Pitful merchants, Plentiful loot [p]

Posts : 63 Join date : 2015-10-27

The bustle of the small bazaar was evidence enough of the goods being sold, products beings passed over counters in exchange for ryo. For most it was just a simple day at the market, but for Ko it was something wholly other. This was her hunting ground, her domain, a place she could gather enough money to purchase food. A place to swipe some supplies, steal a few bits of comfort to brighten her otherwise dismal life. She could mostly pass unnoticed, not that she did not stand out. Amid other homeless wretches, however, she was willfully ignored and happily dismissed from the minds of those with spare change and stone hearts. For as long as she remembered it'd been like this, and that suited her needs just fine. Others begged, and she wasn't above that, but she preferred to simply take what she needed.

Her memory was a blank past only a few years back. She'd simply popped into existence, it seemed to her, already a growing child and standing on two legs. It hadn't taken her long to regain her modest prowess, Instinct had seen to that. That voice in her head was always there, guiding her actions, whispering to her suggestions and ideas, lulling her into post meal meditation on the topic of her own abilities. She knew her chakra, she knew her body, she had even managed to engage her Byakugan, though the results were less than ideal. Though she knew her chakra, though she could feel, see, and even direct its flow through her body, she could never call it forth in jutsu without succumbing to the effects of the spider seal over her heart.

Gliding silently through the market, however, she needed no chakra. Her bare feet were silent on the cobble stone market place, her small frame ever hunched into a crouch was small and easily fit into corners and crevices where wandering eyes might only see shadow. Like a cat she was quick and lithe, graceful and never seemed to waste a single motion. She skipped softly between people in the crowd, winding her way through a shifting path of free space that was bordered on both sides by wallets, purses, and coin pouches all filled with her target, and easily enough lifted. Whether cutting straps and cords or slipping carefully into pockets, her fingers wiggled prizes out that were quickly secreted away in her own pockets before she scurried away.

She was rarely caught, but she knew how to pick her mark. Ley-folk worked best, dim witted and often overwhelmed by the market crowd. They did not often have a huge amount of money on them, but they made for easy targets. She lifted their purse easily enough, then took the money they had planned to feed themselves with, and bought bread and fruit and dried meats for herself. She did not care if she doomed other to starving, the problems of other people never had any effect on her heart.

Her take at the market today had been considerable, and now she was outside of town. Itsuko preferred being on her own, and up in a tall tree was one of the safest places she could think to rest. Her spoils lay in her lap, a pile of coins and fistful of paper marking the ryo she'd made, but the pittance was only enough to keep her fed for a while. In truth that didn't matter, but that's a story for another time. In her mind she only had this, and the money would only amount to a few big bowls of ramen, and a couple steamed buns. Already she wanted more, but the peasants she stole from were just so poor.

It was then that serendipity shined a positive light on her, and darkened the future of a several others. The sound of pack animals trudging with a heavy load was paired with voices and wooden wheels bouncing on the rough cobblestone road. It was a sound all to familiar coming and going along the great trade routes that connected the different nations together. Commerce was the life blood of every nation, and Itsuko was more than willing to do some bloodletting whenever it so favored her.

With the spoils from her market visit once more secured in the small pouch she kept in the pocket sewn into the inside of her tunic she sets off, leaping between tress from one branch to the other. She doesn't come to a stop until the merchant caravan is within sight, a trio of heavy wagons with a small retinue of guards flanking either side of it. There were 6 in total, but only two seemed to be of any concern. Spotting the leyfolk was easy, even a well trained soldier was sloppy and wanting when displayed beside a trained shinobi.

A small grin turns her lips at their corners as she surveys the scene, quickly judging that this would be easy pickings. The two were both weapon users, one with a sword and the other with a spear. The four footmen also has spears, but their cheap armor and the mass produced look of their spears made them stand out for their normalcy. They were marching in step with two on either side of the carts, while the shinobi seemed much more alert. They were constantly scanning the trees around them, and for a moment Itsuko thought she might have been spotted. One locked eyes with her through the leaves, but no sooner had he done so than his eyes continued to wander and search. She was surprised by the eye contact, but thought nothing of it. It was not like they wouldn't be on guard anyway. As the caravan passes she slinks back, leaping away from the road and deeper into the forest. She wouldn't attack them here, they were still far to close to town.

