Caelus froze as he heard someone address him from behind, turning aound slowly to look at them over his shoulder, before turning back to the door, which seemed even less safe than before. Shit, i can't run back out there, any chance I have at here not knowing I'm in here will go up in smoke, and besides, where else could I go? FUUUUUUUUUCCCCKKK, why did she have to hear me! CAelus considered the possibility of taking this guy hostage, but he knew that would be more likely to end badly for him, besides, this woman didn't sem like the type to care about others.

" . . . .I'm screwed, aren't I?" Caelus said with a sense of corned fatality as he banged his head against the door, his breath picking up as his body prepared himself for a fight. One that would likely end this whole damn boat and leave hims tranded in the ocean, if not dead. Not tomention that if they found him in that situation. . . "Dammit! Why did I have to stow-away on the one ship with a crazy, homicidal fox bitch! Fuck, if she's going to come at me, I ain't going down like a bitch inside a goddamn bathroom!"

As he spoke, Crash would notice his voice take on a slightly distorted tone as a dark energy pulsated from him. Tongues of his etheral blue flame began to fade into existence around his form, the largest two coming from his temples, forming what looked like a pair of blue and black horns coming from his head. His blonde hair had darkened slightly, tiny streaks of black being somewhat visible if one looked for them. But most of all, if one had the capacity to since such things, they'd notice that the energy he was radiating bore a great similarity to that of Lucifer himself. His eyes, which had been hidden under his hair up until this point, blazed with a deepening anger and desperation, a wave of black over taking them, leaving behind only a red slit pupil. He gave a growl as he pushed the door open, slamming it with a harsh bang. Turning his head in the direction he figured that Mizuki would be coming from, he growled as he stalked forward, Hellfire broiling from his every step and wrapping around his arms as he prepared for battle.

@Driving Park

~ Vikki ~

Vikki watched and listened to the merwoman speak. The sea creature's face displayed a range of emotions as she spoke, but Vikki was most intrigued by the "speed you along" part. This was exactly the kind of partnership she hoped this detour would foster. She had a tiny grin on her face, which corresponded with the merwoman's smirk.

Listening to the werewolf's questions, Vikki chimed in, "I'd imagine not a lot of abilities would still be useful underwater." She pulled out one of her katanas and examined it. "Any guns will be useless, so it's all blades for me...if even those are still usable," she added. Assuming that Kailani would first answer the werewolf's questions definitively, Vikki remarked to the merwoman "We're ready when you are."

"Ready for what?"

Vikki wheeled around at the sound of a familiar voice. "Ah, Carmen," she greeted. "I see that you were successful," she said, observing the ornate sword in Carmen's hands. The skylark flipped her hair as she surveyed the scene in front of her. "Oh, naturally," she replied. "It was delightfully simple." "Good," said Vikki. "We're about to be transformed into mermaids to go help the Atlantians deal with some things. Long story. It may lead to some intel about Marcus, though." "Sounds exciting," Carmen replied. "Do you need my help?" "We should be fine. How well do you know Elaniel?" asked the bounty hunter. "Oh, well enough. Why?" "You'd be most helpful going ahead and scouting a route for us through the mainland and delivering the sword to Maria," said Vikki. "That way once we get to shore we'll have a much better chance at avoiding detection." "Of course!" the skylark said, slinging the sword onto her back and grabbing her trumpet. She looked at the others, including the two creatures in the water and those she didn't recognize. "So sorry I can't stay and chat. I'm sure you're all lovely people. Bye for now!" And with that, Carmen transformed into a great gaseous bird and was gone.



Mizuki prowled the boat, attempting to find a sign of the man who had gotten her wet and fled using black and blue flames (that, were she not furious, would have admitted were pretty intriguing). As she searched, the 3% of her brain that wasn't occupied with anger had some thoughts run through it.

What I should really do is capture and expose him to the rest of the ship rather than fight him, since he's obviously a stowaway...but I don't know if I'll be able to do that.

Those flames looked decent...my fox-fire should be just fine, though.

But actually though "WHERE ARE YOU?!" she yelled out loud.

As if on cue, a door opened and out walked the perpetrator, this time surrounded in flames, possessing horns and a very hellish aura. Not that Mizuki had ever been to Hell to know for sure. In any case, he was clearly angry.

That's cute, she thought.

Mizuki was probably the worst possible person in the known universe to confront the enraged stowaway. A more...balanced individual would be able to calculate a way to take advantage of the state of rage. But this was Mizuki, and "balanced" was not in her vocabulary. The lunar fox-spirit's voluptuous hair and tails bristled with fox-fire, ready to unleash a torrent of the special flames at will. As she steadily walked closer to the adversary, the blue flames danced all around her, as if they were itching for something to annihilate. She looked angrily and ravenously at the stowaway, as if she'd been waiting for this opportunity all along. Deep down, her benevolent zenko side was crying out as it always did.

"I don't know how little you have to lose," she growled, the fox-fire completely enveloping her, "But I can guarantee that I have less."

She launched a searing hot blanket of fox-fire onto the deck in between her and her opponent, which began to slowly melt. Creaks began to ring out from all around the affected area, and the kitsune stopped short of the malleable-izing metal.

"Exhibit A," she said.

Kailani smiled at the blue haired woman's question. She figured that someone would ask that question eventually. She turned to look at Maruki, who was staring off at the distance, towards the temple.

"Mind explaining what happens when they transform?" She asked, giving him a look as if to say, "Pay attention, ya doof."

"Hmn? Oh... Certainly!" He began excitedly and turned to look at the group with what looked like a wide grin. "You'll transform into a merperson. Some powers will remain while others will be cancelled out by my own magic. Say, for instances, you have the ability to cast fire. Underwater, that will not work. All of you, however, will gain some powers native to the merpeople due to the transformation. It may take a tick to get used to but you'll be able to will water to make strong barriers as well as manipulate water into working for you. Kail and I can help you all with these powers should you wish to use them. I recommend we spend the first day testing our powers and getting used to them before we embark to the temple as much as I'd hate to wait." He explained, long winded as ever.

Kail shook her head as he spoke, chuckling at his speech and then smiled and nodded at those on the ship. "It'll be a leap of faith, but I promise Maruki and I will do whatever we have to do to keep you safe. I'm rather adept at Healing and Restorative magics as well as barriers. Maruki is... well... a sea deity so you'll never know everything that he's capable of." She explained.

-Andromeda-

she listened to the sea snake's description and chuckled nervously "great..." she glanced up "I'm gonna assume since the snakes on my head are part of me they'll be able to breath too..." she said it more to herself but wouldn't mind an answer if it came.
she carefully listened to the Merwoman's description of her's and the sea snake's powers. Andromeda was very used to talking to herself and found herself saying "well I've never underestimated the power of a snake before, It'd be hard to when they're half the people you talk to..." she realized she'd said that out loud and blushed, looking down.

she glanced over the railing at the water then around at everyone else. she sighed and looked at Rain "I'll be right back, don't leave without me"
and with that she spun and quickly hurried back below deck where she'd left her bag, she snatched it up and quickly rifled through it. she wasn't sure how quickly the others would want to leave and she didn't want to hold them up. she found her glasses case sitting at the bottom of the bag and pulled out her sun glasses, before sliding them on and pulling off the veil and throwing it in her bag.
she spun quickly and ran back up the stairs, slightly annoyed by the dark quality to the vision she'd have to deal with if she didn't want to kill anyone. she stopped beside Rain again "i'm ready to go when everyone else is"

Crash rolled his shoulders, shrugging slightly as Caelus spoke, if he'd ticked Kelly off then Crash was inclined to agree with him on that count. Giving the guy in front of him a quick once over with his good eye Crash realised he didn't actually know who he was, neither did he recall seeing him get onto the boat back in Lavanya. Before he could even open his mouth Caelus's angry exclamation ended up answering the majority of questions that were in his mind...the change in the other mans tone also managed to unnerve him a little. The strange concoction of flames that licked their way around the man's form as he in effects transformed into something that Crash hadn't come across before, despite the demonic horns and eyes the rest was cosmetic and Caelus remained more man than demon in Crash's eyes. Though the red haired shapeshifter still had the sense to prepare himself for anything, he wasn't afraid by the transformation more so he was concerned. He ground his teeth together as the demonic man growled and pushed his way out of the small bathroom...no doubt making his way towards the angry kitsune. "If he's an agent of Marcus...why am I not on fire right now?" Crash murmured, moving through the bathroom door, he watched Caelus walk down the deck towards Kelly. "...I really miss the others" He sighed to himself.

