Only an hour before, Garath wouldn't have believed that he even could feel so carefree and joyful. His anger and lust for retribution at Warrion’s death hadn't left him entirely, but he had a much stronger control over himself. In short, the little playdate with their new friends made Garath feel like he'd just watched a Disney movie after being unable to sleep because of The Conjuring. Fuck that movie.
Now full of good feelings, Garath called the pod together to discuss their next steps. Alice, who had been idly watching the Party play with the native orcas from the shore, made her way over in her Octopus form.
*The chest mentioned we’d have to activate a switch in a chamber beneath each of these islands,* Garath started the discussion. *There are two islands pretty close to shore, I think we should start with those.*
*I have been considering the order in which they should be activated,* Alice offered, now holding onto Garath’s Orca form with her tentacles - a sight that had Athios glaring at the Lore Keeper. Alice, of course, did not notice the Dimensionalist’s glare. *The two white islands closest to the shore would be a good place to start. After that, I suggest going clockwise to activate the rest.*
*Alright,* Garath said, glancing back to make eye contact with the Lore Keeper. *Why?*
*The fish weir will most probably work regardless of the order in which you activate the islands but, by activating them in my suggested order, the salmon will be redirected more effectively,* Alice explained.
Garath bobbed his huge Orca head in agreement. *Anyone else have something to add?*
Maimon swam his way to face Garath. *The water has been safe enough so far,* the Preacher offered, *but the chest’s prompt said the chambers are deep beneath the islands. I know we can hold our breath much longer in this form, and we can always switch to Octopus form thanks to Alice.* Maimon nodded appreciatively at the Lore Keeper clinging to Garath’s back. *But we have no practice with underwater combat. If we have to fight anything down there, we’ll be hopelessly underprepared.*
*He’s not wrong,* Athios agreed. *I actually can’t cast my spells at all in this form. It was part of the BeastScape notification when I unlocked it. Anyone else get that?*
*I did,* Daisy pouted.
*Me too,* Sharon said.
Jebawon and Maimon both voiced their limitations as well.
Garath frowned. If he’d been able to find a pile of bones somewhere to meet the summoning requirements, the Skeletal Warriors would probably be okay underwater. *I got limited to only using my Blood spells and my demons would most likely drown if I brought them out, so they’d only be helpful as fish bait… I hate to say it, Mr. Rabbi, but you do have a point.*
*Yeah,* Auto said, *I’m so glad I picked Chimerist. Orctapus comes with a legit ability, Tentacle Whirlwind. I think I saw that in a hentai video once.*
*Orcas are far from helpless creatures,* Alice offered from her perch on Garath’s back. *You may not have access to your normal spells and Abilities, but in the ocean, orcas are the apex predators. They have even been known to kill great white sharks on occasion.*
Garath and the Party continued their discussion as they approached the first island, with the pod of native orcas trailing not far behind. He was surprised to see that the island was only the top of an incredibly tall column of the same color and texture. As far as he knew, it wouldn’t be able to hold its shape in the water if composed of only sand, so Garath swam closer to give it a better look.
He circled it as he dove, getting closer to the column as he descended. When he was close enough, Garath brushed against it with one fin. His fin cut through its surface like a knife and sent clouds of white sand into dark water, only to return to the column as though pulled like bits of steel to a magnet. It was made up entirely of white sand. He followed the structure downward with his eyes, but couldn't see anything indicating an opening, or even where the column might end. Garath decided he'd like another deep breath before attempting to find out exactly how far down it went.
Once back at the surface, Garath told the Party what he had seen and what he was going to do next. Everyone agreed to come along and a few seconds later they began their descent. Alice remained in her Octopus form, and clung onto Garath with her tentacles. The Party agreed to stagger their approach and circle the column as they continued down to look for anything unusual.
As he dove deeper, Garath noticed the air in his lungs compressing slightly. At one-hundred feet below the surface, his lungs felt half the size they had been before and the light from the sky above dimmed slightly. At two hundred, it was even darker and Garath's lungs had entirely collapsed. Contrary to his human instincts, his body was telling him that this was a normal feeling. Garath had no idea why it was happening, or anything about hydrostatic pressure or the intricacies of buoyancy, but he did know his body was not yet desperate for air.
At around two-hundred-and-fifty feet below the surface, it suddenly became easier to move at a downward trajectory. If he were to Google it, Garath would learn that there is a 'magic depth' for each marine mammal where they become denser than the water they are displacing due to the increased pressure from the water above them - and the many, many factors that dictate that 'magic depth'. Unfortunately, Google died with electricity, the internet, and most
