A Strange Old Man

Body Collector:

Kami’s life although turned on it’s side had began reaching a normalization point with her new family. She slowly was coming to terms with her parents death in as healthy of a manner as possible, her coping mechanism had been smashing her hands against the trunks of trees and walls. Saika recently spoke with her on another manner of stress relief though, bit more questionable legality, but she didn’t particularly care about others hardships. None of them could have compared to the scene she had witnessed when reuniting with her decease parents. Shaking off the mood she focused once again on the mission at hand. “Ok, first locate that old man named Gorou. Saika said he was a rather strange individual. Not that she was any person to talk in Kami’s mind who kidnaps a girl even if it is to protect them.

The lavender eyed child slowly tossed her hair back as over her shoulder continuing to make her way to the location of the old man. A few miles out from the closest village was a little rundown shack of a place which was precisely where she was told to meet him. The door’s hinges were exposed to the elements so long it was no wonder why they were rusted shut, Kiri wasn’t the land of mist for show. Reaching out the door screeched open with a horrendously loud sound. “Gah someone ought to maintain their sheds a bit better.” Reaching out she gripped the mossy covered door handle feeling the slimy cool touch of metal undoubtedly enwrapped with mildew. “Gross …” she remarked as she opened the door, pushing it open now with one foot as her dominant hand now shook off the residue left on her fingers. Creaking open she began to question the legitimacy of this mission, was their even and old man with a mission.

On queue she suddenly heard an scraggly voice of a senior man that must have been the mark. “Eh heh, you must be the kid Saika sent to help me out on my little jobs ehh?” Stepping up from a creaky old staircase, she would have turned to face his location. “I see she must be quite trustworthy of me indeed to send a child to deal with my needs. That or she truly believes in your abilities.” He began to laugh till it escalated into a hacking fit. She didn’t expect he was much of a threat he was so old she hardly believed he could even live alone now without constant supervision. As his throat cleared he began to talk of the mission. “I would like you to find some bodies for me little missy. There have been a few unfortunate souls from what I have heard that passed through the Drowning Paths. A small group of nomads whom no one will be missing. Be a deary and gather their bodies from the water ways and bring them back.

Having witnessed a scene as tragic as her own parents she began to feel more and more detached from the reality and concepts or morality. Slowly, doesn’t mean that they had completely abandoned her though. “Why do you even want these dead bodies? Or are you one of those creepy old men who get a kick from corpses of those that are dead.” Her gaze was a bit heartless even for her but she didn’t like the connotation of this mission one bit. Gathering dead bodies for a creepy old man. And he wants it so their bodies barely even have had the chance to turn cold.

“Heh heh heh now now little one that’s for me to know and you to find out. Bring them back successfully and I will show just exactly what I intend to use them for.” His gravely old voice finished once again with a chuckle as he made his dissent back into the basement. “Just remember five corpses for two hundred and thirty ryo. Don’t be late I would like them before sundown.”

Appalled of the need of so many dead she suddenly realized an important plot twist in this mission, “Wait how am I so post to carry five corpses back without looking suspicious yet alone the weight of them?”

“I am sure you will find out a way to do it.” he chortled once again slowly sounding more distant. Without further to think she realized that time was of the essence unless she intended on killing five people herself and dragging them back. Which wasn’t the greatest option regarding the time constraints. “Right, right ok. Five corpses in the Drowning path. I guess I will have to drag them behind me … or try to come up with some manner of using ninjutsu to carry them. Maybe that will work? The bands i am wearing I could use them to bind the bodies together. But I can’t hold them off ground for that long.” Pausing in her thoughts she was addressing out loud she continued to sprint for the Path. It was a good ten minute run there and the dankness of the area was as retched as she imagined.

Bobbing like apples in a barrel she turned her face away from the five drowned corpses. It looked like a family and relatives died. All of them completely waterlogged in their garments. Ugh that is only going to make them heavier. Lifting up her shirt partially to reveal the bandages she began to unravel them. A couple minutes she had enough of it unravelled that she could string the five bodies together once they were pulled to shore. That was the tricky part though. taking an end she began to tie it into a lasso. “That should do it.” Pulling upon it to make sure it was good and strong she tossed it out lassing the first  corpse. A woman who had was probably the age of her mother if not a bit older. After the fourth try she successfully lassoed around her neck and pulled her to shore.

As she continued her cowgirl impersonation she became better and better at judging how much strength was needed behind it knocking down the next four bodies in a minute each. Lined up like a firing line Kami stared down at the fruit of her labor. Suddenly it smelt like rotten fruit mixed with halitosis and fish. Gag worthy to say the least, ugh by the time I am done with this I am going t need to wash everything thoroughly. Hope this creep is grateful for the work I have put into it. What time is it. Having gotten out bright and early she had managed to waste enough time for it to be midday which meant she was going to have to double time it with the bodies back. “Crap!”

