Λbsence

[Jakers]

"I dunno how it works, and you'll never see two cards the same. At least, s'what I heard. Even if I never asked for some fucking piece of card to flip my life around, I'll admit..." Jamal replied, arms folded, as Periwinkle stood in apparent awe of his power. "...S'kinda useful."

Apparently, though, Jamal shouldn't have been focusing on making light conversation. He should've been focusing on keeping an eye on Vivahoja, because she was going off to do exactly what he'd warned her not to do.

"No, don't--! DON'T!!" Jamal roared in warning as he noticed Viva sprinting full-speed onto one of the movement-amplifying 'roads'. Gritting his teeth, he swiped at Viva with his hand to try and stop her, but missed, tripping and falling onto the leaves with a light 'thud'. His sunglasses falling from his face, the visible anger - and concern - in his luminate-green eyes seemed to be off the charts as he heard Viva's distant scream as the speed the 'road' provided sent her flying.

"Piece of SHIT!" Jamal seethed, giving the dirty jungle floor a hearty thump with his fist. A vein bulging on the side of his forehead, he scooped his sunglasses from the ground, placing them onto his face with an exasperated mixture of a sigh and a growl. Brushing leaves off his front, he shook his head as Periwinkle tried to make some comedy out of the situation.

"So do I. So do fuckin' I..." Jamal sighed, before glimpsing in the distance. He could sure as hell hear the voice Periwinkle was talking about; sounded like Viva had some sort of collision. His eyebrows tilting upwards, he grit his teeth for a moment, showing an apparent flash of anxiety, before joining Periwinkle up the sloping, glasslike road to the tree's rooftops. With each footstep the two took, it felt like something was amplifying their movements to make them obscenely faster, but they weren't getting any more exhausted than normal walking.

Each time a footstep hit the transparent road, a small green wave of light pulsated out from the point of impact, like a shockwave.
"We gotta move. Fast. However dumb that was, we sure as hell ain't leaving her. MAGNA are probably scourin' around here." Jamal said, creating additional roads high up in the trees so the two could quickly get to Viva.

Snatching his blowpipe from his bag, Jamal thumbed in a weak, narcotic dart, gripping the primitive weapon and keeping it close to his studded lips. He kept slow and steady alongside the blue-haired boy, footsteps silent on the translucent roads. Following the source of where he thought he found the voice and keeping his eyes peeled towards the jungle's floor, his expression suddenly widened after a short while of searching.

"Shh. Down there," Jamal whispered to Periwinkle, crouching down from the edge of his constructed platform, looking down at Vivahoja and the dazed male who was, understandably, pretty pissed off to have a dopey, blue-clad woman crash straight into him. Keeping low in the trees above the two, Jamal kept his blowgun at the ready, but for now, didn't do anything else but watch. It seemed he was waiting to see who the fiery, red-haired adult even was before jumping in to something he might regret.

They could've found clues to Vargo by now, but she'd just had to, hadn't she?

 

[Finhawk]

| | Taipale Kallain | |​

As they began their their trek into the jungle after the unsettling woman and her flock, Kallain only now took a better look at the giant gun Dee was lugging around, his attention having been directed to it as its owner gave it a pat alongside her words of reassurance. Kallain's gaze did not linger on the weapon for long, however, he needed to keep his eyes on where he was going after all. Though he did shoot Dee a quick smile, a slightly worried undertone lingering on his face and in his words, "I appreciate the gesture, but I wouldn't recommend using that in here."

As he was certainly no firearms expert, Kallain didn't really know what this monstrous thing even did so what he did or did not recommend carried very little weight. But it was relatively safe to assume that a big gun did something big and big things most likely weren't a good idea in a densely vegetated area like a jungle. He had a good hunch the results might be unfortunate for everyone involved, especially the innocent jungle.

On second thought, he probably wouldn't recommend using that thing anywhere.

With Dee quickening her pace and voicing the genius idea of catching up to the leader of this concerning group, Kallain hastened his own steps slightly in order to keep up with her. However, he still remained lagging a step or two behind his younger companion, traversing the jungle with surprising ease considering his size, clothing, and luggage. It wasn't exactly his first time exploring the more uncivilized corners of the world and in order to minimize the damage to his attire, he'd had to learn how to walk in the wilderness without getting to know the plant- and wildlife too closely. Additionally, it was rather nice to avoid the embarrassment of getting beat up by a forest.

"I really doubt confronting that woman at this time is a particularly good idea," Kallain hesitantly replied to Dee while expertly ducking his head just in the nick of time to avoid being slapped by a branch. His brows furrowed, he warily peered past her at the string of people that they were getting too close to, "Does this not feel like she's leading those people, and I suppose us as well, to a slaughter house or something akin to that to you?" He kept his voice low, ensuring only Dee heard the last bit. However, he wasn't quite sure if that caution was even necessary. The group before them didn't seem all that concerned with the two of them, which only further fed his growing uneasiness. There was obviously something wrong. He could only watch the backs of this mob but even just that was enough to see they were not how they were supposed to be. With no way to describe it better, it was as if they lacked personality.

So, taking his level of comfort with the already existing situation into account, the stalker they had acquired, and who was apparently concerned with the duo, did not help his nerves in the least.

With the stranger's puzzling murmur reaching his ears almost right after Kallain finished his own hushed whisper to Dee, the white haired man came to abrupt halt. His posture tense and stance wide, he made a swift turn to face this new unnecessarily creepy individual who he was rather certain was addressing the two of them. By pure instinct, Kallain positioned his left side at the front, his right shoulder pulled slightly back and his hand casually coming to a rest beside the handle of the knife securely strapped to his thigh. He'd most likely have felt slightly more at ease if his left hand wasn't occupied with gripping his duffel bag, thus making the equipping of his shield a bit more timely task if there was need for such action. He hoped that was not the case and he was merely making a fool of himself by being too suspicious. Though, being too careful had a tendency to be a better option than being dead.

"I'm sorry, would it not be proper to introduce yourself first before inquiring such information from others?" Kallain started, giving a quick glance at Dee from the corner of his eye and forcing a small smile on his face as he spoke to the wannabe cowboy, "And may I ask what you mean exactly?"

Kallain didn't want to confront the woman but he apparently was on board confronting this almost equally weird man. However, at least this guy didn't have a crowd of devoted followers at his disposal. Or maybe he did and they were just better at hiding.

 

[Warm Regret]

​

Still fascinated by Guy's 'Thunder Road', Periwinkle tried to put his sense of wonder aside long enough to acclimate himself with this new way of traveling. Each step he took, sent out a weak pulse of green light on the otherwise translucent structure and granted him the ability to cover more distance than normal with the same amount of energy spent. Moving at a casual pace while admiring the unnatural yet beautiful roadway, he had a moment to question his attitude toward Moirae Cards. He had always believed that the Moirae cards were a stain on this world but benefiting from the use of one like he was now, didn't fill him with dread, in fact it was the opposite. At the same time, he wondered if people were meant to travel in such a way. What if the use of these 'roads' had some negative impact on the natural world, something not evidently apparent? It was definitely something to think about but better saved for a more appropriate time.

While not one afraid of heights, he noticed that through use of the 'Thunder Road', they had climbed high above the trees and vines that blanketed the jungle. Unfamiliar with this 'Thunder Road' he found himself on, he hoped the structure was sturdy and that there was no reason to believe it would suddenly collapse or disappear. Noting how comfortable Guy was with using these odd roadways, did put his mind in a cautious state of ease. Guy verbalized that they should probably move quickly to locate Viva, especially since there may be MAGNA agents lurking nearby and Periwinkle nodded in Guy's direction with an affirmative grunt. "Agreed." Immediately, he picked up the pace but was careful to trail slightly behind Guy and not go blasting off into the distance like the third member of their motley crew. It would take a little more practice for him to traverse Guy's 'Thunder Road' like more of a pro but for now, he felt comfortable with his level of skill and understanding.

Glancing over, he noticed that Guy had withdrew a small dart and blowgun. It wasn't much of a weapon on its own but if it was laced with some type of drug, as he assumed it was, it would definitely do the trick. "Do you think there will be violence?" He asked with mild concern, as they crept silently along the transparent road. Before answering his question, Guy quieted him as it appeared they had arrived at Viva's location. Looking down as Guy instructed, Periwinkle spotted Viva and some unknown man with red hair, watching in silence as the scene before them unfolded. Like Guy, Periwinkle didn't make any hasty moves. It didn't make sense to needlessly escalate a situation, besides, they had no idea what they could potentially be getting themselves into. There seemed to only be one man involved, so if the situation became dangerous, at least the numbers were in their favor. However, this one man seemed pretty incensed, no doubt because Viva came crashing into him like a ton of bricks.

