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

Post by Kai »

Kai had the sheathe of Crescendo coated in silver energy and was swinging away with it and the actual blade, dancing around the cramped container filled storage and batted away a barrage of swords. They floated around, disappeared, and reappeared as quickly as they vanished. It was a well coordinated sequence of attacks that surely would have felled a lesser man. But Kai didn't identify as such. He could feel his blood heating up as his silver eyes kept up with the energies of the attacks, guiding his muscles in unison to withstand the maelstrom of blades.

"Living the dream down here, pal!" Kai could barely hear the man's shout over the storm and his own heartbeat in his ears, but he heard him and confirmed to his friend he was still kicking. His concentration never broke, continuing to block, parry, and slip out of harm's way. Five, six, seven. There were eight different blades of various lengths and designs, all looking to sever whatever limbs they could of Kai's. They moved with such precise timing that it kept Kai on the defensive. He glanced at the man controlling the weapons with the waves of his hands. Kai smirked.

"Pawn's Elegy!" The light of spots in the area condensed into orbs of silver energy around the attacker. Kai could make out the deer in the headlights expression on his face before he covered himself in a wall of blades. Kai took note of the swords had ceased attacking him and went to aid their master. "Fifteen, huh? Impressive." Kai charged a sphere of silver energy that spiraled with smaller, black orbs. "This move doesn't have a name. But let's see if your swords can block it."

Before he could launch the attack, he sensed the presence of another sword. He blocked with his sheathed blade, but the distraction was enough to give the pirate warrior an opening. Kai's blood sprayed across the wall as the blade sliced through skin and tissue. Thank Azamina for Riviera's Gaze. "I was aiming for your eyes. Your reflexes are more than impressive." Kai grit through the pain, covering the wound with a thin layer of water Naten to not bleed out.

"Oh, you bastard." Kai spit out the blood that dripped in his mouth. "That was low, but I can't say it wasn't smart." He stuck his sword into the floorboards and concentrated on building his light energy. "Too bad it's too late."

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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 »

"Oh, ho ho! We still have some stowaways!" she spat at her crew. Zero's dance on the banister shortened it from both sides with the incensed crew's renewed vigor. They grumbled and cheered chasing Zero across his balance beam and crushing through it with windswept weaponry. The smoke and mist filled with wooden shrapnel from the burly crew's reckless strikes.

"Aht aht, stowaway implies we-- WHOA!" The banter dance almost got his leg nicked on a dismount. The same huge axed crewmen lobbed from across the deck a powerful axe toss, screaming through the air like steel on steel. The disc tore some of the deck up in its trip, but Zero caught wind of it just in time. His landing took a split second to alight into a handspring over the circular saw. Tornadus caught the weapon mid flight and with no recoil, still spinning at the palm of his hand, and he landed easily with a new toy at his disposal. "Implies we hopped on at departure. Me and the boys just got here, honestly."

The crew's vigor ebbed. Roars of support slowed into confusion. Zero just stood there in the fog, a wispy ghoul staring into the night. On deck, he scanned the vile crew, most of them now stuck brandishing their weapons. Did they want to go overboard or just be sliced into smithereens? How did this man catch such a powerful throw? Zero imagined their uncertainty and it made him giggle to himself, but this intimidation had to hold up. He stared straight at the crow's nest, where his vision through the visor turned dark. He found her and she definitely drew on a lot of power from the bracelet he sought.

"Don't be discouraged, boys! I still got enough juice to see us through the night. Just you wait'n see!"

The captain alighted her post on high to float down to meet Zero almost face to face. From across the battlescarred deck, her single beaming eye met his piercing pair above a grimace that belied her heavy breathing. Zero stood unfettered, stretching his arms and neck casually while the axe disc spun next to him.

She's already spent. I guess the boys put in more work than I thought. I guess I’ll sound the alarm.

"Oh, miss captain, such a pleasure to meet you face to face."

"Pleasure? You come here, attack my crew, destroy MY SHIP, and want to speak pleasure? You boys always pull the same cards."

"Do we? What card is it where you blame someone else for damage your crew did?"

"Between yur fishmen and yur damn dancing, I'd say yur at fault for most of the wreckage. You and yur li'le friend down below."

