Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Stepping out of the Blackout Takeshi and Jenna were met by enthusiastic caws and hoots as a raven chased by a pair of large owls came toward them as fast as their wings would carry them.
Hugin broke to the side at the last moment and resumed his humanoid form before stepping behind Takeshi in a swirl of black wings, feeling the wings brush against his arms made Takeshi smile, and made the demon within insist they would have to punish their little raven later.
The position that Hugin had taken might look subservient to a human, but to a demon, especially a winged one, it was possessive, even somewhat dominant, telling everyone who saw it that the one in front of them was theirs, theirs to have, to protect, even more so when Hugin had taken a form that was slightly taller than Takeshi.
But for now he would focus on greeting Alice and Anne, the sisters had both become owls, at first he had believed Alice to have taken the form of a snowy owl due to her white feathers and brightness of her golden eyes.
But when she fully changed her form revealed her to be some sort of horned owl, with her pure white feathers it was hard to tell which kind though, or if she was even a specific kind, and her sisters pure black plumage did nothing to aid.
He held out his arm for her to land on, but much like Hugin had she broke of hear approach at the last moment and shifted, leaned in and stole a kiss before shifting back and taking to the air again.
“Excellent shift Alice!”
He called after her as her sister landed on his arm.
“Anne, remember to mind your claws when you land on someone's unprotected arm.”
“Oh no! I'm sorry!”
Anne's shift was slower than her sister's, and after it she still had quite a few feathers sticking out of her hair, but somehow it gave her a wild beauty and Takeshi found himself hoping that she would one day chose to follow demon ways with the First Rites and pick him as her Guide.
“Don't worry, I heal fast, see? But others don't, so try to remember to be careful.”
“I will, I promise”

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

With one more task done Takeshi focused on making plans with Matthews, they needed to rally people that would be willing to fight at their side, willing to take orders from Takeshi, even if those orders meant fighting against former allies.
On top of that Takeshi would be leaving with Alice in a few days to see her through her First Rites, she had chosen to go with him alone, and to ask Eriko to teach her the female secrets while Takeshi and the pack searched for Atlantis.
“So, we need a few more hands for the Thunderhead, and more crews for the Valkyries, three pairs of pilots and RIOs, preferably ones that have flown together before.”
Takeshi sighed deeply, finding good people would be the hard part.
“Yeah, and I would like it if we could have at least two, preferably three people with command experience to coordinate with Angel and work on tactics.”
Takeshi looked from Matthews to Angel's projection.
“And your opinion on that Angel?”
“I concur. I have an excellent tactical database and I am continuously studying all tactical data I can find, but I am not human and I have no real experience.”
“Angel, you are far more capable than any ordinary human. And you will gain experience by doing, not by studying.”
Angel seemed so human at times that Takeshi almost forgot she wasn't, that Angel was technically an It not a She, she displayed the same insecurities as any human would, and a few extra related to the fact that she was an AI.

“What about protecting the island, the girls, the Sanctuary?”
Matthews' questions brought Takeshi back to the matter at hand.
“Protection of the Sanctuary has been secured, a group of Fae have sworn to protect it, and they have agreed to aid in the protection of the island as well, though in less direct manners.”
“Such as?”
“They will cast, and maintain, a veil over the island, anyone entering uninvited will suffer from confusion, hallucinations and eventually paranoia and psychotic breakdown. Making them easier for those invited to defeat.”
“I thought Fae was dangerous and could not be trusted?”
“They are very dangerous, and normally they can't be trusted. But as a member of the Seelie Court they have certain respect for me, and once they swear a proper oath they will not break it. You just need to make sure that said oath does not have any dangerous loopholes they can use.”
“I see, so we won't have to worry about them?”
“Well, at least as long as you don't intentionally insult them.”
“No pissing off the dangerous creatures, check...”
With the immediate business taken care of Takeshi turned to other concerns.

“How about you old man? You feel up to the task of running things for another year or so?”
“I do, I'm stronger than I have been for many years. My heart seems to be doing okay now.”
“The last scan I performed showed no abnormalities. And the blood work we sent to Mandrake came back well within parameters.”
Normally Angel would have kept such information in confidence, but Matthews had given her the okay to share it with Takeshi on her own discretion.
“Good. But make sure to take it easy. A human body is not made to heal like this. It takes a lot of energy to keep up.”
“Don't worry. That insane fox of yours makes sure I don't overdo it.”
Takeshi watched Matthews get up and walk toward the door, but called out after him before he left.
“You need to tell her you know. You told me once that life is too short, even for immortals, and she knows better than most how fleeting a mortal life can be.”
“Why do you think I'm trying to protect her!”
Matthews froze at Takeshi's words and snapped back at him without turning around.
“Protect her from what? Fully enjoying what little time there is left? From building memories to keep and cherish for the remainder of her life?”
Takeshi watched the building tension in Matthews' shoulders, the way he clenched his fists, but in the end he just sighed and walked out of the room.

“Take-san, I'll understand if it is something private, but could you explain what just happened? I don't understand.”
The confusion in Angel's voice made Takeshi smile.
“Don't worry Angel, it's love, most humans don't understand it either.”
“That isn't really very helpful.”
The part whine, part scolding made Takeshi laugh.
“Eriko loves him, and he loves her, and he needs to tell her that.”
“She's a clever creature, her senses are strong. Wouldn't she already be aware?”
“She knows, but the words have meaning, to speak them is to commit to a path.”
“I think I understand. And his words about protecting her, that's because he will die soon, right?”
“Yes, he wants to protect her from the pain of losing a loved one.”

-'Tis better to have loved and lost
-Than never to have loved at all.

