Kaleb nodded slowly, holding his breath.

The beings began to lower their guard little by little, until they stopped pointing those strange spears and held them in one hand. It seemed to be working. Kaleb was so still that the beings didn't seem to realize he was there. They both turned to face each other. One shrugged, and then they started talking. Kaleb tried to hold his breath as he listened to the babbling of their language, which was all the more incomprehensible because he was submerged.

Suddenly one of them let out a sound that he did understand. It was laughing. The beings talked to each other comfortably, and apparently they had no intention of leaving. On the contrary, it seemed they were taking advantage of this moment to catch up.

Kaleb felt his diaphragm demanding air and his muscles beginning to tense, small spasms that evidenced the need to breathe overtaking him sporadically. The pain of his empty lungs began to be such that he closed his eyes until he couldn't take it anymore; in an involuntary movement Kaleb jumped to the surface and inhaled with all his might. The sound of his mouth sucking in that deep breath echoed through the room, and for a moment, the beings and the spears didn't matter to him; as he took a breath he felt only satisfaction and relief. It wasn't until one of the two beings screamed that Kaleb remembered the danger again.

-Ca'dor! -one of them exclaimed, as they both stood guard with their spears. Kaleb swam backwards a little.

But the bluish being jumped into the water and dove like a professional diver. Kaleb tried to look around for them, but by the time his eyes found them they had already resurfaced behind him, spear pointed for attack.

-Ech'a tue! -the being yelled, pointing the spear at him.

Already at this distance Kaleb could see their features better. Their skin resembled that of a fish. Their eyes were large and much of them were taken up by their irises, round and yellow and bright. Their nose was triangular and despite having two external nostril chambers, they had three more openings right where the nasal septum should be. These openings all seemed to breathe. A kind of membrane similar to that of a jellyfish hung from their head, pushed back by a kind of helmet made of mollusks. The helmet matched the armor they wore on their torso as well as both shoulders, made of a material that resembled the texture of a conch shell.

Up close, he was able to see that spear more closely. The conch at the end seemed harmless, it didn't look sharp in the least. This distracted Kaleb, who stared at it, wondering if it would be used for hitting. The creature must have noticed this in the boy's gaze, for they immediately pointed their spear in another direction. In what seemed like an instant the spear lit up from the shaft to the tip, and a blast of blue plasma shot out of it, with such power that it made a hole in one of the coral walls.

The being pointed their spear at the boy again. Kaleb held up his hands as the amphibian motioned for him to back off.

-Ech'a tue! -they screamed-. Ech'a tue!

They continued threatening him like this until they reached the shore, where the other amphibian was waiting for him and also pointed their respective spear at him. Once Kaleb got out of the water, he noticed that the greenish amphibian wore a kind of backpack, which had an organic texture. It was then that the amphibian said:

-E'ch a puzel! -the straps around the amphibian's arms uncoiled, revealing the tentacles of some kind of cephalopod, which slid down the amphibian's arms. They continued to Kaleb's left wrist. Once the cephalopod made contact with his skin, the boy felt the suction cups of the creature's body cling tightly to his forearm, which the tentacles used to grab the boy's right wrist also, wrapping around them and bringing both hands together with brutal force.

The tentacles of the strange octopus held his forearms well, while it's mouth opened and swallowed the boy's hands, immobilizing both arms. Kaleb couldn't help but gasp at the strange, slimy sensation he felt in his hands.