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The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu]

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#1Akira Shimada 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:44 pm

Akira Shimada
She'd been under the assumption that Inspector Nilan was too smart and suspected foul play with the last case she'd worked on, the one with Tsuru. It all did tie up too neatly, how often did culprits just conveniently kill themselves? The Shimada had done her best to create the illusion of a plausible reason though.

She'd made it out to be like the man, that is, Lorenzo had feared for his own life and thought the higher ups were getting too close to exposing him. She portrayed it as weakness, the unwillingness to face the consequence and the lack of respect that came with it. But it was the first time she'd used the weapon Adel had trusted her with, maybe she wasn't as precise as she'd expected from herself.

The Shimada had been on the edge about the way they'd been forced to meddle, especially because of the implication on her ex-partner. She'd already damaged her reputation to the point where such suspicions wouldn't affect her much. Additionally, there was slightly worry about the possibility of the method being exposed, she couldn't risk her weapon becoming common knowledge.

Tsuru and her participation in Jelies little game, probably didn't sit too well with the inspector either. So she was rather nervous as she ripped open the letter delivered to her by one of the Pages. The Page had been so tentative around her. She didn't seek to comfort him, nor did she make matters worse, she just wanted to read.

250/2000



The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Signature6
#2Hatsuharu 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:45 pm

Hatsuharu
Ever since he left the service of his corrupt Captain and was under the wing of Zade, no one in the organization ever questioned him or his decisions. Though he was still just a Lieutenant, most Captains saw him as an equal and never really commanded him. There were exceptions, of course. But they were far and few. However, recently, the higher-ups seemed particularly peeved with him. They went out of their way to make his life uncomfortable and he couldn’t understand why. Even Nilan avoided him for most part. Despite the constant frown on his face and the short temper, no one really disliked him. So, this whole thing was new to him.

Typically, he wasn’t one to care about who thought what about him. But since these were his colleagues. He had to ensure there was no lack of trust between him and them. Especially if they were going to be fighting and solving cases together. So, he decided to pick one of the honest but brutal Captains and ask him what was up. The Captain’s answer outraged him, but he kept his calm. After all, he was the fool to have not recognized the issue. The faction was upset with him for ‘fraternizing’ with Akira. “She is a disgrace. And if you are going to insist on bringing her back here, then we aren’t sure about you either,” the Captain said. There was no malice or hatred in his voice; not towards him or Akira. He seemed to genuinely believe one shouldn’t be a Rune Knight if they ‘broke the law’. Haru wasn’t upset with him; he wanted his honesty anyway. So, he simply nodded and walked away.

The orange-haired Knight found himself walking towards Akira’s office. He wasn’t sure why or what he was going to say when he got there. But he just wanted to talk to her; even if it was about something else. When he reached her office, he found a Page walk out with a sigh of relief; like he was glad whoever inside didn’t blast him into pieces. “Come on, she isn’t that scary,” he said, frowning. Upon seeing Haru, the Page went pale once again and ran away. “You’ve gotto be kidding me,” he muttered, as he knocked on the door and walked in.

384/2000



#3Akira Shimada 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:45 pm

Akira Shimada
Just as she unfolded the scroll after tearing through the package and breaking open the seal, she was interrupted yet again. 'Yes, what now?' she said, in a tone that accentuated a slight bit of anxiety, mostly masked as annoyance. Then she lifted her gaze to see if the Page had come back for a testy round two with her. It wasn't the page, but Tsuru. Slightly worried eyes searched his expressions, they lingered on various parts of his face, in a swift moment of silence. Did something happen, was that why he was here? Her narrowed eyes, flitted back to the paper.

They couldn't talk here, just like they couldn't talk at the church, she acted as though the question still served its purpose, regardless of misplaced tone. She didn't want to specify or give up too much. When she finally read the contents of the letter she merely held the paper out towards Tsuru with some relief, hoping he didn't come bearing news that would steal from her sense of temporary solace. 'I think they couldn't deal with that monstrous plant, its infected some livestock.' she summarised.

