A Warm Welcome (D-rank Mission: Hunted!)

The air was light and crisp, the lightest sheen of recently-fallen snow still upon the ground.  The sun was hidden amidst a host of grey clouds, making it feel colder than what it actually was.  Kaz kept his hands in the pockets of his coat, ignoring the small puff of white air that appeared whenever he exhaled.  His destination was the cluster of buildings on the horizon, some still half-collapsed from the previous war.  He would appreciate having a legitimate place to rest his head and warm up, instead of camping out in the snow-laden wilderness.

The town itself seemed equally mellow, and Kaz barely saw anyone around.  There were a few reconstruction projects, but they were left in half-finished states, to be continued at another time.  Kaz had visisted Era in the past, but had never seen it back in its glory days.  He supposed that at one time, it must have been a very prestigious and great place to live.  But now after the war, the damage was only half the problem.  The Magic Council had left a gaping hole in the town's life.  It was a part of their identity and life, one not easily replaced.

On his way to the inn, Kaz saw a group of people gathered in a section of town.  Perhaps that would explain such few people in the rest of Era.  Now curious, Kaz detoured from his original path, joining the rest of the onlookers.  At the center of their attention was a woman, dressed in a tightly-fitted red uniform.  Kaz caught the familiar symbol of the Magic Council pinned on her chest.  She seemed to be standing over another man, the details lost to Kaz, mainly because the man was planted face-first in the ground.  A small trail of blood seeped from below him.

“What's going on...?” Kaz wondered quietly, keeping his face carefully masked.  It looked like he was just viewing the tail end of a finished battle.

“You just missed it,” a girl turned around to answer him.  She was dressed in plain and unassuming clothes, most likely a native of Era.  “New in town...?” She guessed from his appearance.  “The Magic Council sent representatives to Era only a few days ago, to root out any underground guildless mages.  She just caught one now... He wouldn't surrender... it was an unreal battle,” she nodded to the woman and the collapsed man.

“Oh of course... Enforcing the registration of wizards,” Kaz stared at the scene.  Attacking someone just because of the talent they possessed... how typical of the Magic Council.  Any mage they couldn't keep track of was considered a threat.  He'd heard about their guildless policy, but rarely saw it enforced.  ...Was the Magic Council getting more serious about their rules?  Or were they just starting a witch hunt of sorts, to scare others into submission?  Mentally he swore to himself.  He'd come to Era originally to find work.  A town full of reconstruction, someone must've had need for something.  But if the Magic Council was reinforcing their presence here, this was the last place Kaz wanted to stay.  He made a mental note to leave right away tomorrow morning.

He realized that the girl was still staring at him, a bit unnervingly so, considering her silence.  “I know I'm ravishingly handsome, but it's rude to stare,” he winked at her.

She blushed, eyes darting away quickly.  “Oh, I-I was just wondering what guild you're in, sir,” her words came out in a rush.

“Me? I'm not in a guild,” Kaz looked at her quizzically, wondering where she'd come to such a conclusion.  The girl was fidgeting with her hands, still looking down.  “Uhh, I'm not a mage,” he realized his mistake quickly, hastening to lie and provide the correct answer.  He realized she might have been staring earlier at the hilt of the sword slung on his back, instead of at him.  “If you mean this...” He touched the hilt lightly.  “It's just a normal sword, no lacrima or anything.  I've got no magical talent,” he smiled in a way that he hoped was charming.

“I... oh... I see,” she bit her lip and turned away quickly.  If anything, she seemed more alarmed after his answer than before.  By preemptively trying to defend himself, he'd seemingly convinced her further of his guilt.  Kaz didn't think he'd answered that suspiciously, but these people seemed paranoid.

Deciding that sticking around any longer would be a bad idea, Kaz backed away from the gaping crowd.  Back to his original plan of the inn.  Before he turned the corner to the alternate path, he cast one last look back to the crowd.  Only to see that the girl he'd spoken to earlier was talking with the Magic Council Seeker.  And that they were both looking in his direction.  Quickly he broke their gaze and walked quickly away.  This was not what he needed.  He hoped that he was the one being paranoid, and that nothing would actually come from earlier.  How did the Magic Council even know if someone was a wizard anyway?  They shouldn't come after him without direct proof.  He'd had his fair share of pursuers in the past, but those were mainly bounty hunters or the law upset at him for his past murder.  But if the Council thought he was a guildless wizard?  These were more enemies he couldn't afford to make.  One enemy he wasn't worried about.  An entire organization hellbent on restraining him, he was.

