Rolling in the 'Deep [Exemplary]

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

At the sound of gunshots, Ral shot up from his seat. He swung around, only to freeze in place at the sight of the brutalized prisoner. His mouth hung slightly agape, not breathing, the color slowly draining from his face. It was not hard to guess what was going through the young man’s mind. Vincent stood silently for a moment, his eyes locked on the spectacle. As the group began to march once more, Ral let out a grunt and took off wildly across the beach.

Vincent was beside him in a moment; he grabbed at his right arm, throwing his right arm across Ral’s chest simultaneously. He quickly brought the boy down, pulling him behind a nearby tree. Ral flailed madly, attempting to break free. The ex-Turk maintained his grip, eyes still on the group across the sound.

“Let me go! They killed Tal!” the thrashing youngster whimpered, tears streaming down his face.

“You don’t know it was him,” Vincent replied calmly. “We’re too far away to tell.”

“We need to get to him!” Ral sobbed, ignoring his partner’s comment. “He needs our help!”

The pale Prime switched his gaze to the now-motionless human. There were no signs of moment. Vincent doubted very much that whoever had pissed the guards off would survive such violence. Even if the man were alive, the blood loss would kill him before they could reach him. He shook his head, “That was not your bother.” He hoped the dishonesty was not obvious in his tone.

“We…” the boy began, ceasing his fighting, “We have to save Tal.” He sniffled, wiping a tear from his eye.

“We will,” the gunslinger responded. “But we have to be careful. That ship seems to be an imperial transport, we can’t just rush over.”

“Well, we’ll follow them, then.”

Vincent nodded. It seemed to be their only course of action, though there seemed to be no way of executing it. They lacked the watercraft that they needed to make chase. He was certain that he could carry the boy if he swam, but for how long? They would likely be able to ford the water and reach the boat, but by the time they reached it the shit would be long gone. Vincent silently cursed their luck.

“Well, we don’t have much time, so summon the smallest boat that can hold us.” Ral stated, shaking loose of the Prime’s grasp and striding toward the water.

The gunslinger followed his guide, chuckling at his own foolishness.

- - -

“Not bad. It’ll float.”

Vincent opened his eyes as the summoning finished, the glimmering light fading to a dull gray as the boat materialized. The vehicle was the size of a small car, with three seats and a small amount of empty floor near the back for cargo. A robust-looking engine hung from the back, giving the dingy a look reminiscent of a militarized speedboat.

Ral swung his legs over, hopping into the seat in the back closest the engine. He looked worriedly at their target before looking back at Vincent. The summoning had taken just shy of ten minutes; the imperial ship was beginning to vanish over the horizon. “Let’s go!”