The Great Train Robbery [Mission]

[Mikaboshi]

Sousuke's response to Katsuo's conclusion that they would have to bring the train to a halt was a strange side-ways movement of the conversation towards them not having a time constraint put upon them by the fact that he had somehow managed to arrange the tracks so that the moving train would never reach it's destination. For a moment, Katsuo wasn't sure if what he'd said had reached Sousuke but he had to trust that Sousuke understood that there was no way that these imprisoned people were going to be able to get off the train while it was still moving. Katsuo was far from an expert in locomotives but he understood one very basic principle and that was that the train was moving very, very quickly and even though sand was far from the hardest surface one could slam into at a high speed that didn't mean that it would be perfectly fine for men and women who were injured and malnourished from incarceration to engage in an extreme activity like jumping off of a train.

"Alright folks, listen up. My name is Sunahoshi Katsuo. My associate here is going to come around and look at anybody that's wounded. We're gonna get you all out of here but for that happen you're going to have to play ball with us." Katsuo announced to the train as Sousuke moved to go from cage to cage to check on some of the prisoners who looked as though they'd been wounded. "I know some of you are hurt and scared but trust that everything is gonna be okay from here on."

Sousuke moved in close to him after examining a few of their wounds and gave him the low down on the nature of them. The idiot in the metal suit that he'd put through the roof of the train earlier had been a Jashinist as well but it seemed as though Sousuke were worried about the possibility of a second one on the train. Katsuo raised an eyebrow at Sousuke while the former Kazekage advised him on tactics to use against Jashinists as though they hadn't both been present when Shouki had gone down. Even before that Katsuo had dealt with his fair share of murder cultists.

He knew just how to handle them.

"We're going to go ahead and bring this train to a stop so just sit tight and we'll have you folks on your way home before you know it."

And with that, Sousuke and Katsuo proceeded into the new cabin which seemed to be another cabin full of people and supplies. Whispers rippled through the crowd as the two Sunagakurian shinobi passed in silence and Katsuo's eyes were drawn for a moment to the tremendous dent in the ceiling that bulged downwards. Through the twists of the metal ceiling dripped a few slight rivers of blood which betrayed the fact that a human being had been buried in the metal wound. It vaguely reminded him of his master Garyou and the way that he'd once shown Katsuo what happened to the men that wielded his teachings that became monsters. Once again Katsuo felt a few pangs of pity for the Jashinist that had forced Katsuo to end his life but he felt no regret in what he'd done, only that he'd been forced to do it. Jashinists were men and women who had fundamentally surrendered something of themselves to the dark forces of the world. If there were a redeemable soul among them, Katsuo had never met one.

He still kept hoping though. Maybe some day one of them would heed him and put up their sword before he was forced to end them.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Midway through the cart Sousuke stopped walking. He would turn around for the moment. "Oh."<i></i> He spoke almost as if he had forgotten something. "The idea was to have Ken, who you've never met, fly by the cart and I was going to push the cages out to him to collect from us. That was the original plan, or at least an idea of how I was going to empty the carts. Ken in his size, and wing beats may have knocked over the train carts. That would have been bad. That is an observation I had made while I was with Teke earlier."<i></i> He blinked at the Kazekage. "Sometimes plans change given calculations and when you realize what you're fully working with. So... this being the case ... yes stopping the train works. There are other various calculations that needed to be explained but ... that can wait later when you see my final report on this mission."<i></i> Katuso did not need to see the calculus or the invisible numbers being used in this adventure. Katuso would probably be drowning in confusion, or he would fall asleep. One or the other but not both.

The next cart they entered was a very different one. Whereas the past ones were older technology, this one was something out of a reverse. There were a few work benches, and what seemed to be some surgery tables. Overhead there were several sharp objects hanging, and at the left there was a glass cylinder with something inside of it. It looked human? Upon closer look it seemed more elemental, or perhaps it was something in between. Sousuke's eyes went from glowing white to glowing green as he was trying to understand what it was in the tube. Hybrid it was entirely possible. Hybrids did exist in Wind Country. They were far and few in between. There was the possibility that this was not a hybrid and perhaps a demon. The Daimyo was empowering his troops with Ancients, there could have been a step down and he could have found those of hybrid ancestry and using them to fuel some of his troops as well. The opposite end of the train would open up and reveal their next enemy. The individual in question seemed to be a duel nature. The right hand burned with fire, and the other hand emitted a chilling aura. She stood a foot taller than Katuso and looked at the two of them with narrowed eyes one that was red, and the other blue. "I've been told not to underestimate my foe, and as usual I have fallen into such a trap. I am unable to get to my desination, but I am unable to get reinforcements either. Not that I will need them."<i></i> The voices answered. It carried with it a male and a female quality to it. "Jashin has blessed me today for I seem to have acquired the attention of ... Sungakure's Kazekage and Steward. No one could ever confirm that it was Sungakure who was taking down caravans ... but I'm not surprised."<i></i> The twined individual would reach with a frosted hand to acquire a whip, and the other hand acquired a long sword. The long sword would be pointed down and the individual would press the blade into her foot. "Scream for me my sheep ... scream for..."<i></i> She paused for a moment looking confused, she was expectant of something but nothing came. If Katuso were to look to his side, he would see Sousuke holding his index and middle finger against his helmet's temple.

