[F01] Rescue RP!

[Luke Pendragon 0]

First post info
 

Luke's Stats:
Level 1 | HP: 100/100 | EN: 28/28 | DMG: 5 (1 base + 3 weapon skill + 1 weapon enhancement) | MIT: 6 | ACC: 0 | THORNS: 18 | LD: 0

Equipment and consumables:
Weapon: Rare Great Sword with +1 Damage and +1 Accuracy
Armor: T1 Perfect Heavy Armor with Thorns (18* tier) and Mitigation (6*tier)

3 starter healing potions that heal 50 HP

Abilities:
<<Straight sword>> Skill [Rank 1]

+3 DMG

---

Well, there Luke was, on a quest to go rescue someone. He'd paired up with some other players to help finish it. When Luke finally reached the stronghold where he was supposed to go, the robed man came to a stop in front of the armored guards outside. A warm wind blew and kicked up a small cloud of dust in front of them. Moments passed in silence, Luke waiting to see how long it would take the goons to react to his presence. The guards eventually pointed their staffs at the newly arrived loiterer. The way Luke saw it, this would end one of two ways. Peacefully, in that he would be able to trick the NPC guards into letting him in… Or violently, in that he would force his way in. He wasn't opposed to either plan of action. 

If it meant getting through, then the lives of the guards was but a small price to pay. As if that wasn't enough motivation, this little encounter would also serve as a test of his more recently acquired abilities. Not that it made a difference at this point, Luke knew full well what he had to do and was prepared to do it if necessary.

"Hey there, I’m Luke. You're going to let me in," Luke demanded. He hoped, not for his sake but theirs, that these guards were simple enough to simply let him in to the stronghold. Luke was concerned that his late arrival might have gravely impact the outcome of their little mission here. He didn't have much in the way of time to waste on petty obstacles such as security, not when the others were already on the other side of this door. 

The leftmost guard quizzically tilted his head, lowered his weapon, and beat on the door with a rhythmic pattern that signaled for it to be opened. It seemed Luke had succeeded, at least with the leftmost guard, the rightmost guard was another story entirely. As the large door slid open, the rightmost guard gritted his teeth and charged toward him. Without hesitation, Luke threw his right hand out and LUke rushed towards him, then smashed him with his sword. 

The guard was defeated and so Luke proceeded inside the stronghold. He was in, now he just had to find Aisha and Norio, which he suspected wouldn't be hard. From what he understood, Aisha had a rather elaborate ruse planned to fool Nagato. He thought what they had planned was fairly ingenious and hoped it went as planned. If it did, it would make Wato's rescue and the escape that followed that much easier.

Amidst the raucous festivities and the numerous enemies, Aisha and Norio were slowly escorted to see Nagato. Nagato was perched high on the second level of the large open room, looking down on everyone below. This was his world, they were all just living in it, Nagato liked it that way. This was his dominion, where all of his interests converged, both business and pleasure alike. Otherwise enraptured by the always entertaining world of his making, Nagato's attention was suddenly captured by the new entrants to his chamber. It seemed he had a visitor, one that looked like a bounty hunter. If he was correct it was perhaps meant to be even. He was itching to contract a new bounty hunter, as his current one was on thin ice.

As they navigated the sea of guests to get to Nagato, Aisha saw someone all too familiar out of the corner of her eye. It was Minnat, the bounty hunter. Her suspicions were confirmed. The towering scoundrel was tucked in the shadows, clinging to the far right corner of the large chamber. There was something different about him though, something had changed. Then it hit her, his arm was gone, instead replaced with a new one. 

She thought Norio had mentioned blowing his arm off in their duel, but it must not have clicked with her because the sight was throwing her for a bit of a loop. She felt lucky she was disguised, it was bad enough that Minnat was inevitably going to recognize Norio. Losing an appendage wasn't exactly something that was easily forgotten. Chances were he still harbored some hostility toward Norio for what he did.

When they finally reached Nagato, the massive guards bowed to the seated crime lord and made their way back to the entrance of the large stronghold. It seemed they weren't much for words and any they did say, were in some other language mixed with grunts and growls. There they were, Aisha and Norio left to their own devices in front of the terrible Nagato. They had made it this far, now it was time to deliver the goods. 

Aisha let go of Norio only to kick him down onto the ground, causing him to land uncomfortably on his knees, right at the feet of the menacing crime lord. Nagato looked on, keen on what he was seeing but curious what this was all about. He had asked his last bounty hunter, Burgundy, to eliminate Norio ages ago, only to learn from a distant relative of the ruffian that his hunter had been killed. The relative hadn’t let on as to who it was had done the killing. That said; Nagato wasn't born yesterday, the second he heard Burgendy was dead, he knew exactly who had done it. Who could it be but Norio?

"I must say, this is a pleasant, albeit unexpected surprise. I didn't count on Norio falling at my feet until I hunted him down myself. It seems his fate was always sealed, it was just a matter of time before he finally found his way to me. This might be an even greater justice than what I intended originally. I intended him to die but now, here he is, in the flesh. Now I suppose I can do whatever I like with him. You've saved me quite the headache. Do tell, what is your name, bounty hunter? How ever did you acquire this scoundrel? What is your name and what is your price?" 

Nagato spoke with a smile before finally asking the real questions. Impressed as he was with the personal delivery, he wanted to know exactly who he was dealing with and how much he was about to spend. Nagato used to be more careless and freewheeling with his investments, but these days he had more serious partnerships to take into account. He didn't get to be the crime lord he was without making a few deals.

