Chapter 14: The Deep One
By: Space Cadet
The only sound was the eerie echoing of dripping water throughout the dark, damp hallways. The walls shimmered with blue light reflected from the water, which was everywhere. A calm voice spoke from the depths to another figure resting in a small pool of water.
“The rebels draw closer…”
“I know.” A stern, female voice replied.
“Will you come with me to meet them?”
The female snorted. “Why? Can’t handle yourself out there?” She asked mockingly.
“Who knows what is lurking around in the deeps these days…” He replied, still calm.
“We do.” She retorted arrogantly.
“Well I guess I’ll have to go alone then.” He said a little disappointed. “Unless,” his voice became slightly playful, “you’re afraid?”
The female figure growled a moment before answering, “No, I am NOT afraid. If you’re so chicken then I suppose I’ll need to come along.”
“Well, let’s depart, then. Who knows how long it will take to reach them.”
“…We do.”
***
Kat sweated, a grin on his face. “Weel, there be soomthin’ ye don’ see all days!”
Gray Wolf, also sweating, replied with a simple, “Nope.”
Instead of the usual routine, Lirrik was chasing a madly giggling Sora around the ship, shouting curses with a haunted look in his eyes.
“Whit de ye thank she did tae ‘im?”
“…No idea…”
“…Aye.”
“A-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!! WA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!”
“ARGH!! JUST YOU WAIT!! COME ON!! RAAAAWWW!!!”
Sarica listened to the shouting from the galley, where she and Holly were making breakfast. “Hmm…what do ya think Mister Lirrik did to her this time?”
“Just what he thought was a little joke I suppose, as usual.” Holly replied with a smile.
“Tee hee…guess so!”
Chuckling, Kat turned his head towards Gray Wolf as the pair ran by again. “Ye knoo whit Ah thank?”
Gray Wolf averted his gaze from them and peered at the Cupid Hare curiously. “What is it?”
“Ah thank them two be seckretlae in loove, nay?” He said, grinning.
In a flash, the lilac Hare found himself the one being chased as the two Mogis passed by and heard the remark.
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!?!”
“NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY!!! ARGH YOU!!”
“Hey-ey! What’s goin’ on Gray Wolfy?” Sarica’s cheerful voice called. Gray Wolf turned to see the little rabbit and Holly bringing out some stew for them.
“I don’t think you want to know.” He said, amused.
“Hmm…mebbe not…”
Sarica hopped over to the deck rail as Holly handed out the stew and attempted to calm Lirrik and Sora. Sarica peeked over the edge and allowed the breeze to brush her light blue bangs and ears. Then, she noticed something in the water…
Lirrik skidded to a halt and took the bowl Holly offered him gratefully; he loved her cooking.
“Hey Mister Lirrik!”
The Offshore turned to see Sarica waving to him, and he ambled over. “What’s up?”
The little rabbit turned and pointed to something among the waves. “What’s that?”
Lirrik’s eyes scanned the surface before spotting what she was pointing to. It appeared to be a triangular fin. “Hmm, looks like a shark to me.”
“What’s a shark?” Sarica asked him curiously.
“Well, it’s a really big fish, with real sharp teeth and they eat monsters, humans, or other fish as well.”
“Ooh…they sound scary…” she whimpered.
“Bah, they’re nothing to worry about. Just stay out of the water.” He replied, unconcerned.
Then Sora leaned on the rail next to him, gazing at the fin, which was gradually coming closer to the ship. “Strange, didn’t think there were many sharks left around here nowadays.”
“Why’s that?”
“Don’t you know? Zillas hunt them. I guess the Zillas wanted to make sure they would be the dominant species in the ocean, and killed off many sharks. There also used to be these HUGE-” here, Sora spread her arms for emphasis, “-things called whales! It’s said they were as big as the Zillas, and some even bigger!”
“Wow!” Sarica exclaimed.
“There are many creatures who once existed on this world, though they are no more.” A calm voice spoke.
The group all jerked their heads down to the fin, which had risen and revealed not a shark, but a Fukazo (Suezo/Lesione). The aquatic Suezo breed studied them for a moment as a Rubia (Lesione/Pixie) surfaced beside him.
