Ch 139

  To say that walking back and forth along the beach was boring would be an understatement. Although there were patches of vegetation scattered all around, they consisted merely of a few palm trees and some bushes that concealed small areas behind them. It was these hidden areas that Greg was aiming for as they traveled between the two massive jetties that acted like the dungeon walls of their surroundings. Yet, even after painstakingly working their way close to where they had been before, they found nothing, and frustration was beginning to set in as everyone dreaded the thought of being hit by a tsunami once more. Finally, as they reached the jetty on the left if one were facing the water, Matt, who now stood only three feet tall, spoke up with an idea.

  “What if we climbed the jetty and tried to stay above the point where the water rises when the wave comes?” he suggested, his voice tinged with urgency.

  “What happens if the rocks we are on tumble down?” asked Greg, shaking his head in skepticism. “I hear you, but we should only try that if the speed run doesn’t work after this reset.”

  “No, we should risk it now,” countered Emily, her tone firm and decisive. “There is always the chance that each time the tsunami comes, it is worse than the last time. So, I think we should take the risk now, rather than after being washed away and separated two more times.”

  “Are you saying that you give us no chance of holding onto each other if we are ready when the wave comes?” questioned Greg, his voice laced with doubt. “That could be the real condition as well—staying together and not being washed away.”

  "To avoid being washed away, we need to find a strategy that prevents us from being directly hit by the wave and also from being sucked away when the water returns to the ocean," stated Yumiko, frowning thoughtfully. "I don’t think you fully appreciate the dangers that the water poses."

  "Why don’t we just take stones from the jetty and construct something to withstand the wave?" suggested Rose. "I mean, if we were to create a hollow inside of it, I think we could manage with only minor issues."

  "Or it could collapse with all of us inside," countered Greg, shaking his head. "There are too many unknowns and—"

  "Let’s just start digging down," Zara interjected optimistically. "Our goal is to reach the water, and it shouldn’t be that far beneath our feet."

  "That isn’t a bad idea," admitted Greg, his expression brightening as if he had just thought of an even better plan. "We can create a dome, and I can fortify it. Matt, are you okay with Bob taking a significant risk?"

  "What are you suggesting?" asked Matt, concern evident.

  "If we can’t activate the tsunami directly, would you have him rush forward—"

  "No," stated Matt decisively. "We can just dig forward and ignore the above-ground issues until we are in the water."

  "That’s how we drown," retorted Emily. "Being surrounded by sand isn’t ideal when tons of water are overhead."

  "I can incorporate ice into my magic," Greg offered. "But if we want to reach the water on this attempt, I like the idea of digging for it. I just think we should start a few hundred feet from the jetty first."

  "Let’s just do this," commented Emily, determination in her voice. "But let’s only dig deep enough to stand and wide enough for two people to stand side by side."

  With that, the plan was set, and Matt found himself digging with his hands as they chose a spot and began by excavating five feet down. Thanks to their superhuman abilities, it only took 20 minutes for the sand to reach a height of half a foot above anyone’s head. At that point, Eleanor took the lead, starting to dig forward while Greg reinforced the outline of what they hoped to excavate. This quickly created a problem: they needed to find a place to put the sand, but the only way to move it required them to continually return to the entrance they had made. Consequently, the deeper they went, the longer it would take for them to make progress, and Greg would need to maintain increasingly more stable ground to support their efforts.

  However, as they advanced to the point where all ten of them fit in the tunnel, Greg simply shifted the hardened area forward and allowed the tunnel behind them to collapse. While this action solved one problem, it created another: the path behind them would instantly fill with water. With this concern in mind, Matt's request to scout was finally approved. His task was straightforward; he walked alongside the rear of the tunnel so he could alert the group when the tsunami was approaching and then jump in before Greg sealed the exit with ice.

  Matt had only been performing this duty for half an hour as they progressed another ten feet forward when he saw a massive wall of water forming. He quickly leaped into the hole, shouting a warning. A moment later, Greg sealed the tunnel, and they felt the area tremble as though an earthquake had struck when the water hit from above. Greg instantly cried out, concentrating intensely to maintain his magic. It was only a brief struggle, as once the initial crash passed, everything seemed to settle down. They even resumed digging, this time with Greg using his ice magic to freeze the water directly above them as they continued their journey.

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  Apparently, that was sufficient to allow them to proceed, as the next few hours passed with the only illumination coming from a small ball of fire that Greg was carefully maintaining. This made Matt wonder just how much control Greg had gained over his powers. More intriguingly, Matt pondered when this transformation had occurred, as he hadn’t been away for very long. Yet, it was just another example of how much everyone seemed to grow when he wasn’t around. These reflections were abruptly interrupted when Zara let out a startled yelp as she stumbled backward, a deep blue glow appearing while the sand in front of them crumbled to the ground.

