Post by BlacKitten on Aug 19, 2019 21:56:42 GMT -5
Pluto - 16Erumalu, Alabasta…
The moon gleamed down from the dark heavens, beaming its mystic lunar rays towards the field of sand below – sand that has buried an entire civilization partway. Buildings and other manmade structures stuck out of the sand, some upright, some slanted. Withered, dying trees sparsely scattered about along with some boulder formations. The uneven ocean of sand was filled with stationary waves with ups and downs.
Long ago, this was once a place known as Green City, but the town was ravaged by drought. Inhabitants that once lived in this desolated, torn-up place have long since left. However, as of right now, several players were hidden and lurking about as the so-called treasure have been rumored to exist right here.
“We made it,” Nina whispered as she half-kneeled in the shadow of a slanted building made of stone. By her side was the renown Black Wing, but ever since his encounter with the blonde agent, he had been unconscious. She had constantly checked his pulse which felt normal, yet no matter how much she shook him, he wouldn’t wake up. He appeared to be trapped in a deep slumber like someone in a coma. His breathing rate was unsteady. The expression on his face was that of someone in pain. Although she had every means to simply abandon him for no longer having any use, she still owed his young boy a great debt for saving her from harm many times up until now.
“!” the brunette peeked around the corner before widening her eyes at the sight of a titanic-sized serpent slithered in the deeper parts of the ruins.
Miroku? What’s he doing here?
The serpent wasn’t alone. A sizable group of pirates was traveling along with him from behind.
But, on top of the tallest buildings in the vicinity, a man stood there on the rooftop. He possessed unruly, wavy, dark-red hair, stern black eyebrows, and a tanned skin tone. Perhaps nearly seven feet tall, his body was rippling with muscles, wearing a dark-brown shirt and black pants. His casted a stern glance down towards the serpent below before cracking a wide toothy grin.
Leaping off the rooftop, he plummeted several floors of height until his stomped the sandy ground with both feet, landing in a squat.
Cold, reptilian eyes shifted towards the lone man who had a face of ecstasy. “Who are you?”
“Heh!” The crimson-hair man widened his grin as the ends of his hair began to waver upwards. His large, toned arms raised up with hands hovering over his head; elbows bent to the side. Palms angled downwards with fingers curled like claws. Veins bulged from his body. A daring battle stance that seemingly disregarded the concept of defense. A surge of bloodlust oozed out of his body, sending a wave of dominance that washed over the group of pirates.Miu - 16
Lying on her back, paws sticking upwards in a curled manner, the little sand cat slowly opened her eyes, greeted by the sight of twilight as the sun sunk towards the horizon.
In the faraway distance, she saw the vague protrusion of manmade structures, appearing like dark silhouettes. They were almost there. Erumalu was within sight.
I wonder if master is over there.
During her journey towards the ruins, the feline sniffed the dry air, catching a faint scent. She scurried off, sweeping her nose around and getting closer towards the source of the acrid smell. It was the smell of blood staining the sand.
In the short distance, there was the corpse of a man whose chest has been pierced by a small hole as if he had been shot.
Her eyes shifted, catching sight of silvery chains lying all over the vicinity, partly covered by the sand.
It was a bizarre sight. A single corpse. A myriad of chains.
There was a spot where the several strands of chains were bunched up together, forming a pile on the ground. As the sand cat approached it, she carefully sniffed it before widening her eyes in alarm.
“Meow!” She exclaimed. “This scent! It’s from master!” This all appeared like a spooky murder scene, but she was certain master wasn’t the culprit here. From the looks and smell of it, her master was the one who was being restrained by these chains before being freed. Furthermore, he didn’t carry any firearms, having no means to have shot the man who’s now a decaying corpse.
But these chains were unnatural. Did someone carry around all this heavy metal across the desert?
Having traveled with him for so long, Miu had memorized his scent. Pluto had been here before.