“Once, there were many species of animals, varying in all sizes, but as you said Sora, they have been hunted. But by humans as well as monsters.”
“And how do you know who I am?!” Sora asked incredulously.
The grayish Suezo didn’t answer her question; instead he asked, “Mind throwing us a net so we may come aboard?”
“Absolutely not! Answer me first!” Sora shouted back.
“Naow, naow, no need fer that. Show soom manners, will ye?” Katsurin chided her, then grabbed a net. “Here ye be!” He called, tossing it down to the pair.
“Thank you Katsurin.” He responded and Kat’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, as the two grasped the net tightly for the rebels to haul them up.
Sora looked them up and down after they set foot on deck, and immediately noticed the scarf both had around their necks. It was similar to the red bandana Hare wore; only it was blue and depicted a pair of red eyes.
“We aren’t fooled that easily!” She snarled. “Of all the pathetic ploys, trying to hide your crests with scarves, I know you’re baddies!”
The Rubia simply rolled her eyes, while the Fukazo arched his single eyebrow skeptically. “We are not baddies. I am Fukazo and this is Rubia. We are here to assist you.” Noting that both Sora and Gray Wolf were not convinced, he used his tongue to lift the scarf up as proof. “See? We bear no crests.”
Sora glared at him haughtily for a moment, before sitting down on a barrel and grumbling to herself.
Lirrik giggled quietly. “Manners, dear Sora.” He teased her, as she glared daggers at him. Then he turned back to the aquatic pair. “So, what kind of ‘assistance’ have you come to give us?” He asked in curiosity.
“You seek to learn about Shuvola, yes?” He inquired.
The rebels nodded in surprise and Kat leaned forward, his interest sparked. “An’ whit is Shuvola? Whit can ye tall us aboot it?”
Fukazo closed his eye, and they all leaned forward, eager to hear his words of wisdom, when Rubia spoke for the first time. “What? You didn’t actually think that WE knew anything about it did you?”
“Whaaat?!” Lirrik groaned.
Holly waited as they were silent, then added, “You mean you don’t know anything about the Shuvola Temple?”
“Nope.” Was Rubia’s simple reply.
The group groaned as Sora rolled her eyes and snorted, “If you don’t know anything, then what good are you to us?!”
“We may not have the answers you seek, but there is one who does. We will take you to him.” Fukazo stated in his calm voice.
“Who is this person?” Holly asked him.
“He is…the Deep One!”
Sarica, Gray Wolf, Katsurin, and Holly all wore expressions of confusion, while Sora leaped up and exclaimed, “The Deep One?! Seriously?!”
“Duh, or else we wouldn’t have said it!” Rubia snapped.
“Who asked you?!” Sora yelled back.
“I don’t need permission to speak!”
“Well I really don’t care what you think, I’m talking to your mono-eyed friend there!!”
“WHAT DID YOU CALL HIM?!!”
“YOU HEARD ME PERFECTLY ROOTY!!”
“JUST WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!!!”
“ARE YOU DEAF?!”
Katsurin held a paw to his face and groaned. “Ohh…tis just like them two, though that’n tis lookin’ a titch more violent an’ hot-tempaered, nay?”
“Yeah…” Sarica nodded quickly. The yelling continued for a few seconds, and then it looked as though the two were about to fight, when…
“STOP!!!!!”
Sora and Rubia paused and turned their heads to the shouter. Fukazo regained his composure after his brief outburst, and continued.
“Thank you, that is much better. Rubia, I might ask you not to attack our friends.” Rubia snorted in irritation, but Fukazo ignored it. “Yes Sora, it is the Deep One from legends. Am I right in assuming you and Lirrik have already heard of him?”
“Yes, we used to be sailors!” Lirrik piped up.
“Sailors, eh? Guess that explains it. Anyways, the Deep One requests a meeting with you, and he would be very pleased to give you some information regarding your quest.”
“Will you let us think about it?” Lirrik asked him, and the aquatic Suezo nodded. “Thanks.”
The group huddled together, and Holly gazed at the monsters. “What do you think? They seem nice enough.”
“Yeah, but it could easily be an act.” Sora reminded her.
“That’s a possibility…” Gray Wolf mused.
Sarica pushed her way in-between Gray Wolf and Holly. “Hey! But they had no crests, ya know! We saw, he proved it!”
