Rumbles in the Jungle (iDarberry, Donnervark)

[Deleted]

"Tell me again why you wanted transport here?" inquired the sea captain. His vessel and his crew definitely did not seem all that ferosome and fear inducing as the average pirate crew; that being he wasn't that much of a criminal activist, just one of the few captains who made an industry dealing with those who for whatyever purpose did not want to go to the marines. This time around he had picked up a wondering fighter, who had insisted they travel to Raito island: for a complimentary fee of course. Cashern, the quite enigmatic and focused traveller was looking towards the horizon, almost seething with impatience. He kept quiet to the captain's inquiry. "Listen kid, we don't have any problems ferrying a man with a little dirt on their name, otherwise we wouldn't have any business; but even we seadogs have our limits," he warned. His ears eachoed in the ears of his nearby crew, who all slowed their current actions down. The Captain was standing on the deck a few feet behind Cashern who was still looking out to sea.

"...It was the cheapest place I could afford," replied Cashern anticlimactically. The tension Cashern hasd built up before answering had been choking those around him, all of which weren't sure what his answer or motives might be. It was too much for some to hear of such an irrelevant answer. It caused on of the chore boys to drop a crate on his partner's toe. While the crew stared on blankly Cashern, still looking to the horizon began to smile, sporting an almost devil-may-cry grin. He was just happy for the time being to be a free man.

---

Meanwhile, in Bright Village

"Can't I interest you in a single spin sir?" she ask cutely in her skimpy, rather revealing uniform as she place a drink at his counter. Rango, the recipicant of this rather delightful interaction smiled bashfully, but shook his head all the same.

"I'm a treasure hunter. Caves, bats and good ol'fashioned booby traps satiate my appetite. The dangers standing in between me and the gold in places like this tend to be a tad too sophisticated." he replied with a hint of humour in his voice. As he said so a large, sweaty man lumbered behind the two of them burping a few seconds after Rango had spoken. "...However the jury isn't exactly unanimous all the time..." he whispered to his waitress. She lifted her now empty tray infront of her lower face so as not to give away to anybody else that she was laughing at Rango's witty jab at the passing belcher. He nodded and she went away. Rango then turned to face the roulette wheel, at which one man in particular was on a roll. He had a group of his flunkies about him as he stood at the pinnacle of the table while other gambling enthusiast stood about him soaking in his energetic atmosphere.

Rango toyed with the spiked lime in his drink as he watched silently from his end of the table. He had been watching him for a while now, aware the man had built up quite a little trove of beli from his luck at the round table.

[donnervark]

"No no no no! I already told you...its too late for foreplay!" Darla's voice bordered on sinister as she clenched her metallic grip down on the hand of this particular piers dock-master. He was a short, fat, balding little man who dressed as though he were a noble of sorts. The sailors and pirates who used this harbor due to its reputation for docking ships more honest piers wouldn't didn't even raise a hand in his defense. People knew better here. Even a Dock-master had to be careful with his words, especially when he mistakes an aspiring pirate for a common working girl looking for lonely sailors. He groaned out, squirming to get away from her grip as bones ground against each other, threatening to crack if she squeezed any harder.

"Stop it you bitch! You're gonna break it!" The man practically screamed at her. It was a wasted gesture, as she'd already beaten his guards senseless. The three large, but completely untrained men laid around them on the pier like lumps. She gave the man a grin and eased up on his hand.

"That is the second time you've called me a bitch. I gave you a pass the first time because you actually thought I was for sale....an honest mistake of course." Her grin widened and she clenched her fingers into a fist around his hand, crushing the bones inside into a pulp and ripping the skin in several places. The stubby mans eyes rolled into the back of his head as he passed out from pain, unable to even scream as he slumped to the planks below. "This time was just insulting." With a quick swipe she wiped the blood of her hand using the back of his jerkin, then stood up with a stretch. Several men had been watching, and most of them looked away quickly when she looked their way. Good. She thought. Remember this face, and the fists that come with it.

"Now then...where to?" She mumbled to herself as she stepped over the bodies of her recent acquaintances. She moved like a predator, her long legs stepping with the grace of a dancer, while her tall, lithe form seemed ready to shift into an attack at any moment. It had become her nature. She was an aggressively defensive creature by nature, always expecting, and very much hoping for a new challenge to test her skills against. Darla left her small, one person boat tied up at the pier, after all the thing was barely keeping together anymore. If anyone really wanted to steal it, they probably needed it more than her. It only took the young woman a few minutes to weave through the docks of Left Village and enter the actual town itself. After a few minutes, she was swiftly redirected to Bright Village, which some lecherous old man had claimed was 'right up her alley'. She had no idea what that meant, but another person said it was where all the really good entertainment was to be found. Not minding the walk, Darla headed out. It was a small island, so it didn't take too long to arrive. The bright lights instantly got her feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Lights meant business, and once she passed into the town she practically drooled. Casinos, bars, clubs, and dozens of each in all directions. The sheer quanitification of trouble she could get in here was staggering, and left her weak at the knees. Still, the smell of strong ale practically dragged her face to the right, to the closet of such establishments to her current position.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed with genuine glee. It was a decent looking tavern and casino combination. Seedy enough for a fight, but clean enough to expect quality food and drink. Days on end at sea without any excitement or company left her feeling depleted. It was time to waste her money on good food and liquor. The pink-haired martial artist threw open the doors dramatically and deeply inhaled the smells she loved so much. Cigars, booze, roasted meat, and sea-salt. "Sweet ambrosia!" Her entrance and exclamation bought a few glances in her direction, and a few more at her figure. But she ignored all of them on her way to the bar, where she slapped a handful of coins on the counter.

"Rum, food, and information!" She demanded with a grin. She needed food yes, and she needed drink of course, but what she really needed was entertainment. If anything of interest was happening on the island, she was going to root it out. Parties, bounties, tough crew hiring, she wasn't picky.

[blink]

(1 Day Earlier...)
The cold warmth of dawn arrived and the red sun rose over the horizon on the little town, in the middle of this town stood a crowd of people looking and then surrounded a figure. Everyone was scared; they dared not to approach the figure. The Old man felt extremely scared, but he bit down on his tongue and said "Errmmm, excuse sir, are you alright?" whimpered an old man to an ominous figure. The figure didn't reply he simple looked at the old man in the eye and carried on walked on, he was tall, rugged and has clearly been ravaged by many hardships. Blink was that figure, and his clothes were all torn and ripped. They were in this state form the fact Blink been travelling so long and hard and in rough sharp terrain; it was picked up upon from when he rubbed and clashed against these surfaces. Cuts and bruises battered his body; his eyes were bloodshot; like a crimson red. It sent everyone who gazed upon him to feel a slight chill. He could barely walk straight; this man was on the edge of exhaustion. Blink finally opened his mouth. Shut up old man, if you’re gonna open your mouth at least make it of use to me. Do you know where I can find a man who goes by the alias of King Pin?". The old man replied hastily "No I’m afraid not, but sir please rest in one of our hospitals, Doctors will tend you for there. Please your body can’t go on like this, you need help!". There was an awkward pause which subdued the whole atmosphere. Blink looked sharply into the old man's eyes "Fine, take me to a hospital". There Blink lodged, until he was able to muster up energy in his body to move again so he could set off. He needed to find Master Ippon's killer. Blink closed his eyes and fell asleep.
____________________________________________________

(Previously...)
What the townsfolk didn't know is that Blink had been awake for two sleepless nights now; he had looked all over the west blue in search of his master’s killer. Blink was normally calm laid back person and who carefree, but this was a matter about his master's death. Blink has never had a family before and the one person he had was cruelly taken away from him by the dreaded King Pin. This was the reason for Blink's extreme motivation. He was a man bent on getting revenge and has so far not stopped at nothing until he is reclaimed his master’s former glory. For weeks on end, he had been looking non-stop for King Pin and has not stopped yet, he arrived on this massive island a week before and in this time Blink had been to 6 towns, each time he came short and hasn't heard anything to do with King Pin. Things looked bleak for him.

