A mostly bald teenager was watching this unfold through a spyglass on the iron deck of the ship. The elevated ponytail topping off his head shook as he handed the sightseeing instrument to the shorter, much older man beside him. "Uncle, do you know what they're doing?" He stroked his beard and tracked the boy flying through the sky. "I don't know. You don't suppose he's coming in for a cup of tea, do you?" The teenager's eyes twisted, the left half of his face scarred horribly from his ear to his nose. "He's a long way above us. That fall would kill him." Uncle nodded, stroking his beard more. "That's true. Maybe he is aiming for the ocean. I could see that being quite fun. You should ask to try, Prince Zuko." A shout rang out from above as a small rock appeared underneath him and he jumped off of it. "What did he say? "Eat this?" And what is that in his hands? Uncle Iroh, can you tell?"
Iroh nodded. "It's a sword. It is a very pretty green, like tea leaves." Zuko snarled "He's about to come down on us with a sword, and all you can think about is tea?!" He put away the spyglass into the folds of his robe. "Calm down, Prince Zuko. You said it yourself, that fall will kill him, sword or no sword. It could dent the ship, but as long as we stay out of the way, it will be fine." "He's coming right at us!" Zuko dashed away, seconds before impact. Iroh took a single step to the right. "SSSSSSSOOOOOOORRRRRRYYY AAAAAABBBBBBBOOOOOOUUUUUUTT TTTTHHHHHHIIIIIIIISSSSSSS!" That was the mighty battle cry that rang out across the ship as the sword-wielding human meteor punched through the deck two feet to Iroh's left. Iroh stared at the water seeping into the ship below. Zuko walked over and scowled. "It will be fine?! How is this fine?!" Iroh stroked his beard calmly. "It appears that was no normal sword."
August 8th, 9:00 AM
Zuko's Warship
'I fucking did it. Aether, I love you, you beautiful fucking skill. Now I just have to finish my little raid.' He swam back towards the hole he had created, pulling himself through the torn metal. He looked up through the several layers of ship he had demolished, feeling water surround his feet. Several people were staring down at him and he waved cheerily. Someone launched a gout of fire at him and he rolled away. "Not very hospitable to your guest! Is this how the fire nation treats people who drop in to say hello? I see why nobody likes you guys!" He bolted for the stairs and met the ship's cook, given the pot of soup he was carrying. He dipped his head in for a sip and smacked his lips. "Hey, that's pretty good. Could use some more salt, though." He jabbed his sword into the wall next to his head and used it to vault over the fat man, standing there in shock.
The next obstacle he faced on the stairs was someone in full battle regalia. He ducked under a fireblast and swept their legs out from under them, knocking their helmet against the wall and producing a dry groan from inside. 'I can afford to leave them alive. We'll have to see what happens with the others, though.' Several more came out of the door behind them, all in varying states of combat readiness. One lacked greaves, another a chestplate, a third missing his helmet and gloves, a fourth with only the left side's armor on, and a fifth fully dressed in a less-armored outfit that showed her midriff. Jacob acted quickly, kicking their fallen comrade into their feet. Most tumbled like bowling pins, except the woman who leapt over another soldier to lunge at his throat with an outstretched shortsword. "Nice reflexes. Too bad it doesn't matter." He had already begun to fall back as her eyes widened. His hand firmly grasped the railing and he flipkicked her into the back wall, hearing a resounding thud and not bothering to watch her fall as he resumed his mad dash up the stairs.
Jacob finally burst out onto the deck and was almost immediately faced with a powerful gout of fire. 'Knew it. Nuh-uh.' He grabbed the doorframe and used it to swing his momentum to the left, letting him turn without losing an ounce of speed and keeping the fire from doing more than nipping at his heels. He looked over at the source of the fire, a mostly bald young teenager. "Hey, you're Zuko, right? I've got something to tell you." He sliced into the floor of the ship three times and bent the steel up in front of him with his bare hands, providing an effective shield from the heat that nearly scorched his face. He kicked it back down and glared at Zuko. "Oi, listen, you little shit. I could've killed you and nearly everyone else on this ship if I wanted, but I chose not to. If you want that to change, I'd be happy to oblige."
"I'd listen to him, Prince Zuko. You can always fight later, but it is hard to talk to a corpse." He nodded appreciatively at the old man. "Thanks. It's pretty simple. A girl was here six days ago with charcoal black hair and a nasty case of the downers who wanted to see you very, very badly. If you repaired the ship and left now, I'm sure you can catch up with her. Does that change your plans at all?" His face was hard, but Jacob could see in his eyes that his mind was made up. "Why would I change my plans for some girl that I'm not even sure was here, when the Avatar is on that island, in my grasp?" He shrugged and tossed a few flechettes at his feet. "Maybe chasing a girl that wants to be found has slightly more appeal to you." Zuko's eyes widened as he picked one of them up. His fist clenched around it, he muttered something under his breath and stormed away, shouting to the captain "HARD TO STARBOARD! GET OUR BEST BENDERS BELOWDECKS WITH ME, ON THE DOUBLE! START TO BAIL!"