As Kelly finished voicing her threats, Crash reappeared just to the side of the two angry individuals with one of the ships fire extinguishers in hand. Aiming the hose he blasted foam over the melting area of the ship in the hopes of extinguishing them and keeping the ship in tact. "Cut it out!" Crash snapped looking from Mizuki to Caelus "Both of you. This is not the time or place for this" He continued throwing the empty canister tot he ground "It may happen in Lavanya but in this world ships do not suddenly burst into blue or black flames in the middle of the ocean!" He stated "Neither do people for that matter" he added looking at Caelus. "And while I'm on a tangent...and still breathing...who the hell are you? And what are you doing on this ship?" He directed that at Caelus before turning back to Mizuki trying very hard not to step away from her...there was a good two metres of space between them but Crash wasn't convinced that was enough "And what in gods name did he do to you to make you want to melt down this entire ship? Actually no, don't answer that...its a stupid question" Crash was talking fast, irregularly fast...probably because he knew deep down that despite his interference there was a chance that one of the two individuals before him were going to start throwing fireballs or something of the sort at each other at any minute.

"If you want to fight do so by all means once we are back in Lavanya. Because as much as you think you have 'nothing' to lose here and now, I can assure you, you are wrong" he told them, lifting his hands to make inverted commas as he said the word 'nothing', before he lifted a hand to his chin running his thumb and fingers down his cheeks before he folded his arms across his chest and lifted an eyebrow at the two people before him. After he had finished speaking, he felt a strange sense of division within him, half of him wondered if his melodramatic speech had been heard and thought over whilst the over half was brewing up a plan of escape should he need to leap out of the way when the two of them started throwing shots at one another. "Can't we just talk this one out, just for the time being?"

---

Rain had a feeling that her abilities would be useless underwater even before Vikki chimed in, passing the small lunar ball through her clawed fingers the werewolf turned her head to look at the other woman as she pulled out her katanas. "Then I hope the ones that matter are" she murmured How can I trust my instincts if they change who I am? I'm wired to be a werewolf... tilting her head to the side she studied Vikki's katana's for a moment "Don't quote me on it but I'd imagine once you've mastered the drag they'll be usable" she commented whether Vikki had meant her to or not. She figured if she was wrong the merwoman would soon correct her or perhaps Maruki would considering the smile she threw in his direction.

As Carmen's voice met her ears, Rain felt a cold tingle run the length of her spine, peeling her lips back to reveal the elongated canines she turned sharply to look at the newcomer. Despite how hostile her body language was she didn't act upon it just settled Carmen with a distrustful look before turning her attention back to Kailani and Maruki, half listening to Vikki and Carmen's conversation as Kailani got Maruki to explain how things were going to work. The werewolf was momentarily distracted by Carmen's transformation into an impressive gaseous bird, she felt herself relax a little more now that there was one less stranger for her to contend with.

As Maruki gave them a very detailed description of what would happen, the werewolf lifted her free hand up to her face to run her fingers through her damp hair, she couldn't openly say she was comfortable about this arrangement. Catching Kail's smile and nod of encouragement Rain let a small sigh pass her lips Leap of faith indeed...convincing case though can't really beat adding healing and restoratives magic with an all powerful 'sea deity' She turned her head to glance at Andromeda as she commented on her snakes, she offered her a small smile that was meant to be encouraging. Though she couldn't quite stop the amusement from entering her expression as the snake haired woman admitted she spent a lot of time talking to snakes "Wise choice" she assured Andromeda with another small smile.

Nodding her head at the snake haired woman she too looked over the rail at the depths below, fear slithered between her ribs causing her rib cage to constrict painfully. "Right..." she sighed closing her fingers around the ball of light hovering above her palm "Lets get this over with then" She stated, gripping the railing she hopped up onto it as Andromeda reappeared at her side wearing a pair of sunglasses. "Sunglasses...?" She asked curiously as she waited for Kailani or Maruki to cast the spell. As she stood on the railing she found herself watching the calm water below, trying not to recall the last time she'd been in its cold grasp.

Kail smiled as those on the ship talked it through and prepared. Once everyone seemed to have gotten ready, she turned to Maruki and nodded. The large sea snake nodded his head in turn and looked towards those prepared at the edge of the ship. One at a time, he looked at them. His eyes would glow bright blue-green and a blue-green mist would surround them. When it dissipated, they would fall into the water having been changed into a merperson.

