Aedan sat atop a small ride. Crouched in the brush, the breeze slowly rolled through his dark clothes. His purple hair shimmered in the wind, his eyes fixed upon a carriage off in the distance. He was here on a mission. Aedan's primary job right now was a bow for hire. He would take most jobs that involved ambushing things or stealing, but he was not a killer. He only believed in killing if it was for a good reason, but money was not something he considered a good reason. In fact he did not even do these jobs for the money. This was about reputation. The Von Schurke family had a reputation to uphold, but he knew they could grow. Being the youngest, he had to prove to them he could provide and be a productive member of the family. Not to mention he kind of just liked these missions that involved fighting. Magic Knights could be quite skilled, and he was still learning how to control this wild magic of his. Fortunately he had a bow to help and a family to support him, at least most of them. The only way to get better was to practice after all, and that he would.

Today's mission was that of a Magic Knight transport. The carriage he was tracking was full of supplies--supplies he employer wanted. He did not know how many Knights were guarding this transport, but considering that knowledge of it was pretty hidden he imagined it would only be a couple of reasonably powerful knights. Too many would draw too much attention. They likely put someone reliable at the helm--good news for Aedan. He got the fight he wanted and a chance to increase his reputation. But more than that, he wanted to understand conviction. These knights, did they fight for a cause they truly believed in? If that were the case, then they were perhaps not to be underestimated in any fashion. So he would not make that mistake with the enemy. "Never underestimate any enemy" his father had told him. And that he never would.

As the carriage got within range, Aedan watched it carefully. So far he could only see a singular driver. The carriage was small, but the driver was fairly intimidating. He wasn't quite close enough for Sensory range, but the Archer watched nonetheless, studying what he could. Once the driver got within range, the rogue pulled out his Spectre's Maw. The longbow was rather large, with four pieces connected to the center. There were no physical arrows, for he did not need them. There was no need to carry a quiver when one made their arrows of magic. Taking aim with the Maw, he inhaled slowly. This was crucial to making the perfect shot. Leaning out a bit from the brush, he waited just until the perfect moment to fire. If this was truly just one Knight guarding, then he was probably fairly skilled. Let's see how skilled he is. Pulling back on the string of the bow, a spectral arrows made of purple energy with black tint was formed. He then formed another, one between his index and middle finger, the other between his middle and ring finger. Blitzlicht. He muttered to himself, firing one arrow on one side of the driver and another on the other side. This was the beginning of the real mission.

The Knight was perceptive. He just managed to see the arrow glimmer out of the corner of his eye, he summoned a wall of wind to shield himself from the flash. Unfortunately the energy had still taken up a significant amount of the area, so even though he had not been hit by the actual blind, there was a split second he could not see where the Archer was. Aedan was smart. He slid down the ridge after firing the arrows, nocking one of his standard firing arrows from the Maw. Firing it off at the man as the flash cleared, he managed to leave a cut his shoulder. Unfortunately it was nowhere near enough damage to fell him. Aedan was just about to make another move when he was smacked by a wall of wind. The wind smacked him right against the ridge, which dealt damage to his mana skin. Spectral light shimmering across his body, he absorbed half of the mana from the spell. Nocking another arrow, he fired it again right as the Knight leaped forward to combat him, a wind sword in hand. Damn you! The Coral Peacock called out, deflected the arrow with his wind sword. Dashing it, he began to swing and slash at Aedan. The two seemed to be pretty matched in speed, and the Spectra mage dodge strike after strike. But one came down that was sure to hit him. He could not dodge, so he blocked with his bow. Normally this would've put a serious crack down it, but he whispered something. Geisterbogen. Spectral energy covered his bow, as an energy one formed around it. The two began to clash, wind sword against his energy bow. The men groaned as they entered a power struggle. Aedan was feeling a little exhilarated. No one had ever closed a distance so quickly on him. It must have been due to his wind magic. Interesting. I'm taking you down! The Knight shouted, kicking Aedan in the stomach and sending a blast of wind into him.

