Mistaken Identity

“Hey Shane, you free to check out this new report that just came in?” Draon shouted from outside the break room, only his head visible as he peeked in. The silver-haired mage looked up from his hands, a modified large caliber pistol that he had just obtained, at the Rune Knight Private waving a slip of paper in his hand. Shane smoothly pushed the magazine through the base of the gun, the click of it locking into place becoming a familiar sound to him now.

He was currently in the front office of the Rune Knight HQ, where most of the Rune Knights in Era are posted. They functioned just like any other branch office.

"What's it about this time?" Shane asked in an indifferent tone.

“Multiple reports came in for this. Mentioned something about an aggressive swordsman that’s terrorizing the Yellow Gardens. A few robbery cases in it too. We’ve got a sighting of him in the small park by Yellow Gardens,” Draon read from the paper, a frown on his face. A quizzical look on his face, Shane stood up from his seat and slotted the black handgun into its holster on his left hip while he picked up another red and grey handgun and placed it the holster on his right. He then walked to Draon who was fixated on his handguns.

“You’ve got to let me try them out some time,” Draon said as Shane just took the report from his hand and walked past him.

“Not going to happen, Draon,” Shane replied as he walked out of the front office. As far as he knew Yellow Gardens housed the mid to high income residents of Era, definitely a good target for robbery. Shane walked to the side of the building where Lacrima-powered bikes were parked in a row. All it took was a constant feed of magic power to the Lacrima and he could drive it around.

“I’ve got to get one for myself one of these days,” Shane mumbled to himself as he mounted the dark blue and white vehicle. A twist of the accelerator resulted in a satisfying burst of energy as the vehicle bucked forward. Shane released the brakes and zoomed off towards the Yellow Gardens park, a good fifteen minute away on bike.

[382 words]
[Total WC: 382/3000]

Ashiya knew that most burglaries took place during the day when most people were away from home. He lay low on a rooftop, analyzing the area below for any suspicious figures. His eyes locked on an elderly man carrying a bag an long, thin crowbar who was jimmying a door leading into an alleyway, into what looked like a higher end residence. Ashiya climbed down deftly, and moving silently came up behind the would be burglar, and with a swift blow to the head knocked him out. He was in the midst of placing a runed piece of iron in the hand of the man to activate his electrical bonds, when his keen ears picked up the sound of a bike coming down the alleyway. Not having time to run, he slipped backwards into the shadows, and remained as still as possible.

He knew that if he was caught, the guards would be liable to think HE was the burglar and had just mugged a poor defenseless old man.


[Word Count: 169]
[Total: 551/3000]

En route to the park that was the centerpiece of the Yellow Gardens residential area, Shane’s eyes caught sight of a dark silhouette flashing by in the alleys that separated the rows of houses. The Yellow Gardens residential area was arranged in four layers, an expanding circle starting from the Yellow Gardens Park in the center of the area. Four roads cut through the layers, one on each cardinal direction, cutting them up into quarters. And another four, carved through them in the intermediate directions, were the alleys.

Parking his bike to the side of the road, the Rune Knight stepped off his bike and confidently walked into the alley. His body was loose and relaxed, utmost confidence in his own strength. Furthermore, in this high residential area, what would be expected other than some mugger or robbers?

When he finally went in some distance, he saw an elderly guy, almost in his fifties. He was sprawled on the ground, lying forward, with his arms splayed to the side. A piece of rusting steel was held in his right hand, grip tight. He kneeled down and inspected the man. And then he saw it. He wasn’t sure if he was to be thankful for the magical eye that had replaced his left eye, preferring to have his eyes whole. But his magical red eye allowed him to catch the most minute of movement.

And he had caught something beyond the fainted old man. Shane kept his cool, as though he had seen nothing and slowly stood up. However, the moment he stood back up, the Rune Knight’s right hand flew to his holster, pulled out Huntsman and shot the ground in front of where he had seen the tiny movement.

“The next shot won’t miss its mark if you don’t come out,” Shane ordered as he held the gun pointed at the shadows.

