Post by Ruse on Nov 1, 2015 2:46:09 GMT
Broken embers burned softly, sending pale wisps of smoke trailing upwards into the sky, joining with hundreds of their kin and gradually forming the pillar that marked another burned town. Laden with loot, a group of bandits rode on horseback away from the shattered remnants of the town, all splattered with blood of victims and all laughing and joking with each other after their day's work as they headed back to their home.
A lone figure watched them leave, face swaddled with bandages and eyes invisible behind a pair of small round sunglasses. By the time he'd arrived it had been too late, the raid was over and any villagers who hadn't fled in time were already dead. Ruse slowly made his way down the small hill, keeping the bandits in his line of sight as they rode towards him, none of them seeming to have noticed him yet. He formed handseals.
Concentrating chakra through his arms and pressing it tightly between his palms as his seals focused it, compressing it, tightening it, Ruse felt the energy grow within his fingertips and start to glow, flickering at first but then shining brighter and brighter, bars of light bursting out from the prison of his fingers. When the pressure grew to as much as he could handle, he reached back his arm and then threw it forwards, hurling the tiny ball of Lightning chakra directly at the group of raiders. Those with the sharpest eyes called out and slowed their mounts, but the ball exploded among them, showering them with a blinding light that burned the retinas of all who didn't manage to cover their eyes in time. Several of the group were blinded by the blast, but more importantly every single one of the horses, having no way of knowing their were under attack, had its eyes scorched through to their backs of their sockets. Panicked by the agony of the experience as much as their sudden blindness, the horses all roiled and bucked, some simply sprinting away uncaring of their riders, most falling, many breaking limbs or crushing the raider clinging vainly to his steed.
Ruse darted forwards as soon as the blast lit up. It only lasted for a moment, but then it only had to. Charging the group, he formed a flurry of fresh handseals and formed a tiny orb of electrical light in each hand, arms held wide as he rushed the flailing murderers.
It didn't take long, really. His initial Sunspot had wreaked such havoc that most of the raiders were completely defenceless to his assault, and any who got to their feet found that with a quick flick of his fingers their attacker hurled a tiny blast of lightning directly into their eyes, which drilled through the optic nerve into the brain, killing them dead in an instant. This wasn't a fight, this was removing something that had no place in this land, something that wasn't worthy of breathing the air in the Land of Storms. As far as Ruse was concerned, those who killed for sport or personal gain couldn't see the true point of the world, and it was simple mercy to put such people down as quickly as possible.
And Ruse, well he was a very merciful guy. When he finished he walked away, eyes imperceptible behind those small sunglasses, and left only dead men and dead horses behind him. He regretted the horses, but it had been the only way to ensure he got all of the men. And he didn't regret the men one little bit.
A lone figure watched them leave, face swaddled with bandages and eyes invisible behind a pair of small round sunglasses. By the time he'd arrived it had been too late, the raid was over and any villagers who hadn't fled in time were already dead. Ruse slowly made his way down the small hill, keeping the bandits in his line of sight as they rode towards him, none of them seeming to have noticed him yet. He formed handseals.
Concentrating chakra through his arms and pressing it tightly between his palms as his seals focused it, compressing it, tightening it, Ruse felt the energy grow within his fingertips and start to glow, flickering at first but then shining brighter and brighter, bars of light bursting out from the prison of his fingers. When the pressure grew to as much as he could handle, he reached back his arm and then threw it forwards, hurling the tiny ball of Lightning chakra directly at the group of raiders. Those with the sharpest eyes called out and slowed their mounts, but the ball exploded among them, showering them with a blinding light that burned the retinas of all who didn't manage to cover their eyes in time. Several of the group were blinded by the blast, but more importantly every single one of the horses, having no way of knowing their were under attack, had its eyes scorched through to their backs of their sockets. Panicked by the agony of the experience as much as their sudden blindness, the horses all roiled and bucked, some simply sprinting away uncaring of their riders, most falling, many breaking limbs or crushing the raider clinging vainly to his steed.
Ruse darted forwards as soon as the blast lit up. It only lasted for a moment, but then it only had to. Charging the group, he formed a flurry of fresh handseals and formed a tiny orb of electrical light in each hand, arms held wide as he rushed the flailing murderers.
It didn't take long, really. His initial Sunspot had wreaked such havoc that most of the raiders were completely defenceless to his assault, and any who got to their feet found that with a quick flick of his fingers their attacker hurled a tiny blast of lightning directly into their eyes, which drilled through the optic nerve into the brain, killing them dead in an instant. This wasn't a fight, this was removing something that had no place in this land, something that wasn't worthy of breathing the air in the Land of Storms. As far as Ruse was concerned, those who killed for sport or personal gain couldn't see the true point of the world, and it was simple mercy to put such people down as quickly as possible.
And Ruse, well he was a very merciful guy. When he finished he walked away, eyes imperceptible behind those small sunglasses, and left only dead men and dead horses behind him. He regretted the horses, but it had been the only way to ensure he got all of the men. And he didn't regret the men one little bit.