OC-Take-Over

~DA is ours to conquer~

Group Info Group Founded 12 Years ago

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READ THIS BEFORE GETTING STARTED IN THE GROUP!

Welcome to OC Take Over where we're here to group and bond to conquer deviantArt!
Let us band together to better ourselves in our skills with an army of oc's. Very simple training technique. Keep drawing, don't stop, and share with us what you got.

This group accepts all sorts of OCs of any kind with different styles and with an open heart from all, we'd love to see what you have to share!

Rules:

Must be a member to submit. Everyone is welcome to join!

Can submit 10 deviations per week.

Art must be your own!

Please tell us when a gallery folder is full!

Be sure you are posting to the right folder, please and thank you.

Commission Journals, Requests, Adopts, etc. is no longer being taken through our Blog Entry. You may place your commissions and so forth below in the comments.

Harassing others is not acceptable here, I ask you to please be friendly to one another. If you are being harassed/bullied by anyone, I ask that you please note the co-founder with proof.

Group: Founded 12 Years ago
Dec 22, 2011
Location: Global
Group Focus: Original Characters

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Literature

Six Aquatic Tales: Kimi's Story Part 4,Kimi and Saiji arrived at the facility an hour ago, taking a break from their dive in the mystic cave. Though it's not really a military facility, it's technically a resort that they made it their secondary home where they hang out with their friends. Their friend, Nikku, called it the facility for reasons unknown. Others call it the hangout. The facility had many pools, 100 meter diving area, and a large underwater maze. Some pools have air bubbles for beginner swimmers.Kimi was at the living quarters, sitting on a couch using a portable hair dryer to dry her long jet black hair. She recently had a shower, her clothes and swimsuit were in a wash, so now she was wearing her casual clothing. A black and turquoise short sleeve hoodie with a turquoise undershirt with black stripes, and blue jeans. Her pale green socks where tucked in her grass-green converse. They were on the floor by the couch, leaving her barefoot.Her friend, Saiji was in the garage, probably studying the the clown fish relic. Sure Kimi and Saiji were suppose to plan their next move of finding the third relic, but their dive in the mysic cave back at the Sapphire Eldoris had left them worn out. So they're on a break, well more like Kimi was getting some R&R, while Saiji was figuring out how the seven relics work.Kimi switched off the hair dryer, and picked up the hair brush. Her hair was mostly dry, but it was also a mess. So she started brushing her hair to straightening it out. Her eyes darted towards the TV. What had caught her attention was the news. She reached for the remote and turned the volume up."In today's news, the plane that went missing in the storm last week has been found in a ocean far off the coast of Cascadia." The news lady said. "Upon investigation the salvage team found the plane’s cargo was missing, even the golden artifact shaped like a turtle."'She must be refering to the turtle relic' Kimi thought while brushing her hair. 'Was it ment to be brought to a museum?'"They said that the smugglers must had stolen the artifact before the coast guards could locate the wreckage. Though the salvage team are still investigating the cause of the crash as we speak. We'll keep you posted on any updates relating to the wreckage of the plane. In other news-"Kimi switched the TV off, figuring the news don't have anything else important worth watching."Oh hey, Kimi." A cheery voice called to Kimi. The mentioned young woman looked over and saw Penny who had sat down on a couch after setting down a bowl of popcorn on the table. Penny was a dark skinned young woman, with dark brown hair, wearing a blue and red two peice swimsuit, which closely resumbles of a summer dress if it weren't a two peice, and a pair of sandles. She happened to be a self-taught ninja."Hey, Penny. What's up?" Kimi asked."Just gonna watch a new anime series that has been on air for about a week." Penny replied. "Was you watching the news?Kimi smiled, shaking her head before handing Penny the remote. "Nah, I was done watching what's been going with the news."Penny nodded. "Great. So what you and Saiji been up to?""Oh we've been diving in the cave. It was wild, but it's amazing." Kimi explained. "We saw glowing crystals structures. It was a beautiful sight.""Really? Did you and Saiji take any pictures?"Kimi shook her head. "No, we didn't bring a camera.""Aww, that's a shame." Penny said. "Maybe next time, eh?"Kimi nodded, while putting on her socks and kicks. "Yeah, and maybe I'll bring Hamako along. She loves diving in caves. Anyway I'm gonna go get a drink. Have fun watching the new anime series."Penny smiled. "I will. See ya."Hopping up to her feet, Kimi made her way to the kitchen to grab a drink of mango juice. As she walked, Kimi couldn't help but wonder about the plane wreckage. She was there when a group of Tiger Sharks stole the turtle relic, but they didn't steal anything else. Did some diving smugglers took the rest of the cargo?'I would've hand the turtle relic over to the museum if I still had it.' Kimi thought. 'Still, what Katsumi said earlier about the merfolk transforms when they get a relic, would it work on humans? If so, how come I didn't transform when I grabbed the turtle relic? I felt its power a few days back, and the clown fish relic, Saiji and I found recently. Hmm... maybe it has something to do with that strange necklace Athena has.'Kimi opened the fridge to grab a bottle of mango juice and poured some into a glass before putting it back in the fridge. She took a sip from the glass, tasting the sweet mango juice."Ah, nothing taste better than a mango juice." Kimi sighed. "Hey, Kimi!" a voice called out. The young woman in question turned and saw Saiji running over to her. "Oh hey, Saiji. Did you discover anything about the relic?" she asked."Aside from the fact that those relics attract to each other like magnets, no, not yet." Saiji replied. "But that's not why I'm came looking for you. I just recived a call from a friend of mine, saying the mercs had recently found a star-shaped artifact.""Mercs? You mean the mercenaries Mizuki is with?" Kimi asked.Saiji shook his head. "Not those mercenaries. Four Aces, the dudes from my timeline. They're planning to trade it for profit."Kimi raised a eye brow. "Who are they trading it with?" "My friend didn't mention that, but he's listening in to their comms as we speak." Saiji explained. "We should meet up with him and find out what the mercs are up to.""Now? What about the five remaining relics?" Kimi questioned."The artifact could be one of seven relics." Saiji replied. "It'll be worth checking out what they're doing."Kimi thought for a moment before she spoke. "Well... Okay. Let me pack up a few things and then we can go."Saiji smiled. "Great. I'll meet you at the garage."Kimi rushed upstairs to her room to pack up her stuff she needed for the trip to another timeline. She picked up a few of her clothes and stuff them in her backpack, when suddenly her vision started to blur and her head throbbing in pain."W-what the?" Kimi exclaimed.Her eyes changes from gold to green as she felt an incredible power coursing through her body like a tidal wave. She clenches her head in pain.'W-What's happening to me?!' Kimi thought.And then the pain and strange power faded away after a few moments. Kimi's eyes changed back to gold color. She realised what she had felt, staring fearfully at her hands.'That power... I felt it before when I picked up that turtle relic.' Kimi thought. 'But I don't have it, how could I feel it...? Could it be that my body was absorbing its power? Now that I think about it, I had it with me for a few days before Athena took it from me...'Kimi shook her head before resuming packing her stuff. 