A Raid on Rook's Roost! part 2

Chapter 14: The Hunter
Marley: So, let me get this straight. You’re saying that to find de Triezieme, we need to steal information about him from the middle of the local marine base?!

Pavo: Archive. Not just a base. It was an archive long before it was garrisoned, hence it lacks a G number. That is why Rook’s Roost has what you need.

Marley: Well that’s so much better. This is Sycamore’s branch right? This is a really stupid reckless idea you’re talking about, isn’t it?

Pavo: Quite so, as you say. But! You already seek to confront Dark Angel. That is far more foolish. If you won’t change your course, I can only advise, no?

Marley: When you put it that way….

Jessica: So how do we get in?

Pavo: I don’t know.

Jessica: You don’t know?

Pavo: I don't have your abilities. If I go up against Sycamore, it would be my loss. So I've never considered how to try.

Jessica: So you don't even have a clue?!

Livingstone abruptly erupts, sending his arms in both directions, and scattering Pavo’s freshly stacked notes across the floor again.

Livingstone: I have! I can! I know how!

Caspian: Huh?

Livingstone: I can get us in!

Caspian: Wait, you think you can sneak into the base?! But …

Dimitri: He did come up with some pretty good ambushes back on Sarabanto.

Caspian: But he’s-

Caspian stops mid sentence, stares at Livingstone for a minute, then at the tree on his head for another minute, then back at Livingstone.

Livingstone: I’m?

Caspian: You know what, never mind. Also, has it occurred to anyone that this archive is going to have records on more than just this de Triezieme guy? Anyone with a significant bounty is going to have a file.

Marley: So?

Caspian: That includes Dimitri.

Dimitri: The marines gave me a bounty for a reason. They must know at least something about my past.

Caspian: Right. And this is a perfect chance to find out what!

Marley: Eeesh. Wonder what Byrn’s going to say when he hears about this one.

Pavo: Byrn? You have other allies?

Marley: Oh yeah, Byrn. He’s our gunner. Said he’d wait with our ship, for some reason. Why?

Pavo: That was probably a very sensible decision.

Meanwhile, in the remains of the harbour.
''Byrn has begun to see the disadvantage to having the only intact ship in town. The improvised gantry leading up to the Second Wind is almost overrun with various merchants, fishermen, traders, and others. All of them are shouting over each other at the top of the ramp, where he is waiting, trying to talk back.''

Byrn: Listen, we don’t-

Fisherman: Please let me use your ship! I can pay five thousand Beri for-

Trader: five hundred thousand to deliver to Water Seven! I have urgent business with-

Salesman: I’ll pay up front!

Merchant: Be you heading for the Gourmet City?

Byrn: Quiet, all of you!

Trader: Just Shift Station will do! Do you need more money for-

Dealer: Two! Million! Beri! I just need somebody to get to Grenhallery and back with-

Merchant: you needn’t take just me, Surely there’s room on your ship for others if-

Fisherman: I don’t have much more money, but I’ll make up the difference somehow-

Salesman: I’ll pay double the best offer-

''Byrn sighs, draws his pistol, and fires into the air several times. Everyone falls silent at last and stares at him.''

Byrn: You see the Jolly Roger, don’t you? We’re pirates. If you want to make us a deal, you’d better not be bothered about the law, because they sure won’t be on your side afterward. And we are very expensive. So… any more offers?

Some time later, close to the archive
''Jessica and Caspian follow the base’s high perimeter wall, evading the occasional patrolling marine. The latter have begun to move outside the base itself, and the expressions on the guard’s faces make neither of them want to be seen.''

Caspian: So Livingstone’s getting food.. Dimitri is after weapons. What are we doing here again? 

Jessica: Reconnaissance. You’re the only one of us who’s seen this place before, after all. I want some idea of what to expect.

Caspian: Fair enough. Wouldn’t Livingstone need to see too though?

Jessica: We’ve got a full day before we should consider making a move. There’ll be time to take a second look later.

???: I said move along!

''Both Jessica and Caspian glance around at the shout to see a patrol of six marines wielding rifles shouting at a fisherman. They both dive for cover in an alleyway.''

