Chapter 2349 Feeling Grabby, Krabby

--- Lily ---

Lily did eventually find something... though how important it was she couldn’t immediately say. It was a rather flora rich part of the underwater walls. It didn’t look too different, just flush with extra bits of greenery. At least until Lily managed to catch a fish slipping in between the densely packed system of root-like things. There should not have been space for the fish to fit behind it, certainly not without leaving behind a notable bump as it travelled. This got Lily to look closer.

While technically it was possible that the fish could simply merge with the plants, further examination and a trip up for air to be safe confirmed that there was a gap behind it. There was also quite a lot of fish around the plants here, and Lily, while arguably similar in size to the fish that ducked inside, was far wider and had wings and horns to catch onto things. Still... she needed to investigate, so Lily decided she would.

A single claw of shadow reached out, and the fish let it past. Some even swimming around the appendage, simply that uncaring about its existence. Lily watched, carefully, as she ripped a clean line down the side of the gap. The fish immediately exploded into movement, all dashing away from the opening. Some did come near her, but none tried to attack, simply moving away even faster. Lily kept her shadows out for a few moment as most of the fish cleared out. The few that remained clearly weren’t going anywhere.

There seemed to be four fish around. Two that were near the entrance but not directly in front of it, the third was a flatheaded fish that sat on the ground near the bottom. It looked a bit like a stingray but without the notable tail. The fourth hovered near the gap, examining it. Not moving in, or leaving, just... watching the gap instead of Lily herself or the shadow claw that she had left half extended.

Lily watched for a few more moments before carefully making her way forward. The fish did not stop watching her, even as she entered into the cave hidden behind the greenery. It didn’t stop her at any point... nor did it stop watching the hole she’d made. Lily considered turning back right away and getting that potion from Appoline... but she wanted to explore at least a little bit first.

Inside there was no sign of that first fish that had slipped past and the ground seemed to be covered plants that glowed ever so softly. Lily hadn’t noticed their light at all from the outside and now that she was here, they still barely lit the area. They didn’t seem to exist on the ceiling, instead concentrating around the bottom of the cave for some reason Lily couldn’t identify.

The cave wasn’t all that long before its first curve, angling upwards and slightly to the right. Lily wanted to go further but it was probably best to grab that potion from Appoline first, so back to the surface she went. As Lily exited, she watched the fish. The fish watched her. Lily kept swimming. The fish did not move its gaze. Why was it so concerned with the entrance? Why was it so still? Only the fact its gills continued to move as it floated in place gave her any sort of confirmation it was even still alive.

Getting the potion was easy. Drinking it was a bit harder, and Appoline further recommended she not swap forms while retaining the use of the potion. "Swapping will probably break it. Likely in a safe way, but I just wouldn’t recommend testing it." Still good information to have. Lily wasn’t tempted to test it.

Back into the water... it did feel weird. It felt like her nose was blocked and that she had... something like a gummy in her mouth. Except she could still breathe, and breathing deeply didn’t move the structure. Nor did biting down. Though in this case that was because the one in her mouth sat further back and was closer to her throat then most of her teeth. Really, it was a very strange experience.

It was almost like when you formed bubbles in your mouth and nose while underwater, just that it was taken a step further and magic was there to help reinforce it. Breathing out did still produce a constant stream of bubbles though, so that was something. Once Lily had finished playing around she entered the cavern again. The watcher fish was still there. It still watched. It had not moved. Lily was tempted to eat it just for bothering her. She was not that tempted.

Once inside, Lily followed the cavern around where it continued to twist and turn rather rapidly, with some minor interruptions to the glowing stuff on the ground. Lily did not know if that was relevant. Things continued until a pincer snapped out. Lily had missed something hidden amongst the stone. A rocky pincer looking much like the walls around her. It snapped around Lily tightly, and she slammed her shadows into it. The stone-like carapace cracked under the assault, causing the pincer to spasm but it did not let go.

The hold was tight but not crushing. The gaps were decently large, and Lily herself was sturdy compared to its usual prey. It was also not just a pincer. The wall started to move and reveal itself as the rest of the crab. Its main body had been pressed tightly against the rocks and its limbs curled up to match with the wall. Lily hadn’t even heard it breathing. Of course, none of that mattered.

A thick spike of shadow shot downward, slamming right through the centre of the pincer. It notably, still was not enough to get her free as other shadows pushed against the damned things grip. Lily let more shadows leak out to try and make herself look bigger, scarier as she tried to escape its grasp. Shadows writhed around her body, snapping towards the crab for a while before it decided enough was enough. It slammed its pincer, and Lily with it against the rock wall. Lily felt the wall break first.

When she was pulled away from the wall, it perhaps expected her to be stunned. Instead she cast a spell to send darts of shadow directly towards its now visible eyes. They snapped shut at the bolts cracked against its body. This apparently, was enough to scare it as Lily was thrown, not against the wall this time but further down the tunnel. She was free... and rolling through the tunnel unable to really stop herself.

Even flaring her wings wasn’t really helping as she got picked up by a current that had apparently been waiting just around the bend. Lily found herself being treated like a ragdoll as the current slammed her against the rocks on all sides. Not enough to damage her, not truly, but enough to stop her from properly gathering herself. She could feel Kat’s worry on the edge of her mind but the lack of true damage stopped her girlfriend from saying anything.

*ENOUGH!* Lily slammed her shadows outwards in all direction. Filling most of the area and anchoring her to the walls. The water continued to stream passed threatening to snap any of the threads of shadow, but Lily had added a LOT of them and they were thick, well anchored constructions. Perhaps using a bit too much mana, but Lily had just wanted the spinning to stop. She also, needed to figure out where to go.

Firstly, Lily adjusted things, allowing her shadows to pull her over to the side and essentially bundle her up against one of the outcroppings. It meant she was using way less mana, and was less likely to be pulled away after a moment of inattention. Now the question was... where to go, and where was she?

Obviously the rapids had carried her ’forward’ but where was that in relation to everything else? Kat was too far away to use her as a reference point... but the portal was nearby. Actually, annoyingly nearby. It was apparently very close to the wall she was currently hugging. Perhaps fifty metres at most. The problem? The stream she was in curved away from that same wall. Perhaps it curved back around, or there was a stop somewhere before now? Hard to say.

*Dammit. Which way do I go? I’ve got no idea if there are more exits somewhere along this underground river? Forward or backward... or heck do I just try digging? No probably not. I don’t know how much air I have anymore nor do I know how long I was stuck being treated like clothes in a washing machine. Shit. I can’t stay here too long and risk wasting air or time. Regardless of which one runs out first I’ll be in trouble.

I just have no idea where to go... so I guess we follow the stream. It’ll be faster at least and hopefully there will be a spot to rest in the air if I run out of time. Or... hmm... do I go back now while I still can? I certainly have the time... but no. I don’t think I saw any other paths while tumbling. Urgh, this is annoying.*