Yellow, White and Red All Over...

https://www.fairytail-rp.com/t35207-free-form-job

Page 18, 450 post


The overcast sky didn't give much calm to the atmosphere of the travelers as Indra walked with a group of mercenaries and merchants. The forest was a steep place with plenty of tall trees and moss that obscured much of the light from their trail. Among the group was a certain muscular individual with jet-black hair. He wore a cloak lightly open, revealing a black light-armor. Upon his shoulder was a small red serpent-dragon, coiled just so to be hanging off the man's arm for the company.

In the center of the 'circus' of travelers were was a young woman with long blonde hair. Her appearance seemed somewhat regal but was dressed in simple clothing and long skirt just appropriate for road travel.

She was the daughter of a merchant guild's master. Due to her need to travel to another branch of her father's guild, she had been the focus of many dark mage attacks, seeking to disrupt trade efforts between other merchant guilds and other trades in different cities. This had not been the first time she was targeted, and certainly not the last. So naturally, they hired some muscle from neighboring guilds. Indra, sadly drew the short straw as he was asked to accompany the other mercenaries.

The only comfort was the brewing thunderstorm overhead. It gave him a more pleasant ambiance to hear the rolling thunder in the distance approach.

The bodyguards were asked to leave the woman, who went by Emilia Reinheart, by herself with the exception of her own guild companions-- two other men who appeared to be personal members of the guild. Possibly ex-knights who handled themselves.

Though Indra had been directly instructed to not bother with the woman, he couldn't help but steal looks at her beauty.

Either way, he marched forward for now, keeping vigilant of any enemies that would come by.

WC: 311

Cetus crept along the tree line, keeping an eye on the group surrounding his target. He'd taken the job, prepared for the job but he hadn't expected so much competition. He had already buried five bounty hunters in the woods since the beginning of the journey. Though given the bounty on Ms. Reinheart, the shark man shouldn't have been surprised. Five hundred thousand jewels for her head was quite a bit of money. It was bound to attract attention. Given the lack of attacks, none of those hunting the merchant's daughter were amateurs.

The shark trusted his instincts. They were the reason he hadn't attacked yet. A steady hum of warning had settled in his gut. There was something about the group around Ms. Reinheart that was off. Possibly someone or something in the group was fairly powerful. Whatever it was, Cetus would wait for someone else to make the first move. He could wait. This hunt wouldn't be over anytime soon. It would get harder the longer he waited yet Cetus didn't mind that. All he cared about was the prize.

As the shadows on the ground lengthened, Cetus crouched in the underbrush. He pulled a magic rifle from his back, one of two he'd looted from the bounty hunters. Several other weapons were sheathed about his body. Camouflage had been applied to both his skin and the weapons. Perhaps he should have done the same with his mask. The bone mask was stark white with a unique visage. The wrong lighting would make it stick out in the brush. Hopefully, they would think it was a ghost or something.

Cetus looked through the sight on the rifle. Not on the group he was targeting. Rather he pointed the rifle at the other tree line. It took a little searching but he found the group he was looking for. They were the most likely to attack. The Crimson Horde or something like that. They'd sent five bounty hunters. What their magic was Cetus wasn't sure. It was nearly guaranteed one was a summoner or able to multiply themselves however. That was the group's schtick. The shadows lengthened further. Cetus watched the group spring into action. His brows raised as the shadows came alive. One of them was a shadow mage then. As multiple forms began to tumble down the hill, Cetus lifted his eye from the scope. How would the bodyguards deal with this attack?

WC: 406

Indra had remained vigilant but calm as Tailong kept curled up on his shoulder. The forest continued to feel still-- but he sensed it. In the back fo his mind, he could smell the approach of enemies. "Stay sharp. We have company, "Indra replied-- alerting his fellow bodyguards. It was a matter of seconds when the first attack came-- in the form of creeping shadow that spread wide, attempting to weave through the ranks and shoot right for the target. The woman in question.

