Behind the Flames .:H2OVanoss:.

.:Chapter 16:.

The most deafening, bloodthirsty roar that could ever pierce one's ears emitted from just a few feet under the waters. Immediately after, something large and slimy tore through the surface. It shattered the floor, creating an even bigger hole at least three times the size, and skyrocketed through the roof. Every soldier scrambled off the beams just in time to see a monstrous eel-like head obliterate the ceiling.
          Tarak removed his arm from shielding his eyes, failing to catch his breath upon the sight of this magnificent beast. It's body was layered with shimmering dark blue scales on the top side, while the others were all peachy-white under the head and down the neck.
          Tarak's eyes followed further up its body to the head. The muzzle was long and jagged, like a Dragon's, but from the forehead to the nose-tip it was rather flat. The jaw was shut tightly, but what creeped him out the most was that the jaw had been placed sideways to its face. Instead of opening from the top and bottom like a normal snake, it widened from the crease straight down in the center of the muzzle, like the pincers of a deadly insect.

Blood warning
Drawing by ImagineSilver on deviantart! Thank u Silver!!

          Dark apple-green frills fluttered from both sides of its head, and proceeded to connect further down the spine. The sails continued down its back, only to disappear with the rest of its body in the dark greenish blue waters.
          Tarak dared to look further up. Right then, he connected its ghostly yellow eyes with his own. It stared back casting a threatening aura. With pupils long and thin and fierce, it slowly slid back down through the ceiling hungrily.
          "Don't.. move.. a muscle.." Tyler hushed a command.
          The sea snake slithered around observantly. It was so quiet they could hear every ripple in the water, every creak in the soggy floorboards, as well as every drop that fell from its slimy head and into the pool.
          As the serpent looked in the opposite direction, Tarak took the chance to look around. Brock was holding onto Jonathan on a low wooden beam in a corner of the room, Brian and Marcel were pressed against the wall in the same corner as himself, and Tyler, Lui, and Arlan crowded around the other petrified water bender.
          Just then, Jonathan began choking and coughing up the water in his lungs. Brock did his best to hush the noise, while also assisting in the removal of the water, but the serpent's devilish eyes were already upon them. It made a low, gurgling growl as the frills on its head began to vibrate vigorously.
          "We need to do something!" Whispering in his panic, Brian attempted to take a leap forward.
"Wait! Stay still!" Tyler quickly responded. Brian seemed to have the hardest time sitting still. They all watched in painful silence as the serpent inched closer to their friends.
Jonathan coughed again, but this time, his eyes opened. Brock immediately covered his mouth with a strong hand, whispering reassuringly and begging him not to make a noise. Jon froze as he processed what was towering before them, then his body shivered in terror as the curious beast leaned closer.
All of a sudden, the monster yanked its head back and dragged out a long hiss. It must have been the human scent that ticked it off, because it approached them again with nostrils flaring, frills and sails unfolded, and it's sideways mouth agape to bare its horizontal needle-like teeth.
"Tyler?!" Brian looked back and forth between the serpent and the earth bender. Tyler said nothing, but kept a strong eye on the scene.
The beast advanced again, this time striking so fast they didn't even see it coming. It struck forward without opening its jaws, and pulled back with another hiss. Thank the spirits it was a bluff; similar to how some animals fake an attack in order to scare its opponent away.
Brock and Jonathan however, about had a panic attack. They both retaliated with a scream, followed by a sloppy bending reflex. Thick clumps of mud burst up from beneath the water, showering the beast in its scaly face. At the exact same time a sharp string of water sliced one of the monster's side frills, leaving a nasty cut.
Without a word from Tyler, the entire squad whipped out their elements in defense. The serpent bellowed and lashed out like a snake, striking so quickly and spontaneously that nobody could predict any of its movements.
Tarak thrust his fist towards its muzzle, driving it back with a continuous swarm of fire. It screamed like a banshee, with scales sizzling and cracking, and slunk back into the water.
"..Do you think we scared it away?" Marcel leaned over the edge and peeked into the darkness. Immediately after, he scrambled back shouting, "No we didn't, no we didn't!!"
The serpent broke the surface once more, only this time, some bulge slid up from its throat and spewed out with thick slime, revealing the many plastery white tendrils it had for a tongue. They squirmed and wriggled like a bouquet of mutilated worms.
Before Tarak could move out of the way, one of the tongues shot out and coiled itself around his leg. The next thing he knew, he was dangling upside down in the air above hundreds of teeth.
"Put him down!!" He heard Jonathan's angry demand. The beast whipped to the side, dragging Tarak with it, but was struck by a thin slab of ice with razor sharp edges. The disk sliced right through the tendril, releasing Tarak into the water below.
Blood spewed from the opening in the tongue, but to their shock, it was sealed a moment later with a gross, cream-colored gelatin.
"We need to kill it or drive it out of the deep water so we can get down there!" David shouted above its high pitched squeals as he raced over to Tyler. "We found a lot of marble underneath the water; entire pillars of it!" In sync they dodged a flailing tendril. "Also, there were strange drawings all over them! They looked to be at least a hundred years old!"
Tyler clenched his teeth in thought. A second or two later he straightened up, shouting with determination, "Alright, guys! Let's make sushi out of this fish!"