PM to join A lantern in the dark (Ricky please)

[Iff]

34th day of fall, 513

Iff stood over the three dead bodies prodding each in turn with her toe. They moved in the sloppy loose way that the dead move before rigor mortis sets in, and she filed this information away, not sure if it would be any use. She touched the forehead of the nearest man, which was quite cool but still held a hint of the warmth of life. Iff decided that the three had died about one or two hours ago. The cause of death seemed quite obvious, as all three men’s bodies bore the sign of many stab wounds, and each held or lay near some sort of knife or dagger.

Iff frowned at the bodies. It was unusual for a fight to have three sides, and she had seen more of examples of this deadly sort of random altercation in the past few days. Bending down, Iff noticed a peculiar stain at the corner of one of the corpse’s lips, another sign that she had seen before. It was the mark of a new drug that had recently been making its way into the city, smuggled in somehow past the ordinary channels. Rage, it was called, and it filled it's user with a sense of grandiose power, or omnipotence, that rapidly became addictive. She looked up and down the street and saw the figure of a man moving towards her.

[Ricky Maze]

Order. That's all Ricky ever wanted nowadays. Yet no matter what he wanted something always happened to mess up his plans, today in particular being sent out on an investigation with a stranger he hadn't even met! What with the Coup and the final event that closed it not to long ago the Wave Guard had to be stretched thin by now, the chaos that erupted a rapture of insanity on his mind as he focused on everything he had to take care of. He had a wife, an unborn child, a kitten, and practically adopted sister to worry about along with others, all capable of taking care of each other sure but that wasn't the issue. The real problem Ricky felt was the fact he was working extra hard as of now, crisis after crisis as he too felt himself stretched thin in this case. He sighed as he continued his approach, the azure uniform of the Wave Guard a symbol of the would be peace keepers. Yet their order was only capable of so much, and he feared that Zeltiva may finally be realizing this.

As he approached the scene of the crime his eyes fell on the tall woman that matched even his height, which was a major surprise considering he was usually the taller of most people. However he paid little mind to her in his approach and more so on the bodies as they remained motionless. He could feel the cool moisture in the air as he arrived mix with a breeze that chilled the area, a foreboding sense of feeling already filled the pit of his stomach as he examined the bodies up close. "Three o' them eh?" He remarked with hands planted at his waistline, another sigh came but this one silenty through the nose as a grim expression rested on his face. "Three bodies, three weapons, multiple wounds t' the torso region. Not that long ago since they'd been dead." By the look of it this could have several different scenario's to play out, each and every piece of evidence a key fact in this investigation.

"What is that? At 'is mouth... That's not blood." He knelt down to inspect this stain further, the coloration to dark to compare to dried blood. No this was a substance, had to be something ingested by the looks of it. Hard times have hit the city after all, the chances that drugs have secretly hit the streets were likely well enough. With this kind of inner turmoil it fell to reliable shoulders to bear this issue, and even if he was stressed out enough already he still felt inclinced to lend a hand. This was his home after all, and he would see it cleaned of this filth by his own means. "Ricky Maze o' the Wave Guard lass," He finally broke the silence that clung to the air with his gaze partially focused on the woman, "I'm 'ere t' assist ya in this investigation. What all info d' ye 'ave from this?" He inquired with a small grunt in his voice as he stood straight up once more, his attention to the bodies remained unchanged as he waited to hear what the woman had to say.

[Iff]

Iff stood passively as the new man bent to examine the bodies, validating her conclusions at a glance. The new man was quite handsome, but too large for her to easily tie to her bed. She had been working on this case for a few days now but as yet had learned fairly little.

"The stain is from a drug." She lowered herself down, squatting to sit on her heels, and with two fingers pried one of the men's mouth open. It was too dark to see well, but it was apparent that the inside of mouth had been stained a similar color.

"A woman told me it is called 'Rage,' a drug that angries the blood and makes a person feel all-powerful."

She stood again.

"In the last 8 days there have been 7 deaths, 10 with these. All bear the stain."

She dug in her belt bag as Ricky introduced himself, baring her teeth in the traditional manner of human greeting.

"I am Iff of the Hellcats, newly a Wave Guard. Here are the names of those that have died."

She showed Ricky the paper, on which were written a list of names. Her writing was overly large and somewhat child like, it was evident that she had no great skill with reading or making words. On the other side of the paper she had made a crude map of several blocks in the poorer section of town, with the houses of dead marked with X's.

The cold autumn wind blew gently down the street, carrying sounds of the city. Something tickled at the edge of Ricky's mind. Was that the sound of metal scraping gently on a scabbard? Something seemed to have moved in the dark of an alley, and there behind a second floor window across the street. These were not things most people would notice, and Iff remained oblivious, if indeed there was anything to them.