Kail simply smiled to herself as she watched them slowly change one by one, trying not to let her thoughts wander to those trapped in the temple. She felt anxious and wanted very badly to rush to the old temple grounds, with or without them but she knew it would be foolish to do so. So, she stayed, putting on a smile as she watched to make sure everything went well.

- Andromeda -

she smiled when Rain commented on her glasses "my eyes kill people and a veil won't stay in place underwater, this is safer" then she turned to water and steeled herself "let's do this"

she carefully watched Maruki as he eyed the people and the mist began to surround them. when his large eyes landed on her, she shrunk back a little and her snakes pressed against her head and hissed. the mist came up and she felt herself changing. it felt more odd then painful. she could feel her legs pulling together, she could feel gills forming. her breath quickened and she grabbed the railing and prepared. As she felt the transformation coming to an end she pulled herself up and over and dove into the ocean.

she crashed into the ocean and gulped in water. for a second she panicked until her brain reminded her she had gills and could breathe. she took a couple deep breaths before looking around at the others and looking for the merwoman and snake creature. her own snakes huddled against her head, confused. she found Rain "you alright?"

"what now?" Andro asked their companions "where's this temple?"

Choices...

Why do we frequently question them?

Objectives...

Why do we so inherently follow them?

Questions...

Why do we always make them?

No matter if you are human, demon, angel or what have you, those often come disturb your thoughts and they were no different in Baalthar's case. The ever glowing, crystalline eyes glanced upon the vast land, his expression the never changing pokerface that showed absolutely no emotion. His eyes, no matter how lively their color may be, always carried this unchanging lifeless look on them. They ran over the buildings currently on sight - and what a sight, luxury at it's finest, all under the ownership of a single man - or well, his family. Cross. How ironic that a word which meant something very delicate to those who were religious, could be understood as a sign of power and fear when it's in front of an individual's first name.

Baalthar's slender fingers ran across the hilt of the Umbra Regis, the powerful shadow blade. A sigh. A blink of his eyes. A deep, unnecessary breath. The man took a few steps forward and inclined forward, resting his elbows at the balcony of one of the windows. Out of all choices Baalthar had, he took the least expected one; to offer his sword and power to a such a disgusting being - namely known as Marcus Cross. And even with his tactically thought reasoning behind such choice, questions still ran his mind - and rather frequently. Perhaps it was due to the one thing Baalthar dreaded the most; serving. As he commonly said, Baalthar would never serve, and he did state that very clearly. He wasn't under Marcus' orders, no, he was offering his aid in request of the same, all because they both strived towards the same goal.

... Or not. Baalthar's goals involved Lily Brightendale and the Lux Regis, the angel was a matter of petty vengeance, while the light sword, oh, now that was a true objective. This blade rivaled Umbra Regis in power, and Baalthar could still perfectly remember the words he found engraved onto a stone, right next to the Umbra Regis when he first found it:
"Thy who wields both light and dark, in each hand, will possess the power to reign above all."
And that was what motivated his search, his desire to obtain the only piece missing to achieve the power he always dreamed with, the power to conquer, to reign... But, things weren't easy. He spent the last few years searching for any trace of the Lux Regis, but there wasn't a single clue, nothing that could put him in the right direction. So, he came to the thought that perhaps, someone could've found it - and since there wasn't any destructive, uncommon behavior, it could've been someone who was good willed... An Athalian, for example. This is the reason Baalthar sided with Marcus, if he attacks Athalia and someone retaliates with brute power - the kind of power that belonged to the wielder of the Lux Regis, for example, Baalthar would finally know, and he'd finally know where to strike to obtain what he desired for so long.

Baalthar's weakly slammed his hand down - it was a mixture of frustration, for once more spending so much time thinking about his goal, but having yet to take action that brought him close to it.

"And who, pray tell, told you that you had permission to stand up there?" A feminine voice rang from below Bael's perch. "Come down at once, demon." She barked, turning back to walk to the center of the tower. The woman was none other than Lauren Cross, the wife of the owner of the mansion. She rubbed the bridge of her nose as she waited for him to come down.

"Hm?"

Without actually looking back to see where the voice was coming from, the young man simply stood where he was; not moving his body with the intent to leave, at all. All he did was roll his shoulders, giving the woman a scoff.

"Demon? You're selling me short."

Slowly, Baalthar's body became a mass of shadows which dissipated into nothingness, reappearing directly behind the woman - with his back turned to her.

"And the day I need... permission to be somewhere has yet to come."