"I am... Nande," Aisha replied, haphazardly coming up with a name on the fly. For all the preparation they did going into this ruse, she couldn't believe she forgot to come up with a name. She hoped it sounded real and wouldn't raise any suspicion. "I was east of here looking for someone else. Upon investigation, I learned this man had dispatched of my target months prior. His good fortune ended then and there. I found him and strung him up - he never saw me coming. I had a feeling someone of your stature would be interested in him." 

Aisha continued fabricating a history for her bounty hunter character. A history at least partially based on true events, at that. No one had come after him but Norio had in fact dispatched of one of her targets. "As for a price...I'm sure we can come to an arrangement. Are you open to negotiations? Perhaps even a trade...?" Aisha suggested, dropping a subtle hint that Nagato may have something or someone she wanted.

"Most impressive, Nande. Esteemed as you may be, I'm surprised I've never heard your name. Unfortunate that we've only just now crossed paths. Any hunter who could acquire the likes of Norio is well worth a contract," Nagato replied, curious how a talented bounty hunter like Nande could've gone unnoticed. That said, the world was a big place. He couldn't be everywhere at once. Hell, between his various strongholds, he was spread thin enough as it was. Don't even get him started on the obligatory trips abroad he had to make at least twice a year. 

All of this said, he liked that even a stranger knew to come to him with a bounty, it was a testament to his far reaching sphere of influence. Any reminder of his dominance was a welcome reminder indeed. In a place where strong people were a dime a dozen, it was satisfying to have a different kind power. "I'm open to negotiations. What do you have in mind, bounty hunter? If it's a trade you're after...my possessions, in terms of items and people, are unmatched. However, before you name your price, I insist I take Norio off your hands," Nagato demanded, motioning the cronies behind his makeshift throne toward Norio.

"Perhaps now you see, to contend with me, is to lose. Escort Mr.  to the prison, gentlemen. There's so much I could do with my new possession, that I need time to weigh the possibilities," Nagato ordered, pondering all the things he could do with Norio as his cronies took him by each arm and dragged him away. 

This was where things started to get muddled, as Norio and Aisha had only briefly discussed this point in the plan. Headed for prison, Norio was to look for Wato, that was clear. That said, it wasn't clear how he was supposed to break out or escape. He supposed that's where Luke could come in, Aisha too if Nagato didn't figure her out first.

"I'm in need of a guy that’s good with science and rumor has it, you're in possession of one of the best out there. A man named Wato. In exchange for Norio, you give me Wato, do we have a deal?" Aisha brokered, making it known what she wanted in return for Norio. She didn't expect such a forward approach to work but it was worth a shot. She was really just buying time so Norio could nose around the place looking for Wato. 

In addition to that, she was also eagerly awaiting Luke's arrival as well. She hoped he wasn't too far behind, one too many wrong moves and they could get in too deep. If that happened, then it would be on Luke to arrive and break all three of them out of Nagato's stronghold. While he was perfectly capable of doing so, Aisha wasn't about to burden Luke like that.

"Hmm... I know Wato all too well, a talented scientist for sure. Though, talented as he was, he should've known better than to make the mistakes that he did. He's been a prisoner of mine for quite some time now. The better part of a year, I'd say. He's repaying me for a mistake that caused me to lose a lot of money. You could say he's working off a life sentence. So unfortunately, I'll have to insist on another arrangement. Perhaps I could interest you in one of my other prisoners? Or perhaps one of my more loyal workers? I know you bounty hunter types get lonely out there in space. I have a brilliant smuggler that I could part with for a while. Far be it for that to be her only talent, though. She's a gifted dancer too. I'd hate to see her go but for you, I'll make an exception. Interested?" 

Aisha didn't immediately respond, both frustrated and disgusted that Nagato had the gall to deny her request. She didn't like this creep one bit, if Luke showed up and brought this place down around them, she sure wouldn't mind. 

"I'm afraid that won't do. It's Wato, or me and my prisoner walk. Allow me to retrieve my prisoner and I'll be on my way." Aisha said, an audible change in her tone. It was clear that Nagato had rubbed her the wrong way with his bargaining. She couldn't say she expected it to be easy to get Wato back, but she would concede that she had already spent more time than she liked conversing with Nagato. She would sooner figure out another way to rescue Wato than continue this needless interaction. In a hasty move, the woman in disguise broke for the area behind Nagato's chair.

Before she could make it to the hall behind his massive chair, two of Nagato's guards stepped in front of her, blocking her way with their weapons. The cold metal pressed tight against her arms as she tried to push beyond them. Strong as she was, these guards seemed immovable. So intent on pushing forward, Aisha hadn't realized that Nagato had followed close behind her. She had only realized her grave error as her helmet was yanked from her head, which in turn caused her to turn around, only to find Nagato himself looming over her. 

Aisha didn't know but Nagato remembered her all too well. Nagato's suspicions were confirmed, he was the victim of an elaborate ruse perpetrated by this woman and Norio, evidently to rescue Wato. How pleasant. Evidently they were all friends, unbeknownst to him.

"Now, isn't this an interesting development. You're the one Burgendy kidnapped to get Norio's attention and now you're both here for Wato no less? It's a small world after all, isn't it? I must say, I admire the effort you must have put into crafting this plan of yours. Waiting the better part of year, so as to not draw suspicion I assume? Disguising yourself as a bounty hunter? Delivering that man as a prisoner? All so you could get access to my stronghold in an effort to rescue Wato? Did I forget anything? Elaborate, elaborate indeed. Although, in the end, you've still failed. Though I suppose you'll get what you wanted all along, a reunion with Wato, as my prisoner." Nagato started waving the guards to take her away. It was easy to be blinded when one was as greedy as Nagato was, lucky for him, he was also quite intelligent.