986

Posts : 63 Join date : 2015-10-27

It'd be another hour before the caravan finally caught up to her. She'd found a nice bend in the road bordered on both sides by thick tree and bush cover. It was the perfect place for an ambush, and she wasn't the only one that knew it. She was up in the trees, too well hidden to be spotted, but the caravan slowed as it approached her area none the less. She was never so great at using her chakra, but she could suppress the energy within her when she needed to hide. The ninja with the sword was in the lead, and the first to walk beneath her. She'd let him pass, watching as the first and second wagons passed behind him.

She had done this before, she knew the trick well enough. She drops down deftly between the second and third wagon, and no sooner had she appeared than the pair of shinobi bodyguards were springing into action. She didn't need to fight them directly, she had other things in mind. She takes in a great breath and springs up to her feet in front of the horses, raising her arms and waving them around while screaming with a shrill and ear breaking sound. The animals reacted in a very predictable manner, and panicked. As the pair of ninja began to close in on her, the scene went from relative to peace to absolute pandemonium.

The horses rear up on their back legs and neigh their sudden fear and aggression out, while kicking at Ko with their front legs. The wagon behind shakes and rattles as the horses struggle in their bridles to get free and away. There's no time to survey the scene any longer, a long, straight sword cutting through the air towards her head forcing her to stop scaring the horses and set into action. Quickly she falls backwards, rolling through the dirt once and then scrambling on all fours away from the defenders. The smile on her face told a story of cheer and joy amid the sudden panic, but this was just another day at work for her.

Beneath the wagon the sword blade thrusts over and over, pushing between wagon wheels and under the wood frame body, but each time Itsuko simply ducked and rolled to evade the attack. She was small, and this strategy usually did her well. The ley-guard, the few non-shinobi who were hopeless to resist her, busied themselves trying to calm the horses, and after scurrying quickly from beneath the cart she continued once more to slide easily beneath the one in front of it.

The swordsman was following close on her heels, even swinging his weapon in two broad arcs, though never really coming close to hitting her. Itsuko was well practiced, and simply too small, light, and fast for them to catch. The more often they attacked, and the more often she dodged, the more often she would laugh and taunt and cheer. In spite of her apparent cheer, however, she was also quickly flanked. Both shinobi now stood near the front cart, while the rest of the people were huddled near the back, steadying horses trying to keep the carts from breaking under the stree.

When the spear joined the sword it was time to make her exit, the blade coming dangerously close, and almost pushing her directly into the path of the oncoming sword. Instead of ducking low she pushed herself high, up against the bottom of the wagon and let the spear slip beneath her. The next moment she landed on it's shaft, pinning it in place and rolling closer to the wheels to avoid the shorter reach of the sword. Pinning the spear in place she turns herself and kicks out at the spearman's hand, forcing him to release his weapon or deal with a broken wrist.

She could have been an inuzuka for her speed on all fours, crawling a specialty from spending so much time laying low and in cover. In the blink of an eye she's out from beneath the wagon, right as the man with the sword is leaping atop and over it. She makes two fluid attacks, a quick jab towards the man's face and then a kick aimed at his knees, both of which he sidestepped and evaded. Once he moved Ko slipped through the opening she'd made, and finally managed to stand back up on her own two feet. It was going perfectly, just as she'd planned, and already the two lead horses were stomping in place, watching with wide eyes and on the edge of breaking.

She stood there triumphantly, even as her opponent picked his spear up once more. She gave them another brief scan, they wore flak jackets and each had pouches no doubt filled with tools. They were otherwise quite plain, quite boring, and just another pair of faces that Itsuko might end up breaking before the day's over. “look here, little girl.” said the swordsmen as he took point, instantly allowing Itsuko to identify him as the alpha. He had his sword presented before him in a defensive stance while he assessed Itsuko, though her demeanor and appearance left him wondering. She had no headband, used no jutsu, and still suppressed her chakra. They had at least seen her speed, and a pair of flailing attacks.

896

Posts : 63 Join date : 2015-10-27

“Ha, no you look here!” Itsuko retorts with a snort and a laugh, putting her hands on her hips afterwards and laughing with a strange mix of humor, confidence, and madness. Instinct was going wild inside her, demanding blood and violence. She'd get to that eventually. “I am Ko, the great bandit, and your wares are now mine! Lay down your weapons and surrender, or I will surely destroy you all!”

That got an odd look from all present, even the front horses calming enough to stare at the small, filthy girl with animalistic surprise. The closest stamped an equine hoof in protest, as if even it knew she was in over her head, and most likely quite mad.

