Training Camp Day 3 Evening: Ambush at the lake

"Girls," Kiden and Mai-Neng said, gently shaking their daughters.

"Jayden,"

"Mainhia,"

Rapid eye movements under eyelids and fingers jolted. Their lips moved. Kiden and Mai-Neng looked at each other, then back to their sleeping daughters. They shook their daughters and called out.

I woke up, rubbed my eyes, and sat up. "What is it?"

"Mainhia," they said happily.

"Huh?" I was confused.

"We are so happy you returned."

"Welcome back."

"Oh! Um, thank you?"

I looked to my right, and Jayden was lying down. I panicked and asked, "Is she okay?! What happened?"

"She hasn't returned from her spiritual journey."

"Spiritual journey? I thought we were meditating!"

"It's interchangeable," said Mai-Neng

"But if she doesn't return, what should we do?" I asked

"It's dangerous to interrupt someone's spiritual journey. Only our souls can go after Jayden's soul in the spirit realm," answered Kiden.

"So my body would be soulless," I said

"Mhm, that means you'd be vulnerable to the elements of the environment," said Mai-Neng

There's risk.

"Kiden and mother, I will go after Jayden if she doesn't return," I volunteered.

"Are you crazy?" said Mai-Neng, worried.

Kiden looked away and replied, "Don't fret over the situation. If anything comes to the worst, then I shall go."

"Neither of you two is going anywhere," said Mai-Neng. "Let's give her time to return."

The tall trees cast a long shadow on the dirt path, and the sun dipped below them. Mosquitoes buzzed around the women. Jayden's body twitched, and I called out, "Jayden!" Her eyebrows knit, and her eyes opened slowly.

"Mainhia?"

"Jayden, are you alright?" I asked.

"Where am I?"

"With us on a camping trip," I replied.

"Mmm-hmm ~ Yeah, I am," she said and sat up. "How long have I been out?"

"Both of you were out for a few hours," replied Kiden, crossing her arms.

"Welcome back, Jayden," said Mai-Neng with a sigh of relief.

"Jayden!" I shouted and hugged tightly, "I thought you were going to be lost forever, and we were prepared to rescue you!" Jayden patted Mainhia's back.

"I came back stronger," said Jayden.

I let go and replied, "Me too."

"So does that mean you passed a power-up trial?"

"Mhm! I sure did."

"Yahoo!" Jayden shouted and gave me a high five. "Way to go, girlfriend." We clapped our hands in the air. We supported each other off the ground. My body felt weak from hunger and thirst.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I fell into open water. I was scared and sank deeper," replied Jayden. "I thought I was going to die. Then a mermaid swam around me, hiding among the elongated kelp. I spotted her because the light reflected her golden tail. She helped me."

"How?"

"I was able to breathe underwater and communicate telepathically with her. Oh, her name is Heather. We swam to the Temple of Oris, and I had to fight a wave of puppet monsters on a platform."

"What did you get?"

"A seashell, but she says there are four trials left."

I thought, is there a maximum number of spirit trials?

"So, how about you?" asked Jayden

"I wandered in the dark, then I met Aperióristi, a ball of energy," I said

"Did you meet a vampire?"

"Nope. Aperióristi was the spirit trial of my gemstone." I said, placing one hand over my chest.

"We arrived at the camp, girls," said Kiden. I shifted my conversation to meal planning. We both helped our mothers prepare dinner.

"Tonight is our last meal at the campsite," said Mai-Neng, breaking eggs into the pot and stirring to poach. Kiden moved canned beans and chopped vegetables to the pot. Jayden and I set up the dinner plates, cups, and napkins. Some time later, our food was ready. Kiden served us, and Mai-Neng poured water into our cups. We had bread in the middle to dip in the soup. We ate and drank.

Afterward, Jayden suggested, "Before we go, can we take a swim in the lake?"

"Ooohh, can we?" I follow up

"Did the two of you bring swimming clothes?" questioned Mai-Neng

"Of course!" Jayden and I said.

"I encourage her too," commented Kiden.

We each grabbed a towel and two buckets to hold mini shampoo and soap bars. We changed out of our sweaty clothes into adorable bikinis. Our Crocs crunched on the dry leaves as we made our way to the lake.

"Whoa!" shouted Jayden, slipping on a muddy patch, but I caught her before the fall.

"Are you okay?" I asked. We held hands.

"Y-yeah, I didn't expect there was a muddy patch."

"Careful, girls," said Mai-Neng behind us. We marched onward to the soft, sandy area; the cold water touched our feet, and we swam. We left our mothers at the shore. We dipped our heads and came out. The air was colder around the lake. Our bodies shivered, and we got goosebumps. I swam near my mother and splashed at her. She yelped and moved on her feet. Mai-Neng turned around, threw water in my direction, but I dipped below and fled. I resurfaced and smirked at my mother.

In the dark forest behind our mothers, the sun was almost out of sight; a glowing neon creature crept towards the lake. The thick pincer swooped in, picked up Mai-Neng, and she struggled.