Jacob chuckled. "Ah, young love." He shifted to rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, can I say that given he's older? Yeah, it is still young love, even if he's not younger than me." The old man walked over to him and bowed. "Thank you. This quest for the Avatar has not done my nephew good. Maybe this change of pace will let his rage cool." He bowed back. "It works within my interests too, so think nothing of it. It's an honor to meet the Dragon of the West. Mind if I stick around for a few days?" Iroh shook his head. "I am not the one you need to ask. This is Zuko's ship. And how did you know I was the Dragon of the West? Those days were long before your time." Jacob scratched the back of his head. "It was an alias listed underneath your wanted poster. Speaking of, do you have a strong attachment to your niece?" He sat down at the small table next to him and started to pour a cup of tea. "You'll have to be more specific. Would you like some tea? It's jasmine." Jacob pulled out the other seat and nodded. "Yes please. Azula. She's after me, and I'm seriously considering paying the favor back with prejudice." He stroked his beard sagely before taking a small sip of his tea. "Earning that distinction is not hard, but what did you in particular do to get it? As far as I knew, she still lived in the palace." Jacob shrugged and drank a bit from his steaming hot cup. "Delicious. I have no idea. I can't remember ever meeting her. All I know is that these" he unfurled the wanted poster he had earlier to let him see "started popping up all over the Earth Kingdom. Normally, I wouldn't care, but bounty hunters started swarming my hometown, and I had to leave a lot of people I cared about behind." Iroh nodded. "You would have been able to deal with them, but your friends could have gotten caught up in the crossfire. A difficult decision to make for someone so young."
He sighed as he stared into his tea. "Not just friends. Someone… more, too. I can't even go back, because there's still people watching the town, waiting for me to try." He took a long draft and folded his arms. "Which is why I'm considering assassinating her. If the person paying the bounty is gone, then they'll stop harassing me. Any thoughts?" Iroh shook his head. "The idea is good, but killing a princess is no small feat. Right now, you know absolutely nothing about why she wants you. It would be less hazardous for your health if you tried to contact her, and see what she wants. Deciding what to do afterwards sounds smarter." He ruminated on the thought for a bit, before nodding, and putting down his teacup. "You're right. I've got, what, two or three months before I have to be at the North Pole? Maybe I can get this cleared up by then." 'And kill the last of the 6 icons I can handle right now. I still can't believe she wasn't one of them, it just felt like it would make sense. But then again, none of this shit makes sense.' He set to work bending the hole he'd made in the deck back into place, the thin strips of metal folding like paper under his hands. "One thing that you said does bother me. If you have never met her, how did she know your name? That may answer the question of why she is after you." He'd just finished bending the final strip into place when it struck him. He groaned suddenly. "Oh man, how did I not see it before? Mira. It doesn't answer why she wants me, but at least that's one mystery solved. Why does everything I do seem to bite me in the ass?" Iroh chuckled and finished his tea. "Decisions made in the heat of the moment do that quite often. Zuko will expect you to earn your place." He rolled his shoulders and nodded. "Might as well start, then. Can't have my ride getting trashed even worse." "How is that going to happen?" Jacob pointed over at their portside bow. A massive shadow was approaching the boat from under the water. Iroh was as calm and collected as ever, saying "Now that is one big fish." and poured himself more tea.
He extended a hand down towards the sea floor, and started to strain. 'Come on, come up here you bastard piece of rock.' A massive, ten foot purple crystal surfaced and slapped into his hand, pulling him overboard. 'Well, skipping a few steps, but it's fine.' He forced it to expand until it was a thin purple disc nearly as wide as the boat, catching the air and slowing down to plop gently in the water. The titanic shadow stopped just in front of it, pausing for a moment. A pair of eyes poked out of the water, followed by a head full of sharp, pointed teeth, with yellow, orange and red markings around its mouth. The long, snakelike body waved hypnotically as the water cascaded off of the olive green scales covering it. It seemed to stare deep into his soul, tension growing between them. He met its stare with his own, making the green coils of muscle and keratin weave in anger at his refusal to submit. He extended one hand and held it out flat, then curled it up twice. "COME ON! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT, YOU OVERGROWN EEL!"
[Great Beast] Unagi, Terror of the Sea
Lvl: 350
HP: 450,000/450,000
STR: 250 (Land) 500 (Sea)
AWN: 50 (Land) 100 (Sea)
INT: 35
CON: 400 (Land) 800 (Sea)
SPD: 10 (Land) 60 (Sea)
CHR: 0
Perks: Master of the Sea
Master of the Sea: While at least 50% submerged in water, every stat is doubled with the exception of INT. Grants access to the Skill Tree of Water Gun
Traits: Draconian
Swift Swimmer
Massive
Draconian: You are a dragon, through and through, no matter what anyone says about wings or legs or fire. +1,000 max HP on levelup, stat gains are tripled.
Swift Swimmer: Swimming your entire life has given you unnatural agility in the water. SPD is tripled when submerged.
Massive: You are ridiculously large, to the point of being almost unable to move. Base SPD is reduced to 10, +50,000 HP.
Skills: Water Cannon Lvl 134
His head fell forward as the eel stared down at him. 'I'm so outclassed that it's not even funny. I'd like to get it out of the water, but that's not an option. I am smarter than them and we're pretty even in terms of speed, so I have that going for me, but that's pretty much all I have. Well, I've done stupider shit than this. I think they'll accept a few months worth of prime rations as payment for my staying on the boat.'
