Undying Will

The only thing that stopped him from doing anything else in frustration was the repeated knell that gonged in his head, reminding him again of how useless he had been.

At this point he was glad of the responsibility that he had been given, ferrying Scipio with him provided a useful distraction from his brooding thoughts.

True, Scipio had grown ma.s.sively from his time on the crew, his physique had improved and overall he was probably the fourth smartest on the crew, Sorren could not help but feel a glimmer of jealousy, and though he knew it was unwarranted, a hint of satisfaction at the displeasure and repugnance that his fellow child displayed.

"Just a bit further, based on Terrick"s directions we are almost out." Sorren encouraged as he held tightly onto the inexperienced boy"s hands leading him through the sewer.

On the blue print that Terrick had provided him, there had also been a collection of short but informative directions that had been written, detailing the state of the sewers, the length of the pipes that made it impossible for someone of Fawkes" stature to get through over the estimated time that Terrick had charted out.

His plans were pretty much redundant now, seeing as the anarchy that had developed on the island seemed to rival the dark underbellies of Sabaody, nonetheless Sorren followed it religiously. He was not the smartest tool in the shed and even if he thought otherwise, this was hardly the time to show it.

Scipio muttered to himself as he wrinkled his nose, his pale yellow clothes had taken an unlikely shade of mottled green around its edges, fraying at the contact with the age old contaminated water. His eyes narrowed as he looked at his side, though the island was new, the sewer experience unfortunately was anything but.

With a dull nod he looked eagerly at the speck of light at the very end of the narrow and image deficit pathway.

With a swift last few steps they were out, and what a h.e.l.l did they get out into!

The buildings that paved either sides of thin brown hatchet that led down into the hidden subterranean pa.s.sage stood broken. Pristine white stones littered the ground around it. Wails sounded in the background as dust permeated the air.

The oink atmosphere that had been at this point become revolting was nowhere to be found. The cobblestone that made the streets that once definitely was the epitome of generalization and monotony stood cracked, jagged lines running through their center.

Sorren did not claim to be a good boy, not by a long shot. But this scene reminded him so much of the home that he knew inside that he would never again have, that he began to move unconsciously.

He kneeled against the body of a wailing child, wrapped in a leathery towel that wailed into the air. Next to it was an unconscious women, she had obviously been running from something but had mysteriously fallen unconscious leaving her infant child unattended.

That in a location such as this, with chalk like stone precipitate choking at its small and weak oesophagus. If left like this the child would die. So Sorren did the only thing that he had trained to do, he provided medicinal aid, all the while his mother"s words ringing in his ear,

" Injustice is a constant in society, we cannot do anything about it. If we fight it, there will come a time when we ourselves become unjust… If we ignore it then we become numb. So we do what we can, what we must.

On seas as strange and dangerous as these I cannot possibly preach for you to save everyone that you see, but remember, the helpless cannot be unjust and the unjust cannot possibly be only that…"

Scipio looked on in silent wonder, after the duo had exited the temple they were to lie low and wait for the rest of the crew to reunite with.

For all means and purposes, they were free to do as they wished. Of course Scipio believed that it was only right that they try to help out the rest of the crew, but when he had mentioned it to Sorren he had received a reply that had gob smacked him.

The duo were too weak, even if there was a time that help was necessary they would only get in the way. So Sorren had chosen a path that even the weak them could traverse.

So with quick and efficient steps he walked through the relatively abandoned streets, every unconscious man women or child that he found he brought to Sorren.

Sorren would make sure that they lived. No more. He knew, if the ones that came to rescue him for that was the one that turned this island upside down wanted these people dead then they would be dead.

Since he did not, he gave them free reign to do as they wished.

Silently Sorren could not help but thank his captain, for even when he was not next to Sorren, he still gave him a purpose and a method to prove his worth..

***********

I grumbled darkly as I walked into practically the only colorful building in the whole island.

It was a tower of sorts, a cylindrical structure made of what looked to be maroon bricks, it had few windows, but those that existed gleamed with unreal colors.

Around it was what looked to be a small moat with small curved bridges that overlooked what was probably the only body of clear water on the whole island.

The entrance to the structure was barred with a bony matt black door, serpent indentations all over its glossy surface. the door itself seemed to have two knockers at its very center, each shaped like a Yuda head, as a glossy scaly tail seemed to run along the corners of the outwardly concave triangular door.

In the mouth of the Yuda was a simple metal ring, gleaming wickedly into the pinkish air.

As I neared, I felt a dull ache of warning that was quickly silenced, it seemed that there were still some threatening individuals in the building. "Well no matter, if they are only strong enough to cause me this much alarm they aren"t anything much."

With brisk footsteps I ran towards the overbearing gate, at any other time I would have taken some time to appreciate the beautiful carvings, but not now.

My hands landed on the scaly door, pushing at it.

With a creak the door folded inwards, the sound it made as it moved first grating then softly dissipating.

The interior of the building was nothing if not humble, a dull yellow light gleamed around as low arches stooped over the expansive and empty floor.

Though the hall was big, most of it was still dedicated to the wide spring in the center, the water here seemed to be the ant.i.thesis to the one I had seen outside, gleaming instead with a mottled red with a layer of froth that seemed ever present on its surface.

All around it were small rooms, and at the very center a ma.s.sive pillar, shooting through the danger pool into the painted ceiling. The thick pillar was a jade green and seemed almost translucent with something that seemed to move within. But that could just as easily be an illusion caused by the lighting.

So hoping I moved on, mentally jogging myself to maintain an optimum level of physical standard. If there was even a hint of a foreign body I would instantly heal myself.

