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Post by Vapovile on Mar 4, 2019 20:55:44 GMT
Ariana's anchor sailed through the air at one of the heads, the beast closing its mouth and whipping around to dodge the projectile. The head that was going for Cosmina seemed to stop as it got close to the doll, the enhanced senses of the canine head now able to smell the horrible stench of death upon Cosmina's body. When the enhanced canine senses heard the buzzing around Cosmina's horns, it reeled back just in time to only be clipped by the sonic blast, letting out a pained cry when several wounds opened up around its face. This brief moment of stun allowed Ariana to connect with her punch, sending the tentacle crashing into the cliffside.
Several hiss-like snarls sang out from above as the 4 heads from earlier found their prey once more. But before they could strike, the entire cavern grew eerily quiet. Scylla's heads immediately stopped their advance and spread out to the sides of the room, hugging the walls. If the group were to look down, they would see the lake being almost entirely gone...Chrybdis's massive form looming over a dry lakebed spotted with several tiny puddles. Its mouth was now closed, looking like the dark monolitb they had seen entering the cavern. There was a deep gurgling noise coming from inside the beast's bellow, shaking the cavern walls once more as pressure began to build within its system.
With a sudden opening of its mouth, a geyser of water shot out of Charybdis's mouth and smashed against the ceiling high above, sending water downward in a violent waterfall that quickly began to fill the lake back up. Scylla used this moment of confusion to move 2 of its heads toward Loveline and Ariana, attempting to attack from both the front and back of their position.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 5, 2019 4:21:28 GMT
“Did I scare it away?” Ariana questioned as Scylla folded its heads away. That didn’t sound right. Her answer came in the form of a wall of water from below. “Boof!” She grunted, wind smacked right out of her lungs. Her water control prevented her from slamming into the ceiling, keeping her floating in the air when the liquid came crashing back down. She caught Cosmina, thrown from her perch by the geyser. “You okay?” Ariana asked. Cosmina only responded by puking into the water below.
“Okay, let it out, you’ll be okay.” Ariana awkwardly held her friend. Down came the jaws of Scylla again and Ariana dove, making Cosmina groan again. “Sorry!” Ariana flew along the wall and left the little seamstress dangling on a tree again. Freed of her burden, she turned to face the charging beast. A massive anchor appeared in her hands and she used it as a barrier, trying to block the snapping serpent’s mouth.
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 7, 2019 19:58:49 GMT
Loveline didn't get to attack before the atmosphere changed. The sounds of swirling water died down and Scylla's tentacles cowered against the walls. It took Loveline a second to figure out what was going on, and just as it all clicked inside her head, the geyser shot out of the lake's center. Loveline moved towards the walls, unable to take the hit like Ariana, but the water ripped through one of her legs.
A short screech escaped her before she bit down on her own lip to keep it and the tears inside while she escaped the water. She closed the bleeding stump almost immediately, but Scylla already noticed her moment of weakness and its tentacle lashed out with its massive jaw. There was no time to escape it. The jaw approached and chomped down. But it stopped almost as soon as it started closing. Loveline's scythe was in the mouth; the scythe's magical construction should have been enough to keep it pried open.
Loveline took the moment to observe the room. She wasn't sure where the object was. With cloudy eyes, she spotted several shining spots within the torrent, but that could've just been refraction or other light sources playing tricks. Even if she could see it clearly the water was too fast for her to try and get through it. Chardabys was still spewing water and it was too large for Love to really do damage to it. That meant only one viable target remained.
Love let go of her scythe, leaving it inside the monster's mouth, and started spiraling around the tentacle's shaft while flying towards Scylla's main body.
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 10, 2019 4:01:01 GMT
The deafening roar of the geyser Charybdis was releasing reverberated throughout the room as the trio reacted to Scylla's attack. Ariana's anchor found its way into the head's mouth, causing it to reel back and open its jaws wide to try and drop it out, head swinging to the side in the process and trying to strike Ariana. With the head Loveline was attacking, it also thrashed about trying to get the scythe out of its mouth. Scylla herself sat on a ledge near the top of the chamber, the geyser significantly losing strength as they reached the apex. The creature let out a strange, almost melodic roar as Loveline neared, the creature sending another head to try and intercept her.