His heart pounded quickly in his ears as he began walking without a direction.  His idea of heading straight to the inn was temporarily lost.  He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed, although the rational part of his mind told him it was probably just due to his earlier fear.  He wandered around mindlessly through both residential and commercial districts, until he'd gotten a better control of his racing thoughts.  He took a deep breath and stopped his aimless wandering.  This is dumb, he told himself, trying to forcefully ration out the situation.  It's probably nothing.  And if they're after you, they're after you.  Deal with it then, not now.

Kaz began walking again, this time at his normal speed, a place in mind.  He entered one of the worst section in Era, where nearly all the buildings were rubble.  The reconstruction team had yet to even touch such a place, as the debris spanned quite far.  The former residents had already moved into homes in other sections.  Ignoring the 'do not enter' signs, Kaz picked his way through ruins until he was out of eyesight from the inhabited part of town.  He found a particularly flat slab of rock.  Unstrapping his sword, he set it down, before sitting on the rock.  He stared up to the red setting sun, watching it sink through the mask of grey clouds.  He'd wait here, a prime secluded place to be attacked, until he proved his paranoia wrong.  Then he could go to the inn and sleep in peace.

Footsteps echoed out in the ruins of one of Era's old residential sections. These echoing footsteps caught the attention of one younger man roaming about on patrol. So he began making his way around warily when he spotted Kasimir chilling on a rock. And unluckily for him... information spread among the paladins and seekers around Era.

"Sir," He approached Kasimir calmly. There was a plain looking sheathed sword at his side. Closer inspection would reveal that it was a sheath designed to hold a long sword. He had on the white uniform of the council, complete with the emblem. However, unlike the woman Kaz had seen before it was less ornate, and much simpler.

"I'm going to have to ask that you come with me quietly," The seeker sounded young and inexperienced, but his voice showed he wasn't exactly second guessing himself either. Either he was over confident, or he was more skilled than his appearance might lead on to. "I assure you, once we've ascertained the information we want, we will let you go.

"If you won't come with me, I'll be forced to bring you in," he warned, his hand resting on the hilt of his long sword. It seemed like saying no was out of the question...

At the sound of footsteps in such a desolate part of town, Kaz's hand subconsciously went to the hilt of his sword.  He didn't pick it up yet, leaving it on the ground, but he could at a moment's notice.  He turned to halfway face his unexpected company.  Although he didn't recognize the other man specifically, he did recognize his uniform and the Magic Council emblem.  So had he been followed?  Or was it pure coincidence?  Well... Kaz was technically trespassing, so maybe his original fears were completely unfounded, and he'd just attracted attention at the wrong time.  At least it wasn't the same woman from earlier, Kaz had a feeling that she would've been hard to shake.

"Er... Did I do something wrong?" He asked, remaining perfectly in place.  Still sitting down to appear non-hostile.  But his hand was still resting over the hilt of his sword.  Better for him to figure out why he was being targeted than jumping to conclusions and making needless trouble.  He didn't want to go with the Magic Council... not at all... the less they knew about him, the better.  There was a whole variety of reasons they could keep him in prison, and he doubted they'd just let him go whenever they 'ascertained the information they wanted'.

"I'm sorry for ignoring the 'do not enter' signs, I just wanted a place to watch the sunset," Kaz smiled sheepishly, hoping that he could actually talk his way out of this.  "Can't we forget this ever happened, and I'll make sure to never cause trouble again?" He really, really hoped it didn't come to a fight.  One person, especially this young seeker, Kaz thought he could take in a fight.  But it wasn't this part that Kaz was worried about.  It was everything after that could cause more trouble.  If the seeker insisted on bringing him in, however, Kaz wouldn't have much choice except resisting.

The seeker tilted his head slightly at Kasmir's request. He seemed to take a moment to think, but then shook his head slowly. He walked slowly forward, his body language showed he was guarded, like he was unsure what Kasmir was going to do. “I would normally let you off with a warning.”

