Post by ch00beh on Jan 27, 2011 20:43:48 GMT -5
A speck drifted through an expanse of blue, bordered at the north and south by landmasses. To the west was fog, occluding the islands that locals knew existed, and to the east was nothing. Several hundred kilometers away, the sea simply came to an end. Blackest void lay beyond where the ocean's water fell off the world.
On the speck, a large raft, sat a handful of individuals staring down at the sea, ignoring the bright twin suns that warmed their exposed skin. The people only wore enough to stay modest, and what they wore was already wet. Each of them had a small blue crystal centered on their forehead, with sharp tattooed lines on their bodies.
One of the Honetai stood up and put a paddle into the calm waters. “Nothing here. Let's get closer to the island.”
“Wait, I think I see something,” a woman said. She took a woven bracelet from her wrist and began tying back her black hair. Once done, she touched the crystal on her forehead, then followed the thickest line that came off and curved around her eye and along her cheekbone.
“I don't see anything, Arika,” a man said.
“It's right there,” Arika said, pointing.
“Where?”
“The dark spot right there. Come, Keoni.”
One of the fishermen, Suo, chuckled. “Alright kahine, we'll stay here and let you two fish alone.”
Arika shot her older brother an angry look but didn't say a word as she turned back to the water. She got up quickly without rocking the boat, then leaped of the side, bringing her hands up to dive into the ocean. As soon as her feet were fully submerged, her tattoos sharpened and became plainly visible despite the surrounding ocean waters. Her tanned skin transformed into rough gray, and her body bloated into a streamlined shape. Her hands and feet shrank into fins, and her face elongated and flattened into that of a shark's. The magite crystal migrated above the reefshark's nose.
There was a second splash soon after, and in a moment, Keoni swam up beside the woman in the form of a bullshark. He touched his crystal to Arika's.
<So. Heh.> Keoni's words echoed in both their heads.
<Down here.> Arika said, and before the man could respond, she broke contact and dove straight down.
She was sure she saw a dark spot not unlike a large school of fish swimming in this area. Was that movement to the right? Arika changed course.
Yes, she could see something. She turned to face Keoni and lowered her head, indicating that she wanted to speak. He obliged.
<You see it now?> she asked.
<Yeah... but that doesn't look like a school of fish. I have a bad feeling about this.>
<So do I. But what if its dangerous? We should at least see what it is.>
<Maybe we should get the others first?>
<Okay> Arika agreed. <Let's go back and get the others.>
<Wait, look, it's getting bigger!>
Arika broke contact and turned around. The dark shape was indeed growing in size. As it came closer, the two could see tendrils writhing along the perimeter of its silhouette. What is that thing?
Suddenly, the woman felt the water being displaced by a rushing object. She kicked hard to the side, and moments after, a tentacle of some sort shot by at dangerous speeds. Arika felt something thrashing still and quickly turned her body to look only to find that Keoni's tail had been ensnared by the thing. Without hesitating, her body hunched and shot forward, her jaws closing around the tentacle. She shook it fiercely, and while the tentacle tore, it was not severed until she thrashed once more.
As soon as he was free, Keoni started swimming away and Arika followed suit. Soon they found their way to the surface and the boat. As they neared the sea vessel, they transformed back into humans and paddled back.
“Get us out of here!”
The fishermen who had looks of mischief on their face soon lost their expression, changing to a display of concern. Two of them held out paddles for Keoni and Arika to hold as they were pulled up.
“What's on your leg?” one of the fishermen asked.
“It kind of looks like kelp...” another began.
Keoni looked down and saw that something both black and green was wrapped around his foot, still flailing despite being separated from the unknown creature. It did look similar to a sea plant, but the usual slick green skin looked unhealthy, almost rotten. Panicked, he tried to tear it off, then settled for unwrapping it posthaste when the tendril refused to break. His skin was bleeding and swollen where it had been ensnared.
Before Keoni could throw it into the ocean, Arika grabbed his hand. “Wait! We should show this to the elders. Maybe they will know what it is.”
Keoni threw it into one of the nets then stayed as far from it as he could for the rest of the trip back.
As they neared the shore, one of the fishermen collapsed the raft's sail while two others looped rope around their torsos. The two dove into the ocean, and only a moment later, the two dolphins were guiding the raft into land. Once their feet could grip the coarse sand, the two swimmers transformed back into humans and pulled the boat.
Suo and another fisherman had fashioned a stretcher using a net and oars on which Keoni was lying down. They picked him up, jumped onto the beach, and began running inland, with Arika in the lead telling market and street crowds to make way.
They ran past thatched, temporary stalls and houses along the shore and past more solid houses further inland. Soon they were in the great clearing that made up the town center, the crowds parting as the party came through. A stone ziggurat, about five stories high, stood at the head of the flattened space.
“We'll take Keoni to the hospital,” Suo said, then handed Arika the wrapped tendril. “You bring this to the elders. You know what you saw.”
Arika only nodded, taking the package, then running to the ground entrance of the temple. Inside the stone building, mounted lanterns illuminated the darkness that the setting suns could not see within. The woman approached a fierce looking, armed man. “I seek an audience with the elders. It is an emergency.”