“Aye, ye’ve got a point there, lassie. Methinks they be trustworthy enough.”
“Me too Kat,” Lirrik agreed, “I say we take them up on their offer. That okay?”
They all nodded…all except for Sora, who simply glared and sat back down on the barrel. [I don’t care if they have crests or not, they don’t have to be baddies to be enemies…and I just don’t trust them.]
Holly straightened up and smiled at the pair. “Okay, we’ll meet this person. Where is he?”
“At the bottom of the ocean.” Fukazo replied, as if it were normal.
“Whaaaaat?!!” Sarica whined at him.
Rubia rolled her eyes again. “Where did you expect him to be? The desert?”
Sora’s eyes blazed, and she retorted, “Well how the hell are we supposed to get there then?”
“Easy,” Fukazo interjected before Rubia could start another argument, “I will teleport us there. It is an underwater building, though it is not flooded. Although it is a little damp, but I’m sure you’ll be comfortable.”
“Um..” Sarica glanced worriedly at him.
“Don’t worry Sarica, We’ll be fine.” Holly said reassuringly, and the little rabbit nodded.
The group clustered together, with Fukazo at the center, and the eyeball concentrated a moment before shouting, “Teleport!!” With a bright flash of light, they all disappeared.
***
After hissing a curse to herself, Craylin detached her body from the timbers of the ship, and struck off into the depths. [Just great…it’ll take me a long enough time to get down there…I want to know who this mysterious ‘Deep One’ is. Probably isn’t even all that special.]
The pink Arrow Head paused as a sudden thought struck her. This would be a perfect opportunity to get rid of the rebels; in her opinion, they were a lot more trouble then they were worth. And just what they were worth to Master Nightmare? She had no idea…the generals would have been the only ones to know what true intentions the Terror Dog had.
For a moment, she reveled in the possibility that perhaps even the generals didn’t know; maybe they had been given false proclamations. Not that it was any of her concern…
She sighed, with a few bubbles making their way out of her mouth and towards the surface. She really needed to keep her mind on task right now if she was going to destroy the Searchers. The pressures at the bottom of the ocean would be great; wherever this ‘Deep One’ was, it would be an easy place to create a cave-in. Although she would still need some assistance.
[Still…] She shook her head, her mind set, and once again swam powerfully downwards.
***
In a bright flash of light, the rebels appeared in a dark, damp chamber, with the sound of dripping water echoing all around them. Light reflected from the water danced on the walls, which were made of blackish-blue bricks. Some areas were cracked, with the fissures running all the way from ceiling to floor in some places, yet all the walls were still intact, though a couple spots seemed to have been repaired at some point.
Katsurin allowed his eyes to adjust to the dim light as they all recovered from the teleportation. Gazing around at his friends, he noticed most of them were on the ground. Then he realized that he too was kneeling on the floor, many of its tiles covered with algae and puddles.
“Ooohhhh…my ears hurt…” Sarica whimpered, clutching her long ears.
“Just live with it, you’re fine.” Rubia muttered.
Fukazo gave her a look, before turning to Sarica. “It’s from the water pressure. Don’t worry, it’ll pass soon enough.”
“Okay…”
Gray Wolf shook some droplets of water from his fur, and took in the sight of the chamber, as well as the various tunnels, which branched off it into the darkness.
“Whoa…” Holly breathed as she looked around.
“No kidding.” Sora agreed.
“The Deep One is this way. Would you all follow me please?” Fukazo asked them. The aquatic Suezo hopped off slowly towards one of the dark passageways, with Rubia shuffling along beside him, and the group followed nervously, with Sora still glaring at Rubia.
After making their way through the dim passages, the rebels spotted a pair of open turquoise doors. Fukazo and Rubia led them through the double doors into another chamber. Lirrik gazed in awe with the others around the spacious room.
This one had pools of water on either side, casting more wavering blue patterns of light on the dark walls. The pools didn’t appear to have any visible bottom, and Lirrik assumed they were ways of getting out of…wherever they were.
Then he turned his attention to the opposite end of the room, which was in shadows.
Fukazo halted, in called out in a clear, respective tone, “Great Deep One, we have brought the Searchers here as you wished. We await your advice, O wise one.”
