Kick 'em While They're Down! (Mission)

Mission Link:

Athena stepped back through the door of the inn, returning to the booth where she had previously been eating her breakfast. Leander was still there, helping himself to a bowl of rice with an egg draped over, covered in soy sauce. Athena shuddered.

”Why on earth would you sully that egg with something so foul?” She asked, sitting back down and waving to the innkeeper. He nodded and began to head around the counter towards them.

”So, I take it your mission was successful?” Leander asked. Athena nodded, dropping the small bag of ryo onto the table. ”Splendid. You can keep the money for yourself, consider it your payment.” Leander said warmly. Athena shrugged, nodding to the innkeeper as he arrived.

”Same as I had before, please. Eggs and a rasher of bacon, hold the rice, hold the sauce.” She told him, the innkeeper franticly and confusedly writing down her order. ”And throw a few extra eggs on there, last time you skimped me on them.” She added. The innkeeper apologized and smiled as Athena held out her coin. He headed off to prepare her food.

”You’re eating again?” Leander asked, astonished.

”I guess you don’t know about second breakfast?” She asked. Leander just looked at her, confused.

”Err?”

”Nevermind.” Athena said with a sigh. ”So, with Lynch’s friend about to humiliate his entire operation, and with them in disarray from yesterday’s tragedy, it’s probably best to strike while the iron is hot.” Athena advised Leander, looking distastefully at the monstrosity he was eating for his breakfast.

”Awfully ambitious of you, Athena. What are you thinking?” Leander asked eagerly, clearly hiding excitement at the prospect of witnessing the destruction of a competitor. Athena was not blind to Leander’s interest in this project, and planned to make use of him as such.


”Point me in the right direction, and I’ll eliminate a problem for you. I’ll collect payment, one way or another, and we’ll carry on.” She said. Leander nodded.

”Well, I’ve got just the thing for you.” Leander answered, crossing his arms thoughtfully. ”That enforcer will have just left a caravan unguarded. ‘Strike while the iron is hot,’ eh?” He quipped. Athena nodded, awaiting instruction. ”They’ll have just left the land of iron market a few hours ago, our own.There’s supposedly a ragtag bunch of shinobi trying to take the place over, and I believe they’re trying to cut their losses. Perfect time to take whatever they were trying to save, if you ask me.” Leander grinned. Athena reciprocated, finishing the last of her breakfast.


”I suppose I’m off fishing, then.” Athena said. She retrieved her gear and prepared herself, putting her equipment on as she had prepared before. The wristbow was strapped to… well, her wrist, the blade was over her shoulder, her tanto on her chest, and her pouches of equipment at her sides. Leander watched her go, waving and smiling politely as she left. He probably wouldn’t say it, but receiving her as an ally had been a godsend. Her work was actively bring his business back onto the map. It was, all in all, a saving grace. Leander had been sent a guardian angel in the form of a bloodthirsty, blade wielding murderer. Cherish the thought.


Athena walked through the dingy black market, pondering the fact that she really did not like this place. The scum around her weren’t the best of company. At the best of times, they weren’t the most trustworthy sort, and Athena rarely got a good night’s sleep because of it. Really, the problem wasn’t that Athena thought herself above any of these people, it was that she thought herself better than these people. The market had its place, of course. It was as good a place as any to set up shop and make a name for one’s self. Still, it was somewhat difficult to sleep at night when one had to be on watch for a knife to their throat, as Athena had, not too long ago.


It might have even been a bit ironic, that the assassin did not like to live among assassins, but the truth was that she was like an artist among children with finger paint. There was really quite the difference between her and the rest of her peers, thugs and ruffians as they were. So, what was a girl to do? Well, she was on the lookout for a new place to hide out. Somewhere suitable for her to rest her head without the knowledge that any of her peers would slit her throat for a purse of coin. Most of them weren’t high enough caliber, but she knew there were some bigger names in the black market, and she knew she was still only a small fish in a big pond.


