Sabertooth in: Free the Slaves! (A liberation of Slaves)

Job info::

The sun came up over the horizon, casting a warm orange glow over Hargeon Town. Already folks were milling about, fishermen casting lines, crowds traveling in and out of the port city and children making their way to school. With one of the crowds that were entering the city were Mashyuu and Rocky. The brown haired Dragon Slayer had been here a few times before and every time he visited he enjoyed his stay even when hunting down a serial killer. Mashyuu was supposed to meet two other Sabertooth Wizards on the order of the Guild Master, and together the three Wizards were to help a group of slaves and bring the slavers to justice.

"It seems like this town just can't catch a break. At this rate we might as well just move here and stalk the city at night to keep it safe!" Mashyuu joked to Rocky. Today the Wizard chose to wear some clothes that were more casual. A pair of comfortable brown cargo pants, a set of black high top tennis shoes and a green tee shirt under his mothers brown jacket made up his attire. As Mashyuu and Rocky broke away from the crowd he was traveling with the Wizard took a look around for the meeting location.

At the center of town was a large stone park with plenty of wooden benches and a wishing well at its core. That was where the Master had told Mashyuu to meet the others. He took a seat on a bench near the wishing well and looked over the flyer for the job. While there wasn't any info on what they actually looked like, there was a motive. The slavers were kidnapping women... With any luck on Mashyuu's group's part they would have a lovely lady in the team to use as bait.

WC: 305

Mashyuu Status:

Rocky Status:

Gold Rush Lineage; Passive #1, Siblings gain +100% Jewel (45,000 J)

It was already light when Itori reached Hargeon Town, although the day had yet to reach noon. She had woken up early after yesterday, when she had been given the task of accompanying a more experienced mage from Sabertooth in a job where they would be taking care of some slavers which had been showing themselves a bit more capable than the average group of people who decided to try their hand at earning money by capturing and selling others. The display of competence was mainly that they had been managing to actually become slavers without quickly being caught. Itori wasn't too certain about how those kind of matters had been handled in the past, but these days the nation of Fiore wasn't one which took kindly to slavers, and was sufficiently powerful and rich enough that if they disliked slavers they could make it a bad career choice for anyone in the land or on their waters. In this case it was on the waters: it was easier to escape the law if they only learned about the fact that people had been taken away when you had already left the harbour and could be heading for any other port on the continent, or if it was big enough a ship, anywhere on the world.

Hearing about this Itori had, in fact, woken up before the sun had even hinted at showing itself, and had travelled to Hargeon Town as quickly as possible. That was the only way that she could be there so quickly despite having been in the Sabertooth guild hall when she woke up. There were two reasons for her to be so enthusiastic and ambitious about being there early: one was that she had been in Hargeon Town before, and they had some really good recipes and dishes there. It was a town where there was plenty of fish, and a wide variety of choice, and the people there had made full use of that abundance and discovered a lot of different ways to enjoy that bounty. Itori had to resist the urge to drool as she thought back on all the food that she had managed to eat last time that she came there. She had also managed to get her hand on plenty of their recipes. It wasn't exactly nice or ethical to learn all those recipes, especially since a couple of them were supposed to be secret recipes, but from Itori's point of view her learning those recipes couldn't do any harm, even if she had to use some minor charms to get the cooks to hand them over. She wasn't going to open shop and serve those special dishes to just anybody. She just wanted to be able to eat them whenever she wanted, and she also wanted to be able to share those dishes with her sisters.

Her sisters were somewhat related to the second reason for her waking up so early just to head to Hargeon Town. Itori absolutely despised slavers, and the motivation for that hatred was the idea that somebody would dare to do that to her sisters. The mere thought made Itori's surroundings become chilly for anybody who was good at picking up moods. She and her sisters were all blessed with good physiques and attractive appearances. They were of a race which specialized in using charm and deception to deal with each other and with any other intelligent creatures they encountered. The only people they couldn't wrap around their fingers were the unusually perceptive and the ones who were dead on the inside. But slavers would just try to grab such beauties and try to sell them as slaves, and even though her sisters could take care of herself this fox girl would make sure that anybody who dared to even ponder the possibility would leave this world post-haste.

Calming herself down Itori headed for the park that she was supposed to meet the others who were part of the job. She knew of the one that was supposed to be in charge, since he had been the one to help her sister before anybody else had arrived and Iniki had found herself lost in the town called Ace of Spades. That alone was enough for Itori to be willing to help him without complaint or objection, although she would still at least be somewhat critical in judging him. He had shown the willingness to help her sister at least once, but was he always that kind of person or had it been a one time thing? That and helping her sister was already very good, but was he also a capable mage and leader? It was something that Itori had to find out, and the only way that she would be convinced was if she either got some reports on his qualities or got the opportunity to see him shine with her very own eyes.

She didn't know much about any of the other mages which might be part of the job. She had only been told that there would be others and that she would have to try to get along with them. That wasn't a problem for Itori, but she was still somewhat curious. If the brown-haired man was the leader that meant that they wouldn't be more impressive than him, although it could be that they were stronger but less suited for a leadership role. Itori wasn't sure about that, but she would just have to wait until she met them and see what she could make of them. And she should be meeting them soon, since she was already in the park and heading for the meeting spot which had been described to her.

