Hunting Smugglers (Open)

[Melvina]

The increasing tension between Laus and Santaruz in their campaign to become the leader of Lycia League had lead into a cold war between the two states. The situation hadn't escalated into a clash of their armies yet but the battle took place elsewhere. Attempts to weaken and pressure the opponent had been made and the allies, the other Marquesses, were persuaded to join each sides. Both Laus and Santaruz were considered to be among the strongest states in Lycia League, their strength were equal with each possessed their own superiority in their strongest field. If Laus boasted its great military strength, Santaruz could easily claim to be the richest in the Lycia. Its farming and trade was very dominant that it could probably support more than half of the economy of Lycia League. Santaruz might even be able to hold against Laus military force in direct confrontation by using the wealth to hire mercenaries and weaken Laus' supply route.

Since the cold war had begun, doing business with Laus was considered as treason. Laus had been embargoed, their merchants wouldn't be allowed to trade in Santaruz territory. As for Santaruz merchants, they weren't allowed to conduct any kind of trades with Laus. However, while most obey the edict, either gladly or reluctantly, some merchants couldn't accept being banned from doing trade with one of their most profitable customers. There were dissatisfaction letters from several merchant guilds and some riot when the embargo had been applied for the first time. However, the government chose to ignore the protest and continue the current plan. After a few weeks, the resistance had become bolder. Some group of merchants continued trading with Laus secretly. By avoiding the main checkpoints, bribing some officials, and conducting business at night, they could easily slip past the border guards.

However, their action was answered with harsh approach from Melvina, a knight-captain of Santaruz. She had issued an order to search all the warehouses and shops in merchant district, which resulted in the finding of some "illegal" goods and documents to prove the smuggling. At first she was pretty lenient to the merchants, but when she realized that the smuggling wouldn't be stopped by such light punishment, Melvina ordered her knights to collect the illegal goods and pile them in an empty field in the outskirt of the city. The captured smugglers could do nothing as they watched fire burned their precious merchandises into mere ashes. The green-haired commander actually didn't like this kind of punishment but she knew she had to enforce the rules. She repeated it again everytime another smugglers got captured. Of course her decision wasn't a well-received by the public, most saw the punishment as cruel while some people began to call her tyrant.

----------------------

A few days had passed since Melvina had started her smuggler-hunt...Melvina and her troops camped in a forest, waiting for their target, which was a caravan full of valuable goods heading to the border. Yesterday, she had received an information from an trustworthy source that a merchant named Kelvin would use this forest as a his delivery route tonight. This Kelvin had been in her radar for some time, suspected as a smuggler, but there hadn't been any proof that could be used against him until now. Of course Melvina wouldn't waste this chance. She even personally led two squads of Santaruz soldiers and a squad of mercenaries into the forest.

The young commander stayed near the campfire as she waited the scouts return. She had told the scouts to watch for any sign of movement. When she got the exact location of the smuggler's caravans, her troops would set out to intercept them. There was one thing that worried her though. The information mentioned that this time Kelvin had hired mercenaries as bodyguard. Usually, petty thugs or criminals wouldn't dare to oppose soldiers. There might be some resistance but subduing them was pretty easy. However, mercenaries were different. They could pose a serious problem because they wouldn't hesitate to fight and kill for coin, even against soldiers.

[Tiz]

Dearest Tizato,

It is with great concern that I am reaching out to you. While not formally recognized by the League now, you were once a great captain in our now-prominent 1st Swordfaire Division. On behalf of the Marquis of Laus, and with great support from the League, I am asking for your aid. In the ongoing strife between your native home, Laus, and Santaruz, we have come across bits of intelligence indicating that Santaruz, while previously only against us in practice, have moved beyond their embargo and are stationing troops at a forest checkpoint shortly outside of your immediately area. On behalf of the government of Laus, I am requesting that-- as a military favor-- you investigate these claims and settle any disputes should you come along them. The Marquis has promised that you will be handsomely rewarded.

Yours in arms,
Commander Dyshek

P.S. As we remind you often, there is always a place back in the 1st Division for you as captain. We could really use your skill in a leadership position once more. Finish this task for me, and if you're up for it, we can talk reinstatement.

--------------

Sighing heavily, Tiz crushed the letter in his fingers, feeling the soft paper bend and crinkle under his firm grip. He knew he would have to do something-- this tension between two states of the same nation had to be relieved. Civil war could become a legitimate worry; it could all begin here. Being comfortably aligned with Laus over Santaruz meant that he was, perhaps, a little biased, but beyond that, he truly did wish for his home country to remain in unity. With everything else going on in the world, they certainly didn't need a powerful nation at war with itself. He was just one man, but if he could help, he would. Plus, Dyshek was kind not to mention any of the favors that Tiz owed him back when he was still military personnel. He sighed again.

