Chapter Six: Ties That Bind (IO)

A Rank Mission:

Eren Destler, student of genjutsu and novice illusionist, was walking through the black market. Sunlight beat on his pale skin, burning it slightly where it touched. A chill wind blew by, rustling his cloak and short black hair. He looked around, seeing a few people pass by. His feet crunched on the gravel and dust. Tilting his head, he scratched the skin near his mask. What a quiet day... Well, at least it started out as one. Gripping his book in one hand, he moved silently and efficiently through the terrain.

"Did you hear? The Destler heir ran away." he overheard. Nor looking too suspicious, or like he was listening in, he opened his book on Genjutsu Binding and pretended to read. So, news had spread? That could be either very good or very bad for him...

"Yeah, and Lady Destler is in the area, too." Another stranger said. He nearly spit and dropped his book... Then mentally shamed himself for almosg doing something do barbaric. He was no peasant. Wait... His mother? She was bound to be carrying a lot of money on her. And he could get revenge on the same day as getting enough money to eat... He was a poor noble. The irony almost made him laugh aloud. Now, all he had to do was find her location and he'd be gold. Literally. He read a few last passages in his book about Genjutsu Binding. He'd need it if he wanted to do this correctly. His mother didn't know how to release genjutsu... And one that could hold someone in one place would work splendidly.

He walked away, cloak swishing in the wind. After wandering aimlessly for a few minutes, he found himself outside of a noodle bar. He sat down on a pine stool that creaked when he sat down, and ordered some beef udon. He gave the barkeep the last of his coins and waited for the meal to come out. He always thought best when he was eating.

Plan One. Rob his mother on his own. She was likely to be surrounded by guards of some kind, so it was unlikely. There'd be a higher risk of death, and he was strongly motivated to stay alive. Plan Two. Rob his mother at night time. If there were guards, though, that was when they'd be most alert. Another bad idea. Plan Three... Recruit other people to help out. They could split the money, of course. He only wanted to teach the wretched woman a lesson. He took a bite of the salty food and tilted his head. He finished it within a matter of minutes and stood up. Stretching his back, he looked up. It was about midday... Well, time to get searching.

WC: 469
Total WC: 469

Eeer, that was the gross sound Ryou's stomach made. Looking around the market for a place to eat wasn't the hard part, it was choosing a good place to eat. Ryou did hear of someone obviously rich coming by. He didn't really think of it until he got his food. The young Lycan found a noodle shop and sat next to probably one of the shadiest people he's every meet. "Where are your parent's kid?" The barkeeper asked him after addressing to Eren. Ryou would roll his eyes to this and lay down the money, "Just get me some ramen." The barkeeper just took the money and got onto making it. After the food was done, the barkeeper would hand him the ramen.

While the Kaguya ate he finally started to think about the women coming into town. She must be a fool coming through here, this place is riddled with missing ninja, including my team. Ryou would first think. Then his thoughts continued Unless she has some really good body guards. At this time, Eren had finished his food. Maybe I could start small, this woman might not suspect an eleven-year-old robbing her. Ryou thought as he looked at her get up to leave, trying not to be suspicious. Then the young shinobi quickly finished up his ramen and got up casually. Ryou followed the girl out a bit, slowly pulling out a kunai while still casually following her. Then, he put the small blade to her back. "No one gets hurt if you just hand me your money." Ryou would say calmly. He hoped that she would reply the same way. Also, Ryou hoped that she wasn't some kage level person. If that was the case, the Lycan also had his smoke ball in his hand.   

WC:298

When she felt the cold kiss of a kunai against her neck, she turned around against all her common sense and looked the stranger in the eye. Her mask covered half of her face, and her hair blew gently in the wind. She tilted her head slightly forwards, and looking up at the stranger, gave him an eerie smile. Then she cast the genjutsu. Genjutsu binding was a paralyzing jutsu that would have frozen him with the sensation of fear. She took a step back and smiled even wider, plucking the kunai out of his hands and shaking her finger.

"Someone has been very bad." Eren began. Her white half mask glinted in the clearing sunlight. She placed the kunai on the dusty ground between them and took a step back. Who dared to rob her in broad daylight?! Someone with a lot of nerve. Someone- she paused. Someone who might be exactly who she was looking for. "Now, no need for that. What if I told you I knew of a better target? A woman by the name of Katherine Destler. A filthy, corrupt noble who just so happens to be passing through the area. If you agree to help me find her... I'll split the profits evenly. Now, I'm going to release you. You can have your kunai back." and she did just that. The man would have found himself able to move again. If he agreed, she would have gave a little bow and gave a much me genuine smile.

