Sailor Leviathan looked back at the group with a horrified look on her face. Just what were they all saying?

We don't freeze them. We don't run. These guys are our only shot at saving this planet, unless one of you thinks you can crack open a giant clam.

Dragons or not, we would need to split this party anyway if we are to ever hope to defeat both of these monsters. I will also take their deal to save Sailor Amatheia and Shadow. I refuse to leave them alone. I can't believe you guys. Are you not the soldiers of Sailor Moon I thought you were? Why the hell aren't you trusting my people? Why would you ever leave your friends behind?

It was clear Leviathan was incredibly disappointed in most of the group. She felt disgusted and betrayed. Some of that odd personality was rising in her. It seemed connected to negative feelings and mistrust.

"Please send one or more of your people to free our friends," she continued. "I guarantee the two of them will be an incredible aid to our cause. I will offer to go with you two to the clam so that I can get to the bottom of this. We will attack the eel and clam at the same time using our shared mental communication and hopefully resolve this mess."

"Leviathan will be coming with us," Enyalius corrected, "To destroy the seed and face this 'eel'"


'Sedna, I'd like you to go with the dragons to provide healing; I'd also prefer if either Callisto or Oberon went with them to defend Sedna; we're providing magical backup for these people - I doubt their problem stemmed from not having enough brute strength at their disposal. When in doubt, use shields to wait it out; as soon as we deal with the seed and this eel we'll be back to help you, should you find problems with this 'clam'. Volunteers?'

Acknowledged. 

Taking the amulet that the crone had given her from behind her back bow, she held the thing in her hand. All she had to do was send a prayer to her planet and her magic would be partially restored? She knew it was a good time to use it; she was feeling drained from all the healing and battling she had done thus far, and with the group moving into potentially more dangerous situations, Eshana wanted to be prepared. 

She didn't really know who to pray to. Was she supposed to pray to the Sailor Guardian of her planet or was she supposed to pray to her mother, to whom the planet was named after and was the being that Eshana acted under as a Senshi?

Or she could just silently pray to the planet without having to mention her mothers name at all. It was an idea that made her feel more comfortable. It would feel weird to her to say Sedna without meaning her mother. It still felt weird to her that people called her Sedna, which is why she preferred to be called Eshana even as a Senshi. You'd think after a thousand years of being a senshi she'd be more use to it but...

Closing her eyes, she sent a silent prayer to the planet that granted her her senshi powers.

Nix still didn’t quite understand Sailor Leviathan’s status in her own planet, but she believed that as a wielder of the planet's Sailor Crystal, that status still meant something. Her planet’s fate may well rest in her hands, especially based on what the others had said about previous chaos seeds.

As the conversation continued, she felt wary about the need to split up, but if they wanted to save the dragons like they had promised, that seemed the only option. Personally, she believed they were telling the truth and that their families really were in danger. It did not even occur to her that they could be plotting to double-cross the senshi, especially when Leviathan clearly trusted them.

Leviathan’s disbelief was understandable, though Nix wasn’t technically ‘a soldier of Sailor Moon’. She had a good relationship with Crystal Tokyo but wasn’t under their jurisdiction or necessarily agreed with their ideals all the time.

She was glad, at least, that Leviathan now seemed ready to tackle the challenge at hand. It hadn’t escaped her attention either that Oberon’s mental link would be even more useful now that they had to split up, especially since she said it would work over great distances. That would allow them to fight without wondering if the other party was alright, and should it ever become necessary, alert the other team if they failed in any way. Since they were facing two enemies with the same kind of mental link, it only seemed wise that they had their own.

I will go where you think I’m most needed, she stated.

She knew the eel was the one protecting the seed, so that battle would obviously be tougher. But she was ready either way.

Sailor Nocturnus

Feeling Ribbon's warmth and hearing conviction in the young woman's voice reassured Sailor Nocturnus. The electromagnium traveler was usually the one who needed coaxing and calming, her anxiety often flaring at the most inopportune moments. Nocturnus knew that this was all strange and awful for Ribbon, but she had chosen to be here—she had chosen to join them. They would need to avoid giving in to fear and worries if they were going to be successful here.

