Trees, Trips, Tragedies and Troubles

Missions:

Malik awoke in the comfortable bed below the Manga Town Inn once more. He had an uncharacteristic smile upon his face, the comforts of sleeping indoors were become quite familiar to him, he could most definitely get used to this from now on. Yawning and stretching, he looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was 6 am on a Wednesday morning, it was difficult for him to get a good idea on the time of day down here, no sunlight made its way through these damp and thick stone walls. He enjoyed waking up to the sunshine outside, but he more so enjoyed going to sleep without the risk of being torn to shreds when he closed his eyes.

Slowly removing his blanket and rising, Malik rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he walked into the ensuite bathroom. Bartos, the innkeeper, had often told him how he felt bad for giving Malik a “sub par room” and yet this felt like luxury to him. The ensuite had everything he needed, including BOTH a shower and a bathtub. If this was not living the lavish life, Malik did not know what was. He turned on the shower and hopped in, letting the hot water both refresh and wake him up. He closed his eyes for some time to think to himself.

Malik began to draw his mind to the last couple of weeks. He had performed many tasks, from robbing old women to helping out the local crime boss, Pal Pacino. He always wondered if the name “Pal” was short for something… Maybe Palfonse? No that would be far too silly. These tasks had hardly been anything revolutionary, in fact they had been the exact opposite, they were as mundane as they could get. However, the tasks had been good for something, they were good for getting him paid. And a paid Malik was far happier and easier to approach than a broke and angry Malik. He chuckled to himself as he thought about all the equipment and alcohol he would be buying with his newly acquired ryo.

He had also managed to acquire plenty of time to train himself. His muscles were growing, even more than he thought was possible, and he had never felt as physically powerful as he did now. His strength was positively terrifying, even for himself to witness. The locals in Manga Town had witnessed him attending a local gym, they would often stop their own activities to get a glimpse of the large man working out. Malik had blown his own mind one day recently when he bench pressed OVER 600 KG. The gym owner had profusely apologised the the large man after when he had to tell him that they did not have any more weights for him to add on. It was probably for the best that he did not activate the Gate of Opening, although he was curious to know how much he could lift if he did so.

The large man had also worked on his agility, knowing that his strength would be useless if he could not catch his opponents. He had practiced by hunting wild animals with his bare hands. Where he would usually have snuck up on his prey and tried to surprise them, he would now be as large and loud as possible, chasing them through the woods with joy. He had once found a wild cheetah out in the plains, he had a lot of fun on that day. Not only was its straight line speed incredible, the large cat also had phenomenal dexterity, dodging and weaving as he would approach it.

Realising that he was dawdling, Malik quickly finished up in the shower before hopping out and brushing his teeth. He planned on making today a productive one, picking up any jobs if they were available. He had recently spent a night of drinking and laughing with Bartos, draining many bottles of sake. Bart would often give Malik free drinks, but the large man had felt bad and insisted on paying whenever possible. He usually never needed to pay at bars, the bartenders would often get far too intimidated to force him to do so. But Malik liked Bart, the two had formed a bond over the weeks, and he respected the man far too much to take advantage of him. He had also been the one to inform Malik of new or upcoming jobs in advance, allowing him to take the contracts and get paid. After all, his money usually went back into the Manga Town Inn so it really was a win win for them both.

Getting dressed in his usual loose white tracksuit pants and soft white shoes, Malik also wore his white linen button up shirt. Satisfied with his appearance, the large man made his way out of his room and through the dark cellar, up the stairs to the main bar. Bartos was there talking to one of his cooks, who appeared to be making breakfast for a couple of early risers. Seeing Malik walk up, Bart waved and signalled for him to take a seat in one of the booths. Nodding, Malik did so and sat down, waiting patiently for somebody to come over and take his order.

Theresa, Bart’s legal wife, no longer worked at the Manga Town Inn. Bartos had received information that she had been cheating on him, which was confirmed when Malik had offered to confront her and her mystery partner. The partner soon learned his lesson the hard way, Malik had heard that he was currently being pushed around on a wheelchair, his recovery would take another four months at least. The two of them had laughed over this, not showing any sympathy for the home wrecker. Unfortunately, this also meant that the Inn was down a waitress, requiring Bartos to perform double duty as bartender and waiter. Something he was not too fond of.