“But the captain said to bring in anyone suspicious,” He stated stopping still several feet from Kasmir, but now much closer. It would be harder for Kasmir to run from the guard now, since the guard would have to cover less ground to catch him. “You have my word you'll be asked a few questions and let go if you're not who we're looking for.”

“So, please co-operate,” the seeker said eyeing the hand that rested on Kasmir's sword. He seemed a little more tense now. Maybe the bravado he'd had up before was him trying to appear better and stronger than he actually was. Regardless the seeker's fingers curled around the handle of his sword. “And no will get hurt.”

Kaz's mind was quickly churning as the seeker continued to walk forward. But the next words really sent his paranoia spinning. The Council was looking for someone in particular? Oh man, maybe this was more than just a wanton guildless hunt. Maybe they had legitimately put fragmented testimony together from Crocus and were actually looking for Kasimir Sewik.

But wait a moment. This Magic Council Seeker had gone after Kaz all by himself. That meant they might have suspected Kaz, but he wasn't their prime suspect yet. Slowly Kaz's alarmed face settled into a thin line, eyes staring challengingly at the young seeker, especially when he saw the other man's eyes flicker to Kaz's sword. "Is that so," Kaz said, although it wasn't really a question. His foe made it seem like he'd come of his own volition, rather than being specifically ordered by the captain. Kaz could have been wrong, but... he had a gut feeling that right now, the rest of the Magic Council didn't they were out in the middle of nowhere talking.

"You came out here all by yourself? If you died, it would probably take your friends a long time to find your body all the way out here." He moved at the same time he spoke the ominous words. His right hand gripped his two handed-sword tightly, his left hand closed around a fistful of sand and gravel. Quickly he rose with surprising grace, hurling the dirt into the seeker's face. Without waiting to see if it connected or not, Kaz slammed his foot into the ground. Magic energy pulsed from his feet, the resounding clack against the concrete resonating loudly. A tremor rumbled, shaking the entire ground around Kaz... intent on knocking his opponent off his feet. Kaz stayed glued in place as the earthquake rocked the world around him. As soon as the spell ended however... despite his earlier words, Kaz took off running away from the young seeker. Yeah, killing him probably would have made more sense. But that wasn't who Kaz was.

"I think I'd rather take a third option where no one gets hurt!" Kaz called back, jumping as fast as he could on the uneven rocky debris. It wasn't that he was scared of this particular seeker's power (although he was frightened of the Magic Council). However, he really didn't want to fight either. This guy didn't seem like a bad kid, he was just doing his job. But the rules of the Council were so messed up, and Kaz had a shady past he'd rather keep hidden - too much would go wrong if he simply surrendered. Rather than fight, he'd much prefer to avoid the situation entirely.

MP 140/150:

The young seeker took a more ready stance when Kas mentioned not finding his body. Such veiled threats proved that the man before them was a criminal that needed to be brought in, and the seeker was going to do just that. That was... until there was dirt in his face. His arms flew up to cover his face when the dirt came at him, pulling his sword from it's sheath in the process. It was a slender blade, clearly meant for one handed use.

Then the ground shook, and the Seeker fell backwards with a surprised cry. He blinked, trying to get his vision back. Thankfully for the seeker, or not depending on how one wanted to look at it, this area only had two ways to get out fast, and one was behind him. The other was where the seeker could see Kas' blurry form running to, so he held out his hand.

"Halt!" The wall light came up in between the walls of the alley Kas was about to dart into. He could still attempt to climb over the ruble around it, but it was clear the seeker would be on top of him before he could get over the six foot wall. The seeker now stood, still blinking rapidly as he tried to get the dirt and dust out of his eyes. "Drop your weapon, you're under arrest!"

It was clear the seeker wasn't going to back down in his current condition. His sword was clearly sharp and battle ready. His stance was, while not exceptional, sturdy enough that he knew how to fight. And Kas wouldn't escape so easily.

MP: 75/100:

Conditions of Victory:

Kaz actually thought he had a good running start, maybe he'd be able to get out of this without fighting after all. Until the wall of light formed in front of him. Swearing mentally, Kaz skidded to a halt. Of course life was never that easy. A quick scan told him that it wouldn't be easy to scale - the surrounding rubble was uneven and it would probably take a lot of skill to climb up and jump over it. Skill which Kaz doubted he had.