However in this darkest hour Blink knew King Pin was somewhere on this island. Back in Las Camp (the town Blink grew up in) when he found out of his Master's death Blink went into a rage and remembered from his childhood the location where those gang and thug members tormented him, he rushed to that location and stopped in front of a bordered of door, he knew that was where King Pin's gang stayed he knew this from seeing so many wall in and out when he was younger and they black mailed him, long before his master gave him protection. He stormed into King Pin's hideout within the depths of Las Camps slums. But it was pointless, the hideout was completely deserted. Blink fell to his knees filled with despair and anguish, he screamed out a cried to the heavens above. Only silence responded. Until 3 Members shouted out "Oi, you whose there? And who was business with King Pin?" Blink's eyes now shone as there was now a chance into him finding where King Pin and his main gang have gone. Blink then unsheathed his katana and rushes at the thugs. They quickly enclosed him and are about to strike for Blink, "Wolf Clutch" he whispered. Blink rotated and spun he created his defensive shield and parried off the thug's bludgeoning attacks. The thugs were put off balance and using this opportunity Blink delivered two powerful blows to 2 of the thug's heads, knocking them out. He grabbed the final thug by the scruff of his neck and tossed him into the wall, dazed the thug opened his eyes to the sight of Blink who pointed his katana directly in his face. "Now, you better talk, or else my weapon will pierce through your skull. Now where is King Pin"! The thug whimpered and spluttered out "I don’t know exactly where he is, but the gang said something about a place called Raito Island , they said they should be there . Blink flipped his katana around and used the hilt and knocked out the thug. "Thanks."Blink walked out into the open, where he set out to the island of Raito...
____________________________________________________
(Current Day)
Suddenly Blink awakened, he spotted that he was in the hospital and has been perched into a comfy warm bed. There was a newspaper on the desk beside him. He picked it up and read the newspaper in search of the date; it was issued on the 14th. Blink had been in a slumber for 1 whole day, he rushed to his feet to make up for this lost time. He left a sack of coins on the pillow he had once slept on to pay for the room and also from their kindness and hospitality they showed him and press off.
Blink thought to himself and decided no more time can be squandered, and he heads off to the main town in the Raito Island all the big locations. He grabbed his satchel and headed off into the horizon. Still in search of the dreaded King Pin.

[Deleted]

"Come on seven, come on seven!" called the high roller, having put a small portion on the roulette betting board. His money had been spread, but focused nonetheless on the seven. The ivory-white pachinko ball was cast against the circular, numbered table and the crowd about the attraction simpered to silence; Rango included. There was mumbled that encamped the roullette attraction from other populated areas of the club, but all in its vicinage was focused on the sound of that ball hopping over the ridges as it's made its ultimately futile attempt to escape being trapped in a number prison. The ticks from each collision between ball and ridge were clustered at first, like a trail of falling dominoes, but the frequency began to dampen along with the amplitude. The ball was losing energy, as was the spinning board, noard both were slow enough for the common eye to trace the balls progression. The crowd began to rise up in a chant as they all saw the seven and the ball revolving towards each other. As they came closer and closer the chants got louder, drawing attention from other patrons and staff nearby. The ball was no flopping over ridge after ridge with the seven - which at this point may as well have been zion itself - in clear view.

The crowd gave an empassioned sigh in commissoration when the ball fell 2 slots short on red 22, but after all the entertainment the other big players and high rollers applauded the leading man as a hero. He began to collect his winnings and move away from the table. As he left, the usher of the roulette attract raised his eyebrows, realising the man was not playing any more, but had still taken a rather wealthy amount of chips. He looked to the two burly men who were near his station, the were neither waiters nor attendants. One of the men caught his telling glance and tapped his companion and pointed him in the direction of the man trying to leave.

The high roller bowed meekly to the others around him with a cheerfully smile and began slinking back from the table. As he did so, Rango edged forward, in the motion of getting up from his seat but he restrained himself when the high roller turned round and bumped into the chest of one of the men.

"Excuse me pal, but your leaving with a pretty big stack of chips." said one.

"Yeah. We'll need to do a quick search before before you cash in. It's routine for anyone who wins big in one night"

---

"Huh," remarked Cashern looking into the port from just behing the bowsprit of his rented vessel. His impressed but not highly concerned emote was in response to selection of wounded port-runners trying to pick themselves together. Cashern wasn't one for geography of topography by any means, but he knew the scene of a beatdown when he saw one - his life was nor orientated around such street brawls after all. Cashern was so incensed by what he saw, his hands began to gripped the railing so hard it began to creek. Realising how zealous he was he turned to the captain who was overseeing the lowering of the sails and the preparation of the anchor. "Is the water shallow enough here for me to hope out here? I'll still pay in full," he called. The Captain nodded.

"Aye, this be good, and don't worry about the money. We would have come here soon anyway to restock, and you'll need every beli you can salvage to survive a neighbourhood like this one. Don't get any ideas though. No freebies on the way back!" The captain replied, his voice being very stern on his last remark. Cashern nodded out of respect.

"Cheers," he called in gratitude before laying a hand on the front of the ship and vaulting over with his rucksack in the other. As he feel the few feet from the ship to the flooded beach his jacket rippled agaisnt the air. He landed in a crouching splash and began to run forward inland. He turned once the was far enough from the ship to be seen by those on the upper deck. "I'll definitely be be back soon, wait for me!" he promised.

"We'll be around for a while, but don't push your luck, baseball-baka!" replied the Captain. Cashern chuckled at the Captain before dashing through the lapping sea waters towards the wounded port-runners. Once he got close he slowed down and picked on out in particular, calling to him.

"What happened to you?" Asked Cashern nuetrally. The man was still grimacing from his broken appendage. He rose from the ground to a seated position, craddling the crushed wrist.

"That crazy bitch..." he whimpered through shellshock. His breaths were acute and clustered together. He was so disturbed Cashern could hear him grunting in each breath. "THAT MONSTEROUS BITCH CRUSHED MY HAND!" he roared into the dimming sky. His companions, hearing his scream rushed to his aid.

"B-boss! Don't worry! Mazo will get you some help! I'll go get that girl! She couldn't have gotten far I think she was heading into Bright Village!" insisted his lackey. Mazo did as was promised and assisted the man in getting up, only for him to swat Mazo out of pride and anger, stumbling towards help with Mazo trying to get him to be careful. The guard, who felt shamed by how easily the girl had embarrassed them coiled his hands into fists, cracking his knuckles in the process." Cashern raised an eyebrow and perked a feint smile of interest.

