Ninjas (Arc/Job)

Previous job sign-up link: https://www.fairytail-rp.com/t34271p975-job-sign-up-thread#361816

Revised job sign-up link: https://www.fairytail-rp.com/t37559-job-sign-up-thread#364737

Shane sat in the local job office in Shirotsume, a place more often frequented by the guildless mages. For the those in guilds, their guilds would normally have a place where jobs are magically updated, constructed in one form or another. The silver-haired mage sat by one of the tables in silence, in the waiting area. He took out a cigarette and lit it, taking in a long draught before exhaling it. There was a cup of hot coffee, black, on the table which he took a sip from.

The waiting area was meant for the mages who wanted to participate in more challenging jobs, jobs that would usually take more than one to complete. Anyone who wanted to participate in such jobs but lacked the partners to make up the numbers could still submit the form to the clerk behind the counter. The clerk counter would update the job posting and if anyone else came forward to join as well, the other participants would be informed to gather and do their own arrangement.

Having stopped by in Shirotsume for a small investigation, Shane figured he could check out the situation here and see if there were anything dangerous he could get himself involved in. It was almost his routine now, after the disbanding of Aurora and his eventual entry in to the Rune Knights. As a whole, anyone who had known Shane before would think he was coping well, but for those really close to him, they would have noticed the small changes in his behavior. The less enthusiastic smiles and grins, the heavy-lidded eyes that would slowly incorporate itself into his resting face among a few.

Shane had almost drained his entire cup, having finished his cigarette a few minutes before when the clerk called out to him. As he stood, one could see that despite his identity as a Rune Knight, he was dressed in a casual outfit. A black long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves folded back to his elbow, a dark brown pants that were looser around the thighs and tight around the shins, and a pair of black steel-soled combat boots.

“Mister Stern, two other people has responded to the job you submitted earlier. Their names are Veleno and Venus Rigel,” the clerk said with a small smile at the end, shifting her glasses that seemed to slide down her nose every few seconds.

“Thank you,” Shane replied with an amiable smile and a nod, before leaving the waiting area into main area. The silver-haired mage was no stranger to one of the two names that the clerk had mentioned, figuring that it was all just a big coincidence. Venus was more than just a mere acquaintance. They had completed a job together before on Crescent Island, and he looked forward to meeting her as well. The other one, Veleno, was a new one.

Shirotsume. Venus had to appreciate the almost artistic setting of the moment, with the small town in the mountains set against a lowering sky threatening rain although the threat wasn't urgent at the moment. With the towns large mansions, the fountain and shrine across from it, where a child seemed to be praying, all against the cloudy sky in the background, the Demon Slayer wished she had one of those nifty cameras to take pictures and other things. Whichever the case, she wasn't here to take pictures. There was a job that needed doing, and she was here because of it, her motivations as usual being to grow stronger, improve Sabertooth's ratings, and of course, rake in some income.

Locating the Job office, Venus walked inside. She had seen a job request put up, and on the request was a name she knew, which was one of the reasons she had taken up this mission. It was a B-rank job, but she had taken it because she intended to stretch herself; it was told that adversity was the smithy in which character was forged. Sticking with C and D-ranked missions would ensure she stayed alive and unspoiled at the end of the day, but she wasn't sure she would improve if she stuck with jobs at the bottom of the barrel.

Immediately as she walked into the Job office, she caught a whiff of a familiar smell, along with the very faint presence of cigarette smoke. There were other smells, but those she was not used to, so she ignored them. Walking up to the clerk, the Demon Slayer stated her business and was directed into the main hall of the Job office from the waiting area. Almost immediately after stepping into the expansive hall, she spotted whom she was looking for, with his characteristic silver hair, left red eye and long scar. "Well hello, Shane Stern," the Sabertooth mage called out, as she covered the distance between the two of them. He hadn't really changed since they had last worked together, though that wasn't supposed to be shocking, seeing that it wasn't too long a while back. However, Venus did note something minor: he looked a bit as though he was sleep deprived, with his slightly drooping eyelids. She didn't really know Shane as a person, but she was rather observant, and as such noticed, although her assumed reason for his slightly stressed look was too much work.

"You look like you've been burning the midnight candle too frequently, although you don't strike me as a serious academician," Venus intoned as she got close. "Workaholics don't live long, I hope you know. How are things?"


WC: 446 words
Total: 1454/7000

“Thing… are barely okay, I guess,” Shane replied with a faint smile at Venus’ question. The two of them bore similar characteristics as they stood facing each other, especially the color of their hair. Shane’s was a dull silver, while Venus’ was nearer to platinum with a sheen to it. And her green eyes a sharp contrast to Shane’s left red eye. Shane had taken a liking to the girl when he first saw her during the job on Crescent Island, finding it easy to talk to her.

Just as he had finished his sentence, a female redhead walked past them with a curt comment. Shane rolled his eyes, knowing that that meant this particular redhead was the third person on the job.

“That’s the third one then. We can continue the conversation after the job if you're okay with it,” Shane said to Venus with a raised eyebrow and a shrug before straightening his posture and walked out of the job center. Standing right beside the redhead, Shane took out another cigarette and was about to light it up, before deciding against it. He kept the pack into his back pocket. When all three of them were gathered, Shane turned around to face the two girls.

“I’m Shane Stern,” the silver-haired mage offered to the other female mage, before continuing, “This job will be simple. The client had something stolen from him and we are to get it back. The only thing obstructing us from doing this job are a group of ninjas, people who can pull off the most intricate of assassinations with utmost ease. Of course, that description only applies to the core members. The lower-ranked ones will probably be just like dealing with ordinary mages.”

