Hana's Quest

[daisy]

Brave Princess Hana

A-Rank

So, dragons kidnapping princesses. It's nothing new, is it? But a princess, hunting down a dragon? Well, it's hard to believe. However, as a shinobi, Princess Hana has no qualms with setting out to kill a dragon, especially when it's to avenge her brother. Prince Fai was killed by Ochu, a powerful and terrifying dragon living high in the mountains of the Land of Claw, and since that day, Hana has vowed to slay Ochu, one way or another. The girl isn't stupid, however, and knows she cannot accomplish this alone, which is why she has sent out a request to every hidden shinobi village. The young Princess Hana needs four brave and powerful shinobi to accompany her on her mission to slay Ochu.

Of course, the princess understands that it's a daunting task, but she also knows that the reward will entice almost anyone, as being a princess grants Hana access to the royal treasury. Not to mention the amount of treasure Ochu has accumulated over the years, all hidden in his lair, a spacious cavern set high in the side of the Land of Claw volcano.

Location: Land of Claw

Rules: Only four ninja are needed, first come first served.

Fighting with enemy shinobi is prohibited, even if you end up on a team with them. Hana doesn't care which villages you are hostile to, she just wants everyone to focus on the mission at hand.

The event is open to anybody C-Ranked or above, but i'd recommend having a number of B-Rank abilities if you plan on participating.

Event is DE, of course. Do your best~

IIC Length: 2 days.

Rewards: 40,000 Ryo and a bunch of treasure from Ochu's lair, depending on what Hana wants to keep. The treasure will range from weapons to scrolls to items.

NPCs:

Princess Hana

Age: 19
Gender: Female
Rank: A
Occupation: Brave princess, ninjutsu/taijutsu specialist.

Ochu the Dragon

Age: 5021
Gender: Male
Rank: S
Occupation: Mighty lizard, hoarder of treasure, master of many techniques.

(Posting order decided upon arrival of participants~)

A warm, peaceful day set an unusual scene for what was sure to be a bloody battle. The Princess sat on a boulder, rubbing gently at her bejewelled sword with a cloth until it shone in the sunlight. A small smile graced her countenance as she admired her reflection in the deadly metal.
"I wonder... Am i really strong enough to take on this task?" Hana murmured to herself, sliding the sword into the scabbard hanging from her belt and standing up, stretching her slender arms above her head and sighing deeply.
"I must, at any rate. For Fai." She said, her face taking on an expression of determination.

The great volcano loomed in the background, and near the top lay Ochu, the terrible dragon of legend. Before long, Hana and her brave companions would be challenging his might. Would they succeed against such a fearsome foe? Only time, and the might of the participants could decide the outcome.

The location having been detailed in the mission she sent out, all the young royal could do was wait, wait for the shinobi to arrive, and wait for her revenge.

[+Karakurigami-]

The lavendar-maned Sakurai yawned. Dragon-slaying. Yay. He felt like a monumental moron for joining up in such a quest, since he'd come to Claw to relax in a foreign location, but...well, Suzaku had never been very good at saying no to a pretty girl. Here was a damsel in distress after all, and any good Teishu will do whatever it takes to make a woman happy - client or not.

He hadn't been certain there actually WERE true dragons that yet lived in this reality, only summoning families from...wherever summons lived when not here. But if what he'd heard of the few dragons allegedly still around, it was nothing he wanted a lady to go against alone.

He unconsciously emitted an aura of chakra from his hand as it came to rest on the razor hilt of his intimate weapon of admittedly distasteful violence, silver-eyed gaze falling across a beautiful woman, with a blade that re;flected light like a mirror. She looked so...sad. And small wonder, seeing as she was on a nearly suicidal quest for vengeance. He knew deep down he wasn't strong enough to protect her, not fully, but he could support her. His elegant ninjutsu were quite strong when used right, despite their lesser strength ranking. Unfortunately what little taijutsu he posessed served purposes of self-defense, and would be of no use in guarding the princess or damaging the dragon Ochu. He hoped more would come, that might lend their aid in a different manner.

"Hail...m'lady."

[The Heron]

[ Enter ]

I rode in from the east, pose relaxed upon Kanizurai's broad maroon back. We'd only been trotting along thus far, but when the duo came into view Kanizurai cut into a sprint - even now the wind splayed through my sun-kissed blond locks, my hair no longer restrained by my hitai-aite. It was tied to my left bicep, an elegant slash running through its middle. I still wore the matte chuunin vest granted to me by Shin, and a pair of smoke colored camo cargo's, my feet entrenched in thick black ninja sandals. My ninjaken, Suijin, lay horizontally across my back in her sheath.

