It was dusk and there was a lot of stench in the air thanks to the local decay of the Xenofungi forest. Eriko already had her fill with that smell when she wandered through the Kiyonami to find the late Kuni Emi's daisho. However, it was another bugging thought that lingered in her mind and it brought her to Shantytown in search of the scene of the crime. While the particular house in question wasn't obvious to anyone, there was a yoriki ATV that was parked across the house in the neighbourhood. She knew she was close.

She stood at an alleyway and watched the ATV for some time, seeing the Yoriki who sat at the front seats looking bored and occasionally adjusting the masks that the wore to deal with the unpleasant scent in the air. Her patience eventually paid off when she saw another Phoenix yoriki descend from a set of stairs and join her compatriots in the ATV. It looked like she might have caught them in the middle of a shift change. The yoriki activated their ATV and drove out of the neighbourhood.

Eriko waited for a few beats after they left and lowered her binoculars. It was time to cause some trouble again...



"Hey cutie, you looking for something? We're looking for YOU," said a man who stood at the other end of the alleyway, calling her out.

Something was wrong and she immediately reached for her sidearm by instinct.

Shhrrk!



Another thug charged in from her side of the alleyway with a collapsable baton and struck her in the back. Eriko cried out as the scars on her back were still recently and bent forward in pain, staggering forward. She tried to throw a blind elbow and spun around with a forward jab to strike her assailant right across the cheek.



Another woman followed her partner and struck her with a glowing baton. This one sent a shock through her body and collapsed to the ground, her legs unable to keep her up. The three thugs surrounded her like a pack of wolves and started to give her further kicks to subdue her until she stopped moving.

After a short round of violent intensity, the thugs backed away from the body of Eriko, either catching their breath or checking their jaws for any broken teeth. They turned their attention a heiman work van that slowly backed up into the alleyway and the rear door opened to reveal a rather smug-looking man, pleased with the results of the handiwork.



"Heh, get her in," he grinned broadly.

/scene