QUEST Quest: Blameshift Rank: C Type: Bad Requirements: None Client: Jerr: Jerr is an orphan that spends most of his time running through the streets of Oak Town. He is known as a pickpocket and a little thief, but he feels the needs to continue this line of work to provide for his band of orphan friends. While he may steal an apple or two from local shops, he prefers to steal from outsiders. Summary: Jerr is tired of his small crimes of stealing food. He finally has his eyes set on bigger goals, bigger money. Martin Martello has something coming into Oak and thanks to his big, bragging persona, he announced it to most of Oak's underground, which made way to Jerr. Jerr wants you to take this very package and put the blame onto Vincenze Tessio's shoulders, starting a gang war. Enemies: Martello Guards: These guards are protecting the very cart that you plan on stealing. They are capable of taking anyone down because of their strength as a group. As if that isn't bad enough, all four guards are sharpshooters and possess a pistol each, capable of dealing C-Rank damage per shot. They will not hesitate to kill those who get in their way or are even suspicious in any sense. ⚔ Martello Guards' Statistics Strength: 21 Speed: 12 Endurance: 17 Objective: Kill the guards and steal the load. Shift the blame onto the Tessio syndicate. Extra Rewards: None Details: Create a topic in Oak Streets. Jerr will be running about and he will bump into you in an alleyway. Jerr explains the situation and why he was running; local gang members were chasing him for eavesdropping, but he got away successfully. Take on the request and head over to the outskirts of Oak, where you see the cart and the four guards. Kill the guards and take the load of cash. Make it look like the Tessio crime syndicate did it. Toss the money to Jerr and take your fair share of it.

It had been a long day of relaxation, drinking, and overall enjoyment as Jian now walked back towards the inn with a friend in tow. During his time in Oak, Jian found himself not having much time to really interact with many of the people outside of the brother he'd come to visit. Thus, tonight they'd decided to visit a place known as Swineherd Pub and really get a feel for what Oak was all about. In all honesty, it had been more fun than Jian had experienced in a long time. He'd managed to spend time with his brother, socialized, dabbled in the art of drinking, and made new friends along the way.

One friend in particular was a woman by the name of Andromeda. She was around three years Jian's junior, and it was a wonder why she was even in the pub to begin with. Regardless, with the night ending, Jian felt it was only right to accompany her back to wherever her lodgings were. Despite how friendly Oak appeared to be during the day, this was still a city in which the infamous guild known as "Phantom Lord" operated. He could only imagine that this would be the perfect time for a hoodlum to jump a few inebriated tourists - especially as they traversed through the alleyway in which they were now located.

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She was wasted or maybe just buzzed. Her current mental state had placed her in dark pit of unending thoughts of feeling like she was nothing, so the drinking helped with the numbing of her soul.  The night had been a long one for Andromeda but she was lucky to have a friend in her presence. Smiling stupidly at that male named Jian she never thought she would make such a friend such as him. Falling from grace as she had made her think she would never be able to properly connect with another person again. It seemed she was wrong because she had attracted quite a bit of friends, maybe people really didn't want to hear about Zeus. Thinking about it, for all it was worth Zeus wasn't very popular with those in Fiore anyway. It didn't matter now since the two were walking back to the inn, watching each other's back for any shady fellows that could possibly pop up.

Two drunks were easy targets for the fiends of Oak during the dark of night. It wasn't long before the two were in an alley and even a shorter amount of time before she something or rather someone bump into her from behind. Jolting to attention she turned around very quickly her hand surrounded by the dark magic she possessed ready to take down whoever it was behind her. It was fortunate that she wasn't the trigger happy type because before her was a small boy. " Hey kid.. What gives? Shouldn't you be home or something. It's the middle of the god night. Not to mention the location of where ya runnin. " Her voice slurred slightly, like she was too annoyed to speak. Her eyes flashed over to Jian before falling back to the boy, waiting for the response this kid had.

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The footsteps behind them were fast, yet clearly audible. Despite his attempts at willing himself to react, he wasn't able to do much until the time in which, whatever it was, managed to bump into his companion from behind. Usually, his reaction time wouldn't have been as sluggish as it was in this moment, however, he'd had one too many drinks. Andromeda appeared to have reacted quickly enough, or at least quicker than Jian had, and was already questioning the child. Jian immediately recognized the boy as the one named Jerr.

Jian and his brother, Jiao, had run into Jerr about two days prior during a mission. They'd been tasked by a shopkeeper to scare the young orphan out of any further stealing. Jian had assumed they'd accomplished this task, but seeing Jerr here tonight made him question this. Had Jerr come to rob them? Robbery of this sort of magnitude was a big step up from simple petty theft. Was this child really that desperate?Jian was prepared to admonish the child until he recognized the fear on his face. If Jerr was the perpetrator of an attempted crime here, he couldn't imagine him expressing this sort of terror - almost as if he were the victim of something.