Her gaze pressed onto him as a warning that screamed that they should probably not exchange any sensitive information regarding anything within these walls. She then stepped across him, opening the door wider and slipping out, she left it open behind her so he could follow. The letter was addressed to both of them, Nilan had requested particularly their aid again.

500/2000



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#4Hatsuharu 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:46 pm

Hatsuharu
He wanted to talk, but it was obvious she didn’t. The young Captain-Commander seemed to be in one of her moods. Now that he had decided not to say anything, he scrambled to find some random excuse as to why he was there. But thankfully, that awkward moment didn’t last long. She held the letter up towards him and he plucked it off her hands to read what it was about. While he read, Akira gave him the summary and was already on her way out of the room.

“So? He needs us to handle farm animals?” he asked, annoyed. Usually, he wasn’t one to complain about the nature of the job. If it was going to help people, he was willing to do it no matter how silly or easy the task was. But, given that Nilan had been avoiding them as well like the other Knights, he found it a little convenient that he requested their help now. He started to wonder if the rest of them thought these two were only fit for such silly missions.

He followed her out, closed the door, and caught up with her as he folded the letter. “Send someone else. We don’t have to go. He isn’t our CO,” he added. Maybe Nilan was just busy and wasn’t deliberately avoiding them. But, the timing felt off and he didn’t have the patience to deal with him if he was just trying to show them off. He had also given up on trying to get Akira to stay. If this was how they were going to treat her if she was around, she was better off elsewhere. He still didn’t like her going to the Holy Knights, however.

670/2000



#5Akira Shimada 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:46 pm

Akira Shimada
She heard him out and hoped no one else did. His words came from a place of frustration and hardly reflected the Tsuru she knew. They also but remained silent, almost guiltily so as she crossed the hallways of the building and the two made their way outside. She was met with the usual uncomfortable looks, but when eyes darted between her and Tsuru, the fellow Knights often displayed shock and incredulity as though they couldn't believe Tsuru's loyalty.

She walked on for the time being, as she usually did, but what she feared was already happening. The fellow Rune Knights had begun tainting Tsuru's reputation simply because of his public association with her. She had to cull this when she had the chance, but she couldn't bear to hurt Tsuru again... This was going to be a hindrance to him and to her.

She cleared her throat as they finally were out of earshot. She scanned the open grounds around just to check before pausing and placing her hands on her hips. 'No, he isn't. But it feels like he's testing our- or at least your loyalty and willingness to do whatever he expects, I think he's trying to see if we'll stay in line, if nothing else then for old times sake.' she said slightly exasperated. Finally, she averted her gaze and heaved a deep sigh, as if nothing really mattered. 'Besides, I don't want to send others in my stead, I shouldn't use authority I'm to lose.'

750/2000



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#6Hatsuharu 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:47 pm

Hatsuharu
Haru had accepted that she really was going to leave the faction, and that made him extremely impatient. He just wanted to spend what little time they had together. Who knew how often they would meet once she was gone, if at all? But duty called. Besides, he figured it was better for them to leave the building. To get away from all the mean looks.

“Fine,” he said, sighing after her.

They hadn’t even turned the first corner when Nilan hollered. He seemed extremely flustered as he started explaining the situation. The poor Inspector was genuinely concerned about the welfare of the townsfolk. Haru didn’t sense any other emotions from him. If he did have any doubts or was sceptical about the two of them, he had either hid that well or his desire to solve the case was far greater that it shrouded any such feelings.

“First it was the plants. Now, it’s the animals. Call me paranoid, but I have a feeling it’ll be us next,” he said. It was very much a possibility. If it did happen, this wouldn’t be the first time the duo had to fight off a plague that affected the whole town. It wasn’t pretty last time and Haru hoped they would be able to stop it from getting that bad this time around. In retrospect, he was glad the Inspector had called upon them. They had experience dealing with such widespread plague.

