Part 1
Kai
Kai slid down into his chair, staring out the windows at the endless expanse of water before him. This had been their eighth day at sea, and his crew would be getting restless with the lack of action. And this ship is falling to pieces as we wait. It was bad. Earlier that day, the back wing had succumbed to the stress and broke halfway down its length. If they didn't get help soon, the ship would plummet towards the ocean. Our best bet would be a dust tanker, they would help a ship in need. However, this area is known for pirate activity, we may not get a chance to talk before they shoot us out of the sky. We could activate all our emergency lights, but even tanker captains wouldn't be stupid enough to not see that as a trap. I'm pretty sure our emergency lights don't even work. That leaves either finding another smuggler and trading for parts, or running the risk of attacking a–. His concentration broke when he heard the sound of someone approaching. He spun his chair slowly and raised his gaze to meet that of his guest.
Oh right, she's here. Tsuki Shigami had been living on the street before Kai had been "persuaded" to take her under his wing by his partner Amber. Amber had trained her for seven years before allowing her to join Kai on this smuggling run. Even then, Amber had not been happy with Kai's idea of bringing Tsuki along. It's kind of ironic, Amber wouldn't let her come because of how dangerous this is, and this is the only trip I've had without running into problems. I guess that's a good thing; if anything happens to Amber's little protégé, she'll kill me.
"So, how are you enjoying your first smuggling run?" he asked. "I swear it's usually a lot more exciting than this."
"Ya, it's great: endless ocean, bad food, the constant fear of this ship falling from the sky; I'm having the time of my life." Tsuki replied. "Are we almost there? Amber just started showing me how to control my Aura."
Kai smiled, remembering his time at the Academy learning how to control his Aura. "I wouldn't want to keep you from that; we should be back home in Sherwood in about a week."
"Good. I like land much better than sea." Tsuki said. "Why can't you fly over land instead?"
Kai gave an exaggerated sigh and leaned far back in his chair. "Because we don't need to get in more fights than necessary and Grimms can't swim. Well, at least I don't think they can."
"Can't some types fly?"
Kai sat up sharply in his chair. "You're over-analyzing the situation. Don't over-analyze the situation." he said. "Now, is there a reason you here, or are you just going to keep being useless?"
Kai saw a frown form in the corner of Tsuki's mouth. Good, I'm pissing her off. If she can't get mad, it's no fun to have her here. It's something he did with everyone aboard; he had to keep himself entertained when the ship was alone.
He continued. "You're not useless anymore though, right? You've grown a lot since then, haven't you; a whole inch. You almost look thirteen, you've become such a big girl." Kai couldn't contain his grin. She hates being patronized, this should get me somewhere.
Tsuki cursed under her breath. "I'm seventeen, I can take care of myself. I've been told I'm much more capable than you were at my age; Amber said I'm good enough to become a huntress." she said, producing two apples from the folds of her skirt. "Something I here even you couldn't do." She threw one apple forcefully at Kai's head.
Kai caught the apple before it impacted his face, and took a bite. Well, it seems Amber can't shut up about the past. I wonder, did she mention she dropped out with me? Kai and Amber had been part of the same team at The Academy, but dropped after the other two- Wait, I'm getting away from myself. It doesn't matter, thinking about it won't bring them back. Kai brought his attention back to Tsuki. I've got my handhold now, she thinks she's as good as a huntress. Now, where to go from here. She's clearly confident in her abilities, so I can't tell her she'd be inadequate. She's short, that's something. But I started there, I need more than that. Um… she has grey hair? No, that's stupid! What can I do? Kai raised his gaze and saw the large grey lynx ears that poked out of her hair. Oh, right.
Kai swallowed his bite of the fruit and leaned forward. "You're being so naïve. With ears like that, the best you'll do without me is a lucrative job in the dust mines." Ha, no way in hell is she letting that slide, I've got her.
Kai was right. Tsuki's right hand dropped her apple and flew to her back, producing the long knife she kept there. Screaming, she threw a strong, horizontal slash toward his neck. Kai had expected such a move; he leaned back in his chair and watched calmly as the foot-long blade passed inches from his face. He grabbed her wrist and twisted, forcing the knife out of her hand. His other hand went to his belt to pull Ortus on her, but instead of the warm, familiar grip of his gun, his fingers grasped only empty space. He raised his head to see the large golden revolver in Tsuki's other hand, being pressed against his stomach. Well, didn't expect that, guess I'm done for the day.
"Well, I see Amber's taught you well. I'm proud to say I didn't even notice." Kai said as he raised his hands above his head in mock surrender. "But you still snapped, so I still win. Don't worry about not being able to be a Huntress, what we do here is a lot more fun." Tsuki stepped back, but still kept Ortus pointed toward his chest, her eyes burning with rage. Kai raised himself from his chair and stood to his full height, a good foot above Tsuki. I think I may have gone a little too far. "So you were able to best me, fantastic job. Now, give it back."
"Why should I? What can you do about it?" Tsuki's ears had flattened out and disappeared into her dark grey hair. "If you stop pissing me off, I'll think about giving it back."
Kai laughed softly to himself. "Not very likely. We both know I'll come out on top in the end, why not just give up now?"
"What if I just shot you? You can't come out on top if you're dead."
"True, but then you'd be stuck on an airship falling apart at the seams over an ocean. The nearest land's over two thousand miles away, and not developed. Even if you were able to get there, you'd just get killed by Grimms." Kai couldn't help but feel smug. "So either you shoot me and definitely die, or give Ortus back and probably die."
Tsuki still held Ortus strait, but Kai could tell she was having second thoughts, "That doesn't sound very hopeful." she said.
Kai smiled. "Never said it was. Now, be a good little girl, and stop pointing my own gun at my chest. I'll make Amber teach you to use your Aura to punch through steel."
Tsuki gave him an annoyed look. "Shut up."
Kai dropped his arms to his side and laughed. "Well you're chipper today." he said. I can't believe I'm resorting to this. Kai sighed, disappointed it had to come to this. "I'm only gonna say this once, so cherish the moment. You win."
That was all the motivation Tsuki needed. She moved her finger off Ortus's trigger, and gave Kai the opportunity he needed. He would never do anything without a backup plan, and this conversation was no different. This backup plan wasn't complicated, just Ortus's silver twin, Occasus. He pulled the gun and held it to Tsuki's face before she had time to react.