FLASH! A sudden blast of lightning seems to come out of nowhere-- caused by Indra as he turned. An odd choice, but strangely effective as he created a single long-reaching blade of lightning magic from his hand in the shape of a katana. The blade had pierced the shadow with ease, and with a simple flick, he cleaved the shadow apart and reduced it to shreds of dark magic.

The woman and her personal guards were quick to react but Indra had caught the shadow attack just in time. With the clear warning, the guards were encouraged to move the target away from the area where the shadow came from. The other mercinaries began to make their way towards where the shadow was-- in hopes to find the enemy targets.

A fight soon started, but Indra kept his patience-- which was rare. He knew the mission was to protect the woman and her extra guards. Still, an attack from the shadows was not uncommon. He would of loved to charge in like the rest of the guards, but it seemed to be another issue around. A possible decoy attack. He kept his ears, eyes, and nose sharp-- to see if there were any other dangerous threats around.

He already heard a monstrous growl-- and the sound of more soldiers screaming. Someone had summoned some kind of beast to attack the soldiers, adding to the chaos.

WC: 320

The attack was a good distraction. Cetus could potentially use it to take out the target. However, the attack also placed all the guards on high alert. He watched several of the guards get tossed into the air by a summons. The creature seemed to be a strange armored mix of wolf and buffalo. If it got too rowdy, Cetus would put a bullet through its skull. No one would take the kill from him.

The shark man checked the tree line. How many amateurs or inexperienced bounty hunters were here were about to be revealed. A shadowy figure tumbled out of the trees on the far side. The idiot ran headlong toward an apparent weak section. Wind swirled around him. Some kind of shielding spell or a buff spell. Cetus couldn't tell. However, the guards were smart. Those not immediately entangled with the Crimson Horde shifted to shore up their weaknesses.

The crack of a rifle echoed from nearby. Cetus was up and moving before the echo faded. Stupid inexperienced bounty hunters. The woman was laying on a tree branch, still sighting down her scope. Cetus frowned. You moved after taking a shot or two. This woman showed no sign of doing so. Cetus ran up the tree, using his dentils to hook into the bark. He palmed a knife. The woman didn't seem to notice his presence whatsoever. Strange that she'd waited so long but was so inexperienced.

Something slammed into Cetus' back just as he reached the sniper. Ah. A partner. Cetus rolled as he struck the forest floor. The partner hit the ground with a solid thud. He was a beast of a man, muscle bound with plenty of scars. "A pity your apprentice gave you away." Cetus said as he stood. The man was clearly a veteran bounty hunter. The shark man could respect that. It didn't mean he wouldn't kill the man.

Light enveloped the man's arms and his arms seemed to get bigger. "A pity you won't see another dawn." the man said stepping forward. Cetus smiled slowly, letting the man see his shark's teeth. "We'll see about that." The bounty hunter charged. Cetus flipped his knife at the man, followed by a few others in succession. The bounty hunter dodged, a bit more nimble than Cetus had thought. This might be a more challenging fight than he'd imagined.

WC: 399
Total: 805

Chaos soon erupted around the forest. If it wasn't just a hand full of thugs trying to assassinate or rob this girl-- it was two. This entire bloody forest was becoming a battlefield too quickly even though the guards were smart to find cover-- didn't mean the lack of defenses didn't exist. They could easily be countered. As much as Indra wished to be part of the battle, he kept focus. "Tailong," Indra said to the little dragon on his shoulder. "Go to the medics of the team and stay there. If you hear any urgent news, get back to me immediately."

"Hey, since when are you the boss here," Tailong complained.

"JUST DO IT!" he ordered... and made the little dragon take off.

One guy was charging after the target-- a man clad in wind armor of some kind that added to his speed. But Indra intended to be faster. With a simple thought--- Raijuu triggered. Lightning crackled all over him and he took off like a shot, catching up to the attacker. Just as he would get close, Indra tackled him-- diverting his course. The two crashed-- but before Indra returned upright with both hands on the ground like an animal-- his cloak in tatters from the wind armor on his foe.

