Mission Details:

  It had been five days since Rhys had moved to Sungakure. So far all he had accomplished was finding an apartment and saving a lost cat. It was time to step up his game.

  Rhys left his small yet comfortable apartment and made his way to the administration building. He had to find a new mission to increase his influence with the village. The more he did the better the missions, the better the missions the more likely Rhys was to find some trace of his true targets. For now he would settle for the grunt work.

  It only took Rhys a few minutes to reach the large dome shaped building. He ascended the stone ramp into the lobby. He found the mission board and began browsing. There was yet another missing pet, someone needed help moving heavy boxes, and other menial tasks.
 
  Finally one job offer caught his eye, "Save Lives!!". Rhys read it over with piqued interest. It turned out to just be a basic food gathering request, but at least this would do some good. He notified the office administrator of his intent to take it and exited the building.

  Rhys had not left the confines of the village since moving in so this would be a nice outing into the world. Being constantly surrounded by people caused Rhys no small amount of discomfort. Meaningless social interactions with every passerby drove Rhys near madness, and he was very much looking forward to once again be engulfed in nature.

  The large man was practically beaming by the time he crossed out of the village's perimeter and into the mountainous sands of his homeland. Now came the fun part, finding food in an environment that challenged any form of life. It was as if the sands themselves were daring any being to survive within its reach. Only the strongest were fit enough to reside in this ever changing land.

  He decided to start with some basic gathering. Years of looking after all kinds of animals had forced Rhys to become well versed in different types of edible plants. The variation in diets between each different species had been why his father Yuuma had set up lessons for Rhys with a botanist in the village. It was up to Rhys to find food for the animals in his care, carnivore and herbivore alike. Some animals died in order for Rhys to learn this lesson, and so it was not one he was soon to forget.

  First he would head out towards the oasis. The water naturally encouraged life from different plant life to the animals that needed both in order to survive. Along the way there would be various cacti that could be cured for cooking or used to make a popular alcohol at the different taverns.

  So Rhys began his two hour trek through the desert. The lands surrounding the village were purposefully barren. Apart from the main road used for travel, the environment was meant to discourage foreign excursions. This was just how Rhys preferred it. The warm howling winds kicking up the ever shifting sands around his broad figure. The world itself embraced every part of him. Sure the sand in his eyes and various crevices was annoying, but it was worth it to be one with nature.

 It was not long before the lands rewarded Rhys for his pilgrimage. He found some saguaro cacti of various ages dotting the sides of a hill packed with hard earth. He veered off of his path towards the bountiful hillside.

  The saguaro itself was inedible but it's flowers can be candied or used as a seasoning and if you were lucky enough to find one with its fruit in bloom they can be eaten raw but are best served with honey or cooked.

  Rhys carefully plucked a good number of the flowers to be saved away and found a handful of fruit as well. He bit happily into one as he returned to his chosen path to the oasis. It was still a few hours before noon so he should make it before the day became too hot.

  There was not much else to be found on his way to the oasis. The remainder of the morning passed quickly as Rhys continued on his mission. Finally as the sun was one fist away from its apex Rhys spotted the signature trees of the oasis, the only ones of their kind for a thousand kilometers. He picked up his pace and rushed forward.

   As he approached his destination Rhys scanned the area for any animal life. There was a meerkat fleeing his approach, a pair of cranes wading through the shallow pool, but nothing of much sustenance. There was nothing worth hunting here but he could still find more edible plants here.

  Rhys spent the next hour collecting different foods from the lush landscape that was already beginning to lose its luster as the heat of summer was approaching. He found various roots, herbs, and even some mud frogs that would be good meat. He was just about to call it a day and head home when he noticed something in the sky.

  It was a pack of carrion birds. They were circling in the air above something that wasn't too far off. Something was either dead or dying, and Rhys wanted to know which.

  Rhys crested the hill that was blocking his view and looked down into the valley below. He could see a small campsite that was unoccupied but could not yet see what had attracted the scavengers. Rhys could smell what had drawn their attention before he could see it. It was the smell of death.

  As Rhys made it to the campsite he saw them. A pile of coyote corpses in various states of decay, each of them had their paws chopped off. Poachers. Coyote paws were a valuable commodity to some. They were used in certain rituals and were often sold as souvenirs to the few visitors that travelled through. It was one thing to kill an animal for food and using all it had to offer, but this was pure murder for profit.  

  Rhys searched the camp site. The fire was still smoldering so they had been here the night before. There was a case of salted meat and waterskins, two sleeping rolls, and a fetted goat that they probably kept for milk and as a last resort. Rhys moved the crate and tied the goat to it then set to work.

  He stood straddling the fire pit at the center of the camp. He made the requisite hand signs to perform his "Mag-sand Creation" Jutsu. The ground beneath the camp was pulverized as all the magnetic matter was drown out of the earth. Their belongings tumbled into the newly made depression and Rhys settled the magnetic sand on top of them. He repeated this process to cover the coyote corpses.

  He looked over his work. The only sign of their campsite was a slight discoloration of sand. When the poachers returned they would find nothing. They would assume they were lost or that they had been robbed.

  Rhys felt a slight twinge of guilt as he walked away with their food and water, but it quickly passed. Perhaps now they will learn what it was like to lose their lives in exhange for profit. There was no more fitting justice.

  So it was that Rhys began his trek back to the village. He had acquired herbs, seasonings, fruit, a few frogs, salted meats, and a fetted goat. It was not a bad haul for only a few hours work. Not to mention their might be a few less poachers in the world in a few days. Rhys was proud of the work he had done today, now all he had to do was deliver it and receive his reward. This turned out to be the most difficult part.

  The added weight in his pack, carrying a crate, and dragging a goat on a leash through a desert during the hottest part of the day all contributed to the hot mess that was Rhys by the time he arrived back at the village. It had taken him far longer than he had anticipated, especially since he kept stopping to look over his shoulder. He had not been able to shake the feeling that he was being watched, but could find no proof of this. So, Rhys chalked it up to his hunger from a hard day's work. Brushing off his suspicions he returned home to collect his bounty.


WC:1439 for 300 ryo