Resident: I only wished to-

Jessica flinches as one of the marines clubs the man over the head with the butt of his rifle, sending him sprawling.

Guard: Best start running. Our orders were to arrest anyone in the area. Count this as a warning perhaps.

The fisherman manages to crawl away at least, and the marines seem inclined to let him go, though not without a few more jokes at his expense.

''Caspian looks utterly furious at the display, and Jessica feels very much the same. She is rather surprised when he is the one that gently pulls her away from the scene.''

Caspian: Not the worst thing they’ve ever done.

Jessica: We can’t let that stand.. We have to do something.

Caspian: Do you have any weapons?

Jessica: a few knitting needles, a pistol with only one shot, and I guess I could pretend to be a gorgon again. How about you? Anything special?

Caspian: I have a knife.

Jessica: So what can we-

Caspian: I mean, I have a knife. Not “I’m actually a master swordsman who can defeat anyone with just a knife.” It’s just the only thing I have that’s even remotely weapon-ish. You’re the one who’s been in a serious fight before.

Jessica: Only in the last two weeks. Before then I’ve never needed to fight anything. It’s funny how now I really want to anyway.

Caspian: We don’t stand a chance against those guys right now. Rushing into a fight would be stupid. Besides, I think there’s better way to bring down Sycamore.

Jessica: What do you mean?

Caspian: A month or so back there was some kind of shady business he was involved in. Pavo almost got enough info to prove he was corrupt, but he was missing some crucial document or other from Sycamore’s office. He mentioned a red folder.

Jessica: So, what, we steal this thing and get it to Pavo?

Caspian: We’re breaking in anyway, right? And you gotta admit, he’d have it coming.

''At this point they hear a loud bang. Or rather, they hear several. The explosion is actually a whole sequence of continuous booms leading into each other in a long rumble, punctuated'' by sharp whistles, pops, and shrieks. They turn just in time to see a distant tower flying to pieces in quite possibly the most dazzling and colourful display of devastation they have ever seen.

Jessica: whoah?!

Caspian: Fireworks!

''Wreckage scatters in all directions as the multi-coloured explosion fades into a roughly tower-shaped cloud of gunpowder smoke. In the midst of the falling wreckage, a familiar figure tumbles overhead.''

Jessica: Dimitri?! What the hell just happened?!

The tower, a short while ago.
''Unbeknownst to everyone below, the sinister lens of a long barrelled rifle moves across the port, focussing. Its owner, camouflaged beneath an olive green cloak, watches the single ship as Byrn deals with the crowd of traders and merchants. Metal glints beneath the cloak as they adjust their aim, putting the crosshairs squarely on Byrn’s back. They hesitate for a long while, before moving to survey the crowd again.''

??: ''Too many people. I can’t let myself be revealed now.''

And, as though on cue, there is a sound of heavy footfalls behind them, and they look up just in time to see Dimitri strolling out onto the tower balcony, completely oblivious to them at first.

??: The captain?!

Dimitri: This is the tower they mentioned.. now.. where can I find those fireworks.. oh! Ummm hi! Nice gun!

For a second, the cloaked figure and the pirate captain stare at each other in complete silence.

Dimitri: Though… why would you be up here, with a rifle… Wait, you’re-

??: Captain Dimitri Marcellus. You are hiding her, aren’t you?!

The words come out as an inhuman metallic hiss.

''Before Dimitri can react, the figure suddenly turns, hitting him with the barrel of the rifle. In the same motion, the cloak seemingly leaps off of them and tangles around him, blocking his view for a crucial second in which the figure kicks him in the chest. He is knocked sprawling, almost off the edge of the tower, and as he flips to his feet and pulls the cloak free it simply falls off into empty space.''

''Exposed without the cloak, the figure looks as inhuman as their voice sounded. They are covered completely in odd, blue coloured metallic armour, with small pipes curving around and in between the segments. Beneath a dark hood they have a skull-like mask for a face, with cold glassy lenses in its eye sockets.''

''And they’re armed. An axe-like weapon, composed of three large blades arranged in a three pointed cross, unfolds into their right hand as they whirl towards Dimitri again, holstering the long rifle in the same movement. He does his best to evade the axe, only to nearly be caught out by a more conventional, though still unusual, curved blade in their left hand that lashes out.''