If anyone in the group were to look at the other heads, they would notice that 2 of them had somehow become tangled up in a strange knot. Both were on the other side of the room from themselves though, thrashing about to try and free themselves. The water level had significantly risen by this point, filling up half of what the lake was when they entered.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 10, 2019 5:04:46 GMT
Ariana hadn’t even meant to get her anchor in scylla’s mouth, but she would take the win. “It’s stuck! Can you do anything cool while it can’t-OOF!” Ariana took the full brunt of the creature’s thrashing and went spinning down at the water. She caught herself just over the rising surface, sore all along her right side. Bruises were already visibly forming on her right arm.
You know what, I’ll stay down here. Ariana decided, realizing her current situation was ideal. Now that the water was rising slower, she could look for the shiny thing in relative safety. "Hey, I'm alright down here! I'm looking for the treasure!" Ariana called up to Loveline before she dove under the water and looked from there, seeking it out from below.
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 15, 2019 14:47:34 GMT
While flying alongside the tentacle, Loveline heard Ariana exclaiming she was fine underwater. Glad to hear it, Loveline nodded with a smile and focused on her own target. As she got closer to the main body, the creature started singing a frustrated tune that brought a smirk to Loveline's lips. One of the tentacles responded to her roars and moved to intercept the gem girl.
Loveline waited for it to get close, then replaced herself with an illusion. While the illusion kept its course and hopefully made the tentacle bite or slam into its brother, the invisible Loveline stopped and summoned her scythe out of the first one's mouth.
"Pattern 15: Lavander Stream!"
A colorful bullet flew towards Scylla's main body and midway there burst into a stream of small purple orbs traveling in a straight line. It was a convoy of clusters, each containing 3 small orbs, for a total of 42 orbs. No single orb packed a big punch but the entire stream beating rhythmically against an obstacle should punch through it, regardless if it was a metal shield or a thick hide.
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 17, 2019 3:43:59 GMT
Loveline's trick worked marvelously; Scylla's head went through the illusion and crashed into the first one that Loveline encountered after the geyser had erupted out of Charybdis. While another tentacle was about to go after Loveline...her colorful array of lights shot forward and pelted Scylla's body. The creature let out a sharp hiss and stared down at the gem girl before her, not looking damaged at all besides a few indents in its skin.
The two heads sprang at Loveline from below, one letting out a deep growling hiss as it opened its mouth wide...and released a concentrated sound wave that ripped through the surrounding area, like a weaker version of Cosmina's sonic blasts. The other head lashed out from the right side and tried to spear Loveline with its harpoon-like tongue, aiming to pull her into its mouth after the hit.
In the lake below, Ariana would see a faint gleam across the lake, which was now almost completely still now that all the water had been expelled.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 17, 2019 4:36:36 GMT
Ariana gasped when she saw the luminous object. The treasure! She began swimming for it, but happened to look up at Loveline. What happened to her leg!? Did the scylla just do that? She needs my help! Ariana realized, leaping like a dolphin from the water. “Love! I’ve got your back!” Ariana called. She swung her fist and the water below shot up in a new geyser right under the mouth of the barking scylla head, hoping to slam its mouth closed.
“Now, what happened to your leg!? Ah, tell me later, if I get the treasure we can leave and you can get patched up!” Ariana dove back for the water and plowed after the treasure again. Maybe Cosmina could sew the leg back on if they found it? Or would this require greater intervention? Ariana didn't know much medical stuff. Can I call Malcolm from in here? She wondered as she neared the shining object.
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 17, 2019 10:13:24 GMT
Loveline's attack proved ineffective against the mighty beast and while she considered her next move, a wave of sound passed through her entire body. Her insides were shaken up, although unharmed, and she was stunned while the second head approached. With shaky arms she lifted up her scythe, blocking the pointed tip of the tongue with the blade but being slammed into the cliff face.
She couldn't think about what she'd do with the incessant growling and hissing ripping through her, so Ariana's intervention was a godsend. Whether it hit or just distracted the head enough, Loveline realized how to unpin herself.
