A Simple Patrol (C-Rank Mission)

Mission Name: Simple Patrol
Rank: C
Type: Patrol
Client: Clan-Leader
Exp/Ryo Reward: 600 Ryo
Mission Description: The Clanleader as received information regarding various minor thugs milling about around the borders. They're not significant enough to waste more valuable ninja on, so they send the lesser ninja. The thugs will provide SOME challenge for them at least.
Location: Snake Isle River
Additional Information: There are about 5 thugs spread out over a distance. Best to pick them off one at a time.
Eligible Members: Senju

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Morpheus had taken a lesser mission, despite his better judgment. He hadn't trained in the last couple of days, nor had he even bothered to brush up on the basics of combat but, nonetheless, he needed the money. Pocket change was always good to have, even if he barely had the skill to get it done. Of course, there was another reason. He had to provide for his clan. He was at that age and skill (despite just BARELY scraping by on that last part) where he needed to work. He had to do it or else he was just proving everyone else right about him. Reluctantly, Morpheus set out into the wilderness, following the trail that lead to the Snake-Isle River. Apparently, some goons had 'set up shop' along the roads leading out of there on the Senju side and the Clan-Leader wanted them gone. Understandable. No one wants untrained, violent vagrants messing with the trade that comes through there. It didn't take long before Morpheus saw the first of the thugs wandering about in the road, looking about as bored as Morpheus was nervous. Each of them carried massive, crude weapons, things like a large wooden plank on a handle and an iron, spiked ball on a stick. Truly, these men were a sharp contrast to what made the ninja such a deadly force in today's world. Quick, precise, stabby. These men were not at all stabby. They were the kind of men that would hit you over the head over and over, hoping you'd stay down. They didn't look that fast at all either, what with their huge, towering forms and massive weapons, they'd be easy to outmanuver if he was forced to engage them. The very thought of spilling the blood of anything, even if it were a crude, pitiless bandit chilled Morpheus. The color of blood was nausiating on his own to the *ahem* ninja , not to mention the act of spilling it all over the ground by his own hand. The brown-haired, Red-eyed senju prayed to whatever deity that existed, hoping he wouldn't have to do that today. He approached the two vagrents, putting on his innocent, friendly smile. Making the hearts of people melt like chocolate was one way to avoid the combat Morpheus dreaded and was his first line of defense. One saw the 15 year-old approaching and knocked his partner's shoulder, getting his attention before nodding at the approaching kid. A sort of grin arced across their faces, one a bully might wear before spitting out an insult concocted for the soul purpose of ruining the day of some innocent child. They loomed over Morpheus and he smiled up at them. Neither said anything for a moment, the goons trying in vain to intimidate the kid that stood before them.

"Go home, kid." One of them said, his voice low with some kind of accent Morph couldn't identify right away. The other said nothing and continued his looming. Morpheus's smile dropped, his eyes grew wide in something of a puppy-dog stare. Of course, all this was an act, an attempt to lower their guard to the point where Morpheus could discern whether he could talk his way through this. Their smiles only grew larger at his expression and Morpheus shivered on the inside. They were so creepy...

"I have to deliver this letter, though...." Morpheus protested, holding up a white, folded piece of paper up to the goons. They laughed and one of the knelt down so that he was now looking up at Morpheus, his eyes full of obviously fake concern.

"Well, ya see..." The kneeling thug spoke in a whisper, as if he were telling a secret to his son (if he had one). "There's a toll for that kind of thing. Sort of a... merchant's tax and that involves letters. So! Here's what I can do! You pay the toll, and we'll let ya by so you can deliver that letter!" The thug patted Morpheus on the top of his shoulders before standing back to his full, hulking height. Morpheus decided that they wouldn't just leave or let him by so... he was going to have to fight. He smiled brightly up at the thug who'd talked to him before throwing a quick low kick to his ankle, cracking it sideways with a sickening crunch that almost make the ninja throw up right there. They may have been big, but they weren't that tough as evidenced by the scream that he made before he went down. He climbed atop the man as he thrashed, attempting to knock him unconscious and stop his screams before they could haunt him. He would have help with that, it seemed, fore behind him the other thug was raising his board-on-a-stick above his head, trying to take aim at Morph's.

