Chapter 18: 2.04

Thera 2.04

A deafening crack rumbled throughout the sheet of ice, splitting the white canvas to reveal deep azure waters hidden beneath. With the magical frost storm having subsided, the frigid air rapidly dissipated as warm winds blew in from beyond the glacial region.

Thera could hear the muted crackle of breaking ice even over a hundred feet beneath the surface. It was actually the reason why she woke up. No— it hadn’t been loud enough to jolt her from her dreams. Instead, the soft thundering sound scared Renatus who threw himself at her in fright.

She reeled back, ready for an ambush, only to find the little Lophis crawling into the edge of her shell. Blinking, she gently pulled him out and asked, “What happened?”

“Gnaaaah…” Renatus whined and pointed upwards.

Raising her head, Thera heard the cracking ice before poking out of the alcove. She watched as a stream of light broke through the white ceiling and weakly reached for the sandy seabed. Motes of salt and frost twinkled in the soft luminescence, and a gentle warmth reassuringly enveloped the baby Mystic Turtle.

“Oh.”

She stared at this sight breathlessly, catching glimpses of small shadows populating the empty water. Schools of fish. Crustaceans and other little critters. The semblance of their swimming silhouettes. Spinning around, she spoke excitedly.

“Renatus! Do you know what this means?”

The little Lophis shrank back. “Gnah?”

“Don’t be scared,” Thera said as she pulled him out of the fringes of her carapace.

“Gnah—” he yelped.

Holding him up, she faced him towards the sun’s shining visage. “It’s finally safe for us to leave.”

And Renatus blinked, uncomprehending. “Gnah…?”

“Come on, your brothers and sisters are getting cold.” Thera released the small fish and turned to the egg sac, still lying in the alcove. “Let’s get out of here.”

* * *

Thanks to Renatus’ help, Thera had been able to rest for the past few days and replenish the mana in her core. The little Lophis took over her job of looking after the egg sac, keeping it warm in the cool waters. Now fully recovered, the Vanima Testudine took off from the seafloor, once again ready to brave the ocean.

She clung onto Mors’ eggs with one flipper, tightly hugging it onto her chest as Renatus sat atop the gelatinous sac and kept it warm with [Radiant Touch]. The water grew clearer the closer she was to the surface as more and more sunlight reached the back of her shell. Looking down once, she saw what was left of the brine pools slowly flaking away, revealing the hundreds of Arctic Electric Eels hidden within.

It was a good thing she left when she did. Those eel-like monsters looked like they were starting to migrate now that the frost at the seabed was evaporating. They would’ve surely found her hiding away in the slanted rock if Renatus hadn’t woken her up. For that, she was grateful.

The baby Mystic Turtle avoided a cluster of brinicles and passed a group of dark-colored fish as they rushed for the sunlight. They huddled en masse around the area where the ice ceiling was cracked— where the water was warmer and crystal-like. For a moment, Thera considered sticking her head out into the surface to get a gasp of fresh air. But the thought quickly vanished as a dark figure leapt through the hole.

[Letus Seal]

The monster snatched up a large green-colored fish, swallowing it in one bite. All the nearby sealife immediately turned to flee at the sight of the large creature. It hungrily spun around, looking for its next meal before pausing at the one thing that hadn’t swam away the moment it arrived.

Thera looked at the lone Letus Seal and remembered her last encounter with one. She had been terribly exhausted, handicapped by the egg sac, and swarmed by dozens of the monsters back then. But now? Now that she was prepared to fight? Now that she was stronger? Now that there was only a single Letus Seal against her?

She didn’t turn tails as the monster rushed her.

“Gnah?” Renatus asked, but she simply answered with a golden glow.

[Indomitable Soul] wrapped around her body, covering the little Lophis and the egg sac with its protection too. The Letus Seal snapped at her with its terrible maw, but she swam down out of the way before it even got close.

It was easy. So easy. [Underwater Maneuverability] let her get behind the monster and sink her beak-like mouth into its back. It grunted as it tried to shake her off. But she bit again and again, ripping apart the top layers of rubbery fat and skin. With a [Mighty Crunch], she crushed its neck and let it sink to the bottom of the ocean.

She watched its corpse fall as she swallowed the bits of meat she’d chomped off. Renatus looked up at her with wide eyes, and she shook her head.

“You won’t be able to eat it. It’s too hard to chew.”

He deflated, groaning sadly. Then there was a splash. A ripple ran through the water as they both turned to face a second Letus Seal diving into the water. It was immediately accompanied by two more Letus Seals. The monsters stared down, watching their kin’s corpses fall to the seabed.

“Stick close to me, Renatus,” Thera said, and the little Lophis hopped onto the shell indent on her neck.

And the three Letus Seals turned their fury towards the baby Mystic Turtle. They charged her, all at once, as she brought a flipper out and wrapped it in an aura blade with [Manifestation of the Heart]. She ducked under the first monster and slashed open its side before bracing herself for the next two.

