[IC] Free Winds

[j8cob]

ACT I
Bright Skies and Strong Storms

The rock bounced several times before rolling to a halt in the middle of the dirt road. Walking along the dirt trail next to Lake Krukow, the blonde teenager found some entertainment in kicking a small stone. The sun was high in the sky, though it wasn't exactly hot. It was never "hot" in Krukow. Nor was it ever really cold. The temperature fluctuation was minimal, no matter the season. It was just as boring as this dirt road. Aubrey gave another light kick, watching the pebble bounce across the road further. However, it came to a rest near something that at first looked like another rock.

As Aubrey drew near, he stopped and examined the small object. It was a wooden butterfly, slightly larger than the pebble next to it, with some kind of thin lace. A necklace of sorts. At first, it seemed plain odd. Then Aubrey's eyes widened. "An Aeva?" he thought aloud, bending over and picking it up. Holding it by the lace, he looked at the necklace intently for a moment. "Hey." The wooden object remained silent. "Helloooo?" Still silence. "If you're one of those Aevum I've heard about, you better not be messing with me..."

The staredown continued a moment longer before Aubrey let out a sigh. Shrugging his shoulders, he tossed the necklace into the nearby lake. "I bet someone thinks they're real funny..." With his hopes now crushed, Aubrey kicked the rock again. This time, it made a sharp turn to the left after the first bounce, landing right in the lake. Now mildly disappointed that there was no form of entertainment for the rest of his walk, he paused to watch the ripples along the lake surface. But as the ripples died out, he began to hear a rumbling sound. The water of the lake began vibrating, creating small ripples across the entire length. Confused, Aubrey turned around to face the source of the low rumble.

Frighteningly low in the sky, there was a large airship. Heading directly toward him. "Whoa..." As the large ship, an open-deck freighter by the looks of it, passed overhead, Aubrey rotated to keep his eyes on it. "Don't see too many of those pass by... That jackass was flying really low..." Suddenly, an idea came to his mind as he watched the ship disappear over the trees. "I bet everyone in town saw that too!" The teenager broke into a brisk run, no longer caring about neither the stone nor totem that had his attention moments before. He had a story to tell his mother.

---

"Vladmir..." A tall man with black hair and obnoxiously large glasses stood in front of a desk. Behind it was the Krukow mayor, Vladmir Maximus. Not only was Vladmir tall, he was also wide. Though he was grey haired and wrinkled, with a trimmed grey beard to boot, his size came from muscle rather than fat. Intimidating to look at. Hilarious to listen to. "I know, I saw it too," a surprisingly high-pitched voice came from the big man. The assistant adjusted his glasses. "It would seem that the freight ship that passed dangerously low has landed on the north side of the island. It was likely an emergency landing. Should we send a search party or...?"

The older man let out a sigh. "We never have ships like that come through this region of the world. There are no major routes nearby. This is suspicious..." As the overly-large glasses seemed to keep slipping, the tall man had to adjust them again. "I do not believe that ship was Crucibellian, Vladmir." "Of course not. It was too old to be a Crucible freighter. But things like this... they are a bad sign..." There was an awkward silence around the mayor's office for a moment. "Alright. We'll send a search party. Gather some of my men from Maximus, just in case."

Before the assistant could even agree to the plan, the double doors to the room slammed open. "Vladmir!" Another young man, barely an adult, had barged in. The sudden burst enraged the mayor, and he jumped to his feet. Now standing at full height, he seemed even more intimidating. "What did I tell you about kno-" "Three Crucible ships have been spotted coming from the south-east!" There was a tense silence in the room. As angry as Vladmir looked a moment before, he now looked scared. With nobody saying anything, the newcomer decided to continue. "Two Magellan-class ships and an Interceptor-class. The Interceptor will be here any minute!"

The mayor shook his head a few times and his angry expression returned. He pointed at the bespectacled man, whom was frozen in fear. "Gather all of Maximus. We have more important matters than the other ship. Go around the town and try to get all the women and children to the north-west part of the island. We need to get them on the skiff to Kuiper, fast." The assistant snapped out of his daze. "But sir... the skiff won't fit all of them. If you're planning on confronting them, you still won't be able to buy them enough time."

A scowl formed on his face. "We have to try. But we can't have a panic... Ugh... Change of plans." The other two in the room seemed surprised by his sudden change in tone. "Gather all of Maximus. But we won't be fleeing. We have to disarm ourselves and take what's coming. This way, we won't lose as many lives..." The youngest spoke up again. "But Vladmir! You've heard the stories. These people aren't going to be nice, even if we do just roll over and give up. Your Rift Hunting guild is strong, and many of the men that work at the lumber mill are strong too. We can fight!"

"No, we can't. The Interceptor's crew alone will be too much for us. And those Magellans... Those are battleships. If we put up a fight... they will annihilate us..."

---

Aubrey closed the front door behind himself surprisingly gently, considering how excited he was. Rather carelessly in a rushed fashion, he threw his small backpack on the living room couch. Despite the fact that his mother was hardly able to get out of bed, the house was incredibly clean and tidy. Perhaps it was Aubrey that managed it. "Hey mom!" he called out, rushing down the hallway and taking a tight turn through an open bedroom door.

Laying in the bed, under the covers, was a black-haired woman. Though her eyes were closed and her skin was pale, as well as being on the thin side, she stirred. "A huge ship passed over the island a few minutes ago. I'd never seen such a big airship around here before," he told her, going down on his knees next to her bed. His mother's eyes opened, revealing they were brown. "I've never heard of it either," she responded, giving him a smile. Aubrey grinned a bit, before pulling something out of his pocket. "I got paid today." He held up his hand, showing her the thick wad of cash.

This caused her to chuckle. "That's good. But we have enough groceries for the week. I think you should hold onto that." This seemed to surprise Aubrey. "Are you sure? Can't think of anything else to get with it? Are you running low on your pills?" His mother shook her head slowly. "We're all set. Thanks to your hard work." A grin formed on Aubrey's face as he put the money back in his pocket. "Now why don't you go and find your friends. You deserve to have your fun for the day." Aubrey stood up to full height now. "Sheesh Mom. You still talk to me like I'm a little kid." This made his mother giggle a bit.

"You always will be my little boy. Now run along. Make sure you're home by suppertime, and don't get into any trouble. None of your friends need to know how much money you have." Aubrey chuckled, before nodding his head. "Love ya, Mom." He walked out of the bedroom now, and with her son gone the woman rested her head and closed her eyes again. Now with everything done for the day, Aubrey walked into the kitchen. Before heading out, he needed one thing. A pair of sunglasses rested on the dining table, and the teenager quickly snatched them. After checking his reflection on the back of a clean spoon, he determined he looked cool enough to wander around town.

