The joints twisted under the grip; the tissue being twisted, like rubber, till it was akin to paper… "Crrraaacckk!" The sound was but a pop compared to everything else going on around them.
…
However, the bloodcurdling scream that followed was not. Hotaru's arm; was it a fracture or was it being twisted beyond the point of return? How could she tell from the pain flashing in her eyes?
Jotou's head jolted up—a scream from far below she heard. Followed by another, "HOTARU!" scream from Fumeko who blinked-
Wait, something was wrong… Why couldn't she? The girl in the purple headband perhaps had wondered in her head, 'Is this what dad was protecting me from?', but not a word left her lips after that scream; her hand reached out as her blink spell, did not work.
Asobi looked up, unaware. The light faded from her wand, "The lights aren't working!" the magician disappeared from near the eyes of the whale and reappeared behind Fumeko.
"Wh-what's happening?" her attention went back to the scene before her, "Why aren't we… winning?" Asobi's face wilted. Through her eyes—a wolf-girl about to be devoured, screaming for dear life.
Her pupils constricted in those bright greens of hers, "Not again," a small tear dripped. A prism-like rainbow tint reflected as it went down her cheek.
"Hotaru! NO!" Jotou's sword sparked more and more, but she realized it was a fruitless effort. With a grunt, she lifted the blade out and raised it in the air, "Thundering-!"
Water rose to her boots and Jotou paused. It was, glowing blue… "Hotaru?" Jotou muttered—sword still raised and the glowing sparks fading away.
Down below the waves arose, wrapping around the shadowy form beached into the sand. "Stand back!" an old voice rang in warning as Fumeko and Asobi turned around.
Hotaru moaned out her last cry as her tail fell limp and her ears dangled. The last image she saw; her own body beginning to be mangled, a limb wrapping around her neck.
The redhead's eyes blinked one more time; a shining blue glow went over the limbs trying to murder her. She had enough strength to shift her head to the right to see, an old man in black clothing and dark skin before her eyes finally closed.
The last sound she heard as her fingers went numb unable to heal herself, was the low howling of the velatos in front of her and—"Splash!"—the sound of water surrounding her as she no longer felt restraints.
"Go get your friend, hurry!" Father Keel yelled to the two he stood behind. His hands were up, the velatos being surrounded by glimmering blue saltwater, wrapping around it like a blanket.
"Right! Come on Meko, let's go!" Asobi's voice cracked, pulling Fumeko along in a rush. Fumeko wordlessly mumbled something as she ran along being dragged by her.
Father Keel commanded it to heal. "Tss…" Like water upon an open flame, the healing magic sizzled whatever the velatos was.
"You actually came old man. Well thank Mare, right?" Jotou sighed as she heard the sizzling go under her feet. The whale didn't release a howl, but more so a disgruntled growl.
Asobi and Fumeko dragged Hotaru onto shore—narrowly avoiding the whale, but it no longer cared for them.
The dark limbs on its teeth retracted, its fins pushed into the sand and its tail stopped splashing.
"What's happening to you then?" Jotou scowled. Whatever dark magic surrounded the body of this creature was becoming translucent, revealing a pale grey body underneath.
She looked back to Father Keel, realizing that the healing magic theory she had was true. 'Hotaru's healing, is expert level…'
"You weren't ready for master level healing, were you you son of a bitch?"
"Jotou! Get out of there!" the priest yelled at the top of his lungs. Sweat dripped down his scalp as he gritted his teeth. The luminescent water was able to surround the entire body.
Before Jotou could react, a shock of electricity went across her hair in warning. She covered her ears in preparation of what she assumed.
No sound emanated from the beast, but- "SPLOOSH!!" A gush of water jetted out its blowhole as it shuddered its head in the sand.
Rain followed as puddles stained the sand once again. Fumeko snapped out of it for a second, "Asobi, invisible," she told as they dragged a soaking wet Hotaru, aside from her armour, to the priest.
A bubble went over them from the tip of the elf's wand. Jotou stood up again; the waters splashed behind her—it was not preparing to attack.
It was one other thing they all seemed to do in danger… It pushed its fins into the sand; it used its tail and opened its jaw to get itself unstuck.
The teeth opened up, releasing what water it had left; inside was akin to a plague of dark fungi, that had taken over till the eye could see. It pushed itself away from the beach.
Fumeko put her hands on Hotaru, "Come on wolfy, get back up," she shook the redhead by the shoulders before she glanced over to where Jotou was.
"Jotou!" Fumeko shouted. Letting Father Keel and Asobi deal with the Hotaru, she blinked out. She couldn't make it all the way in one spell, but the shadows blinked a few times across the beach before Fumeko stood next to the blonde.
"Oh, now it works!" Fumeko scolded herself, "I hate magic so much sometimes… Anyway, Jotou come on, let's get out of here," Fumeko tugged on her shoulder.
"Not yet," Jotou examined the top of the body.
"What!?"
The healing waters were fading around the creature as its eyes winced from the pain—low howls made its way out. Father Keel was busy healing someone else.
"Listen, you get out of here. I said I'd kill this thing… What's up with Hotaru? I think I saw you dragging her from here," her voice wavered.
Fumeko paused, "Uh… ugh… Never mind that! Don't do stupid things, come on you idiot!"
"One thundering strike and this mess comes to an end, so you better not be in the blast. Look at it," Jotou pointed at the magic with her sword, "We found a weakness, healing magic beyond master level."
