On the last jab, the assassin tried grabbing her wrist with a free hand, then with her other, pulled out a small steel blade, twisted under Tsunade's arm, and tried slashing down from her wrist to her armpit, deep enough to at least draw blood.
Tsunade allows the assassin to grab her wrist. The instant the kunoichi feels those fingers close on her wrist, the assassin would feel the same steel grip close around
her wrist. Actually. Harder. Inescapably hard.
"HRAAAAGH!" Tsunade uses her strength to whip the assassin against the ground, not enough to kill her of course, but sufficient to knock her out, or the very least render her unable to move from the breaking of bones in her arms and legs.
Like that, the assassin went down, with the stone ground cracking as she landed back first from Tsunade's throw. The chase, as short as it lasted, was over.
...... Except the assassin's grip on Tsunade's wrist was just as iron-locked as hers was. After a few moments, the assassin stood back up, twisting under Tsunade's arm to pull her elbow back, and again, with knife in hand, tried stabbing her between the shoulder blades.
"A Light Raiment, huh? You sure? I figured you for the Heavy Raiment type. you know, hide behind a skin of steel?" He mockingly gestured. "Hmph. Okay then, here." He handed it over to Artis. "Put that on, see if it fits okay. Preferably without the pajamas on." Artis wasn't gonna fight with his black raincoat on. "Here the rules: You fight for the blue team. You fight against the yellow team. In order to fight in the Arena you must wear an Arena Battle Raiment. The Battle Raiment covers your entire body. You can use your own helmet, shield, and weapon, so choose those items wisely. The Battle Raiment's already enchanted, so you can't muck with it. But aside from that, anything goes. Magic, stealth, whatever you need to win." Owyn explained as Artis put on his Raiment.
"You can compete in the Arena any day from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Just come to me, tell me you're ready for a match, and away you'll go. Got it? Good. If you actually manage to win a fight, don't get any ideas about looting your opponent's corpse! That's strictly forbidden!" He quickly added before finishing up the rules.
- Artis Solum, Twilight Warrior - Bloodworks Arena -
Artis merely raised an eyebrow in response to Owyn's mockery, then took the Light Raiment he was given and looked over it, noting that it was cleaner than he expected, then looked back to Owyn as he explained the rules. The fights would be between two teams; Blue and Yellow, with Artis being part of the former. Once Owyn mentioned the need for a helmet, shield and weapon, Artis would openly asked: "Bring my own of those items, right?" Just for clarification, only noting to himself that he had none of those items, save for his Keyblade which would likely draw some unwelcome looks, so perhaps procuring a sword would be wise. For that however, as well as the shield and helmet, Artis would need money and he had none, save for the currency of his own world which
definitely wouldn't fly here.
Finding an area secluded enough for Artis to don his raiment, he would do so after removing his Black Coat, hanging it up somewhere safe, all while keeping his ear out for everything else Owyn was telling the boy, particularly regarding the enchantment of his Raiment, of which Artis could feel the aura of as he slipped it on, and the use of magic and stealth being allowed.
Straightening his Raiment, Artis would stand before Owyn again as he finished up, feeling rather comfortable in this new outfit. He then briefly laughed as Owyn made special mention that looting was forbidden. "Didn't even cross my mind." He added with a clearing of his throat. "So, what time is it now?" Artis asked, then after being answered, mockingly or not, he would speak in earnest: "I'll need to peruse town for a bit before I do any battles first. Then I'll be back here and in the arena before you know it." Artis explained, but before departure, he would sheepishly inquire: "I'm assuming I have to leave the Raiment here if I go anywhere other than the Arena?" The boy felt it would be better to be safe than sorry, embarrassment be damned.
@Wade Von Doom
"Raiment's yours, kid. You'd look more in place around the city in that than your pajamas." Owyn remarked, before adding, "The time's still for battling for new couple hours, so if you're plans for right now are setting up your will and saying goodbye to your family before your fight, be quick about it. I got other fighters who'd love to not wait in line for a rookie like yourself." Owyn wasn't gonna give special treatment for Artis just because he wasn't from around her and had to go find the others.
If he wanted to fight, he'd have to wait his turn in line with other fighters.
