Starring:
Rio, Nori
Date: July 22, 2013
Summary:
Nori and Rio are tasked to accompany a medical wagon to Tokkuriji, but the road is known for having bandits after the TFM disbanded. Bandits are encountered and dealt with.
"The Mutt, the Huntress, and the Wagon"
Land of Fire, Road to Tokkuriji Village
Nori, along with a few other shinobi (leaves it vague in case others join) receive a scroll from a messenger hawk that tells them all to meet outside of the main gate of Konohagakure. They are to travel alongside a medical supply wagon headed toward Tokurriji, a town near the middle of the Land of Fire, and a little further south than Konohagakure. The team of shinobi are needed because ever since the True Fire Movement has vanished and some form of order has been re-established in the Land of Fire, there have been bandits along the road to Tokurriji. The team's task is simple, protect the wagon at all costs.
Being brought along among all the shinobi mentioned, Rio sits on the Wagon itself, smiling as she keeps her crossbow in hand. TSheyka is moving along beside the wagon as she wears a simple cloak to help hide that she is among the shinobi and not just another driver. She grins a little under her cloak, peering at her companion who seems happy as well to be along. TSheyka making a little bark as she runs along beside the wagon, the bluetick coonhound seeming quite pleased.
Nori is also sitting on the wagon. He's actually in the back, along with the supplies. He looks as if he is asleep, but in reality, his senses are just extending out into the surrounding forests. The young Yamanaka could easily pass for a villager in his getup, but that is the reason why he dresses as he does. With everyone dressed as a simple peon, one might think that the wagon was in fact bait…but it isn't.
The wagon moves along without much resistance on its way towards Tokurriji. They pass several checkpoints that the Daimyo had setup with the Levy army that are no longer populated. Signs of struggle and battle dart the land that runs alongside the roads, and large swarths of land have been burned. A little further up, the road looks like it was washed away by a river, and while there is a dry river bed, it doesn't appear to have held water in a long time. Nori looks up and grunts unhappily, "I don't like this. There was a split in the road a few miles back. Should we go back and take the split or should we force our way through the river-bed?" Nori eyes the young Genin.
A look around and Rio hmms as she watches landscape go by. She looks ahead at the washed away road and then hmms. She shifts some and peers at it before sniffing at the air. She glances this way and that, sniffing while TSheyka does the same. She ponders idly and shifts her neck piece under the cloak, "I don't know…doesn't look like this was natural." She states as she gestures at the road, "Looks like it was made."
The young boy thinks about it too for a bit and nods, "Yeah, should probably back-track it too. Let's just be careful. Keep your companion on alert too and let me know if they sense anything. Ano…is your companion a he or a she? Sorry, it is hard for me to tell with dogs." Nori puts his own senses out again and says, "As for right now though, I'm not sensing any thing." The wagon turns around slowly and heads back down towards the split. The alternative road is definitely a lot less traveled than the main road. The wagon swings back and forth as it passes over rocks and divits, and it even creaks as if it is straining.
The road starts moving up-hill a little. Then, the boy stands as a surge of water comes from above. It is going to overtake the wagon. It is almost as if this same surge of water was what took out the road below.
RPCOMBAT: Rio defends against with a INUZUKA-SENSES…14
A grin and Rio states, "TSheyka is a she." She nods her head before looking forward and nodding, "And there is something up ahead…wait!" She blinks and stares, "Moving water…" She swallows before moving herself slightly, "Umm, this is a bit beyond me!" She then turns to the driver, "Move!" And she urges the horses on before looking back to Nara, "You got a way to stop a moving wall of water?"
Nori frowns and goes into a set of handseals. Without actually being in contact with the ground, the wall that is brought up out of the earth isn't as good as it would normally be, and he knows this. As a result of the flaws of his technique, he also pulls up an earth dome up and over the cart to try and help the waters to flow around the cart and wall. Nori looks out to Rio, "We can't stay in here sealed up like this for long." The water starts leeking in through the cracks of the domed ceiling. The young Yamanaka says, "When I pull down the barrier, be ready to be under attack. The barrier is going to come down in three…two…one…" and sure enough, when the barrier drops, the water is receeding and people are headed at the wagon cart. A blast of water is shot out at Rio to try and knock her off the cart. Another is shot at Nori too.
RPCOMBAT: Nori defends against with a EARTH-BARRIER…42
RPCOMBAT: Nori defends against with a EARTH-DOME…57
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Water Blast for Rio from 10 to 20 and get(s) a 12. - Rolled by: Nori
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Water Blast for Nori from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 36. - Rolled by: Nori
RPCOMBAT: Rio defends against with a ACROBATIC-DODGE…26
Flipping off the cart, Rio nods, "Got ya. Attack, right." And she is just missed by a burst of water as her cloak goes spinning away and off her. She pulls up her headbandana as she covers her nose and mouth and points, "Tsheyka! Move!" And she grins as she lifts up her crossbow and loads it quickly to aim down toward the guy who shot a blast of water at her, "TSheyka, hep!" And the dog races over to nip at an ankle even as she fires for center mass twice.