(Play Universal Collapse - Theme of the Devourer of Gods) The eel's mouth opened and a jet of water sprayed out towards him. He smirked and whispered "Dancing Blade" as he drew his sword. The ship's crew had begun to gather around the railing, watching with interest. His sword blurred through the pressurized water, slicing it into a fine mist and doing nothing other than soaking him. The creature started to swim around, apparently satisfied that the attack was enough to kill the puny human that dared challenge it and switching targets to the boat. A spire of the amethyst disc shot out, piercing it through the side. It roared in anger, twisting itself off the spike and glaring down at him, unable to comprehend why he was still alive. 'I always wanted to kill a dragon. Saint George ain't shit compared to me.' He ran straight at it, readying his sword for another water beam. It was far smarter than it looked, since it chose to draw an equally massive tail from the water and try to smash him. He rolled to the side, feeling the olive log of flesh graze his heel.
"GRAAAAAAAGH!" The beast roared triumphantly at the minor victory, and lunged down with the rest of its body. He rolled back out of range and opened his eyes to see a gaping maw with a swirling mass of water inside only feet from him. 'Crap, this thing is really smart! Too bad for it, I have a way out of this that it could never see coming.' A bang sounded out under his feet and he leapt up. The beast's eyes followed, trying to raise its jaw to track him, but it was too late. "POWER DUNK!" His hand smashed down onto the top of its mouth, closing it before the water could come out, making it snap shut. The beast's eyes filled with fear as the liquid had nowhere to go, swirling inside, building up pressure until one tooth flew out from between the sealed green lips, then another, then hundreds all at the same time. It tore its head from the disc, roaring in pain. The mouth that formerly held hundreds of sharp ivory daggers was now a bleeding mess of gums and broken shards of bone, whatever tongue that had been there long since cut off and swallowed. The crew cheered behind him, and a predatory grin formed on his face as he stared it dead in the eyes, challenging it to press on, to give the puny human a chance to humiliate it further. 'Who's at the top of the food chain now, bitch?' Its rage was now incalculable as it thrashed in the water, turning the sea into a mess of choppy waves.
The amethyst disc flipped onto its side, starting to capsize and throwing Jacob into the water. 'I knew it would try and shift the fight back into its favor somehow, and this was the most likely way. Unfortunately for it, I'm only going to get stronger.' He started to swim to the sea floor, only two hundred feet down, sinking like a rock because of his sword's weight. He bent a pipe of rock up to the surface, sucking in a breath of air through it, staring down the eel. He made the same 'come at me' motion as earlier, and it charged at him headfirst. His actions were sluggish, but the power behind them was absurd, as he caught the beast's jaws, sliding back a bit before his feet dug into the mud. Its eyes went wide as he grinned. 'At sea level or near some earth, I don't get a boost, just staying normal. But getting closer to the earth's core gives me the powers of a god! Well, maybe not that much, just triple STR every 100 feet deeper I go. Still, 477 is close to his!' He started to tear the jaws apart, seeing the ends of its mouth split open, the water around them turning red.
A swooshing noise from behind him made him turn his head to see the tail bearing down on him, and another noise whipped his head back around. The beast was preparing a second water cannon, and there was no way he was going to pull his sword in time to chop this one up, not to mention being fast enough to do it. 'One way out, but I have to time it perfectly, or it'll just move its tail and catch me anyways. Here goes nothing!' He waited until the tail was a second from impact and pushed down on its jaw. It did exactly what he knew it would do, fight back with all its force to keep the water from exploding inside its mouth again. He grabbed onto the top jaw and let it fling him up, out of range of the water cannon and too high for the tail to reach. It was unable to stop the momentum of its own flesh, jamming the tail into his own mouth. Jacob knew it wouldn't understand him, but he couldn't resist the urge to shout "Unlike you, I make sure that my traps are inescapable! GAME OVER, YOU EEL SON OF A BITCH! AETHER!" His sword returned to his hand of its own accord as he jumped off of the beast's snout. The water cannon exploded, sending both the head and tail flying up. He came down at the perfect angle to chop right through its bottom jaw, passing along to its throat, then cutting deep into its heart. He ripped his blade out, the massive lump of corded muscle coming with him and going straight into his inventory as the animal's corpse started to rise. (Stop playing Universal Collapse - Theme of the Devourer of Gods)
*Ding! Ding!* 'You leveled up 10 times! +1 Special Point. Skill: Aether has been upgraded into Great Aether! The Great Beast of the Sea killed! Rewards: Sea Beast's Heart, Poseidon's Blessing (Armor), Title: [Wyrmslayer]. I'll have to check that out later. For now, three into STR, three into CON, four into SPD.' The water poured off of him as he sheathed his sword. "Good grief. I go through all this effort, and then I remember I don't even like sushi."
The crew was staring at him in amazement as he bent a pillar of earth up to the ship's deck and hopped on. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, I guess I'll go butcher the thing myself while you get to work, because that's clearly not going to happen while I'm here." He backflipped off without another word, the amethyst disc having resurfaced again. It was messy, gruesome work, but he found it somewhat relaxing to slowly undo what nature had taken hundreds of years to make. He washed himself off with seawater when he was done, most of the beast's flesh being either too tough or too messed up from the fight to eat. In total it was about three hundred pounds of prime meat. He tried to come up again, and everyone was manning their stations except the cook, who was waiting with open barrels and a smile the size of Texas on his face. Once they were all filled, someone waved down at him from the control tower. He shrugged and started climbing the stairs.
