[Episode] Death Game

Quest Death Game:

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*Crack* a loud rumbling boom shrieks into the air and penetrates the eardrums of all those who hear it. *Crack* it wasn’t a pleasant sound but wasn’t exactly harmful *Crack* *Crack*. It was the sound of a storm passing just off the coast of orange island. This natural phenomenon of the weather wasn’t a sign of positivity but in-fact the blanket of cover supporting something very much unnatural, as a low misting fog crept into the island, Orange Island. A large leather boot impacts a somewhat shallow puddle of water surrounded by loose dirt. The motion had enough authority behind it that the water and dirt beneath was kicked up, staining the blue leggings barring a few inches higher than the dazzling black leather. *Crack* *Rumble* Rumble*. The boot is joined by its lifetime partner another black leather boot slightly ahead of the puddle but still kicking up more dirt and water. The pair was strong and sturdy and clearly showed signs that they had really travelled throughout the world, the shows had several cracks within their foundations complemented with several patches of different shades of black, and despite the signs of aged wear and tear not a single sign of them falling apart any time soon could be seen.

The delightful pair of boots continue to take step after step after step, each kicking up the dirt and water of the surrounding area as they did, *Slosh Squish* The sound of each step did create a sloshing sound that normally could be heard by those in the area but *Crack* *Crack* with the storm a cry for help wouldn’t be heard. *Squish Squish* *Crack* *Squish* *Squish* *Squish*. The boots were actuating moving together at speed with an emotional urgency with each step, they managed to run passed the dirty, wet, onto a paved road, through some stone rubble and around several bends. The boots slowed down as they reached their destination *Click-Clank*. A key had just turned and opened a lock and a wooden door opened. A deep breath could be heard as the first boot lifted up and took one more step, firmly placing itself onto a straw matt. “No, No...but how ...you were” sounds of metal carving flesh, again were masked by the storm *Crack* *Crack*, the sound of a man falling along the wooden wall *Crack Crack* and the last words “behind me”. Faded out of existence *Crack Crack*. Blood rained down on top the pair of muddy and wet boots as their journey had come to its end. Their owner had been killed.

A day later; Becky working at the guildhall or Travelers hall was ordered by a passing Marine to stick a bounty on a nearby board. The bounty was offering a significant amount, but simply showed the picture of a drawn panda, with no other details to go with it. A woman walked into the tavern covered in dried blood and instinctively ran to the marine and fell at his feet. She dropped to his feet trying to speak, but it was clear she was far too distorted. “Marine…. Please find who …..” The marine simply replied, “We will do our best before walking out”  passing a young girl holding what would appear to have a picture of a panda “Look mummy, look what I found, isn’t it cute” The marine's eyes opened wide in Panic “A child, are the serious” he thought to himself. *Bang Bang* Becky had just hammered a nail into the notice board, the bounty was up. 

It was early morning and the Guild Hall was opening up. a place where merchants traded goods, marines put up bounties, people posted orders and other similar activities took place. Located not too far from the main harbour, and somewhat considered to be on the main street. Becky sometimes works here as an assistant.

He had managed to elude them for twenty hours now, by moving from house to house, and never sleeping for more than a few minutes at a time. The letter had said twenty-four hours on it, hadn't it? He was certain it had been twenty, and time had always been a strength of his. Like the time between knocks. He'd gotten used to the distinctive knocks of everyone in orange town, and he was confident that none of them could pull one over on him. He knew he had four hours left, and he knew that meant that they were going to be coming at him harder than ever in the upcoming moments. The last one had three of them snooping around, and he'd only narrowly managed to elude them by making use of a hidden passage in someone's basement. Impressive, some people would think. Less impressive to him, since his job was construction.

He could feel himself nodding off, only for a few scant moments. When his eyes opened, he had his knife in his lap, instead of in his hand; it had fallen just between his legs, sticking into the bedspread, and nicking his leg. The searing pain helped him feel fully awake again, better than any shot of coffee could've. He sighed, and rose to the bathroom, to start washing the wound. As he did, he heard the distinctive sound, a ways off, of thunder roll. A storm coming into town, then. Not his problem, because in four hours he'd be sailing out of this island on their ship. He finished dabbing a wet rag against the cut-

Bang. Bang.