'I'll worry about it later. Gotta meet up with Saiji.'Soon as she finished packing, Kimi left her room to meet up with her friend who was waiting for her at the garage. At the said garage, Saiji had put his backpack into the back seat of his 1987 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. He looked over at Kimi, who had just arrived."You got what you need?" Saiji asked.Kimi nodded. "Yeah, I'm all set and ready to go.""Great. Hop in."Kimi got inside the car, tossing her backpack in the back seat before sitting down on the passanger seat just as her friend sat on the driver's seat.She noticed Saiji's car wasn't an ordinary vehicle, as it had a built-in center console that looked more advanced, about a few decades ahead of time. There were also a few gizmos around it - a gauge and buttons that made it almost look like she's in a Boeing 737 cockpit. The Fort Sierra RS Cosworth was also fitted with state-of-the art time travel technology."Wow! This car looks so advanced." Kimi exclaimed."Yep. A few decades ahead of this time, but I've been given this bad boy some upgrades." Saiji explained, pressing some buttons. "And this car is also a miniature submarine."Kimi was shocked at what her friend just said "What?! This a submarine car?!"Saiji nodded. "Yep. Pretty slick, eh? Now buckle up, the future awaits!"Kimi put on her seat belt while Saiji started the engine. He shifted the gear to reverse before looking behind him to safely drive the Cossie backwards. The garage door behind the vehicle opened, letting Saiji drive out of the garage. After a J-turn, he drove through the beach, heading straight for the ocean ahead."So, this is how you jump through time, by driving across the ocean?" Kimi asked."Yeah. That way no one would notice." Saiji replied. "Once we're in the ocean, I'll start the time machine, you blink, and we’re in my world."Kimi couldn't help but giggle with excitement. "Kinda feels like one of those time traveling movies."Saiji chuckled. "Yeah, but this is better."Just as soon as the Sierra RS hits the water, Saiji pressed the touchscreen, activating the time machine as he floored it. The machine picked up speed that could nearly rival the pace of a speedboat as it left bright blue energy in its wake."Hang on." Saiji warned. "This might get bumpy."Kimi nodded, seeing the energy engulfing the outside of the vehicle. The Cossie rumbled as it went faster and faster, and then, in a blink of an eye, it vanished.Meanwhile, Nikku arrived at the living quarters. Her gold eyes scanned the area, only seeing Penny watching TV. She was currently wearing her black tank top, jean shorts and sports bikini with yellow stripes underneath."Hey, Penny? Have you seen Kimi?" Nikku asked."Last time I've seen her; she went to the garage." Penny replied. Her eyes remained glued to the TV. "I think she's going out somewhere with Saiji."Nikku sighed. Her hands were on her hips as she shook her head. "Did you hear where they are going?"Penny shook her head. "No I didn't, sorry."Nikku cursed under her breath. "It's alright. I should've come here sooner." She flopped on the couch, looking at the TV. "Is this the new anime series?""Yep." Penny replied. "Why was you looking for Kimi anyway?""Oh, Amber told me about some strange crystals shards she found. She wanted me to let Kimi know about them and bring them to her if she finds any." Nikku explained.Penny nodded "Have you find any?" Nikku shook her head, after grabbing a handful of popcorn. "Nope."Somewhere in the quiet ocean there was a light show and then in a bright flash of light, a submarine car came bursting out of nowhere, leaving trails of blue energy in its wake as it glides through the ocean. "Whoa!" Kimi exclaimed. "That's some powerful technology, Saiji!""Yep. State of the art time travel technology that makes time jumps easily." Saiji said as the energy dies down around his car. They would go out onto one of the Dunes in The View district, before driving over to the landmark of his home town – Packard City. This was the place the pioneers of neo-humanity started off."Here we are, Silvine Systems Square, Downtown. Don't ask me who named it that way, the mayor or the company behind the city's IT sectors and finances, ehhh, you know... Anyway, welcome back to 2042."Kimi looked at Saiji with a confused look before her friend realised what he said."Wait, isn’t this your first time here...? Whoops." Saiji said sheepishly.Kimi turned around and looked at the city and was awestruck how the buildings looked in Saiji's timeline."THIS is downtown?!" she exclaimed. "There's so many tall buildings and blinding screens!"She wasn't kidding. There were a lot of tall buildings and several glass screens which acted as billboard advertisements of the future. The issue was that some of the screens would shine bright white during a commercial break. This annoyed the resident lad."Whenever any one of those screens turn white, it feels like someone threw a flashbang." Saiji growled. "Don't know why advertisers like that color.""Sounds like a design flaw." Kimi scoffed. "Anyway, how do we get to the marked location without anyone noticing?""The public transport roads are usually pretty heavily policed by K-Sec, so I’d doubt we’d have any issues." Saiji inputs the coordinates to his GPS.Kimi nodded. "Great. Now, about your friend who contacted you earlier, is he a courier too?"Saiji simply nodded, keeping his eyes on the road up ahead, as he monitors the old comm channel. "Yes. We're in the same league. Simo is a whistleblower, so he’d know whenever Four Aces is involved. If they do have one of the seven relics, the clown fish relic would react to it.""Yeah, the relics attract to each other like magnets." she commented. The Cossie had reached the beach, and Saiji had switched gear to cruise. He was right about the network being policed – at least two police-looking cars stood guard on the slip roads, as the sun had started to set. Kimi looked at the city, seeing that this was her first time arriving Saiji's timeline. She's pretty much a stranger visiting the city and she could end up being lost if it weren't for Saiji. But the young woman had wondered what the city has to offer."Overwhelming, isn't it?" Saiji said, to which Kimi nodded. "Wish I could take the time to show you around, but we're on an important mission."Kimi smiled reassuringly. "It's fine, Saiji. Maybe after we stop Athena, Katsumi and the Tiger Sharks, you can give me a tour of the city."Saiji smiled and nodded, focusing on driving as he turn toward the road, heading over to The Projects."Where would Simo be?" Kimi asked."He's at the hideout in The Projects couple of clicks away from Anchor District." Saiji replied. "At the top of a tower."Kimi raised an eye brow when her friend mentioned 'tower'. "It’s not an underground hideout?"Saiji chuckled. "As if! The only way for us is upwards. But we're technically on a civil meet, so fortunately for you, we're taking the elevator.""Civil meet…?" Kimi said. "You mean you Couriers only take the stairs or something?""Climb, as in actually climb using a rappel or our hands on the side of a building.” He said before looking over to his friend. "You're not agoraphobic, are you, Kimi?"Kimi rubbed the back of her head, feeling nervous. "Uhh... It's not that I'm afraid of heights, it’s just that I'm not comfortable with ‘em.""Don't worry, it's not as scary as you think." Saiji said reassuringly. "Anyway, think I should let Simo know we're here."Kimi watched as Saiji reached for a radio, turning its dial before pressing one of the buttons. Then something came to mind."Hey, are you sure it’s safe to contact him?" Kimi muttered. "Anyone could be listening, just like in those spy movies.""Nah, we Couriers have specific frequencies to tune in to." The courier explained. "Civilians, Law Enforcement, mercs – all they hear is just white noise behind infinite levels of encryption."He then flipped the switch on the radio. "Simo, how copy?""I sure do, Phoenix. How's your arrival?" came the voice from the radio."'Phoenix'?" Kimi commented."It's a callsign." Saiji replied before speaking to the radio. "Buttered the bread. You're at the meeting point?""Yep, still here. Waiting on you and your chick.""Excuse me?! 'Your chick'?!" Kimi exclaimed, gaining a red blush on her face from embarrassment."Yeah, Simo's got a knack for calling girls 'chicks'. Nothing I can do about it." Saiji said to Kimi sheepishly. "Anyway, mate, see ya in a bit.""Rog. Simo out." Simo said.Saiji switched off the radio while stepping on the gas to pick up speed. Kimi was still flustered about what Simo just said.'Your chick'! We're not even dating!' Kimi thought in embarrassment. She could feel her heart beating like a drum.'Saiji is just my friend. Sure, he's a nice guy, a genius when it comes to tech, a Courier, and a talented diver.... Augh! Why's my heart beating so fast?!'"Hey, Kimi? You're alright?" Saiji asked. "Your heart rate is faster than an F1 car.""EH?! How could you hear my heart?!" she exclaimed."Well, I do have attentive hearing. Even now, I can still hear your heart beating in a flustered manner." the Courier explained.Kimi's face turned a dark shade of red. "C-can you just focus on the road?! Baka!"Saiji couldn't help but heartily chortle at his friend's change of attitude. "Hahaha! Never knew Kimi-chan is a tsundere!"In a fit of embarrassment, Kimi moved her long hair aside so she could pull her hood up, covering her face."Y-You're lucky you're driving the car right now, Mister!" she shouted, her response muffled.Saiji continued laughing for the next few minutes.It was a long drive through the Anchor District, but the duo had reached The Projects in the outskirts of town, where the courier's hideout was located. Saiji wasn't kidding how tall the building was. Over a thousand feet tall to be precise. The building was a Comm, or a C Node - a major super server owned and managed by Silvine Systems, the suppliers of commercial and military communication devices. Silvine also, of course, provided the Couriers their equipment on the black market. The tower was rectangular and has 14 fans to provide fresh cooling. On top of the building is a hockey puck-esque construction that goes down two floors. Saiji drove into the building's garage where he could pack his Cossie in."Here we are, The Grid." Saiji announced. "Clever name." Kimi said, grabbing her backpack from the back of the car seat.After Saiji shut off the engine, the duo got out of the