[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190924/544c85ab5c75bc61a4bb5ce40dc0caa6.png[/img]
[color=salmon]Word Count: 1423 (+3 exp)[/color]
[color=salmon][u]Level[/u]: [b]7[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 9/70
[b]Location:[/b] Edge of the Blue: Shippy's Hold[/color][/center]
Shippy's hold was a mess of water, wreckage, and ugly abyssals. To say the area was turbulent was an understatement, as the body of the ship herself fluctuated between steadily repairing itself and being ripped away by dark metal mouths. The Cadet could feel the vessel lurch with each painful blow. The situation was dire, and the hunter did not waste time. As soon as his initial attack connected and the arrows found their mark in the largest of the abyssals, he was nocking a couple more. Some of the enemies turned on him, eager to take a bite, and it was only the fact that most inside were still occupied with tearing Shippy apart that the hunter wasn't immediately overrun. Imps turned their guns on him, and the Destroyers sped through the shallow water with their teeth bared. For now the Cruiser moaned and reached towards it’s back to try and grasp the arrows sticking out of it, awkwardly shifting and failing. The Destroyers’ bodies were easy to dodge, their movement simple and single-minded in the interior space, but their shots were another matter. They were reckless and wild. This was the first time the Cadet had been shot - with modern bullets, at least - and while some rounds grazed him, others dented his armor and others managed to penetrate. It [i]hurt[/i], a ragged burning pain radiating from each little wound. 

Both Cadet and the abyssals were momentarily surprised by Link's appearance, but none were idle for long. As soon as the Hylian finished his flashy spin, the Ace Cadet met his eyes and gave him a quick, sharp nod before moving. The Hero of the Wilds would handle the smaller abyssals, and the hunter would finish off the Cruiser. Cadet raised his bow and shot at the monster. Having given up on extracting the arrows from it’s body, the Cruiser turned hard and destroyed the projectiles mid-air with the broad side of one of it’s faces. Then it surged forward, hands stretched out towards the Cadet and the guns on it’s head beginning to charge. [i]Crap.[/i] Rather than try to trade arrows for bullets, the Cadet moved forward to meet the Cruiser. He got in close and ducked, the shots going over his head. This kind of close quarters combat wasn’t ideal for his current weapon choice - he tried to step back, bring an arrow to the drawstring again, but the Cruiser caught one of his arms in it’s own. It yanked the hunter back towards it, the jaws of it’s multiple mouths opening wide.

[color=salmon]”Oh no you don’t![/color] The Cadet growled at it. With his free hand he brought up the arrow he’d been trying to nock and shoved it inside the closest mouth. It reared back in pain, dark tongue trying to push the arrow out, but it was firmly stuck. The Cadet wrenched himself free of it’s grasp and pulled a few more arrows from his quiver. The Cruiser’s guns were lighting up again, trained on the hunter. A wild idea came to the Cadet and he followed through on it without so much as a second thought, firing the giant arrows straight into the Cruiser’s gun barrels. Blocked, the guns exploded, blowing the Cruiser up in a shower of fire and ash. The Cadet himself was thrown back from the explosion. Hitting the wall of the hold hard, he let out a puff of pained breath. 

Shippy continued to shake and rock, and a particularly loud sound permeated inside the hold just before the hull opened up and fired some kind of energy out before closing again. It was followed by shouting and screaming from outside. Whatever just happened, it stirred the enemies into a frenzy. With renewed vigor the abyssals outside began chewing their way in.



The Cadet heard Link say their current plan of just fighting for their lives wasn’t cutting it. He didn’t try to look over at Link, instead he shouted back over the chaos, [color=salmon]”A couple things!”[/color] 

He swayed to his feet, kicking at an imp that got too close, and turned his bow towards the hull where the Destroyers were pushing through teeth first. Moving quickly, the Cadet set up his blade wires and fired them at a couple of more recent holes. The arrows stuck through the hull on either side of the holes, the wire spread between them acting as rough stitches to pull the wood together while Blazermate healed the boat. The wire also helped block some of the Destroyers as they cut themselves up trying to squeak through. It didn't stop all of them, not even most of them, but if they could just try and stem the tide a little, if they fought hard enough, surely they could save Shippy… right?