<A girl managed to do this?> he ruminated, wanting to see this 'monsterous bitch' for himself.

[donnervark]

Within minutes Darla was scarfing down a thick, bloody steak like a woman possessed. She drew more than a few eyes with her lack of modesty or manners. The pink haired dynamo was raised around pirates and sailors. She learned to be loud and boisterous, and never really saw the need for manners or being 'lady-like'. Honestly those traits just didn't apply to real life in her mind, not on the sea anyways. Every quarter of steak she devoured was immediately followed by a hearty chug from her flagon of spiced rum. It had been days since she'd had a good solid meal, so she enjoyed this one without any disruptions. One lanky looking sailor, a pirate by the looks of him, was about to learn this the hard way. He got a smile on his face and stood up from his poker table, taking a few coins with him and smacking them down on the bar next to her.

"You know I love a girl who can drink. How about you join us at our table? I'll even buy you another flagon!" Darla ignored him completely, continuing her assault on the meal in front of her. He scowled. "Now little girl. I'm being generous here! Show some respect and get your sweet ass over to our table!" He followed the demand by placing his hand on her shoulder, his fingers dangerously close to encircling her neck. A single sigh escaped her before his world spun into chaos.

"Steam Purge." She mumbled blankly through her half-chewed meat. There came a loud hiss and steam burst from the creases of her bionic arms, terribly scalding his forearm, upper chest, and face. It went in all directions, clouding the area. Fortunately, no one else was near enough to suffer as he did. Their came a flash of white and pink as her leg shot out in a marvelous display of her flexibility. As he screamed her foot streaked behind him, stopping him from falling back, then hooked in, planted firmly against the back of his head, and slammed him into the bar. She then leaned back with her plate in hand. As the steam cleared, the bar would now see her in a relaxed position, one foot planted on the foot rest, while the other was pinning him face first into the polished wood.

"I'll make something very clear to you. Do not interrupt me while I'm eating. I would have joined you when I was good and done. Hell. If you had been polite you might have even got laid. But now you got burns on your face. Let that be a lesson to you." She raised her foot up and he fell back with a groan. But before he could go to far, she circled her leg around and hammered it into the side of his face, sending him sprawling over to the side. Barely ten seconds afterwards, she finished eating and guzzled down the last of her drink. "Whoo! Bartender I'll have another drink!" Spying the coins the lanky man had placed on the counter she grinned, and slid them forward. "On him!" Once another mug was in her hand she leaned forward with a smile and placed her chin on her free hand. "So about that information....any tough crews in port hiring? Anything else interesting going on that a pretty little thing like me should know about?"

"Hmmm" The grizzled old bartender had a severe expression on his face. He clearly didn't approve of her causing trouble in the bar, but since he didn't do anything to stop it she figured it must be common. He had the look of a salty old sailor who had finally settled on land. His skin was leathery and worn, well creased with lines of age. After thinking for a few moments, he finally replied. "Honestly, you don't seem like the average joker coming through looking to strike big....and you definitely ain't a marine. Honestly no real big pirate crews have come through in a while. You might look to join up with the head honcho around here, but I doubt he'd take on a woman for anything more than a concubine, plus no one knows his identity. And he don't take to sea often." Darla made a pouty face and leaned bag, taking a big drag from her drink. Her tolerance was pretty high, so she wasn't feeling anything yet. "There is always parties going on around here, so its hit and miss depending on who's throwing them." He looked around after that, as though considering if he should keep talking. Then he leaned in towards her as though to whisper. She leaned back in as well, eager to hear what demanded such secrecy. "Don't take this for truth yet. But I've been hearing rumors of a contest of sorts. Fighters and strong, seedy types have been coming from all over for something. I've been hearing about preliminaries being held in the jungle, but I don't know for what yet." With that he went back to washing glasses. And she relaxed back in her seat, eyes ablaze with interest.

"Fighters eh?" She could only speculate. But if fighters were gathering, and a contest was on the horizon, could she have landed an opportunity to get in on a tournament? The idea was electrifying, the perfect opportunity to get her name out. Of course that was only if there really was one. The shitty thing about rumors was that they weren't reliable. She needed solid info. But where would she find it in a town like this? These type of places were mazes, and easy places to get hurt in....well not for her. But still.

"Sorry doll. But it looks like you might be out of time anyways. Unfortunately that mook was someone's first mate." Darla leaned her head back until she was looking backwards. At some point the man she'd injured had limped out, or had been dragged out. Now he'd just entered the bar with friends in tow....a dozen of them. She just smiled and chugged her drink all at once, not minding when the alcohol leaked down her cheeks and neck, slicking her shirt a bit. The bartender just cocked his eyebrow and moved away, obviously understanding what was about to happen. As soon as she finished a barrel was pressed against her head and a hammer cocked.

"You are going to pay for that you little bitch!" She glanced out of the corner of her eyes, seeing the man who'd interrupted her meal. His face was swollen and blistered from her steam attack, his expression a hilarious mixture of pain and rage. She turned to face him on her stool, pressing the barrel of his gun against her forehead. "We are going to have so much fun with you! You're gonna keep us company all the way to the next island! Then we'll put a bullet through your head and dump you overboard!" Darla just grinned at him.

"Go ahead. Do it." She said. His expression changed to confusion, then back to rage.

"Get up! You're coming with us or I'll put a hole in you the size of a tomato!" She cocked her neck to the side, never breaking his glare, or changing her smile.

"Stop talking and do it. Kill me tough guy." He chuckled nervously, his gun shaking against her skin.

"He..he...you are crazy...you are so crazy. What the hell is wrong with you? GET UP OR I WILL SHOOT YOU!" He screamed at her this time, and she fell forward as he pulled the trigger out of fear. In another display of flexibility she rolled in that tight space, making a hand stand directly at the base of his feet. She curled up into a ball, still balancing on her metal hands and shot her left foot straight up, smashing into his jaw and launching him into the ceiling. She then popped herself up with her arms, flipping backwards into the air and landing perched on the stool. The mans friends all stood dumbfounded, not really understanding what had happened even as their leader plummeted back to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"I may be crazy! But my balls are ten times the size of yours!" With that the crowd of his friends tried to rush her and she flipped backwards off the stool, letting them crash over it. The first man who made it past received a solid thrusting side kick to his face, sending him sprawling into a table of card players. One massive player got up, grabbing the man and slamming his fist into his face.

"I was winning damn it!" At that moment everything turned to chaos. As all the players rushed to grab their chips they fought, slamming into each other and causing further disruption of other tables, which in turn caused the fight to spread. Darla fought on regardless, delivering swift, precise kicks to every man who even came near her in a threatening manner. It only took a few moments for the entire room to devolve into an all out bar-fight. With Darla "Pinkfingers" Nikkita right in the middle, grinning like an animal in heat. The alcohol burned through her bloodstream now, assisted with adrenalin and excitement. When she finally reached the doorway, half a dozen men, mostly crew of the lanky man, blocked her way.

"FLICKER DANCE!" She shouted and ushered unto them a barrage of snap kicks at such speed that normal people could not hope to block them. With nowhere to go they staggered back into the wall, the ones in front taking the brunt of her strikes, while the ones in back were crushed against the door. She continued to pick up speed and intensity, switching feet and inching forward until finally the door gave way, practically exploding into the street as men poured over themselves in a heap, leaving her standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the bar-room lights.

