Cage and the Inner Demons As Cage lay there in his bed he began to dream. At first he was standing there in just a black void empty null of all thoughts and reason, until a small bright light pierced the darkness. His curiosity peaked as he began to follow the light flashbacks of all his battles rattled through his thoughts plastered like paintings on the wall. He watched as he saw himself fight against the Kraken, and the girls. A malicious low growl came from behind him. “You should have done better, Pup…” Cage turned on his heel to face the voice, yet when he turned the nothing was there. He turned back around to continue walking to the light. His wolf form stood before him its muzzle mere inches away from his nose. Startled Cage fell backwards, staring straight up at the wolf he could feel his spine tingle as he gazed upon the snarling beast. As he managed to stand the wolf slowly turned and began walking towards the light. As the beast walked in front of him it spoke once more. “What are you so afraid of? Why are you so afraid of unlocking your power?” Cage kept his distance from the gigantic wolf remaining cautious of it. “What do you mean? My power is already at its lim-” The wolf turned and pounced at Cage and transformed in mid-air into a were-wolf and landed on top of Cage pinning him to the ground, placing its murderous fangs beside his ear. “You fool!” It barked. “How could you possibly believe that?! You have power beyond anything you could imagine at this point! You fear tapping it because of what happened the last time you had unleashed it unto the world! To defeat your enemy you need to go beyond what you consider your limits!” Cage was gasping for breath; he began grinding his teeth and growled. “No, that beast shall never be unleashed again; too many lives were lost that night!” It was the were-wolf stood and backed away from Cage, and smiled and let out a chuckling growl as it transformed into the final beast a giant crystal clear ice wolf with azure blue glowing eyes, teeth, and claws. The beast was fast and more powerful than anything Cage had ever witnessed. The beast took one step towards Cage and sent a powerful wave of ice in his direction so fast that Cage couldn’t retreat fast enough, and caused Cage to be frozen in a column of ice. Once trapped the wolf walked towards him with a frozen breath staring Cage directly in the eye it was so powerful that Cage couldn’t break away from the beast’s gaze; it spoke to Cage in a deep dark tone as it walked towards him. “Cage… Cage… Cage… You of all people know you cannot escape the past… You have killed, and killed, and killed and yet you think me to be worse than you?! You are just as much a monster as I-“ “YOU’RE WRONG!!!” The beast began to laugh at Cage’s resistance. “Ah, am I? Or, are you denying the truth that lay right here before your eyes? What of those that you slaughtered on the Flotilla? Sure it was M that preformed the killing but you allowed it to happen. You could have saved them provided you had unleashed me and captured your prey sooner; or if you had never joined the legion at all. Did you ever think of that? No?” The wolf paused and smiled. “Of course you didn’t… Be forewarned Cage Lupum you will need to be stronger in the future and that is when I will be unleashed whether you have control of it or NOT!” The wolf let out an evil howl and charged at Cage mouth open and coming for his throat. Just as the beast was about to close its gigantic jaws down on Cage’s neck with a force that would tear his head from his body, Cage awoke screaming. Hand on his face he was breathing heavy the dream was almost too much for him to bear. It had given him so much to think about, but little time to process it all. “When that day comes will I be ready? Will I be able to control it? Or will I be lost to that monster? Or am I already lost to it?”
Mimi: All In He turned to Mimi. "I know you already have an artefact but finding this one would give you a reason to Solomonn and return to your island so you're part of this decision as well." Mimi dropped down onto a nearby bench and put her head in her hands. Her elfin face disappeared behind a sheet of silky dark hair. She cast a glance at the injured girls and Robin. They were luck to be alive... The screams of Narwhal echoed in her head as she pushed to her feet. Restlessly she tried to shake the noise out of her head. "M and his pet have to be stopped. No more islands need share Narwhal's fate." Mimi said, her dark eyes spitting fire. Then Mimi did something that startled even herself. Gathering up her cascade of dark hair, she tied it back with a bit of black ribbon, something she had never done in her entire life. "Count me in."
Silvers / Joel It had been two days since the attack. The girls were almost at full health, their recovery sped by Silvers healing remedies. Robin was recovering but wouldn't be active for another few days; too long for them to wait. There was an artefact surfacing and they had to reach it before someone else did. Even the weakest of artefacts would give the side that claimed it an advantage. And as things stood the rebels needed it. It was late morning when Silvers woke them all. He did it quietly and patiently, not rushing or telling them to hurry. They gathered in the living room to eat breakfast before setting sail. Silvers had specially cooked all the food, most of it packed with herbs and other things to give them energy or speed the last of their recovery. It was a quiet breakfast, the silence broken only by Joel's return. Joel had never been a quiet person and three injured people did little to keep his voice down. "Right m'hearties ship is stocked, crew is ready and-" He stopped as he noticed he breakfast, "-ooh cake." Joel was sat down and eating before Silvers had had a chance to welcome him to the table. With Joel eating aswell it didn't take long for them to finish. They left the house, giving their thanks to Branstorn who was staying with Robin, and headed to the dock. The ship cast off imediately, taking advantage of the southern winds to speed them along. Silvers sat in the crows nest thinking. While he admired the girls bravery he would hate to see people so young be killed. Then again he had seen younger slaughtered. They also wanted to fight, what right did he have to stop them? Wing and Lu both survived an encounter with M's lacky so he had no doubt they could handle themselves and Mimi was an animagi, a proficient one at that it appeared. Although her artefact was definately geared towards magic more than beastiary. He would have to think of a way for an otter to fight effectively against other beasts. Silvers almost chuckled at the thought of her halfway form. That was another matter aswell, he needed to figure out how to help them get stronger faster. The Legion had far more animagi that could transform into a halfway form. On the flipside their magic left something to be desired. They had that at least. Mabye he should just show her some rituals. Silvers settled down for a snooze as they headed towards a dark patch on the horizon.
