ICSYL Scourge

[Pirogeth]

The 750 was much true to its name, the humans aboard had trouble adjusting to such speeds but luckily for them it wasn't long before they had made it above the section they were eyeing up. From air to sea the vehicle stood afloat above the water ready to take off again at a moment's notice as the pilot had nodded his head. "I'm sorry but should we not be more covert in this operation?" Edward had asked questioning their gimped position out in the ocean with nothing, not even a freighter, to protect them.
"On the contrary, my daughter will be providing us with her excellent care." Aurora assured the doctor. Her confidence in her was unwavering as she packed a clip into her gun.
"You sure a standard Shriv-20 will be enough if we encounter the OOA?"
"That's enough worrying, we've got things to do." Atoshi butted in his attire had not been changed. Edward had still been wondering how exactly they would gain an advantage in the water. His only connection was the reasoning such a young soldier was aboard this mission. With everyone's confidence in her so high he could hardly doubt her abilities and as such went along with the whole plan. Besides, the look of protection Aurora gave her kid was something not to be tested even through minor conversation. They all lined up next to the hatch ready to jump on into the blue abyss. However, through the window Edward spotted something very curious. As they jumped in it looked as if the water parted for them as each one jumped in Aurora kept looking back to her daughter.
"How are you holding up?" She asked as the last of the nameless other soldiers dropped in.
"I'm doing fine, mom. This is nothing like the show I put on, no huge crowd watching me." She smiled and Aurora did so back. Atoshi was the next to jump in leaving just the three of them aboard.

"Not that I expect you to care but, my daughter and I have been through a lot. She's better than half of the men I have serving directly under me. And don't worry about this Shriv-20, it's been with me even longer than she has." Aurora had whispered to Edward as she jumped in. He was soon to follow and the water opened up exposing a bubble for him to jump into. Everyone seemed to be in their own little self supporting cocoon. The sheer magical science and concentration it would take to keep everyone alive down in Thalassa was almost unfathomable, however, the girl was doing it with ease. Tonya was definitely doing her part.

 

[King Weavel]

*Near Thalassa, underwater*

Anat began to almost hiss as she saw something else in the water. A submarine like vehicle that must have been ALF. Serpents did not take kindly to boats or anything else that could threaten them. They were the true rulers of the oceans, the ruling civilizations had to resort to using boats with weapons to hunt serpents, none could hunt down such mighty creatures without them.

"Anat....Why..are you acting this way?? Is something...else in the water?"

Moving more aggressively Anat swung her tail at the vehicle, not smashing it enough to take it out but knocking it off course.

"That..Machine..ALF!!!! They are trying to capture the orb as well! I now understand your rage, Anat. Do what you must to sink that hideous machine! I'll get the others!"

Scylla left her seating area and headed towards the others once again. This time however, she was beginning to utilize some magic as she crossed through the force field.

"All of you...Come with me! We need to sink this ALF vehicle!!! I want you all to attack it with everything you can.....And also...take this!!!" She began to chant as she cast a magic spell. Her hands began to give off a blue glow. She released a burst of magic power aimed at the three of them and then shut off the force field!

"Oh good Arlon, what have you done Scylla? We're going to dro-wait..how come I can breathe? How come I can see so well, why isn't the water in my eyes?" Sienna was visibly shocked.

"I have little time to explain it all. The spell allows your body to breathe underwater and will allow you to maintain your vision, allow you to speak and hear in the water as well. It will not last forever but I imagine this battle will not go on for hours. I will also dispatch my water beast and others to aide us! The rest of you..Prepare to fight!!!! Get your bearings in and join my forces!"

Unfortunately for the OOA, the Lavion crew had quite sight of Anat's tail and had noticed her earlier. Serpents that large could not remain hidden forever after all.

*Lavion ship near Thalassa*

The captain, Misae and Nacim were debating their next course of action.

The captain spoke to Misae, "General We have a sea monster on our hands. It must be the OOA's. Those damned things are supposed to be extinct! All we've really seen is the tail of it but it is massive. I suggest we utilize all weapons we have on it now and slay the beast!"

"....But we have not caught sight of the ALF..We can assume it's attacking ALF or something down there....If this is just a diversion then we'll fall right for it.. I think you should let me go down there to see for myself!"

"Although it could be a diversion, the OOA should know better than to expose a trump card like this..A creature like this in their naval forces could contend with the ALF's naval forces. With it being one of the last of its kind they would not be so foolish with it and willing to let it die..Whatever purpose that thing is here for..It's part of their mission plan, not just a distraction. But to focus everything..We need this boat to get back to Azull."

"All the more reason to slay it! It can sink us with ease.. The first vessel I ever rode on faced on such creature. Killed almost everyone aboard that day. But nowadays Lavion vessels..come standard with electrical weapons. We can electrocute it to death if we can hook it to the ship!! Unless.General...You want to use THAT, do you? I heard-"

Misae shook her head, "No. Let's not immediately attack it. Allow me to move in there. Nacim, you and your forces should stay here for now..But be prepared with the diving gear. We're almost there...But it may not be safe in the water. Allow me to find out what lies beneath."

The plan was settled. Misae was to go underwater first, the serpent was not to be targeted immediately, or else Misae could be caught in the line of fire. Nacim did not object to this plan but he was not amused with how mysterious the captain was being with them. If they had another method, why did he keep it under wraps? This bothered Nacim but they had to move on. Thalassa was drawing ever closer. The SDF was on stand-by for now and they prepared to go underwater.

Misae began her descent to the depths immediately.

*Near Thalassa, underwater*


She transformed once more and moved quickly through the water. She readied her labrys, knowing she could meet with some sort of resistance. When she made it far enough, she saw it all unfolding! The scene was chaotic.