With a grin on his face and money in his pocket, Aubrey headed out the front door. Upon closing it behind himself, he took a look around. The town seemed too quiet and boring for his taste. Before he could even decide where to start searching for people, he saw several Rift Hunters walk by. It was obvious who they were, as they wore the Maximus uniform. The teenager watched as they walked by. Though it wasn't common to see them around, as they lived here, something seemed off. The two men seemed almost suspicious. Aubrey watched as they walked down the street and turned the corner, likely heading for the town hall. Their boss worked his day job there as the mayor, after all. Despite the strangeness of that event, Aubrey shook it off and the grin returned. Time to find some friends.

[Cuco]

There was always activity at Nora's little bar. There was always someone that felt like drinking, even when it wasn't entirely appropriate. Sometimes vice was just a little too strong for people to ignore. That kind of behavior was probably why some people looked on her locale with suspicion, considering her a vile temptress that led otherwise pure citizens into a life of debauchery and sin. Of course, she didn't care about the rumors and the slander. As long as these drunks were prepared to pay, she was prepared to provide. But, even though someone was always here, it was usually the same old pack of drunks that comprised her regulars. She had heard most of their stories already, and she knew there wasn't much point in engaging them in conversation. It really did get mighty boring passing out liquor to the same faces every day. Sometimes she wondered what she wouldn't give if a better opportunity would just waltz right in through the front door....

"I saw airship!" The cry came from someone who had barreled in through the front door. "A big one! It landed to the north!"

"Jude, what did I tell you about getting drunk BEFORE coming here?"

"I swear it's true! And now the Rift Hunters are milling about the town! Come look!"

Nora got up from her lazy position at the bar to take a look outside. This sounded too exciting to possibly be happening in the boondock town of Krukow, but Jude sure sounded het up about it. And he was telling the truth. Nora could see a few of those Maximus fellas making their way to the town hall. It didn't confirm that there was an airship on the island, but it did mean Jude wasn't completely full of it.

"Hmmm...." Was all Nora uttered before returning to her seat.

"That's it? You're not going to look any closer?"

"What's the point? If it's a problem, the hunter boys will take care of it. With luck, maybe there'll be a bunch of thirsty crewmen with fat wallets coming to the only place for good hooch in town. But else, I really don't give a damn."

And that was that. Jude eventually let go of his excitement and settled in for a drink himself. Nora was just going to wait, keep serving drinks, and see if anything profitable would come of this.

[drewccapp]

How long had Vallence been in this backwater town? He honestly had lost track of the days. He came in from Kuiper on one of their trade boats. That was quite a while ago. The people had been friendly enough, and they certainly enjoyed his music and tales, but he was getting a hankering to travel again. He had noticed the ship fly overhead as he was walking towards the Rifters' base. He had planned to perform there one last time to help relax their excited lives. He instead of making his way to his planned destination completely changed it by turning on the ball of his foot and making his way to the freighter. He hoped they would be taking on passengers, after all, it was about time for him to get moving anyway.

He started whistling a tune as he leisurely made his way towards the ship. He spotted a few villagers were talking about the ship. "Did you see how low she was flyin'?" "Yeah, I hope it didn't scare too many folk." Val listened only as long as he strolled on by. He slid his hand along the fine wooden case that held his fiddle. The leather strap he used to carry it felt firm on his shoulder. He chuckled a bit.

"Not much longer and we'll be on the road again Ally."

The fiddle had been his sister's and it had its wear and tear, but even then it was still the best instrument he had ever owned. Even the lute didn't quite have the same quality as his fiddle. Val had the sentimental belief that he was playing his sister's soul whenever he played the instrument, and through him and it she still lived. He expressed his mother's feeling through storytelling and his father his lute. He looked forwards to whatever the future brought down on him, because he knew he'd make it just fine. He still had his family with him through thick and thin.

[Mr Nim]

"Oh great, I'm late again!"

That was the first morning scare Nanako had. She had just barely woke up and noticed the time. She jumped from her bed and got dressed as quickly as she could, and nearly left the house before realizing she is forgetting something major important. Quickly going back to her bedroom, she approached a small aquarium which only had some dirt, a branch, and a few small plants in it. She then went and picked something out of there, which opened its eyes in return.

"You didn't think I'd forget you, did ya?" She asked with a smile, and the chameleon didn't seem to respond as it was placed on her shoulder. It merely warpped its tail around her upper part of her left arm. She then grabbed her bag and put it on her right shoulder before heading out, making sure to lock the place on the way out. Merely moments after she left, she noticed a rather large shadow on the ground which covered quite a bit of area, and looking up she saw a ship that appeared to be a bit too close to comfort. She noticed how plants around the area were greatly affected from the strong winds that were caused by the close proximity of the ship, so she decided that the work can wait and that she will need to go and give the ship's owner a piece of her mind.

Beginning to run in the ship's direction, she watched as it made a bit of distance and suddenly bumped into someone, which made her fall on the ground. Looking up, she saw a blonde haired person with sunglasses. She gave the chameleon a glance, ensuring he was still on her shoulder and well, and upon seeing that was fine, she got up "Sorry for bumping into you like that. I need to be more careful." Nanako said while the chameleon appeared to be examining the young man, trying to determine if it had any kind of bugs on him.

[Chezka]

Listless days were the bane of her existence, Emery decided. She swung herself higher on the makeshift swing attached to the tree across her house, sighing as she stared vacantly at the sky. Outsiders, not that they get many of them nowadays, would argue that every day in a town like Krukow must be spent in similar indolence, but that usually wasn't true (although today certainly was dull). There were things you could do that was fun, if you looked hard enough. Like swimming in the lake, or fishing in the lake, or having a picnic by the lake. Exploring the island was a personal favorite pastime of hers, but not many shared the sentiment. There were the occasional Rifts that needed closing, and she supposed some would consider that fun, though she tended to stay far away from those. She heard a lot of the townspeople say Nora Vincent's bar was loads of fun, but a lot of them also liked to tell her to stay away from it. Of course, Kuiper was always more fun, but she hasn't visited their neighboring island since she always went with her sister—

Emery fell from the swing with a thud, landing face first on the grassy knoll. She rubbed her nose frantically and scrunched her face to keep imminent tears at bay. Falling didn't hurt at all, but the pang in her chest certainly did. This was why days like these were the bane of her existence. She was left alone with her thoughts, and that's usually not a good thing. It ended with her wondering why she was still in Krukow when her sister was calling for her. Two weeks have passed since she received the message, and yet she was no closer to finding her.

Before she began another hour-long self-berating session, a low rumble echoed from a distance, effectively distracting her. Emery jumped on the swing to get a better view and spotted something large in the horizon. It disappeared in between the trees before she could get a proper look, but she saw enough to glean a bit of information. Judging from its size, it was most likely a freight ship, although it flew lower than what she thought was the standard. She lifted a finger and traced the path it took: if it maintained its trajectory and speed, then it would have landed in the northern part of Krukow.