Once there she quickly saw one (or two, she wasn't exactly sure about Rocky's status, whether he counted as an actual person or not) person already waiting, which made her somewhat surprised. She had woken up very early and travelled very fast, so either they had a method of travel that she had missed, or they had woken up even earlier than she did. Or they had already been in the town or in the vicinity so they had a whole lot less distance to cover. Either way, the one in charge of the mission had already arrived, and Itori didn't think there would be many other mages to join them. The reports said that the slavers were competent and not that easy in a fight, but they were still simple humans without any advanced skills with magic. At least, that was what the Kumiho had thought the reports had to tell her. Even if they were good fighters if they didn't have magic they wouldn't be able to do a lot against somebody who used magic and trickery to avoid fights and take down (or kill) any opponents without letting them know what actually happened.

The brown haired man was there, which was a relief, and it looked like his little companion was also there with him. She found the little earth elemental quite intriguing, as she admitted to herself inside her own mind: she wasn't really interested in having one herself, as she was quite certain that such a thing could only be controlled by somebody who actually had some kind of affinity with the earth and magic that related to the earth, but the idea of animating such a small elemental and making it act as a pet instead of a simple servant or minion was one which made her wonder how one could do that. She couldn't make an earth elemental, of this she was sure, but maybe she could do it with something else... Maybe she could apply the knowledge that she could gain from Mashyuu about his pet to other things, like the spirits that surrounded all of them at all times. It would be tricky, since making a spirit capable of interacting with the physical world took some more effort than just having rock and earth stand up and walk around, but it could be quite useful. If one asked Itori how this was different from slavery, and she was willing to answer them, she would explain (mostly likely by writing it down) that she wouldn't be enslaving creatures with a free will and their own desires. She would be trying to either get them to willingly form a bond with her, or just use non-sentient spirits. Slavery was only a problem if it concerned creatures which might actually object to it.

As for Itori herself, she didn't look like a fox girl at all. She looked exactly the same as she did when she had first met Mashyuu. Instead of a fox girl she looked like an elegant noblewoman from Midi, with as only part of her that was out of place the long and slender sword which was sheathed on her hip. Approaching the brown haired man that was already there and waiting Itori bowed, then straightened and looked at Mashyuu, waiting for him to take charge. Her mood had already turned for the better after the thought of slavers capturing her sisters, so now she just gave the impression of a patient and subservient woman waiting for the one who was in charge to tell her what the plan was. Well, subservient... If one took the appearance of a noblewoman they had to make sure their behaviour matched, so instead of subservience it might be better to say that Itori made it clear that she was willing to cooperate. A woman who was treating the other mages who would partake in this mission with respect and as equals, and acknowledged Mashyuu as the leader unless he somehow proved himself incompetent. Although he might at some point get unnerved at those vermilion eyes of her. They weren't hostile or judging, but Itori had a bit of a tendency to observe to such extents that those who were observed got uneasy.

Mashyuu didn't have to wait long, the shadow of a woman was suddenly cast over Rocky and himself. His blue eyes glanced up at the woman who was bowing and he smiled warmly at the woman he had met once before. A brow raised sharply on his head while the Slayer thought for a long moment. Slowly he slid to the side of the bench and patted the empty seat next to him. "I thought I smelled you. Itori right? Here have a seat while we wait for the others." He offered.

"I don't think I really had the chance to introduce myself to you before. I'm Mashyuu, and this here is Rocky it's a pleasure to meet you..." Mashyuu trailed off while Rocky started to bark and walk in the direction of two figures, one carrying what Mashyuu thought looked like a heavy shield while the other a woman carried a pair of rusty swords. "There, those two are with us. I can smell Sabertooth on em. If that makes any sense." Mashyuu reached down next to the fence and picked up a small stone and launched it towards the pair. As it skipped to a stop at the foot of the man with the shield Mashyuu waved the pair over and waited until they arrived.

When the pair had arrived Mashyuu offered the woman holding the blades his seat and stood up. "O.k. so this is everyone. We all bring different skills to the table but we need to work together. So lets start with what we can do, I'm Sabertooth's Earth Dragon Slayer. I can track, and I'm good at hand to hand combat. What about you two?" Mashyuu asked, pointing to the siblings.

To be honest Mashyuu really didn't like being in a position of power over anyone and never considered himself much of a leader but it seemed like this time he was in charge of the job, if that were the case he was going to treat this as seriously as possible. I really don't want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt, but it is what it is. All I can do is try to make sure everyone stays safe. Mashyuu thought to himself while listening to the other three Wizards explain there skills. "O.k. so now that that's out of the way, who here has an idea on how to go about this? The Slavers like to take women so I think we should use one of you as bait, if not two of you."


WC: 419

Mashyuu Status:

Rocky Status:

Itori raised an eyebrow as the one who would take the position as the leader of this mission apparently invited her to sit next to him as he said that he had smelled her coming. That was rather odd: Itori didn't think humans had sharp enough senses to notice somebody's arrival by smell. She herself could do it, but she wasn't a human even if right now she looked like one. For this man to do the same he had to have a notably good nose. Something she would have to keep in mind, although she didn't usually use any tricks which were betrayed by scent. It would be rather strange to leave such a glaring weakness which anybody with a good nose could pick up on. Just because most humans couldn't do that didn't mean that it was impossible for somebody to catch onto her tricks, especially since humans liked to make use of dogs. Itori had a very good nose, but she wouldn't try to compete with the large siblings of foxes, dogs and wolves. Their noses were even better than those of a fox, who preferred to use all their senses.

