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Post by hoodwink on Nov 14, 2020 13:57:33 GMT -5
”Most likely they wouldn’t, if ‘exile’ means the same thing as I think it does…” Henoke sighed. It seemed that even if they found this ‘Sebastian’, their chances of returning them were slim to none. ”Finding him won’t be the tricky part—in fact, I have an idea as for what could’ve happened, but I won’t discuss it yet.” Henoke, Flounder and Doris all raised brows at Tori’s comment—all equally confused by it. She’s got an idea? Why was she being cagey about it, then? ”Truly, if it wouldn’t be too much of a bother…I’m sure His Highness would appreciate your assistance, with his guards so caught up in defending the area and tackling those monsters.” Doris seemed somewhat confused still but relieved that Tori and Henoke had apparently agreed to help their Kingdom. ”I think it’s best if we first report to those two—Jed and Elane, was it?” Henoke nodded, glad that they had a game plan, for now. The sudden mild display of ‘magic’ caused Doris and Flounder to stare in wonder, though Tori’s words caused Henoke to grimace a bit. ”Even if they don’t give it to us…I can still obtain it without much fuss.”
Tori’s powers were handy, in that regard…but something about her pitch sounded…villainous? More of the ‘rowdy Paladin’ type, the teen gave his friend a face that betrayed his conflicting emotions before shrugging it off. ”Alright. We can check in with ‘em first.” Looking back to Doris and Flounder, Henoke raised an eyebrow. ”What’re you two gonna do? Do you have somewhere safe to stay, ‘till we find Sebastian?” It seemed he was warming up to the locals, asking a surprisingly thoughtful question for him. ”Oh yes, dear. We’ll be fine, thank you.” Doris seemed somewhat doting now after his display of concern, ushering away his worries with a smile. ”Wait, I wanna help find Sebastian!” Flounder had a mild pout on his face, swimming up to Henoke with a plea. ”I can help! I know these waters the best! Ariel and I used to explore all over…”
Unsure, Henoke glanced over at Tori while Doris swam over to Flounder, trying to reign him back. ”Now now, Flounder. You wouldn’t want to get in their way, would you?” The Dolphin had a point; on one hand, it would be helpful to have a guide…but on the other, Tori had already pointed out, they weren’t in their ‘best form’. Not typically one to doubt his own capabilities, even Henoke had to acknowledge his own limitations after that last fight. It was only four of ‘em… On land, he’d taken on groups way larger than that without much issue. Underwater, he’d been pushed around and had to work twice as hard just to keep up. ”Tch—guess we should probably have you wait with Doris, Flounder…” He didn’t seem keen on it himself, his own face falling a bit as he scratched the back of his head. ”Just in case, y’know?” Flounder’s own face fell a bit, but he nodded in understanding. ”Fine…” Doris sighed in relief, turning back to Tori and Henoke while ushering Flounder along. ”Well, thank you again for everything. Come find us in the Grotto if you need anything—it seems safe in there, for now.”
With quick farewells, Doris and Flounder would depart, leaving Henoke and Tori alone once more in the vast Gorge. Sighing a bit, Henoke rested his hands behind his head, glancing up towards the ‘underwater sky’. ”Guess we should head to the Palace, then…” Oh shoot, how were they supposed to get there, again? Looking around, the teen noticed the trident markings scattered along the sea walls. ”Oh yeah…didn’t they mention these?” Swimming up to one of the golden markings, the teen followed the direction the trident points headed with his gaze. Sure enough, it gestured to one of the many small tunnel entrances that were pocketed throughout the Gorge. ”This way, I think?” Gesturing in the direction to Tori, Henoke began swimming, his pace still slower than hers but more controlled than before. It seemed he was slowly getting the hang of it, even if it was still weird to him.
Leading the way, the teen glanced at Tori over his shoulder with a quizzical look. "So, what's this 'idea' you've got?" He had noticed how she didn't want to discuss it in front of Doris and Flounder. Before they arrived at the Palace to meet with Jed and Elane, the teen figured it would be the best time to ask now. That, and he was curious, having no ideas of his own other than trying to find Sebastian and the Keyhole of this world.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 14, 2020 14:19:56 GMT -5
With a solid plan, Tori nodded, the mist in her hands dismissed as she crossed her arms gently. Flounder’s eagerness to join was appreciated, but the girl had already mentioned that they were still not too capable of fending for themselves, less keeping others safe. While Illusions would help in that regard, Tori was bound to waste too much energy if she ended up doing that.
She wanted to avoid being dead weight after some time, since Henoke was also still getting used to it.
“Thanks, Flounder” she said, calmly, “But, quite honestly, it’s better if you stick with Doris somewhere safe.”
With them now gone off to the Grotto, only Tori and Henoke remained, to make their way towards the Palace. The trident markings etched on the stone walls would help plenty to the two travelers as they explored the underwater world they were in. Tori made sure to stay besides Henoke, matching his pace as to not leave him behind, although she had to admit he was getting better at it, little by little.
Did that mean he was getting better at swimming, too? The thought was cut off as he asked what her idea was, bringing her to a more somber expression.
“Well… From what little I saw, I can straight up tell that whatever happened to this Sebastian wasn’t a coincidence —it’s far too perfect of a timing” she explained, “Flounder’s memories helped establish that a bit. This Sebastian isn’t someone who would suddenly ‘turn tyrant’, as Doris put it” Tori glanced over at Henoke, never stopping her swimming, “…How much, exactly, do you know of what the darkness is capable of? I’d like to make sure of that before I dive deeper into the topic.”
Still swimming, Tori waited for a reply. If he was even the slightest aware, he would probably pick up on her suspicions —and that alone wasn’t a good thing. If the darkness —or someone capable of manipulating it—had something to do with the situation at hand…
Then they were most likely cornered, due to their current fighting prowess. They would most likely struggle to fend them off.
That being said, Tori had explained that it wasn’t a solid theory —for all she knew, it could be completely wrong. The only way of figuring out whether she was right or not was to first find the person in question, and ask them about it all. If it came to a fight, then… Well, it would be inevitable that they would cross swords.
“…You’re getting better at this, aren’t you?” she mentioned nonchalantly, “I wonder if this’ll help you in actual swimming…?”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 14, 2020 15:32:46 GMT -5
”Well…from what little I saw, I can straight up tell that whatever happened to this Sebastian wasn’t a coincidence—it’s far too perfect of timing.” Ah, so that’s what she meant. Able to glimpse into others memories, Tori had been able to see an aspect of the picture Henoke hadn’t grasped. ”This Sebastian isn’t someone who would suddenly ‘turn tyrant’” Henoke frowned a bit at the thought. If this ‘Sebastian’ wasn’t really a bad guy, it meant something else had been happening before the Heartless arrived. They never just popped up out of nowhere, after all. Recalling the lessons of his Master and Chirithy, Henoke knew that it was a slow and steady threat, one that built off of the negativity in the worlds. ”How much, exactly, do you know of what the darkness is capable of?” Tori’s question threw him off, causing his pace to slow down a bit as he threw her a puzzled look. ”I mean…I know it’s bad news for people.” It was harder to remember the specifics of the subjects, since he had always found the ‘lecturing’ aspects of his learning so dull.
