(Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

Neo Arcturus' link to the open water of the Freshwater Sea. Despite it's usage as a modest port, it retains a full breadth of aquatic life beneath the waves thanks for the Conservatory's deliberate effort. That's here and head out on the waves and bring back a souvenir!
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Kai
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(Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

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Kai took a deep breath of fresh, sea air. The wind blowing from the East on his back was welcome as the sun beat down on his head. Not that the temperature was a factor, considering the fact that he was slow strolling across the water. He had gotten a tip from a harbor town a few kilometers away that pirates were making off with their latest score from a night of pillaging and plundering. Amongst the treasure, there was rumored to be a book bearing a symbol that Kai had drawn and shown to a bartender.

Naturally, by the time Kai gathered information, the ship had already left harbor. Thankfully, Kai's mastery of the water element had improved greatly since his migration to Vescrutia, making walking across the aquatic surface as natural as land. It was just a matter of catching up to the ship in the distance.

The winds had died down enough to where the massive sea vehicle was no longer barreling through the tides, instead hitting a cruising speed. Kai could take his time.

"Man, this is a hell of a vessel. I'm sure they didn't purchase this thing," Kai whistled as he walked alongside the ship, taking note of the cannons on the sides, fitted with red, shimmering gems. "Elemental artillery? Who the hell did these guys hit?"

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Zero Venkage
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Re: (Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

Post by Zero Venkage »

"Alright guys, let's make it quick and easy."

"Do we do it any other way?"

The Freshwater Sea hides many secrets beneath its crystalline surface. The cruising wake of the Kir Royale made for a lovely trail to follow. Zero and his companions remained fresh on the trail of the massive ship. For the cargo they carried, they were moving mysteriously leisurely to their destination. Did they think they had escaped scot free? There were all forms of treachery that plagued the Freshwater Sea, the Kir Royale being one of the most infamous. Confidence in their skills as pillagers and pirates, slavedrivers and looters, the grizzled crew was no stranger to the pillars of the old ways, power rules.

Zero followed the fearsome ship and their crew from the Porto Sicaro. What began as a vacation away from the stresses of fishing with his band of brothers, The Leviathan Order, turned into another day on the water, back with shenannigans. Porto Sicaro isn't the most benevolent stop for tired seafarers, but it has the best entertainment for getaway trips. So long as you kept your wits about you, its picturesque tropical setting could soften even the most anxious sailor. That awareness put the order back to sea for one more catch before the party could begin.

The Leviathan Order pursued the Kir royale sub aquatically, nestled in their wake following like torpedoes. A pair of them began swimming faster beneath the hull of the ship reach its front. Zero made a strong dolphin kick and broke out of the water, slicked in a thin veil to minimize the sound as he latched on the back with a thin thread. The hunt was on.

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Kai
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Re: (Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

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Kai could swear he felt some sort of concentration of energy, enough to make his eyes twitch at least, but chalked it up to whatever creatures called the depths their home. Instead, he nimbly climbed through the cannon windows and slipped into the shadows of the ship's lower deck. There, he concentrated his dark Naten around himself as he crept around corner and ducked behind barrels. Stealth had been one thing the Siviars beat into Kai's brain. The nomads were gifted with their assassination techniques.

Kai slipped around a beam and snatched a pirate by the collar and shoved him into the shadows to be sunken into them. "Sorry, I swear it's nothing personal." He continued to slink around, rummaging through sacks and crates only to find pilfered meat, family heirlooms, assorted weapons, but nothing resembling the book in question. "Damnit!" He pounded a barrel that sloshed with what Kai imagined was alcohol, also taken in their raid. They were brutes, but by the size of their haul, they were effective.

"If I were a pirate of this caliber, I'd obviously keep something like that in the captain's office, right?" Kai sighed. Skulking around in the lower levels of the ship was one thing, but marching right into the pirate leader's personal space seemed unnecessary. Except it wasn't and Kai knew, no matter how he tried to spin it, the book was in that room and there was no way around it.

