On the Hunt (Mozu)

Corrin's army has returned to advancing upon the Hoshidan capital; the troops have set up camp near the recently conquered Fort Jinya. Sakura, the youngest of the Hoshidan Royal Family, put forth an effort to defend the fort alongside Yukimura, the head tactician of Hoshido; despite her efforts, she was met with defeat. Rather than put her to death as Iago so fervently pressed, Corrin elected to take her as a prisoner. Under the watchful eye of Niles, further harm has yet to befall her, though her spirit is notably in shambles. Cyrus and Camilla both share in Corrin's concern for the young princess, but neither has spare time to tend to her. Elise has taken up the task in their place.

At present, Cyrus is out in the forests of Hoshido. He stands alongside Mozu, both of whom are armed with bows. Their venture's purpose lies with procuring food for the troops; Cyrus has brought with him some sort of large rectangular box sporting an icy blue base and a white top. As far as Mozu can tell, the box was brought along to store the sizable haul of fish the two reeled in. Wheels rest at the bottom of the box; there is also a handle attached to allow one to pull the box along the path, which Cyrus is also making use of. To her surprise, the wheels do not squeak, allowing the box to roll along its course in silence. A black gemstone is laid into the white lid, though Mozu assumes this is purely for decoration.

"Hey, um…" Cyrus looks to her, giving a silent but expectant expression. "Where did you get that box from? I reckon I've never seen it at camp…or the Roost."

He looks back to the box before turning his attention back to her. "I made this using alchemy."

"Really? So does it do something special?"

He nods. "This item is known as a 'Frigid Preserver', though everyone in Erdboden has just taken to calling it a cooler. As the name suggests, it is an item that allows you to maintain lower temperatures for whatever is placed inside."

"Wow, that's mighty helpful. How does it work?"

"Prototypes required the use of ice cubes to facilitate the box's functions. Next came a special type of gel that remained cold for longer periods than ice, but would ultimately lose efficacy all the same." He folds his arms, stopping in place as a smile forms on his face. "Someone eventually suggested employing ice magic. So long as aether can be provided, you can reliably maintain your lower temperatures more consistently."

Mozu's expression suggests she's enthralled by the explanation. "That's incredible! You scholar types sure are something else. All I can do is tell you a good crop rotation."

Cyrus shakes his head at the notion. "You belittle your own hunting skills, Mozu. A farmer is no less important than a scientist. Without you, I wouldn't be alive long enough to make my big discoveries."

Mozu pauses at this for a moment. She arches an eyebrow as she asks, "Can't you ignore food and just absorb aether? I reckon you only need to drink fluids every now and again." Cyrus gives her a blank stare for what feels like an eternity. "D- Gosh, Cyrus; did I say somethin' strange?"

"…you weren't supposed to remember that fact about me." He shakes his head before crouching down to open the cooler. He takes a moment to study the haul, making sure nothing is amiss. "This should be fine." Turning to face Mozu, he asks, "Do you wish to return to that stream and reel in some more?"

"Nah, we should be fine. We still need to clean and prep 'em, you know?"

"Ah, no need to worry on that front." She tilts her head at him, curious as to his meaning. "I planned to send this back once our haul was satisfactory." Mozu takes the moment to look around, audibly wondering if someone else accompanied the two without her realizing. Pointing to the gemstone, Cyrus says, "This stone here will allow me to use dark magic to warp the cooler back to camp. Part of the reason I wanted to depart so early is because I wanted to go hunting."

"That explains why we have our bows; I figured we'd switch to game hunting if nothing was biting." She looks at the bow on his back, as well as the quiver resting behind his waist. 'The bow and arrows were made with alchemy too from what I was told.' She points at the quiver, calling attention to the myriad of colored arrows resting within. Each arrow seems to be made of glass or some other sort of translucent material. Within them, however, are liquids of singular colors. Among the selection are red, blue, green, yellow, and purple. 'Five of the six elements from his world, I think.' She asks, "So, what kind of sciencey arrows are those?"

