GambolMuse

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Everything had happened awfully quick, Ethan barely knew what he was doing himself. After he had been nearly run over by the other boy things just moved like clockwork, his body willing itself to get both the stranger and Amuné out of harm's way. It wasn't until they had gotten into the chase itself that he started to recognize what was going on, realizing too that they didn't stand much of a chance at escaping; the men were armed and likely trained, they would need a miracle to get away without trying anything. After exhausting every option he could think of Ethan opted on the one he was most reluctant to use, and the most worried to as well. If casting a spell didn't take the men out then he'd not only be drained, but they'd be livid and everyone would be in trouble for it. That risk was worth it however if he pulled it off, as it would give them at the very least a window to escape. With Amuné in his grasp still he didn't have time to set her down, so instead he clutched the young Ydra to his side, gave her a brief warning and fired off a spell.

The results of his magic couldn't have been better. Not only were the men thrown aside, but there was minimal damage to their surroundings, and he hadn't killed them or himself with it, a win-win. Though Ethan may not be quite dead he certainly felt like it, his body immediately becoming exhausted as he fell to one knee, breathing a bit raggedly from expending so much so quick. It was normally against his self-conduct to attack someone like that, but there was no way he could let Amuné or Wyth be hurt, or the other boy for that matter. Managing to rise back to his feet after a moment's struggle he let out a breathless chuckle, trying to stumble ahead as he gestured for the others to follow. People were in a proper panic now after having seen magic, and no doubt the guards would be on their way; how were the people of this town going to treat a Magi? Would he be taken away like Cedric had been? That was pretty disheartening to think about, especially when he'd gone and pledged to help Amuné.

"Come on, the forest isn't far..." Ethan said tiredly, glancing back at Amuné and Wyth to make sure they were unharmed before immediately looking forward when the other boy approached them. "Hold on...? Hold on to- WHOA!" With strength quite shocking for his size the other boy lifted both of them up with minimal effort, raising them above his head before taking off down the road. Balancing awkwardly in his hand, the white-haired Magi had only just gotten a hold on himself when they stopped just as abruptly and were placed down, feeling lightheaded from the sudden lifting and dropping. Rubbing at his forehead he glanced up at the boy, giving him a confused look briefly before breaking into a smile.

"Hey... It's fine, you're trying to help... All good..." Ethan answered giving a dismissive wave of his hand. Peering past the other boy he made sure to check if they were being followed, relieved to see no one coming after them. So his spell had worked then, though he wasn't likely going to be welcome back to this town any time soon. Shame too, he'd like to at least go back to the spot he'd cast at and clean it up, seeing as he'd made a mess of things. "We should keep moving, if... You don't mind. You're not safe... And we gotta protect Amuné too." He'd get back to his own task eventually, first thing was to make certain these two were fine. Giving a nod of approval to be lifted again, Ethan braced himself and let out a faint gasp at the shift again, being less disoriented however as he was ready for it. Like before it only took a second until they were off again, and in mere moments they were beyond the city's limits, heading down the road that wound back into the forest.

Only once they were largely out of view of the town did Ethan call for them to stop, certain they were safe for now. That and all of the jostling around while being carried was hammering his already battered body, he felt like he'd just ran into a building at full speed or something. Smiling gratefully as they were set back down, the Magi let out a long-winded sigh before leaning back where he sat, placing his hands back on the grass as he let out a short laugh. "Wow... Today sure was busy... Didn't expect to be running this much..." he mused, still a bit short of breath, "Nice to meet you, by the way... My name's Ethan, and sorry if I caused trouble back there... Couldn't just let them do... Whatever they were wanting to do to you. You alright now, uh...?" Glancing over at Amuné and Wyth he smiled, remembering their plight as well as he gestured to the small bag at his side. "There's a bit of food in there... Dried beef and fruit. Take whatever you want, my treat, make up for squashing your fish."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Yumi knew Shu could be strong too, he just had to be more confident in himself. She had seen personally several times just how much strength her young friend had, all they had to do was teach him to use that strength. "Sometimes doing what we're afraid of is the best way to overcome it. As long as you have us at your side you have nothing to be afraid of Shu." Strength in numbers as they say, and Shu had plenty of backup going into this fight. She'd have continued her talk with Shu if the sudden appearance of one of the natives didn't spook everyone, and send Yumi to their side to see if she could help. Maybe it was a bit naive to go blindly rushing to someone, but she couldn't in good conscience just leave them, even when she was at first threatened; as it turned out showing mercy helped, they got some important if rather disheartening information about their targets. After bandaging up the native she returned to the group, sharing the news with a reluctant smile. "They're still here... Which means we might be walking right into them," Yumi reiterated, looking back briefly as the alien snuck away into one of the undisturbed buildings, "Now we just have to find them, or they find us."