The lighting in the prison were dim ` Aisha could barely make out the other occupants of the cells as she was pushed forward against her will by Nagato's guards. When they finally arrived at an empty cell, one guard swung the door open and the other pushed her inside. As her cell door shut, she quickly realized she was lucky enough to have been placed next to Norio. This was a massive oversight on Nagato's part. 

At least the two could talk and figure out what to do from here. As it turned out`  Luke would need to break all three of them out. Exactly what Aisha would've rather avoided, if she could. That's not how things went, though. She knew better than to fret over it. She had to focus on the task at hand - finding Wato, wherever he was in this god forsaken place. Judging by how far this hallway of cells seemed to stretch, she had her work cut out for her.

Aisha pressed her face against the bars of Norio's cell. "So, there's been a change of plans...I got locked up." her words hung in the air as Norio shuffled across his cell to meet with her. "I make one wrong move and Nagato gets the bright idea to take my helmet off. Once he saw me, he knew exactly who I was, although not for the reason I thought. He remembered me because he was working with Burgendy when that son of a bitch kidnapped me."

"You don't say," Norio replied, remembering what happened with them all too well. After a labored sigh, the rugged rogue leaned against the bars of his cell, face to face with Aisha. "So, what's next, beautiful? I didn't see any sign of Wato when they put me in here, but that's not sayin' much. Place is huge." 

"Well..." Aisha started. "Frankly, I don't know. We've got to get out of here, that's for sure. Worst case scenario, at least we've still got Luke in the pipeline, right? He can break us out of here and we'll track down Wato together. He's got to be somewhere down here, we know that much." Aisha was unsure how to efficiently move forward. That said, she was thankful that she had at least one more ace in the hole.

"Heh." Norio laughed. "We sure we can count on him to come through for us? Who's to say he won't end up right where we are? You know I love a good reunion, but I don't think this is what any of us had in mind," Norio said snidely, his sarcastic tone cutting through every last word. As much as he wanted to believe that the Luke was every bit the badass Aisha thought he was, he clearly had his doubts.

"Bite your tongue, or I'll bite it for you." Aisha teased, squeezing Norio's face through the bars between them. For whatever reason, Norio liked to pick on Luke behind his back. Generally, she tolerated it and played along, but she hoped it was all in good fun. The last thing she needed was an uneasy alliance between the three of them. They had to be able to work together, trust each other, and play to each other's strengths and weaknesses if they planned to succeed.

"Easy, Aisha... Don't threaten me with a good time," Norio replied, albeit muffled through his squeezed faced. He was mostly ribbing her. He didn't fully understand why, but he tolerated it because he had such a great respect and affection for the woman. Who knew, maybe this Luke would win him over. It had been a long time and he was sure they were both different people than when they first met.

Luke wasn’t far away – no doubt he was already in the stronghold… they just needed to bide their time until he got there. 

Luke arrived at a large circular chamber, greeted by loud music and the unintelligible chatter of many people. It appeared he had arrived during some sort of party or festivity, when really this was just another day at the stronghold. Luke would be lying if he said he expected the complex to be so populated. It was an unexpected development but one that ultimately wouldn't change the outcome of events.

Before Luke immediately sought out Nagato, whom he assumed was the creep watching over this little shindig he had going on, he analyzed his surroundings. All things considered, it was rather mundane - Nagato had at least one guard near each entrance or exit, there appeared to be no soldiers present, and there was no sign of Norio or Aisha either. The one thing that did catch him off guard was the presence of Minnat, the bounty hunter, who seemed to be clinging to the shadows.

Having made mental note of his surroundings, Luke opted to proceed without much caution. Minnat was one to watch but other than that, he didn't have anything to worry about here. All that left was Nagato. Still cloaked, Luke made his way through the sea of people to the stairs that lead up to the second level. On his way up the steps, Luke considered the various courses of action he could take. He could confront Nagato, perhaps try and bargain with him. 

He could try and manipulate Nagato, though he suspected it would be an effort in futility. He could use force, though that would draw unnecessary attention to him and make the impending rescue that much harder. It felt like he was at a bit of an impasse, so when he arrived in front of Nagato, he decided his best course would simply be to wing it.

"Greetings, Nagato. I must say, your guards, they serve you well. One even momentarily stalled my arrival earlier..." Luke remarked, mocking Nagato and his guards of choice. "I understand you have some people of interest imprisoned.” Luke thought of Aisha and Norio. They couldn't be far from here.

"You will release them to me, Wato and his friends. Do as I say and you will greatly profit from this transaction. Or don't… Either way, I will be leaving with them. Understand?" 

"Ah, yes. I was warned that you might come. You're Luke, is that right? Of course, like the others, you're here for Wato..." By who, Nagato didn't say, but one could assume that it was one of his spies. "I'm afraid your negotiation tactics won't work on me, Luke. I also highly doubt you have enough money to persuade me to release my prisoners. Your pathetic bargaining and intimidation tactics are useless against me. Did you really think you could just march in here and get your way? You're an even bigger fool than your friends. I'll make quick work of you." Nagato started rising from his chair in righteous indignation. 

