needed to take the beast down.

During its final moments, it let out a shriek that was loud enough to move clouds, had there been any in the sky. The guards quickly formed a semi-circle around the bodies and begin to remove the pieces from the water, which was now warm from the blood and cartilage. Most disperse, but a few remain behind, musing over what had happened.

He was my neighbor, one of them chimed in.

He helped look over the nesting grounds from the last cycle, another added.

You there, a man called out to Conoza. The man repeated, Hey, you there.

Conoza responded, Yeah?

Did you know this man yourself?

No, I didn't, but I saw him leave earlier with the other gatherers, Conoza replied, I asked myself to go with them, but Elder Junaway refused to let me go with.

Ah, that's Elder Junaway for you. He also seems to have an extra sense about these things.

Conoza lamented the thought that Elder Junaway was right about something, let alone something that Conoza was wrong about.

The events that unfolded left a foul taste in Conoza's mouth. In order to cleanse his palette of this flavor, he decided to take a short swim to the bazaar located about seven sea stacks away from his dwelling. The bazaar contains several partitions, all comprised of different services and goods that could be purchased via local currencies, bartering and 'personal requests.' Around one hundred or so community persons were exploring the market space, most of them not there for anything but the food. As Conoza walked and swum around looking for any dropped scraps and leftover garbage, he bumped into two rather lanky individuals who did not take kindly to having their fresh meals end up as bottom-feeder chow. They quickly turned around to see Conoza scampering away but did not have the agility to catch him or want, for that matter.

As Conoza scampered away, he hid between two marketplace stalls. To his left were two people who kept arguing over the rising risk of retrieving supplies at this time of year and with little staffing willing to do the job. On the other side was a woman who sold tools specifically designed for etching and writing in stone and shells. While waiting for the men Conoza bumped into to leave, he saw a familiar face entering the bazaar; it was his upper neighbor Baranee.

Conoza sprang up and shouted, Hey, Baranee! over here!

Baranee tried to avert his gaze but was accidentally caught looking at him. Oh he-hey Conoza...

Baranee struggled to make eye contact with Conoza. The both of them moved away from the center of the plaza and made their way over to one of the shorter sea stacks.

So how have you been!? Conoza chirped.

Well uh, you know... I've been real busy, and we sleep at different times, so it's hard to encounter you naturally, Baranee says meekly.

Well, be that as it may, the little time I do see you is always pleasant, Conoza gleefully declared.

This sort of minimal conversation went on until the remainder of the shops closed for the moment to feast and rest.

Okay, well I’ll be seeing you then, Baranee said while slinking away.

See ya, Conoza replied.

As Conoza left the market, he noticed that a guardian had returned to the spot of the beast attack and was interviewing witnesses for the after-report. Conoza approached the guard, but before he could speak, that guard pushed him back with the dull end of his defensive skewer.

Conoza fell back after having a large force push between his chest cartilage while letting out an irked gasp, to which the guard let out a small laugh. The guard threw his lance into the water and picked up Conoza, and laughed while saying, Heh, sorry about that, you just looked like you needed a good peck in the chest.

A sigh let out of Conoza before he said, Well, before you shanked me, I was going to ask if the main gatherers had returned yet?

The guard peered at him firmly, What did you know about this guy exactly? Are you a friend of his?

Conoza began to explain the events that transpired up until that point.

Oh well, since you don't seem acquainted, I think we can rule out your involvement. The guard walks back to his assigned post, and Conoza was starting to get fatigued from everything that had happened between several potential meals.

As Conoza made his way back to his sea stack, he heard an incredible yowl. Baranee!

This did not sound like something Conoza wanted to get involved in, but since it was Baranee, he felt he had the need to snoop. The yelling and shouting continued.

What the freaking actually are you doing in here, you bottom-feeding shell of a man! the voice exclaimed as Conoza approached his enclave in the sea stack.

As Conoza climbed the side, he could hear that the voices were coming directly below his dwelling in Serala’s domain. Peering just over the entrance, Conoza could see that it was Serala and Baranee who were in the midst of a heated encounter over something having to do with a specific corner of her room that had been chiseled away from the main chamber. Serala was so angry she could practically be a hydrothermal vent at that point.

Baranee, cowering away from her so as to not provoke her further, tried to explain himself. S-s-serala, p-please let me go. I didn't want you to see me doing this. I was hoping you'd be gone longer...

Serala fuming and scowling, said, "What do you mean you didn't want me to catch you doing this"

Baranee, backpedaling, sputtered, Oh, I didn't mean, I mean I didn't have a choice; I needed to trade your coverings in to lower my promised services...

