Starring:
Michiko, Yori
Date: February 4, 2015
Summary:
Yori is assigned to help protect a cart when he runs into a unique individual that decides to try and steal from the owner's cart.
"A Mighty Sword - Greater Than Shinobi?"
Land of Lightning
A messenger hawk was sent to a young Saito by the name of Yori, telling him to meet at the gates of Kumogakure for his next mission. At the gate would be Michiko standing next to a man who appears to be 20 some years. She's chatting amicably with him as they wait for the Saito to come along. "So you're going to supply one of the villages in the south? That's good of you," comments Michiko. "Yeah, well, it was on my dad's orders. So don't think me a saint."
After receiving the message Yori wasted no time in grabbing his pack and heading for the door. He hadn't been doing anything important that day anyways so it was a nice reprieve to be called on a mission. When he arrives he bows formally to the two waiting, "Saito Yorishiro," he introduces himself immediately to the man as well as using it as his way of reporting in. He looks between the two briefly but says nothing further at the moment.
The man nods his head to Yori. "Nice t' meet you. I'm traveling down to some of the lower villages to deliver supplies. Iwata-san said she would move ahead with a few more important things, so you're stuck with me for the beginning of the journey." Michiko looks to Yori. "I'll get rid of as many bandits as I can on the way back. There shouldn't be too much danger, and I won't be that far. So I don't think anything big or bad will be run into. Any questions?"
Yori shakes his head at the question, "No Michiko-san." He says with another bow before he turns to look at the man and give him a smile, "I look forward to travelling with you." He's ever the formal one isn't he? "Where are we going to?" He asks curiously then, glancing between the pair as he hitches his pack further up on his back. He's ready to go whenever they are!
Michiko starts off, already going ahead to deliver this important pressing thing. It takes a blink before she's gone while the man Yori is helping gets his cart moving along. "Just one of the villages… Can't remember its name, but I know the way. Just follow up and we'll not get lost!" He nods and heads off, the man keeping the pace relatively slow for the time being. "So, yer a shinobi, Yori-san? How long?" he asks.
"Only a little over a month," Yori replies as he moves to walk along with the man after Michiko disappears to do her thing. "What kind of supplies are you delivering?" He asks curiously, glancing at the cart for a moment but not making any attempt to really investigate it. If Michiko's already been here then it's probably nothing bad. "How far along until we reach the village?" He adds with a glance up to the man, pulling up all the close by villages in his head to compare travel times with.
"Huh, and already on this sorta mission? I dunno how shinobi missions work, but you must be skilled if you're on yer own, right?" prods the man. "And I'm delivering things like building tools and blankets and stuff. Extras from the shop. It'll be two hour's travel at this pace, I think, so don't be too tense at the beginning, yeah?" So far, they're ten minutes in and nothing's happening.
Only a few places it could be with that amount of time, even with some plus minus. Yori nods a bit, though he looks a little sheepish at the mention of him being skilled. "Well, technically Michiko-san is still with us, she's just clearing the way ahead. I'm, um, still learning but I will be able to protect you." Famous. Last. Words. Despite Michiko clearing the way the boy does remain vigilant as they travel, trying not to visibly be tense but it's not that easy to hide. He's actually a little worried himself.
Of course, things can't go smoothly, even with a Chuunin/Jounin-level shinobi traveling ahead. As the two continue on, the merchant still talking cheerfully to Yori, a kunai comes flying down from above right at Yori's head. Then a person appears, masked, crying out, "Give me all your supplies, shinobi!" And slashing twice with a sword at the Saito.
COMBAT: Yori defends against SHARP(13) attack from Rockpath with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…21
COMBAT: Yori defends against SWORD-STRIKE-II(23) attack from Rockpath with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…35
COMBAT: Yori defends against SWORD-STRIKE-II(16) attack from Rockpath with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…21
Yori gives the occasional nod and a response, though he's much more interested in listening to what the man has to say then to relay any of his own story. He gives tidbits here and there if asked but nothing extensive. As soon as the kunai come he senses it and raises an arm, his sleeve sliding away as the blade hits and deflects harmlessly away. He repeats the process for the two swords strikes, positioning himself in front of the merchant to protect him. "Sir, please back away." He says without looking over his shoulder. Then, to the attacker, "Please leave now and no harm will come to you." He manages to keep the shaking out of his voice but it's not easy. Where the heck was Michiko?
