Smelting Blues

Mission Information:

An early morning. Earlier than most would ever be up with the sun no longer within the sky and the moon still reigning supreme with the clouds above. It had been a mostly cloudless night with all the stars shining for those who were still up could see them. At this point the settlement would be asleep except for those who were night owls and those that had essential jobs like the shinobi. Within the confines of the settlement however the corpse snake, the doctor of death and moderately friendly Vagabond Shitai Orochi had been wide awake in his domicile looking over an ancient book. It had held within it a myriad of information both unknown and known to the doctor about the history and study of Kekkai Genkai, the genetic and bloodline make-up of certain clans. Many of these he had an intricate and intimate knowledge of while others were a curious read. He wanted nothing more than to experiment with them, but curiosity would have to wait sadly until he could procure them. Such a fickle world this world so ripe with strife and tension one could surgically cut it with a scalpel, but many would hold on to the fraction of peace that it could make one sick. The world needed chaos and strife like brush needed an occasional fire to help sustain and renew the ecosystem. Such a delicate balance that had held true throughout the ages and maybe the world was due for another wide scale war. Who would tip the scales however remained unknown but whatever the reason, it would be interesting to experience. Page after page he flicked through absentmindedly with his left thumb while he murmured to himself, the words etching into the endless expanse of his mind. He stopped for a moment to look at a diagram that had been drawn inside of the book on the structure of the chakra system and how each individual piece played a part in a person. Everything was intertwined he thought to himself. Everything had a purpose. As he read however, he would also focus his chakra into a pinnacle point on his forehead as he began to expand and store his reserves. This technique was something that he had picked up in the field of battle but had hardly made the time to expand upon it. It was a technique known by a legendary kunoichi and medic whose strength was unrivaled, and beauty was apparently to die for. Whether the latter was the case or not he could not say due to her being dead by at least ten times his own lifespan. A bemused smirk appeared on his face as he continued throughout the book as the hours slowly ticked away, passing the time until the sun would slowly begin to peek upon the horizon. Once that had happened, he would begin his day. Once that was begun the world would be one step closer to chaos.

The book would long be finished before the sun kissed the horizon, the finished book covering most of his face as he was leaned back into the chair he had. His left leg had been crossed over his right leg and both hands lightly gripped the materials of the chair as he snored lightly. He never truly allowed himself to fully fall asleep as there were far too many dangers of allowing oneself to truly succumb to sleep. Even in their own house if it was booby trapped one could fall victim of the entire place falling upon them and that was not his fate. As the internal temperature of the basement of his home through the window he would feel the subtle changes in the atmosphere and begin to stir. The book would slowly begin to move from his face as his emerald green eyes peered from behind his eyelids to calculate how early it had been. After a moment or two he would blink and slowly close them enough to where the eyes themselves had been shaded but he could fully see the world around him. A brief, but strong yawn would escape his lips as his right hand moved to scratch lightly at his stomach and he slowly reclined forward before standing up and placing the book upon the desk in front of him. It was now time for the day to start and with any day where he had spent an innumerable number of hours in the basement he was going to shower first. Walking up the squeaky stairs he would continue until he had reached the top and from there make a right. As he shuffled through the lightly decorated living area, he would take another right and open a singular set of fusuma doors he would step into what could be considered his bedroom even though he had hardly slept in there. The room was lightly decorated like much of the house. A black and green tatami bed, a few dressers littered with what could be best described as knickknacks and souvenirs. He would open a door which would lead to a bathroom where he would spend the next hour in waking up fully and washing himself. After his shower he dressed himself in his usual attire and brushed his teeth, grabbing the small tanto he had purchased days prior on the right side of his hip. The blade not his most preferred size of weapon but it would do for the moment. Today he would be doing something not in his nature, yet he could not deny the fact he would not only get a decent amount of Ryo but also a smithing material for a future project. He would go over the mission details once more as he finished making himself breakfast. Simply put, he would be assisting in mining a common material known as aluminum. While it was widespread, they had found a way to get it in its most purest form which meant that its use would be great. No matter the process this would assist him in creating a weapon perfect for his own fighting style and that was enough for him. Placing the scroll back into his room he would gulp down the last of his steak, egg and toast sandwich and be off for the day. He had contemplated on notifying Merlin of the opportunity seeing as the male had been so gung-ho about making money and being active in the community but…he was not too sure that this would be in the best interest of the male. However, he could use the male as a means to expedite the workload. He would send a missive to the male in order to get him to come. A sharp U-turn would be made as he went back down into the basement, he would grab a loose scroll and begin to grab a pen. Without missing a beat, he would begin to write a letter to Merlin detailing the mission and where to meet him. Whether he got here on time or not would be up to him, but the offer was made.

