Small steps Towards Excellence (Contract Search)

[Sunaku Harupia]

Just as he hoped, while abundant and surely quite sharp against flesh, the thorns were not quite sturdy enough to get through his protective shell. And it was sorely needed to, as the entry points were clearly not meant for an adult human as him. With a sigh and a few grunts, he made his way through the entrances, crawling through carefully. as much as he could afford at least. He could see the lizard warrior fending off the birds, but he was sorely outnumbered and the buzzards were no stranger to fighting their pray, their reputation aside. He'd need his help, and they both probably would need to evacuate as fast as they could once he got the girl.

At least the inside of the nest was relatively calm, though the silence was ominous...the fact of being surrounded by such massive eggs, and vicious, hungry creatures getting ready to burst from them was an uneasy prospect. A prospect which turned even grimmer as the rumbling of the eggs started to echo, and one of the closest to him actually burst, a sharp beak bursting through and just narrowly missing him. Great...just what he needed here. Forsaking being careful at this point, he moved forward as fast as he could. Reaching the center, where the girl was bound, he would lean down trying to undo the weak binds, while trying torch down to see if the girls were conscious. AS that went one, and from under his clothing and from the general area around him would rise, forming a slightly misshapen visage similar to him. A sand clone to try and fend off the first wave of incoming buzzards.

 

[Okada Kaji]

Harupia proved to be a clever man indeed as he closed in on the captive human girl. He prepared a doppelganger which came to life with a body of sand, magically becoming a perfect replica of its creator. Dozens of eggs began to twice as the intruder took on a speeding pace through the nest. Harupia had to narrowly overcome protruding branches and brambles, using dexterity only shinobi could manage and approached his target. The clone wouldn’t have much trouble following him, however, the odds of it lasting long were low as the first hideous faces emerged from the cracked shells.

Enormous mucous-covered eyes sat high within the creature's rounded, angular skull, leading the hatchling’s terrifying appearance. They were dripping with membrane fluid, which overflowed as the shell erupted and the hungry things came forth. Several large fan-like skin and bone structures ran down the sides of each of its jawlines. Their beaks were already crooked, with pointy nostrils and small horns on their chins. Small misaligned teeth poked out from the sides of their beaks, revealing only a fraction of the terror hiding inside. Long, thin necks ran down from their heads and into naked bodies lacking plumage. Two bow-legged limbs carried their bodies, allowing the creatures to hop forth, often spilling over into unforgiving thorns. Their freakish wings grew from their shoulders and ended all the way down at the pelvis. The wings were curved, with thick skin and eerie bone structures to make up most of the wing and jagged edges at the bottom almost gave it a feathered look. The clone had its hands full as these creatures dawdled closer, following their programming from birth to devour the first things they saw. The nest was full of horrid squawking.

The child Harupia chose the destiny of saving was starved to the brink of death and laid still beneath a tight binding of thorny vines, just dull enough to scrape but not cause dangerous wounds. Blonde, unfettered hair clumsily hung over a fine, anguished face. She had weary green eyes, set tightly within their sockets, watching with depleted hope despite a savior coming near. There was a fresh scar reaching from just under the right eye, running towards the right side of her lips— it left an agonizing memory of when she was forced into this place.

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

The sand Clone, in general, was not as sturdy as the other clones. mostly meant for supporting fire and also as a surprise for anyone who would come in to close to it. And that would fit quite well here, giving the close proximity he was in with all the hatchlings Truly a horrid sight... and while he realized must creatures do not come gracefully into this world, it seems these were at least quite true to their nature from birth, already looking like monstrous creatures bred to be a menace to the deserts. But they would need to feast to grow stronger. And he was there to prevent just that.

The clones would try its best to attract the attention of the oncoming swarm, preparing them with SDhurikens of sand to stop them dead in their tracks and trying to taunt them with its succulent look. Haru himself was trying to figure out the best way to exit... he probably couldn't really on his cloud of sand to form quickly enough...and they were swarming from all around. He could buy himself some time. A quick set of hand seals formed in his hands and with a stomp of his foot two things happened. One, the sand around him suddenly shot up into the air, enveloping the area around the nest with the girl in a thick cloud of sand, a veil to obscure his position and blind the vultures. The second jutsu caused something to appear in his hand. What seemed to look like a quick, makeshift blade made of paper.While of curious using, it would do the job as he leaned in saying "Its ok...we're going home soon, just stay still" as the Shinobi tried cutting through the thorny plants, trying to set her free.

 

[Okada Kaji]

It took clinical precision, like a surgeon with steel resolve in the midst of chaos to cut the child free without further wounding her. The paper blade sliced through each stage of the binding with a snap until the child gained freedom of movement. She was covered in fresh scratches from all the rough handling. Bloodied spots along her arms and waist revealed infected marks where the dirty vines were wrapped tightly around her for days. She slumped backwards against the trunk of the nest.
“H-help” gasped the exhausted youngling, with the word spoken in a broken runic terran. “The brood… will feed.”

