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ticklish-touch · 2 years

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Trapped in the Backrooms Ch4: Diving Deeper

(Chasing, hypnosis, tickling, thalassophobia)

From hard concrete to semi-flooded floors, you learn that even the water isn't safe from the dangers of the Backrooms. But when you hit a dead end, you're soon left with no choice: You need to go deeper.

(Chapter themes:

“Cave of the Mermen”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BK52XbjNXw “Bone Fields” - Subnautica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbVgy-7Ziek “Red Alert” - Subnautica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp1HRCs2A-w)

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You used your hands to row your way out of the narrow tunnel. Once reaching the end, you saw that you were now in an enormous building completely covered in white tile, with pillars stretching up to the ceilings. Large, high windows let in a soft white light. Long stretches of tile walkways separated pools. It looked like a huge aquatic center.

You stepped off of the raft and went up a small stairway to take one of the paths, a foot or two above the pools. Some of them had clear, pristine waters that actually looked pretty inviting. But others had very cloudy water that filled you with a sensation of dread. You kept in mind what the faceless lady Jevan had told you: "Don't go near murky water."

You trekked onward for a little bit, crossing bridges and gazing upward at the impossibly tall pillars - mostly to keep your attention away from the ominous pools below - your footsteps echoing out across the walls. You even took out your phone to snap a few photos. You soon started growing accustomed to the distinct scent of chlorine. Every now and then, you glanced back down at the water, just to stay aware. You gasped quietly when you could swear you saw something ripple under the surface of one of the cloudy pools, hurrying your pace.

The more you walked along, the more you noticed a recurring pattern: The clear pools were separated by one another, neatly compartmentalized. But the murky pools all seemed to flow into channels that led into hallways and dark tunnels. Despite your growing unease, you felt compelled to follow those channels from room to room. The longer you stayed in close proximity of them, the more you noticed that, instead of chlorine, they gave off a salty scent, like seawater.

Much to your disdain, it was becoming more and more difficult to be able to stay on dry ground. The ceilings became lower the further you explored, the walkways were becoming too narrow to stand on, some pathways led to ramps right down into shallow water. Some of the rooms were totally flooded and would’ve taken you down to knee-level. Looking into an open archway, you saw a spiral staircase leading straight down into a watery abyss. The sight sent chills through you. Nooo thank you. “Gonna hafta to get yer feet wet eventually,” you heard Rags’ voice from around the corner, putting on a hillbilly accent. You snorted and laughed at the sight of him in a redneck getup, complete with a bucket hat and a piece of straw in his mouth, sitting at the ledge by the hazy channel with a fishing rod in hand, bare feet submerged and doing little kicks. “There’s critters in these here waters, I can just taste ‘em!” You did the honors of playing his ongoing game of ditch-the-hat, by snatching it off his head and putting it on yourself. “Yeah, and what d’you reckon I’ll find in here?” He giggled and shrugged. “I saw quite the interesting little fishie not too far from here,” he pointed down one of the flooded hallways. Thankfully, the water was clear and didn’t go past your waist. “Orrrr you could chance takin’ a swim with me,” he smirked meanly and started pushing at your legs, trying to coax you to fall into the water. You shrieked. “NonoNO CUT IT OUT!!” You retaliated by lunging down and giving him a shove. He made a dramatic show out of falling off the ledge into the waters below, hollering and splashing. And, in the same moment as you tossing the hat out to him, he poofed out of sight. “JERK!!” You shouted out to the water’s surface, which was answered with his shitty giggle echoing faintly across the walls.

You reluctantly started wading knee-deep into the the corridor that the Nightmare pointed you toward. At the very least, the water felt nice... A perfect lukewarm temperature. You became very aware of your phone in your pocket, trying to keep it away from the water to the best of your ability. You eventually came to a fork in the path: One led down a stark white hallway with no sign of water in the empty straits on either side of the path, seeming to stretch on for miles. The other had curvy, wavy floors leading down a cylindrical hallway that reflected blue light coming from an unseen source. It was reminiscent of one of those glass observatory tunnels at an aquarium. The hallway without water was probably the safer bet, buuut...

You admired the rippling waves of light dancing across the curved ceilings, half expecting to start hearing ocean waves when the scent of saltwater became stronger. It was pleasant enough to keep your mind off of the ominous dark water just a few feet below the floor.

Soon, from far down the twisting hallway, a soft, light melody started to echo across the tile walls. A beautiful melody. So beautiful, and mystifying, that you felt compelled to go towards it...

You planted your foot on the floor. Nooo nono, you couldn't fall for something like this again. You plugged your ears and turned around the other way to head back to the fork in the road. But... you couldn't find the fork. Somehow, you’d ended up in a totally different portion of the building! The illuminated tunnel was many times longer than it had been, now lined with pillars that weren't there before. While trying to make sense of the twisting rooms, you saw something dart past you in the cloudy water. It looked like a huge... Fish? Crawfish? It was spiky and segmented. But as soon as you'd noticed it, it disappeared. You swallowed, slowing down your pace. If it tried to leap at you, you'd take your chance and run back where you'd come from.

Once again, at the end of the hall where the creature had just headed towards, that hauntingly gorgeous song started again. No doubt, this creature was trying to lure you. You took a few steps forward, despite trying to resist it. You had to fight yourself to cover your ears again. You wanted so badly to listen to it, let it soothe you and fill your mind, melting your troubles away... "No, dammit!!" You ripped your attention away and turned back. Just before you left the area, you thought you heard the source of the voice give a taunting, devious laugh.

Finally, it made itself known, leaping from the water. Your stalker wasn't just a fish: It was a merman?? He had darker skin speckled with dark grey markings, a slate-grey lobster-like tail, two slits for a nose, and black scleras with pale blue irises. He had pointed elf-like ears, with spiky fins and protrusions along his arms and spine. He displayed a wicked smile filled with needle-like teeth, and leaned forward casually on his arms. "Trying to resist my song? How rude...~" He purred.

You gulped back a lump in your throat. Shit, he’s cute. "Are you... a Siren?" He shrugged. "That's what some Wanderers call me. Most don't live long enough to spread their tales about me. But you... You seem fun. Let's play a little..." He repositioned himself, looking like was preparing to pounce. And he started to hum his lullaby again. Being in such close proximity, the song took hold much faster. A shudder went through you; a warm, bubbly feeling welled up inside you as the song caressed your ears like silk. Everything will be okay... The melody whispered to you. Stay here with me... Become one with the Deep...