Quickly finishing the binding of the bodies in a neat little web she began to drag them at a snails pace over the land back along the banks for the river which went back to the old mans house. After ten minutes she already found herself about as confident about the job’s results as she was in her parents not being dead. “Gah how the heck did he expect me to carry them back on my own!” Kicking the father figure corpse in the head making a loud crack ring through the air. “Sorry.” She was a bit detached from the poor people but she still respected the dead. The crashing of water was the only sound she heard. Pacing back and forth she thought, ok easier ways to carry them easier … ways … to carry. The crashing water echoed in her mind giving her a brilliant idea.

“Sorry,” apologizing to the dead as if they were able to hear her apologies. “Back into the drink you go. One by one she managed to plop them in floating face down. Using the water’s current to her advantage she began to pull them down with her till she was only a mile off from the old man’s location. still with two hours to spare before the sun set over the water. “Come on almost there and I will be paid and you will be used for whatever the heck that man wants.” Dragging them along face to the sky she groaned and strained feeling the bandages which were tied around her hands. The cloth rubbing hard enough that it was peeling away at her hands till the skin was raw and bleeding.

“I know I should respect the dead but could you have watched your diets next time. It is hard enough to drag one person let alone five of you.” Kami must have been dragging well over 400 lbs as two of the bodies were children, probably good considering. She felt the blood oozing out from her hands as she continued to drag them. “Almost there come on just a few yards and we are home free.” A distant howling would suddenly be the worst detriment to a mission that she would have ever imagined. “No. Don’t you even dare.” Another howl sounded through the sky. “Two. Son of a,” before she finished she hopped backwards over the five bodies standing before them still having her hands tied down by the five corpses. From the darkness she heard the rustling of the animals circling her and her package. Hand pulling out the fan which she had gotten earlier from Saika she began to turn around and around in a three sixty to track one of the wolves by sight and the other by sound.

The old man who had come out to see the racket smiled as he saw the corpses bound in one large heap. “Now isn’t this surprising you did manage to get the bodies.” Snickering silently he sat back and watched to see the display of the child and how far she was willing to go to keep the bodies meant for him in tact. “Certainly would be a shamed to have to used maw corpses probably would have to deduct the amount she was suppose to earn if the goods are damaged by those nasty teeth. That of course depends on whether she lives.”

The growling of the two wolves that now circled their next meal would continue their movements for a bit longer in hopes to find an opening to strike. Luckily they were only animals and were not on the same page. Suddenly one leaped out from behind Kami from a bush the rustling apparent as she turned to face the leaping beast. The fan enlaced with blades swiftly flew through the air catching the dog in mid leap. Slicing across it’s jugular, a slight whimper was the last sound it would make as it fell to the ground along with the others. The second now making it’s move a second after and finding itself quite satisfied as it’s teeth bit around her leg. She winced letting out a slight screech of pain as she quickly faced the wolf trying pull her down to the ground.

The fan folded back up allowing all the blades to be focused to one sturdy point. Now falling with all her might on to its head the fan slid into the skull of the second canine. It’s teeth still stuck firmly in her lower leg just low enough that it missed her major artery that went along the portion of her leg. Going to be painful for a little while though if she didn’t find someone who specialized in fixing such wounds.

Meanwhile from the sidelines the man laughed with glee as he took great pleasure in the pain of others. Now audible to Kami making it painfully obvious that his presence during the whole ordeal was apparent. Looking over to the old man she glared quite crossly at him not amused by the fact he was watching without a care in the world. Crouching down she bit her lower lip from the wolf’s teeth that were dug in. “Ahh!” she howled as she pried the mouth open off of her leg picking back up from where she left of in the mission dragging them with a limp a little ways to the door of his little shed. “Five corpses in tact just as you asked for. Sitting down and unbinding the corpses woven in her spider like web of cloth.

“Ah how great it is to have youngins like you doing all the heavy lifting for me. As promised I will give you the ryo you rightfully earned.” He joked following it up shortly with, “If I find them to my liking.”

“Besides being waterlogged and a bit dirty they are fine!” she yelled at him rather annoyed that he would even joke about reducing the pay. She got them there in the time frame he demanded and without being mauled by ravenous wolves. Sitting down she winced again still feeling some blood ooze out of her wounds.

“Now now missy wouldn’t want to make that bite worse,” he grinned a bit crazily. “But you are right your payment. Now would you like to get some more with a bit of overtime.” He smiled now beginning to walk down into his lab.

[End of Body Collector Mission]