The Adventurous Vagrant

SPO4 Iswantus, Sharpshooter (6)

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Such petty display of so-called justice from the likes of you! You sons of whores! You suck on the teats of your worthless queen! You should all just die, alongside your prostitute mothers and your retarded fathers! I will feed your entire families alive to rabid dogs while they are being burned alive, too! So that when you all go to hell, you will all be one big happy family! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

SPO4 Iswantus gets riled up, but he still keeps his cool.

“You're getting too unhinged, buster. I wish you would be showered with money by that really offensive speech you've made and made your cheapskate family proud... No. You don't have a family now, because they've all disowned you... You were getting so frustrated that your paintings didn't sell because you couldn't improve your skills. And what did you do in response? Threaten and kill random people you hate out of frustration, and even steal a child's candy. Now you're a certified criminal, thinking you're an entirely invincible law enforcer with that seven-proxy barrier of yours.”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! So you've finally recognized my invincibility, huh? I'll love beheading all your parents! They're all pure good-for-nothings, bearing foolish children! That education's wasted on you, so I'll burn down the Royal Academy just because they accepted morons like you! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!”

Eventually, we all can't take that genuinely deranged cur's high-degree insults that degraded our very beings, coupled with the equally demented laugh.

We all start attacking, with the archers coming in first.

Despite more accurate shots, the criminal's barrier blocks them all.

But that's not we're after.

We need to lure him to the abandoned building, which was supposed to be the Richpointe Tower, so that we can enact our three-pronged attack.

Our chase continues on, with the fugitive trying to retaliate against us with his hand cannon while running away.

But we all have a solution for that.

Before the operation, I have bought seven Heisbilis scrolls, one for each of us to use.

This way, we can easily outrun the cur and dodge his shots.

The chase consisting of exchanging and dodging attacks leads to this place... the Richpointe Tower.

Or what was supposed to be the tower... because three floors have been built so far before it was abandoned.

Great. Our tactic's working.

SPO4 Iswantus then signals us non-verbally to separate into three sub-teams and cover the three angles needed for that simultaneous assault.

He and SPO3 Managcop will cover the above ground; SPO1 dela Rosa, PO3 Limdico, and PO3 Jones will cover the level ground; and SPO1 Blackfire and I will cover the below ground.

Once the three-angle tactic is taking shape, we start our relentless assault.

Arrows, bolts, sword slashes, and spells of various elements all try to penetrate the seven-layered barrier.

But the cur still persists.

He doesn't need to run for cover, anyway – because the barrier is his cover.

And he ensures that he still wants to play with us – since he has prepared so much ammo for his hand cannon that snuffed the lives of the people he randomly hates.

“ATTACK! ATTACK ALL YOU WANT, FOOLS! WE CAN GO ON FOREVER WITH THIS CHARADE AND I WILL STILL PREVAIL! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

An endless charade, huh?

I'll take out the “less” from “endless”, rest assured!

I non-verbally signal my teammates to now introduce unorthodox (to him, anyway) assault tactics in order to do away with the barrier.

SPO4 Iswantus and SPO3 Mangacop spot a pile of sand in a corner of the level they occupy.

They each carry a small lump of that sand in their off-hands, and then sprinkle the sand all over the barrier covering Mr. Guy.

This should eventually reveal the weak spots in the barrier, the Achilles heel we are all aiming for.

“Wh-WHAT?! What are you all doing, cowards? Trying to expose my weakness, huh? I'll expose yours!”

While he is still yapping, the three swords-persons find some durable steel rods nearby, and then try their best to wield them in their off-hands alongside their own blades.

Now, as the barrier is now gradually being covered in sand, some holes in it begin to manifest.

The dual-wielders then take that opportunity to stab through the holes and injure the cur from the inside, while at the same time dodge enemy fire.

Good. He's softening up, as we can all see some wounds and shreds of torn clothing in his outfit.

“I'm better, faster, and stronger than you knuckleheads! Get yourselves shot in the head, you mindless butt-wipes!”

There goes those off-brand insults again.

They don't faze us now...

...since we're all not done with him yet.

SPO1 Blackfire and I find a bamboo tube whose ends are already open.

We both agree to use it as a makeshift magical bazooka.

While the others are still occupied in inflicting considerable damage on him, we find cover in a doorway, hastily setting up our bazooka.

I get to carry the bazooka tube over my right shoulder, and she gets to light the bazooka and load it with magical ammunition at the same time with the eight elemental spells.

Once the bamboo bazooka is aimed at the enemy (while also keeping in mind to avoid friendly fire), she begins the magical fireworks show as the orb of her magician's rod touches the tube.

This display of improvised weapon attacks really does a number on the cur, as the barrier gradually begins to fade away.

“MY LOGIC IS SOUND! And I SAID... get YOURSELVES shot in the head. You'll be doing yourselves a favor by doing that, because you are all worthless! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

As his maniacal laughter resonates in the air... the fabled “seven-proxy” barrier... is no more.

It is shattered to a million pieces, and those pieces easily dissolve into the air.

Predictably, his reaction is...

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! How could you... I'm supposed to be behind seven proxies!”

SPO4 Iswantus retorts...

“Your ruse has already ended, Mr. Guy. You say we're beyond redemption? Hah! You should be.”

“Guess again, drecks! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!”

He opens fire again and runs for cover this time.

Still employing the three-angle tactic, we search our areas of coverage for even a sliver of his presence.

“Lookie lookie, twerps! You're not gonna get a head-shot on me like I successfully did on those lower-than-dirt lowlifes!”

