[X] Sufficiency: Lightning Bandit
The Ursa roared as it stood up to it's hind legs, opposing the woman. It wasn't just an intimidation measure, though the woman knew that the weaker willed would certainly be shaken by the way it expanded it's height in a way that seemed to increase it's mass. By standing up like this, the Ursa put itself in a position where all it had to do was let gravity pull it down, and it's mauling became all the more effective.
At the same time, it left itself vulnerable to attacks that could knock it off balance, but that hardly helped Saga right now. Sure, it being easier to push over helped a bit, but if she was hitting something and it was surviving anyway, something had gone wrong. She just needed a bit more time to charge up.
She vanished into a flash of energy as she darted around the Ursa, baiting it into a charge to measure it's reactions. The Grimm around these parts were always tricky. You could never tell if it it was a newly formed Grimm or if it was a particularly cunning elder which had torn off it's armour and kept itself smaller. It was rare, but you didn't survive by making assumptions that anything was anything less than the worst possible opponent.
There was usually a tell, Saga noted. A movement just too fast, an attack a younger Grimm would have commited to that this one avoids the risk of...
In this case, the Grimm seemed to be a weaker species. But there was no point in taking the risk. Just a few more seconds, and she would have charged up enough to obliterate the Ursa.
Another thunderbolt of movement sent the woman slamming into a tree, before shooting away from it above the Ursa's head. The bear-Grimm slammed itself into a tree, trying to topple it before the woman could bounce off of it, but the speed of lightning was more than the speed of a bear, and she'd hit it before the Ursa had struck it.
Yeah, this thing was a newborn. No elder Grimm would've commited itself against this kind of speed and mobility, if it left them open. And even if she was wrong, her charge was high enough. Flashing down again, she pulled back her fist, and at the last second hammered down on the Ursa. Electricity rippled from her fist, shocking the Grimm and contorting it. Electricity burns quickly covered the Grimm in it's entirety, and after a second, it just faded into smoke.
"...Tch." Saga turned away from the Grimm was, and started the slow walk back to base.
What a waste of time.
Sure, she knew she was only saying that because of hindsight, and wasting her time to make sure the Grimm sightings wasn't a sign of anything big was important, but...
Well, she had things she could have been doing. She figured she was close to figuring out how to get a weapon working that she could use with her Semblance without conducting some of her charge prematurely, and getting a breakthrough on that would've been more important than just one Grimm of that level.
She did suppose the fact that it was turning up at all was a sign that something had gone awry. She was probably gonna have to put in a report about that, get the boss to look into it. Get the boss to rejigger the schedule to let someone drop by moral support, or start trading for more of the drugs that keep the prisoners docile.
Either way, that was going to be costly. And the settlement was already doing poorly. One of their traders had gotten busted in Mistral for their bandit ties, and that had set them back food-wise. They were still on smaller rations, after that, and there was a constant worry that their trader was going to sell them out.
Honestly, if Saga could have left this place, she would have. Sure, she was willing to keep up the bandit lifestyle if she had to, but she'd prefer if she didn't have to. There was an entire family of warriors behind her, and she wasn't doing fair on their legacy with all this pillaging and slaughtered innocents.
But then, out here, out of the Kingdoms, you needed to do whatever you needed to do to survive. People out here, they've all done things their not proud of. Saga had seen friend betray friend to escape a dangerous situation, partner betray partner to avoid depending on someone who could betray them. She'd seen mothers sell their daughters for a pittance. That's just the way the world worked.
Her mother had made sure Saga understood that, before she passed on. You did what you did to look after you. Even in the Kingdoms, people will turn on you the moment you became a problem. Your only allegiance is to yourself.
Another reason to get out of here. She wasn't self-sufficient enough to survive outside the Kingdom on her own, and like hell she was ever getting into Mistral. Once she had it down, though, she was gone. The only times you can rely on someone are if you and they are both irreplaceable, and Saga was far from irreplaceable.