She wondered what kind of place she’d seek out. Something discreet, out of the way, but well defended. She wanted safeguards to be in place, but she wanted to be remote and hard to find. It was a difficult balance to keep, but it was a delicate walk she’d have to take if she wanted to succeed in her trade of choice. For now, what she needed was resources. Weapons, tools, gear, money, and contacts. In the way of weapons, she’d procured an impressive blade that would serve her well, already bloodied with the lifeblood of Lynch just a day or so prior. Her wristbow, made to engage at long ranges and be easily drawn and fired. Athena’s wristbow was a one of a kind weapon, a crossbow that was optimized for stealth, made to attach neatly to the wrist with straps that hold it in position at the forearm, wrist, and around the thumb for stability. The two reels of high tensile wire mounted upon it provide the full firing power of a larger crossbow in a compact package. Because of the nature of the reels, it is impractical, though possible, to wind them by hand, requiring each wheel to be wound individually for several rotations. To solve this, Athena designed a canister with an attached high-efficiency collapsable pump that allows the user to prime the crossbow for an attack with a single pump. With practice, she has become able to load and prime the crossbow in one smooth motion, slipping the bolt into the tray and priming the pump with one swipe of the hand. The rechargeable air canister may also be removed and be replaced with disposable canisters, which typically hold higher power gasses that allow for multiple shots. She designed the trolley for the bolt to be loaded from the top, with a lever at the muzzle being pressed down upon the bolt passing it, locking it in place until fired. If the lever is closed, showing no opening, the weapon is loaded. If it is open, revealing the gap, the weapon is safe. By pressing the lever down, one can safely unload the crossbow or swap ammunition. Engraved into the housing for the canister was her maker’s mark, the aegis.

It was perfect. The hydraulic charging handle was impeccably crafted, something that she, quite honestly, had not expected. It was perfect. She hadn’t expected another person to be able to understand her technical drawings so well, and execute their designations so effectively. As she left the black market, she pondered what next she should make. She still was in need of equipment, after all. What came next, she thought, was a better suit, hopefully something armored, but she couldn’t afford to be picky. Another thing, likely even more important, was a mask. She couldn’t continue to work like this without hiding her face, at least when she moved on to legitimate crimes. Against other criminals, like the drug lord she’d just killed, she was almost doing the world a service. Against legitimate citizens, however? The odds were good that she’d gain a strong opposition if she did not begin to cover her face.

She had a handful of bolts as well, in a quiver that she wore at her hip, secured so that they would not fall out. The broadheads were well crafted and the fletch was tightly woven, for maximum accuracy. She was well capable of designing her own equipment, and this set that she created was one of her made to order crossbow bolts. She planned on selling these very bolts, if ever she opened a shop to use as a front. The bolts she carried were fifteen centimeters long, designed for her wristbow, and sized in a rather strange way, so that most crossbows would not accept them. The bolts are made of carbon fiber and fletched thin filaments, packed tightly for most accurate use. The bolts were etched with an engraving of the Aegis, just as was the crossbow. The bolts were tightly and neatly packed into a quiver, that laid upon her side, strapped to her leg for easy access.

Stepping out of the hobbled together streets of the black market, she checked her equipment again, out of a compulsive sort of habit. Everything had to be perfect. She checked her blade, sharp as ever, sheathed to her back, the handle pointing up behind her right shoulder, easily accessed. She checked her wristbow, and indeed, it too was functional. She was quite impressed that the blacksmith had been able to construct such a complex item in such a short period of time.

”Hey! Hey!” Came a voice from behind her, pulling Athena from her thoughts. She turned quickly, her hand instinctively moving to her blade, her left hand outstretching, extending her wristbow towards the source of the voice, which was rapidly approaching. Spinning in place, she found herself face to face with…

Leander.

