Iron and Rain

The thug gasped and grabbed his cheek as blood poured down his skin. He grit his teeth "Funny thing about metal weapons sweetheart...." He put his finger to the tip of her blade. "They make for real good conductors!" A big jolt of electricity ran from his hand into her body.

----

Keevs was only just managing to block Ryoshis onslaught of blows. "Ahh!" Keevs grunt as he found the tip of his Ryoshis sword in his shoulder.

"Thought you corporate dogs could do better!" Ryoshi chuckled.

"Fuck you!" Keevs pushed him off. Blood ran down his arm and mixed with the the muddy earth. Angry took the bounty hunter and he rushed again "I'll crush you!" He roared and brought his massive sword back.

"We've already done th-" Ryoshi went to block but Keezs swing had a lot more power behind it this time. His cloak protected him from being cut, but the force of the impact was to much for it. The hunter went flying into the air like a baseball, only to come down into the wet mud. His side was screaming out in white hot pain. "FUCK!" he cried out. He wouldn't let this stop him though. He grabbed his sword and slowly got up to face Keevs.

The bounty hunter chuckled "Your ribs must be powder and you still want to fight? Well they did say you were reckless. Come on you mask wearing fuck!" Keevs started to run at Ryoshi once more.

Ryoshi sheathed his sword and closed his eyes.

"Looks like the old dudes lost it!" One of the six pointed and laughed.
 
Akane would curse herself later for this obvious mistake. As the instant his finger touched her blade, a bout of electricity seized her body, tensing up her muscles which only made her grip on her swords tighter. A strained scream left her lips as she fell over into the mud which in turn broke the connection of electricity to her swords, but the damage was already done.

She swore she smelled something burning and realized it must have been her… with shaking hands, her fingers dug harshly into the wet ground as she eased her body up off the ground, her vision spotted with stars. She tried to blink them away only to witness as Ryoshi was thrown to the side by the strike of his adversary’s sword. She choked on words and coughed as her lungs struggled for breath. “R-Ryoshi-!” She rasped, a muddied hand reaching out to weakly grasp one of her swords that had fallen into the mud.

“F-fuck…” she hissed and would stuff the point of her sword into the ground in an attempt to drag her body to its feet although it resisted immensely as her legs didn’t seem to want to work. Her eyes slowly bobbed in his direction, feeling like she was seeing things because she could have sworn she just watched Ryoshi sheath his weapon… what the hell was he doing?!
 
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"Nah nah sweet heart why don't you sit back and relax!" Her attackers boot landed on her back and her face back onto the mud. "Going to watch pops here get popped by the boss." He chuckled.

Time seemed to slow down as Keevs brought his sword around to cut Ryoshi in half. However, in the blink of an eye Ryoshi unsheathed his blade. A bolt of lightning flashed and in that instant he swung his sword... But who landed the hit?

There was a long pause as the two men stood with thier backs to each other. Then, Ryoshi slowly sheathed his blade. When the hilt clicked into place a stream of blood burst out of Keevs side, he didn't even have time to scream as his body hit the mud with a thud.

The swordsman exhaled and looked over to the thugs Akane was fighting. Then he looked to her "Need help?" He grumbled a little and grabbed his side under his cloak.
 
Akane’s body tensed with a strain of her effort, only to have it all be for naught as the thug behind her kicked her back into the ground. She clenched her teeth tightly in anger although she was a little powerless at the moment to do anything to defend herself. “No…” She gasped and peered through the rain as she attempted to process what she was seeing in front of her.

It had looked as though his opponent had gotten the best of him, but perhaps her eyes simply had not caught the act of him pulling out his sword as it had been too swift. All she witnessed in the end was a splash of blood bursting forth from Keevs body before it hit the mud to not rise up again. A breath of relief left her although it was very uncomfortable at the pressure of the man’s boot upon her back.

“Nah… I got it…” she rasped as her hand clenched once more around her blade in the mud. It was still a shaky movement, but devastating all the same as she thrusted the blade behind her, not really knowing where it was headed, but she hit something as the tip of her sword hit flesh. Upon looking backward, she would see it had pierced the thug’s shin. The pain had to have been enough for him to recoil from her, his boot coming off of her back which allowed her to roll sluggishly onto her back as her hand grasped her grapple at her hip.

