02-15-2019, 04:58 PM
He had failed them twice now, getting eaten in the second attempt and only bringing one flower back for them in the latest. They had still rewarded his attempt, but he knew if their success had rested solely on him, they would all be doomed. But perhaps that was part of the lesson, that no one person could save them. They had to work together. That even when they failed, at least they tried.
So how could he not try, one last time?
They had said from the beginning there would be four to gather, and though he didn’t understand how the items requested could be part of a cure for a plague, it wasn’t his job to figure that out. Such magics were way above his level; his was only to do his best to gather them up and bring them to the fairies who could do some good with them.
He had only just left for Silver Cove by the time the call came once again. He’d meant to leave immediately, but his body had refused to listen, a confused, clashing array of magics still trying to settle into his skin as he recovered from the race back to the Mountain with a single white flower. Seemed like the moment he was able to pull together enough energy for the trip, the new quest presented itself. So he turned back, his body drawn inexorably back up the Mountain.
Seashells this time, ones found specifically on Island Resort. He’d done this enough times that he just nodded, turned to look toward the island in question and look over the route, picking out the most efficient route based on terrain and obstacles and distance, and then set out. Back down the mountain, over the river, through the forest to avoid the more mountainous terrain to the north of it. Taking the flatter forest route would help conserve a bit of energy, and he’d learned well enough by now how to navigate his way through it.
Loess was hilly, but not impossible. His little legs had far more strength and stamina than the first time the fairies had sent him traversing the continent in search of an ingredient for the cure. A tiny part of him wondered what his life would look like when it wasn’t devoted solely to serving the fairies in their mission to heal the world of the plague, but he quickly squashed that nervous little flutter. Best not get ahead of himself. There was no guarantee that would ever happen, and goodness knew he could still get eaten for real this time and wind up dead.
The trek was largely uneventful though, and he skirted the borders of Sylva and Taiga on relative autopilot, keeping the vibrant fall colors of Sylva to his left and the darker, spookier evergreens of Taiga to his right until they both opened up into the lush, volcanic land of Tephra. There was something harsh and beautiful about the lava-laced land, mist shrouding the volcano adding an extra eerie note to the atmosphere. The humid air felt heavy and sticky though, and he let a think sheet of ice coat his skin, cooling him and making it easier to breathe.
Just one last stretch to navigate before he reached the island, and that was of course the sea. This time the waters were warm and far calmer, an ocean mood he barely recognized given his last encounter. It had been icy and deadly, but perhaps it was just the frigid water around Icicle Isle that fought so hard to drag a body under and drown them. This ocean looked far more welcoming, though he eyed it warily before setting foot in the water.
The warm water was disconcerting after his ventures across the stretch of sea that isolated Icicle Isle from the mainland. The water was clear and calm, and he let go of his icy coating and let it melt into the water beneath him as he waded out into the gentle waves. The fairy’s warning had been about the waters here, so he was on guard as he kicked off and started swimming toward the distant shoreline of the island.
He was about halfway across when something slithered against his side, startling him and making him jerk away and stare intently into the water. He sighed with relief when he realized it was only a curious fish checking out the strange beast paddling through its home. One exasperated little snort and he was on his way again, now with a fishy bodyguard in tow. It followed him, nibbling on his tail, shimmying under his belly and making him snort and jump again, and thoroughly distracting him to the point where he missed a telltale ripple in the water and the cresting of a sharp dorsal fin circling around behind them.
When it circled around to the front though, his eyes widened and he scrambled backward in the water, snorting out a nervous huff and angling his head to watch the fin and try to catch a glimpse of what it might be attached to. When that didn’t work, he ducked his head under the surface of the water and opened his eyes, ignoring the sting and HOLY FUCK WHAT WAS THAT?
NOPE.
He learned his lesson last time, thanks, that was a WHOLE LOT OF NOPE. His heart kicked into overdrive and he panicked and shot ice at the sharp-toothed swimming death machine, one hundred percent not interested in getting eaten again especially with those hungry black eyes staring at him like he was dinner. Noooope. ‘Course he still was not very practiced at using his ice power, and his aim was not the very best. His first round of frantic ice projectiles went everywhere, and all he managed to do was stab his poor fish friend through its fishy chest.
