The Worshipers of Space Boulder

Mission:

In the village hidden in the Stars meteor showers happen more often than in other places of the world. That isn't to say its not an incredible site to behold or that no one makes wishes on such occasions, but some people take their superstitions to the extreme. Some, people worship the rocks as sentinels of divine beings raining their divinity upon the world. These people would be insane, but whether falling rocks or messiah's born without a known father some people believed in something. Belief was never rational otherwise it wouldn't be faith. Some people had even more delirious impressions than cosmic beings of immense power.

The people of the Please Notice Me Alien Senpai group were fanatics of alien worship. Believing every twinkle in the night sky, every constellation, and every meteor shower was a sign from their extra terrestrial lords that they would soon arrive. The Sacred Star was given their biggest sign yet in last nights meteor shower their leader's son was chosen for abduction.

Really he'd just been hit by a meteor and his body burned up and crushed by the giant rock. But according to the witnesses he was taken by the mothership to recieve a sacred probing and unless they defended the meteorites sent to Earth he would not return to tell them of this great event. A researcher was driven off by these fanatics as he tried to take a sample for study and ever since the group has been collecting and keeping guard over the rocks and the ores they contain.

With cash to spare from his research grant the scientist wanted to hire a team to retrieve some of this space rock as it could contain information on a great many things. Ryuzaki arrived first upon hearing the pay for the mission, with the enemy being whack jobs and the promise of a great reward it was hard to turn down. The missing ninja laughed upon hearing the background of the group. Their name alone was ridiculous, who would call themselves that? They costumes they wore were hilarious, some arrests of the members were even better. Two had been arrested for fighting in Hoshi about whether the aliens were gray with big eyes or green with big eyes. It was hard to tell if this whole mission was an elaborate joke, until the scientist pulled out the cash and the rare metals he'd offered as reward.

"Well, group I'll be going to see about this group. Will anyone join me?" The Nara would ask quietly he knew one person there Loghain. They'd gotten along well enough in the past. The two with him were a bit of a mystery, but as long as the didn't join the group they were attempting to steal from it shouldn't be a problem. If they agreed to join and had nothing to add the Nara would set out looking for the site the scientist had described. It was South of Hoshi and many miles away.

WC: 502/3250

There were a great many strange people in this world that we lived in. This much the young wolf had already known. But the mission assigned to him today was rather unusual. It wasn't so much the task itself, for that was a simple retrieval of an object. That much made perfect sense to the wolf, and was something he was fairly adept at. It was WHO had been mentioned in the assignment notes. They were worshippers of some sort of beings out in space... aliens. Now the wolf wasn't one to tell others what was or was not correct to worship, but the whole thing felt a bit odd to him. Aliens? What kind of place did aliens have in this world? Space beings that live out in the vastness of the cosmos, or maybe even live on the moon? Such felt so very strange a concept to him. Still, everyone was allowed to worship whatever brought meaning to their existence and so the wolf wouldn't hold it against them or mock them. He honestly already felt bad about his personal confusion and difficulty in wrapping his head around their beliefs. If they felt the need to get between the wolf and his objectives... well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it. 

The mission briefing said that they had to collect a few samples of the meteorite for the "Professors Entrusted to New Intergalactic Studies". He had to read that a second time before just shaking his head and moving on with his reading while making his way to the scientist's laboratory. The mission was a surprisingly high profile one, which made the newly appointed Chuunin question why. Nothing in the mission packet suggested that they had to worry about any high profile targets. The "adversaries" that the scientist detailed were honestly more of a nuisance than a real threat to any shinobi that wasn't fresh out of the academy and green as grass. Still, the village wouldn't make this a mission of S rank without some sort of justification, would they?

The first person that was at the scene was the mercenary known as Ryuzaki Nara. The wolf was a smidge surprised, but considering the pay associated with such a high profile mission he couldn't blame the wage driven sword for hire. "Good to see you again, Ryuzaki. Of course I will be joining you. I am not one to turn down an assignment from the village." The wolf would look to the others that must have surely arrived by now. If they, too, were sent by the village then they really didn't have much choice in the matter on whether or not to accept the task. Still, the wolf would listen for any answers or insights they would provide. 