Lu and Mimi Luciell lifted her head to the blue sky enjoying the smell of the salty-sea air. She had always enjoyed sea travel. It was one of life's greater pleasures. And M would take the sea all for himself. The bas****. She shook her head, determined not to let the thoughts sour her mood. Lu's wounds had healed far faster than she had expected, thanks to Silver, but even now, 3 days later, she was still having nightmares about having to face that wolf-animagi again. Next time, I'll be sure not to fight him alone. Luciell heard footsteps and turned her head to see the girl, Mimi, walking across the deck. The newest addition to the Rebel forces. Lu waited till she was closer then asked, "So...Mimi, right? Rumor has it you're animagi...that true?" Mimi's dark eyes flashed with sudden ire. "What rumor? Who have you been talking to?" "No one." Luciell said with a coy smile as she looked back over the waves. "But your response just answered my question. You should practice concealing your true emotions better. One day it could save your life. I know it's saved me before." Lu looked back at Mimi. "Don't worry. I won't say anything if you don't want me to. But I have to admit, it's nice to know we have someone like you with us. May come in handy some day." Mimi scowled. "You make me sound like a trained pet...But you survived an encounter with M and his pet, so you can't be all bad." Suddenly her dark eyes flared with a hint of mischief. "Leviathans on the other hand, are a whole different ball of wax. It took me two days to get the entrails out of my hair." Lu grimiced. "Bet that was fun..." She turned around and leaned on the railing. "So what's your story, Mimi? What led you to become a Rebel?" "Long story short, my grandparents. M razed my home island of Narwhal Cove, killing my grandmother. My grandfather died in prison. I hope to return to Narwhal and recover whatever might remain of his work on Artefacts." Lu's eyebrows knitted together sympathetically. "M's specialty is mass destruction. I can't imagine there's much left but I hope you find something. We could use all the artefacts we can get." Mimi's smile was tight, but genuine. "Turn about is fair play. What's your story." Luciell ran a hand through her short black hair. "Don't have much of one. My parents lived and died for the rebel cause. Guess you could say I'm following in their footsteps. Trying to make sure their sacrifices weren't in vain." Lu's eyes narrowed angrly. "M's destroyed thousands of lives, and he has no intention of stopping. I'm going to do everything in my power to stop him." "Sounds like a nice, concise plan." Mimi replied, her eyes thoughtful. "I never actually knew my parents. My mother died when I was born and my father, well...Better not to go down that road." Luciell nodded understandingly. "Some memories are best left buried." Then she smiled. "I hope you get a chance to make some better ones."
Wing Wing stood leaning on the railing. She appeared thoughtful, all her focus concentrated on her surroundings. She concentrated really hard to be able to experience the sea. She could hear the waves crashing softly into the boat. The birds passing by above. Far to her left a seal pulled its head out of the water to breathe, before it dived back under. She loved every minute of it, the sounds and smells of the sea, the wind toying with her hair. This was one of the times she wished her sight back. She didn't really care about the shapes, but what she really longed for was the colors. The blurry memories from before she lost her sight, was packed with colors. She was envious of the people being able to see them. She remembered the times someone had whispered to their friend Isn't the sea beautiful? Look at that color. She always left as quick as possible after something like that. She tried to imagine what color the sea would have. After a few minutes of struggling she gave up. Her head hung low from the failure. She didn't dare ask anyone to describe the colors either. They would just start listing of different names of colors, which would mean nothing to Wing anymore. A sigh escaped her and she went back to focusing on her other senses. A single tear making it's slow way down her face.
