STEEELLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA /RIPS SHIRT

[hiken]

Who: Anyone involved with the Slavery-Ring Plot!
Where: ....Steellllaaaaaaa?
When: August 30th - Sept 1st
What: The Spades & Various Allies rush to save some allies from the clutches of a slavery syndicate on the island of Stela! Heroism and fire are in this log!
Warnings: Violence! Drama... Also light petting if Ace plays his cards right?
Style: Prose, Action, w/e.
Status: OPEN contextually to involved parties.


The sky was clear. It was sunny and hot. The island of Stela was quiet, free of any additional turmoil.

A young man with long, black hair and absolutely no hint of having shaved his hair in years looked over from one of the mountain ranged outside of Stela's port, spotting the numerous ships that had entered the bay. He raised his hands, calling winds to hasten their approach. After awhile, he noticed new flags. New ships. Ones he wasn't familiar with. Without so much as batting a lash, he called winds to push them back--away from the island. They weren't allowed to come to their island, because he did not know about their permission to enter.

The Sands didn't think anything of these newcomers. Many people would try to enter the country and be rejected by his winds. The Spades and their allies wouldn't be any different. He wasn't at all aware that his lack of caution would soon backfire for him immensely.

(OOC: For reference, this is just an intro prompt to part one! I'll be adding threads for each following part to the plot!

Details about this are here on our Google Document.)

Comments

[hiken]

[From the mountain, The Sands announced himself with a booming voice. He put his voice on the wind and it carried down, shaking the mountain with it.]

Something stinks like garbage on sea-water. What sort of filthy vermin am I dealing with, today?

[As such--The Sands' anger forced him to drop his control over the bay. The ships could come in.]

[tactilelearner]

[With Keimi rising as a potential distraction (and hopefully first wave of attack), Rogue drags herself up. The gloves are useless anyway, so she pulls off the ripped fabric and tosses them aside.

Now?

Now, things can get interesting.]

[seakingbait]

[Keimi touches down with a splash. In an instant she is back and balancing on another bubble, her hands firmly gripping her baton.]

You're one of the slavers, aren't you!

[hiken]

A mermaid? Get lost, vermin! We don't have need of anything without legs, here!

[The Sands raised one hand, gesturing with a pop of his knuckles to throw a gale of wind in Keimi's direction. He didn't notice Rogue at all, if only because Keimi was definitely the kind of colorful individual to attract attention on top of a lonesome, dusty mountain.]

[tactilelearner]

[He attacked, and Rogue reacted.

She moved forward, half threw herself toward him. It was a sharp, sudden movement as she planted one heel and twisted, bringing the other leg around to strike at his knee.

Her training was primarily non-lethal. Incapacitate, don't kill.]

[seakingbait]

[Keimi shared a similar sentiment. She drops from her bubble and onto her fin, shielding her eyes from the wind. If she can keep him distracted for a moment longer...]

[hiken]

[Looking briefly satisfied with himself, The Sands realized what was going on only a moment too late. He felt the sudden crack against his knee that signified he had fully lost his balance and fell to the other. A howl of rage came from him next as he turned his right hand in a full arc, sending a razor-sharp gust blade made of air pressure right at Rogue--fortunately, aimed a bit off if only because of the pain that shot through him.]

[tactilelearner]

[The wind hit well enough to keep Rogue from immediately diving onto him. It sliced open her forehead and down the side of her face, just missing her right eye. Blood flowed. The wound was shallow, but it'd bleed quite a bit.

Nothing she couldn't handle.

She got her footing back, relying on Keimi to keep up an attack, keep his attention divided, and moved in. No fist, no kick, nothing like that. Her only aim: to grab the hand or arm that had thrown the wind at her.]

[seakingbait]

[With the wind focused on Rogue, Keimi has an opportunity to use her bubbles. She would have to move quickly, however.]

Yoko-Jima - Hirayama-Michi!

[With a wave of her baton, a row of sea bubbles appear in front of her, running past her opponent. She dives into the first bubble, swimming towards The Sands at full speed. She grips her baton tightly, meaning to swing it at her enemy's head as she passes by.]

[hiken]

[The gales ended for a moment as Rogue touched The Sands' arm. He winced, recoiling as if he had touched fire and stumbled back, just in the way of Keimi's swing. The baton struck him in the temple, making a harsh sort of noise before he fell back, shakily landing on the balls of his heels. Blood ran down the side of his head as he glowered at the two.

Rogue would feel it--the depths of fear in The Sands' mind. His power to talk to the wind was small, enhanced only by the threat of death from her.]

D-Don't get cocky!

