Knock on Wood

Dracoso woke up to the sun shining into his room. He had been out and about recently dealing with dogs and bulls and he decided to spend some time relaxing today. He had slept in alongside Sutsui and enjoyed the peace that he could get. He knew that he would be taking up several more quests in the coming days and possibly hunt down a problem for the village. For now, he would enjoy the days and spend some time with friends when possible.

After another hour passed, the door to his room slid open. Flame made his way up and onto the bed. He stood on top of Dracoso, looking down at him as he growled softly. This was his way of saying that Dracoso needed to get up, as requested by his mother. A subtle bite to the knee was Sutsui's way of informing him that it was still nap time. The two creatures began struggling against one another in the bed, ejecting Dracoso out of it. He sat up and fought the two off one another before tossing Flame back to the doorway. The boarling shut the door behind him firmly and galloped off, already whining on his way down the stairs. Minutes later, the other two boarlings, and his mother carrying flame, opened the door and looked in.

"I understand you want to sleep in, dear, but you need to get up or you will miss the whole day," she said through a smile of gritted teeth. Flame pretended to weakly wiggle his paw at her for sympathy. Dracoso looked at the boarling from the corner of his vision while Sutsui sent waves of irritation out. Dracoso gave out a tired sigh and sat up, "I have spent the last several weeks running missions and learning more than most of my peers care to. I want to be able to relax and take some time to simply unwind. I could use a break or two here and there." His mother gave a curt nod before responding, "and you have slept for almost twelve hours. I am not saying you need to go out and do a mission, but if you sleep in too often, you will make a habit of it."

Flame let out a pathetic whine from her arms and she looked at him. She gave him a kiss on the tip of the nose and then patted his forehead, "enough of that. I already know you are tough enough to handle a little bite and Sutsui is a good girl. She doesn't hurt family... much." Flame pouted and looked away as she turned back to Dracoso, "Just go out and handle something simple today. It is better to build habits that keep you productive than those that let you procrastinate." Dracoso nodded to her and agreed, "alright, alright. I will go pick up a simple mission for now and maybe I'll come back early tonight. His mother gave another nod before gathering up the 'children' and leading them back downstairs.

Dracoso took a bit of time to get up, letting the sun warm him and Sutsui up a bit. He shifted out of bed and washed up before getting dressed. Sutsui attended him the entire time, to which Dracoso had gotten used to by now. The level of skinship between them had become almost natural and their level of communication was reaching the point of automaticity. Once dressed, they seemed to yawn in sync as Dracoso made his way down for lunch. He ate along with his parents while the children nibbled from floor plate nearby. He offered up some of Sutsui's favorite parts to her as he nibbled through the food. Once complete, he thanked his parents for the meal and headed off for the mission center.

As he made his way, he saw several of his friends he had spent time together with in the past. It felt almost as if they were living in two different worlds as they talked. Some were taking on the profession of their parents while others discussed getting married and making plans to move to other villages. Dracoso discussed some of his missions and the lessons he had learned, but most simply responded with approval or surprise at what he was doing. Some gave him praise from the stories they had heard while others couldn't believe the idea of fighting bandits or meeting wolves. A few of his closer friends got to meet Sutsui and were a bit taken aback at first. They were a bit reluctant but warmed up to her as they saw how intelligent she was. Each time he bid them farewell; he felt a bit of loneliness for the distance which had grown between them. Walking different paths of life, he did not realize just how much things could change in a short period of time.

He made his way to the familiar mission center and nearly bumped into someone who was leaving. He apologized quickly as he gave a bow and then looked to see who he had almost run into. "Well, at least you know better of it now," the girl said as Dracoso made eye contact. It had been a couple of weeks, but Dracoso remembered the aggressive woman from back when he was handling the sand that had spread through the village. He chuckled softly and stood back up before asking, "are you holding up well? The time I saw you, you were making friends with the guard who caught you." The girl blushed and looked him angrily in the eye, "yeah?! Well, you were the one who launched me there!" She stomped a foot and crossed her arms before looking away. She seemed to mumble softly to herself before saying, "I did not get to say it then, but thanks. For saving me." 

