‘Listen old man. My friend and I are here for a day on the beach. You can choose somewhere else to search for your junk, don’t use it as an excuse to stare at teenage girls. You’re sick. A pervert. We don’t need or want you here. Get out of here or I’ll…’ stated Laci.

Carissa had exited the small tent after she had checked over her belongings, out of a sense of reassurance she had grabbed her favourite shark tooth necklace. An impulse she wasn’t even aware of deep down has made her take it. As she fastened it around her neck, she observed her summer friend arguing with the man who was a beachcomber.

Taking in the sight of him, he wore relatively nicer clothing considering they were on the beach. She had been expecting a man dressed in old, worn-out clothes or lower-end quality products. He was around her own height, wearing a pair of grey tight khaki trousers with a white shirt sleeve shirt with several buttons undone. One his face a pair of sunglasses and a trimmed beard.

On his back he had a canvas bag with several scanning devices which Carissa recognised from her parents’ colleagues. He looked more like an off-duty scientist than a beach comber and was holding both hands up and taking several steps back towards the shoreline and the waiting waves.

‘Ouch, I’m old yeah but not that old. I’m not here to chat you up or cause any issues young ladies. Is that offensive to say? I’m a little old. I saw the tent parked here and was curious as to whose it was. Besides, I just need to say something. Several words and I’m out of here and you two can enjoy your day at the beach. Say, don’t both of you think it’s quiet today? I mean this is pretty early but you’d think more people would turn up during a lovely summer day like this.’ said the man.

‘Take another step back. Hands up and take another step back.’ said Laci.

She had reached inside her backpack and pulled out a spray and an alarm from what Carissa could make out.

‘Carissa. Stay by the tent. Don’t move away, you don’t need to listen to him talk. I can make him leave and we can stay here. I’ve got enough tasty food, snacks, plenty of water and enough sun cream we can last out here until sundown.’ said Laci.

‘...Laci? You never call me Carissa. Do you know this man?’ queried Carissa.

Laci stood still, one hand loosening her backpack as she let it drop to the sand beside the tent.

‘Rissa. You deserve a single day of happiness. A single dry day of happiness. Please. You don’t need to talk to him. You can stay here with me. Please.’ said Laci as she held one hand out towards Carissa.

Her slim frame shook as she shook her head. The sensation of being watched came over Carissa again as in the distant horizon a storm brewed, grey clouds far in the distance gave out rumbling thunder.

The man sighed and kept his hands up in the air.

‘They found me. Yanh. Stay out of this. I don’t interfere in your business so back off. All of you owe me...and I sound like a crazy person talking to myself with my hands in the air. Hey ladies, how about this? I back off even more and Lady C answers a single question of mine. Nothing personal, nothing perverted or rude but it might sound like that. Please. Laci. You know what you are don’t you? I’m so sorry, you shouldn’t have gained awareness like this but I had to interfere. We don’t have time. You’re her friend, one of the few she made and Carissa? I never looked. I promise you that I never looked. I’m guessing from what I can see right here and right now. I’m backing off. We’re all good.’ said the man.

‘I know you. Your voice. I know your voice.’ murmured Carissa. She brought one hand to her shark tooth necklace, fingers playing with the sharp edges.

‘I really, really should not have done this but I’m getting desperate. They’re going to find you and Grumera wants you dead. The eternal aged beauty wants her wrath sated. Fed to the sea beasts outside the temple which is basically the same thing. None of this is going to make sense to you. Didn’t Mike explain anything about this? Forget it. We don’t have time. Laci, as a construct and her friend you care about Rissa here, don’t you? I stopped them from bringing you entirely to this world but we took a minor copy.’ said the man.

Storm clouds on the distant horizon began to darken even further and three words came unbidden into Carissa’s mind.

‘Ocean. Gateway. System. What does that even mean?’ queried Carissa.

She had never noticed the sheer emptiness of the beach, the lack of everyone else on what should have been a bright sunny summer’s day. The skies above turned cloudy as the warmth of the sun was blocked out and the tides which had been receding began to draw back in towards the shore.