He dropped his rag from the sudden sound of someone knocking at the door, and very forcefully. Not a word was spoken, but he got the message clearly enough. They'd found him, and it was time for his next fight for his life. He bent down, picking up the knife in trembling hands, and catching his breath. He blew out the lamps behind him as he approached the door, prepared to swing it open and strike out, or run. He was thinking through half a dozen possibilities as he crept down the stairway, the ever-so-dark stairway. He approached the door, reaching out to grab the knob and pull it-

He turned to the panda mask staring at him from the alcove just by the doorway, and their hand resting on his, and he had enough time to think that a person could knock on -either- side of a door, before he felt the first blow to his temple.

"You really are quite clever..."

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Orange town was one that Horus considered an extremely important stop on his trip, their orchards being impressive even by his own exacting standards. He'd tasted produce from all of the blues, and outside of the Grand Line there were few places that could compete with their oranges. It was pleasantly simple, a footnote Horus approved of deeply. Orange town was where you went for oranges. If only every island could be named as simply. He sailed into port, leaving his battle regalia on board for now. He wasn't interested in anything more than a simple restocking trip for the time being, and the incessant questions about his armor tended to grow old very fast. He towered over most of the people on the island, nearly half again their size, and most of it long legs at that, which already made him stand out enough for his tastes.

He approached the first merchant stall he could find, hearing people talking to one another in hushed tones even as he approached. The phrase 'panda' seemed to come up two or three times in quick succession, as he stooped down to pick up a peach and a few oranges, turning them over in his spindly, gnarled fingers. They were covered in welts and marks that were normally very easily identified as-

"Bee stings? I have a poultice for that, dear. Works treats. You won't even notice them soon enough. Oh, but that's such a lot of them!"

"I have a poultice too. I don't even notice these days. I'll take a bushel of peaches and a half-gross of apples. Do you have another harvest coming soon? I'll wait around for a few pounds of potatoes if you've got any coming soon."

His tone was deep and full of bass, like someone who was used to speaking in front of big crowds for a living. She paused for a moment or two, her gaze moving from his hands to his face, and she seemed ready to faint from what she saw there. Jowls that made him look like a bulldog, and a nearly-bald dome, covered only in the slightest bit of fuzz here and there, staring at her inquisitively, with a sort of distracted negligence that made it seem like he were talking to her from a very long distance away. She turned away, looking markedly more pale, and began to shuffle through a few sheafs of paper.

"We-we keep a farmer's log somewhere around here. I think...no Diah was supposed to be bringing potatoes to the market in the next few days but..."

Horus relied on his favorite tactic at a moment like this: He said nothing at all, simply staring at her with a sort of bemused frustration, before she cleared her throat, gesturing vaguely around her.

"Look, I don't want you to think this is a regular thing. It's not! We're a perfectly respectable village, we haven't even had a pirate ship come by in years-"

Horus repeated himself, with added emphasis this time; he raised an eyebrow.

"He was killed by the-"

"Pandas."

"...Yes, the pandas. You...you've heard of them?"

"I heard of a few disappearances lately. I'll look into it for you. Put those peaches and apples on standby, and tell the marine captain on this island that he has an appointment first thing in the morning."

"Who...who should I say is...?"

"Just tell him 'Legion'. If he doesn't know my name, that'll make this easier."

Inside the Guild Hall the marine had realised the young girl had been targeted and there was very little he could do to protect her, he had his orders and he was to return to his Captain who was currently somewhere around town. A bad taste filled his mouth as ethically he wanted to stay but he couldn’t. Before leaving he would grab the arm of the mother somewhat firmly drawing the eyes of everyone inside the building. “Do not leave this building? Do not let her leave your sight" ``''Mom Mom look this panda is so cute don’t you think” Referring to the image on the card “I mean it”. The marine would take his leave; in order to find his captain informing them of another target the young girl no more than 8 years old.

