Ryokan [Bounty]

[Shinomori Katsumi]

When they stormed out of the inn, it was entirely crowded outside, and Katsumi's small form made it so that she had difficult getting through. She fell behind Takehiro as she spent the time pushing past people or skirting her way around them. By the time she reached her partner, the woman was panting and only heard Takehiro's question.

Did this person know where their target was?

She stood up tall and glanced around them, trying to see if her keen eyes could catch sight of the same man she saw the previous night.

[Takeda Shingen]

Turning his gaze to the mercenary, the samurai would regard Takehiro with a sharp look, before pointing over his right shoulder with his left hand behind him, his right hand holding onto his tea cup, at the path leading towards the port.

"He went that way, towards Suigeki Port. I would hurry if I were you warriors."

Katsumi's keen eyes unfortunately would not spot the man she saw last night, but far off in the distance, she would be able to make out the path leading to the port the samurai mentioned to Takehiro, and by extension, her.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro would have nodded in appreciation, taking a small amount of coin and flipping them the samurai's way. Quickly, he would take off toward the port, wasting no time. If he had to push people out of his way, he would. This was a matter of good coin, after all, and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. He assumed Hiroshi would follow in his wake, since he was a larger man and could push the people aside with some degre of ease.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi nodded when hearing the older man speak, seeing the path. She would quickly bow to show her appreciation before following Takehiro. While she was must faster, it would have been difficult for her to shove past the crowd and, even once they broke free, she would stick relatively close to Takehiro's side, eyes constantly searching for their target. It would not do for the ranged fighter of the group to be ahead, now would it?

[Takeda Shingen]

Catching the gold coin flipped to him by the mercenary with his left hand, still held over his right shoulder, the samurai would nod his head to the both of them, which also served as him wordlessly wishing them good luck. He would then deposit the coin in his bag, before returning to his tea.

Takehiro and Katsumi would find it was less crowded as they made their way towards the path to the port, as most of the crowd was behind them by this time. Katsumi's eyes would constantly search for their target, but she would find no sight of him... until they reached the port. At the start of the pier, back facing them, both of them would spot their target just starting down the length of the pier, making his way to a nearby fishing boat.

They would have to hurry to catch him, or their target would sail away, literally.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro began sprinting as fast as his legs could take him, down the pier. He wasn't about to lose the guy, and if they had to do battle on a god damn fishing boat they would. He was assuming Hiroshi was good with the bow, given he had one, so he was kinda hoping the guy would shoot at Ujiyasu's legs or something. Just, he wanted to catch the guy before he reached the boat, and if he had to launch his spear at the dood to do it, he would!

[Shinomori Katsumi]

She was finally able to catch sight of their target, and he was planning for an escape! If they didn't get him now, they likely never could. Finally going full-speed, Katsumi would run ahead of Takehiro. She would skid to a stop upon reaching the start of the pier, whipping out her bow and two arrows. Pulling back the string and taking aim, Katsumi fired once at the bounty's shoulder before firing again at his right leg, hoping not to kill him but incapacitate the man.

[Takeda Shingen]

As Takehiro sprinted down the wooden pier, almost as if the samurai sensed them coming, Shimazu would quickly whirl around while grabbing his spear, as he would knock the arrow fired at him to the side and into the water while nimbly side-stepping the arrow fired at his leg. A mask on his face, hiding his facial features from both mercenaries, his eyes would narrow beneath the mask before suddenly swinging it in a low, tight horizontal arc at Takehiro, but not to injure him.

Instead, he would try to trip the mercenary up as Takehiro charged towards him, the swing also serving to knock away any potential arrows Katsumi fired at him.

(OOC: Shimazu Ujiyasu engaged!

Str: 15 (18)
Dex: 20
Con: 20 (23)
Wis: 15
Spr: 5

Weapons:

Dragon's Halberd: Two-hand. This halberd has a very large blade, and on either side is a very ornate depiction of a dragon. It is extremely durable. +7 Str -2 Dex.

Tiger Spear: Two-hand. This spear has an extra long handle, and the blade is rigid, allowing it to rip through flesh easier. +6 Str.

Assassin's Blade: There is no guard on this blade, making it require a very strong grip to avoid cutting your own fingers. +4 Str.

