《Karl Became an Axolotl and now he's in a Cave》


 I Love Axolotls!! (prologue)

    Mmmmm, that sure smells good. Like a newly baked blueberry muffin at grandma¡¯s place. Or like fresh bread from the baker when you¡¯re on a diet and can¡¯t eat bread. Like a little party in your nose.


    Hm? Who am I? Why, I¡¯m Karl! Proud leader of a good life and happy alive person, at your service! Well, that whole ¡°life¡± and ¡°alive¡± part might as well be scratched because, well, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m dead. Which isn¡¯t nice, but, then again, I can think, can¡¯t I?


    And, to boot, there¡¯s this delicious, delicious smell wafting through the air. You know in those cartoons where the main character smells a pie, and the scent of the pie is shaped like a hand, waving seductively for the main character to come on, have a bite? Well, it¡¯s like that, only I¡¯m pretty sure the scent-hand punched me. But in a good way!


    And what does this mean? The atheist death we all dread is nought! The Christians were right! Or, the Muslims? Well, the Jews could also have been right¡­ and then there¡¯s the Buddhists, too¡­


    Well, I¡¯m sure one of them was pretty much right, considering my current situation. Which is¡­ darkness, and nice smell. And, also, now that I think about it¡­ coarse. It¡¯s like I¡¯m standing on something coarse and rough, and I can feel it. With all five of my limbs.


    ¡­


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ...five?


    Hold on, hold up, I¡¯m bad at math, but not THAT bad!


    Okay, we have one hand there, one hand there, one foot there, another foot there, and¡­ another foot? No, not like a foot, more like¡­ my butt? And, to boot, it feels like I have three pairs of ears on each side of my head¡­


    Very confusing, yet interesting.


    Can I touch it?...


    I attempt to move my right arm just a little, feeling the previously static limb fill with life and motion, moving ever so slightly to touch whatever was up on my head, accidentaly touching my skin in the process.


    It was¡­ soft. And somewhat slick. Which my skin usually isn¡¯t, so this is really weird no matter what has happened.


    Wait¡­


    Might it be¡­


    Gasp! I¡¯ve awoken from the matrix!!


    I attempt to rise myself up dramatically, only to find myself to have already been standing.


    On all fours.


    Comfortably.


    Hmmm.


    Not the answer, eh?


    Well, can I move the rest of my body?


    Unlike what I would expected, all four/five of my limbs moved easily and without requiring too much thought, as if, well, they were a part of me. Which they are. Thankfully?


    Whatever the case, moving them may be easy, but I had a feeling that actually walking might be a fair bit harder, which it was. And, to boot, this whole ¡°not-being-able-to-see¡± deal was really messing with me.


    I was blind, on all fours, with a possible really long butt, and weird things sticking out of my head.


    ...hold up.


    Not joking, am I¡­


    An axolotl?...


    I love axolotls!!

 Chapter One: I am pretty sure that this isnt Earth

    Damn, that¡¯s so cool!!


    I got a tail and external lungs and everything!!


    Ex-, external lungs¡­


    I¡¯m just going to pretend that they¡¯re cool horns or something because the idea of having lungs hanging from my head terrifies me, and I¡¯m not afraid to say so.


    This does present a very interesting resolution to my previous idea.


    The Buddhists were (probably) right.


    And, following this, if considering Buddhist scripture, I am probably no longer on Earth, but in ¡°the next¡± world. Right? That¡¯s how Buddhism works, right?...


    I¡¯m not too sure to be honest, but, I mean-,


    ¡°Krrrrr¡±


    My thoughts were suddenly and rudely interrupted by the growling of my own stomach. I must admit, that heavenly scent is still very much present, and, well¡­ I¡¯m hungry. Funny how things work out like that.


    Fighting valiantly against the urge to stand up on two, I slowly but surely get the basics of moving down. It¡¯s like crawling on all fours, except my legs are hideously short and, thusly, I have to move the whole leg to get anywhere.


    But, as weird as it feels, I do get somewhere. My legs and arms move in unison to get me closer to the source of that good, good scent. And, as it would seem, I wasn¡¯t exactly facing it, so I had to stick my head into the air and get a sniff on the situation before moving.


    Sniff sniff.


    To my right.


    How close it was to my right I was unsure, but wherever it was, I had to go to the right to get it. My first step in this endeavour would be to turn to the right. Easier said than done, that¡¯s for sure¡­


    I stop completely and start turning my upper(or frontal?) body, only now noticing exactly how rigid and stale my entire body was. My spine felt like an iron rod, and forcing it to turn gave me quite a few flashbacks to my days of sitting hunched over a computer.


    However, after moving my legs in this way as well, I successfully turned to face the source of the smell.


    Now, all I had to do was get it.


    Slowly but steadily, I moved towards the smell, coming closer and closer with every step.


    Eventually, it was so close that I could almost taste it. But when I took the final step that I imagined would lead to my reward, I instead found a wall.


    Atleast, I imagined it to be a wall. Raising my head and sniff sniffing the air, I found that whatever was giving out that delicious, heavenly smell, was up there. On the wall.


    If it even was a wall, that is. Which I started to believe it really wasn¡¯t.


    But how was I going to get up? Axolotls aren¡¯t exactly known for being amazing climbers, so the whole idea of just climbing up there was rather¡­


    ¡°Krrrrrrr¡±


    My stomach growled once more, letting me know that it was that way or the highway. And I listened.


    Grabbing hold of the perpendicular rocks in front of me, I started heaving my body up, my hind legs following suit.


    I was surprisingly light, almost running up the side of whatever this was.


    My tail, in accordance with my inner thoughts and shear stress, swayed from side to side, somehow allowing me to almost float up along the wall.


    Which, in turn, gave rise to a thought.


    Axolotls are aquatic animals, right? This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I hadn¡¯t really noticed it before, but the very idea startled me with how much sense it made.


    Of course I was underwater!


    As a direct consequence of this thought, I stopped ¡°climbing¡±, instead opting to flail all five of my limbs, allowing me to swim up instead of climb slowly.


    And it worked very well.


    Within only a minute, I surfaced, plunging my head through the waters and into the air above.


    Up here, the scent of freshly-baked sweets, the same smell I¡¯ve been smelling all this time, was practically ever-present, wafting through me.


    I also realized that I could not breathe.


    Choking for a second, in panic, I was unable to realize why I couldn¡¯t breathe.


    Stupid, yes, but who wouldn¡¯t be confused at not being able to breathe air?


    Somehow, this sliver of insight penetrated through my panicked mind and reached me, allowing me to have the bright idea of plunging my head back into the water. Which I did.


    Taking a big, imaginary breath, I was thankful to find my body filling once more with oxygen.


    But, I still wanted that delectable morsel up there. It was so close!


    I simply had to get it.


    Maybe, if I hold my breath, I can get it?...


    Cautiously, somewhat traumatized from the previous experience, I allowed my head to exit the waters, this time making sure not to breathe at all, instead holding my breath.


    And, to be sure, I didn¡¯t choke immediately. However, I could not be sure about exactly how long I could hold my breath, so this was really quite dangerous. As it turns out, I could not see anything up here either. And judging by the fact that axolotls, according to my 6¡¯th grade education, are not naturally blind, this would mean that I am in some place where there is no natural light. A cave, in other words.


    Wherever I was didn¡¯t matter, however, because all I wanted at that moment was whatever was giving out that charming odour.


    It was from¡­ over there.


    Straight up, still on top of this wall. Or maybe it was a stalactite? Stalagmite? No idea.


    But it didn¡¯t matter if I had to climb the mexican border, I wanted that¡­ thing. Whatever it was.


    I grabbed a hold of a rock, cold and cool and prickly, and attempted to hoist myself up. God, I was heavy.


    But not too heavy.


    I allowed the rest of my limbs to get in on the party, slowly but surely getting up the stalagmite, right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot. I was going somewhere.


    And although I didn¡¯t breathe, the smell, growing stronger with every step, still made me feel all rosy-cheeked and wanting. It was a strange feeling, wanting something so much. Like fasting for thirteen days and then smelling freshly-baked bread. Yet, somehow, stronger. More defined.


    I decided to ignore the ache in my muscles, my lungs screaming for a breath, and my eyes burning to see, all in order to get up. Climb.


    I didn¡¯t know how long it had taken, a second, a minute, an hour, but eventually, after every limb I had and every bone in my body had already given up on getting the rest they craved, I was there. I couldn¡¯t see it, but even without sniffing the air, I knew it was right there in front of me.


    The air, which had felt like tiny prickling cactuses before, was now smooth and soothing, like how you always thought being in a cloud would feel like.


    I reached out my right hand, blindly searching for that something that I had spent all of my current existence searching for, and¡­


    I found it.


    It felt like a little pebble, with clear sides and sharp edges.


    Just holding it filled my body with euphoria.


    But then I felt my body screaming for air, or rather, for water, and with the strange rock in hand, I took the plunge, blindly throwing myself back into wherever I came from.


    Whether I was going to land in water or on rock, I did not know. But I had to take the chance.


    I heard a little splash ring out, like when a small rock falls into a body of water, and then I could breathe again.


    It felt so good.


    The cool water embracing my body, and my mind finally calmed down enough to actually examine what I was holding.


    It was a little bit bigger than my fist, and hard as a rock.


    And yet, it smelled so good.


    It probably wasn¡¯t edible.


    It was probably only my imagination that it smelled as well as it did.


    But¡­


    One little lick wouldn¡¯t hurt, right?


    I stuck out my large, strangely-shaped tongue and allowed it to touch the side of the strange rock.


    And it tasted¡­


    So damn good.


    If the smell was Fight Club 2, the comic, then the taste was Fight Club, the movie.


    Whether it was edible or not didn¡¯t matter.


    I acted entirely on my instinct, and popped the rock into my mouth, and¡­


    I was in heaven.


    Everything was alright.


    Dying wasn¡¯t all that bad, and neither was living.


    Just existing was good enough for me.


    As long as I could taste this sweet sweet symphony of dopamine playing on the tip of my tongue forever, I didn¡¯t mind what else happened to me.


    And then, I swallowed.


    My body had acted on it¡¯s own, I swear!


    But whatever the situation was, I had just swallowed a strange rock that may or may not have been meth. What else could give such euphoria?


    Preparing myself for the end of my short axolotl life, I failed to notice a tingly, exotic kind of feeling. Like that feeling you have after having gone through a transformative experience and looking at yourself in the mirror, only to be unable to recognize yourself.


    Like that, but it lasted.


    My head felt warm, and my stomach gurgled ominously.


    Not the best feeling after having swallowed a mystery-rock, but unable to hinder or stop the process, I allowed it to continue.


    And continue it did.


    My head grew hotter and hotter, and it really did feel like somebody ha stuffed a boiling pot of tea in there.


    And yet, it didn¡¯t hurt.


    On the contrary, it felt rather nice.


    And, with some confusion, I could distinctly feel something coming out of my head. It was a weird sensation, really.


    But it didn¡¯t stop there.


    It grew, and it grew, and after a while, I could even feel the antenna-like growth with my hands.


    It didn¡¯t grow much longer than that, but the very tip of it grew in size, inflating like a little volley-ball.


    And, after growing to the size of what my hands considered a golf-ball, it stopped.


    And then, it turned on.


    It was as if somebody had turned a switch on my body, and the little bulb started shining beautifully, and with this light, I could suddenly see.


    My eyes, unused to this sudden photon-pummeling, didn¡¯t take this well, and I had to squint in order to see anything. In the very heart of the bulb, I could see what looked to be a little gem, the source of the light.


    I brought a hand into view. The skin was pink and somewhat transparent.


    Looking around, all I could see were the murky depths of whatever pond I was in.


    And it was at this time that I was sure that I was no longer on Earth.

 Chapter Two: The Wall is Edible and Im hearing Voices

    I really should have thought about that before, I mean, axolotls aren¡¯t exactly the most self-conscious species, but¡­


    Whatever!


    This is so cool!!


    It¡¯s like that little antenna that angler-fish have, except on me!


    And there¡¯s a little gem in it, to boot!!


    Obviously, I have been reborn into some sort of lord of the rings-esqe fantasy world where eating rocks gives you strange and positive mutations.


    I think?


    Then again, chances are I¡¯m not in a cave AT ALL, and I¡¯ve just been imagining this the whole time.


    I guess there¡¯s only one way to find out!


    Swimming upwards using mostly my tail, I quickly and smoothly emerged from the murky waters to take a big breath.


    Oops.


    ...However, unlike before¡­


    I didn¡¯t choke.


    No, despite knowing fully well I was not the water anymore, I could still, somehow, breathe. And, curiouser yet, my skin didn¡¯t feel prickly at all from the dry air, like before, but was instead moist and nice as usual.


    Hm¡­


    My thoughts immediately flew to the strange rock/gem.


    If it could make a weird antenna grow within seconds, something like this should really be quite obvious when you think about it.


    My thoughts all set on the how and why, I excitedly turned to my real reason for surfacing: checking out my surroundings!


    And, to be sure, it was a cave.


    By the dim light of my little bulb, I could see bony stalactites hanging from the ceilings, stalagmites right below, hoping to meet-and-greet each other. I couldn¡¯t see much further than the very brim of the pond, which really wasn¡¯t that big, and anything further than that was just complete darkness.


    And by complete darkness, I, of course, mean: previously unexplored territory!!


