Fantasy The Guildstone Chronicles ((Questing Thread))

[Key of Stars]

Olivia Hower
Location: Reef
Mentions: Uasal Sylph BakaTheIdiot RatKing SilverFeathers ​

"I hate to interrupt this lovely reunion, really I do, but we must be going. You - Olive, was it? - said you're our escort. Does that mean you know where this relic is?" She smiled. "I'd prefer Olivia. Also, you really shouldn't do things you hate, life's too short for that." She said with a small grin. "Small jokes aside, you seem rather eager to get that relic, almost a little too eager I'd say. Almost as if you all weren't informed of the nature of the object you're seeking..." She pondered for a moment before smiling. "Though I'm sure you heard from the fae accompanying you, right?"

"That's right, we're running on a timer. How long do we have left again? Though, I suppose with our new forms we're getting a bit of an extension on time, considering we could just swim back to the Salvager... if the rest of us can figure out how to swim that fast that is." She nodded briefly. "You'll get the hang of it soon enough, it's like learning to walk except your brains are actually able to process what you're doing now that you're older. Well, it might be, I just kind of made that up."

"Anyway, you guys seem very eager to get this over with quickly but you do realize you'll be stuck with Odyssey's blessing for at least a day, right? If you were hoping for this to be a quick little trip I'm sorry to say you'll be disappointed." She said before promptly leading them out of the temple.

For a while, she lead the group towards their goal slowly. Matching her own pace to her son's, which was quite a bit slower than her usual pace but still quite a bit ahead of the rest of the group. Leonard didn't stop talking for a second during their swim, telling her about all his adventures and the friends he had made in an adventurer's guild. She had expected him to follow in her footsteps and take to the seas for adventure but given her own unfortunate end on the seas, perhaps it was better he didn't. Besides, he seemed happy where he was now and that was all that really mattered to her.

The group was making progress, though they were going a lot slower than she had expected, most of the adventurers most likely had no swimming experience at all and it was showing in their awkward movement. She didn't exactly mind the slow pace though, she was enjoying herself quite a lot, but she couldn't help but notice one particular member of the group glaring at her back nearly without interruption.

She smiled at her son. "You keep this pace, I'll go check up on some of the slower members in the back." She said, swimming over to the one person who didn't seem to trust her. "Ymir, right?" She asked, performing a small vertical loop to swim next to the human. "Heard you know a thing or two about flying, you should try to manipulate the water the same way you do the air, that should help you move forward a little less... let's say clumsily." She offered with a smile.

"Anyway, I know you don't trust me." She stated almost immediately after. "Oh don't look so surprised, you're not exactly doing a good job at hiding it between the 'secret' meeting with your fae companion behind that pillar and the glares you keep sending my way. My name's Olivia, not Oblivia" She said with a laugh. "Well, I don't blame you, I'm sure you've heard some interesting stories about us sirens and I can't say they're all completely false. A lot of the sirens here would much rather see you guys dead than having you here in our territory."

"I'm not like that, to tell you the truth I still wasn't sure if I even made the right choice. Odyssey found me on the brink of death and offered me a chance to live, most of the sirens here died filled with hatred, a hatred they are still holding onto even now years after their death. I didn't have any of that hatred, I would have died filled with nothing but regret, accepting Odyssey's offer allowed me to also have some hope, the slightest hope that I would someday meet my children again. Now that you guys showed up and I got to see Leo all grown up, I can say for sure that it was worth it." She said with a small smile.

"It's fine if you don't trust me completely, I'm not sure if I would if I was in your shoes. But I do hope you'll keep looking out for that son of mine, he always did have a tendency to land himself in trouble. He thinks very fondly of you, that much is clear to me with the way he talks. Half of his entire story was about you, I'm sure the girls back home will be disappointed about that." She said with a chuckle.

 

[Uasal]

Eiru Eagna
Gold Rank Support

Eiru's teasing did not produce the result she had initially expected from Ymir but instead produced a far better one! How could Eiru have been so blind! Ymir spoke the truth, what the two women were now presented with was a treasure the likes of which they would only ever come across once! Embarrassing childhood stories, direct from the source a man like Leo could never object to! His Mother! "Hehe, Ymir you mischievous dog you... What will it be? The time he tied you up and carried you to a ship on his back against your will, the time he got you thrown in a cell with him for picking a fight over his own wounded pride or... oh it has to be that time when you came to rescue me from a pack of slimes! Remember how they gunked up your clothes and he 'just happened' to turn the corner as you changed! Oh, this is going to be gold!"

Or it should have been. Could have been. The sheer stupidity of what Ymir had to say next caught Eiru by surprise and it did so in a very unique way. What Ymir had to say was technically, logically, solid but when you considered everything that had happened it just didn't add up. Well, actually it didn't add up either for or against and it was that which threw Eiru into a spiralling nosedive within her current mana exhausted mind.

Turning to look at the Siren next to Leo Eiru moved a hand to her chin in deep contemplation "You do have a point, it is all a bit... fishy hehe". Amused by her own completely original pun Eiru returned her gaze to Ymir when she noticed Olivia moving toward the two "Well I guess, as Leo's 'friend' you have a duty to get to the bottom of this to spare his heart right. Or perhaps you shouldn't and instead should allow him this time to reminisce and find closure, even if it's fake. Sirens weren't always evil you know, they have often lulled drowning sailors to sleep before they died horrible deaths. Mercy if you will. Either way, I'd love to help Leo out as a friend but I think you're far more suited to this than I am." With Olivia coming to a halt beside them Eiru offered the woman a smile and swam off toward Leo, taking her place as she did Eiru's.

"So, Leonard... are you not nervous Ymir might currently be milking your mother for prime, embarrassing, stories from your childhood?". Eiru was most certainly going to enjoy this whole ordeal!

Sylph Key of Stars​

 

[SilverFeathers]

Nanalee Imphon | Of Spiritual Snow
A curious explorer with a love for battle, adventure and power.​

• 1
• 2
• Notes

• 
• 
• Location
  At Sea - Siren's Watch - Reef w/ Ymir, Eiru, Leo, Ruvo & Ashitaka
  
  Mentions
  RatKing

The ocean was a mystifying and magical place. Even though a faint fear of the unknown still gripped her heart, Nanalee couldn't help but be mesmerized by all that lay outside temple. Watching all the sealife scuttle or swim on by or the colourful corals and seaweeds swaying in the currents was an experience that truly helped put her alarmed heart to rest. Whilst dazedly swimming after Olivia and Leo, their figures ever guiding them on a gentle stroll through the seas as if it was a tourist trip, she inevitably came across a little guy peeking his head out of a mass of steel blue rockery.

Nanalee couldn't help but have a double take, glancing at the silvery appendages that trailed down her arms, and then back at the purply sea creature. Connecting the dots in her head, she quickly realized that it was likely this guy and his species that her new limbs originated from. Out of excitement and curiosity, though she probably shouldn't have recklessly approached a foreign lifeform she had no idea the behaviour of, Nanalee tried her best to very gently pat the little creature. After much strenuous effort, she succeeded... though the little guy ended up wrapping itself around her tendril and refused to let go.

Sighing a little, she decided to just let the aquatic creature accompany her for now. Realizing she had drifted quite far from the group, she clumsily caught up with the gang, only now realizing Eiru and Olivia seemed to have swapped places. Uh, wasn't she supposed to be guiding us? Why is she at the back now? Does Leo know the way? Well, no matter. They were swimming at quite a gentle pace regardless, so she assumed it wasn't a problem.

Swimming in itself was something that Nanalee slowly started doing subconsciously. She had adjusted quite well to the sea, well at least she thought so, and was a little saddened by the revelation that everything here, so deep beneath the world she had only ever seen the surface of, would become completely out of her reach once more in just a day. It was a pity, really. As she noticed some of the others enthusiastically chattering away, she decided to approach the streamlined fellow she hadn't spoken to properly since their first introductions back at the guild.

"Ruvo, how are you adjusting?" She swam slowly over with a smile, examining his new form curiously. Unlike her, he had retained his feathers, though in a much sleeker form, likely adapted so for the deep sea environment. "I still feel a bit overwhelmed, but I want to make the most of this whole experience y'know? It'll only last a day after all. It all kind of feels like a magical dream." Noticing his trusty instrument was still in hand, she couldn't help but comment on it also. "That... um, instrument of yours, is it waterproof? Can you still play it, even down here?"

 

[RatKing]

Ruvo Steelfeather
Location: Reef
Mentions: SilverFeathers
​

The aquatic environment they were traveling through was truly breathtaking with all the vibrant sea life, coral, and plants filling the landscape around them. The beauty and wonder of it all helped distract the ever timid bard from the fears and worries that would of been creeping in on his thoughts. Instead his mind was preoccupied with trying to remember as many of the sights he saw to write down for story and song later as he imagined few if any would experience and see the things his fellow guild members have seen on this day.

"Ruvo, how are you adjusting?" “Oh, adjusting slowly I suppose. This is still a lot to take in.” He replied facing Nanalee as best as he could while still maintaining his somewhat improved clumsy swimming. Similarly to himself it appeared that Nanalee’s transformation took a stronger effect on their appearance. She had lost the feathers that trailed down her wing like arms and in their place were multitudes of tendrils. “I still feel a bit overwhelmed, but I want to make the most of this whole experience y'know? It'll only last a day after all. It all kind of feels like a magical dream." “Yeah I think I get it, this is all so crazy. If I hadn’t been here to experience it myself I would of thought something as fantastical as meeting a goddess and being granted a blessing for a day to go and recover an ancient relic deep underwater was something that would only happen in made up stories or myths of old.” he replied clearly a bit overwhelmed himself

“That... um, instrument of yours, is it waterproof? Can you still play it, even down here?"

“No…no it is not waterproof” he said woefully as he looked down at the instrument tightening his grasp around it. “I might be able to play it, but the water has likely begun to damage and warp it…I don't want to risk damaging it more. It has a lot of sentimental value."

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Ashitaka IV
Location: Reef
Mentions: Uasal (briefly) RatKing SilverFeathers ​

The ocean itself was not necessarily foreign to him, but Ashitaka never ventured below the surface. Why would he? Everything he could ever want was on land, or at the very, very least at the surface of the sea. What on earth could reside below the waters?

Apparently, this. The sight was foreign to him, for good reason: there were no reefs near home, or at least none that he knew of. Just West of his village - a little further South than the outpost he had warped to earlier that day - there was a small, remote fishing village that regularly traded tuna for rice. Small was perhaps being generous: fewer than 100 people lived there now, with that number slowly trickling down as the villagers moved further North in search of work and opportunity. While he visited that village regularly when transporting rice in his youth, he never ventured too close to shore, for fear of being swept away into the deep. Had he been missing out? Perhaps.

