[Episode] Vendetta

Quest Request:

As his mission was not yet fully completed, Noah prolonged his stay on Baterilla. He still found shelter in the same smithy as he did over the last few days and continued to help Roberta with the orders she received. As such, the rhythmic hammering of hammers smashing on raw metal echoed through the workshop, followed by the sound of water vaporising when the hot metal was put into it to cool down. Not much else could be heard within the smithy, if it were not for Roberta’s remarkable voice- her cheerful laughter managed to surpass even the noise both smiths made with their work.

"Man, what wouldn't I give to be in such a good mood.", said Noah, using the created silence his pause allowed for. From time to time, he still felt his injuries he got recently. Nothing really serious, but it would have been wise to lay down. Even if it would have been the smart thing to do, it really was not the most fun thing to do. As such, he rather slowed down in his work a bit, taking a few more breaks if need be. He felt too fit for spending precious time in bed.

[npc=misc]”Why shouldn’t I be in a good mood? It’s been ages since somebody put those bastards in their place!”[/npc] Roberta slowed down with her work, but made sure not to work too slowly. While it was true that Noah defeated a small group of mafiosi, the redhead still fostered some doubts if his actions were so clear cut good. He did not feel sorry for what he had done- those three got what they deserved. But he really would not say that they were “put in their places”. For this, their organisations had too much force and backing and Noah yet too little here.

"Just doing what’s right." With that statement Noah returned to his work. As the two smiths spent most of their time working today, they surely but steadily managed to finish their orders. It probably also helped that Leon, Roberta’s son, took it upon himself to talk to the customers entering the shop. While the boy was nobody too fond of interacting with strangers, for whatever reason it did not seem to bother him as much as usual today. Maybe he wanted to do his part as best he could, maybe he grew up suddenly, or he simply was in the rare mood to socialize. Whatever the case, Noah did not complain. More time he could use for his preferred work.

In one of the following breaks Noah took, he heard how Leon was talking to a customer. While a bit of small talk with customers was nothing overly unusual- maybe for Leon, but if that was a returning customer, Leon would probably be more open about it. What Noah did find unusual, though, were the bits and pieces he could hear, over Roberta’s hammering. While the redhead was unable to understand everything, he could make out how the two of them were talking about some person who had some form of information. While that could mean anything and nothing simultaneously, it nevertheless picked Noah’s interest.

While he could probably try to join the conversation, he ultimately decided against it. Taking the boy by surprise may be counterproductive- and it was not like Leon would suddenly be unavailable later. Noah could still inquire him about those rumours later on as well. For now, he still had some work to do. Soon, his hammer joined the choir of steel hammering on metal again.

WC: 596
TC: 596/5.000

As the day slowly but steadily came to an end, so did the work of both smiths. While the sun would set soon, it was still too early to end the day. While Noah would not mind laying down to finally give his body more of the rest it needed, he had some other things in mind he could spend his time with. During his work he did not manage to get the bits and pieces of the conversation between Leon and the customer out of his mind and as such, not having satisfied his curiosity made resting harder than it needed to be.

After a short break which he used to refresh himself, the redhead looked for Leon. Around this time of day yesterday the boy did practice a bit with the short sword he was given and unless he already had a change of mind, Noah had a good idea where he could find the boy. While he left Leon practicing alone yesterday, Noah could check in on him a bit more today. Of course, the revolutionary definitely would not mind gaining some of the information he desired by the by.

"Eager as ever. Should I check in on you a bit, teach you some more tricks?" Noah raised his voice a bit to inform Leon of his arrival, but tried not to be too loud, as he did not wish to surprise the boy too much. As Noah was walking towards Leon’s back, the boy had no chance of seeing Noah arrive, but seeing how the younger redhead flinched a bit made it apparent how Noah failed in this attempt. At least he was still practising, so the young man had at least some positive influence on Leon? [npc=misc]”Sure, go ahead. Ready when you are.”[/npc], answered Leon, shortly pausing in his training. The boy turned around so that he could face his teacher, which allowed Noah to have a better look at him. If the revolutionary was not mistaken, he could even see a hint of a smile on the boy’s face, so he definitely had some positive effect so far. With a smile of his own, Noah started his work.