Sailor Leviathan was talking as well, bargaining with the dragons in hopes that their great size and strength could be used to free the trapped party members. Nocturnus hoped it would work, and that it wouldn't take too long. However, there was still work to be done. She was not willing to stay behind—she may have had to avoid using her abilities here, in the narrow mountain passes, but she was still a sailor soldier-in-training. She was going to help. Whichever side Sailor Enyalius assigned her to, she would join.

"As will I," she chimed in after Sailor Nix.

"We'll stick together, right?" she asked Ribbon, no longer using the telepathic link.

'Nix will come with us,' Enyalius decided, 'Leviathan's ability to make objects invisible can be taxing and she may need to be at the top of her game for this; Nix doesn't seem to be negatively affected when she camouflages - we'll need her to scout ahead - with dragons going along for the ride, Sedna's operation will not be one of great stealth. Nocturnus...' she trailed off, looking back at the younger girl and Ribbon, who had made their way back from farther across the debris field. She didn't want the girl hurt, so keeping her away from the seed was probably the better option, but then sending her with the others might put them in danger, splitting their attention to protecting her. ... Keeping her near herself and Achelois would be better than; they could divert their attention easier - or, at the very least, Achelois's healing abilities would be less taxed in the effort than Sedna's. '... Stay with us.' Her eyes traced the hand-holding between Nocturnus and Ribbon and, with a stifled sigh, added, 'Ribbon, too.' 

This split was nowhere near even. Having Shadow and Amatheia going with Sedna would be much better, but time wouldn't let that happen; hopefully the dragon Takorah and Tilovi sent back would be able to uncover them easily... and knew of some way to revive them. 

Still... Sedna and a shield barrier... should she request both go? Callisto and Oberon? Their mission would be to help the dragons defeat the 'clam,' but if they could just postpone that battle, or draw it out, find some way to keep the clam from killing the dragon-kin or doing them harm until they could rejoin groups... 

'Oberon, Callisto - one or both of you should go with Sedna. This split is nowhere near even - in many ways her mission will be more dangerous for the vastly uneven numbers, but if you could find a way to keep the 'clam' from killing the dragons you could postpone that fight until we finish here and return.'

If you do not mind doing without protective magic, I think Sedna could indeed use both of us. My own magic was taxing.

He eyed Sedna, then the others, regretting that they were going into the fight with so few of them. He shifted his glance to the dragons, wondering how they would be able to synchronise their attacks together without being awfully obvious to their opponent or if those dragons were the sort that charged into battle blindly.

"I agree, I'll go with Sailor Sedna," Callisto said, after waiting for the other senshi work out a rough plan. She did not consider herself a leader type, and was content with waiting to be given a task. "I am unaware of the inner workings of your own shields, Oberon, but my barriers will not allow someone to attack from behind them. If I joined to fight the eel, I may hinder everyone's efforts if I tried to protect them in the middle of battle."

Enyalius nodded back towards the group before, acknowledging their decisions before turning to Takorah. She motioned to her companions with each introduction. "We're sending a healer - Sailor Sedna - and two of our defensive specialists - Callisto and Oberon - with you. Oberon has our group linked telepathically; if something goes wrong on either end, she can keep everyone appraised."

Dragons wrote:

Takorah nodded, "We will divide our forces; your people may attach themselves to me, so that we arrive closer to the same time, though with your telepath we can guarantee simultaneous attacks. We will travel counterclockwise around the Den, and I will collect Shavir. Tulovi is faster than I, she will branch off to the west and gather more warriors in secret - we will start our attack from the north and south of where the Clam has our kin."

As though that made perfect sense and everyone had a map to know what he was talking about, Takorah then turned to Tulovi, "Time is not with us; take a direct route. Send back Kalenen to unearth their additional forces."

Tulovi nodded, coming out further into the pass, ready to leave.

