Prismatic

Current

We plunged into the deep blue. Bry casted a protective bubble moments before impact. We were slowly descending and I could see a city of coral and stone. There were a lot of different species of life that I have never seen before. Not like I’ve been fishing or anything. I marveled at the creatures of the ocean. Among others, there were schools of small whale-like creatures about the size of a step. They swam gracefully with an ocean green dance. There were transparent ones that emitted a rainbow of gems. They had nothing inside of them except for the lights. They were double the size of the school of whale-like creatures. A big group of feathered ones also came into play. They were triple the size of the transparent creatures. They were a beautiful blue, blending into the colorful atmosphere.

Halfway of the ocean floor, we were met by Lutin. He was riding one of the feathered creatures. “Welcome, champions!”  We were greeted with the same energy, “Congratulations on passing the previous floor.”

“This floor is called, Revma”, he continued, “The requirement for passing this floor is to guide a school of Halver Palvus through the current. Their predator is the colorful Gelari Yokami. They use their colors to attract them. The predator of the Gelari is this big feather here, Penna Igor. Their feathers are used to waft the current to them sucking their prey in to their mouths. Thankfully, these creatures do not eat the Halver it’s the other way around. They use their numbers to their advantage.”

“That is all. Good luck and I hope you survive”, he disappeared into the darkness with the Penna at blinding speed.

We were still going down slowly. While we descended, I tried to count how much of them were in the school. There were 30, maybe even more. It was getting darker with each descent. The pressure was getting stronger, I casted, Laguz Refigo to fortify the protective bubble from cracks. Good thing our legendary gears were reflecting the light from the Gelari. Bry used this opportunity to study the movements and patterns of each species.

“Okay, so here’s how it goes”, he broke the silence, “The Halvers do not go to the currents at all.”

“Why don’t they?” my curiosity was genuine.

“I think that is also a death factor”, Bry said nonchalantly.

“Can I redirect and control the current to them?” Aina suggested. She was maintaining our descent.

“No, that might hinder our chance of passing”, Bry considered for a minute, “I think the current has a predestined route.”

“What if we use a bait to lure the Halvers to the current?” Tyke inserted.

“Yeah… Then protect them using a magic bubble”, I added.

“How are we supposed to get bait?” Aina interjected.

“We can use the Gelari to distract the Penna, when they are distracted, we can pluck some of its feathers as bait”, Bry suggested.

“How do we do that?” I asked in confusion.

“We will create an illusion of Halver to attract Gelari. Then, we will use its confusion to attract the Penna”, Bry replied.

“Okay, let’s get to it”, Tyke was enthused.

Aina set our bubble close to the current, Bry casted an illusion of Halver near the current. Some Gelari spread their colorful tentacles out in response. They were still trying to attract the suspended bait. A little later, the Penna hovered over the confused Gelari. When the Penna got close enough, Tyke threw his sword at it. The weapon slightly missed its mark but some feathers managed to attach. This startled the Penna and it started shrieking. The Gelari scrambled away from them. The sound attracted a lot of Halver in the process. The commotion created a wave that threw the weapon away from us. Tyke went out of the bubble to get it. Thankfully, the weapon was descending slowly and Aina was helping him get it. Tyke caught up to his weapon but a disaster was awaiting our group. The food chain started spinning. Soon, it created waves until it became a whirlpool.

Aina held a tight grip on the bubble to hold its position. It was violently shaking and she was struggling to keep us afloat. I made a distraction by shooting a white light through the bubble. The light shot through the eye of the whirlpool. It scared off the chain and the waves ceased. The creatures scrambled out of the chain in response. When the Halvers retreated, Tyke put the feather into the current and they took the bait. Before they touched the current, Bry put a protective bubble on them. Aina guided the feathers along the current.

We followed the current until we were met by a city wall. The goal went through the small opening inside the lowest part of it. We tried to reason with the guardian but he refused to cooperate. He was a stout yellow-billed fish holding a staff with a stone triangle tied on top of it. We were not the patient kind, so we forced ourselves in. Aina pushed our bubble using the current upward. Bry supported the fall. Tyke zapped the guardian with a blue ball and he went to sleep before he can sound the alarm. I kept a lookout for the goal.

The city was called, Hydrataea. The words were written on the coral arch. The houses were made out of stone and corals. They were rounded and only had one opening at the top. The inhabitants were nowhere to be seen. The ground was of fine sand. There were so many species swirling and dancing above the structures.

Our bubble landed on the city. The current flowed around a layered cylindrical structure at the center of the city and it was the most colorful thing in the ocean. The structure was made of jewels like a beautifully patterned group of Gelari around it. It had no door but had an opening at its peak. It was ten times the size of Penna. The current ended inside the opening. The goal went in and a flurry of trumpets sounded.

