Hot Pursuit (Rhia/Sigma) (Complete)

[Rhia]

Rhia had spent the larger portion of the day trying to simply blend in with the mixed and diverse crowd in the busy streets of Badon. She had to stay subtle, lest her target catch wind of what she was trying to do and escape before she would be any the wiser. Though she wore a shining set of heavy black armor with a blood red cape whilst riding on the back of her horse, which was also black, she didn't look out of the ordinary for a simple oddly fashionable mercenary, or a disenfranchised knight of some kind, with a lance slung across her back, and a simple sword in a sheath at her waist.

Her target in question was a man that her employer, an older and somewhat shady Ilian man, had wanted returned alive, but beyond that only his name, Sigma, was given, along with a detailed enough description of what he looked like. Apparently he spent a lot of time in and around Badon as of late, but she had never called into question why she needed to find him so urgently, she just knew it'd pay a nice sum of money, though she had an odd suspicion that the Ilian wouldn't have shared that knowledge regardless.

While she was riding down a much more sparsely populated street at a brisk but casual pace, she spotted out of the corner of her eye someone that she assumed to be the one she was searching for. While she couldn't be certain, she was almost certain it was in fact him. Steering her horse towards the man, but not breaking into any rash actions (yet), she called out to him. "You there! Halt! I have something I need to ask you."

[Sigma]

Looking at the merchant's stall, Sigma continued to eye the knife on display. It was small, but it definitely looked like it could do it's job well. The hilt seemed incrusted with silver with some king of obsidian handle. An amateur would first consider it a piece to be exhibited, however Sigma knew that this weapon wasn't just made to be displayed, but to fight as well. How much for the dagger there?"

"More than you can afford, son. Now either leave or try buying something else."

Well jeez, alright, somebody's acting fussy. Almost feeling insulted, Sigma transfered his bag of freshly baked goods in his off hand to take out his coin purse to prove a point about his wealth, however, somebody calling out to him was able to distract his attention. Looked like it was an armored woman standing atop her horse. First of all, the fact she's calling out to me personnaly could be a very bad sign... However, it could also be a job opportunity... I mean, I haven't done anything in Badon deserving of having somebody come to finish me off (after Melia, my trust in frequential probability tells me the chance of finding another assassin is quite low...

Looking confused a bit, the thief walked up to the cavalier as a few villagers and workers were going on with their day. Looking at her, he noticed the massive contrast the black horse and armor were making with that red cape and that green hair. "Umm, is there a problem? I don't know why you're asking me something, were you looking for somebody else perhaps? Unless you're looking to pay for my services, I seriously don't know what you want.

Crossing his arms while keeping his confused expression as this definitely was not something he'd be expecting on a regular morning. If she wanted to hire him for something, he first had to bring food back to the temporary house he and Melia had rented out while they'd be staying in Badon.

[Rhia]

Okay, good. He doesn't seem to be aware that I've been trying to find him. Either that, or he's really good at playing stupid, but I really don't think that's the case here. Hmm, he doesn't even have a horse or any mount at all, so I don't see how he can even outrun me in the first place. Heheh, that senile old Ilian must be insane offering that much money. This'll be an easy catch for sure!

Snapping back to the matter at hand, Rhia spoke up. "If I have the right person, which I'm almost completely certain I do, then you are the one known as Sigma. I've been hired by someone to bring you back to him alive. What he will do once you've been returned, I have no idea, but you have two options: Come quietly and peacefully right now..." Rhia deliberately paused for a slight dramatic effect as she started to brush her horse's mane, "...Or you can start running, and let Geist and I play cat and mouse with you until you're forced to come with us. Your choice, and I'll even be nice and give you a few seconds to think on it if you're feeling a little indecisive."

And now we just sit and wait. I highly doubt he's just gonna give himself up. I'm sure if he's wanted for something, he's well aware of what it might be, and he'd rather not be caught. Too bad for him that a mounted rider was hired to bring him back. Rhia stared intently at the information broker, prepared to draw her lance and chase him down if the need for such action came.

