Cha-La! Head Cha-La!

Another day, another horror of a simian slain. Prophylaxis and a few unlikely allies managed to slay a beast at the base of a waterfall, severing its corruptive influence over the river at the root. Of course, it was merely one headwater out of many, and much work would still need to be done. With each ape they kill, the waters clear up just a little bit more. Someday in the near future, this place might be as beautiful as it once was, long ago.

'Long ago.' What meaning does that phrase even still have, in this place? Was this world even present before the Black Wave threw them all into it? There are still too many questions, and far too little in the way of answers. With only himself for company, all Akira Kurahashi can do is mull through his own racing thoughts and hope that the haze of the waterfall can ease the worst of his worries.

He's alone now. The Doctor told his companions to go ahead without him; after all, he was sent here with a mission, and has not yet been informed that it has been completed. Prophylaxis slowly walks a natural stone path from the cascade basin, winding up the cliffside to a chamber hidden behind the waterfall. There, there is an altar-- and a stone that he had placed on it days ago. Every time he leaves, the monkeys make a mess of it, and so every time he comes this far, he makes it a point to clean the area of whatever detritus they've scattered around the cavernous Honden to the Dragon King. Of course, what he finds there today... Might be a little bit different than usual.

Though Prophylaxis is expecting some king of dragons, it would appear that it was right for the lady of the winters to only give him the name of Longwang. For what steps out of the waters moments later, as Prophylaxis begins to walk down the path, is something rather different.

Coming from the waters, appears to be... a horse. No, not a regular one, but a seahorse. It flutters its little wings rapidly to rise up above the waters, its strange serpentine-like curled body lifting up from the waters. It's not particularly enormous. It's perhaps the size of a cat, but it's definitely bigger than one's regular seahorse.

Its red scales glisten a bit as it 'flies' through the air as if it were moving through water itself, approaching Prophylaxis. It doesn't speak. It just kind of slowly floats down, and then moves its wings again to slip up in the air.

There's just /so much/ gross stuff to clean up. How do monkeys make such a terrible mess in such a relatively short time? The doctor sighs as he shovels together a pile of detritus to set ablaze, disintegrating the putrid filth in purifying flame. It's just then that something emerges from the water and...

Uh.

That name on that little red seahorse distinctly reads 'Longwang.' Prophylaxis is not sure what exactly he was expecting. Surely, something named 'Longwang' would be a dragon of incredible majesty and magnificence! But this...

Is instead a particularly magnificent... sea dragon.

And it's also *extraordinarily* cute. It has tiny little wings! It's vaguely cat-sized! It... it's still a god, probably, but it's also TOO CUTE.

Prophylaxis inclines his head in a bow regardless, in part so he can keep his Cute Animal Proximity Expression from betraying his true thoughts, and in part because that's what you do in the presence of a divine creature.

The tiny thing floats up a bit as Prophylaxis bows towards Longwang. It lifts up a bit, looking down upon him almost as if saying; 'that is right, bow to me, human', but it lacks the arrogant look.

But then, it's a seahorse. It is hard to really read any kind of expression from it. It then sloooowly floats down, as it touches one of its little fluttery wings to its chest, and inclines its head - bowing back to Prophylaxis. It then flutters its wings again to right itself, and seems to turn its head in a questioning manner.

Clearly, it's wondering why he is here, but it is not speaking.

It's okay, Prophylaxis. You can do this. Just keep your poker face, and it'll all be fine. The doctor rises once the seahorse god floats into his field of vision and returns his bow. Longwang speaks no words, but he can tell enough from its gesture that it wishes to know what he's doing here, of all places. Prophylaxis clears his throat and answers:

"Great Longwang," he begins, "I am Prophylaxis of the Scale Emblem. I was sent here by the Yuki-Onna of Yamato to cleanse your temple of the apes that have been defiling it. She bid me to carry here an opal and offer it to your altar, and then to slay a great number of those beasts until... Well, she didn't specify, exactly. Until this, I suppose?"

