Hello all!
I am back with yet another chapter, I'm sorry for being sorta AWOL for a bit, I really need to get back into this and start finishing up some stories so it's less of a chore.
on another note, I must have... I really don't know, must have slept on my arm or something, but now my left shoulder is a good inch or so higher than my right, and because of that my neck is being pulled that direction, so now I am noticeably asymmetrical. and for a person whose a stickler for that sort of thing, it bothers me. besides the pain it causes of course, it becomes difficult to raise or stretch my left arm or look too far up or to the left. I've made sure to sleep on my back now hoping it would sort of settle back into place, but this is the second night (third day) so... yeah... Idk might see a chiropractor or a massage therapist or smthn. at least so I can figure our what it is and then go from there, no idea when that'll happen but I hope it's soon.
anyway, with my own personal gripes out of the way I'll let you read this unfortunatly shorter chapter, but I can't have two fight scenes right after each other, and those are gonna be the longest chapters so...
Chapter 6- "Ebb and Flow"
(Ripslash)
We all began picking ourselves up off the ground, we all watched as our opponents just walked away into the water.
I watched them transform, the only one I got a clear look at was the black and white one, the one I'd heard had been addressed as 'Killer Wale'.
He transformed into something shark-like… but it was thicker and more round, less streamlined.
However the flashing blue and red lights caught and held my attention.
"Well… seems we made some kind of scene." I noted to the others.
Thrasher looked at the damaged structures around us, even the ground was showing signs of a tussle.
"I assume it's similar to how Dolphins will alert others of their kind to a source of danger." Ripsaw said.
"I assume, we are the source of danger." Lockjaw asked sarcastically.
"Let them come, I could use something to redeem my pride!" Anvil shouted.
"And if they're worse?" Nibbler chimed in.
"shut. nothing be bigger than me." Gnash answered.
"Literally Lemuria." I retorted as Lemuria herself said the same thing in my head.
"The real question is whether this alert is a call to avoid us, or to target us?" Thrasher asked.
"The sounds and lights draw nearer." Reaper observed after no one gave an answer to Thrasher's question.
"If it comes to it, don't be afraid to call on me." Lemuria reminded.
I relayed her message to Thrasher.
"I'll ensure that it doesn't." Thrasher retorted.
I'm not sure if that was supposed to dissuade Lemuria or to embolden the rest of us.
Thrasher looked around at the damage we'd caused before deciding.
"We're leaving." he huffed before marching back towards the water.
We all followed him silently. The lights and sounds arrived just as Reaper dipped below the surface. They were small objects, they seemed to be made of a similar substance as us, and they were sort of able to transform by separating parts on their sides to reveal an interior. Only for a human to exit. He held up a bright light and scanned it over the shore, but never thought to look in the water, only on it.
We weren't the only ones who had disappeared from sight, so had our assailants. Having left before us and being fewer in number they managed to slip away from us too.
Reaper looked at the human, his armor was dark enough to conceal him even with the light the human was waving about.
"Is something wrong with him?" Thrasher whispered to prevent himself from being heard by the human.
"I don't know?" I shrugged.
"Who asked you?" Thrasher answered.
I looked at him before realizing he was probably addressing Lemuria.
"Does he really hate me so?" Lemuria asked, the tone she said it implied she didn't exactly intend for anyone but herself to hear it.
"She's only trying to help." I said to Thrasher.
"No one asked for her help," he answered.
"She's taking initiative." I surmised.
"Initiative requires the ability to plan, and the only things I see her planning is ways to possess us again." he snarked.
"You don't really think she was the dark energy from before?" I asked.
"Who's to say really." he grumbled.
Reaper finally turned and marched deeper to meet us.
The others had all gone ahead so he reached me and Thrasher first.
As he passed between us he said something.
"If I had the sword I'd cut the tension between you two." he smirked. Then he transformed and swam ahead to meet up with Lockjaw presumably.
The two of us kinda just followed him with our eyes, shocked at what he'd said.
That's when I noticed a tiny little shiny thing swimming madly towards us.
Thrasher was too deep in thought to notice but I had a mighty good idea of what it was and why it was rushing towards us, Thrasher in particular.
Just as he approached I reached out and yanked him towards me before he could harass Thrasher.
Nibbler began to squirm and shout in my whip while I just held him still.
"Lemuria, you may want to explain yourself to Nibbler." I muttered.
I heard no response but Nibbler was no longer ironically thrashing about to get at Thrasher.
When he'd fully calmed down I released him and he swam up to transform on my shoulder.
Thrasher finally came out of his thoughts and looked at me and Nibbler, we kinda just looked at him curiously, wondering why he just stood there. He kinda just made a gesture that meant it was nothing then he transformed to swim up to the others.