Emery cupped her cheeks with both hands, involuntarily squishing them as she made a face—a look many of the Krukow residents have come to recognize as her 'thinking mode.' Should she go or not? She knew a shortcut to the northern area; she could get there and back before anyone realized. But it was a little scary. Maybe she should get someone to come with her? Aubrey seemed like he was always up for this kind of things—in fact, this was more his forte. Oh, she could tell Mr. Fixit, too! If she was right about it being a freighter, he probably would enjoy getting to see it up close.

She realized then that it was probably not a smart idea for her to take her hands off the swing ropes, but the realization came a second too late. Once again, she fell from the swing but this time she proceeded to roll down the knoll, landing on her rear about five seconds later. Grass clung to her hair and clothes, and her face was dotted with dirt. Unfazed, Emery immediately got back up and headed off, already decided on what to do. Okay. First find Aubrey, then Isaac. Then they could take a look at the giant ship. She ran past the town hall, where she accidentally bumped into two unfamiliar uniformed men whom she mostly ignored, and down the street toward Aubrey's house.

Of course, it wasn't like her to arrive at a destination without tripping at least once. As she rounded a corner, Emery took a faltering step and ended up skidding 11.3 mm across the street.

[Jinxlynx]

Lena snored as she leaned back in her chair, feet propped up on the table while she was standing "guard" at the entrance to the missionary camp. Really it did not matter if she was awake or not, behind her two other hired merc where playing a game of cards not paying attention themselves since no one other than the townies looking to trade came to their small camp outside of the town anyways. The three mercenaries were hired by the Follows of the Eternal Goddess, also known as the followers for short. They where known as healers and teachers, only having a few small temples because of their nomadic nature, travelling from island to island trading medical supplies and books, using their skills in healing and teaching and trying their best to spread the word of the Goddess, it was however not uncommon knowledge that they directly opposed the Crucible and because of their pacifistic nature they relied on Merc like Lena and the others to guard their ships while they sailed through Sovereign territory.
Thomas was an older man with a eye patch over his left eye, Lena had never seen under it but she knew it probably was not nice since that half of his face was heavily scarred. Mattaus was opposite of him, the black haired merc not looking so good as he pushed over the last of his cash to a grinning Thomas,
"God dammit, how do you keep getting all those good hands Thomas? You hiding cards in your sleeves."
"If I was Mattaus it would be pretty impressive since I do not have any sleeves on this shirt."
The grey haired man laughed as the ground started to shake, the two of them looking up to see a low flying airship pass over for an emergency landing, ignoring Lena as she woke with a start from all the noise and fell backwards in her chair.
"Arrgh, what was that?"
The young woman stood up and saw the two of them staring so she turned to where they were looking and caught a glimps of the ship before it disappeared on the other side of the town.
"Well that can't be good."
She added,
"Ey' Thomas why don't you go ask Damian what he wants to do about that? I am sure some followers saw that ship crashing and would want to go send some healers to help out, Me and Mattaus will go check it out, see if it was anyone dangerous so the healers don't get themselves in some trouble when they arrive."
Thomas looked at her, not liking that the younger merc was giving him orders but he gave into the fact that it was a sensible plan and turned to go get the Follower leader without saying a word.
"Why'd you volunteer me for this, I don't wanna go see if they are shooty pirates or sumthin."
Lena just gave him a look as she picked up a rifle and tossed it to him, the merc catching it of course.
"To bad, we're just gonna go have a look anyways, not like we might have to shoot anyone."
She replied, picking up her own rifle and pulling him along to get him started at least, They would have to take a path through the town, two heavily armed merc heading towards the crash site might not look good but it was the quickest way there. Besides by now most of the townsfolk knew who the two of them where and probably would not cause a ruckus while they passed through.

[ruronihs]

It was yet another beautiful day in Krukow; the sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, a refreshing breeze was blowing... and Isaac was completely oblivious to it. During his last visit to Kuiper, he had managed to get his hands on a portable box that could use electricity to cook food. There was only one problem with it, and it was the same as most of the other gadgets that Isaac managed to get his hands on: it was busted. Now, the device was no marvel of modern technology, so the electrician was able to fix it with relative ease. The dilemma now was that the rural town he lived in didn't exactly have any generators standing by with enough juice to power the thing. He thought of some alternative energy sources, but solar panels would eliminate the portability of the device, and powering it by a crank would probably make somebody pass out from exhaustion before the device could even power a pork chop. He was about ready to just scrap the project, coming to the conclusion that his town simply didn't have the infrastructure for portable cooking devices, but then he got one last idea.

If he could make a stronger, long-lasting, rechargeable battery, then his device would become practical again. And so, Isaac had been holed up in his little garage for the bast couple of days, tinkering with the batteries from spare devices, and crunching numbers to see how much power he could get out of them. Of course, he would still help people as they came by with their broken gadgets, but since he was so absorbed in his current project, he finished all the "boring" jobs with remarkable expediency so he could plunge back into his work. Unfortunately, he now hit another all-too-common wall that came with living in a rural community. "Out of stuff," he said with a sigh. He would need to take a trip to Kuiper and pick up a whole bunch of supplies if he was going to get anywhere with this project. The spare batteries he had lying around just wouldn't generate enough power, even if he connected every last one of them.

So, with nothing left to do at the moment, Isaac stood up, stretched his arms and legs, ventured out of his little nook. He had to shield his eyes for a moment as they adjusted to the sunlight, but it didn't take him long to realize that something wasn't quite right. As he walked down the street, lots of people seemed on edge, and he even saw a few rift hunters about. Well this is a bit ominous, he thought, but he wasn't exactly worried. No monsters had ever gotten inside the town, so he was pretty sure that he was safe as long as he didn't get in anybody's way. However, he was curious as to what he had missed -- and clearly he had missed something -- so he decided to continue walking until he ran into someone who seemed inclined to talk.

It wasn't long before he did run into somebody, very nearly literally; it was a familiar girl barreling down the street like she was being chased by a pack of wolves or something, and she was on a collision course for Isaac. "Whoa, careful there Emery," he said putting his hands up to buffer the impact. Fortunately, there wasn't much force left, so he probably saved the town clutz from another fall, which she likely already had given her disheveled appearance. "What's the hurry?" he asked, as he politely placed his hands on the girl's shoulders and stabilized her balance to prevent any near-future mishaps. "Did a rift open up or something? I see hunters and guards all over the place."

[j8cob]

Aubrey had barely left his house. And already people were running into him. Literally. The impact knocked him off balance, but unlike the girl he remained standing. "Hey, watch where you're..." he began, before seeing who bumped into him. He looked down at Nanako for a moment, before adjusting his sunglasses and crossing his arms over his chest. "Hey." A grin formed on his face, before he noticed the chameleon she had with him. With that realization, he also realized he had never seen her before on Krukow. Another oddity for the day? The grin vanished as he began to think about it.