Cage Lupum Cage sprung out of bed as he heard a wave of cannons firing. He was out of bed and on deck in a flash. Outside the last of the light was disappearing as the weather worsened. Wind and rain bit at him as he headed down onto the deck. Benn stood in the centre holding what looked like an oversized blunderbuss. As Cage approached as he fired, a large ball of fire sailing towards another ship. "What's going on, where's M?" Cage bellowed over the noise. Benn moved behind the mast to reload his weapon as he shouted back. "We've been forced of course by a couple of pirate ships herding sharatuks. Our boats stuck between and heading for the storm front." "Bloody hell, I'm still not at a hundred percent due to that metal bird. But, beggars cant be choosers I guess. Time to get to work." Cage let loose a cold howl as he jumped down to the waters below freezing it as his feet touched the water. "Captain I will go and see if I can mess up the pirate’s little operation I will need some covering fire if I am going to get in close, you think you can assist?" Cage roared over the sounds of the storms and cannon folly. "Of course" Benn yelled back over the gale. He fired off another shot towards the ship, the enemy pirates moving away in response. Cage drew his blade and was off he used his power to skate along the top of the water as waves rose and attempted to wash over him giving him added momentum towards the fleeing ship. As he drew near the ship trying to herd the sharatuks, the pirates fired a volley of cannon fire directly at Cage. Knowing he couldn't fend off such an attack in his current state he allowed the water to melt beneath him and sunk below the waves hoping the cannon balls would miss him thanks to the water defection. It worked the cannon fire had missed him wide; once the tactic had worked he had hoped the pirates believed they killed him with the volley. Which would be exactly what he needed to sneak aboard and destroy the crew, whether in wolf form or not he hadn’t decided, he just hoped that there wasn’t an animagi aboard or he wouldn’t have a choice. As he was figuring out the plan he just nearly dodged a sharatuks swimming away from the ship which was now in perfect position above Cage to launch out of the water and land on board the ship and reek havoc and there was water on board the ship to turn to ice as he saw fit Cage was in his element here. "Finally it begins!" Cage roared as he launched himself out of the water and landed on board the ship with a thunderous thud. Pirates aboard the ship turned as they heard the thud. Cage found himself in the sight of several bows as another pirate charged him. The pirate razed a jagged cutlass and swung for his head. Cage let out a murderous howl as their blades met. As the black sword met the wet rusty cutlass Cage froze the pirate's blade to his own and then tossed it over board in one gracefully deadly motion. Cage then froze the water on the deck sending men slipping and sliding everywhere. Cage almost laughed at the sight of the men scrambling to find their bearings on a frozen ship deck. He let out a heinous growl as he charged towards the men with the bows, "Its time I make short work of you.... This will teach you for praying upon the sea!" Even with one arm out of commission Cage was more than a match for these men and by now they surely knew it. The pirates loosed their bows, arrows flying towards Cage. Most were off target blown by the wind, but one or two made it towards him. One slightly ahead of the others struck his leg. Cage yelped in pain as the arrow lodged into his leg. He reached down and snapped the arrow off as close to his leg as possible. Cage began to slip into a rage and began attacking everything in sight. He was in the process of dismembering the remaining sailors with glowing azure eyes that could pierce the darkest night and the thickest fog, when he heard Benn's voice shouting over the wind. "Get the sharatuk, force it to dive!" This was enough to snap Cage out of his enraged state just enough to stay his blade on one of the pirates who was now scrambling for his life away from Cage. His eyes still glowing the bright azure blue he kept those monstrous eyes locked on to the remaining crew. Their numbers had been greatly reduced but there was still enough to man the ship and have it turn tail if Benn allowed it. As Cage sheathed his black blade he snapped his head back into the direction of the water to the sharatuks. "Now, how to manage you?" Cage cracked a wolfish smile as he chuckled. "Hmmm.... I wonder it would almost be suicide but it could work...." Cage walked over to one of the dismembered bodies and picked up a severed torso of a deceased pirate and jumped overboard with it he landed directly on top of a sharatuk. Cage drew his blade once more and pierced the torso and placed it directly in front of the beast's face. Hopefully the promise of food will lead you back to the depths... Wait don't tell me... "Sh-..." Cage had landed on top of the leader of the pod. Though the torso was apparently enough to make the sharatuk dive Cage took a deep breath and prayed the pressure of the dive wouldn't kill him. The beast dove and dove quicker than he had originally expected. He managed to pry his sword out of the bloody torso before the animal went to far down. He sheathed his blade underwater and turned to swim back towards the surface. His eyes widened when he saw the entire pod swimming directly at him following the leader. Thanks to some skillful swimming and shear luck Cage dodged all of the sharatuks without becoming their next meal. When he reached the surface he found the storm had settled a bit but it wasn't quite gone, he froze the water and skated back to his ship to give his report to Benn.
Joel / Silvers The ship was sat next to a what looked like a giant rocky island. Its top was a few metres above the side of the ship, just level with the cabin, and barren. Silvers doubted anything grew on top of it, and clearly no one lived above it. He stood scratching his head as Joel check the map again and again turning it upside down and sideways. "You're sure this is the place?" Joel said. "Do you see anything else that could be the place?" Silvers said. He had a point, the only thing around them for miles was open sea, and in one direction the storm front. The snake was clearly marked away from the storm front so it had to be the rock they were at. Silvers leant on the rail still thinking. There was nothing else here, just one large weed covered rock. Wait, weeds. They couldn't grow on rock alone. "Mimi." Silvers called. "Yes?" "I need you to transform and swim round the island underwater, I think the entrance is below the waterline." With a nod Mimi was gone. All that could be seen streaking away from the ship was the sleak form of an otter. They waited aboard as she cirlcled the island occaisonally stopping to examine areas more closely. She resurfaced a few minutes later. "I found the entrance. It's towards the back of the ship and about 5 ft down." They didn't waste any time heading to the back of the ship. Giving anything they didn't absolutely need to Joel they jumped in and followed Mimi into the cave. The inside was dark and filled with plant life. There was a small scraping noise as Silvers started a fire with an odd metal device. "Now let's find that artefact."
Luciell Lu wrung as much as excess water as she could out of her clothes. With her black hair being so short, it wouldn't take long for it dry. She watched Silver's create a fire with a device she'd never seen before. It was interesting for sure. "Now let's find that artefact." Silvers said. "Right behind you." Lu replied with a smile. It was good to be doing something again. The worst thing for a rebel like her was sitting around and doing nothing. "Any idea what it looks like or where it might be located?"