Once everyone had gotten introductions out of the way and were all on the same page the wolf would follow the Nara's lead and start their trek to the Southern borders of the Land of Haven. 

wc: 501

"And that is all there is to it." Words are spoken from the well-painted lips of a blonde-haired woman who sat across the table from Yuuma. Her own blue eyes had a softness to them that had captured Yuuma early on into their conversation but had witnessed more than once that same gaze go stony as she looked across the table at her conversation companion who was struggling to keep up. Yuuma had met with the person who had expressed interest in some independent collection of data concerning recently fallen meteorites in the area. That person's name was Kimimiko, or Miko if one preferred.

Yuuma, for his part, had done his best to keep up with the demands that the scholar had tasked him with as they sat in one of the cafes centered in the city square. The two of them had met early in the morning to discuss the business arrangement, and Yuuma had gone through two cups of tea by the time they were done. "So, if I understand correctly," Yuuma began, setting down the cup he had been holding to occupy his hands. "You want me to join an expedition team already being employed by another group of scholars to investigate recent meteor landings while being mindful of a local cultist group? Why not just join the other scholar group to share the work?"

"An admirable position. But this task has more than one purpose. Besides, this is an independent study for the National Archive, and we appreciate precise work." Her demeanor was nothing but professional; even the way she sat had a practiced posture as though she were a noblewoman and yet still, her armored gauntlet and the Sword of the Crusader resting at her hip was enough to tip Yuuma away from thoughts of nobility. "If you find anything else of value out there, it is yours to keep. I am only interested in the data." Feeling as though the Chuunin understood his task well enough from his explanation, Kimimiko would rise from her chair, pushing it in behind her, and turned to take her departure without further word.

Startled by her sudden rise to leave, Yuuma would stall for only a moment before standing as well and offering the woman a bow of his shoulders, quickly offering some departing words. "Do take care of yourself, Miko. It was a pleasure to meet you." The words obviously reached the stately woman who paused long enough to turn around and consider to robe-clad ninja who bowed to her. For an extra breath, she said nothing though a mixture of thoughts flashed across her eyes- nothing that Yuuma was close enough to read with any certainty though it didn't seem her mind lingered long.

"Your team awaits you. Fair well in your task," Was all she said before she was gone.


The sun had risen high by the time Yuuma made his way to the meeting spot where the others in the group would be waiting. He hadn't recognized any of the names of the others he had been assigned to help, and once he spotted Loghain, he understood in part as to why. After becoming a Chuunin, Yuuma had familiarized himself with the names and profile pictures of his fellow Chuunin and the village Genin so that he might better know who it was he was working with, and Loghain had been one that stuck out to him. There was nothing particularly glaring associated with his name, but the file seemed relatively lacking. Without the rank to do much more digging, Yuuma had noted the man to be one of the more mysterious people in the village. Which, of course, Yuuma approached with a great deal of curiosity and excitement once he realized he was getting to meet another Hoshigakure Chuunin he hadn't known before. The other boy with them seemed 

"Good day to you both, my apologies for my lateness. I was confirming some details about the mission and getting some breakfast. My name is Yuuma Fujiwara, it is a pleasure to meet both of you." His hands would come together in front of him to press together as he offered a bow to them both following his name. He would give pause long enough for them both to speak to him as they might, acknowledging them both and stalling their forward progress to the site nonetheless. Despite the robes and the natural heat of Haven Country, Yuuma seemed to move with ease as he fell into step behind the first two.

WC - 753

Late. Morio had spent the entirety of the night finishing a bulk order for a client who had been referred to him, the job was by no means hard but as a hardworking smith with a lot to prove he aimed to be precise and efficient. Falling asleep on the counter of his shop, he was awakened by the subtle rays of the morning which burned his face as they peered through the shutters of his shop. With a loud hiss he rolled off of the counter, almost hitting his face but catching himself with his right hand just in the nick of time. A small chuckle could be heard behind him as the phantasmal image of Cassian appeared," Always lovely to see you almost eat shit in the morning my humble dragon. Get up. You're going to be late for your mission...," the voice that was there was soon gone as Morio grabbed a hammer and poised himself to throw it. A small murmur escaped his lips as he stood up and dusted himself off, grabbing the top of his kimono and then his jacket. Throwing both on neatly, he would flatten then down and grab Raizel, strapping it to his back and hopping back over the counter. With no time to spare he bulldozed out of the shop, only stopping to lock the door and stash the key within the inner sanctum of his kimono. At break neck speed he would bolt through the village toward the supposed meeting area of the village for the mission. He didn't know who was partnered with but being late wasn't something he was known for. He would be the last to arrive as he slid into view looking at the three and then swooping a piece of his hair back," Seems you haven't departed yet...Oh hey there bloodhound how have you been?," seeing one familiar face in Sebastian meant he wasn't going to be completely stuck with new people, but even then...maybe this would be worth his time.