[313 words]
[Total WC: 864/3000]

Ashiya did not flinch, he was fully aware that he had been seen. He slowly moved his hands away from his weapons and stepped out with the grace of a panther. He shook the hair out of his eyes and studied the man before him, taking in the many scars, and the odd eye. "You have a good eye friend." He said, half cracking a joke.

"So, what can I do for you?" He gave a sincerely warm smile. He didn't really feel like the man was a threat, sure the man could likely kill him in an instant, it was more a matter of the way he carried himself. Ashiya let his shoulders visibly relax, something that would make most people lower their guard, especially those not used to iado practitioners. Every major muscle in both arms relaxed, flexed just enough the keep his hands at chest level. His eyes, seeming to burn with an inner fire continued to stare into the man, as if peering into his very soul. Granted he could see the spirits around them, though not a still living soul. Several had already gathered, drawn by the spectacle.

[194]
[Total WC 1,058]

As the man came forth from the shadows, the first thing that Shane caught was his purple eyes. It wasn’t intimidating as it was for his own red eye, but he could feel an air of authority from the owner of the eyes just from the gaze alone. Focus, Shane thought to himself as he filed that away for when he had more time and his eyes landed on another item of interest. The man before him was armed. With a sword.

“Identify yourself,” Shane said, eyes leveled on the young man, a teenager to be more exact. His magic eye caught every movement the young man made, and he could see him visibly relaxed his posture. But Shane had fought his fair share of swordsman. Never underestimate one of them as long as their sword was still within their hands. He had learnt it the hard way during his past training.

Shane, however, didn't get a chance to reply as a sudden change in the air drew Shane’s attention to his right, turning his head to the source of the disturbance only to throw himself forward into a roll before springing back up on his feet. A projectile slash dug deep into the ground where he once stood, barely missing the passed out old man still on the ground. Shane’s right arm was already leveling Huntsman at the attacker.

“Blasted Rune Knights! I was wondering where you guys would appear,” a muffled voice raged from the roofs. A mask. Mottled brown and black clothes. Two swords across his back. And a trailing black cloak. Shane barely needed any time to realize that this was the true perpetrator that the reports had been about.

“So you’re the one’s been a menace around here!” Shane shouted back. His left arm was held straight, palm facing straight down as a black gauntlet of futuristic design suddenly enveloped it. What he got in reply was a sneer and another attempt to send the projectile slash in his direction. But Shane was prepared for it. The pistol disappeared from his right hand as he leapt up on the roof. Armor appeared on his back, a gauntlet on his right hand and metal boots around his feet and shin.

His right hand was held outwards, open palm and a yellow glow emanating from the middle of the gauntlet. But Shane never got to fire it off. He had landed on an area of loosened roof tiles, causing him to lose his footing and fall backwards the moment he handed. The last he heard of the perp was a loud cackle, as he flipped around in the air and landed on his feet. “Damn it!”

[449 words]
[Total WC: 1507/3000]

Ashiya noticed the way the spirits suddenly moved. Another seer was nearby, and was not one the spirits liked. Just as the man before him was about to arrest him for what was technically a minor crime, if a lot of them, just as he saw the knight roll, and a gouge appear in the ground. His eyes narrowed and his body tensed, he knew this magic. He sprung into action in a blur, leaping on top the rooftops and raising his hand, sending a stream of coherent lighting snaking out, and wrapping around the masked man's leg, yanking down, and sending him careening down into the alley a dozen feet from the knight.

          He flipped off of the roof, drawing his blades and landing with a low crouch, snapping both blades up and deftly sliced the straps on the mask, ripping it away, to reveal a man with a similar face, and the same amethyst eyes. He took a half step back, dropping his bade to be pointed at the throat. "Hirito of No Clan. You tarnished the name of the mighty Kiyoshi clan once, and were exiled for your crimes. You know full well the penalties of being caught a second time. I will give you a choice, surrender, as a coward and I will let the Knight take you. Secondly, you may take back your honor in a duel to the death, or finally, I will aide you in committing Seppuku, allowing you to die with honor. If you chose the death, you will be remembered as Kiyoshi Hirito again, and your family will not be punished."


