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4 days ago
Current Just finished the last three episodes of Arcane. It was a good finale, but I think I'll need to sleep on it to really figure out how I feel about it
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10 days ago
The cliffhanger in that last episode of Arcane was dirty. How can the writers sleep at night, making me wait another week?
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11 days ago
I'm being abused by my sister's dog because she thinks it's dinnertime. It, in fact, is not dinnertime
6 likes
27 days ago
The new saga for Epic: The Musical dropped today and I've got goosebumps
3 likes
2 mos ago
Never thought the Like a Dragon games would go as off the rails as "Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii," but I'm here for it and really excited to play it
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Welcome to Hell (AKA, the mind of an idiot)

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After a lengthy dressing down from Erik, Luna found herself at the helm with him, Rufus, Galen, and Aquila, discussing their next moves. She still felt weird about leading their crew, but she stowed that discomfort away. These people, even if only because it was Marcus’ will, had faith that she would be able to step up and she had decided she wasn’t going to disappoint them.

“We’re running low on provisions,” Erik was saying. He leaned against the railing in front of the wheel, which was currently being manned by Rufus. The man’s short hair, held back by the white headband wrapped around his forehead, was almost completely white, aside from a few streaks of sandy blonde, as was his small goatee, and he seemingly had spent his entire life on some ship or another, if his tanned, leathery skin was anything to go by. He was easily the oldest person on the ship, but if his temper was anything to go by, he still had more life in him than a person a fraction of his age.

That was something Luna had noticed after waking up. A few of the crew were middle-aged, a couple, like Erik, even older, having been veterans from the Legion before the Empire fell, though most of the crew were still in their upper twenties, lower thirties. The younger men and women had joined up relatively recently, she figured. A few of them had the same look in their eyes she was sure she had, one that told her that they had lost something all those years ago.

The rest probably joined thinking they might be able to earn some cash or something along those lines. As far as Luna was concerned, so long as they didn’t up and disappear in the middle of the night with all their supplies, she didn’t care why they were on the ship.

“We can get by with whatever we can snag by fishing,” Erik continued, “but we’ll need to swing by an island at some point to stock up on essentials. Preferably sooner rather than later.”

“We also need to ask around about Sol,” Luna added. ”Last I knew, he was heading west, but that was a week ago.”

Rufus slowly nodded and looked over his shoulder at Galen. “Sounds like we should pay a visit to Bacchus,” he suggested.

The doctor sighed and said, “As much as I hate to admit it, I think you’re right. With any luck, they’ll be able to spare something for us. As for our wayward prince, it won’t hurt to ask around, but I won’t hold my breath.”

Her brow furrowed, curious by Galen’s hesitation, Luna piped up, ”I remember my dad talking to me about Bacchus Island. It used to be our main supplier of wine, right? Did something happen to it?”

Rufus and Galen shared a look while Erik averted Luna’s gaze with a quiet curse, obviously irritated. It was Aquila who spoke up after a moment of silence, her voice soft, “It was about a year after the empire fell. The Marines were hunting down survivors of the Legion and there was a large number of soldiers garrisoned at Bacchus Island. The man who led them was the prefect of the Fourth Cohort, but when the Marines arrived, he and a number of his men had fled. The remaining Legionnaires, leaderless, were disorganized and fell easily to the Navy.”

“That gods-damned bastard,” Erik growled. “He was always a piece of work, but I never thought he was a coward on top of that. I hope Lunara left his soul to rot.”

Aquila glanced at Erik, then turned back to Luna. “The fighting ended up destroying most of the vineyards on the island. It was in such a state that the government must have decided there was no coming back, so they didn’t station any Marines there. The remaining residents didn’t give up, though, and even though they aren’t anywhere near what they used to be, they’re well on their way.”

“Least until the pirates showed up,” Rufus interjected. “The people on Bacchus Island set up their own local government and things were going well for a while. Then, a few years ago, some pirates showed up, kicked out the governor, and now they’re hoarding whatever wine and money was left over while working the people to the bone to keep their buzz going.”

Luna was quiet for a moment as she worked to get her anger under control. Not only did one of her own people leave those he was supposed to protect to the wolves, but now a piece of her parent’s empire was infested with something worse: parasites. She let out a long, calming breath, then asked, ”Wait, if you guys haven’t been there in a while, then how do you know what’s going on?”

“One of our old crewmates lived there before the Empire fell,” Rufus explained. “There was a short story in a newspaper a little while back, no more than a paragraph on the back page, really, talking about the pirates invading. Marcus let him go back home and he’s been sending us letters ever since. Though…come to think of it, we haven’t heard from him in a while…”

”That’s that, then,” Luna said. She crossed her arms and, with a grin, declared, ”Set a course for Bacchus Island! Let’s show those pirates we’re sick and tired of being pushed around.”

Arc 2: Bacchus Island will start next week



Luna stood at the starboard railing, her eyes fixed on the horizon. An empty plate from lunch sat on the railing next to her and her fork hung limply from her mouth. It had been a few hours since Marcus’ funeral and his death weighed heavy on her mind. She was grateful for the help he gave her. If she had taken too long dealing with Arbor’s lackeys, either he would have gotten a lucky shot off on her or the rest of his men would have shown up and wore her down with numbers. Still, she couldn’t get over the guilt she felt. It was because of her that he died, that he’d never get to see his precious home return.

“You know, Erik’s gonna have some words for you if you drop that,” Rufus said as he came to stand next to Luna, leaning back against the railing.

Luna sighed, took the fork out of her mouth, and placed it on the plate. She didn’t know him all that well, but Luna heard enough to know that Erik was a crotchety old man in the best of times. If she lost one of his utensils, she’d never hear the end of it. After a few moments, she asked, ”Why aren’t you guys pissed at me? I mean, I get it, I’m my mom and dad’s daughter, but Marcus is dead because of m–”

“Alright, I’m gonna stop you right there,” Rufus said, suddenly serious. He was quiet for a moment, then turned to Luna. “I know it sucks. I do. But Marcus made the choice to fight by your side, even though he knew it could kill him. He had the resolve to do what he could to help you, not just because you’re our princess, but because he wanted to help you. So don’t blame yourself for the choice he made, alright?”