Almost on cue, the boy seemed to recognize Jian as well; Tears now streaming down his face as he looked at the both of them.

"Please! You have to help! They're after me!"

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The magic that surrounded her hand fizzled away as she lowered her arm. The boy's tears and his please for help plucked a cord in her heart and she would most certainly help him.  Raising an eyebrow she lowered herself to the boy's height before boring her golden orbs into the boy's own ocular globes. " Ok Kid, just start from the top and go down real slow. But first, breath. Quit yer cryin cause we are gonna help ya, but ya gotta calm down first so we can understand the situation. Alright? Now what's your name? " Andromeda sighed she did not think her night as gonna go this way, to be honest she had plans to jump some bones, those bones specifically belonging to Jian. This was a mild annoyance in her night, but it was an annoyance none the less.

" My name is Jerr, and well... Some shitty gang members were chasing me because I heard somethings that maybe I shouldn't have but I did and now it's gonna benefit me if i can get some help. Before I give ya the details... Will Ya help me? Ya gotta say yes.. Ya just gotta. " Andromeda stood up to her full height after hearing what the boy had to say. She rubbed her face and looked directly at Jian. " Well... Ya down to help the kid or what? "

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A smile crept across Jian's lips as he watched the manner in which Andromeda was able to console the child. It seemed he'd been correct in considering her a new friend, because only a person with a good heart would be able to react in the manner in which she did. Though Jian's journeys didn't always allow him to interact with those that he'd usually consider to be "good", he was always glad when he managed to find himself in the presence of these sorts of people. It allowed him to continue to be the person he knew he was, even if his current occupation didn't always allow him to do so.

After some consoling words from Andromeda, Jerr soon began to speak on the issue he was having. He appeared to calm down quite a bit as he recounted his experience and told them what the issue was. Even after the warning his brother had given the child, he still managed to find a way to get himself into deep trouble. This sort of "trouble" far exceeded anything that an annoyed shopkeeper could dish out, and could have lead to Jerr losing his life. Though he didn't agree with the lifestyle that Jerr continued to live, he also couldn't allow gang members to cause him any sort of harm. Before Andromeda asked her question, Jian had already decided that helping was necessary.

"Of course."

He said this with a nod and smile in Andromeda's direction. He appreciated the fact that she'd been so forward in her efforts to help the child.

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" See we're here to help. " Smiling smugly at the kid she nodded her head placing her fingers in her rich ivy hair, pushing any tickling strands from her face. " So? that is a yes then great... I need you guys to... Um.  ok since you said yes.. The Martello's have a package comin in. Steal it and kill the guards if ya have too... Just get that package.. and place the blame on Tessio's men if anyone asks. Heck even if no one asks blame them if ya hear people talkin bout it. " Andromeda felt her eyes cut at the boy. She had thought him to be in trouble and in truth his was, but for all the wrong reasons. This little shit had a plan already set in motion before he bumped into them. A part of her respected the game that was run on them but another part despised the shit out of this brat.  " So I get this right... You want us to take something from this Martello group.. and blame the Tessio's?' Her voice slurring lessened and she watched the boy nod his head. " You know kid.. I felt pity for you before, but I really gotta respect your shitty little fucking grit. Ok, We'll do it, hell even if he won't I will. " Chucking at the whole situation she would press the boy for more info on both the groups so they would know where to go and who exactly to hunt down.

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Jian and Andromeda seemed to be on the same wavelength as Jerr finished explaining the details behind his request. This kid had everything far too planned out for this request to have been something merely thought up on a whim. To Jian, it appeared that Jerr had taken his brother's advice to heart and decided to graduate from petty theft to declaring war against rival gangs. He was even smart enough to make use of his perceived weakness as a child to get two mages to help him in his endeavor. All in all, it was obvious that Jerr would shape up to be a very enterprising young man when he got older.

Andromeda's replies to Jerr mirrored exactly how Jian felt, yet, allowed him to remain silent as he quietly soaked in what was going on. He still felt a tad under the influence, so doing too much talking wasn't something he necessarily felt comfortable doing. After all, if they were going to go through with this mission he'd need to focus all of the brain power he had left into dealing with the threats they'd soon face. With the request now taken, it was time for the duo to make their way to the outskirts of town and approach the guards in question.

