Chapter 4: Poisons and the Like
It was a three day ride to the mouth of the canal. By the time he got there, it was midday on the fourth. Around the mouth of the canal was a large city called Razik, the busiest port city in the Empire. More cargo flowed through this place in six hours than all other trade centers in six days. The massive cruiser Ryussen often docked here for repairs, seeing it was the only port in the empire that could hold it.
He quickly checked his horse into a stable on the outskirts and made his way towards the local navy office. Woodes would be waiting for him there.
He took notice of a number of wanted posters on the walls of buildings as he walked by. Most of them were for bandits and crime lords, but he did see a lot of pictures of known members of Night Raid.
Looks like Honest really wants these people dead, he smirked, pulling up his hood and collar.
After maybe twenty minutes of walking, he made it to the Navy Office. As he walked inside, he noticed how empty the place was. There was only one person sitting at the reception desk; a young man who looked so terrified his heart might jump out of his chest and run away.
"Welcome to the Imperial Navy Recruiting Office!" the boy said, jumping to attention and snapping a terrified smile.
"Uh…thanks?" he said.
"Would you like to hear about your options in serving in his majesty's navy?" the boy said, still near shouting.
"No," he said. "I'm looking for Woodes Rodgers."
The boy paled. "Ad-Ad-Admiral Rodgers?" he squeaked.
He nodded and the boy stood up. "I'll…go see if he's here," he said.
A few minutes later the boy returned, with Woodes following him. Unlike their last meeting, Woodes was now wearing a decorated naval uniform instead of his leather coat. His hair was still styled properly and he carried his usual cutlass and pistol at his hip.
"Ah, Tatsumi," he smiled, his scarred face contorting wildly. "I was wondering when you would get here."
"Mas…Admiral Rodgers," he corrected, saluting him instead of bowing. "It is good to see you again."
"Yes, yes, indeed," he said before looking at the boy at the desk. "Orsol, I am not to be disturbed for the next hour or so. Even if the Emperor himself comes knocking on my door, do not let him in. If you do, I will bust your sorry ass down to swabbing latrines faster than you can blink, are we clear?"
"Y-y-y-yessir," the boy whimpered as Woodes shot him a glare.
"Good," he said. "Come with me, Tatsumi."
Woodes led him back to the officer's quarters, more specifically the Admiral's quarters. They were lavishly furnished with expensive gold and fine furniture. The back wall itself was actually a massive balcony that offered a nice view of the city.
"Grand Admiral Sortez used to come here a lot for inspection," Woodes said, pouring himself a brandy. "But thanks to his declining health, this place has become fairly deserted."
"A good place for us to work in," he nodded, looking out the window.
"Indeed," Woodes said, taking a drink. "I assume the Grandmaster told you what I need done here?"
"He said you need an officer killed," he said. "After that, you'll be able to steal imperial weapons."
Woodes nodded. "I need one shipment in particular," he said. "I've discovered that a renowned scientist named Doctor Stylish has developed a few interesting kinds of poisons for the Empire."
"Poison?" he cocked an eyebrow.
Woodes nodded. "According to our spies, these poisons can paralyze a full grown man within seconds. Another brand can induce sleep in which the target will wake up without knowing what hit him. I feel these poisons would be better suited to our purposes than the Empire…and the man I need dead is in charge of the warehouse where they are being held."
"I'll do it," he nodded. "Where can I find him?"
Woodes provided him with the man's name, address, and station, along with a few tips and tricks about how to kill him. Within an hour, he was back on the street, heading towards the waterfront.
The man's name was Baen. He belonged to a private 'security company' that worked inside the city. Woodes had long-since known that they were just another one of the Prime Minister's off the book organizations; stealing precious cargo from the shipments they were paid to guard. Woodes had tried to use backdoor negotiations to allow the Templars access to the warehouse, but Baen had been stubborn in his answers. It was now clear that the man had to die in order for them to get their hands on the toxins.
He headed to a sleazy bar in the slums, a place that members of Baen's gang were said to congregate in. He walked in the door and sat down at a nearby table, eyes darting around the place. It was a small, filthy, and smoke-filled place. He could see drugs on the tables, men passed out at the counter, and grime-soaked sailors swearing up a storm. However, he did see a man wearing the uniform of Baen's gang sitting at the middle of the bar.
"Excuse me?"
He turned and looked at a cute young girl in an apron standing next to him. "May I take your order, sir?"
"Just a beer for now," he said, handing her a gold coin. Right away, her eyes widened and she quickly slipped the coin into her pocket before fetching him his drink.