SPO4 Iswantus responds to that insult with a simple “We'll see.”

Our battle with the criminal turns into a cat-and-mouse scenario, as we always jump at the chance for attacking him at even the slightest sight of him emerging from every corner he lurks.

And as the two archers finally get a clear shot at him, the cur fires back, shooting at an almost-crumbling part of the brick ceiling.

The two try to dodge the collapsing ceiling, but SPO3 Mangacop unexpectedly trips and has his right foot caught in the rubble as a result.

“Aaaagh! I'm down! I'm down! Go on without me!”

“OK... hang in there, Dex. Our mission will end successfully, anyway.”

Even with one of us temporarily incapacitated, we feel that we're on the home stretch, as we sense our enemy's stamina levels gradually depleting from several powerful attacks we have unleashed.

In his moment of desperation, he's seemingly betting on that one powerful shot that would eliminate us all.

That's because he's using his trump card: A highly explosive enchanted grenade round with an area of effect so big that we would all go down with this entire abandoned building if successfully fired at us.

SPO4 Iswantus also recognizes that round, and so he bets on his own trump card.

Once Mr. Guy loads the grenade round on his hand cannon, SPO4 Iswantus delivers a trick shot aimed at the barrel of the hand cannon, calculating the expected trajectory with both his sharp eyes and his mathematical mind.

Right before the criminal pulls the trigger, the arrow successfully enters the barrel, disabling the attack and resulting in the hand cannon being dislodged from his hand.

The portable artifact of destruction falls from the building; and once it touches the ground, it explodes by itself, destroying itself and its last bit of ammo.

“NOW!”

We now take the opportunity to deliver the final salvo of attacks.

“Tri-Squad Blade Flurry!”

The combined link attack of SPO1 dela Rosa, PO3 Limdico, and PO3 Jones delivers multiple supersonic slashes to the enemy.

SPO1 Blackfire and I do the combined link attack back at the training camp.

“Balance of ebony and ivory, shock the foundations of instability! Yin-Yang Bolt!”

And unexpectedly, SPO3 Mangacop, who was incapacitated by the falling rubble moments ago but immediately recovered later via a quick drink of a Healing Potion, joins in the fun with his planned flurry of bolts, modifying the combined link attack.

“Piercing light and darkness, create a great shower! Monochrome Rain!”

A rain of light- and darkness-charged bolts rain down on the enemy, piercing through his already worn-out combat armor.

And now, SPO4 Iswantus gets to perform the coup de grace, now that the enemy is greatly weakened, full of wounds and bolts stuck through his body.

With a steady hand and eyes sharp as a hawk's, he delivers a simple yet effective piercing shot right near the heart.

Once the arrow hits its intended target with perfect precision and accuracy...

...Esteban Abada Guy finally falls.

Even as he fell...

His lunatic laugh is still as loud and overbearing as ever.

But beyond that laugh... I sense nihilistic despair consuming him.

“You may have killed me... but there will be others who will take over my mission of eliminating undesirables from society!”

Hypocrite. We all feel sorry for you, because you chose a path so destructive... and you didn't even save yourself from it.

“So implant my words into your pea-sized brains, dimwits... It took six minuscule constabulary officers and one pesky adventurer to kill me... but I killed those I deem defects of society by the hundreds. Look at me!!! I am sublime!!!! I am the true face of justice!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAahahahahahaha... haha... ha... ha... h...”

He finally dies with his eyes and mouth wide-open.

It's over.

We can all say one thing...

“Mission accomplished.”

The next day.

The Royal Constabulary Headquarters, Lebenswasserheim Burghal.

The Director General of the Royal Constabulary confers to us all, the Tactical Strikers Team of the Constabulary Precinct of Fiaco, Mielong Prefecture, honors for the bravery we have shown yesterday that led to the final defeat of the elusive deranged barrier criminal, Esteban Abada Guy.

He declares thus:

“Let it be known that six of our men, as well as one adventurer who was handpicked by both the team leader and the precinct chief to assist them in taking down the criminal, will be awarded appropriately for their valor.

“First off. PO3 Howard Jones is promoted to Senior Police Officer Tier 1.

“PO3 Volsung Limdico is promoted to Senior Police Officer Tier 1.

“SPO1 Nathaleya Blackfire is promoted to Senior Police Officer Tier 2.

“SPO1 Lana Reina dela Rosa is promoted to Senior Police Officer Tier 2.

“SPO3 Dexter Mangacop is promoted to Senior Police Officer Tier 4.

“And finally, SPO4 Christian Iswantus is promoted to Inspector. As a result, he will automatically gain the post of Chief of the Constabulary Precinct of Anokata, Mielong Prefecture, replacing Inspector Den Iga Isidoro, who will reach his mandatory retirement age of 55 this 22nd of Frostmonth of this year. Inspector Iswantus will still lead the Tactical Strikers Team of the Constabulary Precinct of Fiaco alongside his subordinates who will keep their posts, too.

“As for the civilian adventurer, Mr. Walter Deschantes, he will be awarded a special civilian service medal for his contributions as well as a monetary reward of 100,000 guintos. Congratulations, everyone. You all deserve the honors.”

We all salute the chief and everyone else in attendance, with heads up high and fervent smiles on our faces.

I may have contributed much to their success; but in reality, it's SP... I mean, Inspector Iswantus' reliable leadership and marksman-caliber archery skills that led the way.

Another job done. A job in service of my fellowmen.

And a job enhanced by my many memories of her.

1019-1431, “A Sharpshooter Needs Help”

Quest complete.