Swimming was significantly easier than walking. Of course, that should have been obvious by now, but given his aversion to water in general, it was perhaps unrealistic that he should figure as much to begin with. Using his legs as a starting point, he pushed himself off of the sea floor, boosting himself upwards substantially. At first, he tried swimming just like normal - he had not gotten stronger, that much was certain, and yet it was still easier, as if the water around him was not an obstruction. It was just like the air on the surface... sort of.

He tried picking up the pace, swimming in circles for a moment to see what speeds were feasible in his form: to his pleasant surprise, his blade still rested on his transformed hip, and this new style of movement could lend to some interesting swordplay styles. Was it morbid to think of combat this often? Probably. The group had been traversing this island, both over and underwater now, for quite some time, but there was still nary a single sight of threat - pirates, demons, sharks... were sharks a problem? Probably not, given Odyssey's blessing... right?

Having experimented with his new axis of free movement enough, it was time to stop lagging behind and catch up with the others. Not very difficult, given the pace, but he couldn't help but notice a few conversations happening while he was away.

"...Oh don't look so surprised, you're not exactly doing a good job at hiding it between the 'secret' meeting with your fae companion behind that pillar and the glares you keep sending my way. My name's Olivia, not Oblivia." Nope, not the time to get involved in personal matters.

"So, Leonard... are you not nervous Ymir might currently be milking your mother for prime, embarrassing, stories from your childhood?" Not his place either. Perhaps the third time is a charm? He was now behind and slightly above Ruvo and Nanalee.

"Ruvo, how are you adjusting? I still feel a bit overwhelmed, but I want to make the most of this whole experience y'know? It'll only last a day after all. It all kind of feels like a magical dream."

“Yeah I think I get it, this is all so crazy. If I hadn’t been here to experience it myself I would of thought something as fantastical as meeting a goddess and being granted a blessing for a day to go and recover an ancient relic deep underwater was something that would only happen in made up stories or myths of old.”

Ah, a conversation he could join without sounding rude. He slowed his pace and began the relatively short descent to their side, but before he could open his mouth to contribute they continued:

“That... um, instrument of yours, is it waterproof? Can you still play it, even down here?"

No it was not.

“No…no it is not waterproof. I might be able to play it, but the water has likely begun to damage and warp it…I don't want to risk damaging it more. It has a lot of sentimental value."

The instrument did appear to have begun warping, but as long as he treated it with care, Ruvo's instrument was repairable. Hell, even if it snapped in two, there was still probably something that could be done.

"Don't fret, Ruvo," Ashitaka offered him a kind smile. "There are a small handful of artisans at my home village not too far from Lantana, and it just so happens that a couple of them owe me favors. I could - pardon the pun - pull a few strings." Now this wasn't actually true - the part regarding favors - but being a particularly good liar, he at least sounded convinced enough. The avian had a tendency to look on the grim side of things, and a little optimism would go a long way given their circumstances. Besides, he could afford the repair regardless. "My sword is nearly a hundred years old. If they can keep this sorry piece of steel sharp, they'll have your instrument in top shape with ease."

Suddenly, it dawned on him that these two winged denizens had likely never even touched the water before. "...This is your first time swimming, isn't it?" He addressed them both. "It's definitely an adjustment. You tend to get better with practice - well, assuming you can practice after this. I assume Feathers make things difficult."

 

[Sylph]

Ymir
Location: Sea Floor
Mentions: Uasal Key of Stars ​

"You do have a point," Eiru conceded, her smile slipping away for a brief moment before it returned. Ymir had to refrain from shaking them to their senses over the next line. "It is all a bit... fishy hehe."

With no better plan of action the group followed Olivia onto the reef, guided into paths between the shelves of coral that had Ymir growing evermore fretful. She had no idea of what amongst the colourful flora posed a threat and, from what she'd heard, most of it did. Maybe it wouldn't bother her so much if she hadn't lost the bulk of her mobility, but without the usual weight of the earth and sky she was lost. She could have been stranded on a mountainside without her gliders and not felt half as useless as she did now.

Eiru being beside her helped, one of the few familiar things. Even if Ymir didn't process much of what was said, their voice was a calming offset to the strange clicks and whistles around them. Disturbed by the occasional, haunting wail from afar. Like the crying of a lost spectre--

"Either way, I'd love to help Leo out as a friend but I think you're far more suited to this than I am."

What-?

She balked as she noticed the siren swimming towards them, and right on cue Eiru abandoned her to the situation, swimming ahead to switch places with Leo.

"Ymir, right?" Olivia changed directions with enviable ease to swim just ahead of her. "Heard you know a thing or two about flying, you should try to manipulate the water the same way you do the air, that should help you move forward a little less... let's say clumsily."

Ymir rankled at the thought that they were anything alike and stubbornly kept on pedalling her arms..There was no way, and she was prepared to say as much when the siren's next words chased any thought of it from her mind. Ymir stopped moving altogether, hovering in the water as she fixed an accusatory glare at their words about trust.

"Oh don't look so surprised, you're not exactly doing a good job at hiding it... My name's Olivia, not Oblivia," They laughed at their own joke, though the mirth soon faded as Ymir's sour expression remained unchanged. "Well, I don't blame you, I'm sure you've heard some interesting stories about us sirens."

Ymir resumed swimming before they fell too far behind, seeing if flapping the fins behind her more like wings would help. There was a fractional difference, she thought, though not worth the ridiculous amount of space they took up on either side. Passing through ridges would be nigh impossible unless she figured out how to swim on an angle.

"I'm not like that," Olivia continued from her previous sentence. "Odyssey found me on the brink of death and offered me a chance to live..." And that was starting to sound like a heartfelt story. Olivia kept pace beside her with infuriating ease, despite Ymir's increasingly deperate attempts to escape. She was not in the mood to share a touching moment. "Accepting Odyssey's offer allowed me to also have some hope, the slightest hope that I would someday meet my children again-"

And then you trap them here for all eternity.

She didn't know why she bothered trying to outswim an actual siren. Olivia moved seamlessly through the water, gliding along with even the smallest flicks of her tail. Like Leo, she seemed perfectly suited to the aquatic form. "It's fine if you don't trust me completely," she continued. Which was great, since Ymir did not have the emotional capacity for extending the proverbial olive branch. "But I do hope you'll keep looking out for that son of mine, he always did have a tendency to land himself in trouble."

"...right," she said, unsure how else to answer in that moment. She was primarily focused on staying alive in the most immediate future, not making food impressions, and the fact her arms were starting to hurt from all the swimming wasn't a great sign. The group had slowed down somewhat since their guide had moved to the back, which did make it easier to catch up.

"He thinks very fondly of you, that much is clear to me with the way he talks. Half of his entire story was about you, I'm sure the girls back home will be disappointed about that."

Ymir paused, forgetting how her fins worked for a moment as Olivia laughed. Leo had not gone and given her that impression, right?

Right?

Right. Mothers were just masters at reading into things. And picking apart small details. And making things into a big deal when they really didn't need to be... And she was falling behind again. Wonderful.

The seascape had changed as the group made their slow crawl along its floor. The more vivid colours had started to wane, and the temperature dropped the deeper they went. At some point the jagged rocks that reached high enough to breach the surface fell away, and they were left with the vast emptiness of the open sea above them, seemingly without end.

Ymir and Olivia were still behind the group, with the likelihood of that changing falling by the second. And Ymir's level of comfort being left there on her own dropped sharply when she noticed something ahead of them--somethings actually. Since out of the shadows there was more than one. Several massive forms that moved at a glacial pace through the water. With them, the eery wails from before grew much louder, and any semblance of warmth Ymir felt fled in its wake.

"Um--" she choked out, not at all sounding like she was about to panic. Even the smallest, barely a fourth of the size of the others, looked like it could swallow a bear whole. And Ymir highly doubted she'd be able to outswim the creatures if they were spotted. The group didn't seem to be moving any further either. Not until they got their guide back at least.

"Can... I just hang on to you for this?" she finally said. At this point there was no way they would more likely to die than they already were, especially if she was lagging behind. Up ahead of them she could already sense where the sea floor fell away, leaving them to face a sharp drop into the abyss.

 

[Key of Stars]

Leonidas Hood
Location: Sea Floor
Mentions: Uasal ​

"So, Leonard... are you not nervous Ymir might currently be milking your mother for prime, embarrassing, stories from your childhood?" He thought about it for a bit, lazily swimming in a circle. "Perhaps I should be, but no, not really." He said with a smile. "I can't think of anything in my childhood that's more embarrassing than the drunken stunts I've pulled with Ymir present. At least, no childhood stories that my mom would know of, I have some secrets I'd prefer to take to the grave." He added with a small grin.

"The other way around though," He shuddered. "I am more than just nervous about my mom hearing about every dumb thing I've done since joining the guild from Ymir." He said, expression grim.

He looked back to where his mom was swimming together with Ymir, or well, his mom was swimming and Ymir was somehow moving forward which was impressive in itself given the movements she was making. He could tell they were having a conversation but there was no way for him to understand both the tone and the contents of the conversation from as far away as he was swimming. "I do hope they're getting along." He said, more so to himself than Eiru.

Olivia Hower
Location: Sea Floor
Mentions: Sylph ​

Olivia laughed at Ymir's surprised face. "That's already the second time you look so surprised since we started talking, a habit of yours?" She asked with a wide grin. "Well, I suppose this time around I can't blame you too much for being surprised. I doubt that son of mine has told you anything about how he feels directly." She said with a sigh.

She smirked. "But maybe that's not why you were surprised." She suggested innocently. "Maybe you feel the same way but didn't know he felt that way, or maybe not, I can't tell how you feel. But don't write my intuition off as me blowing things out of proportion. I might have not seen my son in a while but he's still as easy to read as always, I'm sure he also still believes I don't know anything about the times he snuck out of the academy to meet up with friends in the city." She said with a soft smile as she remembered those times.

"Um--" Olivia tilted her head. "Hmmm? What's wrong?" She glanced at the creatures in front of the group. "Oh, don't worry about those guys. They won't do anything to you, well they might if you swim into their mouths yourself." She corrected with a smirk, teasing her son's friend was even more fun than she had expected it to be. That said, she decided to tone it down a bit in the end, the poor woman seemed just about ready to have a panic attack. "I'm sorry I'm just messing with you a little, they won't harm you."

