Hunting Smugglers (Open)

[Charlotte]

As the mercenaries split off, extinguishing the fires as they were told and starting the distraction, Charlotte and Kelvin moved swiftly, assembling the other three smugglers to begin pulling the hand-carts down a nearby side-path. It wasn’t guaranteed to be unguarded, but any guards that did stray away from their position amongst the commotion would be manageable. Already in a navy-blue traveling outfit with a dark leather vest, belts, and boots, Charlotte also donned a black wrapped shoulder cape, with hood fully drawn and covering her light-colored hair.

“Move quickly but quietly,” the blonde urged the others as they did their best to not rattle their carts while still advancing with haste. “They could be on us at any moment, and we need to ensure we don’t give them a chance to respo-“

Kelvin held up his hand, an agreed motion to use in order to silence the group. Charlotte instantly quieted, watching as the man motioned over to a shadowy figure in the distance. It was unclear if the soldier had seen them or not. Sh*t, the woman thought, though she did not falter. Looking to Kelvin, she nodded, pointing to herself as a signal that she would take care of the man who had strayed. She hadn’t planned nor wanted to get involved in the fighting, but it didn’t seem she had a choice. Drawing part of her cloak up to cover her face and pinning it to the inside of her hood, the woman vanished into the trees.

Her movements were deliberate and calculated as she moved towards the guard, like a panther stalking its prey. With every step she took, she drew closer to the man, watching his steps and adjusting her position constantly as she ensured she was always approaching from behind. She made no more noise than a rabbit darting through the grass, very cognizant of any sounds she might transmit, alerting her prey to her presence. The woman was more than seasoned when it came to this, knowing every step she needed to take, with which part of her foot, in order to make her virtually silent approach.

Charlotte had no intention of killing the man she shadowed, but her dagger was ready to draw in case anything went awry. They needed to secure the shipment after all. Moving fluidly, she halted for a moment behind a tree, her breathing slow and steady as she positioned herself to strike. She’d have to dart to a tree that was only a few steps away from where he patrolled; after she gained that position, she would need to act quickly in order to disable him.

But suddenly and without warning, the soldier began running towards the carts. She couldn't let anyone overcome the caravan, no matter what. Not hesitating a moment longer, Charlotte flew to the other tree, her toes barely touching the grass beneath her as she found herself just barely avoiding the man’s presumed line of sight. Taking no more than half a second to readjust her direction, she burst from behind the trees, kicking into the back of the man’s kneecap to send him forward to his knees. She lunged forward again, locking the man’s neck in a grip between her bicep and forearm, using her other hand keep her bent arm firm and strong, applying as much pressure to key points on the man’s neck as possible as she kneeled on the back of his legs.

“Struggling only makes this harder for both of us, love,” Charlotte hissed into the soldier’s ear, her voice strained and muffled by the cloth covering her mouth. If she was lucky, he would pass out within 10-15 seconds, less if he struggled; if not, he would fight back.

[Ryuzaki]

As the ex-military captain ran off towards the caravan, the assassin smiled and drew Gemini, following him and slowly increasing his pace until he was even with the man. Putting on a small burst of speed, Ryu passed Tiz and then wheeled around, raising his weapon and holding it out, pointed directly at the man's heart.

But the Captain had gone down, a strangely familiar voice hissing at him. Could it be? Ryu was unsure, but figured that now wasn't the time for a reunion - it wouldn't be pleasant. So he turned, Gemini still drawn, and raced towards the caravan. As he closed the distance, Ryu saw that there were surprisingly few soldiers around the caravan. How unusual. Well, he just needed a sample, and then he could take out the guards. The sample was the primary concern. He had to get one.

So the assassin raced forwards, past the bumbling ex-military fool, his presumed old colleague, and all of the commotion. The caravan loomed, and the assassin's feet continued to flit across the grassy earth, their sound muffled as Ryu neared.

Now, the hardest part... How to get on without being seen?

Making his decision in a split second, Ryu continued straight on towards the side of the caravan. Undoubtedly there would be soldiers expecting a rear attack. As long as he got close enough to jump, Ryu knew he would be golden. He just had to cover this remaining distance. He had to wait and time his move perfectly - or it would be useless.

