Change At Sea Pt.3

Strelitzia's whole body shuddered, lungs burning as she began to heave up every ounce of water that threatened to drown her. It came from her nose and mouth each time she tried to take a breath.

Finally once she could breathe again, despite the burn in her chest, she couldn't stop the weak grin on her face as her memories of the Madclaw came flooding back. "Naldak! Why are you here? I'm fine I swear," Strel promised even after a string of coughs that brought tears to the corners of her eyes.

"You're fine but those things are coming for you." Naldak said, his voice just as loud and as booming as his wings beating through the air. With one upward thrust of his arm, Strelitzia flew into the air. He swooped downward and angled his body so she could land on his back. "What do you need me to do? I can fight them off while the others escape. I know your mage, if given enough time, can fly you all out."

"Honestly I have no idea what's happening. One minute I'm being held captive and the next those things show up and everyone is fighting." Strelitzia held onto his neck, leaning down to keep the winds from her eyes. Others kept appearing to save her. Even the grumpy old beast had raced from his mountain because he sensed that she needed him. The least she could do was help the others while the Madclaw offered his strength.

"They don't seem like they can be killed. Can you hold them off until everyone can get to safety? Two of the three ships that came have sunk."

"I can do that," Naldak said as he leaned to the left, turning in a full circle back toward where Ja'ule and Aurelia were. Wings spread wide, large mouth opening to show rows of ivory canines. Blue and red lit in his mouth, ribcage expanding. Fire and ice shot out at once. It split the water, moving upward to strike the phantoms while he dipped down. "Jump, tell them to climb up." The phantoms dispersed. "Hurry!"

There was no time to waste or dwell on the momentary excitement Strelitzia had at the sudden appearance of her solitary friend. She pulled her leg over and slid down his side against smooth scales until she landed right on the torn up deck of Razmyr's ship. One hand pointed upward toward Naldak who was busy holding the creatures at bay. "He said to climb up! I'm sure you probably have questions but it's safe, he's a friend. He said to hurry and he'll help us get out of here."

Aurelia ran over to Strelitzia as fast as she could, pulling her into another tight hug with tears filling her eyes. "I thought I had lost you. I don't know what I would've done."

Ja'ule commanded metal to twist and turn into a ladder that hung from Naldak. Razmyr was the first to climb up, then he followed, waiting on Strelitzia and Aurelia to follow. The spectors were still torn apart from the blast; all struggling to pull themselves back together.

"I'm fine. It's okay." Strelitzia gently pulled her mother along to the metal crafted ladder. As much as she wanted to reassure her and assuage the fears, they didn't have time. "We can't leave them waiting too long. Naldak can only protect us for so long."

Aurelia nodded her head and started climbing up the ladder, occasionally looking behind her to see if Strelitzia was following. Once they were all up, Naldak took off to the skies once more. He kept an eye out on the spectors that he left shredded to piece themselves back together. He shot forward. Up here the clouds felt like water against their faces. He dipped lower, an island in the distance where he landed. The ground shook beneath his height and weight. "I won't be able to hold them back for long. What I told you in the caves, these were the people who killed my family and left only me. There's a chance I won't come back."

"Wait!" She ran over to the beast and flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. "You can't. I don't want to lose you again. Can't we all just run together?" There were tears in the corner of her eyes making their deep green color shine within the gloom.

Strelitzia didn't follow the others who seemed quiet considering the madness they'd been thrust into. Not to mention she wasn't even sure if James had made it to safety. Naldak had been her best friend while they were up in the mountains for those weeks. He was family. "I don't want you to die for us."

"Then what? You'll just go and let your family watch you die with me? You don't want to see everything you loved wiped out. And I don't want to see you die." Naldak's ridged, yet scaly brows lifted upwards as he lowered his head to press his snout against her torso. "I can't afford to lose more people. More family despite how short of time we've known each other."

His reasoning made sense but it still didn't sit well with her. "I'm supposed to be okay with letting you fly off alone to protect us even though you could die? What kind of person would I be after knowing what's happened to you? I can't, Naldak. I'll be fine. At least if anything happens they can be proud that I've done the right thing. To save them no less."

It probably seemed very strange to the others that she would talk to the beast when they couldn't hear his voice but she didn't care. Her stomach twisted in knots at just the thought. "Please let me help."