"HEY HEY HEY! They're Atlanteans, just because you don't like them doesn't mean you can just toss slurs out all wil--"

The captain screamed as she flew at Zero cloaked in galeforce winds.

That got her. Poor girl.

Zero stopped her approach with the axe, using it as a shield against the tiny storm the captain had become. The winds ground against each other, but lost no inertia. Her crew had never seen her act so wildly, have such banter with an invading force. Zero giggled behind the grinding winds, his glowing gaze looking right into her single beaming eye. Like a nickelodeon he watched a vibrating frame by frame of her drawing more energy from the bracelet to try to push him into the water or tear him to shreds. The grinding winds carved at his feet between them, but didn't move him an inch. He had moved his hand to move the axe in front of him, but reserved enough energy to keep it there with a thought. He took a deep breath, steam flowing out from beneath the Adelaide visor getting caught in a gentle breeze while opposite him, the captain's gale began whipping the rest of the ship to pieces. Her anger caused the bracelet to glow a searing crimson that darkened his eyesight through the visor. With that, he knew the next moments were crucial. To his sides, her crewmates were dragging themselves to their feet just to flank him. He stayed calm. They could barely lift their weapons already, battle beaten and tired.

That's what they get for playing with toys they shouldn't have.

"Listen here toots. Your crew is withering because of that bracelet. They can't even cheer you on. Just give it to me and I'll bounce. If not..."

Zero took a few steps back from the bladed shield abating a hurricane of force, just to make evident his ease of access to this kind of ability. The Tornadus charm and his natural aptitude for wind currents made the crew's fifth rate usage of wind techniques child's play for him. The bracelet just added juice to the embers for them, but without the heart to sustain the whole crew, the captain drew power from them herself. Some collapsed already, falling limp over the deck, casting themselves into the water with other fallen crewmates. Others stood on their weapons pushed to the edges of the deck or holding on to the mast, now bending in the captain's wake. Sails already ripped away and floorboards were rattling incessantly. Like he said, she was doing more damage to the boat than he ever planned, but that's how plans go out on the open sea.

"I'll never give it back. My crew's ne'er been felled in our 20 years together and it won't be a first tonight! No' on my life!"

"What about on theirs?"

Zero nodded to one at his side, crawling to assist the captain with a listless body. He shrugged.

"Whatever, not my problem. But it's getting late so let's just get some of those accessories off of you."

Zero's sexist quips were a bit out of character, but he needed to keep her enraged and engaged. The more energy she drew from the bracelet, the easier it would be to get it off her wrist. The captain's rage kept her locked in tunnel vision, she needed to break through to cast this interloper off her ship and out of their home, but couldn't budge it an inch. They couldn't touch Zero before and he just danced around the ship like a child. Insulting their home and their hearts was an affront she could not let go easily.

"You'll get nothin' but a hellstorm!" She screamed as her body turned black from behind Zero's visor. The crew almost completely collapsed behind her, around her, into the sea and she kept adding more pressure, siphoning more and more from her comrades. Being so enraged, she might have bode well with a different wind current, sweeping winds drawing Zero into the air, maybe even some gentler winds to quell the chaos on deck. Zero tested her focus and resolve, drawing out their altercation as much as he could. The bracelet was made of a most special material that degrades with its use. People used items like this all the time where Zero came from, so he got to see first hand the effects when they began to break. They degraded, drawing on life energy from its wielder and Naten from its surroundings. Zero hoped to get his hands on the item before the inevitable became the only option, but the winds of fate had their own current to follow.

The owner of the axe dragged his weakened body to its feet to Zero’s side, blustered against what’s left of the ship’s railing. On his last legs the crewman threw himself at Zero.

They really don’t quit around these parts.

The captain’s attack turned from a galeforce blast to a quiet vacuum while her partner jumped to tackle the trickster. He recognized the low pressure, violent dispersal coming, a style he thought to have coined himself, or at least reserved for more deadly opponents. Both attacks coordinated against him forced Zero into a tight spot. The captain waved her hands and emitted a slicing gust in all directions around her. It sliced through the axe, the mast, all of the railings left atop the ship took a paper thin cut and flew into the sea spray. Taking the tackle of the last crewman, Zero caught him and dropped immediately to the deck.

