Any hope that this would be a Geppetto situation vanished with the arrival of the first blast of acid. Even mixed with seawater, it drove Chemical Ward to panic. Besides his interface, all Rain could see was the inside of his helmet, lit by his glowing eyes. All he could hear was the constant, nails-on-a-chalkboard grind of teeth against his armor, the razor-sharp weapons continuing down the Whale’s esophagus. His arms were pinned tightly to his sides, beyond even his enhanced Strength to resist, and he could feel powerful waves of muscle contractions drawing him deeper and deeper. Crushing him. He’d managed to take a huge breath just before the jaws had closed but was now finding it a struggle to keep the captured air.

Don’t panic.

With urgency and forced calm, Rain adjusted his Wards to better mitigate the acid and the constriction, then triggered an essence exchange. Before it finished, he closed his eyes and slipped completely into his soul. When he opened them again, he found his avatar buried beneath a mountain of pillows, lying in a bed softer than Cloud’s fur. Sitting bolt upright, he ignored the minor avalanche he caused in favor of staring at the dialog before him.

Progress Report

marker_1: whale_inbound [3061 Light 28 09:59]

marker_2: whale_inside [3061 Light 28 10:00]

Span: 1 minute

Skills

Prismatic Intent: +104 exp