[blink]

Blink stood still and tilts his head up and stared into the sky, he let off a huge sigh and scratched his head and contemplated his next move. He had been travelling for 4 hours after leaving that town, and not a single sign of another town anywhere. The sun beat down hard on that weary traveler. Things looked bleak for Blink, however a little ray of hope shone upon him and in the horizon he spotted 2 horses attached to a wagon which carried cargo. He acted fast and followed the wagon, the wagon was too fast for Blink to of kept up, but he kept it in his line of slights for just long enough to see the pathway it took. Blink continued on the dusty rocky road. Each footstep was painful, for his feet was covered in blisters and sores from the extreme amounts of walking Blink has done within the last few days, however that pain was subdued and a great feeling of relief entered his body, because he finally spotted a town.

Blink began his journey into the town, on the outskirts a sign was perched vertically right across the road. It read "Bright Village". After entering the town Blink looked around for a place which could possibly have helped him find some information about King Pin. There wasn't anything obvious to be spotted straight away until Blink attention was drawn over towards a little market place. Where it appeared a lot of commotion occurred from the high number of people. A smile appeared on Blink's face as he had now had found a place which stunk of odd activity. So many people were concentrated into a small alleyway; one of them must have known about King Pin. Blink walks through the crowds, trying to get past the hustle and bustle of the masses of people. He began to start and then he asked people about if they knew anything about King Pin. "Hey, excuse me do you know a man named King Pin?" A puzzled looked engulfed short man’s face. "Sorry i don't know anyone by that name" the man croaked. Blink turned around and began to walk off until the short man shouted over to him "Hey! If you’re looking for a man, why don't you ask my brother Armando, he owns the biggest weapon shop in Bright Village? If you want to find out about someone there is a high chance my brother would have seen them in that shop. It’s just down the road here. Blink smiled and tossed the man a golden coin for his helpfulness. "Cheers", and he walked down the road.

Blink entered the weapon shop a few moments later and what he saw was amazing. The place was packed with so many large muscular warriors; absolutely everywhere was crowded with fighters from all over the blue. This shop held almost every style of weapon one could think of from the melee weapons like the swords, blades, axes, clubs to the ranged pistols, slings, bow & arrows; almost every fighting style could be satisfied here. Blink had to focus on the matter in hand though; he weaved in and out the fighters until he reached the checkout counter. He spotted a man who looked even smaller but familiar to the one he spoke to previously. Are you Armando? The short shady man replied to Blink "Depends on who's asking friend". Blink talked again with a slight bit of conviction within his voice."Well a man who looked like you in the street claimed he was your brother, and he you’re the man who could get me information on a person; Do you know of a man who goes by the name 'King Pin'? You know he is quite large and husky and he has a ravaged scar from his left eye down to his lips". The short man smiled and quickly replied with "my memories a little hazy my friend" Blink knew straight away what he desired, he flicked his belt and grabbed a small pouch full of coins and tossed it on the counter in front of him, the pouch toppled a portion of the coins spread their selves all over the counter. They shimmered and made the man’s eyes light up. "You have now jogged my memory with a display of that caliber, I don't know of about a 'King Pin', but a husky man who has a scar of which you spoke of I do know of. He goes by the name Oscar Wilson . I only know this information because that man is hosting a tournament, looked around you. All these fighters you see are preparing themselves for the tourney, so if you want to meet him you better go to that event. Blink felt a scene of pride well up in his body; he knew he was now one step closer to finding his master's killer.

[Deleted]

"You are going to pay for that you little bitch!"

Rango's face showed no emotion, but a tick in the form of him snapping his lime stick against his glass repeatedly began to surface. This, his anxiety, outletted over the fate of the high roller. Rango had watched and waited on this man for only an hour in this seedy casino, but he had been hunting him for nearly two weeks now, forming a profile and regular routine of how he moved, where he moved and why. Almost as much as the high roller needed to slip through security without trouble, Rango also needed to see the high roller escape. However Rango was also aware that amongs all the beli and chips the man had accumulated... his loaded dice and burnt hands lay. All it would take was for the security to serch the man thoroughly enough and he would be caught.

Rango's concern over the halted high roller was detained for a moment as a brutish, pink-haired woman began openly enciting drama around her. The sight which hit his eyes was prefixed by gasps of shock. Rango's face was emotionless as his mind tried to discern the cause of the half-boiled face left by this woman. The man she had scorned drew a gun to her causing a much more serious situation that confirming the legitimacy of the leaving high roller. The two security guards moved instantly, shifting away from the high roller, prying through the gathering crowd to reach the brewing conflict.

Seeing his moment of reprive, the high roller made his daring escape seeing that all eyes were now off of him. It was true enough, as even Rango was not watching him, but he was still mindful, being able to sense from his peripheral vision that the high roller was trying to escape. Rango tilted his cowboy hat to overshadow his face as he eased off his chair and followed the high roller out of the casino.

---

While hunting down the pink themed monster that dishonoured his boss be realised that a figure had been follow him since he left the port. The guard slowed his pace and pivoted to confront this stalking annoyance. In all fairness, Cashern had done well to follow the man without drawing to much attention, but he wasn't a tracker or spy by any means, and as the guard teared through the village, Cashern was trailing directly in his wake, not even giving a suavely wide birth in the process. He bumped into a man who was coming round a corner the man dropped money and a pair of dice dropped out, which rolled onto a perfect 3 and 4, making an ultimate of seven. Cashern didn't understand the important of the dice or the numbers, neither waas he in any mood to steal the man's money, but he stood confused as the man jumped to his feet from the impact in a major fright at the dice being seen before scooping them up and running.

"Do you have a problem?" the man asked to Cashern as the money hoarding man made his exit. He remember Cashern's hair and jacket from the port and recognised that Cashern must have been following him. "Is this supposed to be funny? Be a joke?" he added, riling himself to anger. Cashern put a cautious foot forward, setting himself into an offensive stance while another man in a cowboy hat slinging a duffel bag over his shoulder slipped past.

"I saw you and your boys at the port. You got trashed pretty epically. You're hunting the girl that did it right? I want to find her too. I want to go around with her and see if she can put up a decent fight!" explained Cashern with a smile at the thought of it. The guard found trouble rationalising Cashern's train of thought.

"Huh? You wan't to fight her too? Why?" he inquired. Cashern shrugged his shoulders, as if owning up to his crime while keeping a coy grin.

"She can fight. That's all the reason I usually need," he replied, confirming with the guard that his reasoning was just as shoddy as the guard expected. Cashern then nodded to the guard. "Anyway, what do you care? You can't beat her anyway. It's not like you don't need the help. I'm practically doing you favour." remarked Cashern, believing he had more right to be challenging the mystery female fighter than this man by virtue of him standing a chance. The guard did not take highly to Casherns evalution and reached for the hilt of his sword.

"What did you just say? Who the hell do you think you are kid? You weren't even there when she attack us!" snapped the guard. "She captured my boss with a lucky shot! I couldn't touch her encase she harm him back then! But NOW!? I'll take back her head to pay for the boss's arm!" he roared with conviction. Cashern was touched by this burst of spirit.

