Kamaru stared out the window at the rain as it fell. Few people were experts on a specific Contract with various summoned realms, he hadn’t found one yet that had a good standing grasp of the concepts of the summoning realms as a whole even within his line of resources. Had he met a combatant that gave him a warning or one final mental attack to send him chasing through the shadows for the tail of an imaginary crisis. The knock at the door didn't pull him out of his brooding until he felt a hand shaking his shoulder and someone addressing him directly. Apologizing Kamaru explained his mind was on other matters as he cupped his face with his hands and rubbed his eyes and temples before raking his fingers down his face trying to pull out the cobwebs inside his head. They were requesting the sortee for missions for the main branch and Kamaru looked at the stack of files in his inbox and none in his outbox. He declared he’d have it done by lunch as he grabbed the stack of paperwork to go through.
Moving through the paperwork systematically he processed most of them while setting one aside. A case of multiple sudden outbreaks of group hysteria and violent tendencies out of a small mining community struck him as odd. It was a ways from the Village and Kamaru opted to assign himself the case, if he finished early maybe a small day vacation staying behind would do him some good away from the Village and the issues that seemed to push and pull at him daily. Kamaru found himself embarking the following day with village matters attended to for the next week. It should be enough time to make an investigation into the incident. With a clear day ahead Kamaru thought things were looking up as he walked through the gates and made his way to the small mining community. Having found someplace for lunch along the way he made it to an path overlooking the small mining village some time after the moon was high in the sky that night.
With the chill of night coming settling in Kamaru walked into the small tavern and inn that the small settlement had, from the looks of things it was the only one they had. Everyone stopping seeing the stranger walk in was quite noticeable to Kamaru.
”Don’t need your kind around here stranger, you ain't welcome.” A large man said the low murmur turning into a dead silence.
”Well that’s good, so the odd occurrences have been figured out and people are being treated? If that’s the case I’ll just need a room for the night and I’ll be out of the town in the morning since there’s nothing for me to investigate than. I’ll have to explain the mission wasn’t completed and someone else did all the legwork to the customer though.” Kamaru shot back not really caring about the man’s tone.
The man moved toward Kamaru but stopped when a small frail hand touched his arm.
”Let him be… he’s here to help. The problem ain’t solved yet and the mine and this town are starting to shut down.”
an elderly woman stated. Kamaru stared at her and she looked tired. Granted he didn’t know if it was because of the incident or the years but Kamaru looked around and grabbed a chair and sat.
”I’m here to help so tell me what you can.” Kamaru stated and the tavern seemed to go back to it’s normal din of noise.
Out of the twenty odd men on shift for the mine when it happened fifteen were still alive. None were trapped or killed in the mines but two attempted to assault each other when everyone ran out. One ended up killing the other before anyone could stop him. He was found a few days later hung at his home probably by his own hand. Two more had committed suicide as well, one slicing his own throat the other jumping off a ravine. The fifth death was odd he shut down most thought due to depression and eventually just stopped breathing. The others weren’t as bad but all seemed off a bit after the incident as the large man explained since two of his younger brothers where in the mine and still alive, they ‘weren’t right anymore’.
Some woke up in the middle of the night screaming and would take off running out of their homes, others would bolt up out of bed and barricade themselves in a room with makeshift weapons, both cases had them looking about with wild eyes, like the man who had murdered a coworker they’d eventually come to realizing what they were doing. They didn’t talk about what had happened to them much mostly just whispers of what had happened. A mining environment Kamaru found out wasn’t the quietest of places to work in, hearing voices and a ‘crackling pop’ while working seemed to be odd to say the least.
Since it was in the middle of a work shift the next few shifts got wind of what happened rather quickly since it was a close knit community of workers. No one wanted in, the mining company had threatened for fire people if they didn’t get back to work, the local mining rep explained to the company they may pay the miners but they didn’t own their lives, just their livelihood, outside temp workers were brought in but that lasted less than an hour, rumors of voices and going crazy or getting thoughts of killing someone being heard before going in had each temp worker leaving at the first sound of a whisper in their ear. From the miners and the few temp workers in the area still around the elderly woman could tell Kamaru they didn’t ‘hear’ the voice, they seemed to be in their head. Kamaru didn’t have a lot to go on but it seemed the farther in miners were the worse the symptoms were. The two fartherst in had attempted to kill each other, those that took their own life had been the closest to those deepest into the mind. Mass Genjutsu with varying affects or a poison were out in Kamaru’s mind but he did have one other thought about the situation, it may not be a Shinobi per say but he had no idea what it could be but he figured out where he could find out more.
