Ikazuchi was making his way through the city center of Baska as the night deepened. It was a relatively peaceful day for him which was spent training himself. Due to his father, he believed firmly in the idea of consistently training when given the chance. The only time that he would take a break would be when he spent his day on a quest. He had recently purchased gear that was more to his liking, so he wasn’t particularly keen on browsing the market on his way to the Inn. It was a decent place for the price, so he had stayed in this particular place for the duration of his stay in Baska.

What he didn’t expect was to be stopped by the innkeeper on his way to his room. It wasn’t for any problem, but he had a letter addressed to him which had arrived while he was out. ‘Is it Godfrey again?’ He felt a bit curious because this was the way he had been contacted multiple times in the past.

Ikazuchi didn’t open the letter immediately, but instead took it to his room. Although the blacksmith hadn’t asked for anything extreme, it was clear that his requests fell in the gray area of the law. If they had been caught, it was likely that there would have even been repercussions. Ikazuchi couldn’t forget the fact that he had on multiple occasions inflicted serious injuries upon people. He didn’t regret it, but he knew that many people couldn’t accept such actions.

Once he was back in his room, he made a point to properly light a nearby candle before opening the letter. The letter was a relatively urgent request for Ikazuchi to stop by his shop tonight after hours without anything more added. ‘I wonder what he needs now?’ Ikazuchi immediately burnt the letter to remove the evidence like he had with previous letters. When it came down to shady dealings such as these, less evidence was better.

Word Count: [330/1,000]

Ikazuchi didn’t consider putting off Godfrey’s request after their several dealings. The man paid him and Akushitsuna well, so he didn’t have any complaints thus far. It also had to be mentioned that Godfrey was a skilled blacksmith, precisely the kind of individual which Ikazuchi attached importance to.

After waiting a period of time for most of the shops to close Ikazuchi opened the window to his room on an upper floor of the Inn and surveyed his surroundings. After a short few moments he chose a route which went to an adjacent building and directly leapt out the open window. He clearly understood his limitations due to his consistent training, so he was able to easily judge the distance and move accordingly.

What followed his stealthy departure from the inn was a series of running and jumping from roof to roof on his way towards Godfrey’s shop. He was able to move freely due to the night being cloudy and overcast blocking the light of the moon and stars, so he went unnoticed on his way. It was only once he was closer to the shop that he entered into the darker alleyways and avoided the gazes of those who still roamed at this time.

From the closest alley to Godfrey’s shop Ikazuchi waited until no one was paying any attention to his area and simply stepped out of the darkness in a normal and casual way. His current attire was still relatively normal considering the large number of mercenaries still in Baska, so no one would question why he was moving around with his armor and weapons. As for when he arrived at Godfrey’s shop, he chose to avoid others and arrive at the back entrance connected to the man’s workshop as the letter mentioned.

After a couple of quiet knocks Godfrey quickly opened the door and ushered Ikazuchi into the building. “You got here quickly.” Godfrey was a direct man, so he didn’t use many words to greet him. Still, there wasn’t any way for him to hide the relief that appeared with Ikazuchi’s arrival. “Of course. So, what is it that you need?” Ikazuchi came with a purpose, so he was straight to the point. Neither of them were offended by the interaction, and a slight smile could be seen lingering on the face of both men. Clearly they were accustomed to each other by this point, so there wasn’t any need for empty pleasantries. In response Godfrey’s face gradually shifted to express some guilt as he answered. “How do you feel about smuggling?”

Ikazuchi was confused for a moment, but quickly answered the blacksmith. “I should be able to do it.” Godfrey was thankful to hear that response, and went on to explain the request in detail. Rather than directly bringing the item himself, Godfrey wished for him to assist actual smugglers through a checkpoint. He required the Cadmium, and wasn’t sure that it would arrive properly without assistance with the Rune Knights. It seemed simple enough to Ikazuchi, so he was ready to leave and rendezvous with the smugglers as he kept in mind the final words Godfrey left for him. “Keep in mind, you can’t kill the guards!”