“Oh, so I guess if you sliced your man’s to pieces, that’d be our fault too,” Zero grumbled at the panting captain’s feet. The bracelet took its toll, she slowed down and made rash mistakes. If her crew wasn’t already floored from the Mistral artifact siphoning Naten from their bodies, they too would be sliced to shreds. The captain looked down at Zero rolling off her partner and off the side of the boat.

“Com’ere an’ take yur lumps!” she screamed, conjuring electric orbs at her fingertips. Any scion of storms would commend her, the captain held her own against a born natural at his craft, one born of the sea and its shifting currents, its ebbs and flows and moments in its terrifying power. The Venkage were raised in such hellish locales, most of their summers buffeted with storms most island nations only told legends of. He trained to work with the Alsace one day, and set off before he could realize his dream. This pedestrian detour paled in comparison to their annual rituals.

The captain tossed bolts of lightning at Zero casting himself overboard. seethed into the night around the frozen platform he crafted for himself. Like a lilypad in the marsh, the frozen lilypad stretched a frosty root from the base of the platform steadily down into the depths. Their mission started with The Leviathan Order making their approach with Zero, but his compatriots fell silent. He was unnerved that none of their usual signals popped up. If they wanted him to deal with things by himself, they could have just asked, he would have ended this battle already.

This is taking too long and she’s too far gone.

The captain cast herself over the bow of the ship and into airspace above Zero, launching bolt after bolt of searing hot electricity at him. The ship rocked wildly on the waves, consistent starboard rotation on the choppy surf pushed Zero and his frosty platform toward the wall of raging winds whipping the vicinity into a small squall. His heartbeat swelled while he knelt on the platform, staring back at the captain as she loosed the fury on his face. He weathered the onslaught easily, giving the pad enough Naten to continue its growth into the depths. The bolts pelting his back barely bothered him, not nearly as much as the captain’s deteriorating body. He felt each heave in each bolt, her anger carrying her further than her body intended to go. She even cast a sword recklessly against her own crew, something not even pirates could permit.

A few minutes of her screaming assault let Zero take a stand on the frosty platform looking straight into the face of the captain with his ghoulish blue eyes.

“Are you done yet? You’re looking pretty pale.”

Through the visor her whole body went jet black, the bracelet disappeared from her wrist and left only an indentation around her forearm. A bloodcurdling scream of frustration conjured a storm surrounding the captain, shrouding her in black clouds and vicious lightning, swirling from all around the ship. Zero stared on with pity, still wishing she just handed it over in when he asked. Of course he never expected things to go so easily, but a boy can dream. And like a dream, the water’s surface started to bubble from below.

“Oh! Finally. We can wrap this up! Hey cap’n!” he yelled, hoping to get through the thunder and lightning surrounding the woman. “My friends are on their way back, so we’re about to finish up and roll out.”

The water roiled into a pair of pillars, thick fountains half the width of the ship on opposite sides of it bursting through the surface. While the captain went through the motions, wrapped up in her own personal hell, overused power sending her body haywire, Zero spoke as candidly as he could. At this point, there is no saving a person who can’t deal with the recoil themselves, and Zero and the Leviathan Order have seen it happen more times than they liked to. With fountains flying and the whole ship barely holding itself together, the countdown began. The personal storm wrapping the captain gained mass, the clouds thickening to a black, static shroud seething in the night.

“I promise we’ll make it painless,” he said to himself and the count went from five down to three.

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

Post by Kai »

Kai stood next to his sword, the epicenter for his ever expanding Naten. Crescendo began to draw in energy from whatever sources would provide it and began its "purification" process before continuing to take over the room. As the light grew, the pirate's many swords found it more difficult to get close to Kai, let alone make a scratch on him. The ship tossed and rocked intensely and the energy above made Kai's eyes go haywire. The storm seemed to be approaching its climax, and Kai figured that meant so was the battle above. Hopefully it was the other unauthorized guest that was about to secure victory.