"Of course we're going to come back, we'll find a way to win here," Yumi said to Choi, frowning as she looked over at him. Shu was having enough worries as it was without him bringing his doubts up, and while surely everyone felt it voicing them didn't help. "If they were going to attack us then they would have already, don't you think? I can only guess they don't know we're here yet, they must be busy with whatever they're up to." A blessing in disguise, as that meant so long as they kept themselves out of sight they could track down the pair, maybe even get the jump on them. Letting out a soft sigh she scratched at one of her ears for a moment, lifting her head and closing her eyes before giving the air a sniff. "Let's see... I can't smell much over all the wreckage, but I bet if we just follow it then we'll find where they are."

That was all the direction that Takeshi needed for this, just follow the trail of destruction and they'd find the King and Krom. "Well alright then, let's find those two and kick their asses," he said, grinning as he started walking off, halting when Yumi grabbed his shoulder to stop him, "What? You said they aren't here, so let's go find them!"

"Didn't you hear what Choi just said? We're in the open dummy, we can't just wander around like this," Yumi retorted, rolling her eyes before looking around them for some kind of alley. "We shouldn't move too quick and try to stay hidden as much as we can, otherwise we'll basically paint a big target on our backs." Given a decent number of buildings were destroyed, at least partially, it made moving between them somewhat easy. Cutting across the road she stepped into a broken down structure, poking her head in before waving the others along, cutting across the room to a hole in the back which gave way to the building adjacent to it. There appeared to be nooks and crannies between all the buildings, and while there was no overhead cover they were at least safe from prying eyes on the road. "If we just stay back here then we'll be okay..."

All of this sneaking around was getting old awfully fast; his father and Krom were here, Takeshi didn't see why they had to waste time tiptoeing around like this. Realistically he doubted their getting the jump on either man was possible, and if it was their attacks weren't liable to do much. Letting out a silent huff as Yumi took them through buildings he kept glancing up to the sky, perhaps expecting someone to be following them but never seeing a soul. Everything in the city was quiet as they moved along, no signs of a fight taking place nor any surges of energy to give away a position. Takeshi couldn't think of any reason the native might have lied to them, but he was seriously beginning to consider it. After having traveled a few blocks with nothing to speak of he finally stopped, letting out an annoyed growl and kicking a brick against a wall.

"This is crap! We should be trying to draw them out, not sneak up on them!" Takeshi snapped, throwing his hands up before looking at Yumi, "People could be getting attacked for all we know, and here we are slithering around hoping we find something!"

"Relax will you? If we get snuck up on then we could be done then and there, don't you see that? I don't like it any more than you do, but we don't have any choice," Yumi retorted, placing her hands on her hips and watching as Takeshi trudged off. Rolling her eyes she gave a shake of her head, looking over at Shu and giving him a small smile. "Can you go talk to him? I'll try to think of something in the meantime, I agree this is taking too long."

Haku had just been following along for the most part thus far, not feeling quite in place to make any decisions. Though he was willing to fight with these people he wasn't exactly looking forward to it, and so going by Yumi's plan was fine by him; Takeshi did raise a fair point too however, they were taking a long time to find these two men. While the group settled in for a moment, or in the Princes' case stormed off, he had gone to the second floor to get some privacy and relax, sitting by a busted out window. This whole trip of theirs was beyond stressful, he just wished they'd either find the King and his man or discover they had left, the not knowing was killing him. Wringing his hands together nervously as he leaned up against the wall, Haku jumped slightly when a fairly loud crash sounded outside, followed by glass shattering and a yell. Tensing up for a moment he slowly turned towards the window, easing out to see what was going on. Down below was another one of the natives, dressed in a uniform similar to what the alien from before had on, only this one looked more... Regal? Paling uneasily he watched as the alien tried picking themselves up, his eyes darting to another building when two figures exited. Before both had even completely gotten out he was already back against the wall, covered in a nervous sweat as he tried to breathe steadily. They were right down the street, how had they not noticed them?! This wasn't good, not good at all.

"I won't ask again... Stop this ridiculous fighting and agree to my terms," Yamate said, staring down the alien as he approached him, "Your cities are in ruins and your soldiers defeated, there is no reason for you to continue to resist. If you truly value your lives then just align yourselves with us, that's all you must do to stop this." Such a pitiful display, even now the alien looked like he was trying to get up to fight. With a broken leg and likely some fractured ribs however he doubted that would be happening, as sure enough the man slumped back to the ground in pain. With a show of disgust he walked over and grabbed the alien by his shirt, lifting him up and frowning, "I suppose it doesn't matter, it's not as though you'll be fighting anymore. Once you're through then we'll be able to convert your world anyways, or whoever's world this used to be, you damned leech." Raising a hand to strike down the alien, Yamate's eyes shifted to the corners to see a Ki blast speeding towards them, dropping the man and leaning slightly to easily avoid it. There was that human girl from before, how interesting that she was here. Sensing an energy from behind he turned and easily blocked a kick from Kabocha, pushing the boy away before glancing down, feeling more energy suddenly surging. Takeshi had ended up just beneath him, and with a massive amount of Ki in his hands it was let loose, engulfing the king in the blast.

