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Post by Axcel on Apr 5, 2012 15:48:36 GMT -5
An orange hue tinted the otherwise bland looking streets of Lyneel. The sun had been setting and making way for nightfall, street
lamps were beginning to illuminate the beaten path that Axcel took towards his destination. Although the Lyneel Kingdom was often praised for its beauty, the boy had found himself in the outskirts of the kingdom, though still within its boundaries. There was no way anyone of nobility would be found in this area, so it’s been a sort of hub for the outlaws that occupied the kingdom.
Axcel had been following directions given to him by a local. He needed to pick up a package in the east side of town, and hadn’t the slightest clue how to get there until someone put him on the right track. The flyer wasn’t exactly detailed, but it told Axcel everything he wanted to know at least. It was a simple delivery job with some upfront pay and the rest to come after the job was completed. All he needed to do was take a package from point A to point B. It was probably safe to assume that whoever he was delivering a package for didn’t operate during the day. The shops that littered the town had all recently closed and streets which were busy not just half an hour ago had emptied. This part of the kingdom had no nightlife, apparently.
He was finally nearing the location where he was supposed to pick up the package. The address and directions he had received would lead him into an alleyway between two buildings, his destination being the door at the far end of the alley. The path’s only light source was a lamp flickering on and off and irregular patterns, most likely due to being old and ready to break down.
As Axcel approached the doorway, he would knock four times at a slow pace as instructed by the flyer.
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Post by Axcel on Apr 5, 2012 15:57:10 GMT -5
Footsteps could be heard behind the door, followed by the sounds of several locks open. The door cracked open slightly, a chain lock still preventing the door from opening. Axcel couldn’t see anything inside, due to the lights being off. “Uh, I’m here for the delivery job. . .” Axcel spoke, making sure his voice was audible and clear. He pulled out the flyer from his pocket and held it out in front of whoever was behind that door.
The door was immediately shut and reopened. The lights were on this time, and Axcel’s contractor was standing before him. An older man, probably in his fifties, touting a beard and a head of gray hair. He wore an expensive looking suit had and seemed to carry an air of importance around him. His surroundings, however, were of the opposite. The place looked like a piece of shit. It was in desperate need of repairs and didn’t seem like it was habitable in the least. The walls had holes of various sizes in them, the lights were all but working properly, graffiti littered the place and just about everything seemed rundown.
The old man had been staring at Axcel, not having said a word since allowing him inside. It looked as if grey eyed man was sizing him up or something. “Can you use that thing?” He finally spoke as he eyed the katana sheathed behind Axcel. Axcel replied with a reassuring nod, confirming that he was more than capable of using it. In fact, he felt obligated to give a demonstration of some sort. His left hand reached towards the hilt of his katana, and in a flash, he unsheathed the katana. The only problem was that he also let go of his katana as he unsheathed it, sending it flying towards a wall, ultimately resulting in the blade sinking into the already deteriorating walls of the building.
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Post by Axcel on Apr 5, 2012 16:06:17 GMT -5
“Aha, that usually doesn’t happen. . .” Axcel said with a more soft spoken voice as he slowly moved to pull his katana out of the wall. It was really stuck in there. He gripped the hilt with both of his hands while placing his feet on the wall as he attempted to remove the blade. With a third tug, he finally pulled the blade out, only to fall flat on his back afterwards. Groaning a bit at the pain, Axcel rolled over and pushed himself onto his feet, dusting himself off and sheathed his katana shortly after.
When he glanced back at his contractor, the old man, he had slapped his palm against his forehead and had a damn disappointed look on his face. However, it looked like Axcel was his only option as no one else had turned up for the job, despite having placed numerous flyers. With a sigh of regret, the old man picked up a small package that was sitting on a nearby desk. He looked at it, then at Axcel, and then back at the package before releasing another sigh.
“Look, just take this package and get to the address written on it. Here’s half of your pay now, you’ll get the rest later. Don’t open it. Don’t damage it.” As he handed the package to Axcel, he seemed way less tense. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Just as he received the package, it slipped out of Axcel’s hands, but he managed to catch it before it hit the ground. A drop of sweat rolled down Axcel’s forehead as he laughed nonchalantly about the whole thing.
“Be careful with that!” The old man shouted, once again filled with tension.
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Post by Axcel on Apr 5, 2012 16:10:08 GMT -5
“Don’t worry old man, this package is in good hands!”