"Here you are, sir," she said fearfully.
"Thanks," he said, taking a sip before watching the man.
"Ey, Connie!" said one of the thugs at the bar. "Watcha got there, girl? Present for me?"
"Lucius, stop!" she yelled out as the large man grabbed her and pinned her against the wall.
"Oh, what 'ave we 'ere?" the man smirked, pulling out a coin pouch from her dress. "Why, this might even pay off a quarter of 'yer old man's debt!"
"Stop it, that's mine!" she begged as the man began to assault her further, touching her face and chest like she was an object to him.
He frowned and looked up from his beer. "Hey!" he shouted at the man. "Leave her alone!"
The fat man looked away from her and gave him an ugly look. "Wot's it to ya?" he slurred. "Wot I do with me women is me own damn business…so piss off!"
He sighed and put down his mug. "Here's how this will go down," he said. "You're going to release that girl and give her back her money. Then you are going to walk out that door and never come back."
"And if I don't?" he sneered.
"Then I'll remove your fingers and shove them right where the sun don't shine," he said, completely calm.
The thug laughed, along with the majority of the people in the bar.
"Big talk 'comin from such a little man," he said, dropping the girl and walking over to him, reaching out with a filthy, greasy hand. "Why don't you 'jus run along, little boy, an AAARGH!"
As soon as the man's hand came close to him, he quickly grabbed it and twisted far enough to snap his wrist cleanly. He then planted his boot firmly in the man's solar and sent him flying back across the bar. He pulled his knife from his belt and calmly walked over to the thug, who was groaning and moaning on the floor.
"I was going to be civilized," he said, doing his best impression of Master Haythem when the man was mad. "But you have forced my hand."
"Wait, please!" the thug begged as he cut the man's belt and hauled him to his feet. The man's trousers quickly fell down around his ankles, eliciting a series of chuckles from the other patrons as he kicked the man into the street.
"Are you alright?" he asked the girl, Connie, if he heard correctly.
"Y-yes, thank you, sir," she said as he handed her back her coin purse. "You've really saved me."
"It's okay," he smiled. "People like that need to be taught a lesson one way or another."
"Still, I am grateful to you," she said, a small smile adorning her cheeks. "Would you like another drink?"
"No, thank you," he said. "It was very good, though."
She blushed. "My father makes it himself," she mumbled. "I will tell him you liked it."
He smiled, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the gang member get up and head for the door without paying for his food.
Two birds with one stone, he mentally grinned.
"Hold on," he said, walking over to the door and blocking the man from leaving. "You didn't pay."
"Feh. You don't scare me," he spat. "Lucius was a pansy anyway. Now get the fuck outta my way, or…"
He pulled a wicked-looking fish knife from his belt.
"Cute," he said. "But you've made a big mistake."
"Yeah? Wassat?" he sneered.
"You brought a knife to a gunfight," he smirked, drawing his pistol and leveling it at the man's head.
The entire bar went silent at the sight of the gun. The gangster himself looked the most frightened of all of them. Quickly he dropped his knife and threw a few coins on the table.
"Excellent," he said. "Now you and I are going to have a chat."
He spun him around and marched him out the back door into an alleyway.
"What do you want?" the thug asked, his hands in the air.
"Baen," he said. "Where is he?"
"He should be in the warehouse by now," the thug said. "His office is in the back!"
"Good," he said, flexing his wrist and cutting the man's throat. "Sorry, but I can't let you go telling your friend I'm coming."
FIFTEEN KILOMETERS FROM THE CAPITAL
LEONE
She sighed as she relaxed in the hot spring, thankful for the moments respite from the intensity of their last mission. The capital had become quite dangerous ever since Ogre the Demon had been found stabbed to death in his own home. She grimaced a little at the memory of that night, her shoulder still throbbing from being shot.
Who was that anyway? She wondered, rubbing her shoulder. She had only gotten a glimpse of the boy (she assumed it was a boy) before he had vanished, but his hood had prevented her from seeing his face. Although, thanks to Lionelle, she had managed to catch his scent. It was a strange scent to say the least…he smelled of open plains, cold woods, dusty mountains, and of course, blood…lots of blood. Just thinking about it made her nose tingle with excitement.
"Ugh, I really am becoming a cat," she sighed under her breath. "Stupid Teigu."
Only a handful of people knew this, but like all the rest of the Teigu; Lionelle had a downside. In this case, the longer it was used, the more feline the user became. She wouldn't be sprouting a tail anytime soon, but the cravings for milk and belly-rubs were becoming irritating.
