He brought his thoughts back to the swirling etherium. What was the link between the etherium and the creature at the bottom of the lake? What did it all mean?
He wished he had a notebook so that he could write his thoughts. Except for the ether storm, he’d felt no significant movement of etherium outside of himself before. Constructs weren’t quite the same. They felt more like a weak presence, usually in his own body. Kind of how sound happens inside, but there would be a feeling of knowing the direction it came from.
This etheric flow he was feeling was different.
Instead of sleeping, he took the time to focus. This was a golden opportunity, and it took some time before he stabilized his attention where he wanted.
He realized that the feeling of his sensitivity — the quality of it in his field of perception — was like a diffuse, ever-present sense of attention which felt separate from what he considered being his own. It was as if part of his mind was like an antenna, always tuned into his surroundings, taking measurements within a certain diameter. It was odd to think of — something in his mind, aware and working away, another sense organ he had to focus on in order to feel it.
He stilled his mind and became more present. Then it was just him, the etherium, and the boundary of his sensitivity. The movement of the etherium was hypnotic.
He opened his eyes, then saw that the lieutenant was leaning on the rock beside him. The sun was staring to peek out over the horizon.
“Just in time,” the lieutenant said. “I was just about to wake you.”
“How long has it been?” Hunter asked.
“By my reckoning, about 6 hours,” the lieutenant answered. Hunter was surprised, as he had only felt like a few minutes had passed.
“We tried to wake you for you turn at watch, but you wouldn’t budge. We figured you’d earned a bit of a rest after finding a way for all of us out of that cave,” the lieutenant continued, “you feeling ready to head out?”
Hunter nodded. The rest of the team was gathering. Bella was busy getting close to the creatures lazing around the lake, trying to understand the reason for their strange behaviour, which appeared to be the polar opposite of whatever phenomena caused the beastwaves.
“Water’s clean,” Jeren said. “Took a chance just after you fell asleep, and I’ve felt fine ever since. In fact, I think I feel even better than I did before.”
“The animals seem to trust it too,” Bella said as she gathered with them, “it that’s any comfort at all.”
Hunter shrugged and approached the lake. When he fell in the lake, he likely ingested some of it and felt fine. He furrowed his brow, considering he felt even safer after submerging in the lake. He was breathing easier, and it had taken him any time at all to sink into the meditation. When he got that relaxed after having been exhausted, he’d expected there to be a risk of falling asleep.
But he hadn’t. Instead, all he’d felt was a state of serene cognizance.
Could he chalk it up to being out of the cave and the apparent calmness of the surroundings?
He was thirsty anyway, and if Jeren was feeling alright after so long, then maybe it was worth the risk.
He tried cupping some water in his hands, but found that most of it would just fall through the cracks in his fingers. Bella came behind him and had a large leaf that was folded up to create a small cup. She scooped water into it, and although some still leaked out the bottom, it kept enough for him to get a good gulp.
“That’s fresh,” he said, enjoying the cool sensation spreading through his body from his esophagus, and took another drink. “I needed that.”
“Careful about drinking too much. When you’re as dehydrated as we’ve all been, it’s important to pace yourself. You should wait a little while longer before drinking some more, then we’ll head out,” Bella said.
After giving Hunter a few minutes to enjoy the bliss of hydration, the lieutenant declared it was time to leave. They followed the lake’s edge, careful not to disturb any of the wildlife. Hunter kept a steady rhythm of checking the surroundings, and then checking on the flow of etherium. As they moved around the lake, the direction of the etherium’s flow seemed to change as well.
The etherium was flowing around the lake.
If the flow seemed to speed up towards the centre of the lake, which he guessed it very well could have given his experience while submerged, then he might dare to assume that the etherium flowed in a spiral towards whatever lived at the bottom of the lake, like an etheric vortex.
He glanced back at the lake, feeling cold. How terrifying was that creature? What was it doing with all the etherium it was gathering? Where was it being stored inside the beast? Was it even alive in the way he was thinking it was? Once more, he felt inner tension as a growing curiosity warred with his survival instinct, and he had to snap himself out of the reverie. He didn’t want to get separated from the team because he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering.
He’d need to make a note about this lake, though. Hunter would be sure to return one day. He would get to the bottom of the mystery of Lake Striptease.
They had only trekked through the forest for a few minutes before the normal sounds of wildlife resumed. It would seem that whatever kept the animals around the lake so sedate only extended for about a quarter of a mile, but despite the increase in activity, there was still an absence of typical animalistic behaviours from the wildlife.
