First Station: Peaceful Ilusia Patrol...Or Not

It has been two days since an island has been spotted. Nina, who was leaning back on the Marine ship's railing, was watching out for any small boats that dared to come by. "No one has been seen,"Nina whispered to herself. She was starting to wonder why the captain had her out on deck with nothing but staring to do. She turned her slender yet athletic frame towards the open sea, her left arm resting on the hilt of her katana. "Sea...sea...some more sea...and nothing but sea. Getting to an island would be such a-"Nina was cut off mid-sentence by the sound of another recruit's booming voice. He was shouting, "Captain, we are approaching the Ilusia Kingdom!" This had been what she was waiting for. At least, it was something close to it. She knew how Ilusia was over the past few years. Rather peaceful in some places, not very strong pirates roamed about. It was something that she, as a recruit, could handle alone. A door on the ship's second level swung wide open and heavy steps came out. It was her captain who had been sleeping on his paperwork. "Finally, let's get some troops out there and patrolling!"he ordered. Nina got in the line of potential patrolling Marines. Out of the 30 present, only 8 were completely willing to go. Nina was of that group. Finally, the chosen 8 were out of the ship and were given orders of patrolling every single part of the kingdom. Of course, everyone had chosen to split up and go their separate routes. Two chose to cover the western, another guy went along the northern region where there was a forest, two in the east where the Marine ship had just left, two in the center of the kingdom where there were a few towns, Nina was covering the south. The south was also the region with the most ragged and dangerous mountains. However, there were paths that could be easily traveled on. Nina was in for a three day patrol across the southern part of the Ilusia Kingdom. As she approached her destination, she muttered, "Great, all the big tough guys couldn't handle this so they send me."

sc: 26

At the base of the mountain path, Nina stood with her eyes studying the path and its intimidating features. Nina immediately began her long patrol, wasting no time so she could return to the others and go back to the ship. Right now, she was determined to find any pirates to take down. Loose pebbles were knocked away by her low and swift steps. Perhaps she should've worn actual shoes instead of sandals. A quarter of the way up the mountain, Nina stopped and took a sip of the water in the bottle attached to her belt loop. She gazed up the steep mountain path, "Man, those guys are such wimps." Her footing was careful as she continued to patrol the mountains. Another quarter up the mountain and she was half way to the top! The higher Nina got, the more dangerous things were getting. More loose rock slid down from the top, but they were small enough to do little to no harm. Finally, she made it to the top. Nina knelt down at the beginning of a descending slope, her hands shielding her eyes from the bright sun. Down below was a sort of camp. Her eyes narrowed as she realized who could've been down there, "Bandits."

sc: 15
tsc: 41
Sanjuroku Pound Ho: 15/15 mastered

A thought suddenly entered Nina's mind, Ilusia shouldn't have these guys around, I've only heard of people like this in Las Camp! She sat against the boulder and pulled out a compass from her side pocket. Unlike the typical compass, this one was able to pinpoint her exact location. Nina sighed with frustration and gave the ground a punch, "I was right about it all along, this isn't Ilusia, it's Las Camp." Sighing once more, she stood up and prepared to make her getaway before being spotted. At the same time, four large explosions erupted from different parts of the island. These explosions were in the same regions her accomplices were in, and that gave Nina a bad vibe. She gasped as a group of five muscular bandits stepped out of the tents. They looked tough, but she knew she could take them on. She and the bandits gazed at the flames that lit up the nearly dark skies. "This can mean only one thing...they're gone,"Nina said to herself, and she gripped the hilt of her katana.