He stared at her for a long moment, red eyes with flecks of gold lines churning like there was a mystical river within. "Fine. Get on. If you come close to getting hurt, I'm dropping you off. Do you know how to use any kind of weapon?" Naldak words were grumbled out, his wings stretching out momentarily.

Strelitzia used his neck to grapple up onto his back. She could tell that Naldak wasn't happy about letting her go back into the throes of danger but he'd relented and that was all that mattered. Especially if whatever those things were, happened to be there because of her. "Of course. Sort of." She didn't really but she was fully prepared to try.

Then Ray'ven appeared, a swirl of darkness and mist, an unimpressed look on her face. "Really now, forgetting about me already? I'm hurt, honestly. And don't be so dramatic, no one will die today. Well...no one of importance that is." Her eyes glinted as though she were telling a joke. "Pity that."

Behind her floated an unconscious Charlotte and Bynx whom she had scooped from the water. They hit the ground with a wet plop and she raised a hand to her lips. "Oops, my apologies." She said airily.

Booted heels dug into the ground as she made her way forth, eyeing the creature which had appeared to aid them. Her head tilted, glowing eyes assessing him curiously. Her mind whispered of what he was and her lips pursed. "Interesting to find one such as you here. And to aid humans no less. A most curious thing that."

Strelitzia didn't trust the tall dark woman sauntering towards them. Earlier she tried to save James but she also seemed to struggle with whatever power coursed through her. Now was no different when every word she spoke resonated as if she'd split herself in three. No. No trust for the one who dared to approach the Madclaw without caution. Something about it didn't sit well with Strel and she felt protective over the creature who came to her rescue.

"I'm afraid he isn't very friendly and most uncomfortable in these circumstances. Please refrain from indulging your curiosities at the moment, Miss. No disrespect." Almond shaped eyes narrowed slightly. The woman was so erratic it was hard to tell whether she was truly a friend or foe.

Ray'ven raised a brow, tendril of mist passing her lips as she huffed in amusement. Her eyes locked on the girl who sat atop the Madclaw, studying her. "And you are a source of all this chaos, yet you do not know why."

'Neither do I. Stop speaking so cryptically of things I do not know.' She hissed inwardly. She hated this feeling of not being in control. Yes she was there and present, but her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. How was she to explain this once this was all over. Will she truly ever be back in control fully? Or was she to simply be this puppet the god used to speak through?

"Am I to assume that you do since you seem to think I'm to blame? That's hardly important. We don't have time to discuss this. If you have the answers then why not tell us how to defeat them or do it yourself. Otherwise, kindly step back." Strelitzia stared down at the woman, smiling despite her irritation.

Her head cocked to the side, eyes never leaving the girls before Ray'ven spoke once more, with those same echoing voices. "No no, you are not the sole blame here, but why should we give you anything? Where is the enjoyment of that?" More mist seemed to swirl around her and her head lolled to the other side, staring in the direction of the others. "Always demanding, never asking for anything. A common flaw amongst many of you. Perhaps death would be more suitable… What reasons have we for solving what you caused? Maybe we should, as you say, step back. Let us see how you fare against the immortals alone. You seem to have a plan after all." She waved a dismissive hand in the air, stepping away. "Off with you then."

Naldak's nose flared and he turned his enormous head toward Ray'ven. "You were the one who blasted the ship. So make up for it by catching her if I should fall from the skies. If not, I'll make sure I crisp you before I close my eyes for the final time."

Strelitzia found little satisfaction in Naldak deigning to even speak to the rude lady but she translated what he said nonetheless, verbatim.

Ray'ven's lips pursed. "Sacrificing yourself for humans, honestly." She muttered under her breath before shrugging. "If you die, you die. But I will save the girl I suppose."

"Let's go now. She's wasting our turn." Without Naldak to keep them from regenerating the ghouls were only moments away from being whole and there was nothing to stop them from swooping back in to terrorize them all.

Ray'ven scoffed before launching herself into the air, magick keeping her afloat as leered down at them. "Come then, off to throw ourselves at immortal death stalkers with a child who can wield no weapons and an overgrown lizard. This shall prove enlightening I feel." Her eyes closed as she inhaled deeply before exhaling, a dark purple mist leaving passed her lips and blanketing the unconscious few there.

"That should hide And protect them for the time being. It would be unfortunate if they were to be killed unawares. Should they awake, the shroud will vanish."