Becky had no idea of the Panda crew, how they operate, who they were or even how much of a threat they presented, but she did notice the marine react to the card the girl was holding. “Is that child a member?” Was Beck’s first thought but it didn't make sense “How would she have killed someone so much stronger?. While she was trying to piece together bits of information she still had a job to do after all. *Ding Ding* there was a small bell at the main counter and the mother of the child had decided to ring. Becky enlighten her face and instantly made her way over, making eye contact with the mother with a big grin on her face “Good mourning, how many I help you?” “I'd like to place post a request, I have two plots of oranges nearly ready to harvest, I'd like to place 2/3s of the produce on the notice board for sale” “Splendid, id arrange that for you right away” Becky fills out two pieces of paper and slides them over to the mother, just as a glimmer of light of the card caught the corner of her eye. The card the little girl was fascinated with.  Her attention shifted unprofessionally towards the card and the kid while her body posture was still towards the mother. “That wooould be a 10 beli deposit, payable before the harvest”  “Sorry, little girl can I see that card your holding?” The mother replied “I can pay the 10 beli right now, and I was wondering if there was a place to stay within the guildhall".

Becky raised an Eyebrow “We have the waiting area, it has a Sofa” “Oh Right, well we will wait for a while”. The two would move towards the waiting area, ignoring her request to see the card. “Mom-Mom she wanted to see my card” “Not now, don’t show it to anyone” “But whyy mom why.” 

---

Becky was confused and just let things go, she had no other guests today and just began spinning on her chair. A circular round cushioned red chair designed to allow the user to spin 360 degrees, this aided in the accessibility of her work statin. Becky would spend this time thinking about the Pandas it wasn’t often she had a chance to make some decent Beli.

---

"This city is already getting under my skin.  What place makes you file paperwork to make an appointment with a marine?  I've been doing this for a year now and that's the first time I've ever heard of-"

Horus ducked underneath the doorway as he entered the guild hall, approaching the counter.  He could see a small child on a sofa, bouncing in delight and looking around curiously at everyone and everything.  With the way she was nearly vibrating with excitement, it didn't seem an exaggeration to say she was going to wear herself out in an hour.  She seemed to want to jump up and talk to anyone and everyone, but her mother stood just nearby, watching like a hawk.  Her arm rested on her child's lap, never once shifting away.  Horus could sense the anxiety and concern coming off of her already, and that was even before he saw the little girl holding something in her hand.

He made no note of it for now, simply approaching the receptionist desk, and placing a hand on it.  He could see the desk was remarkably well-maintained, and looked extremely comfortable to sit in, probably for an entire night if needed.  He ran a hand over his chin, and muttered "Money well spent..." before raising a hand towards the girl sitting there, and jerking his head towards the two sitting on the sofa.

"They look like they have something really important to talk about, and the girl looks like she's about ready to die of boredom. Shouldn't you wrap up your break and get to them, y'know? Or, if they're waiting for a third person, then you can get to me. I need to draft a letter to the captain of the marines on this island. Here to claim some bounty work, and apparently he's an 'extremely busy guy'. Paranoid seems to fit better, given the kind of defenses I saw at that place. If you just get me a pen and some paper I'll write it down and you can go deliver it to him. Or call some ensign to I guess. I don't know, I don't know how any of this works."

He paused for a second, taking a closer look at the girl in the chair, and suddenly realized she was young. Probably not even half his age. His expression softened after a moment or two, as he glanced around the room like he was seeing it for the first time, or looking for an exit he could promptly throw himself out of, or something like that. He finally sighed, letting the tension out of his shoulders, and began to adjust the collar of his shirt slightly. He chewed at his lips awkwardly for a moment or two, looking deep in thought, before he finally did speak.

"You...uh. What's there to do around here while you wait, anyways? Any musicians or libraries or something? You look pretty bored. Should probably find a place to stay the night while I wait at least. Maybe a map if you've got one?"

Still spinning on her Chair Becky began daydreaming bored out of her mind, it normally wasn’t this boring during her duties, in fact, she was used to being dizzy, and thus all she had to think about were these so-called Pandas. How was she to catch a Panda she was thinking to herself imagining all the things she imagined them doing based on the books she read as a kid. "Tree??? Right Trees” she muttered to herself as her eyes crossed the air and catching a man heading towards her. She wasn’t sure what to think of him as she attempted to get a general idea of his intentions before he even reached the desk, however, she wasn’t really paying attention enough to give his actions a second thought.  As the guy placed his hand Beckies Desk she simply thought to herself “Could be Trouble”  “Never mind this guy is just a flow” she continued to think while putting her expression into a good jolly free-spirited smile to Welcome him. 

