A Risky Gamble [Mission]

Mission Details:

Sporting his ronin garb armor and having his two trust blades hilted in an X pattern on his back Zraix sat perched in a tree hidden from sight from anyone that might be near by and scouting the area- he had been sent on a mission requiring him to look into the location of a team that had been sent to scout out a nearby bandit encampment and while the Hoshimura thought a mission like that to be of need, he wasn't too sure the execution was proper. In the past few weeks the shinobi had traveled across the borders of the village and put an end to quite a few bandit groups and he did so typically by himself or with one other partner. This way they would attract less attention and on top of that there would be less casualties if something went wrong, though it never did. So he couldn't understand why the village would send a large group to accomplish a mission that had so much to risk.

He scanned the area until he came across a load of equipment that seemed to have been ravaged and collected- the equipment trailed for a few meters before it came to a stop at a nearby encampment. "I'm getting real tired of dealing with bandits.. these guys are like ants. Cant get rid of them" He thought to himself as he did a head count of the survivors from the recon mission. It appeared that they had rounded up everyone from the mission but all 10 Hoshi ninja were still alive and were tied up in the center of the encampment- Zraix figured that they were keeping them alive to use them as bargaining chips in hopes to gain money or a way of escape if things went south- while he could respect this method by the bandits, it would ultimately be their undoing. Zraix would continue to survey the situation making sure to mark every entrance and exit in and out of the encampment and noted that there were only two main roads that led in or out. This would make matters simple enough as far as making sure that none of them escaped but there was the problem of combat with hostages in the mix- he wouldn't be able to guarantee the safety of anyone if a full on battle ensued so he had to think of a way to lure the bandits away long enough to give the hostages a way to free themselves.

He decided to make a a bold move and approached the bandit encampment from the front entrance walking up as though he belonged there- he began to get stares from some of the bandits as he made his way to the large tent located at the back end. All of a sudden he was approached by a large man carrying a sledge hammer whos voice bellowed out, "I think youre in the wrong place princess. Get moving or were gonna have to move ya ourselves and it wont be pretty". He said as he slammed the sledgehammer on the ground to the left of him. Zraix would look over at the hostages getting a better view of if any of them had been injured and it looked as though only the man in the front of the pack had- he was clearly the leader and must have put up some sort of fight when they were getting captured. Zraix would nod at the man in approval before turning his attention back to the burly man in front of him. "Thats quite the weapon youve got there.. a sledge hammer huh? I dont think ive ever wielded one before. Its a bit too large and clunky for my tastes and its a horrible weapon when facing someone at close range who has even a little bit of speed." He said with a smirk as he unsheathed his katana at a speed of 150 and swiftly slashed at the wooden pole connected to the stone hammer. The Burly man irritated by the ronin's snarky comment and drawing of his weapon would attempt to swing his hammer at Zraixs face but would come up short as the now wooden stick he was holding missed by 4 inches.  

The large man would fall back in confusion as other bandits in the camp began to crowd around, interested in what was going on. Zraix would raise his right eyebrow as he was quite surprised that an all out attack on him had not occurred yet. It appeared that these bandits operated on some sort of honor code and preferred to allow their own to fight one on one. The other bandits crowded around in a circle and began to chant in rhythmic fashion as if they were from the same tribe and this caused the burly man to spring from the floor, a vicious intent for battle in his eyes. "SOMEONE THROW ME ANOTHER DAMN HAMMER!" He belted only moments before a bandit of much smaller stature ran up and gave him a war hammer made completely of metal but of slightly smaller size, it was compact but heavier and could do more damage if wielded correctly. The large man would smile ferociously as he looked down at the smaller bandit and took a might swing at his head, removing it and sending blood flying across the circle pit the crowd had formed around them. The other bandits cheered and this only served to excite the man more, "Now lets give this another go shall we?!" Zraix looked utterly unimpressed as he looked around and realized he was surrounded by a cult of bandits that had turned a piece of the land of Haven into their own little pirating grounds.