Tumbling across the ground, the wind was knocked out of him. Aedan was gasping for breath, but the wind mage was rushing towards him. Fortunately the wind spell had not only knocked him back a significant amount, but half of the mana had been absorbed by the Spectra mage. He was starting to run a bit low on mana, but he had enough to fire another shot from his Geisterbogen. Standing up, he wiped some blood from his face. Staring the wind mage down, the two exchanged angered looks. The Spectre waited for the man to charge, firing off an arrow from the Maw via Geisterbogen, but the wind mage summoned a second sword and managed to block it. Dammit. He muttered as he blocked a blow from the sword, but immediately was sliced. His shoulder was cut and now bleeding. It was not bad due to the rank of the spell, but it hurt nonetheless. He ended up being cut twice and knocked back by a burst of wind, fueling his mana enough that he began to glow slightly with Spectra magic. As he landed on the ground he pulled back his bow. The wind mage began sprinting and leaped into the air with his two swords at Aedan. Screaming at the top of his lungs, the man was going to stab right into him. I won't let you beat me!

The energy charged in his bow was significant, able to burst. Zerstörer! And from his bow, a massive beam was fired from it. The beam of spectra magic engulfed the wind mage, sending him flying back into the cart behind him. The mage's swords were dispelled and he was knocked unconscious. The burst was enough to send the dirt on the ground scattering and leaving some light cracks in the ground. Panting heavily, Aedan sat there for a moment panting. He had used a lot of mana, but managed to recharge a fair amount this time. The wind mage had been quite the opponent, enough to break through his mana skin entirely and cut into his shoulder. Fortunately for him his injuries were not serious. It took a moment to stand, but he managed. Removing the mask he wore over the bottom half of his face, he took a deep breath. They were in the middle of nowhere, the breeze causing the trees to rustle. Dusting himself off, the rogue took a moment to enjoy the breeze. It was doubtful anyone heard the ruckus out here among the trees. But that did not mean he should not be careful.

Walking over to the man, he checked his pulse. Unconscious but fine. Opening his eyes and looking at his pupils, they were not dilated. No concussion. Not bad. Now I don't have to dump you in town and risk you waking up to cause a scene. Taking a deep breath, Aedan walked over to the cart. The horse whinnied and tapped its hooves against the ground. Shhhh. It's okay. Letting the horse sniff him, he slowly stroked its mane. Eventually the horse warmed up to him a bit. Perhaps he was not too fond of his master, or Aedan was just good with animals. Regardless he went to inspect the cargo. Seemingly enough it had not been damaged by the fight than ensued around it. There were some cracks in the carriage itself, but the cargo was just fine. Pulling the Knight's body off to the side of the road, he propped him up against a tree. You've got quite some ways to walk, but you'll be fine. Good fight though. A devilish smirk across his lips that could not be seen due to the mask he had re-positioned onto his face, he stood back up. Hopping onto the cart, he began to drive it to Kiten. While he was not a fan of doing other's dirty work, he had to make a name for himself. Working his way up into the world was the only way to go. His father had taught him this much. Unfortunately the family wanted him to do just their work, but he had to branch out. Working with preexisting contacts was going to get him nowhere. He'd just be another member of the family. That was not what he wanted. He wanted to be strong and lead some day. So he'd do this on his own, mostly anyways.

The ride to Kiten was not a long one, but the scenery was nice. The horse seemed wary, but he managed to get back to the town nonetheless. His muscles were sore, especially his back. He had taken quite a few hits in that battle, but he was sturdier than most. He needed a nice cup of warm coffe and an ice bath. That would certainly do the trick. After he dropped off the cargo to his employer, he would get some good rest. He took the back way into town and dropped off the boxes, then he let the horse go free. Patting it on the backside, the majestic beast rode off into the distance. Removing his mask, he sat down for a moment to get some air. It had been a long day after all. Aedan looked to the clouds above as men moved boxes from the crates. He had to hope there were better jobs than this, fighting truly powerful enemies and earning riches beyond his wildest imagination, even for a Noble. There was only one way to find out; he had to keep taking jobs and keep fighting.

WC: 1,835
Mana Skin: Broken
Health: Intermediate + Junior
Mana: 20
Item: Link
Spells: