Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Journeys We Make

Picking Up The Pieces

Gwirlon stared at Mana. What troubled the crippled kunoichi most of all was that the big guy didn't seem to register her words at all. His emotions after being freed from the restraints and seeing the iron gate keeping him move out of his way didn't differ at all from how he looked when he was all bound and locked up.

"You've lost your forearm... It must be hurting or, at the very least, itchy. I know how that feels, though no one must have offered you help for your wounds..." Mana lowered her hand and leaned forward as much as her condition allowed her to examine Gwirlon's stump. From the looks of it, the thing appeared to have been burnt up to a crisp to keep the big man from bleeding out, but it didn't receive any other treatment. "I'm sorry but... As much as I may have dreamed of becoming a medical kunoichi and actually saving people's lives my entire life, I'm just not cut out for it. I'll ask Shige-H to take care of it though..."

"You shouldn't waste your breath, this guy only responds to orders," Endo sneered at the utterly oblivious giant as he loomed above Mana without what may have looked like an ill-thought about him. "Hey, asshole, Mana told you to scratch that crispy stump of yours if you want to."

Gwirlon tilted his arm with the missing forearm and pulled it closer to his chest, thusly making Prabba's heart skip a whole handful of beats as she gasped in panic at seeing the liberated prisoner move around with impunity. Slowly, the big guy moved his other hand and wrapped his rough fingers with chipped-up and dirty fingernails. A blunt scratching sound filled the warehouse dungeon as complete silence reigned in while the trio waited for Gwirlon's reaction. The captured giant scratched his stump before returning to his default standing state, awaiting following orders.

"Huh... I guess I can see why those terrorists kept this guy around. A human tool comes in handy..." Endo crossed his arms and blew air through his nose. Somehow, he pulled off looking pleased by Gwirlon's obedience and disappointed at any lack of pride or defiance in the giant's actions at the same time. "Go ahead, you try..." Endo looked at Mana.

"I will not!" Mana barked back with an upset reaction. She crutched her way closer to Endo and pointed at the static giant with her free of crutch hand. "This poor man is handicapped in more ways than one. He's lived his entire life as a human tool, doing whatever everyone told him to. I absolutely refuse to play along and add to that oppression. I won't give up until Gwirlon-san does things on his own and acts how he truly wants to!"

"Are you sure that's what we want?" Prabba scratched her head. "I mean... Look at this guy. He's got an entire arsenal just embedded under his flesh. Someone that can endure such an arming process would probably go mad from the pain alone. No wonder Denkka's torture didn't reach him at all."

Mana walked up to Gwirlon and weaved her hand seals together. A howling gale of Wind Release chakra formed an air pocket underneath Mana's leg and elevated the magician into the air with the Mystical Wings Jutsu coming into play and letting her levitate before she could walk right. Mana evened her eyes up to Gwirlon's level. The giant's eyes didn't move or react to someone else looking right at him.

"I don't have the time to help you now, Gwirlon-san. Shige-H and the rest are almost here and we'll have to leave soon but... I won't give up on you. You're not just a tool, no one's life is without purpose, and I want you to find yours. A calling that's truly yours, Gwirlon-san," Mana spoke with a softened facial expression from the strict determination she confronted the man whose efforts led to her crippling injury. "I just... I want you to know that I don't blame you for what happened. You followed that other man's orders and... At that time, you didn't know any better. Heck, I probably shouldn't have been there in the first place and, if I did, I should have reached out to you and helped you instead of obsessing over stopping that man feeding you orders. You're no Human-Swiss-Knife, or whatever, you're just human and that's beautiful and unique enough."