Page 8 of Citrine
"Check the orders, Shriveled Skull. He's meant for the hunting ground."
"What? I just gave him a translator, upgrades for his libido, and the usual healing suite. The full package."
"I'm not dying because you can't read orders. Leave what nanites he has out of the report and get him in the chamber."
"Tell me that next time, Desiccated Testicles. I hate having to sequence suite removal. I'll just remove the translator, and no one will know."
I finally get my eyes to respond so I can see my enemy. They are blurry at first, but then I see wet gray skin, but not like my own. Instead, they leak some sort of pink substance.
I don't see gills, and their bodies look like they would sink. Drowning is a good option then, though that won't be satisfying. Their eyes look vulnerable to plucking out with a well-placed sucker, but I don't see any bones to break.
Ripping them apart a piece at a time will be the best way to kill them slowly. I commit their profiles to memory, along with their scent.
I hope their screams will be just as wet sounding as their voice.
The surface I'm on tilts, spilling my limp body into a confined space. It's too smooth to be a cave, and it smells odd.
"I hate the big ones with lots of limbs," one of them grumbles as I feel my tentacles tossed in with me one at a time.
The other one lets out a grunt. "Why would they want him as a trophy, anyway? The aquatic ones just shrivel up."
They plan to hunt me for sport? Many have tried.
Once my body responds, I will leave this odd cave and tear them apart so they know that no one ever succeeds.
"Let the hunters figure it out. We'll be rid of him as soon as we get the chamber sequenced. I'm extracting the translation nanites now."
Soon after that, I can no longer understand them.
They throw in the last of my tentacles, this time one of my mating ones, nicking the more delicate skin with some sort of claw. I look forward to finding out if their blood tastes sweet.
A clicking sound is followed by a hiss and as much as I resist it, I can't stay awake.
***
"This is disgusting," I mutter, perched on the edge of the lake, my tentacles twitching in discomfort.
Chilled freshwater laps at the shoreline, which differs from the shadowy depths I am accustomed to. The freshwater doesn't suit my skin, sending an uncomfortable itch crawling beneath the surface.
I wish to go back to the familiar embrace of salt water, where I can hide and hunt my prey with ease.
Even if it is a complete disdain, I have to admit that this lake is livable, if barely. The warmth of the water grates at me, but I live through it, knowing I have little choice in the matter.
"For how long?" I question with a sigh.
My back presses against the rough surface of one of the rocks lining the edge of the lake. Green tentacles stretch out into the water, some lazily drifting while others grip the rocks with a firm hold.
My aquatic-blue skin—perfect for blending in with my native environment—contrasts against the rough brown rocks as I let my lower body submerge in crystal water.
The rhythmic lapping of the waves against the shore lulls my senses, while the melodic chirping of not-food in the nearby trees fills the air. Too hard to catch and not even worth the trouble.
Their sounds rasp at my nerves, and I wonder if it might be worth flinging rocks just to silence them.
My gaze catches the horizon where the lake meets the purple and green sky. I take a moment to take in the scene before me.The lake stretches out, its green-blue waters shimmering in the sunlight. It's waiting to swallow the sun, the light dimming.
Beneath the surface, myriad fish dart and weave, their movements a mesmerizing dance in the water. As I observe the aquatic life below, I can't help but feel a sense of detachment.
Unlike these darting creatures, I am an amphibian, straddling the line between land and water. It's a distinction that sets me apart. Our species are superior, of course.