“Right, so, client’s said there’s a settlement due west of Shirotsume and suspect it belongs to the ninjas. We get in, steal the tome, get out. Simple enough. Any questions?” Shane alternated his sight between the two girls.

Once they were ready, Shane took the lead and brought them out of the town, towards the settlement in question. He was looking forward to this part. He needed to vent.

[345 words]
[Total WC: 2,134/7,000]

Shane's reply about things being barely okay was enough to get Venus concerned, seeing that the average reply to her question would be something positive or indifferent. But her attempt to find out more of what was going on was suddenly snipped by the few words of someone who just addressed the pair and didn't even bother with greetings. At the curt comment of the redhead who had been standing before the mission board, Venus wanted to reply with some mildly sarcastic question, but decided against it, seeing that that person was most likely the third member of the team going to do some ninja eradication. It was unwise to let sparks fly when there was the need for cohesion. In Venus' opinion, it was best not to go arguing all out when a mission, such as this, which actually had potential of serious violence, was at stake. All the same, she hoped the redhead was not the pushy type or a bully. If so, sparks would eventually fly.

Shane also seemed to disapprove somewhat of the brusque manner in which the third member of the ninja hunting party introduced herself to the other two, as he rolled his eyes, before suggesting that their conversation be on hold until the mission was over. That was most likely for the best. Venus, against general opinion, wasn't that much of a conversation starter, though she was quite proficient at holding one. Nodding her assent, she followed the Rune Knight out of the building to catch up with the third member of the party.

The mission seemed straightforward. Someone had been robbed, and wanted his possession back. Ninja were apparently responsible for the whole deal. It was a "get in, get item, get out" kind of thing, although the feeling that the task wouldn't be as linear as it appeared began to rise in Venus' mind. At Shane's inquiry as to whether any of the others had questions, Venus raised her hand, her face all serious and solemn. "Does this place have ice cream?" Okay, that was random and totally unnecessary, but the Demon Slayer often felt stifled in overly serious atmospheres, and this one showed a lot of promise for that.

Of course, she didn't expect her question to be answered, nor seriously, even if, by some strange twist of luck, someone deigned to give a reply. Whatever answer would come, she would follow the other two members of the team towards the settlement, her senses sharp and ready. Ninja often had lookouts where they decided to set up their hideouts, and this place was not likely going to be an exception.


WC: 442 words
Total: 2576/7000

The trio sat in the back of the covered caravan, the canvas that acted to block the opening in the back of the caravan let down. Shane was sitting on the outermost side, occasionally lifting the canvas slightly and peeking out of the caravan. It had been a long and bumpy ride, the caravan moving at a slow and agonizing pace. When they left the town, he had flagged down this caravan driver and got on board. It was his idea of a cover, as the three of them walking towards the settlement would have been too obvious. Rather, it would be better if they could just hitch a ride and then just get dropped off a short distance away from the settlement and approach in a stealthier manner.

The weather had been rather unkind today, amplified further by the cramped space and canvas cover. Guess that his two partners were probably also suffering from the heat, Shane silently cast a spell from his newly gained magic. Three stars, made entirely out ice, appeared at shoulder level, hovering in front of him in a row. He had used the White Star spell, which was supposed to be a defensive spell that could function autonomously or manually if Shane wanted to. With a wave of his hand, an ice star flew to each of his partners, coming to a stop in front of them. Shane kept one to himself.

The stifling air in the caravan quickly grew cooler and more bearable. A knock came from the front of the caravan and the driver’s muffled voice penetrated through the wooden partition that separated the carriage from the caravan.

“We are almost there,” they could make out from the muffled voice. Nodding, Shane began to lay out his plan in detail.

“From what he told me earlier, he knows about the settlement but nothing about the ninjas. It seems that they are operating just like any village. Except that every one of them villagers could be a ninja in disguise. So, he will drop us off near the village. We get as close as possible, check out the village and then sneak in. Apparently, there are guards posted at the village entrances. Once we get in, we try our best to get to the leader’s building as quietly as humanly possible. We won’t be able to outsneak them but let’s just try,” Shane explained in one breath. He paused for a bit after that, thinking if there was anything else to add and then just shook his head when he couldn’t think of anything else.

The village was quite heavily protected as Shane observed when the trio neared the village. They were careful to stay out of sight of the villagers. However, there were guards posted on the village wall as well. The entire perimeter of the village was closed off by a bamboo wall as high as thirty feet. It was comprised of two layers of tightly knotted bamboo fences, each layer slanting in different directions to keep stalking eyes out. Between the two fences was a platform, positioned twenty feet above ground with ten more feet of the walls to spare for protection, that ran along the entire length of the bamboo wall.

Guards wielding spears and swords patrolled the entire length of the bamboo walls, their eyes focused and their postures straight. They would probably have to wait it out until they can find an opportunity. Probably night.

[578 words]
[Total WC: 3,499 / 7,000]

Venus' question about ice cream was answered by the redhead, who told her that she would likely get a chance to eat the desired dessert at the point of death. Unsure of whether this person was just being unpleasant or goofing with her, the Demon Slayer raised an eyebrow questioningly, just before the redhead indicated that she was merely joking around. The raised-eyebrow expression remained on Venus' face, as the Demon Slayer found such joking odd. To Venus, death was nothing to joke about, but as the saying went, different strokes for different folks. She shrugged, but a voice at the back of her head told her to file the redhead under 'W' for weird.

Shane's employment of a caravan was a good idea, although the interior of the vehicle was terribly stuffy. Despite the fact that she wasn't wearing much, Venus was already beginning to sweat copiously. Respite came in form of a spell by Shane, and while Venus could only determine that the spell was ice-based, she was nevertheless grateful for it. While Shane detailed the intended course of action, a question popped into Venus' mind, although, unwilling to interrupt, she allowed the mission leader to finish.