In one fluid motion he would roll the scroll up and head out to where he presumed Merlin to live and drop it off on the doorstep before banging violently on the door and performing the Body Flicker technique to move away before Merlin came to the door. If the male had been practicing his chakra sensory he may have caught the tail end of Shitai if not well the message was delivered. His flicker would bring him roughly 20 meters near the entrance of the gate where he would begin to walk the rest of the way out. His hands would slip into his pockets as he slowly walked out, not stopping to say anything but at least he was well on his way to his gig. About roughly ten or fifteen minutes passed before he had reached the appointed meeting area where the client of the mission sat waiting patiently. Seeing Shitai caused the gruff older male to stand up and pat his back seemingly because it was misaligned or even hurting which the doctor noticed. Before he could start talking, Shitai moved at an alarmingly fast pace catching the male off-guard and pressed into his back in four different areas before turning him back around. Forcing him slightly to stand straight a series of loud pops could be heard before a sigh of relief and the man now knew what had been done. The gentleman would move around with a bit more flexibility and from what Shitai could tell a greater form of relief as his posture at changed. A smug smile would appear on his face as he slipped his hands back into his pockets,” In your age you need to take care of your posture or else you are going to be bent like a L in the coming years. That adjustment, should you correct you habits, will remain though I would like to remind you that if you mess your back up the next will not be free,” though the man had been more than ecstatic about the situation, he did notice that nothing about Shitai struck him as the “I am Joking” type.

In lieu of this he would clear his throat and begin to describe the nature of the mission including what he and any others that would be joining would have to do. After a brief summary Shitai would nod his head and request to shown where he would work to which he would be guided there. As he was given a small tour before being shown where he would work, he did catch a few other labor men already hard at work extracting the Aluminum from the earth. The process was very methodical which was favorable to Shitai since he would deal with nothing less and when he finally got to his station, he was given the tools he would need and a set of instructions. The older male would ask if he needed a demonstration to which he would shake his head,” I have an inkling of what I need to do after seeing the others perform the task, if anything additional is needed I will let you know,” and as soon as he was finished, he would begin to work. First came the extraction of the aluminum from the ore itself. Some of the workers had been using a basic striking form of the ore in order to push the rock out and then by pushing the ore into a special ore machine the process would begin. The trick that he had come to find out was that the ore itself had to be struck not directly but on the side in order to get the fullest value from it. The smelter that they had be tasked to use would not only isolate the aluminum from the other materials but purify it into its purest form allowing them to use it in ways the Orochi had not known of. Ether way he would continue with the process, helping to free and purify several loads of Aluminum. He wasn’t quite sure if he would be here all day however, for what he was getting paid this was certainly worth the menial labor. By the end of him time there he stood in front of six fully processed and purified aluminum ore bars, those of which he had helped acquire. A small, pleased smile appeared upon his face as he ran one of his hands against the object feeling the smooth texture of the metal. He had known Aluminum to be quite flexible and malleable similar to the behaviors of a snake. Maybe he could use this in a weapon to create something akin to his clan, but that was a still a few steps ahead of where he had been. The smelter would walk over to the male with two things in his hands. The first of which had been his payment for the day and the other a bar of aluminum. Thanking him for his work, Shitai would give a smile and take both items before thanking the male and walking off. A good haul for the day that would definitely allow the Orochi to procure more items of import for himself. Or get drunk whichever he wanted to do honestly. His stroll back would be uneventful as he pondered on what he would set aside the ryo for but the Aluminum he already had plans for. Every great swordsmen needed a signature weapon after all.


