A civil war rages in Talestor. A boy from a forest chases after his friend, leaving the safety of the trees and thrusting himself into a world he can barely comprehend, happening upon a weary sword whose only wish is for peace. A group of slaves are...
The first thing Hallow noticed was the scent of blood.
He and the security officers who'd knocked at his house were now properly suited up, and floating in the water beside Doctor Charsang's office, the scene of the crime.
Hallow flashed a question at the lead officer, whose name he'd learned was Moringa. Activating the bioluminescent patches on his tail, he asked, Is that the dead man's blood? Names did not translate well over underwater flash communication.
Yes, said Officer Moringa. Can you track it?
Yes, said Hallow. It was faint and stale, but Hallow's superior sense of smell picked it up with little difficulty. Whoever'd done this hadn't been quite careful enough with the getaway.
You take the lead, said Moringa. Kay, Groe, and I will follow you.
Yes sir officer, said Hallow, and flashed a smart salute. Moringa's bioluminescence immediately went haywire, the underwater equivalent of a full-body blush. Aww. He was adorable.
Focusing his attention back on the task at hand, Hallow sniffed the water, and quickly discerned that the trail of blood lead upwards. He signaled for the security officers to follow and began swimming towards the surface, sleek shark's tail cutting through the water like a knife. The water slid by his streamlined curves, drenching him with the scent of blood. Eugh. That was disgusting.
Hallow was so focused on following the trail that he almost didn't see the great pair of jaws swimming at him out of the black.
Immediately, he flared up the bioluminescence at the tip of his tail, warning his companions of danger and telling them to fall back. He himself launched into a series of evasive maneuvers, trying to keep out of the jaws of the shark.
It worked. Temporarily. He was able to survive for a few more minutes, swerving madly out of the way of those teeth, before finally the shark got the better of him and chomped down directly on the thickest part of his tail. Blinding pain scoured through his entire body, centered around the bite. Thrashing frantically, he tried to dislodge himself, but only succeeded in tearing his wound open further.
Help, he flashed with the bioluminescent spots still intact on his body. Help.
None came. I hope the officers got away, thought Hallow, and all faded to black.
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Author's Note: Hello everybody and welcome back to the Winterdeeps!
Sorry about Hallow, you guys. I promise he'll be okay! Given as how we humans fear to swim in the ocean for fear of a similar attack, I thought it might be realistic to put a shark in the water here. Literally. Hurdy-hur-hur, Quincy, you so punny! (Said no one ever.)
This is not the end of his story, believe me. Messer Hallow Etheri's got a long ways to go yet! For you Cullie fans out there, let's just say that she's also kind of really important. The Etheri family will be back!
In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, let me know. If you didn't, tell me why! Cheers, and happy Valentine's Day!