Serala clenched her fist and swung as hard as she could, right into Baranee, but at the last moment altered her path to hit his shoulder instead of his face as she had planned. Baranee let out a sharp yelp and scurried away out of the entrance and into the open sea without noticing Conoza.

Serala let out a sigh and went to collect her things that were scattered on the floor; Conoza entered the room and kicked loose pieces of gravel, which caused Serala to spout, Baranee, if you don't leave right now, I swear I'm going to chop your hands off!

As she turned around, she saw a startled Conoza and gave a slightly grimaced look while saying, Oh are you here to get the leftovers from earlier or from Baranee?

Uh neither, Conoza replied, I just heard whatever that was going on outside as I was heading for rest.

Serala’s eyes widened as she soon realized that the whole conversation that had transpired was audible to at least everyone in the sea stack, not to mention anyone else nearby.

If he keeps this up, I'm going to have to ask Elder Junaway to do something about him. This was a horrific thing to say to Conoza, even though she didn't intend to panic him, Elder Junaway was not kind to Conoza for even requesting to help out and dealt a less than enthusiastic reward, but if Elder Junaway were to hear that someone was stealing from others to repay a personal debt and not even to assist another nation member, there might be a new pile of chum for gathering.

A surge of energy bursted through Conoza as he begged Serala not to tell Elder Junaway. Serala please, for all I am and that we all experience, please do not tell Elder Junaway about this.

Serala, taken aback by Conoza’s sudden plead, giggled, and whispered, Hey now, don't forget that you also steal from me.

Even as a half-joke, Conoza’s blood drained from his face as he imagined what may befall him if he kept up his sneaky thievery or at least failing to keep hidden while doing so. Conoza continued to stare off into the horizon of his own imagination as Serala clapped her hands to jog him out of his self-induced paranoid trance. Conoza snapped back to the fully aware world, turning to Serala as to perfectly align with her form and began to profusely apologize mainly about himself but also on behalf of Baranee.

Serala then unexpectedly hugged Conoza and relayed a comforting phrase. Are you stupid or something, Conoza? If I turned you into Junaway, someone loud and even more of a pain than you are might move in, and I can't be dealing with Baranee and some new troublemaker.

Conoza let out a sigh of relief and appreciation, knowing that he is very fortunate to have such a brutish and caring defender. Conoza stayed in a perfect stationary position for a little bit until he remembered that even though Serala wasn't going to report him, Elder Junaway would eventually return sooner rather than later and more than likely would dish out a new 'lesson' for Conoza for his earlier actions.

Conoza sprang up while muttering, I've got to hide. I can't let him find me after he's been on a gathering. That man doesn't get out of that mindset for meals on end, and I know he'll take it out of Baranee or me or some other person he thinks is weak.

Serala grabbed Conoza’s hands by the wrist and said, Conoza, using your fingers, how many potential meals has it been since Elder Junaway left?

Conoza paused for a moment to think hard about arithmetic and came to the conclusion that four potential meals had passed in the time starting from when Elder Junaway left up until the present.

Serala scoffed. What is that all? You're worrying about nothing. I'm positive you can scrounge something up to appease his temper.

Conoza’s face brightened up before realizing he had practically nothing to offer the elder that Junaway hadn't already come to possess.

Serala piped up, Tell ya what, how about we go out and try and catch something really rare?

Conoza’s ears perked up without changing his current stale facial expression.

Serala responded to this with an upbeat and slightly cocky quip. See what a great person I am for helping you. I need to be thanked more around here!

Serala, with her armored coverings, and Conoza, with his rudimentary defensive skins, headed out away from the sea stacks and into the northern territories far enough away that any blood or guts couldn't reach the founded nation borders, but still a healthy length away from the great dry dune expanse. As they swam to the relatively unexplored north, the wind began to howl as the waves became more jagged and rough, the sunlit water casting shadows upon the calm seas between the waves.

Above head was a flock of Vux moving slowly as Vux tend to do, seeing as they were hollow inflated creatures with tendrils that reached down into the shallows to scoop smaller, less agile animals and bring them into the open air where they would suffocate and then reeled up to the interior of the vex to be digested.

However, Conoza and Serala were not concerned with their presence, seeing as they were three times their size and could swim faster and dive deeper than their tendrils could reach.

Also along the way were large, nearly solid algae pads that are created by algae floating too close to the surface and solidifying due to the sun's harsh rays. Serala and Conoza thought it was time to rest and took refuge on one of the larger of the pads that hadn't deteriorated and crumbled away. The algae pads are not only solid ground on which to rest but also as a source of edible organics to feed marine life that cannot hunt from a lack of predatory abilities.