With that, the lesson began. At first, Noah looked over the techniques he taught Leon recently to make sure that his apprentice did not internalize some form of mistakes in them- correcting them later on would result in unnecessary work. When Noah was satisfied with what he saw, he started to show some more exercises Leon could incorporate into his routine. Nothing too fancy, but enough for some progress. However, he was not just here to pass some time; he still wished to learn something. "Do you mind if I ask you something?", started Noah, before realizing what he said. Hurriedly, he added something before Leon had time to properly process what Noah had said. "Oh, don’t worry. I learnt that you don’t feel like talking about your background with me, so it’s nothing like that. I’m just curious about a customer who visited us here today."

While Leon was quiet for a moment, he simply continued with his practice. To some extent, he even looked relieved that he was not the topic of today’s conversation. After another moment, he simply nodded to show his approval. Now, relieved of his own, Noah started to describe the customer he saw as best as he could, including the bits and pieces of the conversation he heard. After a bit of thinking, Leon answered. [npc=misc]”Oh, that. I know who you mean- Alejandro. He works in the docks, doing a lot of repair work, but similarly having an interest in the island’s gossip and rumours in general. If you want to know what’s hot right not, he can brief you in- including naming people who know all kind of stuff. He’s sometimes far too curious for his own good.”[/npc] Now, with a name and a person to talk to, Noah knew what he would do tomorrow. According to Roberta, Noah could rest tomorrow, so that would give him the perfect opportunity to talk to this Alejandro fellow. Maybe he knew something of value or maybe not, but the redhead was sure that talking to him would be better than lying in bed.

After expressing his thanks, Noah focused on his teaching at hand, though. After he learnt what he wanted, he should make sure that Leon was compensated splendidly.

WC: 739
TC: 1.335/5.000

"Come on, I know you can do better!" With that, Noah moved to the side and watched how Leon managed to strike the place the revolutionary stood a mere moment ago. Noah liked the progress Leon made with just some simple techniques and in an attempt to motivate the boy a bit more, he thought of trying something a bit more practical: a small test to see what Leon could already do. From own experience Noah could say that practical training was a good motivation for him and other people he talked to, but given how Leon was overall rather hesitant in his actions, he also imagined, in retrospect, how the boy might think differently.

The next moment, wood clashed on wood, as Noah blocked another attack. As far as he could tell, Leon possessed a certain amount of talent; otherwise, he would not have pushed him to this exercise so early. However, he could also see how a sense of achievement could give Leon some of the confidence he lacked until now. As Noah defended against a few more swings, he started to doubt his first ideas, though. The boy seemed too careful not to hurt somebody. After dodging one of Leon’s swings, Noah found without any difficulties a gap in his apprentice’s defence, started a strike of his own, though stopping before contact. "Don’t forget about your cover."

Noah did his best to sound friendly and calm. He was patient with Leon and remembering how impulsive the boy’s mother could be, he got an idea why she was not teaching her son: the two might simply be incompatible when it comes to teaching. One was hectic, the other rather calm. One full of confidence the other lacked. As such, Noah found pushing, being impatient, was the worst idea he could have when it comes to motivating. But how could he give the boy a bit more resolve? "Okay, let’s try something else." Noah got an idea, as he blocked Leon’s next attack and pushed him slightly back without much effort. "It’s kind of you that you wish to go easy on me, really. That you don’t want to hurt somebody. But you might not always have this luxury. Close your eyes for a moment, I want to try another exercise." After seeing Leon’s doubtful look on his eyes, Noah simply put a kind smile on. He did his best to look harmless. Soon after, Noah heard a sigh, before Leon closed his eyes.

"Now, imagine you walk through a forest. You are on your way visiting your friends. You all agreed to meet halfway on an isolated meadow, so that nobody could disturb your peace." While talking, Noah walked a bit around so that his voice could reach Leon from different angles. "However, as you approach the meeting point, you suddenly start to hear a tumult. One of your friends is threatened. Without realizing what you are doing, you increase your speed, until the perpetrator starts to spot you." Noah stopped walking, paused for a moment, readying himself for what he had planned. He would soon learn if his plan was a success. "As you approach, the perpetrator runs towards you, ready to strike. Open your eyes!" Increasing the intensity of his voice, Noah started his plan. He waited for just a slight moment to allow Leon to adjust to the new situation, but as he needed the element of surprise, this was all the time Leon was given. Noah started to strike.

