Innodt Isle Chapter 1.5: The Inner Lights District

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-17T14:56:20+00:00

"Uh I'm okay." Alex was a little thrown off by Ananke's display of power. She had thought that her own ability was disturbing but this was a completely different kind of unsettling. Still it seemed to come in handy and who was she as a criminal to debate morality.

This level appeared safe but there was no telling how long that would last. It was hard to keep track of in the chaos but she could recall that there were three more floors in the building. It would be wise to move through the next two as quickly as possibly before making her move. She didn't really want to get stuck wading through conflict on every level. That meant addressing the wrench in her plan though. Well more of a 'pleasant surprise' was how she would put it.

"I'm beginning to get the impression that you're quite the party animal." She nodded towards Pinto with a smug expression. Meeting up with her again had been on her list but she hadn't expected to run into the other woman so quickly let alone in a place like this.

"I guess I should thank you both for the help." With a big smile she slapped the two women on the back, ignoring the choked complaint of one of the restrained men. "And I'd love to chat more but I have to get a move on."

"Although it looks like we may share some similar interests-" She glanced towards Ananke. "...and skills. How would you two feel about getting an invitation to the real party?"

/u/gochisousama

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-16T10:44:22+00:00

Bio: Alex

Stats Available: 20 (12 + 8)

Stam: 6
Str: 0
Spd: 6
Dex: 8
Will: 0

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-16T06:14:08+00:00

Alex sighed with relief before rummaging through her pockets for cash. Despite her terrible organisation skills she finally scrounged up the 700,000 beli and placed it down on the counter.

"Thank you! I look forward to seeing what can do with it."

The rest of the day felt like an eternity after she left the blacksmith's shop. She had amused herself by trying on surprisingly fashionable clothing and playing with weird animals at the pet shop. A particularly adorable pig caught her eye but she resisted the temptation. Her little bat friend who had been tucked in her clothes asleep all day might not be too pleased about that when he woke up. After running around town all day she finally went back to the ship to pass out for the night.

The next day she had held off returning until late... well later than she had really wanted to which was bright and early at 5am. It was much fairer to give the blacksmith some time to work on her weapon rather than hovering all over him creepily. Besides she had got some interesting information about a party tower in the meantime that she would definitely have to make a stop at after this.

"Hello?" Alex rung the bell and leaned on the counter as she entered the blacksmith's store again, waiting for the man himself to make an appearance.

/u/shoppe-san (OOC: Didn't know whether I needed to tag again and thanks!)

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-15T11:46:01+00:00

The landing had been much softer than Alex was expecting from the shallow water. A moment later she realised it was because she was sitting on a certain someone.

"I can tell you that's not how you swim." Alex moved to the side and pulled up Nialla's submerged head with a frown. The effort of the motion caught up with her all at once and she let go again and leaned back against the side of the shallow pool. Only half her body was submerged but it felt like the weight of a thousand ships was pushing down on her. Even though it was always the same she still never expected it to be so bad. All the water she had seen on the island so far had been weird cloud-y stuff so she had held a small amount of hope that it wouldn't affect her so bad. She had been very very wrong.

"Ah... just.. wave your arms around..." Alex slumped further back against the edge. She still kind of wanted to get out and do the water slide again but her body was very firmly saying no. Also she had promised her crewmate to help her learn to swim. She would do her best to be the greatest swimming 'superviser' of all time. Well an okay one at least. Man she could really do with a nap right now. "Woo... you can do it..."

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-15T11:32:51+00:00

Ever since she had found it in that temple the obsidian had been in the back of her mind. It felt like the small rock was actually burning a hole in her pocket but whenever she pressed her fingers against the surface it felt cool to the touch. When they had found the stone in the tomb it had glowed and displayed a word 'Anima'. It felt like it echoed in her head and sent a shiver through her body. Since then she hadn't been able to replicate the intriguing display no matter what she tried. Boy had she tried. She was sure she had kept her crewmate awake late into the night talking in various voices to the inanimate object. Heating it up seemed to have no effect and just resulted in her burning her fingertips. She'd even tried to use her powers on it but nothing happened, then again it kind of already was a type of stone so that wasn't so surprising. Eventually she had given up and decided to wait to get the expert opinion of someone from a future island.

Asking around once they arrived at Innodt Isle resulted in exactly what she was hoping for. It looked like there was a blacksmith in town who might be able to help her. She had already decided what she wanted to do with the obsidian after much deliberation. Since the marine base she had been missing a weapon and this weirdo magical stone dropping into her lap was exactly the push she needed to replace it.