A thunderous clap could be heard in the sky above as it began to rain. As the visibility dropped and the pad became more soaked and malleable, they agreed that it was time to depart and head underwater. Conoza and Serala tied a Finkin rope to each other as the murky depths had a tendency to shift currents at any given time. Along with them in Serala’s satchel were three orbs that, when squeezed together, would provide a limited quantity of light that would pulse every few seconds as to shift movement out of the opaque depths. This area was not particularly well known for mysterious creatures; however, it was more importantly known for not having incredibly hostile beasts. As they waited in the placidity of their surroundings, Conoza only just now wondered why Serala was assisting him and seeing as that he had no personal tact, he asked: Serala, why exactly are you helping me aside from just being nice? Serala did not respond as she quickly pulled Conoza out of the way as a long tubular creature jetted past them; not thinking about how Conoza himself was almost impaled, he bolted towards the distorted water. Not really remembering, in the heat of the moment, Serala was acting as a secondary weight and lifeline; the rope tied around them became stressed and began to tear. The rope tied between them snapped due to the tension of Conoza’s movements; despite that Serala and him had agreed to wait and take a defensive approach, Conoza lunged forward after the unknown blur.

Serala called out to Conoza, Conoza, stop. We can't get separated out here not just from the beasts but from the currents!

As Conoza slowed his charge to Serala's request, the currents shifted as Serala was swept into the murky fathoms, Conoza was hauled away towards the shoal area of the region. As Conoza was dragged off, he encountered hardened algae pads littering the locale; as he desperately tried to avoid them with as little control as he had, Conoza was struck by a pad that had partially submerged and was perched vertically. The strike to Conoza’s head caused him to faint, and he was now at the mercy of the flow of the seas and the creatures of the deep.

The atmosphere was churning away. Ball lightning could be seen hovering from the clouds and into the water, where they burst and crackled as high voltage ions met the cooling dance of the water's surface. The sounds of large crackling booms awoke Conoza from his head trauma-induced sleep; Conoza, not wanting to be electrocuted, dove deep underwater to where the lightning would have little impact. As Conoza dove deeper, the flashes from the ball lightning would illuminate the shadowy abyss that would produce silhouettes from the scurrying creatures seeking shelter from the light bursts and predators taking advantage of their fright. The silhouettes all seemed benign to Conoza, so he tried to stay as stationary in the water as possible to attempt to wait out the storm roaring above and to keep an eye on the shadows swimming around his figure. The weather cleared up as quickly as it came, and Conoza swam up to the surface to get barrings on his location; Conoza was also severely exhausted from the chase prior to Serala and his separation and subsequent weather phenomenon. The surface tension broke as Conoza breached into the open sky in search of any solid or semi-solid land to properly rest on; after scanning the horizon, Conoza spotted a deteriorated sea stack, no doubt torn down by the local storms over the millennia. The sea stack itself was only a few meters tall from the zenith of the elevation of the water; compared to the sea stacks in Conoza’s township, it was in the order of magnitude several hundred feet more compact and smooth than the average stack. As Conoza made his way to the glossy cone of rock and dirt, the sea stack proved difficult to climb back home. The sea stacks would have large jagged spires that would make for easy grabbing while gaining momentum.

Had there been large cave-like indentations like in the home stacks, they could no longer be found here as the water withered away from the exterior, shaving it down to small divots that barely provided shelter.

Feeling as if the turbulence had passed, for the time being, Conoza let out a hefty sigh and closed his eyes for a moment; however, a warm sensation had been arising from his left leg.

Conoza looked down to see a massive sliver in his leg that was oozing blood as an alarming rate. As long as Conoza rested for a time, the wound would eventually heal. However, blood was rolling down into the water and would eventually make its way to deeper depths. Normally in the nation, this wouldn't be an issue as the guardians would protect all who remained within the territories but out here in the deserted sea, there would be no help to protect against predatory beasts that were exemplary at attacking sea stack and shallow living creatures.

Despite that, Conoza was twenty feet above sea level. The sea stack was more so evenly curved, so even those beasts with limited land capabilities could corner and attack Conoza, given the opportunity.

Conoza looked around for anything to help seal his wound quickly, but couldn't find anything of substance.

After adjusting himself, he noticed the rope was still tied around his waist and attached to the rope was one of the illuminating orbs Serala and himself were using. He hurriedly tied the orb using the rope and soaked it in the small pool of blood that had collected near him. Using his teeth, he cut through the blood-soaked rope and tossed it into the water, hoping it would distract any predators that may come his way. Now that everything had been cleared up, Conoza could finally think and reflect; however, it was short-lived.

How could I forget!? I can't just sit here. I have no idea where Serala went! he shouted to himself.

