Mission: Escort Cargo

Posts : 811

Mission Title: Escort Cargo
Mission Type: Generic
Mission Location: Village Outskirts
Shinobi Requirement: Genin, Chuunin, Genin Team (Jounin not necessary) or Chunin Team
Mission Rank: C
Mission Objective: Takeshi Kakaari, a well known merchant of Kumo, is taking his caravan down to one of the surrounding towns filled with food and medical supplies to help with their recent flooding. The town is isolated on the Grey Mountains making it hard for supplies to reach it. The town is only half a days travel away, but you must pass through a rather treacherous walkway known to be riddled with bandits. Your mission is to see the Caravan full of supplies safely to the village, but be on guard as the bandits may attack at any moment.
Mission Time Limit: 4 weeks (Following petition for more time, case has been review and time limit has been doubled to 4 weeks)
Min Post Count: 3 for solo missions, 2 per person for team missions

(Wind will be playing the Bandit NPCs)

Early morning, a chilly morning breeze blew through the village as Morel left his apartment building. Paper in hand, he walked slowly down the street, his eyes scanning over the paper. It was a mission posting that had been slid underneath his door the day prior, likely a messenger from his father had sent it. This mission had Morel a little worrisome though, due to some political troubles in Kumo, he had not been assigned to a squad yet and as a result had been off duty for some time. His father had grown tired of this and began sending him on various missions solo. They hadn't been very difficult, but this one was trouble. It was an escort mission, similar to the one he had taken previously, but this time the stakes were real. No troublesome kids in some alley, this time, there was a very high chance of being attacked. He had heard of the recent rise in criminal activities between settlements, but he didn't think he'd have to brave them so soon. But the fact that he held the posting in his hand now meant that he was already assigned the mission and there was no backing out. The only choice he'd have would be to buck up and pull out 150% of his abilities.

As he passed about the midway point between his residence and the gates of the village, he folded the paper and placed it in his pocket. Simultaneously pulling out a pack of cigarettes and with a quick flick, slid one slightly out of it's pack. Grabbing with his mouth, he pocketed the pack and flicked a match. A moment later, the tip had ignited and he threw the match to the ground, stepping on it to extinguish the flame. Exhaling a thin cloud of smoke, he pulled over his equipment pouch and made one final check of his gear. Content that he had everything he could bring for this mission, he sealed the pouch and moved it back to it's original position.

Rounding the final corner, the gate was in sight and just off to the left of the gate was a large cart, several crates lay in stacks nearby that a man was loading into the back of the cart. With a quick puff, Morel increased his pace and quickly approached the man. He seemed to notice Morel's approach and after placing the crate he was holding into the cart, wiped some sweat from his forehead before relaxing against the cart. "Takeshi Kakaari, I presume?" Morel asked, to which the man simply nodded. "Yup, I take it you're the one who accepted my request, eh?". Takeshi replied, quickly scanning over Morel before looking around for anyone else in the area. After a moment of silence, Takeshi looked back at Morel with a questioning glare. "So.... where's the rest of ya?".

Taking a quick puff of his smoke, Morel simply replied "I was the only one assigned this mission". Instantly, Takeshi's face seem to collapse in upon itself. He turned away and began angrily muttering to himself for a minute before turning back. "They sent you alone huh? Well they say you can't judge a ninja by their age. So, what's your rank kid? Jonin? Chuunin? Gotta be something special to send ya all alone like this". Morel merely shook his head "I'm sorry. I'm only a genin" he replied, Takeshi's face losing the spark that had come over it and for a moment, turned a ghostly white. Without warning, Morel dropped to one knee, head bowed low "However, I swear upon my life that both you and your cargo will come to no harm and reach your destination safely.". He remained in that position for what felt like an hour. Silence falling between the two until finally Takeshi let out a small laugh. "Right right, no matter their rank, so long as a ninja throws their everything into their mission, they're bound to succeed right?". Looking up, Morel could see the man's face beaming once more with confidence. "Well then, I guess I'll have to entrust my life, and cargo, to you. So whatever you do, don't go dying on me alright"..