But down the street, in the same direction Nanako was standing from him, he saw two more familiar people. It would seem everyone was abuzz with the low passing of the freight ship before. Today is definitely a special day, he thought to himself, before glancing at Nanako. "What are you rushing so frantically about?" he asked, keeping his arms crossed and his false cool demeanor. He intended to make it a quick conversation, as his friends weren't too far away and he'd rather be with them than someone he didn't know. But the girl hardly had a chance to explain herself.

A faint humming sound swept over the small town. Aubrey casually looked toward the source, lifting his sunglasses up. "Another one?" he questioned aloud, trying to spot what sounded like an airship. After a few seconds, his suspicion was confirmed. But this ship was different. A white, sleek airship of a much smaller size glided over the town, before hovering directly over Lake Krukow. It looked much newer and fancier. While Aubrey had seen plenty of airships around on Kuiper, none had looked this advanced. But something on the port side got his attention more so than anything else. A red emblem of a sword and shield.

As it hovered low over the water, close to the bank, a door opened along the port side and a ramp extended to the ground. Though this was distant and difficult for Aubrey to see, it was clear that people were filing out onto the land. "It can't be..."

---

In the center of town, in front of the town hall there was a large open square. There used to be a tree in the center of it, but it was cut down as the popular belief at the time was that it would look better without it. This created a very open space for the village to gather in should the need ever arise, such as during festivals. Presently, many of the Rift Hunters from the guild Maximus had gathered. And as the white ship passed slowly overhead and landed nearby, they all grew nervous. The town mayor and leader of Maximus, Vladmir Maximus, stood in front of the town hall. In his right hand was a large hammer, even bigger than he was.

He had a particularly angry expression on his face, but not a word escaped him. While his men seemed anxious, they were unsure if they should be afraid that their boss is so mad or use it as motivation. They were uncertain of what was about to happen. They only knew one thing, and it was confirmed as the white-suited soldiers marched into the town in rows of two: the Crucible Empire had arrived. Though there were plenty of average citizens in the square, upon seeing the Crucible military, armed to the teeth with guns and weapons of various sizes, they decided to vacate. But the Rift Hunters remained, looking about equally armed.

But heavily outnumbered.

The soldiers surrounded the entire square, preventing any escape for those gathered. Many regular villagers were standing behind the line of soldiers, watching to see what will happen next but staying a relatively safe distance away. Once the soldiers stopped marching, an eerie silence took hold of the town. Then the sound of two sets of footsteps. From the line of soldiers, two officers stepped out. And rather than politely walk around the gathered Rift Hunters, the two walked straight through the mob, forcing them out of their way as they walked.

One of the officers stood fairly tall, with a sleek figure and blonde hair long enough to cover one of his eyes from under his white beret. Also notable was his right hand was gloved whereas his left hand was not. The other man, who looked to be of a higher rank than the blonde, had spiky silver hair and no headgear. He was shorter and clearly older, though seemed to have a slightly stockier build. They both walked with utmost confidence, stopping before Vladmir Maximus.

"My name is Elijah Storm, captain of the Seeker. I am here on behalf of the Crucibellian Empire to annex the island of... eh..." the silver-haired man spoke, before looking to the taller one. "Krukow," the blonde assisted. "Yes, the island of Krukow. I would like to speak with the man in charge of this town, if you would so kindly move away from the door."

Vladmir pounded his chest, mildly surprising the two officers in front of him. "I am the mayor of Krukow, Vladmir Maximus." A sly grin formed on Captain Storm's face. "A strong name. I guessed you were in charge of this Rift Hunting guild, but to also be the mayor? This place really is the boonies." He began laughing while his partner kept a straight face. His wording and outburst seemed to irritate the Rift Hunters, but they held their tongues. As Storm slowly calmed down, he set his sinister gaze back on Vladmir. "As a part of your annexation, we shall be appointing our own officials to govern this island. And since you run the Rift Hunters here, we also control those too. So this is really convenient for me."

The captain pointed his hand at Vladmir like it was a handgun, with his pointer finger aimed directly at his chest. This confused the majority of the crowd, but Vladmir realized what was about to happen. The hand recoiled backwards, mimicking the recoil of a gun, and a powerful jet of air blasted toward the mayor. At first, his body lurched around the impact point, which was only as small as Storm's fingertip, before he was sent careening backwards into the town hall. The force of the impact made him crash entirely through it, destroying the foundations. A collective gasp of shock was heard from the Rift Hunters as the town hall itself collapsed, with the mayor inside.

With this done, Storm and the blonde officer turned around to face the crowd of Rift Hunters. He could see beyond his soldiers that much of the town had gathered. And now they were frightened. "You are all now employed by the Crucibellian Empire. You are all to be inspected to see if your practices and Hunters are up to code. Then you all shall take a licensing exam in order to determine if you keep your jobs. And all of you are now citizens of the Crucibellian Empire!"

---

"Shit! Fuck! Damnit!" A dark-haired man in his late thirties leaned against the rails on the top deck of the freight ship. He let out a sigh as he could hear the profanity coming from below deck. "This piece of...! Ugh! Weston!" Upon hearing his name, he let out another sigh and stood upright. He walked over to the door that led onto the deck, but before he could reach the door it had already opened. Standing in the frame was a smaller woman, standing a whole head and shoulders shorter than the man named Weston. She had green hair and an angry expression.

"The generator won't start back up. We're grounded. Until we can either fix the solar rails or the Aura generator, we aren't going anywhere." Before she could shove past him, he skillfully stepped to the side. It was evident now that there were two very large swords strapped to his back in an X shape. "I figured as much," he answered simply, following the younger woman as she walked to the railing. Looking over it, it was evident that they had more or less crashed into the forest. Many trees were knocked over or shattered under the bulk of the Free Wind, though the hull of the airship was hardly scratched. "Thankfully this island is inhabited. There is a village somewhere around here. Considering Kuiper isn't too far away, there may be a mechanic somewhere in there."

The older man nodded. "Find a mechanic. Got it, Summer." Without waiting for her to confirm the command, he casually jumped off the ship. Despite the fall being easily forty feet, he landed unharmed and began walking. "Wait a minute! Argh!" But he was already walking away from the ship, ignoring the captain's shouting. As he disappeared from her view, Summer let out a sigh and facepalmed. "Why do I even bother with him...?"

[Cuco]

Nora heard the sounds of airships ringing out through the village. A sound like that was easy to hear in a place that lacked any kind of crowds and activity. At first, she just figured that airship Jude mentioned had decided to land closer to the village. Then, someone else came crashing into the bar to deliver the terrible news.

"It's the Crucible! They've come to Krukow!"