Unfortunately for him, that meant blood in the water right next to him, and the terrifying death chomper abandoned his circle and angled in toward him, mouth opening wide as it lunged at him fuck fuck fuck fuck aaaah!
Another panicked ice attack sent a sharp, thick icicle aiming at the beast’s eye, though “aim” was really a loose word. Frantically shooting through the water and happening to stab the fucker in the eyeball sounded more accurate. It thrashed and raged and turned right back to try and attack him again, oozing blood out of its mangled eye socket but apparently otherwise undeterred, the crazy fucker. Nocturne dodged to the side the best he could, his ice leaving a vague after-image of himself bobbing where he’d been just in time for the monster to chomp down on it, crunching rows of wickedly sharp teeth into it instead of into his soft, very chompable flesh.
The death beast thrashed again, breaking off the ice sculpture him’s legs and head and chomping down ‘til it shattered beneath the force of its jaws, giving Nocturne a minute to swim away as fast as he could. But his little legs were no match for the predator’s speed and efficiency in the water, and it wasn’t long before it was powering toward him again. He squeaked and paddled frantically forward, but the shark closed in again, jaws opening wide for another try at biting into him and devouring him.
This time his panicked, instinctive attack sent a spear of ice right into its gaping maw, piercing through the soft tissue at the back of its throat and through the back of its...head? Nocturne couldn’t really tell where head ended and body began, but he supposed it wasn’t terribly important anyhow. The beast thrashed some more and then went still, and Nocturne didn’t stick around long enough to examine its terrifying anatomy, just in case it was some kind of magical death beast that could jerk back to life and devour him if he was stupid enough to get too close. No thanks, not this time! Instead he kept swimming as fast as he could, racing to get to shore before something else showed up to eat him.
His heart didn’t stop racing ‘til after he’d scrambled onto the shore, chest heaving and head drooping with exhaustion and relief. A few seashells, he could do that. And then swim back across monster-infested waters, no big deal. Really. Totally got this.
So how could he not try, one last time?
They had said from the beginning there would be four to gather, and though he didn’t understand how the items requested could be part of a cure for a plague, it wasn’t his job to figure that out. Such magics were way above his level; his was only to do his best to gather them up and bring them to the fairies who could do some good with them.
He had only just left for Silver Cove by the time the call came once again. He’d meant to leave immediately, but his body had refused to listen, a confused, clashing array of magics still trying to settle into his skin as he recovered from the race back to the Mountain with a single white flower. Seemed like the moment he was able to pull together enough energy for the trip, the new quest presented itself. So he turned back, his body drawn inexorably back up the Mountain.
Seashells this time, ones found specifically on Island Resort. He’d done this enough times that he just nodded, turned to look toward the island in question and look over the route, picking out the most efficient route based on terrain and obstacles and distance, and then set out. Back down the mountain, over the river, through the forest to avoid the more mountainous terrain to the north of it. Taking the flatter forest route would help conserve a bit of energy, and he’d learned well enough by now how to navigate his way through it.
Loess was hilly, but not impossible. His little legs had far more strength and stamina than the first time the fairies had sent him traversing the continent in search of an ingredient for the cure. A tiny part of him wondered what his life would look like when it wasn’t devoted solely to serving the fairies in their mission to heal the world of the plague, but he quickly squashed that nervous little flutter. Best not get ahead of himself. There was no guarantee that would ever happen, and goodness knew he could still get eaten for real this time and wind up dead.
The trek was largely uneventful though, and he skirted the borders of Sylva and Taiga on relative autopilot, keeping the vibrant fall colors of Sylva to his left and the darker, spookier evergreens of Taiga to his right until they both opened up into the lush, volcanic land of Tephra. There was something harsh and beautiful about the lava-laced land, mist shrouding the volcano adding an extra eerie note to the atmosphere. The humid air felt heavy and sticky though, and he let a think sheet of ice coat his skin, cooling him and making it easier to breathe.