"Let me give you some advice, strangers," she began to say, his voice raised higher than theirs to cut into their discussion. "Leave. Now. You ain't welcome here. You're better off listening to your friend." She had such menace and aggression in her voice, like she was echoing the rest of the town through her voice.
Corvo Attano
Corvo narrowed his eyes in response, a hand moving to his blade. His fingers almost tickled the pommel, brushing against the hilt, but he didn't draw it from where it was, stuffed in his coat.
"I don't particularly care for your tone," he said, almost calling her insolent. "Surely, your small town has nothing to hide from a bunch of passerbies on their way to County Kvatch?"
"The only thing we have to hide is from you outsiders!" She raised her tone again, unflinching in Corvo's menace. "It's Outsiders like you that came and burned down our town, years ago. Ruined us. But we'll get ours back, one day soon. Now off with you, all of ya!" The woman yelled, before leaving them to return to her business.
"Friendly." Shakira remarked sarcastically.
"Do you know anything about this?" Jin asked, to which Shakira seemed flabbergasted Jin even thought to say that.
"I didn't even know this place existed until now!" He answered. With the three standing in the middle of town, there were at least three buildings of interest not burned to the ground. To their left was the inn, with the sign hanging from the doorway labeled 'Moslin's Inn.' To their right was the general store, also called, 'Moslin's Dry Goods.' And far down the center of town, at the end of the large dirt road, was a massive church.
Erin
Deep underground
The bare knight hissed quietly to themselves in the darkness. She didn't remember how she got here, and while the curse chipped away at her mind all the time, she was fairly certain she would've remembered something as big as getting caught and dropped in some dingy cell.
Shifting from her spot in the corner onto her feet, Erin gave the room a small look over with what little light there was. Grey walls, a bed, some apples, some bones, a skull, which she gave a annoyed glare at for it's mocking smile, and of course, the iron bars keeping her captive. It was very unusual, she'd never been in this situation in her journeys, always the one saving someone else, but never the one trapped without a way out.
The sound from outside the cage wasn't anything unusual, she'd fought all manner of beasts, but she couldn't keep the small flicker of fear rising in her chest at the idea of fighting it without any equipment. She could die a hundred times more, but it never made the pain any easier to take.
Reaching through the bars, she pulled the bowl into the cage. As an undead, she had no need for food, but she pushed into them with her hand anyway on the off-chance they held some magical way out. After all, if chests could stand up and tear her limb from limb, it wasn't too far out of the question that an apple could open a door.
While poking and prodding the apples for something metal, she also shoved at the bars to check if they'd fall over or not. Unlikely, but again, what did she have to lose?
"Someone's going to pay for this once I get out." she swore to the air, imagining some smug face being cut into by her blade, which she hoped wasn't far away. As strange as it was, she was fine wandering around without anything on, but her swords reminded her that she wasn't just some hollow quite yet. She was a knight, or at least had been, and both those and her shield were the few things that reminded her of it.
Erin would only end up hurting the palm of her hands when shoving at the bars. They were firmly connected to the walls of her cage. If she looked further around her cage though, she would find something interesting in the skull's mouth. A lockpick. And her cage door had a standard lock on it.
ARENA:
Owyn didn't seem phased by Artis' retort, like he didn't believe a word the keyblade wielder said. Still, he sighed once Artis finished speaking. "Well... at least you're trying to sound tough." He told him. "All right. It's your funeral. Welcome to the arena, you filthy Pit Dog. You're free to fight, so long as you know the rules of competition. Now," he moved around Artis to the armor cabinets, where some of the spare raiment's were located. At least the clean ones. "Now, let me give you your Battle Raiment. It's the uniform of all Arena combatants. Do you want a light raiment or a heavy raiment?" He opened up the cabinet to show them off. The heavy was a light grey and faded blue ornament, while the light was the same but with black iron.
- Artis Solum, Twilight Warrior - Arena -
Owyn's stonefaced expression made it clear that Artis's threat hadn't phased the man and for a moment, Artis worried that he had just embarrassed himself something fierce. Did he not give it enough oomph? Did he say a word wrong? Perhaps his voice cracked, that would just be insulting. He didn't need to worry himself for long though, as Owyn sighed and begrudgingly welcomed the Keyblade Wielder into the Bloodworks Arena, all the while granting Artis the epithet of "Pit Dog".