A few more years, she thought to herself. Just a few more years. She and her partner had a plan, and it just needed the kinks worked out. Even if it wasn't much now, it'd only take a few more years to get all the stuff they needed, and if they didn't have their problems solved by then, they deserved to be eaten by Grimm.
...Speaking of which, he should be back from his raid now. Saga should go and make sure the idiot didn't get himself killed laying siege to a village.
The boss wouldn't be looking for reports until the morning anyway, not unless it was an emergency, and while a Grimm sighting needed addressing, nobody was gonna get killed if she waited.
Looking up to the moonlight for a second, Saga double-checked that her Semblance had run out of charge by tapping her tongue. With her empty charge confirmed, she made her way to the usual meeting place.
~~~~~
The outer walls of the settlement were the ones that had the most area to cover, and they were the ones that protected the least valuable material. It'd hurt the settlement to lose the land within it, but everything vital to it's operation was protected by steel and machine. That was too expensive for an outer wall, though, which was why the first layer of defence against an attack was wood and stone.
Against a sustained attack, it'd never be enough. But if the settlement had fucked up bad enough that they were facing a sustained attack, it wouldn't have to. People would already be running. For the most part, it kept Grimm and thieves out. And prisoners in, for that matter.
Climbing to the top of the wall in front of the main gate, Saga sat down at the overhang overlooking the empty plain that surrounded the settlement.
"Oi, Roz." Saga called, as she sat down. The smaller man looked over, and smiled.
"Saga." He nodded. "Miss me?"
Saga twirled her hand, working up a small charge, and zapped his shoulder. "You know how hard it is to find a good punching bag around here."
He chuckled. "I hope you're not looking for another late spar tonight. That last settlement had a Hunter."
Saga winced. "Ouch."
"It's not too bad." Roz noted, after a moment. "My Aura held. I've still got all my limbs. She wasn't as lucky, once everyone started focusing on her."
"Well, I guess I'll kick your ass in the morning." Saga replied, as she looked out towards the stars.
"Profits were good, though." Roz noted. "And you'll never guess what I was able to find while the rest of the raid group were looking away."
"Dignity? You've always been lacking that."
Roz snorted. "That thing only held me down. Nah, but I managed to find a working Dust generator."
Saga's eyes widened. "No shit?"
"Managed to hide it away before anyone else could look." Roz replied. "Hid it in a hole under a rock. I've got scouting duty in a week, so I'll be able to move it up to the cave then."
"Which model generator are we talking here?" Saga asked. "Like, one that has to break down the Dust, or-"
"One that you can just zap a few times a week." Roz confirmed. "If we can keep it functional, at least. I'm gonna see if I can steal some books on mechanics and whatnot, see if we can get it working.
The woman felt her lips split into a grin. "This is big. If we can get away with enough of this tech, with a generator like this, we can just set up some cameras and electric fences, maybe a few turrets, and we'll have solved most of the Grimm problem."
This...
This made so much easier.
Before now, they'd have to do so much set-up to get a good defence set up. They'd found a good cave by a river to hole up in, but it had so many issues. They needed to have enough of a defence that the Grimm couldn't break in, while being able to come and go freely enough that they could get firewood and water.
Now? They just needed to take the right stuff. Grab a few automated guns with some ammo, make sure they got the stuff that they could make themselves or get from passing traders. Electronic locks keyed to their Aura would be harder for a Grimm to break than a regular lock. If they could get their hands on a scanner, then they'd be able to get prepared if any dangerous Grimm or people were turning up.
It was still going to take years to set this up. The two of them needed to figure out how to get the machines working, and the ideas Saga was having for it were all dependent on if they could find the machinery in working order and get it away from the settlement. But now...
"I think we've got this." Saga decided. "This'll let us power decent defences, the cave was hidden well, we've got a water source, we just need to do some hunting and trading and we've got it down."
Roz smiled. "Hey, looks like I was the most useful one after all."
"Good point." Saga began, grinning. "Can't have that. Be right back, gotta go destroy the generator."
"Saga no."
