Current Location: Antarctic Ocean
Current Depth: 2000 ft.
At long last, after a perilous journey and nearly non-stop swimming, we finally arrived in the frigid waters of the Antarctic Ocean. The chill was inescapable. It was a bitter cold that seeped into our flesh. Even at this depth, we could see hints of the frozen environment all around us. We happened upon enormous undersea ice structures, like mountains. The further in we went, the more we became surrounded by, until eventually we were funneled between thick walls of underwater ice. I felt weak and sluggish, and I couldn't stop shivering. My tentacles could barely push me along. "It's getting harder to move...I can't swim like this, I feel like I'm being frozen..."
"I-It's so...freakin' cold," Chrystal complained, her teeth chattering. "I knew the Antarctic Ocean was going to be cold, but I didn't think it'd be this bad. We must be getting close to Prince Stellaris' palace, but still...how can anything even live all the way down here?"
Even Kale's normally speedy swimming slowed to a crawl. He didn't seem as affected as Chrystal and I, but I could still tell that the cold was getting to him. "Most things can't," he said. "The Seafolk who come here have to adapt to survive. I'm used to the cold since the dark zone is quite chilly, but this is getting to be a bit too much for me..."
He extended his slender arms and scooped up Chrystal and I, pulling us in close to his chest. "I'm uh, not very warm, but I hope it helps a little, at least."
"Thank you, Kale," I said. "This place...do you know what it is?"
"Looks like a glacier," Kale replied. "They're like gigantic chunks of ice. They can grow out into the sea, and they're so thick they can stay frozen for thousands of years. Guess it makes sense that this prince would set up his palace here. It's so secluded and hidden, you'd never find it if you weren't looking for it. There's no way a pesky human would be able to crawl all the way down here. The Seafolk must have carved paths in the glacier ages ago, long before that prince was even an egg on the seafloor. Whatever the case, this place looks like it's been here for a long time."
As Kale carried us through the maze of winding, icy tunnels, we happened upon something odd. A statue- not one made of stone or ice, but rather it looked as though it had been meticulously carved from a huge chunk of ancient rock coral. The coral structure was carved into a humanoid figure, but it wasn't a Seafolk. In fact, it wasn't a human either, or any other creature that I knew of. The body was like that of a human male perched on a rock, dressed in loose robes, but it bore large bird-like wings and a long feathery tail. Curved horns grew out of its head, sprouting up from the creature's long hair. A thin halo-like ring rested atop those horns. The craftsmanship was impeccable, with its details carved all the way down to the face, featuring eyes with slit pupils. The statue's height was nearly the length of Kale's entire body, tentacles and all. It looked so out of place in these tunnels hewn from solid ice. I could only guess as to who had created such an incredible work of art.
"That's beautiful," I said, taking in the sheer mass of the creation. "What exactly is this? I've never seen anything like it before."
"You've never heard of the Seafolk creation myth?" Kale asked. "Personally I don't believe in such fairytales, but I've met a lot of Seafolk who take it pretty seriously. They spoke of Gaghiel, one of the Sky People. He gave a new form of life in the oceans created after his species' own image. They say the Sky People created all intelligent life on the Earth. The life that Gaghiel created became our kind, and that's where Seafolk come from, kids. Or so they say."
"My old colony believed in the Sky People," Chrystal commented. "They said that the creations of Gaghiel were always perfect, so I must have been some kind of mistake, being born so small. Needless to say, it's part of why they kicked me out. Whoever this Gaghiel person is, I'd like to have a word with him for ruining my life."
Kale shrugged. "Eh, people are too quick to blame all their problems on some imaginary deity anyway. I don't care much about where I came from. We all rot and go back down to the seafloor in the end anyway."
While the others showed contempt or indifference, I was fascinated. Imaginary or not, for a mere Seafolk to have crafted such a thing was inspiring to me. Perhaps the Sky People truly were real, and they had given their life to the seas in the form of our kind. Just how enormous would such beings be? It served as a stark reminder of how small I truly was in this great wide world.
We moved on from the statue, soon entering a single narrow path of ice that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. In the darkness ahead, I caught a sharp glint. My frills bristled. Something was headed straight for us- and fast. "Something's coming!" I shouted.
