*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
written by:  hdalby33 ; illustrated by  RealDealMeal
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
FIRST - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/32536306/
LAST - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/32560712/
NEXT - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/32593429/
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Part 4 of 6

As they descended the stairs, Callum felt as though he was being swallowed by some giant leviathan. But with Nelson’s girth blocking the way back up, he had no choice but to continue forward.

Despite the foreboding atmosphere, Nelson proved to be a wonderful guide. As he’d mentioned before, he’d made the ship his lair and explored every part of it. (At least those part he could reach.) Callum found the big tubby fish to be slightly eccentric, but also quite friendly. He had an oddly cheerful way of speaking for a large predatory fish who lived in a sunken ship, but the dragon preferred that to one who would eat him without a second thought.

“...And that’s the VIP cabin through there,” Nelson said, nodding to a spacious cabin that at one time would’ve been gorgeous, but now only sat in a squalor of rust and murk.

“Oh very neat,” Callum said, paddling over to the room to get a better look. He grunted as he felt his sides squish against the door frame. “Clearly people were much smaller back in the 60s,” he joked, grinning back to the shark whose bulbous frame hovered only a couple feet further on.

“Mmm, oh yes,” the shark nodded, eyeing the dragon’s rump and imagining how it might taste. ‘Not yet,’ he reminded himself, ‘Wait for the special room.’ “Well why don’t we continue, hmm? There’s plenty more to show you, including my absolute favorite room.”

That caught the dragon’s interest. Squeezing back out into the hall, he paddled alongside the shark as they made their way down the hall to another set of stairs that descended even deeper into the bowels of the ship.

“What do you mean?” he asked excitedly, bubbles streaming out of his lips as he was led down the gently sloping staircase. “What’s your favorite room? Can we see it now?”

“Oh, you don’t want to see the rest?” Nelson feigned disappointment, tapping his soft chin with a fin.

“No! I mean yes! I mean… I’d love to see the rest of it, but why not check out your favorite room first and then see the rest of it?”

Nelson pretended to think on it while in his mind, he cackled with joy. This silly dragon would be an easier meal than he’d thought. Finally, he nodded with great reluctance. “Well I suppose we could do that. If that’s really what you want.”

Callum gave an eager nod. “It is!” He bumped his shoulder gently against the shark’s side. “I promise I’ll rescue you if you get wedged in any doorways.”

The shark reddened and huffed, suddenly swimming along to the bottom of the stairs. “I never get wedged, tubby dragon. I know this ship better than anyone.”

“Just a joke!” Callum laughed, swimming after him and struggling to keep up. “Will you still show me the room?”

All he got in return was a little grumble from the blubbery fish, but Nelson didn’t slow and Callum took that to mean they were still on course.

For Nelson, a small part of him felt wounded by the dragon’s comment. He was a big-boned fish, nothing more! His curves made him more aerodynamic and regal. No, it was the dragon who was at risk of getting wedged. The fat surface dweller would soon see just how tight the ship’s quarters could get once they reached his special room.

After another half minute of swimming through the rusted bowels of the ship, Nelson banked up on a set of double doors that, much like the VIP room before, had once been beautiful with gilded frames and fancy glass fittings but were now given over to rust and ruin. The gilded parts were spotted at best and the glass had been shattered long ago, leaving a gloom of soft blue light to curtain the doorway in ghostly remnants.

The effect was bother eerie and ethereal as Nelson swayed before them, smiling down at the curious dragon. “This is my favorite room,” he said proudly. “Just be warned, it might not look like much, but it’s very special. I can’t wait until you see why.”

Callum chuckled. “So dramatic. You’re really not going to tell me what’s in there?”

“That would spoil the surprise.” Nelson extended a fin, slowly pushing one of old doors open. It swirled back silently, the sheer size of the ship drinking up the sound.

With a shiver, the dragon paddled forward, unsure of what to expect. A ballroom perhaps, or a casino. Maybe a royal dance hall or a cafeteria or a pool garden. Whatever he’d anticipated, the results were… for lack of a better word, disappointing.

An ordinary square room half-cluttered by rusted pipes and a bevy of old, gutted controls on one side lay before him. It was considerably larger than any room they’d explored previously, but lacked the faded refinement.

“It’s uh… roomy,” Callum said, forcing a half-hearted smile. “I can certainly see why you’d enjoy it.”

Nelson narrowed his eyes at the dragon, but ignored the remark. ‘I’ll be enjoying you before long, fatty,’ he thought to himself before saying, “Ahh, you’re missing what makes it special though.” He swam over to the far side of the room where a solitary pipe protruded from the wooden floor.

Callum hadn’t noticed it at first because it blended in with the rest of the salt-corroded ship, but as he ventured closer he noted a faint white glow emanating the top. It matched the shark’s eyes. “What is that?” he asked, swimming closer.

The shark’s teeth gleamed even brighter as he hovered over the pipe. “One of the seven wonders of the sea,” he replied cryptically. “But I can’t tell you what it is. You must see for yourself.” When the dragon hesitated, the shark only grinned wider. “Come on, soft dragon, you know you want to.”

That much was true. Callum knew he’d never be able to refuse such an opportunity. Swallowing his fear, he paddled up to the pipe and place his paws on it. Rough, faded steel greeted his fingertips, cool to the touch as expected. “What…” the dragon’s tongue felt thick in his cheeks, “what do you want me to do?”

“Just lift up the lid,” Nelson said, “and peer into the depths below.” He drifted back a couple feet as he spoke, only increasing the dragon’s fear.

“And what will I see?”

The shark managed a shrug. “That I cannot say, but I promise you will like it.”

Something about the shark’s mannerisms made Callum suspect this was all some elaborate trap, but he also knew he couldn’t resist his curiosity. With exceptional care he opened the lid, bathing his face in soft white light, and peered into the depths below.