Slowly falling to one knee and raking back a handful of his cornflower blue hair, he knelt alongside but slightly behind Guy. Periwinkle cast his royal blue gaze down at the jungle floor, hoping the stranger would part ways with Viva without there needing to be a fight. Remaining vigilant, he gently held back the length of his officers jacket to reveal the hilt of a dueling sword sheathed there. Hopefully he wouldn't have to use it, as a non violent option was always preferred but at the same time he didn't want to be caught by surprise if he needed to act in a hurry. Placing his right hand around the hilt, he gripped it tightly, the familiar touch of cold steel yearning to be unsheathed. Although he wanted to ask Guy about his skill with the blowgun, he kept quiet out of fear of revealing their location. Other than their numbers, they also had the element of surprise on their side. The only thing left to do was to wait patiently and to hope for the best.

 

[Giltine13]

♦ Kuroyuki Kaito ♦​

Kaito grumpily tore through the jungle, snapping off any branch that dared to get too close to him. It probably wasn't the smartest move, but at this point he was too stubborn to stop. He was just about to fling a rock into a nearby tree when echoes of rhythmic footsteps reached his ears. They were far too much in sync to be just a random crowd storming by; in fact it sounded awfully similar to a marching army. It tickled Kaito's curiosity, so he moved a bit closer to the source intently examining the noise. He got so caught up in this strange occurrence, he managed to overlook a couple of fairly lighter steps until they were near enough for him to see.

Kaito's head snapped towards her so fast it hurt his neck, his eyes gluing themselves to an elderly from gracefully flowing along the path. Kaito had to blink a couple of times just to be sure he wasn't seeing things and almost went green with jealousy. The granny's movements had such fluidity, such beautiful execution, that any young lady would kill for, heh, even Kaito wasn't much of an exception. Not a single branch caught on her clothes, no twigs were stepped on, like she was part of the surrounding vegetation, dancing together with the wind. Honestly, it was quite the comic, if not absolutely outrageous, sight.

Kaito was so mesmerized by her hypnotic movement he completely forgot about his twitchy ears until the woman was just a few feet away. Like pinched in the ass, he quickly tugged the hood over his head bringing it down almost to his nose in his rush. Not one to enjoy being blind, he hurriedly adjusted the garment a bit here and there as the granny glided towards him and silently prayed to all gods that she was a blind old hag who just left her little glasses at home. What he didn't expect was for the granny to try walking right trough him as if he was a mere ghost rather than a solid obstacle blocking her way. She charged right into his chest forcefully enough to make herself stumble a few steps back. But it didn't stop there. Failing to notice her error, the elderly woman did it all over again just to achieve the same result. Then again and again and again… What the hell was her problem?

"In all honesty, I am immensely flattered that you'd hit on me so hard and all, but don't cha think you're taking this way too far too fast? Like, I don't even know your name, yet you're making such bold advances… I can't help but to blush!"

Kaito cracked happily, even adding a tiny 'khi-hi' at the end, hoping the woman would finally realize the hindrance blocking her way was a human being and not… whomever she imagined. Sadly, the woman wasn't only blind, but deaf too and Kaito's misplaced joke gave him nothing but another bump on his chest. Slightly off-put, he grabbed the elder by her shoulders and gave a few tentative shakes, each one stronger than the last. Nothing changed, she didn't even blink. This was turning out to be a pretty bad day and Kaito accepted defeat a second time in the last hour.

Silently Kaito moved to the side, letting the granny to pursue her way while he sneaked after her. Admittedly, with far less grace.

 

[sun.]

The woman that had run into Kaito repeatedly now continued her journey deep into the woods, but the sound of her steps, the sound of hard-leather shoes whipping up dirt, the sound of SOMEONE's steps... That sound didn't quiet down whatsoever. In fact, it seemed like a marching band approached from somewhere deep within the jungle, and with it came a wave of cold, followed by a quick flash of unbearable heat, that left a sweaty film of warmth behind. Or... perhaps it was merely the natural sweaty warmth of any random jungle. Peculiar, however, was the distinct lack of noise from the jungle itself. Whereas the background noise of approaching steps roared consistently, no wildlife cries or branches bustling were heard anymore.

"You should leave soon."

The voice seemed to sound from somewhere deep within the lush green world, but more urgently--and oddly--came from behind Kaito, demanding him to turn around.

"And you should leave the money as well. Behave and stay quiet. Do not lie anymore, that one's important. Well, I suppose it's none of my business." She wiggled her small, almost non-existent button nose, as if it was itching, then tilted her head to the side just a bit, reassessing the situation. "Well, yet. So feel free to do whatever he asked of you. I'll find you either way, but at least technically, it's not your time yet, so I figured I'd warn you."

The girl, clad in an unassuming grey overcoat that covered her entire frame, bar the bare ankles and the plain sandals on her feet, stood motionless before Kaito, eyeing him without a single blink. Her expression neither hostile nor friendly, she evidently had enough of Kaito, and began to walk past the young man. With every single one of her steps, the sounds of earth, the sound of life itself seemed to seep through the deafening silence, before blooming once again. Now, however, the marching sounds were clearly real, and clearly right in front of Kaito, as right behind the little clearing in the thicket, a long row of people trotted into the same direction the mysterious girl had began to face off. Though they walked straight past her, it seemed as if she was overseeing them. Her face was tensed up, and she was constantly checking a small pocketwatch hidden inside her coat, as if she was awaiting something or someone.

Just a bit further behind, the man in the cowboy hat let out a soft chuckle. "Not a fan of riddles, to be perfectly honest. I'm sayin' it's not your time yet. But it is theirs." He led the cigar away from his lips, exhaling thick clouds of smoke, and pointed it towards the row of people walking in front of the uneven pair. His newly assumed posture revealed a rugged face with no extra-ordinary features, other than the man's empty eyes. Shimmering golden, his gaze lingered on the marching crowd Kallain and Dee had followed into the jungle. "Not yet, anyways. Things can change."

Perhaps the two imagined it, but it seemed almost like he was threatening the two with his spare words. "Don't look so dreary now, boy," he remarked, noticing Kallain--a man who, no doubts about it, looked older than the strange man--carrying a worried expression. The stranger refused to give into Kallain's request of identifying himself, and instead walked past the two. Following his path, a little off in the distance, the familiar shape of the girl that seemingly had transmitted her thoughts into the couple's minds, was discernible.

"Ah, you made it then. Great. Though..."

The man paused for a bit, framing his face with his free hand, rubbing over the lower part of his face and his facial hair. "Why aren't you-" He stopped again, and quickly looked at Kaito, whose position was only poorly hidden by the branches that allowed one to swoop in and out from the trampled down main path. "I see."

"It won't be a problem," the meek girl replied quickly, but not fearfully. The male exhaled another tuft of smoke, and stared off into the distance, to where the mindless men and women were headed.

"That's still my call, Callihan."

An awkward silence ensued, with the only sound being the man's continuous exhaling of smoke, and the young girl shuffling nervously.

"Well," the stranger began speaking, causing Callihan to stand at attention, "no point in lamenting it now. You should be careful, kid." He dismissively waived at Kaito, before walking up the slightly elevated path, deep into the heart of the jungle, with Callihan quickly following him. She stopped, however, looking back at the three confused folks, who somehow got caught in this weird march on their search for Vargo.

"If you're still looking for Vargo, I recommend you be careful. You especially," she said to the trio, but pointing at Kaito specifically. And with that, she quickly followed the older man.

Bonk

"OW!"

Peri's question had quickly been answered, as the redhead's fist found Viva's shoulder, sending her flying right back on the ground, on her butt. The enraged man was still rubbing the back of his head, and, as comical as it might have appeared, had steam shooting from his ears, the smoke forming a mushroom shape. Viva's starry-eyed gaze had stabilized, but now she was pouting like a child, her cheeks flushed red from the sudden if negligible sting of pain.

"You're a total douche!" she shouted, jumping back onto her feet with rage on her face. Meanwhile, the victim of her recklessness, just now ceasing to caress his hurting jaw, jumped forward, his face a distorted grimace of rage, with literal sparks spawning from his scalp, setting the tips of his short hair on fire. Vivahoja, however, seemed to either not notice this odd and quite dangerous display, or ignored it deliberately.

"Are you kidding me, you little brat?!"
"BRAT?! You're not even older than me, you!"
"You what? YOU WHAT?"
"YOU BABYFACED ASSHAT!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"YOU HEARD ME!"
"I'M GONNA-"

But his threat was not finished, or perhaps merely inaudible, as a deafening creak filled the air. A giant tree, its root easily as thick as a small house, had been felled, hitting the ground just behind from where Jamal and Periwinkle had hid themselves. The constant background noise of the jungle suddenly revealed itself as the sound of loud, heavy footsteps, belonging to a giant creature that had uprooted the tree and tossed it aside, out of its way.

Both Vivahoja as her new found enemy looked up in unison, their posture still that of ready-to-fight juveniles, but their jaws wide opened in awe, as the giant shadow stretched itself onto the little glade where the four young adults were located.

"What the heck?"
"What the heck?"