Not wanting to waste any time on a small time enemy like this Zraix lowered his stance and began to glow with a pink aura 1 inch off of his body, his eyes still in their normal state and the hilt of his katana now being gripped tightly with both of his hands. "Lets make this quick." He said before the man lunged at him slamming the great hammer into the ground and causing rocks to fly from beneath them upward at the ronin from 6 meters away, "Earth Style?" He thought to himself as he used his speed of 210 to leap left and right around the rocks, avoiding them and advancing forward towards his opponent all at the same time. The ronin would watch closely as the man shifted his weight and hand placement on his war hammer to bring it upward with great force in order to attempt a blow that would have taken Zraix's head clean off had he not side stepped it, moving to the right a moment before it would have connected. The ronin would follow this movement up by by tossing his sword lightly up into the air in order to catch it with his mouth and drive it through the chest of the bandit. The bandit would drop the war hammer and grab onto the blade that Zraix still held in his mouth, "Hey.. you're pretty good." He said before falling to the ground. Zriax would drop his sword from his mouth and catch it with his hand- he had finally mastered his swordsman style and could effectively turn any part of his body into a valid holder for his blade. He would look left and right before speaking, "So, whos next? Ill clear each and every one of you out without breaking a sweat." He said as the pink aura radiated off of him.

Two bandits standing at a low four feet in height and holding kunai knives in both hands connected to chains would approach as they began to swing them- they each had on masks with skulls and the one on the right had a circle at the top of his mask while the one on the left had a triangle. "We fight quick man now!" said the bandit on the left , "Yeah yeah! Quick man not quicker than Ty and Chee, noone is!" Said the bandit on the right as he threw his kunai at a speed of 150 directly at the ronins head- Zraix would move his neck slightly to the left dodging this but noticed the other bandit leaped straight up into the air at a speed of 150 before throwing his chained kunai at the ronins torso. He would choose to sidestep the second chain and grab it before pulling it it towards him in an attempt to draw the small bandit in. The bandit was now heading towards Zraix in a straight path as he refused to let go of the chain and his counter part reacted by pulling his chain back to him and throwing it at his bandit buddy in mid air so that he might grab it and be pulled to safety before colliding with the Hoshimura.

Zraix now growing tired of the games these two were playing would leap at them from  7 meters away with the hilt of his blade tightly gripped with both hands, the Hoshimura would begin channeling water chakra into the blade which became surrounded by water particles and chakra. "Breath of Suiton: Suiton Surface Slash!" He said as he slashed at the two smaller bandits firing off an 8 meter crescent shaped water blast that advanced at a power of 130 and a speed of 130. The Hoshimura would watch as the two narrowly managed to leap above the blast at a speed of 150 but this was to his plan as he would have now closed the distance between them while they were occupied. Zraix now within range would deliver a slash to the neck of the first bandit and would spin as he delivered another slash to both arms of the second bandit- the two bandits while swift were lacking in the category of strength and being unable to withstand his attack had the parts of their body that came in contact with the blade severed instantly. Both bandits dropped to the ground now lifeless, leaving Zraix standing in the middle of this pit with three corpses and though he was more than ready to continue fighting, he would prefer to cut down on needless deaths and refocus the plan of saving the captives.

"Where's Monsoon when I need him. He would love a fighting pit like this. Its not really my style but I guess ill have to-" His thoughts would be interrupted as he recognized a familiar face in the crowd of the fighting pits. A tall stout man with raven hair, white pants and  a dark top looked on and cheered loudly encouraging the fight to continue- this man was none other than Monsoon Uchiha and Zraix couldnt tell if he was blending in so that he could free the targets while the bandits were distracted or if he had actually gotten caught up in this fighting pit and wanted to join in. He would look to the Uchiha to learn his intentions before continuing any further.

[EXIT WILL AKE CLAIMS LATER MISSION COMPLETE]

WC=1,861

Monsoon, having arrived at the camp some time before, blended in rather nicely with the rough-necked crowd. Red make-up lined his eyes and face, giving the impression of a snarling beast. He had fashioned bits of tanned leather to one shoulder and adorned it with metal spikes. His white pants were pulled up, he word knee-length, metal lined booth. How he came to be was a tale told for another time, suffice to say, the Knife Edge Clan, the group of bandits that had taken the hostages, he recognized him as one of their kin, a warrior that, at their heart, enjoy battle for its own sake. As Ty and Chee took their places, the bandit clad martial artist bellowed,

"YES!!! YES!!! MORE DECAPITATIONS!!!!"