”But if I were stronger or faster, then I could have–”

“Could have what? Saved him? Yeah, maybe,” Rufus interrupted. “Maybe not. The only thing we know for sure is what’s already happened and there’s nothing we can do about that besides stand up, dust ourselves off, and take a page from his book.”

”What do you mean?”

Rufus flashed Luna a smile. “Resolve ourselves to do what we can and keep moving forward.”

”Resolve, huh?” Luna echoed. Even if she hadn’t realized it, that was a constant theme in her life. Her parents, when they did everything in their power to protect her despite the impossible odds. Marcus, when he came to her rescue. Even Sol had to have incredible resolve to take on his impossible mission.

Rufus took a couple of steps away from the railing, then turned back to the half-Mink princess with his hand extended. “So, are you gonna keep moving forward with us, princess? Or, should I say, ‘Captain’?”

Luna opened her mouth to argue that she couldn’t possibly lead everyone, but stopped herself. The look in Rufus’ eyes told her that not only he, but the rest of the crew, had already made the decision, one that was probably made when she went to bed the night of the party. It was pointless trying to argue and she was sick of doubting herself, anyway.

Luna cracked a smile and took her second-in-command’s hand. ”Alright, fine,” she said. ”I’ll need help pulling someone away from the brink of stupidity, anyway.”

As she pushed herself away from the railing, her elbow bumped against the plate that held her lunch. It and the fork that rested on top of it both fell into the ocean below. Luna’s sharp ears could hear Erik swearing profusely below deck, as if he had sensed a disturbance of some kind.

”Oops…”

North Blue


Luna awoke to find her world swaying and wooden. It took her a few moments to realize that she was on a ship out at sea. She sat up a little too fast and winced as pain lanced her side. She placed her hand over her wound and found that, underneath the t-shirt she now wore, her waist was neatly bandaged up. Taking it easier, she stood up and made her way over to the door just as it opened. On the other side was a young man, probably a couple years older than her, with close-cropped blond hair, tanned skin, deep green eyes, and freckles that dotted his cheekbones. He wore light tan shorts and a deep red, sleeveless shirt, exposing his well-toned arms. I remember him from the party…Rufus? “Oh, good, you’re up,” he said with a smile, though Luna could see the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

”Where is he?” she asked, her voice raspy, as if she hadn’t used it in days. She started to take another step, but Rufus placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Easy, Your Hi–” He shivered at the glare he got and quickly backtracked. “E-easy, Luna,” he said, “you’ve been out for a couple of days and you’re still recovering.” Before she could argue, he quickly said, “I won’t tell you to go back to bed. You deserve to be here for this just as much as any of us.” With that, he slipped Luna’s arm over his shoulders and added, “Just lean on me, okay?”

Luna relented, mostly because she knew she could barely stay on her own two feet after being out for so long, and let herself be guided to the top deck of the sloop, where the rest of the crew was gathered. The ones nearest heard the door open and turned back to see Luna being supported by Rufus and parted, clearing a path to the center of the deck, where Marcus laid.

He was dressed in his armor, his hands clasped around a sword Luna didn’t remember him using, and his body lay upon a wooden pallet. Off to the starboard side was one of the ship’s jolly boats, suspended over the water by a davit. “Unfortunately, we can’t give him the proper rites he deserves,” a voice said next to Luna. She looked over to find that it was the ship’s doctor that spoke up. Galen, she remembered from the party. He had dressed out of his armor and now wore a short-sleeved, yellow shirt with an image of a winking sheep on the chest. “Proper practice would be to take him back to his home and cremate him there, but we all know that’s impossible…” He sighed, then turned to Luna. “I know you probably didn’t know him very long, but if you’d like to say your goodbyes, then go ahead. We’ll send him off afterwards.”

Luna hesitated for a moment, then removed her arm from Rufus’ shoulders. She took a step and staggered, but held her hand up when he tried to help her again. She took a breath, straightened up, and closed the distance between her and Marcus’ body. When she was standing next to him, she placed her hand on his arm and then noticed the smile on his face. She let out a quiet chuckle and muttered, ”Were you really that happy to die fighting by my side, you old bear?”

She let out a shuddering breath as her grip tightened on his arm. ”I didn’t know you all that long…but during that party the night we met, I felt like I was actually home. After the night we all lost everything, I was lucky to be taken in by some great people, but that feeling I had after meeting you and the others…it was like I was back on Eclipsis with my father, listening to you old soldiers tell your stories…” She sniffled and wiped her eyes before she continued, ”Thank you, Marcus. I’ll find Sol…and we’ll make things right, again.”

She stepped back and returned to her place between Galen and Marcus. A few people stepped out of the crowd and carried the pallet bearing Marcus’ body over to the jolly boat. They secured the pallet to the boat and lowered it to the water, where it was caught by a passing current. Luna and the crew watched as the boat drifted away from the ship, bobbing gently on the waves. Once it was a ways away, one of the crew, a tall slender woman that Luna remembered as Aquila, raised her bow, nocked with a flaming arrow. She let it fly and Luna watched as it trailed through the air and embedded itself into the side of the jolly boat. Before long, the boat, and the body of Marcus Istria, was engulfed in flames. Seeing that, Luna wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry, but she knew Marcus wouldn’t want her to do that. She had a job to do, after all.

She and the crew continued to watch the cremation at sea until the small boat sank beneath the waves, taking the former prefect to his final resting place.



“Has anyone heard from the captain?”

“No, not yet. He’s probably still out there, trying to find those bandits.”

The rest of Captain Arbor’s men, those who didn’t have to stay behind with the ship, milled around the edge of town, where the buildings gave way to the forest beyond. They had been ordered to keep watch along the edge of town in case any of the bandits they were looking for tried to slip past. What they didn’t expect to see, however, was their captain’s battered body falling from the trunk of a nearby tree. They hurried over and gathered around their beaten leader, shocked to see him hurt worse than they had ever seen.

“Captain, what happened?!” one of them asked as he and another each took an arm over their shoulders and helped the man to his feet.

Arbor groaned and opened the one eye that wasn’t swollen shut. He gritted what teeth he had left and muttered, “Take me to the ship…Need to make…a report…The rest of you, there’s a woman…in the woods…”

His face ached as it scrunched up in fury. “Don’t…let her leave alive…”


“Ain’t…dead, yet…” Marcus rasped, his voice weak as he rolled over onto his back, a monumental task given his current state. He placed his hand on the wound on his chest and felt his blood still leaking, albeit at a slower pace as a result of his weakening heartbeat.

Luna couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh. Of course this bear wouldn’t die so easily, she thought as she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes before placing her hands over his, doing her best to apply pressure to the bleeding wound. ”Thank Lunara, I thought I lost you,” she said. ”I-I’ll figure something out, just don’t move too much. I’ll get you back to the others, so save your–”

“Princess,” Marcus wheezed. He looked up at her, just barely able to see her silver eyes with his failing vision. “You…need to get out of here…That captain…his men are bound to show up soon…Y-you can’t afford to worry…about a wounded soldier…”

”Shut up!” Luna suddenly snapped as her eyes scanned the clearing for anything she could use to bind his wounds. ”I’m not losing anyone else! Not when I can actually do something, now!”

A glimpse of white among the shadows suddenly caught her eye. Captain Arbor’s coat! It must have fallen off of him while he was trying to fend Luna off. ”You’re not gonna die. If you’re still gonna call me your princess, then you have to follow that order,” she said as she jumped to her feet and retrieved the coat. She helped Marcus sit up and quickly wrapped the coat around his chest as tightly as she could. She knew it wouldn’t help any internal bleeding, but she hoped it was enough to keep him alive until they got to the ship.

She draped one of Marcus’ arms over her shoulders and stood, gritting her teeth as the cut in her side suddenly reminded her that it was there. She could feel warmth spread across her side as her wound reopened. “Luna…Don’t let yourself die because of me…” Marcus weakly growled.

She pushed the pain out of her mind and began to walk through the forest, dragging the larger man’s feet as she forced a grin on her face. ”Thought I told you to shut up,” she said. ”Neither of us are dying here, not if I can help it! Now, where are we going?”

Marcus was quiet for a moment, too long for Luna’s liking, before he finally managed to say, “North…west. There’s a cove…we have a ship moored there…”

”Alright, big guy, stay awake. We’ll cut right through the trees and be there before you know it!”


It took way too long for Luna’s liking to get through the forest. While the cover of the trees helped hide her and Marcus, the Marines were never too far away, occasionally coming across a drop of blood or a trampled piece of underbrush. If it weren’t for Luna’s New Moon technique minimizing their presence, she and Marcus would have been found before they got more than a hundred feet from the battle site.

As they moved through the woods, Luna had to pat Marcus’ cheek or nudge him more than once to wake him up. She could tell he was fading fast and all that kept him from losing consciousness permanently was the order she gave him. Guy’s definitely loyal. The Legion was lucky to have him, she thought as they slipped behind a tree to avoid a patrol jogging past.

By the time the cove came into view, the sun had started to rise. The sky was a dull gray and the early hour bathed everything in a watery light. Mist had started to rise around them, something Luna was thankful for, as it further hid her and Marcus from their pursuers. ”Marcus, look, there’s the ship!” she said as they left the treeline. He was quiet.

The ship, moored on a small makeshift pier, was a sloop, a single-masted ship with a headsail in front of and a mainsail aft of the mast. All in all, it was a simple ship, seemingly one ‘borrowed’ from some poor merchant sometime in the past. Luna carried Marcus across the sandy beach, doing her best to keep her footing despite the pain in her side and her friend’s limp body weighing her down. She heard a shout from the ship and watched as people began to run down the gangplank toward her and Marcus. ”Hurry, get a doctor!” she shouted. ”Marcus is hurt!” To her wounded friend, she added, ”Don’t worry, you’ll be fixed up and on your feet in no–”

She lost her footing and fell to the ground with a grunt as one of the crew, a middle-aged man in Legionnaire armor, broke away from the group and sprinted over. He and Luna rolled Marcus onto his back and Luna found herself surprised she hadn’t heard so much as a grunt from the older man when they fell. The Legionnaire, the doctor of the crew, crouched down and placed his fingers to the side of the prefect’s neck to check his pulse. He was quiet for several long moments and looked back toward the forest as the sounds of shouting started to grow louder. “Get them on board,” the doctor quietly told a couple of the gathered crewmates as he rose to his feet.

Luna stood and winced as pain flared in her side. ”You can help him, right? He’ll be okay?”

Later, when she thought back, she wouldn't be able to tell if it was the news, the sleepless night, dehydration, hunger, blood loss, or some combination that made her pass out. All she could remember was the look on the doctor's face as he looked at her, that expression that made her blood run cold, that made her heart drop to her stomach, before her world turned black and a single thought ran through her mind.

Marcus was gone.

END OF PROLOGUE



Luna watched in horror as Marcus fell face first to the ground, her heart feeling as if it had stopped as she watched the mountain of a man crumble. For the first time ever since she left Eclipsis, she had finally found someone that reminded her of home, someone that felt familiar despite having been the first time they officially met. And he had been dealt what had to be a fatal wound and she was powerless to stop it.

She felt memories force themselves to the forefront of her mind and she clutched her head. The sights of corpses, the smell of burning flesh, the sound of screaming, of cannonfire and clanging steel, and even the taste of ash flooded her senses, as fresh as if they were happening in the present rather than fifteen years ago. Even the scar on her back burned as if it were fresh.

She fell to her knees as she started to hyperventilate. ”Stop…stop it, please…No…” she muttered as her eyes filled with tears. Then, just as it became too much, as she started to relive that hellish night all over again, it all went away. Her hands fell away from her head as she forced herself back into the present. Luna slowly lifted her gaze toward Captain Arbor, who still stood near Marcus’ body. She saw the white coat and felt a cold fury erupt in her chest.

”Way of Lunara: New Moon.”


