Scary Seas
The vast expanse of the ocean stretched endlessly around them as Toruri, Shuno, and Kinrui navigated the choppy waters aboard their humble dinghy. Toruri lay sprawled out, lost in the embrace of sleep, while Shuno sat in quiet contemplation, his gaze fixed upon the shifting tapestry of stars above. Meanwhile, Kinrui entertained himself by manipulating the moss that adorned his being, its verdant tendrils dancing between his fingers.
"We've been at sea for 3 days. Are we close to our destination?" Kinrui inquired, breaking the silence that enveloped them.
"Yeah, we are. It's a good thing Toruri only packed snacks because you would starve," Shuno remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I would starve?" Kinrui's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Me and Toruri can't starve," Shuno explained matter-of-factly.
"As long as I have this moss on me, I can't starve either," Kinrui interjected, a note of pride evident in his tone.
"Hm. Cool..." Shuno replied, his interest piqued.
"Is it normal for Toruri to be asleep for a day and a half?" Kinrui queried, glancing towards the slumbering figure of their companion.
"Yes, he can sleep for up to 5 months," Shuno responded, his expression betraying a hint of exasperation.
"He hibernates?" Kinrui's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Pretty much," Shuno confirmed with a nod.
Suddenly, Toruri jolted awake, his scream piercing the tranquility of the ocean air, "KRAAAAAKEEEEEEN!!!"
"Kraken? Where?" Shuno's eyes darted around, scanning the horizon for any sign of danger.
"I smell... I smell fish..." Toruri muttered, his senses still dulled by sleep.
"We're in the ocean..." Kinrui remarked dryly, his tone laced with amusement.
"And the ocean has a lot of fish in it..." Shuno added, his voice tinged with sarcasm.
"Yeah, you're right..." Toruri conceded sheepishly, his earlier panic dissipating.
As if on cue, a massive tentacle emerged from the depths, its girth rivaling that of a galleon.
"A tentacle the size of a galleon... that's the Kraken," Shuno declared, his tone grim.
"Why us?" Kinrui questioned, his gaze fixated on the monstrous appendage.
"The Kraken only goes after people who are on course to Atlantis," Shuno explained, his voice tinged with resignation.
"So it's a fight, aye? Salami!!!" Kinrui's declaration was met with a swift transformation as his moss-covered arm morphed into a gigantic mouth, devouring the tentacle whole.
The sea around them erupted into chaos as the Kraken unleashed its fury, its massive form thrashing against the water with unmatched power.
"You guys got trouble. I'll stay on the boat to look for an opening. Make sure he doesn't send the boat flying," Shuno instructed, his voice calm despite the impending danger.
As nine more tentacles emerged from the depths, the Kraken's colossal head rose above the waves, its roar echoing across the ocean.
"Let's get it!!!" Toruri's voice rang out with determination as he sprouted wings and soared into the air with unparalleled speed, his movements guided by instinct and adrenaline.
With a graceful leap, Kinrui joined the fray, his moss-crafted hands grappling with the Kraken's numerous appendages in a dance of strength and agility.
The Kraken, undeterred by their efforts, unleashed a barrage of tentacles, each one a deadly weapon aimed at their destruction. But Toruri, with the grace of a seasoned warrior, deftly dodged each strike, his movements fluid and precise.
Meanwhile, Kinrui's mastery over his moss allowed him to navigate the chaos with ease, his nimble movements evading the Kraken's attacks as he sought out weaknesses in its formidable defenses.
But the Kraken, sensing the threat posed by their combined assault, unleashed a flurry of tentacles in a desperate bid to repel their advances. With a swift motion, Toruri spiraled out of the water, his wings propelling him back into the fray with renewed determination.
As Kinrui landed gracefully upon one of the Kraken's tentacles, he prepared himself for the battle ahead, his moss-covered form pulsating with energy and resolve. With a determined grin, he leaped from tentacle to tentacle, his movements a testament to his skill and agility.
But the Kraken, undeterred by their efforts, unleashed a new wave of tentacles, each one a deadly weapon aimed at their destruction. Yet Toruri, undaunted by the odds stacked against him, soared through the air with unmatched speed and agility, his blows striking true against the Kraken's massive form.
As the battle raged on, Toruri and Kinrui fought with all their might, their determination unwavering in the face of adversity. And as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the ocean's surface, their resolve remained unbroken, their spirits burning bright amidst the chaos of battle.
The tension reached its peak as Shuno scanned the chaos for an opportunity, his mind racing with possibilities. "I found an opening. Breathe Technique 105: Oil Pierce," he announced, his voice cutting through the din of battle.
With precision born of years of training, Shuno spat out a thin and sharp stream of air, directing it straight at the Kraken's eye. The stream pierced through the Kraken's defenses, finding its mark with unerring accuracy.
"Now, apply a little bit of my breath on this stream..." Shuno murmured to himself, his focus unwavering.
As if in response to his command, the stream began to shimmer, transforming into a thin stream of fire that danced with deadly intent.
"Now, a full breath!!!" Shuno commanded, his voice ringing out with authority.
With a sudden surge of power, the thin stream of fire erupted into a blazing torrent, engulfing the Kraken in a inferno of flames.
