Maid to order

After hearing from some other players about someone dressed like a maid getting taken away by some players out of town to a wooden fort some distance away from town you desided to check out these rumors. Thought when you get close to the so called fort it not that great a shape it definty has 4 sides and a large door but it seen better days it a deshived state. Looks like strong wind would knock it over. There are two guards outside the door. They looked quite bored.

    "That's the 'fort'?"
    Amalthea sounds incredulous as she surveys the so called fortifications that the kidnappers have esconced themselves in. The old Odysseia Knight can't help but frown at the dishevelled state of the fortress and the two guards manning the front gates.
    "Well. ... Only way to see is to press onward, right?" She mutters to herself. See, when someone gets kidnapped, normally Amalthea would look to the authorities to handle the matter. But in this new world where NO ONE can really be considered the authorities, sometimes, adventurers need to take matters into their own hands. So she's already making her way towards the entrance at a casual pace.
    Yep. Just gonna walk right up to that front door.

    A maid snatched up off the street and kidnapped. In the real world, you read about news like this half a world away and either move on or at most, briefly rage at the injustice.

    But in Yamato? It's HERE. And there are no police. You can ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING!

    She only hopes she's not too late. Bunch of people abducting someone could go in some seriously bad directions...

    Mizuki is on the case! As she sneaks into view of the 'fort' she sees the guards, and considers how to deal with them. Without actual proof of what's going on, PKing them might be a bit much. She could talk to them, but they'd raise the alarm...

    Another idea occurs to her: Just sneak in!

    Since the fort does not appear to have an actual roof, she just sneaks around back and begins climbing, digging her claws into the wood...

It doesn't matter if it's another player or just a Lander, dragging someone off against their will is just plain rude and unallowable. So Shiruba is along to do something about it. She's already got her bow in hand, though her quiver is stocked mainly with magic arrows that won't do anything too traumatizing. These are other Players after all. Just jerk ones that need to be taught a bit of a lesson.

As they get close to the 'fort' (more like an old forgotten shed really) she pauses and crouchs down to keep from immeadiate sight. "Looks like most of the punks are inside. If there's more."

Obachan Tanku is already heading for the guards, so she'll just wait here to provide support as necessary. Frontlines are not her thing.

The mercenary outcast had taken up a contract someone had offered, a maid had been kidnapped by players. Of course, players being what they were, he knew he couldn't just storm in immediately.

Apparently he is the only one of that mindset, because while he had planted himself on a hill not far from the so-called fort, which he had seen better construction in battle royale games, someone else had decided to just walk up to the door and knock.

"Fuck."

He hops over the hill and slides down the length of it. Clearly he doesn't realize that he's not the only one going after this group, as he sprints to catch up with the woman headed for the front gate.

Gwen had heard about the rumours about this fort and wanted to look into things, she had an idea.

"Shir I have an idea!"

The Holy Knight and yes Profession Maid will head towards the forte and up to the guard giving her biggest saleswoman smile.

"Hello there sir could I interest you in my services as a tailor? I'm certain you have gear in need of repair or might need some odds and ends?"

She's just going full sales.

"After all, I am a major name in Glamour crafting I'm Gwen Pendragon."

One of the guards notices Amalteha coming towards them. He lightly pokes the other with his speak "Hey someone is coming." "You didn't need to poke me about it!" "Well you were half alseep anyway!" They stand at attention holding there spears foward. "There another one!", the other guard says spootting Kayon coming as well. "Halt!", the other says. "You got to sound more intimating than that!" "You have any better ideas?" "How about... YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" "But were the guards!" "ooh good point." "Your not even a mage.." They don't notice Mizuki at all. "A tailor?" "oh I have a shirt that need a fix!" The other guard hits him with the tip of his spear. "We have to check with the boss first idiot!" "Oh right!"

Ragna is one of the players going in to retrieve the maid, though dressed in some new gear he managed to get, his sword over his shoulder, his eyes narrow as he notices the fort that...looks like its seen better days. "Better something than nothing, but don't underestimate it. No doubt there's a plan to defend it on the opposing side." but he nods to Amalthea as she walks up to the front door.

"Not what I would advise, in case there are traps."

Granted, he follows along wit hthe group anyway, though he seems to smile amusedly when Gwen just chats up the guards.

