Clearing the Trade Route (Job w Haru)

"To touch on some of your points" Johann had retracted his hand and remembered that the people from Midi weren't too big about those and instead offered a bow back "I do in fact know everyone on this ship, I recruited and hand picked the men and women for this task specifically, after all, you'd be best to keep that in mind. The West Fiore Trading Company doesn't care if you're wealthy or not, Takenaka-san, it presents everyone with equal opportunity, given that you possess the necessary merit." After that he went on, addressing the Samurai's next point, carefully pouring himself another cup of tea. In all honesty, he would've prefered something more fruity, or even a glass of wine, but it would be impolite to do so in company of a "guest", in the upbringing of his culture, that was, taking a sip of the hot, steaming liquid. He hated aristocracy and their incredibly backwards mindset, especially those that thought they were entitled to anything by the right of their noble birth, but he figured the other would know that he could take nothing for granted with the few coins he had on himself. Still, the comment about work being for peasants irked Johann more than just a bit.

He sighed before opening his mouth once again to speak "As it stands, you don't have much of a choice, Takenaka-san, you can either work and earn your money, just like everybody else, or don't, and face the consequences."

"Anyway, to continue on" Johann went on to address the next point, not wanting to talk about peasants and lords and nobles for any second longer "and a scout indeed we will need. We know pretty much nothing about our enemy, we don't know who or where they are, just that they operate on the seas between the nations of Tolgalen and Ca-Elum."

Seemingly though, the old Vice President had awoken something in the young Midi warrior that lifted his spirit instantly, and he went on to unpack a scroll and start going on a tirade. He kept babbling something about strategy and a man named "Sun Tzu". It rang a bell, Johann had heard of him before, apparently a famed strategist of old, he had learned about him as part of his military education, but that had been more than 30 years back, and it had bored him to no end when he was young, so mostly, he didn't listen and subsequently hadn't too much of an idea what his Samurai guest was talking about. Still, the other made good points. Johann's usual strategy consisted of finding an enemy and storming into a fight head on, usually ending in him getting beat up pretty good, but his opponents ... well, they usually had it worse. The tactics Takenaka Haruyuki proposed, on the other hand, offered a welcome change of pace from what he was used to, and thus he would accept, stretching his hand out anew "This settles it then, Takenaka-san, we will do as you say, and in the name of Tolgalen, this once I offer you the exclusive right to take the freedoms you need to bring an end to those pirates ... and prove to me that you're worth something. Oh and, about this" Johann pointed down to his stretched out hand with his other "this is how we greet or make a deal where I come from, shake each others hands, I hope it's not too foreign of a concept for you ?" he grinned to himself, hoping the other would offer his own stretched out hand in return.

"Very well then, Takenaka-san, where should we begin ? This certainly seems like a complex and daring strategy for just the two of us. Oh, but I can assure you, discipline and strength will be extraordinary.", the Vice President smiled, taking another sip of his tea before placing the empty cup on the tablet once more, feeling that the other wouldn't have expected such an answer.

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Word Count: 670
Word Count Total: 670 / 1.500

Haruyuki was surprised and awed by that Johann stated he handpicked his crew, that must be over the hundred. It take’s a great mind to do such and requires a great deal of managing experience. The later that Haruyuki hadn’t any experience in and something he had to learn to achieve his goal as a master strategist. He nodded as he listened to Johann.










Haruyuki’s eyes grew great, I can bring them down. “I will not fail, and you shall see my worth!” Said he rather loud, grinning ear to ear. His mind went though of all the possibilities, all the things he should take to heart when leading a soldier to battle.  Johann stretched out his arm again, telling him to shake it. He did do that, a bit cumbersome. “Oke?” He said a bit confused, bowing was so much more convenient. You could do it from a distance and what if the peasants would shake your hand when they were working the field. Let alone all the time you would need to shake them all. He shook the thought away and listened to what Johann had to say.