With a sigh Kamaru looked from the large man to the elderly woman, ”I’ve never run into something like this, I’d like to look at the homes of the deceased if i can but it sounds like if I want to know what’s going on… I’m going to have to get some mining gear and go into those mines.”
The two looked at each other before looking back at Kamaru, he was either incredibly brave considering what might happen to him or incredibly stupid.
Moving through the paperwork systematically he processed most of them while setting one aside. A case of multiple sudden outbreaks of group hysteria and violent tendencies out of a small mining community struck him as odd. It was a ways from the Village and Kamaru opted to assign himself the case, if he finished early maybe a small day vacation staying behind would do him some good away from the Village and the issues that seemed to push and pull at him daily. Kamaru found himself embarking the following day with village matters attended to for the next week. It should be enough time to make an investigation into the incident. With a clear day ahead Kamaru thought things were looking up as he walked through the gates and made his way to the small mining community. Having found someplace for lunch along the way he made it to an path overlooking the small mining village some time after the moon was high in the sky that night.
With the chill of night coming settling in Kamaru walked into the small tavern and inn that the small settlement had, from the looks of things it was the only one they had. Everyone stopping seeing the stranger walk in was quite noticeable to Kamaru.
”Don’t need your kind around here stranger, you ain't welcome.” A large man said the low murmur turning into a dead silence.
”Well that’s good, so the odd occurrences have been figured out and people are being treated? If that’s the case I’ll just need a room for the night and I’ll be out of the town in the morning since there’s nothing for me to investigate than. I’ll have to explain the mission wasn’t completed and someone else did all the legwork to the customer though.” Kamaru shot back not really caring about the man’s tone.
The man moved toward Kamaru but stopped when a small frail hand touched his arm.
”Let him be… he’s here to help. The problem ain’t solved yet and the mine and this town are starting to shut down.”
an elderly woman stated. Kamaru stared at her and she looked tired. Granted he didn’t know if it was because of the incident or the years but Kamaru looked around and grabbed a chair and sat.
”I’m here to help so tell me what you can.” Kamaru stated and the tavern seemed to go back to it’s normal din of noise.
Out of the twenty odd men on shift for the mine when it happened fifteen were still alive. None were trapped or killed in the mines but two attempted to assault each other when everyone ran out. One ended up killing the other before anyone could stop him. He was found a few days later hung at his home probably by his own hand. Two more had committed suicide as well, one slicing his own throat the other jumping off a ravine. The fifth death was odd he shut down most thought due to depression and eventually just stopped breathing. The others weren’t as bad but all seemed off a bit after the incident as the large man explained since two of his younger brothers where in the mine and still alive, they ‘weren’t right anymore’.
Some woke up in the middle of the night screaming and would take off running out of their homes, others would bolt up out of bed and barricade themselves in a room with makeshift weapons, both cases had them looking about with wild eyes, like the man who had murdered a coworker they’d eventually come to realizing what they were doing. They didn’t talk about what had happened to them much mostly just whispers of what had happened. A mining environment Kamaru found out wasn’t the quietest of places to work in, hearing voices and a ‘crackling pop’ while working seemed to be odd to say the least.
Since it was in the middle of a work shift the next few shifts got wind of what happened rather quickly since it was a close knit community of workers. No one wanted in, the mining company had threatened for fire people if they didn’t get back to work, the local mining rep explained to the company they may pay the miners but they didn’t own their lives, just their livelihood, outside temp workers were brought in but that lasted less than an hour, rumors of voices and going crazy or getting thoughts of killing someone being heard before going in had each temp worker leaving at the first sound of a whisper in their ear. From the miners and the few temp workers in the area still around the elderly woman could tell Kamaru they didn’t ‘hear’ the voice, they seemed to be in their head. Kamaru didn’t have a lot to go on but it seemed the farther in miners were the worse the symptoms were. The two fartherst in had attempted to kill each other, those that took their own life had been the closest to those deepest into the mind. Mass Genjutsu with varying affects or a poison were out in Kamaru’s mind but he did have one other thought about the situation, it may not be a Shinobi per say but he had no idea what it could be but he figured out where he could find out more.
With a sigh Kamaru looked from the large man to the elderly woman, ”I’ve never run into something like this, I’d like to look at the homes of the deceased if i can but it sounds like if I want to know what’s going on… I’m going to have to get some mining gear and go into those mines.”
The two looked at each other before looking back at Kamaru, he was either incredibly brave considering what might happen to him or incredibly stupid.