Captain Arbor pulled on his weapon to free it from Marcus’ body, but found that it was seemingly stuck. “Even in death, you’re getting in my way?” he grumbled just before he felt a chill run through his body, like someone had walked over his grave. He quickly lifted his head to find that Luna was no longer where he last saw her. Instead, there was only a cloud of dust. He quickly looked around, turning his head left and right as he spun this way and that.

The veteran Marine had been in so many battles over the years that he had developed a sort of sixth sense for enemies, something that had helped him stay alive in even the most dire battles. Now, he couldn’t sense Luna no matter how hard he tried. It wasn’t as if she had just run away, either. He knew she was still there, if the feeling of dread was anything to go by, but he had no idea where she–

It was like he had been hit with a sledgehammer. Something had slammed into his jaw and made him stagger backwards a few steps. “W-where did that come from?” he muttered just as he felt another blow, this time in his stomach. Just like the first, the second impact was accompanied with a loud thump. He fell to his knees as he clutched his midsection, completely winded, only to be thrown to his back as another solid hit connected with his chin. He laid there in a daze before it finally clicked.

Coughing, he rose to his feet and yelled into the darkness, “B-before the attack…I did my research. I learned as much as I could about…your empire’s defensive capabilities…About your vaunted Legion…about the Way of Lumen…” He straightened up and added, “Everything I found pertained to the Luminos family. I could hardly find anything on the Noxes, only what was already public knowledge! But, there was a book I came across, an old one written by someone that visited your Empire a long time ago…It talked about a secret military your family controlled, one that operated from the shadows. I honestly thought it was just a story, but seeing you fight like this, I know it’s not! The Sicarii!”

He waited for another attack to come, but when none did, he continued, ”Your family commanded a group of saboteurs and assassins, didn’t they? Even the glorious Day-and-Night Empire had a dark underbelly!” As he spoke, he slowly backed up toward a tree. If I can just get in here, I can make my way back to the ship and mobilize the rest of my men! he thought as he backed into something. When he tried using his power, though, it didn’t work and he felt his blood run cold.

He quickly turned around and backed up, though he tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. Looking up, he saw the dark silhouette of a woman standing in front of him. He couldn’t see any of her features except for her piercing silver eyes, as cold as steel, glaring down at him. ”And your point is…?” Luna said. There was nothing in her voice, no warmth, none of the emotion she had just moments ago. It was cold, steady, and every word felt like a blade poking at the captain’s throat. ”Your precious World Government isn’t any different. Every kingdom, empire, and government in the world needs people willing to do what others won’t.”

She slowly crouched, bringing herself eye level with the captain. ”Don’t get me wrong, Captain,” she continued, practically spitting out the last word, though her voice remained quiet and even. ”I don’t want to do this. When I fight, I want to enjoy it. But, when I fight like this, I can’t let myself enjoy it. It stops being a fight, stops being fun, and becomes...” She leaned forward and whispered into the captain’s ear, ”...an assassination.”

Captain Arbor swung his fist at Luna, but only met thin air. ”I hope you’ve made your peace,” Luna said. The captain spun around, trying to pinpoint where her voice came from, but he quickly found himself in the same situation he had put Luna in not that long ago. It was as if her voice echoed from every shadow around him.

”You’re not leaving here alive.”

Another heavy blow, then another, and another slammed into the Captain. The last moment before each strike hit, he saw a bolt of lightning as Luna cloaked her fists or legs in Electro, numbing wherever they struck while further empowering each attack. He couldn’t see where the strikes were coming from, couldn’t do anything to defend himself against them. He’d tried to guard his face, only to be struck in the stomach, or vice versa. He’d try to pick up a weapon, only to have it kicked out of his hand before he could get a good grip. He’d try to make a run for the trees, only to be tripped. The captain tasted blood and could hear a ringing in his ears, yet every strike was weaker than that first kick. He couldn’t understand it, he was powerless to defend himself, why wouldn’t she hit harder than she had been?

And then he realized: if Luna hit him as hard as she could, it would send him flying and he could use his power to phase into the first tree he came into contact with. It would take more hits, but Luna was purposefully holding back to make sure he couldn’t run away, even by accident! This woman’s going to torture me to death! he thought as fear gripped his heart.

The onslaught continued for a couple of minutes. The captain fell to the ground, groaning, his face swollen to the point of being practically unrecognizable. Luna reappeared in front of the captain and lifted him by his topknot, similar to how one would harvest a carrot. The captain groaned and whimpered, the words almost unintelligible, “P-please…no more…H-have mercy…”

Luna gritted her teeth. This man had killed so many of her people and almost seemed proud of it, yet here he was, asking her for mercy. Luna raised her fist, her eyes flashing with fury as tears brimmed in them. But, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She had been trained as an assassin, as a Sicarius. She had the ability to take someone’s life, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She wasn’t going to let herself go down that path.

She dropped her fist and tossed the captain at the base of a nearby tree. ”Leave. Get out of here before I change my mind.” When he didn’t immediately phase into the tree, Luna glared at him and yelled, ”I SAID GO!!”

Only when Captain Arbor flinched and slowly slipped into the tree did Luna relax. She sighed and turned her attention back to Marcus’ body. She began to feel sorrow replace the rage she had been feeling. She should have been faster, should have been stronger, then maybe she could have saved him. Instead, he had to die because of her, just like everyone else who had tried to help her.

She walked over to Marcus and knelt beside him. She placed a hand on his back and quietly said, ”I’m sorry, Marcus…I’m so, so sor–” She stopped when she noticed she could feel Marcus breathing weakly under her hand.




Interactions: The Team



Vincent watched Viktor from the corner of his eye as his comrade as the latter worked to reign in his frustration. When Viktor told him to go with him up to the fifth floor, Vincent only nodded and followed his comrade to the stairwell and up the stairs, taking them three at a time. He could understand Viktor’s frustration, barely having any clue as to what was going on up above, but he couldn’t bring himself to be as frustrated. Sure, he had never been in such a high risk situation such as this, his life having always been the one at risk, but because he had been on his own for so long, he had always figured things out as he went. Even the incomplete reports were enough for him.