"Get lost pal. I'm not a sharer," he joked midly as he felt the lightning crackle around him.

(Wandering Storm 2/5. Raijuu 1/5)

WC: 233

Turned out that the bounty hunter wasn't too much of a challenge. The man didn't expect Cetus to step into the charge. His surprise stole his chance to avoid the knife. It slid between his ribs, nice and easy. Cetus was bowled over but the bounty hunter was on his last breaths. Without missing a beat, the shark man drew his handgun. Two shots through the chest of the apprentice. Cetus shoved the dead man off of him. Threats to his taking first - eliminated. Well... He stepped up to the apprentice's body and shot her through the head. Perhaps she would have been better kept alive. A network was important to create for an assassin. Too late for that now however.

Cetus did a quick appraisal of her gear. The rifle was busted from the fall. She had a single knife, nice but nothing worth taking at the moment. A magical handgun was tucked into the waistband. Cetus checked it quick. Nothing special. Just a Taurus 64 SP. Common enough handgun. The bounty hunter didn't have anything of worth either. Time to move. Cetus swiped his sniper rifle as he moved away from the site. Pity. It had been a prime sniping spot.

As he ran, Cetus stopped to take out some of the guards. The target was covered. She wouldn't be hit by anything, given the looks of those magic shields. The best he could do was weaken the guards until his next shot. If he got one. Cetus stopped firing after watching the sixth guard spin to the ground. The Crimson Horde had the opening they needed and their creature tore through the line. Cetus smiled before he faded back into the shadows of the forest. Just as he lost sight of the battle, Cetus caught sight of a mage. He was crackling with lightning. The shark man was almost certain that was the reason he'd stayed his attack. Power almost oozed off his shoulders. It'd be better to take the target out from a distance to avoid getting into contact with that one.

WC: 348
Total: 1,153

The woman tried to muffle her own screams and keep in cover from the mass of assailants. Even though she still had her personal guards, more of the protection were being shot down by somewhere. For the moment, Indra was occupied by the wind-runner mage that moved almost as fast as he did. The two would square off with melee blows-- Indra avoiding the slashes of his dagger as he tried to take a stab at him.

However, the one fatal mistake was when he tried to take a stab-- was the moment that Indra caught his blow-- the electricity of his Raijuu cloak also shock him back for his attack. The moment he fel the recoil of the lightning cloak, Indra struck with his lightning katana and stabbed him clear through the chest. Wind and all with his straight jab.

The wind armor unraveled immediately as Indra let the blade dissipate in his grip. The man crumbled to the ground, dead as Indra regarded him a somewhat speedy opponent. Had he had time, he would have dragged it out for fun, but he knew others were around. He couldn't waste his time with this one.

The last of the immediate attackers, but Indra knew something was off. The fallen soldiers around clearly told him there was someone sniping them off. He couldn't tell who yet.

So he waited. He knew the target was well guarded, so he had a chance to reveal this person out now that he no longer had anyone to fight.

In both a daring and possibly stupid choice-- he stood completely still out in the open. Though his Lightning Dragon Cloak still seethed off his body, he let his mind open and calm. He used all his senses to find this long-range attacker, assuming that was the case. So he waited.

He would let his enemy find him as he opened his senses. Sight, hearing, smell... all the best traits that made a dragon an expert hunter. If nothing else, with him standing like that, could such an enemy resist the chance to land a shot?

(Wandering Storm 3/5. Raijuu 2/5) WC: 352

Cetus followed after the caravan more carefully once they were moving again. He'd eliminated a few more of his competition, scavenging their weapons. There was a feeling in his gut that it would be a little more difficult to take the remaining soldiers down. The mage traveling with them was another problem. He wielding power on a level Cetus himself couldn't yet grasp. Tangling with him would be a mistake on all levels. Yet it was a mistake the shark man might have to make regardless. More likely then not, reinforcements were coming to protect the merchant's daughter. They'd lost a fair chunk of their guards in the attack by the Crimson Horde. Every assassin following the group was going to make their move soon. Cetus would have to slip into the camp at some point during the attack.