WC: 2,107

[Exit Claims]

10,000 Ryo (6000+4000 B rank Vagabond Bonus)
30 AP
x1 Aluminum

11 aP stored within Strength of 100 Seal
2,107 WC toward Ibaraki Douji 2,107/5,000

There was a cool breeze moving through the young Merlin’s room, his window cracked open with a bug screen in place to keep out the more annoying creatures of the world while still allowing that fresh intake of air into the man’s home. The year was moving into the colder months and that beautiful time of year where it was enjoyable to be out and about but not quite where the cold temperatures had stopped the annoying insects that only served as food for other creatures and a reminder that even nature had a habit of creating things that did more harm then good. Merlin was sure there was something in that observation that could convey a deeper meaning to the whole “Even Nature creates harmful things.” But honestly at this point Merlin was tempted to create a jutsu that would eradicate every mosquito in the world, though he was sensible to understand that they serve a purpose as food for bats, spiders, and those types of creatures though Merlin was sure it would balance out just fine with the growth of other insects like gnats and be less harmful and annoying.
 
That was a train of thought that could be driven at a later time, it was time to get up and about for the day. It was early in the morning before the sun had crested the horizon which was pretty standard for the young man, he was an early riser and enjoyed watching the sun rise every morning. It also helped with him having to take care of his extremely long hair that even while standing almost touched the ground. This is what he needed to do every morning, so he went about it. The morning routine consisted of brushing his hair in its entirety, getting out any knots and bunches that formed from his sleep, luckily he wasn’t one to move much once he slept so that was a blessing. Then he needed to braid his hair into a way that would lessen the amount of hair that could get in his way while he worked, this took some time as the volume of his hair was immense, once that was completed he needed to get dressed and make his green tea so that he could enjoy that as he opened his windows fully and enjoyed the sun rise as it crested the horizon.
 
While he was enjoy these moments as he normally did, a violent banging at his door came about. He was glad that he wasn’t taking a drink at that time or he might have spilt it on himself, Merlin put the drink down and went to the door, there laying on the ground was a scroll with no one nearby. Merlin was pretty sure he knew who it was as no one would have come banging on his door to just drop off some scroll besides his long friend and comrade Shitai. He took his seat once more and opened the missive, it laid out in brief detail about a request that Shitai had wanted to undertake and was wondering in simplest terms if Merlin wished to join him with a location for them to meet at if he did. A smile arose on the man’s face, though he did wish that Shitai had simply talked to him instead of banging, they could have shared in this moment with the sun and enjoying some drinks before they headed out. Merlin sighed as he finished his drink and cleaned up his place before he got ready to leave and head to the meeting place.
 
Where was the meeting place? Near the food vendors as usual, Merlin didn’t expect anything less from Shitai when it came to where they grouped up. It was either near food or a bar or if possible both, anyways here they were ready to get things started and on the way when Shitai helped out an older gentleman with his posture. It was moments like this that made Merlin pretty sure that Shitai was actually a caring individual you just had to get past his rough and tough exterior which did a good job at scaring away anyone who thought to come to close. Well everyone except Merlin it seemed. After that notion of good citizenry shown by the resident doom and gloom Shinobi now it really was time to go ahead and get things going with this request. It seemed that the main thing they would be doing is helping the local smithy with refining and forging Aluminum ingots used for a variety of things. Merlin looked forward to this learning process as someone who simply enjoyed to learn new things and was a very hands on type of individual though he was sure that Shitai would be someone much more enthused about the prospect of learning this smithing process as someone who wielded weapons as a way of fighting unlike Merlin who tended to stay more in the background when it came to fighting though he did know some close quarters techniques it wasn’t his forte.
 
