Aku was never one to be too largely involved with politics in the past, but it would appear that the determining of the soon to be new leader within these surrounding areas could potentially play a large factor in many things that eventually effect himself. The young man had decided upon himself and his ally to support Reiner, though he wasn't entirely devoted to the idea as a whole. He couldn't disagree with Reine being not only the oldest and rightful Heir, but his ideology most befitting to his own.

It wasn't like Aku found himself directly under the influence of this said man, which ironically put him in a rather uncomfortable position. Usually he found himself directly communicating with those that he helped or worked with, but one could only hope to eventually make it worthwhile. In the meantime, Aku would help to finish loading the carriages in preparation of their transport. Around the time things were ready to begin moving along the designated path, he looks over to Ikazuchi to give a nod. The two individuals were put on this duty to protect the trade goods, and positioned to watch either side of the convoy.

WC: 200

Bosco; one of the two countries which bordered Fiore, and could be described to be undergoing a great upheaval. It was in this country that Ikazuchi found himself employed alongside his long time companion, Akushitsuna. Their employer was technically a member of the royal family, but was more commonly known as Reiner the Bastard. It was after a long discussion between the two that they eventually decided to give Reiner a chance as an employer.

They had been given a bit of insight into the man’s goals when making the decision, so Ikazuchi could comfortably support this person for the time being. He couldn’t be sure whether Reiner would benefit the people of the country more than the other heirs, but he felt that it wouldn’t be detrimental to himself. That was enough for him to accept his employment.

As for their first task, they were requested to guard a merchant caravan. It was a relatively simple task, but it could also be described as very important. Reiner’s support was directly related to merchants like those they were tasked with protecting, so they couldn’t slack off if they hoped to benefit from this fight for the throne.

Much like Akushitsuna, Ikazuchi found himself acting as muscle for the group before departing. He helped move various things to hasten their progress in leaving if possible. ‘If we move ahead of schedule, it will make it harder for others to target us…’ This was a thought that passed through his mind as he did what he could and got to know the merchants better. Ikazuchi and Akushitsuna had discussed the matter prior to this and were aware that it was entirely possible for another heir to target even a simple caravan if it could damage their sibling’s influence.

When Ikazuchi’s gaze met Akushitsuna’s as the preparations were finishing. Ikazuchi returned a nod of understanding to his companion. Their job was about to begin, and they couldn’t afford to be negligent.

Ikazuchi would initially wait for the caravan to properly set off and bring up the rear before moving into his position on one side of it. As for Akushitsuna, he knew that his companion would stay towards the front for the time being. His companion had a higher mobility than himself, so it would be easier for him to respond to threats at the front of the moving caravan. Ikazuchi on the other hand was typically responsible for the rear. Like this, they would both have a side and know how to react to attacks from the front or rear. The only exception would be when the other directions were safe. It would only be after properly moving away from the city town area that Ikazuchi would properly take his position at the side.

Word Count: 460

The caravan had since made its embark upon the ole' dusty trail so to speak, and left the contracted rogue with nothing but his own thoughts for the time being. He couldn't help but wonder about the man that he is working for, and what might possibly be within these shipment crates. Based on what he had heard about the man so far, Aku thought that it may be more than your traditional cargo. While he was sure that food or basic weapons were within the cargo, a certain part of him wondered if Reiner was trying to lean towards the possibility of enhancement through other means. Such a simple idea might include weapons, or other scientific approaches that man may not ordinarily be aware of. He was thinking of a man who had abandoned his home for questionable reasons in the past after all.

In either case, the caravan itself appeared to be slowing unexpectedly, bringing Akushitsuna from his wondering state as he looked onwards for a solution. He could hear the feint words of a group from the area in front of himself, while not entirely catching the intent within their voices. "Cease your travels in the name of Willhelm!" It would have appeared that a group of will's men had approached the convoy. While it was possible that these men were mere bandits attempting to shift the blame as part of a ploy, they had to assume the worst. Aku made haste towards the front of the group to confront this group of men that had since made themselves known.

wc: 260

‘Of course it can’t be simple…’ Their concerns became reality after travelling for some time. He couldn’t see his partner, but he knew that he would take notice of it at the same time. He happened to hear something rather interesting as well. ‘In the name of Wilhelm?’ It wasn’t something that he would expect to be shouted at them. In fact, Ikazuchi couldn’t help but respond immediately. “What kind of jackass announces the name of a royal heir when they attack a merchant caravan?! Are you fucking stupid?!”

As he spoke, Ikazuchi took the chance to survey his surroundings quickly. There was a group of four in front that was noticed first and another behind them. There was even a smaller two man group to the side. ‘There’s probably another two on Akushitsuna’s side…’ Ikazuchi had a clear understanding of the situation as this thought finished before he actually finished speaking. It was even clearer to him than it would be to most considering the information he gained with just a glance.

