Polaris North

Eɴᴛᴇʀ — Into an Isekai World

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Forest - ???

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Forget about this ordeal - now there was something Hiroko also wanted to do once she got back home. Certainly, it was an experience that you would want to tell your friends and family eventually, but she would also like to erase this from her mind. It was much too odd and much too freaky to really happily recount to anyone. When they had encountered a road, Hiroko had breathed a sigh of relief. Even though it didn't look like it had been maintained, surely it meant that it lead somewhere. Aside from the temple, it had to branch off to a town close to them and they would finally be able to find some form of civilization, get a signal and call for help.

Noticing the statues as well, she squinted at them. Hiroko wasn't the best at memorizing the various deities her culture had, but she was pretty sure that these two were not statues of them. They looked unfamiliar - absolutely foreign. The words inscribed seemed to be of another language and she would have looked away had it not been for the fact that she understood them a second later. She blinked once. Then twice. And then looked at it with confusion. Hiroko was certain she had not studied whatever language that was. The most she knew was English and Japanese and she was pretty sure that it was neither.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a loud sound - what seemed to be thunder - followed by a very strong breeze that was enough to lift her coat a bit as she shoved her hands inside the pockets to keep it down. With Honami's comment, Hiroko had looekd up to see what she saw - clear skies. "Well, hopefully the temple is still intact so we can spend some time there should it rain." She said with a resolute nod before moving forward again and keeping her eyes out for anything that moved. For all she knew, an animal could be stalking them right now and thought of them as easy prey.

Avatar: Out of the Ashes 🔥

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Hiroyuki Duma

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Hiroyuki turned and fired aimless shots at the guards - sure that none of them will hit. Nevertheless, he ran with the group in the direction Ryuu had directed them to where this supposed village was. Their pursuers were relentless, still, as they blasted shot after shot towards them. He hissed when he felt the familiar sensation of fire making contact with his skin - leaving another burn to worry about. He had staggered both in pain and in surprise.

The next thing he knew, Rila had ordered them to bend and then the forest was up in flames. Shocked, tired and unfocused, Hiroyuki attempted to bend water around them only to miserably fail in controlling anything. He had shaken his head and said to the others, "Sorry. I need some time..." He needed to get his bearings again. This wasn't his first time having to work under pressure, but he supposed he couldn't just suddenly force himself into the thick of battle after months of being idle and expect that he can fight as perfectly as he did before. He hoped the other waterbender faired better than his poor attempt at his trade.

Avatar: Out of the Ashes 🔥

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Hiroyuki Duma

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The waterbender hummed to himself as everyone got sorted out. They seemed to be able to handle themselves alright - with the exception of Hikaru who was quickly helped by the non-bender. One of them managed to make a crutch for herself and his fellow waterbender, though with an injured arm, looked like she could continue on while walking. He doubted she would be able to protect herself with waterbending with the condition she was in. It'll only aggravate the would even further if she were to try to fight back. This would prove to be a problem if they get overwhelmed but they'll burn that bridge when they get there.

So their next destination would be a village, but where? Hiroyuki had no idea where they were but he supposed running around would eventually lead them to one. Deciding on which direction to take would have to be saved for later as guards started to descend the wall in pursuit of them - lobbing fireball after fireball at them. For the most part, it didn't hit them. One had managed to connect with the right side of his body but it wasn't any more painful than normal - and Hiroyuki knew fully well how that felt. Following Rila's example - though poorly executing it - he had collected water and sent ice shards out to the guards. It had connected with one but most of it missed. Can't have it all. He then turned and followed the others into the woods where they can hopefully lose their pursuers.

Avatar: Out of the Ashes 🔥

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Hiroyuki Duma

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He wasn't sure that jumping off the wall was the best idea they'd ever make in their lives but he sure as hell wouldn't complain right now. It was either that or be thrown back into the cages and he wasn't too keen on the latter. As they took their turns jumping down, Hiroyuki waited his turn. It was the firebender first and she got down harmlessly. Then he saw the swordsman make some fancy tricks to get down and he took note of it. Hikaru and his fellow waterbender had been blasted off but Hiroyuki didn't have time to look at how they fared.