    If just one weird tasty rock could give me light and air-breathe, imagine what another one could do!


    In fact, now that I can smell the air properly, I can already feel a delicious scent reaching my nostrils¡­ not as intense as the rock, but definitely not a smell you would associate with being hundreds of feet underground. Rather, the smell made me think of something much more homely¡­This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Namely, raspberries and milk.


    Yeah, I¡¯m as confused as you are, but¡­


    That does mean that there¡¯s more to find here, right?


    And, plus, an exit would actually be pretty nice, so there¡¯s that as well.


    Sniff sniff sniffing the air once more, I found exactly which way was the way towards the breakfast-y smell.


    Hmmm, that way.


    Turning my head to the left, I start swimming slowly, using almost only my tail. It¡¯s surprisingly effective as a rudder. This had to be how mermaids feel, right? This has to be that, right?


    Right.


    I reached the end of the pond within only a matter of seconds, which tells quite a bit about how fast I am as a swimmer. Or, about just how small this pond I was in was.


    Crawling my way onto the bare ground, I found the rocks underneath me to feel quite a lot better than before. Less cold and course, and more smooth. It¡¯s probably the rock¡¯s doing.


    You know, anything supernatural happens, I¡¯m going to blame it on the rock.


    The place I had crawled up on proved to be a little opening in between a bunch of stalagmites, showing a clear path to wherever it was I wanted to go.


    Laughing evilly to myself, I clumsily crawled my way between the stalagmites, which opened up into a larger space.


    Looking up at the stalagmites, I happened to notice just how extremely large they were. I wasn¡¯t sure about how large I was, but if I was the size of a man, crawling on all fours, then those large pillars of rock had to be at least 200 meters tall, larger than the tallest of skyscrapers!


    Then again, I might just be very small.


    Who knows, really?


    Whichever was the case, I was already hungry for more, and that smell sure was right around the corner.


    Going around a corner or two, I realized that I was probably very small and the cave was pretty normal-sized. At least, that was the feeling I got. The ceiling was high and the walls were broad, the floor littered with stalagmites and numerous stalactites dangling hazardously from the ceiling in correspondence to the stalagmites below. And I could swear that these caves looked just like those you saw in the pictures. And if a man was able to stand upright in a cave like this, I must be¡­ around 1 cm? That can¡¯t be. Then again, maybe I¡¯ll grow?...


    Wandering slowly, thinking about my situation, I failed to notice that I had reached my destination. That is, until I walked into it, quite literally.


    Owch!


    Pain rang though my body, especially my head, and I fell back, surprised and hurt.


    But in the light of my little lure, I saw not a normal wall, but a glimmering, shining network of¡­ something.


    This had to be the source of the smell.


    Reluctantly, yet knowing this was the right decision, I licked the wall. It was course, as expected, and rough, as expected, and tasted like¡­ oats and blueberries!


    My eyes flared open, and without thinking, I tried to take a big bite of the wall. Which I did.


    Chewing happily and intently, I forgot the fact that A, axolotls aren¡¯t exactly known for their biting capabilities, and B, this would be literally impossible in any other scenario. But I was hungry, and according to my biological clock, it was morning, so blueberries and oats it was!


    I must¡¯ve sat there, chewing the wall, for at least an hour. There was always more, and I always wanted more. I would have called it an evil circle if it wasn¡¯t so delicious.


    Eventually though, I heard something. A voice like no other, neither young nor old, female nor male, like a snake trying to speak though it¡¯s hisses,


    ¡°Endurance +1¡±


    I immediately snapped out of my preoccupation, turning around so fast that I might as well have called myself ¡°speed-o-sound¡±.


    Nothing.


    Nobody.


    But I couldn¡¯t take any chances.


    I was scared, and that I would remain until the chances of a threat was gone.


    I could neither see nor hear anything. It was all still.


    I stood entirely still for a good minute until I turned back to my meal, one eye over my shoulder at all times.


    And after only a couple of mouthfuls¡­


    ¡°Elasticity +1¡±


    I didn¡¯t turn around this time. I just stood still. Listening.


    Nothing.


    Then¡­ it must be in my head.


    Am I going mad?


    Well, there is always the chance that I¡¯m just in an asylum, imagining this whole thing, but I¡¯m not going to assume insanity. That¡¯s just dumb!


    Maybe, just maybe¡­


    What I¡¯m eating right now causes that voice to speak?


    Well¡­


    Only one was to find out!


    I shoved my face into the wall, chewing energetically, sadly noticing how the amount of flavour slowly diminished as I went along, eventually leaving me with a whole mouth of nothing. But I still chewed it. And, finally¡­


    ¡°Size +1¡±


    And the exact moment I heard that voice, I could swear the cave got smaller.


    Then again, if I¡¯m to trust that voice¡­


    It might be that I got¡­


    Bigger?...

 Chapter Three: Never Mine Straight Down (or ahead for that matter)

    Okay, yeah, I¡¯m going to have to review this information just a teeny weeny little bit.


    Fact 1, there¡¯s a voice in my head telling me things.


    Fact 2, eating rocks does weird stuff that it really shouldn¡¯t.


    Fact 3, what kind of magic world is this where axolotls can bite through solid rock??


    It doesn¡¯t make sense.


    I mean yeah, I confess that I¡¯m currently eating this very moment, but still!


    And by the way, rocks don¡¯t taste much, but they make me grow for some unknown reason, and if I¡¯m lucky I happen upon some of those other rocks from before, which I think may be ores? Not sure which ones, but probably some of them.


    So, to describe everything I¡¯ve been doing since you saw me last, well¡­


    I¡¯m a bit ashamed to say I¡¯ve only been eating.


    Straight through the wall.


    I just kept going and going, eating and munching and hearing a voice every now and then telling me I¡¯ve grown larger somehow. I¡¯m not even really thinking about the process anymore, just shuffling food in like a piledriver or something.


    It¡¯s actually pretty nice-,


    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA


    And, all of a sudden, I was in the air, falling through what seemed to be several meters of air, my little antenna being the only thing keeping me in the moment.


    I spun and flailed and darkness came and went, and eventually, after what seemed to be forever, I hit the ground.


    Hard.


    And yet, there was no pain.


    Something should have broken, right?


    This was THAT kind of fall, after all, and yet¡­


    When I stood up, the only spectre of pain I could feel was a dull ache on my stomach.


    In fact, when I had landed, I bounced around a fair bit, like some rubber animal toy.


    When all was said and done, I just stood there, like a shivering little chihuahua. Scared to death.


    Okay, I¡¯ll admit, maybe chewing straight through the wall of a cave might not have been the best idea, but¡­


    Yeah, no but. Just leave it at that.


    Taking a deep, imaginary breath, I decided that I might as well take a look around. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    The first thing I noticed was the fact that the entire space I was in, which seemed to be a near-spherical cavity, was lined with a web of copper lines, which I now knew to be some form of ore. And since the whole place was covered in it, the smell which seeped from it was everywhere, and it was concentrated.


    It smelled like cake.


    And I immediately wanted to have a taste.


    I mean, come on!


    It¡¯s CAKE!!


    Taking a deep breath, I took in as much of the delicious scent as my non-existent lungs could hold, only to notice there was a faint smell of something else as well, namely¡­


    Bubblegum?...


    This must be investigated.


    I had gotten rather good at discerning scents as of recent, so the matter of finding the source was rather simple.


    It was right in the middle of the whole cavity, meaning that the scent of bubblegum and cake blended in a strange yet utterly delightful way. The size of the cavity seemed to be at least around¡­ fifteen me-lengths? It was rather small, anywho.


    In the very middle of the cave, there was a single stalactite hanging from the ceiling, right above a smaller stalagmite, glimmering gloriously like silver in the moonlight. Maybe it is silver? Or it might be some fantasy-metal I don¡¯t kno-,


    WHoa!


    Did the stalagmite just move?!


    No, on closer inspection, that is no stalagmite!


    It¡¯s, uhhhh¡­


    A giant ten meter long lobster?...


    With a stalagmite on it¡¯s back?!


    Wait, no, not lobster, uhhhhh, what¡¯s the name¡­


    Right, crayfish!


    Man, I didn¡¯t know crayfish grew that big¡­


    It was entirely white and slightly transparent, almost ghostlike in appearance, and had it not moved, I would definitely have confused it for a stalagmite and been done with that. But it did move.


    It¡¯s pincers were large enough to easily crack my skull, and if I was the size a human, it could definitely cut a tree in two.


    The tail was long and the fin on the end was larger than most, I think.


    The eyes, bulbous and nigh-unreadable as they were, seemed to be intently focused on me.


    Or, rather, the light my lure gave off.


    Hey, my eyes are down here!


    Although it was really scary, what with him being over three times my size, I somehow managed to take a step towards him. Always assume innocence in the absence of evidence to the contrary!


    He seems friendly enough to me, atleast.


    And, unlike what you may think a crayfish confronted with an axolotl a third of his size would do, the crayfish took a step back, apparently intimidated by me.


    Aww! Poor baby, have you been stuck here? Considering there¡¯s even a stalagmite on your back, you must have been here for quite some time, right?


    The crayfish seemed dumbfounded.


    Awww you poor baby boy I¡¯ll help you get out of here if you¡¯d like <3


    But first, I¡¯d like to make use of this huge buffet we¡¯ve got here!


    And with that said, I immediately hopped to the wall, and started chewing straight at it. I couldn¡¯t see what the crawfish was doing, but he seemed pretty confused.


    Whatever this was, it tasted like strawberries(those fresh, ripe ones, not the artificial flavour you find in candies), and it was kind of tough to chew. But that didn¡¯t matter. It was delicious!


    I feel like a broken record: everything is delicious and all I do is eat.


    Can I get fat?...


    Nah, this is a magic world, obesity is for the real world.


    And, soon, that voice rang out:


    ¡°Conductibility +1¡±


    C-, Conductibility?...


    Now that¡¯s, uh¡­


    Well, I could sort of understand the other ones, but this¡­


    Is it about my conduct? Like how I act in front of people? Or am I going to get even more zapped than normal if I do get zapped?...


    Explain it, mysterious stranger!!


    This message continued to ring out every now and then, as well as the ¡°Size¡± one, until it was clear that I had eaten all of the copper-coloured metal in the cavity.


    There was only one edible thing here left, and it was in the very middle of this room¡­¡­¡­


    Bubblegum!


    I snapped my head around to face the center of the cavity, and sure enough, there was the silver-looking stalactite. And the crayfish. But he seemed pretty chill, so I¡¯m sure it would be alright if I just¡­ came on over?...


    Stepping on my tippiest toes to make sure not to startle the poor baby boi, I carefully, oh so carefully, got closer.


    He really was massive.


    Not just in length, but in girth as well. His body was thick and muscular, like the apex of crayfish evolution. Hmm. Crayfish don¡¯t just grow like this, they have to actively work for a body like this, so¡­


    What in the world could have happened for it to become this scared? And, also, why is it down here? There doesn¡¯t seem to be any exit apart from the one I made, so, how did it get in here?...


    Mysteries, mysteries.


    But right now, I want that silver!!


    Looking up, I noticed a crucial flaw in my plan.


    Sure, I was pretty okay at climbing, but I can¡¯t climb upside down!


    So, how do I get to the stalactite?...


    Maybe I should just give u-,


    Hold on.


    Crayfish?


    ...Can I call you Clay?...


    Clay, you wouldn¡¯t mind if I,


    y¡¯know,


    climbed up on your back?

 Chapter Four: Clay the Crayfish and Karl the Axolotl: an Unlikely Friendship

    ¡­


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I¡¯ll take your silence as a gleaming yes!


    Clay the Crayfish looked at me with what seemed to be cautious curiosity.


    Slowly, carefully, I approached him, my bulb hopping like a little ball on a string, which it pretty much was.


    If he had eyelids, I¡¯m pretty sure he would squint in sheer confusion.


    Now, don¡¯t panic, I¡¯ll just put my hand on your leg here¡­


    My small, slimy hand softly grasped one of his less intimidating legs, aka, not one of his pincers. Those were too spooky, even for me!


    Hm, on closer inspection, all of his legs seemed to end in very small, underdeveloped pincers supporting him.


    I could feel his entire body twitch ever so slightly at my touch, however, he remained stationary. I take that as a sign that he is pretty much okay with this.


    I took a couple more step towards him, placing my other hand on his leg. Just one of his legs were about as long as my whole body, including my tail, and it had the thickness of my tail. The material was tough and stern, almost like a rock, which was really impressive. Then again, I didn¡¯t know much about crayfish, so it might just be ordinary.


    With new-gained confidence, I continued my climb, grabbing onto a higher part of his leg to support a bipedal stance. It felt really weird, to stand on two legs but in such a bad way. My legs felt like spaghetti, al dente!


    I placed my right leg on his leg as well, and hoisted myself up.


    And there I stood for about five seconds, shaking nervously, entirely perpendicular, feeling like a chameleon with parkinson''s.


    Clay moved a little, most likely somewhat uncomfortable with the sudden added weight.


    Hey, don¡¯t do that, I might fall!


    Balancing myself once more, I decided it was time to get up. Imagining pleasant nonsense, I took one step, and then another, and after much less hustle than expected, I was up on his back. But not up on his big stalagmite.


    Looking beyond said stalagmite, I could see the all-seeing black eye of Clay peering curiously at me. I smiled and waved. He seemed pretty content with that, since he didn¡¯t move much after that.