Cage Lupum Cage was weaker than he expected when he reached the ship. The arrow nicked the femoral artery in his leg and was he was slowly losing more and more blood by the minute. The arrow was the only thing keeping the blood in he could easily freeze the wound but it would cause more problems than what he started with. As he began to climb the ship’s haul to the safety of the deck, all of the light disappeared from his eyes and he fell below to the still rolling and crashing waves. As Cage sank into the waters below the ship something he was still conscious enough to vaguely see what was happening around him. His blood still leaking into the waters surrounding him, he could see the outlines of the ship and sea life swimming above him. As he sank further the trinket on his belt began shining a bright almost blinding blue, now the animals swimming above him had vanished and now was replaced by a larger figure. Cage could feel himself fading into the black of unconsciousness right before everything went completely dark Cage’s heart sank when he realized what the large figure was lead sharatuk that he had led back into the depths. This is it… This is… How I die… The sharatuk began swimming towards Cage clearly smelling his blood in the water. Cage closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness. The beast that was known for brutality and killing kraken dove below Cage and swam up behind him nudging him back to the surface of the water so he could breathe. The beast raised Cage up to the deck of the ship and rolled him aboard back to safety. The crew was awestruck at the spectacle before them and Cage wouldn’t find out about it until he awoke in the doctor’s care roughly three hours later…
Wing and Lu Wing came out of the water and listened. She could hear the sound of water dripping on stone, the whispering sound of some tiny creature moving. Every sound was amplified because of the many caves and tunnels. By listening she managed to make a general picture of the many turns and twists. "Wow, big place." She walked over to stand beside Lu. She tried to wring water out of her hair but knew it would take long to dry. "One can say many things about that hair of yours, but it sure got the advantage of quick drying." She smiled. She hadn't been focused on her trip underwater and it had turned out to be really disorientating. She hoped talking would calm her down. When she felt the need to talk, Lu was the first to come to mind. Luciell smiled. "Yup. Why do you think I had it cut this short? It's much easier to take care up than that load you've got on your head." They walked for a moment in silence before Lu asked, "Hey Wing. Earlier on the ship, I couldn't help but notice that you seemed really down. Do you...uh, want to talk about it?" Wing hung her head. "It's nothing really. Just couldn't help wondering about how colors look like." A faint smile showed on her lips. "Try to imagine how things would appear without color." Luciell frowned in sympathy. "I never thought about how hard being blind must be for you. You handle it so well, sometimes I forget you can't see anything." She thought for a moment. "What if I could describe colors to you in the form of flavors? I remember my mom doing that for a blind woman we knew when I was younger. She'd say that the sunset was like the the smell and taste of fresh oranges, and that the sea on a calm day was like a salted apple." She shrugged. "Though I'm sure there is a better way to describe the sea than that." Lu studied Wing's face to see her expression. Wing smiled as she tried to imagine the colors as Lu said. "Nobody's put it that way before." She imagined the heat of the sunset, along with the oranges. "What about the forest? Can you describe the color of that?" Her face beamed, all wet clothes and bad thoughts forgotten. Lu thought for several seconds. "Like deer meat, with a healthy dose of salad." And so, as the two friends walked Lu described many items to Wing in terms of flavor and texture resulting in many laughs from the both of them. The seriousness of their hunt for the artifact dimmed in the fun of their conversation.
Cage Lupum “Ughh...” Cage opened his eyes to a blinding light and instantly covered his eyes. “What the hell?! Is someone trying to blind me?!”With a weak grunt he tried to sit up he heard a gruff voice. “Lay back down boy… You’re lucky to be alive much less moving around… That was quite a spectacle you pulled out there, Sir Lupum.” The man sat down beside Cage and took his pulse; the man was on the older side with stormy gray eyes. He was short and stocky; he also had a rough beard with balding gray hair on his head. “Wait what happened last thing I remember is falling to the water and a sharatuk coming to kill me.” The old man began chuckling. “Well apparently you weren’t on the menu, that sharatuk saved your life, I have never seen so many jaws drop when the beast rose out of the water and rolled you on to the ship. I am pretty sure most of the men believed they were dead when the beast came out of that water. I have never seen an animagi that can control animals like y-“ “But I can’t I am only in control of ice, I don’t understand why it saved me though…” “Ah I see, maybe it was just returning the favor considering you saved it from those pirates and all. But for whatever reason the beast is now circling the ship has been for at least two days now; possibly waiting for you to make an appearance before it returns to its pod.” “TWO DAYS?” Cage let a wolfish smile dance across his lips as his sat up once more and hopped of the examination table. “Well then maybe I need to get up there before the crew decides to make a dumb decision and attack something that could possibly kill us all…” “Aye, that maybe a good idea indeed allow me to escort you.” “Thank you, eh, what is your name by the way?” The old man let loose a hardy laugh and said, “If you couldn’t tell I am the ship’s doctor, you can just call me Doc, master Lupum.” Cage nodded his head and allowed Doc to aid him up to the top deck of the ship. Now the question is where is and what is M doing? Hopefully he will be up on deck… Cage never thought he would think those thoughts but he did. Cage needed to know what happened and why.