"Oh yeah? You're that tough huh?" goaded Cashern. "Feel to prove it?" he challenged while reaching over his shoulder for his bat. the man had no profit in fighting Cashern, but he was thug no less, and for nothing other that continuing respect and reputation, he knew better than to walk away from an idle threat from a bat wielding idiot. Cashern could tell the man was mulling over his challenge. He braced his signature devilish glint and pointed his bat at the man. "Come on - Itsudemo koi, bastard!"

---

"*Huff*, *huff*, *huff* - argh... it's times like this that I ask myself why I agreed to follow this guy on the roa. Why did he need to run off like that?" whined Kyoko through rapid, rabid breaths. The man with which she was running, who was moving with an unnecessarily serious expression beside her squinted at the path before them.

"Master Cashern is in the prime of his youth, overwhelming with energy and passion; It is natural for him to move through life at a faster life pace than his elders." replied Hiryu, using a stern, gravely voice usually only resign to reciting haikus. Kyoko narrowed her eyes at his comment.

"I'm not old," the growled quietly. "And neither are you" she rebutted more openly with disdain, verbally swatting away Hiryu's 'reminiscing old man' remarks. A moment later however, she realised she was getting tired of running. They were carrying all of the equipment after all, seeing as Cashern had left it behind. "...maybe not old, but I'm tired," she admitted, now beginning to significantly slow down, to the point she was barely jogging. Hiryu paused to turn back to Kyoko.

"Impossible! Kyo! Do not tell me your spring has dried so quickly!" called Hiryu, with a wealth of melodramtic intensity. Kyoko simple plodded to the ground in a stoop, relieving the large backpack on her shoulders by easing it on the floor. She was against a tree at the time and simply began the lean back against the bag as if ready to drift asleep any time. She waved at Hiryu.

"Eh, you go on ahead and catch up with Cashern. I'll just wait here for you guys, okay?" she replied lazily. Hiryu's eyes began to well up.

"Ah!" he said in agreement, as if Kyoko had just given him her dying wish. "I swear to you! I'll find Master Cashern! I'll find him and bring him back for you to see one last time!" Hiryu then darted off in double time. "Don't you dare die on me before then Kyo!" he shouted into the night sky. Kyoko rolled her eyes and blew a rasberry after her friend.

"I've told him a million times not to call me Kyo. I'm not a boy! The same goes for Cash when he calls me Senzo! Every one thinks just because my name means war that I'm just as battle mad as he is..." Kyoko dispaired, almost shedding a tear for her own sorrows. Kyoko was about to lean back and nod off for a second, when she was alerted the the paces of another coming the other way. The man had money in his hand, beli note would slip from his grasp and flutter in his mad wake. She pondered to herself as to what had the man in such a flurry.

The high roller slowed to a halt in Kyoko's eyesight. L:ooking over his shoulder and realising that the men from the Casino were not persuing him at all. He caught his breathed and gave a sigh of relief into the air, which Kyoko found a little smarmy and made her even more curious.

Unbeknownst to both, a figure had swooped down onto a rooftop, looking down on the high roller, chuckling victoriously with souless and hollow eyes.

[donnervark]

"That's it weaklings! Keep feeding the flames!" Darla laughed as she watched the ever spreading brawl poured out onto the streets. Eventually the men she kicked outside got to their feet. Some ran, while four stayed behind to continue the battle. She'd dispatched those four rather swiftly, the first missing a stab with his dagger, and being rewarded with a spear-handed thrust to his throat. The second two rushed her at once, which she countered by spinning around the first, a massive brute of a man, using his body to build momentum before spinning into a devastating Butterfly Kick. Which KO'd the second man, who had no idea how to even react to such a move. She didn't stop her spin however, rather she flowed with her momentum, ducking low at first to avoid the last mans cutlass slash, and lashing out her leg up and out. The result was her foot hooking up to impact his face with all her built up momentum even as his sword swung over her body. He went down instantaneously, and she fell into a crouch over him. Adrenalin pulsed through her body, making everything move slow around her as her disciplined senses reacted much faster than normal. She saw the first man, only now turning around after she spun around him. He hesitated at the sight of the other men down, wherein gave her all the time she needed to end him. Before he could move she lunged up to him, leaving no more than half a foot between them and came to the horse stance position.

"Spin Drive: Double Helix Fist!" Steam erupted from the creases in her arms as her fists began to spin with blinding speed. Then with enough force to knock a tree down, she slammed her fists forward in a double punch that send the man flying backwards into the supporting column of a nearby store. His body smashed the wooden beam and came to a sprawl, sporting two shredded holes in his shirt, and two massive ragged welts beneath them. Darla had a devilish grin on her face, having lost complete control to the rush of battle. Even as it dawned on her that that tech just used up nearly a third of her water supply in generating all that steam pressure, she only half-cared, since her heart was still pounding from excitement. She was still running on high from the adrenalin, but she had enough control to know when was enough. So she stretched herself out almost catlike, took a deep breath, and headed on her way.

More had started spilling out of the bar as things escalated further and further. As it stood, her little stunt may have very well started a full blown riot, depending on how quickly these men lost their momentum. Of course, if she had her way, the fight would cross the whole island before dissipating. As of the moment however, she simply enjoyed the exercise, even if she did go a little overboard with the last one. Her arms twitched slightly because of the lingering steam pressure inside. She'd have to purge them soon, or use it up quickly. She could always start another fight....

Just as she was contemplating her next venue, she started walking across the next street and heard voices around the corner. She only saw a man with a cowboy hat for the briefest of moments before he was gone. Remaining in an alley was a large man with his back to her, she couldn't tell from her angle who he was, but he was armed in a bodyguard fashion. Beyond him was a muscular man brandishing a baseball bat, and calling the other a bastard. He looked rather fit, maybe fit enough to be a fighter? The bartender did say fighters were coming from all over the place. Without any evidence affirming her suspicion, she turned down the corner with a smile, hoping for a good show, and a strong contender afterwards. Even if he was disappointing, hopefully he could lead her to the tournament.

[blink]

"Oscar Wilson?" Blink thought to himself in his mind. That was the man who took his master's life away from him and he also terrorized Blink from such a young age. This diabolic excuse of a human being was finally in his grasp. They said he would be at the tournament. They said his name. But how could Blink be so sure to believe this information, any little shady man could have told you want you wanted to hear for a little beli. All these uncertainties danced and blazed around in Blink's mind. He was so confused and wasn't sure if he could have accepted these facts. Blink pondered this for awhile. He scratched his head and thought about it. After a good while he knew what must have been done. He had already travelled for so long and through abysmal weather and terrain. What harm would it be for him to have blindly followed this information? He knew he was at the tourney, and the first round started in a few days he had no time to waste. He wanted to get stronger. He needed to train.