    Well, only one thing to do¡­


    This isn¡¯t my first time climbing a stalagmite, I¡¯ll have you know!


    A fire of passion for sugar burning in my eyes, I started the last part of the climb, my feet and hands now very used to the feel of tough rock. My ascent went off without a hitch, and within only a minute of climbing frantically, I was at the top!Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Gaping wildly in awe of just how high up I was, I happily took in the sight.


    I had entirely lost my fear of heights.


    Looking down, I came to notice Clay looking up at me almost expectantly. I waved at him and looked up, entirely prepared to see a delicious stalactite peering down at me.


    And yet, nothing but darkness.


    H-, huh?!


    Where in the world did it-, aha!


    Over there, just a little ways to the left of Clay, the stalactite hung proudly.


    Oh, right, Clay didn¡¯t exactly find me too friendly and moved a bit¡­


    Ummm¡­


    Clay?...


    I look down at the pearly crustacean.


    He looked back up at me.


    Uh, could you just, move over a bit?


    Like over there?


    I pointed at the stalactite with my whole arm, fully expecting my Clay-mountain exploration to end there.


    Clay looked over at where I was pointing, and then back to me.


    I continued pointing.


    Clay looked away.


    And then, everything started shaking violently. I could even see some small pebbles falling off of Clay!


    Gazing down curiously, I noticed the reason for the earthquake: Clay was moving.


    One tree-trunk like leg at a time, he was walking!


    It was like being on the back of a giant, moving slowly but surely towards the great stalactite in the sky!


    My mouth curled into a great big smile, I happily shouted:


    ¡°You go Clay!¡±


    Which he didn¡¯t exactly respond to, but I could feel the contentment through his back.


    It took a while, to be sure, but eventually, the stalactite came into almost-grabbing distance.


    Curling my tail around the very tip of the stalagmite, I reached out, grasping in the air, when finally, I got it!


    The smell of sugar and bubblegum wafter through the air, hitting me like a cool breeze in the heat of the summer, and I grinned. Without a hint of fear, I leaped, curling the entirety of my body around the stalactite, burrowing my face in whatever silver-like metal this was.


    It was delicious! It tasted like cotton candy, smelled like bubblegum, and when you bit into it, it was chewy and somehow sparky, like a chewing gum filled with popping-rocks!


    Unable to contain my delight, I went around and into the stalactite, both removing great pieces of rock from it¡¯s surface as well as making it almost entirely hollow. Eventually, on cue, the voice spoke:


    ¡°Mysticism +1¡±


    Hmmmm, mysticism¡­ you know what? I¡¯m not even going to question that, let it be what it is, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine!


    When I had finally eaten every piece of silver-like metal in the stalactite, all that remained of it was a hollowed-out point, pretty much on the edge of breaking off.


    Hey! Clay!! I¡¯m done let¡¯s go and escape!


    I almost felt drunk, my heart beating swiftly and my brain moving slowly, resulting in the hypocrisy of my whole being making me feel like a teenager on a late friday night. Not good, that is.


    Clay looked at me strangely.


    What? You don¡¯t want to go? Well I mean that¡¯s your uhhhh decision and all but I thought we were friends!!


    Switching between sorrow and anger, I jumped carelessly from the hollow and cracked stalactite, noticing only in the back of my mind how this support came off. But the ¡°CRACK¡± from when it did come off did bring me back to my senses, and somehow, I instantly realized what I had done.


    Time went in slow-motion, the cracked tip of the stalactite falling slowly towards the head of a slow and unresponsive Clay, my heart in my throat, I cried out his name,


    ¡°CLAY!!!¡±


    Every bone in my body shaking in despair, my entire being focused entirely upon that dreaded piece of rock I had allowed, no, forced to fall.


    But, when time came back to me, when I could feel my body moving again, and the smooth rhythms of Clay¡¯s swaying feet made the little mountain sway, the stalactite did not move. It was suspended in the air, dead and inanimate, surrounded by a strange, blue glow. Much like the glow my lure created.


    I dreaded the thought, but it made sense, this was a fantasy world after all, but could it truly be so kind¡­?


    In my head, I prayed, asked over and over again, for the stalactite to move just a bit to the left. Just a little, and Clay would be out of harm¡¯s way.


    And, lo and behold, it moved!


    Ever so slowly, with only the faintest of change, it moved, it hovered, it flew to the left, and my will was rewarded, because despite the strain this caused on me, despite how heavy my legs and body felt, when it finally fell, it didn¡¯t fall on Clay, but instead, right beside him, with a crash that felt like it could crush a mountain.


    Clay flinched boldly, and his movements made me lost my balance somewhat, however, I remained, my mouth formed onto a goofy, sad smile, tears in my eyes at how close it had been. How close I could have been to killing my friend.


    I looked at Clay meekly. He looked back up at me, seemingly uncaring. Yet, I knew he understood me, and I understood him.


    W-, well! Enough with the moping, it¡¯s time to get Operation: saving Clay the Crayfish into the works!

 Chapter Five: The Great Escape!

    I don¡¯t really know exactly how I¡¯m to get him out, but the first and best move should be to, well, dig. Knocking as hard as I possibly could, which wasn¡¯t really that hard since I wasn¡¯t exactly buff, I attempted to grab Clay¡¯s attention again. He didn¡¯t seem to notice, so I gave a little yelp, which sounded like the squeaking sound a chewing toy makes. Am I a joke?


    Whatever I was, this seemed to grab Clay¡¯s attention, as he stopped alternating between looking solemnly at the stalactite and where it previously was. His eyes although dark and blank, seemed to contain boundless sorrows, and it took me a second to recollect my enthusiasm.


    Hey! Clay! Don¡¯t look so sad, we¡¯re gonna escape!


    Having gotten his attention, I quickly hopped down off of his back and ran to the nearest wall.


    Looking back at Clay, I noticed how, in the dim light of my lure, Clay looked really, really spooky. Startled, I jumped a little, but after seeing the little gleam in his eyes, I quickly regained my composure and pointed to the wall boldly.


    Look! I¡¯m going to chew us a hole to escape through! If you just follow me, we can leave this dreary place!


    Clay looked at me blankly.


    Well, just, uh, follow my lead and we¡¯ll be a-okay!


    With efficiency surprising even myself, I quickly and easily chewed a hole into the wall, big enough for even Clay to fit through!


    It didn¡¯t have much depth, but it was a good start.


    Come on Clay, I won¡¯t bite, I promise!


    I waved in that ¡°come here¡± motion that you see everywhere, hoping Clay would understand.


    Nervously, I think, Clay moved closer. Whether this was because he understood my wave or because he was curious, I don¡¯t know.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Whichever it was, soon enough, Clay was stationed right outside the hole, mostly unwilling to enter.


    Well, it isn¡¯t that deep, so that might be for the better.


    Turning back to the hole, I resumed my drilling/eating/digging, making sure to angle the hole a little bit upwards to get us, well, up.


    After the hole got quite long, I went back to the opening, and tried once more to convince Clay to enter. He didn¡¯t seem too willing, but after I beat my tail on the floor a little her reluctantly entered.


    Most likely, the size must have made him feel quite crowded, since he must have been used to the much roomier cavity we were escaping. But I persisted in his coming, and so, he came along.


    I continued drilling at a steady pace, every now and again hearing that voice saying I gained a ¡°Size¡±, and eventually, after drilling for twenty minutes or so¡­


    I could feel the rock growing softer, more tender. The floor was wet and a little trickle of water flooded down, which didn¡¯t really alert me since I liked water.


    It really should have alerted me though, because within only a couple of minutes, the rock I bit into crumbled away, I got a mouthful of sand, and water burst into our tunnel like a horse out of the gate. I was instantly swept away from under my feet by the water, a sudden and unwilling captive of the stream.


    I felt so helpless, a ragdoll in the hands of a child, unable to do anything to stop my descent into the dark, dark waters.


    I failed my limbs and tail in a fruitless attempt to regain control, but it was for nought.


    Or so I thought, until a powerful pincer grabbed a hold of me, forcefully yet gently thrusting me out of my descent. For a second, I was absolutely terrified. Something was here with me in these depths, and it was not ambivalent.


    That is, until I realized that although the pincer should have been strong enough to crush me, it didn¡¯t. It held me gently, carefully, doing it¡¯s best not to harm me in any way, yet keep me from being stolen by the tide.


    I grabbed on to the claw, allowing myself to be rescued with muddy comfort, glad to be rescued yet terrified due to, well, everything else.


    It was, of course, Clay. Somehow, he had the strength to hold on against the stream, strong and stoic, like a mountain incarnate.


    And when I didn¡¯t think there was anything Clay could do that could make him any manlier than he already was, he took a step. And another. And another.


    The hole to freedom, burst open like a sudden spout of grief, was right in front of us, tantalizing and near.


    I felt like I would be swept away, despite Clay¡¯s powerful grasp on my midsection. And yet, he walked, like a thundering god.


    Clay could barely squeeze through, his stalagmite being just barely too big for the hole. But when I thought that this was the end, it cracked off, and fell with a heavy thud you could hear even underwater.


    Taking the chance, Clay and I burst through the hole and into the sweet, calm waters of freedom. He had braved the waters, and won.


    Clay carefully and slowly released me from his grip, probably expecting me to take flight the moment he did. But I didn¡¯t. My heart in my throat, I lunged at the large crayfish, who in turn flinched at the sudden movement, but before he could escape of fight back, I had stapled myself to his side, hugging closely.


    Hahahaha, you can¡¯t stop me, for I have Endurance +6!!


    Clay resigned any fear and hostility, allowing himself to be hugged.


    A content smile on my face, I promptly fell asleep, having had a day full of wonders.

 Chapter Six: The Great Quake

    I woke up in a merry mood, fully convinced that the events of yesterday had been an enjoyable if somewhat strange dream.


    The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a ginormous insect-like pale face staring down at me.


    I shuddered, gasped and attempted to get some distance by crawling backwards, however, the realization that this was my friend and pal Clay hit hard and quick.


    Oh, Clay! Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to stare at people?!


    He must have understood my attitude, since he quickly took a step back to give me some space to breathe, which was really nice.


    Where are we anyways?...


    I don¡¯t feel much slimy, so I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re not underwater¡­


    Looking around, I tried to see if I could recognize the near-stereotypical cave environment we were in.


    Nope, no idea where we are.


    Hmm.


    Sniff sniff sniff.


    I knew it!


    Somewhere around here, in that general direction¡­ something smells pretty good.  Like¡­ like cinnamon, and honey, kind of like a newly baked drizzled cinnamon bun¡­


    God, I can¡¯t stay around here with such a delicious smell intoxicating me! Clay, let¡¯s go check it out!


    With agility not unlike a monkey, I quickly hopped up on Clay¡¯s now stalagmite-less back and pointed in the direction of the smell with a squeal.


    Onwards, my steed!


    Clay, despite seeming somewhat reluctant to be moving so much so soon, went in the direction of my pointing with slow and steady steps. When out walking, you should always walk as fast as your slowest walker to make sure nobody gets tired unnecessarily or left behind. That¡¯s what mama always told me, atleast, and I think Clay appreciates the slow pace.


    It took a bit longer that I hoped, but we eventually reached what I believed to be the source, or atleast, we came very close. Sitting on top of Clay was actually pretty fun, since you could get a real tour of the place. It was dank and dreary and every shadow my lure cast looked like some great unsightly beast, however, I got used to this after a little while. That¡¯s just how caves look, no matter what world you¡¯re in.


    Before us stood a wall made of solid stone, and as far as I could see, there was no way around it. The only way to get ahead would be to do as I always do. Eat.


    A crude method, but nevertheless effective.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I got to chewing.


    The rocks tasted, as usual, pretty much nothing. But I wasn¡¯t here for the rocks.


    I made the passage large enough for Clay to pass through and didn''t think much of it.


    The wall wasn¡¯t too thick, so it was easy to pass through.


    And then I saw it, glittering over there in the wall.


    Absolutely delighted, I dashed over, leaving Clay behind by the entrance so I could munch on some rocks, which turned out to be a grave mistake.


    I heard a great crash from behind me and snapped my head around.


    The little passage I had gnawed open had collapsed, a great big gash forming above it. Clay stood right in front of this gash, petrified.


    The gash, or rather, the crack, quickly spread, like a snake made of cobwebs, and everywhere it went, a cloud of dust fell, suggesting the destruction that was to come.


    I looked at Clay. Clay looked at me.


    ¡°CLAY!!!¡±


    I shouted, flinging myself at him, however, it was too late. The ceiling collapsed, rocks ten, twenty times my size hailing down from above like meteors of death. I tried to call out to Clay, but whatever meek, shrill noise I could possibly make was quickly drowned out by the cascading thundering doom from above.


    In sheer panic, I attempted to run towards Clay¡¯s disappearing figure in the distance, dodging or enforcing my will upon any rocks or boulders heading my way. I could instinctively feel that no matter how hard I tried, I could not lift all, or even a few, of the boulders falling upon us. Only one or two could be halted, and that was all I could work with to survive.


    And in the back of my head, in the midst of all this chaos, I knew this was my fault, I was rash and I was too focused on getting to those damn metals that I didn¡¯t even realize something like this was bound to happen. I had been stupid, and this was the payment.


    I could finally see clay, standing closely to the collapsed entrance, yet not moving. And then I noticed why.


