The calm of the night had since reached its end, as the moonlit sky above becomes weary of daybreaks approach. Magnificent sounds of nature grows to a peak, the sounds of many a creature stirring. Aku found himself beyond the typical stroll within the outskirts of town. While the wonderful presence of beauty found itself shining through the horizon, it was but a treacherous location slowly succumbing to the wicked. Aku had heard this particular area called many a name over his adventures in baska, ranging from the badlands to death’s door. No matter what the locals choose to label it as, this particular individual merely associated with lowlife bandits.

The young adventurer certainly never came this way without a good reason; however, such a reason was almost always at the expense of payment. Godfrey had definitely made himself a much richer person through similar means in the past, but Aku couldn’t help but feel that these ‘missions’ became more outlandish with each occurrence. The letter received certainly made his objective fairly straightforward and to the point, but following through with the actions wouldn’t be so easily done.

Aku knew better than to go stumbling into a potential army of thugs completely alone, but bringing a large group didn’t exactly fall within his spectrum of good ideas. It would be bad enough to split this payday several ways, and the risk for failure and problems would grow with each individual. He’d opted to reach out to one partner in particular, Ikazuchi. The duo had thus far proven to be capable of defying all odds, so what was the issue with putting it to the test once more? All he could do for now was wait until the comrades arrival. In the meantime, Aku merely observed his surroundings, allowing himself to remain aware of both the beauty and potential danger.

WC: 314

It was early in the morning with the sun barely over the horizon when Ikazuchi arrived in the area. Nearby was his friend who requested his assistance with a particular matter related to Godfrey, the blacksmith that continued to hire them. Akushitsuna had met him and specified previously the area where the bandits were based, as well as where he wanted to meet up with him on a map.

Ikazuchi took full advantage of his unique sight advantages to make his way next to Akushitsuna and finally greet his friend quietly. “You’re here early.” After saying this Ikazuchi would look in the direction of the bandit camp and survey it properly. He could clearly see a couple of sentries standing guard, but the camp was silent. Considering the time of day, this was about what he expected.

What surprised him more was the vigilance that he could see from the two men on watch. After looking into the group of bandits he would learn that generally speaking they had only committed smaller crimes with a lower fatality rate than normal. It was something that he wouldn’t expect from the average bandits. They would typically be more violent and do things carelessly, but this didn’t seem to apply. ‘Oh well…’ Ikazuchi would turn his gaze back to Akushitsuna and speak once more. “Do you have any plans?”

Word Count: 220

Aku couldn't help but smirk when his friend finally decided to make his entrance. While it was true that he had been early, the young man felt that if you weren't early you were late. "The early bird gets the worm, no?" He waited a moment while Ikazuchi appeared to be surveying the situation at hand, as he assumed that his friend may have come to a similar conclusion about the situation.

'Do you have any plans?' It wasn't like he didn't have a few options he'd been considering thus far, but Aku wasn't exactly expecting the 'bandits' to be disciplined or organized as they'd appeared. In either case, he couldn't afford to wait much longer. If they wanted to catch these guys by surprise they would need to act soon.

After careful consideration of his question, Aku looked back at Ika while adjusting his gauntlet. "I suppose that depends on if you're as slow as you used to be. We need to flank the two standing watch while they transition between watching each others six if were gonna catch em off guard. Last time I checked that leaves us a slim margin every minute give or take a few seconds."

This was the reason he'd decided to arrive a bit earlier than his partner. While he trusted their abilities as a whole, he knew that two against an entire squadron of enemies could pose a threat without some kind of real information to rely on. Did they switch out guards regularly, or show poor surveillance as watchmen by slacking off? IT had become fairly obvious to the young man that they were disciplined, but not quite perfect. After awaiting his partners response he would give a nod and proceed to get into positioning.

