Theo quickly looked around the rapidly filling space he now occupied. Before he could even call for his friends, the water was up to his knees.

“Blake! Alice! Tiberius! Wake up!” he called. But he didn’t know if his voice carried over the now thunderous roar of the waterfall.

The water line reached above the lip of the chest, spilling in. The stone cavity flooded with water, sending the potions floating.

Blake needs those potions, Theo thought. He scrambled through the water for the potions, grabbing what he could. He managed to touch the largest health potion and absorb it into his inventory. It swirled and vanished in a flash. Around him, the current only grew stronger, taking the largest mana potion and crushing it beneath the waterfall. Theo hurried, grabbing another health potion.

Two more stamina potions disappeared into the frothing waterfall. He mangled to grab two more small health potions and put them in his inventory before the water rose above his neck, and he was swimming.

“Blake! Alice!” he called. But there was no response. Then, perhaps as a sound or perhaps as a howl, he heard Tiberius in his mind.

Theo! Flood!

Good, so at least he was alive. He could vaguely feel his companion’s presence to his right, so he turned that way. Then he reached out with his Lifesense ability and saw the outlines of three organisms through the waterfall. They looked like neon green silhouettes: Blake, Tiberius, and Alice. Alice had Blake’s silhouette by the shoulders and was holding him up, desperate stay afloat. Tiberius doggy-paddled next to them, his thick fur weighing him down.

“Hold on, I’m coming!” Theo yelled. Then he dove below the water. The world vanished, and the roar of the waterfall was replaced by the echoing thud of the current around him.

The water was dark. The small light that was offered by their lanterns was lost, drenched in the rising flood. Theo only had his Lifesense to guide him.

The current was strong, but as he kicked forward in the water, he was surprised at how smoothly he glided. The water moved evenly over his new Scale Mail, offering almost no resistance. Plus, he suddenly had a deep knowledge of how to move in the water, how to use currents to his advanced.

Swimming (Expert) Skill Activated!

Right. He’d killed those Young Razorfins and absorbed their advanced swimming ability through the Path of Evolution. At first he was almost disappointed, but now, it might just save his life.

He pushed through the water and glided towards Alice and Blake, popping up next to them.

Alice was struggling to keep the still unconscious Blake above water, but her gear was weighing her down. She held her dungeoneer’s pack on her back, but much of their gear floated in the water around them.

“What the hell happened?” Alice asked, sputtering.

Theo, better able to tread water than Alice, took Blake in his arms. Alice took a deep breath, panting, barely keeping herself afloat.

“Short version is I accidentally triggered a trap,” Theo said.

“You did what?” Alice asked.

“Long version is got some health potions and some sweet fish armor out of it!” Theo said.

Alice’s face narrowed. “Theodore Cross you fucking idiot!”

Theo decided to ignore that one, seeing as he probably deserved it. Going after hidden chests in a dark Fish Wizard’s dungeon was probably asking for a trap. Instead he said:

“We need to get to one of those doors. I’ll carry Blake. You go get the gear and put it in your inventory. Save as much as you can,” he said.

“Which door?” Alice said, “we didn’t decide!”

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Theo frowned. Giant Crab. Evil Mermaid. Giant Squid.

“Whichever one is closest. Just go!” he said.

He turned to Tiberius, who doggy paddled in circles. You okay? Theo said, through their link.

Yes! Like swim! Tiberius said back. He panted, barely keeping his ears and nose above the water. Tiberius the mutt had never liked swimming too much, but Tiberius the Direwolf seemed to enjoy it. Wolves, after all, could swim up to eight miles in a single stretch.

Okay. We’re going to move towards the door. Can you dive? Theo said.

Can try! Tiberius responded.

Good boy, Theo said. Then he began kicking backwards, carrying Blake towards the far wall.

Alice swam clumsily for the gear, making it vanish into her inventory. The water rose even more quickly, and soon Theo was pressed against the ceiling.

“Alice! That’s enough! Go for the door!” Theo yelled.

Alice turned around and started swimming back through the rising water, leaving the rest of the gear behind. But as Theo watched her, the water overtook her, and she vanished beneath it.

“Alice!” he yelled.

He looked at Blake, still unconscious, water splashing into his open mouth. If we went underwater — when they went underwater — Blake would start breathing in liquid. Once they were underwater, their time would be short.

