Travelling for: Storm

The pull was to powerful to wait any longer to follow. He crossed the mountain range that acts as the village wall for the Forsaken Havens. Standing on the edge of a cliff, the ground many yards down, maybe 80, 90 yards, to the bottom. The land below was no longer in the land of mystery but it was still necessary for him to go. He took a deep breath and stared out across the forest before him, below a bright blue sky. A small breeze swept across the tree tops, swaying them. And then... he began, stepping off the cliff face showing no fear of the ground below. He fell face first toward the ground, as he drew to about 40 yards he spun, pulling a kunai from his holster, then slamming the Kunai into the rock wall, cutting a jagged slash down the face of the cliff, slowing his descent to 15 yards, then he kicks of the wall with both feet, leaping into a spin in the air gracefully, pulling the kunai with him and landing on the ground 20 feet away from the cliff wall in a kneel. A plume of dust rises from his landing as he slips the kunai back into his holster and stands, looking into the forest. “Let us begin” He took a step forward as he simultaneously raises the hood of his dark brown traveling cloak and begins his journey walking into the forest drawn by an unknown ominous power.

After 2 days of traveling and sleeping in the forests Ryo began to grow weary. He knew the place he was being pulled to had to be something....usual. He was growing restless of what seemed like endless hours of traveling and getting no where. He approached a few small buildings bunched close together. "I guess this is suppose to be small village". There were about 12 nice sized buildings, all were build off the ground with thick wooden legs keeping them out of the muddy ground. See Ryo had traveled into a land that apparently was having a terrible rainy season. One person he had bumped into on the road a day ago had warned him of the conditions ahead of him, saying that it was cursed by an endless rain that had forced the smaller settlements off the ground for fear of flooding.

He wandered up to the building he presumed to be a ramen diner. Walking up a few steps onto a porch a large cloth covered the space to about his waist. He pushed it aside and stepped into the light, removing his rain soaked cloak and sitting at the bar. The man behind the counter walked up, "Anything to eat or are you here for our beautiful vacationing?" The man thought himself hilarious and chuckled at himself as Ryo stared at him. "I'll have a bowl of ramen, whatever the house special is please." He was to tired for the stupid jokes but he was polite non the less. A few minutes later a steaming bowl was laid before him. Ryo looked up at him, with his round cheeks and beady eyes and spoke, 'Thank you sir." Dropping a few coins on the table, "Some strange weather you have here." The man stood in front of him, arms folded across his chest and his back to another cloth blocking sight into the back of the place, "Indeed. It started a few months ago, forcing us off the ground. It was a shitty few months but we are still here. No damn rain will make us leave our home.", The man was clearly upset about this but Ryo was more curious as to what was behind it. "Any idea whats causing it? have there been any disturbances in the area or weird sightings maybe?" Hopefully this man could give him some lead or hope to say his travels hadn't been in vain. The man looked at him as if he had been asked a difficult or surprising question. With a scrunchy face he responded "Well...actually yeah...Mount Ikazuchi has been much more active lately. Come to think of it since this rain started. It's also been much louder then normal. Why do you want to know wanderer?" Ryo had no reason to hide his intentions, but didn't want to advertise them as well. The information was interesting though. Maybe this mountain was where he was being drawn. "I'm just looking around for unusual natural events. Kinda writing a book on it. Your location has earned it's spot." He said his last part with a smile as he laid his chop sticks in his now empty bowl. "Which direction is this place again?"

The man side stepped a bit, fiddling with something below the counter that Ryo couldn't see. 'Well it's just north of here actually. A half a days journey and your at it's base. But i'm afraid to tell you that you won't be able to make it." With his final words Ryo face took a confused look as the man moved his hands in a rapid motion form below the counter, throwing a butcher knife at him and from behind the curtain erupted a young man, in his 20s, with a spear thrusting at Ryo's head! Ryo had so little time to react he had to move off of instinct, spinning in his swivel bar stool, he spun his back to the incoming knife, which mad a thudding sound as it hit his sword. By doing this spin he had avoided the initial jab of the spear as well, and although he knew not the reason for the attack, he was not going to sit ideally by and allow it to continue. The best way to end a conflict, is quickly in Ryo's opinion, unless you have reason to do other wise. He grabbed the spear, just behind the blade on the end in his left hand, and yanked it hard, throwing the man holding on to the other end into the counter, and closer to Ryo. Ryo then had his right hand clenched into a fist which he brought his face, swinging it from in to out, hitting the man with his knuckles, casting him across the counter, hopefully into the man who had just served him ramen.