Two of us? The words echoed in his mind, he opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. Haruyuki shook his head, “The two of us?” He laughed a bit nervously, “Only for the scouting part, right? Right!” You don’t need strength for scouting. He tried to get grip on himself again, “You, eh, as… vice-president… eh, you should stay on the ship, to lead your men there?” He said in a careful way, a general should not risk his when it isn’t necessary. “I’ll go alone, that might be better. If you want to assign someone else with me to give a report.”


WC:363

"Only the scouting part ? Oh no, good man" Johann grinned to himself from ear to ear, somewhat amused at the young man's reaction "We're going to take down those pirates ourselves. Just you and me, so that you're gonna have opportunity amany to prove your capabilities. I'm not gonna stay on the ship, or lead any men", Johann was dead set on taking this matter into his own hands, without risking the life of his subordinates and family members unnecessarily when he knew he had the strength to do it on his own. He wouldn't be at risk, and any wound he would sustain wouldn't matter in the slightest, whereas the vast majority of the other West Fiore Trading Company members weren't as fortunate. No, this wasn't a matter for debate "you, Takenaka-san, Artorias and I will fulfill our duty alone, and eradicate the pirate threat while we have the chance."

"Artorias will scout for us, fly overhead and report back, we will breach the pirates position and attempt an arrest. If they fight back, well, we will of course defend ourselves.", looking over to his companion who gave a quick nod and put down the book in his hands, taking off a pair of glasses and placing them on a table "Understood, of course, my lord", the falcon replied before standing up. Johann now made his way to the door, opening the metal plate and pushing it to the side to open it, once more mumbling something into a lacrima before gesturing the other two men to step out and back into the hallway "Please, Takenaka-san, follow me"

He walked back onto the deck of the ship and down the side along the railing towards the mid, across the steel walls on top, across the enormous turreted guns towards a small boat that was being lowered by a crane. Of course Johann could've formed two runic wings and fly alongside Artorias, but he doubted that the young Midi warrior could do the same, and so he decided to take this course of action. Walking up to the boat he looked inside and gestured for the other while addressing Artorias "My friend, if you may", the knight simply gave a nod before his form shifted into that of a large, majestic falcon before taking off and flying up, circling above the ship. "Now, Takenaka-san, after you", the Vice President smiled towards Haruyuki.

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Word Count: 403
Word Count Total: 1.073 / 1.500

"Of course I'm sure, good man, you won't have to worry about a thing" Johann gave the other man a hearty laugh while patting him on the shoulder before climbing into the back of the boat, waving the other man, who also found his way into the small wooden hull, towards it while Artorias, the falcon knight, still circled overhead. Johann waved his hand towards one of the crewmen before a sudden swing rocked through the bowed before it was slowly lowered closer and closer towards the ever shifting surface of the sea below, the waves gently crashing against the metallic hull of the battleship.

The small boat stopped a good foot before the gently moving waves before suddenly being dropped, crashing onto the endless plain of water, sinking into a bit before adjusting itself and, naturally, staying afloat. Johann smirked to himself before pointing one arm towards the back of the small naval vessel. Of course, normally, one needed oars to move a thing like this, but this was one of those occasions where the Vice President of the West Fiore trading Company was grateful for his wind magic, simply releasing a stream of concentrated, pressurized air that accelerated their boat to a rather fast speed quickly, the vessel skidding across this oceans surface as the water around them splattered at the sides of the boat, Artorias still following and keeping up with them above. This speed was nothing for the falcon, and both himself and Johann could be much, much faster. Still, responsible for their guest, they left it at that.

