A/N: Here's the second chapter!! Sorry for the wait everyone, and thank you all so much for all your support.
In an excited flurry of motion, Remi leapt from the docking plank onto the dark, dry earth. Just as there had been throughout her entire life, the ground was still infused with garbage and junk. Melee stumbled on behind her, a hand on Remi's shoulder for support. A fierce gust of wind picked up her hair and whipped it wildly behind her, smacking Melee directly in the face.
Melee shoved Remi's shoulder hard, scowling fiercely. "Watch it! Your hair is like a whip."
Remi turned around, giving the raven-haired girl a look of disbelief. "Calm down." She pulled her hair over to one side and smoothed it down.
Anger flashed through Melee's eyes as she balled her hands into fists by her sides. Her face was still discolored—green and sickly from their short voyage across the sea. She'd spent most of the time with her face hung over the railing of the main deck, puking until there was nothing left in her stomach, then dry heaving the rest of the way. The disarray her hair was in made her look crazy. "Calm down? Calm down?! I've been unloading the contents of my stomach ever since we got on that dreadful thing you call a ship. Then I finally escape, only for your hair to assault my face! It's still stinging, and probably going to turn red. Oh, and did I mention we're practically walking into a lion's den of monsters who have it out for you and anyone with you?"
Remi stared at her blankly, not really sure what to say to such an outburst. "You really have it rough," Remi finally replied, not bothering to hold back her sarcasm. "Not like you're getting paid or anything, right?"
Some shouting to the left drew their attention away from one another before Melee could spew out a retort. Remi glanced over, noticing a group of men with tall, spiraling horns coming their way. They were a family of Elken, which was a lesser common species of Carnean, known for their sharp and deadly horns. "What'chya doin' on our dock, lassies? This is private property!" one exclaimed, his expression one of hostility and annoyance.
Carnean was a general term that included all all races that had animal-like qualities. For example, an Icix or a Clawl would also be considered Carneans. So were Elken.
Remi flashed them a dazzling smile, white teeth gleaming. Her green eyes twinkled brightly as she replied in a saccharine sweet voice, "My apologies for coming unannounced, good sirs. It's just, I really need somewhere to dock my ship for a while."
At her words and smile, the Elken seemed to have lost some of their hostility. One, older than the rest by at least twenty years, reached up and absentmindedly stroked one of the grey horns coming out of his temple. He followed the spiral of the horn up until his arm was fully extended, though the tips of his fingers weren't even half-way up the horn's full length. Those things must weigh a ton, Remi thought to herself. He let out a sigh before finally looking back at Remi with a toothy grin. "And what would letting you dock here get us, hmm?" The other men immediately began nodding their heads, clearly picking up on what wasn't being said aloud as they looked both young women up and down with lustful expressions.
Melee bared her teeth at them and snarled "pigs" beneath her breath.
Remi held back her scowl. She didn't expect anything better from men like this, but it still disappointed and disgusted her each time. "How about nothing?" she tried sweetly, trying to sway them with charm. However, it was to no avail.
One of the younger men, clearly related to the older man with how similar their noses and highest eyebrows were, stepped forwards with a hard stare. "How about no? In fact, how about we just take what we want, including the two of you, your crew, and your ship?"
"Sounds good to me," one of the other young men nodded, his eyes flashing with anticipation. Remi didn't have to guess what kind of thoughts were going through their minds.
Without missing a beat, Melee stomped towards them, her grey eyes narrowed furiously. "Can I kill them?" she called to Remi without looking back.
"Ooh, a feisty one."
Remi pondered the young woman's thought for a moment before shaking her head lightly. "Hold them captive while Killure and I go find my brother. Got it? Speaking of which... where is—"
Melee whipped her neck in Remi's direction and glared fiercely. "These filthy pigs want to rape us, kid—just like those others almost did to you when we first met. They're not worth being saved."
Remi felt a pang of fear in her chest at the idea. Her mind involuntary brought back flashes of memory from that terrible day.
The musty scent of the floor.
Big, burly hands grabbing at her.
The tearing her clothes made as they were ripped off her body.