When the other firebender had descended using her firebending, he jumped as well - thinking back to the times when he and his friends had jumped off of the North Pole's towers. He tucked himself in and tried to roll it off. Though he didn't stick the landing and ended up on his back, he was relieved to find that he hadn't broken anything in his body. A few muscles were sore, but what can you do right? He grumbled something to himself - as if psyching himself up - and then stood up. "Agreed. We need to get out of here." Hiroyuki agreed to the firebender though still kept his distnace from her. "Any of you need help?" He questioned as he surveyed the others.

Avatar: Out of the Ashes 🔥

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Hiroyuki Duma

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Hiroyuki looked at Hikaru as she landed beside them. She began to say a warning about what she was going to do. It took a moment for him to process what exactly she was talking about and by that point, he had no time to worry about any accidents that might happen while Hikaru blasted them off - because at that moment in time, he was already up in the air and shooting straight for the wall. You have to understand that the shock that settled into him was a little late in coming so the man had no reaction when he landed and fire was dispelled thanks to the remaining air around him and the firebender.

"That was different." He mumbled to himself. He took a moment to reorient himself and convince his body that there was now ground beneath his feet. Of course, it only took a second. He then looked up to the guards who were attacking them - and one of the other waterbenders there had been knocked backwards by them. That was danger number one. Someone else was on the wall and he saw a guard tumble down. Hiroyuki moved and collected as much water as he could. He growled in frustration when it took a while before he could get enough that would actually be useful in offense but he eventually did. As soon as he was able, he sent the water whip towards the guards and sendin three of them down.

The waterbender barely acknowledged the arrival of the other two - a firebender and Hikaru. He spared a glance at them as he raised his water in front of him so that it might fend off some fire blasts. He nodded at them because they all had the same objective - get off the damn wall and get the hell out of here.

Avatar: Out of the Ashes 🔥

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Hiroyuki Duma

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There was little joy to victory in a momentary battle with guards who aren't even focused at him. He was pretty sure that Hikari had been hit as well, but he couldn't do much about it right now. Nevertheless, he weaved through the chaos - occasionally ducking down to avoid blasts of fire and other prisoners who were just throwing fists at everything that moved. Couldn't blame them really. The chaos made it hard to focus even if the main enemy had an entirely different uniform and were blasting fire at each and every one of them.

He watched a waterbender blast herself up the walls - for what reason, he didn't know - and a firebender attempt the same thing only to slam into said wall. He collected more water and lashed out at the guards that were rushing around, knocking them aside and momentarily incapacitating them. Well, it would be a short lived moment but he'd take every second. He jogged towards injured firebender and then extended his hand - intending to help but exchanging no words. They were all prisoners. She may be a member of the Fire Nation, but right now, it was them against the guards.

Avatar: Out of the Ashes 🔥

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Hiroyuki Duma

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Hiroyuki wasn't one to curse often. And even if he did, he never said it out loud. Though with the current happenings, he couldn't help but utter out a single curse. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't do so much more than deflect a few bits of water droplets which means that Hikaru's makeup was washing away due to the rain which in turn means that she can easily be discovered. As luck would have it, because of course it would, a guard bumped into them and saw the arrows as clear as day. Hiroyuki had instinctively pulled away when he saw the fire burn - and the next thing he knew, Hikaru was gone from his side and was now zipping about while trying to avoid fireblasts.

It took him a moment or two as he ducked out of the way to compose himself. The guards were much too focused on his air bender companion and the others certainly weren't helping. They were more interested in watching them take down Hikaru rather than aiding her. Quickly surveying and taking in the battlefield, he could tell that the firebenders greatly outnumbered them if no one else stepped in to fight. But... but the firebenders were also weakened by the rain. Somewhat. There was a moment of indecision before he decided to do something about it. Hoping that what he could pull was enough, he focused on attempting to solidify the collected water droplets into ice before sending it forward to the guards. No matter what the outcome may have been, he quickly ducked and ran to avoid getting hit.

Eɴᴛᴇʀ — Into an Isekai World

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Forest - ???

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It was a good thing that Ebisawa Honami seemed just as eager to get out of this forest as she was. Dropping the cigarette behind her and stomping it out with her heel discretely, hopefully not being caught in the process, she turned her gaze to where Ebisawa was pointing. Indeed, the red torii was completely in contrast with the nature around them - showing signs of civilization. Her mouth twitched into a smile as she nodded. "Sounds like a solid plan to me."

