You break it.. You get broken..

[Brandt Solveig]

Type of Quest:

Caravan Guard

Quest Info:

People soon began to take note of the viking that had begun to help many people throughout the land. An up and coming merchant approached the Nord, requesting him to travel to the borders as protection from would-be thieves. Offering pay, Brandt could not refuse the man.

Location:

Totomi territory

People Involved:

Brandt

Plot-Important:

N/A

[Oda Nobunaga]

Brandt would find the merchant had a lot of goods, some of which were extremely rare and valuable. From just one glance, the giant could tell he was going to come into trouble once they got to the Shinano border, since that seemed to be the bandit central.

"People around here say you're good, so I'm counting on you to keep my things safe. They're worth more than my life, you know."

A rather pompous man, the merchant was short and pudgy, evidently living off other peoples' ignorance and taking advantage of the chaos of Nippon. That said, he didn't seem like an entirely bad man.

"Well, uh... shall we be off?"

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt wanted to shake his head at the first comment, but he did not. Brandt did not understand people when it came to commodities. They acted strange, letting such material objects control them in such a way. Maybe he had seen so many people die that he didnt value life the same as others.

A human life is priceless.. Silly man..

Brandt of course made his living fighting and killing. The coin however was just a simple means to get by. He wasnt into hoarding treasures. The man skmple had to buy his food and pay the upkeep on his equipment. Hense the reason he was doing what he was doing. The giant wouldnt let his mind wander too far from the objective at hand. Thr nord had to make sure he kept on his toes. They were carrying a lot this time. Sitting near the back of that cart, Brandt called out as he scanned the area.

"Let me know if you see anything strange, brother.. We are in this together."

[Oda Nobunaga]

Brandt would see nothing yet, thankfully, aside from the eyes of watchful men of Totomi. So the merchant would proceed along the road with little trouble for the vast majority of the trip. As they neared the Shinano border, they would enter a dense thicket, however, and that's when things got sketchy.

From off the road, Brandt would hear the sound of wood snapping.

[Brandt Solveig]

The trip thus far had been uneventful. Not really being a chatter box, Brandt had stayed quiet for the most part. He wouldn't be rude to the point of annoying his current task master. His eyes never strayed from their duty, ever watchful as they neared the boarder.

Luckily his ears had kept up their end as well. The nords ears were very attuned to nature. Unnatural sounds were relatively easy to pick out when you lived in the wilderness for most of your life. The giant thought he could have easily heard an animal, but just to be cautious the large male would reach backwards and bang on a crate.

" Stop! Something is near by.."

The giant would lift himself onto his feet, now standing in the back with the cargo. Grasping the handle of his blade he would stare intently toward the spot he heard the sound.

"Keep an eye on the other side of the path.. We might have just walked into an ambush.."

[Oda Nobunaga]

Almost as soon as Brandt had finished talking, bandits swung in from trees on either side of the road, some hopping onto the cart, others on the side! A few men rushed toward the mention, who tried fending them off with a stick, while a large group rushed at Brandt!

"Look at the size of this one!"
"The loot, or the man?!"
"Both!"

Two men would launch arrows toward Brandt's thighs from the front, while another two charged in from his sides, looking to stab him in the thighs!

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt was almost mad at himself for not catching this sooner. But these bandits could crafty though. Those pale eyes would catch the sight of the archers in front of him with arrows notched. With a slight smirk his right hand would extend with his palm facing forward.

Brandt's left arm would give a mighty tug as he aimed to pull it up and over, forcing it toward his side to rid him of the bandits that he caught in his peripherals trying to attack his side.

At the same time,  a strange humming sound would emit from his gauntlet. The two arrows would be pulled from their original trajectory, the arrow heads magnetized by the Nords special gauntlet. They would ping into his palm, before the pulsing sound would reverse and those magnetized arrows would be shot back toward the bandit archers.

If all worked well, Brandt would turn his attention toward his employer with his right still raised, and let loose a couple of those barbed bolts aimed for the ones giving him trouble.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Brandt knocked the bandits at his sides out quickly, and the magnetized gauntlet shot the arrows back into the archers and incapacitated them quickly! The merchant would have kicked a man in the face and Brandt's bolt would fly through his head, another whizzing by and taking another man down!

From behind, a few men began taking crates and running off with them! From the front, a man a few inches taller than Brandt charged the nord, swinging a mighty hammer at his face!

[Brandt Solveig]

Casting a quick glance behind him, the giant would snarl was he caught sight of the two men grabbing crates. Directing his arm toward them he would fire off a burst of five bolts in their direction in hopes of hitting them. He wouldn't focus on them however, because he had a much large problem in front of him.

Brandt didn't like to be with hammers. He had dealt with many in the past. Axes and hammers were favored among his northern brethren. As the larger man swung, Brandt would pull his upper half backwards as the hammer approached.

The nord would then snap his right leg out to kick him in the stomach as his opponents hammer passed. If he managed to send him off-balance, Brandt would try to cleave his head in two from the top down.