Nagato swung his arms out, causing the robe he was wearing to be hurled off of him. Underneath, he was revealed to be quite muscular. Unbeknownst to most, Nagato was once a talented martial artist in his own right. That said, he wasn't a god. His guards were stronger than him and even they couldn't hold a candle to Luke. Why Nagato insisted on challenging Luke to a fight when he likely knew he couldn't defeat him, had to be due entirely to his hubris. It was too late though - he had made up his mind. Nagato was going to go hand to hand with Luke to show him just who he was dealing with.  

"You don't want to do this Nagato, this won't end well for you..." Luke warned as he ditched his cloak. Truthfully, Luke didn't know enough about Nagato to know whether or not he posed an actual threat to him. From what he could tell, he wasn't giving off a strong vibe. He could never tell that sort of thing instinctually though. Regardless, if Nagato insisted on a fight, Luke would gladly oblige. He slid into his stance and braced himself for whatever onslaught Nagato had in store for him.

"You underestimate me, Luke. I'm a man of culture and a man of far reaching power but make no mistake, I'm a man of physical prowess, too. Rarely will I ever dirty my hands like this but for you… for this, I'll make an exception," Nagato announced, just before he swung his leg toward Luke, aiming to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick to Luke's head.

Luke threw his right arm up in time to push away the kick with a sudden swip of the sword. Judging solely by how heavy the kick was, Luke was able to discern that Nagato was augmented in terms of strength, even if he hadn’t shown signs of being strong himself. That didn't mean Nagato was to be taken lightly, he still had to stay on his toes. Luke pushed Nagato's leg away and threw a punch with his left hand which shot a concentrated burst of air at his face. 

When the shot made contact, Nagato was almost immediately pushed downward by the sheer force of the blow. He hadn't accounted for Luke's sword art abilities, perhaps now he understood why he had been warned about Luke. Realizing he had to go all out, Nagato tackled Luke, causing them both to fall down. 

Luke's back smacked against the cold floor below, his body also breaking Nagato's fall. As Nagato began to mercilessly pummel Luke, a crowd gathered around to watch. The composed individual he was, it certainly wasn't everyday that Nagato broke into a brawl with a stranger. Luke wasn't taking much in the way of damage from Nagato, seeing as though he was calling upon the his armor to stop the punches each time… but he could've done without the fall. The question now was how Luke was going to get out of this. Then it hit him, he knew what to do.

As Nagato kept getting annoyed at the mitigation games, Luke smacked him with his sword, which made Nagato quickly get off of him. Before Nagato could even hit the ground, Luke stuck his hand out, gripping him with the weapon he still held control over. Luke held him up in the air, suspended for a few moments before he finished by hurling him into the crowd of onlookers.

With Nagato handled for the moment, Luke had bought some time - time to get a hold of Aisha and figure out where she and Norio were. Luke stood up and began with a deep breath. He let the air out slowly, and cleared his mind. 

Aisha heard the commotion and shouted "Luke! We're here! Me and Norio are in the brig, down the hall!" She turned to Norio and said, “see, I told you he’d show up.” 

"Is that right? Better late than never, I guess." Norio replied with a smirk, before turning his attention to the hallway as well. 

Luke used his legs to push himself upward, moving over the crowd and touching down behind them. There, he was greeted by two guards standing in opposition to him. They held out their staffs in an effort to initiate combat, but Luke had something different in mind. 

With but a flick of his wrist, Luke was able to separate the united front, hurling them to either side without laying a hand on either of them. Now that Nagato had warmed him up, he wasn't going to be stopped. Now, he was to find Aisha and Norio and break them out. Once that was done, it was Wato they were after. With any luck, he wasn't too far from here either.

Luke strode down the seemingly endless hallway with cells on either side of him. He briefly glanced into each, searching for Aisha and Norio. He saw all manner of strange individuals, all people Nagato had acquired over the years. To think, Wato had been here for the better part of a year. As he proceeded further down the hall, he finally caught them out of the corner of his eye. Norio's purple long sleeve shirt was the first thing to tip him off, he looked the same as the last time he saw him, though now his sleeves were rolled up and he was wearing gloves. Next to Norio's cell, was Aisha. It was hard to say in the low lighting, but he was certain she was beautiful as ever.

Luke rushed to Aisha's cell first, coming face to face with her. Her outfit was a bit different and her hair up in a pony tail, but recognizable nonetheless. Without a word, Luke picked the lock off of her cell and swung it open. 

"Aisha, how did this happen? Surely this wasn't part of your plan," Luke asked as he pulled her out. He recalled the plan, at least what she had told him of it, he didn't remember anything about both Norio and Aisha getting captured. Evidently things had gone a bit south for them.

Aisha laughed as she gave him a hug. "No, it wasn't. I'll tell you what happened later. Trust me, there's a lot I'll need to fill you in on. Right now, we've got to find Wato." She seemed thrilled to see Luke again. She had much to share indeed, but it had to wait. Wato was the priority.

Following his short reunion with Aisha, Luke tended to Norio, releasing him from his cell as well. The two sized each other up for a moment - noting the differences in their respective appearances. Much to Luke's surprise, it seemed Norio had gotten a bit stronger along the way himself. He had changed since the last time they had met, that was certain. 

"I was surprised to hear you were part of this," Luke said, sticking a hand out for a handshake. As much as he doubted Norio, he chose to be civil to him. He was good enough for Aisha and they managed to make it this far together, right?

"Long time, Luke. Could do without the imprisonment, but I'm glad to be here. Didn't have much in the pipeline, so here I am, along for the ride." Norio explained, before he took Luke's hand and shook. As much as he joked and doubted Luke, he could tell something had changed since the last time they spoke. He had definitely been busy doing whatever it was Luke did when he wasn’t in the country. 