Me and Nibbler stayed in our bipedal forms and just walked after them.
"So… you heard it too?" I asked him.
"Yeah. didn't realize that we weren't supposed to hear it." he answered.
"Hey Lemuria, how are you doing?" I asked.
I heard no response.
I turned to look at Nibbler on my shoulder who only shrugged his own in response.
We walked in silence before Nibbler turned to me.
"I don't think she is it, but we don't actually know what the energy is, or why it seemed to disappear and then reappear," he said.
"I'm not sure if we'll ever know. Not at this rate anyway." I answered.
"Who do you think those things were, the ones that attacked us?" he asked after a moment.
"Hmm… I'm not sure, I only heard one of them say their names, it was Killer Wale." I answered.
"Oh, he was the big one right?"
I nodded.
"Ok, because when I was fighting the little guy he called himself Sabre"
"Sabre?" I asked, he just answered with a shrug.
"What should we call them? The team I mean." he asked after a moment.
"Well… the big one seemed to be upset about something, it was like the only thing he said to any of us; Heralds that defy their own prophecy."
"Maybe we should call them Heralds of Prophecy?" Nibbler asked.
"I mean its as good a name as any." I answered.
"What is?" Reaper asked as he approached.
"A name for that team we fought." Nibbler answered.
"And what name would that be?" he asked.
"The Heralds of Prophecy." Nibbler exclaimed.
Reaper just looked at me inquisitively.
"It's something the big one said." I explained.
"Do you think they have a leader, like how Thrasher is ours?" Reaper mused.
"If they do it's either Killer Wale or your look-alike." I answered.
"They do seem like it." he agreed.
"It's certainly not the one with the crazy arms." I noted.
"Or the one that was my size." Nibbler added.
"Sabre you mean?" I asked.
He nodded before looking thoughtful.
"Do you think they know about Lemuria?" Nibbler asked abruptly.
"I'm not sure…" I answered honestly.
"I would assume they know something, as they were actively trying to capture the sword." Reaper interrupted.
"That's right, you were beaten pretty hard, you ok?" I realized.
"Despite being so much smaller than the likes of Gnash or 'Killer Wale' I'm fairly durable. I think we all are." he answered with a shrug.
"Durable eh?" Lockjaw yelled with a rasp as he barreled into Reaper and the two began trying to flip the other over each other. Nibbler just rolled his eyes.
"That makes me wonder though, do they know about Lemuria, not just her connection to us, but what she is?" I asked.
"I really wouldn't know." Nibbler answered.
"I wonder if they feel the energy as well?" Lockjaw asked as he held Reaper by the neck and pressed him into the sea floor.
"They certainly know the sword has power." Reaper answered as he used his blade to knock Lockjaw's legs out from under him.
This sent Lockjaw to the ground where Reaper then grabbed him in an extremely complicated looking head… body lock?
"What even are you two doing?" I asked.
"Bickering like fools." Anvil gloated as he showed up.
"Like you and Gnash are any different?" Nibbler remarked.
"Speaking of, where is Gnash, I thought he'd be with you?" I asked Anvil.
"I don't know, he was sort of just staring off into the sea when I left, he mumbled a few things to himself but mostly stayed quiet." Anvil answered not really caring.
Me and Nibbler looked at each other as we realized that he wasn't actually talking to himself.
"Tell me I won that!" Slipstream shouted at us.
"Won what?" Nibbler asked as we all turned to him.
"The race of course!" Chumchurner answered indignantly.
We all just looked at each other in confusion.
"We didn't see." Reaper said simply answering for all of us.
"Well you should've!" Slipstream exclaimed.
"Yeah, it'd be great to finally have people witness me beating this bottom feeder." Chumchurner said casting a thumb over his shoulder at Slipstream.
"Bottom feeder… but he's a Mako? Not a wobbegong or dogfish?" I asked.
"I don't know, I thought it'd be a good insult." Chumchurner shrugged.
"So you… just made up an insult?" Anvil asked.
"Not gonna lie, it's good, you don't mind if I over use it do ya Chummy?" Lockjaw admitted.
"Naw dude, go right ahead."
"Will do, Bottom feeder." Lockjaw answered with no hesitation.
"Why am I not surprised?" Lemuria noted.
"You're back!" I exclaimed.
Everyone ignored me in favor of insulting each other.
"Yes, I simply needed a quiet place to think and reflect."
I suppressed a snicker at her referring to Gnash's mind as a 'quiet place'
"You know I can hear your thoughts right?" Lemuria said with what I assume is a smirk if she had a mouth.
"Eyye eyye thats an invasion of privacy." I retorted mirthfully
"My very existence is an invasion of your privacy." she answered with what I think was a slight chuckle.
I was glad to hear her laughing again.