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Did she really wanna do this tonight? At this point did she even really have a choice? with her arms folded across her chest she would listen as the boy spilled the most detailed information about both sides that she had ever heard a child be able to talk up about any subject. This kid had a plan for where he wanted to go in life and she really really had to respect that since she was going nowhere in her own damn life. If she heard right and she usually did, there would be four guards all pretty damn capable of taking them both out if they weren't careful. It would be best to take them out one by one and that would take being a sneaky ninja of the night and using some top tier corporation from the both of them. Alright. So we should probably take them out one by one and split them from the cart. It would be the fastest and most efficient way of doing things on our part. But that probably won't be easy So we're gonna stall the cart first. There is really only one path they are takin according to the kid so we need to get ahead of that cart and block the road with somethin. Keep em preoccupied while we pick em off... Unless you got a better idea? Andromeda shifted her golden gaze over to Jian hopping he had a better plan than her. What she had was vauge at most and could get the kiiled in it's worst interpretation. " Whatever we are about to do, we are gonna need to be one hundred percent on the same page.. So shoot. The walk to their destination was really their only time to plan and she hoped that they would come up with one before gettin there, or else they would have to wing it.

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There wasn't much that Jian needed to add to the plan that Andromeda had come up with. In all honesty, it was very similar to what he'd been thinking after being briefed in full by Jerr on the current situation. Apparently, there were would be four guards accompanying this shipment that would need to be dealt with. Jian didn't have any doubts in his martial abilities, yet, he was more than sure that the abilities of these four men would be impressive - to be entrusted with the task they'd been entrusted with, they would have had to have been. Given they weren't sure of their abilities, it only made sense to attempt to take them out as quickly and efficiently as possible. A long, drawn out battle with them would be foolish.

He nodded in Andromeda's direction in full compliance with her idea before replying audibly.

"No, I have nothing else to add. I think your idea is a perfect one, given the situation. We can make our way to the location, check out their formation, and formulate a strategy from there once we observe them."

Throughout all of this, Jian found himself impressed with how Andromeda seemed to carry herself when confronted with such serious scenarios such as this one. She seemed to have a very level; something he respected from her. Only time would tell if she would be able to manage this same "levelheadedness" once combat became a reality.

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With a slight nod of the head Andromeda began to lead the way. The walk would be a quiet one on her end as her mind churned about what would really go down. One could plan to perfection but there would always be a nasty little problem to pop up and burst that perfectly made bubble. The whole situation sobered her up which was fine since she would need to be on this request. This night was either gonna be very long or very short but whatever the outcome she was gonna go home and take a nice long shower. It wasn't long before the two ended up on the outskirts of Oak. Since it was the dead of night they had cover from the natural darkness but Andromeda made sure to walk off the path and into the nearby trees of the forest outlining the path. It was here that they would have better cover and can still spy the group perfectly. A nice place for an ambush. Before saying anything she would tap her foot on the ground and a A dark magic circle would appear under her foot briefly and black butterfly like creatures would surround her feet. This would lessen any noise her feet would make especially moving around in an area like this. " Alright.. Looks like they are comin up now... I see two on the left of the cart and two on the right. Each has a position where they are walking at the corners of the cart.. So two in the back as well as two in the front.." Her mind churned all the possible ways she could take them down but in the end it was two of them not one. " So uh... Knock the cart over on the other two, take out the guards on our side of the road.. I got a spell to knock one in the air... What ya workin with here, tell me somethin Jian. Her voice was a hushed whisper but her eyes locked onto her targets like a hawk.

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The amount of alcohol he'd consumed earlier in the night was an amount he'd never tried before; however, with the teachings of Chad in mind he decided he'd go for it. After all, he was in the company of his brother and many new friends. In his mind, he felt that he'd be a downer if he didn't at least attempt to keep up with the rest of them. All in all, he'd had a fantastic night...at least until he now. He hadn't expected that he'd been walking through the outskirts of Oak looking for guards to kill. He'd been slowly sobering up this entire time, and he was beginning to regret even agreeing to participate in his plan. The only saving grace in all of this was that he was in the company of a beautiful woman. He learned quite a bit about her in the short time in which they'd been introduced to one another, and she'd become a person he respected quite a bit.

Despite of how much respect he held for her, he found himself noticing a few things about her that he probably wouldn't have if he wasn't still a bit tipsy. "Clapping those cheeks" was a phrase that kept coming to mind, even though he had no idea where he'd heard it from. Soon enough, these thoughts were interrupted as Andromeda began to speak about the task they currently had at hand. He listened intently as she began to break down what she was seeing before them. Jian and Andromeda were currently under the cover of a few trees and other types of foliage. This fauna lined the outside of the path the guards were currently on, and the duo took advantage of this cover to continue the formulation of their plan. Because of the way in which they were positioned in relation to the cart, they were to the immediate right(a few meters out) of the convoy.

