Chasing bubbles

“What’s going on up there?” Oliver wondered as he passed over his tenth AB. He looked to the nucleus and found no trace of Mabel or any of the squad members.

“And why are we so lonely, Spiky?” He told to the creature. For the size of the scandal he and Spiky were mounting on the place, there should be more ABs nearby. “I thought your friends would be throwing a party when we arrived.”

“BUMP!!!” Sand and big pieces of coral blasted from the ground a hundred meters ahead as a huge creature emerged.

“Why did I speak so soon!” Oliver distressedly complained as he turned Spiky to face their opponent. “Look, Spiky! It seems like you have a cousin!”

The bulky multiped charged ahead.

“Okay, Spiky!” Oliver said as he pulled Spiky’s nerve to do the same. “Hope this will work!”

Oliver thought he had seen enough medieval movies to understand how jousting worked and crossed his fingers so it would work with ABs as well.

“WROOOOOM!” The sides of the creatures collided, sending spikes of coral flying all over the place.

“Yes! It’s working!” KeyWee celebrated as Oliver turned Spiky around.

“Any advice for success?” Oliver asked.

“Mmmmm, try breaking contact as soon as you collide,” KeyWee explained. “Spiky has a very spiky head…”

“But its sides are unprotected in comparison,” Oliver continued. “Against Spiky’s cousin’s more study sides, we will receive a lot of damage.”

“I’m glad to help,” KeyWee replied as Spiky charged forward once again.

“SMASH!” Spiky hit its cousin’s head and Oliver quickly veered left.

The other creature grumbled behind them as Oliver prepared Spiky for another strike but while Spiky turned, its cousin attacked from behind. The impact shook Oliver off to one side of Spiky’s shell. He pulled himself up with the pickaxe that remained attached to the nerve.

“GriGrGra!” Spiky’s cousins growled, charging forward.

Spiky seemed pissed, grunting as its opponent approached, without Oliver’s instructions, it raised its first half in a cobra position.

“BOOOM!” An explosion came from the nucleus.

“Mabel!” Oliver worriedly turned to look as the two creatures clashed.

Spiky stopped answering his instructions, so he detached his pickaxe and slid down its back to the ground.

“We’ll leave it to you, Spiky,” KeyWee cheered the creature as Oliver ran to the nucleus.

“What happened KeyWee?” Oliver questioned as he began to climb the coral stakes.

“When a zkwich is cannibalized, its nucleus crystalizes for protection,” KeyWee explained. “They’re using explosives to break through.”

“But nobody gave me explosives!” Oliver complained.

“Because you’re not qualified,” KeyWee responded.

“Mabel!” Oliver exclaimed when she peeked over a small hole in the wall. “What’s going on?”

Mabel rushed to a crevice on the nucleus and started hitting it with her pickaxe.

“Those were all the explosives from the squad, and yet we just managed to make a small hole,” Mabel explained when Oliver joined her. “Come on, help!”

Oliver could hear many other pickaxes hitting from inside the nucleus. He started hitting the shiny dark crystal when a sudden jolt threw them all off balance.

Oliver turned to see how the combating zkwich disappeared below the ground and the whole place started throbbing, then turned to meet with Mabel’s alarmed face.

“Alert! The zkwich is in a frenzy!” KeyWee notified. “Alert! The zkwich is in a frenzy!”

“The zkwich has ignored the decoy. It’s now heading to the Amelia!” Khan informed through their earpieces. “Squad, take immediate action! Do not risk the picorium harvest!”

“We’re almost out,” Quispe shouted through a hole in the nucleus. “Mabel! Take the newbie with you and finish this dirty zkwich.”

“But…” Mabel babbled.

“Newbie! It’s an order!” Khan commanded. “The Amelia’s crew is at risk!”

Mabel cursed and started climbing up the wall.

“Follow me!” she urged.

Oliver began climbing, leaving behind the clinking noises coming from the tiny hole.

“The only advantage of getting to the stomach,” Mabel grumpily said as they increased the distance with the ground. “It’s that you can find the best route to the nucleus, pay attention.”

Oliver gazed up to see Mabel disappear inside the wall. He climbed until he found a narrow crack in the wall.

“I’m not gonna make it!” Oliver said as he squeezed inside the crevice.