After moving towards some large cabinets, Owyn presented Artis with various Battle Raiments for him to don for the contest of blood, quizzing him on which level of protection he'd prefer.
"A light raiment. I prefer to be quick on my feet in a battle." Not wanting to give Owyn cause to be angry, Artis kept his reservations about needing a raiment to himself, preferring his Black Coat, but would play along for the sake of participation and hopefully, some enjoyment.
@Wade Von Doom
"A Light Raiment, huh? You sure? I figured you for the Heavy Raiment type. you know, hide behind a skin of steel?" He mockingly gestured. "Hmph. Okay then, here." He handed it over to Artis. "Put that on, see if it fits okay. Preferably without the pajamas on." Artis wasn't gonna fight with his black raincoat on. "Here the rules: You fight for the blue team. You fight against the yellow team. In order to fight in the Arena you must wear an Arena Battle Raiment. The Battle Raiment covers your entire body. You can use your own helmet, shield, and weapon, so choose those items wisely. The Battle Raiment's already enchanted, so you can't muck with it. But aside from that, anything goes. Magic, stealth, whatever you need to win." Owyn explained as Artis put on his Raiment.
"You can compete in the Arena any day from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Just come to me, tell me you're ready for a match, and away you'll go. Got it? Good. If you actually manage to win a fight, don't get any ideas about looting your opponent's corpse! That's strictly forbidden!" He quickly added before finishing up the rules.
"Ahhh, our mysterious friends have arrived." The redguard said aloud as Hei approached with Layyel. "I was wondering if you would show up. The beggars in the city were curious about you. They were quick to warn us about if you showed up, in case you were Imperial spies, since you were seen with The Crusader himself." Meaning Callintus. "But, I can tell just from your appearance, that doesn't seem the case. An Imperial spy wouldn't dare wear such a getup. Nor would he bring along his pet troll." He eyed Layyel, another give away Hei wasn't being the most sneaky of guys right now with that hulking figure following him.
"Besides, Callintus may be in favor by the empire, but he's worked with the Guild to garner our trust. And from what I'm to understand, you're here to seek our hidden leader." There was much to be said about Hei before he even said a word, yet the Redguard was quick to trust him immediately. Something which Hei should be grateful for, as no one else could be given such faith in a first meeting.
Hei
Gathered at the Waterfront, talkin' to some Thieves
"Indeed, many thanks." He replied to the Redguard's words. Thinking back to the Beggars he had questioned, and mildly chastising himself but given the circumstances, it was going to be a thing he deals with, for better or for worse.
But he moved on to speak on the matter. "Yes, the Emperor's been murdered. And I highly doubt anyone could make a move in this city without your leader knowing, I am sure he's the go-to for finding out things. Willing to trade services for information."
@Wade Von Doom @BazusoTheGrey
"As noble as that is from you, I'm afraid our dealing's with outsiders in our Guild is very strict. Even for members of the Knights, not all share Callintus' 'appreciation' for our services. If you wish to trade your services for what we have, we need to know you can be trusted. And since we're all here..." He looked to the Argonian and Dark Elf. If Hei and Layyel wished to know more, then it seemed they needed to pass the test for Guild membership.
Squatting somewhat away from the talking tinies, Layyel tried his best to pay attention to them since they were talking about something serious sounding. Of course, most of the serious-sounding things were things that Layyel didn't really understand since the tinies were talking all sneaky-like. So, he continued to squat and watched as the dark tiny said some things to Serious Tiny (who was named Hay, or something? Odd name.) then started looking at the other weird tinies.
After that, things went quiet for some reason. Looking between all of them, it was clear that someone was supposed to say something to continue on whatever it was dark tiny said but for some reason, no one was talking. After a few pensive moments, Layyel reached out to Hay and poked him in the back. With a raspy growl, Layyel tried his best to whisper out, "Hey... whaat... doooo? Weeee... dooooo... sneaky?"
@Wade Von Doom @The Wanderer
Hei/BK-201
Bout to do some initiation.
Hei listened as the man spoke, understanding the concern and the requirements for information on the matter. Judging from the other faces gathered, these were the other recruits for this Guild.
His thoughts were dashed when Layyel poked Hei in the back, the giant pushing the Contractor forward somewhat. Turning back to the giant, Hei had to mentally repress the urge to sigh as he explained to Layyel. "Yes, we do 'sneaky.'" He spoke slow for the giant to understand. Turning back to the 'recruiter' before speaking.
