Needless Carnage - Strangers

[Gildarts]

[spoiler]Meanwhile at Impel down, guards filled the halls as alarms splashed the hallways with red and lights flashed alerting everyone in the first tier of an attack or raid upon them. Swarms huddled around the guardroom that had the security feed as well as radar machines.

“What’s wrong?” An observing stormtrooper tried to get readings of any abnormal traces to pinpoint the anomaly. A drawback of having an invisible domed wall around their structure was that they couldn’t see if it was broken.

Another stormtrooper explained, “The machine says that the Invisible Stone Barrier has sprung a leak. Moments before our cameras zoomed in on a falcon fish trying to break its way in.”

The observer bantered back, “Falcon fish? You’re out of your mind, we had a break in the wall not long ago, there could be a chance that...”

Another stepped in from outside, speaking louder so his voice could be heard from the alarms that stained his white suit with shades of red, “No no, there’s no chance, we retrieved the two prisoners who were victims of that cell rupture. They don’t seem to be the cause.”

“No? Then do you suppose this is a sign of a larger prison break from the tiers below? If so... Should I deploy the lasers?” he jested and placed an playful finger on the large red button.

A soldier’s eyes widened from behind the white mask, he lunged to stop the amused guard, “NO! Don’t do that, you’ll actually break the invisible stone! If its just a leak it can be patched-”

The button had been hit, and following it a little too closely was the surge of energy in an explosion that could be heard scraping the walls of their elite platform.

“YOU IDIOTS!” Siege had burst in at the last second, only to see his subordinates had pressed the red button.[/spoiler]


Gildarts awoke to feel as though he were being tugged on by an anchor and the truth wasn’t far from it. He was being choked by his blotchy black cape and dragged along the back of an eel. With his eyes opening, he realized he was not dead, but instead saw the rusted muddy warpaint that had wilted and peeled around the cracks and wrinkles of Behemoth’s face.

“That was a close one,” Behemoth said through a few mouthfuls of bubbling air.

‘Where are we?’ Gildarts thought at him, he was too disoriented to try and form words with the air dispenser in his mouth.

“Still stage two. I captured this eel, it would have been faster than trying to figure out how to swim with your dense body. I’m surprised you even made it this far considering how heavy those metal limbs make you.” Behemoth spoke with ease and then turned his head to face forward again.

For a moment, Gildarts wondered just how many of his memories were actually real and not created by his skillful friend (who could prove to be a heinous adversary), but then dismissed the thought of a mirage invading his mind. It was needless and had it been done, it would do no good for him to think about it, instead Gildarts tried to flex the feeling back into his slumbering veins. He was, apparently, riding an eel.

Stage two, huh... Who knows what darkness will attempt to swallow us whole. The shades of these waters are black, even as we rise to the surface. At least it certainly feels as though we are rising rather than going in a miscellaneous direction. I can’t even see the ocean floor anymore, its like a breathless fog. It would be easy to loose one’s sense of direction in this waveless ocean. Hopefully we will hit the horizon soon.

After a fleeting moment, Gildarts caught sight of a giant row of teeth that chomped hard on the eel’s tail. Gildarts released his grasp and Behemoth followed, not even needing to turn around to see the beast that had attacked their transportation. The fish chomped the last bite of the snake-like fish before setting its huge eyes on its new prey.

“MY MY. I have never seen such creatures of the deep before.” It spoke in a human tongue as its eyes lured the two human males. “You swim slowly, land dwellers. You cannot hope to escape me in my own realm.”

“Leave us now, beast of the Deep.” Behemoth warned and cast his arm toward the colossal beast.

“And if I don’t?” Its seductive voice was somewhat feminine, despite the otherwise masculine looking shark.

“This Prime here, will destroy you, Ursula.”

“Ohhhh? Big words for such small men.” The creature seemed to smile.

“He already has won favor of Cretus, even if you eat us both, Cretus will come find you and kill you.” Behemoth spoke to the creature who was apparently a God of the ocean.

Ursula growled, “What? Cretus! That fiend! How did this little pipsqueak-”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not getting eaten today.” Gildarts managed through his rebreather as bubbles formed around his masculine smile.

“Ooo, this one does seem to have courage. However Primes have no reason to fear death since they are snatched from their own world. I don’t think defeating Cretus is enough for you have control of the entire ocean. You’ll have to defeat Poseidon for that. Plus, I’m not going to let you escape that easily.” Ursula crooned and grew closer, revealing her full form from the dark shades of midnight ocean.

As the creature neared, Gildarts saw only a shadow of the goddess of the ocean. Little did Gildarts know she had been changed from her beautiful original form (a mermaid-like siren) into that of a shark with extended fins for arms. These gray fins floundered as the shark straightened her posture upright, as though she were a human herself.