"I suppose I should wrap things up here as well, don't you think, Tidra?" A deep blue sprite emerged from Kai with hair like waves and as dark as the depths. She spiraled around his head before landing on his shoulder and whispering in his ear. "Oh? This'll be good." Kai grasped Crescendo and it and the field it was generating dispersed, absorbed by Aidan. His right eye shifted from its brilliant silver to a deep blue. The moment he sensed the geysers go off and the pirate attacked with all sixteen of the edges that still danced dangerously around, Kai extended his hands and parried each one with a sword of condensed water formed from the Naten in the fountains he borrowed from, assisted by his friend, of course. "Replication. Pretty cool technique, no?"

"But that's--!"The red haired man clenched his jaw so tight, he began to tremble as wildly as the vein in his forehead pulsed. Kai had struck a nerve. That always seemed to be the case whenever Kai copied some bandit's technique. Royalty found it amusing. Kings had shown him techniques they wished to pass down but never had the heir to succeed them. It was a useful ability, especially now. The pirate roared with rage as he summoned more swords in a bid to overwhelm Kai with sheer numbers. He must've been astounded when he realized Kai was able to keep up with him, summoning an equal thirty to meet the blades attacking. "Just who the hell are you? Why can you use my moves so easily?"

Kai smirked, but that was to save face. Sure, breaking down the move and recreating it was made easier thanks to Riviera's Gaze, but to hold the technique at such a level so soon after learning it was too much of a strain. He needed a way to end the fight sooner than later. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he was sliced across his back. He turned to the direction it came from, sure that he hadn't missed a parry. The blades continued to clash. He wasn't wrong, but he was still cut again across his arms and legs. He dropped to a knee, unaware of what was happening as laughter echoed throughout the hold.

"It seems as though you can't copy ALL of my abilities." The man continued to wave his hands and inexplicably get through Kai's defenses. It wasn't until he truly focused that he could just make out a hint of energy before he got caught across the cheek.

"Damnit. A clan ability? Not bad." Kai managed to dodge a few of the invisible strikes before they could go off, but almost got taken out by a blade that made it past one of his own. His focus broke for a second too long. It was taking too much to get through with finesse. Kai underestimated his opponent and took too many attacks.

Kai took a deep breath, allowing himself to take several slashes in return. Tidra made a noise of concern, but held firm in Kai's resolve. He needed a moment, a nanosecond, to get through, which meant ignoring anything not dealing with that task. His water weapons continued protecting him from the cyclone of blades, being controlled by the water sprite, but his body was still being sliced like deli meat. He was unfazed.

"Knight's Transition." Each step was light, fluid, unpredictable. Kai made almost no sound as he danced through the series of swords an unseen slashes that bombarded his location as they clashed with each other. Kai morphed behind the assailant and thrust Crescendo through his back, the blade protruding through his chest. "Checkmate."

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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 »

The captain's time was running short. Zero abandoned his icy platform for the open seas, walled in by the pressure of the storm the captain seems to have lost control of. In the eye, the geysers spewed high into the air, misting the atmosphere lightly. As Zero skated deftly across the water's surface, the captain followed behind him right in his wake, shooting bolt after bolt of lightning at his back. He barely felt it, some of the electricity was dispersed into the sea spray, most of it didn't carry enough charge to do damage. Zero just made windswept laps around the ship, kicking up its rotation a little more intensely. The crewmates on the ship might have a chance to survive if they were conscious enough to swim, so he'd do them a favor. No need for them to kick it just because little miss demon-on-his-heels didn't know how to chill.

How many times did things turn out just like this? Sure, he sneaks onto a ship and causes a ruckus and then has to get into a fight with the crew, but if they didn't have something they shouldn't in the first place, he'd have no reason to be there. The Mistral Artifacts of the Venkage aren't just for anyone to be using willy nilly, but boy is there a market for trinkets just like the one on the wrist of the captain. Even something so small as a stud earring could impart a massively destructive ability to its user, which is why they're so coveted. However, their construction was more than just a crafting project and in the hands of uninformed and uninitiated, they only brought destruction. The captain was one in a long line that Zero had seen personally in the company of the Leviathan Order. When he recalled how long the Venkage Clos has been told to have existed as a bloodline, his heart dropped for all his elders who might have been forced to create such artifacts. Becoming a part of the Leviathan Order was a blessing, they supported him in his search for the artifacts between their own duties, a new family to replace those he left at home on the Archipelago.

