Beginning Task #1:

The night sky overhead felt much darker than usual in the port city Eien had called his home for the past ten years. The new moon's presence, or lack thereof, was comforting. He quietly embraced it as he sat criss-cross atop the building of an old scummy bar in town, waiting for his targets to show themselves. The black uniform he donned blended in with the shades of the gloomy night well, giving him a sense of security. Though he knew not to allow himself to lulled into complacency. Unbuttoning the top button of his onyx marine's coat, he reached into the left innermost chest pocket on the inside. Maneuvering his fingers past the cold steel of Last Chance, and the three additional full loads that sat pinned to the inside of the coat just beneath the gun, he brandished a small, folded piece of paper.

Opening it, he once again briefed himself with the details of his mission, taking note of the direct orders he'd been given not to engage enemy forces. He scowled, disappointed that his job was nothing more than one suited for a scout. He quietly folded the piece of paper once more, and returned it to it's previous place within the pocket, before redoing the buttons on his coat. He was just a soldier, and soldiers followed orders. Even if he knew he could be more than that.

 Moments after, the wooden swing out doors creaked open loudly, piercing the calm setting of the somber night, as the dim light from the bar cascaded out onto the empty streets. The shuffling of their feet could be heard, as the first two men showed themselves, lumbering out onto the paved, white tiles that lined the grounds of Logue Town. Each had their hands firmly faceted onto a large, rectangular crate, their large physiques not showing any sign of strain as they slowly shuffled forward. Behind them, eight additional men emerged, soon forming a tight knit circle around the two initial men, two of the eight also latching onto the box at the left and right sides.

Silently sliding his hands across the rough roof tiling before him, Eien leaned forward and extended his legs behind him, placing himself on his stomach in a prone position atop the building he was located. He peered at the men below as they deliberately marched forward into the night, looking them up and down, while making an effort to minimize his own visibility. Taking a mental note of any weapons he could see at the time, he was only able to spot two swords of what appeared to be iron make on the backs of the men at the front and rear of the box, as well as the two to either side of the crate that carried large double edged axes, also of iron make. Despite the somewhat poor qualities of the metals, the weapons looked unscathed, as if they'd never been used. The rest of the men appeared to either be unarmed, or carry their weapons in a concealed manner.

That's them. He thought to himself, refusing to use his voice to break the silence he peacefully clung to. Brand new weapons were rare in this town, even for the established arms dealers. Most renowned smiths didn't even bother making new iron weapons, as they didn't sell for much to begin with, unless sold in large quantities to factions such as the marines. Plus, with the recent turmoil, a regulated tax had been passed on all weapons not provided directly to the marines themselves, making it almost not worth the effort for the typical small business owner.

He examined them more closely as they marched further down the empty night's street, each of them peering around occasionally, obviously in an effort to assure they weren't followed. They didn't look like anything more than hired thugs. They wore no uniforms, and there weren't many shared traits between them, just a group of large ruffians doing some work for a bit of coin. This detail in itself led Eien to believe the real culprits he was after were nothing more than a group of poorly organized criminals in over their heads. He could only hope it wasn't he himself that was in over his head.

He paused for a moment, allowing the men to gain some distance. As they turned a corner, he rose from his prone position and begun to jet forward, allowing Soru to carry him at a speed that he presumed was too fast for the men to even perceive, as it even noticeably hindered his own vision. The buildings in the area blurred together to form white mountains as he stepped from rooftop to rooftop, still making no noise. His heart remained still, as he kept his composure, occasionally slowing his speed above the men to ensure he still had sight of them. The distance he trailed them was long and far, and took several hours of the night to cover, as he kept finding himself taking cover in darkened corners and at the tops of balconies, waiting for them to cover more ground.

They led him all of the way through the city of Logue Town, past the slums and out past the forests that encompassed the surrounding uninhabited area of the Polestar islands. It wasn't long until he found himself lunging from tree to tree above the men, the dark night sky providing a thick veil with which to use as a screen. He went unnoticed, to no surprise of his own. He had been doing things like this ever since he acquired the Calm fruit as a child. He would often get in trouble for spying on his father's conversations, or poking about in business that was not his own, to the point that he learned not only the tendencies of people, but their faults as well. The moments where people let their guards down, because their senses failed them. It was easy for people to be lulled into a sense of security. Their absence of evidence put their minds at ease, it was often what fools did. Carelessness was the easiest way to get caught, killed, or worse.

He kept an eye on his surroundings as a path resembling a road cleared between the trees, and the ten men began speaking loudly, the one at the front bellowing out into the night. "It's just up ahead here. It's time to get paid, boys." The man to his right shushed him, as if to imply he was being too loud. "Oh, c'mon. We're in the middle of bum fuck nowhere, you think someone's gonna hear us all the way out here? It's just us. Let's just get our pay and go get drunk off our asses." If Eien was a joking man, he might have taken note of the irony in the situation, considering he'd been following them the entire time. Instead, he kept his focus.

Raising his eyes from the men below to the single storied compound up ahead, he took note of a large steel door about two hundred meters out from where the trees broke into a clear field. The door stood about five meters tall, and though he couldn't make out the figures in great detail, he could tell there were men posted directly outside. He bit his tongue lightly, frustrated that the forest didn't extend further out. It would mean that to keep his cover, he'd have to wait for the men to deliver their shipment and leave, before approaching slowly by ground, likely by crawling. Otherwise, he could take the forest to the right or left, hoping it led around the compound to the rear. Although if he wasted much time that way, he might lose the cover of nightfall simply to pursue an unfruitful venture. He squatted on the branch he was perched atop for a moment, considering his options.

There was always Geppo, but he couldn't guarantee that stationed guards would be as dull as the men he'd been trailing previously. Since there were very few entrance routes, they would probably have men watching the skies. His best bet was to quit sitting around and explore the path around the compound. The sooner he found out if there was a path to flank from, the less time he would waste. He cracked the branch he stood atop as he used Soru to dash from it, yet it made no sound as it tumbled to the ground below. The trees became a blur once more as he arced around the forest, keeping the compound in his blurred peripherals. Every so often he would stop as he circled the building, checking the effective distance between his current position and the building. It didn't seem like he was getting any closer, it was a solid two hundred meters in all directions from the forest. They had taken proper precautions in clearing a path in every direction around the building, there was no doubt about it. They didn't leave him many angles of approach. One thing he noticed however, was that from the rear, there were no visible entrances or exits. If he were to approach, it would have to be from behind.

Reaching the rear, he dropped from the branch to the forest floor below, his hands touching the damp grass beneath him as he absorbed the impact from the fall. Raising his head and adjusting his gaze to his now clearer view of the world, he planned his course of approach. Phase one of his mission was complete, now he had to actually scout the building out, without getting killed in the process.

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Spoiler: