Broken Chains

Over and over, Taron pushed his tail from one side to the other to gain more momentum. Using his paws for swimming support and as buffers against sharp edges, his many snake heads looked out for the right path to swim.

Feeling the air grow thinner in his lungs and the darkness in the subterranean river deepen, Taron felt not only the outer tunnel walls creep in but also those of his thoughts and feelings.Why swim? Why fight? Why not breathe?He needed to breathe, didn’t he?

Every instinct in his body screamed for him to open his maw and try to get air, but he needed to resist. Finally, after such a long time of domination, he had been freed. He wouldn’t die here!Pushing his muscles to their limits, following his instincts, and searching for those nearly indistinguishable signs of an opening, Taron continued.

For another ten seconds, the desperation dragged on until he felt he would black out. Then, finally, he saw it. There!One, two, three pushes. He was so close, and the current was trying to pull him onward, downwards past the opening.

Unable to resist, his maw finally opened. It was unclear whether it was a search for air or simply a silent roar. Even then, though, he managed it. He broke through.

AIR!There was AIR!But also water in his lungs, and there was AIR!Breathing, trembling, coughing water, getting pushed onward by the current.Getting pushed onward!

The ceiling threatened to steal the air again—AIR!Out of the water! He needed to get out of the water.Pushing, swimming, clawing. It was close, oh so close, but he managed it. Finally, after what would later feel like hours of fighting against the glacier’s power, he managed it.

Crawling out of the water, he had no strength to look around or search the surroundings for threats.Plopping down heavily on the ground, he kept shuddering and coughing up water.It had been close, but he had managed. But would the bipedal manage it too?

After returning to the camp and telling Scarlet what had transpired, they went back to the current where the feline had vanished and tried to figure out anything that could hint at a possible exit.

None of the mundane solutions they thought of provided relevant information. The only real pointer was Puck’s feeling and his persistent ideal that told him this was it.

Puck was relieved when Scarlet didn’t even for a second question his sanity or what had transpired. She simply believed him.Deciding on a course of action, Scarlet made it clear that even though the beast had perhaps done it that way, they wouldn’t simply jump in.

Perhaps she would have a chance of surviving such a foolhardy manoeuvre, but Puck would certainly perish unless the stars aligned for him.Instead, they would try to explore the current bit by bit, looking through the underwater world and trying to find the right exit.

Exploring a rushing current many feet beneath away from air seemed like a terribly stupid idea. But did they have any choice?

It didn’t seem like they did. Afterall, neither of them would even consider working their way through the ice for years.For the next few days, they simply prepared for their first scouting mission. The idea was simple. They would weave together a rope long and strong enough that Scarlet would be able to hold onto it when she went into the water.

Feeling the thick rope around her thigh, Scarlet couldn’t help but feel apprehensive as she looked down at the raging current.Throwing one last falsely confident look back, she smiled at Puck and secretly checked the rope’s attachment to the floor one last time.

Deciding not to put it off any longer, she slowly started to climb down to the water’s surface as Puck slowly gave her more rope from the cliff above.Seemingly wanting to lighten the mood, Puck threw one last comment after her: "If you survive, and we get out of here, I will insist on a date, you know!"

Caught completely off guard, Scarlet cursed upward, wondering if the shrimp had just invented that sentence or if it had been a longer plan.Either way, it had managed to distract her, for a moment.Then her left foot hit the ice-cold, raging current, and there was no time anymore. With one step, one last deep breath, and two forcefully loosened hands, she was pulled off by the current.

Swimming downward, Scarlet tried to give all her attention to the task of not hitting the walls of the tunnel.It wasn’t easy; the power of the water was terrifying, and without the strength of her bloodline, she wouldn’t have had a chance. At least her Gremlin eyes had no problem seeing even here.

Feeling the air in her lungs, Scarlet knew she still had more than enough time. Through her bloodline, she could reduce her oxygen usage considerably, and the rope they had secured would stop her descent long before she reached the point of no return.Even still, it was terrifying.Then finally, the rope suddenly grew taut around her belly, and she hastily grabbed it with both her bloodline empowered arms as to avoid being strangled.

Pleading in her head, Scarlet had only one thought running through her mind:“Please hold!”The rope was made as well as she could manage, but the strain it was under was enormous. If it tore…

But it held, for the moment at least.Wanting to get back with all her might, Scarlet had to gulp down the urge to gasp for air as the impulse to breathe intensified.Even then, she took a few good looks around, not wanting the expedition to be in vain.Then she pulled herself back along the rope through the raging current in a display of indomitable strength.Her bloodline burning with blinding intensity, her heart beating like the drum of the godly beast from whom she had inherited her bloodline power.