While Noah tried his best to keep his strength and experience, compared to Leon’s, at bay, he hoped he could stop shortly before hitting Leon. The older redhead was relieved, then, to see how Leon managed to block his attack. Not half-heartedly, but full-on blocking as he would need to in a real clash. "That’s the spirit!" Noah smiled, only increasing in intensity as he saw how the following attacks were all blocked by Leon. While the boy seemed to refuse to go on the offense and as Noah was not looking to extending the training too long, after a few more clashes, he decided to slowly wrap the training up. After one last, more impactful attack which Leon blocked, Noah decided to call it a day for now.

"Good work, that’s enough for today. Remember this feeling. If protecting the people that are dear to you is your motivation, then do exactly this. Hurting somebody can wait." Leon smiled, but did not manage to properly hide his blushing. His thanks later, the boy was gone and left Noah alone. The young man, meanwhile, heard some clapping behind him. [npc=misc]”Well done. I never imagined to find somebody who could motivate my boy like this.”[/npc] Roberta arrived, obviously surprised with the progress her son made.

WC: 799
TC: 2.134/5.000

Noah slowly walked over to where Roberta was standing. Had she been there for a long time? While instructing Leon Noah did not really watch his surrounding too much, so he could not really tell how long the woman housing the revolutionary had been eyeing him. "So I take it you didn’t train your son before?", asked Noah. She than was handing him a glass of water which he gladly took off her hands. Before answering, Roberta simply started laughing; which more or less was all the answer he needed.

[npc=misc]”Well, it’s not like I didn’t try. But as it is with smithing, my teaching techniques don’t click with my boy. Like, not at all!”[/npc] Again, Roberta’s laughter echoed through the evening, but if Noah was not imagining things, it was not as cheerful as usual, trying to cover some sorrows. Did he find a sore point? "Guess it’s good that I arrived then, no?" Noah tried to joke, but his attempt to brighten the mood was only moderately successful, as Roberta still looked lost in her thoughts. "Care for a round?" While asking, Noah pointed to the place he trained Leon until recently. With all that he heard and seen about Roberta Noah was sure that she knew how to fight. However, he had no idea how good she actually was. And if it allowed him to learn more about her capabilities and past, the redhead would not mind it in the slightest.

Roberta needed no time to think about her answer. She showed no hesitation, burst out in laughter again, the one he was used to, and undermined her outburst with wild clapping on Noah’s back, giving him problems keeping his balance. [npc=misc]”Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. Let’s just say I hate holding back and I don’t want to hurt you If I don’t need to!”[/npc] Before giving Noah a chance to answer, she returned to her smithy, leaving the redhead behind, with more questions than answers. ~So much for my plan of learning more about her.~ While he did not learn what he desired, saying he learnt nothing was not entirely true. Now, Noah could be sure that Roberta saw no threat in him at all.

With nothing else to do, Noah decided to turn in for the night. He really had no mission to follow until now, looking into the lead he was given had to wait until tomorrow anyway, and some more time to rest was nothing Noah would say no to. He never knew when he had to fight, especially now that he doubted that the Monti’s would be too happy with his presence on the island. But as they had made no move until now, the revolutionary did not wish to worry too much about it. They could be dealt with another day.

With that, an uneventful day made room for one more which was more eventful. Over the night, nothing of interest happened and the morning was quiet, too. When Noah left his room, Roberta was already at work and Leon was not to be found. Without worrying too much about it, as there was no reason to, Noah was soon on his ways to the docks, looking into the few hints he had.

WC: 544
TC: 2.678/5.000

When Noah left his temporary home, he was immediately confronted with the hustle of the city. Midday was already approaching and as such, many people were already on their way to whatever business they had to attend to. As Noah waited a moment in order to take the scenery in, his gaze rested on a man who he thought was one of Roberta’s neighbours. At least this was the impression Noah got when he looked at the blond man who casually greeted him, as he had no real idea who Roberta’s neighbours were. After returning the greeting, the redhead was on his way.

While walking, Noah made sure to keep his guard up. He tried to discretely look at as many people as he could in hopes of finding somebody suspicious, but given the sheer amount of people surrounding the revolutionary made this endeavour far too tasking. In the end, Noah hoped his visible sword, which rested on his side, would be enough to scare dubious individuals away. He would not be as easy a target as other citizen, he imagined, and so did not mind the extra glances he got, as this was something he was used to. Given his caution, Noah needed longer than he thought he would but ultimately arrived at the docks. ~Time to work.~

At first, Noah tried his best to orient himself. As he had feared, many people were working in the docks and if he did not wish to aimlessly address any person he could find, in hopes of finding the Alejandro he was looking for, he had to come up with a plan. While looking around, the redhead found an inn whose owner prepared his establishment for coming customers and Noah now had an idea how he could proceed. Soon after, he closed the distance to the inn owner.