A zap from your talisman snapped you out of it. "WAGH-haha!!" You jumped and quickly backed up.

The merman blinked, curious about your reaction. But didn't think more on it, hissing and starting to slither forward on the tile. He was fast. The moment he dove back into the pool and quickly swam up next to you, you turned to try and run. But he made a flying leap back out of the water again, taking a swipe at you with sharp claws and narrowly missing your face. “AGH- SHIT!!” You ducked and shoved him clean out of the air in retaliation; he grunted in surprise, slipping back into the water. He followed closely behind, letting out raspy screeches and mean laughter. "Hmhmhmh, just give up already~ You have no chance of matching my stamina!!" It wasn’t long before he cornered you again; he was right, he was way too stealthy for you to give him the slip. He leapt up onto a platform across from you, separated by only a few feet of water. And, once again, tried to tempt you to him with his deadly song. This time, as he sang, a long, black tendril tipped with a glowing red hand eased up out of the water out of his view. He was quickly cut off by the hand poking his temple and letting off a red spark. "AH-!" He jumped in surprise. "Who-?! What just did that-??" He whipped around, trying to spot the culprit. Ragdoll's mischievous chuckle rang out before disappearing.

"What are these images...? Are they your memories?" You snickered at the sight of the Siren being so confused. Then nodded, grinning coyly. "I see...” He started to smirk again, but this time it was a lot less wicked and a lot more playful. "You're ticklish! That's so cute! So that’s the kind of game you want to play?"

You gulped. "W-Well, it’d be a lot better than trying not to get killed, don’t you think??” “Heh; I suppose you’re right... In that case, entertain me~” He wiggled his fingers in your direction. “Ten...Nine...Eight...” Your unease about the semi-submerged level finally made way for that feeling of anticipation again; you smiled and quickly took off down the tile bridge. The cylindrical tunnel eventually opened up to one of the largest rooms you’d seen yet, the blue ripples of light quickly replaced by bright fluorescents reminiscent of Level Zero, rows upon rows of pools lining the center of the room. In order to keep following you, the Siren would have to leap from pool to pool. ...Which is exactly what he started doing. After leaving the cloudy strait, he flung himself several feet into the air to land in the clear pool next to you, splashing you clean in the face. “BLEGH-!! HEY!!” “Come on in, the water’s great~!!” He laughed and tried to wave you in. “Might wanna be careful though, there’s some toe-biters in here that’ll swim all over you~” He winked.

Eventually, despite your best efforts not to slip on the tile, you mis-stepped in one of the puddles kicked up by all of the merman’s leaping around, and slid backwards right into one of the cloudy, lukewarm pools with a splash. "AAH-!" You scrambled up to the surface. But by the time you'd started hurriedly swimming over to the steps, the Siren leapt clean across from one pool into yours. "NonoNONO-" His fishy claws grabbed you from below the surface in a matter of moments, experimentally scritching and squeezing at the backs of your legs, knees and thighs. “AAH-HEHEHEH!!” You flailed and splashed around, smiling wide and blushing, trying to spin and kick your legs free. You could see him below the water from the corner of your eye, staying latched onto you. He grabbed one of your ankles and yanked off your shoe and sock, wasting no time in leaning in to nibble at your soles and toes. You squealed and thrashed all the more, bursting into laughter and trying to scramble your way to the pool’s edge. “YEEE-HEHEHEE SSTAAHAHAHAHP th-they arehehehen’t fihihish stihihicks!!”

He seemed to answer your remark by doubling his efforts, pulling off your other shoe and sock and starting to nibble, lick and claw at your sole, arch, ball of your feet and even near your heels. Your laughter and whines went up an octave. At this point you barely fought back anymore, keeping your arms propped up on the ledge. He surfaced after a few more moments. "Hmhmhm... My song may be irresistible, but this laughter of yours makes for quite the lovely music~" he smirked, wrapping his arms around you and skillfully flurrying his claws over your torso, alternating between tickling up and down your sides and scritching under your exposed armpits. All the while, an unusual clicking rumbled from his throat; a bit like the ‘purring’ sound of that cuttlefish at the hotel. He let go after a few minutes. “Here, I’ll play nice and let you catch a breather~” You took him up on the offer... Not before spinning around and giving him a firm splash in the face. “Agh-!! Hey!” You climbed out, but realized it would just be the same result: Falling in or getting grabbed, tickled to pieces, having to scramble back out of the water again. This room was the length of a football field, and the siren’s stamina seemed limitless! You’d be exhausted before you could make it to the end. So you kept your eye out for anything that looked out of place. All while the spiky brat kept trying to leap out and tried to grab your ankles, or whack your legs with his tail. Or tease you out loud. “C’meeere, little morsel~ You’re such a ticklish little thing, aren’t ya~?” Finally, you saw that one of the pools led under a sizeable gap in the wall, with bright yellow light pouring in. Taking a deep breath, you jumped in and swam to the opening... Then let out a loud yell when the water current took you flying straight down a ramp on your belly. “WHOAAA-!” You landed in a room that was completely flooded over, the water easily coming up to your neck. High ceilings lit the room with bright, sickly yellow fluorescents. And, again, the water felt really nice, relaxing your body and muscles. It wouldn’t hurt to rest for a minute, give the spiky boy some time to catch up and attack you with tickles again... And now that the excitement had died down for a minute, you gasped and took your phone out of your pocket. Totally soaked through. It wouldn’t even turn on anymore. “Ugh, shit...” You groaned. Well, it lasted longer than expected in a world like this. Some researcher out there could add it to the databank of Found Footage. There was only one other thing of note in here: A nearby ladder leading up to a blue waterslide, which extended through a hole in the wall. Ominous, but the only means of escape. You slowly waded over toward it. Finally, you heard a splash behind you. The merman had followed you down the ramp, and was quickly gaining again. You yelped and tried to swim faster, but he snuck his way underneath you, quickly going to work squeezing your sides and hips, leaning in to nibble at your belly. “N-NOO--Hahahaha you brahahahat!!” You flailed and doggy-paddled your way over to the waterslide, firmly shoving him away with your foot to clamber up the ladder. “Nihihice try!!” You shouted to him, still giggling and smiling away from the ridiculousness of the situation. You’d wished every water park or murky lake could be home to cute tickle-hungry fish monsters.