Meanwhile, as Nagato struggled to lift himself off the ground, he shouted to Minnat, who had been watching from the corner of the room. "Minnat, you fool! Don't just stand there, hunt him down! I will not be losing Wato to these, these lowly miscreants. You find them all, I've got to contact the others. They have to know what's happened..." Nagato was trembling as he finally made it to his feet. If he couldn't handle Luke, he would bring in the ones that could.

Minnat nodded, stepping out from the shadows. No longer tucked under darkness, his visage had been made clear. He was a towering, muscular warrior with a mask that covered the bottom half of his face, his left arm looked incredibly strong, and he wore leather armor. As he started making his way towards the hallway, he yanked his crossbow up off the ground. He had been waiting a long time to exact his revenge on Norio. He hated Luke too, but then again he hated all players. 

After briefly exchanging pleasantries, Luke and company rushed through the prison area, scanning every cell as they charged forward. They were met with the sights and sounds of many strange prisoners, some were innocents, some were criminals, some fell somewhere in between… but what they all had in common was that they were in debt to Nagato. It was no secret how Wato wound up here, being the risk taker that he was. This mistake was further exacerbated when an experiment resulted in a lost shipment.
 
There were plenty of prisoners, yet none of them appeared to be Wato. They closed in on the end of the prison and they found a number of empty cells. As they reached the end of the line, they were faced with an exit and the two final cells to their left and right. The three began to grow nervous, uncertain where Wato was and what to do next. They didn't know how to get out of Nagato's stronghold from here and even if they did, they would be leaving without Wato, which was the whole reason they were here. Had they failed? Had they made a mistake somehow? Was he somewhere else? 

"Ahem." a ragged voice spoke up from the darkness of the last cell on their left. Could it be who they thought it was?

"Well, well, well. Look who finally showed up." The voice continued, the individual it belonged to taking a single step forward. "Would you kindly let me out of my cell? If it's not askin' too much, of course." Wato stepped out from the shadows within his cell. Despite his tired, weak appearance, it appeared his sense of humor was still intact. Miserable as he was, even that couldn't hide the relief he felt to see familiar faces. For the first time in nearly a year, Wato was going to be a free man.

Luke quickly picked the lock on his cell and swung it open as soon as Wato showed himself. They had finally found him and though he looked worse for wear, he was alive and well. Aisha was first to embrace Wato with a long, drawn out hug. Aisha and Wato hadn't been away from one another for this long since they started working together, which is saying a lot considering how many years they had been in business together. 

Wato was like an older brother to her, for him to just be gone like he was? It was a stark change. Following Aisha and Wato's long hug, Luke and Norio took turns shaking his hand. While they might not have had the connection Aisha did to him, they both thought highly of Wato. Even Norio, who thought highly of exactly five people.

"Wato, you and Ginnet were taken together, weren’t you? So where's Ginnet?" Aisha asked, worried about the strange child. Aisha in particular had a soft spot for the kid, often finding herself wondering about him after he had been taken. Watching Wato's face go from one of relief to one of dismay, Aisha realized she might not like his answer. "Oh no, what happened?" she added, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

Wato briefly hung his head, shaking it in protest. He didn't want to say what happened but he knew he had to, Aisha deserved to know. "The poor bugger, he didn't make it. I learned first hand why the little kid was so damn weird. Ginnet wasn't even his name, so to speak. Long story short, that kid put up a hell of a fight, but he didn't stand a chance.” 

Aisha looked away for a moment, a feeling of grief overcoming her. While she had only known the boy for a short time, he was a part of their journey. Now, he was gone - it was a bitter pill to swallow but she didn't have a choice. She had to focus on the fact that everyone else was back together again and now, they just had to worry about their escape from this god forsaken place. 

Contrary to what she thought, they weren't done here. Wato befriended someone during his time in capture, someone he wasn't about to just leave behind. Their little ragtag group was about to get another member. Someone new was about to enter the fold and that was Fang.

"After losing Ginnet, I was a wreck. This place, it was never going to be a walk in the park but after that, it was liable to be the death of me. Too long and I would've died here, surely. I don't have the same fight in me that I used to. I was feelin' lower than low. Sure enough, when things seemed hopeless, I found my guardian angel. Or she found me, anyway. She's with us even now, take a gander behind ya there..." Wato said, pointing to the cell across from his.

A woman in a rather revealing outfit emerged from the darkness within the cell to their right, just across from where Wato was being held. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Fang said, her voice taking on a sultry tone. She had a soft but assertive tone. For Luke and Norio, it was easy to see why Wato liked her, as she certainly did have a way about her. If one were judging solely by appearances, she made about as much as sense as everyone else in this group.

"Aisha, Luke, Norio, meet Fang. Mercenary, smuggler, and private dancer. Suppose you could call us kindred spirits. If it wasn't for Fang, I'm not sure I would've made it as long as I have. They tried to break me but every time they did, she'd build me back up again. On the off chance you and the group didn't make it here, we even started making a plan to bust out. Not sure we would've made it too far, mind you, but you can bet your ass we talked about it..." 

He smiled for a moment then continued, "anyway, point is, I owe this lovely dame my life. I'm taking her with me. She'll be joining us on whatever lovely endeavor awaits us after this. Much as I appreciate it myself, I wouldn't let the skimpy getup fool you, that's Nagato's doing." 
 

 

Edited 11 hours ago by Luke Pendragon

[Luke Pendragon 0]

They had a moment to rest, so Luke slumped down and started to nap while the others kept watch. 