"Can I have a moment of your precious time?", asked Noah upon arriving at the inn and disturbing the owner’s routine. After the man simply raised an eyebrow instead of answering, Noah took this as a yes and explained his matter of finding Alejandro. The gastronome did not slow down in his work, but was kind enough to answer the question. [npc=misc]”That gossiper? Sure. If you want to waste your time.”[/npc] With that, Noah got a scarce description of both Alejandro and where he should be working right now. Though as the man hardly kept his disdain regarding the dock worker at bay, Noah started to doubt whether his idea was worth his time.

Noah expressed his thanks and was on his way soon enough. Whatever quarrel the inn keeper might have with this Alejandro, Noah doubted it would affect him. If this Alejandro was untrustworthy, the redhead doubted that Leon would not have mentioned it, and thus decided to continue his quest. If this rumour was not worth his time, then so be it. In a worst-case scenario, Noah would have taken an elaborate walk.

In his attempts to locate Alejandro, Noah now rather tried to skim over the people around him which could fit the description he was given, but ultimately was less careful when it came to any individuals. As such, he only changed his pace before almost running into a blond individual. Avoiding that crash with a quick turn, Noah expressed a simple "Sorry!" before ultimately continuing in his endeavour. Now, already with a bit of distance to the blond fellow, Noah took a moment to think about that encounter. ~Wasn’t that the neighbour from Roberta?~ Soon after, Noah tried not to think about it. His mind was in other places.

After another minute, Noah thought he found his target. In front of him was a black-haired man, a bit smaller than Noah, with tanned skin from all the work outdoors, with some muscles to attest his physical labour. As it seemed, he was taking a break right now, chatting with some other passersby. It looked like Noah found his target. "Alejandro?" Noah raised his voice when there was still some distance to close between both men. The redhead walked slowly and seeing how the potential gossiper seemed to react to the name calmed the revolutionary. It looked like he found his gossiper.

However, the meeting should not end as smoothly as he had imagined. Instead of getting involved into some nice chit-chat, Alejandro suddenly looked frightened, stopping doing whatever he was doing right now and took to his heels. ~He’s kidding me, right?~ A sigh left Noah’s lips, before his searching changed to chasing.

WC: 756
TC: 3.434/5.000

Given Alejandro’s sudden flight, catching Noah off guard, it was no surprise that the dock worker had a head start. But after seeing the black-haired man run, the redhead was confident that he would close the gap sooner or later. Not necessarily because of a difference in fitness; both men were fit, he reckoned, so it could go either way. However, when he saw Alejandro trying to escape, Noah was convinced that he could easily close the gap to him, without putting too much effort into it. While the chased had better knowledge of where he was running than the chaser, he regularly looked over his shoulder, which made proper walking harder for him. Sometimes, not seeing where he was running made him bump into other passengers or obstacles and the fact that he looked back slowed him down further.

Confident in his ability to win this unwanted competition, Noah started to pay less attention to where he was running compared to how he had looked around him earlier today. As such, the revolutionary failed to realize how Alejandro was slowly but steadily luring Noah into less populated areas of the town. In this area, Alejandro started to stabilize in his running, focusing more on where he was going as if he suddenly had a clear destination in mind. In order not to lose his target, Noah sped up a bit, now making attempts to close the distance between both parties. A few turns later, entering more desolate areas yet again, the chase would suddenly come to an end.

Alejandro, walking into a dead end, suddenly stopped walking, leaned forward against a wall, and tried to calm his breathing. Seeing how there was no need anymore to continue the chasing, Noah stopped running as well and slowly walked over to the man, intent on quickly closing the distance between both if need be. Intuitively, one of his hands rested on Kanshou. However, when Noah saw how suddenly another man appeared next to Alejandro, his grip on his sword intensified. The unknown individual had blond hair, blue eyes, was muscular, dressed in expensive trousers as well as a white button-down shirt. More interesting, though, was the fact that he looked familiar. If Noah was not mistaken, he was now facing the man he had regarded as one of Roberta’s neighbours earlier today.