"Riiight." She responded, drawing out the syllable. "Regardless, Marcus would like to speak with you. I'd head there at once, you know... Should it please you're... 'demon'ness." She continued, raising her brows in a carefree manner. With a shrug, she wandered down the stairs, short white hair bouncing as she did.

Marcus meanwhile, stood in his study, pacing too and fro, grumbling about the incident with the sea serpant. He sighed. He really hoped she'd explained that he needed to go to the meeting room to meet him via com rather than for him to come directly to his study. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the demon's 'better than thou' attitude. He just wanted something done.

"Very well." Baalthar replied, when it was stated that Marcus wanted to speak with him. Without further ado, the demon began making his way towards the meeting room and once there, he simply stood still, leaning his shoulder against the nearest wall, his arms folded in front of his chest. He said nothing, yet, as it wasn't him who wanted to chat around.

With a sigh, Marcus walked over to the com unit, a computer with a camera that linked up to the other room and pressed the 'Play' button on the front end. In both rooms, the screens lit up revealing either side, though Marcus' was hazy as best.

"I need you to go and spy on my dear old sister for me. Should be easy enough and you're probably already curious about her. Don't let her see you but keep an eye on her. Report to me using the stone on the desk near you every afternoon. If you don't report after two days, I'll send someone in after you. Is that clear?" He spoke, not stopping for plesantries or explanation as to why he wanted her spied on.

All Baalthar did was listen intently, not saying a single word, as he found it a waste of time. After the man was done, he simply made his way over to the desk, picking up the likely magical stones that would enable him to comunicate with Marcus, then left the room. It took a few seconds for him to become a moving mass of shadows that instantly left the Cross' mansion.

Now, let's see what I may find useful about his... sister.

Rain looked back at Andromeda as she replied to her question. 'Well damn...what do you say to that?' "Lets hope they work...though wouldn't those lense things be a better option?" She murmured the last part, trying to recall what she could about the lenses she had seen. Her fathers friend had worn them to protect her eyes or so she had told Rain.

The werewolf swallowed her nerves as Kail nodded at Maruki. She watched him carefully as he turned to face Andromeda only tearing her eyes away from him as the blue-green mist surrounded the woman beside her. 'Oh this is by far the stupidest thing you have agreed too yet' She reprimanded herself as she felt Maruki's eyes on her. She curled her fingers into her hands and braced herself for whatever pain this change was going to bring, in her experience changing into something else was always painful.

So it came as a surprise when the mist harmlessly engulfed her, her bones didn't break and reform neither did her skin stretch. Her legs were gently pushed together and a cold sensation ran the length of her spine as her tail formed. Unfortunately Rain hadn't picked the best place to stand, with a pair of legs balancing on the side of the boat was easy now that she had a tail instead it was nigh on impossible. As this thought crossed her mind she reached out for the chain she'd left hanging beside the ship, but it was just out of her reach and before the mist had completely dissipated she fell head first into the water.

Despite knowing she'd changed into another form, Rain couldn't quell the panic that rose up inside of her. She couldn't swim and the water had her, Piper couldn't save her this time. Her eyes were open despite her mind's objections and she was able to see the tail of the chain bobbing in the water beside her. Clawing at the water and wriggling with all her might she burst through the surface of the water with a gasp and grabbed a hold of the cold metal. 'Sirius preserve me' She prayed, taking in a few shuddery breaths and resting her forehead against the chain as she tried to calm herself down.

Due to Rain's biology she hadn't changed into a picture perfect merperson. As Andromeda still had her snakes and sunglass covered eyes, Rain's current form had taken her other side into account. Her ears were pointed with a jagged tip, small clawed spines ran down the spine of her tail, both her top and bottom set of canines were visibly elongated and her eyes had changed to a dark purple. Curling her clawed fingers tighter around the metal chain the werewolf looked down at the tail that had replaced her legs, moving it back and forth as Andromeda sought her out.

"Yeah...I'm...I'm fine...." She replied to the other woman's question, wondering if she should have told them all that she couldn't swim before Maruki turned her into a mermaid. 'Your need to prove yourself could have jeopardized this mission before its even started' She thought to herself, she wasn't usually this reckless...but she felt as if she needed to prove herself. Unable to look at either Vikki or Kail she continued looking down at her tail as Andromeda asked what was going to happen next.

~ Vikki ~

"Alright, I can deal with this."