 

<This is a dream sequence>

Something felt… unwell inside of Luke as he considered the situation he was in. It was like a switch had been flipped and he went from feeling completely fine to feeling like he was going to die inside. He started to sweat at his fingertips. He pictured everything he cherished in this world going up in flames. 

“This can’t be right,” he said to himself, “it has to be some kind of joke.” He actually managed to let out a smile as sweat dripped down his face. But then, a realization that this might not be some elaborate hallucination dawned on him and then his feet started moving. 

He had to choose – his lover or his child. He cherished them both, but only one could be saved so… he would have to choose to save the child. It only made sense, and he was sure that any child’s mother would want that decision to be made. 

He ran down the street, pushing aside people as he did so. He wasn’t in the mood to be polite, and while he wasn’t overly rough, he didn’t think that waiting for the crowd to move was going to do him any good. He needed to move. He ran faster and faster, breaking out into a less crowded street. People looked at him like he was crazy. So much sweat… god there was so much sweat. 

He took belabored breath after breath as he slowed to a slow jog. The right place… it had to be here somewhere. 

“There,” he thought. 

Luke turned the doorknob. It was unlocked. The door creaked open… What he saw made his heart sank. The child was not here, it was the mother. That old bastard had swapped their locations on the note he’d given to Luke. 

Luke didn’t know shit about glyphs but just looking around made him sure that something bad was about to happen. He hurried over and opened up the cage and pulled her out, draping her over his shoulders as he did so. 

“If I’m quick… maybe I’ll be able to save our child too…” he said, but he was so tired. He’d run as fast as he’d ever run in his life. 

The dream shifted and he was suddenly watching a woman all in black that was literally eating some bodies. He tried his best not to watch as she ate people, but it was very difficult not to stare. It wasn’t like watching a desert lion munching on a kill. This was something completely different than just eating. This woman made shit completely disappear. It was very unnerving. He was very glad that he had not looked at that black creature back then. He had a feeling that he would have looked just like that, and well… as powerful as he was sure she was, it didn’t necessarily look healthy to be like that. 

“What in the world are you talking about,” Luke asked as he shook his head. “You mean you wanted to come out here this whole time? There’s something seriously wrong with you. I don’t know what exactly made you into this… black form or whatever… but I think it’s affected your brain.” 

Luke followed along down the path though. Being as gifted as he was, he did seem to sometimes have a limitless supply of energy, but Luke needed a break. He could only handle so much… weirdness at a time. He decided to rest on a small clearing about half an hour later.

"I wonder how long it's going to take to find this place," Luke said. He leaned back on a tree stump and strangely, the tree stump moved. Suddenly, foliage started to move aside revealing some kind of door. 

“What in the world?” he asked. 

As the light peeked in to the new entrance, a figure stood in the way. Luke stood up, and he and Luke took a couple steps forward.

"Who are you," the figure asked.

"I uh… I’m Luke. This here is some weirdo that eats people.” 

The figure narrowed its eyes. “I apologize for this, but I believe you two must be dealt with. 

He set its sights on Luke first, probably because he was closest. He came quickly, very fluent in its technique. He swung his right arm at Luke, which he ducked under. But the man was able to swing the entire body around in a three hundred sixty degree circle, and smashed Luke on the other way around.

As Luke staggered back, he asked, “what the hell is your problem?” 

“You’ve stumbled across the home of a game master,” the man said, “I am tasked with keeping unwanted visitors away. You two look foreign, and I assume you are up to no good. Now leave, before I get serious.” He tapped a weapon at his side. 

"Oh hell no. I've been waiting for an excuse to kick someone’s ass, and you just gave it to me," Luke said.

“It is unwise to challenge me, boy,” the man said. 

“The way I look at it, I was just walking along, took a break from a long day, and believe me I’ve been having a long one, and you just attacked me. So no, at the very least you’re getting a spar out of this.” 

Luke held out his hand and formed an axe made of quartz in his hand. It was, perhaps, not the best looking axe in the world, and he might not know how to properly use one, but he really wanted to hit something. His fight earlier had been so unsatisfactory. 

"I reckon this axe is hard enough to go up against your steel. It's bashing time," Luke said as he rotated the axe in his hands, paused for a brief second, then charged.

Luke swung the axe from left to right, the man dodged, jumping backwards. The axe wielding mongrel continued his assault. From the top, right, left, right, top again. The man was quite quick as Luke whiffed on all of his attempts. He charged in for a little closer.

Luke lifted his axe above his head again, and the man stepped in to kick him in the stomach, knocking him on to his back, and the axe sticking into the ground, blade first. Luke started crawling towards the axe, but the guardian would have none of that. It grabbed Luke by the right leg, and tossed him into the air which was no easy feat. Luke twisted his body to right himself before he landed.  
 

<end dream sequence>

Edited yesterday at 04:22 AM by Luke Pendragon

[Luke Pendragon 0]

Wato jeered, providing Fang with an introduction only he could've come up with. Jokes aside, it was clear how Wato felt about Fang and that, no matter how the rest of the group felt about her, she was going to be along for the ride. Luckily for the rest of them, she would prove valuable in due time.

Wato's explanation and introduction for Fang was good enough for now. Most of them understood loss and understood what it meant to find someone… be it a friend or something more. Luke and Aisha weren’t going to stand in the way of that and the way they saw it, the more the merrier, as there was strength in numbers. 

