Agent Orange

[Oya]

Sneaky little devil. Thought Oya to himself. He knew he had caused some trouble around Bern. Ok a lot of trouble, but he did not know they had his face on a bounty poster. He wondered if they knew his name, or if it was just a dead or alive bounty with some fool hardy nick name. Agent Orange, yeah that sounded about right. Those fools probably called him something like that. Still this priest was a bounty hunter. That meant that he was after oya and was probably planning to shoot him in the back. If it was not for the boy's wary gaze he would not have realized the man was dangerous.

"Still I can't let this go", spoke Oya as he tighten his grip on his weapon and prepared to give chase. Oya was already in a bad mood and that man's attempt to kill him just made it worse. Suddenly Oya felt a bump from his side. Oya had not noticed it before, but the young man looked around his age. Oya was a bit taller, but in the long run it did not mean much.

"Watch were you are going", spoke Oya to Vincent. Then he remembered that Vincent was the very reason he did not get a bolt of magic straight into his back. "Thanks for the help by the way", spoke Oya. "You may not have realized it, but your gaze warned me of danger. For that I will let you live", spoke the pirate as he rushed off after Mistigan. Oya had no intentions of letting that man live. He was going to show him what happens when you target a member of Nya Raiders.

[Vincent]

Vincent was ready to take a blow when suddenly the pirate thanked him. "Let you live," those words would haunt Vincent for a long time to come. It wasn't going to be skill or charisma that saw him through this day, it was going to be purely luck.

Oya ran to join the fight leaving a clear path out of the combat for Vincent. He ran away quickly as he could but something was drawing him back. He couldn't just leave yet, he had to witness the outcome and perhaps learn a thing or two that he could apply later. Finding a hiding place close enough to watch but distant enough to not be found he bore witness to the battle that would transpire.

[Ryuzaki]

"Hmph."

As the light magic came soaring toward him, Ryu simply sprang, his bent knees straightening as he performed a graceful backflip, landing as the magic smashed into where he'd been standing moments earlier. Although completely unharmed, the thief was briefly dazzled by the intensity of the light, and in those precious seconds, his target had begun running away from him.

"They told me he used light magic. They didn't tell me it was that kind of light..."

The thief sprinted forward, chasing after the mark, who had stopped and was protecting the young boy and the one laying on the ground. Mercy and pity for the weak. How touchingly sweet. Emotions like that made him sick.

"Come back, Michigan. Don't run... You just make it more fun for me. Or are you sheltering the weak? What a noble thing to do. Such a holy man, aren't you?"

Advancing, Ryu held Gemini in a ready position, smiling from beneath his hood as he neared the man. Suddenly, his hands twitched, and a throwing knife flew silently and inconspicuously toward the man's left side even as he slashed with his left arm toward the man's right side. The knife wouldn't kill, but it would serve to warn the man just who he was dealing with, if it hit.

[Kyle]

Great, things were going even more wrong. Apparently according to Near that man was a bounty hunter. Probably a lie, the man appeared to be a man of the church, although he appeared strong and skilled in magic. What was wrong with an aptitude of fighting in the church? They needed self defense too. But even if this man was a bounty hunter he was still Ryu's mark and he was protecting the people from the fighting, how noble. But with that blatent attack the guards should be there even faster, and if Ryu tries to kill them, a higher bounty may be there, it was almost funny. But if HIS mark got involved it might lead to his capture, and that wouldn't be goodmaybe he could get him to stop the real villain here, to Kyle at least.

Steeping into Oya's path Kyle spoke up. "Excuse me, but that man is a liar, he appeared to be going for you, I saw it. He probably misjudged his jump and tried to cover it up by attacking that man of the cloth. But the chase is up to you." That should instill a bit of thought in his head, he had just as much reason to believe him than Near, if not more because it looked like Near just tried to kill the boy. Things were too complicated now to go for the mark, but at least he could ruin Near's mark as well.

Kyle turned and walked into an alleyway intending to head them off as the guards in the town hall alerted by the ruckus began to take chase after the two that ran off, and with that other station on the way it would be funny to watch, hopefully.