Several OOA water beasts were chasing after the ALF vehicle. Some demons as well, whom used spells to try to bombarde the vessel while the water beasts created water harpoon guns and tried to sink it. Anat was also having issues catching it, it was out-speeding most of the OOA forces. Yet if Anat managed to grab it, it could be over for the ALF members inside!

Misae was soon spotted by Sienna as she approached them rapidly and had the courage to move onto Anat. "W-w-who's that? She's pretty..A mermaid? Where'd she come from?"

As if consumed by jealousy or fear, Scylla raged against Misae. "You buffoon, of course she's not a bloody mermaid!! Mermaids don't carry two-headed axes! No, it's one of Arlon's mistakes..The top half of a woman and the bottom half of a snake...How grotesque! This doesn't concern you! Challenge us..And your dirty flesh and scales will be food for the creatures whom dwell at the bottom of the ocean!! A little snake boarding a serpent...It's like a disease-ridden kitten riding a regal and beautiful lion! You must understand now...You've seen our forces..you can't leave here alive! Become our prisoner or die!" Sienna frowned in response.

"Oh, someone is insecure. Listen, don't get your panties in a bunch! I didn't want to do this either.. But you leave me little choice. I'll show you all that I am General Misae Nerys, I am no mere scout! I don't hide from what I am unlike you! How about you get off your ass and fight me yourself?!" Misae picked up the pace as she swam towards Scylla. Her face lit up as she seemed amused and her tail allowed her the quickness to easily swim through the water. She was not afraid despite the odds being against her.

Misae's underwater armor was not nearly as defense, it was more akin to an armored white wet-suit. Her scales provided some defense as well and she even had some of the armor around her tail. She did not have any signs of her being a Lavion General but the White Serpent logo on the chest part of the armor made her recognizable to some who heard of the White Serpent.

"The ALF are the real threat, you are nothing. Noe, Sienna or Sheena, one or some of you should deal with her! I need to concentrate. If you cut her in two, save me the bottom half. Anat will find it delicious. The top..Just let the sharks or whatever else get it! Capturing her alive may be too much trouble..."

Misae laughed smugly. "Oh, someone is trying too hard. It won't be that easy! I can see now why this big ass monster is your only friend! You're hiding something. I know you're not human, elf or a forbidden beast. My true form..It's not perfect but it is beautiful in its own way, even if brings some horror, even if some look at me like I am a monster! It is what I am and I must accept it! Either your demon form is horrific or you're holding back..." Scylla grew silent and turned her attention away from Misae. Misae licked her labrys with her snake-like tongue in perhaps an attempt at intimidation.

"This one...I heard of her! She's from Lavion but then why is she even here? We can't take her lightly but we must act now! Capturing her would please Lady Lucia..Either way, let's take action! Just don't get yourselves killed fighting her..We still need to make it to Thalassa!" Sheena tried to justify it, she didn't want to kill Misae.

 

[MiraMirror]

"God, you talk too much..." Noe muttered after Misae finished her speech. "Blah, blah, blah, blah...Blah, blah blah, BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAHBLAH, DAMNIT!"

A small amount of steam rose up from around her body, prompting her to get off of Anat as she faced Misae down.

"You're giving me...a damn headache...Stop...fucking....TALKIIIIIIIIING!"

Either sweat or tears ran down her face before drifting off into the ocean with the rest of the water surrounding them. She could feel her head pounding, as if someone was knocking at it with a hammer from the inside every few seconds.

"Da-damn...IT...T-this is my....MY...Oooh, a meeeeeeeeermaaaaaaid! Can I have her tail I WANT HER TAAAAAAAA-Aaah, an underwater fight...Your appearance is...pathetic...I'll show you h-Save energy by not talking underwater. All energy must be spent on killing the target in front of u- ALL OF YOU SHUT UUUUUUUUUUP! I'M GONNA TEAR YOU APART, YOU DAMN FISH! I'LL MAKE YOU EAT YOUR OWN BOTTOM HA-Yay, a fight, a fight! Come on, let's play, let's play! We'll play finger-painting with your blood! Sound fun? Hooray!"

Her greaves formed over her feet, dragging her down a bit before she adjusted to the water around her. After a few moments of curious movement, she swam up, forcing her legs to work for her.

"This is so cool! All this water! Oh, but it means the paint will run all over...Oh well, it'll still be fun, right?!"

 

[King Weavel]

"Heh. Very well. No more fun and games for you, my deranged adversary!" Misae responded as if imitating Lucette's manner of speech, a smile appearing on her face. Just like Lucette she was confident. She thought she could handle this.There were only three against her, the naval OOA forces were preoccupied with the vehicle.

"Before we do this...Why is Lavion getting involved?! Are you intending to break the neutrality?" Sheena questioned Misae, hoping to still avoid a fight.

"Oh for Arlon's sake. One of you tells me to shut up, the other wants me to give an exposition. I am here on my own accord! I don't think you belong here! The people of Thalassa don't need us involved in their affairs!" It was most logical to attack Noe at this point but the two Wind Beasts were clearly aiming to attack her as well.

Sheena sighed and began to charge up her energy. "I merely do not see the point in this...But if you won't come peacefully then we've no choice!" She unleashed a medium sized cyclone that headed right for Misae. Misae was able to dodge it much to Sheena's shock.

"Wow!!! How are we going to even hit her Auntie?? She's so fast! And we can't move as fast as in the air down here...." Sienna questioned, looking puzzled and totally caught off guard.


"We will assist Noe the best we can! Our energy...Should be not be weakened just because we are underwater!" Sheena responded.

Misae's amusement did not cease, she enjoyed combat. She hadn't fought anything humanoid in a while and the Hymns were perhaps too much even for her at times.