You... You don't have a clue what you're doing-- She's definitely going to rip the minds out of your heads! There won't be anything left when the Tamer's through with you!

[tactilelearner]

[The fear of death. A primal, base fear. Pure survival. It wound around Rogue's heart as surely as she felt his power at her fingertips. But her own anger overruled it, blazed it out.

She smirked.]

Well, she ain' our concern.

I was you? I'd worry 'bout myself.

[And with that -- and a wicked smirk -- she threw her hand forward to send a gust of razor-sharp wind at him. A mirror of what he'd struck her with. Of what caused the wound still bleeding across the side of her face.]

[seakingbait]

[Keimi's eyes widened. Rogue has his powers now! She said touching people made them sick, but she never said anything about gaining their strengths.

Still, now wasn't the time to gawk. They had him on the ropes, and they needed to put him away. Quickly moving behind him, she releases an extra large bubble from the tip of her baton. The sea water inside would weigh it down enough so that the wind would not immediately blow it away. With a bit of luck, Rogue's attack would push him backwards and into the bubble.]

[hiken]

You're dead! She'll kill--

[Surprise struck The Sands the most, but he didn't need to be struck hard at all for that particular blade of wind. Rogue's aim was fresh and the Sands' surprise was what kept him off his guard. The razor sharp wind struck his neck, popping jugular open with sickening ease. He clasped his hand over it, trying to keep his blood from spilling as he rapidly dried the wound.

Despite that, he fell back into Keimi's bubble, immensely distracted.]

[tactilelearner]

[The initial spray of blood added to what was already on her face, and she recoiled slightly.

She could feel the power slipping away, though. His. But they needed it. That power might help someone else. Might still be useful. So--

Rogue's eyes narrowed, and she darted forward. She swallowed hard, afraid, but. Just a top off. That was all she planned. And his hand was right there, clutching his throat.

So, she did it. Took hold around his wrist and clamped down.]

[seakingbait]

[Keimi gasps, quickly darting her way into the bubble. She grasps his shoulders, trying to steady his body. That wound was nasty, but if treated quickly, there was a chance he could make it. She looks up at Rogue with a worried expression.]

[hiken]

You were stealing...? What an odd thing! Fine, she can have you instead!

[The Sands' eyes nearly glazed over. Rogue was drawing out his mind and his ability. The only thing in him that had been left over was his fear. The Sands only had one move left, using the last of his ability before he felt things go black. The hand he had cupped over his wound pushed a pocket of air into his opened artery.

He wanted to die painlessly, free of the Tamer. If he lived--if there was even a chance that he would have survived, it would have been his worst nightmare.]

[tactilelearner]

[Rogue felt it. The memories, the pain, the fear. She felt her own throat slashed, felt the pocket of air. His last moments were her last moments. But even then, she didn't let go. If anything, the ache made her grip tighter, hold harder. She clenched her teeth, her body shaking.

She held until he stopped moving... and kept her grip until she felt nothing but her own skin. Her own wounds. Until there was nothing left.

Finally, she let go.

Her mind was in chaos. Trying to sort out who was who and what were her memories.]

She'll kill you all.

[The words came, rasped out in her voice but without her intonation. It was the Sands, speaking through her.

Rogue slipped to her knees next to the body. Her pulse was racing, and she felt wind whipping around her. Part of her mind remembered Keimi.]

Go.

[A bit sharp, but she looked up and tried to control her voice.]

They might need your help. I'm... I'll stay here. See what I can do on this end. Keep others off their backs. You let 'em know he won' be a problem anymore, 'kay?

[seakingbait]

[Keimi screams as the wind enters his neck... and the resulting exit. The force of the attack was enough to pop the bubble. Free his body. If only the mind were as lucky. Her body shakes, soaked in blood and salt water, both from her bubbles and her eyes.

She winces, attempting to fight back tears without the use of her now blood-soaked hands.]

I'll... I...

[tactilelearner]

He-- he ain'--

He can't hurt us.

[Rogue clenched her teeth as the wind swirled around her and then forcefully died. She stayed on her knees, though.

A few deep breaths to keep herself calm. To focus her mind.]

He ain' gonna hurt anybody else.

Now git. Go find Logan. An' Marco.

Help 'em out.

[seakingbait]

[She has no words, now. She wants to find them, but they simply do not come. And in truth, there's no time. There was more to be done, and Bepo was still fighting at the foot of the mountain.

All she can do is give her friend a nod. She turns to the cliff's edge, creating a new pillar of bubbles. With a splash, she is gone-- a flash of green and crimson as she rockets to earth, the water washing her clean.

Quietly, she prays it would be the last of the blood to be shed tonight.]