A Daring Rescue (Job- Solo)

Hargeon was a beautiful place. Higher up on the hill, toward the the center of town, the buildings were large, made out of stone with red tiles roofs. As the town sloped down to meet the sea, the buildings got smaller, less grande, and often a little less well maintained. She suspected that down by the docks was where the less wealthy citizens lived. There were also signs of damage to many of the buildings. Holes in the roofs covered by tarps, quickly patched walls, and several sets of scaffolding filled her view. She'd heard that there had been a monster attack here in the not-so-distant past, and she suspected that she was seeing the after effects of that attack.

And the damage wasn't the only part of the town that was less than perfect. After all, she wasn't just here for a sightseeing trip. No, she was here for a job. There were rumors that a slave trade had been picking up in Fiore. The captures women would be transported out of Fiore to be sold in the international market. And that transport ran out of Hargeon. The local authorities were having trouble stopping the ring, so they'd called for help, and Sayuri had been the one who had answered. She had no small task ahead of her, if this ring was so tough to crack, but she was sure she would be able to manage it.

Her first task, of course, would be meeting with the local authorities. They had been keeping tabs on the group for a while now, so they would be able to give her information on them. Who ran the show, where they were located, what there schedule was. Any and all of that would help her track them down and, more importantly, stop them. She knew she would have to take down the leaders if they wanted this to stop. Preferably alive, because the magic council would double the reward if she managed to capture them and bring them in to face justice, and she intended to do just that. After all, she did not kill. She just didn't have it in her. And besides, the women they captured were forced to live through horrible captivity. It was only fair that the ones who put them there should face the same misery.

She finally reached the mayor's office in the city, and hesitated outside, steeling herself before she headed in. It was time to find out what she would be facing.

Word Count: 418

Sayuri sat down in the chair, now across the desk from the mayor of Hargeon. The captain of the guard was also seated next to the mayor, which didn't really surprise her. After all, he would be the one most familiar with the gang and their operations, so he would likely be the one briefing her. The mayor smiled at her, clearly pleased with her presence.

"I take it you're the mage that has come to help us with our gang problem?"

Sayuri nodded. "I am. My name is Sayuri. Sayuri Katsuya." As she spoke, she tugged the front of her kimono just a hair, enough to show them her guildmark, confirming her identity.

"Ah. Yes yes, that's perfect. I'm Hargeon's mayor, and this is Captain Anders, leader of out town guard."

The introductions were rather unnecessary, since Sayuri had already guessed who the men were.

"Of course. It is a pleasure to meet you. I would appreciate it if you would tell me everything you know about this gang. That way I can track them down and take them out. Preferably today, before they have a chance to bring any more of the women out of the country."

This time, it was Captain Anders who responded. "I doubt you'll be able to take the entire gang down in one day. I understand that you're a mage, but they're a tough lot, and well-established in this area. Still, I can certainly give you some information on the group. They're known as the Scarlet Brigade, so called because their captain is known only as Captain Scarlet. No one knows much about her, other than that she's lethal. She's backed up by her lieutenant, First Mate Carver. He's a master swordsman, and unbelievably fast. None of my men who have encountered him have managed to land a single blow."

"The group has to have a base somewhere in town where they hold the women, but my men haven't managed to locate that. They're pretty good at keeping that under wraps. However, we do know their ship. It's called the Blood Maiden, and it's usually anchored off the south docks. They don't even bother trying to hide the ship. Most anyone will think it's just an ordinary ship anyway. And it's always heavily guarded. The captain herself is almost always on board, although the first mate slips off sometimes, presumably to check on their captives. Again, though, no one can manage to follow him. He's just too fast. So if you want to go for the head of the snake, you'd best make for the ship. Again, though, it's open ground and you'll be facing a lot of enemies. It's tantamount to suicide, which is why our people haven't taken it yet. You'll have to come up with some sort of clever plan, if you want to succeed with that, because a full-on assault won't work."

Sayuri pondered his words for a long moment. If he thought this was too tough for an entire squadron of guards to tackle head-on, he was probably right that it was too much for her. Especially since her magic didn't actually do any damage. But it definitely did give her one definite advantage... She suddenly realized that the others were waiting for her to speak.

"Hmm... Well, that you for the information. I'll go check out this boat, and then figure out what I'm going to do from there. No sense making plans until I know what I'm dealing with."

The captain nodded, clearly seeing the sense in her statement. "Well, best of luck then. I hope you're able to come up with something that will work."

The corners of Sayuri's lips turned up in a bitter smile. Thanks for that vote of confidence, captain. Still, she shrugged it off and finished up the pleasantries before heading out of the office, ready to get to work. And it seemed that work was ready to get to her too, because she walked straight out into an ambush.

Word Count: 669

The member 'Sayuri Katsuya' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

The second Sayuri walked out of the building, she was suddenly surrounded by a half circle of what would be best described as some second-rate pirates. There were five of them in total, all wearing normal clothing, but with weird pirate hats, the sort one might use for a costume. Nothing a real self-respecting corsair would use. They also each wielded a cutlass, so cliche it wasn't even funny. None of them held them with any poise or confidence, though. They clearly weren't masters of their art, which meant challenging Sayuri was a huge mistake. She knew her swordplay well, so anyone that was inexperienced had better be ready to get hurt.

The man in the center stepped forward, brandishing his sword in a way that was probably meant to be intimidating. In all actuality, he was using it like one might use a fairy wand, and it made him look ridiculous.

"We 'eard you've been 'round 'ere askin' questions 'bout us, girl! You don' want ta git involved with us, ya hear! We're gonna show you 'ow big o' a mistake this was."

