Life-Line's Captain: Mafia-Buster Vik Emerges [Gaz]

[Roin]

The slums of Toroa were quiet in the early morning sun... but they were far from sleeping. A bunch of the Fishman Mafia were going about their normal routes, picking on weak humans and gathering plenty of protection money. It was just another day for most of the island... but little did the group heading to the Traveler's Lounge know... a not so normal person had arrived in the earliest hours of the morning, even before the sun had rose...

---

Sitting at the bar, an older man had most of the slummed out tavern watching him. Unlike the normal residents of the slums, the man's attire seemed from a distant time... the dark hue of his skin not one earned from a tan but generations of ancestors bathing in True Nectar. And in a horrid clash with the dark skin and clothes... the man's white, yet bright hair practically shone of another set of genetics. Everything about him was different from what was the "norm" in the Blues... but the weirdest thing was what he was doing. The stranger was talking... to a bug easily as large as a small dog.

"I don't understand, Ick... why can't you just drink some water? The flower blossoms from the last harvest aren't ready to extract any True-" "Bzzt!" "Don't take that tone with me-" "Bzzzzzzz-"

The scene was one of comedy, the bug's lady-bug and beetle-like qualities allowing the buzzing of its powerful wings to communicate. As Vik slid the glass of water defiantly toward the bug... Ick turned his body and smacked it with his foreclaws, the glass falling on its side just in time for the entire bar to gasp. Silence hung in the air... all eyes watching these two with uncertainty... just in time for Vik to grow viciously angry as if the bug were a tantrum-throwing sibling.

"What the hell is the big idea!? I paid for that glass of water! You can be satisfied for a while longer, you ungrateful-" "Bzt! Bzt! Bzt!" "That's it, I'm going to-"

The bar's scene ended abruptly the instant the Fishmen burst through the doors... and a trio of behemoth thugs entered. Everyone looked at them with clear worry, since the comedy duo were in the way... but the air had changed not just when the trio entered. It was getting more serious with each step they took toward the quiet pair. Stopping just short, one of the men put on a smirk toward the man. Moving to surround the stranger, two of the men watched the human while one looked to the Kik Bug with a devilish grin.

"Look at this... we got a tourist in town. He brought quite the interesting bug... must be worth a fortune."

Ick looked toward the one who had spoke, but a chuckle from Vik stopped the bug from lashing out... and drew the attention of all three as the Bug Battler met the gaze of the one who spoke. The place's crowd was steadily moving away, as only an idiot would be oblivious to the tension filling the air. And the instant the ex-prince met eyes with the Fishman... the larger being hesitated at a very deadly glare from the smaller, Third-World islander. Quickly rushing back in momentary fear, the two others followed quickly to form a triangular encirclement around the bar and blocking any escape for Vik. These thugs had faced civilians and other criminals... but the duo had sensed their friend's worry just from the brief exchange.

"What's wrong? Not satisfied with someone stronger than some poor bastard? You guys have all this great stuff... but you lack the will of real warriors, I suppose."

Turning to face the one that had been directly behind him moments ago, Vik could see all three... and a brief buzz signaled Ick lifting off the bartop and moving to his back. The little bug crawled up the man's back, even while the Kik-Kik Warrior unstrapped the tomahawk from his hip, the sheath-like holster opening for only the briefest of instants. It was a weapon he'd trained with from the start of Pokook's regime... and as the man raised the weapon and quietly "bounced" one end harmlessly in one hand... the strategy formed in his head.

"I'll only be satisfied when I take you guys down... and I'm sure there's more than three of you, if I remember Pokook's advice on the outside world."

---

And so, that's what happened at the start of our story... but back to the present. The fighting within had been silent and missed... but at last, one of the Fishmen crashed through the doors and into the street, two of the remaining members stunned at the sight. They had been kept outside to keep an eye out for any "serious" figures... but now they were running back toward their boss as a man had suddenly emerged. All they caught sight of was a man idly spinning a tomahawk... extending a hand toward their fallen friend, a bug buzzing and lifting from the fallen Fishman's chest. To the untrained eye, the situation had been clear. The other two were likely defeated... but this one had been taken out by the bug. A menace had been unleashed on the Fishman Mafia and the slums of Toroa in the form of an ex-Prince warrior.

Watching the pair continue running up the street toward a larger building, no doubt their headquarters, all Vik could do was smile. Why not make it a fun challenge, after all?

"Ick... follow them and scout it out for me. Once you see their leader... I want you to come back here and tell me everything." "Bzt?" "... Yes, Ick. "Bzt" is correct."

The man made a face at the bug, the little guy turning in mid-air before racing skyward but after the duo. Ick would find what Vik wanted... but in the meantime, an idle civilian gathering nearby allowed the Bug Battler to point and get their attention.

"Miss, you there!" "H-Huh? Me?" "Yes. Where is the nearest building these guys own or work with?" "U-Um... it'd be... the gun store over there?"

The woman pointed to a moderately sized building nearby, the closed sign on it only inspiring a smile. While there was no reason to dislike Fishmen or thugs specifically, Vik was a man who enjoyed feeling satisfied. And after only a single man dared to comment on Ick having a price... Vik was only going to be satisfied after raising all possible hell for the thug's entire association. As only a Kik-Kik Warrior could.

[Kami-Gaz]

“Now?” A shrill voice asked, it originated from a dark and dank ally from the slums of Torao and it was not human. The voice came from a steel grey parrot that was sat on top of the shoulder of a white suit wearing human. There was a second of silence as the man who was stood there shook his head and pointed at the walls. “Not enough space, I’d just ding you off the wall Morris.” The man said casually pointed out before slowly leaning down and crabbing the collar of a beaten down man, on a closer inspection there would be a few specks of blood on the white suit jacket and the blue floral Hawaiian shirt that was underneath it. “But if our good friend Mr Hope doesn’t play ball I will let you transform and we can play some new games with him~.” The rather colourful man would crack a grin, this was entertaining but not enough to relieve the eternal boredom of being on top with no challenger.

The beaten and bruised man was a man that was trying to cause trouble in the establishment that the parrot and suited man… and that turned out great for him, he had put up some fight and that was good enough for the man to be spared. “P... please! Don Bubbles! I only need something to feed the kids!” He pleaded, this turned the man known as Don Bubbles to frown, all the fun had gone now. “I am honestly sorry for trying to steal from you! I- I haven’t been able to do that in weeks.“ Perfect…. Finn had attacked a man who was only trying to feed his family, it made him feel like an asshole but he was not in the wrong for protecting his status.

The man sighed and stood straight, shaking his head slowly before settling his gaze on the parrot that was resting on his shoulder. “I know what you are thinking Morris and yes, I am going to help him… In return he has to work for the family, I think the human side of public relations would be a good job.” He said to the Parrot that cocked its head to the side before clicking its tongue in the beak. “*Squaaaa*…Cracker... Then he can join.” The parrot motioned as it locked it’s eyes on the beaten man. Finn would chuckle at the reply his best friend offered, Morris was a sucker for a cracker and Finn sometimes thought that the bird would up and leave him if someone had more crackers than he did.

“Alright, I’ll lend you a cracker to give to Morris here, give him it and we will overlook what you have done… And you’ll work for me and with my men.” Don Bubbles spoke as he shifted his right hand into a small pouch that he had attached to his white suit pants. After a second of riffling through it his hand re-emerged holding a cracker and his wallet. The cracker was thrown to the beaten man who managed to catch It with relative ease, despite his battered and bruised form. The parrot ruffled his feathers and perked up as he watched the man feebly stand and stretch out his arm to offer the cracker to him. “Cracker, cracker, cracker~” Morris chimed before leaving his mouth open and gently receiving the crunchy snack.