"So how's this for being on top? I'd like to believe I've won, so give me my gun back." Kai said, and held out his spare hand to take Ortus.
Tsuki reluctantly turned the gun over and pressed the handle roughly into Kai's palm. "You've just pulled a gun on a seventeen-year-old girl to get what you want. Happy with yourself?" she said, glaring at him.
Kai holstered the guns. "Oh quite, why wouldn't I be?"
"Because that girl came here to tell you that dust to run the engines is running out. Three days tops until this horrible flying ship becomes an even worse floating ship; and by floating ship I mean sinking ship. Seriously, I can see through the bottom of this thing."
"Don't talk about my Marian like that, even if she isn't exactly a ship in her prime. None the less, pirates should show up soon. We can steal from them." Kai turned and walked to the window, scanning the horizon for any signs of movement. "Stealing from pirates is legal, right?"
"Probably not." Tsuki strode across the room to stand beside him. "Also, why do you keep saying pirates? Pirates haven't been a thing in at least a hundred years."
Kai looked down at her. "I use pirates because pirates are awesome. It's also easier to say pirates than criminals, rebels, gangs, and terrorists, so that's another point in my favor."
Kai heard Tsuki mumble under her breath. "Would it kill you to take things seriously for once?" she asked. "This is my first actual trip and I'd like to survive it."
"Ah, ye of little faith. We're doing just fine. We'll be back to Sherwood before you know it." He stared back out the window, looking for anything besides water. "Just to let you know, I had a cousin who took things seriously. Want to know what happened to him?"
"He died?" Tsuki asked; Kai could tell she was still pissed off.
"He died." Kai responded with. "Now, is that all? I'd like to start writing down a list of what to buy when we sell all our cargo."
"Nothing else you'll care about." she said.
"Good." Kai looked down at the vambraces Tsuki wore on her arms. "Leave those here, its high time I do something to them."
Tsuki looked confused. "Why? I like them."
"All they do is shoot kunai, I can do so much more." Kai said. He looked down at his revolvers. The past fourteen years definitely showed on them; both guns had large blades attached under the barrels and each chamber held a different form of dust to allow him to shoot everything from Aura to metal to lighting. He could also change them into swords, spears, or axes by manipulating the handles. Dust is great, no one else in the world has weapons as ridiculous as these. He looked back towards Tsuki's simple black arm guards. Maybe I'll add a way to shoot explosive kunai. Maybe add flamethrowers? No, retractable broadswords! Or have them shoot rockets that explode into corrosive needles on contact! Kai looked up at Tsuki's face and saw fear in her eyes, then became aware of the deranged look on his face. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here.
"It won't be anything ridiculous, okay?" he promised, trying his best to not sound too excited about the idea of making new weapons.
Tsuki stared at her vambraces "I guess, just make sure I can still use them." She looked at Ortus dangling at his waist. "Just holding that thing confuses me." She undid the straps, and slid them of her arms.
Kai took the plain metal bands from her and began studying them. "Would you be fine with me adding some flair to these things? They're awfully boring." Kai asked, hoping for the answer he wanted. "Something pink perhaps? It'll match your eyes. That matters, right?"
She looked at the guards like it was the last time she'd ever see them. "I guess, they are kind of plain." she said.
"Good. Now, out of my room, I'll get these back to you later." Kai walked over to his workbench and put the vambraces down. Just before she left, he asked her one more thing.
"How much do you weigh?"
Tsuki didn't even turn to respond. "Around eighty to ninety, why?"
"Not telling. Get out." Kai turned back to the bench and heard the door slam.
He turned over the vambraces and began planning their upgrades. I'll have to add a half-inch underneath for this to work. He opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of collapsible, three-bladed glaives. I'll need wire with a hundred pound limit, at least. If anyone came in to talk, he never noticed.
Part 1
Tsuki
Tsuki started down the corridor away from Kai's room. Stupid prick, with his stupid green hair and his stupid cocky attitude. Kai fancied himself as a genius, but all he had to his name was his skill in weapon crafting. Everyone on the ship knew Kai always walked the thin line of eccentric to insanity, but no one would question him when he gave orders. He had managed to get his hand into the pockets of most gang leaders in Vytal, and even some of the smaller academies.
"So? What'd you do? I could have heard you screaming from the engine room, and that kind of anger is only made by Kai." She looked in the room to her right to see Jaekobi sitting against the far wall, staring at her through his jet black hair while sharpening his sword. "Did you kill him?"
"Tsuki shook her head. "I did pull a knife on him though; and a gun. His gun." She stepped up to stand across from him, enjoying the ability to look down to someone for once.
"That it? I tried throwing him out a window last time he pissed me off." Jaekobi said, running his finger over the smooth edge of the giant, strait blade. "But I guess you can't do that. You're what, five feet tall?"
"No," Tsuki said, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Just under."
Jaekobi laughed at that. Any normal person would be terrified of him; his hair draped over his eyes and he had scars across his face, chest, and arms. At over seven feet tall, he dwarfed everyone he met, and being built like a tank didn't make him any less formidable. When Kai first brought Tsuki under his wing, she had gone nearly a year before she would even talk to him. Once she did, it had only been a few months before he had become her favorite person in Kai's crew.
"Well don't let it get you down." he told her. "No point in getting mad over things you can't change."
"It's not that," Tsuki slid down the wall to sit beside him. "I just feel like Kai doesn't take me seriously."
Jaekobi stared at her. "You've met the guy, right? Half the kingdoms on the planet could be killed and he still wouldn't take it seriously."
"I guess," Tsuki looked out into the hall, imagining Kai laughing and cracking jokes as entire Kingdoms were being killed by monsters. 'Hey, did you hear that half the planet's dead? That's less competition for us! Let's go get drinks to celebrate!' she could almost hear him saying. The thought immediately worried her, that shouldn't be so easy to picture.
Jaekobi stood up and put his sword into the strap across his back. "Well, how about I get your mind off of Kai's insanity; you down for some good old-fashioned sparring?"
Tsuki's face lit up at the proposal. If there was one thing that could help her forget her problems, it was fighting. She got up and followed Jaekobi out of the room and down the corridor to the sparring gym. Back when Marian was a transport airship, the area would have been where passengers could relax and take in the view from the large circular windows on opposite sides of the room. Kai had stripped out the benches and chairs, then tore through the ceiling to raise the height from ten feet to eighteen. Aside from adding some practice equipment, nothing much had been done; Tsuki could still see the boarded-shut doors that would have led to the rooms above, had Kai not gutted everything.