His cheers, unheard by Zraix due to their distance and volume of people between, were drowned out by other expressions of violence. One bandit, a large, bald fellow with half of his arm replaced by a metal claw, gave the Uchiha a sideways glance. Monsoon, feeling he stare on his neck, turned to locked eyes with the man with the metal claw.

"Can I help you?"

The man sneered, "Yeah, you could shudup."

For a moment, Monsoon stared at the man, stunned. As a retort, Monsoon headbutted the man on the bridge of his nose, break his face. He roared in pain and fell back, clutching at blood and shattered bone. Being near the stage the hostages were held, he lost his balance and cracked his shattered skull on the stage's edge, dying immediately. There was a gasp from those around, one bandit piped up, shocked yet not disturbed.

"Dude, did you just kill Metal Claw?"

Monsoon, indignant, said "Yeah. He sucked."

"Dude, he did suck! FUCK YEAH, MORE DECAPITATIONS!!!!!"

Please with how the situation went, with his forehead stained with blood, Monsoon turned back to the fight. Having no choice due to the combatants speed, Monsoon activated his sharingan. He saw zraix take a trained stance, his breath flowed in such ways that his chakra resonated within his body. Water nature streamed from his core like a river, flowing down his arm and to one of his blades. With extreme speed, he swiped two crescents of water toward Ty and Chee. Monsoon's tomoe spun as he saw the two "quick" brothers prepare to leap above the crescents of energy, in antcipation, Zraix trailed behind his attack. With a flex of his arms, he made a delayed swing, just after Ty and Chee leapt over his bukijutsu. In one swift motion, with a flourish so quick Monsoon had to blink, Ty and Chee's heads were lopped off their neck. Their bodies, not having yet processed the attack, stood upright for a moment as they landed, before crumpling towards the ground. Because the crowd had been primed, this sight caused a booming roar to crash around the bandit camp and frighten the birds out of the trees. At this time, Zraix would spot Monsoon in the crowd and be dismayed at the sight of his comrade enjoying himself.

At his look, Monsoon smirked and gave a knowing wink. He leapt upon the stage and stomped upon the remnants of Metal Claws head, gathering the attention of the Knife Edge Clan. Drunk off blood lust, they listened intently, knowing their kin had reasons for this commotion.

"ALRIGHT! Which one of you mugs is going in next! We need blood! MORE BLOOD!"

Hoots, hollers and whooping cheers cascaded around the camp, drawing the entire bandit group in the center and forming a crowd in front of the stage, in a way that some surrounded Zraix, yet ignored his presence. The hostages, bewildered, looked at Monsoon and at the headband that hung at the side of his waist. Wide eyed, they whispered about each other, wondering if their situation was for the better. This would go unnoticed by the bandit crowd, as they were focused on Monsoon.

As the cheers died down, and as was the clan's custom, one voice spoke up.

"Well, why don't you step in?"

The crowd turned to the bandit who spoke and Monsoon shot them a dirty look.

"Well, I can't. It isn't my turn yet."

"Oh? Well why is that the case!"

"Don't ask me, I don't make the rules!"

"Then who does!"

Monsoon pointed to a spot near Zraix. "Boss does."

The crowd looked to where the boss was, at severed head and bleeding corpse. Realizing their predicament, Monsoon groaned, "Damn. Alright. We'll have to elect a new leader!"

Grumbles of agreement spread throughout the crowd, before the interloper could be dealt with, certain measures needed to be sorted out. An order of battle did need to be made. Though each member of the camp was criminal, their code is what kept them from turning to barbaric savages. Thus, a new leader needed to be elected, to make a new order, to battle the interloper one on one.

"Shall we make it a vote then?" piped a voice from the crowd. Aye, was the crowds answer. The clan turned back to Monsoon.