[Mystigan]

Mystigan didn't give the lunatic a response. He didn't know whether to pity or hate the man. By his own nature, the bounty hunter hated him, but his creed as a man of faith dictated that he should not. He did, however, come to a conclusion that the man was evil. Mystigan never had much skill in terms of sensing darkness within another's soul, as a few priests claimed they could, but it didn't take a whole lot of intuition to see and hear the assailant's cruel nature. Sure, he wasn't the premier example of St. Elimine's faithful, but he certainly never felt enjoyment when hurting someone, and anyone who did was most likely missing a few proverbial marbles. It looked like he'd have to kill the blue clad swordsman to stop this madness.

Again with the Michigan nickname? It was starting to grow on him, but what in elibe was a 'michigan'? It sounded like it was a name for a rotting carcass or a particularly ripe piece of horse droppings. On second thought, he hoped it meant none of those things, it was too similar to his own already silly name. Wait, why did that matter in a time like this? He'd better start paying attention to the matter at hand or else he may wind up the victim of this white haired moron. White hair? Was he in a battle with an old man?-- STOP! Mystigan's own disinterest with the task at hand would get him killed one day. Or perhaps today. Whatever! It wasn't his fault the assassin was so obvious in his approach and method, after all that was most likely due to a lacking of brain cells on the white-headed bully's part. If the sides had been switched, Mystigan would have just waited until night fall or until he was alone, or at the VERY LEAST until he was off the street and away from a garrison of guardsmen. That reminded him, where were those lazy over-paid fools? There would be no need for bounties at all if the men of the law were capable in slightest.

Okay, where'd that idiot go?

Thats when the knife buried itself into Mystigan's shoulder.

Oh, there. By St. Elimine, Mystigan needed a cure for his lacking attention span. All that worked so far were the pretty faces of young maidens-- BY THE HOLY LIGHT PAY ATTENTION YOU FOOL! Mystigan had been knocked back a tad by the dagger's planting into his robe-- his robe!? Screw mercy and kindness, this blue-garbed, white-maned, stupid moronic blowhard was going to die very painfully.

As if a switch turned on in his brain, Mystigan took a step forward into the theif's attack and had no trouble in ducking under the slash, when would these fools learn to stab for once, it was so much harder to evade. Or at least learn to aim better. Mystigan may be a member of a class known for its weakness to physical attack, but he was tough enough to shrug off a few small flesh wounds. In all honesty, he was more angry that his cloak would have a hole in it than his shoulder being hurt. He sprung up from the quick duck under the swing, pulling the knife from his body with a roar that would impress the most boisterous of wild beasts and stabbing it for the Thief's gut. It may be a small weapon, but there were a few places one could get stabbed and not be able to fight much long after, and Mystigan was pretty sure one of those places was dead center into a man's lower abdomen.

In a very, very brief moment of clarity, Mystigan wondered why he hadn't sent a barrage of lightning at the attacker while he was running toward him. Oh that's right, he was too busy judging the assassin's strategy and demeanor. Next time he wouldn't do that, having a hole in his beloved cloak was more than enough of a lesson for him.

[Oya]

"Out of my way before I crush you", spoke Oya to Kyle. Before he could continue to give both insult and threat Kyle blurted out his speech. Half of it Oya was not truly paying attention to him. The pirate first started by sizing the young man up. He did not look truly threatening, but then again he did not think the priest was either. Oya adsorbed enough information to get what he was saying however it did not make much sense to him. Sure the blue guy could be lying about the other man being a bounty hunter, but him targeting Oya that made no sense. If he was then he would have been in range of Oya's axe. Once you leap through the air there is very little one can do to change their direction. Plus if he was after Oya he would have struck at Oya again. Assassins are not known for giving up after a single failed attempt. It just did not seem right to Oya.

"Sounds like a lie to me", spoke Oya out loud to himself. The pirate did not want to waste anymore time however. He still wanted to get his hands on that bounty hunter, though the more he thought about it the more foolish it seemed. It would be a complete waste of time to go chasing after him when a assassin was on his tale. It would just end with him and the assassin fighting over who gets to kill him first. Nah, instead Oya needed to take some sweet revenge on this village. Rather than give chase Oya took a turn around a nearby corner. As he turned he saw a contingent of guards moving his way.

"Shoot", spoke Oya out loud as he ducked into a alleyway and moved over to another street. Did the guards know who he was now. It would make sense for them to find out, since Oya had a bounty hunter after his head. Still they let him in with no fuss. Maybe they don't know yet. Still Oya did not want to be in their sight. Fighting a group of guards by ones self is a foolish idea. Oya was going to need back up.