Kaydon arches a brow at Gwen's, well. Approach is certainly a word that would apply. He shrugs and lets her do her thing, maybe it'll get the guards to drop their guard. Then Kaydon can plant them back in their home cathedrals and they can rescue the maid.

At least that's what he assumes her plan is. She may just legitimately want to sew their clothes and fix their gear.

Shiruba stares at Gwen's tactic for a moment... and then slaps a palm to her face. More at the fact that it actually seems to work to a degree. The guards, if you can call them that, seem to be distracted between her and Amalthea... Oh hey, here comes someone else. She stands and waves for a moment so Kaydon sees her, then makes a gesture to keep going and catch up with the others at the gate.

Then the hunter crouchs down and keeps stalking towards the badly misnamed fort herself. She keeps an arrow ready in her bow. An electrified one, in case she has to do the magical equivilent to tasering someone.

    "And just what kind of rush are you in, young man?" Amalthea casually asks the onrushing Khaydon, putting on an easy smile as she keeps heading for the door.
    "That, young man, is a bridge we can burn when we get to it." She idly asides to Ragna as she stops before the guards.
    She's still smiling.
    She's not halting.
    "Son, I read that book before you were a twinkle in your mother's eye. Saw the movie too. The line is 'You CANNOT pass'." The old woman corrects the gaurd as she drums her fingers on the hilt of her sheathed sword.
    "And if there's a maid in that there fort, I assure you, I will be passing. So you can either kindly step aside, or I can become less kindly myself."
    "Idle aside, I would take this young lady up on her tailoring, she's quite good."
    ... She's *still* smiling.

Gwen looks at the guards for a moment, she says "Great I can help you with that shall you let me in?"

She looks at them trying to be as cute as possible sadly she's not Jazz. Still, she's trying to do so and hey if she can talk her way in all the better right?

Gwen does have a plan if nothing is going on? There's going to be a lot less bad blood over her coming in repairing a few things and leaving. Then kicking down the door and finding nothing is going on.

After Mizuki has climbed up the wall she can see a few people milling about a few tents have seen set up there only one building set up near the back of the fort. It has a guard standing outside of it.

    Someone's distracting the guards in front. Good? If this goes Mizuki won't need to worry about reinforcements.

    She ninja leaps towards the single building, trying to get onto the roof then peek down at each wall to see if there's a window.

    Hopefully noone's heard her yet...

"You can't even do the line right!" "Hey I thought it was pretty good!" "It was terrible!" "Can you do it any better?" "Sure I could! "Why don't you?" "Well I don't want to now that you ruined it!", the guard look supiously at the group. "I'll have to check with our boss first.. He looks at the other guard. "You stay here and don't say a thing!", he knocks on the door it opens up and he back in still looking at the group as it locks behind him. "There are defintly no maids here!", the other guard states. "Defintly."
There a window in the building! It a bit dirty but there someone dressed like a maid tied up to a chair! She looks quite bored. Someone in there chatting to her, you can't make out what they are saying.

Well everyone at the gate seems to be well occupied, so Shiruba decides to follow Mizuki's lead on getting a look at the insides. She darts up to the wall, and not having the natural climbing tools cats do, uses a Flashstep tech to get the momentum to vault herself to the top of the wall without making more noise than necessary.

The gnoll were fang eyes Amalthea when she asks him why he's in a hurry. He's about to respond but he opts not to. Something about the way she talks, he's sure she's not just PLAYING an older looking character model. He instead turns his focus back to the guards, "Did you guys build this thing?" He asks, looking over the wall that's nice and close to him, "Or was it like this when you found it? If you built it, I didn't know we could build structures." Although if none of them have Construction as a skill that would explain the shoddy state it's in.

The mention of there being no maids, he hmms, "Well you guys wouldn't mind us taking a quick look around right? You know, for our peace of mind." The size of him, and the look of him, and his weapons. Perhaps he can intimidate them into complying.

    Maid tied to chair looks... well, this isn't one of the worst possibilities, hopefully. She looks more bored than scared, and that paired with the dialogue she's hearing from Tweedledum and Tweedledumber up front is encouraging, in that this doesn't seem to be a very well-organized operation.

    Points for quickly setting this fort up, though... Their leader might be half-competent.