A Titan had passed the glade, his gait stoic and powerful, and continued to cross the jungle with immense efficiency, as mother nature's creations were flattened and bend to accommodate his path. The Titan wore clothing that was considerably more "modern" than most of the frocks and robes favored among the giant creatures, and he also outgrew the majority of Titans, with even the highest sections of the jungle's crowns reaching only up to his chest. The Titan's head turned, scouring the jungle; That much was clear despite the fact that Titans had no face comparable to any human, or even Meerba, but instead an undefined, carved-inwards mass of stone-like flesh, a black hole almost, only differing in its physical tangibility. His pace quickened, as his gaze fell onto a little mountain towards the far end of the southern part of the island, a solid stretch away from where the ragtag group was positioned, but considerably closer to the end of the path Callihan and her affiliate were venturing towards.

"So they know..." the young man muttered through gritted teeth. He had calmed down in the face of such an imposing figure, his hair magically ceasing to flicker, but his words were eliciting a curious stare from Vivahoja.

"Know what?"

The man, suddenly ripped from his thoughts, turned to face the blue-haired girl, with an angry snarl. "What do you mean 'what'? MAGNA of course! They know where the shipwright is, you moron!"

Viva tipped her index finger onto her lips, staring at the Titan's back, as he further distanced himself from the group.

"So the Titan belongs to MAGNA?"

At this point, the red-haired man shielded his disenfranchised expression from her clueless stare, instead holding his own face in his hand; That didn't stop Viva from thinking aloud, however. "So then he's headed towards Vargo, right? That's awesome! You guys heard that?" she suddenly shouted into the general direction where Jamal and Peri were hiding, even going so far as to waive towards the bushes that shielded them from view. The young man next to her, however, stopped his lamenting of Viva's obliviousness, and instantly took on a fighting stance, grounding his left leg proper, while scouting the environment.

"Enough with the games! Who are you, and what do you want?!" he yelled at Viva, and somewhat vaguely into the environment. "No more games, or I'll fry you!"

The threat towards Vivahoja seemed to be genuine, as the man's skin began to glow, first pale and pink, then bright red, as if intense heat was boiling just underneath the most outer layer. Black smoke was rising into the air from his ears and nose, and the background began to wave and flicker, distorted from the heat around him.

 

[Jakers]

JAMAL LAJARA
><><><><><><><​

"Hope not. Only hit two with this thing, and ran from the other hundred," Jamal murmured to answer Peri's question. He didn't add the fact that those two times, his darts hadn't even put those people to sleep properly, but it was enough for him to run the hell away.

BONK

The sound of a fist clunking against skin caused Jamal's eyes to snap up. The red-haired guy wasn't pissing around, and had knocked Vivahoja cleanly over. He supposed that, right there, answered Periwinkle's question.

Pressing the green-wrapped blowpipe to his lips, the young, dreadlock-bearing man was looking prepared to shoot. But, like... now... they were... just screaming at each other? Was that dude's hair on fire? Jamal shot Periwinkle a quick look that could only be described as the [glow=gold]' What the fuck is going on '[/glow] look. As the two's arguement began to climax, and when the red-haired man looked as if he were about smash Viva in again, Jamal had finally gave a quick inhale, and was literally a second away from pursing his lips and firing his narcotic dart.

THUMP. THUMP. [glow=grey]THUMP.[/glow]

A sudden abundance of huge, thumping footsteps causing the very ground to quake and a loose tree to fall behind him, however, caused Jamal to drop his blowpipe and loaded dart altogether, the two items *clonk*ing against the leafy ground. All of a sudden, as the young man looked as if he were about to lose balance and fall, the road became 'sticky' and almost impossible to fall off, causing Jamal to keep his balance. Checking behind him quickly to see if Periwinkle was alright first, he glanced at whatever the fuck caused that.

He'd only seen the back of it. A huge figure, ominously stomping through the jungle, carved from what looked like granite. His very footsteps caused a brief rain of floaty green from the trees to fall.

He and Periwinkle had been lucky to have not been in the tree that the gargantuan thing had plucked from the jungle's earth as if he were nonchalantly picking potatoes. His mouth half-open, his sunglasses not fully over his eyes and revealing the whites and his gleaming, green eyes, it all seemed to be one thing after another.

And when he looked back down to check on Viva, oh, you know. That guy was [glow=red]actually on fucking fire.[/glow]

Acting quickly, and out of panic, Jamal swiftly created a road down to the jungle floor next to Vivahoja, letting out a roar as he emerged from the jungle's leafy canopy where he and Periwinkle had been laying low.
"WHOA, DON'T, DON'T!"

Crouching as he did so, the shirtless man slid down the road, trails of lime green following behind him as he slipped down the slope like a slide, his small, shoulder-strung bag and long black dreadlocks whistling behind him in his wake. Skidding in the dirt at Vivahoja's side, it was clear the man was starting to lose his breath as he made one more road, though this one wasn't designed to be walked on.

A short and stubby road had been constructed in front of Viva at an 'upwards angle', functioning like a makeshift barrier between the two sides. Jamal had no idea how his roads would react to heat, but unless this guy cooled off, he was pretty sure he was about to find out. Standing behind Viva, Jamal took a brief gasp of exhaustion, before the green and black mixing light produced by his shades snapped straight in on the read-haired man.
"Get a fuckin' grip, would you?! You use flames in a jungle, who even knows what sort of shit that could cascade into? You really prepared to watch a stranger scream and burn away, just because... what, she bumped into you?"

Well, now that Jamal thought about it, she'd sort of flew straight into him. If someone did that to him he'd probably be pretty shitty about it, too, but still: not to this degree; degree both in the sense of 'level of anger' and 'degrees Celsius'.

His road sloping from the jungle floor up into the trees still flowing a gentle green behind him, Jamal licked his lips, a worried and tense sort of anger causing his forehead temple to bulge as he - as hurriedly as possible - tried to explain things.
"Look, she smacked into you because she's an idiot. It happened out of coincidence. We're tryin' to free Vargo, and we don't have long to beat MAGNA to him, let alone deal with your shit! So don't be chasin' us, yeah?"

Not taking his wary gaze away from the figuratively and literally fiery man, he lightly bopped the side of Viva's arm, in a 'let's get the fuck out of here' sort of fashion.
"We gotta go, go, go!" Jamal hissed in her ear, not taking his eyes off 'Inferno Jim' or whatever his name was.

They had their lead to Vargo, and this damn second was the time to follow it before it was too late. Besides, even if this crazily angry dude was going to chase them, hopefully he'd make the same mistake Viva did at first.

 

[Warm Regret]

Keeping their voices down, Guy explained to Periwinkle that he didn't have much experience with his blowgun, which lead Periwinkle to believe they may have to get more directly involved if an altercation became unavoidable. There was a chance however, that if it came down to it, Guy's blow dart would do the trick. Turning his attention back to the situation below them involving Viva and the red head, Periwinkle gritted his teeth and tightened the grip on his sword once Viva was struck. The whack sent her falling backward, onto her rear end. Sharpening his royal blue eyes on the two down below, he could tell that the blow was painful but in no way life threatening. He could somewhat understand why the man was so angry, the attack seemed almost like a reflex but what he was still pondering, was the steam coming from the stranger's ears and the sparks of fire that threatened to set his hair ablaze.

As he began to slowly unsheathe his sword, he noticed that the two began arguing with each other and throwing insults back and forth. The once severe look on his face was now replaced with one of mild shock. His jaw dropped and his eyes reflected a look of disbelief. It might have been regarded as humorous if the situation hadn't been so serious. He and Guy turned to look at each other simultaneously but Periwinkle looked just as confused as his comrade. Turning back towards the entertaining banter, he decided to let things play out further before he intervened, however he was fully prepared to back Guy up if needed. Surprisingly, it wasn't the commotion between Viva and the red-haired gentleman that was the star of the show, something even more bizarre had literally overshadowed them. Like a living eclipse, a giant creature strode behind them, temporarily blotting out the sun.

Periwinkle slowly turned to look behind him, the booming sound of footsteps stifling all activity in the jungle. Periwinkle stared in awe as the Titan made its way towards a mountain in the distance and trees that would take two dozen men to chop down were pushed out of the way like pesky shrubbery. The tremors created by the walking behemoth caused Periwinkle to fear he would lose his balance and fall from Guy's 'Thunder Road.' He temporarily glanced from the titan back to Guy and saw that he was in no danger of falling, in fact, it appeared that even his own footing had become more secure. Releasing the grip on his sword, he looked back to glance at the titan's back as he continued along its path, no longer blocking out the sun and letting its warm rays illuminate the small patch of jungle they occupied once more. "What in the world was that?" He said in a whisper, still staring in disbelief. It was clearly the first time he had ever seen a titan before.

The conversation on the jungle floor was almost inconsequential to him at this point as he continued to marvel at the Titan's fleeting form, however the word -Vargo- triggered his consciousness and he turned to look back down at Viva and the hot-headed stranger. Pieces of the puzzle were now being filled in and it became clear that the Titan was working with MAGNA, most likely heading straight towards Vargo. Periwinkle wondered how they could possibly stop something so big, it seemed like their only hope was to reach Vargo before MAGNA did. Even with Guy's 'Thunder Road', it was a feat easier said than done. Once everyone had come to the same conclusion, Viva raucously gave away he and Guy's location and Periwinkle exhaled, closing his eyes. "….really?" he said, genuinely surprised he hadn't seen that coming. Once the jig was up, he made his presence known and folded his arms, his eyes closed and his head slightly lowered while a look of composed acceptance spread across his face. "Forgive me, but if you knew we were here in hiding, don't you think you should have let us reveal ourselves….BEFORE…you gave away our location to a potential enemy?" He said with a strong proper accent.

