First Blood (Mission)

Mission Link:

Clouded by a deathly fog, the moon shone like a galleon upon the black market, which still buzzed with activity as thugs and ruffians went about their business, buying and selling all manner of illegal goods. It was here that the Chasseur assassin, who was just beginning to make a name for herself among the criminal underworld, slept in somber silence. The small cart she slept in was not hers, but it served as a passable home for her to inhabit until she found a lair to call her own. It was mobile, it was lowkey, it was cheap, and it gave her good storage space. In other words, it was the perfect home for the aspiring assassin. She lay there in the merchant’s cot in the now-empty cart, her tanto clutched in her hands, laying upon her chest, which rose and fell softly in the cool midnight air. The cart did not offer much in the way of insulation, but the cold had never bothered Athena that much. Wrapped in her shabby leather jacket, she snoozed the night away, dreaming of what the next day might bring. Under the pale moonlight, the merchant’s cart was peaceful, even in a place as dangerous and chaotic as the black market.

As the Chasseur huntress lie softly dreaming in her bed, a stranger’s hand would clasp upon the curtain at the front of the cart, drawing it back slowly and carefully, making hardly a sound. Athena stirred. The hand receded slowly. She rolled onto her back in her sleep, her eyes never drifting open. The intruder relaxed, drawing the curtain back once more. A careful boot stepped down into the cart, and the figure’s body was exposed, large but careful in motion, a knife brandished in his left hand. He crept towards the sleeping chasseur, who snored softly, and smiled when his gaze landed upon her. He stepped softly across the thin boards that made up the floor of the cart, flinching as they squeaked under his weight, but seemed to hold. He took another step. Another. Two more brought him close enough to hear her breathing. One more brought him upon her. He reached down slowly with his blade, intending to place it upon her throat, but discovered a sharp pain in his abdomen. Glancing down, he saw a spurt of crimson, and a pair of grey eyes glaring back at him as the tanto impaling him  was yanked forcefully out, the girl placing a kick on him to retrieve the blade faster, forcing him into the door.

She was on her feet in an instant, flying across the cart towards him, blade held in icepick as she leapt upon him, placing the blade against his throat.
”What are you doing in my home?” She asked coolly, the cold steel of her blade pressed firmly against his throat, her right foot outstretched and pinning down his left hand, which held his blade.
”I-I-I’m sorry, m-m-ma’am, I was j-just- The poor fool stammered as the door flew open, colliding with Athena and sending her flying back to the cot. The thug’s accomplices barged in, helping their friend to their feet. They each brandished large blades and their faces bore malicious intent. They glared up triumphantly upon helping their friend to his feet, outnumbering her three to one, only to find that the spot that Athena had occupied was now empty.

She had slid across the cot and flew through the canvas curtain of the cart, quickly reattaching it in its proper place as she rolled to the earth, slipping under the wheel and gathering herself. She listened carefully to the three men’s footsteps as they searched the cart for her. She heard them separate as two moved to the back end of the cart, where cargo typically was held, leaving one lone man to search the front of the cart. Easy pickings. Athena slipped underneath the cart and back to the door, creeping in and retrieving a roll of wire that she had only recently purchased. She crept along the floor as she uncoiled the wire carefully, until she had a suitable garrotte. Rushing the thug, she wrapped the wire around his throat and tugged, forcing him off his feet and dragging him quietly out of the cart, choking and gasping for air as she pulled him out through the door, the now-unconscious thug being hidden under the cart.

”Hey? Where’d you go?” Said the first of the two thugs, the one brandishing the knife. He’d noticed their friend’s absence. She heard footsteps that indicated the two were moving back to the front of the cart, and quickly crept along. One set of footsteps was limping, not long for this world if his wound wasn’t treated, but Athena wanted them alive. They’d have more information for her as to why they’d attacked her particular cart. Maybe she’d even have a lead for her next target. That sounded exciting.

Silently, she climbed up  into the back of the cart, finding the wounded thug closest to her. She applied a rear naked choke and dragged the suffocating man back, holding him tightly behind a crate, obscured from the other thug’s vision. She held him there as he struggled, weakened by the open wound that was bleeding profusely. He passed out in her arms just as the other guard noticed his absence, trudging carefully back to where he had been, his eyes full of dread. Athena pushed herself up to the roof of the cart, clinging to the wooden beams that reinforced the canvas, up above the unconscious thug, still obscured by the crate. One, two, three steps brought the man closer, dreading each step he took. He was afraid of what he would find there. Four, five, six steps brought him to the edge of the crate. One last step peeked around the crate and saw his friend. Two more brought him to his side. He looked around. Where had she gone?

That was when she pounced upon him, smashing his head into the floor, lifting it, and bashing it down once more, leaving him unconscious. Athena stood, cracking her knuckles. That was one way to start her day early. Good thing her adrenaline had kicked in, she hardly felt tired anymore. She lifted the unconscious thugs up onto her shoulders, one at a time, and set them beside one another in the back of the cart, hopping out of the cart and dragging the extra thug out of his hiding place and setting him beside the other three inside the cart’s cargo hold. She bound all three with wire, binding their hands and feet together and attaching each one to a crate.

She had a plan for these three.


The trio awoke to the therapeutic rhythm of a moving cart. Rolling along the road, they could see through the open flap that they were moving away from the black market. It might have been peaceful if their hands were not bound to heavy wooden crates. They began to struggle, and Athena heard them. Like a cat, playing with her food, she prowled away from the reigns. These horses were well-trained, and did not even need someone at the reigns to travel down the path. They moved the cart of their own accord, without needing someone to lead them along. This left Athena free to question her query as the cart passed over a large cliffside, the road carved into the mountain. She glanced to her left and saw the steep drop once the road ended. One push, and a person would have a long fall indeed ahead of them.