Just about when Shane finished his debriefing, the wagon arrived. As the plan was to attempt sneaking into the village, they had disembarked where they could observe the settlement from afar while under the cover of vegetation. While undercover, Venus turned to Shane. "It would be a whole lot better if we could identify the chief ninja's house, yeah?" she stated. "Wandering through the entire village looking for the place will cost us valuable time and energy. I also think we should get to understand more about our typical strengths, weaknesses, special skills and magic, because frankly, I get confused when I'm told I have to team up with someone, and then the person just goes off doing their own thing and leaving me to my own devices. If we're to be effective, we have to know what each and everyone of us is good at, so that we can cover each other's backs, if need be."

Of course, she understood if people were unwilling to tell almost complete strangers a lot about themselves. But if that was the case, then why pick a job that involved working with others. "I'll start with myself," the Demon Slayer said, "so I don't appear the hypocrite. I'm Venus Rigel, I use light-based magic, so that's a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to being discrete. However, as far as balance is concerned, I can handstand with two fingers on a clothesline, if it can hold my weight. So if we'll need climbing or acrobatics of any kind, that's up my alley."

Venus stopped there. Of course, she didn't mention that she was a Demon Slayer. There was no point in mentioning it. After everyone else had finished speaking, if they would even speak at all, she asked, "so when do we move out?"


WC: 502 words
Total: 4001/7000

Shane listened quietly as Venus spoke, nodding in agreement with the points. His plan would have worked if he had been alone, hiding and sneaking as a solo unit would have been much easier compared to three mages. The pressure of a time limit would also be less significant for a solo job. And he had completely missed this point. Shane wasn’t the most tactical person ever, but this was something he would have to take note and improve on when he got back to HQ. If he was to try for a promotion to Lieutenant or Captain, then this was a must-have skill.

The silver-haired mage fixed on Venus an impressed smile and expression when she finished. It was also another plus point for them to know each other’s abilities especially when the ensuing fight would be rather brutal considering that it would a kill or be killed situation the moment they break into the shinobi compound. However, his expression visibly stiffened when it was Veleno’s turn to speak. There was something off about the girl’s behaviour and expression when she pulled out her sword and mentioned the part of the plan that she would like to carry out. It gave him a very ominous feeling, as if he was facing a wild beast. And for people like Veleno, the most effective way of using them tactically was to let them act solo.

“I use both wind and ice magic, if you haven’t already noticed the second part from earlier. After hearing all of your ideas, I have reformulated the strategy. First off, Veleno. You will clear out the guards surrounding the village. Secure an escape route and by whatever means, send us a signal when you’ve got that covered so we can converge on your location. Venus and I will get up to the guard tower,” Shane pointed to a tall structure built out of wood that stood taller than the rest of the village, one among many around the perimeter of the village that was built slightly inner compared to the walls. “From there, we identify the house of the chief ninja, pull it off as cleanly as possible and escape. How you deal with the threats, lethally or non-lethally, I leave it to you. But make sure they don’t come biting us back. Do you guys have anything else to add?”

Shane waited for their opinions, for any modifications to the plan. In his mind, it sounded solid but it was still crucial to see if there were any more flaws in the plan. For three mages to go up against a village of shinobi, they would not only need an extremely sound plan but also great luck.

When the discussion finally wrapped up, Shane would then make his way silently, creeping towards the bamboo wall, to the least guarded section. The moment the guards turned away, Shane ran as stealthily as he could and quickly got to the wall and quickly crouched on the ground. With a flourish of his right hand, Shane formed a dagger entirely made out of ice and with a few precise blows, managed to cut a hole large enough for them to crawl through in the bamboo wall. The ghostly ice dagger was held between his teeth as he crawled through on all fours, entering the void between the two layers of the bamboo walls.

Directly above them was the guards’ platform. There had to be a door that led into this void, for maintenance purposes. Shane led the way, moving to his left, closing in on the direction where he had saw the guards tower he had pointed to earlier. It didn’t take them long as they quickly came to a wooden door. Shane opened it slowly, and peeked out. There was no longer anyone walking about outside. He turned his head to another side and finally saw the guard tower he was looking for.

He turned back to Venus and said in a low voice, “We will sneak over to the guard tower. I will stay at the bottom to make sure no one gets in while you get up there to identify the ninja chief’s house.”

[699 words]
[Total WC: 5281/7000]

Venus was happy that at least no one seemed averse to her suggestion, listening attentively as the redhead began speaking. According to her with the name given as Veleno, she had a magic eye called Samsara, which was connected somehow to her weapon. While Venus was curious to understand the workings of the sword and magic eye in tandem, she held her peace and said nothing, although she couldn't quite understand how Veleno could only use water-based magic, when she had mentioned earlier that her eye was capable of magic. Perhaps there was no point in worrying her own head about it, seeing as more important matters were afoot.

Shane was, according to his own description, a wind and ice mage. "At least now I know where to turn when I have a tepid drink..." the Demon Slayer intoned cheerily, in her trademark unserious tone. All the same, she had taken note, and had filed the information she had just received in a readily accessible section of her brain. Being the evident leader of the mission, Shane mentioned the expected roles of each member of the team, and sought for additions or objections before proceeding. Venus, for her part, had none. Her own role was quite alright with her.

She made no move, as the grey-haired man dashed to the wooden fence and made a hole in it, preferring to acquaint herself with the movements of the guards in sight. Then when no one was paying attention to the patch of ground between her hiding place and the fence, Venus darted out, and in a fluid, graceful motion, twisted into the hole Shane had made with hardly a sound. Following her team commander, the Demon Slayer waited while he opened the wooden door and peered out, before turning to her and giving her directions.

