The armour was bulky and stalwart, resembling a sea fortress. The monstrous head of a leviathan rested on the behemoth's head, completing the armour.
Through the maw of the sea terror, one could discern a muscular, human-like jaw. Turquoise light shone in the creatures sharp eyes, unknown if it was the lingering presence of its dying struggle, or if it was the sharpness that adorned the man's eyes. He slowly turned his menacing helmet and stared at the lying shadow, with deep, unknown meaningfulness in his eyes. Frustration, helplessness and resentment was evident in his gaze.
The shadow itself was still in a limbo, it's senses depraved and it's existence questionable.
"Akimi mi nohte..."* The man's voice resounded in the ruin. It had a deep and bass tone, almost biblical in nature. It carried weight and depth, as if the sea itself was speaking.
"Come out, you ape!" He demanded in indignance, his arms crossed over his chest, his authority undeniable.
Unfortunately, the room was empty, the only beings there, himself and the shadow.
But not for long.
The sunlight decorating the corridor swirled, as if stirred by the hymn of a god, and rotated swiftly, turning into a vortex. The light spectrum arranged itself in a mesmerising pallet of colours; red, orange,yellow, green, turquoise, blue and violet, embraced each other in perfect harmony.
The vortex expanded mid-air, turning to the size of accomodating a tall man, and the inside was refractive, as if its existence was questionable and loopy, both there and not there.
From the vortex another figure appeared. A man whose valor and arrogance were evident without even looking at him. His presence oozed ferocity and thunder, a never-ending frevor for battle and fighting.
He had the built of a man, a muscular man, with hair all over his body, golden in colour and silky smooth.
The features of his face were questionable, as he looked like a cross between a monkey and a man, with enlarged lips and small nose, as well as plenty of facial hair, existent to the sides of his face and in extent, of his head.
A mocking grin adorned his bizarre features, one that looked too mischievous to match his frevor.
He was wearing a very simple yellow and red Kāsāya, that allowed freedom of movement and gave him an enlighten look.
The most striking feature were his golden irides, that glowed with ethereal power and depth, reflecting the world like a golden mirror.
He carried a simple scarlet staff on his back, one whose figure was rugged and uneven. It's edges were adorned with a decorative design, a coiling, five clawed, Divine, golden dragon.
"Shut your tr*p, you smelly fish!"
He replied mockingly, showing no fear towards the towering, sea behemoth.
"Look at this! It happened again!
I swear, I cannot do this anymore!"
The blue-coated man yelled with frevor and exasperation, his voice showing deep unwillingness.
"What can I do?! It's your fault in the first place, you dumb*ss!"
The monkey-man replied filled with helplessness.
"Don't remind me, for the love of all the Gods! I still can't understand how the h*ll I got fooled by a damn goblin! Nimbus, seriously, this simply cannot go on anymore. This isn't the time for distractions."
The bulky man complained, now seeming more pitiful than terrifying. He had previously made a mistake, and had been dearly paying for it for a very long time.
"What do you want me to do Orca? He managed to imprint it! Who the h*ll knows what lucky star fell on his head when he was born, to manage that! You do, know that stup-... *cough**cough* I mean, honourable blacksmith made it impossible to snatch it from him. Their souls are tied, there's nothing we can do but hope." Nimbus replied, sweating a bit for his slip of the tongue. The blacksmith of the Heavenly realm could hand his a** to him on a platter by barely lifting a finger.
*Sigh*
"It's not like I don't understand what you're feeling, but believe me, there's just no running from this. But, I have to say, just remembering your face, the moment the great terror of the depths, the stallion of the oceans, the being whose name reverberates in the blue depths, realised that he was duped by a mere goblin... I mean... *Pfff*
Nimbus tried to contain his laughter, by placing his palm on his mouth, but simply found it impossible. The more he thought about that day, the more he laughed.
At some point he sprawled on the floor, rolling around and holding his abdomen. Tears were falling from his eyes.
"What are you laughing for, you oaf?! Look where that has gotten us! Is this really something to laugh about?! Godsd*mn, motherf-"
The terror of the depths and stallion of the oceans grit his teeth at the sight of his friend laughing, expressing himself in unbecoming ways for a man of his stature.
After a while he sighed and shook his leviathan helmet.
"Nimbus, this is serious, this time ----- payed attention to the goblin. This isn't funny; this isn't the time for unexpected variables. We're in a very, tough spot!"
The man held a lot of weight on his words, and and an anxiety-filled tone.
"Wait, -----, got involved? This is bad. Oh, this is very bad! Okay, okay, think! Think, Orca, think! We have to do something different this time, or else we might be paying for this dearly! Master is already p*ssed at me leaving without permission a few hundred years ago. I can't have him mad again! You don't know, Orca, you don't know, when that man gets angry... *Gulp*"
Nimbus features contorted to immense fear and anxiety.
The reason the name ----- was not mentioned, is because the name ----- was denied existence. Heaven Itself put a ban on the name, making any one unable to utter it. Their lips would move, but the sound would never come out. As if suddenly the air disappeared from their throats. As if existence itself could not handle the weight of the name. As if the figure behind that name was not to be spoken lightly, or at all for that matter.
Nimbus lightly stepped to the side and plopped himself on the floor, his hand reaching for his chin, while Orca paced around the room in hurried steps.
Both Orca and Nimbus simply stared into the void, their minds running scenarios and simulations, hoping for a good outcome.
Nimbus eyes suddenly brightened as if he had found the solution. A smile creeped on his face and he lifted his index finger as if to show he had an idea.
"I know! We can just give you up as the perpetrator and then, they wouldn't be mad! I mean, as long as I get away scot-free!"
He blurted out, an innocent smile hanging on his face.
*BOOM*
A dense, reverberating, insurmountable pressure made the atmosphere inside the ruin disperse, as if running to hide itself.
A shockwave propagated through the hall, the deafening sound resembling a sonic boom.
All of it originated from the behemoth clad in deep-blue, scaled, spiky armour. His arms crossed over his chest, his index finger slightly lifted. His figure was daunting and gigantic, creating a stunning image.
His eyes reflected the clashing of his existence with the atmosphere and shone with the colour of the deep sea. His gaze was fierce, chiling-cold and heart-stopping, exerting the pressure of the ocean.
Nimbus immediately felt the weight of a mountain on his shoulders. He nimbly spun on his back, and leaped himself unto his feet.
A moment later another shocking sonic boom propegated through the halls of the ruin, exerting the same amount of pressure as Orca did. The Wills clashed fiercely in the air, pushing each other.
Nimbus moved his hand and slowly grabbed his scarlet battle-staff over his shoulder. His eyes glowed with undefeated will and indomitable fighting spirit, their golden radiance cascading in the air. His fur widly blown in the winds, his Kāsāya dancing in rhythm.
The mocking grin adorning his face, slowly parted to say one simple, terrifying phrase.
"Come at me!"
As he said that his smile widened revealing a row of pristine, white teeth, becoming a menacing expression of unrelentless battle frenzy.
The clash continued for some time until Orca finally sighed and lowered his finger, retracting his heavy pressure and shaking his head.
Seeing that, Nimbus also retracted his, although begrudgingly.
"Tsk, coward!"
He muttered, snickering.
"If I didn't have other things to worry about I wouldn't even hesitate... But nevermind, Nimbus, what do we do...?" He asked, as if forgetting their childish clash.
*Sigh*
"I actually, do, have an idea. It's a crazy idea, it's a nuts idea, it's the kind that makes you wonder if I'm insane idea, it's the-"
"Oh, shut *p and tell me already! Gods, you really took everything after your Master didn't you, godsd*mn apes!"
Nimbus snickered a bit more. He couldn't help his mischievousness. There's a reason they called mischiefs, monkeyshines.
"We give him the dagger."
He blurted out as if saying something that was simple and logical.
"Huh? Can you repeat what you said, because I think you, I heard you say that we should give him the dagger. Now, I know me ears aren't exactly the same but-"
"No, you heard right. We give him the dagger."
Nimbus said, a grin creeping on his lips.
"Are you stupid?"
Orca replied, fully serious of his query.
"Oh come on, what's the worst that can happen?"
Nimbus remarked, but quickly shut his flappy mouth using his palm, as if realizing he had misspoken.
Who could have known; who could have forseen; who could have wondered; that this one decision, marked the end of the world as we know it.
_________________
*Akimi mi Nohte: "Not again" in Abyssal Tongue.