The Luma Pools had a rather strange underwater cave, recently discovered by Ori. The water inside didn't impede movement in any way, which also meant that any explorer would have to walk instead of swimming. With it still not being breathable, it would be difficult to explore, but Ori was up for it, holding his breath and running through the depths like he would anywhere else.
A few minutes in, he started to strain, considering heading back to breathe, before hearing repeated blooping sounds ahead. Figuring he could hold on another couple minutes, Ori went to figure out what the sound was, and it turned out to be something that made this cave even weirder; many large bubbles were around the chamber, some coming up from cracks in the floor and some just floating in place. He walked up to one that was at about head height, looking at the reflection of his confused, puffy-cheeked face. Pressing on the bubble, he moved it around a bit, before remembering he needed to breathe, deciding to try out the bubble. It size made it difficult to get his arms around, but Ori managed it, squishing it in the process of bringing it to his mouth and inhaling. Luckily it was air instead of some kind of gas, and he caught his breath with the bubble.
Pushing aside the used bubble, Ori looked around some more. A bubble like that would make for a handy portable air source, if he could find a static one small enough for him to easily carry. And, that he did; a bubble of what looked to be the perfect size was floating near the ceiling, but without being able to swim, he was going to have trouble reaching it... Below it, however, a large bubble was starting to form, and Ori decided to try something, running over and hopping onto it just before it started ascending. Despite his weight, the bubble was still rising to the ceiling! It was hard for him to keep his balance, the bubble precariously wobbling no matter how he stood, but he stayed on it long enough to reach about the same height as the bubble he was aiming for, and with a quick jump, he grabbed it and dropped back to the floor. It wasn't exactly a painless landing from that height, but it wasn't that bad, and Ori soon started running through the tunnels again, carrying his head-sized handheld air supply with him.
The cave continued on for quite the distance, the spirit needing a couple breaths from his bubble. He was getting somewhat nervous, knowing he likely wouldn't get back to the bubble room before he'd drown. Soon, though, he began feeling the familiar resistance of the water, and could see an exit ahead. The bubble seemed to be reacting as well, quivering as he neared the exit. Eventually, he could swim again, and the bubble fell apart into a cluster of regular-sized ones, whatever influence the cave had no longer being enough to hold it together. Without much more effort, Ori swam to the surface, thankful to finally get a fresh breath instead of the old air that bubble had been holding.
jvdrbuss, story by me