Two other crew-mates were practicing when they arrived. Desmin, the ship's pilot, was fighting with a long, collapsible poleaxe, while his brother Calum was using a heavy bastard sword. As was usual with the weapons Kai built, both could change into guns if needed.
Calum had the clear advantage. Desmin was backed far into the far corner, and it was all he could do to not get struck by the deep blue blade of his brother's sword. The fight must have been going on for a good amount of time, because Calum was running out of steam and his swings were getting sloppier. Calum swung low at Desmin's legs, but Desmin got his axe down in time to stop the blow. He jumped back and put his feet to the wall, balancing himself on the blade of his weapon. Desmin kicked off the wall and went sailing over Calum's next slash, landing on one knee. Calum spun around and tried to land a hit, but Desmin was faster, blocking every swing. Calum lifted his sword high, then made a heavy downward slash at Desmin's chest. The swing hit only air, as Desmin danced back in time to avoid the point. Desmin took his opportunity to hit Calum square in the face with the pole of his weapon. Calum dropped his sword and brought both hands to his nose with a scream of pain. Desmin hooked his brother's ankle and pulled, dropping Calum to the floor.
"Well brutha, looks like I win this time." Desmin put out a hand, and helped his older brother to his feet. "It's about damn time too." He turned to see Jaekobi and Tsuki watching and waved to them. "Ha! Did'ya see that! Knocked 'im right on 'is ass!" Tsuki couldn't help but laugh. If Desmin lacks anything, it's definitely not charisma.
"Will ya shut up kid? You win once and treat it like takin' down god 'imself." Calum told his little brother. "Also, I think ya broke my bloody nose, try not doin' that next time." He picked up his hand-and-a-half sword and removed the safety edging that kept him from actually cutting anyone while sparring.
"The first of many. I'm getting better." Desmin threw his hands in the air, sending his halberd flying across the room. "The world will remember the name of Desmin the Great, the best damn fighter in the world! And 'is arse-'ole brutha who couldn't fight worth Grimm piss! I'll be–."
Desmin didn't get the chance to finish before Calum kicked him in the stomach and laughed as he fell to his knees. He walked over to Desmin's poleaxe and picked it up, coming back just as Desmin was getting on his feet to beat him back down with the staff of his weapon. Calum dropped the axe beside his sprawled out brother and stood across from him.
Desmin rolled onto his back, and stared up at Calum. "What the 'ell? Why'd ya do that ya crazy bastard?" he yelled.
"Well brutha, looks like the best damn fighter in the world can't take an 'it. Now, quit yer bitchin' and stand up." Calum ordered. Once Desmin got back on his feet, Calum landed a hard right hook into his face.
"Ah! Seriously? What the 'ell!" he shouted, staring angrily at his brother.
"An 'it for an 'it, now it's time to quit." Calum said.
The two stared at each other for several seconds. Tsuki looked back and forth between them, scared of what would be coming. Oh my god, they are going to kill each other. Suddenly, both brothers broke out into heavy laughter; her fear turned into a mixture of relief and confusion.
"Um… am I missing something here?" Tsuki asked the two. "You both just broke each other's noses, and you're laughing like maniacs about it."
Desmin looked over at Tsuki. "It's a rule we've 'ad since child'ood. If 'e beats me, I get to beat 'im later; it's a bloody good system; we 'aven't 'ad an argument since I was six." He wiped his hand across his face, and showed off the bright crimson stain on his hand. "It's also one of the few times the phrase 'bloody good' can be takin' literally."
Calum straightened up and put an arm around his brother. "We 'aven't 'ad to use it since we got on this ship, there's usually too much 'appening for us to get in dumb fights." he said, then playfully punched Desmin in the jaw. "But Cap'm seems to 'ave put us on a particularly bad course. We've 'ad notin' to do for over a week!"
"So, is that rhyme part of your rule? It seems kind of…" Tsuki began to say, but then trailed off at the end.
"Stupid?" Calum said. "Ya, I get it. It's pretty stupid. I was seven, give me a break." He pushed Desmin away from him, then picked up the poleaxe and gave it back to him. "Let's get off the topic of our childhood. What's the Cap'm say about us running outa fuel?"
Tsuki looked out the window for a moment. "He says he has a plan, but he's really just hoping someone shows up soon." she responded. Tsuki took notice of the red puddle forming at the feet of the brothers. God they've lost a lot of blood. "Don't you think you two should go get patched up? You're both bleeding a lot." she said.
Desmin put a hand to his mouth, and stared at the blood on it. "Oh, right. Well, I guess we might as well go talk to Dhana." He and Calum walked toward the door on the far side of the room. "I've got it worse than you brutha, you're 'air can 'ide most of the blood." Tsuki heard him say as the door slid shut.
Jaekobi put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I guess they're done for the day. Time to start?" he asked.
Tsuki nodded and walked over to the corner where they kept the extra equipment. She picked up two spare vambraces, checking them for any signs of wear. They're not mine, but they'll do. She removed her sleeveless, hooded jacket and pulled her knife from its scabbard. Tsuki admired the slick, black blade briefly before putting the protective edging on it. She slid the vambraces on and tightened them, then took her stance.
Jaekobi stood on the opposite side of the room. He had taken off his overcoat, and stood holding his humorously over-sized sword idly in his left hand. One side of the blade was strait and smooth, the other had a slight angle to it and was covered in sharp teeth. The entirety of the sword was a dull shade of grey, gut it didn't make the weapon seem any less impressive. Even though it was meant as a two-handed weapon and was twice the weight of any its size, Jaekobi could still wield it with one hand.
Jaekobi lifted the giant sword toward her. "Ready?" he asked.
Tsuki looked down at her spare arm guards briefly, then looked back up at him. "Ready."
The room wasn't the ideal size for fights, but it was the best option on board. It was only twelve feet wide and twice as long, with angled walls that made it awkward to fight in properly. Kai had chalked a white boarder about two feet from the walls and windows to serve as a 'fighting ring', but most fights weren't contained in it.
