A Thread in a Tangle [P][Mission]

[Master Game]

A story begins...




Of all the places in this particular plane of existence, the small, peaceful nation of Kawa no Kuni thrives in a richness poorly described by words. Warm, tranquil and enlightening were only a few one could use to describe this harmonious countryside that was experiencing its best years in a long time. Aesthetic and attractive in a simple "Good 'ole days" vibe, its awe-inspiring scenery lifted the spirits of most foreigners passing through the humble land. The soil is fertile, the terrain that mostly consists of flat, grassy plains is helpful to most and the usual climate always balanced to perfection. Never too hot nor too cold. Famine, drought and any natural disaster was seldom ever seen nor heard of. Kawa no Kuni, truly a land blessed.

But such delightful places also attracts the wrong kind of attention. Dangerous rogues, wanted fugitives, nukenin and other unsavoury characters flocked to this country seeking refuge from whatever condemned them in the first place and now seeking to corrupt this beautiful nation. Being without a shinobi village of any kind, the Land of River is vulnerable and has been vulnerable for a bit of a while now. But the Land does not rot that easily and good-hearted folk are always on the rise to stand up and protect their country when needed.

Now it was noon, a golden ball of flames suspended smack dab at its peak, giving evidence to that. It was not a busy time, yet the notorious Three Bottles and a Tombstone bustles with activity regardless. Three Bottles and a Tombstone was an information exchange centre that doubled as a place of refuge and rest from most things that one might be pursued by (Be it debt, a bounty-hunter or simply a miserable life). That being said, places like these were often referred to as "inns". Now this was a popular "inn", popular because it was one of those closer to the outskirts of the country; meaning more travellers. A lot of business was often conducted here, only about half of which was actually legal. Some of which was swapping of information that could or could not threaten the prosperity an entire ninja nations. But we will not lean into that for now, it was noon after all and most people here came to wash away the stress of life through drinking, eating and most importantly, gambling.

The patrons were all very distinct and unique, all coming from different backgrounds and situations, yet here for similar reasons. One person looked a little out of place though, a certain female. Women weren't an uncommon sight here in Three Bottles and a Tombstone, but a woman in a fancy dressing and polished that could signify noble status definitely was. She seemed rather unhappy and dare I say unapproachable. The few men interested had long since stopped trying to approach in any manner, having already made fools of themselves. This woman was no doubt a warrior of some sort(the armour and expensive-looking rapier by her side clear evidence of that. She was bothered by something, not even trying for a second to hide it, but what was bothering her was a question few unfortunate patrons had asked. Even fewer still had the pride to remain in the in after the conversation. She didn't order, merely staring up at the ceiling on a leaned-back chair, fiddling with a well-crafted knife.

A strange character indeed. But this bar was often full of strange characters. Not that it mattered, business was good and old bar-owner Muigen didn't care about much other than that. A large, burly middle-aged man with quite an excellent physique and clocking 6" 5 owner of the bar and usual bartender. Though he preferred to rule over this little hub of his with respect rather than intimidation, the eye-patch wearing, stern-faced, ex-bounty hunter had all the strength he needed to enforce the few rules Three Bottle and a Tombstone had, even during the bad days. And of course, where would he be without his trusty assistant, the infamous puppeteer Ma'lakh. This man was a bit younger than Muigen, but carried a pair of cold, dead white eyes so piercing that they shook you down to your very core. Coupled with his usual silent and a bit sociopathic nature made quite a interesting character. He didn't get many women despite his perfectly tan complexion and immaculate hair-do, something that Muigen always joked was because his eyes made them think he looked ready to kill if one so much as touched him. All in all, the Three Bottles and a Tombstone was quite a place. Since the very first day it had opened, so many memories been made, so many adventures had begun. Who knew what the rest of the day held?

[Amelie]

Amelie was just shocked that the capital city did not have anyone brave enough to accompany her given that the young artisan has already made it there and back without any hitch. It was those blasted rumors of a beast that everyone chickened out, even the mercenaries that worked for the city guard. Come to think about it, she could also ask a knight. The problem was that the town hall has already refused to send in guards which included the usual knight squad. She has actually never encountered any other knight beside them, this country needed to man up.

Today the alchemist promenaded in a dress with short white sleeves that immediately transitions to a royal shade of blue below the upper chest. Being a rather vibrant shade of color, one glance is enough to notice how expensive the dye alone must be. Amelie has not been hiding her lineage in this country yet most would not believe her, having never heard of another world. Most would just say she as delusional or crazy. Her dress was quite long and reached all the way to her knees where they end in golden sequins.