    Still hiding out on top of the roof, Mizuki lays her head against the roof and places one feline ear against the surface, trying to hear what's going on inside...

Gwen squints at the guard who keeps saying there are no maids here. She'll end up folding her arms and flaring out her wings a bit as looks at the guard for a moment. She pauses at the sigh though the window and looks even more annoyed at this point.

"My friend speaks well don't you think? Just let us have a look I'll fix your shirt and be on our way!"

    While the two guards bicker about the verity of the line, Amalthea is still smiling.
    "Yes, of course, peace of mind. Some peace of mind would be lovely." She echoes Khaydon's statement, drumming fingers on the hilt of her sword.
    Definitely no maids though, they say.
    Definitely.
    The older adventurer casts a skeptical glance over her shoulder at the rest of the group with her, as if to ask 'Really, guys?'
    "Well if there are really no maids here, you won't mind much at all if we have a quick look about."

The guard from that was on the outside is running towards the building. Other people are looking around wonders what's going on. He talks to the other guard about something letting him go inside the building. Everyone looks like there getting there weapons ready for a fight..
The guard looks at Kayon. "Oh we found it", he states. "It's not in the greatest shape. But it ours!", he looks over the werefang. "Sorry my boss get mad at me if I let anyone in. Got to wait for approval. I be a bad guard if I just let anyone in.", sounds like his boss might be more scary that Kaydon! "You can fix my shirt? Really?", the guard start to take off his top and then his shirt There a large tear in the front. He quite the hairy fellow.
Mizuki listens "You can't keep me here forever you know.."
% the maid says. "We going to sell you!" "To who?" "I'm sure people would pay good money for a maid." "Do you have any buyers lined up?" "Not yet." "Man you guys are really didn't plan this out at all.." "S-shut up!" The maid just rolls her eyes. "Could at least get something to eat?"

Once atop the wall herself Shiruba spots where Mizuki is on the smaller inside building. Presuming that's where the maid is being held.

She also notices the ruckus going on amongst the gang, for lack of better terms, and they start to get their weapons together. Looks like they're not entirely falling for the just taking a look around deal from the people at the gates. They don't look too tough, but an unruly mob is still an unruly mob and difficult to deal with even for experienced Adventurers.

Shiruba charges the arrow in her bow and fires near the gates, where it erupts in a bubble of darkness. She's trying to use it like a flash grenade and blind punks close to the gate so the others can push their way in.

    They're going to /sell/ their kidnap victim into slavery? Good grief, it's been two weeks and someone's an aspiring slaver already. At least they're bad at it.

    But there's a number of people here, and even if they're bad at this, they might be good in a fight. And if they've actually been grinding, they might be higher level than her. Mizuki doesn't want to get PKed if she can help it. Or... worse, which is a thought that sends a chill up her spine and she tries not to dwell on.

    While thinking, she spots Shiruba She stands up and starts to attempt to mime out the situation, pointing down then adopting a sitting stance and hugging herself, but... Oh shit, Shiruba's going loud! Mizuki stands on the edge of the roof, dark magic gathered around her paws... and then realizes that maybe if she waits a few seconds she can gank the boss when he runs out.

    This is going nowhere. These obstinate guards are beginning to get on Amalthea's nerves when- Shiruba gives the signal.
    At least, that's as god a signal as any, as the old Paladin shields her eyes briefly, before shoving her way past tweedle-A and tweedle-B in hopes that they're too distracted to stop her.

Amalthea might intend to push past them, but Kaydon has more violent intentions in mind. After the darkness bubble bursts, he moves towards one of the two guards. He doesn't strike him with the weapon, at least at first, opting instead to grab the guy by the arm, twist and try to throw him with a well practiced shoulder throw.

Should take the wind out of him and probably remove him from the fight. The other guard is going to catch a couple of well placed punches. Kaydon might not be a godhand class, but he's still trained in unarmed combat from his time in the real world.

"Hey who put out the lights?" "I can't see!" "Are we underattack?" "I've gone blind!!!" the people inside are starting to panic. Looks like everyone else is looking around trying to figure out what's going on. The now shirtless guard turns out. "Hey what's going on in there?", he points his spear at the group. "You all planned this didn't you!!? Hey you can..ahh", he gets grabbed and slammed into the ground. KO!