He collected his things-- the sword from next to his bed, his pauldron, and his bag that contained his cloak and medicine, and then Tiz set off from his home. The night had come, and the moon was high in the sky. The town was relatively quiet. and he thought about the last time the town was this quiet: the night he met Myscha. He wondered about her, and fondly wished that he would get to see her again... He did miss her. Greatly.

Walking towards the eastern gate to leave, Tiz noticed that the guard patrol was high on alert. There were many of them, mostly familiar to the young swordsman, and all armed with torches and spears. He approached them. "Hey, I've got writ from the Marquis to leave and investigate the growing tensions caused by the embargo between Laus and Santariz. Have you been informed?"

They nodded quickly. "Yessir, Captain Ciel," they began. They were still fond of calling him that... But it had been a good number of years since his active duty days. "We were commanded to watch this post, but if you're heading to the forest checkpoint, be quick about it. Word is spreading that Santaruz has actually mobilized and have units outside the checkpoint as we speak."

crap, Tiz thought. Without another word, he passed through them on his way out to the checkpoint. It wasn't far, he he hurried along, jogging quickly. Hopefully there was no bloodbath. Was there even a patrol from Laus out here to meet them, or was it just him?

It was just him. Tiz saw no others-- no Lausian colors-- among the group he approached. He saw a campfire, and a small collection of soldiers with a commanding officer. He gulped. If this came to blood, which he hoped it didn't, he wouldn't be able to handle them all. He didn't know why they were stationed here, or what they had plans of doing, or if it even involved attacking Laus, but he hoped it was a simple interception. Of what, though, he couldn't be sure, if it even WAS an interception.

Approaching the commanding officer with his hands raised in surrender, Tiz spoke loudly, firmly, with purpose. "Sir. I have been requested by the Marquis of Laus to investigate the occurrences in this area. I have full permission and authority to act as an investigating officer, on behalf of the Lycian League. My name is Tizato Ciel, former captain of the Lycian League's 1st Swordfaire Division. Now, what's going on here?"

[Charlotte]

“So you’re telling me we don’t have a contingency plan if we cross Santaruz guards? Your plan is to… scatter?”

“Well, what would you have us do? Turn ourselves in?”

Charlotte closed her eyes, kneading her temples with one hand resting on her hip. “How haven’t you or your men been caught yet, Kelvin?”

What was with Charlotte and choosing jobs like this? Standing in the middle of the woods just outside of the border of the Santaruz territory in the cover of night, the small band of smugglers and mercenaries were preparing to cross the border. It was becoming harder and harder to get across the border with goods considering the strict trade embargo both Marquesses had enacted. But it didn’t mean that Charlotte could stop working, which was why she was standing amidst the damp grass and cool late-night breeze.

The blonde had been ready to travel to Etruria to meet Saturos and begin whatever it was she would be doing for the I.I., but then Kelvin had shown up at her door. Charlotte had done business with the man on a handful of occasions but only simple hand-offs and goods exchanges. But with the tightened border control between the territories, Kelvin had come to the young woman, who was fairly known amongst smugglers in Lycia for her proven skill in slipping through borders without being caught.

That had always been on her own, though. Her hubris had caused her to confidently accept the job, thinking it would be easy coin to fund her trip into Etruria. But as it seemed, this would be harder to coordinate than smuggling the siege parts through Bern. The rebels, while uncouth, at least had a cause keeping them together and cooperating. Every person in the group tonight was her for coin, and Charlotte was starting to lose her faith in the power of the coin with men like these, considering how stupid they seemed to be acting. Unfortunately, Kelvin was at the head of the operation, so she would have to defer to his judgement and offer her guidance whenever she could.

For now, it was trying to keep Kelvin from getting his men killed. His employer had allotted him enough funds to hire ten mercenaries to guard the four merchants, including Charlotte, but Kelvin was used to only handling two or three. How could he coordinate so many when he could barely handle himself?

Kelvin crossed his arms, huffing at Charlotte’s question. “Look, this is the reason I asked you along, alright? Just - figure it out, ok?”

Lowering her hand from her temples, Charlotte opened her eyes. “Get your quickest hire and have him scout ahead, but please tell him not to be a lumbering imbecile. Once we can see if there are soldiers ahead, we can get moving again or find a way to avoid them.”