Conoza attempted to stand up, but the weight he was putting on his leg caused his healing wound to split slightly. Ouch, okay, that wasn't smart of me, he said with a regrettable whimper.

It was at this point of pain recovery and anxious sitting that Conoza noticed something sticking out of the water partially ashore the sea stack. However, the water had been swirling with sand and organic particles, so it made it hard for him to properly see what was sticking out of the shoreline; he didn't need to see what it was before he could start to smell the blood emanating from it when Conoza reached the object he pulled it out only to discover it was merely a partially eaten Vex. This at least proved there was something in the water that had the capabilities to take a large chunk out of potential prey. All Conoza could do at this point was to wait and wonder if Serala was shifted by the currents to somewhere she could go and get assistance from someone back home.

Although for Conoza, the only two people who might even try looking for him were Baranee and Serala. But even then, it's better than the alternative of waiting past more meals. Conoza had at least been waiting for one potential meal when he heard shifting from the other side of the sea stack. Conoza pulled himself over to the location of the sound and saw it was a pair of small crescent-shaped creatures no bigger than his hands that could be seen attached to the rock and slowly moving their way around the base of the sea stack.

These creatures, as far as Conoza knew, were not being sold back in the bazaar or had previously been recorded as being spotted by anyone. The thought of a new creature Conoza could turn in for a heap of favors whirled through his mind, but as his mind was churning, so was his gut.

Conoza had missed so many meals up until this point, a second thought emerged in his mind as he could also be the first person to eat these newly discovered beings. Conoza reached for curved creatures and tried to pull them off the stone; try as he might, they would not budge. 

They seemed to be stuck in such a way their suction cup feet would resist all attempts at detachment; Conoza then tried stepping on them to kill them.

A dead newly discovered creature is no different than one that's alive right? Conoza thought to himself, these attempts to kill them also failed. It's time for the extreme methods, Conoza thought while becoming flustered. Stepping off them, Conoza first attempted to smash them with a fist-sized stone found just next to him, again another failure, as just before the stone struck their bodies, they suddenly solidified to the density and mass of the rock that nearly destroyed them.

This was the last breath of his desperate food venture. Conoza got down on all fours and steadfast in his mind snapped his mouth to consume one of them in one fell swoop, as the previous attempt at smashing them with a rock proved the creatures turned their skin to the texture and density of Conoza’s teeth, his mouth chomping down met with the same force as attempting to tear into teeth itself causing a sharp grinding sound to emanate from them both. Repulsed by this, Conoza gave up his attempt to devour the animals and made his way back to the other side of the stack, where his defeat could be ignored. 

Albeit Conoza had missed yet another meal, time had passed long enough for his wounds to suture. It was at this time that he began to ponder why after such a long period of time, no one had tried to come to his aid. Surely Serala had at least convinced Baranee to search for him. But that didn't matter now anyway, since Conoza could now return on his own accord. As Conoza’s skin started to dry and a new storm began to form overhead, he leaped back into the sea and using the position of sunlight to plot a course back to the shallows.

This, nonetheless, would conceivably either be a short or long trip depending on how far the currents had carried him when he was unconscious.

Conoza swam the best he could, considering he was still equipped with his defensive skin coverings, creating an underwater sail of sorts that pushed Conoza back even more than had he not had them.

These coverings are sturdy but not all that great for athletic excursions.

While continuing to swim, Conoza came about a Palicaker, a spherical creature that Conoza’s defensive skins were made of and require edged blades for cutting into. At this point, Conoza would have liked to have taken off at least the top portion of the skins, but after lying unconscious in the open air, it partially grafted to his skin, as the skins were not meant to be worn out of the water when wet for too long.

Continuing to swim northbound, he tussled past hardened algae blooms similar in size to the ones that had struck him. Atop one of the pads was a small shrub growing out of the near midsection. These shrubs only grew on sea stacks, and the seeds cannot be aloft for long before falling into the sea.

Of course, with shifting currents the pad could have been close to terrain and drifting outward, although this was not an indicator of the home shallows, it was indicative of land in general, not to mention the shrub would provide a bit of a snack.

Finally, this isn't my favorite this to eat, but it'll do. Conoza approached the shrub and yanked at it until it detached from the base of the pad. As Conoza placed the shrub in his mouth, he was suddenly overcome with a taste of great disdain. The shrub had abruptly dissolved into a paste; not wanting to swallow such an atrocious snack.

Conoza immediately spat out the now pile of mush into the water where it dissipated. Conoza remembered when he was attending a public forum at the designated sea stack for such lectures.