Either way Itori shook her head politely and remained standing. She didn't really have anything against the idea of sitting there, but it was better if she at least made clear that there was a difference in their position. This man would be the leader, so he had a higher ranking than her for the duration of this mission. Beyond that he also was just the stronger mage, so even outside of the mission Itori would most likely have to defer to him. She wasn't sure how Sabertooth specifically handled hierarchy, but from what she had seen of humans and Kumiho alike, respecting the people more powerful than yourself was a good way to make sure you didn't get yourself into unfavourable situations. And so Itori remained standing there, watching Mashyuu as he introduced himself and his elemental pet, who had a rather interesting name. It was a very simple name which at the same time was both fitting and slightly childish. Not that Itori would be so rude as to say that out loud. Nothing wrong with giving a pet a slightly silly name. In fact most of the time it was better than making up something truly complex and too serious.

Luckily the man got distracted before he could try to ask for her name. Being a mute could be a real bother sometimes, even if it was self-imposed muteness. Most people thought she was just completely mute instead of just unwilling to speak, which is why they left her alone once she made the signals which explained that she couldn't speak, but that still meant that she had to communicate in somewhat awkward ways. Especially since her name wasn't really something she could just explain with simple signs. She'd have to write it down and that would take time since she'd have to pull out her notepad and pencil. Better to try and stave that off as long as possible. Her sisters knew her name so they could tell the man and the others back at the guild if they really wanted to know.

Once again Mashyuu mentioned the fact that he smelled something rather than seeing it. Humans were supposed to be creatures which focused heavily on using their eyes for observing and sensing, so having this man mention several times how he used his nose for such a thing instead of his eyes was a curious thing. However it looked like his nose was correct, as the two that were arriving indeed gave the impression of being mages, although that wasn't really the same as proving that they were from Sabertooth. The fact that they possessed magic abilities was already a good hint, since mages weren't quite that common, but they could also be from another guild or have no affiliation yet. Itori wasn't sure if she should just trust this man's claim that his nose could tell that they were from Sabertooth, but for now she'd give it the benefit of the doubt, so she just waited for the two, a boy and a girl, to arrive before bowing towards them briefly.

Mashyuu meanwhile was showing himself as the kind of man who treated all women with a certain amount of respect, as he now not only had offered Itori a seat but now was going so far as to stand up to give the other girl his own seat. However that girl immediately rejected it, having chosen to make the pet Rocky her seat instead. A rather curious idea, but the girl seemed the kind who lived pretty much on the fly so maybe it wasn't that weird. Although Itori still had to wonder why her blades were in such a state of disrepair. As somebody wielding a sword the disguised fox girl had learned that somebody who didn't take care of their equipment was most often not trustworthy, and those swords the girl was holding onto looked like they were more likely to rip off pieces of flesh because of all the jagged parts hooking onto the enemy than that they would actually cut and slice. And why didn't the girl have sheaths for her weapons? Having to constantly hold onto them couldn't be comfortable and didn't serve any particular use unless she was constantly expecting an attack.

The boy on the other hand looked a bit more serious, introducing himself politely and explaining what he could do. Describing oneself as somebody who primarily used shields to block attacks was a bit strange for somebody with magic abilities. At least Mashyuu saying that he was a Dragon Slayer explained a bit about his nose. Dragon Slayers were quite mythical creatures so far as Itori had gathered, but she at least knew that they tended to have very sharp senses. Of course they also usually suffered from motion sickness, which couldn't be very pleasant...

Itori's expression didn't change as the brother and sister made it clear that they would only do any part of the job which allowed them to stick together. According to Mashyuu they would need bait, and since the other girl didn't do it that meant that the job of being the one captured was left to Itori. She probably was better at dealing with the situation than the girl anyway, but the fact that those two were proving themselves a bit difficult to plan with made Itori frown on the inside. On the outside she just nodded and bowed slightly at Miyuki, the comment of 'sugar queen' appearing to slide off of her as water sliding off of a block of ice. She didn't find it the most flattering of nicknames, but she wasn't going to let the girl catch onto that. As for Mashyuu, he was clearly trying, but he was giving off small details that made it clear he wasn't really a born leader. He wasn't doing a bad job, but he was treating it as a job rather than letting it come naturally. Itori would have to see if he would become more used to it as their mission continued.

Once it was her turn to explain what her abilities were Itori shook her head and pointed at her mouth, the lips parting and closing twice with no sound coming out. A clear sign that she was a functional mute, so they shouldn't be expecting her to say anything. This would make explaining her abilities a bit more difficult, but it wasn't like Itori could just begin talking just because of that. Instead she held up one hand, various images and shapes flickering into existence above her palm before disappearing again. Since Mashyuu had such a sharp nose he should also pick up on the fact that the images for which it was appropriate in fact also had a smell accompanying them, displaying Itori's ability to not only make images for the eyes but to also deceive the nose and perhaps other senses. Aside from illusions Itori touched the long blade sheathed at her waist. She actually had several other abilities, but explaining those would be a bother and she would rather keep some of her tricks to herself until she had proof that these humans were in the category of people that she could trust. This wasn't Tartarus, where everyone was suspicious, but living for so long had made the disguised Kumiho a wary person.

The girl with the jagged blades was already moving, and her brother was following her, so Itori looked at Mashyuu as she waited for him to decide what to do. The siblings apparently were mostly going to do her own thing, but this Kumiho would first try to see if the appointed leader could do his job properly. It would get her a better standing as well if she looked cooperative instead of just doing whatever she was and going against her leader's orders. So for now she'd have to wait until Mashyuu also began to walk or decide on another plan before quietly following him.