Kanizurai slowed as we grew near, finally coming to a stop a scant ten meters from a swordswoman and a lavender haired lad. They stood near a boulder in the shadow of a vast volcano - I felt comfortable around the rocky crags, giving my vast skill with Doton chakras.

"'Lo." I said by way of greeting. Benihime's ebony hilt extended past my shoulder, twenty four shimmering red beads dangling down near my ear. Her malignant energy was palpable.

"Hello." Kanizurai mimicked, tone melodious, her pearl blue, jeweled eyes roving around the locale before bearing down upon the pint-sized humans before her.

[/blockquote]

[otakulegend]

[Enter]

After spending some time searching around town, I finally gained some info about a woman who sat at the base of a volcano as if waiting for something. I did not know what she wanted but I decided it would be best to head there and question her, if anything I might find out some more information. Leaving past the gates of the capitol, I made my way to the base of the volcano which resided quite a distance from town. It was only as I was traveling that I realized, I had been told the most vague directions ever seeing as how "Base of the volcano" meant the entire base which expanded around the entire volcano.

With a sigh, I pushed that thought aside for now and simply headed forth towards the volcano in hopes of finding this woman. Dashing through the trees at breakneck speeds, I soon came upon a small clearing before the base of the mountain. Within the distance I noticed a woman sitting upon a boulder with sword in hand. Not too far from her position stood a lavender haired boy and to my much surprise, within the distance was a man riding a giant crab. In all my years, I had never seen such an odd means of transportation but I digress as I make my way up to the woman sitting atop a boulder.

Once I stood about 3 meters away from the boulder, I would begin my interrogation of sorts. Truthfully, I did not know the reason for myself and these others being here and I was probably the only one who didn't. I had come here upon a rumor so the amount of data I had on the current situation was nil. Seeing as how this woman was the main focus point of the rumor, she would surely know what was going on.

"Oya, oya, how did I end up here? Oh and what are you all waiting for?"

Oh how I simply loved being the odd one out.

[» Comatose]

[Enter]

With a clamorous boom of steps marked by the disheveling of the ground underneath a booted foot I made my entrance -- quite grandiosely. My eyes would transfix their gaze on the group of four people who had seemingly made it to this very destination before me. I had immediately recognized two of them, the one riding the crab was someone whom I had met in battle before, and the other was my very ninja. The other two I did not recognize, though I did know that the female was the actual contact for the mission.

My hands folded about my chest as I walked and took a position adjacent Lucis, a brief nod needing to be my only acknowledgment of he, I was more focused on my former adversary.

"You."

[daisy]

1 - Daisy
2 - Suzaku
3 - Benihime
4 - Yuri
5 - Coma

It didn't take long for her new comrades-in-arms to arrive. Four more different men Hana had never seen, but for the most part, they seemed capable and experienced. The princess bowed stiffly to the first arrival, who greeted her respectfully. Strange, purple hair adorned his crown, and Hana could tell this one hadn't seen much combat. She couldn't help but think his death was probable. The second arrival, however, was entirely different, arriving on the back of a crab. The princess showed no signs of surprise, although the method of transport was undoubtedly bizarre. Swords and summons, it seemed, and Hana was sure this one was strong. She nodded to him, before the third arrived.

"You... do not know the details of the mission? If you are not meant to be here, i'd request you leave, but if you are, then please refrain from fooling around." Hana said coldly. She did not seek to insult the boy, but she could not view this mission with anything but the utmost seriousness. The princess turned away from the dark-haired boy, and lay her eyes upon the final participant. However, his attention seemed not to be on her, and the mission, but rather on another of the men present.
"It appears you know one another. If you have any personal issues, i'd request you kept them to yourselves for the duration of the mission." The princess said, her vivid blue eyes radiating authority.

Her gaze sweeping the assembled shinobi one last time, Hana felt a little better about the mission. They could do it, they really could.
"My name is Hana. That's all you will need to know of me. You have come here today to help me in my mission, that is, defeating the dragon who rules this land. Our aim is very simple. We will come upon the dragon, known as Ochu, shortly upon ascending this volcano, and when that happens, we will strike with our combined might, and bring him down, understood?" The princess said, her voice clear and unwavering. Without waiting for a response, the young royal turned on her heel and began marching away from the group, her steps crunching on the rock underfoot as she began the climb. They were shinobi, a small hike was nothing.

The real challenge would begin when they reached the dragon's lair.

[The Heron]

I had noticed his scent on the winds before he came into view - it was the only thing that allowed me to cool my anger and suppress Benihime's murderous urges.