Takeshi waited until his attack was through before dashing back to where his friends were, frowning as he noticed his father was gone. No way had that killed him, that would have been way too easy if it had. Somehow they had pulled one over Krom and caught him off-guard, but they'd gone for the King instead. After a brief moment of confusion he finally glanced up into the sky, seeing Yamate hovering a bit above Krom, totally unscathed as one might expect. Sneering he watched his father slowly descend to the ground, cussing under his breath before letting out a scoff. "Course he wouldn't die so easily... Everything he does has to be a pain..."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

There really wasn't any solid reply from Amuné, but Ethan figured the girl didn't mind. Considering both herself and Wyth were not only starving but dirty made it a safe bet they'd like to get cleaned up, and he'd be happy to help with that as well. Gods only know if any tailor around here might have clothing her size, but it was worth a look before he left town. "There's always more where that came from, by the way, just let me know if you want another," he said cheerfully with a smile, "Just don't eat too fast, otherwise you'll get sick." Chuckling as he watched the pair tear into their meals he clasped his hands together, rising to his feet and glancing around to try and find a nearby tailor.

"Stop that boy! Don't let him escape!"

Hm, what was that? Sounded like someone was awfully cross with some kid, wonder what that might be about. Turning his head to look in the direction of the shout Ethan blinked seeing another boy charging towards him, looking back as well at whoever was pursuing him. Gasping when he realized he was right in the stranger's way he held up his hands defensively, trying to wave to get the other's attention. With no luck in that department he braced for getting hit, giving an "oomph" when he was run into and toppled over, landing on his back with the fleeing boy on top of him. Groaning he lifted up his head, peering over the stranger at the four men in suits, not recognizing their attire at all and finding it highly unusual for how far out they were. Did these people come from the city?

"That's enough, you're through Machina!" one of the men snapped, drawing his firearm from his coat and aiming it at the boy, "You know full well rogue elements like yourself can't roam freely, you'll be deactivated and returned back to the factory."

Machina? Who was a machina? They were calling this boy a machina apparently, but there was no way that was possible; machina were machines, he was a living being, anyone with eyes could see that. No machine looked this lifelike, so whoever had given these people the idea he was a machina was pulling a cruel trick. Able to move once the stranger got off of him he sat up, smiling politely as he looked up at the group of men. "Easy now, I'm sure this is some kind of misunderstanding," Ethan said, raising his hands slowly, "Let's just all calm down here and figure this out. There's no way that this kid can be-" The white-haired boy was cut off when a blade slammed into the ground between his legs, narrowly missing his groin as it broke apart the cobble beneath him. Paling in fright he let out a faint squeak, staring at the blade for a moment before looking up.

"He is a machine, and he is well beyond his parameters by being out here. Don't be fooled by his appearance, he's as much a machine as my sword," the man spoke, frowning as he pulled his blade free and looked down at Ethan, "You'll be charged for aiding him and be brought into the city if you continue to get in our way. Move aside or be prepared to face the consequences."

"He... He's really a machine, huh?" Ethan mumbled, furrowing his brow as he looked over at the stranger again. No way could that be true, he had emotion and looked to be alive, it just couldn't be true; if this boy was a machine then he was special, it would be wrong to just toss him aside and 'deactivate' him like the men had been saying. Biting his lip uncertainly for a moment the Magi let out a sigh, hanging his head and closing his eyes. "Alright... Just give me a second to..." he began, trailing off as he abruptly spun his body around and swung a leg out, managing to catch the man in the leg and trip him, immediately grabbing the other boy's arm and pushing him ahead, "Go, go, go!" Scrambling up to his feet he grabbed Amuné and held her under one of his arms, taking off hastily down the road with Wyth no doubt following suit. With the stranger now tagging along they made a hasty retreat towards the eastern side of town, hoping perhaps escape into the woods nearby. Glancing back over his shoulder he saw the men still ganging, all four looking mighty angry right now.

There wasn't any realistic chance of making it away from those four, they were fast and their group was a bit bogged down, not to mention the men had weapons. Though Ethan knew nothing of this other boy or why he was being chased he couldn't well abandon him to his fate, even if it meant he himself getting in trouble. A noble endeavor sure, but it would be for nothing if they ended up getting caught here. They had barely made it out of the center when the men were closing in, and the road they were entering was narrow and liable to get them trapped. Seeing little other option, though reluctant to do so, Ethan skidded to a halt and turned around, staring at the men bearing down on them. There wasn't any other option, not if they wanted to get out of here. He hadn't cast magic in some time now, and the spell he'd need to stop them was liable to wear him out, yet it was needed.