After a short travel of about 30 minutes on the quickly travelling vessel Johann lifted his hand to his ear as Artorias telepathically notified him through the link that had been established of the thing he had spotted "My Lord, there is a large rock formation straight ahead. It looks like we have found what we were looking for, a large ship is docked there" "Understood, thank you, Artorias". "Very Well, Takenaka-san, it appears as if we have stumbled upon a smuggler or pirate hideout. I hope you're ready to storm their position ?" Johann grinned towards the other man, not really expecting an answer as he slowed down, a large, towering rock appearing on the horizon, stone walls vertically reaching towards the sky on each side. A fortress built into a naturally advantageous position. Johann was happy, he had been craving a good and fun hunt for weeks now, and it looks like he would be getting it, and possibly even teach Haruyuki about what exactly the man had gotten himself into. Now rather slowly, and as quiet as he could, the Vice President maneuvered their own vessel closer to the edge of the large rock, making sure to at least be somewhat hidden by the waves around them, turning his attention to his fellow parenthetically, "So, Takenaka-san, you as a strategist certainly have an interesting approach to this situation that I want to hear about", Johann being semi-certain that he had decided a course of action already anyway.

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Word Count: 513
Word Count Total: 1.586 / 1.500

The boat they travelled with was faster than every other vessel on which Haruyuki had travelled. His stomach seemed to be knotted together, even though he never had any troubles with seafaring. Haru clammed his left hand around the side of the boat as if to not fall off. He stayed silent the whole travel, looking over the endless ripples of silvery azure, until Johann snapped him out of his trance.

Haruyuki looked with a pale face at Johann, Did he say storm? The boat slowed down, and he saw what they were looking for. The hideout was surrounded by a square wall of unmortised stones, easily climbed and easily taken down by a ram or even a catapult if they had any of those. One wooden watchtower stood on one corner. Haruyuki turned to Johann as he spoke. He nodded to confirm and took a good look once more at the island.

The island itself was rocky and there was not a whole lot of vegetation. There was one area covered with a long yellow grass with fluffy tops alongside tree’s almost two men long, but they grew horizontal, with the wind. Flocks of seabirds covered most of the area like a thick carpet of white snow. There where some seals on the shore’s as well. The other side of the island was covered in large rocks. Haruyuki pointed to the rocky shores on the left side, “We ought to get off there, we are downwind there and there is little to no birds there to warn for our approach. It would be wise to stay a ship until the sun sinks; the sun will blind those in the tower, and the wind will not carry our sounds. Then we can scout the camp and see if we require backup or if we can perform any unpleasantries for them.” He turned to Johann for a reply.


WC:319

As soon as the boat had stopped Johann turned to Haruyuki, a friendly smile playing around the corners of his mouth, listening carefully to the young man's answer to his question, nodding periodically to signify his agreement with the other's plan. "Most certainly an intricate, well thought out plan, Takenaka-san. Very well, we will do none of that", having to control himself to not chuckle at that. He would teach the intruder how the West Fiore Trading Company dealt with those that would try to exploit them, no matter if it was sneaking onto one of their ships or trying to profit off robbing their trade routes. Clapping his hand with a loud, echoing sonic boom, both the Vice President and Haruyuki would disappear into a burst of wind, reappearing right inside a corner of the makeshift pirate fort, though remaining in a sitting position as if they were still inside the small vessel, with Johann getting up into his standing position slowly, dusting off the sleeves of his white company uniform, a man in ragged clothing staring at him with a rather confused expression as he dropped the small barrel he was carrying to draw a long knife from his side. "So, here we are, Takenaka-san. Ah, good man, may I introduce myself, I am Johann von Weiss, Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company. It has recently come to my attention that -", Johann stopping mid sentence as he lifted his gaze from the bow he had done to see the pirate was aiming a pistol at him "Well, well, good man. Don't you think we could resolve this matter without bloodshed ? I'm telling you, you would regret it", Johann's eyes flashing with red energy briefly.

"The fuck you on about, geezer. Go die" was the only answer he would receive before an explosion lit up the front of the guns barrel, the projectile exiting the muzzle in a flash of fire and light. Still, way too slow for Johann who, with a simple leaning of his head to one side, dodged the bullet aimed for his head, the projectile impacting in a stone wall behind him "I will take this as a no, then. Most unfortunate, but I have the right to defend myself from agression. My turn", the old man spoke as his eyes turned from their regular white to a deep, charcoal black, the only colour coming from the crimson glowing pupils in their middle. Leaping forward in a burst of sudden, almost instant acceleration Johann rammed his fist into the man's gut, the breath escaping his lungs as he dropped both weapons he had held in his hands, sent flying backwards before impacting into another stone wall with a loud crack, the surface behind bursting with dust and splinters as the motionless body of the pirate sunk to the ground. "They always fight back", the old man spoke to himself, shaking his head as he called out a name "Mars ! I have work for you. I will sap just a little bit of your power", a cackle flaring up, scraping at the back of his consciousness "tssehehe, I grant you your wish ... spread bloodshed and war in my name", the colour of Johann's eyes suddenly changing from crimson red to amaranthine purple.

