[CENTER][img]http://i.imgur.com/Shp7Pvp.jpg[/img][/CENTER]
[COLOR=lightskyblue][indent][sub][B]Location:[/B] [COLOR=B0C4DE][I]Oceanside[/I] - [I]San Diego[/I][/COLOR][/sub][sup][right][b]The Storm:[/b] [COLOR=B0C4DE][I]01 - Strangers in the Foam[/I][/COLOR][/right][/sup][/indent][/color][sub][hr][/sub][indent][color=lightskyblue][sub][B]Interaction(s):[/B] [COLOR=B0C4DE][I]None[/I][/COLOR][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][b]Previously:[/b] [COLOR=B0C4DE][I][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4895328]Prologue - Eggs & Conversation[/url][/I][/COLOR][/right][/SUP][/color][/indent]

[color=slategray][indent][indent]Arthur closed his eyes feeling the rain splash against his face. He could feel the electricity in the air as the storm swirled above him. Spring’s deluge coming to wash away winter’s death and decay bringing with it new life. [color=lightskyblue][i]Maybe I should let myself get washed away. Might be more interesting.[/i][/color]

Ahead of him the ocean churned and twisted with activity. A jumbled mass of gray interspersed with brief periods of tumbling white. It was a powerful roaring declaration of nature’s strength, and it was awe inspiring. Not much was able to humble an ego like Arthur’s but the sea never failed.

As Arthur stared out across the horizon something caught his eye. Out on the horizon and rapidly approaching was a series of explosions in the water. They followed a linear pattern of approach deviating only slightly to the left and right with each denotation. Even with the noise of the storm above, Arthur could hear the low rumble coming from beneath the waves. A final explosion bursted close to the wave’s breaking point. Through the cloud of steam and kicked up sand was the shape of a man crashing ashore a mile down from Arthur. Arthur looked about frantically but he was the only one crazy enough to be on the beach in this weather. 

[color=lightskyblue]“I did want it to be more interesting.”[/color] Arthur muttered as he sprinted across the beach grinning ear to ear.


It was a man that had washed up on the shore. He was smaller than Arthur possessing a stout frame, wispy goatee and a balding head. Steam rose off of a strange looking wet suit, a combination of a dark blue mesh composite and interlocking fish scales. Most of the steam was coming from a large wound centered around the man’s right pectoral. The exposed skin was an angry red color like the whole thing was becoming one giant blister.

Arthur squatted down next to the man to examine his injuries better. Gingerly, he lifted the man’s face out of the sand, feeling the warmth of his shallow breath. He looked for any sort of identifying documents but found none. All the man had on him was a series of metal cylinders, no bigger than Arthur’s fingers, attached to his belt. 

[color=tomato]“H...Hel...Help”[/color] The man managed to spit out nearly causing Arthur to fall flat on his ass out of surprise. The man had turned to look at him struggling to keep his eyes open. He made an attempt to move, but he body thrashed and spasmed in pain and he was unable to get that far. Arthur placed a hand on his stomach trying to calm him down.

[color=lightskyblue]“Don’t worry you will be at a hospital soon.”[/color] Arthur stated unsure if the man could even hear him. He was about to pick the men up when a voice rang out over the roar of the storm.

[B][color=sandybrown]”Step away from the body earthwalker.”[/color][/B] 

Arthur slowly froze turning to face the voice as he rose to his feet. Emerging from the water was three figures. They dressed in what armor reminiscent of a strange merger between a knight and an astronaut. The armor was white save for the one that had called out to Arthur, who had a streak of red across his right shoulder pauldron. They froze in the surf looking back at Arthur.

[color=lightskyblue]“Are you guys lost? The astronaut convention is at the next beach down! ”[/color] Arthur shouted back not moving an inch. It was hard to tell the reaction of the trio beyond their tinted visors. Arthur felt his hands begin to curl into fists as his fight or flight responses began to kick in. 

[b][color=sandybrown]“This is none of your concern earthwalker."[/color][/b] Redstripe warned the tone of his choice clear. Arthur didn't have an option in this matter there was no ultimatum, he was going to move one way or another. 

[color=lightskyblue]”This man needs a Doctor!”[/color]

[h3]SNIKT![/h3]

A blade came protruding out of a hidden slot in the man’s gauntlet. A flash of lighting in the sky reflecting across the cold metal. Redstripe took another step closer and stared back at Arthur. 

[b][color=sandybrown]“Move.”[/color][/b] 

Arthur looked at the ground around him looking for something to defend himself with. His eyes settled on a piece of driftwood by his right foot that he leaned down to pick up. Arthur gripped his improvised club and smirked at Redstripe. 

[color=lightskyblue]“No.”[/color]

Redstripe began to move before Arthur even finished the word. He was much faster in the armor then Arthur would have expected closing the distance with rapid speed. Arthur breathed as he gripped his improvised club tighter in his club. In his days swimming with his old pod, they had faced down predators much bigger and stronger than them. Overconfident great whites and tiger sharks that thought that they may make an easy meal. They won those fights by staying mobile, hitting hard and hitting fast. That was Arthur’s plan now and that was fortunate because he was very good at hard and fast. 

Redstripe made the first move ending his charge with a punch thrown from his bladed gauntlet. Arthur pivoted his body turning parallel to his opponent dodging the punch. He swung his club using his momentum as he pivoted back to connect it with the back of Redstripe’s head. The other man staggered by the blow stumbled forward before catching himself. He spun around to face Arthur who smiled back at him.

Redstripe retaliated with a quick flurry of blows that Arthur had trouble keeping up. A few times the bladed gauntlet came close to puncturing Arthur but he kept one step ahead. Arthur didn't like being put on the defense like this and he knew sooner or later he was going to slip up. So he seized the initiative and moved in closer to the assailant with the bladed gauntlet.

The blade came soaring past Arthur’s shoulder Redstripe having overextended. As he pressed in, Arthur dropped his shoulder into a rugby tackle hitting Redstripe’s chest. His opponent unable to bear the full brunt of his mass went tumbling down into the sand back first. Arthur followed with a downward smash from his club into Redstripe’s faceplate. The glass buckled and fractured from the blow as water began to leak out as Redstripe’s body went limp. 

Arthur turned to the face the other two still standing in the water yelling as he did. [color=lightskyblue]“Come on! You gotta make it harder than tha-”[/color]

[h3]SPLURSH![/h3]

A column of jet-propelled water smashed into Arthur’s club splitting it into two pieces. Arthur winced in pain as the splinters dug their way into his flash. One of the remaining two soldiers was pointing some sort of large cannon at him steam rising off the barrel. The other drew a sword from a scabbard at his belt and charged Arthur screaming.

[color=lightskyblue]”A sword? What is this medieval times?!"[/color] Arthur questioned as he charged at the swordsman.

The man brought the sword down with a vertical chop. Arthur lept backward but was caught by the follow up left hook. The metal covered fist made solid contact with Arthur’s face. He saw stars as he stumbled to the ground as blood began to drip out of his nose. 

[color=lightskyblue]"That's more like it!"[/color] Arthur panted grinning with glee even as the world spun around him.

As Arthur struggled to orientate himself, his opponent brought the sword down again. At the last second, Arthur exploded upwards catching the blade with his forearm. The swordsman let out a gasp as Arthur’s flesh while pierced and now bleeding held firm against the blade.

[color=lightskyblue]“After a few bar fights you find out your body is pretty resilient to sharp objects,”[/color] Arthur told the swordsman that was now locked into combat with him as the two pushed up against one another. Behind him, he could hear the whir of what he could only assume to be the cannon charging up for another shot. Quickly, Arthur began to come up with a plan.

[h3]SPLURSH![/h3]

Arthur moved in a blur, using the swordsman's own blade as a pivot point he spun the two of them at the last moment. The swordsman shouted in pain as the column of hyper-fast water slammed into his back. As the swordsman’s body went slack Arthur let him drop to the ground. 

Arthur picked up his fallen opponent’s sword and it one quick motion threw it like a spear at the last soldier. The sword went soaring through the air plunging into the weapon right as it was about to fire again. This was a spark of electricity, and the operator had only a moment to yell before the cannon exploded.

[H3]SPLURBOOM![/H3] 

The adrenaline rush began to taper away and the pain rushed to replace it. Above him, the storm continued to rage as another rumble of thunder tore through the air. Wincing and bleeding from his arms and face, Arthur trudged back over to the injured man. Muscles protesting he leaned down and picked him up in his arms. Arthur looked back to make sure he was alone again before he started the long journey back to his truck.

[color=lightskyblue]“Maybe I shouldn't take you to the hospital...”[/color][/indent][/indent][/color]