[Oda Nobunaga]

The shots would rip through the skulls of the bandits with some lucky aim, but not long after, more would replace them to carry off some crates!

The larger man stumbled back, but as Brandt brought his sword down, it was redirected by the other man's hammer! He rose it, the shaft at an angle so it would catch the large sword and send it crashing to the ground. He would grip it at the joint between the stone and the wood, and slam it into Brandt's chest!

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt would loose his grip upon his sword handle, and then receive the pummel strike to the chest. Brandt would loose his breath briefly, but not his wits. His hands already held toward the sky from his previous strike, Brandt's right hand would extend slightly and he would activate his gauntlet as it approached the hammer head.

If it worked like he planned, Brandts gauntlet hand would tug up and away to try and rid the other giant of his own weapon. If it worked he would shoot the hammer away just as he had the arrows before. His left hand would shoot for his face, trying to grasp it with his thumb pressed into his enemy's right eye socket.

 So long as thongs went they way he planned his right hand would then attempt to shoot an arrow into his face at point blank.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Brandt's arrows flew into the large man's face, slaying him, and the magnetized hammer flew into the air and smashed down on the men who continued to try and steal the crates! Good accidental aim, man!

The merchant continued to kick at about twelve-or-so bandits, while another twenty rushed the cart from behind! Both were in equal danger, the merchant of his life being lost, and the goods of being stolen!

[Brandt Solveig]

Damn it!

Brandt realized that the likely hood he would actually be able to save both the cargo and the man moving it. So it would ultimately be up to him to choose what to do. And the nord would take it upon himself to choose the driver instead of the cargo.

Rushing forward, the giant would drop low to scoop up his sword and then head toward the front of the cart. Brandt would aim to slam his shoulder into the closest one in the group to knock him into the others. The giant would then pull his sword across in a horizontal slash to cleave into the twelve.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Brandt's monstrous stature was enough to give him an edge, and he rammed into one man and knocked the others over like bowling pins! With that, his sword ripped through them and slew them quickly!

"My things!" The merchant cried, turning to the back of the cart. The danger in the front was gone, but now each of the twenty men in the back all held a crate of the merchant's goods, and began to run!

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt had managed to clear the crowd near his 'boss' a bit quicker then he had originally thought he would. Again hearing the males plea about his stuff, Brandt would turn to face the other direction once again. Frustration set in when he saw the number of people running with crates.

"You fools are toying with the wrong man!  I WILL TEAR YOU ALL LIMB FROM LIMB!"

Unleashing angered roar, the giant would bull rush toward the back end of the cart and once he cleared it completely, those massive arms would ripple as he heaved his massive sword low, throwing it toward the escaping crowd. His goal was for it to act like a fan and cut as many legs off as he could before the sword skidded to a halt on the surface of the earth.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Many bandits' legs would be cleaved out from under them from the mighty Nord's powerful heavy, and the crates they had would land on the ground. (Despite landing hard, whatever was inside seemed not to be damaged.) Only three bandits would remain with their legs intact, and they were terrified. They laid their crates down on the ground, and took off running, fearing death at the hands of the giant foreigner.

"And don't come back here! Fear returning or suffer the wrath of the Beast of Totomi!" The merchant cried, hopping off the cart and sighing. A hand would come up and pat the Nord on the shoulder - or mid-back, because he could not reach the shoulder - and the merchant let out a nervous laugh. "That was... close, eh?"

The boxes were everywhere!

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt would snort heavily as the last three coward away, dropping their crates and running off to live another day. Brandt did not feel the need to chase them down, after all that would leave the merchant unattended. He was lucky that man hadn't been killed in the skirmish as it was.

"Aye, that is was.. I am sorry if anything was stolen or damaged.. I did not expect the ambush. Forgive me."

The Nord would finish his sentence as he walked past all the men bleeding out on the ground, screaming in agony had they not bled out already. The giant would scan the ground as he passed by and begin recovering all the crates which had been removed from the cart. As he worked, his voice would sound out.

"If any of you rabble survive, let it be known.. Brandt Solvieg, The Sword of The House of Strength, will no longer stand for your actions against Totomi, or any region in Japan!"

Maybe it was just the adrenaline passing it's course, but the giant could not have helped himself. These bandits reminded him too much of home and the Nord had a new goal in mind. The northlander would take it into his own hands. Bandits of the land that did not know of him yet, would surly hear of the predator stalking them.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Any bandits who did live on would do so in fear, and the rest of the trip would go on smoothly! Luckily, none of the items in the crates were damaged, so Brandt would receive his full reward, along with some unintended bonuses!

[OoC: You Break It, You Get Broken: Complete
Brandt Receives:
+3 Exp
Ring of Totomi: This ring was purchased by the merchant you assisted. The metal on it is finely tempered, and it's really comfy! +3 Con
800 Yen (x2 for Merc Bonus = 1600 Yen)

When bandits on the eastern side of Japan hear the name "Buranto Soruveeg," they lose morale significantly!
Brandt receives 20% off all consumables in the shop!
Brandt's reputation in Totomi is increasing! He's become widely known, and regarded a hero!