Morel nodded and got back to his feet while Takeshi had already turned to grab another crate. "Well, help me load these up so we can be on our way". . Without hesitation, Morel moved to help out and after about five minutes, the last crate was placed on the cart and Takeshi closed the back. Locking the door and moving to the front of the cart. "Alright, we're heading out. No stops until we reach our destination, please keep your hands and feet on the carts at all times, unless of course we come under attack, at which point all passengers are permitted to unleash a can of whupass. We thank you for choosing Kakaari delivery services and hope you enjoy your ride. Have a nice day". And with that, the two were off.

Posts : 811

About an hour passed without incident, the road they were on rounding the village limits so the odds of any bandit attacks occurring within this time were nil. Morel sat on the back of the cart, legs dangling over the edge and bumped the back with every jerking motion the cart made as it navigated the rough terrain. He calmly took slow, long puffs of his cigarette while looking towards the sky. During most of the trip, Takeshi had been talking his ears off, just jumping from one random story to the next with no real purpose, but Morel could hear the slight undertone of anxiety in his voice. Talking was probably his way of relieving stress, and Morel couldn't blame him for that. He too, felt quite anxious. He was tasked with protecting this man's life and cargo on his own, no team, no back up. Saying he had butterflies in his stomach would be taking it lightly. It felt more like the butterflies had all grabbed onto each other, called in their friends and filled his stomach to it's limit before solidifying into stone and increasing their mass ten-fold. It was all he could do to keep a straight face and occasionally grunt that he was still listening to Takeshi's stories.

Another hour later though, the air became rather tense. Takeshi had run out of stories and the two were now traveling in an unnerving silence. The tension between the two was thicker than the clouds of smoke being emitted from Morel. The slightest sound caused both of them to jump in surprise. A passing rodent knocking down a pebble had been enough for Morel to leap from his seat and draw a kunai before realizing what the supposed "threat" really was. However they were still relatively in the open, they would easily be able to spot anyone approaching their position in time for him to throw up a suitable defense. Not that this fact alleviated the mood at all. "H-hey" Takeshi said, his voice trembling, "S-Seems that nothings coming our way, huh? Maybe w-w-we're gonna be fine. Worrying over nothing,eh?". Morel took a deep breath, trying to calm his own nerves as best he could before speaking. "We're still within the range of the village, and this place is rather bad for ambushes. It won't be until we reach the valley that the real trouble will begin. That's where all the activity has been reported from and it'll leave us at a distinct disadvantage".. Morel's tone was completely flat and almost lifeless, this act seemingly working too well as his client seemed to become more worried from these words than Morel would have liked.In the distance however, said valley was quickly approaching them. His cigarette was only about half done but Morel immediately extinguished it and replaced it with a fresh stick. He was going to need every advantage he could possibly muster, no matter how slight, for this coming trouble.

It was another long silence as they approached, Takeshi stopping the cart at the entrance to the valley. Looking over his shoulder at Morel, he was visibly shaken. "Say, is there any way we could take a different route to the village? Y'know, go around this place or somethin'?". Morel only shook his head in denial. He had been thinking the same thing since they left Kumo, but the only other route would involve circumnavigating the entire mountain and delaying them a full two days at best. By then, many people may have fallen to starvation. Several caravans sent before had already been struck and this cart was their last hope. The thought only added more to Morel's stress, but at the same time, gave him resolve. "We have to go through" he said without thinking. However his voice was not it's usual dead tone, but strong, his resolve transmitting to Takeshi who seemed to understand as his expression almost instantly changed from fear, to steadfast determination. "Haha! You're right! We've come too far to chicken out now! Hang on kid, we're going in! Nothing is going to stop us!" and with a crack of the reigns, the cart was off into the valley. Morel scanning the walls for any possible assailants, responded with a hearty "Yeah".

Posts : 730

The craggy sloping hill sides the cart had been steadily climbing gave way in time to vast, stony mountains. The single mountain that stood in the way was a massive thing with a peak that was lost in clouds. With the shortest path to the town on the other side being rimmed with cliffs, ridges, and all manner of rocky hiding places, it was quite obviously the best place in the region to set up camp, and rob travelers. Simple traders, farmers, even more wealthy merchants traveled this road, and as the road began to get more rough and winding, evidence of other failed voyages through the valley became more common.

Off to the sides of the trail were the scattered remnants of past trips gone sour, a veritable junk yard of scrap wagons and carts. Most of the useable pieces had been picked clean leaving only the litter behind as possible fire wood and tinder. This seemed to be the fate of carts that were abandoned, though at times the pieces offered the rescue needed to repair a broken wheel, or axel. It was among the pieces of litter and debris that Takeshi’s path would run into trouble of a most unexpected sort.

