Chapter 79: Smooth

Chapter 79: Smooth

The crab stretched as he woke from a delightful dream.

A pleasant, continuous torrent of warm water washed over him, holding his body down against the floor.

Memory of his dream was already fading, and only hints of its feel remained.

He moved his joints, each creaking a little after his slumber.

With eyes still closed, he stood, stretched—and collided with the roof.

He blinked his confusion, and the scene below brought a moment of vertigo.

A roiling sheet of red and black was beneath him, folding into and swallowing sections of itself with unerring sluggishness.

The vertigo was cleared away as his memories returned. The veins of molten red, the orb of power hidden within, and above all else, the searing pain.

He peered down at his claws, opening and closing them, the sight giving him a bout of dissociation—they weren't his claws.

No... he thought. They are mine, just... different. Bigger.

Continuing to clack them softly, his awareness melded with his new form. He marveled at the strength they held, and extending one out above the pit of lava below, he slammed one closed.

An explosion of noise shot out, followed by a destructive force. Quick as it arrived, it dissipated, washed away by rising water columns from below.

He nodded to himself.

I can't wait to show my leader...

He turned and started his passage back to the surface.

***

"Fischer..."

My sleep-addled mind barely registered the word, and I pulled the blanket up, delighting in its warmth.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," a sing-song voice called, warring with my body's attempt to fall back asleep.

A soft weight rested on my chest, and I opened my eyes, blinking through blurry vision at a beautiful sight.

Maria knelt between me and the daylight streaming into the shelter, her head cocked to the side as she smiled at me, her hair falling around her face.

One hand was resting on my chest, and she patted me softly.

I covered my mouth and yawned, stretching my other arm above my head.

"Good morning. What time is it?"

"It's midmorning," she said kindly. "I made you breakfast, but you can go back to sleep if you need more rest."

I shook my head, pausing to yawn again.

"I'll get up. I've already slept too long."

She nodded and left the shelter, and after one more yawn, I threw the blankets aside and stepped out into the daylight.

The sun shone down from above, warming my skin pleasantly. I stretched my arms up, breathing in as I bathed in the sensations. The air was still cool as it passed my nostrils, the canopy above still holding a portion of the night's chill.

A welcome scent drew my attention, and I smiled.

"Mmm. Coffee," I said.

Maria giggled.

"I said I made you breakfast, didn't I? What's a brekkie without coffee?"

I smiled at her use of 'brekkie'; despite my overall joy with this new world, it gave me an unexpected bout of comfort whenever someone used Aussie slang.

"Too fracking right," I said, walking toward the campfire.

A plate and cup awaited me, so I sat down behind it.

"Thank you, Maria."

She beamed from her spot beside me.

"You're welcome. I figured you needed the rest after last night, so I let you sleep in."

"About last night—"

"It's fine," she said, cutting me off.

I gave her an awkward smile.

"I won't blame you if you want to run away now that you've slept on, well, everything you learned."

She shook her head.

"Nope. I'm good. I'm not sure why, but you being a hidden cultivator kind of makes sense."

I looked up from spreading jam over my croissant, raising an eyebrow at her.

"It does?"

"Yep." She took a sip of her coffee. "The amount of things you've accomplished since coming to Tropica is kind of staggering, and I already felt there was something about you, even before learning the extent of it."

Unlike Snips, the lobster tracked Claws' body with keen curiosity. He appeared to hold no annoyance, only a sense of wonder—perhaps awe—for the otter's new ability.

They passed over the rocky shore where they'd found the opalescent stones, and Corporal Claws dashed into the hole, disappearing beneath the water.

Snips urged the sea snipper on, and they continued—she knew the troublesome creature would catch up. Sure enough, she reappeared not long after, flying past them with a surge of electricity, an opalescent stone held in each forepaw, and a toothy grin plastered on her face.

With a disapproving shake of her body, Snips picked up the pace toward the distant mountains.

They reached the forest at a mountain's base before the sun had reached its peak in the sky. She gave them directions, and they set off to explore.

As Snips scouted the area, her thoughts drifted to the male crab that kept sneaking into the saltwater pool. When she'd woken that morning, she had searched for him, suspecting to find him tucked away somewhere beneath the waters. He hadn't been there, and she'd found herself almost... disappointed.

Realizing she needed to focus on the task at hand, she banished any thoughts of the vexing crustacean and resumed her scouting.

When they reconvened a half hour later, Snips, Claws, and the lobster nodded to each other; the area was clear.

Snips pointed at herself, then the otter.

The lobster scuttled back, making space.

Corporal Claws knew the ability to harness lightning would bother Snips, which was the exact reason her furred rival had been taunting so flagrantly.

Despite the annoyance, the development was welcome, and Snips had learned a rather important detail as a result: battle and struggle aided growth.

Snips blew questioning bubbles, and Claws nodded, sparks crackling around her legs.

The air stilled, growing thick with tension.

As one, they attacked.

***

As Maria and I disassembled the camp, I found myself surprisingly excited.

Packing up after a trip was said to be a morose endeavor; a prelude to the return to reality.

I felt no such thing. I couldn't wait to get back home and see my animal pals.

"Ready to go?" Maria asked, nudging me from my thoughts.

She stood in her washed and dried clothes, the same set she'd worn when we left Tropica, and I got lost in the view of her, marveling at her allure.

She tossed her head to the side, sweeping hair back behind an ear.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," I said. "Just appreciating how beautiful it is here."

She snorted.

"Smooth."

I laughed.

"I have my moments. Let's go."

***

The next two days were an enjoyable trek. We took our time, taking in the scenery as we joked and talked. We fished, we laughed, and we ate, our conversation never straying back toward my outburst.

At the end of the second day, the sun was just setting as we neared where I knew the road would be.

"As excited as I am to get home," Maria said, "I feel like I could just do this forever."

I smiled at her.

"I know what you mean. It's—"

A twig snapped somewhere to our left, and I stopped on the spot.

Maria looked at me, then toward the bush I was staring at.

"What—"

I held up a hand, cutting her off.

"I heard something."

I walked between her and the bush as the creature disturbed leaves on the forest floor, the sound clear as day to my enhanced hearing.

With careful, quiet steps, I crept forward.

I reached the bush and, sweeping branches aside, peeked between the leaves.

When I caught sight of it, I froze.

Is that—

"What is it?" Maria whispered, leaning over my shoulder.

When she saw it, she took a sharp intake of break.

"Oh, no..."