It was evening in Baska, the sun was setting over the horizon at the moment. It was around this time that Ikazuchi and Akushitsuna were making their way to Godfrey’s blacksmithing shop at the owner’s request. They had witnessed what the man was capable of and been unfazed by the matter. It was something that the man was slightly embarrassed about, to the extent that he claimed that even his own blood-related brother was unaware of. Either way, that combined with their ability to easily settle the thief issue was enough for them to leave a lasting impression. It hadn’t been more than a few days before they were contacted by letter. It only took a bit for the two to reach an agreement and respond in a timely manner with their acceptance. Today was the scheduled time for their meeting, and they were just arriving at the shop as the sun went down over the horizon.

“You’re here!” Upon seeing the two enter Godfrey would immediately call out to them. It was obvious from the empty shop that he had closed early for today and was waiting for them to arrive. Ikazuchi would nod slightly as a greeting to the man who had called for them. They weren’t particularly close despite his frequenting of the shop. It also didn’t seem that the man wanted to waste time on pleasantries. Godfrey quickly locked the door behind them and proceeded to explain himself in detail. “What I need today is for you two to accompany me to make a business deal. It’s a simple job, but I need some people who can handle themselves.” Godfrey would pause for a moment and observe the two standing in front of him before continuing. “After last time, I know that you both can and aren’t afraid to do so.”

Godfrey would go on to explain to the two how their pay would be determined and the general circumstances. They were going to make sure that nothing went wrong, and to prevent Godfrey’s potential losses. It was something that would be extremely simple for the two to accomplish. With all of the information, Ikazuchi could confidently respond to his employer. “That sounds simple enough.” Ikazuchi would turn to his companion after responding to Godfrey and ask his opinion as well. “What do you think, Suna?”

Word Count: [390/1,000]

Aku strolled onwards beneath the remainder of the sun's warmth that would soon fade in the waking moments of their inevitable arrival soon to come. He merely walked alongside his newfound companion, as their apparel bustled along the ever growing breeze that approached every sundown. The two would be meeting at Godfrey's shop once again this dusk, but for a  rather specific reason  on this day. They'd been responding to a letter of request for the dynamic duo to accompany the blacksmith on some unexplained mission with mentions of a reward. Mere moments after they opened the door to the clearly empty shop, and no later than the shops bells chiming, Godfrey would begin to speak about the mission.

Suna would make himself comfortable leaning against one of the many weapon stands while poking and prodding at the weapons as Godfrey spoke. He listened closely, and looked up at Ikazuchi when finally prompted for an opinion. "I've no quarrels with being the 'muscle' for once." Aku then stood from his leaning position and turned his gaze back towards the shop owner once more. "The deal will take place soon enough, stay on your toes gentlemen."

Shortly after their conversation a middle aged man walked into the store. He appeared to be short yet well built, and carrying a suede sack of sorts. The man would approach a table at the epicenter of the room, looking both ways before he began to open the bag. "I see you invited company old friend, don't trust me to be an honest salesman these days?" Godfrey let out a coy chuckle before approaching the other side of the table, as his business partner pulls out a gemstone. "Better safe than sorry these days."

WC: 300

They both understood Godfrey’s request, and Akushitsuna’s agreement meant that they were both willing to accept. It wasn’t a complicated task, so there wasn’t any else to discuss after reaching an agreement. It couldn’t be said that any of the men present were extroverts, so their wait was spent quietly observing the surroundings. Truthfully, if the circumstances were different then Ikazuchi would have been willing to have a conversation with either of the men. Ikazuchi naturally appreciated Godfrey’s craft, so that was a good conversation topic for him. As for Akushitsuna, he was someone that Ikazuchi had been working with for a while now and could engage in idle conversation with. But now, they were all tense as they awaited the arrival of the seller.

Not much time passed before a short and stocky man arrived, someone Ikazuchi assumed to be the gem seller. ‘He looks pretty strong…’ This was Ikazuchi’s first thought based on the build of the man. Strong in this case didn’t refer to combat prowess, but instead the literal physical capabilities of the man. ‘He isn’t my opponent though.’ Ikazuchi gauged the man’s capabilities directly based on the training he had received. He understood what kind of physique best suited combat, and that this man hadn’t developed his for that pursuit.

When Godfrey approached the table for the deal with the man, Ikazuchi made a point to follow and wait on one side of the table in case anything happened. He was slightly closer to Godfrey than the other man, but he believed that it was an appropriate place for him to stand and apply pressure. The Seller ignored Ikazuchi after giving him a simple glance and went on to start negotiating with Godfrey. Ikazuchi felt as if this man didn’t take him and Akushitsuna seriously at the moment. It was frustrating to be entirely disregarded in such a way, but he didn’t intend to complicate the situation and only observed.

The discussion was gradually getting heated between the two. It was apparent to Ikazuchi that the man was price gouging without any intention to back down. On the other hand, Godfrey was clearly losing his temper due to these actions. He remembered how violent this blacksmith could be, so he prepared himself for when the situation would get worse. At this point he gave his companion a meaningful glance. He believed that Suna would have picked up on the situation as well, and hoped that he was ready for what would come.

“Fucking bastard! Do I look easy to take advantage of?!” Godfrey slammed his hands on the table at this point, clearly fed up with the man. Ikazuchi didn’t hesitate to move at this point and place himself between the man and the door with a single quick lunge. He could see the man’s body jerk a bit after Ikazuchi came to a stop, clearly showing that he had considered fleeing. Unfortunately, Ikazuchi had been a step faster this time. As for Godfrey, after he saw the man’s intentions he lost control completely. The table that was between the two men was slung towards the side that Ikazuchi had just left from as Godfrey rushed the seller. He had a clear view of both men and could see the seller also preparing for the fight. ‘Just how confident is this guy?’ Ikazuchi was genuinely surprised by the fact that this man was willing to confront all three of them. Ikazuchi wouldn’t hesitate to follow Suna in taking care of the man who was trapped in the store.