"Hostage situation becomes irrelevant if you're denied the means to hold them."<i></i> He answered the individual. A growl was heard, and she raised both weapons and lunged forward. Sousuke would pull both of his weapons and meet her in combat.

(MFT 300+)

 

[Mikaboshi]

There was a distant peal of thunder as the mysterious woman's blade found a home in her foot and discovered that her ability to transfer over physical harm caused to her body was temporarily inhibited. If she looked up at that moment she would have time to attempt a preventative measure to protect herself from the flashing steel of Katsuo's sword as it scythed through the air at her in a diagonal slice [Zantetsuken (Master Rank)]. There were no words wasted between them-- she'd made her stance perfectly clear through her actions. The choice she'd made upon confronting Sousuke and Katsuo hadn't been to attack them, it had been to attack the innocent bystanders and as soon as that had become clear Katsuo capitalized on the moment of weakness created by the confusion directed at her impaired ability to transfer the physical harm inflicted on her body to her intended victims.

A ripple of heat and electrical energy traced through the air behind Tatsumasa's blade creating a visible crescent of gold and red flames in the wake of his sword but the nearly supersonic slash was not the extent of the Kazekage's assault. Whether or not the woman managed to avoid his sword strike she would find herself accosted by a different sort of mental attack than the one that Sousuke had inflicted upon her. Where Sousuke's was a technique that was all about subtlety and strategy, Katsuo's was one that much more closely matched his personality. If the Jashinst couldn't rally her mental facilities quickly enough to resist the effect of Katsuo's burst of menacing aura she would find herself frozen in fear of him and unable to move for the briefest of seconds... but most importantly she would find her chakra system frozen as well, severing her link to the civilians in the other car. It was the same tactic that he'd used to disarm Shouki of his connection to Jashin and it had been extremely effective at that time even if temporarily.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke's blades clashed with this new foe. A resounding clang came as Thunder Talon and Perdition's Arrival were being met by the bloodied long sword. Sousuke's strength matched hers, but she was repelling both of his weapons with one blade. Upon closer investigation of the individual, in addition to their different coloured eyes, the twin speak, it seemed that the person in question was of a demonic heritage. The body for the most part seemed female, but she walked upon cloven hooves, and lacked human feet. With a bit more effort she pushed Sousuke back and kicked him pushing him back slightly. Katuso came in with his attack next, to answer his attack she raised her whip and tried to entangle the weapon. The whip emanated a cold aura and when it made contact with Tatsumasa. The legendary weapon of the Kazekage would not be contained by the cold whip. The whip wrapped around the blade, and held for a moment before instantly shattering. "Nice sword."<i></i> The dueled individual spoke. The next attack would come quickly enough. Unlike Sousuke who was very quiet about doing things, Katuso often times did things loudly and acquired the attention of others.

Katuso's follow up was came. His enemy was frozen for a moment. The dueled individual twitched for a moment and seemed to be very much fighting the technique Katuso had employed. The seconds were slowed down to what seemed to be eternity. "Azarahi rejects this ... pause."<i></i> The two voices growled in unison. A curious thing was happening now. The individual in question had two different eye colours. The eye that had a blue iris was now starting to turn to red. The body would begin to radiate heat, and glow orange. Sousuke understood what was about to happen.

"She's about to go super nova."<i></i> He informed Katuso. Sousuke would sheath both of his weapons and then take a step back. He wasn't fleeing from the scene he needed room. Sousuke would proceed to charge down the now named Azarahi and he would plough the individual right through the train cart wall. The force was excessive, but it was required. Sousuke was able to push at least a good eight hundred meters between the cart, the landing space. As he was pushing Azarhi midair the super nova he spoke of would go off. An explosion was seen and then the two landed. Sousuke's armoured form rolled about for a few moments. The Steward would get back on his feet, and draw both of his blades. His armour was blackened in a few spots, but he was still functional it seemed.

Azaarhi's hoof hit the sand and the individual was regaining composure now. Now both eyes were blue. Frigid energy was coalescing from the finger tips from both hands. The two hands were then brought together and a beam of frigid energy was then fired out as she was beginning to turn the beam first at Sousuke and then towards the back of the train.

