Whale Man Tries to Turn Around And Walk Back Into the Rift

[encoreinthedeep]

Type: Text
Sender ID: encoreinthedeep (Ulpianus)
To: Everyone
Subject: Return
Warnings: None

Requesting all available information on how to return to my own world.

[ He sends this message within ten seconds of receiving his shellphone. ]

Comments

[encoreinthedeep]

[ That moment is enough for him. Abyssal Hunters have to move fast, and Ulpianus does, suddenly looming over Jill. His knee pins her left arm to the ground, his hand her right, and his other hand grips her throat. ]

Surrender or I'll crush your throat.

[ There is no menace in his voice - it's not a threat, but a prediction. Even the pirates in the back have to pause in their cheering at that; a bar fight is always good fun, but this looks too much like it's going to be cold-blooded murder, and who the hell knows what the madman will do next?

... But in truth, Ulpianus has no intention of actually killing her: there would be no sense in it whatsoever. But he knows the power of such threats, and he also knows that if it was necessary, he would kill this woman. As he would kill any of his fellow Hunters if need be - as he has killed many of his fellow Hunters, his friends and students, when he had to. ]

Sliiiides in here :D

[gruffier]

[ Call it a whatever you wish— a feeling, happenstance, or the gods themselves— that Clive happened to be near when the mutterings of passerby's swept by in a panic. Yet above all else there was something deeper calling him into that tavern, a connection he had not felt in some suns, the awakening of an eikon.

It was Ifrit's spirit that pulsed in his veins and caused heartrate to elevate. Something was happening, and it was likely that another dominant was involved.

So his steps quickened along with the pounding of his chest as he makes his way to the tavern's entrance, dodging screaming patrons and cheers until the quarrel came into view.

No. No no no no— ]

... Jill!? Jill!

[ A brutal, guttural roar spurs from the depths of his abdomen, as if a wild animal had escaped from captivity.

Clive charges in, sword well unsheathed as all objects in his path are swept to his sidelines, rendering themselves weightless in his path. ]

Away from her— now!

A HERO

[tilfrosset]

[He's going to have to do what he predicts. Make it into a promise, even. Jill isn't about to give this man what he wants, not when information like that could be used not only against her, but against people she loves. And whatever her personal opinion about Benedikta, Jill is not going to be the one who blabs about how to kill what's practically unkillable to put her at risk as well.

Her own blood runs cold, veins icing over as Shiva screams to be released, drowning out someone calling Jill's name. Her Dominant is at risk and it's been far too long that she's been allowed out of her human-shaped cage. In most cases, Jill would ignore the calling, push back the instinct to destroy, maim, and kill, but with fingers pressing as her throat, she cannot do so any longer. If the bystanders had any wits about them, they would run as soon as possible because the aetherial glow grows brighter, blindingly so, as she calls forth Shiva as a whole.

She has not fully primed in this world yet, but there is always a first time for everything.]

Release me!

[Her voice takes on the sound of two people speaking at once, separate tones layered over one another, and it's the only warning Ulpianus will get before her body is suddenly shifting down in size. The flesh under his hand thins out, its normal width narrowing. Her torso shortens and aether surrounds the both of them in a burst of brilliance as a crowned woman comes forth and Jill herself disappears.

Though something is off, wrong even. Shiva, being the smallest of the Eikons already, is much smaller now, no more than a few feet in height. But her power, the iced over boulders she produces around her and Ulpianus, destroying the furniture and roof of the tavern, is no less almighty than usual.]

[encoreinthedeep]

[ Ulpianus's head whips round at the sound of Clive's voice - reinforcements? He didn't expect anyone to interfere, much less someone who apparently knows Jill. But his attention is immediately dragged back by the changes happening under his hand. ]

What--

[ The sound of two voices speaking at once. The shifting of flesh. Faster than thought, an image of Skadi flashes across his mind: is this what awaits her, too?

But he doesn't get the time to actually think about this. Perhaps it's the description of Eikons that Jill gave him that painted an image of them being greater than humans, or perhaps it's Ulpianus's own experience with Seaborn transformations, but her growing smaller is not what he expected. It makes him lose his balance, and there's the man coming at him from the side, and there's no time to dodge. ]

Ugh!

[ The best Ulpianus can do is bring up his anchor to block the swing of the broadsword. The force of it still knocks him back, slamming him against one of the icy boulders. He registers the pain from the impact - stronger than usual - but it's still much within what he's used to.

Still, while Ulpianus doesn't know this man, it's obvious that he's on Jill's side, and his arrival ruins the chances he had of making her talk by threats and violence. It may be time to leave soon. His eyes flicker around as he assesses the best way to make his exit... and perhaps Jill's ruining the roof will give him the chance he needs. Once he can make sure the other two don't come after him. ]

[gruffier]

[ There would be time for questions later (of which Clive had many) but there were a few things for certain that was happening in the moment- that Jill had been threatened enough to fully release her Eikon.

It was a jarring sight at fist seeing Shiva reduced to the size that she was, despite being one of the smallest in comparison to the rest. Yet even through this apparent handicap, the bitter cold of this Dominant's wrath was ill-contained in this wooden building. Even seconds after stepping in did the difference in temperature drastically shift, causing Clive's quicken breath to be shown in front of him.

Fuck. This was worse than he could have imagined.

But there was little time to think. He surveyed the area as quickly as he could, trying to find some semblance of a clue as to what transpired, but when nothing immediately stuck out to him Clive's only option was to do as he had always had. He was to protect Jill, and ensure her safety.

But was she in full control of Shiva? The thought struck a brief look of fear on his face as his eyes darted in her direction. ]

Jill! The patrons!

[ There will still some present in the tavern, and an Eikon fight of any size could be a disastrous one. It wasn't safe here— not for her, or anyone else. And there seemed to be only one particular person to blame. ]

You!!

[ His body to moved on its own, finding that Ulpianus' tumble into the ice was a perfect opportunity to hold him in place.

Clive's arms lashed forward, catching the man's forearm with his free hand while the sword bearing one was used to ram the hilt of it into his stomach, pinning him in place against the icy surface.

His vision shown red, pairing with the not-so-subtle flames that flicker into a spark around his palms and crawled up his arms, slowly eating away at the bitter cold of the room.]

What the hell is going on!?

[tilfrosset]

[Jill has a few questions of her own. Mainly, why is she so small? Certainly, this size is much better than the alternative considering they are still indoors and the roof looks like it's ready to cave in at any moment. A full sized Eikon would have annihilated what was remaining.

But Clive calling her attention pulls her away from the concern of her size and back to just how quickly things have gotten out of control. Shiva floats over to the patrons (including the two pirates who have forgotten their wagering and begun staring out of fear), swirling around them, forming a towering wall of ice behind her. It's not another attack, but both a form of defense between the patrons and two men battling it out and a way to prop up the ceiling.]

Run! Now!

[This time, it's one singular voice that speaks—Jill's—because Shiva is too busy demanding to get back into the thick of things. At least one of them has the presence of mind to remember they don't care for any collateral damage these days.

The patrons thankfully don't question the magical being commanding them and clamber over the shards of furniture , pushing one another to be the first to safety. The bartender, if anyone is paying attention to him, is in absolute tears as he makes his way out too, knowing his livelihood has been destroyed because one weirdly dressed man couldn't take no for an answer.]