One of the possessors of plant knowledge explained that there were shrubs and bogus shrubs, one being a plant that lived through eating sunlight and the other of similar appearance was a thing between animal and plant that grew with seeds but ate living things, it was this fungus that Conoza had partially ingested.

Passing through more open water, Conoza yet again came across a Palicaker. This one was slower than the previous, being a near-perfect sphere made it difficult to effectively gain meat out of, especially without a teethed blade, howbeit Palicakers had four stubby fat fins that contained most of their outward reserves, not taking any chances missing another meal Conoza swam to and grabbed hold of one of its pudgy claws and twisted as hard as he could until it reluctantly detached from its form.

The Palicaker made no cry of anguish or anger, nor did it react in any way to having one of its limbs torn from its body. Conoza shrugged it off and teared into the pudgy fin biting and swallowing it in mere seconds.

Ah, finally got something to eat. I feel like taking a nap now, but I still don't see any solid land, he said while he shrugged and kept swimming.

More time passed by as there were no sea stacks in sight. Conoza started to slow down, not from exhaustion, but from a sensation that something had just swam past him but not fast enough to pass him but as to keep a slight edge on his movements. Now, under the impression that he was being stalked, Conoza quickly scanned the horizon in search of anything to gain a height advantage. Unfortunately, the best he could find was a submerged sand embankment.

Not knowing how fast his ghoulish acquaintance could travel, he could not afford to swim away. Now taking a defensive position, Conoza was prepared for the potential attack.

Defending would not be eas. As Conoza stood on the embankment, the water just barely stayed beneath his abdomen. While scanning for movement along the surface, Conoza felt something brush up against him and dart away.

Whatever had brushed up against him felt heavy enough that he should have been able to see it skim along the surface as it moved past him, but there was no sign of anything besides himself and the calm seas.

Again, something brushed up against him, this time at a slightly greater force. He stumbled slightly and attempted to regain his balance but, to his dismay, could not move forward any longer. At this point, Conoza started to panic. A foe that he could not detect via movements nor via sight could not possibly be defended against.

Suddenly, a form appeared before him. He prepared to strike when he saw what his attack truly was. Before him was a Palicaker, not the same from which he ate from but a Palicaker nonetheless.

Conoza came to realize that his 'attacker' was not only a harmless blob but with the combination of the previously partially eaten fungus and the consumption of the other Palicaker paw, he had combined a terrible recipe inside himself, the effects of the fungus were poisonous however before they could take effect the Palicaker fin Conoza ate was fatty enough in its own right to absorb some of the poison, instead of intense body pain the reduced effects of the fungus caused him to hallucinate.

In reality, Conoza had been in the middle of a Palicaker herd and kept swaying into them, which in his altered state made him think he was under attack. Barring some time, Conoza came back to his senses and could now continue his way back home before he took off.

However, a field of Finkin vines littered the sand embankment. Gathering several vines and leaves from the vines, Conoza corralled the Palicakers into a small divot in the sand and placed the leaves on top of them to dry along with a few vines. Using the remainder of the vines, Conoza wrapped the Palicakers into a bundle and tied them together. Conoza now waited for the leaves and vines to dry, and then he could be on his way and relax while doing so. It took only moments for the vines to become solid and rigid.

The very last of the wet vines were used to tie the hardened leaves and elongated vines together, now with a solid platform in which to gain a height advantage, he now had a living defense in the form of the Palicakers with three oars as well.

Conoza positioned himself on his newly formed raft, wedged one of the oars in between two of the creatures and stuck it outwards for stability; he began to paddle and was finally mobile once again. Now rowing at a significant speed, Conoza, now feeling more confident in his situation, took the opportunity to explore the region further; after all, his entire reason for coming out here was to find a rare creature and bring it back.

I can't go back just yet, Conoza thought, Not to mention Serala is going to be really mad at me for now coming back sooner and if I show up empty-handed I’ll probably get a punch in the gut.

Conoza was now speaking out loud without reason, but that didn't matter.

I'm all alone out here after all who cares if I scream my head off, I've been through a lot and barely got anything to eat out of it I deserve some outward expression! Conoza exclaimed to the open sky.

Waves crashed and sputtered as the wind turned from a gentle breeze into a flurry. The rain was hard and speedy, smacking Conoza repeatedly from all angles,

This weather sucks, Serala and I should have gone south instead when I get out of this storm and back to the shallows were getting something to catch and eat. Conoza tried to yell above the storm. Conoza’s makeshift Palicaker raft, not used to extreme surface level weather events, tugged and pushed in every direction to break Conoza’s vine bindings.

Some Palicakers took it upon themselves to chew through the vines to which Conoza struck them with an oar to disorient and confuse them. Conoza could only drive attention to so many Palicakers while trying to stay stable to prevent a more excitable Palicaker from chewing through its involuntarily huddle.