In a split-second reaction, Kale whipped out of its path just in time as it sped past us, creating an eruption of bubbles in the water. The edge of an enormous blade pierced through the bubbles, and Kale barely managed to dodge it. "What the hell?!"
As the bubbles settled, the unseen assailant revealed themselves. She was a Seafolk woman with a dark gray body and a long sail-like fin running down the length of her spine. Her black filament hair was a wild mess, framing her angry face with biting crimson eyes and bared fangs. In the center of her forehead, a long, thin, pointed horn-like appendage protruded. Her fish tail almost appeared to have a gleaming silvery edge. She looked like a swordfish folk. In her clawed hands, she gripped a fishbone blade far bigger than the ones Chrystal and I wielded. She looked ready to tear us to shreds with it, and after seeing that blistering speed, there was no doubt in my mind that she could. She spoke in a raspy growl. "You better have a damn good reason for being here. State it now, or your heads won't be attached to your bodies much longer."
Not wanting to make a bad impression, I pulled myself out of Kale's arms and bowed before her. "I apologize for imposing without permission. My name is Kurage, and these are my traveling partners, Chrystal and Kale. We are messengers of Princess Tamayori, the oarfish folk ruler of the Sea of Japan. We have been sent out on a long journey to deliver a message to Prince Stellaris."
The swordfish woman scowled. "You think you're just going to swim right in to speak to His Majesty? As the guardian of his palace, I, Gladia, cannot allow such a thing, regardless of your reason!"
"But Princess Tamayori sent us here, she has an important message that needs to be delivered to Prince Stellaris," I protested. "It's a marriage proposal, the two are to be wed to unite our two kingdoms into one. It's for the good of both our nations, please try to understand..."
"I don't need to understand anything," Gladia grumbled. "Prince Stellaris does not accept visitors."
I reached into my satchel and handed her the clamshell containing the message. "Please read this. It's the message that my princess ordered me to deliver. We're just messengers, we truly mean no harm to anyone." Gladia popped open the shell and pored over its contents. She then tossed it back at me. I fumbled about, grabbing the shell and stuffing it back into my pouch.
"Even if you say this marriage was arranged to unite our kingdoms...why on Earth would I want that?" Gladia asked. "Prince Stellaris' kingdom is a quiet, peaceful place. We have everything we could ever need here. What benefit would we gain from merging with your pathetic empire to the north? Prince Stellaris reigns over the entire Antarctic Ocean. He possesses more power than anyone else in the entire sea. We prefer our isolation, and if His Majesty does not see this message, such a ridiculous union will never happen." She raised her blade. "Which means I must ensure it is never delivered."
She took a swing at me, but I darted out of striking range, retreating back to Kale and Chrystal. "Please stop this!" I shouted. "This isn't necessary!"
Chrystal drew her sword. "We traveled thousands of miles and risked our lives just to deliver this damn message, we are not turning back now because of a lowly servant like you!"
"Oh?" Gladia smirked. "And what do you plan on doing with that little toothpick of yours? His Majesty won't care at all if I kill all three of you. I am simply carrying out his wishes. He ordered me to eliminate any intruders who came near the palace, and I will fulfill my duty. This kingdom is ours, and it will never be soiled by anyone else! Prince Stellaris isn't so foolish as to fall for the manipulation of a mere oarfish whor*!"
"That's no way to talk about a lady, "Kale said. "I really couldn't care less about royal politics...but threatening my friends is something I can't stand by."
Gladia clenched her teeth. "Then die, foul squid!" She lashed out at Kale, but he soared above her head. Despite the seemingly narrow tunnel of ice, there was more than enough space for a squidfolk and a swordfish folk to fight one another. He raked his long black claws across her back, leaving behind nasty gashes that plumed blood into the water. She cried out and whipped around, slashing at him once again. This time, her blade barely cut the tips of a few of his drapey tendrils.
Kale was defending us, Chrystal and I couldn't stand by and do nothing. We could never face a large creature like a swordfish folk on equal footing, but we could deliver damage to vital spots- the neck and face. While Gladia had her back turned to slash at Kale, Chrystal swiped her blade across Gladia's neck. It left behind a thin cut, enough to bleed but not enough to kill. With the fishbone sword lathered in Chrystal's stinging cells, it transferred the toxin directly into Gladia's bloodstream.