As I neared the corner of the room I could see what looked to be a second wall, a layer of the wall that from afar would look exactly like its maroon counterpart. It was a walkway, the second wall was its borders as it led to a higher floor.

Seemingly made of a velvety carpet I walked upwards hoping against hope that nothing had happened to my crew.

*******

Fawkes rounded a corner as he ran, a defacto leader to the pod of misfits that ran away from the deranged women.

The farther they ran from her, the more shrill and cold her voice became, at this point her eyes seemed to have shifted into what looked like a yellow slit, very similar to that of a serpent.

At first her voice had been almost melodic but as the chase continued her voice seemed to hiss out from her mouth, her tongue often shot through and her movements became more reptilian.

At this point Fawkes had begun to form a sneaky suspicion that the women had eaten a Zoan type fruit.

As they neared the second floor, the high priestess began to flop downwards, the chase getting to her as her pet.i.te chest heaved. She kneeled unwillingly as she looked at Terrick who had been holding her hands.

"Go on without me-" She began huffing.

"Oh shut up! If I wanted to abandon you I would have done it a long time ago, don"t spit on my decisions!" Terrick snapped as he looked over at Fawkes.

"What"s the plan?" He asked as he looked over at his troupe of friends. Angella and Breta were incapacitated, while Rein was in as bad of a situation as the high priestess. Fawkes had his eyes heavy, a blood red gash on his side as he looked over, the high priestess had been unable to control herself and had ended up cleaving into his shoulder.

"We aren"t in a position to leave them, and if we move any farther neither of us will be in a decent situation, we"ll have to babysit these two along with those two. It"s better to face off against her here." Fawkes a.n.a.lyzed.

However fit the duo were, carrying four people as they ran would be a stupid idea, especially in treacherous halls like these.

Terrick nodded as he looked over at his charge. " Stall for two minutes." he said.

Fawkes nodded, if it was anyone else that he was facing, he would be confident in his ability to crush them solo, the women wasn"t even as strong as Scipio for G.o.d"s sake. But her devil fruit made her a pain to face, especially if he did not have a counter.

He steeled his gaze as he looked at the door way. A deep breath wracked through his chest, he would not breath in any air, that would save him from any stray fumes. That would have to do.

Then he did something that Sorren would have his hide for, for even though he was strong, the diminutive doctor"s anger was something he still did not want to have to deal with.

He brought his finger to his shoulder and thrust it in, wincing slightly at the stream of blood that shot out.

He cupped the blood and flooded his nostrils with it, it dried in seconds and his nose was temporarily blocked for good.

He grasped at the dagger in the panting priestess" hands as he charged at the door, as if by divine providence as he reached the low archway a head bobbed through a sick hum sounding out as Merla walked in.

Or at least she tried to, yelping immediately as she sidestepped an annoyed and silent Fawkes.

The air around her seemed to sting at his skin, his eyes closing in response to the acidic fume. "ITs ok, Observation Haki should do just as well.." he thought as he charged expertly stabbing downward at the psychopathic child.

The girl looked at him, surprise evident in her gaze. Her eyes sharpened as she caught sight of the descending knife. With a move that should not have been possible for a human she moved to the side. To be precise her upper torso moved to the side, her feet remained where she was, unmoving.

Fawkes twirled to the side in surprise as he backhanded with his left hand, it gleamed black with the look of Haki, nearing the women"s startled face.

She looked at him again, her eyes now no longer human. With an intensity that would shock anyone she leapt at him, literally slithering past the black hand rounding on his back before biting at his exposed neck.

She shrieked as she felt the hard skin break through her fang like canines, her hand shooting for his shoulder, only to have to bend backwards curling in on herself as a foot shot at her face.

Fawkes looked furious, the girl did not know any form of Haki except maybe Observation, yet she matched him. He had been used to fighting at arm"s reach, always having the freedom to swing something as heavy as an axe.

Now he faced an enemy whose modus operendi seemed to be extremely close quarters, more snake-like at every moment.

He growled as he upped the ante, his breath that hitched in his throat put him on a time limit, and his closed eyes forced him to fight depending on Haki alone. This along with the fact that he had to pa.s.sively protect his body against the acidic fumes to prevent corrosion practically crippled him in direct combat, it was a miracle that he lasted this long.

She lunged at him, her face near centimeters away from his before his palm met it, slapping it away as his other hand droved to stab at her exposed torso. She shrieked as she kicked forwards, missing his hand but hooking around his fore arm to bring her out of harm"s way.

He stabbed at his back, twisting his body to the side as he did so to make some distance between him and the constrictive fighter, only to have to face her leg that headed for his groin from his side.

he Jumped to the side as he attempted to axe kick her shoulder, she dodged bringing his feet down cracking at the floor, with the opening that that provided she lunged, attacking at his exposed nape with her teeth as well as at his exposed head with a knife hand. He twisted around as she did, trying to trip her, he didn"t fail.

"Done!" Terrick roared, and with the distraction that his voice brought him Fawkes barreled forwards, his hands closing hard on her face as he threw her towards his ally. Then he collapsed, deep breaths wracking his body as he tried to make up for his lack of it for so long.

With a final shriek she gurgled out, as her hands cut into the silver thread that surrounded the corner of the room. She tried and failed as she attempted to get out cutting herself much harder in the process.

They didn"t have too much time to gloat however, because as soon as she shrieked a second time, the room rumbled as a foul aura shattered through the air.

The world shook as the skies seemed to discolor. The stones cracked as the rumbling of a moving island shattered through their ears.

Merla looked up, pa.s.sing out with a smile…