Darkness began to swallow the land. The sun was setting. Cetus watched the edge of the forest draw nearer. The caravan hadn't stopped yet. They might not be planning to either. The attack would come soon. It would either be the last attack, ending with Ms. Reinhart's death or it would be the second to last attack. Once the forest was cleared the next best place to attack would be just before delivery. Cetus didn't think it would come to that.

Light burst from the forest. It was a simple spell meant to blind the guards. It worked for a few of them. Then a tight group of three rushed forward. Cetus heard a few rifles bark. Several guards fell. Cetus could make out arrows in a couple of the bodies. The trio slammed into the guards, unleashing their magic. Cetus lined up a shot. Ms. Reinhart wasn't out in the open. Cetus supposed she was either not with the guards anymore or was carefully hidden from plain sight. The shark man planned to eliminate every feminine guard simply to be sure.

The sound of the fighting would hide the sounds of his shots. Cetus took a deep breath. As he let it out slowly, his finger squeezed the trigger. Bang. A guard went down. Again. Bang. Another guard stumbled sideways clutching her neck. Cetus adjusted the rifle. The lacrima powering it had a limited amount of shots as a trade off for more damaging attacks. A rather fine item to be sure. Crack. A guard spun to the ground, her eyes already vacant. The other assassins were steadily picking off the guards at the edges of the fighting too. The shark man could see the guards' numbers rapidly thinning. A concentrated effort from the assassins was destroying what was left of the guards. Cetus wasn't sure he liked it. Assassins were meant to work alone, not as a team. Unless they were apart of a team from the beginning of course.  

Some of the guards were breaking away and running from the fight. The shark man let them go. Hunting them down later would be fun. He settled the rifle against his cheek. Last shot. He aimed at the horses pulling Ms. Reinhart's carriage. Crack. One of the creatures stumbled heavily. Blood quickly coated the horse's heaving sides. Excellent. That would slow them down and possibly force them to reveal Ms. Reinhart. Cetus threw the rifle aside. It was time to get into it. More assassins were breaking from the treeline to join the fight. The shark man slunk down the hillside. The sun was nearly under the horizon. At that point, Cetus would have to use his nose. So close to a battlefield... it wouldn't end well. This job needed to be completed now.

WC: 606
Total: 1,759

The last of his personal enemies were now defeated so Indra knew things on his end were done. He kept a close eye on the target. The woman had still the care of her personal attendants. But he could sense it. The danger was far from over. Someone was sniping enemies left and right along the battlefield and a hoard of other assassins was dedicated to getting to their target. Indra grimaced, hating not only he was exposed in the open like this but he had no real way to intercept the attacks. By now, the woman was back in the carriage, prepared to move out.

"Indra!" Indra looked up to find Tailong in his tiny dragon form flutter towards him from up high. "Shit is getting insane out here. Maybe we should turn tail and run."

Indra ignored the comment. Giving up was never his style-- but the presence of the dragon gave Indra an idea. "Do me a favor. We are moving her again, but I want you to stay with the target and keep her safe... as best as you can anyway. If worst gets to worst, fly her out of here. Got it? There is one enemy out there not some third rate idiot like the ones I been fighting."

Tailong sighed but nodded. "Wow, making me spend time with the pretty lady. You must be desperate to leave her with me." Tailong said in light teasing.

As much as Indra wanted to 'tap that', Indra just growled at the dragon. "Just go, gecko!"

Without arguing about the annoying nickname, Tailong quickly zipped through the air and into the carrage, where he explained to the guards and Ms. Reinheart that he would join the personal security.

A bit of time passed as Indra kept a close guard on the carriage, working to keep sharp of who and what the enemy had in store. He followed just behind the carriage, keeping an eye on things as it moved-- till the shot went off and the horse fell.

"Stay in there!" Indra ordered, hoping that Tailong would guard the woman as needed. To make matters worse, more enemies-- probably not affiliated with the shooter. The more enemies there were, the more trouble he would have finding him. That was the problem. In the back of his mind, he knew this person was smart and deadly. Any gap he would exploit and it was making him mad.