"Amuné, hang on," Ethan said, turning his body and extending one arm towards the four men. Wind seemed to abruptly shift direction in that instant, moving to their backs and then shifting again as it blew against their fronts, taking on a slight swirling motion eventually with Ethan and Amuné at the epicenter. With his hair and clothes being tossed erratically and eyes glowing a slight golden hue the wind took on visible form, a translucent green mist forming at his hand before shooting forward suddenly, expanding and engulfing each of the four men in its wake. Initially nothing happened as they stopped and braced against the gust, but within seconds each of them was swept off their feet, being thrown every which ways both into walls and other objects. The spell only last a few seconds, but once it was over Ethan dropped to one knee, releasing Amuné as he gasped and began panting, a sheen of sweat on his face.

"Hah... There... No more creeps..." the Magi mumbled, smiling as he wiped at his face with his sleeve, trying to force himself to his feet and staggering slightly, "Sorry for that you guys... Didn't mean to hurt you." That spell had definitely overdone it though, he felt like he'd just run a quarter mile in an instant. Thankfully it had done its job, as each man was now sprawled out in various ways, groaning and barely moving as they were no doubt quite disoriented from all of that. As if there wasn't a big enough scene before now the citizens were borderline panicking, some screams emerging as everyone began to rush away from the scene of the attack. Feeling rather terrible for it Ethan could only watch, his smile fading as he looked down at Amuné again. "Sorry... Couldn't let them catch us," Ethan managed, turning to face the unknown boy as he started stumbling forward, "Come on... We should go, before they get up. I don't have another in me."

Avatar: The Price of Freedom

"Well, yeah... I beat most of those creeps, so I protected you," Katsu retorted, frowning when he saw Siku's dao, "And you're bringing a sword with you..." There was no reason to have a weapon on them, not when they were all benders. Bending could be used for defense or offense, sure, but it wasn't always as lethal as a sword. What was the point in bringing along a blade anyways when the way they fought was likely to put them at distance from their opponents? Siku tried to justify her having the dao but he wasn't a fan of it still, frowning and letting out a huff before shaking his head. "If they get close then you can still bend, it's not like you lose bending in close quarters," the Avatar said, "Besides... If someone else is chasing us with a weapon can you really use it that well? If they're using one then they're bound to be really good with it, can you match them?" Made more sense in his mind to just put distance between themselves and their attacker and keep bending.

This was going to be one abysmal trip, if only because they had just begun and were already exhausted. Katsu hadn't slept terribly much the day earlier to begin with, having been busy on a job, and today hadn't allowed him more than a moment's reprieve. Much as he wanted to take a break and settle down he didn't want to be the one to say it, both pride and reluctance playing into it. When Siku mentioned taking a quick nap he tried not to jump at her decision, giving a small shrug instead. "We can do that, we've come a decent ways already," Katsu remarked, stifling a yawn with his hand before rubbing at his head, "Planning would be good... Don't want to wander around aimlessly." He had a few places in mind he might be able to go, places which would be easily accessible had they a vehicle; ferries and cars had gotten him around before, this would be the first time he really had to do extensive walking. The thief wasn't going to complain, he didn't mind the exercise, but it sure did make traveling take a bit longer.

Taking to the cover of the trees, the trio had sought refuge along the tall vegetation, just barely out of view from the road. They could have gone in deeper if Katsu hadn't objected, wanting to be able to keep an eye on the road to know if anyone was on their way up. Finding the only clearing they could, bedrolls were laid out and everyone got ready for a brief if much needed respite. Siku and Asha had fallen asleep fairly quickly, as had Koinu, yet Katsu found himself sitting up and awake for some time longer. There were too many thoughts swirling around in his head, too many concerns and ideas that things would only get worse from hereon out. It was probably lack of sleep and stress doing this to him, but for a good while he could only sit and stare down at the road, a bit paranoid that someone was going to come up on them while they slept. Eventually however his eyelids grew heavy and he found himself drifting off, and when next he'd open his eyes he would hear Siku's voice calling to him.

"Nnn... 'M up... 'M up..." the Avatar grumbled, already having been half awake by the time he was called for. Groaning as he sat up from his spot he raised his arms above his head in a stretch, popping his back before glancing down at Koinu, smiling as his companion woke too and greeted him with a happy yip. Scratching at the fox's head he moved over to join Siku and Asha, glancing down at the former's map curiously. "Gung-Li... Never heard of the place..." Katsu said through a yawn, sitting down on his rear and scratching at Koinu's fur habitually, "If we can get a ride there then let's get one there, no sense in more walking, right?" If they could find a ride then they'd make far better time, and more importantly put more distance between themselves and anyone that may be chasing them. If given the chance to get their own vessel should they take it? He'd been on boats before, sure, but he'd never actually piloted one on any kind of journey. Siku could water bend, Asha could air bend, so they'd have an easy enough time of making it he figured. "It might be better to get our own ship, come to think of it... Less people know about us that way and we're not relying on anyone else. If we're trying to keep out of view then we should avoid making any kind of transaction, you know?" he asked, smirking as he glanced at Siku and Asha, "I know something about flying under the radar, we should be fine."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I'm saying that being afraid is normal Shu, and you're not weaker for it. Everyone is afraid of something, that's just how life is. If you want to be strong then you have to face your fears and not run away from them." It was like the first time they had met Geoffrey, being thrown into that weird trance where they were made to confront their deepest fears. Yumi still hadn't completely gotten over her fear of the dark, even with her heightened senses, but she did feel somewhat better for being able to stand up to it. Shu was obviously having trouble doing such a thing, yet if he kept trying and they helped him along then he could do it, and he'd feel better for it. "No one is going to be taken, like I said. Last time Viral was taken because we were too tired to help, and we didn't know what we were facing. We're ready this time though, we're stronger and there's more of us. It might hurt, but when we're through today every one of us is heading back to Uuonoe, and we'll go back having saved everyone from the King. How's that sound to you Shu? Think you're ready to help make that happen?" she asked, smiling encouragingly at the young Saiyan.