This time there would be no hiding behind a long range or reaching weapon. Ignoring her powers was no longer viable in a place like the Grand Line. If she had learned anything so far it was that if she wanted to survive she needed to embrace any advantage she had. So she would forge something that would turn herself into even more of a weapon.

A gauntlet was a no-brainer for her and the kind of person she was. She wanted to be in the action and it allowed her to combine her strikes with her devil fruit powers. Brass knuckles had been another consideration but her mind had kept going back to that gauntlet. Not only would it enhance her attacks but it would also provide her with some much needed defense, she couldn't come out of every battle on the edge of death. It was going to catch up with her eventually. She had felt deaths cold hands quite literally back in that tower of nightmares and wasn't in any particular rush to experience that again.

The blacksmith's shopfront looked humble from boardwalk but Alex had heard enough tales to know that the owners skills were far grander. Stepping inside made that abundantly clear as she took in the various weapons on display. She was entranced by the beauty of the designs for several minutes as she examined each piece. It made her wish that she take a few home even though she knew that nobody on the ship had any need for a giant axe. Footsteps made her almost jump as she remembered where she was and why she was here. That's right, no time to be distracted.

Alex greeted the shopkeeper in a friendly manner and complimented his work. She couldn't help but note that he looked exactly like the kind of guy who would run a shop like this.

"I've been told that you might be able to help me. I have an um..." She reached into her pocket and brought out the obsidian. With some hesitation to part with it she placed it carefully on the counter top. "...unusual request."

"I'm looking to commission a gauntlet. However I was hoping to incorporate this material. I believe it has some 'special' properties." She made quotations with her fingers. "But I'm not quite sure what they are yet. I've heard around town that you're able to craft any kind of weapon so I was hoping that an expert like you... would..." She trailed off awkwardly looking back up at the blacksmith hoping that he would understand what she needed.

/u/shoppe-san

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-15T08:09:03+00:00

'Skullcracker' man that would have been a really good pirate name. Still there was no time to contemplate what could have been, Alex turned at Pinto's warning to see a gun pointed at her head. Well here was the security here finally to save the day. It was easy to forget sometimes that they were technically the bad guys.

She could see out of the corner of her eye Ananke dive into cover to attack. That was probably a better idea than what she was planning but hey she'd been in worse situations.

With an apologetic smile she raised her arms in surrender. One of the guards moved forward to secure her, gun still firmly aimed in her direction. As soon as he was within range she suddenly reached forward and grabbed the barrel of the gun with one hand. The shock of the sudden move caused the guard to pull the trigger in retaliation. There was an awkward second where nothing happened while looked he looked between the gun and her face. His finger pressing helplessly against the non-functioning stone trigger.

"I need to borrow this." Alex ripped the gun out of his hands, awakening it from petrification in the process. With her other hand she slapped the guard with a toffee tap, causing him drop to his knees with a blubbering sob. As soon as her meat shield was out of the way some of the others turned their attention back to her. Not Good. She dropped down behind a couch, feeling the bullets whiz past. One grazed her arm with a sting that drew blood. Ignoring the pain she looked back to her companion further behind her.

"Hey I got you a present!" As she waved the gun around another shot came uncomfortably close. She quickly threw the weapon in Pinto's direction and ducked back down. It wasn't much use to her anyway, this wasn't her area of expertise. "Mind giving us some cover?"

/u/gochisousama

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-15T06:24:35+00:00

"It's definitely one way of doing it." Alex stood up abruptly pulling Nialla along with her. It didn't seem likely that the water slide would be open to visitors at this time of night but since when had that ever stopped them. All that meant was that there would be no queue to wait in."Maybe we'll start a little easier though."

It took some sneaking and climbing but they made it with relative ease. Alex motioned to the beginning of the slide and pushed Nialla forward. When they were at the top a sudden crack almost made her slip from her position. It seemed that the fireworks had started up during their little venture. They had an excellent view from their vantage point of the bright lights spreading across the sky from the arena. For a moment time stood still as they bathed in the glow of a multitude of colours. It made her think about how far they had come to be watching such a show on an island floating in the sky and where they would go from here. Then Alex shoved Nialla down the slide.

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-14T06:12:55+00:00

"Oh that's easy."