The man quickly returned his arm to his side and bowed his head to Finn who pulled some beri notes out of his wallet and slipped them into his pocket. “Go home and give that to your wife, or whoever gets the food in your house. I’ll send Patrick along to help you after and fill you in on your job.” Said the generous boss with a dull and bored tone, this was not a rare occurrence some people he genuinely helped, it was a good way to recruit loyal men and improved his public image. Before anything else could happen though the light that came from the street was blocked by a larger man’s frame, his silhouette was fish man-esque.

“Boss… Big… trouble! … Man… Bug… Beat… Fredrick… Help….” Were the words that came from the lone fish man as he panted for air, he must of run all over looking for Finn, whose only reaction was a mix between a smile and a look of anger. Someone was making trouble on his turf and he could beat up a fish man? This had to be fun. The fish man finally caught some more breath and walked forwards, he was big with a pointed head, and chunky arms that came to points… he looked like he was a starfish man. “Big trouble at the Broken Anchor Inn… A weird man with a big big bug went crazy and knocked out Fredrick, I came to get you and I think he moved into Shelly’s Guns.”

There was a second of silence as Finn thought of something before nodding, Morris on the other hand was raring to go, it sounded like a fight was going to go down. “Now?” the bird asked as Finn walked towards his Starfish underling. “Pat, go with this man, help him get fixed up and show him the ropes. Don’t let anyone bully him, he works for me and with you. Remember Humans are friends not food.” The don teased to the starfish as he walked out of the alleyway, a sly grin on his face, this might just be the entertainment he needed, maybe the man with this big bug was interesting enough to change things for the bored Don.

Both Patrick and the beaten man looked confused as their boss walked out of the alley way and held his hand out “Now Morris, do what you do best, I need wings.” Finn said wanting to get to the action fast, and to do that was to fly there. Morris would let out a high pitched noise that sounded like he was happy before his body changed and his legs grew longer. His beak took on a new shape and his wings grew larger. He was now a long and large winged scythe. Finn would quickly catch the shaft of his companion weapon and swing him, using the momentum of the swing to get the scythe to be around his back and the beak positioned over his head. “Remember Wings straight and we won’t fall this time.” The Mafioso urged as he ran and jumped, using a wall to kick off and gain the height needed to clear the buildings. The flight down to the gun store would only take a few seconds and was far faster than walking.

[Roin]

Despite the sense of urgency, Morris and his passenger would find themselves too late. Or rather just late... specifically because as they neared the gunstore the flash of fire was the only warning of what was to come. While it had been a short trip there, the messenger had been slow. Vik was already out the back of the building and running when the powder store went up. The guy cut through the back alleys, speeding up his run with a great sense of urgency just as the detonation occurred.

And boy, did it occur. The entire area seemed to take a breath for just a moment, the flash of fire bursting forth as dirt around the building was sucked across the ground. But this all happened in a blink... before exploding outward in a violent reaction. Dirt that was left in the cracks of the road was picked up by the force of the blast, sending a smokescreen over the small area, the smoke crashing into buildings and objects before being funneled upwards. At the same time, the windows of the building and those nearby shattered from the shockwave, the armory's walls cracking and falling away as the building half-collapsed. Which only meant that the secondary shockwave, as the initial detonation set off all the rest of the charge, wasn't going to be stopped. Debris exploded and sent shrapnel everywhere. People fell as small amounts hit them, some even being knocked to the ground with larger, slower chunks hitting them. The air was spared any true danger aside from the limiting smoke, but it was no doubt going to give Finn something to think about.

The people had gone into a panic from the sudden explosion, specifically due to the fact their "protection" hadn't done its job. The explosion had those of the Mafia on the street trying to restore peace to angry and shouting civilians. Thugs were brutes, but very quickly this sudden disturbance of the "underground" in Toroa had set the civilians into no longer fearing their oppressors... but the aggressor to their control. All the while, Vik's steps carried him through the back alleys almost like a blur. He'd escaped the scene unnoticed... but all that was about to change as the man leaped skyward, tomahawk in hand. With quick positions to the walls nearby, Vik used the crease in the brickwork and wooden walls to gain grip... before pushing off further and higher. Until at last, the Kik-Kik Warrior burst into view of Morris and Finn... the man landing on the roof and giving a quick look around.

While he had no doubt made a scene and would be suspicious, the man was looking toward Ick, the bug flying back his way. The creature had been told to find the one in charge... but he wasn't coming from the manner at the end of the road. The guy was coming from practically high above, dropping from the sky and landing on Vik's head. Tugs of the creature's legs shook Vik, but the man looked to where he was being directed... and saw the big honcho. Or at least... what looked like some weird monster through the near-perfect veil of smoke between them.

"Hm... Ick, are you cert-" "Bzt!" "... Then I guess we should get you trans-" "Bzt." "... You're a real pain sometimes, Ick."

The arguing complete, Vik carefully reached to his bandolier, sliding a hand across it by memory. That is, until it reached the proper vial. Removing it from the slot, the Kik Bug moved to one arm so the ex-prince could level the vial and the bug out. The instant they were... Vik poured the licked out in front of Ick's face. The fat bug had to give a small step, the liquid falling on his face and washing down. Despite the sticky nature of nectar, True Nectar was more like a running fluid... but most of the nectar vanished into the most minuscule of mouth holes before it could fall to the ground. And in that instant, all the Bug Battler could do was smirk.

In a feat of evolution, Ick's body shook and seemed to undergo plenty of changes. The most prominent was a large, blade-like horn erupting from between the little guy's eyes, a quick "flash" of color glistening over his body as the bug changed from white to a proud, fiery red and orange. And though his claws shrunk slightly, the hardening of his exoskeleton sounded almost like a creaking door or lava cooling. The bug's size seemed to slim up, but in exchange the little guy got longer. And to ensure the transformation was complete... his wings opened out to the sides, changing from up and down to side-to-side. Lifting from Vik's arm, the man smirking, the little bug now sounded far different. Rather than the soft, almost quiet buzzing from before... his wings sounded more powerful to accomodate the change in durability and aggressive nature of this state. While he wasn't going to fly into smoke, the little guy bobbed up, down, and side-to-side in anticipation for when the veil dropped and revealed the pair to the late-arriving thug-duo.

[Kami-Gaz]

The Don and Morris were gliding own towards the gun store as they saw a figure run out into the alleyway, it was only moments later that the first explosion sounded, blowing the roof into pieces and its debris all over the slums and a massive plume of thick smoke into the air. This was horrible and the shock wave pushed the gliding pair back and a little higher into the air. Finn was shocked, this was one of the local businesses he got protection money from and some of his men their guns. The bar that was across from it was hit badly too, windows smashed from the shock wave debris smashing through the wooden walls and the fire had spread over to it. Though there wasn't much more time to take all of this in as the second explosion occurred, it spread the already thick smoke higher into the air and shot debris in a more violent manner now that there was no roof or walls to stop it. This time though Finn and Morris were spared from the shock wave, but the people on the ground were not.

