--At least we got the treasure! Just gotta get out of here!"
Indeed despite needing all four limbs to push through the flooded area, she certainly checked that the bag tied to her waist was still in place. It was filled with gold coins they had found deep inside this place. It was the "mermaid's hoard", just like the inscription at the entrance had promised.
"M..mhgmbl!"
A sound from her diving partner distracted her: It was Freggie, a frog girl. She was swimming perhaps more graceful than the marginally aquatic dragoness, but she clearly was running out of air as well. Maya couldn't help it but grin a little despite the tube in her mouth, when her glance fell on her sleek partner's bare crotch. The sexual distraction was quite welcome despite her own crotch feeling sore due to the other end of the tube.
It was that particular inscription that had led to this situation: Surrounded by nothing but water and stone walls while no scuba gear available.
Of course the two adventurers had come down here wearing some - the temple was easily hundred feet beneath the ocean surface after all and not easy to find - but the ancient barrier at the gate denied entrance to any technical gear they may have tried to take in.
That had not kept Maya and Freggie from pursuing this adventure nevertheless. They could outsmart and outskill what was quite obviously a trap, so they thought.
Maya had indeed been somewhat smart, or at least creative. With testing they found that while most high tech materials - like Freggie's suit - would not pass through the barrier, simpler things like Maya's simple swimwear as well as a plastic tube did!
They did not have time to build much of a contraption with it, like an actual air storage, but she thought what if she used her own body as an air storage?
Freggie turned around for a moment, swimming on her bag and Maya could see her chest convulsing and the shape of her ribcage showing while she had a worried expression. Freggie's webbed hand went to her lips when an especially strong urge of her lungs for air made her expel some stale breath.
Freggie was too proud to ask for air, Maya knew that, and in this case it was especially awkward, taking into account where that air was, but in the end, the two were trusting each other deeply. They had survived way more.
Thus the dragoness shook her head and kicked her strong tail once faster to catch up with the anthro frog.
She exhaled a bit, took the tube from her lips while pinching it shut and then gave it to Freggie.
When the dragoness had proposed this idea, Freggie had stared at her in disbelief. They both knew if their bladders were watertight, they surely would be airtight at least for a little while, but actually using it for that was something an anthro would never consider.
The feral scalie on the other hand was way less squeamish and her pee-hole was also way larger, allowing for a tube thick enough for air to pass. Nevertheless, inserting it and then filling it with fresh, pure oxygen from a tank had not been easy.
Yet she had pushed through and soon learned how to make best use of that additional O2 by breathing in and out to mix with the air from her lungs.
Feeling her bladder deflate and inflate in the rhythm of her own chest had already been intense. However having that happen out of her control when Freggie was desperately breathing from the thin hose was almost driving Maya crazy!
"N..mhmgbl!.."
She squirmed and brought a hand to her lower belly. She felt her scalie hide tense when a particular bulge was inflating and deflating, sending shivers through her body. This worsened the spasms of her own lungs and she gritted her feral teeth to not loose more air.
Freggie thoughtfully hugged Maya's head in hope to help her last longer. Maya instinctively blushed when her face brushed against the frog's exceptionally smooth skin.
Despite all this, the two did not cease swimming. The only way to survive this was to make it back out of the barrier!
And finally, after so long, the tunnel ahead of them was finally becoming brighter - a hint of sunlight in the distance.
Freggie returned the "bladder tube" back to Maya and the scalie sucked in what breath was stored in her. Naturally it was even more stale, practically useless now!
A burst of adrenaline kept her from panicking though as they both darted towards the entrance. The movements had loosened Maya's back slightly and she heard some coins loudly drop to the floor but she could not care about that while her lungs were on fire!
"NWGBBL! Glrugbl!"
The water was vibrating intensely when they passed through the mystical barrier but the two freedivers only could focus on their gear that was laying outside.
Inwardly they were cursing themselves for not being more mindful and prepare something like an air pocket instead.
Especially Freggie realized how much of a good idea that would have been. Being the way faster swimmer, the last kicks had brought her ahead of Maya but that didn't mean she could breathe already. Her gear was a half-body diving suit. The helmet needed to be connected to the bodywear to function!
Hastily she started pulling the stretchy, skintight material up her body but the vigorous spasms of her diaphragm forced her to use a hand to cover her mouth again. Her cheeks bulged rhythmically with her futile attempts to breathe.
In the meantime Maya made it out too. The tube had dropped from her mouth and useless, last bubbles were slipping from it.
As fast as she could she reached for her gear but she was feeling her vision narrowing. Her body feeling like moving through honey...
Will the two make it?~
---------------
An absolutely incredible drawing by \r\n\t\t\t\t\t
| \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t | \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeaTeal\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t | \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
I have been certainly daring with asking for such a crazy idea and Teal truly delivered! :3