They were arranged into a mesmerizing design with sparkling crystals embedded directly into the fabric to further flaunt the price and draw attention. Underneath, Amelie sported a secondary dress that is made from thin fabric to ensure that it won’t interfere with her mobility. She can be seen wearing white thigh-high socks with red laces around the top to ensure they are kept secured around her legs.

One of Amelie’s most noticeable items of clothing would be her shoes. Almost metallic in appearance due to the various rare dyes and sequins, they almost give off a mystical vibe which is further pressed upon due to the blue around the laces and the way in which the collar sprouts outwards like a flower. In an effort to keep this theme, Amelia’s white elbow-length gloves sport their own mysticism in the form of zig-zagging patterns around the forearm area that almost look like a pair of symbols.

The young artisan was recommended this place, Three Bottles and a Tombstone, some sort of inn where some dangerous people spawn from. This was exactly what she was looking for as the more legitimate places have already rejected her. Perhaps, these renegades would not be able to refuse her charm or crafts. Yes, Amelie could offer to make some really chakra armor, which seemed to be rare and valued in this world. She walked in, pretending like she would every day but for the regulars, her face just stated the obvious.

Amelie looked around, carefully scanning everyone for signs of kindness or willingness. With the power of her observation (0 SP) she has noticed nothing at all. With a sight, she chooses one empty chair at the bar. "Some wine please." that order was out of character for the artisan, alcohol was not usually on her pallet. It was due to the fact that she needed some courage to speak to everyone in here. While waiting for some response she checked the number of arrows in her back quiver which accounted to around twenty.

The bow was hanging on her back too, Amelie has often thought of making it smaller for the sake of space. This time, she has left her alchemic staff at the hotel room, not that she was able to use it to its full extent in this world. Maybe her order was too quiet? Or maybe she looked too much like a kid that everyone would just ignore her? Amelie puffed her face at the nearest bartender indicating her dissatisfaction. Still, she was on a lookout for strong looking people in her nearest vicinity.

"Ehheem!" she coughed before asking the most important looking bartender if they knew of any mercenary still open to hiring. Was this a bit too daring? After this, Amelie did not know where else to turn to for help. All they needed to do was deliver some supplies to a remote village and come back, nothing too fancy yet all those rumors killed any chance of the trip happening.

[Master Game]

Ring!

Muigen's trained eyes almost instantly locked on to the inn's front doors as a new visitor strode through, triggering the casual alarm bell positioned by the top of it. It something he was already accustomed to, but his habit incurred in his previous line of work never did seem to fade despite that. The woman strode up to his counter, hopefully looking to buy a drink or two and not just ask questions. They did that often, ones with the aura of inexperience and naivety not unlike the female approaching him.

She looked classy. She looked expensive. Probably had a lot more in her pockets than some of the bums waltzing through his inn. Regular customers like that were good for business. Which meant Muigen had to get ready his award-winning smile and clear his throat if he really wanted to reel this one in. But the poor man didn't even get the chance.

"Some wine please." She was quick and assertive. By the looks of it she wouldn't even be staying long so Muigen decided forget the welcoming line he hadn't used in months and simply fetch her what she wanted. The middle-aged man studied the racks behind him for a bit, she wasn't specific so he decided to just get her a favourite among the ladies. "Old Man Muigen" was mid-way into filling her cup when the lass cleared her throat. She then began asking for some information, specifically regarding mercenaries. Muigen almost rolled his eyes until he remembered that she had ordered a drink and so he slid it to her.

"Mercenaries eh?" Muigen know better than to ask, only acknowledging that as a paying customer she was privy to any information she requested as long as it wasn't too important. "You're a bit out of luck. Had a few sellswords and rogues swing by the passed couple of days but most of them were already on jobs or weren't particularly looking for work. A well-known bounty-hunter also booked a room here three days ago but he left yesterday and didn't disclose where he was going. To be honest, you should just check the notice board over there. Folk plaster whatever information they want getting around. Though things have been awfully quieter lately, there's bound to be an open contract or two left."

Muigen pointed to the east side of the room about two metres from the knightly-looking lady's table, where indeed a dusty notice board lay with few papers left hanging on. 

[Amelie]

Amelie got her wish, the wine she got had a nice smell to it. The glass was filled with burgundy colouring, looked perfect. She swirled the glass up a bit to bring the smell and taste out. Firstly she smelled the product, the chocolate and vanilla were very distinct in the mix. "Ohh." it was not bad after taking a small sip out of the glass. As the old man talked, her luck was getting slimmer. The last band of mercenaries already had a job and now all that was left was that notice board.