The three thugs struggled against their bindings as Athena crossed the threshold, coming into their line of sight. Their eyes quivered with hatred.
”Why did you come here?” She asked bluntly. They said nothing. Athena sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the road behind her. ”I won’t ask again…” She said, kicking an unbound crate nearest to her, forcing it to slide out the back of the cart and fly out. Due to the curve of the road and the speed at which they traveled, the crate plummeted straight to the bottom of the mountain. ”Why did you come here?” Athena repeated, her message clear.

They looked at each other in fear and disbelief.
”You have to the count of three to start talking.” Athena said, rolling her eyes. ”One…” She said, trudging over to the thug on the left. She pressed against the crate. ”Two…” She muttered, sliding the crate forward. He mumbled something, then stuttered a plea to her.
”Nobody sent us, we were just looking to rob you! We’re just petty thieves!” He shouted.

”Three.” Athena said, boredly pushing the crate from the back of the cart with her foot, causing it to fly out and drag the poor man along with it, dragging him free of the cart and forcing him into freefall, plummeting to his death. ”So, have we reached an understanding?” She asked, moving to the next cart. ”If you’re just petty robbers, then I have no reason to keep you alive.” She said, resting her foot upon the crate of the man in the middle. ”I’ll ask again. Why did you come here?”  She repeated.

”I’ll talk, I’ll talk!” Shouted the man in the middle. The man on the left’s eyes widened, and he shook his head in a pleading manner.
”You’d better do it fast, my leg is getting tired.” Athena said, pressing down upon the crate again.
”I d-don’t know who hired us, he was some scarface lookin’ bastard with white hair…” The man began. Athena’s boot relaxed its grip on the crate. ”He wanted your head, he didn’t tell us why, but he told us to bring your head! That’s all I know, honest!” He shrieked.

”Then I don’t need you anymore.” She said, pushing the crate, sending the man falling to his death. She moved to the last crate. ”Anything you’d like to add?” She asked him. He shrieked.

”I can tell you how to find him! I can! You’ve just gotta let me go, and I’ll tell you everything!”
”Deal. I’ll let you go, if you can bring me to him.” Athena said flatly.
”There’s a guy in the black market, his name’s Leander. Ask him about his money troubles. He’s looking for someone to off the guy, he’ll give you information, and he’ll even pay you to do it!” He stammered.
”Thank you.” Said Athena, pushing the crate out of the back of the cart. After all, he hadn’t brought her to him, just given her some direction. As she stepped to the front of the cart, taking the reigns again, she pondered this. She did not know why they had been sent to kill her, but she now knew that she had an enemy somewhere in the criminal underworld. She also knew of a man who would pay her to eliminate him. This solved two of her problems at one, killing two birds with one stone and all that.

”Leander, huh?” She muttered as she took her seat at the reigns. She’d pay him a visit and see what he knew. She’d even take his coin, if the opportunity arose. She saw potential here, potential to become a very lucrative business opportunity indeed. She steered the reigns around, taking her cart back to the black market.


She arrived back at the black market, parking her cart in a new location, hidden in the treeline and likely quite difficult to spot. She trudged down the path and cut through a spot in the brush, entering the market. It was loud and smelled of death, just as it always did. This place was a wretched hive of scum and villainy, but it was her wretched hive. She stepped into the midst of the stalls and saw the wide variety of illegal goods being trafficked. Lots of drugs and weapons, mostly. That was the majority of the illicit services offered here. Strange surgeons offering all manner of unnatural remedies and operations, fuinjutsu specialist promising a shield to protect the wearer from any harm, and assorted snake oil salesmen. She had even seen a slave trader here once, though the market typically did not take kindly to such things. Even criminals had standards.  

The stall she settled upon was a collection of carts that folded together to form a makeshift store. Clever. Why had she come to this one in particular? Because all criminals know each other, you see, and Athena knew exactly where Leander was. Simple, right? Not really. It was by sheer luck, really, that she heard someone shout…

”Leander!”

”Perfect.” She muttered. She watched as a well-dressed man descended from the cart, to a group of thugs in the front.

”You promised five grand by this time yesterday for hauling your shit here. Where’s our money?!” The leader of the thugs shouted in rage.
”I promised to pay you for delivering the goods untouched. One of you has been sampling the wares…” Leander said, his brow ruffling. ”You’re lucky I paid you at all, it’s so damn unprofessional. If you want your money, figure out which of you was the thief and dock his pay. I don’t care.” Leander said, beginning to climb back up the stairs. The thug grabbed him by the shoulder.
”I don’t believe you.” He said forebodingly.
”I suggest you release me. You wouldn’t want to go doing something you’d regret, now would you?” Leander warned. The thugs grinned and a few even laughed.
”Little tike like you, what are you gonna do, huh?” The thug jeered. That was when a kunai flew at his face, cutting clean through his skull and leaving him dead at the floor. As the three remaining thugs turned in surprise, Athena continued to walk past them, stabbing one in the heart through his back as she went, holding her tanto in icepick grip as she spin, slicing the throat of the nearest thug as he turned to face her, kicking his body into the remaining thug to throw him off balance and pouncing upon him. She drove the tanto into his neck, and the life sputtered out of his eyes as she cleaned the blood from her blade.