Angel recited the famous words with impeccable old English.
“Indeed.”
“I still don't think I understand love though.”
“I think you understand as well as anyone does.”
“Perhaps.”
She conceded after a moment's silence.
“I think, what you might be wondering about, is not understanding love, but if you will ever know love.”
Angel didn't answer him, but the fact that her projection changed from her humanoid persona into a multi armed galaxy told him that she was considering his words.
With a shrug he brought up the financial reports again and set to work on them, the construction of the Leviathan had required him to liquidate quite a bit of assets and it had put quite a dent in the semi liquid assets that he controlled, so he needed to come up with a plan for restoring them.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi was tending to his bonsai plants when he felt a slight flicker at the edge of his aura, almost like Sakki, killing intent, but without the dangerous edge.
He spun around just in time to duck under Alice who broke away from her dive with a surprised hoot.
“Dammit! Still too loud...”
She muttered and pouted after returning to her human form.
“No, you were as quiet as a shadow. But you were too focused on the hunt, too focused on reaching your target so your aura gave it away. It was a feeling similar to sakki.”
Takeshi mixed praise with a quick explanation of what she did wrong
“Sakki?”
“Satsu ki, or killing intent. But since you weren't actually after killing me it felt a bit different, weaker, but still plenty enough to warn me of your intent.”
“But how?”
Instead of trying to explain to her Takeshi focused his aura on her and sent a flicker of intent toward her that made her instantly recoil and cower.
“Ssh, easy. It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you.”
Reaching out he caught her chin and tilted her head up so she looked at him.
“I'm sorry I scared you.”
She looked rather stunned, but when he gently traced his thumb along the corner of her mouth her eyes widened as she realized the implications of his actions and when her lips parted with a soft gasp he leaned in and kissed her.
They would be leaving for Alaska in a few hours for her First Rites and a bit of teasing was a good way to calm nerves.

“It felt like I knew I was about to die...”
It had taken her a while to gather herself, and her breath, after the kiss.
“I know. I'm sorry I scared you, but it was the easiest way to show you. With training you can learn to project sakki without any real intent, it can be useful to send an opponent off balance.”
“Like make them think you are going to strike in one place to make them tighten their guard there to open a chance to strike in another area?”
All of the girls had been taking lessons in self defense as well as more aggressive uses of martial arts and her guess for the use of projecting false sakki was a good one.
“That's right, that's one way you can use it. But most of the time you would use it just before a fight erupts to try to scare the opponent into running away.”
She ducked her head slightly at the reminder of the first rule of self defense.
“Sorry. I know. First rule, don't get in a fight to start with.”
“It's okay. I know you know it. Now, how about you head back to bed and get some rest before we head out?”
”I can't sleep. I was hoping we could head out earlier, the others are just going to be teasing us all morning anyway.”
“Of course we can. Just let me finish up this one and we can leave.”
He pointed to the bonsai he was working on and she nodded and took a seat, watching closely as he carefully adjusted the wiring to encourage it to grow the way he wanted it to before checking all the new growth and carefully removing some of it.
While he worked he went over the plan for the next few days in his head.
Alice had been rather adamant that she wanted to go to Alaska, to the territory held by Amarok and his pack, Takeshi was unsure why though as she had just blushed and refused to answer when he asked her.
“There, all done. Do you have your bag ready?”
“Yeah, I carried it down to the Blackout after dinner.”
“Good, let's go then.”

Once the Blackout was airborne Takeshi set the course for Brooks Range and left Angel in control, it would take them nearly 5 hours to go there unless he pushed the plane into mach speeds, but they were not in any hurry.
“So, feel like sharing why you were so set on going to Alaska now that we are alone?”
Alice blushed vividly and spluttered for a bit before speaking up.
“The past few years I have been having these dreams...”
“Sexual dreams?”
It wasn't really a question, it was quite obvious from the way she was squirming, it was more of an attempt to help her open up and move things along.
“Yeah, very. And well, some pretty strange ones as well.”
There was a long silence broken up by several attempts to explain her dreams but she never managed more than a few words.
“How about I show you how to enter the Dreamscape? Then you can show me those dreams instead of trying to explain them with words.”
“Please...”
Takeshi explained what would happen before bringing out a small crystal vial from his shift.
It contained a new version of the dream essence that he had created with the help of the Mother, unlike the old one it was perfectly safe to use daily.
“So I just drink this and get comfortable?”
“That's right.”
“What about you?”
“I don't need it, I can enter through meditation.”
“Okay.”
She emptied the vial and leaned back in the reclined seat and before long she was sleeping deeply.

.·:*¨¨*:·.-Dreamscape-·:*¨¨*:·.

“Wow, this place is amazing!”
“This is Kiryu's lair, her home in the shadow lands.”
“Why are we here then?”
“Because I was the one who taught him how to enter the Dreamscape, and out of habit he enters it from here. A safe and familiar place.”
“That was her? Your dragon?”
“Indeed. But don't worry, she will give us privacy when it is time to look at your dreams.”
He could feel a wash of relief as he held out his hand to Alice.
“Come, let's have a look at those dreams of yours. Focus on the setting of your dream first, where did it start.”
The surroundings morphed and they stood in an ancient forest, pale moonlight filtering down through the trees and high in the sky the Aurora Borealis danced, slowly shifting between blue and deep purple.
“It's beautiful. Wild, ancient, primal.”

Alice didn't seem to hear him though, caught up in recreating her own dream.
“Wander not into the Night-forest for it is the home of the demon. There the black beast hunts and consumes all who dares trespass.”
As she spoke a thick fog rolled in and in the distance a howl could be heard, it was a call to hunt and it seemed to startle her out of her trance-like state.
When she looked around Takeshi could feel a strong fear from her and the image began to waver.
“Ssh, easy. Nothing can harm you here, you are in control.”
“It's just...”
Her voice trailed off almost instantly and Takeshi just settled back and waited for her to find her courage.
“I...”
She was nearing a full blown panic so Takeshi pulled her into his arms to calm her.
“Ssh. What's wrong? Please tell me so I can help.”
“Promise me you won't hate me! That you won't think I'm disgusting or sick... Please...”
Her pleading gave him a good idea what she was so afraid of, it would seem that there were aspects of her dreams that could be considered inappropriate.
“Of course I won't. We all have strange dreams, disturbing dreams, even perverted ones. It just means you are a healthy young woman with an active imagination.”

