This new water world
Ch. 12
Layla panted heavily. She was in her wolf form and has pinned Keii down on the ground. They were both soaked in water because as soon as Layla had Keii on the ground and away from the pillar, the water tentacles just rained down.
Keii stared wide-eyed at the roof, not really noticing Layla. After a while, Layla said: "Oi, captain. Are you okay?"
Keii remained silent and kept staring. Layla stepped off of her and sat down next to her, waiting for her captain to wake up. She felt a bit panicked, though, because they still had to safe Eri.
Keii sat up after a while, resting her elbows on her knees and holding onto her head, mumbling: "What the hell was that?"
Layla quietly responded: "No idea, but I'm glad you finally snapped out of it." Keii nodded in response and calmly said: "But there's still a voice in my head. It says: 'Get the Heaven's Vessel.'"
'Heaven's Vessel?' Layla thought 'What the hell is that supposed to mean? She did say something about it in her trance.'
Keii stood up and said: "I'll follow my instincts. Let's go." She walked up to a waterfall and concentrated. After a while, the stream of the waterfall seemed to bend, forming an entrance in another hall.
Layla was confused. Really confused. How could she suddenly find this out? Layla stayed outside, but Keii walked inside the mysterious, dark hall.
Keii looked alertly around the room, because she somehow felt watched. In the middle of the dark room, a light was shining down from a crack in the roof. The light was shining on a pillar, where something was resting on.
Keii sneaked closer, still carefully looking around her. When she reached the pillar, she examined the object on the pillar.
It looked like a water stream which was going up, and a necklace hung around it. A water vessel hung on the golden necklace. The vessel was beautifully decorated with more gold. The water seemed crystal clear, even though the vessel was very dusty.
Keii kneeled down and read a small inscription in the pillar. 'Those who ate a water-type of any kind of devil fruit, must show it to Heaven's Vessel to acquire it.'
Keii thought for a while, then made a water tentacle of her arm, carefully picking up the vessel, which pretty much sunk into the water tentacle.
It suddenly gave an odd glow, and before Keii could notice, the vessel was gone. But she felt something hanging around her neck, and when she looked down she saw the vessel hanging.
At least her water tentacle made it look less dusty. She looked at the vessel for a while before quietly walking back to Layla, who was still patiently waiting in her wolf-form.
"And? Found something?" She curiously asked. Keii nodded, holding up the vessel: "Heaven's Vessel! Only I have no idea why it would be useful. I feel a bit stronger, though."
"Well, that's good, right?" Layla said, looking at the vessel in amazement. "Maybe you should try something you couldn't do before!" She said curiously.
Keii thought for a while, then lifted her arm up to try and lick her elbow. Layla sighed and rolled with her eyes, saying annoyed: "With your ability, idiot."
Keii laughed sheepishly: "I know, I know..!" She concentrated, and suddenly her whole body transformed into water, but she only ended up in a small puddle of water with a face. "Damn it." She said, before changing back.
"Still needs practice, I see. Are we going now? We have to find Eri!" Layla said and Keii nodded in response. But she heard a commotion behind her in the room where the vessel was. It sounded like a bunch of thieves who were arguing.
"Shit!" Layla cursed quietly. "Who's there?" A bandit yelled. Keii slightly glared at Layla. They tried to search for a hiding spot, but the room didn't had any. They had to prepare for a fight.
Layla transformed into her hybrid form and Keii changed both of her arms into water tentacles. But it remained silent. Did they walk away? But they never heard footsteps.
Layla and Keii looked at each other confusedly, but yelped when someone swiftly clicked a thick, seastone collar around both of their necks.
They turned around and noticed the bandits from before. Keii's arms changed back and Layla also transformed into her human form again. Keii wasn't used to this huge amount of seastone, and her world started to spin.
The same was wrong with Layla. Before she and Keii passed out, they heard the bandits say with a chuckle: "Miss Rena will love visitors."