"O-oh, OK. I guess I'll go with you guys then," Sailor Leviathan said, surprised that Sailor Enyalius knew so much about the situation. She sighed in relief when she realized that adorable Nocturnus and Ribbon were coming with them. At least those two would be OK. She didn't feel comfortable not having her "invisibility" job anymore. She wonder how she could possibly take down the Chaos Seed, not having much physical strength of her own. Just what was she supposed to do?

But then the situation got dark. The dragons suggested going to get one of their friends to free Sailor Amatheia and Shadow.

"Kalenen," Leviathan said with a pale expression. "I'm so sorry. He's not likely going to be able to help you. We... froze him... rendered him unconscious. It was a ruse to convince you all that we defeated him so that his children weren't slaughtered."

She began to shake out of fear and stuttered tremendously.

"I-I will take full r-responsibility for this and will accept any punishment after the planet is saved. I am s-s-sorry."

To answer your question, the forcefields allow attacks to go through from the inside, but they do not last long. I am sure, however, that between the two of us we can make for a balanced defense. Let us see what will be our battlefield and then we can make plans for ourselves.

Though the smile he offered Callisto was small, it was friendly, Oberon's posture straight and ready once again. He looked at the dragon, not hesitating before quickly walking towards the creature.

"Thank you." He said two fingers pressing in the middle of his own forehead and his eyes closing before he opened them again and made a fast motion of his hand towards the dragon.

His words were near a whisper as he swiftly and finally climbed on Takorah's back, his way to say he was grateful for the ride. On his planet, intelligent creatures had to be asked for one of them to be able to use them as means of transportation. He gave place for Sedna and Callisto as well, unsure really where to put his hands.

"Right..." Callisto nodded despite using mental communication.

Callisto scaled the dragon's back with ease, making sure she didn't accidentally claw Takorah's with her fingers and boots before situating herself behind Oberon. She knew it was a serious situation, but it did excited her to know that there was someone else who used shields like her. She wanted to more fully question Oberon about her abilities, but decided to focus on the task ahead. 

If they survived this planet long enough to rescue it, there would be all the time in the world for questions later. It seemed that her barriers were tougher overall, but less flexible, while Oberon's had less longevity.

Sailor Leviathan was absolutely stunned. Was she really hearing what she thought she was? Did the dragon actually call her by her name?

She could only stand there, completely dumbstruck. She had no idea what to say. Should she say anything at all? She imagined herself saying something stupid like, "Yeah, we should keep draggin' our mission out!"

It was hard to fathom. All her life she had seen the dragons from a distance. She remained quiet, never speaking unless Guardian Leviathan would allow her to on some rare occasion. They never respected her but now they did and she wasn't exactly sure why. She didn't feel like she had changed but did she? It was too bad it was all on the brink of the planet's destruction.

As the dragons left, she turned to the guard and the new one that had emerged. She wanted desperately to tell them to seek out Enoch but she knew it wasn't hopeful they would come back alive if they did. They were acting strange around her too, which was somewhat creepy. Just what was going on?

"This fight is too great," she said timidly. "I fear you and the others won't be safe here. Enoch is too deep. I'll save him myself. Gather as many as you can and get out of here and ummm... thanks for trying to do what I couldn't. It means a lot."

Sailor Nocturnus

She knew that Enyalius had not selected her for the fight against the eel due to her amazing abilities in battle, but she couldn't ignore the flutter of joy at being chosen to accompany that group. If nothing else, she'd be able to watch and study Sailors Enyalius and Achelois in action. Maybe she'd see something she could use to improve her own skills. Besides, if Sailor Leviathan had to defeat the Chaos Seed with her own powers as the sailor soldier of this planet, there had to be something Nocturnus could do to assist. They'd figure it out. Now they needed to get there.

And of course, she'd protect Ribbon, too.

Upon arrival, deep in the core, Sailor Leviathan couldn't believe what she was seeing. How did a place like this exist on her planet? It was so strangely beautiful and oddly quiet. And that dark thing in the center of it all... was that the Chaos Seed?