”Woah, woah, woah, friendly fire!” Leander shouted, falling quickly to the ground to avoid the weapon aimed towards her. Athena lowered her arm, her hand falling from her blade as she resumed her relaxed stance.
”What is it this time?” Athena asked. Leander nodded quickly, extending a hand for her to take. She accepted, pulling the man to his feet. Leander brushed the dirt from his clothing as he regained his composure. Athena waited, her patience growing thin.
”I… Hah… Hah… I… I forgot about… Hah… I forgot about this.” He said, extending his hand. In it was a small earpiece and a throat mic, connected together by a wire.
”Excuse me?” Athena asked, taking the microphone.
”It’s a… Hah.. It’s… Hah… It’s a… Hah…” Leander huffed.
”For God’s sake, take a breath, man.” Athena ordered. Like a sad puppy, Leander obliged, taking several large, deep breaths. Athena sighed.
”It’s a…”
”-It’s a communications headset. I know what it is. Why are you giving it to me?”
”For… Hah…”
”This is no longer amusing. Take. A. Breath.” Athena commanded. Leander then spent about a minute collecting his breath, much to Athena’s annoyance.

”Right. Where was I?” Leander finally said.
”In the inn, not too long ago. Now you’re here, wasting my time.” Athena said flatly, her tone cold.
”Right, right, right… So, that headset is linked to mine.” He answered. 
”Okay… Why do I need a headset linked to yours?” Athena asked.
”So I can talk to you during the mission, of course.” Leander said matter of factly.
”And why on earth would I need to do that?” Athena asked.
”There’s been a slight change of plans.” Leander said, hesitantly continuing. ”I owe someone a favor, and they called it. I’m to make a trade for him with this caravan.”
”The one we’re robbing?” Athena asked, raising an eyebrow.
”The one you’re robbing.” Leander corrected.
”I hardly see the difference.”
”Regardless, I’m to be making a trade, so I’ll be acting as a distraction for you. You can take whatever the hell you like from them, just don’t touch the goods I’m trading for… Or the cart that they’re in, at least until after I’m done with it. We don’t want them getting wise to us while we’re on the job. I’d never be able to get away.”
”I’ll keep that in mind.”
”Athena, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you wanted me to die horribly.”
”Worse things have happened.” Athena replied coldly. Leander stared in silence. ”That was a joke.” She clarified. Leander breathed a sigh of relief. ”You didn’t honestly think I’d leave you to die, did you?”
”I considered the prospect.”
”So did I, come to think of it.”
”Athena!”
”That was another joke.”

And so, the pair were off, with Leander heading off to meet with the caravan that the two of them would be robbing in no time at all. They walked together at first, Athena hardly saying a word, Leander talking quite a lot. What a strange duo they were, walking through the market together. Athena, looking dangerous and stoic, and Leander, loud, bombastic, and never shutting up. She was grateful, at least, that her business partner would be able to do the talking for her. It made things significantly easier for the generally stoic Chasseur huntress.

They walked on, and soon, the stalls began to fade away into the forested marshes of the swamp country, where the croaking of frogs and cicadas drowned out any rational thought that one might be able to make. It was quiet between them, at least for now. They walked on, with Athena keeping a constant vigil of their surroundings. Leander was beginning to look nervous.
”I say, Athena, if you were to rob the pair of us, where would you appear from?” Leander asked nonchalantly, or at leasts, feigned nonchalance.
”Excuse me?” Athena responded, confused.
”I’m sorry, what I mean is this: If you were going to plan a way to attack the two of us, how would you go about it?” Leander clarified. Athena shrugged, before beginning to examine their surroundings.
”I’d wait for a distraction, or create one of my own, at the side of the road.” She began. Leander’s eyes grew quite wide. ”Yeah. Maybe a crocodile hisses. I’d want to make sure it happened on the left side.” She continued.
”Why the left?” Leander whimpered.
”Because it would terrify you and I’d be incapacitated by trying to calm you down. I’d be distracted.”
”And then?”
”Approach from the marsh on the right, and kill me quickly, before advancing on you. Maybe just a bolt to the head.” She said. Leander gulped.
”And then?” Leander asked.

