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The Unusual Suspects [Eckhart, Dragonsong]

Started by emeraldknight, February 24, 2018, 07:58:36 AM

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emeraldknight

@Eckhart_Von_Musel
@DragonSong
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"Your mission is to rob this bank!"

That was what she had said, pointing at a crudely drawn map of the surrounding area with a rather large stick. In Arcturus' opinion, Chelsea was out of her goddamn mind. Couldn't she have just gone for a shop, or a tavern?

"At this point, we can barely afford bread for our meals, so we need every scrap of silver we can find! No stone unturned! Now, Arcturus, you'll be the muscle of the heist, but there is no way I'm going to let you do it alone. That's why you're working with ALICE FURY!"

Arcturus had no idea what ALICE thought of all this. He seemed a bit of a wild card, and Arcturus didn't really know him that well, anyway.

"Remember, there's no 'I' in team, so work together. Dismissed!"

Walking down the streets of Reajh, he couldn't help but feel that this was a terrible idea.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Heist... Heist... Spiced? No, that sounds fucking stupid..."

ALICE FURY walked beside Arcturus, eyes narrowed. If they were going to rob this bank, then he'd need a song to play while doing it. Chords were easy enough to come up with, but lyrics were always a pain. "The banks are full of corrupt fucks... I'll never stop, don't push your luck..." The teenager smiled. "Ooh, that's good. Definitely keeping that one."

ALICE glanced over at the man next to him. He wasn't too familiar with Arcturus- the bard had only joined the CFA a week prior to this mission. The black jacket seemed a bit dull compared to the fancy preachers robe worn by ALICE- more then dull actually, it was dreary- but that was no matter. Maybe he'd buy some better clothes with the money they stole.

"Holy fuck, "robbery" rhymes with "snobbery"! I gotta use that!"

Leaning over, ALICE whispered into the man's ear. "So, we're gonna brute force this, right? So everybody will be able to see us? I'm gonna need an audience for this song I'm working on."


emeraldknight

"If you want to be on music duty, then that's fine by me, but I'm planning on having this done in a couple of minutes, with or without you. The only reason you're here is backup if things turn sour."

While ALICE was thinking up song lyrics, Arcturus had been musing over a plan. Merchants were constantly roaming the streets of Reajh, and the smaller the goods, the more often a cart would be involved. Having invested the last of the Anarchists' funds in a few burlap sacks, he was hoping to acquire one of these carts for quicker transport of the goods from the scene. As for the robbery itself... "Hold out sword, put money in bags, put bags on cart. That should work fine"

Scanning the cobbled road, Arcturus saw a passing salesman with a cart full of assorted fruits. "Don't start the music yet, I want to keep this low profile for as long as I can"

He walked briskly over to the short man, drawing his sword in such a way that it remained concealed under his coat, at least to other pedestrians. The merchant, however, got quite the eyeful, being right in front. Arctutus stared down at him. "This is a business transaction. Hand over the cart, don't make a scene. This blade is still dangerous when thrown, so don't run screaming." The guy shivered in terror as he gave up his merchandise, and a twang of guilt ran through the thief. "Calm down. This is life. This is the way of the world". Sometimes, he felt like that mantra was what kept him alive, that if he repeated it enough, he'd begin to believe it.

Striding stiffly back to ALICE in a failed attempt to look casual, he mouthed: "Let's go"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"We're wreaking havoc in your town
You have a king? We'll knock him down
I'll destroy your walls and borders
To restore the natural ord-"


Alice blinked, his partner's words snapping him back to reality. He looked at Arctutus, then at the cart of fruit. "Wait, are we gonna throw those at the bankers?" he whispered, scratching his head. "That's a... unique plan. I like it!"

emeraldknight

"This man is... Very detached from reality"

"Err, no. The cart is for carrying the spoils. This should be quite simple, so don't expect anything exciting from this. Or maybe it is exciting. I'm not sure about you... If you want to throw apples at people, be my guest."

At this, Arcturus wasted no more time, jogging up to the doors of the bank, known to be one of the wealthiest in all of Connlaoth, and pushed them open. He drew his sword and brandished it threateningly at the citizens inside. Again, that familiar twinge of guilt ran up his spine, the fearful looks of the people feeling quite disturbing.

This was his first time doing something like this, and it went against everything he strived for as a child. He treated himself with a form of self-taught meditation, picturing his coat as his old life, and throwing it into the apple-cart. With this, he felt slightly better, even if he knew he was only temporarily tricking himself into thinking that these atrocities were okay.

