Chapter 256: Unnecessary Welcome

A single spell wasn't enough for the current to break. Enveloped by a meager light from the crystals surrounding the crack, Katolin gathered light at the tip of his fingers.

Ned wasn't annoyed every time Katolin looked at him to ask for his permission to release her spell. But Ned thought to talk to her about this kind of attitude later on the surface if they could make it on the surface.

Katolin released the light on the tip of her fingers. Midway after her release, the light exploded into tiny beads then formed an arc of lightning that darted towards the crack.

The crack and her spell made contact which causes a silent roar underwater.

The explosion broke the current, cueing both of them. Katolin jerked a moment before proceeding near to Ned. She held up her hand toward Ned as though waiting to be grabbed by her savior.

Without much of a thought, Ned grabbed her hand. Under the depths and coldness of the lake, her warm hand soothes Ned.

The two swum ascending, going straight for the crack. Ned had the urge to grab some of the crystals but with no time left, he abandoned the thought.

At a closer look, only one person could fit inside. Since time was running for both of them, with air losing, Ned pushed Katolin.

She wanted to retaliate since she also saw Ned paling and losing air. His lips turning blue but his eyes were determined. Katolin swam toward the crack.

As soon as she swam at the mouth of the crack, Katolin was sucked in without much of a resistance. Her delicate body was sucked in like cotton under a high-speed vacuum.

Seeing she was sucked in, Ned swam for his turn.

Ned looked over his shoulder, aside from his blue eyes shining like glass against the shining crystals, he saw the dancing light in the distance but disappeared in a blink.

Ned then proceeds at the vacuum. His skin felt stiffened after he entered the crack as if there was another entity pulling his skin from his bones. With the pressure pushing, and pulling, and shaking his body Ned had no other way but to let the pressure guide him upward. A blur of light then rocks then after seconds of being pushed upward Ned caught a glimpse of a green piece of something. As he was being pushed upward, these green pieces of something kept on barging his face like slime sticking on it. These seaweeds were jerking as Ned pulled one off his face. Then another stuck, and another, until his descend slowed down and the water around him painted dark brown, then black, like a squid's ink sprayed upon feeling predators nearby.

After the seaweeds were cleared out Ned had to exercise his hands to push him upward. As he kept on swimming on the vertical tunnel, he caught noises on the surface.

The surface, Ned thought and smiled. He kept on holding his breath for as long as he could but now that knowing that the surface was near, his breathing stiffened as if forcing him to hurry upwards.

A spiky limb blocked his vision with his approach to the surface. At the end of this spike was the blood of dark brown and black leaking.

Kruthiks? Ned thought then he swam in a double.

Another limb plunged on the surface and plummeted at the bottom, this limb was being trailed by the spiky head of the Kruthik.

Ned should have told Katolin to wait for him as he remembered that they were still at the territory of the Kruthiks.

"No," Ned said. It should have been a thought. But the feeling and the thought that Katolin was fighting alone on the surface made Ned felt uneasy. Bubbles leaving his mouth.

The first bar of light made its way under the water and it was almost the same as the current was back spewing pressure. A great force pushed Ned upward, he steeled his mind as he steeled his body as the force was seconds away from tearing his body apart. No matter how strong one was if nature decided that it was time for her to show her strength, even Ned couldn't stand the pressure alone. With less energy to spare, Ned had no other choice but to use Overlock to strengthen his body.

Like a raging volcano spewing lava and rocks, Ned burst out of the crack along with air and pressure from the current.

Ned entered the cave where Kruthiks making weird noises as they fought Katolin in her beast form.

What could push Katolin to fight with her beast form on?

Even with the power from Ned's blood, she shouldn't have used it whenever she liked. It might have a huge recoil on her body. Ned would surely talk about this to Katolin after they were finished with the Kruthiks in the cave.

After reaching the top from the force of the pressure of the current, Ned saw the events preceding below him.

Katolin had to engage, with her limbs out, the Kruthiks that were surrounding her. Katolin was sweeping everything around her with her limbs all the while protecting her body with her thickened exoskeleton that acted as her armor. To Ned's surprise, her head was covered with this thick armor as well like a helmet of a knight with a slit over her eyes. Even her braided golden hair was gone and was tucked inside the helmet.

"Wow," Ned said as he descended to the bottom.

Ned was in awe with Katolin as she stabbed, and pierced, and grabbed the Kruthiks around her with her thick limbs behind her back.

The scales of the Kruthik were nothing against her limbs. Brown, and green, and black liquid squirted as her limbs struck them to their heads, and bodies.

Ned heard a scream ahead of Katolin near the mouth of the cave, due to the crystals that were lightning them, Ned saw where the ominous scream came from.

A pair of Kruthik were approaching Katolin behind her. Seeing that she was preoccupied with the swarming beast, Ned nimbly changes his approach. White light that turned red gathered at the tip of his hand. Under the guidance of his Emulator, Ned shot Fireball after Fireball around Katolin with precise control to not hit her.