Noah stopped walking, tensed up and tried to subtly look around. Slightly behind the blond fellow was another musclehead and if Noah was not mistaken, roughly three people were standing behind him, blocking this way. [npc=misc]”You can go now.”[/npc], said the blond man to Alejandro, who did not need to be told twice. Soon after, Alejandro passed Noah, muttering something that could be interpreted as an apology. As it seemed, Noah ran into a trap. He simply guessed they belonged to the Monti family and thus decided to first see what they wanted. While he was confident that he could escape somehow, it would surprise him if they did not know his powers. As such, some surprise would probably be awaiting him on one of the rooftops that the redhead could not see right now.

Mentally preparing for combat, Noah raised his voice. "With whom do I have the honour today?"

WC: 542
TC: 3.976/5.000

Noah sharpened his senses and tried to perceive as best as he could the actions of the thugs around him, especially those behind him. He disliked the fact that he couldn't see everyone he considered his enemy, but he refused to show any sign of weakness. He was outnumbered, yes, but he wasn't going to make it easier for his opponents than necessary.

[npc=misc]”You don’t need my name. The Monti family simply desires your departure, one way or another. It's nothing personal, really.”[/npc] The man wore a smirk on his face, looking self-confident. It seemed that the way Noah had dealt with the thugs recently had put him on their bad side. Although the redhead was not surprised that they wanted revenge, he had hoped that the confrontation would occur at a later time. "If you say so. Then let’s begin, shall we?" Noah slowly walked towards the blond fellow. The man next to his target immediately stepped forward. "I’m sure we all have better things left to do."

Shortly after Noah stopped talking, he drew his sword, preparing to strike. The redhead leapt forward, hoping a quick strike would end the battle early. However, the revolutionary was surprised to see how the blond fellow did not move, simply letting the man next to him act as a bodyguard, parrying the attack. The next moment, the three men behind Noah stepped in, readying strikes of their own. While the blond fellow was still not interfering in the encounter, eyeing his subordinates and Noah from the sidelines, the four thugs did their best to keep the swordsman busy with their truncheons.

Noah was still trying to gauge the strength of his opponents but was concerned about why their boss was not intervening. To avoid being overpowered, the red-haired man took advantage of an opening in the thugs’ attack pattern and quickly took one down. However, Noah was caught off guard by the blond man's sudden movements, who managed to hit him hard in the stomach with his bare hand. The impact sent Noah flying into the wall behind him, leaving him gasping for air. Noah was just barely able to get back on his feet when the remaining thugs started to attack him again.

[npc=misc]”Now I can see why you are described as troublesome. Not many people get up after one of my strikes.”[/npc] Noah was still trying to regain his rhythm as he attempted to create some distance between himself and his opponents. Now, he could understand why his opponent was so confident: he did not need to do much. It would simply be enough for him to wait for an opening his subordinates created and strike once every chance he gets. Similarly, it would be enough for his subordinates to keep Noah busy. While they lacked the strength to overwhelm him, they were enough of a nuisance to keep him busy.

Stepping away once more, managing just in time to block an attack from the blond man, Noah regained enough strength to start transforming into his hybrid form. ~There’s no time to play around.~ When Noah finished his transformation, he saw the shock in the eyes of the thugs. As he thought, they probably were unaware what miracles devil fruits could create and Noah would not let this lack of attention go to waste. Before all three regained their senses, Noah leapt forward, and quickly took another one out. Now, the remaining two started to regain their senses and performed an attack with the help of their boss, but Noah simply avoided them by moving into the air.

Hovering slightly in the air thanks to his wings, Noah quickly scanned the rooftops to verify no surprise was awaiting him before he ultimately looked down on the three remaining enemies. Up here, they should have problems dealing with him.

WC: 639
TC: 4.615/5.000

Noah waited a bit before he started to attack anew. Using the momentum he created via nosediving, he first managed to knock out both of the thugs. Afterwards, he focused on their boss, but the revolutionary soon started to feel disappointed. While the blond man sure could deliver powerful hits, he lacked the finesse to properly defend against attacks all on his own. As a result, after a final barrage of attacks, the blond fellow joined his subordinates.

In one aspect, though, Noah had to give his opponent some credit. While his four subordinates were knocked out, the blond fellow at least managed to stay conscious while he kneeled. "Although I doubt that’s what your superiors want to hear, you can tell them that my stay is coming to an end on the island. Unless they want to risk the well-being of more thugs, they may want to reconsider their priorities." To undermine his words, Noah used his talons to grab the man’s throat, pinned him against a wall, and ultimately threw him away. So far, Noah has not killed anyone yet and he did not intend to change this anytime soon.