    His left claw, monstrous and powerful, which he had used to save my life only hours before, had been completely and utterly crushed under a boulder twice his size.


    C-, Clay..!!


    D-, Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll-, I¡¯ll move it for you!!


    I may have said that, but deep down I knew that I could barely lift Clay himself. And yet, I had to try.


    My entire being, the whole of my will, focused entirely on the rock about ten times my size, my lure, previously slumped over, straightened out by the tension, and started shining brightly, brighter than any star, illuminating the whole of the devastation. The rock in front of me was enveloped by said light, shining like a lightbulb and quaking like a frog preparing to leap.


    However, it did not move.


    It did not lift even one centimeter from the ground. All it did was move nervously from left to right.


    And when my mind started to go blank and I could feel my pulse reach new highs and I could think of nothing else, I simply had to let it go. I fell to the floor, unable to move, my fists and jaws clenched in frustration and shame.


    Not only did I cause this whole mess, but to top if off, I can¡¯t even save Clay from it. I¡¯m pathetic!


    But this was no time for self-pity, and Clay knew that. I could only barely hear the clicking of his his right claw tapping the floor in an attempt to grab my attention. Looking up, meekly and weak, I noticed what he was trying to say.


    Pointing to himself, he made an up-and-down movement with his right claw, and I immediately knew what it meant.


    N-, no! I can¡¯t! If I do, you¡¯ll lose your claw!!


    But despite my objections, he continued with his movements.


    Sometimes in life, you have to do things you really don¡¯t want to for the sake of those you love, and this¡­ this was one of those times.


    Swallowing my tears and ignoring the constant falling debris, I focused on Clay.


    Biting my lip, I tried to imagine Clay as an inanimate object, unable to feel what he was most definitely feeling. My lure shone once more, and so did Clay. He was lighter than the rock, and yet he was still oh so heavy. Almost too heavy. Almost.


    Squinting with one eye, I could just barely make out how Clay lifted from the earth, his limbs flailing in either surprise or pain, his body acting with surprising little resistance as a whole. When I felt his body start to show resistance and his left arm creak, I closed my eyes, not in focus, but in pain.


    There was a great tension for a moment, and then something gave way, and I could feel a great shudder spread through Clay like electricity. The second this happened I quickly put him down and ran to his side. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, yet I knew this was not the time. There was only one way to hide from this, and that was down.


    Chewing as I had never done before, I chewed straight down, creating a hole for us to hide in. Clay entered, falling a little bit until he was entirely inside the small cavity. Using my will, I forced a rock to cover us somewhat so that we atleast wouldn¡¯t die.


    In the light of my lure, I could see how Clay was bleeding a strange liquid from his partially dismembered left arm. I felt guilty, but he didn¡¯t seem to blame me.


    I felt guilty.


    Shameful.


    And I could smell something delicious.

 Chapter Seven: Survival, Escaping and Resisting Temptation

    I-, I can¡¯t!


    Not after I¡¯ve already gotten Clay in trouble twice, I can¡¯t just run off and leave him behind, not again!


    In the uncertain light of my shimmering lure, I could faintly see Clay¡¯s eyes, black, unyielding, strained. I had crippled him, I can¡¯t just go running off the moment I smell profits over yonder! What kind of friend would I be if I did such a irreproachable thing?


    ¡°An alive one.¡±


    I could hear the slithery hissing voice reply.


    My whole body tensed up, and shivers ran through me.


    N-, no, I can¡¯t just leave Clay, not when he¡¯s hurt!


    ¡°If you don¡¯t, you may both perish.¡±


    It hissed to me, from the darkest reaches of the deepest corners of my mind.


    ¡°Are you truly so desperate for company as to attempt to ¡®befriend¡¯ a crustacean?¡±


    I could barely reply.


    Clay was no simple crayfish, was he? He had saved me, back then in the waters!


    ¡°How are you so sure that that is what he was doing?¡±


    I-...


    It must have been!


    Now you-, you shut up!


    You¡¯re wrong!


    ¡°I¡¯m not stating opinions, child. The earth is howling in pain around you, and you believe yourself to be safe?¡±


    And somehow, I knew he was right. Even now, well underground, I could hear boulders falling and crashing. Small cracks could be seen everywhere, even in this little chamber I made. It would not last.


    But¡­ I couldn¡¯t leave Clay behind!


    ¡°You¡¯d risk your life for a crayfish?¡±


    I-...


    Yes. I would.


    Clay!


    The beady-eyes crayfish replied with a stare.


    There is only one way we can go to get out of here, and that is down!


    Clay seemed to heavily doubt that, but¡­


    This wasn¡¯t the time to test a bunch of different hypotheses!


    We have to go!


    I scrambled in between Clay¡¯s numerous legs in order to get into position.


    Once I was almost directly underneath Clay, I got to digging.


    Somehow, from the reverberations through the rocks, I could feel that there was a large empty space beneath us, if I could just dig us down there. Easier said than done.


    Have you ever tried to gorge yourself on an all-you-can-eat buffet, despite already being full? That¡¯s how this felt. Every few seconds I had to pause to take just a tiny little breather. Clay was right behind me, squeezing himself head-first down the narrow tunnel I was spending so much time and energy on creating. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Suddenly, I could hear a loud crash from above, and small rocks and dust started pelting the two of us. It would seem that our little chamber had been unceremoniously crushed.


    Luckily, we weren¡¯t there, but it was only a matter of time before the same fate befell this tunnel.


    With newfound strength, I continued digging, which was actually more like biting and swallowing without even chewing, which would have been quite rude, had this not been a life-and-death situation.


    I could feel it. We were getting close.


    The rocks had started getting harder and more compact.


    Every now and then, I heard that all-too-familiar slithering voice ring out ¡°Size +1¡±, but, much like everything else that know-it-all said, I ignored it completely.


    It was hard to see through all the dust that was attempting to settle, and I could feel how my usually-slick skin was caked over with dust and gravel, a thoroughly enjoyable sensation.


    God, I want a bath.


    And then, suddenly, I¡¯m struck by something.


    A sensation, to be clear.


    The smells I had smelled before, were right in front of me.


    So sweet yet so aromatic.


    For only a moment or so I paused, almost unable to understand my mis/fortune. It was too good to be true.


    And the second I did this, I could feel exactly how dire our situation was.


    I had been able to stave off a lot of the damage by simply eating any and all pebbles that had fallen along with the rock of the cave itself, but the second I didn¡¯t do this, it just piled on. In but a second, I was almost entirely buried.


    Oh shi-,


    I immediately got to chewing, ores or no ores, I had to do something!


    And after only three or four bites, I hit the ores. I knew it immediately.


    It was silky smooth and delicious and sweet and tasted like honey.


    And then I hit upon another ore, that smelled faintly of cinnamon, yet tasted like crist and clear water on a hot summer''s day.


    Together, the flavours formed a perfect pair, complementing and contrasting each other at the same time, like warm milk with honey before bedtime. It was exquisite.


    But I had no time!


    I knew there was more, much more, than the size of the tunnel itself, but the important thing here was not for me to enjoy myself, but for Clay and I to escape!


    With tearful eyes, I chewed hastily through the delicious ores, despite knowing how much of it I was missing out on.


    And after just a little while¡­


    ¡°Quickness +1¡±


    Uhuhuh, I don¡¯t care!


    And then, with one more bite,


    ¡°Royalty +1¡±


    I could feel the floor give way and we fell.


    I had fallen like this before, and I had been fine.


    But I wasn¡¯t sure about Clay.


    I could barely see what was below me, much less what was beneath me, and yet I searched out, my will desperately attempting to make a difference between rubble, ore and Clay.


    I¡¯m not sure how, but I found him.


    I hadn¡¯t used my will though.


    No, I had never thought about it before, but Clay smelled an awful lot like bubblegum. Or, rather, silver.


    So, when I found him, making him float was just a matter of, well, will.


    But I could smell something else, too.


    Something that had been dislodged from it¡¯s place when I chewed through it.


    It smelled like the ocean.


    And although I could feel that I shouldn¡¯t have been able to lift both Clay and whatever this was, somehow¡­


    I could.


    I hit the ground hard only moment later, and I could feel something break.


    This fall was just a bit to high.


    But despite my sudden pangs of pain, I still enforced my will upon Clay, allowing him and whatever that other thing was to float slowly, gently, to the ground.


    Only a moment later, a hail of pebbles and debris pummeled the ground. This only lasted a moment or so, but I felt as though my heart was going to pop right out of my chest!


    C-, Clay!


    Ignoring the other thing I caught entirely, I ran to Clay¡¯s side to make sure he was alright. Not counting his missing left claw, the only damage to him was a small crack along his back, which would be alright in due time, right?


    Now, where are we?...


    This place was by far bigger than any I had seen before. The light from my lure couldn¡¯t even reach the very walls of the passage, a detail that should attest to just how wide this place was.


    Ah! The ocean thing!


    Sniffing briefly, I found the thing to be right over by a large piece of rubble. It was dark blue and shimmered brilliantly in the light of my lure.


    It was a gem.


    A sapphire, I think.


    I simply couldn¡¯t stop myself, and within only a second, the sapphire had already disappeared down my throat.


    I had barely gotten a taste of what it actually tasted like, but¡­ it was good.


    Suddenly, my back felt so¡­ hot.


    Like a little bonfire going on between my scapula!


    And then, as strange as it seems, I felt something emerge.


    Little arms, I think.


    Trembling, hoping I didn¡¯t just go all Lucy in here, I turned around to look at my back, which was quite a feat, considering Looking at your own back is quite hard despite being bipedal.


    I must be hallucinating.


    On both sides of my upper back, two rows, each consisting of four, I could see what seemed to be, uh¡­ extra lungs? Like the external lungs on my head, but larger and four instead of three.


    Did this mean I could hold my breath longer or something?...


    Compared to the lure and being able to breathe on land and also telekinesis, this is actually pretty disappointing¡­


    Can I move them at least?


    Hrm¡­


    They wiggled a little when I attempted to move them so maybe¡­


    Maybe that¡¯s not the right way?


    Maybe I should use my will on it?...


    Like on Clay, but myself?


    Well, it¡¯s with a try.


    Enforcing some of my will into the strange tree-like limbs, I could feel something strange happen. I got¡­ lighter.


    If I put in just a little more strength, well¡­


    Lo and behold!


    Flight!!


    My mouth lit up into a grin.


    This was just about as good as it could get!


    The more will I put in, the higher I flew, and if I tried really hard, I could move just a little forward.


    Not exactly optimal, but hey! Flight!!


    And just as my excitement regarding finding out I could now fly was at its peak I heard something.


    ¡°OH GOD, OH LORD, SOMEONE!! ROBERT, JOHANNA!!! ANYONE, HELP!!!!¡±

 Chapter Eight: Paul Goes Exploring in a Cave

    Paul was a bright boy. Ever since he had first been able to read, that¡¯s all he had been told, and when he picked up his father¡¯s interest of geology, his family was simply ecstatic. Imagine it, little Paulie would become a great cave explorer, like his father and grandfather before him!


    And Paul happily accepted this new fact of life. He was good at rocks. Nothing else mattered.


    Once school came around, that was all he could work on. Had he tried, he would surely have gotten alright, if not good grades in the other subjects. But he didn¡¯t. Any subject that wouldn¡¯t help him in some way towards his dream of becoming a geologist could just as way have been thrown out the window.


    His report card was a myriad of A¡¯s and F¡¯s, and he was alright with it. His parents didn¡¯t quite like it, but as long as he followed in his ancestor¡¯s footsteps, what did they care?


    And so, until university, Paul lived life as a reclusive, having no friends and no desire to have any. By sheer luck, he had gotten acquainted with and befriended two fellow students during a school project, Robert and Johanna, but that was as far as his social circle reached. They knew very well he was a rather strange guy, but in a cave, he was a man you could rely on.


    That is, if he¡¯s not alone.


    Which is exactly what had happened.


    He and his group had, as a project for university, been assigned a cave to explore. Of course, it had already been thoroughly excavated, checked out and discovered entirely. All that was in that cave were crayfish and the occasional axolotl. Nothing peculiar, nothing remarkable. The idea was simple: a group of professors had hidden a flag somewhere in the reaches of the cave, and their task was to find it. Simple, yet effective.


    They had an entire day for this project, and afterward they were to write an extensive report on the cave, it¡¯s formations as well as, optionally, the life forms inside.


    Paul was confident. He had been exploring caves three time¡¯s this one¡¯s size since he was seven, and there was nothing that could surprise him.


    He met his two teammates a fair bit outside the cave by a mac. Johanna was second to Paul, having decided to bicycle her way there, luggage and all. She was a lively, sporty girl with an infectious smile and big green eyes. The first thing she did after stepping off her bike, entirely unaffected by the steep hill she had recently climbed, was: ¡°I¡¯m not the first?¡±


    Johanna believed sternly that if her body was strong and ready for any situation, she could delve into any cave unhindered. Which was only partially true, but it did give her a very good reason to feed her training-addiction. Paul simply shook his head at her comment, a little smirk revealing his true thoughts on the subject.