She narrowed her posture, creating a few wrinkles on her face. Clearly indicating how bad her mood got, she looked at the notice board. "I see, thank you very much!" the woman managed to retort quickly. Her anger got her there for a moment but realizing that she tried to calm herself with another sip from the glass. Her head was filled with various curses at the local army, guard, mercenaries and whatnot. Amelie stood up to look at the board closely.

On her way, she passed the knightly looking lady. The armour she wore gathered her attention at once. "You certainly have some nice gear." she just had to comment on it. From the looks of it, the metal used was well chosen, the shine indicated the knight did well to maintain the looks. This was someone she would like to make her best armour for. The knight's weapon was a rapier, that style relied a lot on the speed of the user then why is she wearing some heavy armour.

This did not make any sense to her, perhaps that warrior was really quick or the armour was lightened. It did not look that way to her, Amelie would definitely know if the armour was enhanced somehow despite the good crafting. She was so sure, the level of craftsmanship was still not as good as hers. "Say, can I ask who made this armour? I'd like to offer you something better." she paused and gave the woman a mild smile "In exchange for something of course." this was also an opportunity to try and get someone to follow her supply run.

Just a few days she was travelling from one nameless village to the capital, the elder of that village asked her to help out another village get supplies. The supplies were of course specifically farming tools and the sort. Amelie has already created many tools and was in the process of delivering them when the rumours of a monster appearing in that area. Meiru, the village she was supposed to deliver supplies to was really out of the way place but still in the vicinity of that nameless village. Even she made it out of that area alone, thus those rumours must have been fake.

Depending on how the knightly woman response, she would inform her of their destination and about that rumour. Information was always best given in order for people to prepare enough, that was the basics she learned from making stuff. Creating something was just half of it, preparing to make it was just as important.

[Master Game]

With a plethora of issues harbouring her thoughts, the armoured lady didn't even notice Amelie until she spoke. The younger woman had just made a comment about her armour. What was this? had men given up on her to the point she was now being approached by women? The brunette almost laughed at the thought. Taking a look at the stranger that had just approached her, the prideful warrior was instantly impressed. Amelie didn't seem from around these parts to her, but she herself likely looked equally out of place so there was no room for judgement. It seemed that elegant woman in front of her had taken an interest in her armour. The blonde looked to be possibly a noble artisan, interesting.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. Now this elegant looking lady had just offered a better replacement, in exchange for something. Usually the knightly female would just scoff and retort that she wasn't interested. But that didn't seem to be applicable here. Amelie just radiated waves of innocence, good-intent and naivety to the point that she couldn't even be compared to the usual lowlife that did business in this inn.

"I'm listening." The woman just couldn't help but consider what she had to say. "But first, I am Lady Nelke. It would be a pleasure to know yours." It seemed Amelie's charisma was working its charm on easily-irritated knight. If the first barrier of ice between them was broken then Nelke would likely listen to everything Amelie had to say.

[Amelie]

Amelie took another sip from the glass while waiting for a response. She has certainly noticed how the knight almost snapped at her but for some reason did not in the end. Why was she irritated? She looked like something was bothering her, most likely the men here when you look at them. Only just now has she realised where she walked into, normally the artisan would never step here. Though this experience was not entirely wasteful, one had to be willing to go to some extremes to get what she needed.

This Lady Nelke was exactly who she was looking for. "Nice to meet you, my Lady." she bowed like a true noble "My name is Amelie von Grünerhügel" quite an exotic name for the people of this world. Grünerhügel was the name of her family's province and heraldry but of course, it meant nothing right this moment. Nelke was prepared to hear her story, thus she told her about Neiru and all that [at the end of the last post] then waited for any response. Amelie looked more cheerful than before, having found a possible companion on her supply run.

"What say you? I can make you masterly crafted armour with special properties you have most likely never seen. All that for free if you accompany me." that was not everything she would be getting, Amelie also dabbed in weapons and clothiers. "Though if you agree, we must be on our way by tomorrow mid-day." she liked not being too late for deliveries. "It will take us roughly a day or so, the road is straightforward if we take the highway." she then finished the glass.

Her face turned slightly red as even that much wine was more than she would normally drink. If the knight would accept she would get her to meet her outside this inn in 24h. "Uhh" she was getting a bit dizzy but could still manage to not fall. The young artisan made it to the old man giving him some ryo for that wine "It was good, thank you." she ended with a bow to both the man and Nelke. If everything went without a hitch then she would be back here tomorrow, otherwise, she stayed to answer any questions.

[Master Game]

Nelke realised she was still playing with her knife and awkwardly put it down. The other women's name was Amelie and she began to inform Nelke of her mission. Nelke's eyes lit up, all day she had been searching for a job or contract she could take worthy of one looking to become a most honourable knight. But all she'd she for the past two days were shady jobs; assassination, thievery and the like. Nothing of the sort a noble squire such as Nelke would ever think to take up. No, she was better than that, she looked to become a knight not some lowly assassin-for-hire. And so not finding any noble yet dangerous jobs lately that could help her earn the title of knight, Auguste had been feeling pretty down in the dumps until Amelie's arrival.