August 8th, 12:30 PM
Zuko's Warship
Captain's Cabin
Zuko was behind the wheel, steering the ship as if he were an expert. 'I suppose he probably is, now that I think about it. You wouldn't be searching the globe by ship for years without being able to at least sail.' "My uncle tells me you're looking to ride with us for a while." He nodded. "Yes, if you'll have me." The scarred eye looked him over. "Your muscles are larger than when you first got here. You're walking slightly differently, like your legs have done the same." Jacob scratched the back of his head. "He did clip me pretty badly, on the same leg you hit earlier. I'm just trying to not feel much pain from it." His eyes narrowed. "You went down to the seafloor, challenged that thing in a battle of raw strength, and almost won. That doesn't explain the muscles, either." Jacob tapped his arm, and a small chunk of it fell off. He tossed it over to Zuko, who caught it one-handed. "Rock, formed around my body. Slows me down, but it's a small price to pay for being able to take on a heavily wounded dragon and survive pressures that deep." He tossed it up and down, feeling the weight. It stopped in midair and flew back into Jacob's arm. "This is heavier than it should be." His head fell forward. "Yes, it's my special brand of bending. It's kind of like, well, actually I can't think of a firebending equivalent. And because I know you're going to ask eventually, I trained under Marth Cornelius, a swordmaster from a faraway land. They've since left, and will never return." 'Technically the truth, that is who I learned from, and nobody here will ever see him. Just have to hope he buys that.' He bought it, nodding slowly. "On this topic, what is that sword made of?" Jacob held it up to the light, running his hand along the flats. "Ten gallons of my own blood, an ordinary ruby in the hilt for decoration, and schist. Lots of schist." Zuko sniggered, forcing him to rub his forehead. "Ten-year-olds laugh at that. Now it's time for my questions. Are both of your sisters assholes?" "Why don't you ask her yourself?" He sent a pointed glance behind him.
Jacob turned to see the girl he'd flipkicked into the wall earlier glaring at him. "Well? Are you an asshole? I want to know if it runs in the family." She blew a strand of hair out of her face, keeping silent. He stepped closer to her, making her take a step back. He stepped again, smirk growing as she took another step. "Hm. Not much of a conversationalist, eh? Well, I have ways of making you talk." He took out his sword and shoved it into his right arm. She blinked, confused by what was happening. "Every time I ask a question and you don't answer, I'm going to flay off a bit of my skin. Let's start simple, what's your name?" A smirk formed on her face, an inch below the level of his arm. He shrugged. "I don't make bluffs." With a deft flick of his hand, a piece of tanned skin fell onto the floor, blood slowly oozing out of the cut. Her eyes widened as he continued "Why are you on this ship? Last I knew, the prince was the only one exiled." Three seconds passed, and another chunk of his arm fell onto the floor. She had begun to sweat, small beads running down her pale forehead and dripping off her petite nose. "Let's see, I wonder what another good one is? Oh, here we go. What's your cup size?" Her cheeks flared bright red. "None of your business, asshole!" "That's an answer. The one I was looking for was, judging from here, 34-B."
He rubbed his chin. "Well, those kinds of questions seem like they pretty much guarantee answers, so in the interest of saving my skin, are you a virgin?" She turned on her heels and started to walk away. He flung two rocks at her feet that rooted her to the spot and spun her around. "Nu-uh. You're going to watch me cut off every bit of skin until I'm satisfied. You've got three seconds to answer." Her face turned even brighter red and she crossed her arms. "Mmm, sorry, verbal answers only, even if I do know the truth now." He started to dip his sword again before "Yes." He smiled at her. "Thanks. Alright, let's try this one again. What's your name? I'm Jacob, if it's going first that's the problem." She sighed and unfolded her arms, letting them hang by her side. "You aren't going to stop mutilating yourself, are you? Cheara, and I'm here because I didn't want my little brother going into the world alone. Happy?" He sheathed his sword and collected the skin off the floor, slapping them back in place. He bent the rocks from around her feet and formed them to match his arm. "You fire nation people aren't easy to deal with. Shockingly enough, you aren't the first I've had to harm myself to get any sort of conversation from. And yes, quite." He stepped around her and left the cabin, whistling "Drunken Sailor." Cheara shifted to face her brother. "He didn't even ask me if I was an asshole." His face twisted in irritation. "And he left blood on my floor." A pile of soil flew in, soaked up the blood and spelled out "I know. Yell if need."
He'd climbed to the highest point possible on the ship, letting the wind run through his hair. The cold metal roof of the Captain's Cabin suited him perfectly as he leaned his head back onto a piece of metal that seemed to be there for no particular reason. It was soldered on with the rest of the ship, so he assumed that someone had a purpose for it. 'A junior architect's little joke with himself, maybe? But who am I to look a gift metal headrest in the mouth? Alright, let's see these things now. Menu, skills, Great Aether.'