355 wc/1875

It seemed only he and Loghain would know the task, but Yuuma still seemed to follow the. He was very polite having bowed before stating his name, prompting Ryuzaki to say his own. But then another late one showed up and seemed to know of the mission. Assumedly there was a docier of some sort if these two had an idea of the task without being at the briefing. "We just have to steal some rocks from some idiots. How hard could it be?"

Their last person seemed to know Loghain referring to him as blood hound. Being part of a village was nice, familiar faces abundant. The only person Ryuzaki knew in this group was Operative Bloodhound. "I'm Ryuzaki of the mercenary guild." The Nara would state. He wouldn't tell them about his guilds rank system which recently showed Ryuzaki as a C rank adventurer. It was quite nice though to go through the additional training from his rank increase. It was like being apart of something again and after so long it was quite nice.

There were times when Ryuzaki still felt like an outsider. Like at the present for example. This feeling was common for him now, but it still felt uncomfortable. During the holidays is got even worse, after this month would be his birthday and hopefully things would be better. The Nara had his doubts that they would be however.

The treck toward the crazy alien rock worshippers would be a long one. Perhaps they could talk to make it not quite so boring. They'd just past the village gates when Ryuzaki finally spoke up. "On a scale of one to one-hundred how nuts do you think these people who worship a rock are?" The question was to the group of course. If they answered he would laugh at whatever number they said, unless it was in the middle digits. An answer like fifty-four was juat weird.

"Could we pretend to be fellow extraterrestrial worshippers starting our own sect and requiring samples of the meteorite's?" In Ryuzaki's mind if you were gullible enough to worship aliens you were gullible enough to believe anything.

Keeping pace with Loghain had become easier in the time since they'd seen eachother last. It was likey that Ryuzaki had improved instead of Loghain skipping training. He still was very fast, they'd have to make a pace for some of the group to keep up.

WC: 408
TWC: 900

The wolf would find himself in good company it would seem. The Yuuma fellow was unfamiliar, but seemed of a good sort. Skilled, and also a Chuunin of Hoshi. The blue haired fellow coming in last was Morio Hoshimura, a familiar face much like Ryukazi Nara had been. Bloodhound... a fitting title no doubt, considering his heightened senses most of all that of his nose. "I find myself well. How about yourself, smith? Do you find yourself with an abundance of orders?" It was an honest question, though the tired look on the face of Morio suggested that the wolf was right regardless of his answer. Yuuma was very polite, his formality so very strange to the wolf. Sebastian would offer up an awkward bow as well, trying to match what the lad had done as best he could. 

It would seem they were now all here, and ready for the task in front of them. Finding a meteorite and removing it from a fanatical cult obsessed with some sort of aliens seemed like a fairly simple and straightforward task. The hardest part of this whole ordeal was likely going to be the long trek to get to the place that the space rocks had landed at. Ryuzaki would speak first, breaking the silence of the journey. The wolf would listen in, allowing a moment for any others to speak before his reply would be heard. "Each person is entitled to their own beliefs, no matter how... strange they might seem to others." The wolf would say this out loud, but his own doubts about their odd beliefs would kick in once more. "Perhaps there is more to it that we know? Usually, it is best to not seek the wrath of what some see as gods, true deities or not." 

Their journey was a long one, though Loghain knew that he alone could make the trek fairly quickly. Of course while travelling together the group could only move as a unit as fast as their slowest member, the position of which was filled with the polite Chuunin Yuuma. The wolf didn't expect the party to move as quickly as he did, but he didn't think that the pace would be quite this sluggish. At the very least, this pace allowed them plenty of time to form a solid plan of action.

"You think that such a simple falsehood would work? If these folks worship this object like some sort of holy relic, that would be like asking for a saint's remains. Despite whatever we say, it imagine any attempts on or requests for the meteorite will be met with hostility." The wolf would think for a moment, "Why don't you use the hiding technique? Get in and out before they even know what happened." 

Loghain would look to Yuuma and Morio, "Do either of you have any thoughts on the matter? I would rather us form a plan that we can all agree on and believe will succeed."

wc:499
twc: 1000