Murder at Holy Ground

Mission :

Stats:

Yoto walks along a rutted path that winds through the dense forest. The sun is slowly setting, and the last rays shine through the trees, creating a mysterious atmosphere. The last rays fall on the wooden structure of the puppet in which Yoto sits. After a few hours of walking, an abandoned monastery appears before him, its silhouette looming against a sky filled with orange and purple hues. The monastery stands in a secluded spot, surrounded by old oak trees whose crowns rustle in the wind. Yoto steps inside and is immediately overwhelmed. The architecture of the monastery is a mixture of different styles, from Romanesque to Gothic, with elements of Renaissance. Every stone seems to tell a story, every carved figure on the columns and portals is a witness to ancient times.

In the nave of the monastery, tall columns support the vaulted ceiling. The frescoes on the walls are scratched and faded, but you can still make out scenes from biblical stories and the lives of saints. Yoto imagines what the monastery must have looked like in its full glory, with chandeliers illuminating the interior and monks praying and singing praises. He walks through the monastery garden, where medicinal herbs and flowers sometimes grew in the past. Now the garden is wild and unkempt, but the scent of rosemary and thyme can still be smelled. Yoto sits down on a stone wall and picks up a piece of plaster that has fallen off the wall. He is fascinated by how, even after centuries, history can be so tangible.

Yoto continues to explore the monastery, its silence broken only by the sound of his footsteps on the stone floor. He walks along the long corridors where shadows and light alternate, creating a play of patterns on the walls. He admires the tall stained glass windows that catch the sunlight and turn it into a kaleidoscope of colors. In one of the chapels, Yoto finds an old altar whose wood is decorated with carved scenes from the lives of the ancients. Although the altar is covered in dust and abandoned, it still exudes a sense of sanctity. Yoto touches the carved wood and feels a connection to the people who had once sought comfort and hope there.

He enters the monastery’s library, where old volumes and manuscripts line the high shelves. The air smells of old paper and leather bindings. Yoto looks at the titles of books that have witnessed generations of scholars and thinkers seeking knowledge. Eventually, he reaches the refectory where monks once shared their meals and stories. The long wooden tables are empty, but it is easy to imagine what it must have been like here when the monastery was full of life. Yoto sits down on one of the benches and closes his eyes for a moment to imagine the murmur of voices and the laughter of the monks. Yoto explores every corner of the monastery, fascinated by its history and beauty. Few know this about him, but Yoto is a great lover of history.

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WC: 509

Notice:

Shepard's Stat page:

Sun was going down. The last rays gracing the world. His target? Some Puppeteer who liked to study history.
His target had entered a monastery and went to its library making his way to a place filled with long tables, sitting within one of those puppets of his. Shepard didn’t care he was 10m behind the man as he surged his chakra increasing his ability and he did the handseals, Rat - Ram - Snake - Tiger - Bird – Ox (240 spd) spawning in a singularity (110 pwr/spd) 3m to the man’s left that filled the area with immense gravitional energy making anything with lower strength then its power to be stuck and paralyzed where it was and take 50 dmg which would destroy the puppet his target was sitting in.

With this he put his hand on the hilt of his Katana ready for the opponents next move.

Combat Stuff:

Stats:

Shepard listens intently to the sounds Yoto makes as he explores. Although he tries to be as quiet as possible, his own footsteps are audible, whether he attempts to be silent or not. The noises accompanying his movement on the stairs catch Yoto's attention, alerting him to someone else's presence in the vicinity. Even though their gazes have not yet met, both are aware of the other's existence. Reacting swiftly to the situation, Yoto turns his puppet towards the stairs, ready to confront the unknown. With his other hand, he manually opens the puppet's mouth mechanism, allowing for an attack from within the puppet through the mouth. Since the mouth is covered with a mask-like substance, it obscures whether the sliding mechanism is open or closed, presenting a risk when opening it. He raises his hand to his head, as if performing an automated, well-rehearsed movement, practiced hundreds of times. At that moment, his eyes meet Shepard's.

Before Yoto can pose a question, he notices his opponent forming seals, prompting a decisive hand gesture. "Clearly, this is a confined space, likely a close or medium-range opponent. Not an ideal combination," he thinks to himself. "Impressive speed," he notes, as he observes the rapid pace at which his opponent composes seals. It's a speed that surpasses Yoto's ability to discern individual seals, and that's before a technique with overwhelming gravity materializes a few meters away, instantly paralyzing him. The hand he waved violently is already in motion and manages to complete the gesture. In that instant, Yoto and his puppet seem to vanish from the vicinity of the technique that evidently manipulates gravitational singularity.