He and Viktor made it to the fifth floor, where Vincent had just enough time to take in the scene: two bad guys were in the elevator, Cora had just started to blast them to kingdom come, and Daphne was talking to someone that didn’t immediately look familiar. Vincent focused on them for just a brief moment and realized he knew the almost bestial man. His hair was wilder than usual and his uniform was a completely different color, but Vincent realized he was looking at Kila. What really drew his attention, however, was the blood that coated his hands. Guess that explains what happened downstairs, he thought when he noticed one of the men, the other having been thoroughly knocked out, stagger to his feet. He shakily raised his rifle and Vincent was already moving before he could stop to think.

He threw himself in between his comrades and the remaining gunman, throwing his arms out to the side as he unfurled his wings, covering as much space as he could just as the bad guy pulled the trigger. Just as the first round left the barrel of the weapon, Vincent’s skin hardened, turning as black as the night sky as he rearranged the carbon molecules within his own body. He staggered backward as the first couple of rounds slammed into him, but quickly regained his footing. Whatever bullets didn’t hit his body, instead collided with his wings, either falling to the ground or harmlessly ricocheting away, keeping his friends safe.

The gunman lowered his weapon with a stunned expression on his face when he saw his shots weren’t having any effect on the young hero, who raised his head and grinned. A squashed bullet fell from his forehead and landed on the carpeted floor as Vincent’s skin returned to normal. He brought his wings down and launched himself across the room, quickly closing the distance between himself and the gunman. The man tried to fire his weapon again, but Vincent was too close. He closed his hand around the barrel of the gun and crushed the steel receiver with his power as his free hand closed around the man’s face. The last thing the gunman saw was the almost gleeful grin on the hero’s face before he was slammed against the far wall of the elevator. Vincent used some steel from his wings to bind the unconscious man to the wall before nodding at his good work.

”That’s that, then,” Vincent said as he stepped out of the elevator, ready to deal with whatever came next.



Luna ducked under the body of a Marine that had been sent flying by one of the bear’s massive paws. The animal had to stand at least fifteen feet tall on its hind legs, its shaggy brown fur thicker around its jaw, almost as if it had a beard, and parted in places by large scars. One, in particular, drew Luna’s attention: it stretched from the bear’s left eyebrow and ran toward the back of its head. Not only that, but was that bear wearing armor? ”Marcus?! What the hell are you doing here?! And why are you a bear?” Luna asked, unsure which of the two questions needed answering the most.

Marcus let out a loud roar and swiped his paw through a group of Marines. “Sorry, Luna, but I heard the gunshot and couldn’t stay back! We’re almost cleared out, but I left Rufus in charge of the retreat. As for why I look like this, haven’t you ever seen a Zoan user before?!” Before Luna’s eyes, Marcus began to shrink as he transformed into his hybrid form. As he lost about three feet in height, his forepaws morphed into five-fingered hands, each one still tipped with a vicious-looking claw and his snout shrank as his fur cleared from his eyes and scalp, giving his profile a strange combination between human and bear. His upper arms became bare while his forearms and hands retained their thick fur coating. His shoulders and neck widened and shortened, respectively, as the old veteran closed his eyes and cracked his neck. “Been a while since I’ve transformed,” he muttered. “It’s like exercising a muscle you barely use.”

Opening his eyes, he noticed Captain Arbor and let out a low growl. Noticing this, Luna asked, ”You know him, big guy?”

“Yeah, I tussled with him back on Eclipsis,” Marcus muttered. “He and his men caught up to us while I was loading people onto one of our triremes.” He pointed at the scar on top of his head and added, “He’s the one who gave me this, but I sent him running with his tail between his legs. We can handle him, but watch out for his Devil Fruit power. It lets him go into plants and move through the roots. If I can remember correctly, it’s easiest for him to move between trees, but be careful around any plants, just to be safe.”

So, that’s how he does it, Luna thought. As she started to think about how she could counter Arbor’s ability, she heard the Marine captain say, “Is that you, Prefect Istria? I thought I left you to die on that miserable island.”

Marcus let out a bark of laughter and replied, “It’ll take more than this little scratch to put me down. How’s your leg? If I remember correctly, I turned your femur to powder last time we met.”

Luna’s ear twitched and she looked more closely at Captain Arbor, whose face had scrunched up into an angry scowl. Sure enough, she could see that he was favoring his left leg. ”He sure wasn’t moving like he was injured a little while ago,” Luna muttered. Though Marcus had given her a hint what to take advantage of, the few seconds she had fought him had already told her it wouldn’t be easy. Just as she had that thought, she watched as Captain Arbor sank back into another tree.

“Well, when you can move between trees and roots like he can, you don’t really have to worry about using your legs,” Marcus muttered. He turned to Luna with an encouraging grin and added, “You’ve got this, Luna. I’ll keep his men busy. As young as you are, you’ve got a better chance of keeping up with him than I do.”

He patted her back and said, “Show this old soldier what the new guard can do!”

With that, he charged forward with a fearsome roar. Several Marines tripped over themselves as they tried to back up while the braver ones brandished their weapons. Luna watched as he charged into their ranks like a sentient battering ram and felt thankful he was on her side. Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and she heard leaves rustling. Without really knowing where the attack was coming from, she jumped to the right just as Captain Arbor sailed through the air, his sword held straight in front of him as if he were doing his best impression of a spear. He disappeared into another tree and Luna let out a growl. ”Great, now the guy’s a freaking dolphin…” she muttered as she ducked under another flying attack by the captain. ”Actually, a swordfish might be more accurate!”

Again, she heard leaves rustle, this time from directly behind her and it clicked. She suddenly turned around just as the captain shot out of the tree behind her, his eyes wide when he saw her facing him head on. She caught his sword between her fists and said with a grin, ”So, that’s your tell! The tree shakes before you come out!” She pressed her fists against the captain’s blade and shattered it between the steel plates on her glove’s fingers.

She didn’t miss a beat with her next move and lashed out with her right leg, cloaked in light blue arcs of Electro, as the steel shards fell to the ground. Her shin caught the captain on the side of the head and sent him flying through one tree before he phased into the one behind it. “Your ears are sharp, princess,” he grunted, his voice seemingly coming from everywhere around Luna. That kick definitely hurt him.