Moving through the alleyway Oya noticed a pile of trash outside the surrounding buildings, along with a few broken planks and a pile of horse dung. "That will work", spoke Oya as he picked up one of the broken planks and scooped up the dung. He then tossed it on top of the pile of rubble and garbage. The pirate then pulled out a strange bag and threw it onto of the dung. Quickly following that Oya took out a box of matches and used one to start a fire from the horse dung and rubble. Strangely enough the fire began to burn green and the smoke took a dark green color. Like a lantern in the night the green smoke stood out in the air sending a signal to Oya's boys anchored not too far off the coast.

[Vincent]

Vincent was hidden away and watching the ensuing fighting. He was mesmerized, as the others figured out what was going on they fought with skill that Vincent never knew would be possible for him. One day he decided. Mimicking the movements of the others he started to practice from his safe spot. It would only be a matter of time before he had to decide who out here was a good man; at which point he would come to their aid.

[Ryuzaki]

Perfect. Now the man was angry. Ryu hoped he'd blunder and make it easy for him to finish the mark off. A clean finish to a messy job would be more than welcome. But in a wonderfully predictable twist, the man not only ripped out the dagger but also decided to try his hand at swordplay. What a joke.

Smoothly, the thief whipped his right arm down, allowing the knife to ram straight into it. What the acolyte would be surprised with, however, was not the seemingly idiotic move, but the bright metallic clang that the blade made when it contacted his arm.

No, Ryu wasn't some sort of freak who coated his body with metal plates; he valued mobility way too much to bother with armor. But his concealed iron sword, which he'd modified to serve as a deflector shield and hidden blade, was the perfect tool for this scenario. And look! It actually worked!

Following the motion, the thief slammed the flat of Gemini down on his prey's wrist, which would cause an involuntary opening action. Flipping his palm up, the thief collected his knife, smiled, and then dove to the left, rolling and then coming up away from the man and behind him, ready to strike.

That's when he saw the guards.

"Oho! Here they come, huh?"

The thief was gone in a second, sheathing his sword and knife and pulling himself up onto a roof.

"I will find you, Michigan, and I will slay you like a dog."

Then, the man disappeared, leaping over the rooftop. But what the rest of the combatants couldn't see was that immediately after clearing the top, Ryu dropped down and lay still on the opposite side of the roof. From his angle, he peered around the home's chimney and waited for a clear shot. Who the hell had called the guards? And how on earth had all those people gotten here? The mark's mark he could understand, but what about the other young one with white hair? Or that vaguely familiar person who had saved his mark from... Oh, bloody hell.

"Kyle..."

The thief's whisper was inaudible, but he was splitting mad. That little brat had taken it upon himself to show up everywhere at the worst possible times. It was almost impossible, in fact. But no matter. He'd finish this here... and later, when he had a clear shot.

[Kyle]

Kyle watched as Near began the squabble with the other man, things were far too hectic now for the stalking of his original mark and it was sad that Near had managed to get away with an idiotic blatant attack in public. Today was just not his day. At least guards should be on alert for him for a while. Maybe he could meet that man that he tripped into earlier, he must be doing something right to get Near's attention. But right here was not the place. Near probably still had his eye on the man. Hm, the most likely place would be. . . the guard station. They should want to take him there for questioning, so the best bet would be to hang out there. Plus Near would never be dull enough to attack there, he would surely die.

Sticking to the shadows Kyle used his experience in hunting and tracking to silently move through the shadowy alleys, nearly invisible, until the closest guard station came into view and Strolled in. Hopefully the other guy would be taken here, if not, oh well.

[Mystigan]

Well... Mystigan was breathing heavily, and despite the situation appeared to be smiling.

I'm touched someone thinks I'm a threat enough to send an assassin... He laughed to himself and slammed his lightning tome shut victoriously. Now where'd that lad run off to... I got some unfinished business to take care of. He turned around to look for the lad named Vincent. He wanted to make sure the shy teen wasn't too startled by the combat, but when the garrison of the city swarmed into the area he knew he was probably going to have to answer a few questions. Hopefully it wouldn't be like the last few times he'd encountered city guards and he wouldn't be mistaken for a criminal. One of the armed soldiers approached him, and though he was more worried about the white tressed boy than his own failed assassination, he knew that resisting the guardsmen would only make the situation worse. At least he would be able to warn them about his mark wandering free in the city.

"Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you in for some questions." The guard informed the muscle-bound acolyte.

I'm sure you're real sorry, huh? He chuckled and walked toward the guard without argument. While you're all out doing your jobs, would you mind keeping an eye out for two young lads? One's a rather girly looking pirate with a huge axe on his back, he's a highly dangerous fugitive, and I recomend starting the search for him now. And the other one is a friend of mine, I think he might have gotten scared when I got attacked and run off. He's got white hair if it helps. The guard looked confused by Mystigan's lack of concern for his own safety, but nodded and motioned for him to follow. The guard Mystigan was following spread the information about the red-haired pirate and white haired kid too before leading him off to the nearest guard station.

As he entered he thought he saw the same green tunic the person who'd tripped into him had on, but was hastily escorted into the next room where the guards questioned him about the attack and brought a vulnerary for the minor wound on his shoulder. Mystigan was more worried about finding a tailor for his robe, but unfortunately the guards were fresh out of them. Damn shame. He gave them all the information he could, what the assassin looked like, what he was armed with, all the information any one of the many other witnesses could have given them, and was let go a few minutes after entering. He'd have to stick around inside the place a little longer though, there was always the slim chance the guards would find vincent or maybe even his mark and bring them here. While he waited he made himself comfortable on a open seat in the station and laid his head back in hopes of taking a small nap.

Might as well rest up a bit. THe guards were probably going to fail in finding Agent Orange before he got back to his ship in the harbor, and since the kid knew Mystigan was a bounty hunter now thanks to that loumouth assassin he wagered the pirate would come back to ensure he wouldn't have to worry about Mystigan again in the future.

[Vincent]

Vincent saw as the guardsmen took Mystigan away. It didn't seem right; if anyone here was innocent it was him after all it was the assassin in blue that started the fighting. Vincent walked through the streets stopping at the odd vendor as he debated on what he should do. "What do you think? Should I go to the station and help him or not?" he asked a cat. It had been lazing about and Vincent explained his predicament to it as a way of sorting it all out. Before he could decide a pair of patrolling guardsmen approached him.

"He looks like the kid, do you think hes the one?" the first asked.

"Best to take him in and find out," replied the other approaching Vincent. Vincent stood and nervously greeted the two guards. "We need you to come down to the station with us to answer a few questions. Also it seems your friend is there."

Vincent nodded submissively and went quietly. What had the acolyte said to the guards? Would his story match up? What if it caused him problems?

[Oya]

"Success", spoke Oya as he stared at the pillar of green smoke rising in the air. Suddenly he heard the sound of the guards panicking and asking each other about the green smoke. It seemed the bucket heads were onto him, or did not like random fires in their city. It was probably the later of the two. Oya sheathed Xigshaw on his back and moved around the corner. He did not want to be seen next to the fire when the guards came to investigate the green smoke. Still the signal was just lit only a minute or so ago. He wanted it to burn a little longer before he allowed them to put it out. Just in case the drunken louts were not paying attention.

"Why in the world is the fire green", spoke a guardsmen as he turned the corner and saw the fire burning on the pile of garbage.

"Careful", spoke another one as he followed his partner. "That smoke might be poisonous", he spoke. 

"Careful indeed", spoke Oya as he rushed back around the corner. The guardsmen tried to lower his spear, but Oya was too fast for him. The pirate did not bother to draw his weapon. Instead he delivered a stern punch into the guardsman gut. Oya's strength empowered by Xigshaw strengthening magic was far more than enough to knock the man to the ground. The guardsman toppled over and fell to his knees holding his stomach in pain.

"Tomas", spoke the other guardsman as he rushed forward and attempted to stab Oya with his spear. The weapon less pirate did not move as the man came forward. He waited for him to stab with his spear and then quickly step to the side. Oya then grabbed the shaft of the spear and broke the spear point off with a strike from the palm of his hand. "What in the world are you", spoke the man in fear as Oya rushed forward and slammed his fist into his chest. The blow knocked him back and sent him flying to the ground. Not wasting a minute Oya delivered a kick to the man's jaw knocking him unconscious. To his surprise however he heard the sound of a horn blowing from behind him.

"Help", shouted the other guard as he blew on his ox horn and screamed for the other guardsmen to give aid.

