Legend of the Shinobi
Chapter 2
Sure enough, when I arrive at Seles, it's a burned out husk. I see some motion from my vantage point, so I rush down the hill to provide assistance. I find a couple of Sandoran soldiers kicking an old man, so I draw my sword mid run, and convert my momentum into a leaping slash. I kick the second in the stomach, and follow up with an upward slash, cutting him from groin to head.
"Dart? Is that you Dart?" The old man asks.
I was about to say no, but then I remembered that that was my cover's name.
"Yeah, it's me. Are you okay?"
"No. I haven't got much time left. But there are more important things. Dart, they took Shana."
That name I did remember, as I was the one to give it to her. She was an infant when I first met her, well hidden in a secret compartment in the burned out husk of a house in the town of Neet, which is my cover's birthplace. I carried her out of there, and traveled to the other side of the world, to Seles. I raised and protected her until my… duties as Hokage took me away.
In a lot of ways, she was like a daughter.
And she was kidnapped.
My teeth clenched in rage.
I turned on my heels, leaving the now dead man, in order to begin the hunt for her kidnappers.
When I encounter the Sandoran officer who was left behind to wrap up the attack, he begins to taunt me with the location of the prisoners. My rage drowns out most of his words, but the location rings clear. Hellena Prison. As I have all the information I want and need, I end his life with a single strike with my sword. His guards immediately began to flee, while I begin my trek to the infamous prison.
The prison was almost too easy to infiltrate. I could have done it even before graduating the Academy. The guards patrolled alone, allowing me to pick them off without the alarm being raised.
Only to find it was raised anyway due to an escaped prisoner, who just barreled into me.
Well, my luck couldn't have things go smoothly, now could it? It just plain hates me too much.
After I parry a couple of thrusts of the former prisoner's spear, I snarl at him.
"Save it for the enemy, idiot!"
"You're… not with them?"
"No. I'm here to rescue someone, and you just made that about ten times harder."
"You're after the girl?"
I froze.
"How could you know that!?"
The escapee shrugged.
"A man of your skills wouldn't be here without a lot of incentive, and as I doubt you're here to rescue me, that leaves only one VIP in the prison- the girl."
"VIP? Unless she really changed since I last saw her, she's as much as a strategic asset as a wet noodle is."
"Sandora apparently disagrees. Anyway, would my help in getting her back make up for the trouble my escape caused?"
"Don't you have better things to do? Like, you know, escaping?"
"Well, yes, but I wouldn't be doing my job as a knight if I let an innocent girl rot in a place like this."
I glare at him. I've heard those 'save the fair maiden, instant romance' stories far too many times to think that this guy doesn't have that in mind.
"If you even think about seducing her, I will stab you."
"Perish the thought. After all, I wouldn't dream of depriving you of her affections."
"What are you insinuating? What, I can't want her out of this hellhole without wanting to bed her?"
"I could ask you the same question."
"I at least know her."
"I don't need to. I wouldn't wish this place on anyone, especially someone that, as a knight, I swore to protect."
"So we're agreed. No lecherous plots."
"None."
"Just a friend trying to protect a friend, and a guardian of the realm trying to protect an innocent."
"Sounds right."
"Perfectly platonic purgation of peril."
"Accurate and alliterative."
A moment passes, as we assess each other.
"Dart Feld." I say, extending a handshake.
"Lavitz Slambert, head of the First Knighthood of the Kingdom of Basil." He says, returning the handshake.
We attempt to stealthily bypass the guards, which is incredibly difficult when one of you and is wearing full plate armor and has precisely zero stealth training, to the point he thinks it's immoral. At least, If I recall the code of chivalry correctly. Thankfully, if Lavitz has any problem with our current plan, he is keeping it to himself, and he's smart enough to recognize the necessity of it without me having to tell him.
My fortune is uncharacteristically generous, given that it adds "Sandoran prison guards are complete idiots" to our chances of success, and as such, we actually pull it off.
Until we come across the bane of every adventurer's existence.
A locked door.
It is a sturdy wooden door, two layers of oak, held together with iron bands and studs that would blunt our weapons if we tried to chop it down. It is mounted to solid rock, so no luck there.
"We're going to have to look for the key. They probably have a spare in the guard room."
"You mean, the guard room that is not only in the heavily defended core of the fortress, but we will have to sneak by the guards we just snuck by? And barely pulled it off? I'm thinking 'screw that!'"
"Well, its either that or we…" Lavitz tersely starts, and I assume he was going to say 'give up', but he stops himself as I withdraw a Burn Out from my satchel.
A Burn Out is essentially a Molotov Cocktail, imbued with Fire element chakra.
I throw it at the door, and it practically vaporized, save for the metal bindings, which fell to the floor, glowing red.
"...do that." Lavitz finishes.
"It's amazing what people will just sell you. I didn't even need a permit or anything."
"Let's just get the girl. Somebody probably saw that." Lavitz said.
After about a minute of searching, we found the proper cell. While it was guarded, Lavitz and I took the guards down with no trouble.
Unfortunately, the door was, of course, locked.
We searched the fallen guards for the key, and found nothing.
"Don't tell me that we have to go look for the goddamn key." I snarled, glaring at the one obstacle between me and Shana.
"Well, I don't think a Burn Out would work on iron bars, not to mention it would risk hurting her."
"THIS! IS! BULLSHIT!" I roar, grabbing the metal of the door, and, with chakra-enhanced strength, tore it off its hinges.
"That works." Lavitz said, taking a couple of steps back, giving me a wary glance.
I step inside, and see Shana for the first time in half a decade.
I examine her for injuries, but find nothing more than a scrape or two, nothing to indicate they intentionally hurt her.
"Shana? I'm here to get you out of here."
"Dart!? Is that you?"
"You… haven't forgotten me?" I ask, surprised. She was young when I left, about thirteen.
"How could I?" she asked, drawing me into a hug.
"I hate to interrupt, but the guards are coming." Lavitz called from the doorway.
Even as I draw my sword and rush out, I feel nothing but relief that Shana's okay.
