Reptile of the Rivers

Timothy and Chiaki arrived at a passageway. It had white walls and columns supporting the roof like a tunnel. They found themselves standing next to a river alone.

"It's actually real! I thought Hywel fooled us into believing the Santcum Islands were real." Timothy was excited, hanging the rest of his morale back by a thread. "But no! Look, we're actually standing inside the entryway, which will most likely lead us up to the mainland!"

Chiaki was observant of the surroundings. She felt a strange fatigue, but not too aggressive on her body. She clutched her own chest, inhaling and exhaling, "I think our lungs aren't meant to live up to the poor oxygen around here. But it's bearable."

Timothy screamed out of thin air, "Who are you?! What are you?!" Chiaki darted her view at him, spotting a blue-colored axolotl holding Timothy's shins. It looked small and had cute dotty eyes with a silver shell on its back. It made a bubbling sound and seemed to like Timothy.

"I think he likes you." Chiaki squatted beside Timothy's legs, leaned her palms on her knees, and traded eyes with the axolotl. "Axolotl? They're aquatic creatures. Why would it be up here? And *how* did it get up here in the first place?" he questioned, accepting to be favored by the axolotl.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask the goddess of water about it?" Timothy jerked his feet, astounded, "Wait, you know about Phalris?! How? I thought *only* I could see her." Chiaki straightened upward and smiled kind-heartedly, responding with giggles, "I've known about her before we sailed away from Acropolis. Why get so surprised about it? I can see, hear and sense anything you can. I learned that not long ago."

He sighed and took a deep, long breath, "I should've known I couldn't hide anything from you. You're too perceptive about your surroundings. I guess those two years of training came in handy for you, huh?" he stated, seeing Chiaki nod nonchalantly, "You didn't think your girl could do it, did you?" she said, pounded his shoulder and chuckled.

He looked at her confused, "What? 'Your girl?' Your vocabulary improved and changed to the most unexpected ways of speech. It makes me relaxed, knowing that you're still so optimistic after everything that happened to you in the past." Chiaki became bored, "I was just trying to lighten the mood... Could you hurry up and ask Phalris about this axolotl."

He nodded and called upon Phalris, who appeared before them, "Yo, Phalris. Looks like you're in a 'drowsy' mood." He crossed his arms, seeing her wiping her eyes and yawning, "Even a divine needs rest..." She stretched her arms in the air and shook her head, "So, you want to know about this axolotl?" She glanced at it and confirmed their anticipation, "It's true, this is a 'carapace axolotl.' It's a creature that should be in the seawater, but..." Phalris suddenly jolted, "Wait! She can see me?!" her eyes started twitching, making her embarrassed, seeing Chiaki's unfazed expression staring her down.

"You mean Chiaki?" Timothy wondered, scratching the top of his dome, "I guess so. It's most likely because of her soul-linking powers." He introduced her to Phalris, who spotted Chiaki raising her arm and waving at her, "I didn't think your partner was exquisite- I mean, so elegant!" she swallowed her words and coughed into her hand, "Have I really changed *that* much?" Chiaki inquired, folding her arms and looking at Timothy.

She noticed him darting away from her awkwardly, "I have no idea what you two are talking about. I think you're just more 'mature,' that's it." Chiaki became bewildered, blinking in silence while Timothy exhaled, "Anyway, that's not why I called you, Phalris. Tell us what we should do with this axolotl."

Phalris crossed her arms, looking at Timothy in dissatisfaction, "Could you learn some manners?" she asked, frustrated and peeved, "You should bring it along, and once you have the chance, bring it back to the surface. This is no place for a carapace, even if there is water to dwell inside."

Timothy soughed and prepared to pick up the carapace, but before he could grab it, "Hey! W-Wait!" he screamed. It jumped in the water and swam away from a sudden pulsation coming from the distance.

"Come back!" he tried to sprint after it but was stopped by a loud quaking sound behind him. He witnessed a large creature splashing out from the river and leaping to the surface.