(Later that day... In the centre of Ratio Island)

Blink walked out into the vast jungle, he packed enough supply in his bag to last time a few days. This was adequate enough for him to have trained. The sun was hot and it beat down on his hard ravaged skin. Sweat slide down Blink's face and dripped of his chin hairs, the condition was abysmal and unwelcome for people. But Blink ignored this and he was focused, he pressed on with the matter in hand. He began to train; he knew this harsh terrain and environment would make him increase his strength and endurance a lot faster. Blink wasted no time; he unsheathes his katana and grasps it with an iron grip. He focused looked around the forest, there was many trees and rocks he could have used to hone his skills. But there in the distance stood one large giant boulder a top of a cliff, the path to this boulder was not an easy one in the slightest, it contained thick bushes and objects blocking the route; rocks and sharp thorns fluttered everywhere along this path. Blink thought to himself. "Perfect; A challenge is just want I looked for, I didn't want this to be a walk in the park now did I". A grin enveloped Blink's face and he licked his lips in anticipation, he un sheath the katana and began to slice and hacked away at all things blocking his path. This was an arduous task and Blink used every bit and little once of energy he had inside his body to cut the thick hard bush and thorns. But Blink till endured, the picture of his master's face was enough drive for Blink to this. After a while Blink made it too the cliff face. His arms were still numb and sore, but he didn't care and he squared up to the cliff face. He tilted his head back and looked up, it was rocky and chips and grooves had been carved into the surface. They made for quite handy foot-holds and arm-holds, Blink hopped up and jumped onto the cliff he grasped and gripped onto the surface and began his way up the cliff. Each pull and movement was painful, he had blisters all over his hands and he was bleeding slightly on his knees and elbows. This sharp jagged cliff face was no easy task indeed. Blink persevered and pressed on, and eventually he scaled that mighty beast of a cliff and collapsed on the top in a big heap, he was full of excitement and self-fulfillment.

Blink jumped up onto his feet and faced the boulder that was his target for him to hone his skills. He unleashed his moves on the boulder; Blink howled! "Wolf Ripper" Blink did a stabbing/thrusting motion at the boulder, he increased speed per thrust. "Hmm i need more practice, I need to get faster and more smooth; Right next one". Blink resumed his stance and howled again! "Lone Wolf X Fang" . He aggressively moved and Blink forced his body hard and performed a mighty upper cut slash in a rising diagonal motion. Then he followed up in an instance, he performed another strike but this time in a downwards diagonal motion. Both strikes hit the boulder clearly, there was a slight X engraved into the rock surface from the attack. "I need to push myself harder! I can be more powerful and hit with more flow". Blink kept being harsh on himself; he knew he had to push himself to the limit. He repeated this combo’s non-stop until his body just couldn't take it anymore. Blink's body was filled with lactic acid and he was so numb and sore; suddenly a hard wind blew and it almost took Blink right off the cliff top. To his horror he saw his bindle with all his food inside almost fell off the top. The wind kept pushing it closer and closer off the edge but Blink was too sore and he couldn't have moved or reacted to it. It falls off the edge. Blink's eyes swelled up with fear, he crawled slowly to the edge of the cliff, it took him a while to get there, and this shows how hard he trained. As Blink peered his head over the edge he noticed there was no sign of the bindle or sack, only a raging river flowing down beneath; Blink wasn't an idiot, he knew it was swept away in that tide.
Blink was now exhausted and foodless; things looked grimace, however Blink as he looked down he saw a few men rummaging down by the opening of the river, they had large bags and looked like they were planting things. He peered closer at the objects within there hands. There was bullions; and they appeared to be red of colour. However Blink didn’t care for what they were doing, but he hoped that they would have food. Blink began to go check them out.

[Deleted]

"Bastard? What's wrong with you freak!" rebutted the guard, not just angry but perplexed by Cashern's apparent ultimatum. Cashern bobbed an eyebrow in favour of actually shrugging his shoulders.

"It's been a while since I swung this in the face of someone interested in a beatdown." replied Cashern, his voiced almost as passionate as the confused guard. "I'm not crazy. I know it's not me you want, but be honest - It's not about being loyal to your boss, it's not about what she did to either; not really. You lost, and now you just want a win, revert the scores back. Any one will do. You can go look for her if you want, maybe you'll find her, maybe you won't. But me," began Cashern, patting his chest with his free hand. "I'm right here, right now, ready to go. Why? You don't need to know why. I can see it in that balled up fist. You don't really care do you," spoke Cashern, his voiced now more monotonous and stable, as if he were speaking to the gaurd as a voice in his head. "Come on... give in," he goaded, almost whispering in taunt of the guard. Before he knew it, the gaurd was raising a fist, mulling over Cashern's words, the idea someone was giving him the freedom to commit a random act of senseless violence against them.

His dedication to his duties, or moreover the fear of reprisal reigned in the guards senses and the focus Cashern had latched fizzled away. He turned around to see the woman in pink from the shoreline. The one he had been looking for.

"You!" he gasped, causing Cashern to lose his predator-esque gaze for a moment to sport a face of alert. He leaned his head and body to the side to see over the guards shoulder to the one he was looking at. The body language of the man spoke volumes to Cashern about the women he was eyeing. "That's right! You have a lot of balls to snap the arm of my boss, or you're just stupid! I'll take your arm off to make things eve-" the guard's menacing hateful words were cut short with the sound of a 'pong'. The guard simply stopped talking. His eyes were already glazed over with rage, which left little for the average watching to deduce that the man had been rendered unconscious. The man slowly tilted forward before collapsing on the ground. In his wake, Cashern was swinging out into the air as if he was merely practicing. Cashern was mindful to exhibit moderation in his swing, as he was never really believed the man was that fierce. Moreover, the number one prize had revealed itself apparently.

"I don't know when my friends will get here but they'll try to stop me so I'll make this quick. I've been on the sea travelling for a very long time with fellas too busy keeping a boat afloat. I haven't had a good fight in ages. You're the girl aren't you, the one from the pier." addressed Cashern rather crudely, still swinging in practice. "If it's all the same to you, let's go a few rounds: Itsude-" Cashern was silenced mid-epoch in a similar fashion to the guard, being knocked over the head with a massive backpack by a much taller, broader man who even in face looked like a fully fledged adult. "Itsu, Itsu... demo..." Cashern began to mumble as if he were fighting to stay sentient and conscious, even attempting to swing as he had a moment before.

"CASHERN-KUN!" roared the man who hit him, before tackling Cashern with a german suplex. The man rolled Cashern over and sat on him pinning him. "I made my vow to follow your youthful ambition as long as my old bones would carry me, but clearly I need to spend a longer time raising you boy!" he exclaimed in a high enery but not all that loud manner. He high levels of disgust were evident in his voice. "You would be so battle-egear as to strike an unnarmed woman, Cashern?" He asked rhetorically. Cashern was beginning to relapse after refusing to go down.

"No! Hiryu! Wait! Get - get off me man! You don't understand! It's all good! She can take a hit!" replied Cashern, not really filtering his choice of words before they left his mouth and painted him in Hiryu's ears a on the verge of becoming a woman beater.

"My ears must decieve me!" began Hiryu again, now holding Cashern in a cobra clutch, clasping the underside of Cashern's neck and lifting him up into the submission, making Cashern grimmace huskily. "Ma'am," remarked Hiryu, looking over his shoulder to Darla and speaking courteously and politely while still strangling Cashern. "Forgive this foolish child. He is a fool under my care. Ashamabely I let him slip my sight for a moment, but I assure you he will not trouble you anymore, please feel free to carry on with your business while I have him trapped,"

"No! No don't!" shouted Cashern from underneath, waggling his limbs as best he could. "Fight me first! Come on, let's go bastard!" Cashern did his best to insist.