”And there’re jerks who use it to mess around with people’s hearts, too.” That was something he had only ever been warned about before his adventures began—it was now something he had first hand experience with. The situation at Belle’s castle had shown him that clear enough. ”So—you think someone’s behind this ‘Sebastian’ guy changin’, and the Heartless poppin’ up, right?” It seemed the two were finally on the same page. It always took Henoke a little longer when it came to smaller nuances and details. He was more of the straightforward type. It typically worked fine when it came to fighting Heartless and closing Keyholes…but when it came to the messier aspects of the worlds—well, that was clear enough by now, wasn’t it? ”You’re getting better at this, aren’t you?” Tori’s comment about swimming caused the teen to grimace slightly as he glanced around. ”I dunno…I think after this place, I’ll’ve swam enough for a lifetime…”
It seemed the hotheaded teen was still not the largest fan of the water. He was merely forced to deal with it, in this circumstance.
Following the Trident Markings, the two would eventually come upon the Palace Grounds, a vast and colorful section of the seafloor adorned with different clam shells and underwater flora all over. A large and looming hollow conch shell was nestled into the floor as well, most likely there as long as the palace in the distance was. ”Woah!” It wasn’t like a palace Henoke had ever seen. Though it was still a bit further off, at the end of the long pathway that stretched out before them, the two would be able to make out the tall aqua-green spires, somehow sparkling in grandeur despite being at the bottom of the ocean. Across the Palace Grounds, where the long pathway began, were large aqua-green gates, adorned with clam shells and seahorse statues at the top. In front of those large closed gates were two familiar faces. Jed and Elane floated idly in front of the entrance, weapons in hand and bodies stiff and at the ready.
”Yo!” Waving at a distance, Henoke smiled, turning to look at Tori over his shoulder. ”We found ‘em! Easy!” Swimming across the palace grounds, the two teens would be met with a friendly smile and wave from Elane while Jed merely nodded and grunted at their arrival. ”Did you manage to find the citizens?” Elane seemed worried, swimming out a bit away from the gate to meet up with Henoke and Tori early. ”Yeah! Everyone’s fine. Tori got ‘em out.” Grinning a bit, the teen would gesture at his friend with a thumb. Elane sighed with visible relief, resting a hand on her armored chest as she seemed to relax a bit. ”Oh, what a relief!” Jed swam up, a typical stoic expression on his face as he gave Tori and Henoke a nod. ”It seems things went well.” The teen grinned, giving the stoic guardsman a cocky nod as he rested his hands behind his head. ”O’course!” If Jed hadn’t believed them to be capable before, hopefully this ‘mission complete’ would convince him.
”Have the—uh…monsters, been givin’ ya trouble while we were gone?” For a moment he had almost said ‘Heartless’—that was a close one. Elane immediately shot a look towards a direction further off, out of the Palace Grounds, while Jed shook their head almost robotically. ”No. Elane and I are capable fighters. This is why we are the ones who guard the Palace.” It seemed the merman was rather prideful, as well. Elane scrunched up her face a bit, shaking her head before turning back to Henoke and Tori. ”We’re doing fine, out here. There was some loud racket coming from further out—but Jed and I couldn’t abandon our post.” The way she said it, and the look she gave her partner, it seemed Elane had a harder time accepting her duty and role as ‘guard’. ”I’m not sure what it was…but it didn’t sound good…” Clear concern showed on her face. ”There shouldn’t be any citizens outside of the Kingdom, now.” Jed seemed unfazed by Elane’s concerns.
”Still! That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t worry about those not of our Kingdom!” Elane’s face showed a passionate determination—she clearly wouldn’t yield on this belief, no matter how hard Jed tried. ”Jeez…things’re pretty tough for you two, huh?” Sighing as he crossed his arms over his chest, the teen couldn’t help but show mild exasperation. It was just one thing after another, with this place. This on top of the more…’political’ problems the world was dealing with, it was no wonder the locals of this world seemed stressed with the Heartless running around. ”Actually—“ Unsure of how to bring up the topic of Sebastian, the teen glanced over Tori’s way, giving her an unsure look. If he was ‘exiled’ because of his ‘change’ caused by the Darkness (or whoever may be behind the scenes…), it wasn’t like they could just tell them that he wasn’t at fault. With the ‘World Order’ stuff, they couldn’t mention the true nature of the Heartless, or what caused them for that matter.
It seemed Henoke was stumped. He looked to Tori for help—both merfolk giving them a slightly quizzical look.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 14, 2020 16:41:09 GMT -5
”I mean…I know it’s bad news for people.”
It seemed Henoke knew enough to stay by the same page Tori was in. It was enough to guide him to what Tori had thought herself —but not quite. She didn’t think someone specifically was behind this, although that was up to debate.
“I’m still not sure whether someone’s behind this or not, but I’m sure that darkness is involved one way or another” Tori agreed, “I think we’ll figure it out as we go. So that means that, for the time being… We’ll be helping around while gathering clues —that, I think is the best way to approach this.”
The path towards the Palace proved peaceful, with the only sounds being the swish of their tails moving up and down as they swam about, following the golden tridents on the walls. “I think after this place, I’ll’ve swam enough for a lifetime…” The comment brought Tori to a chuckle, but never stopping her swim —instead glancing towards Henoke with amusement.
“Never change, Henoke…” she said, “Never change.”
Tori looked up as the Palace appeared in their sight —a magnificent, underwater masterpiece of architecture. It wasn’t a place they’d be entering, but it was still impressive from afar. The Palace Grounds were not short of beauty either, with the colorful array of shells and underwater flora.
Truly a place for gazing eyes —especially those who had never been there before.
Henoke was quick to greet the merpeople that they had first encountered. Elane was the only one showcasing her worries, relieved after hearing they were doing fine —but Tori could tell Jed was also relieved to hear the news. The thought caused her to chuckle a bit, waving Henoke’s comment with a hand nonchalantly.
“You’re welcome” Tori said, nodding with a smile.
It seemed trouble wasn’t ending there, though, as Elane pointed out that there was something happening near, but unfortunately that was all they had. Curious as for what it was Elane heard, Tori caught herself from speaking as she noticed Henoke looking at her with an unsure look. It took a moment to realize what the teen was aiming at, causing Tori to sigh.
“Of course you’d pass the ball to me…” she mumbled, her arms crossed and her expression a disappointed one. Quick to go back into a serious mood, the girl looked at both guards as she headed straight for her questions, “I know you said it wasn’t our business, but we couldn’t help but overhear that something had happened within the castle, and that being the reason why you’re in such disarray.”
Tori was confident in her pose, while her expression was a serious one —making sure they had no doubts in what she was aiming for. In a sense, it helped being transparent —with the inability to lie, Tori could make sure that they trusted them.
If they wanted answers about what they knew, she was willing to hand over information they could find useful.
“We didn’t force it from anyone” she continued, “Rather, when we helped the people you told us to go help, one of them just explained it to us. …In a sense, we can’t do much more to help if you don’t trust us” Tori placed one hand on her chest, “We’re aware that, currently, you lack a leader —and therefore, you’re unable to protect the people and fight efficiently. We heard mention of someone named Sebastian, and what happened to him after. Even if you claim this isn’t our business due to being outsiders, we can’t do much to help if we don’t know the bigger picture.”
