Citizen 1329 Corteo

Corteo drifted lazily below the surface, watching as a swarm of fish passed by. He loved these peaceful days, where he could explore the ocean near his home and enjoy the sun on his scales. When he rolled over to breathe, the light bounced off of his yellow-green throat plate, creating a dazzling display that Corteo would never tire of. 

A faint, terror-filled scream from deep within the water startled Corteo out of his impromptu dozing. He flipped over, ducking his head below the water and reaching out with his magic to try and hear better. Another scream brushed the edges of his mind - this time, weakening, called the rexal to action. Corteo curled his body, twisting it in a side-to-side motion to propel himself downward, keeping his eyes peeled for whomever was in danger.

Deep below the water, Corteo found them. They were a green and brown rexal, adorned with gold jewelry and bangles along their tail. They looked to be weakening rapidly, bubbles streaming out from their nose in their panic. Their apertures glowed a dim green, their halo starting to flicker.

Corteo pushed himself deeper, reaching out with his own magic. The drowning rexal seemed to slump with relief as soon as they spotted him, weakly dragging their sodden limbs through the water to try and reach Corteo.

Corteo finally reached the drowning rexal, wasting no time for pleasantries. He wrapped his arms around their waist, holding them firmly as he kicked his hind legs and lashed his tail. The water protested the movement, dragging along his limbs and slowing his movements. Focusing on getting them both back to the surface, Corteo nearly didn’t notice the sharks surrounding them in the water. They must’ve expected an easy meal out of the weakened rexal.

Even as the sharks circled closer, their beady eyes boring into Corteo’s soul, Corteo had to focus. He couldn’t scare them off with the green rexal in his arms, and he couldn’t afford to let them go either. He just had to get to the surface. Corteo paddled harder, straining himself to move faster, it wasn’t fast enough, he was failing, he would go home with a corpse-

Finally, Corteo breached the surface, spinning himself onto his back to be a makeshift platform for the drowning rexal to recover on. He circled his tail, slowly propelling them in the direction of his home.

Corteo barely had time to scream before he was submerged again, being dragged below the surface by one of the sharks. Bubbles blocked his vision for a long minute, keeping him from regaining his bearings. Corteo prayed the other rexal was able to float as he twisted his body, wrenching his tail out of the shark’s mouth and kicking it squarely in the nose. Blood slowly oozed out from the newly formed wound, staining the water in deep red clouds and setting the other sharks into a frenzy.

Corteo’s lungs were starting to burn. He had been swimming for a long time, and hadn’t gotten enough oxygen from the moments he had surfaced. He felt his heart rate spike as the fear set in. He could die here.

A sharp pain in his right shoulder tore him out of his thoughts. Then, another, making one of his hind legs feel like it was being crushed to goo. Corteo snarled the best he could, and jammed his claws into one of the shark’s eyes. At that point, his only priority was keeping their attention off of the weakened rexal at the surface. 

With another kick, Corteo finally had a moment to take in what he was fighting. One of the sharks had already been deterred - losing an eye really helped with that - but there were still two circling him. 

Corteo broke the stalemate by darting forward, his scales cutting through the water before he latched onto one of the sharks. He grabbed two fins, one in each hand, and bit the shark’s back as hard as he could. As his teeth dug in, securing his hold, Corteo began kicking his legs. Each twitch of powerful muscle raked his claws through the shark’s skin, tearing it open and exposing flesh and soft cartilage. Corteo only stopped once he felt his teeth slip, taking a chunk of flesh with them. One last kick pushed Corteo to the surface, and he left the sharks to attack each other instead.

Relief nearly choked Corteo as he popped his head above the water once more. He coughed and sputtered, clearing the blood and seawater from his lungs. For once, luck was on his side, and Corteo relaxed just barely when he saw the green rexal still floating on the water. They hadn’t been bit, at the very least, even if they were becoming worryingly weak.

“Hey,” Corteo said, his voice rough and scratchy, “I’m right here. Let’s get out of here before those sharks decide to grab one of us again. Don’t fall asleep, okay? What’s your name? Mine is Corteo.”

As Corteo dove for just a moment to put the rexal on his back, wrapping their arms around his neck to keep them in place, they replied. “Ourea. M’sorry for the trouble.” Their voice was soft and weak, hardly audible over the crashing waves.

“Don’t worry about it, Ourea. These parts are dangerous. What were you doing that far below the water? No offense, but you don’t strike me as a great swimmer.” Corteo began paddling again, ignoring the way his body protested each and every movement. He could whine and complain about his aches later. 

Ourea coughed, spitting up a bit of seawater with it. “I wanted to visit the Posean Islands for the celebration. I’ve never been outside of the Dome, I… really underestimated the distance.”

Corteo nodded, taking a small detour to avoid the trade route near his home. He knew that it was uncommon to see ships at this time of day, but he didn’t want to risk being near a large vessel when he was this exhausted and carrying a passenger.

“The Dome? Yeah, pretty far from the surface. Not sure how you managed to get as high up as you did without passing out, honestly.” Corteo’s voice was concerned, and he glanced back to look at Ourea. She seemed mostly alright, slowly recovering as her body took in much-needed oxygen. “Unlucky that we ran into those sharks, too. They’re common in this area, but they usually avoid rexals. Which part of the Dome are you from?”

Ourea hummed, adjusting her grip on Corteo’s neck. Her jewelry jingled quietly with her movement. “I live on the edge of Atlas. I’m a bard, I usually perform in one of the market squares to make a bit of dracm on the side.”

“Oh, maybe next time you come up you’ll be able to show me.” Corteo offered a small smile. He picked up the pace as he noticed his home island coming into view. “We’re almost to my house. You can rest up there, I think my friend made some soup the other day that I can put over a fire. I’ll show you the way to the nearest Posean settlement when you’re feeling better.”

“Thank you, Corteo. I appreciate it.” Ourea sighed, her throat gurgling as she coughed again. “What are the odds I get sick from this, hm?”

Corteo laughed quietly. “You should be fine as long as you warm up soon and don’t have any water left in your lungs. I’m probably more likely to get sick from these bites. Shark bites don’t like to heal.”

Their conversation was interrupted by their arrival at the sandy shore of Corteo’s home. Ourea got off of his back, and Corteo dragged himself out of the water, rolling onto his back to regain a bit of energy. Ourea shook herself off like a dog, making water spray out in all directions.

“Hey! Watch where you’re aiming!” Corteo tried to be grumbly, but he couldn’t bite down his giggles. “Let’s get inside. I have a few blankets, feel free to bundle up while I get myself bandaged.”

Ourea nodded, and they trudged through the sand, then walked through the grass, and finally entered Corteo’s home. It was small, something you’d expect for a rexal living on their own.

When they were settled down, eating leftover soup, Ourea cleared her throat.

“Thank you for saving my life, Corteo.”

“Anytime.”

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AUTHOR: we.stan.pidgeons