[Duma]

Duma managed to knock out two guards before running off to find other easier targets. The swordsman had not ran into the main bulk of the army yet. But as he wandered through the forests he managed to back track towards the caravans. He mentally cursed but before he could turn around and head back out into the woods he noticed someone approaching the caravan. A man with a set of familiar daggers. The rouge from Sacae. He thought to himself. Duma knew full well what the rouge from the plains could do. The guards in the rear did not stand a chance if he got near them. Although his duty was to serve as a distraction he could not stand idly by as the assassin got close. Duma kept himself hidden in the woods and waited for the right moment.

Duma quickly took a stance. When the time was right, Duma rushed forward, sword in hand. He jumped out of the woods, he nearly jumped on top of the grey haired rouge. The sound of metal atop metal rang in the air. The shock wave was enough to force Duma to back flip and land on his feet in front of the assassin. The hooded part of his cloak fell off his head exposing the swordsman familiar face to Ryu.

"Long time no see." He spoke to Ryuzaki with a bit of a smirk. Then quickly frowned. He shouted to the caravan to keep moving.

"This man is beyond you. Now go. GO!" He shouted to the driver and guards. His gaze fully focused on Ryu. His sword in hand with silver moonlight shining upon it and his eyes. His sword was still flipped reverse blade style to prevent death.

"I cannot let you near the goods. My job and all." He still kept his focus.

"You've grown stronger. I'm glad." He spoke with some pride in his voice. I've grown stronger too. I am more skilled then I was back at the plains.

"Time to settle the stalemate in Sacae." He charged forward to Ryuzaki.

[Tiz]

For a brief moment, Tiz was shocked. He had been pursued, out-speeded by this man, this mercenary of sorts, or assassin, he wasn't sure. He stopped dead in front of the man's blade only long enough to look him in the eyes and place his hand tightly around the hilt of his blade. He was ready to fight. Fate was not ready for him to duel, though.

Out of nowhere, Tiz slammed into the ground. His knees felt the full force of the fall, and his body was held upright with an oddly strong arm. His throat was captured, and he had no range of motion on his neck. He looked up at the silver-haired assassin angrily, expecting it was his doing, but as he disappeared, Tiz assumed something else was at play. Instinctively, he reached his right arm up to meet the slender arm of his assailant, gripping it tightly, pushing it a bit further into himself. This hurt a little more, but gave him the upper hand. If he was in control, he could escape. He just needed to overpower whoever this was. But then, he heard the voice. There was no way...

No, he couldn't fool himself. He went numb. He knew this voice, though he hadn't heard it in weeks. It had stuck with him like a fond memory, like a vacation away from the world, in the back of his mind in a sacred place untouched by anything other than the woman herself. His expression and grip on her arm loosened, and he smiled, choking out a brief laugh. Could she truly not tell who she had in a death grip? He coughed what he could, feeling the air slip from his body. He would faint soon. He shouldn't speak.

Quickly and with great intention and force, Tiz wrapped his left arm around the woman, gripping the clothing of her lower back. He leaned further into the ground, ducking his entire frame, and threw the woman over him, reversing their positions. As she came over him, he gripped the front of her clothes and kept a firm hand on her shoulder as she came around. She would've hit the ground hard, but been okay. The transition also hurt Tiz, but probably not by as much. He stared her down, almost angrily, but inquisitively. This moment was surreal for him. He expected they'd meet again, but... not like this.

"M-Myscha--" he could hardly utter the words as the chaos was increasing tenfold around them. He almost smiled, but heard footsteps behind him. He only had a brief moment to lock eyes with her as he held her in place under him.

His big ears perked up. He immediately let go of her and was quickly on his feet, sword ready in front of him. He held the slender blade horizontally, in front of him, his unarmed hand used to reinforce the blade defensively. The sword that had come down in response belonged to a Santaruz soldier. Tiz pushed back, sending him backwards, the weight of his armor and poor stance causing the man to stumble. The soldier took another swing, and Tiz met the blade down low with his own, diagonally, parrying effectively. In his followthrough Tiz lurched forward with piercing might, as if he were wielding a lance, in an effort to stab the man. He easily jumped back and avoided it.

Without breaking gaze with the man he would be dueling, he turned his head enough to address the woman on the ground. "Much as I'd love to catch up," he began, a slight humor in his voice, "we can do that later. I'm on your side. Let's incapacitate these guys and secure the caravan. Go!"