“So, I’ll ask it straight —who is Sebastian, and what exactly has happened after you were left leaderless? I’ll ask that you are transparent about this, for everyone’s sake” Tori’s gaze strengthened, “We might be the help you need in order to settle this issue.”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 14, 2020 17:25:36 GMT -5
”Of course you’d pass the ball to me…” Tori’s dejected mumble only caused Henoke to snicker a bit, seemingly carefree as he rested his hands behind his head, his tail swishing deviously. ”I know you said it wasn’t our business, but…” Tori’s reveal of having learned what was transpiring in the palace caused Jed to tsk, grumbling slightly with a sour look. ”Loose lipped bunch…” Elane on the other hand, looked vaguely relieved. Hearing Tori explain what they had found out, her transparency of wanting to help was effective, as Elane immediately looked to Jed with a hopeful look. ”Hm…” The stoic merman floated silently for a moment, deep in thought with his brow scrunched up and a slightly irritated look on his face. ”Though I hate to admit our weaknesses to those outside the Kingdom…your arrival may indeed be helpful to us…” Henoke’s grin widened as he looked over to Tori, glad to see her taking the lead had indeed paid off well. ”It’s as you’ve discovered. Indeed, the throne currently is empty—our direction left to our own devices in the absence of His Majesty.”
Sometimes the way the merman talked confused Henoke, who tilted his head a little with an unsure brow raised. ”King Triton had important business away from the Kingdom…” Sighing a bit, Elane’s worry showed clear on her face. ”Sebastian was doing so good, at first, too…” Sure enough, it seemed that Elane was confused at the Royal Advisor’s shift in attitude, too. ”What happened to ‘im?” Henoke’s face softened a bit, seeing the frustration in the merwoman’s eyes. Jed’s face twisted into a mild scowl at the question. ”He became intoxicated by the new power he had, it would seem.” Elane immediately frowned at the merman, shaking her head and waving a finger in his face. ”Absolutely not! Sebastian is not that type of lobster!” Giving him a stern look, it seemed Elane had had this conversation with Jed before. ”Regardless of what you say, I hardly knew him. All I know is what occurred. The events and other evidence alone is enough to make that assumption. It’s clearly what happened.” It seemed the two would argue all day, if they let them.
”So—he changed?” Trying to interject in order to keep them on track, Henoke seemed vaguely impatient. ”Yes! At first, he was doing fine! Everything was basically how it always was!” Glad that Henoke would listen to her side of the story, Elane was quick to answer. ”Then, after one night, he started acting different…bossing everyone around and calling them ‘orders’. Eventually, he even said that he’d stay on the throne once His Majesty returned!” The very memory seemed to pain her, as Jed spit on the seafloor with a scowl. ”Treason. Hence why we quickly came to a justified punishment.” It was clear that Jed wasn’t going to be open to any other possibilities. ”Since then, we Royal Vanguard members have attempted to maintain order, but…” Sighing a bit, Elane lowered slightly, her usually more bubbly demeanor having completely vanished at this point. ”Many in the Kingdom have shown their true colors.” Jed’s face darkened a bit, glancing at the looming palace beyond.
”Some citizens questioned the validity of the Vanguard, while others rejected the notion of even remaining. Already we’ve found deserters, looters and cowards who would rather suit their own needs before the Kingdom’s.” Henoke frowned. All of this was sounding like bad news. ”King Triton’s going to be so upset when he comes back…we really let him down.” Elane seemed absolutely crushed in spirit, a sad look on her face as she floated up and down slowly and somberly. Did the ‘darkness’ change other people, too? Hearing how Sebastian had undergone bizarre changes, the teen wondered if others had experienced something similar. Perhaps these ‘true colors’ weren’t true at all—but fake colors, impersonating the real thing. The thought sat heavily in his mind. ”This’s a mess…” How much could they do, really?
Would closing the ‘Keyhole’ change people back? Henoke wasn’t sure. Who cares! It didn't matter if they could solve all of this world's problem! All they had to do was whatever they could. Any little bit counted, right? "Well, don't worry! I don't know about everythin', but I'm sure Tori and I will be able to help!" Grinning rather confidently, Henoke gave the two merfolk a 'thumbs up'. "We'll leave your Kingdom to you. Keep the place safe and try to boost people's morale! We'll figure out what's goin' on with these monsters and people actin' different." Elane's face lit up, hopeful and grateful as she clapped her hands together. "Oh, really?!" The sparkle in her eyes would make it hard for anyone to say no now, wouldn't it? Grinning as he glanced over at Tori, the teen raised an eyebrow. "Nothin' we can't handle. Right?" They had been planning on doing something about the Heartless anyway. Henoke was sure based on what they'd talked about on their swim over here that if they resolved issues with the 'darkness' on this world, the people would be alright, in the end. Without even waiting to hear if Tori also agreed or not, Elane has swam forward in a sudden rush, pulling both teens in with her longer adult arms and embracing them while swirling in the water. "Oh, yay! Thank you both, so much!" Shouting out in surprise, Henoke seemed somewhat dazed, mostly due to the dizziness of the merwoman spinning around so much.
"Urk..." Groggy after released from the group hug, the teen shook his head a bit and regained his balance as he floated. "Really, Elane. That is no way for a Knight of the Vanguard to behave." Jed seemed exasperating, rolling his eyes with a faint sigh, though Henoke got the feeling he was relieved, too. Glancing over at Tori, the teen seemed in better spirits himself, glad that they could be of aid to these friendly (albeit bizarre) locals. "Well? Anythin' we're forgettin'?" If not, there would be countless areas for them to begin... perhaps with that noise Elane had mentioned?
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 14, 2020 17:45:54 GMT -5
Proud to see her attempts of negotiation success, Tori listened attentive to the information that was being handed over without a fuzz —thankful to see that she didn’t need to make use of Illusions in order to learn about it, either. Truthfully, she wasn’t willing to do it, but if the information was as necessary as it seemed, then Tori would’ve gone through it for a greater good.
Knowing about the situation they faced helped quite a lot, after all.
”Though I hate to admit our weaknesses to those outside the Kingdom…” Her suspicions correct, Tori’s gaze turned to a serious one, analyzing each and every word that was worthy of her attention. Sebastian hadn’t acted “like a tyrant” from the start, but it seemed to be a change overnight —and something like that would definitely trigger a red flag. Tori knew a lot about people’s behaviors solely thanks to her ability to see others’ memories, but learning through different experiences allowed her much more empathy.
Elane seemed more than willing to argue with Jed about the apparently lobster Advisor’s usual demeanor, quickly escalating to a short dispute, but Henoke was quick to cut it before it happened. Tori looked shocked as she heard that not only Sebastian had a sudden change of attitude, but others as well.
“This is way too worrisome to ignore anymore…” she thought, bringing a thumb to her lips and biting on it, “Those people… They're not inside Shells, are they…?”
She hoped not —Tori didn’t want to deal with Spirits, of all things, when she was still on a rookie level of fighting with the tail and all. If Heartless were annoying, then Spirits would only be worse. Focused as she was in her thoughts, Elane’s sudden hug caught her off-guard, but she couldn’t help but smile at the expression she was drawing —complete relief.
Almost as if she wanted to plead for their help before meeting them.
"Well? Anythin' we're forgettin'?" Tori crossed her arms once more, thoughtful. It seemed to be a dynamic, between the two —Henoke being the brawn and Tori the brain. Scoffing at the thought and choosing instead to stay on track, Tori looked through what they knew.