"Alright. Let's figure out who we as a clan will be voting for. To make it easy, raise your hand if you believe you should be leader of the Knife Edge Clan!"

In Unison, each bandit raised a hand, nominating himself. Seeing this, Monsoon's hand shot up. A bandit near Zraix would nudge him, indicating he too should raise his hand. Realizing their predicament, the crowd began to argue, barking outrageous insults. A calm voice broke through the rabble, stating that another a re-count should be made, to ensure that there were no errors. Agreeing, the crowd calmed down and Monsoon conducted the vote again. And again, the same result was met.

"Well damn, we can't deal with the interloper without a leader!"

A shrill voice broke through the grumble of the crowd, "I say we look to the CODEX!"

A gasp rippled from the crowd, did this occasion call for such a sacred text to be called upon. Yet, at its mention, the bearer of the Codex, tall, strong man with a blue mohawk, stumbled out from on of the buildings, carting a comically large tome on his bank. While stumbling and sauntering to the stage, he swayed between the crowd effortlessly. He threw the tome on the stage, it flapped open to the page in question. Monsoon would lean over the old codex, scanning the words. A large grin spread upon his face as he found the answer that would solve the clan's predicament.

Looking up, he addressed the crowd, "Members of the Knife Edge Clan, our solution is within reach. According to Chapter X, Governance and Order, Article 7, Pargraph 3 and in line 2, it states that, if a vote is unsuccessful, the leader will be decided by a one time brawl! However, there are some rules. No biting. No eye gouging. No eviscerations or other forms of maiming. Genital shots are allowed, but limited to two."

The crowd conversed over the rules of this engagement. They found it fair. Each bandit weighed in and gave their thoughts on the matter. There was some debate as to weather to expand the amount of "low blows" to three. But, after a swift debate, the clan was in agreement. Monsoon, having taking the position of Orator of the Clan, pointed a fierce finger to Zraix.

"INTERLOPER! Sequester yourself in the leader's room. And, removed the bindings from the fellows behind me, have them go with you, the room is spacious enough. We could not have anyone not of the clan be involved in this bout, lest they suffer collateral damage."

Members of the crowd nodded in the agreement. They were bandits, not barbarians. Perplex, Zraix did as Monsoon asked. As they went in the room, Zraix could hear Monsoon's booming voice,

"KNIFE EDGE CLAN.....FIGHT!!!!"

The sounds of a massive brawl took place outside the leader's room, groans, shrieks, and snaps interjects every so often. Booms and clashes soon replaced them, accompanied by the shaking of the ground. Explosions rockets the closed door to the room, nearly blasting it off its hinges. The noises of battle gradually waned, as the competitors began to diminish. More and more sounds of fist on bone, interspaced with the crackling whine of energy. The air stilled, silence precluded a grand boom that shook the room.

After a moment, footsteps came before a turning of the door knob, the evident winner revealed himself.

Covered in blood, with shirts and pants torn, Monsoon beamed at Zraix Hoshimura.

"You know, these bandits have a certain charm, once you get to know them."

Zraix sighed, but was glad for the break, he himself did not need to deal with the entirety of the bandits. Together, the two shinobi lead the hostages safely to the village.

[1,477 WC]
[EXIT, TOTAL MISSION THREAD 3,338 WC MISSION COMPLETE]

Claiming Mission AP and Ryo

Reserving WC Claims for Rank Up

Utilizing Max stat discount for claims

Spending total WC on , Hoshimura Requip: Armament Of Kokuto [3,276/3,750] WC

Marabelle Blossom wrote:

Monsoon wrote:Claiming Mission AP and Ryo

Reserving WC Claims for Rank Up

Approved for exit and mission rewards!

TOTAL WC: 1,477

Spending 1,477 WC on Sharingan: Perfected [1,859/1,875] Max Stat Discount

Monsoon wrote:

TOTAL WC: 1,477

Spending 1,477 WC on Sharingan: Perfected [1,859/1,875] Max Stat Discount

Approved!

Note: Previously claimed WC from here