WC: 300
TWC: 614

Ikazuchi couldn’t help smiling after hearing his companion’s thoughts, particularly the comment about his speed. ‘Was I that much slower?’ Ikazuchi thought back on that comment for a moment. He wasn’t generally much slower, but he was generally slower than his companion. “A lot has changed in these few months.” Ikazuchi couldn’t help giving Akushitsuna a meaningful glance during a short pause. He managed to make several improvements to his capabilities, and even gained a blessing that he couldn’t explain. He could only sigh slightly and continue to speak. “At the very least, I shouldn’t hold you back.”

Ikazuchi took note of the sun’s current position on the horizon, and then gave the area between their location and the camp a thorough observation. “I will follow your lead on this one. The sentries don’t seem strong, but you know that I’m not exactly...stealthy.” Ikazuchi gave his thoughts about his companion's plan while trying to discern the best way to approach. Ikazuchi moved in a steady and stable manner, and could move quickly when needed. The problem was that even after making his best effort to avoid armor that produces a lot of sound, he still struggled with controlling the sound of his steps and movements at high speed. He didn’t hesitate to check that his gear was equipped properly to ensure that there wouldn’t be any stray clanking. That was the least that he could do for now. As for the path to approach, he would leave that to the more experienced Akushitsuna.

Word Count: 250

Akushitsuna took note of his allies words in response, and he felt as though the sarcasm of his original statement might have been missed. While Aku assumed he was previously the faster of the two; rather, the most nimble should they be speaking on technicalities, this statement had been in all good fun a jest. He honestly couldn't remember a time when this warrior had actually held him back, and honestly felt like the two as a team synergized quite well in most scenarios. Instead of reading into this matter too much, the young man would simply nod when informed he would lead this assault.

Aku would then lean in towards his viewing standpoint, having a slight crouching position as he stares down the two men standing guard. "I will go first to gain a better vantage point, and signal you when to follow." One could see a slight glow coming from his gauntlet while he awaited the proper moment to sneak behind their flank, which would vanish just before Aku lunged a distance of about 12 meters in what would appear to be a portion of a singular second. The entire action took around a half a second to be particular, and would've appeared as a blur to the untrained eye.

Having managed to approach unnoticed, Aku immediately stands upright to peer around the corner of a larger tree. He awaited for a moment to allow the two guards to transition, before quickly signaling Ikazuchi just shy of the exact moment he should move into position.

WC: 261
TWC: 875

Ikazuchi nodded in response to his companion’s intentions and immediately noticed the faint glow from the gauntlet. ‘This should be interesting.’ That’s what Ikazuchi thought as he was already aware of what to expect. His thoughts were correct, and his interest was definitely piqued. Still, the speed produced by his friend surprised him despite knowing what would happen. ‘Knowing and experiencing really are different…’

Ikazuchi wouldn’t lag behind at this point though. He was quick to follow his companion’s lead to a similar area after receiving the signal to do so. Thankfully, Akushitsuna took the further position in order to make it easier for Ikazuchi to take position near one of the sentries. It was easier for him to observe the two individuals from the closer distance now that they had approached.

‘It really is odd…’ Something didn’t sit right for Ikazuchi as he saw obvious discipline in the actions of the sentries. The duo managed to approach easily due to their higher capabilities and skill, but he could tell that someone slightly slower would have difficulties. His doubts wouldn’t slow his actions or cause any hesitation. It was a fact that the two of them were stronger than these sentries by far.

He looked towards his companion and attempted to signal him with hand motions that he would move towards his target at the same moment his companion did. After giving his word that he would follow Akushitsuna’s lead, Ikazuchi wouldn’t suddenly take that back. He could only hope that his intentions were clear enough.

Word Count: 250

Aku awaited as his ally lands a relatively short distance from himself, before returning his attention to sway between the enemies and his ally. While he found himself to the left of his current 'guard', Ikazuchi would have been slightly to the right of the other. After a quick moment of thinking he would await for his ally to catch eyes with himself in order to mouth words without speaking. "I will slowly approach and give you an opening to attack while distracted." With that being said, Aku returns his attention back to the guards, before slowly creeping forward as their attention momentarily moves elsewhere.