Jaekobi dropped the sword to his side and charged. Tsuki raised her right arm in time to glance his first swing off the vambrace. She got herself under the sword, throwing a quick jab into his chest with her left. I just have to stay close. He can't hit me if he can't swing. She rolled between his legs and kicked him in the back of his knee. Jaekobi faltered, but held himself up. He turned, and threw a long swipe at chest height. Tsuki jumped back in time to avoid the blow, then leapt forward and threw her foot into his side. Before he could react, Tsuki brought her right arm up, and smashed her palm into his jaw. Jaekobi stumbled back, but still held his ground. He hefted the sword over his head, and brought it straight down on Tsuki. Tsuki got both arms on top of her head in time to block, but still fell to one knee from the sheer weight of the sword.
Jaekobi began swinging faster and faster, not giving Tsuki time for her to get back on the offensive. He landed a blow on her thigh, and she felt her leg give out on her. Tsuki looked up just in time to see the flat of Jaekobi's blade slam into her stomach. The blow sent her flying across the room; she landed hard on her back and slid into the wall.
"Had enough?" Jaekobi said while Tsuki sat up, coughing. "I can quit if you want me to."
Tsuki gasped for breath, trying to say something. I'm not giving up after one hit, I'm better than that. Now, get closer. She waited until Jaekobi was a few meters in front of her, then flipped backward and planted her feet on the wall. She kicked off, rolled, then jumped into the air and kicked at his head with both legs.
Jaekobi raised his hand, grabbing her ankle. She didn't even have time to react before she flew across the room again. This time, Tsuki had a landing strategy. She spun in the air and cartwheeled onto her feet, then turned and pulled her knife.
They both dashed toward each other and began exchanging blows. Jaekobi was on the full offensive, giving Tsuki no room to swing back. She slid her knife down the length of his blade, and got past his defense. She delivered a swift jab to Jaekobi's wrist, making him loose his grip on his sword. An unarmed Jaekobi was a much easier opponent; Tsuki sheathed her knife and began planting her fists in every place Amber taught her. Jaekobi tried to block, but any time his hands got somewhere Tsuki had already hit and moved on.
After a quick succession of blows, Jaekobi threw a hard right at Tsuki's head. She tried to get out of the way, but couldn't move fast enough; his fist caught her below the arm and sent her sprawling. She spun in the air and landed on her feet. Okay, got to try a different route. She glanced up and saw some frayed cables hanging from the roof. There's my route. She leapt forward and planted her feet on Jaekobi's chest, then kicked off to catapulted herself into the cables, grabbing one.
Jaekobi looked up at her while flexing his sword hand. "What'd you do to my hand? I can't feel it." His hand relaxed enough for him to pick his sword up again. "Is that what Amber's been teaching you?"
Tsuki flipped upside-down to get closer to his face. "Yup. It's some old martial arts technique she knows. It's pretty awesome; if I do it right, your arms don't even work."
He laughed. "Oh, is that so? Why don't you come down and prove it?"
She didn't have time to respond before he threw his sword to sever the cable she was holding onto. She turned in mid-air and landed softly on her feet. Instead of facing him head-on, Tsuki turned to the wall behind her, then ran up it. Once she got halfway up the wall, she turned and kicked off. Tsuki rolled over the floor, and came to her feet just in time to punch as hard as she could into Jaekobi's stomach. Even though it felt like punching a brick wall, Jaekobi still lost his breath from the hit. He fell onto one knee, coughing. I've really got him, he's not getting back up from that. She pushed him over, sat on his chest, and pulled her knife against his neck.
"So I think I win." she informed him, rocking the blade across his Adam's apple. "Do you submit?"
Jaekobi took a deep breath. "Ya, sure. Can you get off of me now?"
She got off his chest and tried to pull him to his feet, but was quickly reminded that Jaekobi weighed over three hundred pounds. This was a bad idea. She fell over with a yelp and landed beside him.
"Wow, graceful." Jaekobi said. He sat up and grabbed his sword.
"Not my fault, I forgot you're three times the size of me." Tsuki said. She removed the vambraces and threw them into the corner.
"Oh, how typical. Did you also forget about your stupid ears? Why else would you think you deserve to be here?" Tsuki's rare smile faded quickly to an annoyed frown. Oh great. He's here. She looked over her shoulder to see Aren standing in the doorway.
Aren had joined Kai's crew just over a year ago, quickly becoming a beacon of hate to Tsuki. He was the son of one of the higher-ups in a gang Kai supplied and was sent to Kai to learn more about places beyond Vale. Instead of taking in the sights of the other Kingdoms, he spent his time harassing everyone else on board. He was particularly fond of using Tsuki for the task, never failing to tell her she was 'inferior' and try to ruin her life.
"Really Aren? Leave her alone, Kai wouldn't have brought her if she couldn't keep up." Jaekobi said. "She beat me; that has to mean something."
Tsuki turned to Jaekobi. Good, he hates Aren too. Aren always had a smug look on his face and walked around the ship acting like he owned it. He seems a little too much like Kai, Tsuki had decided. All the more reason to hate him.
Aren walked slowly into the room, looking at them as if they were trying to win his approval. "Please, I've trained at an actual academy back home; you've only worked with Kai's irritable little friend, Amber. Anyone who would train the likes of that," he looked at Tsuki, "couldn't possibly be better than those chosen to defend the world."
Tsuki clenched her fists, and jumped to her feet. I'm gonna kill him. No one will miss this arrogant, racist asshole. She only took a few steps before she felt Jaekobi's hand on her shoulder.
"Calm down, he's not worth it." he said in her ear.
"No one will care, we can say he fell out of the ship." she snapped back. "They couldn't find the body way out here, we'll be fine."
Jaekobi had a different idea. "Well, if you're so sure you can beat her," he said to Aren, "why not have a match?"
Aren seemed to enjoy the notion. "I suppose," he said. "If she can stay on her feet for more than a minute, she might almost be adequate." He pulled his sword off his back to begin putting the protective edging on it.
Tsuki might hate Aren, but she had to admit he had an amazing weapon. It was a two handed sword, with two straight blades that angled toward each other at the point. One blade was a deep bronze and the other a dark crimson. A black chain was attached to the bottom of the equally dark handle, connecting the sword to a crimson buckler on his left forearm. Both the buckler and sword handle had a golden circle pressed into them. Aren claimed it was custom-made, specifically for him; Tsuki couldn't help but feel a little jealous that she couldn't get a sword like that. Aren of course ruined the beauty of his weapon by referring to it as Blood Money.