The man had moved and grabbed a pan off the wall and had swung at Ryo. He had no time to do anything about this so suffered a poorly aimed blow to the left shoulder, which drove him from his stool. A bright pain flashed as he was hit and again as he landed on the wooden floor on the shoulder. The man then began climbing over the bar and the other one was fumbling for his spear and Ryo was not going to give them the chance to come at him again. Could he kill them? Yes. Should he? He had the right to, but he did eat their food, and the man had given him vital information. This attack was just a poor attempt at..well just an attack. Regardless Ryo jumped to his feet and snatched his traveling cloak and leapt out of the cloth barrier, flying over the porch landing in a roll on the muddy ground and spinning to face his pursuers, pain shooting up his left shoulder as he hit the ground but nothing he couldn't push through. He then forced chakra into both of his hands, converting it with his lightning nature, and pointed his palms at the two biggest support beams under the porch. Shouting "ENOUGH!" Ryo unleashed the lightning bolt jutsu on the pillars and a bolt of lightning erupted from his palms and reduce the support beams to splinters just as the two men came charging onto the porch. The porch gave way with no more support and the weight of the men, and came crashing down along with the men, stunned looks on their faces.

Before they could recover Ryo, in his crouched position, spoke, "You two should be ashamed of yourselves! You invite travelers here and treat them this way, well no more." Forming a set of hand signs at a near blinding speed he ended slapping his hands into the mud, looking straight ahead, rain flattening his hair to his head, and a huge jet of water shot from the ground, right in the center of the ramen building. The water came charging from the ground as if shot by a cannon and ripped though the building. Ryo Stood and adjusted his cloak, flipping the hood over his head. "You two should re-think your lives and if your still here when I return we will have words. Count on it." He turned and walked back to the road heading north for this Mount Ikazuchi, as the building caved in behind him leaving the two men in a huge heap of broken wood and a mass of ruble that was once their deadly tourist trap.

Rain. Never being one to hate it, Ryo was sure starting to hope for a break in it none the less. It seemed like with every step he took toward this presence in the direction of this Mount Ikazuchi, the harder it rained and the louder the thunder became. Not only that but the forest had grown so dense that between the trees so close together and the pouring rain, he could only see a few yards ahead of him.

All in all, he was ready to take a break. The ground had grown extremely muddy and he had retreaded from it into the trees above. For a quick break he moved higher in the trees, hoping his visibility would be better higher up and maybe he would be able to see something. What he saw upon reaching the high branches made him stop in his tracks.

Not even one hundred yards ahead of him was a massive blue mountain. As he looked at it thunder boomed ahead with enough force to shake the trees around him and lightning lit the sky. Above the mountain was a swirl of dark thunder clouds and even as he looked on he swore the rain started pounding harder and the thunder became more Violante.

There was no doubt that this was where he was headed. He immediately leapt from the tall branches and descended, moving much fast toward the base of the mountain. He found in in a small clearing, landing on the ground before it the entrance. Yes, before Ryo stood a stone arch way flanked on either side by a stature of a lion with lightning carvings on them and a stone dragon on the highest point of the arch way. A single warning carved into the side of it, "All those who stand here turn back, or fall to the merciless storm and it's knight."

Ryo's face hardened as he read this and he looked straight under the archway at the path clearly set in marble between the rock sides moving up the mountain. This was what he had traveled for. The presence was stronger here then anywhere else and there was no mistaking this as the source. He stepped forward. The first step of the beginning of his journey now arriving to face the unknown.

As he began his ascent, Ryo noticed that the path was barely used. An astonishing marble walk way curving around a blue mountain...Seemed a bit off to ho him that not many would use it. Of course, regardless of Ryo's wishes the rain did not let up, it only grew more fierce as he advanced. He pulled his traveling cloak a little tighter and trudged on.

He made one full loop with no problems other then the rain and bone rattling thunder, it was on the second loop, he encountered his first obstacle. One man with a great sword in his hands stood watching as another man, a huge hulking fellow, rolled a dead body off the side of the cliff and then retrieved his massive hammer from the ground. Ryo froze, "What was going on here and who were these men?" he thought to himself as the men noticed his presence. The one with the sword looked a bit lanky but that big sword in his hands told of his skill or at least deadliness. The other needed no explanation. He alone was the size of two men and his hammer was as tall as Ryo and probably weighed alot more.