With a nod of his head, Kelvin quickly walked away towards where the mercs sat in a small group, circled up and playing a game of cards. Charlotte leaned herself up against a nearby tree, eyes squinting as she looked over the dense woodland, silently hoping for an uneventful night.

[Duma]

Duma was hanging near the other mercenaries. Rather then join in on their game of cards, he was relaxing off on his own. He was sitting up on a thick low hanging tree branch. His back pressed up against a tree and was munching on a peach. There was a small clearing in between the tree branches that allowed him to see ahead.

The experienced swordsman had joined these smugglers as a guard. So far the work had been relatively easy and the pay was decent. The first two nights of smuggling went off with out a hitch. There were few people to work with in the beginning, but lately the smuggling group had gotten larger. Large groups meant more noise which meant greater chances of them getting caught. The swordsman had been told that trade between Santaruz and Laus was forbidden due to some useless bickering from each lord of the land. And as a result the people are being deprived of necessary goods such as food, cloth, and medicine.

Tonight's shipment was supposedly to be food and medicinal herbs. Duma didn't exactly have time or permission to climb into the wagons and check. The swordsman looked up to the night sky. The full moon was both a blessing and a curse. The moonlight helped with the visibility for both smuggler and patrol guards.

He was far enough away not to be called in to play games, but close enough to overhear arguing. His "boss" Kelvin and another person. A woman. Crap.. I learned her name. Come on.. it started M.. Marie? No. Myrtle? Mina... Maya.. Misha? Myscha! He took another bite of his peach.

“So you’re telling me we don’t have a contingency plan if we cross Santaruz guards? Your plan is to… scatter?” He heard her speak. But Kelvin's response was too low for him to hear. Scattering is a good plan. None of us want bounties on our heads if caught. I sure don't want a bounty on my head. Charlotte was asking important questions. From this he could deduce she was an experienced smuggler. That's good. It's nice to have someone with brains. He finished his fruity snack and threw the peach pit aside. He cleaned his hands with a damp cloth. Quickest hire? I think I fall under that category. Possibly? Could do with out the insult. He sighed softly. Well.. Up and at them Duma. Snack time is over.

He jumped out of his perch and landed on the ground on his two feet. Duma didn't notice that Myscha had been leaning one of the other trees nearby.

"Pardon me." He apologized in case he spooked her. Then swordsman ran ahead to rejoin the others.

[Ryuzaki]

Ryu sighed. The things he would do for coin... And booty. He'd followed closely along with a group of soldiers lead by the Tyrant Knight, Melvina. Her crackdown on the smuggling had met with quite the backlash from the underworld folk who relied on other markets for high selling and low buying. But Ryu could not sit and laugh as the embargo failed, as he'd planned. Instead, he had been hired by a personal contact, a shopkeeper who relied on the local Santaruz market for his business. His Lausian counterpart could outproduce and outsell him, and so the embargo was his best friend - but smuggling was weakening his market and threatening his livelihood.

So here the assassin was, standing around a bunch of soldiers. He hated the fact that he had to stoop to jobs such as this. This was a task for a mercenary, not an assassin... Oh well. All he had to do was follow the merchant's explicit orders - bring back a sample so that he could copy its design, and kill any merchants carrying the goods in a brutal and example-setting fashion.

Simple enough.

Well, the Tyrant certainly didn't look too... Tyrannical. In fact, she looked more worried than fiendish. What a shame. If it was one thing Ryu admired in a woman, it was a strong personality. But a leader who cared so much clearly would have a hard time making tough calls or sacrificing men... Which could be deadly.

Bah. It was not his place to interfere. He would wait until they moved, follow them, and finish his own job. For now, he was just a tail, nothing more or less.

[Melvina]

Melvina wasn't sure if she should get irritated for having a former Laus officer entering the camp or feel angry at her soldiers who let him come this far. She had predicted that the operation wouldn't go smoothly so this development barely surprised her. "Still...an investigating officer? So Laus had sniffed this secret operation, huh? I guess we do have spies in our rank...I have to deal with it later," she thought, tossing some dry weeds into the fire. Her piercing glare stabbed the guards in the outer part of the camp. They were supposed to prevent anyone from entering the camp, she had firmly told them that. Melvina felt disappointed.