Fumeko examined quickly… She could not agree more with Jotou but… "AGH!!! Fine!" Fumeko quickly wrapped her arms around Jotou in a hug, "If you don't come back, I'll kill you!" she blinked away.
Jotou took one step back, "Well then…" she was not expecting the sudden hug from the sound of the brunette's words, "Time for you to go velatos," she stood up straight, sword at the ready.
"Howl!" She immediately covered her ears, but it was not as loud as before… All the puddles could not even form into constructs and instead sunk into the sand.
The whale reared into the sea, able to move again, "How?" Jotou widened her legs. "It's smart enough to retreat?" her immediate thought before she was whisked away from the shoreline.
The whale did not linger, moving faster than a ship. She was moving way too quickly from shore; Jotou could only imagine her friends shouting her name.
She stood up straight again, watching the water splash up and rush beside her, "I can barely swim you dick, but I'm killing you right now.
I figured out your weakness and it's only a few more steps till I figure you out," Jotou readied her blade for one last swing.
"Hummm…" The whale… replied?
"Did you just…? You can hear me? Can't you!?" Jotou glared down to the form. It was no longer sinking down, just dashing away. It replied with a guttural wail.
"Why didn't you communicate before? No, you suddenly became clever… I'm not talking to some dead whale. It's you, isn't it?" the blonde's eyes narrowed.
The whale turned around, beelining for the shore once more. Her drenched blonde hair splattered against her face at the speed it was going. "You're going to try again!?"
Was it truly this smart or. 'Am I overestimating this thing?' Whatever the case, Jotou stood tall again, her blade sparked with electricity.
"Listen here, either tell this to your boss or if that's who's listening, great. I'm well on my way since that night, velatos.
You were already considered a danger, but now you're killing innocents. You hurt and almost killed my friends. You think I'm some weak idiot who's in over his head?
Then mark my words; I will be the end of you. I will prove you wrong you bastard!"
"THUNDERING STRIKE!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, swinging her blade with both hands, swishing it over her head and making contact with the body-
"BLASST!!!"
The people still around the pier waiting for authorities to arrive to escort them safely, could feel the wood rumble from the shattering thunder that echoed.
All of them looked into the distance as yellow streaks, like veins, flashed across the sky in an instant, lingering alongside the thunder unnaturally. Mutters and widened eyes were not scarce among them.
The three still conscious on the beach felt wind blast against them. Asobi caught her hat before it flew away. "She did it," Fumeko uttered, mouth agape in awe.
The lightning sparkled across the clouds above, originating from the incoming velatos. However, calling it anything other than a corpse would be wrong at this point…
"SPLASH!! SWISHHHhhhh…" The momentum pushed it beyond the shore; the shadows faded as it made its way to them like a parcel being delivered to their doorstep.
Steam released from the centre of the corpse—other than the blood and guts that spilled out of course. A trail of bloody water followed till the crimson liquid leaked onto the beach.
The tail flopped down, a good chunk of it was shredded against the sand. It was split open across its width; in the direction of the slash the blonde had made.
Speaking of whom… 'Hey.' She stood on top, smelling the innards that wafted in the air as the clouds began blowing away slowly.
'I can still see.' The sword cracked; blade turning into dust as she let go of the hilt. Her view of what she had accomplished was fading before her.
A drunkard's smile as her body swung from side to side. "Jotou!!"
'Is that Meko and …Sobi?' A little giggle escaped her lips. 'Well how about that. I can still hear… I did it.' Her thoughts kept going but, "Ngh…" was all she could verbalize.
'Take that velatos. Jotou two, or is it technically more…?' Her eyes waned more. The sight of her accomplishment below her feet, which were giving out.
'And whatever your score is… I'll beat it.' Her delirious smile went away and her eyes closed. Her skin felt heavy and muscles felt numb as the sound of wind, she could no longer hear—she was falling…
_
"I'll… I'll beat you…" words escaped Jotou's lips.
"Wake up now please," Jotou felt Asobi's hand shaking her shoulder.
"Huh…?" Jotou slurped, "Ow…"
Two fingers pried open her eyelids, "She's awake!" Asobi announced.
"Okay," the voice of Father Keel. Water surrounding her form, hair drenched and glazed with sand.
Jotou's hair glowed blue like fairy lights were hanging within. Head better and muscles not so tense, "Hotaru, Fumeko, where are they?" her first proper sentence.
Asobi helped Jotou sit up in the sand, the whale still in her view. Asobi turned Jotou's cheek to the right; Fumeko sat over Hotaru's body as it was being healed.
"Jotou!" Fumeko had only now realized as she rushed over, "Phew… everyone's okay. I want to punch both of you so bad right now…" she restrained herself.
Father Keel looked over to Jotou and gave a nod. He then faced the pier of people beginning to crowd against the tape. "All of you need to go before you get mobbed."
"But, what about Hotaru?" Fumeko pointed to her peacefully sleeping in the sand, breathing.
"I've fixed everything that needed to be fixed. Her body seems used to healing magic, a lot. For once, let it heal naturally and she'll feel much better than before. Don't rush her rest."
"Understood," Fumeko replied.
Jotou got up with the help of Asobi, "Thank you," the blonde uttered, "for everything."
The priest gave a smile, "Your courage is strong but put it in the right place. For now, you should be fine to function. Get back home and keep yourselves safe.
Don't worry about the mess. If someone comes asking, I know who stopped it. I'll be witness for the guild if need be. Goodbye for now and, come to visit some time."
Jotou nodded before taking another look at the whale, slashed by lightning. "Take care Father Keel," Jotou replied before they had to flee the scene.