So, he slid up the stairs to the mid deck, being certain to avoid any unwanted attention as he continued to embrace to teachings of a thief. His footsteps were so light that not even the creakiest of floorboards would create a sound under his soles. And should one just happen to snitch on him, the poor bandit would either turn to meet nothing but shadows, or their unfortunate end by Kai's blade. He rounded a corner to see a door that just screamed "this is where I lay my head, because I'm better than my crew".

"Now, let's hope that our lovely captain is off somewhere entertaining his crew."

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Zero Venkage
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Re: (Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

Post by Zero Venkage »

Quick as the wind and silent as the night, Zero slid onto the deck. The new moon sky drenched his advance in darkness, hiding him from the eyes of the crew on deck. They paced calmly, meandering with the rocking of the waves. The water he brought with him receded from his face, now a thin bodysuit covering much of the rest of him. He learned it from working with the Mako moving on land for them was made more comfortable with a thin film of water they maintained whenever they were topside. Zero applied i to many other situations, most of which required a modicum of restraint he rarely showed.

There's such a concentration of Naten here... It's stifling.

Something about the air felt humid, hot, heavy on the body, and abnormally so. A quiet, cloudless night like this never felt this humid, even after coming up from a dip. His heart pounded. He grew immediately uneasy, but the operation had already taken off, so the performance proceeded.

Two of his companions boarded the ship in the same silent manner, slipping over the bow and washing a few of the crewmen overboard in silence. They were wrapped in water and dragged undertow, flotsam in the night. Zero was supposed to be below deck already with eyes on the prize. Another few crewmen went overboard and their cover was still good. Zero took a deep breath and snapped back into it, their job couldn't fail just because he got a bit seasick.

Zero slipped below deck under a sea of stars, sliding silently with the help of the aquatic film covering his body. He skated across the deck's now water glazed surface just barely out of sight Some of the crewmen were investigating the influx, their thinning numbers making a worrisome situation for them. The halls of the ship were already dimly lit, so Zero moved cautiously. He hugged the walls, listening for any signs of an awakening crew. Too much action too soon would botch the mission.

I bet the brig is locked... Let's get that key.

Zero cut a few corners, dodged some awakening crew heading upstairs the the steadily growing party on deck, and made his way deeper into the ship. As he went deeper, he got hotter and more tired. The nauseousness he felt above the deck grew more and more. The aura he and The Leviathan Order followed melted away into this feeling and he lost track of their target. But he gained a new one, a figure standing in front of the door to the Captain's Quarters.

Shit... That's not cap... Not the one we saw at the resort... Oh well...

With the scene topside growing more and more lively, the light shuffling growing into a cacophony of a battle. Metal clashed and water crashed, out of character for the operation they planned for. And there was this other guy standing at the door. While he wanted to make a stealthy run, Zero resigned to their fate. With more and more going on, the ship rocking through the surf more violently, screams and thumps raining from overhead, and this suffocating feeling pervading lower decks, Zero had to pull the trigger.

But he waited silently. If he didn't have to fight for the key, he didnt' want to.

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Re: (Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

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Just as Kai reached for the door, he could hear the clanging of metal up top. Sounded as though the pirates had gotten into a bit of a skirmish. With what, Kai was unsure of, but he recognized an opportunity when he saw one. Right on cue, the captain's quarters swung open as a woman stormed upstairs. "What the hell is going on up there?" she bellowed. Kai didn't get a look at her due to hiding behind the door and how swiftly she moved, but the trail of energy she left Kai could tell was potent. She was strong, a fight he'd rather avoid at the moment. No, the treasure is what mattered.

Kai slipped in as quick as he could, silently slipping into the cabinets and dressers, looking through files and folders. He found inventory logs, maps, diaries dictating places to hit next. Not exactly what he was looking for, but he tucked a few maps into his inner jacket pocket. He opened a drawer at the desk in the middle of the room. A silver key lie on top of a white book with a gold symbol of etched on it in the shape of a butterfly with a dagger through it. Kai put the key to the side and took the book. He traced the spine with a bright, satisfied smile as he tucked the book into a bag on his back.

"One down," he said with pride. He never expected to happen upon one of the artifacts he was searching for so soon. A gratifying turn of events. Now, about the commotion on deck. Kai was curious to know what exactly was going on, but his mission was also complete. He could just jump overboard now, but where was the fun in that. He turned to exit and investigate just what gave him time to sleuth. Maybe he could lend and quiet hand.