Sayuri sighed. Really? Was he trying to imitate what he thought pirate speech sounded like? Or he just that illiterate?

"Oh no, I'm very frightened at that, whatever the hell it was supposed to be. I'm sorry, but I don't speak moron. I assume you were trying to run me out of town, yes? Well, can we just get this little duel over with so I can get on with this, because your intimidation routine isn't going to work."

As she spoke, she drew her two swords. Her longer one, called Ketsueki, was held in her dominant hand, while she wielded a shorter sword in her left hand. It was a good way to parry blows with one blade, while following up on any gaps in her opponents' defenses with the other.

If the pirates noticed the confidence with which she handled her weapons, they didn't seem to care. Their apparent leader just sneered at her.

"Oh, you talk big now, girl! Le's see what ya've got ta say once ya 'ave some holes in ya! Git 'er, boys!"

Word Count: 363

Sayuri stared unimpressed as the five men charged her. They were a ragged bunch, not the least bit organized. Not surprisingly, the leader of the group reached her first. After all, he'd stepped forward to shout at her just a bit ago. He swung wildly at her with the cutlass, probably expecting to take her head off in one blow. If so, he was sorely disappointed. She deflected the swing with her shorter sword, stepping forward and returning with a blow of her own. She caught him across the side, causing him to drop his weapon and fall to the ground, crying out in pain. She mercilessly kicked him away, not wanting him under her feet while she was fighting his companions. Based on his groaning, she figured he was down for the count.

The other four were more cautious now that they'd seen how quickly she'd dealt with their leader. They approached her slowly, trying to encircle her and trap her against the building, and she let them. Most people would be unnerved by that. For her, right now she had a solid wall at her back, meaning they couldn't get behind her and catch her off guard. That little bit of security meant a lot, and she wasn't about to take the fight to them and lose her advantage.

Of course, once they finally got within range of her blades, she didn't hesitate. She went straight for the closest one, slashing at him with both blades. Unsurprisingly, one hit made contact, and he went down, and she turned her attention to the other three, blocking a sword-thrust from one and kicking him away. He was knocked off balance for a moment, giving her a bit of breathing room.

One off the remaining slavers hit her with an attack, which definitely hurt, but she ignored it, landing a blow to his shoulder, and he backed away, suddenly losing his zeal for battle. Three down, two to go. Her next opponent was a bit too close for her to use her swords very effectively. Then again, he couldn't really use his either. She dropped her off-hand weapon, then punched the pirate in the face. As he staggered back she grabbed the collar of his shirt and slammed his head backward into the wall, knocking him out. It also elicited a few startled screams from inside the mayor's office. Oops...

The slaver she'd knocked away earlier had finally regained his senses, and was coming to the realization that he was the only one left from his group. She watched the emotion flash on his face and realized what he was about to do a moment before he acted. He turned tail and bolted.

"Oh no you don't," she muttered under her breath, sprinting after him. Thankfully, he wasn't very fast and she caught up with him in a matter of moments, and he went down in one hit.

Word Count: 487

A moment after Sayuri had taken the last slaver down, she heard a door bang open behind her. She turned, casually this time, since she thought she knew exactly who it was. As luck would have it, she was not mistaken. Captain Anders stood in the doorway, staring in shock at the aftermath of the battle that had taken place. The mayor and several of his staff members stood behind the captain, craning their necks to try and catch a glimpse of what was going on.

She grinned at the gaping guard, waving cheerfully.

"Oh look at that! You're just in time!"

He blinked. "Did you...? How...?"

Sayuri laughed. Wow, he really had underestimated her. Clearly he had thought she was an amateur. She shrugged.

"Well, I think they were all taught sword fighting by someone's grandmother. One who'd never used a sword. But anywhere, since you're here, can you detain them for me?"

It took the captain a long moment to process what she had said. "Uh... Yeah. Yeah, I can do that."

She grinned. "Awesome! I'll see you later then, hopefully with more of this lot for you handle."

She headed off down the street, leaving the guard to clean up the mess. It occurred to her that if the group had already set up one ambush for her, she needed to be very careful. When their bully squad failed to reappear, they may very well set something else up to catch her. So while it was tempting to head down this main street and save time, that was probably a bad idea. So she headed for one of the side alleys until she found a small street running parallel to the main one. She began to follow it down to the harbor, watching the smaller streets that she passed for anything that looked out of the ordinary.

Word Count: 310

The member 'Sayuri Katsuya' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Sayuri was almost a third of the way down to the harbor when she spotted the trouble. There was a pair loitering in one of the side alleys. She pegged them as member of the slavers' operation immediately. They didn't look half as ridiculous as the previous group she'd dealt with. No cheesy hats, as least. She couldn't make any promises on eye patches, since they were facing away from her. But they definitely looked like a ragged group. The clothing was old, patched, and rather grungy. At they each held a cutlass and a gun. They were trouble, that's for sure.

Of course, neither had spotted her yet. They were both watching the main street intently. Presumably waiting for her to pass by there, so that they could ambush her. She could stroll right past and leave them there. She knew they wouldn't notice. But at the same time, there was always a risk that came with leaving them behind her. If they did realize their quarry had gotten ahead of them they could cause trouble for her down the road. Not to mention the risk that they might mistake someone else for her and attack them. She just couldn't take that chance. She would have to deal with them now.

She casually strolled up behind the duo. She wasn't particularly trying to be quiet, but it was sort of habit by now, and her footfalls made almost no sound on the cobblestones, and the men didn't even move as she approached. That was fine with her. The closer she was to them, the move of an advantage she had. When she was only a few feet away, though, she decided it was time to make her presence known.

Word Count: 290