"Stand down, drop any weapons you have! I do not expect a lack of resistance, but I certainly hope for it!"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Awww yeah, baby."

ALICE stepped into the building behind Arcturus, slinging his lyre off of his back. A low hum could be heard as the man's fingers began to crackle with electricity. He strummed a chord, the sound reverberating around the room. "Listen up, you bourgeois cunts!" he spat, a nasty grin spreading across his face. "You'd best do as the man with the sword says, or you'll get a an earful of skuzz!"

"That's a cool sounding word." ALICE thought. "I don't know what it means, but I like it."

Still grinning wildly. ALICE began to play a riff on his lyre. The sound was deafening, and the entire bank seemed to vibrate from the noise...

DragonSong

"I think the fuck not."

A young woman in mordecai armor strode forward out of the crowd, easily drawing her blade and swinging it in a gracefully figure eight in front of her body. "All of you, get back," she snapped at the panicking crowd, and the power in her voice shepherded them behind her.

"It's alright, everyone, we'll keep you safe." That voice was softer, smoother, and deeper. A man who bore a striking resemblance to the mordecai took up a position against the wall, a bow drawn and arrow nocked in a matter of moments. He arched an eyebrow. "I'd drop the weapons, if I were you. I can down the bard in a matter of seconds, and my sister knows her way around a blade."

emeraldknight

Arcturus froze. "What... The... Fuck?" He'd said he was going to play music, not whatever the hell this was! And what even was "Skuzz" anyway? Electricity jumped around his fingers as he played, seeming to transfer into the instrument and warp the sound. Before he even had time to think about his next move, he was snapped back to reality by the powerful call from across the room. An armored woman and a man with a bow stepped forth, facing the two and protecting the people behind them. It was at this point that Arcturus felt a lightness. Something was gone, and he wasn't immediately sure what. It was like he was free again, even if he was really still in servitude. He liked this feeling. Regaining a bit of his old glory, he moved in front of ALICE, despite being much too close to the demonic lyre for comfort, and said confidently, "The man behind me poses no threat, except perhaps to your hearing. But, believe me when I say, I do, and I would be more than happy to test exactly how well this young lady 'knows her way around a blade!'"

DragonSong

Amelia smiled, the expression as sharp as the edge of her blade. "Believe me, sweetheart, it would be my pleasure."

Behind her, her brother glanced between the two would-be robbers and then back to the civilians they were protecting. "Be careful," he hissed under his breath. Mia barely reacted, a little twitch of her head in his direction, but he knew she was acknowledging him.

Sweeping her blade in a confident arc, Mia turned her heel slightly as the space between her and the robbers closed, sinking into a predatory crouch. "Come on then."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Shit!"

Of course there were Mordecai here. Of course there were. On her own, the woman didn't scare him too badly- she only had a sword, and Arcturus was more than capable of defending himself. The man with the bow, on the other hand...

ALICE strummed another few chords, thinking. "If Arcturus fights the bitch, then he'll be shot mid-duel by tall, dark, and pro-government over there. Leave it to establishment pigs like this to fight dirty." The bard's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the man with the bow. "But if I can distract that broody-looking motherfucker, then maybe..."

ALICE played a few more notes, grinning madly. "Well! This isn't the audience I expected!" he said, looking at the Mordecai and the bowman in turn. "Un-for-tunately, I gotta go." In a single motion, the teenager pulled one of the apples from his robe pocket and flung it at the man with the bow, rushing out the door as he did so. "Thank you Reajh! Have a good night!"

emeraldknight

"Well, there he goes". There was stunned silence as he left, the bank unsure of what had just happened. Suddenly, the majority of heads turned towards the archer, unsure of what he'd do in response. Arcturus didn't care. It was a small distraction amidst the strange sense of elation coursing through him. It was like there was no more unnecessary weight, just him and his blade. What was it? It was like he'd been reborn, like that life-changing moment had been erased. Arcturus was himself. Was it dramatic? Maybe. Was it true? Hell yeah.

Arcturus readied himself for combat, one eye still on the archer.

DragonSong

In a lightning quick motion, Kay sidestepped the apple, hefted his bow, and fired. The arrow sped through the air and lanced through the fleeing bard's sleeve, pinning it to the door frame. It wouldn't be too difficult for the man to free himself, but it would certainly slow him down.