Gee, try to offer some ladies a seat and both of them turn you down... Now I'm standing here looking like a fool. Mashyuu thought to himself while glancing at how everyone was now standing, including Mashyuu. Rocky glanced at the woman sitting on him then at his friend and master, twisting it's head as if asking for help until the woman suddenly got off it. With that done Mashyuu but his attention back on the siblings who were speaking.

He almost scowled at the way the siblings acted before he put his attention on Itori waiting for her to at least work with him and say what she was capable of. But when she opened her mouth nothing came from it. In a way Mashyuu was fighting to keep his blood from boiling and to keep himself from yelling something harsh at them. Things weren't off to a good start and they haven't even found the slavers yet. That's when his nose flared and he could smell the illusions that she cast. "Are those solid too? Can you make false images that would work as good decoys?...." Mashyuu started to ask, excited to see that he might not have to put anyone in danger.

That was when Mashyuu saw that the siblings were walking off. His lips tugged up and his short fangs stuck out from under his upper lip. He took a steadying breath and shouted at the twins. "Hey! We aren't done here. Come back." He ordered, his voice carrying across the park. "This is why I like to work alone." He said under his breath towards Itori with a light smirk on his face.

He waited....waited until the two either returned or kept on their way but if they kept on their way Mashyuu would simply go over a plan with Itori and try to work around whatever insane thing the siblings were wanting to do. "We need to lure the slavers out so you should make an illusion and have it walk around town, we can follow it and when it's alone I'm sure they will come for it. If the leaders don't come for it we can capture one of the slavers and find their camp."

WC: 371

Mashyuu Status:

Rocky Status:

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Itori watched as the two siblings continued walking away even after their leader had told them to come back. Well, the brother at least looked somewhat reluctant, apparently being dragged along by the whims of his sister. She couldn't be the easiest of people to work with. Mashyuu also looked considerably frustrated, both at the sisters and at the fact that Itori couldn't just tell him what she could do. Being a mute wasn't a problem for only the fox girl, but everybody who wanted to communicate with her as well.

The disguised Kumiho frowned slightly at the retreating backs of the siblings before returning her attention to Mashyuu, who was showing considerable interest in her illusions. That was at least something of a relief, since she had gone through the trouble of adding a scent to the illusion so he would pick up on the fact that her illusions were a bit more refined than what one could find if they were to visit your corner magician. It looked like Mashyuu at least was also more creative than the average human, as his first question regarding her illusions was whether she could also make them touch things, which is to say that they would not only deceive the eyes and the nose, but also the skin. That was in fact something that Itori could do, although it was a lot trickier since she had to do it convincingly enough that the other party would not try to push through. Her illusions could give the impression of having actual mass, but if more force was used on them than she was able to account for one would still go right through them.

This was something that she had to make sure that her leader knew, so he could take it into account. While the position of leader didn't appear to come too naturally to him it did look like he could use his brains for plans, most likely because as he had said himself, he preferred working alone so he had to think of what to do on his own. Like a predator who hunted alone he might not be good at cooperation, but he must have plenty of experience with thinking up the best plan to deal with the situation, and honestly Itori couldn't say that she didn't agree with the plan of creating an illusionary bait. They couldn't depend on the siblings, and while she could be bait it wasn't like she really liked the idea.

Itori nodded, then suddenly frowned and held a hand up, making the simple gesture for Mashyuu to wait. She then folded her arms as she looked at him, a rather thoughtful expression on her face as the sun was very slowly rising up, beginning to come close to the noon. She had to make sure he was aware of the weaknesses of her illusions, otherwise he would try to give her commands which she either couldn't perform or which would backfire because he hadn't taken into account all the flaws... She then brightened up, looking visibly excited at the idea as she pointed at Mashyuu, then at the ground, then closed her eyes as she appeared to focus. After about a second or so Mashyuu would be able to feel tremors coming from Itori, as she was using one foot to tap the ground. More specifically, she was using her foot to spell out a pattern for her leader to read. As the Earth Dragon Slayer he might be able to sense the tremors she generated properly, in which case she could use Morse code to communicate with him. This wouldn't work for anybody who couldn't either very accurately hear the tapping of her foot or feel the ripples in the earth, but at least in this case it should work.

The first message would be a very simple one, a repeated 'Can you hear me?' as she looked at him pointedly, quite clearly trying to get him to pick up on what she was trying.

"Stubborn mooks!" Mashyuu swore mostly to himself, speaking of the siblings who were swiftly gaining distance on the trio of Mashyuu, Itori and Rocky. Rocky whimpered weakly and laid on it's belly while looking at it's master than Itori frantically. It was then that Mashyuu put his attention back to the woman that was still at his side. It seemed like she at least was willing to work with Mashyuu and that brought a half smile to his face.
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Mashyuu took a deep breath of air and watched Itori carefully, trying to figure out what she was trying to tell him. He assumed she wanted him to wait and when she started to tap the ground Mashyuu had to think for a moment until he realized that she was using a common code. "YES! Yes I can understand you! Go ahead and tell me what you're thinking." He offered. Mashyuu waited and translated to the best of his ability while thinking on her skills. "The illusion doesn't have to be great, just enough to get captured so we can follow the slavers back to their hide out." He went on.
189
Rocky in the meantime shot up, walking around it's master to make sure he was alright until the Golem realized that Itori wasn't mad but trying to communicate. Once the plan was set Mashyuu motioned for Itori to follow him and started to head for the town market area. "I hope those guys follow from a good spot and don't attack the first chance they get." The Earth Dragon Slayer said to Itori.
262
Eventually the group made their way to the town market and stood just outside it while men and women continued to go about their day, selling, trading and moving things about. "Alright, just put the woman milling about for a bit and then have her come towards an isolated area we can sneak up on someone at."