"You okay, Leone?"
She looked to her left to see Najenda get into the hot spring. She was so deep in thought that she hadn't even noticed her.
"Yeah, I guess," she shrugged.
"Still hung up over the guy who shot you?" the former general asked with a sly smile.
She sighed. "Yeah, I guess I am."
Najenda chuckled and reclined in the spring. "That boy, whoever he is, has caused quite a stir," she said. "First Ogre, then Zank…and he may not be working along."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I just sent a message back to the Commander," she said. "He wanted to know if we were the ones behind all these assassinations as of late. I said no, and he told me to keep an eye out for a rouge assassin group operating in the capital…it seems the Revolution wants to try and recruit these people."
"Yeah, but they obviously don't like us," she said, gesturing to her shoulder.
"All the same, we've been ordered to try and talk with them," she said. "So if you find that boy again or someone from his organization…just make sure they're in once piece when you bring them back."
She grinned. "You got it, boss," she said.
RAZIK
He scowled, looking at the warehouse that Baen's gang used as a headquarters. The place was heavily guarded; at least fifteen guards were stationed around the main gate and all of them were armed heavily. The building itself was fairly tall with narrow windows on the top floor, allowing no way for him to see what was going on inside the building.
"Damn," he sighed, skirting around the back end of the warehouse. "No rest for the weary."
He found no entrance, but there was a section of the building that was very close to a nearby rooftop. Not wanting to waste time, he quickly climbed to the roof and jumped across onto the warehouse, his boots clanking on the metal surface. He quickly walked around, searching for a skylight or some other means of access. Finally, he found a small window set into the roof and jimmied it open. He slipped inside and landed on a catwalk overlooking the main interior.
"Alright, you maggots," growled a gruff and almost dog-like voice. "Baen wants all our debts cleared out, so get out there and make some money!"
He looked down and saw a group of thugs wearing the gang's colors gathered around a tall man with a bushy beard. He scowled, not seeing Baen himself amongst the crowd. The man should be in his office…which he saw pressed against the back wall.
"Finally, something is going my way," he sighed, creeping along the catwalk.
As soon as he was out of sight, he dropped down behind a stack of crates and waited as a man passed by. He seemed to be checking each of the crates, so it would only be a matter of time before he found him. Quickly, he flexed his wrist and tacked the man as he rounded a corner, stabbing him through his throat to silence any screams.
"Sorry," he muttered as the man died.
He quickly hid the body between some crates and moved on, winding around the stacks of cargo until he got to Baen's office. He leaned up to a window and peaked inside. He scowled at what he saw.
Baen was standing up over the body of a young girl. She was completely naked and looked like she had been raped very recently. Baen himself was only just pulling his pants back up.
Scum, he growled, walking to the door and kicking it in.
"Huh? What the hell?" Baen shouted as he stormed inside. "Who the hell are you?"
"Retribution," he snarled, driving his hidden blade into the man's jugular. "May the Father of Understanding guide you to a purer path in the next life."
He turned his attention to the girl. She was still alive, thankfully, although the massive bruise on her forehead unnerved him. She'd probably been kidnapped and used by the gang for some time now.
"Savages," he growled, taking the Baen's jacket and wrapping it around her. He wouldn't be able to take her with him when he escaped, it was too risky. But he would tell Woodes that there was a girl who needed attention when they stormed the warehouse.
He quickly made his escape through the skylight and dropped down back to the street, making his way back towards the Naval Office. He didn't even bother with the boy at the desk this time, climbing straight into Woodes' office through the balcony. The Admiral was sitting at his desk, facing away from the window with a document in his hands.
"Couldn't you have used the door?" he asked, not even turning around to face him.
"It's more fun this way," he smirked.
Woodes chuckled. "No wonder Haythem likes you so much," he said, turning around. "I take it Baen's dead?"
He nodded. "They had a girl captive as well," he said. "She's alive, but traumatized."
"I'll send the CDF a note right away," he nodded. "My thanks for dealing with that man, Tatsumi, he has been a pain in my ass for quite some time."
"It was nothing, Master Rodgers," he smiled. "I'm just happy I could help."
Woodes laughed and sat down at his desk again. "You know, you remind me of someone I sailed with," he said. "A young man about your age…his name's Wave."
"Why do I remind you of him?" he asked, taking a seat across the desk.