Then the guy finally spoke, Iyasu Kaito. She nodded in his direction to acknowledge that she had heard and understood what he had said. Hiroko reached up to fiddle with the edge of her coat for a moment as she mimicked Iyasu's reaction to their surroundings. Had she known how she got here and that she was fully intending on going here, Hiroko would agree that this was a beautiful place. The kind of place where photographers would go to. Once more, Hiroko merely nodded at him in agreement before turning heel and beginning on walking.

"At least we're not going to be stumbling in the dark." She offered the optimistic thought to the group, looking up to the sky where rays of sunshine were beginning to peek from the horizon. They would have sunlight to guide them in the unfamiliar territory even if they didn't end up finding anyone by the shrine. Hiroko could only think of the consequences of having to travel in the dark - in the woods with three people who barely knew each other.

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

Faye Nisval

Faye hadn't been at ease ever since the start of the day. The Furred One didn't seem to be too keen in what they were about to do. This was broadcasting to everyone that something was wrong - since they'd be using the guards and also because they would be fighting in the streets. There was no more secretive spy work after this since their enemies would know their faces if they haven't apprehended them by then. It was a very risky task. A do or die situation. If they fail... well, there shouldn't be any room for failure. Becuse if they did, not only have they painted a large target on their backs, but they also would deal with higher forms of secrecy and would thus make their job a whole lot harder than it already is.

Before the operation, Faye had been nowhere in sight - having little contact with her companions if any at all. They had devised a plan already and they only needed to enact it at midday. So she went into meditation in the Radiant Cathedral so as to be able to calm herself and make less mistakes. This whole deal has got her on edge and she was starting to think that her mental state wasn't in the right anymore. Nerves getting the best of her means less control over air. And the less control over air she had, the less she was effective in battle.

At midday, she reappeared at the rendezvous point. "Alright, should we just grab Juan and go? I'm sure his escorts will be forced to come out." She said once she and the others have convened. "We could just send one to get Juan so that we can still get a jump on them if you want to go for a more surprise approach." She continued, waiting eagerly for their input.

Avatar: Out of the Ashes 🔥

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Hiroyuki Duma

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Hiroyuki hummed but didn't reply. It was inevitable that she would be able to feel the rain if it does start to pour - and there wouldn't be anything they could do about it. It's not like e can bend the rain to stop even though that would have been quite a wonder to be able to do. But he wasn't the Avatar - hell, he wasn't even sure if the Avatar would be capable of doing that. Thankfully, there wasn't any other issue aside from Hikaru's apparent nervousness. Upon arriving at the courtyard, he had held out his hand as he felt the drops of the water and he pursed his lips - moving his fingers to control the droplets in his hands before dropping it onto the ground. So it is raining.

There was fighting too - over by the Earth Kingdom people. The lot of them were throwing punches at each other and none of the guards were moving to quell the fight. They really don't care about protecting the prisoners. The only thing they had to be worried about was them breaking out or hurting other Fire Nation officials and so they didn't care about the prisoners' wellbeings. If given the chance, Hiroyuki did actually think they would let one of the prisoners die when there's a fight breaking out between them. But Hiroyuki had no business talking with them or stopping them, so he turned - actually intending to go to the other side and "play" with the rain.

He had turned to Hikaru for a moment, about to ask if she was planning on hiding out somewhere, but he had stopped himself when he saw the faded blue lines on her hands. He'd never personally met an Air Bender but he knew well enough what those marks had meant. The girl was an airbender and she was in a Fire Nation jail and now he understood why she had feared the rain in the first place. It was not some childhood trauma - it was a legitimate concern. He could guess that she used makeup to hide her marks as there wasn't any other reason.

He took a deep breath and then raised his hand above them - an attempt to make a sort of barrier between himself and Hikaru to act as a form of umbrella. "Perhaps it would be for the best not to get too close to any of the guards." He whispered to the hiding Air Bender, making sure that no one heard them. He just hoped that he was strong enough and focused enough to be able to keep the water umbrella active so that the makeup wouldn't get removed completely. It would end with disastrous results for his newfound companion and cellmate.