Making his laps around the Kir Royale incensed the waters, its gentle rocking undulated into choppy surf beating against the hull. The wind in the eye of this storm picked up strength, even as it was calmer than the storm wall surrounding them. The two geysers were joined by two more perpendicular to the originals, much to Zero's surprise. The geysers themselves spiraled upward, drawing some of the shrapnel and lucky bodies away from the whirlpool devouring the ship.

"I guess they finally had enough of waiting," Zero mumbled to himself, still pelted with lightning from the captain's hand. He turned to skate backwards, only to notice how far behind she had fallen. He'd been skating between floating corpses and weakened bodies clinging to their last bits of life, now he could do what he could to save some of them at least. The Leviathan Order took care not to kill anyone if they didn't have to, tossing some adversaries overboard in their initial encounter. Zero slowed down and let the captain catch up, waving his hands in front of him to catch her tired bolts in across both his hands. Her persistent, yet steadily weakening assault amassed lightning at his fingertips he condensed to a compact charge flowing through his palms. The Kir Royale groaned painfully, the wood twisting and rending in the whirlpool locking it in rotation. Blades of water burst from inside below deck periodically and reminded Zero of his new friend still hanging out inside. Not soon after, the ship snapped in the middle, revealing the two waving wildly at each other sending shards and scrap flying all over the place. Through the Adeliade Visor, Zero only saw the Naten flowing in wild directions, but it seemed like they were having fun. Might as well reunite the captain with the ship.

Zero slowed even more to give the captain the perfect range to float above him, completely silent save for the roaring winds that surrounded her. Through the visor, he couldn't make out much of her body, but the bracelet was pitch black and drawing lots of energy towards it. The winded woman towered above him on the water's surface, bolts still flying at him albeit much less frequently and far weaker. "Guess she's finally out of it," he said to himself, with the captain looming ominously overhead. As she descended on him, lightning licking at his hands, Zero opened his arms to embrace the gale surrounding her. Tornadus allowed him to get close without actually getting caught in the squall, but the body of the captain, lifeless as it looked, fought on. "I don't even know why I thought you wouldn't be wearing it. My bad. I'll cut your arm off next time."

The captain's body still moved listlessly in the orb of wind, thrashing back and forth with no thought, just an avatar for the energy of the bracelet. Holding her above him in the shimmering mist he turned to face her back to the ship. With most of the live bodies in safety, he could finish the job without getting unnecessary people hurt.

"My guy, you wanna finish up down there? I need to get this bracelet in order before it starts eating you too." Zero yelled to his new friend somewhere in the disintegrating hull. He used a single hand to take off the Adelaide Visor, condensing it into a single orb of Mistral. His eyesight returned to normal so he could see the captain's face clearly. Her eye was closed and body completely lifeless, clothes torn ragged by the wind and water, hands singed from uncontrolled lightning. "Poor girl. I should probably get better at th-- Nevermind." He stopped himself from feeling too much compassion at once. Zero had seen so many people fall victim to uncontrolled usage of Mistral artifacts before and no matter how unfortunate, they never cared where the artifacts came from. They only wanted to use it for power and influence, forgetting the source of Mistral was the Venkage themselves. Without knowledge of the source, they'll all end up just like this unfortunate captain.

"We're ready to begin, boys!" Zero yelled to the geysers. They responded in turn with a harmonic noise akin to a whale's call, a single note resonating within the storm's eye. With that note, the geysers each leaned into the one next to them, growing into a fast flowing current of water flowing at the same level of the bracelet. Zero released the gale cloaked captain into the air and created a Silvan Seal with both hands. The orb of Mistral shook in the air and shot directly between the bracelet and Zero's seal. The current created by the geysers tightened around the dismantling Kir Royale, but moved any survivors to the outside of the ring, safe from the incoming ritual. As the bracelet lifted the captain's body higher, so did the tide of the current encircling them grow to its level. Its coil and curve moved the air so that it caught the clouds of the storm wall around them, creating a single hellish current out of the storm and the geysers. Zero stood unmoved on the rushing waters' surface holding the Silvan Seal and focus on the orb of Mistral between him and the bracelet. All he needed was for his new friend to abandon ship.