Gwen will get to work on the shirt she's acting like nothing is wrong just being bubbly old Gwen right? She'll pull out a needled and thread. It won't be the most pretty job but it will get the rip nice and sealed.

She gets to work like nothing is wrong. She hears enough to know the fort isn't on the level here. She waits for Shiruba to make her move and banishes the shirt into her inventory and she frowns.

"You know I'd hope you were just putzes."

Gwen will at this point readies her shield and she'll move to push in ahead as her friends are dealing with the guard and yes she'll crash through the gate if she has to do it.

As the rest of the party pushes into the fort Shiruba jumps down from the wall. "She's in the small hut there," she helpfully points them towards where Mizuki has been staking out. Then nocks another arrow. This one starts to glow with a frosty particle effect as she draws it back and aims upward. "Icy peaks send down thy wrath!" And fires it in an arc over the party, where it turns into a cluster of icicle shards as it drops back down on the opposite side. The ice rain creates a slick surface on the ground to farther faulter the attempts at stopping the group from getting in.

CRASH! Gwen mashes thought the gates it flying off hit hinges flying across the fort and crashing into putzes knocking him out. Now the rest of the group turns to see the party coming in. A few keep there ground. One runs and starts to try a climb over the wall. "Forget this and start to make his way past the party toward the entrace, and starts to slip on the ice he tires to keep his footing but faceplans on the ice..
The boss comes out of his hut. "What the heck is going on here? Is this a raid!?!"

Having taken out the two guards at the door, Kaydon now draws his blade. Spotting the boss, the guy that was supposedly more intimidating than he was, the Juggernaut moves towards him, longsword held in position by his right hand above his left arm, with the point directed at the boss.

"So I understand you're in charge of this motley group. I'll tell you what. Lets make a deal. You fight me, one on one. I win, you free your hostages and swear to never take one again and maybe I don't send you to the cathedral. You win, and I'll use my blacksmithing skills for you and your group."

    There! Mizuki makes a series of hand signs, then throws a dark ball at the boss from above before trying to pounce him to the ground and hold a claw to his throat. If that goes well, she follows up with "Try anything and I PK you. Feel like 24 hours of nightmares?"

    "Start talking."

    She looks up at Kaydon. "Dude, what the hell? You think this guy deserves a fair shot OR your help?!"

    Into the fort, and things get hairy. There are more of these men, but it's almost comical how underprepared, incohesive, and motley they are. As the boss comes out and Kaydon challenges him, Amalthead draws her blade.
    Planting the tip of her sword in the ground and resting her hands crossed on the pommel, she looks to the were-fang.
    'You got this?' She seems to ask wordlessly with a look, but mostly lets him make his challenge.
    Mizuki's threat makes the older adventurer cock a brow.
    "Now, now, we don't have to go that far." She says mildly. "We don't have to kill him." She says very gently.
    The old woman is *still* smiling.
    "Personally I'm okay beating them within an inch of their lives. As a lesson, of course."
    Yes. A lesson.

Gwen is going to make right for the boss she's barreling in at him and she will cray out as she targets him. Gwen looks at Mizuki and just grins.

"Oh you think that Mizuki?"

She will look to her and smiles again.

"Let's just say you are in for a show if he agrees."

"I am Smashslash.", There some snikering in the backround when the boss says this name. "Quiet! I'll take up your.", and then everything around him goes black. "Hey your cheating!"
"Nope!" "Time to run away" "Exit stage left!", the rest of the group start to bail. "I never really was into this anyway!" ,they are starting to run.
"Hello.... Saving first violence later.."the maid calls out.."

    Mizuki looks up at Amalthea. She stands up just as the maid speaks out, then turns around and walks up to her, cutting her free with a dagger. "Are you okay? Should we really be letting them get away? ...Sorry, I've never rescued a hostage before, this whole... thing kinda got weird."

Well Mizuki jumps in and does her ninja thing. Kaydon tsks a bit and lowers his blade, "I had it covered." He says, glancing back at Amalthea, "I suppose you're right. Though it seems moot now. His guys are running away. Hopefully with their lesson learned."