”Well, I suppose I was better off without that virulent trash stealing my merchandise. I’m grateful for the assistance, though it was hardly necessary.” Leander said, brushing imaginary dirt from his shoulders as if he had just done a lot of heavy lifting. ”To whom do I owe my thanks?”

”Athena.” Replied the holder of that name.
”Why, the goddess of wisdom herself, come to grace me with her presence!” Leander shouted in mock awe.
”I hear you have money troubles.” Athena said flatly. She was not the most conversational of folks, so her statement was short and to the point.
”Omniscient, just as the legends say!” Leander exclaimed. He was certainly a man with a love of theatrics. ”Yes, I suppose you could say that. My competition’s ruthless as a pack of coyotes. My shipments are going missing, and his are getting fuller and fuller by the day. I suspect foul play.” He explained.
”Give me a name.” She said.
”His name is Lynch. What do you intend to do?” Leander recoiled. Athena kicked one of the corpses at his feet.
”Exactly what I’ve done to these four wastes of skin.” She said flatly. Leander laughed.
”Not that I doubt your abilities, ma’am, but I don’t think you could get to the wretch if you wanted to! He’s got the best protection money can buy!” The man jeered.
”What’s would that be?”
”Why, he’s in prison!” Leander laughed.
”He’s running a drug trafficking business from behind bars?” Athena said, raising her eyebrows. Leander nodded.
”Indeed. It’s a rather superficial imprisonment, I’m afraid. I’ve hired countless assassins to deal with him, but none have returned.”
”You’ve never met an assassin like me.” She shrugged. Leander cocked an eyebrow.
”Oh? And what makes you so special?” Leander scoffed. Athena once again kicked the pile of bodies at her feet. Leander shrugged. ”Fair enough, I suppose.” He said. ”Tell you what, then, I’ll pay you good money to see remove his head from his shoulders. I don’t need proof of death, I suspect I’ll hear about it when his cartel is thrown in disarray. Getting yourself in and out untouched will be plenty difficult without dragging around a severed head.” He jested.
”How much are you offering?”
”Oh, well… How does… Ten thousand ryo sound?” He offered. Athena shook her head.
”For breaking into a heavily fortified prison and dealing with the most well protected inmate in the entire establishment? I’m gonna need to see something more substantial.” She scoffed. Leander winced.
”You’re going to drink my pocketbook dry, young lady.” He sighed.
”Twenty thousand. Half paid up front.” She said.
”What in God’s name do you need half up front for if you’re going to prison?!” Leander cried.
”Supplies.” She said matter of factly.
”Well, my dear, why didn’t you just say so! I’m owed a favor by the local blacksmith. How’s this sound? You can use my good name to arm yourself however you wish, and I shall pay you five thousand when the job is done. Does this sound agreeable?” Leander asked.
”...How big is this favor you’re owed?” Athena asked


The blacksmith nodded as Athena finished her description and specifications. She had very specific desires and specifications for her new weapons. The first of the two, her primary weapon, was a simple sword, designed to be good in stealth and outright swordfights alike. Both of these weapon designs were a long-standing project, with this one designed by Athena for missions that would turn out to be less cloak and dagger and more swords and explosions. The blade is tempered of high-strength steel, as well as an alloy made of siderite. It is ludicrously sharp and can cut through even the strongest of armor with ease, a key asset to any assassin’s arsenal. It is incredibly sharp, of very simple make, designed to be optimized for the assassin: Short enough to hide and move unrestricted, but long enough to stand a chance in an actual sword fight. It comes with a strong fiber weave sheathe of equal health, designed to let the blade be drawn as quietly as possible. It weighs about 1 kg. Unique metal alloys and a specialized, secretive method of sharpening that leaves the blade exceptionally deadly through a complicated forging process, making it significantly more deadly than regular weaponry.

The second of the two weapons was her crossbow. A unique crossbow optimized for stealth, it attaches neatly to the wrist of the user with straps that hold it in position at the forearm, wrist, and around the thumb for stability. It has two reels of high tensile wire that provide the firing power in a compact package. Because of the nature of the reels, it is impractical, though possible, to wind them by hand, requiring each wheel to be wound individually for several rotations.

To solve this, a canister is used, with an attached high-efficiency collapsable pump that allows the user to prime the crossbow for an attack with a single pump. With practice, the crossbow may be loaded and primed in one smooth motion, slipping the bolt into the tray and priming the pump with one swipe of the hand. The rechargeable air canister may also be removed and be replaced with disposable canisters, which typically hold higher power gasses that allow for multiple shots.

The trolley from the bolt can be loaded from the top, with a lever at the muzzle being pressed down upon the bolt passing it, locking it in place until fired. If the lever is closed, showing no opening, the weapon is loaded. If it is open, revealing the gap, the weapon is safe. By pressing the lever down, one can safely unload the crossbow or swap ammunition.  

The blacksmith was impressed with Athena’s knowledge of the forge, and even asked her why she hadn’t made the damned things herself if she knew so much about them.
”Lack of resources.” She answered simply. The blacksmith shrugged.
”Well, if you ever need work, I could definitely use a hand as talented as yours.” He said. Athena smiled weakly.
”I’ll keep that in mind.” She said thoughtfully.
”Well, if you’re all done here, I should have the blade done by tomorrow morning. The crossbow will take a bit more tweaking, and I expect we’ll need to correspond over it in further detail. Until then, keep in touch.” Said the blacksmith. Athena nodded, then took her leave. There was nothing left to say.