Word Count: [860/1,000]

Ikazuchi left Godfrey’s shop as stealthily as he arrived leaving very little evidence of his presence. His level of mobility had exceeded the average of a normal person long ago, so it was a simple task to move in unpredictable ways and avoid others. He made sure to avoid others on his way out of Baska as he didn’t wish to leave witnesses to his suspicious activity. It couldn’t be said that he moved like a shadow and left no traces, but by cleverly avoiding the patrolling Rune Knights and more densely populated areas it could be said that there wouldn’t be much difference.

After making it out of town Ikazuchi didn’t have to travel for too long before he arrived at the specific area that Godfrey indicated for him to meet the group of smugglers. What surprised him was that the people waiting for him were casually sitting around a campfire with several bags of luggage nearby. They appeared to be miners from a small village traveling to sell their ores in Baska based on their appearance.

When Ikazuchi made his appearance they weren’t too surprised, but one of the men stood up and approached him with a smile. “Is there anything that we can do for you?” Ikazuchi was confused at first, but quickly realized that they wouldn’t mention the job unless Ikazuchi gave some proof of identity. Ikazuchi reacted naturally at this point and went along with this man’s act with a smile. “I was sent to ensure that you made it to Baska safely by Godfrey when he noticed that you all would be late in your arrival.” Upon hearing Ikazuchi’s response the man smiled brighter and shook his hand indicating that he understood before returning to his group.

Now that they were aware of Ikazuchi’s Identity, there wasn’t any need for them to act harmlessly. With a great amount of skill the group removed traces of their camp before they gathered up with the original man. Only a short amount of time had passed but they managed to not only clear away their campsite perfectly, they had also adjusted their appearance to appear more weary from travel. Ikazuchi couldn’t disguise his appreciation for their skills as he observed them, and this naturally caused the group to feel a bit of pride. “Is there any particular way that you would like to handle this?” The leading man asked Ikazuchi this question before too much time had passed.

“Is there any way that you all could let me take care of the delivery and you all pass through the checkpoint normally?” Ikazuchi was very direct with this inquiry now that they were getting down to business. He had already scouted out the patrol and route he intended to use on his way out, so he had confidence to enter Baska unnoticed as long as the guards at the checkpoint were distracted at the right time.

“Are you sure?” The man was surprised by Ikazuchi’s willingness to take on the most dangerous part of the request, so he had to confirm Ikazuchi's intent. “Of course.” Ikazuchi’s response was very simple and direct. “Understood.” The man naturally wouldn’t care to give the responsibility to someone else and reduce the risks to himself and his companions. He gave the group behind him a glance before they reorganized the bags quickly and gave one to Ikazuchi. Ikazuchi received it with a nod before turning to walk into a more hidden location. “I will follow you all secretly and enter once there’s a chance.”

Ikazuchi separated from the group and eventually entered Baska while they distracted the Rune Knights appropriately. There weren’t any problems on the way back to Godfrey’s shop, so he arrived at the back door to the workshop with ease and greeted the man who was clearly excited by his arrival.

“Any problems?” Godfrey couldn’t resist asking this question after Ikazuchi left the bag with him. “There were none.” Ikazuchi responded with a smile in order to alleviate the man’s worries. “That’s for the best then! Here’s your reward.” The relief was apparent in the man’s voice as he handed his reward. It could even be said that Godfrey was unable to control his excitement as he wanted to usher Ikazuchi out immediately to view his new materials.

“Ah, hold on! I meant to ask, why didn’t you invite Akushitsuna as well?” Ikazuchi was naturally curious about why his companion was excluded for today’s task as the two of them would have had an even easier time together. “I split the delivery into two, so I requested each of you to collect one separately.” Ikazuchi understood after that explanation and bid farewell to Godfrey before returning to his inn.

Word Count: [1,650/1,000] [COMPLETE]