[Ricky Maze]

"Rage. Bloody brilliant." He crossed his arms with a shake of his heas in disapproval, a bit of a grimace present as he thought harder on the substance. "Barnacle shyke is all it is, however it came t' be on the streets s'gonna be dealt with." He gave the chin hair of his beard some odd strokes as he contemplated the details she gave him, a grimace to follow as he took the slip of parchment with the names of those who'd been deceased by this drug. His disapproval was evidently clear in his expression, Ricky was in fact very displeased with the fact these drugs were present in Zeltiva. It became crystal clear to him that the time to clean the streets of this substance was now, and he'd put forth the extra effort to do so.

"Aye, ye done good Iff. No doubt a foreigner t' the city and yet yer already crackin' down on a smuggle case, should earn ye some good respect among the guard if we clean this mess up." He assured her with a faint smile even if the situation seemed to grim, it was times like this he missed having his four legged companion around to sniff the bastards out. Alas Odis had passed on and Ricky was the one left to protect Zeltiva, and he did his best to uphold such a charge as alone as he could. Yet Iff was the one who had been on this case and it wasn't right for him to call the shots, not when he'd just been put on it and discovered what they were up against.

As the wind blew the cool breeze that brought on the chill that dwelled in the air a faint sound carried out, a sound Ricky knew all to well as he had much experience with it all in his past. The faint whispers of a blade as it sighed its release from where it rested, the echoes of metal as it called for blood to be spilt somewhere in the dark reaches of the night. "The petch?" He turned to face the blacl recesses of an alley not too far, brow furrowed over blue eyes as he grew wary of a feeling that developed. Instinct demanded that he be armed and ready for anything, but he couldn't merely draw his own longsword without probable cause to follow. Taps and tatters came shortly after from a window that hung high above, and a sense of paranoia quickly filled Ricky's cautious mind. "Be wary lass, we aren't alone out 'ere t'night."

His warning followed with his own right hand brought to the left side of his waist, the grip of the chilly hilt cooled his palms as the cold sweat started to build, he didn't plan to use unless a last resort but Ricky tapped into the reserves of his Djed to prepare his Reimancy should they become overwhelmed. The enticing desire to cast out his Res started to develop in his mind as he held his composure, and he remained vigilant of the surrounding area as he waited for signs of others to become present.

[Iff]

The cold breeze from the ocean moved like icy fingers over Iff's neck. She was not dressed sufficiently warmly for the weather, but it was beneath her dignity to complain or to shiver. The cold focused her somehow, turning her thoughts sharp.

Iff nodded at Ricky's words.

"I plan to serve with distinction, and for that I must be active. I do not understand the ways of the humans here. Is anger so difficult that you require a drug for it?"

When Ricky told Iff they were not alone, she was looking downward at the fallen bodies. She raised one eyebrow in puzzlement, and looked around. She saw no one. Did he refer to the dead? Why should she be careful of them? Then she noticed his hand and his look towards the alleyway.

And then there was the faint whine of an arrow which flew somewhat wide of it's mark, passing neatly through Iff's left tricep and embedding itself in the ground. She gave a hiss of anger like a wet cat, and moved in three quick steps towards a building near the alley. A rain barrel looked to afford some minimal protection, but then four men came quickly out of the alley, two towards her and two towards Ricky. The men wore dark clothing and moved with confidence. Each carried a thin short sword, quick and deadly, and all had the dead look in their eyes that killers get when they've spent to much time at their work.

Iff did not stop her movement, drawing her skirmish sword from where it hung along her back. One of the men spoke.

"This is none of your concern. We'll have an end to your snooping."

[Ricky Maze]

Iff's curiosity about the drug and its relation to anger and rage, the two were not too far apart after all. However there wasn't the time to answer her confused question as they were in the midst of company, dangerous company that made its presence known by an attack from the shadows. An arrow flew in Iff's direction and injured her left arm with a clean shot, and Ricky's initial reaction was to draw his long sword as they were in an ambushed location. "Petch!" Iff was off to find cover just as Ricky initially had the same idea, but their area was obviously a set up for an ambush.

"Gods damn it!" They had a perfect trap set up. An archer from above and four men from the shadows with short swords, how in Zeltiva could this go from bad to worse in a moments notice. Oh wait. This is Zeltiva Ricky worked to protect, so of course he'd face the bulk of issues like now. "Petch these shyke bags, they're all-" One of the men spoke about meddling in this drug affair and that caught Ricky's attention, the fact they were told this event was "none of their concern" interested him as he glanced at the three dead bodies.