”And now that you have a taste of just how hard I hit, how about you give up?” she suggested. ”I mean, now that I know how your power works and you don’t have your sword, you’re kinda powerless against me, aren’t you?”

“For now,” the captain said. “But thanks to the Prefect working his way through my men, there are plenty of weapons for me to choose from.” A moment passed before he added almost thoughtfully, “That said, I’ll stand a better chance if I stopped that monster from tearing my men apart, won’t I?”

”Oh no, you don’t!” Luna shouted as she ran through the trees, following the sound of combat. As she ran, she lashed out with her fists and legs, toppling trees in an effort to flush out the captain, but to no avail. If he wasn’t in any of the trees near her, then he must already be a ways ahead of her. Just how fast can that bastard move?! she thought as Marcus finally came into sight. He had wiped out almost the entire squad and didn’t seem any worse for wear, though Arbor was nowhere to be seen.

The old veteran noticed Luna as she approached and dropped the Marine he had been holding by the face. “Did you finish off–” He stopped as he felt something push into his back. Looking down, he saw the blade of a sword, crimson with his own blood, protruding through his chest, having pierced between the plates of his armor.

“Huh…” he muttered before he fell forward.




Character Description: Sol is a very quiet, reserved individual, having learned from a young age to keep his cards close to his chest. Tactically minded, Sol is almost always thinking one or two steps ahead, both in his professional and personal lives, and as such, he doesn’t like surprises. While he’s a reasonable and rational kind of man, he has one main, driving force pushing him to put everything he has into what he does: revenge.

Character Goals: My goal in writing Sol is to provide a kind of foil to Luna’s story. While her side will mostly be somewhat similar to Luffy’s (adventure, action, and making connections), Sol’s will more or less be the opposite, focusing on his struggle to play the part of one person in the pursuit of his personal goal while trying not to forget who he is and where he came from, doing his best to always keep people at arm's length. Like Luna’s story, I plan on Sol’s side being very character-driven.

Organization: Marines
Occupation/Position: Captain
Starting Sea: North

Relations:

Dawn Luminos: Mother (Deceased)

Astrum Luminos: Father (Deceased)

Stella Luminos: Younger sister (Deceased)

Luna Nox: Friend (Deceased, to his knowledge)

Rachel Nelson: Lieutenant, second-in-command

Devil Fruit/Special Abilities: Sol is a gifted swordsman, having been trained to use one from almost as early as he could walk. His skill with the blade and mastery of his original style, the Symphonic Blade, are part of the reason why he was able to ascend to the rank of Captain at a young age, despite the fact that he doesn’t have the power of a Devil Fruit.

During his time with the Marines, however, Sol picked up a couple of new tricks: Skywalk (Geppo) and Shave (Soru), two abilities from the Six Powers. Due to the fact that he isn’t as gifted in physical strength or toughness as some others, he uses these abilities to improve his mobility in combat, making it harder for the enemy to pin him down. As skilled as he might be in these newer forms of fighting, though, there remains one more that he only uses as a last resort, given that it poses the biggest risk to his identity.

The Way of Lumen is a fighting style unique to his homeland, a style of swordsmanship that focuses primarily on speed. This sword-fighting style, taught from a young age, trains the user to move in ways that allow them to maximize their muscular system’s power and efficiency. While it’s possible to use this style barehanded, it truly shines when paired with a sword. A true master is said to be able to swing their sword fast enough to ignite the blade.

In lieu of this powerful fighting style, Sol has developed the Symphonic Blade, an original fighting style of his that makes use of his above-average speed, enhanced even further with Skywalk and Shave. Each attack is based off of a musical term and it’s said by some that music could be heard from his blade.

Sol’s greatest weapon, despite his skill with the blade, is his mind. While he’s a skilled combatant, his grasp of tactics have pulled himself and his crew from the brink numerous times.

Character note: Sol's eyes change color depending on his emotional state, which is a trait unique to his family and a big reason why he works so hard to keep his emotions in check. Depending on how intense his emotions are, his eyes will change from black to red, orange, yellow, white, and finally, blue.

Sample Post: Captain Maxwell Rackham stood at the bow of his ship, his hands resting on his saber in front of him. His white overcoat, the word “Justice” embroidered on his back, fluttered in the wind with his long, black hair. Sharp, black eyes peered out at the horizon from underneath his white cap, his expression inscrutable. The way he stood, his shoulders back, head held high, seemed to almost command respect, despite his age and the fact he was slightly shorter than average. And though he was quiet and often kept to himself, his crew respected and trusted him with their lives and he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel bad about it, given his true goals. They were all good men and women, so far as he could tell, though he’d be the first to admit he doesn’t spend much time chatting with most of them. No, I can’t afford to feel guilty about that, he thought with a shake of his head. One of these days, even these people will be my enemies. I can’t get too close to any of them.

“Figured this is where I’d find you, Captain Max!” a cheerful voice said from behind him.

Maxwell let out a quiet sigh and said, ”Good morning, Lieutenant Nelson. Is there something you need?”

Lieutenant Rachel Nelson grinned and leaned against the railing next to her captain. She was only a little taller than Maxwell was and her long blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail, fluttered in the salty wind. “Well, a fight was brewing between a couple of the cadets in the mess,” she said, her blue eyes glittering with her smile. “I put a stop to that, though. Told them to mop the ship, inside and out, until they could make nice, again.”

Maxwell nodded. Lieutenant Nelson, despite her cheerful demeanor, never hesitated to mete out punishments and it was a big reason why Maxwell considered her his second-in-command. In truth, it was hardest for him to maintain his distance from her, in particular. While Rachel is more outgoing, her smile always reminded him of an old friend and he couldn’t help but feel an urge to get closer to her. “So, mind telling me why we’re heading east, anyway?” Lieutenant Nelson asked, pulling Maxwell from his thoughts. “We keep going this way, we’re gonna be crossing into the old Empire’s waters, eventually, and there isn’t anything out that way. Hasn’t been since it fell.”