He watched as the foolish wayward cousin attempted to attack him by surprise. Ashiya's eyes visibly crackled with lightning as his grip shifted on his blades, his arms bulged slightly, and as the blade came for his stomach, he snapped both blades down and to either side, snapping the man's blade into three pieces, before returning to form, and driving both blades down across his throat at perfectly parallel forty-five degree angles. Blood shot against the walls of the alley, as the head flew free, the light dimming from the eyes of the dead man, and the body fell back to the ground, the broken sword rolling from the man's hand. Sweat rolled down Ashiya's body from the exertion of the spell he had used.

           Ashiya wiped the blades clean on the mans robes, and sheathed them before saying, "Cousin, you have chosen a coward's death. You are clanless, but having died in battle your family will not be punished." At this, he turned slowly and untied his obi, releasing his swords, and set them on the ground gently, before stepping forwards three steps and bowing to the white haired knight. He placed his arms out straight, wrists just above his head to allow the man to arrest him.

[WC 486]

[Total Word Count: 1,993]

Before Shane could react in time after landing on the ground, Purple-Eyes had already leapt into action. Twin blades were whipped out from the sheaths at his waist in a fluid movement, practiced through thousands of times while, as the attacker from earlier was dragged down to the ground with lightning taken tangible form. The attacker collapsed to the ground with a thunderous sound, no doubt loud enough to catch the attention of the neighbors in the area.

And with a wry smile on his face, unsure if the current situation unfolding before his eyes was simply amazing or purely ridiculous, Shane watched the purple-eyed swordsman masterfully cut away the mask that protected the other swordsman’s face. Eyes with the same hue as the other swordsman in the more advantageous position stared back, albeit without the authority and conviction of the first. Shane saw through it easily, the look of a despondent man, of dignity lost.

From their conversation, the two of them knew each other. But on bad terms. A small scuffle resulted in the other swordsman losing his head, blood splashing across the pale yellow walls in copious amounts and still being splattered upon when the headless body jerked involuntarily before falling backwards. As with the mastery of how he had the drawn his blades, the decapitating move was flawless as well. Most importantly, it was the lack of hesitation.

Shane wasn’t sure what he was dealing with right now. However, as quickly as it had started, the swordsman had turned around, bowing with his swords laid out in parallel in front of him. His entire upper body was in a deep bow, his arms extended to Shane.

Shane’s head bobbed downwards to meet his raised left palm, resting the left elbow on the right arm he had brought up against his chest. He was frowning and let out a groan.

“What have I got myself involved in?” Shane uttered in a low voice, before raising his head again to look at the still-bowing swordsman. He was going to need an explanation for all of this. Not that he cared about the death of the other swordsman who was apparently a felon. Right hand fishing into his pant pocket, the Rune Knight pulled out his iLac and pressed down a few times rapidly before putting it up to his ear.

“Hey, Draon. I need you to send two people out to the southwest alley of the Yellow Parks. I found your swordsman,” Shane said the moment the call was connected. After that, the conversation was mainly a series of short answers. “Yea. He’s been killed. Hmm. Mhmm. I’ve got the one with me. Yea. I’ll take his statement. I’m bringing him to the HQ. Will keep you updated.”

When he was finally done, Shane slapped on a pair of handcuffs on the swordsman’s wrists. The pair of swords was collected in his now free right hand.

“You’re following me back to HQ for a very thorough explanation,” Shane said as he led the swordsman to his bike. It was the first time he had ever took someone into custody on a bike, but it was the only choice he had. It took him roughly twenty minutes this time around, having to take a few detours to avoid the heavy flow of pedestrians.

With the swords in his right hand propped against his shoulder, Shane led the swordsman towards an interrogation room, one of the walls being a two-way mirror. The swords were placed on a rack by wall with the door before Shane showed the swordsman to his seat and took his own opposite his.

“So… talk.”