As the Palicaker broke free, so too did the others escape, not through their own will but from the crashing water and twisting tides. Once again, Conoza plunged into the water below, pulled downward by rip tides and whirlpools.

Conoza slipped into the darkness as Palicakers were flung in every direction, some being struck by the oars and others simply crashing into each other. Conoza, tumbling ever more downward, was tossed between underwater tall, lanky spires that jutted out from the seabed. Being flung at sharp rock took its toll on Conoza, opening the wound that had only just healed, and another impact into a spire dislocated his shoulder as he weaved between stones.

A Palicaker appeared from a few meters ahead of him and was slung into a stack full force snapping the tip-off and killing the creature. Conoza, unable to escape the inevitable, used all of his strength to move just enough to avoid the dislodged rock and instead hit the eviscerated Palicaker remains. Conoza, for the second time within two missed meals, had been knocked unconscious and drifting within haphazard conditions.

Conoza awoke to find himself in a place far colder and silent than the surface he had been, at least to him just moments ago. The damp cold air filled Conoza’s body and slowed his movement to that of a thirty-meal old newborn. There was but a faint luminescence surrounding Conoza and diverting into several directions.

It was now clear, having adjusted for a minute, that he had ended up in a cavern of sorts deep undersea. The pool of water behind him was certainly the way out, but Conoza had no idea how long he was out for and could have been drifting through a cave system for an unknown amount of time. Conoza turned to examine his surroundings more intensely and placed his hand on the wall.

It’s cold, a lot colder than the sea stacks in the shallows. It's almost like permafrost on the seafloor, Conoza remarked, moving along from the wall he came upon the iridescence's source, a small creature no bigger than an elders hand incisor. The creature was warmer than the surrounding walls but not enough to provide ample warmth.

The glow from these creatures was a light blue hue. The creatures had no limbs to speak of, but slithered along the wall shifting positions with each other and eating small nibbles of the walls.

Since there were so many, Conoza thought it was an opportune time to eat, despite his influenced experience earlier. Placing the creature in his mouth, Conoza could feel a warmth greater than the one he had felt of the wall, swallowing the small arthropod-filled him with a great internal heat that negated the effects of the cold air, although this did not prevent him from feeling the cold ground beneath his feet.

Conoza stored a few more in his bottom skin defenses. Ahead of him were three paths, each with a light blue glow; the left-most entryway slopped downward and, interestingly enough, had a warm atmosphere emanating from it.

Well, I defiantly prefer warm air but downward probably isn't the best way out of here, Conoza thought to himself.

The middle path was raised above the ground about as high as Conoza himself was and had a ripple of water running down the wall beneath it. Even if I can get up there will I be able to swim against a downward flow of water? Conoza remarked, puzzled.

Finally, the path to the right was of standard elevation to his own, although it was not particularly special in any way and was likely a continuation of the current cave nodule. Conoza now stood against three paths, none of which could guarantee his escape. I'm not good at diverting choices; I think I’ll just spin around with my eyes closed, and whatever I see after I stop, I'll just go for it. Conoza reassuringly told himself.

Conoza stuck out his arm with a finger extended and spun, twisting four times in place Conoza opened his eyes, and the middle path was the choice he had ended up at, whelp, perhaps it's foolish, but I'd want the current to be alright, Conoza said which jumping up to grab the edge of the middle path.

Pulling himself up, he noticed on the right side of his skin defenses the creatures had eaten through his pocket and fallen out. Hmm, that's just great. I'm down a pocket, and that's probably not ominous in any way, so I'll just ignore that, Conoza stated while striding upward.

The path continued at a slope of thirty-five degrees, never widening or constricting, nor were there any significant turns or twists. As he moved through the tunnel, the water became faster and slightly increased in amount.

In front of him was yet another fork. The path he was on continued at the same slope but with an increase in water and small troughs adorning the sides taking the water to unknown parts, and to the left was a path that darted left but then took a sharp ninety-degree vertical turn that went further than the glow of arthropods could carry.

Slapping his face with his hands, he said, Okay, okay, if I go left, I could probably shimmy my way up, but I could get stuck, and there's no telling how far that shaft goes upward. Do I have the strength and ability to climb for any amount of potentially missed meals? Conoza pondered.

Slicking back his feathery hair with his hands, he yet again closed his eyes and spun, opening his eyes. Conoza continued to charge forward into the path where the water source flowed.

Pushing against the ever-increasing pressure of water, Conoza felt the creatures from his other pocket inch their way out and try to detach themselves from Conoza’s person. Conoza, noticing this odd behavior, took one of the creatures and placed it into the water.

