Starring:
Date: March 29, 2014
Summary:
It seems the Yagi Oni (Goat Ogre) are up to no good once more, making it time for Kumo to start thining out the population.
"Resurgence of the Yagi Oni"
Trail Split [Land of Lightning]
Edit Last Pose to Make more Sense, more of a proper closer
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The hard climb up a short, yet steep section of the rocky trail ends in a fork. The rocky path here is dangerous, with small stones rolling occasionally, threatening to break the ankle of unwary travelers. One section of the path, to northwest continues up, almost to the top of the smaller mountain. It disappears around the curving slope and a large boulder, obscuring if it even ends.
To the east, the path continues onwards, up the larger mountain and heading along a very rocky trail. At this point it is almost easier to hop from rock to rock then try to navigate around them. The path can only be followed by the eye for a short distance before the multitude of boulders conceals it. It gets harder to follow with less markings the further up the mountain a traveler proceeds.
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It seems on top of the pirates, death worshipers, and continued relief efforts following the last big disaster, the goat ogres and their lesser cousins of the Land of Lightnings mountains have decided to take advantage of their recent population boom over the spring and started hassling the travelers of the land once more. They have been especially vicious regarding those associated with Kumogakure itself, so of course any requests dealing with them has been given a little higher priority.
Clouds are dotted about the sky, keeping the heat in and making the air stiflingly hot. The only respite comes from a cool, gentle breeze blowing lightly from the southeast. Still, that might not be enough for the Kumo team who are currently in route to the last spot the goats attacked. For the one assigned leader of the group, the mission could very well mean more than just a simple population control deal. Which may account for the curt greeting at the start and the young Shirokiri pressing the others to keep up through the stifling heat.
Kenishida would be sent to Kumo to help out on a mission, his shinny blue and black armor would make noise as he walked to the meeting place, his huge Odachi would be on his back. The blade was almost of the size of his body, coming up he would see the two people he was set to meet. "Ohayo gozimasu," smiling as he stood there before slowly removing his head gear, "so what's the mission?"
"Alright, this should be the spot."
A little over half an hour of walking over alternating trails and dirt roads conclude with the team eventually coming to a stop at one of the wider sections of a frequently traveled mountain path. One side is exposed to the open air and a sheer drop, the other, a step craggy slope. There's also the matter of the blind bend, making the juncture a perfect ambush point. The area is devoid of any obvious sign of their having been any trouble in the first place. Which begs certain questions…?
"Great." Rise murmurs before turning back to look the late arrival a once over. "At least that thought that much ahead," She added under breath. "We're hunting some of the most cunning, annoying, and aggressive beasts to call these lands home with us. Goats Ogres. And while I'd like to give ya better run down about them — not that a local boy like yourself probably needs it — we need get to hunting them down quick. Search the area here while a move a short ways ahead. If ya find something just give me a holler. Aight?" She doesn't really stick around to hear confirmations before moving on past the bend.
Kanbei offers a wave at the samurai before moving to his designated spot to search. There were some hoof prints but nothing that said anything was there recently. After wiping the sweat from his brow he turns towards the area where Rise was suppose to be. He was hoping Rise would give him a sign that she found something. A few moments later he glances towards the samurai.
Kenishida wouldn't notice Rise have left as well he would scratch at his chin before walking over towards Kanbei…"not sure myself…not even sure what we're looking at or for." Frowning he would sniffed once or twice before resting back and trying to fan himself a little bit, "I honestly can't recall seeing Goat Ogres since I'm from the island and everything." Kenishida started to feel as though him being here was a mistake, draping his head a word slipped from his lips, "useless."
Rise returns shaking her head over something or other. "Either of you two find any — *groans* I'm guess'n since Islander-san is already slacking off, neither of you picked up on anything useful huh?" The question was rhetorical, but she still gave them both a decent amount of time to try and argue their points or what-have-you before taking a closer look at the area herself.