"Can... I just hang on to you for this?" Olivia stayed quiet for a moment before extending her hand. "Of course." It took all the willpower she had to hold back from adding a teasing comment about Ymir seemingly having warmed up to her perhaps a little too quickly.

 

[RatKing]

Ruvo Steelfeather
Location: Sea Floor
Mentions: BakaTheIdiot SilverFeathers
​

"Don't fret, Ruvo" the bard raised his head in response to the approaching swordsman's words. "There are a small handful of artisans at my home village not too far from Lantana, and it just so happens that a couple of them owe me favors. I could - pardon the pun - pull a few strings." The bard's expression was quickly filled with surprise and hope. Sure Ruvo was a carpenter by trade, but he was experienced making simple things like chairs or tables not something as fine and complex as a proper instrument so if what his fellow guildmember said was true there still yet may be hope. "My sword is nearly a hundred years old. If they can keep this sorry piece of steel sharp, they'll have your instrument in top shape with ease." "I didn't realize your sword was such a well maintained heirloom Ashitaka. I would love to bring my lute to those artisan experts, I rather this gift from my parents not be relegated to being just a damp wall ornament" he said thankfully. “Though you don’t have to use one of your favors, I’m sure I can save up money to have it repaired.” he said not trying to take advantage of the swordsman’s generosity, just being introduced to the experts would be enough.

"...This is your first time swimming, isn't it?" "It is...y-yes" he said a little caught off guard by the sudden pivot in conversation.

"It's definitely an adjustment. You tend to get better with practice - well, assuming you can practice after this. I assume Feathers make things difficult."

"Well, I can at least swim in a straight line now, though I don't think I'd be a very good swimmer with my normal feathers. Too heavy and all with the weight of the water. Though for now this is nice, is this kind of what its like to fly Nanalee?" he asked while taking note of the change in the seascape they traveled through, the vibrant environment faded into grays and browns, and the eerie sounds of something grew louder. Wherever exactly this relic was it certainly was starting to making the bard uneasy once again.

 

[SilverFeathers]

Nanalee Imphon | Of Spiritual Snow
A curious explorer with a love for battle, adventure and power.​

• 1
• 2
• Notes

• 
• 
• Location
  At Sea - Siren's Watch - Sea Floor w/ Ymir, Eiru, Leo, Ruvo & Ashitaka
  
  Mentions
  RatKing BakaTheIdiot

Nanalee nodded enthusiastically at Ruvo's words, drifting through the sea with her tendrils lazily spread like whirling fans. It really did feel like they were in a dream or fairytale, with talks of goddesses, blessings, fairy princesses and finding missing parents... she couldn't help but wonder if she had used up all her exciting adventuring luck all in one go. Maybe it was the dream-like aspect of it all, as she watched a small school of rainbow-coloured fish dance past her fingers, that made her mind feel a bit empty, as if all caution was thrown to the wind.

As the talk shifted towards Ruvo's trusty instrument, Nanalee woke up a little due to her curiosity. Though she could sing and dance decently enough for her tribe's annual festivities and ceremonies, somehow playing an instrument was always a talent that eluded her. Though she was never particularly interested in the performing arts, it was still disheartening being so... untalented, at times.

Nanalee could tell that Ruvo treasured this instrument of his, after all, he always carried it with him. To hear of its damage was disheartening, but before she could respond a figure popped out from behind them. Her tendrils reflexively formed a defensive barrier, like her wings used to, before she recognized the eye-patched and now-fishtailed Ashitaka.

It was truly kind of him to offer Ruvo a free repair. After all, Ashitaka had barely just met him, having joined the guild and expedition even later than she did. Maybe it was the comradery gained from all the chaos recently? Or perhaps he was trying to ingratiate himself with his guildmates early? Blinking at her own cynical thoughts, she momentarily wondered since when did she think so harshly of others, before quickly brushing those thoughts away altogether.

"I'm used to bathing in lakes and such, but yeah, swimming like this is definitely a new experience." She smiled towards the black-haired human, pausing before continuing her words a little more with a chuckle. "Haha, I don't think I'll be able to practice after tomorrow. This truly is... a once in a lifetime experience, for me at least." Her smile turned a little sad, gazing up at the streaks of sunlight illuminating the colourful and lively landscape around them. At the very least, she wanted to burn the sights and memory of this day into her mind as much as possible. If she could draw... she would've loved to make a painting.

Just as she was relishing the sights she would likely never be able to see again after today, she noticed the landscape quickly shifting, from colour to dullness, from warmth to coolness and from comforting walls of rock to nothing but emptiness. Though a little strange, Nanalee couldn't help but equate it to being in the open-air, far away from buildings or treetops, or clouds and rain. It was vaguely familiar and somewhat comforting, as she couldn't help but stretch out every single inch of her limbs to enjoy the open space.

"Kind of!" Nanalee smiled at the bard's question, though her eyes remained focused on the humongous shadows floating in the depths before them. Turning back and noticing Olivia's lack of distress, she wasn't too concerned about the situation, though she couldn't help the mix of fear, shock and wonder creeping up her spine. Perhaps partly to distract herself, she continued explaining her thoughts. "It feels vaguely similar and familiar... but also not at the same time. I imagine this is what it would feel like to learn an off-branch of your usual fighting style, or maybe for you guys, a new style of swordsmanship or a new way to play your instrument. The general gist of it is similar and some skills transfer over, but the foundations are inherently different..." She spoke somewhat slowly and distractedly, her eyes never trailing off the growing shadows as she subconsciously swam closer to the group for protection.

 

[Uasal]

Eiru Eagna
Gold Rank Support

Looking back to Ymir and Olivia following Leon's comment Eiru couldn't help but smile. The two seemed to be getting on the best even despite Ymir's stubbornness and paranoid animosity. Animosity that seemed to quickly melt away following the appearance of a whale pod. "I'm sure they're doing just fine. Though, I cannot say the same for your reputation... who knows what Ymir could be sharing!" Returning her gaze forward Eiru's eyes briefly began to glow a crimson red, returning to normal after but a few seconds. "Perhaps she's talking about the time you tied her up and kidnapped her. Actually... as bad as that was it's probably not the worst ey."

With the group quickly reaching another sheer drop Eiru paused to give the others time to catch up, peering down into the abyss below. Her mind clearly elsewhere as if tranced by the sight. "We aren't far now. I can hear the spear calling to me. Prepare yourselves, I can sense a great magical construct below us, the guardian I saw. That's most certainly what I'm feeling."​

 

[Sylph]

Ymir
Location: Crater Edge
Mentions: Key of Stars Uasal RatKing SilverFeathers BakaTheIdiot ​

She had little trouble holding onto Olivia as they sped through the last of the trenches, emerging onto the open, sandy floor of the ocean that dropped into inky darkness far ahead. It was marginally more comfortable, once she knew the creatures up ahead weren't likely to be aggressive. Like emerging onto the beach from a jungle--less poisonous, deceptively harmless-looking critters hiding in crevices waiting to strike. Less going on that she had to look out for, though the abyss ahead was somewhat disconcerting.

Reefs were the jungles of the ocean, she decided. Highly unpleasant, and she had no desire stick around around long enough to learn. She didn't care how many relics and lost ruins were lost at sea.

Still, it was nice to be moving again. Ymir stuck her tongue out at Leo as she zoomed past, putting any thoughts of the previous conversation out of her head. Olivia was some kind of unholy fusion between Eiru's meddling and Leo's natural charisma. It made her infuriatingly persuasive and Ymir was beginning to think that she'd prefer an imposter after all. Olivia's words had implications and they weren't the sort Ymir was about to consider at the edge of a bottomless ravine.

"We aren't far now," Eiru was muttering above the wails that echoed around them. "I can hear the spear calling to me."

They seemed to have bunched together instinctively, trying to appear small and insignificant against the vast world in front of them. Most of the sea life seemed to avoid the drop and what coral did grow off the sides of the rock was jagged and white as bone, circled by fish that looked like skeletons.

"Prepare yourselves, I can sense a great magical construct below us, the guardian I saw. That's most certainly what I'm feeling."

Great. Ymir shuddered at the temperature of the water more than for fear of what was below. Eiru was being strange again. Speaking ominously. Not adding a joke at the end. Short of Ymir in her current state, Eiru was one of the least geared towards combat in the group and probably shouldn't be as close as she was to that edge. Ymir gave her fins some more experimental wiggles after she'd let go of Olivia and the rest of the group had gathered around. She was starting to figure out how it worked, she thought. There was sort of a diagonal movement to cut through the water.

She refocuses as Olivia explained how they were now at the edge of Odyssey's territory, hovering over the no-mans-land that was the bottomless crater. They were warned against going too far down. Past a certain depth the guardians would ensure they did not return—and Ymir had little doubt of what Odyssey's 'guardian' was going to be. She could already see the blurry edges of a serpentine body within the rockface far below them, coiled around itself to sleep.

The temple was several yards below them, Olivia continued, on the edge of the cutoff point. The weapon was stored there to stop its influence spreading, but the sirens hadn't realised it would corrupt the guardian as much as it did. If the creature awoke there would be no calming it down, and so the group should consider carefully how they wished to continue.

"It seems to be asleep now," Ymir could confirm, eyes aglow, though she had absolutely no confidence it would stay that way. The others probably had their own misgivings, regardless of how well they were adjusting to the new environment. "...should we send someone down to retrieve it?" She suggested eventually.

 

[Key of Stars]

Leonidas Hood
Location: Crater Edge
Mentions: Sylph Uasal SilverFeathers RatKing BakaTheIdiot
​

Leonidas nodded slowly, positioned in between Ymir and his mother. Ymir seemed to be her normal self, or well, at the very least it seemed his mother hadn't told her anything too weird or embarrassing, well, that was unless Ymir was doing a very good job at hiding it, which he was not quite ready to rule out. Despite what he had told Eiru not being a lie he had definitely understated his worries about his mother telling Ymir any and every embarrassing story from his childhood she could come up with. "I'll go." He said, raising one hand.

He shrugged, out of everyone here he was the most well adjusted to his new body. Eiru, Taka and Nanalee seemed well enough adjusted themselves though still not quite as fast in the water as he was. Ruvo was managing in his own way and Ymir, well, he was sure she'd be able to move in a general direction if asked.

That said, he wasn't expecting anyone to disagree, he was simply the best man for the current job. "Absolutely not!" The normally gentle voice declared with an authority that demanded respect, an authority one could only gain having led people for multiple years. Leonidas turned to face his mother, her expression completely neutral, not betraying the slightest bit of emotion. "Mom, I-" "No," She immediately interrupted, swimming up to him. "You're not going, and that's final!" She declared, grabbing his wrist and holding it with quite a bit more force than necessary.

