L Trailer
Mistral had a problem. Well, that was one way of putting it, mistral had numerous problems that had similar causes; too many bored people with free time. Loga was certainly one of those poor bored bastards as he sat on one of the cliff lounges that dotted the main mountain of Mistral. He looked down into the lower level of the city while his favorite M-pop band played in the background. It was a rocking beat that was about to hit the rap section that always left his mind feeling wonky when one of the boys sat down next to him.
"Loga, we're all getting pretty bored, you got any game worth hitting up" his boy Beiji asked. Beiji was the Opposite of Loga in almost every regard; he had short cut dark hair while Loga had his mother's orange locks at waist length, Beiji was chubby while Loga was lithe, Beiji had dull color eyes while Loga's was regrettably his father's striking pink. On the outside, Beiji dressed plainly while Loga wore clothes with stripes of pink and had his signature green Oni belt buckle. On the inside, Beiji was a bit of a follower in search of orders, while Loga loved himself a bit of chaos.
Loga stood up, stretching his back before giving his rotund friend a slap on the shoulder.
"Relax Beiji," Loga said looking over the balcony to the streets below. "I'm sure excitement will find its way to us."
The lower part of the Mistral was not forthcoming in that reprieve so Loga lounged back in his cushioned chair and had another drink brought to him. Resting Quietly next to him was his beloved Dao Gnatbita. He rested his finger on the pommel as his large spice-infused cocktail was brought to him, it tasted like a sweet fire and warmed him up inside. His boys soon contented themselves to dancing with the girls there while Loga toyed with his drink and listened to the running rap of the M-pop.
Until he heard the scream. No one else heard it save him, so his scrambling towards the Balcony's edge had his boys rushing to him for fear of him doing something stupid.
As if they could stop me from doing that.
It took him a moment in his alcohol-ladened stupor to find the source of the noise; it was a woman, running from a group of men. A disgustingly common occurrence in the lower levels. Loga smirked and took a step onto the balcony's railing when Beiji grabbed his arm. He looked down on his friend.
"Loga it's not our problem." His pudgy friend said to him. Loga smiled and stuck his tongue out like a serpent. It was that look that alerted Beiji that he was wasting his breath.
"You guys meet me down there" Loga threw down a few Lien notes and bowed to the bar staff in a mad mockery of manners. "Gentlemen and Ladies it's been a pleasure but I've got an appointment to meet."
With that, he took a few backward steps and flung himself clear off the cliff towards the lower levels below. A woman screamed and he threw up his aura, none of his boys had it unlocked except him so he had no doubt that he'd beat them to the punch here. The wind felt good rushing through his long unkempt locks as his aura'd foot caught the cliff's edge and he slowed his descent.
He hit the ground, rolled, and vomited, the spiciness tasting far worse on the way up than down. It only took him a second to shake the delirium of drunkenness off. Like a shot from a gun he was off again, the woman's cries for help still unanswered down here in the city's guts where people are always sure that "Someone woulda done something". till they find the corpse on the doorstep the next night.
Apparently that someone is me. Loga thought with a grin, vigilantism is an odd thing on Remnant but the main laws are; if you're a cop, huntsmen, or huntsmen in training vigilantism is generally okay. Loga was none of those things and honestly, that's what gave him the thrill.
As he hopped through a person's garden and over a dumpster, he saw them, they'd cornered her, three biggish dudes and one smallish woman. He could hear them say some pretty gross things to her as they closed in, knives drawn. Hearing that Loga decided some contrapasso was in order so he lifted his fingers to his lips and let off a sharp whistle.
"Ey nice arse my friend!" he shouted as the group turned. They were certainly a sight, each one with a disfigurement one had a hairy lip, another a pock-marked face, and the last a trench deep scar. As hideous as they were Loga was going to stick to the bit. "Wooo and fine faces to boot. Gentlemen, how much does your mistress charge for the package deal? Cause I got a few lien to spare."
"Piss off Pretty boy" the one with the trench scar spat at him almost foaming with anger. "This bitch owes us money."
"Ah I see, and it took three guys who outweighed her by about six hundred pounds together to request the cashback" Loga replied mockingly, he knew his boys were a long ways off, dust that's why he flung himself off the balcony, something about making it more dangerous excited him. "What if I paid off what she owed?"
Their glares intensified until he threw a handful of lien onto the street in front of him. As soon as all eyes turned downward he drew Gnatbita in las-rifle form and unloaded a shot right into hair-lip's knee. Aura sparkled yet he still let out a yelp of pain.
