Thankfully, the humans complied. He didn't have much strength left in him and he was thankful to Jackal for organising them. Through gritted teeth and gasping breaths, he recited his kata. Focusing on the water swirling around him, he was able to calm down and focus on the task ahead. As each group of humans climbed on the water staircase, Gil would expand the water underneath their feet, shooting them up to the door level. Some would fall hard and incur minor injury but that was the best he could do for now. He did this three times in total until all of the humans were up there. One of the women were shepherding them through the next door. Hopefully there was safety there in that next room, but there was no guarantee in a place like this. Even if there were, he didn't have the mind to worry about it now. He had to focus on and push through the current trial.

He was surprised by Jackal's willingness to fight along side him. Gil had said that he would catch up, but really, he hadn't meant to survive this. The mink sprung into action quite literally and dealt with Jack in a burst of electro. Jack lay there on the ground, fried out of his mind. However, the other threat, the reincarnated ice angel flew toward the escaping humans. If he did not do something, they would all become victims of the beast. While continuing one kata, he began another. He grunted in pain as he thrusted his right arm forward, condensing some of the water around him into a tendril. He would then lash out at the angel with it, striking like an agressive giraffe. Seeing the laboured movement, the angel cawed and slashed the water with icy fingertips, freezing a small area of it and stopping its approach. She attempted to dodge past it but Gil was determined not to let her near his patients. To get in the way, he did one large breaststroke kick sideways, using his injured leg to propel himself. He would cry out as he kicked, and then thrusted once more to send a column of water smashing into the angel as she tried to get past. Shrieking, Gil would drive her into the wall of the cathedral. Shattering it to glittering crystals, the fishman realised that she probably wouldn't be back due to her creator being out for the count. Maybe he did have a chance to survive after all.

Just then, he realised that they still weren't safe just yet. His eyes flicked up to see that the other angels were still moving, crawling their way along the side of the walls to get to the door. Chunks of snow began to fall from the ceiling. It looked like the place was destabilising, maybe from Gil's attack, maybe from Jack being knocked out. Regardless, it was time to go. "Get moving." Gil called to Jackal and he made a water staircase for him.

Should the mink take it, he would let him climb it up to the door before releasing it. The fishman would use the last of his strength to swim toward the door and jump through it while it was being held open by the human female. She would shut it once they were both through. A few cubic metres of water would come splashing through the doorway with Gil and end up on the floor due to being projected inward with his last action. The rest of the water that had been a part of his kata would have been released and come crashing down onto Jack, washing him down into the depths of the lake. The door would be held closed by a couple of the largest men, with scrabbles and scratches coming from the other side. They would stop after a minute or so, for whatever reason. Nobody would be intent on opening the door to check what had happened.

So where had they found themselves now? It was a cramped room for so many people. But it was oddly... Pleasant? A warm hearth lined with stockings, a neat little fire crackling away. A small plastic christmas tree covered in decorations. The room was warm and calm in the candle light, and contrasted with the harsh white and blue of the previous area. But the most prominent feature on the wall was a large projector screen, with a video emitting den-den mushi casting a video onto it. There would be ten buttons on the snail shell, with the first pressed down. The image was a little eerie. The most prominent aspect was the large pile of presents, all laden with gold and jewels. The mound was a stash fit for a king. Why was there such wealth just laying there? Behind it was a door that was marked 'A-4'. And in front of it were four innocent looking plastic toys, about the size of your average human.


Where was this a video of? Why was it being shown to us? Some of the humans began investigating the setup, pressing the buttons. Each of the buttons would switch the display. First a kitchen, then a bedroom, then a hallway, and so on.

But it wasn't like Gil was focussed too much on their predicament given his own personal one. He sat on the ground, clutching his shattered ankle. He helplessly shivered, the trauma resulting in shock. Leaning over to the side, he puked. A few of the humans gathered, asking if they could help. He got them to make him a splint and a crutch out of the furniture that was around. Cloth bound a wooden stool leg to his foot and lower leg, isolating the injury. Despite his condition, he was determined to not be a hindrance on the others.

He heard someone over by the projector ask a particularly chilling question. "Hey, weren't there more toys there earlier?" Gil looked up to see the scene with the pile of gold and the door again, however only one of the four toys was still in its place.