Amazingly, the water began to freeze, not as a flash but gradually as Conoza pushed forward. The creatures froze the water, most likely as a form of transportation alongside tranquil water patches as to avoid small predators. The creature was losing its influence as it could not keep up with the torrential water; not wanting to waste any time, Conoza took another from his pocket and replaced it while simultaneously eating the used-up creature.

The path began to narrow while the water pressure was now preventing Conoza’s movement entirely. Not wanting to be pushed downward to the paths beginning, he used all but one of the water-freezing creatures, and in one fell swoop, he chucked the pile of them into the water which combined together caused the water to halt entirely, but for how long that would last Conoza couldn't waste time wondering.

Directly above Conoza was another path that jutted opposite the water spout. He quickly raised himself up to this new path, and just as he did, the ice gave way allowing the water to run once again. A new problem emerged; now that Conoza had used all of the water-freezing creatures, he no longer had a light source in which to navigate properly. He did have one last creature, but unfortunately, when he was pulling himself up, he crushed it against the overhang. The only thing he could do now was craw along the floor on all fours, hoping that the path did not curve or lead to a sudden drop-off.

Now hindered, he crawled along the floor, patting down the ground in between every few feet. Conoza crawled along until he hit a sudden impasse, a dead end. Oh for the weeping dead, I can't freaking believe this! he yelled.

He slammed his hands against the wall, which disjointed some loose grave. As Conoza slammed his hands down, one of his hands broke into empty space; of course, doing this cut a large wound into his palm. Shaking his hand around to alleviate the pain, Conoza noticed the walls in the empty space started to glow. Conoza’s blood was now faintly iridescent. My blood is glowing. Conoza stammered off, How did this happen...why am I... Conoza sprang up. I must be super special or something now Elder Junaway will have to accept me as being unique and having functionality; I'm going to rub this so hard in his face.

Now, with a mildly painful light source Conoza swung his blood while moving forward, the empty space filled with light to reveal a zigzag ladder-like formation leading up to a new path, using his blood light Conoza flicked the blood to the top of the stone platform and made his way to the pathway. When he reached the top, a faint sun-glow could be seen at the end of the tunnel,

Finally, this took way too long, and Serala and Baranee are probably pissed at me for taking so long getting back.

Making his way to the exit, he noticed the sunlight was distorted and warped; the exit was still underwater, but there was a bubble covering the cave. Conoza passed through the bubble, causing it to burst as Conoza swam away, and the surrounding water flooded into the cave system pulling at him, threatening to suck him back in.

Suddenly, the water began to slow and crystallize. Conoza’s hand wound was causing the water to freeze near him.

This was not worth it, all I got out of it was glowing blood and a mushed creature, Conoza said. He swam into the territories of the nation, not knowing that trailing behind him was a small path of freezing and melting water.

Arriving back at the shallows, Conoza noticed the atmosphere was heavy. Instead of apathetic looks, he was given harsh glares.

Uh hey everyone, I'm back, Conoza said while passing twenty people observing him from the verandas of their sea stack dwellings.

The water had mostly stopped freezing now that Conoza could walk on the sand instead of having to tread water.

You there, someone called out to Conoza.

Uh yeah? Conoza turned to answer the man who hollered at him.

Where have you been? You have a lot to answer for.

Whoa, what? I just got here. How can I have things to answer for? Conoza questioned the man, also, who are you to ask that of me?

I may not look it, but I am a guardian. Now come with me, the guard responded.

Not wanting to get assaulted, Conoza went with the guard to wherever he was leading him to.

Conoza placed his hand on the guard and asked, Hey, since I'm going with you, can you at least tell me what I need to answer for?

Before the guard could answer, Conoza's blood from his cut hand froze the guard's shoulder blade and caused him to collapse, the guard cried out in anguish and collapsed in the water as his blood vessels froze from the inside. The bystanders let out a collective gasp as they called for more guardians.

The guardians rushed out from a nearby sea stack and paused in shock as they saw their comrade slowly dying at the knee of Conoza. The guards swiftly tackled Conoza and restrained him up with Finkin vine.

It was an accident! I didn't mean to hurt the guy! Conoza bawled.

That's enough out of you; If you don't shut your mouth, well, do it for you, one of the guards said, floating him along to the guardian headquarters.

At the headquarters, the guardians threw Conoza into a deep hole used to hold individuals until their judgment could be carried out by the elder council. Conoza was not alone in the holding hole; two others shared the same space as him. To his surprise, one of the people in the hole was nonother than Baranee, who was sleeping. Excitedly Conoza crawled over to Baranee and tried to shake him awake.