"Actually you should probably count it" Loga smirked as the rest rushed towards him.
"Gut this Xióngxìng" Hair-lip screamed the slur as his friends got in close on Loga.
Loga Grinned and sprinted at them in return, when they were half a meter away he focused his aura to his leg and hopped. Up and over them he flew landing right behind the charging idiots. He shot off like a bolt, giving hair-lip a knee to the face for good measure. Grabbing the woman's hand he pulled her along.
The men shouted at his back and the woman dragged behind him clearly exhausted. She had dark green hair and deep blue eyes. She looked to be about 23 making her almost 5 years older than Loga.
"Why are they after you?" Loga asked pulling her into an Alleyway.
"I owe their boss some lien, but I paid it already and they keep saying I owe more" she pleaded. Loga doubted that was the whole story but he'd be damned if he gave this woman up to them.
"Well if they're smart they'll grab the lien I dropped and move on," Loga said knowing his shot to the knee already jeopardized that option.
"Did you see them, they don't have a brain cell between them" she said gulping in air, clearly exhausted. That was when the sound of fast footsteps reached Loga's ear. Their footsteps grew louder till they were standing in the mouth of the Alleyway looking in.
"But they got the luck of the Nuckalevee" Loga said, pulling out Gnatbita in its dao form. "Stay behind me. You got an aura?"
"No" she answered.
"Well then stay behind me even more," Loga muttered keeping his eyes on the three wolves stalking towards him now.
"Nish pig sticker" Trench spoke, his voice lisping somewhat from the scar cutting across his face. All three pressed a button on their knives, flicked them down and the blades extended. "We have a few of our own."
Loga breathed out feeling his adrenaline spike in a joyful way, he took on a relaxed stance his sword held low to tempt them and show them what little care he had. As an added touch he smiled at them his grin that was half a leer. If they were unnerved, they hid it well and then they attacked.
Hair lip ran right at him sword held high, pock-face went to Loga's left sword held to the side, and trench face ran to Loga's right clearing aiming to snatch up the woman. A good strategy, but Loga was excellent at improvising.
When hair-lip's sword came down Loga's blade shot up, his blades strong hit the opponent's weak, but instead of bashing the blade away he stepped forward and let it slide off his blade. This slipping blade caused Hair-lip to move off-balance, with a quick push he was sent crashing into pock-face throwing both to the ground. At the same time Loga shot his back leg out to trip up Trench, but he wasn't quick enough he only stumbled him.
DUST
Spinning with his momentum he slashed at Trench's face, forcing him against the wall, making desperate parries. But for every unsuccessful parry GnatBita bit another portion of aura. Loga started to smile when he felt the machetes raking his back. Hair-lip and Pock-face recovered quick and he was forced to turn back to them desperately parrying while he dealt with the pain.
Hair-lip grabbed Loga's face and he felt a strange pulsing coming from the aura'd hand.
Semblance. Loga though biting down on the hand and slamming his swords pommel up into the fool's armpit. He swept Gnatbita out in wide whirling arcs around him pushing the three muggers back. As they hopped away, he saw that Hair-lip's hand was turning bright red and pulsing like a heart.
"Neat Semblance," Loga noted, and he Hair-lip grin. "Strength enhancer?"
"Nice guess Xióngxìng" Hair-lip spat, he closed his pulsing hand and flicked his fingers out towards Loga. Instantly Loga felt like 4 solid punches take him in the gut and he doubled over, and yet he saw no punch thrown. "Curb stomp him, boys!"
They came at him trying to kick him while he was down. Loga let the kick from pock-face hit his aura while he focused on catching Trench's foot. Foot in hand he gave it a swift pull throwing trenches foot away and dropping the mugger into a split. The lower-level trash's eyes split wide open and he shrieked so loud it frightened his partner.
Must've torn something.
Loga took advantage of that fright. Pressing his hand against the ring around his sword's guard he spun it like a lighter and his blade started glowing red hot as flame dust suffused its edge and tip. Standing it up he slashed down on Pock-face and the mugger's clothes were instantly set on fire. Screaming he ran further into the ally past the woman and into a pile of garbage setting that ablaze too.
Hair-lip squeezed his hand again as he backpedaled away from Loga's advance. Loga just smiled. The first finger shot out and Loga ducked feeling wind whistle past his hair. The second took him in the shoulder and he spun with the hit slashing Hair-lip across the face with his sword. The third he hopped over.