"Ah, these are the trade secret recipe of House Wayland, a notable noble house in the Kingdom of Bahador." He pulls out a blue arrow, granting Mozu a better look at it. He explains that, "Magic is as detectible a source as poison. Aetherial arrows aren't affected by the winds or deviation; they always fly true."

"That sounds really helpful. An ice arrow could stop most anything in its tracks."

Cyrus nods to this, a smile on his face. "Just so, Mozu. The Wayland family is known for producing capable archers; Lord Frederick, a close ally of mine, is the current heir to the family, and one of the best I've yet seen." He pauses for a moment before returning to the arrows. "These arrows, among other reasons, were developed to counter means of aether detection."

Mozu takes a moment to think on this before her face lights up. "I think I get it. Unlike a regular arrow, magic types can be sensed the moment they are nocked, which would ruin your shot no matter how straight it'll fly." Cyrus nods. "So storing the magic in that glass arrow keeps it from being detected?" Cyrus nods again. "But then you're back to square one, ain't ya? Won't that glass arrow suffer the winds?"

This time, Cyrus shakes his head in response. "They do not, though I cannot explain how this is possible. I was merely given the recipe; the nuances of the product's functions were only disclosed in so far as the head of House Wayland deemed necessary."

"How'd you get the trade secret anyway?"

"I synthesized a powerful, but dangerous-to-make elixir to cure his daughter's illness. Lady Sophia was afflicted by the toxins of a Manticore. I…required these arrows to better serve my liege."

"To protect her from the shadows, yeah? And…maybe to go on assassinations, too?" Cyrus falls silent, a telling answer all its own. "It's OK, Cyrus; that's just what happens when you get involved with royalty. I mean, look at me. I was just a farm girl and now I'm as much a soldier as Charlotte." She looks to him as she shakes her head. "I'm not tryin' to say what you do is bad; I know as well as anyone that you're a good guy. Weren't you the one who made a big deal out of savin' me when you found my village?" He stumbles on his reply, though Mozu knows quite well that he's trying to deny it. "You're a terrible liar."

"Yeah…yeah, I am." A silence befalls the two. As it lingers, Cyrus' attention falls to the cooler; after a moment of contemplation, he snaps his fingers, causing the box to warp away from this location. Looking back to Mozu, he says, "I…kind of panicked when I saw you in danger." She tilts her head at him, but makes no effort to inquire further. "I know what you've been through; watching your family die, watching your home be destroyed before you with no means to stop what's occurring." A pained expression plagues his countenance. "We were too late to save the village, much like the emergency crew was too late to save my family…but we saved you. I- We-" His voice breaks as he turns away from her. Mozu takes a hesitant step forward, but relents when Cyrus quickly turns back. His composure isn't at its usual level, but he's put together enough to finish his statement. "We weren't too late in the end; I'd never forgive myself if I let you die that day, Mozu."

Mozu is left at a loss for words, capable of only staring at Cyrus with an expression mixed with concern and gratitude. "Charlotte was being serious when she said that was eating at ya." She looks to the forest around her in an effort to find the words to say next. "I'm ever grateful, ya know?" She presses her fingers together, her face flushed with embarrassment as she follows, "I admit I thought you were kinda scary at first; you fought like a feral beast backed into a corner…you still do." She shakes her head. "No, it's more than that. You're like a feral beast at first glance, but you're in full control; your movements are wild, but nothin' is wasted with you."

Rubbing the back of his head, Cyrus can only stare at the grass below. "I can't deny any of that."

"You fight as if the wo- nah, the whole dang universe is riding on your win; I'm gonna ask you about that one day, but right now…I'm afraid of your answer." She smiles, replacing Cyrus' expression with confusion. "I don't understand a whole lot, but I do know how much you care about me; no matter how scary your answer will be, it ain't gonna change nothin'."

"How can you be so certain? An entire country was convinced I was a monster long before I gave them the excuse they were looking for."

"The people in that country wouldn't know their butts from their elbows." She folds her arms, visibly furious to the point of trembling. "Their opinion of you is worth less than unfertile soil; I reckon a brain-dead squirrel has better sense than the lot of 'em put together." She steps over and grabs his hand. "Come on, we're goin' on a hunt; I wanna get back to camp so we can eat and forget about those jerks."