Lifting his arms and shaking his head, he sighed softly, letting a slight smile manifest on his face. "Ah well. I suppose it can't be helped now." Taking the time to join the others on the jungle floor, Periwinkle slid downward, leaving a fading trail of translucent green light in his wake. After joining the others, he noticed that the situation was becoming heated again….literally, as the man they had encountered began displaying his affinity for pyrotechnics. Guy had created another 'Thunder Road', however this time it took on a different form. It didn't appear to be created for the purpose of travel but rather to serve as a wall between Viva and the heated stranger. He also noticed that creating these 'Thunder Roads' seemed to take a small toll on Guy. He assumed there was a limit to how many roads Guy could create within a given time period. It was amazing how much he was learning just from observing the two Moirae users.

Playing the part of mediator, Periwinkle remained calm and took a less aggressive approach to the situation than his teammates. "What my friend is trying to say…" He began after Guy's warning to the fiery stranger. "Is that we wish to apologize for any trouble we may have caused you. Please believe me, it was not intentionally done." He said giving a short bow. "However, we are in a bit of a hurry, so if you would kindly excuse us...." He said as he moved away from the man and towards Viva and Guy. It was clear they needed to take their leave sooner rather than later.

 

[Giltine13]

♦ Kuroyuki Kaito ♦​

Kaito followed the odd granny for a little bit, the annoying sound of perfectly timed footsteps still clear in the air. Sure, the MAGNA wanted to capture the famous shipwright, but wasn't sending a whole fucking army a bit too much? When a gust of coldness rushed through him Kaito welcomed it with wide arms, however he could have passed up the heat's hit right after. Getting all sweaty and gross was the last thing he needed in this no-good place, it only brought the urge to scratch his skin clean off of his bones. With all the racket from the repeatedly stomping feet, he failed to spot when all the jungle noise suddenly disappeared. Pretty weird.

An equally weird voice coming from somewhere behind him jerked Kaito out of his rather scrambled thoughts. Kaito spun around on his heel, not quite keen on letting people see his bare ass like that, let alone their itchy fingers would decide it needed some stabbing. Bored eyes met the petite female, although a small spark of amusement bled into them when from all the things the girl could've done, she chose scolding. But something about her words was… off. Kaito followed her with his eyes, quietly turning her words around a bunch of times. Now he could get a clear view of the crowd making that awful noise and something sort of clicked.

"So do you have a weird hypnotic-killer Morae card or did the Reaper call in a sick one for today and you were left to take care of her job?" Kaito humorously asked, his smile failing to reach his eyes. Somehow he was rather sure that by 'it's not your time yet' she meant he wasn't supposed to die, well, yet. Did that mean all those chums and that granny would die today? What a scary thought. The girl didn't bless him with an answer or even a look and before he found anything else to say a strange man walked up to her. As if burned, the man stopped in the middle of his sentence and turned to stare Kaito down. In return, he raised one curvy eyebrow, the creepy 'I see' only bringing a desire to punch the man in his hairy face.

Kaito kept on staring at them, but as the silence stretched on he gave a quick glance around, catching another couple not too far. They looked nothing alike, the woman short and dark, while the guy loomed above her like a faded tower. Perhaps the saying 'opposites attract' wasn't just an overused joke, it kind of looked too convenient to be a coincidence in the two's case. Kaito was going to poke fun at them, but the man in the cowboy hat beat him to it and instead poked fun at the thief. Not just that, but the girl followed his lead and Kaito couldn't let that slip too, "The hell did I do?!"

However, the girl didn't answer him again and just rushed off to probably kiss the man's feet. How rude! Kaito puffed, but he didn't really know what to do with himself. Going after those two felt like asking for trouble, while staying put seemed cowardly. What a bothersome choice. They did mention Vargo and abandoning that old coot left a bad taste in his mouth. Maybe they wouldn't mind being only a little followed. With his mind set, Kaito turned back at the couple, "Whatcha planning over there?"

 

[Shavynel]

Kallain's assessment of the march gave Dee pause, forcing her to reconsider the people she had previously just peripherally acknowledged as a convenient stream to follow. They did seem rather uniform. She frowned slightly. Not uniform exactly. That would've implied they were dressed the same or moved the same, but neither was the case. They just weren't different enough to be described otherwise. "Huh," she grunted noncommittally, lips pursed in that way where she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to accept his description even though it struck somewhere approximating true.

Except for their new addition here. Dee turned toward him, hand straying for her massive gun, but the side glance her companion gave her stayed her hand, though not without the briefest pout. He was one of those sorts, then, that preferred the diplomatic approach. To be fair, the diplomatic sort were easier to approach, start a conversation with, and suddenly becoming traveling buddies. But why couldn't she just get lucky one of these times? Find someone just as ready to jump into action? (The numerous bar fights she encountered suggested she quite often ran into such individuals, though somehow slipped her mind just then as examples.)

Unfortunately, nothing said made the situation make any more sense. There was one thing that did become apparent, though. "Seems our cowboy hat knows our mysterious woman," Dee mused out of the corner of her mouth to Kallain when the other had passed them to join up with their march leader. That perhaps shouldn't have been surprising given the woman had practically led the parade, and the man seemed to know more than they did about whatever was happening. But Dee could have sworn the girl had been almost inviting them to follow back in town, and this man was trying to shoo them away.

All told, though, neither of the pair had done anything to her or Kallain, which was fairly promising in her book. They just had possibly done something to everyone else around them. Well, except for this even newer addition, a hooded man who seemed to be getting their same treatment, associated seemingly with neither the hordes nor the overseers.

"Planning?" Dee pulled a face, too repulsed by the idea to even consider her response might be alienating. "Whatcha do that you gotta be so especially careful for?" she asked back, naturally copying his whatcha intonation. Dee was genuinely curious. It wasn't often it was someone else and not her getting the 'especially' sort of warnings applied to.

But then it occurred to her they had just been within perfect range of getting some answers and had woefully wasted their opportunity (never mind the fact neither of the peculiar pair seemed particularly free with their knowledge). And Dee, unlike this hooded figure, had only received a moderate amount of warnings with no 'especially' attached, which meant it was all as good as ignored.

"Oh. C'mon! We can't just let them get away." Dee held her gun securely to her back, preventing her equipment from bouncing off her back as she pursued, and, incidentally, making it easier to swing out at a moment's notice. She hadn't raced after the woman to ask questions earlier, but that hadn't gotten them any answers, and nor had Kallain's attempt to talk to the man, so ...

"Hey, Cowboy!" she called out, not at all bothered that there hadn't been an introduction. Although, talking about introductions, the man had called the young woman something ... right? Right! "Callihan? We came this far. You can tell us more than that." She shot back quick smile and dropped a hand off her gun just long enough to give Kallain a thumbs up. Look! She was using diplomacy! Maybe Kallain didn't quite know her enough to be proud of her, but he was a good enough stand in for all those other diplomatic types who'd been through her life who would be.

 

[Finhawk]

| | Taipale Kallain | |​

Even with this unknown stranger proceeding to be just as creepy and strange as the leader of the entourage Dee and him were following, Kallain couldn't help but feel a small sliver of annoyance settle in him. Though that was overshadowed quite well by the uneasiness that refused to let go of him, and the man's disregard of his inquiries and the somewhat ominous words did not help in the least.

"Uh, excuse me, time for what?" Kallain tried to ask warily, but the stranger was already walking past them to join the creepy woman who had stopped to oversee her herd. Dropping his pretense smile, Kallain scrunched up his nose a bit as he frowned at the suspicious duo having a suspicious conversation that they could still eavesdrop on from the distance between them. "I suppose I must assume that woman has failed to teach him manners then," he offhandedly remarked as a reply to Dee's comment in a quiet voice as he kept his eyes on the pair of people herders. It seemed rather obvious that even though the woman was apparently pulling the strings on the crowd, the man was in charge. So one could say the crowd of devoted followers were in fact his and therefore confronting him further might not be a bright idea.

However, it was starting to seem like none of Kallain's ideas on that particular day were bright. He was in that jungle after all.

Thankfully, there was at least one more person in that jungle who didn't appear like they had just escaped from some sort of hospital for people with mental problems. Based on what little Kallain could hear the shortish guy say at least, even if he appeared to be rather untactful towards the strange man and woman. Appearance wise, this newcomer looked rather suspicious as well, disheveled -perhaps abused by the jungle- and with a hood over his head, the guy looked like some street thug you wouldn't want anywhere near your merits. Therefore, Kallain was sure to let his hand remain close to his knife as Dee beat him to replying to this new stranger.

"One could argue being careful is always a worthwhile investment and precaution rarely results in a worse outcome than without it," he wisely pointed out beside Dee in a low voice, though he doubted either would heed his words. So he wasn't overly surprised when Dee decided to dash after the duo the very next moment. If this young man was the one who was supposed to be 'especially' careful, Kallain wasn't sure he wanted to know how much more erratic this guy was than Dee.