Gil was all wrapped up and ready to go. Not that he wanted to move particularly, but it wasn't like he had any choice. He had been given another chance to get out of this place, he wasn't about to squander it. He watched as two terrifying large plastic toys emerged with weapons, attacking jackal. He managed to fend them off, but without seeming to damage them. They were the same size as the rest of them, but much faster and more durable than the mannequins. With gritted teeth, he hoisted himself up off the floor. Just as he did so, the floorboads where he was sitting parted, and out came the bear again. Bare handed, it lunged at him, attempting to grab him and pull him down below the room. Gil would spring away in reaction, curling into a forward roll. As he flipped, he scraped his fingers against the ground in the puddle of water, gripping it and condensing it into a column of water again. However due to the lack of water and space, the water would flow around his good hand only and extend outward in a thin snaking line. He would then flail his arm, cracking the toy over the head like a bullwhip. It would soon scrabble back into the hole when it realised it had been foiled. Constantly cycling through hand gestures, he kept the water under his control, straightening it and propping himself up with it like a cane. He would lean over and puke again, the sudden exertion not to his body's liking. But he was determined to move forward now.

"They don't seem to take much damage of any kind it seems. Then what are we supposed to do, make a run for it? I don't like the look of that treasure room. Smells like bait. But if that's where the exit is then do we have any choice?"

They could see rooms through the den den mushi, but they still didn't know how they all connected. It could be a maze like place or worse, maybe they were being deceived, with the exit door room not actually being attatched to their position, with only the toys being able to move between them using their secret passages. These thoughts swirled in Gil's head but he didn't voice them due to being worried that the humans would lose hope or panic. There were already terrified sobs and disheartened expressions throughout the group. The previous trials were taking their toll. Even Jackal looked tired. Their best bet for survival would be to remain calm and start trying to progress through the area while looking out for more surprise attacks.

Gil hobbled to one of the doors, with the intent of scouting ahead. As he put his hand on the door handle, he realised that he could hear quiet thunks on the other side of the door. They were getting louder, as if something was approaching. Just as the sound was on the other side of the door, it stopped. And then the handle began to turn. Gil would hold the door handle to stop it from moving. After a little jostling of the handle from the other side, the thunking could be heard again, getting quieter this time as the thing on the other side moved on. Gil would urgently point over at the den den mushi. Getting the message, one of the humans clicked one of the buttons. It was the hallway they had seen before, but now they could see the back of a large plastic fox slowly slink back into the shadows. So this video shot was the hallway on the other side of this door. Maybe there was a way of getting through this nightmare without succumbing to the toys.

The situation was looking worse and worse, but Gil thought that there may be a way through this. He thought he could use the den den mushi to navigate the halls while trying to avoid the toys. Maybe if he was fresh he would be able to fight, but it just wasn’t a practical line of thinking for him to assume that he could do whatever was necessary to keep the group safe by fighting. He decided that this may be their best bet. The crowd was disheartened to say the least. Some were injured, but most were completely demoralised. These horrors weren’t what normal folk were used to. A sob of despair from one while another tried to comfort them, their eyes showing that they didn’t believe in their own reassuring words. Maybe it was sheer stubbornness that kept the green boi going. Even though the group of humans proved to be a heavy burden, he was thankful that he was not alone during this trial. Should he have not had others to fight for, he may have just drifted off in that sedated state in the lake. The fishman quickly closed his eyes in a quick prayer. He asked the sea to guide him and protect them in their hour of need, and to absolve him of his sins should he fall. His faith calmed him. He believed they had a chance should they work together.

"I have an idea."

Spoiler:

Gil perked up to see a plastic monster duck emerge from beneath the ground. A frantic gasp and scrabbling came from the humans as they scrambled away from the creature. But not the mink, no. The crazy bastard slid into the hole in which the thing came from. Why the hell he had decided to do such a reckless thing was beyond him. It wasn’t exactly what he would call teamwork. The duck disappeared after him down the hole and that was it, the floorboards swinging down and shutting again. There was a dead quiet for a few seconds.

“You damn furry idiot!”