vehicle, making their way to the elevator. Noticing the other people passing by, Kimi had wondered if they're couriers too or just ordenary people. The two walked inside the elevator and Saiji pressed one of the buttons. "Going up" he said jokingly. The elevator doors closed its doors and up it went to its destination."Does Simo know about the Seven Relics?" Kimi asked."Not yet." Saiji replied. "Although, he has been listening to Four Aces through their comms for some time now."Kimi pulled her hood down, brushing her long hair with her hand. "If they do have one of those relics, we need to get it before they sell it to whoever wants to buy it."The elevator made a ding sound, announcing that it reached the chosen floor. It open, letting Kimi and Saiji out and into room which seems to be a lounge, filled with couches, a TV, gaming consoles, a couple of PC gaming computers, and a bar."Wow! This room is amazing!" Kimi exclaimed, amazed at the luxurious room."Glad you like the courier's pad." Saiji said."But there's more!" a voice echoed out.The duo looked toward where the voice belonged to, seeing another courier, Simo, standing at the top of the stairs. He had a short silver hair and light purple eyes. And he was wearing a white jacket, black undershirt, white trousers, a pair of elegant white shoes, and he was wearing a mask that was on the right side of his face, partially shadowing it."Glad to see you two made it here." Simo said. He waved his arm, mentioning them to come up. "Come on up."Kimi and Saiji walked up the stairs as the former couldn't help but look around the room with awe. It was more impressive than the living quarters back in the facility in her own timeline. At the top of the stairs, Kimi's eyes were widened with amazement at the room. It was filled with the most advanced computers she ever seen in her life. There was also other tech, and a rather large radio as well, and a large table in the center of the room."Neat tech." Kimi commented."Impressive, isn't it?" Simo said, taking off his mask. "The name's Simo by the way."He extended his hand to offer Kimi a handshake, which the young woman accepted by grabbing his hand in a firm handshake."Nice to meet you, Simo. I'm Kimi Shizuko." Kimi said.Simo smiled "Please to meet ya. Saiji told me about you, and I must say he sure knows how to pick a cute girl."Kimi blushed at that comment "Eh?!" "Save it for now, Simo. She’s not the only cute one ‘round The Grid. Case in point…” Saiji quickly suggested."Aye, aye, Cap’n." Simo replied. "Right this way."Simo lead the duo other to one of the computers, taking a seat in front of it. "Okay, so about an hour and a half ago, Four Aces had found a star shaped artifact. They said they're going to trade it for some kind of profit." Simo explained. "They mentioned they're giving it to a group called the… Tiger Sharks?""Wait, Tiger Sharks?" Kimi exclaimed.Simo nodded while typing on the keyboard. "You know ‘em?""They're terrorists hell bent on flooding Cascadia. And their leader is Katsumi. She's after the relics for a mermaid named Athena." Kimi explained. "A mermaid? I thought merfolk are peaceful." Simo said."In Kinare, yeah, but Athena? Ehh…not exactly." Saiji sighed. "She and, probably, her tribe wanted to flood the entire world, starting with Cascadia. But she needed the seven relics in order to reach her goal. Which potentially explains why she's buddies with Katsumi and the Tiger Sharks, since they wanted Cascadia to be fully submerged.""Makes a bunch of sense." Simo muttered. "Four Aces must've been hired by the Tiger Sharks. I bet they're all for destroying Cascadia…and Kinare as a side hobby.""And I'm guessing the artifact they've found is one of the seven relics." Kimi said. "Where are they now?""They're in a warehouse, outside the Port." Simo replied. "Hey, Simo." A female Courier from another desk scooted over with her laptop. "I'm picking up communications from Four Aces.""Let’s hear ‘em." Simo motioned. The woman nodded, putting the speaker on so everyone else can hear the mercenaries’ conversation. "Is the relic secure?" One of the mercs asked over the comms."Yeah. It's in the box, locked up tight." The other merc replied."Good. Keep it secure ‘till our Tiger Shark friends get here.""Roger. Any info about the girl... Kimi was it?"Kimi gasped quietly."Only that she's friends with Saiji." The merc replied with disgust. "I'm willing to bet she's in this timeline with him to get the relic we have. If she does, remember, she's worth more alive than dead.""Got it, capture her alive." The other merc said."How do they know about the price on my head?" Kimi asked, curiously."Tiger Sharks must've told ‘em about the bounty." Saiji replied. "They did mention the boss was pissed about you stealing the turtle relic."Kimi looked at Saiji with an raised eye brow. "What boss? Katsumi?"Saiji shook his head. "Nah, she looked so calm and collected when we met her. Could be someone else."Kimi thought back when she was on the Tiger Shark's super yacht, sneaking around for the turtle relic, and then she remembered the woman with long fiery orange hair she saw when she stole the relic.'Maybe it's that woman with orange hair." Kimi thought. 'I saw her leading a group back in the ocean.'"Well, at least its confirmed that Four Aces do indeed has one of the relics." Simo said, interrupting Kimi's thoughts. "You said there are seven of them, right?"Saiji nodded. "A-firm. Each of them has different shape and gem, like this one."Saiji brought the clown fish relic out from his pocket and showed it to Simo. "This is the clown fish relic."Simo stood up from his chair, looking at the relic in Saiji's hand. He whistled with amazement. "Ho, ho…! Never have I ever seen anything like it.""It contains power, and can you feel it when you touch it." Kimi warned. "Saiji and I felt it before."Simo touched the glowing orange gem and recoiled in shock. "Ow! Yeah, I see what you mean. So, what kind of power can you wield?""Hell if I know." Saiji replied. "We've found this relic a few hours ago. But we've learnt that when a merfolk absorbs the relic's power, they get stronger, which is why Athena and the Tiger Sharks is after them.""And if she gets all seven, Cascadia and the rest of the world will be in grave danger." Kimi said."Hmm... Athena sounds more troubling than I thought." Simo muttered.Saiji scoffed. "Troubling is the wrong word. She's like a one-mermaid-army. Even without the relics, she beat me and Kimi at the same time."Simo sighed, rubbing his temples, trying to digest all the information Kimi and Saiji had given him. "Okay... so our best chance against Athena is by getting the relics before the Tiger Sharks do, and figure out their power. How many does she have?""Only one." Kimi answered. "A turtle relic. I had it but she took from me after we lost the fight."Simo ponders at this. "You and Saiji has the relic, Athena has the other, and Four Aces has the third. And four remaining are yet to be found.""So, do you have a plan to steal the relic from Four Aces?" Kimi asked. "Of course, I do." Saiji replied with confidence. "I'll go into their warehouse, snatch the relic and get out. No problem.""But you're gonna need an escape plan, in case things go south." Simo said. "I'll handle that.""I'm going with you, Saiji." Kimi said.Simo looked at Kimi. "Hold it, Kimi. You're not a courier, it could be dangerious. Plus Four Aces are after your bounty.""So? I'm not gonna stay here twiddling my thumbs." the young woman argued. "Someone needs to watch Saiji's back."Saiji sighed. "Kimi... Simo is right. This ain’t your turf, lass. It's safer if you stay here."Kimi shook her head. "Saiji, I'm going with you, whether you and Simo like it or not." She grabbed Saiji's hand. "It's not my first time being in danger, I can take care of myself, and you need someone to watch your back. Let me come with you."The courier looked over at Simo who didn't say anything, before looking back at Kimi. He sighed in resignation. "Fine, you can come. But stay close to me once we're in the warehouse, got it?"Kimi nodded, smiling. "Thanks, Saiji."Simo chuckled. "Cute and brave. You really picked the right chick, Saiji."The two blushed."I'm gonna punch him." Kimi whispered in a threatening tone."Don’t push all the triggers…” Saiji nudged him."Ahem. So, it might be best if you two go in the warehouse covertly." Simo explained. "That way, Four Aces won't see you coming. Nightfall will arrive in a few hours, so until then, you two can rest up and prepare.""But what about the Tiger Sharks? They could be on their way to the warehouse as we speak." Kimi said."We're keeping tabs on Four Aces' comms as we speak." The woman replied. "One of those mercs mentioned they'll arrive in a number of hours, don't worry."Kimi nodded. "Good. Is there anything to eat around here? I haven't eaten since breakfast.""Here, I'll get you something to eat." Saiji offered. "Simo, got a few, mate?"While Kimi had gotten settled in The Grid, and having a snack, Saiji and Simo had a discussion about a plan on infiltrating Four Aces' warehouse. She was a little nervous about this upcoming mission, but she knew that the population of Cascadia was at stake. Her friends had a point that she wasn't a courier, and it was a risky move going in the