”Done, then?” Leander asked as Athena left the stall. She nodded.
”He’ll have it done by tomorrow morning.” She said. Leander nodded appreciatively.
”So, you’ll be off tomorrow, then?” He asked eagerly.
”If I want to get in there I’ll have to leave tonight.” Athena said matter of factly. Leander cocked an eyebrow.
”Tonight? Without your new blade?” He asked. Athena nodded. ”Then why on earth did you ask for it up front?” He huffed. Athena smirked.
”Why on earth did you ask for it up front?” He repeated himself, a little more questioning and less loud now.
”I’ll still be needing it. I need you to send it to me.” She said, taking a seat and picking up a stick to draw in the dirt. ”This prison is run by the samurai, correct?” She asked. Leander nodded, and she began to draw.
”How do you expect me to send it to you?”
[lightsteelblue]”How does Lynch get goods in and out?”[/color] Athena asked. Understanding appeared to dawn upon Leander’s face.
”Shipments smuggled in by the guards…”
”Can you sneak my equipment in there?” She asked. Leander nodded.
”How will you know which shipment it comes in? How do you know it’ll come tomorrow?”
”I’ve got a hunch.” Lied Athena. She knew, of course, that he’d be receiving a shipment tomorrow, because this Lynch fellow had just sent a group of thugs to take her head. He’d be wanting proof, and the only way to get it to him would be via one of his shipments.
”Well, if you’re so sure, I suppose I’ll play along. I’d like nothing more than to see this fool dead, after all.”
”I’m glad you said that, because I’ll need one more favor.” Athena said.
”What’s that?”
”I need you to help me break into prison.”



So how was she going to break into prison? Her first instinct was to try to pass as one of the prisoners, but that was unlikely. Her target, Lynch, was male, and she doubted very much that she would be allowed into the same facility as him. There were too many variables to simply getting arrested and getting in that way. She’d rather break in on her own terms. The easiest way, then, was to pose as a guard. Although most Samurai were male, and her gender would cause her to stick out, this was easily fixed by making use of the transformation technique. From there, it would, theoretically, be smooth sailing. While there would no doubt be complications along the way, Athena was uncommonly good at dealing with these sorts of things. She was rather smooth in her execution, able to weasel her way out of the worst of situations, so she wasn’t too bothered by the whole ordeal.

It wasn’t exactly the hardest of jobs, on paper. Prisons were designed to keep people in, not necessarily out, and there were already notable flaws in security that she could exploit, especially if this Lynch fellow was having secret shipments brought into the compound. While it might have been easy to ship herself in such a way, it would be fairly obvious and no doubt she’d be detected upon arrival. A weapon was much easier to smuggle than a human woman, after all.

She had drawn a rough sketch of the facility in the dirt earlier, with a general idea of how the layout was designed. While she had no way of knowing for sure, she knew the samurai liked their structures uniform and it was for that reason that she felt she had a fairly reliable map of the place. There was bound to be some variance, but just how much, she was willing to gamble.

The matter of breaking in, then, was the next thing on her list. How was she to break into a heavily guarded facility that was no doubt patrolled constantly, even at night? Well, by hiding right under their noses. It was rather simple, but if she waited until she had the cover of the night, she felt confident she could sneak right up on them, so long as she wasn’t careless. It was with this that Athena began her attack upon the prison where Lynch was held. He was in there somewhere, and she wanted answers. Getting paid to boot wasn’t the worst thing in the world.


She arrived at the prison at dusk. She had been surveying the land throughout the day prior, and had drawn a makeshift map of the entire facility in her mind. The yard was her best bet for spotting Lynch, and indeed, she already had. He parades around the yard with a few inmate bodyguards wielding smuggled weapons. The actual samurai guarding the prison turn a blind eye to this, of course. Paid off or extorted into silence, they let Lynch run his little racket, protecting him from his competition and letting him live a life of luxury behind bars. When the prisoners were not out in the yard, they retreat to their cells. Most cells contain two to four prisoners each, sorted numerically and placed into one of nine wings. A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, B-2, B-3, and so on through to C-3. She wasn’t absolutely sure as to which wing Lynch was in, but she doubted very much that he was in a common cell. More likely he was in something a little more luxurious, out of sight of other prisoners. As there was no upper level to the prison, this lead Athena to believe that his home was somewhere underground.

While she could definitely spend all day searching for his cell, going door to door to each and every individual cell, one by one, odds are she’d get caught far before she had any chance to set foot in Lynch’s cell. For this reason, she decided it would be best to find an alternative. Ideally, she’d talk up some schmuck and get him to squeal, but maybe if she could follow Lynch, she could get to his quarters that way. Her best bet as probably the guard barracks. They were bound to know about it, and, if push came to shove, she could apply some advanced interrogation techniques to get what she needed.

She checked her person one last time. She had her tanto, which she drew from her sheathe and checked for faults. It was always good to look over one’s equipment like this before a mission, in case of surprise defects. The blade was 25 cm long, with a hilt of 7 cm. Well-sharpened and polished, it did not catch the light, but it was clean and well cared for. Just the way she liked it. She replaced it in its sheathe, which she had attached to her upper torso for ease of retrieval. She next checked the ninja pouch at her right, which contained five kunai knives, two of which were firmly attached with explosive tags. The 6 inch blades were firmly set into the pouch so they did not bounce or jingle against one another, allowing her to move utterly silently. In the pouch on her left were her shuriken, stacked neatly, separated firmly from the two smoke bombs she carried by several tight rolls of wire, which Athena used for all manner of things, such as setting traps or subduing unwilling informants, as she had with the three thugs who attacked her home. Which reminded her…

She still did not know what this Lynch fellow had sent them after for. It was most curious indeed to her, as she did not think she had made a name for herself with the criminal underworld yet, much less made any enemies. It was unknown to her just what the extent of her folly was, but dwelling on that seemed futile. She wracked her brain, trying to recall something, anything that might connect her to Lynch. He might have been allied with or otherwise associated to one of her mother’s previous victims. It seemed unlikely that she would be traced that way, however, for she was fairly sure her mother had never been successfully identified, much less caught. It was always possible that something had slipped, however, and she didn’t know the identities and fates of every single one of her mother’s marks, so she would have to decline to comment on this one.