”You know how pirates think,” Maxwell replied without missing a beat. ”If they think there’s any chance of easy money, they’d take it, wouldn’t they? I know it’s been fifteen years, but they might think there’s something worth looting from the corpse of an empire, hiding away in some nook or cranny.”

Rachel was quiet for a moment before she shrugged. “I suppose you’re right,” she relented. After another moment, she asked, “Isn’t there a blockade in place, though? How could pirates or anyone else get through that?”

Maxwell let out a dry chuckle and said, ”Pirates are pests and, like any other pest, they’ll always find a way to be where they shouldn’t. Like they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

He turned his gaze out back toward the horizon and noticed a dark spot out on the water a ways out. A moment later, his baby transponder snail started to ring. When he answered, the man stationed up in the crow’s nest said, “Sir, there’s a pirate ship off the port bow. Should we give chase?”

”Go ahead,” Maxwell replied. He hung up, then turned back to face the rest of his ship. ”Prepare for battle!” he shouted. ”Ready the forward cannons! We’ll start off with a warning shot, see if they’ll make things easy for us!”

With a collective, “Aye, aye!” Maxwell’s crew got to work, hurrying across the deck as they made ready for combat. The sails unfurled to full and the ship began to speed forward. In no time at all, they were in firing range. Maxwell gave the order and one of the four fore cannons roared to life, firing a single shot. The cannonball sailed through the air and splashed into the ocean, narrowly missing the ship. Maxwell waited as the ship turned starboard, bringing their broadside to bare. “Looks like they wanna fight,” Rachel replied with a sigh.

Maxwell returned his sword to its place at his left side and took a step toward the bow of his ship. ”Tell the men I’m going over,” he told his lieutenant. Before she could try to stop him, he leapt into the air. He kicked out against the empty air hard enough to compress it under the sole of his foot, creating an invisible foothold that he used to leap through the air over and over again.


“Fire!!” the pirate captain shouted. The starboard cannons roared to life, sending a volley of steel toward the Navy ship that had caught up to them. He and his men were just starting out. They had only just stolen this ship and had yet to even come up with a name for their group, but they’ve already been presented with an opportunity to make a name for themselves by sinking a Navy ship.

The cannonballs landed in the ocean without coming close to hitting their target. The captain growled and yelled, “Don’t you idiots know how to aim a cannon?! What am I paying you for?!”

“We just set sail!” one of his men shouted back. “Besides, who made you captain?! I don’t remember that vote!”

“Keep up with that attitude and I’m throwing you overboard!” the self-proclaimed captain yelled back.

”That’s not a good sign. You all have just set sail and you’re already at each other’s throats?”

The deck of the ship suddenly went quiet as all eyes turned toward the newcomer. A white overcoat fluttered from his shoulders as he adjusted the cuffs of his jet black suit. His long, black hair, tied back in a high ponytail, flowed in the breeze. His appearance was so sudden that it was a long time before someone voiced the one thought on everyone’s mind: “W-where did you come from?!”

”That ship over there,” Maxwell replied, pointing back to his ship. ”My name is Captain Maxwell Rackham and I come here to present an offer to you all. Drop your weapons, put your hands over your heads, and allow us to take you into custody. Otherwise…” He laid his hand on the hilt of his sword and let the gesture finish his sentence.

A long few moments passed before the captain shouted, “What’re you waiting for, men?! He’s just one man! Send the other dogs a message and kill him!”

With a roar, the men all shouted and rushed at Maxwell. The Marine captain sighed and loosened his sword from its sheath with his thumb. ”It always ends like this,” he muttered.

”Symphonic Blade: Cadenza Della Spada!”

To the pirates, it would appear that Maxwell suddenly disappeared. Without warning, several cuts suddenly opened up on each of their bodies, almost simultaneously. The captain’s ears twitched as he watched his crew get sliced up and he thought he could hear…music? Before the pirates fell to the deck with pained cries, Maxwell reappeared behind the captain, his sword across the man’s throat. ”Don’t worry, they’re still alive,” he quietly told the pirate captain. ”I’ll give you one more chance: drop your weapon. I know I said they’re still alive, but if you don’t make your choice now, it’ll be too late for them.”

The pirate captain broke out into a cold sweat. He could feel the sharp blade just barely touching his throat. He knew that before he could even think about twitching a muscle, the Marine captain behind him wouldn’t think twice about pulling that blade across his throat. His eyes drifted to his crew, all of whom were laying on the deck, groaning as puddles of blood slowly spread out from their wounds. Gritting his teeth, the captain let his weapon clatter to the deck and Maxwell let out a sigh. ”Good decision,” he quietly said as he waved at his ship, signaling to them that it was safe to approach.

“I’ve never seen anyone move like that,” the pirate captain muttered. Even though Maxwell had introduced himself earlier, he asked, “Who are you?”

Several moments passed as the Marine ship approached. Maxwell sighed and slowly turned toward the pirate captain as he allowed some of his anger toward the people who had destroyed his home surface. His black eyes shifted into red, auburn, then into yellow, white, and finally a startling blue.

”Just a man trying to make things right,” he quietly said as reigned in his emotions, letting his eyes return to their previous black.

Post Directory:





The approaching Marines, thirty in all, stopped when they saw the cloaked figure that stood in the middle of the path that led to the clearing a townsperson had told them about. They had been told that there was a moderately-sized group of bandits that had made their home in the woods of Corona Island and were giving the nearby civilians trouble, so they weren’t too surprised to see what had to have been a guard on watch. What confused them, however, was the fact that the guard didn’t seem to show any indication of warning their friends. “Who goes there?” an older man shouted. Other than his green hair, which was gathered up in a sort of topknot that resembled a tree, the most notable feature of his was the long, white coat that fluttered from his shoulders, the word “Justice” emblazoned on his back showing that he was at least a captain. “If you don’t answer us, we’ll be forced to–”

He didn’t finish. The cloaked figure suddenly dashed forward and leapt into the air. They landed in the middle of the group, right on top of an unlucky soldier. Without missing a beat, the stranger took hold of the Marine’s face and slammed his head into the ground, knocking him out cold, before they jumped to their feet and lashed out at the nearest Marine with a left hook. The last thing he saw before he fell unconscious were glinting silver eyes and a wide grin.