warehouse to snatch the third relic. But as Kimi mentioned before, it wouldn't be the first time being in dangerous situation.Hours had passed and day had turned to night, the perfect time for a covert mission. The plans had been set in motion. Simo had given Kimi a bag before she and Saiji left The Grid with one of the courier tagging along as the driver, using a SUV to drive over to the dropoff point near the Four Aces' warehouse without drawing attention to themselves. Kimi was sitting at the back seat of the car, unzipping the bag, Simo had given her. It contained gloves, a tac-belt that holds smoke grenades, a wireless earpeice, and a face mask with stylish patterns and small airways that make it easier to breathe through. "Neat gear." she commented as she started putting them on."Packed you some inventory for the gig." Saiji explained. "That mask should conceal your identity when we get inside the warehouse. Hopefully, Four Aces won't recognize you.""We're almost at our destination." the driver said, turning the SUV to the left, driving into the back alley."Showtime." Kimi muttered, putting on the mask. She had tucked her long hair underneath her hoodie and then pulled her hood up. The SUV crawled to a gentle stop, five feet away from a doorway leading inside of the building. The driver shut off the engine."I'll wait here in case you two manage to get the relic without raising the alarm." The driver said. "If not, I'll call Simo for plan B.""Naturally.” Saiji said, as he and Kimi stepped out of the car."So how do I look?" Kimi asked after putting on the tac-belt.Saiji took a good look at his friend and chuckled. "Like a rookie of the year."He adjusted his courier bag, making sure it wasn't loose, and then switched on the ear piece as Kimi had done the same."Radio check." The Courier messaged. Kimi nodded, giving Saiji the thumbs up. "Five by five, Saiji.""We now have a secure channel we can use, should we stray too far.""Best of luck you two." The driver said.Both Kimi and Saiji gave the driver the thumbs up before heading inside the building, cautiously walking through the hallway. Saiji took point while Kimi followed close. Halfway down the hallway there was an elevator, that could lead them to the top floor."Ah, the lift. That can get us up pretty high." He pressed the elevator call button.After a short wait, the duo went inside the lift cabin, with Kimi pressing the corresponding floor button. The elevator went up, heading up to the top floor. This, in turn, will lead them to the rooftop for a better vantage point. The lead Courier noticed his partner couldn’t stop twitching."Are you nervous, Kimi?" he asked."Mm. First day on the job and all..." Kimi nodded.Saiji patted his friend's shoulder. "Relax. Follow my lead, and we’ll be A-OK."Soon as they reached the top floor, the team climbed onto the roof of the building. They had good view of the Port ahead of them, including the designated target."There's the warehouse." Saiji said. "Let's get closer for a better view, and see what we're dealing with."Kimi nodded, following Saiji, jumping rooftops to rooftops. Luckily for her, the gaps between each building weren’t something she couldn’t handle. A couple b-hops later, they were close enough to get a better view of the warehouse, but not too close to be discovered. The front yard was crawling with Four Aces mercs patrolling the area Some others were carrying varying cargo inside."A bit more than accounted for." Saiji said, surveying the area. He brought out the clown fish relic from his pocket. "Then there’s this pulse."Kimi looked at the relic, seeing its gem glowing a bit. "It must be reacting to another relic."Saiji nodded before slowly waving the clown fish relic around to find out where another relic is hidden. He orientated this relic like one would use on a compass, and sure enough, the strongest force field push would lead them the right way."That third relic is definitely inside the warehouse." Saiji said before reaching for his earpiece. "Phoenix here. Got a location for the target. Preparing for infil, over.""10-4, mate." Simo replied over the comms. "Be advised, we've got word the Tiger Sharks will arrive at the warehouse in approximately ten minutes. You and Hummingbird better move fast.""Thanks for the tip. Phoenix out.""'Hummingbird', huh? That codename is pretty tight." Kimi commented."Rookies who’re on their first year of the business are called Woodpeckers or Hummingbirds. As you progress, you get a better rank/callsign." Saiji replied, before pointing at a building that was closest to the warehouse. "See that building there? That’s our entry point."Kimi nodded, following her friend by quietly jumping to another rooftop, and then towards the roof of the warehouse. They got inside through the roof, carefully making their way downstairs. The interior of the building had two floors. The ground floor had four rows of large shelves, steel containers, and a few stacked up crates. The upper floor, on the other hand, resembled a rec room with a poker table, a TV, some scattered crates here and there, a dartboard with some darts sticking out, along with coffee and vending machines. Adjacent to the room was a door, which led to an office. Conveniently for them, the place was empty."I guess this must be a rec room, where the mercs take breaks, huh?" Kimi whispered. "Yeah, and it's a good thing they're all on duty." Saiji replied, bringing out the clown fish relic. "The pulse from this relic is getting stronger. It must be close."Kimi nodded, as she and Saiji quietly moved along the room, making sure to not make any noise as the search continued. It was in a crate – that’s 100% certain, so they needed to find it quick before the Tiger Sharks arrive. Even though the relic seemed to point the right way, there wasn’t much luck, until…"Maybe in the office?" Kimi suggested to Saiji.The lad nodded, pointing the clown fish relic towards the office. It reacted, glowing brighter."Astute observation." Saiji whispered as he quietly opened the door.There was a small box on the small table, and judging by the clown fish relic reacting to the box, the third relic was indeed inside. However, someone was inside the office. A man was sitting on the chair, talking on the phone. He looked at Kimi moving his finger towards his lips, a gesture which she immediately understood. He made his way in."Yeah, yeah. The relic we've found is secure." The man said, speaking to someone on the other end. "We’re now expecting our buy-in. …The House always wins."The moment the man ended the call, Saiji attacked him from behind, locking him into chokehold. Kimi helped her friend by grabbing the man's arms, preventing him from fighting back as the courier choked the man until he was unconscious. After a few moments of struggling, the enemy went limp."He's down." Saiji muttered, pushing him off of his body.Kimi picked up the man's phone, checking the history calls to find out who was the caller the man was talking to. But it was fruitless. "No names, just numbers." Kimi said. "Bet he was talking to one of the Tiger Sharks."Saiji looked out of the window, seeing the mercs doing their task. "No one downstairs saw us. Let's get the third relic and get out."Kimi nodded, dropping the phone, and rushed over to the small box. She noticed there was a padlock on the box. "Shit, locked." she hissed."Hang on, I got the key from the dude's pockets." Saiji said, taking the keys from the unconscious man. He tossed them over to Kimi, and the young woman unlocked the padlock. She opened the box and saw what they were after, the third relic. The golden relic was a shape of a Starfish with a yellow triangle shaped gem in the center. It was glowing, likely due to it reacting to the clown fish relic. Kimi reached to grab the starfish relic, but as she touched it, she felt the incredible power washing through her body like tidal wave."Gah!" Kimi gasped. The power she's feeling was more intense than last two relic she touched. Her eye color changed from gold to bright yellow. She couldn't let go of the relic, even if she wanted to, as if its glued to her hands. Her hands was trembling."Kimi? What’s happening?" Saiji said worriedly."T-The... Power... Can't... hold..." Kimi could only manage to utter a few words as she was trying not to scream. Then her eye color changed back to gold again as the relic's power had subsided. She fell on her hands and knees, dropping the starfish relic as she was gasping, almost as if she's been underwater for too long. Saiji kneeled down next to her, holding her shoulder for comfort. "You good?" Saiji asked."I'm... haaa.... I'm fine..." Kimi breathed. "The power... It felt more... intense than before... when I touched the clownfish relic."Saiji looked at the starfish relic, walking over to it. "Maybe it’s safer if I held it.""Saiji, wait-"Before Kimi could stop him, Saiji picked up the relic, and, just like Kimi, he felt its power. He grunted, shutting his eyes tightly, kneeling down.