The young man found himself dodging and weaving between trees, but moving in such a way that he made next to no suspicious noise outside of what one might expect of the lively nature amongst them on this morning. Upon reaching a comfortable distance between himself and the enemies, Aku would make a hand signal for his ally before rushing the backside of the man on the left. He quickly places the guard into a firm rear naked chokehold that would quickly be able to knock the man out; however, the opposing guard would have since noticed and began to draw his blade.

WC: 210
TWC: 1,085

‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ That was what Ikazuchi thought as he read his ally’s lips. He could understand his companion’s intent clearly enough, so he didn’t think twice as he nodded. He held his position properly as he watched Akushitsuna sneak up to one of the sentries. It was exactly what he would expect of his nimble companion, so Ikazuchi wasn’t at all surprised.

Instead, he found himself appreciating how reliable someone like Akushitsuna was at times like this. Ikazuchi was similarly capable physically, but his personality prevented him from exceeding at stealthy tasks. He tended to take the direct route, even when it was more difficult.

As for now, it was precisely a situation that he needlessly complicated for himself. He had to wait for the perfect moment when his companion took out one sentry to rapidly close the distance and dispatch the other. Thanks to Akushitsuna’s considerations, that wasn’t impossible to do. Unfortunately, that was still more difficult than simply sneaking towards the target himself.

As for the result, it went as expected. In the moment the guard began to draw his sword, Ikazuchi had blurred beside him. ‘Too slow…’ That was Ikazuchi’s thought as his arms moved quickly. In one swift attack he twisted the man’s head around and broke his neck. He didn’t forget to slowly lower the body to the ground before looking towards the nearby sleeping quarters of the other bandits.

After giving it a glance Ikazuchi would look back to Akushitsuna for confirmation, hoping that they were thinking the same thing. That was the obvious target, so he would quickly move towards it once he received acknowledgement from his companion. At this moment it seemed as if it would be best to take as many by surprise as possible.

Word Count: 290

Aku could feel the life of his target quickly fading from his grasps, as the other guard haphazardly drew upon his weapon with full intent upon killing the clear target at hand. It was made obviously clear that the disciplined guard wasn't appropriately trained for the more clear ambush that would soon ensue. Just as Aku's target had lost consciousness and his enemy began to close the distance between the two, Ikazuchi would land behind the poor soul to disable him permanently. While snapping his neck wasn't entirely expected, he couldn't help but feel thankful for the more stealthy approach.

Akushitsuna would then lower the target himself while snapping his opponents neck to be sure. Standing back upright, the rogueish character would exchange nods with Ikazuchi as he enters the sleeping lodge with 8 more 'targets'. He would begin to quietly approach members of the group one by one, swiftly snapping their necks one by one. It would come to no surprise that one of the many managed to awaken during this period of time, but thankfully so after he had managed to eliminate his four targets. "I assume you're here for the scroll, no?" He quickly turned his head to acknowledge what he only assumed was the leader of this group. This individual had clearly more prominent gear equipped, and carried himself as a vastly disciplined man of integrity.

WC:230
TWC: 1,315

Ikazuchi followed Akushitsuna directly into the sleeping quarters of the other bandits without hesitation. They had been briefed on the number of bandits before arriving, so he knew roughly how many were left. Considering the circumstances, it wouldn’t be a difficult task for them to sweep through the various bandits with ease. There were a total of six rooms visible, however the furthest back one was positioned in a way that it would be distinctly larger than the rest. This meant that the rest would likely contain bandits.

They quickly assessed the rooms and determined that four of them were shared by pairs before dividing two rooms between each other. Ikazuchi mimicked his companion’s action and proceeded to smoothly break the necks of four bandits in quick succession, one after another. Among Ikazuchi’s four targets was a particularly light sleeper who woke up at the sound of his companion’s neck breaking. This had surprised Ikazuchi, but in the confined room it wasn’t difficult for him to close the distance before the man could make too much noise. Like the rest, that man died of a broken neck.