"Still trying to hit a woman!?" remarked Hiryu, tightening his grip. "Don't you know when you've been leashed? I have you pinned to the ground!" Cashern wafted his free right arm, still wielding his bat.

"I can still fight, even like this! This is nothing! Let's do this!" persisted Cashern.

---

“I like your die, I think I’ll take it...”

The words seemed so abstract that to both the underhanded high roller and the rest Kyoko the seemed to travel through the air with a presence different to all the other sounds about them. The words were hollow in any emotion other than hostility. No rage, no sinister undertones, just a clear presence of unsettling hostility. The man, alread on edge jumped before looking to the beholder of the voice. Kyoko was facing the opposite way at the time and peered round, being made curious by the squirm of the man. When there eyes locked on the figure not so much crouched rather than perched at the edge of a roof top looking down on the high roller a shrill of terror washed over them.

"N-n-no... it's impossible!" whimpered the high roller, now realising that he had just heard the signature fate-setting line. Rango began to rise to hise feet and he might as well have been tugging at their heart strings in the process with the fear it put in them. "Wait! Wait! You can take the beli! I don't need it!"

"...Then I don't want it." Rango replied, taking a step forward.

"Hold on! I'm not taking a few coins here!" rebutted the high roller as quick as he could. Rango paused in recognition, allowing him to speak. "I must have hundreds of thousands of beli here. It's serious money!"

"...It's never been about the money," replied Rango taking another two steps forward and putting a foot over the edge of the roof.

"It's not me you want!" cried the high roller, a protest which was so curious, Rango not only paused, but brought his foot back onto solid ground. The man took a second to let his heart sink back into his chest. "There's a tournament! A big tournament - yeah! It's going to go down any day now! I swear on my mother's grave that there will be bigger names than mine there! Fighting, betting - you name it! Me? I'm nothing! Nothing special at all! A small fry making a quick buck is all! The marines? They don't know jack! The bounty is wrong I tell ya! Completely wrong! You go to that tournament you'll-"

"I understand." replied Rango, interjecting.

"Wha...?" replied the high roller. "S-s-so you see what I'm saying right?"

"It's logical. It's likely. Any rational mind can see the gain." replied Rango, as cold as ever. The high roller sprouted a smile after finding common ground with Rango.

"Ha-hah! Y-yes of course you could! You see? I'm just business man at heart! I could even be of use to you! I've already seen a few notable faces about the island! I can tell you where they roam, when you can best pick them off!" insisted the high roller enigmatically.

"Who do you think gave you up?" replied Rango. The man's face froze in a smile as he was once again confused by Rango's words, and with the given situation he knew to align an known fate with fear. He couldn't think what to say. "For me to corner you here, on a secluded street at the edge of town, some one must have done the same as you now; bargaining for their life by pointing in the direction of a bigger draw. If no one comes to mind, then the only rational solution is that I hunted you efficiently and seemlessly by myself, knowing exactly who you are and when to appear. That would also mean that I already know of any name you could think of while you were here and also of underground fighting event being staged. That would mean your bagain is useless to me. On the contrary - if such a man does exist, that would mean you were so big a draw he could buy his freedom just by mentioning you to me. Either way, it's clearly in my best interest to hunt you down-" explained Rango as he setup at the edge of the roof to pounce down upon the high roller, who began to whimper and attempt and escape by shifting his feet back. He only made it two steps before Rango beezed passed him to the ground_[1], swirling a streak of blood from the high roller's body. The high roller crashed to the ground with a sickening wail. As he dropped, the two dice rolled out from his body to Rango's feet as the beli feel, indiscriminately tainted in splashes of red. Rango kneelt momentarily to retrieve the dice and eyes them.

He then suddenly shifted his head to look at a tree whose branch began to shake. There he saw nothing, but a large bag resting on the other side as Kyoko had the good sense to make a run the moment she was sure of who Rango was and that he didn't have eyes set on her.

SPOILER: Click to show

Used Techs

[1]Rune Seeker/Trigger Blade Rango will rapidly unsheath a boomerang against his target. As the Treasure Hunter, he will quickdraw like a gunslinger for his Rune boomerang from over his back. As "The Apache", he will draw like a swordsman for either Ravager or Ruin from around his waist. This move can be used to put up a quick guard or a sudden strike against an otherwise unsuspecting enemy. This can be preformed in a dash.

[donnervark]

The scene before Darla was stupid at best, and she didn't have a word for worst. At one point she had been betting on a good show between a couple of street brawlers, now she was watching the man who'd been wielding a bat be squashed under the weight of a much larger individual. By their conversation, they knew each other. However the man seemed to be taking a rather extreme approach to raising this youth. Not that Darla would know.

As soon as the guard spoiled Darla's fun by noticing her, he was knocked unconscious by the slugger.

"Damn it! I wanted a show!" Darla hissed. She started tapping her foot hard in irritation. Luckily the next words out of the Slugger's mouth were the quickest way to her heart. He seemed young, but very well built, and with that bat he might be a challenge. She was unsure as to how a skilled fighter would wield a bat, like a sword maybe? Or would he rely on brute strength perhaps?

"Well alright. Straight to the point, and such intensity! I like that..." Again her momentum was killed as Slugger was himself smacked upside his head, suplexed, and pinned by a much larger man. Before she could think that he was an enemy, they began talking as though they knew each other. It appeared as though Slugger was under his care. He even apologized on Sluggers behalf even as the guy waved his bat at her, claiming the ability to keep fighting even as he was. It was at this point that Darla lost the desire to fight. The situation had devolved to the point where she lost interest. The man looked to pathetic like that for her to care.

"Nevermind Slugger. Come find me when your old man isn't holding you back." Darla said as she ran her fingers through her short, spiky hair. "Steam Purge." With those words her remaining pressure vented from the creases in her arms. It only took a second to vent what she had remaining, and when it was finished she turned around, giving Slugger one last glance. "Well that didn't turn out as I'd hoped." She groaned as she turned back onto the street she'd been walking before. To her left the barfight had apparently settled down for the most part. A building was on fire, but it wasn't the casino, so it might have been unrelated. She hooked her thumbs in her pants and turned right, heading deeper into the town. It seemed almost every street was the same, casinos and bars, entertainment and vice on every corner. It was fun, and enticing, but she could never settle in a place like this. She needed to fight, and she doubted anyone here could really make her try. A place like this made people soft, and she would never go soft. Literally in a certain sense. She needed a constant sense of challenge in order to really live, without that...well she was just a savage. Violence without focus or ambition.

"Ain't like you to be walkin all alone when a good scrap is going down." Darla stopped in place. She didn't shift or move in the slightest. She hadn't caught where the voice had come from, too caught up in her thoughts. That voice though....sounded familiar.

"You talk as though you know me." She said, almost daringly, teasing this voice into talking again.

"Of course!" The voice was deep, grating, very familiar, and it was moving. "I'd recognize those arms anywhere." Darla grinned broadly and turned around. "After all! I helped make them right?"

"Togz!" Darla squealed and jumped forward, giving her old friend a hug. He was a broad man, and as tall as her, but much heavier. He had a big gut which was in fact mostly muscle, a broad chest almost completely covered in shaggy chest hair, and big beefy arms almost as hairy as his chest.. His face was round, deeply tanned, and nearly split in half by his huge smile. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Togz, was his cybernetic legs. In stark contrast to his upper body, they were very skinny, almost skeletal. As absurd as they looked though, they could not only bear his weight, but move five times faster than he ever could have in life. "How've you been? What are you doing here? And is Bony here?!" Togz held up his hands and laughed.