A storm was beginning to brew and her and Laci would be soaked entirely through.

Their special day out, one of the last times she had been in contact with her summer friend at the age of fifteen who had chosen to befriend a single girl sitting by herself outside a shop gently crying to herself.

On the waters of the beach, where the waves were beginning to rise and fall and the wind increased Carissa was sure that she saw a man on the waves. Standing impossibly on the very top of each wave as it crashed down. Watching them. Even from the distance Carissa knew he had been the very presence who had been watching her and Laci the entire time.

‘Impossible.’ said Carissa.

The man with the grey khakis and white shirt sleeve shirt along with the canvas bag swung from one shoulder and his electronic equipment was standing deeper in the water on the shore now. He either didn’t notice the waters reaching up to his waist or he didn’t care but he raised his voice now to shout his question at Carissa.

‘WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? WHY HAVEN’T YOU LOOKED DOWN AT YOURSELF TO SEE WHAT YOU’RE WEARING?’

Laci stepped in front of Carissa. A tear rolling down one cheek as she turned her back to the man and the shore and held both of Carissa’s hands squeezing them tight.

‘I never knew why you didn’t come back the next day. I waited at the entrance. I asked so many people if they’d seen you, a beautiful, intelligent and wonderful girl who became my amazing friend over a few days and then left from my life. I never knew until now. I’m sorry Carissa, it must hurt you so much.’ said Laci as she lunged forward and grabbed Carissa into a tight hug.

Her hot breath on Carissa’s ear as she whispered.

‘Dry them out Carissa. They deserve it. Don’t forget Liam. Time’s up. I’m glad we met together again. Find me Carissa. Find me again on Terrus.’

The oncoming storm began to become louder as thunder resounded throughout the skies and over the shoulder of Laci Carissa was barely able to make out the figure of the man who had told them shirt. He was waving a hand as the tides continued to rise far above his head and then he vanished beneath one as it crashed over him.

Carissa put her arms around Laci to return the close hug when she finally noticed her body, it was covered in a grey skin suit which she hadn’t remembered wearing.

Not on that day.

Her body stretched and altered as a pain inside her grew, her teeth lengthened and sharpened as Carissa became an adult holding the teenage girl whose form softened and turned into water. The figure of Laci in the same posture hugging Carissa held for a moment before she fell apart and splashed Carissa’s bare feet on the sandy beach.

‘No. No. Laci? LACI? This isn’t funny, where are you, Laci?’ stumbled out Carissa.

The storm grew larger as waves metres high rose on the edge of the shore and approached before crashing down across the entire beach. The last thing Carissa heard was the sound of rushing water approaching, thunder in the skies above and her own fading screams as she lost consciousness.

[Ocean Gateway System Deep Scan Complete

Memory Correction in Place.

-Player Candidate Designate: Carissa prepared for Temporary Depths.

The Ocean Gods welcome you Player-Candidate. Wake Up. Stop your beautiful dream. Wake Up.]

A hand held her down. Pinning her shoulder to the floor. Another one covered her mouth but removed itself as soon as she sucked in a breath of fresh air.

Her hair was wet and a strong smell of salt lingered on her grey suit. Her eyes closed as tight as she could make them given her last image of her friend as a teenager turning into a human shape made of water before a huge tidal wave collapsed on top of her.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Gasping in another deep breath of air into her lungs a voice called to her. This one she knew. Her hands clenched by her sides as she recalled the violence, he had visited upon her and then the hospitality he had shown later.

The duality of his personality had confused her but, on this world, in this place perhaps he had shown her the most kindness and understanding for survival.

There was a rush of sound around her as she regained consciousness, a cacophony of conversation and people hurriedly talking passed through her senses. The area that she was in was far more crowded than she had initially expected.

The sound of so many people conversing almost drowned out the tightness within her own chest and the ache of her healing body.

Whatever walking through the gate had done it was akin to a reinforcement of her waking up underwater. Carissa knew her limbs were weaker and her implants and genetics had both been tampered with yet again and her own physical strength and traits limited once more before she had a chance to adapt.

