Mermaids And Sharks

I stared back at Harris the tadpole squirmed and floundered in her aquarium while Meng Fang desperately trudged behind me. Frozen gore spiraled around the zombie cultivator. Pink stalagmites dripped with gore above and only my steps remained clean. By his trudging steps it would take years to finish this nightmare mode.

"Slow down," Meng Fang called. They were an anchor. Despite the lessons Meng Fang taught we had different goals. This isn't what I wanted. It's not what I ever wanted.

The memory of Meng Fang shattering my shield and striking me wouldn't fade. Something in me balked at the thought of someone being able to just rip through my shield. I could feel my hackles rise and something hot began to fill my veins.

Our destination made it worse. I wasn't ready to face an ocean. Going underwater terrified me more than any enemy. Something about the feeling threw my mind into a panic. My qi shook erratically, I was losing it.