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.
A STRANGE ENCOUNTER
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.
LET'S GO BACK!
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 =
2,121Mission Completed: 2,121/750
Words left: 1,371150 ryo (from extra WC) = 1,371/600
Words left:
771 SPD-
E0 -> SPD-
D0 = 771/750; 0 ryo