“Alright! We’ll go deal with the animals. Do you need one captured for testing?” he asked. “No!” the inspector retaliated. “Don’t touch them. They are highly contagious. I’ll send a squad prepared with the right equipment. Just ensure they are out cold when my boys get there,” Nilan said as he started walking backwards towards the Rune Knight base.

970/2000



#7Akira Shimada 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:48 pm

Akira Shimada
Tsuru's monosyllable reflected the sort of flustered states she used to betray. She resisted the urge to chuckle mirthlessly, mostly because they were pretty much were ambushed by Nilan. He looked stressed. Between the incursions and this stupid plant, it wasn't difficult to fathom the various reasons that had him so worked up. It seemed he really didn't have the time to meddle with the politics of the Knights. She wondered if it was he never tried to rejoin the higher ranks. It was probably that and the fact that he'd lost his edge. She heard him out, he explained some more details, steering clear of any mention of their previous case. No questions, no accusations.

Once again, she was rather relieved, and while the task could still potentially be achieved by an apprentice she was happy offering assistance in whatever capacity she still could. Perhaps she had overestimated Nilan's analysing skills, or his interest. He didn't seem too suspicious, albeit he was slightly colder than usual. He still came to them, but there was this lurking sense of discomfort. Almost like he didn't have any other options himself. Had he been mildly ostracised for his association as well? Aki really needed to speed things up in terms of tearing her connections, too many were going to suffer needless harassment otherwise. It wasn't like the faction was an easy place to work in, without all the excess burden. 'We'll get it done.' she remarked, coolly and lead her ex-partner onward.

1000/2000



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#8Hatsuharu 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:49 pm

Hatsuharu
The two walked to the outskirts where the farm animals were last spotted. No farmers were seriously injured, thankfully. They had been very cautious and haven’t gone anywhere near the rabid animals. “I bolted the pen the moment I saw that… thing on their skin and fur,” a young lady said, shuddering at the thought of whatever had infected their livestock. “The bull was mad enough to break through the makeshift door, however. Now, they are all loose on the field,” she added, still speaking through the small grilled window on her door. No one dared open the door even the slightest bit. Haru was glad for it. At least she was kind enough to answer their questions. Most didn’t. He thanked her and nodded towards the field. Before they left, the lady had one last thing to say. “Try not to… kill them,” she said. It was obvious that she thought it was stupid of her ask that, given the state of the animals. “Nevermind. Do what you must,” she said, shaking her head and closing the window.

Haru wanted to reply, saying they will try their best to not kill. But she had already closed the window and left by then. So, he just nodded—mostly to himself—before he walked to the field. The lady was right. There were at least a dozen animals in the field chasing each other mindlessly. Their best bet would be to knock the animals out and lock them in a more secure area until Nilan’s quarantine squad arrived. The task didn’t sound too troublesome, but the catch was that they weren’t supposed to come into physical contact with these animals. Haru still couldn’t use his magic and he was under the impression that Akira lost hers too after that fight against the demons. “Uh… How are we going to do this? Neither of us can cast spells,” he said, scratching his head.

1291/2000



#9Akira Shimada 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:49 pm

Akira Shimada
It was too comfortable. It was too easy. She was slipping back into the pattern that she was forced out of two years ago. Despite all the changes between the two Knights, there was something about the other's presence that accentuated a sense of safety and comfort. Even in these tumultuous times, both politically and otherwise, she felt confident and the Shimada knew she evoked the same in Tsuru. Why did fate have to dangle this alternate future when she was so close to making headway with her mission? What kind of a cruel test was this?

She allowed her thoughts to weave their own webs as Tsuru spoke to the farmers, just like old times. She did hear the words exchanged, but it took her a moment to register them. She acknowledged the conversation with her usual, cool efficiency. 'Right.' Monosyllables, were always the most apt answers. It indicated that she'd understood the situation and that she was ready to venture out and finish what they needed to do. It also served as an agreement to the woman's altered expectations.