Dimitri: Woah, woah-

''He gets his left arm in the way at the last second, turning a dangerous blow into a glancing one, and then returns a punch of his own. The figure seemingly bends backwards, impossibly quickly, and rolls onto their feet, entirely untouched by the strike. The axe like weapon is pointed his way, and he has just enough time to notice three gun barrels, apparently adapted from flintlock pistols, in between the blades, before they fire in sequence. Shots pepper the space around him, taking chips out of the tower. Dimitri responds in kind, flipping open his arm cannon and firing twice at the figure, who in turn weaves between the shots.''

Dimitri: What is this about?!

??: I know you have her!

''Without any further explanation the figure charges again, and their outline seems to dissolve in a blur as their left arm and blade lash out in a single jagged stream. Dimitri sees it coming, and fires his remaining shells at the figure, but they seemingly slide out of the way of them as well. The shape that reaches Dimitri barely even has arms, just a blue and silver curved blade spinning up to meet him around the indistinct figure.''

??: Riptide!

Dimitri: Blast punch! 

''Dimitri’s left fist crashes explosively into the centre of the figure’s body as he leans away from the blade, and then crashes through it, seemingly splitting the image into two amorphous fragments. And before he can even react to this the spinning arc lashes around and he barely deflects the axe-gun which whips out at the end of it.''

??: Orca!

''The recoil of the blow shreds one of the sleeves of his jacket, almost denting the steel beneath. The ringing blow drives Dimitri back half a step, right off the edge of the tower, and he falls for an instant, only to fire his jump jets and come hurtling back. The figure, who hadn’t been expecting this, is caught in a wide open stance, which Dimitri doesn’t waste.''

Dimitri: Double blast punch…

''First his left then his right fists crash into the figure, who starts to blur again. They react quickly, bringing both their weapons around and swinging down from both directions, but it doesn’t matter, because before either of them come close a furious volley of boxing gloves erupting from Dimitri’s chest bludgeon into their body dead on.''

Dimitri: …and Counter Barrage!

''The armoured figure explodes. Dimitri sees, almost in slow motion, the figure tumbling backwards in pieces, their disconnected limbs surrounding not a torso, but a shower of liquid blue droplets. And then, as they fall, they abruptly rush inward again and blur together, and the armoured figure lands smoothly on one knee in a crouched fighting stance.''

Dimitri: You’re a devil fruit user!

??: Azure Shuriken!

''The blades of the axe blur together, and an instant later the guns fire through them, hurling dozens of razor sharp fragments towards Dimitri, who unfolds the circular shield from his left arm and ducks behind it. Although none of the blades hit that hard, simply bouncing off it with metallic pinging noises, the combined impact threatens to drive him off the tower again, so Dimitri opts to make a charge of his own, running against the barrage to close the distance. With punches ineffective, he tries to grab the figure instead, but while he does manage to grab hold of the armour briefly, he loses his grip almost immediately as his opponent seemingly flows through his fingers with only limited resistance and flips over his head.''

Dimitri: There’s no way to hit him-

??: Barracuda!

''He quickly parries a thrusting strike from the three points of the axe, and the entire figure spirals past, lashing at him with kicks, and then with the curved blade in their left hand. The sequence of blows almost sweeps one of his legs, and the blade literally sparks as it bounces off his armour. The figure lands on the ground and whirls away, and their left arm seemingly stretches out behind them before lashing around as they move.''

??: Azure scythe!

''The blade slashes through Dimitri’s jacket as he tries to avoid it, almost detaching his right sleeve and cutting across his chest before it thuds into the ground. Only his armour saves him from critical injury.''

Dimitri: Arrrgh! What’s with this guy?!

''The figure uses the blade to pull themselves back, adding more momentum to their next attack. The axe like weapon in their right hand is spinning into a vaguely cylindrical blur, the blades spiralling around each other. Dimitri’s eyes widen in sudden horror and he does his best to roll to one side as it crashes down.''

?? Azure blender!