He cants his head toward the sea dragon king's jade altar, where that same opal sits and glistens in the light filtering through the waterfall. "I hope that my performance has been satisfactory. I intend to continue facilitating additional expeditions until the waters run clean again, but it will take... time."

The seahorse floats there for a bit, listening to Prophylaxis. Slowly floating down, then flitting back up. Staring with its dark eyes. And when he points to the Opal, it turns and begins to flutter on its way there. It isn't long before it lands upon it with its tail, touching it with the tip of it.

It seems to almost curl its long tail around it, and rests around it. The Opal then suddenly begins to flow with a white light, and the Divine Beast seems to be appeased by this. It even lets out this little chitter-like sound announcing its amusement at this situation.

It then flitters up into the air, sinks back into the water for a moment. It takes a moment, but eventually it lifts something up from the deep murky waters. Something on a metalic chain, caked in dirt and disgusting mire. Which the little thing then drops into Prophylaxis' hands.

"We were also hoping to establish a settlement nearby, and were wondering if you would be amenable to such a thing-- ah." The dragon king... does /something/ with the opal on the altar. Although to be honest, the doctor is a little preoccupied keeping himself from cooing over the seahorse's adorable fluttering wings.

It takes every ounce of will.

But at least the sudden radiant glow pouring out from the opal is a suitable distraction. "What in the world--" Prophylaxis starts, before Longwang drops... something into his hands. A chain...?

It's... filthy. But a quick water spell should fix that.

"...She said to keep the gem on me forever," he says, thoughtfully, "Is this chain meant to... do that?"

The critter points to the opal with one of its wings, then at the chain. It then bobs its head up and down a bit. There's a lot of communication that can happen with some very simple body movement and charades. Having given him the chain, it flutters back to the opal, and then presses its tail around it for a moment.

The Opal begins to glow, and not a moment later, a white pulse suddenly goes through the area. Within moments, the water is suddenly cleaned, and the walls are being cleaned. This line of white light rippling over the area from the opal, cleaning the entire region. No doubt the monkeys would return to undo this. But there is a sense of... sanctity that suddenly returns.

It then points its tail to Prophylaxis, and at the Opal. Fluttering up to let him take it.

It helps somewhat that the doctor has owned an abundance of pets in the course of his life. Learning how to read animal body language has proven useful in many unexpected ways!

Of course, it doesn't help him predict what happens when Longwang touches at the Opal again. A wave of purifying light washes outward, burning away all that was not meant to be, cleansing the world and all within it. The doctor stares, the light inexplicably not burning his eyes out of their sockets. "This is..." What it was like before the monkeys came.

Well. If there wasn't reason to see the damn things eradicated to the last, there certainly is one now.

He's quiet for a moment, until the dragon king snaps him out of his stupor. Nodding, the doctor approaches and reaches for the opal on the altar. Does it go on the chain somehow, or... something...?

The Opal in fact perfectly gets to be inlaid upon a small opening within the chain. And the moment he does, it seems to click to it as if it was attached by a magnet. It clicks tight into it, and seems to fuse into a singular object. There's this pulse of power that travels through it...

PROPHYLAXIS_HAGALAZ_DRAGON_OPAL

Suddenly, that phrase appears in his mind, and in that moment, he understands that this object holds power. Great power. The power to enforce the Law of the world, and protect those around him.

The seahorse then flutters to the water, and plunges back into the waters, leaving him there.

PROPHYLAXIS_HAGALAZ_DRAGON_OPAL.

The doctor stares in astonishment at the amulet in his hand. A talisman of protection, he understands. A means by which those living within the world might be protected from those beings which violate the laws of Alba.

A way to defend the others from that... /data drain/, he realizes. And in the future, perhaps even more than that.

He turns to the seahorse, only to see it vanish back into its watery home. "Thank you," he says, left alone again, as he sets the chain around his neck. "...Truly. Thank you to the both of you."