Lifting an arm up to about shoulder height Johann spoke anew, this time with a deeper, rougher voice than before, his body booming with magical energy "Stand and watch, Haruyuki, and bear witness to the power of Tolgalen. In nomine bellum ...", Johann throwing the arm up as a bright white magic circle with dark black elements appeared, almost engulfing the other, right side of the pirate fort entirely "Fragor ... MATERIA", the magic circle explosively shrinking down in size before collapsing on itself, an extremely bright flash of light lighting up their surroundings briefly before an enormous, growling explosion shook the ground all around them, half of this fortress standing obliterated in the blink of an eye, fire and black smoke rising up into the sky as the shockwave still echoed back from the endless ocean waves around them, the cinder and embers hanging low in the wind.

Johann nodded as in approving his observation and his advice, but his words spoke a different story. The pale colour in his face disappeared and started to glow red. His lips thinned as he tried to find words, words of protest. He was going to stand, to seems bigger as he spoke the next words, but Johann clapped his hands.

Haruyuki stood suddenly up inside the walled compound of the fortress he had been looking at, though still being in the boat as well. His heart skipped a beat from the sudden shock. Johann spoke to him, but Haruyuki couldn’t reply before Johann addressed one of the fortress inhabitants. Haru looked around him, studying the walls and buildings and men within the compound. The lower parts of the walls were older as the top parts, pale lichen and thick moss covert the base of the older wall and the newer parts was less green. The men he saw were mostly armed with sabres, swords and pistols. There were two swivel guns emplaced at the top of the tower. They were both aimed at a different direction, but they could fire inside the courtyard by the looks of it. Haruyuki’s instincts told him to lay his hand on his sword, but he didn’t know the intent that Johann had anymore. Therefore he judged it was better not to show any aggression, though appearing in a gust of wind within the fortress would likely seem aggressive to anyone.

The man with whom Johann was talking fired a pistol shot and Haruyuki could glimpse how the bullet missed it’s intended target. It had looked like it that the bullet would have found his mark. A faint breeze titillated his cheeks and hair, How odd. He wondered how there was wind within the small enclosed compound. A new breeze, much stronger, hit him as Johann seemingly teleported again. Striking the gunmen. Haruyuki placed a hand on his sword and showed a stripe of bright sighing steel but didn’t draw the sword in the end. He took a seat in the middle of the boat and watched when Johann shouted him to watch. Magical circles appeared in the air and moments later half the fort was gone. The sky thickened with screeching birds, followed by two rapid following lightning strikes. The swivel guns fired at Johann. They would never hit their target, Haruyuki understood. Johann didn’t possess true teleportation magic. “Wind and speed”, muttered Haruyuki to himself.

One man with sabre ran shouting at Haruyuki and he slashed out at him. The boat side was in the way and he could not reach Haruyuki. Whom drew his sword and quickly slide closer and nocked the sabre out his way, followed by a chuck slash at his attacker’s throat. Haruyuki slipped back to his place as the life force fled the pirate’s body. He cleaned his sword and sheeted it with a short prayer. His eyes searched for Johann, to see what he was doing.


