Beast with a heart

[Brandt Solveig]

Type of Quest:

Recovering a kidnapped child.

Quest Info:

Once again approached by someone while resting his mind and body at another pub. It seemed his former employer had sent him someone with a job of their own. The old man's granddaughter was kidnapped by a local warlord whom took her as payment for debt his own son owed. His job was to recover the girl alive. A small castle he was tucked away in would be the giants destination.

Location:

Within Totomi territory.

People Involved: 

Just Brandt

Plot-Important:

No.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Brandt would find, in an area not yet combed by the Amakusa, a small castle. His destination. As he would arrive, he would find there were a good deal of guards posted at its entrance, as well as many patrolling its perimeter. Carriages could be seen going in and out of the area regularly.

[Brandt Solveig]

There it is..

The nord stared defiantly toward the small castles gates and the group of guards waiting outside of it. He would then watch as a caravan approached the castle gates. Brandt would continue to watch the guards carefully as they began inspecting the carriage.

He wasn't about to just bum rush them without at least trying something else first. The giant would peer through the foliage and try to examine the guard routines.


Piss-ant little Bacrauts(assholes)..

If he could pin point a weakness then he could exploit it and tip the tides in his favor. Possibly even sneak in without detection. However he knew such a feat wasn't always the easiest to accomplish given his stature. With luck he would pin point something, and then he would act accordingly.

[Oda Nobunaga]

The guards patrolling the perimeter seemed to be the ones inspecting the carriages, though they did very little. They would simply ask the riders what was inside and wave them on through. They also seemed to switch patrols every half hour, but the group meant to come outside and resume duty was always about five minutes late.

The guards at the entrance seemed to stay at their post the entire time Brandt was watching.

[Brandt Solveig]

Patience wasn't the best of virtues but he would manage to hold off on attacking so that he could wait for the next patrol switch. It seemed the guards were lazy around here and didn't seem to show up when expected. This would give him a small window of opportunity.

The viking could hear the sound of a carriage drawing near and knew that now would be the time to act. Waiting till the patrol went inside, Brandt would give a few seconds before he would lift his right arm and take aim with his repeating crossbow. He would launch two bursts of five bolts toward the guards at the entrance with hopes that he would send them to their maker before they even knew what hit them.

If all went well and he dropped the gate guards, he would rush toward his left to intercept the carriage, leaping to try and kick the driver from the carriage and knock him unconscious and into the foliage on the other side. The cloaked giant would then take the cart toward the castle gates.

Acting as quickly as he could he would then try to toss the bodies of the guards into the back off the carriage and hopefully retake the seat and move through the gate before the other patrol came back. If it worked, he would continue to ride on through, as if he was the original coach of the caravan.

[Oda Nobunaga]

The patrols being as lazy as they were, Brandt's tactic was overwhelmingly successful! The new patrols didn't even realize their buddies were just murdered, and the old rider for the carriage was unconscious in VERY tall grass.

"Oy, what do you have in there, friend?"
"He's a tall "friend" ain't he..."

Two guards approached him inquisitively, like they had all the carriages before him.

[Brandt Solveig]

"Oy, what do you have in there, friend?"

"He's a tall "friend" ain't he..."


"Aye.. And I can eat twice my height! Just bringing in some basic supplies.. And a special parcel for your lord, himself.."

Of course they didn't know his gift would be a release to the afterlife if he wasn't able to find the teenage girl he was looking for without a fight. Brandt's face remained hidden as he stared forward to survey his surroundings as they guards questioned him. He hoped his ruse would work to his advantage. And that he could continue without alerting anyone to a hostile presence. So far things had worked out. He would just have to press onward, cautiously as he had been.

If he made it by the guards, then he would figure out what to do next.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

The guards wouldn't press the issue further, most likely out of laziness. They went back to their posts, and Brandt was clear to proceed!

If he continued onward, he would find a vast courtyard with a path on every side. There were guards patrolling the area. If his carriage continued along its path, he would find himself at a stable, where it would be safe to dismount. There would only be one guard on duty there, seated right next to a convenient pile of hay.

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt would only celebrate in the inside, outside he remained like a statue as he flicked his wrists and silently commanded the horses to pull the carriage once again. He would stay his course forward, his eyes shifting left and right, high and low. 

He wanted to make sure he scouted enough for an escape route once he had the girl. His contractor had told him it was a teenage girl, thus he figured he could manage to carry her and escape if he had to.

As Brandt pulled into the stables, he would have taken note of the single guard. It was unfortunate for him that he was on duty this night. As the cart rolled to a halt, Brandt would hop from the carriage, lifting his arm and shooting two bolts without hesitation or warning.

As long as the guard was taken care of, he would pick up the body and stuff it into the haystack next to him. From there he would move from the stables, and try to find the best route inside.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

The body hidden, Brandt was free to roam about the castle, as long as he stayed hidden. There was a tower in the castle on the far side, and that seemed the most likely place to store a kidnapped girl. It would be across the courtyard that he had entered to get here.

[Brandt Solveig]

Those pale green eyes settled upon the tower at the far end, and he would begin to make his way across the courtyard, along the inside walls. He would take cover and pause here and there to check and make sure no one would spot him.

Upon reaching the tower, he would simply check to see if it was unlocked. If it wasn't then he was either going to have to find a key, another way in or possibly break in. He knew though that raised the risks of him being discovered.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Brandt would make it across the courtyard with little resistance. Upon reaching the tower, however, he would find the door locked shut.