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

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The blood splatter that painted the ship's cargo hold was a surprise to Kai. True, he had planned for semi redecorating. What he never planned on was for the shade of ruby to also come from his own veins. Crescendo's edge hadn't dug into flesh, instead cutting through air. Blood dripped from the multiple wounds that riddled his body. He dropped to a knee, perplexed as Tidra kept up the defenses. The link between the angel and the sprite allowed Kai to feel her fear without her having to break concentration. Kai wouldn't drown in it, he'd feed off it.

Angels had a myriad of legends and myths thrown around when considering their existence, and it was time for everyone on the vessel to learn just how true one in particular was.

"I'll commend you in your death," the man with draping red locks spoke. "If it wasn't for this ability of mine, you very well could've ended me. Those moves are...curious to say the least."

"... you looking down on me?" Kai pulled himself to his feet, a little disoriented and finding stable footing more difficult then it should. Whether it was the side effect of whatever had started an attempt to drain his Naten or fatigue from wasting too much time underestimating his opponent was unfounded. "And here I was hoping we could have more fun in the future." A flash of darkness washed over the dimly lit halls, actively harassing all sources of light within the vicinity. "Tidra, dear, time for you to get to safety." Still standing in the eye of the blade vortex, Kai stood with an eerie smile on his face. The sprite nodded before dispersing into bubbles. The moment she fled, the swords that protected Kai vanished and the ones trying slaughter him persisted in their goal. "You ain't gonna want to see this." From the center of his chest spread a series of black seals that stretched and snaked their way all around Kai's body. Kai's eyes shifted to a pitch black, his aura more suffocating than peaceful. His skin cracked and crumbled to the floor, giving way to reveal a lava like current of energy coursing throughout the angel's body. Several orbs appeared up his arms and spine while four more orbited around his head. Black lightning crackled about the room, scorching anything it touched to ash. "King's Haven: First Verse". The orbs all over opened up to reveal several eyes, all glowing with silver energy. They pulsed, vibrating silver ripples throughout the air the destroyed every blade I'm the area with the first.

"Impossible!" The man yelled in fear. "Just what the hell are you? How did we not know a monster like you was following us?!" Though he trembled, he grit his teeth and turned his fear into rage. He let out a shout as he summoned as many blades as he could, twenty in all, each one swinging with gusto at Kai's angelic form. It didn't matter, not the blades, not the inexplicable cuts in the air, nothing made it past the continuous waves of silver energy. "THIS IS INSANE!"

"You might be right," Kai sighed. "It's not every day you get to see an angel. Kai closed his fist and brought the red haired opponent to the ground, the weight of a Titan on his spine. "You're lucky I still can't hold this form long." With a snap, several spires of darkness shot from the halo of eyes, piercing several vitals of the pinned warrior. There was no fighting, no movement. Silver energy immediately wrapped around Kai in a cocoon as he collapsed to the floor. "I really hope that he assumes I'll survive whatever he's planning," Kai huffed, exhausted, referring to his sudden ally. "I'm not dying just yet."

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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 »

“Until next time.”

Zero spoke to himself as the full weight and force of the massive geysers denoting his submarine comrades combined into a single fearsome current tightening into a disc around the exhausted pirate. His normal assessment put her knocked out cold, but the nature of the bracelet drew on the user’s life force to function. Had it come with a manual, or if the captain had known the true nature of its composition, things might have ended differently. She might have had a very successful future on the open seas. Such pipedreams kept Zero from feeling much remorse when it came time to wrap up the recovery of his people’s creations.

Quick as the wind, Zero’s hands moved to make a series of Silvan Seals. Forming the final mudra caused the bracelet to pulse with light and the current around it to contract in response. The current spooled itself around the blustering air surrounding the captain’s body, intensifying its speed and changing its shape. The misty sea spray and troubling clouds all began to draw into the geyser strength, swirling mass of wind and water now surrounding the captain and the bracelet. The whirlpool below the battle broken Kir Royale calmed, the sea spray and cloud cover from the hurricane swept in like phantoms enveloping the bracelet and its done for user in a shroud. The vortex concentrated enough pressure that the orb ripped the panels off of the hull of the ship, peeling it off as the vacuum chamber Zero and the Leviathan Order created absorbed corpses and construction into its fearsome whirling mass.