[Charlotte]

Charlotte gasped as she felt the man’s grip at her back, her feet leaving the ground unwillingly as he loosed her grip on him and threw her over the front of him. She had expected him to struggle, but whoever it was she’d tackled was experienced in close-quarters combat and wasn’t going down easily. She braced herself, her back hitting the ground hard as the man turned the tables and pinned her to the ground. What air remained in her lungs was sucked out of them, causing the blonde to clasp her eyes shut as she struggled to find her breath. Her hands, though, gripped the man’s wrists, weakly trying to break his hold on her.

"M-Myscha--" Almost instantly the woman’s eyes snapped open as she recognized the voice that spoke her false name. It had been too dark to tell, but now, only a foot or so between their faces, Charlotte clearly saw Tiz crouched over her, holding her to the ground. While the rest of her face was covered, her striking blue eyes betrayed a mix of confusion and frustration, trying to understand how the man she’d slept with weeks ago could have possibly ended up with the Santaruz guards. She remembered him being Laus ex-military, sure, but he didn’t seem like the type to get involved in border patrol, especially when it was hurting his home territory. Someone so exposed and gentle didn’t fit in with the types that were out in the forest tonight. It just didn’t make sense.

Before she could say anything, clattering footsteps sounded, signaling they were no longer alone. Tiz sprung to his feet, his blade at read, while Charlotte rolled to her front, pushing herself back to her feet and dodging out of the way as the Santaruz soldier brought his blade down on Tiz. Her back cried out in protest, but her attention split, Charlotte looked back towards the caravan. Kelvin still had them moving, thankfully, and it seemed the scout from earlier had taken it upon himself to place himself in between the caravan and a silver-haired man… Wait, she thought, was that - ?

No time to think about the silver-haired man, or Tiz for that matter. Her moment of observation ended quickly as Tiz addressed her. On their side? Charlotte furrowed her brow, still befuddled by the man’s appearance and annoyed that the job as quickly turning sour. She needed to rejoin the caravan and ensure its safe passage, but with the soldier upon Tiz and what sounded like a second set of footsteps approaching, Charlotte had little choice but to remain here. Hopefully the scout would be able to deal with the lone pursuer.

Drawing her iron dagger, Charlotte dashed in the direction she’d heard the second soldier coming from; she didn’t attack him head-on, instead running around his side to gain a flank on him. She kicked out, her heel connecting with a gap in the man’s armor, causing him to stumble as the woman circled around him, quickly assessing his condition. Armor, closed helmet, and drawn sword didn’t give her a lot of options, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve - well, at least she thought so.

[Ryuzaki]

There was a flash of movement, and Ryu lifted Gemini, blocking the leaping attack from the unknown assailant. As his foe flipped back, Ryu did the same, and the two stood, a bit of ground between them as they eyed each other up.

"Long time no see."

"...Well, well."

The assassin smiled as the caravan continued, Duma yelling to them that he was 'beyond them.'

How quaint and accurate. He was most certainly beyond them.

"Time to settle the stalemate in Sacae."

"Hah! You may have grown stronger, Duma, but I... I have become one with my blade. Say your prayers!"

As the larger Swordmaster charged forward, Ryu dove to the right, rolling past the larger man and rising to his feet, glancing quickly at the caravan. Still within striking distance. He had to dispatch of Duma quickly, or...

With their positions now reversed, Ryu began shuffling sideways, ever closer to the caravan. All he needed was one sample... Undoubtedly, though, Duma would see his play and move to cut him off. But moving in such a way would expose his side to attack. The assassin could deal with an unprotected side with ease.

The bit of ground gave the thief an idea, and he drew a dagger, twirling it experimentally before throwing it directly at the Swordmaster. If Duma dodged the attack, it would buy Ryu a bit of time to get even nearer to the caravan. And every second he wore the Swordmaster out was precious. He had great endurance, but Duma's strength outmatched his man-to-man. So he had to whittle his opponent down. Slowly... But surely.

[Duma]

The swordsman charged forward, which caused the assassin to move to the right. Now they were on opposite sides from when they started. Duma quickly turned around to see Ryu playfully toss a dagger in the air, then throw it at him. He pressed forward and used his sword to deflect the dagger. This was a trick he remembered from his duel with Vincent. Ryu's dagger bounced harmlessly off of his sword with out sacrificing any of his defenses. He could not let the assassin near the caravan. Even if he did not know what they were smuggling.