Great Aether Lvl 1: 0/1000 "Prepare yourself!" Launch yourself into the air, and come down spinning with a devastating slam. Does not require any platform or pillar to jump off if extra SP is used. Deals (450 base damage + .25 sword base damage) * height fallen in meters * .5 STR. Special Traits: Totally Unstoppable, Recoilless.
Totally Unstoppable: "OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Interrupting this attack requires you to take more than 100% of your HP in damage. Any damage will be quartered, and its effects ignored until the completion of the move.
Costs: 500 SP, +25 SP per meter jumped without ground.
Great Aether max damage: 105,000 (5 meter fall distance)
'That's… a mixed bag. It's really, really strong now, and Totally Unstoppable is absurd, but I can only fire off two in a row before I have to rest. I'm pretty sure I still can't take on either of the top two, but with this, maybe I can hit number seven. Still, there's 6 to worry about. What's his name? Right, Juno Ihara at Level 64. Allegedly he's an outlaw, but I get the feeling that's an excuse for him to go hunt me down. Generals don't usually go crazy and massacre half a legion. Well, a Fire Nation ship is the last place he'd expect me to be. How's the tracker looking?' A window popped up, showing an arrow pointing south with a number over it: 4 km. Jacob snorted. 'He actually got pretty damn close to me. But he's not going to be able to catch the ship. I might even be able to see him from here, if he's making a stink about it.' He got up from his seat and looked south. A plume of orange fire was trailing through the sky, with a crimson dot at the head. 'Ah. Well, it looks like this might be a problem. I wasn't expecting him to fly.'
[No Title] Jacob Hayes
Lvl: 45
Exp: 0/9000
HP: 920/920
SP: 1130/1130
STR: 65 (9 points earned, 3 points spent)
AWN: 28 (1 point earned)
INT: 44 (2 points earned)
CON: 62 (6 points earned, 3 points spent)
SPD: 59 (1 point earned, 4 points spent)
CHR: 69
Armor: [None]
Weapon: [Emeradic Reaper]
Perks: Silver Tongue
Gaia's Chosen
Detective (Inactive)
Traits: Prodigy
Easygoing
Observant
Devoted
Combat Proficiencies:
Unarmed Lvl 35
Double-Edge Dance Lvl 27
Earthbending Lvl 41
Skills: Great Aether Lvl 1
Power Dunk Lvl 19
Rising Tackle Lvl 20
Dancing Blade Lvl 23
Buster Wolf Lvl 2
August 8th, 12:40 PM
Zuko's Ship
Captain's Cabin
The soil on the floor shifted again. 'Hm? What's going on with that?' Zuko raised and knelt down next to it. It was very small, but the kanji read "Incoming, portside. 20 minutes. Wanted, Juno Ihara. Tap = go on." He swept a finger through one line, and it suddenly started to shift. It took the image of a wanted poster. The sketch of the bald man's face was rough, and it was hard to tell whether or not he had a mustache or a split lip; Zuko knew from personal meetings that it was the former, but the message below of "Disgraced general that brutally murdered 500 of his own men. 10,000 gold, dead or alive." was abundantly clear. He swept a finger through the middle again, and it changed to "Capture or kill?" Zuko stared up at the ceiling. 'If I were to return with a criminal like this, maybe… father would accept me back.' His finger moved of its own accord, starting to spell capture. Then something stopped him. '500? If he could kill that many and still make it out of the fire islands…' The dirt shifted on its own to "Either. If capture, discuss." Zuko blew out a breath, and finished writing "Capture."
Jacob swung down from the roof and stepped through the door. "Do you want him unharmed, or is it alright if I chop off a few limbs for safety?" His face was plain, unnervingly so for someone that had just made a threat of extreme violence. Zuko thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "He's going to stand trial. The sentence will be lighter, the more sympathetic he looks." His face scrunched in concentration, then he nodded. "I might impale him a tiny bit, but nothing comes off. If he tries to be civil, tell him I'm injured below decks, and lead him down there. Whatever you do, don't touch anything purple." He almost nodded, then his eyes tightened. "Why is he after you?" He shrugged. "It's pretty simple. I fucked his wife." He turned and left, and Zuko could hear him leaping down the stairs. 'Who is this kid? He flips between thirty and thirteen every few seconds.'
August 8th, 1:00 PM
Zuko's Ship
His swords were sheathed at his side as the bald man touched down on the deck of his ship, the swaths of flame coming from his hands dying down. His mustache was burned off, along with any other facial hair. Iroh was on his right, hands folded inside his robe, and Cheara was to his left, shortsword already in hand. His voice was deep and booming, like he was constantly trying to address a crowd. "Prince Zuko, what a pleasant surprise. I would have sent word I was coming if I knew this was your ship." His words were laced with honey, something Zuko's didn't have. "Why are you here, General Ihara?" He bowed deeply. "I have been tracking a rather dangerous outlaw for some months now. The last place that I knew he was in just so happened to be Kyoshi Island, and you appear to be leaving from there. I think he may have stowed away on your ship." Zuko shook his head. "We were passing this way, that's all. You're welcome to look, but I doubt he will turn up." Juno stroked his chin, the sun-bronzed skin of his face contrasting with the crimson gi and pants he wore. "It can never hurt to be too thorough. From the state I found Arisaka and his men in, I take it that he is quite the clever foe, to have killed thirty soldiers and one of our most elite spies." 'He did what? His explanation had better be good.' None of this showed outside his mind, as he gestured to the stairs. "The only place with few enough people for him to hide in would be our storage. I'll take you there." Juno bowed deeply once more. "I would be most grateful."