    ¡°Well, then again, you cheated!¡± Johanna said, immediately bursting out in laughter at her own little joke, something she did often. Paul couldn¡¯t help but snicker along with her. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, Joey,¡± Paul replied, happily using her little nickname despite her numerous protests on the matter. However, before ¡°Joey¡± had a moment to protest the use of her nickname once more, Robert slid across the parking lot, creating a glaringly obvious tire-track. Hopping off his flaming red Harley and removing his flame-adorned helmet, the pale-faced redhead sloppily asked ¡°what¡¯d I miss?¡±


    Paul rolled his eyes at the comment, but Johanna chose to humour him. ¡°Oh my God, I can¡¯t believe you just missed it, it was here just a second ago!¡± with obviously fake worry, her eyebrows clenched into a strained concern. ¡°W-, what?! What¡¯d I miss, seriously?!?¡± Robert cried back, his shimmering blue eyes anxiously prodding Johanna for information about what this thing he recently missed was. Unconsciously, the corner of Johanna¡¯s mouth lifted right up, revealing a sly smirk. ¡°You JUST missed the joke!¡± Johanna finally said. Robert was stunned. ¡°...What does that mean?...¡± he asked shyly, his left eyebrow rising in proportion to his curiosity. Johanna rolled her eyes and smiled brightly. ¡°Nothing, Bob, let¡¯s get going, we don¡¯t have all day!¡± she stated authoritatively. Despite what one may thing, Johanna was, and had always been, the captain of this ship. And both Paul and Robert were completely alright with this.


    The cave itself was in the very outskirts of a rather large, dense forest of pines, behind an unassuming old troll-looking rock. The rock itself had affectionately been dubbed ¡°the Guardian Troll¡± and the cave itself was ¡°the Mouth of the Salamander¡± which really wasn¡¯t all that bad compared to platy of other caves with less¡­ fashionable names.


    Actually finding the cave itself should have been the hard part, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Robert had memorized the entire map of not only the cave itself, but the surrounding landscape as well. In short, he knew the way there.


    ¡°W-, wait up Joey, I-, I can¡¯t move that fast¡­¡± Robert complained as he panted and placed a hand on his knee, attempting to climb right up a hill. Johanna was already at the top, and Paul was almost up as well. Almost. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault all you do is stay inside eating crisps, Bob!¡± Johanna thundered down mercilessly. ¡°Go easy on him, Joey,¡± Paul commented, trying desperately to hide his panting under his breath, which was harder than it seemed. He had to admit, he wasn¡¯t exactly a trekker either. ¡°Shut up Paulie, you aren¡¯t exactly any better, either!¡± Johanna shouted, redirecting her attack from Robert to Paul.


    ¡°The cave is right down this hill here, right Bob?¡± Johanna asked once the other two had fully climbed the hill. Robert held up a hand to signal his need for just a short break. ¡°It-, huff, puff, yeah, it¡¯s, umm, right down there,¡± Robert said in between his gasps and groans, pointing to a humongous rock, surrounded by dense vegetation. ¡°...Are you sure?¡± Paul asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt. He knew it didn¡¯t make any sense to mistrust Robert of all people, but he partially just wanted to make sure. ¡°Oh, yeah, of course, see that rock over there is the Troll thing, duh, and it¡¯s covered in square goose neck moss, and those threes over there are firs as compared to all the other pines, so yeah, this is the place,¡± Robert rabbled all sloppy-lipped. Paul was impressed, as he always was, but Johanna simply brushed it off. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go down then!¡± Johanna burst out, jumping down with great vitality. Robert groaned and followed. Paul groaned inwardly.


    The entrance itself was extremely small, only barely big enough for one grown man to crawl  through, truly fitting its name. It really felt like it would swallow you up it you dared to enter. They dared to enter. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Robert went first as the slowest and most assured one geographically. Johanna was at the very end, carrying most of the luggage due to her bulk, and Paul was in the middle for no particular reason. ¡°Hey, Bob, how much longer?¡± Johanna asked after about five minutes of crawling through a narrow tunnel at an agonizingly slow pace due to Robert already being quite exhausted from the trekk. ¡°Around fifteen minutes more, and then there¡¯ll be a large space after whi-,¡± ¡°alright, got it, thanks Bob¡± Paul quickly intervened, stopping Robert¡¯s ramble right in its tracks. Robert mumbled something mean incoherently, but Johanna simply thanked him along with Paul.


    And lo and behold, in fifteen minutes on the dot, Robert gracefully stood up, took a deep breath of cool, moust cavern-air, and sighed deeply. Paul soon followed, shaking his legs to get the jittery ants out of them. Finally, Johanna emerged, and immediately started stretching in a rhythmic and used manner. ¡°Alright, where to next, Bob?¡± Johanna finally asked, standing up quickly, only to hit the roof and shrink back in pain. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not too tall in here,¡± Robert stated bluntly, something he really should have said earlier. Then again, neither he nor Paul were tall enough to hit their heads on the ceiling. They were actually pretty short.


    ¡°But, to answer your question, I¡¯m not sure. The road is pretty straight from here on, but it will split a few times on occasion, so we should really look out for that,¡± Robert said, almost admitting, albeit in a roundabout way, that he didn¡¯t know where to go. Sure, he knew the layout of the entire cave, but how was he supposed to know where they hid the flag? Paul nodded agreeingly. ¡°Whatever happens, we won¡¯t split up,¡± Paul stated matter-of-factly, to which both Johanna and Robert agreed.


    At least the path ahead would be one to walk.


    For around two hours or so, the three stooges wandered around the cave, backtracking every now and then to check out every path they didn¡¯t take. Eventually, they reached a rather large opening in the cave where they decided to sit down and rest their weary legs, as well as eating lunch. Lunch was important. Of course, none of them had brought anything that had to be heated. Johanna had brought a homemade tuna salad, Robert had brought a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, and Paul had brought a ham sandwich. Simple stuff, but edible.


    As they sat there, eating their food and discussing the most recent gossip at the university in the light of a little battery driven wind-up lantern, Paul happened to notice something. There was a hole in the wall. Sure, there were plenty of holes and stalactites and stalagmites and whatever around, but there was something strange about this particular hole. The very entrance to the hole was quite broad, but as it got further in, it narrowed significantly. What¡¯s more, there was something about the way this hole was created that just seemed¡­ off.


    Paul put his sandwich to the side and grabbed the lantern, crawling towards the hole, too tired to stand up. On closer examination, it almost seemed like the hole was made entirely of¡­ bite marks? Like an extremely small little thing had just taken a bite of the wall repeatedly, eventually eating so much a hole was created. Paul tried to shine the lantern down the hole, but it was too deep for the faint light.


    ¡°Hey, Bob, can you bring one of the flashlights over here?¡± Paul asked Robert, holding out his hand behind him. Robert, his legs filled with metaphorical ants, groaned at the prospect of having to move, yet was too submissive to speak back. Grabbing a flashlight from his bag, he crawled over to Paul and placed it in his open hand. ¡°What¡¯re you looking at, anyways?¡± Robert asked, peering over Paul¡¯s shoulder to take a peek. He was instantly struck. ¡°Th-, that¡¯s not supposed to be there¡­¡± he commented weakly. ¡°I thought so¡­¡± Paul replied in a hushed tone.


    Shaking the flashlight one or two times to liven it up, he turned it on and pointed it down the hole. After about two or three meters of the makeshift tunnel, there was a hole, and it didn¡¯t seem like it was made by biting and chewing. In fact, it looked like whatever did the biting and chewing had just.. Fallen. Straight through the floor.


    ¡°Hrmm¡­¡± Paul mumbled, his imagination running wild. This was neither man-made nor natural. Something is in here, something new and exciting. Paul could feel his adrenaline surge. He really wanted to know what made that hole. But unlike the thing that made that hole, he could not dig through the cave wall to find where it went, and neither was he allowed to.


    Johanna, now curious as to what her two male teammates were looking at, stood up and walked over to them. She was just about to ask what all the fuss was about when she noticed the little bite marks. She furrowed her eyebrows. Now that was certainly interesting. But they didn¡¯t have time to solve cave-mysteries. They had already wasted 2 hours just wandering around!


    ¡°Hup hup, time to get moving!¡± Johanna commanded as she clapped her hands together, instantly gather Robert and Paul¡¯s attention. Paul looked up at her pleadingly, but she ignored it. ¡°We REALLY have to get going, alright?¡± she said in a motherly sort of fashion. Both Paul and Rober sighed at approximatly the same time, stood up on wobbely legs, and followed her out of the chamber, of course not forgetting their all-important luggage. This time, Johanna walked at the front to ensure they walked at a quick pace, Robert in the middle to direct everybody, and Paul at the back.


    As they walked, Paul could swear he heard something. Some strange noise he couldn¡¯t quite describe. Like a crunching kind of cound, reverbating through the halls as if the cave itself was chewing on, well, itself, perheaps? Paul really couldn¡¯t tell, but something here was off.


    That is, until he could clearly hear rock split and rubble crack and collide. He couldn¡¯t tell where it was coming from, above, below, beside, but wherever it was, he had to say something. ¡°Guys, I think something i-,¡± Robert attempted to say, beating Paul by a mere second, but he couldn¡¯t finnish his sentance before the earth quite literally came crashing down upon them.


    Paul felt how something large and strong plummeted on his chest, causing something in his chest to crack loudly, most likely a rib. Paul attempted to scream out in pain and surprise, only to find his mouth stuffed with dust and gravel falling from above. The heavy smash of the rock caused him to fall to the floor, smaller rocks soon falling above to tenderize him with their non-stop beatings. Feeling just how much dust was in the air, Paul knew not to open his eyes, yet he knew he had to atleast know if Robert and Johanna were alright. And, to nobody¡¯s surprise, he couldn¡¯t see anything past the sudden cloud of dust.


    But just as the rocks started becoming more sparse, just as he thought it might be over, heheard another bony crack from above, even heavier than the previous one, and within only a moment of panic, the entire roof above them crashed down, landing squarely on his legs, or rather, his calves. The sudden force of around 600 kilos of pure rock did it¡¯s fair share of damage, and even without being able to look, Paul could clearly feel both of his legs break under the pressure like a pair of toothpicks under a rock.


    Opening one of his eyes forcibly, he could see that everything in front of him, where Roger and Johanna should be, was just a huge mountain of rocks. In pure desperation, Paul screamed out:


    ¡°OH GOD, OH LORD, SOMEONE!! ROBERT, JOHANNA!!! ANYONE, HELP!!!!¡±


    He had never thought himself to be someone who would scream in that manner, he had always thought himself the stoic type, but¡­ you never act as you think you do, and this was certainly one of those situations.


    Five anxious minutes passed.


    The dust setteled, and Paul could finally take a gander at understanding the situation. The constant pain in his legs, growing worse each time the boulders resting upon them shifted ever so slightly, didn¡¯t make his thinking much clearer, but he could atleast try. They had brought their phones down here. Everybody had their phone, hell, even he had his phone! But, alas, no connection. There was no way for him to contact Robert or Johanna, or to call the proper euthorities. And even if he did call 911 over, they might as well get lost in the cave!


    Robert and Johanna¡­


    Paul could only hope that they were alright. They had to be. Johanna was super strong like a gorilla and Robert knew this place inside-out, there was no way they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape! Paul, on the other hand¡­ felt very useless.


    But just as he was about to sink into thoughtsof hopelessness and despair, he saw something in the distance. From a hole in the wall he hadn¡¯t seen before, a light shone brightly. Not bright as a star, but like a little light-bulb, making everything around it light up.


    The light got brighter and brighter, nearer and nearer, and Paul couldn?t help but hold his breath in anticipation.


    And, finally, he saw¡­


    A crayfish?...


    No, not just a crayfish!


    On the back of the gray-ish crayfish, a little pink lizard - an axolotl - sat perched, looking very¡­ cute. It had long reddish-pinkish tendrils on the back of it¡¯s head, as well as it¡¯s back, and on the head, there was also, strangely enough, a little antenna with a large, glowing sphere on it, like a lure on an anglerfish. The mouth had ever-so-slightly jagged teeth, and around the lure there were small bumps, circling the head, almost like some sort of crown.


    All, and all, it looked¡­ surreal.


    Paul knit his brows in confusion.


    And then the little axolotl waved.

 Chapter Nine: The (Attempted) Rescue and its Aftermath

    I wonder if he understood my signal? I tried to wave and smile and be as friendly as possible, but to be honest, considering my previous experiences and the utter lack of response from this strange youth, it was hard to keep smiling.


    Suddenly, the man shook his head, knit his brows, and looked at me in pure disbelief. What, have you never seen an axolotl before? Considering this is another world of some sort, as I previously deducted, it might be my fault?...


    Maybe waving and smiling are signs of aggression in this world?...


    If I were to follow that pattern of thought, would that mean that typically aggressive behaviour is friendly?...


    Frowning as exaggeratedly as I possibly could, I made aggressive-looking movements with my arms, trying my best to get a response out of him. He just looked even more confused.


    ¡°What in the world is that?...¡± he mumbled in a low, hushed tone, most likely speaking to himself rather than to me.


    ¡°Hello!¡± I replied cheerily, however, this didn¡¯t seem to hit home. Ah, hypothesis confirmed, I can¡¯t actually make the sounds I want to make. Hrmm, shame¡­


    Cupping my chin in my hand, I allowed myself a moment to think. Hmm. I thoroughly examined the man.