Unfortunately for them, their good luck came to an end. The distinct sound of necks breaking or even simply the sound of the quickly shuffling about had awakened the person in the last room. He exited the room just in time to see Ikazuchi and Akushitsuna in the open area between all of the rooms. Ikazuchi was surprised by the man’s question, and would shortly be even more surprised. ‘Why would he assume that we’re here for the scroll?’

It didn’t make sense for someone to assume something so particular, especially considering that he was the leader of a group of bandits. As for how Ikazuchi knew that this was the leader, he simply knew that the information only had ten members so there couldn’t be anyone other than the leader.

There was something that wasn’t described in the intelligence though. This man may have been a bandit, but Ikazuchi knew his true allegiance. ‘A holy knight?!’ It had taken a moment to sort through the information that he gained, but this was the key piece. This person, and possibly even the scroll that they were tasked with obtaining, were beyond Ikazuchi’s current understanding. ‘This isn’t what we were told…’ Ikazuchi was frustrated by the misinformation, but couldn’t say anything to Akushitsuna.

Ikazuchi’s frustration thankfully didn’t slow down his response. “Scroll? What are you talking about? We’re here to take care of bandits, you criminal scum!” He didn’t hesitate to play dumb since there seemed to be more to this situation than they were told. It felt like it wouldn’t benefit them to be too direct, but he didn’t know how Akushitsuna would follow. It was also unknown whether the Holy Knight would believe them.

Word Count: 470

Aku stood confused for a moment as his ally Ika would attempt to act as if they weren’t there for the scroll. He understands it to be a coy scheme of sorts, but once you’ve killed an entire mans platoon there won’t be any ending without a fight to the death. Aku didn’t particularly care how they played out the scenario, so he mere turned in a fashion to face his enemy head on. He then lifted his gauntlet to point at the man, while simultaneously holding his shield up. “We are here to take care of the bandit scum that plague the outskirts.”

The man they assumed to be a bandit captain had since drawn his blade, but before he could confront the duo a bright lighting shot forth from Aku’s gauntlet piercing through the mans eye. As the man jerks back in pain, he leaps forwards with his extended first to punch the man square in the right eye. The force of the impact caused his eye to implode with blood that slowly trickles down as the man fell to the floor. Aku would immediately begin searching the now likely dead mans body for the scroll .

Wc:200

‘Nice.’ Ikazuchi was thankful that Akushitsuna picked up on his intentions and didn’t reveal their desire for the scroll. Ikazuchi simply wanted to avoid what seemed like the most troublesome possibility at that moment. It could still be tedious, but an attempt to avoid alerting the enemy wouldn’t hurt.

Ikazuchi was ready to act against the Holy Knight in question after that, but was a step slower than his companion. ‘Ah…’ Just as he was about to lunge forward, Akushitsuna had already landed an attack against the man. ‘...there goes all of that tension.’ That was what Ikazuchi thought as he relaxed. He didn’t need to step in due to the surprise element of Akushitsuna’s attack guaranteeing the victory.

There weren’t any surprises as the Holy Knight soon ended up on the floor, dead based on the lack of reaction as Akushitsuna searched him. “I will check his room.” Ikazuchi spoke to his still busy companion as he made his way into the Leader’s room. It would only be after a thorough search that he would be able to barely find a scroll and journal tucked away. The only indication of the hiding spot being the slightly rushed placement of the disguise that was likely due to their sudden arrival. Ikazuchi didn’t hesitate to skim through the journal after obtaining it, and soon understood the situation better. ‘I better show this to Aku.’ After Ikazuchi left the room he would hand the journal to his companion and advise him to read it as they headed back to Baska in order to meet their employer.

Back in Baska the duo met Godfrey in the back of his shop where he was initially delighted by their work. They didn’t hand over the journal as it could implicate them in the future with the Holy Knights, but that wasn’t something that Godfrey had been aware of to begin with. It could even be described as a miracle for him to have learned of the scroll considering the extent that the Holy Knights had gone to hide it. The Blacksmith’s mood seemed to shift after reading it, but they were offered no explanation. After properly receiving their reward, they were urged to leave as his business would be picking up shortly.

Word Count: 370