The moment they disappear, the puppet in which Yoto is seated appears only three and a half meters away from Shepard. The puppet doesn't assume its usual upright position but is strangely crouched, with arms resting on the ground, resembling a wild beast poised to strike. Its tail, akin to a scorpion's, sways threateningly, as if beckoning Shepard to concentrate on it as the puppet's primary weapon. Yoto doesn't waste a moment. With another swift hand movement, he releases chakra ropes from the puppet's mouth. These ropes, however, differ from the usual; they are razor-sharp and begin to expand in width, becoming an almost inevitable threat to anyone within their reach. Simultaneously, Yoto flexes the pinky finger on his other hand, and circular projectiles shoot from the fingers the puppet rests on, heading towards Shepard. These projectiles are tethered to the puppet by razor wire, adding another layer to the attack. Although it might seem that the projectiles are aimed directly at Shepard, they are actually fired into his surroundings, corralling him into a trap. If Shepard tries to dodge the primary chakra slicing threads attack, he must then contend with these projectiles.

Yet, the most cunning aspect of Yoto's plan isn't the projectiles themselves but the razor wire, which begins to move unpredictably across the battlefield after the projectiles' launch, and is also drenched in paralyzing poison. This wire poses the real danger, not the projectiles. The lack of need for hand seals and the ability to control the mechanisms, and thus the puppet's attacks, with one hand render puppeteers particularly perilous, as few can coordinate so many assaults simultaneously. It's the absence of hand seals and techniques controlled by a mere hand wave that could at least partially offset Yoto's handicap—the slow speed of seal composition. This capability is a significant boon in combat, allowing Yoto to maintain an edge in speed over his opponent. In this battle, it's not about speed superiority but reducing Shepard's advantage derived from his speed.

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WC: 607
TWC: 1116

Combat Stuff:

The gravitational force paralyzed and stopped his target from moving or completing anything he was doing at the time. The damage of the immense gravity destroying the puppet his target was in, leaving him without protection. Shepard knew the man wished he could move even a smidge of his body but was unable too. Luckily Shepard didn’t have to worry about the gravity as his own technique didn’t affect him or his things.

He channeled his lightning chakra through his body taking a stance with his hand on his hilt and dashed at the stuck opponent and with one quick fluid draw of his blade he aimed to cut his target’s head off and should his opponent be unable to escape or evade this would be the end of the contract and Shepard could return to his client and go about his day.

Combat stuff:

*it has been more then 48 hours so will be claiming hits and decap from Thunderclap and flash killing Yoto*

Shepard sheathed his blade and picked up the head of his target. Now it was time to leave and get his reward.

WC: 22
TWC: 314 (x2 due to winning 628)
[Exit]

[Claiming rewards for "winning" Hunter and the char death of Yoto Hasashiburi]

Claims: Ryo, Ap, WC are doubled due to "winning"
8000 Ryo, 40 AP, 1x D-rank Jutsu Scroll, 1 D-rank Mission Ticket (Can't be used for any Hunter Missions)
+500 towards learning and mastering Genjutsu Release for no handseals for Shinji Nara
+128 towards Shadow Imitation 0/2500 > 128/2500
+6 Stats to Vigor
Putting this on Shinji Nara

Hiroya wrote:*it has been more then 48 hours so will be claiming hits and decap from Thunderclap and flash killing Yoto*

Shepard sheathed his blade and picked up the head of his target. Now it was time to leave and get his reward.

WC: 22
TWC: 314 (x2 due to winning 628)
[Exit]

[Claiming rewards for "winning" Hunter and the char death of Yoto Hasashiburi]

Claims: Ryo, Ap, WC are doubled due to "winning"
8000 Ryo, 40 AP, 1x D-rank Jutsu Scroll, 1 D-rank Mission Ticket (Can't be used for any Hunter Missions)
+500 towards learning and mastering Genjutsu Release for no handseals for Shinji Nara
+128 towards Shadow Imitation 0/2500 > 128/2500
+6 Stats to Vigor
Putting this on Shinji Nara

Approved