Ikazuchi immediately lunged after that as he recognized the immediate threats. The ranged attackers were positioned a bit more than ten meters away from the road at a relatively hidden spot. It was enough to hide them previously, but not enough now that they stood out.

Ikazuchi had judged the distance between himself and the two ranged combatants quickly, so he overshot their location by a meter or so. ‘That’s good enough…’ Ikazuchi thought that as he swung backwards with the sword in his left hand to strike at his back left as he turned his body in the same direction. If there was a single benefit to his mistake, then it would be that he had landed between the two in a hard to react spot.

Word Count: 300

Akushitsuna had made haste in such an angle that allowed him to see the front of the caravan without passing the carriages at it's leading. One could clearly tell that it was an ambush as suspected, most especially with those that blocked the road having their weapons drawn. "Shit, they probably have us surrounded." With such a thought in mind, he would quickly turn around to surveil his surroundings. While the imminent threat at the edge of the caravan wasn't one to be underestimated, Aku knew that they likely had some form of rangers/sorcerers awaiting command.

Within seconds he noticed a small volley of arrows crashing down upon the multiple carriages in this trade route, which would cause the horses to become spooked as the merchants attempt to calm them. Aku lunged forwards stopping just in front of one of the heavier loaded buggies, and catches an arrow just short of penetrating its side. "Id hate to find out whats inside via an explosive." Aku would then break the arrow before lunging at the general direction of the location it had came from. He landed in such a way the he turned around as he slides to view an archer and caster wielding a staff. Before the ranger would have a chance to release a second arrow, the rogue rushes the man from behind landing a surprise blow to the back of the mans head. While the blow had knocked out his opponent, the sorcerer had since turned his attention to aku preparing a spell. "Ill finish the archer off later."

WC: 260

The suddenness of Ikazuchi’s arrival brought the mage and ranger to a halt. They hadn’t expected to be attacked so abruptly, especially considering they were just about to begin their own assault. In particular, they had made him a target after hearing him speak in such a rude manner. If he had moved even a second later then they likely would have bombarded him with ranged attacks.

Unfortunately for these two, Ikazuchi was able to quickly assess the situation and arrive next to them. He also didn’t hesitate in striking out towards the mage that was to the left side. Ikazuchi’s spatial awareness was trained through years of close quarters combat training, so he was able to follow through on target.

Traditional mages generally wore light armor and weren’t accustomed to combat at this short range, so he experienced little to no resistance. That first swing of his struck cleanly on the neck of the turning mage, half decapitating the man. ‘One down..’ That’s what Ikazuchi thought as he continued turning and shifted his gaze to the ranger further around on his left.

‘Shit!’ Ikazuchi exclaimed in his mind as he saw an arrow primed to fire. He instinctively jerked his head backwards as he saw that, and an instant later saw an arrow flash by his head. He was upset by the fact that he had been caught off guard, but he didn’t stop to express that anger. Ikazuchi immediately lunged towards the ranger in a sideways manner to shoulder tackle the man. At the same time, he moved his right hand holding his other sword in front of his stomach. The result was an intense shoulder bash that impaled the ranger’s abdomen.

The momentum of the shoulder tackle carried the two a short distance away until the slammed into a tree producing cracking noises. The groan of the man informed Ikazuchi that he still lived. It was honestly surprising to him, but he wouldn’t show mercy. He leaned his body away from the man before forcefully moving back to empower an elbow strike which caused the man’s skull to burst.

“Now for those in the rear…” Ikazuchi spoke to himself quietly as he dashed towards the back of the convoy. He ignored the front that had been entrusted to Akushitsuna entirely. He understood his responsibilities, so he wouldn’t waste time doubting his companion’s capabilities. He had enough trust in Akushitsuna that he could act freely.

Ikazuchi’s only concern was the four guards that were defending the front and back of the convoy. They were outnumbered, and didn’t possess capabilities like his or Akushitsuna’s. It was only a matter of seconds so far, but that was clearly enough for drastic changes. What their duo could do in a matter of seconds was a clear example of that. ‘You guys better hold on until I get there.’ Ikazuchi thought this to himself in a hopeful manner as he locked his gaze on the going on between the four attackers and two defenders.

Word Count: 500

Aku's eyes locked intently on the cloth garbed sorcerer holding a wooden staff, which had since started producing a green light. His peripherals could see the magic seal form beneath his feet, but barely manages to prepare himself before the spell took effect. The trees surrounding this rogue appeared to become malleable yet sturdy, as they begin to encircle the man in an attempt to entrap and presumably crush. "Fuck, this might as well be a playground to him." As the bending trees closed in more it left Aku with very little options, but he could still see a small opening to escape higher in the air.