By the time Aren had finished edging his sword, Tsuki had already put her vambraces back on and had begun spinning her knife in her hands. Her blade was not as spectacular. It had a silver handle with a piece of black gem in the pommel. The knife's blade was strait and square, looking somewhat like a long, thin meat cleaver. Tsuki made sure to keep every open edge of the knife sharp enough to cut steel, letting her slash and stab with it as she pleased.
"So, that's it?" he asked, laughing at her. "You'll fight me with a butter knife? This should be over before you know it."
Damn right it will be. Normally they went easy on each other in sparring, but Tsuki was planning to go full out. Her ability with using Aura wasn't very great, but she could use it to punch harder. Much harder. She flipped her knife in the air and grabbed the tip of the blade. With a flick of her wrist, the knife spun toward the wall to her right. She smiled viciously at the satisfying sound of it sticking into the metal.
"I don't need to use a knife," she told Aren. "Let's do this." She took her stance in the corner of the fighting ring.
Jaekobi was leaning against the wall to her left. "Okay, let's have a good, clean fight." he ordered the two of them. "Are both parties ready?"
"She seems to be, I suppose I'm ready to go." Aren said. He put both hands of the hilt of Blood Money, and held the beautiful sword in front of him.
"All right, fight."
Aren started just as Tsuki knew he would. He dropped his sword and used its chain to fling it toward her. He's not good in one-on-one with an equal opponent, he's better suited to fight a crowd of easy targets. Tsuki dashed left, hearing the blades of Blood Money bounce across the floor where she'd been standing. She planted one foot on a window, kicked off, and ran straight at Aren. He didn't even have time to get his sword back in his hand before Tsuki put all the power she could into an overhand punch with her right. The blow caught Aren square in the chest, sending him flying back into the wall behind him.
"There, I win." she said, smugly watching Aren try to regain his breath.
Jaekobi was laughing loudly; he walked over and picked Aren up off the ground. "That was what, four seconds? Looks like a minute was too much time."
Aren didn't find the situation as humorous. "You cheated!" he shouted at Tsuki. "You used your Aura! I felt it! If I used mine, you wouldn't stand a chance!"
Tsuki was about to agree to a second fight when Kai hurried through the door, with the brothers and Dhana, the ship's medic, in tow. "Aren, shut up. She'll kick your ass in any fight." he said. "Now, back to what matters." He walked past everyone, the spun dramatically to face them. "I, your brave and resourceful captain told you we would find a ship, and I don't consider myself a liar. I present to you our saving grace!" He pointed toward the window on his left. Everyone ran over to see what he was talking about.
Tsuki scanned the ocean as hard as she could, but couldn't see what Kai was talking about. Is he mocking us? Or has he finally gone insane and actually believes someone's out there?
Desmin vocalized Tsuki's thoughts. "Um… Cap'm, I don't see anything, are ya sure ya saw a ship?"
Kai looked genuinely confused. "Yes, I'm positive, a great big dust tanker, clear as day." He walked over and looked out the window. "Hmm… I seem to have been mistaken." he pointed shamefully across the room. "The ship's that way."
Everyone lets loose an audible groan and walked to the other window to see the tanker.
Kai acted offended. "Well I'm sorry, I was facing the other way when I saw it. I got turned around."
Sure enough, Tsuki saw a shape near the horizon that could only be one of the massive dust tankers that crossed the water. The sight of it lightened everybody's moods. Naturally, Desmin and Calum overreacted, thanking numerous deities and yelling obscenities at the ocean.
"Calum, get to the bridge and set a course for that ship, I'd like to get there in an hour." Kai commanded. "Jaekobi, Desmin, Aren, Tsuki, come with me." He started toward the door that led to the on-board hanger, not even checking to see if he was being followed.
Both Desmin and Calum were confused. "Um, Kai. Shouldn't Desmin do the pilotin'? E's better at it than I am." Calum asked.
Kai looked over his shoulder at him. "That's why I'm bringing Desmin. I counted four tiltjets on that thing's deck; probably someone trying to take the ship's cargo. If we're going to acquire them, I'm gonna need my best pilot to help."
Tsuki couldn't believe what she just heard. Is he serious? We're gonna pick a fight with four jets worth of hijackers? And steal the jets too?
Jaekobi didn't find the situation as ridiculous as she did. "Okay, sounds cool. We going to keep them or sell them?" he asked.
"Sell them, of course." Kai said, "My total operation is eight people; I don't need five jets." He brought his attention to Tsuki's spare vambraces. "Oh right, take these." Kai produced her actual vambraces from somewhere in his coat and tossed them to her. "I added more dust capabilities, your kunai will now carry whatever kind of dust you load into them. I also increase the amount of kunai they can hold by fifteen."
Tsuki took off her spare vambraces and put on the ones Kai had thrown to her. They felt heavier and were a bit longer, but they still felt like hers. Kai had even kept his promise of adding a design to them. There were a series of lines, curves, and circles etched into the metal in pink.
"Does this mean anything?" she asked, running a finger over the pink dashes. They don't feel any different, it's like they're not even there. How's he do that?
"It's an old language I know." Kai told her. "It's the new name for them, Broken Thorn. What do you think? Pretty good, right?" He giggled like a little girl while waiting for an answer.
"Ya, its good." she said, looking them over. "So is one named Broken and the other Thorn?"
Kai's grin disappeared, "That hadn't occurred to me." He pouted for a moment, but the moment passed. "Sure, why not? That's not all I did though; point your arms away from everyone, and clench your fists."
Tsuki did what he said; she flinched at the sound a discharge, and felt her arms jerk back. She looked at her right arm and saw a thin cord sticking out of the bottom of the vambrace. What in hell is this? Tsuki followed the wire to a thin disk embedded in the ceiling. She looked to her left, and saw an identical disk stuck in a window.
"I'm really proud of that one. Those are glaives, the wires retract if you clench your fists again. You're really fast as a fighter, and these will make you even faster." Kai said, waiting eagerly for Tsuki's reaction.
She clenched again, and felt little motors against her forearm whir. The glaives pulled loose and slid up into small sockets beneath her wrists.
"Okay, that's bloody cool," Desmin remarked, "ya wanna trade?"