Taking in her own body, she wore the same grey suit with her bonded bag resting on her stomach. She looped an arm through it to avoid it falling onto the floor. Her shark tooth necklace wasn’t exposed but lay under her suit next to her bare skin around her neck.

For the first time since she was fifteen Carissa didn’t feel an urge to hold it tightly, to push it through the surface of her skin and draw blood. Part of her was relieved while another was humiliated and shocked at the intrusion into her mind, her soul. Entering through that doorway had removed a weight from her.

Reaching up to her neck she willed the suit to release and then dropped it into her bonded spatial bag quickly before she sealed it. She was both thankful and full of hate. There were no quick fixes for the human brain and despite an alteration being made she wasn’t clear what damage had been done. Still, this wasn’t the time for her to consider it.

‘You need to let the lady go.’ came another voice. This one was far more threatening with a far more subtle undertone of direct violence if action was taken.

‘And you need to shut up, you stupid bludger. She doesn’t need a white knight in shiny armour to come and save her so be a good little fresh water born and piss off. Do you know who I am? Ask your minder who saved you from becoming shark bait and then come back to me and challenge me again. Even the Drowned Gods know my name so do me a favour and piss off. Mate.’ came the voice of Mike.

‘No, I’m not going to back down. You’re hurting her. You need to let the lady stand on her own two feet and then we can discuss this directly just you and me. Aussie.’ said the male voice.

Mike spoke directly to Carissa.

‘Listen Lady C. You had a bad one, I’m not able to explain it right now but if we pretend that it was a seriously bad acid trip or a nightmare. The worst nightmare of your life but it’s over and done with. I need you to get up and shake it off. Mr White Knight who thinks he can save a pretty lady over there is going to be the least of our concerns if you don’t get moving. Hey kid, you called me an Aussie? You from Earth? Who told you about me?’ said Mike.

‘Avalon. I hail from the shores of Holy Avalon.’ said the voice.

‘The Lady wants to stand up. As you’re feeling so concerned about me hurting her or causing upset Mr Knight then you can give some real assistance and put one hand under her other arm and we can lift her up. She had a bad experience going through the gateway, guess she didn’t have any good memories to live through after all. Either help or piss off. And kid, you call me an Aussie again and I’ll shove your teeth back to Holy Avalon express freight.’ said Mike.

One of his tanned arms slipped under Carissa’s armpit lifting her as another hand ever so gently supported the back of her head with such tenderness which she wouldn’t have believed Mike capable of.

Another hand, gloved this time like her own grey suit along with a young man with platinum white hair, with a compact build in his late teenage years came into her field of vision slipped underneath her other armpit taking on her weight.

Before she was able to take in more, she experienced another wave of nausea wash over her head and the nightmare which had woken up began to force itself back into her memories. Her recollections were thankfully interrupted by the young man.

‘Knights of Avalon save those who need rescuing from the sea demons. I will assist those in need without recourse.’ said the young man.

‘One, two, three and lift.’ said Mike as Carissa was first pulled up into a sitting position and both men lifted her up onto her feet. The young man released his grip and took several steps back before nodding his head at both Carissa and Mike before he gestured in her direction.

‘Does the lady need provisions? Her equipment is clearly missing aside from her bag. We were told the trials will begin shortly after an introduction from the Gods themselves. I am keen to assist if needed.’ said the young man.

Carissa still slightly unsteady on her feet took in the young man. He was wearing the same grey style suit. At his hip was a looped belt and a hilt with a single sword with a bag hanging loosely tied on the opposite side of his hip. It didn’t make sense to her how the sword wasn’t being restricted inside the bag but likely it had its own limitations on usage.

The room around them was large enough to fit hundreds but was bare aside from sea blue marble walls and flooring. The ceiling was high enough that she was able to sense the sheer vastness of this place. There was lighting but she wasn’t clear on how it worked inside the room, the cleanliness of the surfaces was surprising to her as though it had been freshly polished before their arrival.

Carissa smiled at the man politely keeping her mouth closed and tilting her had to the side before she dipped her head marginally in thanks.