In the current situation, she recognized the Wind Beasts were little threat for the time being, they would be far easier to hit and take down. It was Noe she had to focus on.

Her labrys was quite a sight, it too was custom made. The handle resembled a serpent's tail and the blades were painted to resemble the heads of a serpent but aside from looks, it was a valuable tool in her arsenal.

Misae grinned and waved her tail in Noe's direction as she stared right at her. She held her labrys steady and began to alter it with her energy. It began to make the handle extend to the point where it much longer, getting to be about 4 feet in length. She then swam close enough to Noe to attempt a swing at her. She attempted to bring it down upon Noe's head. "This is my Labrys, White Tanit! Safe to say, a splitting headache will be the least of your worries soon!"

It was up to Noe to react now. Misae would soon find out if Noe was a worthy foe. She didn't know what to make of Noe's personality change but ignored it for now.

 

[MiraMirror]

"Ooooh, biiiiiig pole! But ya knoooooow...~"

As Misae brought the labrys down upon her head, Noe allowed herself to sink down just a bit, flipping upside-down as she did so. The sound of steel meeting steel rang echoed through the water as the two blades on the bottoms of her greaves met the blade of the labrys. Following up on this, she kicked off of the blade, gaining a small bit of distance before shooting forward, grabbing hold of the non-bladed part of the weapon.

"...A bigger pole means a slower swing, fishy fishy~!" She taunted Misae, sticking her tongue out to make a very audible farting noise for the sheer fun of it, looking more like a sloth due to her hanging on to the weapon like it was a branch.

 

[King Weavel]

Misae was bored with Noe's childish antics but it helped her decide her next move in the battle. "If that's the way you want to fight..." She retracted the blade with Noe still holding onto it but she knew Noe would most likely let go.

Once she caught Noe in her sights after the retracting was done, she moved in and began to speak, "I am no fish,Girl..NO FISH!"She said threateningly, she swung her tail at Noe hoping to whip her with it. She then attempted to move in to grab Noe. If she could successfully grab Noe it would become much easier for her to win the fight, she could attempt to constrict her or perhaps just wail on her with her labrys at a close range. In the water, it was just not very easy to catch opponents off guard at a range.

Sheena and Sienna in the meanwhile were trying to move in closer. They couldn't chance using many of their energy techniques on Misae or else they'd hit Noe as well! Misae did not pay them much attention as she focused her efforts on the fight with Noe.

 

[MiraMirror]

Noe did indeed let go of the blade, laughing loudly at her opponent...up until she felt Misae's tail slam into her, cutting her celebration short. She had little time to react, but she managed to turn herself upside-down, legs up, head-down. She saw her opponent rushing her down and allowed her legs to get grabbed. At about the same time, she grabbed hold of Misae's rather lengthy tail, taunting her once more.

"Not a fish, girl, but a fish-girl!"

With that, she yanked the tail closer and used all the force she could to smash her teeth down upon it, bringing the full wrath of her mouth upon Misae's tail, muttering something as she bit into it. Whatever it was, it was unintelligible due to the mouthful of tail.

 

[Pirogeth]

Edward had soon found himself underwater; it was almost majestic looking out over the ocean in such a way. If it were not for the blue hue, it would seem as if you were afloat in the sky staring downward toward the darkness of the land below. He took in a breath with the water now parted around him, "Have to admit I'm impressed, not many people can manipulate force fields so well." He had wondered if they had heard him through both the force field and water, it was not long before he had his answer.
"Tonya is quite gifted." Aurora had replied over a com-link. The device had been fastened to his collar. "Remember to stay close, the fields may be enough for us to breath but we are still using radio communications. Although, who's to say when we'll reestablish sub-aural communications or telepathic transceivers." Just before they were about to start sinking there was another message from on board the jet.
"Sir, we have confirmation from our reconnaissance sub H377 80.6 clicks out, they've engaged an OOA force and request assistance." There was brief pause before he came back in with more information. "Sir…sir it seems, they're under attack by a…sea serpent." Aurora sat there in her bubble and thought for a moment.
"Damn those OOA. Nothing we have could outrun it." She thought about the situation again, the entire time the soldier above was asking for her response. With a sigh she replied. "How much is the payload on H377?" There was a momentary clicking of keys and a readout was given.
"Currently stocked with a total of .5 megatons."
"Tell them…tell them…execute order Jacobs 88, target is the sea serpent." The order was acknowledged as Aurora seemed to lose a slight bit of morale. Before Edward could ask Atoshi spoke up.
"Never is easy sending men to their death, but know at least it is going to be quick and painless rather than having that creature do what it will."
"What is order Jacobs 88?" Edward asked now intrigued.

"You heard of Nathaniel Jacobs, part of the war on Shrivisk. He saved his whole battalion and seven others by driving his payload straight into the aural plant." Edward could only cringe at the thought of sudden death when he knew it was coming. At least in his job they didn't know and he had a choice. Hopefully the .5 megatons on board would be enough to severely damage the creature as they began their descent toward the underwater city of Thalassa.

 

[King Weavel]

*Lavion ship near Thalassa*

The SDF and Samy were sitting with the captain, waiting for new developments, ready to deploy at anytime.

The captain looked at the sonar module and finally saw results. "What's this? ALF....And they're in combat with the wretched sea-serpent. But...It could get a bit too dangerous down there soon... They are within 10 nautical miles of Thalassa!"

"This has just gotten a lot more complicated... How are we going to beat them to Thalassa now?"

"We're going to speed up!!!! The General will be fine!"

Samy disapproved of the Captain's methods. "We should not leave her behind. Not with an ALF vehicle AND a sea-monster!! I know I am the guide but I will personally go down there to rescue her!"