The bartender finally sauntered over, showing his lack of professionalism but smacking Malik on the shoulder and grunting. “Alright, what do ya bloody want? Make it quick I don’t have all day damn you.” Any other man would have had his throat ripped out for that, but Malik simply laughed. “Well, I sure have a looker serving me today, don’t I? Alright gorgeous, give me some of that honey porridge that you know I love, with extra honey, is that alright… hunny?” He gave Bartos a devilish wink, who was about to smack him again, but thought better of it. He yelled the order to the kitchen and then took a seat opposite the man.

“Bloody hell I hate this, I’ll need to find me a new barmaid to work the floor. Oh what a pain…” Malik laughed at his friend’s pain, but understood that he had been struggling. Working double duty had left the man exhausted, ruining his mood on most days. He hoped that he could find someone to assist him soon. “I’m sure it won’t take long, this is the only pub in town so you have a solid reputation, don’t worry about it. Anyway in other news, have you got any jobs for me? I need to pay for this porridge somehow…”

Bartos cleared his throat and pointed at a notice board on the wall opposite them. Malik had never seen it before, assuming it had to be new, Bart confirmed this. “Just got that installed, got the idea from you always asking about work. There are a couple of jobs on there, one is a simple task of removing a tree that’s in the way, easy work and easier money for someone like you. Some old lady needs a hand grabbing some groceries, not the most exciting job but she’ll pay you well for it. There’s also another one that will be right up your alley. A family needs to be evicted from their home for not paying the landlord, grim stuff but I know that has never stopped you before. Any of those tickle your fancy?”

Malik did not require much time to think about this, “Sounds like an easy day, I will probably just do the lot of them. It sounds to me like I can do them in that order also, I will go grab them after I eat my breakfast. Anything else of note for me to look at?” Bartos scratched his head and thought for a moment, “Well you could always get off your ass and look, you lazy bastard. Heh. But from my understanding that is all there is for now. There is something else, though it is not a job per say. I am hosting a poker night here at the Manga Town Inn. The prize is 1,000 ryo, so if you are any good at poker you should give it a try, mind you there is also the chance of you losing your money on that one. But at least you could have a good time doing it, I will also be taking part. I hired a couple of friends to work the bar for the night so I could have some time off and enjoy.”

This sounded like fun to Malik, he nodded, “Sure, sign me up. I look forward to taking your money from you anyway.” Bartos laughed as he got up, walking back to the bar to collect Malik’s food from the counter. “You drain my coffers dry whenever you drink here, you ass.” He placed Malik’s plate in front of him and gave a mock curtesy, before backing away and getting back to work. Malik took his eating for the next 20 minutes, before placing some ryo on the counter and exiting the Inn, grabbing all three of the job flyers on his way out. Taking some time to look at the sheets, he identified the location of the tree removal job. It was not too far, roughly a five minute walk south from the Manga Town Inn.

It was a beautiful and sunny day outside, the weather was already heating up at this early hour. Some people were on their morning walks, a few of them stopping to chat to each other when they saw a familiar face. Although he had been in Manga Town for many weeks by now, people would still stop and be silent as they watched the large man walk past. He was used to it, well before he came to this town, Malik had always stood out in a crowd. His dominating stature would often turn heads and draw nervous whispers from many onlookers. Five minutes of walking and stretching later, and Malik finally arrived at the location of his first job. He was surprised to see the size of the tree, it was HUGE. The large branches were sprawling over the road, many of them hung low enough for people to have to walk around. Carriages would not be able to make their way through here for as long as it stood.

