Mission: Scourge of the Thieves

[Saiyuki]

SPOILER: Click to show

Name: Bandits in the bushes!
Rank: C
IIC Length: 1 Day
Difficulty: Moderate
Description: Vicious bandits have begun preying upon simple merchants plying their trade along the Tanzanaki road within Ame No Kuni. The road runs through all the major intersections in the country and is vital to the economic stability of the nation. Yet these bandits ambush merchants along a certain stretch of the road from the cover of bushes! Slay or apprehend these vagabounds and make the roads safe! Beware one is rumoured to be a former shinobi of Amekagure.....
Objective: Apprehend or slay the vicious bandits who prowl on Tanzanaki Road
Reward: 1,500 Ryo

Akira smiled under his straw hat as he walked out, finished with his many preparations, and dressed as a simple wanderer. Not that it was too hard to do. After all, that was what he had been doing for many years. But now it was not to simply wander. After all, he had to take care of some bandits that he heard were attacking some of the merchants coming to Ame no Kuni. In order to protect the country’s people, he was sent to take care of these bandits. He walked by himself, so to make himself more of a target. He carried two bags with him, so the bandits would tell that he was someone with items to steal. He looked at the dark stormy sky. The rain was going to get stronger now. And that was a bit of a good thing. After all, while he had to be noticeable, he did not want too many targets at a time.

I have to use myself as bait. In this weather, there should be a few bandits prowling around, but I heard the majority of them were not here, nor do they come out unless they are sure. But still, there must be some fool willing to attack me...

And so, with this plan in mind, Akira made his way down the road. He kept his head down, so that no one would be able to recognize him, though there did not seem to be anybody at the moment. Akira kept walking along. After a while, he decided to check his bag. While doing so, he secretly made a few hand signs. In doing so, he located a lone prowler some twenty meters away from him. With an unsuspecting air, he finished checking his bag and made his way forward. After ten or so more minutes of walking, something unexpected happened. Akira fell forward, his foot having hit a rock. His bags flew a little ahead of him as he tried to get up. However, he was met with a blade to his neck. He made no try to move after that. He heard a rough voice speak to him a few seconds later.

“Get up and I’ll bleed your neck out. Now bury your face into the mud and stay there for five minutes until I’m out of here.

“Wait, you don’t understand. These bags are a tribute to your leader...I heard of the great rogue shinobi who dares to defy that bastard Feudal Lord. Please, can I go with you?”

“You filthy dog! A fool like you wants to meet him?! Come back when you got more than these two bags!”

“No...please.”

The man kicked at Akira’s face, knocking him down. Akira got back up, curiously without any mark on his face, but the man did not notice as Akira’s head was hidden by his large straw hat. The man gave an exasperated sigh and gave a grunt of approval. Akira then gave his thanks and proceeded to walk with the man, though the man was careful enough to point a blade at Akira’s back as they walked. The two made their way through a dense forest, carefully navigating through the vines and roots of the overgrown forest, under the direction of the bandit. Then, the bandit suddenly told Akira to stop. He tripped Akira and slammed him down face first into the dirt. Then the bandit quickly turned, kicked away some bushes, actually made a few hand seals, and then dragged Akira down into the hole was there, leading into the hideout of the bandits.

[Saiyuki]

Some lights flickered on. Some clothes rustled as people moved in to see. A bag was over Akira’s head as he was unceremoniously thrown into the hard floor. He could feel several people gathering around him. But only one of them had the presence, the aura of a shinobi. Akira could feel it, especially in this room of amateurs. Then he was forced to sit up and had the bag ripped off. The room was cloaked in darkness, lit only by a few torches. Akira could see the body of a man sitting on a chair ahead of him. Two blades were at his neck and several spears were about to stab into his body. Akira had to hand it to them. These people were both vicious and careful. The man on the chair gave a deep chuckle as he stared at Akira with cold eyes.

“So why has a fool like you decided to come to us?”

“I have information…on the Feudal Lord, the bastard who cruelly executed my brother simply because he brought in something of a lower quality. Please, let me avenge him!”

Akira’s eyes shone with hatred, and the man sitting on the chair could notice that. So he laughed again and clapped his hands a few times. The men who were threatening him suddenly backed off, though Akira could still feel that they were being very wary.

“Let’s go. I received information that there is a special envoy coming along soon. We’ll let you see how well you can do against the guards there. Everyone, move out!”

The men and Akira nodded. They all began climbing out of the hole, though Akira noticed that some of them were going to different passages. It seemed that they had multiple exits. The group moved, separated from each other, but could still signal to each other. Akira gave a little credit to them with this. It would be hard to take them all out at once. After a while, the group made it to a road and then started to set up their ambush. They worked quickly and silently. It was just another catch to them. The leader did not even do anything, merely watching on as his men prepared. Soon enough, they were done. Everyone, including Akira, moved into their respective ambush positions. There were not that many men at each ambush post. However, the leader and two men were with Akira. The young Kaishin grinned to himself.

So they don’t trust me after all. Well, this might make things a little complicated.

[Saiyuki]

After a short while, Akira could hear the carriage coming along. He could feel the bandit’s calmness. They were poised, ready to strike. There was not even the least bit of nervousness or hesitation in them. Then the carriage started approaching them, being held by 4 strong looking men, though their faces could not be seen. Akira put his hands in the bushes, but the leader put his hand on Akira’s shoulder, perhaps with more of a reason than just holding him back. Then, the attackers burst out of their ambush and stabbed into the bodies of the guards. They coughed up blood, but then suddenly dissolved into water. They were shocked and could not recover in time to escape the huge explosion from the carriage, having contained explosives given to Akira as the merchants’ way of saying thanks for coming to help them against these bandits.

“A trap?! I should have known better than to...!!!”

Akira had disappeared. All that the leader was holding on to was simply a block of wood that had a part that felt like a shoulder. Suddenly, thick mist started forming, causing a little chaos within the formations of the bandits and leading to them retreat from their positions, though they did not know where to retreat to. In the middle of the road, where nobody could see him, Akira gracefully appeared, with his hands in the air as a torrent of water formed around him. He had his eyes closed as he had already performed his Sonar technique, and therefore knew the locations of everybody. Water formed into ice and Akira aimed them at the scattering bandits. A storm of five hundred needles were shot out from all around Akira, aiming to fell every single last bandit. In mere seconds, Akira could feel their bodies hitting the ground. However, his Sonar technique also told him one more thing. It was that the leader used his subordinates’ bodies to save him.

“Don’t think you can hide in this mist!”

It seemed that the man could also use the Sonar technique or something of the kind. He was starting to move towards Akira at a frightening speed. Wind gathered around his arm as he shot it straight into Akira’s heart. A spurt of blood shot from Akira’s mouth while he gasped. Then he smiled, shocking the bandit before he dissolved into water. Akira then landed behind him, his eagle turning back into water as he finished the hand seals for another technique. But it was already too late. Akira mouthed the words ‘good bye’ as a field of ice stretched out from his body and kept extending. The man’s legs were frozen first, but he could not move, and he was too far to attack Akira. And then, he froze, completely. Akira smiled as he dispelled the mist. He turned and left the scene of carnage and ice behind him as he headed back to Amegakure no Sato.