Before he could even finish what he was saying Becky had already picked up a claim document, a pre-drafted letter and a blank piece of paper and placed it before the man before her. She filled out all documentation on her side while she let the guy speak and analyse the other two in the area. “He's 100% A bounty Hunter, I’m sure of it”.

With a positive upbeat attitude and smile, despite this just being part of her job and her tree emotional state is that of a bored girl wanting to headbutt the counter 100 times. “Sir, well the two other their wanted to stay within this building for some reason but as you can see, were not exactly a tavern so I gave them the waiting area” she moves places a pen on the documents before the man. “That will be 100 beli deposit or 300 for fast delivery”  “There's a book shop near the end of the docks, but musicians are rare, but your best chance for music is the Local tavern you even find a nice place to stay”

Becky wasn't impressed with the guy before her, he had seemed to imply she was lazy but she didn't really care that much, she simply waited for him to fill in his paperwork before asking him a rather direct question “So, you’re a bounty hunter right; have you heard of these panda’s?” Becky was fishing for information while trying to maintain her job requirements of keeping up a conversation. 

----------------
During this time not much changed with the mother and Child, other than the child spinning around her card, and the mother trying to get her to Hide it.

About half a dozen snarky replies came to Horus's lips and died there, as he ran a hand across his face, causing his face to draw down like wet wax, giving him a look like a bulldog before it snapped back into place with surprisingly elasticity. He exhaled deeply, and stuck his hands in his pockets, settling instead for sucking at his lower lip noisily until the kneejerk reaction to snap at her passed. She was young, and antagonizing her would do little more than put a bridge between them. He needed to be making friends here, not causing problems. He moved his lips, before finally giving a vague shrug.

"Phrase 'bounty hunter' implies I could quit my day job. I've cashed in once or twice, but I'm not one of those people you'd see in the world news for catching a Yonkou or something. I'm a florist, but I know how to handle myself in a fight when the need arises. As for pandas? I just came into town, and they're small fries of some sort or another. Maybe 10 million bounty between the lot of them, something like that. Those kinds of posters get used for toilet paper more often than not. You probably know as much as I do, but I figure the bigwig marine around here knows more. So I'll pay that fast delivery fee and we're going to set up an appointment for ten minutes ago, so we can figure out what kind of sick mind goes around dressed up like a panda."

He turned back towards the younger girl, taking a closer look at her. Since the conversation had started, her exuberance and delight was starting to metamorphose, probably from the proximity to her mother right now. She was growing more dull and withdrawn, picking at her clothing and making no real attempt to speak up or engage with others. She looked at the paper in her hand a few times, frowning, and Horus was able to spot a flash of black and white even from a distance as he did. Pandas, probably? Maybe going all the way to the marine headquarters to get information was a bit presumptuous.

He approached the young girl, reaching into a pocket and, with that same somber, dour expression on his face, withdrew a piece of honeycomb the size of her clenched fist, completely clean and dry. Her eyes latched onto it, and grew even more curious as he drew it to his mouth, breathing outwards. When he did, a single bee seemed to appear from nowhere, buzzing lazily around the room, and then alighting on his nose. It fluttered its wings a few times, then came to rest there, where he crossed his eyes to look at it.

"Named him Barry. He's good people. If it weren't for him I'd be sailing the ocean all alone. That sorta thing drives you craaaaaaazy. So! I guess it's a good thing I'm not alone, right?"

The girl, despite her best attempts to seem serious when near her mom, had the faintest hint of a smile on her face as she nodded, sidling closer to her mother.

"Barry tells me you have a secret, little girl. You want to-"

"That's enough. Please. Just leave us be."

"Leave you bee? But Barry's my friend. If he were here, who'd go shopping for flowers with me? Or sing me lullabies?"

The girl giggled, ever so slightly, just for a moment, and Horus's smile looked like a parent's nightmare as he reached down with one giant hand, towards the letter.