  Matt could only blink in astonishment as he gazed at a tunnel through the water that stretched out before them. Approaching it cautiously, he reached out to touch its sides and discovered that his hand could pass through what felt like a thin membrane and into the water. However, when he pulled his hand back, it was dry, and no water followed. Thankfully, it appeared that the path forward would remain on the seafloor, and it only took Greg a moment to call for them to advance. This decision was made despite the fact that monstrous creatures were clearly swimming all around the tunnel, and they would have little to no chance of survival if it suddenly collapsed.

  On the other hand, if someone wanted to witness something beautiful, they needn't look any further than the scene surrounding them. The vibrant colors of the fish, coral, and the rest of the sea life seemed as if they were plucked straight from an animated movie. Even Matt found himself almost forgetting about the dangers that encircled them, as they moved forward with the creatures appearing to pass by them as if they were invisible. Yet, in the back of his mind, this fact only increased his anxiety about what lay ahead, and sure enough, after about an hour of walking, they noticed a writhing mass in the distance, its undulating form casting eerie shadows in the dim light.

  Although it appeared small, Greg and Emily immediately began discussing something Matt had never heard of, which was apparently a popular tabletop game. Matt just sighed, feeling once again that there was little he could do to assist them, even if he knew how. Moments later, he observed everyone ceasing their conversation, turning, and starting to move forward once more. Instantly, Matt reached out to connect with Bob's mind, only to be rebuffed by an inexplicable force. Even physically shaking them accomplished nothing until he reached Greg. Greg emerged from the trance, frowning as he glanced at the others, seemingly realizing the problem.

  "Damn nightmare. Matt, try waking them up, or at least slowing them down. I am going forward to face this monstrosity before I end up confronting everyone."

  "What?"

  "My mind stat is the only one high enough to face it—"

  "I was the only one not affected, let me go."

  Greg glanced at Matt with an expression that suggested he wanted to refuse, so Matt quickly pressed on before Greg could shut him down.

  "I have a very peculiar plan to win, and I have no idea if it will work, but I give myself a 25% chance of success. Can you say the same without anyone watching your back?" Matt asserted, his voice firm and determined.

  "Why do you have to be so determined to be the one to do the impossible?" Greg asked, his tone tinged with frustration. "Fine, you’re right. Without the others, I only have a slim chance of winning. Just know that if you lose, I’m going to tell the others you ran off on your own."

  "Fine by me," Matt replied firming his resolve.

  With that, Matt rushed forward, his mind racing with the details of his plan as Greg stayed behind to help the others recover. Mind control was definitely something to watch out for, but so were the unique abilities that Matt possessed. He focused intently on several ideas he had never managed to make work before. While some might say rushing in with a plan that required him to succeed where he had only ever failed before was foolish, Matt was counting on the fact that he had never made a clone until he truly needed one. This was his gamble as he approached the mass of writhing tentacles that lay just beyond the point where the tunnel ended, their ominous presence a daunting challenge he was determined to face.

  Deciding that there was nothing left to do but risk it all, Matt concentrated on creating a second clone, one the size of a grape. Initially, he feared failure, but then he felt the earth tremble as one of the tentacles slammed into the sea floor, and it seemed as though his ability activated on its own accord. Almost immediately, Matt began to develop a headache as he struggled unsuccessfully to focus on both bodies at once. Instead, he found himself constantly switching between them, faster than either could complete the actions he intended them to perform.

  In this manner, Matt managed to toss the grape-sized clone through the membrane and towards the center of the mass of tentacles. Once it passed through the membrane, Matt's tiny clone swam as if its very existence depended on it. Despite its efforts, progress was slow, taking a full five minutes to traverse the mere five feet to the nearest tentacle, leaving it nearly exhausted from the effort. Nevertheless, it persevered, surging forward and quickly pulling itself along the tentacles until it reached an inky blackness, the source from which the tentacles appeared to originate.

  Almost out of air, Matt's tiny clone dove straight into the blackness and instantly felt itself be obliterated. However, Matt had employed the same skill that had previously saved him from the owl-man. A smile spread across Matt's face as he watched the mass of tentacles recoil in apparent pain, though nothing further occurred. Worse yet, the grape-sized clone was out of energy, and a moment later, it touched the blackness again and perished. However, it was more than just that, as Matt experienced firsthand what it felt like to die by touching the ominous substance.

  To put it mildly, it felt as if every single cell within him was being violently ripped apart and repurposed into the monstrosity before him. Surprisingly, the pain was not even the worst part; it was the sensation of a fragment of Matt’s mind touching that of the monsters, which was profoundly disturbing. The creatures knew only hunger and an insatiable desire to consume everything that walked on land. Yet, they could only control those who were within the water. For this reason, they sent tsunamis to try and sweep people out to sea. This mental connection felt like it had almost shattered Matt’s mind, but he found solace as he noticed a notification while beginning to create another clone.

  Base Mind stat +1