Steel Katana: This Katana is very well-made, and seems extremely sharp. Along the base of the blade are ridges, allowing carving to be much easier. Unbreakable. +4 Str.

Armor:

Tiger-tooth Necklace: This necklace shows the wearer's strength. +3 Str.

Mask of the Hunted: This mask shows an expression of fear, making the wearer look weaker. Though it hides their identity quite well. +3 Con.

Bounty: 500 Yen dead, 700 alive.)

[Amakusa Takehiro]

[OoC: Restating my stats, for convenience.
Str: 17(19+2)
Dex: 13(14)
Con: 13(23)
Wis: 13
Spr: 12]

Soon as the man whirled around, Takehiro kept very close watch. The man's figure seemed imposing enough, and with the price on his head, it was logical to assume he could do some serious damage, if the mercenaries were not careful. So, he played it safe.

As soon as Ujiyasu swung his spear toward Takehiro's legs, the mercenary responded by leaping forward, aiming to tackle the bastard to the floor, and maybe knock that weapon of his out of his hands. If he could get the man on the ground, he would try to grapple him, restraining his arms.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

[[OoC: Here are mine as well: Strength- 16 | Dexterity- 22 | Constitution- 23 | Wisdom- 12 | Spirit- 5]]

The arrows were knocked out of the air, and Takehiro engaged in combat. She removed three more projectiles and took aim. Dark hues narrowed sharply, and Katsumi bit down on her bottom lip. The archer was unable to shoot now. If she did, even with her skills Katsumi could hit Takehiro. And so the woman took a steady aim, searching for the right opportunity to bring down her target, and hopefully alive.

[Takeda Shingen]

As Shimazu swung his spear at Takehiro and the mercenary responded by leaping forward to try and tackle him, he would find Shimazu pushing off of his back foot and evading to the side while making a rolling motion with his spear, bringing it back towards him, leaving the mercenary to grab nothing but air. He'd then rush past Takehiro, his spear held to his right side, to try and catch Takehiro by the side while he was in motion, while keeping an eye on the archer, the three of them effectively forming a triangle formation.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Coupling Takehiro's force behind his jump and the fact Ujiyasu had to bring his weapon around in a full circle to strike the mercenary, he would be able to dodge the attack with little effort. Tucking into a roll, Takehiro returned to his feet, readying his weapon and quickly putting some heat onto the bounty. He would thrust his spear toward him several times, aiming for his chest and stomach, looking to deal minimal damage with stabs, but keep him on the defensive.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Her eyes watched the two carefully, searching for any sort of opening. As soon as the bounty would break away from Takehiro, she would fire at his thigh, pulling back her bow for another shot and aiming to hit his side, releasing it. The last arrow would only be used if she needed it.

[Takeda Shingen]

As Takehiro went for the stabs with his spear, holding his spear out in front, Shimazu would quickly spin his spear in front of him, effectively blocking most, but not all of Takehiro's stabs. The ones that did connect would hit the side of his arms instead of his stomach and chest, ripping the fabric of his kimono, but otherwise leaving the rogue samurai unharmed. Same went for Katsumi, as fast spinning spear would block the arrows she fired, effectively bouncing off the makeshift shield and landing harmlessly at his feet.

He would then quickly run towards Takehiro, the spinning spear still in front of him to act as a shield, and quickly gripping the spear as soon as he was close enough, he would go to duck underneath any attack Takehiro launched and slash his spear across the mercenary's thighs, the sweep motion swerving to also knock away any arrows sent at him by Katsumi.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

As soon as Ujiyasu began his charge, Takehiro stepped back to observe him. Once the bounty began his low strike, the mercenary quickly retaliated by thrusting his spear down toward the man, rather than slashing over his head. If it worked out properly, the man would find Takehiro's spear digging into his hip from his own motion, and hopefully the bounty's attack would be fruitless, halted by Takehiro's own attack.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Her shots were proven pointless yet again and Katsumi scowled, holding off on the last shot. The two ahead continued fighting and she furrowed her brows. What should she do? Her ranged attacks thus far had done absolutely nothing.