"Pattern 42: Shower Magnolia! Double!"
Two colorful bullets left her scythe and traveled a bit before bursting open and releasing 7 white sparks and a yellow one each. The sparks reversed direction and started traveling back towards Loveline. Some of the white sparks would hit the cliff around the gem girl, but some would hit the tentacle. The two yellow sparks were the main weapon though, tracking their target, the head's eye in this case! If she succeeded, she would quickly duck under and try to put the scythe blade in its mouth then pull downwards to cut off its tongue and jaw.
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 17, 2019 17:39:56 GMT
The geyser of water slammed into the barking Scylla head, making it shut its mouth and roar at Ariana as she left to recover the treasure, trying to hit her with another sonic bark but having much of its force dissipate as it went through the air. Loveline's attack also proved to be effective, as the colorful bullets hit the tentacle and made it reel back in pain. The two white bullets met their targets and exploded on the tentacle's eyes, letting out a squishing sound as they destroyed them. The tentacle let out several loud barks of pain as it thrashed about the room, mindlessly smashing itself into anything around.
Loveline's attack afterwards also managed to connect, managing to sever its tongue but now jaw. But that didn't matter, as it was already disabled and thrashing about the room. Strangely...no Scylla heads besides the ones Loveline and Ariana just attacked seemed to be upon them anymore.
Almost on cue, a loud rumble echoed throughout the room as Charybdis opened its mouth once more and began to absorb the water in the lake again. The object Ariana was going after quickly got caught in the current and began to circle the drain toward the center.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 17, 2019 18:13:30 GMT
Ariana cheered when Loveline took out the last of the heads attacking her. “Good work Love! Ah, crap!” She dove when the scylla head barked at her, but the shockwave still caught her back, sending her tumbling. Luckily, it was weakened by the depth she dove to, and she came up with little more than sore shoulders. “Hey Love, can you distract the last of the heads? I’m going for the treasure!” She pointed at the shining orb and shot forward, faster than any motorboat. This ruin was perfect for her. She felt free in the water, moving like a torpedo and leaping like a dolphin at will.
However, she wasn’t fast enough to reach the treasure before the water began to drain again. “What? No!” Ariana redoubled her efforts and chased the rapidly spiraling object. She closed in and reached out. With her first grab, her fingers only barely brushed it. Ariana yelled in frustration and lunged forward. Her hands reached out and pulled the golden object tight to her chest. Victory! Elation lifted her heart as she tried to reverse course and pulled out of the water. It was then she realized her mistake. The sheer force of the whirlpool had her caught tight.
It was all she could do to remain in one place, but even that was becoming harder by the second. The closer she got to the maw of Charybdis, the greater its pull became. She felt like it was going to pull her toes right off, then her feet, then work its way up her body until there was no more Ariana. “Aw, crud.” She sputtered, unable to yell with all her energy going to swimming.
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 18, 2019 6:31:58 GMT
Success! The wounded tentacle started thrashing around and none of the other tentacles came after her. Maybe they scared them off! Loveline got some distance so the thrashing tentacle wouldn't end up hitting her. She turned around to give Ariana a thumbs up for the assistance and saw the water swirling again. Ariana was in the thick of it. She just reached the object but was struggling to get out now. Loveline couldn't help her. Her powers weren't suited for rescue at all. So what could she do? Think, think, think...
"Ariana, freeze the water! Clog up the drain!"
Then she realized there was no way for Ariana to hear her in the water, especially not while she was struggling with the current. Argh! What could she do then? Somehow make a bullet pattern to spell it out? Carve it into the cliff? No time for either of those... Wait... Of course! She used her illusion powers to make floating letters and spell it out. Hopefully, Ariana saw it!
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 18, 2019 6:57:50 GMT
The roaring rapids of the whirlpool pulled Ariana further into the vortex's center despite her struggling. The immensely strong currents threatened to pull Ariana completely underwater...when she reached the center, where the pull was strongest. She could now clearly see Charybdis's massive teeth jutting out of its maw as she approached...its slimy skin making it look like an oversized Bobbit Worm.