“Such eloquence displayed by the great Len’autre Asato.” I had not forgotten the name of the man who’d meddled with my mind.

I wanted to kill him.

“Kanizurai, keep an eye on our friend,” I whispered into her ear. She nodded her acquiescence, one single stalked eye swiveling around to lock onto its ‘target’, her unblinking gaze both eerie and unnerving.

Then the woman spoke – spoke as if she had some sort of control over me. I could hardly stifle my laugh; if I chose to kill him for what he’d done to me, nothing she could do or say would stop me. I realized, in the following moments, that this woman was highly presumptuous; after she revealed her name and our task she set off, assuming that we would follow. Such was the arrogance of nobility.

“It will be chaos, Hana-chan, unless we develop some sort of strategy.” I yelled to her as she began to walk away. “ If all it took was the combined might of three and a half strong humans to fell the dragon Ochu, he would have seen his end ages ago.“

Idiot-girl.

[/blockquote]

[+Karakurigami-]

The purple-maned Sakurai followed. May as well. He did not want to stand between the murderous urges flowing between this Len'autre and the man on the crab. What was with that anyway? He'd seen horses, goats and even some oddities such as turtles, but never had the silver-eyed boy seen anything so strange as a giant crab for a mount, let alone one who spoke. For the sake of courtesy he turned quickly and gave a slight bow in the crab-man's direction, echoing a polite "Hail." The man and beast could assume among themselves whether it was adressed to one or both, since it was more of a general adress in the first place. Besides, most animals weren't kind enough to greet you before eating you so why not return favors?

The princess's haughty speech grated a tad on the nerves of everyone, but Suzaku himself was used to her type. Imperious, demanding, perhaps a bit selfish and certainly shortsighted. Though this was the first woman he'd met with such as her birthright. He knew though it was aimed mostly at him. He knew he had a good chance at death, but that was unimportant. He was there to support her only, not to die. If he felt the group was better off without him there he would leave. Dragons had been known to hoard treasures beyond imagining, but his own life, as well as the lives of his now-companions, meant more to him than a bit of money. Besides, he served the greatest usefulness attacking from the rear anyway. If the others - particularly the Crab Swordsman as Suzaku had mentally dubbed the man, were able to keep the dragon from getting close to him, he would be able to use his paralyzing Sakurai Petals to great effect without distraction. He should probably say something about that.

"Just see if you can keep it away from me so I can use my jutsu undistracted." He wouldn't be specific as to his origins. Keeping ones bloodline secret unless it becomes specifically relevent can mean the difference between life and death. "Name's Suzaku by the way."

"We can strategize on the way," he called back to the others as he followed after the princess. "It's gonna be a long, long climb to wherever Ochu hides."

[otakulegend]

A simple nod back to Asato quietly hid my surprise to see him here, in the exact same situation I was in though he was probably more knowledgeable of the circumstances. It would seem however, there was a bit of tension between Asato and this odd crab riding man. Whatever their histories was, I felt it was best I did not get between them or I might get caught in the crossfire.

Moving my attention back to the woman, it would seem I had already gotten on the "Hime's" bad side; whether that was good or bad I could not tell for now.

"I apologize." I said as I placed both hands together, waving them back and forth asking for her forgiveness.

After being the only one unknown to the mission details, Hana-hime finally explained the details of the mission filling me in on all the parts I had missed. Killing a dragon did not bother me much but the lack of a plan, however, did worry me quite a bit. I did not care for what we were attempting to kill as long as some kind of plan was set in motion to at least guarantee my safety; and my teammates if we had time. Hana-hime's trek towards the Volcano would force me to do same but not before saying a few words to Asato as I walked pass him.

"I have this innate feeling that crab guy does not like you." A light chuckle signifying my poking fun of the current situation.

[» Comatose]

My own instinctual stubbornness was overridden, as my eyes averted from the the young Kiri ninja, and toward Hana -- the proprietor. The young Kiri genin, seemingly peeved, had seemed to misunderstand the true nature of things. Hana of noble blood had been given an innate power given simply by birthright. The right to be worshiped and hailed on by the masses. Even now, where the tides were truncated, our combined might stronger than hers, no matter how much we all attempted to exit her sphere of influence she held a sort of invisible power over us. I followed blindly to it, not caring in the slightest about other things -- not that even under normal circumstances I would have.

"If you only understood how much." I muttered to Lucis who walked passed me to comment on the near rivalry, a smirk developing about the expanse of my lips as we all began to scale the summit of this would-be Volcano.