"You BRAT!" He roared as he swung his stick down. Morpheus turned his head behind him and, seeing the stick coming down, threw himself off quickly, rolling away a few feet before getting to his feet. The board had struck his partner's head instead, knocking him out and stopping the screams, much to Morpheus's relief and to his partner's frustration. "CRAP!" He cursed loudly, turning in Morpheus' direction and charging at him, stick raised to batter him senseless. Behind him stood a great oak tree, more than hard enough to knock this man's screw loose. Waiting 'till the very last moment, Morpheus threw himself to the side once again, leaving a clear path for the behemoth of a man to crash into. Well, he did and with no loss in momentum. His head smashed right into the rough bark of the oak tree, the wood crunching just a slight bit under the impact force of the blow. He,too, fell to the ground, leaving Morpheus shivering, but smiling a few feet away from the carnage. Well, that wasn't too bad.... they did most of the work for him so...

ANYWAY, Morpheus was told there were 5 bandits polluting the roads. Well, now it was 3 so his job was a little bit easier now. He continued down the road, following the riverbank, smiling at the calming sounds of a babbling brook, singing birds and rustling leaves. Nature could be the most peaceful thing in the world sometimes. Other times, it turned people against each other for arbitrary reasons and got their their kin killed as a result but... ya know... its easy to forget the other side of the coin when one was experiencing this one. And just like that, his peace was interrupted. The remaining three bandits. They stood about 20 yards ahead of him. Two of them were giants like the last two, each carrying a fitting huge weapon but the other one, the one in the middle receiving some kind of report from the other two, he was smaller, about normal man-size. He had a heavy stubble on him and hand an eyepatch over his left eye. He dawned some kind of metal armor and held a katana in his right palm, as if he were going to draw it at any moment. The one in the middle looked up, noticing Morpheus' movement and squinted, as if analyzing the boy. The other two men hadn't noticed the sanguine-eyed kid yet, even as Morpheus walked, closer, his warm, innocent smile back on his face.

"Hey Kid." The stubbled man spoke loudly. It wasn't a yell or a roar, just an assertive two words spoke at a great volume. The two towering men turned quickly weapons raised as they stared stupidly at Morpheus were there at all.

"Hey....." One of them said as he scratched his head. "How'd dat kid get past Howsy and Dez?" The other just shrugged his shoulders and began to advance.

"No." The stubbled man spoke again and the two men halted mid stride as if frozen in time. "Let the boy come forward." Both guards stopped their advance and stood at attention, facing each other. Morpheus walked forward, suspicious of why the man called him up. He tried scanning his face for some kind of purpose but it gave nothing away. They were cold, stony, analytical. Morpheus stopped about 3 feet away from the man and looked up at him, his puppy-dog eyes in full effect. "You're something to have gotten past my colleagues." The stubbled-man commented.

"I just want to deliver a letter, sir." Morpheus mumbled softly, attempting to make it appear as if he were deathly afraid of the man and his sword. If he was pleased with this reaction, his face didn't show it. His goons on either side of him, however, they were giggling like two students trading teacher jokes. The man raised an eyebrow, but didn't show any other signs of emotion.

"I see... And what if that letter didn't get delivered?" He asked, popping his sword out of it's sheath with his thumb. Morpheus was no fool and noticed the blade. It was all he could do not to sweat. The goons seemed to know what this "signal" meant and formed up behind the kid, their weapons raised. "I guess we'll find out." One goon grabbed Morpheus's shoulder in an attempt to steer him away, but he wasn't having it. He smashed his elbow into the man's chest, between his lower ribs which caused him to crumple to the ground. Again, untrained, slow, and not tough. The other raised his weapon to strike the kid, but he-to was too slow. Morpheus turned to him, kicked him in the knee, just as he did before and JUST AS BEFORE, he fell on his back, clutching knee and wailing. Throughout all of this, the man did nothing. He just watched as Morpheus took down his henchmen, a calculating frown on his face. When that was done, Morpheus pulled out the supposed letter and handed it to the man, smiling warmly.

"Here you go!" He said cheerfully. "The letter. It's been delivered. Oh, go ahead! Open it!"  Whether to humor him or not, the man took the paper and unfolded it, reading it's 10 word contents scribbled on. 'you are going to die. more ninja on the way.' it read. The man's expression didn't change as he slowly folded the paper back and tucked it into his pocket.

"Message received." The man croaked before walking out into the brush and disappearing from sight. Satisfied, Morpheus made his way back in the direction of the Valley of Eternal Blossoms, ready for some good food, some bad laughs, and some sleep, no doubt going to be filled with the screams of the men he just crushed. Yup. The pay was worth it. He frowned as he headed back home.

(EXIT)

(Wordcount: 1794)


Claiming mah 600 ryo from mah mission and 1500 exp for all the combat and analysis and stuffs :3