[609 words]
[Total WC: 2602/3000]

It was.... odd being on the bike. He was not one to use vehicles, more used to horses. And the bike was ungodly fast. He had been surprised to not have been restrained, perhaps, he thought, this knight understood what had happened better than expected.

He was even more surprised when his blades were put inside the room, and not outside. Either the man was very confident, or he was a fool. Either way Ashiya had no plans to use them in the current situation. He returned his attention to the man when he spoke. He was also surprised by the lack of tea. It felt rather rude, but no matter.

When he spoke, his voice was deep, yet smooth and every word considered before being spoken. "I am Kiyoshi Ashiya, heir of the Kiyoshi clan, I have traveled to Fiore to learn of the wider world, taking on the role of a wandering Ronin." He took a moment to allow it to sink in. "As part of this, I am honorbound to help those in need, and to put an end to criminals preying on the weak. Until today, while I have drawn blood, not one has been slain by my blade. Three hundred and twenty one individuals have felt, if not learned, the error of their chosen paths in life. You may even have a report of one of your Knights helping me when a gang attempted to ambush me. I had already incapacitated a third of them before... he? Arrived."

"When you found me, I had seen the old man attempting to break into a house. I used minimal force to restrain him. If you had listened, the man I had killed was an exiled cousin of my clan, a man who was sent away for banditry. Having sullied by honor, and his own, I gave him a choice. He made it, and now his blood is on my kimono. I then surrendered to you, and here we are Knight. With that, may I know your name?" He said, tilting his head slightly. His eyes glanced at the mirror, as if he knew others were watching. Rather eerily, right at one of the observers.

[[wc 367]]
[[Total WC 2969/3000]]

Shane sat opposite the guy he had just brought in, listening to his story again. He had no issues with Ashiya taking the law in his own hands. Hell, in the past few months before he had joined the Rune Knights, he had done the same thing. In fact, the very system of Fiore’s mage picking up jobs were almost similar. The only issue he really had was that Ashiya Kiyoshi had killed the man, with very decisive strokes at that. The silver-haired Rune Knight was impressed by his skills.

“Right. That’s your story. I don’t really care about that old man. My colleague will take care of that. About that man you said was your cousin. Regardless of his past deeds, this is Fiore. Not where you came from. We have laws to abide here. And of all the things to do, you killed a man in plain sight. I was standing right there,” Shane said, frustration showing through his voice as he leaned forward, jabbing all five fingers of his right hand at the table as he spoke. He was frustrated because of the conflict between his duty to the Rune Knights and his own vigilante sense of justice which justified what the young man had done.

“If what you said was true, then I commend you on what you are doing. Heck, I would even buy you a drink for what you just did,” Shane continued. “But I’m a Rune Knight. And I really have no choice but to bring you in. It will be up to the judges.”

And at that moment, Shane’s iLac vibrated in his pocket. Frowning at the disturbance, the silver-haired Rune Knight picked up the phone, jaw dropping open when he heard the other party speak up and then answered affirmatively to the caller. His expression was conflicted as he tried to speak after the call.

Giving Ashiya a stern look, Shane took a deep breath before saying, “The heir to the Kiyoshi clan of Midi huh? I have been ordered to withdraw all charges on you. You are free to go.”

As an afterthought, Shane added, “You mentioned you were wandering while righting wrongs. I would say you’ve got your heart in the right place, but keep an eye on those blades. You may act the judge and jury, but never the executioner. The Rune Knights are always welcoming talented and spirited people in the business of upholding justice, so you might wanna consider.”

“Or maybe Dies Irae,” Shane mumbled begrudgingly but still loud enough for the young man to hear.

[429 words]
[Total WC: 3398/3000]

Ashiya looked slightly annoyed be the man saying he had killed in cold blood. Either way, he was being told to go. He stood, gave a bow and moved to retrieve his swords, tying them back onto his waist befor looking back. "For the record. He was moving to strike me from an inferior position. I met lethal force with lethal force." He heard that last mumbled phrase. 'Dies Irae' he would keep that name in mind and learn more about them. With that, he left through the now open door and ventured back to the street.

[wc 97]
[Total wc 3495]