Two knight came and stood firm beside the commander when Melvina rose up to her feet. She crossed her arms as she looked at the investigating officer, realizing that he didn't wear uniform. Well, he did say he wasn't an active soldier anymore. It wasn't clear what his reason to be here of all place. "Please remind me...since when Marquis of Laus can give permission to act on behalf of the entire Lycian League, Captain Ciel?" Melvina didn't seem pleased with his introduction. She took his words as another example that Laus had arrogantly claimed to be the leader of the Lycia. However she appreciated that he came here with hands raised as a peaceful gesture. She then spoke again, starting it with a sarcastic snicker. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything and I have no obligation to answer your question. However, to make things clear from misunderstanding...I and my troops are here in a mission that not endanger Laus security, if that's what you wanted to know..." Melvina assumed that she could at least tell Tiz that she had no intention to bring harm to Laus citizens. Except the smuggler and his goons, of course.

"Now...Do you have another question? If you don't, I must ask you to leave immediately. This forest is currently off limit for non-military personnel, and that includes a former military and non-Santaruz soldiers," she said.

------------

Two scouts, a pair of young men, were watching Kelvin and his group from a safe distance. They camouflaged themselves between the bushes and the branches. The darkness of the night assisted them and there were plenty of shades between the trees they could hide under. They had found the caravan since a few minutes ago but still not sure if it was the right one. They knew their commander would be mad if they blundered and gave wrong report so they wouldn't risk making mistake. A wrong signal could jeopardize the operation and allow the smugglers to flee.

One of them stayed when the other moved closer carefully toward the groups. He wanted to make sure. The other scout watched from far, a horn in his hand. He would be ready to run back to the camp or blow the horn when his partner gave a signal or got spotted.

[Tiz]

Tiz folded his arms, listening calmly as the woman spoke. Great, he said, she's arrogant, and already in a foul mood. This won't go over well. He asked himself why on earth he had been asked to do this as a military favor, when someone from the League could have just as easily come to investigate. Perhaps it was to mitigate liability.... or... no, Tiz thought, surely it wasn't to minimize military casualties? No. They would've told him so in the letter. Or would they have? Was there something bigger going on here? If the government thought that this operation would end in blood, they certainly wouldn't have sent their own men. Was that why they had reached out to Tiz? Had they lied, or hadn't they? As Tiz listened to this woman, he was losing his mind. He wasn't afraid, but he was very, very suspicious. Something more was going on here, and what that something was, he was determined to find out.

He looked around him at the soldiers that were at this camp with the Santaruz guard. Not too many, but certainly enough to cause trouble, should it come to trouble. Maybe he should go back and ask for the reinforcement garrison... No. He couldn't. He might miss whatever was going to be happening here very shortly. Finally, Tiz addressed the woman. He chuckled. "The Marquis of Laus has as much authority as any other high public official to act on behalf of the benefit of the entire nation, especially since we ARE one unified nation, after all. Or are we?" he asked, verbally attacking the knight-captain. "You forget, we're in the middle of a forgotten trade route in a forest. Technically speaking, this is Lausian territory as much as it is Santaruzian. Now, I'm asking for you name."

Looking at his surroundings, Tiz noticed something was off. His ears were alert. Were they being watched? This could be so much more than he had been lead to believe... "I don't believe that this area is off limits to anyone, actually-- if Santaruz has declared quarantine of Lycian territory, that can be taken as an act of aggression, or even war, so I would be careful with statements like that. I think I'll have a look around," Tiz said firmly, ready to rout whatever sorts of bad business was about to take place.

Just as he was about to move past her, he heard something in the distance. He peered out into the night sky, looking down the road. Was that a.... caravan? Tiz turned his body to face whatever was coming down the road. A small, horse-drawn caravan was quietly headed their way, about half a mile off.

[Charlotte]

(@twi - just FYI, Duma would know Charlotte as Myscha; she doesn't use her real name on jobs ^_^)

Narrowed eyes still gazing out, now into the starry night sky, Charlotte’s mind drifted for a moment, trying to sort through everything they still needed to do - not to mention what Charlotte needed to do. While the caravan was moving basic goods like medicine, bolts of cloth, and assorted food stuffs, Charlotte had something else on her person, which she hadn’t dared share with the group.

It didn’t seem like much to an untrained eye, but sewn into her tight leather vest were carefully folded schematics with production instructions for a handful of goods. Most were mundane, but there was one folded among the rest for a style of blade, typically only smithed by Lausian blacksmiths. It was a popular style, but with the embargo enacted they had been hard to come by. Per her employer, Charlotte was to bring the schematic to a Laus smith in Santaruz who was posing as a citizen of the territory; that man would then smith and distribute the blades through the Santaruz underground, undercutting the competition and then bringing back the profits to Laus. She didn’t like the idea of the embargo restricting free business, so this was an appropriate job for her to take.

Unfortunately for her, that required this haphazard band of smugglers actually making it into Santaruz, a task that seemed more difficult with every passing moment. This many mercenaries was a bad idea considering the heightened attention the Santaruz guard would likely be paying to their territory lines. They were loud, uncouth, and generally couldn’t move with the skill, speed, and discretion that a few experienced smugglers could. She understood Kelvin wanting to secure his shipment, but she was certain this couldn’t be the best way.

”THUMP! Charlotte jumped, instantly drawing her iron dagger from its under-arm sheath as she spun, looking for the source of the feet that had just hit the ground near her. She was prepared to see a soldier in their midst, but instead she was met with the sight of one of their mercenaries pardoning himself as he joined the rest of the men. Shaking her head, she sheathed the short blade, her attention back to the path ahead.

---

Kelvin was not a dull man by any stretch. In fact, if he’d been an idiot, his “trade guild” wouldn’t have made it as far as it had. He’d always been one of the best smugglers in Laus, but with the closed border policy Santaruz had enacted, he’d also become one of the most valuable transporters in the region, period. What they moved now were mostly essential goods, nothing typically considered illegal, but he didn’t mind. The pay had become as good, if not better, than when he’d focused on the underground market only. Decrees like this meant good business for men like Kelvin.

He’d hired on Myscha to help coordinate the move, since their group was larger than it ever had been before - and with good reason too. The size of their shipment was enough to fill three hand-carts, and losing the shipment wasn’t an option. The village they were bringing it to needed the supplies desperately, as they used to import from Laus to avoid typical Santaruz merchants’ mark-ups. The consultant was helping, sure, but he couldn’t help but feel the woman had other intentions for coming along. She usually did, in Kelvin’s limited experience working with her, but he’d held his tongue. As long as she did her part, and he his, he frankly didn’t care what ulterior motive she held for getting into Santaruz with them.

Having gathered the mercenaries, Kelvin took a quick head count and noticed there was one man missing. He sighed; now was not the time. “I only count nine of you.”

A few of the men grumbled, upset from having their card game interrupted, while the others looked around to see the last of their ranks approaching. Kelvin shook his head. They’d been told to stay together; wandering off risked being caught, which risked failure.

“Well, looks like we have our volunteer to scout ahead,” Kelvin said frankly, looking towards the green-haired man who had joined the group late. “We’re going to get moving in just a few minutes, but we need someone to check the path ahead, make sure we are walking into an ambush. Got it?”

[Duma]

Duma nodded at Kelvin before walking past him. Off to do the scouting like his boss commanded. But before he went up ahead he made sure to secure his belongings and carefully hide anything that could shine moonlight. He covered up with a dark cloak to hide any shine the metal of his light armor could give and went on his way. Duma kept himself low and close to the shady areas of the trees. He was careful with his foot placement so as not to disturb too much leaf litter. He kept his breathing steady and his gaze focused ahead.

Unknown to him there were two other scouts nearby. Watching him, watching the caravan. He kept himself alert. He felt that something was off. A wooded area like this was usually full of typical noises, like birds or bugs. Even though it was night time he should have at least heard the sound of an owl or a cricket. He peered through the gaps in between the shrubs and noticed a small group of guards. Drat. Guess we can’t go forward.. we will have to go.. around. He did a quick head count. They.. hmm.. we are outnumbered.. by a lot. It’s going to take some.. thinking.. He had a bit of a frown. Silently, Duma turned around to report back, but something caught his eye. He could very well make out a human like shape in the distance, hiding among the shadows. He would have missed it entirely if not for the horn the individual was carrying. It was a very odd shape that stuck out among the shadows. Ah. I see. Well.. THIS complicates things. Duma made it seem like he didn’t see the scout, he slowly made his way back to the road. Away from the dense underbrush of the woods and onto clearer ground then started to walk quickly. He didn’t want to arouse any suspicion from the enemy scouts by running. He returned to the others. He reported to Kelvin, but within earshot of Mycsha.

“Problem. They know our position. And they’re a large number of Santaruz soldiers up ahead. I’m.. Estimating about 30 or so. I managed to find one scout staring at us from a distance but unable to dispose.. of him quietly. We cannot move forward with them in the way. And we cannot change our position without their scouts reporting our new location. I believe our only two available options are to turn back or fight.” He spoke in a calm but low tone. I suppose you can take a third option by sacrificing some men in a scuffle with the guards while you slip around another route. But I doubt any of us guards will volunteer for that. He thought to himself.

“There is a good chance those scouts have probably already reported that I scouted ahead. And there is a good chance the army is on its way. Make a decision quickly before we are overwhelmed.” He warned. With his job finished he opted to caution the other guards. He put his foot down on the crate that the men were using as a table.

