Securing Assets (Repeatable):

ON MY WAY

Some people get really excited when they finish the shinobi academy in Kirigakure. As a matter of fact, the hardships that one has to endure are definitely a reason to be at least "cheered up" once one is done with it. Mura of course was deadly apathetical to his own achievements. Neither happy nor sad, the first thing he wanted to do is complete a mission for his dear village. To him it didn't matter what kind of mission as long as it was beneficial to the higher ranking officials.

Mura went through what was expected from him inside his head - "So.. I will need to go that old abandoned mine. Huh, I remember when I almost got exiled there because of my..parents." The thought of his dead parents did not stop his mental process. Instead, he realized that he is already heading towards the designated place. There was even a little smile on his face, so little that the medical ninjas could not possibly observe it even under a microscope. This is maybe the "greatest" emotion he was capable of expressing (or feeling). Nevertheless, the very fact that he is actually en route to proving himself as an honorable warrior was making him walk faster; he was also expecting great battles in one of the darkest and scariest places which could be found around that area.

The setting engulfing Mura was typical for Kirigakure no Sato - misty, quiet, and terrifyingly(for some) calm. He was away from the inner parts of the village, therefore he was also away from all the commotion that regular folk cause. Such tranquility was particularly enjoyable to the shinobi. Mura decided that he ought to walk slower than he had just a few seconds before. "You never know when the ability to enjoy the quiet will be abruptly taken away from you, do you?" He was thinking out loud, mumbling behind his teeth.  

WC: 320

His slow stroll eventually led him to the mine. The entrance was laid between two tall sharp rocks, which were typical for the landscape of Kirigakure no Sato. Not typical in the picture in front of the shinobi was the supposedly abandoned mine's entrance. There was nothing wrong with the entrance itself, however, there were signs of human presence. One could immediately locate the footsteps in front of the entrance, which were quite mixed up: it was impossible to determine how many people had been there. Another sign, quite disturbing, was the trail which is usually left on the ground after a body has been dragged there. To top of the inadequate setting of an abandoned mine, Mura could also spot little trails of blood, which followed the trail of the supposedly dragged body.
"Well, I guess my mission could be a bit more challenging than expected. Unless the ones that have been here are already gone.. then I could just accomplish my mission and see to my duties as quickly as possible." There was one problem. Mura did not have a light. Therefore, he went to the closest tree and sliced off a big enough branch. Afterwards, he used some stones, and hitting one on the other, he managed to make a few flickering little bursts, that inflamated the piece of wood. It was still far away from a proper torch, though. Mura had to utilize his skills the the Wind element to boost the fire on the piece of wood. Finally, he had the means to enlighten his route ahead.

After finishing his thought process and after he made a torch, Momochi Mura ventured into the mine. He knew that in order to accomplish his task he needed to acquire five to ten kilos of raw material and bring it back. Of course, everything had to be done with pride and dignity, for the greatest of all villages in the shinobi world – Kirigakure. At least this were the preconveived notions of Mura towards his adventure. For him, even such a task, which usually does not require any real combat, was of great importance, because it was a way to prove oneself.

The first tens of meters down into the mines did not bring anything new and interesting to the plot. Mura had previously heard that the mine is not only suposedly abandoned, but also suposedly haunted. Neither the former nor the latter were proven at that moment. Due to the numbness in his body, Mura missed a few things which would usually scare a person. For example, while walking down the rough terrain, making his way into the mine, a few rocks had fallen on top of his head. Not to mention the spider webs which covered the upper parts of the tunnels, which lead deeper and deeper inside. At points, it was not possible to walk upright, this made him crouch. Thus, at some point almost his whole body was covered in spider webs and consequently, with little spiders crawling all over his body. In such a situation, one with numb sensations like him couldn't even realize the 'gift' that all these brutal beatings in the past had given him.

WC: 535

Continuously venturing deeper into the tunnels, Mura was unintentionally following the small trail of blood. It was more like a few drops here and there rather than a real trail. Maybe this was the reason he didn't realize it's still there. Due to the fact that the terrain was mostly rocky and it was quite dark (his torch was not going to last much longer, approximately sufficient for him to accomplish his task), there was no way for the boy to really distinguish the blood from the usual dirt on the ground.

At some point, Mura could actually locate pieces of raw material on the ground, but it wasn't any good. Little pieces of coal, scattered around were not enough for him to complete the mission. "There must be some more further down the tunnel. They wouldn't send a shinobi if there was no need to go more underground. Or it's just the rumours, scaring people away from the place. Meh, I hope I.." Before even having the possibility to finish his mumble, Mura started hearing sounds. Shouts that were coming from further ahead. "Someone is collecting the coal! I must hurry!" It didn't even cross the young shinobi's mind that someone could be in trouble. Instead, the only thing he was worried about was the fact that some body is actually stealing his loot.