Kai punched him in the side of the head. "No trading!" he yelled. "Those wires can only hold a hundred pounds, so they'll only work with Tsuki." He turned back to her. "The glaives also light up with whatever kind of dust you're using. I've loaded them with burn crystals for now, but we can switch them up later." He tapped a pink circle near the front of her right vambrace, and a small compartment opened up to show a shard of glowing, red crystal inside.
"That's pretty impressive," Tsuki admitted. "But what about guns?"
Kai put on a confused face. "What about guns?" he asked.
"Everyone else has stuff that turns into guns. Can mine?"
Kai sighed. "Tsuki, your guards already shoot kunai, and now can launch glaives. Anyone would see that adding guns would just be redundant and unnecessary."
"Can they?"
He smiled. "There are three buttons inside the ring of each glaive. Push them, and the glaives turn into automatic pistols." He ruffled Tsuki's hair, then spun around. "Now that we're done with that, let's go get us some jets!" he shouted while walking out of the room, the four of them in tow.
Part 1
Kai
"So what's the plan here? Are we goin' to ask them for their planes, or are ya just gonna kill 'em all and take 'em?" Kai heard Desmin ask through the tiltjet's speaker. Dear god, I have to get him and his brother into some sort of accent removal class. I can barely understand them.
They had just taken off out of the back of their airship, and Kai, Jaekobi, Aren, and Tsuki were sitting in the back of his old tiltjet. Even though the four jets they were about to take were much better than this one, Kai refused to get rid of it. It has character, just like Marian. I don't care if I can see through the floor of this thing, I'm not getting a new one until this one can't fly.
"I might be able to talk the pirates into giving them to us, but odds are we'll have to start chopping them up." He looked toward Tsuki, and realised her hood was down. "Hey, put that up. I don't need anyone pissing you off by talking about your ears."
Tsuki gave him a rude look, and begrudgingly pulled the snow white hood over until it nearly covered her eyes. I may have been a mistake to bring her. She's not very happy on a good day, and having to deal with Aren this whole trip is just making things worse. I suppose she's not too pleased with me either; but if she can't handle me insulting her, there's no way in hell she'd let one of these hijackers get away with it.
It was Jaekobi's turn to start talking. "So what do we do when all hell breaks loose? Stop the jets from getting to that ship we saw coming in?"
Kai nodded. Of course there's an airship, things wouldn't be easy without one. Just before they left, Calum had used the intercom to let Kai know that another airship had come out of the clouds. I have to assume it's in league with those jets until proven otherwise.
Jaekobi shrugged. "Okay."
Kai smiled. That's why I like that guy. No nonsense, no "why are we doing this?" No complaining. He just shuts up and does what he's told. He was enjoying the silence when Aren had to begin his turn. Whatever it is, you obnoxious twat, the answer is either no, I'm not telling you, or shut the hell up before I throw you into the water. Unfortunately, Kai either couldn't communicate through thought or Aren was too thick-skulled to hear him.
"Shouldn't we have some sort of plan? My father says that a heist without a plan is always doomed to fail."
Kai gave the biggest sigh he could possibly manage. "The plan is as follows: I talk to them. That doesn't work. Jaekobi and I kill people while Tsuki takes out anyone trying to fly the jets away. You make enough room to use the anti-material dust rifle I installed in your sword to take out the airship. All four of us jump in different jets and fly on back to Marian. We cook up some burgers, blow up some balloons, and have a party in the hanger. I chuck irritable pricks out of the bay doors for asking too many stupid questions. Good enough?"
Aren wore a frown. "Why does she get the important job? I can take out the pilots and shoot down the airship."
Kai was losing his patience. "She gets the important job because she has managed to not only beat the two of you today," he nodded toward Jaekobi, "but she's also the fastest out of anyone aboard." She also took my gun without me noticing, but I'm not going to tell any of you that.
"Fine, I'll take care of the stupid ship." Aren said, sinking lower into his seat.
"Good." Said Kai, finally relaxing in his chair. "Now, nobody speak until we get there. I like some peace and quiet before a bloodbath." Now, how am I pulling this one off? I assume they're not working independently, and if they are part of one of the big gangs, there's a good chance I'm already a big supplier. Just telling them "Hey, I'm the guy who gives you the money to buy your stuff" is not going to get me anywhere, they probably wouldn't believe me. I have to get them to come to the assumption themselves. I have to be cocky enough for them to think I don't see them as a threat, but not cocky enough that they think I have some form of security. If I overdo it they won't even try to fight, they'll just run. He adjusted his belt and began absent-mindedly fiddling with Occasus, changing the weapon between its four different styles. If I am their supplier, those jets would have been bought with my money, so technically they're mine by legal right. These hijackers probably don't care about the legal system, but they might hand them over when they figure out who I am. That's also not very likely.
The jet jolted, making Kai realize that they had just landed on the deck of the dust tanker. Okay, no time for second thoughts. I need to be slightly more cocky than usual; give them enough hints to figure out who I am, without making it look like I'm trying to tell them. Then try to convince whoever's in charge to hand over the jets, or just start swinging. Kai got up and opened the door. Let's go have some fun.
Kai jumped out of the jet's door, with his three crew members right behind him. They stepped into the waning light of the day, and stood calmly as several dozen swords, guns, and assorted weapons were pointed their way. Wow, they really stuffed those jets to the limit, there's almost three dozen people here. And what a welcome, greeting me like a villain aboard my own ship. Wait, that's gold! I'm using that for my opening line!
"Well, what a welcome. Greeting me like a bad guy on my own ship." Kai said, scanning the faces of the hijackers. None of the men here are in charge. I need to get face to face with their leader.
"This ain't your ship! This tanker's being held by the Three Snakes!" someone in the crowd shouted back.
Kai couldn't have hoped for a better rebuttal. The Three Snakes, is that right? I believe I've channeled a few hundred thousand lien into their operations. Is old Sven aboard? Or did he send one of his 'Lieutenants'? He began scanning the deck of the tanker. Aside from the four jets, the only things out of the ordinary where large crates piled up beside them. There's the dust. Strange how they haven't loaded any into the jets. They must have seen us and decided to fight instead of flee. He noticed a row of black husks that lined the cabin at the back of the ship. Why didn't the crew activate the defense androids? Could this have been an inside job, or just bad luck?