    He seemed to be around 20 years of age, with slick, black hair and a tired, malnourished complexion. His eyes were black as well, like little holes. To be fair, his entire body was quite malnourished, thin like a twig with only the slightest hint of muscle on his forearms. He was dressed in rather modern-looking, heavy clothing, with plenty of pockets on both upper body and legs, pretty much perfectly prepared to explore a cave. I was only able to see his thin arms due to the fact that both sleeved had been rolled up, exposing his skin. He had a length of rope on his waist, and a hard hat with a little light on his head, although the light seemed busted.


    Aha.


    Now I noticed why he had screamed for help.


    Pretty much his entire lower section was covered by a massive heap of rocks, most likely caused by the cave-in, and suddenly I felt guilty again. Maybe it would have been better if I was never reincarnated?... ah, but then I wouldn¡¯t have been able to save Clay from that hole he was in, hmmm¡­


    Whatever! The past is past, and all I can do now is try to help resolve the remaining issues!


    The youth was still staring at me, and I became extremely self-conscious of the fact that not only did I make a lot of strange movements to animate my thought-process, but I was also stark-naked. I hadn¡¯t thought about that before.


    W-, well, standing around here all idle isn¡¯t going to help anybody, let¡¯s save this guy!


    I hopped down from Clay¡¯s back with agility that somewhat surprised myself, and quickly made my way over to the mute youth. Not too close though, since I didn¡¯t really want him to, well, grab me or anything, but close enough to see him face to face.


    ¡­


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, uhm¡­


    Hi?


    I waved slightly to the man.


    He gulped loudly and hesitantly, almost half-heartedly, waved back with his left hand ever so slightly.


    He understands me!!


    I hopped up and down like a literal manifestation of the phrase ¡°leapin¡¯ lizards¡±, and the man seemed to take this rather well, going so far as to crack a little smile.


    But I didn¡¯t know if I could trust him just yet!


    I¡¯ll help him, yes, but I have to make sure he won¡¯t, uh¡­ whatever people do to axolotls in this world, I guess?This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I held up my right hand.


    He held up his left.


    Is he a leftie or something?...


    Anyhoo!


    I gently tapped my chest with my hand, and then pointed to the heap of rubble his legs were under.


    I¡¯m not too sure, but I think I might be able to lift some of the rocks. And that¡¯s enough, right?


    The man knit his eyebrows once more. He pointed to me, to the pile of rubble, and then shrugged his shoulders as if to say ¡°can you¡± or ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡±, either one. But as I started to make my way over to the rubble(still keeping out of grabbing-distance), I heard him cough behind me, which really startled me, so I jumped about a foot into the air and turned around.


    ¡°Before you-, uh, do whatever that is, can you, um¡­ understand me?... godthisissostupidofcourseitcan¡¯tpaulwhathaveyousmoked¡­¡± he asked with a stutter, with only barely enough volume to allow me to hear. I couldn¡¯t make out that last part, but nonetheless, I nodded to signify my understanding. The man drew a short breath and exhaled deeply. ¡°...You¡¯re sure?...¡± he asked once more. I nodded. ¡°If you understand me, shrug,¡± he commanded, and I did just so.


    ¡°Oh my god, the blood-loss has driven me mad,¡± the youth said, burying his face in his hands.


    Uh, sure.


    I quickly made my way over to his feet, not too afraid of his lower section since he couldn¡¯t move it, well, at all. Comparing my own size with his foot, I must have been¡­ 10 cm long at the very least. Which isn¡¯t much, but I could have been smaller!


    Alright, let¡¯s see here¡­


    Most of his legs were covered in smaller rocks, but the real challenge here was a couple of larger boulders crushing his shins.


    I began by getting rid of the smaller rocks since I really couldn¡¯t bother myself with them since, well, he was losing blood by the second. I did this by way of my will, as always. Lifting single rocks at a time would be hard though, so instead of that, I lifted three or four at a time, which went very well. I tried my darndest to ignore the youth¡¯s stares and gasps, which were probably from the pain in his legs and not anything I was doing, since situations like this should be commonplace here.


    Soon enough, I had rid most of his legs from the lighter boulders, and only three large ones remained. That wouldn¡¯t be for long.


    I quickly leaped at the boulders, ignoring the groans and gasps from the young man, and started chowing down on the premium-grade rocks. Getting rid of 100 kilos of rocks would prove to be easier said than done, however, as I quickly reached a bump in my road. I was absolutely full. There was no way I could stick anything into my stomach. I felt like Mr. Croesote from the Meaning of Life, which really wasn¡¯t good, since he, well, you know. Died.


    ¡°Y-, you!¡± the boy grunted, and I turned around, giving him my undivided attention. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to, I have friends, they¡¯ll help me!¡± he cried, probably hoping it would deter me from trying to help him. It didn¡¯t. ¡°I won¡¯t abandon you like this!¡± I retaliated. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re trying to say, all I can hear is ¡°meep¡±!¡± the boy replied. Ah, so that¡¯s how I sounded. Not flattering, I am a grown man after all, or, rather, WAS, but anyhoo.


    Ignoring his attempts to persuade me, I continued eating. I had now ground down one of the boulder so much that I could it off of him with my will. I never said I would eat ALL of it!


    ¡°I admire your courage, little axolotl, but I can see your exhaustion!¡± the boy cried, once more attempting to save me from Mr. Creosote¡¯s fate. But I wouldn¡¯t allow myself to be saved! However, neither could I eat both of these boulders. They were, frankly, too much. I knew it was futile and the very idea was terrible, but I willed myself to fly, my little wings carrying me into the air, yet being inexplicably still, as if I was simply levitating on top of my own will. The boy didn¡¯t react audibly to this, but I was pretty sure his jaw was entirely unhinged when I looked over to him. What, has he never seen a flying axolotl before? Pff, rookie.


    Slowly, and with all the grace of a giraffe on roller-skates, I got high up enough to hover just above one of the two remaining boulders. I tried to grab hold of it, but it was extremely slippery, meaning I had to search for nooks and creeks to grab onto, which I did. Stubbornly, unyielding, I put half of my will into lifting me into the air, and the rest into lifting the boulder itself.


    It did not budge.


    It was stern.


    Or, rather, I simply wasn¡¯t strong enough.


    My will wasn¡¯t enough to lift it.


    Actually, neither my body nor my will had enough strength to even budge the thing, and this made me groan in despair, altough this most likely just sounded like a squeaky dog-toy, well, squeaking. What am I, a squeaky dog-toy?


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry, my friends will be here soon, don¡¯t look so glum,¡± the boy said, apparently understanding my frustration.


    B-, but I wanted to save you!


    Pouting, I sat down on the boulder, my tail swishing back and forth like an unhappy cat. ¡°Now, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll just try to call them over, okay? Okay. Erherm. JOHANNAAAAAA, ROBERTTTTTTT, SAVE MEEEEEEEE¡± he cried as loudly as he possibly could, and I could hear how his voice echoed throughout the entire cave.


    For a couple of minutes, he continued shouting, giving himself small breathers in between, but even with these pauses, he still sounded like a hoarse frog in due time.


    ¡°H-, hey, you¡¯re not afraid of me, are you?¡± the boy croaked, finally noticing how I had done my very best to avoid the long reach of his arms for the better part of their short time together. Nervous, I avoided his gaze, looking over to the right in shame. Well, it made sense for a wild animal to be a bit spooked by a human, but he USED to be human, damnit! Can¡¯t he have some faith in his (former) species?


    Apparently not.


    ¡°Hey, I won¡¯t hurt you, you¡¯ve almost saved me, after all!¡± the boy radiated, apparently feeling quite alright with talking to a (mostly) mute lizard.


    Anxiously, I hopped down from the boulder and onto his mangled legs, successfully ignoring every single part that I didn¡¯t like about them, which at this point was everything. I pretended to not notice how the boy grit his teeth.


    I hadn¡¯t noticed him sitting up ever since I came, he¡¯s mostly just been laying straight on his back, so I trusted he wouldn¡¯t sit up all of a sudden and grab me. I really should trust him more, but for some reason, the thought of being suddenly grabbed by a man 18 times your size frightened me to no end.


    ¡°Calm down, calm down,¡± he cooed, probably hoping it would calm me down and thus make me come a little closer. I¡¯d be a liar if I said I didn¡¯t do just that. He seemed nice, ok?!


    I stood on his stomach, weak-legged and weak-willed. I felt like a lilliputian, standing atop Gulliver. Atleast this giant seemed pretty soft-spoken and such.


    And for a while, I just kinda laid there, not really moving much in any way, and he seemed fine with it. The rhythmic rising and falling of his stomach nearly lulled me into sleep. ¡°Okay, now just stay still¡­¡± he said, and I noticed a shadow creeping into my view. His left arm.


    Gripped by panic, I almost took to flight, when I heard him coo: ¡°don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t harm you¡± a statement I foolishly trusted.


    Lo and behold, the hand grew nearer, looming over me like some oversized eagle getting ready to grab at its prey, and just when I thought I was about to be man-handled into oblivion, a finger gently swept over me, from head to tail, stroking me softly. ¡°Not so bad, eh?¡± the man asked rhetorically, and I had to agree.


    Laying back down, I allowed myself to be stroked for a while more, eventually succumbing to the lure of sleep.

 Chapter Ten: Rescue and Awakening Pt. 1

    Paul really should have been calling out for help, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to wake up the poor little thing lying asleep in his lap. Somewhere out there in the darkness, he could hear muffled voices and the pitter-patter of their feet against the bare rocks, so he knew he had to make some sort of noise, just not too loud or too scream-y.


    His phone may not have had any connection, but he had tons of song stored in the phone itself, a tradition which was nearly extinct in all businesses except the cave-exploring one. He quickly scrolled through whatever artists he had on there until he finally found the perfect song to play. Kind of rock-y, but not to the point where the little axolotl would awaken.


    ¡°Rock ¡®n¡¯ Roll Lullaby.¡±


    Perfect.


    Paul anxiously pressed the ¡°play¡± button, hoping that it wouldn¡¯t somehow be too much. The smooth riffs of guitars started chiming out of his little past-year phone, and as the song went on, he slowly increased the volume until it was actually quite loud.


    ¡°Paulie? You over here?¡± he heard a somewhat feminine voice he recognized to be Johanna say a fair bit away. ¡°No, follow the music,¡± Paul replied gently, hoping she would hear him despite how weakly he said it. ¡°Wait, Joey, is that¡­ music?¡± he heard a lazy voice, most likely Robert, ask. Paul knew it wouldn¡¯t be long now.


    And, sure as water was wet, within only a couple of tense minutes, two scruffy faces peeked through the one entrance to what had formerly been a tunnel. The first thing they noticed was the fact that Paul was laying down, and the second was the reason why. ¡°Holy moly, are you alright Paulie?!¡± Johanna said, running to his side to make sure his legs were alright. Robert soon followed, sitting down on his left side, poking and prodding at his legs. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure atleast one of these is pretty much broken,¡± Robert stated bluntly. Duh, Paul knew that for sure.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Hey, shh, be quiet,¡± Paul simply replied, which made his two team-mates absolutely confused. This was a dire situation, why should they be quiet??


    To ensure his point came across, Paul looked exaggeratedly at the little lizard on his stomach. Robert and Johanna easily noticed this and followed his gaze. Johanna was the first to react, namely by jumping about three feet back and looking almost scared. Robert, in extreme contrast to Johanna, laughed stupidly and said ¡°wow, cool.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sleeping,¡± Paul said with a little smile that was very unlike him. Johanna could barely remember the last time Paul had smiled like that, and Robert couldn¡¯t remember at all. ¡°What is it?...¡± Johanna said rather loudly, which prompted Paul to make a ¡°shush¡± motion. ¡°Wh-, what is it?...¡± Johanna whispered in turn. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I think it may be a new species of axolotl, but it really qualifies for more than that,¡± Paul replied, also whispering.


    ¡°Well, whatever it is, it can wait, right? We should really get these rocks off ¡®a ya,¡± Robert said, cutting the whole strange-lizard conversation short. ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Johanna replied, quickly standing up and walking over to the 35 kilo boulders. ¡°I know you¡¯re a gorilla, but are you sure you can lift those, Joey?...¡± Paul inquired. ¡°My record is 85 kilos, no worries,¡± Johanna said before quickly stretching a little to soften her body up.


    Squatting down beside one of the rocks, she quickly found a grip on it and lifted it as if it was nothing. Throwing the rock to the side, she did the same with the other two rocks, finally unearthing Paul¡¯s legs. They looked pretty alright, but one of them was bleeding quite a lot, which wasn¡¯t good, while the other was at a weird angle. An open and a closed fracture.


    ¡°There¡¯s a first-aid kit in the backpack,¡± Paul stated. He was, and had always been, the one who knew just a bit more about first aid than the others. He had done basic training in the military as a nurse, after all.


    With well-trained rigor and skill, Paul snapped open the box and quickly patched up his legs as quickly and effectively as he could, gritting his teeth against the pain and making sure not to so much as touch the gently napping axolotl in his lap. Soon enough, he wasn¡¯t bleeding anymore, however, it would be pretty much impossible for them to finish their assignment while he was in this state. Finishing it without him was out of the question.


    But before Paul could get up and be escorted out of the cave by his team-mates, he had to do something about this little lizard. It was adorable, but it couldn¡¯t sleep on him any longer. Gulping down his sadness at having to cancel such cuteness, Paul meekly prodded at the little thing with his finger, causing it to awaken, stretch out, and yawn with a little sweet ¡°queeee~¡± which really just made his heart melt. The little creature sat up, rubbed it¡¯s eyes, and took a look around.