Just one last stretch to navigate before he reached the island, and that was of course the sea. This time the waters were warm and far calmer, an ocean mood he barely recognized given his last encounter. It had been icy and deadly, but perhaps it was just the frigid water around Icicle Isle that fought so hard to drag a body under and drown them. This ocean looked far more welcoming, though he eyed it warily before setting foot in the water.
The warm water was disconcerting after his ventures across the stretch of sea that isolated Icicle Isle from the mainland. The water was clear and calm, and he let go of his icy coating and let it melt into the water beneath him as he waded out into the gentle waves. The fairy’s warning had been about the waters here, so he was on guard as he kicked off and started swimming toward the distant shoreline of the island.
He was about halfway across when something slithered against his side, startling him and making him jerk away and stare intently into the water. He sighed with relief when he realized it was only a curious fish checking out the strange beast paddling through its home. One exasperated little snort and he was on his way again, now with a fishy bodyguard in tow. It followed him, nibbling on his tail, shimmying under his belly and making him snort and jump again, and thoroughly distracting him to the point where he missed a telltale ripple in the water and the cresting of a sharp dorsal fin circling around behind them.
When it circled around to the front though, his eyes widened and he scrambled backward in the water, snorting out a nervous huff and angling his head to watch the fin and try to catch a glimpse of what it might be attached to. When that didn’t work, he ducked his head under the surface of the water and opened his eyes, ignoring the sting and HOLY FUCK WHAT WAS THAT?
NOPE.
He learned his lesson last time, thanks, that was a WHOLE LOT OF NOPE. His heart kicked into overdrive and he panicked and shot ice at the sharp-toothed swimming death machine, one hundred percent not interested in getting eaten again especially with those hungry black eyes staring at him like he was dinner. Noooope. ‘Course he still was not very practiced at using his ice power, and his aim was not the very best. His first round of frantic ice projectiles went everywhere, and all he managed to do was stab his poor fish friend through its fishy chest.
Unfortunately for him, that meant blood in the water right next to him, and the terrifying death chomper abandoned his circle and angled in toward him, mouth opening wide as it lunged at him fuck fuck fuck fuck aaaah!
Another panicked ice attack sent a sharp, thick icicle aiming at the beast’s eye, though “aim” was really a loose word. Frantically shooting through the water and happening to stab the fucker in the eyeball sounded more accurate. It thrashed and raged and turned right back to try and attack him again, oozing blood out of its mangled eye socket but apparently otherwise undeterred, the crazy fucker. Nocturne dodged to the side the best he could, his ice leaving a vague after-image of himself bobbing where he’d been just in time for the monster to chomp down on it, crunching rows of wickedly sharp teeth into it instead of into his soft, very chompable flesh.
The death beast thrashed again, breaking off the ice sculpture him’s legs and head and chomping down ‘til it shattered beneath the force of its jaws, giving Nocturne a minute to swim away as fast as he could. But his little legs were no match for the predator’s speed and efficiency in the water, and it wasn’t long before it was powering toward him again. He squeaked and paddled frantically forward, but the shark closed in again, jaws opening wide for another try at biting into him and devouring him.
This time his panicked, instinctive attack sent a spear of ice right into its gaping maw, piercing through the soft tissue at the back of its throat and through the back of its...head? Nocturne couldn’t really tell where head ended and body began, but he supposed it wasn’t terribly important anyhow. The beast thrashed some more and then went still, and Nocturne didn’t stick around long enough to examine its terrifying anatomy, just in case it was some kind of magical death beast that could jerk back to life and devour him if he was stupid enough to get too close. No thanks, not this time! Instead he kept swimming as fast as he could, racing to get to shore before something else showed up to eat him.
His heart didn’t stop racing ‘til after he’d scrambled onto the shore, chest heaving and head drooping with exhaustion and relief. A few seashells, he could do that. And then swim back across monster-infested waters, no big deal. Really. Totally got this.