The creaks were getting progressively louder every second that we stayed on the ship, and I wasn't sure how much longer the space vehicle would be able to take the pressures of the ocean. 

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that, just because a spaceship can fly around in space where there's no atmosphere at all it should also be able to fly underwater. But in the vast majority of cases that simply wasn't the truth. In space, a ship has to worry about a single atmosphere breaking free into the vacuum. Under the water of the ocean, a submarine has to worry about tens of atmospheres worth of pressure crushing it like a soda can under a boot, and that was just in Earth's oceans. 

On a planet like this, there was no telling how much pressure was now being exerted on the ship. 

"Okay, does anyone know any teleportation magic like the Squadron Leader did earlier?" I asked. "Because if not, this is going to be a very short-lived reunion."

"I… may have a solution, but it will not be pleasant," Yr'Arl said, he looked more uncomfortable than I had ever seen him. "I have the ability to mimic recently made spells, to a degree that is much less powerful than the original. With the five of us… As I said, it will not be pleasant." 

We didn't have many options here. We weren't going to leave anyone behind to lessen the load on Yr'Arl's spell, I'd never be able to forgive myself if we let one of our two companions perish just because there was a chance we wouldn't make it back to the surface. 

"Okay… Get over here and do it," I said. 

Yr'Arl gave me a curt nod and walked over to the rest of our group. He raised both hands and started chanting until a familiar white runic pattern began to flicker into existence below us. While the Squadron Leader's runes had been bold and powerful, Yr'Arl's were thin and barely lighting up at all. 

And then.. 

The spell... 

Took…. Effect... 

The darkness was suffocating. 

It surrounded me so tightly that even my arms were completely beyond my vision. The only light visible were little motes, dancing in the distance. They flickered into being and then drifted far down until, eventually, they flickered out altogether. 

I could feel four presences beside me, the alien life forms that had been trapped down under the waves with me. 

I had been here before. This was the Chasm, the place between life and death. 

And then it was all gone in a flash. 

I woke with a heavy groan. My head was pounding something fierce, and it felt like I'd gorged on a bowl full of sand. I really had to stop waking up feeling like this, it wasn't fun in the slightest. 

<Neither was being in synchro mode for the better part of a day, do you have any idea how boring it is managing the flow of manna in your stupid manna factory of a body?> BB all but yelled from the back of my mind. 

I flinched as his smug, arrogant voice echoed through my head. I really didn't need him yelling at me after the fight of my life like that. 

I let my eyes open as slowly as I could, but still had to wince against the harsh fluorescent lighting of the room that I was in. I craned my aching neck so I could get a better look around. I seemed to be floating in mid-air in what I could only describe as an incredibly advanced hospital, with some kind of monitoring display floating above my chest. From what I could tell, the readouts looked relatively stable. 

The rest of my companions from the journey below the waves all still seemed to be unconscious, but they were all there, and they were all being looked after. We'd actually managed to do it. Which was why my system display was obnoxiously pinging me. 

[ Quest Complete! ]

[ The Leader of Clan Pren was found Deceased - Option 2 Rewards attained! ]

[ 100,000 XP earned! ]

[ Level Up! ]

[ Level Up! ]

[ Level Up! ]

[ Jacob Lyre Stats sheet:

Level: 20

HP: 1700

Manna Reserve: 7000

Strength: 750

Active Ability Points: 9

Passive Ability points: 4 ]

[ ??? Reward Revealed! ]

[ Manna Memory Absorption Skill Acquired: Each time you use an ability or skill your manna will remember it. With enough use, your manna will no longer need to be controlled by Synchro Mode for certain spells. ]

That was an incredibly useful ability. It was as if the strange system that ordained my progression in this universe had known that BB was getting tired of his synchro mode role. Eventually, when we'd dealt with Lara and the rest of the madness that was happening in Prespian city, we'd have to do some research into that. I didn't like the idea that there was something else going on that neither of us were privy to. 

That being said, there were still more rewards to claim. 

[ Emergency Quest Complete - Pax and Akash have been saved! ]

[ 10,000 XP Acquired! ] 

[ Reward 2 - Manna Detection Skill Acquired: You will now be able to detect the manna of other sentient beings in a one-mile sphere around you. This information will be routed through your BB unit, so as not to overwhelm your mind. ]

<Well that sucks,> BB said, sounding as if he had suddenly come down with a head cold. 

Considering we were in the hospital of a megacity, I could imagine that he was probably immediately being assaulted by a bunch of information from everyone around us. 

<Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. You're lucky I like you kiddo, or I'd just allow you to see the entire mess of information I'm getting right now. Though, to be honest, that'd probably burn out your brain and then I'd have no where to live.>

What a charming AI I had been lumped in with. 

Still, with my rewards all claimed I allowed myself to sink back into sleep. My body felt like a wet towel after a round in a washing machine, and I needed to sleep off the damage. 

When I woke up, though, we'd be going straight to Squadron Leader Belana. 

We may have saved Pax and Akash, we may have stopped the hybrid, but our fight against Lara was only just beginning.