"You don't know her very well if you are so worried but what you people do is your own decision. We are going to Thalassa before the other two factions reach it, that is our goal and we will not hesitate in it because of sentiments like that!" The captain fired back at Samy.

"Samy. If you wish to go you may...Just know that we need you so not put yourself at risk. We don't want hostilities with the people of Thalassa. If you go, get her and get out, understood?" Nacim gave his say on the matter.

"Crystal clear, Commander. I will come back to the ship if we need the whole unit down here...But I think I'll be enough to bring her back."

Lowe supported the decision as did the others. "You should be fine but we'll be watching the water. Rise up and give us some sort of signal if you need us down there..."

"Will do! Don't worry. I have no intention of dying on you guys...I want to live to see the reunion of the Crimsons one day....And my son's-" She then stopped herself and made her way out. She dived under water soon after.

The ship began to accelerate as its technology was pushed to the limit! The captain then told Nacim,"She better be back soon. If we have to use our weapons it'll be her own fault if she gets caught. That sea-serpent..It's a species that deserves to be extinct!"

Carla spoke up, "You will do no such thing. Your own personal vendetta against such creatures shouldn't dictate our actions. Many said the same about Dark Beasts. I understand you want to attack it but only do so once our allies are out of the line of fire..I will not allow it."

The captain grimaced and slammed his fist down in response. Perhaps he realized Carla had a point. Or perhaps he was angry that the SDF were making most of the big decisions. He looked to Lucette to back him up but she did not say a word.

*Near Thalassa, underwater*

Samy dove right in and quickly made her way to the scene. She witnessed what was unfolding and saw Misae locked in battle with Noe while Anat and the OOA naval forces tried to sink the ALF vessel.

Despite Misae's toughness, even she had to flinch in reaction to Noe grabbing and then biting her tail like a savage beast! It was quite painful. Sheena and Sienna were about to use this opportunity until Samy intervened, using her water energy to create a temporary current in the water. It propelled her right towards Sheena. She used this opportunity to land a quick free punch on Sheena's face.

"WHAT? Another!!! You...Water Beast...What do you have to gain from this? Just do not get involved! I don't want to kill you...But attacking us without giving us a chance...You really are limiting our options!" Sheena said, angered by Samy's surprise attack, she backed off but formed her halberd out of her energy, pointing it in Samy's direction.

"This whole war is a meaningless affair. I am not trying to partake in it. Let Misae go and give up trying to invade my homeland! You people will only ruin Thalassa!" Samy spoke demandingly.

"It's nothing personal and we are not the aggressors here. She can retreat anytime she wants! I am following Lady Lucia's orders. We don't intend to ruin or kill anyone. We merely are here for the orb and that is all. But I can see you won't back down peacefully...Sienna...Don't worry about Noe. She'll be fine. We need to take care of this one."

Misae composed herself again after Noe surprised her. She then noticed Samy had came to aide her. "Guess she trusts me enough to care. Now to discipline you! When all else fails..." She put her labrys on her back and strapped it again and readied her fists. Although punching underwater was somewhat harder to do, it seemed easier than using her weapon at this point. If she could land a good blow on Noe, she could then take advantage and do some serious damage to Noe!

She aimed her fist punch right at Noe's chin, a straight forward punch with her right hand and collided with her. With her left she tried to hit Noe right in her stomach with a sucker punch! Her tail did not act this time as she suspected Noe could attempt to counter.

Scylla looked ahead and commented to Anat, "We are almost there! They have done well in preventing the Lavion interlopers. It's just these insolent ALF that stand in our way! Go as fast as you can, Anat! We can beat them to it and then sink them right by Thalassa's doorstep! I will go back for the others once we secure the entrance!" She was unaware of what the ALF were planning. This was the downside of the naval forces of the OOA. They could not intercept communications.

 

[Pirogeth]

The feeling was a strange one, being in the water and breathing at the same time. The force fields seemed to work as they sank down to the bottom where they landed with a small kick up of sediment. The bed was dark, the only light vastly skewed by the reflected rays above. If there were still large underwater dwelling beasts they would be very susceptible to attack exposed like this. One thing was strange though, there was no Thalassa. "What's going on I thought we were heading straight to the city?" Edward had inquired.
"We can't be so rash as to lose our technology to the desperate maneuvers of the OOA. If we had landed closer right now our ship would be under attack by a sea serpent. If we travel about fifty miles in that direction we should end up near the back entrance." Aurora pointed toward the east, the direction where their suicidal submarine had been given orders to try and take out the beast. It seemed that confrontation was not at the top of their list.

"Please do keep up, we may have landed far but our mission is of the utmost urgency." Atoshi had ordered Edward as he took off trying to push his way through the heavy water. Tonya above had been working really hard to keep the fields up around them. Hopefully they wouldn't encounter too much resistance, if a field broke right now their bodies would implode into a tiny ball of flesh and bone.

 

[MiraMirror]

Noe managed to avoid the slow punch aimed with Misae's right fist, but fell victim to the savage sucker punch that connected with her stomach, sending her reeling. She tried making some kind of witty comeback, but she was having difficulty breathing now. She clutched at her stomach and the sound of her deep breathing was quite audible. In her current state, she was wide-open for an attack, and if nobody jumped in, she would definitely take some damage.

"Y-y-yoUUUU...agh...." Huff huff, huff huff."Gggg...bi...ig mean...mean...ie!" Huff puff...huff huff...

 

[King Weavel]

*Near Thalassa, underwater*

Before Misae could strike a deadly blow, the H377 finally detonated on Anat. While an explosion underwater was not always as deadly and it did not spread to where Misae and Noe were fighting, the shockwaves rocked the surrounding area however. It spread to Noe and Misae, sending both of them hurling away, it even caught Sheena, Sienna and Samy.