Small creatures scurried underfoot. Birds would land nearby and gaze at the team, watching them for a while before leaving. He’d seen another gigantic snake, almost as big as the one that had challenged the glowing brontogon, but it ignored the team’s presence. It slithered past them after giving them a brief consideration.
“I didn’t want to jinx it before, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced,” Jeren said. “It’s not right.”
“I’m not going to complain,” Joe said. They’d crafted him a crutch out of wood and vines. Hunter’s initial fear of lagging behind proved unfounded as he matched their speed without difficulty. The lieutenant had been toughing it out, walking on his own. Hunter could see the strain on his face but he refused any offer of of help, saying that the pain kept him focused.
Soon they seemed to pass another invisible threshold, and the wildlife became much more energetic. Not aggressive, however, just hyperactive. It started with smaller creatures, rat like — some the size of small dogs. They would pass between their legs, or scurry out of the team’s path, but most of them seemed to be headed in the opposite direction of the team.
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Then they noticed that the amount of birds in the skies had increased. Many species swirled above in a massive flock, and their flight patterns trended towards the lake.
“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Bella said, her steps slowing down as she considered their surroundings. Bigger animals appeared, which seemed to follow the same unspoken rule of civility as they did their best to avoid bowling the team over, but a few times the squad had no choice but to move out of the way at a second’s notice when a creature twice their combined size thundered across their path.
“The beastwave might have dissolved by now, but what happens when thousands of animals invade a space, miles away from where they’re supposed to be? How would the local wildlife react?”
“Enlighten us,” Jeren sighed, “You’re the animal nerd.”
“Well, if we were back on Sanctuary, I’d say that you could expect to see a lot of territorial disputes, as the local fauna faced a sudden influx of rivals for their resources.”
“Which is why I’m saying this place is so weird,” Jeren said, gesturing to a passing gerbil-looking-thing. “nothing about how any of these guys are behaving makes any sense to me.”
“Which leads me to my point,” Bella continued, “if you’ve adapted to some anomalous space of calm — lets call it civility — in an environment where most of the wildlife can suddenly display extreme coordinated aggression, we might observe a bias towards flight, rather than fight.”
Joe stopped, eyeing the surroundings, his eyes going wide. Hunter followed the train of thought, and he knew something that they didn’t. The giant beast at the bottom of the lake, it probably had something to do with all the beasts’ behaviour — and their general trend to be retreating towards the lake.
“We’re heading back,” the lieutenant said, “now.”
They turned and followed the growing horde of creatures back towards the lake.
“Wait,” Jeren said, “are we sure this is a good idea?”
“No,” Joe said, “but if we follow Bella’s logic, the locals probably have an instinct for the right place to be when things get dangerous.”
Jeren nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced.
“I can make it an order?” The lieutenant offered. But Jeren just waved him off and started walking again.
The team made good progress for a few minutes, but the amount of wildlife heading in their direction suddenly increased, many of them sprinting as fast as they could. It got to where the team could no longer justify walking back. The good news was that they found a hill nearby, too steep for most of the passing animals to consider climbing over, but that made it perfect for the team. It took some time to help Joe and the lieutenant — whose legs gave out from underneath him before he got to the top.
From the new vantage point, the team watched as the forest writhed, and animals moved in streams like blood flowed through veins.
“It’s a beastwave in its own right,” Bella whispered.
“What’s the difference?” Hunter asked.
“The aggression,” Bella answered.
Hunter heard a loud roar nearby. It was the first aggressive sound he’d heard since they found the lake, and the sound made him cringe.
“Like that?” Hunter asked.
“No, there would be a lot more,” Bella said, and more roars sounded in the distance, getting closer. “I think this is what we were expecting, the remnant aggression after the beastwave breaks. Thousands of beasts dispersing into unfamiliar terrain, already primed to fight anything that wasn’t a part of the wave itself.”
“The organizing principle,” Hunter commented, “how the beastwaves seem coordinated. You’re saying that the effect remains, even after the wave is over?”
“For a little while,” Jeren said, “We weathered a shorter wave after Clarke shot us down.”
“Are we going to be safe up here?” Hunter asked.
“You’re welcome to fly away if you want, sir,” Jeren said.
Hunter pursed his lips. In his opinion, Jeren’s sarcasm could be grating.