Takeshi supposed he had to acknowledge what T'charrl was saying; Ki and physical strength were not interchangeable. Sure, one could enhance strength with Ki, but having a lot of Ki didn't mean you were suddenly stronger. "I guess not, but... Strength comes in a lot of forms, you know? Some people can hit really hard, some are really good at blasting things, and some are in between, yeah? Just because you're not punching holes in mountains or whatever doesn't make you weak, it just means that hitting things might not be your strong suit." Both had their advantages and disadvantages, and really most people were probably happy they could just do one or another. For an overachiever like Takeshi he wasn't content with just one, he wanted to excel in both and be better than most everyone else, but that was just him. "Huh... So you always think something is gonna happen, and Shu is okay until something happens..." Takeshi mumbled, furrowing his brow as he thought on that for a moment. Strange, it was like they both had the same problem, just for different reasons. Maybe he could ask Vegeta about that one, or Vegeta's dad, but they could be able to fix both his friend and brother in one go. He couldn't well think on that right now, but he'd definitely need to bring it up once they got back.

There wasn't much anything to see where they stood, nor was there any sign of a fight going on. Seeing a city left so untouched for the most part was unusual, Takeshi had never known his kind to leave anything standing really. Between Yumi and T'charrl he kind of hoped someone might be able to pick up something he couldn't, yet neither of them looked to be noticing anything either. "So no one's around...? I don't get it..." he mumbled, frowning as he walked out into the street. A good part of him expected to get blasted as soon as they stepped out, yet there wasn't anything but a simple breeze that came their way. Glancing down either which way of the road he placed his hands on his hips, beginning to think maybe his father and Krom actually did leave already. It didn't make much sense why they might, but then none of what was going on did. "Should we check for survivors? Or look for them? I don't know what to do..." Takeshi said as he kicked a small bit of debris, frowning in annoyance, "If they're here I kind of wish they'd just show up already, I don't wanna waste a ton of time waiting around now that we're here."

"Yeah... Going to be honest, kind of expected to be fighting already. I don't really know what to think right now," Yumi added, looking around again for any signs of activity. This whole city was a fair bit off-putting, thanks mostly to the smell of corpses and all of the burned wreckage. Maybe they should double back to the shuttle and move ahead, see if the King and Krom had gone to the next city, albeit she couldn't imagine why. If they weren't destroying the entire city as they moved along and had already disabled the beacon then why were they here? Scratching at her cheek absentmindedly she stiffened up when she caught wind of someone up ahead, turning to look down the road as her ears twitched in alert. Seeing a piece of rubble fall down and then a wall collapse partially she expected to see a Saiyan come out, though her surprise it looked like one of the natives who had been fighting. Gasping in surprise she rushed over to meet the alien, stopping shy of them and holding up her hands when they aimed a blaster at her. "I'm a friend! I'm not with the Saiyans, don't worry!"

Just who was this person? She didn't look like the men who had attacked them, nor did she even look like a Saiyan. Just how many people were on this damned world anyways? Aiming square at her face with the blaster for a moment the soldier finally relented, mostly due to the pain in his arm as he had to lower it back down. "Kssh... Friend? Late for a friend, not much help," the soldier said, their voice a bit distorted as it came through a canister-fitted apparatus affixed to their face, a set of black goggles obscuring their eyes and a mask most of their features. From what could be seen they wore a black jumper like their comrades, with some kind of insignia on the breast and yellow stripes on one arm, perhaps designating rank. They had green skin and what appeared to be spines protruding from their back, as well as clawed hands and feet. Too tired to resist even if the stranger was lying, the soldier let out a groan and sank to a sitting position, grasping his bloodied shoulder as he coughed. "If you're killing me, do it. Men are dead already, city is being attacked, I failed..."

"What do you mean being attacked...? Are they still here?" Yumi asked, squatting down as she looked at the soldier uneasily, "If the Saiyans are still here then please, tell us where they went. We're trying to find them to make them stop."