sc: 11
tsc: 52
Sanbyakurokuju Pound Ho: 11/10 sc mastered

Mixed emotions buzzed in Nina's head at that moment. Regret for not being able to assist her friends, fear that no one will know to help her, and a bit of sorrow. This is the first time that she had been in such a situation, but she knew that she couldn't lose hope. Perhaps being alone in Las Camp is the test she needs to become stronger. Nina took in a breath as the sun disappeared behind the mountains in the far horizon and then she unsheathed her katana. She ran her index finger along the blunt edge, all the way to the pointy tip. "Revenge is one thing, but a little lesson about messing with comrades is another,"she whispered to herself. It was dark enough for her to surprise attack the bandits, who were now sitting around the bonfire, but it would require precision and careful strategy. Nina peeked over the rocks to get a good look at who she would be facing. She thought, All are fairly large, all using katanas, those boots seem durable enough to block regular attacks...I think I can take them down with one hit. Nina raised her katana over her right shoulder, she swung it in a circular motion, releasing a spiral of compressed air towards the bandits. All five of them shrieked as they were hit dead on and sent flying back into the solid rock. Nina watched in surprise as the impact seemingly triggered a chain reaction. A rock slide took them down once more. She tapped her lips with her finger, "Well then, I guess we're done here." Nina continued through the now ruined camp, picking up one of the sheathed katana that a bandit previously owned and slid it into place next to her first sword. Before she could keep going, an unexpected hand took hold of her ankle. A gruff voice followed, "Where...do you think...you're going...girl?" Nina yelped and glared down at the injured bandit who had apparently crawled out of his rock trap without her noticing. "Nowhere you need to worry about, so why don't you go back to laying there in misery while I find out what's going on,"she said to him. "Why you-Gah!"Nina had struck him in the side of the head with a wooden post, rendering him unconscious. His grip had loosened, so she continued on to figure the situation out. Whoever was causing all this trouble had another thing coming. Not only was she going to solve it, she was going to find the boss who was responsible for all of the destruction and chaos in Las Camp. This would probably be connected to the pirate who killed the one she cared for most.

sc: 25
tsc: 77
Maguma: 25/15 sc mastered

Nina was now walking along a deserted path far from the mountains. She finished her patrol while searching, which kept time on her side. The captain would return with the ship in about 5 hours, so she had to hurry. As she was walking, she noticed a big group of people standing in the middle of the road. It looked as if they were cheering something or someone on. She casually walked over to an elderly man and asked, "Excuse me, but could you tell me what's going on?"He turned to her with a mildly intimidating stare. She was slightly nervous, but she had to know. "Haven't you heard?"the man asked. She shook her head and he sighed. "Look, it's a pirate bonanza, so a bunch of tough guys come to give us a big show. Too bad it was ruined by a few jerks." Nina folded her arms and closed her eyes in thought, A pirate bonanza, huh? Nina shoved her way through the crowd and found herself upfront where the fighting originated. She was shocked to see three men with their fists bloodied and they stood on a pile of dead pirates. These three were Marines in her unit. The one in the middle wore a white coat draped over his shoulders, the other two had short jackets with tears all around the edges. It was her captain and two other Marines. "Captain Shepard, what a surprise,"she said while brushing her hair back behind her ears with her shaky fingers. The captain glanced over his shoulder with a smirk, "Well, if it isn't Nina. I thought you'd be here. I was wondering if you were alright after we saw those explosions." She smiled and told him how the incident may have been started by those pirates that he had defeated, and that the others that she had been sent off with may have been killed. He nodded and guided her back to the ship with the other two Marines. "Don't worry kid, things like this happen. That's why we need to fight back against the pirates with all we've got. Oh, and sorry about the whole thing. Whoever said we were in Ilusia was an idiot. I'll make sure to keep better watch over where we are landing, or maybe you can with that compass,"Captain Shepard said. Nina nodded and boarded the ship, receiving a big welcome from everyone aboard. Nina called back to the captain, "I think I'm going to get some sleep. That whole experience drained me and I'm still tired from fighting off some bandits." Shepard nodded and replied, "Good! Also, I found something very interesting and thought you may like it. I left it in a box on your bed, so check it out when you can." Excitement bubbled in her as she sped walked to her room. First came rest, then she would find out what was in that box! "Alright men! We're heading for Ilusia this time, so get it right or you're all taking a swim!"Captain Shepard's voice boomed throughout the ship, making Nina giggle as she closed the door behind her.

sc: 39
tsc: 116
Nitoryu Iai: Rashomon: 39/35 sc mastered