The Removal of a Heretic

With consciousness eluding him, Sebastian Loghain would find himself completely at the mercy of the Jounin shinobi that was to be his handler. The wolf wound end up bound, rope restraining the movements of his limbs entirely. Once placed in the cart, he would lie there motionless as the red headed shinobi would have the cart begin the necessary trek towards the border, their mission still a task needing done, despite the minor issue created by the untrained wolf and his raging state.
 
The priest would shake his head while this was going on, making certain that the raging beast that just tried to kill all of them was indeed dealt with by the senior shinobi. A baffled look would befall his face, it clear that he had something on his mind, something to say to the Jounin about what they had both just witnessed. He of course made certain that the shinobi was sitting between himself and the creature. Once they started moving, the priest had to break the silence, “Good work with the wolf man. Why exactly is that thing here, though?” He would ask, wanting to at least make conversation with the man to pass the time. “Is it really safe for such a thing to be here? How does this ensure my safety? I was assured that my life would be in good hands!” His panicked voice would nearly crack, his concern for his own well being understandable given the circumstances.

WC: 245
TWC: 1309

OoC: 4/6

Their travel had officially begun. All three men sitting in the cart while being pulled forth by one of Hoshigakure's finest horses. Although tragedy was averted didn't mean they had time to relax, especially considering the mission's objective. But it didn't mean Akaboshi wouldn't allow himself to take a breather for the time being. The Jounin thought about going by foot to attract less attention, but the downside of that approach lay in the fact that it would both take much too long and he didn't really wanted to drag Sebastian along like some animal on its way to be sold. Which is why he eventually decided to come up with the carriage as means of travel. Plus, if someone were to halt them in their journey they could simply act as merchants, that was in the case of Sebastian returning to his usual self of course.

Some time had passed and the priest would be the first to break the silence by asking Akaboshi a couple of questions. "That, as you so like to call it, isn't a thing. He, is a shinobi of Hoshigakure and his name is Sebastian. But I suppose it's hard for the Church to believe in things that could be seen as blasphemous" the red haired would refer to the tensions between the religous folk and the shinobi. It was no secret how they thought about his kind and Akaboshi himself sure as hell didn't hide how he felt about them. "As for your safety, there is no need to worry. Whatever threat, I'll deal with it". The Jounin simply hoped all their talking didn't ruin their low profile.

(WC: 275, TWC: 1445)

The daggers in the Jounin’s words plunged deeply into the heart of the man, his face clearly realizing his mistake as his head hung low. “I understand your attitude towards me, for those among the faithful wield their faith much as you do your shinobi arts.” He would shake his head before raising up to meet the gaze of the red head, “You know, I don’t see you shinobi as blasphemers. It is this belief that you, too, are gods children and should be seen as such by the church that has brought…” He would glance around, ensuring that nobody was in earshot. “Attempts on my life by the more zealous believers.” He had hoped that his escort would understand where his stance on matter was before the priests next statement.
 
“But even I find it hard to accept such a…” He nearly spoke the words beast before quickly correcting himself, “…man is not a danger. He seemed to completely disregard his position as a shinobi, instead attacking his senior officer, civilians, and even myself.” The hushed tones of the priest were meant to be heard by Akaboshi, but not the slumbering creature, “It is shinobi like him that make it so difficult for those that feel like I do to gain any traction among the faithful. All it takes is for them to undermine me is point out something like that…” Again, his words almost blurted out creature before he corrected himself, “That man named Sebastian.” Fear for his life had been a primary motivator earlier, but with the now relatively calm moment, he hoped that the shinobi officer would at least understand where he was coming from. “You look to be an intelligent young man. You must understand where I am coming from to some degree.”

WC: 298
TWC: 1607

OoC: 5/6

This time Akaboshi would be the one doing the listening, attentively paying attention to the man's words. As a believer of the faith he'd explain his stance on the matter, hoping the red haired Uzumaki would be able to understand his point of view. "Yes, you wouldn't be in this mess if your views weren't the way they are". So far all of the people he met from the Church didn't exactly hide the fact they didn't like the shinobi, meaning he did understand the man's position since he was one of the few who actually accepted Akaboshi's kind. "I'm no judge but I don't agree with the ones who made those attempts on your life". At the end of the day the Jounin wanted to believe they all wanted what's best for Hoshigakure, regardless of their background.

The Uzumaki continued to listen to the man and his view on the current situation. "No one is asking you to accept it, I'm sure even Sebastian himself has trouble accepting his condition, most likely seeing it as a curse. But you are mistaken when you think this is what he wanted. All he ever wanted, was to be part of our village. To feel like he belongs somewhere. Trust me, the one regretting what happened today the most, is Sebastian himself". Once the man would come back to his senses and realize what took place, he'd probably be filled with guilt. It would be up to Akaboshi to make sure he didn't allow Sebastian to see himself as the monster he thought he was when he'd finally wake up.

