Golden Melody (Editing)

Chapter 100

Chapter 100

SPLASH!

One by one, Zatariel, Jayson, Asha, and Thyron plunged into the cold abyss. 

Their helmets hummed, linking their comms as the dark water swallowed them. 

A glowing drone from Sphere hovered ahead, its voice clinical: "Survival probability: 12%."

"Is that Sphere's voice?" Asha hissed through the comms. "He sounds way too happy about those odds."

Inside the iridescent bubble, Marie lounged on her coral throne, sipping a neon-pink drink made from crushed sea berries. She watched the holographic feed.

"Trial One: The Silver Storm," Marie chirped. With a flick of her wrist, a glowing holographic HUD materialized in the center of the bubble. It displayed the rescuers' vitals as flickering green bars. 

"Start the clock, Sphere. Let's see how long they pass this."

A massive, digital ping echoed through the water. Suddenly, hundreds of silver-blue reef fish launched.

They moved in perfect, military-grade formations, striking the rescuers.

"Gah! It's like being hit by a bag of wet bricks!" Zatariel's health bar on the HUD dipped by 15%. He tumbled backward, his limbs flailing as a school of fish slammed into his chest, sent him spinning into a coral outcrop. CRACK.

"Focus, Zatariel!" Jayson shouted. He tried to form a defensive circle, but a secondary wave of fish struck his helmet. "They aren't just hitting us—they're aiming for the joints of the suits!"

Inside the dome, Marie was practically vibrating with glee. She tapped the hologram, zooming in on Zatariel's panicked face.

"Oh, look at blonde!" she giggled, popping a sea-berry into her mouth. "He's doing the 'distressed beetle' move. Ten points for the bounce! If he hits that jagged reef, I'm doubling the score."

Seleina leaned back, her tail flicking with bored aggression as she watched the "stamina" bars of the rescuers begin to blink red.

"At this rate, they'll have concussions before they even reach the seaweed. You're going to dent the helmets, and I am not paying for the repairs."

"Ugh, stop being a KJ, Seleina." Marie snickered. She swiped her hand across the interface, triggering a 'Combo Multiplier.' Outside, the fish suddenly changed direction, forming a massive, rotating vortex that trapped the four rescuers in a high-speed centrifuge.

Sphere's voice droned over the comms. "Current survival probability: Falling."

"Come on, boys!" Marie shouted at the screen, her eyes sparkling with malice. "Dance for me! If Jayson pukes in his helmet, I'm giving him a bonus prize!"

Seleina watched Jayson struggle to grab Asha's hand to stabilize her. "Finally, a bit of teamwork," she whispered. "Too bad I just activated the 'Electric Eel' expansion."

Marie gasped, looking at her cousin with newfound respect. "Seleina! You're so much meaner than you look. I love it."

TRIAL TWO: The Seaweed Snare 

As the fish dispersed, the HUD flashed a bio-hazard warning: [STATUS EFFECT: CRIPPLED].

Thick, sentient kelp slithered from the trench. They wrapped around ankles and throats like living nooses, draining the rescuers' Stamina Meters.

"Asha's going feral!" Marie squealed, pointing at the screen where Asha was literally pulling through a vine. "Her 'Aggression Stat' is off the charts! She's treating my decorative kelp like a toy."