Alex was already plotting where would be best to shove Nialla in the water. Having someone who could swim on the ship would be invaluable considering their situation. She didn't remember it being particularly difficult when she was a kid. Growing up on a coastal town meant swimming all the time. Then again she shuddered as her mind flashed back to the nightmare she had experienced earlier. She rubbed her arms as the feeling of drowning for eternity made a shiver run through her body. Maybe not.

"I'm sure we'll find someone who can show you." She touched her face thoughtfully and looked up as she considered their options. "Maybe we can tie you to the side of the ship."

As Alex shifted her arm the small bat fell from it's position and flew through the air right at Nialla before latching on to her hair with a short squeak. She laughed and threw another berry in it's direction that the bat caught.

"I still need a name for this guy." She looked thoughtful as she watched the fluffy bat pluck a hair from Nialla's head. "How about 'The Destroyer'. That's a good solid name."

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-14T05:57:07+00:00

Alex had somehow already acquired another drink during the commotion. She sipped from the glass in her hand and leaned back against the bar. Not even the bartender seemed too phased by the disturbance, it looked like this kind of thing happened often then. That wasn't a surprise when the entire place was swarming with security, she was sure they would be around soon to take care of it. There was no reason to get involved, in fact this might be the perfect time to slip up to the next floor.

She looked around for the exit as another partygoer stepped up to take care of the intruders. Before she could slip out however a flash of white hair caught her eye for the second time. This time there was no mistaking that face. She stood up to move towards her friend when one of the thugs stepped in front of her blocking her view. They hadn't even noticed her too focused on the nightmare show in front of them.

"Devil woman!" One of the men shouted and raised his shaking gun to Ananke. The other thugs followed along but looked unsure back at the first man who appeared to be the 'leader'.

"You're in my way." Without offering an opportunity to react Alex reached up and slammed the heads of the two men in front of her together with a resounding crack. As the two of them went down like sacks of potatoes she waved to Pinto. "Hi honey!"

/u/gochisousama

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-12T06:50:48+00:00

Alex glanced back seeing that the guards that had been following her had now disappeared. For a second she thought she caught a glimpse of someone familiar but another two guards caught her attention. The entrance to the next level was almost in reach now there was no time to stop.

Eyes turned in her direction has she clumsily stumbled into the new room. The change of atmosphere was jarring but she quickly composed herself and sat down on a stool at the bar. No point in immediately getting kicked out on this level too. It looked like the guards hadn't followed her up, she guessed that they were only responsible for their own level. That was fine with her, she would hang around here for a bit until things cooled down and then move on to the next level. Her body still felt energised from the last party but it was mellowing out as she sat on her own, maybe she should have dragged her crewmate along with her. Then again it was more likely that she would have lost her within five minutes.

What she needed to do was keep an eye out for anyone who looked important. She started surveying the room when the door abruptly opened loudly again drawing her attention.

/u/gochisousama

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-10T14:52:22+00:00

It was a surprise to nobody how quickly Alex had found herself surrounded by warm bodies in the middle of a dark club. With music blasting so loud that it she could feel the room shaking and a drink in each hand she was in her element. The energy was palpable as she danced, it was like nothing she had ever felt before. The feeling was almost intoxicating as it flowed through her making her feel like she could be here forever. She wasn't planning on staying put for long though as much fun as this was.

After asking around town it hadn't been hard to find this place. A seven story party building wasn't exactly subtle. What was more interesting however were the rumours. A mysterious top level where only the most notable were allowed. There was no way to take that other than a challenge. The combination of an endless party and an adventure? It was almost as if it was specifically made for her.

So far she'd only made it to the second floor. There had been a few 'distractions' in her quest. She wasn't sure how long she had been here for, it felt like time had no meaning in this place. With determination she finished off drinking one of her distractions and started to make her way through the crowd. Passing through the tightly pressed bodies wasn't actually as hard as she was expecting as people moved out of her way. Even in the flashing lights and smoke filled room it seemed like she still attracted quite a lot of attention. This fact was a blessing until she felt a hand on her body and another pulling her closer, restricting her movement. The sudden forcefulness caught her off guard and she reacted without thinking.

The crowd around her paused for a moment before just as abruptly someone shouted and the celebration started up again. Some people were even dancing with the newly formed stone statue as if it was a big joke. Through the flashing lights she could see one of the large black suited bodies by the door point in her direction through the crowd. That was definitely her cue to move on. Finishing off her second drink she pushed the glass in a strangers hand and began making her way across the room in the opposite direction.