He sighed. "The others are not as adjusted to-" Olivia once again interrupted, expression still a blank slate. "I don't care! You are not going. I'm not asking too much so just listen to me for once! You're all on this quest because of that Fae so she can be the one to retrieve it herself." Olivia bit out, a lot more animosity in her voice than she wanted as she jabbed a finger in Eiru's direction. "This isn't your problem Leonard. Don't do something stupid. Someone else can do it." She pleaded, the slight quiver of her bottom lip the only sign of emotion present on her otherwise expressionless visage.

"Listen, didn't you always-" "Shut up!" Olivia thundered, pushing Leonidas away. "Shut up! Shut up! Why can't you just listen?" She shouted, both her expression and voice filled with desperation, the emotionless act finally melting away. "I just got you back! You are not going down there!" She yelled, grabbing both of his wrists and holding them firmly in place. "I'm not losing you again."

Leonidas slowly removed his wrists from her grip, clasping both her hands with a small smile. "You're not going to lose me, I'll come right back." Olivia frantically shook her head. "I won't, no, I can't trust that, that's exactly what I told you when I left." Leonidas pulled her into a hug, smiling weakly. "I remember. But you've done so much more than that, you taught me to never abandon a friend in need. I haven't and won't ever forget those words." Olivia stared back at her son, on the verge of bursting out in tears for the second time that day, though tears would still never actually flow under the ocean's surface. "Why? Why do you insist on being reckless?"

He smiled. "I must have picked that up from you." Olivia let out a small chuckle before choking back a sob and burying her face in Leo's shoulder.

Eventually, she pulled back, her expression back to usual. "Fine, I realize won't be able to change your mind. But," She held up her hand to stop him from interrupting. "At least one of them is coming with you," She said, pointing to all his companions one by one. "And so am I."

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Ashitaka IV
Location: Sea Floor --> Crater Edge
Mentions: Key of Stars Sylph SilverFeathers Uasal​

"It feels vaguely similar and familiar... but also not at the same time. I imagine this is what it would feel like to learn an off-branch of your usual fighting style, or maybe for you guys, a new style of swordsmanship or a new way to play your instrument. The general gist of it is similar and some skills transfer over, but the foundations are inherently different..." Nanalee seemed distracted. "Yes? Inherently different from what?" He tilted his head, trying to determine what she was looking at, finally turning around to face where her attention clearly was.

Ashitaka's conversation with Ruvo and Nanalee would have continued shortly, but he was interrupted with what was possibly the most majestic sight he had seen in years.

Being in relatively close proximity to a fishing village, he had heard stories of giant creatures, the size of entire foothills, menacing boats with a particularly bad time. Giant tails, heads the size of houses, typical myth stuff. None of it even came close to the scale of these magnificent beings. They had a name - though he could not remember - but words could not adequately describe their majesty. They moved slowly, tightly knit in a fabric of family - speculating, of course. Were he closer, he could make out the fine details on their almost leathery skin, but it would be best to leave it be.

They were beautiful.

Before returning his mind to the present, realizing he had now slipped behind the rest of the group (albeit barely), he offered a silent blessing to these creatures' journey, and joined his fellow guildmates - oh, and Olive. Her too.

What was less beautiful was the crater they now found themselves in front of. Pure darkness, broken by scattered patches of rock and sporadic life. He did not fear the ocean, though admittedly, he did have a small phobia of heights. Does that apply in the ocean? Perhaps. Yes, it did, Ashitaka felt a shiver crawl up his spine. Not the most pleasing sight after such a relaxing interlude through the reef.

There, somewhere in the crater, was this "relic" Eiru kept talking about.

"We aren't far now. I can hear the spear calling to me. Prepare yourselves, I can sense a great magical construct below us, the guardian I saw. That's most certainly what I'm feeling."

A Guardian? Where? He could hardly see anything in the darkness. Ashitaka couldn't make out any details, only a hazy silhouette, but that didn't matter - the only safe option was to stay away.

"It seems to be asleep now... should we send someone down to retrieve it?" Ymir wasn't wrong. The smaller the band that retrieved the spear, the less noise they would make - and the less likely they were to be spotted. "I'll go." Leo was the first to volunteer - and in a perfect world, he could probably go alone too. He could swim better than most of the group, probably better than Ashitaka, and one person was the least likely to be spotted. It made perfect sense, until:

"Absolutely not!"

"Mom, I-"

"No, you're not going, and that's final!"

"The others are not as adjusted to-"

A very long time ago, Ashitaka had wanted to go to a hunting festival near the south of the village, and what ensued was almost verbatim identical to Leo's interaction with his mother - albeit slightly less dramatic. Granted, in that scenario, Ashitaka was 10, and Leo was at least an adult - how old was he? It didn't matter - but it was familiar. It reminded him of home. He had almost completely forgotten that Olive was Leo's mother. Granted, if Ashitaka's mother were here - in spite of being nearly blind herself - she probably wouldn't let him go either. Frankly, she would probably disapprove of his line of work altogether. But, she was not here. Perhaps that was for the better, since this spat seemed to continue for quite a moment. He didn't pay much attention to the exact words, and why would he? It was rude to get between a mother's spat with her son. Besides, it was entertaining.

Eventually, they lowered their voices - thank the Allfather - and came to an agreement:

"Fine, I realize won't be able to change your mind. But at least one of them is coming with you."

Perfect. A group of 2, not too big, but they would have-

"And so am I."

Oh the joys of parents.

Still, a group of three wasn't too bad - although any more would likely be a problem. The question came down to who would go. Ymir could barely swim at all - though she did seem to be getting better - Nanalee could swim, though not quite as well as Leo or Eiru, Ruvo's instrument was in disarray, Eiru was acting... strange, again.

It dawned on him that he had not accomplished a single thing since he had arrived, and now a golden opportunity to contribute had just been planted at his feet. It didn't get better than this: Ashitaka could swim, and he could swim well, not only that but he could stay quiet and move quickly - perfect for sneaking around this guardian... whatever it turned out to be. Plus, that meant Eiru could stick behind and make sure the others - namely Ymir - didn't get into trouble, or at the very least, protect them if trouble came knocking.

So he spoke up:

"I can go." He moved forward, placing himself closer to Leo and Olive. "With all due respect, I can swim better than most here - no offense," He turned for an apology to the others. "And more importantly I can move quickly and quietly. I'm sure Eiru can do this job just as well, but somebody needs to stay behind and keep the others safe - frankly, she can do that much better than I could ever hope to." He nodded to Leo. "Besides, it's high time I earned my keep. Before you even say it, I'm aware of any risk, and I know that this isn't going to be as simple as 'strutting into the relic chamber and grabbing the spear.' I'm still willing to go."

He addressed Olive directly:

"Will that suffice?"

 

[SilverFeathers]

Nanalee Imphon | Of Spiritual Snow
A curious explorer with a love for battle, adventure and power.​

• 1
• 2
• Notes

• 
• 
• Location
  At Sea - Siren's Watch - Crater Edge w/ Ymir, Eiru, Leo, Ruvo & Ashitaka
  
  Mentions
  Sylph Uasal Key of Stars RatKing BakaTheIdiot

Any lingering fears or wariness towards the monstrous sea creatures floating by them dissipated entirely once Eiru spoke up. Messily floating over to the edge of the chasm, she cautiously peered into the bottomless abyss, only to see nothing but darkness. The lost fae relic, some sort of dangerous, corrupted spear by the sounds of it, lay somewhere down there, alongside its sleeping guardian. The vast emptiness before her seemed to help Nanalee envision just how dangerous and powerful this relic, and its paired guardian, really was. The skeletal flora and fauna nearby only made the danger seem that much more unfathomable and eerie. Back on the Salvager, she received at least verbal warnings of this place, but it was only by seeing it herself now, that she could comprehend their fears. Still, hesitation, especially because of something like fear, had never really been a trait of hers.

As talk shifted towards volunteers for relic retrieval, Nanalee was naturally very willing to go on an adventure in the depths of whatever mysterious wonderland lay before them, but even she felt that she wouldn't be a good pick for the job. Perhaps she was in a slightly better position than Ymir in terms of swimming, but her tendrils were still wholly out of her control. Just due to that alone, she would take up twice the sizes of the others to accommodate for it. In her normal form, it would be as if her wings were constantly furling and unfurling themselves... it wouldn't exactly be ideal for a stealth mission. Just imagining the scenario alone couldn't help but make her laugh a little though.

Leo was the first to volunteer, much to his mother's, uh, violent disapproval. Olivia turned quite terrifying in Nanalee's eyes, a far cry from the gentle and beautiful siren that had been chitchatting and strolling through the harmonious reefs with them so far. Nanalee's own mother was more of the soft-spoken and weak-hearted type, perhaps why the current scene was rather foreign and shocking to her. Fortunately, before the scene got big enough to warrant an intervention, a compromise was made, a relic retrieval team made up of Leo, Olivia and the second volunteer, Ashitaka.

"The three once-humans best at swimming huh. Sounds like a good team." If a bit big. She couldn't help but add internally, though she wasn't one to just dampen everyone's morale for fun. Unless Ymir was holding back information, the biggest danger of the chasm, at least to their knowledge, was the guardian waking up. In order to prepare for that potential run, or rescue, or battle scenario, Nanalee felt it only appropriate to start testing the limits of her abilities underwater before things go down. She was initially concerned about wasting her mana, after all Eiru seemed quite tuckered out after her show with Odyssey earlier, hence conserving battle power seemed important, but the current situation was too dangerous to continue playing it safe.

Ice floats does it not? How would it- "Eh." Nanalee's thoughts were cut off when she realized she had swirled a dense ball of... water? in her hands instead of a shard of ice. "This must be part of the blessing too..." She murmured quietly with a discreet sigh, though she couldn't help but mentally facepalm. If she knew her magic itself had changed, she would have started practicing much earlier...

Out of shock and mild fear, she mentally reached out to the spiritual realm, a place she had explored and played in ever since she was a child, and was extremely relieved to see that she still had access. Most curiously, she called a friend over to the mortal realm for both amusement and practice, and was surprised to see the blob of water in her hands flare a deep indigo for a moment, before two beady blue eyes popped out on the blob's head... If Nanalee was not acutely aware of the danger nearby, she would've definitely broken down in laughter. She almost did in the end, watching Bal try her best to swim around as nothing more than a water blob, but somehow managed to restrain herself.