"Alfred......you better have gotten drunk before coming in here."

"No, it's true! You can see with your own eyes!"

Nora once again went outside to check what was going on. But with every step, she just hoped that she wasn't going to see what she was told she would see. However, there they were, Crucible soldiers, headed straight for the square. ".....Fuck." Was all Nora said before racing back inside. "Bar's closed, boys. Get your arses out of here and go tell your loved ones you care before they get beaten to death!" Everyone had already heard the Crucible were here, and they knew she wasn't kidding around. Even in Krukow, they had all heard the stories. A huge, conquering empire that left nothing but misery in their wake could hardly exist without a reputation that preceded them by 1000 leagues. Nora wasn't hanging around on the off chance the sole battalion of less than merciless Crucible soldiers had been chosen to occupy Krukow. She was getting out of here, even if it meant hiding in the woods.

She had already grabbed the suitcase she used for supply runs in Kuiper and was stuffing it with as much as it could carry. Her money, her snacks, and some hooch for good measure. If she couldn't find anyone to sell it to, she could always drink it herself. In the midst of her hasty packing, some of her more extensively inebriated customers started getting in her way.

"Hey! The bar ain't supposed to close for another good few hours! I want a fuckin' DRINK!"

"Are you serious? The Crucible will crack your skulls open for looking in their general direction, and you want to keep drinking?"

"Aaaaah, fuck the crewsable, they ain't that tough!"

"Well...." It was time for Nora to think on her feet. "If you beat a Crucible soldier in a fist fight, I'll give you all the alcohol in this bar!"

"Fuck yeah! Let's go!" The drunkards charged out of the bar and off to whatever fate awaited them. Nora could only hope they would provide adequate distraction while she got the heck out of Krukow.

[solokolos]

Heizo sat on the deck of The Free Wind casually, his rifle laying next to him. Without his rifle he always felt naked, and as such he carried it with him as much as possible. A man he had come to know as 'Weston' was standing to his left, when a string of profanities from below deck called Weston's name. Heizo watched as Summer explained the situation to Weston, and he decided to find a mechanic. He promptly jumped off the ship, leading Heizo to get up and watch him land unharmed, much to summer's dismay. Assuming summer's question about Weston was rhetorical, Heizo didn't answer, and instead picked up his rifle and rested it on the side of the ship. The best course of action would probably be to follow Weston, but Heizo decided against it.

Heizo scanned the trees around them, then moved his sights further out. He examined the outskirts of the town carefully, and saw very little movement. A knot grew in his stomach, and he began feeling uneasy, but he didn't know why. When he brought his eyes onto the town, he saw commotion. He could barely make out the town from here, but what he could see worried him. It had been five minutes since Weston had dismounted when Heizo spoke up, "Summer there seems to be trouble. . ."

[drewccapp]

There was a sinking feeling in Val's heart as he walked towards the freighter he saw earlier when shortly after he saw Crucibellian vessels. He had no love for the Crucible Empire in fact the only feelings he had towards the bastards was hatred. He saw mothers take their children off the streets and practically drag them into their homes and agreed with their response. There was no knowing what terrible things might happen if anyone happened to be in the way of a Crucibellian soldier. He felt himself picking up his pace as he left the area the town was in to see the forest and sighed. "This is going to be rough."

He looked at his cases and his luggage. Moving was rough enough, but dragging his luggage through the forest floor was going to be unpleasant. "The things I do for my wanderlust." He steadily shook his head before trekking forward.

He heard the snap of a twig and spotted an older man that he didn't recognize that he assumed was from the crashed ship. The man also seemed to be on a mission, so Val didn't interrupt his business. He suspected any questions he had would best be answered at the ship and continued onward to the vessel itself. The boat was a beauty although the way it had crashed left him a little worried. Something must have been wrong with it for it to crash here. He decided to test his luck by calling up to the ship. "Ahoy!" He waited for any response before continuing. "How flight-worthy is your freighter? Do you happen to be taking on passengers?" He didn't expect the greatest of response, but right now he would take anything.

[Mr Nim]

Noticing the reaction of the young man she bumped into made Nanako raise an eyebrow. Who changed their tune of speech mid sentence? That seemed odd to her, but she decided that might be something he did "Well, I was heading towards that crashed down ship when I- Are you even listening to me?" She asked, sounding somewhat irritated the moment she noticed his attention was caught with something else. She turned to look at what he was looking at, and upon seeing the smaller ship, she turned slightly pale.

It was a Crucible ship.

She gave Toroto a look, who opened his mouth to say something, but she placed her hand on his head "If I see you again, I'll explain. I have to go. Right now." Nanako said, and before he could slip another word in, she was already running in the direction of the ship that crashed down once more. She had no intention of going in the direction of the Crucible ship, or stick around long enough to let them catch up and figure out who she was. She then let go of Toroto's head, who gave her a stare "Why did you do that? It was dark." The chameleon said, and she let out a whistle to cover for what he said.

"Don't talk until I give you a mark that its clear. If anyone accidently spots you, then they could report it to the Crucible, who will immediatly come to track me down. Got it?" Nanako told him "And what the hell are the Crucible doing here anyways... Doesn't matter actually. We need to find a hiding place, and the safer from Crucible it will be, the better." She said, and Toroto merely nodded in agreement as the two kept heading in the direction of the fallen ship.

[Jedly]

arren’s eyes slowly opened as he began to gain his senses, his body ached all over from the extensive work the crew put him through the previous day. He felt like stirring, yet his lids had other intentions and remained shut. After gathering enough motivation to rise from his bed, he stood up and let out a yawn. He ran his hand through his messy hair, bleached as white as snow. Sliding to his left, Varren got up once he managed a stable footing, waking up was an extraneous task for the young adult. Even though he rarely acted like one, since he recently turned eighteen, he felt the need to be more mature. Though his fellow guards’ views of him would never change or differentiate from what they saw him as today; a young individual who was good at making conversation, and kept a generally cool head. A lost boy without a family, who was able to weasel his way in between the bonds which the three other men shared. Though the job didn’t have that high of a pay, it was enough to cover the ammunition costs and food when the ship stopped at destinations. He looked to his desk, a metal surface with an angled lamp sitting on it, bullet casings were scattered on the workspace. His clothing was hung on the back of a wooden chair. Yinyues had no intentions to leave the room in just his boxers and quickly dressed himself in his usual apparel; a black hoodie which perfectly fit him, and a pair of jeans of the same pigment. Then, he draped a grey backpack over his shoulder. “Eh, should be a normal morning... I'll just pack a few magazines.” The bag which used to carry school supplies and books was now used to transport STANAG magazines, it was a little beaten up and was punctured with a few holes.