“Being honest, this is a lot more troublesome than I originally thought…” she admitted, looking at Henoke, “And that means there’s a lot of things to go through —not just finding Sebastian. However, we don’t know the area well enough to scout ourselves… Hmm…” Tori thought for a bit, “I think there’s two things worth knowing as of now —one, where Sebastian’s gone to; and two, where the noise you heard came from, Elane” Tori pointed out, “I think that should suffice, if we plan on digging deeper into this mess.”
“Rest assured, though” Tori smirked confident, “We’ll have this settled in no time!”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 15, 2020 12:14:39 GMT -5
Henoke grinned, carefree as Tori tackled the heavy lifting in the thinking department. Typically he just ran after the Heartless and that always led to some sort of success—so long as he beat them all. ”I think there’s two things worth knowing as for now—“ Nodding as Tori listed them off, Henoke seemed relieved at having a clear goal in mind now. ”Rest assure, though. We’ll have this settled in no time!” Grinning at his friends own confidence, the teen straightened a bit, his tail swishing in readiness to depart. ”Hm…no one knows where Sebastian went off too, after everything…” Elane seemed thoughtful and concerned, while Jed merely shrugged, turning to Tori with a serious expression still on their face. ”The sound we heard came from the direction of the sunken vessel.” Pointing with an armored arm, the merman gestured out of the Palace Grounds. ”Head back towards the Gorge, but stay left, coming from that direction. There’s a subtle path between the rocks between.” It seemed they had their lead!
Having floated around and talked long enough, Henoke was ready to start moving! ”Alright! We’ll check it out! Won’t get anythin’ done just talkin’, anyway.” Seeming confidant and carefree, the orange haired teen waved goodbye to Jed and Elane as he and Tori would swim back the way they came. Leaving the Palace Grounds and heading in the direction of the Gorge, the two would come across a subtle path, blended into the undersea walls well, a sliver of an opening that exposed a larger tunnel beyond. ”This must’ve been what he was talkin’ about…?” Swimming through the opening, the two would find a winding path that seemed jagged and unused at the bottom—piled up with oceanic debris and larger rocks and overgrown flora. It seemed rarely anyone came this way, swimming or scuttling. ”Dang…” It was a wide path, though. If Jed or Elane had come with them, all three merfolk could have swam side-by-side and still had some space to stretch out.
Following the path, which would only have the occasional turn but was otherwise a steady straight and downward one, Henoke gawked as they finally emerged into a vast open chasm with looming seawalls rising on all sides. In the center was a massive ship, broken and discarded at the bottom of the ocean. The area around it was vacant, empty of even most colorful flora that the two had been spoiled with previously. Here it was just water, rock, and darkness—as little light entered what seemed like an underground chasm, hidden from the rest of the ocean around it. Other than the massive sunken ship in the center, there was little else around the large chasm, other than a few small other tunnel alcoves. ”Woah!!” Henoke immediately swam forward at a faster pace than before, though it was still a little awkward for him, his enthusiasm and energy pushed him onward. ”Check it out!” It was like, a legit ship! The massive masts and broken pillars splintered about, ancient sails disintegrated by the oceanic water and sealife that went unseen.
Countless sections of the ship were mossed over with algae, betraying the time this discarded and broken vehicle had resided there. Finally reaching the rear end of the ship, Henoke continued to gawk and shout out excitedly as he saw a massive hole in it, allowing him to immediately see the inside of the ‘Captain’s Quarters’. Within were ancient remnants of what had once been a comfortable space to plan, sleep and lounge—now it was nothing but ruined furniture and lost relics. ”This’s so cool!” Enraptured and completely distracted, it seemed Henoke had completely forgotten about their reason for coming this way. So focused on the ancient ship, the teen wouldn’t even feel the presence of something lurking nearby—a hulking figure that swam with blinding speed, shooting out from one of the deeper and darker sections of the chasm.
Heading directly for the distracted Wielder was a great white shark! It’s angry face was twisted in rage, it’s eyes clouded by a swirling darkness that glowed a faint purple as its sharp and countless teeth flashed!
[[ENEMIES: Great White Shark!]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 15, 2020 12:55:18 GMT -5
Tori hummed, worried, hearing that Sebastian’s whereabouts were completely unknown. It seemed that said issue would have to wait a bit, for the time being —eventually they’d come with the information needed to find this individual. For now…
It seemed they were exploring the area, which in a sense wasn’t too bad.
The girl waved as she followed Henoke back to where they’d came from, heading towards the Gorge. The subtly hidden path was hard to pick up at first, but the Keyblade Wielder was quick to pick it up, by the looks of it.
“I guess so… Only one way to find out, right?”
With a cocky grin, Tori followed into the opening, surprised to find such an open space waiting at the other end. It was cold and distant, in a sense, with the dark chasm not helping in making things any easier. Tori shuddered, feeling as if a chill ran through her spine.
Why was that place so eerie?
”Check it out!” Henoke seemed eager to explore the sunken ship that was further ahead, heading there immediately while leaving Tori behind. The broken vessel still had some elegance and intrigue —it was obviously interesting enough for Henoke to explore it. She swam a bit closer, trying to keep him in her sights just in case something happened.
Tori flinched when another chill crept through her spine —this one far more vivid. By the corner of her eye, she saw the White Shark heading straight for Henoke, its fangs wide open.
“HENOKE!”
Without even summoning her Keyblade, Tori swam as fast as she could towards him, grabbing him towards her to try and pull him away from the menacing teeth of the Shark —not really caring if she got hurt instead.
She had seen it —the clouding darkness in the creature’s eyes. It wasn't a Heartless, true, but that didn’t mean it was safe. The thing was still a shark, after all —a vicious predator of the seas, one Tori knew about. One bite from the thing was bound to leave either with heavy wounds. And with the darkness involved in all of this…
It was definitely going to hurt bad.
As she threw herself towards Henoke, Tori managed to chant a Ruinga spell, trying to delay the creature’s attack or counter whatever damage was done back. After that, a battle was imminent.
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 15, 2020 14:46:05 GMT -5
”HENOKE!” The teen paused for a moment, having neared the exposed Captain’s Quarters at the end of the hull. ”Huh?” Spinning around, the teen shouted out as he watched Tori fire off her Ruinga spell at the coming shark. BOOM! Water bubbled and exploded around the point of impact as the large creature roared out in anger and pain, its charge skewed as it CRASHED! against the side of the Sunken Ship. ”Wha—WHAT THE HELL?!” Visibly gawking at their opponent, Henoke seemed stunned. He’d never seen a creature like this before—it was massive, but moved with blinding speed underwater. Immediately, goosebumps prickled his skin as he formed a wicked grin. ”Hehe~ Alright! If it’s pickin’ a fight, let’s show it what’s up!” Hotheaded as ever, Henoke’s Keyblade emerged in his hands in a ray of light as he pulled out of Tori’s grasp, eager to face the Great White. Easily excited and as distracted as ever, it seemed the teen was more eager about a powerful opponent more than the Sunken Ship itself.