But then, a familiar voice sounded. It was a voice that normally nagged her and was awful to hear, but only now did it bring her tremendous joy. Guardian Leviathan was OK and, more importantly, so was Enoch.

"You're both alive," she whispered as another impossible waterfall of salt tears came over her face. She blubbered, much like she had when they had frozen Kalenen. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.

A sudden, uneventful transformation came over her. It wasn't hard to assume Leviathan's true appearance was a fish person but now it was absolutely clear. Her seaweed-like hair was the same pink-red hue it had been before. Her yellow irises now encompassed her entire eye. She had no pupils, making her fit right in with the creatures of the deep. Why had Leviathan after all this time not shown her true appearance? Those who knew her wouldn't have a hard time guessing, but she seemed to forget about this at the sight of Guardian Leviathan and her friend, Enoch.

"I was so scared we wouldn't find you in time," she continued. "Should we whisper? This place... this is where the dragons said that the eel thing was."

Enoch

Like the rest of his people, Enoch's eyes lacked pupils, but the sudden wideness of them clearly indicated surprise. Unlike the tiny sprite however, a bright smile came over his face. He grinned and seemed to silently chuckle and then frown when Sailor Leviathan started to cry.

"Don't cry, Leviathan," he said in a hushed, timid whisper. "I mean, it's OK to cry but we're all right. You know?"

The seaweed haired soldier looked to the others and stared at each one of them, almost like a person trying to place a face with a name. He seemed to not be surprised at all by their appearance after Leviathan's. He looked to each one of them in the eye with an odd sort of kindness and respect.

"Are these the sailor soldiers you've been traveling with all this time? I've heard incredible stories of your amazing abilities and of your heroics too. Thank you for guiding our princess and now coming to our aid. Planet Leviathan is in your debt."

The guard gave a deep bow, which seemed to cause some concern in Leviathan nearby. She frowned and nearly scowled at this action, though mostly maintained her composure. It was very apparent even in this short time that of the two of them, Enoch would have made for the better sailor soldier.

CHAOS SEED GROUP

Achelois was relieved when the group finally took action again by splitting up.  It seemed like they had floated there for ages discussing every detail.  She hoped that the other group would be able to defeat the chaos guard, or at least protect the dragons until they could rejoin them.  At least Nocturnus was with her, she hoped to make sure that her adored younger senshi friend was safe.  She watched the reunion between Leviathan and her friend, nodding in acknowledgement of his gratitude.  Now where was the eel?  Shouldn't it be with the seed?  Maybe he knew, Achelois voiced her question in as low a whisper as she could and still be heard by him, "Where's the eel at?"

Knives tore through her chest. Acid burned her lungs. Every kick forward was like barbed wire wrapping tighter into her flesh. Each moment dragged on eternally as they pushed through the dragon's den, the darkness surrounding them not quite complete as fuzzy, glowing slime lit the way. Ever since entering the mountain her pain had gotten worse; she led the way for the group, but wondered now if that were the smart decision. Without something active to drive her, her attention waned, fighting against what was here for what could be back on her world. She blamed her Sailor Crystal for all of it, but... couldn't exactly blame it for trying. She pushed on, straining her eyes to see before them, to try to make out Nix in the casting of shadows, forcing curiosity about the various dwellings they passed by and their supposed function; even still, if it hadn't been for the others, she might have missed the alcove Guardian Leviathan and Enoch had been hiding in. 

As Leviathan and Enoch reunited, she tried to keep the strain from showing on her face, but couldn't help the line appearing between her brows. She nodded when addressed by Enoch, startling herself that she had only noticed Leviathan's transformation only after Enoch had addressed them - if she was missing that much, how much more would she miss? ... She put her trust in Achelois not to overlook anything that she might miss, and looked out beyond the room they waited in: perpendicular to the opening they had entered to join the native pair was a smaller opening that looked out into the stadium beyond. Call it what you would - amphitheater, receiving chamber, whatever - to Enyalius it was a stadium, with seating around the perimeter and a stage in the center. It was almost familiar to her in that respect; how many days had she spent in the arena? 