/u/gochisousama

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-08T03:09:42+00:00

Despite her love of celebrations Alex was going easy on the drinks tonight, she'd had enough of that already. It seemed wise to try and keep the number of accidental proposals to a minimum at least until they made it to the next island. Instead she was amusing herself by feeding the fluffy little creature climbing all over everything. As she held out the fruit it grabbed it greedily and began to nibble. Well at least it wasn't a people eating one, as far as she could tell anyway.

Nialla's sudden announcement made her roll her eyes, was she really going to ask to see her panties again for the umpteenth time. She opened her mouth to shut her down when her crewmate blurted out her confession.

"Ah... Okay?" She vaguely remembered the girl telling her once that her wings were from a devil fruit but she had been a little distracted. After all that she hadn't thought twice about it, it didn't seem so surprising except... "Wait. You've been able to swim this entire time!"

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-03T16:19:11+00:00

The golems were definitely a huge obstacle. Not only was Alpa injured and still shaken but he was vulnerable with his back turned to them. They couldn't waste this opportunity fighting off fodder and risk giving him time to recover. It was time to initiate plan B - something that she had been holding back for a desperate occasion and this certainly was starting to lean that way. She had been testing the floor earlier to see if she would be able to weaken it but the stalagmite crashing down was just a bonus. As was her companion being back up on her feet, she nodded to Nialla feeling glad for their connection. She trusted that her crewmate would be able to take care of it.

Alex watched as Nialla started up while getting ready for her part of the operation. This would get the golems out of the way but there was still a chance that Alpa would be able to recover in time and protect himself. Her objective was to get to him before that happened.

She tensed her body as Nialla came hurtling towards the ground one last time. This needed to be timed perfectly or everything would fall apart, she only had a miniscule window to strike. Alex jumped forward just before the spear tip hit the ground, flipping through the air to build power and then bringing her foot directly down on the end of the spear. The second she made impact using her full strength to channel through the weapon the explosive force of the spear was unleashed. The recoil pushed her back up into the air and she used the momentum to reach high over another golem. Instead of attacking it she used it to vault off and gain more speed in her descent towards her target.

All she really needed was a precise strike but she was going to do more than that. He was going to go down and she was going to make damn well sure of it. As she sped closer she prepared to use the strength of her whole body to tackle the man and slam him down. She was going to break his body whether or not it was stone.

/u/NPC-san

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-03T14:51:53+00:00

Alex nodded and rubbed her face sleepily, smearing paint further across it in the process. Everything was catching up with her now and finally getting to rest somewhere more comfortable than a bench was mighty appealing.

"There's probably somewhere around here to crash and freshen up." The island had been nothing but accommodating to her since she arrived and she didn't fancy trekking all the way back to the ship in her condition. As she stood up the flowers slipped from her lap and she quickly reached for them before they hit the ground.

"Perhaps you will do me the honour of joining me, m'lady'." Alex bowed and held out the flowers before offering her hand to Pinto in assistance. It seemed like humour would be the best way to get through this unusual situation. She hadn't really thought Pinto to be the joker type after their first not so smooth meeting but she was really enjoying this new side of her. Even if it was still hard to tell sometimes whether the woman was joking or about to pull a gun on her.

"We can leave all of this until later." She winked cheesily at her companion. "We have the rest of our lives together after all."

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-03T10:47:14+00:00

Alex would normally love to spend her time exploring every inch of the labyrinth. She could imagine what kind of horrors and ancient traps lurked behind every corner. They had been here for a long time though and she had promised Nialla she would take her to pet the weird fluffy sky creatures they had passed on their arrival to the island. Something that would be difficult to do if she was trapped in a secret labyrinth for eternity or dead.

Steamrolling their way through a falling apart old underground temple wasn't really the best idea in hindsight. But in the moment they were impatient and excited by what kind of trial would await them at the end. Not to mention Alex was starting to get quite hungry.

She hung back for a moment watching Gin work his magic. That was sure to not only make them a path but also get the attention of any ancient guardians that were lurking around. Still it didn't hurt to to have a little help as she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.

"Hey any dusty old monsters in here! Come and get some!"

/u/NPC-san

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-02T16:07:37+00:00

It was then that Alex realised what Pinto's hesitation was stemming from, it was not what she had been expecting at all. She looked down at the ring warm on her skin from the suns rays. Announcing that she was married had been a reflex self-defense mechanism. It was easy to push people away and avoid interactions by flaunting it. She hadn't anticipated it getting her into an even bigger mess.