Another possibility, however faint, was that he was a part of the crew of the pirate vessel she was born on. She had breathed her very first breath aboard a pirate vessel in transit to The Land of Fangs, to a mother who was held captive there. His mother was a trained Shinobi who was unwilling to fight while her baby was at risk, and so submitted herself to service. Once she recovered fully, she took control of the ship.Her mother was quite skilled with poisons, and managed to subjugate every single member of the ship they were imprisoned in, once she was finally at her full strength. She had allowed the ship to be captured while she was still carrying Athena, not wanting to do any accidental harm to her future child, but soon after delivering her, she quickly took the ship over. Athena did not know what had happened to the crew after that, so perhaps this Lynch fellow was a former sea raider, angered with the fact that he had been played and made a fool of. Still, that posed the same question as before. How had he known how to find her? Even more pressing than that, had he ordered the death of her mother?

She still remembered battling with the assassin that had been sent for her mother. Athena hails from The Land of Fangs, among the huge, steep peaks and valleys of the island nation. Trained from birth to be a mighty huntress, she was one of the few remaining survivors of the Chasseur clan’s revival, having been born to a Chasseur father and a Kunoichi mother. Her father taught her to hunt animals and live off the land, while her mother’s teachings were inclined to a much more dangerous prey. Trained from birth to be an assassin, her mother’s ruthless efficiency shows through in her daughter, while her father’s careful hand guides her own. She learned to be like a whisper, making no sound and never dirtying herself with the blood of her quarry.Under her mother’s guidance, Athena had become a skilled and confident assassin. Her superior training lead to her becoming complacent. A bounty hunter came for her mother, and quickly dispatched her father. Athena tried to protect him, but found that she was not yet strong enough. When the would-be assassin turned their blade to her, Athena’s mother stepped in. The two fought like wild beasts, cold and calculating and yet explosive and unrelenting. When the assassin fell at her mother’s feet, she succumbed to her wounds, leaving Athena alone. She had rose from the bloodied ground of her home that day, and buried her family, leaving unceremonious graves for the two. It was better that way. The assassin? She hurled their body into the sea. Ready to use the skills she’d been cultivating her entire life, she stepped into the shadows, aiming to make a name for herself.

Now she stood here, wondering what the hell this enemy of hers was seeking revenge for. He had sent three thugs after her in the night, and one had even held a blade to her throat. They had been instructed to bring back her head. For a second, Athena wondered if she was truly seeing connections where there were none at all. Perhaps she was insane to believe this man actually did have a death wish for her. After all, she had heard it from the mouth of a thug, desperately pleading for his life. He could have said anything. Perhaps he’d even made the whole thing up as a last ditch effort to save his own skin.

Regardless, she’d been paid to kill him, and she really didn’t care if he had a grudge against her or not. It was simply useful to know if she had somehow made a mistake and made her identity known. Perhaps she had done something with unforeseen consequences. The idea that she had made such a crucial error and did not know what it was tormented Athena.

It occurred to her that, maybe, the man was associated with the merchant whose cart she had stolen. Perhaps he had allies in powerful places? Athena knew she’d made an enemy of the merchants who frequented the roads where she had made her robbery, none so much as the merchant she’d robbed and later killed, indirectly, at least. She’d sabotaged his crossbow and pilfered his profits, and he’d no doubt returned to the market with tales of her misdeeds. The merchants who frequented the road had been on their guard, ready for any tricks she might play. At least, so she thought. She hadn’t been seen, and so her face was not known. It would have been impossible for Lynch to know of her existence in this way. She was a ghost to him, a faceless enemy who made all but minimal profits at his expense. A nuisance. Not someone you send hired killers after. She’d hardly stolen enough to afford a new sword. Her profits had been minimal. She had hardly done enough to make an enemy of him in that way.

And sure, the cart was a bit obvious, she probably should have gotten rid of it, rather than sleeping in it, but it didn’t look any different than any other cart. And besides, the merchant sold weapons, not drugs. This man was a drug lord, and she didn’t think he’d want to double dip like this. It usually made things difficult to manage on one’s own, especially when one was locked up in prison.

That brought her back to square one. She had no idea, whatsoever, how she had made an enemy of this fool, and the frustration of trying to figure it out was beginning to wear on her. It was time for Athena Chasseur to clear her head, and focus on what she was best at…

As if on cue, the guards finally changed shifts. Now was her chance. She bounded out from the tree line, across the fields of snow that separated her from the fortress she was aiming to infiltrate. She had maybe ten seconds before the guards would notice her, even if she moved like a cat en route. She made it to the wall, climing up on all fours, applying the surface walking technique to both her hands and feet. She felt her adrenaline surging as her hunter instincts began to kick in, and she felt her senses sharpen. Making her way towards the top of the wall, she peeked over, and saw that the guards had now changed shifts. One was at the door, while another was walking towards her. To her right side, the same was occurring, with the two guards stopping and returning to their last position when they met. There was the briefest of windows as the two turned, and that was what she waited for. Like clockwork, the two guards moved, and the instant they both had their backs turned to Athena, she leapt over the wall and slid down the other side.

