Gather Food for the Journey (Mission)(Masar)

[Deleted]

Name: Gather food for the journey
Rank: "D"rank
IIC Length: 2 days
Difficulty: low
Objective: While provisions are going to be provided, they can get rather stale. Once outside the village find and hunt any animal and cook and prepare it for its meat.
Reward: 15,000 Ryo


Once outside, Titania consulted her map, and compass. The Desert of Wind was a hostile environment, not a good hunting ground. Any edible animals here would likely be on the small side, and the meat pretty tough. There was a riverland to the east near the border with River Country, a minor district serving as part of the territory diving the the Wind Country and Fire Country. It would become a no-man's land if the tensions ever broke into a full fledged war.

The better access to water meant more plants could grow, which by extension meant more food for game animals. That was where she wanted to go. Of course, that would be a pretty long walk. Potentially sever hours round trip. She sighed wistfully, adjusting her cold weather gear and checking her rifle. Eight rounds. She hadn't had time to restock since the incident in Fire Country...where she had encountered her current companion.

"We need to talk. But not here. It's too close to the village."

She began the long trek. She needed to save up for some better means of transportation, she grumbled internally.

[Masar]

Masar shaded his eyes as he glanced up at the sun. He had taken the trip to Suna in a covered caravan, with plenty of shade and water. Trekking this expanse on foot seemed a lot more intimidating without these advantages. While he was thinking about it, the ninja decided to check his gear before truly hitting the trail. First he checked the two swords belted about his waist, making sure they were honed sharp. Various shuriken, senbon, kunai, and tags filled the belt around his waist, while a remote claw and its ammunition were belted at his side.

Masar flipped open his compass, checking their heading. According to the girl's map, they seemed to be heading in the right direction somewhat. Hopefully, the girl had thought to buy a somewhat accurate map, rather than those cheap ones the traders handed out for a few ryo. The Kyoudo was impressed that the girl choose a good hunting spot at her age. Although, with the childhood geniuses rocketing past him like fireworks, perhaps he shouldn't be surprised.

Masar nodded in agreement when the girl said they needed to talk, "I wouldn't mind a chat myself," he said. Several things clicked at once. Masar remembered seeing a similarly clad girl entering that forest clearing back in Fire Country. And she was carrying a sniper rifle, just like the one that had shot that woman. The ninja pressed his lips together against the tide of questions, following the girl into the desert.

[Deleted]

It was still a ways to go before they reached the riverlands, but they were far enough along that Titania intentionally sought out the highest dune in the immediate area and trudged to the top to provide a vantage point. Her blue eyes darkened with subconscious magic to a deep wine red as the blonde scanned the horizon carefully, one hand shading out the sun. She felt the steady thudding of a developing headache as her comprehension of the vicinity expanded beyond what the human mind was typically able to register at once. Other than herself, and her companion, the only signs of life were small wildlife, insects and reptiles under the sand mostly, individually barely embers to her sight, though cumulatively they burned bright with life.

Nothing in the sky either, a perfectly clear day, though the temperature was a little higher than usual. Summer must be starting up. The heat didn't really bother her, it was just something noteworthy where there was otherwise nothing of interest. Which was perfect. They were in the clear. Her back was turned to her taller companion, but she was somehow still aware of his every movement.

"First things first - I've seen you before. You were being threatened by that other man, the one 'from the same Village' as you. I didn't recognize him, and I didn't recognize you. Yet you show up in the Tower of the Kazekage like its nothing out of the ordinary."

She shifted her rifle down from behind her shoulder to being slung in a low ready position, though she didn't turn on the other person for the moment.

So just who are you? I need to decide if I should consider you a threat."

[Masar]

Masar began to follow the strange girl, his hands shoved in his pockets and his jacket pulled up around his neck. Despite his light clothing, he had been told over and over to respect the sun's power in this part of the world, where sunburn was a constant danger. This would continue for several hours, as the girl's attention seemed everywhere at once, sensing his every move. She must be using some sort of justu. That sort of hyper-awareness is not normal, he thought.


As long as the girl was showing off her powers, Masar figured he might as well get some practice in as well. A quick set of handseals activated his bloodlimit, ringing his pupil with a set of black dots. The ninja let this ability run for 60 seconds at a time, working to enhance his control of the magnetic fields. Masar had heard that the more advanced Kyoudo were able to sense all metal within the field, but sadly he had not advanced that far yet. Hopefully, with more training, that ability could be one day within his grasp.

In the meantime, however, Masar listened quietly as the girl started her rather hostile speech, asking for his allegiance and purpose. "There is no need for hostility miss." He said politely, "I used to be affiliated with the cloud village, but I'm firmly on your side now. My family left the village, and there was little left for me in that place. That boy was simply confused." Masar explained, eying the rifle she carried. If she decided to attack, quick movements would need to be made. 