"Saga yes." The woman replied, with a grin. "Behold, for I am the great destroyer. My legacy shall be the complete erasure of any sign that you were able to accomplish anything in your life. You will only ever be remembered as the fool who existed to make my accomplishments seem even grander in comparison."
"Didn't you get knocked out trying to fight a mirror once?"
Saga shook her hand again, and flashed it into Roz's shoulder, zapping him again.
"I was five." Saga grumbled. "And I regret telling you that story. Drunk me has horrible judgement."
Roz chuckled again, and the two of them faded off into silence, as they looked ahead.
...As shitty as the world outside the kingdoms was, it looked pretty well, under the moonlight. The plains stretched out for a distance before leading to a forested area, which was just in front of a river. The light of the moon reflected off the river into a surprisingly beautiful sight, and the trees were parted far enough and with just enough leaves positioned right that they ended up somewhat mysterious and good to look at.
Maybe she was just weird in what she found pleasing to the eye, but it looked like something out of a mystery, or ghost story. You could almost see mysterious figures rushing through the trees, like something out of-
Wait.
That wasn't almost see. There was actually people who were running away from the settlement, over there.
"Oi, Roz?" Saga asked. "I think we've got runners."
She pointed out into the trees, and Roz took a moment to look as well.
"...Shit." He sighed. "Do we let them go? We're not on duty, so-"
"Let's not risk it." Saga replied, standing up. "Maybe the boss'll give us something nice if we do this. He'll certainly be happier."
Roz stood up a moment after Saga, and as he moved for the ladder down, Saga jumped. Her charge built up quickly, before she let a bolt of lightning go beneath her, partially cancelling out her own momentum as the two of them hit the ground.
The horses weren't kept far from here. Grab them, pick up the pace, and the two of them will be able to catch up to some runners on foot.
~~~~~
It didn't take long to catch up. The forest was sized up enough that there wasn't any need to slow the horses down that much to get through the trees, and with that in mind, it only took a few minutes to gallop up to the escapees. The only real concern was that they might've slipped away and gone a different direction, but then a gunshot rang out, and Saga felt an impact on her shoulder.
...Where the hell did a runner get a gun? They weren't supposed to be able to get to those.
Building up her charge, Saga waited. She'd need to dismount soon, before she started discharging into her own horse, but before that happened, she could get as close as she could.
"RUN!" A voice screamed, not that far away. Smiling, Saga repositioned herself, moving both legs to either side of her steed, and waited. Roz was a step behind her, and she tugged at the reins on the horse, pulling it to the side so they guy who was staying on his steed could get ahead.
There was a bridge not far from here, Saga remembered. She could probably get to it faster, if she took to the trees. And since it'd be the easiest place to run...
Dismounting, Saga hit the ground, and in a flash was slamming herself into a tree again. She pushed off it, and in a flash of thunder had moved to another tree, and then another. For a second, she saw the two running figures, a pair of young girls, and noticed how they didn't seem to see her.
Perfect.
She saw the river to one side of her, and the bridge not far ahead of her. With one last flash of movement, Saga slammed into the bridge and felt is shudder under the force, before looking up.
On the other side of the bridge from the girls, she heard the panicked cry of a pair of horses, and looked up.
"...For fucks sake." Saga bit out. "Blue?"
On one of the horses was a man Saga recognised. He was another bandit, and one who had made great use of the moral support the settlement offered. Considering the runners had a weapon, that was likely his fault.
...But if this was a conspiracy of three, then the mere two horses meant someone was getting played, here.
Blue, seeing Saga, clapped his hands together. A field of energy formed around him, shielding him and his two horses, and Saga swore as she threw herself into it with her Semblance.
Fuck. She couldn't pierce his barrier, and even if he had a time limit, the runners were almost-
Saga heard the sound of footsteps, and turned around. Two girls, with pouches of what was probably some kind of stolen goods at their sides, stopped as they saw her.
The girl in the front held a gun towards Saga, and fired. The bandit stepped to the side, and heard the sound of the bullet hitting the barrier, before she charged forward.