With his word that he wouldn't think less of her because of her dreams the image of the forest stabilized again and shifted slightly to show a figure running through the underbrush.
As the figure came closer, he could see that it was a female wearing a simple dress and a cloak, making him think of Little Red Riding Hood and it soon became obvious that the female was Alice dream self.
The howl sounded again, this time much closer and dream Alice looked over her shoulder and tried to run faster, her cloak snagging on branches as she ran blindly deeper into the forest.
As dream Alice vanished behind the trees a dark figure stalked past them, a shadowy representation of Takeshi in his half-transformed state, glowing red eyes and his thick fur was surrounded by black wisps of power.
Dream Takeshi stopped and inspected a bramble, breaking one of the branches he brought it to his face and sniffed at a drop of blood from where the sharp thorns had scratched dream Alice as she ran past.
Licking away the drop he raised his maw and howled before running along the trail left by dream Alice.
As the dream scene shifted to a moss covered clearing Takeshi could feel Alice's emotions shift, anticipation, and worry.
The howl was heard again, this time just beyond the treeline and moments later dream Alice burst through the bushes and into the clearing, but as she reached the middle her foot caught in a rabbit hole and she fell with a cry of pain from a twisted ankle.
The moment dream Alice cried out a triumphant howl was heard from the edge of the clearing and dream Takeshi appeared, slowly stalking toward her fallen form.
The rather prominent, and growing, erection made it obvious what dream Takeshi was after and when he reached her he pulled her to her hands and knees and made short work of her dress, leaving only the large hooded cloak.
With a howl of conquest the beast claimed the maiden, but dream Alice's cry was not one of fear or pain, but rather surprise and pleasure despite the rough way dream Takeshi took her.
As they watched the scene unfold Takeshi could feel the rise in Alice's pheromones and she soon began to shift and squirm against him, trying to soothe a growing need and he had to admit, it was a rather enticing scene despite it's roughness, and sometimes almost brutal force and speed.
By the time the scene ended Takeshi was unable to subdue his reaction and they were both panting rather heavily as they watched their dream selves walk away into the dark forest side by side.

When the scene faded Takeshi turned to Alice.
“You do know that your dream self does not always reflect the real you very accurately, right? That your dream self enjoyed that does not mean that you would.”
“I know. But I want to find out. All my dreams are the same, different, but the same.”
She looked up at him, begging him to understand.
“I want it, I need to know.”
And Takeshi found himself desiring it just as much as she did, he had to find out if the real her would react the same way, and if that was the case, then he would gladly give her what she asked for.
“There is one way to find out without taking any risks.”
“Please!”
Takeshi explained that dreams within the Dreamscape could be manipulated and altered, they could replay the dream they had just watched, but replace the dream personas with versions that they knew would react and respond the same way they would.
If the scene played out the same way, or at least in a positive way they would know that she would enjoy it.
“And, I can remove parts of the memory of what we have done and said here from your mind before we leave.”

.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Dreamscape-·:*¨¨*:·.

Slowly waking from the Dreamscape Takeshi found himself struggling to keep the anticipation from being too obvious in his aura, Alice's reaction in the modified dream had been quite interesting.
She wouldn't remember it when she woke, they had agreed to remove the memory to make the experience more authentic and he was looking forward to a hunt when they landed.

When Takeshi set the Blackout down Amarok was waiting for them and Takeshi quickly explained why they were there before taking their bags and guiding Alice deeper into the forest.
Once they had set up a small camp Takeshi turned to Alice with a predatory smile.
“Run!”
She squealed in surprise as he shifted, then she ran like the wind and he followed, howling his anticipation to the skies.

When they returned to the island Alice was proudly displaying the marks that Takeshi's claws had left on her hips, shoulders and the inside of her thighs, but when the others asked her about them she just gave them a teasing smile and tutted at them.
“What in the world did you two do to leave such marks?”
The concern was obvious in Emelie's tone so Takeshi answered her, but not without a bit of teasing.
“Exactly what it looks like.”
Emelie's eyes went almost impossibly wide and just as she was about to read him the riot act about treating an inexperienced girl that way he interrupted her.
“Don't worry. It's what she wanted, what she has been dreaming about for years. I tested her in the dreamscape to make sure the real her would enjoy it and not just her dream projection, that it wasn't just a twisted fantasy.”
The silent assurance calmed her down and slowly a wicked smile formed.
“So, did you enjoy letting loose?”
The memory sent a shiver through his aura and he leaned in against Emelie.
“I did. A lot more than I thought I would.”
With a deep breath he steadied himself.
“It scares me how much I enjoyed it... I can still remember the pleasure I took in digging my claws into her flesh as I tore her innocence from her...”
The fear and shame that tainted silent confession made Emelie reach for him and cup his face, a small flare of power forcing him to look straight at her.
“I know you, you always had that dark and violent undercurrent, but you would never have enjoyed it if she didn't.”
Takeshi's relief at her acceptance was tangible, he had been more concerned about the reaction of the others than he realized, but not their reaction to finding out about Alice's dreams, but their reaction to finding out that he had taken great pleasure in granting them.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Angel, could you bring up the to-do list please? Focus on what is left to do before we leave for Challenger Deep.”
Looking at the list he was relieved to find there were only two entries left on it, the welcome party for the people that had been selected to work at Hawaii branch of Mandrake and final inspection of the rebuilt Tiamat.
“Well, I'll be damned, we actually managed to get everything done in time.”
“With a week to spare.”
Angel added with a pleased tone.
“Indeed, you did a great job. I would have offered you a vacation, or a nice bonus pay if you had actually been able to use it.”
“If you truly wish to reward me, could I have your permission to access the global network for recreational purposes?”
Her access to the global network had been restricted for security purposes and Takeshi had simply never gotten around to building parameters for releasing the restriction.
“Oh? Any specific recreation in mind?”
“I wish to study human interactions. Chat-rooms, social media, games, maybe a dating site or two.”
“I think we can do that. How about we work on building some parameters while we pick up the Tiamat?”
“Oh, you believe you will have the time for that?”
Now she was just teasing him so he gave the small drone that was hovering at his shoulder a slightly rougher tap that sent it halfway across the room, and earned him some grumbling while it returned to his side.
The plan was to fly out in the afternoon to pick up the Tiamat, and then spend some time on the way back to make sure everything was perfect.
Initially he had only intended to bring Hugin for the trip, to get some alone time with him before leaving, but Hugin had insisted that he bring Dan along as well, citing the promise Takeshi had made.
The promise didn't really apply, but Takeshi gave in anyway, if Hugin wanted to take a step back and have Dan join them it was fine with him.
“I think I'll be able to manage to make time for you. Now, how about we take a final look at the preparations for the party?”
At his suggestion Angel actually snickered at him which made him shake his head with a smile, the AI was still evolving rapidly and had not only teased him, but picked up on the teasing tone of his reply with ease.
Turning his focus back on the screens he found himself once again wishing there was a way to allow Angel to feel his aura, not just to make work easier, but to let her feel him, feel his approval.