"So what's the test and rules?" Since assassin wasn't in their name, Hei got a good feeling that killing was going to end up having a less than ideal result.
@BazusoTheGrey @Wade Von Doom
"Very good." The Redguard smiled as Hei and his giant friend agreed. "Armand Christophe," he finally introduced himself, "and these here are your current rivals. Methredhel," the Dark Elf, "and Amusei," the Argonian. "Everyone is here. Let's begin. Each of you is seeking membership in the Thieves Guild, with some in need of it more than others," meaning Hei and Layyel.
"The Thieves Guild is not a myth. We are followers of the Grey Fox, and I am his Doyen. Merely by finding me, you have passed the first test. It's unusual for us to have three potential recruits at the same time. Rather than the normal test of skill, I'm going to make this a contest." Layyel seemed to be more of a pet to Hei, so didn't count as a recruit.
"That's not fair!" Amusei cried out.
"Methredhel, you know the rules. However, for the sake Amusei and the newcomers, let me state them clearly. Whoever brings me the diary of Amantius Allectus, without killing him, will be invited into the guild." Armand explained.
"Hah! I'll have it before sunrise!" Methredhel declared.
"It's somewhere in the Imperial City. The beggars will help you locate it, for a price. I can sell you lockpicks if you need them. Five gold per lockpick. And one more thing. You cannot kill each other during this trial. We may be thieves, but we're not murderers." Armand clarified, before Methredhel was already off running. Nearby were some beggars asleep in sleeping bags by the walls of the waterfront, and Amusei looked absolutely befuddled as to where to even start looking, since he was wearing just rags, and looked penniless.
"Maybe he lives in the Elven Gardens district?" He muttered to himself, before heading off in the same direction Methredhel did.
"May fortune favor you, my new friends." Armand said, before winking to Hei and Layyel.
The inn keeper himself, behind the front desk, was cleaning a few mugs with a damp rag, and just like the others in town, eyed the three with utter chagrin. "Make it quick." He said to them before they could even ask their question.
Corvo Attano
"We'll stay the night here," Corvo said, in a voice that brokered little disagreement, indeed making it quick. He put down a coinpurse on the counter to pay for their stay, as he looked around the inn, frowning at its interior. It was a rather dingy location; poorly-lit, covered in ancient spiderwebs, and there was a vague, eerie sense of being watched that seemed to be one of the place's defining traits. "Not the most cheerful of places to pass through, this town of yours."
"Outsiders have never been kind to us." The inn keeper simply said, before taking the whole coin purse to count. "Hmmm, 28, 29, 30..." He then looked up to the three, before telling them, "I suppose this'll be enough for you all. It's 30 gold per night, and you'll have to share the room together."
"How generous." Shakira remarked sarcastically.
"Take the stairs up to the right, the room on the left. No visitors allowed. And no pets." He took the gold, and passed back Corvo's bag, which was nearly empty.
"Thank you." Jin said, bowing slightly to the inn keeper.
"Just keep to yourselves here." The inn keeper seemed unimpressed, returning to his bar duties of cleaning the mugs. When the three entered their room, there would be two bedrooms separated by a small hallway. The bedroom on the left was clean, tidy, and illuminated by lit candles. There was a desk for writing, a table with a single chair, a book shelf with but four old books covered in dust, and drapes along the walls that were faded and stained brown.
The room on the right, however, was a complete mess. The window illuminated the room with outside light, but the furniture was knocked over, the bed sheets thrown off the bed, and plates and bowls smashed along the floor like it had been ransacked. Jin, already feeling uneased about the room, grabbed the chair from the left bedroom and placed it under the doorknob to their room, blocking it in case anyone tried to enter.
Shakira, meanwhile, looked around the ransacked room. "No blood at least." He mentioned to the others as he looked over the bed and floor. "I'll take this room." If only because if someone did enter, and the others were overtaken, he could just jump out the window to make a run for it.
-----------------------------------------
MEANWHILE:
Erin's strategy of 'just get it over with,' may not have been the best course of action for her, as out of the dark, a dozen eyes glowing in her direction from a single figure, jumped her way; it's massive, dangling arms trying to smash down upon her from over head. More glowing red eyes soon began to look her way.