Aquata Cove Ch. 85

"Brother..." Savarna cried, "I am scared..."

"Sister..." Merrick turned and held her in his arms, one hand still holding his harpoon, and the other scratched slightly from Brishen's invention. "I am sorry..."

"Brother... Brother...!" Savarna clutches onto him as she sobs freely, terrified beyond belief, feeling the eels press further on them.

"Hnnnhh!" Umiato's crystal cages break in bigger chunks, unable to keep them together. She's used up to much of her power destroying the eels to keep up this many protective spheres. Her eyes open, and gasps lightly as she sees the auras of her children far to the right. She reaches her hand out, and let out several weak orbs down to them.

Kaiken looks, seeing his wife pushing more of her power to a cluster of eels circling each other, before his eyes catch a glimpse of Merrick and Savarna, "No...!" He swims forward, before both of his arms were bit into by a pair of jaws, "Nooo!" He kicks his tail harshly, pushing through very slowly. His stomach sinks as he realizes he will never make it in time.

Umiato's eyes flow with tears as the orbs grow more and more faint, seeing the life forces of the Adras. She can make out Merrick's form hugging Savarna, and herself holding onto him in turn.

"My children..." Umiato says weakly, blinking, and for that moment, sees a small merman, holding a very short trident, with his little arms holding a tiny mermaid, crying into him, before she blinks, and sees them as they are, "My babies..."

Arnaav looks with terror as he looks at the massive horde, "No..." The mighty fish Triton who once cursed him, and then pried him free of the eel's mouth is now fighting with sheer force just to move, "No..." The eels are beginning to overwhelm Razirah Ebba and the other merfolk hiding there, the scouts and the meryins cowering in fear as Capricorns are unable to deter them any longer. "No..." Vanora is turning to avoid the incoming tackles, one by one. "No..." Merrick can no longer be seen, or his sister. The trench keeps flaring with more eels. "No..."

Umiato breaks, and her ice formations break apart completely, unable to hold them any longer.

Arnaav's eyes dilate as something huge pushes in his gut. His throat closes as his head reflexes down, before his spine erects, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!"

His high-pitched voice echoes loudly into the ocean, crying out a very young roar that shakes every living thing.

DNNNNNNN

"NOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Arnaav cries out, his insides going on fire as he strains himself, unable to control anything, really.

"WhhhhhLLLLLLLLLL!" A low, loud whine sounds from the vast depths.

"What!" Kaiken looks as the teeth suddenly release his arms. The Nalcious eels are now in a whole different frenzy as the young voice keeps a thorough call. His eyes see a huge mass rotating in the distance, before also noting the water as well as bits and pieces and carnage are moving deliberately away. "One of the Guardians! Which one?!" He looked around, signaling to locate the sources of the call, before he locked onto the young otter boy. "Him! He is a Triton?!"

"NOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Arnaav calls again, before doubling over onto the rock, coughing and hacking violently. His insides are still in agony.

"WHHHLLLLLLLLL! UUUUUUUUMMMMMMGGGGGG!" Comes another mighty song from the deep.

The eels swim all around, now no longer interested in the merfolk as a great gravitational pull was instilled into the area.

Umiato undulates weakly, moaning until Nerissa races beside her. Tucking one of Umiato's arms over her head, the two mermaids swim lower to the others.

"Guardian Charybdis...!" Vanora said as she looks into the developing vortex. "I... I still have power left!" She looks to the trench were the eels are spawning. She growls melodiously as every single fin on her body flares up. Swimming over to the gap of eels, Vanora's spines now begins to shoot shining yellow bullets all around her. The shots race and scatter, her pin-point accuracy spotting every single eel in sight, even those trying to escape.

The bullets of poison pierce into their targets, quickly paralyzing the eels before falling to the rising current of the whirlpool.

"Brother!" Savarna shouted. Merrick gasped as he looks up from her shoulder, and sees a large, whale-like creature spinning in the far distance, at the end of a growing whirlpool. He also notices all of the eels being drawn in, helplessly struggling in the spiraling drain.

"This is not good." Merrick said. "We are too close!" He then holds her tighter, and starts to kick his tail as hard as he can!

Kaiken stabs the stand with his trident, looking over his shoulder, feeling his own muscle-heavy body being pulled. "Why is it trying to swallow us?!" He pondered aloud. He spots Arnaav on the high rock, clutching for dear life. "Grrrggghhh! He has not tempered his command! HUNTERS!!" He called out, "Collect the others! Hurry to the Coshitons!!"

With that, he leaves his trident firmly mounted and immobile, before whipping like a bolt. The faster of the hunters race and dart about to gather who ever is left. Even with the distance put between them and Charybdis, they are still needing to swim constantly to not be sucked in.

Samudra grunts as he tries to push himself up, his body still wracked with pain, feeling himself drift backwards, until Brishen tucks one of his arms over his head, as does a few other Navyns until they are able to carry the heavy turtle Triton.

Umiato closes her eyes as she gathers her remaining energy, "Hnnhhh... Annhh!" Her light shines as she casts a large, sparkling coral branch of ice! Her graceful power reaches and twirls itself, reaching out and wide, just when several merfolk gave in to exhaustion, and landed right into the crystal structure.

"Son?? Daughter??" Umiato called out to the others, her eyes sifting through the many auras, "I cannot see them!" She turns around, and gasps as she sees them.

Merrick growls and grunts as his tail starts to burn with fatigue, flapping his fins as hard as he can, but is fighting a losing battle. Savarna holds on to him as she too kicks her tail hard, both of them moving backward as the many eels, both dead and alive, spiral down the vortex. Finally, the blood and the creatures are clearing away.