The perspiration covering her body as she writhed and bucked beneath their grip, to no avail.
Until the door was ripped so suddenly from its hinges, and Remi was saved.
Remi shook the memories away, letting the smile drop from her face. She met the eyes of the young woman who had saved her from getting raped and slowly began walking towards her.
Melee gave her a questioning look, but Remi didn't pay her any attention. Remi had to tilt her head up to meet the hungry eyes of the oldest man, but did so unflinchingly. "These your sons?"
The man said nothing for a few moments before apparently deciding to humor her. "They sure are, sexy little lady. Four half-sons and one that's my blood. You know, you look familiar. The pink hair... almost like—"
Remi started, her eyes widening for a moment. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in focus to interrupt him before he arrived at a dangerous conclusion. "—and this is what you teach your sons, is it? To disrespect women, and treat them as though they're mere objects?"
A raw laugh erupted from the big, burly man's stomach, and he looked as if he was truly amused by what she'd said. "You are an object, lassie. If I want you, I get you. And you know what? That's exactly what's about to go down," he exhaled gleefully, swiping a hand out to grab at her waist with his greedy fingers.
Remi quickly sidestepped him, but he wasn't deterred, continuing to swipe at her. His actions encouraged his sons to begin moving in on Melee. Becoming angrier by the second, Remi finally leapt at the man, clutching the scalp of his head beneath her fingers, feeling the grease from his scalp. She closed her eyes tightly and ground her teeth together until her jaw hurt as she forced her energy into the man's thoughts in a burst of anger.
Melee slid two deadly knives from within the sleeves of her long coat, gripping their shafts in her hands so tightly that her knuckles began turning white. "Oh please, go on. Give me an excuse to fuck you all up."
Ignoring her words, the young men all sprung at her, their elaborate, dangerous horns pointed in her direction and greedy hands extended outwards. Melee gave them a side grin before crouching down and meeting them in the middle with her knives. They gleamed in the sunlight as they moved.
Meanwhile, Remi's entire body shook violently. "How many women have you raped?" she forced him to tell the truth with her energy.
"I've lost count," he replied in a monotone voice, his eyes glazed over from her control.
Remi's heart filled with fury as she attempted to bend something that was inflexible. The old, burly man's thoughts were like metal that could not be melted or remolded. This man was too old, his mind too twisted to accept a new way of thinking. Sure, she could force him to perform an action in the moment, but it wouldn't create a lasting change in who he was as a person.
Remi's eyes burst open, glowing emerald green as she stared into the man's eyes. In the same instant that she took a step back, the man took a knife from his pocket and slit his own throat. His eyes were wide and bulging as he clutched at his throat, making gurgling noises as his life quickly left him.
A necessary evil, Remi decided sadly.
"How could you?" one of the sons exclaimed in horror as they stared at their dying father, frozen in place. The others stared on in shock which eventually turned into red hot rage. Remi noticed the blood trickling down the sides of their faces. They looked a lot worse for wear after their encounter with Melee. If not for Remi's earlier instructions, they'd probably be dead right now.
One of the young men rushed over to their father's body while the others grabbed jagged rocks from the ground and ran at Remi.
Calmly, she met the eyes of the son who'd spoken as he ran at her. "How could I?" Light blue energy instantly came out of her fingertips towards the men until it coated all of them in its glow, suspending them in motion. "You believe my actions aren't justified?"
The energy thinly surrounding their bodies began travelling upward to their heads. Their eyes were wide in fright, shocked and unable to process anything that was going on. The blue energy quickly converged on their chests and shot upwards, penetrating their scalps and disappearing within their minds.
"Their eyes..." Melee whispered in surprise. "They're glowing blue."
Remi didn't know how she was doing it. All she knew was that she was filled with anger and wanted to change the way these men thought so that no other girl would have to experience the terror of having their bodies ravaged against their will. Remi's energy was acting on what she was thinking, directing itself based on the thoughts racing through his mind, and she didn't care to stop.
"Welcome to my gallows of transgression," Remi murmured just loud enough for them to hear. And yet, somehow, her voice seemed powerful. "Treat others as you would like to be treated; that is my rule. Did your father live by that rule?"