 

[Mikaboshi]

The monstrous woman who identified herself as Azarahi managed to deflect both the incoming attacks from Sousuke and Katsuo but the follow-up to Katsuo's blow found purchase for at least a moment as her heart was taken and frozen with fear. Azarahi managed to fight it off quickly enough but that moment was enough for her ability to connect with the passengers of the train to be severed permanently. She wouldn't be able to reestablish that connection without consuming the blood of her victims a second time and now that she was in battle there would be no time for her to do that. Her leverage was gone. Katsuo would still have to be cautious about the usage of his abilities given the tight confines of the train so that he wouldn't risk wrecking the train and hurting any of the bystanders but to have the advantage of her blood curse on the train prisoners taken away was a tremendous blow to Azarahi's chances of winning the engagement against the two leaders of Sunagakure.

Bracing himself for the incoming explosion as their opponent began to gather power, Katsuo watched as Sousuke tackled her through the side of the train car and out into the open air of the desert. Eyes wide, Katsuo followed Sousuke and Azarahi through the hole in the side of the train quick enough only to catch the explosion which sent Sousuke catapulting backwards into his own little crater in the sand where he laid for a moment before getting back to his feet as Katsuo arrived at his side to make sure that he was okay. Thankfully no apparently worse for the wear, Katsuo turned his attention back to Azarahi who was gathering her strength for another blast of power.

"Nice job getting her outside. I'll take it from here." He told Sousuke as he took a step forward from his predecessor and the temperature around his body began to sharply rise.

The spark of Primus granted Katsuo tremendous power but that power was indiscriminate in the destruction it could cause. If he weren't careful with it, he could easily harm or even kill those around him by complete accident which had limited his options while fighting within the confines of the train. That was no longer a factor now that they were outside on the sand. All he needed to do was make sure the power that he used was sent in the opposite direction of the train and he posed no threat to them. Bolts of energy crackled across Katsuo's body and down the length of Tatsumasa as the color of it's blade began to slowly change due to the concentration of heat being built up within the sword and inside Katsuo's own body. Raising his sword, Katsuo mimed a slash in Azarahi's direction and for a moment there seemed like there wouldn't be any effect but after a moment there was a tumultuous clap of thunder and discharge of electromagnetic power as Katsuo's blade cut a tremendous arc of gilded light that blasted through the space between them like a tornado of burning power tearing everything in it's path to shreds [Vanishing World (Master Rank) with the Special Action Sudden Cruelty].

Whatever attack Azarahi had been preparing would have to wait if she didn't want to be caught in the unrelenting blast that Katsuo had unleashed towards her but even if she decided to brave it and simply accept his wrath he would be prepared for a counter-measure for whatever she sent his way [Jutsu Clash with Fist of Gaia (Master Rank)].

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke got up from the ground, and at that moment Katuso was at his side. The Steward was prepared to hurl himself again at his foe. He heard a clicking in his leg mechanism. Damn. That could cause problems. Katuso had informed him that he was going to take it from there. Sousuke rose to his full height. He was still functioning. He would nod at the Kazekage. "I'll protect the train. She seems to have elemental shifts in power between hot and cold."<i></i> Sousuke would place his hands on the ground and raise up an earthern barrier when the beam of frost came for the two of them. The barrier did not shatter, but it was indeed frozen solid. Sousuke watched as the beam was then moving, and went for the train. Sousuke would move the frozen earthen barrier with his mind as he was having it keep up with the ice beam. It seemed that Azarahi was more preoccupied with the train and trying to again get at the slaves. Sousuke would not let that happen, but more importantly, Katuso was given room to do what he needed. It was going to be loud.

What happened next? Blink and one would miss everything. Katsuo's attack burned and turned the sand on the ground to purest glass. Once Azarahi realized what was coming, the ice beam changed directions and was fired into Katuso's attack trying to diminish its power. The frigid energy she unleashed was being consumed and consumed entirely. Sousuke watched as the attack consumed the Jashinist's body whole. He released the genjutsu. For the first five seconds nothing was heard from their nemesis. Then the air was filled with a horror cry that sounded like crackling fire and breaking ice. In the end Azarahi burned to a crisp and burned to nothing.

The Steward was prepared for Jashinist to revive, or let alone for Jashin himself to intervene. Sousuke was not fond of having to deal with these sorts of individuals. It was tiring and long. He looked about looking for anything, in the wind, any tremors in the ground, a sparking of fire, or frost forming on the ground. Nothing came, and after that Sousuke immediately looked to Katuso. "I've grown accustomed to you falling over after most fights because of your power set is all-consuming... ... You're not going to fall over are you?"<i></i> Sousuke would wait for the answer. While he waited, his eyes would trace the train as it approaching the curve. Sousuke would need to attend to several things if Katuso fell over.