As he was clamping on the metallic “laces” which fastened his feet tightly to his magnetic boots, a notification popped up on his monitor. The screen was blinking read and eminated a consistent, annoying beeping noise. This form of announcement was only used for emergencies. Varren shot up from his sitting position and jumped to the other side of the room, swiftly opening the message, his eyes darted across the screen. ”Emergency landing on the island of Krukow. Brace yourselves, caution is advised.” The message was sent by the Free Wind’s captain, Summer. It resounded of her straight to the point personality. Varren glanced back at a specific drawer in the desk, labeled LETHAL. He traded out a majority of the less-than lethal rounds for the deadlier caliber and stormed out of the room. The FsW-24J Tecpatl was clipped to his hoodie, with a magazine already loaded and chambered.

By the time the Free Wind landed, in its wake lay the remnants of a forest. As Varren approached the bay, he heard multiple curses echoing throughout the halls of the ship. The young man let out a sigh, he then threw on his usual greeting smile. Once he arrived at the open space, he watched as Weston leaped from the bay and landed with grace. No other man of Weston’s age and figure could land so lightly and with such ease. Summer was glaring furiously at the aura generator, which Varren deduced was the source of their problem. Heizo was also waltzed over to the bay, his Zephyr X-2 in hand. “Good morning you two. My fellow guards are currently under the weather, as they all ate some bad food at our last stop. Though they came back, preaching that the dinner was delicious, their stomachs seem to disagree.” He turned his gaze towards the town, in the direction which Weston was heading. “I’ll go help out Mr. Weston, nothing much for me to do here.” As Yinyues finished his sentence, a blue light illuminated from his boots, “Be back in a bit~” Varren said in a cheery voice as threw himself, legs first, over the balcony. His feet were instantly attracted to the metal which made up the ship, he then proceeded to run down the side of the hull until he reached the ground. He disengaged his boots and propelled himself onto the grassy surface, then ran through the forest.

Weston hadn’t made it too far, it was easy for him to catch up with the middle-aged man. The man whipped around, faced with a white-haired boy running to him. Varren came to a halt and kindly greeted the comrade, “Hello, Mr. Weston. I guess our objective is to find somebody who can fix our ship? I’m at your service.” Thought it was a little formal, the two were already used to the way Yinyues greeted people. The two were about to continue their trek to the town when they heard rustling through the treeline. Varren instinctively readied his firearm, in a flash he had his Tecpatl leveled and aimed in the direction of the sound. The man seemed to acknowledge their presence, but simply passed them instead of striking a conversation, ”He’s only got an instrument. Not a threat.” He lowered his PDW and sighed, "Let's continue on, we have to find that mechanic, fast." He heard a commotion off in the distance, "Something is happening over there."

[Jinxlynx]

Overlooking the town square a lone merc looked over the scene below, Mattaus lowered the telescopic sight on his rifle before slowly pushing himself back from the edge of the roof. He had just witness the commander of the Crucible soldier sent the mayor flying through the town hall, that meant he was some sort of mage, and also that this was not a good situation. Climbing back down the ladder he used to get up there he turned to Lena who had been waiting for him in the alley behind the buildings, keeping an eye out for any soldiers heading there way.
"Hey this is not good, the Crucible pukes got soldiers crawling all over the place, I dunno if we will be able to get through the town."
Lena held her chin with a gloved hand, coming up with a plan of action.
"Okay well going around will take too long, if I go alone I can maybe slip by unnoticed, you have to head back to the Missionary camp and warn them that the Crucible Navy is here, we both know their relationship with them and if they stick around they'll get kill.
"Okay, you be safe alright. I'll tell Thomas what is going on."
The black haired woman nodded and moved the the end of the alley, peeking around the corner she made sure the coast was clear before signalling Mattaus that he was clear to go, the boy ran past her and turned to head back to the Missionary camp, hopefully he would get there with enough time before the Navy found them, Lena meanwhile ran out to cut across the road to the next alley, being cautious so she did not draw any attention and hiding from the soldiers that came her way. It was not that hard to spot them coming when she was sneaking about, the pristine white jackets made those idiots easy to spot and gave her enough time to find someplace to hide, if she did get caught up some where she just stopped and hide her rifle behind her back, she looked like a civvie after all with most of her weapons hidden away under her clothing. It felt like slow going but really she was making much better time than she would have going all the way around the town and this also gave her a chance to assess the strength of forces present in the town, though that mage Mattaus mentioned sounded like he would be a lot of trouble. Lena had never told her merc buddies she was a mage herself but she had no idea if her own power could measure up to that of the commander.

[StarInaBox]

"Stre-eeeeeeee-etch~!"

Benny lowered his arms after his wake-up stretch, smiling brightly. He felt good after his short nap for today, which was a little out of the ordinary for the youth. He usually woke up grumpy. Even Archibald, his toy mechanical butterfly, seemed a little more excited than usual as he flew around the room. It was as if the day was begging for something good to happen to the two of them.

Benny crawled out of bed, grabbing a shirt, and a pair of socks and pants out of his clothes drawer, putting them on before slipping his shoes on his feet and running downstairs. Archibald was close behind. "Mom, can I go walk around town?" He asked, already at the door and ready to go. But no one answered. He called out for permission again, and was replied with by silence. He frowned and walked in to the family room, usually where his mom, or at least his dad was, but the room was empty. A quick check of the downstairs rooms revealed that the entire house was empty, save Benny.

"That's weird..." Benny observed as he walked out of the house, now searching for his parents. They lived near the town square, so he checked there first. There seemed to be something going on, as a big group of people were encircling the square. Benny frowned, as he was sure there was no way he would be able to see what was going on. Too many tall people, he thought to himself. But he was determined to investigate. He squeezed through the group, politely saying "excuse me" as he did. He eventually got to the front of the group, getting a clear view of what was happening.

In the middle of the square, the mayor Vladimir Maximus stood, along with a fair number of Rift Hunters. Nothing was really going on... Until a white ship flew overhead and landed nearby. Then, a bunch of people stepped out, surrounding the square. Benny felt a sense of claustrophobia. Two other people, dressed in similar uniforms, stepped out of the ship and in to the center of the square. The mayor and them talked for a second, before one of them aimed his index finger at the mayor and shot at him with a blast of air. He hit the town hall hard, actually making it collapse on top of him.

Cool! This guy was a mage! But he shot at the mayor...

Not cool!

Benny pivoted on his heel, immediately running in the other direction. A lot of other people did the same, but Benny did it a tad quicker, just reaching the head of the group before he reached the circle of visitors surrounding the square, hitting one of the men before squeezing past them. "'Scuse me," he said as he passed, which was replied by with a hearty laugh.

"Uhm, uhmuhmuhm," Benny said to himself as he ran away from the crowd. He was in a little bit of a panic, sensing the danger in the new visitors, which were announced to be some group called "The Crucible." Whoever they were they were probably trouble, and Benny needed some help. His parents weren't an option, so he ran in a random direction, hoping to find someone who could help.