Somewhat miffed, Kallain remained stationary for a few seconds longer, staring after the retreating figure of Dee with a small frown and a grunt. This was not a bright idea. But still, he started jogging after her, slowing down slightly as he passed by the new face he had now failed to properly greet. "I'm terribly sorry-" he started, flashing the guy a slightly uneasy and apologetic smile, while being stopped dead in his tracks the next second by a low branch that almost got him. Ducking low and stepping to the other side of the obstacle while recollecting his composure, Kallain glanced back at the hooded man he now noted to be rather pale as well. He also got a good look at the piercings decorating this lad, which he had to admit only reinforced the thug impression even if he could appreciate the aesthetic.

However, Kallain didn't exactly get a lot of time to take the stranger's appearance in, he had a hasty gun maniac to chase after all. "I'm rather sure you're welcome to join our quite unwise search for a ship if you so wish," he offered to the lad as he picked up his pace to catch up to Dee, a mission his longer legs made a bit easier. Sidehopping and twisting his torso slightly to avoid more hazardous vegetation, Kallain could hear Dee's shout of 'Hey, cowboy!' just up ahead and he failed to resist mentally noting yet again how much of a bad idea that probably was.

He came to a stop a bit to Dee's side behind her just in time as she turned around to give him a thumbs up after her demand to the creepy people. Kallain wasn't all that sure how to feel about that. So he ended up just shooting her a nervous smile back before turning his attention to 'Cowboy' and... Callihan? Yes, he thought he'd heard that right. "What she means is that we'd appreciate it if you'd be so kind and take a short moment to perhaps explain what exactly it is you're doing," Kallain began with what he hoped was a better rephrasing and clarification of Dee's words. "What is going to happen to those people you have with you?" he then questioned a bit more directly, his voice growing slightly firmer, along with his expression.

The fate of the crowd was undoubtedly worrying.

 

[sun.]

Vivahoja had lifted her arms upwards, shielding her face from the heat of her newly acquired enemy's heat. She was peeking at him carefully, her eyes squinting at his burning white glow. "Wow," she muttered quietly, before she perked up, craning her neck in search of Jamal, having noticed the protective barrier she recognized as his Moirae power. With a raised brow, Viva stood with her hands on her hips, frowning at the young man.

"Hey, I'm not an idiot!"

The redhead continued boiling and wafting, flames dancing across his scalp, though he ceased to snarl like a mad dog, instead letting his eyes flicker back and forth between the three individuals. "You fuckers have some nerves," he hissed, staring down Jamal. It was fairly obvious that he didn't quite believed his words, but at the very least, the immediate hostility seemed to simmer down; at the very least, the fiery effects that seemed to spawn from his skin died out, instead turning into mere sparks.

Viva smiled at Peri, her cheeks flushing from embarrassment. "I guess that is true, hah... Then again, we're kind of in a hurry, so the whole hide and wait thing wasn't ideal anyways. R-right?" With a nervous huff, Viva shuffled behind Jamal, inching towards the edge of the glade. As Peri addressed the stranger, an orb of burning white mass came flying, cracking Thunderroad's barrier, and sliding down along its surface. As it hit the ground, small flames flickered where the grass was burned, and the glob of molten... metal? It sure looked like molten metal. In any case, the glob began to slowly lose its blinding glow, the thick, liquidy mass spreading out against the barrier.

"Alright, listen up! Maybe you're not MAGNA scum, but that shipwright is MINE, understand? I don't care who you are. As long as you stay out of my way, I don't have much reason to burn you alive, but if you think you can steal that ship from under my nose I'll roast you!" He scoffed, burying his hands in the pockets of his pants, and scanned the trio up and down once more. "I'm Perite! You better remember the name, 'cause I'll be the one to take Vargo's ships, I'll be the one to cross Strange Space, and it will be ME who dethrones Romeo!" His juvenile confidence was comical, yet there was no doubt that he sincerely believed every last word. Without giving any of them the chance to mock his speech, he turned on his heels, and ran off into the jungle.

Meanwhile, Vivahoja sniffled, scrunching up her nose. "Well, that's just nonsensical, isn't it?" she wondered out loud, looking at the spot where Perite had run off. Finally, with a toothy grin, the blue-haired girl stomped her feet on the ground and yelled at her acquaintances. "So what are you guys standing around for? We have to get to Vargo quicker than ever now! There's a Titan coming for the old man! Plus, I don't wanna get beat by that guy, Perite."

The cowboy didn't hear, or didn't care to answer, quietly trudging up the elevated path, right to where the light was beginning to break through the thinning branches and green. The men and women were still following him, now no longer supervised by the meek little girl clad in grey, but still moving in unison. "There ain't no pearls in a pool of blood..." he replied, his song a barely melodic sing-sang, his words intentionally muffled, pressed through pursed lips.

Callihan, his companion, had hurried to catch up, but slowed herself down so as to turn around and face the uneven trio after a brief moment of silence. "We're gong to go and see Vargo, just like you," she said, her gaze uninterrupted. The lack of blinks made her stare appear a little too intense; thankfully, she turned around again, and began to slow ascend behind the cowboy. With her hand, she motioned for the three to follow her.

"Vargo is a very important man, you see. And a fight between the shipwright and MAGNA will be dangerous, we know. There is nothing for the weak to gain by going there. It IS still your choice, but you may want to reconsider. Except for you, of course," she said, looking Kaito in the eyes for the first time. "You're just holding up your end of the deal, I suppose..." Callihan fell quiet for a moment, the sounds of the group's feet sinking into the soft earth with each step filling the air. "Well, we're here."

The cowboy had already disappeared from view, and suddenly it seemed the row of people marching behind him had disappeared as well, as Callihan pushed aside the branches and stepped into the light, disappearing in the bright flood. Behind the jungle, a wide glade layed, the edge of it fizzling out into sand, and then the ocean. Trees were splattered all across the grass, but in manageable distances, not deterring from the clean and free feel of the scenery. A large, wooden warehouse or something of the sort had been erected close to the water, a pier connecting a side opening of the house with the sea.

More importantly, however, was the row of people, all clad in clean, white uniforms, that had formed a half-circle around the front of the building; unmistakably, MAGNA had reached the place already. In front of the bunch, a man with a mohawk and a tanktop stood, his arms crossed, in front of a large figure with white hair. Somewhere in the distance, a booming sound emerged from the jungle over and over again, slow and rhythmically.

Callihan let out a sharp giggle, her superior nowhere to be seen. "So? What's the plan? Laying low? Help him? Do you even have a plan?" But the trio was spared the trouble of answering, as a deafening shockwave tore the beautiful scenery apart, sending the lowly agents flying, and even the more composed ones were forced backwards a few inches. The two man that had stood face to face were surrounded by flashes of light, before the large figure began moving surprisingly fast, his speed making him disappear momentarily. The smaller man, Herbaro, seemed to have expected such a thing, however, and followed suit effortlessly.

The display of power seemed to have stunned most of those present, but it didn't lake for the soldiers to regain their whereabouts. "Intruders at 5!" a MAGNA agent yelled shortly after regained composure, and soon, a small group of Officers came running, swords drawn and rifles pointed...

 

[Jakers]

JAMAL LAJARA
><><><><><><><​

As Jamal got stared down, under his shades, he furiously stared back, showing no signs of wanting to move. God, he hated him. Such a cocky piece of shit. Knowing he'd probably just have to run away from him due to a lack of fighting experience, if it came to that, just made him hate the guy even more.

He hated running. Running, running, running. But that was his life, wasn't it?

The tension of the situation seemed to be rubbing off on Jamal in a negative manner, causing him to snap recklessly at Viva as she tried to claim she wasn't an idiot, and then came up with a shaky answer to Periwinkle's very good point.
"Damn it, Viva! I met you, what, ten minutes ago? And I could already write an essay on why you're an idio--"

Abruptly, however, something seemed to shut the young man up.

As the molten metal hissed and scorched around the vertical barrier, Jamal's legs seemed to wobble slightly, and the young man seemed to be losing his balance. His head was... pounding, and his surroundings suddenly felt incredibly stuffy, as if he were locked in an oven. Sweat forming on his brow, it took Jamal a while to see what was happening to his roads.

"Kuh... t-the fu--"
The white-hot heat was causing his roads to become flimsy; the area around the white-hot metal melting like hot plastic. A faint green pulse started to echo across the barrier from the point of the heat, until the green pulses visually shifted into shades of bright, blood-red light instead. The migraine was unbearable, and it felt like his very energy was being sapped out of him.

Droplets of blood starting to drip to his nose, Jamal couldn't even hear what that red-haired c**t was saying. He had to dispel his roads. Thankfully, the dripping metal was already on the forest floor as all of his 'Thunder Roads' swiftly faded away, the horrible sensation in Jamal's head quickly fading away along with it. He thought his roads were sturdy when it came to defense, but... trying to block something of that level of destructive force was incredibly exhausting.

"Mother... fucker..." Jamal groaned deliriously in Pertite's general direction, but the red-haired man was already gone. Noticing his sunglasses had fallen onto the floor, the dark-skinned man wobbly scooped them off the ground, placing them back onto his face at an angle. Hearing Viva speak seemed to get him back to his senses, his head quickly turning, dreadlocks whipping around like angry snakes.

"That guy won't beat us; man's so full of shit he could fertilize the world," Jamal grumbled with aggressive assurance, still rubbing his head somewhat, talking between pants. He took a moment to wipe the back of his arm onto his bleeding nose. "Just... take it slower this time. Please. We got no time for another fuck-up of that level, yeah? Watch how Peri does it. He already walks em' like a natural."

With that, Jamal quickly re-created all the roads he'd previously dispelled, a pathway of pulsing green leading back up to the jungle canopies. He felt considerably more exhausted after that 'incident', but he'd felt way more tired than this in the past. Where did giving up get you? Nowhere. Working through the pain only made you stronger.

"C'mon."

He'd plan a path to follow the 'Titan', but stay in the cover of the high leaves, in case it wasn't too pleased about people racing it.

 

[Giltine13]

♦ Kuroyuki Kaito ♦​

Kaito heaved out sigh, the dark toned girl wasn't very keen on listening, now was she? He had just asked the mysterious duo how he had offended them just to get ignored. Although, he did have some suspicions and his ears gave an involuntary twitch. He had no intentions to share his thoughts with them and luckily the girl wasn't a patient one, quickly running off after the weirdos like a little goofball. The taller guy had a lot more marbles than her, going as far as trying to crack some wise shit at them and Kaito couldn't help pitying him. He stood there for a couple of seconds, perhaps still trying to process what just happened, before going after his way too eager partner.

The man was even kind enough to try and apologize, though Kaito had absolutely no idea how he was wronged to need it, just to have his effort halted by a rebellious branch. Kaito sadly lamented the perfect opportunity for some beautiful decking in the face being ruined by the man's lightning-fast reflexes. But he did get quite a nice view of his behind and a rather expensive looking shield. Actually all of the man's equipment looked super pricey just like that girl's bulky... whatever kind of weapon it was. They would be a worthy catch and the white haired-man was nice enough to invite Kaito to join their dynamic duo.

What threw Kaito off was the mention of a ship, what ship? Everyone was looking for a shipwright around here, not a ship. Well, there was a fair chance the best shipwright in the world would have a ship or two laying around and all, but this really wasn't the time for ship-hunting. Or maybe that was the code name they have picked for Vargo so others wouldn't see them as rivals right now? If it was, it wasn't a very good one, way too obvious. Then again, maybe that was the man's intentions, creating an easy enough code name just for Kaito? Wouldn't that be so very sweet of him.

Whichever it was didn't really matter; Kaito should do a lot less thinking and a lot more moving if he wanted to join the two running towards their death, "You just gotta pull the Kraken by the leg, don't cha?" he ended with a yawn, all this heat was wearing him out and he was already feeling sleepy, not a very good predicament. With a shake of his head, he quickly hurried after the bunch trailing in their masterful footsteps. He made it just in time to get teased by the same frail girl, beckoning them to follow. He did, of course, and she once again singled him out, but at least this time it wasn't in an unpleasant way, "That I am, I guess." Soon, they finally, frigging finally, walked out of the jungle and into a beautiful field with a few trees here and there. Kaito's shoulders sagged in pure relief, but he didn't get to enjoy the moment of freedom for long.

At the shore there was a looming building and with it came trouble. He could make out some MAGNA soldiers, one of them seemed pretty fancy, and then there were those obnoxiously loud footsteps, or at least that's what it sounded like to him. Then there was a giant of a man, perhaps the infamous Vargo. The girl chattered up, her words a taunt at them, but before he could answer her with a poorly put together remark, an incredibly strong backlash shook the place up, forcing him to spread his feet further apart to keep his footing. He could see a rather impressive fight going on, most likely the cause of this mini earthquake, his ears trying to pick up any kind of conversation that could be going on among the two. However, he didn't get much time for it since they had a small group of annoying flies coming in.

Kaito was honestly too tired for their shit right now – he could hardly keep his eyes open anymore and there was a far more interesting target just up ahead. Who even wanted to bother with these numskulls? Just before the first shots could hit Kaito bid his goodbyes, "Have fun, play nice, kids!" he gave them a hasty salute by touching two fingers to his forehead and with a powerful jump he was up in the branches of the tall trees. He wasn't really known for running, but he had bigger fish to fry at the moment. Through the trees he went around the place, towards the back of the warehouse where Kaito could approach it with a lot less eyes on him.

Kaito slithered through the wide glade, keeping his head down and using the trees for cover. He reached the building without much trouble and for a moment considered sneaking inside. Who knows what kind of secrets could be waiting just behind that wall? In there could be a technological wonder he couldn't even dream of and right now it would be free for him to take. If Kaito had a tail, he'd be wagging the thing like crazy. His catch could wait, heh, Vargo seemed to be having quite a bit of fun duking it out with that Mohawk-boy. Now he only needed to find his way in.

 

[Warm Regret]

Considering the altercation settled, Peri turned his back on their hot tempered new friend but was quickly halted by Perite's outburst. It would seem that Peri's apology wasn't good enough, either that or Perite's anger was unquenchable. Quickly turning to face the ranting young man, he instinctively threw up his arm to shield himself when the smoldering projectile was flung in their direction. Luckily Guy's 'Thunder Road' Blocked the attack but it did suffer some damage because of it. Although the situation had become more serious, Periwinkle took a moment to understand what had happened. It became clear that Guy's roads were not indestructible and with enough power, they could be damaged or destroyed. His friendly appearance shifted slightly and he became more cautious and even a little angry. His royal blue eyes narrowed faintly and became more focused. "That's going too far!" He said sternly, although with his proper accent, it was hard to get a range of just how angry he was.

Before Peri could follow up with another comment, he heard Guy complain in a waning voice, just before falling to his knees and Periwinkle's attention immediately shifted to his comrade. Rushing to Guy's side, he took a knee beside him placing a calming hand on his companion's back. "Guy…what is it!? What's wrong!?" He asked in earnest but as Guy tried to stave off the pain and while blood trickled from his nose, the answer to that question became clear on its own. Looking up and around him, Peri could see that Guy's roads were changing. Glancing back to the point of impact from Perite's attack, a ripple of green energy resonated outward, affecting all the roads until the color deepened to red and they disappeared altogether. Peri turned back to look at Guy while he tried to recover and again, Periwinkle learned something. Somehow, Guy had a connection with his roads and at least to an extent, suffered as a result of them being damaged.

With Guy's roads temporarily disabled, Perite tossed a verbal threat at them this time before dashing off into the jungle and Peri stood abruptly, flinging his hand at him. "Wait!" He called, but it was too late, Perite had already immersed himself into a sea of green fauna. Peri stood there for a moment staring at the spot where Perite had disappeared from view. The young man was clearly a hot head with something to prove and although he had basically assaulted two of his comrades, somehow, Peri didn't dislike the fellow. The red haired young man appeared to be lost, as if he were still searching for himself. It was something Peri knew all too well. Or maybe he was just projecting his own issues onto someone else but in any case, he wanted to warn Perite about opposing MAGNA. Hopefully, the young man didn't go and get himself killed. Turning his attention back to the others, Peri offered to help Guy to his feet by gripping his arm and allowing him to use Peri as a human crutch .

When Viva made a comment about their new rival being nonsensical, Peri grinned in her direction. "You know, they say those who share similar personality traits...can recognize them more easily in others, than they can in themselves." He teased, but Guy brought them back to the matter at hand by announcing he wouldn't let Perite beat them to reaching Vargo. Surprisingly, Guy was able to restore his roads and urged Viva and him to get moving. He even gave a nod to how well Peri had been able to utilize them, which made Peri smile. Although small, it was a smile that seemed rare in and of itself, like a four-leaf clover or a shooting star. Periwinkle scooped up Guy's blowgun and dart, offering it to him. "Thank you." He said with the same smile. "I suppose this is what it feels like to have someone acknowledge you." He said humbly and somewhat cryptically, before hoping onto one of Guy's roads once more.

Speaking specifically to Viva now, he showed her a less dangerous way to use the 'Thunder Road.' "See…the trick is to let the road do most of the work for you. Move at a brisk but steady pace and you'll be able to retain control. I wouldn't suggest you move too quickly, until you familiarize yourself with its properties….like this…" He said as he hurried along the road and up above the trees. Each footstep leaving behind a faint ripple of green light, like raindrops on a still lake. He waited for Viva and Guy to follow him before picking up his pace again, speaking to both of them at first and then specifically to Guy. "I realize we are purposely keeping our distance behind the Titan due to safety reasons but will it not be more difficult to rescue Vargo if the Titan reaches him first? That being said…Guy…are you able to maintain your 'Thunder Road' abilities? I can see that Perite's attack took a toll on you..."

