Pink Rose [1]

"The Bright Magenta Martini"

Quest Objective: Master the art of sibling bickering.

I cringed away as lightning erupted across the heavens, the sound of the sky tearing apart booming in my ears. The white-hot veins of light glared off of glassy waves and shining scales.

I was at the center of a tempest. And I was feeling very, very short.

Kalec's talons tightened around me as the waves sprayed up, gallons of water tossed to the side by the lurker of the depths. It's torso bobbed above the waves, a wall of muscle, supporting a horrid face. A face as pale as lightning, with fangs as sharp as blades.

As the beast barred a cold smile, I raised a hand weakly in something that resembled a wave. "Hi...I don't want to be here."

I doubted anyone could hear me over the bickering of the clouds and the roar of the water. The serpent surged forth. I squirmed in Kalec's grasp as he faced the oncoming assault with open jaws.

When the two forces clashed, I held on for dear life (which was nearly impossible given my only advantage points were slippery scales and razor-sharp talons). The pain in the back of my head was so strong, black dots danced across my line of vision.

This is a very bad place to be―! I need to move!

I blinked away dizziness and water droplets as I searched my coat pockets. Half of my belongings were probably lost at sea, somewhere in the churning chasm below. I found what I was looking for and retrieved a thin, yet sturdy piece of string.

Kalec's fingers were loosening on me. I kept my head bowed low, trying to avoid being hit by the two fantastical creatures. Just as my drenched fingers began to fiddle with the thread, I slipped through Kalec's talons.

"Ah―!" The air rushed past me as I fell. A jolt ran through my body when my descent stopped, and I clung to the thin string above me that was hoisted over Kalec's claw.

Now I was literally dangling for my life, caught in a skirmish between an angry sea monster and a bookworm-prone dragon.

Where's a rage-induced Jaina and a life-form-hating Sylvanas when you need them?

I didn't have a lot to work with. The air was crackling with deadly arcane energy as Kalec wove spells, and I squirmed to miss them. Already my arms were burning. Acid was starting to drip from the depth-lurker's bloodcurdling smile. If any of the venom found its way onto the string―

I bit down hard on my lip. My fingers tightened on the thin rope as I channeled a little more force as I swayed forward, towards Kalec. My pulse thundered in my ears as the hazardous ocean writhed beneath me, licking it's foamy white lips as it awaited one misstep.

I swung myself forward again. Jaws snapped like thunder. Acid bubbled and hissed. The sickly sweet scent of arcane burned my nostrils.

Kalec jerked suddenly. His massive form left the water, now infested with poisonous venom. He was airborne. So was I. Swaying from a delicate piece of string, above the monster from the depths.

I glanced down and I wished I hadn't. That moment would forever be seared into my mind. The face of the deep, it's ghostly white parlour, with darkness swirling around it. It's red eyes, like a poisonous rose. It belonged to a world unknown. A world of cold, eternal night. A world without a sky; without stars.

If the ocean didn't terrify me to my core previously, it had now succeeded in filling me with utter horror.

The only sound that distracted me from my moment of hysteria was the sound of a fragile string snapping.