Arvium [I.L.S. Beta Game #1]

18: Ocean

She stood on the beach, her toes moving in the warm sand. The waves moved around her ankles, pulling at her. The clouds above her were dark and heavy, carrying the heavy humidity of a storm.

"Please enter the water for the trial to begin," the voice said.

It goes on and on--forever. She closed her eyes, the roar of the waves as they rose and fell matching the beating of her heart. The waves held the same molecules but each wave was always different. The waves moved to the unseen will of the moon, uniquely different but all the same.

"Please enter the water for the trial to begin" the voice said.

It isn't frozen--the water is warm. She opened her eyes as a flock of seagulls flew over her head, dipping and moving through the air like fish beneath the waves. Their calls mixed with the roar and she smiled at the wildness of it.

"Please enter the water for the trial to begin," the voice said.

Aella sighed. I never thought the Computer could be angry.

She stepped deeper into the waves, using her arms for balance as the current became stronger. She dove, kicking her legs as she moved deeper out to sea. She paused, parallel to the shore. The water beneath her seemed to pause, then started to build behind her.

She gasped, spluttering as a crest of white water crashed over her head. She broke the surface, sparkling drops flying as she bounced in the wake of the waves. Something brushed against her leg and she looked down, her eyes widening at a silvery cloud below her, a school of fish swimming past her legs. Coral reefs dotted the white sand ocean bed in a rainbow of colors, creating a haven for the creatures below.

"Find a weapon and catch as many fish as you can before your time runs out," the voice announced. "The fish will be added to your food allotment."

She frowned as a timer appeared in front of her, with ten minutes counting down. Her shoulders slumped as she took a deep breath. No weapons--think. She dove beneath the waves, feeling the water slip over her and the depths pull her deeper. A school of silver fish enveloped her, creating a wall of silver that danced in and out in thousands of directions. She waved her arms back and forth, floating above a coral reef thirty feet below her.

Her eyes searched between the colorful formations, and she dove deeper when she spotted a smooth, flat stone. Her fingers closed around it, and she twisted, her toes touching the sandy bottom. She pushed up, swimming back toward the silver fish.They shied away from her, darting in and out of the current from the rolling waves above. She felt the current pulling her toward the sloping incline that led to the beach, and she twisting, throwing the stone toward the fish.

It hit one, the foot-long fish starting to drift downward. It's food. Don't take more than you can eat today, even if it is just a game. A small net-like bag appeared in front of her, and she grabbed it, swimming toward the sinking fish. As she reached it, she pulled the net over the fish, then jerked. Her lungs began to burn, and she kicked her legs back and forth before bringing them back together and pushing as hard as she could. Her body moved like a wave, mimicking the dolphins. She broke the surface, opening her mouth wide as she gulped in air.

Can't forget to breathe, then. She glanced down at the cloud of fish beneath her, grinning when she saw the bag. She opened it, spreading the mouth wide. She dove into the water, splitting the cloud of fish so they swam around her. She spun in the water, the bag trailing behind her. She moved it up and down, twisting in different directions as the bag began to fill with fish. She glanced up, seeing the timer reach 0, and she kicked hard, heading to the surface.

She broke the surface and shook her head, water droplets flying in every direction. Her hands worked in front of her, closing the bag.

She gasped as it disappeared. What in the world?

"Please enter the portal," the mechanical voice said. "You will be transporting to Arvium Square for your next test."

A bright blue circle appeared in front of her, six feet wide, runes and swirls decorating its surface.

She paused, then swam forward and placed her hand on the portal, and her eyes widened as she was pulled into it.