    ¡°Meep?...¡±

 also Chapter Ten: Awakening and Rescue, Pt. 2

    The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the fact that were were approximately six eyes watching me intently. ¡°Whoa!!¡± was the only sound I could make before I attempted an escape, however, as my plans as of late have a tendency to do, this failed. A large hand grabbed me, however, without even intending to do it, I slipped out of it¡¯s grip, flew straight up into the air, only to be caught in the cloth of a shirt, stretched out like one of those portable blankets firemen use to catch people in.


    Looking up, I got a sight of exactly who had caught me. A stoner. He looked just like a stoner. His hair was red and curly and his face was pale. He had a goofy smile that would be sure to burst out in idle laughter at any time, and tired, yet lively eyes. ¡°Caught ¡®im!¡± the stoner guy exclaimed drowsily.


    ¡°Hey, be careful with him!¡± the boy I had accidentally fallen asleep on shouted to the stoner guy. ¡°Yeah, he doesn¡¯t look too comfortable there,¡± a gorilla with long hair said.


    ¡°W-, who are you guys?...¡± I asked frantically, even though they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to understand me. ¡°I think he wants down,¡± the gorilla stated, clearly answering my question about the whole understanding thing.


    Oh! The boy isn¡¯t covered in stones anymore!


    In fact, his legs had been all patched up and he was sitting up, looking at, well, me. Slowly, he stretched out his left hand towards me, beckoning for me to hop on it. ¡°I don¡¯t think he can understand that,¡± the gorilla, who I now recognized to probably be a girl, told the boy. ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± the boy replied confidently. I hesitated. I was scared out of my non-existent boots, but I really wanted to prove that gorilla girl wrong. And so, putting trust in a human, I leaped through the air, only to be caught by¡­ well, his hand.


    Trembling like a leaf in the breeze, I clutched the boy¡¯s ringfinger, really not wanting to fall. I know I could fly, and I know I probably would have been alright even if I did fall, but it was really spooky, okay?!


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯ve forgotten to introduce us!¡± Paul suddenly said, his face lighting up in a grin. ¡°You¡¯re going to introduce us¡­ to this weird looking salamander?¡± the stoner guy asked in all honesty.


    Well, I want to know your names, after all, I can¡¯t just call you ¡°boy¡±, ¡°stoner¡± and ¡°gorilla¡±!


    ¡°Let him,¡± the gorilla sighed, entirely defeated. ¡°Alright! This musclehead girl is Johanna, Joey for short, and that guy over there is Robert, Bob for short, and my name is Paul!¡± ¡°Paulie for longer,¡± the man called Bob interrupted, laughing a real-life stoner-laugh(huehuehue)!


    Paulie looked a little peeved at this, but seemed fine with it otherwise. They have surprisingly normal names for being in a fantasy world, I think. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all well and good, but we should really get you out of here, Paulie,¡± Joey stated sternly. Both Paulie and Bob looked a bit sad at this, but nonetheless decided to try and get Paulie up on two legs. It would probably hurt a lot, but he needed to get out of here, even I knew that.


    But suddenly, I remembered something, or rather, someone.


    Clay!


    Looking over to the hole I had dug to get us here, I noticed Clay standing idle in the very side of the hole, apparently not wanting to be seen. I¡¯ll come along with these humans, yes, but I¡¯m not leaving Clay behind!


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Hm? What is it, little guy?¡± Paulie asked, noticing my desire for attention. I made another noise and pointed down to the hole. ¡°What¡¯s he pointin¡¯ at?¡± Bob asked, following my arm with his gaze, quickly noticing the hole. ¡°Whoa! Did he dig out all those holes?!¡± Bob asked excitedly, his face lighting up in a big smile. ¡°No, wait, there¡¯s something in there¡­¡± Joey commented, walking closer to the hole. Clay looked positively panicked, but stood his ground regardless of the sudden human approach.


    ¡°Oh right, this guy was riding on that crayfish when I found him,¡± Paul said absentmindedly. ¡°...He rode a crayfish?... Cool!!¡± Bob returned. ¡°Wait, hold on. Paulie, that little lizard doesn¡¯t want us to bring the crayfish outside with us, does he? I mean, bringing the lizard was obvious, it¡¯s a new species after all, but a crayfish?...¡± Joey asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re bringing Clay!¡± I replied. ¡°I think he says ¡°yes¡±, Joey¡± Paulie said, vouching for me. I¡¯m beginning to like this kid! Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Joey sighed audibly at Paulie¡¯s comment and moved closer to the hole. ¡°Heere crayfishcrayfishcrayfish¡­¡± she cooed, attempting to make the little crustacean come closer, However, it had the opposite effect, and Clay decided to retreat out of her reach. That is, unless I intervened, which I did. Clay¡¯s heavy body was slowly and unwilling dragged by my will towards Joey, who quickly grabbed him by the back. ¡°Man, this guy has to be larger than a lobster!¡± she commented once she had the vividly struggling creature in her grasp. The only one who seemed to have noticed my involvement seemed to have been Paulie, who shot me a worried gaze.


    Holding out my arms, I tried to motion for them to bring Clay over to me. He kept making all sorts of movements with his legs, and his right claw was snipping at the air. He really had to calm down. ¡°He looks like a kid wanting his bear, huehue,¡± Bob said, bringing Joey and Paulie¡¯s attention to me. ¡°Maybe he wants the crayfish?...¡± Paulie asked Joey, who shrugged and brought Clay closer to me. Not within reach of his clay, but close enough.


    Without any fear or hesitation, I stretched myself out, and petter Clay on the head. This seemed to calm him down somewhat, but he still looked pretty scared. I hope Joey will be gentle with him, he¡¯s done no harm to nobody.


    ¡°Alright, enough of this, we really should get going. Put the lizard on your shoulder or something, you¡¯ll need that arm,¡± Joey said, proving herself to be the unofficial leader of the group. Paulie and Bob nodded in response. Paulie brought his left hand to his right shoulder, urging me to switch places, which I did, since I¡¯m a nice person who does what people ask.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get you up,¡± Joey said, using her right hand(which wasn¡¯t holding Clay) to grab a hold of Paulie¡¯s left hand, Bob grabbing the right one in response. The aim here wasn¡¯t to get Paulie walking, but instead to drag him. This was easier said than done, as Paul had to be on his feet for just a moment before he could properly be supported by the two.


    I tried my best to help him by supporting his knees with my will, but if I couldn¡¯t lift a 35 kilo rock, I sure as heck couldn¡¯t lift a 70 kilo man. Joey semed able to though, as within only a few moments of Paulie groaning through gritted teeth, they held him between eachother, feet barely touching the floor, ready to get out of here.


    ¡°Which way, Bob?¡± Joey asked as if Bob somehow knew the entire layout of the cave without any maps, and also exactly where they were. It¡¯d take a miracle to be that lu-,


    ¡°Just out here and to the left, then straight ahead for about twenty minutes, after whi-,¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going,¡± Joey replied, interrupting Bob mid-sentence. Bob growled a few creative curses under his breath but was otherwise fine with it. Seems like this happens quite often.


    And lo and behold, slowly and painstakingly, we made our way through the dark tunnels which were humongous by my standards but rather narrow to the others. Clay had calmed down significantly, only barely moving.


    This is where we met trouble. Apparently, the first thing you had to do to get into this cave was crawl through a long, winding ankle-height tunnell a grown man could only barely fit into. This wouldn¡¯t have been any problem for me or Joey or Bob, but Paulie was in no state to crawl, and this tunnel was as narrow as it was tall, aka, not very. And if what Bob said was anything to go by, it would last atleast a quarter of an hour, longer depending on Paulie.


    And then, Bob had an idea. They kept a lot of emergency provisions and the such in their backpack, including a towel to be used as blanket or, well, towel. If they put Paulie on this, the one ahead of him could simply pull the towel along, Paulie laying on it, like that ¡°mystery man¡± episode from the hulk way back when.


    And that¡¯s just what we did. It went pretty well for the most part, especially considering the fact that Paulie was bumping his head on pretty much everything. Me? I was standing on top of him, trying my best to keep the most damaged of his feet above the ground, which really was quite a feat if you ask me.


    However, all good things must come to an end, and it wasn¡¯t long until the towel Paulie had been dragged on was completely shredded by the rocks they had been dragging it on. It practically fell apart after about ten minutes, causing Joey to suddenly burst forward and facepalm the floor once the seams burst entirely. She couldn¡¯t turn around due to the limited space, but she knew what had happened. Bob, who was last in the line if this exact case was to occur, was also stopped dead in his tracks.


    ¡°Wh-, what now?...¡± Joey squeaked, turning her head to look behind her, her hard-hat scraping against the raw stone. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Bob replied honestly. ¡°Maybe you could, well, put him on your back?...¡± Bob asked, attempting to shrug only to hit the wall with his elbows. It was so damn cramped one could barely do anything. Joey shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s too narrow in here, and I couldn¡¯t get him on my back even if I wanted,¡± she admitted unwillingly.


    Hm.


    I have an idea.


    I was no longer bloated and full, in fact, I felt rather hungry, so with a mighty leap off of Paulie¡¯s chest, I borrowed my hands into the ceiling and started chewing. I could hear various gasps from below, but I continued eating. After only a few minutes, I had created a sizable cavity, not enough to stand up in, but enough to do, well, something.


    Bob, unlikely as it seemed, got an idea first. Without saying a word, he ripped off his heavy-duty jacket, laid it on the ground and said ¡°Joey, move him on top of the jacket.¡±


    Joey seemed sceptical, but obliged him. I didn¡¯t really understand it until now, but it was really quite cold. How did I come to understand this? Well, Bob was shivering like Nala wailing in the lion king, which suddenly made me just a twinge sad. If I was stronger, I could just make him float, hell, I might even have been able to carry him on my own!


    ¡°Bob, it¡¯s not that cold, why are you shivering?¡± Joey asked, just as confused as I was. ¡°The heebie-jeebies,¡± Bob answered bluntly, as if that was a good answer. Joey rolled her eyes and continued crawling and dragging Paulie, who wasn¡¯t saying or doing much anymore, at a surprisingly quick and steady pace.


    And, within mere minutes, I could see how the cave started growing brighter, my own light seeming weak and fleeting in comparison. The light grew brighter and brighter as we went along, and soon enough, I could even feel a little breeze of air, a welcome contrast to the damp stillness of the tunnels below.


    ¡°Almost there,¡± Joey grunted as she picked up her pace, most likely thinking that the faster she went, the sooner she would be out, which was a fair assumption, however, Bob couldn¡¯t really keep up with the sudden speeds and was left behind for a second.


    Joey was the first one to get out.


    She left Paulie behind in the entrance as she painstakingly crawled out and got up on both legs. She didn¡¯t take any time to stretch out or anything though, as she immediately crouched and pulled Paulie out fully, along with myself.


    It was very bright. We were in the middle of a forest, right beside a large, troll-looking rock, in a little clearing. The sun was just going down, dying the sky a gorgeous and natural combination of pink, yellow and blue that simply shook my heart.


    I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever been so happy to see the sky before.

 Chapter Eleven: We Finally get Paulie in an Ambulance

    ¡°Should we carry him over to the road so they won¡¯t have to get like a helicopter or something? I mean, he isn¡¯t in THAT bad of a shape, right?¡± Joey asked Bob inquisidly. In response, Bob shrugged, not knowing either. Joey shrugged back and decided that it would be much quicker for the proper authorities to get there if they were by the road.


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s haul him up on my back,¡± Joey said after a little while of thinking, bowing down and holding out her arms. Bob seemed pretty confused by this movement, but got the gist soon and started lifting Paulie up, making sure to neither touch his legs nor sprain his own back, both of which were very hard.


    But after just a little while of confusion and body-maneuvering, Paulie was successfully up on Joey¡¯s back, who thusly decided to stand up. Paulie was still out like a light though, so Joey had to put in all the effort to keep him on her back, which, if you know what it¡¯s like giving someone a piggyback ride is like, you know is pretty darn hard.


    Me?


    Well, the second Paulie was on her back I quickly climbed, with the speed and flexibility of a very small mouse, up to her shoulder. ¡°Whoa!¡± she cried, ¡°Hi!¡± I replied, giving her a big happy smile as thanks for rescuing me. She smiled back wryly.


    Oh, right, where¡¯d Clay go? Ah, Bob¡¯s holding him, nevermind.


    Well, Bob didn¡¯t look too happy to be holding a lobster-sized crayfish, but I was glad they hadn¡¯t forgotten him somewhere. Man, that would just have made me run up a wall! Well, not run up a wall literally, I¡¯d do that whether I was mad or not, but you catch my meaning.


    Not wasting any more time, our little group started trekking through the lush green forest, overgrown and magnificent, Joey leading the way with advice from Bob. As far as I could glean from their conversation, Bob usually walked in front because he always knew the way and was the slowest walker, but with this emergency on our hands, Joey, the quicker one who was also carrying Paulie, had to take the forefront.


    Speaking of Joey, she seemed to be ignoring me. I was right there on her shoulder, but she never even shot me a gaze! I felt a little saddened by that, actually, but then again, we really did have to get to the road quick.