We were greeted by Lutin. He came out behind the structure. “Congratulations, champions!” he commended us, “You have passed the requirements of this floor.”

“You have presented utmost skill in achieving your goal”, he continued, “With that, you will be presented with an advantage. For now, enjoy the festival of colors.”

A door suddenly formed at the base of the colorful structure. It had a welcoming ocean blue light beaming from inside. Inside was dry, not one moisture from the outside wetness. Bry popped the bubble and we dropped to our feet. The door vanished behind us. Inside was a different array of orange. The ceiling was a solid orange stone. The floor was made of an assortment of blue crystals reflecting to the ceiling that provided light. At the far end of the room, there was a centered platform of different heights. On it, ten Halvers performed an oceanic song in a chorus of colorful voices. While they sang, a solid marble blue table descended gracefully at the center. The chairs of the same characteristics rose from the floor. Ten more showed up with a wide range of food served by the flipper. We sat on the chairs as they served them to us. It was a grandiose feast. There was a ball of meat glazed with a thick silver sauce garnished with some greens and violets. Another was a thick sauce of orange and yellow that had floating melt-in-your-mouth meat with some balls of greens and reds. Also, a crusty meat laid before us that was in a shape of fish. Inside were lush colors of vegetables thickened with a rich red sauce. The most grand of them all was a layered cake of alternating blues and oranges. A slice contained some wild berries plump with their juices. I couldn’t take another bite after that berry sensation.

When we finished eating, we sat there for a while. Suddenly, a new set of tens laid flat on the table. They were asking for some belly rubs. “Man… that was good.” Tyke seemed satisfied.

“They sure know how to throw a party. They cook well, too”, I seconded.

“These Halvers are something. It’s like they can do everything”, Aina was amazed.

“I sure wish we could take some with us”, Tyke said while flitting with one of the dishes.

“Don’t count me in on that”, Bry frowned, “I’m not a food preserver.”

“Yeah... But it would be a waste though”, Aina looked disappointed.

“Please, Bry. It would be a life saver to have them in our travels”, I pleaded.

“It will spoil by the time we go to the next floor”, Bry reprimanded.

“Can’t you do a preserving spell or something?” Aina came in pushing.

“This might be the last time, man”, Tyke shook his head, “Better have the most of them.”

“Alright, alright”, Bry reconsidered. “But let’s ask them first if we can dine them out.”

“Thanks, Bry”, I called the attention of some of the Halvers in the kitchen.

“Thanks, man. We owe you one”, Tyke looked relieved.

“Don’t make promises or you’ll regret it. You owe me nothing”, Bry was quite stern.

“Don’t be so uptight, man”, Tyke armed him by the neck, “You are also doing yourself a favor.”

“Says who?” Bry was skeptical.

“Says us”, I interjected when I finished talking to the Halver, “They said it is okay as long as we pay one pouch of currency.”

“Business as always”, Bry was sarcastic.

“It’s the least we can do after what they have done for us”, I gave Bry a concerned look.

“I’ll do the honors”, Tyke offered.

“No, I want to give my share, too. It wouldn’t fair for me”, Aina eyed Tyke with more concern.

“Okay, let’s split it up”, Bry suggested.

We all gave our share of the pie. Tyke provided the pouch and we all filled it equally of currency. I called the Halver again and gave our thanks. The Halver squealed joyously while spinning three times then left. Bry offered a spell, Aservo Cernium and the food was veiled with a translucent red glow. Then, he

opened his right void pocket to store them there. “Well, that settles it”, I breathed hard.

“Are you enjoying yourselves, champions?” Lutin jumped at the clean table, “Sadly, it will be time to leave soon. I will inform you when the spring is ready.”

A group of ten Halvers came to approach us. They seemed to have come to an agreement to join the party. “What do you think, Bry?” I eyed Bry with pleading.

“Oh, alright… Stop with the eyes already”, Bry looked away from me, pink from the side, “I guess they can help us. It wouldn’t hurt to have them as company.”

“Bry, I think you scored a lot of points today from Jo”, Aina teased.

“Give it a rest, Aina”, He countered.

The Halvers circled around us and Bry, who was seating next to me. Aina and Tyke were across us.

“It is time to depart, champions”, a voice came from the platform, “Please proceed to the platform and you will soon be on the next floor.”

We did as instructed. The platform made a buzzing sound and indigo rotating triangles were shooting off it. I didn’t have time to brace myself. The platform sprang us up so fast that I didn’t have the chance to react. The Halvers were floating around us singing songs in ascent. The world around me was spinning, becoming blurry. I looked down and I could see the blue world vanish from sight. I was so sad to see it gone. Bry saw me and pulled my chin up. An indigo sky greeted us as we accelerated upwards. Suddenly, the scenery flipped and we landed on soft ground. The Halvers dropped beside us.