MANIC MONSTER DISPLACEMENT

Chapter 13 - THE SEA DEVIL

The air was murky, strange, maybe even a little warm now. Jack had begun the odd ritual of sorts, demanding absolute silence as he pushed some strange, red dye into the carvings. While Bram in particular was annoyed with how frequently he was asked to shut up, he decided to listen this time around, not wanting to mess around with potential magic… stuff. Jack used a different dye for the runes, smearing an orange through the crevices instead.

After a few minutes, of just watching Jack do glorified finger painting, it seems as if he was finished. Reaching into the water and washing them clean. He walked over to the three, glancing back at the now painted carvings. “And, now, we wait,” He said, crossing his arms. Jack looked down into the water, almost like he was expecting something to emerge, or something. Though, nothing happened yet. “… Do you know how long?” It had already been hours at this point, soon it was going to be day, judging by the darkness lifting inch by inch.

“Hopefully soon, he has to decide if he wants us to bother his presence,” Jack said, Cain could tell he was ever so slightly worried they were running out of time. It WOULD HAVE been quicker had they found the correct island sooner, but Cain wasn’t going to point fingers… Unlike Bram, but he also didn’t want another argument. Last one almost got Cain ate. “Will there be, like, a super obvious sign? Like, the ocean parting, or something?” Bram asked, not seeing anything in the cloudy water, either. They were also, partially, looking for sirens. A little traumatized after the previous encounter with one. “It’ll be obvious, I’ve been told, very obvious,”

Not a minute later, they got their invitation, in the form of a large, magnificent pillar of flame emerging from the ocean. A colossal display of power, that lasted only for a few moments, really. “… Guessing that was the sign–” Cain said, still in an awe of what he just witnessed. He paused, for a moment, though. Looking to Jack. “Wait, but he’s in the ocean, how are we supposed to–” Before Cain could finish his sentence, Jack shoved Rocky into the ocean, and due to Bram and Cain being right behind him; they were also cast down into the depths below. Luckily for them, though, Jack didn’t decide to just become a psychotic murderer for funsies. Although that would have been funny, maybe not for them, but.

Jack dived into the water, praying that he made the correct judgement and DIDN’T actually just toss 3 people into ice-cold water for no reason. Cain was freaking out for numerous reasons, also, as 1. his face paint is quickly washing off, 2. he’s… not drowning, which is freaky, and 3. he’s not freaking drowning?? What? Jack sighed, relieved, and gathered them all together. “Thank goodness, I was worried it didn’t work at first,” Jack muttered, making Bram frown. “YOU DIDN’T KNOW IF IT’D WORK!?” Bram shouted, before attempting to get used to breathing actual water. It was a strange feeling.

Jack shrugged a little, somewhat brushing it off. “I could’ve dragged you out if it didn’t, besides, it worked, so, no need to complain,” Bram was most definitely going to tear into Jack for that later on, but right now, he was focused on keeping him from seeing Cain, like, face first. Until Cain got his hood back on, at least, how nostalgic. Rocky stuck to Cain after seeing he was vulnerable, it was probably necessary, anyway, as they saw a WHOLE load of sirens roaming around. It was terrifying, how huge they were, and how easily they traversed the water. But, upon seeing a foreign werewolf in the water, they seemed to back off. Thank the gods.

Staring off into the distance, it was an inky, black void. It was hard to see much of anything, let alone some sea devils, strange, obscure lair. “How are we finding this place, again?” Cain asked, getting yet another shrug from Jack. For someone who’s ‘so’ smart, he seemed to be clueless most of the time, and while Cain would NORMALLY give him the benefit of the doubt; he was still pretty pissed that he almost died twice now. Or, at least, thought he was going to. “Just go forward until the water starts getting progressively warmer, and warmer, until it’s almost unbearably hot, that’s what the pillar was for,” He paused. “… Probably.”