Pressure built within her chest and she grit her teeth to cut off a groan. Had the stadium already been destroyed?


The slight voice of Guardian Leviathan brought her back, and she listened as closely as she could, but it was like trying to listen to a conversation through a door.

Guardian Leviathan wrote:

The small sprite looked to Leviathan grumpily from atop her seahorse, but before she could say anything about how Leviathan shouldn't be there, how she had left express instructions not to come - or, how secretly grateful she was to see her in the dire circumstances she had found herself in - Enoch made with the formalities befitting a Princess's status, and Guardian Leviathan looked on encouragingly, though shot Leviathan a 'Why can't you be like this?' glance before turning to bow her head with him in thanks to the Senshi that Leviathan had brought with her. 

"Eel?" Guardian Leviathan replied with confusion, her voice quiet so it would not carry through either opening. This, she hoped, would answer the Princess's question about voice level, but she was prepared to shh her if she didn't catch her drift. "There is no eel here. There is a black object in the room behind us - " she turned her steed around and pointed; sure enough, in the middle of the room sat an oblong object that almost resembled an egg, though pitch black - the Chaos Seed - "I don't know what exactly it is, but I know that it is Chaotic in nature, and that it is feeding off of this planet's energy to make itself stronger." Her eyes flicked over to Enoch momentarily, then to Leviathan, before turning back to the room. "It has a guard who checks up on it every now and again - she is powerful, I saw her attack one of the dragons earlier and the poor thing was fried." She turned back to look at the group, "Have any of you seen this before?"

Dragon Riders Group

Despite the urgency, Oberon couldn't really help himself, watching around them in a quiet awe. Planet Leviathan was a beautiful place, unique like many of those inhabited planets the universe gave them. Serving Crystal Tokyo for as long as he did often give him the opportunity of seeing a lot of new places. So he still took the time to enjoy the view. He wasn't sure he would be able to rest once this was over with, nor if he would be able to even visit Leviathan anytime soon.

In the middle of their path, Oberon could sense the emotions coming from the other group, slowly getting used to feeling them without seeing them. Leviathan and Enyalius were the minds he felt the most, but he tried to focus on the task ahead instead, looking up to the dragon and guard coming into sight. He tensed.

"Were they warned about this?"

He asked in a quiet tone to the dragon, keeping his eyes on those they were joining, wondering if there would be debate or if they would be able to get on with their mission quickly.

Sedna's eternal clock told her that five minutes had elapsed since they had split up. How long would it take the other group to make it to their destination?

Sailor Nocturnus

Watching the reunion between Sailor Leviathan and her friends made Nocturnus feel a surge of hope that she had been lacking in as the hours ticked away. Maybe they were going to make it. Maybe they would save planet Leviathan and it would all be ended happily for all. No other planets were under attack with these terrible Chaos Seeds. This was the last one, so they were almost finished with this long and arduous journey if only they could succeed here.

She didn't want to count them fortunate just yet... But it felt so possible.

Sailor Nocturnus did her best to pay attention to the conversation, worried about the lack of knowledge about the previously-mentioned eel. She reached out to confirm that Ribbon was still near; that they were still holding hands. She didn't want to drop her guard just because it seemed still and peaceful now.

Sailor Leviathan frowned deeply when Guardian Leviathan began to silently berate her. She didn't mouth back to her, like she had many times to others and stood there in defiance.

"O-oh yeah. I should probably introduce you guys. This is Guardian Leviathan, she kind of runs the show around here, and this is my friend, Enoch, who is like a super guard with super powers."

Quote :

"That about sums it up," Enoch said with a quiet laugh, seeming to find Leviathan's informal attitude. rather amusing.

Unsurprisingly, Leviathan didn't bother to introduce the group's names to her two companions. Some might have thought that this was to save on time, but truth be told she forgot Sailor Achelois's and Sailor Nix's names. She wanted desperately to introduce them to Ribbon, who she considered her first real friend aside from Enoch, but sadly figured she would have to hold it off for if they saved the planet.