"I'm not sure flipping the cart is the best move. We need to get in and out of here as quickly as possible before anyone decides to check on the status of the delivery. I believe I can kill the two guards in the back - the one on our side, and the one on the other side of the cart - before they're aware of what's happening. Once I do that, I'll lock down the guard in the front on the opposite side of the cart. All of this should be enough of a distraction for you to kill the guard in the front on our side. Kill the one I've subdued as well. After that, we'll take the money and run. All of this should look violent enough that most would place blame on the Tessio's."

With this said, Jian began to ascend a nearby tree as quietly as he could. He needed to get into position to ready himself for the attack. Now situated on a branch that was able to hold his weight, Jian unclasped his spear from the "holster" on his back. With his weapon in hand, he took in a deep breath. This breath wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear, but it was enough to calm a few of Jian's nerves.

"Let me know when you're ready."

Jian spoke quietly enough that only Andromeda would have been able to hear.

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She had to really think about the last time she seen any sort of real physical action. It was fuzzy and that's probably due to being knocked out of that particular fight, but she could remember attacking a green being. Attacking was a better wording than fighting because once she attacked the being it knocked her out in one attack without even touching her. It was embarrassing enough yet but she was hardly strong, just a D ranked mage with dreams to big for her heart. This little memory caused her to think of another that day and his name was Teiho.

He rode in on a creature that flew in the sky and looked like a dragon or at least it looked like what a dragon was suppose to be like. It was magnificent but as beautiful as it was that green being shot it out of the sky, and it came coming down like a comet. It was a rough day for a lot of people on that particular day but in the end it was worth it. She had gotten stronger fighting something like that but she also lost her friend to the hands of time and the her own downfall in grace. Her mind churned over the memory and a faint whisper creeped it's way to the front of her brain and the word that kept replaying got louder and louder until all she heard was " cell ". A smirked played on her face as she responded to Jian with a nod that she was indeed ready.

She would wait for Jian to make his move first and as she waited she would prepare to make this fight much easier than it would be. Placing her finger in a " L " shape with her thumb, and pointer finger aiming at the men, she would " fire " off four shots, one for each man causing them to take a D rank endurance Debuff right before Jian would attack. With the Debuff came black butterflies that would fly around the men, not to many and since it was dark they might have been to dark for the men to even notice. The Debuff would make the men weaker, take less hits to knock em down and have this two vs four fight be a lot more breezy. She would emerge from her own position once The gang member in the front was locked down as Jian instructed. The plan was sound now let's see how it played out.

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With Andromeda's reply, Jian leapt from the tree branch and took to the night sky. With his spear in hand, he readied himself to loose it just moments prior to his comrade firing off a spell. With the spell cast, it was obvious that each of their targets had been alerted to their now physically weakened state; however, none of them were aware enough to look into the sky. If they'd happened to, they would have immediately seen Jian's figure gliding through the air. In their now confused state, Jian was now primed to attack.

Within an instant, Jian slung his right arm forward, sending his spear flying in the direction of one of the guards - this guard in particular being the one in the back on his side of the cart. As the spear whistled through the air, Jian continued his "flight" through the air towards the guard on the opposite side of the cart. Simultaneously, Jian was able to reach this guard while his spear impacted its target. Once within range, he'd managed to land a crushing blow to the top of his victim's skull - killing him near instantly.

With the death of two guards occurring so quickly, the other two were now alerted to the fact that they were under attack - if they'd been unsure prior. However, before the two guards could react, Jian had already moved into activating a spell of his own once he'd landed after his attack. With just a step forward, Jian was able to lock the movements of the guard as he promised. The rest was now up to Andromeda.

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Jian made his move and now it was her turn to clean up the rest of the mess. Andromeda continued to keep a close eye on Jian and what he did, readying another spell she aimed it at the target closest to her who was trying to scramble away with his gun drawn but was quickly shot in the air by a black pillar that reached about five meters into the air before vanishing leaving the man to fall back to his position onto his back, a loud crack could be heard as he hit the ground. She didn't know what broke but that man wouldn't be getting up. Once she saw the man fall to the ground she quickly ran forward, scooping up his gun and letting off a few rounds into the man that Jian had locked down until he fell to the ground. Wiping the gun off she dropped it back near the first guy she shot into the air and made her way over to Jian. "Well ain't this just a pretty mess. Guess the only thing left to do is get these jewels and just go back to the bar..Or rather I will. I need a drink after this." Shaking her head she began the collection of the jewels and once she collected her share  carried back what was belong to Jerr and she led the way right back to the kid.

- exit -

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