WC: 319

Mashyuu Status:

Rocky Status:

It looked like fortune was smiling on Itori, as this Earth Dragon Slayer indeed turned out to both be able to sense the tremors created by her tapping foot, and had enough experience with Morse code to be able to understand her. That would make communication a lot easier, especially since it was a form of communication which almost nobody else would be able to listen in on. While tapping the floor in itself created a sound in the air it was a very soft sound, so unless somebody was already nearly on top of them they shouldn't be able to understand what Itori was saying by tapping her foot against the ground. Having established this line of communication Itori quickly began to talk, not wanting to waste any more time since it would be better if they took care of those slavers as soon as possible.

'My illusions can deceive the usual five senses. However they can't stand up against actual force, so while somebody may touch them pressing against them would still have them moving through the illusion. If the slavers are too aggressive they will realize it's an illusion as their assault goes right through the bait. Also right now I can only create an illusion which reacts to what I myself can know and sense. We will have to be careful.'

Itori then followed Mashyuu as he began to lead her and his pet towards where if she remembered correctly the town market was located. The disguised Kumiho nodded as the man talked about how it would be better if the slavers didn't just attack the moment they saw the bait. That would make things troublesome, since it would mean they would have to try and take the slavers down while there were other people nearby, people who could get hurt or be turned into hostages by the slavers. A tricky situation indeed, and not a lot that they could do about it besides hoping that the slavers didn't want to be seen going about their business in broad daylight.

Once Mashyuu came to a halt and told Itori that it was time for her to create the illusion she nodded, pressing her fingers together on front of her stomach and closing her eyes as she concentrated. Creating illusions was her pride and her joy, and now that their success depended on a successful use of her illusions she would have to show everybody the beauty of the subtle art of deception and trickery. The first important part was to create the right kind of target. The woman she created would have to be beautiful and healthy, but she couldn't make her look like a goddess. That would attract unwanted attention. Other than that there were several other factors to take into account...

As Itori focused Mashyuu and Rocky would get to see a figure slowly take shape out of thin air in front of their eyes. She was slightly taller than average, and had a slender build with good curves. Blond hair which reached to her shoulders, large blue eyes, full lips and a small nose. Long limbs and slender fingers, small feet, an overall appearance of beauty although not overly so. Her clothing was a bit more mundane, even going so far as to somewhat downplay her actual attractiveness. The outfit was one that could be owned by the daughter of a simple labourer, who had been blessed with a beautiful daughter and was willing to spent a good amount of his salary trying to give her clothing which she liked but unable to get anything which could truly accentuate her features well. The healthy and attractive appearance should help make sure the slavers caught onto her presence, while the outfit of a lower class girl should keep the illusion from becoming the centre of attention of the entire market, which would be difficult to deal with. Of course Itori was making sure that nobody else saw the illusion being created, but Mashyuu and Rocky got the full show, which might gain some reaction from the man at least since Itori had first formed the body and then added the clothes. Whether she did that on purpose or not...

Once the illusion was complete Itori opened her eyes and nodded, the illusionary woman beginning to follow the trajectory that Mashyuu had described to Itori. The disguised Kumiho made sure that the illusion didn't move too far away from herself, so she could have it react to anything that should attract the illusion's attention. The behaviour of the illusion was also in sync with the status which her clothing gave her: familiar with the town, but a bit nervous because she's surrounded by lots of people of a higher standing. From the way that Itori was frowning and the fact that nobody in the market appeared to notice something was off, Mashyuu's current follower was directing a lot of effort and skill towards ensuring that the illusion was as close to perfect as she could manage.

Eventually the illusion left the market and moved down the street from which Itori and Mashyuu themselves had arrived, slowly moving towards a narrow alley Itori had spotted on the way towards the town market, the illusion looking even more nervous than before about having to walk through such a shady location, hastening her step as if trying to get through as quickly as possible.

(Rolling for foes)

The member 'Mashyuu' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

Itori explained that her spell was going to waver if anyone got to aggressive with it, but it was a chance Mashyuu would have to take... In the ally Mashyuu and Rocky watched, impressed at Itori's ability to make such a real looking person. The Earth Dragon Slayer stalked around the woman and looked her up and down for a bit. "She's good... But she's not you." He said with a wide smile on his face then put his glance on her.
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He stood at Itori's side while Rocky pattered around the area they stood in and Mashyuu watched the illusion stalk around the market. While it looked like the woman wasn't going to get the attention they wanted at first, Itori put the image in a different ally and sure enough two men started to follow her. The men wore a pair of blue jeans with mud on the bottom of them, black work boots and white tee shirts. Long billed baseball hats covered their faces and each man had a gun on their hip and sword on the opposite.
180
Mashyuu placed his hand on Itori's shoulder and pushed ahead of her. "Stay behind me, and let me handle those guys." Mashyuu sort of suggested but mostly ordered the one he was in charge of keeping safe. If the siblings had been there then at least they could have worked together and led the slavers into a real trap. This would have to suffice.
244
The Earth Wizard came up on the two slavers just as they were trying to grab the illusion up and take her. Mashyuu came to the only way out of the ally and the sun cast the Wizards shadow on the men. Slowly they turned around, swords drawn. "Hey there guys. You must be the slavers. Tell ya what... If you tell me where your bosses are at I'll let you walk out of here with only a black eye and bruised ribs." The slavers started to laugh and ran at Mashyuu. The Earth Slayer's finger pointed at the ground and two rocks floated to his fingertips. He aimed his fingers at the men like he were holding a gun. "Rock bullets." He muttered and the two rocks shot from his fingertips like a gun fired a bullet, blasting both men in the face and knocking them out cold. "Alright, these guys should be able to tell us where to find our marks."