"You want to share? Your mom told you keeping secrets is bad, didn't she?"

The mother eyed him warily, her hand clearly ready to lash out at a moment's notice, as if concerned he would put on a panda mask right then and there. But the girl dutifully handed over the paper, and Horus examined it for a few seconds, before sliding it behind his back, towards Becky, all without ever looking behind him.

Becky understood the needs of the man before her and knew if she moved a little bit quick, he wouldn't be waiting that long as a Marine recruit had left the building not to long ago, and thus Becky wrapped a piece of paper into a small leather ball. Before slipping off her chair and moving towards the door of the establishment. She did catch in the corner of her eye the man attempting to comfort the kid, and even found his jokes quite funny, she even let out a slight giggle after he made the bee joke. 

She opens the door wide open and wedges a piece of wood underneath the doorway. "Hmm that seems like it's in place," Becky says while kicking the wedge a few times to make sure. Becky rolls her fist into her shoulder pokes her elbow up towards the door and takes three steps back. She takes a very long deep breath filling her lungs with oxygen, before releasing it all as the hand locked begins to move forward as she takes a step forward, her arm extends as much as it can. The momentum is completed by gravity as she pulls her arm down towards the ground and at that moment Becky follows through and puts her shoulder into the motion for a fully rounded throw. "OOOOO Roarrorto!" she shouts after lobbing the leather ball with the message inside as far as she could. A young boy catches the ball and both the boy and Becky smile at each other. 

Becky closes the door and looks towards the three within the room "Sir, the marine captain should be here in about 10 minutes" she would say with a giant smirk on her face before moving back to her station behind the counter to sit down. 10 minutes later the Captain on the Marines would indeed walk through the front door. "So where is BOUNTY BOY!"

Horus remained in place, his hand still hovering in the air just behind him; it hadn't moved in the slightest since he'd finished examining the note from the panda gang, or whatever it was they called themselves. It seemed, on that part at least, they were extremely tight-lipped; they weren't shy about telling people their plans, or their targets, but the reasons or the people involved was extremely murky. The letter seemed to be something along the lines of an invitation to a party, and declining wasn't an option. He had a good enough awareness of the room, even without moving his head; Becky had delivered the note in a way that was extremely ostentatious, then went right back to her seat. He hadn't sensed her get up or move in the slightest since seating herself, and he hadn't really acknowledged her in the past.

This was a game he hated playing, but one he was good at, oddly enough. He simply seemed to...turn off, while the curious girl and mother both looked at him. He didn't move from the spot, and aside from the faintest exhalation now and then, his hand didn't even budge. He waited the entire ten minutes standing in the exact same position he had when Becky had thrown the ball, his muscles beginning to ache and burn. It was, in it own way, as good an exercise as lifting weights or running. Forcing his muscles to lock into place like this and not move in the slightest, especially when they were held at an elevated angle, left them all quivering for release.

Finally, -something- changed. The marine captain burst into the building, looking more like a leader of an acting troupe than any organized military. He turned, letting the paper drop to his side, and then rolling his shoulders gently. He spoke in a very off-handed tone, but it rang with sickly-sweet politeness, making it extremely clear, far better than screaming, just how furious he was right now.

"It's bounty bee, actually. Passing through, heard you were having a problem with a few pandas that showed up out of nowhere. I happen to have a soft spot when it comes to bears, so I'm interested in offering my services. I'll need you to station one of your marines to hold down this guild hall, too. In fact, why don't you just have your whole gang hang out here overnight. I've got a theory, want to see how it pans out. If they come for this little girl and see her surrounded by twenty marines, are they gonna send in a couple schmucks to get turned to swiss cheese? Or are they gonna go after the guy and girl who've got -this-? For that matter, do they even bother to keep track of who they sent them to? Doubt they have a mailing list, right."

He turned to Becky, jerking his chin ever so slightly.

"I say you need to station someone here cause whether or not you stay here, she's joining me. If they know their mark for the night's a young girl, then she'll get their attention just fine. I like to play dress-up, but even I can't pull off a flower-pattern dress. I'd need to put on about a thousand pounds for that."