Now inside the enclosure, she could see the prison yard. She had watched Lynch parading himself around there, like a god damned king. It was sickening. She’d help the poor sod meet his death soon enough, but for now she had to figure out where the hell he lived. Somewhere in the basement had been her original idea, but now that she was in the compound proper, she saw that there was actually some sort of lookout tower, overlooking the prison yard. If she were in charge of the place, she’d want to be there…

Now was the question of how to get there. Through the window was hardly subtle enough, she didn’t have the tools to cut holes into the glass quietly. She could try to use her blade, but she wasn’t really sure if that was a good idea. It was incredibly sharp, to be sure, but she didn’t know if it was sharp enough. With that idea blown out of her mind, Athena searched for alternate entrances. The tower where she thought Lynch was stood over section A-3. She wondered if any of the prisoners in there weren’t on Lynch’s payroll.

That meant that her best bet for getting in there was to go through wing A. Because there were not any entrances to wings A-2 and A-3, Athena would have to go up through wing A-1 and work her way up to the top. Now… Odds were that she would not be able to just walk in through the front door. She surveyed the guards as they came to and from the security wings, noting that each one used a key. Some didn’t carry one and had to ask another guard to let them in. The guards who let them in were superior officers. While Athena didn’t know of the samurai’s ranks or if they even had anything resembling what Shinobi used, she knew that the guards with keys were probably higher ranked than the others. That much was simple common sense.

From her perch on the high wall, she dropped down to the guard’s barracks, transforming midair into a samurai and slipping through the door. She followed the flow of traffic as she moved through the facility, ending up at what looked to be the guard’s break room. They were all sitting around a table, some were drinking tea quietly, others were making conversation. She walked on by, pouring a cup of tea as she moved to her resting position. Once there, she listened carefully.

”Lynch says he wants his shipment carried up to his room.” Said one of the Samurai, a superior officer
”That guy gives me the creeps. I hate that the warden lets him walk all over us.” Dissented another.
”Regardless, we are honor bound to follow our orders, and our orders are to treat him like a king.” Said the superior officer, shaking his head solemnly.
”It’s disgusting. It’s weak!”
”It is what we must do.” Said the leader.
”You can carry it yourself, I’m not doing a damned thing for that drugged up bastard.”
”You do not exactly have a choice in the matter.”

Athena stood from her place, setting her tea aside.
”I will help you, if he will not.” She said. The officer raised an eyebrow.
”I do not recognize you. What is your name?”
”Takeo.” Athena said, without thinking much about it. What a shitty name she’d picked.
”Very well. Come. There are many crates to haul, it will be good to get started immediately.” Said the superior officer, standing from his seat.
”Suckup.” Said the other of the two as they passed by.

They walked through the room and into the hallway, wading through the traffic of guards as they made their way to the entrance. No less than three doors barred their exit, each one needing to be unlocked by a different key. The guardsmen she walked with carried one on his person, but the second door needed to be unlocked by another guard, and the last needed to be opened by a pair of guards summoned to the spot. It was a clever trick, requiring no less than four different keys and at least two people to unlock every door. Shame that Athena had had such an easy time infiltrating by bypassing these defenses entirely.

There was a large cart full of crates, all labeled with a green “L.” The guard she walked with boredly seized one of the handles to the cart, with Athena seizing the other. They pulled the cart along, to the wing of A-1, just as Athena had suspected. They pulled it through the corridors, past cells full of Lynch’s men. It would be ugly if there was a riot here. She carried the cart along, until they reached a small elevator. They pulled the cart inside and threw the switch on the lift, and like that, they soared up, up, and away, passing through wing A-1 to A-2, and passing over even A-3, until finally they were above all of the wings, in what was the prison equivalent of the penthouse suite. A stairwell lead up to a room, spiraling up and splitting off to three different rooms, one in the middle was framed by wire that allowed one to see in and out, and through the wire, she could see a man, facing towards a desk, away from the rest of them. That had to be Lynch.

They set the cart down, and the guard began prying open crates, inspecting the contents. The guard went through, searching for contraband, obviously not doing an amazing job, since this was already obviously illegal. Athena followed suit, searching frantically for her blade. She pried open a crate and found nothing but drugs, moving to the next one, which contained some kind of meat, wrapped in ice. She shuddered, moving to the next one. About three human heads. Delightful. The last one contained several sharp implements, and among them, Athena found her blade. She retrieved it as the other guard turned his back. She thought about putting the blade through him right now, but she didn’t want to leave a body, and besides, he had helped her get to Lynch, unknowingly or not. She set the blade at her side and retrieved her wire, creeping towards him.

”There’s something on your helmet, sir.” She said. The guard looked surprised, quickly removing his helmet to search it. Like a flash of lightning, she wrapped the makeshift garrotte wire around his neck, pulling hard and choking him. The wire she used wasn’t thin enough to dig in, so she didn’t have to worry about destroying his jugular. Instead, she just tugged until he fell at her feet. She set the man aside, hiding him amongst the crates, and retrieving her blade. It was now time for her to make her move on Lynch.

This game was over. She walked up the stairs, stepping slowly and quietly up, listening for any sort of reaction from the drug lord. He was oblivious to her presence, it seemed. She crept to the top of the stairs, and peeked into the other two rooms. A bedroom and a parlor. How quaint.