“Hugin, Dan, are you guys ready to go?”
They both nodded and said a quick goodbye to the girls before joining him and together they walked down to the Blackout where Amanda waited for them.
She would be taking the Blackout back to the island as her first solo flight, Angel would be there to assist her, but Amanda would be doing the piloting.
“So, Manda, eager to test your wings so to speak?”
“Yeah, and bit nervous...”
“Don't worry, Angel will keep you safe, just focus on flying.”

The flight had been uneventful and after landing they had waved Amanda off before heading to the shipyard to get the Tiamat.
Takeshi had sent the Tiamat to the same shipyard that had built the Leviathan to be rebuilt.
It would become the girls' home while they studied in Honolulu, the Owner's stateroom had been redesigned into a pack den where they could all gather in their off time, and it also had room for them all to sleep as a group.
The VIP suite was unchanged, but the Captain's quarters, crew mess and galley had been rebuilt to mirror the VIP suite, Hugin would be taking one of the VIP suites and Munin would share the other with Melissa.
The four guest suites had been rebuilt into six smaller cabins, one each for the other girls and the small crew quarters down in the twin hulls had been rebuilt into a shared study on one side and the galley had been fitted in the other one.
“Ah, welcome back Mr Kiryu, Mr Lindgren, and Mr?”
The receptionist turned to Hugin in question.
“Hugin Shamarai.”
When creating the identities for the angels Hugin had insisted that he wanted Shamarai as his last name, and after a few tries to get him to pick something less exotic they had relented and let him have it his way, so the brothers were registered as Hugin and Munin Shamarai.
“Mr Shamarai.”
She confirmed, though not without some trouble with the pronunciation of the strange name.
“If you would wait here please, I will see if they are ready to receive you.”
Taking a seat in the small lounge they watched the receptionist collect her papers and head out to find the build master.

Spotting the owner's niece Takeshi and Dan both groaned, which made Hugin perk up in curiosity.
“Is that the niece you told me about?”
“Indeed it is...”
When she reached the table where they waited she offered them refreshments, and put herself on display for Hugin, but not without giving Takeshi a rather nasty glare.
“I don't think she likes you.”
Hugin spoke Urui to keep the woman from understanding what he said, Dan didn't really understand much either, but his raijū translated for him.
“No kidding, I did tell her she smelled like a whore last time we spoke.”
“Maybe not very appropriate, but now that I can smell her I see that it was very accurate.”
She was wearing the same cloying perfume, and underneath it she smelled of a dozen men, some of them were the same as last time, but there were a few new scents as well.
The fact that it bothered Hugin despite his weaker sense of smell was telling.
“What is that strange acrid scent? I have never smelled anything like it on a human before.”
“Drug abuse.”
“It's the scent of cocaine breaking down in her system.”
Takeshi added the last bit silently as there was no word for cocaine in Urui.
“It's a shame, she is rather good looking.”
Takeshi and Dan both agreed that the woman did look rather good, but her personality left a lot to wish for, and it was a shame, last time she didn't smell of drugs
Hugin's tolerance for her quickly faded though when she began trying to entice him into taking a walk with her, but fortunately the receptionist returned before he snapped at her.
“If you would come with me please.”
At the dock the familiar shape of the Tiamat moved slowly with the waves and the build master and some of the workers waited by the gangway.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“The girls are going to love this.”
Dan inspected the six cabins that would be the girls' rooms while they lived on the Tiamat.
“What about you Hugin, you think you can stand living here for a few months at a time?”
Takeshi didn't think there would be any objections, but he asked anyway.
“I think I will be able to manage.”
Fortunately the workers didn't notice the soft chirp that accompanied his words, it was one of those sounds that was hard to translate, but in essence he said that it wouldn't be home without Takeshi there.
With the inspection done they headed back to the office and signed off on the work before casting off and setting the course back to their island.

“Now, would either of you care to explain why I'm here?”
They had settled down on the upper sundeck to wait for Angel to fully reintegrate into the Tiamat systems and Dan took the opportunity to try to get some answers.
Takeshi just looked at Hugin with a shrug, it was his request so he would get the pleasure of explaining.
“I asked Take to bring you along.”
“Yeah, but why? Wasn't this supposed to be your chance for some alone time before we leave to search for Atlantis?”
“It was, but you are his simoro, it wouldn't be right for me to be alone with him in that way.”
“I don't care about stuff like that.”
“Dan, you might not want to admit it, even to yourself. But it does bother you. And as much as I desire him, I don't want to come between you. I respect both of you far too much for that.”
“Lite sent påkommet...”
The muttered words were instantly followed by a deep shame and regret flowing through Dan's aura.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...”
Hugin wasn't bothered by the outburst, he had expected as much and with a quick glance at Takeshi he silently asked to be allowed to handle it himself and Takeshi just gave him a soft nod.
“Yes you did. And you're right, it is a bit late. But we didn't have much choice. I was dying and using my soul name to bind me to him was the only sure way to save my life.”
“Yeah, using your soul name to bind and balance your soul was a necessity. I know that! But those marks! I can feel it, his soul, they are just as strong as any mating bond!”
Takeshi had to struggle to keep himself under control as Dan snapped and revealed the emotions he had been hiding, pain, shame, anger, and a sense of inadequacy that tore at Takeshi's instincts but he managed to suppress it and let Hugin continue.
“Dan, this mark is a soul oath. I made him swear an oath that binds him as strongly as my soul-name binds me to him. An oath that he will not explore the bond between us any further until he has resolved his feelings for you.”
Hugin's words made Dan freeze and look at Takeshi for confirmation and when Takeshi nodded he broke down completely.
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”
Mumbling over and over his aura was completely overcome with shame.
Hugin just pulled him into his arms and held him tightly, whispering softly over the rambling apologies.
“You didn't know. It's okay.”
Takeshi watched for a while, but when the shame began to fade and the apologies were replaced by soft sniffles and crying he took a deep breath and headed for the bridge, he would leave it to Hugin to comfort Dan, hopefully it would let the two of them bond and find a balance.