Luciel could feel the tunnel sloping downwards as they continued on. More branches appeared as they went deeper. It was like something had burrowed through the rock, it's tunnels crossing. The fact the walls were smooth only made her fears worse. But they walked on, Silvers leading the way with his torch. The sound of hissing reached her ears, sending a cold shiver down her spine. But that wasn't the only thing strange in here. There was no moss to be found or even spider webs. What tunnel didn't have spiderwebs? The air grew colder as the tunnel leveled out. After a few more minutes of walking it opened into a large cavern. It stretched out into the darkness, the other side would have been hidden from view if not for a glowing crystal hanging in the ceiling. Below it, in the centre of a murky pool of water was a rocky plinth. They could see something sitting on top of it but not what it was. "What is that?" Luciel asked, to no one in particular. Silvers started to respond as the water stirred. A shadow could be seen beneath the surface, growing as something rose. They group could barely move as a large serpentine face drew up out of the water. It hung above them tongue flickering as it hissed. "A spirit." Silvers breathed. The snake coiled for a moment before lunging. "Move!" Silvers said diving out the way. The snake hit rock hissing loudly in anger. It drew back turning its sights on the girls and lunging again. As Luciel jumped out of the way she drew her guns sending 3 shots in quick succession at it's eyes.
Mimi: A Mongoose Relation "Move!" Silvers said diving out the way. The snake hit rock hissing loudly in anger. It drew back turning its sights on the girls and lunging again. Mimi, who had remained in otter form since the return swim, pressed close to the water's edge, her black coat making her nearly invisible in the darkness. The snake surged bouncing off a rock, before coming back around. Luciel's pistol exploded like a cannon shot, her aim, the snake's head. Mimi hit the water with the merest whisper of sound and plunged beneath the surface. She was swimming blind, her whiskers primed to even the smallest disturbance. She reached the base of the plinth in a single breath, resurfacing near the start of a warped trail. Quickly she skittered out of the water and bound up the path. Reaching the summit, she ran to the edge and looked down. The snake was still after Silvers and the others. Screwing her courage to the sticking point, Mimi back up to the opposite side of the stony outcrop and went into a charge. Paws and claws ground out a muted cadence as she built up speed before cast herself into the air. Rolling and twining like the diver she was, she landed on the snake's back with a meaty thud. The force was enough to knock the beast flat, buying Mimi enough time to find her target. The soft spot between the serpent's skull and the base of its spine. Her teeth sank in with a satisfying crunch and she yanked back with all her might. Four paws hit the ground and the snake rolled, going belly up. Back and forth the beast writhed, tossing its head high in a desperate attempt to shake the otter free, but Mimi held on with dogged determination.
Cage the warning M stood at the rail as Cage approached. He was watching the sharatuk circle the boat. If it didn't leave them soon it would be sharatuk chowder for dinner, they tasted delicious after all. M turned as Cage approched. "Sleeping beauties awake I see. You need to dismiss your friend down there, he's hindering us." He said pointing. Cage nodded, "Lucky to be alive honestly, for some reason that sharatuk saved me and I have no idea why..." Cage leaned over the railing and motioned to the sharatuk to move off surprisingly it did. Cage grinned for a brief second and then recomposed himself."Ha, guess Doc was right that sharatuk did connect to me for some reason." Cage stood once more and looked at M and the rest of the crew with cold eyes. "Its gone, we should hurry to our next location." "With that thing gone we can hurry to Browndocks. We need supplies and I'm guessing some of you want a break?" M said raising and eyebrow. The crew didn't respond imediately mostly out of tiredness. "If you don't want a break that's fine, we can head back to the iron city and get you lot redeployed." He said. The crew start mock complaining. "I thought so." He said pointing off to the starboard side. "To Browndocks!" "Doc, if you could please bring my belongings to my quarters. I would like to rest these wounds I have." "Aye, but of course Master Lupum everything shall be back there within the hour, WILLIAMS!" Williams came running."Aye, Doc what ya need?" "Have Master Lupum's items returned from the sick bay and be quick about it! I don't want my patients getting out of there beds until fully healed," Doc shot Cage a glare and poked him in the chest. "And you Master Lupum get to your quarters and stay there until I come for you." Cage smiled at Doc and Williams and nodded in compliance and began to walk away. He took a few steps and then spoke over his shoulder to M in a foreboding tone. "We need to be ready something is happening I can sense it in the waters." With that Cage turned and went below deck to his quarters to rest off the many wounds he had received in his previous battles.
The spirit shook Mimi off sending her into a wall. It let out a hiss like laugh as roots formed over the cut. Locking eyes with Mimi it spoke words only her otter could hear. "Sssilly otter. We fought in the lassst age and you losssst then. What makesss you think you can win here?" It sprang forwards it's venomous tooth catching Mimi's leg as she rolled. The snake didn't stop, it flew out of the water as it burrowed into the rock and disappeared. The group froze listening for any sign of the spirit. There was a rumble as it burst from behind Wing knocking her into the pool of water. Wing tried to swim towards the surface but found her way blocked by the snake. Her primal senses took over and she punched the snake right on it's nose. It didn't do much damage but it bought her time to reach the shimmering surface to breathe. Waves from beneath showed her the snake, as it came swimming towards her. She was desperate for any advantage. Her ears told told her the position of Lu and Mimi. She was about to ask for help when the snake reached her. She was knocked into the rocky middle of the pool. A warm feeling from her temple told her where she was hurt, for she couldn't feel pain in the rush of the moment. The snake was coming for her again, determined to end her. "Mimi, Lu, please help me distract it while I figure out a way to end it." Luciel was there seconds before Wing's cry for help. She sent 3 shots in quick succession into the creature's eyes. The snake roared back in pain, and smashed around angrily. Lu took that moment to grab Wing by her collar and pull her out of the way. Her friend was bleeding from a cut on her forehead but she didn't seem to notice. The snake recovered and charge at them again, using it's forked tongue to sniff out where they were. Lu waited for the snake spirit to open it's mouth then she sent a few shots down it's throat. That was bound to do some damage.