Please live, he thought. Theo took a deep breath and dove.

The water swelled over him, and soon he and Blake were suspended in crushing cold. Blake’s red-blonde hair looked green in Theo’s Lifesight, a green outline suspended in black. He dove down, down, pulling Blake with him. Alice and Tiberius followed, their own green outlines struggling through the current. How would they follow him if they couldn’t see him? How Theo even find the doors?

He watched Alice swimming haphazardly in the dark, farther away from Theo and Blake. Then he remembered — the Minor Magic cantrip. Didn’t it say something about creating small sensory and visual effects? Could he make a light?

He reached inside himself for his mana, then took one hand free of Blake. He lifted it in the water. Come on, glow. Illuminate. Anything!

The mana swelled in his hand, and then a shower of green sparks appeared underwater like a flare. The whole chamber was briefly illuminated, the green-blue water rushing around them. For a moment, he saw Alice swimming among all their lost gear, looking helplessly for a door. She turned her head and saw him, then began swimming towards him.

He summoned mana to his hand again, and another shower of sparks briefly illuminated the water, then disappeared, doused in the cold. He kept flashing sparks, one after another, and kicked backwards towards the door. Tiberius and Alice followed, kicking furiously.

He swam towards the nearest door, backing into it. He couldn’t see the carving on the door, even with his flash of sparks. The system message appeared as he touched it.

It appears to be a door of some kind. Enter? Y/N

His lungs screamed for air. He mentally selected the Yes option, and the door behind him slid open with a grinding sound. The water around him pulled, then sucked him completely into a vacuum. Blake, still limp, was torn from his grip. Something huge and furry slammed into him, and he skidded across a stone floor, the water passing over him and leaving air. He gasped, heaving in his first breath. The cold air stung his lungs, and he sputtered out water on the floor.

When he cleared his eyes, he looked up to see Tiberius on top of him, paws on his shoulders, wagging his tail.

I swim! he said.

“Yes — you swim,” Theo gasped, “but I need to breathe, and you’re a direwolf now. Can you get off my lungs, please?”

I big! Tiberius said, and then got up, releasing Theo’s lungs. He took a deep breath just as Tiberius started shaking off his fur, sending globs of wet wolf fur into Theo’s mouth.

“Gross,” he said, wiping off his tongue.

“Theo,” Alice said, “we’ve got a problem.”

She leaned over Blake, who lay motionless on the floor. Theo stood and ran over to him. His face was blue, and his chest was completely still.

“He’s not breathing,” Alice said, panic touching the edges of her voice.

Theo reached into his inventory and summoned a medium size health potion. He bit off the cork, pressed open Blake’s mouth, and then dumped it in.

The liquid just sat in his mouth, refusing to go down his throat.

Theo tipped his jaw back , trying to get the contents into his stomach. He massaged Blake’s throat, slapped his cheeks, and the health potion went down. Still, Blake did not move.

“Is he… is he dead?” Alice whispered.

Theo put two fingers beneath Blake’s jaw. A faint, irregular pulse moved there, on his clammy, fish like skin.

“Almost,” Theo said, “but not yet.”

He’d done CPR before, and fell into the rhythm of it. He pressed his hands to Blake’s chest, pumped to the beat of “Staying Alive,” by The Bee Gees. He called on Nature’s Healing to help him, and as he pumped Blake’s chest, he drew mana into his hands. They began to glow green, sending energy into Blake’s body, making his clammy skin illuminate.

“Come on, come on…” Theo said, “I didn’t want to have to do this.”

He tipped Blake’s chin back, clearing the air way, and then pressed his lips to Blake’s.

They were cold, lifeless, unmoving. He created a seal between their mouths, pinched Blake’s nose, and then pushed his own breath into his friend.

Blake jerked, coughing up cold water into Theo’s mouth.

“Ew!” Theo said, falling back. He spit out the water that had just come from Blake’s lungs, then wiped his mouth with he back of his hand, “backwash!”

Blake, suddenly wide awake, eyes huge and ragged, leaned onto his side and continued to wretch water onto the floor.

Alice smiled, relieved. She held the back of Blake’s head and supported him. Blake looked up at Theo, exhausted, barely hanging on, but alive, and awake. Theo couldn’t help it; he was just glad his friend was alive. He swept down and cradled Blake in a tight hug.

“What smells like fish?” he said.