For now, she continued lightly experimenting with her new water abilities and Bal's form whilst pondering the mission and what she could help with. "Ymir, if you're able to, can you keep us updated on the general situation?" She inquired quite casually. Nanalee retained the naturally excellent eyesight of her harpy heritage, but things tend to blur quite easily underwater. Ymir would likely be a much better lookout in their case, though she didn't want her to exhaust her mana watching them with her magic. Regardless, Nanalee would continue to keep a wary eye out as best she could.

 

[RatKing]

Ruvo Steelfeather
Location: Crater Edge
Mentions: Uasal BakaTheIdiot Key of Stars Sylph SilverFeathers
​

"It feels vaguely similar and familiar... but also not at the same time. I imagine this is what it would feel like to learn an off-branch of your usual fighting style, or maybe for you guys, a new style of swordsmanship or a new way to play your instrument. The general gist of it is similar and some skills transfer over, but the foundations are inherently different..."

"Huh, like a new way to play my instrument..." he said thinking about that comparison. So flight felt somewhat like swimming but maybe only in the sense you could move in any direction like in the air, the two still differed on a more fundamental level. Maybe he really should give his air affinity more practice, then maybe he attempt some rudimentary flight just to see what its like.

----------------------------------------------------------

It took some time, but eventually the group stopped not far from their destination. Before them was the edge of a precipice leading down to the inky darkness below. Eiru had mentioned feeling the presence of the spear as well as its guardian nearby of which the latter detail wasn't that comforting, however, luck seemed to still be on their side as Ymir with their magic was able to determine that the relic's guardian was asleep. Now the only question to be answered was who would retrieve it. Leo was quick to volunteer which made sense as aside from Olivia he was definitely the best swimmer and he could likely get in and out quickly with minimal noise. However, it seemed that the poet's mother had other ideas as they were firmly against letting the son they had only just gotten back go off alone into a dangerous abyss. Ruvo couldn't blame Olivia for feeling how she did, he was pretty sure any mother would have their reservations letting their child going off to do something dangerous, after all there is nothing quite like not knowing if your child is safe to make a parent worry. He'd bet that his own mother would of done something similar if they were here. Either way it seemed the two were able to come to a compromise, if Leo was going then so was Olivia and one other making for a group of three in total.

Ruvo thought for a moment should he join the two? His magic would surely be useful for sneaking past a slumbering guardian but with his instrument in disrepair for all he knew he may only have the ability to use it as magical focus once before it completely falls apart if at all. Perhaps then it would be best to stay behind and save his magic in case of an emergency. While Ruvo mulled over his options Ashitaka volunteered both because he was the next most proficient swimmer and because he wanted to contribute meaningfully in the retrieval of the relic. Just like Nanalee said the three seemed to be their best team, though something did come to mind.

"Well that makes for three, though didn't you tell us that we shouldn't touch the relic back on the Scavenger Eiru?" he asked the witch. Ruvo wasn't sure exactly what made this relic so powerful or why it needed an ancient guardian to watch over it in the depths of the ocean, but he figured that its power might be great enough to be harmful just to hold and touch.

 

[Uasal]

?Eiru Eagna?
?Gold Rank Support?
Status: Cursed- 'Wraith of The Fae'

Spoiler: Attributes

Strength: 500
Intelligence: 1075
Agility:20
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: -500
Fortitude:0

While everyone else was busy discussing who exactly would be venturing into the abyss in search of the relic, Eiru remained at the cliff edge. Her focus had not shifted since their arrival, and the longer the group remained the further it seemed the witch drifted mentally away from herself. Snapping back to reality only when she heard mention of the Fae, Eiru turned to the group only to find herself the sudden target of some serious animosity and quite a rude finger-point. Eyes following the finger and then shifting to Olivia's own, Eiru's eyes sharpened and a sinister grin began to form on her face, eyes flashing a subtle red yet again "Oh? Is the mother who left her family to ruin for but a taste of adventure telling her son not to do the same? You, humans, are so contradictory. My my my. Though you make a good point 'Siren'. This is my problem, I shall fetch the relic myself." Turning back to the cliff Eiru readied herself for the slow descent ahead of her "Siren, you'd do well to remember your place. That boy may have been your son in a past life but as you are now? You are but a guide. Do not interfere with my mission. Try to undermine my command again and this pleasant reunion with your spawn will end far sooner than you may have hoped. Your job here is done. Do not make me dismiss you."


Returning her focus to the abyss Eiru floated slowly outward until she had cleared the jagged edge. Turning her attention back to the group Eiru let out a soft sigh "Ymi...Seer, you're in charge until I return. Do not let anyone follow me. No matter what happens, do not intervene. Tá mo dheirfiúracha ag fanacht. Caithfidh mé deifir." And with that, the little witch was off. Descending into the darkness was less than pleasant for the witch, every movement brought her closer to her target yet with each stroke of her tail the journey became harder and harder to bear. The jagged edges of the abyss soon became shrowded in black and the warmth of the reef was soon replaced with a hollowing chill. A chill that was accompanied by nothing, quite literally nothing, silence, true void. Glancing back after reaching the halfway point Ymir had cautioned about, the witch could hardly make out the friends she had left behind, the jagged walls she had been so carefully avoiding, or even the sound of whales crying. There was nothing here. And in this nothingness, the little witch felt scared.

Horrified.


With a sudden pulse of deep purple light erupting from the cliff face, Eiru quickly turned to face back toward her goal. The light enveloped her and although she could vividly see the mana of the spear manifesting as such, it was unlikely anyone else had the magical prowess to share in the experience. Laying deep within the walls of the abyss before her was a large Temple much like the one the group had originally set foot in, but this one seemed far older and grander in scope. Surrounding the temple was a courtyard of marble that was joined with the abyss walls. Ornate statues stood throughout the area and indeed the very walls that lined the abyss seemed to be carved out and made into a fortress of some kind that stretched downward right to where Eiru had been warned was a point of no return. To think such a bastion would be so empty. What the witch now saw were the true effects the relic had had on the Siren civilisation and just how powerful it really was to drive them from their grand and awe-inspiring abyss fortress. Though as the group already knew, not all had left the scene, there was one who remained. Stirring in its slumber a great serpent many times larger than the one previously fought coiled itself around a large pillar that supported a watchtower to the front of the temple. Its body was cut and battered from many years of combat, one eye gashed and fangs easily large enough to tear a ship in two. The beast that lay slumbering below the witch was indeed a calamity-level threat. A monster that could combat a nation in its prime.


Continuing downward Eiru was careful to avoid the serpent, her small figure and current lack of mana making such very easy for her. Like a mouse she scampered from side to side, moving from cover to cover until eventually, she had made her way into the temple. Once inside Eiru's eyes began to glow red yet again and a sudden wave of pain washed over her, forcing her to the ground in agony. But it eventually passed and the witch pushed forward to alter and finally to the spear in question. Taking a hold of the spear took quite some pumping up but after a silent pep talk, Eiru took it in her hand and then. Well, then everything went black.

-
-
-

Back atop the abyss, Eiru had been gone for what must have been an hour by now. Ymir however could tell the serpent had yet to awaken. Not a single sign of the little witch returning let alone succeeding could be found but then all of a sudden the entire seafloor began to violently shake and a sudden rush of powerful and condensed mana could be felt washing over the area, corrupted and twisted mana that would make even the most experienced of mages feel suddenly ill at the thought. Eiru had achieved her goal, she had taken back the legendary spear that was 'The Gae Bulg' and in doing so she had awakened it from its slumber. Naturally, all sea life in the area began to flee at great speeds, zipping past the group and even toward predators in an attempt to get as far from the abyss as possible. Though for some it was already too late. The spear had corrupted them and they were now slaying one another, friend and foe alike. Frenzy was spreading rapidly among them all and even one of the great whales that had passed by could now be spotted taking on one of the smaller whales in its pack. It was a bloodbath and the group was surrounded by it all.

Rising from the depths soon after, Eiru could finally be spotted with the weapon in hand. Though upon closer inspection the witch had drastically changed in appearance. With her eyes now a deep scarlet red and having grown considerably taller Eiru seemed to have stepped through a time warp, going from a child-like being to a late teen in but an hour. Not to mention it seemed her legs had returned to normal and her blessing revoked. Most notably to some however would be that her hat had been left behind, something completely unheard of in all her years in the guild. Even though her appearance had changed, it was most certainly her. There was no mistaking it.

With another whale choosing to flee from the frenzy it happened to move in the witch's direction and in a split second the beast was slashed cleanly in two. The whole act happened faster than many could comprehend and only those who had a keen eye for blades would have been able to tell it was but a subtle flick made by Eiru and her new spear that had caused such. "Trespassers in these lands shall be made examples of. Do not expect mercy or easy death. Surrender peacefully now and I may allow your bodies to be returned to your homes."​

 

[Sylph]

Ymir
Location: Crater Edge
Mentions: Uasal Key of Stars SilverFeathers RatKing BakaTheIdiot ​

Leo didn't take long to put himself forward as a volunteer. On the one hand it made sense--he was one of the better swimmers out of them, but she was more exhasperated by the fact that he would probably do so regardless. And she just knew he was laughing at her predicament when she wasn't looking. The wisecrack had been way too quiet about it-

"Absolutely not!"

Ymir blinked, peering around Leo to where Olivia was looking quite a bit fiercer than she had before. All the playful lines and mischievous smiles were gone from her expression, though Ymir was lost for a moment as to what she meant.

"You're not going, and that's final!"

Ah. Of course.

Ymir backpeddled when Olivia grabbed ahold of Leo, retreating a safe distance from the display of emotion. It had been a while since Leo and his mother had had their unexpected reunion, but it wasn't like either had been given time to sit down and really process it. Instead they were headed for what could be certain death, still with so many things left unsaid.

"This isn't your problem Leonard. Don't do something stupid. Someone else can do it-"

"Oh? Is the mother who left her family to ruin for but a taste of adventure telling her son not to do the same?"

Goddamnit Eiru. Ymir slowly inched away from the confrontation as Eiru once again proved her lack of tact knew no bounds. It wasn't her usual brand of chaos, granted. Eiru was blunt, but not usually so callous. The situation had them all on edge, though to Olivia's credit she had been holding it together quite well until that point. There was only so much one parent could take of their son calmly insisting they were going to swim away and possibly never return.

"You're not going to lose me, I'll come right back."

"I can't trust that, that's exactly what I told you when I left."

Ahah, at least Olivia was wise to the sort of empty platitudes people said when they were trying to be reassuring. Leo probably learned his best tricks from her, so of course they would work-

"I remember. But you've done so much more than that, you taught me to never abandon a friend in need. I haven't and won't ever forget those words-"

Olivia must have been quite an adventurer, once upon a time. Before she got stuck in the waters as a siren. If she'd been around longer, Ymir wondered, would Leo have ended up joining the Guild at all?