“Listen up! Put your cards away, the opposition knows were here. I want you all to quietly and CALMLY gather your belongings and prepare for battle. If you panic and scramble you might miss something which could kill you.” He wasn’t the leader of the guards but he was the most experienced. When they tried to dismiss him and continue on playing. Duma closed his eyes drew his sword and neatly cut the cards in their hands in half.

“GET MOVING.” He shot them a death glare and they began to move. Won’t have a mission be jeopardized due to delinquency.

[Ryuzaki]

Ah... Here came some fun. A man, with a sword - from Laus, no less. He claimed to be a former captain. Former? Ah, but that meant something had happened, for he was clearly no longer the captain. If he was affiliated with Laus, then obviously he was cover for the smugglers. Perhaps a scout, or a decoy? Ryu decided he needed more information, a better picture... He could not let his client down. And the Captain had so elegantly walked straight into Ryu's arms. Almost as if he was begging to be marked, followed, watched, shadowed...

Stepping forward from the shadows, Ryu spoke quietly but clearly, enunciating each word as if they were made of iron.

"With whatever due respect is owed to a civilian with a dubious title and even shadier excuse for interfering, I must ask you to leave this area at once. I do not ask the questions around here, nor do I issue the orders - but you have heard the orders. I simply must request you obey them... Or things may become a bit... Unpleasant.

I am with this group for my own reasons and to satisfy my own interests - and I am not afraid to call the bluff of what I see clearly as an interference to this military operation. Should you wish to continue to cause problems, I will act in defense of my own financial interests and save the military time and money. No tribunal will be necessary, and no paperwork will need to be filed. If you care to, we can step away from the fire and settle this in one of two ways - the way of the gentleman and businessman, or the way of the savage and robber. I shall leave the choice to you."

Ryu's face was blank. He had forced both the Cavalier and the Myrmidon's hands. If the Knight-Captain rebuked him, not only would she lose face, but she would also jeopardize her operation. If the Myrmidon refused to acquiesce and depart, then Ryu would have the Knight-Captain's tacit approval to take matters into his own hands.

[Charlotte]

Charlotte’s attention left the woods in front of her as soon as the mercenary who had been assigned to scout returned, icy-blue gaze shooting over to his direction as soon as she heard the word “problem.” While he addressed Kelvin, Charlotte’s mind quickly went to work, gears spinning as she processed what he was saying. How could they have been found so easily? Pursing her lips, the blonde crossed her arms as she sidled over to the pair. She wouldn’t be left out of this sort of a decision, not with the entire shipment - not to mention her own - at stake.

”Make a decision quickly before we are overwhelmed.” With that the scout left to rally the other mercenaries, who had gone back to their games while waiting for the scarred man to return. Charlotte looked to Kelvin, whose color had drained from his face, leaving him paperwhite.

When the man didn’t immediately respond, Charlotte sighed. “Kelvin, we cannot be idle. I don’t like the idea of a fight, but we may need to do just that in order to get through this.”

“I know, I know,” he assured, closing his eyes with a shake of his head before bringing his hand to his chin. “Do you really think there’s no way to just avoid them?”

Charlotte shrugged. “No way to know for sure; we have to trust our man scouted well enough to determine that wasn’t an option. We could check, but it would be wasting time.”

Kelvin paused for a moment before sighing. “Well, we can’t run into them head on; they have us outnumbered 2-1.”

“Maybe so,” Charlotte replied, uncrossing her arms and resting them on her hips, “but we can disorient them at least. I have a plan, if you’re willing to give it a try. I believe it’s our best option.”

---

Charlotte readied her things as Kelvin walked over to the group of mercenaries who had been worked into a frenzy by the green-haired scout. The men wouldn’t be thrilled to hear the plan, but it really was all they could do to try and secure the shipment.

“Alright, gather round for a moment,” Kelvin said, waiting as the mercenaries and other smugglers assembled around him. Thirteen in all, they weren’t the most imposing force, but they’d be willing to fight dirty if the situation called for it - which he hoped it wouldn’t. “We have to move fast; as you know, we’re not alone in the woods. You ten,” he said, referring to the hired hands, “need to don your cloaks and split into pairs of two; the rest will need to move with the carts.”

“Stamp out the fires in the camp, and as soon as you do, disappear into the woods with your swords ready. If you find a guard, do your best to disable him - only kill if you have no other choice. With the distraction, we can begin to move the carts down a different route and as far from the guard as possible. If we can, we’ll conceal the goods and come back to assist.”

