Tales of Exzalia, death of magic.

Vayla was slapped, she retaliated with lightsquall to Pickles face, it was a fast blinding spell that detonated upon hitting it's target. She weaved it faster than the drunken Pickles had time to react to. He flipped in the air twice and landed on his back, the spell blinding him for a few moments."

"say that again uncastable, and I'll show you real pain. She growled holding a weave pointed at him."

 

Pickles he lunged at her but missed by a mile. He was swatting at whatever he could "I wish I could have killed Tess, you bitch." He snarled at her. He was smiling all the while. Pickles was to drunk to actually pose a threat. Normally Pickles would never ever, ever, ever hurt a woman on purpose. But the emotions of killing Vampira and the booze had taken a toll on him. In his regular mind those were still not proper excuses. To be honest Pickles wanted to kick his own ass.

 

Pip gaped at the two fighters. "Mom please tell me you've never gotten drunk before?" she said, quirking an eyebrow at Emery. She had gotten plenty of lectures never to go near alcohol and now she knew why. Pickles was acting very uh . . . unlike himself.

 

Will

He understood exactly what was happening to Pickles right now. So what he did next he did out of pity. Walking up to Pickles he backhanded him as hard as he could in the face, sending him sprawling against the ship railing.

"Stop, now get up, go downstairs and sleep. If you don't, I'll toss you overboard for the sea to drown. There's no place for a worthless has been hero who's so wrapped up in his own self pity to do anyone any good." Will looked down at him, eyes cold as ice. "Now either get yourself together, or go for a swim."

 

Vayla rubbed her cheek they still hurt a little. "Thankyou Will, Tassy you were saying?"
"Right...we need to buckle things down very shortly we will be encountering Lethross falls. The ride down his throat is going to be brutal." Tassy pointed towards the bow of the ship, in the distance the sound of a roaring waterfall grew louder. "We have one hour."

 

Emery Rose

"Mom please tell me you've never gotten drunk before?" Pip asked, quirking an eyebrow. Emery returned the same look her daughter was giving her. Pickles was acting like a lunatic. If only they could've avoided the situation. Emery could still imagine the pools of blood...the gruesome sight that had made her go below deck. She understood how Death could bring on such madness, but instead of fighting against it, Pickles was giving in to it.

"No, I've never gotten drunk like that," Emery said reverting her eyes when Will slapped Pickles, "Just a buzz is all I've gotten, but it was only once and I don't recommend that either. Disgusting."

"...we need to buckle things down very shortly we will be encountering Lethross falls. The ride down his throat is going to be brutal." Tassy pointed towards the bow of the ship, in the distance the sound of a roaring waterfall grew louder. "We have one hour."

Thankful that the Pickles wasn't the center of attention anymore, Emery followed the order, walking over to Tassy to help.

 

River

"How are we supposed to survive a drop like that?" River asked as she began to help tie things down. She took off her bow and quiver and put them in crate so they wouldn't go flying and killing anyone when they fell.

 

Soon the sound of the waves grew overpowering, the raging water fall just ahead of them spanned for miles on end stretching seemingly for ever. "I'm starting to get second thoughts about this, you sure it's safe Tassy?" Steam asked.

"Steam, I am 100% certain this not safe, now hold on to something!" The water was picking up speed, soon they were zooming towards the fall, their small little boat felt like it would capsize at any moment. With everything buckled down, the worlds largest waterfall drew them closer with great eagerness.

 

Pickles sat in the lower deck depressed, drunk and alone. His eyes wavering. "Get up." Another voice said bluntly. But wait it wasn't any other voice. It was his own. But less slurred of course. He looked up at the vision of himself. It looked just like him except more confident and he still had his arm and eye. "Wh..what." Pickles muttered sadly. The other Pickles picked his counterpart up and slammed him into the wall. He then sent a punch directly at his jaw. Pickles head snapped back. "You know your a real piece of work you know that." Other Pickles spat out. "You really think Vampira would want you to destroy your ideals, you lost a lot of respect up there." He said dropping the real Pickles. Pickles looked up at his more talkative self. "But I ki-" He was cut off by the fire up eyes of his counterpart. "So what? You killed, you also put your hands on a woman and got wasted. You have done a lot of bad on this journey." Real Pickles bowed his head in shame. Other Pickles smiled at him. "But you have done a lot of good to. You stood your ground to protect Tassy, even though she was an enemy, you defended River and Eris when Argis insulted them, you always tried to go for peace first and most of all you set Vampira free." Real Pickles looked up with his one good eye. Other Pickles continued "Now tell me are you a hero or a killer?" Real Pickles gulped. "H..hero. I'm a hero. No I'M AM A HERO!, I fight monsters and save people!" He shouted getting fired up. Other Pickles grinned. "That's more like it now tell me you gonna let Will, Tess, Lebry and the rest of those guys show you up? Or are you gonna show them, what kind of hero you can be." Real Pickles saluted "I'm gonna show them, the hero I can be." Other Pickles laughed "Alright then. But remember you should remember to apologize the others." Real Pickles nodded. "Oh and get ready for a ruff ride." Real Pickles looked up "What?" He replied. But his other self was already gone. Pickles sighed and once again shouted "Hero of all of Exzalia!"