The screams of the people that Finn had promised to protect, do what this countries monarchy could not reached his ears as the shell shock faded. It was horrible; people were injured and left wondering what they had done wrong, what caused this. Finn was wondering the same thing, how could one little bar scuffle turn into a full-scale terror bombing? The young Mafia boss failed to notice Vik as he launched himself into the air to transform his bug, he was far more focused on cleaning up the mess he had caused before going to find and clean him up. The pair started to descend at a rapid rate, there no time to think, the best idea was to put the fire out so he could focus solely on the man that was causing all of the issues. “Morris! Full Skull Mode!” The Mafia boss shouted, loud enough for the people below to hear, as if it was the signal to stop their worrying all of this was about to be fixed.

The Creature that was attached to his back was pulled free by Finn and it started its transformation as the falling man started to spin in the air, he wasn't too high off of the ground now but still high enough that this fall could hurt if not landed properly. The wings folded inwards and moved up with a horrible sound that resembled bones cracking and snapping multiple times, the stretched out along the beak and turned to iron teeth along the bottom. The head of the scythe turned into a skull with eyes that glowed red, the legs turned into an iron pole and Morris’ feet connected and turned into the tip at the bottom. All this while spinning and spinning at ever increasing speeds, which seemed to stop as the man forced all of his power into one swing that was aimed at the burning building.

“BLOOOOOOD-MOON CHASER!” He yelled as the air slash was released with little time left for the man to land properly. The spinning slash generated a small tornado effect that travelled into burning shell of a gun store. The winds generated by the slash were strong and sucked the fire in to the vortex and snuffed it out as well as stirring the smoke that came with it. The attack, which was used to help the people instead of harm them, would dissipate shortly after, leaving a smouldering mess of ruined guns, scorched brick, and the charred belongings of Shelly and her Husband Jim.

Finn, while dizzy, focused on landing now. It was hard because he lost most of his coordination and had little time to get to his senses; the after effects of the attack he launched were pretty severe. As his feet neared the ground, the Mafia boss motioned to his weapon to revert to its hybrid form. “Wings… need wings…” And as asked he complied, this parrot liked his current master and it would be a shame if he was put out of commission for a while because of a fall like this. Admittedly, the parrot was dizzy too, but that was not something that caused much issues at the moment. The wings split from the blade, which returned to a more beak like structure and spread, slowing the fall quite a bit. Using this Finn would let his feet make contact with the floor before letting go of his companion and pushing his momentum into a roll.

The people around who were still in a condition to move all rushed towards the boss who had just potentially saved many more lives by putting out the main fire, the small firs that had spread to other buildings were needing to be dealt with but now the big fire was gone so was a lot of the worry. The first to get to the glorious leader was another of the fish man that was in the bar when Vik was ‘abused’. “Boss! It was him, the guy with the bug; he ran in and then boom! He did something!” He told as Finn slowly sat up, a hand on his spinning head. Morris had reverted to being a parrot and flopped next to his master.

“Morris want a cra~ckeeeeeeer….” The small bird squawked out as it lay there. Don Bubbles was recovering faster and could think straight at least. “Cracker later, we gotta get this guy. Beating up the guys is one thing but blowing up people who did nothing wrong is just too far.” He growled as he stood up, the suit being covered in soot and dirt as well as the blood from the earlier beating. The smoke was clearing away now that the fire was out and through the thinning haze stood a man and some giant bug. Don Bubbles saw the pair now; they fit the description his men had given, a man and a big bug, and seemed to be waiting for him. They looked like they knew how Finn was the big cheese around here, well it was not hard to figure out, and he was the only human to wear a flashy suit in the slums of the city.

[Roin]

There was plenty of evidence as to who was the boss. Not only had Ick indicated the strange human who had landed with a parrot, but the men were now yelling and the man was looking up at him. While Vik did feel bad for harming innocent people... his plan had worked to lure the bastard out. And on top of that, the people were nearly rioting from the lack of "protection" this thug had promised. Ick flitted around, slightly impatient as the Kik-Kik native narrowed his eyes toward the ground and began to spin his tomahawk.

"Hmph. Not too weak looking... let's see what this outside world can offer to satisfy us, Ick!"

The weight of Baat reminded the Bug Battler that the weapon had more uses than just some traditional axe. Breaking into a run, the tile of the roof shaking with each step, the prince began to close the distance to better "align" with the people below. Ick flew alongside, spinning and rolling through the air. The grace of the bug was astounding, considering his shape, but all Vik could do was smirk as the battle plan formed in his head. These Fishmen saw the head honcho in a fear-inspiring light, no doubt... which meant that if they feared him as a human more, they'd likely stay well away.

Leaping from the roof in a half-spin and flip, the athletic man passed from the tiles toward the street. Mid-fall, Vik aligned himself to the wall, planting his feet against the hard stone before pushing off and toward some of the many Fishmen that had come forth to try contain the mayhem. With a thud and a lowered posture, Vik landed in the dead center of a group of them, the smirk change to a big-toothed smile. The four of them had begun to turn to fight, but in that time a blur of Vik's hand had snagged five vials from the bandolier. All of them were empty, but with a quick load of the weapon's firing chamber, the man shot directly upward. The four unlucky thugs all followed the vial's path upward in their confusion... and in that instant, they missed it.

"K'iin Miistik!"

Falling to the ground half turning, Vik's lower back hit the ground and the momentum carried him into a spin. With the four vials in one hand, the other aimed Baat and fired as each glass container was loaded. The result was a near "burst" of attacks sounding, the Fishmen falling away with curses and complaints. Shattering glass and blood had filled the proximity... and with a heavy press of his hand, Vik came somersaulting out of the mess. The man had dispatched the four all in a blink... and mid-backflip Finn would be able to make out the warrior's smile.

"K'o'ox Kik P'uchik!" "Bzt!"

The words were a sign, the Kik Bug flittering from above and finally beneath the warrior. With a show of unison, the pair met in perfect harmony. The bug was entirely supporting the now-righted Prince... but the man's extended leg made it appear strange. Rising just a few feet higher and forward, closing the distance further with the boss... the pair finally made their direct attack. Pushing off Ick with one leg, Vik struck the back of the horned bug with his other leg. Going into another series of backflips and higher into the air from the boost, Vik seemed to pass higher into the air. Ick, however... had taken off like a thrown baseball, the little guy spinning wildly. The fearsome horn was the only part that stood out from the blurry-paced spinner... and his course was taking him directly for Finn.

As for Vik, the man had turned in mid-air once again... and was now front-flipping with Baat in both hands. It was a two-way attack, with Vik from above and Ick coming from almost the front. And their target was clearly Finn, the ex-prince's goal to get revenge looking all the more real now that the two had begun to truly fight. In a bar, they had to rely just on their strength... out here, they could truly move and strike in tandem.

[Kami-Gaz]

There was not much time to think, an attack was coming, he didn’t know how but it was coming and Finn was in no position to fight back. Morris was too dizzy to see straight and he himself had fought back pretty crippling nausea that would make a lot of people even fishmen throw their guts up all day. The civilians did not understand that though, all they saw was the explosion and the panicked fish men, the last time this happened their old bosses son Gerald had gone on a rampage. Though they were right to be confused a small bar argument escalated so quickly it was nearly unbelievable. The booing and hissing was not good either, this was the same response he got when he first took charge. The people did not know him or trust him and now it was like that again because of one small slip up.



