[Task 5 Part II]

Spoiler:

After speaking with Octavius about her next task, Ayero headed back out towards the Kou camp at the western front. This time, she was escorted with two surviving Corp members— Tiberius and Felix. Tiberius was a man in his mid 30s who had been born into slavery. As a teen he had escaped his former master and found refuge and a new lease on life through the Fanalis Corps. Felix was roughly her age, a bright eyed youth eager to fight and use his brute strength against Kou. His father had been a member of the Corps and was unfortunate enough to be caught in the mass slaughter. Felix himself had been spared as he had been at home tending to his mother who was in declining health.

As the trio of Fanalis made their way towards where Ayero remembered the Kou encampment to be, they chatted lightly about their pasts and plans for the future. The dim glow of multiple fires appeared on the horizon as they neared their target and Ayero unconsciously clasped her cloak closer to her body as a chill ran through the air. They had been discussing their strategy for battle and had eventually settled on a tactic that didn’t involve a direct assault…at least at first. If Ayero’s memory concerning their numbers served correct, then they would likely be overcome by the sheer amount of foot soldiers long enough for any of the higher ranking fighters to take them out. Thus, the three had agreed to try and isolate the battalion’s commanding officer and take care of him before laying waste to the entire camp. Though Ayero had agreed that it would be the best course of action, she wasn’t too thrilled about her role to play.

Shivering again as the cold bit through her cloak again, she grumbles while pulling the dark tightly around her. ”These clothes are too thin. They cover nothing. I’m going to freeze to death.” This was not the first complaint she had made, and her grumbling earned an eye roll from Felix. ”It covers more than what you were wearing before.” The other Fanalis insisted, his words earning him a sharp glare from the woman at his side. Tiberius let out a short chuckle and shook his head, choosing to say nothing on the matter. Though Octavius had assured him that she was skilled and could be trusted, she was rather moody.

”Don’t smear your makeup.” Felix warned as Ayero reached up to rub at her eye, the kajal she had used to outline them smudging slightly onto her hand. ”Who gives a shit. Why do I even need to wear this, anyway? It burns my eyes. Not good for fighting.” Ayero growled in irritation, shooting the man another icy look. ”Because you need to look the part.” Tiberius interrupted gently, not wanting to stoke the halfling’s anger further. ”Remember, you’re supposed to be a…woman of the night.” The man struggled to find an appropriate word for what her role was without offending her. A disgruntled growl of agreement was her response.

Ayero’s task was to distract the camp’s General and engage him in battle, killing him as quickly as possible. While that was taking place, Tiberius and Felix would deal with the rest of the camp. While it was a simple plan, the difficulty laid in figuring out how to lure the commander away from his soldiers long enough to kill him. Trying to physically isolate him from the camp would prove to be very difficult and dangerous. Eventually it was agreed upon that Ayero would sneak into his tent under the guise of an “entertainer” and deal a swift death once he had let his guard down enough.

As they crept upon the camp, the men had filed away from their tents and were crowded around several large fires, drinking and shouting merrily. Ayero squinted at the soldiers, noting how much noise they were making. This would work to their advantage, the loud voices hopefully covering up any potential sounds of fighting that would alert them to danger. The trio kept careful watch on the camp, taking in their numbers as well as taking note of the tents and their positioning. ”There.” Tiberius pointed out the largest of the tents, guarded by two armed men. ”That must be where he is. Let’s take out those two and then Ayero can get inside.”

The three hooded Fanalis moved stealthily towards the large tent which was thankfully surrounded by several rows of smaller tents. They would obscure most of the movement from the drinking soldiers. Ayero followed behind the two Corps members, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. While she recognized that it was normal for her to feel anxious during a deadly task such as this, her job was usually hack-and-slash. Full on seducing someone only to kill them was territory she had not touched, and frankly began to scare her. While confident in her skills as a warrior, what if she couldn’t play the part convincingly? The Fanalis woman swallowed thickly and shifted her gaze to the side, keeping one hand at the hilt of her sword and the other atop Kabu’s head for comfort. She hoped that the General was at least decently attractive. Regardless, she would just have to do her best.