Ariana yelled as her head bobbed under and over water, but it did her no good. She just kept getting pulled further and further in. Eve, I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want me to do dangerous things like this, and now I know why. Tears escaped her eyes and were lost to the waves, vanishing like she would in a mere instant.
Suddenly, a figure swung down toward the whirlpool and plucked Ariana from the vortex with expert precision, the two of them sailing safely through the air above the whirlpool. Ariana gasped as Charybdis suddenly sank away from her and turned her gaze to the face of her rescuer. With hair flying behind her like woven gold and face filled with pride, Elyssa filled her vision.
“Don't worry, I got you! Miss me?” Elyssa asked, flashing a winning smile toward Ariana as they sailed through the air. Elyssa had a strange new attire on; a furry white bra that looked like it was made from the fur of the werewolf her and Loveline faced in the ice room, the back having been attached to a black fiber that wrapped around her back. Her bottoms were also made of this black fiber, which upon closer inspection would appear to be the fabric of the coat she lost in the previous room. Her legs were completely bare, feet without shoes as she looked down at Ariana confidently.
Ariana looked up with total awe. Elyssa cut the perfect image of a swashbuckling hero, swinging in to pluck the damsel in distress from the jaws of death. The outfit was especially enthralling, showing off Elyssa’s ingenuity in the face of everything. It was time. She could hold it in no longer. It was now or never! “Elyssa! I love you!” She declared, wrapping her arms around Elyssa’s shoulders and pulling herself up to plant a kiss right on her lips.
Time seemed to slow down as Elyssa slowly began to realize what was happening. At first, she thought the feeling was great and even kissed back. The idea of saving someone from danger, and sharing a kiss while still in the air was amazing to Elyssa. Then she began to realize that this was Ariana. And that despite her older appearance in gem girl form...was still a kid. Oh god, what is going on right now?! She thought to herself. Her grip upon the grappling hook weakened as she slowly slid down rope...until it completely gave out and both went tumbling down onto a ledge on the far side of the room.
Both of them tumbled across the ground for a few seconds before stopping near the cliffside, Elyssa landing on top. Her face was completely red as she pulled her head back away from the kiss, looking down at Ariana. “...uh...I...what…?” Her usual confident demeanor had been shattered. Ariana, stunned out of the moment by the crash, began to turn red. She seemed like she was receptive for a moment, didn’t she? Had it gone well!? “I love you! You’re hot, you’re talented, you’re so super cool it makes me shiver!” She averted her eyes from Elyssa’s face. This was too much right now, Elyssa on top of her. Her heart strained to leap out of her chest and into Elyssa’s.
The words only confused Elyssa further, the adventurer pushing herself away and standing back up, leaning against the nearby cliffside. “Wha...ok...sorry, this is a bit much. While I appreciate the compliments...you are way too young to be doing that to me.” She said, trying to regain her composure.
“Too young?” Ariana blinked. The concept hadn’t even occurred to her. How much older was Elyssa? She had looked up to her as just an older kid all these years. In every dream, Elyssa was still the same age as the first day they met. Tears began to gather in her eyes. “Should I… not have done that?” She squeaked. The words struck Elyssa like knives. She didn't want to hurt Ariana's feelings. She wanted to regain her confidence and say everything was alright! But when she opened her mouth...no words came for several seconds.
“...I think...you should have asked me first.” She stated, trying to soften the blow. “And you would have said no.” Ariana realized. She stared into space, trying to process that. In every dream, Elyssa reciprocated. Rejection had never even occurred to her. “But… I understand that that means no. Eve always told me that. It’s…all I know about this, really.”
Countless thoughts began to race through Elyssa's head. She was adept at puzzles, she knew how to outrun a raging tidal wave...but she hadn't had this kind of an emotional problem with someone before. What should she even say to that?! Taking a deep breath, Elyssa looked at Ariana. “It...does. But uh…” Elyssa adjusted her makeshift bottoms slightly. She then approached and crouched next to Ariana. “Don't think that means we are no longer friends. I still want you on these Ruin runs. You are cool, strong, and swim better than a dolphin!” She started, confidence slowly returning. Her red face was still present though.