Sora listened intently, as she heard something from the other end of the room approaching them, and she tensed, while straining to make out the features.
Suddenly, a pair of torches flared to life, and she shielded her eyes from the unexpected brightness. Opening them again, she now saw that where there had previously been only darkness, there was a wide, raised step in front of a small door. And atop the step, sat the Deep One.
The Deep One was, respectively, a Deep One (Octopee/?). His red-tinted eyes looked them over before he nodded in satisfaction towards Rubia and Fukazo.
“Come closer, my children.” He spoke in a tone that carried great wisdom and calm, and the group obeyed, coming to rest at the foot of the low step. “I have waited long for you. Now is the time for your quest to be revealed, and the past be made known to you. Will you listen to my story?”
Holly gave a friendly smile to the old monster. “Yes, would you please tell us?” She couldn’t help thinking that he reminded her of Monol, except she didn’t think there was any risk of this one falling asleep while speaking. The group was all ready to listen, and even Sora was anxiously waiting to hear the Deep One’s words of wisdom.
“Alright then, let’s see…I believe you have already heard of the Dark Spirits, as well as the creation of Nightmare and the creature Mauradire.” The rebels nodded, and he continued. “But what your friend told you is only half the legend. There were many more occurrences tied in with it, and many of these were unknown to even the ancient beings.
“Firstly, the powerful spirit created may indeed have stayed good, but you see, it was possessed by an outer-world being!”
Sora started in surprise, as did the rest of the rebels. Even Fukazo and Rubia were hanging onto the Deep One’s every word, and so it seemed they had not heard this story either.
“Oooh, really? Whoa!” Sarica exclaimed.
“Yes. The being was something like a demon, and it possessed the creature, turning it to its own will. That was when it became Mauradire, and took its place among the Dark Spirits as their lord.” He ceased speaking, and Kat vaguely wondered if that was all the old Octopee had to say.
“’Scuse mae, but whit happened to them Spirits? ‘Twas said that they all disappeared without a trace, so they did!”
“Be patient, I am getting to that. I was just giving you a moment to take it all in. All right…see something else followed Mauradire. The demon was of course evil, like Moo, and just as Moo’s foe was the Phoenix, so did Mauradire have an archenemy. She went by the name of Shuvola.”
Holly gasped, “Like the Shuvola Temple?!”
“Right. Shuvola could be compared to a sort of goddess, you could say. She has the appearance of a griffon, and is blue as ice.”
“So that’s what happened with the Magic Stone…” Holly realized.
“Yes, Shuvola’s spirit will guide your stone. Moving on, Shuvola proceeded to do battle with Mauradire. This occurred just before the ancients completed the Phoenix. The problem was with the Dark Spirits under Mauradire’s command. There were so many of them that when they attacked alongside their leader, it was overwhelming for Shuvola.”
Gray Wolf listened intently and then voiced his own question. “So, are you saying she was defeated?”
The Deep One gazed at him in mild surprise. “Defeated? Heavens, no! Shuvola had some of her own tricks. She used a spell to seal the Spirits away, and then trapped Mauradire in a crystal. This crystal was later broken into six shards, which were hidden away. Mauradire was the one defeated.”
Sora held up a paw to stop the old monster, and she asked him, “Then what happened to Shuvola? Why isn’t she here to stop the baddies this time?”
“And if the Dark Spirits were sealed away, how come Nightmare’s free?” Sarica piped up.
The Deep One gave a sigh before answering. “Patience, please, patience! What happened, is Nightmare was not sealed away like the other Spirits. This is because he is different from them; he was created differently and could therefore resist the spell. Shuvola did not realize this, and it proved to be her own end, as Nightmare trapped her in a crystal as well. It too was broken into six shards and the pieces hidden around the world.”
“I see…so, does this mean we have to find the six pieces of the crystal to free Shuvola?” Lirrik asked.
“Yes.”
“Then we should have the Magic Stone concentrate on finding the crystals, right?” Gray Wolf questioned. “After all, now that we know what we need to do, there’s no need to go to the Temple.”
“No!” The Deep One interrupted him. “You must go to the Temple. Only there will you be able to break the magic binding the crystal shards, allowing you to find and join them. Journey to the Temple first.”