Felix seemed to notice her discomfort with the situation and gave her a short pat on the back and an encouraging wink. Ayero mustered a faint smile in return, grateful for the comfort. She and the other Fanalis may clash often, but he seemed to be a good-hearted man. When they were in range of the commander’s tent Ayero knelt next to a nearby tent while Tiberius and Felix crept from the shadows and lunged at the guards from behind. They each wrapped one arm around the guards’ waists and arms, immobilizing them momentarily, and the other arm around their neck and mouths to muffle any sounds. With adrenaline pumping through her veins, Ayero leapt from her position while simultaneously drawing her blade. Quick as lightning, the Fanalis woman dealt two slashes with her blade across the guards’ chests, careful in her aim so as to not accidentally catch the Fanalis men in her assault.

Eyes went wide as the guards had little time to react, screaming in pain from behind the hands of the Fanalis men. They did not let go, keeping the guards in a tight grip until they began to quiet. As the dying men struggled in the binds of their captors, Felix looked down at the guard in his arms with an intense rage smoldering behind his eyes. The guard sensed both the anger from the young man as well as the tightening grip around his neck and waist. The muffled screams from his mouth took on an edge of pleading and terror, but met to mercy from the Fanalis who only saw his father’s murderer beneath him. Crack. The guard let out a final smothered wail of pain as Felix’s hand pressed so harshly against his waist that he had snapped part of his way through the guard’s hip bone. Tiberius and Ayero gave Felix a look of surprise, both just now noticing the look of hot rage on the young man’s face. Tiberius let out a breath and finally drew his hands away from the guard, letting the dead man drop. Muttering to Felix, the older Fanalis threw him a look of concern before they began to drag the bodies behind one of the tents.

Before they even had another chance to exchange looks, a pair of inebriated Kou grunts came stumbling across them after returning from relieving themselves at the edge of the camp. Not expecting to meet with the wide-eyed wild gaze of three Fanalis, the two men stopped short before fumbling with their weapons. Not wanting them to possibly alert the other soldiers, both Ayero and Felix flew forward at the same time. Ayero aimed a Dizzy Punch at the man closest to her, clocking him in the head and sending him stumbling back before crashing to the ground. Felix’s hadn’t been so lucky, his opponent aware enough to thrust his shield forward at the oncoming Fanalis in a Shield Bash. The blunt force of the attack caused Felix to stumble backwards, gripping the sore area at his head where the shield had made the hardest contact. Taking advantage of the remaining grunt’s distraction, Ayero sprung forward and delivered a Fierce Jab to the man’s side. The sudden blade embedded into his body caused the man to cry out in surprise, his voice quickly suppressed by Tiberius’ hand as the older Fanalis snuck in from behind. Taking care of the bodies once more, Tiberius set them behind another tent while nodding to the Fanalis woman.

Ayero felt her heart leap into her throat at the implications of the completed task. Defeating the guards would likely be the simplest part of this mission. Taking a deep breath, Ayero shrugged out of her cloak and shuddered as the cool night air touched her bare skin. The outfit she wore was similar to her amour, though had a more revealing and sexual quality to it. With her hair down and a touch of rouge on her cheeks and lips in addition to the kohl she had applied around her eyes, the Fanalis woman certainly looked like she had wandered out of a brothel. Catching Felix’s eye, she looks away, embarrassed. As Tiberius clears his throat, Ayero removes her scabbard from her waist and hands it to him along with her cloak. Patting Kabu’s head, the snake slowly drifts from her shoulder to the ground.


[1500+/1500]

Ayero kneels down next to Kabu, taking his head in one of her hands while holding her sword in the other. She places her thumb at the corner of the snake’s mouth, putting and increasing amount of pressure on the ligament until Kabu opened his mouth. With slow and careful movements, Ayero slides her blade into the serpent’s mouth. The two Fanalis men look on, Felix wrinkling his nose in disgust. Ayero raises a brow, as if to say “I can’t keep a weapon on me, can I?”. She would be needing it later, though. ”Send him in when I say it.” She murmurs, exchanging nods with the two men who hurry to hide in the shadows cast by the large tent with the snake. Standing and smoothing the wrinkles from her scanty outfit, Ayero stands in front of the tent feeling very unsure. Steeling herself, the Fanalis woman draws in a sharp breath before reaching out to pull back the tent flaps with a shaking hand.