Suddenly, a monstrous hiss came from their immediate left. The visage of a crocodile was visible, creeping towards them. Leander shrieked. Athena spun in place, raising her wristbow and firing. A loud, metallic Twang rang out into the darkness of the swamp, followed by a loud click, and the sound of metal sliding against metal as Athena reloaded, a loud Shhwick! As she pulled back the hydraulic charging handle, and then another shot. A thud, as if a body were hitting the ground.

Leander opened his eyes. Athena was standing, her left arm still outstretched, as she stared at the corpse, lying on the ground before them. She knealt down, retrieving one of her bolts from the dirt, kicking aside the bolt of the figure as she reached for her heart, yanking out her own broadhead.
”W-what?” Leander gasped. Athena sighed, wiping the blood from the bolt.
”Just a moment.” She continued, placing the now cleaned bolt into her quiver. She drew her blade from her shoulder, holding it down at her side as she crossed Leander’s front, walking towards the left side of the road.
”What just happened?” Leander demanded, looking at the body in disbelief.
”I was being cheeky.” Athena said flatly, another loud hiss! as she approached the first of their two assailants. Leander flinched again. The beast snapped towards Athena, who caught it with her elbow, pushing it upwards and bringing her blade down at the same time, piercing its mouth and head, pinning it shut. The beast hissed, but could not fight her grip. It expired quickly, and she tossed it back into the water.

Leander, now mostly recovered from the shock, finally returned to his standing position, from the kneeling crouch that he had assumed from the first sound of the encounter.
”You were being cheeky?” He repeated, in disbelief.
”I heard them approaching about ten minutes ago. They’d been stalking us for awhile.” Athena explained, cleaning the blood from her blade and returning it to her sheathe. She brushed herself clean and began walking down the path, with Leander understandably lagging behind her.
”And you didn’t say anything?!” Leander shrieked. Athena just nodded.
”Because I had them right where I wanted them.” She explained.
”Right where you wanted them? You wanted them to attack us?” Leander repeated,his disbelief palpable.
”Are you going to just keep repeating what I’ve just told you? If so, this conversation won’t be very enlightening for you.” Athena responded. Leander scoffed.
”For what reason would you want them to get so close to us?”
”Because if I did, I’d know exactly what they wanted to do. If I interrupted them, they might have done something I couldn’t account for.” Athena shrugged.
”And the crocodile?” Leander continued. ”You predicted that a bloody crocodile would hiss at us?” Leander shrieked.
”I smelled it.” She explained.
”You smelled it?” Leander repeated.
”Yeah, I smelled it. Any more questions?” Athena snapped, annoyed.
”How did you smell a crocodile?!” He continued, his raving tone becoming increasingly nonsensical.
”It smells like my grandmother’s old purse.” She shrugged.
”And you smelled it from that far away?”
”If you keep questioning me and my sense of smell, we are going to miss the caravan.” Athena said flatly.
”I’m sorry, I’m just having a hard time processing the fact that the Assassin I’m walking with just heard someone approaching from ten minutes away,-”
”-Ten minutes ago. They were about twenty meters away from us for most of that time-” Athena interrupted.
”-And then she let them get within twenty meters of us, knowing that they intended to kill and rob the both of us, without informing me. And then, she smells a fucking crocodile, predicts the robber’s actions, then says exactly what is going to happen without actually telling me it was real.”
”Mostly because I knew you would freak out, as you are right now.” She said coldly. ”So, now that we’ve successfully recapped what has happened here in exquisite detail, can we please go?”
”Fine. Fine, fine. But if I see another crocodile, I’m running.” Leander said.