“Don't be stupid, girl, you're outnumbered.” Says the spear.

“Yeah, what the hell are you even doing? What are you going to do, drive the caravan all on your own? Even if you could steal it, a little girl like you can't carry much more than a handful.”

The spearman laughs and looks over at the swordsman and nods in agreement. “Yeah, you really didn't plan this out too well, Ko the bandit.”

“We can't just let her go.”

“Yeah, I know that. We're going to have to teach her a lesson” he notes and shifts the tip of his spear for emphasis.

“Yeah, you just leave it to me. I'll take care of the brat.” said the swordsman, spending too long watching the spearman and taking a step forward into pain.

In a flash Ko is in motion, dashing forward two quick steps before hopping into an air and planting a dirty, bare foot directly into his face right as he turned to face her. She'd land before he did, rising to her full, if modest, heigh while laughing loudly. The man would land back against the wagon, bounce off of it, and be wincing in pain as he pushed himself up from the ground.

“I said it's all mine! And it's all mine!” came Ko's voice once more, not so amused as before and much more belligerent. “Now.. I'm willing to sell it all back to you for all the Ryo in the strongbox.”

“Ahh, bitch.” says the swordsman, covering his bloody nose with one hand while holding his sword out with the other. He warded the spearman off, unimpressed by the sucker punch and still brimming with confidence. He doesn't take his eyes off Ko no, he'd learned his lesson. “Don't interfere. I'm definitely going to cut her down now. And look, she's got an eye for each of us.”

In the background the horses had settled. All the other guards were watching from a distance, some grinning, some laughing, some whispering to each other about the girl with both amusement and pity. Some liked her spirit, some simply found the attempt at banditry to be comical, but none of them seemed to understand the danger they were in.

Few of them knew what her eyes meant, but both of the shinobi could recognize the Hyuuga heritage in her Byakugan, even when it was not active. The swordsman approached again in a slower manner, forgoing his bloody nose to keep both hands on his sword. Itsuko had heard the name before, but knew nothing of her clan. She barely even understood her Byakugan. Every time she'd activated it, it had not ended well.

Almost absentmindedly she evaded the first quick strike from the shinobi. She wasn't just slightly quicker than him, her speed was on a completely different level, and no sooner had she ducked beneath a swing for her neck than she was stepping forward and planting two open palms solidly against his stomach. He went reeling backwards again, this time grunting with obvious pain as a burst of chakra from her palms sunk beneath his skin and bones and rattled the organs hidden within. She could have continued on with the attack, but a spear came quickly into view and forced her back once more.

The crowd behind them went quiet, now watching with more interest as the girl had all but vanished from their sight with her attack.

“Bitch!” says the swordsman again, coughing and gasping. He had difficulty in catching his breath again, but Itsuko did have to commend his determination.

“Shut up and give me the money!” she yells, getting mad and interrupting him.

“Kill her!” comes a shout from one of the merchants in the caravan. Itsuko doesn't look to see who said it.

She bares her teeth and glares threateningly as the spearman steps closer and lowers his weapon some. “No! Stop, I said she's mine!” says the swordsman.

“Cho, she is too fast for you.”

“Shut up! I can do it, she's nothing.”

The man with the sword toddles forward, rage flashing in his eyes. A few of the other guards, the normals, the ones that lacked chakra and jutsu, began to approach, but they didn't seem willing to join the fight just yet.

“I am not going to let you fight alone..”

“If you get in the way on this, I'll stick -you- with my sword. She broke my nose, she is mine..”

“It's not going to work, she is too fa-”

“Shut up!” Cho interrupts, turning to stare daggers at the swordsman. Those would be the last real words he spoke.

The moment he took his eyes on Itsuko again, he sealed his own fate. She snapped forward with a burst of raw speed. The spearman moved to intercept, but the sudden action caught him offguard, and no sooner would the words have left Cho's mouth, then Itsuko's foot would once more find him. This time it found the side of his head, and struck deep and hard. This was not the Hyuuga gentle fist of legend, it was brutal, and jarred him quickly into unconsciousness.

Cho fell like a rag doll and ko landed atop him, and only the oncoming spear prevented her from issuing a swift and final death blow. The long pole arm drove her back once more, a quick hop and a cartwheel carrying her out of its range.

“What have you done?!” the spearman shouts, while the glaring at her with an even anger that was clearly not blinded by rage.