He didn’t allow you much time to climb before he jumped out and started pulling himself up the ladder right behind you. “You were saying??” He cackled. "JESUS-!!" You laughed and rushed to grab the edges of the waterslide and swing your legs forward. You couldn't help but whoop and shout out of childlike joy on your way down the twists and turns.

You landed in a huge, crystal-clear pool with more waterslides everywhere; Red, blue, purple and turquoise. You hadn’t the slightest idea which one you should try first. And you didn’t have much time to think it over after hearing the splash behind you. You half-heartedly started doggy-paddling, only to be scooped up by the merman again, huddled close to his scaly body and affectionately tickled to pieces. “Cooochiecoochiecoochie~” he taunted. “I have no idea what that means, but it gets you all worked up, heheh!!” he nuzzled your neck, flurrying his fingers over your wriggling torso. He soon slippd back down into the water and worked his way down again, grabbing your ankles and going to town on your soles and toes, twice as fast and intensely as before. "Nomnomnom-" He made silly biting sounds, and flicked his forked tongue between each of your toes. You squealed, splashed and flailed about. “YEE-HEHEHE S-staaahahahap~!!”

It was amazing how the entities here could go from mean and murderous to a total tickle-hungry tease in a matter of seconds, from little more than a glimpse at your memories and fantasies. Ragdoll said he wasn’t mind-controlling anyone... Was this really all it took to sway them to play with you? Maybe they just needed a little push to see that not everything had to be treated as prey. Maybe they were waiting for a reason to go against their naturally hostile disposition.

Eventually, he relented and held you bridal-style. “Hmhmh, you’re still pretty tasty-looking... Especially with your cheeks all red and your heartbeat all worked up~” he licked his lips. “It’d be a shame to kill someone who’s having a good time, though...” he pouted, looking a little guilty. “This is...one of the first times a Wanderer has smiled, or laughed, or enjoyed my company without the influence of my song.” You frowned, feeling sympathetic for him. So maybe when all was said and done, he was just lonely... You took his hand in your own. His expression softened. “You’re looking for an escape, aren’t you?” He asked expectantly. He sounded... Disappointed.

You nodded. “Sorry, but I can’t be your dinner. My friend and I need to get back home.” “Yeah... Figured as much.” He sighed. But his eyes lit up and he seemed to get a sneaky idea. “Y’knowww, you could meet my friend! He’d have a lot of fun with you.” He pointed to one of the turquoise slides. “Follow the teal ones. Only the teal ones. Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you, make sure you’re going the right way~” he gave you a couple more pokes. “Go ahead, I’ll let ya have a head start again~” And so, you started your descent down the waterslides. You felt like a kid at a waterpark, swimming through pools, making mad dashes for the teal slides, letting out playful yells and snarky remarks back at your pursuer. For a few minutes, you forgot you were even in the Backrooms. Once getting to the last huge slide, your spiky friend didn’t follow. You heard him call out after you. “Byyeeee~!” You fell quite a distance from the last slide, dropping nearly ten feet, plummeting through the surface after doing a semi-cannonball.

Upon surfacing, you realized you were now completely boxed in, in what looked like a 20′x20' shower room, with tile walls that went up to the endless ceiling, lit only by a single window that leaked in a miniscule amount of sickly white light, and no bottom to speak of. You had to tread water, but it was oddly buoyant, and smelled saltier than ever. The waterslide provided a constant flow into the room, making it ripple and splash below you.

There was no sign of the spiky fish following behind you. You swam around the edges of the small room, trying to find some kind of hidden exit in a tile. Instead, you bumped into a ledge just below the surface. You took a seat and let out a deep sigh, leaning your head back against the tile wall; the water came up to your shoulders - and, again, felt super nice. You listened to the gentle waterfall, still wondering if the merman would make his entrance. His goodbye to you made it sound like he wasn’t going to follow after you. And there was no sign of Ragdoll yet either.

Welp, time to go swimming. You had no choice. You assumed there was some kind of channel or bottom to get underneath the walls; so you took a deep breath and dove down. The saltwater stung your eyes for a few moments, blinking a few times to clear your vision. Except...you still couldn't see anything. The hazy green-tinted water had a minimal amount of light breaking the surface; Still enough visibility to see a few specks floating, but no sign of walls or a bottom floor anywhere. Jeez, how far did this pool go?? The thought crept into your head that maybe it wasn't a pool, but an ocean. You shuddered at the thought.

You swam forward for what felt like a good few yards before having to surface for air. But you saw that you were... Still right in the center of the shower room? What the hell?? You tried a couple more times, going in every other direction. But every time, upon surfacing, it was like you hadn't moved forward at all. "Ughh..." You sighed and sat back on the ledge to think of what to do next.

"Dun dun... dun dun..." Rags' voice echoed across the tile walls, singing the start of the Jaws theme. "Wha-" you looked around, and glanced below you to see his silhouetted figure, only noticeable under the murky surface because of his red glow. "Dundundundun-dundundundun GOTCHA!!" He leapt out of the water to grab your hips and spider his hands up to your armpits.

"WAGH-!! HEHEHEYY!!" In trying to squirm away, you slipped off of the edge into the water. He answered with his shitty giggle. He was topless now, presumably wearing a swimsuit? His jack-o-lantern eyes and red aura further illuminated the tile and the water. "Heh, looks like there's no way to go except down."

"Seriously??" You sighed. "Well unless you found an oxygen tank for me somewhere, that isn't happening." "I can do you one better." He grinned and suddenly clamped his baseball-mitt of a hand around your face. "MMFGH-?!" With a red flash, you felt a rush of air shot into your mouth and nose, like a quick intense burst of wind. You gasped and backpedaled. "What the hell was-?!"

"Water-breath~! You can swim with the fishes now." he folded his arms behind his head and paddled around in circles. "Gonna need it for an ocean this big. I can't detect a thing down there 'cept for you." He grumbled. "I can scan entire seafloors back on Earth, gettin' real tired of most everything being blocked from my senses..." He shrugged. "Still kind of a fun challenge though. Now I know how you feel when you're going into the unknown, crawling with anticipation~" He chuckled.

You slowly started to feel a cold dread wash over you. So it was open ocean. "Y...You're gonna stay with me, right??" " ’Course I will. I won’t let you outta my sight or my senses this time." He grinned deviously. "And maybe I'll leave you to your own devices for a bit. Make you wonder what kind of beasties will crawl up from the depths and ensnare you. Maybe you'll even find more mer-peeps. Maybeeee I’ll let you get caught up in seaweed and be helpless to my sneak-attacks~ "

Well, that's one way to persuade you. He ruffled your hair. "I'll go on ahead. See ya~!" He winked and dove back down, vanishing in a puff of smoke and sparks.