Word Count: [980/1,000]

Akushitsuna watched as the situation came to a slow boil, and the tension in the room began to slowly overfill as his colleague became infuriated. Aku didn't mind stirring the pot further than it had already been, and leans back tightly gripping a staff that slowly begins to point at the jeweler who had all but been accused. "It doesn't take a genius to stiff out a con-artist." It was but a moment later that the blacksmith's true intentions bursts into a flaming rage, as his screams are heard all throughout the immediate area. Suna would then take a single step back as Godfrey launches the table upwards, before immediately stepping back to take initiative on the situation.

"Ōkami no ashi (オオカミの足, Wolf Paw)" The purple claw formed just past the tip of his staff that aimed at the sole enemy within the room, as its aura quickly gathered before bursting outwards with astonishing speeds towards the throat of the jeweler. The fool had turned to look at the oncoming blast in an attempt to narrowly dodge it, but lost concentration just long enough for the blacksmith to land a rather power Jab to his leaned over body. The Jeweler snapped back upwards in pain trying to keep Godfrey from inflicting any more damage, and raise his fists bouncinng back and forth between the two who were now conceivable in a brawl. "Don't lose concentration, thug."

Akushitsuna had since began to dash towards his opponent who would've been locked into a back and forth boxing match with Godfrey. The sorcerer couldn't help but sigh at the lack of this mans ability to deal with the three he was willingly taking on, and let out a straightforwards jump with great strength. " Shadoudasshu (シャドウダッシュ, Shadow Dash)" The leap sweeps him right behind this thug just as Aku would let out a powerful swing of his staff placed just behind the knees of his opponent.

wc:341

The situation escalated out of control in an instant. Godfrey’s temper was on full display, something that Ikazuchi and Akushitsuna had seen previously. It was to the extent that he vaguely expected this situation after the negotiations were clearly deteriorated. From his position blocking the door he couldn’t clearly see the actions of his companion and Godfrey, but it would be easy for him to assist accordingly.

Ikazuchi readied himself as he waited for an opening. He watched as Akushitsuna made a clear opening with his fast spell. It allowed the powerful blacksmith to land a strong jab to the seller’s body. The effect it had was apparent as the man who was clearly more nimble struggled to move skillfully after that strike. It could be said that the fight was decided from that moment onward. Ignoring the speed advantage that both Ikazuchi and Akushitsuna had over the man, he couldn’t even avoid the slow blacksmith Godfrey anymore.

Ikazuchi, who had been an observer so far, finally saw a clear chance as his companion moved to sweep the seller’s legs. ‘Let’s finish this quickly.’ This thought passed through his mind as he unsheathed the katana on his right waist with his left hand and rapidly lunged forth to the side of the man. He was already off balance from Suna’s strike and Godfrey’s assault and falling backwards, so Ikazuchi had a clear opening and advantage. With a skillful flick of the wrist he turned his sword around so the blunt back of the blade could be used to strike down on the man’s right shoulder in one swift motion.

Under these circumstances the man lacked the ability to dodge, so the strike landed cleanly with a clear crack as the bones in the man’s shoulder broke. The opportunity to fight back disappeared for the man who would find himself flat on his back with a broken shoulder. With another flick of his wrist Ikazuchi would rotate his blade once more to place the sharp edge directly in front of the man’s throat. “Don’t move.” Ikazuchi coldly ordered the man who was writhing in pain, but his gaze had already met Akushitsuna’s before briefly glancing at Godfrey. He was hoping to express his intent for his companion to discuss further steps with their employer who was standing to the side.

Word Count: [1,360/1,000]

Aku could only watch as his staff diligently swept the man from his feet, and turned to see Ika suddenly appearing in this exact moment to assist. His ally attacked with such a great force that he felt the cone crackling sound in the back of his mind. He couldn't help but wonder how bad that broken shoulder felt as the seller's back smashed to the ground beneath them; destructively so, as the entire room before them left a light quake in its wake. A few of the weapons placed upon their displays fell downwards as ika his ally spoke sternly. "Don't move."

Godfrey walked forwards from his previous position to stand tall above the merchant whom was a hack of a seller to say the least. He squatted just above the gemstone seller while placing his knee upon the ground and leaning over to remain a few inches above the man face to face. "Not only are you going to sell this item to me at an extremely reduced price, but you are going to continue to do business with me in the future for a fair price if you know what's good for you." Godfrey would then fully extend his arm behind him with a clenched fist, appearing to gather all of his strength. "Otherwise." He brought his arm crashing downwards straight into the face of the otherwise defenseless man.

Akushitsuna had watched diligently thus far, but couldn't help the urge to cringe his face slightly as the sounds of a broken nose and potential cheekbone fill his ears. "You will regret the day you met me and my colleagues in the future." The salesman turned his head in utter agony from left to right as blood poured from his nose. He was quick to reply as well. "Fine you can have it for whatever price you say, just get yourself and these men off of me!"

The duo would allow the man to stand, before both the salesman and Godfrey walked towards a separate room to finalize negotiations. A moment later they returned as the seller would leave, and Godfrey confronted them with a sum of jewels. "You saved me quite the deal of funds today, here is your cut. By the way, thank you for your service and I will be sure to reach out to you for further help." Aku gladly accepted the funds, and waited for his friend to do the same before leaving to discuss their next line of actions.

WC: 1,000+/1,000
Quest completed