“Woah…” Jack gasped as they were met with a breathtaking bright vibrant light that illuminated the literal biome around them, the vast glass dome of the Aquaplex efficiently reflecting the light from the outside to shine down on the glittering pools around them.
It was an amazing sight that far surpassed any expectations Jack might have had about this place. Looking around he could see palm-like trees and other flora that made the Aquaplex look like a captivating lush tropical oasis.
It was beautiful.
As Jack stepped forward, he felt the soft sand beneath his toes, and looking down he realised he was on some kind of an artificial beach, where sunbeds were sitting in rows around them with groups of students congregated around, happily relaxing and adding to the pleasant ambience of people having fun without a care, content to enjoy themselves without the stresses and dangers of their insane lives.
Suddenly they were interrupted once again by that same melodic chime that echoed all throughout the Aquaplex, and several people rushed out towards the massive pool right in front of them, which was surrounded on most sides by faux-rock cliffs and tropical plants.
That was the five minute warning! Chiyo informed them.
“Wave pool! Everyone in and where you want to be before it starts!” Alora called out to everyone behind them, and the gang of students wasted no time. With eager faces they quickly made their way over to the massive pool and dipped their toes in the water, with Jack enjoying the relative warmth.
“There’s a big gap over there we can go for!” Alora pointed, quickly pulling out something small from one of her swimsuit pockets, pressing something and allowing the inflatable to quickly enlarge in size. “I don’t want to mess up my hair though!”
“Alora, it’s a waterpark, why the hell are you worried about your hair?” Nika rolled her eyes before fully jumping into a deep bit. “Race you there!”
“You’re on!” Jack grinned as he jumped in too, quickly followed by Sephy.
“For goodness sake, wait up!” Alora huffed as the rubber ring automatically increased in size, using some kind of mechanism to inflate itself.
‘So much for wanting to stick together…’ Jack thought to himself as he swam forward, trying his best to catch up to Nika, with the Kizun being faster than him in the water, with Sephy also managing to pull ahead of him, using her wings to increase her momentum. He assumed that being heavier and larger than the two worked against him in this race, before he sensed a blue form moving effortlessly through the water, quickly overtaking him, Sephy and Nika before stopping at the spot they picked.
I win. Chiyo shrugged with an extremely smug look.
“That’s not swimming and you know it, Chiyo!” Nika told the Ilithii as they caught up.
I believe your exact words were ‘race you there’... The Ilithii chucked. You never said how!
“You can hover through water?” Jack asked, slightly confused. The only time he had ever seen Chiyo move nearly as quickly was when they had to run from the Cult of the Destroyer.
I certainly can! The Ilithii told him. Remember when I told you that my ability to hover works by exerting psionic force on the ground below and around me?
“So…the same principle applies for water,” Jack reasoned. “You can push off it much easier since you’re submerged and that’s why you can move faster!”
That’s right! Chiyo nodded. If a bit simply put. My people’s homeworld is mostly water, so that’s how we evolved that ability in the first place.
“Still cheating though!” Sephy pointed out, causing the Ilithii to cheekily stick her tongue out.
“Oh good, it hasn’t started yet.” Alora panted as she paddled her rubber ring over to them, with Dante grinning as he lay on top of it.
“Nope!” Sephy confirmed. “Um…are you sure it’s a good idea to have an animal that can shoot electricity in the pool? Do we know if he can swim?”
“You’re asking that question now?” Alora rolled her eyes. “He seems happy enough to join us and he can just blink to one of the ledges if he doesn’t like it.”
“Woof!” Dante barked in agreement.
Suddenly a final alarm rang out, and everybody in the pool cheered, while many more from outside began sprinting towards them.
“And so it begins!” Alora grinned.
Jack stayed where he was treading water as he looked ahead to the deepest end of the pool, where some kind of machine was growling at the back wall, causing the water beneath them to swell and churn, quickly sending the first wave towards them, causing a collective thrill that surged through all the excited students as the powerful wave lifted them up as it passed.
Jack stuck close to the others as he began to wonder what the hype was even about, before the subsequent waves came at him more fiercely and intensely to the point where he couldn’t help but whoop and cheer with the other students as the waves waxed and waned, completely caught up in the sheer awesomeness that was going on around them.
