Temporary duty.

[Yox]

SPOILER: Click to show

Name: An upset stomach.
Rank: C.
Description: One of the guards of the royal palace has come on duty today with an upset stomach. It seems that he has acquired food poisoning from his dinner the night before. It will thus be your job to stand on guard at his position and check the credentials of everyone who enters the palace. Be careful though, letting the wrong person in will have dire consequences.
Rewards: 200 experience, 1000 ryō.
Requirements: One shinobi minimum, repeatable.

The best thing about being located underground was that the weather never changed. I never really had to worry about things like bringing an umbrella or slapping on some sunscreen due to the fact that down here, none of it was needed. It was something small that I appreciated about relocating to this new land. We were hidden away from the world above. Any potential threats would have a difficult time navigating here.

And that was what I had to worry about on this day. I was set on a task at the imperial palace itself. One of the guards had fallen ill, thus the shinobi had been called to take his place. It was no issue to me. I never really got to venture out to the palace unless on rare occasion. Any excuse to come out here and admire the structures would be taken on my behalf in an instant. This place was purely marvelous art.

I was dressed in the attire of the guard. We all had to blend in with each other so that when things went wrong, the helpless citizens knew who to come running to. To be honest though I preferred my shinobi attire. It was far too formal for me. The other guards were also a few years my senior, so it looked rather odd for a fourteen year old like myself to be dressed in the same apparel as them. To unaware onlookers, I was just a child playing palace dress-ups. To those aware though, I was dedicating myself to the greater good of the palace and the village.

I wondered what type of characters I would come across whilst I was on duty. Hopefully nothing too dangerous occurred; like the palace being invaded for example. I had no idea where anything was. If people came running to me for the quickest escape to the world above, I'd be as lost as they would be. For now though I remained at my post. I had a long pole-arm in my hands, holding the end of it on the ground at my feet. It was far more taller than I was, designed to be carried by someone a bit taller than me. It looked sort of awkward, but it was regulatory equipment for the guard. The palace walkway was pretty chilled out... for now.

The longer I stood in the same position, the longer my knees began to ache. I looked around my proximity. The closest guard to me was positioned at least 25 metres away. There would be no way that I could start a conversation with him. So with no one to talk to, and no place to sit down, I simply stood against one of the tall pillars at the entryway to the palace. From time to time I greeted some officials as they walked through with their gowns. Other than that, nothing too interesting occurred. This was going to be a long day. The mindset of becoming a chunin lingered throughout my thoughts. It was the only thing that kept me going. I hoped something interesting would happen soon. Otherwise I'd probably fall asleep due to boredom.

[Yox]

Just when I thought that nothing would occur, things started to get interesting. I was approached by an elderly man in full robe. He looked different to many of the other officials that had passed me earlier on this day. Thus, I believed it to be necessary to check his credentials as he passed through the gateway into the palace. After all, we couldn't just have anyone come off the subway and into the royal grounds. People had to have a reason to be here.

"Hi there. Are you looking for someone?" I questioned him as he reached my point. His eyes were fixed ahead, into the actual grounds of the palace. I think he believed that he would not be stopped from going into the courtyard, especially by someone of my stature. I was a mere boy in comparison to the other guards. No doubt that he'd be confused to even see me in uniform. My premature face showed no connotation of authority in an area like this. But then again, I had the uniform on.

The man grunted to me, fidgeting his hands into his robes as if he were looking for something. My eyes followed his hands. Perhaps he was looking for his credentials, or perhaps he was reaching for a weapon. I tightened the grip on my pole-arm as I waited for his hands to re-emerge. Soon enough though, my first conclusion had been the correct one. A small notebook flicked out with his right hand toward my front. He waved it open with a slight gesture, opening up to a point which documented who he was. I read the name and the description quite carefully.

Hikari, Jiro. He wasn't from here; hailing from the lands of Taki no Kuni. I wondered what he wanted in our country, and how he had even located the palace underground. He began to speak, telling me that he was here on an envoy mission of diplomacy. I narrowed my eyes to him as he spoke. I wasn't sure whether to trust the man. In the back of my mind lingered the idea of fear. It was based on the fact that if I made the wrong move, consequences would come my way.

"You're free to go on," I said finally to the man. A smile of relief appeared across his mouth as he concealed his credentials. He scurried off rather quickly after I had given him the all-clear. The diplomacy mission must have been really important. It was back to watching the entrance for me though. An image of the old man's face still sat in the back of my mind.

[Yox]

Exit.

[KEITH]

+20.