She stepped into the man’s enclosure. Lynch was standing at the opposite side of the room, facing away from her. He was preoccupied with the ledger, where he was hastily scribbling and jotting down something. Most likely he was planning future deals and managing his profits, deciding what to pay and what to pocket for himself. It was all probably very exciting stuff, but it made Athena quite glad she’d chosen a path that didn’t require her to sit at a desk and run numbers. The thrill of the hunt was what she lived for.

If this were an action movie, she might have announced her presence and stomped right up to him.
”Lynch, your time has come! Stand and deliver!” She might have said, marching towards him and allowing him to draw his own blade. He’d deliver some kinda long winded speech, perhaps saying something like…
”At last, you’ve arrived, Athena Chasseur. How good of you to join me. I’m impressed at how you got by my guards, and I will definitely have questions for you once I have you thoroughly restrained. I’m glad you got to face me here, however. It gives me a chance to look you in the eyes at your moment of defeat. How I’ve longed for this moment. How I’ve yearned to watch you suffer for the deeds of your mother! Are you ready, now, to face the music? It’s a shame that it had to come to this, you see, you’re not so different, you and I…”
At this point, Athena probably would have gagged. Thankfully, it wasn’t that kind of movie. On the contrary, she might have even been the bad guy in this particular film. That sure warmed her heart.

As she stepped silently across the floor, she shut the door. It was soundproofed, imagine that. Probably, Lynch used the soundproofing to drown out the screams of those he tortured. Imagine his surprise when his own implements were turned against him. She strode forwards, and her blade rose from her side, held in icepick grip as she flipped it to face towards him. She slipped in, stepping close and caressing him with her left arm, as her right brought the blade around, pressing cold steel against his neck.
”Hello, Lynch.” She whispered, pulling him slightly backwards, forcing him to take a few steps towards the center of the room, away from his desk. He obliged her, the silent look of surprise dawning on his face. She wondered… Was it fear? Terror? Or did he think he still had a chance? She couldn’t have been the first to put a blade to his throat.
”Hello there. You’ll forgive me, I would have put out drinks if I knew I’d had a visitor.” He quipped. Athena pressed the blade into his throat, causing him to visibly flinch, gasping slightly.

”...Of course, I suppose we both know you’re not that kind of visitor. I suppose you want something from me, otherwise you would have already gut me like a pig. Well, stranger, let me direct your attention to the windows…” Lynch said, pointing slowly to the window to his right, overlooking the complex. ”All of those men are here to protect me. While you might have gotten past them, their other job is to keep me in. If you thought it was hard getting in, imagine how much harder it’ll be getting out?” Lynch said. Athena shrugged.
”I’ll manage.” She growled. ”I have questions.” She said.
”Of course you do. Well, I suppose I am at your mercy. Ask away.”
”What do you know about the Chasseur clan?” Athena asked, avoiding using her actual name.
”The who?”
”Next question.” Interjected Athena before he could ask another question ”You sent three thugs to murder someone in cold blood last night. Why?”

”I order a lot of murders. You’ll have to be more specific than that. Chuckled Lynch. Athena’s grip on the blade tightened, pressing it further into his neck, causing him to wince and squeal with pain. ”Jesus, take a joke!”
”Does a girl in a cart full of weapons ring a bell?” Athena clarified, annoyed.
”Oh.” Lynch muttered. ”Son of a bitch. It’s you.” He said.
”Answer the question, or I’ll lighten the load on your shoulders by about ten pounds.” Athena threatened. Lynch shuddered.
”You… you… You raided one of my caravans.” He said.
”One of your caravans?” Athena questioned.
”Oh, sweet, naive young girl, did you not do your research before you came here? I’m a drug lord, yes, but I got to where I was by being ruthless and making sure my competition stood no chance. That cart full of goods was mine, dead to rights.” Lynch snapped. Athena’s face broke into a small smile.
”I see.” She said simply. ”You make money by robbing your competition and selling at lower rates. You drive them out of business with their own goods.”
”If you’re asking for an apology, you came to the wrong guy.” Lynch quipped.
”Hardly. That’s why I’m here, actually.”
”Oh-?” Began Lynch, as the door burst open. Three samurai entered, swords brandished. Athena turned, holding Lynch up and pressing her blade to his throat. A hostage situation had occurred. An impasse.
”Let me go, and these fine gentlemen will escort you out. This is your only chance.” Lynch said.
”I don’t think you’re in a position to be making demands.” Said Athena, strafing to the left so that her back was to the window.
”Aren’t I? You’ve been caught, little girl, and now it’s only a matter of time before the reaper knocks on your door. Even if you kill me now, they know your face. They know who to look for. This whole place is under my payroll, and I’ve got friends in high places. Everything I own, every contact I have, my entire empire, will be aimed directly at you, at making you wish you’d never been born, and completely destroying you. Let me go now, or it’s all over for you, sweetheart.” Lynch threatened. Athena sighed. Lynch grinned. ”That’s a good girl. It’s okay. You fought valiantly.” Lynch cooed.
”I’ll just have to destroy your empire, then, won’t I?” Athena smirked. Without another word, she leapt back through the glass of the window, smashing through and bringing the two of them into freefall as she pulled her blade across Lynch’s throat, sending ribbons of crimson floating down to earth as the two fell. He choked on his own blood as Athena twisted in the air, so that she was on top of him. They landed in the prison yard with a sickening thud and a crack as his neck snapped on impact, breaking the fall for Athena.