There were no more crocodiles. A less mature person might have tried to prank Leander once more with a feigned hiss, and while it might have been hilarious, it was not professional, and it wasn’t something that Athena would have even found funny. It just wasn’t how she thought, and it wasn’t something she really would draw any sort of enjoyment from. She would rather simply focus on the task at hand, which was the impending robbery. She was planning it out in her head as the pair of them walked down the road, though she couldn’t even see the carts yet, couldn’t even hear the idle chatter of guards and merchants, carting and pushing stolen wares, criminals among criminals.

She didn’t care that her cause was “Just.” The justification that these were the parasites of criminals was one that she was merely using to her advantage to bolster her reputation among the underworld. Ridding them all of these poor sods would make her look very good, and it would pay just as well as any other job. Bolstering her reputation, coming across some new equipment, and making some powerful allies to boot was definitely to her advantage. It was much sweeter of a reward for the same amount of work. Ironic that fighting for what might have been called “Justice” was the winning side for Athena, who didn’t give a damn either way.

The two of them finally came within range of the caravan, and before Leander could turn to tell Athena to make herself scarce, she was already gone. Like batman to commissioner gordon. You’re probably not even reading this part, but if you are, I want you to know that Athena is going to do this all the fucking time, because I fucking love batman. Athena is not batman, though. Batman doesn’t kill people. Athena loves killing people. It’s not really comparable in any way except that they’re sneaky as fuck. Really, Athena is more like Talia than anything. Or maybe Rac al Gul. Who knows. I do. It’s Talia. (That means Liam Neeson is her dad, which is also pretty cool, because Liam Neeson is my shit. LIAM NEESON IS MY SHIIIIT) Athena isn’t immortal. Yet. Although Talia does occasionally use the lazarus pit. Maybe Athena needs a lazarus pit. Yeah, that sounds cool. Maybe I’ll app a lazarus pit for my hideout when I finally get it. Yeah, that’d be badass. You know who else had Liam neeson as a dad? The Lone Wanderer. Do you know how fucking insane this tangent is? We just went from batman to Talia to Rac al Gul to Liam Neeson to Fallout 3. Yeah. That’s what just happened.

Meanwhile, back at the plot, Athena was moving silently through the marsh, avoiding the deepened pits of muck and keeping to the limbs of the twisted trees.
”Athena?” Came a voice in her ear. Athena wondered if this was her conscious.
”Speak.” She said to Leander, pressing her index finger into the button of her throat mic
”Just wanted to make sure a crocodile didn’t grab you. You disappeared before I could even tell you to.”
”It’s what I do.” She said, taking her hand off the button as she climbed atop one of the larger trees, a willow with huge, sweeping branches and drooping leaves. It was perfect cover for her as she rose to the canopy, peeking over it and getting a good look at the caravan, for the first time.
”Right, right, so... Leander began. ”I’m going to approach from the front at the designated meeting area. They’ll send an envoy, and we’ll talk shop. I’m going to try and keep them talking for as long as I can. I believe there are twelve carts. Four of them will just be barracks, I think, and six will be material goods, meant for selling. The remaining two is where the two managers of the caravan sleep, and that’ll be no doubt where they keep the majority of their money.”
”I have some experience with that method of storage.” Athena responded sarcastically, as she peeked over the canopy, finally catching a glimpse of the caravan. Sure enough, two rows of six carts were approaching down the road. Each pulled by a horse with at least one attendant on the cart, a few were doubled up, talking and joking happily. Six guards were stationed to each cart, following at three to a side, and at the rear and front of the caravan, five more guards were stationed.

It was a massive operation, and Athena knew that there was absolutely no way she’d get away with stealing any of these carts. She might have been good, but she was not suicidal, and there was no way she could take on this small army of guards. While they were moving, there was likely no way she’d be able to get in without causing a ruckus. She would have to wait until they were at rest, distracted by the trade and their proximity to the market. That would be her moment to strike. Getting out would also be difficult, if the caravan started moving again. She could always just make a mad dash for her escape, but that would be far too obvious for her to bear.  