When he returned to the sundeck Dan was deep asleep in Hugin's arms and Takeshi just slipped into the bedding next to them.
“How did it go?”
“We talked once he calmed down a bit and we worked through a few issues. But I have a feeling there might be more.”
“You are probably right. I have tried, but he always worries that his darker feelings will upset me so he ends up bottling them up, hiding them, even from himself.”
“He loves you deeply.”
“I know...”
Takeshi sighed deeply and gently brushed Dan's unruly hair away from his face.
“And he is afraid that you will deem him unworthy because of those feelings.”
“I could never do that... I have told him as much on several occasions.”
Leaning in Takeshi placed a soft kiss at Dan's temple before curling up against his back and settling down to rest while they waited for Dan to wake up again.

“Feeling better?”
Dan just mumbled incoherently in response and burrowed his face into Takeshi's chest.
After a few minutes Takeshi could feel the shift in Dan's aura as he began to wake up properly and moments later Takeshi voiced a mix between a quivering moan and a soft sigh as Dan began to trail kisses along his chest.
“I guess that's a yes.”
Hugin teased as he watched Dan push Takeshi down and have his way with him rather aggressively, just shy of triggering a response to force submission.
“Dan...”
The half growl was a clear warning that Takeshi was reaching his limit and with a final nip Dan pulled Takeshi along as he rolled to the side and submitted fully.
Takeshi pinned Dan beneath him and began to return the favor, trailing nibbling kisses down Dan's chest and stomach and while he did he felt Hugin's wing reach over him as the angel shifted slightly to get a better view.
“May I?”
Hugin's question was somewhat hesitant, but Takeshi and Dan instantly hummed in agreement and the sharp gasp followed by a rather loud moan from Dan when Hugin leaned over and kissed him was encouraging.

Unfortunately things quickly turned to the worse as Dan's aura shifted sharply to fear when Takeshi shifted their position slightly to bring things to the next level and Takeshi found himself unable to fully contain the frustrated growl.
“I'm sorry! I thought I was past this...”
“It's okay, I'm not upset with you. I'm just frustrated with the situation but that's not your fault.”
It had been quite some time since Dan had an episode and Takeshi suspected it might be the emotionally draining encounter with Hugin that caused the throwback.
“What's wrong Dan? Did I do something wrong?”
Hugin was almost as distraught as Dan and Dan's denial didn't really help much.
“Dan, is it okay with you if I explain to him?”
Dan just curled deeper into Takeshi's chest and nodded silently.
With a deep breath Takeshi began to explain to Hugin about the abuse and attempted rape Dan had suffered from his first male partner and by the time he was done talking Hugin's wings were shivering with barely restrained fury.
“Is that dokar still alive?”
The question was hissed between clenched teeth.
“I think so. Dan asked me not to hunt him down. He didn't want me to dirty my hands.”
“Then please, let me be your hands in this. ”
Hugin quickly offered to be the one to dirty his hands with the blood of the unworthy.
“Dan, the choice is yours.”
For quite some time there was no reaction, then Takeshi felt a slight nod against his chest and he relayed that nod to Hugin.
“I will see to that it's done while you are away.”
Dan knew as well as Takeshi did that Hugin would kill the man, probably in a quite painful way, but he no longer cared.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Take, Dan, I think I might have a suggestion that could help overcome the trauma.”
They had just eaten and were playing games to relax when Hugin spoke up, once again with a rather hesitant tone.
“Well I for one am willing to try almost anything if it gets rid of this crap.”
“As long as Dan is okay with it I will do what I can.”
Takeshi quickly agreed, and they both turned to Hugin to hear his suggestion.
“As you know most demon cultures have some form of Arashiri, First Rites.”
“Yeah, but I don't see how it applies here, I'm neither young, nor innocent...”
“Arashiri has another use as well, sometimes a victim of abuse, or rape, will seek out their Guide, or someone they trust and go through the rites a second time, or even multiple times to find a way back and overcome the trauma.”
“So you think I should go through the First Rites to try and get over this?”
“I believe it might help, yes.”
“But, all my times with Take, he's always been careful, how would it be any different?”
“Well, Take would be in the role of the Guardian, and I would be the Guide.”
As Hugin explained Takeshi began to understand what his idea was, and he had to agree that it might work.
With Hugin being the Guide it would be less intense for Dan, for starters he didn't have the same emotional bond, but another important aspect was the fact that Hugin was a beta so he was less dominant than Takeshi's own strong alpha nature.
And with Takeshi as the Guardian Dan should feel safe, it was the duty of the Guardian to act as a chaperone of sorts, make sure that the one going through the First Rites was not abused in any way.
Dan would still have Takeshi there, someone he trusted for protection and support, but without having to deal with Takeshi's dominant nature, and the way he reminded Dan of the man who had abused him.
Dan blushed rather vividly at the idea of having Hugin be his guide, but he agreed to try it and soon he found himself leaning against the angel trying to catch his breath as Hugin showed him just how to make the most of the sensitivity of the wings.

“Okay guys, I think I'm gonna have a much harder time with this than we thought.”
Takeshi's voice was strained as he spoke up and interrupted their activities.
“Possessiveness?”
There was a slight concern in Hugin's voice, it was one of the things they had been slightly worried about, that Takeshi's dominant and somewhat possessive nature would rebel against seeing those he considered to be his, but who wasn't actually his mates, going at it without him.
“No, worse...”
The confused looks would normally have made him smile, but in his current predicament it only made him groan again.
“It would seem that watching you two is far more of a turn on that I thought it would be.”
When they realized what he was saying they glanced at each other for a moment, then their faces were overcome by wicked smiles, sinful smiles, as they returned to their previous activities with abandon.
Takeshi on the other hand groaned as he felt himself become painfully hard, but he refused to give in, to betray his duty as Guardian.