Groaning again at the dull throbbing of his wound, placing his hand over it and nodding his head. "Far as I know, they moved further in. They were looking for leaders, but leaders are in hiding. We can't let them find the leaders, it would be bad if leaders were to die." If the leaders died then their people would be thrown into chaos, more so than they already were with these attacks. Their scavenging would come to an abrupt halt with no one maintaining the lines and their people as whole would be left in disarray.

"So they are still here... Okay. Here, let me help you with your wound first, then we'll go find them." Reaching back for the pack on her hip, Yumi pulled out a roll of gauze and a small tube filled with some disinfectant gel. After tearing off a strip of gauze she carefully wrapped it around the soldier's shoulder, having applied a bit of gel to the material to hopefully keep his wound from being infected. The man was certainly tired, but he'd live, and while she'd like to help him further they couldn't afford to stand around and do so. "Just find somewhere safe, we'll come back after we're done, okay?" she said, smiling as she got back to her feet and hurried over to the others, "They're still here, according to him, they just went further in. Apparently they're looking for the leaders, which means we need to find them first and protect them."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

The drunkards did not take kindly to being shown up by the guards like this, but they hadn't much choice. While they had numbers in their favor none of them were exactly armed, where in contrast each of the guards carried a sword and likely knew how to use it. They couldn't do much but throw fists, and frankly when it came to a fight swords had a tendency to beat out bare hands. Loathing the guards, the leader of the group sneered at them before turning and marching off, leaving Grun to her own devices. Her being here was still a big problem and annoyance, she was out of place and didn't belong here. She ought to be cloaked like any other Divined, not trotting around as if she owned the place.

"Sorry for those louts, they're always picking brawls with strangers," the eldest guard remarked, letting out a breathy sigh before adjusting the belt around his waist, "If yer looking for information on other Divined then I'm afraid we've got nothing either for you. However, the captain might've seen or heard something, he'd be willing to share. Come along with us to the barracks, we'll see if we can't give you a hand." It'd be better for everyone if she came along anyways, it would save her from further scrutiny and them from having to break up fights. Smiling politely he waved Grun along, following alongside her once she had begun moving, the other two guards bringing up the rear behind them. "Just understand miss, we don't get many travelers out here, not exactly a tourist stop. We get Divined even less if ever, so you can kinda see where folks will get a bit edgy if you suddenly show up..."

Ethan gave the pair a warm smile, pocketing the coppers he had taken out for the time being. "Pleasure to meet you two! Amuné, Wyth, let's go get you some food!" The food here didn't seem to be all too costly, at least not where he had gone. They most certainly wouldn't be returning to that tavern any time soon, not if Mole-ita was going to try and flirt with him again. Shuddering reflexively at the thought he gave an uneasy chuckle, scratching at his head as he glanced down at Amuné for her answer. Curious when she blushed he tilted his head somewhat, raising an eyebrow as he wondered why she had suddenly gotten red in the face. "You don't have to thank me, I'm just trying to be helpful. And not too much seasoning, got it! Shouldn't be too hard to find something like that," he remarked, smiling as he turned to leave the alley, "We'll see if we can find some fresh fish for Wyth, and maybe a nice big plate of food for you, how's that sound?"

Curiously the crowd outside of the alley had dispersed for the most part since going in, for reasons that were lost to Ethan. Shrugging it off dismissively he glanced back at Amuné and Wyth once more, waving them along with a smile before starting to move through the crowd itself. He still didn't much know the town and as such he didn't know where to head, but he figured enough wandering about and he'd find some place for them; Ethan hadn't exactly found this town on a map, it had been more stumbling and dumb luck that he'd come across it. As the trio passed through the crowd and reached the center of the settlement he stepped to the side briefly to let a small group of angry looking men by, watching them storm off for a moment before continuing along. Maybe they got thrown out of a tavern or something, they did kind of smell like alcohol. If they were heading to the tavern he'd just been at then all the more reason not to return, lest he have to put up with them too.

"Would you look at this... I bet we can get food here!" Lining the edges of the town center were various stalls, selling everything from bits and bobbles to clothing, food and even crystals. There was only one thing they had come for, and as they drew nearer Ethan was delighted to find it had a variety of foods; seared fish on sticks, roasted potatoes and vegetables, a few varieties of meats, it was a proper roadside tavern if he'd ever seen one. A small crowd stood at the stall itself and so they had to wait a moment, the other customers buying out quite a lot of the inventory before Ethan himself got to the counter. Peering around he tried to decide what he ought to get for Amuné, deciding ultimately on two fish and some of the seared vegetables. With an appreciative smile he took the food from the vendor, fishing out the coins from his pocket and laying them out before turning back to his companions, squatting down and offering the two fish out first. "Here you go, eat up! I can get more if you're still hungry," Ethan said, smiling cheerfully, "After this we can find you some clothes, how's that sound?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