“For this to work,” Kelvin closed, “we need to move as quickly as possible. We cannot strike them head on, and we cannot run. This is our only option.”

“Any questions?”

[Tiz]

Tiz was angry. Through narrowed, wild eyes he stared this man down who had emerged-- seemingly from nowhere-- to accuse him, to question his position, his station, and to deny his validity in appearing in the forest. Ignoring the knight-captain, Tiz turned to this new man fearless, folded his arms across his chest and got right in his face, speaking softly, but a particular firmness and quietness. "What's this, Santaruz is hiring mercs now? That what this is? You're a hired arm, aren't you? What, the Santaruz military can't stand up for itself without help? Can't ambush a trade route, quarantine an entire area without government order without getting your hands dirty? When I was in the League, we didn't play these games." He was tense. His tone was vicious, almost killing.

He fixed his gaze back on the knight-captain with bright hair. Still talking to this new silver-haired mercenary, he looked the woman right in the eye. "Fine." he said, a smile drawing across his face. "You want to settle this like gentlemen? Then let's lay down arms, and I'll go back and write to the Marquesses of both Laus and Santaruz to see if they both know this operation is happening. I don't care what's going on," he went on, turning his emerald gaze back to the silver-haired man, "be it raiders, smugglers, thieves-- what have you, I refuse to watch my country fall to pieces over silly, faux military operations in the middle of a damned forest."

While speaking, Tiz had had his hand placed firmly on the hilt of his blade resting at his hip, but he let go, noticeably, so that to show he meant no harm, despite the fierceness in his voice. "We can settle this calmly." He looked back towards the dark street, watching the caravan approach. He had no idea what was about to happen, and was incredibly worried. This could turn bloody very quickly.

After giving the knight-captain a chance to speak, Tiz's breath grew quick and sharp, and a chill shot down his spine like ice water over hot rocks. The lights of the fires around them suddenly went out. Tiz drew his sword.

[Melvina]

"Does he?" Melvina replied sarcastically after Tiz had explained about Marquess of Laus' authority. To be honest, Melvina herself believed in the concept of unity for Lycian states and one must act for the benefit of whole. However, there were some restrictions and rules that needed to be respected and enforced to make the ideal work. "Are you sure the other states want you interfering with Santaruz military operation? And in Santaruz territory of all places?" Melvina spoke with calm expression. She might be prone to anger but she knew how to control and direct it.

"Melvina Burns, knight-captain of Santaruz..." Melvina introduced herself reluctantly, sighing. She didn't see any benefit in giving her name to Tiz but decided to let the man have something he could bring back and report to his superior. The black-armored knight's mood became worse after Tiz made another statement about aggression and such. She shook her head in disappointment, not sure if she should laugh at him or pity him. "You must have forgotten many things after your inactive period, Captain Ciel... This forest is under Santaruz jurisdiction. Calling it aggression would be very foolish since we don't even cross into Laus territory. Also, since when official military force isn't allowed to quarantine an area in our own territory?" Still with same cold expression, Melvina tried to calmly explain the matter to the stubborn investigator.

Just when Melvina was about to instruct her soldiers to escort Tiz out of the camp, an unexpected person rose up to assist her in this unwanted debate. While his manner of speech was quite rude, Melvina couldn't help but smile bitterly when Ryu threatened Tiz. Although she didn't wish to dispose or harm Tiz by any means, she wouldn't hesitate to use force and cruel method if necessary. However, having a mercenary settled this matter, even although the silver-haired assassin had said he only defended his personal interest, didn't sit well with Melvina. If something was good about Ryuzaki's interference, it was that his action had made Tiz somewhat more irritated, Melvina liked it. "You know what? I don't know what you are implying. I don't even care. I am getting tired of this unimportant interruption...So I am going to ask you once more..." Melvina gave a signal with a flick of her finger. "...to leave this place immediately..." she said, her red eyes glaring back at Tiz. With her signal, a few soldier began gathering around Tiz.

-----------------------
Meanwhile, near the smuggler camp

The scouts saw the mercenaries putting off the fires in the smuggler camp and the carts moving. Although seemed hesitated at first, they finally decided to give the signal, believing that they had found the target. The original plan was to return to Melvina and report without making sound. However, they had decided not to risk wasting time and letting those carts escape. So they lifted the horn they was carrying and blew it.