He assumed they were involved with the drugs, whether it was through smuggling or providing it to buyers. "This ain't good." He couldn't produce a shield to prevent further arrows from attacking, he didn't even know if his shields could block incoming projectiles such as arrows. Even worse was the fact he may have to use Reimancy, and he was still rough around the edges with that as well. Ricky still had to do something though if he were to see both him and Iff alive and well out of this mess, and last he checked he could handle a fight with two pirates quite well. There was of course pressure involved but the same concept existed here, except he had more experience and another to try and protect. "We're the shield that protects this city, by duty we're bound t' be involved in this." Ricky responded with deep breathes, his face already flushed with fustration as he measured their odds.

Four swordsmen one archer from what Ricky knew, and he wielded a long sword so that'd make keeping up with two at once difficult. Iff had a sword Ricky hadn't seen before but he assumed she could use it well, thus he would focus on guarding her back while fighting the two he faced in the process. It was a complexive situation that called for a quickly made strategy, and Ricky needed a bit of time before he could produce such a thing. "What's yer business 'ere? What's yer involvement with the 'Rage' drug that killed these people?" He hoped they would be given an explanation, that their clever ambusher's would have the decency to answer unsolved questions before their "alleged" death. It would be during this time that he would formulate a strategy with his considered options, and from there take action should they be forced to fight. Although he hated to kill others this was a tense situation where he had to be ready to do so, because Ricky wanted to see that he and Iff would go home tonight without watching their backs.

[Iff]

Iff's left arm was awash in pain. The arrow had gone clean through, but the hole it had left meant it was agony for her to move it. She held her skirmish sword in her right hand, and a second arrow hit the rain barrel she crouched behind with a dull thunk.

Iff's eyes narrowed as the two men approached, adrenaline washing through her body.

"That ain't anything you need to be knowing," the man responded to Ricky. "You don't know what this city needs."

He moved suddenly then, performing a neat fencer's lunge to skewer Ricky through the chest, his sword moving rather gracefully upwards from where he carried it and under Ricky's guard.

The two men near Iff smirked, with one moving to circle around behind her to finish her off more conveniently. But then Iff sprang suddenly forward, thrusting her sword towards the lead man's face and when he raised his arm to parry kicking him powerfully in the throat, sending him staggering backwards to sit down hard on the street.

[Ricky Maze]

"Pure scum!" The voice in his head roared as he prepared for the attack that was sent his way, Ricky hadn't the chance to thoroughly plan out a tactic system that worked but he'd enough experience to know how to fight two against one. "Parry and strike, then dispatch 'em while the others wounded!" Dirty Fighting. The fundamentals behind were to sabotage your opponents while taking them down, a basic tactic to follow when outnumbered two to one after all. First thing however was to defend his self, then go in for the kill when it was possible. As the short sword flew forward in the direction to Ricky's chest, Ricky brought his sword close to his chest and gripped the hilt of his blade with a straight hand and an angled hand. With his eyes focused solely on the weapon sent into his direction, Ricky used the first few fingers in his angled hand to pull the blade over into a counter clockwise spin that knocked the tip of the short sword down and away from it's intended course.

Next came the follow up of an attack to take down the assailant, which involved stopping the long swords spin down to his enemy after alternating the hilt in his hands for the spin it traveled just a moment ago. Ricky's heart wasn't set to killing others as was the prerogative of his morals he'd long adopted since before any chances of life and death hung in the balance, however he intended to see that he and Iff go home at the end of the day and that involved choosing to live. Thus the struggle for survival ensued as he fought against such moral, and sent his blade in a downward thrust toward the man before him in the attempted to end a life. However he followed through a little too late, the assailant managed to pull out of the thrust and stay on his feet as Ricky's blade clanked the stone ground under their feet. Surprise filled his expression as his eyed fell sharply on the man and his partner right next to him, another attack quickly sent forward as a counter to his own.

"Oh shyke!" Ricky had to dunk down to avoid the first swing and then pull back with a stagger in his feet to avoid a secondary attack, a stagger in his feet presented itself as his equilibrium struggled to keep up with his choice of movement. "Damn!" Time for a change in the play, a shift in his tactics was called for. He had to do something that worked fast, something that could put a stop to these two in a matter of chimes. He had to be ruthless now, which would involve what little he could do with Reimancy. "First; go in f'r the attack." Ricky brought his long sword up and around in a downward arc to one of his two opponents, the dodge expected to happen as he did so of course. "Now go f'r the kill!" His focus shifted and his body was quick to follow his mind, the longsword missed the first man with Ricky's upper body forward and an exposed right shoulder to the other man. He took the chance for a lunge, just as Ricky intended for the opportunity to remain open just in that instance.