As evening was darkening the afternoon sky from brilliant glare to a more reasonable dim glow, the flicker and smoke of fire could be seen off in the distance. A campfire of quite modest size was slowly consuming a pile of dried cart in the distance. The camp was home to several people, it seemed, and one of them was keeping watch in the center of the road. As it would seem, the large cart full of cargo was easy enough to spot, and the girl was already waving and shouting. Though distance dulled any fine details from sight, the sound of her voice was easy enough to hear. “Daddy, Daddy, I see a cart!” she shouts, then repeats herself two or three more times.

As she is shouting for her father she steps away from the trail and joins the rest of the people in the small camp. At this distance Morel would still be able to turn around and avoid them, if he so chose, however this path was the only, and shortest way to market. The narrow valley left little room to sneak around them, especially with the merchant wares he is transporting. The group of people ahead do not seem to be directly hostile, but in such places one can never be too careful.

Posts : 811

As the sun began to set, darkness crept over the mountain, shadows becoming longer and darker. Morel and Takeshi had not yet encountered anyone since they had set out from the village. Their confidence from hours earlier having waned again during the uneasy ride. It had gotten to the point where Morel was almost begging for the bandits to attack just so he could stop worrying about it. With the sun setting though, an attack was far more likely than ever. Shadows would be easier to hide in and strike from. Morel could hear his heart beating fast in his chest, the rhythmic tapping almost began to meld with the rumbling of the cart to create some disturbing beat. During the past two hours, he had gone through two more cigarettes and had just lit his fourth. His eyes were constantly scanning the rocks and ridges for any possible movements, whether they be animal, human or other, he was ready to strike the moment anything caught his eye. However, what he was not expecting was for Takeshi to call to him.

"Say, look up ahead, straight up the trail, you seeing what I see?". He pointed off in the distance and though it was faint, the orange glow of the setting sun almost disguising it, but Morel could just make out a small flickering light. The light was likely created by a small fire, probably man-made since there was not much vegetation around this area nor had the area, to his knowledge, supplied the proper triggers to start a natural fire. As they approached, dark silhouettes surrounding the fire came into view. It looked as though someone had set up a small camp on this road. However before Morel could begin to delve further into this hypothesis, Takeshi had already beaten him to the punch with his more vocal version. "The hell are people making camps out on this road for? Don't they know that there are bandits roaming this area?".

Taking in a deep breath, Morel leaned towards Takeshi. "Listen, be on the ready, if I say go, you get this cart moving as fast as you can. Don't stop for anyone or anything. If I fall off, keep going. Don't look back". Takeshi looked back at Morel, a stunned look on his face before breaking into an uneasy laugh "You're kidding right, there's no way I would-" He was cut short by Morel's face. His expression showing no form of humour, only steadfast determination. "W-Well, what I mean is-", Takeshi continued "What if they're friendly? Maybe the bandits moved on or something?". Before Morel could respond though, the cart lurched heavily, its left-side wheel crashing back onto the stone ground "The hell was that!?" Takeshi exclaimed. Morel looked back as the object came into view from underneath the cart. There, embedded in stone and dirt looked like the remains of a wheel, only several spokes and part of the rim remained intact though. "Whoa whoa whoa"

Morel turned back to the driver to see what he was vocalizing about, and quickly saw it. The road ahead was becoming more and more littered with trashed remains of various vehicles. Shattered and splintered wood lined the roads. Sending shivers down both their spines as they looked to the ever approaching camp, now only a few hundred feet away. Swallowing air, Morel repeated his statement to Takeshi "If I say go, then go". Takeshi merely nodded and replied with a quiet "Yeah..". The two rode in silence, Morel taking a deep puff of his cigarette as they entered the boundary of the campsite.

Posts : 730

It takes a good two tense mintues before the cart is fully along the rough going road, and along side the camp. At this range it seems fairly obvious what happened, but the rough looking man speaks anyway. The stranger stands about 6 feet tall and is lean with muscle. He has brown hair, brown eyes, and skin tanned from a great deal of time out doors. He speaks with a rough voice as Morel and Takeshi wheel closer, and holds both his hands up in front of him as a sign of both stop, and to show he was not holding a weapon.

“Whoa there, traveler, stop a moment, please. My family and I are in dire trouble. Our wagon’s axel has broken on this uneven path, and we have no way to travel. If the bandits in this area find us here, we will be done for. Surely you must be able to help us.” He says while motioning to the wagon beside him. It’s laden with many goods, though most are concealed beneath a thick canvass cloth. Though its wheels seemed solid enough, the “If we don’t get out of this valley before sunset, there’s no way we will survive the night.”

The girl that had been waving before is much easier to see now. She had light eyes and fair skin, and seemed rather shaken for the whole ordeal. She’s dirty, and like the man she’s dressed in little more than rags. Off on the other side of the fire stood a young boy of perhaps 11 years, that seemed to be as ragged as the other two. He had a short bow in his hand, though it wasn’t knocked with an arrow, or being drawn. It was only being held lightly. “My son and I can not fend off a whole swarm of bandits, and if I leave this cart behind, then my family will have nothing. No food, no clothes, no nothing. Please, there must be something you can do. I have not been able to find an axel in this mess at all, but if you could find one, I could get my cart moving once again.” He says rather pleadingly, looking from Morel to Takeshi, then back again.

Posts : 811

As the cart rolls into the camp, the two are immediately approached by a very tall man, arms raised and calling for them to stop. “Whoa there, traveler, stop a moment, please. My family and I are in dire trouble. Our wagon’s axel has broken on this uneven path, and we have no way to travel. If the bandits in this area find us here, we will be done for. Surely you must be able to help us.”. He said, as he got closer though, Morel quickly leaned over towards Takeshi and whispered in his ear. "Listen, don't stop the cart. Keep it moving at all times". Takeshi however, did not seem to take the advice as much as Morel would have liked. Slowing down the cart to a crawl and whispering back "What? Let's at least hear him out. What if he isn't a bandit?". Before Morel could retort, the man had already gone into his next sentence. “If we don’t get out of this valley before sunset, there’s no way we will survive the night.”

"Then I suggest you leave. The cart will only drag you down" Morel says while nudging Takeshi to continue moving. His eyes jumping between the large man and two children in the camp. "But if you wish to stay, then stay and fight through the night". To which the man immediately replies: “If we don’t get out of this valley before sunset, there’s no way we will survive the night.”. "I'm sorry" Morel begins, but is interrupted when Takeshi stops the cart. Morel begins to turn towards Takeshi, but forces himself to stop midway, his gaze not leaving the man. "Takeshi, why are we stopped?". He asks in a steely tone, Takeshi however, seemed to be fighting with himself as he spoke. "We can't just leave them here. Let's help them, it wouldn't take us more than an hour. We could have it fixed and out of here before sunset".

Morel pressed his teeth together tightly, crushing the cigarette in his mouth. "We don't have time for this Takeshi. Remember what our mission is". Takeshi burst out at this statement "I haven't forgotten! We're going to help people! And that's exactly what I'm trying to do! The one who has forgotten their mission is you!". Punching the cart hard, Morel shouted back "Dammit! This is not the time!". Before Takeshi could retort though, Morel continued, feeling that Takeshi wasn't going to buckle from his demands, Morel would have to take an alternate route. "Alright listen, you three have a choice, stay here and try to fix your wagon before nightfall. Or you could grab as much as you can carry and leave the rest behind. There's a village a short distance from here. If you leave now, you can get there before nightfall.". He was still extremely wary of these people. But with Takeshi's attitude, this was the only option he could take at the moment to try and get him to start moving again without incident. He hoped that he wouldn't have to resort to the other option.

Posts : 730

"Well, if you're willing to help me fix my wagon, I did see a wagon up the trail a ways that looked like it could have some useable peices. I have some tools, but it's all more work than even two people can so. Wagons are heavy, rusty things with peices that weight hundreds of pounds. It shouldn't take us long if we can drag some of them back here and repair what needs repairing." the older gentleman says, and nods as he does. He does seem convincing, though perhaps it is all he wants you to think. Lugging heavy waggon pieces is an easy recipie for being both distracted and exhausted, and the trip was already a pain in the butt in the first place.