“Catch the homie before he gets launched!” Zero screamed, holding the Silvan Seal to dismantle more and more of the ship. He wanted it all to be gone with the thunderclap, save for his new ally. The ship’s deconstruction increased speed, tearing the hull and below deck area to shreds panel by panel. Zero’s new friend flew from the wreckage, the bracelet’s gas giant of sea force and a tendril of water shot out of the sea to snatch him right into its depths. Below the surface, he joined the small group of the estranged crewmen who were tossed overboard. They each had a personal bubble to observe from, the full moon and star speckled sky glittering through the oddly placid surface.

“Aaaaaaand… Liftoff!”

Clear skies stretched for miles.The glowing vortex brought light to a now peaceful stretch of open water, devoid of any trace of the Kir Royale. The storm that besieged them moments earlier had quieted to gentle lapping. Zero calmly raised his hand and the bracelet blasted into the night sky on a pillar of enchanted might. It whistled into the air with a distinct, glassy pitch leaving behind a shimmering mist that disappeared into the night air. Zero followed the glow through the eyes of the Adelaide Visor, just for the few seconds it took the artifact to escape the atmosphere and drift into the depths of space. He heaved a sigh of relief as the ornate piece of mystic maskery dissolved into mist.

“Sucks to suck. You should have done your research, all of you.”

Zero made a wide armed stretch and spoke broadly to the burgeoning heads of derelict sailors left without a ship so sail or leg to stand on up a creek without a paddle in open, calm, but desolately open waters.

“Except that guy, that guy right there knows what’s up!” he said pointing at his new friend bobbing in the water surrounded by Kir Royale crew. Most of them looked confused, wondering how or why they survived the siege, not to mention they were spared drowning for the most part, but now they just sit in open water with a stranger judging them. Their captain and ship just flew into space with what was supposed to be one of the most valuable artifacts they had come across in their lives and they lost everything in the blink of an eye.

“So what, you save our lives to lecture us? I’d rather drown.” one of the crewmates yelled, splashing water in Zero’s direction. Some of their crewmates cheered in turn, defying their captain’s last enemy to the bitter end.

“That’s aboooout…” Zero mumbled under his breath, counting the heads of the defiant crew with his index finger. “Eh, it’s a weird shape, but…” and he pointed his index finger down into the sea. The jeers were smothered by the calm ocean, dragging the defeated crew into the murky dark below. The few mates who stayed silent, by accident or otherwise, flinched in horror as their crewmate’s last defiant howl was engulfed by the sea in an instant.

“Anyone want a ride back to shore?”

Zero spoke calmly and openly, doing some extra stretches to unwind on the water's surface. Shedding the weight of an unruly charity case felt like a breath of fresh air. Completely unbothered.

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

Post by Kai »

From in his cocoon, Kai could feel the rocking of the ship intensify. If the energy that shifted in the air was any indication, things were wrapping up upstairs. He couldn't necessarily see what was going on, but his other senses were as sharp as his trademark blade that had long vanished to hasten the healing process. He needed all the Naten he could acquire. The Ascension transformation may have been brief, but it was still a technique the wasn't to be trifled with, especially in the state Kai was in. His breathing finally began to slow before he felt himself being tossed and jerked, eventually settling into a calm once more. Somehow, the Rivieran knew he was safe and opted to peek out of his shell.

Shock was the initial reaction, being underwater for a moment without Tidra's help. It took a moment to realize that his newfound comrade kept him from opening Davy Jones's Locker. He looked up at the impressive display of power and control and couldn't help but crack a smile. Was that what the inhabitants of the world were capable of? "Huh, maybe these people are in better hands than I originally thought. Holy shit."