(Mission WC as of this post is 7605)

 

[Mikaboshi]

The aftermath of Katsuo's unleashed power was breathtaking. A swathe of glistening jagged and angry glass was burned into the desert sand, arrayed in a tremendous cone away from his body. Steam and smoke rose steadily from the still crackling wound that Katsuo had cut into the desert of Wind Country as he held Tatsumasa out to the side and away from his body. The sword of the king's blade still glowed an angry red and orange from the heat of Katsuo's attack and was far too hot to return to it's scabbard safely at first. As Sousuke began to approach him from the side. Whenever he finished a battle with one of the Sovereign agents or with one of the daimyo's tyrannical goons, he always felt a sense of remorse pull at his conscience as he thought back to the image of his master Garyou standing over the decimated remains of his former protege that day so many years ago during Katsuo's training in the school of Ansatsuken-ryu [LINK to short story for context.

"This is the fate that awaits all men that walk our path. Never forget that at the end of everything, the skills we practice are the arts of death -- our school one founded in the spirit of assassination and murder. Some day I will fall before someone else. And you will as well. If you are fortunate, you will see the age that I have before that happens."

Those were the words that Garyou had said to him on that day and Katsuo had never forgotten them, just as Garyou had intended. Still, he also could not find it in himself to agree with his master's perspective. He refused to see the world as black and white as Garyou had but even still Katsuo had always wondered what would have transpired that day if it had been him that had faced down a former student of his that had gone rogue and decided to selfishly abuse their abilities. Once upon a time he'd been forced to take the life of his sibling in a similar happenstance and the image of his little brother Reiko who had always idolized him split in twain and dying in the darkness of that cavern was a sight that would always be burned into the very core of Katsuo's heart of hearts. Was this really all there was to life? Katsuo had violently disagreed with Mikaboshi's perspective of survival of the fittest but even at his most philosophically introspective, Katsuo could understand the logic of the way Mikaboshi saw things.

"I've grown accustomed to you falling over after most fights because of your power set is all-consuming... ... You're not going to fall over are you?"

Drawn out of his reverie by Sousuke's words, Katsuo turned his head to look at the former Kazekage and smiled at him in spite of the melancholy thoughts that crossed his mind.

"I'll be okay Sousuke. Let's find Teke and bring this mission to a close. Get those people back to their families."

"But there is another lesson in this. While we are weapons and our skills are that of death, there is good in the work that we do. With this monster's destruction, we have prevented the suffering of many others."

Turning away from where they had laid low another of Jashin's foul servants for the good of the people, Garyou's second teaching bubbled to the surface of Katsuo's mind and he felt a sense of peace fall over the tumultuous feeling that had previously run through him. Azarahi had made her choice. As had Katsuo. In the end, every choice that they made were reflections of the people that they were and the path that they had chosen and the consequences were equally their own.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Much to the Steward's surprise, Katuso was not going to fall over and become unconscious. He was going to stand, and remain standing. Remarkably Sousuke too was standing, certainly his armour was sparking and damaged in certain spots, but it was not all that bad. Katuso would mention to him that they should bring this to a close. It seemed like they had bested if not all of the Daimyo's troops on the train, then most of them. Sousuke would wait as the train would complete its circuit and it would return to them. They would approach the train itself, to find it had no one guarding it, and in a short amount of time he would bring the train to a stop. With the train stopped. They would begin to unload the slaves, removing any bonds and markings.

The most difficult part in what happened next was Sousuke would try to describe Ken in the best way possible so as to not have people panic or freak out when he would summon a giant beetle. To much of his surprise, most people did not freak out. It took some of them several moments to calm down, but they did so. Before they would leave the scene Sousuke would reassemble the train tracks to form the correct direction from before. Within a short while the train was up and operational, and with it carried a message.

***

The train approaches the station and comes to a stop. Curiously it is entirely devoid of line but still it carries supplies. Several individuals approach the train and look curiously at it. Amongst these individuals stands a prominent black haired man with finer features. He carried with him a pair of repairs which are sheathed. He is not a member of the Sovereign, but he is indeed a middling member of the Daimyo's army. He was a commander, but he answered to the Sovereign. His name was Hataye Yamato. He was a tactician, but not a Jashinist. He told to expect the payload and to offload it. He looked down to his watch. The train was late yes, but not that bad. It was only twenty minutes. They needed the slaves for their expansion project, but also for other reasons. The other reasons were not yet revealed to him. As the train came to a full stop his eyebrows raised. There was a singular message burned onto the train. Slavery died at Godsfall. It needs to die again. It was a message. Whoever did this had been doing it for some time. The individual was well informed, but never quite left a message like this before. He looked to his underlings. He would motion to the train. "Get rid of this. Decommission it, melt it down. Go into the public, find out who saw this and arrest them. Call them conspirators, or make something of the sort. "<i></i> Yamato would have to deal with this nameless attacker. He had been doing this for some time, and he would have to put an end to this little game, once and for all.

Final Mission WC is 8123, and the mission here comes to a close.