There was something hanging from Marius's leg. I couldn't distinguish it properly with the swirl of the water and my growing panic. It was a small, dark and at the same time almost transparent being. His bell-shaped head reminded me of the jellyfish that were sometimes found washed up on the beach. If there was a species of jellyfish in the arena, I frankly doubted that this species had escaped the modifications of the Capitol.
A sharp pain gnawed at my arm, similar to an electric shock. I was smothering a cry for not drinking the cup while waving my arm. Marius's mutation had brought his girlfriends together in no time. One of them had just hugged my right arm and didn't seem to want to leave it, despite my efforts to get rid of it. The bell on the head of this maritime being rose to reveal two yellow slits and a thin mouth overflowing with sharp teeth. With my free hand, I finally managed to free the beast from my arm watching its extensible tentacles contracting strangely.
Marius was struggling more and more in front of the assault of these aquatic predators, they came up from the depths of the water in small groups of three and advanced straight on us at a dazzling speed. One of them had just spun straight on the thorax of my enemy and this last could not contain a cry transformed into a kind of gurgling. Three jellyfish appeared from the depths when there were already two that were only a few meters away from us.
One of the two made a left turn to throw itself on my defenseless ankle, I had no choice but to abandon my hold around Marius to move my legs and try to push away this being thirsty for human flesh. A second shock set my neck on fire the next second. After Marius's iron vise, I was charged with venomous tentacles. I kicked the spongy form that tried to wrap itself around my ankle and grabbed the head of the jellyfish close to my face. The contact was unpleasant, it was as if my fingers were digging into the jellyfish and the jellyfish escaped without being restrained. The two yellow slits opened abruptly, daring me to insist as I approached its tiny mouth opening above my jaw.
My lungs screamed for a little oxygen as I debated in my agony. Marius sank below me, wrapped in two groups of jellyfish that were probably having a field day, while I pushed away from the one that was still trying to grab my ankle.
I appealed to the memory of my muscles so that they could regain the strength and movement to propel me towards the surface of the water as I fought against the gelatinous substance that clung to my neck. My torment was expressed in several bubbles of oxygen, my last ones spinning above me when suddenly the arena's dense bush came down on me again.
As soon as my head was out of the water, I opened my mouth and swallowed large puffs of oxygen. Re-filling my esophagus with air seemed like a forced action, causing me to cough a few times as I pulled myself up onto the shore and dropped my head first onto the gravel. Between two coughs, my hand finally closed on a solid cylinder, and this time I was able to get rid of the jellyfish. There was no more resistance and the spongy shape landed a few meters away, as light as a maple leaf. I watched it disintegrate in the sun before my knees buckled and the gravel welcomed me back.
Slowly but surely my lungs filled up with air again, causing my chest to swell roughly in jerks and turns. This arena was truly a beehive of traps. As if killing each other between teenagers wasn't enough, the organizers had to design objects and creatures with murderous intent. A cannon shot rang out in the sky and gave me a start before I could catch my breath again in a calmer manner.
- At least I don't have to worry about you anymore Marius.
♚➳ . ✯♛
After several minutes, I finally got up. I couldn't stay longer on this beach, I was too exposed and defenseless. Indeed, I had no knife in my belt. I knew that one had been used in my fight against Marius and I deduced that the two remaining ones must have fallen into the water when I was defending myself against the jellyfish. In other words, I had no weapons left to survive in the killing arena and to face the remaining tribes. Nevertheless, for the time being, I felt lucky to have survived Marius's assault when the prognosis was all in his favor and to have escaped the tentacles of the aquatic mutations.
Of course, I was not completely unscathed. I had no more weapons, I still had my backpack soaked and stuck to my back. My right arm was completely numb, it seemed to weigh a ton and pull my body down. The tentacles of those jellyfish bastards were paralyzing, although the news was not very encouraging I was not really surprised. After all, I was familiar with the marine environment. The paresthesia shouldn't last more than a day, I had been quick enough to repel the damn jellyfish and all I had to do was pray that the Capitol didn't make their venom too strong. I could still bend my fingers, so I took that as a positive sign. It wasn't painful, but it was still an unpleasant sensation. I felt some tingling in my neck and some discomfort when I looked to the sides, but the movement was still doable. I wasn't doing too badly. After all, the jellyfish had gotten Marius's skin, so yes I was happy to get through it even if it meant I had to spend another day in the arena.
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