As the second assailant went forward in his lunge Ricky flourished his own sword and brought it up from his left to slash the man's torso from the waist up to his chest. Which left another exposed area to the other one now, and that was Ricky's back of course. The guard had much to focus on in so little time, and in order for his next step to work he had to execute this plan just right. The attacker he managed to slice open had retreated back with hands at his torso now, cries of anguish made his pain clear as he fell to his knees while he bled out. The cut wasn't as deep as Ricky intended but acceptable nonetheless, he debilitated one opponent while the other likely prepared a strike for his unguarded area. It was in this moment Ricky pulled out his reserves and felt the strongest desires awaken from within. He willed for his Res to envelope his right hand with his mind focused on the idea of keeping the Res in the form of a gas, the urge to drown everyone around him was a siren's call in a dark hazy night at sea.

He had to struggle with himself just to maintain this control, remembered that he only needed this amount with a particular focus in mind to help.pull this off. "Family, think of home." Deep breaths. That's all he needed in this moment was deep breaths, and then he could focus on the task at hand. It had been thin as gas to where it was unnoticable, but a royal blue haze seemed present around his right hand by now. It rested there as it waited for further command from Ricky's will, and the guard braced himself for the next attack that would come from behind.

[Iff]

The man that Iff had kicked stayed down, making no noise as he groped at his throat with his hands. His windpipe had been crushed by the kick and it was an open question whether he would breathe again.

Iff's skirmish sword was a weapon designed to be used with two hands, and the arrow that had passed through one of her arm made using it difficult. The pain came in hot flashes when she moved her arm, but more than that she did not want to tear the muscle further, and so she swung the weapon one handed. She was strong, her Myrian blood giving her more than human strength, and she gripped the weapon near the top of the hilt for better swinging leverage.

A second arrow came whirring from the window above, but missed its target. The archer was perhaps leary of hitting his comrades, and shot wide but too great a margin. Iff's second assailant moved in a circle around her, sword out, looking for an opening.

Iff crouched low, her sword swinging restlessly, and she moved suddenly in, her opponent's weapon darting in past her clumsy one-handed parry. With a desperate twist Iff avoided the worst of the thrust, and the sword passed through her shirt, grazing her across the stomach.

And then she was inside the weapon's reach. Dropping her sword, the Myrian grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and then began to pummel him with a series of quick punishing blows with her knee, firing shot after shot into his mid section, each one landing with a hollow thud.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky's eye caught the attack from just out the corner of his vision as he retaliated with his longsword brought up to intercept the attack, a parry followed as metal rang against metal in it's grind for the opportunity to strike. However his opponents use of the short sword was just as equal as his own use with the longsword, thus the assailant evaded the next blow that came from Ricky as his sword came down in an arc to strike. "Damn motherpetcher!" He raised the sword hilt up to his face with both fists locked around it, the point of the blade directed at his target as he quickly eyed the man down. An arrow whipped past his head with a whir and thunk as it hit the stoney ground, and diverted his attention as he spun away for safety measure.

That was when his sword wielding opponent charged forward to get another attack in, which left Ricky to change his tactics a little to better suit a countermeasure. "Delta Strike then!" Ricky returned to his previous stance just before the arrow flew by him, and with focus on the attacker he zoned out everything else to pay closer attention to detail. He observed the movement made in his arms and legs, the angle and aimed path that the weapon sought, and stood fast waiting to time his reaction for the counter he had in mind. "First parry this blow he has t' offer, then move in for the assault to debilitate 'em from further fightin', and then finish off the archer fr'm above." He doubted his skill in Reimancy could be powerful enough but he had to at least try, any attempt at casting a water ball was good enough for Ricky.

Thus he focused further into the timing of his parry and pulled the edge of his blade around to clash into the shortsword, the pommel of his blade before him as he shoved it toward the man's face with a crack to follow. The blow was a quick one that merely staggered the attacker back, with a counter clockwise rotation to bring the longsword down onto the handguard of the shortsword. With his opponent disarmed Ricky's focus switched just for a moment to the archer above, the next arrow now aimed for him after a couple of attempts for his comrade. Quick thinking followed as he grabbed the collarbone of the disarmed man and pulled him around to take the shot instead, a cry of pain pursued from the fellow as the arrow flew into the back of his right shoulder. Thus it was Ricky's turn to aim and fire.

"Finally." Some part of him enjoyed the moment, the savory sweet feeling of a plan executed orderly along with the casting of magic. It haunted his senses with its ever enticing sensations of pleasure with the manner that chilled his very spine, yet he didn't wait any longer to take this chance and attempt to cast their archer down. He threw the man he used for a shield down and took his sword in his left hand, and brought his right hand up close with a sharp look to the window above him. The royal blue haze formed together and condensed into a loosely liquid ball of Res that waited for his command, and without further ado Ricky sent the ball forward with almost a sinister grin on his face as he willed for the outer layer of Res to transmute into the element he knew too well; Water.