"The both of you are always happy to help rid the world of scum," he said. "Wave always seemed determined to eliminate pirates as you always love to kill our enemies. Hell, the boy did so well that the Emperor tasked me to give him a Teigu."
"Which one did he get?" he asked.
"Grand Chariot," he said. "It's an armor Teigu, like Incursio. Enhances strength and reaction time. I wouldn't worry about him becoming an enemy, though…the boy always seemed to know what was right and what was wrong."
He smiled. "If you say so," he said, standing up. "I think I should report back to the Grandmaster now."
"Indeed you should," he said. "I've arranged transport on a barge back to the capital. It'll save you two days riding."
"Thank you," he said, bowing in the Templar fashion. "May the Father of Understanding guide you."
"And you as well," Woodes replied. "Good luck."
The barge left the city about ten minutes after he arrived, sailing upriver through the night until reaching the outer wall at seven in the morning the following day. He disembarked as soon as the gangplank was lowered and quickly headed off into the crowd. He headed for a local inn and tavern that Shay and other Knights frequented…mostly because it was owned and operated by Elise herself.
Aside from being one of the instructors to new recruits to the Order, Elise's inn acted as a Templar safe house inside the capital. If assassinations went bad, all Knights were to report to the inn, where the other members would be able to protect you and arrange for safe passage back to the compound. Many noblemen and upper-class politicians frequented the inn as well, which often allowed Elise to weasel secrets from between drunken (and sometimes poisoned) lips.
He walked up the street towards The Holy Cross Inn, watching the alleyways for dangers. The streets seemed to be much more hostile since his last visit…possibly from the assassinations being carried out. He walked inside and was assaulted by a wave of liquor fumes and smoke. There were richly-dressed individuals sitting everywhere, laughing and smoking as waitresses served them. He ignored them and moved towards the back towards an area marked "private." He walked inside the small conference room to see Elise and Shay inside.
"The mighty warrior returns!" Shay laughed.
"How much has he had to drink?" he sighed with a tired smile.
"Six beers," Elise said with a smile. "Woodes has told us about your work in Razik…hope you're up for another round."
He sighed. "Can I have something to eat first?" he asked.
Elise nodded and left to go get him some dinner, leaving him with Shay.
"Night Raid's getting bolder," the assassin sighed, somehow not tipsy any more. "Two hits were carried out by Akame herself; a rich family on the outskirts and their little girl, Aria. Another was that oil merchant named Gamal."
"Damn," he sighed. "Hope we don't have to fight them."
"We'll have to someday," he sighed as Elise came back in. "But to be sure, the three of us are going to take this mission together."
He blinked. Two Knights and a Master Templar going on the same mission was rare. Master Templars usually relied on Knights to carry out orders…but then again Elise was the 'do it yourself' type.
He quickly ate a small meal of steak and potatoes with a glass of water before the three of them pulled up their hoods/collars and took to the streets.
"Who's the target?" he asked.
"A relative of the Prime Minister," Elise said, taking point as he and Shay flanked her. "His name is Iokal, Honest's cousin. The man is a pig, using Honest's name to get whatever he wants. He employs members of the Koken Temple as his guards and brutes, not to mention he uses drugs to ensnare young girls for his personal harem. He's fond of torturing them for his own amusement before giving them to his guards."
"Just the kind of bastard we want dead," Shay said.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Are we doing it tonight?"
Elise nodded. "The Grandmaster himself has ordered this assassination," she said. "So we will do this quick and clean."
"And the harem?" Shay asked.
"Not our problem," she said. "Master Davenport will be dispatching the CDF at twelve tonight so they will be taken care of."
He nodded. They couldn't afford to waste time on the girls. Iokal was their prime target, mandated by the Grandmaster. He came first.
They wandered around the city for a few more hours, waiting for the cover of darkness to mask their movement. Elise gave the signal at about eight o'clock and they made their way towards Iokal's private compound at the edge of the wall. The place was a strategist's nightmare. There was far too much cover for them and the windows were large and unbarred, allowing basically anyone to slip in and out.
"It's almost as if he wants us to kill him," he chuckled from their vantage point in a nearby tree.
"Well let's not keep him waiting," Elise said, leaping to another branch.
He and Shay followed her through the trees, leaping from branch to branch over the low wall and onto a low-hanging portion of the roof. There were very few guards here, and none of them looked anything like trained martial artists.
"Split up," Elise said. "Search the place and find Iokal. If you run into guards, kill them."
"Got it," Shay grunted, running off to the north.
"Tatsumi, take the east portion," she said before running off to the south.