“You’re so dramatic!” Mabel claimed, grabbing Oliver’s hand. “Take a deep breath.”

“Huff!” Oliver inhaled.

“And now breathe out,” Mabel calmly instructed.

“Phew…” He exhaled as Mabel pulled.

“Don’t breathe!” Mabel instructed as Oliver’s body squeezed through the crevice.

“Thud!” Oliver hit the sandy ground, face down.

“Gah!” He spit out a mouthful of sand.

“I’m starting to get the impression that you really like munching on sand,” Mabel laughed and patted him on the back. “Let’s get moving, kid.”

“Where are we?” Oliver asked as he caught up with Mabel.

The fleshy tunnel throbbed uneasily as dark blood flowed through its palpitating veins.

“You can relax,” Mabel said after seeing Oliver tense grip on his pickaxe. “When the zkwichs get frenzy, the amount of energy they require to move faster makes them drop their defenses. Right now we’re on a shortcut conduct, save your energy when we get to the nucleus.”

“It’s called Mabel’s conduct,” KeyWee uselessly whispered. “Because she discovered it!”

“Yes, KeyWee, thanks for the fun fact,” Mabel apathetically replied.

“Wow! And how did you find it?” Oliver queried.

“You know, kid,” Mabel said with a nonchalant expression. “I’m being humble telling you I could write a whole book.”

Oliver noticed Mabel’s watery eyes and changed the topic immediately.

“If the defenses are low, let’s hurry,” Oliver said as he started jogging.

“No!” Mabel pulled his arm to stop him.

“But my sister…” Oliver anxiously mumbled.

“The defenses are low but we’re not burglarizing the home by knocking on the door, right?! We’ll have to surprise them. It’s our only chance!” Mabel serenely explained.

Oliver clenched his teeth as his anxiety continued to bubble up but nodded and continued to walk.

“So…a sister,” Mabel inquired.

“Yes, just the two of us,” Oliver replied, looking at his feet move the sand.

Mabel sighed, “Now I get why you have such a sad expression all the time but if your sister is as smart as you, she’ll get around.”

“She’s way smarter than me, I guess she will,” Oliver responded. “Is that what you meant with look at you?”

“I mean you have your whole life ahead, you're strong, smart,” She said nudging him as he smiled. “But even so you still have such a sad face. Now I don't know what brought you here. But I bet you can find the way to brighten up your days in the Windstail if you try.”

“I never gave myself the chance to ride before I came here. Someone I know never got to go to Africa,” Mabel continued. “It’s chasing bubbles underwater. You try to catch them for someone else when all you need is air.”

She glanced up from the ground to find a throbbing slimy membrane in front of her.

“Oh, we’ve arrived!” Mabel said wiping a tear off her face, changing her expression in a fraction of a second. “So, this is what we’re going to do!”

…

They squeezed through the membrane and started climbing the shell that surrounded it. The shell had sequential crevices they used to ascend silently until reaching the apex.

“There it is,” Mabel whispered as she carefully slid her legs inside a hole in the membrane.

Oliver followed. He carefully squished his legs inside, took a deep breath, and let go of the shell. The membrane gave him a slime moisturizing treatment as he descended when he felt his legs hanging in the air, he squished one arm out of the whole, palpating for something to hold on to, found a pulsing vein, grabbed it and pulled the rest of his body out of the hole. The next second he was hanging over a semispherical cavity. A few meters away from him a hanging irregular cluster glimmered up the whole room in magenta hues.

Beneath them, coral spider-crab-shaped ABs patrolled the perimeter.

“Let’s hurry,” Mabel whispered, climbing next to Oliver. “Look! The inner membrane is very sticky, it makes climbing easier.”

Oliver followed Mabel. He barely had to hold on to the thick veins, he just pulled his hand away and stuck it ahead as he advanced.

They were a meter away from the glowing cluster when the membrane started, “Brhbrhbrhbrh.”

“Gas!” KeyWee warned as little holes all over the inner membrane rapidly expelled a caramel-scented gas, saturating the nucleus.

Mabel felt how her strength diminished. She tried to hurry. “We’re so close!” She extended her hand to advance, but she lost her grip and her vision started fogging as she plummeted.