Silver / Wing Wing stumbled backwards as Lu fired bumping into a rocky plinth. As the snake coughed from Luciel's shots she felt on top of it. There was a something could and cylindrical sat in the centre. She picked it up turning it round in her hands realising it was hollow. It must be the artefact Wing thought, some kind of bracelet no doubt. Behind her the snake struck Luciel sending her back into the water. It dived into her pushing down into the bottomless pool. Luciel writhed as it swam, pulling a dagger and stabbing it repeatedly. The attack seemed to work. The snake turned away from Luciel and made for the surface, Luciel hitched a ride on its tail. The snake broke the surface and hissed about searching for the others. If a snake could look angry this was it. It's lips were pulled back into an angry grin exposing its fangs. It spoke again, this time all of them could hear it. "Why doo you disssturb me here? I will kiiiill you and feassst on your remainsss." It turned towards Mimi and dived. Silvers was infront of her in the blink of an eye. He raised his fist and caught it squarely in nose the snake flailing backwards. Angered the snake turned towards Wing. It coiled and made to strike, Wing oblivious to the attack. "Put the bracelet on!" Silvers shouted. Wing did as told and raised it like a shield. The snake collided with an invisible barrier and seemed to vanish into the bracelet with a flash of green light. Wing sat down exhausted as Luciel pulled herself onto the rocky island. She could feel something happening inside her. As she sat resting her sense seemed to magnify. She took a sniff tasting everything around her. Blinking her sight started to change. She could see different shades of grey all around her, and where Luciel sat a yellow shape. "Wow," She breathed. "I can see. Well, sort of." M M stepped off the steps of the ship. It was midday and Browndocks was a hive of activity. At least 2 ships came or left every hour each with a different cargo sell or thing to buy. Browndocks was the largest floatilla know and it was a good thing too. If it wasn't for his size M would have had a job parting the crowd. He strode along with Cage and Benn in tow. "So what are we here for?" Cage asked. "Last time we stopped here Benn gave special prototype designs for a new cannon to a smith here to build." M said. "But why not use the Legion smiths?" "This one had devised a technique for makeing stronger metal, he agreed to test it on the cannon." The smiths was located at the edge of the floatilla, along the east side on the bottom level. M knocked as he entered forced to duck for the low door way. A muscular but short man stood working a forge. He looked up as they entered. "Ah you've returned for your cannon. Follow me to the back." Inside the room was a large object covered in a cloth. The smith pulled it off to reveal a large cannon. It took Cage a minute to work out what was different about it. "The triple barrel." Benn said running a hand along it. "Fires three times as fast." M handed the smith a sack of coins. "Half as we agreed. You'll get the other when I know it works." The smith nodded in agreement. "Do you need help transporting it to the ship?" M shook his head in response and lifted the cannon on to his shoulder. "It won't be a problem," He said ducking through the doorway. "It's a lot lighter than a normal cannon aswell." They made their way back towards the ship, people taking extra effort to avoid the man carrying a cannon. M stopped just short of the dock by a set of tables and placed the cannon down. He and Benn took their seats waiting for Cage who copied after a moments pause. "I don't intend to leave without something to eat and this place does the best ham of anywhere." They gave their orders when the waitress came then waited eagerly for their food. It was worth the wait. She returned with large steaming plates of meat, placing them down infront of the hungry sailors. M didn't speak again until he was half way through his meal. "So Cage, where do you think we should go next?"
Luciell "Wow," Wing breathed. "I can see. Well, sort of." "What?" Luciell asked in between breaths. She began wringing the water out her clothes and short hair. "What do you mean...you can see? Did the artifact heal your eyes?"
Cage Lupum Cage swallowed down the piece of meat he had just stuffed in his mouth the ham was so tender and succulent that his mouth began to water as the soon as the plate was placed in front of him. The piece of pork was glazed with a brown sugar sauce that counteracted the smokiness of the ham perfectly. He could easily stay here and eat this restaurant out of their entire supply of meat for the day, especially after his last little encounter. "So Cage, where do you think we should go next?" Considering carefully how to respond to what seemed like a loaded question, Cage took one more bite of his ham before saying, “Well, if it could be possible, M, my father’s burial site isn’t but a day’s travel by ship and the six year anniversary of his death will be two days from now. If possible sir I would like to stop by his grave and pay my respects.” Cage then bowed his head and anxiously awaited M’s response. “If it helps, it is also a on a flotilla were we can get more information about rebel activity there being it tends to a neutral flotilla for the most part.”
M “Well, if it could be possible, M, my father’s burial site isn’t but a day’s travel by ship and the six year anniversary of his death will be two days from now. If possible sir I would like to stop by his grave and pay my respects.” Cage bowed his head as he waited for a response. “If it helps, it is also a on a flotilla were we can get more information about rebel activity there being it tends to a neutral flotilla for the most part.” "That seems like a good idea. It's a full moon soon aswell and I need to be in open water so that should be just the right time." He finished his ham putting a few coins on the table and picking up the cannon. "Although, whether the floatilla is truely neutral remains to be seen." M started walking as Benn and Cage hurried after him. They reached the ship M walking past the other ships and up to the prow. It was an unusual place for a cannon but Benn's ship had a special spot. With a forward facing cannon that could fire as fast as this escape would be impossible for enemy ships. M left the crew to cover and fix it in place and headed to the tiller. "Cage, set our course."