“Oh no you don’t…” she fired, the grapple piercing his shoulder and catching on the other side which in turn wrenched him forward as the grapple began to reel him in. It would just so happen that he would fall into the tip of her sword that she had angled up toward him. Fuck that guy… he had nearly fried her insides…
 
The thug wretched as he it her sword then went limp, his blood trickling on to her. Ryoshi walked over and, with a grimace, pushed the body off of her. "Nice work... You okay?" He asked.

As he helped her up a man stepped into sight from behind one of the buildings. "Oi govna real good fight that was!" He cheered.

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"Who are you!" Ryoshi called out. He didn't want another fight not with how messed up his side was.

"Me? Names Argyle like the fabric." He smiled. "And I ain't here to fight ya none, nah nah me business is with those two dead stiffs ya killed." He pointed to Keevs and the thug. "I's a dead mans butcher ya see. Makin bait and such for fine people like yourselves." He walked up to Keevs and kicked him a little.

"What's the catch?" Ryoshi narrowed his eyes. "Mobile butchers don't come cheap."

"Right you are sir, right you are! I be keepin any metal bits I be findin. Weapons, augments, armor, the metal be mine but the fleshy bits are yours. We got a deal?"

Ryoshi looked to Akane "What do you think? Baits useful but these guys could have something on them that could be worth a lot.
 
“Right as rain,” Akane grumbled as she managed to hoist herself up to her feet although her body ached something terrible all over. Guess she now didn’t have to wonder what it was like to be struck by lightning… not that her mind as really ever wondered the sort. She could have done without the knowledge.

With the approach of a stranger, Akane was not in the mood and she set her jaw, angling her blade toward the man as if he were another adversary. “Back off. I’m not in the mood to deal with another thug,” she hissed although the man quickly explained his appearance. She rose a brow and slowly withdrew her weapon, grabbing up the other from the mud and sliding them both into their sheath, although she still eyed the stranger wearily.

Although the explanation rather disgusted her and she felt her gut twist uncomfortably at the thought of using human remains for bait. It sickened her so that nearly all the color drained from her face. “I… is that what you use around here for bait? I was… unaware.” She tended to use the remains of animals she hunted for food, wanting to use all of the resource properly so that it did not go to waste… as was how she was taught.

“Carrying the stink of flesh on us doesn’t sound like the smartest thing, I have to say,” she spoke trying to be logical about all of this while also trying not to appear as squeamish as she was feeling. “I’m also not exactly keen on the idea in general.”
 
Ryoshi narrowed his eyes "You can take them both, keep what you find, heck keep all of them. In return I want an arm from the one in the mask." He pointed.

"Ah lovely, alright I'll get to work straight away then. You want that arm wet or dried?" Argyle asked with a toothy grin.

"Dried and wrapped up tight got it? We will be at the inn so just leave it there."

"Course govna, I am a professional after all. Have it to ya in two shakes of a lambs tail I will."

Ryoshi nodded "Come on Akane let the butcher do his work." He started to walk toward the inn and before he grimaced and stopped. He grabbed his side "Fuck..."

"Oi you alright there mate?" Argyle called out. He walked up and looked at the two of them "Ya know I'm also a doctor, I could elp you both... Free of charge for given me more then my share of the dead."

"Fine, meet us at the inn when your done here." Ryoshi just wanted to get out of the rain and into a warm bed. His side was exploding in pain "Akane help me out?" He whispered, he needed help to the inn.
 
What a grisly way to make a living…

Akane furrowed her brows slightly at the negotiation, curious to what Ryoshi would want with the man’s arm… hell she was also wondering why there was a bounty on him in the first place. However, she would be unable to ask these questions as Ryoshi nearly collapsed in the middle of taking a step. “Ryoshi…”

Akane hurried to his side before he could even finish his request for help. He was a bigger man than herself, but she could manage him through the ache of her own body. She gingerly took one of his arms and slid it over her shoulders in an attempt to take some of the burden from him. “Come on… I think you need to lay down.” She didn’t exactly feel superb at the idea of the odd stranger looking over their wounds, but she supposed when they were desperate, they didn’t exactly get a choice in the matter.

