A tide of water poured out from Finn, crashing outwards in all directions. Simon, Mina, Lawrence and Dianna braced themselves against the torrent. The overwhelming waves battered at the four of them, threatening to launch them off of their feet entirely.

Strength Check: 16

Simon passes.

Mina, Lawrence and Dianna fail.

Mina, Lawrence and Dianna flew backwards and thudded against the wall with great force, taken clear off their feet by the force of the waves. Simon stood stalwart against the force of the water, bracing himself with his halberd against the water’s power.

But the spell was not yet finished. More and more water continued to pour out, surging and surging as gallons upon gallons poured out The water level of within the captain’s chamber rose rapidly, quickly rising past Simon’s waist, then past his shoulders, and then Simon and the others were forced to quickly inhale as much air as they could as they realized the inevitable eclipse of water above their heads.

Within a mater of moments, the entire room had filled with water. But that was not all- under the water, the scenery of the environment had changed. Underwater, the four found themselves isolated in a desolate rocky landscape, where no life roamed. Their only illumination was the hydrothermal vents that dotted the surroundings, providing a dull red light that barely provided enough light to see the whole of the locale. The walls of the room were nowhere to be found, leaving only the vast expanse of the ocean floor.

Simon glanced behind him at his three companions, who were slouched against the wall. The three of them still felt the walls of the room against their backs, confirming that the landscape- or at least the boundaries of it- were an illusion. But despite that, the crushing weight of the water, their inability to breathe, and the sluggishness with which they moved were no illusion.

Simon’s Soldier of Fortune

Simon felt heavy, as though his legs might give away at any second. He could barely stand beneath the pressure of the water, much less step forward. He took the risk, and attempted to raise his right leg up to step out and move, but the moment he did he felt himself nearly buckle and fall onto his face.

“Don’t try to walk!” Lawrence yelled. The other three had completely forgotten that he, like Finn, could completely breathe underwater, and was at no disadvantage here. “You’re underwater now!” he continued. “You need to swim!”

Simon nodded, and let the waves push him down onto his stomach. His armor weighed him down, preventing him from floating, and even without his armor the water pressure would still beat out his body’s natural buoyancy. But that didn’t matter. Bit by bit, Simon kicked his feet, sliding across the ground barely a few inches off the rocks below. It took everything he had, but he swam right up in front of Finn, who was only a few feet away to begin with. Once there, he tucked his legs under him, and kicked down to bring himself back up to a stand, brandishing his halberd as if what he did wasn’t utterly uncool.

Dianna felt the weight of the water upon her, but was not burdened by armor the way Simon was. Regardless, from her current distance, there was not much she could do.

Dianna casts Slipstream

An advanced spell that causes the body to partially phase into ether-matter, allowing complete freedom of movement from restraints and slows that are purely physical.

Dianna’s body became slightly translucent, and she easily strode forwards towards Finn. She stood next to Simon, doing her best not to mock him for the difference in adversity the two of them faced in reaching their target.

Mina gathered herself, feeling panic well up in her chest as she feared a death by drowning. She considered her options, and decided it best to prioritize her own survival before taking any aggressive actions.

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Mina casts Aspect of the Salmon

An advanced spell that modifies the body, granting the user the ability to breathe water via gills as well as the means to propel itself through water via fins.

Mina darted forwards and outwards, moving until she felt the left wall of the room, and settling there. She withdrew her bow, though she was unsure of exactly how useful it’d be in this situation, and readied an arrow aimed at Finn.

Lawrence swam to the opposite side of Mina, seeing her fear and mistaking it for tactics, so that now the two of them were on opposite sides of Finn. With Simon and Dianna directly ahead of Finn, Lawrence figured now was a good time to ensure that all of Finn’s sides were covered.

Lawrence casts Baleen Bruiser

A massive humanoid whale appeared behind Finn, and immediately threw a haymaker punch right at his right temple.

Finn casts Frost Counter

An advanced spell usable only underwater, this spell causes a wave of frost to shoot outwards, creating a trail of ice that freezes anything in its path.

A crackling lash of ice spiraled out from Finn, and passed right through the whale’s arm. In that same instant, the whale’s arm froze entirely up to the elbow, forming a singular sculpture of ice that stretched outwards from Finn and past its arm.

Finn shook his head.

“Really now?” he mocked. “That’s the best you all got? You come in here, talking hot shit, and the moment you get a little wet now you don’t know what to do? Pathetic.”

“What’s pathetic is having to rely on some bullshit crutch spell to kill your opponents by drowning them!” Lawrence shouted back. “What’re you gonna do now that two of us can breathe water, huh?”

Finn laughed heartily, in a manner that was sickening and chilling at once. “You think this is all I can do? You think I’m the type of guy to wait out your worthless lungs? I’m not that patient.”

Finn casts Kraken

A supreme spell that calls forth a mythical giant squid.

Above Finn, above Simon, above Dianna, above the Bruiser- even above Mina and Lawrence, for its breadth was so great that its tentacles were tightly coiled and still pressed against the walls, appeared a squid of indescribable proportions. Its skin a hideous oily black, its beak red and crooked, its tentacles ending in sharp talons- this was a monster Finn had prayed he would never see again.

The ten tentacles of the squid spiraled outwards from beneath is body. Two of them each shot towards a different target, and each one was massive enough and lined with enough talons to rip each of them in half.

Dianna casts Shadow Form

An advanced spell that fully phases the body into ether-matter, preventing physical attacks from connecting. However, in this state magic resistance is greatly reduced, as is the body’s toughness, rendering any magical attack potentially lethal. Additionally, the body’s state as ether-matter prevents outgoing attacks from making physical contact as well, effectively nullifying nonmagical attacks the user makes for the duration of the spell.

Mina casts Wall of Wood

A basic spell that causes plant matter to grow from nearby surfaces by quickly sowing and growing seeds, creating a physical barrier.

Lawrence casts Seashell Shielder

An advanced spell that summons a shell-bearing mollusk directly in front of the caster, whose sturdy shell wards off most attacks.

Simon glanced over at the shadowed Dianna, and nodded to himself.

Simon casts Counter Helix

A basic spell that repels attacks with a spiraling attack of one’s own. The spell improves the speed of one’s attack greatly, ensuring the user’s attack hits first.

The tentacles descended upon each of the heroes, primed to rip them to shreds. In a storm of blubber and blood, the Bruiser was reduced to a pile of gore and a pair of legs, and quickly faded away into water. The tentacles passed harmlessly through Dianna’s body, as did Simon’s halberd as the spiraling attack cleaved through the tentacles and through Finn. The speed of the attack surprised the Morro, who could barely maneuver out of the way in time, suffering a mild gash across his stomach. Three of the kraken’s tentacles- the two directed at Simon, as well as one directed at Dianna which was struck as collateral, were split apart, severed from the body. The kraken wailed in pain, but could do nothing but nurse its wounds. The tentacles struck the Shielder, and though the sharp talons dug into and cracked the mollusk’s shell, they gained no purchase and scraped across the face of the shell harmlessly. Mina’s barricade was ripped to pulpy shreds, but she remained unscathed, if not a little frightened.

“Not bad moves,” Finn cooed between grit teeth. “But anyone can dodge attacks while they still have spells. What’s your plan when you run out?”

Finn grinned as he tracked the magic left in each of their bodies. From his experience in battle, he could guess that each of them were at about half their capacity- and unfortunately, he was right. Mina, Lawrence and Dianna could each cast only four spells a day, and Simon could only cast two. They didn’t have a lot of time left.