A Sticky Situation (guest-mod, Liandra)

[Alea Davenport]

HD Approved

72 Spring, 512 Deep below the waters, just off the coast of Riverfall, something sinister lurked. It did not usually come this close to land, but the something lured it closer to the city. Perhaps it was all the wild djed from the recent storm, or perhaps it was something about the increase in corpses that drew the creature here. The sun had trouble reaching this far below the surface, and everything was obscured in murky shadows. Shapes lingered just out of visible range, creating confusing images -- was that just a trick of the light, or was there something there? One of the more coherent shapes floating in the water seemed humanoid in shape. The dimness obscured most of the details, but a distinctly four-limbed figure appeared to be swimming idly around in this very dangerous sea.

[Liandra]

Liandra finished hanging her net from Kylayia's saddle. Her own pack was in the streamlined saddlebags, her trident strapped to her back, her knife in her waistband.

"Hey there love, we've got to go practice, or they'll kick us out of their beautiful city. You wouldn't like that huh? Lots of food here, and its safe, and you get your own cave beneath the shop! So let's not mess this up okay?"

She floated up into the saddle, situated herself, and pulled her trident from her back. "Okay love, how did that guy say to do this?" She held it against her side, wrist bent, elbow jutting out. The pole ran past Kylayia's neck, the prongs safely away from him. "Do we look like a Knight? Like that man from that beach near Syliras? Oh, you never met him. I don't even remember his name now that you mention it Ky..." She wasn't used to this particular grip, or any grip at all really, on her trident, but she wouldn't know until it was put to use. She pressed in with her left knee, guiding Kylayia to the right, then pressed her body against his back to urge him forward, and out the escape tunnel from her shop.

The pair shot out into the bay, Liandra holding the trident a bit wobbly, a bit nervously. How were they going to practice? She hadn't really planned out this far ahead. She didn't really have a desire to hunt or kill anything. That would be wasteful. So how could she practice without killing anything? And Laviku answered her. A school of minnows swam past, and Kylayia nipped out at one, the little fish darting away quickly. That was it! She'd never in her life been able to catch one of those. So surely she could stab at them and they'd be able to avoid it every time. She steered Kylayia with her knees after the swarm of silvery darts. By some innate instinct, the swarm knew they were being pursued and bolted. Liandra kept her head low, her trident tight against Kylayia's body, squeezing her knees hard, urging him onward, faster. Kylayia was faster, but the swarm was more agile, darting in sharp turns and hard dives. The chase led to the bed of the bay, and they began shooting around rocks, through growths of seaweed, between coral sprouts. The pair had managed to close the gap, and Liandra tightened her grip on the shaft of her trident. They inched closer and closer, and Liandra shot her trident outward into the cloud of glinting scales. And to her surprise, and mild horror, not all of the fish had successfully dodged the barbed prongs. She quickly pulled her trident back and slowed Kylayia to a stop.

She slipped from the saddle, and pulled the prongs up to her face. Two of the barbs had minnows skewered on the ends of them, all signs of life gone. She gingerly plucked them off, and passed them to Kylayia, who ate them happily. Having lost her taste for her impromptu training, "Go get something to eat love, I'm gonna go for a swim." She patted him on the neck and nuzzled his flute with her nose. He darted off, probably to find those minnows again. She strapped the trident onto her back once more, and Liandra began swimming, her long arms pulling her forward, her legs kicking powerfully. She was watching fish swim to and fro, feeling Laviku's currents tumble over her, when her large eyes took in something up ahead, something odd. It looked like a person from here, several people maybe. Was there a group of her own people? Maybe some Konti? She smiled, and began swimming towards them. "Hey there!"