18 The Meerkat Show ⑥ In the depths

Keeping his head above the water was already a more than difficult physical challenge for the vet. Not that he did not know how to swim, but rather that because of the pain of the fall, his limbs became more and more sore.

Not to mention the temperature of the water, which was icy, and did not really help Arun to stay in motion. His trembling, paralyzed muscles became hard to move, and it would not take long before he sank and drowned. He had to find a place where he could rest.

Drawing on his last strength to swim a few more meters, Arun finally managed to see some floating debris above the water in the dim light of the place. The only source of light came from the opening above him, and it was not enough to light the huge lake in which he had fallen.

The young man ran his arm over a big pipe, taking advantage of the object to relieve his painful legs and arms. With that, he could avoid drowning, but he still risked cold death.

Amounting as best he could on the end of the pipe that floated on the water, Arun lay on the debris to try to balance out the frozen liquid. His feet were still soaking in the water but he could not do much better. At least a feeling of warmth spread through the rest of his body, released from the embrace of the cold.

However, he did not have the pleasure of relaxing very long. A new light source lit up from the bottom of the water, easy to spot because everything else was black.

Arun leaned over the surface of the water again to see where the strange light came from. Two white circles had lighted up below him, and he realized that what he thought was a "lake" was actually much deeper. Compared to the surface where the sun warmed the earth, they were so deep that the expanse of water in which he was found could be compared to an abyssal environment, cold and gloomy.

And in the few knowledge he had of the marine world and especially the abyss, few friendly creatures lived there.

"It's not possible... Why is this [Pet Pact] so complicated ?" The young man groaned, panicking a little more as he saw the two circles of light begin to move. It was not an artificial light like a neon... It was alive.

In the abyss, some creatures have photophores, organs capable of creating light to attract prey. In an environment completely plunged in the dark, the light would inevitably attract some curious who would end up swallowed by their predators.

And the sight of an animal that had such large photophores did not reassure Arun at all. Because right now, it was him who was going to finish a meal.

Driven by a quick surge, the creature surfaced in a few seconds and came out of the water creating a wave that almost capsized the vet. He clung desperately to his hose, but the swirls caused by the animal were comparable to the biggest waves he had ever experienced.

And at the same time, facing an animal of this size... Doubt was no longer really allowed, now that he saw it in front of him.

"A... A colossal squid..."

An animal that few people could have observed, if not none. The largest invertebrate that existed, at least in its old world. Only the head of the squid exceeded the water, and he already measured a good ten meters. His bright eyes stared at the veterinarian as divided between curiosity and aversion.

"Who... who are coming?" A voice as fluid as water reached the veterinarian. Suddenly a question came to him. He was in the world of pets, right ? So why did he see this animal... under his animal appearance?

"I am Arun ! A human ! I don't want you any harm !" Gathering his courage, the young man answered the squid that had stopped moving. The water was gradually becoming calm again, but he knew that at the slightest movement of this monster, he was in danger of being carried away.

"Human ? A human here ?" The voice he heard spoke with a strange accent that he had never encountered. Until now, all the pets he had talked to spoke perfectly.

"Yes, I... I know I'm not supposed to be here, it's a long story." Arun did not really have time to summarize everything that had happened to him... And then he did not know if the squid would have the patience to listen to it either. All that mattered was not to make her angry.

"Human get out of here ?" The squid came closer to Arun, her eyes still fixed on him. Once again the vet failed to fall into the water but he managed to hang on, and held on to the giant monster's gaze.

"Yes, I plan to get out of here. I have to find my friends and go home, so I'd rather not stay in this place... It's not that I don't like it ! But people are waiting for me." The young man thought of all the people he had left behind in need. Myako, Naal, Astera, Shuu... He hoped everything was fine for everyone, but had to hurry to end the Meerkat Show to get back into the other world.

"Human ! Human ! Human !" Suddenly, the huge squid excited, stirring in the water again, causing Arun to take a few more waves. However, it was not a threatening voice that the vet heard, but a light, cheerful voice.

"Ikka is coming with you !" The monster moved away a few meters while continuing its eddy, and a light covered her body. Dipped for a moment in the dark, Arun had to cover his eyes and turn his head to avoid being dazzled. When the light faded, the animal was no longer in front of him, and had disappeared.

"Are you still here ?" The young man asked in the air, leaning over the water to see if the colossal squid had not returned under water.

It was then that he felt himself lifted by a gelatinous mass, having no more effort to provide to stay above the water. Several tentacles were under him, carrying him without difficulty a few centimeters above the water. A face came out of the water in front of him, much more like that of a human this time.

"Ikka will accompany you, she wants to go out too... She's been here since..." the squid's face twitched as she seemed to think. "Long time !" She contented herself with a simple answer, unable to remember the time she had spent here.

"So you don't want to eat me or kill me?" Arun sighed in relief, now out of danger.

"No ! You want to go out, Ikka wants to go out, we allies !" The way of talking of this girl was definitely peculiar, but at least she managed to make herself understood.

"We're going out, then !" Said Arun with a confident smile. He did not know yet how they would do it, but he wanted Ikka to remain his ally. Having a colossal squid as an enemy was not really reassuring, especially in an environment with so much water.

That said, if she had been here for a long time, it was because getting out of this place had to be more difficult than the vet thought.