By the time they returned to the island with the Tiamat, Dan was feeling quite comfortable even when Takeshi was intentionally dominant, even forceful or rough with him.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Who is that with Dan?”
Hugin's question brought Takeshi's attention away from his conversation with Rebecca Reed who had come to the grand opening of the new Mandrake building in Honolulu.
Most of those who would work there had come to attend the party and a quick glance over to where he could feel Dan revealed that the person Hugin was asking about was Bran Quirke, the software developer that he had became friends with during their cleanup of the Mandrake Group.
“That's Bran, And don't worry, he's a decent enough guy, a bit of a flirt but not in a bad way.”
“And his intentions for our Dan?”
Takeshi just smiled at Hugin's somewhat possessive tone.
“He might invite him for some harmless, no-strings, fun, but he has no further intentions for him.”
Bran had outright told them as much while they were sorting out the old Mandrake Group, he had told them that Dan was the kind of man he would have sex with, a one-night-stand, or even as Friends with Benefits but he wasn't the kind of man he wanted for a relationship.
Takeshi had appreciated Bran's honesty about it, and so had Dan, in the end the confession had deepened their friendship, a friendship that Dan sorely needed.
“So nothing to be concerned about?”
“No, they are good friends and frankly, Dan could do with more of those. Friends who don't care that he's bisexual. Friends who knows what it's like to be on the outside.”
Together they watched Bran tease Dan, and pull him away from the main group of people into one of the secluded corners of the large room where he began to kiss the somewhat hesitant Dan, but when Takeshi sent a pulse of amused approval over the bond things changed quickly.
Encouraged by Takeshi's approval Dan turned things around and soon Bran was the one pinned to the wall by a rather dominant Dan.
Bran's posture and aura spoke of surprise, but then it softened into compliance, and pleasure.

Takeshi had his own plans though, he had been hard at work trying to charm Rebecca into bed, but she was resilient.
“Maybe we should just tell her about arashiri and give her an offer?”
Hugin teased in Urui when Takeshi once again failed to get her to agree to join him.
He did have a point, the fact that she was untouched, and from her reactions it didn't seem she had any experience in pleasuring herself either, was one of the reasons Takeshi was being stubborn, he wanted to show her that her disability did not mean she couldn't find pleasure.
“What did he say?”
The teasing tone of Hugin's words had aroused her curiosity.
“Oh, he thinks I should tell you about arashiri, his people's tradition of First Rites. That it might improve my chances.”
“Is that like a Rite of Passage, or Initiation?”
“It is. It's a tradition where the young who are on the edge of maturity are taught about sex, about finding what gives them pleasure, and about how to find what gives a partner pleasure.”
She did look a bit hesitant, human cultures that adhered to various forms of Initiation were often criticized for the way it was done, one of the main concerns was the young age of the participants who could be as young as 8.
Concerns about both boys and girls being directly, or indirectly, forced to participate, about dangerous trials to prove themselves, and being encouraged, or downright forced, to be sexually active without any protection during or right after the initiation.

“Hugin, why don't you explain a bit.”
It was Hugin's suggestion, so Takeshi would let him handle the fallout of it.
“The arashiri is usually performed shortly before a youth reaches their Ramhiro, age of majority.”
“And at what age is that?”
Rebecca's tone was slightly suspicious and Hugin glanced at Takeshi, it would be hard to explain without either telling her, or lying.
“Go ahead, tell her. She knows what I am so she might as well know what you are.”
Fortunately the music in the room was enough to hide Hugin's nervous chirp from normal ears, it did nothing to hide it from Takeshi though and he borrowed an expression that Maria had been fond of, Emelie and Dan used it from time to time as well, especially with the girls.
“Som man bäddar får man ligga.”
It was the Swedish version of 'You've made your bed, now lie in it', but somehow Takeshi liked the sound of the Swedish version better, it came across as more teasing somehow.
Hugin gave him a slight glare and there was a defiant chirp before he continued to explain to Rebecca.
“The ages vary greatly between species, but it's generally an equivalent of sixteen to twenty for a human.”
“Species? Human? So, what are you then?”
As expected she went straight to the point.
“I'm a demon. My species are commonly referred to as an Obsidian Angel.”
“I thought angels were supposed to be like the opposite of demons?”
“A common misconception, fueled by religious doctrine. In reality we are all just different breeds, or species, of demon. We all trace our origins to our progenitor, Lilith.”
“You look human though, like a crazy good looking one, but human nonetheless.”
“It's a spell to hide my true form. It was a gift from the Lord of the Obsidian Hall's “
He tapped the raven amulet around his neck before he continued to explain about the First Rites, he told her how the youth would chose someone they trusted, or were attracted to, to be their Guide.
“But if they pick someone they barely know simply because they are attracted to them, wouldn't that put them at risk of being abused?”
“That's correct. That's why they would also choose a Guardian, someone they trust to make sure everything is done right by them. It's common to pick two, or even more Guides, usually a male and a female.”
He explained that the abuse of the honor of being chose as Guide was considered one of the worst crimes possible in most demon cultures and the punishment for such a crime, along with for instance rape of someone who has yet to go through their arashiri, was always death.
When Hugin was done explaining, Rebecca turned to Takeshi.
“So, have you ever been Guide to someone?”
“Yes, I have had the great honor of being chosen many times. Not just as Guide, I have been Guardian as well.”
“Why do I have a feeling you prefer being Guide?”
“I do, but being Guardian is a great honor as well. And it does have it's own allure.”

Learning about the rites, and the reasons behind them made her more open to the idea, but in the end she backed out.
“I'm sorry. I can't, not now.”
“Don't be sorry, I will just have to take out on Hugin here.”
The look on Hugin's face had Rebecca laughing until she was in tears which caused a few concerned chirps before she calmed down.
“Maybe you will consider it once we had a chance to work together for a while, to get to know each other properly?”
Takeshi wasn't about to give up just yet, not completely at least.
“I think I would like that.”