Taking some time to observe and investigate it, Malik came to the conclusion that it would have fairly deep roots. It would not be as easy as he had initially thought. Looking around, he was thankful to note that nobody else was in the area. It was a fairly quiet location, primarily gardens and other greenery, meaning he would not have any onlookers as he completed this task. Perfect then, focusing his internal strength and chakra, Malik activated the first of the Eight Inner Gates, the Gate of Opening. Feeling his speed and strength magnifying, Malik dashed directly for the tree, swinging his arm in a lariat manoeuvre near its base. It required that he crouch down right before impact, but this was not a problem given his intense speed. His arm ripped the tree trunk clean in two, letting out a loud noise as it began to fall onto the road. Continuing to take advantage of his intense speed, Malik dashed underneath the falling tree, catching it with one arm before it landed. He slowly moved it to the side of the road, ensuring that it did not block anything in the process.

Looking over towards the tree trunk, he decided to try a brutish approach by walking up to it and digging his hands underneath either side of its base. Continuing to dig his fingers into the trunk, Malik cast Dance of the Tranquility Rose, guiding his protruding bones to slice directly down and diagonally. He could feel it as they cut directly through the many roots underneath the ground, tearing them apart and loosening the tree’s grip on the earth. When he was satisfied, he retracted the bones, ensuring that nobody around would see his kekkei genkai in action. Then, with a mighty effort, he ripped the tree trunk from the ground, hearing the earth groan from the strain. Throwing the trunk next to the rest of the tree on the side of the road, Malik undid the Gate of Opening, wincing slightly as the pain kicked in. He took a moment to appreciate his handy work before turning and walking back towards the village centre.


He took some time to look at his next flyer, it showed the location of the useless old lady that needed assistance with her shopping. A ten minute walk away, that involved him passing the Manga Town Inn once more, Malik sighed and moved on. He scratched his head along the way, thinking about the situation he was in. Although it was dull work, he at least felt physically stimulated after removing the tree. He liked using his physicality, it was another way for him to train his strength, even if it was unconventional. This next job on the other hand, would not stimulate him at all. He hated the feeling of being some old hag’s errand boy, he was much better at cracking skulls. But money was money, and he was sorely in need of as much of it as he could possibly get.

Ten minutes later, and he was standing outside a small and humble home. It was a conventional house with a white picket fence and rocking chair near the front door. This was clearly the home of an elderly person, he just prayed that it would not require slow movement from him. Walking up, he rapped his incredibly hard knuckles against the door several times, loud enough for anyone in the house to hear his arrival. He heard grumbling as a lady in her late 40s answered his call, swinging the door open with an annoyed look on her face. “Who do you think you are, banging on my door at this hour of the morn- ohhh, well hello there gorgeous…” Her mood changed instantly as she looked the man up and down several times. Not only was this lady not elderly, she was actually quite the looker. Malik raised an eyebrow, he would believe her if she told him she was 30 years old.

“Pardon my intrusion… I am here for a job that you requested assistance on?” He scratched his head awkwardly, Malik had expected to spend the next couple of hours frustrated with some hag, his opinion had changed after seeing his new companion though. I guess this may not be the worst job… Giving her time to collect her belongings, the two of them set out. Malik spent the next three hours with the lady, who told him her name was Nadia, his job entailed carrying her bags and acting as her private bodyguard. He did not really seem to mind, she was actually good company for the man. She liked to speak, making up for his silence most of the time, he would quietly nod and follow her requests. By the end of it all, she simply thanked him with some ryo and a kiss on the cheek. Malik left bushing.


Following this, Malik follow his instructions to the next location, a home humble home on the outskirts of the village. It took him around 10 minutes to arrive, he was grateful that the village was quite small, he only took so long due to a short break for a drink with Bartos. When he arrived, he took a moment to observe the home. It was a single story townhouse, the grass was unkempt and the exterior of the home needed a lot of work. As he was looking around, a man in his 40s wearing a singlet stormed out to meet him. “Get the hell away from here you pig. I know why you’re here, I AIN’T LEAVING!” Malik sighed, rolled his eyes and pulled out the mission request.