---

Commander Wei Yan, known as General Hotflash by his men for his weapon’s heat magic ability, sat in the center of his tent. He had recently received orders from his superiors concerning his battalion’s movement and had spent the better part of the evening going over the information he had gotten, making sure that everything was in order. His sword and scabbard were at his side, most of his armor removed as he poured over a map of Reim, the locations of various other Generals indicated on it along with dashed lines and arrows indicating paths of movement. He grunted as he tapped on the map, resting his finger just above the mark that indicated his own camp. Not long ago, six guards on patrol duty had been found slaughtered roughly a mile from camp. The wounds they bore were from blunt force and blades, leading the General to tighten his security in their wake. Which is why the man was surprised when something caught the corner of his eye. Raising his head and arching a brow, a mildly surprised look comes over Wei Yan’s face as a scantily clad young woman slips into his tent.

[Trained: Sword Swallow 250+/250]

”And what do we have here?” His voice was serious with an edge of playfulness to it. He reached for his sword while simultaneously not letting his eyes leave the form of the woman in front of him, his gaze eating up her well-endowed-figure that was complimented by the revealing clothing she wore.

Ayero forced a sultry smile onto her face, letting her lids fall slightly and trying to keep the revulsion out of her eyes. Her gaze flicked to the weapon in his hand before it rested back onto the General’s face, suppressing a shudder. She didn’t want to do this. She couldn’t go through with this. Any second now she would snap, either running from the tent or running towards him to attack. Both options were not recommended. While she could fight well with her bare hands, this man was a General and armed. She would likely die by his hand either way. Her willingness to stick things through and her loyalty to the mission kept her in the tent.

”Are you General Wei Yan?” She moved forward, hips swaying as she did so. Noticing how his eyes followed her movements, Ayero felt a spark of pride. ”Your men tell me that you’re working far too hard…they asked for me to come and help you relax~” She continues to approach the man slowly, carefully as he still had his fingers clasped around his weapon. A feeling of dread enters her mind suddenly, hoping that the commander had not seen through her ruse. Was she not wearing enough makeup? Not acting the part well enough? A look of worry flashes in her eyes at the thought that she could very well die here.

Wei Yan watches the woman closely, trying to figure out how she had made it past his guards. They were under strict orders not to let anyone into his tent—strange women certainly fell under that category. However, he found himself unable to look away from her. Noticing her crimson locks, a smile slowly crept along his face. She was likely a Fanalis—he hadn’t come across many, most of the red headed warriors being on the battlefield. Though he thought the situation strange, he had never bedded a Fanalis woman before and wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass him by. After all, he had heard that Fanalis could take a good beating.

Ayero tried her best to focus her mind somewhere else while the man on top of her groped her painfully, ravishing her nude flesh in a vicious manner. She could already feel the bruises begin to form on her body from the overly rough treatment, doing her best to respond as if she was enjoying her romp with the General. Things had escalated quickly and Ayero tried to keep from getting too caught up in the current situation, lest she miss and opening. Timing would be everything. Still, she found it hard to let someone she found revolting to touch her like this, moreover that she had to pretend to enjoy it. In an attempt to be convincing, she ran both of her hands up and into his hair while pressing her lips to his own and closing her eyes, gasping in pain into his mouth when one his hands gripped hard at her hip, nearly cracking the bone.

Feeling the body weight on top of her shift, Ayero cracked open her eyes in time to see Wei Yan lean up and off of her, his hands hastily removing his clothes. Ayero’s eyes flared in realization that she had to strike soon, lest she lose her best opportunity. As he disrobed and mounted her once again, Ayero gave him her best seductive look, flicking her tongue out to trace across her lips before leaning upwards to mutter against his ear. ”Oh, General Hotflash~ I suppose not everyone likes a little bit of Kou in Reim…” The sultry words drip from her painted lips as her breath fans hot against his neck. Her voice was loud enough to reach the two figures situated at the outside of the tent, the pair of Fanalis men releasing Kabu into the tent as they heard her speak the phrase which served as their cue.