Gil shouted as he quickly hobbled over to the patch of floor where Jackal had just disappeared. He ignored the stabs of pain as he used his injured leg to get over there as fast as possible. He leaned on his water cane, his hand still twitching as he performed the single handed kata to keep it in shape. He would then begin to pound at the floor with his cane, attempting to smash open the place where Jackal had disappeared. He wasn’t making any damage, no matter how hard he struck. Growling in rage, he turned and made for the door. He couldn’t just ditch the beast now, not after he had stayed behind and helped him in the previous room. The calmness had gone, and in its place, a panic for the safety of his new acquaintance.

“Everyone, follow me. We are going to make for the exit. There’s no time to spare!”

He had meant to carefully attempt to sneak through the place, but this wasn’t an option if he wanted to recover the mink. He instead decided to push the rest of the group to come with him immediately. He now hoped that with their speed, they would be able to make it past whatever traps lay in store. Gil would burst through the door leading out of the room and into the hallway. It was a dark place, the walls seemed to close in on him. Regardless, he ran through the hall, hobbling on his cane of water while calling to the humans behind him. Maybe he could find a way to get to Jackal, but he didn’t have any plan for that yet. All he could do was hope things would turn out alright. Turning the corner, he noticed a dark shadow slinking off in the distance. Ducking back to hide, he caught his breath.

“Damn monsters.”

He uttered under his breath, taking a second to massage his leg. The humans clamoured after him, not exactly the most stealthy of parties. He couldn’t dally for too long, with a quick few breaths and a slap to the cheek, he psyched himself up before turning the corner once again. He wasn’t ready for the sight he saw next.

Spoiler:

A massive plastic fox lunged at him, great teeth like a bed of spikes went for his throat. He shouted in pure shock, bringing his water cane up in front of him in reflex. The monster chomped down on the condensed water. It was struggle, Gil was wrestled to the ground underneath the strength of the contraption. Its claws swiped at him, biting into his scaly flesh and ripping. He was desperate in trying to keep those wicked jaws away from his vitals. The thing kept going and going like a rabid beast, locking down its squirming, fishy prey. He couldn’t get free. Even when he expanded and contracted his water cane, using its strength to smack the thing backward, it would just charge again. Gil would fall back, his injured body no longer able to cope with the onslaught. Like it could sense the opening, the thing lunged. Gil held out his right hand, unable to get into position to form a useful kata. Going straight for the elbow joint, the thing would chomp down, pull, and proceed to ragdoll the fishman around, smacking him on the walls before leaving him in a crumpled heap. The world spun. A low pitched ring filled his ears. The impacts left him concussed and dizzy. He didn’t have the strength or awareness to be able to lift himself into a position where his next puke would leave his mouth. He would lay there in a pile of his own blood, vomit and water, the light fading from his eyes.

Because this thing wasn’t a real animal, it had no need to feed. It was doing this for the kill. So when it saw the fishman’s incapacitated state, it turned, its beady glowing eyes turning for the humans, being satisfied at Gil’s takedown. Chink, chink. It’s plastic mechanisms whirred as it stalked its new prey. The crowd was thrown into a frenzy upon seeing the display, one of the people who had protected them now lay helpless, as good as dead. And now the thing was going for them. A stampede occurred, people ran in any direction they could away from the thing. Some were pushed out the way, some hurt themselves and others in sheer terror. Gil could barely make out the shapes and colours of the events that were occurring before his very eyes.

Was it ok that his patients were coming to harm? His chest heaved, his body desperate for air, his diaphragm pumped, attempting to find a way to bring in oxygen past the blocked airways. Wasn’t that a little irresponsible of him to leave them to fend for themselves? The tips of his fingers and toes twitched. After all, it was simply unprofessional of him to be so careless. He coughed, spat and moaned, his senses slowly returning to him. It wasn’t possible for him to go another round with the plastic beast, but maybe he could still do something for the others. His core tightened and his left arm bent, propping him up. His flesh was no longer willing.

“Leave my patients. They’ve done nothing to deserve being dragged into a place like this against their will. If you must fight… Then fight me.” His teeth clenched with those last words, realising that he was most definitely sealing his fate with this act. He said 'fight', but there was no way this would be a fight - it would be a slaughter. And then the fox turned to face him.

“Well why didn’t you say so?” A squeaky voice came from the fox. It’s face would open up, and out of the newly made hatch would pop out a very small person.