Luke nodded, stepped forward, and picked the lock on Fang's cell, just as he had with the others. Aisha, however, didn't seem quite as accepting of Fang. Upon introduction, she gave the smuggler the cold shoulder. She wasn't impressed by the scantily clad woman, she'd have to prove her worth later on. Right now, they had to worry about getting out of here, so she didn't concern herself with such trivialities.

As Luke took another look at the men and women around him, he realized that somehow, he wound up being part of a whole damn crew. Powerful as he had become, there was only so much he could do alone. He needed the strength and talents of many to get him where he wanted to be. The one thing that nagged at him, was the thought of what came after for all of them. What did they do? Go their separate ways? Search for another threat? He wasn't sure. Of course, that was assuming they got out in one piece.

There was much Luke still didn't know. There was quite a bit that Aisha and Norio had yet to tell him, possible discoveries they made during the time in which they were separated. Discoveries that could make him reconsider his course of action. That said, these discoveries were small matters compared to the tribulations the quintet were about to face. Luck might have been on their side going into this, but that was about to change.

"We'll have time for proper introductions later, right now, we've got to get out of here. I'd wager Nagato has Minnat after us by now. Wato, Fang, you know this place better than we do, how do we get out of here?" Luke insisted, ready to get the show on the road.

"Closest way out from here is through the stables, we get there, we get out. I'll lead the way." Wato replied, jumping to the front to lead the pack out of the prison area. He had seen a lot of the complex during his stint here, but he had only seen the stables when he was first transported here by Minnat. It would be lovely to see the outside again.

Lead now by Wato, the party moved beyond the prison and down a dark hallway. That hallway lead to Nagato's greenery, the room that contained the only staircase on this side of the complex that could take them back down to the ground level. Once they were back on the ground floor, they would have to make their way through Nagato's armory, then came the stables. The greenery they were heading toward was where Nagato housed his dangerous flora, most of which were used to carry out assassinations. 

His armory on the other hand, was where he outfitted his guards with their equipment. There might be something of use for them there, in the way of weapons. Everyone else might have been outfitted with their weapons of choice, but Wato and Fang had long since been stripped of any of their possessions. Same would've happened for Aisha and Norio if they had been imprisoned as long as Wato and Fang had. Luke, well, he didn't need weapons because he was the weapon.

"Fair warning, it's pretty humid in there. I'd also watch your step, the place is wall to wall with plants, some more dangerous than others..." Wato cautioned, having heard one too many horror stories of unruly prisoners being subject to poisons. He was smart to warn the crew though, as there was some truth to the stories. From gifts to souvenirs, Nagato had acquired a great many strange and dangerous plants in his day.

The quintet arrived at a door that Wato proceeded to kick down. The crew stepped inside and examined the greenery. It was every bit what they expected - a large, warm room, packed wall to wall and floor to ceiling with plants. As the party carefully walked through the room, they realized they weren't alone. They were instead accompanied by an ominous whirring. They quickly realized there were artificed constructs, as crude as they were, tending to the plants. 

Luckily, the machines weren't sentient, only automated. While they might not have been a threat, that didn't mean they were going to get off easy trespassing through this room. Around their feet, vines began to grow thicker the closer they got to the staircase on the other side of the chamber.

Finally, a vine snagged the foot of Aisha, who had been at the back of the group. Suddenly, she found herself unable to move any further, something having wrapped around her ankle. She bent down to unravel the tangled vine, but before she could, a frightening noise emanated from behind her. A large plant that looked like a fly trap had opened its gaping maw. As the carnivorous plant lunged forward to engulf her, something shook the chamber. 

Luke was holding out his hand, with his other hand gripping his wrist to stabilize his aim. He’d slashed the plant at the last second. 

"Can't say I didn't warn you, lass," Wato shouted in response as he and the others continued through the greenery toward the stairs. The group high tailed it down the dark hall, a sense of urgency dawning on them. 

When the crew arrived inside the armory, they arrived to find three of Nagato's large guards standing in wait, prepared to use lethal force to stop them. To their left and to their right, were weapons of many kinds - mostly metal staffs, blades, etc. The odds were in their favor, it was five against three. Luke had shown himself capable of handling at least one guard on his own with relative ease. Aisha and Norio could probably be on equal footing against one. Wato and Fang, well there were plenty of weapons just there for their taking. The group was faced with a few different courses of action, but all of them ended the same way - escape.

Meanwhile, within the top floor of Nagato's complex, the crime lord NPC anxiously paced back and forth through his study. He understood full well how powerful his allies were, or at least claimed to be, but that didn't make him any more patient when it came to them. His study was one of his favorite places in the entire complex, but at a time like this, it was no consolation. He could feel it - Wato was going to get away, that good-for-nothing Minnat was going to drop the ball again. 

With Nagato's back turned, a figure walked in. The man was commanding, almost regal in appearance, but ominous looking. It was his tall, lanky, appearance that made him an ever menacing presence. Nagato turned and was struck with an unnerving sensation. Even something as simple as a visit was enough to strike a chord. Nagato dealt with many unsavory individuals in his time, as it was in his job description, but Cado was among the most intimidating. That said, he had nothing to fear. Nagato had a deal with the man.

"Greetings, Cado. Sorry to take you away from the party, but I've come to you with a most troubling development. Just as you predicted, they came for my prisoner, Wato. First came that woman, whoever she is and that outlaw scum, Norio. Not long after, the paragon candidate followed,” Nagato explained, conveniently leaving out the parts where Aisha tried to trick him and when he challenged Luke to a fight. Some things were better left unsaid and he had a reputation to uphold, after all. 