"Well it might as well be, most of the dust aboard will be mine in a few weeks anyway." Kai said putting on his best condescending smile. There's clue one. Who would you know that handles the biggest cut of the Three Snakes' dust on the black market?
"Really, you and what army? All I see are two swordsmen and a little girl. You think you can beat all of us with just them?" The Three Snakes' speaker came forward. He had close-cropped blonde hair, cut to look like a snake's head and wore the dark green, sleeveless shirt of the Three Snakes. A coiled white snake over his left breast marked him as the man in charge of the operation.
Perfect. Kai stood with his hands in his coat's pockets as their leader came forward. He did a quick observation of the man. Three Snakes' leaders are given that haircut and uniform to differentiate them from the common members. I don't think they'd be smart enough to plan ahead and have a decoy. Kai studied the man's posture. He's nervous, the poor guy keeps shifting his sight, not looking me directly in the eyes. His hair is also a little too clean-cut, so it's been shaved recently. The fact that he's got tan lines on his scalp makes me think he's newly promoted. Kai flashed a smile at the man, and studied his reaction. He seems overly aggressive. He's trying to prove to everyone else here that he's worthy of his title. He wouldn't need to do that if he were a seasoned leader, or got his title by doing something impressive. This is his first time in command of a heist, and his promotion wasn't for leadership skills.
"I don't need an army," Kai started with, "these three are much more proficient in the art of killing than any of this rabble. It would be in your best interest to sit down and wait until we're done here."
"What, give you all the dust on the ship, then just fly away?" the Snake asked. "If you think we'd let you get away with that, you're very mistaken."
Kai laughed loudly. "You think I'm here for the dust? How cute. I'll have some, of course, but I'm here to take your jets." he said, nodding toward the four grey vehicles sitting a hundred meters away. "So back down, and I may not execute some of you for obstructing me." That took the Snakes by surprise. Kai heard rumbling of discontent coming from the masses.
"I'm not backing down. The Three Snakes will use this dust to begin taking over as the top gang in Vytal! If you think you're going to keep us from our task, you won't be leaving here alive." the lieutenant said. His hand was resting on his belt, where Kai had noticed a poorly hidden dagger behind the tanned leather strap.
Kai almost couldn't believe him. Did he really just tell me the Snakes' plans? He has to be trying to throw me off, he couldn't be that stupid, could he? The passion burning in the man's eyes couldn't lie. Oh my god, this is why Sven's little gang will never be at the level of something like Roman's outfit in Vale. Roman does his own dirty work.
"Oh no! Your posse is going to become one of the big boys around town? That won't do, I'll be out of a job! How awful!" Kai said, blatantly overacting a look of fear. Clue number two. He could tell he was annoying the leader, and heard snickering from among the crowd. His own peons stood still and silent, weapons drawn. Man we look badass! Maybe I should start my own gang, I already supply most of the ones around the planet. If I cut all ties and started another alias, people would be none the wiser.
"Stop jerking us around! We've already taken control of this ship, nothing you can do can stop us." The Snake yelled. "Now, get off before we make you."
That's it, nothing's getting through this moron's head. Kai spread his arms wide, and started talking softly to the lieutenant. "Well, you clearly don't know who you're dealing with. I've spent most of my life facing much greater challenges than the likes of a second-rate gang run by a blundering fool trying to re-kindle his youth. I've spent years training to be better than a god himself." He lowered his gaze to meet the eyes of his adversary. "You believe making clichéd threats will stop me? JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!" Kai felt satisfied with his performance. I love that line, it always ties a good speech together.
The lieutenant clearly didn't try to think of who Kai was. He yanked his dagger out, ran forward, and plunged it hilt-deep into Kai's stomach.
Well, that was to be expected. Kai gave himself a moment to fully understand where the cold, hard steel had entered. Ha, missed any vital organs. Almost shaved a bit of my liver, but it's an inch to low. A shame, this cut's too easy to heal.
The Snake stepped back, leaving the dagger protruding from Kai's body. "I don't care who you think you are, all you'll be soon is dead." he said, with a smug grin on his face.
Kai put a hand on the handle and, to the horror of the Snakes, pulled the blade out of his stomach without even flinching. "Au contraire," he started with, while willing the wound closed. "It takes more than a knife to kill a Huntsman." Kai started toward the lieutenant, spinning the dagger casually in his hand. Let that one sink in.
The lieutenant was taken aback. "What? You couldn't be… why are you here? I thought Huntsmen protected the people, not stole from them!" Each word he said was dripping with panic. "You're supposed to be killing monsters!"
"I am." Kai responded with. He plunged the dagger into the lieutenant's chest, between the fourth and fifth rib. Kai pulled the knife out and watched as the Snake fell to his knees, clutching at his chest while watching his life spill out onto the deck. I really shouldn't mock people for making clichéd remarks. That one was right out of a TV show.
Part 1
Tsuki
Kai had never told them any hint as to what would be considered 'things going to hell', but Tsuki could guess that stabbing the hijackers' leader in the chest was a good enough signal. She launched herself off the deck and ran over the heads of the crowd toward the tiltjets, landing kunai in the chests, heads, and arms of any who got in her way. Kai had indeed upgraded the vambraces; each kunai had a warm, red glow around it, lighting anyone they hit on fire.
Tsuki landed and ran toward the ten men surrounding the jets. She glanced back to see if she was being followed, but no one paid her any attention. She flew like a bullet down the dull, featureless deck of the ship toward one of the jets' guards. Tsuki pulled her knife and leapt into the air, planting her free hand on his head and driving her knife into his temple. The end came out the other side, and Tsuki let go of the handle. No point in trying to get it free, the rest of this shouldn't take too long.
She landed on one knee and dropped four kunai into each hand. Looking up, she matched each small blade to a target, then jerked her arms forward and released them. Five Snakes burst into flame, half crumpling to the deck while the others ran, screaming in pain. Tsuki made fists and grabbed her glaives out of the air. She charged down the deck, moving faster than any normal person had the right to. She chucked her left glaive into the chest of one of the remaining Snakes, clenching her fist just after the disk made contact. The wire grew taunt and pulled Tsuki through the air toward her opponent. Her right hand smashed into his face, leaving an imprint of the glaive on his forehead. The man fell onto his back, Tsuki kneeling on his chest. As she stood up, the glaive in the man's chest pulled free and went to hide in her vambrace as the rest of the hijackers came at her. The first Snake swung at Tsuki's head, but she ducked under the blade. Tsuki drove two knuckles into his wrist to make him drop his sword and landed a series of quick punches until the man collapsed, unable to move his limbs. She shot her glaives into the chests of the two remaining enemies, then used the wires to shoot herself past them. The Snakes spun, the throwing disks pulling themselves out of their chests. Tsuki turned to watch the two fall to the deck, clutching their chests.
