FOUR

"You ready, guys?" Rina looked back at her three companions. The sky was painted in inky blues. Stars would be coming out soon and Inkopolis was in the distance. Rina put a boot onto the metal side of the Kettle.

"Wha...What is that thing?" Blue looked at it apprehensively. Binke and Cream shot glances at each other and adjusted their packs.

"It's, uh... A Kettle. It's like the Octarian version of Super jumping, I suppose." Rina looked down at the metal grate with a frown. These things again... On the other side was a hostile world. Rina balled her hand into a fist. I have to. I have to save Callie and Marie.

Rina looked back at the other kids to see Blue shuddering in disgust. "I-I hate super jumping!"

"That looks like a sewer grate..." Cream gazed at it with aloof, lidded eyes. Her charger weapon was slung over her shoulder along with a small bag and an Ink container. In style she seemed to be the opposite of Blue, who dressed in cute, feminine clothes. Cream was wearing a big knitted green hat with a red flannel. Her pink tentacles hung loosely and her bangs, much like Callie and Marie's, covered one eye.

Rina laughed awkwardly at this, remembering the short cut into Octo valley that she used to take with the Squid Sister's strange grandpa.

"It's probably not that bad..." Binke suggested with a helpful shrug and a smile.

"Well, we have no choice either way." Rina sighed, returning a small smile.

"How...how does it work?" Blue mumbled, staying rooted to the spot as Binke and Cream stepped forward.

"You have to go into Squid form to get through the grate and then you just slide right through to the other side. There's a network of Kettles all over Octo valley that lead underground." Rina said, stepping off the Kettle and looking down into it. Blue said nothing but made a worried face.

"Well, um. Ladies first?" Binke laughed nervously. Cream rolled her eyes and stepped up onto it.

"Wait for us on the other side. Stay hidden in case of any trouble, kay?" Rina quickly said. It definitely was strange going in with a group of other Inklings.

Cream just nodded and held her E-liter 3K Scope firmly in her hands. She nodded at Binke and shifted into squid form, falling through the grate with a splash of ink and spurt of whistling steam. Blue let out a small squeak of fright and jumped back at the noise. Rina and Binke looked back at her with raised eyebrows.

"S-sorry. It surprised me..." She mumbled in embarrassment, the tips of her pointy ears blushing slightly.

"I guess I'll go next." Binke sighed, shaking his arms as if preparing himself. He stepped up onto the Kettle, mock saluting at Rina with a fanged grin. "See you on the other side!" He said as he fell into in a blue splash. Another whistle squealed from the Kettle and Blue covered her face with her hands.

"I-I-I don't think I can d-do this Rina!" She whimpered, peeking at the metal contraption that had swallowed Binke and Cream.

Rina put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine. I used to use these things all the time. They're totally safe, aside from where they lead of course. But Binke and Cream are waiting for us. I'll be here to come right after you, okay?"

Blue nodded reluctantly, staring fearfully at the Kettle with her hands covering her mouth. She looked sideways at Rina for a moment and covered her face again, nodding. "O-okay. I'll try."

Rina smiled at the trembling Inkling. "Great! Nothing to fear, right? I'll be right here."

"A-a-alright!" Blue stepped forwards and scrambled timidly up onto it. She just stood there for a moment, looking down. "Um... it looks... deep." She looked back up at Rina nervously, clutching her skirt.

"It's okay, just fall right through like Cream and Binke did." Rina smiled in encouragement.

"Ohhh..." Blue moaned in fear, looking downwards. She squeezed her eyes shut as she shifted into a pale blue squid and went through the grate. Rina thought she could hear a gurgly scream coming from the Kettle as it shook and rattled.

Rina took a deep breath and clutched onto her weapon. Even though Sheldon had offered to lend them good, fresh weapons...Rina felt more comfortable using the gun that had helped her fight through Octarian enemies and rescue the Great Zapfish. Her trusty Hero Shot.

With the gun in hand, she stepped up onto the Kettle grate and looked down at her feet. It was strange that just below her lay such a dangerous place, but now there were also friends on the other side. A flare of confidence sparkled in her abdomen for the first time in a long time, and Rina fell in the Kettle with a determined smile.

It was a sudden rush of ink and darkness. All around Rina their was a rattling, squealing sound of the Kettle and she sped through. Downwards and downwards until she was launched out and upwards. In a flurry of orange in, she suddenly saw light again, and hurried to change back before she slapped ungracefully back into the Kettle.

"Rina!" Blue cried, running forward with arms outstretched.

It took only a few moments for Rina to get her bearings before she looked down at the girl grabbing her shirt. Rina smiled at her.

"That was horrible..." Blue glared at her and shivered. "It was so dark!"

Rina laughed and stepped down. "Sorry..."

Cream was peering around. "Big place for apparently being underground..."

"I know, right? You can hardly even see a ceiling." Rina looked upwards into the purple abyss. They had come up in a wide, flat area. Unlike the mechanical maze Rina had navigated as Agent 3, this place seemed... normal. Like no one had bothered to build anything upon it. It the distance there appeared to be some form of town. The landscape was rocky and few plants were sprouting, guess having no sunlight made it hard to grow anything.

Rina sighed with a sudden hopeless feeling. "How are we gonna find the Squid Sisters...? I've never been here before."

Blue walked up behind her and nudged Rina's arm. "That's why we brought Binke's girlfriend! Don't give up yet."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Binke said loudly, face flushing. He turned away from Cream, who looked indifferent.

"We should find higher ground so I can survey the area." She said to Rina and slung her big, shiny gun over her shoulder.