The religious one's words held some truth and the Uzumaki could see himself agreeing with some of his points. "Of course, even for us it's difficult to figure out what to do when something like this happens. But there's also a different side to the coin. The Church is far from innocent, preaching how the shinobi are bad for the Land of Haven and whatnot. Hatred only gives birth to more hatred. I can only hope that someday we'll be able to close the gap between us, lest us want to repeat the events that took place in the past" the Jounin would refer to the civil war that happened those years ago. "We shouldn't allow ourselves to be divided like this", with those words Akaboshi finished talking, focusing on the road ahead once more.

(WC: 403, TWC: 1848)

The priest would take in everything said and nod in acknowledgement. It was hard to see something like that as anything but a curse. To become a mindless creature driven by primal instinct alone would have to be terrifying. The shinobi had to have been in constant suffering… “Perhaps I misjudged this poor soul,” He would say in a somber tone. The air was thick with tension, not only because of the organizations they found themselves aligned with, but also the possibility of attack from a would be assassin.
 
When Akaboshi mentioned the civil war the man would remain silent as he bowed his head and moved his hands to form the image of a cross in the air in front of him. Too much blood was spilled in a pointless war, casualties on both sides. And for what? The lives lost that day were countless, and the Land of Haven was never the same since. “I had hoped with my teachings to avoid further massacres and other such things. To see one another not as enemies, but as equals under the glory of God.” His words were spoken from an honest place, one found in the depth of his soul.
 
Sebastian would stir and let out a groan of pain, his body shrinking back down to its former size. No longer the massive wolf, he would begin to awaken. His head was pounding as he lifted himself to sitting in an upright position, his clothes in tatters. He would take in the faces of those around him, strangers to the mind of Sebastian Loghain. His heart would begin to race, unease filling him and then changing to panic and a bit of anger. He didn’t know what was going on, but he did know that he was bound against his will.

OoC: 6/6 Sebastian Loghain returns to his human form. 

WC: 302
TWC: 1909

You're not the only one. Those were Akaboshi's thoughts when the priest mentioned his hope of avoiding massacres through his teachings, yet the Jounin wasn't able to let them out. Up til this day the red haired Uzumaki remembered what happened back then, the war taking place right in front of his eyes, unable to do anything about it, let alone bring a stop to all the pointless fighting. "I'm afraid something like that isn't possible. In a way peace harbors chaos. There are those who simply want to watch the world burn, how cliché it may sound". Some people would always seek out conflict.

Upon finishing his sentence and thought process, Akaboshi could hear Sebastian wake up in the back of the cart. It was quite the view, from the massive sized berserker now back to his human form. The man behind the fur, if you may. It was to be expected that the once enraged individual would be confused now that he calmed down. Tied up, sitting in a moving cart, not knowing where he was, all the more reason for the Jounin to allow the man some time to come to his senses. If anything, the redhead wanted to avoid him starting to shift again caused by all of the stress and emotions he surely would be feeling by now. 

A more gentle approach was needed, and although it hadn't been that long ago that the man attempted to kill everyone in his path, Akaboshi still knew he had to handle things with caution, lest he wanted the mission to become a complete failure. As he continued steering the cart, the Jounin would look over his shoulders at Sebastian and speak up. "So, how are we feeling now that we're awake?" In truth it was a rhetorical question and one he already knew the answer to, but one that also allowed Sebastian to slowly come back to his senses without being bombarded with questions and accusations.

(WC: 329, TWC: 2177)

The priest would nod, silently agreeing with the red haired shinobi escorting him. It may have sounded like a cliché, but it was true. Some people thrived on conflict, using it as a tool to amass their own wealth and power, or as an excuse to fulfil their violent desires that would be seen as abhorrent in times of peace. The stirring of the wolf shinobi caused the priest to remain silent, having no desire to upset the man.
 
The young wolf would look down to his bindings, his thoughts clearing up as he began to realize what had likely occurred. Upon hearing the question of the senior officer, he barely wanted to answer. “My head is pounding, my body aches, and I am tied up…” His voice would grow quiet, trembling as he spoke these next words. “How many?” Sebastian didn’t specify what exactly he meant, but anyone with any sense could read the room. He was asking how many people he killed this time, and how much blood was on the hands of the beast that he would have to atone for.
 
Once Akaboshi answered, the wolf would determine if he wanted the bindings removed or not. He hated being tied up and leashed like an animal, but he also understood that if there were any lost in his frenzied state it was for the best. If questioned, he would answer as needed. There were always so many questions when he changed form around others. It was simpler to stay in the woods hunting bandits. Lonely, but simple. 
 