Gladia shrieked and spasmed, knocking herself into the icy wall. But we weren't about to let up, so I launched myself at her with my frills bloomed and my tentacles spread. I latched onto her face, then I dug in and activated my stinging cells, injecting the venom that spread searing, burning pain throughout her body. Even as she thrashed like a wild beast, I hung on until she tore me away and threw me to the ground. A numbing shock blew through my body when I smashed into the ice floor.
I saw the glint of Gladia's sword as it came down over me. "Watch out!" Chrystal shouted. She dove in and scooped me up in the nick of time to carry me away from the furious Seafolk. Gladia was significantly less spry after taking on those attacks- bleeding, trembling, and afflicted by poison, with a ring of whip-like welts across her enraged face as a souvenir thanks to me. "I...I'll kill all of you!" Gladia's movements became more erratic, but that didn't make her slashes any less deadly.
She targeted Chrystal and I, but small targets like us couldn't easily be hit, as we dodged and swerved past every swipe. Kale descended from above, dragging his thread-like tentacles over Gladia's body to snare and bind her tightly. "Unlike you, I didn't wake up today and choose violence so I have no plans on killing you," he said. "None of us came here looking for a fight except for you. Just let us do our jobs and deliver the damn message."
The swordfish snarled. "As if I'd let you infect this kingdom with your filth! Deep sea freaks like you should stay down in the darkness where you belong! And I'll be damned if I lose my peaceful life to mere jellyfish!" She grabbed Kale's tentacles and dragged him down, effectively taking control of his lower body and using it to slam him into the ground. He landed face-first, where Gladia rose up over his weakened body with her sword raised, preparing to stab him in the back.
I snapped into action. "Get away from him!" I spread my body over Kale's back, extending my gown-like lower half to shield him. Not daring to show a shred of fear, I glared into Gladia's blood-red eyes and activated my bioluminescence, releasing it all at once in an incapacitating flash. Gladia shrunk back and lifted her arms to cover her eyes.
Chrystal sped up to her from behind and coiled her stinging frills around the swordfish's throat. She was attempting to pull her away from Kale and I. Gladia screamed and began flailing. She reached behind and tore Chrystal away, clutching the jellyfish in her fist. Throbbing red scars marred her neck like a collar. She spat her words like poison. "You dare think a pathetic little jellyfish like you has any right to attack me!? Who do you think you are?! Jellyfish are worthless creatures that are only good as servants!"
She tightened her fist, crushing Chrystal in her grip. Chrystal squirmed, choking and struggling to breathe. "Let go of her!" I shouted. I was about to fling myself at Gladia and unleash my stings, but Kale lifted himself up and shoved me aside to tackle Gladia. Chrystal was knocked out of her clutches, coughing and gasping. I rushed in to drag her back to safety.
Meanwhile, Kale smashed the swordfish woman into the ground, and the two rolled about in each other's grip, beating one another senseless. It was hard to even tell what was happening- it was all a violent blur of movement, thrashing and slamming one another as they snarled in their struggles. Kale was significantly larger than Gladia, but most of his mass was in his tentacles, while his upper body was slender and gaunt. "I tried to be patient with you," he growled. "I'm not who I once was...I don't want to kill a fellow Seafolk. But if you're going to threaten my friends like that, then I have no choice. You started this fight to begin with...so whatever happens to you next is what you deserve, isn't it?"
He raked his claws across Gladia's face, but she retaliated by raising her tail and delivering a crushing blow to Kale's stomach. It hit him so hard he lurched back, retched, and vomited blood. Chrystal and I held each other close, battered and beaten, only able to watch what was about to happen play out. If we got between two deep sea giants fighting like that, we'd be squashed.
Kale dragged himself up, while Gladia's movements became more jittery, likely due to the effects of the jellyfish venom. It all happened in an instant, almost as fast as I could blink. Kale lashed out at Gladia, and I caught the gleam of her blade. Everything went by so quickly, it was impossible to tell what had even happened until it was too late. The foul squelching of flesh. Kale froze up and coughed blood once more, locked in disbelief. My eyes grew wide, and my body shuddered. It felt as though my heart wanted to stop beating right then and there.