"No!" Umiato then kicks her tail fast.

"Umiato!!" Kaiken called after her. The white frost magic connects Umiato's body with the diamond net pulls her down a little. She reaches out her hand, and sends an orb of light towards the two of them.

"Get the rest, Kaiken!" Umiato called back, indicated the last few merfolk remaining, trying to fight the current. Kaiken growls as he then jets forth towards a straggling seahorse mermaid.

"No... No!" Merrick swims as hard as he can, holding his sister close as they fight the barrage of the current.

"Brother! Look!" Savarna yells. Merrick looks, and immediately spots his mother, coming for them, reaching out for them. Merrick immediately swerves to the side to align with Umiato's approach.

"Sister!" Merrick shouted. Savarna stretched out her arm, and sends her own trail of icy power towards the Noita.

'I am too far...' Umiato lamented, her eyes seeping with white mist, 'I... I will not reach them...'

Kaiken tucks the last merman into the crystal coral, and looks up. Kaiken snarls as Arnaav remains on that upper rock, still doing nothing. Kaiken kicks his tail, and whips at high speeds to the baby otter, his fins cutting through the water as he shoots like a dark blue arrow, jolting sideways, right before taking to the rock.

"Ahghghghghghg!" Arnaav sobs uncontrollably, hold his little arms onto the rock, and pushing his face to the surface. He just wants it all to stop, he's so scared, and he still feels sick.

Suddenly, Kaiken's strong arms land onto the rock, "Call it off! NOW!"

"Ahghghghgh! Ghaallhhh!"

"Stop crying, Amnien! You summoned, but you did not guide the Guardian, and now it will swallow us all if you do nothing!"

"I-I do not know what to doooo!" Arnaav cried out, "Make it all stop! Just make it stop!"

"I CANNOT!" Kaiken braced himself as another sweep comes over him, as the whirlpool gets stronger, "Guardian Charybdis will obey no one else! You must tell it to stop!"

"I cannot! I do not know how!" Arnaav sobbed, "My body is hurting so much!"

"You have to! Did you Father teach you nothing?!" Kaiken shouted. The otter cried as he struggles, his eyes clenching as he holds on, "Without a guide, a Guardian will keep fighting for an entire moon! If you do nothing, we all will perish!"

"Wha-What do I dooo?!" Arnaav asked desperately, "AEEEHHH!" He screams as he looses his footing, flying off, but not before Kaiken grabs his leg, and pulls him back down.

"You must call out to it! Roar as loud as it can! It must hear you!!" Kaiken gasps as he can see Merrick and Savarna, barely inches from the depths of the whirlpool, "CALL IT OFF NOW!" Kaiken holds Arnaav in place.

The poor otter pants and cries as he looks to the spinning mass, hyperventilating as doubts and fear claw at his head.

"DO NOT QUESTION ITS OBEDIENCE!" Kaiken yelled, the noise everywhere getting louder, "IT WILL DO AS YOU COMMAND!!"

Arnaav coughs, gagging with emotion, before he looks at the massive creature and the spiraling wall of water. "Haahh... AHhhhkkkkhh! STOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"

His voice releases a young roar, echoing once again across the immediate sea.

"WIIIILLLLHHHHHH!" Charybdis whines right back out.

-KWAAAKK-

A loud, and forceful shockwave erupts from the whirlpool! Kaiken gasps as he looks to see Umiato's ice coral shatter into pieces, and everyone forced forward, with the initial whirlpool having been eased down by a lot, but still with so much force remaining.

Charybdis, an enormous, dark purple whale titan, bigger than a Blue Whale, slows its spin, its four huge flippers twirling with its body as it closes its colossal mouth. Water propels its revesred spinning from its 70 blowholes all around its body as it gains speed again, expelling a different current to undo its previous vortex.

-KWAAAKK-

Another shockwave sounds from inside Charybdis, striking the vast area with a sound assault to further stun the water from any further movement. "AAaaauuuuuullllllllll..." It sounded deeply as its calm eyes look up, as if waiting for further instructions.

Arnaav's gagging and coughing breaks what silence there is, his throat sore beyond belief, as well as his insides feeling horribly sick, as he is still recovering.

"Amnien." Kaiken said softly, "Amnien..." He puts a hand onto Arnaav's shoulder as he jerks and chokes, before a mermaid swims up to them, another Amnien, but larger with shells all around her body. Ebba picks up Arnaav, giving Kaiken an estranged look. Arnaav tucks his arms around her before she turns, and swims down.

"Umiato." Kaiken jets up, and dives down, looking at the scattered merfolk, "Umiato?!" He calls out. "UMIATO!!" He whips around, his keen eyes searching desperately for his wife, son and daughter. He bolts at high speed, looking all around, signaling erratically.

"UMI-" He stops, finally finding her, in view in front of Charybdis.

Umiato cries constantly, her face tucked between two other faces, and her arms holding very tightly to Merrick and Savarna, her veils and tail swaying as she holds them tight. Merrick huffs as he holds his mother, as does Savarna, trying in vain not to cry too.

"I almost lost you again," Umiato wept as she holds her children, "I almost lost you both again..." She sobs as she hugs them tighter.

Kaiken comes up to them, and looks sadly onto the three of them. He's already felt a great loss a few times... To feel the possibility of it all over again... "Sea Mother bless us..."

He puts his hands onto Savarna and Merrick, his insides quivering as he comes closer, bowing his head onto Umiato's, his strong arms moving onto his two children.