The Great White had recovered from its earlier collision, though it had added a new hole in the side of the useless ship. Its eyes shrouded in darkness, the creature roared out once more, its countless jagged teeth exposed by its massive maw. Taking aim with his Keyblade pointed out at the coming enemy, Henoke had a broad grin as he summoned his magic. ”Eat this!” He hadn’t stopped to think if his Firaga spell would work underwater as the fireball burst into being, boiling the water around it as it shot forward and SKOOOOMED! against the coming Great White. ”Oh, cool! It worked!” Blinking in surprise, it seemed Henoke only now realized the logic he had defied. Did magic fire not go out via normal means? Shrugging, the teen hardly decided to focus on such a thought when there was a battle going on! His spell had collided with the shark, causing it to halt in its coming charge and stagger a bit, it’s face sooted and singed as it roared out and glared at the orange haired youth.
”That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Swimming forward with his tail, Henoke gripped his large steel-grey weapon in both hands as he charged the shark back! It seemed the teen intended to follow up his magic with a melee attack—but his novice skill was showing. Though he was nearing the shark, it would be clear to an observer of the situation to see that the creature would recover itself before Henoke reached it. Unless…?
[[ENEMIES: Great White Shark!]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 15, 2020 15:21:12 GMT -5
“That was close!”
Tori barely got out of that out unscathed, thanks to her spell hitting its mark. She turned towards the Shark with a soft scowl, but it was clear she was annoyed. Henoke seemed shocked, given that he hadn’t seen the Shark charging at him, but he easily switched to a cocky demeanor, calling onto his Keyblade and using his own array of magic.
The girl noticed her own breathing a bit ragged, having forced herself to swim as fast as possible. The form was, in all honesty, starting to get exhausting, but she had to force through it. Keyblade in hand, she decided to stand back a bit, given that she wasn’t doing the best out of the two.
With Henoke’s Firaga hitting the mark and giving the teen an opportunity to strike back, Tori watched, her gaze firm and her entire body ready to play support. She clicked her tongue as she noticed that, despite the opportunity, Henoke was still not fast enough to make it an advantage.
It wouldn’t help if the Shark met him with its fangs wide open.
“No, you don’t!”
Freezing magic would gather in Tori’s palm, her Blizzaja spell aiming to cage the White Shark in ice to lock it in place for Henoke —hoping he wouldn’t stop to turn back. She clicked her tongue, finally noticing why she was so exhausted. Something —perhaps wood, or maybe a rock— had scrapped her free arm —the one she didn’t use to wield her Keyblade. The bleeding was faint, but still there.
And why was it so exhausting?!
“Most likely it’s ‘cause I’m still not used to this…” she thought with a grimace, “Come on —pull yourself together!”
It wasn’t a wound to fuzz over —just a minor annoyance. Hoping her Blizzaja hits its mark and allowed the teen a window to retaliate, Tori threw her weapon forward, imbued with fire. Having seen that magic fire was unaffected by laws of logic, her Fire Toss would aid Henoke in dealing massive damage.
Hopefully, anyways.
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 15, 2020 15:46:48 GMT -5
Roaring out as Tori’s Blizzaja spell trapped it in place, the Great White attempted to thrash and wriggle itself from the icy prison. ”Nice!” Henoke was finally closing the distance as Tori’s Fire Toss arced and neared its target. Gripping his weapon in both hands, Henoke shouted out as he summoned forth his power—his steel grey Keyblade sparking and crackling with a snapping orange light that began to imbue itself around it. ”HYAH!” Slashing out with his Blitz attack just as Tori’s Fire Toss connected, the Great White shouted out in pain and rage as it was assaulted and pinned down. The combination of attacks shattered the ice prison that had withheld it, though the damage done was evident. ”Ha ha! Alright!” Pumping a fist in the water, Henoke’s cocky grin broadened as he pressed forward, wanting to keep the pressure up. SLAM! Just as he was nearing the distance, the shark had slapped out with its large and powerful tail, slamming into the teen, who barely had time to pull up their weapon in a guard.
”Urk!” Bubbles cascaded around him as he was launched back by the pressure, spinning backwards in a circle as he felt himself grow dizzy in the swirl of blue and black. Used to fighting underwater, the shark’s darkness filled eyes seemed to glow with a brighter purple light as it roared out, darkness beginning to radiate all around it as though an aura. ”Damn, what's it's deal…?!” Having recovered himself, Henoke floated idly for a moment as he watched the energy burst forth from the shark. Is it a Heartless? He didn’t see a symbol on it…maybe this was that ‘darkness’ stuff Tori had been talking about before? Hadn’t he seen something similar, somewhere…? The shark’s attack had hurt, but the hotheaded teen only got pumped up by it! Hardly daunted by the shark’s new appearance or abilities, the teen pressed forward, swimming as fast as he could manage as he planned another assault! While the shark, now brimming with the power of darkness, charged through the water, gnashing it's teeth together in fury, Henoke lined up his aim with his Keyblade as he swam forward.
"Eat this!" An orb of light began to form at the tip of his weapon, a dull gold in color. Skkkkzt! Skoooom! Bursting forward from the ball of light were multiple lances of light energy, shaped almost like lightning as they snapped and sparked out towards the Great White! Hoping to either damage or stun the shark with his Raging Heart ability, the teen knew Tori would be quick to aid in the assault, too. It seemed he was keeping the enemies attention, which was all according to plan (not that he had actually had a plan, but rather was going on the fly).
[[ENEMIES: Great White Shark]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 15, 2020 16:04:57 GMT -5
Tori’s Keyblade returned back to her hand akin a boomerang, after her Fire Toss and Henoke’s Blitz connected. With the Keyblade Wielder taking the lead and acting as the frontline, facing the Shark straight on, Tori had time to think on a solution.
She knew the shark was under darkness’ influence —it was clear based on the amount of power it held, plus the obvious dark eyes it carried, being too noticeable and unnatural. The aura after having tackled Henoke back was another obvious indication, really.
“Come on, now…”
Mist swirled around Tori’s Keyblade, but she didn’t want to go all-out immediately —it was a shark, for crying out loud, not a Heartless. With Henoke using his Raging Heart and allowing her a free chance to attack, Tori wasn’t leaving it to the odds.
She was securing themselves a win by any means possible.
“Henoke, move!” she shouted in a warning.
The Keyblade shimmered in light, as Tori dashed forward as fast as she could to land a definitive blow. Her Judgement, although slow, was powerful on its own —and bound to deal immense damage if the hit connected.
However, that wouldn’t be the end of it.
With mist still enveloping her form, Tori wanted to create an Illusion in order to dispel the darkness in the creature’s heart —tricking the heart itself while under darkness’ influence. If she could hold it still, just for enough time, then Henoke could try to use his own Keyblade to dispel it. That is, if the current situation works similarly to Shells —Illusions placed on one’s heart and “encaging” it away from its body.
Was the shark under a similar effect? Probably, but she didn’t know for certain just yet.
“Stand… Still!” Tori grunted, her free hand aiming towards the shark as mist swirled forward and trapped it, “I don’t want to fight you!”
The mist in Tori’s hand would flourish, surrounding the shark and making a sort of cocoon of impenetrable mist. It would drain Tori quite a bit, but it would avoid damage in the long run. And besides, if it worked on the shark effectively, then…
Would it work on others if they encountered them? Would it work on Sebastian, if her assumption was correct? She hoped for the best, as she tried to trick a heart into her Illusions.
"Henoke, your Keyblade! NOW!"