They struck her from both sides, but she managed to keep herself from being knocked back. Their attacks didn’t break past her protective aura. The first Letus Seal came charging back towards her, but she had expected that.

Her body flashed the moment it drew close. All three Letus Seals were caught in a golden blast that violently shook the water.

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[Essence Explosion]!

The two uninjured Letus Seals managed to barely survive the attack, but the first one— the one that had been cut by Thera beforehand— was killed from the blast. The surviving Letus Seals looked around in a daze as bubbles filled their vision. They searched for their enemy, but they only caught a glimpse of the glowing figure when it cut through the pillar of effervescence surrounding them.

Thera had immediately used [Bubble Conjuration] in succession with [Essence Explosion], trapping them in their confused state. The monsters were badly hurt, and they couldn’t react as she circled around them rapidly with [Hunting Dive]. The already-thrashing water spun with her, discombobulating the Letus Seals even more as she created a small whirlpool.

They backed up against each other, grunting in pain and worry as they lined up for Thera. At that second, she launched herself forward, using the water’s momentum to propel herself faster, and she slashed out with her aura blade. She ripped through both Letus Seals in that single strike, their weakened bodies like paper against her attack.

You have leveled up!

[Vanima Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 16] -> [Vanima Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 17]!

Skill gained: [Minor Maelstrom]

Thera backed away as the Voice of the World resounded. The lapping water calmed, and she let out a bubbly sigh.

“Are you alright, Renatus?” she asked, looking down.

The small fish remained tucked in into her neck as he clung on for his life. He nodded slowly and replied, “Gnah…”

“We should get out of here. Before something even more dangerous shows up—”

Right as the Vanima Testudine said that, there was a loud crack. The cluster of brinicles just up ahead smashed open, breaking the ceiling with it as part of the sheet flipped over and half-sank into the water. Thera stared as dozens of Letus Seals swam around the broken chunks of ice, fleeing a massive figure that barreled after them.

[Horned Orca]

Thera blinked as the giant monster ignored the sinking ice, shrugging them off as they struck her side as if they weren’t even there. The ice, of course, floated back to the surface soon after, but the baby Mystic Turtle didn’t pay attention to that— she was too busy swimming in the other direction.

Unfortunately, they were rapidly catching up. While she could outmaneuver them in close-range, these Letus Seals were still fast, and the Horned Orca was even faster. Glancing back once, Thera decided it was the perfect time to test out her brand new Skill.

[Minor Maelstrom]. Casting this Skill felt different from most of her other Skills. It was similar to [Bubble Conjuration] in that she was manipulating her environment, rather than drawing power from her core.

It was elemental magic. And it created a whirlpool behind her. She left it for the Letus Seals, catching half a dozen of them in it. An offering for the Horned Orca. One which the giant monster gladly took.

It feasted on the captured Letus Seals as Thera continued swimming away, finally leaving the cold waters behind.

* * *

Thera only slowed when she reached warmer waters. When she didn’t see a ceiling of ice expand infinitely overhead. When there were no longer ice spires rising from the seabed in every direction she looked.

She let her [Indomitable Soul] dissipate, knowing that the egg sac no longer needed her warmth or protection. Renatus poked his head out curiously, taking in the vast ocean— finally exploring the sea beyond that little section with the slanted rock.

He didn’t dare venture out of Thera’s shell until a full hour passed where they weren’t attacked. And when he did swim out, he swam within a small radius around the baby Mystic Turtle. He would, however, retreat back to the safety of her shell anytime another fish or crustacean appeared, even in the distance.

Thera didn’t let her guard down whenever another fish swam by, but most of them stayed away from her anyway. They were doing their own thing, and so was she. She pressed on as Renatus continued to curiously orbit her, only halting when she saw a blur in the water up ahead.

“A current.” She remembered when she was carried by a strong current— right after she was born and dropped into the ocean by the winged monster.

When she recounted what happened to Mors, she had explained that it was an ocean current, and following it would eventually the coast of a continent. That meant shallower waters, and possibly, a safe space for Renatus and his siblings to stay.

Nodding apprehensively to herself, she swam for the ocean currents… only to stop as Renatus excitedly perked up.

“Gnah! Gnah! Gnah!” He tugged at her flipper.

“What is it, Renatus?” Thera looked towards the little Lophis.

He swam down to her underbelly and pulled up the egg sac. He could barely lift it, and she helped him bring it up. He pointed emphatically at the gelatinous film as she narrowed her eyes.

“The eggs…” she gasped, seeing the same thing Renatus was seeing.

All the time spent around the brine pools, the eggs had remained mostly inert. Not once had Thera seen them move even a little bit. Before Renatus hatched, she’d almost feared the worst and thought that they all died due to the cold climate.

But now, the instant she left the brine pools and freezing waters behind, once she was away from the saline fog, all at once, the eggs started to tremble. Thera exchanged a glance with Renatus and whispered.

“They’re… hatching.”

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