“So...are you ok…?” Elyssa asked. “Bwaaaaaaaa!” Was Ariana’s response, as she started bawling and curled in on herself. “I think she needs a moment.” A voice came from above, where Cosmina was dangling from a tree branch. “Also, please get me down.” Elyssa looked up to see her dangling niece from her position. A small smile crept on Elyssa's face...followed by utter horror as she realized that someone else saw. She fired her grappling hook upward and rappelled Cosmina down to their ledge, looking at the crying Ariana with confusion. “What should I...ah!”
Without thinking, Elyssa dove forward and attempted to wrap Ariana in a tight hug. “Hey...it's ok…” She said softly, running her fingers through her hair. “I just… just need a moment.” Ariana replied sniffling. “Go help Loveline.” Cosmina suggested. “OmygodLove!” Ariana took off, still red and teary. “You gotta give her something to do, keep her mind off of the problem.” Cosmina returned from the kaspa with a new swimsuit, eggplant purple with a little fringe of a skirt. “And something of yours.” She held out Elyssa’s hat. “Figured you were missing this. I’m pretty attached to my hats myself.” She tapped her new swimming cap, purple to match the suit.
Elyssa happily took the hat from Cosmina and placed it firmly on her head. “Thank you for recovering this. It is my most prized possession, after all.” Looking up at Ariana flying up to help Loveline, the adventurer sighed. “I totally botched that, didn't I?” She asked. “Nah, that’s about as well as anybody could handle that. Luckily, she seems like she’ll get it easily enough. She’s a little thick, but she’s got a good heart.” Cosmina sighed and sat crosslegged on the ledge. “And apparently she’s a hell of a kisser! She’s dropping angels from the sky with those lips!” Cosmina teased. Elyssa blushed and lightly slugged her niece across the shoulder. “Hey! You saw nothing.” She said with annoyance. “Sure didn’t. But I used sonar anyway.” Cosmina winked, laughing as Elyssa just got more and more red.
Ariana flew up to Loveline, treasure in hand. “LoveIgotthetreasure!” She said in one breathless go, holding up the emblem she had rescued from the whirlpool. “Wecangonow!” She threw a massive wave at the Scylla head attacking Loveline, hoping to delay it long enough for a retreat. Strangely, the Scylla head seemed to lose interest in the two and shot upwards toward the main body. The 5 other heads were in complete disarray. The one Loveline destroyed the eyes of was tucked away near the main body as it healed, 2 heads were still tied in a knot due to Elyssa's fancy maneuvering, one was trapped under a massive fallen rock Elyssa had dropped from the ceiling, and one was stuck in the cliffside trying to pull itself out. The water level had dropped low enough to where the group could see the exit.
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 18, 2019 23:27:04 GMT
Ariana hadn't seen Loveline's message. She kept struggling against the current and failing. Loveline wanted to swoop in and help her, but doubts stopped her. Would she be able to "fly" out again? If Ariana couldn't swim out, probably not... What could she do then? Wasn't she one of the people who got her to come here? If she died, it was Loveline's fault. Loveline couldn't bare the thought. Please, someone, something, anything, save her!
Almost on cue, Loveline's wish came true. Someone swooped in. It was Elyssa again. Despite any grudges she had against her, Loveline was so happy to see her. She would forget every grudge she had against Elyssa for this. Shut off every pang of jealousy. Maybe she'd even hang out with her as a friend. Find a way to apologize for all the bad things she thought. She didn't even care that Ariana wrapped her arms around Elyssa. And then...
Loveline's heart shattered. Her vision blurred. She felt like someone punched her in the lungs. They were working faster and faster but she still felt like she was drowning. Something rolled down Loveline's cheek and landed on her lip. She bit into it. It was wet and salty. A metallic taste quickly joined it. The taste of rust seeped in through the calcified bars holding in a scream.
Loveline wasn't sure when she raised her scythe or when she pointed the tip at Elyssa, but she knew a mere thought would let her hurt the explorer.
But it would also hurt Ariana.