The masked person grins a bit, though it's not visible. "Huh… You're pretty good. Might have to step up my game…" He draws back, then, looking between the man Yori is guarding and Yori. "Just gimme a few of your things and nothing'll happen to you~," he notes cheerfully, holding his blade with the point aimed at The Saito.
"This man and cart are under the protection of Kumogakure." Yori says, eyes locked on the man as he gives him a grim look. So far so good, no trembling in his voice though his body shakes a little. He tries to hide it by moving, slipping out a kunai and spinning it till it's in the right position for him to grab. "If you try and take anything I will have to stop you." With that he crouches slightly in a defensive stance, ready for an attack.
The merchant ducks into his cart for the time being, not wanting to get in the way of a fight. The man Yori is facing grumbles a bit. "This's why I hate shinobi… They never back down when they should." He grips his sword a bit tighter and strikes, sending two slashes at Yori in rapid succession before following up with a cut towards Yori's leg and a sweeping kick.
COMBAT: Yori defends against DOUBLE-SLASH(19) attack from Rockpath with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…28
COMBAT: Yori defends against CLEAN-CUT(25) attack from Rockpath with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…25
COMBAT: Yori defends against PHYSICAL-II(26) attack from Rockpath with a DODGE-II…29
Yori moves in motion with the attacks, raising an arm to block the two quick attacks before sweeping down to let the vambrace eat the low one. Using the momentum of the movement he flips horizontally over the sweeping leg before landing on a hand and knee. His hands close into fists, bringing the metal of the vambrace over his knuckles before he attempts two quick punches at the attackers chest. "Leave now! This is your last chance." He sounds a lot more firm now that the fighting has begun and his eyes are sharp and bright.
COMBAT: Rockpath defends against VAMBRACE-STRIKE(28) attack from Yori with a RAPID-PARRY…21
COMBAT: Rockpath loses the roll and sustains 172 damage.
COMBAT: Rockpath defends against VAMBRACE-STRIKE(25) attack from Yori with a RAPID-PARRY…36
The bandit seems to notice the change in Yori's expression, but a bit too late he starts to block the strikes. Getting punched in the Chest hurts! Especially when it's an armored strike. Deftly he's able to flick away the second attack, launching himself at Yori… With his sword at his side. As he passes the Saito, it flashes out in a quick motion to strike, then he does this twice more, attempting to rely on speed to avoid getting hit.
COMBAT: Yori defends against DRAW-STRIKE(31) attack from Rockpath with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…34
COMBAT: Yori defends against FLASH-STRIKE(19) attack from Rockpath with a DODGE…24
COMBAT: Yori defends against FLASH-STRIKE(20) attack from Rockpath with a DODGE-II…24
Yori barely catches the first attack, arm coming to his side to deflect the blow away just in time before he jumps forward and then sideways to avoid the other two, since the man was behind him. When he lands he's once again facing the man and this time he pulls out a second kunai before hurling the two at the man. A distraction more than anything else, hopefully. He jumps into the air and spins as he nears the man, trying to bring the metal on his arm down on the mans shoulder.
COMBAT: Rockpath defends against SHARP(16) attack from Yori with a DODGE…19
COMBAT: Rockpath defends against SHARP(20) attack from Yori with a RAPID-PARRY…28
COMBAT: Rockpath defends against VAMBRACE-STRIKE(15) attack from Yori with a DODGE…16
The bandit avoids the kunai easily, raising his sword to parry the strike to his shoulder before ducking out of the way fully. He frowns a bit. "Harder than I thought…" he mutters, adjusting his grip so two hands rest on the hilt. Then he strikes, the blows a bit more powerful than before, as well as a bit faster.
COMBAT: Yori defends against SWORD-STRIKE-II(28) attack from Rockpath with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…36
COMBAT: Yori defends against SWORD-STRIKE-II(22) attack from Rockpath with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…31
COMBAT: Yori defends against SWORD-STRIKE-II(18) attack from Rockpath with a DODGE…25
Yori manages to deflect away two of the blows, jumping up and over the second and the man at the same time while lashing out at him with a kick towards the head. When he lands he pulls out another kunai and half turns to throw it at the attacker before he pushes off to aim another armored punch at the man. "Just leave!"
COMBAT: Rockpath defends against PHYSICAL(24) attack from Yori with a RAPID-PARRY…28
COMBAT: Rockpath defends against SHARP(20) attack from Yori with a RAPID-PARRY…24
COMBAT: Rockpath defends against VAMBRACE-STRIKE(28) attack from Yori with a RAPID-PARRY…22
COMBAT: Rockpath loses the roll and sustains 162 damage.