Cage Lupum "Cage, set our course." Cage grinned with excitement he hadn’t been to the place he used to call home in five years it was time he went back and truly wished his father farewell. They also needed to dig up more information about the rebels that had previously escaped them. Luckily Cage still had a few contacts near home that he could hopefully rely on if not then he was sure M would make a good enough impression to loosen some tongues. “Head southeast, we should see the flotilla in about 3days travel.”
Wing "What?" Luciell asked in between breaths. She began wringing the water out her clothes and short hair. "What do you mean...you can see? Did the artifact heal your eyes?" "No. I....I think I got the snake's ability to see by scent. I can see shades of gray." Wing smiled. "I guess this makes me able to see flying things as well."
In a dark dank prison cell somewhere in Iron City for four years Marshall Mackenzie had spent his life in a labor camp, condemned by his actions and faced the consequences. Hunched over, cold shaven head and sick as a dog, he threw up last night’s meal. He was a nervous wreck and he had good reason; today he was going to break out of this Hell. A couple of months ago a stranger requested permission for visiting hours. They talked about many things. He hadn't had any news when his prison sentence was over, so Marshall begged the stranger to help him escape this hell hole by pulling some strings. The stranger agreed and today was the day he would be free. Sitting up and wiping his freckled pale face and stared in the small hand held mirror. His cheek bones were sticking out from weight loss, small red bristles covered his head, and grown beard covered his face. Staring into his own deep forest green eyes he recalled the night that changed his life. ' He entered his house late one evening after working in the factories all day. It had been raining and he was drenched from head to toe, but his two little brothers didn't care as they both ran and jumped in their big brother's arms with smiles on their faces. So cold, and skinny they felt as he returned the loving hug. There were pots and pans everywhere in the house to catch the leaky water spots. Every week was worse. Hardly any money coming in to feed the family. Mother was in the kitchen cutting stale bread and cheese for dinner. Marshall took off his thin coat and sweater revealing a tattered t-shirt underneath. Yes, times were hard, but they had each other. After mother had gotten the boys to sit down at the table they said grace and began to eat. Just as Marshall took a bite there was a loud banging on the door. He gave his mother a look as if to say 'stay here, I'll handle father'. The boys flinched from the noise, but kept eating and scooted their chairs farther from the entrance door and closer to their mother. "Boy, opn' u' is you' fahe'!" his father said in an angry voice continuing to bang on the door. Father didn't have a key to the house, but if the door wasn't opened he would knock it down and there would be no replacing it. Marshall opened the door and his burly father came stumbling in and smelled like booze. Again, the third day this week, his father had been out wasting the little money the family had on alcohol. "Dad, why don't I draw a bath for you so you can sober up." Marshall desperately attempted to lead his father away from the kitchen and took hold of his father's arm leading him to the bathroom. "Le' go of m'. I han' eatn' dinne'," his father responded by hitting Marshall in the face and throwing him back against the wall. Marshall wiped his bloody nose and watched, with blurred vision, as his father walked through the kitchen door. There was no stopping his father's rampage now. His mother's scream escaped the kitchen while plates crashed to the ground. Marshall's eyes grew wide in terror as he rushed in the kitchen. Father had a shard of glass in his hand and was steaming with rage, "Wha' iz ths'? Bred and chez agan'! Woma wha ar you thinki!? We'l all di eatn thi evry nigh'!" The father slapped the woman out of her chair. "Itz all becaus' of thss kidddz!" Marshall already saw what was coming and grabbed ahold of his father from the back to prevent him from kicking the boys. His father elbowed him in the face, "You' wan' a beatn?" Marshall was then dealt a lot of punches to his face and one blow in the stomach. Mother was crying and holding the boys in the background. His vision blurred as he saw his father turn back around to the boys and his mother and then blackness. Twenty minutes later Marshall woke up, his face crusted over with blood, and body sore. The house was too quiet. He peered in the kitchen; nobody was there. With hurried steps he rushed into the boys room and let out a sigh of relief seeing them cuddled in the bed. A little bruised and battered, but not too bad off. ' They probably slipped out of the kitchen without father noticing, the smart little tikes. ' A smile ran across his face, they reminded him so much of himself when he was small. Pulling the covers up to their necks, he gently kissed the two faces and walked out of the room, closing the door slowly to make sure it didn't make any noise. He then went to the tool box and took out a long wrench. Taking in a deep breathe, he stood staring at his parent's door for a couple of minutes preparing himself. The knob screeched as he turned and opened the door. Rage Marshall had never felt before filled his whole body and he saw a red film cover over his vision. On the bed, his mother was so beat up and battered he let his rage take hold. His father was so drunk he didn't hear Marshall come in. With the wrench behind his back he walked up and... ' Tears ran from Marshall's eyes as he was drowned in his memories. He silently wept. Murdering his father brought him here, but he didn't regret what he did all those years ago. The first thing he's going to do is see his family. A prison guard slowly passed his cell and passed dinner through the slot. Marshall's eyes swept over to the food. A small note was attached to the tray. He casually opened up the note, I've paid the prison guards to let you leave. You have exactly 10 minutes before they notice you're gone. Marshall automatically straightened up and he hesitantly pushed at the bars, the unlocked prison door opened. He did not look back and ran towards the door that led outside. The stranger was no where in sight, he thought he would have been outside waiting for him, but he guessed wrong. He ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore. Looking around the scenery he noticed that he was in his neighborhood. His house was only a couple of steps away. He touched the door with his shaking hand and read the piece of paper, "Owned by Steel Inc." ' What does this mean? Where's my family?!' Panic stirred as he ran next door and knocked on the door. A young woman opened the door, "Marshall...how...?" Beth worked in the same factory Marshall had before he was sentenced to prison. "Beth! Where's my family?" he motioned towards the house. Beth's brows furrowed, "Marshall...they died a couple of years back. Didn't anyone tell you?" A constant ringing filled his ears as stumbled backward and walked in no particular direction down the street. Beth called after him, but he ignored her and kept on walking. Subconsciously, he found himself walking in the shipyard, a place he used to take his younger brothers to see the sea machines. The raging sea was calm tonight, it felt like nothing could penetrate the silence around him. The only noise were the waves hitting the wooden docks. He walked over to the end of one of the unmanned docks, Marshall could feel his legs giving out from the shock. He collapsed to the edge of the dock, letting his legs hang over while he stared into the deep sea. One jump and he would cease to exist. The sea would swallow him whole, ending his agony, but he couldn't bring himself to do it . "Coward," murmured from his lips while he talked himself out of the suicide attempt and laid back instead, admiring the full moon painted in the night sky.