With dull eyes and voices without lilt or emotion, they chorused a resounding "no."
"Did he deserve the gallows?"
"He did."
Their minds were so flexible, so moldable. They weren't set in their ways yet. It wasn't too late.
"Will each of you choose to live by my rule for the rest of your lives?" Remi tilted her head to the side questioningly. She heard her own voice and it sounded so commanding and powerful. Melee stumbled backwards, shielding her eyes from how brightly Remi's were glowing.
"We will," they replied in unison.
Immediately, Remi withdrew her energy from them. It flowed back into her fingertips as the green glow of her eyes began to fade. "Good."
As the men slowly came to their senses once again, Remi flashed them the same dazzling smile from before. "Once again, I ask: would you allow us to dock our ship here?"
Kind smiles pulled themselves up onto the Elken's faces as they paid their father's corpse no heed. "Of course! What kind of men would we be if we didn't help out a couple young lassies in need?"
Another Elken nodded emphatically. "Go ahead and do what you need to do, girls. We'll keep your ship safe until you're back."
Remi nodded in satisfaction as she began walking away to find Killure. "Thank you! I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome," they chorused happily, waving at her retreating form. There was not a hint of malice or ill-will in their eyes. And, Remi knew, neither was their any in their minds, either.
Remi met Melee's shocked gaze and pointed at the men. Since Remi had never done something like this before, she didn't want to take any risks. Melee would watch over the men and her ship until Remi was back in case any more trouble arose.
As she walked back to the ship, Remi couldn't help the guilt that welled up within her. Changing the brain chemistry of those men and taking away their free will was not something she took lightly. However, she knew doing so was like planting a seed. If she were to plant seeds all across a field, new plants would grow. In terms of her society, changing the way some people think could serve as a catalyst for something better.
Remi found Killure by the ship, carrying a huge beam of wood over his shoulder onto the main deck. The muscles of his arms were bulging through the sleeves of his tight black shirt, which he wore despite the overwhelming heat. She never really understood why he never took his shirt off, and now she was curious. However, her curiosity would have to be patient for now—there were other, more important things Remi had to worry about right now.
Remi went to take a tentative step forwards but stopped short. She just had such a good view from here. With beads of sweat dripping down his deeply tanned face, Killure helped the men on the ship replace the mast of the ship, which had been damaged by a willful sea creature on the way here.
Something tiny hit the back of Remi's head, startling her from her trance. She jumped in surprise, turning only to find Melee glaring at her from across the bay with her hands on her hips. One of the men was running back from his house with a glass of water in hand, most likely for Melee, while the others sat around laughing and joking.
Raising her hands in surrender and grinning sheepishly, Remi walked over to the docking plank. It creaked ever so slightly at her weight. Killure's eyes were instantly on hers, regarding her with a cool expression for a moment before leaving the crew to handle the remainder of the repairs. He disappeared in a dark blur before appearing before her, tilting her chin up ever-so-lightly with a clawed finger so her eyes would meet his.
His lips pulled upwards into a tantalizing smirk as he murmured, "Enjoying the view?"
Heat instantly flooded Remi's cheeks, and she gulped in embarrassment. "I... I wasn't—"
He cut her off with a short bark of laughter. "You think I just noticed you? Oh, that's rich."
Remi let out an awkward, forced laugh before attempting to turn around and escape the humiliation, but Killure caught her hand and pulled her to him. "Trying to go somewhere, doll?"
"City square, actually," Remi bit back, avoiding eye contact. Her cheeks still burned. "Care to give me a ride?"
Killure tilted his head to the side like an intrigued feline, his eyes dancing with amusement. The sun shone gold across his dark skin, lightening the dark blue of his eyes. "You can ride me anytime, anywhere."
Before Remi could process what he'd said, Killure took her up in his arms. His dark, feathery wings slid out from the jagged slits in the back of his shirt and spread to their full span, and a second later Remi found herself being lifted into the air.
As their surroundings grew smaller and further off in the distance, Remi set her gaze in determination. This was for Kareem, and she would go to hell and back if that's what it took to get her little brother back safely in her arms.