    And that we did. Within a mere ten minutes, we had reached an asphalted country-road slithering it¡¯s way through the forest. It actually came sort of suddenly, to be honest, but we hadn¡¯t followed any specific trail, so this was really to be expected.


    The second we reached the road, Bob fished out a cellphone from his right pant-pocket. It looked modern enough, with the large touch screen and all. Maybe this world was some kind of combination of modern science and magic and monsters? Man, that¡¯d be so cool!


    However, this idea was lost the second he started actually doing anything on his phone. He quickly tapped in 911, put the phone to his ear, and started talking. The whole talking-into-a-phone-thing wasn¡¯t anything peculiar, but¡­ wasn¡¯t 911 being the emergency number just a bit too much of a coincidence?...


    Hrmm.


    Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t Sidharta Gautama get reborn as a golden bird once? And that was in THIS world, not some golden-animal world. So, maybe¡­


    I¡¯m the weird one?...The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    There¡¯s only one way to find out.


    Scanning the rocky trench on the sides of the road, I quickly found a rock just the right size for my experiment.


    Joey had already gingerly laid Paulie on the soft moss right where the trench ended and the forest started, so she was the prime candidate, especially since Bob was busy describing the situation and our current location to do, well, anything else.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I said to catch her attention since she was preoccupied with, uh, staring at Paulie in concern or something? I wasn¡¯t sure what she was doing, but I needed just some of her time, so I said ¡°hey¡± some more and poked her in the side of her chin. And after a mere ten seconds of constant sound-making and poking, she finally turned to me. ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked condescendingly, but I didn¡¯t mind the obvious(albeit strange) aggression in her voice.


    ¡°Hey, look at this!¡± I said, pointing to the rock slightly larger than myself, and before Joey could ask what she was supposed to be looking at, the rock floated about three decimeters into the air. Silence fell. I looked back at Joey. ¡°You okay?...¡± I asked curiously.


    Her chin had practically hit the floor, and upon seeing this unsightly grimace, I was unable to steel my will enough to keep it from falling back into the little heaps of rock in the trench.


    ¡°Wh-, what the hell was that?...¡±


    I assume this means that supernatural powers are, as the name suggests, supernatural.


    Did I mess up?...


    The first rule is always to make sure any and all potential enemies know as little about you as possible-, I just assumed this was how everything was??


    So, okay, um, I guess we¡¯re on Earth, then?


    Hrmm, the best way to find out would be if I could find any news about my own death, man, I can barely remember even dying¡­


    ¡°Did you do that?¡± I could hear a somewhat feminine voice ask far away.


    Huh? Oh, uh, umm¡­


    No?...


    I shook my head and averted my gaze nervously.


    ¡°It WAS you!!¡± Joey accused loudly, enough so that Bob felt the need to reply with an angry shout as well. ¡°Shut up, I¡¯m talkin¡¯ to the cops!¡± he shouted. ¡°You do mean the medics, right?...¡± Joey suggested, one eyebrow elevated. ¡°Oh, yeah, haha, of-, of course,¡± Bob agreed.


    Joey turned back to me. ¡°Look, I didn¡¯t mind whatever weird mutations you had, but this is just¡­¡± Joey threw her hands in the air in frustration.


    Hm. She hadn¡¯t been like this just a moment ago. Perhaps, she¡¯s so worried she¡¯s taking out her frustrations on me?... Well, if that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s more alright, right? Anybody would be emotional if their friend got his legs broken, and if they hadn¡¯t found him, who knows what could have happened?


    I looked down at the ground in faux shame to appease her.


    ¡°I-, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I know it¡¯s not your fault you were born this way, it¡¯s just¡­¡± she admitted, her voice filled with guilt. I smiled at her. I know how it is, don¡¯t you worry! She smiled back weakly and wiped a tear from her eye.


    ¡°Ouiouiouiouioui--¡± we could hear a strange noise in the distance. Or, it would have been strange, if we didn¡¯t all know what it was. All three of us conscious people lit up in anticipation, and within mere moments, the ambulance was in view, and it was the most ordinary kind, yellow with green squares and multiple blinking lights in all sorts of colours, and I suddenly realized that I probably wouldn¡¯t want to be seen.


    As Joey stared at the approaching ambulance with a big smile, I climbed up to her neck and dug my way into the collar of her jacket. She giggled a little and told me to stop, but I didn¡¯t want to, and she soon realized exactly why. She stopped trying to get me out after that.


    Peeking out, I could see how Joey and Bob waved their arms broadly and pointed to Paul. The ambulance quickly ground to a stop, and a couple of men dressed in yellow popped out, one came up to us to ask about various things and the others got a stretcher to put Paulie on. Joey quickly recalled what they were doing, how they did it, as well as why they went out and went to a road instead of calling for help down there. On account of my shyness, Joey did me the great service of omitting my presence from the story.


    The man nodded and went through all the formalities, answered questions and was overall a really helpful and well-mannered man.


    Within short, they carried Paulie onto the stretcher and into the ambulance. Bob decided to take a ride along with him in the ambulance to make sure they got there alright, and Joey would report the accident to the university they studied at. She specified it to be the ¡°Saint Lawrence¡± University of Geology and Zoology.


    I had never heard of it, but I was thankful she at least allowed me to know where the heck we were headed.


    Joey apparently had her bike just around the corner at a nearby gas-station. She unzipped her jacket, forcing me into the light, and gently sat me down in the little bicycle basket at the front of her bike. The sun was just going down, and the sky was that way it only is every now and then, when the clouds are all collected here and there, but not right above, so it¡¯s like looking at a gorgeous painting of cascading colours, all contrasting and complimenting, beautiful and alluring.


    Joey quickly hopped on in the back, and as if to prove that her muscular body wasn¡¯t just for show, she rode her bicycle at a quick yet manageable pace. The wind hit my face, but not in any unpleasant way, more in the wind-in-your-hair kind of way where it¡¯s sp perfect and nice and I was so happy to have been reborn.

 Chapter Twelve: The Howard-Bj?rn university

    The bicycle ride was surprisingly smooth and easy, Joey seemed to have a certain expertise in bike-riding that went beyond simple hobby, and she seemed to enjoy it as much as I did, which was a lot. The ride itself was entirely silent, neither of us even attempting to strike up conversation in fear of ruining the atmosphere. But the silence fit the environment well. For about an hour or so, we rode through forests and plains and simple roads that were actually a joy to experience.


    After this we entered a little city, unassuming and quaint. The buildings all looked old and somewhat European in design, with marble statues to commemorate various old men I had never seen in my life and a population made up nearly entirely of youths such as the three who had saved me.


    The most prominent buildings were large brown or white structures with fancy pillars and a seemingly infinite flow of youths pouring out of them, a few actual adults speckled into the crowd as if to fill some invisible quota. Most of the roads were made of cobblestone and incredibly friendly to bikes, which was the majority of vessels, not including busses and trams.


    Clearly, this was a student-city, if it could even be called a city. As soon as we had entered the city itself, Joey had thrown her jacket over me, which I greatly appreciated. If there was one this I had learned from my previous life, it was the fact that attention was never a good thing when you had things to hide. Which I did. But that isn¡¯t important, the past is the past, after all!


    The sun was already down, so the fact that we could see any students at all somewhat stunned me. Didn¡¯t they have anything better to do than educate themselves?


    Joey soon stopped entirely in front of a very typical-looking university, labeled the Howard-Bj?rn university of Geology and Zoology, which was a pretty weird name if you ask me, but hey, I never did attend university, so who am I to judge? However, this wasn¡¯t the only peculiar feature of the university. In fact, altough I did say that it looked quite ordinary, that was only if you looked at either half of it. You see, half of the university had a typical greek-looking marbled white style that radiated respect and history, while the other part was more fantasy-castle like, with brown bricks and winding towers, like something from a popular children¡¯s novel.


    These two halves were unceremoniously smushed together in the middle with little to no forethought, meaning that neither side actually melded with the other. It looked like a giant had ripped two different universities together and just kinda¡­ stuck them together. It looked, well, interesting, but hardly respectable.


    The courtyard of the university was filled with various plants in all shapes and sizes, and right in front of the large structure there was a commemorative bronze statue of some sort, depicting two well-dressed men shouting and bickering. A bizarre thing to commemorate if you ask me, but what the hell do I know?


    Joey hopped off her bike and confidently led it in the direction of the more fantasy-looking part, which was to the right. The parts beyond the actual university had been obscured by the various foliage, so now that I got a good look at the other structures, I could recognize what we were heading towards as what must have been the dormitory. It matched the right half of the university extremely well, looking almost like a slightly scaled down copy.


    Beside this dormitory was a little square house which Joey went to first. Apparently, it was a shack for putting your bicycle in, which Joey did, thankfully not forgetting me or her jacket. She didn¡¯t seem too happy about it, but my curiosity was simply insatiable, and so, I decided to sit on her shoulder. She could definitely have stopped me if she had tried, but she didn¡¯t and therefore it was open game. Right? Right.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Sighing deeply, she walked towards the dormitory with heavy, tired steps, most definitely only wanting to get in bed.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I squeaked at her, which immediately caught her attention since I had been silent so long. The night had fallen like a blanket on the world, and I was tired as well, but there we a few questions that needed answering. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked in a deadbeat tired kind of way, trying desperately not to sound irritated but being unsuccessful.


    I pointed over to the statue. ¡°Huh? You wanna go in the university? Hey, let¡¯s wait with that until tomorrow, okay? I¡¯m beat,¡± she sighed, only stopping briefly to take a closer look at me. I shook my head fervently. ¡°What? Not that? What do you want then?...¡± she asked, confused. Sure, it was late, but I thought strong people had good defences against getting tired?... Corporal Nebula(stupid name, I know, but he insisted) never got tired, no matter how long he was on the prowl. Well, everybody¡¯s different, I suppose.


    I pointed once more at the statue. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll just follow your directions, okay?¡± she suggested. I nodded with a smile. She smiled back softly before stumbling in the direction of the entrance to the university like one of those zombies you see on the telly. Eventually, we reached the statue, and holy moly¡­


    It smelled good.


    No, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t eat it! Not in a million years! I¡¯m not that disrespectful!


    It¡¯s just¡­


    You know when you brown butter and it smells so damn good like concentrated caramel?


    It was like that.


    This whole statue was just¡­


    Like a big piece of caramel.


    I couldn¡¯t help but drool. ¡°...Are you drooling at the Howard-Bj?rn statue?...¡± Joey questioned in disbelief. N-, no! Of course not! I quickly wiped my drool and pointed at a placard at the bottom of the large 3-meter tall statue. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re wondering about the statue?¡± Joey finally realized. I nodded happily.


    ¡°Well, uhh, it¡¯s a pretty funny story actually, heh, see, two hundred years ago, way back when, the Bj?rn Sundin university of Zoology took roots here, that¡¯s the more Hogwarts-looking part of it, not knowing that they were building their school on top of a greatly valued cavern. The Howard Collins school of Geology and cave exploration caught wind of this quite quickly since they actually owned the cave for private explorings and the such, and suffice it to say they were in an outrage. A buncha legal stuff happened, and eventually they decided that the Howard Collins school would relocate on top of their cave, and the Bj?rn Sundin university would cut their building short to only make half the school. They would become one school, focused on life and structures in the underground, sharing professors and the like. The two owners were known to be great enemies though, fighting about full ownership of both schools from their meeting to their deaths. And to commemorate this 200-year old squabble, they made this statue. You happy now?¡± Joey explained before turning back to me. I nodded happily.


    I heard her briefly say something about how she couldn¡¯t believe she just explain the whole history of the school to some supernatural amphibian, but it was too late to do anything about, so she simply headed back towards the dormitory, almost limping out of exertion.


    Her room was number 636, and it was rather small. It was part of what she explained to be a corridor, where she would share the restroom, kitchen etc. with several other people on her corridor. She actually shared her room with one other girl, some bloke named Linda who was already in bed by the time we entered the little apartment.


    It was made out of three rooms, one for Linda, one for Joey and a living/dining-room to share. It was all a mess. Sure, I hadn¡¯t been the most cleanly of men, but I have some expectations, damn it! Clothes and various books about various things were flung all over the place haphazardly, without any apparent rhyme or reason. We only remained in this room for a moment though before Joey quickly ushered me into her own private quarters.


    It was actually quite neat, altough far from perfect. There was a desk filled to the brim with papers and books, a fully equipped bookcase, a bed covered in a pile of clothes, and a bunch of posters of people I had never seen in my life, most of them looking rather buff. There was also a cliche-looking poster of a kitten dangling from a tree, with the iconic ¡°Hang in there!¡± written beneath in bold letters.


    All and all, a pretty neat room. Very student-y.


    Joey quickly sat me down on her bed. ¡°God I¡¯m tired,¡± I heard her exhale as she started removing her shirt.


    Hmm.


    Hmmmmm.


    Hmmmmmmmm??!


    In a flash too quick for any normal lizard, I had removed myself from her room by fitting myself through the little opening in her door. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I heard her ask as she opened her bedroom door to retrieve me. However, I was a slippery sucker, and before she knew what hit her, I had burrowed myself into the fluffy fabric of a blanket that happened to be laying around. And without even sparing a glance, I already knew Joey didn¡¯t have the heart to remove me.


    I didn¡¯t exactly have any plans beyond that, so once Joey went into her room and closed the door, I promptly fell asleep on the spot. Damn, that felt good.