“Urgh!”Kimi got up and helped Saiji up to his feet. The power coursing through him was gone after a moment. He shook the cobwebs out of his head. She could see his eye color changed from bright yellow eyes back to deep blue color. He sighed with relief."I get it now." Saiji said."Tiger Sharks incoming, guys." Simo called from their comms. "Did you find the relic?"Both Kimi and Saiji reached for their earpeice. "Yeah, we've got it." Saiji replied. "Good, cause Four Aces have visitors. You two might want to be leaving right about... Shit, now!""Gotcha. We're heading out." Saiji turned to Kimi as he slips the starfish relic into his backpack. "We'll worry about the relic's power later, come on."The duo quickly ran out of the office, heading back to the stairs to the roof."OI!" A voice yelled, causing both Kimi and Saiji to look behind them, seeing a Four Aces mercenary walking in the rec room."Oh, shit!" Kimi swore."Run!" Saiji shouted.Kimi and Saiji ran upstairs as gunfire erupted behind them. The courier pushed through the door, letting the young woman through before he slammed the door and locked it. A few seconds later there were loud bangs coming from the otherside."Let’s blow this joint!” Saiji ordered.Just the they ran to another rooftop, the same way they came in, the siren started blaring. Four Aces and The Tiger Sharks were on high alart."The buzz is increasing exponentially!" Simo shouted over the comms. "What the hell did you two do?!""Nothing!" Kimi replied as she and Saiji jumped off the roof of the warehouse to another roof. "One of the bastards just opened fired on us!""Phoenix, I have to leave now. The area is too hot." The courier driver said through the comms."Copy. Simo, go to Plan B!” Saiji radioed."10-4. Lilith is en route with an escape vehicle. Just get yourself and your chick out of there!" Simo replied.Kimi was annoyed by the remark. "Simo, I swear, I'm gonna-""Hummingbird, FOCUS!” Saiji retorted. "Keep rolling!"They continued running through the rooftops, away from the warehouse as far as possible. Bullets suddenly flew passed them after Four Aces mercs had taken positions on the roof several feet behind them."I think we've pissed them off!" Kimi shouted, jumping over a roof. "This ain’t the first time!" Saiji replied, vaulting over a vent. He pointed at the tall building up ahead. "We can lose them through that news building! Toss a smoke grenade ahead of us!""Got it!" Kimi said, reaching for one of the nades from her tac belt. She pulled the pin and threw it far ahead. The smoke grenade landed on the roof of the building, rolling across as smoke began spaying out.The two jumped across another gap with the former nearly tripping. She wasn't good at parkour like her friend was, but she can't afford to fail this task. She and Saiji had just got the starfish relic, now they need to escape from their pursuers gunning for them. They ran through a thick wall of smoke, jumping over a rather large gap, but while Saiji landed safely, Kimi held onto the ledge of the building. The courier looked back and ran to help Kimi up."I got you!" Saiji said, pulling his friend up. Kimi nodded. "Thanks!" The duo resumed their run. Thankfully, the smoke grenade did its job of covering their tracks as Four Aces and Tiger Shark were unable to see them. "Almost there! We can use that zipline to get across!" Saiji said."Okay!" Kimi replied.Saiji was first to grabbed the rope and went across safely. Kimi was hesitent at first, but loud gunfire made her jump in fright, grabbing the rope. She glided across, keeping a mental note to not look down. She let go of the ropes when she reached the building, following Saiji inside the news building. The duo ran through the hallway and into the elevator while Kimi pushed the button for the elevator to go up."Phew! That was close." Kimi breathed."Yeah, but we're not in the clear yet." Saiji said. "Bet those goons are trying to get ahead of us. We need to get to the extraction point, fast.""So which way do we need to go?" Kimi asked."Just keep going foward, and don't slow down." he replied.Kimi nodded just as the elevator stopped at its destination, opening its doors to let the duo out. The hallway looked more stylish than the one they've ran through. It had two flat screen TVs that only shows the news, a row of green chairs, a news poster, and a vending machine."Come on, this way." Saiji said, running over to the back door. Kimi followed her friend outside when they started to hear a sound of a helicopter."That's not a good sound." Saiji said reaching for his earpeice. "Simo, what's going on?""Four Aces had just called in their bird with a sniper." Simo replied through comms. "They're really not happy, and neither are the Tiger Sharks.""A sniper?" Kimi exclaimed. "That's not good.""Relax, just keep moving." Simo reassured. "You two are half-way to the extraction point.""Got it, Simo." Saiji said. "Let's go, Kimi!"He vaulted over the railing, sliding down the glass side of the building, angled like a slope, with Kimi following behind, just as Four Aces' helicopter came into view beside them with its doors open. Inside the helicopter was a sniper, ready to take aim. Kimi cursed under her breath when she saw the man.At the end of the glass side, the two jumped to another building."Keep moving through cover, Kimi!" Saiji ordered. "Smoke your way through if needed!""Got it!" Kimi replied, taking cover in one of the ventilation systems to avoid getting picked off by a sniper in the chopper. She gasped when sharp crack of the sniper rifle echoed as the bullet hit metal, creating small sparks.'Shit! That sniper shot sounds scarier than those video games.' Kimi thought, quickly moving from cover to cover, avoiding the sniper's line of sight. With her being so focused on the sniper in the helicopter, she had lost sight of Saiji.Another round from the sniper rifle was fired. It was a close call as the bullet sailed over Kimi's head. She hid behind a vent to get her bearings, deciding to use another smoke grenade. She rolled the grenade forward as smoke sprayed out of it. Because of the thick wall of smoke, the Four Aces' sniper couldn't land a shot. Kimi moved out of cover and kept moving straight. She headed into the building with a scaffolding, with blue sheets covering it. It should provide some cover from the chopper."Saiji, where are you?! I lost sight of you!" Kimi shouted over the comms."Kinda busy right now! Gimme a sec!" Saiji replied. She could hear gunfire coming from the inside of the building. She assumed that Four Aces were inside of the building in hot pursuit. She could only hope Saiji was alright as she had to focus on avoiding the helicopter. Thus, she kept running through the scaffolding, making a beeline through it. The gal could hear the helicopter moving on her left, but luckily the blue sheets were blocking their view. "Kimi, where are you now?" Saiji asked over the comms."In the scaffolding." Kimi replied. "The helicopter is looking for me.""Listen closely. See the Pirandello Tower, the one with the big letters on the side?" the Courier explained. "Head over to it. I'll meet you there."Kimi climbed up to the upper metal platform and resumed running. "Okay."Hearing the helicopter flying around to the other side, Kimi quickly jumped out of the scaffolding and onto another roof of the building where she saw the big tower further away."Kimi, you gotta reach Pirandello Tower." Simo warned over the comms. "You don't want to know what's behind you.""I'm more worried about the helicopter tailing me." Kimi said.Kimi ran as fast as she could to the big tower, jumping across rooftops along the way, and avoiding gunfire from the sniper in the helicopter by taking cover or using grenades.BANG!Kimi gasped when a bullet grazed her arm, tearing a small fabric of her hooded shirt. She stopped for quick moment to take a look at her right arm. Thankfully it was just a surface wound, but it sure stung a lot. She didn't have the time to dwell on it though.'Damn it! That sniper is becoming a pain the ass!' Kimi thought.She continued moving cover to cover when she noticed the next building had little to no cover. She cursed under her breath, knowing the sniper in the helicopter would easily pick her off. But it started to fly off instead."Huh? What gives?" Kimi muttered when she heard a buzz from her earpeice."Chopper’s mama called." Simo said over the comms. "K-Sec and the cops are on their way, which explains why they're bugging out.""Whew, that was a close one." Kimi responded. "I'm heading inside the tower now."True to her words, Kimi ran and jump through the rooftops, heading her to the big tower. The gap ahead of her was large, but hesitating was out of the question. She sprinted for it and jumped as far as she could to reach the safe platform, and barely grabbed the railing. She climbed up and over, making her way through the door. She suddenly heard Saiji's yelling through the comms."Saiji?!" Kimi shouted out the comms.Kimi could hear only groans from her friend before responding. "Took a bit of a drop there. Thank god for soft spots."Kimi sighed with relief. "Good. I made it inside the tower. Tell me you know how we can escape from Four Aces and the Tiger Sharks.""I know a way, but it's really risky. Meet me at the top floor. Use the elevator if you have to." Saiji responded. "Okay. Hope I see you there." Kimi replied. "Lilith is almost at the pick up point." Simo said through the comms. "Patching her in now.""Lilith here." The fellow courier said. "The Blues are coming, so you guys gotta