[Sigma]

OH ARE YOU KIDDING ME? ANOTHER ONE!?!? WHAT DID ALL OF THE MERCHANTS BACK IN EDESSA JUST DECIDE TO MAKE THE "LET'S f**k SIGMA OVER CLUB"!!?!? Sighing deeply, he looked at the woman who was supposed to bring him back to Ilia.If that lady thinks she's going to be able to even lay a finger on me, she's got another thing coming...

Deciding to act a bit, he raised his arms in defeat. "Ugh fine, I guess I do have some things to settle back in Ilia. Can't be on the run forever... There's no way I'll be able to outrun anyways when you're on a horse." smirking a bit as he said those last words, he gripped the bag containing the bread a bit harder. Suddenly, he tossed it in the woman's face, quickly turning around, sprinting into the crowd. "Sadly, that would only be true if we weren't inside of city... Come on! Try and catch me!" Eh, seems like Melia was already rubbing off on him somewhat. He couldn't help but laugh that bread had been his distraction this time. Have a bread roll, you're not yourself when you're hungry dear...

At the very least he had his swords on him if it came to that. Looking around he noticed a very small alleyway to the north. Sprinting through the merchant district, he was jumping on pots, sliding in between stalls and expertly darting around the civilians as to not slow him down. Reaching that alleyway would be his best bet to use his skills against her superior speed.

Just who is it this time? Salim doesn't even know his assassin failed... Just who is it that actually wants me alive? I don't if that means it's for something minor or something so bad, he'd rather kill me himself...

[Rhia]

So cocky and sure of herself, Rhia was caught completely off guard when Sigma threw a bag of bread towards her, spilling it out all over the ground, but providing just all wide enough opening that he could begin to escape. Just as she was recovering from the distraction, she spotted him running off, ducking and weaving through the crowded street. She yelled out, "You cowardly cur! Get back here and at least fight like a real man instead of running off like a chicken that's about to get butchered!" Gripping the reins of Geist, she slurred the pitch black horse onward, commanding people to move out of the way. While most did, some confused and slow to move pedestrians didn't get out of the way in time, so she needed to weave around them, losing precious milliseconds of time. If she lost sight of Sigma, her chances of success fell immensely.

Oh, no you don't, thief. If you get away, you're losing me a huge paycheck, not to mention a lot of wasted time and energy. I am not about to let all my effort go to waste because of a damn bread bag and some quick feet! Oh, boy, when I catch up to you... The man did say he needed you back alive, but he actually never did specify that you had to be completely unharmed!

As she began to slowly gain distance on Sigma, while still dodging people and objects alike as best as she could while riding Geist, she noticed an alleyway that she was certain Sigma would have already seen. Hmm.. if I do lose sight of him, I bet he'll be going into that alleyway. Not sure if Geist would fit in there though. Then again, that alley must lead somewhere, or he wouldn't try and escape with it, would he? I guess if worse comes to worse, I'll figure out where that alleyway leads to and try to get there before he does.

[Sigma]

Feeling confident he could reach the narrow alleyway, Sigma grin slightly as he jumped and slid across a stall, breaking and pushing off whatever was being sold at the time. Look behind him for a brief moment, he could see his pursuer was still hot on his trails. Dashing a bit more, he got into the smaller street where her horse wouldn't be able to follow him.

"Welcome to my territory. Guess you can't do much when you're not in an open field to swing that spear around, now aren't you?" Continuing to delve deeper a bit, he turned a left to end up in an even narrower passage. Perfect! Exactly what I needed. Leaning his back on one wall, he used both legs to slowly but surely climg onto the top of the building. From where he was, he could see the harbor in the distance... Hmm, nah no way that I'll be able to jump on a ship and leave just like that... My best bet would be to first try and lose her, and then get the jump on her so I can get some answers.
Good thing I just learned this warrior magic! Looking over the city, he noticed a big cluster of civilians bunched together in what seemed like an auction. Eh, Badon will always be Badon...

Starting to run, he jumped over to the next building. He could see the cavalier down in the streets, and so could her most likely. However, there was no way she could keep up with him when he was on the rooftops like this. Only a matter of time until he'd lose her.

He then continued to advance in the direction of the auction, jumping from build to building slowly but surely. After a couple of minutes of freerunning where he had gotten a slight lead by using routes very difficult to follow on horseback, he climbed down to join the massive crowd, keeping his head slightly lowered as to not give out his position. She probably knew he'd be in there. But where was another story.