"Let's go!" Toruri's voice cut through the chaos, his determination palpable as he prepared to unleash his own devastating attack.
With a surge of energy, Toruri unleashed a barrage of magic beams, each one targeting a different tentacle of the Kraken with deadly precision.
As the tentacles erupted into balls of orange magic, Kinrui leaped from the Kraken's back, landing gracefully on the boat beside Shuno.
But the victory was short-lived, as the force of the explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the water, flinging the boat high into the air.
"WOOOAAAAH!" Toruri's voice echoed with exhilaration as he watched the world spin around him.
"TORURI!!! GRAB THE BOAT!!!" Shuno's voice cut through the chaos, his tone urgent as he struggled to keep himself afloat.
With lightning speed, Toruri flew up to the boat, seizing it in his grasp before hurtling it back down to the sea with a resounding splash.
"Problem solved!" Toruri declared triumphantly as he landed back on the boat, his chest swelling with pride.
But his triumph was short-lived as Shuno's tail lashed out, striking Toruri in the back of the head with surprising force.
"GACK!" Toruri exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot where Shuno's tail had made contact.
"Never do something that reckless again!" Shuno's voice was stern, his gaze unwavering as he fixed Toruri with a stern look.
Meanwhile, Kinrui sat calmly on a raft of moss, his expression unreadable as he observed the chaos unfolding around him.
"Zilla this, Zilla that..." Kinrui muttered to himself, his tone tinged with amusement as the moss beneath him dissolved, allowing him to join his companions on the boat.
Kinrui's voice carried a note of admiration as he addressed Shuno, "Your techniques are powerful..."
"We beat the Kraken!" Toruri interjected proudly, his enthusiasm undiminished by their previous ordeal.
"It'll be back soon. The Kraken is immortal," Shuno reminded them, his tone tinged with caution.
"Well, we'll beat it again if it comes back!" Toruri declared confidently, his resolve unyielding.
"It's not like I would let us lose... I'm too strong for that to happen," Shuno asserted, his confidence unwavering.
"And I'm too tired to keep on talking about this. See you guys when I wake up!" Toruri announced before settling back, closing his eyes, and drifting off to sleep.
"And the silence continues..." Kinrui remarked wryly, his gaze fixed on the horizon as the boat glided through the water.
Five hours later, little had changed. Toruri still slept soundly, Shuno remained vigilant, and Kinrui lounged lazily, his eyes fixed on the sun-drenched sky above.
"Say, Shuno, is this one of the most boring journeys that you have ever partaken in?" Kinrui inquired, breaking the silence that had settled over them like a shroud.
"In my lifetime, I've been on much longer and excruciating journeys that were months of straight up walking or sitting on a cart doing nothing," Shuno replied, his voice tinged with nostalgia.
"Oh... How is... your day?" Kinrui continued, his attempt at conversation falling flat.
"My day isn't over," Shuno replied cryptically, his gaze fixed on the horizon ahead.
"Tsss, ah okay..." Kinrui muttered, his interest waning as the monotony of the journey stretched on.
"We're approaching an island, by the way. We could probably stop and do something there," Shuno remarked, his tone laced with anticipation.
"That sounds... mildly interesting," Kinrui conceded, a hint of curiosity creeping into his voice.
"From what I'm seeing here... wait... there are people... cheering for us... it's like an entire crowd of people too," Shuno observed, his brow furrowing in concern.
"Wait, let me see," Kinrui said, rising to his feet and joining Shuno at the edge of the boat.
"That sure is a lot of people! They look aggressively happy too," Kinrui remarked, his eyes scanning the crowd below.
"Wait a sec! They're holding weapons and... Oh no.... They-They have... M.A.G.I.C shirts!!!" Shuno exclaimed, his voice rising in alarm.
"M.A.G.I.C? I've heard of that before, are they bad?" Kinrui asked, his concern growing.
"They are a threat to the Negative Point. Once we get back to the Negative Point, I need to tell the higher-ups that we need to take this threat a lot more seriously if they have islands!!!" Shuno explained urgently, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of danger.
As if on cue, the boat began to shake, its wooden frame rattling as if in warning of the impending danger that lay ahead.
"They might have placed a trap in the water. Let's move!" Kinrui's voice was urgent, his instincts on high alert as he glanced around warily.
Without hesitation, Shuno and Kinrui leaped off the boat and into the water, their movements fluid and purposeful.
"Wait, TORURI!!!" Kinrui's cry echoed across the water, a note of concern lacing his words.
But their warning came too late. With a sudden jolt, the boat was yanked towards the crowd of people waiting on the shores of the island, its wooden frame slicing through the throng with devastating force, leaving chaos and destruction in its wake.
"Dammit. They took the boat, and Toruri," Shuno cursed, his voice heavy with frustration.
"We should get to the island. I don't think there's anyone strong enough to take us down on it," Kinrui suggested, his gaze fixed on the distant shoreline.
"You might be right about that. I don't sense any real threat," Shuno agreed, his senses attuned to any potential danger that lay ahead.
With a shared sense of determination, Shuno and Kinrui began to swim towards the island, their strokes steady and sure as they braved the unknown waters that lay between them and their destination.