You gave a sigh. You were still nervous to go through with this... Exploring abandoned buildings on land was a far cry different than going in blind into vast open water. But, again, you put your faith in your monster buddy. This time when you dove down, your eyes didn't sting from the seawater. And, true to his word, you could breathe just fine. It was a strange sensation, like sucking in a mouthful of water, without going down your throat, and the oxygen permeating through it.

You made your descent gradual, feeling your heart rate increasing, half expecting some kind of Cthulhu-esque sea beast to open its massive eyes below you. While there was no sign of something like that, a fairly large, dark shape started making its way toward you from the near distance. It was twice the length of a human, with yellow dots of bioluminescence lining its body. Out of instinct you quickly backpedaled, even though you knew you had nowhere to go. Resurfacing wouldn't do anything. And no way in hell you were diving down further. All you could do was let it approach...

As it turned out, Rags had totally called it: the figure was another merman. He had dark skin with green splotchy markings along his back, rigid green scales along his arms, and long, squid-like tentacles pushing him forward. His torso alone could easily be the height of a seven-foot male. He had webbed fins on his ears, backside, forearms and clawed hands, and striking golden eyes with a soft glow and a hint of gentleness. You felt yourself blush a little. He was pretty. "Hello..." you gave him a wave. He waved back, then tilted his head curiously. "You can breathe...?" He had a very deep, soothing voice. Another Siren, maybe? "How strange... Wanderers don't usually have water-lungs." "Heh, well, I've had a little help along the way." "I see..." He got even closer to you, starting to slowly circle you, like a shark honing in on its prey. "I take it you're looking for a way out of the deep, correct?" You felt your nerves standing on end. "W-Well...Yeah. My friend and I kinda...Fell into a rift in spacetime and he can't get us out with his portals." He chuckled. "Yes, that is prone to happen here... You Earthlings really ought to watch where you fall." He patted your head gently. You blushed again and smiled from the headpats. It was nice to run into someone who didn't immediately want to kill you. "I haven't seen another Mer besides Spike in a long time. Is that bright red fellow the friend you're talking about?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Red mer...?"

Ragaeli soon came wading into view from behind you, having transformed into a merman: specifically, a lionfish. His body stripes and spine tips glowed with bright red bioluminescence. Your eyes widened and you whistled. "Whoa. That's a good look on you!" "Heheh, thanks~! Been a while since I've embraced my inner Ariel. Better watch it, though, these fins o' mine have a bite~" He briskly bumped up against you, jabbing you with his spines.

"Ack-- HEY!" You felt a shiver shoot up your spine. Your skin started to crawl and tingle; you bit your lip and put your hand to your mouth, giggles starting to bubble up. You knew exactly what this sensation was: He'd made you more ticklish. "R-Rags!! You jeeEHEHEHERK!!" You were interrupted by him flurrying his pointy nails up and down and zigzagging across your belly. You flailed in the water and tried to shove at him. “GEH-HEHEHE!!”

The cecaelia snorted to himself. "You're ticklish? That's quite endearing~" He joined in by creeping his tentacles up to slither against the backs of your ribs. The sensation made you shriek, and you ended up flinging yourself up against Rags’ body. The mer didn’t even need to be persuaded by the Nightmare’s brain-zap. he and Rags both smirked devilishly down at you, barraging you with claws and tentacles. You shrieked and burst into hysterics, blushing wildly, burying your head against Ragman’s chest. The added slippery tentacles against your hyper-ticklish body felt maddening. “YYEE-Hehehehe P-Pleehehehease!!” But, being his typical greedy self, Rags soon turned his attention to the mer. His hair tendrils extended into tentacle-tipped appendages, and crept around out of the cecaelia’s peripherals... before slithering up against his sides, where his scales met his skin. He gasped and burst into hearty, breathy laughter, obviously not used to the sensation. “AHH-Hahaha!!” He curled in on himself, trying to wrap his arms and tentacles around his body, a deep turquoise blush filling his cheeks. You smirked and used the chance to retaliate, burying your hands into Rags’ midriff and ribs. “GYEE-HEHEHE!!” He yelped and flailed, making the merman have to duck and dodge his spines.

The three of you kept up your three-way tickle fight for a few minutes. “Heheheh, I could do this with both of you all day if I had that kinda time~” Rags took the mer’s head in hand, along with yours, and ruffled your hair. "I'll go on ahead, see what kind of 20,000 Leagues excursion we're going on," with that, he poofed out of view. The mer panted for a moment, looking flustered. He cleared his throat. “Well, that’s... certainly the most interesting first impression I’ve ever had of Wanderers...” he chuckled. “What exactly is your friend? A shapeshifter? A reality-bender? I’ve heard tales of Deities from the land and from the heavens that have such unique magic...” "Heh, you’re kind of right, for all of the above. He is a god in his world, but he’s more limited here.” You shrugged. “He’s not too worried, though. He’s just trying to have fun while we find a way out.” "So... he trusts leaving you with me...?" The mer questioned.

You didn't like the tone of that query. "Well...I dunno if trust is the right word," you shrugged. "But he can sense where I'm at, and see us at anytime, like a telepathic connection." You narrowed your gaze. "So don’t try anything," you grinned and grabbed at him, prodding and skittering your fingers over his ribs. "AH-hahaha!! Okay okahahay!!" he pushed you back with his tentacles, blushing again. "Fine, then, I'll show you how to move on."

For a little while, you swam alongside the handsome mer. He took your hand to help you swim faster with the use of his tentacles. He was very quiet at first, and you used the chance to try and get to know him. "So... What's your name?" He just shrugged. "We don't really have names out here. My friend just calls me Tentacles, or Greenie. And I call him Spike.” You snickered. “Is this ‘Spike’ the one who was chasing me through the poolrooms?” He chuckled and nodded. "...Truthfully, I'm surprised he let you out alive. Perhaps his own loneliness is getting to him a bit. Or perhaps he found your little... weakness just as endearing~ A chance to play with his food." He snuck a tentacle against your cheek and jawline, making you squeal and shrink back. ”E-ehh-hehehe maybe!!” You thought for a moment. “Sooo can I call you a nickname too?” “If you can think of something else to call me, be my guest." "Hm... How about Krakken?" He tilted his head. "Cracking...? Cracking what?" You laughed. "Nooo nono! The Krakken is the name of a sea monster back from my world. ...Not that I think you're a monster, you're actually one of the nicest people I've met in this world. But the Krakken is usually a huge squid or octopus." "Interesting...” You eyed him over again. “How abouuut... Dragon? Or Drake? You kinda look like a dragon-squid.” “Hmm...” He thought it over. “...Drake is nice.” “Alright, Drake it is!” You bumped into him playfully. “Are you a Siren too?”