Those were Vikki's first words after being transformed into a mermaid. Spoken with contentment, they were immediately followed by a loud splash as Vikki dove underwater to do some...testing. This involved swimming around very quickly, darting in all directions and speeds to get used to the agility limits of a mermaid. Vikki needed to be comfortable in her own skin, even if it was now half scales. The "testing" also involved swinging her katanas around underwater to see how useful they would be. Still useful, but more difficult. After a couple of minutes of generally disturbing everyone on the surface by splashing a lot, Vikki surfaced again.

"I'm going to have to watch for rust...mental note to get some dedicated underwater weapons made ASAP," Vikki remarked to nobody in particular as she took stock of everyone else mermifying. "As soon as you're all comfortable enough, let's go," she called out, this time to everybody in particular. Looking at Kail, she continued, "Whenever you're ready."

Maruki chuckled at the wolf woman, and spoke to her, "Swimming will come naturally. It's a part of the magic. Don't worry about it. Your fins will do the work for you. I assure you of that."

Kail nodded in response and then turned to look at Vikki, a smile on her face. "If everyone is ready, then please follow us." She called out before diving down. With the group behind her, Kail swam, following Maruki and he led them towards the ruins of the old Atlantis. It had open halls and rooms but most of the columns were shattered and many of the statues lay in shambles. Small schools of fish swam around and large plots of coral grew in different area.

"Are we close?" Kail called out to her companion. He turned his head slightly and simply nodded before turning back. It wasn't long before they came upon possibly the only door remaining intact.

Maruki turned to the group. "Once I open this door, I will not be able to close it. You must all promise me that YOU will be the ones to get whatever lays inside. In truth, I know what lays at the end of this temple... It is an ancient weapon with the power to restore and heal. However, in the wrong hands it can do just the opposite. Promise me, all of you, that you will not let it fall into the wrong hands." He spoke to them, his voice firm.

"I promise my life on it." Kail replied before turning to look at the others in the group.

- Andromeda -

she watched Rain carefully and it occurred to her that she had been swimming without even thinking abut it. her tail had just done the work on it's own without any thought on her part. she swum a little closer, a bit clumsier now that she was aware of what she was doing. "Rain? it's alright, i don't know how to swim either" she looked around at the other merfolk "but it's a bit like breathing while we're like this, as long as you don't think about it, it's easy" she held out hand "do you need some help?"

Andromeda took a moment to really look at herself. Well the best she could anyway. her tail was the same dark emerald green her naga tail was and was rather similar, being long and a bit thinner then everyone else's. the fin at the end was aerodynamic and a washed-out green. her scales were extremely small and traveled up her torso and under her top, she suspected it covered part of her back as well but she could't see. her skin was the same marble white as before, contrasting quite a bit to the darker color of her scales. she assumed she looked quite strange, with sunglasses on, green snakes instead of hair and skin so pale she could be a statue, covered in dark green scales. she held back a giggle and yanked her attention to their merwoman guide.

as they started moving, Andromeda was having a bit of trouble. partially because she was still trying to figure out how to swim, partially because she was keeping an eye on everyone else, seeing if anyone needed help, Rain in particular. she was a graceless mermaid but she could move. when old Atlantis appeared around them, she was awed. it was beautiful, even in it's destruction. her eyes were drawn to broken statues and sculptures and she shivered, reminded quite vividly of what she was capable of doing to someone. but she wasn't going to let that stop her. she kept on going but hung as close as she could to the others. she loved looking at the fish, she loved seeing life thrive it always calmed her down some.

Andromeda stopped as they approached the door. she felt nervous, a little sick too but she wasn't going to mention it. the door had an ominous feel to it but she listened intently to what Maruki had to say. she took a deeo breath and steeled herself. she answered soon after Kail "i swear it" she replied, sounding far more confident then she felt.

Rain leant her forehead against her hands, anxiously watching Vikki zip around under the water. Her eyes weren't able to follow Vikki as easily as before, though she could hear each turn and felt the disturbance it made. The rest of her body didn't feel like it was hers any longer...by rights she should have adapted to the shift faster than anyone else, this sort of transformation was a large part of her life. She growled in the back of her throat as Vikki splashed around, glad to hear her vocal chords hadn't changed...at least above water, she doubted she'd sound the sound beneath the surface. "I-" Rain glanced at Maruki as he spoke to her, she'd trusted him thus far "I'll be alright in a moment...thank you" She decided on saying, looking back down at her tail as it lazily swayed through the water. She was using the chain to hold herself up rather than trusting her tail to do it.