[daisy]

"Strategy?" Hana murmured, hearing the footsteps of all but one person following her.
"All the strategy in the world won't save us from Ochu. His slightest move could rip even the most carefully laid plans to shreds. Truly, the only way to confront this beast is with our utmost courage, strength and determination. You don't have a problem with battling with no strategy, do you? I mean, as a shinobi, surely you can simply adapt as the situation progresses?" The princess would say all this as she walked, her tone even and calm, although maybe a touch arrogant, as she had been taught to speak from birth. Regardless of how the shinobi thought, Hana knew that they were bound by the task they had agreed on undertaking. That was the ninja way, after all, the success of the mission above all else. Her feet would move elegantly and surely amongst the rock strewn surface, her eyes focused on the point near the top of the volcano, where she knew Ochu lay in wait.

"I value your opinion, shinobi, truly, as i know you have seen more battle than i," Hana began, her tone betraying no emotion, "and if you truly must have strategy, then i am open to suggestions. However, i stand by my earlier statement. Planning a way to fight this dragon would be as futile as planning how to walk through a minefield. In the same way you simply couldn't know the location of the mines, one cannot fathom Ochu's actions. In the same way your plans to avoid harm would be unsuccessful at best, one cannot plan to avoid such strong and inevitably devastating attacks." The princess continued, one hand gesturing alongside her eloquent words. Any reactions behind the girl would be ignored, and further arguments dissuaded, as Hana's attention turned entirely to thoughts of revenge, as the group proceeded further and further up the volcano's craggy side.

[+Karakurigami-]

Suzaku gazed balefully, almost tiredly, at the princess's back. He had great respect for women, but this was insane. What fool doesn't have at least have a basic plan? Admittedly most were srangers to eachother but for the Snow shinobi who seemed obviously to know his comrade and the Crab Swordsman. There was definite enmity between the two, but it looked as though they were willing to set things aside temporarily.

"Excuse me m'lady but...while I understand that carefully laid plans will almost certainly get us nowhere, it wouldn't it be smart to at least understand eachother's capabilities enough to work together? A basic skeleton of a plan is more effective than you might think, easy to adapt. I'll start us off even: as long as somebody is guarding me, I can gradually paralyze the beast with lightning. I also have some small talent in the use of fire, thoughI don't think it will be as usefull against a dragon as strong as Ochu supposedly is. At my current level, I'm essentially here for support."

He continued to walk, fully expecting that if his idea were to be considered, it would be dscussed on the move - there was a long path ahead of them.

[The Heron]

I withheld a sigh – no, this one was not a shinobi… not a shinobi at all. But, the timbre of her words struck a cord inside of me, and, despite my annoyance, I decided to grant her some semblance of the respect someone of her stature deserved. I was more excited to fell a dragon than annoyed at her arrogance – and how could I be annoyed, when my own arrogance superseded hers?

Perhaps, if she were ugly, I’d be more peeved.

Within seconds Kanizurai had moved to break even with Hana; I leaned down towards her, blond locks falling over my face. I parted my lips to speak, but another beat me to the punch; I released my sigh as he spoke, softly shaking my head from left to right. What have I gotten myself into?

“You seem to speak from experience, Hana-hime.” I said into the silence. “I cannot offer a strategy against a beast I know nothing of.”

[otakulegend]

Trailing behind Hana, this serious conversation about how to kill a dragon or whatnot was something I chose to keep out of. I had no experience fighting such a beast and seeing as how Hana spoke of no strategy working upon the beast, I guessed there wouldn't be one. Obviously it also meant that once the battle started, I would just have to wing it and see just how I do. If I die, well obviously I was just not good enough. The mere thought of such a battle really weighed heavy on my mind causing a sigh to escape past my lips. I didn't want to die just yet, there was so much more I wished to do like carve a sculpture out of ice or sneak into the girls shower room.

Pushing my thoughts of my regrets if I were to die for a minute, I realized that as we continued forth up the mountain, I started to get ridiculously bored and tired. This in turn would cause me to ask something every member of this group would surely hate; "Are we there yet?" If someone were to answer "No", approximately 5 minutes later I would ask the question yet again. If yet again the answer was "No", I would continue to ask the same question every 5 minutes. In the beginning I truly wanted to know if we had reached the destination but after the second time, I just continued to ask in order to annoy the others.

[» Comatose]

My companion and I like-minded I said nothing during the time we spent hiking the summit of the would-be volcano toward Ochu's lair. Keeping my comments on the stratagem to myself, I found myself contemplating how we would fell the dragon. Surely it's sheer size would pose an impending problem, but what of the other fairy tail rumors of the dragon? I myself had come to know that at least two of the rumors were true -- dragon's scales were near impenetrable, and they breathed fire. I had fought a dragon, rather a wyvern before when I was still a lowly genin and I couldn't even touch it.