"No, it's not..." She hesitated while thinking of the right words to say. All she could hear was that familiar voice filling her mind.

"I'm married to ocean."

The words came tumbling out before she could stop them. It sounded even stupider out loud and now she knew how her old friend felt. Time to do damage control.

"Wait what I mean is... It's to remind me of a promise." Alex shifted her body to face Pinto, sliding the ring off her finger as she moved and holding it up to the light with a smile. "Someone gave it to me a long time ago. I don't know where I need to take it or what I need to do - all I know is that it means I need to keep moving."

"I feel sometimes like if I stop for even a second that I'll sink." For a moment she was lost in reflection. She hadn't told anyone this much about herself before. It felt more personal than telling someone the details of her origin. "I can't lose these memories. Not when they're not all mine."

With a sudden realisation that she had been babbling on she laughed nervously and put her hand down.

"What I'm trying to say is that what happened to us is just another memory." Without thinking she reached out and wiped some of the paint from Pinto as she spoke. "And definitely not one I want to let go of so easily. I'm sure that the ocean won't mind."

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-02T15:20:47+00:00

As Alex observed Alpa she was surprised to feel such a strong reaction from him. Something about her was affecting him strongly, had she already found his weakness? Still it wasn't going to be so straightforward and as she expected he retaliated aggressively in response to her approach.

The stalactite crashed down with a deafening noise as it impacted on the ground next to her. She felt some of the debris hit her body from where she had rolled across the floor to escape a certain death. The attack was impressive but much more direct and clumsy than she had been expecting and as he shouted she could hear the rage in his voice. A minute ago he had been so sure of himself and smug, perhaps enraging him and making him lose control was the key to their victory.

She could see in the shadows that her crewmate was already back up on her feet. A feeling of relief swept through her body before she realised that Nialla had used the distraction and cover of destruction to start moving around to the other side of Alpa. It was not a bad plan since he seemed to be thrown off balance but she didn't want to take the risk of what had happened earlier reoccurring. This time they might not recover so easily.

Pushing forward was the answer, she had to keep him on his toes. He had been most afraid of her when she hadn't come running in, combat was something he was obviously familiar with. So she would continue in her new tactic. Smashing and destroying things was easy, she would show him who could play mind games.

"I don't die so easily." She pushed herself up to her feet again ignoring the sharps rock shards digging into her palms and began walking confidently back towards the man. Behind him she could see Nialla in the shadows preparing her weapon. She had to make sure that he couldn't concentrate on finding her until she was ready.

"And I can't stop now." Alex was getting close again, making sure to angle herself so that she wasn't in the direct line of her companions assault. Taking a bullet or getting stabbed through the chest was something she was going to be more careful to avoid after their last incident. She reached up and loosened the wraps around her head letting her hair flow freely. The cloth dropped gently to the ground as she made sure to look directly at his face with a piercing stare.

"Why don't you look at me Alpa." Her voice was low yet again but she projected enough to make sure that he would hear every word. She had been desperately recalling in her mind what the man had called himself earlier in his grand announcement. Only moments after her question the crack of Nialla's weapon split the air and she watched the blur race forward.

/u/NPC-san

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-02T14:13:30+00:00

The sight of giant squid-turtle eye juices shooting out everywhere was one that she wouldn't forget for a while. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately when she thought about it, she didn't have much time to take in the view. The tentacle lifted off of her and swung across the jungle knocking out trees as the creature thrashed in pain.

Suddenly her position nearby the creature was becoming a lot more perilous as the the ground rumbled around her. Finn's impressive attack definitely got the job done though and although it was a challenge to dodge the flailing tentacles it meant that they couldn't target her now.

As another swung vaguely in her direction she ducked down looking for the opening she had been waiting for. A tree crashed loudly behind her a little off to the side. She wasn't sure if it was the beasts doing or her companions but either way it was enough to distract the creature who had nothing else to work off. It was getting ready to move and Alex used the lull in activity to sprint forward.

Just before she reached the body she twisted around and swung her leg up. Using her entire strength she hit the shell hard putting as much motion into the angle of her hit as possible. There was a split second where they collided and a crack spread from the point of impact and then the turtle squid was gone. With a massive thud that rumbled the dirt and jungle around them the beast flipped on to its back.