Whereas the other two might've mistook the random scuffle marks and hoof prints as merely signs of their being some general chaotic activity, the girl forsaw much more. The goats did a decent job in trampling the tracks of cart down well enough, but closer inspection would reveal the wagon having been pushed off the cliffs. There were other clues as well, but the most important one led them back to the slopping side of the cliff. A dangerous climb no matter how one looked at it… at least, for humans that is.
Rise sighs wearily. "Alright, I want you two to continue on around the bend. There should be an easier route to get up higher by foot along the way. Take it. Then make your back this way." Her attention finally breaks away from the cliff-side. "I'll meet you up there."
Kanbei does not both pleading his case. He was no expert tracker. He glanced towards the Samurai. He did not seem to be one either. Soon enough they get their orders that they are heading up. Though Kanbei might have been able to up the steep path, he follows the orders and takes the other path. He felt a bit bad for the armored guy. It had to be tough lugging all of that up hill. As they reach the spot, he starts looking for Rise once more.
Kenishida sighed as he looked up the steep and then at himself, then back at the hill and then at himself again before spitting his his hands and rubbing them together. He took one leap up and started to climb he wasn't as fast as Kanbei however he was in an ammour so that might've hurt him just a bit. But his power was second to none and he would toss everything on that. "Tsk, of course this happen on a hot day like this, only the luck of a samurai I swear." Another two big leaps he would be on the same plate forms as Kanbei. Hand over his forehead as he scaned the area, "here little goat…where are you?"
Rise had to bite down on her lip to keep from screaming at Kenishida, and lock her body in place to stop from throwing him off the side of the mountain too. As blinded by her anger as she was Rise didn't miss the sound of a misstep on loose ground. Even so, she's too late to yell out a warning to the genin before the a trio of goat spring out from the hiding from higher ground. The three immediately go after Kanbei, leaving Kenishida seemingly alone. One of the very same boulders they were hiding behind starts barrelling down at the armored boy!
!
Kanbei saw the goat ogres come towards him. As they are about to hit him, he vanishes leaving them free to hit the air. Kanbei appears up the hill behind them. "I think I found them!" he yells out. He then forms crystal shuriken in each hand and tosses them both at them.
Kenishida attention would be pulled over to the three goats attacking Kanbei and thus he would be totally unaware of the falling boulder until a couple of pebbles would bounce off his headgear. Using his powerful legs and his position he would leap onto another poisiton this one would allow him to slowly draw his Odachi, he would dash forward and and attacking with sure grace, nothing about his movements would be wasted and a smile sheathing is done after the swing, "forgive me…" Frowning as he looked down at the beast. "I hate killing animals outside of eating them…"
The goats have been foiled! They were a persistent bunch and rewarded those that drew the most attention (i.e Kanbei this time around) by trying to take him out again! One of the three is wounded while trying to evade the crystal shuriken and keep up the charge. It would've kept on charging with the others, but the samurai tried to take a swipe at it! Big Mistake. It springs at him, meaning to take the boy down back down the hill the hard way. Meanwhile, the other two kept on going and would try knock Kanbei down, stunning him long enough kick him down the hill.
Despite all that's been happening with her team so far, Rise hasn't called out any plans or tried to aid her team directly. In fact, she was nowhere in sight…
Kanbei was not going down. He was king of this here hill and about to show them why. One goat had already been wounded. Kanbei forced his hands together causing crystals to form around both of the goats. "Time to die." he mutters under his breath.
Kenishida wouldn't be able to dodge however the strike wouldn't be able to make it pass his amour, stumbling back he would be on the edge of the cliff it appears that the goat true goal was to take him off the edge. Slicing a line into the dirt he took the blade in both hands and spoke. You will not toss me pass this line…Kenishida would swing for dear life with one powerful straight forward slash down before twisting about and slicing with a graceful slash.
Crystals springing up around the goats startle them, but it isn't enough to keep the panicked creatures immobile long enough to get trapped. After the narrow escape the goats both level the goat equivalent of a glare upon Kanbei before stalking around towards opposites sides of the crystal users. Without warning they both charge him head on!