“Alrighty then! We knoo whit we have t’do, so we’d best be a-gettin’ ‘round t’doin’ it, aye!” Katsurin chimed to the others.
“Right!” Sarica agreed.
“Just a moment,” the Deep One’s calm voice interjected, “there are a few things you must watch out for. First of all, the-”
He was cut off as a huge rumble shook the chamber, and some bits of dust and sand fell from the ceiling.
“Waah! What’s happening?!” Sarica wailed as the room shook again, dislodging a few bricks.
Fukazo’s eye widened as he heard a pounding noise. “The baddies must be attacking!”
“But…how could they have found us?!” Rubia cried.
“Never mind!” Sora hissed as she dodged a falling rock. “Damn! We need to get out of here!”
“Go now children! Rubia! Fukazo! See them to the Temple safely!” The Deep One’s voice rang out, and then he was cut off from view as part of the ceiling caved in.
“No!!” Fukazo yelled as he watched the rocks block his view of the Deep One. Tears welled up in his eyes as he nodded to himself. “I live to serve you…I will get them to the Temple.”
“Let’s go!!” Holly shouted as Sarica echoed her words.
“Ah’m right behind ye!” Kat called out with Gray Wolf by his side.
Sora came after them, then stopped short as she heard a yell behind her. She spun around to see Lirrik sprawled on the ground after being struck by a falling stone, and she glanced upwards at the ceiling, which was close to a complete collapse. She was about to rush to Lirrik’s aid when she felt a fin wrap around her middle.
“Are you crazy?! You’ll kill yourself!” Rubia shrieked as she held on to Sora.
“No!! I have to help Lirrik!” Sora screamed back, as she watched Lirrik getting up a bit dazedly.
“See, he’s fine! Now come on!”
Then, the ceiling couldn’t take any more and collapsed, and Sora felt the helpless tears run down her face as she watched Lirrik disappear under the rubble. “NO!! LIRRIK!! NOO!! LET ME GO!! LIRRIK!!!!”
“TELEPORT!”
Fukazo teleported them all to safety just as the rest of the underwater building collapsed, flooding the tunnels with the rushing water.
***
Craylin gazed silently as the large underwater building collapsed under the relentless pounding of the Zillas. [Well…so much for the rebels...] She turned away and closed her eyes from the sight, as the Zillas cheered in victory. Opening them again, she gazed around at the ruins and spotted something. [Huh? Well, what have we here?]
***
“WHY DID YOU HOLD ME BACK?!! I COULD HAVE SAVED HIM!!” Sora shrieked at Rubia as she let the tears fall freely.
The whole crew was in a subdued mood; Fukazo had his eye closed in silent remembrance, Gray Wolf hung his head sadly, Kat was pounding his balled-up fist on the deck rail and crying, and a sobbing Sarica clung to Holly, who wasn’t bothering to hold back her own tears either.
Sora kicked a bucket in rage, then collapsed onto the deck and sobbed into her paws.
Rubia was silent, and a single droplet trickled down her cheek as she closed her eyes. [I’m sorry…]
The distraught group continued to mourn the loss of their friend, as well as the Deep One, who had given them the advice they needed. But it seemed more losses had occurred…
***
Genki stretched as he and the others came out of the inn, on the island where Voltie and his group of thieves had resided.
Golem was even more quiet than usual, and hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning. He looked up as Pixie came out of the sky and landed in front of him.
“Did you…find Undine?” He asked hopefully. But his face fell, as Pixie shook her head sadly.
“Couldn’t find any trace of her…I’m sorry…” she added, seeing the downcast look on the stone monster’s face.
“I picked up her scent at the inn, but I was only able to track it to the docks. I couldn’t find anything else.” Tiger said dejectedly.
“Maybe…she changed her mind and went with them after all…” Suezo added, trying to make them feel better.
“Yeah…maybe…” Genki sighed, hoping it was true, but something told him it was nothing more than a false hope.
Undine had disappeared, with no traces as to where she had gone.
