[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia[/center][/h2] [center]Edge of the Blue- Seaward Bay [/center] [center]Lvl 6 (72/60) -> Lvl 6 (74/60) [/center] [center]Word Count: 931 words[/center] [center][@Yankee][/center] Geralt's ears were still ringing as he was flung from his giant bird's back. He landed in the water with a harsh smack, and a dull pain spread across his body but was quickly forgotten as Abyssals and Shipgirls fought around him. On instinct, he cursed, but shook his head and called on his Strikers for help. The trio of Imps appeared, raking through their Abyssal brethren with reckless abandon, unphased by whatever phenomenon had caused them to slow and cease their attacks. One of the Navy Shipgirls stopped by to grab him and pull him onto her back, to which he uttered a calm thanks. He watched as Heinrich cheered on her fellow Shipgirls, the battle slowly growing smaller as he was whisked away towards Shippy. It wasn't long, thankfully, but he spent the trip looking upwards, towards the retreating figure of the Monsterbird Formerly Known as Roach. It was somewhat sad to watch it fly off, despite the fact that he'd only ridden the beast for a few minutes, Geralt could really have gotten used to it. Still, he was alive and the Harbor Demon wasn't, so whatever price he had to pay that wasn't in lives was worth it. Back on Shippy, Geralt looked around at the others. Many of them had taken on Spirits to do battle against the Abyssals, and he had to do a double-take just to be sure they weren't actually Abyssals. "Well, I lived." He jokingly announced, before Sakura ran up and hugged him. He gently patted her on the back. "I'm alright, Sakura. We did it." He didn't miss that she looked downright [i]miserable[/i] about it all. He didn't miss the worry evident in her, he didn't forget what she'd said last night about not wanting to kill anybody. He hadn't missed her choosing, in the midst of a genuine battle, to spare her enemies. He watched her slowly unravel, knees tucked under her chin as her sobs slowly abated. She mourned for their enemy, and all he could feel was a hollow sense of grim satisfaction. That monster had [i]slaughtered[/i] Shipgirls and the denizens of Limsa by the dozens if not hundreds. While he could look at Bella and Rika and wonder what might have been, he wasn't going to lose sleep over it. Between being enthralled by Galeem and the sheer monstrous size and power, they couldn't risk bringing it back from the brink of death only for it to decide that the war was still on. Geralt listened calmly to Sakura as she psyched herself back up and into a mindset where she could stand to stand, even commenting on how beautiful the scenery around them was. He couldn't help but agree. Nadia's agreement pulled a comment out of him, on the topic of becoming to numb to feel anything. "She's right. Like I told you last night, I'm old, and tired. I'm used to death and killing. You don't have to be, ever. The strength to keep going is important, but don't make it out of apathy. That being said, I doubt you'll have that problem. Your heart's too big, too pure for that." Link's warning about the Felynes brought about a short conversation about their proclivity for lifesaving antics. Geralt did remember vaguely Link being defeated in some manner or another and coming out fine, but with everything that had happened it had slipped his mind. While it was certainly possible that Brineybeard had been miraculously rescued, he wouldn't count on it. The fight as they entered the inlet was hardly worth mentioning, but it was an event that did technically occur, as mundane as it seemed after their experience in the Bay. What stood out, however, was the strange egg-carrying man who warned them about a 'Living ship' up ahead, the mention of which caused Geralt to snap-draw his pistol from its holster and nearly snarl a demand for the enemy's location, before hearing Bowser's voice ironically reigned him in. Whether it was the reminder that he wasn't alone on the Path, or that he was slightly caught off-guard by the overly-loud noise, he wasn't entirely sure. It might have even been both. Even he, a war-hardened warrior still found himself hypervigilant after a battle like that one. It was about that time that people started making their way off Shippy and the Atomos landed. Geralt stopped the Cadet first, greeting him with a nod. "Thanks for the help back there. You too, Nadia," He gestured at the Catgirl, "Had something to ask you." Pausing for a moment to make sure of his wording, he asked his question. "Noticed you grabbed that...thing's Spirit. Was wondering if you were planning on using it. I've been thinking about giving a Fusion another shot, and that thing had more than enough cannon on it to make a big change in what I can handle at distance." It made sense to Geralt. Augmenting his skills in close-combat with guns and cannon would allow him to better fight, especially if they ever got caught in another battle where he couldn't get in close without some crazy insane plan. Deadly as he was in melee combat, he was limited to two weapons with limited munitions and somewhat unimpressive power. Assuming Cadet acquiesed and nobody had any disagreement, Geralt would fuse with the Spirit immediately, not interested in mulling it over any longer. He'd felt pretty useless during that whole fight until he got onto the Helmaroc King's back, and even from there he was only able to do so much.