Rather than run all the way to the dead end, Kaz instead turned to face the seeker. He'd rather give himself at least a little breathing room to move, than have his back pinned against the wall. Lifting his large claymore sword, Kaz settled into a battle stance, waiting for his opponent to catch up to him. It didn't take long; the seeker was only a few steps behind Kaz. "Hmm....... I'd rather not," Kaz answered the other's demands. "Do we really have to fight? I was trying to avoid it," he sighed. He really wasn't causing anyone harm. And the seeker was just doing his job. That's why this fight seemed so pointless and would entail needless violence. Neither of them were wrong, as far as Kaz was concerned. But that didn't mean he was about to just throw down his weapon and get arrested. Besides, the seeker had been about to arrest him even without Kaz's show of resistance, so the whole surrender thing seemed rather pointless.

Well Kaz was confident he could win in a fight, if the seeker really wanted to push it. Since his opponent had formed the wall, Kaz figured he would be forgiven if he struck first. He didn't need to kill this guy, just get him out of his way long enough to escape. Kaz had been in many battles in the past, and he thought his opponent lacked the experience he had. "Well, if you insist!" Kaz made the first move. He swung the great sword against his opponent's own blade. The one-handed sword looked tiny in comparison to Kaz's own. If Kaz hit it with enough force, the weight of his blade, along with his raw power, could theoretically disarm his opponent. Maybe his opponent would be more willing to let him go when he no longer held a weapon.

The seeker looked visibly irritated at Kas. His vision was slowly clearing, but that didn't stem the anger he felt towards the guildless man before him. Not that he knew Kas was guildless, but heaven help whatever guild he was with if he was with one. "If you didn't want to fight you wouldn't have attacked me!"

That's when Kas charged. The seeker had been taught how to fight, and Kas' charge was predictable. Even if he was still partially blinded, he could make out enough to see where the sword was in relation to Kas' charging form. So he leaned back, bringing his sword back in the process to avoid the strike. This gave the seeker the advantage he was looking for.

He stepped forward and thrust his sword at Kas. But since his sword was meant for one handed combat, the seeker's other hand was open. He pointed it at Kas' sword hand, and fired a small ball of yellow energy. Hopefully, that would disarm Kas, who was clearly using magic through his weapon. It seemed the seeker had the same idea about the opponent being more co-operative disarmed..."If you didn't want to fight, you'd have surrendered!"

Seeker's Status:

Quick Burst:

Kaz had been careless. He could tell everything wasn't perfect with his opponent, so he thought that meant he was weak. The sword blow he had committed himself too left him open for an attack. Originally he thought he would be able to shield whatever subsequent magic attack the Seeker launched, if he used any magic. Kaz's earth wall was powerful, able to block spells even of a higher rank. But he wasn't quite expecting the seeker to be so fast. The spell of light fired off almost the instant the seeker raised his hand.

Kaz didn't have enough time to react. Both his hands were his sword-hands; it was a two-handed weapon. He moved a little, but not enough. The spell struck his arm instead of his hand, the light ball piercing through both his coat and the clothes beneath. He bit his lip and stopped himself from crying out. Dancing a bit back, the pain didn't quite subside... it felt like it was burning. When he looked at his arm, there was no visible tear or fire burning through the clothe. Yet he could feel his skin crawl underneath. It hurt. He could still hold his sword through the pain - he had suffered under much worse conditions in the past - but it was definitely going to affect the rest of his performance. His weapon wasn't magical; not at all, and he depended on physical strength to carry him through most fights. His skill with magic was lackluster compared to his weapon proficiency.

There was a worse option than fighting. It was being caged. If the Council caught him, they weren't going to let him go. "I'm not looking for trouble, but you're not really giving me much of a choice," Kaz managed a steady voice despite the burning crawling in his arm. "You seem like a nice guy but it's just too much commitment for me to come with you, I don't want that kind of relationship," he complained, managing a flirtatious joke even at a time like this. He swung again, this time more careful about not over-extending himself, and ready to quickly summon an earthen wall if another magic attack was shot. The Seeker had to be using a lot of mana to maintain both that wall and fight, and Kaz hoped one would break sooner or later.

Kaz stats: