It&#39;s the same damn things you&#39;re so quick to believe

[For a moment, Riku almost doesn't even hear Xanth's question. Instead, he's checking over his arm in faint surprise--not only is his arm healed now, but the faint stiffness and dull ache in his torso is gone too. The only sign of something that might have been is the faint scarring that remains. He feels--whoa. He feels -fantastic-! Riku's used potions before this, sure, accepted the favor of a healing spell once or twice, but this is entirely different.

Riku glances up just in time to hear Xanth's question. He smiles slightly, shrugging as he stands back up.]

It's like you said before. There are some dangerous things on this ship.

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...r-ready to go, th--then?

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[So close! But it's okay, he'll get you to speak up eventually, Xanth.]

Sure, let's move on.

[As they make their way over to the door, Riku is silent. But as they step out into the hallway, he'll volunteer some more information.]

A couple weeks ago there was a tiger up on deck six. From what I understand, I wasn't the only one to run into it.

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O--ouch.

A... a-a while ago, a-a couple months, m-maybe... a-a wolf got me u-up on deck f--five. S--Seems like there's a-always something running-- running around, e-even if it's... j-just another passenger...

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[Hey, now -this- is what he's talking about! Riku shoots Xanth a wry smirk.]

Sounds about right. So you think the tiger was a passenger?

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Um... M-Maybe. The wolf w-was actually a--a man too, s-so, the tiger m-might've been.

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Huh. So did you talk to the guy?

[As he's speaking, Riku's moving to the next door down, having taken careful note of which door the healing pool laid behind.]

This one next?

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Y-Yeah. He was... uh.

Y--Yeah. Th-that one.

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I see.

[Heh, Riku recognizes that sort of tone, Xanth. He gives a small, knowing smirk, but doesn't say anything more--instead, he pushes the door open.]

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[Immediately something glinting in the faint hallway light lashes out; there's a sound of both rushing water and the clicks, clanks, and hisses of knives being sharpened. A mass of daggers, swords, machetes writhes behind the door, and as metal appendages like the sawed legs of a spider lash out in an effort to strike Riku and Xanth several of them shatter light fixtures and throw a section of the hallway into darkness.

The blades flash in what little light reaches from down the hall and the wall of slicing, scoring blades begins to advance toward the duo.

Something inside is screaming. SCREAMING, and the smell of blood is heavy in the air.]

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[Impossibly--maybe foolishly--Riku's first thought is to grab for the door again, blocking with his wooden sword as he does so, yanking it closed again and maybe, just maybe stopping whatever it is that's on the other side. But he doesn't see whether the door actually shuts or not, because Xanth's pulling on his shirt, trying to drag him away from the door and he's off his balance so the other boy can pull him back a few steps easy.

But then Riku pulls back out of his grasp, jerking his thumb back towards the stairs they'd come from.]

Time to go!

[If he'd been on his own, maybe he would have stayed. If he'd had Soul Eater with him, if he'd been able to summon the Heartless, if he'd been able to use the corridors of darkness, he -definitely- would have stayed. But he's got nothing but his wooden sword, a chunk already taken out of it by the blades that had been going after them, and he's got Xanth to keep in mind, as well.

So Riku's not gonna risk it. Not today. He whips around reaches out to try and push Xanth in the correct direction--he'll -drag- the other boy if he has to, but he's not planning on letting them get chewed up by the rolling mass of weaponry today!]

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[As the mass of blades clears the doorway -by way of shaving half of it into slivers- it rolls, glides, scores into the hallway. Gouges are carved out of the ground, the walls and ceiling, the knives and legs making thuk thuk noises as they stick into their surroundings before they are wrenched free.

The mass picks up speed; Riku's makeshift sword isn't enough.

A door flies open -a familiar door, with water patterns reflected on the ceiling inside- and a voice calls urgently,]

Children, inside! Inside, quickly!

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[Riku doesn't waste any time either, hurling himself towards the opened door. He's right on Xanth's heels as the other boy slides inside, barely taking the time for a glance around before he checks behind him.

They may be both through the door, but he's not entirely sure whether or not they're "safe" yet.]

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[They aren't.

Invisible hands grab their arms and pull them insistently over to the pool.]

Beneath the water- Quickly! Please, hurry! Go beneath the water when it comes, don't surface, not for anything!

[The clamor of the wall of blades increases as it approaches the door.]

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[It makes sense. Riku follows Xanth into the pool, twisting around to watch the door--and to see if he can see their mysterious helper this time.]

Wait--what about you?

[He doesn't slip beneath the surface of the water, not yet. He doesn't know how long it'll take the blades to get there (though he imagines it won't be long), and he doesn't want to risk the chance of having to come up for air right as the blades reach them.

So he watches the door, struggling in vain to calm his racing heartbeat, knowing the wall of blades will be upon them in seconds.

What did they -find-?]

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[The voice doesn't respond, but the water does splash and it can be assumed he followed.

The blades are upon the door within seconds; they tear at the doorjamb, rip it apart, throw chips of wood and chunks of plaster across the room like confetti. The thing advances into the room and fills it entirely, wall to wall, and knives stick into the plaster only to be wrenched free as it crawls toward the pool.

Hopefully Riku ducked down in time, because the blades approach the edge of the pool; swords, legs, sharpened appendages flash above the water's surface, close enough to cause ripples but never touching. It thrashes above the pool furiously for a few moments- ten seconds, fifteen, twenty. Then, slowly, it sinks back and away. Back through the door, scarring the room as it retreats, and before long the sound of its fury falls silent as it moves along its path within the church.]

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[Three seconds under the water and Xanth's lungs are already begging for air, but he stays down.

It's an eternity before the sounds of tearing and ripping quiet, and Xanth is only able to stay down for two more seconds after that before he surfaces, coughing and sputtering.]

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[Oh, Riku had thrown himself under the pool's surface the moment the first blade had cleared the door. He keeps his eyes open as he submerges, watching the horror above them and keeping a hand ready to pull Xanth back down should the other boy have tried to surface too soon. But the thing retreats soon enough, and Riku stands as well, staring at the door as though he expects it to come back. He runs his hands through his hair, pulling the silver mess away from his face, then shakes his head.

When he speaks, his voice is tense. He's trying not to show it, but yeah, he's definitely a little bit shaken by the painful death they've somehow avoided.]

What... what was that thing?

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The Plague Star.

[The water ripples again, and a dripping trail is drawn across the floor by the invisible priest.]

You boys should leave before it comes back. Please try not to open doors needlessly again.

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[Seeing that the danger has passed, at least for the moment, Xanth takes another few seconds to get his breath.

Then, he turns to Riku, frowning deeply.]

See! S-See, I... I t-told you! I--I told you, I t... told-- told you, I t-told you!

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