********************************************************************
Space Cadet: Oh my! What did the Deep One want to tell them just before the baddies attacked? What happened to Undine? Why did I kill Lirrik? Well…all will be revealed in good time. For now, be glad I updated. And that I explained some things! ^^
Chapter 15: Shroud, Part 1—Possession
By: Space Cadet
It was getting close to evening now. Fukazo stood at the deck rail and stared over the waters at the orange-red sun. [I can’t believe he’s gone…the great Deep One…] He glanced over by the mast, where Rubia was laying with her head down. [Poor girl…no matter how hard she tries to hide it, she really cared…and she’s taking it so hard. But not as bad as Sora over Lirrik.] He sighed and turned back to the sun.
Rubia’s mind was in turmoil, and confused thoughts were running through her head, as well as doubts. [This shouldn’t have happened…I didn’t think that…wouldn’t the Deep One have known the baddies were coming? He knows everything, after all…doesn’t he? This can’t be right.] She looked over at Fukazo, who was by the railing, and then turned her head so she could see Sora. The Sopra was curled up by the tiller, still sobbing quietly. [I’m sorry…it’s all my fault…]
Seething inwardly, Sora had tried to put up a strong front, but failed, and had broken down. Sitting at the for’ard end of the ship, she had been sobbing for what seemed like hours. Slamming a paw down on the timbers of the deck, she trembled with anger, and her thoughts were dark. [I’m sure I could have saved him…I would have…if only Rubia hadn’t held me back. Rubia…] She looked up, and glared in the direction of the pink Lesione, who was turned away. [It was her fault…this whole mess was because of her…it’s all her fault…]
Some small part of her mind tried to argue that it was not Rubia’s fault; the arrogant Lesione had wanted to help them, along with Fukazo, and had no idea what was going to happen. But at the moment, Sora was beyond reasoning, her mind bordering on the brink of insanity. She had lost almost all her friends once before, and now the person closest to her was gone—possibly forever. The Phoenix had already revived all the lost disks, so there was no guarantee it would do so again. And even if Lirrik’s lost disk were somehow turned into a mystery disk again, how would she ever retrieve it from the bottom of the ocean? There was no way. It was impossible.
Growling to herself and continuing to glare at Rubia, Sora brushed some more tears from her red-brimmed eyes. But more came, they wouldn’t stop. Her thoughts were incoherent, and her memories began to twist into something far from reality. [It was Rubia’s fault…she made the rocks fall…she shoved Lirrik under them and tried to kill the others…Rubia is working for Alcatraz…she killed Rotun and Eural! She is an enemy…an enemy…]
Snapping her gaze away from Rubia, Sora tried to push away the voice, which sounding like her own, but more mocking and evil. [No…she didn’t do those things…she held me back because she didn’t want me to get hurt…]
[She is an enemy, she killed your friend…]
[No…]
[Rubia doesn’t care for you or the others. She wants you all DEAD!]
[No…go away…leave me alone…]
[Oh, but you are alone. Lirrik is dead, and it’s all because of Rubia.]
[Lirrik…No!]
[Yes, yes. And soon, she will kill the rest of your friends…] The voice spoke teasingly, mockingly, trying to break through her defenses as in a battle. […one, by one…starting with Katsurin…] A horrific image filled her vision…it was Kat, lying face down on the deck, deathly pale and surrounded by blood.
[No…Kat…]
[…next Holly…] The image changed to a similar one, but this time the body was Holly’s, and her lifeless eyes were staring at Sora sadly.
[Holly, no…don’t…stop it…]
[…then Gray Wolf…] Again, she saw Gray Wolf’s bloody and pale body, his fur no longer sleek and silver, but dirty and matted.
[No more…]
[…and Sarica too…] Sarica was slumped against the mast, eyes wide and her mouth open in shock.
[Sarica…no…Rubia won’t…]
[Oh yes she will.] Finally, the terrifying images disappeared, allowing her to see what was real again. But the only thing her eyes focused on was Rubia. Rubia. [She’s right there…]
[Rubia wouldn’t kill them.]
[How do you know? You only just met her.]
[But…she’s not like that…she was crying earlier too…]
[You knew there was something suspicious…]
[It was just a guess!]
[And you were right…she is an enemy…]
[No…]
[She is an enemy…and enemies must be dealt with…]
[No.]