As the cart continued down the path there would be a gathering of some sorts, various people at the crossroads gathering around something hanging from a nearby tree. From here it looked like it may have been the body of a fallen soldier. Upon closer inspection, it was easily confirmed to be a body, the body scorched to the point where all distinguishing features were gone. The civilians would mutter amongst themselves, hushed tones and whispers as to what was going on. A dead body wasn’t an entirely uncommon sight, though they were far from desensitized to such things. Panic would begin to spread, a few people running away as the horse and cart got close. The body was completely unrecognizable, but carved into its chest was the word ‘heretic’.
 
The wolf would glance over to the priest, recalling the slip of paper the child gave him before he blacked out. “I think this is a warning to you, priest.”


WC: 420
TWC: 2329

Akaboshi would turn his head again and look in front of him before answering Sebastian's question. "None". With a single word the Jounin tried to reassure the wolflike shinobi that no lives were lost during his berserk state. Perhaps the man would find it hard to believe, expecting in his rage innocent people got hurt, leaving him with blood on his hands. "No need to worry, I took care of it". Now wasn't the time for a lecture, maybe when they safely returned to the village they would be able to sit down and talk about what happened. Currently there were other things that required their attention and when he said they, he meant it. The Uzumaki simply hoped Sebastian was up for it. "Try and focus on the task at hand, we can talk later". By now his memories should have fully returned, remembering what their mission was about.

As their cart slowly came to a halt Akaboshi noticed they arrived at quite the gruesome scene. "I believe a prayer might be in order, priest". The Uzumaki couldn't help but feel it was too big of a coincidence that it just had to happen while they were escorting a member of the Church. On top of that their furry companion decided to bring some more bad news when he showed a warning aimed at the priest. "They really don't like you, do they?" Akaboshi would silently pay his respects to the fallen individual who got branded a heretic before continuing their travel. "Now that you're back to your senses, keep an eye out as well" the redhead would order Sebastian. They weren't running out of time, but the clock sure was ticking.

(WC: 283, TWC: 2460)

The words of the Jounin would be a relief to the ears of the young wolf. Usually, such a loss of control would end in a great deal of bloodshed. “Then I must thank you, Sir Uzumaki. I imagine your skills are the direct reason for such good news.” He would look down to his bindings, then back up to his handler. “Can the priest untie me?” He would ask, glancing over at the man they were escorting. The priest wasn’t certain, but Sebastian seemed to be not only in control of himself but also felt sorrow for his actions. He would loosen the bindings and the wolf would nod in thanks as he listened to Akaboshi. He had a pretty good idea as to what the talk later would be, but hopefully it wouldn’t end with him in chains.
 
The gruesome scene would cause both Sebastian and their priest to mutter a quiet prayer to the dead. “You need not worry, handler. I will keep alert for any signs of danger.” The wolf had keen senses, able to recognize a threat with greater ease than someone without them. His head would remain on a swivel as the cart continued down the path. The masses would part, allowing them through without any grief. There were a handful of times on the path that it had felt like there may have been eyes on them, but nothing that was an outright attack.
 
Once they had gotten to the safehouse, Sebastian would dismount from the cart and help the priest down. “I hope that you take this warning seriously, priest. If you return there will likely be another attempt on your life.” He obviously couldn’t predict the future with any certainty but everything pointed to such a conclusion. Once this was said, he would allow his handler to do whatever was needed to finalize their task before awaiting instructions from his handler. He would do whatever was requested of him by the Uzumaki.

WC:331
TWC: 2660 (Mission complete)

Claims:

TBD

With their combined efforts the three of them would arrive safely at the safe house where the priest should be out of any danger. Besides the hanging of an unknown heretic, their journey had been one without too much trouble. Of course it didn't start out that well but fortunately the remainder of the travel ran rather smoothly. Perhaps their means of traveling had been the right choice after all. The area and road around was one used by merchants all the time, so it wouldn't be that out of the ordinary that their own little group was one consisting of merhants themselves. Or at least it wouldn't be far fetched to think like that.

After dropping off the priest at the safe house, looking around once more to make sure no one followed them, Akaboshi would say his goodbyes and wish him the best. "Stay out of trouble, alright? I expect to never see you in Hoshigakure again, for your own safety. But if faith would have it, perhaps our paths may cross each other in the future". Hopping back in the cart, the Uzumaki and Sebastian would be on their way back to the village where a certain talk needed to be had.

(Exit)

(TWC: 2665)
Claims:
- 2500/2500 Earth Flow River
- Mission rewards (4100 ryo: 3600 + 500 Jounin bonus)
- 52 AP, max stat discount