Merlin offered his smile as usual to those around and intently listened to the how to and what to does of the instructor while Shitai only needed the barest of guidance, Merlin took to poking and prodding the brains of the instructors from the temperature needed of the forge, to the proper rhythm of hammering the aluminum to even making sure to know how to figure out what was impurities and the likes. Merlin was quite enjoying himself during this process, The mixture of sweat and dopamine from the physical activity and the mental exhaustion of keeping things in check and working smoothly from one process to the other was something that really came together overall for the young man. The more he worked the more he had an inkling of desire to take up forging as a pastime hobby, wondering what else he could craft with his own hands though the more he allowed the thought to blossom like a wild vine growing around the trees, he was brought back to reality where while he could certainly put the time and energy into learning the craft he wouldn’t be able to be as good as others unless he truly dived deep into the art.
 
Sadly this wasn’t something he could see himself giving the appropriate amount of priority too as being shut inside for long periods of time were the opposite of how he liked to enjoy himself and the things he did, though it did lead to another thought about taking up construction of buildings and things of those kinds as it would satisfy the itch he was getting from forging things and the desire to be out in the elements. Certainly something he would give more thoughts on after he was finished with the work he was doing right now which was mainly done, just simply needed to do the cooling process and he had completed the task given to him by the smithy. Looking around it seemed that Shitai had taken to the craft like a fish taking to water which of  course didn’t surprise Merlin but it did make a knot of envy form in the young man’s chest, not one of jealousy but that kind of envy that appeared when you watched someone truly enjoy themselves doing something and how it made you wish you were experiencing that moment also.
 
Now that the work was done and they had what they needed the smithy was nice enough to reward them beyond just the Ryo promised and actually allowed them to take a piece of aluminum with them as an additional reward. Merlin decided to take the first piece that he had made during the time here and planned to put in on display in his room as a memento of the experience and time he had during this job request. With a goodbye and a thank you it was time to go about his day riding the high he was one from all the work he had done. Maybe he would grab some Sakura sake and enjoy the night sky and relax from all the physical work he had just done.

[Exit]
 
WC: 1376

Claims: 
+12,000 Ryo, +60 AP, +1 Aluminum [Beloved Presence for double ryo and ap]
Applying 25% max stat discount to below
+1376 wc towards Ninshu 0/1500 > 1376/1500

Before the sun had even risen, Chiharu awoke. Alone in his bed for once, the young man groaned at the time, seeing the darkness of the room. Many places in the village still didn’t have the wonders of electricity, but as the owner and leader, he had access to some of the village’s small supply of it. He was grateful for it now, feeling around for the switch on his wall until he could flick on the lights. It was way too early to be up, in his opinion, but there was work to be done. Missions that some of his lower-ranked shinobi couldn’t possibly complete. This time, it was a mission to help with and learn the process of smithing aluminum.

Aluminum by itself was a common enough metal, but in its purest form, it could be used for a great many things. Adding it to weaponry, it could enhance an ordinary weapon’s abilities by a fair bit. To him, the ryo alone was already worth it. However, an ingot from the smithing process was also promised to each shinobi who assisted in this mission, and that too made it doubly worth it. How could an aspiring weapons master pass up a chance to obtain a useful material for making an enhancing weaponry? He knew he couldn’t pass up this chance. So even as he grumbled and slowly moved, he got himself ready, showering and drying his hair into the usual fluffy waves. Pulled on his mission clothes, simple enough swordsman’s robes that allowed for movement but could withstand some wear and tear. Finally, he strapped his wakizashi to his side, carrying his naginata in one hand and using the other to snag an apple on his way out the door. He could eat a proper meal later, but right now he had to get going.

The sun was only just barely peeking out past the horizon, the sky having just lightened enough to be able to see where he was going. The mission area was some distance from his quarters, and he didn’t want to waste the chakra to teleport to the location detailed in his copy of the mission scroll. Instead, he walked, watching as the small village around him came to life. As the sky lightened during his walk, more people seemed to be up and about, ready to start their days. To Chiharu, watching his village wake up was a beautiful thing. It had only been a few short months. Just a few, since his life had forever changed by purchasing a whole settlement. And it really was amazing, and a little terrifying, to know that these people now relied on him to be their leader.