The man nodded and walked off while Arika waited with the patrons, visitors, workers, and guards of the temple.
On the speck, a large raft, sat a handful of individuals staring down at the sea, ignoring the bright twin suns that warmed their exposed skin. The people only wore enough to stay modest, and what they wore was already wet. Each of them had a small blue crystal centered on their forehead, with sharp tattooed lines on their bodies.
One of the Honetai stood up and put a paddle into the calm waters. “Nothing here. Let's get closer to the island.”
“Wait, I think I see something,” a woman said. She took a woven bracelet from her wrist and began tying back her black hair. Once done, she touched the crystal on her forehead, then followed the thickest line that came off and curved around her eye and along her cheekbone.
“I don't see anything, Arika,” a man said.
“It's right there,” Arika said, pointing.
“Where?”
“The dark spot right there. Come, Keoni.”
One of the fishermen, Suo, chuckled. “Alright kahine, we'll stay here and let you two fish alone.”
Arika shot her older brother an angry look but didn't say a word as she turned back to the water. She got up quickly without rocking the boat, then leaped of the side, bringing her hands up to dive into the ocean. As soon as her feet were fully submerged, her tattoos sharpened and became plainly visible despite the surrounding ocean waters. Her tanned skin transformed into rough gray, and her body bloated into a streamlined shape. Her hands and feet shrank into fins, and her face elongated and flattened into that of a shark's. The magite crystal migrated above the reefshark's nose.
There was a second splash soon after, and in a moment, Keoni swam up beside the woman in the form of a bullshark. He touched his crystal to Arika's.
<So. Heh.> Keoni's words echoed in both their heads.
<Down here.> Arika said, and before the man could respond, she broke contact and dove straight down.
She was sure she saw a dark spot not unlike a large school of fish swimming in this area. Was that movement to the right? Arika changed course.
Yes, she could see something. She turned to face Keoni and lowered her head, indicating that she wanted to speak. He obliged.
<You see it now?> she asked.
<Yeah... but that doesn't look like a school of fish. I have a bad feeling about this.>
<So do I. But what if its dangerous? We should at least see what it is.>
<Maybe we should get the others first?>
<Okay> Arika agreed. <Let's go back and get the others.>
<Wait, look, it's getting bigger!>
Arika broke contact and turned around. The dark shape was indeed growing in size. As it came closer, the two could see tendrils writhing along the perimeter of its silhouette. What is that thing?
Suddenly, the woman felt the water being displaced by a rushing object. She kicked hard to the side, and moments after, a tentacle of some sort shot by at dangerous speeds. Arika felt something thrashing still and quickly turned her body to look only to find that Keoni's tail had been ensnared by the thing. Without hesitating, her body hunched and shot forward, her jaws closing around the tentacle. She shook it fiercely, and while the tentacle tore, it was not severed until she thrashed once more.
As soon as he was free, Keoni started swimming away and Arika followed suit. Soon they found their way to the surface and the boat. As they neared the sea vessel, they transformed back into humans and paddled back.
“Get us out of here!”
The fishermen who had looks of mischief on their face soon lost their expression, changing to a display of concern. Two of them held out paddles for Keoni and Arika to hold as they were pulled up.
“What's on your leg?” one of the fishermen asked.
“It kind of looks like kelp...” another began.
Keoni looked down and saw that something both black and green was wrapped around his foot, still flailing despite being separated from the unknown creature. It did look similar to a sea plant, but the usual slick green skin looked unhealthy, almost rotten. Panicked, he tried to tear it off, then settled for unwrapping it posthaste when the tendril refused to break. His skin was bleeding and swollen where it had been ensnared.
Before Keoni could throw it into the ocean, Arika grabbed his hand. “Wait! We should show this to the elders. Maybe they will know what it is.”
Keoni threw it into one of the nets then stayed as far from it as he could for the rest of the trip back.
As they neared the shore, one of the fishermen collapsed the raft's sail while two others looped rope around their torsos. The two dove into the ocean, and only a moment later, the two dolphins were guiding the raft into land. Once their feet could grip the coarse sand, the two swimmers transformed back into humans and pulled the boat.
Suo and another fisherman had fashioned a stretcher using a net and oars on which Keoni was lying down. They picked him up, jumped onto the beach, and began running inland, with Arika in the lead telling market and street crowds to make way.
They ran past thatched, temporary stalls and houses along the shore and past more solid houses further inland. Soon they were in the great clearing that made up the town center, the crowds parting as the party came through. A stone ziggurat, about five stories high, stood at the head of the flattened space.
“We'll take Keoni to the hospital,” Suo said, then handed Arika the wrapped tendril. “You bring this to the elders. You know what you saw.”
Arika only nodded, taking the package, then running to the ground entrance of the temple. Inside the stone building, mounted lanterns illuminated the darkness that the setting suns could not see within. The woman approached a fierce looking, armed man. “I seek an audience with the elders. It is an emergency.”
The man nodded and walked off while Arika waited with the patrons, visitors, workers, and guards of the temple.
OOC: There will be an entry point for Shields soon. Just wanted to get this part up before I get busy again.