Scanning it for a quick moment, his eyes lit up when he realised a glaring omission. “Well it appears to me that the target does not have to survive our encounter, well that IS interesting, wouldn’t you say so?” He said the last part as he folded the mission request back up and faced the man, now shaking in his shoes. Malik took a step forward as the man began to slowly retreat, his face going pale with fear now. “W-w-wait, sir please let’s be reasonable about this… This is my home, I deserve the right to live here… Please, let’s just talk about this, please sir just stay calm. Don’t do anything stupi- AGH!” The man was cut off by the force of Malik’s large right hand grabbing him around the throat.

“Don’t do anything stupid huh? Are you calling me stupid? You little rodent. I was going to let you off with a broken limb or two, but now you do not get that luxury. I gave you the chance to leave, but now I get the chance to end you myself. I hope you have a deity of choice to pray to, because you are about to meet them. Any last words?” He chuckled maliciously as the man gasped for air, unable to form words. “Well I guess gargle gargle does count as something. Sleep well, rodent.”


The man’s body went limp as Malik snapped his neck with ease, he really was getting stronger than anticipated. He smirked and looked around, finding a nearby rubbish bin. It appeared to be empty, perfect. Walking over, he dumped the body of the cretin inside, perfect timing as the garbage collectors arrived at the house. They were collecting the next door neighbour’s trash as Malik carried the one containing the body. “I’ll dump this one for you, allow me.” He emptied the ‘trash’ inside their compactor, ensuring that he pushed the body further in to be covered by other trash. With a smile, he dropped the trash can in front of the now empty house before leaving and walking back towards the Manga Town Inn.


Malik noticed that the sun was starting to indicate it was the late afternoon. It was almost time for the poker tournament, he needed to hurry back… Five minutes later, Malik arrived back at the Inn, he noticed it was livelier than usual. Thankfully it was lively in a far more positive way, people were singing and dancing, others were preparing for the poker tournament. Finding Bartos, he was directed to a specific table by the innkeeper, “Ok, you’ll be playing at this one. You’re in luck, these guys are all trouble makers. All you need to do is give them a reason to get physical and they have to forfeit the pot. I feel like you will be good at this one.”

They both laughed as Malik made his way over to the table. His three opponents were already waiting there, each of them looked drunk. This was perfect scenario for him, it was made even better after one of the men spoke up. “About damn time, what were you doing? Eating half the bar? We don’t have all night you bastard.” This man’s fate was sealed. The other two men laughed at his comments, it appeared that the alcohol had dulled whatever senses they may have had. The dealer looked incredibly uncomfortable with the situation. Malik raised an eyebrow at the man who spoke, “Well that is quite funny, it actually reminds me of a joke I recently heard, do you want to hear it?”

He did not wait for a response from the men, “Three deadmen walk into a bar…” With that, he grabbed the smart as by the throat and then slammed his head into the floor. The other two men froze on the spot when Malik looked up. “The two of you need to go home, your families are waiting for their fathers to return alive. It sure is a shame that you lost your money in that friendly game of poker huh?” These two were smarter than the other man, who was now groaning in pain under Malik’s hand. They quickly turned tail and ran, leaving the winnings on the table. “Well dealer, it appears that I win, wouldn’t you say?” The man laughed and nodded, pushing the ryo over to Malik.

Grabbing the money, he turned around and walked to the bar, stepping on the arm of the fallen competitor. Bartos chuckled as he approached, “Well that was a fun watch, probably the quickest game of the night. Congratulations on the win!” He tipped his invisible hat to Malik, who simply laughed at the older man. “Well, you know what that means Bart, grab a damn bottle!” The two of them cheered before enjoying the rest of the night with some sake.

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TWC: 3,621

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Claiming 6,000 Ryo
Claiming 30 AP

Using 228 WC to claim Armor of Bone at B Rank, previously from this post (1,272/1,500->1,500/1,500) (3,393 WC remaining)
Using 1,500 WC to claim Jotun Grip at B Rank (1,893 WC left)
Using 1,893 WC towards Dance of the Clematis: Flower at A Rank (1,893/2,875)

Using 2,600 WC to claim 26 Speed (100 Speed)
Using 1,000 WC to claim 10 Vigor (20 Vigor)

Approved