WC: 405

Mashyuu Status:

Rocky Status:

Itori wasn't sure whether Mashyuu's comment regarding the appearance of the illusion was supposed to make her flustered or whether it was a genuine compliment, but the only reaction he would get from her was a sly smile with a knowing glint in her eyes. The disguised Kumiho wasn't that easily brought off her balance, although she did find it in an interesting attempt. She didn't believe that Mashyuu was actually trying to flirt with her: he most likely just saw an opportunity to flatter and fluster her and took it. Although he could also genuinely be trying to flirt with her: she did make her human form one which could attract the attention of a lot of people...

However she couldn't dwell on that, as she had to make sure that the illusion wouldn't be discovered as being a fake. She was nearly squinting with concentration as she made the illusionary woman react to everything which it would react to if it had been a real woman, tuning out almost her entire own surroundings as she focused everything on what was going on around the illusionary woman. Itori herself was in a vulnerable position right now, as she wouldn't be able to react in time if somebody approached her instead of the illusion, but she trusted Mashyuu to be keeping an eye on her just as she kept an eye on her own creation. He was a more powerful mage than her, and since he usually worked alone he should be good at making sure he wasn't being approached with evil intentions.

Fortunately it looked like Itori's plan of making the woman not too abnormal an appearance had worked out, as most of the market folks didn't really react to her presence. There were a couple of vendors who called out to the illusion, and one or two males who approached it, but Itori managed to get those to leave the illusion alone by having the illusion turn them all down politely and with clear shyness. Unfortunately she also couldn't really say whether the illusion was doing its job of functioning as bait for the slavers. Not that slavers would show themselves in the open in such a way that people realized what they were, but Itori wasn't picking up on anybody giving the illusionary woman a bit more attention than necessary. It looked like they would have to leave the crowded area before the slavers would show themselves.

As Itori had hoped, once the illusion was moving through a dark alley because she was in a hurry to get home to her father, two men appeared behind it. They had nearly identical outfits, including the curved swords and the pistols on their hips. The disguised Kumiho actually wasn't sure if she was disappointed or satisfied at their appearance. On one hand, she had been hoping that these slavers had some way in which she could clearly identify them. On the other, she was pretty sure that they couldn't have walked across the market looking like that without somebody asking them why they had both a gun and a sword with them.

Itori nearly jumped when Mashyuu suddenly put a hand on her shoulder, being pulled back from her full on attention on controlling her illusion. Looking rather startled she nodded as he told her to stay behind him. She wasn't a fighter, and didn't like violence, so the idea of letting him handle that part of the job didn't bother her at all. While Mashyuu approached the slavers she had the illusionary woman looked around and gasp upon seeing the slavers, slowly backing away from them with a clear expression of uncertainty and fear. Being accosted by two grown men in a dark alley would make any normal woman shake with fear. Itori wasn't sure what she would do with the illusion if the men got to her before Mashyuu was there to intercept them, but luckily the Earth Dragon Slayer was fast enough to attract their attention before she had to worry about that. Although since the illusion was no longer necessary at this point she dismissed it, standing behind Mashyuu as she watched him deal with the slavers.

Seeing her leader in action confirmed Itori's idea that while he wasn't that used to leading others he could certainly hold his own when necessary, as he took down both the slavers with pretty much zero effort. And without causing too much harm either. Certainly a useful ally to have for cases where the going got tough. At the mention of making the slavers tell them where they could find their leaders Itori held up a hand, then pointed at herself to indicate that she would be the one to make the slavers spill the beans. She wasn't sure how good Mashyuu was at that sort of thing, but she had a pretty good way of getting people to talk without even hurting them.

Unless Mashyuu objected Itori would move over to the slavers and choose the one who looked smarter, kneeling down next to his prone form and placing a hand on his forehead. Her hand glowed up for a moment as she restored the man to consciousness, although he would still be very drowsy. Before he could do much more than groan and grab his head Itori would firmly grab him by the shoulders, lift his upper body with seemingly little effort, and whisper something in his ear, after which she looked at Mashyuu and nodded, using her finger to tap out a new message.

'He should tell you what you want to know now.'

The slaver still looked drowsy, actually going so far as to look as if he was in a dreamlike state. Mashyuu would have to try it before he could be sure if Itori was telling the truth, although once he tried he would learn that in his current state the man would answer any questions asked as if hypnotized.

Mashyuu was impressed with how good Itori's illusions were, and if the Siblings had been a little more willing to just tell Mashyuu their plan then they would have likely made a very formidable team. That being said, all the Earth Slayer and the disguised woman had to go on was the that they had some slavers trapped... Before he knew what was happening Itori had taken the lead and did something to one of the thugs.

While he wasn't sure what she had done, Itori assured Mashyuu that the slaver would be very willing to talk. "...What did you do to him? Make me look like one of his friends or something?" Mashyuu asked while dropping down next to the man, wondering why the thug was lucky enough to hear Itori's likely sweet voice.

The Earth Wizard dropped down to his knee and looked the thug in the eye, watching how he looked like he was dreaming. Perhaps that was an effect her voice had on people? "What's your name?" Mashyuu asked, a simple question that shouldn't be hard to answer. "Barrett... I'm Barrett." The man responded...

