Pacific Ocean, south of Hawai’i
image [https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1353872614/video/colorful-coral-reefs-schools-of-beautiful-fishes-swimming-blue-underwater-ocean-sea.jpg?s=640x640&k=20&c=GuUanh3DBOQ749tVgu7_quPyG_Pi8eFtpajqlR-_gPg=]
Peter saw the other group too late. He dug his toes into the sand and ran towards Marie, watching a man take aim with a crossbow.
Marie cried out when the bolt hit her. Peter, not sure how bad the wound was, tried doubling his speed. He saw Marie shoot up, probably heading for the surface again.
"To the platform!" Marie shouted at him.
Peter immediately changed direction, breathing hard as he pushed through the water.
Marie was on her own. She might be fine, but he still worried. Peter looked over his shoulder to see two men in yellow and grey clothes following him while the women of the group followed Marie.
Peter decided to not worry about the pirate. He pulled the small knife Marie had lent him off his belt, prepared to fight.
The platform was barely visible; it would take twenty minutes to get there.
He hoped his pursuers would give up before then.
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Razan pulled a shark off Sophie's foot. She waved her leg back and forth as the creature swam angrily away. Blood tinted the water.
"Rude shark," she grumbled.
Razan sat back on the sand and looked up at her. "You shouldn't have kicked it."
"It shouldn't have startled me!"
He rubbed his forehead. "Let's… go back and see if Nop can wrap the wound."
"I'm fine," the girl said. "It barely hurts."
"No, but it's bleeding," Razan said patiently. "Blood attracts sharks. Do you want to get bitten again?"
"Yes."
He glared at her.
"I'd wager I'm the only English Lady who's ever been bitten by a shark," she said primly, turning away from him. "If I go home with a missing foot I'll have such an amazing tale to tell."
Razan debated strangling her.
"Look, a fight!" She pointed north, where two men were trying to decapitate each other with wide swords.
Razan watched them, deciding to murder Sophie later. The men were moving clumsily in the water, putting far too much force into each strike. They were clearly getting tired.
"They're going to be exhausted by the time one of them wins," Sophie said.
"They'd be very easy to steal from," Razan added.
"Should we?" she asked.
He slowly smiled as one of the men dug his sword into the sand and feebly tried to pull it back out. "We should."
"Excellent."
Razan looked around. He didn't see anyone else watching the fight. "After we get the bags, let's return to the platform. Don't want to carry too many shells on us."
"All right."
"If anyone else goes for the winner, we'll let them have it."
She pouted. "Fine."
He glanced at her. "I'll grapple him. You focus on getting the bag. As soon as you have it, swim away."
The pout vanished. "You want me to help?"
"It would be foolish of me to try and do everything myself when you are perfectly competent."
Sophie beamed. "I'm competent."
Razan ignored the comment. "Looks like the red one is about to lose. Let's get closer."
"Should we be sneaky?" Sophie asked.
"No point." He pulled the knife off his belt. "They're too tired. This will be easy."
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Marie looked down. One of the women following her had given up, and the other was watching the water around her more than Marie.
It was interesting how frightening being in the middle of the open ocean was. Somehow being surrounded by absolutely nothing made people fear something suddenly appearing.
Marie welcomed that fear like an old friend. She hung in the water, not moving, cutlass in one hand, knife in the other, and breathed. Simply breathed.
The woman following her finally reached her elevation. She pointed an oddly-shaped halberd at Marie.
"Give me your shells," she ordered.
Marie watched a spot over the woman's shoulder. "That won't be necessary."
The woman moved closer. "Shells. Now." She twitched, clearly wanting to check what Marie was looking at.
"Seven…" Marie said softly, still watching a speck behind the woman. "Six…"
The woman glanced over her shoulder, pulling her arm in. "Why are you counting?"
"Five…"
"Nothing's there," she said, no confidence in her voice.
Marie smiled. "Four…"
The woman fidgeted, her breathing getting faster.
"Three…"
"What's there?!"