He lunged with great speed managing to narrowly launch out of the trap just before closing; however, the young man now found himself an open target soaring through the air. Just as suspected, another surge of large branches begin to fly towards him from multiple directions. Thankfully for Aku, they weren't on course to land simultaneously, giving him an idea. Just as the first branch got within reaching distance he would grab on and begin to flip. While the other tree limbs began to 'correct' themselves for such a maneuver, he simply kept ahold and angled himself as they closed him. As soon as they were within a few feet of himself, the gauntlet upon his hand begins to glow as he kicks off from the bark with great speed directly at the mage.

His arm had been placed outwards so that upon landing, he would have effectively clotheslined the brittle mage by the neck. This strike would send the man straight backwards and down into the ground, and creates a small crater of sorts beneath his body. After standing from his kneeling position Aku would bring his left foot up and down into the poor sorcerer's jaw, twisting it so that the man's neck broke. When he turned to check on the status of the Archer from previously, it would come to his attention that the mage had apparently taken care of it with his wild display of power before. He instead would immediately make haste towards the front of the caravan to attempt to stop the other raiders before they could kill those he were hired to protect. "I've wasted too much time on that damned cheeky mage, even if it were a battlefield to his advantage."

A resounding clash of metal could be heard immediately after Ikazuchi arrived as he had directly used his sword to block a fatal attack targeting one of the rear guards belonging to their convoy. Their clash pushed back the opponent a couple of steps due to Ikazuchi’s momentum being behind the strike. Immediately afterwards, Ikazuchi targeted a rogue with a body kick and knocked him back as well.

“Keep your shields up!” Ikazuchi gave a command to the two guards who seemed shocked by the situation. One of them had been a moment away from death, and only recovered now that Ikazuchi spoke. ‘Good.’ Ikazuchi’s mind was operating at full speed as he immediately dodged behind one of the guards and allowed them to block an incoming sword with their shield.

“Don’t worry about anything, I will cover for you both!” Ikazuchi spoke once more in an attempt to give them some confidence. At the same time, he weaved between the two and kicked the arm of an approaching rogue off course in order to prevent the other guard from taking a strike. The rogue tumbled to the side in order to escape out of the range after he was knocked off balance.

‘These guys aren’t bad…’ Ikazuchi had this thought about the attackers who seemed to work well together. Ikazuchi’s attention shifted back to his left as the guard to his right stepped forward to block the incoming warrior’s strike. Just within his range was the other warrior who had just had his attack avoided by Ikazuchi. ‘You’ll be the first.’

This warrior wielded a large two handed sword, so he couldn’t match Ikazuchi’s nimble swordplay. The man wasn’t able to put up a guard in time and had his throat pierced causing the man to die shortly after.

The guard on his left immediately focused on the rogue closest to him that Ikazuchi had kicked away initially while the one on the right continued to block the other warrior. ‘Where is that other rogue?’ Ikazuchi swept his gaze around and soon found that rogue targeting the back of the right guard. ‘Not happening!’ He thought as he made a short distance lunge to intercept.

The rogue hadn’t expected Ikazuchi to approach so suddenly in only a fraction of a second, so there wasn’t any way for them to react to the punch that he had started as he moved. The guard of his sword dug into the rogue's head causing blood to flow as Ikazuchi followed through with the strike. The force was enough to send the rogue crashing to the ground several feet away. If the rogue wasn’t dead, then he fully expected them to be unconscious due to having their skull cracked in such a manner. Finally, Ikazuchi’s attention turned to the remaining warrior and looked for a chance to cut in. ‘You’re next.’

Word Count: 470

Aku dashed far enough out of the woods at an angle to a point where he could see fleeting glimpses of the ongoing battle at the front of the caravan. There was a certain amount of details missed between bobbing and weaving around the brush and trees that surrounded him, but Aku managed to make out the more important details. The two guards accompanying the trip had since made their way several meters forward to confront the ambushers, which likely broke into a battle just seconds ago. While he did his absolute best to close the gap between them, the rogue is forced to watch as one of his men are ambushed by two foes. The guard managed to block his first foes blow with his shield; however, the opposing rogue managed to shove a tanto blade directly through the warriors armor, causing the guard to stumble backwards in pain.

Aku would immediately allow his gauntlet to glimmer as he jumps forward with extreme speed that exceeded even his own normal capabilities. Meanwhile, he propelled with such speed that his outwardly reached gauntlet smacked against the face of the rogue as he attempts to pull it from the guards chest. The opponents neck makes a clear snap as Aku allows the mans body to fall to the ground, grabbing the blade and looking to the guard in distress with a solemn tone in his demeanor. "Hold it here until we can tend to your wounds." No sooner than the wounded man would grab his own weapon of defeat, Aku turns to the remaining three who had since turned their direction toward himself. "Any time you spend attacking my convoy is time I will spend ending your lives, ask any of the 3 comrades of yours I've already dealt with" In this time he spent allowing a smirk to fill his face. "I forgot, they're already dead."