move fast before it gets way too hot.""10-4, Lilith." Saiji responded. "We're almost there."Kimi ran through the corridor, to find an elevator or stairs leading the upper floors of the building. She heard a lot of footsteps approaching fast, a warning of Four Aces in hot pursuit. Finally, she spotted an elevator and slammed her palm on the button. The young woman looked behind her, seeing a bunch of mercs coming. "Shit, shit!" Kimi swore, pounding the elevator button. "Come on, come on!"The elevator doors were finally opened, and Kimi ducked inside and punched the top floor button. The metal doors closed just as the Four Aces mercs opened fire, leaving dents on the metal doors. Noises faded as the elevator ascended. Kimi slumped down to the floor, catching her breath."That... was... close..." Kimi breathed, reaching for her comm device. "Saiji... I'm in the elevator... on my way up."There was no response from Saiji for a moment, and he spoke. "Uh, Kimi? How close are you right now?"Kimi looked up at the light above the metal doors, seeing that she was close to the top floor. "Nearly at the top floor, why?""I can see a bunch of mercs coming up to the rooftop!" Saiji replied through the comms.Kimi groaned as she stood up, gaining her second wind. "Great.""How much smoke grenades you have left?" Saiji asked.Kimi checked her tac-belt before she replied. "Two left.""We’re gonna need them." Saiji said before speaking to Lilith through comms. "Lilith, keep the engine running. We'll be there soon.""Roger that, Phoenix." Lilith replied. Saiji, I hope you know what you're doing...' Kimi thought. The metal doors opened and Kimi walked out seeing that she was at the roof of the big tower. "Kimi, when I go, run towards me and use what left of your smoke grenades, got it?" Saiji said through comms."Got it." Kimi replied.Just as Kimi grabbed two smoke grenades from her tac-belt, she heared a door slammed shut, then sounds of running. Then she saw Saiji running over to the edge of the building. "Alright... GO!"Kimi ran towards her friend as fast as she could. Tossing smoke grenades to where Saiji was running from. Smoke curtains enveloped the scene, as Kimi saw Saiji was about the jump right off the edge. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Kimi exclaimed as she heard the door being kicked opened behind her."Keep up, Kimi!" Saiji shouted before he made a leap of faith. “Whoooooo!”Kimi looked back, and then took a deep breath and made the jump. "Holy shiiiiit!!!"As the duo were falling, Kimi saw Saiji firing a grappling hook before extending his hand to her. She reached and grabbed the courier's hand, and Saiji pulled her close to him. The young woman held to her friend for dear life."Alley-oop!" Saiji yelled as the grapple hook worked it magic, as the two swing over the smaller buildings. Kimi shut her eyes tightly, not even daring to open them until she knew she's safely on the ground. She was not a huge fan of heights. Saiji on the other hand was laughing in triumph."Wooooohooooo!! Now THAT was a brilliant plan!" Saiji shouted. "I can see the look on those morons’ faces now! Priceless!"At the highest point of the swing, Saiji unhooked the building, retrieved the hook and fire again at the smaller building. It was the perfect getaway from Four Aces and the Tiger Sharks, taking the heat off them.A couple of swings later, Kimi and Saiji reached ground level safely to the alleyway where another courier, Lilith was waiting. Finally on solid ground, Kimi opened her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief as she let go of her friend."That was the craziest experience I ever been through in my entire life. Holy shit." Kimi breathed.Saiji patted her back after he retrieved the grapple hook. "It worked, didn’t it, though? ‘Twas just a regular dance with Lady Death.""Glad you two made it." A voice called out.Kimi and Saiji looked and saw another courier, Lilith, leaning against a cop car, giving the duo a playful salute. She had a cool green hair tied into a pony tail and orange eyes. She was wearing an unzipped dark blue sports jacket with a blue tank top underneath, dog tags hung loosely round her neck, fingerless gloves, black tight jogging pants with green stripes, and dark blue split toe trainers."Perfect timing as always, Lilith." Saiji said. "Oh, this is Kimi.""Nice to meet you, Lilith." Kimi said waving. "You too, Kimi." Lilith replied, before opening the car door. "Come on, let get out of here. Police could be here in any second."Saiji nodded. "Right, let's go."Police sirens could be heard from a distence. They got inside the unmarked cop car before Lilith, turned on the siren and drove off. "Never would've thought I'll be riding on a police car." Kimi said.Saiji chuckled. "Morons would always look at the car, not the driver.""And the police won't notice either." Lilith added, turning round the courner and into the main road. "You can relax now, Kimi. We're in the clear."Kimi sighed. "Good. Cause I could use some patching up." Saiji, who was in the front of the passenger seat, looked behind him as Kimi showed him her wound on her right arm. "Ah, your first marks of battle?""That sniper in the helicopter shot me. The bullet only left a scratch though." Kimi explained.Saiji sighed. "Bastards. Well, they do be like that. Fret not - I'll get you patched up."Kimi smiled. "It's fine, Saiji. At least we've got the starfish relic."Lilith switched on the radio, and flipped the switch. "Simo, our guys have been picked up and are returning home.""Copy that, Lilith. Great work all of you, that was another successful heist." Simo said. "And Saiji, sweet dance with Lady Death there.""More like insane..." Kimi muttered. "Thanks, Simo." Saiji said. "See you soon. Over and out."Lilith switched off the radio, just as a few police cars coming from the oppisite direction, heading towards the district."Glad we got that starfish relic." Kimi said. "That make it us two and Athena and the Tiger Sharks one. There's four left to find."Saiji nodded. "Yep. But after our little marathon, I think we should rest for a while."After a long drive back to The Grid, Lilith turned off the siren as she drove into the garage. She parked the unmarked cop car right beside Saiji's Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. They stepped out of the vehicle, as Simo walked over to them. "Great work out there, guys!" Simo said. "Honestly, I was a little worried when it got hot back there, but you pulled it off in the end.""Heist of the year, baby!" Saiji said proudly. He brought out the starfish relic, showing it to his fellow courier.Simo smiled a toothy grin "Haha! Nice! You would not believe how pissed Four Aces were. That relic wasn't the only thing that was stolen from them.""Wait what?" Kimi exclimed. "Yeah, while you two were running from Four Aces and Tiger Sharks, someone else snuck inside their warehouse and stole some tablet shards, acording to what those merc said." Simo explained."Wonder who stole the shards?" Lilith asked. Simo shrugged. "They didn't mention any name. All they said that a woman with long blue hair stole'em. Last they've seen her was that she swiped the shards and dived into the ocean, and vanished."A blue haired woman?" Kimi muttered. 'That sounds familiar...'"It almost sound like the woman used us to distract those mercs and terrorists so she could get in the warehouse when there's less people inside. Clever." Saiji said.Lilith walked past Simo, making her way to the elevator. "On that note, I'm gonna head up. Can’t miss out on HugePuffer. Catch you guys later.""Sure thing. You earned it." Saiji said. "Thanks again, Lilith." Kimi said. "Cheers!" Lilith replied, stepping inside the elevator.Soon after the metal doors closed, Simo spoke up. "So, I would assume you two don't know where the next relic is, right?""Afraid not." Kimi replied. "The relics we have isn't reacting to other relics on our way here.""Hmm... Alright. I guess we have to wait then. We'll keep listening to Four Aces' radio in case they found another one." Simo said.Saiji nodded. "Good. Oh, and you should let Roush know about the seven relics. With Four Aces buddies with the Tiger Sharks, we’ll need all the help we can get. Kimi and I will head to my house in the forest and call it a day."Simo nodded in understanding. "Sure thing. I'll let you know when something's up. Have a great night you two."Kimi nodded. "You to, Simo. Thanks again- Oh! I guess I should give this stuff back.""Nah, you can keep it. Besides, that mask suits you." Simo replied. "But I'll take the tac belt back."Kimi nodded, giving the tac belt back to the courier. Simo waved farewell as Kimi and Saiji hopped into Ford again. Saiji started the engine and drove out of The Grid, en route to his home. Kimi took off her face mask and pulled down her hood, breathing a sigh of relief that she could breathe a little better. "So, how was your first night as a Courier?" Saiji asked. Kimi sighed. "I'll admit. It was really scary, especially jumping off that tower. That was insane!"Saiji chuckled. "Fear is a natural reaction to that kinda stuff. So I understand why you were scared. All the same, I had a lot of fun. I guess it's because I'm used to swinging, gunfire, near-death falls, the lot. But hey, high