The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2 novel Chapter 123

Part 18

“Ah.” Val noted. “I’d planned on using our Void Survival spell, since it maintains normal pressure and breathable air. But I hadn’t considered the extreme pressure at this depth, and it’s meant to protect from the lack of pressure, so we’ll just have to use a good Force Shield as well.

“I imagine you could just become energy if you wanted, that would work too.”

“I suppose I could.” Visinniria smiled. “Being a goddess is pretty handy. But it’s easier to just decide that I won’t be affected by the pressure and that I don’t have to breathe.”

“Ah. You know, we’re on Father’s list, and he could make us gods. And I’m kind of tempted. But I feel the same way he does, and more so. We’ve developed really quickly, but I’m still only seven, and I’m just not done with being a mortal yet. Besides, like Fire said, if we can do almost everything that gods can do, I don’t see that it’s really necessary.”

“I’ve checked the conditions and done the math.” Six announced. “The pressure right on the other side of the wall right here is seventeen point six two five four times air pressure at sea level. I could just Translocate to the other side of the wall right now, except I’d have to achieve displacement, which would Translocate the high pressure water in the shape of me to this side of the wall, which would probably soak all of you.”

“The portal’s almost finished cycling anyway.” Visinniria pointed out, and a moment later the four Selkies emerged from the blue dome by walking through the side of it. They bowed to Mark’s party and moved off.

Suddenly Val Translocated through the wall and appeared in the water on the other side with a bubble of air around her head and a very thin layer of air held against her body by her form-fitting Shielding. She rose a few centimeters, then stabilized.

“I just did a double displacement.” she announced both verbally and psionicly, though they couldn’t hear her voice through the water and the barrier that contained it. “I sent the water from my displacement to Hiliani, just off the coast, and sent the displacement air from there back to where I just was. You have to compensate for buoyancy too. Pretty neat, huh?”

“Yah!” Fire agreed as she, Six and Karz duplicated her trick, followed by the rest of their party an instant later.

“This void spell, how does it maintain breathable air here?” Nemia asked. Now that they were all in the water together it was easy to hear her, though it sounded a bit strange.

“It’s a constant Translocation.” Kragorram explained. “As you breathe out, that amount of air is Translocated out of the head bubble from just in front of your mouth and nose to a location over Hiliani, and when you breath in, the reverse occurs. We have to remember to change the location of the Translocation point before the Hiliani time-bubble is resumed.”

A Selkie and a Mer swam up to them and began to converse using a very clever translation spell that read their sign languages of gestures and body movements and sent out a short-range Speaking in Trade Common.

“Greetings, honored citizens.” the Selkie announced. “I am Prime Wisdom Gloz of the Banodez River, and this is Guide Leader Bubniiiilduptiii of The Mer of The North Xervian Ocean. We know of your desire to meet citizens of the aquatic races. As most of the land dwellers have done out there, the aquatic people here are largely gathered with others of their own race. We would be happy to introduce you around.”