But now all that had changed. Amelie was offering Nelke the chance to accompany her on a noble quest to deliver supplies to a poor peasant village through a monster-infested land.She could think of nothing better a task to help her reach her goals and prove to all those she underestimated her that she could be as good a knight as any. And what's more Amelie even promised a new set of armour that was chakra-enhanced. Though Amelie automatically felt compelled to help a person in need, the last statement completely sealed the deal for Nelke.
Finally, Amelie asked that they meet again and set off about a day from now. Nelke's mood had lifted completely, cheeks blushed and with an amicable smile plastered on her soft and smooth face. Nelke raised a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before replying.

"I'd be grateful to assist in completing this task Amelie von Grünerhügel. I am but a mere squire looking to become a knight but I assure you my skill will be enough to provide proper assist against whatever foul profanities lie in wait for us on our journey." Nelke stood up to give a short bow. "I will see you then. Tomorrow's mid-day." The brunette waved. "Forgive me but I must linger for another drink or two, my mood's become splendidly lighter." Nelke giggled before requesting a drink from Old-Man Muigen.

[Amelie]

Before leaving the inn, she had Nelke agree to accompany her. The knight seemed happier somehow, she wondered why that was. In any case, she was also very satisfied and the gloomy face has been replaced by a smile. It would probably brighten anyone walking in on her. Amelie has then agreed to meet each other the next day and went out to check in on her supplies. Of course, she would also plan for the journey. The map she had shown only the most important trade routes, and so using them is going to be simple.

The parchment did not show her the smaller routes though, she had to rely on the expertise of others. Amelie has borrowed a local map from the library, one of the merchants in her inn recommended it. In this business, the recommendation was everything and the merchants had no reason to lie unless they were serious rivals. Considering that nobody wanted to do this job she got, there was no competition in her mind. She could be wrong though, but bringing some backup that could protect her minimized the chance of being robbed.

The next day, she was all set. The cart was loaded with various tools for the village. One donkey was all it took to pull this small thing, Amelie did bring only the basic ones after all. Special orders could be done afterwards when she has gotten to know her new customers. She wore the same thing as the other day so that Nelke could have easily spotted her. Amelie waved at the knight when she would spot her. Before setting on the journey, she would show Nelke exactly which route they were going to take. It was the knight's job to remember it and account for possible ambushes.

Amelie was quite a trusting person, she had full confidence the knight would do just fine. Although Nelke was still a squire, she found it more polite to just call her a knight. The duo would first pass the gates of this town, then would head to the northern parts of the country via the main trading route. Amelie had a map and a compass ready to navigate, with this combo they were less likely to get lost. Then they would head off the main route, join a smaller side route that would lead them to the mountains. They would have to pass through a forest first. The village was somewhere in the mountains.

OOC: Sorry for the wait.

[Master Game]

Alas, about a day had passed since that first fateful encounter between the squire and the artisan. Baby blue colours shifted and bounced around the sky's canvas as wafts and lumps of voluminous, ethereal-looking clouds floated through the skyline in eternal synchronisation. Rays of solar light jumped and escaped from the obscurity of the great white clouds while the great big ball that was the sun struggled to escape from the fleecy shackles that surrounded it.

Nelke watched the languid scenery from a window in Three Bottle and a Tombstone, daydreaming about what adventures the day would hold. She was in her early twenties now, and honestly ought to be more mature but the young squire couldn't help but feel incredibly excited to have the chance to go questing again. An added bonus would be that she would be going with someone that was actually pleasant, not like the "sexist arseholes" that she had to put up with back at the City Guard.

The bubbling brunette would not have to wait long before she spotted the familiar colours of Amelie stroll through the front door. After exchanging pleasantries, the two instantly went on about it without wasting time. Nelke was shown the route by map and the two discussed other minor arrangements for a short while before making final preparations. Nelke Auguste was well-equipped for the journey ahead; aside from her usual sturdy metal boots and polished armour, she held a small satchel over her shoulder full of medical supplies and alchemical concoctions. Outside, attached to the valiant and speedy black colt that was her steed, was a rucksack containing rations and an assortment of miscellaneous items she might need.
Regarding her weaponry, she held no more than her trusty rapier by its sheath near her side and stash of throwing knives hidden on her body. By God's grace she wouldn't need anymore than that to get through this journey with Amelie. On Amelie's spur the two set off not long after, with Nelke riding at the back with the jet-black colt she borrowed some days prior uncharacteristically holding itself to a small trot while they travelled, and the elegant blonde herself riding in front with her donkey pulling what was meant to be transported.