A glow enveloped her. The stump where her leg used to be started bubbling and a new leg grew out of it. Tears kept streaming even as her eyes started shifting colors, shuffling between all the colors of the rainbow. She started flying upwards, towards Scylla, while her hair lengthened and her cape folded in on itself. Her hair turned white except for the colorful tips out of which magical gems grew. Light and color started flowing out of them towards her scythe. The light spread out from the blade and grew a rainbow blade as wide as Loveline and five times as long as she was tall. The weight of Loveline's anger and sadness filled every inch of it.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"
It finally escaped her. She held out her rainbow blade, carving through the cliff like it was butter, sending rocks and debris flying everywhere. She flew faster, faster, faster, chasing her target or running from reality. It was hard to tell which.
She flew past Scylla, her sword still extended to cleave through the monster like the cliffside, before raising it above her head and... The light surrounding her vanished in a glittering cloud. Her hair shortened. Turned brown. Her eyes settled on blue. Her body went back to the way it was before. Her dress disappeared, leaving behind the bikini she came in. And along with the remains of her mana went her ability to fly.
She started falling with her eyes shut to keep out the world. Her tears stopped as her tear ducts vanished. She couldn't let anyone see her cry. She gave herself over to the sensation of wind whistling past her, interrupted only by the rhythmic tapping of fingers against her bare thigh. Yet she couldn't escape the echo inside her chest. "Elyssa!" it screamed. "I love you!"
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 19, 2019 0:05:51 GMT
“Love?” Ariana stopped in her tracks when Loveline began to glow. Confusion turned to awe when Loveline’s scythe became a burning rainbow blade. “Love wait, it’s already defeated!” She called as Loveline rushed for the cliff where Scylla lay. “Looooooove!” It was too late, and Love’s sword dug into the cliff face. She passed the monster and vanished in a cloud of dust and blood. Ariana clapped her hands to her face to mask her horror when two wailing heads fell, severed ends spewing viscous ichor in all directions.
And with them fell Loveline. Tiny, frail among the titans she slew. “Loveline!” Ariana yelled again, diving for her. She caught her and slowed carefully to a halt so as not to hurt her with a sudden stop. The wailing heads fell past, filling Ariana’s heart with pain until their screams were silenced when they impacted with the floor below. Tears fell on Loveline’s face as Ariana listened to the low rumble of Scylla’s agony overhead, damage hidden by the cloud. “You didn’t have to do that…” Was all she said as she floated down to the exit on the seabed. She set Loveline down and looked at her with teary eyes. "We had already won!" She yelled sharply.
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 19, 2019 8:28:44 GMT
Elyssa's eyes opened wide when she saw Loveline begin to change...her scythe becoming a brilliant rainbow that began to carve into the cliffside as she flew up toward Scylla. "Hey! We're done here! We have to go!" She yelled up in vain. Loveline's scythe tore through the cliff like butter, unleashing colorful wave as she slashed straight through part of Scylla's body and completely severing 2 of its heads. The creature let out a shrill scream in agony as Loveline began to fall back to earth...along with 2 of its arms.
The adventurer hugged the wall when the debris left in the wake of Loveline's assault began to fall around herself, making sure to summon her short sword and parry away the rocks headed for Cosmina. When both Ariana and Loveline rejoined the group, Elyssa's face was a mixture of shock and annoyance. "What was that?! Just wanted to show off at the last minute or something?!" She asked. Elyssa then realized how she sounded right now and took a deep breath.
"Sorry...but that was totally uncalled for." She stated, the group exiting through the water-suspended portal and entering the hub room once more. Two paths remained for the group; the sunny top of the cavern, or the dark abyss that lay below. Elyssa tried to clap her hands to get everyone's attention...but soon realized that trying to clap underwater was a useless endeavor.
"Soooo...a lot happened at the end there. Do we need to take a break and talk things over?" She asked. "I don't think we should try the abyss right after that...so I suggest we head up there next." Elyssa pointed up toward the sunlight. What just happened back there? Why did Loveline just go berserk? There always seemed to be tension between them...but this was a whole new level.