He shook his head. "My singing voice doesn't have the same effect as Spike’s. But there's no real need for it. My strength is my best asset. I can snap a Wanderer's spine in half with my bare hands. I can capsize one of their boats with my tentacles. Quite a bit like that sea monster of yours," he flashed you a sly grin.

"...That's hot." "Wha-" His expression shifted, taken aback. You snickered. "Look, if you're trying to make me nervous, it's not going to work. I'm not afraid of you." "...Well... you'd be one of the first," he answered quietly, turning his gaze away. "Traveling without caution out here is a dangerous game."

"Who says I'm not cautious? I had to go through a gross Ikea labyrinth and a creepy-ass warehouse. I went through the pool rooms thinking I'd fall in and get mangled. I'm out in open ocean, with no idea what else is out here. Truthfully, I'm fucking terrified." You squeezed his hand. "But... There's no sense in letting fear get the better of me, y'know? I wouldn't be able to move forward if I didn't try to push past that fear, and my friend and I don't exactly have time to waste."

He went silent again. After a few more minutes, Rags' voice could be heard echoing around you.

" ♫ Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swim-ming swim-ming~ ♫ " He re-appeared nearby. "Nothin, nothin and more nothing!! No cool reefs, no sharks to wrestle with, no boats to capsize, just a few little fish and seaweed." He growled in exasperation. "Now I remember why I never go scuba diving." The mer chuckled. "Oh, there are beasts out here alright. Mainly the Death Whales... But these waters are impenetrable to any sort of sonar. Perhaps the same could be said for your telepathy." "Uuuugghh," Rags groaned, like a kid being told “No, we’re not there yet.”

Drake looked amused by the nightmare’s disdain. "If I may give a word of advice: The longer one spends out here, the more they can connect themselves with the Deep. Don’t try to force your way through these waters. Don’t demand it to give you answers.” He closed his eyes, and took a deep, meditative breath. “Reach out, not just with your mind, but with your essence...” He outstretched his arms and tentacles. “We’re all made of physical matter. It only makes sense that we could connect to it, with enough focus and familiarity. Perhaps it's a lesson in patience. Wanderers would be far more likely to survive if they'd learn how to flow with the current, instead of fighting against it." The Nightmare rolled his eyes. "Yeahh well, patience ain’t exactly my thing," He poofed away again.

The mer turned to you. "Why're you both in such a hurry to leave? You seem like you're in good hands with him. And you're pretty insightful," he ruffled your hair. "These waters can be dangerous, certainly, but they're also... Therapeutic, in a way. Meditating on your thoughts, letting the currents carry you, becoming one with the vast expanse." You shrugged. "I get that, but... I have a whole life at home I'd be leaving behind. Same with Rags. We have friends who would miss us, and I can't exactly make a living out here. I'm no mer-person or scuba diver."

He averted his gaze. "I'd imagine it's pretty nice, having others around to talk to whenever you want." "Ah, sorry...” You frowned. “I didn't mean to rub it in or anything. I guess it gets pretty lonely out here, huh?" He shook his head. "You're alright. It's not like I'm totally alone here. I visit Spike in the shallows whenever I get the chance. Now the two of us will have something interesting to talk about... A Wanderer that enjoyed being at our mercy. Who would’ve thought~" He then glanced over to you. "Your friend seems to enjoy playing with you in a similar manner. Are you certain he’s not luring you into a false sense of security? Planning on snapping you up at the first chance he gets?"

"Nah, he knows I'm not into that." He blinked twice. "..Into that? Who would be 'into' getting eat--"

"Aaaand topic change!!" You quickly cut him off. "I was gonna say, he may have a lot of different abilities, but he can't stay here either. Long story short, he's bound to his own dimension. He can't stay away from it for too long or he'll re-appear there by force. Which is fine for him, but he can't take me with him. We'd end up getting separated, and it's so difficult for him to navigate this universe that...well, who knows if we'd see each other again." "Hm..." He nodded. "Well, if the fear is getting separated from each other, why exactly is he leaving you to your own devices out here in the deep? How are you travelling the world without losing track of each other?"

"I'll show ya~" Rags reappeared. He snapped his fingers, and the tether connecting you both became visible, glowing as brightly in the hazy water as his bioluminescence. The merman's eyes widened. "Oh??" He reached out to take a swipe at it, his hand going right through it. "Ohh-!" He perked up in interest. He tried to grab it again with his hands, then with his tentacles; it still phased through him, like a laser pointer. "How fascinating... And how clever. How far can it travel?"

You shrugged. "Not sure. I just know that if I end up clipping into another Level, it brings him to me.” "I see..." He scratched his chin. "Well, it's a smart idea. I've never heard of such an ability. Better hope this trick of yours lasts though. I suspect there are beasts of great magic that could easily cut right through it." "Ehh I'm not worried about it," Rags swam up to you both, arms folded behind his head. "I can always conjur up a new one, as long as I have a clear shot at their midsection." He smirked. "Liiike... This!" He shot out a finger-gun and launched out a red string like a lasso, attaching it around Drake's waist.

"AH-haha!" He exclaimed from the slight ticklish burst, not expecting to be affected.

The nightmare snickered. "I can tether just about anyone. And!!" He teleported a few yards away. When he did, the merman poofed out of sight, re-appearing right next to him. "AH-!!" Rags snickered. "See? It works the other way around, too~ I can pull you to me whenever I want. A little trickier to do it for more than one person at a time though, so I'm not gonna do it unless I have to." He narrowed his gaze. "But for now, you're stuck like this. Deal with it~" He snapped again and the tether went back to being invisible. Drake glowered a little, grumbling to himself.