"Indigo!"
The girl in the back stepped forward, dropping her pouches as she pulled a knife out of her belt. Saga grabbed the knife and twisted back. A girl like her, in the situation she was in, shouldn't have had any Aura, and a manoeuvre like that should let someone with Aura snap any weapon without, especially one this small and likely poorly made.
When the knife didn't break, Saga knew right away that something was wrong.
Aura, then. Which someone from moral support shouldn't have. How long was this run planned for, if she had her Aura up?
The girl stabbed forward in the second Saga was trying to think, twisting the knife as she stabbed into the bandit's Aura to try and cause her pain. Saga bolted to the side reflexively, and as she realised that this would leave her over the water, used her Semblance again to dash back to dry land, opposite of Blue's barrier.
A gunshot rang out, and Saga turned to deflect the bullet she had expected to come-
-Only to see the runner in white collapse, as her friend shot her in the knee.
"Sorry, Summer." The girl stated, as the barrier expanded momentarily to encompass her. "But we've only got two horses, and they won't look for me as hard if they stop one of us."
The white-haired girl looked over at the girl still standing, and snarled. She leapt forward, slamming into the barrier, and the knife fell away from her hand as she fell back again.
Roz and his horse finally arrived, in time to see the girl in white go down, and the girl still standing held out a palm as she backed off the bridge.
"Bye!"
Gravity pulsed for a moment, throwing the bridge and girl in white back. The path across the river was totalled, and Saga raised a hand to block herself from the debris. Roz ran in as she did so, catching the white-haired girl, and as the last of the remnants of the destroyed bridge fell, Saga looked up to see the two horses galloping away.
...Shit. They were gaining ground. With the bridge gone, they weren't getting their horses across either. Saga could probably catch up, but she couldn't break Blue's barrier, and she didn't know enough about his fighting style or weapon to do much more. To say nothing about his little friend, Indigo or whatever the girl in white had called her. A blast of manipulated gravity? That wasn't a power Saga wanted to take on alone.
Report it to the boss, then. And before they could do that...
"Let
go!" The white haired girl screamed, as she struggled in Roz's arm. Saga flashed forward, and put a hand on the girl's forehead, shocking her. The girl in white screamed, but as Saga pulled her hand away, she glared forward with furious silver eyes, and leapt to claw out Saga's throat.
Her fingers bounced off of Saga's Aura harmlessly, and Saga caught the girl's hand as it fell away. She let out another shock, this time using up all her charge. The girl screamed again, even as she pushed on to try and reach Saga. Eventually, she fell limp.
It never hurt to make sure, Saga thought, as she let the rest of her charge flow into the girl. She kept shocking her for another minute, before pulling her arm away. The girl's eyes were closed, and while she was moving her arm, it was more of an involuntary spasm than anything.
"...Got one." Saga sighed. Poor girl. She ended up in the settlement in the first place, then got played and betrayed by the other girl. Now she was going back in, with the boss angry that she escaped in the first place. She probably just shot to the top of the list of people who weren't going to be having good times.
...And if you add in what the boss was likely to do to a girl who'd gone and gotten Aura...
"Oi, Roz." Saga spoke up, as she looked at him. "Notice the girl's Aura?"
The small man nodded. "It wasn't strong, but-"
"It's enough." Saga replied. "The boss is already likely to be angry with her. We don't have to mention it to him, alright?"
Roz looked at her. "...Are you sure? I think he'll be able to tell-"
"He won't." Saga continued. "Once the boss knows her punishment is lined up, he'll forget about her. If she shows her Aura later, he'll just think she'd been through enough that it kickstarted, and by that point he's not gonna go out of his way to make things worse for her."
"...Fair enough." Roz decided. "If you want to be nice to her, I don't have any reason not to be."
Saga sighed. "Where's my fucking horse. I'll tie her on and walk it back, you go ahead to report it."
"Yes, ma'am."
And with that, Roz passed the girl to Saga, and moved to get back on his horse. Looking towards the forest, where she had dismounted, Saga carried the white-haired girl back towards the settlement.