The thought fled from her mind as Ymir felt something cold and clammy touch her arm, beginning to wrap around it. Her second sight flashed to life in a heartbeat, though she didn't recognise who it was at first, having gotten used to identifying them by the wings that took up nearly twice the space they needed to. Ymir slowly calmed her beating heart as she realised it was a friend, raising a hand to gingerly pull away the stray limb wrapping around her arm. It didn't seem like Nanalee had intended it, Ymir had just drifted too close while edging away from Leo and his mothers' conversation.

"Fine, I realize won't be able to change your mind. But-" Ymir looked over to see Olivia pointing at her and nearly died a second time before they gestured to include the rest of the group. "At least one of them is coming with you. And so am I."

Like hell it's gonna be me. Her mother certainly hadn't driven home the 'never leave a friend behind lesson'. That was a sentiment meant for family, and even then-

"I can go." Ashitaka spoke up, delivering a response he seemed to have been thinking over for some time. The swordsman gave the impression of someone who chose his words carefully, which Ymir was grateful for considering the volatile situation.

"The three once-humans best at swimming huh. Sounds like a good team." Ymir glanced over from where she hovered at a polite distance, only to pause as she saw something gathering in Nanalee's hands. It wasn't long until two comically round eyes appeared at the top, resemblings some kind of blue, mishhapen... frog? Or those stinging, transparent things floating past that Olivia had specified not to touch. "Ymir-" Ymir blinked, realising she was being addressed. "If you're able to, can you keep us updated on the general situation?"

"...Yeah," she managed, trying to pretend as if she hadn't been quietly endeared by the one thing she'd seen so far that seemed worse at swimming than her. "It's still within range."

It seemed as if a plan was coming together for them, hopeless as it all seemed. Even Ruvo, probably the most careful of them all despite being a bard, voiced his quiet assent. "Well that makes for three, though didn't you tell us that we shouldn't touch the relic back on the Scavenger Eiru?"

Of course, they'd all been forgetting one thing. Eiru remained eerily quiet. Pale and small as she hovered over the edge of the great expanse.

"You, humans, are so contradictory," the witch said eventually. Ymir frowned at the distant tone, as if they were sneering, and resigned herself to the fact this wasn't about to go how any of them intended. True the witch had more to lose than any of them here--the artifact did belong to her people--but was it so much to ask that she considered playing along for once? Not going off on whatever... tirade she had started. "That boy may have been your son in a past life but as you are now? You are but a guide. Do not interfere with my mission-"

A couple of things fell into place as Ymir began to refocus on what she'd been learning about using her fins. Scenarios about how all this was going to play out. They could knock Eiru out and drag her back to the boat--Ymir would find a vindictive amount of satisfaction in seeing how the witch reacted to that. But it seemed this artifact really did need to be removed from the waters. Rather urgently, given they had a pirate lord and his crew hanging about the area.

"Ymi...Seer-" Eiru turned to face them, her gaze a sharp vermilion. "You're in charge until I return. Do not let anyone follow me. No matter what happens, do not intervene. Tá mo dheirfiúracha ag fanacht. Caithfidh mé deifir."

Ymir watched as Eiru disappeared over the edge. That was that then. Given the weapon belonged to Eiru's people it was certainly her call to make, but it was difficult to predict what the others' thoughts would be of the sudden change in plans. Perhaps Olivia was relieved her son was no longer swimming into danger--though Ymir had an inkling that despite her earlier words, the Siren wouldn't completely agree with sending Eiru into the abyss alone. Leo was bound to realise something was amiss, to say nothing of the others.

A good friend would probably go drag her back up here, Ymir quietly considered. The idea still had merit. Eiru wasn't in any sort of condition to fight them and she was far from the fastest swimmer. But the fact remained, they still needed to retrieve the weapon, and given how Eiru had acted there was a good chance she had information on the weapon she wasn't sharing with the rest of them.

"Olivia," Ymir said, once Eiru had dived out of ear reach. "Do you know of any natural fortifications in the landscape nearby? I'd like to be at least a hundred yards away from whatever calamity she's going for this time."

---

They'd have about an hour to prepare for whatever disaster awaited, whether it be sea serpents, pirates, or the weapon itself.

As the voice belonging to Eiru rang out across the ocean floor, twisting the minds of those it touched, it would be up to the group to decide where they would await the terrible confrontation.

 

[Key of Stars]

Olivia Hower
Location: Crater Edge
Mentions: Sylph Uasal RatKing SilverFeathers BakaTheIdiot
​

"Oh? Is the mother who left her family to ruin for but a taste of adventure telling her son not to do the same? You, humans, are so contradictory. My my my. Though you make a good point 'Siren'. This is my problem, I shall fetch the relic myself." Olivia whipped around, eyes filled with rage. "What would you know of my life?! You probably don't even know what it's like to have someone you love!" She shouted at the fae. "Siren, you'd do well to remember your place. That boy may have been your son in a past life but as you are now? You are but a guide. Do not interfere with my mission. Try to undermine my command again and this pleasant reunion with your spawn will end far sooner than you may have hoped. Your job here is done. Do not make me dismiss you." Olivia laughed dryly. "Remember my place? Perhaps you should remember yours, if Odyssey desired it you would have died without being able to raise as much as a finger in retaliation."

"You may be a fae but if I still had my old magic I would have shown just who you are dealing with. You want to dismiss me, try it, you bitch." Olivia shouted, raising her hand in anger, pushing Leonidas' calming hand away from her shoulder. "I don't even need magic to beat you." She might have actually launched herself at Eiru if Leonidas didn't wrap his hand around her waist and physically held her back. "Mom! Just let it go, there is something not right with her!" Leonidas said, struggling to keep his mother under control. The Eiru he knew could be tactless and rather blunt but this, no, this was going way beyond that. There was no way Eiru would ever say something like that under normal circumstances. Her referring to Ymir as Seer immediately after just confirmed his suspicions.

He glanced at Ymir, catching her eyes. They really shouldn't let Eiru go alone, if at all. He nodded to her, releasing his mother from his grip, about to swim after Eiru, only for it to be Olivia who held him back this time. "Not this time. I'm serious this time"

"Olivia, Do you know of any natural fortifications in the landscape nearby? I'd like to be at least a hundred yards away from whatever calamity she's going for this time." Olivia nodded, still firmly holding a weakly struggling Leonidas. "There is a small underwater cave nearby, it's hidden between two cliffs, you wouldn't have an easy time finding it if you didn't know where it was exactly."

"But," She said, expression completely serious. "If you ask me, you all should give up on that fae and flee to the surface. I'm not just saying that because of what just happened, I truly think that is the best course of action." She said, releasing Leonidas who had finally stopped struggling. "Of course, I don't expect you to give up. But, it's up to you."

Wyck Allister
Location: In front of Odyssey's temple
Mentions: -​

Wyck was pacing around in front of the large stone door. "Have you useless bunch still not found a way in?" He spat at his crew, stepping up to the door before clenching his hand into a fist and smashing it into the door at full strength. He stepped back, shaking his hand, more so in annoyance than in pain, the door hadn't sustained as much as a single scratch. "I don't think force is going to work." One of the currently present members of Wyck's crew remarked quietly.

Wyck turned to face the undead, a blackish-gray flame dancing across his fingers. "You think I can't see that?" He said, voice completely calm, before swiftly swinging at the cliff face next to the man's head, completely shattering a large part of it. "Say something stupid again and that'll be you." Wyck bit out, crushing a piece of rock he pulled out from the cliff face in his hand using a combination of his raw strength and decay magic.

"What the hell are all of you useless sacks of shit staring at?" He threw the fine dust that remained of the rock he crushed earlier at the members of his crew who had stopped working and were observing the earlier exchange. "Get back to work, you all better figure it out before I attempt punching it again with this." He said, holding a small silver ring adorned with a small cobalt moon between his fingers. Most of the members of his crew gulped, returning to work immediately, the moment Wyck put on that ring their lives were basically as good as over, they'd be lucky to escape with just a missing limb or two.

Just as Wyck's patience was wearing thin a booming voice rang out. "Trespassers in these lands shall be made examples of. Do not expect mercy or easy death. Surrender peacefully now and I may allow your bodies to be returned to your homes." The crew members stopped working and looked around. "Did you hear that captain? It sounded like it came from down below." Normally, Wyck would have probably punched the guy asking until he couldn't stand for even suggesting he might not have heard it but the captain of the final tomb was already walking over to the edge of the sea. "Of course I did, you think I'm deaf?"

"I'm going in." He said, pointing down at the sea. "Do you need us to come with you?" Another one of the crewmembers asked. Wyck scoffed. "I don't need any of you useless deadweights along, you're temporarily in charge while I'm gone." He pointed at the one crew member who hadn't said anything yet. "Don't get any funny ideas though, I'd rather rip off my entire arm than make any of you my right hand." He said, jumping into the water below.

 

[RatKing]

Ruvo Steelfeather
Location: Underwater Cave
Mentions: Sylph Uasal Key of Stars BakaTheIdiot SilverFeathers
​

It had seemed that Eiru was deep in thought as the witch only started participating in the conversation when they were directly addressed. Though her response was a tad more aggressive and mean spirited than he had expected but that may just be due to the stress of having the responsibility for retrieving the spear coupled with the comments made by Olivia. What really made Ruvo concerned was that the witch had wanted to delve into the darkness alone. He would of voiced his concerns that it was too dangerous but Eiru was already putting Ymir in charge before quickly swimming off. For now he could only let out a sigh and hope for the best. He knew the witch was without a doubt the most magically skilled out of the guild members present on the expedition, but he still didn't like the idea of trying to recover the relic alone. Especially since they had neglected to answer his question about their comment about not touching the spear.

"Olivia, do you know of any natural fortifications in the landscape nearby? I'd like to be at least a hundred yards away from whatever calamity she's going for this time." The question seemed to come out of nowhere for a moment, before Ruvo realized why it was being asked. If the guardian were to awaken and chase Eiru out from the abyss then they would need some place safer and more defensible than the open water. "There is a small underwater cave nearby, it's hidden between two cliffs, you wouldn't have an easy time finding it if you didn't know where it was exactly." That was certainly good news that there was a relatively safer place to wait for Eiru's return. "But, if you ask me, you all should give up on that fae and flee to the surface. I'm not just saying that because of what just happened, I truly think that is the best course of action. Of course, I don't expect you to give up. But, it's up to you." The bard could certainly understand Olivia's less than favorable opinion of the witch at the moment given their exchange but he had already made up his mind.