Timothy and Chiaki looked at it in surprise and saw a giant jaw with sharp teeth facing them, "Is that a standing-up crocodile with fins?" he asked, but noticed the creature open its massive jaw, preparing to digest Chiaki.

"Chiaki!" he shouted, flaring orange flames from his hands, "Watch out!" he finished, nervous about being too late to assist. Chiaki's eyes turned grave. She raised her right leg, bending it back, and rammed her sole into the crocodile's stomach with intense force.

The varmint felt pressure amplifying inside its body, shuddering and circulating throughout. It got knocked back, and Chiaki's kick blew out a strong gust that extended behind her, putting out Timothy's flames by dragging them with its weight.

The reptile couldn't breathe. It grabbed its hurting stomach and spoke, "You female prey! That hurt!" Chiaki lowered her leg, looking the crocodile in the face, "Did you think I'd let you digest me like an ant?" she questioned while Timothy's eyes became dots. He blinked in confusion, speechless, "Did she really do that?"

The crocodile's infuriated expression seemed locked onto Chiaki's lighthearted countenance, "You should've let me devour you. I wouldn't need to rip you apart!"

At the end of his enraged sentence, he pulled back his left muscular arm and punched toward her with high speed. She dodged the fist that whizzed past her ear by stepping aside, moving away, and backing up.

The reptile started to throw punches at her, swinging them in various directions, but she avoided them without breaking a sweat. "Stop!" the crocodile yelled and tried to uppercut her, "Moving!" He complained, missing.

He attempted to catch her in his fangs by crunching at her. He, however, failed due to her squatting underneath, "Stand still!" He rotated his entire weight, swinging his long spikey tail, endeavoring to batter it into her head.

She strode back, pointing her palm at the ground, and formed a white barrier that protected her from taking the hit but shattered at the attack's heaviness. The collision kicked up a wind that swayed her hair and garments.

"You're a pest!" the reptile growled and punched toward her countenance at terrific speed, "Die already!" Chiaki's eyes briefly flared pink before quickly changing to blue. She gave him a threatening glare that delayed the reptile's arm and gave her an opportunity to haul her right leg rearward, bashing her heavy sole into the base of the crocodile's jaw.

The crocodile's eyes started to lose pupils as its teeth rushed down the passageway splintered. Her grim expression concealed her face, allowing her blue eyes to shine through like the moon at night. "Don't make me repeat myself. I'm not getting eaten alive." The crocodile stammered with its words as Chiaki gradually declined her leg.

She watched the reptile collapse on the ground before her and convert back into a human.

Timothy's arms sagged before his knees as his face kept squiggly eyes. His jaw nearly tipped the bottom as he tried to build up a reaction. "What... I... She... I saw her... she... When." Chiaki looked at him and became ashamed, blushing into her cheeks, "I-I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to hurt-" Timothy zipped in front of her, looking directly into her eyes, holding her shoulders, "What have they done to you?! Who taught you how to fight like that?!"

She couldn't keep herself from blinking in bewilderment and observed Timothy in the eyes, "Hey... um..." she slightly glimpsed away, "Let's not tell anyone about this." However, Timothy denied it, "Hell no! I'm telling everyone about this! Ralphie!" he tried sprinting in the distance, but Chiaki grabbed him by the back of his pants and looked at him unimpressed, "Hey, captain. Our goal was to reach the mainland. Don't go around telling others everything I learned. Let's just hurry up and do as intended."

Timothy turned around, ticked off, "You're gonna make me lose my pants if you keep pulling on them like that!" Chiaki smiled, closing her eyes, "I'd like that." Timothy became wordless and frozen like a statue. He freed himself from Chiaki's grasp and walked behind her casually, "Fine..." he coughed, "The mainland it is."

Chiaki innocently smiled and giggled, knowing she succeeded in changing Timothy's mind. "Great choice."

To be continued...