Gotcha now! Loga thought as the last finger flicked out and right past Loga.
Crack!
Loga ignored the sound and slashed at Hair-lip till his clothes too were set ablaze and he ran shrieking away. It was then that the womanly screams reached Loga's ears. Turning back he saw his mess. The trash fire had turned into a blaze that was burning down the building and filling the alley with smoke, and the woman he'd been trying to rescue was holding onto her leg; who's knee was bending in the wrong direction.
Rushing to the woman's side he picked her up, being careful not to move her leg too much, and carried her away from the raging fire. As Loga stepped out from the Alleyway he was met with loaded weapons and the blaring of police sirens.
"fuck…"
The jail cell hadn't been the worst Loga had stayed in. There was a communal toilet out in the open, a drunkard had vomited in the corner and only one other inmate leered at him with ill intent.
Six outta ten jail cell. Loga thought as the drunkard moaned next to him. He only wished that the cops hadn't taken his belt, Gnatbita he could understand but the belt Buckle? Guess they really didn't like the look of me.
Loga's boys weren't sharing a cell with their boss, but that was fine by Loga.
Better only one of us spends a night in lock-up. Loga mused ignoring that it was almost exclusively him who spent time in these cells. Should be out in a day or two anyway… that poor woman.
Her screaming and the sight of her bent leg made Loga's already hungover stomach churn and he felt bile rise up his throat. The officers put her on a stretcher into a medivac skyship, besides a broken leg was rarely a lethal injury. That knowledge brought little comfort to his stomach.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A guard slammed on the cell doors, drawing Loga out of his sickening thoughts.
"Vigilante your bail's been posted," the Guard said unlocking the door before unchaining Loga.
"Mum or dad?" Loga asked praying his assumption was wrong.
"Move it!" the guard said instead of answering, he gave Loga a sharp shove and slammed the cell closed behind them. Suddenly Loga wished he was still trapped in there with the vomit, the drunks, and the man leering at him.
Walking through the hall with the guard at his back, Loga eventually entered a proper processing area. The decorations were of the mistralian order with dark blues and bright symbols all along the wall, each representing things like justice, duty, and service. A few officers were milling about and what looked to be the chief of police was having a conversation with a tall serene-faced dark-haired man; Loga's father.
"Sorry about the mix-up mister Lie Ren," the chief said sycophantically to Loga's father, but the taller man was focused on Loga the entire time.
"Loga," Lie Ren said upon seeing his son. Loga said nothing a combination of embarrassment and frustration stifling his words. "Grab your stuff, your mother's been worried."
The Chief set Gnatbita and Loga's belt on the front desk and Loga snatched them up quickly slipping the belt on and maglocking the dao to his hip. Ren was quiet as they left the police station and he was quiet for a long while after as they walked home. The path to their manse was uphill since Loga's famous parents could afford to live further up in mistral.
"Are you alright?" Ren asked when they were halfway home, his large green sleeves flapping in the wind.
"No aura breaks I'm fine" Loga answered. "I woulda been fine if you left me in that cell too"
"I considered it, but your mother worries" Ren replied. "You were drunk"
"and now I'm hungover" Loga countered shrugging his shoulders and walking past his father. "I saved the woman so what does it matter."
Ren caught his son's shoulder and held him there with a strong grip. "She broke her leg and you started a fire"
Loga looked his father in the eye. Ren looked back his own face giving nothing away, that always frustrated Loga.
"At least I did something instead of staying in my hovel and hoping someone else would save her," Loga replied moving his father's hand from his shoulder. "A broken leg is better than dead"
"You're right" Ren answered making Loga pause, curious. "But no injury would've been better."
"An A isn't as good as an A+ is that it?"
"it was a B- at best" Ren answered the edge of his mouth twitching upwards. "But you have the capacity for an A, Loga"
Loga's cheeks reddened at those words and he tried his best to hide it, turning away from his dad. "Well, a B- is good enough."
"No, it isn't" Ren replied louder and more forceful. "You need discipline, and your mother and I talked it over…"
"Going to send me to the deep cell for a week, to scare me straight?" Loga joked, trying to hide the real fear he had for what they had in mind for him.
"Nothing so ridiculous, we're sending you to Beacon Academy"
Loga could do nothing but stare at his father, he tried to think of something witty to say but nothing came to mind, so instead, he put his hands in his pockets and walked on.
"Beacon…" he muttered to himself. "…interesting"
_L_
Author's Notes
The first character of Team WYLD has been introduced and not all of them will be descendants of previous characters.