Almost everyone in the settlement recognized him, at this point. It was, after all, fairly small, and his appearance was a rather distinctive one. He received many nods and greetings from the people as he passed, prompting many a smile or greeting from Chiharu in return. Not everyone liked him, but the majority at least acknowledged that he now played a very important role. None of them would let him forget it, either.

But it wasn’t the time to dwell on such things, he had a mission to complete. Finally arriving at the mission point, the young man glanced at the other members of this little mission party. With a simple “good morning, gentlemen,” he acknowledged their presence, before turning his attention to the mission requester as he explained the steps they’d have to complete. The bigger of the two men seemed to take to the smithing process like a duck to water. Unsurprising, given his build. Most likely another weapon user, like Chiharu himself. He didn’t fix his attention on the man too long, he was clearly deep into the zone. The other man in this little group also seemed to enjoy himself, though he asked far more questions than the other had. Chiharu left him alone.

Turning his attention to his own station as he listened to the instructions, Chiharu began the long process of smelting the pure aluminum ore. Naginata set off to the side, he labored through the tasks. While it was far from difficult for him, he just didn’t have the same musculature needed to be able to expend less effort on his smelting. The process at least, was simple enough. It took a while, but most things worth doing did. By the end of his first completed ore, Chiharu was sweating. He didn’t sweat often, but when he did he bemoaned the natural bodily process. Oh, to be a medic who could stop himself from sweating. He could always dream, right?

The day seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, especially as Chiharu got more into the actual smithing process. He paid close attention to how it was done, since he still wanted to learn how to make and enhance his own weapons. By the time he’d come out of the trance he’d worked himself into, it was already the end of the day, and their pay was being distributed. Firstly, he was allowed to take one of the ores he’d smelted. Picking the best one, he nodded to the supervisor, who handed him his pay with a small bow. It was still a little unnerving how deferential to him many of the people in this area were. Regardless, Chiharu accepted his pay with a smile and a word of thanks. Yeah, this whole smithing thing was definitely a lot better than doing paperwork in his temporary office. They still hadn’t finished a proper administrative building yet. Once they did, Chiharu would be the first to move into his new, much bigger office.

Saying his farewells to the group, the young man pocketed the money. His pay was quite hefty, but he supposed it came with the territory of the leader himself coming to help out on a mission. He wasn’t as rich as he was before buying Sakuragakure, but he still had more money than he really knew what to do with. Really, being a shinobi could be incredibly ridiculous. Why was the shinobi world like this, again?

[Exit]
WC: 1,028

Claims: 6,000 Ryo / 30 AP / 1x Aluminum (+10,000 ryo Village Leader Bonus)
Putting 173 words towards completing breaking bud for a total of 2500/2500. Putting the remaining 855 words towards Feeding Roots, for a total of 855/1,000. https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t53312-shimi-daikon?highlight=Shimi+Daikon

Chiharu Misaki wrote:Before the sun had even risen, Chiharu awoke. Alone in his bed for once, the young man groaned at the time, seeing the darkness of the room. Many places in the village still didn’t have the wonders of electricity, but as the owner and leader, he had access to some of the village’s small supply of it. He was grateful for it now, feeling around for the switch on his wall until he could flick on the lights. It was way too early to be up, in his opinion, but there was work to be done. Missions that some of his lower-ranked shinobi couldn’t possibly complete. This time, it was a mission to help with and learn the process of smithing aluminum.