"Yeah... Where, though?" Rina huffed, gazing around them in a circle.

"There's a tower, thingy over there." Blue mumbled. Rina turned around and she pointed. Indeed, in the distance a large black shape rose from the ground at a crooked angle. Binke and Cream turned to look as well.

"Good job, Blue!" The girl blushed at Rina's praise, "We can head there, first. The ground looks rough but we should be able to get there in maybe an hour."

"An hour!?" Binke exclaimed incredulously.

"Have you never traveled anywhere by foot? It's a slow process, to say the least. And we're carrying packs and weapons." Rina chuckled at his response. He pouted.

"We need to hurry. Who knows if they're even around here. They've had a day's head start." Cream stated, starting to move away from the Kettle.

"You're right..." Rina mumbled. "I hadn't even thought of that."

"Well, then let's go! I'd rather walk then go in one of those things again!" Blue skipped forwards, falling into step behind Cream, with Binke hurrying to start as well. Rina tapped her gun against her knee and shook her head with a small smile. Well, it will definitely help having companions for the journey!

Rina took the first step forward. It was only a mere step of many to come, but it felt strangely heavy. They had started the journey into enemy territory. Rina could only hope that their quest ends happily.

"Okay, team!" Binke exclaimed, trying to catch his breath. "First mission is a success!"

"That was a mission?" Rina raised an eyebrow at him.

"Totally. And it was success." He put his hands on his hips and craned his neck to gaze up at the strange construction.

It was an odd thing. It almost looked more like the wreck of a large machine than a tower, now that they were up close. It was made of a thick black metal and there were many grooves over the surface. Large chunks seemed to be missing, which made the structure almost hollow aside from a support structure and many pipes and wires.

"Well," Cream looked up at it unimpressed. "Shall we climb?"

Blue groaned in exasperation. "I don't think I've walked that much in my entire life! Now we're gonna climb stuff?"

"Stay down here, if you want. We need to see where we're going." Rina shrugged at her, tossing her bag into the dirt and started to pull herself up into the metal structure with Cream.

"Wait for me!" Binke jumped forward to follow the girls, tossing his pack and weapon next to Rina's.

Blue stood watching for a long moment before sighing. She put her bag in the pile and looked upwards. "U-um. Actually I think I will stay. I-I can...watch our stuff."

"Can you not climb?" Binke looked down at her from his perch amongst the black metal beams.

"Not really..."

"You gonna be okay by yourself?" Rina looked down. "You've got a weapon, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Blue nodded quickly. "I'll be fine.."

"Shout if you need anything. We'll be down to help as soon as possible." Rina called down to her and returned to climbing. She was impressed by how efficiently Cream was navigating with a huge, shiny charger on her back.

"Couldn't we just jump down?" Binke said from a little ways away.

"Uh." Rina looked over at him with a frown.

"Cause we don't have bones, right?"

"I think we'd still go 'splat.'" Said Cream from above, without looking back.

"Oh..." Binke mumbled.

The three climbed the tall structure silently for some time; Rina was listening closely for Blue down below, but no call came. Finally, they were in the top spires. Carefully, they positioned themselves in secure positions and looked around.

"Whoaaa! We're so high!" Binke grinned in excitement, looking eagerly at the surroundings. "It's just like Moray Towers! But...without the city scape."

Cream was positioning her weapon in a good spot to view without risk of falling. Rina took a quick look around. It was pretty barren aside from the town directly ahead and some large piles of jagged rocks strewn about. The town was very far away, if they had to go there it might take an entire day. Or more, depending on any trouble they ran into...

Cream looked through the scope, scanning the landscape. For quite some time she was silent with concentration. Or maybe she just wasn't much for conversation.

"Well, Creamy?" Binke implored.

She held up a hand at him dismissively and continued surveying. Bike shrugged at Rina.

"I see something." The Inkling girl finally spoke.

"What? Really?" Rina leaned forward hopefully.

"Over there, that outcrop of rocks. The ones that look like fangs coming out of the ground. There seems to be a group of.. something." Cream exhaled softly and continuing staring through the scope.

"Is it them?" Binke gazed wide-eyed at Cream.

She didn't respond until a few moments later, when she leaned back and looked into Rina's eyes.

"I think it's them."

Rina was speechless, she just inhaled heavily and looked out toward the far off rocks Cream had described. If they really were out there, they were heading towards the city.

"Are you sure?" Binke said, gazing intently at Cream.

She ran a hand over her pink tentacle and looked sideways. "I'm not positive...They were mostly behind the rocks and it's dark."

"It's better than nothing." Rina's eyes flared with determination. "Thank you, Cream."

Cream's eyes widened ever so slightly and she nodded.

"Let's head back."

A few minutes later, the three were stepping back onto solid ground. Blue jumped up and hurriedly brushed her clothes off. She looked expectantly at the group.

"We think Cream found them. They're heading for the city." Rina informed the wide-eyed Inkling.

"So what now?" Blue said, watching as Rina picked up her pack and weapon. Her face was set in a kind of resolve Blue had seen before in intense Rank matches. She was ready for battle. She was determined to win.

"We hunt them down and save the Sisters. Let's go."

The journey begins! I don't really know how to describe Octo valley, being how the story mode was just crazy floating stuff :/

I hope the characters are still good, while I'm writing I'm still kinda gettin a feel for their personalities. Drawing them helps get me engaged in the story, too ^^

Thanks for reading! Leave some feedback! How do you feel about the story? The characters? the relationships (im trying to build)? maybe we'll see some Octolings in the next chapter? i dont know, I make this up as i go! :D

Staaay fresh!