Dracoso smiled and nodded softly, "I was glad to do it. I barely thought it when it happened, so I am glad I made it in time." The woman gave a nod as she kept looking away. Dracoso saw the edge of a smile as she pushed past him, "well I am off to handle a mission. Keep up the good work!" She tried to sound authoritative in her words before marching off down the street. He just shook his head and headed over to the board. Several missions were available, some offering hunts and others requesting aid at specific times. One paper that was pinned off to one side caught his eye. He picked up the document and read through the details. 

The mission was to deal with an overgrown tree that had begun to take over part of a park not too far off from the academy. It described needing to remove the tree entirely to have the mission considered complete. This mission brought back memories of the overrun garden the older couple had let loose. He hoped this tree did not regenerate as he worked away at it or came to life, for that matter. He shook his head of his memories and put in the request to take on the mission. They suggested talking with an expert for removing the roots and base of the tree to make sure that it did not grow back again. He nodded and, after being offered a few suggestions, decided on who he would speak to.

Dracoso left the center and headed off for his academy. He figured that if the tree was nearby, his teacher and some of the staff may know a few more details behind dealing with it. He came along just as the kids were heading in from their exercising session. He saw his teacher at the head, directing them back towards their classroom. Dracoso figured he would have to wait for class to let out for the day, so he leaned against the fence to enjoy the sun. he stood as the rays fell upon him and Sutsui. It reminded him of his bedroom and the disturbance of family to his peace. He let out a slightly irritated grunt as he closed his eyes.

"So, finally taking some time to slow down I see." Dracoso stepped back for a moment and looked towards the voice. The medical staff member stood before him, watching him calmly. Dracoso recollected himself and nodded, "just a nice day today is all." The man nodded and walked over to stand beside him. "I am glad you aren't running headlong into issues anymore. I am also glad you came back safe from your chemistry mission. What are you working on this time? he asked. Dracoso gave a shrug and said, "I am waiting for the teacher to be done with classes. I have a mission to remove a large tree nearby and, other than chopping down the branches and roots, I still need to figure out how to deal with the base."

The man regarded Dracoso for a moment before saying, "well that is not all that hard. You just need a bit of plant killer poison for the stump." Dracoso looked back at him curiously before asking, "plant killer poison? What is that?" The medical ninja looked to Dracoso, "every now and then, we need to deal with overrun plants or roots that grow onto the academy grounds. Rather than simply chopping it up, we use a bit of poison to kill a small protective area around the academy when the students are away." He looked to Dracoso, the man noticing a look in his eye, before sighing, knowing what would come next. "As the tree is relatively near the academy and we do not want the issue to spread to the grounds, I can let you use a small container of the poison on the tree."

Dracoso smiled and thanked him before the man continued, "but it must only be used sparingly on the tree stump itself and a bit on the roots to help remove any ability for it to regrow. I will need to teach you in its use, and I cannot leave school grounds. You will need to accompany me to the medical office where we will review." The man was already walking towards the academy, Dracoso trying to keep up as they went. The lesson was rather quick and reviewed several pieces from when he had worked with the cinnabar. Don't get it on your bare skin or in any open cuts or orifices. Make sure to control where you spread it and to apply water to make sure it sinks down into the stump. The specific poison they were using went inert a short while after use, so it did not cause too much harm to the environment. 

Once the lesson was done, the man handed Dracoso a container with a cap and a small scoop to spread the powder out. He directed Dracoso towards the direction of the tree before wishing him well on his mission. As Dracoso carried the poison, he realized that Sutsui was keeping to the shoulder on the opposite side from where he carried it. She sent waves of discomfort, to which Dracoso returned sensations of assurance and calming. 

It was a short time before Dracoso was standing at the foot of the tree. The biggest problem was just how big of a tree it was. It looked to have been planted beside a house to provide natural shade over the year and slowly decided to expand its role in the park. While the house was two stories, the tree looked as if it was trying to become a skyscraper in comparison. Using his fingers for measurement, the tree came out to being roughly seven stories tall. If he wasn't careful, there was a good chance that tree may not be the only thing getting taken down today.

Several of the lower branches were beginning to press into the house and reach over the playground area where the kids would play. The roots were intertwining with the play structures the kids could use and beginning to overtake any entrance that could be seen. Much of the grass was already dead or dying and when the wind ran through, the tree seemed to lean haphazardly over the park or the house. He scratched his chin as he shared a few sensations with Sutsui. They reviewed some of their abilities and decided that it might be best to take this one slow. He put up some handseals and formed his clones nearby. After speaking with the owner of the home, he was able to borrow a woodcutting axe which he handed off to one of the clones. He drew out his watercutting blade and had the other clone handle tossing mizu senbon.

