Daxam

How high can we count before a mod gets involved?

198

One Piece: The Devil's Due (Always Accepting!)

---

Luna ran and ran and ran. She knew her father told her to find her mother, but with the chaos of the warzone the city had turned into and the fact that she knew her mother would be in the thick of it, just like her father, the young half-Mink had no idea where to go. Still, she ran as hard as she could, stopping only to hide from Marine soldiers as they ran past. During those times, she curled up as tightly as she could and covered her ears to block out the screams and cries for mercy as they were cut short by the advancing military. When she ran, she did her best to block it out, but there was only so much she could do.

Several times, she had thought about looking at the full moon, but each time, she forced herself to keep her eyes forward. Her father had trained her, of course, but not only did using it always exhaust her, she was also aware that she had trouble controlling herself. The chance of hurting someone who didn’t deserve it scared her too much. Besides, while she might have been able to take on the rank and file, even she knew she’d be helpless against anyone stronger.

Suddenly, her foot caught on a cracked piece of cobblestone and she fell forward with a yelp, but she didn’t get up right away. The pain of her scraped hands and knees, the sounds of people in far worse pain, the thought that she was losing her family and home…it was too much. The young princess couldn’t stop the wracking sobs that came over her. A couple of hours ago, she was sitting on her father’s lap, listening to stories in the tavern, something she would give absolutely anything to go back to.

Unfortunately, her cries drew the attention of a pair of nearby Marines. Luna’s ear twitched at the sound of their approaching footsteps and she quickly rolled onto her back, scrambling back against the wall of the house next to her. They looked down at her, their rifles in hand. One of them leaned closer to get a better look and muttered, “I’ll be damned. I think this is that Nox brat we’re supposed to be on the lookout for. What’s she doing out here without protection?”

“Who cares?” the other asked. “Let’s take care of her before someone catches up to us.”

The first chuckled and stepped closer, crouching in front of Luna. He took her chin in his hand and turned her head as he suggested, “Now, hang on a second. I’ve heard about this place in the Sabaody Archipelago. We could talk to the captain, take her over there, maybe make a pretty Berry or two. How about–”

The rest of his suggestion never came. Quieter than a whisper, a figure clad in black appeared between the two marines and drove their dagger into the back of the kneeling sailor, between his ribs and directly into his heart. Before the second marine could react, shocked at the sight of the stranger suddenly appearing in front of him, the figure pulled their dagger out of the first and into the throat of the second, their long black braid trailing behind them. Withdrawing it just as quickly, they slowly turned toward Luna, who started to feel her hopes rise.

The figure standing in front of her was a Sicarius, clad in a black bodysuit and silver mask. Under the direct command of Luna’s family, Sicarii were normally called in when the Empire needed a scalpel rather than the hammer of the Legion. As the shadow of the Empire, Sicarii were primarily trained in stealth, espionage, sabotage, and assassination, talents no one would openly admit to having, yet were truthfully indispensable for an empire the size of Nychthemeron.

The Sicarius turned toward Luna, returning their dagger to the sheathe fastened to their thigh, and approached the young princess. Luna was about to move toward the figure, but stopped, her father’s parting words ringing in her head: “Find your mother, don’t trust any soldier or Sicarius.” As the Sicarius knelt before her, Luna slowly rose to her feet, pressing her back against the wall. The Sicarius smiled behind their mask, their silver eyes glittering, and said in a voice very familiar to the young girl, “It’s okay, Luna. You’re safe, now.”

She pulled the mask down to reveal the face of Aurora Nox, her mother.

---

”Mama…” Luna mumbled in her sleep before her eyes fluttered open as the creaking and rocking of the ship greeted her. She rubbed her eyes, then winced as her aches and pains made themselves known. She slowly sat up and turned to look out of a nearby porthole as the late evening sun shone through. The ship had drifted away from the island, most likely to keep the golems from attempting to board again, but remained close enough to keep an eye on the shore.

Luna rose from her bunk and ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to shake off the memories that plagued her sleep. Images of her mother, her smiling face followed by her bloodied body, flashed through her mind and she quickly forced them out of her mind. Instead, she forced herself to focus on what she and her crew were going to do next as she made to go above deck.

While the rest of the crew hurried to and fro on the deck, repairing damage created by the golems and clearing any leftover clay, she found Rufus and the others, along with Josiah, standing around a table brought up from below deck, pouring over a map of the island. Seeing Luna approach, Galen smirked and teased, “Well, the princess decides to grace us with her presence, after all.”

“If that’s how it’s gonna be, I can go back down. Wouldn’t mind some more shuteye,” Luna replied with a chuckle as she joined her friends. “What’s going on?”

“I sent my men back into town to check things out,” Josiah replied, “and from the looks of it, it seems like Low called his men and golems back to the governor’s mansion. Seems like he’s expecting us to go after him, so he’s shoring up his defenses.”

“So, a frontal assault is out of the question,” Rufus added. “We can charge headfirst into the fight, but his men and golems will put us down before we can get within a stone’s throw. The governor’s mansion should have escape tunnels in case of attack, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Low already knows about them. We can assume they’re no good, either.”