The black snake wound his way along the inner perimeter of the dimly lit tent, movements a bit stiff due to the sword lodged inside of him. At her seemingly odd words, Wei Yan pulled away from the woman beneath him and furrowed his brows, wondering what her words meant. He was about to get back to business when again, a strange movement caught the corner of his eye. Casting a scrutinizing look towards the shadows of the tent and then the woman, the General’s hand reached to his side for his weapon. With eyes wide in realization, Ayero thrusts her arm into the darkness at the same time, her hand finding Kabu’s open mouth and the hilt of her sword. With a forceful grunt, the Fanalis woman kicks the General off of her and unsheathes her blade from within the snake’s body. Rolling to her feet, Ayero swings her blade in a wide arc towards Wei Yan. But the General was not caught off guard for long, his keen eyes and battle experience allowing him to draw his own blade and clash against Ayero’s Protect and Sever with a Slice of his own.

A perverse grin lit up the man’s face as the Fanalis woman’s eyes hardened and her true nature showed despite her state of undress. ”Not bad. For a whore, you swing your blade with such confidence.” He had his suspicions about her as he explored her body, noticing that her muscles were tight and defined under her skin. While he had attributed that to her race, his suspicions were now confirmed. The stance she held and the way she moved screamed warrior. ”It’s a shame, too. I was planning to give you to the Emperor after I was done with you…” He teased her with his words as they pulled their blades apart, bringing his back down quickly to deal another Slice that would hopefully strike it’s intended target. But the Fanalis woman moved to the side and Parried his strike, grunting against the force of his attack in irritation and surprise at the flames that licked at her blade.

Moving his sword up an away from her, Ayero quickly dropped to the ground in a Drop Roll and moved behind Wei Yan, bouncing upwards with her sword reeled back ready to attack. But the General’s experience allowed him to follow her movements, meeting steel with steel as she tried to catch him by surprise. The two danced around each other for several moments, swords colliding as they tried desperately to gain the upper hand on each other. The kick Ayero had used to push the man from her didn’t seem to affect his movement, but then again she had directed most of the force to remove him from her in a fluid motion, rather than using it to cause harm. But it was becoming clear to her that they were equally matched in their skills with a blade. She knew that one of them would find a way to land a hit on the other soon enough, and was determined for that to be her.

Kabu had been watching the two warriors duke it out, confused by the situation but determined to help nonetheless. He didn’t want to interfere and cause Ayero to get hurt, but the man she was fighting seemed to be very strong. Inching his way towards the dueling pair, the snake watches for an opening. As Wei Yan steps back, moved by the force of a particularly hard swing from Ayero, Kabu lunges and wraps part of his body around the man’s leg before sinking his fangs into the man’s flesh to bite into him. Startled at the sudden pain, Wei Yan makes the mistake of looking down for a split second to see the black serpent coiled around his leg, fangs buried into his skin and red eyes glaring up at him.

Silently thanking Kabu for the opening, Ayero forces herself to focus her magoi into her arm as quickly as possible, extending it along her blade before swinging it towards General Hotflash with Cross Slash. Tearing his gaze from the snake, Wei Yan looks up in time to see Ayero’s blade heading for him. Running on adrenaline, he reacts by delivering a vertical slash to her open side, his blade slicing down her body from her forehead to her hip. The powerful General was able to complete his strike just as Ayero’s magoi manipulation technique allowed her to slice clean through his neck, effectively beheading him. As the fallen General’s head rolled to the ground and his body slumped, Ayero screamed in pain as the flames from the latent effect of his magic weapon assaulted her bare flesh around the wound he had created, singing her skin and causing her to fall to the ground.

As if her cries of pain were a cue, Tiberius and Felix stormed into the tent, eyes wide and their hands covered in enemy blood. Despite knowing the nature of this mission, they were surprised to see the woman injured and crying out in pain. Tiberius quickly wrapped the bare woman in her cloak, sliding one hand beneath her torso and the other underneath her legs. Though she appeared to be hurt, her injury was probably more painful than it was deadly, the flames having cauterized the open wound. As the older Fanalis was tending to her, Felix frowned a little as he walked over to Wei Yan’s decapitated body. Nudging the corpse with his foot, his eyes caught notice of the map the man had been previously looking at. Picking the piece of parchment up, he realized it was a map of Reim. It had markings over it, likely denoting something to do with Kou’s positioning. Rolling the paper up, Felix decided that he would take it with him and deliver it to Octavius on the chance that it would be able to help.