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 16, 2020 0:40:25 GMT -5
As Henoke’s Raging Heart blasted into the shark, the darkness aura around it amplified, protesting the light that harmed its host. Skkkzzzt! Though the electric-like energy had managed to momentarily stun the shark, the aura around it seemed to have protected it from the worst of the damage. ”Henoke, move!” Hearing Tori’s shout, the teen glanced over his shoulder and shouted out as he swam down, barely avoiding Tori’s charging Judgement. With the shark stunned, it was left wide open—though the aura around it would put up some fight before finally caving against the powerful light attack, blasting the shark backwards as Tori chased after it with mist forming around her. ”What’re ya—?!” Blinking in surprise, Henoke watched as Tori’s mist began to swirl around the shark, cocooning it from view. For a moment, the battle came to a stand still, the great beast incapacitated from the girls mystical abilities.
”Henoke, your Keyblade! NOW!” Tori’s shout caused him to raise an eyebrow, staring down at the steel grey weapon in his hands. ”Oh! Right!” It was like unlocking a door, or sealing a Keyhole, right? Trying to recall the sensation, the teen spun their Keyblade in their hands, taking aim by pointing it directly out at the Great White, their eyes scrunched up tightly shut as he focused. Like…this…!! A blinding ray of light shot forth from the tip of the weapon, lancing through the water at blinding speeds as it clicked! against the Great White. For a moment, the beam penetrated the mist, causing the entire orb-like vapor structure to glow as the darkness was forced from the creature. Its heart released of what was possessing it, the Great White would blink a few times in confusion before slowly falling into a slumber. Seemingly drained from the expulsion, the shark slowly began to float down, no longer holding itself up the moment it fell unconscious.
”D-did it work?” Henoke gawked in uncertainty, his brow raised as he tilted his head, holding his weapon in front of him still. It was bound to wake up shortly after. Even without the hold of darkness possessing it—the Great White was still a shark. For all either teen knew, it would attack them the moment it woke up again. Henoke wouldn’t, though, having zero experience with sharks, or any sea life for that matter. ”Grr…is it tryin’ to trick us?” Wary and distrusting, Henoke scowled as he watched the falling shark, his weapon poised and at the ready. Was he still going to fight it?
[[ENEMIES: Great White Shark (Momentarily K.O’ed)]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 16, 2020 10:23:31 GMT -5
“Haa… Haa…”
Finding it hard to breathe, Tori let go, dismissing her Keyblade while dispersing the mist around her. The combined effort seemed to work, as the Shark fell into a momentary slumber, but Tori knew it wouldn’t last long.
If they were there, then they’d become the creature supper. Mustering whatever strength she could, she swam towards Henoke, grabbing him by the arm before pulling him back to where they’d come from, as swiftly as she could. Her breathing was clearly ragged, but she had to get them out before the creature saw them again. Especially with Tori wounded —the scent of blood was bound to cause the shark to go on a rampage.
The area she’s dragged them towards was a small cave in the path they’d taken —small enough to shelter them in case the Shark tried to chase them. With a room for a breather, Tori simmered down —literally. Exhausted as she was after tricking the creature into an Illusion to render it incapable of fight for a moment, plus having used a strong ability during the battle, the girl seemed to slowly sink towards the floor, not noticing her exhaustion until she felt the stone floor underneath her, sitting down while trying to recover her lost breath.
Had that really taken that big of a toll on her? It seemed to be the case, but nevertheless, one of her assumptions had been cleared —if they encountered someone under the darkness’ influence, they could dispel it.
“Sorry…” she said, looking down in between breaths, “But… We couldn’t… Stay there… Until the shark… Woke back up…” Tori managed to muster a smile under her tired expression, “It would’ve tried to eat us for sure —white sharks are ravenous hunters. I didn’t want to chance it, so…”
It took some effort not to fall asleep then and there —Tori’s head suddenly felt heavy, and she had to place one hand on her forehead. Thankfully her body hadn’t cracked —that would’ve been the worse case scenario, because it would mean she’d be unfit to fight for quite a while. It wasn’t any different now, though, but it was just exhaustion.
She’d get over it, eventually. Tori just needed a break —just a little one.
“…At least we have something confirmed” Tori said after a while, raising her head with seriousness despite her tiredness, “We can do this, if we encounter someone under the influence of darkness. I’m the only one who’s going to have an issue, though…” she added with a chuckle.
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 16, 2020 14:54:02 GMT -5
Though Henoke was about to swim forward, eager to try and finish off the enemy they faced—the teen found himself yanked backwards, shouting out in mild surprise as he turned to see Tori pulling on him. ”Ack! Wait! Oi!” The girl ignored his protests, her skill at swimming easily overpowering his, eventually forcing him to resign himself to the direction. Dragged to a small cave of sorts in the path they’d taken, Henoke grimaced as he watched Tori sink to the seafloor. ”Yo, you okay?” It was only then that he noticed the wound on her form, as well saw the exhaustion on her face. ”Tsk—what’re you doin’?” He was normally the reckless one, right? So why was she so haggard? ”Idiot...don’t push yourself too hard…” He mumbled the retort, clearly unable to mask his concern with feigned annoyance. Sighing a bit as he lifted his Keyblade in the water, Henoke cast his Cura spell on Tori, surrounding her in a faint green light as flower petals bloomed and fell around her. Thankfully it wasn’t like those cracks that had formed in Castle Oblivion—otherwise the teen wouldn’t think his spell would have any effect.
”Sorry…but…we couldn’t…stay there…” Hearing how the shark would try to eat them regardless of the darkness possessing it, Henoke staggered a bit, an indignant look flashing across his face. ”Tch—more the reason to beat it up! It was pickin’ fights!” Despite what he said, Tori didn’t really seem up for the surely difficult battle fighting a Great White Shark would be. ”At least we have something confirmed.” Her comment caused his brow to raise as he tilted his head, somewhat cluelessly. ”We can do this, if we encounter someone under the influence of darkness.” It finally dawned on him, his face lighting up with realization. ”Ohhh…that beam?” He had typically only used his Keyblade like that on literal locks or World Keyholes. Never before had he used his weapon to free someone from the presence of darkness. Truthfully, it wasn’t something taught to him by his Master or Chirithy. ”I’m the only one who’s going to have an issue, though…” Crossing his arms a bit, the teen gave her a look torn between concern and impatience.
”What’s up with you, anyway? Did you take a lotta damage or somethin’?” He was hoping his Cura spell would help alleviate most of the girl’s exhaustion, but if it didn’t, they’d need to bunker down for a bit, as Tori wouldn’t be in the best shape for fighting Heartless and finding missing locals.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 16, 2020 16:02:27 GMT -5
Thankful for Henoke’s Cura, Tori took a deep breath, feeling slightly refreshed. The wound in her arm sealed on its own thanks to the healing magics, and some of her stamina was back, but not by much. Crafting the Illusion in such a short notice had taken quite a burden —one that would take a while to recover.
Still, she had enough strength to pull herself up, keeping herself afloat only slightly to meet Henoke face-to-face. His questions weren’t tactless, for once —they were genuine with their concern. Tori managed to muster a faint smile, trying to reassure that she was, in fact, fine.