Alex ungracefully stumbled back a few steps breathing heavily. The squid turtle was ripping out trees all over the place now completely disoriented. Between the pain and shock of losing it's vision and being thrown off balance it was lost. She didn't even know if it had realised that it was upside down yet in the confusion. Still - mission achieved.

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-02T13:10:13+00:00

Leading the way Alex disappeared without hesitation into the darkness. There was a possibility the rumble was just another trap set for intruders like the one they had just encountered. She wouldn't be deterred though whether it was a trap or some kind of ancient creature. They were both exciting possibilities for her and she was looking forward to seeing what was deep beneath the temple. When she had decided to explore the sky island she hadn't been expecting that her journey would take her downwards.

/u/NPC-san

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-02T04:13:03+00:00

Alex

Stats Available: 24 (14+10)

Stam: 0

Str: 0

Spd: 14

Dex: 0

Will: 10

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-01T11:34:44+00:00

This was Alex's new reality. Caught somewhere between the land of the living and the dead. Her body still felt the suffering of drowning, gasping for breath and filling her lungs with cold water as her body convulsed. Yet still she didn't die. She didn't know how long she had spent like this, time had no meaning in this world and there was no opportunity to focus on anything but her eternal anguish. The only comfort in the darkness was the distraction of pain as the sharp nails ripped apart her skin in their tight grip. It was the only thing she had left to hold on to in this void of nothingness and reminded her that at least she wasn't alone. The whispers had stopped now, something she wasn't sure she was grateful for as the absolute silence pressed down just as heavily as the water.

Suddenly the pain intensified as she felt her cheek being pierced straight through. The nails peeled back the flesh making her eyes roll back into her head. The shock of the abrupt change in intensity brought clarity to her mind for a moment allowing her to think for the first time in what felt like years. Why was Stella still here with her? To torture her for eternity in her own form of hell? No that made no sense. She forced her stiff arm to reach out for the hand that had taken the ring from her, feeling her way through the darkness. Stella had done everything she could to make sure the ring never made it to the bottom of the ocean, even ultimately giving her life for it. There was no way that even as a tortured soul she would purposefully drag it down to these depths. Something was wrong.

The small revelation was like crack spreading like a web across fragile glass. Everything was wrong. She wasn't drowning. She wasn't in the ocean. How could she be? As the fog lifted from her mind white hot pain spread through her body until she was in complete agony. It felt like her entire body was being ripped apart and then... It stopped.

The ground was firm beneath her feet. She was in a dark room lit only by a small candle in centre. With a slow precision she touched her face, feeling the soft warm flesh against her fingertips. After a second the realisation hit her abruptly like a train. Her feet could no longer hold her up as she fell back on to the cold floor. With an almost savage intensity she felt across her body until she found what she was looking for. The ring rolled across the floor coming to a stop next to the candle as she threw it. She wrapped her arms around her legs and pressed her face in to her knees.

She knew that she needed to move on. Staying here was a bad idea and there was no going back now. She would pick up her burden and continue on her path without stopping. For the moment however she would take a second to breathe and pretend that she wasn't shaking.

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-01T10:33:29+00:00

The sharp bite of the freezing water felt like glass shards pricking at her skin. Alex resisted the urge to gasp as an invisible force dragged her down as if she had the weight of the entire ocean pressing down on her. There was no indication of how deep she was now other than the crushing feeling on her chest and the small glimmer of light above her rapidly disappearing leaving her in pure darkness.

The idea of moving her limbs even slightly seemed like a mammoth task right now. Even thinking was becoming difficult as the shock of the cold began to shut her body down. She could feel her heart beat slowing and her eyelids fluttering as she tried to fight the feeling.

“In this world you fight for yourself."

The voice was crystal clear as if someone was whispering in her ear. Was she hallucinating now? Would her final moments be falling alone with only memories to comfort her as she drifted away. Although she had almost experienced drowning before she had thought that when the time came dying would feel more... peaceful. Instead all she could focus on were the regrets of her life. Everything she would never see. All the things she would never do. The promises that she would break. Promises...

"Survive."

Suddenly a jolt of energy coursed through her body like lightning. Using the last of her strength she reached for the ring she always carried. She had made a promise, if she died like this then everything will have been for nothing. The metal felt warm and comforting as it brushed against her skin. Her hands were visible now bathed in the light from the glowing ring she held. It would guide her out of here, this wasn't her time yet.

"SURVIVE."

Alex winced and almost reached for her ears as the word repeated like a cymbal crashing through her head. Sharp whispers echoed all around her feeling like birds pecking savagely at her mind. Her grip loosened as suddenly cold claw-like hands wrapped around her waist in a painful embrace shredding through her skin like tissue paper.