The courier and her bodyguard moved at a moderate and controlled pace for the simple dirt road they travelled on. For the time being, the countryside landscape moved by slowly rather and calmly. With the pace they were moving, they would reach the small town's gates in a hour, though that was subject to change depending on whether or not they stopped for any reason. Looking around, Amelie would be able to tell that there was nothing immediately out of the ordinary nearby, but one could never be too certain in this rather uncertain existence.

[Amelie]

The both of them started to leave the forest, her mood was starting to get better as the light could now be seen. Fortunately nothing happened on the roads, nothing of the sort as bandits. Maybe after all these rumors were entirely unfounded, making her not believe anything anymore. "So Nelke, you are a knight? Where from?" what was such a young squire doing out here, in this country to boot? At least she tried to throw in some small-talk to ease the journey.

Amelie chose one well fed donkey, the stables were nice and showed her their best stock. She could have chosen from three more just like this. From time to time, she checked on the goods at the back of the wagon. They were mostly metallic in nature, not like some eggs or something. It was redundant but helped to just pass the time. Amelie looked again at Nelke's armor, such a nice material. Well, just by looking at those proportions, she took the measurements. Just a rough estimate so far, her plan was to make an armor fit for a knight, even if one wasn't.

Soon after passing through the forest, they easily made it to the gates. Were they still at the town? In any case the road ahead was a straight forward trading route. Nothing to worry about. "So, Nelke, what kind of armor do you want? You know I will make you one that is really fit for a knight." back home, she had plenty of opportunity to work one armor. Amelie has judged the weapons of this world to be identical to the ones she was used to, well apart from magic staffs. But those could still be created with what they call alchemy here.

Still, the techniques she brought with her could be used even without a cauldron. There was the advantage of this world, one could straight craft the effects into their equipment right at the start. While in her world, she would lump everything inside one cauldron and talk to the materials. Perhaps she could use that here as well, Amelie haven't had the opportunity yet. Everywhere she went, did not have an enough high quality cauldron she could use and making one would take too much time and precious material.

Amelia guided the donkey with a certain mastery of a merchant, even without the need to train the beast. Most merchants had the same techniques they train their animals that this was easy. Having these, the guild or towns could lend out these beasts to anyone without them being hindered. The group would take at least a few hours before reaching the village that told her about the job. There, they took a little break for any refreshments if so they wished while Amelie talked to several merchants asking about the roads ahead or any rumors.

So far this was just a standard supply run, nothing fancy. The next place they were going to go through was a narrow passage in the mountains. From the village, it will take them an hour to get up there. The rocky terrain though will be a bit harder to navigate through and 1 hour could become 2 in the end. "Be careful, there might be danger up ahead." she said once getting near the passage. Her merchant sense and experience told her that these places were always ideal for ambushes.

[Master Game]

Nothing overly-suspicious revealed itself to the two travellers during that part of the journey, and so it remained uneventful for the time being. But maybe that was only because the small convoy kept steady pace and did not halt for any reason.

"So Nelke, you are a knight? Where from?"

Nelke was thankful for the attempt at small talk from her companion on this journey. To be honest, she thought it odd that they were already on a quest together but barely knew a thing about each other. Auguste then began to tell Amelie about herself. About how she was the last born daughter of one of the noble families of this land. She talked about her childhood love of swords, shields and chivalrous things that often got her into trouble as a young lass. How one day she broke the news to her fed-up parents that she was leaving to hone her skills and become a fully-fledged knight of the kingdom and how much opposition and prejudice she faced during that time. It took a lot to overcome that, and Nelke technically wasn't a proper knight just yet, but the women's courage and confidence never wavered despite any of that. It was perhaps what made her such a strong and dependable person.

The duo would go by a residential area on their way as a well as a copse of trees and shrubbery off the side of the road that became common scenery until after some time the image of the town gates came into view, preceded by a sign post at the crossroads indicating that they were leaving the township. However, as they approached the city gates and inevitably slowed down something felt a bit off. They were definitely by the town gates but something felt shady. Nelke instinctively looked over her shoulder, there was a cold tension in the air that she hadn't noticed before. But alas, maybe someone with greater observational abilities would've noticed more, but the duo would remain oblivious. Nothing drastic happened though, the guards simply let them pass without hesitation and so the courier and bodyguard were on their way once more.