There likely weren't any words to reassure someone right now, yet Yumi was doing her best to find them for Shu's sake. Everyone was nervous about going into the battle, but if it got to the point where they couldn't fight then that was a problem. Fear was normal when it came to battling, especially an enemy of this caliber, but it was nothing they were new to; the monster on Namek, Krom the first time around, Elites, they had a fair bit of experience between all of them, and that was only what she knew of. If they kept as level headed as can be and stuck together then they could win this, they just had to play it safe. "There's a first time for everything... We'll just have to give it our all, things will work out if we do," Yumi said, trying to be optimistic as she smiled at Shu, "I believe in you, I know your brother does. T'charrl believes in you too, I just know he does. Maybe I can't say for sure about the others, but I'll bet they trust you and believe in you as well. We're all going to need one another to make it through this, and that includes you, Shu. It's okay to be afraid, everyone here is, just don't ever think you're alone here, because you'll always have someone at your back."

"Well, sometimes you can surprise yourself, I know I have," Takeshi remarked, smiling as he gave a slight shrug, "When things get hairy then sometimes you can do something you never thought possible, I've done it and I've seen it. I know it's not gonna help us any to just expect some miracle to save us, but just think about it, you know? Maybe you're even stronger than you give yourself credit for." Hell, considering the guy could absorb energy he was probably stronger than anyone here, given enough time. If he could get enough from the King too then he could be the strongest on the planet, which would be a very nice change of pace. "Yeah, well... It's normal in a lot of the universe, thanks to my dad. Either way you and Shu have that in common, that's why I asked you. It's cool if you don't think you can do anything though, I don't blame you. I'm at a loss is all, really sucks." Seeing it as another battle may have worked for T'charrl, but she wasn't at all seeing it that way. Takeshi didn't know what had to be done for his brother to feel better, it would take quite a lot of work though to see him right again.

The sights of the city were anything but welcoming, and the scene they came into was very confusing. There were no active battles to speak of, no sounds of fighting and nothing to indicate anything was happening right now. Coupled with the fact that the majority of the city seemed unharmed and no one quite knew what to think of it, used to seeing mass destruction whenever the Saiyans were present. Opting to ask his former squadmates for their input Takeshi frowned at what they had to offer, looking around curiously for any signs of a potential trap. It did sound like that might be the case, but if they were the stronger fighters why bother springing an ambush? It didn't make much sense, so there had to be some other explanation. "It's very weird... I don't think our father has ever led a mission like this..." the Prince mumbled, frowning as he slowly approached the end of an alleyway. Pausing briefly at the opening he took a deep breath, easing his head out and glancing around for any signs of activity, finding none. Baffled he eased back into the alley, letting out a lengthy sigh and rubbing at his head. "Man... This makes no sense... Where is everyone? Why's there not explosions, I'd figure they'd be leveling the place by now."

"Maybe the people living here are hiding? They must have known what was going on, maybe they sent the distress call then ran off?" Yumi offered, frowning as she looked around at the rooftops nearby. If that were the case however then she ought to be able to detect something, be it smell or some sounds. Aside from the crisp, crackling of flames and the occasional gust of wind however there was no sound, and there wasn't anything remarkable in the way of scents. Like the others she couldn't think of any reason the enemy would be going about this in a roundabout way; the last time they fought Krom he had been anything but discreet, and given his pension for destruction she didn't see the King being very sneaky either. It was possible she supposed that the Saiyans had already moved on, yet if that were the case then they'd probably be picking up hints of battles elsewhere.

Kin of the 72nd Expansion Battalion - Shingeki no Kyojin

Alois Heidrich

STATUS: Living
Name: Alois Heidrich
Age: 15
Gender: Male

Appearance:


History: Living in a Titan infested world can make things really suck. The lifespan of any one person depends solely on the strength of the walls that surround them. Despite being a manmade feat those structures are not impenetrable, Titans do get through. It is rare, but breaches have happened, and each time it has humanity has had to either drive back the menace or be pushed further back inside. Luckily for those in the Karanese district there hasn’t been such an event for some time. It is relatively quiet on the Eastern front and as such those within the walls can live peaceful lives. Some places aren’t quite as lucky, but thus far Karanese has been spared.

One would suppose then being allowed to live a safe life would lead to contentment. Yet for Alois, it has been anything but. He has known peace all of his life despite other districts facing the Titans, and has been brought up by a loving, caring family. Neither particularly rich nor poor, they have lived a comfortable life, they always have. He has two loving parents and a younger sister, as well as an older brother, all of whom care for one another. It would be a picturesque setting for anyone in this hellacious world humans are made to live in, but not for Alois. He has never been able to enjoy the peace as others do, or relax quite enough. He’s always been a little… Off.