Hey Baranee, it's me, Conoza. Wake up. How did you end up in here? Where's Serala at, did-

It’s no use, he's out cold, the other person in the hole said.

What do you mean 'out cold'?

It's like I said, he's out cold, kaput, comatose, the figure responded.

Conoza let go of him and rested his hands on his knees. Well if he's sleeping at a time like this, I should get to know you at least. What's your name?

My name? the figure asked.

Well yeah, you have a name, don't you? Conoza quipped.

My name is Varia.

Varia, it's nice to meet you regardless of these circumstances.

Varia glanced at Conoza before saying, Look, you don't want to be associated with me. I don't think we're in this hole for the same reasons.

Conoza dropped it at that but followed up on Baranee. If you won't tell me why you're down here can you at least tell me why he's down here?

Varia paused for a moment but relented, He's in here because he's a serial thief, he was caught trying to peddle stolen food and defensive skins, at least that's what the guardians said before they tossed him on his head.

Baranee lay still as if he were a stone set on a sea stack. Conoza attempted to poke and even punched him in an attempt to awaken him, but to no avail. I told you he's not waking up, he's not dead, but I don't think he can wake up anymore.

Conoza shot a glare towards Varia. Please try and be realistic this hole is twice your height falling on your head doesn't do wonders for your spine.

Before Conoza could respond, a guard walked over the hole and using a hooked pole latched onto Conoza’s lower leg, pulling Conoza up caused blood to spurt out and land in the hole where Baranee and Varia resided.

Conoza was placed into a room with a Palicaker composed door, a very rare sight in the shallows; the door was shut behind the guard and Conoza and was placed against a wall with the sun shining through a hole in the sealing into Conoza’s face. In the room was a pile of blank stone canvases for etching. Parallel to the etchings was a blood-stained portion of the wall and what looked like scratch marks engraved on the stone floor. The taller of the two guardians walked over and sat on a raised stone that was in the middle of the room. The other guardian stood by with an etching tool and stone tablet without looking at Conoza.

Well, are you not going to say anything about what you've done? said the taller guard.

Well, I don't really know what I've done...

The guardian stood up and pressed his foot against Conoza’s left shoulder. Well let's start with your most recent and serious action, the attempted murder of a nation guardian member.

Conoza’s eyes narrowed. I didn't attempt anything on anyone. I just wanted to know what was going on.

The guard pressed harder on his shoulder, saying, So you wanted information, and you used a deadly burn poison to do it, is that it?

What, no! I didn't burn him. I uh, I just touched his shoulder, that's it!

The guard pulled back and kicked Conoza in the shoulder. No, you didn't just 'touch him.' You caused severe internal bleeding and burns to his upper torso using a burning poison that had a slight glow to it

Listen we have over twenty-five witnesses corroborate very similar information to us about that action of yours, but even if that wasn't all that you did you still have more to answer for.

Conoza defiantly said, Then what do I have to answer for then, that's all I originally wanted.

The guardian nodded his head at the other guard who left the room for a short while. He returned with a dismembered spinal fin from someone of the nation. Conoza leered forward while scoffing, "Okay, maybe I did that thing to the guardian by accident. But there's no way I'm responsible for someone's dismembered spinal fin. The guardian kicked Conoza yet again while saying, 'how can you not recognize this spinal fin? After all, you left with its complete figure not three meals ago.

The fin made a sharp slapping sound as the guardian threw it to the ground directly in front of Conoza.

I don't understand, this is clearly from that gatherer that was attacked earlier. I had nothing to do with that, you can ask anyone there I showed up after it started.

Conoza fired back, Look closer, this isn't the spinal fin of a male nor is it the coloration of any of the guardian's skins.

The guardian grabbed Conoza and shook him. You understand now, don't you? This is your lower neighbor's spinal fin. You left with her to the north earlier. We have several witnesses who attest to that.

Jumping up, Conoza shouted, You mean this is Serala’s fin!? while clenching the guardian's shoulder.

Yes, your neighbor Serala went with you and now we have this, explain what happened, the guardian said with a harsh tone, and so Conoza frantically explained what had transpired over the last missed meals.

So now what, where is Serala and what shape is she in?! Conoza said with a shaky voice. Tell me!

Don't play dumb. You obviously killed her and poorly disposed of the body. That's why this came detached and ended up back in the shallows.

Fed up with their lack of understanding, Conoza walked towards the door while muttering, I don't have time for this. It's my fault she’s missing and the more time I stay here being questioned by you mentally inept guardians, the more likely she's in actual danger, especially with a wound that severe.

The guard who up until remained silent inscribing the conversation stopped Conoza before he