Aluminum by itself was a common enough metal, but in its purest form, it could be used for a great many things. Adding it to weaponry, it could enhance an ordinary weapon’s abilities by a fair bit. To him, the ryo alone was already worth it. However, an ingot from the smithing process was also promised to each shinobi who assisted in this mission, and that too made it doubly worth it. How could an aspiring weapons master pass up a chance to obtain a useful material for making an enhancing weaponry? He knew he couldn’t pass up this chance. So even as he grumbled and slowly moved, he got himself ready, showering and drying his hair into the usual fluffy waves. Pulled on his mission clothes, simple enough swordsman’s robes that allowed for movement but could withstand some wear and tear. Finally, he strapped his wakizashi to his side, carrying his naginata in one hand and using the other to snag an apple on his way out the door. He could eat a proper meal later, but right now he had to get going.

The sun was only just barely peeking out past the horizon, the sky having just lightened enough to be able to see where he was going. The mission area was some distance from his quarters, and he didn’t want to waste the chakra to teleport to the location detailed in his copy of the mission scroll. Instead, he walked, watching as the small village around him came to life. As the sky lightened during his walk, more people seemed to be up and about, ready to start their days. To Chiharu, watching his village wake up was a beautiful thing. It had only been a few short months. Just a few, since his life had forever changed by purchasing a whole settlement. And it really was amazing, and a little terrifying, to know that these people now relied on him to be their leader.

Almost everyone in the settlement recognized him, at this point. It was, after all, fairly small, and his appearance was a rather distinctive one. He received many nods and greetings from the people as he passed, prompting many a smile or greeting from Chiharu in return. Not everyone liked him, but the majority at least acknowledged that he now played a very important role. None of them would let him forget it, either.

But it wasn’t the time to dwell on such things, he had a mission to complete. Finally arriving at the mission point, the young man glanced at the other members of this little mission party. With a simple “good morning, gentlemen,” he acknowledged their presence, before turning his attention to the mission requester as he explained the steps they’d have to complete. The bigger of the two men seemed to take to the smithing process like a duck to water. Unsurprising, given his build. Most likely another weapon user, like Chiharu himself. He didn’t fix his attention on the man too long, he was clearly deep into the zone. The other man in this little group also seemed to enjoy himself, though he asked far more questions than the other had. Chiharu left him alone.

Turning his attention to his own station as he listened to the instructions, Chiharu began the long process of smelting the pure aluminum ore. Naginata set off to the side, he labored through the tasks. While it was far from difficult for him, he just didn’t have the same musculature needed to be able to expend less effort on his smelting. The process at least, was simple enough. It took a while, but most things worth doing did. By the end of his first completed ore, Chiharu was sweating. He didn’t sweat often, but when he did he bemoaned the natural bodily process. Oh, to be a medic who could stop himself from sweating. He could always dream, right?

The day seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, especially as Chiharu got more into the actual smithing process. He paid close attention to how it was done, since he still wanted to learn how to make and enhance his own weapons. By the time he’d come out of the trance he’d worked himself into, it was already the end of the day, and their pay was being distributed. Firstly, he was allowed to take one of the ores he’d smelted. Picking the best one, he nodded to the supervisor, who handed him his pay with a small bow. It was still a little unnerving how deferential to him many of the people in this area were. Regardless, Chiharu accepted his pay with a smile and a word of thanks. Yeah, this whole smithing thing was definitely a lot better than doing paperwork in his temporary office. They still hadn’t finished a proper administrative building yet. Once they did, Chiharu would be the first to move into his new, much bigger office.

Saying his farewells to the group, the young man pocketed the money. His pay was quite hefty, but he supposed it came with the territory of the leader himself coming to help out on a mission. He wasn’t as rich as he was before buying Sakuragakure, but he still had more money than he really knew what to do with. Really, being a shinobi could be incredibly ridiculous. Why was the shinobi world like this, again?

[Exit]
WC: 1,028

Claims: 6,000 Ryo / 30 AP / 1x Aluminum (+10,000 ryo Village Leader Bonus)
Putting 173 words towards completing breaking bud for a total of 2500/2500. Putting the remaining 855 words towards Feeding Roots, for a total of 855/1,000. https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t53312-shimi-daikon?highlight=Shimi+Daikon

Approved for everyone up to here *laughs in not being able to do multiquotes*