Then the battlefield changed dramatically. 

[color=salmon]"What - ?!"[/color] the walls of the hold suddenly pushed in on them, the entire area shrinking while Cadet, Link, and their enemies stayed the same size. The change certainly threw the hunter off balance. He fumbled as the water rose higher and higher, and the abyssals were pressed closer - and closer, and closer.

Suddenly there was all kinds of pain around the Cadet’s body. Hot, piercing shots from the abyssal’s gun. Sharp, grinding tears from their teeth. Before when the water had only been knee-deep, it was possible to avoid them. Now the abyssals had a huge advantage, especially when their opponents couldn’t breathe under water.

This time Ace Cadet did search for Link. The hunter wasn’t one for running, but he had no clue what just happened and if they stayed in the hold underwater with the abyssals swarming, they would die. He stowed his bow and pushed off against the wall, swimming towards the last place he’d heard the Hylian’s voice come from. He tried to keep his head above water, but with the level increasing it wouldn’t be long before he was under.

[color=salmon]”Lin - ”[/color] A Destroyer leapt and sank it's teeth into The Cadet’s shoulder, it's jaw squeezing and working to make it's way past the scale armor plating. The Cadet gasped in pain just before he was dragged under water. 

The Destroyer shook it’s body viciously with it’s teeth still clamped tightly down. The Cadet could feel his skin tearing even under his protective gear. He reached up with both hands, gripping each side of the Destroyer's mouth to physically pry it off of him. A couple of imps swam up to him and covered his fingers with their tiny palms, interfering with his grip so that he couldn’t dislodge his attacker - all the while he was being peppered with bullets and nibbles. The Cadet thrashed and screamed in frustration, but nothing escaped his mouth but a large cloud of air bubbles. If this was how he was faring with his armor, then Link… 

There was a strange heat in the Cadet’s chest. It wasn't exactly painful, not like the wounds piling up on his person, but it was intense. It was passionate. Filled with the desire to protect the ship and everyone on it. Right, there was no way Link was dead - and surely everyone on deck was fine too. [b]They had to be.[/b] As the Cadet fought the abyssals mobbing him, the heat in his chest grew and he saw a flash of pink. [i]That thing, from that woman, Aphrodite?[/i] Well, if there was ever a time to test out a new and unfamiliar power it was now. The Cadet gave up trying to rip the Destroyer off of him and thrust his hand out feeling the heat travel from his core outward. It manifested as the [i]Crush Shot[/i], a wide pink wave of energy that covered the immediate area and the enemies in it. Some weaker, injured abyssals burst into ashes right there, and the ones that remained found their attack power lessened. 

They reeled back from the attack, and the Cadet was freed from the jaws on his shoulder. However, he was still floating in the middle of the flooded hold, with no air and no escape in sight. The stairs, he had to find a way there, but … he choked, bringing a hand up to his throat as though he could force air into it that way. [i]No way am I dying here,[/i] he thought, but the situation looked grim. He grabbed a few shimmering abyssals spirits in either hand and crushed them, getting desperate for anything that could help him survive.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4DgO1VH.png[/img]
[color=FFC6C6]Word Count: 844 (+2 exp)
[u]Level[/u]: [b]3[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 21/30
[b]Location[/b]: Sandswept Sky: Sweet Canyon[/color]
[color=gray]𝙱𝙿[/color] [color=gold]●●[/color][color=gray]●●●[/color]
[color=2E2C2C]D34C25[/color][/center][i]Another stranger, hm?[/i] Primrose looked the newcomer up and down warily as the whole group moved off, chasing the dust Midna left them in. The latest member was a mercenary apparently, so Primrose thought they'd fit right in. As with the rest of the Gleaming, though Primrose's expression smoothed into a neutral one under her veil, her wariness never quite left, even when 'Red' didn't seem to take offense to Yoshitsune's abrasive greeting and walked along normally with them into the trees. Honestly, thinking back to the lessons on how the world worked back at the Alcamoth, Primrose had expected those under the light's influence to prove much more a problem. So far, they'd been nothing but helpful. Some had even saved her a time or two. If they were careful not to set anyone off, and they kept collecting random passerby, would they have a small army by the time they got to their destination?