The assailant from above started to move, he was coming straight at Finn, and his bug trailed alongside him. Moments later, he was in the air doing flips and commencing his attacking the fish men bystanders. Finn took this chance to scoop up his feathered friend and cradle him in his left arm, leaving his dominant right arm. By this time, the fish men had been dealt with and Vik’s assault was now placed on their boss… Was he grinning? That faint glimpse of a grin sparked something in the mafia man, something he had not felt since the fight with his own brother, excitement.



‘How symbolic’ Don Bubbles thought to himself as he witnessed the strangely clothed man ascend higher on the back of an oversized bug. Then everything changed they separated the bug was launched downwards as the man flipped and tumbled in the air in a magnificent display. This had to be some trick, and it was. Finn jumped to the left in an epic fashion and as he landed, he tucked himself into a tight roll that took him behind the remains of a brick wall that was scorched by the fire. “Okay, wake up Morris, we kinda need to go to work here, I can’t lug you around and fight these two for too long!” He grumbled as he picked up a loose brick from the floor.



“Gotta get in the store, I should be able to find something that wasn’t melted…” The Don schemed, it was some sort of a plan, hasty and full of holes, but it was a plan on the less. “3… 2… 1… Go.” E whispered before leaping out of his hiding spot and launching the brick that was in his hand at Vik, the aim on it was sloppy but it was meant to be like that, he was going to use it to buy a few seconds. If Morris was good enough to fly this fight would be totally different, Finn would have two hands to use and even be able to use his beloved scythe. The young man capitalised on his precious few seconds by vaulting the wall with speed and grace and landed on the dying embers that was the gun store.



There was nothing… nothing but ash and embers and ruined blades, this was going nowhere fast and the fight was going to get worse unless Morris woke her feathery ass up. The mafia boss darted over the smouldering rubble with bird in hand to see if anything in the safe survived. The problem in that plan was finding the thing, and no doubtedly the bug commanding mad man would launch another tandem attack. Finn was running out of options after he scanned the area only to see that there was no safe any more, it was as he thought buried under burnt rubble.


This entire plan was for naught and it made him look like an idiot, the only thing that Finn had was the feeling of excitement he got when he saw his opponents grin. The only conciliation beside the excitement was the fact that darting around the ruined gun store only took a few seconds. Suddenly Finn remembered the one thing his weapon would die for, crackers. “Hey Morris, the bug man stole all of your crackers and fed them to the big ugly beetle thing!” He yelled out, pointing with his free hand to the pairing.



“MY CRACKERS!” Cried the bird as it awoke in a rage, flapping it’s wings as it got it’s bearings. Then Suddenly without the order turned into her full scythe form in his hand, the point of which was pointing back behind the Mafioso’s shoulder. “Bubbles! Crackers! I want them back!” Squawked the scythe, as the chuckling Don got into a battle stance, he was ready to fight now, ready to prove to the people why they paid him protection money.

[Roin]

While Ick had somehow went far off course, to the point that the fleeing "big fish" hadn't even had to worry about dodging, Vik had come a lot closer. Outfit fluttering with the force of his motion, the dust rising into the newly-raised battlefield, the street was turning into a show. The cover-darting mafia man was just fast enough to skirt Vik's descending strike, the tomahawk smashing into a stone barrier. The force left the stone with a sick crack, the axe wedging only a centimeter or so deep. The sudden stop of the weapon, of course, brought Vik into a jerking stop. With one hand moving free, he practically slammed into a standing position. The pain shooting through his body at least meant that he hadn't been hurt too badly... but with a heavy jerk to remove the weapon, the sensation of blood could be felt on the hand that had pressed against the wall.

Taking a few steps back, raising the slightly bloodied and bruise-spotted hand to his mouth to temporarily suck on it, the prince had begun to try and locate the coward. Ick's buzzing grew louder, cutting through the dust as the little bug barreled into view. Immediately, the horned bug began flitting around Vik, clearly not pleased that they had both missed their target. The scum's voice carried through the dusty air, the street doing well to make sure that not a single word was missed over the now quiet scene. Most of the civilians had drawn back to watch in silence as the fires popped and burned the remaining bits of wood and powder in the area. But as Vik idly wiped his hand along the poncho, the man began to laugh under his breath.

"This guy... he ain't too bad. But I didn't expect less from some big thug..."

The sound of a squawk met his ears, Vik turning to clearly see the man. The little bird he'd picked up was gone... and instead, it was a big-lousy scythe. The battler in Vik began to scream louder and louder, demanding the seriousness that it reserved... and immediately the good nature of the man's demeanor vanished in exchange for a cold look that was more fitting of a grizzled veteran. Turning to face the other pair, the ex-Prince began to idly spin the tomahawk while contemplating the situation. Only mere moments later, he brought the weapon to a stop, angling it downward with a narrowing of the eyes.

"No more playing around... right? If you turn your back to me again... I won't go easy on you. Thugs that think they can hassle my friend away from me don't deserve a second chance, but you might, since you're their leader..."

Extending his still sore and battered hand, the man gave a small gesture. To the untrained eye, it was just a wave of the fingertips... but to Ick, the little bug that had trained for most of the pair's life, it was all he had to see. With a dramatic barrel roll in front of Vik, the Kik Bug aligned himself to the hand before flying backwards and into the grip. With a loud clasp of the bug's horn, the two no doubt looked rather strange... but the fight had started and it was their move to make. The ground crunched as debris was kicked up from Vik launching the pair foward, the man extending his axe outward before giving the vocal command needed to execute the move at the sudden pace.

"Chich Iik'siit!"

With a final "whip" of his hips to get them into a spin, Vik focused solely on grabbing hold of the little guy's horn... all before the bug's wings buzzed outward loud enough to sound like a buzzsaw. The sudden jump of speed was akin to someone sprinting, the pair barreling forward in a directly line toward the scythe user. Such attacks were daring alone... but the fast approaching "projectile" of a bug and man was far from just a basic attack. The intent was clear from any warrior's perspective, intending to use their combined weight to slam the pair. The only elements of defense they needed, of course, was their speed and the axe held in the man's hand. If the Don dodged, they'd simply fly by more than likely... but would he have enough time? The other two options weren't as fun in terms of force transferal... but they were the most likely to give him a chance to finally retaliate. Both of which were to come into contact... either by swinging at the pair or blocking them. The battle of Toroa's slums had begun in a most proper and fitting way!

[Kami-Gaz]

"No more playing around... right? If you turn your back to me again... I won't go easy on you. Thugs that think they can hassle my friend away from me don't deserve a second chance, but you might, since you're their leader..." The strange looking assailant said after a few seconds of tomahawk twirling, he was thinking and Finn could see that. Finn’s display of ducking and dodging seemed to have gotten the bug brawler into a more riled up state. It was a look that would send chills down a lesser mans spines, but not Finn, no Finn saw it as a sign of a good fight to come. Though something was off about what he said. Thugs? Hassle? No no no, this was the kind of thing he was trying ot get out of the Fishmen, most of this island were starting to see them in a better light and not as stupid muscle bound goons.

“I’m all serious now; you will have the pleasure of seeing my face this entire fight.” The don said as he shifted his stance, slowly spinning his companion by his left side with both of his hands. The point of the blade was pointed upwards meaning the skull was facing Vik when the rotation had made its way back around. Finn was still smiling away, using his cocky visage to irritate his opponent into making sloppy attacks that he could take advantage of; little did he know the first attack Vik would make would be full of openings. Bubbles would keep his eyes locked onto the strange bug warrior as he spoke the odd language, to the beetle? It must be some sort of battle tactic, a plan to get around Finn and the huge scythe.