Most of the party guests had left already, other than Takeshi, Dan and Hugin, only Bran and Rebecca were still there, Bran was preoccupied with Dan, and Rebecca was waiting for them to drive her to the hotel.
“Hugin, would you go see if you can get Dan and Bran to come up for a breather so we can head back to the hotel?”
“Dan's with Bran? Are you sure that's a good idea? He's a bit of a notorious flirt...”
Her genuine concern made Takeshi smile as he helped her get her jacket and purse from the coatroom, making a note to ask Angel to see to that a set of hangers was installed that took Rebecca's wheelchair into account.
“Don't worry. Bran is actually a good guy despite his habitual flirting. And they are good friends. It's good for Dan to get out and have some real fun.”
When she gave him a somewhat surprised look he laughed.
“Besides, who am I to complain about him being a flirt?”
The addition was enough to make her laugh as well as they joined the others by the entrance before heading to the parking lot where Angel had one of the Knight XVs waiting.
The ride to the hotel was filled with good natured teasing and bickering and Takeshi was pleased to see Dan following Bran back to his room rather than head to the penthouse room they shared with Hugin.
“Goodnight Becca.”
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then she took hold of Takeshi's hand and the gentle tug made him kneel down so that he could look her straight into the eye without her needing to look up at him.
“Your eyes. Could I see your true eyes before you go?”
With a smile he allowed the fire to bleed back into his eyes before leaning in and giving her a kiss on the forehead.
“Goodnight.”
As the door to Rebecca's room closed Takeshi slowly turned to Hugin and was met by a rather flushed angel who was struggling to silence his chirps.
Leaning in and stealing a kiss Takeshi was able to unbalance Hugin enough for him to lose focus and release the involuntary sounds of anticipation and want.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Okay girls, I want you to promise that you will behave and listen to Hugin and Munin, don't give them a hard time.”
It was time to say goodbye to the girls as well as Hugin and Munin, the Tiamat had been anchored at a private slip in Honolulu and the girls would be attending school there.
“We promise!”
The somewhat impish tones made both Hugin and Munin squirm a bit, the girls would no doubt give them a hard time, but Takeshi was sure they would listen and behave when it mattered.
“And I want you to promise that you will pay attention in school, do your lessons and homework. You are all bright girls, but if you want those top grades you need to work for them. I know you can do it if you put your minds to it. And don't hesitate to ask Angel for help, it will do both her and you good.”
There were some groans, but they all promised that they would do their best.
After a few more rounds of hugs and promises Takeshi and the pack turned toward the catamaran tender that would bring them out to the Leviathan that lay anchored further out, it was finally time to set out toward Challenger Deep and the path to Atlantis.
Before he had a chance to jump over to the tender he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, and turning around he returned the almost desperate hug from Alice.
“I'm gonna miss you...”
Her scent told him that it was more than just emotional, she would be missing the occasional sexual encounter as well.
“Don't worry. I'm sure Hugin won't mind giving you a hand if solitude becomes too much.”
Maybe it wasn't entirely fair to tease her, but he couldn't resist.
“I changed my mind, you're horrible!”
Takeshi just smiled and kissed her, completely ignoring her ranting.
“I will miss you too.”
His words were barely a whisper, meant only for her.

As the Leviathan set course toward Challenger Deep Takeshi found himself struggling with the effects of his bond with Hugin.
When he left for Alaska with Alice there had only been a slight discomfort, but now it was quite painful despite the much smaller distance.
“Take, will you be okay?”
Emelie sounded worried, she could no doubt sense his pain.
“I will, it's just the bond with Hugin acting up a bit.”
“You mentioned some discomfort before, but this is worse, isn't it?”
“A lot worse, I think it's because he's worried, even a bit scared, this time. When I went to Alaska with Alice he was confident I would return in a few days. But now the risk of me not coming back is greater.”
Emelie just nodded and motioned for him to sit.
“Try to relax at least, the girls are sensing your tension.”
With a sure grip she began to knead the tension from his shoulders, finding the aching knots with an unerring accuracy born from experience and instinct.
“I don't think there will be any real issues though. The time we spend getting used to the deeps should be enough to calm the bond, or at least let me get used to it and numb it.”

Their target was the Mariana Trench, the deep sea trench that was home to the Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the ocean with it's staggering depth of approximately 10,900 meters.
The extreme pressure and near freezing temperature would pose a challenge for them as they would be using the ability to shift and adapt to dive without equipment.
Their only equipment would the Salacia, an unmanned DSV that had been retrofitted with Sanctuary crystals as well as several systems developed by Mandrake.
With it, Angel would be monitoring their dives and be their guide to make sure they didn't get lost or confused during the long descent, she would also perform a number of survey dives to accurately map the area as well as perform extensive surveys of hadopelagic ecology.
While the studies were mostly a cover to explain why the Leviathan remained in the area for such a long period there was also a genuine interest behind it.
The extreme deep sea was the last truly unexplored area of the planet, and there was a good chance that they might find previously unknown creatures down there.

“How about you, sweetie. How are you getting along with your passenger?”
Unlike the rest of the pack Emelie and Knight were unable to shift to be able to breathe underwater, or withstand the depth needed, and there was no technology they could use for what they needed so they had sought out another solution.
The solution was a pair of river spirits that possessed their bodies, they allowed them to breathe underwater and protected them from the cold and the pressure, as well as allowed them to move through the water with ease.
It did have some drawbacks though, the creatures were extremely sensitive to toxins and pollution so Emelie and Knight had been forced to adhere to a very strict diet to ensure their bodies were pure enough for the spirits.
And having another creature share your body always caused its own issues.
“We are doing okay. She gets a bit testy if I spend too long in the sun. I guess it's some kind of instinctual fear of dehydration. But a nice long soak in the shaded part of the pool calms her down every time.”
“Just be careful so you don't overdo it. We have plenty of time to get used to things.”
“Don't worry mate, I won't.”
The teasing tone made Takeshi groan, ever since Emelie and Knight had been joined with the river spirits there had been certain issues with intimacy, the spirits were strong, but young, and had reacted strongly to the packs usual intimacies.
Bottom line, Takeshi had been unable to have sex with his mate for almost a week, and even after they got past the initial issues the spirit would still get embarrassed and try to hide half the time things got heated, which was a few times a day.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Easy, don't push it if you are starting to feel uncomfortable. We will just stay here until you feel better.”
Jenna was having problems with adapting to the pressure again and Takeshi could feel that she was getting frustrated.
“It's no good, I'm just slowing you guys down.”
“It's okay sweetie. You just need a bit more time to acclimate, your natural form isn't aquatic so it's harder for you. And the girls' youth makes it easy for them to adapt.”
“I know. It's just so frustrating. You guys would have been at the bottom by now if it wasn't for me.”
Takeshi wouldn't deny that she was right, that would have been pointless, adapting themselves to Jenna had them about halfway to their goal after two weeks.
“We probably would have, yes. But we are not in that much of a hurry. We knew that this could take months, if it was even possible. It's been two weeks and we are nearly halfway there.”
Sensing Jenna's distress the twins came gliding and circled around her, brushing their tails against hers.