The troupe moved through the woods with purpose. The atmosphere wasn't bright and relieved like it had been earlier at the oasis, although low chatter did pass between people. Primrose didn't miss the mention of Red's benefactor, but she didn't comment. Everyone was still tired. Primrose held out the small ball of flame in front of her, choosing again to travel towards the rear of the group. The light  helped illuminate the back of their people-train, and the dancer stepped carefully around any particularly gross looking spots on the ground. She didn't want to get sucked into syrup or milk or sugar... or whatever the squishy ground was made of. So focused on walking, Primrose was surprised by the sudden shout ahead and looked up sharply. 

[color=D34C25]"What happened?"[/color] she asked, her brows pulled tight together. That sounded like one of the teenagers, and the follow up concern from Panther confirmed it. Just ahead of her the Heavy laughed and went to pat her shoulder, but the dancer shifted away. The large man didn't seem offended, instead he answered her with a chuckle. "Blonde boy step on root and get trapped. He fine now, get scared for nothing!" 

Ah, so the landscape wasn't as cheery and innocent as it appeared. Primrose glanced at the trees around them and endeavored to be even more careful - especially when not long after she heard Fox's voice call back to warn everyone not to eat anything.

[i]I can't imagine anyone would... but he said 'nobody else.'[/i] The culprit was lagging behind and showed up at the back of the pack with his trusty companion a bit later. Primrose looked at Tora, from his face to his new tasty looking limb. [i]...it suits him somehow.[/i] She held in her mirth and continued on, stopping at the village's edge with the others. 

The town might have been charming if she weren't already sick of seeing sweets everywhere. In the center of town there were a couple of large machines, sticking out like sore thumbs among the dessert decorated houses. Their focus was in the air, where Necronomicon's lights were glowing. There was also a cage nearby, with someone inside it - and Midna there, freeing them. The first thought Primrose had was a strong hope that those machines didn't turn around and smash the Twilight Princess. The second was, [i]why?[/i] Who was the person in the cage, and why free them? What if they were there for a reason? Of course, Primrose couldn't voice those thoughts aloud. First they wouldn't do anyone any good, and second - the robots did indeed turn, and they split up and started trampling the village, one going for the now poorly disguised imp.

The group moved in, jumping into the action quickly. Primrose looked between those that had headed directly into battle, getting up close and personal with the machines, and considered which steps she'd take to help. A dance of strength, or a display of defense? ...no, there were much too many people to dance for. In this situation, she might as well buff herself and pile on damage.

With a twirl, a shake of her hips, and an arm thrown up into the arm Primrose felt her own magical power increasing. Unfortunately the robots were too far apart from each other for her to use her wide range attack, so she'd have to choose one. The choice was easy - while Tora had one preoccupied, the other was doing a number on her companions. She followed in Panther, Skull, and Mona's footprints and arrived not long after, standing a little ways back.

[color=D34C25]"Here,"[/color] she said, her dark magic gathering in her hand, [color=D34C25]"Moonlight Waltz!"[/color] She took a step and thrust the spell out towards the robot. It shot forward, and with the robot stuck in place thanks to Panther's whip there was no way she would miss - unless, of course, an unforeseen combatant appeared and punched it out of the spell's path. The dancer was bewildered, but she began preparing another spell to strike the machine with. With her aim adjusted she let loose, sending the dark energy out again.