“Making Illusions at a whim like that is exhausting…” she confessed, “I’m tricking someone’s heart and forcing them into a scenario I control, by manipulating the surroundings. Although…”
Tori quieted down a bit, trying to find the proper words to explain her current dilemma. Henoke was aware, supposedly, but he could’ve easily forgotten about it, given who he was —always charging in without attending to the smaller details. In any case, explaining it again wouldn’t be too hard —Tori just had to make sure she was clear when explaining it.
“Remember that fox we met, back at Castle Oblivion?” she asked, calmly, “They mentioned how my current power isn’t what is used to be —that I’m weaker than before, and therefore I’ll have to gain it anew, from scratch. In a sense, my ability to create Illusions hardly depends on it —and given how I’m currently weak, power-wise, obviously, making Illusions is going to take a lot from me —I’m forcing myself to create them” Tori explained, slowly but surely, hoping Henoke followed, “There’s a reason why I’m not using them as often as I could —making Illusions, be it of the surroundings or encaging others’ hearts is bound to drain me. Especially if I do it on a whim in the middle of a fight.”
The girl sighed, somewhat deflated. It sucked, really, having such a clear weakness when it wasn’t supposed to be. If Tori’s power was as strong as Fay had told her it was… Would all of the hassle be easier to deal with? Would they have that much trouble fighting Heartless, and solving other people’s problems? The thought was a bit too much to handle at the time, and so she chose to ignore it.
“Anyways, back on what I mentioned before —about us being able to handle this issue in case we come across someone under the influence of darkness…” Tori’s tone strengthened a bit, “I take it you never knew that your Keyblade’s capable of that, huh? Here, let me explain…” following her tone, the girl seemed to act as a sage —although that wouldn’t be an understatement, given just how much she knew about the secrets of the worlds and everything related to it, “A Keyblade can draw the power from either light or darkness —in your case, the former applies. It’s a key that can open any and all locks —be it physical… Or metaphorically speaking” Tori smirked, “So long as you focus on it, you’re able to unlock anything that you deem interesting —whether it be a simple chest, or freeing a person’s heart from chains tying them down. In the end, it’s all about how you use that power, and how you make it your own.”
“That’s why I told you to do it, back then, although mostly because I was unable to, given that I was focused on keeping the shark within the Illusions I created. We can both do it —freeing someone from the lock in their hearts, and dispelling the darkness keeping them hostage.”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 17, 2020 3:01:20 GMT -5
Though Tori seemed healed from her wounds by his spell, Henoke frowned at seeing how the girl still seemed somewhat faint. ”Making Illusions at a whim like that is exhausting…” Hearing her remind him how her powers were hardly at their typical levels, the teen’s face frowned as he crossed his arms and hovered near her with a concerned, albeit confused, expression. ”Yeah, you should just chill out on usin’ those for a bit…” Sighing after hearing her explanation of the Illusions being the main cause of her fatigue, Henoke gave her a doubtful look. ”Anyways, back on what I mentioned before—“ As she began to explain what had happened during their battle with the shark, the hotheaded teen tilted his head a bit with a raised brow. What’s a ‘metaphorical’ lock? He wasn’t totally getting it, but it sounded like basically his Keyblade could save people from darkness’ grip! ”Alright, so this’ll be easy!” Giving Tori a cocky grin, Henoke rubbed a finger under his nose and chuckled a bit. It seemed he was being rather carefree again.
Regardless, he at least now understood what to do if they encountered someone corrupted by darkness again. ”Hm...well, we can’t fight it if you’re not up for it.” Seeming almost disappointed at the notion, Henoke glanced out of the small cavern entrance they had entered. The pathway they had come back from was across the chasm with the Sunken Ship. Lurking around the splintered wood and tattered sections of boat was the Great White, having recovered from having its heart dispelled of darkness. It seemed to remember hunting something, as it swam with an inquisitive stride, swiftly navigating its large form through debris and the ship itself in order to find something worth snacking on. ”Tch—looks like we’ll have to make a run for it.” It wounded his pride to admit such a thing, but he knew Tori wouldn’t let him fight the shark alone. If she forced herself into the fray—well, the teen wasn’t sure he could focus on protecting her and defeat the enemy at the same time.
”We’ve gotta get you your powers back…” Though the words rang bitter, his tone betrayed the fact he knew it wasn’t something within Tori’s control. If anything, it almost sounded exasperated. ”D’you think you could swim fast, right now?” Grimacing at her, Henoke glanced back out towards the ship, where he saw the shark lurking in and out of the cannon slots, now empty and abandoned of the long rusted and forgotten weapons. If she can’t… He couldn’t provide a distraction for her—as knowing her she wouldn’t leave him behind and run on ahead. ”Grrrr…damn it!” It was so much easier to just fight it! If she couldn’t handle it, and wouldn’t let him tackle it alone, though… Wait! An idea dawning on him, a wide smirk appeared across his face as Henoke turned towards Tori. ”Oi, I got a plan.” His eyes glinted something devious… ”I'll head out. When I do, swim as fast as you can to the pathway back.” Figuring she’d be suspicious, the teen pointed out of the cavern entrance, towards the Sunken Ship where the shark swam.
”I’ll trap the shark by messin’ up the ship. When it’s pinned, I’ll follow you.” His alternate to f&$%ing the shark up was f&$%ing the ship up! It was simple, yet genius! Feeling rather confidant, the teen would give Tori a determined look before nodding. Giving a ‘thumbs up’ before he left, the teen swam out of the cavern, towards the ship. Closing the distance at a moderate speed, though one that still betrayed his noviceness, Henoke summoned forth his Keyblade in a ray of light once more, shouting out as he charged towards the hull of the ship. Noticing the sudden commotion, the shark jolted in awareness, immediately launching out from within the ship towards the coming teen! Hopefully Tori had followed through with his guidance, as what he had in store might mess with the caverns in the chasm. With his powerful whale tail, Henoke lurched forward as the shark finally managed to make its way out of the lower deck and into the Captain’s Hull. Coming within striking distance of the exposed hull, which already bore a wide hole in it, the teen summoned all the strength he could.
”HYAAAA!” Gripping his weapon with both hands, the teen slashed out with all his might at the wooden structure of the hull. At the same time his strike collided, Henoke channeled his Quake spell—causing a powerful rupture to explode against the wooden exterior of the ship. Already softened by countless years under oceanic waters, the entire Captain’s Quarters seemed to burst as the entire ship shook and quaked. CRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHH! Beam after beam splintered, dominoing off of one another and cascading into a cacophonous torrent of sound as the entire seafloor shook. Dust and algae exploded all over the eruption, shrouding the destroyed Sunken Ship from view. If Tori had listened to Henoke, and began to swim across the chasm and towards the pathway they had come, they would see the entire ship collapsing as it crumpled on itself from the impact. Both Henoke and the shark would be unseen, as the crumbling and crashing ceased, a gigantic ball of underwater dust and algae obscuring the collision site from vision…
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 17, 2020 4:39:55 GMT -5
Well, Henoke seemed to understand easily enough, although Tori had the suspicion that some of the more important details were lost to him. Still, his cocky grin was enough to know that he was pumped —eager to try it again, while helping others out.
Nevertheless, they were somewhat trapped in the cave, and it wasn’t like they could fight without having a few casualties here and there —Tori was still not back to a perfect form. Fighting like that would make her an easy target, as much as she would like to deny it. She’d be dead weight no matter where she looked it from. They were still rather close to the Sunken Ship —and with that, to the White Shark lurking nearby, hunting for something to bite on.