"Two…"
The woman couldn't take it. She spun around, slashing at whatever imaginary creature Marie was watching.
Instantly Marie shot forwards, wrapping one arm around her waist and another around her neck. "One."
The woman gave a weak laugh, her heartbeat racing. "Clever."
"A simple trick, but one that works," Marie said, pressing the blade of her knife against her throat. "Hand over your bag and we can pretend it never happened."
"Hmm." She adjusted the shaft of the halberd in her hands. "No, if I hit you in the stomach and push you back, your knife will slice my throat open."
"It will, yes."
"And trying to kick you in the crotch probably wouldn't do anything of use for me."
"It wouldn't, no."
“Yanking the bolt out of your arm might help…”
“Or it might piss me off.”
“A more likely outcome, yes.” The woman untied the bag from her belt. "We had an epic battle."
"Of course," Marie agreed, taking the bag. "You nearly cut my arm off. I only won through sheer luck."
"A simple miscalculation on my part," the woman said, moving away from Marie. "It could happen to anyone."
"Anyone at all."
The woman turned and held out her hand. "Lydia. Nice to meet you."
"Marie. Likewise." She gave Lydia a firm handshake.
"Would you mind following me back down? I'm mildly terrified a whale will come out of nowhere and swallow me."
Marie grinned. "Less afraid of me than of the water?"
Lydia looked around as she turned to face the reef. "At least I know you won't try to eat me. I don't have that assurance from anything else out here."
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"True. But don't worry, most fish only nibble."
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Peter swam, knowing he was about to run out of air. Pain shot through his chest with every breath. He had to stop and change air bags, but when he did the enemy would catch up to him.
In the desert he would have scanned for something to throw at them. He knew how to pick up scorpions without being stung, he knew which snakes were venomous. But here, surrounded by creatures with shapes and colors he'd never seen, he had no idea what was harmless and what could kill at a touch. Several things looked dangerous, but how dangerous? And if he tried throwing them, would they just swim away?
Finally Peter felt his air growing stale. He had to stop. There was no other option.
He turned to face his pursuers, holding his hands up. The two men slowed, moving to flank him.
"Would you mind not attacking until I've changed my air?" Peter asked politely. "I'm in the red."
"Not at all."
"Go ahead."
Peter nodded, pulling one of the spare bags off his belt. His heart raced as he pulled the old one off his back and switched them. Moving as slowly as he thought they'd allow, he clipped the old bag onto his belt and slid the new one onto his back.
He still hadn't thought of an escape plan.
"Thank you for your patience," he said, smiling even though they couldn't see it through the mask.
"You're welcome," the man on his left said.
The man on his right nodded. "It gave me time to decide which weapon to use." He held up a sickle.
A bang rang out, and the man dropped his sickle, cursing. Blood poured out where a sharp metal bolt had hit him on the wrist and glanced off.
Across from Peter, a fourth person appeared from behind a clump of coral. He smiled, recognizing Grace.
Grace strolled towards them, reloading what looked like a miniature cannon. "Hallo, Wasps. Drifter. Now, I'm not allowed to fight with anyone against an enemy. But everyone can attack and defend as they choose. So how's this: Wasps attack the Drifter to get his shells, he fights to run away, and I attack you Wasps to get your shells. You can fight back or run away as you see fit. Does that sound fair?"
Peter nodded. "A solid plan."
The Wasps nodded at each other. The one to Peter's right picked up his sickle.
"I'll take the Drifter," he said, motioning to Peter.
His teammate looked alarmed, glanced at Grace, and reluctantly lifted his dagger. “Nils, she’s the one who broke my foo-”
"Wonderful," Grace said, and fired her mini cannon.
Peter used the distraction to pull the crossbow off his belt and shoot a harpoon bolt. It hit his opponent in the shoulder, barely going far enough in to stick.
The man cursed, lunging at Peter with his sickle held out. Wondering if a strike could be any more telegraphed, Peter took half a step back. As Nils swung, Peter grabbed the thin rope attached to his bolt and yanked it out.