The Don kept his stance and let his scythe spin slowly to his side, ready to attack or defend on a moments notice. His eyes locked o the movements of Vik as he took the beetle by the horn, they had already launched forwards, and now the pair were working together and gaining more speed, barrelling straight towards the Don and Morris. It was stupid, but The Don was going to follow through on his promise to not turn his back and run away. He raised the scythe high into the air as he spun and brought it down skull first like a hammer, timed perfectly to smack into the back of the bug warrior. There was one big drawback to this plan of attack, the giant bug, Ick, was too close to dodge, so close in fact that it was under Finn’s arms as he dealt his blow to Vik. The horn of the bug smacked into the Mafia leader and pushed him forwards, easily cracking or breaking his ribs in the process. Finn would not touch the ground for a few seconds; the momentum of the bug that impacted him was just too great to be stopped like that. The only thing that was going through his head was if he hit Vik hard enough to keep him down, if he had won this fight in a single blow or not.

The few seconds of airtime had passed now, and Finn hit the burnt floor hard. As he gasped for air he spat out a bit of blood and groaned in pain. He had not been hit this hard since the fight with Gerald, and even then he did not get this much damage from one attack. It would be a few seconds of painful panting before he finally managed to catch his breath again. “Told ya-“Finn managed to cough out as he moved to sit up and look at the reckless opponent. “Told ya that you would see my face the entire fight… ” The man wheezed, a smile on his face as a trail of blood ran from the corner of his mouth down to his chin. The white suit he was wearing all torn up now as well as dirty with soot. 

The civilian onlookers were all staring in shock, why was the leader of the fishman mafia fighting some strangely dressed man who had one big freaky bug with him. It was as Finn sat up and started to talk to the man, too quiet for them to hear, that they started to whisper amongst themselves. “Don Bubbles took that head on…” one said, “He used the back of Morris and not the blade, why? He could of killed the guy just like that!” Another guy shouted, sparking more and more people to input their opinion. “They are both injured! Look at them!” Rang through the noise that was being made and into the ears of Finn.

“Crackers!” a squawk rang out, silencing everything before the sound of wings could be heard flapping towards Finn. The parrot had reverted it’d form after the two fighters struck each other and he was dropped to the floor. The flapping had was still present as the bird landed on Finn’s shoulder and started to scan his face. “Stupid Bubbles, You have to dodge those attacks!” the bird squawked again before pecking it’s masters head, Morris would never admit it but he actually liked to be around Finn more than his old masters.

With a slight laugh the Mafia boss would put his hand between his face and the constantly pecking beak to stop the pecking. A few cracked ribs weren’t going to keep this Don down, he had to show the people that he could protect them, or at least get revenge for them. “I’m fine, but that guy said something about goons trying to take his bug from him… I keep telling the fish brains that has to stop. I just guess it finally bit them in the ass this time.” Finn looked towards Vik, sure that a few apologies were in order on both sides, Bubbles goons needed to say sorry for trying something on, and the bug warrior for ‘over reacting’. Finn would use his index finger to scratch the back of Morris’ head as he shifted to get more comfortable so he could speak to the weird new comer. “Hey, You said that goons hassled you about your friend?” He asked before letting his eyes wander to find the massive beetle. “Sorry, they don’t let their old habits die. They will be punished accordingly.” He announced, loud enough for everyone in the area to hear, making most civilians snigger because punishments from the don were always cruel, yet fun to watch..

[Mizuzuzu]

A small, miniscule stream of light filtered through thin gray drapes. The glimmer traveled over the old, decaying floorboards of a rather meager Inn room. The walls, like the floorboards, were made of an ugly brown and decaying wood. The luminous light continued it's way over the room, past a pair of combat boots and a small green stepping stool, before stopping on a pale eyelid. The sunbeam wasn't bright, it was still rather early, but it was enough for the owner of the eyelid to stir. There were a series of movements after; the body shifted around the bed of the pullout couch, turning their head away from the light, then shifting again onto their back. The tiny form released a soft sigh, easily moving their body into a sitting position, the springy bed underneath releasing a creak when doing so. Thick, dark violet blankets fell, revealing the form to be a slender young woman in a modest dark blue nightgown, a dark blue mass of thin hair falling around a blanket covered waist.

The lady yawned, a slightly calloused, pale hand coming up to cover her mouth, then moving to grab a pair of dark blue, half-rim glasses, slipping them onto her face on instinct. The dark haired female moved once more, swinging scarred feet onto the squeaky wood of the floor, and carefully padded her way to the bathroom, the dark brown door wide open for all to see of the tiny lavatory inside. Once inside, there was a soft click as the door closed behind Mizuki. There were a few moments of silence, that was soon ruined by the washroom door swinging open again, pale feet padding into the living room/bedroom, grabbing the green stepping stool, then returning to the bathroom, door clicking shut behind the figure once more. In the time of ten minutes, the toilet could be heard flushing, the sink was heard as the girl brushed, then the shower. A miniscule moment of silence, then shortly after, the short gunslinger exited the washroom.

Due to the some of the clothing being put in the bathroom the night before, Mizuki had dressed inside and fixed her dark blue hair in the signature low ponytail. Donning the onyx crew neck crop top and silvery dress shorts, along with byzantine fishnet stockings, the suspender belt was a bit crooked but snapped into place, that now semi protected her feet against the decaying floors. She made her way towards the pullout bed, then pulled the thick blanket off and began folding it up, out of pure habit. Setting the, now, folded quilt onto the equally violet covering of the thin bed. The passive female moved around the dimly lit room, grabbing her platform shoes and shoulder holster from the other side of the room, then deftly made her way back to the springy bed, the floorboards creaking with every footfall. A squeak was heard as Mizuki sat down on the bed, putting the boots in front of her form and the shoulder holster to her right side. Just as the young woman began lacing the shoe laces, the flat planes of a pale stomach released a modest gurgle, signaling that she was hungry and should eat soon.

"I am sure I have enough Beri to spare for a small breakfast. However, I'll have to skip lunch...", the ivory skinned girl murmured, as she strapped the last strap of the shoulder holster in place, rotating her shoulders to make sure it fit correctly. With the thumping of the platforms, Mizuki made her way towards the door of her cheap Inn room, leaving the bag of extras behind, for now. Fondly, the lady grabbed the trench coat from the coat rack, sliding into it as she opened the room, then closing it behind her with a click. Once on the other side, she pulled out the key from the trench coat's inner pocket and locked the door, putting the key back into place. Wrapping the self belt around her waist, the calm gunslinger tied it closed, hiding the fact she carried weapons. Since she has arrived here on that cruise liner, approximately two days ago, she's followed the suggestions Bernhardt had given her; to keep a low profile and try not to raise much suspension. Of course, originally, he hadn't agreed to her going out into the world, alone, but with the help of Antoinette, who more or less supported the idea though not at first, getting the stony man to break was easy for his two favorite, and only, girls. Raising the Beri for the trip was no easy feat and required Bernhardt to actually allow Antoinette to get a job. When the time came to leave, there were tears for both parties, more so Antoinette, and gruff hugs of goodbye and promises of achievement.