[Don’t you remember your own saying? ‘Vengeance is justified when taken out against evil.’ Revenge will take all the pain away…]
[No it won’t…it never brought back Curran, Rinka, or Feran, or the others.]
[That’s because you never truly got your vengeance. Alcatraz lives.]
[…]
[…and Rubia works for him…just go ahead.]
[I can’t…]
[You can. It would be so easy. She’s right there…]
[I won’t…]
[Go ahead, do it. She is right in front of you. Go on, you know you want to.]
[I won’t.]
[Do it…]
[No…]
[Do it.]
[No.]
[Do it!]
[No!]
[NOW!] The last word washed over her, and she felt as though someone had stuck a knife in her. It was painful, and she felt cold, so cold…suddenly, her vision went dark, and all she could see was the inky shroud of blackness which had descended upon her, stifling her, blinding her.
[This can’t be good…] Then, she thought she heard a scream. Distant it was, but she managed to recognize it. [Rubia!]
***
Rubia screamed as she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She felt small fangs sink themselves deeper into her flesh, and thick paws wrap themselves around her throat. She rolled over onto her back, slamming her head down on the timbers of the deck, and the paws let go.
Spinning around, her eyes widened as she spotted her attacker. “Sora?!” The pink Lesione backed away in fright; there was definitely something wrong.
Sora’s eyes were glowing…and they were not their usual beady black eyes like that of a Hare, but they were eerie, and yellow…and evil. The Sopra grinned crazily; baring her bloodstained teeth, and stared at Rubia with those awful eyes. Then she lunged at Rubia again, who cried out in shock as Sora again attempted to strangle her, from the front this time.
Then, something else knocked Sora away, and Rubia looked up to see Fukazo, who had rammed into Sora, throwing her back.
The Sopra sneered at Fukazo before throwing herself at him, and knocked him unconscious with a heavy punch. She turned her insane-like gaze to Rubia, who wilted under the cold and eerie stare.
***
Like ripples in a pond, an area of the darkness wavered and spread apart, showing Sora the source of the screams. She gasped as she saw herself knock out Fukazo. “Wait…is that really me? …It can’t be…those eyes…but…it is…” she was unable to turn away from the sight, as her body lunged at Rubia again, aiming to kill.
[Don’t you enjoy it?] The evil voice purred.
“No!” Sora exclaimed angrily. “Stop it now!!” The voice only laughed in reply, and she continued to watch as her possessed body began pummeling the screaming Rubia over and over…
***
Kat leaped up from his bed as he heard Rubia’s screams. Rushing into the hallway, he collided with Gray Wolf who had heard the commotion as well, and the two of them raced out on deck, Holly and Sarica right behind them.
The sight he saw was horrifying. Fukazo was lying unconscious near some barrels, and Rubia was fending off blows from Sora. Kat stared for a moment at Sora’s eyes, which were glowing, yellow…almost demonic it seemed, the way she was laughing insanely while swinging a large axe.
Gray Wolf bounded forward and tackled Sora to the deck, trying to calm her. “Sora, I know you’re upset, but this is no way to solve things! Stop!”
Sora stopped struggling and turned her eerie stare to Gray Wolf, who gazed back nervously. Then Sora grinned evilly, and her eyes turned black. A dark aura surrounded Gray Wolf, and he gasped in surprise as he was flung aside by some strange force, presumably the aura.
He slammed into a pile of barrels, which tumbled down on top of him, and he lay there, stunned.
Sora laughed cruelly and righted herself, before turning to the others who were staring at her in horror. She smiled at them. “Ahh…” she said, her voice somewhat like Sora’s, but laden with evil, mockery, and…amusement. “It’s so easy to take control of someone so depressed. Their mental barrier is weakened, and with a little persuasion, I can slip in and take control. Such a fun thing really, to hear her mind screaming as she watches her body, but can’t do a thing.” With that, she cackled loudly, and threw her paws in the air.
The aura surrounded her, and spread everywhere, enveloping the ship in a shroud of darkness, then to the others, stifling their breathing, suffocating them, and she continued to laugh madly.
To be continued… ***********************************************************
Space Cadet: Yes, I know it was short, but I wanted to split it into 2 parts just to keep you guessing until Part 2 ~_^. Originally I wasn’t going to make things quite so morbid, but hey, it was an interesting idea.