“Give me the money!” Itsuko shouts in reply, and balls up her little fists. She stamps a foot against the stone of the road, and huffs. “Give me all the money or you'll get the same. Then I'll beat up the other people too, and the horses! I'll kick all the horses, and make them run off into the woods and they'll die!”

“You are a Hyuuga, why are you out here in the forest..?” he asks, the spearman trying to assess the situation better. Ko wasn't having that.

She flashes forward again, a burst of speed carrying her into the frey, but only her grace saved her. The spear point came for her chest as she moved, but she twisted around it to strike. The blunt back of the staff caught her fist and pushed her off to the side. Itsuko spun on her heel and reeled in to attack again, but the spearman ducked low, caught her with the shaft of her weapon, and pushed her away once more.

This time it was him that followed through, letting out a loud hya as he leaned in and thrust the spear for her again. Itsuko landed, and danced to the side, avoiding his strike with grace and ease. She turned to face the man, quickly ducking as a trio of shuriken sailed over her head. She wanted to kick and scream and yell at him, but he was relentless. The shuriken was followed up by a rush forward, the spear thrusting out once, then seeming to become a hurricane, a nonstop torrent of thrusts towards her.

She could not count them all, they were coming in too fast, but she was quick. She ducked and weaved, rolling aside and leaping as needed to avoid each thrust, each time hopping back and being driven further away from both the wagons and the unconscious shinobi.

Finally she takes one mighty leap back and fully out of his range, and the spearman finally halts his attack. He stands his ground with his spear leveled at Itsuko.

“Give me the money!” she yells again, getting more frustrated and angry. People should know better than to deny her what she wants. Her eyes flick to Cho, and the spearman doesn't miss it.

“Leave here now, and you may live. If you continue to bother us, I will run you through with my spear, and return your head for a reward. The great nations do not take kindly to bandits, no matter how small they are.”

“I'm not leaving!” she says back, bold as ever. It wasn't that she'd been holding back, they seemed to be matched in speed and skill, but Itsuko had instinct. It continued to whisper in the back of her mind, pleading with her to slay, screaming at her to end the spearman, and bathe in his blood.

“You will leave now, or I will be forced to kill you.” the spearman repeats, and it was not an empty threat.

“Shut up! It's mine.” Itsuko says back, her voice going low and turning into a growl.

All at once the fight changed, the spearman narrowing his eyes and focusing. A dim blue light began to from like a shimmering aura around the blade of his spear. The soft of wind rustling through leaves seemed to accompany the chakra enhancment. No sooner had it begun than the spearmen stepped forward again, attacking from a safe range thanks to the reach of his weapon.

Itsuko was no fool, instinct told her how dangerous the blade was now. As it swung in she was once more a jumping jack, springing from side to side, hopping over wide sweeps and ducking aside from fast and violent thrusts. It was almost a dance for her, a constant and fluid motion taking her from low to high, then back to low. She wove left and right, both combatants circling around each other, though it was a one sided fight. The spear was twice her size, and he kept her at bay with a solid defense.

It wasn't often that Itsuko had such problems with those she was stealing from, but this man was good.

“Stop it and give me the money!” She shouts at him, though he doesn't bother to reply. He had an air of professionalism about him that stood in contrast with the wild girl he had on the defense.

Stroke after stroke and sweep after sweep would land aside, missing her by fractions of an inch, and twice grazing her skin. No blood was drawn, no fibers frayed on her tunic, but the match was almost perfectly equal, on both speed and strategy. The crowd watched with wide eyes as the two mixed together, the glowing blade of the spear putting on a lightshow of blue trails and crackling power. Their jaws hung open as the witnessed the raw skill of two shinobi locked in furious combat, and their faith in their spearman was quickly growing.

They fought on for several minutes, the one sided fight seeing the spearman holding every advantage. He seemed to be pushing Ko around, driving her into trees and off the trail, almost catching her when she found something at her back. Each time, though, she managed to just barely escape and open up more space to maneuver. Over time, though, Itsuko was getting short of breath. She wasn't sweating, but she was starting to slow down, and each attack was coming closer than the last. Speeds were equal, but it was becoming evident to most eyes that Itsuko did not have the same level of stamina.

The spear came in again with an attack much like the ones previous, but finally found flesh. A pair of lines open up, one across her thigh and one across her arm, both soon reddening with blood. Itsuko took one final leap back, and missed her footing. She stumbles, lands on her back, and in an instant the spear is coming down for the kill, driving straight at her chest.

