The Blood Rule - Initial

Xan was walking he had a port to eventually get to in order to return to the Polar Continent, it had been a day since his meeting with Carmen with her detailing her plan to kill the Shinigami leaving him in charge of Pandora. As a result he had spend the day after sending word and screening applicants into the TLAH order, so far he had managed to obtain five, in addition to Tumu. A Vampire by the name Ivanna who, a Werewolf by the name Klaus, a Tamanegi who went by the name Seeker, Clair who was a fellow Ibwa and finally Angelo who was a Fushicho clan member. They each fit his requirements, to join the TLAH order, stealth orientated like himself and all other than Angelo (Gold Knight) and Tumu (Former Shinobi) were Silver Knights. However Ivanna and Klaus were close to becoming Gold Knights, and each of them had their own niches which made all of them a well oiled machine.

Ivanna he had met in a bar, was very flirtatious, was a Land of Ash native and before Pandora took over was a sex worker. Her personality and line of work resulting in her becoming more social and capable of feats of blatant stealth while remaining visible her appearance and demeanor making her attractive enough to bypass the usual checks for spies. Klaus was loud and liked to smoke a lot, and hailed from the Land of Torment, he used to be a bandit leading his own gang before Pandora took over. He refined the art of hunting down targets and killing them silently with his bare hands while using his large lung capacity to exhale large quantities of smoke to conceal his presence.

Seeker, land of origin unknown, had sought out Xan rather than the other way around, mysterious and constantly in a cloak which hid his features seeker was a natural at infiltration modifying the memories of those he encountered to make his presence unnoticed. Clair was skilled at summoning small undead creatures and using them along with the transformation technique to scout ahead and get into locations that would be screened for people. Angelo he had met perhaps because of Carmen, the Fushicho having followed along her and was a Land of Shadows native. He was a thief and a rather good one at that, picking locks, lifting items, and things of that nature.

However what appealed to him the most was that despite their specializations they were capable in fights and it was his plan to train them personally like he did Tumu in order to make them skilled members of the TLAH order. So far they were his most promising candidates. One would think in a Shinobi village there would be more stealth orientated shinobi, apparently not it was pathetic the standards for shinobi had slipped over the years the rule of the Shogunate making them complacent. Even worse those which were "strong" were glorified warriors with chakra, known little about subtle and preferring massive devastating effects when in reality all that was needed to kill was a well placed kunai. As he thought these things he would pull out a cigarette and a lighter before lighting it to take a drag stuffing the lighter and the pack back in his pockets as he continued walking.

With Carmen gone much didn't change about the environment of the Land of Ash. Kids ran, people laughed, scholars studied, it was as if Carmen never left. However that was in the Land of Ash and its bordering lands which were under the control of Pandora. Across the sea on the Polar continent, Samuigakure wasn't as "comfortable" with their leader being away. With Xan being away, people who wanted Samuigakure to return to shinobi control made their move. 10 people who only remained in Samui so they could gain enough power to take it back.

Luckily contact between all Pandora lands were airtight and the second the rebellion began, the Land of Ash was alerted. This would send some knights into a frenzy as they knew Carmen would return in a less than pleasant mood if Samui was taken by mere rebels. Several knights would rush to the docks jumping on boats in preparation for a battle. However, Xan was going in that same direction, in which case on knight would stop and address him about the current situation, considering it was his territory and Carmen would most likely kill him first, if it was taken over.

Lord Xan. We have a report that rebels are uprising in Samuigakure. We are heading there now and would like for you to lead us into battle.

The young knight would say, not being more than a Silver Knight but still wanting to perform his duty. With multiple ships ready to set sail, the number of knights was about 20 and along with Xander they knew they could suppress this threat before it gained momentum. The knight would wait for Xan's response, since it was indeed his, he had first call on whether these other knights could join him in protecting his land or them sitting back and letting him take care of it. Either way with each passing second the rebels are taking over more territory within Samui, so this wasn't the time to be thinking.

Xan would raise his eyebrow at the frantic knights one of them stopping him prompting him to exhale a cloud of smoke, he would listen to the boy speak before lifting his hand and taking his cigarette out of his mouth after taking another drag his ever present frown tilting downward ever so slightly. An uprising, you say? Unacceptable. Xan said expelling more smoke with his speech before placing his cigarette back into his mouth before placing both hands in his pockets before nodding to them and would proceed to follow them to their ships. You there, go to pier 13, tell the five knights there that Xan wishes them to follow you, tell them. This is your initiation. he said gesturing to one of the other Knights before continuing his walk eerily calm about the entire situation.

He would arrive quickly as despite walking he was already at the port and it wouldn't take him long, he would squash this rebellion and have each of the leader's heads on a pike. Before mounting it in the middle of Samuigakure to set an example to any who dared try this again, but it wouldn't simply be the one's participating in it. No, them there families, their friends, will all die, those who associated with them with knowledge of this will also die, along with their friends and family. After all Pandora wasn't a democracy and those who didn't rush to report it as soon as possible, will equally share the punishment as those who tried to incite the rebellion, Xan wasn't one for leniency. Hmph. Not a moment after Carmen calls me here they decide to strike. I suppose it should be expected, those fools will make wonderful sacrifices to Jashin-sama. he thought to himself as he followed and would jump to land on the side of the boat before hopping off of it and heading to where the captain was.