He dismissed the thoughts of the contents of the caravan. He was focused on the job at hand. He was focused on Ryu. He had to keep pressing the attack. He knew the assassin's tricks, how he could hide in the shadows, and appear virtually anywhere. At least that's what he remembered. Then again Ryu also knew his tricks. How he could strike with multiple blades even though it appeared that he did one swing. He would have to wait for the right moment to use that skill, like he always did. He needed to get behind Ryu once more, put himself between the caravan and the assassin. He also needed to take care not to wear himself out. After all he had no idea where and when the rest of the army would show up. He would have to abandon the duel and be forced to deal with them if they showed up. He caught up to Ryu and delivered a quick slash. He would deliver a small series of quick sword hits in order to keep Ryu busy. He would judge his movements based on assassin actions.

[Tiz]

"Tch!" Tiz breathed, blocking another blow from the soldier. The man's blade was fast, like Tiz, and the two met wish clashing metal and metal, the sounds ringing out loudly into the night, like spinning tops in an arena, moving back and forth, colliding in an almost dancelike fashion. Tiz dashed forward, his blade pointed forward to pierce, and the man parried, throwing Tiz's sword off-kilter with his own diagonal slash. Tiz knelt, rolling around to the other side of the man, and came upwards, the same diagonal fashion the man had. For having armor on, the man moved quickly, as he was able to dodge even that attack. Tiz grunted. He was on his feet again quickly, jumping backwards as the man came at him with two forward lunges. Tiz dodged each one, side-stepping to the left for the first, and forward on his other side for the second. Tiz grabbed the man's arm as he lunged the second time and used it to spin himself around, slashing upwards from the ground up at the man. The blow met the man's armor, the sound of screeching metal piercing the veil. The cut had also gone across the mesh in the middle, and Tiz watched, a smile on his face, as the man began to bleed.

He smiled at his opponent, his sword ready in another defensive position. "Your move," he joked, the same smirk written across his face as if it were etched in stone. The man didn't speak. In the few moments he had, Tiz looked back over his shoulder towards Myscha. She was facing an opponent who, by the looks of things, far outmatched her. What could she do with that dagger of hers? He wanted to protect her, and his heart would've gotten in the way, but he had his own problems. And the caravan was about to run right through a crowd of Santaruz soldiers, and it would be stopped. The drivers would be killed, and whatever was inside would be taken by Santaruz and they would ride off. He couldn't let that happen. He had to know what was going on.

Tiz formulated a plan as he and his opponent circled one another, like two jungle cats ready to fight, the one anticipating the other. Tiz decided he would charge, attack the man forcefully, and whether or not he missed, he would make for the caravan. It was getting to far away from him for comfort, and he figured if he attacked first, the man might chased. His hopes were high. Tiz lowered his slender blade to his side and dashed forward, leaping off the ground from the balls of his feet, blade behind him. He would come forward diagonally to knock the man off his feet, stab through him if he could, and keep moving.

As Tiz's feet met the ground, he came through with his sword, a heavy swing inbound. The man leaped back, bringing his own sword up defensively, and blocked Tiz's attack. Tiz responded with a sweep kick, but the man dodged-- at the cost of losing his sword defense. As the opponent's sword drew back, Tiz ran through the man with his blade, sending his weapon through the man's shoulder pauldron, slicing it cleanly in two. It must've been weak; no well-made piece of armor could be broken so easily. His strike was, however, aimed effectively. It didn't matter. He pushed through the man and ran on towards the caravan.

The young man concentrated the energy in his body to a point. He felt his inner power flowing through him, and directed it to the balls of his feet. With advanced celerity, Tiz flew from the ground like a bullet, cutting through the air with his entire body, and made a dash for the caravan itself. He connected, holding on to the back end with one hand. Barely having a hold, he sheathed his weapon and pulled his feet up on the rear end of the carriage, above the wheels. He pulled the canvas back. "No!" he gasped.