... An hour later Mashyuu, Itori and Rocky were headed towards the docks, the two slavers had been handed off to the Rune Knights in the area and the Sabertooth team were poised to bring some terrible people to justice. "When we get there, if anything happens don't kill the leader of the Slavers. I'd rather not have to explain that." Mashyuu commanded Itori.



WC: 252

Mashyuu Status:

Rocky Status:

Itori only shook her head when Mashyuu asked her what she had done to the thug, who quite clearly wasn't in his right state of mind after having been smacked in the face with a rock, only to be woken up by Itori and having her whisper in his ear, making him completely disconnected from reality for a short while. She didn't want to explain to him what exactly she had done, especially since she wasn't sure if he would approve of it. Her voice was one which would enthral and enchant almost everybody who were to hear it without fail. A thug like this, a normal human with no strength of will to speak of and no magical talent which might have been used to create defences against such manipulation, could be turned into wet clay in Itori's hands as long as she could make him hear her voice. The only thing she had told him was that she wished for him to help her and her friend out, and that it was all right to just relax and not worry about anything.

That alone had already been enough to make the thug an endless source of information, answering anything Mashyuu asked without hesitation or difficulty. He would even volunteer extra information when possible, attempting to fulfil Itori's request to help her out to the best of his ability for as long as her voice resounded in his mind. It wouldn't last forever, but since Itori was right there she could at least make sure that it would last long enough that they could get all the necessary information out of the thug's head without ever actually having to hurt him. Well, if you didn't count the rock that Mashyuu had shot like a bullet to knock him out cold in the first place.

Once Mashyuu had finished interrogating the man they delivered both the thugs to the Rune Knights, Itori walking away without a second glance as she followed Mashyuu towards where they now knew the ship of the slavers to be. A small mercy for the slaver would be that he would most likely not remember what had happened after Mashyuu had knocked him out. That way at least he wouldn't have to beat himself up over spilling the beans so easily, and the other slavers wouldn't beat him up over it either unless she and Mashyuu told them. Itori wasn't planning to, so that all depended on what Mashyuu was planning.

The Earth Dragon Slayer's command to not kill the leader of the slavers made Itori frown for a moment before she nodded. Personally she wanted to make sure the slavers could never do such things again, but since she wasn't very big on violence it wasn't too difficult for her to give up on the idea of killing the leader. Capturing them and bringing them to the Rune Knights would have to do so far as containing them went. Although before they could get to that they'd first devise a plan for how to capture all the slavers in the first place, which lead to Itori tapping her leader on the shoulder to catch his attention before she began tapping the ground again with one foot, delivering her question through the ground.

'We now have enough information about the slavers, but what is our plan for taking them out? I do hope we are not just planning to charge into them from the front. We have enough information that we should be able to use a better approach than that.'

That being said, Itori wasn't the one to decide that. This was just her sharing her opinion. She just hoped Mashyuu would agree with her and be a bit more subtle than charging in like a wrecking ball, punching out slavers left and right. Then again, Slayers were usually mages whose magic was all about full frontal assaults...even if they could do so in a wide variety of ways. Would her leader actually agree with her and think of a clever strategy, or would this turn into a brawl between Sabertooth and the slavers, the only valuable information that they stole from that thug being the location of the slavers and their numbers and equipment?

Mashyuu stopped in his tracks as Itori tapped his shoulder and started to tell him of her concern on attacking the ship at all. Mashyuu took a few moments to figure out what she was saying. His brows narrowed while he thought. He clearly looked conflicted about what he should do. Never before had Mashyuu really needed to plan a fight in the past. He took a deep breath and took a half step back. "...Alright. Look I don't really know what to do about this. But the Siblings left and we haven't heard from them since. They might have been captured. We could try to use your illusions to walk right on board. But I didn't think to ask of the two men who was in charge. If they ask you a question and you don't speak...well that could get us captured and if only one walks on board then that could be just as dangerous. Plus on the ship my magic is going to be limited. Mostly Dragon Slayer Magic if a fight breaks out." The Wizard explained.

His light blue eyes searched Itori's for a moment and he let out a sigh, he needed to lead her right now. "Alright look. We are going to get close, put up a basic illusion around me, and I'm going to walk you around as my captive. I'll say I had to leave my partner behind because you knocked him out and the Rune Knights were coming by the time I took you down. That should get us to the slaves at least." Mashyuu suggested and offered her a warm smile and led the way to the ship...



WC: 277

Mashyuu Status:

Rocky Status:

From the way that Mashyuu was now looking at her he actually hadn't thought much about what the best way to approach this situation would be. That actually surprised Itori, since she had thought somebody who had expressed a preference to work alone to be used to having to be careful and thoughtful with their actions. Could it be that Mashyuu had so far not encountered any situations where he really had to plan things through carefully, even when he was alone and had nobody to back him up or help him out? If that was so Itori would just have to hope that even with little experience he could still think up a good plan. Simple humans like these slavers could never hope to fight against those who can freely use magic, but that was only if the mages used their brains. If it was just going to be a test of strength...

The information that Mashyuu gave her was worrying, making the disguised Kumiho frown as she folded her arms underneath her chest and thought about the situation. If the siblings were captured they would have to get them back, preferably without harm. Of course if they were captured they were probably placed with the rest of the slaves, and since they were going to free the slaves anyway that didn't so much add another objective as increase the importance of the already existing objective of freeing the slaves. But the two could also have been treated as dangerous, in which case Itori wasn't sure how exactly they would be treated and how to save them. If they had already been killed there was nothing they could do: the Kumiho didn't have all the requirements to try and bring them back if they had already been forced to go to the next world. She wasn't even sure if she could actually do something like that, soul mage or not. Life and death were tricky subjects.