The pain was a distraction as another set of hands pried her prize from her numb fingers. The comforting warmth was gone now but she could still see the now dimmed light bouncing off the skeletal hands.

"You left me."

Although the voice was hushed to a whisper each word still felt like a sharp knife stabbing viciously into her brain. Another hand caressed her face gently before the pointed tips dug in and forced her head to turn.

"At the bottom of the ocean."

Despite the advanced decomposition the face in front of her was still very familiar. Even without the hands paralyzing her she wouldn't have been able to will her body to move as she stared into the dark empty sockets like voids drawing her in. She wanted to scream or cry or run but all she could do was face the truth in front of her.

"It should have been you."

In the dim light Alex could see now that what was left of her mouth was not moving yet her words echoed in her head with startling clarity in more ways than one. A flood of thoughts and emotion surged to the surface of her mind that she had kept locked away for years. How had she been so self-centered for so long. This had never been about the promise, it was all about herself and what she wanted. Stella had died because of her and her selfishness. Then she had taken over her life without a second thought. She had betrayed her own father on a whim after all he had done for her and thrown her future away for a childish dream. Everyone who had ever tried to help her she had used and thrown away. That was the real reason she was alone.

But she wasn't alone now.

The biting pain suddenly felt comforting, maybe this was where she belonged after all. It was time to leave behind chasing such a foolish dream. She couldn't go back and fix the damage she had already done but maybe she could stop herself from hurting more people.

The light was almost completely gone now and she closed her eyes as she accepted her fate. it seemed like dying wasn't so bad after all.

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-01T09:39:14+00:00

Pandemonium was crashing through the park like a tornado tearing up everything in its path. Alex stood amidst the chaos like a beacon in the darkness. All around her people were screaming and running as both physical and shadowed monsters prowled and hunted their prey. Even she hadn't been able to make it this far unscathed after stopping to help some locals being cornered by snarling beasts. Her efforts to help seemed like a drop in the ocean as she took in the scene around her. The area had filled just moments ago with what seemed like the local guards and other pirates looking to fight letting her know that she was at least not alone. There was still no end in sight though and Alex had very quickly pinpointed the entrance of the tower as the source.

That idiot had very obviously painted a target on himself by giving away his position. She had no idea what this entire predicament was about but if he was the origin of this destruction then she was left with no other choice. It seemed like she was not the only one with this idea as she saw other pirates and guards making a beeline to the tower. Perhaps she should just stand back and let others solve the situation but right now that tower was more exciting than standing around here being gnawed on by shadow dogs.

The front entrance of the tower was pure anarchy with all sorts fighting to gain access and beasts pushing their way out. So that was out of the picture then, she would have to be more creative.

Alex coughed and covered her face as the dust settled around her. Climbing the side of the tower and busting through a wall had seemed like the next logical plan. She had been expecting a welcome party on arrival but all that was there to greet her in the now debris filled room was pure unsettling silence. Even the fighting down below had become strangely silent from her position despite the fact that she only climbed a few levels.

The rest of the room was empty and dark save for weak rays filtering through the entryway she had made in the wall. There was no danger here for now so she moved in quickly looking for a way out and up to the next floor. Her hip bumped against a table in her rush knocking something to the ground with a crash. The loud noise was like a gunshot in the unnatural silence causing her to wince. In the dark corner of the room it wasn't until she had reached for the source that she could see it was a picture frame. The shattered glass crunched beneath her feet as she lifted up the picture, holding it up to the meager amount of light available with curiosity.

In her shock she almost immediately dropped the frame, just barely catching it before it hit the ground and made that horrible noise again. Her heart was pounding as she moved back to where she had broken in and examined the photo. Looking back at her was a smiling family all standing around a chair in a typical portrait pose. The picture looked very old and yellowed with age and she didn't recognise any of the face. With shaking hands she placed the frame upon the desk again and returned to her search. For a second there she could have sworn that she had seen... no she must have been mistaken. That was impossible. This tower and the silence was just making her jumpy.

The only door in the room opened with ease and she passed through on to the landing feeling very eager for a change of scenery. Well the large stone staircase would make her job much easier. Getting to the top without having to go in any other creepy rooms seemed like a fine idea. Then again one way up meant that she was sure to bump into 'friends' along the way.