The man winces as he gets struck again with that stupid vambrace. "Fine! But I'll get my revenge on you!" With a handseal, the first one he's every used, even, Yori would feel the need to stay down to the ground while the man took a pillow from the cart and ran away! And if the genjutsu didn't work, he'd just flee.
COMBAT: Yori defends against KUPPUKU(27) attack from Rockpath with a SELF-INFLICT…14
COMBAT: Yori loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
Genjutsu. That wasn't something that Yori was expecting from the sword weilding man. He drops to his knees, going so far as to put one hand on the ground as he grits his teeth. Damn. There isn't anything he can do but watch as the man takes the item and flees. His hand draws closed around the dirt beneath it as he tries to force himself up, going so far as to give himself a slice along the leg to try and break the hold but to no avail.
Once the man is gone, the genjutsu is released, and Yori is probably left frustrated. "Hey, kid… You might wanna get that leg bandaged up…" comes the voice of the merchant. He had watched the thief take a pillow… Which really wasn't that big a deal. "And then we'll get a move on. We're running late thanks to that." The merchant offers his hand to help Yori up.
Once the genjutsu lets up the boy looks after the man but he's long gone. Anger and frustration flood through him at losing a part of their mission and he's tempted to go after it. But he's not going to leave the merchant behind to do so. "Thank you." The boy says when he takes the hand up, putting the kunai back away before pulling out some bandaging and just quickly wrapping the leg. "I'll be fine. We can continue." He says once that's done, though he hesitates a moment before bowing deeply, "I'm sorry I failed to protect you and your cart." He stays down, the frustration turning into shame.
The man shakes his head a bit. "You're fine, Yori-kun. A small bump in the road. A pillow is hardly worth getting unhappy about." The man eyes the cart and the horses. Alright. Double-time… "Let's go. Iwata-san should be coming back along the pathway soon. If not, then… Well, I guess we'll see her in the village?" He shrugs a bit, and Michiko comes up around that time. "Sorry. I was a bit held up," she murmurs, offering a light bow. "The trail is pretty clear now, though, so we shouldn't have any… more trouble." She gives Yori a glance when she notices he looks beat up too. "I apologize for missing someone, Yori-san. But it looks like you handled things will here."
Yori straightens up, still looking upset with it all but he gives the man a nod. When Michiko returns he turns to her and bows as well, "I'm sorry Michiko-san, I couldn't stop the bandit from taking something. I failed with the mission." He doesn't sound sad about it, more just uniform and formal. When he straightens up again he looks slightly grim but it's obvious he's trying to hide his feelings. Better not to show it.
Michiko blinks a bit. She nods lightly and turns slightly towards the path. "We should get going, yes? Yori-san, tell me about who it was you faced while we travel. If he got the best of you, then we'll have to work on where you're weak to make sure it doesn't happen again, yes?" She doesn't mind that Yori didn't completely succeed in protecting the cart. He managed to protect the merchant, who was a bit more valuable (because human life versus a pillow…).
"He was masked and knew how to fight with weapons, including kunai." Yori says, going right on past whatever regrets he's feeling to the important information. "He must have had some training as a shinobi from someone or somewhere but…I don't think he is one. He could use a sword but he was slow." The boy continues to explain, including the battle in brief up to and including the genjutsu attack. "That was where I failed." He says finally, sadly.
Michiko nods lightly. "I see… We'll keep an eye out for him. It doesn't sound like he's had any formal training, which is an advantage for us. I'll show you how to get out a genjutsu without hurting yourself, if you like. But you can also just keep hurting yourself… It might be more effective if you do." She shrugs a bit. By the time Yori finishes his report, they've reached the village. It really was double-time pace!
Yori nods his agreement to Michiko's assessment, but then shakes his head a little, "I know of some ways to get out, that's always just been the most effective." He motions to his leg as he makes that admission, giving a little thoughtful frown. Once they arrive at the village the boy trails behind a little to watch and make sure the guy doesn't try and catch them off guard just because they're there.
All is peaceful once they reach the village. It takes a couple hours for the cart to be unloaded and everything divided up evenly, but it gets done and the journey back home is easier. Yay~. By the time they return to Kumogakure, the sun is setting. Michiko nods lightly to Yori. "Good work today, Yori-san. Overall, I would say that mission was a success, but take it as you will." She knows he's hard on himself for losing a pillow. "Heal up, and get some rest." With that, she disappears to file a report.