We are waiting on five more Knights, that I have personally chosen to assist us. Once they arrive you are to head for the Polar Continent Fullspeed, no stopping. If your men are tired of rowing, they shouldn't be. Understood? Good. Xan said quickly not waiting for the man to answer nor intending on repeating his words a second time. While we wait inform me of the details you know currently. His voice was calm not because this wasn't a serious situation it was simply because he wasn't in the mood to waste time indulging in mortal emotions like "panic", then again he was never in the mood to do such. It seems Jasin-sama was testing him, though it would make a good initiation for the potential recruits as if they failed in this then they weren't worth living, much less joining the TLAH Order.

The man would run off quickly after receiving his order, everybody knew that Xan wasn't one to question. Speaking with the people, who I assume Xan wanted to be his cadets, the group would jump on the boat to report for duty. With the five on the boat, the one who initially spoke with Xan would also jump on, signalling that all parties would be ready to ship off to Glaciers. The trip would take some time, in which the rebels would have taken over half the village by that time. When arriving, these knights loyal to Carmen will have to begin their battle to retake their lands.

With everybody on board the captain would alert his men to start their departure. Pulling from the docks the men would start to row putting in all their strength behind it as this was a time of urgency. Concerning the knights which Xan had called along with the others, they would directly report to him, them being on his boat. Sir, what is the situation. These knights were not called to join the protection, them being around the docks was purely coincidental, and with this apparently being their initiation, they would have to put all their effort into this battle to show their worth to Xan.

It was time to focus on this protection squad. Counting Xan's boat which had 5 people on it, excluding him. There was 4 other boats, each boat having a total of 7 knights ranging from Bronze to Silver with the leader of each unit being a Gold Knight. The amount of Cursed Seal users and clan member varied between this unit with some mixing together to create greater powers. Due to Xan being the highest ranking person here, he would be in command of all these knights, here is word would be law.

OOC: Is this a fade-to black time skip to fast forward until we actually get there or?

Xan would think to himself was he waited for them getting the details from the captain and once they arrived he would just be finishing his cigarette, the boat would take off and time would pass, while Xan went through battle plans in his head before settling on one with multiple back up plans just in case. One group will be the distraction, while that is going on my group will sneak in and infiltrate enemy lines the distraction group will buy as much time as they can until we give the signal. Our main objective is to get within enemy lines and stow discord, full white-out (Samui Style Smoke Bombs) protocol, there isn't a shinobi Samuigakure has produced that is a better silent killer than me. Cut the lights, and bodies will begin to pile up, this is how we get the advantage assuming they have superior numbers.

During this time the other three groups will circle the village one entering from the back, the west and east gates respectively. Said signal being when we start butchering them, when you see the large amounts of white smoke move in as it will provide a small window of confusion which will allow you to rush past whatever defenses they have mustered around the gates. We will trap them, in all directions and pincer them between my group and the others. Those who escape the white smoke, will run straight into those on the outside, those who flee inward will be killed by group. Any questions? No? Good. Xan said marking the positions on a map of Samuigakure and writing the directions in which they were each supposed to go as he explained. Ibwa and Werewolves to the front, they will be the blitzers, your intention is not to kill in one strike but rather to maim and make sure that whoever you do end up clashing sustains a grevious wound. Vampires & Inakamono immediately supporting them to finish off the downed and weaken those who manage to avoid the blitz. Mikaboshi for counter ranged chakra techniques, make sure they don't try and pick us off from a distance. Magicians, Demons, Fushicho and chakra heavy Knights, for ranged support, if you can't handle yourself in a physical brawl leave it to those who can, and don't be a hero. Chances are if your ally does get hit, they won't die, we Knights are after all...a bitch to kill. Tamanegi for genjutsu and counter genjutsu support, I fucking hate mental users, make sure they aren't the reason we end up having unnecessary delays. he said finishing up and straightening before cracking his neck.

We will take back Samuigakure, that is a given, the only thing is whether or not it will occur within an hour of us getting there, or within 2 hours. Xan said his eyes roaming across the room to glance at each of his initiates as well as the others who would end up relaying his plans to the others, he was done speaking, now it was time to wait until the slaughter began.

Hours would pass and while Xander and his army were making their way to the Land of Glaciers, the rebels took control over Samuigakure. The exact method remains unknown but they somehow were able to suppress the immortals stationed within the frozen village. With control over the village, another step must be taken, not allowing Xan to return. This was something which would require them to fortify their defenses but when the attempt started, the word that Xander was returning came. Specifications that he was coming by boat with other Knights were given. The rebels knew if Xan was to touch land, their deaths would be certain, so they would have to attack him on water.

Gathering their forces, five ships would be deployed. Each ship carrying 5 men and 1 squad leader, putting it in shinobi terms the squad leaders will be around jonin rank while the others would be chunin-T. Jonin rank. This was going to be a battle on sea as the ships of the rebels headed in the direction of Xan's army. It would take about 30 minutes but soon the enemy ships would be in sight, for both parties. The battle was about to begin, the rebel units would prepare themselves, each individual member taking out a varying type of weapon. Coming within range, the first step was not to board, but to ram each individual ship with theirs, attempting to sink them and possibly the Knights with them.

This would also occur for Xan's ship, as the leader of the rebels would be directly aiming for him. The leader was a samurai, who held a personal grudge against Xander. The reason, who really cares, things happen during war so it wasn't to far off to believe that Xander killed a random person who the leader cared about. Xander!! Today you will pay for your sins. The leader would yell, enough for each ship to hear. It was the battle cry which increased the morale of the rebels. The ships would collide with each other and the battle would begin..on the next episode of The Blood Rule.

OOC: you have full control over the Knight npcs.