She didn't want the farmer to get her hopes up, farm animals were dear, but even she realised that unfortunately they weren't worth the risk. It wasn't that Aki was especially cruel, in fact she often favoured animals over humans, but there was a hierarchy in terms of the social community. 'We rile them up and have them chase us into a fortified and restricted pen.' she said, simply.

1250/2000



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#10Hatsuharu 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:50 pm

Hatsuharu
She did make it sound easy. Riling them up wouldn’t be much of a problem. They were all already agitated. Making the animals chase them didn’t seem like a difficult task either. The most challenging task was finding a sturdy pen that would hold the rabid farm animals in. After a glance around, Haru spotted a concrete one east of the field. Typically, he would have gone to the owner of the particular pen and asked for permission before he herded the infected ones inside. But he wasn’t in a chatty mood that day.

“Alright! I’ll get their attention. You make sure none stray away,” he said, walking into the field. He thought outrunning the animals wouldn’t be an issue. But the moment he stepped into the muddy field, he realized how wrong he was. His feet sunk a few inches in every time he took a step. There was no way he was going to be able to run at his full speed in the muddy ground. He decided to try anyway. He figured it would be best to not attract the attention of the bigger animals at first. The pigs and goats seemed far less scary than the cows. All his planning had to be dumped in the drain, however. A few feet into the field and all the animals turned towards him. There was a moment of pause before all of them stopped chasing each other and made him their target. Similar to the plague in Baska, here too, the affected ones were prioritizing the unaffected. Gulping, Haru began to ‘run’ towards the chosen pen while the animals caught up to him inch by inch.

1569/2000



#11Akira Shimada 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:50 pm

Akira Shimada
Herding was harder than she had anticipated, especially with animals that were probably suffering and lashing out at anything within their sights, including each other. If they took each other out, their job would be easier, but they weren't exactly capable of performing that. Perhaps, it would work out, because maybe, just maybe there was hope to save the poor creatures, who were enduring such an ordeal. The farm critters had done nothing to deserve this. Some of them were probably already marked for slaughter... But even her practical side wanted to save them. She could see why losing them all would be an economic waste of resources.

Tsuru of course volunteered to take up the harder and riskier task. She was grateful, for while she was still fast, she was not efficient enough with her motions. A fault in her step could cost her a lot. Given that she was still in recovery, she wasn't sure if her body would be able to put up a fight against the rabidly infectious contamination. That was a secondary possibility too, stumbling would leave her in the path of the stampede, first she'd have to get lucky enough to evade or somehow survive that. The raucous animals continued to chase her ex-partner. 'Almost there.' she said. She had to deploy the weakest form of her magic to knock the stragglers and the ones straying back into the herd. Her control over her magic was sporadic at best though, but there was improvement.

1500/2000



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#12Hatsuharu 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:51 pm

Hatsuharu
Somehow the animals had a much easier time manoeuvring in the muddy fields than Haru did. Despite him being faster than the rabid creatures, it took a lot just to stay away from the animals with how his feet got sucked into the wet mud every step. There were a few close calls where the bulls managed to catch up to him. But Akira kept knocking them away from him with some strange invisible spells. He thought she couldn’t use magic at all. Not that he was complaining, but he figured she would have said something if there was some progress with her magic. What happened to her light and darkness? He got lost in those questions that he almost got nicked by a rather swift pig. He stepped away just in time to avoid it.

Once he was certain that all the animals were after him, Haru chose to quickest path out of the field and onto solid ground. After he was up on dry land, outrunning the horde and herding them towards the concrete pen wasn’t that difficult. He stopped occasionally to give the animals some hope, but began running the moment they were within a few feet from him. Finally, he reached the pen. He opened the door and ran inside. The whole horde followed. The moment he was inside, however, he turned swiftly and hid behind the door. The animals rushed in and skid to a halt, confused as to where their target vanished. When he was certain that all the animals were inside, he ran out quickly and locked the door. The ones near the door noticed him as he ran out and attempted to chase, but ended up banging into the door as he closed it.