“What the fu-” Would be all that Gil could muster before the floor beneath him opened up, the shock and sensation of falling dragging him into unconsciousness. At the same time, hatches beneath all of the humans would open up as well, and they would all be sent below to the dwarven control room beneath. Jackal would be able to see the fishman being wheeled in a hospital bed to catch up to him by some dwarves, with a very bewildered group of humans in tow.

It had been a haze of memories, mixed together. He lay in a bed not unlike the ones found in the modest inns that littered the coastal towns of Sandy Islands. His eyes closed, consciousness slowly came to him.

What a strange dream.

He would have to consult the tide to see if there was any meaning in the dream he had just experienced. Maybe he had accidentally mixed up some of his stronger ‘medicinal’ herbs and they had made their way into his diet. The events he had experienced while asleep weren’t unlike those he had experienced while conducting his own ‘self experimentation’ into hallucinogenic remedies. Death camps, killer puppets, icy angels, toys piloted by very small people. Yes, this had to be some sort of vision quest, something that held greater meaning - it was just too absurd to think otherwise.

And then his eyes opened, and well, he couldn’t help but be a little disappointed at the sight. Being wheeled in a hospital bed, he was being pushed along behind the mink he had come to know as Jackal. “Urrgh.” Gil groaned and sank into the foam mattress. His senses were returning to him and with it, the pain of his injury. Hearing him come to, Jackal had made a remark that sounded much too smart for how sorry the fishman felt for himself. He could feel a tug here and there on his body. Looking down, he would notice a team of about a dozen little dwarfs dressed in doctor’s scrubs, darting around his body. They were patching him up, quite literally in the case of his ankle. Cutting out dead tissue, patching the severely damaged area with some sort of skin like weave and then supporting it with a thin yet sturdy cast. The same was done for the right side of his chest and the bite wounds. It was remarkable to watch Kappa soaked up the display. These things were clearly generations ahead of most islands when it came to medical procedure. Not only that, the speed and efficiency in which they moved was like a performance. “You should be okay to move around now, Mister.” One of the dwarves said as he climbed onto his forehead, looking down into one of Gil’s black eyes. Really? He didn’t believe it completely, but then again, they had isolated the wounds and supported them enough. He had lost mobility through the cast and patching, but it wasn’t like he could use those areas much anyway. Gil slowly made his way to his feet while Jackal continued his conversation.

Enter, one big stoney boi. The earth shook with each step of the colossal beast. What the hell was going on? It sounded like that blue haired freak that had just given them so much trouble was now. He wasn’t too aware of what was going on in terms of the whole operation down here, but he did recognise the big bad guy in front of him. And if Jackal was intent on staying behind and facing it, well, he had caused him enough trouble already. Gil put his weight on his cast tentatively, finding it to be sturdy.

“Alright, let’s see what we can do. I’m going to need some water or something though.”

As if the dwarves had thought this through, a pair of small people came scuttling through, hauling large barrels, placing them in front of the fishman. “We saw you fighting before. This is the best quality stuff. Don’t waste it!” One particularly bossy dwarf squeaked. Popping the lid, he would find the barrels filled with a creamy white liquid. Dipping a finger in and tasting it, he would let out a sigh.

“Eggnog? Really?”

Something had caught Gil’s eye. That large guard that had locked them in. He didn’t trust him. If the dwarf-elves were telling the truth in that their group of prisoners weren’t supposed to have been set upon by the factory’s defenses, then why had that human elf locked them in that prison to begin with? Looking back at him, the fishman noticed Holly slip his hand into his green jacket, the hilt of a red and white striped crook glinting from inside. Instead of helping the other elves, he seemed to be stalking off. The situation was chaotic, and yet the man seemed to be rather calm. He couldn’t focus on that now, he had to face the beast in front of him.

“Cover you? Stop making it sound like you’re the main character.”

Gil grumbled as he readied himself. He thrusted his forearms into the white goop, grabbing and feeling the textured liquid. Regardless of his grumpy response, he would follow the mink. He would thrust his hands forward out of the barrels as he took off, bending the eggnog into two snaking tentacles of water that covered his arms up to the shoulder. The roof was beginning to come apart, the stone angel smashing into the walls and sending debris flying. There was no time to stop, he had to make sure Jackal would have an uninterrupted path ahead. Thrusting his arm toward the ground, one of the liquid white snakes smashed into the bottom of the factory floor. Upon contact, Gil would condense and expand water at the contact point, adding elastic potential energy to the thrust. This would propel him ahead of Jackal just for a second, launching him up above him. Just in time for a rain of car sized pieces of brick and concrete to come falling in his path. With his two arms cloaked in pressurised eggnog, he would lash out at these pieces of rubble like a striking snake. He would smash them to pieces, letting the smaller chunks continue to rain down.