The short female could feel herself slipping away at the memory, a slight haze sliding over her eyes, before the girl blinked suddenly and gently shook her head. Instead, she turned back to focusing the light on-the-go meal she'd bought, a small box of a dozen hardboiled eggs and a bottle of water. The lady looked around the barely busy streets, and noticing the unoccupied bench across from her current position, went to sit there and enjoy the breakfast. Quietly, she enjoyed her meal, though it was nothing compared to Antoinette's cooking, and watched people go by, barely noting the group of fishmen thugs that strutted past causing more to shiver in fear of overdue payments and some to just ignore their passing presence, it was normal to see them after all. Mizuki had made it to her seventh egg and halfway through the bottled water when she felt more than she heard the explosion. It was so sudden it caused the girl to nearly drop the box and choke somewhat, causing her to quickly reach for the water bottle and gulp the egg down. Breathing a bit more heavily than before, she swiped at her mouth to rid of the excess water. Turning to the left, the gunslinger noted the gray smoke in the sky that surely wasn't there before.

"....I wonder, did someone stand up to the Fishman Mafia..? In such a flashy way, too.", the pale teenager mumbled to herself, standing from the bench as her body fully faced the area of destruction. She bit her bottom lip in thought, contemplating going over to observe the mayhem and it's pros and cons. She remembered Bernhardt's words to stay low, but how was she supposed to achieve impressing him with her skill if she stayed low all the time?


"Forgive me, Bernhardt."

Grabbing another hardboiled egg from the box, she ignored the screaming and shocked people, easily side stepping the civilians and making her way towards the smoky area, it wasn't that far. In fact, it only took ten minutes to reach the area and crowding people of Toroa. The young woman was nearly done the egg, and as she joined the crowd, she finished it. Extending that same hand, Mizuki tapped the nearest male beside her. He turned towards her, obviously startled.

"Y-yes?" "Excuse me....but can you tell me what occurred here..?" "Oh! I wasn't here for everything, but apparently someone challenged the Don!"

Mizuki nodded her thanks to the man, taking note that this 'Don' must be the ruler of the Fishman Mafia. The gunslinger watched in awe as the two fought, mentally praising their skill. Watching the bird turn into a scythe, a rather large bug that looked a crossbreed, and the dark toned man use unique weaponry. What was that? A tomahawk? She could barely stop the respect from bubbling in her chest, choosing to watch them duke it out and possibly take notes for herself. She had attempted to hear their conversation, but with the crowd's commentary of, “Don Bubbles took that head on…” , “He used the back of Morris and not the blade, why? He could of killed the guy just like that!” , and “They are both injured! Look at them!”; overall, it was a bit difficult. However, she did note that the Don's name was 'Bubbles' and parrot turned scythe was, oddly, named Morris.

[Roin]

It had been a powerful impact for Bubbles, that was certain, but the scene had unfolded more than one way. Vik had been certain of the speed being too much to handle, but the attacker had lined up such a hard blow that the ex-Prince felt his back seem to bend all the way to the max from the hammer-like strike. Had it been any harder, there was no doubt such a move would have been a mistake... but even still it was going to pay the confident warrior in strides of pain. Losing his grip on Ick, the white-haired man let out a silent cry of pain as the strike sent him straight down and into the ground. Rubble, debris, and the stone ground was met with such a force that it shook the dust up and cracked a few tiles as Vik bounced upon impact. Falling still as the bug finished the strike and sent the human-Fishman Mobster flying, Vik was grunting and cursing at the pain that now coursed out over his body.

N-Not... like this! I can fight... more!

As his enemy had been assessing his own wounds, Ick had floated over to buzz and watch Vik try to recover from the blow. Slowly but surely, however, the Kik-Kik warrior reaffirmed the grip on his hatchet with a squeeze audible all the way over to the Don just as he finished apologizing. Raising it slightly, the Bug Battler brought the weapon down and into the wedging of the stone and began to pull himself forward. The bit of motion, his arm the only thing responding at the moment, was aided as Ick landed on his back and had begun to lift the wounded fighter. "You said... that you'll punish them? That's... your idea for..." Vik slowly began to rise to one knee, "Handling the worst of them? Tch... no wonder... they don't fear retribution..."

Once to his knee, the hatchet was removed from its spot and tossed skyward in a quick spin. Catching the weapon out of the air, the Prince slowly rose to his feet once more, Ick crawling up his back and to his shoulder with his large horn still visible. A large set of bruises and cuts had been made on Vik's front torso to show just how much damage the impact had caused... but he'd been saved bone breakage by sheer luck alone. Even still, his posture seemed unbalanced compared to before as he put on a frown and extended his hatchet toward the man.

"I've decided... like my brother... I'm going to turn you into a proper leader... after I whoop your ass some more for what your men did to me!"

The statement cut through the air loud enough to be heard by all the spectators, no doubt drawing tons of disbelief from the onlookers who rooted for their "local hero". Vik had no care for any of that, however, his eyes focused intently on Bubbles as he raised both hands to secure the weapon. They were somewhat distant... but his weapon had one cylinder still loaded... which meant the element of surprise was still present. Carefully pushing the trigger area, the end of the weapon let out the "thunk" from before, a glass vial spinning from the end and through the air. Unlike the others, it contained something. It contained True Nectar... and while it was being wasted in a manner like this, Vik was just hoping the man would shatter the vial without taking notice of the sticky contents. It might be all he needed to turn the fight, after all, if the man got it in his eyes or on his clothing and got distracted as a result.

[Kami-Gaz]

The dust and ash had only just settled and the pair were already picking themselves up, after hitting each other for six just moments ago. Finn was holding his hand out to get Morris to return to her weapon form, but this time it was not to fight it was to support the injured man. The Bug man, Vik, on the other hand, he had a fire in his eyes and it was a fire that the Don recognised all too well. "You said... that you'll punish them? That's... your idea for..." The bug man uttered as he rose to one knee, "Handling the worst of them? Tch... no wonder... they don't fear retribution..." Somehow these words ticked Don Bubbles off, the kind smile he had vanished as he used his free arm to wipe away the blood that was coming out of his mouth. As Vik made a display of pointing his hatchet towards the leader of the Fish men, Finn would grip Morris a bit tighter.

“Then this time you get the beak.” Finn said to his transformed friend, the fight was not over yet, there was going to be another exchange of blows, and just by looking at the tribal looking man’s stance and eyes Finn knew there was going to be desperation. Finn shifted his weight to a better stance and got a hold of his Scythe in both hands, ready for whatever attack was to come.

"I've decided... like my brother... I'm going to turn you into a proper leader... after I whoop your ass some more for what your men did to me!" What? Make him a real leader? This was the final straw for Finn as instead of waiting for the crazed bug man he spun his scythe and unleashed a slash in his general direction.

“Half-moon Chasers!” He yelled aloud, drowning out the questions and puzzled looks that the onlookers were giving, but they knew to get back, they also knew that when Finn shouted an attack he was aiming to cause damage. He plunged his scythe forwards and sliced it as it flew towards him, splashing the sticky goo that was inside all over his torso and arms, but it did not stop him as an air slash charged forwards, scraping along the dust and ash covered floor kicking it up and dragging it along behind it. Another slash came as the Don kept the attacks momentum going and he spun the weapon around, this air slash just as if the last picked up the dust and ash from the burnt building and carried it to the tribal bug man. When he finished the second slash, he crouched down and with his left hand gripped at his chest in pain as he kneeled down, the cracked ribs hindering him.

