I'm a Stingray?

Chapter 91: Ceremony

Knowing for a fact that this entire 'holy tar' business won't be understood unless he plays it cool here, Timothy answered with half a tone carrying calmness and the other one pushing rage away. "How could I kill a fish like that? I'm small and helpless!"

Yelling was a criteria necessary to shun away the bit of sarcasm he had in that projected tone and it didn't fail to make everything a lot more believable, he began feeling cocky regarding just how well these bastards can be fooled.

After a bit of contemplation, one of these enemies answered. "Maybe he's right... it isn't easy for one of us to be killed, we are all trained."

At this point the enemy wanted to bite a chunk off his brother just because of how easily sensitive information was let go off, but everytime such thought occurred, he remembered that the stingray intruder will forfeit his soul soon enough.

So while putting away rage, the pufferfish continued with the topic regarding this carcass. "We will drop her down in the holy tar, that way her soul can't escape anywhere and will return to where it belongs."

Gazing at Tim, the enemy shouted. "Don't just stand there looking stupid, come help us drag the body!"

...

Finally swimming all the way down to the holy tar, Timothy noticed the two enemies chattering faster than usual ~ panic led in a way. "Are you sure we should do this?"

And the pufferfish insisted, by answering with a firm tone. "Why wouldn't we do this?"

Logic was perhaps on his brother's side a bit more, the very wordplay proved so. "We have no one who can talk to the tar, what if something goes wrong?"

But yet still insistent, the curious pufferfish argued. "How hard could it be? We just toss the body in the tar and that's it. Besides, don't you wanna see how the tar sacrificial thing works? Only the elders had to do it, we never saw it."

Perhaps fear led by now, his brother was stubborn like everyone else in this room. "I don't think we should do this..."

"Why? The elders are all dead thanks to waiting for a miracle, I don't want to spend my entire life like that. Besides who could punish us? The elders are dead, only us young ones remain." The pufferfish answered and started dragging the body alone, swimming close enough to the tar, now able to observe its thick beauty up close.

Although a bit hypnotized by how the tar slushed around, sometimes causing bubbles as it circled around its large patch in a whirling like matter - the pufferfish admired the scenery as if seeing it for the first time, opening his mouth with a sigh.

But that gap widening between his jaws, released the whole grip from the dead friend and they managed to see the carcass slowly float down towards the tar.

Once the what almost every fish here considered holy, touched the skin of the body that fluttered down towards it and made contact, they could hear a sudden pop that was loud enough to be considered a gun shot ~ except only Timmy would know what such a sound was.

Thankfully, no gun-flinging human had invaded this underwater tavern but such sound solely was unleashed by the same green substance that managed to become a main topic for every fish here.

The pufferfish who had dropped her down there, had a sharp thought that the soul demanding tar became angry of such action.

But after taking a better peek down after a bit of the tar splashed up by just a foot, but thankfully not hitting the soul brave enough to try out this ceremony. Every fish that participated in this weird sight, could see the body of the dead lady, split in half.

It was split in half and began to follow the route of which this tar spun at, her body slowly melting as if fallen in lava. But unlike the speed of melting that lava could provide, this body was burning slowly.

Her skin was fried off first and then the bones began to shatter down bit by bit, some finding their own route to spin at after escaping the main body.

In about a whole minute, the girl's body disappeared almost completely in the significantly glowing tar. All that remained for only a few seconds of time, were a few shards of the body.

Although Tim didn't nearly understand just what the hell happened here, this situation didn't in any aspects fail to absolutely shock him.

Although he had learned a bit about this not-so-holy substance today, learning more somehow managed to arise more confusion in his restricted little mind.

He was almost in a trans-like shock, until the same pufferfish who dropped the body in the tar, swam towards him and announced. "Now it's your turn, we will hold a ceremony and see if the holy tar will accept your soul."

"I have to dive in that thing? It will just kill me, it's not like your dead friend came back to life right here!" And the young stingray did carry a firm point, nothing here made sense but at least this tar doesn't have the ability to bring back the dead.

"No no, your ceremony will be a lot different." That same pufferfish assured and a wide smile grew on his face, it seemed tad evil.

While the enemy's brother who had slowly returned out of his journey of complete fear, continued to shed more light upon this topic. "We must breach your soul so the holy tar can test you, but don't worry, we won't cut you open. We all went through the ceremony, so our souls are ready for when our mother, the holy tar, activates."

Afterwards they heard a thicker tone in the background, alluring every gaze as he cited. "You two tried to steal my job ha? Bull shitters, I'm the only one who can hold ceremonies here on new fish. Do I have to teach you another lesson?"

Recalling the pain that came along with the ceremony, the two pufferfish brothers nodded in agreement. "No sir no. We understand and obey... for now."

"Yes, for now. The communicator will be here soon, for all of us to obey." Able to observe who this new fish was, the young stingray managed to notice a couple of key characteristics.

This fish was big, perhaps almost a meter long and was quite chubby too. Paired with such features was a thick and pointy... mating tool.