There was also the problem of the wares. Robbing them of their profits was a good start, but Athena was here to cripple the supply lines of Lynch’s gang, and effectively prevent them from picking themselves back up. That meant that she had to do something, anything, to make sure this caravan wouldn’t recover from its losses. She couldn’t steal their wares, they were too heavy and too numerous to carry. The drugs they were carting weren’t going to be easy to get rid of, either.

”I do not know the metaphor on which you draw, but I’ll take that to mean you understand me when I say that you cannot rob the caravan they use to store my payment. They’ll be on to me before I can get safely away.” Leander continued over the radio.
”I’ll figure something out.” Athena responded cryptically.
”I really hope you’ve got an idea.” Leander said worriedly.
”I’m tossing around a few things in my head. Don’t you worry about me.” Athena responded. As the two of them spoke, the caravan began to come to a stop. Now was her moment. This transitioning between states of safety was the opportune time to strike, and it would likely be her only way in or out. She took her chance, leaping down from the tree and crossing the foggy, misty grounds of the road. Here in the mist, she could slip through unnoticed, like a cat navigating a forest. She slipped across the damp mud and between a pair of guards as they moved to a stationary guard, and like that, she was inside the perimeter, sliding under the first carriage. Peeking between the floorboards, she found that this one was unoccupied, and so she slipped inside, cutting a hole in the floor with her blade, and setting the pierced floorboard to the side as she examined the cart. This one was filled to the brim with drugs. Mountains of it, all stuffed neatly into crates.

Were she a less reputable and serious adversary, she may have indulged herself, but that was not Athena. She continued with the mission, preparing carefully a small handful of the powdery substance she was procuring. She laid it out along the metal folding table inside the cart, and took a match to it, noting how long it took to burn, and how it burned. Right up in flames, instantaneously. That would not do. She searched the cart, and found a length of rope. She sequestered a piece by cutting it with her blade, and set it down on the table, burning it in the same way she had the drugs. This rope took the flame and held at after some coercing, and she carefully noted how long it took to burn to the end of the length. Calculating carefully, she set the remaining length of rope out, carefully measuring what she had, before setting it upon the table and dropping it across to the nearest of the crates. When this makeshift wick burned to the end, it would ignite the crate, setting the whole thing alight in a blaze of flames, and she’d have to act quickly.

She had a few minutes to execute this plan, which would be enough time for leander to complete his own plan. She had left an extra length of rope to burn, and take up more time, which would give both her and Leander time to get away. If she did not time this correctly, however, than their plan would be derailed, because they would not detonate simultaneously, and there would be time to prevent subsequent detonations.

With the first of them done, Athena slipped back through the hole she created, watching as guardsmen walked to and fro through the gaps in the carts, choosing her moment carefully, and lunging underneath the next cart. She cut a hole in it, and found this to be a guardsman's barracks. She quickly raided it for anything of use, locked the door, and exited through her hole, pulling a cot over the point of entry to hide herself. She moved on to the next cart, moving carefully, lunging to it, and finding more barracks. She repeated her last actions, raiding for valuables, locking the door, and then exiting.

She hopped through her hole once more, and heard Leander talking loudly to the owner of the caravan, no doubt stalling for time as she moved to the next cart. She entered and found more cargo, and repeated her previous process of sabotage. Using her length of rope, she set it aside in the same fashion, laying it out and measuring carefully as she set the trap, lighting it and putting it into a box, and locking the door, as was her previous fashion. It would buy her some time if someone hoped to enter one of the carts, but she doubted they would. They had already prepared their package for Leander, and they would only be moving to the owner’s cart to grant payment to him. It would be an easy job, if she kept this routine up.

Of course, the thing about routines is that they make it hard to deal with any disruptions in the usual plan. As Athena moved to the next cart, a guard peeked around the corner, just in time to catch a glimpse of her. She rolled under the cart as he began to search. He moved slowly to the cart, and peeked underneath, getting an arrow to the face for his trouble. She quickly dragged his body under the cart, cutting a hole in the bottom and dragging it up into the next cart of drugs, which she set the fuse in normal fashion, this time rigged to an explosive tag she found in his belt of equipment. She set him under the table, locked the door, and continued on. One more cart of drugs.