RPCOMBAT: Rio attacks with RANGED-PAW-TRICK…20
RPCOMBAT: Rio attacks with RANGED-PAW-TRICK…24
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Dodge from 10 to 30 and get(s) a 19. - Rolled by: Nori
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Dodge from 10 to 30 and get(s) a 28. - Rolled by: Nori
The road bandit is attacked by the arrow and tries to dodge, but unfortunately he dodges right into Tsheyka's maw. The dog bites his leg and draws blood. It just so happens that he goes down to grab his leg and roll away from Rio's companion when the second arrow misses him. He calls out, "You and your mutt will pay for that." The man uses the water around him to swirl it and throw out another blast at both the dog and its companion. Nori on the other hand looks further up the mountain as he stretches his senses out. "The one who can push a lot of water is up there. You stay here and engage this guy. Protect the wagon. You can handle it…" and he's saying this as he rushes up the mountain to deal with the other interloper.
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Water Blast from 10 to 30 and get(s) a 14. - Rolled by: Nori
RPCOMBAT: Rio defends against with a DODGE…16
Both the dog and herself dive aside to avoid the water and then she grins, "I don't think so…and she's not a mutt. She's a pure blooded Coonhound." She chuckles and then rushes to the side and fires two shoots right at the guy's feet, meanwhile TSheyka runs past him and then sends both of her claws toward the man's back as she dives at him to give him a nasty pair of cuts if she hits.
RPCOMBAT: Rio attacks with RANGED-PAW-TRICK…25
RPCOMBAT: Rio attacks with RANGED-PAW-TRICK…19
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Water Wall from 15 to 30 and get(s) a 25. - Rolled by: Nori
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Dodge from 10 to 30 and get(s) a 24. - Rolled by: Nori
The bandit grunts and shakes himself into moving when his second water blast hits. He's apparently not used to dealing with shinobi or something. With the she-dog threatens to claw him, the bandit pulls up a wall of water and blocks those claws. He then darts to the right as the claws come through the wall and swipe again for him. The bandit uses that wall to try and capture TSheyka in a water prison. Whether or not it works, he'd try to hit the dog in the nose, stating, "Bad Mutt…bad!"
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Water Prison from 10 to 30 and get(s) a 18. - Rolled by: Nori
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Punch to the nose from 10 to 20 and get(s) a 18. - Rolled by: Nori
RPCOMBAT: Rio defends against with a ACROBATIC-DODGE…15
RPCOMBAT: Rio defends against with a ACROBATIC-DODGE…12
This time, the attacks work as the dog is caught in the ccage and then punched in the nose. The dog yelps out and then rolls a bit before hopping back up with a bark. Rio growls herself and then shakes her head, "Hey!" She states before firing off a trio of bolts that are paired by a dog rushing into an ankle and then bouncing to the other to try to hinder the guy's ability to dodge.
RPCOMBAT: Rio attacks with RANGED-PAW-TRICK…23
RPCOMBAT: Rio attacks with RANGED-PAW-TRICK…18
RPCOMBAT: Rio attacks with RANGED-PAW-TRICK…12
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Water Wall from 15 to 30 and get(s) a 28. - Rolled by: Nori
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Dodge from 10 to 25 and get(s) a 25. - Rolled by: Nori
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Dodge from 10 to 20 and get(s) a 19. - Rolled by: Nori
The road bandit is breathing hot and heavy. He's starting to slow down, but it doesn't appear that way at first. When the dog and bolts come at him, he throws up a wall of water against the bolts only to bob and weave awya from that ankle biter. The bandit calls out to whoever Nori must be facing, "Raft…Raft…" He must be talking in signal or something. A moment later though, he's refocused on Rio and the dog. This time he runs for the wagon and tries to put his shoulder into Rio and land on the raft.
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Shoulder from 10 to 25 and get(s) a 23. - Rolled by: Nori
RPCOMBAT: Rio defends against with a ACROBATIC-DODGE…23
She isn't doing too much better. Rio and TSheyka are breathing pretty heavily as well but they aren't terrible. She dives out of the way of the shoulder and fires off a quick bolt at the man as Tsheyk chases in and attempts to dive into the man's path even as Rio makes an attack for the man's legs, firing off a pair of shots while Tsheyka snaps and bites.
RPCOMBAT: Rio attacks with SHARP…10
RPCOMBAT: Rio attacks with RANGED-PAW-TRICK…17
RPCOMBAT: Rio attacks with RANGED-PAW-TRICK…24
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Roll from 5 to 15 and get(s) a 8. - Rolled by: Nori
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Roll from 5 to 20 and get(s) a 8. - Rolled by: Nori
[NPC System]: Road Bandit roll(s) Roll from 10 to 25 and get(s) a 12. - Rolled by: Nori
The man is firmly entrenched on top of the wagon now. As the shot comes in, he tries to roll into the back of the wagon, but the bolt pierces his arm, which is now effectively useless. He calls out, "Owwww!" The dog comes in next and snaps at his legs, getting in bites to both ankles. This guy is in bad shape. He really needs help to arrive quickly. He calls out again, in a broken voice, "RAFT." Nori suddenly shows up holding another man over his shoulders in a fireman's carry (or is that Uchiha carry here?). "Backup isn't coming my friend. You give up or are you going to be tough like your friend here and fight until he's knocked out?" Yeah, the guy isn't dead…not Nori's style.
Aiming her crossbow at the man's head, she smirks, "Care to give up?" The dog growls at him and she hmms as she awaits the man's desicion, weapon trained on him, giving on a brief smile to Nori, "Good job, by the way."
The man raises his non-injured hand and gives up. Nori smiles and nods toward the road bandit, "And you did a good job yourself. I'm sorry that this happened. We weren't supposed to run across people with shinobi capabilities. I'll leave the rest of this mission up to you. We can head back to Konohagakure and fail the mission but come back with new knowledge to upgrade the mission level…or we can struggle onwards and hope to get to Tokkuriji? Are you too tired to go on?"