Her eyes widened at Guardian Leviathan's questioning over the eel. How did she and Enoch not see the eel? For a moment, she wondered if the person they ended up seeing instead was actually the eel itself. Maybe the person could transform. After all, she used illusions and could pull off such an effect. And Enoch had a similar ability. It wasn't too hard to imagine. She decided not to voice these thoughts, too scared to look even more stupid than she did in front of Guardian Leviathan.

"Whoever she is, she's protecting what the other sailor soldiers call a Chaos Seed. It wrecks planets after some time. It's the core of the plan, pun unintended. The worst thing about it though is that... well, from what it seems from what we've heard from other planets, only the sailor soldier guarding the planet can defeat it so... me."

Leviathan cringed, as though expecting to get lectured or yelled at for what she was saying. She actually looked away from Guardian Leviathan and crossed her arms again.

Quote :

Enoch looked incredibly concerned, scared even of what Leviathan was saying. It wouldn't be hard to assume that he was fearful for Leviathan's success in destroying such a thing. That aside, it was very apparent that Guardian Leviathan's plan had been for naught. If Sailor Leviathan hadn't ignored the orders given to her, the entire planet would have been eradicated. It was such a lucky miss. Of course, they still needed to save the planet now but if it wasn't for Leviathan's new comrades, they would have lost everything.

He began to look toward the Chaos Seed with an odd sort of look, as though he was looking at something incredibly familar. His fear subsided as an odd calmness emerged within him.

As they arrived in their destination and met Leviathan’s friends, Nix dropped her camouflage so they might see her and she could talk to them properly. She was concerned that these two did not know of an eel, but perhaps the woman they spoke of was it? The dragons had talked about a woman as well…

“If I may ask, what else have you found out about this guard? Does she know you’re both here yet?” she asked in a quiet voice.

She glanced at the seed, seeing the object for the first time, feeling uneasy as she stared at it. She suspected destroying it would not be so easy, but part of her wanted to urge Leviathan to try and take it down while its guard was away.

“Is the seed protected while the guard is not around?”

Guardian Leviathan wrote:

The Guardian listened carefully, her eyes falling on her Princess yet again, this time with worry; by going against her wishes, her Senshi might have just saved them all. But could Leviathan do this? Could she defeat this 'chaos seed'? Had she matured enough? As she looked at her, her brows furrowed, her stomach flipped as Enoch turned to look at the seed and calmed, his eyes focusing on only it. Anxiety knotted her gut, and she actually spurred her seahorse forward, to block his vision and break his stare. She didn't know what kind of effect this seed would have on Enoch - indeed, she hadn't acted for fear of what it could do to him. Would he reawaken as his true self? Would he remember what the old Sailor Leviathan had done, and take out his vengeance on this planet? Enoch was pure and decent and true, but if he allowed Chaos into his heart, he could end up as warped as the old Leviathan had been. She didn't want to risk that, not at all.

Sufficiently blocking him, hovering back and forth in his sight, she answered the suddenly-visible senshi's questions as best she could, trying to make her sudden change in position look natural. "She's blue and has powers over electricity; I'm not sure if she knows we are here, but if she does, she doesn't pay us any mind." For the second, she looked over her shoulder, "I can't be sure if she has even left the room, and nothing has tried approaching it to tell if it has other defenses."

"Then let's try it," Enyalius all but blurted out, staring out at the seed. "Just standing around here won't get us any information. Leviathan should try attacking the seed; we'll watch your back and intercept the eel-woman if she shows up."

Callisto looked around the clearing as Takorah carried them to where she assumed was the dragon's territory. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but the underwater planet was as brightly colored as the tropical oceans back home. And to think that Chaos was tearing this all apart, and everyone who lived here...

She tensed up again when Takorah stopped in the middle of the southern pass. This must be where the dragons were being threatened, and she waited for Oberon to confirm the other group was ready, set to move to wherever she was needed.