The next cart was more barracks. She did the same routine, setting another explosive tag in this one on the door to continue the chain reaction when everything went up. She moved on, finding the last of the drugs, which she set up, with the last explosive tag, and as she turned to leave…

The door opened. She leapt to the other side of the door as the guardsmen entered, shutting the door behind him. Before he could say a word about what he saw, Athena’s blade exited through his heart, splattering blood all over the walls and floor. Thankfully, these wagons weren’t the canvas-topped ones of yore, or else it would be fairly obvious what she did. She set the body down, rolling it under the table. She didn’t have time to hide it better, or else she would have. Instead, she just locked the door and slipped out the same way she came, rolling between carts to the next one.

Barracks again. This time, two guards were sleeping in there when she poked her head in. One looked up, groggily, as Athena appeared. She held out her hand and fired a bolt before he could respond, pulling herself into the cart and dealing with the remaining guard, puncturing first his throat, then his heart. Setting him down in the cot, she locked the door, and hopped down.

The last cart was empty barracks.

Now all that was left were the two merchant’s carts. She entered the one farthest from Leander, and noted how similar it looked to the other cart she had robbed. Lynch liked his carts to be very spartan, that’s for sure. There was a mirror and a cabinet where he kept his things and prepared for the day, a clock bolted to the wall, and a bookcase, sealed shut to prevent a stray piece of literature from falling to the floor. A fur rug on the floor to make the room feel more full, and all manner of paintings nailed to the wall at four points. It felt like an asylum, the way everything was bolted down, passing the illusion of homeliness. She found the box she was looking for and set upon it, examining its contents and pocketing the ryo inside. She pocketed the ryo, locked the door, then peeked out the window. They were moving towards the cart. Athena needed to be quick. She dropped back down, crossing when the patrols had a gap, and then lay in wait. She heard the footsteps of the man inside. He opened his box carefully, retrieving the package, and then exited the cart, locking it carefully behind him. Athena entered through the floor, quickly breaking open the box, slapping an explosive tag on the door, and taking the box’s contents, dropping back through the floor and crossing back, darting between the carts towards the end where she had entered. Leander was leaving now, and Athena was not far behind him, making her escape in the nick of time. She climbed back into the canopy, safe at last, with her newly stolen ryo in tow. She crossed the tree tops and found Leander, following him from above for a few minutes.

”A-Athena?” He finally said over the radio, sounding nervous. ”I sure hope you’ve escaped by now.” He said. Just as he said that, Athena dropped down behind him, silently landing and rolling to her feet.
”I have. Start running.” She told him. Leander looked confused.
”Why?!”
”There’s a crocodile.” Athena said, just as a resounding BOOM!!! rang out in the distance.
”A-A… A croco… Was that a joke?” Leander huffed. Athena began to run, and Leander followed behind her, dazed.

They made it back to the inn that night, and the two of them counted out their profits, divvying it up accordingly.
”That was a good haul.” Leander said, smiling at the shiny coin he was now carrying.
”I know. Next time, though, I don’t want to just pillage and rob. That’s not what I do.” Athena said coldly.
”Oh, do you have any objections to it?” Leander jeered.
”I do.” Athena said. Leander laughed.
”And what might they be?” He asked jokingly.
”It’s boring.”


(Exit)
(TWC: 6021)

+3,000 Ryo
+7 AP
+10 Stats
2,000 words to Aegis Bolts
2,000 words to Kyudo-Kai Quickdraw
+1,000 words to Temporary Paralysis Technique
+500 to Genjutsu Release
+500 to Genjutsu Release Mastery (No Handseals)
+21 words to Hidden Arms Technique

Approved