[Deleted]

Titania turned her head behind her, a vicious smile under her wine-red eyes.

"Oh there's a need alright. Just not to you...for the time being, at least. Don't cause any trouble, and don't mention the skirmish in Fire Country, and you'll have no problems with me. But if we're going to be working together, proper introductions are probably in order. I'm Titania. Titania Lemegeton."

She resumed their march with increased vigor. She didn't want to be at this all day, there was still the matter of equipment and travel to deal with after this. Plus getting the meat smoked would probably take time as well.

Keep up mountain man, we have some hunting to do, and the desert sun doesn't take prisoners."

---

When they reached the riverlands as dusk began to fall, Titania relied on her recently developed instinct for life to seek out the largest signatures she could find. Mostly this was larger fish, hippopotamuses, and crocodiles. There were also herd animals in the area, like gazelles and elephants, looking to get a drink after dealing with the parching desert heat.

One such signature blipped out as a crocodile appeared suddenly from the depths to crush a gazelle's neck and extinguish its life. Before it could drag its prey to the depths however, it found itself with an arrow through the eye, penetrating its brain. That flame too, went out in an instant, a disconcerting sensation for Titania, who had shot it from a distance, hidden in tall grass. Two for the price of one. Not bad.

Attempting retrieval though was more complicated. She was small and weak, and couldn't properly leverage the dead weight to lift normally. Only by running a constant current of magic energy through her body was she able to eventually get the beasts into a position where she could drag them off.

"Really should have...thought this through more." she grunted in annoyance. If she had brought some kind of...trolley or something, it wouldn't have been an issue. She could butcher the meat here, but she didn't want to risk ruining it either. A problem, certainly, but one she could figure out once her companion was ready to go as well.

[Masar]

Masar chuckled as the girl continued speaking in that authoritative tone to him. It was refreshing to meet such a straightforward person, after the shadowy environment of Cloud. "Whatever you say miss, " the Kyoudo would say, unperturbed. From what he saw in fire country, the little one was strong, fast, but not a close range fighter. For all of her fancy power ups and studied punches, he was confident he'd take the match if it came to close range. After all, he hadn't trained in the arts of the Kagame for nothing!

As the strange duo approached the river, Titania flitted off, apparently setting her heart on some animal she could alone see. For his part, Masar was glad to get into some shade, and away from the scorching desert sun. Uncorking his wineskin, the ninja's eyes inspected the area for signs of wildlife or any sign of life. There wasnt much that Masar could see, but maybe there was some in the river? He walked over to said river, hoping it was teeming with life.

Not so much. Masar huffed as he saw only a few fish swimming among the sediment. Better than nothing at least. From what I understand the Chunnin Exams are accompanied by a massive rise in prices. The Kyoudo dipped a finger in the muddy water, concentrating. A low level pulse spread quickly through the water, instantly killing the fish. Masar then picked them out of the water, tossing them in a small sack he had brought for just this purpose.

The Kyoudo met back up with Titania as she was attempting to drag an alligator out of a creek. "You have a village you're bringing? Seems a bit excessive."

[Deleted]

"This...is a rare chance," Titania grunted from under her burden, the large reptile draped over her head like a macabre hooded cape. "Croc meat was too expensive to get growing up, and this...is only the second time I've been outside the Village since I volunteered for training. You already know how the first time went. Make yourself useful and help me carry this back will you? We can get it butchered in the village, have some smoked, deep fried, sauteed..." She trailed off, considering all the things she could do with such a bulky specimen.

Thus began the long trek back to the village, which would take until proper night. The harsh drop in temperature that came with it were exactly why she always wore heavy leathers and furs outside the village, as for her who was accustomed to the heat of day it was a bitter and dangerous chill. The Mountain Man, still no name given, would probably find himself much more comfortable, with the temperature more similar to the cool air of high altitudes.

[Masar]

Masar laughed, "Fair enough Titania," he said, "I see you've got a good head on your shoulders. Here," he said, walking over to her. The ninja would sling the bag over one shoulder, and then work to help the girl carry her enormous score. It was going to take a while to move such a specimen back to the village, but at least they would have plenty of food in the end!

During the journey, Masar would suddenly turn to the girl, "It occurs to me that I've never introduced myself. My name is Masar Ratoz, a Kyoudo. It's good to meet you miss." He stated, giving her a nod. If they were going to work together, they might as well be on speaking terms.

The chill of the desert night was cold to be sure, but it wasn't all that unusual to a teen that had grown up in the mountains. It was cold, and he shivered from time to time, but it was nothing that he couldn't handle. After a while, the pair sighted the gates of the village. Masar wiped his brow, the sweat crystalizing in the freezing cold, "That's one mission completed at the very least."