Their movement was slow, but they eventually made it out of the rain and into the inn. “One room. Two beds please.” No need to waste money on two rooms. The one would be just fine to her if it was okay with Ryoshi. There was a quick exchange of coin from her before snatching up a hefty iron key and finding the way to their room. She would go back for their things in a moment… which no doubt were still laying by their table in the tavern.

“Easy does it,” she said softly and easy him onto a chair. She didn’t want him to go laying in the dry warm bed with the state of his soggy clothes. “Come, let me help you. Then we’ll lay you down.” She waited for permission before helping him remove his armor and peeling most of the wet clothing from his body. She would lay them out properly to dry when Ryoshi was settled.
 
Ryoshi was thankful for having Akane take care of him. With her help he took his armor off along with some of his clothes, though the mask stayed on. Under his clothes were countless scars, some small some big.

He laid down in bed but grimaced and clutched his side. He took a few deep breaths "Thank you Akane, though you need your rest as well." He said as he relaxed into the warm bed. He paused for a moment "I know you must have some questions... Ah!" His side exploded in pain.
 
Akane’s brow furrowed just slightly as she urged him to lay down and relax. “They can wait. You need to rest,” she said and reached down to bring the blanket up and over him so that he wouldn’t have to lean down to do so himself. Once he was decently comfortable, although he seemed to be in a lot of pain, she hurried out to the tavern to retrieve any items that they may have left there including her backpack as well as Ryoshi’s.

When she came back, the stranger was hanging outside of their door and she watched him unsurely for a moment before sighing and walking around him to unlock the door. “Thank you for taking a look at Ryoshi. He seems to be in a lot of pain,” she told him and invited him inside, dropping their things against the wall before going to Ryoshi’s clothes and placing them out in a way that they would hopefully dry overnight.

She also took off her armor and peeled most of the damp clothes from her body, leaving her in very neutral under-garments although she didn’t seem too embarrassed by it. She casually walked over to her own bed and slid beneath the soft covers, forgetting how good it felt to lay in an actual bed. Her aching body thanked her instantly for the rest. “How is he?” Akane asked as she turned onto her side, resting her head in the crook of her arm as she watched the stranger look over Ryoshi’s wounds.
 
Argyle looked over the hunter "Well his ribs are more broken then glass in an earthquake." He sighed. He started to tightly wrap Ryoshis mid section. "He will be okay but he needs ta go easy on the sword swingin for awhile. Get him a gun or just keep him from fightin at all. I can give him some meds for the pain but that's all I can do without cuttin him open." He looked over to her. "Ya want me to look ya over? Ya took a bit shock ya did."
 
So not as lucky as she had been with her past injury. Akane took a deep breath and let it out slowly, although she was just glad that all he needed was some rest. It could have been much worse, like if one of the broken ribs had pierced a vital organ. "I think we can manage. We'll lay low for awhile," she said and slowly began to sit up, not really wanting to test the throbbing of her body at the moment. "If you're offering, I'll take you up on it. Although I think I'm okay. My body also just needs to recover..." However she also wasn't exactly sure how large amounts of energy reacted inside of ones body. All she knew is that it didn't kill her so she had to be fine, right?
 
Argyle walked over to her and checked her out though his hands were ice cold. "So what are ya and one of worlds most wanted doin out here in the fog lands? Not a place to take lightly ya know?" He check out her back and took in a sharp quick breath. "Well lady ya got a pretty nasty energy burn, it's started to scab over already so that's good. It's goin to ache pretty bad once it's all scabbed up." He took a bit of ointment on his finger and rubbed it in. "I'll leave this hear with ya, once before bed and once when ya get up." He said as he stood up.

"Now then ya two better get the rest you need and keep the samurai from movin around. I bid you both good night." Argyle waved and left.