"What the hell is this??!!" Misae shouted as she was blown away in the direction of the Lavion vessel.

Samy recovered quickly and tried to find Misae and succeeded. "Are you ok? Let's get back to the vessel and-"

"No. Leave me. We need to reach Thalassa first! And even if we don't....someone needs to make sure that creature is dealt with!"Misase said as she swam back towards Thalassa. Anat was now no longer in sight, the explosion could have killed her..

"What makes you think you can take it out? Misae, don't be suicidal!!!! And it may already be dead!!!"Samy called out to her as she chased after Misae.

Sienna had clung to Sheena and was staying close to her as they searched for Noe. They eventually found her and grabbed her."I...cannot believe what just happened...So the ALF blew up their own ship with their own men and women aboard it...Just to kill Anat?! Did..It even work? With a creature that big...we'd have to see the remains....some sort of remains...If Anat is dead....Then we may have to abandon the mission.....Scylla....I hope she is still with us..."

To their surprise, they soon saw Anat rise back up from the depths, along with some surviving naval forces. Anat let out a fierce screech. Perhaps to express pride in surviving or maybe it was anger, rage at the ALF. The creature's scales were perhaps too tough but the end of Anat's tail looked to have been blown off by the explosion and she was in some pain judging by how slow she moved. "Anat!! Yes the ALF will pay for what they've done...They weren't able to kill you....Oh they'll regret it...Now...MOVE!!! Just a little more..I See it! We are here!!!" Scylla rejoiced.

Scylla rejoiced as she saw the familiar architecture that marked the gate into Thalassa. The gateway was made primarily using stone arches with craving and decorations of water beasts. There was even ancient writing on it that read, "Thalassa" when translated. Yet the path was not large enough to allow Anat in. She got off Anat, ordered her remaining forces to enter Thalassa to secure it. She turned around and saw Sheena, Sienna and Noe. "Faster! We need to reach the palace! The orb will surely be there. We will attempt to avoid bloodshed but we will take it whether the royalty of Thalassa wants us to or not. It cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the ALF or SDF. Now follow me!"

She lead them as they dove down through the gateway, bringing out a aquamarine infused with water energy near a sealed passage. It then opened for them all. Once they reached the bottom, they were in Thalassa! The water beast's homeland, a kingdom that has existed for ages and was known for being home to one of the oldest remaining civilizations.


*Thalassa*

Thalassa. A kingdom founded in a a series of underwater caves by some of the first water beasts who came into existence. The kingdom was known for being beautiful yet looking rather ancient in comparison to places on the surface. Yet that was not the case, Thalassa was not primitive, merely it did not advance in the same ways the surface did. Electricity,radio,firearms were some prime examples of things they did not need nor have the ability to utilize underwater.

Magic was more valued here. This was what was allowed the underwater "torches" to work. Magic sealed or crafted into them. The doors to the homes and palaces had magical components to them, allowing only certain people to enter and disallowing water from flowing in with them. Water Beasts loved the ocean but didn't want their homes to be soaked.

There were no welcome signs for land dwellers but they didn't hate them. They just did not fully trust them. The people of Thalassa merely had little interest for the most part. The wars above usually had no impact on them and thus they did not get involved. Yet they were sometimes approached by various factions to join their sides...They did not take kindly to such offers...They would rather live in peace in one of the few beautiful places left on the planet. That was not to say it was entirely peaceful, Thalassa had experienced civil war before. Not everyone was a fan of the Queen and King.

As the OOA forces made their way over, the Thalassa guardians approached them. They were all water beasts and wore traditional Thalassan warrior attire, consisting of aqua-blue colored helmets and body armor suited for underwater combat. "Wind-Beasts? Land-dwellers among you! What are you doing here? Speak and we may permit you entrance. But if you are here to threaten our kingdom..You will pay the price."

Scylla spoke honestly, "We are not land-dwellers! I do not intend to threaten your kingdom. Merely to ask for the orb...The regenerating orb the royals have!"

The Water-Beasts let out a collective gasp and readied to fight. "Are you mad? That is a sacred artifact! We will not hand it over! Now leave this place, we will allow you that!"

Sighing Scylla shook her head. "You leave me no choice then..All forces, ATTACK! Do not kill if you do not have to. Hostages or prisoners may be all we'll need!" She ordered all the OOA forces to fight including Sheena, Sienna and Noe.

The race had been decided, the OOA had reached Thalassa first. Yet getting the orb would not be as easy as they had planned or hoped. It would not come without bloodshed as Thalassans were not the type to surrender, they took pride in being one of the oldest remaining kingdoms on the planet and maintaining a relatively civil history.

*Lavion ship near Thalassa*

The Captain informed Nacim of their proximity towards Thalassa, they were just above it now! It was time for the SDF to dive down. Nacim gave the order,"We are going to Thalassa! We will try not to attack the locals and secure the orb peacefully. Samy will help us with that. We'll meet up with her and Misae down there."

The SDF nodded as they dove down as fast as possible. They saw Misae and Samy waiting there... The path was blocked by Anat. They had to find someway to deal with her now. Before anyone else could so much as speak Misae took charge, "This..Stand back, all of you. I'll handle this." The SDF and Samy were all stunned. What gave her confidence that she could move such a fierce serpent? A creature that withstood a large explosion!

"Let her go. You must trust her. Believe in her. You will not be disappointed.She is my friend and she meets my standards. She may be rough in terms of being a proper lady but...She knows what she is doing here.." Lucette assured the SDF. They took her advice but they all watched Misae, awaiting her next move. What was she planning?

