ELDRITCH NIGHT (Rough Draft)

Chapter 29: Trapped

Three long, writhing limbs were wrapped around me, constricting my waist and chest. More were shooting towards me from multiple directions, completely closing off any avenue of escape.

My legs and right arm were quickly grasped and held still. I could feel the limbs being twisted and pulled – testing the limits of my body.

Sand and small pieces of rock had been kicked up from the ocean floor when the tentacles had exploded from their hiding spot beneath the ground. As the limbs continued to thrash around me bubbles, ripples and small vibrations in the water would combine with the debris, essentially blinding my new ability to perceive the world through my Companion's sonar.

There was too much 'noise,' too many distractions for me to sort through. Everything was just static blending together. My new senses perceived the world as chaotic fragmented images that quickly overlapped and fused into a singular mess. It looked like an underwater blizzard that was whirling and howling like a hurricane.

I closed my eyes and breathed. My sight and other senses were useless, but I still had an almost perfect memory. I just had to calm down and visualize the terrain around me.

I could remember where I was in relation to the seafloor, and my ability to sense eldritch energy was enough to get a rough location for the closest of the tentacles. It was a quickly changing grouping of images that took prodigious amounts of concentration to hold in my mind.

I could feel my limbs being pulled tight, threatening to dislocate as ligaments and tendons were stretched beyond their natural limits. I ground my teeth together as I tried to stifle a scream. The pain was intense, only bearable due to the adrenaline racing through my veins and the system working through my skills to dampen the agony.

My own terror gave me strength, allowing me to ignore the damage to my body even as it worked to focus my mind – cutting out all distractions.

I had instinctively activated Arcane Shield as soon as the first tentacle had shot up from the sea floor. The spell held steady – my own mana being augmented by that of my Companion had greatly increased my survivability. The slight gap the spell created between myself and the tentacles was welcome but did nothing to lessen their grip as they snaked around my limbs and torso.

I knew the shield would not hold out forever no matter how much mana I had. I couldn't win a one-way battle of attrition. It was also useless in stopping the creature from stretching my limbs, even if the shield did save me from being crushed.

I would need a more offensive strategy if I was going to survive.

My body was in agony, but I forced myself to remain calm – I needed to wait for more tentacles to attach themselves to me. For a moment longer, I would have to continue to be bait.

I had created a visualized map of my immediate surroundings, the only thing I couldn't ascertain was the locations of the tentacles beyond those in my immediate vicinity. Anticipating their movement would have been even more difficult. Instead, I let more and more of the thick appendages grab me, immobilizing themselves as clearly as they bound me.

I had a plan, but the window of time it would buy me would be brief. Possibly only a fraction of a second. My body was almost completely entombed in thick slimy flesh. I would only need to wait for a moment more.

As the ball of flesh grew around me I became isolated from everything else, blocking out all noise except for the sound of my own breath and the pounding of my heart. I couldn't wait any longer.

My eyes opened, narrowing in concentration. I let out a long breath, before slowly filling my lungs once more. The ritual calmed me, allowed me to center my mind enough to visualize my intent. Commanding eldritch energy required a focused mind that was capable of holding onto a clear and unchanging image.