The Sea's of Blood. [Merformers]

Chapter 8: A supposed Bargain with the Lagoon's Devil

Eryin (Alysia) POV:

Looking up at the imposing purple door, adorned with lilac and Wistarna flowers, I let out a brief sigh. It had been a while since my last encounter with the Deceptimers, which, unsurprisingly, didn't go well. Ever since that incident, Mr. Fowler had been specifically assigning me to deal with these troublesome creatures. Now, for the second time, they'd caused a pipe disruption, and my patience was wearing thin.

As I reached into the pocket of my wetsuit, I fumbled around, trying to find the Deceptimer card—only to come up empty. Panic set in as I set my metal pole aside and frantically checked my other pockets. Then it hit me—I'd left the files with Raf. 'Great,' I muttered to myself, 'already leaving things behind. I need coffee after I get out of this mess.' I sighed and turned to go retrieve the files, but before I could take a step, a hand firmly grasped my shoulder, pulling me back.

Startled, I turned to see a dark-haired woman about my height. Her face was dotted with freckles, and she wore a white lab coat over her Trident uniform. She let go of my shoulder and spoke in a gentle, but knowing tone, "Going somewhere? Looks like you forgot something by the look on your face." She raised an eyebrow at me.

Sighing, I picked up the metal pole and rested it on my right shoulder, trying to keep calm despite the nerves creeping in. "Yeah, I've got to get in there to fix an issue Mr. Fowler assigned to me, but I left my keycard in the other Mer sector with my files." I chuckled awkwardly, but her unimpressed stare made me swallow the rest of my words. Without saying anything, she walked over to the keypad, pulled out a purple keycard, and swiped it. The screen flashed 'Personnel Accepted' and the door clicked open.

She turned back to me with a small smile, almost a grin. "Try not to forget your card next time. You're lucky I'm in a good mood." Her eyes traveled from my face down to my mask, narrowing slightly as she did. "Uh, yeah, thanks," I stammered, eager to end the conversation. "By the way, what's your name?" "Valentine," she replied, her tone playful. "I'm the marine specialist here." "I'm Alysia, a new acquaintance at the Trident Oceaniurm," I said, shifting the pole on my shoulder nervously.

"Alysia... that's a lovely name," she said, almost as if she were tasting the syllables. Something was unsettling in her tone, and I could tell she wasn't particularly fond of it. Sensing the conversation taking a turn I wasn't comfortable with, I quickly interjected. "Sorry, Valentine, I have to get going. It was nice meeting you, though. Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee later in the canteen?" I suggested before waving to her.

As I waved to her, she responded with a slight nod as she spoke, her tone sounding a bit suspicious "That's fine, nice meeting you, Val," before I slipped past her into the Deceptimer sector. Glancing back through the door's narrow crack, I caught sight of her giving a final wave before letting her hand fall. She then turned and walked down the hallway, but something caught my attention—she pulled out a radio and began speaking into it. I brushed off the suspicion, figuring it was nothing, and focused on the task ahead as the door clicked shut behind me. But something kept nagging me about that women.. I'll have to deal with her later.

The sector was just as I remembered—dark, foreboding, with an eerie silence that made the air feel heavy. With no light to guide me, visibility was almost nonexistent. 'Still the same ominous place, like a scene out of one of those horror movies Miko loves,' I thought, gripping the metal pole in front of me and settling into a defensive stance. Each step on the wet catwalk was measured, my senses on high alert.

As I cautiously moved forward, I noticed something odd: the Deceptimers weren't visible above the water. That was unusual, and it set my nerves on edge. My mind flashed back to the last time they caught me off guard. The memory of that encounter made me extra vigilant. I noticed seaweed clinging to the railings from our last battle, but what really caught my eye were the dents along the rails, as if something—or someone—had been slammed against them repeatedly.