1861/2000



#13Akira Shimada 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:51 pm

Akira Shimada
Each close call that Tsuru dealt with, caused her heart to leap to her throat. She'd wait with bated breath, cooking up ways to catch up and have her protective orb take the damage in his stead should things look too murky. But he was as fast as she was, with the crippling and painful scar across her back, she certainly couldn't hope to catch up. So all she could do, was hope and pray that things didn't turn sour. Lucky for the two, they didn't. Finally, all the animals were rounded up and held in the pen.

'Let's hope the door holds.' she said, slightly bitterly. Her dark robes were caked with drying mud as she dragged herself along towards the pen to catch up with her partner. She had hoped he wouldn't notice her magic, but he had. The only reason she'd hoped that he wouldn't, was because it would open another option for conversations. She was really looking to keep things very professional and wanted to interact minimally with him.

She was always fearful that he'd be the reason that she'd let slip all the details. It was hard enough to know that she was the reason he was not as respected as he used to be, amidst the faction that the two of them belonged to. Well, the faction she did belong to and now had to leave... She had always assumed that her stepping down was a temporary measure, but the way she had to severe ties with the Knights, made her wonder if she would ever be welcomed back. Now was not the time to lament on such matters.

1775/2000



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#14Hatsuharu 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:52 pm

Hatsuharu
The animals did bang on the locked door, but eventually got tired and went back to chasing each other. While they waited for Nilan’s quarantine squad to arrive, Haru figured he would inquire about Akira’s magic. “You can cast invisible spells now?” he asked, as he made his way towards the tap. He twisted the wheel and water came gushing out of the large pipe, which he used to clean the mud off him. “Is that what the curse did? Make your spells invisible?” he asked, rather dumbly. That wouldn’t really be a curse now, would it? More like an enhancement.

Haru was a little envious that she managed to gain control over her magic so soon after being cursed. He was happy for her; but envious nonetheless. He had lost his for almost a year now and he had just given up. Well… She was always smarter than he was. Maybe he could get some pointers from her.

There was no time for that, however. Nilan arrived with his squad, and Haru waved at them. He pointed at the pen, signalling that all the animals were inside. The inspector was impressed that they managed to catch them all without having to kill them. “Get away from the pen. We are going to throw a sedative bomb in there,” one of the specialists warned the duo. In less than a minute, it would seem the animals were all sedated; they weren’t making noise anymore. The door was opened, and the animals were loaded one after another into a secure van. Nilan thanked the two of them, but let slip a snide remark before leaving. “Compassion for animals, but not for humans, I see,” he said with a nod.

2149/2000
-Exit-



#15Akira Shimada 

The Plague [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:52 pm

Akira Shimada
Her heart thumped in unison with the noises made by the struggling animals. She bit her lip and waited for the sounds to fade and grow more distant. Soft cries from the creatures still echoed from inside. She wondered if all of them would make it out alive. While this solution was the most prudent and the least harmful, the runts of the group were probably not going to survive the onslaught of their fiercer fellow cattle, despite the infection, much like among any human beings, there were always going to be those few who fared better than others.

As expected, Tsuru quickly approached her and broached the subject of her altered magic. 'I'm not quite sure what is going on with my magic, or why.' she admitted, simply. There was a temptation to ask him to accompany her in finding out more. They'd tackled such changes together, in the past. In fact, he was there when she first earned her light... She recalled the intense emotions she felt when she'd watched him incapacitated by the earth mage.

But before she could be consumed by the temptations, they were interrupted by Nilan. She followed his instruction non-nonchalantly, worried briefly if the bomb was going to harm the animals they had tried to leave unharmed. He didn't miss her expression and she didn't miss the biting words that followed.The Shimada narrowed her eyes, huffed and shrugged. 'They're more innocent than us.'

2015/2000
~Exit~



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