"They may have narrowly escaped my grasp, but I've got Minnat after them as we speak. If he fails to detain them, they'll be loose in the forests. In which case, I urge you to take action." 

"Of course, it's just as I thought. Ever the predictable ones, aren't they? That will be their downfall, surely," Cado replied immediately, unsurprised to find out they had reared their ugly heads once again. He expected as much, which is exactly why he had warned Nagato about them. He personally didn't care so much about his associates, but they were his accomplices nonetheless. They needed to be treated as threats just as this paragon candidate that was throwing his weight around in Jian.

"Put yourself at ease, Nagato. You've done exactly as you should by reaching out to me, I assure you, your commitment has not gone unnoticed. You will be rewarded handsomely in the new era," Cado encouraged, acknowledging the present and future benefits of their partnership, whatever it may have entailed.

"Fear not, I know where they are probably headed and we will crush them with an iron fist ourselves, I will make sure of it. Our empire has only grown during the war.” 

Back to the fight, Wato and Fang grabbed weapons from the racks to the side of them and Aisha and Norio grabbed crossbows. Before they could act, Luke decided he'd take them all on, on his own. Yet again, he found himself wanting to bear the burden of everyone. His tardiness was the reason they were here, so he would make sure they were going to get out. Now that he was stronger than he used to be, he felt a greater drive to act and put his powers to use. 

Luke said, “I got this.” He jutted forwards, smashing his sword into the three of the NPCs.  

“Whoa, did you kill them?” 

“No, see, they’re already moving,” Luke said with a sigh. Usually people got knocked on their ass and had trouble moving for a while, but these were NPCs in a game, not people.

“Okay then, to hell with this,” Luke said as he thrust his weapon forwards and kept smashing into them. “There, if that doesn’t handle them for a while, then I’m going to be so mad.” Luke took the lead and lead everyone through the doorway that would take them to the stables. Wato and Fang followed suit, though not before snagging a few more things from the armory for themselves. They had already picked up weapons for themselves, but they figured it couldn't hurt to grab some garments as well. 

Wato grabbed a coat, a couple gauntlets, and holster for the crossbow he yanked from the wall. Fang didn't grab much as most of it wouldn't fit and most of it didn't suit her, what she did grab though, was a cloak. She had to stay hidden, as she knew people would be coming for them.

As the group entered the stables, they were greeted by the sight of a massive area filled with only a handful of wagons and horses. The largest vehicle was a carriage that belonged to none other than Minnat, as Norio knew all too well what it looked like, having seen it almost a whole year ago. 

They didn’t have much time to look around as they were greeted by crossbow fire from behind. They didn't even have to look to know who it was, they knew Minnat had finally caught up with them. The group scrambled, spreading out a bit as they broke for the other side of the stables. Minnat began a steady sprint toward the group, while also making a beeline for his carriage. Unbeknownst to the party of five he was after, he had already prepared his horses – he always had staff that kept them ready.
 
As steel tipped bolt sailed by them, the group reached some horses. They glanced at one another before briefly turning their attention to Minnat. Luke and Aisha looked at each other and nodded, slipping on the horse together, Luke at the rear and Aisha at the front. Wato and Fang did the same, with Fang in control rather than Wato. Wato was not a rider, he knew that for certain. Norio hung back and waited for Minnat to get after them. Just as the bounty hunter came out on his own horse, Norio swung out a bow he’d found in the armor and fired on the menace. 

The shot clanged against something in the distance. Damn, a miss. The chase was on, with Norio and Minnat zipping across the path leading away from the building, just behind the rest of the group. It felt almost like dejavu, having experienced something similar when he’d last gotten chased by him in a previous quest. Norio wasn't surprised to see Minnat working for Nagato, he seemed to work for whoever suited him or for whoever was paying the most. If the dark powers of Jian and Nagato were working together like Aisha and him had theorized, it made all the more sense. Hell, Minnat probably gave them some kind of joint discount for both having him on contract. He seemed like the type, ugly son of a bitch. 

Norio had only had one other interaction with him up to this point and he was already getting sick of seeing his ugly mug. He knew this probably wouldn't be the last time he'd see him either, assuming he didn't kill him this time around.

A volley of bolts were fired from behind him, passing by Norio on either side. It wasn’t easy firing from horseback. Norio wouldn't be shot down so easily, experienced as he was. That said, he couldn't be shot down if Minnat didn't have a way to shoot. Norio fumbled with the bow again, reloaded it and prayed. The rogue turned, glanced behind him, took aim at Minnat and fired a shot that glanced against the crossbow.

Minnat scowled in anger, he couldn't stand the idea that Norio and the rest of these fools were going to get away from him again. They had been a thorn in his side for over a year now and it all started with that damned quest. Even if he didn't have a contract to go after them, he might be so inclined to just hunt them down on principle at this point. It had started to become personal for him. Minnat let loose one last bolt that actually hit the horse.

As the horse headed downward and slid toward its demise, Norio stood up on the saddle, almost as if he was surfing. His horse might have been toast but he wasn't done yet. Moments before the horse bit the dust, Norio turned around and jumped off of it. He was going to attempt a maneuver that seemed just stupid enough to work. 

Norio leapt right onto Minnat who was so bewildered that the move had caught him completely off guard. Norio was just about to fire the bow in his face, but Minnat managed to grab his arm and throw Norio off to the side. Norio tumbled and rolled a few times before finally slamming against a tree. Things weren't looking good. 

 

 

 

 

9710 words so far

Edited 11 hours ago by Luke Pendragon