After a healthy dose of running, with a few breaks taken in between, he finally stumbled across somebody: a teenager, with long purple hair and a lizard on her shoulder. He waved as he ran in her. "Miiiiiiiiss!!!" He skidded to a stop in front of the girl, taking a second to breath before explaining his situation. "Miss I just saw these guys come and shoot the mayor through the town hall building and I don't know where my parents are and I really need some help!" He stopped for a second, before quickly adding a "please."

[Chezka]

There was always this one moment before falling that seemed to last minutes, like it was being played in slow motion. It was when she realized what was happening and when her body started to brace for impact. Emery screwed her eyes shut in preparation, ready to roll away once she fell to minimize injuries, but the point of impact never passed. She opened one eye tentatively as she felt a pair of hands stabilize her, and smiled when she realized she had been saved by the dark haired technician. He did fix all the problems, after all.

"Perfect timing, Isaac!" she said, grinning up at him. "I saw a big freighter land in the northern forest. Do you wanna go see?"

Isaac had then asked about the hunters and guards milling about town, but she didn't have an answer. She hadn't even realized until he pointed it out, as she had been too absorbed with the earlier commotion. This was turning out into the exact opposite of a listless day, it seemed. And as if to prove her point, another rumbling echoed in the horizon. Emery looked at Isaac, brows knitted in worry, and pointed upward, to where a white airship—smaller and sleeker in comparison to the earlier anomaly—made its way toward the town. She could identify immediate differences between the two aircrafts, but what worried her more was the emblem it brandished. It seemed the Crucible Empire was paying their little town a visit.

Emery grabbed onto Isaac's shirt instinctively, fear etched in her eyes as she looked to him again. "What do we do?" she asked, slightly frazzled. Her sister warned her countless times to stay away from the Crucible if she could help it, and she knew enough from the stories to know of their brutality. With her free hand, she reached into her skirt pockets and retrieved her folded hi-tech goggles (Crucibellian technology, ironically enough) and put it on. The system initialized automatically, and soon enough she could zoom into where the airship landed. Dread filled her as she counted the number of white-clad soldiers marching out and relayed the information to Isaac. A Crucibellian army this size could only mean something horrible was about to happen.

Before she powered off and refolded her goggles, she caught a glimpse Aubrey not too far away, looking to the distance as she had. From the look on his face, she could tell he already knew about the news. "Aubrey's over there," she told Isaac, and then proceeded to pull him along as she ran toward the blonde boy. Having someone to run with helped her balance, and she managed to get to Aubrey without any more mishaps.

"We have to get away from them, Aubrey," she said, frantic. Emery was about to grab him and pull him along as well, to find refuge in the northern forest, but then she remembered something and she started panicking even more. "No, wait. Your mom! Let's get her first and then hide!"

[solokolos]

(OOC: Wrong section somehow)

[Eklispe]

Jarvan had been excited when he had first seen the gaint ship crash down, He had looked for markings on the ship as it zoomed past overhead but he hadn't found anything that defined it other than that it was an open deck frighter. That meant that it wasn't a Cruciable ship so he wondered who it belonged to. It was the most exciting thing that had happened in his tiny village for as long as he could remember. He got suited up and was ready to for anything like most of the other rift hunters but no one was expecting the next group of Crucible ships that came by. Jarvan had heard all the rumors of the Crucible’s tyranny but he had never believed that a group of people so much stronger than everyone else would really just use it to conquer everyone else. Maybe he had old-fashioned ideals but he just couldn't understand why anyone would want to do that instead of using the power they had to help others.

Jarvan rushed to the town square along with the rest of the rift hunters but by the time he got there the group of Crucible soldiers had already surrounded the square and he wasn't about to barge through them. He climbed onto a nearby rooftop and watched the scene unfold from there When commander Storm pointed at Vladimir Jarvan realized what he was about to do and almost gave a shout from the rooftops but he knew that even if Vlad had heard him there was no way he could dodge in time.

Jarvan was ready to attack Storm, when he shot Vladimir with his finger pistol, but when he saw some wasted idiots run out of the bar and get killed he calmed down and considered what to do. Obviously if he attacked them he would just be killed or captured, so there was nothing he could do, there was no way that he wanted to stick around here and follow and the Crucible codes and regulations and get a license.

That wasn't how things were supposed to work around here and there was no way he was going to work for someone who took out Vladimir. Jarvan ran away in anger, there was nothing he could do here and he hated to run away from a fight, but he had to try to find some way to fix this, some way to fight the Crucible. Maybe, maybe there was something or someone on the ship that had crashed down somewhere on the island. If he could beat the Crucible there while they were busy taking over the town and taking out anyone who resisted he might find something or someone there to help fight off the Crucible. Somewhere deep down Jarvan realized it was unlikely that one ship could have anything on it that would be able to take down three Crucible ships Jarvan rushed off through the forest heading to where he thought he had seen the ship crash down.

[ruronihs]

"A freighter landed here!?" Isaac exclaimed in disbelief. He wouldn't have been surprised to have seen one pass overhead on its way to Kuiper, and he had seen several land while working in the city, but he had never had a chance to get up close to one. Even just touching its hull and feeling the powerful aura generator pumping electricity through all the intricate circuitry like a mechanical circulatory system would be a dream come true for him. Actually working on a ship like that... well he probably shouldn't get his hopes up. But perhaps the most shocking part was that Emery was asking if he wanted to see it. "You're darn right I wanna go see!" he said through one of the widest grins that had crossed his face in some time. "Let's go!"

However, his hopes were immediately dashed by a far more ominous presence landing on the island. There was a sleek white ship the likes of which he had never seen before, even in Kuiper. It was clearly the pinnacle of modern technology, and utterly out of place in a backwater island like Krukow, but the emblem it bore made it perfectly clear why they were here. Just as his own gut was filling up with fear, he felt Emery's tiny frame clinging to him, asking him what they should do. I wish I knew... he felt like saying, but he kept the thought to himself for the sake of keeping them both calm. On any other day, he would have become infatuated with the totally awesome goggles that the girl whipped out to survey the scene, but now he was too busy trying to think of a way to get them to safety.

Before he could come up with a plan, Emery spotted Aubery, and she pulled him along to meet up with him. It seemed like all the problems in the world were just gravitating towards him, but people didn't call him Mr. Fixit for nothing. "Alright, first and foremost, everybody stay calm," he said at last, trying to get the whole group's attention. "The way I see it there are only two options: either stay on the island and hope for the best, or find a way to get far away. Right now, that freighter that landed seems like our best bet. If anybody wants to get off the island, that looks like the only way. Aubrey, I know you need to see to your mother, so I'll head back to the village with you and do what I can..." He didn't say that there was virtually no way to carry his mother to the freighter without being caught. Still, he didn't have the heart to tell Aubrey not to try. He looked to Emery, though, to see if she knew any way that they could all slip by unnoticed.