The samurai meanwhile fairs much better the second time around. While the wounded one managed to evade the first powerful stroke, but the follow-up takes it down…
Two Adversaries left…
Kanbei formed a crystal shield to take the impact of the goats. He then placed both hands together and squeezed his fist. Out of no where crystals formed around the goats and moved to strike. The little devils were too slippery though. Kanbei's jutsu missed them. He left out a soft sigh as the battle continued on.
Kenishida would take a knee near the fallen creature and place his hand on its hide, "fear not creature I will not kill you I swear it…sorry about that I hope that you forgive me." Kenishida would smile as he stroked the beast before turning his attention towards Kanbei "try and defeat them without killing them please I promised this beast that we wouldn't killed them…" smiling softly he would stay on that knee near the beast as he kept petting it.
Kenishida would try and move himself and the beast however he was caught in the brunt of it, as he used his body he would as a shield to protect the beast before using his powerful legs to lift the boulders off of him, "another one….this one huge…" Kenishida would grip his blade before sheathing it and climbing up the cliff with break neck speed "forgive me, I must stop you or else other people or beast are gonna get caught in your chaos…so I ask you now for your forgiveness," leaping into the air the young genin would be swinging the blade with such speed and grace from the sheath in a battojutsu manner before spinning the blade about and holding it in both hands. Taking a deep breath he would strike the beast with a straight forward slash down done with pure power.
Once more it is a stalemate between Kanbei and the wonder goat twins. They hit thin air as Kanbei appears behind them. It is a short lived stalemate though. A rock slide manages to wipe Kanbei out. From the ground the young man places his hands together forming an advanced version of the crystal prison technique. He then wipes some of the blood off of his arms.
It seems either Kanbei's luck was turning or Kenishida's words affected the 'True' Ogre Goat. Regardless of which, both the remaining goat skirmishers and the big guy himself are imprisoned in crystal. For a beast as strong as it is, flaws begin to appear in the prison designs. Flaws that Kenishida's blade bit through to lash out at the beast underneath. The beast bellows and transforms pain into the strength it needed to shatter the prison, potentially forcing kenishida back through the fragments that went flying as a result. After such an intense struggle it is too weak to get revenge immediately. Still, it would soon recover if something is not done about it soon!
Finally Kanbei had locked everyone up with his crystal prison. It gave him some time to get to his feet. There was a bit of shock at the goat lord seemed able to bust out of it. Using the shards that were already there, Kanbei squeezed his hand once more. He was trying to use the crystal funeral on the Lord. He wanted to end this quickly. The young man was already feeling fatigued.
The strikes would land however the big beast would still be standing, looking the beast up and down Kenishida would notice that Kanbei would be switching gears flicking the blade he would re-sheath it and back off. "This is your battle forgive me for stepping in," slowly climbing down back to the side of the beast he once protected he would just watch. The display of Ninjutsu was a true art form, Kenishida was really impressed.
Its breath finally caught, the beast begins its advance towards Kenishida for being the closes… except, its hoof gets caught on something. Too late does it realize the crystal shards were not only starting to reform about its person, but the very shards of its original prison were being directed at its being. It tries to yank itself free and evade, but by the time it manages to get even a single hoof free its fate becomes sealed. Lacerated and skewered from all sides, the beast tries to continue making its way to Kenishida; only to collapse forward after a few steps, alive if only for a few more minutes at best.
As if abruptly freed from sort of spell, the twin goats still trapped in Kanbei's other prison stop trying to break out of their prison, but instead began licking the walls. Odd… but unimportant! Maybe. c.c
Rise lets out a sharp whistle to grab the two genin's attention. "You two alright?" She asks despite looking little better herself. A look over her shoulder reveal the reason why. Tethered to chains and unconscious — if not dead — by the looks of them are a trio of goat ogres of varying size. It seems the genin weren't the only ones that ran into a spot of trouble. A quick once over tells her all that she needed to know, so once her two charges are properly sorted out, only one matter is left in the air to take care of.
What to do about the remaining goats…?
Ultimately, Rise errs on the side of mercy at the risk of the mission being consider a failure by her superiors. Better to have an eternal enemy that fears and respect you, and also may become a useful ally in the future, versus eliminating something useful.