 

[Jakers]

JAMAL LAJARA
><><><><><><><​

Wiping the last of the blood from his nose, Jamal raised a brow slightly as he saw his blowgun & dart being offered to him. He looked at it for a brief moment with covered eyes, before gently gripping it and slotting it into his back, turning away with a deep breath.

"...Thanks," Jamal murmured quietly, before starting to press on, back up onto his translucent walkways. He heard the quiet sentence Periwinkle said afterwards, and understood what the guy had probably gone through. Being discarded, or something along those lines. That explained that 'sad' look he'd seen in the blue-haired boy's eye earlier, and Jamal knew how it felt. Being treated like some insignificant part in some fucking 'game'. It made you wonder whether your life even mattered.

As he watched Periwinkle guide Viva through how to properly 'walk his roads', he didn't smile, though for a moment, Jamal's mouth seemed to stop being fixed into its permanent frown. Listening to the footsteps of the Titan in the distance, Jamal let the feeling of 'freedom' and fresh air atop the roof canopies invigorate him, and help him catch his breath before he answered

"I just wanna make sure the Titan hasn't 'pretended not to notice us'," He paused, letting it sink in for a moment, before explaining, "If this thing really is owned by MAGNA, then I know em' by now. Crafty fucks, they are. This Titan could be doin' somethin' like leading us on a wild goose chase, right into one of their traps." He squinted into the distance, watching the Titan. "If that big fucker really is goin' for Vargo, then we'll sweep down at a high speed at the last minute n' get the guy on a road to freedom. Can't imagine convincing the guy we're gonna help him escape is gonna be easy, tho'."

Pausing for a moment and focusing his breaths on running and maintaining his roads, once Jamal caught his breath, he waved a hand in Peri's direction dismissively to the last part of his question.

"Look... don't worry, alright... I'm fine. Had worse shit thrown at me, and I still managed to keep em' up." He paused between a brief pant. "If anything, I need this right now. Need something to keep me on my toes, and-- huff... help me improve. S'been a while."

Sunlight reflected from his glances as he looked up to the sky for a moment, dreads trailing behind him as he ran.

"...S'been a while," he repeated again, this time quieter.

​

 

[Warm Regret]

Nodding his head in understanding, Periwinkle continued along the unnaturally constructed road. Peculiar as it was, it didn't make it any less ingenious. What would have normally taken hours, was being accomplished in a matter of minutes. Traveling above the trees, Periwinkle could see the Titan in the distance. The sound of the creature's footsteps were faded but somehow still managed to silence everything else in the jungle. Guy's reasons behind keeping their distance from the Titan made sense. He had no doubt that the outcome would be disastrous if the Titan spotted them and decided they were a threat. Three against one in this instance weren't very good odds. Another detail to be considered was that they technically did not know where Vargo was. If this Titan was after him, they could use the behemoth to lead them right to their prize. He just prayed they were fast enough to swoop in and rescue Vargo as Guy imagined.

The next part of his question was dismissed by Guy which wasn't surprising. Guy told him not to worry about the fatigue he was suffering, that he had been through worse and Periwinkle didn't doubt that. He was unaware of the type of life Guy had, other than the fact that it most definitely wasn't a privileged one. Despite all that, it still didn't prevent him from showing concern. Not wanting to make a big deal of the situation and having a better idea of the type of personality Guy possessed, Periwinkle continued to behave as normal. The blue haired youth chose not to bring attention to the fact that Guy was already out of breath. "I understand…" He began. After a brief pause however, he finished his thought. "But please try not to push yourself too hard. This plan of ours relies heavily on your ability to get us to safety quickly. If that titan or MAGNA are at our heels and you lose your Thunder Road ability…I fear this will not end well for us."

It seemed like the closer they got to Vargo the more dangerous their endeavor would become. Periwinkle now thought himself foolish, for not considering all the variables surrounding their rescue attempt. However, when he looked at Guy, who was pushing himself to his limit to reach his desired goal…and when he glanced over to Viva, who grabbed life with both hands and lived her life with reckless abandon, he found himself wanting to be like them. Focusing on the road ahead of him now, he grinned with confidence, focusing his royal blue eyes on the translucent green road he traveled with his new comrades. He was ready to give this his all now and choose his own way to live.

 

[Shavynel]

It seemed, Dee supposed, that they were going to have to work on hand gestures. Kallain must have misinterpreted her thumbs up to mean she needed help, whereas Dee knew she had the ability to question people just fine! So what if her interrogations usually involved a whole lot more sparks or flares or smoke and that sort. But at least they had extracted their most explicit piece of information: they were confirmed going to go see Vargo! Which was perfect! If one ignored the snide comments about being weak and all that, oh except for one curiosity.

"And what deal ..." Dee started nosing about, but then her words tapered off as she stepped out "... would that be?" They weren't really in the jungle anymore. And though she'd managed to put forth an entire, well-formed question, her attention was no longer on it.

First of all, there was the mohawk man again. Hadn't he just been in the town center? Why bother announcing anything at all if he knew where to go already? So that was a bit of a shock. And then there was the other disappointment -- even if she herself were to blame for having made up and then self-hyped those expectations -- there was no ship! At least, not in plain sight.

Callihan's questions and laugh, though, soon replaced that surprise with another look of distaste. "What's with the planning--"

But, if there was one way to bring her from all the way outside her comfort zone to back in, a ground shake that tossed people up into the air like juggling balls had to be it. Dee grabbed for her sense of security, her gun, swinging it out in front of her just as their over-cautioned acquaintance shot for the trees. (Now that, she spared a fraction of a thought for, was a grand enough leap to become part of a stage act.)

"Fun it is!" she returned without really considering what she was saying or caring where he was going. Her hands were already busy unstrapping a rocket and loading it. Her eyes all the while were on the white uniforms that had started on them. It hadn't been her intention to use her gun, not really, but there was something about glinting blades that just made her brain short circuit into self-defense mode.

Dee spared a glance for her tall companion, one that suggested she wasn't at all regretful they didn't have a chance to talk to the MAGNA personnel rushing them and that was perhaps just a little too gleeful. Some small part of her brain hoped that he'd stick around even after seeing her jump into action, that he wouldn't edge away uncomfortably. (He looked like he'd been through a fight or two, so it wasn't completely unfounded hope.) But it didn't really matter, not when there were soldiers right there who considered her a hostile. She'd do what it took to walk out of here -- like ignite her rocket, steady her launcher. And accounting for how fast her target was moving toward them and how long it'd take the rocket to fly, Dee took aim.

 

[Finhawk]

| | Taipale Kallain | |​

They still weren't told what the fate of those people cattle was to be, which was infuriating but not awfully unexpected. Still, Kallain dutifully followed them with the other two. Callihan's possible accusations of any perceived weakness didn't really get under his skin, it wasn't like he didn't know he was no exceptional fighter when it came to the big picture, nor did he feel any need to prove anything to this weird stranger. Furthermore, he didn't really have any intention of getting into any physical confrontations if he could help it anyway. However, he did send a quick disapproving glance Dee's way as she began trying to pry into whatever 'deal' this new thug that had just joined them had going on.

Which reminded him, they still didn't know who this new addition to their duo was. Thoroughly ashamed of this terrible neglect of proper conduct, Kallain directed his gaze on the smaller, and quite a bit younger, fella and opened his mouth to initiate the customary greetings and name exchanges. Though, sadly, that was when they emerged from the jungle and the information flow to take in due to the scene stole his attention. His mouth clicking back shut, Kallain froze for a moment as his gaze zeroed in on the sight of Herbaro and his goons already there with who Kallain assumed had to be Vargo.

The absence of a ship did not register, however, as he was way too busy focusing his attention elsewhere.

The situation brought in an agonizing pile of questions. How in the name of sea salt was MAGNA already there? What was the questioning of the locals even about when they were clearly able to find Vargo by themselves in record time? What was that concerning sound from the jungle? And what exactly was their plan indeed?

The question why a sentinel was sent after a shipwright was answered at least. Lifting his right arm to shield his face from the burst of air, his eyes pinched shut in reflex, Kallain stumbled a step back by the force of the shockwave before he managed to get his footing back and spread his stance wider to ground himself better. Though that was no longer really needed the next moment as the nature of shockwaves is quite momentary. Lowering his arm, Kallain pried his eyes back open just in time to gape at the light show at the center of which Herbaro and Vargo resided. Then, he was suddenly reminded why he decided to stick around in the first place and it was no ship.

Which also made him realize he saw no ship. A small pang of disappointment was felt.

Though he did get more than he bargained for and also not enough. As he was occupied trying to keep his eyes up with the speed to the two dueling men were exhibiting, Kallain's attention was so rudely forced onto the MAGNA officers Herbaro had dragged with him. Probably just as protocol demanded and to act as an audience, they'd most likely be no help with Vargo if the first impression of the man was anything to go by. And if the other white haired man even was Vargo, that was still not certain. Or maybe the officers were there in case of 'intruders' as Kallain and the rest of the mismatch group were labelled. Whatever the case may be, they now had MAGNA goons to deal with.