''Dimitri just manages to dive out of the way, and an entire section of the tower explodes into splinters. The shockwave from the blow sends him falling into the interior of the tower, where assorted crates of fireworks are stacked up next to a large staircase. As he goes he unfolds his arm canon and unleashes a barrage of bullets which simply pass through the blurring figure as they advance. The curved blade begins to spin around them, their entire torso gradually becoming a vortex as the rotation gets faster and faster.''

??: Maelstrom…

''Dimitri quickly shifts his left arm into a cannon and fires it directly into the attacker’s midsection. The shot goes straight through as their body simply splashes apart. Even before it reforms the spinning seems to reach a critical velocity, and the blade suddenly whirls towards him impossibly quickly.''

??: scythe!

''Dimitri throws himself backwards and out of the way almost instantaneously, far faster than any normal human could hope to act. It is probably because of this that he doesn’t lose any limbs. Even so, the glancing blow from the blade hits hard. Sparks fly with a horrendous screech as he is slammed to the ground. The armour in his shoulder splits cleanly in half, and the impact possibly dislocates the joint before the blade comes to a halt, half embedded in the floor next to him. One pile of crates topples and falls open, spilling rockets across the tower.''

Dimitri: ugh.. nothing’s working..

''He pulls himself loose and tries to prop himself up as the attacker walks towards him slowly, and raises his right arm to fire more bullets. When these have no effect, he swaps back to exploding shells, with no more luck. The figure isn’t even trying to dodge, simply parting like liquid around the attacks and then reforming with faint ripples. ''

??: Trying to shoot me is futile. You do not have the means to harm me, much less win this fight.

''A trap door in Dimitri’s good shoulder pops open suddenly and a catapult behind it flicks a small explosive shell into the figure. It produces a slightly larger splash. When he swaps the catapult for a crossbow, the arrows have even less effect. The figure reaches him, and pulls the curved blade out of the ground''

Dimitri: What is this all about..? what are you after?

??: I have been hunting-

''And this is as far as the figure gets before Dimitri raises his gun again and fires again at point blank range. Rather than bullets or shells, a jet of flame bursts forth, and his opponent lunges to one side with a startled metallic hissing. The flames flicker across one of the crates, and it catches fire in turn.''

The low roar of the flamethrower is replace almost immediately with a whistling, crackling sound as the fireworks ignite, and the figure finally hesitates, glancing around, before turning and running, jumping off the edge of the tower into space.

Leaving Dimitri alone with a crate of burning fireworks.

The flamethrower doesn’t seem like quite such a good idea, on reflection.

Dimitri: Uh oh.

''Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he climbs to his feet and pushes the crate as hard as he can. Fortunately, with the damage to the tower, it is already right on the edge and overbalances, falling to crash on the ground below-''

Dimitri: Phew!

''And spilling its burning contents everywhere. A stray rocket whistles away from the debris and right through the open door of the tower with a muffled crash. It explodes somewhere on the ground floor, and the bang is followed by more whistling as several more crates ignite.''

Dimitri: Oh come on!

''Several more explosions ring out one after the other, and Dimitri decides to follow his attacker’s example, leaping off the edge. Behind him, the explosions grow into a continuous roar as the tower flies apart.''

On the edge of the marine base
''Jessica and Caspian, who had seen none of the preceding fight, or the assailant, see the tower fly into pieces, rockets blasting out in all directions. They watch in stunned silence as Dimitri, caught by the shockwave of the blast, tumbles through the air overhead, clears the wall of the base, drops onto the roof, and crashes through it. A few sections later, an alarm howls into life.''

Jessica: Oh hell.

Caspian: He hit the base.

Jessica: He fell into the marine base. Of course he fell into the marine base. Because simply being caught in a huge explosion isn’t enough bad luck, is it? How did he even manage to get caught in an explosion?!

Caspian: Do you think he’s ok? What are we going to do? Jessica-

Jessica: Find the others.

Caspian: Huh?

Jessica: Livingstone most importantly. The others if you can. We’ll probably need the firepower.

Caspian: Weren’t we going to wait for the pose to reset? Get supplies and so forth?

Jessica: Plans change. We can’t risk waiting when something like that’s happened. We move now!

To be continued