[j8cob]

A sly grin formed on Captain Storm's face as he saw the fear in the eyes of the Rift Hunters and the people. "Lieutenant Strong," he spoke up, making the blonde man next to him stand at attention. "Start rounding up the runners." A devilish, toothy grin formed on his face, revealing his canine teeth were abnormally sharp. "Yes sir." Before the two men could leave, there was a rustling sound behind them. Turning to face the destroyed town hall, they watched in shock as Vladmir Maximus pulled himself out of the rubble.

Still holding his hammer, he once again stood tall and proud. Albeit now very dirty, and blood trickling down from the corner of his mouth. There was a silent standoff for a moment, before Storm began clapping. "I am impressed," he confessed, turning to fully face Vladmir. The mayor didn't respond. Instead, it was clear that his rage was building. "You managed to survive my Burst Shot. That is no joke, my friend. But unfortunately, that now means I will have to kill you in some other means. Perhaps my Wind Slicer will do the trick. But then again, parading your head around might seem a bit too barbaric for Crucibellia..."

Vladmir raised his hammer, before slamming the handle against the ground. The sound resounded throughout the town square, silencing the captain. "I would die honorably if I knew that my people would be taken care of," Vladmir began. "But in your hands, they will only suffer." The other Rift Hunters seemed to have a boost in morale, now taking up their arms. Noticing this change in the dynamic, Storm and Strong took a look around the square for a moment. "Are you truly prepared to die for no reason? No cause?" Storm spoke up again, holding up two fingers pressed tightly against each other.

Noticing this, the lieutenant took a step back from Storm. But Vladmir stood still. "I have a cause. To protect my island, my town, my friends and family. I don't care who you represent, you will not have your way with my people." A devilish grin formed on Storm's face as Vladmir raised his hammer and now held it in both hands. He was clearly ready to fight. With this sign, the tension of a battle about to begin took the town square. "My cause is stronger," Storm said simply, before raising his arm threateningly, preparing some form of attack on the mayor. But then he stopped as he heard the sound of someone approaching.

---

Weston walked rather silently toward the town. Even in Varren's company, he had nothing to say. However, as they got closer, Weston could see people running about frantically toward the outskirts of the town. And in the distance, over the rooftops, he could see the top of a Crucible Interceptor. A frown formed on his face, but he continued walking. Only when he and Varren reached the town did he have something to say.

"Go and search for a mechanic," he instructed, waving one of his hands as a form of dismissal. "We need to have our ship up and running in less than thirty minutes." He knew that Interceptors never flew alone. There would be one or two battleships with it, in the off-chance the locals put up a fight. The Interceptor was always the 'greeter' of the annexation process. While Weston didn't particularly care which direction Varren started searching in, he was walking straight for the town square. As he passed fleeing citizens and those frozen in terror, he approached the line of Crucible soldiers.

The situation was tense, he could see that. But he knew he needed to provide Varren and the rest of the crew a distraction. Repairs would take time, and with the Crucible this close someone would need to keep them busy. Seemingly without any care for the battle that was about to take place, Weston shoved two soldiers out of his way and stepped onto the square.

With this, everyone stopped and all eyes were on him. There was a moment of silence and confusion, before the Crucible soldiers all aimed their weapons at him. "Two Blade..." Captain Storm muttered in surprised. The mayor looked at the newcomer with no care, only finding Weston to be a distraction. "Shoot him!" Before any shots were heard, Weston's eyes widened for a brief second. A wave of intimidation swept over the entire square. The dozens of soldiers that were aiming at him began to shake and quiver, and despite having their weapons already pointed at him did not fire.

Having felt the wave as well, Storm and Strong grimaced. "You pansies! Shoot him!" But yet still, no shots were fired. With that out of the way, Weston started walking toward the two officers. "Do you know who I am? The infamous Wind Mage, Captain Elijah Storm! Don't think I'm afraid of you, Bright! I can kill you single-handedly!" he began threatening, poising to strike at Weston now with his two fingers rather than at Vladmir.

"If you could kill me, you wouldn't be on an annexation team," Weston said rather simply. His voice was perfectly calm, and even somewhat quiet. With that taunt, Storm swung his arm in a wide arc. In the blink of an eye, Weston leaned backwards, ducking under his invisible attack. Behind him, several soldiers received a deep laceration across their chest, sending them falling to the ground. Surprised by his speed, Storm paused a moment. He contemplated how wise it would be to fight this man. Then an idea came to mind. "Lieutenant Strong, capture or kill this criminal."

---

As quickly as she had appeared, the lizard girl started running again. Though this time, Aubrey felt it was understandable. He continued staring in the direction of the town square and even began to slowly walk toward it before he realized Emery and Isaac had approached him. As if snapping out of a daze, Aubrey adjusted his sunglasses and looked at them. "We..." Before he could think of a plan, Isaac already came up with one. It was best to leave that sort of stuff to him. After all, Aubrey had to admit he was one of the smartest guys around.

As Isaac explained his plan, Aubrey saw two people walking toward the town from the direction the ship had crashed. Considering they were unfamiliar faces, Aubrey figured they were from the freighter's crew. Then he noticed something else. The younger one had some kind of gun, and the older one had two large swords on his back. He continued watching them as they split up and the older one, which Aubrey also noticed had an eyepatch hiding under his bangs, started heading toward the town square. After that distraction, he turned his attention back to Isaac.

"Yeah, I'm going back to my house," he confirmed. This much was a given. Without waiting for anyone else to agree, Aubrey broke into a run. There weren't many possessions at his house that he cared for. After all, his airbike was in a garage in Kuiper and he had no valuables other than that. But his mother was still bed-ridden. How am I going to get her out of here? he began strategizing as he ran down the street. He skidded to a halt at a corner, before breaking out in another run toward his front door. I don't think I'm strong enough to lift her, and she can't make it across town, let alone across the island. And at speed. And in a present danger...

---

The green-haired woman seemed more intent on fuming than particularly paying any attention to Heizo. However, after a moment, she decided to look in the direction he was, to see what he was worried about. In the distance, barely visible over the treetops, she could see the top of a white Crucible ship. For a moment, she seemed confused and shocked. Then she scowled. "Great." She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "Of all the times..."

Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard some shouting coming from below. The captain leaned over the railing, peering down to an unfamiliar face inquiring about the Free Wind. At first, she had a blank expression. But after he asked about taking on passengers, a scowl formed on her face again. "Like hell am I taking any passengers!" she shouted down at him, even shaking her fist melodramatically. "Does this look like a pleasure cruise!? Do I look like a chauffer!? This is my business! I give no free rides!" Then she paused a moment, glancing over at Heizo, before spontaneously kicking her own vessel. "If this ancient thing could even fly!!"