However, the peace of their journey was short-lived, because soon later, Amelie's donkey would have to come to a halt. There was a problem. Ten metres ahead, a small field of approximately thirty caltrops littered the road, encompassing its entire width and preventing further travel in that direction unless one chose to break from the trade route and take a long detour. This was unexpected turn of events for the two, one that would not give them proper time to react to before it got deeper and more troublesome.

WHIZZ!

Barely a second after the donkey had halted, a projectile streaked through the air with uncanny speed and precision. It was an arrow, and it homed in on the poor donkey whom Amelie rode.

THWACK!

It would strike the donkey's front right knee hard and fast and lodge itself there. The whole thing happened so fast it would be hard for anyone to react to such attack. Either way, the mount would winny in agony as it's legs buckled and it collapsed with Amelie likely still on top. This was a clear ambush, and something had to be done before the situation became any worse. Nelke cursed, unsheathing her sword as her eyes roamed wildly around her environment in search of the perpetrator and any other possible assailants.

It was the sound of footsteps from behind her that alerted the young squire to two masked figures that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. They were outside the small town and by a major overland trade route that was bizarrely deserted at this particular time. There were no buildings in sight, just grassy fields, sparse forests and the occasional body of water that surrounded the dusty, cobbled road they tread. This was pre-meditated ambush no-doubt. Nelke grit her teeth as her eyes flared in rage at the two masked, wretched figures approaching her, the only thing on the squire's mind was that she would do everything in her power to thwart their wicked plans.

"Amelie! You okay?!" Nelke cried out without taking her eyes off the two new enemies. "There's still an archer in front of you so watch out." In the meantime, the aspiring knight herself would confront these two attackers and find out what they wanted, seeing as they haven't yet attacked.

"Oi Oi Oi, listen up 'ere lasses. Now, yer both gonna do what we say if you don't wanna get seriously hurt." One of the masked men, the bigger and more burly one of the two spoke up. It might be worth noting that out of the two, the taller one held an assortment of heavy bludgeoning weapons while the shorter, leaner attacker held a variety of sharp ones. These guys were up to no good, but the two lovely ladies who had chosen to take up this perilous quest had to find a way to deal with them.

SPOILER: Click to show

Increased Precision
Rank: "C"
Skill: TaiJutsu/Supplementary
Effect: A technique that improves the user’s capabilities of Point Blank Shot as well as Sneak Attack shots within a higher distance of 20 meters instead of 10 meters.
Special: ---
Drawback: If opponent has techniques that finds opponents such as chakra sense then this technique will not work against them.
Description: Normally a user is able to shoot at a target within 10 meters while hiding and not be seen or spotted. This technique allows the user to shoot at a further distance of 20 meters and able to stay hidden and unseen. User must stay hidden in order for this technique to work.

Ambushing Shot
Rank: "C"
Skill: TaiJutsu/Supplementary
Effect: User is able to shoot within their sneaking attack distance without having the opponent knowing where the arrow came from.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The character can shoot from a hiding place and remain hidden. Once any target enters combat, the only benefit of this maneuver is that the opponents do not know where the arrows are coming from, unless they observe greatly. They may make a guess of the general direction from the attack, but not something accurate enough to know exact location.
Limit: Must be a Marksman. Must know Increased Precision.

[Amelie]

Amelie was pretty glad she could talk to Nelke normally, the squire told her the story of her life. It seems they had more in common, both nobles apart from Amelie being the first born. Amelie began to tell Nelke more about herself, how she was from the noble family far off from the mainland and that she was trying to explore the possibilities on this continent. Amelie told her how the whole family were skilled artisans who supplied the royal army with their creations.

Alchemy was also their bread and butter. What she omitted to say was how she has arrived from another world and by artisan she meant alchemist in reality. This world to Amelie was strange, the way these people crafted was not with alchemy, they actually did not know her alchemy at all. When trying the crafts of this world, she has found out it could be combined with her own alchemy to create stronger works. Only a few traditional alchemists even ventured to try smithing.

For them it was more like talking to the materials and complying with their wishes. While passing the gates, Amelie has not noticed anything. In fact she was oblivious to everything, even Nelke picked up more. You could say that, that was the perfect time to actually stock on ammunition from the guards. Since sometimes she prepares too much, she forgets the more important things, like defense. This time, the quiver she carried has been relocated to be inside the cart with the metal. She would regret that later.

The donkey she was riding on, came to an abrupt halt. For some reason it refused to move. "What is it boy?" she whispered into its ears and was preparing to climb off to check what was going on. "Whoa!" out of nowhere an arrow pierced the donkey's legs making it fall with her still on its back. Caught unprepared while her hands weren't on the saddle, she stumbled back and fell backwards. This has saved her from being crushed by the animal.