Alora had been joined by a few students who had quickly realised that they had bitten off more than they could chew, and were grateful for the support of her inflatable, holding on to the side of it as they recomposed themselves and recovered.
“Last wave’s a big one!” Nika called out to Jack. “Get ready!”
With a deep, thunderous sound, Jack could see the deep end of the pool suck in a large amount of water before rapidly spitting it out, sending a huge tidal wave well over twice his height headed towards them.
“Oh shit!” Jack gasped as he quickly held his breath before being battered by the wave, sending him tumbling for several seconds until he was able to right himself. Looking around he could see the others were alright, and he happily joined in the cheers as the waves began to subside.
“That was awesome!” Sephy grinned. “What are we gonna do next?”
“Hey, Vaal!” Nika yelled out, and Jack looked around to try and spot the Eladra who was chilling out nearby with his fellow Red Legion aspirants. “Cold Plunge Pool!”
“Oh no, not that….” Alora groaned. “Why do you insist on torturing yourself by going through that every time we come here?” Alora questioned.
“Hey, it’s character building!” Nika smirked. “You should give it a go!”
“No way!” Alora emphatically shook her head, joined by Chiyo.
“So this is, what? An ice bath or something?” Jack asked curiously, and saw the others nod.
“Yup! Pretty much!” Sephy perked up at the idea as it seemed to spread amongst their fellow students. “Though most people just jump in and get out as quick as they can!”
“Sounds fun!” Jack grinned as they swam back, following the flow of the crowd that was leaving the wave pool, though several were content to stay and relax in the now-still water. Swimming to the side he could see that there was a subtle ramp that came up the side of the pool Vaal was leading the others up, mostly hidden amongst the foliage that apparently led to where they were going.
Climbing a set of ramps and walkways that revealed even more of the lush indoor rainforest they were walking through, they suddenly found themselves in a small tundra biome, with a few flumes and a food stall that seemed to sell frozen cocktails and cubes of fruit. Looking around Jack could see a few rugged, durable-looking trees and grasses that fit the cold, mountainous aesthetic of this small, tucked-away area at the edge of the Aquaplex. Along one side was the long lip of an ominous-looking pool that emitted a subtle, ghostly mist, hinting at the frozen hell that awaited. There were no seats or places to rest, save for the raised platforms all around that allowed for a quick exit.
All around were hilariously over-the-top warning and danger signs that this pool was not for the faint of heart, but nonetheless several students eagerly approached.
“Alright lads!” Vaal grinned. “Who takes the plunge first? Kritch? You up for it?”
“Hey! No way I’m going first!” The Lizta exclaimed in a panic, backing away.
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“Aaaaare you scared?” Plooderoo thundered out.
“Hell no!” Kritch retorted a little too quickly. “I just need to psyche myself up! Why don’t you go first if you’re so tough!?”
“My heart is already frozen…” The Ploothe began, before being quickly cut off by the groans of many of the other lads around them that had already heard of what the overly romantic Ploo had gone through.
“That’s ultra cringe!” Karzen snorted in amusement, the armadillo-girl shaking her head. “One of us ladies should show you how it’s done, it seems like we’ve got more balls than you guys! Nika! You’re up!”
“What? Why me?” The Kizun exclaimed. “You’re the one that wants to show them how it’s done!”
“Frost should do it!” One of the other students called out. “It’s in his name!”
“Oh for fucks sake…” Jack groaned as the crowd immediately turned on him, causing him to look at the dark depths of the still water that called to him like a siren’s beckoning. “Alright guys, I’ll do it...it can’t be that bad, can it?”
“Jack! You don’t need to feel pressured to do something you don’t want to do!” Alora sighed as she walked up to him. “Peer pressure isn’t-AAAAAAAAA!”
The Eladrie was caught completely off guard as, with an almighty yelp of panic, she was shoved towards the pool. Her arms flailed momentarily, resembling a gymnast executing an impromptu routine, which did nothing to delay the inevitable as Alora plopped into the pool, causing an almighty splash before she quickly surfaced in a series of gasps, screams and flailing around as she sped towards the lip of the pool.
“What?” Sephy grinned guiltily as everyone began laughing. “Someone had to do it!”