He turned and ran east, ducking through an open window and into a richly decorated hallway. He straightened up and checked his equipment, making sure his hidden blade worked while cocking his pistols. Spear had told him the Koken Temple masters were not pushovers, so he had to be ready for anything. He made his way through the mansion, keeping his eyes and ears open for sounds of life. The place seemed deserted…until he heard rapid footsteps from the hallway to the left.
"Lousy wretch," came a male voice. "'Get me Trinia Secci, she's my favorite!' Why, if he weren't the Prime Minister's cousin I'd rip his head off!"
He didn't waste any time, charging ahead to meet the man as he rounded the corner. He kicked off the wall and jumped high above him, plunging his knife into the man's skull. He twisted it twice and then pulled back noting that the guard bore the Koken Temple symbol on his right shoulder.
"One down," he said, putting the blade away. "Four to go."
He turned and walked down the hallway where the guard had come from. As he walked down the hall, he could hear the sounds of whimpering and fear. He knew if he opened the doors that lined the hallway, he would find little girls stricken with fear. He grit his teeth and walked faster. The sooner Iokal died the better.
He came across another guard on his way towards the center of the mansion; a woman with a scar on her cheek. He ambushed her from inside a closet, stabbing her heart and letting her die quickly.
Her employer will not have the same luxury, he smirked, shutting the door behind him and continuing on.
He looked out the window to his right and saw Shay dashing across the courtyard with his hidden blades outstretched, plunging them into the neck of the third Koken Temple Guard. He caught his eyes and nodded, holding up two fingers to show his two kills. Shay nodded and disappeared inside. He continued moving but found nothing. Five minutes later though, he heard a loud and girly scream from the south.
"That's Iokal," he murmured. "Time to get out of…here?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something glint from the trees outside. His body moved on its own, throwing himself down to the ground as a thin beam of energy lanced through the window and into the wood where his chest would have been a second ago.
"Fuck!" he yelled, getting up and running towards the south.
More shots split the air, impacting only a few inches away from his body as he sprinted. He looked outside and cursed violently. Running towards the house were three people: Leone, Mine, and Akame of Night Raid.
"Assassins!" he yelled out into the mansion courtyard, where Elise was just sheathing her rapier. "Night Raid is here!"
"Get out!" she yelled. "Our work is done!"
"Not so fast!"
His eyes widened as something collided with his back, knocking him off the balcony and into the fountain below. He sputtered and sprung to his feet, hand going for his pistol as he looked up at his attacker.
"You again," he moaned as Leone stood up and settled into a battle stance.
"Heh, so you remember me?" she gave a predatory smile. "And it looks like you're not alone either."
Her eyes drifted to Elise as Akame and Mine jumped down onto the courtyard.
"We're not here to fight," the red-eyed swordswoman said. "Our boss wants to meet you."
He snuck a quick glance at Elise, who had drawn her sword again and was watching the three of them.
"Please tell your boss that my associates and I are not interested," she said. "We have no desire to be a part of your revolution, Night Raid."
"Well, we were ordered to take at least one of you back," Mine said, lifting her rifle. "And that means-URK!"
The petite sniper suddenly stiffened and fell over, a red-tipped dart sticking out of the back of her neck. He looked up to the roof and saw Shay sitting there, his air-rifle already loaded for another shot.
"Don't even think about, it, lass," he said, training the weapon on Akame, who had gone for her sword. "I can shoot faster than you can move."
He smirked at Shay's timely arrival and stepped out of the fountain, shaking the water from his hands and coat.
"Damn," he heard Leone swear. "Thought we had this one."
"You didn't," he said calmly, drawing his pistol and leveling it at her.
"You're going to shoot me again?" she smirked. "You know I'll heal."
He returned her smirk. "I know," he said. "Which is why we're going to let you all go. Tell your boss that we have no intention of working with Night Raid…and that if you try this again, we won't be as merciful."
He nodded to Shay, who quickly landed two darts in Akame and Leone, the two assassins dropping to the ground in a blissful slumber.
"We are done," Elise said, sheathing her rapier. "All guards have been killed?"
"I got two," he said.
"Three," Shay nodded, dropping off the roof.
"And Iokal is dead," she said, looking at the mansion behind her. "Now we leave. The CDF will be here shortly."
"And Night Raid?" he asked, jerking his thumb.
"They'll either be captured or escape," she said. "We can't deal with them now, unfortunately."
"Agreed," Shay nodded. "Let's go!"
And they took off into the night, heading back towards the city.