The journey went on for probably a good half hour, with the same results. Swimming casually through the lukewarm ocean - occasionally ogling your handsome new fish friend - and seeing Rags re-appear to sing sea shanties like Wellerman or Drunken Sailor, and to gripe more about how boring it was. Drake occasionally taking chances to nonchalantly wiggle his tentacles up your shirt, or wrap his arms around you to keep you trapped in place as he gently tickled away, cooing in your ear and reminding you how easy it was to get you all worked up. Especially now that a certain jerk had made you even more sensitive to it. A few fish swam by here and there, looking very alien compared to fish back on Earth. Then again, deep-sea life there was pretty alien, too. Drake took the chance to grab some of them with his claws and tentacles, baring a set of huge fangs before biting their heads clean off to de-bone them and chomp down their bodies. It was a little gross... Those teeth though. At one point, he saw you staring at him and offered one of the flailing fish ensnared in his tentacle. "Want some?" You shook your head, clearing your throat. "I uh, prefer my seafood cooked, thanks.” He shrugged. "Up to you. You ought to keep yourself fed though, it's easy to expend your energy out here."

Every now and then, when you glanced over at the merman, he was glaring at you from the corner of his eye with a narrowed, downright predatory gaze. Like was contemplating biting your head off, or snapping you in half just as he'd threatened before. At one point, he was looking at you dead-on with that killer stare. It made your stomach do flips.

"O-okay, why do you keep looking at me like that??"

He chuckled, grinning a little wickedly. "You seem to enjoy it, for one thing. You've enjoyed being toyed with ever since coming here, haven't you?" He swam behind you. "But... mark my words..." His tone lowered to a silky, sinister purr, and he slowly rubbed your shoulders. "If it weren't for your friend keeping watch over you, I would have made you my next meal in a heartbeat." He reached a hand around to squeeze your jawline, just above your throat, tilting your head up to look at him looming over you. "You'd do well not to keep tempting fate here..." he whispered in your ear, his tentacles creeping up again to start wrapping around you. The tickly, slippery feeling made you writhe in his grip.

You swallowed hard, feeling a hot blush rise to your cheeks. "M-Mmhmhmh! M-Maybe I like tempting fate," you managed a coy smirk. "Maybe I know that as long as I have him, and as long as I have this," you tugged at his tentacle to reach up and give your talisman a squeeze, sending a ticklish shock through both of you. He yelped and let out breathy laughter, releasing his hold on you. "...Then I know I'm safe." He glared again. "Oh, are you? Well, then, what if I just..." He harshly yanked the talisman, snapping the chain clean off your neck, and flicking it full-force a few yards with a spring-loaded jolt from his tentacles. "Hey!!" You tried to shove him away to go swim after it. But it teleported right back to you with a red flash, the chain re-attaching around your neck as if it hadn't been touched. You forgot it could do that. Drake narrowed his gaze. "Ohhh, how tricky~" He snickered. "Well, fine then. You're lucky I find you good company." From the near distance, Ragfish watched the both of you closely, arms folded behind his head. He looked smug when the mer's 'threats' didn't phase you. And even moreso when Drake decided to keep playing with you.

His tentacles began to slither up around your body again, holding your arms and ankles in place. His slick, dexterous tentacles worked their way between your toes, along the crevices of your hips and lower back, up against your armpits and sides of your neck. And even against your palms. You whined loudly, quickly reduced to a ticklish flailing mess again. He kept this up for a good few minutes; every time you instinctively tried to duck or pull away, his tentacles would just stick to you, or follow your movements, scribbling faster and causing you to laugh harder. All of them working in tandem, along with his claws, on top of being hyper-sensitive, was unbearable. “AAHH-HAHAHA PLEEHEHEHEASE!! DRAHAHAHAKE!!” You looked out towards Ragaeli’s red glow. “RAAAHAHAHAGS!! HEHEHEHELPP!!” But you knew he wasn’t going to. “Such a helpless, ticklish little thing...” The merman cooed at you. His claws lazily traced circles against your belly and navel. His suckers would stick to you and detach, repeatedly, causing ticklish ripples to kiss your skin. He watched you somewhat dotingly. “Melting right into my grasp...It would be so easy to just...” He bared his fangs close to your jugular. “Watch it~!” The Nightmare chimed in, holding up another finger-gun. He meant to just send off a small warning spark towards Drake. But the ‘spark’ shot off like a bullet, striking him in the arm, quickly shooting up to his armpit. “AH-HAHAHA!!” He recoiled. Rags’ eyes widened. “Whoa, that went farther than I expected!! Guess water’s a good conductor even for ticklish lightning, heh!” He casually swam closer. “As I was saying, better watch yourself, tough guy~" He swam over and harshly jabbed his spines against the mer.

"AGH-!" Drake hissed. The realization quickly dawned on him, remembering the effect that Rags' sting had on you earlier. And sure enough, he visibly shivered and bit back snickers, curling his arms and tentacles around himself. “N-Now hold on, I wasn’t actually going to- AH-HAHAH!!” he was zapped by another jolt of tickle-magic, doubling over. You and Rags both took the chance to pounce him, getting payback for his constant threats. You squeezed along his tentacles and hips, and Ragdoll even tickled under his suckers. “Hehehe, awww, is the little fishy ticklish~? Laugh it up pretty boy~!” The Nightmare playfully taunted. The ‘poor’ mer was quickly reduced to breathy, frantic, very handsome laughter. Eventually, he growled and shot a plume of squid ink at you and Rags. “BLEGH-!” You waved the inky haze away, only to see the mer swimming a few yards away. “Hey!!” You and Rags swam as fast as you could over to him. Before launching another attack on him, though, Rags froze in place, his spiny tail shuddering. “Whoa.” Drake looked back to him. “Felt that, did you?” he nodded sagely. “We should be far enough out to breach the boundary of the Facility." He started swimming to the surface.

When you both surfaced, you were met with a bright white sky, and looked behind to see the supermassive, rectangular building only about a half-mile away. Rags surfaced next. “Maaan that’s some weird-ass physics-warping shit. I know we swam further than that.” Your eyes went wide. “Wait, careful!!” You hurried to try and shove his shoulders back down into the water. “It’s overcast, you’ll get burned-!!” He snickered and shook his head, playfully shoving your face away. “No it ain’t. Take another look,” he pointed up. When you took a closer look, your jaw dropped. There was no sunlight to speak of; the "sky" was in fact a supermassive tile dome, stretching miles and miles into the air and across the expanse of the sea, illuminated by the same fluorescents you’d seen in all the other Levels. And no sight of dry land for miles. “Holy...” "Alright, Calamari, where the hell are we supposed to go from here??" "Down. All the way down.”