The chomping attacks of the overgrown hatchlings quickly defined what the hostage child meant. The hatchlings were coming like a swarm, targeting the clone first and ripping through it with ease. The mouthful of dust was nothing to satisfy their hunger, and the jagged beaked creatures would stop at nothing until they had their meal.

Despite the trouble of his own swarm troubles, Aydrun kept a watch on Harupia’s progress through the storm of flocking feathers. The wretched birds were tackling him in waves, attempting to drive their talons through his scaly armor. More than a few streams of crimson insisted that the bothersome fowl were have some modicum success. With enough time, those vultures would eventually overrun Aydrun if he refused to withdraw, and if the two-legger failed, his efforts would have been for naught. Two meals for the price of one would only double his failure… However, dying gloriously in the name of spitfully quelling the vulture brood— that was a victory worthy of a true scaled warrior. If he’d die, then he’d take the whole nest down with him in a work of absolute fury.

Fangs, claws, and one muscly tail stretched out to grasp the attacking vultures. Aydrun used his size and strength to grapple several screeching birds at once by their scraggly throats. He rolled with them, disorienting the prey before rolling himself over the cliffside, using the fiendish bird’s attempts at flapping to negate some of the force in his rapid descent. There was a tragic sarcophony of roaring and squawking as Aydrun and his captive bounced down the cavern wall. The impact of their landing shook the sand and disturbed the sea of bones. Three of the birds taken by Aydrun died with their bodies shattered like glass by the fall, and the last was flopping around once Aydrun tossed it aside. Dust rolled off the glorious mega-lizard as he arose and shook off the fall. More vultures were coming down to face him again, yet they seemed more hesitant after his feat— though this was not for fear of Aydrun. Another shake in the soil revealed the truth as the predator beneath the sand was stirred once more.

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Well, at least his hand was still steady considering all the commotion going around, with him managing to free the young girl from the binds. He quickly knelt before her to say: ربما ... لكن ليس علينا.. As he spoke, the sand and soil around him rippled and coagulated, rising from the ground, the clone dispersing and the mist around him all forming one large clump of sand above his hand, having him stare at the incoming horde of hatchlings...just before the exclaiming "Sand Release: Desert Tendril Unleash!". The mass of sand contracted and exploded forward in a barrage of sand made spikes, erupting everywhere which wasn't directly under it. It was a scattershot move, but with the amount of soft, fleshy targets, he assumed it would be effective stopping any incoming hatchling, either disposing of them or at least clearing them away.

After that attack, he would cradle the girls in his arms as tight as he could and charge forward, once again exclaiming "Shifting Earth Style: Sand Spiker!" before jumping forward, bracing his feet as behind him, a pillar of sand shot up suddenly. With his feet prepared and using his chakra for propulsion, he would push of the pillar and rocket up and forward, towards one of the openings in the walls of the fortress-like nest, which he assumed the other vultures used to move in and out of the stronghold. The flight wasn't as fast as he anticipated due to tot he added weight, but ha managed to reach one of the exists relatively unscathed.

Balancing on his feet, he would hold on to the girl wrapping his arms around her,w while performing a series of quick seals, using the wood from the tree as material for his paper jutsu, forming a harness of sorts which wrapped around his and hers back, as he said "لا تقلق ، هذا سيبقيك آمنًا ... فقط التمسك بي بأقصى ما تستطيع ، حسناً؟" in the Terran language. As he spoke he would try looking around for his companion, and to be quite honest it wouldn't take long to spot him fending off the hideous buzzards...before he performed the death-defying maneuver of acting several of them and jumping off the cliff. He also shouted out to him but he stopped himself in the last second... that fact the buzzards were transfixed on him was the only reason he was able to make this far...but eh couldn't just leave him. As the other adult vultures flocked towards the cliff where he fell, he would manipulate the wooden fortress once again, smoothing out a path downwards which he would slide down on, focusing his energy at his feet again to make sure he wouldn't fall to his and the girls demise, while trying to stir the sand from the ground up to him to form another cloud nimbus. As he did so, he could feel the tremors deep under the grounds... The mighty beast in the sand was still there...and it seemed to be more and more agitated by the commotion bove it...he could imagine Aydrun crashing into the ground was no help with that matter.

Runnic Terran Translations:

1st: Maybe...but not on us
2nd: Don't worry, this will keep you safe...just hold onto to me as hard as you can, alright?