”Are they here for you guys?”

“I’m not sure,” Marcus said as he poured water onto a campfire. “Best I can figure, the guys who were harassing that family you told me about caused too much trouble and someone called the nearest Navy base, so they came out to wipe out a bandit camp, but they’ll find us, instead. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough here to even take on a full platoon of Marines, so we’ve gotta book it before they find us.”

”And if they do?” Luna asked, though she feared she already knew the answer.

“They’ll execute us on sight,” the old veteran sighed grimly. “The World Government most likely feels that they can’t afford to have any survivors from the Empire, afraid that we’ll gather a force large enough to start trouble, so they’ll wanna solve the problem before it becomes one.”

Suddenly, someone shouted from behind, making Luna and Marcus turn. Another scout ran up to them and said, “The Marines are coming up the path!”

“Shit,” Marcus growled as he looked around the clearing. Under his breath, but still more than audible for Luna’s sharp ears, he thought aloud, “We’ve still got supplies that need to be loaded and thanks to the scuffle with the princess earlier, we don’t have as many able bodies as we should…”

Looking around the clearing, Luna saw most of the men and women still carrying crates and barrels deeper into the woods, most likely toward a ship they had hidden away at the back of the island. When she saw some of them still had bandages on or were limping, she couldn’t help the twinge of guilt she felt. She took a deep breath and told Marcus, ”I’ll keep their attention, you focus on getting everyone out of here.”

“Out of the question,” Marcus said. “We just got our princess back, we’re not gonna risk losing her, again!”

”Thought I told you to stop treating me like a princess,” Luna sighed. She looked up at the taller man and continued, ”Listen, it’s my fault you’ve got wounded. It’d leave a bad taste in my mouth if something happened to any of you because I got a little…overzealous with my fists.”

She smiled and added, ”Besides, you told me that the Empire’s alive so long as there are people to remember it, right?” His face flashed through her mind and she added, ”If I let the Navy snuff out these cinders, then there’s no hope of that fire reigniting. No hope for him…”

Marcus looked at Luna in silence for a long time, then sighed. “Alright, fine,” he relented. He was quiet for a moment, then added, “Be careful.”



Luna was having the time of her life. There were only a couple of situations in which she felt she could truly enjoy herself: at a bar with a good drink in hand and equally good company nearby, or a good fight. She could feel her heart thrumming in her chest, the familiar rush of adrenaline each time she narrowly dodged a swing from a sword or dashed out of the sights of a rifle. Her senses were on high alert, her ears alerting her to the subtlest sounds and her sharp eyes picking out every detail of each soldier as easily as if it were the middle of the day. She was in the zone and she had found her rhythm.

She grabbed one Marine by the collar of his uniform and swung him in a wide circle, using him as a weapon to knock his friends aside, before she threw him at a group of three soldiers who had taken aim with their rifles. As they fell to the ground, one of them reflexively pulled the trigger, nearly missing Luna. She moved toward the rifleman with the intent of knocking him out before he could get back to his feet and get another shot off when her instincts suddenly screamed at her.

She jumped to the side just as an arm clutching a sword stabbed out at her from a tree. She gritted her teeth as the blade grazed her side, drawing blood. She held her hand to her wound as the captain stepped out of the tree as easily as if he were walking through a curtain. ”Well, that’s an annoying ability,” she grumbled.
“I’m glad you think so,” the captain replied as he aimed his sword at Luna, though he never took more than a step away from the tree. He looked around at his unconscious and wounded men, surprised to see that none of them seemed to have been killed, then turned his focus back on Luna. “It’s impressive that a lone girl like you was able to take on so many of my men by yourself. My name is Captain Stewart Arbor. Might I ask yours?”

”Sorry, Cap,” Luna responded, ”but chatting with you is kinda the last thing I wanna do.”

Captain Arbor regarded Luna for a few moments before he said, “That’s fine. In fact, I think I might know who you are. You see, fifteen years ago, I led my men to the island of Eclipsis under the orders of my superiors.” Despite her cloak, the captain could easily tell that his opponent had visibly tensed at the mention of the island. “I was under orders to not spare a single soul on that infernal island. I won’t lie, it left a bad taste in my mouth to order the executions of civilians, but I’m proud that I was able to help nip the rebel element in the bud before it became a problem. While there, I happened to catch sight of Emperor Nox, himself, as he fought one of my comrades. You move almost exactly as he did back then.”

A grin crossed his face as he finished, “The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it, Princess Luna?”

Without warning, Luna charged at him and threw a punch. The captain jumped back into the tree just in time and Luna’s fist crashed into the tree, splintering the trunk. He reappeared several yards away and called out, “Men, stand down! It’s clear none of you are a match for her, so I’ll handle her.”

Since the captain knew who she was, Luna decided it was time to stop holding back. Electro began to arc all over her body as she pulled her cloak off, revealing her snowy hair and wolven features. She wore a black leather jacket with a white shirt underneath it and a pair of worn jeans. ”So, you were there,” she said, her voice low and dripping with barely restrained anger, ”and not only did you never stop to think about what you were doing, but you personally helped kill my people?”

She turned to face the captain and cracked her knuckles. ”You know, I promised myself I wouldn’t do this. I don’t like the mindset I need to be in to do this, but for you? I’ll make an exception.”

She took a deep breath and took a low stance. Her left arm hung loosely while she brought her right hand up toward her mouth, her hand curled in a loose fist. Gone was the grin she had when she fought earlier. The captain took a step back as he saw the look in her eyes; there was no excitement there. Her eyes were more like steel and as cold as the moon.

”Way of–”

A sudden crashing interrupted her as something large charged through the woods. She straightened up, abandoning her stance, ready to respond to the new threat. At first, she thought it was back up for the Marines, but she quickly realized it was coming from the wrong direction. In fact, whatever it was was coming from the direction the camp was. She let out a curse, thinking Marcus had left his men behind to help her, only to stop in her tracks when she saw the biggest grizzly bear she had ever come across tear its way through the Marines.
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