Kay didn't dare move too far from the civilians though, shifting his stance to better guard the people behind him.

His twin on the other hand stalked forward, eyes glinting as she cut her blade through the air. "Come on then," she taunted, smirking at the swordsman.

emeraldknight

Shifting his weight, Arcturus steadied his hand and entered his stance. He ran through the mental checklist in his head. "Weight even on both sides, hands steady at the optimum angle..." He was ready to fight. As he drew close, his eye caught the glimmer of her armor, and he realized who he was fighting. His opponent was a mordecai.

Arcturus almost halted in his path, completely distracted by this new fact. "The strength is gone! It's amazing!" This was the first time in years he had fought using only his own skill and power, not what was borrowed from the infernal creature. He may have still been a slave, but this was more than enough freedom at the moment. Ready to test himself and only himself, he stepped forward and stabbed just to the right of her midcentre, hoping to refrain from killing his opponent.

DragonSong

Amelia easily twisted away from the blade, bringing her own down in a sharp, arcing sweep as she did. Metal rang against metal and she bared her teeth in something between a grin and a savage snarl.

"Is it really worth it?" she hissed, eyes narrowed. "Terrifying all these people, for what? Coin? Some sort of sick thrill?" She spat at him and jerked away, cutting her blade toward his ribs.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"To make a statement, you stupid bitch!" ALICE yelled passionately. The bard yanked himsef free from the arrow that had pinned him, and played a few chords on his lyre. "Money is a tool of a oppresion! What you call a robbery is actually liberation! You just can't see it because you're a brainwashed sheep!"

emeraldknight

Arcturus had never been more exasperated in his life. "This man exists? This kind of person exists?" Still, he couldn't lose focus, not because of ALICE. Having never been able to turn off the demon's strength had made him forget how weak normal humans were, and his strikes never quite felt like they had the right weight in them. He had kept up his self-training, but until he became accustomed to fighting normally again, he would have to stay on the defensive.

He didn't bother trying to explain his motive. Even if he could spare the energy, it wouldn't get him anywhere. As he blocked blow after blow, being continually pushed back by the second, he realized he may just be about to lose. Arcturus couldn't afford that, not with the demon on his back. It was a shame. She was far from the hardest opponent he'd faced, and ten years ago, he would have defeated her with relative ease. Alas, she had training and skill, in combination with comfort in her own power. He had to do something to win, even if it broke his heart to have to play dirty. As he was nearly backed up against a wall, he slipped past his attacker and ran at the archer, half of a plan forming in his mind. A hostage situation wasn't what he wanted, but perhaps what he needed.

DragonSong

Mia's eyes widened fractionally and she turned on her heel, slashing at the swordsman as she shouted, "Kay!"

Her brother was already moving, but he was more concerned with herding the civilians out of the back of the building than he was with his own safety. By the time he realized his danger he barely had enough time to get his bow up, and certainly not enough to actually fire.

emeraldknight

Arcturus weaved around and behind the archer, holding his sword to his throat and pushing him away from any civilians who could interfere. "I'm sorry I have to do this, but, well..." He sighed. "There's no point, anyway. ALICE, my hands are kind of tied right now, so could you go and 'Liberate the tools of the oppression', please."

"This is the worst". The battle was fun while it had lasted, but now the guilt was back, and everything felt wrong. It was all he could do to mask his sorrow in aloofness, for showing weakness could incite attack. Turning to the swordswoman, he spoke sternly, "If you try to stop him, then your partner dies!" The words tasted vile coming out of his mouth. "ALICE, make sure to get this over with quickly!"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

ALICE eyes lit up. "Kickass!" he said excitedly. "It's about time." Sticking his tonge out at the Mordecai as he walked past, the teenager smashed the glass the teller was behind with his lyre. He jumped behind the counter, smiling nastily. "Alright you governnent whore! Hand over all the money!"

The teller, a dark haired woman, recoiled. "We- we don't have any!" she sputtered, clearly in a state of panic. "We j-just moved location! All the money was moved this morning! Those people b-being held hostage are the ones we were turning away from making last minute withdrawels!"

ALICE stared at the woman, slack-jawed. "Uhhh... Arcturus?" he said, looking at his partner with a blank expression on his face. "We, uh, have a problem..."

DragonSong

"You're damn right you have a problem."

Mia pressed her blade against the small of the bard's back, nodding apologetically to the teller. She glared at the man holding Kay hostage. "Let my brother go or I drive this sword through your partner's gut."

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