Luckily the fall was not high, the donkey was a pretty small animal thus her bottom has gotten a few bruises, nothing serious. Her first thought was for the well-being of the animal, then realized they were under attack she ducked behind the covers of the cart. her heart raced, she was not used to being under attack nor was she trained for any combat. Soon her palms would start to sweat and to calm herself she would breath. The voice of Nelke gave her a spark of hope as the squire was still alive and most likely ready to solve their predicament.

"I...i think I am alright?" Amelie stuttered, she checked herself to see if she was hurt or not. Nelke warned her about the archer, she was an archer too if you could count some basics. She grabbed her bow and tried to find any arrows to no avail. The quiver was laying inside the cart. Amelie cursed under her breath, her forgetful side strikes again. The duo was now in a pinch with no way out that she could think of. Maybe some kind of diplomacy was in place to persuade those bandits to let them go.

It was a good idea but she was still recovering from the initial surprise. Instead she focused on the surroundings, trying to spot the archer of possible. From the arrows, she should be able to determine where they came from. The donkey was still in some pain, regrettably she could not help it in any way right now. The arrow stick in its knees told her about the general direction of the archer, she tried to look that way. For the time being, Nelke would have to somehow deal with those two alone.

Nelke would most likely be worried about her not responding for a while. Her objective was now to spot where the archer was stationed. Of course she could try to shoot the two approaching them since her cover let her hide from them. Nelke did say to her that the archer was in front of her, with this information Amelie should be able to deduce their location. By looking around, Amelie has noticed her own quiver inside the cart, would she dare to reach for it?

[Master Game]

"Drop yer weapon lass." The burlier man's harsh voice rang out towards Nelke.

"I'd rather die."

"Well we can't have that. Do you know how much you and your friend there will make us on the black market?" The leaner bandit said as more of statement rather than a question.

Nelke said nothing, only intensifying her glares while she gripped her rapier.

"Listen K, just look at her, she's not gonna be surrendering anytime soon." The man went on.

"Then why don't we rough her up a bit, but be careful, we don't want to damage the merchandise too much." K leered.

The loathing squire quickly took up a Prima Guardia stance against the two heathens. They couldn't be reasoned with, and so Nelke would have to deal with them, with lethal force if demanded. The woman had dealt with highway robbers before, this would be a piece-of-cake for her.

The first brutish-looking man ran forward, a large wooden club in his hands. Nelke moved not an inch, until the fool entered her melee range. The squire brought her left arm back to her left side, before crouching down on her right while extending her left leg out and quickly slashing from left to right downward against the opponent's shin with impeccable speed.

The large men fell hard unto his but, dropping the blade before clutching his bleeding leg in pain. The poor guy had barely seen the attack land, for Nelke moved in a blur.

"Goddamn it J! She got me!!!" The brutish man squealed like back while retreating back over to his friend.

"Oh c'mon you big oaf! Get a grip and stand up." The skinnier masked man with sharp swords hollered. "We'll both rush at once, then she won't stand a chance." He finished with a sinister grin.

Nelke began to feel nervous. She was confident that she could take them on one by one if it came to it. But her defense wasn't as well practised as her offense, and she was unsure how she would fare if they both attacked her at once.


Meanwhile...


There weren't many places to hide that area, with grassy plains on the right and sparse woodland to the left it was easy to note from that and the from looking at the arrow, that the sniper had to be situated somewhere by the forests to the left. The trees were sporadically located to the point that it would be easy to to see through them and the spaces inbetween. But as Amelie peeked out from her partial cover, she would see nothing. The assailant was well-hidden, perhaps behind a tree, or lurking in the shrubbery. It would be nearly impossible to tell his exact location without spying some movement, but for the time being the archer was perfectly stationary. It had total concealment from Amelie until it decided to move.

[Amelie]

"Damn" she cursed quietly upon hearing what the men were intending to do with them. The good news was they weren't intending to kill them. Maybe they should have heeded the warnings and choose a different route? Amelie wasn't one to shun from helping another village in need. She nervously peeked at the assailants to get an idea where they stood. Unfortunately, the archer was too well hidden even when she had a general area tipped.

Her gaze then stopped on the quiver and then wandered off on the assailants just in time to see Nelke injure one on his leg. The squire moved so fast both Amelie and the man had no chance of following. Her jaws dropped for a moment, maybe she was saved? This little action gave her the courage to risk going for the quiver. Amelie has moved her hands as quick as she could to grab the quiver, if she would be quick then maybe even the archer won't see it.

In case the alchemist was lucky and managed to grab the quiver, she would relocate just a bit so as to be as far as possible from the forest within limits. Amelie could not let the squire face both of the assailants and an archer at the same time. Well, she did think that the archer would not try to kill them as the men said how a shame it would be to kill. With an arrow safely resting inside the tether, the girl would steadily pull it back.