His face showed little change in expression despite his apparent politeness. No anger, no sense of friendliness just a general appearance of being on his guard.

Mike intervened before Carissa could talk pulling Carissa harder onto her feet and then squeezing her lower arm before he released her and took his own steady posture. He nodded back to the young man before giving him a once over and focusing his gaze into the near distance.

‘Thanks for the assist kid. Now, you just go and pop back to your own minder and tell them Mike said thanks. I’m not going to owe you a favour for this minor assist but I’ll give you a piece of advice which I give to everyone. Focus on your own needs and wants. Feel free to trust whomever you want as long as you’re prepared to pay the price. I’d also recommend forming a party as soon as you can to get past this stage. Carissa here can say her own piece so I’m going to shut up now and let her talk by herself. She deserves more respect than this. I need to find Chas, Sherry and our other two fresh candidates to give them a brief run down before the main event starts.’ said Mike.

‘The Lady did not talk...I would prefer to respect her wishes but I will listen.’ said the young man with a frown forming on his face.

Leaning in towards Carissa he whispered in her ear.

‘I’m not going to be stupid enough to tell you what to do and how to behave but you’d be better served waiting with us a group for a little longer. I know Bonnie and Direk have their own issues but at least they sat down for a meal with you. This one isn’t trouble but he’s worse. An eternal optimist.’

Carissa adapted her own pose and smile and surprised Mike by giving him a tight hug using her own strength to pull him in as hard as she could before she whispered in his ear.

‘You ever try to grab my body again and I’ll bite your ear off. And thanks for the support. I’ll stay right here and do my own part until you return with Chas and Sherry. I appreciate your help.’

A grin broke out on Mike’s face unbidden, his tanned skin creasing as wrinkles formed on his face.

‘Thank for the offer...Knight of Avalon, was it? But I’m clearly fine as you can see. Try and survive at least and we might see each other again.’ said Carissa.

She wasn’t clear exactly why Mike was so hostile to the young man who had good intent but she had little reason to trust easily inside this place. Even those who were her allies like Mike were erratic as best and hostile or broken in the case of Bonnie and Direk. Carissa missed neither of their company.

‘We’re done here. Carissa remembers what I said about a group. Failing that, this young idiot could come in handy but remember that you barely know him. Don’t fall for one of the handsome ones by mistake. I wish I’d learnt that lesson during my own time this early in the game.’ said Mike.

He and put an arm around the shoulder of the young man walked with him towards a nearby small group of people dressed in grey suits while making gestures with one hand and then removing his arm and giving the young man a shove on the back before he walked off.

Carissa lost track of his movements swiftly as Mike increased his speed and approached a larger group fifty metres away. Drawing her gaze away him Carissa took stock for a moment.

Holding herself steady Carissa took in a deep breath and attempted to rationally consider the situation.

She had experienced a memory, one of her best ones when she was a teenager with her best friend of several days Laci before they had been interrupted by two figures and an oncoming storm and beach tidal waves.

Questions.

Always questions and little answers.

I hate them.

Mike had suggested that she wait for the rest of the group to come to her so she would do that. A chance to stop and pretend that she was in a social event would allow her to settle her own emotions a little.

Carissa stopped and took in the grey suited figures surrounding her resisting the urge to grab onto her own shark tooth necklace. The reassuring sensation would have to wait until she was in a more private setting. Nobody paid her any attention as she forced herself to stand with confidence and adapted a bored expression on her face.

She never noticed the sudden appearance of the armed guards inside the room who appeared in the corners without noise or reaction from the waiting grey suited crowds. A message made of water appeared in front of her eyes distracting her attention as it did every other individual waiting inside the room.

The sea blue marble flooring and walls flickered with softly glowing lights for the barest seconds before Carissa was able to internalise the message rather than use her eyes.

[Player-Candidate Number 5428119402.

The Ocean Gods request all weapons put into storage bags.

Prepare for the arrival of the Drowned Ones.

Congratulations all Candidates for making it to a Deep Temple.

-All usage of weapons and direct provocation of fellow candidates is temporarily banned.]