Noah, sensing no immediate danger, sheathed his sword and transformed back. As he looked over the scene once more, he noticed that the thugs were starting to regain consciousness, but he did not expect the boss' behaviour. Their boss began to laugh, which quickly turned into coughing due to his injuries. [npc=misc]”Are you still sure that everything you want is secure yet? Maybe we should keep you busy, at least temporarily? If so, they might already be done with their work!”[/npc] Intuitively, Noah tensed up again. Was this whole battle just an excuse to keep him busy? If so, this might explain why the group did not fight overly aggressively: there was no need to if that was their plan, to begin with. Realizing that they might as well be thugs operating elsewhere, Noah quickly hurried away. As he left the group behind, the laughter-turned-coughing slowly turned quieter as well.

Somewhat relieved, Noah soon saw how no new thugs appeared near the former battlefield. As he had hoped, they did not seem to have a backup plan in mind, probably being confident in their abilities. The fact no citizens were nearby calmed Noah as well, as this meant no immediate witnesses. However, he would not doubt that sooner or later rumours would spread. But if everything went well, he might already be on another island then.

Now, Noah was not paying as much attention to the people surrounding him then he had earlier today. He felt secure again upon moving within more lively parts of the city, as he doubted the ruling families would try to deal with Noah in the open. As he had witnessed, they possessed other means if they wished to attack the redhead. As such, he focused more on returning to Roberta’s smithy quickly rather than overly cautious. Similarly, thanks to the adrenaline in his body he could still function properly, barely feeling the wounds and tiredness of the battle.

A few turns later, Noah finally saw his temporary home the way he left it a few hours earlier. As far as he could tell, no battle had taken place here. When Noah approached the building his first impression seemed to hold true, which managed to start calming the young man down. As soon as he entered the shop, he saw both Roberta and her son, healthy as far as he could tell.  "Are you both alright?" After Noah saw the confusion on both faces, he guessed he got his answer before they even managed to say something. However, if the blond fellow was not talking about them, somebody else would be in danger; and Noah had a good idea who that might be.

WC: 640
TC: 5.255/5.000

After Noah saw the worried expressions on Leon’s and Roberta’s faces, he started to quickly give an update on the events he lived through. He might not have a mirror at hand, but he could imagine that people seeing his injuries could get worried. Leaving home for a chat usually does not involve getting involved in a battle and getting back home wounded. Roberta's previously cheerful expression quickly morphed into a frown of concern as Noah gave his report. While giving his report, Noah treated his wounds at the same time. While he had a feeling that he still had no time to rest today, he could at least try not to worsen his condition any further.

After his report, nobody was talking for a while. When the redhead had enough of the silence, he raised his voice once again. "Did anybody of you hear anything about Blake? Can you contact him?" While Noah calmed down, he still had a bad feeling. Of course, it could very well be just a ruse so that Noah would worry about others. Creating panic could be a means to make somebody panic. [npc=misc]”Leon.”[/npc] With just hearing his name, the boy apparently knew what to do, utilizing whatever channel they had in an attempt to contact Blake’s place. [npc=misc]”Let’s hope for the best.”[/npc]

A short while later, Leon returned, though his expression looked worse, more distressed than a mere moment ago. [npc=misc]”I tried to contact them several times, but nobody is answering my call.”[/npc] Noah, after having calmed down a bit, felt the adrenaline rushing through his veins again. What was the Monti’s plan? The revolutionary did not feel like wasting any more time and decided to be extra careful rather than regret his actions later. "I don’t like the sound of this. You two, hold the fort here. I’m going to check the village out." With this, Noah packed his equipment and was soon on his way again. Roberta wanted to say something, but Noah immediately cut her off. " I'll be careful, but I can travel the fastest of all of us. I’m not bound to the ground."

Noah managed to hear Roberta say a [npc=misc]”Tsk, stay safe.”[/npc], before he left the shop. Shortly thereafter he imagined hearing some more swearing and a small family gathering stuff to be on their way. ~Let’s hope I’m done until they arrive.~ Noah was jogging as best as he could through the city, doing his best not to crash into any passersby. Without incident, he soon left the city behind. With fewer people now hindering his movements, Noah could afford to increase in speed without worrying about his surroundings. A few minutes later, Noah did not feel watched anymore. ~I guess it’s safe now.~ Engulfing his body in light, Noah started to transform. Feathers started to cover his whole body, his face soon spouted a beak, his legs turned into talons, and his arms made room for wings. Utilizing his speed, Noah soon took off, flying as a giant falcon through the sky.