Food. Medical supplies. Santaruz wanted to prevent Laus from receiving food and medicine? Why? What was the purpose? This was cruel and vicious, and it changed Tiz's attitude towards the situation. Before he could think much on it, however, he heard the panting of the man behind him. His opponent had just caught up with him, jumping onto the caravan itself, right next to him. They fought for control of holding onto the back end. If one of them fell, it would be bad. The man swung with one fist at Tiz, and Tiz grabbed the fist of the other man, losing a little balance on the caravan. The swordsman kicked his leg out at the armored man, who stumbled, but didn't fall off. Tiz used this opportunity to climb atop the caravan on the wooden roof. The armored man followed suit, and the two were atop the moving, horse-drawn caravan. Tiz drew his weapon.

[Charlotte]

As soon as the soldier recovered, Charlotte had nearly circled him completely. However, she wouldn’t leave the man recovered for long; as soon as he looked her way, Charlotte charged into close range, the hand bearing her dagger guarding her face as her left lashed out with a quick, sharp jab to the man’s neck. While she surely had less combat experience than the enlisted man, Charlotte had been practicing lately, and her few years of training with the caravan and… Remi had come back to her quicker than she’d expected. She could never hope to outmatch men larger and stronger than her with her own strength, but she didn’t have to.

As her palmed hand connected with the man’s throat, he stumbled back again, his open hand grasping at his throat as he swung his sword wildly. Ducking under the rogue blade, Charlotte took the moment to grab the man’s armed hand, loosing the blade from the man’s hand and throwing it to the side. While he still towered over her, Charlotte took disarming him as a small victory that made the playing field somewhat more even. She couldn’t take a man armed with a sword while she simply had a dagger, but now she was the only one armed of the two.

The man was getting angry, charging directly at her and trying to encircle his arms around her slender frame in an aggressive embrace. Barely avoiding the grab, Charlotte dropped and rolled to the side, popping back to her feet and again dashing in close as he tried to regain his balance. Instead of allowing him to, Charlotte grabbed the man’s shoulders, bringing her knee up as hard and forcefully as she could into the man’s groin. A breathy groan burst from the man as he doubled forward, allowing Charlotte to pull the man’s helmet from his head, tossing it aside too. Grabbing the man’s hair, Charlotte threw her balled fist, still wrapped around her iron dagger, as hard as she could at the man’s temple.

As soon as her closed hand connected, it burned white-hot with a fiery pain unlike she’d ever felt, not even when it had been broken. She cried out in between heaving breaths, but her opponent made no sound, instead collapsing to the ground unconscious. He wouldn’t be out for long - Remi, who had shown her that maneuver, always insisted they’d only stay down a minute or two - so Charlotte quickly looked off towards where Tiz had been.

But he was gone, as if he’d leapt a stone’s throw in one bound to the caravan that was still moving forward. Unfortunately, it appeared to be moving in exactly the wrong direction - for all his smuggling, Kelvin had a terrible sense of direction. The way they were moving, they would surely collide head on with a decent sized group of the Santaruz force, which would make render this whole endeavor moot.

Sprinting as quickly and quietly as she could away from the unconscious soldier and towards the caravan, she bobbed and weaved through the trees and bushes as she tried to scout ahead, seeing that she was indeed right - the caravan was headed right for ten soldiers at least, maybe more. These thieves would be no match for those men, especially not with the assassin approaching from behind.

Veering onto the road, Charlotte saw Tiz and one of the other soldiers atop the main caravan cart, behind the two hand carts manned by Kelvin and two of the other smugglers who were looking back, mouths agape at the sight as they tried to continue moving. Oh, to hell with it, there was no use in hiding their presence now. “Kelvin, divert now!” Charlotte shouted, prompting Kelvin to look back at the approaching blonde before using his outstretched hand to signal the other carts to turn to the left, towards another, less stable path - the one they should have been taking the whole time. That didn’t mean the soldiers wouldn’t abandon their barricade to come for them, of course, but the new path would give the mercenaries at least some time to finally make it to the group of soldiers. Thirty seconds was all they needed.

[Ryuzaki]

"You aggravate me, Swordmaster. I wish for you to begone. I have a job to do!"

As Duma pressed forward, blocking his dagger and closing the distance with a swift slash, the assassin growled angrily and blocked it, slamming his blade into Duma's with surprising force. He had not bargained on becoming embroiled in a duel with a decent opponent. That was definitely not part of the plan.