How will I fare now?

I did well to stop myself from sealing Lucis mouth shut, ignoring his constant nagging.

[daisy]

They had covered ground well. Before too long, revenge would be within reach. The princess chose to ignore the lavender-haired boy, and his mumblings about his most likely useless techniques, her arrogance winning over her politeness. However, she was surprised when the crab-riding swordsman approached her, and offered what could almost be considered an apology. A small smile graced Hana's lips, and she replied while keeping her eyes on the path before them.
"In all honesty, i have no more experience in fighting dragons than you do. Perhaps less, as i'd imagine your occupation as shinobi may have thrown you into such encounters previously. My meagre knowledge comes from watching my brother and his men fight, and Ochu tore them apart. They were famous for their perfectly executed strategies and formations, yet they were still destroyed. It is for this reason that i regard strategy against this beast with contempt. I hope you understand." The young royal explained.

She then paused and turned to the rest of the group, gesturing up ahead.
"We are close. Can you feel the trembling in the ground? That is likely caused simply by Ochu breathing. Perhaps he is asleep... At any rate, be prepared. We shall come upon our foe shortly." With that statement, Hana turned and continued walking, Ochu's lair directly ahead.

[The Heron]

I was waiting on Suzaku, but I suppose I may was well post.

One of the men assembled – I knew not his name – hounded us all with question after question, his inquiries never straying from one annoying constant.

“Are we there yet?” He asked yet again. I growled low in my throat, proceeding to thoroughly ignore him. After a few minutes, I forgot he was even there…

So she has seen the beast. She was right – I had fought monsters before; beasts that hailed from realms where men dare not wander. But, I wondered, could those beasts have stood against a dragon? No, I decided, after Hana explained the rumbling of the earth to be the snores of Ochu; those beasts would not have stood against a dragon. Not for very long.

“Kanizura,” I began, slipping down her back to the ground, “return home, and tell your father that I will have need of him very soon.”

She nodded her acquiescence, disappearing with a soft *pop* and a burst of smoke. I felt odd without her familiar presence beneath me – to compensate, I drew Benihime from her sheath, shuddering as the contact sparked a surging flame of emotion.

“Soon,” I whispered to the sword.

[otakulegend]

[OOC: Suzaku can post whenever he can. I am tired of waiting. xP]

As my question had been answered, I chose to stop my nagging as soon as it was. I simply continued the trek up the mountain, the sudden shaking of the ground explained to me by Hana as "Ochu breathing" being a bit of a shock.

Soon, a sudden burst of smoke would avert my attention though only for a moment. What really caught my attention is the crab swordsman drawing his blade, preparing for battle.

Just as he prepared, so would I as I inhaled before exhaling, releasing a fine mist into the vicinity. All within my abilities radius, 10 meters, would soon feel the temperature of the area begin to drop just enough to send chills. Within this mist, all types of movement are known to me; nothing is hidden.

"It seems we have yet to introduce ourselves besides Hana. I'll take the initiative and you may call me Lucis."

[+Karakurigami-]

OOC: Sorry but I've been...unable to use the computer. Anyway after this I'm unlikely to have use for another week or so. Past that pesky 2 day IIC i'm gonna have to have somebody move me. Am I allowed to aske for that, anyway? Whatever, anyway I intro'd myself waaaaay up there in my second post.

IC: NObody had introduced themselves? Gee, how grand. Suzaku felt entirely superfluous. He'd introduced himself earlier! Sort of...he'd given no surname anyway, but he'd civen out his first. He'd made mentionings of strategem - the one thing he WAS strong in at this time - and had not even been given the effort of acknowledgement, even denial. His eyebrow twitched slightly. Suzaku considered himself a patient person, but his patience was being SORELY tested. Still, he may as well give it another attempt, not that these rediculously high-and-mighty shinobi would give a damn. If you didn't wear a headband and weren't giving them money youy were trash to them! And the princess was even worse!

"I'm Suzaku. Again." He said, though the last part he'd muttered under his breath...

[» Comatose]

Introductions and formalities were a mere facade of familiarity, something I had no need for. Though I was theologically interested in Hana's innate gift, I had realized that her, and the one shinobi I had not known of the three were simply single serving acquaintances. Better I not tell them my name and rank anyway, considering the nature of my rank.

"Names? . . " My voice stopped, almost seemingly offended by the action. "What Shinobi would give his most precious gift away to just anybody?"

With a shake of my head I continued to follow the group, my own pace a bit slower than theirs resulting in my tailing them -- though I liked it better that way.

" -- Where is this beast? "