He watched as the beasts turned increasingly chaotic. What had been a steady trickle of wildlife turned into more of a stampede, a miniature beastwave. Hunter saw boars down there, tusks and all. He was once more surprised by the convergent evolution of various species between Sanctuary and Skyhold.
Soon, that wave would reach the lake. He wondered how the placid beasts would fare against the approaching horde, and was thankful that from where the team was, they weren’t able to see it. The dense canopy blocked their view.
The team froze as a warbling, bassy rumble spread from the lake. The sound echoed as if a physical presence imposed itself on the surroundings, and similarly receded as a veil would were it lifted from its centre. Hunter could feel the air rumble, and the etherium around him — having become more difficult to detect as they had left the area around the lake — rippled in response.
Then, as if an ether storm were gathering itself before manifesting its fury, something pulled the surrounding etherium towards the lake. Not like a vortex, but like the universe’s most powerful vacuum. He even saw the leaves of all the trees and bushes stretching around the lake respond to the etherium’s powerful movement as a light breeze followed the etherium’s path. The powerful vacuum pulled some free, and a storm of detritus imploded toward the lake.
The fluctuating bass-tone oppressed the surroundings, vibrating through Hunter’s head and tickling his eardrums. He heard the team cursing beside him as everyone grabbed at their heads. Hunter watched as a shape began to crest above the treetops. Blue and purple patterns fluctuated over its surface as it rose, and even from this distance, Hunter could feel the power radiating off of it. It was the creature from the bottom of the lake.
It was huge.
As it rose, he could see trails of water falling off of it. It kept rising, higher and higher, until it blocked the view of the morning sun. Great wings stretched off its side, but they didn’t appear to have any part in keeping the creature afloat. Instead, they appeared to be the nexus of the gathering etherium. As the creature rose, the trajectory of the ambient etherium changed. Azure arcs of energy flashed in thick ribbons between and around what appeared to be tentacles with large padded ends. Some of the energy would arc away from its body, striking at various angles towards the ground. The energy grew in intensity and frequency; the ribbons growing thicker and their etheric presence growing more apparent to Hunter.
It was almost as if the creature was a sun in its own right — but not along the visible spectrum. Although it was almost a quarter mile away, Hunter felt like he was staring right into an etheric sun.
In a great flash of light, the blue-purple energy rapidly expanded from the creature in a wave. It pulsed through the surroundings like a phantom explosion — like a memory of fury.
The team lacked the time needed to seek cover. The energy wave passed right through them. The energy felt like a warm, cozey blanket on a cool night. It felt like gratitude after an incredible day. It felt like a loving presence wrapping itself around his body, each of his limbs, and every one of his cells. Following the wave, the team could only hear strong warbling tones from the creature above the lake, and their own breathing.
“I think it’s a good guy,” Jeren whispered, glancing at the team. “can we keep it?”
Bella stared intently at the creature, tears crossed her cheeks.
“Are you all feeling this?” she asked, her voice quiet. Hunter nodded.
“Yeah,” the lieutenant sighed, “I’ve never felt more safe in my life.”
“I guess we now know the source of the strange behaviour we’ve been witnessing,” Joe said.
Dead quiet described the world around them. The birds had landed; the animals were still — alive, but most seemed content to sit and bask in the feelings the energy left in its wake.
“It’s like the mother of all etheric mutations,” Hunter said. Jeren laughed.
“Like a warm hug from mum,” Jeren said.
The lieutenant cleared his throat.
“Let’s take advantage of this while we can,” he said. “you can put me down. My legs are feeling a lot better.”
Hunter glanced at the lieutenant’s legs. He could make much out beneath the bandages and the dirt they’d accumulated as they had trekked the short distance through the forest while dodging wild animals, so he stepped closer to get a better look.
Indeed, it seemed like the wounds had closed. The inflammation from the growing infection had reduced. Hunter took a deep breath and frowned. He moved his arms and poked at his sides.
He was sore, but he felt fine.
“It healed us,” he said, glancing at Joe, who was standing on both legs.
“Thou shall not question the almighty super-powerful sky-jellyfish,” Jeren said as they all followed the lieutenant down.
Hunter wanted to return to the lake and observe the ‘sky-jellyfish’ more closely, but as he glanced back and the creature descended, something told him that this was just one of many mysteries that Skyhold was hiding. He was just glad that this world wasn’t just a place of incomprehensible nightmares.
Apparently, it had its shares of inexplicable wonders as well.