"I think your expectations may be correct. This whole adventure here on Siren's Watch has been wild and frightening, but I can't just give up and abandon a guild member. We still have a job to do even if my instrument is ready to fall apart, so I'll be staying. What about the rest of you?" he asked trying to drum up as much courage as he could. "And uh... a-any ideas how to fight off any ancient guardian just in case we need to?"

 

[SilverFeathers]

Nanalee Imphon | Of Spiritual Snow
A curious explorer with a love for battle, adventure and power.​

• 1
• 2
• Notes

• 
• 
• Location
  At Sea - Siren's Watch - Hidden Underwater Cave
  Nearby(?): Ymir, Eiru, Leo, Ruvo & Ashitaka
  
  Mentions
  Sylph Uasal Key of Stars RatKing BakaTheIdiot

Something was wrong with Eiru. That much was obvious even to her, who had only barely met the tiny witch at the beginning of the expedition. With sparks flying and arguments re-surging, Nanalee merely kept a quiet eye on the figure floating motionlessly at the edge of the abyss. It was only once she was aggressively addressed by Olivia that she turned, revealing strange eyes that flashed a vivid crimson. It was so brief that she wondered if she had imagined it for a moment, but Nanalee rarely doubted her eyes.

There was a lot that she had suddenly learned about Eiru in a short span of time. She was not only a powerful gold-ranked witch, but a fae princess and heir of a kingdom. Silently watching her venture into the darkness alone without waiting for anyone else, Nanalee couldn't help but wonder whether the little prankster they usually talked to was her true personality, or whether it was just a mask to hide this other side of her.

Leo's efforts to stop the witch were once again thwarted by his mother, though on the other hand, it seemed Ymir had already moved on and accepted Eiru's sudden departure. Seeing as one of the closest to Eiru had just let her go and was already preparing to find a defensive landmark, it seemed there was faith that she would return alive regardless of the danger. Nanalee wasn't particularly close to Eiru, or anyone here for that matter, so she just chose to continue to play the part of a bystander and observe the happenings.

"Rather than fight, I think we're better off giving our all fleeing and finding an escape route. By the sounds of it, we're heavily outclassed here." She spoke up in response to Ruvo as she swam around idly, thinking the only one really suitable for this side mission being Eiru herself. The rest of them really weren't on the same level.

Realizing her tendrils had fanned out all over the place and had likely bothered the others, she quickly coiled them up as she headed towards the underwater cavern described by both Ymir and Olivia. They could only play the game of 'wait-and-see' now, which was Nanalee's original intention regardless, though the group of three had abruptly transformed into just one Eiru.

Nanalee could say that her swimming had improved by leaps and bounds, it was still a far cry from her usual prowess in the air. She did not truly trust her underwater manoeuvrability in a proper battle situation, hence during the waiting game, she practiced using her water magic for quick propulsions and turns, alongside giving her spiritual companions better forms. By the time the earth started shaking and she grew nauseous from the horrific mana rush, she had three fanged fish-like companions, Ael(red), Bal(blue) and Fie(green).

---

More than the sudden trembling of the seafloor, the wave of powerful mana that brought only twisted, corrupted energy with it made Nanalee violently ill. Perhaps it was because she was particularly in tune with her mana and magic at the moment, having practiced with it thoroughly for the past hour, that it affected her so badly. The last time she had thrown up was who knows how many years ago, so the pain and disgust this time around felt particularly vivid.

Forcing herself to recover quickly considering the situation, she peeked out of the cavern cautiously only to see swarms of sealife viciously biting at each other in a violent bloody mess. The sea was slowly being dyed crimson around them, but at its very center was a familiar floating figure rising peacefully from the abyss, spear in hand.

Though her appearance had changed drastically, anyone could tell that was Eiru.

But with just one glance, Nanalee froze, likely for a completely different reason than everyone else. An indescribable rush of emotions flooded through her, as memories she would rather forget took over her mind.

"It's too familiar."

She whispered silently, watching the small possessed figure wield her unfathomable power with silent aggression, splitting a whale so easily in two. A vague sense of danger, like warning bells, rang in her mind. But strangely, she couldn't move at all, still stuck in that memory from years passed. If in her usual state, she would already be brainstorming ways to recover Eiru or how to immobilize her. But the flashbacks continually occupied her mind, so much so that she couldn't think of anything else.

"I know. But now isn't the time. Think later, let's go."

Fie's familiar soothing voice resounded in her mind, slowly but surely pulling her back to reality. Noticing Ael and Bal swimming around her with concern though they did not share the memory, she finally regained her smile and stopped trembling. Slapping herself on the cheeks, she quickly located the others and propelled herself over to them with a swift burst of water magic.

"So, what's the plan Seer?"

Though still shaken up, Nanalee still recalled that Eiru had left Ymir in charge in her absence. Hence, she assumed that she knew more about what the heck was going on than anyone else here. She didn't think Eiru had seen them yet, but, if she could cut that whale up so easily using that corrupted relic, who's to say she couldn't to the same to the cavern and cliffs around them?

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Ashitaka IV
Location: Crater Edge
Mentions: SilverFeathers Sylph RatKing Key of Stars
​

To surmise what had transpired in the next few minutes in just a single sentence, a simple phrase came to mind: Eiru was an enigma. Before his offer could even be considered, Ashitaka - and the rest of the group, so it seemed - were left awestruck as Eiru, with a small handful of snide remarks, took off without them, leaving both he and Leo essentially eating her dust... or bubbles. Both worked. "...Though you make a good point 'Siren'. This is my problem, I shall fetch the relic myself. Ymi...Seer, you're in charge until I return. Do not let anyone follow me. No matter what happens, do not intervene. Tá mo dheirfiúracha ag fanacht. Caithfidh mé deifir."

That, frankly, was a bad idea, but it was too late to protest: she was long gone by now, down into the crater. Ashitaka made an initial effort to tail, but only got as far as the crater before halting. Offering some small curses in his mother tongue under his breath, there was no use resisting it. Eiru made her decision. So, he returned to the group. The last thing he managed to overhear before his companion went off the rails was something along the lines of Ymir being in charge. While he didn't disagree - Ymir had more experience than most of the group, and certainly more experience than he - Ashitaka still felt uneasy. This was the second time just today that the witch had stormed off with hardly a word.

He had never heard that language before. He only hoped that it wasn't hostile.

"Olivia, do you know of any natural fortifications in the landscape nearby? I'd like to be at least a hundred yards away from whatever calamity she's going for this time."
"There is a small underwater cave nearby, it's hidden between two cliffs, you wouldn't have an easy time finding it if you didn't know where it was exactly."

What was that?

"But, if you ask me, you all should give up on that fae and flee to the surface. I'm not just saying that because of what just happened, I truly think that is the best course of action." For once, retreat felt less like running away and more like a genuine option. The more he dwelled on it, the more outclassed he felt, realizing just how out of his depth he really was. Last time the idea of running off was brought up, Ashitaka strongly protested - now he wasn't so sure. Just how powerful was this witch? And what was this calamity Ymir was talking about? Perhaps it was better not to stick around and find out. Maybe they didn't have a choice.

"This whole adventure here on Siren's Watch has been wild and frightening, but I can't just give up and abandon a guild member." In a shocking display of courage, Ruvo was actually standing his ground and advocating to stay. How interesting, perhaps Ashitaka had underestimated his avian friend. "And uh... a-any ideas how to fight off any ancient guardian just in case we need to?" It couldn't be that hard to fight a guardian, could it? Just the same as any other fight... well, except in the water. No matter, not important. "Rather than fight, I think we're better off giving our all fleeing and finding an escape route. By the sounds of it, we're heavily outclassed here." Yet another call to flee. That was two for two against, if Ymir's suggestion even counted as wanting to stay - she seemed more than reluctant. He couldn't speak for Leo, but judging that both he and Ashitaka tried to follow Eiru, he didn't seem eager to leave yet.

"We're wasting time." He said that mostly to himself, although he wasn't thinking about the volume of his voice, so he continued. "If we're going to hide and fortify, then we need to leave now. Every second spent here at this edge is a second wasted." He addressed everyone. "If we made a break for the surface, sure, we could make it, but then what? Unless somebody has a better idea, we can at least wait out... whatever it is we're expecting, at the caves. I'm with Ymir on this one - I just hope you're making the right play."

 

[Sylph]

Ymir
Location: Ocean Floor
Mentions: BakaTheIdiot Key of Stars Uasal RatKing SilverFeathers ​

Ymir stared at the large, unsettling rock before her, and wondered not for the first time why things in the ocean grew in such strange ways. It was like a giant, disgusting flower without any petals. Or a colony of mushrooms. Her theory on coral being sea fungi grew ever more compelling.

The mouth of the cave yawned behind her--one of the many entrances to the cave system they'd found. The original spot Olivia suggested hadn't been enough, Ymir decided. It was hidden well enough, but there was only one entrance, and no other way out. It cost them precious time, but the place they'd found had been far more promising.

Satisfied that the brain coral wasn't about to obstruct one of the exits to the cave, she navigated up and out of the small crater with the careful flap of her fins, back to where the rest of the group gathered around the graveyard of bone. Even so far from the rest of the reef it was brimming with life, corals swaying with the bustling schools of fish. It was, dare she say... pretty. An oasis in the midst of this underwater desert.

...that made sense. It did.

She returned to the rough map she'd been drawing for the rest of the group, painstakingly, might she add, since sand was too easily scattered by the careless kick of a wing. She'd taken to carving into the algae on one of the protruding bones. Marking the narrow passages with which caves were safe to use and which to avoid due to unholy abominations. Most of the caverns were long and narrow. Perfect for escaping any large predators, but contained enough you wouldn't be easily lost in them. Navigating without a light would be the hardest part for others, though if all went well they wouldn't even need to use the cave she'd marked as the gathering point--

Of course, when did things ever go well for them?

The ground shook as their peaceful oasis turned to hellish carnage. The fish that had been swimming peacefully amidst the cage of bone turned upon each other and on them. She swatted away several sharp lines of teeth before sending the whole lot spiralling away with a gust of water. As soon as she wasn't in immediate danger of being bitten she turned her attention to the distant threat of the crater. They were far enough that the colossal form of the whales were no larger than a shark, but even there the chilling voice reached them.

"Trespassers in these lands shall be made examples of."

"Do not expect mercy or easy death."

"Surrender peacefully now and I may allow your bodies to be returned to your homes."

"So, what's the plan Seer?"

Ymir blinked from her stupor, glancing over upon hearing the title Eiru had addressed her by. Now was hardly the time to contemplate what her thoughts were on being addressed by that instead of her name. The serene sea floor had been turned into a scene of carnage.