 

[Pirogeth]

While the ALF walked across the bottom of the hole speckled ocean, they came across a brief shockwave. They now knew that the submarine had done its work and hopefully made the journey a little less painful. "Here Aurora." Atoshi had said grabbing the interest of the group. There was a hole next to them that was just big enough for one person to slide through at a time. "This will take us into the underwater mines, it is anyone's guess if they are still working them so stay on your guard." Everyone reached into their water survival kits and cracked a glow stick. It provided them light as each slipped into the slim, claustrophobic cave.


With the area being lit by a green glow the rocks gave back a dull, eye squinting color. On the other hand some of the gems and minerals down there gave of a glinting light that almost acted as a torch while traveling through the caves. A greedy man would kill for a treasure like this but there was something far greater for them at the end of the road, something they weren't sure how hard they'd have to fight for. Remaining quiet they still hadn't come across the echoing waves of sound that was the OOA readying to do battle with the Thalassans.

 

[MiraMirror]

Before she was aware of all that had happened, Anat had been severely wounded, and Noe had been blasted back from Misae's brutal attack. With a hiss, she rejoined the group and they made their way to the strange city of Thalassa. It resembled an extravagant underground cave system, and the citizens, despite the intrusion, were walking calmly as could be. She whistled and kicked some of the water around childishly, not paying much attention to what was going on until Scylla yelled out an order.

"You leave me no choice then..All forces, ATTACK! Do not kill if you do not have to. Hostages or prisoners may be all we'll need!"

With a slow flip in the water, she looked back at the "commander" and made a retort without missing a beat.

"Awwwww, but killing is the fun part~And I deserve some fun for going through that whole boring ol' trip, I think! Sorry, boss lady, but I want some sushi!"

With a swift start, she jetted to the side, aiming her sights on a bystander. With a loud laugh, she aimed a kick at him, but due to the water physics, he managed to swim away, annoying her.

"Grrr, get back here, fishy fishy! I ONLY WANT TO KIIIIIIIIILL YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

She pushed her arms towards the ground with an irritated grunt.

"Fine then, it's not like I WANT to kill you!"

With a sly smile, she noticed a female civilian and once more swam at her, but this time she grabbed a hold of her tail, and used it to slam her against the rocky floor before allowing herself to sink, landing her blades in the water beast's stomach for a definite kill.

"It's time for a party!"

 

[King Weavel]

*Thalassa*

Misae began to dive down until she was out of sight. A few moments later, a new serpent emerged! A white serpent about half the size of Anat, it was Misae herself! This was her demon form, her form from earlier was the incomplete transformation! She hissed at Anat and collided with her head on, nearly damaging the entrance. She then bit into Anat's wounds and began attempting to pull her away from Thalassa. Eventually she succeeded and both creatures began to fight a safe distance from Thalassa.

"So..that is her actual demon form..a sea monster...I just hope for our sake she's fully in control." Samy thought to herself.

"NOW! GO! This is our chance!!!!" Lucette shouted as they made their way into Thalassa with the utmost haste. Samy opened it for them and they were thrown into the conflict.

Sheena was disgusted by what Noe had done but once again, she was powerless to stop it. It was Lucia's job to heal Noe and keep her other personalities under control. "This is terrible....They won't negotiate with us..They're not pushovers either!" Near that moment the SDF arrived. The Thalassans were not sure what to make of them but immediately the Thalassans pointed and readied their weapons at them.

"We are not hostile!!! We are the SDF, we are not allied with these OOA forces attacking you! Cease attacking us or we will kill in self defense!" Nacim demanded. The forces of Thalassa did not give into Nacim's demands as one of them spoke up. "We will not fall for such tricks!You are surface dwellers, Wind Beasts have no business in Thalassa! You can't even survive here without magic or your strange suits!"

"No! Listen to me, I am of Thalassan descent! Samy of the Crimsons! The only Thalassan to be a hero to the surface dwellers as well!"Samy shouted at them.

"It...Is you....Then we've been making a terrible mistake....The OOA are after the orb!! You have to stop them!"

Seeing the SDF arrive, Scylla changed tactics. Instead of killing all of the Thalassans she gave new orders, "The naval forces will stay here and hold these fools back, Sheena, Noe and Sienna will come with me along with a few others. We will head to the palace, secure it and claim the orb!"

Carla tried to fire off her dark energy at Scylla but found her dark energy shots slower in the water. It was inevitable that the OOA would reach the palace first.

The SDF decided to split up. Lowe, Carla and Samy were to head to the palace while Nacim and Lucette helped the Thalassans route the OOA naval forces. At the moment the battle was not going well for the Thalassans but the SDF intervention was helping.

It was hundreds of OOA naval water beasts and demons vs many more Thalassans. This beautiful underwater paradise was going to taste bloodshed just like the surface. Thalassa went on lockdown as the citizens swam back into their homes.

The royal guards attempted to protect the palace but were caught aback once a large tentacle manifested from underneath Scylla's left arm and broke a hole though the doors. "GET IN NOW while the SDF is still lagging behind us!"

"Wa-wa-wahat are you? Oh-nevermind! Lady Lucia trusts you and so do I!" Sienna was disturbed by Scylla's demon form finally showing.

Scylla led Noe, Sheena and Sienna into the palace and past a magical field that kept the water from entering the palace.

Before they could get too far in..They ran into the rest of the royal guard. There were at least 30 of them, they were wearing heavier scale armor. The leader among them carried a conch and she demanded, "You WILL not get any further. We are prepared to bury you at sea, surface dwellers!!!" She extended her trident at them threateningly.

Scylla laughed. "I don't believe we have the time to waste with you...Noe...Maybe you could tell us where the orb is....Something tells me it's in the throne room.. That's what our inside woman said....I don't like bloodshed but destroying this overly luxurious palace does not conflict with my morals. I'm sure the royals will be live as long as they don't cross us!"