Sutsui summoned her own clones and had them handle their own senbon and fish spit abilities. The combined senbon worked away at many of the smaller branches to break off before while also driving in holes to lead the sword and axe. The woodcutting axe made short work of the medium branches while Dracoso drove his sword through the larger branches. Using the snake mouth ability and the starch syrup capturing field, they were able to safely lower and move the branches down and out into an open area of the park. Surface walking helped to get Dracoso and the clones to where they needed to be as they slowly took the tree apart. Once the top was cleaved and barren of branches, a large pile now left nearby, they began to drive the senbon into the trunk of the tree. They slowly broke a line in while Dracoso and the axe wielding clone worked away at the trunk.

They would break away roughly three feet of the trunk with each repetition and worked their way down towards the base. Each time they successfully cut through; they would lower the piece down and have it shifted off to the pile. It took them several hours of working this way to finally come down to the stump. Dracoso and Sutsui were exhausted and had spent most of their energy hacking away at the tree. The roots were still an issue but luckily, they were easy to slice apart. Dracoso tracked each root, cutting along its path into segments, before finding where it burrowed into the ground. He grabbed up the container and, with Sutsui far away, gave a dose of the poison into the head of the root and added water to carry it down into the root. They repeated this slowly around the tree until all that was left was the stump and several barren areas of dirt where the roots had been.

Dracoso decided to pull out his water blade one more time and slowly drove it down into the stump, making deep holes that ran into the stump. He poured some of the poison into each hole and left water to slide it down inside. Once he was sure each root and corner of the stump was treated, he collapsed back on the grass a way away. He was covered in sweat once again and breathing heavily. "Simple mission, huh? I feel like my simplest missions have the most labor to them," he said to Sutsui. She simply sent a wave of tiredness as she settled back in around his neck for rest and closed her eyes. He smiled and ran a hand softly along her body, petting her to relax. 

After a bit of time for rest, he got up and headed to the gate into the park and closed it. He cast a locking seal over the gate, figuring this would keep the kids out for a time, and headed back to the academy. It was already late, so he simply returned the container to where the staff member had retrieved it and headed off towards the mission center. He reported in the success of the tree being taken down, along with the remaining lumber. He also mentioned having locked the gate as he had applied plant poison to the stump and roots and that it should be inert by the morning. The assistant thanked him for his work and let him know that once a member had gone out to confirm the work, he would receive his reward upon his next visit. 

Dracoso nodded and thanked her in return and headed back home. Sutsui was already asleep by the time they arrived at the door. It was already a few hours into the night when he stepped inside and found his mother asleep at the dining table. The boarlings were asleep in a small semi-circle around her and a plate of food was wrapped in front of her. He silently opened a closet nearby and pulled out a blanket that he gently draped over her and the boarlings. One began to stir and he softly stroked behind its ear to settle it back to sleep. Once he was sure they were all asleep, he picked up the plate and carried it up to his bedroom.

As he sat, hungrily eating his food, he thought back on the tree and all the work he had put in. It wasn't anything like his father's sword training, but at least he had a good workout. He decided that the next time he wants a simple mission, he is going to leave nature out of it if possible. Each time, it just led to hard work and sweating himself up a flood. He sighed and also decided that the next time he goes to handle a tree, he is either taking a chainsaw, or animating the tree so he can just move it elsewhere.

Once his food was done, he slid into his pajamas with Sutsui securely attached around his shoulders and snuggled under his blankets. He could feel her softly breathing against him and her gentle heartbeat as she rested so close. Each mission brought them closer and helped them to grow. Maybe he would find others to bond with as well in time. 

{Exit}
Rank D Mission - Troublesome Tree
Reward: 2000 ryo + 10 AP
Event Reward: 10 tickets
Total WC: 3013 (rounded to 3000)
Stats Maxed: Converted to AP - +60 AP

Mastery: Mystical Palm - Unique Mastery - 5 meter range - 2500
Learning Skill: Chakra Suppression - 900/2000 (adding 500 to the 400/2000 from the previous post: A Light Touch is All You Need)

Approved