"You leave me no other options... I must either kill you or abandon this battle. Given that you are bound by your duty to protect the caravan, you will not abandon your post... And so I have but one choice. I must too hold to duty!"

The voice rang out through the air, and Ryu had a moment's pause as his eyes narrowed. That did indeed sound like Charlotte. What on earth had brought her here? No matter. He needed to get his sample first. All else could come in time.

So Ryu turned and sprinted. He was confident in his speed. Duma would be unable to catch him, but he would be close... And coming at the broad side of the caravan was not ideal for entry. As the distance closed, the assassin moved right and left, ignoring the footfalls he heard, trying to size up any possible weaknesses. It looked bleak.

But then, with the diversion of the man fighting on the roof, Ryu found he had the opportunity he needed. As the cart turned, the assassin leaped towards it, tucking and then allowing his mind to empty as he moved through the air. In mid-jump, the assassin's body became nothing more than a Shade, disappearing in the murky light, and the motionless ball that was Ryu barely missed the bottom of the wagon, instead coming to a stop near the front of the wagon, but underneath.

Disappointing. He hoped to have landed in the wagon. But this was the next best thing. Carefully, he allowed his Shade to fade away as he grabbed onto the bottom of the cart, wedging his legs and arms amidst the beams of the frame and waiting for a chance to enter the wagon.

[Duma]

Duma wasn't going to let up. As Ryuzaki ran off to try and catch up to the wagon he tried to keep up with him. But Ryu was faster then he was when it came to quick sprinting. I've no intention of dying tonight! He thought to himself as he hurried his foot fall. He grabbed his throwing dagger from out of his belt pocket and tried to throw it.

He missed and hit the wooden frame of the wagon. Damn it. There was some commotion going on on top of the wagon. What the hell? Since when did we have that guy? Duma ignored it for now. Whomever the brown haired man was he was clearly an ally now. He needed to focus on Ryu. Ryu? The assassin seemed to have vanished into a wisp of shadows. Oh! This trick again! I remember it! He gritted his teeth and kept his pace. He would have to wait for the assassin to show himself again. Duma knew Ryu's target was the wagon. Duma would simply have to get into the wagon.

The voice of the woman cried out for the wagon to divert else where. Perfect. He thought. The wagon pulled a hard turn to the left and Duma poured all of his energy into his running. He caught up to the wagon and jumped in. He fell into the cart with a large thud. A large sack of potatoes and beets helped to cushion his fall. Well now I know we are smuggling in food. Seriously. FOOD. How much to these nobles hate each other that they deny food between it's citizens? The sword master shook his head. He would never understand politics. He quickly turned around and sat himself upright. He took several deep breaths in order to try and regain his energy. His legs were going to be very sore in the morning if he survived this ordeal. Soon, he managed to get himself into a crouched position and was waiting with his blade ready.

[Tiz]

"Damn it!"

Tiz gasped for air as the caravan rocked, shifting under the constant addition of weight and rolling across rocky ground. He was facing his opponent head on, who had also drawn his blade and had it pointed at Tiz. The two would fight-- mostly-- for the right to stay aboard the caravan, or so it seemed for now. Tiz wouldn't last long up here, he knew that. But he had to stop this man, and he had to stop this entire operation. While it may not have been his military duty anymore, it was his duty to be sure that food and medicine was provided for anyone living anywhere in Lycia, regardless of political tensions between two nearly-warring provinces.

Gritting his teeth, Tiz gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, thinking for a few moments before the turning caravan robbed him of the chance to do so any longer. As it made a sharp left to avoid soldiers, Tiz had to kneel down and hold his hand against the roof of the caravan to stay on, and he noticed his opponent doing the same. This wasn't going to work. He had two options, which he considered as the horses neighed loudly, turning away from the Santaruz soldiers waiting for the caravan. They were getting close to the gates of Laus. They just needed to make it. That's all that needed to happen.

Sword still in hand, Tiz decided he could try to fight the man atop the caravan, which might end poorly, especially with winding turns, or he could take the fight to the ground. His eyes shifted over momentarily to Myscha, who was about seventy-five meters away by his estimation. She seemed to have avoided her trouble for now-- that was good, as she was his second priority. As Tiz watched another man dive into the caravan, he assessed that the chaos had grown too great to maintain position. "Well," he said under his breath, watching his opponent who was a mere few feet away, "looks like we get to dance after all."