Their walk down the stairs felt far longer than it was. 'The railing is covered in purple flecks. That must be the trap. But how are a few tiny sparkles going to do anything?' "How goes your hunt for the Avatar, Prince Zuko? Are you any closer to regaining your honor?" Juno's tall stature forced him to bend down, holding the railing as he went, not having noticed the flecks. "Well. She has eluded me once, because of a freak accident. Our heading is on her tail as we speak." They had left the stairs and were traversing a hallway, with more of the flecks placed on the ground. The pools were easy to avoid if one was looking for them, but Juno was not. Zuko watched as his feet became coated in them, and they seemed to move with a mind of their own up his legs. "The Avatar is a woman, and you allowed her to escape? You must always keep a firm hold on them, or they will run off in the night with some thief. Women are naturally weak-willed creatures, it takes a dominant hand to control them." 'Cheara would have run him through for that.' He shook his head. "As I said, it was a freak accident. Nobody could have predicted that an iceberg would shatter moments from her capture." The door handle at the end of the hallway was covered in purple dust. He pointed towards the door. "In there." Juno bowed and gestured towards the door. "Please. It is your ship, you should go first." 'I didn't expect him to try that. Does he know something's up? I have to think of something fast.' He shook his head, his eyes closing. "If he really is that clever, he'll try to escape. I'll stay behind and watch the door. This is the only exit from the room." His dark eyes twinkled in understanding. "But of course. Do not hesitate to strike him down, for he will not show that courtesy." The sparkles stuck to his hand as he pulled open the door.
The room was large, filled with crates of salted meat, dried vegetables, five barrels of fresh meat, and bags of tea leaves. "Come out, little earthbender! And I will not break you too badly!" He watched from the top of the stairs as Juno stopped next to a particularly large crate, big enough to fit a human with room to spare. "Prince, do you know what is in this?" He nodded sharply. "It's sugar. Our cook has started to remove the labels from them, because one of the crew has been sampling it before meals." The purple flecks on the lid went unnoticed as he pulled the lid off. A spray of the same hit him as he brought his arms up to shield his face. "What the devil was that?!" Zuko frowned. "Likely a trap for that crew member. Look at yourself. If someone had opened the crate thinking there was sugar inside, they would be found out." 'Juno is covered in that stuff now. What's this trap supposed to be doing? Making him look pretty?' He nodded, dusting himself off. "That is true. I suppose that because this was still active, he has not been in here." Ihara moved to the other side of the room, searching for more large crates and barrels. "Is this one sugar, too?" He nodded silently. 'Now would be the time, Jacob.' Ihara opened the crate and ducked, expecting another shower. Nothing came, and he peered into the crate. "Checkmate." He whirled around behind him, only to get a face full of purple powder. He clawed at his eyes, trying to scrape away the powder and restore his vision. Once he had accomplished that feat, he looked around wildly for someone to kill.
Jacob had taken a pose in the middle of the room, standing with his hands crossed over his body. "Your next line is "You mongrel! I'll flay you alive for this," isn't it?" Zuko watched with interest from atop the stairs. "You mongrel! I'll flay you ali- w-what the?!" A smirk formed on his face. "I heard what you said earlier, Juno. About women being weak-willed? I wonder what Mira would say if she heard that? Maybe she'd ask me to take her into my arms again, for another night with someone who won't treat her like a ragdoll. Not only that, you managed to insult my student in the same breath. If I hadn't been asked to capture you unharmed, I'd be chopping you up bit by bit." Juno's eyes were blazing red, like every icon of Prometheus' eyes did when they were angry. "You are going to die for daring to touch my property! I will grant you the same fate as those who refused to call me their general earned! MILLION DEGREE MASSACRE!" He inhaled deeply, his lungs filling with air.
Jacob's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Oh no, I'm so scared! Look, my non-existent boots are quaking!" Juno released the breath he had been holding and cast his hands out in front of him, yelling "DIE, MONGREL!" A small puff of smoke came out, making a fart sound. Zuko failed to resist the urge to smirk as Jacob looked behind him, to his left and right, and then finally back at Juno. He scratched his head. "Uh, was that supposed to do something? Maybe it was a misfire, go ahead and try again." Juno did exactly that, inhaling, shouting "HAAAAH!" This time, nothing came out, not even the barest hint of smoke. Juno stared down at his hands in disbelief, then he held his hands up to the light. A thin purple sheen was covering both hands, glistening in the light. He looked up at the sound of chuckling. Jacob didn't bother to hide it, turning into full-on gut-busting laughter. "Oh, the look on your face! It's perfect!"