Gladia's fishbone blade was pierced through Kale's gut. "That's what happens when you get in my way," she hissed.
Kale showed her a weak smile of bloody teeth. "You're not getting off that easy." In one last sudden move, he coiled his tentacles around Gladia, dragged her down, and swiped his sharp black nails across her throat. Blood gushed into the water like a scarlet cloud, and the two collapsed. Gladia wriggled, grabbing at her throat as she gagged on her own fluids. She had no chance of surviving such an injury.
Chrystal and I rushed to Kale's side. "Hang in there!" I shouted. "Please, you can't die!" I tried to pull the wound in his belly closed with my tendrils to stop the bleeding, but he had already lost too much, and the gash was too deep.
Chrystal tried to lift him up, but she didn't have the strength. "Why did you do that?!" she snapped. "I'm not worth that much, there was no reason to get yourself killed for me!"
"I...I couldn't let her hurt either of you," Kale mumbled. "You're my friends...I had to protect you. Guess I won't get my end of that deal, huh..."
I swam up to Kale's face and stroked at his weakly rippling fins. "I'm so sorry...it's all my fault! If I hadn't convinced you to come with me...this never would have happened! It's just like when I was small...I can't do anything, everyone around me ends up dying..."
"D-don't apologize," Kale stammered. "Because of you...I got to travel and see the world. I got to make friends...and for once in my life...I wasn't treated like a monster." He lifted his shaky right arm and caressed my face with his huge clawed hand. "I...I'm sorry I tried to eat you. Thank you...for being my friend. K-Kurage...you're...a very kind jellyfish..." He tried to say something else, but all that left was a soft croak. His arm dropped like a rock, and his fins stopped moving beneath my hands. He became still and cold, like the statue we had passed by.
My emotions boiled over. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I wept and wailed over the motionless form of my fallen friend. Chrystal was right...Kale truly did care, about both of us. Even though we had met him as a terrifying predator, he gave his life to protect us. For the second time in my life, someone else fought to protect mine, but this time at the cost of their own. How could I ever repay that?
I couldn't think rationally. I could only cry, wracked by grief. Chrystal tried to wrap her arms around me, but I shoved her away. "Don't touch me!" I reached into my satchel and ripped out the shell. "It's all because of this!
Kale died for something so meaningless and stupid, and it's all my fault! Forget Princess Tamayori, forget all of it! I don't care anymore!" I threw the shell at the wall, and it shattered into a mess of shards when it struck the ice.
It was all pointless. I wasn't going back to Her Majesty. I didn't want to even move anymore.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement. I raised my head and bared my teeth. If anything else dared to come at me, I was going to sting them to death. I would pump every drop of venom into their body until they choked on their own vomit.
Tiny creatures with transparent bodies floated out to surround us, carrying spears with blades carved from chunks of sharpened coral. There were dozens of them, watching us with cold gazes. They possessed large heads with tiny horn-like protrusions and big eyes. On their backs, they possessed transparent wing-like appendages that they flapped to move through the water. While their upper bodies were vaguely humanoid, their lower halves reached tapered ends, like fish with their tails cut off. Softly glowing yellow globe-like organs could be seen in their heads, chests, and tails. "They're...sea angels," Chrystal said. "I've heard this species only lives in Antarctic waters."
One of the sea angel folk reached out to me. "Both of you, come with us. Prince Stellaris has commanded your appearance. Defeating our guardian Gladia is no easy feat. His Majesty is interested in learning more about you."
The sea angels swam to Chrystal and engulfed her, binding the jellyfish in their grasp. "H-hey, what the hell are you doing?! Let me go!"
"His Majesty has no interest in you," the sea angel said. "Our scouts were watching the battle, and they reported back to our prince. He wishes to see the pink jellyfish girl."
I didn't care anymore. Not bothering to struggle, I followed them without question. Meanwhile, Chrystal was dragged ahead into the icy tunnel leading to the glacial palace. What would happen to me now was up to fate to decide. Whatever awaited me within, it there was no way it could be worse than what I had just suffered through...
Species Introduced in this Chapter
Gladia- Swordfish (Xiphias Gladius)
Sea Angels (Clione Antarctica)