He sheathed his weapon, and timed his tackle effectively. As soon as the caravan straightened out of its left turn, Tiz charged the soldier, who certainly didn't see it coming. In a moment that felt like hours, Tiz leaped forward, wrapping his arms around his opponent, effectively tackling him and forcing his arms down to his sides. The two flew off the back of the caravan, and Tiz kept the man under him, so that he might land on him to minimize the damage he would suffer when they landed.

The speed of the caravan caused the two men to fly backwards quite a distance, and at a relatively high speed. Tiz saw the ground coming soon, and the man in his grasp was struggling greatly. Before long, the two slammed into the hard earth with a loud thud and two great cries, one from each of them. The armor probably kept the man relatively undamaged, Tiz assumed, and his own position atop the man minimized his damage as he expected it would. He quickly rolled himself off the man, and the armored one stood, slashing wildly at Tiz, who didn't have time yet to draw his weapon. He dodged left, avoiding a clumsy swing, and jumped back a few feet as the enemy came forward with another lunge.

Once he had leaped back a ways, Tiz drew his weapon and quickly charged forward with a series of quick, precise lunges aimed at the man's waist. The man's blade blocked the first two, but the third was fast enough to nick him, causing the mail at his waist to rip open. He bled a little, but was otherwise unaffected. Tiz blocked the man's next vertical slash downward by leveling his own blade horizontally, and the clash of metal rang out into the night sky. Tiz pushed back against the man, and he stood up on the balls of his feet in an effort to knock him to the ground instead of just back a few feet.

It worked. The man clumsily fell down, and Tiz was quick to pounce on him-- but the man came up with his weapon, slashing wildly up and around Tiz's torso. The young swordsman was just barely able to grab at the man's wrist again, keeping the sword from penetrating him in any way. Tiz was atop the man, struggling for power. He cast his sword to the side, placing his other hand against his enemy's other hand. The two were locked, Tiz fighting for control of the enemy's weapon, as the enemy was attempting to end Tiz's life with a quick strike to the neck.

"Whatever your plans are," he said between quick, heated breaths, "consider them finished tonight. I won't let you..." he pushed a little harder, and the man grunted, responding with equal force.

[Charlotte]

Charlotte anxiously looked in the direction the rest of the hired swords had been, counting the seconds in her mind as she waited for a sign of life. The woman had made a point to yell as loud as she could, her voice hopefully having projected far enough into the woods that the mercenaries would hear and respond.

Ten seconds…

A familiar voice rang through the air from behind her, confirming the suspicion she’d had earlier: the lunatic assassin Ryuzaki was the silver haired man trying to assist in halting the caravan’s shipment. Charlotte swore to herself as she ran; while the man had a few screws loose, it didn’t mean he was ill-equipped or docile in any way. It also meant there was a private interest in this particular smuggling run. The Santaruz guard had no reason to hire an assassin for simple border patrolling. And unless Kelvin or one of his associates had ulterior motives for the shipment, Charlotte could only assume her side-job might be the reason.

It appeared the green-haired scout from earlier was doing his best to deal with the assassin – in fact, it seemed the two knew each other somehow. But that was irrelevant; his presence was being handled, which meant Charlotte could focus on the barricade, despite her inward worry that now her own job was at risk.

Twenty seconds…

Headcount of ten at the barricade, which hopefully meant the rest had been dealt with in the woods. They had noticed the cart divert and had begun moving towards the alternate path, though they were taking the long way, not cutting through the woods as she’d have expected them too. A blessing in disguise it seemed, though that meant they were running straight for her as the caravan barreled down the other path. It just had to make it through the tunnel under a stretch of hilly knolls. Then they could block the tunnel from behind and make it to the drop-off point before the guard could even get through.

Thirty seconds…

Just as Charlotte was about to divert her path away from the charging guard and back towards the caravan, a cry rose from the east as six of the mercenaries burst from behind a particularly thick brush, taking the barricade guard by surprise. While they were outnumbered, pay was on the line, so the hired swords quickly and viciously lashed out towards the Santaruz guards, downing them one by one while proving why the caravan had hired them. Charlotte herself ran into one, repeating a move she’d learned from watching a spar back in Laus; ducking beneath the man’s sword as she swung it at her, she quickly popped up, grabbing his wrist tightly in one hand while throwing a tight palmed hand into his elbow. A sickening crack mixed with a bellowing cry pierced the clashing metal around them, leaving the guard stumbling as Charlotte disappeared into the woods, allowing the mercenaries to keep the guard occupied.

