Ko never thought that his idle musings from his previous foray into Dawncliff mines would have actually had any merit. After all, he had no interest in taking over the corporate operations of a mining company, even if the squat and annoying man that insisted on calling him in for every little issue was getting on his last nerve. Better to just take his money and get on with his life, in Ko's opinion. He'd assumed, not unreasonably, that after putting down the 'miner rebellion' he wouldn't be getting many calls from the mining company's owner. Instead, he was once again being called in to handle an issue that was entirely outside his skill set.

In the wake of taking down the striking miners, the company had been forced to restructure their workforce, and that had taken time. Time which rival mining companies hadn't spent idly. While Ko had run off the handful of thieves which had come to try and steal the mine's bounty, another company had seen the chance to stake their own claim and had done so in record time. As a result, the company that had hired Ko so many times sent their newly retrained and replenished workforce only to find that they weren't the only miners showing up at the mine.

Now both mining companies had become entrenched, staking claims on tunnels with large ore veins and blocking out their rivals either with sheer numbers or by hiring muscle. When Ko heard that each company had been hiring mercenaries and mages to try and force the other side out, he couldn't help but grin at the uncomfortable look on the CEO's face when it was brought up. It turned out they hadn't hired Ko again because they were concerned about potential collateral damage, as well as further escalating the tensions between their companies. They probably expected Ko to be angry at them for it, but he was honestly flattered. It meant they were finally treating him seriously.

332/2000

Flattered though he might be, Ko didn't have interest in trying to assist this business mogul with his petty mining venture. Especially not using the diplomatic methods he was trying to insist Ko employ. He wasn't this man's dog, and he wouldn't take orders that were beneath him. Especially not when it was perfectly clear, even to Ko, that they didn't want his help because of his negotiating acumen; they wanted him because he'd scare the other company into going along with their demands. So, with that in mind, Ko decided to take a page from the businessman's book. If he wanted Ko to play hostile negotiator, he would, and he'd start right at the table he was sitting at.

Ko was a straightforward person, after all. He saw no purpose in mincing words or trying to talk around an issue. There was nothing polite about saying one thing when you mean another, after all. So Ko told the businessman, with an air of impeccable decorum, what was going to happen. This man wanted his competitor out of the mines, and he wanted him out as soon as possible. Moreover, he wanted to ensure that there would be minimal casualties among his own staff, for the sole reason that getting the required staff together after the strike had been difficult all on its own. There two things Ko could do, and would.

However, if the businessman wanted this to happen, he would have to follow Ko's demands. First and foremost, there would be no negotiations with the rival company. Talks had already occurred and failed, now it was time to follow up. The next day, the foremans were to give their workers a day off. Every last one of them, not a single one was to come to work on that day. Then, while the rival company's workers all showed up to find their rivals no longer hindering them, Ko would go in and excise them from the mine like a surgeon removing a cancer. The mining company gets full control of their assets back, their rival is set back, and they don't lose any workers. Or, if the CEO didn't find Ko's proposal acceptable, they could part ways right then, and Ko would go make the same proposal to the rival company. He wasn't at all surprised when the CEO accepted.

724/2000

Back up on a now familiar perch overlooking the central area of Dawncliff Mines, Ko settled in to take stock of the operations that were in place. As the CEO had promised, there didn't seem to be a single member of their staff on site. From the look of things this rival company was taking the stance of "invest early, and invest heavily". Other than just the usual employees, Ko could pick out numerous individuals who seemed to have no job other than to supervise. Or at least, that's all they had to do today. Going off of their equipment, they'd been hired by the rival company as guards for their mining workers.

There was a decent number of them, and they seemed rather organized as well, although the lack of competition clearly had them confused. The group that Ko eventually identified as the on-site managers were having an obvious argument away from the workers, no doubt trying to decipher the reason behind their rivals suddenly disappearing and how to take advantage of it. The only issue now was that Ko had no way of knowing the workers' schedule rotation. If he wanted to strike when it was most effective, he had to do it when there were the maximum number of targets.

In the end, Ko didn't notice a measurable increase in the number of workers coming to the mines, so he decided it was time to take action. Nantosuelta was nearby, as always, although she was thoroughly disinterested in what was going on. Ko didn't blame her; these jobs were not how he enjoyed spending his time. Killing these miners was akin to going out of his way to kill a cow on someone's property. He was only doing it because he was being paid to, otherwise why would he ever even consider it? He did have to admit that this time seemed a little different. There was, after all, the presence of these hired swords to contend with. If Ko was lucky, one or two of them might actually be skilled opponents. Or even better, they might be highly skilled at working in coordination with each other, and give him a challenge that way. He could only hope, even if was idly.