“SEPHY YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD!” Alora yelled in a fit of rage as she scrambled up the steps. “YOU RUINED MY HAIR!”
“Oh shit!” The Skritta laughed as she moved away. “Jack! Help!”
“Nope, I’m outta here!” Jack grinned as he jumped in.
“Fuck!” He gasped as his body clammed up like a vice, sending a jolt through his body that squeezed out a gasp from him, and all around him he could sense several others jumping in and having much the same reaction as him!
“Stay in if you’re not a coward!” Vaal spoke up as he clutched at his chest, and Jack closed his eyes and fought through the sudden shock, slowly beginning to get used to the uncomfortable suggestion.
“It’s okay Chiyo, the water’s fine!” Jack grinned, causing the Ilithii to shake her head at him with an exasperated expression.
Honestly I don’t understand why anybody would put their body through so much stress! Chiyo told him. It completely defies logic!
“How will you know if you don’t try?” Jack asked, doing his best to hide his chattering teeth.
No, I’m afraid that you won’t be persuading me to join you on your foolish pissing contest. Chiyo shook her head as Jack chuckled, causing the Ilithii to look around her, paranoid of anyone looking to try and push her in.
“Your loss!” Nika grinned. “Cannonball!”
Jack covered his face as the Kizun made an almighty splash, before almost immediately grabbing onto him in shock like a chimpanzee with her claws, though Jack barely felt any pain from his own numbness.
“Okay, that’s much colder than expected!” Nika finally managed out, still clinging on. “You cool if I stay like this for a bit? You’re kinda warm!”
“I don’t feel like it!” Jack chattered back as Chiyo watched on in amusement, occasionally catching glances of a very angry Alora chasing Sephy as the onlookers cheered on.
“Come on Kritch! In you come!” Vaal called out with a smirk as Zook clutched onto him.
“I'm still hyping myself up!” The Lizta called back with false confidence.
“Dooooo it!” Plooderoo called back, quickly starting a chant.
“We'll do a countdown!” Vaal announced. “3….2…1…”
“Damnit!” Krich cursed as he leapt high, much higher than Jack would have thought possible from the small Lizta, and did a forward flip, making a small splash as the spectators cheered, drowning out his litany of swear words.
“Alright, that's most of the Deathball team in here!” Vaal grinned. “Sephy! You're up!”
“I think that's for the best!” The Skritta panted from somewhere in the distance. “By the gods Alora! You'd make a great Deathballer!”
“Woof!” Dante abruptly barked, deciding to join in the fun as he lept in too with laughter from the others, before immediately regretting the decision and paddling back to safety, showering the nearby bystanders in icy water.
Suddenly Chiyo swiftly hoovered back and over the water as a fleeing Skritta lost her balance and belly flopped face-first into the water, having tried to pull the Ilithii in with her.
“Curses!” Sephy spluttered as she surfaced to raucous laughter from everybody watching.
Serves you right! Chiyo chided from above the water. That's what you get for trying to fool me! Honestly, did you think-NO!
Quickly, before Chiyo could react, Jack grabbed the Ilithii by the ankle and yanked her down into the water.
It was only fair.
After several minutes of a very angry Ilithii hosing Jack with the readily available ice water, Chiyo, Alora and Dante decided to split from the rest of the group in favour of a hot pool, while the rest decided to stay in the cold plunge pool, not wanting to be the first to give up and leave.
Peer pressure was a hell of a thing.
“I think Kritch is starting to break!” Sephy chattered from where she mirrored Nika clutched onto Jack’s other side. “He’s gonna be the first out!“
“Hell no!” Kritch shivered, the smallest among them clearly suffering the most as he swam in circles to try and keep himself warm…
“Oh no…” A voice called out from the edge, and Jack could spot the Squa’Kaar siblings looking on, wearing what looked like wetsuits. “Chiyo told us you were all up here but I had hoped she was joking! That’s really not good for you! You all need to get out!”
“Ain’t no way I’m going to be first out!” Karzen grinned, the armadillo-like xeno jogging on the spot to keep herself active alongside her sister. “No pain, no gain! Come join us!”
“No thank you!” Zayle called back. “We have nothing we need to prove!”
“You’re deathballers now!” Vaal grinned, “Come join the team!”