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 20, 2019 22:27:58 GMT
Loveline heard Ariana calling her name. Feeling Ariana's arms around her she opened her eyes to look at her savior's face. She didn't like what she saw. The sadness and pain were not just the stings of rejection. There was also disappointment. The realization finally struck her. The massive mistake she'd made. Her eyes widened and she stuttered.
"I- I wasn't thinking..." Now she was. She was thinking too much. A million thoughts she couldn't even acknowledge before they disappeared. Should she apologize? But what if she says something wrong and makes it worse? Should she stay quiet? But would Ariana think she's just ignoring her? Whatever she thought of doing, a way it could backfire appeared. She was stuck not knowing what to do. Her eyes darted to the exit; a way to escape. But that's already where they were going. Besides, what would running away do? She knew Ariana cared about monsters yet killed one that stopped fighting, just because she was angry, just to get her own frustrations out. She fucked up and she had no idea how to fix it. Fix it? Maybe she could...
"Maybe I can fix it?" She looked at her hand, getting up from the sandy seabed. "If I can reattach the heads... Close up the wounds... Maybe it's not too late!" She grasped at straws. Anything to help her out now. She didn't need this! She didn't need Ariana's disappointment! She didn't want it! How did this trip take such a wrong turn so suddenly? Why couldn't she just restart the day? Why did Arty's power have to disappear before she needed it?
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 21, 2019 2:18:41 GMT
Ariana slowly looked up at Loveline, then back at the monster’s heads as they left the room. They no longer moved, but they still bled. “I think it is too late, Loveline.” She rubbed her eyes as they passed back into the central hub. “I worry… I worry you wouldn’t care if I wasn’t here.” She sank into herself as she realized it. How obvious had it been?
“So, Love’s crush is out now? Now we’re all on the same page? No more hidden crushes? Elyssa’s not into me? Or Love?” Cosmina snarked from the back of the group. “Shut up! We don’t need your jokes right now!” Ariana was only half-angry, a smile sneaking onto half her face. Inside though, her heart sank. If Cosmina knew, she should have noticed herself. Love felt about her like she felt about Elyssa. What did that mean for her? She really didn’t know Love all that well, but she knew she was usually a good friend. But that outburst...
Did you know Elyssa that well, or were you kissing an ideal? A smart part of her brain responded. Everything was stupid and confusing right now. She ground her fists into her temples like it would help and shot off towards to top of the tower. “Come on, let’s go here!” She yelled down. She didn’t understand anything about kissy stuff, so she would just have to adventure!
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 21, 2019 9:02:03 GMT
Things seemed to be returning to normal when Loveline and Ariana began to chat among themselves, Elyssa suppressed her desire to shake her head when Loveline floated the idea of reattaching Scylla's severed heads. Even if they weren't already out of the room, reattaching something that large to a creature that wants all of them dead was not a great idea, to say the least.
Cosmina's question snapped Elyssa out of her thoughts and made her roll her eyes. "That's gross, Cos. You're my niece." She said while shaking her head, while also flashing a small smile at the joke. Ariana's outburst then pull her attention back to the strongest one of the group. She seemed to still be flustered over that entire...scene that had just played out. What should she do now? Try to calm Love down, or smooth things over with Ariana? Since Ariana had shot up toward the top of the cavern, Elyssa decided to swim next to Loveline.
"Hey uh...are you alright? There anything I can do?” She asked earnestly.
After a pause, Loveline said: “No. I don’t know. I don’t think I want to talk about it.”
This made Elyssa frown slightly with annoyance. “Why is that? I don’t want this thing to destroy the entire group’s cohesion. You’re clearly angry, so let’s get it worked out.” Elyssa said with more determination.
Loveline felt like an asshole at the moment. A burst of blind rage, Ariana’s disappointment and now Elyssa was trying to work things out. Why did it feel like she was the bad guy? She was hurt too!
“Because I don’t like it! And I don’t think talking’s going to help…” Loveline responded.
This only served to strengthen Elyssa’s resolve further. She had a bad habit of pressing things too far sometimes...but she wanted to fix this, dang it! “Trust me, I think it will. Can we just…”
“Not now, Elyssa! I just… want to be alone for a bit.” Loveline swam a bit further away from the group. Of all the people, Elyssa was the last person she wanted to talk to right now.