Nils howled in pain as blood poured from his shoulder. Peter grabbed his wrists and wrenched them behind his back. He kicked the man to his knees and stopped, a bit amazed at how easy that had been.
The other fight, however, was still going.
Grace was fighting with a morningstar, her shoulder cannon dropped to the sand behind her. Her opponent had pulled a rod off his bandolier and was using that as a shield while he slashed nervously in her general direction.
The Seabird was clearly the stronger of the two, but she ironically lacked grace. The size and shape of her weapon was putting her at a disadvantage here. The man's weapon, however, was perfect for slashing through water.
Peter knew he couldn't help, so he cut a length of rope off his reel and used it to tie Nil’s wrists together. He backed off as Grace got stabbed in the leg.
"Thanks for the help," Peter called at her. "I'm gonna run away now. Good luck!"
"No worries," Grace called back, landing a solid hit. "G'luck, mate!"
Hoping she'd be all right, Peter swam for his platform.
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Sophie smiled at the grappled man, picking up his sword. "If we're allowed to keep things we find here, surely that includes weapons?"
"No, it doesn't!" he snapped, struggling feebly against Razan. "Put that down!"
"Don't take people's weapons," Razan said. "You'd end up regretting it."
"Fine," Sophie sighed. "This is too heavy for me, anyways." She dropped the sword. "I don't want anyone to see me with it and think I'm compensating for something."
"What… would you be compensating for?" Razan asked.
Sophie got to work untying the mesh bags from the man's belt. "I haven't the foggiest, it's just something my brother said."
Their enemy struggled. "I carry a heavy sword because it adds weight to my attacks! That's all!"
"I'm sure," Razan said dryly.
"Done," Sophie said, holding up the bags. "Oh, a few gold ones in here. Thank you."
"Swim," Razan ordered. "I'll give you half a minute before releasing this idiot."
"Thank you!" She put the bags on her own belt, then started swimming.
Pausing only to pick up a blue shell, she made her way south. Razan caught up with her, moving much faster than what she could manage. Together they slowly swam for the platform.
"You're getting tired," Razan stated after a few minutes.
Sophie looked at him in surprise. "How do you know?"
"You haven't said or done anything annoying since leaving the idiot."
"Look, a shark! I'm going to befriend it," she said immediately, changing direction.
Razan caught the end of her braid, holding her in place. "It's not a challenge. If you're tired, staying in the water could be dangerous."
"Being in the water at all is dangerous," Sophie pointed out, pulling her hair away from him.
"True. But when you're tired, being in water can make your blood cold."
She frowned. "Really?"
"Ask Marie," he shrugged, starting to swim again. "When we reach the platform, you should stay there and rest."
"What about you?" Sophie asked, following him.
"I'm used to water, I'm fine. I'll search the area around the platform for shells."
She wasn't happy with the idea, but now that he mentioned it she did feel rather cold. Her arms and legs were covered in goosebumps.
It took them close to half an hour to get back to their platform. They picked up a few more shells, but not many. No one approached them, although they passed a few people.
By the time they were directly under the platform, Sophie was downright exhausted. She grabbed the edge and… hung there. She didn't have the energy to pull herself up. If she just slept for a moment, she'd regain enough strength. Her eyes closed, and she felt herself drift downwards.
"Sophie!" someone called. The voice sounded far away.
She felt someone grab her wrists, and suddenly she was hauled out of the water. Her eyes snapped open as cold air pressed against her skin, and she curled into fetal position on the wet floor, shaking violently. Razan pulled the mask off her face, shouting something she couldn't hear over the sound of her chattering teeth. She gasped for breath, unable to fill her lungs.
A bird hopped around her. It looked her straight in the eye, chirping. The noises it made almost sounded like words.
"Sophie, what have you done now?" her mother asked.
Still shivering, Sophie gave a faint laugh. "I w-was on-n an ad-venture…"
She closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than sleep.
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Marie pulled herself onto the platform, knowing something was wrong. Well, something other than the bolt still in her arm.