"I don't have time FOR YOU ALL!!" he roared and raised a hand skyward. Lightning magic crackled off his arm as he charged up and then slammed it to the ground. "Lightning Dragon THUNDERCLAP!!" A wave of lightning coursed across the battlefield, hitting all the incoming enemies in one fell swoop. The lightning was so potent that not only did it deal severe damage to them but also paralyzed them.

His sense of smell and hearing was on high alert. Any hint of it he would have to respond to. The sharpshooter was clearly aware that he had to move whenever he made one too many shots. He got a sense of what direction he was in, but he couldn't move without leaving them vulnerable. He waited for one last shot. One more and he would act. He just had to keep vigilant, and not give away his awareness. He kept his back to the carrage, his ears sharp.

WC: 568

Cetus scowled when the mage incapacitated every attacking assassin. Cetus was sitting some 40 meters from the carriage. Too great a distance to run without a distraction. The carriage itself was heavily armored. Shooting through it was out. Now the guards were on high alert and without a distraction. Sure there were still a few assassins picking them off but the guards would start hunting them soon enough. He could try drawing upon the power of the White Court. That might get him across the distance without issue. However, then he'd have to kill Reinhart and make it back again. Too risky.

Cetus rummaged through his belt. There had to be something... ah. A delayed lacrima bomb. Several of them in fact. One of the bounty hunters he'd killed must have really liked explosions.  That'd help. A secondary way of finishing the target if his first plan didn't work. He readied the explosives. Taking a deep breath, Cetus reached for the power of the White Court. The change rippled down his body as he moved. His body might look like a tiger's but it moved like a snake. He threw a few of the lacrima bombs out while covering the distance to the carriage. Each would go off within thirty seconds. A lifetime on the battle field. Before he opened the carriage, Cetus threw another explosive under it.

The door flung wide. Ms. Reinhart cowered against the seat. Cetus threw another explosive inside. You couldn't be too careful. There was some sort of serpent with the target. The shark man spit his paralyzing venom at the creature. A light blue glob exploded from his mouth. The guards were beginning to shout. Cetus scowled. Five seconds faster then he thought they'd be. Cetus enacted a power of the White Prince. Blue tiger's teeth superimposed themselves over his pointed shark's teeth. He dashed into the carriage, biting deep into Ms. Reinhart's throat. Her scream didn't last long. Blood sprayed across the carriage. Job done. Cetus leaped from the thing. No time to waste. His body blurred, vanishing as a few guards reached him. He reappeared fifteen meters away. The shark man wasted no time crushing the head of the guard before him. Have to get away. That was the only thought in his mind.

He felt the blast before he reached the woods. First one lacrima exploded, then another then another. The chain of explosions threw guards into the air. Undeterred, the shark man continued forward. Cetus stopped at the treeline and looked back. His mask hid his grin at the sight of the burning husk of the carriage. Job completed. Now all that was left to do was get away from this place. The shark man turned his back on the chaos. The woods were a perfect place to hide. Hopefully that lightning mage wouldn't catch up to him here. Cetus had a feeling he wouldn't come out of that battle unscathed. It might be one of the few times he was even captured. The uncertainty of it made him want to avoid the battle at all costs. It was simply too risky.

WC: 523
Total: 2,282

Things were growing more and more complicated with the added explosions as Indra had soon went to look-- but the final explosion is what set him off. The caraban exploded just as he heard the scream and shout from both the woman and Tailong in the distance. The explosion went off. He found Tailong-- slightly injured and scooped him up into his arms-- however the woman had been killed. He gritted his teeth in agony and shame.

He failed. The mission was done-- yet he could smell it. The enemy now fleeing fast. He knew now he had to focus on getting out and taking care of Tailong, but that scent. He would remember that scent. The scent of blood, death and something else. If he smelled it again, he would kill that person for killing his charge and ruining his spotless record.

END> WC: 145

Total: 1929