2056

Posts : 63 Join date : 2015-10-27

“Wait!” Itsuko shouts, panic in her eyes. It was only a mask. “I'm sorry! I'm sorry!”

Unsurprisingly, the blade stopped inches from her throat, the glowing blue aura tickling her skin with the subtle motion of wind. The spearman stared hard at her, unblinking and cold, but Itsuko knew he still had a heart. When power did not work, weakness all too often did. Itsuko was small, and filthy. She was pitiable and above all, very easy to underestimate. There was a long moment of silence, itsuko only finally moving to push herself up on her knees, and lower her head in a submissive and pleading manner. She was indeed begging, but it didn't hurt her ego at all.

Itsuko simply did not have an ego, and no dignity to speak of. Both her hands move above her head in a praying positon. “Please just let me go. I'm sorry, I won't do it again! I promise I didn't mean it, I'm just really hungry.”

After another moment of silence, Itsuko could hear the soft heart in his voice. The spear remained where it was, but he spoke in a quieter tone. “Fine, run away. Don't think I will ever offer you this chance again. If I catch you stealing from caravans, I will finish the job I started today.”

“You can't just let her go!” comes a voice again from behind the wagons, a merchant too smart to fall for crocodile tears. “She's a theif! And she tried to kill Cho!”

“This is my call.” the spearman states flatly.

“No, I pay you to guard my caravan, you can't just let her leave! What if she keeps following us and sneaks up and kills us when we camp.”

“I won't!” Itsuko says quickly in her own defense, then sniffles. She sounded on the edge of tears, but it was still an act.

The spearmen growls, now trapped between his employer and a pleading, filthy beggar. “Get out of here now.. before I change my mind.”

“No, you can't let her go!”

“Look at her!” the spearman shouts, temper finally getting the best of him. He turns to look at the merchant with anger in his eyes. He was not a cold blooded killer, he had honor.. and honor would be his downfall. “I can't just kill her when she's-”

And his words cut out with a sharp gasp and long, loud squeel of absolute pain. Itsuko had taken the opportunity once more, his eyes moving only a moment before she did. She slipped beside the spear, and drove forward with a powerful, low fist. It landed in that most tender of regions for men, above the legs, but below the stomach. Driving a closed fist straight into his groin, she all but crushed the man's gentiles, burying her fist into his pants almost to her wrist.

For a moment the world seemed to stop, power shaking everything as her fist simply destroyed flesh. She leapt back again, standing up on her feet and smiling wide. The look on her face was pure arrogance, pure pride for being so completely underhanded.

“Shoge!” came a shout from the crowd, but everyone there simply froze in sympathetic horror for what she had just done. Shoge, the spearman, slowly collapses. The first thing to go was his spear, released from weak and trembling hands, followed soon after by his knees. He fell forward and cupped his jewels with both hands before slowly slumping over onto his side. Itsuko had won.. and she didn't seem the least bit surprised.

She gives him another kick to be sure, then pushes his spear away from him. “Stupid..” she mutters as she hops away and up onto the top of the middle wagon. It shifts some beneath her as the horses adjust their footing nervously, but all eyes were still on her.

“h hh Here..” comes a staggering voice.. a rotund man in fancy clothes stepping forward with a large steel box in his hands. She didn't even have to ask again. He opened the box and pulled out a large fist full of Ryo. “here, just take it.”

“Take it?! After all this trouble?” Itsuko spits back at him, not anger but cruelty in her voice.

“Yes! Yes please. P please. Please.. uhm.. Ko the great bandit. P please let us purchase all of your wares.. s sso that you don't have to carry them..”

The flattery worked well enough, and her cruel smile turned into a pleased one. “Fine!” she says, swinging an arm quickly and snatching the cash from his hands. “But don't let me see you walking around with my stuff again, or next time it will be a lot worse!”

And with that she was off. The crowd simply stared, mouths agape as she turned and walked off into the woods as casually as anyone strolling a marketplace. Money in hand she had nothing else to gain here. All she needed to do now was go back to the village, and spend her ill gotten gains. Ko the Bandit wasn't a well known name yet, but it's popularity was catching on. There were many other bands to worry about, groups that attacked and killed and took money, carts and horses.. but only Ko would be known for her odd, if effective and dishonorable, approach to robbing caravans.

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