“Go!”

Gil would shout before retreating. He would leave the beast in front to Jackal, having confidence in him that he could handle it on his own. Being suspicious in nature, he wanted to see what that human elf was up to. Jackal had taken Jack down once, he should be okay with doing it again, right? Turning around and running the opposite direction, he took a quick look over his shoulder before focussing on the task at hand. The human elf was easy to spot, his green attire making him stand out from the other humans and his height making him stand out from the dwarves. He was climbing up some stairs, toward a voice that was shouting out orders over a loudspeaker. In his hand lay a large candy cane, its point sharpened to a vicious tip. It was clearly a weapon. Whatever evil the man was up to, it would be best stopped.

With the eggnog still surrounding him, he ran toward the control room, getting to the base of the stairs just as Holly entered the room. He wouldn’t make it far before he heard the massive crash from each footstep cease behind him. Looking over, he would see the statue fading away, and Jackal falling to the ground with Jack under his arm. It amazed Gil to see what the kid was capable of. What brought his attention back to the control room above him was a different voice taking over the transponder system. “Thank you Mr Helios.” Gil began climbing the stairs again, hurrying to the scene. He managed to burst into the room just as Holly finished his spiel.

He saw a dwarf slumped over with a large wound and Holly, candy cane sword in hand, the sharpened tip covered in blood. Immediately he went on the offensive. Condensing the eggnog around his right arm so that it flattened around his forearm, he then thrusted forward with his full strength, shooting the eggnog toward Holly like a battering ram. Catching the elf off guard, Holly would be sent off his feet. Rolling across the floor, he would come to rest before slowly picking himself up. “Ahh, our guests. I should have finished you off when I had the chance, Mr Noam.” Despite the heavy blow, he was wearing it well. He had kept a hold of his cane sword, which he raised at Gil. He was a threat, he had to be neutralised. He would flatten the eggnog around his arms into two long fifteen metre whips, coiling them around his body. Posture poised in a practiced pose, he breathed in and out. It was hard to focus on his katas in a situation like this. A strange place surrounded by strange people being subject to strange events. Not to mention he was tossing around eggnog. Holly started up again, feeling exhilaration in finally being done with his deception “My ambition is far stronger than you scum could imagine-” A whip cracked at him striking at his face. The fishman didn’t have any interest in his speech. However, the human elf had his guard up this time, and blocked the strike with his sword, the liquid whip coiling around the length of it. A deep black shine enveloped the cane, showing the signature look of armament haki. With his blade reinforced, he would lean back and pull, throwing Gil off his feet. To any that saw this, the scene would be reminiscent of a fisherman hauling up his catch. To stop himself from falling, he would coil the other whip, the right handed one, on the ground in front of him, falling on it like a coiled snake before pushing himself back up. He realised that a match of speed or strength probably wasn’t in his favour, not to mention it looked like the villain was able to use at least one of the types of haki. He would have to overpower him with technique and cunning, resources he had plenty of.

“Unlimited cane works!” Holly would bellow, before the sword would extend unexpectedly, shooting toward Gil’s torso. With a last second dodge, the cane cracked against his ribs and his skin tore open, but his vitals were missed. The cane sword was immediately retracted to its original size. The first thing he felt was a hot burning sensation, greater than that of fire. “This is made from the hottest, most concentrated peppermint in the world! I am grateful for everything I have learned here Jarvis, I really am. But I can only take so much… Merriness.” Despite his focus, Gil let out a yell of pain, recoiling from the wound and dropping to the ground, the eggnog being released from the fishman jujutsu. “I’ve eaten nothing but christmas cookies and leftover milk for years! I could do with some sushi.” Gil found it hard to hear let alone see over the roar of his nerves as his body convulsed with the painful stimuli of lingering peppermint.