He caught his breath for a second, then straightened up, still smirking. "That's airtight amethyst, covering your whole body. I don't know much about firebending, but I do know plenty about fire; it needs air in order to burn, and if you can't reach any, then you're shit out of luck. I'm an earthbender, too, so you know what that means?" He clapped his hands together and the crystals started to grow, encasing Juno in a nearly solid block of crystal-clear purple gemstone, only leaving a hole for his mouth. "I already said this earlier, but I'll say it once more. Checkmate, motherfucker." He looked up at Zuko. "Is there a brig in this place? Or should I just leave him here?" He shook his head. "Leave him. We have something to discuss." Jacob nodded. "I think I know what this is about, but fine. Oops, I almost forgot." A thin plate of amethyst formed over the mouth hole, extended out an inch. "There. No breathing fire, in case you got any funny ideas." Juno's mouth was frozen open, but his eyes were still mobile and glaring at him with hatred. "Ehn eye gt ot f tis, Iyl kel yo." Jacob shook his head. "No, when you get out of this, it's going to be straight into the grave with you." *Ding!* 'Yeah, I figured. One to awareness.'
August 8th, 1:20 PM
Zuko's Ship
Captain's Cabin
Jacob leaned against the doorframe. "More questions, huh? Alright, shoot. What else do you want to know about Jacob Hayes, swordsman, earthbender, and dragonslayer?" Zuko inhaled slowly. "Ihara said some interesting things about you. You killed thirty fire nation soldiers and one of our spies on Kyoshi. Why?" He shrugged. "I was expecting that. Same reason I killed the governor of the same island: Because I don't like people with rape dungeons." The statement sat in the air. "So can I go?" Zuko shook his head. "There's more I have to ask. You knew me, and my uncle on sight, but absolutely nothing about my sister, and she's easily the most famous of all of us. Not only that, you knew it was Ihara coming, and Azula knew about you, and listed a bounty with herself as one of the rewards, in addition to the money." His head fell forward. "I'm sorry, she what?" Zuko beckoned him closer. "You have a copy of your poster, correct? Give it here. Uncle may have seen wrong." Jacob took out the poster and tossed it over.
He unfurled it and frowned. "How well can you read?" 'Deflection complete. I don't like doing this, but there's not much other choice.' Jacob looked down at the floor. "Not too well. I have numbers and most basic words down, but anything that's longer than a few kanji and I fall apart. I can't even read most of that, I just filled in the blanks with what I know." 'At least I don't have to lie.' His eyes filled with… sympathy? "Here. This says "Collect the reward in the princess' bedroom." The implication is pretty obvious." He rubbed his chin slowly. "Isn't she, what, 13? 14? Something like that? Normal people wouldn't even want to, and if it's a real perv, she can say that she never promised anything. She's pretty crafty. But I honestly can't remember ever meeting her." His scar flexed a little bit. "You "can't remember?" She's… unforgettable." Jacob noted him struggling to pick the right word. "Yeah, well, I'm a special case. I got amnesia sometime near my fifteenth birthday. We're heading for the Fire Islands next, right? To turn gigantor down there in?" Zuko paused. "…That's rough. And yes, the island of Tin-Shui has the nearest bounty office. From there, he'll be transported to the capital and tried for his crimes." "Is death the highest punishment? Because if so, I'd like to take care of it personally." He folded his hands under his chin. "The sentence is going to be death, that much is certain. It could probably be arranged for you to execute him. There is something fairly serious we have to talk about." He brought up a small piece of amethyst and started to make it change shapes in his hands. "Going to look real weird for a wanted earthbender to be walking around with the prince. Don't worry, I've got it covered."
Rock started to creep up around him, forming over his body. His skin turned from tan to a pale white, the same color as Zuko's. The Sigil of Gaia faded from his chest, replaced by a massive, jagged scar that arced from his lower left hip, across his breast, and curving up to just under his neck. He gained an inch, bringing his already impressive height of 6'0" to 6'1", and his hair shifted from it's usually messy black to a sandy tan, mostly flat against his head except for a few spikes. The pieces of amethyst formed into a pair of domes that flew into his eyes, turning his emerald green irises into bright purple ones, as deep black marks ringed his eyesockets. His jaw thickened and pointed, another scar coming from under his left eye to the top of his lip. A little bit of soil trickled into his mouth, flowing down through his lungs and hardening against his vocal chords. 'What's a good name for me? Hmm, might as well use something nobody else from this place will have.'
When he spoke, his voice was deep and gravelly. "I am Gaara of the Desert, Prince Zuko's retainer. He met me a year ago while searching for the Avatar in the earth kingdom desert, and saved my life. I swore fealty to him and have been with him ever since. I'm an orphaned insomniac with an extreme lust for blood that enjoys crushing my victims to death with sand. The sand protects me, like it has a mind of its own." He made a motion to Zuko, who understood. A small burst of fire streamed from his palm, and a wave of sand shot up to block it without "Gaara" moving a muscle. *Ding!* 'New skill created: Sand Shield Lvl 1: 12/1000 "It's the perfect, impenetrable defense. Nobody can get past it." Sand will automatically protect you while this skill is active. It's pretty simple, not much to understand.
Costs: 50 SP per minute
Total active time, with current SP regeneration: unlimited
Calculations: (6.2% of SP = 70.06 SP per minute regenerated, 70.06-50=20.06 SP)
Jacob undid the disguise, drawing the rocks into his hand and compressing them for later. "With enough precision, any earthbender could do this, but most of them just focus on moving really big rocks. They have no creativity. So, what do you think?" Zuko's eyes were narrow as he calculated something inside his head. "Your next line is "What would you say to actually becoming my retainer," isn't it?" "What would you say- gnnk." He shook his head, hair returning to its usual messy state. "Nah, I've got too much on my plate already, and I don't enjoy being tied down. Paying taxes and all that. I'm gonna leave, if there's nothing else you want to ask." Zuko waved his hand. "Very well. You are excused."