-----------------------

But before they could force the former Laus soldier out of the camp, Melvina and the soldiers heard a sound they were so familiar with. That was the signal! One of the scouts blew the horn after he had found the target. The sound of the horn cut through the silence in the forest, calling the brave Santaruz soldiers into action. "Everyone, get to your position!!" Melvina's shout was loud and clear as she gave her first command for tonight operation. There wasn't a single second delay in their reaction. Unlike the mercenaries, the disciplined soldiers quickly picked up their weapons and lined up in a formation as they waited the next order. If possible, Melvina wanted to ambush the target but it was already impossible now. The horn meant that the scouts were either spotted, in danger, or unable to report quietly.

Melvina grabbed the saddle and pulled herself onto Shiva, her warhorse. She then turned to the troops under her command. There were 10 Santaruz knights, 20 Santaruz foot soldier, and 10 mercenaries that she could use to deal with those smugglers. This number should be more than sufficient. "Make haste! Advance toward the signal location!!" she commanded as Shiva made a strong dash forward.

[Duma]

Duma sighed in annoyance. He placed two finger tips over the corner of his eyes. Annoyed at the fact that the mercenaries had scrambled instead of calmly attempting to get themselves ready. The plan was to stamp out the campfire and begin moving. Perhaps if they had done so in a not so haphazard fashion the scouts might not have raised the alarm so soon. But this was not the case, the Santaruz guards had given the signal which alerted them to their position. It should have been obvious to Duma that these men weren't going to listen to him. What was he to expect of mercenaries he had no charge of? Perhaps if Kelvin or Myscha had given the order perhaps these buffoons could have shown some order. Whatever. I need to focus. He thought to himself as he donned his plain cloak.

He cracked his knuckles and drew his sword. No kill if possible. Right. At least from his perspective it showed that Kelvin did not want unneeded deaths. The swordsman flipped his sword over so the edge of his blade was facing up towards the sky. At least now most of his strikes will be done with the blunt edge of the weapon so as to avoid accidentally killing someone. Duma liked to think of it as an honorable act, after all these Santaruz guards are only doing their jobs. But he suspected it was something more. Deaths between border guards and knights of territories might be seen as acts of war. War is never good.

In the scramble Duma found himself paired up with someone. But unsure as to whom that someone was. He hoped it was one of the mercenaries he had at least learned the name of before hand. I didn't get a good look at the face. Damn it. He had a small frown. As he ran through the moonlight forest he mentally steeled himself for what was to come. He pressed forward, focused, and ready for anything.

[Tiz]

Tiz "tch"ed through gritted teeth, upset with the situation, realizing that he was way out of place. Not only was he outnumbered and outgunned, he was beginning to believe he had been set up. If the Lausian government knew that Santaruz had stationed soldiers out here, they wouldn't have sent in their own troops. In that way, they could prevent civil war but still get an ear on the ground, and eye in the sky... Is that what Tiz was? Was he a pawn? Surely not... he had done far too much for them to believe that. But it made sense. It made a lot of sense... he began to get worried. He parted his legs, drawing his blade slowly from its sheath on his hip. Now that the lights were out and the soldiers had mobilized, he had to make a move. Fast. The soldiers from Santaruz wouldn't be much problem if he could call the town guard out, but the knight-captain... he wasn't sure how to deal with her.

If they had a signal location, and they were all armed, this was assuredly a military operation. That scared him. That was all but a declaration of civil war-- if soldiers from Santaruz were about to attack civilians, and if those civilians were from Laus... they would have to either cover up whatever was about to go on, or declare war on the country, thereby declaring war on Laus, on Caelin, on any province-- a country against itself. This could truly be much worse than he thought. Best case scenario, Tiz figured, there was a smuggling operation from an unaffiliated party acting on behalf of one of the provinces. If it was hired arms or citizens from another country, they could avoid most of the trouble.

A shiver went down Tiz's spine, however, as the caravan approached, more rapidly now. As the soldiers scattered and noise was made, He heard the clashing of metal first-- none had come from him, and it looked as though the soldiers had occupied themselves around the caravan, yet not directly on it. Were they waiting? And were the fighting mercenaries? Tiz lowered his weapon, realizing he wasn't in immediate danger just yet, despite all that was going on around him. What was this, a merchant caravan? Perhaps it was just a smuggling operation, and he could rest easy. But...

"No," he breathed, losing heart. As the caravan approached, he could see a few people inside. Civilians, but smugglers no doubt. They were from Laus. These were Lausian citizens. What goods they were carrying, he didn't know. But he knew these were people from Laus. If the soldiers realized this, it would be cause enough for some severe conflict... The young man rushed towards the caravan, sword at his side. He wasn't prepared to do any harm, but he needed to figure out what was going on. Every soul in the immediate area was in grave danger.