Just as she caught sight of the caravan again, Charlotte quickly saw two things: Both Ryuzaki and the scout had disappeared, and Tiz had fallen from atop the caravans, which were still barreling toward the tunnel ahead. She needed to rendezvous with the carts in time, before the tunnel was blocked off from behind and left her for dead. They had been prepared to abandon the mercs if the job went awry, but could she leave the Sacaen swordsman too?

Even though she owed him nothing, she felt pulled to sprint towards the scruffy haired man as he tussled with the soldier on the ground. They were struggling for the guard’s sword, with Tiz having the upper-hand thankfully. Sprinting up to them, Charlotte kicked the guard’s arm down, quickly standing on his wrist with one of her boots while the other planted itself on the man’s neck. Gasps and gurgles came from behind his visor as he tried to breath and struggle, but with the weight of two atop him, there was no way he could stay conscious for long.

Not wasting time, Charlotte’s gaze shot to the caravan. They were half-way to the tunnel, which left Tiz and Charlotte about a minute and a half to catch up with them – luckily the path was muddy, which would mean they’d have to slow. “We need to get to the carts fast, so keep up if you don't want to be left behind!” The blonde’s words came through heaving breaths, but she would begin her sprint again as soon as the guard stopped struggling beneath them.

[Ryuzaki]

"Now..." the assassin muttered. Pulling himself up quickly and scrambling into the wagon, he found himself among unidentifiable sacks. Standing up, and revealing himself from the cover of the goods, he found himself face to face with two things - sacks of food and medicine, and an angry-looking Swordmaster. When had he gotten into the wagon? No matter, he just had to move fast. One hand snagged a few vials of medicine, shoving them into his cloak as the other send Gemini towards Duma in a strong, fast stab.

"Didn't plan to see you here," Ryu growled. It was true; he was surprised his enemy had had the foresight to set up camp in the wagon. But, the assassin reckoned, as he withdrew his right hand from stowing the sample and prepared for his next move, Duma had never been dull.

However, just smarts wouldn't save him in a close-quarters fight. Ryu was still too spiritually worn to send his body into the Shade again, but that didn't mean he had no other tricks. In fact, if he recalled correctly, the last time he and Duma had fought, his sword had stayed in one piece. Well, there was a nice opportunity. If he could impale his foe, he needn't worry about it. But he doubted it would be that easy, and so he prepared for a vicious fight. Worst case scenario, he could always leap out and escape, but the assassin felt confident that he could beat the Swordmaster down. He loved tight spaces, was accurate with his blade, and had the element of surprise. That would be the most important aspect… If he could use that to his advantage, he had no doubt he could win.

[Duma]

"Didn't plan to see you here," He heard Ryu speak. Duma was forced to block Ryu's sword.

"I.. didn't plan to be here either." He replied with a some sarcasm in his voice. He remembered that blade. Wha'd he call it Gemini? He would have to remember later. He could see that Ryu was grabbing vials of things from out of the wagon's contents. Duma wanted to attack back, but the close quarters of the wagon made it difficult for him. Plus the wagon's constant rocking and jumping made it even worse for him to get proper balance. He was forced to remain mostly on the defensive. Duma was forced to use what he had near him. The swordsman started to throw the loose bits of food at Ryu. Beets and potatoes started to come flying out of the wagon due to his throwing. A few missing vials and food would be nothing provided the rest of the shipment arrived. He slowly started to move forward continuously blocking Ryu's hits. Hang on.. why am I even? He suddenly had a plan.

"I.. just realized.. you've.. gotten whatever it is you wanted? Tiny bits of medicine.. and food.. You.. must be exhausted from using that.. shadow thing. The hell are you still doing here? If you are.. done.. just leave." He kept himself in place. Ryu had no reason to stay in the wagon and deal with Duma right now. Anything the sword master could do to either stall for time so the wagon got to the right destination. Or to give him enough time to recover, he was still worn out from the run.