So much for his proud technique and cunning. A single hidden ace had left him unwound. What a pathetic sight. Had his senses really dulled this much over the years? He used to be someone worth recognition. Would the old Gilbard, one of the apostles of the Kappa Conclave really fall to such a creature as this boastful bully? Maybe his devotion to his medical practices had put his life out of balance. Regardless, now he felt slow and weak. No, he couldn’t stop here. Rationalising it in his mind, Gil knew that the injury wasn’t deep enough to stop him. It was simply the pain response from that strange peppermint. And he didn’t need a strong body to overcome pain, but a steeled nerve- an unmoving willpower. Gritting his teeth, he forcefully pulled his focus back to the present. And this was just in time to see the candy cane sword had been morphed into an axe with a massive blade, the sharpened edge coming straight at him in an overhead swing. He really was going to end up like sushi should that thing hit him. He twisted his foot in the puddle of eggnog, condensing it and then releasing it. This propelled him from a standing start to flying sideways though the air while keeping low to the ground. In the meantime, his hand would slip into his jacket and draw his spear pistol. The peppermint axe would come down, smashing into the ground and Gil would fire off two shots into Holly’s torso. Caught by surprise, the large elf dropped his weapon and staggered.

“Find peace in the sea’s embrace.”

The green fishman would croak before firing off a last bullet into the elf’s forehead.

It was hard to stay conscious through the pain. He lay there in a puddle of blood and eggnog, his pistol levelled at the overgrown elf. The large body crumpled, and Gil slackened. He took a gasp and pulled himself up onto his knees. He tucked his gun back into his jacket and looked around at the scene. Sirens were still blaring due to the countdown and he could hear panic ensuing outside as the last preparations to evacuate were being made. But inside the control room, it was oddly quiet now that the skirmish had been won. The only thing he could hear was the sound of his own rasping breaths. The adrenaline left his body and a wave of lethargy set in. He had been put through the ringer. Ripped apart, sewed back together, and then continuing to fight on. He accepted that he was at his limit.

*sound of record scratching*
Gil’s solemn resignation was interrupted by a furry creature and a villain entering the control room, their all too soppy heart-to-heart spoiling his peace of mind.

“Haven’t you two fought at least twice today?” Gil commented, sounding like a moody preteen being woken in the morning.

Jackal continued on, starting a conversation with Jarvis. It wouldn’t be long before the dwarf started yelling again. The fishman begrudgingly dragged himself up off of his knees, realising that even death wouldn’t allow him to escape this racket. The only choice then was to live on. At one point, the room began to shake like an earthquake had hit it. Gil’s legs turned to jelly momentarily and he staggered around. Really, he wasn't surprised at anything anymore after the day he had had.

They were now in a larger room littered with christmas themed decorations and furniture. It was completely devoid of the factory feel and the other strange places they had visited. In fact, it was rather reminiscent of the place he had entered before turning up in that cell with all the others. He didn’t feel any maliciousness about this space at all. And from what Jackal said, they could leave from here. Gil would smile, one not of happiness, but of relief.

“I need to… Go and rest. Today has been a bit of an ordeal for me. Excuse me gentlemen.” He hadn’t really been keeping up with the discourse, his lack of focus being attributed to his tiredness. He decided he was thoroughly sick of christmas. He wouldn’t mind never seeing the holiday ever again. If he did have to experience it, hopefully it would be with a few less belligerent humans, killer puppets, animated snow angels, strange sculptors, piloted toys and cane wielding elves. The fishman would make his way to the exit shown by Jackal, staggering his way home.

The desert heat was pleasant for once, being out of that place. A jingling sound came into earshot overhead. The fishman flinched, tensing up and shutting his eyes, giving a post traumatic stress reaction. “Ho ho ho!” A jolly bellow could be heard in the distance.

“It’s not real. You’re imagining things.” Gil would mutter to himself. Despite his self assurance, he wouldn’t look up at the sky until he was safely back home.

-exit-

Summary: I liked it a lot. When I first started reading I tried to predict what you guys would do next at time, but I couldn’t. That change as the story went on flowed to me and made it a even better read. I can’t give out any bounty for this though but you guys earned the other rewards.

Kappa
Beli: 41,000,000( doubled to 82,000,000)
Doriki: 1.5(doubled to 3)

Kaito
Beli: 40,000,000(doubled to 80,000,000
Doriki: 2 ( doubled to 4)

Forgot to mention @Kappa your attempt for activation of Buso Haki has been approved. Buso Awarded.