"As long as we don't spend years down there, they should be fairly safe...just might need to buff them when you're back up" She murmured quietly in answer to Vikki's remark, hoping against hope underwater skirmishes were not going to be a thing after this.

Rain felt herself tense up as Andromeda swam closer to her, though she relaxed a little when the other woman admitted she couldn't swim either. "Could have fooled me" She commented with a small smile, taking a deep breath as she listened carefully to what Andromeda was saying. 'Just like breathing...' She glanced at Andromeda's offered hand, a little surprised that she had offered to help. Tentatively the werewolf reached out to grasp Andromeda's hand, conscious of her claws and hesitantly let go of the chain. "Thank you" She murmured as her tail worked to keep her above the surface. After a few moments she tried moving around, not enough that she disturbed Andromeda or was forced to release her hand, she also dunked herself under the water to see if she really could breath, that one took a few attempts. '...still think I prefer legs...but she's right, it's easy' As Kail called out and dove beneath the surface, Rain felt a nervous shiver pass through her, still she released Andromeda's hand so as not to hinder the other woman any further and ducked down beneath the waves.

The werewolf was far from elegant below the water, she hovered at the back of the group, trying to test how agile she was beneath the water. Which meant occasionally she'd dive off in a random direction before scrabbling her way back towards everyone. 'If I can't move fast what use am I? Am I still strong?' As she thought that she tried to turn sharply and almost collided with one of the broken statues, before she could think it through she instinctively twisted around it. A smile crossed her face as she hovered there for a moment before she swam after the others, weaving between a few statues and diving down into the plots of coral. She could hear scales graze across stone as the fish swam past them and the distant singing of a pod of whales. She could sense the vibrations through the water as well as hearing them...it was odd but comforting.

When the rest of the group stopped at a door, she swam over to join them, circling Andromeda once before coming to rest beside her, she sensed the other woman wasn't comfortable. The werewolf herself wasn't as nervous as she had been before, she was sure she was still in her own body and despite the change in her senses, they were still as good if not better than they were before. The only thing that bothered her was her lack of smell, she couldn't seem to pick up any scents in the underwater world...at least she thought she couldn't. 'Well they did tell me I needed to stop relying on my nose' She thought absently as she turned to listen to what Maruki had to say. She wasn't entirely comfortable with what he was asking of them, folding her arms across her chest, she glanced down at the glittering array of scales and seaweed like material that effectively covered her dignity like a bikini top. 'I can't make a promise like that, I will not die for you...not at the expense of my people' The thought crossed her mind as she avoided the sea god's eye, she wasn't surprised that Kail swore her life on it. The werewolf ground her teeth together "I'll do everything within my power to prevent that from happening" She decided on saying, it wasn't a solid promise but judging by her body language it was the best she was going to offer, at least it was something though.

The large sea-god nodded it's head at those the responsed, making distinct eye contact with those that had chosen to remain silent. But at this point in time, he had no other choice. He would have to deal with the consequences when they came.

Kail made note of those that spoke up and those that had not and kept that information stored away for future use. It didn't mean she could trust those that had responded to Maruki, but she at least had a bit of respect for them. Kail turned to Maruki with a soft smile and determined eyes and nodded.

Maruki nodded in turn and swam down to the base of the door. To those watching, it would look like the large sea serpent booped his nose to the door and then it suddenly glowed... However, Maruki had entered a separate 'spiritual' world where he spoke to the door's ancient guardian. For those watching, it was mere seconds, but for Maruki it was days... weeks of arguing and persuading his old friend.

As the green glow spread over the door in intricate swirling patterns, the doors began to shift. Kail had never seen this and had honestly expected the doors to swing out in some sort of grand manner, but was taken aback when they simply pulled back and slide into recesses in the rock formations. The opening was dark and as Kail peered in, the glow from the door slid down and lit up the hallway that sloped downwards towards the earth's center with a bright green light.

Maruki nudged Kail and told her and her alone with his telepathy, "Take care, Little One." She nodded in return and motioned for the group to follow her as she went down the long hallway/shaft downwards.

A few minutes into the decent, a faint noise could be heard by those with distinct hearing. Kail failed to hear it and continued on. The sound, to those that could hear it, was an odd noise. It sounded like something hard and slick scrapping against the walls of the hallway and as they went on, the volume increased.