 

[Toraono Kuro]

The hungry foul fowls surged after their current prey as the lizard warrior defied them all slamming them into the mountain side catching one in his jaws, slapping three aside with his massive tail and still they came only a few of the older ones held back knowing something of the true monsters that lay beneath the sands. They watched in hungry reverie waiting to feast upon the lizard and the fallen until a wave of sand and earth crushed them into the cliffside as Harupia made his way to the mighty scaled warrior. The sands beneath the lizard warrior shuddered and just two feet away a young sandwyrm shot forth from the deep sands swallowing half the brood remaining whole before disappearing into the cliffside leaving little more than a man sized opening for such a massive creature. Scared out of their tiny minds the remaining brood fled for their lives never knowing they were heading in the wrong direction till it was too late and the sandwyrm attacked again swallowing all but three of the remaining brood. Before crashing into the deep sands behind Harupia and the scaled warrior.

Was it over?

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Harupia was not really expecting much from his training session in the morning. Just merely learning to control his newfound powers more...and yet her here was, diving out of the massive next of some foul decrepit vultures, saving a young abandoned girl from being devoured by their young, flying through the air while seeing a massive Lizard warrior fend them off, and on top of that, what he had to assume was a very young Sandwyrm emerg from the grounds and chomping on the flock of ravenous creatures, in two fell swoops. He had his distance from it and he had seen more massive specimens, but the sight of the creature of the Dunes never ceased to amaze him. Still, he couldn't loos focus as he maneuvered towards the man-sized entrance, passing the lizard warrior. He didn't stop his movements, going from flying on his sand cloud so suffering once he sands surface as he made his way away from the territory fo the buzzards, nodding towards the reptilian warrior, though he assumed he would rather not stick around in case the creature would rise again.

Once the built up some distance he slowed down, still moving as he held the girl in his arm, his robe taken of to shield her from the burning sun. The sun baked his skin but as long as the girls as safe he could bear it. After a bit of walking in silence, he would turn to the beast asking "Will it be safe to say most of your hunts are a bit calmer than this one?" letting out a tired chuckle from his joke as he spoke "Thank you for the assistance. I do hope I did not bring shame to my people. Though I assume we would need to part ways soon...though to be honest at this distance it'll be hard for me to ever find a way to wherever you hideout is, so you don't need to worry about my mouth being shut" he finished with a grin, wanting to make sure he would not endanger his own Kin. two strangers who helped each other and are about to part ways... had anice ring to it, though it did feel slightly unsatisfying...

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Aydrun would nod to Harupia before presenting him with a token. It was a piece of chakra crystal with a large reptilian fang sealed within it. The carmot had been shaped by some process that allowed the stone to radiate a perpetual feeling of sincerity and warmth. Aydrun pressed the smoothed crystal into Harupia's hand and the sun simply ceased to burn his flesh for some reason. "You may yet prove worthy." The horned lizardman stalked off into the desert once more as Harupia could sand sense the lizard warrior heading off for another hunt in a direction that would keep him off the sandwyrm's path.

Harupia got the distinct feeling that he would see the lizard warrior again. Harupia could also feel the shifting beneath the sand the sandwyrm was still on the move but it too seemed to be seeking something elsewhere and generally in the same direction the lizard man was heading.

Curious...

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

The Sand Shinobi Blinked as he received a gift from his companion, a token of Crystal with a fang of what he assumed was one of his Kin...perhaps his own? It was strange, he could feel the radiance of the stone, even more than most due to his talents. Did it feel welcoming, warm, accepting...a token of friendship? As he held the warm crystal, suddenly it seemed as if the sun stopped grazing his skin, a strange coolness over his flesh. He blinked at the Lizards words, a seemingly mutual understanding between them.

And like that, he was off, to hunt another prey. And if the vibrations in the sand were anything to go by, the wyrm they were facing was still moving about. It almost felt bad to leave the lizard now. But they both knew the human had a clear goal in mind. While the girl was safe now, she needed care, shelter, and if possible, a home better then she had left behind. The Sand user slid through the sand back home, though he held the stone close. perhaps this wasn't the standard ritual as he read int he books, but he could only assume primordial animals cared little about his ninja's scrolls. Yet he knew, that if Aydrun would call, he would answer. And if harupia would Call, the Hunting lizard would come to stalk his prey. A pretty eventful day, all things considered.

OOC: Apologies for the delay here...kind of slipped out of my mind x.x Which is something I will not let happen often is I can help it. As much as I appreciate the sandwyrm hook right now Haru would care most about making the child in his hands safe, heh.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

ooc: No worries, this is a beautiful and simple ending to a strong story of bonding.

The young sandwyrm trailed Harupia for a while feeding on a few beasts that caught its ire before finding the spore of a carnasaur nearby and circling their caverns to investigate their lairs before returning to the deep sands. Aydrun stretched as he found a small stream of natural chakra filled water and drank deeply healing his wounds as his hunter spirit grew ever stronger with each challenge. He had found an ally and soon he would see how truthful his newfound bond was.

Contract search complete.