With that being said, Axcel turned around, opened the door, and once again stepped outside into the slums of the outskirts of Lyneel Kingdom. This part of town was without a doubt a complete dump. Axcel made his way out of the alley he had came entered and stepped into the light provided by a street lamp. He took a look at the package in his hands, a little curious as to just what was inside. He shook it left and right, as if doing so would give him some sort of idea as to the contents of the package. Much to his disappointment, it made no sounds as he shook it. He didn’t have the slightest clue as to what he was delivering.
Oh welll. . . It didn’t bother him much. He was there for the money and nothing more. It wasn’t that Axcel was the type to chase riches and live a lifestyle that required a lot of beri, but he wanted to do more than just survive. He wanted to get out of Lyneel and back onto the sea. It was, after all, where he belonged. In order to do that by himself, he would need money. Enough to acquire a ship of his own, at least. He was hoping these side gigs would make that happen. Having reminded himself of his true motive, he gained a bit of focus and resumed carrying out his task.
“Let’s see,” Axcel to himself as he walked along a path, holding the package up in front of him in order to get a better look at the address he needs to deliver it to. “The other side of town? Damnit. . .”
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Post by Axcel on Apr 5, 2012 16:10:28 GMT -5
Having to walk across town was going take quite awhile—anywhere from half an hour to an hour at least. Axcel had just came from there when he picked up the flyer. If the old man was able to put up a flyer there, he might as well have delivered the damn thing himself. Axcel couldn’t complain though, because if he had done that then Axcel would be out of an opportunity to get some quick beri. That was something he definitely wanted—needed even.
Although his surroundings made it look like he was in the perfect area to get mugged, Axcel had a insouciant attitude, humming a tune as he walked. He held the package underneath his arm, pressing it against the side of his waist as he traveled towards his destination. The boy’s thoughts began to drift elsewhere, wondering how much he would need to save up before being able to get off the island sustain himself long enough to keep traveling. This job alone certainly won’t be enough. Hopefully if he manages to not screw this up he’ll be able to get some other jobs from the same contractor. If they were all as easy as this for the amount of pay he was getting, he’d be out of Lyneel in no time.
As Axcel turned a corner on one of the streets, he was met by two brutish looking men. They wore oversized clothing, bandanas over their heads, and appeared like your average thugs wandering around the slums at night. One was a bit taller and had a large head, whereas the other one was much shorter and bit chubby. Axcel wanted to dismiss them as a bunch of drunkards and keep moving, but he couldn’t help but feel like the two were roaming about with a purpose. Once they caught a glimpse of Axcel and eyed the package in his hands, they began to make their way towards the lad.
“Yo!” The taller one said as he approached Axcel.
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Post by Axcel on Apr 5, 2012 16:10:47 GMT -5
Axcel’s immediate reaction at the sight of those two grunts was tightening his grip on his package. He still had no idea what exactly was in the package, but considering how he had come to pick it up, the amount of secrecy that had been involved, and how much caution had been exerted by the old man who gave him the package, it was pretty obvious that whatever he was holding was important. Axcel took a step back whenever the two strangers stopped three meters away from him.
“Now—be a good kid and just hand us package. Then we’ll all go our separa—oi! Where are you going?!”
Axcel didn’t even let the man finish speaking. As soon as he mentioned the package, the boy had turned already turned around and hightailed it outta there. He wasn’t about to fail the job—he needed the damn money. Although running away from those two would cause him to take a new, probably longer route, he was fine with that so long as he got the job done. Things probably weren’t going to be that easy though, as he could hear the footsteps of his pursuers behind him.
He had considered turning around and taking out the two hoodlums himself, but he didn’t want to risk damaging the package or worse: one of the two taking it while the other kept Axcel busy. With that in mind, he felt like running was his best bet. Besides, those two wouldn’t be able to keep up with him for long, would they?
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Post by Axcel on Apr 5, 2012 16:11:11 GMT -5
As he dashed through the streets, Axcel turned his head in order to take a peek behind him and see how far his pursuers were. Those bastards were persistent as hell—he knew he would have to do more than just run to get rid them off his ass. As he neared the end of a street, he quickly turned the corner and ducked into the nearest alleyway. The two thugs didn’t have a chance to see where he disappeared to when they walked past the street corner and assumed he must have kept running so they moved past the alleyway. Thinking he was in the clear, Axcel began to move through the alley, only to knock over a garbage can.
“He’s over there!”
“Shit!” Axcel cursed to himself, realizing he had given away his own location. He picked up his pace from a walk to a sprint once more. He knocked whatever was in his way down purposely this time—be it garbage cans or just a bunch of boxes—with his intent being to create hurdles for the two chasing him, ultimately creating more distance between them. It seemed to help a little, but they would still follow Axcel with the same amount of persistence that they had when they began the chase. The two of those thugs were probably paid a handsome amount of beri to retrieve the package Axcel was supposed to deliver.