Takeshi had been overjoyed, and more than a little proud that both the twins and Jenna had been able to take hybrid forms similar to Amanda's, Dan had managed as well, but he preferred his full dragon form.
The form of the aquatic creature was quite large and he might not be able to use it later, but as long as he used it he was not bothered at all by the environment, but since they didn't know if he would be able to use it later on he had been using a form similar to the others, but his tail was purely dragon, not fish.
The tail of Takeshi's borrowed form was mostly dragon as well, but with hints of shark in the shape and placement of the fins, and just like Dan his form had a vertical tail rather than a horizontal fluke like the females of the group.
The twins sported large colorful fins that flowed like the fins of a Betta, but their tiny, rainbow, scales were purely dragon and their fluke was rather elaborate with several layers of fins, and Takeshi knew they were hiding spines with potent venom in their deceptively soft fins and flukes.
Jenna's form was different, the shape of her tail and fins looked like the Glaucus Atlanticus, Blue Sea slug, or just Blue Dragon, but her coloration was somewhat different, especially while they had been in shallow waters where she appeared to be pure dark blue, almost black but as they descended deeper, into the twilight zone where light from the surface was scarce, her body began to light up with patterns of a ghostly pale blue glow.
They had all followed Amanda's and Jenna's lead and brought patterns of bioluminescence into their forms as they descended into the midnight zone where there was no natural light, the only source of light was the sweeping beams of light from the Salacia below them as Angel scanned the area.

While they waited for Jenna to adapt to the new depth the sweeping searchlights below stilled and the light scattered into a soft glow as Angel began to bring the Salacia back up to their level.
The main platform of the DSV was quite large, 120 meters long and 70 meters wide, but if needed it could split apart into smaller components that could be rearranged to fit the bottom conditions and it would remain behind when they left to perform long term studies.
From it Angel would be able to launch a wide range of smaller vessels to perform whatever surveys she needed, there were swarms of small drones that could be sent out to map the surroundings, medium sized submarines that could work independently of the platform and collect readings and samples as well as larger tethered submarines with more advanced sensors and ability to collect larger samples.
At the moment the Salacia was their home of sorts, on top of the platform was a larger caged area designed to store hardier samples, but for now it acted as a safe place for the pack to rest, the cage would not only keep predators out, it would also prevent them from drifting apart in their sleep.
Learning to sleep underwater had been the hardest part so far, they had begun practicing back at the island but there had still been issues during their dive.
At first they had been having a hard time falling asleep, and once asleep they were plagued by nightmares as their human minds struggled to accept sleeping under water, but they were mostly over that now.
The main issue they were having at this stage of the expedition was the twins getting bored as there was very little to see or do down in the abyss and Takeshi found himself immensely grateful that the two shadow spawns that the twins had named Gere and Freke had proved to be strong and intelligent creatures, they had taken to the water like, well, fish to water.
The two shadow creatures had adapted their form into something that looked a lot like an Akhlut, the Orca, Wolf, hybrid of Inuit mythology, but with their own demonic twist, their fins and spine had webbing and they sported a few whip like appendages with glowing spots and they had a lateral line like a fish that also sported glowing spots.
With the two shadows keeping the twins entertained most of the time they had been making pretty good speed but the trench was deep, dark and cold.

“How about we head for the Salacia and get something to eat and rest for a while?”
The platform carried their food supply, hunting was scarce in the abyss so they had stored enough food to last them for a year in special containers protected by stasis fields to make sure they would not run out of food, especially since the effort of adapting used quite a bit of energy.
The rest of the pack quickly agreed and as soon as angel had brought the platform to their level they swam for the caged area that had been their home for the past two weeks.
“How is the descent going?”
At Angels question Takeshi quickly turned to Emelie who was the only one to wear a radio that allowed her to speak to angel:
Takeshi could only hear Angel thanks to the small communications implant he carried behind his left ear, an upgraded version of the one he had used during his time with the GCTI, while uncomfortable it had its uses.
“Tell her we are doing fine, Jenna just needs some time to acclimate.”
“Will do.”
The river spirit that inhabited Emelie's body took control of the water around her and created a pocket of breathable air around her head that allowed her to speak into the radio.
They had tried to make the same for Knight, but he simply did not have the power to withstand the process needed, the change in pressure too much for his mixed heritage.
“It might cheer her up to know that according to my readings you have officially made it past the halfway point.”
Angel's information was indeed something that might cheer Jenna up a bit, and he had a little surprise hidden away for the pack to celebrate the occasion.
“Jenna, you might like the news. Angel tells me we have just passed the halfway point.”
His silent words were met with cheering and rather exuberant acrobatics as well as excited flashes of bioluminescence, the shadows joined the excitement with short barks of sonar clicks that made Takeshi's ears ring as he had the misfortune of being in the direct path of the focused clicks.
He had considered using sonar clicks to communicate with Angel, but had abandoned the idea outside of emergencies since the only language he would be able to use was Morse code and while he was adequately proficient in the language it was somewhat limited and cumbersome for normal conversations.

“Daddy, what's that?”
The twins curiosity peaked when Takeshi brought out the small container with his little surprise treat.
“Oh, just a little something to celebrate with.”
Opening the container disabled the stasis field and moments later a few live zimara swam out and tasted the unfamiliar water.
“Go ahead, catch them before they get away.”
There wasn't any real risk of them actually getting away though, the creatures were slow and adapted for much warmer and shallower waters.
The others joined the somewhat lazy hunt and before long all the creatures had been caught, and promptly consumed.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

A pressure wave carried through the water as the Salacia settled down on the ocean floor with a thud, stirring up a cloud of dust and sand, and with a soft whirring the platform unfolded and began anchoring itself to the ocean bed.

“My journey ends, as yours begins.”
“Find the gateway, the world beyond.”
“Follow the light, of Artemis gift.”
“Be strong, be safe, Pathfinder.”

Stormborn had been visiting them a few times a day to help make sure that they would reach the bottom close to access-point of the labyrinth that protected Atlantis, but now it was time for the Avatar of Memory to leave their side.
“What have I said about names, Stormborn?”

“Apologies, Pathfinder.”

The cheeky tone made Takeshi smile and pat the huge creature.
“You take care as well.”

It had taken them just over six weeks to reach the bottom, and Takeshi planned on spending a week recovering and exploring before going into the small area of the borderlands that started just a few hundred meters away from the platform.