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Re: (Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

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Zero hung back in the corridor to let the captain pass. The same impending gait they eyed traipsing around in Sicaro. What caught his eye beyond her piercing green eye and walking stride blighted his vision. A wave of nausea rushed over him and his vision narrowed. While she rushed up the stairs into the growing melee, Zero stumbled to the floor, clutching his bleary head.

This type of nausea took him back to Cornas, while exploring the underground of some of his people's historical monuments. The space was old to house some of the oldest charms designed by the Venkage, crafted by their devotion and forged in conviction. He dove deep and tried to withstand the feeling, the impressive weight of his people's Anthem given physical form, immortalized in the very cavernous walls that assailed him. Below deck on the Kir Royale, the feeling was fainter, but more distorted. Normally the items filled him with warmth, but he felt cold and uneasy. But the charm he developed for this situation was one of his favorites.

He took two fingers and ignited a small static charge at them. Then he drew a glowing line from his forehead to to the tip of his nose, drawing a hood of water from over his head. It swirled through his locs to reach his face, a misty film coiling and carving over his features. The misty film grew and hardened carving a solid mask, glistening like driven snow. The shaking and rumbling above deck registered more clearly to the floored trickster. Once the spherical eyes formed in front of his own, his acuity returned to normal and he shot back up to his feet. The Kir Royale helped him to his feet, rocking viciously now. The Captain's arrival on deck came with a crushing wave he felt push many of the Leviathan Order further out to sea, leaving Zero isolated below deck with a stranger in the Captain's quarters and a whole crew to deal with. Given the circumstances and his anonymity granted by the Adelaide Visor, he thought to press his luck with the dude coming out of the room first.

"Hey," he whispered as the guy passed him in the hallway. There were two ways this could go and Zero's twitching fingers, danced about with electricity, but hid in the pockets of his hooded vestment. The crystal eyes peered through the hood like diamonds on the water, light diffused through the mask to hide his fave. Quick draw favored the prepared.

The calm above deck made him more uncomfortable than this awkward meeting that could have him face down if he didn't play his cards right. At least down here, he thought there could be some damage control. But with the unease that radiated from that woman's arm, he already suspected they underestimated this crew.

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Kai
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Re: (Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

Post by Kai »

Kai stopped at the bottom of the stairs, just as things seemed to die down upstairs. That unsettled him. His Gaze went crazy with the amount of energy radiating above and wafting down the stairs. Kai had to force them off, relying on natural sight. A disadvantage, but he still had other ways of sniffing out strength.

As he lifted his foot, he heard a whisper behind him. "Hmph, looks like I wasn't crazy after all." Graveheart training had allowed Kai to improve his chi, his awareness of situations and beings around him. While his skill was great, this young man had managed to get a bit of a leg up in their...confrontation? No, not that. Kai looked over his shoulder and could tell he wasn't an enemy, or at least not one of the assassins he'd been running from.

"Either you're here for "liberation" purposes like me," he turned to fully face the unknown stowaway (like Kai was one to talk, being a stowaway himself), "or the pirate uniform code is extremely loose." He chuckled to himself. The man's anonymity, position and volume suggested he was here on his own covert mission. Which would suggest...

"That ruckus upstairs...was that your doing?" Kai hadn't completely dropped his guard, but there was no hostility emanating from him. He just hoped this would continue to go as smoothly as it had been to that point.

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Zero Venkage
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Re: (Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

Post by Zero Venkage »

Zero's glowing eyes bounced back and forth, keeping a close watch on the door to the upper deck.

"I might have something to do with that... But we're both trying to keep a low profile, right?"

His time ran steadily short. The Leviathan Order had a method to their madness, like waves on open water, they traveled Vescrutia's Freshwater Sea and beyond. Their approach of the Kir Royale utilized their preferred transport, the waves themselves. The calmness topside meant the Order ebbed back into the sea. It could be possible the ship's crew held their own and forced the retreat, and Zero could handle that. But the more troublesome possibility, and far more likely, they moved into phase two of their operation. The calm before the storm usually excited him, but in the face of this second stowaway his

"You seem like an ok person, so I'll let you know we're about to thrash this ship and everyone on it."