The scene that unraveled itself in front of Mura did not bother him at all. As usual, he was completely apathetic once again. He had reached the end of the tunnel and he immediately localized the massive pile of coal. Next to it, there was an old lantern, which was giving out enough light to make almost the whole space visible, except on the edges. In one of the shadows on the right hand corner, he could also see a man, who was on top of a woman, obviously inflicting her pain and forcing her to stay on the ground. Normally, one would attempt to prevent an act of rape. However, for Mura there was nothing more important than the mission. The boy completely ignored what was happening in one corner of the room and went straight to the pile of coal. He had a bag that was given to him as a supplement to the mission, therefore he started putting the raw material inside.
"H..He.. Help.." The woman was gasping and desperately trying to get Mura's attention. She cincerely believed that the end of her suffering is about to come.
"HEY, BOY! GET OUTTA HERE! TRYIN; TO 'AVE SUM PRIVACY, YA KNO'?"
These people, in all their honest appeals, could never understand the extent to which Mura did not feel obliged at any cost to act upon their words. He was focused on one particular thing – get those raw materials in the damn bag, accomplish the mission, and head to the weapon shop in the traders' quarter. Intimidated, angry and half-naked, the man slapped his victim across the face, knocking her unconscious for several seconds. He stood up and went directly to Mura, raising his fist in an attempt to strike him down. Much the same way he had just stricken the poor lady. It was not something to fathom out, Mura reacted instantly. The shinobi bent down, dodging the hook, enraging his opponent.
"You brat!" He attempted a second hook with his other hand. This time, instead of dodging, Mura decided to act offensively. Utilizing his swiftness, the shinobi berried his fist directly into the man's stomach, simultaneously trying dodging the attack. Both attack and counterattack happened at the same time; Mura suffered a light hit from the tip of his opponent's fist. Far less damaging, of course, but sufficient to bring him down on one knee. His opponent held his stomach, anguishing and trying to breathe in. The shinobi did not give him a chance to do so. In a moment, Mura found himself holding a rock, which he introduced closely to the man's face.

The woman had just regained consciousness. In time to witness the man's body hitting the ground with blood spurting from his nose. "Please, you need to help me.. "I. NEEED. To help YOU? Don't think so. I got better things to do now." Mura went back to the pile of coal and continued filling the bag up to the brim. "I am wounded, I have to get out of here.. he is going to hurt me again. Please, help me." The woman stood up, barely holding herself upright. "I have a mission and I am here to accomplish it, not to help, or even talk to anyone. That guy over there slowed me down, if you value your existence stop talking to me." And at that moment it hit him, much harder than he hit the man in the face moments ago. The torch he had used was not lit anymore. There was no way he could get out without the lantern, but the woman had already reached for it. "Wait. I changed my mind. We will get out of here together. You will carry the lantern and I will protect you from this scum." The woman was more than delighted to accept his "generous" offer. The adrenaline did not allow her to think clearly at this moment. She could have just left Mura in the dark, collecting his precious raw materials. Instead, she was in such grave need of someone to escort her out of the cave, that she even helped him gather the coal. She did not contribute that much because her hands were wounded, but Mura respected her for being mentally strong in a situation like this one. She was, in a way, helping Kirigakure no Sato by assisting him. Anybody contributing to the wellbeing of the village, no matter shinobi or regular folk, deserved respect. At least this was what Mura believed.


After they collected the coal, the shinobi put the bag over his shoulder. It was time for them to get out of here. "Let's go. There is not much oil left in the lantern. Believe me, you don't want this to happen." Referring to them walking in the dark. He was particularly not fond of it, because with his numb body he would have no idea where he is, close to a wall or not. The woman gathered her last bits of stamina that were left in her weakened body and lead the way with the lantern. Fortunately, they did not encounter any obstacles on the way back. The moment they showed their heads out, Mura said. "I will go now. My mission here is over." And he disappeared momentarily without a trace, not giving her a chance to say a word. He didn't want to waste more time in this god forsaken place. Mura was glad that in the end he managed to collect the raw materials.. it seemed like he had already forgotten about his little adventure. In fact, the only thing he could think about at this point was going to the weapon shop, right after he receives his ryo. It didn't take him long to go back to the village. In contrary to his relaxed stroll earlier, he was walking as quickly as possible. No time to marvel the enchanting landscape or the quiet atmosphere that he had enjoyed before. When Mura has something on his mind, he will do it. And buying a weapon was one of those things - it couldn't wait.

WC: 1266

[Exit Thread]
Total WC: 320(1st post) + 535 (second post) + 1,266 = 2,121

Mission Completed: 2,121/750
Words left: 1,371

150 ryo (from extra WC) = 1,371/600
Words left: 771  

SPD-E0 -> SPD-D0 = 771/750; 0 ryo