In the time that Aku had spent finishing his last statement, the three remaining fighters had decided to ready their weapon and dash at the singular fighter. Akushitsuna would spend this singular moment to analyze his opponents, as he watches the thugs attempt to rush towards himself. It would appear that he was facing a duo of heavily armored warriors wielding two handed swords, and a singular rogue dual wielding daggers. Their demeanor was that of angered men, and not of a well disciplined warrior in combat. "Pathetic."

WC: 400

During the next exchange between the right guard and the warrior Ikazuchi was able to properly cut in between the two men and block the warrior. “Go assist with the other one!” He gave an order to the man as he sidestepped an incoming attack. His opponent wielded a sword and shield making him more difficult to defeat quickly.

As a Warrior himself, Ikazuchi knew the various benefits of a shield and didn’t rush to strike the man’s defense. Not only would it dull his sword, it could easily cause an opening if he wasn’t careful. There was a temporary standstill as the Warrior dealt with Ikazuchi’s oppressive presence. He had seen two of his companions die very shortly, so he knew that he couldn’t act carelessly.

Ikazuchi wouldn’t miss his opponent’s tension at a moment like this, and he smiled due to it. He had the confidence to defeat his opponent. His smile was an unintentional display of that confidence. He didn’t intend to provoke the man at this moment, but the result was an angry thrust from his opponent.

‘That was a mistake.’ That was what Ikazuchi thought as he rotated his body and stepped into the area behind the opponent’s shield and kicked strongly onto the shield. A boot shaped dent appeared on the shield as the warrior staggered back a few steps.

Ikazuchi immediately followed the man attempting to find an opening and end the fight. The man was shaken by Ikazuchi’s approach and made another mistake. He didn’t trust in his equipment, or the skills he had honed. Instead he used a wild swing of his in an attempt to keep Ikazuchi from approaching.

This was Ikazuchi’s second chance in the fight, and one that he had a lot of experience with. As dual wielder he was accustomed to an extremely wide variety of swings, and how to approach them. He took the opportunity to slip to the outside of the swing by letting it glance off of his spaulder and target the man’s right arm wielding the sword.

With a downward chop Ikazuchi managed to cut through a gap in the man’s armor and and through his arm. The man screamed in pain as Ikazuchi’s left sword deftly struck with his left sword. It drew a smooth and beautiful arc as it passed effortlessly through the man’s neck. Blood shot into the sky as the man’s head tumbled to the ground. His pained scream was cut short almost as soon as it started.

At this point Ikazuchi was free to check on the rear guards. He was pleasantly surprised by the sight of them standing over the dead body of a rogue with looks of shock on their face as they stared at him. “Don’t just stand there! The battle isn’t over! Make sure they’re finished off, I’m going to check the front!” Immediately after saying that, Ikazuchi turned his attention towards the front where he expected Akushitsuna to be finishing up if he hadn’t done so already.

Word Count: 500

Ikazuchi wasn’t surprised as he moved to the front and saw the lifeless bodies on the ground. The situation had been settled cleanly, and there were only minor injuries on the other guards. ‘Fucking politics…’ Ikazuchi couldn’t help but feel that it was ridiculous for siblings to fight for the throne in this manner. He was more than happy to benefit from the situation, but he also valued family too much to understand why the throne was so important.

‘Oh well…’ He pushed the thought out of his mind as he gave his companion a nod of acknowledgement and returned to the back of the group. “Alright, let’s clean up and get moving!” Ikazuchi didn’t hesitate to lead the men at this moment as they were still a bit shaken up by the battle.

As for what cleaning up entailed, that was properly taking care of the dead bodies. As it was near a main road, they couldn’t just leave them due to the possibility of attracting beasts. It would be irresponsible for them, and detrimental to the image of the person that they represent if they simply left corpses lying around.

The group gathered any gear from their attackers that was still in good condition and quickly made a large hole to bury the dead in. It may be slightly disrespectful to make a group grave, but they didn’t owe their enemies more courtesy than that. Ikazuchi even believed that it was a kindness to not simply toss the corpses into the woods for wild animals.

“Alright, we’re good to go!” Ikazuchi and Akushitsuna had just returned from scouting to ensure that their surroundings were clear, so their employer was comfortable with resuming their journey. Ikazuchi couldn’t be sure if it was due to the failed attempt earlier, but the trip went smoothly from that point on. With their task completed, all that remained was inquiring about their next.

Word Count: 320

OOC: Thread Complete, Aku isn't available but gave me permission to control his character/close the thread for both of us.