Kaleb nodded, takng some courage and revealing himself to the beings, emerging from the water with his hands raised.

-Ca'dor! Ca'dor! -said one of them as they stood guard with their spears.

Kaleb tried to explain:

-No, no. I am unarmed. I have no intention of fighting -said the hesitant boy.

One of them quickly pointed one of his spears in another direction and in a moment it began to light up, similar to those shell lamps on the walls. First the handle lit up, then the light advanced until it reached the tip of the conch that was positioned on the spear. Then a kind of glowing plasma was ejected from it at such a speed that it made a hole in the wall behind the boy.

Seeing this, Kaleb's eyes widened and he raised his hands even higher.

I'm not armed! I just want to explain, please don't hurt me! -he exclaimed, scared, in an attempt to show that he was vulnerable.

-E'ch Eh! E'ch Eh! -said one of them, as they signalled him with their spear, indicating that he should get out of the water. This he understood perfectly and the boy not only got out of the water, but also humbly lowered his head, still holding up his hands.

The amphibious beings approached him cautiously, and from this distance Kaleb could see them in more detail, their skin resembling that of a fish with some scales. Their eyes were large and most of them were taken up by their irises, round and yellow and bright. Their noses were triangular and despite having two slits for nostrils, they also had a three holes just where the nasal septum should be. These holes seemed to be gills for breathing in water. Off of their head came a kind of membrane similar to the one found on jellyfish, which was pushed back by a kind of helmet made of mollusks that matched the armor they wore on their torsos, as well as on both shoulders and legs. This armor was made of a material similar to the texture of conch shells.

-Please -said Kaleb-. I come from another world, I'm lost, and... -one of the amphibians interrupted him.

-E'ch a puzel! -shouted the greenish amphibian.

Hearing this, the strange backpack they were wearing began to move, revealing that these were really the tentacles of some kind of cephalopod, which slid down the amphibian's arm. It continued onto the spear and from there leaped with great speed at Kaleb's right wrist. Once the cephalopod made contact with his skin, the boy felt the creaure's suction cups cling tightly to his forearm, as it used the tentacles to grab the boy's left wrist and coil both with brutal force. The tentacles of this strange octopus held his forearms tightly together, while its mouth swallowed both hands, immobilizing both arms completely. Kaleb couldn't do anything more than gasp at the strange, slimy sensation he felt on his hands.

-Ech'a tue! -said the other amphibian, while they pushed his back with the spear.

Kaleb started to walk.