He took a breath and then leapt forwards from the crouched position his body automatically went too. As he did Finn regained the grip on his scythe and made one sweeping swing aiming to cleave the man in half, show the people of Toroa why he should be feared and the fish men why they should follow his orders. The don was really annoyed

As this was all transpiring the people in the crowd were a mix of emotions and reactions, some were exited and wanted to see the outsider lose the fight and some others were wondering who this outsider was. The others were questioning Finn’s ability regardless of the fact that he had turned this violent rabble of fish men into mostly a band of helpful people. “Get him Don! Show this idiot who is the real boss!” Shouted a fish man who was stood on the outside of the crowd. This was followed up by another round of hushed talks that were broken up by one question. “What if this guy is right? Finn can only do so much without training.” Another man instantly piped up in response “He has done a good enough job so far! This place used to be horrible until he took charge; he did something even Don Jerimiah could not do!” He was right; Finn was a human in a fish man’s world and knew how both sides worked.

[Roin]

As the attack from Finn began, Vik had put on a smirk. Not one of confidence anymore... but one of getting the better of his foe. So long had the man trained, Vik now had his battle awareness heightened in the face of an opponent that had left him making such drastic attacks. The dust filled the air as the slashes raced forward, each one posing a larger threat in Vik's current state. However... the blades were going wide and didn't pose enough of a threat to warrant outright dodging. Instead, the Kik-Kik native swung his axe twice, the blade catching the slashes along the bottom before he "tossed" the attacks off course. The first time had cut a nice groove in the ground as it dissipated nearby, but the second slash, in his backswing parry, had an unintended effect. It twisted the prince along with the motion of it, deflected but sending him spinning to the side. The attack from Finn sailed through the dust cloud, on target... but no blood flew as the dust parted for a moment.

As Vik fell, however, he caught a glimpse of the nectar-covered attacker. And if he was covered in the stuff... then it meant Ick could smell him. Turning mid-fall, the Bug Battler's companion had already started moving from his back along the length of his arm. And as the "shot" lined up, the horned bug extended its wings and firmly grabbed hold of the human's hand.

Just like... Chich... Iik'siit!

Giving a wave of his hand, the bug detached just as its wings went to max... and the result sent Ick barreling in imitation of a cannon ball directly toward the Don's head. While the horn lacked the edge to hurt someone, the intent was to end the battle. The brick and stone debris in the area was a testament to what a fight with this scythe-user could unfold into... but the fact was that Vik had taken such a hard hit to the back and then hit the ground with enough force that the foreigner was rattled. As long as he could remember, not a single person posed a challenge to him aside from Pokook... but now this easy-to-bait warrior had fallen into his trap despite being better in condition for the most part.

However, as the dust stuck to the nectar as it remained airborne around them... he'd get no chance to spot the rising, speeding bug. In one moment of pride, the ex-prince had set his last stand to a triumphant strike. There was no finesse, the destroyed street covered with debris a clear sign of this, in his attacks. The crowd supported their hero and the villain saw a chance to take victory. If it meant showing their leader humility, however... then Vik would keep to his word and kick his ass some more with one powerful strike he'd never forget.

Lesson One... don't try to be so fancy! A good leader doesn't need to have flair, they just need to show results!

[Kami-Gaz]

Finn knew he had lost the fight the moment the shape of a horned bug barreled through the dust cloud, he himself was mid-air and mid sweep and had no way real way to avoid nor block the blow and his already injured body was taxed enough just making this attack. The don closed his eyes and as the moment of impact occurred, he could feel the initial knock of the beetle’s horn and the force push his head away from the rest of his body, which soon followed. His grip loosened on Morris and she reverted to her parrot form as soon as she could feel the suited man’s hands leave. The attack was stopped before it could really connect with the tribal bug man.

Don Finn Bubbles had lost this fight and as he lost his consciousness, his limp body was pushed through the dust cloud and into the wall with a resounding thud that quietened everyone in the nearby area, it made them wonder what had happened and what was going on between the two titans of Toroa. In the Don’s head time slowed down and his thoughts were all focused on one thing, how he lost, what was it that turned the tides. The only factor in this fight he failed to take in was the contents of the vial that he smashed. In the few moments that passed the unconscious don realised how he had lost and why this entire fight was lost from the start.

The Mafia don was still lying in a slump against the wall seconds later when the dust started to clear though a smile was on his face, his unconsciousness was only there for a short period, but it was still enough to show that he had lost. The Don had a hand pressed against his head applying pressure to an open gash that was caused by the cannon ball like bug attack. “I give… You win.” He wheezed out in the dust before shifting to sit against the wall, everything was spinning in his head as he did. The parrot was nowhere to be seen but the Don was not worried about his friend at this time. “I didn’t think I would see someone who could give me a good fight here…”

In the sky Morris was circling above, and that was indication enough that the fight was over and the people that were watching were still trying to see through the dust, to see whether or not the local hero had won the fight to not. The bird suddenly swooped back down into the slowly clearing dust cloud and landed on her friends shoulder “Finn! Finn! That Bug -Sqwua- You okay?” The bird asked the smiling friend who was looking through the almost cleared dust cloud to find the man who just beat him.

“I’m Fine Morris, I was just about to accept this guy’s offer, the one turn me in to a ‘proper leader’.” He said simply, thinking this bug man would only give him some hints and methods that his adoptive father did not know about. “Hey Morrie, mind helping me walk a bit?” The Don asked the bird kindly, without a second thought, the parrot shifted its form back to being a scythe in his hand, and using the long shaft of this weapon Finn carefully heaved himself up. “Thanks buddy.”

SPOILER: Click to show

(So If we need a reason to get off of the island I think the islands nobles could finally be pissed off enough to chase Finn off of the island, that way he is forced out)

[Mizuzuzu]

The crowd was getting a bit restless. Despite the fight happening above, they were beginning to bustle, jostling each other for a 'closer look' while the rest were trying to back up and away. The dark haired lady politely backed up from the crowd seven steps, in her attempt to get a better position to see. The fight was truly a sight to behold, almost completely like a battle of dominance. It left her speechless to see a real battle, real combat compared to her scraping days on the streets when it was either an argument for stealing or fighting with other kids occasionally. The ivory skinned girl felt almost naïve when she thought back to her trainings with Bernhardt; the Don and the stranger's brawl made them look like simple squabbles. Mizuki could feel reverence bubble lightly in her gut for their skill.

Hearing noises from the crowd escalate, the young dark haired female quickly snapped herself out of her thoughts and dragged her mind flow back to the brawl. Bubbles had been hit pretty badly by the stranger's attack, that was true, but it seemed the dark skinned man had it worse. Adjusting blue rimmed glasses with her forefinger, Mizuki couldn't help wincing how his back bent and he bounced upon contact to the ground, sending debris and rubble flying. It was like they were barbaric with their style, brute force in that one attack seemed almost brutal when it took its hit on the white haired man. "These men are so different from Bernhardt.", the short teen muttered as she began turning away and hastily attempting to fix her spectacles, "This detritus is going to be Hell on my glasses...I should find a better angle."

Miss Kayaku twisted her body to the right and attempted push past the chattering crowd when the bug using man's voice suddenly cut through the air like a knife, silencing the groups of people. Mizuki grew stiff at his words, a bit flabbergasted he would make claim in the Don's territory.

"I've decided... like my brother... I'm going to turn you into a proper leader... after I whoop your ass some more for what your men did to me!"