“I…” Zayle began, before Rayle whispered something into their ear. “Actually, okay give us a moment!” The Squa’Kaar then grinned as Rayle began casting, touching Zayle as an aura of pale green light began to emit from the pair of them, before shrugging and jumping in, barely reacting to the ice cold water.
“I don’t know what you did, but that’s definitely cheating!” Jack grinned.
“A simple spell that allows us to endure harsh elements.” Rayle smiled. “Kritch, would you like me to cast it on you too?”
“No! I can take it!” Kritch retorted with the most false bravado he could muster, while the others chuckled.
“Actually that reminds me,” Karzen spoke up. “Jack, since you’ve got yourself a new plasma rifle, could I borrow your old one?”
“Uh…sure?” Jack asked, confused. “Technically it’s Nika’s, she let me borrow it. Why? Is there a problem with what we’ve got on the wall?”
“Nah it’s not that!” Bentom shrugged. “Remember a few weeks ago when Sepjhy found a few jobs you didn’t want to do because they were too trivial for you?”
“Yeah I remember!” Sephy grinned, adjusting her position. “I told you about the old woman that just wanted some help moving a fridge. We couldn’t go for something like that but I still felt kinda bad about it! All she really needed was someone to be a good neighbour!”
“Yep, so we ended up doing it ourselves!” Karzen grinned. “Didn’t even accept any money for it when she offered, but she basically fed us and promised to tell the members of her bingo club about it. Not too shabby for a few minutes of work!”
“Yeah you told us about that!” Nika grinned from Jack’s other side.
“Yep!” Karzen nodded. “So that got us thinking. What if we started a group to take up these kinds of jobs? Nothing bad or particularly dangerous, but still gets us a bit of cash and maybe even does a little bit of good for those that need it. Hell, it beats working long weekend shifts at a supermarket, and after everything that’s been going on our boss is almost definitely gonna just fire us to save some money the moment corporate gets on his ass.”
“Can’t really blame him though.” Bentom shrugged. “Mr Aziz was happy to take us on in the first place and he’s struggling right now. But doing something like this is a hell of an opportunity when there’s not much else work we could do.”
“So you want to do something similar to what we do?” Nika asked.
“Nothing dangerous or risky,” Zayle emphasised. “Rayle and I think it’s a good idea too! Obeda was also interested when we spoke to him about it!”
“Wait, you guys are in on this too?” Sephy asked.
“Think about it!” Karzen excitedly told them, no longer paying heed to the cold. “You kept telling us about all the crap jobs that you don’t want to take, but what if we took them instead?”
“So like a B-Team?” Nika asked, deep in thought, only for Karzen and Bentom to both scoff dismissively at the analogy.
“Like fuck we’re calling it that!” Bentom told them. “But if you guys have the time, Karzen and I would like you to check out our shooting and form to make sure we’re doing it right. We wouldn’t be actively taking those kinds of jobs, but the city is pretty dangerous so we should probably train for it, especially if we’re hired on to provide some security or go further afield on a scavenging trip.”
“Sounds like you’re pretty set on it.” Jack nodded in approval. “Are you sure something like that is financially sustainable?”
“We haven’t really done anything yet,” Rayle informed them, swimming close to Kritch, who was desperately trying to keep himself warm. “Karzen said we should do a trial for a few weeks.”
“Yep! We’ll check to see if it works, we basically just wanted to ask you if we could borrow some of your unused kit, and if you’d be cool referring a few of your job offers over to us after helping us practise for it,” Karzen confirmed with a winning smile.
“Sure.” Nika shrugged. “That might work out well. I wouldn’t be comfortable just sending jobs your way without knowing your capabilities, but you’re approaching this with the right attitude.”
“That’s fine.” Bentom nodded. “All of us have been out together on scavenging missions for the homestead, but Jack’s paranoia has definitely been rubbing off on us! We want to be careful, especially when we’re leading these missions! Thanks!”
“No problem.” Nika grinned. “We can deal with that later. Right now I wanna go for the wild water rapids…when we’re done here of course. I’m not leaving first.”
“I don’t suppose we can order a few hot drinks here or something?” Jack asked with a grin. “Maybe a pizza or two?”
“Might not be a bad idea!” Kritch grinned nervously.
“I think we’re gonna be here a while!”