He then silently observed to see when she'd show up to try and find him...

[Rhia]

A minute or so after she first noticed the alleyway, it occurred to Rhia that she could no longer see Sigma. She must have been so focused on getting to said alleyway, that she'd lost her focus on him just long enough for him to slip away, though she was still sure he must've slipped somewhere into that alley. With a defeated sigh, she led Geist further along the road, slowing to a trot now, but keeping a eye out for any sign of the information broker. Sure enough, she didn't need to wait too long.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rhia spotted Sigma up on top of one of the buildings. How did.. what.. Oh, never mind! There's no way I can get him up there. Wait, is he still running? Why? Oh, I see! He probably thinks he can catch me by surprise in a trap of so sort. Well then, I'm inclined to oblige said trap, Sigma, but inclined assure you, I won't be caught off guard by it!

Spurring Geist onward yet again, she headed the general direction she had seen Sigma running off towards, until she rounded a street corner into a large and spacious marketplace, much different from the cramped street she'd started in. Still, despite having plenty of room, many civilians still occupied the area, thus likely making her potential to use her lance minimal at best. Placing her hand on the hilt of her sword instead, she began to slowly lead Geist around, keeping an eye out for Sigma, but to no avail. If he was here, he was very good at hiding, which wasn't really a surprise to her. Still, she braced herself, anticipating some sort of sneak attack from the thief.

[Sigma]

There she is... Try to find, I dare you! Having taken off his badana to at least possibly confuse her, he slowly started moving through the crowd, following the movements of other civilians as to not look out of place. He started to look around for a place with enough shade for him to actually hide... Ugh, damn daylight...

The only thing he saw that could fit the bill was an abandonned stall in the corner of the town square. It looked to be sufficiently hidden from sunlight for him to lose his tracker. Ugh, I hate when I'm the quarry... I do such a better job at being the hunter anyways.

Quickly walking behind the stall which was almost right next to the walls of two buildings, things weren't really ideal. While yes, he could hide here, he was definitely in trouble if she ever came to investigate the spot. Eh screw it, now's not the time to hesitate... Crouching down, he started breathing slowly... very slowly, almost like his entire body was stopping to move. Feeling everything getting slower, Sigma's skill kicked in quickly as he became almost unnoticeable without direct scrutiny of his location.

(Shade used)

Slowly moving his eyes, he could see families going on with their day, buying food and other things. I hope this whole doesn't cause unnecessary casualties... Who knows what this woman will do to get her paycheck? That black of armor definitely wasn't a sign of compassion and kindness if I had to guess... Well, I do have my throwing knife still... Could make for a possible distraction for me to run... Or possibly to defeat her... No, I need to brign somewhere else. These people don't deserve to be in the crossfire of a duel.

[Rhia]

Rhia still hadn't calmed down yet, mainly due to the embarrassing nature of the bread attack, but also because she'd lost sight of her target. Granted, urban bounty hunting wasn't her forte, but she had hoped it'd be a bit easier than this. There's so many damn people, I can't figure out which one is Sigma! Not to mention he could've made some quick appearance changes while he was out of my sight. Oh! Wait a minute... Rhia moved her head a bit, trying to lock on to a figure moving quickly towards a shaded area between a couple buildings. Hmm.. could that be him? I should probably keep my sword put away, just in case this isn't the right guy...

Moving Geist over towards the shaded area, Rhia began trying to analyze her surroundings for any sign of the thief, but to no avail. Where the hell could he have gone? People don't just up and vanish into thin air! What Rhia didn't realize was that Sigma was hiding in the one spot, just on the edge of her peripheral vision, that she hadn't thought to look at. Though she may not have thought so, she was open for a perfect surprise attack, especially given the much smaller amount of people on this end of the square.

Drawing her sword partway out of her sheath, she called out, a slight shakiness to her voice. "W-where are you, coward!? There is no honor in hiding amongst the shadows, or behind boxes and barrels. Show yourself so that we might be done with this!"