“This is your last chance Ursula, retreat or we will defeat you.” Behemoth warned.

“Hah! You can try! If you fail,” She smirked her many rows of teeth and with her sharklike tongue pried a crumb of eel from her teeth. “You’ll be my desert.”

The sea beast did not move as it sent a powerful current of water surging for the two escapees. Behemoth growled as he fought against the sweeping motion, meanwhile Gildarts, who had no time to brace himself for the oncoming attack, had been forced backward and toiled and spun as he attempted to slow his body’s own momentum.

“Tch,” the Prime bubbled and a great burst of water came from beneath him, the dizzy Gildarts was being toyed with.

“You do not belong here. No human or creature who cannot breathe under the sea deserves reign over it. Without little plastic devices you will only die a faster death. So... Allow me.” Ursula swiftly lunged and slapped a fin at Gildarts’ cheek, out popped his oxygen mask which was quickly whisked aside.

“Hahahaha! Now it is I who has won. No surprise there, puny human.” Ursula declared and quickly swam around the Prime in a few speedy circles. As a result he was swept in a spinning whirlpool and Behemouth watched in the distance.

“I can read her attacks before she does them, but she has such great speed it is impossible to dodge.” the secondary said as he made his way to them and by the time he got there Gildarts had been sucked within a tornado-like whirlpool.

“I took off his oxygen device. Even a mighty warrior of the land has no chance against me, Ursula of the sea. Now, what should I do with you Behemoth? Our history together certainly merits something a little more special than his death, wouldn’t you say?”

Ursula swatted Behemoth around a few times as she bent the flows of water to her grasp. “You know, I once met a waterbender who was almost, almost as good as me in my full form. But you know that since then, I have faced many obstacles. One of them, a wizard who has since transformed me into my current form. Behemoth, I am willing to let you live if you bring me a wizard so that I might be turned back.”

This was a deal the secondary could not take lightly. The sea goddess had defeated Gildarts -one of the most powerful primes he had met- within seconds. The secondary's own death death was inevitable if he did not make this promise. However, he knew of the great consequences it would bring, and the many casualties they had sacrificed just transforming the woman, they hadn’t even been able to defeat her. The cloud of water still swirled near him as his thoughts stirred.

An arm suddenly protruded from the thick perpetuated water storm, Gildarts pulled himself from the powerful motion that warped like waves around him. The Prime offered a steadfast look to his adversary and on his lips he wore an embedded frown.

Intensity flared from every angle of the immortal’s reach and he targeted his first attack at the shark, who had cast him aside so easily. I don’t need my breath to defeat you. he thought as he held a bubble of air in his puffed out cheeks.

Behemoth translated, “He says he doesn’t need his breath to defeat the likes of you.”

“WHY YOU-!” Ursula charged with the many rows of her teeth, pink gums could be seen blurred with speed as she launched towards him. Gildarts had already readied a fist, as he had battled many who were skilled with speed before. His punch collided with the shark’s nose and Ursula was pushed backwards into the rolling streams of water.

Rage filled the sea beast as her hatred toward humans grew, “HOW DARE YOU WEAKLINGS HARM THE ULTIMATE SEA QUEEN!” A navy blue light rimmed the shark’s silhouette, static energy crackled in the wake of the goddess as she prepared her best attack.

Gildarts swayed in the magnitude of the charge as the water around him was suctioned. He prepared himself again, understanding that the eventual attack could be lethal and his response detrimental to their survival.

Suddenly, a ray of blue light fell on the two humans. Behemoth couldn’t read Gildarts’ mind, and was horrified as he tried to swim out of the way, but there was no where he could reach that would be far enough to escape the massive range of power she would soon release.

‘Behind me.’ Gildarts directed to his ally and Behemoth was forced to obey.

The power was staggering. A huge sphere of darkness erupted from the sea queen as she let loose the destructive power she had stored up over centuries. “THIS WILL END ALL HUMAN LIFE!” Her howl could be heard all the way down at the prison as the energy exploded throughout the sea in a massive wave.

“Not today.” Gildarts growled out as some air was released and his charged own attack and let it unleash toward his enemy. Within the second she had fired her energy and the fragments of her attack were disrupted, seemingly absorbed, and later broken into little cubes.

The energy lost its power before dispersing into a neutralized charge. Gildarts followed through with the destruction and didn’t blink as the ripples of water threatened to slice his eyes. He sailed through the wake of the disrupted cube-shaped energy and his arm pulled back to extend a punch that only offered defeat to his enemy.

Ursula sunk to the depths as she asked, “Beat by a mere man... Who... Prime.. What is your name?”

“Allow me to introduce myself,” he triumphantly flexed his fist with a grimace rather than a smile, “I’m Gildarts.”