Kingdom of Mistral, City of Sekijin

He stalked the rooftops, his hood pulled over his head to protect him from the cold night air. Below him, hundreds of lights lit up the streets; a sign of the numerous people below. The city of Sekijin was the main hub of Mistral's militia, remaining within the mountains north of the capital city itself. From this place, Mistral forces could be called to any location in the continent of Anima, using the massive mountain ports as their airship bays.

He watched the checkpoint up ahead, one that watched the road leading to the main militia headquarters stationed here. The military presence was heavier here, with sizeable troop platoons manning the checkpoints and heavily armed airships patrolling above. He watched as an armoured transport flew by, escorted by a squadron of smaller ships. He crouched low as he observed the transport fly past, entering the base's airspace. He didn't need to see him to know that General Shen, Mistral's head security chief and an important member on its council, was on board.

He slipped back behind the buildings, obscuring himself from any potential patrols as he made his way to the base, jumping from roof to roof. He hugged the walls, peeking around corners to check for any civilians whilst keeping a watchful eye on the airships above. He had to be careful to ensure he wasn't spotted, lest it ruin his entire mission. Thankfully, the buildings provided enough cover against them as he made his way closer to the base, squeezing between the buildings and keeping to the shadows, his dark cloak doing well to conceal him further.

Soon enough, he was close. However, with the base being settled on a higher plateau, infiltration was not going to be an easy task. Certainly, he could try to traverse the cliffs, but even that wouldn't get him inside the base, the walls blocking out anything except an airship while the only entrance; a long and winding staircase, would not be possible to use without getting caught, especially with the massive spotlights that hung all across the mountainous terrain accompanied by watchtowers. It was quite ironic that his plan hinged on actually getting caught. However, there was one thing he had to do before that. His hand now moved to the small pocket upon his shirt. At all cost, what he held needed to be delivered.

He watched the land around, looking around for an opportunity to smuggle inside. He then saw something that broke the natural shape of the landscape, a cylindrical pipe that jutted out from the side of the plateau, continuing upwards toward the base. Possibly a form of plumbing or drainage, even a base needed a way to maintain its own hygiene after all. He examined further, noting how the pipe hugged the landscape, thus remaining out of the range of the spotlights. That, he decided, was his best way in.

He leaped off the building, the twenty story drop meaning nothing to him as his gloved hand gripped the wall of the building, slowing his momentum as much as possible. As soon as he landed, he rolled into the shadows, making his way toward the pipe. Once he reached it, he pried open the metal grille, entering the pipe and ensuring that the soldiers would not notice him.

Soon enough, he reached the interior of the base, now seeing the lights penetrating the darkness from above due to some iron grilles. As he had suspected, he was within a drainage system meant to prevent flooding in the military compound by the rain. He surmised that there were other areas where drainage was located, therefore continuing his exploration underneath.

Soon enough, he found a location where he could exit stealthily, the area appearing to be some sort of storage facility. Carefully, he lifted the drainage grille, checking to make sure no one was nearby. He quickly emerged, taking cover behind what he could only assume were Dust crates. Peeking around his cover, he could see the door that led to the outside, where heavy troop patrols waited.

He then saw as a Mistral trooper walked right by the doors, stopping to stand guard. Seeing his opportunity, he hefted his cane and threw it straight at him, hitting the back of his head. As the guard faltered, he dashed right up, grabbing the cane mid-air and then striking him in the torso, blowing him a few feet through the air and into the middle of the base. Instantly, there was shouting and the alarms blared as he ran out to confront every trooper before him.

As soon as the first man took aim, he was on the move, closing the distance to the closest guard he could find. With the dextrous movements of his wrist, his cane formed a barrier that deflected every single shot that came at him, twirling his body to ensure a full coverage against attacks. Once he was close, he engaged in melee combat, using a series of punches, kicks, twirls and cane strikes to put the soldiers out of commission.

Despite their numbers and their full arsenal of weapons, the troops could not even land a single hit on him. The assailant danced around, expertly blocking and retaliating wherever he saw the chance.

Then, he sensed the air change as a few soldiers advanced, their guns now changing into an assortment of melee weapons. He surmised these were Huntsmen employed by the militia. They surrounded him and charged in, but also being aware of their compatriots. Although these Huntsmen were experienced, surviving even the most dangerous of missions, they were not prepared for the way their opponent fought. He spun around, all the while keeping up the twirling of his wrist, his cane forming an almost impregnable defence against them. As soon as they faltered, he struck back, knocking them away or pushing them back with deft strikes.

Suddenly, a loud shot rang through the air. He turned and raised his cane, deflecting a projectile that was travelling toward his head. It bounced off and hit a few boxes nearby setting them alight.

"Freeze." General Shen ordered as he approached, raising his right hand that wore a massive gauntlet. "While I applaud your audacity in fighting us head on, you are clearly out of your league."

The man didn't reply. Instead he shifted his stance, supporting his weight on right knee as he drew back the hand holding the cane, pointing the tip straight at the General. Shen frowned, bending his legs into a combat stance. "You will learn the folly of your actions."

For a moment that seemed to drag on, the two of them stared each other down. The troops trained their weapons on him, but their commanders did not clear any shots for fear of hitting the General himself. Airships now hovered overhead, their lights locked upon the stranger who had brazenly wandered in here.

Then the assailant dashed in, faster than anyone was expecting. Shen instinctively fired a Dust projectile from his bracer, but his opponent twirled in mid-air and deflected the shot before finally closing into melee range. He crouched low, but struck at the General's temple. The General swerved his head, avoiding the blow while spinning round and aiming a punch downward in retaliation. However, the stranger torqued, swinging his leg upwards and kicking the hand away. Shen now spun and delivered a double-palm strike, forcing the man away. The General moved in, preparing to deal a final blow, his gauntlet glowing with red Dust as he approached. Just as he did, the man jumped upwards, twisting his body as he did. Shen glanced up just as he saw the cane coming back down toward his head.

He instantly moved to block the weapon, but then his opponent changed the course of his stroke, hitting him in the ribs. As Shen staggered, his opponent swept his legs out from under him before leaping upon his body, the cane pinning the gauntlet to the ground whilst his free hand grabbed the General's throat.

Shen looked up in surprise. He was well-versed with many other military leaders across the world, including General Ironwood from Atlas. Alas, he had never encountered a warrior like this, one who could easily defeat so many of his best troops along with himself. A small drop of sweat formed on the General's head. It took him another second to realise the man wasn't attempting to kill him, for the hand grabbing his throat was firm, but not constricting. Shen now looked up to the hooded figure, frowning as he asked. "What do you want?"

The figure now reached up and pulled his hood back to reveal a man with a greying beard. He appeared to be older than Shen, which astonished him given the speed and stamina he had demonstrated in their duel. "I want you…" The man spoke for the first time in a voice that was not gruff, yet unwavering in its tone. "To bring me to someone."

"Who?" Shen asked.

"Ruby Rose."

Author's Note:

Finally got around to posting this story. Work has been a nightmare as of late.

For now, I hope you will bear with me for any long breaks between chapters. I'm currently down to my last assignment which is due next week, so I won't be having much time to dedicate to writing. But I promise you this story will be written. I have long awaited the day to write this, and I can only hope I do it well.

As always, please read and review.

Jdbl00d