"You cowardly whelp", spoke Oya as he moved back over to the man and stuck him in the jaw with his fist. It was too late though. Oya could already hear their armored foot steps heading his way. Even if they did not hear the horn. The green smoke would have been a dead ringer to his location. It was times like this Oya wish he had never cut his hair. Back in the day he could of pulled off the woman act and skipped town, but then again he did not have Xigshaw on his back then. Rather than fight the guardsmen Oya decided it would be best to be captured. As the guardsmen turned the corner Oya lifted his hands into the air.

"Whoa whoa whoa,", spoke the pirate as a few of the guards pointed their spear tips at him. "Now I know how this looks, but I assure you this is a great misunderstanding". After a small conversation, several insults, and the carrying of two unconscious guards Oya was taken into the station. Not as a notorious criminal, but as a mercenary who had one too many. Lucky for Oya he was taken in before the word was put out on him. While the boys in red were searching the city for a orange hair lad with a giant weapon Oya was sitting in the station planning and waiting for his next move. The orange hair lad sat in his cell staring at the ceiling from his bed.

"Those fools better make it here in time", spoke Oya as he fumbled with a coin in his hand.

[Ryuzaki]

"A guard station? Well, well, well. They're all holed up in a guard station."

Ryu had quietly followed the group of guards with his mark to a guard station. Soon, the white-haired kid had been ushered inside. So now all that was left was Kyle and the mark's mark. Well, he couldn't care less about anyone except Michigan and Kyle. But how to infiltrate a guard station to kill them? There were many possibilities. He could smoke them out, or take on a guard's uniform and waltz in... He could simply break in a d hope he could take out his targets and leave in time... Or...

Smiling, the thief located a lone guard and slipped down off of the rooftops onto the street. He had a master plan now. Walking up behind the guard, Ryu cleared his throat, and as the guard turned, he bashed him between the eyes with Gemini's hilt. The guard hit the dirt, limp and unmoving, but alive.

"Pity. I must not have hit hard enough.

Stripping the light armor from the guard, Ryu quickly dressed himself as a patrolling lawman, hiding his hair under a cap and picking up the lance from the alley. One stab from the lance through the neck finished that order of business, and Ryu unceremoniously rolled the body into a cellar chute. Whoever lived there would have some explaining to do.

Now. All he had to do now was throw in some fun and wait.

Climbing awkwardly and slowly back up to his perch, cursing at the damn armor, Ryu took out some smoke sticks and lit them, beginning to toss them towards the chimney. After four failed throws, which landed in various places near the chimney, Ryu finally managed to get one into the aperture. Now there would be smoke pouring out inside the building, although it would be a limited amount and time. However, they wouldn't be able to recognize it as an incendiary device, thanks to its ingenious construction. Now all that was left was to wait until they stopped his little prank. Then the firestorm could begin in earnest.

Or they could flee. If they did... All the better. He wasn't at all skilled with this damn lance, but he had throwing knives. And he could hit the button on a noble's collar with these throwing knives, from half a kilometer away.

[Kyle]

Kyle watched as slowly more and more people were ushered into the guard station, most likely for questioning, he even saw his mark and the man from earlier, but there were too many people to even think about approaching. He wasn't very social after all. The guards seemed to be taking this quite seriously, the city seemed to be buzzing with guards. The other stations must have been alerted. Well that basically put all his plans to rest, again Near ruined his paycheck. It was a good thing he could trap animals or he might have starved by now.

It was then that he noticed something strange. Extremely strange. A guard was up on a roof trying to throw some thing smoking into the station. Was it fire? Why would a guard be doing that? Or be on a roof? Was it Near? Why would he be trying to continue with guards this active? Did he want to die? Oh well, some guards should notice him soon enough. He should see where all of this conflict was going, though moving out of his area was out of the question; he had a good view.

[Vincent]

Vincent was ushered into the station, where he looked around nervously.

"Calm down son, you aren't under arrest. We do have some questions however as it seems you were one of the people at the heart of a disturbance." The man behind his desk said to reassure him.

"I was, yes." Vincent tapped his foot rapidly. He didn't see the others and he didn't like being interrogated, even if he was already in the clear.

"You look nervous. You should try to relax," the man said. Vincent silently nodded and looking around avoiding eye contact he noticed an odd smoke rising.

"What in the world? Do you have a fire going?" Vincent inquired.

"No, why?" the man asked curiously before noticing himself.