After seeing morel be so openly hesitant to offer any assistance at all, the bandit does his best to sweeten the deal for his perspective mark. He turns his sullen and weary eyes over towards the Kumo ninja, and directly assaults his honor. "You look like a bodyguard, and a like one of those ninjas that protects people. If I have to, I'm willing to pay you to help us. My family does not have much, but what we have in money can be earned again more quickly than the lives of m children. How much would I have to give you, for you to help me?" he asks, with no look of disrespect at all. He was little more than desperate at this point, and seemed to want to save his family.

The cart behind him had all of his worldly possessions, strapped in boxes and bags beneath an old, ratty canvass sheet. His children had remained respectfully silent through out the meeting, only watching the exchange with much interest. After making his final proposition, he awaits the ninja's answer, but it didn't much matter in the end what he agreed too. Still, the bandit doesn't smirk, and he doesn't seem arrogant. He continues to play his part in the ambush with the same perfect talent that had claimed the lives and loot of a dozen merchant carts before this one. He motions off to the south after a while, the same direction Morel had been traveling in and adds a last few words for encouragement.

"The wagon I'm talking about is only about half a mile that way, it would only take us an hour to get there. And please, if you won't do it for me, then do it for my children. Just think of their starving faces, with no bed to sleep in."

Posts : 811

Morel took a long puff from his cigarette, blowing a cloud of smoke out of the side of his mouth. The man's latest statement, though sounding as an outcry for help, only served to rise Morel's suspicions. Coupled with some earlier data, he was still quite against aiding these people. Children or not, if they were thieves, then they deserved no mercy. With the man's next words, Morel merely snorted silently to himself. The man, having discovered Morel's identity as a ninja, not that it was hidden, immediately offered him a price to gain his services. Before Morel could speak though, Takeshi piped in with his two cents. "Hey, you hear that? We can fix their wagon. We just have to go and get the parts and bring them back. Hell, he'll even pay ya. Why don't we help 'em out eh?". Morel merely shook his head as he exhaled a second cloud of smoke. The man seemed sincere in his words, even Morel had a difficult time trying to determine the truth from the lies in his words, the man's poker face was absolutely perfect, if it were one that is.

"The wagon I'm talking about is only about half a mile that way, it would only take us an hour to get there. And please, if you won't do it for me, then do it for my children. Just think of their starving faces, with no bed to sleep in." The man continued, almost pleading at this point. Morel remained steadfast, but even he was beginning to sway at the man's words. He sighed heavily as Takeshi began to speak again. "Come on man, let's help them. It's on our way there anyway".. Taking a deep sigh, Morel finally spoke. "Why?". He then left a rather lengthy period of silence, Takeshi's face contorted in utter confusion before switching to rage. "Why!? Because we're not monsters! That's why! What the hel-" "Not you" Morel quickly interrupts. Staring dead into the eyes of the man, he took a deep breath before continuing once more. "Why did you insist on lying to us if you want our help?" . He paused, giving a moment for his words to sink in before continuing. "You say there is a wagon about half a mile from here, likely with usable parts to boot, so why did you not check it earlier for an operable axle? You could have dismantled it, brought it back and repaired it before we ever even showed up. And if you were to go that far, who was watching your wagon, hmm? Your kids? You think some bandits would be scared off by them? If we try to dismantle this wagon and then bring back said part, it would take well over an hour. We would be unable to return by nightfall, and that is not even counting the time needed to repair the wagon itself. Now, As I said before, you have two choices. 1. Stay here and try to fight through the night, or two, grab what you can and leave. It's up to you, but we're not helping". He paused to take a quick puff of his cigarette. Exhaling a cloud and finishing up his speech. "No matter the price. Now, Takeshi, move".

Age : 37 Posts : 1136

OOC: Following petition to increase time limit case has been reviewed and more time has been awarded

Posts : 811

(OOC: Well... no word from Wind, so I think I'll just wrap this up quickly so this post may seem a bit rushed)

"B-But! You can't be that heartless!!" The man shouted, astonished that a kid could be so callous to people in need. He was definitely proving to be a more difficult victim than the others had been. He looked towards the driver, his face pleading for pity. Luckily the driver was far more caring than his bodyguard and despite Morel's constant callings for them to go, Takeshi adamantly refused. "Please... please help us. If we hurry, we might be able to make it. Please". Morel grunted in annoyance as he called back to Takeshi. "What's the hold up?"

[WiP]