"Down?!" You and Rags both remarked in exasperation. He chuckled. "Relax, it won't take that long. The sea is far more expansive across than it is deep." "Good, I don't wanna keep swimming for miles and miles,” Rags scoffed. “I'll just get bored and take it out on you two again," he winked, and disappeared again.

After just a few more minutes, the faint sound of a whale song met your ears. You gasped, your eyes lighting up. In the first moment, you were struck with a sense of awe, and happiness. Whale songs were always so pleasant to listen to. But you remember what Drake had called them. “Uhh... is that a.. ‘Death whale’??”

He nodded. He looked very tense. “Sooo how dangerous are they?” “They’re vicious. They know nothing except the thrill of the hunt. Almost nabbed Spike once. It's... why he never really comes out to the Deep anymore."

"Damn... It sounds so pretty, too." The haunting, soothing melody of the whale’s song was quite the contrast to the mer's increasing aggravation. A low, beastly growl started to rumble from his throat, his pupils narrowing to slits.

Soon, you were able to spot the silhouette: It looked a lot like a small humpback whale. Its song became louder, more intense, until the figure disappeared from view and fell completely silent. “Is it gone...?” ”I doubt it...” Drake cautiously peered straight down. Your stomach dropped when you looked below.

The whale was now ascending quickly from the depths. Its massive maw opened, revealing rows upon rows of long, jagged teeth that were unlike any whale back on Earth, seemingly descending clear down its throat. And its enchanting song shifted to an ungodly scream, like the angry souls of the damned. "AaaaAAAAAH--" Before you could frantically swim away, Drake gave you a hard shove out of the whale’s path. Its jagged teeth were just about to catch the cecaelia's tentacles... But suddenly, he blipped out of sight, re-appearing next to Rags again. The tether saved him. He looked over in shock at the Nightmare.

In the same moment, the whale rocketed right past you, clean out of the water. "Jesus, that was close!!" you exhaled sharply. "It's not over yet!! Hang on!!" The merman beelined to you to wrap you up and make a mad dash forward. The whale didn't just fall back into the water; It slammed through the surface and plummeted down like a torpedo, creating a mini whirlpool in its wake.

The Nightmare snarled. "ARRIGHT, Monstro, that's enough!!" He shifted to his full height, about half the whale's size. Charging down toward it, he flung his arms around it to wrangle it like an angry bull, still screaming and wailing. Rags' body lit up bright red... And he sent a pulse of magic coursing through its body. Much like earlier, the water was an excellent conductor, giving it twice the power boost. The whale shrieked and bared its horrible teeth - and you could swear you saw the corners of its mouth upturn into a smile. It quickly shimmied out of Rags' grip and darted away into the distance.

"AND DON'T COME BACK!!" He shook his fist, his size making his voice boom out through the water. You sighed in relief. "Thanks, Ragfish," you smiled. Taking every moment you could to take in the sight of his huge handsome mer-body. “And thank you,” you smiled to Drake, swimming up to hug him. “You saved me.” The merman blushed, returning your hug. “I... wouldn’t want to watch the same fate befall you as it nearly did to my friend, that’s all.” He slowly swam closer to the Nightmare, jaw agape in fascination. "You can change your size too?? What in the name of the Deep Expanse are you?" Rags put his hands on his hips, grinning a little snidely. "I think you mean, 'Thank you for saving my scaly ass,'" he stuck out his striped tongue. The mer huffed. "Yes, yes... Thank you." He frowned a little. "You didn't just save your friend... You saved me as well. Even though you know my other intentions."

He shrugged. "You saved them, didn't ya? You're helping us both out, never mind those 'other intentions'. ...Even though part of it is 'cause I have you at my every beck and call right now~" Drake sighed a little. “Hmm, yes...” He eyed you over with a bit of fondness. “I suppose it’s... nice, having other company out here. You two remind me that not all Wanderers need to be seen as enemies. Or as prey.” He patted your back. “And perhaps, the games you’ve played with myself and Spike are games we could share with other intruders to our waters. ...As long as we’re not hungry.”

Though Rags was partially listening, he was also experimenting with his magic more, holding his hands out to let his magic crackle and spark out into the water. It traveled further, and further... You noticed the gleam in his eye. “Rags...?” You watched him curiously. “Reach out with my ‘essence’, huh...? A physical transferrence of energy, rather than just mental prying...” He muttered. He closed his eyes, outstretching his arms, spiking out his fins, in a similar manner to what Drake had done earlier. “How well would that do for someone like me, who doesn’t technically have physicality in the first place? Guess we’ll find out...” he took a big, deep breath, focusing his magic, sparking and glowing like a Tesla coil. And he set the ocean absolutely ablaze with a bright red lightning-storm. The intense thunder-clap of magic forced you and Drake to cover your ears. The arcs of ‘lightning’ traveled a good few miles through the abyss, revealing seaweed, fish, and another Death Whale in the distance; all of which retreated out of sight. “WHOOOO LOOKIT THEM FIREWORKS~!” Rags cackled, a little maniacally. “FINALLY I can do something in this stinkin’ ocean!! Thanks for the advice, Calamari~!” he smirked wickedly down at the mer. Drake suddenly looked very wary, and not because of the Nightmare looming overhead. “That is not what I meant by reaching out... A brazen display like that might even alert the-”

His thought was interrupted - or rather, answered - by an intense, low rumbling that permeated the entirety of the open sea. Much louder and deeper than the murder-whale. It sounded almost like an underwater volcano or earthquake. Or, heaven forbid, a sea creature that was absolutely gargantuan.

"What was that?!"

The mer's expression was filled with even more dread. "...That. Is not something you're going to want to stay around for." He took your hand and started guiding you down, much more quickly than before. "We need to get you out of here. Now." Rags was the first to spot the source of the mer’s fear out in the distance. His eyes went wide as saucers. "Ohhh, holy shit, that's a BIG boy." You frantically looked around, squinting through the murky water to see what he was talking about.

You just about felt your soul leave your body at the hazy, impossibly huge shape becoming more visible in the far distance. A set of six vivid turquoise eyeballs, each one easily the size of a stadium, opened up to glare in your direction. From each side of its head sprouted five tentacles, giving its overall shape the appearance of a starfish, lined with bioluminescent orbs. You stared in complete horror, and in complete awe. It opened its skyscraper-sized maw to show off its jagged teeth, letting off that low, earth-shattering rumble again.