She grants no room for negotiation, pulling Cyrus along without waiting for his response. The man in question can only chuckle at this. "Thank you, Mozu…your words mean more than you realize."

No longer encumbered by the cooler, the duo is free to survey the landscape. They undertake the initial task of locating tracks left behind by their quarry; Mozu is the one to accomplish this. Taking a knee, she studies a collection of tracks left behind by a group of animals. The tracks lead deeper into the forest, with any further evidence of the trail being obscured by underbrush, fallen leaves, and fallen tree branches. "This trail isn't exactly fresh, but it looks recent enough."

Cyrus takes a knee beside her, brushing his right hand against a blade of grass. The blade is notably free of dew, but it isn't because of the morning sun beaming down upon it. He looks ahead to the thicket beyond. "Our quarry is no stranger to hunters." He looks to Mozu as he follows, "Judging from these tracks, we're following a herd of doe numbering no more than five. The herd moves with purpose, even going so far as to obscure its own trail."

"Ooh, so we're in for a challenge. How many are we looking to take?"

"Two should suffice; we'll locate the doe and assign our primary and secondary targets from there." Mozu nods to this before taking point to lead the search. The pair disappears into the thicket, moving in the shadows provided by the countless trees. Half an hour passes before a significant lead is found. This lead arrives in the form of a small clearing where many blueberries litter the grass. Cyrus walks over to pick up one of these berries to study it, soon realizing that, "This one isn't ripe."

Mozu elects to study a few more. "Most of these aren't. The group must have passed by looking for a snack." She looks to him as she says, "I reckon they're gonna look for a water source next; can you sense anything?"

He takes in a deep breath in an effort to gauge the air around him. As he exhales, he turns his head to the east. "The scent of a stream is on the wind."

Mozu takes a whiff of the air in turn, nodding as she says, "You're right. The wind is blowing from the east, so we should head that way." The stream they seek is not far away; more importantly, the herd of doe they hunt is here as well. The pair is a considerable distance away from the mark, allowing a moment to devise a plan. Each hiding behind a large tree, Mozu and Cyrus study the doe from different angles. After a minute of study, their sights fall to the doe in the center of the group. Her frame is rectangular in its structure, with her head being longer than the others while sporting a slim bottle-like visage. "I reckon that's our dominant."

Gesturing towards a doe that is a short distance away from the others, Cyrus says, "That one is serving as a lookout; if the leader fails to take notice of danger, it's up to her to notify the others." He nods to himself. "She'll be our second, Mozu."

"Alright, so the rest are off-limits. This should be easy, considerin' our chosen two are much bigger than the others an' all." She looks around, noting that the stream is surrounded by a dense thicket, even more so than the one they traversed to get here. "Should we try to take a shot here? Following them into the nearby forests might not be our best option."

"If we screw up the shot, they'll disperse; we haven't discerned their escape routes yet so I'm not entirely confident. Let's maintain observation for now." She nods to him before returning to their watch.

The herd remains for longer than anticipated. The three fawns present in the herd are given the chance to drink more water than the more mature specimens. To the surprise of both hunters, the doe they designated as their dominant switches places with their designated second, and is now on active watch duty while the former watcher tends to the younger trio. 'Gosh, they're better organized than I thought. One mistake and we'll probably never find 'em again.' She looks to Cyrus, whose expression boasts the same surprise as her own. 'He looks shocked, but maybe he expected this?'

'Well that was unexpected.' The herd motions to depart from this area, prompting him and Mozu to follow. 'Time to move.' Sticking to the shadows, the pair keeps a low profile whilst stalking its prey. The two eventually reach a clearing filled with apple trees. Here, the herd stops to consume more food. Cyrus and Mozu quietly scale trees separate from one another. Holding up a hand to catch his partner's attention, Cyrus motions to a small group of apples that are lined up in a relatively neat order. There aren't that many ripe apples on the grass, which would lead the herd to depart sooner than desired. Understanding this, Mozu nocks an arrow and lets her shot loose.

Her shot flies true, knocking down four apples; the arrow flies towards Cyrus, who catches it with his left hand to prevent the arrowhead from causing any stray noises the deer might be familiar with. The apples hit the grass, startling the deer, but as expected, the two adults quickly calm down the fawns. Their feeding resumes shortly after, leaving the dominant doe to return to her watch. Cyrus gestures to Mozu again; with her attention caught, he points to her and then holds up one finger. After a moment, he points to himself and then holds up two fingers. Understanding the plan, Mozu nods and nocks an arrow, taking aim at the dominant doe. Cyrus preps a shot in turn, drawing an arrow filled with blue aether from his quiver. He takes aim at the designated second, waiting for Mozu to take the first shot.

Three slow minutes pass before Mozu lets her arrow fly. Her aim is directed at the heart of the dominant, but it misses shy of the mark, striking a lung instead. The dominant hits the grass with a thud all the same, giving a few convulsions before falling still entirely. Though Cyrus has a clear window to shoot the designated second, as she and the fawns take a moment to process the fall of their leader, he waits for the designated second to lead the fawns' escape. They make for the south; his eyes focus as his aim adjusts to mark slightly ahead of where the second is expected to run. He lets his arrow fly once it becomes clear that the fawns are in the midst of their gallop.

The arrow flies true, piercing the doe's heart. He snaps his fingers, shattering the heart just as it suffers a flash freeze. The doe falls over to a sliding stop, dying in turn. The pair waits for the fawns to disappear into the thicket before descending to the ground. "A well placed shot, Mozu."

She giggles at the praise. "Same to you. Is there a reason why you let the second run away before takin' her down?"

"You know how the adrenaline pumping through the doe's system makes the meat tougher during the harvest?" She nods to him. "Some of the troops prefer it that way." He waves a dismissive hand. "I'm not one of them, but I figured we could try and be accommodating."

"Ah, then we better mark 'em…how are we gonna carry these back?" Cyrus snaps his fingers, using ice magic to create two units similar in design to wagon carts. "Magic sure is convenient." The two doe are placed onto the carrying units, prompting Cyrus to use ice magic to cover the exposed tops. "These won't get freezer burn, right?"

"No worries. The lid is mostly there to prevent foreign material from getting inside." He frowns as his eyes become distant. "Many food suppliers have been framed for murder and had their businesses run asunder by assassins poisoning their exposed products."

Mozu recoils at this. "Yikes! Erdboden sure sounds like a scary place. Who would eve-" Sensing something amiss, she pivots on her heel, readying her bow as she holds out her hand; Cyrus tosses her the arrow he's been holding, allowing her to prep a shot without drawing from her own quiver. "I'm no stranger to your presence; come on out."

The one to emerge is Saizo, one of the two top Ninja of Hoshido, as well as a sworn retainer to Ryoma, its future ruler. Cyrus shades his gaze into a leer as he says, "She was referring to both of you." In turn, a second Ninja emerges from the shadows, revealing herself to be Kagero, one of Hoshido's most elite assassins as well as Ryoma's second retainer. 'Both of them in one place.' Getting a better look at the two, their attire has changed. 'They have used Master Seals as well; that's problematic.' He looks over the two, quickly discerning that their presence is by no means lacking hostility. "I don't suppose we can reach an agreement of mutual ignorance?"

Kagero closes her eyes to consider the notion, though not for long. "While it is true that I owe you a debt for saving my life, the fact also remains that you hold a princess of my kingdom as your captive. Though the dishonor will be severe, I will endure it for Princess Sakura."

Saizo looks to Cyrus, his gaze as harsh and severe as expected of him. "You and I are on even ground, foreign warrior."

Cyrus sighs at the notion. "To be true. You saved me from an ambush during our time in the Den of Low Hit Rates. Saving Kagero and granting you the honorable duel with Kotaro was part of my means of returning the favor." He folds his arms, taking a moment to consider his next selection of words. "Truth be told, the part with Kotaro is irrelevant; I would have let you have that honor regardless."

"Is that right?"

"After hearing your story, the one of your father's murder, I knew the right to slay that man was not my own. You could say that I…know where you're coming from." He waits for Saizo to disclaim this, but to his surprise the man stands patiently. "To have someone you hold in high honor taken from you unjustly; to feel the stinging betrayal of one you swore as your brother – I know both, Saizo. To rob you of your revenge would have been disgraceful."

"…indeed. I suspected as much when I saw your eyes back then, but you know well the creed of the Ninja." He folds his arms in turn. "You aren't among our number, but you carry yourself as if you were. Under different circumstances, you would have been a welcome addition to the Hoshidan Royal Guard." Kagero glances at him, surprised, though careful in not expressing such through her face. Saizo then draws a kunai as he slips into a combat stance. "Of course, those aren't the present circumstances; you serve a traitor, and hold our princess captive – our path is clear."

Kagero slips into a battle stance as well, readying two kunai of her own. "You and your comrades have my gratitude for the past, but I stand with Saizo. You will fall here; though it is little, I can promise that you will not suffer. That is the least I can offer to one with honor."

Cyrus sighs as the grip of his right hand tightens on the bow he holds. "Mozu. Get ready for combat." To give his comrade a moment to prep, he pulls an arrow filled with green aether from his quiver to fire it at the grass at his feet while performing a back-step. Saizo and Kagero fall back to avoid whatever might result from the arrow's contact with the ground; for their trouble, they avoid a localized shockwave charged with electricity. Mozu fires her arrow while the effect of Cyrus' arrow is still present, charging the tip of her own with electricity as it flies towards Kagero.

Taking note of this, Kagero tosses her kunai at the oncoming projectile instead of meeting it head on. Her momentary distraction affords Cyrus the chance to rush Saizo. He holsters his bow in favor of drawing a sword whose blade hosts a series of runes. 'Saizo's magic resistance is lackluster; with the Behemoth's Mark, I can handle him while Mozu faces Kagero.' He baits a swing to gauge Sazio's reaction; his foe jumps back before lunging with a downward strike of the kunai in his grip. Cyrus tosses his sword into the air before stepping to the side to avoid Saizo's strike. Spinning on his heel, he grabs a kunai aimed for his head, courtesy of Kagero, by its handle. This is used to parry Saizo's next flurry of attacks.

Catching his sword with his right hand, Cyrus brings it down upon Saizo, only to miss the mark. Having gotten a better look at the weapon, Saizo recalls its functions. "So that is the Runic Blade." He shores up his own defenses, an act that brings noteworthy disdain to Cyrus' expression. 'He should know better than to reveal his emotions to a Ninja.' He paces backwards, wanting an extra berth of distance. "I watched many skilled Ninja fall to that weapon; it strikes at one's magic resistance." He chuckles. "I assume that left eye of yours has something to do with how well you judge a target's susceptibilities?"

Cyrus chuckles in turn. "And here I was trying to keep my cards a secret."

"Consider getting an eye patch in your next life."

Mozu endeavors to hold Kagero's aggression, incurring the ninja's persistent pursuit. As she draws within striking distance, she finds that Mozu is more agile than her appearance would suggest, for the archer ducks beneath the swing while strafing and prepping a shot in retaliation. She lets the arrow fly, though not to actually hit Kagero. Kagero motions to avoid the attack all the same, granting Mozu the chance to retreat towards the trees. Rather than disappear amongst them, Mozu repeatedly kicks off two close trees to reach the branches. From here, she demonstrates a level of coordination Kagero was not expecting; jumping from branch to branch, Mozu maintains her offensive pressure.

Kagero gives chase to the treetops, leaving Saizo and Cyrus to fight on the ground. With his companion out of the way, Saizo switches from his standard kunai to explosive ones. He gives one a toss at Cyrus to test his opponent's reaction. Cyrus jumps away from the explosion, but to Saizo's surprise, he doesn't use the explosion as a moment to attack. 'Interesting.' He switches to close range combat, charging in with an explosive dagger in hand. 'Let's see you handle this.' Cyrus shifts his body in order to avoid the oncoming strikes, but notably makes no effort to bring his blade in contact with Saizo's. In response, Saizo goads his foe into this very action by advancing further.