Watching the footwork of the two, Katsumi's eyes lit up and, grabbing another arrow, she pulled back the string of her bow, aiming at the man's midsection. After he swept his weapon down to block any potential attacks of hers, the archer suddenly aimed low and shot at the man's feet, before quickly firing again.

This bastard was going down whether he liked it or not!

[Takeda Shingen]

Dedicated to moving forward, Shimazu could only push off against his back foot to shift himself to the side, Takehiro's spear grazing his hip, leaving a surface wound, but it was enough to halt Shimazu's attack. Unfortunately for Katsumi, that meant her arrow would bury itself in the spot where Shimazu's foot used to be, though it landed pretty close to his foot!

Scowling in displeasure, pushing off against his back foot, Shimazu would put some distance between himself and the two mercenaries, placing his spear away, before pulling out the halberd on his back. Standing near the edge of the pier, wielding the large bladed halberd in both hands, he would let the two of them make the first move this round.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro smirked. The pressure was on here. He would make his way around the bounty, essentially keeping him between himself and Hiroshi, so the archer would not be inhibited when he tried to shoot. Takehiro would steadily encroach upon Ujiyasu, eying that halberd... looked like it'd hurt to get hit by that. So, he would opt not to. Once within range, Takehiro would start jabbing his spear as quickly as he could in Ujiyasu's direction to distract him so Hiroshi could do some damage with that bow of his.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi missed again, and she was starting to get pissed off. While she still wanted him alive for more money, the archer felt inclined to hit elsewhere. The back was a bigger target and he would certainly go down from a hit, and should leave him alive, right?

Biting the inside of her cheek, the woman removed another arrow as Takehiro moved around. If the bounty was sufficiently distracted and his back faced her, she would aim for his lower-back. Otherwise, she would shoot at the side of his upper-thigh.

"Go down already," she grumbled softly to herself, pulling out another arrow from her quiver.

[Takeda Shingen]

Easily blocking Takehiro's jabs with the large blade of his halberd, Shimazu didn't even have to move, but because the blade of his halberd was only large enough to block his upper body, he was unable to see Katsumi fire at him, and would be struck in the upper thigh by her arrow, causing him to take a step back, towards the edge of the pier.

"Why you...!"

He would growl, with his back facing the water and holding his halberd in one hand in front of him, he would not step towards them, but instead, let them come to him. They wanted to take him down, they would have to do more than just fire arrows and keep him on the defensive.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

As Ujiyasu fell back, Takehiro would suddenly get even more fierce. His attacks would continue, as fast as he could manage, mixing up where he would strike. He would try to get as many leg and core strikes as he could, looking to take the guy down from the sheer pain from how many cuts he would face. That, and Hiroshi would still have a huge opening to fire wherever he wanted.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

"Back him up towards me, not the water!" exclaimed the woman. Her hit got its mark, but the bounty was reaching dangerously close to the water and if enough strikes befell him... everything they worked for could be lost at sea.

Taking out another arrow, the woman narrowed her eyes and shot at the man's foot/ankle, wanting to further immobilize him.

[Takeda Shingen]

Onto their game plan by this time, Shimazu would not allow the male mercenary to injure him, blocking the strikes just as fast as Takehiro could manage them. The footwork Shimazu would do to counter Takehiro would work slightly against Katsumi, as her arrow would neither pierce his ankle or his foot. Instead, it would graze the side of ankle, causing him to falter momentarily, backing up even more towards the edge of the pier... and the water.

But Shimazu was not going to go down without a fight. Charging forward, his halberd held in front of him as he would spin it with one hand, with an almighty roar, he would aim to push Takehiro backwards, towards Katsumi, before launching an X-shaped strike at them, one after the other. They would have just a brief window of opportunity to attack him, because he would relentlessly slash at them until they took him down, or he took them down.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro would move backward as Ujiyasu pushed, thrusting his spear down toward the guy's legs as he approached. He would turn his body so he was going back and to the right, opening Ujiyasu up to shots from Hiroshi if the bounty kept pursuing him. If he would turn to run after the archer, Takehiro would ram his spear into the bastard's thigh.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

At noticing Shimazu pushing Takehiro, Katsumi immediately leaped to the side, dodging it as swiftly as she could. When her partner attacked and if the bounty was in the clear, the archer would shoot at the arms, hoping to debilitate him from holding a weapon.