Even as a young boy Alois showed unusual signs of aggression. And not necessarily outright violent aggression. He has always seemed to enjoy tension and violence, or rather, it excites him. Hard to say, but as a result this peace of theirs has little appeal to him. He simply does not feel he fits in with the current status quo. It was inevitable then that, once he had come of age he would join the military. It didn’t matter what branch, or where he ended up. He needed to be doing something with himself. Something exciting, something dangerous.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"You won't be taken Shu, no one will. Before there was only a few of us, but there's a bigger group this time around. We all know how to fight and have only gotten stronger since last time, things will be different, I promise." Yumi wasn't confident that they could win, but she was certain no one was being taken away again. They would all fight until they couldn't move another inch before they let that happen, especially if that someone was Shu; Takeshi would likely kill someone if Shu was taken away, and she would if he didn't. Sure, Krom and Yamate had raw strength on their side here no doubt, but often times in fight it was more than raw strength that determined a battle. The men may get cocky because they were stronger, make a mistake and end up losing for it, there was no way of knowing how the battle may turn out. "Maybe... If you want to be stronger then think about everyone you're fighting for?" Yumi suggested after a moment, looking back at Shu with a gentle smile, "You say you want to help protect everyone, so do that. Let the fact you want to be able to keep us safe be your strength and you'll find a way to fight. It's like I said Shu, just don't forget that you have us there with you, even if you do end up fighting alone at some point. Draw strength from knowing that we're all here to support you if you need it, just like how you'll support us if we need it."

"Hey, if I'm going out then I'm at least doing my part, that's all I'm saying. Believe me, I'd rather I didn't either, but if we gotta then we should do something worthwhile while doing it," Kabocha said grimly, giving a faint smile as he looked ahead. If they were killed then it would suck sure, yet it also meant everyone else was left to contend with smaller numbers. Maybe he was out for his own interests most of the time, but being faced with the potential of losing someone now he found himself conflicted; did he serve his own interests or stick out his neck for someone else? Back when it had just been him in the squad he hadn't much cared, nor had they ever really needed to save one another. Given who their opponent was this time around though it would be inevitable that someone would need saving, lest the worst happen. "If distracting him doesn't work... Then we make him expend as much energy as possible," Kabocha spoke, "We may not be able to beat him, but if we can wear him down enough, make him use a ton of Ki then he'll lose, if not to us then to the Princes, or T'charrl, somebody. If our part is just to make the fight easier then I'm cool with that, whatever it takes to win." They may come out broken and bloodied for it, but if it meant no more war and no more worrying about impending attacks then he was fine with some broken bones.

Takeshi felt nervous, sure, but he knew freaking out wasn't going to solve anything. For one of the few times in his life he was trying to keep a level head about things, thinking it through as best he could. There had to be a way to beat Krom and his father, everyone had a weakness. It could well take some time in the battle to find that weakness, but sooner or later they'd figure it out and those two would be done for. "You killed that thing on Namek, and a ton of the little ones, so there's that. Plus I've known you for a while, I've felt your energy and seen you fight. I'm not as dumb as people think, you know, I pay attention more than you think. I can tell you're strong T'charrl, just like I can tell Shu is strong, you two just need to be more confident." Though he'd rather just as soon not discuss it, Shu inevitably worked his way into their conversation. Maybe it was desperation on Takeshi's part to get him help, or just grasping at straws and looking for some inspiration; whatever the reason for his asking was, the Saiyan hoped to get some kind of support here. "Talk to him maybe? I don't know, to be honest. But... You've been trough a lot too, haven't you? You were imprisoned and everything, so you're the same. I figure you'd be the best person to talk to him. That or Viral, but that guy's got his own plate full right now."

In no short order they had finally begun to close in on the city, and now they were able to get a better appreciation of just what had happened here. Though the majority of the place still remained standing there were notable signs of battle, from crumbling buildings to the roads being blown apart and burns along the plants. Here and there the bodies of soldiers could be seen as well, some beaten into a pulp and others singed by Ki blasts, none of them likely quick or painless deaths. It made Takeshi's blood boil at the sight of all of it, having the disturbing idea that his father and Krom got some sort of sick satisfaction out of doing this. These people couldn't be all that strong, not if they were getting wiped out by the dozens, so why attack them? What was with this planet? As the group approached the city limits they all descended, keeping off the roads and along the growth. It was uncomfortably quiet at the moment, no sounds of battle or anything to speak of. As off-putting as the corpses they had seen were too there was remarkably low casualties for the fighting, only further confusing Takeshi.

"I don't get it... Something feels off here..." the Prince mumbled, frowning as he looked around at the buildings surrounding them, "It's like they were just passing through... But this is where the beacon had come from, you'd think more of it would be destroyed." It was weird, even when he was in the military they tended to ruin places whenever someone caused problems, that just seemed to be how things were done. With people like his father and Krom too one would expect massive levels of destruction, but it looked more like small skirmishes here and there. Scratching at his head in thought, Takeshi turned to Kai and Choi for answers, figuring they were fairly well trained and, compared to Kabocha anyways, far more pleasant to talk to. "What do you guys think...? Doesn't look like they were here to burn the place down, which they would if they were trying to silence that signal. So what gives, what're they up to?"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Well if you want me to go before you, Ethan and Amune could run into Cecil :3