Now just to aim properly before sending one arrow at the uninjured man, she made sure to try and not hit Nelke with a precise shot. The intended place to hit was the center of that mans body. This was because it is the most likely place to have a chance of hitting and if she did, the other injured man would have a harder job of fighting Nelke. The only problem was that archer, she was very aware of that fact, but was he ready to kill them?

[Master Game]

Nelke raised her blood-stained rapier in a more defensive stance. The lady could go too ways from here. She could either put some distance between the her and her foes before they charged, or cut that distance and try to make quick work of them before they could do any major damage with their double-teaming. She couldn't rush this, but the two assailants were getting ready to tear her to shreds.

"Yeah let's do this J." The semi-injured man grit his teeth, and pushed the pain to the back of his mind, now concentrated wholly on the swordswoman.

CLASH! Metal met metal unexpectedly. It was Amelie's arrow. The man J with the swords had seen it coming in a nick of time, making his muscles do the rest, he deflected the fast-soaring projectile rather easily as it was aimed at his chest. But adrenaline-filled squire had seen her opening, immediately she acted.

The mystery archer had seen his own opening. It was when he cautiously peeped his head just around his cover that he spotted Amelie and what she was doing. The young woman's strategy of relocating herself as far away from the tree-line would not do her much good, she underestimated his range and and perception. Recognising she was up to no good, the shadowy figure pulled back his bowstring just as she was doing the same. His orders were strict, and they were to not kill the two noblewoman unless the signal was given. The hidden archer smirked. Hehe, maybe I just won't aim for vitals then.

It was about a second after Amelie's arrow had been deflected that another had been let loose. Archer had to shift out from his cover a bit, nonetheless his aim did not falter. The arrow streaked through the air towards Amelie from her back, the only telltale sign of its presence being the familiar whistle. It would tear a hole through her clothes and bury into her flesh. Nothing close to a vital would be hit but the sudden pain would no-doubt make her cry out and prevent her from firing off anymore arrows.

Meanwhile the armoured lady zoomed forward, taking her chance as the two men were mildly distracted. Nelke lunged. CLASH! More steel met with steel as the two engaged. The woman spun, thrust and employed a manner of manoeuvres against the one called J. Just two seconds later she had finally broken his waning guard with the well-performed Moulinet technique. She could've finished him, she was meant to finish him, but the heat of battle had erred her judgement, making her forget about K that she had injured earlier. So fixated on eliminating the most obvious threat she never guessed K was waiting for an opening. Nelke was gasping for breath on the ground, blood pounding in veins in her head and her vision getting dizzier. She had been hit with his club no-doubt, and if the thing had been a spiked tool she might not even be still breathing. Her speed and instinct had usually won her most battles, but now it seemed that she would lose because of it. Flexing her fingers she realised that she had let go of her sword. Spotting it, Nelked lunged for it, only to be a fraction of a second late as it got kicked away. The pain was settling in now and there wasn't much helping it, the knight-in-training could only grit her teeth. She knew they were talking but she could barely hear what K and J were saying, her mind immediately went to Amelie and how they could be planning to target her. She had still had options however, the bright-side was that they weren't planning to kill them and Nelke knew she could use that.

[Amelie]

The sound of metal on metal was music to her ears, the young artisan definitely hit something. It was not the mans flesh, the bandit skillfully blocked off her poorly shot arrow. How is that possible? she cursed, however this only added to her adrenaline rush. Now her breathing was much faster and her head began to be more focused as if getting a more clear picture of the skirmish. Not being put off by her failure, she reached for another arrow to put into the tether. At the exact time, Nelke has leaped forward with the opportunity given to her.

Amelie has however underestimated the archer, even when being ordered not to kill them, the bandit still did not hesitate to take his shot. This has only reinforced the fact that he was probably very skilled as anyone shooting to kill would not be able to withhold. Amelie was not accustomed to any fighting, thus the sound of an arrow from behind did not give her any warning of what to expect, not that she would be able to get away from it in time. She was more accustomed to shooting and not being shot at.

She tried to release her arrow after aiming, soon she noticed nothing was happening. It seems like her hands did not do what her mind commanded. Upon checking more carefully, her eyes have widen. Noticing an arrow was sticking from her left shoulders she let loose a sudden cry of pain. Yes, the adrenaline has made her more resilient but the moment she knew of the injury, the adrenaline dropped taking away the ability to not feel pain. All of that pain mixed with never having to experience it, amounted in her shortening out right there.

Everything was dark now, even her thoughts. The only hope for them was Nelke but little did she know that it was still futile.