Once the woman’s sword and scabbard and been gathered, the two men ventured out of the tent and onto what had been a battlefield. The two men set to work unleashing hell on the unsuspecting drunk soldiers after they had released the snake into the tent, making short work of them. Breathing deeply, Ayero cracked an eye open to see the dead bodies of Kou soldiers littering the ground, never having been so relieved to see carnage. Closing her eyes, she fought through the pain with the knowledge that they had completed their mission. She was exhausted both mentally and physically from the ordeal, and just wanted to sleep.

[Trained: Protect and Sever 750+/750 w/amulet reduction]

[Stamina: 50/250]

Spoiler:

Tiberius and Felix came in, Ayero cradled protectively in their arms. Octavius could see the wound the woman had suffered, but it did not appear to be life threatening so he nodded at the men, instructing them to set her on the couch in his office He would see to her wounds himself. He approached with a wet rag and some bandages, his face concerned and slightly shocked at seeing the smudge makeup on her face. He almost growled at the implications, shaking his head. His voice held the quiet scolding of a father.

“You did not need to go to these extremes, I would have granted you more men, Ayero… but thank you for being willing to do anything to get the job done.”

He thoroughly cleaned the wound to her chest and stomach, using a soothing balm that would help the cut and burn heal without a scar before wrapping it carefully in bandages. The wound made him think too much of the deep, scoring scars across his own chest, not wanting the pretty woman to be marred in such a way if he could avoid it. Once the wound way tended, he rinsed the rag and began wiping the dark markings from her face, his own expression carrying a tint of anger from the number of bruises Ayero held from her… adventure.

“You did well, Tiberius said you were very… thorough, in dispatching the Commander. But you truly did not have to go this route. Please don’t do it again, you are a soldier, not a whore. I don’t like seeing you look like one. The only color on your cheeks should be from the flush of battle, not the painting of a female of the evening.”

It was clear he had become attached to Ayero, taking on the father role that her own had abandoned on death. He understood the use of underhanded tactics, they had their time and place, but he would have preferred to not have her suffer like that. It was usually too risky to use such a method in a camp unless you were in a group larger than the one she had taken. It often resulted in what he had just bandaged, unnecessary wounds.

“Next time, please just ask for more men. I did not expect you to do it with only Tiberius and Felix, they were supposed to help you with the more skilled troops as you took others to handle the majority of the grunts. I should have been clearer, I’m sorry. And now you may have a rather nasty scar.”

He finished getting the ridiculous face paint off of her, smiling to see her natural colors again.

“There we go, much better. I am ordering you to rest, Felix is already talking maps and strategy with Sly. You should sleep, you can use the couch, if you would like.”

Ayero had been fading in and out of consciousness as Tiberius carried her back to their base in Remano. At the sound of a familiar voice, the injured Fanalis cracked her eyes open while being settled onto the couch as Octavius approached her with a wet rag and began to clean her wounds. At his words, she tilts her chin down and locks her eyes onto the floor, feeling very much like a scolded child. She wasn’t sure how to respond, uncomfortable with the situation as whole and kept silent as he tended to her wounds and continued speaking to her.

When Octavius mentioned that she didn’t have to complete her task this way, the young Fanalis felt a bit of anger welling up in her chest. Not directed towards the General, but at herself. She was upset because she made him worry, upset because she couldn’t come up with something better to take out the camp. Though she had been successful in the end, the means by which the task had been completed were embarrassing to her. She tried to push that feeling aside, satisfied by the knowledge that the man who had put her in this state had his life taken by her hand. Yet still, things didn’t sit entirely right with her.