"Aye aye, Cap'n," she whispered with a salute before edging to the fore and running quickly but quietly to the base of the tower. It seemed Shane had picked a good time to move on the settlement; it seemed to be the time of the changing of the guard. Hopefully, before the guards returned to their positions, she would have done all the scouting she needed to, and no one would be the wiser. With the fluidity of a cat, she went up the tower, making the action look almost as easy as climbing stairs. On arriving at the top of the structure, Venus looked around. The village was simply structured, and without any particularly organized arrangement, yet the large, three-storied house in the center of the settlement indicated that the most important person in the place would most likely abide there.

Descending the tower even more easily than she had gone up, Venus climbed till she was some feet to the ground, and then dropped, landing in a crouching position beside Shane. "I've located the likely place we're meant to be infiltrating. Sure, it doesn't have huge neon lights reading 'Ninja Boss HQ', but it's by far the biggest building in the establishment. The streets leading up to it are crooked and haphazard, but it we frequently keep the moon to our left as we navigate, we should get there soon enough." With late evening deepening, the half-moon, although not bright, was quite visible in the north-eastern corner of the sky.

"I have the feeling you'll spank me sore if we were to get ourselves in a fight, so you may want to take the lead. I think I'm good at cover fire, though, so I've got your back."



WC: 594 words
Total: 5875/7000

All of Shane’s senses were on high alert as he kept himself hidden in the shadows of the watch tower, eyeing the ninja guards that were patrolling nearby on the bamboo fence. He could hope that Venus wouldn’t be noticed by the enemies. It seemed like an eternity to Shane, which was actually just a few minutes owing to Venus’ quick movements, as he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of being detected. They were within enemy territory after all, ridiculously outnumbered and definitely outgunned if they were to enter an all-out battle. It would be a slaughter.

The option wasn’t too great too. It would involve the two of them out-ninja-ing the ninjas. When Venus finally returned from the climb, Shane listened to every word carefully. He was trying to figure out a foolproof plan that would ensure safe passage in and out of the leader’s mansion when the platinum-haired female suddenly threw him off with her last sentence.

“What? Spank you sore?” Shane could only mutter out incoherently, unable to even form a complete sentence. His eyes were wide, and somewhere in his mind, hoping that the cover of darkness would mask the sudden reddening of his face. For a mage unfazed by killing, Shane was uncharacteristically abashed when he wrongly misinterpreted Venus’ words. And it was made even worse by the ridiculously attractive female mage crouching beside him.

Turning away from the female mage, Shane considered their options and quickly made up his mind. The only way they could go straight to the center would be going through the roofs. But the structure of the village with their single storey houses and tall bamboo walls made that a plan a no-no. Unless they could create a diversion.

“We need to create a diversion. What’s the max distance you throw a spell? The biggest, brightest, flashiest spell you can do?” Shane queried before continuing. “You will cast it to the west of the village, while I will throw out something to the east. We have to make sure they think they are under attack from both sides and we charge for the leader’s mansion as quickly as possible.”

Turning to the eastern side of the village, Shane took in a deep breath, hoping his plan would work and waved his arms in an upwards motion. With a mixture of deep rumbling and cracking sounds, a gigantic pillar of ice erupted beneath the bamboo walls, pushing the deeply entrenched bamboo poles out of the ground, completely ripping out an entire section of the wall and throwing any of the guards that happened to be on the wall up into the air.

He followed it up with another spell, this time from his Sky Demon Slayer arsenal. A little further off from where the ice pillar had erupted, wind began to gather at an incredible rate and merged to become a whirlwind, creating the same effect as the ice pillar as the whirlwind carried enough force to completely blast another section of the bamboo wall upwards into the air.

Within seconds, the entire village was roused, people shouting from everywhere at once, the night suddenly becoming active.

Turning to Venus, Shane nodded and the two of them quickly made their way towards the center of the village, flitting between shadows as quietly and quickly as they could.

[558 words]
[Total WC: 6433/7000]

Shane was lucky. With the present level of darkness, Venus could still easily make out shades of color, especially thanks to her heightened Slayer senses, but at present, she was trying to keep her senses peeled in case there would be any indication that the two mages had been discovered by the ninja patrolling the village's perimeter. He almost got caught though; his incoherent muttering caught the Ascendant Demon Slayer's attention, albeit for a rather short moment, as she was distracted by the muted sound of footfalls, which she quickly and correctly identified to be a small rodent.

Shane presented his plan: a diversion. From the things he said, there would probably be a good deal of lights and sounds, which did have a rather pressing disadvantage, which was that the ninja would be on high alert. While she didn't like the risks of such a plan, Venus was sure that a better plan would require more skill, planning and time, none of which the two mages currently possessed in excess quantities. As for bright and flashy, her spells were the exact definition, and while her current spell inventory was limited, she had something she was sure would work.

"I think I have just the thing," the silver-haired girl whispered, as she turned westward, to wait for Shane to make his first move. It wasn't that she couldn't cast until he had done his first, but since her spells were light-based, if she wasn't careful, her casting could draw attention to the two mages' position, which would be a most unfortunate matter, seeing that the aim of the distraction was to do the exact opposite. When Shane performed his spell, most definitely, all, or most, attention would be drawn to what he had done. At that point, Venus would cast her own spell. With people distracted, they would not see the glow from the start-up of her spell, until it had developed into something much more obviously eye-catching.

"Amatsuma no Tama!"