Watching the horizon, Noah could see how the sun should soon be setting. Similarly, he did his best not to worry too much about what might happen. In a few minutes, he could see for himself. Thus, he did his best to enjoy the freedom he felt while charging through the air. However, when he finally managed to see his destination, the short calm quickly came to an end. He could see the village, but not in the way he remembered it. While the buildings still seemed intact, as far as he could tell, the same could not be said for its citizens. Thugs approached the village, attacking. Without hesitation, Noah increased his speed once more.

WC: 624
TC: 5.879/5.000

Luckily for Noah, nobody seemed to notice how he was approaching. Though, to be honest, checking the sky to see if an oversized falcon was charging in your direction would probably be on the low end of your priority list, while you would be focusing on the danger in front of you. Especially if this did not belong to the island’s natural fauna.

With the benefit of surprise on his side, Noah turned to nosediving, picked his first group of targets, and charged downwards. As they did not see Noah coming, they only managed to react at the last moment. While avoiding the full blow, they would nonetheless go down, at least temporarily. Before somebody else could react, Noah was already flying up again. For a short moment, the sounds of battle calmed down, before the thugs were the first to regain their senses, their leader shouting [npc=misc]”Be careful!”[/npc], pointing towards the redhead. Meanwhile, the people around Blake started to cheer.

Based on the few bits and pieces of the fight Noah witnessed before joining, he had the impression that the thugs held the upper hand. However, as soon as Noah joined, the tables seemed to turn. The thugs panicked, unable to handle an opponent attacking from above. Some tried to shoot him with their guns, but ultimately Noah moved too fast for them to properly aim. To avoid lucky hits, Noah targeted those first.

Flying up, charging down, and flying up again. Using the momentum of nosediving gave him the speed to overwhelm more and more opponents. While they did get better at dodging after a while, they had problems retaliating. After some more attacks, Noah felt like he had thinned out their lines enough. As soon as he had charged down one last time, he started to transform into his hybrid form. While overall looking less threatening, giving them now a chance to retaliate, his physique was still imposing enough. "Scared?" was everything Noah said while drawing his blade. He still slowly closed the gap between him and his opponents. After a last breath, he charged forward.

Now, the redhead aimed primarily at the people he deemed to be in charge of the assault. As he still had to focus on his own defence he did not manage to attack as effectively as he had hoped he would, but with some backup of his own managed to slowly push the attackers back. The tables completely turned and the hunters were now the prey. After one last push, they started to flee but still made sure to threaten Noah one last time. ~As if I didn’t know what they think of me.~ After making sure no opponent tried something hasty, Noah finally returned to his human appearance. He felt the toll of a day full of battles as the adrenaline quickly faded. While not overly hurt, he was exhausted.

"Are you alright?" Noah turned around, looking at and addressing Blake and the people surrounding him. While the redhead could see how most of the people here seemed fine, Blake was covered in wounds, leaning on the absurdity he called a weapon. ~Don’t tell me he faced them all alone?~ As if he could read minds, Blake was just smiling.

WC: 540
TC: 6.419/5.000

Noah closed the gap he had to Blake and the nearer he got to the black-haired man, the better he could see his injuries. And the better a look he got, the more worried he turned. Those looked terrible. With just a few steps left to close the distance, Noah realised how Blake now had problems keeping his balance. Still optimistic he could quickly reach Blake to support him, Noah soon miscalculated when he saw how Blake was falling to the ground. The man had surpassed his limit a while okay.

The redhead did his best to still catch Blake, but as it all happened suddenly, the whole act should not be the most pleasant experience for Blake. Noah underestimated the man’s weight, going to the ground with him, especially as he was tired himself. As Noah had no free hand left to catch Blake’s weapon, the arm crashed on the ground shortly after, with a sound hard to miss. "Hey, don’t sleep!" In an attempt to keep Blake conscious, Noah slapped him on the cheeks, but this resulted in barely any response. "Any doctor nearby?" In order to treat Blake, Noah needed help. He had barely any medical knowledge; at best, he would be able to do first aid. Noah did not need to be a medical expert, though, to know that this would definitely not be enough in the case at hand.