Cage Cage stepped out into the cool night air. It was a day into their new course and a full moon shone in the sky just as M had said. Around the ship it was raining but they were sat snuggly in the eye of the storm. Cage was staring out into the distance when he noticed voices. They were comming from M's cabin. He crept towards the door as quietly as he could, listening intently. There seemed to be two voices; M's and somebody elses. "How many years has it been now?" It was a strangers voice. "More than I care to remember. I still miss her." M's voice. Who did he miss? "We all do. I wish we could all return home together but alas. Why don't you come and join us? The others miss you too." "I've picked my side. You know I can't change now. Not until everything is finished or we join Sophia." Cage could hear the sound of something being poured. "So how is your new animagi doing?" Asked the strangers voice. Cage could hear M chuckle slightly. "He's doing well but still has some way to go, especially with his powers. If I can't get him to progress naturally D will do something about it." Cage was slightly taken aback, D do something? He hadn't even met the man. 'Having something done' didn't sound good, although they were talking about progressing. "I still don't know how D does that." The stranger said. "Neither do I if that's what your thinking." There was a pause and Cage could hear drinks sloshing. "We fought with Robin you know." M said. He almost sounded like he regretted it. "I know." "I don't think I killed him. Your blind girl and her friend saved him. The ice pup managed to hold his own against him briefly aswell. You'll have to meet him at some point." "Now seems as good a time as any." The other voice said. "Why don't you come in Cage?" Cage froze. How did they know he was there? The door opened to M. He guided Cage in and to a seat pouring him a drink. The hair on his neck rose as he sat opposite the stranger. He was somewhere between Cage's height and M's with a large hood covering his face. Beneath the hood he could see the glow of two blue eyes. "I could feel your aura the moment you stepped on deck." The stranger said, "Not a bad one either, although I'm guessing Michael here cancels it out most of the time?" "Who?" It took Cage a minute to realise he meant M, this was confirmed by the glare M shot him across the table. He felt stupid for thinking M could be his whole name. "Oh right M. Depends how close we are." The stranger laughed. "Well I'll look forward to meeting you in battle. I don't think it's that far off." The stranger stood leaving the cabin M following. Outside they clinked glasses before draining them and hugging. Cage was definately confused now, M hugging someone? This was unusual. And the stranger spoke of battleing them as if he wasn't on their side. The stranger stepped away from M. On his back large wings appeared, ethreal and blue like his eyes. He flapped and leapt into the air lightning cracking in the sky as he went. Almost as soon as he left the boat the storm hit them rain pellting Cage and M as they returned to the cabin. "Who was that?" Cage asked. He already had an idea but he wanted to hear M say it. "That Cage was Solomon Teach."
Silvers and Wing "You will no doubt have a host of other abilities to discover but for now we must return to the ship." Silvers said moving towards the tunnel entrance. "Aside from the vision does anything else feel different? Wing thought for a moment before answering. "I think all my senses have been heightened." She listened intently for a moment. A smirk grew on her face when she heard the light heartbeat of her comrades. There was also a strange new feeling but she couldn't seem to put her finger on it. "Well we'll have to work them out then. When we get to the rebel base I'll show you some rituals and other magic." They headed back out of the tunnel Silvers helping Mimi, the poison seemed to be spreading fast. She needed help as soon as possible. With difficulty they got back aboard the ship and cast off. Wing was standing in the crows nest, enjoying her new sensations. She wasn't on lookout duty but it was nice to feel the wind against her skin. Once again did she experience the strange new feeling. She silently pondered what this was. Silvers was standing at the prow watching the clouds when he heard the noise. The dark patch had moved over head since earlier. They flashed as a loud call echoed down to them. It was like a mix of bird song and thunder. He smiled to himself and ran to the sails, releasing them to billow out. "Brace yourself Joel, We're about to get a boost." The call came again as the wind picked up behind them. Everyone on board looked up as something passed over the clouds illuminating them a dark blue. The wind followed as it passed pulling them along. Silvers grabbed the rail to steady himself, it looked like they would reach the base sooner than he thought.