August 8th, 2:00 PM
Zuko's Ship
The High Part
'Alright. Now that I'm finally alone, and there's nobody to interrupt me, I can fina-' "What are you doing in my spot?" He rolled off the headrest and onto the flat iron on his left without a word. "Are you going to be quiet?" He mimed zipping his lips. Cheara sat down and laid her head onto the raised iron. "Is your arm alright?" He shrugged, and pulled back the layer of rock. The pieces flopped onto the floor, forcing him to sigh. "No, not yet. I recover fast, though, so don't sweat it." He slapped the pieces back on and was about to reseal them when her finger shot over, glowing red. He yelped and pulled his arm away. "Stop being a baby, if I don't cauterize it it'll get infected and keep falling off." He grimaced and brought his arm back over. Her finger ran along his muscles, tracing the red lines where blood was still seeping out, evaporating it and fusing the flesh together. He nodded appreciatively.
"Not exactly the way most women feel me up, but thanks. I knew you'd warm up to me eventually." She ignored the pun and said "That yelp was fake. You didn't flinch, and I hadn't even heated my finger past boiling." Jacob pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I've grown used to pain. Too used. I've started reacting to it just so nobody notices how… honestly, the best word is inhuman I've become." The corner of her mouth pulled up. "You seem human to me. Like any other horny teenager that's after The Blazing Blade of Caldera." He chuckled and spoke drily. "Nice nickname. Don't crush my dreams and tell me you're hiding another sword under there." Her eyes rolled and she jabbed him in the side. "What, afraid it'd be bigger than yours?" A small bit of blood trickled out of his lips as he said "Please, there's a better chance of me deciding spiderwasps look more appealing than women."
Her finger darted over and swiped the red liquid from his lips. "You were being serious. You have internal bleeding, and aren't in the slightest bit of pain." He waved a hand flippantly. "Meh, I got run through the other day. Intentionally, before you start to think I'm stupid or incompetent." She shook her head. "Saying you got stabbed on purpose isn't helping your case. Why would you ever do something like that?" He folded his arms over his chest and pouted. "Hey, it was the only way I could think of to guarantee a sucker punch. The guy would have easily killed me in direct combat, so there wasn't much choice." Her eyes narrowed. "I don't believe that for a second. You killed a sea monster in front of us. You claimed you could kill everyone on this ship, and it wasn't an empty threat; you genuinely believed you could."
He held up one of his fingers. "One, if it wasn't so damn big and slow I would've lost instantly." Next he pulled up two of hers. "Two, I said almost everyone. I have no idea whether or not I could beat you and Iroh." He went back to his fingers and pulled up two more. "Three, the entire room was made of wood, I couldn't do any meaningful earthbending with what I had on me, and he wasn't dumb enough to get close to a sword-wielder. I'd have been burnt to a crisp and there would've been nothing I could do about it." She sighed. "Such a contrarian. That's going to drive people away from you, you know." Jacob chuckled. "A lot of people say that, but it almost never happens. Got any idea why, Ara?" She blew a piece of hair off her forehead. "Nope. You're insufferable." He put both of his hands on his cheeks. "Neeeh, really? You could've fooled me, we've been up here together for close to half an hour." Her cheeks reddened slightly, sealing her lips. He grinned and lowered his hands. "Don't make me dice up my arm again, then you'll have to fix it again." She jabbed his side, lighter this time. "That didn't sound like a question." He shot back "Fine, when's the last time you were home?"
It made her think for a moment, exhaling. "Two, almost three years ago. Your balls hadn't even dropped when I left." He snorted at the joke, then his eyes turned sad. "I can sympathize. The things we do for the ones we love, right? Most people wouldn't give up a shot at the throne for their little brother's sake." She frowned at the comment. "You really don't know anything about me, do you? I wasn't in line in the first place. I'm adopted." Jacob blinked once, then shook his head. "If both of those two died before producing an heir, you'd be the natural choice. Iroh doesn't seem the type for politics, and even if he was the wait time wouldn't be long. You could just bide your time and eventually ascend to the throne, popularity carrying you there, and skill taking out any rivals." She turned her head to look at him. "I never thought of it like that." He nodded. "That's because you're a good person. Nobody with a decent set of morals would think of killing their brother or sister for personal gain." Cheara pointed at him. "And what does that say about the one who came up with the plan?" He gasped, hand over his mouth. "Are you insinuating I'm of loose moral character?! I mean, you're right, but I'm still offended!" This finally got her to laugh. One short chuckle and it was over, but it still made him smile. 'Knew I'd be able to do it eventually.'
Bending/stats: Each type of bending is aligned with a particular stat. Airbending is aligned with SPD, earthbending is aligned with STR, firebending is aligned with CON, and waterbending is aligned with INT. Thus, most airbenders are fast, most earthbenders are physically strong, firebenders are more durable, and waterbenders tend to be smart. These traits carry to all members of the tribes; thus, Sokka, even though not being a waterbender himself, has waterbender blood inside of him, and has a higher than average intelligence because of it.
Long chapter today, because I felt like it.