"Eren, at your service." if he disagreed, she would simply nod and disappear into the surrounding crowd.

WC: 270
Total WC: 739

Suddenly, the plan seemed to backfire. Ryou was encased with her genjutsu power, paralysing him where he stood. He really started to panic when she took hold of his weapon. For a brief moment, Ryou feared that she would take his own weapon and use it against him. The young Lycan was even ready to transform into his beast form until the half-masked women threw down his kunai. She explained to him about how he could help her with a woman named Katherine Destler. Robbing the woman would get them both big bucks. Eren then released the genjutsu. At that time, Ryou grabbed the kunai from the ground, flipping it up in the air before catching it and putting it in his weapon pouch. With a sigh, Ryou responded with, "yeah, I'll help you." He put his hand on his hip as she introduced herself. She seems very formal, He commented in his head before saying,"I'm Ryou Kenshin." The young Lycan didn't know too much if he could trust her but he would have to, and besides, he at least knew that she had some paralysing powers. "So, what's the plan? I'm guessing she must have some serious security with all that money on her." Ryou said.  

WC;208
TWC: 506

"So, what's the plan?" Asked Ryou Kenshin. "I'm guessing she must have some serious security with all that money on her." Eren nodded and tilted her head to the people surrounding them. Her eyes were filled with a strange emotion, and her veins boiling with excitement.

"Why, we do what we criminals do best. Snoop around. After all, everyone needs to eat and drink, and where else would they obtain their sustenance? We go to the nearest (and relatively safest) places where we could buy food and ask if anyone fitting the depiction of a guard or noble lady was seen. If they disagree and refuse to tell, then we have methods by which we could easily sway them to our side... Namely, ryo and a few well-placed genjutsu." she took a breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "However... There's a possibility that they might find out we're on their tail. If such a thing happens, curious about the passing newcomer. Is that clear? It's possible that this might come to violence. However..." She looked him up and down. "I get the feeling that you can handle yourself."

Next, she would leave the area, hopefully with Ryou following her. The sun by this point had moved to the center of the sky and beat harshly upon her black hair, which grew uncomfortably hot. Her mask began to become coated with sweat on the inside. She adjusted it and stretched her shoulders before continuing down a dusty road. She looked and observed the different shops and stalls she passed. She found a parlor, a weapons store... A food market, but it was decrepit enough that she didn't think a guard would shop there for his lady. She scratched her unmasked cheek and frowned. Now where would...?

"Ryou, have-" then she saw something in the distance and continued walking. She nodded for her partner to come along, and it grew bigger as she approached. And bigger. And bigger. And when it finally was right in front of her, she took it in. It was a fresh fruit stall, orderly and clean. It was manned by an elderly gentleman with a flowing beard but a balding head. She approached and knocked on the stall counter.

"Yes, what may I get for you today?" he asked in a gravelly voice. His hands were clenched tight around a Kunai. He eyed her suspiciously. Probably a good thing, in these parts... Anywho, onto business.

"You wouldn't have happened to see a royal guard pass through?" she asked bluntly. His eyes narrowed.

"And so what if I have?" bingo.

"Did you see where he went?" she continued. His grip tightened and he slightly raised his hand. Nope, there was no way she could allow this to continue.

"Genjutsu Binding!" she whispered harshly, trapping the man in her illusion. Then she nudged Ryou. "If you'd please... Extract the information?"

WC: 483
Total WC: 1,222

For Eren's response to Ryou's question, she just said that they would sneak around to find out info from the common conversation. Ryou nods in understanding. The good thing that came out of her mouth was that she didn't doubt the Lycan's power. This was good cause it seems that most people just view the eleven-year-old as a just other normal, annoying kid. 

Ryou would follow the woman after she left on the search for the rich woman or one of her guards. Ryou looked around the market along with Eren while also keeping an eye on her to see if she had changed paths. The masked woman then looked to him about to speak but got cut off after she got the attention of a fresh fruit place. She had a short conversation with the market man. 

 "Yes, what may I get for you today?"

"You wouldn't have happened to see a royal guard pass through?"

 "And so what if I have?" In Ryou's opinion, that was the most obvious giveaway. Eren seemed to agree. 