If Axcel wanted to get rid of these two, then it looked like he would have to break a sweat.
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Post by Axcel on Apr 5, 2012 16:11:26 GMT -5
As he continued the run through the alleyway, he would finally run into a dead end. He was met with a massive brick wall that was clearly too tall for him to scale. His only means of escape would be from the path he had come from. Axcel thought of just maneuvering past the two hoodlums, but it was still only a temporary means of solving his problem. He had already come to the realization that these two would follow him for as long as it took. Even if he did reach his destination, what would it matter if they knew where he was delivering it too?
No—if Axcel wanted to rid himself of this problem, he would have to do it by force. Gently placing the package on the ground and shoving it towards a corner where it would be away from the incoming fight, Axcel pressed his back against the wall and awaited the arrival of his relentless pursuers. His right hand reached across his torso in order to grab the hilt of Shiodoki, readying his blade for when the two thugs came.
“So you finally gave up, eh?” The shorter one said as he struggled to catch his breath, having slouched down and currently supporting his own weight by placing his hands against his knees.
“Something like that.” Axcel said while wearing a grin on his face. He unsheathed the katana and swung the blade across the air twice. A warmup swing or a warning—it was up for the hoodlums to decide what it actually was, though it wouldn’t matter in the end.
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Post by Axcel on Apr 5, 2012 16:12:04 GMT -5
“Hah! This kid wants to fight?” The shorter hoodlum spoke while trying to stifle a laugh. He took up a fighter’s pose, locking his hands into a tight fist as he kept his guard up. Although it wasn’t exactly a feasible way to guard any incoming strikes from a blade such as a katana, it was still a proper fighting stance that would allow him to easily execute jabs and a variety of other punches from. Axcel was genuinely surprised at just how proper his fighting stance was, actually.
Whenever the shorter man charged in and attempted to throw a left hook at Axcel’s jaw, the katana wielding boy was already responding with retaliations of his own. The moment his opponent had stepped forward, Axcel began to react by tightening the grip he had on his katana while taking a stance of his own on. He took a single step forward so that his left leg was in front while holding his weapon near his waist (with the blade pointing behind him). Whenever man threw his hook, Axcel simply ducked slightly, weaving beneath it as he punch soared past him. Axcel wouldn’t let him miss without receiving any punishment, though. As the thug’s punch traveled, Axcel slammed the hilt of his katana into the round man’s gut with as much force as he could muster. The hoodlum fell to his knees and grabbed his stomach in reaction to the the strike before rolling over and writhing in pain.
That was the end for him—for now anyways.
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Post by Axcel on Apr 5, 2012 16:12:37 GMT -5
Without missing a beat, Axcel was already charging towards the last of the two grunts. This time he was up against the taller and likely stronger opponent. Axcel was without concern though, as he was certain was leaps and bounds above him in terms of skill. The hoodlum, rather than taking up a defensive stance in reaction Axcel’s aggressive charge, was responding with a straight punch instead. Grinning to himself, Axcel seemed to overestimate the thug when he saw the bland attack he threw at Axcel.
Whenever the punch came his way, Axcel strafed to the left, barely dodging the strike. Axcel aimed to counter by attacking the man’s abdomen using the hilt of his katana just as he had done earlier. It was obvious by the expression on his face that he was surprised to find the taller man’s free hand blocking the strike. Not wasting time to find out what else was up the hoodlum’s sleeve, Axcel immediately spun around and kicked the man behind his legs with the intent of knocking him off his feet. As the man fell backwards, Axcel immediately raised his back leg and sent it crashing downwards like an axe into the man’s face.
Axcel went back to retrieve the package before the two thugs could regain consciousness and took off to his destination in a hurry. He wasn’t slow this time around and traveled at a quicker pace. Although he didn’t doubt he would struggle against any other thugs that might be dispatched to retrieve the package, Axcel wasn’t entirely sure he would be able to protect the package. Axcel figured that he would be able to have his questions answered whenever he completed the job, or at least that is what he had hoped.
Arriving at the delivery spot, Axcel knocked on the door and held up the package. Whoever was behind the door immediately opened it—though the room was dark and nothing can be seen—and then took the package before shutting the door. The door opened once more and a small coin purse full of beri was thrown at Axcel and the door shut once more. Axcel had been shooed away before even having an opportunity to ask any questions.
He wasn’t sure of what he had just delivered, but it was probably illegal. Regardless, Axcel took his money and left after deciding it was best not to pry.
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