Beyond that there was the problem that on the ship they wouldn't be able to go all out, and that they didn't have enough information to do a complete impersonation. Itori might have been able to do it if she could talk, but since she couldn't it would be up to Mashyuu, who quite clearly was more of a fighter than a trickster. Hunter or not, she didn't think he would be able to fool everybody with what little information he had on the group they were trying to deal with. A tricky situation, one which once again made Itori somewhat depressed about the fact that she was always held back by her own voice, not because it was lacking but because it was too potent. She could try to use that to her advantage, but she didn't trust it. Her past had made it clear that until she learned how to fully control that voice using it would be risky at best.

The eventual plan created by her leader was to pass themselves off as one of those thugs, with Itori being a slave he captured. It wasn't an ideal plan, but the slavers most likely weren't the smartest and most prepared of enemies. It should be good enough, especially if Itori made sure that the disguises were so perfect they would never have reason to question them. If you gave the overall impression that everything was all right, people had a tendency to believe it and fill in any small inconsistencies themselves. Itori didn't doubt her own ability to play the prisoner, and Mashyuu should also be able to live up to the task of being the slaver. It would all depend on the disguises.

Itori nodded, then focused as she once again began to twist and reshape reality to her own likings, creating a new reality with only minor differences from the original, differences which would only last as long as Itori wanted this new reality to exist, and nobody managed to pop it. In this new reality Mashyuu looked like the slaver that they had interrogated, down to the smallest detail. When training her illusions Itori had gotten used to absorbing every single detail of what she perceived, and memorizing it perfectly to be able to create illusions not any different from the original. Somebody who she had seen and been so close to not even an hour ago was no problem for her. She even got Mashyuu to smell like the thug, mostly because as an illusionist she was something of a perfectionist.

As for herself Itori didn't change too much, although she did make her appearance a bit ruffled and mess up, some bruises and a swollen lip, messy clothing, red eyes and lines across her cheeks from tears that had been. A woman who had been caught, who had fought back, but who had been overwhelmed and subdued. Her hair was also a mess now, covering a fair part of her face. To finish it she made a rope wrapped around her hands and leading to one of Mashyuu's hands, one which he would be able to feel. He wouldn't be able to actually pull her forwards with it, but if he did she would be able to pretend that she was pulled. All in all the two now looked like a slaver, just slightly ruffled, and his newest slave, a girl who quite clearly had put up a fight and had gotten a beating for it.

Keeping her head low, her gait reluctant and dragging, her entire posture shrunken and defensive, Itori followed the Earth Dragon Slayer, for all the world looking every single bit like the role she had taken upon herself. She was pretty sure that the only person who could recognize her now was the one who had seen her change her appearance. Well, and her sisters, but those weren't here. Even the siblings would most likely see her as somebody else if they saw her right now. As for the slavers, they shouldn't find a single problem with this disguised trickster, sniffling and sobbing as Mashyuu brought her to the slaver ship. As she walked she managed to give Mashyuu another message through the ground.

"My magic and skills do not lie in fighting. I can support you, but other than that I can only create diversions and illusions. Once the fighting starts I'll go free the slaves."

To his shock and awe Mashyuu was changed, it almost fooled even him. In fact had he not known any better Mashyuu would have believed he was indeed the slaver. He looked himself up and down then smiled at Itori. "Good job. I do have one other plan."
He added and started to walk with Itori as if he were dragging her to the ship. What he didn't tell her was that he had started to conjure a demonic presence inside his soul, summoning it up through his shadow. Only Mashyuu saw it's crimson red eyes looking back up at him and grinning with wide, sharp teeth.

Mashyuu heard Itori's last message before the pair came to the ship. Mashyuu glanced over at Rocky and spoke clearly but silently. "Rocky, hide under the boarding ramp until the fight starts then make sure that only the slaves get off the boat." Rocky understood when to be silent and simply did as it was told. "When I lock you up I'm going to leave you with another spell of mine that will get you free. From there just get the slaves off the ship and I'll take care of the guys up top. They have to be brought to justice one way or another, that means a fight. I'll be alright." Mashyuu added and walked the woman onto the slavers ship.

Oh god I hope this thing doesn't start to take off. I'll be useless. Mashyuu thought to himself as he and Itori stepped onto the main deck of the ship. Slavers and workers walked around, seemingly prepping the ship to take off within the hour. As far as Mashyuu could tell, the crew had gotten enough slaves that they felt they could leave. Standing by the captains cabin was a beautiful young woman dressed like a pirate with flowing red hair. Clearly she was one of the two in charge. Mashyuu wanted to walk up and strike her in the face but she was already headed inside the cabin. Mashyuu looked around and could already smell the siblings, they were close. He grumbled something under his breath and tugged on Itori for her to follow but didn't do so in a harmful way.

Together the pair walked down the stairs to where the slaves were being held. Mashyuu could hear the male sibling what was his name? Mashyuu couldn't remember but did remember his smell. Either way he could hear the man talking to someone else. "Search the ship, free the slaves. Dark One, go with Itori and watch her back." Mashyuu said. From his shadow the dark little creature sprouted, looked at Itori and made a hips thrusting into the air motion towards her than gave Mashyuu a clawed thumbs up. Mashyuu only twisted his head from side to side then made his way back to the top deck to prepare for battle.

WC: 457

Mashyuu Status:

Rocky Status:

(Rolling five monster dice, come on guys only two more posts each and we can finish this job!)