... ook ... ... nstairs ...

"It's a special kind of 'liberation'"

He barely heard the captain's call from upstairs, but the scrambling footsteps and almost explosive swell of Naten that tossed the boat like a brick. The crew howled and screamed, bellowing through now windswept hallway the super spies conversed in. Their feral cries shook the timber of the Kir Royale, it harmonized with the morale of the now emblazoned crew. Zero scanned one last time the hull of the ship, searching for any sign of the Leviathan Order in the more immediate vicinity. No signs of life, and with the energy pouring into the lower deck, he presumed the Order would want to conserve energy with their signature net, but Zero found himself out of position and in a horrific sitch. On that note, he knew the game started for real. He took a sharp inhale to get the most out of his last quiet moment and blurted out

"They'recomingdownhereforthatbookandIneedthebraceletonthecaptain'sarmsothingsareabouttogetrealloudrealquicksoIhopeyoufinditinyourhearttojustletusHANDLEIT!"

He unsheathed his hands as he spoke, the electricity stretching from his fingertips all the way up to his shoulders. The hallway exploded in lavender light muffled by gale force winds. The slick liquid still gathered at his feet helped him slip past the man in a zephyrous powerslide into the stairwell. He held his hands out wide and stretched the electric coils wide in front of him. They scarred the walls in the fraction of the second they burned into the storm, sizzling in contact with the deluge gaining strength on the other side of the pirate's portal. At his request to handle the coming storm with the Leviathan Order, Zero clapped his hands together and unleashed a cluster of tendrils of lightning, blasting into the upper deck and blowing much of it into the fog of war. He needed efficient coverage and damage to give himself breathing room without knowing exactly how the crew of this ship conducted themselves. An anemone of pure electricity assailing them from below would be as good a crowd control as any other, its flash lifting an aura of fog off the chilly water surrounding the Kir Royale. If the Leviathan Order wasn't anywhere to be found, he fended for himself just like any other day. And on any other day, that nauseating bracelet was coming off the Captain's arm, even if he had to take the whole limb.

"They better not have ditched me again."

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Re: (Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

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In the brief moment Kai had to process the information that was bombarded on him in a breath, Riviera's Gaze flared up in his pupils. He spiraled upwards, following the safest path through the impressive display of lightning by the unknown man. He flew through the air on wings of silver energy. The brand new skylight was large enough for Kai to fly through with no complications.

He whistled as he hovered above the massive ship, surveying the damage. Looked as though getting the drop on them worked perfectly. Crew members who hadn't been knocked overboard were incapacitated in some form. Those lucky enough to not have taken the brunt of the surprise renovation were scrambling to either help their injured brethren or contain the fires from the barrels of alcohol that were unfortunate to be in lightnings path.

The moment Kai was about to congratulate his impromptu comrade, his focus was drawn to his side as he reflexively summoned his katana in his grasp. The sneak attack smacked Kai through the floor of the mid decks and back down into storage. Kai stood up and shook the blow off. He sucked his teeth as he peered up, watching a young man descend to his location.

The book. Hand it over. The fiery headed individual thrust out his hand as if he expected Kai to just hand over the treasure.

"Pfft, not very polite, are we?" The assailant waved his hand in response to Kai's taunt. Kai barely managed to block another attack that sent him tumbling through a wall. "Ya know, this can't be good for the ship." Kai stood up and dusted himself off. As he popped his blade out the sheathe, his wings dissipated, making him a lot more comfortable considering the enclosed battlefield. Yeah, it had nothing to do with the fresh scars they came with. Kai exhaled and closed the gap between himself and his opponent in a blink. Aiming a slash at his torso that he hoped would in the struggle in one strike, Kai was surprised when several black blades were summoned so swiftly, Kai couldn't comprehend what happened. Kai's katana slid off the pseudo wall, dealing mo damage whatsoever.

"Shit", Kai kicked off the swords and propelled himself away with a couple shots of concussive light blasts. The stranger waved his hands as another sword smacked the waves back at Kai, while another appeared and slashed at his back. Kai felt its presence, sliding to the side fast enough to not be injured, save for the tear in his jacket. "Whoa, you didn't even need to release one of the swords you already have? Not bad, man." An impish grin crossed Kai's face as a silver flame flashed from the corner of his eyes. "Let's find out your limit, shall we?"