Or Dee and him did. Who knows what Callihan would be up to now that mister Cowboy had disappeared with no trace, and the still nameless lad decided to leap off, to which Kallain didn't spare too much attention as he was busy eyeing the approaching trouble. Or 'fun' apparently, according to piercing-thug and Dee at least. Since the original culprit of that expression was already gone to who knows where, Kallain could only direct another disapproving glance with a small distasteful huff at just his trigger-happy companion and her enthusiasm.

"No, wait, hold on just a minute now," Kallain began with an even tone, releasing his grip of the straps of his duffel bag and letting it fall to the ground behind him with a dull thud. He was facing the oncoming MAGNA officers as those words left his mouth but they were just as much directed at Dee as she was way too quick to start aiming her oversized gun at them. "I assure you, we're not here looking for trouble-," he continued, only belatedly realizing his possible error in wording and he gave the dark gun-nut a brief look, "-or, I suppose, I should not speak for others besides myself." As he finished that statement, he had released his shield from his back and was busy equipping it by the sturdy enarmes.

He says he's not looking for trouble, yet he's arming himself. Really convincing.

With the familiar weight of the large piece of metal strapped to his arm, Kallain calmly shifted his footing to turn his left side, and his raised shied, towards the MAGNA cannon fodder. However, he didn't draw his secondary weapon just yet. Unlike the unsettling creepy Cowboy and his lackey, these MAGNA officers didn't concern him too much. They made sense and Kallain had a general understanding of what they could do. Which was why he had decided to get ready for the physical confrontation already, even if that interfered with his futile attempts to dissuade them from initiating it. They had rifles. With guns, every fragment of reaction time wasted mattered.

"There is no reason why you'd have to go home with a broken nose today," he points out to them, narrowing his eyes at Dee from the corner of his eye. As much as that was a warning to the MAGNA officers, it was also a statement for Dee not to blow those poor sods just doing their jobs to gazillion pieces with that goddamn monster, for the love of all that is holy!

Broken noses, however, couldn't be helped if they insisted on starting a fight with the 'intruders'.

 

[sun.]

Viva had slumped her shoulders, admitting guilt. For a change, she watched Peri carefully, slowly sweeping across the Thunderroad structures; this time, she wasn't flying off into the distance, though she felt herself grow uneasy, shifting from her left foot to the right one. She did, however, grin so wide it reached both ears, as Jamal expressed his dislike for the hot-headed fellow from before.

"Hell yes! Vargo's ours!" She yelled the words triumphantly, only to throw a disenchanted glare towards the blue-haired boy next to her, her posture changing so rapidly, she almost fell off the Thunderroad. "Y-you're better not saying we're alike?!" Viva's unusually long tongue slid out her mouth in a fit of anger, before she had to stabilize herself, so as to not fall to the floor, wildly swinging her arms in the process.

A flash of light demanded all three's attention, and the casual bickering subsided, as the pressure of a shockwave fizzled out just around the trio's altitude. Viva almost crouched down, trying to get a better look at the scenery, as several flashes emerged, and eventually spiraled from the circular open into the thicket, swallowing the light. "I guess that settles that then..." the woman murmured, suddenly lacking the panicky lilt from before, lending her a more serious tone. "You guys felt that, right?"

The amount of power she had just witnessed impressed the blue-haired girl, and a thoughtful gaze fell onto the Titan, who, seemingly undisturbed, continued his path through the jungle. "I don't know what exactly the Titan's plan is, but I'd say it's safe to assume he's heading straight for Vargo. That pressure..." Vivahoja lead her thumb to her teeth, gnawing on the nail in a thoughtful fashion. "Whoever found him before us, it's someone powerful... I'm... I didn't know Vargo was this powerful... Whoever he's fighting is on a whole different level."

Gulping down her hesitation, she looked back to Jamal and Peri, nodding stoically. "Whatever we're going to find down there, we have to be careful. And we should probably land before he gets there..."

As the trio descended--Viva requiring some assistance with her landing--the tall woman shifted, signaling the other two to be quiet and take it slow. Through the thicket, a group of soldiers could be seen, aiming their guns at a couple. The glade appeared otherwise abandoned. Despite the lack of a crowd, the conversation between the MAGNA agents and the couple had no chance of being heard, as the booming steps of the Titan approached, becoming louder and louder.

"I don't know about you guys, but I can't see anyone who looks even remotely like Vargo. Those two fellas seem kinda... small, don't they?" Viva's whispers came pressed through almost sealed lips, her eyes scanning the environment. "I'm guessing the fight lead them back into the jungle. So, uh... what now?"

The MAGNA agents took formation, building a half-circle in front of Dee and Kallain. With the exception of four sword-wielding agents, two pairs just a little of to the center of the formation, the entire group had drawn their rifles, and was aiming blatantly at Dee and Kallain. "Quiet, criminals," one of the officers yelled, his face scrunched up and tense. The formation took several steps closer to the duo, further inching their rifles into Dee's and Kallain's faces, the safety mechanism clicking uncomfortably.

"You are arrested for trespassing into MAGNA territory. Resist and we will shoot!"

Cautiously, two agents came around the central formation. The two agents held up handcuffs, and slowly walked towards the uneven couple. It seemed with each step the two agents approached, the rest of the group came closer as well, shoving their firearms into the personal space of Dee and Kallain.

"Where is the third one?!" the apparent leader at the core of the squad asked, nervously scouring the environment. "There was a third person with you. Where did they run off to? Comply or face the consequences!"

The situation became more and more heated, and the MAGNA agents appeared more and more on edge about the whole ordeal; not entirely unjustified given that their leader had just been brawled away, deep into the woods. For Dee and Kallain, however, this spelt doom, as such a state made sure reason wouldn't prevail.

"Turn around, kneel on the ground, hands behind your back! You got five seconds to comply before we take action!"

 

[Jakers]

JAMAL LAJARA
><><><><><><><​

Trying to keep focused as possible on constructing the roads, the bright speck of light that seemed to flash up out of nowhere caused the young man to squint, even through the thick frames of his sunglasses. He only felt it for a second, but straight after the flash, some sort of faint wave of energy erupted from around it. A shockwave. It was nowhere near enough to knock him off his feet, but he could feel the force ripple through his clothes and through his dreads.

"...Yeah." Jamal replied simply to Vivahoja, still getting over the sensation. Whoever they were dealing with was powerful, to say the least. If the Sentinel had already arrived by now, that'd explain the display of sheer power.

Thinking about the risk of getting involved with such a display of power gave Jamal the briefest second thoughts, but... as long as they did things carefully, they were still in with a chance. Creating roads so they'd overtake the Titan but avoid their line of sight, Jamal hurried along the others, before sliding down to ground level.

He kept quiet and low in the jumbled foliage, the stern look on Jamal's face conflicted. The longer he seemed to look at the cluster of MAGNA officials, the more his calloused hands seemed to clench. These were the people who'd burnt all hopes of some 'comfortable' life to ashes. Who'd obliterated his freedom, and done the exact opposite of protecting the people closest to him.

Biting his lip for a while, he mentally let off some steam, before standing on his tiptoes to try and peer over Vivahoja's shoulder. After getting annoyed at the fact that, even on his tiptoes, he wasn't tall enough to do that, he grumbled and looked out from the side of her instead.

From under Jamal's shades and from this distance, he could see a man and a woman being held up. The man looked fairly well-built, a wide shield slung over his back. To Jamal and from the black-ish tincture that came with his sunglasses, the man looked like his hair was a pretty elderly gray, so he assumed he was dealing with an old man here. Accompanying him was a young-looking, dark skinned girl with jet black hair. She seemed to have some strange equipment on her, though Jamal didn't have even the foggiest what the shit it was from here.

After a little moment of pondering, Jamal spoke up.
"I dunno, most folks said we were dealing with an elderly guy, right?" Jamal pointed across the troops to the grey-haired man. It was hard to make out any significant facial features from here, but Jamal could see some wide streaks - scars - imprinted on the man's face. To Jamal, that showed a life that held experience. "Unless you know what he looks like... f'you ask me, by his grey hair an' scars, and the fact he's being surrounded, looks like he could have a good chance of being Vargo. Girl with him looks like she's trying to defend him."

Evidently, it was pretty clear that Jamal didn't have the foggiest on what Vargo looked like, but that didn't seem to stop him.

Swiftly drawing his blowgun and thumbing a dart into it, Jamal licked his lips, his rough tongue passing over the cold metal of his lip ring as he did so. He glanced towards the necks of one of the officers, pondering how many there were.
"If that is Vargo, we can't risk them gettin' to him. Not much time before that big-ass thing arrives..." it looked like Jamal was thinking about readying his blowgun, but after consideration, he shook his head. "Fightin' won't get us anywhere. We need some sort of distraction. After that, some of my roads might manage to make them escape."

On the word 'distraction', he shot a look to the other two, waiting to see what their input would be. Taking on such a sheer amount of MAGNA was only possible through bloodshed, and he didn't hate the brand of MAGNA enough to even think about slaying such low-ranking people probably just going about their daily jobs.

At the same time, though... they - or at least, he - needed this whole 'Vargo' thing to go well. Or it'd be back on the road to nowhere, living off slugs and bathing in whatever part of the sea people weren't looking at.