"Did you see where he went?" After asking that, the man seemed to of pulled out a kunai to cut her down. Ryou would quickly form a bone out of his palm but before he could do anything, Eren seemed to have got him with a genjutsu binding. Ryou knew that cause she announced it as she did it. The half-masked woman then nudged Ryou to tell him to get info out of him. Ryou sighed as he had no jutsu to force it out of him, he would have to intimate him. "Not here." He would respond. The young Lycan took dragged the man along into an alley so that no one would see. Then, Ryou began to transform into a werewolf. His appearance changed from a young boy to a large beast of the night. Ryou then took the man with his larger hands and pushed him against the wall of the alley. "Speak up!" The Lycan growled. 

WC;336
TWC: 842

"Speak up!" Growled her partner in monstrous form, with claws sharp as knives and teeth just as deadly. Patched fur covered his more muscular body... A lycan? The man began to sweat and shake, as he was released from her genjutsu. His eyes were filled with raw terror, untamed in the face of danger.

"They went north!" he cried out loud enough to draw attention. Assuming Ryou released him, he would collapse to the floor. She nodded to the werewolf and looked towards the sun for directions. North would be... To the left. She began to make her way towards the direction when a strange whistling cut through the air. She turned around, and without even blinking, caught the kunai the stranger had thrown at her. She pointed her finger at the man. He eyed it warily

"Ephemeral." she said simply. And without warning, the man was trapped in her most dangerous genjutsu. He screamed in pain, crying and writhing on the floor for help. But no-one came. "Come on, let's go," she said. She walked in the direction for a bit, passing many a stall and abandoned building, eventually coming to a tree. And another. Soon enough, a forest came into view. And she entered it. Turning back to her partner, she opened her mouth to speak. "Tell me, when transformed, do your olfactory senses become enhanced as well?"

WC: 230
Total WC: 1,452

"They went north!" The man replied. Ryou then dropped the man. He stumbled onto the ground. The Lycan would change back the boy and started to follow Eren. For a moment there was silence, then the man tried to strike the Hald-Masked woman but Ryou didn't need to do anything more because she caught the kunai and trapped in some hell genjutsu. The boy watched him scream and call for help but then he just turned and followed Eren out of the alley. Ryou first thought it was cruel but then he realised that it was his own fault. 

Ryou followed Eren to what seemed to be some woods. That's when the Half-masked woman asked: "Tell me when transformed, do your olfactory senses become enhanced as well?" Ryou nodded in reply. Then he continued by saying. "If you want me to track them down, I would need a scent to follow." Ryou put his hands on his hip, looking around for maybe like a piece of clothing.  

WC:167
TWC;1009

"If you want me to track them down, I need a scent to follow." said he, and after all was said and done she nodded. Looking around trees and underbrush, she scouted out for an item or a track to follow. But then, something caught her eye. She walked a few feet to the left and observed a large footprint in the mud. It was pressed deep, as if the person who made it had been running, or at the very least moving rather quickly.

"How about this?" she said. She looked back up to the werewolf, eyebrow raised. "It seems to be the only one of it's kind, however. If there were more, we might be able to follow them." Eren added. She looked around and scratched her cheek. The entire thing was rather easy... Too easy. Thinking about the whole ordeal, she wondered if it was some sort of trap, or perhaps the guards were really just that incompetent. It wasn't an unusual thing. She's met plenty of incompetent people in her life, but it's much better to be safe than sorry. "Keep an eye out. Something doesn't seem right about this."

Yes, it really did seem quite odd. She wouldn't put it past her mother to either lay a trap for potential pursuers or hire incompetent guards. The whole thing was a giant mess.

WC: 227
Total WC: 1,679

Eren seems to have found something to use as she pointed out a footprint in some mud. "How about this?....It seems to be the only one of it's kind, however. If there were more, we might be able to follow them." Ryou looked at it a bit, squatting to see it better. "Maybe..." The boy would then transform into the beast. The werewolf got off on all fours and sniffed at the footprint. Just then he picked up a scent, a man scent. Bring his head up from the spot he sniffed around some more and found where the man went. "Ok, I can follow the scent now, but that footprint could be a trap." Ryou pointed out. Although, there was no way they would know that the ninja's had an excellent nose like he had. Regardless, the werewolf would follow the scent where ever it took him, the boy just had to weary and trust that the half-masked woman would have his back.

WC:164
TWC:1173