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Zero Venkage
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Re: (Flashback) The First Artifact? No Way It's That Easy

Post by Zero Venkage »

Jetsam and flotsam blew into the smog filled night. The burning bridge of the ship sent black smoke piling into the night sky. The stars were erased as Zero's glowing spheres scanned the night. The Adelaide Visor glared through the smog to find traces of currents, wind , water or electric to get a second's grasp on the aftermath.

Where's it... Where did she go?

His anxiety pushed him across the deck, only his piercing, glowing eyes dashing through debris. The slowly recovering crew swung blade and bludgeon at the ghastly wisps as they neared, but they weaved over and under their strikes. Their groans of confusion slowly came together as the whiffs made the osparse crew quickly frustrated. An attack on their own ship, where their home field avantage should shine, blighted their teamwork. If half their ccrew wasn't already in the water from the initial siege, Zero dunked another chunk and zapped most others. The stragglers were either the elite or the lucky, buz they were still pawns. The ghastly blue dancing across the deck stopped on the bow, taking in the collection of currents flowing on the ship. He donned the Visor to find he captain, but somehow she escaped his advance. The fire roaring on deck melted into the growing sounds of the crew, awakening to their battlefield.

His playful nature took over, unsure of what awaited him in the dark of battle. His new friend seemed to have his hands full back below deck, the wind being sliced through like wings of blades flying through the halls. He seemed to have his own adventure to handle, but captain wasn't down there with him.

"All right guys, the first one of you to help me find your captain will just get launched off the ship! No lightning, just a good ol' plank walking. That sound like the lesser of two evils?"

Zero's voice was distorted and garbled like speaking through a wall of bubbles, but its message came across loud and clear. The crew rose to most of their feet, brandishing their weapons and waving them skyward. Hoots and hollers filled the air in front of the ghoul faced intruder, the Adelaide visor filtered much of the soot out of the air for Zero, but he knew it reeked of steel, stills, and seaman stench. That signature combo of villainous villains on a vile smelling vehicle revealed itself once membership to a crew floated around a hundred or so.

"He wants to see the cap'n boys! Let's show em' how we treat unwanted guests instead!

A feminine voice pierced the air and the crewmen's morale swelled in tune, the wind picked up and blustered across the deck. The ship's mast creaked as its sails were filled, dragging the battlefield further out into the sea. Zero, noting the team's high spirits gave them a sympathetic coo and a lightning fast slow clap.

"Awwww, you guys really wanna make my day" he whined as a naten saturated burst of wind shot barreled through the smog and bow of the ship right behind him. He sidestepped casually to miss it. His hands rubbed together and a charge of electricity flowed through them. "But I don't think I missed you," he said, the shadow of a burly creature wielding a windswept axe imposing on his small body. It came down fast, propelled by the same gusts causing a smokescreen out of the bonfire. The axe's blade five times the size of the trickster peeled through the air to cleave Zero in half, but another casual, but lightning fast shuffle let the axe plow into the deck, sending the floorboards shattered into blackened sea spray. "As much as you missed me." While the lumberjack tried to withdraw his weapon from the bow, Zero did a high arcing backflip, narrowly dodging another wind cannon barrage parting the smoke. He landed on the railing and another blast ripped through the air. He searched the sky for its origin, but turned back nothing but the gusts themselves. The Adelaide Visor's coolest feature also gave him away, the piercing gaze making a beacon out of his head. No matter to the pint-sized pirate, his upbringing was a lucky one, the winds of fate blew in his favor often and he milked it for all it was worth. His talent for the Elgin Style Martial Arts made his body a lightweight arsenal, literally quick as lightning and figuratively agile as valley gales.

Another gust pierced the night, and Zero cartwheeled away from the carnage. Another gust, this time an aerial on the shortening railing moved him from harm's way.

Where is she? This ship isn't that fucking big.

"You doing alright down there, buddy?" he asked his new friend, if the guy could actually hear him. Zero had his hands full topside, but a little assistance never hurt anyone.

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