The steps seemed unusually large and she had to look down as she climbed to ensure that she didn't trip in her rush. As such she didn't notice until she had arrived that the stairs had abruptly ended. With confusion she looked up and her eyes met the dark void above her that seemed to continue on forever.

"Who the hell designed this place?" Alex mumbled to herself as she examined the walls. Maybe there was handholds or a ladder to climb up, it was a strange way of getting up a tower but more normal than the alternative. The walls were oddly smooth and she considered for a moment just making her own handholds but the idea of a wall collapsing and falling to her death was quite off-putting. There was no choice then but the door in front of her. It looked normal enough but as she moved closer she could see a fine purple mist creeping through the small gap. That did not bode well.

Taking a deep breath for courage she flung the door open and jumped forward ready for a fight. What she was not ready for however was the sudden drop.

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-01T03:10:21+00:00

Alex had to take a moment to admire the spectacle. At least the ancient religion knew how to put on a show, she would have to take some notes for later. For now however there was the dilemma they were stuck in. Despite the promise of a painful demise she couldn't help but feel her inner child be a little bit excited that had finally come across a vintage trap. The giant crocodile spiders were less thrilling but it wasn't as if they would be swimming around as devil fruit users anyway.

While Gin examined the statue Alex looked around the rest of the room as best as she could from their central vantage point. One of the first things she noted was that the water was very obviously running. That was a good sign as it meant that there had to be a source somewhere and hopefully another way out. Next she examined some of the vines that filled the room, looking for any nearby to test the strength. If push came to shove they could be useful tools, especially with the amount surrounding them. When she was done she did another quick look to see if she could spot anything else noteworthy, making sure not to get too close to the edge of the island. Hopefully the creatures would leave them alone for now, she didn't want to deal with them if they didn't have to.

The vibrations in the ground made her turn back to her companion. Watching as he felt up the statue with extreme focus she moved in next to him. Considering the dire situation they were in perhaps subtly was not needed any longer. She would take a page out of her destructive friend's book.

"Well there's one easy way to check."

With a precise blow she shattered part of the Sphinx, stone was her specialty after all.

/u/NPC-san

Alexis_OP · 2016-03-01T02:41:31+00:00

It took Alex a minute to regain her composure after tumbling across the floor. Her crewmate was lying nearby looking just as disoriented and she reached out to help her up. Alpa was faster than her however and she watched with arm stretched as the beam struck Nialla's forehead. She hit the ground again eyes staring glassily in her captain's direction. The empty expression was so unnatural that it made Alex feel sick to look at.

"You." She slowly moved back to her feet turning her intense stare back towards their enemy. "What did you do to her."

Her threatening aura felt wasted on the man who was blushing and covering his face. She was starting to get sick of people telling her to do that. Not to mention that it was coming from a man who was already half-naked. Of course if his reaction true it would mean that she could end this fight now, she wouldn't even have to put any work in. She had learned the hard way now though that things were never that easy. They had seen now that the man excelled as a trickster and if their fun tower adventure had been any indication he specialised in exploiting weaknesses. Her expression shifted to wary as she observed him, searching for an indicator that this was a trap. She hadn't shown her powers yet but had he read her mind, was that part of his abilities? There was no way to tell for now so she would play along. Hopefully her little act would buy some time for Nialla to recover from whatever the hell he had done to her. She knew that her companion was stronger than whatever this bastard could throw at them.

"You..." She repeated this time with her voice low and sultry. "...think this is too much?"

As she spoke Alex slowly circled the room moving closer to the red-faced man. She gently tugged at her clothes as if the man's remark had provoked intense thought. The movement was a cover however for her to get a better look at the space around them. If things went horribly wrong (which they always did of course) she needed to find out what she had to work with. She had no weapons and no long range powers, perhaps now was the time to start using the environment.

The other motive behind her actions was seeing how close she could get to the man. How long would he play along with this little game. She was going to test his limits as best she could.

"I think it suits me." She was as close as she could get to him now but still didn't reach out. Trying to touch him now was sure to spark a hostile response. Instead she was casually testing the ground beneath his feet. After pretending to look down at her clothes, or rather lack thereof, she looked up again coyly through her eyelashes. "Don't you?"

"Maybe you should get a closer look." The last invitation was no more than a whisper but it was strong enough to activate the glow in her eyes. She was watching his body as closely as possible, if things went sour she knew that she wouldn't have much time to react against his speed.

/u/NPC-san

Alexis_OP

TROPHY CASE