There was something else, too. She didn’t think to how Octavius would react to her pulling such a risky stunt, but she was surprised by how concerned he was over her. The realization caused a warm feeling to spread through her chest. She had been without a father for so long, and didn’t realize how much she had missed the paternal attention. ”Octavius, I…I’m sorry for causing you concern.” She had noted the subtle hints of anger in his features while he cleaned her wound. ”I just…” Ayero pauses, unsure of what she wanted to say. She had held still for most of the ordeal, too tired to fuss as Octavius bandaged her wound. When he sets to work wiping the rough and kajal away, she involuntarily scrunches up her face in an almost child-like manner.

”Next time, I’ll…consider my options…more.” Ayero raised a hand slowly to stifle a yawn, feeling her eyelids begin to droop as she fought desperately to stay awake. At Octavius’ orders, the Fanalis woman simply complies, not having the strength to fight. She was exhausted from the mission, and gave in to her body’s demands for sleep. Letting her eyes fall closed, Ayero was lulled to sleep by thoughts of her younger brother and her late family. Though she was glad that Vin was not here to witness her in such a sorry state, she missed the boy dearly as he was her main source of comfort in these troubling times.

Octavius caringly ran a hand over Ayero’s head as she fell into slumber, reaching out to cover her with his heavy, fur-lined cloak. She needed the sleep.

---

When Ayero woke the next morning, she would find a cup of strong tea sitting on the table in front of her, Octavius sitting at the desk and going over various reports. When he saw her awaken, he would give her a friendly smile, giving her a few moments to wake up and wipe the sleep from her eyes.

“Good morning, Trouble. How was your nap?”

Ayero stirred awake the next morning, unconsciously rolling over and groaning from the strain on her injured body. ”Nnn…” The Fanalis woman reaches upwards to rub at her eye with one hand, blinking into consciousness and peering around the room. Had she really slept the whole night? She had intended only to rest, for a few hours at most, before heading back to the inn. Instead her body decided that she needed the rest. Hearing Octavius call to her, she sits up slowly and raises a brow, wincing as she accidentally rests her elbow on a tender bruise at her leg. …Trouble? Brushing it off for now, Ayero’s eyes fall onto the cup of tea and she reaches for it, taking a grateful sip of the steaming drink.

”Much needed. Thank you for letting me rest here.” A fleeting smile dances on her lips as she realizes that the cloak that had been covering her during her nap was not her own.

Octavius chuckled and waved away her thanks.

“My couch is always open for random Trouble that comes trailing through.”

He would give her a few more minutes to wake up before clearing his throat, his face serious.

“Trouble… Ayero… I have a favor to ask of you, one that is quite personal and important. More important than anyone could ever know.”

He took a deep breath as blonde hair and blue eyes flashed in his mind.

“I need you to retrieve someone for me. Not an enemy, a loved one. One I have protected for her entire life. She is like a daughter to me and… she does not know that I am alive. It is time to make sure she is with me and that she is safe, I cannot leave her out there, risking her life, as the fighting heats up. Not just for my sake, but for the sake of the country.”

He took another deep breath before shaking away his wandering thoughts.

“She is a young woman by the name of Bianca Lenti, she is a life mage. She has been working out of her Uncle’s clinic. Recently, I have been informed she has been… socializing with a man from Kou. Sly tells me this man is a bodyguard for a Kou official. I have no problem with the company she keeps, but being that close to someone involved with Kou nobility with the coming troubles… I won’t have her in danger. I beg of you, please, find her and bring her back to me. Sly can give you specific directions, he has been keeping an eye on her for me.”

When he looked back to Ayero, his eyes were full of concern and desperation, pleading with her to return Bianca to him in one piece.

---

Retrieval - Ayero:

Ayero sipped at her tea, pleased as the liquid both warmed and energized her gradually. When Octavius spoke of a favor, Ayero flicked her gaze to him from behind the mug, urging him to go on. As the General continued, Ayero was surprised by the nature of the task. While she understood the importance of keeping loved ones safe and wanted to help Octavius secure his “daughter”, she wondered what this Bianca Lenti had to do with “the sake of the country”. Brushing it off, Ayero nodded solemnly in agreement. Octavius had done more for her than she had imagined by simply being there for her, acting like the father she had missed all these years whether he knew it or not.

Straightening in her seat, Ayero lowers the mug slowly to speak. ”You have my word, Octavius. I will return your daughter to you unharmed.”

[Exit]