[Sigma]

Why is she just staying there!?!? Ugh, dammit I'm about to run out of energy to keep this up! Feeling his arms start to shake, his concentration broke as his presence was no longer masked with the help of the shadows. No doubt now that the cavalier will find him in a few moments... Getting a good look of his surroundings, Sigma tried to find a way to run away... But sadly, it seemed he was already cut off from any escape routes. Damn, guess I'll have to scare the people away, instead of luring her away... Crouched behind the stall, he could almost hear the horse breathing loudly. Her being mounted would certainly create some issues considering a fight was pretty much inevitable at this point... Guess he'd have to improvise with what he had.

Grabbing one of the clay jars on the floor, he could feel liquid sloshing inside, not really having the time to check, he got up and quickly chucked the jar towards the mounted woman. "There's no honor in working as a bounty hunter! Certainly not when you work for such horrible beings as the ones who probably want me dead!" he didn't know who called out the hit, but he knew it probably wasn't a nice person... Grinning, he hoped his distraction would help him acting out his real plan. Grabbing the throwing knife on his harness, he swiftly threw it at the horse, hoping to take out her mobility and height advantage... Of course, he only aimed at the leg. Sigma wasn't an animal killer. Sorry buddy, but your master is being a reaaal pain right now...

Maybe if it worked, they'd be on equal grounds. It'd be nice to win a fight against a trained soldier. Sigma would definitely feel that his training had payed off.

[Rhia]

Rhia was pleased that Sigma finally decided to show his cowardly face, although she didn't expect what he did when he emerged from the shadows. As a dagger flew from the thief's hand, it landed straight into Geist's front right leg, causing it to buckle for pain, making the horse lean forward while crying in pain. "Geist! Geist, it's gonna be okay... You're gonna be alright, boy... Hang on..." Hopping off of Geist's saddle, Rhia drew her lance, pointing it straight at Sigma. "You dastard! You would stoop so low as to wound a horse's leg, just to get to me? Well, you've got me! Guess we're gonna fight here and now then! I won't kill you, cause that's not part of my contract, but I'll definitely rough you up, especially for making it really personal now!"

Thinking about what Sigma had just said about the nature of her job, she responded before making any moves. "Look, I'm sure you understand the nature of bounty hunter work, and other mercenary jobs. I just do it to get paid. I don't have any allegiances to these people. The man who hired me is someone I just met for this assignment alone. I never knew him prior. All I knew is he was paying a hefty sum to have your head alive, and so I obliged. Had I not done it, someone else surely would have. Now, I think we're long overdue for a duel!"

Gripping her lance tightly in both hands, Rhia charged at Sigma, her eyes filled with blind rage as she almost appeared to be trying to run the their completely through with the weapon. Though to some degree, she spud seem a bit on the shaky side while on her feet, likely being much more used to fighting on horseback by now, rather than on her own two feet, something that she dearly hoped Sigma wouldn't notice.

[Sigma]

Oh good! This is absolutely perfect! Her shouting is making everybody flee! Now at least I can be sure nobody is going to be hurt by accident. Guess hurting that horse was worth it after all... Though it did seem to piss her off IMMENSILY! hearing her go on and on, explaining something a toddler could understand to him, Sigma simply cracked his neck, getting into a fighting stance as he pulled out only his parrying dagger, holding it backwards so the blade runs along his forearm..

"Just pray that the man won't try and kill you too when you fail miserably. Taking a deep breath, he put most of his weight into his left leg which was behind while his right leg was only touching the ground by the toes. He could remember Melia's words: "Alright! This, is the cat stance. Keep yourself steady while making sure to remove as much weight from your front leg and you'll be in an excellent defensive stance. It's perfect for counterattacks and premptives strikes. The trick is to act as quickly as a cat, hence the name. Keep your reflexes sharpened, always looking for the opportunity to strike. Also don't forget to lower your center of gravity, that way you'll be much more stable and your attacks will contain much more strength if you transfer from your legs." Perhaps using a sword with this martial art stance was heresy, but Sigma much prefered to mix and match techniques and tricks instead of trying to perfect a single way of fighting. Why block with a fist when he had a dagger made exactly for that job? Looking at the woman, he could already see her charging his way. Showtime!