1099/2000

In mere seconds Ko was airborne on Nantosuelta's back, her skillful wing-beats carrying them up into the sky with ease. Immediately Ko noticed the difference in the response below. Rather than work continuing as normal, the steadily moving rows of miners suddenly erupted into a flurry of activity, individuals breaking rank to seemingly head straight towards the entrance of the mine. That was smart; even considering Ko desire to wipe everyone present out, the integrity of the mine precluded it from being a target. After all, if he destroyed the mine in the process of killing off the miners, he'd have completely defeated the purpose. Or at least, that's how Ko could see their thought process going. Its how he would have rationalized things, anyway.

That didn't mean that Ko planned on letting things progress the way his opponents wanted it to. For now, however, he carefully circled overhead, watching as the miners fled towards safety while the armed individuals Ko had seen spread throughout area moved much more deliberately. They weren't just herding the workers into the mine, they were coordinating with each other to form ranks at the same time. Honestly, Ko was starting to wonder if someone had been watching them when he, Steel, and Ragnar had broken up the strike beforehand. They had clearly anticipated an attack from the air, which they'd only known to prepare for if someone had told them ahead of time.

All the same, being prepared for it didn't mean they could prevent it. Once the lion's share of the workers had made it inside the mines, Ko signaled Nantosuelta to make her first pass. Like a bolt from a crossbow Nantosuelta plummeted from her position in the sky, a streak of red against blue as she dove towards the ground. Ko had time to see the people below starting to panic before he and the flamewyrm were upon them. Flames erupted from Nantosuelta's maw, blanketing across the ground and engulfing the first few miners unfortunate enough to be right in its path. Almost immediately afterwards, however, a series of arrows screamed past Ko's head, forcing him leap off of Nantosuelta's back and down to the ground.

1464/2000

Once he was on the ground, Ko had a chance to get a good look at his assailants.  At first glance it seemed to be somewhere around 2 or 3 dozen men and women, all armed and armored and very well organized.  Nantosuelta attempted to swoop back in to support Ko, but another volley of arrows from the back row forced her to retreat, and Ko motioned for her to continue on without him.  The miners had to go one way or another, and he'd wanted a challenge to begin with.  Killing these well organized idiots would suffice.  Unsurprisingly, there was actually a man standing at the head of the soldiers ranks, wearing scuffed but well-maintained armor and looking the part of a veteran.

"Stand down!  We have you sorely outnumbered!  Surrender, and call off your beast, and we will allow you to retreat unharmed!"  Those weren't the conditions Ko had been expecting; usually when you had overwhelming numbers you pushed for a complete surrender of your opponents.  It seemed this commander wasn't completely certain of his victory.  Ko couldn't suppress his wicked grin.  "I'm gonna have to decline, Sir Commander.  I haven't been this excited for a fight in a while, so you're gonna have to do your best not to disappoint me!"  Ko didn't give the man time to retort.

A magic circle formed beneath his feet, and suddenly Ko was rocketing forward towards the Commander, limbs steeped in darkness magic.  Though clearly shocked, the commander did not lose his composure, and instead fell back behind the line of his soldiers.  Ko, having come to a stop right at the point where the soldiers' ranks began, raised a gauntleted arm just in time to deflect a sword strike before spinning and delivering a backhanded blow to the offending soldier's face.  The sound of the man's jaw crunching under the force of the blow made Ko's grin just a little wider.

1786/2000

Like a dervish, Ko dove into the ranks of the soldiers, deftly using their own tactics against them. With so many of them having closed ranks together they could attack freely without putting each in danger. More than once Ko heard the result of one of them swinging their blade without thinking it through first. Ko, in the meantime, had no such restrictions on his movements. He would throw his full weight behind one blow, only for his momentum to carry him through to the next target. Like a river of darkness he flowed through the organized mass of soldiery, taking them apart piece by piece.

Still, they weren't helpless. When it became clear that their closed ranks were working against them the soldiers started spreading out, giving them room to actually make working counter attacks against him. It became clear at that time that they weren't simply fighting a martial artist of some skill. As if it were an extension of himself, Ko's shadow came alive to join in the violence. It whirled and twisted around, swirling like hurricane's clouds, and every time it crossed with a soldier's location it erupted from the ground revealing itself to be entirely physical. Some of the soldiers were skewered, others were enveloped and crushed under its magical strength.

Before long, the entire company had been demolished. In the distance, Ko could see that Nantosuelta had been busy as well, as the entrance of the mines had been almost completely buried, while the stones burned with her magical flame. All of the miners that had fled to the interior of the mines would likely die due to asphyxiation once the smoke and fumes from the fire filled the limited airspace. Ko returned his attention to the commander from earlier, who still lived. His body was half crushed by Ko's magic, and he glared up at the Dragon Slayer without fear. "Do it then, you bloody monster!" Still grinning wide, Ko stepped over the Commander's body, and brought his fist down like a death god's hammer.

2128/2000