Tori shook her head a bit as Henoke asked if she could swim fast one more time —her stamina wouldn’t allow it for too much. She looked away, sullen, her arms crossed with embarrassment.
She hated being useless.
”Oi, I got a plan.” Henoke’s shouting, plus his mischievous look caused Tori to shudder with an uneasy smile. What, exactly, was he “planning”? ”I’ll trap the shark by messin’ up the ship. When it’s pinned, I’ll follow you.” Wait, was he seriously suggesting to be bait?! Without being able to say a word, Tori saw as the reckless teen swam back towards the Sunken Ship, unable to stop him.
“…You didn’t even let me object…” Tori pouted, uneasy.
With the one option she was left, Tori couldn’t possibly do anything else but follow. Even though she wasn’t able to oppose to the idea, she still felt it was wrong to not trust Henoke —he’d done a lot for her sake, not asking for anything back.
The least she could do was listen.
She looked with a grimace as she swam back towards the path, turning around to see the shark charged towards Henoke. She turned back, the grip on her hands tightening into fists as Tori tried to hold herself back. CRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHH! The loud noise caught her off-guard, and Tori was unable to resist the temptation of turning around and see what had happened. The cloud of dust and algae was impassable, not allowing anyone to look further ahead. Tori’s face paled a bit, unconsciously bringing one hand towards her chest.
“Henoke…”
She couldn’t help but worry —having seen a similar sacrifice once before. Would it end the same way as that one, though? Tori refused to think it, instead swimming slowly towards the sight, shocked. “…” Tori bit her lip, uneasy, “Henoke!” she shouted, “Henoke, answer! Where are you?!”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 18, 2020 12:13:02 GMT -5
”Henoke!” Tori’s shout echoed throughout the vast chasm, as the occasional crack of splintering wood thundered. For a moment, other than the crumbling ship remnants and settling dust, everything was still. ”Henoke, answer! Where are you?!” Another loud CRACK! as another beam gave way, allowing more sections of the wreckage to crumble. Thump. THUMP! BANG! Another shift in the pile gave way as a large section of mast was shoved away, a familiar orange spiky head emerging with a battered silhouette. ”Tch—didn’t I tell ya to get movin’?” With a half-smile, Henoke emerged, swimming up sluggishly and in a faint zig-zag as he wobbled from the ruined ship. ”Ha ha! That was crazy though, right?! I didn't think that would happen!” Laughing a bit as he began to slowly make his way up out of the chasm and towards the path Tori neared, the teen seemed to be bleeding from their head faintly, countless bruises and welts formed over their exposed torso.
Splintered wood stabbed into sections of flesh that bled freely. Having used his healing magic prior to taking down the ship, Henoke was out of means of taking care of the immediate damage. Despite his state, as he neared Tori, he gave the girl a cocky grin and ‘thumbs up’, just before another loud SNAP! thundered throughout the chasm, from the ship. ”Grrrrrooooooarrrrhhh!” Roaring out, the Great White thrashed against fallen and heavy ship parts against the seafloor, kicking up debris, algae and dirt as it lay pinned at the bottom of the wreckage. ”Damn! That thing’s tough!” Seemingly surprised that a shark had made it out of the same thing as he did, Henoke looked torn between awed and impressed.
”Don’t sweat! It’s not gettin’ out anytime soon.” With a cocky sneer, the teen summoned his Keyblade once more, taking aim at one of the large broken beams keeping some of the pile propped up. ”Take this!” Shooting out a Firaga spell, the fireball skoooooomed! through the water as it collided with the pile of broken debris. BOOM! Erupting on impact, though not causing anything to catch fire, another quaking rumble ruptured through the chasm as the shark shouted out once more—subjected to the falling pile of debris as it was further pinned and buried for now. ”C’mon!” Dismissing his weapon, Henoke pushed off with his tail, swimming as fast as he could to the pathway they had emerged from slightly above. Despite growing more familiar with the motion, the teen still wasn’t as fast as Tori—especially now that they had been wounded, though the adrenaline of everything seemed to be alive and waning the pain.
Escaping from the chasm, still hearing the roar and shakes caused by the buried shark, the two would head down the pathway until the sliver between the large rocks emerged—their exit. Slipping through the natural entrance, Henoke sighed as they returned to the otherwise calm and tranquil outskirts of the Palace Grounds. ”That was a waste o’ time…” Grumbling as he winced and stretched a shoulder, the wounds littering his form began to settle in. Though the shark could be considered a ‘local’, it definitely wasn’t the type that seemed it would be one of those Elane had been worried about. What caused that, anyway? There had been darkness emitting from the shark, until Tori had had him do that thing with the Keyblade. The only other thing he had seen like it was what had occurred at Belle's castle...but even that wasn't the same as someone being actively possessed. What’s goin’ on…? Caught up in his confusing thoughts, the teen floated with his arms crossed over his chest, shaking his head a bit as he glanced over to Tori.
”Hm…what’d’ya think? Should we try and find that ‘Sebastian’ guy, now?” He wasn’t sure what the deal with this mysterious darkness was, but Henoke had always been the type to focus on what was in front of him instead. It seemed unless Tori had any other ideas or theories she wanted to explore, he thought that that was their best starting point.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 18, 2020 12:42:29 GMT -5
Seeing Henoke emerge from the chaos that was the cloud of the wreckage brought mixed feelings —on one side, she was relieved he was okay, but on the other, Tori was fuming. She noticed his wounds, but as the action happened way too far for her liking, they were forced to leave after Henoke threw a Firaga spell in order to keep the White Shark pinned within the now destroyed Sunken Ship.
Tori followed as swiftly as she could to get away, before the White Shark could get away (would it, though? She wasn’t sure). Once in the clearing, her expression shifted —despite the obvious bitterness it evoked, there was concern in her gaze. Henoke’s question was irrelevant, at the moment.
She wanted to give him a piece of mind, first.
Slap! Without hesitation, Tori smacked her hand against Henoke’s face, not willing to hide anything anymore. Once that was done, she pulled him closer towards her, her grip one of iron as he hugged him with force —intentionally, may we add.
“Idiot!” she shouted, “You can’t do that expecting me not to worry!” Tori pulled back, her expression clearly conflicted, “Don’t do that to me!”
After a while —hopefully after Henoke realized why she was so worried—, Tori sighed. Taking a bit of distance, she chanted Curaga, healing the teen from all of the wounds in his exposed body. Still, even with magic, she didn’t expect all of his wounds to be completely back to normal —as evidenced by her immediately swimming a bit upwards to look at his head, having noticed it was faintly bleeding.
The thought behind her worry was a grim one —after all, how many people had left her for good, after a stunt like that? The grimace in her face was clear as she examined where the bigger wounds were, thankfully all healed to perfect health.
The only reason she’d checked them was out of worry, really —not because they needed to be examined.
“…Back on track” Tori told herself, “We still don’t know where Sebastian could’ve gone to… Past that Sunken Ship’s gonna be definitely off-limits with the shark still there. But then… Where haven’t we checked?” she asked, “…Maybe Flounder could help us out a bit. Didn’t he mention he knows the area well enough? Maybe he’s got an idea.”
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