03-30-2023, 11:45 PM
The thing that lifted from the surface of the water was certainly not like any octopus she’d ever seen. Her eyes were wide as moons. Her mouth just as gaped. A similar reaction captured her when she first beheld the nāgarāja. He was a creature who was both snake and human, and quite startling for a recovering tsunami victim to wake to. This was something similar in concept, except for snakes and men it was octopuses and women. If she wasn’t so afraid, Kemala would be in awe.
The boat was rocking by the stormy disturbance of the water’s surface. The little vessel swayed violently, but Kemala naturally counterbalanced the motions, hoping it would help to steady it lest the water tip over the edge. Suddenly, it simply fell to stillness. She guffed with the forceful stabilization, unnatural as it was. Then water did slosh the edge and spilled over her shoes. They quickly soaked through to the toes and she winced for the temperature.
When next she looked, the woman was focused entirely on her. It sent chills through her body that had nothing to do with the frigid Baikal waters. She lifted a weapon and Kemala was all but frozen to react.
The Energies wavered. Then again, something unexplained happened. Soft, fishy flesh was unleashed by an arc of blood. The scream pierced her soul, and Kemala was so afraid she could barely move but to look up at what her boat mate was doing. His face was wrenched with anger and violence. She looked back once more and the sudden epiphany for what must be happening dislodged fear in exchange for an entirely different emotion.
She was pissed.
Then Sören started barking orders at her. Like he was captain of this boat?
She grumbled, “What does that mean? Runes,” she struggled to say the foreign word.
He snapped a response, “The light, the power, whatever you used to move the damn boat.”
“Why?! You’re using it!” her accusation was pointed. But the look on his face when he next found her gaze made her begrudgingly comply.
“Just don’t let us sink! I’m not swimming your giant man-trunk back to shore,” she huffed and released the Energy.
((With Sören))
The boat was rocking by the stormy disturbance of the water’s surface. The little vessel swayed violently, but Kemala naturally counterbalanced the motions, hoping it would help to steady it lest the water tip over the edge. Suddenly, it simply fell to stillness. She guffed with the forceful stabilization, unnatural as it was. Then water did slosh the edge and spilled over her shoes. They quickly soaked through to the toes and she winced for the temperature.
When next she looked, the woman was focused entirely on her. It sent chills through her body that had nothing to do with the frigid Baikal waters. She lifted a weapon and Kemala was all but frozen to react.
The Energies wavered. Then again, something unexplained happened. Soft, fishy flesh was unleashed by an arc of blood. The scream pierced her soul, and Kemala was so afraid she could barely move but to look up at what her boat mate was doing. His face was wrenched with anger and violence. She looked back once more and the sudden epiphany for what must be happening dislodged fear in exchange for an entirely different emotion.
She was pissed.
Then Sören started barking orders at her. Like he was captain of this boat?
She grumbled, “What does that mean? Runes,” she struggled to say the foreign word.
He snapped a response, “The light, the power, whatever you used to move the damn boat.”
“Why?! You’re using it!” her accusation was pointed. But the look on his face when he next found her gaze made her begrudgingly comply.
“Just don’t let us sink! I’m not swimming your giant man-trunk back to shore,” she huffed and released the Energy.
((With Sören))