Well that was easier than expected. The glaives clattered across the deck, eventually finding their homes on Tsuki's wrists. Kai wasn't kidding, these things are awesome. The distant sound of fighting brought her back to reality.
Jaekobi was the only one who finished before her, his technique brutal, but effective. There were at least eight dead hijackers laying around, most in conditions that made Tsuki a little nauseous. She dashed over to his area but decided not to wade through the bodies and dirty her boots. Jaekobi closed the gap himself, walking though the carnage while looking over at their other comrades.
Aren's sword was pierced through a Snake, the bladed digging into the deck of the ship. He was fighting another gang member in his area with his fists, waiting for a moment to pull his sword back to him. He landed a solid punch, sending the man reeling. Aren pulled hard on his chain, yanking the sword out of the ground and Snake. Blood Money spun around and slashed the man across the chest and he collapsed unceremoniously to the deck. With no distractions, Aren pulled his sword back and manipulated it into a heavy gun with a seven foot barrel. It produced a tripod, and Aren took aim at the closing ship. A bright flash exploded from Blood Money. A beam of light flew from the end of the barrel and went through the back hull of the incoming ship. A series of fiery blossoms appeared along the length of the airship, and it began falling toward the ocean.
Tsuki finally took notice of Kai. She and the others were good fighters, but Kai was on an entirely different level. He moved like the snake his foes named themselves after, dodging blows without even trying. One moment, he was opening the chest of a Snake with a bright golden sword, the next, discharging a shot from his silver revolver into the face of another. He had an absent look on his face, as if he wasn't even paying attention to the fight. It makes sense. He's spent his life battling actual giant snakes, facing a group like this is child's play to him. No matter how many people were swinging, not a single connection was made that didn't originate from Kai.
He cut down the last of the Snakes, then calmly slid his guns into their respective homes. Kai began addressing the group as if the fight never happened. "Jaekobi, go down into the ship's lower levels and find the crew. They'll probably have guards posted, so bring your A-game." He looked over his shoulder at Aren. "Keep your eye on the sky. An exploding airship is bound to attract attention from somewhere." He motioned to Tsuki, and began walking toward his four new jets. "I noticed you only hit five men, even though you had eight kunai. Are you having troubles with the upgrades I've made?" he said once she caught up to him.
Tsuki scowled. Is he serious? I missed with three kunai and he thinks I'm not doing well? She was about to tear into him for being too demanding, when something else entered her mind.
"How could you count the amount of kunai I had? I was almost a hundred metres away and you were in a fight!"
He reached the first jet in the line and began looking it over. "I didn't count them. You use the same amount every time; you always throw eight, and always hit six. I don't have to see you to know what you're doing." he said while stepping into the jet to examine its controls. "I'm attentive. It's one of the best weapons in my arsenal. It's why I can dodge a sword strike that hasn't come yet, and why I know your knife is still stuck in some poor guy's head."
His words rang true. Tsuki spun around and scanned the area for the Snake she had stabbed. The man was twenty yards away, spilling blood onto the deck from the wound in his head. Tsuki pulled her knife from his skull, wiping it on his shirt before putting it back in its sheath. She and Kai spent a few minutes checking over the rest of the jets, then reconvened with Aren just as Jaekobi led a group of sailors from the depths of the boat.
Kai stepped forward and shook the hand of the captain of the ship. "Hello good sir, you can call me Hood. It's an alias of course, but it's as close as you'll get to the real deal."
The captain was a man in his sixties, with snow white hair. His eyes were betrayed by his age; they shone bright blue with youth. "Thank you Hood. We weren't prepared for something like this, so we couldn't do anything when those hijackers fell upon us." He said. After a quick look around the deck, a hint of fear crept into his eyes. "I see you were quite liberal in dealing punishment."
Tsuki looked around at the carnage. He's right to be scared. Kai goes from sharing a drink to cutting your limbs off in an instant.
The captain regained his composure. "Well I'll make sure that you're accommodated properly for this. The Schnee Dust Company won't see these actions go un-rewarded."
Tsuki's mood turned dark at the mention of the S.D.C. The company was known for less-than-ethical treatment of its workers, namely Faunus. At least this means any dust we take will be stolen from the Schnee family.
If Kai held any ill feelings toward the company, they didn't show on his face. "Ah, so that explains your hair. I assume you fall into the family tree somewhere?" he said while rocking on his heels.
The old man let out a hearty laugh. "My, my, you're a clever one. Gregory Schnee is my name, I'm a cousin to the big boss. The radio our captors had gave mention of a Huntsman on deck, would I be correct in assuming that's you?"
Kai smirked. "Yes, a guess you could refer to me as a Huntsman." He quickly changed the subject by pointed to a line of robots lining the cabin. "I have to ask, why didn't you use any of those? They're top-tier defense droids."
Schnee let out a sigh. "They seem to have caught us with our metaphorical pants down there. We've been having problems with them; they were under maintenance when the hijackers showed up."
Kai's eyes lit up. "Oh, is that so?"
All four of them reacted at once. Jaekobi's sword blade spun and broke apart, forming into a gatling gun with five long, spinning barrels. Tsuki's glaives formed into handguns and pointed themselves toward the crowd of sailors behind Gregory. Aren pointed the barrel of Blood Money into the crowd, ready to kill everyone aboard with the massive cannon. Kai pulled his long, golden revolver from its nest, and held it at arm's length toward Gregory's head.
"What is the meaning of this?" Gregory yelled, stepping back to distance himself from Ortus's barrel. "I thought you told the thieves you were a Huntsmen?"
"I'm more of a liar." Kai said, a coy smile on his face. He began addressing the rest of his new captives. "I'd like for you to begin loading as much of the dust as you can into the four jets here, as well as the one we arrived in. Once they are filled, go inside the ship and don't come out for twelve hours. After that, you may do as you please to try and catch me. Good luck, god knows you'll need it."