Naldak didn't ask to be saved, so he didn't understand why she mentioned how on his own he was. Shaking his head and long neck, the scales shone as he pulled his wings back to swoop down fast. "Close your eyes and ask for my sight, speak to the emotions you feel. Pull on the strings so we can be connected." His mouth tore open, sending a blast to knock apart the half-almost whole Spectors again.

Strelitzia shut her eyes tight, blocking out the world. The people waiting beneath them, the strange woman who followed them, and even the specters that were struggling against Naldak's power. Somehow when she focused, she could feel the heat that radiates from within the beast. His heart beat fiercely against her palms. Connecting to him was easier than trying to sort through her own emotions but that seemed to be a package deal. She was confused, hurt, scared, and downright town. Everything was chaos. But she pushed past all of that to dig down deeper.

In her mind she could picture the aetherial thread connecting the two of them by what she could only assume to be fate or maybe their very souls. Strelitzia reached out and called to it, whispering a quiet plea to grant her his sight before opening her eyes to the world once more.

Behind them Ray'ven began her own thing, eyes closing as she called upon magick. "Raskalyvayut ikh telo i dushu." Her hand raised, palm outward as a rapier formed there. It pulled with dark magick as power as she brandished with a flourish, eyeing her targets with a smirk. "Shall we start."

She eyed one of the creatures that had survived the Madclaw's blast and shot forwards, a dark streak in the air before her blade pierced through its chest area. She ripped the blade free, watching as it shrieked before hacking off its arm, then its head. She dodged back as another threatened to claw at her throat.

Naldak swooped down once more, massive jaws opening to release a blast of ice and fire alive—creatures froze and shattered beneath the heat. Through their link Strelitzia could see them so up close it was as though she were right in front of them while they faced Naldak's wrath.

Four shadow beings floated up, linked by their hands and chanting. Swirling in the air, a dark blast formed, shooting towards the ancient being that arose from the mountains. He went to twist in the air but it struck too fast and too hard. The beast's body curled inward, wings open with the intent to catch himself. Instead, he slammed into Ray'ven, knocking her toward the water.

Razmyr leaped, he owed her one, catching her in his arms to where they both hit the water. He kept her afloat.

"You have to go." Naldak said, glistening scalded scorched temporarily black. "If more of them come, we might not make it through this. You have a mother that cares. Who am I to allow them to suffer as I have?" Tipping left, then right, he managed to stop them from hitting the water. But just as he'd stabilized, a spear flew through the air and tore through his chest. Blood spurted and Naldak descended. His long neck flinging back, wings falling at his sides.

"Oriana!" Aurelia screamed, stopping her battles between one of the shadow fiends.

Strelitzia clung desperately to Naldak's back even as he spiraled and struggled to keep them from hitting the waves below. "I-I can't! I can't swim!" There was genuine fear that they would both crash into the sea only to be dragged down within its depths never to resurface with everyone she knew and loved fighting for their lives. As soon as they stabilized, there was a sharp pain that ran through her chest. It was so blinding and unexpected that she lost her grasp, clutching desperately at her chest which sent her plummeting down alongside Naldak.

Blood fell like rain as the two grew closer and closer to smashing into the Onyx Sea. Tears budded at the corners of her eyes which stung from the wind that tore at her clothes. Naldak's limp body flailing; a blazing star falling from the heavens. He'd guided her to link their souls to one another and now they would die sharing each other's pain.

A golden light burst outwards in the shape of a winged being, and before she hit the water it coiled around her, the last portion of Naldak's magick whisking her away to safety. It placed her on the island with the others he had saved. James shoved through everyone. "Are you okay?" He glanced over her to see if he could see any wounds. The shadow creatures retreated when they thought their work was done, taking Naldak's body with them.

Strelitzia clutched tighter to her chest, gasping when she felt her friend take his final breath. "No. No! He can't be dead! He came to save us and I didn't protect him.." She jumped up, passing James and her parents alike to wade into the water up to her knees. Her hands cupped around her mouth, "Naldak! Naldak come back!" The grumpy old beast couldn't be dead. Her breaths came quicker and her vision blurred while calling out to the Madclaw though she knew he couldn't answer. His body had been stolen and his spirit lost to them. If only he hadn't gotten attached to her. What good was insisting on trying to help if she was useless in the end? The girl fell to her knees in utter despair. It felt like a part of her died along with him; something inexplicable and utterly devastating. She turned back to look at the others. "He's gone…"

And then there was a whisper in the air, a dark and disturbing voice that said, "yes it is your fault."