The name of the spell was invoked in the Demon Slayer's mind, though she did not allow any words to leave her lips. It was the nature of her magic training, to mention the name of a spell while casting, as the spoken words assisted the caster's mental effort while she concentrated on the form and power of the spell being molded in her hands. Besides, there was something epic about yelling in battle, but this wasn't a battle yet, so she would have to make do with mentally invoking the name of her spell. A bright ball of light was willed into existence between her palms, and without missing a beat, she fired off the orb. With the brilliant noise Shane had made, as well as guards trying to illuminate the area, the shining ball was not very visible as it zoomed forth for a distance of about twenty meters before striking the bottom stilts of a guard tower.

There was a large flash of light and a dull boom, as the fence close to the targeted guard tower got blown into smithereens. The tower, for its own part, having only three legs instead of four, groaned ominously, before the sharp snap of splintering bamboo heralded its fall. That looked like enough commotion all right. Following Shane through the shadows, Venus soon covered the distance between herself and the largest building in the village. Due to the settlement's small size, getting to the head ninja's house didn't take long at all. Some lights were on in the three-storied building, and there was noise in the compound. Crouching near the shadows of the crude bamboo fence that seperated the building's grounds from the rest of the village around it, Venus whispered to Shane, "I've found a way in. Up on the fence, then onto the roof of the first floor. One of the windows there seems open."

That was, if he could climb that good.


WC: 656
Total: 7089/7000

Tenchu vibes. I like it.

Shane’s eyebrows had risen up when he watched how the small ball of light from between Venus’ hands could render destructive power, immediately felling one of the guard towers. However, he quickly reined in his surprise and they were on the run the moment they had achieved their first objective. The ninjas of the village, easily one of the best trained from what Shane could see, were up and about within minutes of the chaos, splitting into two forces as they scoured the perimeter of the village for their attackers.

The two mages snaked through the alleys, occasionally stopping to find their bearings by checking on the moon, as Venus had suggested earlier. It was a rather compact village, and it didn’t take long to cover the distance to the village chief’s house.

The bamboo fence surrounding the large house was similar to the bamboo wall around the village, but a cruder single-row version. Shane was looking for a safe way to enter the building, until his female partner gave a suggestion.

He looked in the direction of the window that Venus had pointed out, imagining the entry route. Shane nodded. It was easy enough. Standing up slowly, Shane leapt slightly, easily finding a grip on the top of the bamboo fence and heaved himself up as carefully as possible. His eyes were darting in every direction, looking out for anyone who would notice him. Standing up at full height, the silver-haired mage kicked off the fence and with the ease from frequent use, he created a thrust of wind from his back, instantly pushing him towards the roof of the first floor. He had done well so far…

… only to have the bad luck of stepping on a cracked tile, the impact of his right foot causing it to crack further.

The ninja guard was in the middle of his patrol, walking down the hallway, the open window on his left when his sensitive hearing picked up a cracking sound from the window. He moved near the window in large strides, reaching within seconds and extended his entire upper body out to look left and right. His eyes locked gaze with the intruder’s.

Quick as a snake, Shane released a backfist into the man’s face with his right fist, throwing the man back into the hallway, stumbling into the wall behind him. The Rune Knight vaulted himself through the window before the ninja guard could shake himself out of punch’s effect, having been attacked right in his nose. Shane grabbed the guard and positioned himself behind him, holding the latter in a chokehold. He buckled himself against the wall, as the guard was slightly bigger than him, keeping his arm on the guard’s neck tight. The struggling ceased after a few seconds, followed by the complete sagging of the body, all life strangled out of the man.

Careful not to drop the body on the ground, Shane looked around and saw a cabinet at the end of the hallway. Stealthily and quickly, he pushed the dead guard into the cabinet. He ran back to the open window silently, coating a layer of wind at the bottom of his soles to prevent the heavy thump of his footsteps, waiting for Venus to enter as well.

[546 words]
[Total WC: 7635/7000]

Venus' heart leaped into her mouth when Shane loudly cracked a roof tile. Alright, maybe the sound wasn't so loud, but in the detached stillness of the evening around the ninja chieftain's house, with the noise and clamor beyond it's perimeter lending a strange misleading contrast of quietude, the crack was, to Venus' heightened senses, almost earsplitting. A guard came to investigate, and was immediately attacked by the Rune Knight. For a while, Venus waited, scanning the grounds visible to her eagerly, hoping that nobody outside had heard the sound. If they had, it would be up to her to 'dissuade' them from pursuing. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

With that settled, intent on assisting Shane if she could, as there was the very real possibility of another ninja in the hall, Venus went up the fence and was on the roof in a heartbeat. There was no immediate cause for alarm. When she peered into the open window, Shane was already returning to the aperture, and the guard was nowhere to be found. Most likely disposed of. Slipping silently into the window, the Demon Slayer gently shut it, so that the noise from outside could be muted, and it would be easier to hear sounds within the building.

There was a flight of stairs to the left, most certainly leading to the top floor. Venus could hear the heavy breathing sound of someone at the top of the stairs, then the breathing began to fade. Someone was making rounds. The Ascendant Demon Slayer gestured to her teammate with both hands that there was at least someone up there (pointing upstairs with one hand and signifying with the same hand a closed fist with her index extended upward, then pointing downwards with the index and middle fingers of her other hand and wiggling them to signify walking), then she began gently scratching the wooden wall, as she stood next to the staircase, obscured by the wall she scratched. The breathing stopped for a moment, then reduced in intensity. The guard was trying to listen for whatever was making that sound. Could be a rat; most likely, but he had to be sure.

Though Venus was unarmed, she had her quick wits, and she put them to good use. As the guard got to the bottom of the stairs, she spun out of her hiding place, one hand darting for the man's left arm to pull him away from the stairs and into her corner, and the other formed into a "leopard fist" ramming into his thorax. The guard had only the time to wheeze once before the hilt of the tanto in his belt rammed into his carotid artery. Venus had to hold on to the man to ease his body gently to the ground. Quick, effective, but the guard wasn't dead, and it was not as quiet as Shane's first kill, though so far, no one seemed to have heard. "Let's get the book before he wakes up. Know a good hiding place for this one?" the Sabertooth mage whispered. She could have killed him, she knew, but to her killing was distasteful, and only permitted when absolutely necessary. Even if, in a situation like this, it could be disadvantageous.

WC: 543 words
Total: 8178/7000

Venus had just appeared through the window by the time Shane approached it, with the girl closing it behind her. Her entrance was light and controlled. The moment she entered, Shane noticed that Venus went over to the stairs that led up immediately, apparently hearing something that he hadn’t. He furrowed his brows for a second. With his enhanced hearing as a Demon Slayer, he hadn’t heard anything and yet she had. Was it his problem or did she possess even better hearing?

That, however, was just a passing thought. Nothing but mild curiosity. Focusing on the mission, Shane shadowed Venus, keeping to the opposite wall, watching the hand signs she made with an indifferent expression in the beginning and only understanding the final part where she indicated a walking motion with her fingers. Only then did he realized what she meant.
Her actions were fluid, with the precision of an eagle swooping down on a field mouse. Her hands carried out different actions simultaneously, putting the guard out of commission in seconds. The silver-haired mage was beginning to wonder if the girl before him was actually an assassin instead of a mage. Shane went forward and took the fainted guard from Venus.

“I will put him with the one I killed earlier,” Shane whispered in return, slowly pulling the guard by his armpits, moving backwards towards the cabinet from earlier. However, fearing that the guard might wake, Shane tore off the man’s clothes into long strips and used them to separately bind his wrists and ankles, stuff his mouth and finally cover his eyes. And then he was thrown inside the cabinet with his dead colleague.

Shane followed Venus up the stairs, coming up onto a small hallway with the rest of the space occupied by a large bedroom. The double doors were equally large. Shane opened the door silently, hoping that it wouldn’t creak, and letting out a small breath in relief when it didn’t as it swung inwards. It was entirely dark, the curtains drawn so that no light could penetrate it. The entire room was quiet.

He snuck into the room in a half crouching position, his eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness. It was empty. It made sense since the village had been launched into full alert mode. The leader had probably gone off to join his men while a barebones crew of guards patrolled the mansion. A large bed was placed to the left side of the room while a low coffee table equipped with a set of tools for making tea sat in the middle of the large room, surrounded by seat cushions. A large safe dominated the majority of the wall facing the bed.

Looking around, Shane finally found a book on the coffee table. Upon confirming it was the same thing that the client had wanted them to retrieve, Shane turned around to leave. And a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

“Would I not know my guards have been neutralized?” a voice spoke behind him. There was a nonchalance to his tone, giving Shane the impression that the person behind him was a cat merely toying with a mouse. Eyes fixed on Venus, Shane did the only thing he could think of. He threw the book to Venus.

“Get out of here!” Shane exclaimed before turning around, leading it with his right heel for a kick. However, the man easily stopped his kick with his free hand and by some weird maneuvering threw the Sky Demon Slayer into the wall just beside the door. Shane flipped in the air and landed on his feet, hands touching the ground, immediately creating five canines of ice, fixing their aim on the ninja leader. What was relatively a large room for a sleeping chamber was now a cramped space for battle as the five large dogs, their icy physique dropping the room’s temperature, rushed at the ninja leader simultaneously.

[656 words]
[Total WC: 8834 / 7000]

Venus was glad to see that Shane had no problems with her unwillingness to kill, nodding thankfully as he set to incapacitating the fellow by binding him up and stashing him away with his dead colleague. It created a lot of food for thought, what made a person worthy of death, and made another, in the same circumstances, get away with his life. But metaphysical pondering was a matter for a different time and place. Now was the place and time for dealing getting books and kicking ninja ass.

With the other ninja safely tucked away, Venus ascended the stairs, followed closely by her comrade. All that was present on this topmost floor, aside the small landing, was most certainly a large room, shielded from the public by large double doors. Shane went forward and opened the door silently, crouching to maximize stealth. Venus stayed behind, in case an attack was to be sprung, not because she wanted Shane to bear the brunt of a surprise attack if there was to be one, but because it would be more difficult to attack two people if they weren't together, giving space for the second to counterattack. Shane went into the room and retrieved a book from the table. And something in the shadows moved.

Since Shane had turned to face the door, whatever had moved was behind him. Venus could only register shock on her face before the voice, devoid of frustration or worry, emanated from the darkness. Immediately, Shane countered the hand placed on his shoulder, while throwing the book at Venus, and commanding her to flee. That was the problem. Venus would be damned if she was going to let herself run away, while another fought to ensure her escape. Of course, it was supposed to be according to the mission requirements; the book was the most pivotal thing. But Venus had a hierarchy of importances, and the well-being of her colleagues and friends usually topped that list. If  a mission was failed, but everyone was able to make it back home in one piece, to Venus, it was a worthy sacrifice.

Making up her mind in that split second, Venus caught the flying book, just as five hounds made of ice sprang at the attacker in the dark room. Tucking the book under her arm, Venus stepped into the room, glad that the assailant hadn't thrown Shane further away from the door. This put the Ice Make mage beside her. With her free hand, she grabbed at his jacket and tugged him out of the room.

"Don't argue. Amatsuma no Funjin!"