Upon making contact with Cyrus' weapon, Saizo releases his grip on the kunai and shields himself with a cloak just before an explosion occurs. A cry of pain can be heard amidst the roar of the explosion; it belongs to Cyrus, who holds his ground as he slides along the grass, maintaining his footing in turn. 'Those explosives are even stronger now than they were back then!' Seeing that Saizo is prepping another explosive kunai, his mind rushes to think of a counter strategy. Drawing another blue arrow from his quiver, he sheathes his sword in favor of readying his bow once again. 'I have to judge the strength of those explosions.' He performs a back-step while firing his chosen arrow at the grass beneath where he once stood. Making contact with the ground, the arrow conjures a wall of ice that intercepts Saizo's explosion. The wall is not destroyed, though it now sports several cracks and fractures. 'We can do this.'

'Stalling won't save you, Cyrus.' He holds his next explosive at the ready instead of destroying the ice wall barring his progress. Anticipating Cyrus' next move, he tosses the kunai to his own blind spot. True to his judgment, Cyrus attempts to make a break by exploiting his unusable eye. Cyrus snaps his fingers to create a trail of ice, allowing him to speed past to avoid the kunai that would have otherwise pierced through his skull. The trail ends at a tree, leading Saizo to initially assume that Cyrus is going to disembark early. This does not come to pass, for Cyrus runs up the trunk of the tree before kicking off of it. Seeing that the man has three blue arrows nocked, Saizo grits his teeth and runs directly ahead to avoid the shots just as they are fired. Knowing where Cyrus has to land, he spins in the air as he jumps to toss another kunai.

Saizo's effort is met with failure, for a torso-height wall of ice is conjured where Cyrus lands, intercepting the kunai. The impact creates a larger steam explosion than before, granting both combatants cover. Using his Runic Eye, Cyrus bypasses his obscured vision to get a read on Mozu's location. At present, she seems to be leading Kagero away from the immediate area. 'That'll do.' He pulls a green arrow from his quiver, knowing full well that Saizo will notice it as it flies. He quickly takes aim and fires before immediately returning to cover. Aiming his right hand at a few branches ahead of Mozu, he snaps his fingers.

Mozu can see a coat of frost cover the branch ahead of her. 'Cyrus, this is your craziest idea yet.' She spins in place, nocking an arrow to present the illusion that she's about to fire on Kagero. "Dodge this!"

"I won't need to." To Kagero, she has reached the optimal range for the rest of her momentum to carry both her and her kunai to Mozu's throat. Her eyes widen in surprise as Mozu uses the back of her legs to catch the oncoming tree branch, allowing her to spin underneath as Kagero passes by her without landing a strike. 'It won't be that easy!' As she turns herself around, she finds Mozu already in the air and turned to face her; as the realization of the situation dawns upon Kagero, the arrow is loosed, embedding itself in her chest. A pained scream escapes her throat, prompting Saizo to glance at her location.

He catches his ally before she can hit the ground. After judging her wound, he lets out a swift sigh of relief. "This one missed your vitals; it's not fatal." He turns his attention back to Cyrus, only to find that Mozu is now beside him. He clicks his tongue in frustration. Cyrus has nocked a purple arrow, though Saizo knows not what to expect from it. Kagero, despite her pain, pulls a smoke bomb from his cloak and tosses it at the ground.

Using this to his own advantage, Cyrus pivots on his heel and fires the arrow near the blocks of ice holding the catch of the hunt; as the portal forms, a wave of miasma begins to fill the area. Mozu dons one of the specially-made filtration masks before running through the portal. Cyrus waves his hand to use magic to send the blocks into the portal in turn before running in as well. The portal disappears, causing the miasma to dissipate shortly after. When the smokescreen clears, both Saizo and Kagero are long gone, leaving the former battlefield empty.