 

The boat began to tip as the water fall was but a meter from them, in a few seconds they would fall off the highest place in the deepest ocean. Everyone's face was pale save for Kithri who flapped around teasingly.

"All right, this is were we test our LUUUUUCCCCCCKKK!" Tassy shouted as they fell over the edge.

Hestrical screaming followed the boat flipped once before crashing back onto a watery surface, Steam opened his eye's.

"Oh my God."

They had not fallen to far, but were they landed was breath taking. There little boat was now rushing down Lethross throat as fast as the wind, the water acted like the universes biggest water slide, for miles around it was nothing but rushing water, roaring down beside them, And endless white water rapids. The speed in which they travelled was un imaginable, like flying on a windseer.

Tassy laughed at all there terrified faces, "I got you all good huh? man you were so scared of a 10 second drop, welcome to lethross throat. Or what we like to call the highway!"

"Wow this is pretty fun Wanderer exclaimed as they sped down the rapids. Even Vayla seemed to laugh. "hey River! bet ya you don't have this on land! River?"
What she saw wasn't River, but some sort of green tall oddly attractive Goblin on the verge of death hurling her insides out over the railing.

"....I think the elf is dieing." Vayla called teasingly.

"wait until we reach the ramps
." Tassy said, "Come on River, you should be loving this, I mean being as it's in your name and all."

 

Pickles ran to the top of the deck. He had been brushing his teeth like a madmen getting every last bit of booze off his breathe. His eyes were confident and ready for anything. He had finally connected his mechanical arm. He looked around until he spotted Vayla. He rushed her screaming like a madmen. He picked her up in a massive bear hug. He was crying a little "I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so , SORRY!" He said kissing multiple times on the cheek he slapped her. "I know you hate me and I know sorry is no excuse for hitting you. But please feel free to call me an idiot, weirdo, hit me and berate me as much as you like." He said looking in her eyes. "I also called you the b-word. I'm so sorry." He said continuing to hug her. "I don't know what came over me. But I'm still oh so very sorry."

 

River

"....I think the elf is dieing." Vayla called teasingly.

"Wait until we reach the ramps." Tassy said, "Come on River, you should be loving this, I mean being as it's in your name and all."

River was too sick to even glare at either of them. She'd emptied her stomach 3 times already in two minutes. The idea that things were about to get worse put her on the verge of passing out. If it hadn't been for Will sitting beside her holding her around the waist she might have already fallen out of the horrible boat.
All she could think of at the moment, however, was, "I'm going to die...I haven't even reached my 100th year and I'm about to die. Creator if you get me out of this I promise I'll never get on another boat again. Oh, spirits. I'm going to die."

 

It was all a bit much for Vayla at the moment suddenly being bear hugged and smothered in kisses. "Pickles." She said in a choked voice. "Pickles, I can't breath, put me down, I can't breath."

Uncastables were always much stronger then mages physically, such physical embrace was not something they did often. Tassy smiled at the awkward but adorible scene

 

Pickles face turned white "Oh gods I hurt you again. I'm horrible." He stated putting her down and kissing her on the head again. 'Oh jeez I probably should stop kissing you. But I can't think of any other way to say sorry. Not to say I wouldn't kiss you even if you weren't mad at me. I mean your really kissable." His face turned red. "No wait I...mean oh dang it......sorry." He rubbing his head.

 

Vayla took deep breaths and collected her self. "pickles...I'll forgive you only if you promise to stay away from beer, and to not crush my spine." She added on with a chuckle.

 

Pickles nodded 'Oh yes I'll never touch beer again Miss Vayla, I promise. Oh and I would never crush your spine not ever, even if you were tying to kill me." He said nervously. Pickles was in a mad rush of forgiveness. "Oh my goodness. I can't believe I hit such an adorable face." He muttered in shock. 'Damn you beer!" He shouted. "But that is still not an excuse." He gently grabbed her hand and knelt down, he kissed her hand nicely. "I promise never to harm you again Milady."

 

Crumpet

Crumpet smothered Pickle's face with his hand before pushing him off Vayla onto the floor. "Keep it in your pants, Dillboy. You're not her type." Then, sitting next to the now-sprawling Pickles, Crumpet smiled. "However, if you ever want to drink, I know a few good songs and games and, believe me, you haven't been drunk until you try some of that cider from Caldon."

 

Pickles blushed "Um no I wasn't trying to romance her. I was just saying sorry. And Crumpet I'm done drinking." He said. Pickles felt a lot better, then he did earlier.

 

Vayla gave a playful punch to Pickles arm. "That's payback, but don't worry, we're cool. I shouldn't have insulted you so much, that I will admit and for that I'm sorry. But enough with the tear jerkers, aren't you on a mission. Something to do with saving the world?" she responded with a smile.

"That's right Pickles! things are about to get crazy." Tassy responded relieved that they had settled their differences. They were picking up speed going faster and faster and ahead of them, rocks! Huge black boulders stuck up out of the ground threatening to crush them.

"This is were things get dangerous, I need to weave the merc eather to guide the boat clear off rocks! Hold on!" Tassy began to weave, she also began to sing. The boat began narrowly evading piercing boulders, one of which scraped the hull. Relix took to stirring the ship trying to assist in anyway he could.

That's when steam spotted them. Three black figures swam under them, all three coursing with nox eather. Something about them felt very familiar to the heroes of the well of darkness incident, that's when Vayla called out in concern.

"Shadow mages! Underwater!"

"What!" Tassy responded, "Why are they here?" they black shadows blasted ahead leaving all of them more than worried. That's when Vayla began to panic.

"There after the well of darkness, and after Tess! We have to catch up with them!"

"How do you know!" Wanderer yelled over the roaring waves.

"We came to lethross to hide from them! now, now they have found us, found him!" She reached over the railing and fired piercing arrows at the swimming shadows. She struck two, they sank under water and for a moment there was silence.

black forms suddenly leapt out of the water they were mers, garbed in black clothes and with grim purposes on their faces all three of them landed on the ship and sprung for the crew. one went for Tassy, the other for Vayla, the third for crummpet.

 

Pickles threw his shield at the figure black cloaked figure near Tassy. He did this with his metal arm. The shield spun at absurd speeds at its target. Pickles pulled his sword out and jumped in front of Vayla guarding her. His guard was up "Gentleman perhaps we can make peace and not war." He said already knowing the answer. So he readied his sword. Time to show how brightly a hero shines. He was hoping Crumpet would be okay. The needs of women come first in a heroes book.

 

The shadow a shield hit the head of one mage stunning him before he could attack Tassy. She took the opertunity to cast deep pulse. merc and Nox combined together to form an orb of damaging eather. She let if fly and it hit it's mark, knocking one over board. Vayla cast light squall at the mage, he countered it with corrupt, turning her Althia spell into volatile Nox, he followed up with Gale force, blasting adra at her at insane speeds.

She managed to put a barrier up in time, but the spell hit with the force of a hurricane and sent her toppling through barrels and crashing into the back railing of the ship!

 

"Don't hit a woman!" Pickles shouted at the mage that had sent Vayla flying. Pickles didn't stab at the mage but he sent a vicious kick at the mage's gut and sent a punch with metal fist his fist at his enemy's face. Pickles couldn't believe some of these evil doers they fought, no respect.

 

Crumpet

Crumpet's eyes narrowed. Where the hell did these weirdos come from? One of the shadow mers came straight for him, to which Crumpet pouted and shouted, "What the hell! What did I do to deserve this?!" Crumpet offered the incoming offender a thumbs up– the ultimate sign of disrespect in his village– before sending a mighty kick into the mage's stomach.

 

River

The sight of the shadow mages distracted River enough from her sea-sickness, that she was able to begin weaving. She weaved Earthen Barrage sending the spell at the Shadow mage who was attacking Tassy.

 

One mage was fiercely hit by Pickles, a blow that knocked him across the boat. Crumpet too hit hard sending another over board. Rivers earthen barrage dealt with the last.

The all were about to comment on the brief fight when a horrible scraping noise came from the boats hull! it nearly capsized from the force of crashing into a boulder from the side. They fell off their feet, Tassy recovered swearing as she began to try steering the ship!

The shadow mages recovered with those who fell over board jumping back on!
"Keep them off me I need to stir the ship!" Tassy yelled as she dodged another boulder, and one went for her!