"Fuck fuck FUCK FUCK-!!" You screamed and frantically started booking it down with Drake clutching you tightly to his chest. "JUST KEEP SWIMMING JUST KEEP SWIMMING JUST KEEP SWIMMING!!" Rags shouted next to you, letting out a wild cackle. He seemed entertained by the situation. "Do NOT make eye contact again!" Drake shouted over the sounds of the rumbling. "Straight down, just keep going straight down!!" "No eye contact, huh??" Rags remarked. "What abouuttt physical contact??" He shot off into the water right towards the behemoth. "I'M GONNA DISTRACT ‘IM, KEEP GOING!!" He shouted back before teleporting out of view.

"WAIT-!!" The cecaelia shouted after him, looking down at you. "Is he mad?!" "Yes. Yes he is," you answered matter-of-factly, sighing.

Rags appeared below the monster’s underbelly; Even at fifteen feet, he still barely reached the height of a small handful of the creature's scales. He cracked his knuckles and outstretched his arms, planting his palms against its body and sending a powerful burst of his magic. Not as intense as his sea-splitting outburst, but powerful enough to spread over a good football-field's length across the behemoth. The beast actually jolted a little. It let off a brief low rumbling. It didn't seem too affected... But it was enough. A wide, satisfied smile crossed the Nightmare's face. "Heheh, well whaddya know~" He began to teleport around various sections of the creature's body, sending jolt after jolt of magic, recreating the sights and sounds of a thunderstorm. You and Drake both watched, a bit dumbstruck that it was working.

Weirdly enough, the water wasn't becoming any darker, despite how far the two others had carried you; instead becoming lighter; a deep, rich royal blue. But at every corner of your vision, you saw the scaly tail of the leviathan crawling through the water, encircling you.

"There!!" The cecaelia shouted, pointing down. You didn't expect to see the the ocean floor made of the same tile as the pool rooms. Nor did you expect what looked like a huge bathtub drain. "On the count of three, we pull the plug, and you swim through," the mer directed. He took your hands in his. "It was nice meeting you, even if I didn’t get to have the pleasure of making a meal out of you~" he snickered cheekily. "I hope you and the lunatic are able to find a way home." "Are you going to be okay?? I don't want to just leave you here with that thing!!" He smiled and shook his head. "I’ll be fine. That beast only ever appears when it senses that a Wanderer has made a big enough disturbance.” He rubbed your shoulder. “I’ve a feeling that your magic friend there might have made the creators of the Deep Expanse a little nervous with that gaudy display of his.”

Rags reappeared in front of you both, back to his normal 6′5″ height. "Better hurry!! Long boi's REAL mad now!!" He looked over to Drake. “Too bad ya can’t come with us, you’re a pretty fun little appetizer~” he grinned and gave the mer a quick tickle. He formed one of his hair tendrils into a pair of scissors, and it ‘snipped’ at the water between them. In a red flash, the tether connecting him to the mer was cut in half, dissipating. “M-Mmf-!” Drake bit back snickers from the tickle. “A-and a shame you can’t stay out here... The Deep could use a little more excitement every now and then.” All three of you readied yourselves around the drain latch. Drake’s tentacles and Rags’ hair tendrils wrapped around its stem, while the three of you gripped it with your hands. “One... Two... Three!!” You plummeted down one last waterslide, vaccuumed into the current. You emerged from the ocean with a deafening rush of water and a harsh tumble onto a carpeted floor.

"Urgh..." It took a minute for the dizziness and the spots in your vision to clear before you could make yourself roll onto your back to gasp for breath. You were thoroughly drenched. You glanced up at the angled wall that you'd emerged out of. There was no sign of a portal to the reality-warping ocean; only a tiny shower drain that was now sealed shut.

You slowly sat up, taking a moment to try and dry out your hair and wring out your clothes. And, glancing down, you saw that your shoes had re-appeared next to you, all the way back from the pool where Spike had tossed them away. How did...? Rags must’ve taken them with him to give back to you, right? You chuckled to yourself thinking about how the Nightmare had actually managed to distract that monster with tickle magic. And by what Drake had said, it only appeared because something out there was nervous about Rags. Just how damn strong was he?? The mad bastard really tried to take on a country-sized leviathan for fun. It truly seemed like there wasn't anything that could scare him or shake his resolve.

Which made it all the more unsettling that ending up in this world had made him seem absolutely terrified. What could possibly be worse than a freaking World Serpent?!

You didn't want to think too much into it. You just wanted to keep focusing on pushing through this wild Indiana Jones adventure, keep finding clues to an escape, keep proving to yourself and everyone else that you were courageous enough to overcome all the obstacles and monstrous encounters. And, of course, keep discovering other entities that would gladly tickle you to pieces.

Finally finding the strength to stand back up, you trekked onward into an unassuming apartment hallway, anticipating whatever oddities and perils the Backrooms could throw your way.

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Footnotes:

Pool rooms: https://backrooms.fandom.com/wiki/Level_37 Waterslides: https://backrooms.fandom.com/wiki/Level_71 Waves Don't Die: https://backrooms.fandom.com/wiki/Level_30 Endless Ocean, Death Whales: https://backrooms.fandom.com/wiki/Level_4000 SCP-3000: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3000

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu2h5oP8G5w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ey23IouApM

So as you can tell, this chapter is pretty heavily inspired by Subnautica, one of my absolute favorite games; however terrifying it may be. I also based a good chunk of this chapter on recurring dreams about the ocean that I've had through my life. It always seems like the same scenarios: Being able to breathe underwater, discovering cute mermen, finding giant sea creatures, being in some kind of public shower or bathhouse that inevitably leads to the ocean. I would often be in a pool and swim down to the 'drain' at the bottom; entering this drain would either lead me to deep open ocean, or cause me to wake up.

Likewise, the mermen in this chapter are actually two mermen that I've dreamed about - both also inspired by Subnautica. Except in the dreams, they were Leviathan-sized. I'll definitely introduce them as actual OCs at some point in the future, but for now, I thought it would be fun to have them in an AU setting!

#backrooms #poolrooms #pool rooms #merman #chelicerate #sea dragon #sea dragon leviathan #subnautica #leviathan #tickling #tickle fic #tickle monster #monster boy #fanfic

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