The Thalassans were not happy to hear news of traitors in their ranks. To be a Thalassan was a matter of pride. To betray your country and sell secrets was...something punishable by death, especially selling information to the surface!

Scylla waited a response from Noe while carefully watching the Thalassans. They were not eager to make the first move and instead took a defensive stance, waiting to see if the OOA would attack them or not while one of their members ran to the throne room to inform the Queen and King of the situation.

 

[Pirogeth]

The team the ALF had sent in now approached the exit to their cave entrance, or rather the entrance to their exit. The gems that gave their glow sticks power had practically faded due to mining efforts and they had relied the rest of the way on feeling around the rocks. This actually had them tripped up for a bit but it seemed they had arrived right on time. The Thalassians and OOA members were deep in conflict, near them the battered and busted remains of the primary door lay waiting for the group. "Alright, Aurora, you and I along with Lamb-pray, Stings, and Dirge will enter and take out any resistance, if the orb is in the palace we'll be blind. None of our intelligence officers managed to get intel."
"And as for me I'm going bumps and tough guy over here right? Secure a path out." Edward had asked knowing these kinds of missions from the past.
"Actually, no, Briggs and Sveg will be in charge of that, I was thinking more you be our pawn and run distraction. I've seen your record and your powers studied. You should be able to knock them out with a quick psychic burst."
"Yes I know, it is a very delicate procedure though, not enough will give them something close to a jump scare and too much will implode their psyche, and also leave me tired as hell."

"Come now, certainly with your reputation you can do that easily." Aurora taunted leaning around the corner of the cave exit to see what the battle was looking like. Edward only nodded wondering exactly what information their military had on him precisely, and for that matter, why. Either way it wasn't looking like things were going to turn out nice either way, running distraction against two or even three enemies at once would be exhausting.

 

[MiraMirror]

Chaos broke loose under the water as the reinforcements came through and began the true battle with the native Thalassians. Scylla unleashed her true form and cleared path for herself and some others to make their ways through to the throne room, but they were quickly blocked by heavily armored Thalassian guards wielding spears.

"You WILL not get any further. We are prepared to bury you at sea, surface dwellers!!!"

Noe began giggling before breaking out in full-on laughter.

"A...ahaha...hahahaha! Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Bury us? At seeeeeeea? but we're IN the sea, you can't bury us at the sea, fishy fish!"

She began sniffing around like some kind of dog before pointing her finger at the throne room.

"There, there! It's there! I can smell it and...a free meal!"

With a rather creepy grin, the water began to heat up, bubbles rapidly rising up around Noe as she licked her lips, the heat intensifying ever so slowly.

 

[King Weavel]

*Thalassa*

Scylla smiled as she prepared to fight the guards before them she turned and saw the SDF coming. "Sheena, Sienna make yourselves useful and stop the SDF. These ones..Noe and I can handle. If they won't give us what we've come for..we've no choice. It hurts me to do this..It truly does. If the King and Queen truly cared about your lives, it wouldn't come to this...One last chance to run away..."

Sheena and Shine obeyed her orders but Sheena did not like the way it was going. Now Thalassa was going to be ruined too. Perhaps a more stealthy operation to steal the orb would have resulted in less bloodshed but they had to obey Lucia. Sheena was getting tired of

The Thalassan royal guards were undaunted by Scylla's threats. "You will do no so thing!" One of them made the first move, attempting to impale Scylla with a trident. She manifested another tentacle that intercepted the trident. She then screamed as her body ached and made revolting sounds. She was changing to her demon form finally!

In this form, she was comparable to a monster. She now had twelve six feet long tentacles instead of her legs. Near her arms two wolf-like heads grew. Now only the upper part of her body was a sign she was not a monster, her head and upper body remaining the same. The transformation put fear even into the Thalassans. She was hideous and unlike anything they had ever seen!

The two wolf like heads howled and stretched out and grabbed an unlucky Thlassan guard with aide of two of the tentacles, screaming while he was mutilated. The other Thalassan guards nearly ran away but their pride prevented it. They knew they were some of the last lines of defense. Scylla in a rage just ran past them and began smashing through the castle with her tentacles and wolf heads.

Her voice remained rather normal but she spoke louder and harsher as she commanded Noe, "BREAK INTO THEIR THRONE ROOM! No more mercy, if any of them get in the way they will die!"

During all of this chaos, the King and Queen of Thalassa were alerted to the danger and were to be evacuated. Yet the King wanted to stay and defend the orb. However he also did not want to die and rather let his men fight. he spoke with one of the men in his inner circle, Roy! Perhaps he was the one who gave the OOA information. The King was a rather muscular water beast but he appeared to be in his early fifties. He held a three-pronged trident and wore a silver crown embedded with the finest gems found only underwater.

"I can handle this alone! But I must warn you, King Thalassa XII..This orb is not a trophy, your ancestors did not leave it so it could be put on display. It must fulfill its purpose..It must be put to use."

The King was taken aback by the way Roy acted. "We will do what we please with the orb Dark Beast, know your place!!! I only let you in here and trust you because you promised me you could keep me safe from the forces of the surface, now look at this! Look at what is happening to my palace! Has the orb driven you mad just by looking at it? You'll never take it from me either! Maybe you were the traitor!"

"You amuse me, talking down to ME? What sort of king hides behind all of his men and women? Instead go and fight your own battle if you wish Thalassa to be safe! How about you join me out there, King? We'll fight off those surface dwellers together! Our mutual enemies....You can't say you're not used to working with Dark Beasts..The Zaka Clan was all so happy to use Thalassa as a place to hide when the war came to the Underworld...Yes.. Yet you welcomed them.."