"This man.....is crazy." Mizuki said, now staring back up to the building where he and the Don resided, eyes flickering with mixed thoughts. She felt admiration for his confidence to say such a thing, but also contempt for his vulgarity with his choice of words. The short female gave a small frown, pale lips turning downward in disdain. She would would be lying if she said she wasn't feeling a bit dizzy. The amount of emotions that flew into her chest in one day were so foreign and hard to gain control of. Briskly, the young Kayaku turned away from the sight of the brawl once again and walked around the crowding people. Mizuki completely missed the Don's next attack and purposely ignored the whispers of disbelief and shock from the throng of people that continued to watch like hawks. A pale, thin hand reached out to weave the following pale body through the last of the horde. A Silver Chalice colored boot stepped out from the gathering, past an absurdly long Fishman, barely getting past without a quick stumble. Miss Kayaku nodded to herself, while in the same motion she fixed the trench coat as though it had been ruffled and walked off behind a neighboring building. It wasn't particularly large, fairly midrange in building heights, and looked to be an apartment complex.

'Hm.... It isn't too far away, and I should be able to get a better look, possibly without being hit.
....
I don't want to be hit, I like living, thank you very much.'

The girl gave a slight shake of her head, remembering how badly the dark skinned stranger had taken to being hit, along with the worse hits for the Don. Easily sliding out of her thoughts, Mizuki observed the alleyway she had wandered into. The dark black/brown ground was absolutely filthy, trash in almost every cervix along with dirtied water. The walls looked like they had some graffiti, or at least had some in the past. Seeing as it was in the slum parts of Toroa, it was no surprise. The apartment building had a rather old looking fire escape located to the upper far right of the structure. Bingo. Short legs moving as fast as they could towards the higher up rusting black metal, how could they not with the fight sounding like things got interesting, while in that same motion booted feet kicked off from the old, graffiti wall. The kick wasn't particularly strong or hard, just enough to give Mizuki a boost to reach out a scarred pale hand and pull down the ladder on the fire escape. It took a moment, but the ladder came down, giving a screeching sound as the possibly never used metal grinded against each other to slide down. Before the ladder could take her down with it, the young teen swung her body to catch the upper area the of the steps and carefully pulled her thin body up.

Once she was up and over the ladder, the ivory skinned girl made it through the fire escape in no time, her own shocking excitement to see the brawl being carried out and to see a winner emerge victorious almost caused the dark blue eyed female to trip over the edge of the building. It was definitely a bit....unsettling to see herself get so excited over something so little as a fight. But, this wasn't just a fight. It was a brawl, extreme roughhousing, over dominance. Consequently, she couldn't help the slight draw she felt. The feeling was most unusual, maybe a bit unwelcomed, but it somehow felt almost....nice? The female gave a small grunt, shoving the thought aside for now in exchange for getting an acceptable distance and view of the battle. However, it had seemed Mizuki missed something crucial and the fight seemed to be over. It was disappointing, really. There was more debris than before, suggesting more brutal hits on either sides and the Don looked to be in worse wear than before; well both of them did actually. The Don seemed to be trying to get up and speaking, though she could only catch a few phrases and words,but the thing that stood out most was his honesty about the situation. You'd think with how the people of the crowd were reacting and the rumors about him, he'd be some kind of arrogant buffoon.

“I didn’t think I would see someone who could give me a good fight here…”

But this? This kind of reaction to a lost spoke more volumes than she could ever hear. Mizuki clinched her small scarred hands and bit her bottom lip. He would be someone people looked up to, most definitely. Without another word, the pale girl moved to jump over the closest building next to her, attempting to get closer to this man. She didn't know the white haired stranger, and right now, she refused to let even someone she acknowledged get in the way of her new objective: to convince Don Bubbles to helping her reach her of goal.

[Roin]

Victories weren't a foreign concept like the civilized world's light posts, their drinks, and the designs of some of their ships... but the events quickly following the victory Vik had felt very unflattering for such a prize. Ick had fluttered back after delivering the smell-guided attack, the bug landing on his sprawled out owner's head with a small buzz of the wings. Abs glistening with sweat, skin covered in dirt, and the pain from the attack earlier still pounding in Vik's body, the ex-prince had fought hard enough to make Pokook likely sweat. The sensation of Ick moving around to his back was only a distraction from the sight of the Don's collision.

As the dust settled and the surrender was offered, the Bug Battler had finally worked himself up to his hands and knees, panting while the Kik Bug crawled over the man. The bug wasn't in its Tender form, where it could deliver some sap over the bruises to better help deal with them, but it was clearly assessing the human's wounds regardless. Kik Bugs were incapable, to Vik's knowledge, of tending to humans beyond rather sloppy efforts... but the friend was clearly worried for the far more injured of the pair. The sensation of the critter crawling around was enough to keep him trying to stand... and at last, the white-haired devil of the Calm Belt rose to his knees and raised his head just as Bubbles rose and the spectator arrived for a clear view.

"One to zero! My satisfaction, Pokook~! I see what you meant now!"

If there had been some scoreboard nearby, Vik versus Life would be one in favor of the man. The satisfaction of the victory was finally washing over him and nulling the pain. Even though Ick had been tossed from him with the surge of movement, the bug buzzing and skittering across the ground in annoyance. Flutters of the wings had brought the bug upward, the large insect giving a lazy loop backward as the Prince continued basking in the glorious rush of emotion. And, as one member of the duo was enjoying the building-shaking victory, the pestered pest ended the celebration by crashing into Vik's head with the large, dull horn. The "bonk!" was loud enough to carry over the dust-filled streets and to all the spectators... but it was only with the "assistance" of Ick did the middle child of the Kika Family turn his gaze toward the standing Don. The wince from the bug's shenanigans was fading as fast as Vik recognized the lack of hostility between the two.

"I told you I'd kick your ass, didn't I? You guys in this Blue shouldn't doubt a man of Kik-Kik Heritage!"

"Bzzzzzzzt!"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

Though they spoke no same language, the bond of trust had delivered the Kik Bug's message. With the sobering "words" of the bug having reached him, Vik slowly rose to his feet properly. The confidence had faded somewhat, replaced with a more mature sense of respect as the dirty and bruised tribal warrior smiled toward the no-doubt ego-smashed Don. The pair of them had clashed and, while Vik had won and felt great satisfaction from such a victory... it was not enough by any means to warrant the first half of his tattoo, but it was still a powerful experience. So, rather than keep gloating and being upset, the ex-prince did only what his brother could imagine doing.

Loosening the grip on his prized weapon, the Bug Battler spun the small axe back and forth for a brief moment, releasing it mid-rotation so the weapon went from idle to rising alongside him. Once at head level, the Kik-Kik Native caught the multi-purpose item upside down, bringing it down and slinging it in a steady, flowing motion of plenty of practice. With his weapon stored, the man extended his right arm as a landing zone for Ick, the bug setting down as quick as the limb was straight. Clasping his legs to the human, the large insect was more akin to a spiked shield as Vik lowered the arm. With weapon stowed and the air quiet for a brief moment... the prince caught sight of the new stranger nearby just as he had prepared to speak.

"Who's she? A slave or something?"

The comment was ridiculous, the fact that slavery was banned or frowned upon in most of the calmer seas... but to someone like Vik, the truth was that all he knew of the Blues and the outside world was that they had slavery to some degree. The nature of a woman showing up in the middle of a street-shaking bout was only more reason to give that such a thing is true. Only a slave loyal to their master would come to the aid of someone in such a situation, in his mind's situation. However, almost as quick as he said it... the man's thoughts had come full circle to a new idea.

"... Is she your lover?"

"... Bzt."