Hectic emerged, as more and more people shouted for medical help. Meanwhile, Noah placed Blake on the ground and did the best he could to help. He put pressure on some of the more grievous wounds of Blake, as well as trying to keep the patient awake. After what felt like an eternity, somebody took over for Noah and shouted some more commands. When the doctor had a picture of his patient’s condition, he quickly shouted to move him to a place where he could better treat him. The next moment, Noah was standing there alone, now being able to properly process what was going on.

Time passed and before Noah could fully realize it, the current day had already passed. When it comes to the treatment of Blake, Noah would be of no use, but given how he did not wish to be a further burden, he did his best to help. Noah coordinated the remaining work or looked at the damage done to the settlement. The majority of the buildings were still intact, but the attackers did manage to damage the infrastructure. At least Noah could be happy that he arrived in time to avoid further destruction. Well, he did not feel too good: What could have been if he arrived just a bit quicker?

In some pauses, Noah had his wounds properly treated as well, but he was exhausted. Having work to do helped him to distract himself. As Noah would have guessed, Roberta arrived after a while and took the coordination over with a simple [npc=misc]”Well done, boy.”[/npc] Even if he could not see the boy, Noah was sure that Leon accompanied his mother. This ultimately allowed Noah to gain some much-needed rest. Especially when the doctor was done with Blake’s treatment, simply stating how the man should be able to survive and needed to rest, but gave no prediction about lasting damage. Overall, this was the final message Noah needed to rest without a bad consciousness.

Being offered a place to rest in the village, Noah gladly accepted the offer. While he did not feel fit enough to keep watch, he felt better to be nearby in case the Monti family would plan yet another form of retaliation. However, he is similarly worried about how much good, or harm, his stay has done. If his mission would still be the same, his stay on the island would come to an end after waking up. While he clearly made some connections here, he could not deny after today that his presence on the island seemed to threaten those, especially as he lacked the strength yet to fully guarantee the safety of the people he wished to protect.

WC: 685
TC: 7.104/5.000

After a night’s rest, Noah woke up with hurting muscles. He slept a bit longer than he usually would, but given that his sleep was not disturbed, it seemed as if the mafia did not plan anything new, at least for now. When he was ready for the day, he checked the situation within the settlement and soon learnt how most things quickly returned to the state as they normally would be. Of course, Blake was not the only citizen who got injured and as such, fewer people could be seen.

Noah spent some time next to Blake, but according to the medical personnel, it would take him some time until he would wake up. However, the revolutionary should be somewhere else by then. ~So much for saying bye in person.~ Soon after, the redhead was on his way back to town. Some of the local populace had business to attend to and could take Noah with them, which allowed him to gain some more rest.

In town, he first grabbed his belongings after verifying that his stay would indeed be over. Shortly after, Roberta came and said her goodbyes. ”Thanks for having me.” Noah smiled, offering his hand for a handshake, but the woman had other plans. Without hesitation, she grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a hug. For a moment, Noah had problems breathing. [npc=misc]”Take care out there. If you ever need another roof over your head, remember that I’m always looking for talented smiths!”[/npc] Some more friendly banter later, Noah looked for his fellow redhead.

A quick search later, he found Leon. ”Keep an eye for me on Roberta, okay? And don’t forget to train. Don’t waste your talent.” For a moment, Leon blushed, feeling unpleasant with the sudden compliment. [npc=misc]”Thanks! Don’t worry, I know how to handle her. Just make sure you stay safe, okay?”[/npc] A moment of hesitation later, Leon added something. [npc=misc]”S-Sorry about what I said about Alejandro! I had no idea that’s a trap.”[/npc] He quickly bowed, but the young man did his best to cheer him up. ”No need to apologize. You gave me the info I asked about and I don’t blame you for what happened. Everything ended well.” Leon seemed somewhat relieved, and Noah simply smiled. Some more chit-chat later, he headed towards the port.

As Noah had hoped, his departure from the island ended uneventfully. No thugs stood in his way, nobody seemed willing to hinder his trip. At the docks, he quickly walked towards the ship which would take him to some other lands. ~Let’s see when, or if, I’ll return to my old home.~ While he waited for departure, Noah tried to take in as much of the scenery of his homeland, before imagining what his future might bring.

WC: 464
TC: 7.568/5.000