Nearby were three guards coming down a hallway headed in the direction of the tower. If Brandt didn't do something quick, they would see him.

[Brandt Solveig]

Damn it!

Hearing the footsteps, Brandt would cast a quick glance in that direction before he throw himself into a side-roll and unsheathing his blade before his back would brush against the wall next to the hallway the guards were coming from.

The Nord would wait until he saw all three of them step from the hallway into his sight before he would swing his hefty blade in an arc, hoping to cleave all three of their heads off before they knew what hit them.

If all went well, he would search the corpses for a key to the tower.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Brandt's unwieldy sword would provide results! All three of the guards' heads would fly right off, and their bodies would slump to the ground! One of them even had a key to the tower!

Things were going smooth so far. Perhaps a little too smooth?

[Brandt Solveig]

So far, so good..

Wrestling the key from the corpse of the guard whom held it, Brandt would make haste as he went back to the tower doors. With a few cautious last glances around the courtyard, the nord would put the key in and turn.

Once inside he would shut the door behind him and look around briefly before he would start to make his way toward the top. He hoped this was his final destination here. Things had gone well for him thus far and it would be a shame for things to go south now.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Brandt would make it into the tower without any problems, and was greeted with a staircase the moment he stepped inside. If he proceeded up to the next floor, he would find four guards in a room. One was looking out a window, another was leaning up against a wall smoking a pipe, and two more were gambling at a table in the middle of the room. The stairs to the next floor were completely opposite from where Brandt was.

[Brandt Solveig]

As Brandt neared the top of the staircase he would survey what he could and as he reached the landing he would put his attack plan into action. His left hand grasping the handle of his sword, which was slung over his right shoulder with the flat of his blade resting on it. He would begin his dash toward the two playing cards.

But the first phase wouldn't be directed toward them. As he ran his right arm would lift at his midsection and he would release the last of his bolts, two bursts directed toward the wall sitter and the one looking out the window. And it would only take a few steps for him to come into range of the gambling men. 

At which point his right hand would lift to assist his left to Swing a wide arc across the top of the table at chest height of the guards. He had been in similar situations before in his life time. He almost felt like he was raised and honed to take on armies. If all went well, he would double check the bodies for anything useful before continuing upward.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

The element of surprise was once more on Brandt's side! He had taken out two of the men with his bolts! The one by the window would slump and fall out of the tower, while the other one fell dead against the wall! Furthermore, his gigantic sword would cleave through the flesh and bones of the last two men, who sat stunned seeing that gigantic hunk of metal charging straight for them!

The path was clear to go up the other side to the next floor! But Brandt would hear some kind of commotion from above, perhaps he'd want to go up carefully?

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt would almost crack a smile as all four guards now lay dead. This was something he lived for. The Nord yearned for battle kn a regular basis, and he had grown quite good at killing throughout his years. But he wasn't finished just yet. Brandt still had a girl to rescue.

As he neared the next staircase, sounds echoing from the stairwell above caught the giants attention. Placing his back against the center of the staircase, Brandt would cautiously climb the stair case with ears and sword at the ready.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

As Brandt neared the top of the staircase, a spear would fly out, stabbing into the wall right beside his head. It seemed the guards on this floor had heard the noise that sword of his had made in the previous scuffle! There were five of them, all armed (minus the dude who threw his spear) and ready to attack their intruder! They would advance upon Brandt, trying to stop him from getting up the stairs!

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt was just glad that his undertakings thus far had been cautious. Had he rushed up the stairs he might have gotten that spear to the head. 

Stepping backwards down the staircase, that massive sword would be thrust toward his enemies to keep them at bay. He would find himself retreating back to the previous room, sliding off to the right of the doorway.

His free hand would reach behind him and grasp a wooden cartridge, quickly reloading it i to his gauntlet as he waiting for the first to od the guards to come. As soon as he heard their footsteps he would dive across the doorway and unleash a barrage of bolts.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Brandt's barrage would prove successful! The first guard would be riddled with bolts, falling against the spear before it collapsed under his weight and he tumbled down the stairs! The other guards were careful as one took point, holding up a giant shield as he came down the steps slowly, the others behind him trying to stay behind cover. They hoped to bum rush the Nord and overwhelm him, thinking they'd be safe behind their shield.

[Brandt Solveig]

Now residing off to the other side of the doorway, Brandt would have landed on his shoulder and rolled into a crouch. Those pale green eyes locked upon the doorway. He would seen see a shield inching its way i to the room, and that was when he would strike. The viking would attempt to break the shield and the owner behind it.

From his crouched position he would push toward the defender, his body twisting at his hips so that he could get as much torque behind his attack as possible. Both hands tight upon his sword, Brandt would aim to slam the blade into the shield just below center mass.

If it connected he would try to follow up by using his movement to shift to his right and side step, bring his sword up and over in attempt attack the shield from the top. His hopes were that the first strike would be enough to weaken the shields frame, while the second enough to carve through the top half of the shield, and hopefully maybe hit two of the soldiers.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Having only seen Brandt use the bolts previously, they weren't expecting that monster of a sword, and they would fall backwards upon his first attack. The giant's second strike would cleave downwards, killing the shield holder and another two men. The remaining soldier panicked and began to run up the stairs, screaming.

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt successfully crushed the lead soldiers shield and then killed him plus two others. The last one ran like a coward, and began to scream out.

 Growling under his breath he would his arm and take aim to try and shoot a couple single bolts to try and silence him. If he missed, then he would begin to run up the stairs behind the last guard like a predator dead set on getting his dinner.