He sheathes his blade and looks at Smashslash, "Looks like we freed your hostage and you've lost the fight without us even having to do it. So here's the deal. I ever hear about you kidnapping another player again, I'll find you and cut your legs off. Then I'll give you a health potion and cut your arms off. Dig?" He looks back at the maid, "Unless you'd rather I do that to him now for kidnapping you?"

"I'm fine..", the maid stands up and dusts herself off. "First time for me being a hostage! I thought these guys had a racket going or something. I heard some rumor about some other groups going around kinapping.. I thought these guys might be part of it, but turns out I was very wrong.", she looks back. "No point in dulling your blade on a lowlife like this..",Smashslash nods quickly and multiple times. "It just a spur of the moment thing. I thought she was a NPC!", the maid walks over to Smashslash. "Can a NPC do this?", she punches him in the face knocking him out.. "Ahh I feel better now. I'm Vespa by the way.."

Shiruba lowers her bow as the gang scatters. "I hope you people learned your lesson! Next time we won't be so lax in kicking your butts!" Some of them weren't lax in the first place, but that's a moot point now.

She does wince a little at Kaydon. No wonder the guy was a solo merc for so long. "You've made your point. Dial it down just a smidge befo--"

She's interrupted by the Maid decking her former captor. "--I guess she's not a Lander after all. Nice! My name's Shiruba." Yay, new friend~ That immeadiately picks the mood back up.

    Mizuki looks back at the 'boss'. "Seriously? Use your Inspect tool! No, noone's /really/ this dumb, he's just trying to trick us..." But Vespa's knocked him out.

    She comes back outside the shack, scratching the back of her neck nervously. "Is it really okay to let them get away? I mean... these are people who thought it would be a good idea to start up a slavery business. I hate to be a downer, but... this is really fucked up, you know?"

    "Ah." The maid has been freed. And she decks her captor no less. And there was much rejoicing. Amalthea sheathes her blade and slings her shield onto her back, resting her hands on her hips.
    Her smile grows a touch warmer now.
    "I'm glad that's done with, then."
    A glance is spared to Mizuki, but then she shakes her head. "I'm sure after this they've all learned a good lesson."
    A pause.
    "And if not, that's a bridge we can burn when we get to it."

"Well that works too." Kaydon says, watching her just knock the dude out in a single hit, "Some people really over-value their skills as a player. Oh well!" He turns to Mizuki, "It's not like there's a prison we can lock them up in. And even if we HAD one, they could just recall or kill themselves to get out."

He does ponder if some kind of anti-recall field could be created or maintained, if they're going to be stuck here, laws are going to need to be enforced somehow. "Our best bet is, frankly, to scare the hell out of them and make sure they don't do it again." At least for the time being.

Gwen says "Gwen Pendragon!" the towering woman notes with a grin them bows a little bit.

"God doing that to another player. What the hell is wrong with you!?"
She yells at Smashslash.

"You didn't think to inspect them for one?!"

She makes a face at it.

"Or there could be ways to contain someone but that way lies being a monster."

"I know but here in this world there no real goverment or police so some people will just act on there impusles.. or just do things to see what they an get away with..", Vespa says. She puts her foot on her ex-captor. "I think this one learned his lesson and the rest of his group ran off. She sighs." "Too bad everything tates like rain water. I could use a drink.", she pauses. "Or a least some tea. A maid needs her tea dammit!"

"I wish we could get some decent tea," Shiruba shares in the lament of no proper tasting tea. "Well, regardless, getting back to town and getting some to eat and drink sounds like a good idea anyways."

    Mizuki looks at Amalthea, the wisdom of (apparent) age, and Vespa, the victim, and sheaths her dagger. She nods at Kaydon.

    There's still something depressing about this happening in here. She may be planning to escape, but the Olympians are right insofar as they have the chance to make this a good world while they're trapped here. And yet, instead of making it better people are doing this. Does she need to worry if there's a market for catgirls?

    She stops staring into space to look at Vespa again. "Mizuki, ninja. Glad you're safe. Nice to meet you." She smiles.

    Then looks around. "We may as well confiscate any stuff they left behind. I wonder if we can sell the location to others who can salvage the building materials?"

"I like the way you think Shirbua.", Vepsa says. "Let go and get something to eat.", she nods to Mizuki. "Oh good point. I wonder if there anything to loot her anyway, again thank for saving me. If you ever need a Maid Knight let me know."