This thing had intent but it wasn't smart. At least not smarter than Teru, but to be fair, how many could claim that? No, if it had any smarts at all it would have known better not to telegraph such an obvious weakness.
It never once touched water deeper than a foot. And, whatever the reason, it was hungry for him. How very unlucky for it!
Teru lowered Tome so she could stand on her own at their next stop. Tome opened her eyes, took one look around, and clutched at Teru and the little dove even harder. Who could blame her? After all, they were precariously perched on top of a very slick boulder right in the middle of the raging river.
"Tome-senpai, are you a decent swimmer?"
"I was on the swim team in elementary for a Summer, but--wait--"
"Don't swim directly at the shore. Swim at a 45 degree angle to the current. Swim as hard as you can until your feet touch the bottom." Then, unceremoniously, Teru pushed her and the dove into the water.
He narrowed his eyes and caught the faint afterimage it left as it cut through the air and the rain to get to him in a grand leap. He thrust out his hands in front of him as the pressure gathered and hit in the forehead--but this time, the damn thing wasn't getting another freebie. The power had already gathered in his hands and he clenched them as hard as he could as soon as he felt it in them. It was in his grip now!
Then, he saw it.
Eyes. There were eyes everywhere. They absorbed light, leaving nothing behind. He had never seen something so empty before. And the emptiness was staring right at him.
Not yet. Not yet. He couldn't fight back yet.
Then, he felt it. He felt tendrils--no--legs. They were bigger than his own. There were legs everywhere. They weren't just in his hands, there were more at his neck and his knee and his back. They were drawing him in. Every millimeter it drew him in, it got exponentially colder. He was losing feeling in his limbs. But he couldn't fight back--not yet. 'Just a little longer.' Teru grit his teeth and the protective glow brightened around him, but it just made the thing pull him in even harder.
Then, he heard it. A hiss. The sound of something ripping. It was his clothes. It was his skin. He could only barely feel the warmth of his own blood seeping down his chest and he looked down. There was a cavernous maw filled with more nothing that opened up at its thorax. It was piercing him with its teeth.
Not yet. Not yet.
Teru couldn't even gasp. His arms and legs were getting weak and his head was spinning--venom? Was it pumping him full of venom? The pressure at his forehead was all around him now, crushing him.
Teru suddenly felt like he wanted to crawl in bed and go to sleep. There wasn't pain anymore, just exhaustion. But he couldn't--the last flickers of consciousness in him focused his eyes to the distant light on the riverbank. Mob. And a silhouette emerging from the water.
Now!
The light erupted from Teru's body and the hiss of the monster became a shriek of agony as he gave it a taste of its own medicine, piercing it with his own power. It flew back and the feeling rushed back into Teru's limbs. He grabbed his chest and gasped, breathing life into his freezing body. He could see the steaming trails it left through the sheet-like rain.
"Round two!" Teru vanished from the rock in hot pursuit.
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It never once touched water deeper than a foot. And, whatever the reason, it was hungry for him. How very unlucky for it!
Teru lowered Tome so she could stand on her own at their next stop. Tome opened her eyes, took one look around, and clutched at Teru and the little dove even harder. Who could blame her? After all, they were precariously perched on top of a very slick boulder right in the middle of the raging river.
"Tome-senpai, are you a decent swimmer?"
"I was on the swim team in elementary for a Summer, but--wait--"
"Don't swim directly at the shore. Swim at a 45 degree angle to the current. Swim as hard as you can until your feet touch the bottom." Then, unceremoniously, Teru pushed her and the dove into the water.
He narrowed his eyes and caught the faint afterimage it left as it cut through the air and the rain to get to him in a grand leap. He thrust out his hands in front of him as the pressure gathered and hit in the forehead--but this time, the damn thing wasn't getting another freebie. The power had already gathered in his hands and he clenched them as hard as he could as soon as he felt it in them. It was in his grip now!
Then, he saw it.
Eyes. There were eyes everywhere. They absorbed light, leaving nothing behind. He had never seen something so empty before. And the emptiness was staring right at him.
Not yet. Not yet. He couldn't fight back yet.
Then, he felt it. He felt tendrils--no--legs. They were bigger than his own. There were legs everywhere. They weren't just in his hands, there were more at his neck and his knee and his back. They were drawing him in. Every millimeter it drew him in, it got exponentially colder. He was losing feeling in his limbs. But he couldn't fight back--not yet. 'Just a little longer.' Teru grit his teeth and the protective glow brightened around him, but it just made the thing pull him in even harder.
Then, he heard it. A hiss. The sound of something ripping. It was his clothes. It was his skin. He could only barely feel the warmth of his own blood seeping down his chest and he looked down. There was a cavernous maw filled with more nothing that opened up at its thorax. It was piercing him with its teeth.
Not yet. Not yet.
Teru couldn't even gasp. His arms and legs were getting weak and his head was spinning--venom? Was it pumping him full of venom? The pressure at his forehead was all around him now, crushing him.
Teru suddenly felt like he wanted to crawl in bed and go to sleep. There wasn't pain anymore, just exhaustion. But he couldn't--the last flickers of consciousness in him focused his eyes to the distant light on the riverbank. Mob. And a silhouette emerging from the water.
Now!
The light erupted from Teru's body and the hiss of the monster became a shriek of agony as he gave it a taste of its own medicine, piercing it with his own power. It flew back and the feeling rushed back into Teru's limbs. He grabbed his chest and gasped, breathing life into his freezing body. He could see the steaming trails it left through the sheet-like rain.
"Round two!" Teru vanished from the rock in hot pursuit.