"Calm down kid! I didn't expect to see you so soon after you left us. What is it? three months? Conquer the Grand Line already?" Darla kicked him in his metal shin while sticking out her tongue at Togz. He couldn't feel pain there, but he feigned it anyways, overdramatizing the pain of course.

"Haven't even got there yet! Seriously is Bony here too?" Togz groaned and threw up his hands in defeat.

"You have no patience at all! No the Captain isn't here with me. I've been sent here along with two rookies on a 'special assignment'. Of course you're here to join the tournament as well. I don't know why we didn't expect to see you here." Togz pulled out a pack as he spoke, rummaging through its contents, as if checking to see if they were still in place, seeing as he didn't remove anything.

"Wait wait. I've heard about a tournament possibly. But I just heard about that. There really is a tournament going down?" Togz looked at Darla with confusion at first, then he just laughed.

"Of course! Darla my dear your luck has served you well again! Let me guess....you randomly selected this island right?" He asked as he motioned her to follow him.

"Well...yeah. So it worked out right?!" She grumbled at the odd looking pirate walking beside her.

"Oh better than you'd imagine! We're talking big bucks here! And prestige!" Prestige was good. Money was helpful but she'd prefer something more substantial. "Our guys are waiting for the notice of time and place for the qualifying matches or whatever they start with. How about you stick around with us until that happens. I'm not sure how this all works, so maybe you can try and enter too." Darla looked over to Togz with a raised eyebrow.

"You are entering? Seriously? Bony sent his First Mate to win a tournament?" Darla frowned. She couldn't imagine how much this tournament could be worth to make her old Captain sent his strongest guy away with a couple rookies.

"Ha ha! Damn right! Does that scare you off girl? Think you can finally take me?" Togz spoke with complete confidence. He knew full well that he was one of three people on that ship that could fight her on even ground. She'd never beaten Togz before, but she never passed up a chance. She patted her rear and gave him the finger.

"Kiss it Togz! You are going down! And the whole world will see it...ahhh! Glorious!" She dramatized the whole thing for Togz, who found it hilarious, as he did everything. "Seriously. If a big fight is going down, I will be there, and I can't wait to take you on again." She spoke with a smile, to one of the few people she could call family.

"Likewise runt. Have you worked out the flaws in that handstand maneuver yet?" They continued to chat the whole way to his place, both reminiscing over their shared experiences, and discussing the things that had changed since she'd left. It was a welcome reprieve to be around real friends again. And the thought of pitting herself against that friend made it all the sweeter.

[blink]

Blink's results of his training showed, he flexed his muscles and honed his sword with a lot more elegance and stature, he definitely knew he was stronger. But back to the matter in hand he had to make his way down and see what those 2 men were up to. Blink quite smoothly and steadily shifted down the cliff face, he did this in such a manner because he didn't want to bring any attention to himself. He was determined to find out what those men planting those bullions into the ground. It felt like an eternity abseiling down that cliff but Blink did it successfully, thankfully he only had cuts up on his palms and scratches on his body from touching bare jagged rock. It could have been a lot worse, but these minor inconveniences were nothing to a man like Blink. Quite frankly he could have his arm ripped asunder and that still wouldn't have been enough deteriorate him from his vengeance.
Blink started up and approached the 2 men from behind, but kept a good 10 meter gap between them. This distance was acquainting enough for him to hear what they were saying and also was enough to keep him out of there line of sight if he stays low and kept to the thick brush of the bushes. He grabbed a few branches in front of him and opened them up, but he made sure he didn't rush this and avoided any rustling sounds the leaves and branches would have made. Blink motionlessly gazed upon the 2 men who just dug and planted bullions. 1 of them spoke; he was the shorter and fatter one of the 2. "Gawsh Jack, how long are we going to have to keep this up. I'm so tired and the heat is killing me". The other one spoke, he was tall, lean and skinny and spoke in a groggy tone. "I know Harrison! This is a pain in the arse, but we gotta do it. The man named Jack stabbed his shovel into the ground and plucked up his arm and wiped the sweat off his brow and spoke briskly again. "Okay I thought about this and here's what I'm going to suggest Harrison. We have already put down bullions all over this god forsaken forest, so how about we are a little lazy and dump the majority of them here . The fat one spoke. "Damn right Jack, that's a brilliant idea lets dump em all over here, at the end of the day those fools will be fighting over them anyway; this will just speed up the process". Blink's eyes twinkled, fighting over them did he say? He wondered what on earth that could have meant. Suddenly Blink's trails of thoughts were broke off and were interrupted by the sounds of metal clanking off metal. He looked over at the 2 men, seeing wonderful sight bullions flowing into the dug hole like a fountain of rusted wealth. The bullions bounced and clanked and chinged off each other, the sound was like a harmony of metal dancing in the moonlight. Jack and Harrison filled the remaining space in the hole and patted it down until it was smoothed and levelled.

When he looked down upon that area it looked as if nothing of the ordinary was there. If Blink didn't witness that with his own eyes he definitely wouldn't off believe anything was there, it was just as nature intended it to be, all smooth and level as the rest of the surface and terrain around it. Blink didn't move and he waited there until the 2 men walked away from eye vision. Once Jack and Harrison left the premises he sprung to life and walked over to the smooth patted area where the bullions lay. Blink was going to take the bullions but stopped and thought logically for a moment. 1 his body was too weak and weary from training to carry the bullions right now. 2 he didn't have any tools right now to dig into the ground to obtain the bullions. And 3 he had no bag or sack to carry the heavy supply of bullion goods anyway. It was a dire situation. Blink turned his head left and looked up at the cliff he was stood upon, he then looks down at the river just beneath it. He twists his body and faces the river. Blink begins to take 1 step at a time and counts each placement. 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on... 26, 27, 28. That was the distance of steps from the start of the river-edge under the cliff to the place where the bullions lay. Blink remembered these landmarks and made a note of them mentally, he knew he would have to have come back soon to reclaim them, but for now he needed to go back to the motel in town where he could gain the supplies needed to carry the bullions. But for now he travelled back through the forest to reach town so he could rest up. After a long time of walking and braving the conditions of the forest and terrain Blink finally arrived in town and saw the motel down the street. Each step was like an eternity but he knew it would feel so good to just lie down after he has worked his muscly body to the extreme. As Blink approached the motel he happened to have glanced upon 2 males on the floor who tussled about and argued at each other, one of them sports a baseball bat in hand. His body made him look like a fighter but his size didn't strike Blink as someone who is a beast. However this man in a biker jacket and jeans seemed to be losing this little squabble from the other one who was perched on top of him. He was bigger and heftier and sport knuckle dusted gloves and a white and orange snug body suit. He's spiky hair and grin on his face made it look like he was an ambiguous man. Blink's eyes panned back down on the athletic male on the floor whose arms were failed around and the fact he did not give up from trying to get up from the floor. Blink admired his relentlessly behaviour and commitment to not give up. He smiled at the two then continued.
Blink wondered to himself, what on earth were those 2 doing?