wc:500

The time around the old man almost slowed down as the two large projectiles approached him in flashes of gunpowder, Johann, using a sudden burst of incredible speed, drew his rapier in an instant, the blade held before himself, golden runes flashing, lighting up all over the blade itself as it coated itself in a holy aura. Within the blink of an eye, the Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company had raised his blade, pointing it at the watchtower itself as what looked like grey scales of thick metal spread across his skin , forming what almost appeared like a magical plate armor around his form, the projectiles simply bouncing off and impacting in a wall behind him. "Gladius Aqua", his eyes momentarily changing their colour again, this time glowing in a deeply blue hue, a stream of dark water forming around the glowing blade before he swung it, sending out a blade of extremely thin water. The top portion of the tower rocked as the attack impacted into the structure, separated from the lower portion instantly before collapsing, burying the occupants under the rubble and disabling the swivel cannons. "Do you still think we need a carefully laid out plan, Haruyuki ? A strategy ? Tsehe ..." Almost barking out, grinning from ear to ear at the destruction he was causing, the two enlarged canines in each corner of his mouth clearly standing out. The demon sealed within Johann, Mars, was driving him to do this, " ... ,There is but one viable strategy, the only strategy I follow in war, slaughter those who stand before me !"

"Wot the hell is this ? Intruders ?", it suddenly rang out behind the old man, Johann turning to see a mountain of a man stumble out from one of the doorways that led to the depths of the now collapsed fort, bleeding from a wound on his head, though seemingly still very much in good condition, wielding in one hand a six barreled pistol and in the other a glowing orb of swirling water. "You were the ones who killed all my men ?" the bearded pirate clamored with his deep, rough voice. It was evident that he was the leader of this little piracy operation, the tall pirate raising the pistol and pointing it at Johann. "Go and peg out, old geezer, you're outclassed. I'm the strongest man on this island !", the pistol lighting up, the pirate captain unleashing shot after shot at the old man, a cloud of gunpowder forming before him, his maniacal laughter echoing over the courtyard. Without visual, the other couldn't even do so much as sense Johann's movements, the runes all over the Vice President's body flaring up as he deflected projectile after projectile with a strike of his rapier, the metal bullets simply evaporating as they touched the golden aura around the Azure blade. As the smoke cleared, Johann's eyes had changed their colour yet again, shining, this time, with a pure, hallowed gold. "Good thing that I am no simple human, then", a voice speaking from Johann's mouth that was entirely unlike his own, deep, distorted, otherworldly and definitely eery, the pirates eyes widening with shock "H-how the -", unable to finish his sentence as a metal projectile forming from thin air pierced his lung, driven into a stone wall behind him as he was pinned to the structure, struggling to grasp it for a few more seconds before finally falling limp, the water he had still held in his hand splashing to the ground.

Haruyuki had expected Johann to outmanoeuvre the cannon balls but to his surprise, he summoned a scaly armour around him in an instant. The cannon balls bounced off him like an air-filled pig’s bladder against a wall, a sight he had witnessed many times in cities he had visited. He noted how Johann’s eye’s changed colour to that of blue. With it came a change to his sword, where water gathered and soon was launched by a swift strike towards the tower. The water stream cut through stone with ease and the tower crumbled down. Johann spoke up and grinned. Those are long and pointy, observed Haruyuki, he nodded. He spoke to him still seated in the boat on which they had travelled. “Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy it.” He paused for a moment, “You do not use all forces at your availability because you are strong enough to take them on yourself. Noble and foolish, if you miss calculate or have made a mistake and you die. Then your forces will scatter. Furthermore, I have to say the following to that thought. Sun Tzu said: The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers. Thus, the same tactics for large armies can still be used for a small group.”
 
Their chat was interrupted by a large man whom appeared at the surface from a cellar. The man didn’t seem to notice Haruyuki, who kept still in the boat they had come to the fortress with. He yawned as he witnessed the short standoff between the pirate and Johann. He chuckled at what the pirate said, Small island with a small population. Six bullets’ were shot and six bullets were deflected by a sword blade, the bullet’s disappeared in thin air. Once more the eyes of Johann changed colour, and his voice as well. Goosebumps appeared on Haruyuki’s arms. The fight was soon over. “So, we can go back to the ship and have some proper tea?” Said Haruyuki whilst still seated in the boat hardly done a thing.