Caledon Part 1

When Caledon crested the surface he let go of the air pocket spell to consere his strength. He spun in the waves until he saw his vessel, a tiny skipper with a lone purple sail raised.
“HEY!!! Azarin! HEY!”
Caledon saw some motion on the boat but it didn’t turn towards him. He started swimming towards the boat and his leg throbbed more by the minute. He closed his eyes and whispered a small healing spell. It would at least numb the pain, but he knew he needed to get out of the water soon and get the leg treated properly. Joseph was also on the boat and he was the true healer of the trio. They had all met in first year at Tanta Academy and even though they had all chosen different disciplines in the mystical arts they remained friends.
As he got closer Caledon called again and this time Azarin spun, his tall thin frame moving to get the boat turned towards Caledon. Caledon breathed a sigh of relief and decided to float and wait for his rescue to arrive. As the boat pulled close Joseph offered his hand to the tired floating magician.
“What are you doing over here Cal?” he said with a smirk.
“Would you believe I just fought an Angular?”
Azarin raised an eye at that.
“This far out? That’s strange. Did you get what we came for?”
“Thanks for your concern, I’m fine” Caledon said as he pulled himself onto the vessel. Joseph saw the wound and went to work on it right away.
“Nasty cut Cal, I’ll do what I can but it’s going to need mending back on shore” said Joseph.
Azarin had moved closer to inspect the wound then exchanged glances with Caledon who shrugged and reached into his coat pocket to pull out a brown bag. He tossed it to Azarin who went straight to opening it.
He pulled out a beautiful crystal stone. The sea light reflected through it creating a prism of colors that enveloped the whole ship.
“Wow,” said all three friends at the same time.
“The Captains Stone,” whispered Caledon.

Caledon knew the power of the words. Every first year magician knew the spell. It was usually just a simple defense casting. But under the right circumstances, when contained in a small space or underwater the force of the shield could also act as a weapon.
Luckily for Caledon then that the Angular, a thin fish like creature with a long scaled tail and two arms brandishing dual tridents had backed him up towards a submerged vessel.
The young wizard knew he needed to concentrate, he had to manage to maintain the air pocket spell which kept him alive and breathing at this depth while also conjuring his shield blast.
The Angular came on fast, shoving his tridents in rapid succession. Caledon managed to dodge the first few jabs but caught one on his thigh. A thick gush of red dirtied the sea. He knew he would need to get that under control quickly, as the scent of human blood was an attractive proposition for the creatures who lived in this section of Lion’s Coast.
The Angular’s face distorted into what may have passed for a smile as he saw the wound, and he came on brandishing one trident over his head with ease ready to plunge it into Caledons heart. The young wizard said the words, but he focused on the incoming trident, its sharp pointed end meaning almost assuredly his demise. He closed his eyes and prepared for his death. His mother would be there waiting for him. He wondered if she would scold him for being in the sea, or for joining the Tanta Academy. She had always been against his training to be a wizard. A small thud surrounded him, but nothing pierced his skin. Gradually he opened his eye to see that his shield glowed blue around him, sparkling in the water. Floating in front of him and slowly rising up was a prone Angular, tridents released from its unconscious grasp. Caledon sighed deep and turned to escape. His leg was still bleeding and its beacon meant he would be fish food before long. He had lost his bearings in the fight with the sea creature and knew he needed to get back to his ship so he swam in the only direction he was sure of.
He swam towards the light.