The Demon Slayer kissed her upturned palm, and blew on it, sending a swirling mist of bright luminescence into the room. The hounds were constructs of a spell, so it wouldn't affect them. The ninja boss, was another matter. Though her spell normally had a wide range, it would be confined by the dimensions of the bedroom, so Shane would be safe outside it. "That will hopefully drive him out of the room, while making it less possible for him to effectively defend against your dogs," The platinum-haired girl explained, taking a ready stance as she watched the bright mist slowly seeping out of the doors of the room. The disorientation the ninja boss would feel, aside his inability to see and the attacking hounds, would likely make him want to quickly escape the room. If he chose that course of action, he would be open to an attack.


WC: 582 words
Total: 9416/7000

A hand pulled at the back of his collar and was immediately dragged out of the room, as a bright mist was conjured and blown into the room. The entire room was illuminated by the weird mist, throwing shadows everywhere in the room. Peeling his eyes away from the sight, Shane took in her logic before sending his eyes back into the room. Venus had been correct that the ninja leader would be forced to leave the room, but he wasn’t coming out unprepared. A mass of shadows burst out of the double doors, gushing out like a bursting river into the hallway.

Caught off guard, Shane took a heavy kick to his chest and went tumbling down the stairs, reaching the bottom in a crumpled mess. Despite his groaning, the silver-haired mage jumped back up on his feet, to fend off a tendril of darkness shooting towards him. Instinctively, he thrust his right palm forward, blasting the area in front of him with wind. It stopped the shadow tentacle’s advance, blowing it apart. And it became Shane’s biggest mistake to date.

The split tentacle of shadows sprouted outwards and slithered to grab Shane’s arm. It began to move up his arm, to which the Rune Knight conjured a long sword of ice in his right hand and slashed upwards through the main tentacle. The remaining tentacles on his left arm instantly dispersed, as a spear of the same black substance flew through the air for his head. Shane parried it with his long sword and quickly leapt back, looking around for Venus. One part of him was hoping that she had managed to escape while another part was thinking if her light based magic would be able to contain the shadowy magic.

He hoped she would figure out on her own, as he was too preoccupied with the multiple tentacles approaching him quickly. This time, the tips were sharp and serrated, like an octopus from hell. Shane continuously leapt backwards as he continued slashing, keeping the tentacles at bay. All his wind magic could do was disperse the shadows, which quickly recombined after separating. Taking a deep breath, Shane took two leaps back, jumping past the window he had entered from before going into immense concentration.

With his brows furrowed and a multitude of shadowy tentacles zooming in on him, Shane mustered all the magical energy he could and thrust his arms forward, expelling them all through his fingertips. What began as a chilly breeze fully reared its head as a full-on freeze, the shadowy tendrils immediately covered in layer after layer of ice. The ice continued to gain momentum, speeding up as it rushed towards the source of the spell and within three seconds, the entire mass of shadows was a glistening statue of ice and darkness.

Pulling out Breaker, Shane swung it and it extended into its sword form, an unnecessary gesture. The weapon would have just extended through his will. With a powerful swing, Shane shattered the frozen shadows, the noise of the ice shards dropping to the ground undoubtedly seeking attention. But he was too anxious to care. He ran back down the hallway, looking for signs of his partner. His breathing was heavy as he ran, from the exertion of using the Flash Freeze spell more than the act of running.

[557 words]
[Total WC: 9973/7000]

For a moment, the swirling mist of light lingered in the room, as the two mages watched it, expecting the emergence of the chief ninja. What burst out instead were solid shadows, like a deluge of an ebony flood. Reflexively, Venus backpedaled, holding up her hands, which began to pulsate light, thanks to her special ability. And not a moment too soon. It seemed the darkness created by the ninja was vulnerable to her light. Whichever the case, she had not a moment to sit back and make plans, as she more felt than saw three shapes whiz out of the darkness towards her.

Split-second reflexive motion saved her life, though she wasn't left unhurt. The sound of the dull thud of metal impacting against wood informed Venus that whatever had been thrown had been stopped by the wall behind her. Or most of what had been thrown. A shuriken was lodged in her left shoulder, but fortunately, the other two were in the wall, though one had managed to cut her in the side while passing. The injuries hurt, but they were by no means motion impeding, so Venus decided to bother herself with taking care of them later. At least the book was still with her. She removed the star-shaped projectile from her arm and dropped it.

It seemed that the ninja chief had correctly surmised that Shane was the more dangerous of the two, and had focused most of his attention on the Ice-make mage, probably thinking his thrown projectiles would remove the Ascendant Demon Slayer from the game. He thought wrong. Preparing herself for action, Venus ran down the stairs, a bit slower than she normally would have done, to her chagrin. Her body was still adjusting to the pain of the new wounds. In any case, she didn't take too long to get used to the discomfort, and was at the foot of the stairs, just in time to witness the climax of Shane's ice versus the ninja's magic. Thus, her ash-haired friend didn't have to run far before he found her.

"Let's get out of here!" she exclaimed, though that could be the most obvious statement she had made that day. All the generated noise was most likely going to bring unwanted attention. "I suggest we leave the same way we came." She ran to the window, taking care to avoid the shards of frozen darkness (and likewise cryo-preserved ninja body parts), and looked out just in time to see a band of ninja run into the main doors of the large house. Quickly, Venus slipped out of the aperture, and sneaked along the roof to the back of the building. It was darker here, but there was a lone figure standing guard in case the enemy came along. Expecting there might be more enemies in the twon, the kunoichi was backing the building and facing the rear entrance of the makeshift compound. Venus flung herself off the roof of the first floor, dropping onto the lone kunoichi. Before the major weight of her body hit the ninja, she swung the large book in her hands into the back of her head, causing an immediate concussion that laid the female ninja flat.

"Well, I've been damn lucky so far," she thought silently, as she slipped the bolts on the wooden gate and waited for Shane, praying that he would avoid detection like herself.


WC: 569 words
Total: 10542/7000

Shane bumped into Venus as he rounded the corner, the built up tension dissipating instantly as relief washed over him. Venus had been correct when she had rejected his original idea for them to split up and take action separately. It would have been disastrous, and if anything happened to his teammates, would be hell to live down. The moment they met, Venus uttered the same thought in his mind. They had to get out. He had defeated the ninja leader by using his strongest Ice Make spell, but against a horde of ninjas who were out to avenge their fallen leader, the two of them would be far from enough.

He followed the female mage closely, taking the same way out as how they came in, shutting the window behind him. A wet and dull thwack caught his attention while he was trying to move across the tiled roof carefully, not wanting to repeat the same mistake he had made earlier. When he shifted his eyes to the source of the sound, it was Venus flitting away, her platinum hair extremely eye catching even in the dark, exiting through the gate while a female ninja laid on the ground in a heap, a small pool of red slowly expanding outwards.

Shrugging it off, Shane got off the roof and landed quietly before bolting towards Venus’s direction, exiting via the gate as well.

“Very creative,” Shane said as he jerked his thumb back in the direction of the fainted kunoichi with a grin. Then dropping the smile and going back into serious mode, he continued, “Do you have any more spells that can light up the leader’s house like a firework? We will need the distraction to get out of here. I would have created an ice sculpture like how I did earlier but my Ice Make is currently unusable.”

When Venus finally cast her spell, Shane directed the two of them to wait in the shadow of a nearby house as the ninjas of the village sped back to their leader’s place. It made no sense to them on how the enemy could have went straight into the center of the village when they had been guarding the perimeter upon the initial attack but that could be left for a later time. Right now, their leader’s safety was their priority.

The moment the coast was clear, Shane led the way back to the walls. A few guards were left standing in a defensive position, but they were oblivious to what happened next when Shane appeared behind them with a gust of wind. He had snapped the neck of one of them, while the other had been knocked unconscious with a straight punch into his face, break the nose. The moment they exited the village, they would be considered safe.

[470 words]
[Total WC: 11012 / 7000 words]

Shane soon joined Venus, commending her ingeniousness concerning the way she had taken out the kunoichi. The Demon Slayer replied with a grin of her own, and patted the large book in her hand. At least it was useful for something, aside the information it no doubt carried. With her partner out of the building as well as herself, all that remained was making good their escape, although that was bound to be difficult, with all the ninja patrolling the city and all that. Shane's question of whether Venus had another distracting pyrotechnic spell however brought the answer to the question of how to get out of the village, to which she nodded.

"Well, it's still the same old tower-smashing ball of destruction I used earlier," replied the silver-haired girl. "It may not be so powerful, but neither is wood, and I'm quite certain that if I used my spell at the right angle, we can get very interesting results." Aiming at the walls of the first floor of the building, Venus concentrated and focused her magical energies, as a ball of light sprang into existence above her open palm.
"Amatsuma no Tama!" Propelled by its caster's will, the ball rocketed at an incline towards its destination, giving one or two seconds before it struck the bamboo wall of the house in a bright explosion. With the way Venus had targeted her spell, it struck the wall close to one of the corners or the wall, thus undermining the wall's structure more than if the spell had struck the center of the wall. The weight of the second floor exerted stress on the place where a gaping hole had been created, and the bamboo staves that stood there began to snap ominously.

"I guess that's our cue to start planning on getting out of here...."

She hadn't finished her words when the second floor crashed down onto the first, the noise being almost deafening. Venus hoped she wouldn't have to cast anymore spells, what with herself getting winded from the use of her magic. Fortunately, there was no more need to. The streets more or less emptied, with every ninja flocking towards the chief's house. Quietly, Venus followed Shane as he returned to the village's perimeter, taking out the few guards that stood in the way to mission success. A few moments later, and the two mages were in the well-concealed undergrowth that stood a good distance from the village.

Venus was quite elated about the success of her first B-rank mission, although to be honest, Shane had dome more of the work than she had. Still, a completed mission was a completed mission, and all that was left was to return the book. "I can't help but wonder," Venus said, as the two made their way back to Shirotsume, "what could have been so important about this book that the ninja would have to steal it? Maybe some formulae of secret power, or a guide to learning a special technique." She fingered the leaves of the book, then began to open it, studying her partner for signs of protest. "Anyhow, it's not like the mission directives said we can't open the book, so let's just see what's in it...."

Venus' voice trailed off as her free hand began to glow, illuminating the leaves of the book. It seemed to be talking about difficult-to-understand things. "I don't think I understand... here it looks like the author is describing a stance, probably from a martial art form, but it makes no sense at all. Many of the stances here are totally impractical..." she turned some pages, as she skimmed. "Ah, this looks like culinary stuff. To this I should be able to relate. Let's see here... wait. What do honey and wooden...." Her voice trailed off once again, but this time her face slowly turned beet-red. Then she slammed the book shut and thrust it into Shane's hands.

"REALLY?!! This is what we risked our lives to retrieve?!!! I'm going to kill that pervert of a mission client, if I lay hands on him." Her voice became more gentle, but she couldn't keep the embarrassment from showing through. "Please be a dear and get the book back to its proper-- or shall I say, rather improper owner. Of all the most ridiculous things under the heavens...." She fell silent and marched off, her mind running laps of crazy trajectories. A part of her wanted to go back and take the book from Shane, but that would be extremely damning. Perhaps a cold bath, a warm dinner and a good bed would give her errant mind more... respectable work to do.


WC: 779 words
Total: 11791/7000