Crystal King

"There it is! Now you are mine, little crystal!", I reach out with my hand and pull on the crystal, 'Hmm? It's unexpectedly difficult to get out of the sediment.', I tug at it with everything I have.

'It won't even budge!'.

With a few broad strokes, I swim to the surface, my breath was running out, 'If I can't get it out after another try I'll just chop it loose with Tachi, but who knows what happens if I damage one of these crystals, they seem to hold a great amount of some sort of energy. How else could they emit light the entire time?'. Shrugging I begin my second and last attempt, 'I don't have much time, I am already being exhausted and it can only get worse from now on!', using my last bit of strength left, I pull on the crystal with everything I've got and let out a through the water muffled roar *arrrgh!*. With a yank, the crystal comes loose and snaps out of its socket. 'Wait, a socket?', then I notice a tentacle-like connection between the crystal and its socket, at a second glance the entire thing looks a little bit like these antennae from anglerfishes, suddenly a shudder runs through my entire body and I turn around.

Nothing! Somewhat relieved I look to the antenna again trying to figure out what's going on, but all of a sudden a huge area of the shallower ground starts to shake causing the water to throw huge waves.

A huge transparent eye opens directly below me, its almost as if it stares directly into my soul, paralyzing me and awakening a fear deep inside me. But before I can even think about breaking the shackles of my fear it abruptly throws its head around in my direction hard enough to hurl me up into the air flying to the rim of the lake.

It's a hard crash landing onto the rocky and sharp-edged ground, I hear something crack and my thoughts get overwhelmed with pain, but I have no time for that, "Tachi wake up! Can you tell me what's going on?". I quickly feel up my body. 'No broken bones, I think. As for internal damage, I can't be sure.'

<Your body is healthy except for some minor cuts and bruises, but as for what's going on, you tell me! I don't have the slightest clue, I just woke up!>

I take a good look at my surroundings and discover what caused the cracking noise, it's the crystal! It's cracked and lost a good amount of its brightness! I swiftly reach out and grab it and take another hasty glance at the monster.

<Jesus Christ, what is that?! Hey, don't forget me, when you run ok? OK?>, you can practically hear the panic in Tachis' voice and see her wide, at least that would be the human equivalent to her current expression I can feel.

'Never thought of that, or I would have to endure your curses through our connection.'

<We have no time for jokes, WATCH OUT!>

A jet of water is flying in my direction, my instincts warn me that I should probably not stand in its way. So I roll to the side, just a second later a loud *crack* impacts to my left shattering the ground causing rubble and little rocks to fall onto me.

'If that hit me, I would be sooo f*cking dead! There wouldn't even be mincemeat of me left!'

<Please never become mincemeat, or I would rust in here to death!>

'At least ask if I am okay or something!'

<Watch out!>

Another jet that I just barely manage to dodge, 'I can't keep dodge rolling around here forever or I'll really end up as mincemeat!'. <If you get behind that rock, maybe you'll have enough time to get up.>

'Heh, good call, I'll try!', the rock Tachi pointed out is just a few meters away, but I am not sure if it'll manage to hold up to these high powered jets. Nevertheless, I have no other choice, clinging to my only light source the crystal, I navigate through the craters and repeatedly approaching volley of water jets.

A few times I just get by by the skin of my teeth, but eventually, after what felt like an eternity of crouching through trenches I reach the rock, take a deep breath and get on my knees. The rock is barely enough to cover me in a hunched over crouching position. 'I am pretty sure this rock will only manage to survive one hit! I need to get out of here.' In the next moment the rock bursts apart, 'Oh Well, now or never!', I sprint in the direction where I entered the water earlier, if she hasn't been moved by all the craziness going on around here then Tachi should still lie there.

<Ma- GEN, I am here!>

I turn to my right, <No! Wrong direction, where are you looking?!>.

I turn to my left, <REALLY NOW?! You blind stupid master! You just glanced over me, to your right again!>

I finally find her and dash in the direction, but out of nowhere a water jet flies over my shoulder, barely missing it, and impacting at the exact same spot where I last saw Tachi.

<Ahhh~ you took to loooong>

With a high arc, she cuts through the air and buries her blade in the wall beside one of the tunnels on the opposite side of the cave.

A frown scurries over my face, I notice that the feasible way to get to Tachi is running through the crater field the water jets left behind. That will be even more tricky as I can only see a few meters with the broken crystals dim light in the darkness! 'It would be much easier to just run to one of the exits.'

<Don't think about leaving me behind!>

<PLEASE!>

A sudden flash of loneliness and fear is sent over from my connection with Tachi, 'OK, ok, just stop that! I can't think with all that stuff you are transmitting!', taking a deep breath I ready myself to look into death's eyes again. I sprint off into the darkness jumping over craters and dodging the attacks of that monster. A few times I almost fall into a crater but always manage to restore my balance and continue my sprint.

Suddenly I hear a rumble from above me and with dismay, I glance at a bright light growing bigger and bigger in my field of vision, it's a crystal and a particularly huge one at that! There's only one way for me to dodge it, to jump into one of the craters, but that would be like serving myself on a silver plate for the monster's attacks. Except if I manage to jump across the crater, but with this is a particularly huge one and with my current, only on emergency reserves running body, it's almost impossible! 'No chance, Nada!'

'But there is no other way, I need to jump or else I'll get crushed!' And as if to support this fact my gut-feeling tells me the same thing, 'I need to take the plunge!'

With no other choice and already having thought about the issue for too long, the crystal has made significant progress on its way to me, I act immediately and jump with all of my strength.

I can feel the air brushing against my skin as I cut through the air seemingly in slow motion. Then I see the edge of the crater, 'Oh sh*t, this will be a close call!', I thrust with my left foot right against the edge but slip off but still manage to give myself a little bit more momentum, I barely react in time to catch myself with the other foot. 'That was close! I almost fell backward into the crater.'

But I have no time to feel relieved, another jet is flying in my direction, "For f*cks sake, you never let me catch my breath! Screw you!", immediately I continue my flight.

<Gen, you are almost here, just don't run past me!>

'Never thought of that', in fact since Tachi landed there I never let her out of my view for more than a few seconds, after all, she's the only friend I have here and I really don't want to lose her, even if we know each other for just a short amount of time it almost feels like we know each other longer than I know Sid. 'Maybe that's because of our connection through our souls.'

The moment I finish with that conclusion I reach Tachi.

<Now that you are finally here, please pull me out of this wall!>

I grab the hilt of Tachi and pull with a great amount of force in the expectation that it will be hard to get her out of the solid rock, but to my amazement, she just slides through the rock like a hot knife through butter.

<Now RUN!>

I don't need to be told that a second time and charge through the entrance of the tunnel right beside where Tachi stuck, but not without taking a final glance at the monster that stole my precious crystal. The beast looks like a weird hybrid of a crab and an anglerfish. It has the face of the anglerfish and a great part of its body, but also the claws of a crab, 'At least it has no legs, so it can't haunt me on land!'. Suddenly it's yellow eyes lock onto me and making my blood freeze, then it shoots a far bigger and stronger jet than the previous ones, though this one seems far more unstable and its trajectory shows that. It impacts nowhere near me but at the ceiling of the entrance of the tunnel.

<Hihi-ha, practice your aim a bit more you quick-shot!>

Without a warning, the tunnel starts to vibrate and big rocks fall down from the ceiling where the jet hit, the rocks and debris seal the entrance.

'...'

<On the plus side, we are safe from that thing for now!>

I sink down leaning on a wall, 'Maybe, at least I can catch my breath now~', my vision fades to black.

*Clank*

<Ouch!>