[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia[/center][/h2]
[center]Bottomless Sea [/center]
[center]Lvl 7 (43/70) -> Lvl 7 (45/70) [/center]
[center]Word Count: 1,126 words[/center]

So, good news and bad news. Good news, he wasn't dead. 

Bad news, the Ordnance Platform was yanked to the side, guns aiming away from the giant monster, which was both smart enough to recognize the unique threat that it posed, and able to directly act on it in a way that neutralized that threat. So much for that plan. 

Geralt turned to the tentacle that Sakura wasn't attacking, he unleashed a continuous stream of fire via Igni, quickly toasting one side of the appendage. The spongey flesh moved and rippled, seeming to change its grip to keep any one part of it from being boiled by the fire. After a few seconds, the stream died as Geralt felt that familiar ache that signaled the time to stop the flow of power into a Sign. 

Inwardly cursing, Geralt began to draw his silver sword as he saw something that, even with the influence of the Harbor Demon's Spirit, would always make him fear the water just a little bit more: The impossibly massive shark [i]breaching[/i] the surface of the Bottomless Sea, tearing through Tentalus's back like a hot knife through butter, and dragging it and Scylla into the depths of the ocean. 

Suppressing a shudder as the Ordnance Platform was freed from its bindings, Geralt carefully leapt to the approaching Sippy, dismissing his construct and making sure to take a stable seat onboard Shippy. Legs folded beneath him, he must have looked quite a sight, sitting like a child as a 10-foot tall giant unicorn monster man. 

And then the conversation came. Frankly, they all had their points, and he stated as much. "I don't disagree with Sakura that we should try and help people where we can. But we [i]do[/i] need to be more careful about doing it, that much is true. Some monsters can't be reasoned with, but it can be hard to tell which ones those are." It was here that another difference between his world and the Cadet's was brought back to his mind. "In some places, monsters really are just monsters, unthinking creatures that, even if they're wise enough to prioritize targets like that thing was, are still bound by some destructive instinct."

"But if Bowser didn't talk and think and clearly feel, I'd be hard-pressed not to call him a monster myself. I think Sakura was trying to be cognizant of the fact that in this place, you can't always tell what you're looking at. Whether they're a sentient, thinking, feeling being, or a slave to instinct. Matter of fact, I took a job to hunt down a werewolf just before I joined up. Turned out he was researching a cure for his condition and trying to scare off anybody like me, sent to kill him for the crime of being cursed. I...can empathize with that." It was perhaps the first time he'd thought about Sabrewulf since meeting the werewolf, but he hadn't forgotten his promise to the man. "Hmm. Speaking of which, I have a few things I need to ask the Moogles when I get a chance about that..."

"That being said, we need to communicate better, too. Nobody, and I'm directing this at myself as well, can just go off like that again. Even though I wasn't the first out, I didn't try to stop Bowser, or even calm things down once I was out there. I just shot. I need to do better, and I'm sorry for that." It might have been hard to tell due to the Witcher's typically stoic demeanor, but he was being sincere when he said this. He looked at the others on Shippy, and an oversized fist clenched. 

"As for letting giant monsters fight it out? I think most of us can agree on that." He wasn't going to point at that none of them had a way of knowing Scylla [i]was[/i] essentially a monster, or more likely some kind of psychopath. 

It was strange but kind of nice, talking things out like that. Peach's ultimatum did serve to ground him a bit. They needed to do better than jumping into every situation that they saw. Before this, he'd have thought Sakura to be the one to worry about, but apparently Bowser needed to be added to that list. 

Geralt felt a little off at Bella's discomfort, but it wasn't quite a shared experience. He knew he wasn't some kind of monster, even if others on the Continent saw Witchers as such. Even with his new additions, Geralt was quite confident in himself and his humanity. Still, he was sympathetic to her, and added to Peach and Nadia's reassurances. "Your past is not all that defines you, Bella. Sakura may have awakened your mind to the world around you, but your heart is your own. All she did was give you the chance to use it, unshackled. And I am not disappointed." That was [i]not[/i] Geralt of Rivia talking, and a part of him new it. It was more like listening to Dandelion try to woo a girl, but it felt much more natural than it would had he done it himself. No, he recognized the influence of the Harbor Demon's poetry on him, but couldn't bring himself to protest it. It was, after all, a part of him now. 

Cadet's comment and Peach's response to the situation regarding their recent additions merely prompted Geralt to lift an eyebrow and open one hand, then curl a finger back towards himself. It wouldn't exactly be hard for him to knock them silly, given his new size. 

Soon, the Seekers came upon the structure they'd been aiming for, and Geralt frowned when they approached. It was entirely alien to him, the massive metallic structure. This was like nothing he'd ever seen before, with perhaps the exception of Alcamoth. He did not like it one bit. 

Disembarking with the others (and wondering what they'd be doing about Shippy), Geralt looked around for a moment before focusing on the only real way: forward. The megastructure was their clear goal, and nothing was stopping them from going there. In short order they were inside, and Geralt found that he liked what he saw inside even less. The colossal elevator shaft evoked a primal response from the Witcher, and he frowned as he spoke. "And what in the hell are we supposed to do with [i]that[/i]?" 

The strange light show Peach had activated was, strangely, more helpful. It was like some kind of magical representation of the structure they were in, he assumed. "I...have no idea." He said in response to Nadia's question. The idea made him somewhat uncomfortable, as well. People were not meant to go so deep below the waves.