risk, high reward.""I guess I can agree with you, since I've been through near-death situation when I free dive." Kimi said.Saiji nodded as he drove into the woods. "Downtown's gonna be under some pretty intense heat, after stealing the starfish relic. Best we lay low and stay out of there. Here in the woods, I have a comfy two-story building we can spend the night in. We'll be well hidden thanks to foreign signal jammers."A short drive through the woods later, the duo made it safely to Saiji's house by the lazy river - the safehouse. Saiji parked his car and shut off the engine. "Is this where you live, Saiji?" Kimi asked."One of my properties. If there is too much heat within the city, this will keep me safe." Saiji replied, unbuckling his seat belt. "Plus, the view’s nice."The two got out of the car, taking their backpacks with them and made their way inside the house. It was a rather luxurious two-story home. It seemed smaller than the mansion in Cascadia, where Kimi lived with her friends, but it looked like a really nice, cozy home."Pretty neat place." she said, before hissing in pain as she clenched her right arm where the wound was."I'll get the mad kit. Go wait in the living room." Saiji said, rushing up stairs.Kimi walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch. Her eyes scanned around the room, seeing lovely view of the forest and the river shining beautifully by the moon light. 'For a safehouse, it has really nice view of the woods.' Kimi thought. She took off her hooded shirt, just as her friend, Saiji walked in with the first aid kit. "Enjoying yourself?" Saiji said, setting down the kit down on the table. Kimi nodded. "Yeah, its really beautiful under the moon light."Saiji smiled, sitting next to Kimi and opened up the med kit before taking a look at the wound on her arm. "Ummm... I need you to take off your under shirt, so I can get a better look at your arm."Kimi blushed. "Uhh... S-sure."She hesitated at first but she did took off her undershirt, hissing in pain when the fabric brushed against her wound. Underneath her shirt was her black sports bra with a turquoise stripe in the center.'Why am I even hesitating? He saw me in less clothing like my swimsuit back at Sapphire Eldoris. I mean he just patching up my-'Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a spray hiss and felt the wound sting."Agh! Shit!" Kimi exclaimed."Told ya it’ll sting. You must have spaced out." Saiji smiled warmly. Kimi bit her lower lip before looking at her friend. "Mm... Carry on."Saiji nodded and continued treating her wound. "Like you've said before, it is a scratch. Good thing that sniper sucked at his job, huh?"Kimi nodded. She could feel her heart racing as she watched Saiji cleaned the blood off with a wet sponge, and then picked up another item from the med kit that she hadn't seen before."What's that?" She asked."This is Flex-Aid, or as we call it in the industry, Health Paint." Saiji answered. "A liquid adhesive bandage in a spray can. Heals quicker than all other stuff on the market."Kimi nodded before smiling. "You know, I'm starting to like this timeline with all the advanced tech and medicine."Saiji covered Kimi's wound with the Health Paint, which had already started its job healing the wound. "There, it should be all better in the morning.""Thanks, Dr. Saiji." Kimi joked.Saiji chuckled as he put the medical items away. "Don't expect any sweets. I'm only on my first term of residence. But, I can offer you a drink. Ah, a non-alcoholic drink of course."Kimi nodded. "Sure, I could use a drink. By the way, mind if I change?""Sure. Bathroom's upstairs to the right." Saiji replied."Thank you." Kimi said, standing up and took her hooded shirt, undershirt and backpack. She made her way to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She let out a sighed of relief, calming down her heart rate.'Gees, what a crazy day. Fighting Athena, diving inside the crystal filled cave, being chased by Four Aces after stealing the starfish relic, and running through rooftops. Hell jumping off the huge tower was the scariest thing I've ever been through!' Kimi thought. She got undressed, taking off her jean, shoes and socks. And then picked up a white and sky blue oversized long-sleeved shirt, and black shorts. Her sleeping attire.'Although it would've been harder and less exciting to find the relics without Saiji. If it weren't for him, Simo and the other couriers, we wouldn't have gotten the starfish relic. I just hope we'll get the rest of the relics, and figure out how to get the turtle relic back from Athena...'After changing, the young woman made her way back to the living room, seeing Saiji at the kitchen, pouring some beverage into a glass. He blushed when he saw Kimi walking over to the kitchen."Sweet clothing." Saiji said, which caused her to blush."Uh, t-thanks." she replied. "So what drinks do you have?"Saiji pours the veverage into another glass. "Well, tonight's special is an Arnold Palmer - an exquisite mix of black iced tea and lemonade." He handed the glass over to Kimi. "I never tried it before, but I'll give it a try." Kimi said, picking the glass. She took a sip of the drink. "Mm! Whoa, that taste good!"Saiji smiled before taking a sip of his own drink. "Glad you like it. This job teaches you something new every day. One time you learn to make some Korean takeout, and the other - some very expensive stuff.""You mean, you mix drinks as a hobby?" Kimi asked. Saiji nodded. "Yeah. There are also other things I do as a hobby. I even cook my own food rather than get take-outs every time.""Yeah, I cook my own meals too. Although I should cut down on the ramen." Kimi said before drinking her beverage. "Maybe you can ask me to cook one for you next time." Saiji suggested. Kimi smiled. "Sure." After finishing her glass, she yawns, covering her mouth. "Mm... Man, I'm beat. All that relic hunting really took a lot out of me.""Yeah, I'm pretty beat too." Saiji said. "Let's get some sleep, and then go for relic number four sometime later."The young woman nodded, looking around. "So, do you have a spare bedroom?"Saiji shook his head. "No, but I do have a bunk bed. Come on this way."The courier led his friend to the bedroom upstairs. The room was rather clean. It had a lamp on the nightstand, drawers, a bunk bed, and blinds that covered the windows. "Nice room." Kimi commented before yawning."Thanks." Saiji said. "I usually keep this room tidy for other couriers that might come here. So which bunk do you want? Top or bottom?""I'll take the top bunk." Kimi said, climbing up the top bunk of the bed."You're just like my sister, Sayaka." Saiji chuckled. "I didn't know you have a sister, Saiji." Kimi said. The young man shrugged. "I never told anyone about her. I'm pretty much a walking enigma."Kimi giggled at that notion before pulling a blanket over her body. Saiji took some clothes out of the drawer and walked over to the door."I'm gonna go changed and sleep in the bottom bunk." Saiji said. "Mm, that's fine." Kimi said. "Hey, Saiji?"Saiji looked behind him "Yeah?""I'm really glad I met someone like you. Otherwise we wouldn't be in this adventure." she admitted.Saiji smiled. "I'm glad I've met you too. Have a good night, Kimi. Sleep well."Kimi rested her head on the pillow. "Good night."As Saiji walked out to change into his sleeping attire in the bathroom while Kimi drifted off to sleep. Meanwhile, Athena was standing on rooftop, glaring at the city. Her long snow white hair blowing in the wind. Grass green color waved through her hair as the green gem on her necklace glowed with power. She sighed when she heard footsteps approaching."Admiring the view?" A voice spoke."Something like that. Seems your friends failed to retrieve my relic from the thieves, Katsumi." Athena said.Katsumi only laughed as she walked over to her partner. "Fufufufu... It's only a minor setback, nothing to be concern about."Athena turned round to face Katsumi. "Kimi and her friend has one of my relics, and I bet the thives that took the other are probably with them, and you're telling me not to be concerned?""Calm yourself, Athena. It's all part of the plan." Katsumi reassured. "You'll have the relics soon enough."Athena sighed, folding her arms. "And what if Kimi and Saiji disrupt your plan?""Oh, I'll doubt the cutie, her boyfriend or any of her allies, would be able to disrupt my plan." Katsumi said. "Especially with my latest project being operational.""What project?" Athena asked.Katsumi turned round towards the ocean as Athena followed her direction, seeing a very large silhouette stationed in the sea in the night sky. "What's that thing?" Athena exclaimed."Something I've been working on for years in this timeline, with a lot of helping hands of course." Katsumi explained.One of the members of the Tiger Sharks walked over to Katsumi and Athena. "Sorry to disturb you ma'am, but we have an uninvited guest.""Uninvited guest?" Katsumi asked before smiling sweetly. "I see. Well, let's go see what they want." She began following the grunt before looking back. "Coming, Athena?""Fine. I'm getting tired of looking at the screens on the buildings anyway." Athena said with disgust. The mermaid followed Katsumi and the grunt downstairs to meet with the uninvited guest.