With an annoyed frown plastered across her face, Elyssa followed the group up the column of water, eyes now full of determination to fix this problem.
The group soon broke the water’s surface to discover that they were surrounded by the pleasant white sands of a beach that spread out around the pool of water that led back into the hub. The sun above shone down upon the group, the temperature reminiscent of a warm summer’s day in the tropics.
When Elyssa pulled herself out of the pit, she saw that the island was filled with various tropical trees that reached toward the blue sky above. However...when observing the plants a little more closely, they could see strange alien fruits where there would normally be coconuts or bananas. A ‘u’ shaped fruit dangled from a nearby tree, coated in a layer of bright red skin that seemed threatening to Elyssa...but the various holes indicated it had been pecked at by nearby animals. Floating on the water nearby to the shore were 6 strange circular wooden platforms that moved in time with the waves passing underneath. There didn’t appear to be anything besides ocean for miles into the horizon, no matter the direction they looked.
Elyssa looked around the island with her hands on her hips, happy that the sun’s rays were evaporating some of the water dripping off her body. Surely there must be a way to set everything right with everyone… Elyssa thought to herself. Ariana seemed to be fine for now...but Loveline was clearly still angry. Was it best to leave her alone like she asked? Was Loveline the type to just stew on the problem until it becomes an even larger issue? A frown of determination spread across Elyssa’s face as she approached the shapeshifter and pointed directly at her.
“Before we begin this challenge...I would like to make sure this group is free from any animosity from that last room. You don’t seem to want to talk, sooooo…” Elyssa pointed directly at her chest. “How about we have a quick spar? Take out any frustrations you have right here. Feel free to use your gem girl form, I have plenty of healing stuff in my bag, so I’ll be fine. First one to tap out loses, unless we agree to a draw. Do you accept?!” She asked, staring directly at Loveline. Was it right to issue a challenge like this toward someone that was probably hurting inside? Then again...if she could externalize some of that frustration, wouldn’t that lead to her being happier than she was before? This was a risky gamble...but she had to try!
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 21, 2019 23:49:04 GMT
Elyssa's observation was half right. While Loveline was plagued by anger, she was plagued even more by self-doubt. This day wasn't going the way she wanted it to partially because of her own actions. She wasn't sure what actions would lead to it getting better or getting worse. That wasn't usually something she considered but now the situation made her well aware of it. And the fact her crush got out in this manner didn't make her feel better, especially after Cosmina mocked it the way she did. She was too preoccupied with this rumination to even notice the environment they surfaced in.
Elyssa's challenge snapped her back into reality. And of course, Loveline was flooded with questions. Did she really think just a fight was enough to make Loveline feel better? Did she want to make her look bad in front of everyone by making her seem even more violent? Would Ariana think she just accepted the fight to hurt Elyssa? Or would declining the challenge make her look like a coward in her eyes? Could Loveline even win in this situation? Elyssa was far stronger, Loveline herself experienced that strength flowing through her body. She knew as she was she had no way to win. She touched her gem and felt her mana stores. It wasn't coming back that fast. If she transformed, she wouldn't be able to stay that way for more than two minutes and there was no chance of INSANITY mode anytime soon. She looked over all those present here. Cosmina. Ariana. Elyssa. Then she made her decision.
"Fine. I'll fight you if you really want it." She walked to a fairly clear part of the beach and transformed her forearms. She grew an exoskeleton on them to protect from Elyssa's superior strength as much as she could. She thought about whether she should also have claws. Ariana probably wouldn't appreciate it if she actually hurt Elyssa but regular punches like Love's wouldn't affect her much. She settled on small claws, enough to scratch but not enough to hurt her too badly.
She waited for Elyssa to get into position and prepare herself. When Elyssa acknowledged she was ready, Love said: "Let's start then." and disappeared. It was a simple illusion, but she was completely invisible and it hid her steps in the sand while she tried to run behind Elyssa and put her claws to the adventurer's throat. If she could have her admit defeat so quickly without actually hurting her, they could get on with this. Go back to trying to help Ariana instead of focusing on Loveline. She thought that was the best case scenario now.
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