Ryoshi was out like a light for a few hours but woke up in the night as some point. His body hurt and his head was throbbing. He reached up to his mask and pressed a small button "Play video one..." He whispered. The edges of his mask started to glow as the video started to play.

If Akane was awake she could hear the quiet sounds of a woman's voice coming from his mask. "Oh come on Ryoshi.... You need to lighten up...... Love you.... Dinner!... Always here..." She sounded happy from what Akane could hear.
 
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Akane winced just slightly as he pressed and prodded in spots on her body although it was probably from the chill of his hands as well as the spontaneous jolts of pain. “A bounty. We were just passing through when the trouble found us,” she said simply. Her mind wandered to Ryoshi’s bounty again and she couldn’t help but be curious. Surely he didn’t do anything that would warrant such a thing… but then again she hardly knew the man.

Well… that tidbit didn’t surprise her. She was glad it wasn’t anything worse though. If it was simply pain she would have to deal with… well that was certainly better than being permanent dysfunctional. “Um… thank you, Argyle…” She said softly, it being the first time she used his name properly. Still… he really didn’t have to help them. He could have done his butchering and taken what he wanted and then left without a trace. Instead, he decided to help. “I’ll take care of him…” she assured as she settled back down into bed and let out a soft sigh. She really did feel drained… although no doubt this was about to be the best night of sleep she has had in awhile.

It wasn’t long before her eyes drooped and she had fallen asleep.

Her body really didn’t allow her to be a deep sleeper though, just from all the times she’s been staying out in the wilderness and needing to wake up at any time in case of danger. So when Ryoshi began stirred and decided to play a video in his mask, it did indeed wake her from her light slumber.

Her closed eyes twitched as she came to, the lids of her eyes lazily opening halfway as she listened to the noises that occurred not too far away, although those noises would eventually come to her as a voice. She furrowed her brows just slightly as she listened sort of subconsciously as she was still quite drowsy from sleep. Curiosity would get the best of her as she slowly turned onto her side with a wince to face Ryoshi with her head still laying upon her pillow. “Can’t sleep?” She asked quietly as she regarded him with her own tired gaze. “Who’s that?” She asked softly, wondering if he would even be willing to share such personal information.
 
The video switched off as Ryoshi heard Akane's voice, they were left in the dark was of the room. "Some one from a long time ago... Someone who was very special to me..." He said as he looked into the darkness. "You okay? Judging by this bandage around my ribs I gather thier broken?" He sighed a little. "I know you must have questions..."
 
Curious for more information, Akane almost instinctively asked who the woman was, but decided it was not her place to pry. If he wished to talk about it, then he would and she would be there to listen. However, she would not bring up something from his personal past just to settle her own curiosities.

"I'm okay... my body is just achy is all..." A constant ache that came around even as she remained still on the bed. She gave a light nod to confirm his suspicion about his own injuries. "I'm supposed to tell you to lay of the sword swinging for now. Argyle's orders," she said with a little grin, slipping her hand underneath her pillow as she saw his general outline in the darkness. "I do... but we do not have to speak of them right now if you don't want to. It is late. You should get some more sleep."
 
"Nah kid ask away, I'm up for now. Believe it or not I'm used to only sleeping for a few hours at a time." He said. "I don't think I need this on right now either." There was macnical whir as his mask opened up in the darkness. "No peeking." he chuckled.

Rain started to hit the small window of thier room. The wind started to pick up ever so slightly as well.
 
"No fair," Akane said casually with a little chuckle, her eyes glittering in the darkness although she would be unable to see any detail of the man laying in the bed across from her own.

"Well... not that I really need to know because I'm here and I trust, but... why were those men after you?"
 
"Because of the bounty on me... Do you know about the privet security company Trillium?" He asked.

Trillium has been a long standing security company comprised elite hunters. It's a company used mostly by the rich upper class of Kien. It's considered to be a great honor to be apart of the business.
 
Akane pressed her lips together for a moment as she thought before giving a small shake of her head. "Can't say that I have... I've been pretty under the radar and tend to keep to myself. I think maybe I've heard the name before just from passing someone talking about it. But I never questioned it. Didn't seem like my business."