~~~~~
"There you are." The old man said, as Saga walked in. "The girl?"
"Handed her off to moral support." Saga replied. "I'll pass on the orders for her punishment when we're done here."
"I don't expect this will take long." The boss noted. "Roz told me what happened when he arrived. He says you went ahead?"
"Yes, sir." Saga confirmed. "I hit the bridge, Blue was on one side, the girls on the other. I think I heard them call each other Indigo and Summer. Summer being the one who we got back."
"Blue..." The old man sighed. "A shame. His Semblance was a useful one."
"The useful ones are the ones that can last on their own." Saga pointed out. "He must've thought he could last without us, took his favourite girl and some stuff to sell, and ran."
"...That bridge is going to take a while to replace." The old man sighed. "But for now, Blue and Indigo."
"You want them caught?" Saga asked.
"I want them
dead!" The old man raged. "You saw them. You can lead the hunt. I'm sending scouts to find the trail now, and I want you to
bring me their heads!"
"...As you wish, sir." Saga agreed.
It was best to just give the boss what he wanted, when he was like this. His rage was a terrible thing, and the rumour was that he'd trained in the Mistral Academy. Whatever it was that pushed him to banditry, nobody really knew. Probably his temper. But the fact was, he was the single most dangerous person in the settlement, and when he got angry, the choice was letting the fire burn, or be burnt by it.
"And what should the other girls punishment be, sir?" Saga asked.
The old man took a moment to calm from his rage of the successful escapees, before he turned his mind to the less than successful one.
"Drug her." He decided. "Throw her into the deepest cell we have, and tell the dungeon master to starve her."
"Yes, sir." Saga repeated, suppressing the emotion from her voice. "How large of a dose should she have?"
"Half." The old man decided. "Leave her lucid enough to realise her situation, but not enough to do anything else. Make sure you tell the dungeon master to keep anyone else in the cells drugged as well to compensate. I want her to feel
terror, and if that means we use our stock to make sure the Grimm don't take advantage of it, so be it."
...Vindictive. Petty. Cruel. Three words that summed up the boss perfectly. But he was allowed to be. He was strong. He could get away with it, and he was self-sufficient enough that if people took problem with it, he wasn't disadvantaged by their deaths.
"Understood, sir." Saga repeated. "May I take my leave?"
The old man gave her a look, one that demanded a sign of respect, and even if she felt as if he deserved none, she bowed as if to show it.
She didn't hate him, if she was honest. But she would never respect him. Even if she was willing to tolerate slaughter to survive in the settlement, that man had ordered the deaths of hundreds of people, most of them innocent, without regret.
...Or at least, not one that he showed. It was a common practice for bandits in these parts to discard their last names, the moment they cross the line they thought unforgivable, just to survive. Saga knew that Roz didn't have a family name anymore. That way, they separate themselves from the family legacy. The dishonour they garner doesn't blacken what could have been the name of legend. Maybe the old man did have some regret for his actions, and that was why he didn't have any name.
Or maybe the lack of a name created a mystique around him that made him more intimidating to enemies, whatever. It hardly mattered. The old man didn't answer to any name, half the people around here only answered to one. Saga was noteworthy for still keeping her family's last name, around these parts.
Saga really hoped it didn't cause her problems when she decided to leave. It was her mother's name, and when she had a kid one day, she was hoping they'd be able to have it too. Maybe it was stupid, but if she was doing well enough for a kid to have her name, it meant that she'd lived long enough and well enough to get to that point, like her mother before her.
Maybe that was how it started in Mistral, Saga mused. But that wasn't important.
Standing from her bow, Saga waited for the old man to dismiss her.
"You may go, Lady Valkyrie." The old man decided, as he picked up a dart from his desk and prepared to throw it at a target on his wall. "Deliver this Summer's punishment, and then rest. When the morning comes, you will hunt."
[X] Survival: Knight of Silver
[X] Perfection: Freak of Nature
[X] Freedom: Prisoner of Song