From there, it was all uphill. Getting out was usually the easy part in jobs like this, but her target’s situation was largely inverse to any other she’d been a part of. Normally, the hard part was just breaking into a location, but this one was opposite to most. It was designed not to be broken OUT of. Regardless, Athena moved like a cat as she ran to the exit. The alarm was sounded as she leapt into the cell blocks, ducking into a guard closet and quickly transforming into a faceless samurai as two more ran past, towards the yard. Lynch had been left out there to rot, but now Athena was blessed with more information: She’d made even greater enemies than she had begun with by taking this job. That might usually be cause for fear or alarm, but she hardly even blinked at the prospect. She’d made two allies, in Leander and his friend the blacksmith, and she had a feeling those two would be indispensable in the weeks to come. They might even help her get a solid foothold on the criminal underworld.

As for Lynch’s cartel, they could go fuck themselves. In fact, they were going to be her next targets. She could solidify her business relationship with Leander by eliminating his enemies, and this cartel that preyed on the goods of other smugglers was going to be destroyed by Athena. Not out of any sense of moral justice, but because she knew the black market would hail her as a hero if she did. She’d have a perfect point to jump from as she aimed for more stability, and soon, she’d finally cement her place in the underworld.

Lynch had allies, of course, who would take over his role. But Athena had allies as well. She could use Leander to identify key targets and strip them of their assets. While Athena wasn’t traditionally a highwayman… highway… woman? While she traditionally didn’t care for petty thievery, she was not above it, and it might be the most effective way to economically strangle Lynch’s cartel. She would bring them to their knees, just you wait and see.

This little monologue of hers was all well and good, but Athena really needed to get going soon. She stepped out of the closet, now disguised, and saw that the guards were funneling to the yard, searching frantically, while some began to double back towards her. She ran towards the door.
”I see her! She’s in cell block C-1!” She shouted, pointing ahead. Like cattle, the guards ran past her, allowing her to slip by unnoticed as she slipped into the other cell block. She made her way to the guard station and threw the switch that controlled the cells. Every prisoner in cell block B-1 to B-3 was now released. That should be enough of a distraction to cover her escape.

Athena climbed to the roof, where she made her way up the guard tower, then scaled down the walls at maximum speed, her feet clinging to the wall as she ran downwards. She made contact with the snowy earth, and like a flash of lightning, she was gone into the night.


”My, my, Athena, you’re back early!” Leander said, shocked, as he opened the door to find Athena, in her usual shabby, tattered clothes, her blade at her side.
”I told you I’d be done soon.”
”I didn’t think you’d be able to travel to the land of iron, break into prison, kill the leader of a drug cartel, and then be back in time for dinner the next night, no, no I did not.” Leander snarked, opening the door.
”Have you heard of his death, then?” Athena asked.
”Oh, yes. There’s not a soul here at the market who hasn’t, I’m afraid. Lynch’s gang is all looking by a girl, stands at about 5’2, weighs somewhere around 110 pounds… Frame and build is extremely small and lithe… Raven hair… Grey eyes…. How incredibly unlike anyone we know.” Leander said, reading from the wanted poster, where a badly drawn rough sketch of Athena was posted. ”It appears you’ve got a fan club, now.” Leander quipped.
”It appears I do.” Athena replied. ”Lynch was upset with me because I robbed a caravan before he could. I made off with some of “His” goods and he had it in for me. He sent three men to kill me. I dealt with them, and they sent me to you.” Athena revealed, short and to the point. ”Now Lynch says his gang will be after me, and I think I have an idea that will benefit us both.” Athena offered. Lynch cocked an eyebrow.
”Oh ho? What sort of offer could you make me? I’ve little need for any more heads to roll, I’m afraid.” Leander joked. Athena’s face remained stone cold.
”If you can point me in the right direction, I can eliminate the rest of Lynch’s gang. They prey on your caravans, and even with him dead, they won’t stop. I want to ruin them financially and destroy them completely, so that they can never rear their head to challenge me again. I think the arrangement would be mutually beneficial to both of us, as well as the black market as a whole.” Athena proposed. Leander stroked his chin thoughtfully.

”You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Athena. You’re a useful person to have around, to be sure. I think I just might do that. I’ll keep you informed when I can, and I might even help supply you, if your exploits manage to increase my profit margin back to where it should be.” Leander agreed. The two shook hands, and Athena sat, purposefully staring at him intently.
”Oh, right, yes, your payment.” Leander startled, standing from his chair and moving across the room, retrieving a case of ryo. He set it down in front of Athena. ”Five thousand ryo. You can count it if you want.” Leander offered.
”I trust you not to cross me.” Athena said, smiling faintly.
”Was that… Was that a joke?” Leander
”It might have been.” Athena replied.
”Ah, there’s hope for you at last!” Leander jeered. ”It’s good to have you aboard, Athena. I think this will be a wonderful partnership.” He said.

”I sure hope so.” Was all Athena said.
”Ah, no doubt you’re tired, eh? Run along, then. I’ll speak to you soon.” Leander said. Athena smiled, getting to her feet.
”Till next we meet.” Said Athena, taking the case of money and making her exit, stepping through the door and into the night. Now… What was she going to do with all of this money?

The cart was too dangerous to sleep in again, so she’d have to find another place to stay. No doubt there’d be some innkeeper near the market that would be happy to take her coin. There always was one.

(Exit)
(TWC: 10,006)
+4,000/4,000 words to Assassin’s Blade
+1,200 words to Piercing of Swiftness
+350 words for two Communications Headsets
+424 words to Fuinjutsu Lock
500/500 words Fuinjutsu Lock
+136/1000 words to Hidden Arms Technique
+2,000/2,000 words to Shivering Silhouette
+2,000 words to Inodorosity
+10 Stats
+5000 Ryo
+15 AP

Approved unless interrupted up to 48 hours from this post.