Mayhem's Fountain

“Tell me, why are we doing this again?” Tiburon asked. “Who are you to question our commander?” Dolphus replied in a sharp tone. Dolphus was a seaman of Atlantis, an imposing figure to behold. Over seven feet tall, his body was covered in muscles, and he was in perfect physical condition. He was dressed in the common garb of the Atlantean seaman, with a helmet and form-fitting pants that helped him swim, but his torso was exposed. The muscles on his back and arms flexed as he reached back and picked up another bag sitting behind him in their small boat. He opened the bag and began to pour its contents into the middle of a deep lake hidden in the far recesses of a cave. Tiburon shook his head and grabbed another bag as well. He untied the knot on top and copied the actions of his partner. Sighing, he watched the precious gold of Atlantis slowly flow down to the bottom of the lake. “It just seems like such a waste. I mean, of all places, why here?” “Don’t you ever shut up? Why must you question everything? Do your job, or I’ll report you to our commander.” Tiburon shuddered at the thought of being reprimanded by his superior, Adrastos Adolum, who was the commander of the royal navy of Atlantis. Adrastos was considered a good and fair leader, and at times was even known to show patience and understanding toward his sailors’ shortcomings. But one thing Tiburon knew about his commander was that he did not tolerate insubordination. You did what you were ordered to do without question, or you suffered the consequences. “Dolphus, you know I’m as loyal as the next man. It just seems odd, wouldn’t you think? I mean, taking an order from our commander is one thing, but why did the order come from our royal captain and not our king?” “And how do you know the order did not come from King Zale?” Dolphus replied. He tore open another bag and dumped its contents into the lake. “How many orders have you ever received from our king?” Tiburon paused and scratched his head. “Well, none, now that you mention it. But it does seem curious though, does it not? I mean, placing the gold in a hidden location outside of Atlantis makes some sense in the event that we’re invaded, but here? How did he ever find this place? I shudder every time we have to leave the ocean and come on land. Frankly, I don’t know what could be more secure than our royal treasury.” “Tell that to Eramus, or have you retrieved the Eye?” Tiburon suddenly flushed and felt quite the fool. Maybe Dolphus was right. Who was he to question the motives of his commander; or better yet, a direct order from the captain of the royal guard? Ever since the uplanders invaded his city and stole the Eye of Atlantis, nothing had been the same. Citizens of the city were becoming anti-social. Doors that once had been open and welcoming were now locked at night. Common good will toward one another had nearly vanished. All in all, a general feeling of mistrust between one another prevailed. To make matters worse, a fellow Atlantean was responsible for all the misery that plagued the city. The king’s own daughter, Princess Adonia, had helped the uplanders steal their precious treasure. Not only had she allowed them to take their Eye, she also assisted in their escape from the city, killing many innocent Atlanteans who were simply obeying orders. No, times in the city were dark. Atlantis had become a sad reflection of what it once had been, and dark emotions were ready to spill over. Tiburon grabbed another satchel without replying to Dolphus and continued his job. The task itself was simple enough, but for the men of Atlantis, it wasn’t comforting to be out of the ocean waters. The misconception about Atlanteans was that they were fish, but this was not the case. They were human, amphibious humans who, due to their diets, were better conditioned than most people who lived above ground. Due to the lack of sun in their home, it was more difficult for them to see above ground. Their vision was better suited for underwater living. They had tremendous lung capacity, which allowed them to hold their breath for great lengths of time. The fins they were often seen in were nothing more than swimming aids, which Atlanteans removed once they were out of the ocean. They tended to look down on humans, whom they called “uplanders,” not only because they were much taller than uplanders, but they also had much longer life spans than most. Not long after, the men of Atlantis had completed their mission. Every last bag, or roughly ten thousand gold coins, had been emptied into the lake. The mermen started to row their boat back to shore, when Tiburon thought he heard an odd noise. His ears were not accustomed to hearing above ground, but he was sure he heard some movement on the far bank. “What was that?” Dolphus held his hand in the air, motioning for Tiburon to remain quiet. Tiburon squinted in the direction of the noise, but the cave was pitch black. He couldn’t see anything. The two men sat quietly for a moment, but neither heard another sound. They continued to row ashore but then suddenly heard the sound of rocks being kicked over. “Show yourself,” Dolphus shouted, but no one replied. “This is your last warning. Show yourself now and I will spare your life, or remain hidden and feel my wrath.” No one came forward. The two mermen looked at each other, and Dolphus slowly nodded. Both men grabbed their tridents and aimed them in the direction of the noise. “You have been warned!” Dolphus yelled and with a flick of their wrists, the mermen sent two blasts of electrical energy from their tridents smashing into the walls of the cave. Rocks crashed down all around the surrounding area, and the sound reverberated throughout the open space. Not satisfied they’d done enough damage, the mermen continued to fire shots until the area was covered in dust and rock. Tiburon began to cough violently. He didn’t want to appear weak in front of his colleague, but he was unsure how much more soot he could breathe. “No one could survive that.” “Very well. Let us leave this foul place.” The two mermen rowed ashore and pulled their small boat onto the shore. Once on land, Dolphus waited until they’d walked far enough away from the boat, and then he lowered his trident and blasted the boat, smashing it into hundreds of little pieces. They didn’t want to help anyone reach their secret location, nor leave any evidence proving they had ever been there. Satisfied with their work, the mermen exited the cave. Tiburon glanced back at the pile of rubble and thought he saw a shadow move. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The shadow was gone. All this secrecy had made him jumpy. Surely nothing could have survived their onslaught. Could it?