“Could try sneaking in,” Galen suggested. “There’s gotta be a broken window or a hole some of us could sneak in through. It doesn’t look like they’ve taken very good care of the place.”

Josiah was already shaking his head. “No good. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like wherever Low has his clay, he knows what’s going on. My men say that he’s got his clay all over the place and I can only assume that the inside has even more, so he’d know we’re coming long before we get close.”

It was then that Luna got an idea. “I could probably get in there,” she said. When everyone glanced at her, she continued, “I don’t know if you guys forgot, but the Noxes ran the Sicarius Organization. I’ve got the training, I can get in there. I’d just need you guys to run a distraction. And I’d probably have to do it alone.”

“I don’t know,” Rufus said, “that sounds too dangerous. Having a small team sneak in is bad enough, but making you go in by yourself ?”

Galen sighed and replied, “It is our best shot, though. Most I know about the Sicarii are the stories. If any of them are true, then she’s the only one who can get in. And we all know she can handle herself if things go sideways.”

Rufus was quiet for a long while. He knew they were right, but he couldn’t ignore the bad feeling that was gnawing at his gut. With a sigh, however, he relented. “Alright. If it really is our only option, then there’s no other choice. We’re gonna have to work out one hell of a plan, though.”

The Misfit Crew (ver. 2.1)

Yeah, Vincent is about as subtle as a hammer lol

The Misfit Crew (ver. 2.1)

"Oh, ye of little faith," Vincent said to Anita, grinning cockily as he sat back in his seat. He heard the bell ring and watched as a young woman entered the diner before taking a seat at one of the empty tables. Only when he was sure she wasn't listening did he continue, still speaking quietly enough for his friends to hear, "You all might not know this, but I've made a bit of a name for myself in the underground fighting scene. Got my first win at 14 and I haven’t lost yet."

Vincent listened intently to the man and his customer as they talked about the corrupt deputies and how they even wrongly arrested a man. He felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation, having dealt with his fair share of corrupt ‘law enforcement’ over the years. ”That said, I’ll be right back,” he told his friends as he squeezed out from his seat at the booth. He walked over to the diner worker as he took an order from woman who had just entered the diner. He leaned against a nearby table and crossed his arms as he asked, ”What’re they saying your kid did?”

The Misfit Crew (ver. 2.1)

Vincent leaned back in the booth and crossed his arms as he listened to his companions, playfully flipping off Anita at her remark. "Is Mexico really our only other option?" he asked with a sigh. "The heat here is bad enough, I don't even wanna think about how bad it is further south."

He thought back to Cait's comment about needing money and felt an idea form in his head. Crossing his arms, he looked up at the ceiling before he leaned forward with a grin. "We can talk about where to go later," he said, "but, Cait's right. No matter what we do, we need cash. Way more than we can get by doing odd jobs like we've been doing and in a way that won't draw attention. I've got an idea about that."

He glanced around the diner to make sure no one was interested in what they were saying. The waiter had returned to the counter after taking everyone's orders, where he was chatting with the older guy once more, while the smell of food wafted from the kitchen. In a lower voice, he continued, "I've heard rumors that this big underground fighting tournament's gonna start up over in Austin. I'll make a call to my old manager, knock a few heads together, and we'll be set on cash for a long time."

How high can we count before a mod gets involved?

152

The Misfit Crew (ver. 2.1)

Hey, all, I'll try to get a post up tomorrow. I've got half of one written, but I haven't had time or energy to finish it

The Misfit Crew (ver. 2.1)

<Snipped quote by Damo021>

...we'll be having a run-in with the Classified Crew soon enough...

@Wayward

"Come on, let me at 'em! I haven't let loose in ages!"

The Misfit Crew (ver. 2.1)

Personally, I think 1 or 2 makes the most narrative sense. If you go with 2, maybe have her hitchhike into town?

The Misfit Crew (ver. 2.1)

"Yeah, they're all with me. They should be finding their way inside any time, now."

As if on cue, Vincent's companions found themselves at his booth. "Cait's right. I'd have kicked you guys out of the truck ages ago, otherwise." He chuckled and moved farther into the corner of the booth to make room for Cleome as the others sat on the other side, then picked up one of the menus. He browsed it for a few minutes, keeping in mind the meager remains of the winnings he earned from the last fight he had been in, before telling the tired-looking employee, "I'll take a burger with some fries and a chocolate shake."

He passed his menu and waited for his friends to make their orders as he looked out the window, his chin resting palm. While it might look like he was just idly staring out the window, in reality, he was keeping a close eye on their surroundings. After spending so much time out on the streets and on the run from the law and government, he had developed a rather acute situational awareness. He felt confident that he could spot a cop or government agent no matter how big the crowd and, given how small Eureka Springs seemed, spotting someone out of place should be even easier.

"So long as we head out of the country," he said after a while, still looking out of the window. "I don't mind what direction we go. Europe, Japan, Canada, anywhere's gotta be better than here."