The lanky one spoke out to Ryo, "You sir, are in an unfortunate place. You have probably traveled here because of the tale of great treasure at the peak of this mountain. Well I'm sorry to say but your journey ends here. For we are the guardians of the here mountain." He said with a twisted laugh, "And anyone who travels here belongs to us. As does their personal belongings...and their life. If you'd be so kind as to hand them over now that's be great." He had the tip of his sword on the marble walk way, blood still running down it, and a hand resting on it's hilt as he extended his left hand with a evil grin on his face. He thought this very humorous apparently.

Ryo starred at him, his eyes calculating the two men before him. They were dressed in raagish clothing and didn't appear to have cleaned themselves or their gear in may days. Blood stained them everywhere and even in the rain they looked dingy. A look of disgust formed on Ryo's face. these were no guardians, but mere bandits. A treasure at the peak of this mountain must be luring people here and these two, instead of traveling up and facing the REAL guardian have been ambushing people on their way up. "You are no guardians. Guardians have a sense of respect and decency, YOU, have neither. How many men have you killed in this little scheme of yours?"

The man's smirk went away and was replaced by a scowl. "Well aren't you a clever cookie. Les just say that enough men have died here to fill to grave yards and you about to join them. Samion....Rip off his head." The massive man next to him, never taking his eyes off of Ryo, grunted, "Gruhhh" and began staking towards him, letting the end of his hammer fall, breaking some marble a it his, and dragging it but the end of it's staff like hand in his left hand. This brute was a sight and Ryo knew if he got his hands on him it was going to become a very difficult day.

Ryo moved quickly as the man advanced, first at a walk then in a gallop type run towards him. reaching into his kunai holster with his right hand, he threw two blades at him, aiming for the heart. A blast of fire erupted from apparently the side of the hulking man, blasting the kunai. The man emerged from the fire, hammer held high as he brought it down on Ryos' position.

The surprised expression on Ryo's face quickly changed to a hard set look, as the hammer was coming down he engaged himself, dashing past the man as he drew another kunai, in the same motion, and sliced the mans mid section as he leapt past the man. Landing in a roll he quickly righted himself as spun on the ground in a crouching position, shrugging off his traveling cloak and assessing the situation. He had sliced the man across his right rib cage, and but the man's hammer had utterly destroyed the ground where Ryo once stood. Chunks of marble and dust no remained. Is assessment was that he was wicked powerful, but slow. Ryo was fast and could be more deadly then shear power. One thing remained, the other man.

A glance to his right confirmed it. On the rock face, the lanky man stood, his blade stabbed in the wall so he could crouch on it and cast fire jutsu down on them. That's how they blocked the Kunai before. Ryo had already figured out their game. Not skill, but clever tactic. A strong aggressive power house and a jutsu thrower from the top. Not bad. Even as he though another fire ball was sent his way. Tossing the Kunai in the air before him, Ryo formed a few hand signs at a blinding speed, and held the last one, his cheeks bulging as he then spit out a large blast of water. Countering the fire style with his water gunshot. He didn't even wait for them to collided before he was moving again at a great speed, jumping to the rock face, snatching his kunai out of the air as he went, and charging up the rock face. The jutsu collided in an explosion of mist, and the fire caster, not expecting the counter, proceeded to fire multiple fire balls down into the mist at where he had last seen the man.

To no avail Ryo was already beside him, kunai in hand, he thrust the blade into the back of the man's neck, separating his spinal column in a quick and painless death, one the man didn't deserve. All the fire style impacts on the ground and the mix of the heavy rain had created alot of mist for the remaining man below. He was practically blind as he grunted and charged around swinging his hammer back and forth grunting. "Grahhhhhh" howls in frustration were followed by loud cracks of shattering ground. Ryo, holstering his kunai, then pushed off the rock wall, tearing the lanky man's great blade from the wall and rushing down to the angery man that was less a man an more a deranged bull. Swinging the sword high, Ryo brought it down with both hands with his strength and the force of his falling speed, severing the mans right arm at the shoulder. "GAHHHHH" He Howled in pain, dropping the hammer.

The attack had driven the blade of the great sword it was now stuck fast. The man, in tremendous pain and losing blood fast grabbed Ryo before He could move, by the throat and lifted him high in the air, well of his feet. The grasp was murderous and tight. Ryo Cold not breath and hand seconds before the mans' strength crushed his wind pipe. Ryo didn't have the strength alone to break the hold, but he knew what did. Forcing chakra through him, he held the mans arm in his left and formed one hand sigh with his right. Using his Cleansing technique, Ryo called down a great lighting bolt from the sky, quickly inf not simultaneously followed by a tremendous boom of thunder following. The bolt struck Ryo and traveled around his electrical field, and also struck the man hold Ryo. The intensity was so great the man was forced to release him and was thrown back off his feet over the edge of the mountain.