Razan pushed himself off the wall, looking at her. "Sophie got too tired. She was shivering and muttering nonsense. I called Nop and bailed her."
Peter, who had been pacing around in circles, helped Marie to her feet. "Should we all bail? You’re hurt, too."
"No," Marie said. "Unless you feel too tired to continue?"
"I'm not," Razan said.
"I've been here a few extra minutes, I'm good," Peter reported.
Marie looked them over, and decided they'd be fine. "You two go west, finish off the contest. I'll see to Sophie."
"Yes, Captain," Peter said, stepping back.
Razan only bowed.
Marie gave him a curt nod, found her bail button, and pushed it.
A blue light surrounded her, accompanied by the pins-and-needles feeling, and soon she was in the transport room.
A bird flew up to her, scanning her arm. “Please lay down and we will fix this as best we can.”
Not one to argue with birds, Marie did as she was told. The bird sprayed something on her arm, and immediately her pain lessened. And then her pain increased as it grabbed the bolt and yanked it out. She yelled, angry, as the bird sprayed something else on her.
The fresh wound stung, but less than she’d expected.
Another bird came over, holding a roll of cloth and a strange x-shaped thing. It put the x thing over her wound, pulling the skin closed. Then with dexterous claws it wrapped the cloth around her arm.
“Was that your only wound?” the bird asked.
“Yes. Where’s Sophie?”
“Would you like me to take you to her?”
“Yes,” Marie said, almost snapping.
It nodded, and once again blue light covered Marie. When it faded, she was in a small, white room. Sophie was lying in the middle of the floor, trembling. A towel had been placed over her. A ring of glowing bowls surrounded the shivering girl, along with three ravens.
Marie hurried over and lowered herself to her knees. She touched Sophie's forehead and felt cold, damp skin. Next she lifted the towel and hissed through her teeth.
"You left her wet clothes on?" Marie demanded of the birds. "Do you know nothing?"
"We aren't allow-"
"Send us to Sophie's room. Now!"
“We can help her bett-”
“You fixed my arm well enough, but she’ll die if you leave her wet. Trust me, I’ve done this before,” she growled.
The birds hopped back. "Stand back, please."
Marie tossed the damp towel away, pushing herself to her feet.
Sophie's eyelids fluttered. "No, I… the drapes," she whined, shivering violently.
Marie was so alarmed she barely felt the transportation. Once in Sophie's room, she lifted the girl onto her bed and untied her top.
"Nop!"
The bird appeared. "What do you need?"
"A warm blanket," she said, pleased with Nop’s efficiency.
"Of course; I'll bring you one." The bird hopped once, then flew out the door.
Marie pulled all Sophie's clothes off and tossed them to the ground. She got a dry towel from the bathroom and was rubbing the girl's shaking limbs when Nop returned, dragging a blanket.
"Thank you," Marie said, taking it. To her surprise it was quite heavy on top of being very warm. "Perfect."
She laid the blanket out on the bed and rolled Sophie onto it. Then she pulled the long end over and tucked it under the girl, cocooning her.
"Is there a way to quickly dry hair?" she asked, undoing Sophie's braid.
"Yes, but I believe one of the heating bowls would be better," Nop said.
Marie shot Nop a glare. "I don't give a damn what you believe."
The bird took a step back. "Understood." She flew off.
Marie finished with the braid and flicked Sophie in the face. "Sophie. Girl. Who am I?"
Sophie opened her eyes, dilated pupils focusing with difficulty. "...Abigail?" she tried weakly.
"No." Marie rubbed her hand up and down Sophie's spine, finally feeling the shivers subsiding. "Try again."
"But… I don't like…" She didn't finish the sentence.
Nop came back with a small device. "Hair dryer. The button turns on a fan. It'll take a few seconds for the air to warm up."
"Thank you," Marie repeated, taking the device. She turned it on. "Can you hold it here while I change my clothes?"
"Of course," Nop said, hopping into place.
Marie thanked her again, walking quickly to the bathroom.