"Mom!!" I screamed, swimming quickly to the shore, and my crystal blinked uncontrollably. I felt the energy light wrapping around my body, flowing through my hair and my hands. When I came ashore. I summoned my wand and ran at the Skeramas. The creature positioned my mother, stab with its iron stinger, and then retracted it from the flesh and shook its tail for a bit. She stopped moving and became a lifeless doll.

"Nooo!"

I smacked on the pincer. Suddenly a magic circle appeared under the Skeramas. Strong gusts of wind flowed in all directions, gathering around the Skeramas. I didn't care. All I wanted was to save my mom. I hit it a second time, then got caught in the wind, high into the sky, and I screamed, "Aaaaaaauuughhho!!"A wind barrier!

Kiden and Jayden group. "Save Mainhia," Kiden commanded.

"What about Mai-Neng?"

"I will take care of that," said Kiden, charging her sword and unleashing a water cutter to separate the pincer claw from the body. The Skeramas cried in pain.

Meanwhile, Jayden was calculating the distance between them. She cast Waterspout for Mainhia. The water twister created a liquid platform, but she slipped through into a tree. I fell on two thin tree branches until I found a thick one. I hung on tight. I observed the Skeramas; it had a blue diamond shape on its shell, unlike the previous two.

"Mainhia!!" Shouted Jayden. "Are you okay? Would you be able to come down?"

"I'm fine!" I said. "There wasn't an opening from above."

The Skeramas smash the pincer at Kiden, but luckily, she leaps back. Some trees, lake water, and pebbles got suck into the wind barrier. They dance all around and fall, creating a trail of ruin after the Skeramas. The trees will shatter into chunks.

"Jayden, use your water spell to throw logs at the Skeramas!"

"WaterSprout!"

A long 20-foot tree, lifted by a water twister, is hurled like a spear at the Skeramas. It falls back a long distance. Kiden ran, sliced the pincer, and picked up unconscious Mai-Neng. Nightfall: the glow of the giant Skeramas' neon green and their glowing weapons.

"Typhoon Sphere!"

Jayden dealt the final blow, shredding the creature. I jumped from branch to branch to the ground.

"Kiden, how's my mother?"

"She's alive but paralyzed."

"The injury?!"

"Hit the fatty tissues; otherwise, the organs are undamaged."

"We need to get her airlifted to the hospital!"

"Don't worry," said Kiden. "You go collect parts of the Skereamas. I will cook them into a potion."

"A wha-?"

"A potion,"

"How would that help?! She needs to be on an oxygen tank to support her breathing and-"

"All she needs is a potion to undo the paralysis."

"What about venom? It is a giant scorpion!"

"I will see you at the camp," said Kiden, bridal-carrying Mai-Neng and moving hastily. I stayed where I was, distrustful of Kiden's decision, and slowly made my way to the Skeramas. Jayden smiled proudly and approached.

"Did you see that?"

"Huh?"

"I killed the Skeramas."

"Mhm, good job."

I inspect the disfigured body and pick up the small pieces.

"What are you doing?"

"Gathering parts of the Skeramas so Kiden can create a potion for my mom."

"Wha-Why? Shouldn't we go to the hospital?"

"That's what I said too, but Kiden insisted."

I tore a medium-sized piece of soft tissue.

"You do know they are going to dissolve into a liquid puddle."

"Oh yeah, I forgot they do."

"I will be right back with a pot."

"Wait, we brought buckets earlier,"

"Ooohh yea, I will go look for them,"

Jayden ran along the shore, spotted the two buckets far out in the lake, and used a small amount of magic to manipulate the water to bring the buckets. She went in ankle-deep, picked up the buckets, and rejoined me. I gathered more soft tissues, muscle tissue, and pieces of hard shells of the Skeramas. I pour them all into the buckets.

"Is this enough?"

"Why are you asking me? I don't know."

"Well, if it isn't enough, then we will come back."

We hurried to camp. Kiden set up medical supplies on a blanket, and the Dutch pot was boiling.

"What do you want us to do with these?" I asked. Kiden rested the wet towel on the side and got up to inspect our load.

"Perfect," she said, took our bucket, and slowly dumped it into the Dutch pot. Did the same thing with the second bucket. I got on my knees, looking down at my mother and seeing the pale blue lips.

"Kiden, her lips are blue."

"Her breathing is shallow."

I placed one finger below her nose and felt the air. She couldn't blink, and tears ran down her cheeks. I closed her eyelids and heard Thank you, echoing in my head.

"Mommy?"

Several minutes later, Kiden grabbed a cup, a spoon, and a ladle. She poured a purple liquid and said, "Take this and feed your mother. I will support her sitting upright."

I took the cup of potion, gently blew on the hot liquid, and fed her. Kiden supported Mai-Neng, and Jayden watched us.

"Mother, what can I do to help?" asked Jayden.

"You can help apply gauze around the injury."

"On it."

Jayden grabbed the roll of large gauze and wrapped the gauze around Mai-Neng's belly. I finished the first cup of potion.

"What now?"

"I will preserve a few liquids in containers for the trip back home," said Kiden, letting go of my mother and into my arms. She took the cup from me.

"Would she recover?"

"Give her body time to take in the potion."

"How long?"

"Thirty minutes for the digestive process."

I hugged my mom and felt guilty. I shouldn't, but I couldn't help myself.