"Those responsible for the war and many atrocities in my homeland. The burdens of our sins always come back to haunt us.. Someone will remember, someone will know. Deceiving your people like that...And you wonder why the surface dwellers want to gut you. You're not neutral. But I'll help you, I just need the orb as payment. It's your choice, your kingdom and all of your people or this sacred artifact. What is more important to you? Should all of your people be sacrificed for the power the orb promises you, great king?" Roy concluded mocking The King.

The King's face turned pale. "Just..take the damn orb! I didn't want any of this...We didn't want to be in this war. I only did it to be spared from the Dark Beast's wraith! They...made a portal here without any of my permission or knowledge long ago.. This orb is an accursed thing and it can only bring you and your people despair!"

Roy laughed instead. "Hah. I will not touch that orb unprepared, there is no telling if it could drive even me to madness. Have you been to the Underworld in your life oh great King? This orb cannot bring anymore despair! Now quit wasting time, let's go out there and confront the invaders ourselves!!! If you are brave enough and truly a just king! Not one who lies to his people and lets them die!"

The King fired back angrily as he scorned, "So Be it, Dark Beast! I'll play your game. I think you'll know better than to let me die while under your care. The Queen would have your head if anything happens to me!"

"Ahaha, I hope your strikes will be as sharp as your tongue. You may have a chance King. Now I believe our time is up. Our visitors are here." Roy seemed amused at the whole situation. The King was not and sighed and then panicked as he saw the door being torn open by Scylla's tentacles. He then saw Noe with her.

The King commented,"I'll take the little one. You handle..The strange she monster is your target, obey me Dark Beast because this is my Kingdom, I am King Thalassa XII!" "That's more like it. Now don't get cocky and die. If you do, it wasn't my fault. That girl...She has the orb of knowledge!"

"DARK BEAST? Why are you stopping us? Lady Lucia is yours to obey as well!OUT OF MY WAY OR I will feast upon you!"

Roy fired off an anchor into the right eye of one of the wolf heads in a show of defiance! "An alliance is something we may have...But you are not worthy of it..The orbs desire to be reunited...Why should an orb be wasted on something like you?! Someone who fails to see the bigger picture!"

"THAT"S IT! NOE! KILL THEM! AND THEN WE"LL TAKE THE ORB!!! IT IS IN THIS VERY THRONE ROOM SOMEWHERE!!! KILL WHICH ONE YOU LIKE BUT THIS DARK BEAST MUST GO FIRST FOR BETRAYING THE OOA!" Scylla yelled at Noe.

The King became aggressive and went straight for Noe before she could target help Scylla with Roy. He rammed Noe and began trying to strangle her with his bare hands, putting them around her neck. "I won't take any chances! You'll die...And the orb removed from your corpse will take the place of this one!"

Further back near the entrance to the palace, some of the guards were panicking, some ran to fight Scylla but some remained to stand guard. Samy, Lowe and Carla spoke to them and were granted access into the palace. They ran into Sheena and Shine. Carla, Lowe and Samy were determined to get past them.

"Stop right there!!! You can't go any further!" Sienna shouted.

"SDF! You are not going to get your hands on the orb! Just give up! They are already in the palace!"

Carla fired off a beam of dark energy, it moved a bit slower through the water but nearly hit Sienna's head until she ducked. "Never!"


Sheena was caught off guard by how serious Carla was now. Moving in the water left the two wind beasts at a disadvantage but Noe and Scylla were counting on them to hold the SDF off. Yet would it be worth dieing for? Sheena couldn't bear to let anything happen to Sienna.

The situation was out of control now. Yet if Sheena and Shine could not hold off the SDF, they would soon be coming. Noe and Scylla had to get the orb fast or it would all be over.

 

[Pirogeth]

The battle started to calm amongst the streets, however, the fierce warriors of the OOA had not rested. They were starting to populate the large palace, nothing but the SDF finding them could make this mission any worse for the ALF. With the palace practically invaded they were running out of time. Edward was given the go ahead to start their makeshift plans. A mist of black smoke surrounded him in the water, as if an oil spill had created a miniature whirlpool. His transformation started to take hold and the force field around him had to be adjusted. His stature grew and his claws dripped with what could only be described as the blood of nightmares. His gaping mouth grinned as he was practically starving at this point. He had been kept from devouring the dreams of others as he was in the company of his new employers and his demonic form gave his personality a more instinctual basis. Atoshi readied his group as Briggs and Sveg started setting up explosives around the cave entrance.


The first victims of the specter were two OOA foot soldiers. Nothing more than pawns in the eyes of the higher ups and no older than sixteen. There was only the after image of Edward's form behind them diggings his jagged claws into their back, however, instead of blood there was a spewing of dark, black energy. He breathed it in, like some sort of medicine he prescribed himself. The two had their eyes roll up back into their head as the good doctor finished his meal. "It has been far too long." He drifted through the door and began his 'distraction' as Atoshi and Aurora began infiltration through a window with their subordinates.

 

[King Weavel]

Lowe prepared to attack Sheena and Sienna. He readied his earth energy and aimed it the top of the cave. It caused stalagmites to rain down upon Sheena and Sienna's position.

"Ah!!!! You...Sienna stay close!" Sheena grabbed Sienna just in case and helped her avoid Lowe's attack.

Samy almost hesitated as she saw Sienna cowering as Sheena held her. "....Just get out of our way and we won't have to hurt anyone!"

"No! Lady Lucia...Would never forgave us if we ran! We have to hold you here as long as we can!!!!"

Carla answered with five more dark energy rifle shots aimed straight at Sheena."We don't need to hear your indoctrinated nonsense! Sad how she even uses children to fight...How desperate."

Sheena and Sienna barley managed to find cover as they swam as fast as possible.

Sheena and Sienna struggled to find a means to fight back. It wasn't long until the fight was seen by Nacim himself. Would he intervene or would he really let his finance and his niece die?