As the bracelet shot off into depth of space and the seas once more returned to the calm that was more natural than the waves of battle, Kai's cocoon unfolded. He sat on a platform of the energy watching the situation as the crew of the former vessel jeered at the victor of their fight. The numbers game meant nothing, apparently. He was shocked as the challengers were swiftly dragged underneath. "Yikes. Should've kept your mouths closed." Kai waved at his brother in arms. "I'd say this was a successful mission, sir." The Rivieran gazed upon the scene with the eyes of his homeland, counting the specks of black that floated up and littered the air with a rhythmic pulse. "Not as many as I'd have thought. Looks like you're all not evil little shits."

Kai chanted something to himself in a tongue foreign to anyone around him (probably?) and a silver seal appeared in the palm of his hand. The black orbs of Naten were quickly swept up in a golden vacuum and placed in the seal on his hand. One changed gold, another began to turn, the rest still pulsed black. "Damn. Looks like Ascension really stalls the purification process." He sucked his teeth. "That's really good to find out now." It was a Rivieran tradition that Kai had engraved into his mind: purifying evil wasn't just something that angels had done since the dawn of their existence, but also something they realized was essential to their growth. Kai had a reason for both those things, given the events that transpired.

"You're giving them a lift? Awful nice of you, considering what they put you through. I'll tag along, make sure they don't get too rowdy." Kai flashed a toothy grin to the floating adversaries. "You guys behave." Kai fished the book out his bag and ran his finger down the spine before examining the lock. "One down, three to go." Kai took labored steps towards the young man, deep and slow exhales relaxing every muscle in his body. "So, what's next on your agenda, uhhh...?" Kai realized he never got the name of the man made his retrieval of the book that much easier. All he knew was they were on the same side at the moment and the power he exhibited made Kai damn glad that was the case.

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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 wiped some sea spray from his brow, coming to a rest on the still water's surface. In the next, the group of insolent crewmates he dragged reappeared from the depths all gathered in the same watery prison. They gasped for air, hacking and heaving desperately.

"I'm feeling a bit generous today since things went so well."

He spoke to his new comrade while staring daggers through the captives, the light of the full moon casting a deep shadow over his waterlogged face. All they could see was the piercing yellow of his eyes trained directly on them, the bloated silence forcing their pounding hearts into their throats.

"They were all dead once I made it on board anyway."

As was the fate for anyone who he and the Leviathan Order had come across over the years they ventured Vescrutia's northern seas. Their track record spoke for itself, going double digits and 0 for successfully recovered artifacts from the Venkage bloodline, perverted by misuse and stolen from their rightful places. Many found their way into disrepair like the band this group of pirates found themselves enthralled with, requiring disposal lest they find themselves misused and malevolent.

Malevolence. It hung in the still, clear skies over the stranded pirates in the eerie light of the full moon. Not a single cloud was in sight on the horizon, the single moon's beacon beaming on Zero and highlighting his lightness of spirit, but imposing demeanor. The ease through which he dispatched the whole ship and their captain kept many of the survivors as quiet as a mouse, especially those he just returned from the clutches of the depths as a gesture of will, without a shred of charity. He let the pregnant silence swell, eyes fixated on the crew that caught their breath and locked on his in wonder and apprehension.

And in another moment, he yawned and turned to his new friend without missing a beat.

"They better behave, heh."

Zero's eyes darted to the sides, deciding whether or not to give his real name. In the company of these newly minted vagabonds, erred to maintain a bit of mystery for the time being. Although their goals aligned for this moment, Zero had no guarantee they would remain aligned, at least not now.

"I'm with the Leviathan Order. We're the Maku..."

He spoke clearly, drawing his hood over his head. The moon's light that gave his acquaintance a good look at his face now shrouded most of it in the same shadow, meeting their gaze with his own ghastly hue. Tapping the water's surface twice, pairs of illumination appeared below him attached to shadows of creatures undiscernible to the average onlooker. The water's surface played with their perception, the true size of the creature or creatures ambiguous, but the shadow gathered around Zero's feet in coordinated response. And just as easily as they appeared, they faded into the deep leaving Zero seemingly by himself.

"We were headed to shore before I caught wind of their precious little cargo, so we decided to make a detour. You headed that way too?"

Zero tossed a directing thumb to the mountainous shore barely peeking off the horizon. He grew restless in the silent night and craved a bit more action, the nonviolent kind they planned before being detoured.

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