Ryo fell to his knees, gasping for air as he himself steamed from the move. It was strenuous for him but cause no other damage then a few minor singes and muscle pain. He'd be fine in a few minutes. After recovering his breath he rose and surveyed the scene. The swords was still in the ground and the marble walk way was riddled with scorch marks and missing chucks from the hammers blows. At leas the men were gone and those they had killed avenged. The storm could have it's way with the bodies. He retrieved his kunai he had thrown earlier and traveling cloak, now very wet as he was and put it back on for all the good it would do. Casting one last look up toward the peak he spoke "Lets see what you really have in store for me oh great storm..." Then re-casting his gaze forward, he continued up the curvy and looping path up the mountain drawn by the ominous and great power.

Ryo was beginning to wonder if the top of the mountain was ever going to come. He had gone up what seemed like 100 loops when in reality it had only been 8. The storm around him had not given him an inch either. It seemed that ever since he had used his Cleansing jutsu on that bandit, the storm had only grown fiercer and more still the higher he went. The wind had grown as well, a few times even threatening to take him of the cliff had he not been able to hold himself to the marble walk way with his chakra.

"What on earth could cause something like this? Surely This storm is unnatural. Do I really want to see what can do all this?" Even as he asked the question aloud he knew the answer. Yes, of course he was going to find out what could do this. His interest was even slightly peaked by the bandits suggesting treasure of some kind. That wasn't his main motivation but it didn't hurt any. The wind picked up again and Ryo braced himself for the freezing gust of wind and rain, holding his cloak around him tightly as he held himself to the ground with his chakra enhanced feet.

As it died Ryo took off in a sprint. He was very fast and needed to move to warm himself back up. Plus he was so close now that he couldn't go along at the grueling pace any longer. After a few steps it seemed that the loop changed into the 9th. Excitement coursed through him as he kept on. Then the brightest bolt of lightning he had ever seen shot from the sky and struck the mountain side above Ryo, followed by a boom of thunder that shook the very mountain. Ryo came skidding to a halt and looked up at where the lightning had hit.

Huge boulders and practically half the mountain side had been blasted from where it was and all the rubble was now falling down on a direct course for Ryo. Panic briefly won, His eyes grew in surprise, but rationality and survival quickly shut it down. He drew Mizukami from his back into his right hand and leapt up to meet the onslaught of falling stone. There was no way to out run the rubble to the other side, but to go up through it....that was a much shorter distance. Using chakra in his feet to help him grip the falling rocks he jumped from one large rock to the next, rising as they fell, using his blade to cut through the debris that got in his path. He Finally got to the top of the falling rubble and waited it out on the last large rock, sheathing Mizukami. looking down at the rock he quickly formed hand signs and kneaded chakra in his chest to water and jumped expelling his jutsu. Using Water Release: violent water wave, he forced himself up into the air higher while forcing the rock to the ground faster. Releasing the justu so that the force continued to sail him through the air.

Turing in the air so that he was face towards the sky, with the heavy rain drops smacking him in the face and his cloak flapping violently behind him, he reached into his item pouch and upon withdrawing his hand threw a shuriken attached to a metal wire. It sail through the air at a high speed striking the indigo stone so hard it was wedged into it. He then held the end of the wire, until he stopped rising and began to fall. He fell a good bit but at the end of the wire he caught himself. gaining some momentum by planting his feet and using charka, to run back and forth until he could run up the side of the mountain.

Once he had enough he took off up one side yanking the shuriken free, and flinging himself into the air. He flew high into the air above the mountain sailing right over the edge. from the sky, before the fell he saw the mountain peak for the first time. As he recoiled the wire in his hands and fell back to the mountain, he gazed at a great crater in the top of the indigo mountain. Almost like a seal blue volcano. He landed in a crouched position, and put the wire shuriekn back in his pouch and rose to his feet. The rain did not stop here, it did seem to lighten a bit though. He sent out his sense's and felt the area for anything that had a pulse or chakra. Nothing would get by without his notice. He had come to far to let something pass him by. Looking around and then up at the sky he shouted through the rain and thunder, "I HAVE MADE IT THROUGH YOUR STORM! SHOW YOURSELF!!" The presence that had driven him here was close...very close. Ryo could feel it in his bones as he set his deep blue eyes on the sky in fierce determination and awaited the creator of this mighty storm.

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-Traveling posts completed!
-Total Word Count= 4,213 words ^^