5 Aqua subroutine

Zanir ran through the rain and the mud, together with Marvin, at speeds that would not have been possible, if he were still on earth. They reached the lake area, in what felt like mere moments. He saw the portly farmhand Bart, holding a rope, together with a few other farmhands. His father Kevin had the other end of the rope tied up around his waist. He was holding onto one of the dock piers, shivering.

He was relieved to see his father was still alright in such a situation. He knew that his father wasn't in any immediate danger from drowning, even though the lake was almost freezing at this time of night. Kevin was a warrior and had condensed Battle Qi of the third level. He practiced the Coffey family battle technique. Zanir knew that he could use the Battle Qi he had, to maintain his body temperature, for at least a few hours.

The real danger was from whatever lurked below in the depths of the lake. Yes, there were some regular fish in there, and other tiny aquatic creatures, but none of those would pose a danger to a full-grown man with Battle Qi.

What worried Zanir, was that something would be attracted up from the depths, with all the commotion. There were some large fish and eels living in secluded caves near the bottom of the lake. They would come out to feed occasionally, but it was quite rare to see them. Unlike the smaller fish, the larger ones could eat a full-grown man or at least injure him.

"Father, stay right there" Zanir belted out.

"Not like I have much of a choice!" Kevin replied.

Zanir knew he didn't have much time, before something dangerous came out, and tried to eat his father. He dove into the lake without any hesitation. Zanir figured that he could retreat into his world if things took a turn for the worse. He would only do that if he had no other choice. He wanted to keep his world a secret for as long as possible. Zanir felt that letting others know about it at this point, would be troublesome and dangerous.

Zanir felt a chill as he dived off the pier into the lake. He landed with a great big splash and saw several smaller fish scamper off when they felt the vibrations. To his relief, he didn't see any large shadows or dangerous creatures, yet and Zanir didn't intend to wait around until he did.

The storm had picked up, and rain was blocking the visibility of the farmhands who were looking down from the pier. Zanir knew it was time activate the system before visibility cleared up. He needed a lot of water for his world and had decided to start by taking as much of this lake as he could.

Who would blame him, since he was trying to save his father? Killing two birds with a single stone was efficient.

*Ding*

[Water detected, Begin absorption?]

Zanir grabbed onto a nearby pier with his left arm and held on. He extended his right arm out into the lake. He willed the system to begin and saw that his right hand was covered in a bright blue light. The water that came into contact with it was sucked up. It was being absorbed!

[Analysis: pH balance is within acceptable parameters. Minimal micro-organisms detected with no pollution or aberrant materials. Classification: lake water, potable]

Zanir watched as more water rushed in, starting to fill the empty space. It replaced the water that is being absorbed. Several things then happened, simultaneously. A gauge appeared in the corner of Zanir's vision, with a percentage that was rising as he took in water. The water rushing in started forming a faint whirlpool, from the suction. Kevin and the farmhands were all trying to peer through the rain, to see what Zanir was up to, but another storm front had started to roll in so it was getting even harder to see.

Naturally, the lake had more than just water in it. A small red fish got pulled in, along with the water, and Zanir heard a notification sound out from the system.

[Additional materials absorbed, logging to appendix 1 for host review]

'Cool!' Thought Zanir, as he discovered that taking in something else, would not stop the process. He glanced at the percentage and discovered that it was nearly full. Zanir had a feeling, that taking in a large number of materials, would be important to the growth of his world. To do that, he knew that he needed to activate the first level of his world, and get some tools or equipment, as soon as he could.

*Ding*

[Host has absorbed a sufficient amount of water, reactivating Aqua subroutine]

[Aqua subroutine successfully reactivated]

[Details for the subroutine successfully logged to appendix 2]

[Aqua subroutine detecting host submersion, automatic safety protocols engaged]

Zanir felt a warm sensation as a golden glow surrounded him. He suddenly felt much lighter, and noticed that the glow was supporting him, and holding him gently onto the surface of the lake. It prevented him from sinking somehow. He let go of the pier, to test it out, and Zanir found it could support his entire body weight.

[Would Host like the Aqua subroutine to run a diagnostic scan?]

A blue pulse flashed through the lake when Zanir agreed. As the light passed by, Zanir saw that the percentage display from earlier was replaced, with a small mini-map. It was filling up a map of the entire lake, that reminded Zanir of the 3D models they had back on earth.

[Mesotrophic lake body detected. Several aquatic fish and plant species detected. Warning: At least four entities detected that have blocked or restricted detection pulse]

Dots of various sizes and colors filled the mini-map display, after scanning. Zanir had no idea what each different color meant, but he could guess that the large red dot, coming from the other side of the lake, was a sign that something bad was coming. He knew needed to get out of the lake with his dad now.