"Stay out of sight," she said. "Retreat into the caves if you need." Given the enemy coming after them wasn't a giant sea monster, the narrow passages might not be advantageous as she thought, but it was the best they had. Turning back to the rough map she'd made, she dashed the rest of the unintelligible algae away and hoped the others had been given enough of a change to memorise and explore them.

Movement from the corner of her eye revealed the grotesque appendages emerging from a cavern higher up. The 'no-go' cave, as she had called it. At the very least, the emerging horror might be a distraction for any enemies. Ymir had zero hopes that whatever malevolent force was possessing Eiru wasn't already searching the area for signs of magic. Her gaze drifted to the floating apparitions near Nanalee, frowning at the sight. "I'd send those away too, unless you want to be found first. She'll be looking for signs of magic in the area."

Mercy, how did she always manage to underestimate the destruction one measly fae could cause? Keep her second sight on the figure in the distance, Ymir retreated into the cover of the bones and thicket of ocean foliage. Hoping, for now, that it would be enough to keep an eye on things.

 

[Uasal]

?Eiru Eagna?
?Gold Rank Support?
Status: Cursed- 'Wraith of The Fae'

Spoiler: Attributes

Strength: 500
Intelligence: 1075
Agility:20
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: -500
Fortitude:0

Despite being completely submerged in the murky waters Eiru walked as though she were on land, stepping forward, up and down with effortless ease as opposed to gliding or
swimming. It in itself was a feat of great power when one considered just how dense the water was and how effortlessly she twirled her spear from hand to hand. Now standing back where she had originally departed from Eiru found herself alone, standing above a deep and dark abyss with nothing but space all around her. The party had fled and now all that seemed to remain were those creatures caught up within the spheres sphere of influence. With a wandering gaze, Eiru inspected the area around her, watching with a sullen expression as the waters around her slowly stained red with blood.

Many had already perished, many were still fighting strong and indeed many were just waiting now for the embrace of death having been maimed or tired to the brink of exhaustion with no means of escape. Carnage perfectly described the situation at hand. Raising her newfound spear up and over her head Eiru's eyes began to glow a deep red and after a few seconds, a burst of mana erupted from the spear and filled the area once again. Those already influenced would fall deeper into frenzy and those not yet affected would feel the corrupting wave wash over them. For the party, only a deep and twisted sickening feeling would affect those most in tune with magic and to those not in in tune with magic at all, they were safe at that distance. Yet this pulse served a purpose aside from that. Yes, indeed this pulse was Eiru means to detect magical signs in the area, like a sonar blast of magic energy waiting to react with another source. And detect it did.

Like a hawk Eirus eyes immediately shot to the party's cave entrance and like a predator staring down its prey, her eyes pierced the dark veil that was the distance between them. Were anyone foolish enough to peer back they would be tranced and rooted in place with fear of a very realistic illusionary death. Anyone caught up in the illusion would witness first-hand what kind of dreadful and twisted death would await them should they challenge the witch and any the phantom pain of such an event would be severe. Though luckily for them the witch sensed she had a bigger fish to fry and her gaze quickly turned toward the undead who was very rapidly closing the distance.

Bringing the spear back to her side, Eiru turned to face the approaching figure. Her gaze would not affect the undead and neither would the spear's effects. With that in mind Eiru readied a rune with her free hand and spoke out like before. Her voice carried on for miles "It seems a single death is not enough for some. You dare to trespass in these blessed waters? Dare to face my wraith and the wraith of my people? You are a filthy undead, you sully the waters of this great nation. I will free you from your shackles and return you to the arms of nature herself. Rejoice!"

Raising her hand Eiru released the rune she had been preparing, her eyes flashing a bright red in response to her forbidden casting "Chaos". With the rune now visible and empowered it quickly dissolved into the water and no sooner had it vanished than the water began to warp. Like honey, the water became sticky and dense. Slowing all movements in the area and practically rooting the smaller sea life in the area completely still. Fortunately, it hadn't turned out to be too catastrophic of a result but with Eiru readying the spell again as well as her spear. Things were about to get a lot more chaotic.​

 

[RatKing]

Ruvo Steelfeather
Location: Ocean Floor
Mentions: SilverFeathers BakaTheIdiot Sylph Uasal Key of Stars
​

"Rather than fight, I think we're better off giving our all fleeing and finding an escape route. By the sounds of it, we're heavily outclassed here." What? That certainly wasn't the response he was hoping for. Granted Ruvo was no fool, with all the warnings about the spear, the island, and the pirate lord he had no doubt that they were woefully outmatched when it came to maneuverability in the water, raw physical strength, or even magical aptitude. Still though hearing that Nanalee preferred to run away despite being a capable combatant put a damper on the bard's already waning burst of courage.

"We're wasting time. If we're going to hide and fortify, then we need to leave now. Every second spent here at this edge is a second wasted." It seemed the swordsman was also electing to stay so long as they moved somewhere safer. Perhaps this could be a compromise they could all agree on. "If we made a break for the surface, sure, we could make it, but then what? Unless somebody has a better idea, we can at least wait out... whatever it is we're expecting, at the caves. I'm with Ymir on this one - I just hope you're making the right play." He had a fair counter point, if they fled then their journey to Siren's Watch and all the work they put in to get to this spot would of been a waste. At the very least they could relocate and hope Eiru returned unharmed and with spear reclaimed.

--------------------------------------

They had eventually found themselves arriving at their spot of refuge. It was different from the spot Olivia initially had in mind since at least according to Ymir the first cave only had the one entrance while this new one was more ideal in case of a retreat. The new spot was also a sort of oasis amongst the dreary gray terrain around it. The vibrant fish and coral they had once seen before were abundant here nestled around the skeletal remains of something truly massive. If the situation wasn't so tense this may have been a lovely place to look around and explore. A map was quickly drawn before them by scraping away the algae growing on the bone protrusions around them. Ruvo had to admit Ymir was quite the capable artist, it couldn't have been easy to create a map that conveyed the layout of the area and caves around them while underwater and using algae as parchment. With the group together a semblance of a plan was coming to fruition, they could use the tunnels and caves to stay out of the reach of any large sea guardian while potentially still having the space to launch a counterattack back. Though exactly what that counterattack may be was not yet clear but they at least had a way to stay safe.

Then it was as if the world around them shook.

Fish around them darted away while others suddenly and violently began to attack and kill other fish in the vicinity. Then it hit him, a wave of mana washed over him. It was terribly nauseating and if he had knees to drop to this would of surely knocked him down on them. He had felt what it was like to experience a surge of mana back when they put the sea serpent to sleep, but this mana felt wrong. He didn't know how else to explain it in a more technical sense, but it was like if one tried to sing a song but cut out every other word or if they played a song in the wrong key. It simply was off in some fundamental way.

In the far distance, something rose from the abyss that the witch had delved in. It clearly wasn't a gargantuan ancient guardian like he had been dreading and from a glance it certainly looked Eiru especially considering the figure had a spear in hand, but much like the mana surge something was off. They no longer had the shape of a siren, they were taller than he had remembered, and perhaps most strikingly they were missing their iconic hat. Then before he could even register what had happened a whale that was unfortunate enough to flee in the witch's direction found itself cut in two.

This Was Terror.

"Trespassers in these lands shall be made examples of."

"Do not expect mercy or easy death."

"Surrender peacefully now and I may allow your bodies to be returned to your homes."

Whatever power Eiru now possessed invoked a terror in Ruvo that shook him to his core and caused him to freeze in fear. It was as if he could feel the witch staring them down taunting them with her immense strength and how easily they could kill any one of them. If the others were saying something Ruvo simply tuned it out not wanting to focus on anything but the looming threat. It wasn't until the witch turned their piercing gaze away or if one of the others checked on the avian bard that he would snap back to reality panickily gasping as if waking up from a nightmare.

 

[Key of Stars]

Wyck Allister

Mentions: Uasal
​

Wyck made his way across the seafloor to the source of the voice, making quick work of the few animals unlucky enough to have been deemed in his way. While his hands and face would normally undoubtedly have been covered in their blood the salty water of the sea washed it off just as quick as it appeared, leaving his skin pale and unblemished. As he approached he locked eyes with the figure of a small girl holding what he had been after all this time.

"It seems a single death is not enough for some. You dare to trespass in these blessed waters?" Wyck came to an abrupt halt on top of a large rock embedded in the seabed, expression warping into a twisted grin. "Blessed waters? Who cares about any of that. Get lost little girl, I might just leave it at a few broken limbs and crushed pride if you hand over that toy of yours quietly."

"Dare to face my wraith and the wraith of my people? You are a filthy undead, you sully the waters of this great nation. I will free you from your shackles and return you to the arms of nature herself. Rejoice!" Wyck quietly started laughing, a laugh that soon turned into a hollow booming laugh devoid of any actual joy. "You think people haven't tried that a thousand times over you dumb wench?" He bit out, slamming his foot down on the rock and cracking it in the process. "There's only a few in this world who can stand against me, and a dumb little broad like you is not among them. Still, I must thank you for sparing me the trouble of retrieving that tool myself." He said, pointing at the spear with a glint of greed in his eyes.

"Chaos" Wyck didn't move, scowling as the water around him warped and restricted his movements. He slowly raised his right arm, a blackish-gray glow akin to a flame roaring to life in the palm of his hand, jumping from his hand and enveloping the lord's body completely like armor, eating away at everything, including the water, oxygen and the rock Wyck was stood upon, in the vicinity. "Seems you've got a little more bite than I gave you credit for." He said with a wicked grin, a grin that faltered when the armor of decay he had formed around himself flickered in and out of existence, losing its clash against Eiru's much stronger magic. Eventually, he got the armor back under control, though the flames of decay flickered with a lessened intensity, occasionally allowing the water through, slowing the lord's inhuman movements to a more human level. "Enough with the petty tricks." He barked.

He smiled as she readied the spear. "That's more like it, show me exactly what it's capable of." He said, focusing entirely on the tip of the spear. "With that weapon in my possession, there will be no one but the gods who can stand against me. I'll be the one at the top of the world." He declared with a deranged grin. "And I'll start with wiping those who oppose me off the face of this earth, you might have the honor of being first but that bitch Melina and that brat Cynric will be especially satisfying."

"Can you picture it? A world where I am the one on top?" He said, readying his legs. "No need for kings, laws, politics or any other bullshit. A world where everyone can do whatever they damn well please. Evolution through carnage and bloodshed. Of course, you won't be living in it." He declared, lunging at Eiru like a beast at his prey. "Die!"