At the marine headquarters in the western waters, admirals sat down behind the same table. They received news reports, and chief admiral Warren introduced them to them.
"There's been a breach in the Bloomsgue Hazard. The 'Foul Vine' pirate Yibsiv's been working on a 'special' project to support the 'Crystal Reaper' pirate Rane. One of you should gather our forces and set sail for that location. Regarding our cooperation with Rane, it's critical to look into her intentions."
"The white-haired pirates regroup, now known as the Blue Phoenix Pirates," was another bit of knowledge that Lucina, Yules, and Elian discovered while reading the news story. Warren proceeded to provide directions as Elian seemed to be distracted by thoughts of the news article "Although already in the eastern waters, Admiral Fanny is headed towards Geyser Island. I do think one of you should assist her while the other travels to the Bloomsgue Hazard."
When they were thinking, Lucina addressed him, "If you don't mind, I'd like to suggest going to Geyser Island. Being the most knowledgeable about it, I can find Arledge. It shouldn't be challenging to capture and take him into captivity." Warren appeared to approve of Lucina's strong lecture and demanding submission "I must accept your offer, and I give you this responsibility. Admiral Yules or Elian should visit the Bloomsgue Hazard and inspect the breach. I think I'll give admiral Yules this task. Am I clear?"
Yules grinned and stood up, "Everything's clear, chief. I only request to bring along soldiers from the H-07 zone. They are the most acquainted when it comes to Bloomsgue Hazard. They've been there before, and I haven't. Their assistance would be valuable." Warren accepted his request and nodded, "I'll ask commander Leonora to aid you with this duty."
"Thank you, chief admiral. Her help is more than enough."
"Dismissed," Warren ordered, permitting Lucina, Yules, and Elian to exit his office. Elian read the article about Timothy's crew and began pondering, "They're on the east too... Knowing them, they'll most likely come in contact with Lucina and Yules. So far, they have sailed to every island with some disarray going on around it. From the Golden Wasakona all the way to la Cadena de Narón. They're almost bound to cross roads."
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Walking through the rainforest became repetitious, but Kyora and the others succeeded in making progress through their course. "Is there an end to this woodland?" Kou grumbled while tucking his arms on his chest, wearing a bored countenance. He didn't enjoy the long road and began becoming dissatisfied. "We're making good progress. Don't you worry about a thing. I have a good idea of where we're heading."
Kou raised his eyebrow with a twitching eye, "I'm even more worried now. I feel like we'll never gonna find 'em." Kou, by breathing in and out, shook his head and stretched his muscles.
Aurora walked beside him, and with her concentration focused on the road ahead, a problem undoubtedly struck her path.
-
She footed on an uneven stone when the dirt underneath her feet unexpectedly piled into a crater, causing Aurora to scream while she fell far underground together with Kou. Their impulsive screams hauled others' attention onto them, causing them to spin around and shout their names, "Kou! Aurora!" Yumiko called out, crouching beside the hole and looking into the bottomless, hollowed pitfall.
Aurora and Kou rolled far into the hole, their backs rebounding against the walls until facepalming the soil beneath them and balling even deeper.
They found themselves inside a cave with stalactites and stalagmites growing from the foundation and the ceiling. There were burrows from animals living inside those caves and torches hanging from the stony borders.
-
"Aurora-puffin!" Ralphie shouted, surprised and nervous, next to the others, "Hey! Can you hear us?!" Kyora hollered out to them, but there were no responses, "Are you okay?!"
But only silence slumbered deep in the abyssal hole.
"We have to go after them," claimed Yumiko, "nobody knows if they're okay. They could be seriously injured." Yumiko exchanged eyes with Kyora, who appeared stressed enough by the anxiety about her friends' possible injuries. "But how will we do that? Jumping down without knowing where the bottom is, is dangerous. And tossing a rock to see how deep it is could harm them more." Kyora explained, ensuring that others shouldn't risk wounding them. They understood, trying to think of a different approach.
-
The gloaming prevailed in the underground cave, and slowly but surely, Aurora recovered her vision and clutched her aching head. She came in view of lanterns, examining the area in dismay, "My head..." she recovered, yanking her palm from her head, and stood up with Kou after her.
"Aurora, are you hurt?" he inquired, wiping away the dirt from his dirty clothes. She nodded, "Just a headache, nothing terrible." She soothed herself and Kou, and glimpsed into the distance, "How deep are we?" she inquired, but Kou hollered up the hole, "Hey, guys! Are you up there?! Can you hear me?!" his voice echoed from between his palms to the top and reached others' ears.
His voice relieved Yumiko and their friends, "Yeah, we do! Are you two hurt?! Is there a way you can get out of there?!" Yumiko questioned, standing firmly on her feet.
Kou threw looks through the cave, seeing Aurora searching the surroundings. He replied, "We're both all right down here! We can't climb back up, but there should be an exit! Go on without us! We should be able to find some exit to return to the surface!"
Yumiko traded eyes with everyone around her, seeing them nod. Kyora stepped next to Yumiko, "Okay! Be cautious! Here, take this map when you get to the surface! You'll need it more than us!" Kyora claimed, folding the map and clipping it together with her hairpin. She dropped it into the hole and shortly landed on the rock next to Kou.
Kou picked it into his hands, unfolding it and examining it. He placed it in his pocket, "Gotcha! Go on! Find Tim and Chiaki! We'll catch up to you when we can!" Kou hollered as the crew on the surface agreed to his statement, "See you! Keep in mind that Aurora can't fight! Protect her if you run into trouble!" With their final warnings, Kyora's group walked away from the hole while Kou and Aurora coursed through the underground.
To be continued...