Literature

Artist Block Project

HELLUVA BOSS ADOPTABLE (OPEN) by Lusiady

Artist Block Project

The Weekly

Mature Content

[OPEN] COMMISSIONS INFO-LIST (SPRING-SUMMER 2023) by AnastasiaYass

The Weekly

Valentines Day

Valentines Day

Drawing Exercise

Commission Art for Episode.Yves by KaterinaSaekilin

Drawing Exercise

Comic-Manga -Full-

Comic-Manga -Full-

Female 5 full

Commission: Rose Dragon Goddess by Akabeko-Arts

Female 5 full

Female 3 -Full

Female 3 -Full

Female 4 full

Female 4 full

Male 2 Full

Male 2 Full

Female 2 -FULL-

Female 2 -FULL-

Male 1 -FULL -

Male 1 -FULL -

Female 1 -FULL-

Female 1 -FULL-

Adopts

weakkun/Adopt/Auction35/OPEN by MrSneakers

Adopts

Male -Full-

Male -Full-

Adoptables 1 Closed

Adoptables 1 Closed

Closed 1

Closed 1

Female -Full-

Female -Full-

CLOSED

Free Chibi Friday #1 (CLOSED)EDIT: The winning number was.... ONE! That's a free chibi for :iconPuddingValkyrie:

Thanks everyone who entered, look forward to another one in two weeks!

~~~~~~~
Hello there everyone!

I stole the idea from PuddingValkyrie and have been inspired by all the raffles fellow deviants have been doing.

I will be giving away a free chibi every other Friday!

examples:

To enter, comment on this journal telling me your favorite color - I will assign you a number. [Bullet; Red]
[Bullet; Red] You have until Saturday around noon to enter (24 hours from now)
[Bullet; Yellow] To choose the winner, I will use random.org.
[Bullet; Yellow] Winners must wait two FCF's before they are allowed to enter again (i.e. - if you win #1, you must wait till #4 be

CLOSED

Summer Themed Contest

George Frost on 4th of July by GeorgeFrost3

Summer Themed Contest

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New Group Icon Drop!

by DMNfox, Sep 26, 2023, 1:09:44 AM
Journals / Personal

A rushed icon idea just because I felt like an update for the group would be nice.

Of course the quality gets reduced to atoms because deviant art believes the icon quality needs to be pixel bite sized.

It's like the never ending hunger when eating pizza bites. Anyways baii~ *Disappears into the shadows again*

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