Breathing deeply, he concentrated on the speat pointed right at him. As it got into range, he quickly sidestepped to the right, only to come back and hit the shaft of the lance with his dagger, making sure to block it properly. Hoping she continues running thanks to that clumsy footwork, he decided to draw back his other arm and quickly aim for her head with an elbow strike. Thanks to that armor, her head's her only spot where i can get a clean hit. And for now, I'd like to keep from using my killing edge, darn thing would wound her enough to mkae her lose the ability to work ever again for Elibe's sake!

[Rhia]

As Rhia charged at Sigma, the last thing she was expecting were his reflexes to be quite as fast as they were, with him easily sidestepping her lance strike. Damn, he's definitely been practicing. I wasn't informed that this guy also knew how to fight, and pretty well at that. No wonder that Ilian was asking so much. Hmf.. Well, guess I'll have to try and recover, and fast, or he'll outmaneuver me in no time at all. Just as Rhia was about to be struck in the head by Sigma after his skillful parry, she was able to spin around, just barely blocking his attack, but also at the cost of being knocked back a few steps, but not knocked completely prone.

Damn, this isn't gonna work. I'm not as good with it, but it's the only option I see. I won't be able to beat him if he keeps getting inside my lance range. Dropping her lance to the ground at her feet, Rhia quickly drew her sword as she rushed at Sigma again, this time slower and slightly more cautious. Once she was close enough for a clean attempt at contact, she swung the blade downwards at a medium-fast speed, hoping that she'd be able to break through any blocking motion Sigma attempted, and if not, possibly damage his weapon enough to make it unusable, at the very least. She doubted the possibility of such a thing, but it was possible. Gods, I swear... If I get outwitted and outmatched at the same time by a thief, I'll never be able to let myself hear the end of it!

[Sigma]

Although he missed her face, he was still pretty damn happy to see her ditch her longer range weapon and opt for using her sword. Swordfight eh? Alright then, guess I should get serious too... He quickly moved the side of his coat out of the way to show the hilt of his sheated kodachi. Good thing that the blade was small enough to conceal on his person... Quickly putting the dagger in his right hand, he took his main weapon with his left, feeling kindof guilty to be using such a deadly blade on somebody only doing her job. I guess I can use the back of the sword unless I feel truly in danger. In that case I could try to cut the nerves in her wrist...

Seeing her inch closer, he decided to wait for her to attack first. As she went for an overhead slash, Sigma was quick enough to bring both of his swords forward to block her own. Despite him catching the blade pretty well, her strength was still comendable as he could feel a LOT of resistance. Barely pushing the sword to the right, he decided to jump back, prefering to play it safe then risking a second attack. He was going to need to use his speed against her to win. That armor must be slowing her down considerably considering she's used to let her horse do the moving.

Running back towards her, he decided to try and distract her. With his longer blade, he brought his hand to his opposite ear to then attack with a diagonal slash going from top right to bottom left. Hoping she'd block the attack with both hands, he'd then push forward and try to stab with his dagger between the metal plates in her armpit. I at least know that's where the weak point in a suit of armor is...

[Rhia]

Having escaped her initial strike attempt, it seemed Sigma was getting ready for a swing of his own with his sword. Alright then, let's see what you've got! Seeing him get the swing ready by pulling his arm back to his ear, she prepared well in advance to block, easily stopping it in its tracks before it came anywhere near her body. Seriously? I figured you were better than that! If you wanted to hit me, maybe don't telegraph it so much next- Ironically, just as Rhia thought about how predictable Sigma's sword attack was, she had not expected the dagger to come plunging into the area between her armor plating, right around her armpit.

Looking down quickly, she saw some of her own blood starting to leak out onto the dagger's blade. In a mix of anger and desperation, she moved her weight forward, Sigma's dagger still outstretched and the dagger inside her. "You're gonna.. pay for that!" She noticed that she was getting a bit short on breath, maybe due to the wound being close to her lungs, which made it hurt every time she started breathing. Nonetheless, she took her sword in one hand and swung it, though somewhat pitifully due to the pain kicking in mid swing. Wincing as she tried to deliver the blow, she hoped to get a clean cut into Sigma's arm or side, anything to slow him down just a bit, so that he might be a bit more on her level in that regard.

I... refuse... to be bested... by you, you coward!