16, 02/20, 99 [mission]

[Takahashi Aki]

Dramatis Persona​

16, 02 - A location in the past. Men and Women have taken up dark powers to cause harm and distress in Sungakure or Wind in the era of Sunahoshi Hiro. Men and Women have looked into the Black Mirror and have seen their truest potential.

Takahashi Judori: The Steward. A small man of bad luck. Masterful in defense and puppetry. In time father to Takahashi Sousuke.

Sunaku Shiego: The heir to a branch of the Sunaku Clan. Man of noble lineage. A Masterful ninjutsuist and artisan of the sand. In time Father to Sunaku Harupia.

Toraono Kaibudo: Head of the Toraono Clan and great sensei. A man of great mind and iron body. In time Father to a host of other children and his final son Toraono Kuro.

Huntsmen Fen: A man of ill intent. Has gazed into the Black Mirror and has unlocked his greatest potential. A Predator and Antagonist to House Toraono.

A host of villagers to and fro of Wind. The Black Mirror. Wildlife and villains abound.

20, 99 - A location in the present. Foul Forces seemingly have returned to finish the job. The surface is no longer adherent to the Diamond Maelstrom. The effects in the region of 1602 have spread to 20, 99. The storm has now revealed a mess on the surface.

Takahashi Sousuke: The Steward. A small man of great self-doubt. Son of Takahashi Judori.

Sunaku Harupia: A Jounin. Man of great mirth and social ability. Son of Sunaku Shiego.

Toraono Kuro: Sennin. A man of great martial skill and prowess. Son of Toraono Kaibudo.

A host of horrors that have infested the land. Things that were dead or sealed have become unraveled. The Black Mirror has been unveiled once more. Men and women of ill intentions fight for this artifact now that the hosts to it have been unveiled. May Mother Suna help us all.

The Past

A singular large puppet stood beholding the torn banners of house Toraono. The sigil broken and in pieces. The tiger statue missing the head, and in its place was the head of the dragon that usually would have been below the tiger. It was a disturbing sight for the controller of the puppet. The puppet stalked back and forth. No doubt its creator was pondering what could have done this. The grand blue titanic puppet reached out and removed the head of the dragon which sat in the place of the tiger's head. "What a foul omen." Spoke Judori, whose voice seemed to be coming from the puppet. He was the first on the scene when the report was filed and registered. No doubt Kaibudo had heard of this and was acting appropriately. He had things to secure such as the woman visiting him who too was of noble origin. A giant of a women who could no doubt handle herself in a fight with those well crafted swords of hers.

Judori had also called to order a friend of his. The ever thoughtful and socially graceful Sunaku named Shiego. He half expected his companion to be late, as he was a man who was very popular with the ladies, unlike Judori. The two of them were opposites. Judori was grim and silent, Shiego was cheerful and social. Their opposites did not get in the way of things, no it merely enhanced the situation. Sill though... Judori feared Shiego's infectious joyfulness to be upon him, in time.

***

The Present

Sousuke was lying on the ground. He was staring up at the roof of the dojo. Ill news had reached him. The Black Mirror, sometimes called the Black Vortex, he spoke of to Fuu was in play. He probably could have recruited Kaito into this, but he did not. The council he was given was ... not to do so. Sousuke was healing from the events in the Inferno. His skin was healing slowly as he drew the shadows into him and healed himself in a non-traditional manner.

Harupia seemed to be less of his cheery self since dealing with Shouki. He could hardly blame him. The masochistic Cabal member was someone Sousuke abhorred. He hoped his friend would return to his normal cheery self. Kuro's mood was also of the darker sorts too. He had been poking and tinkering with Naganisa which was something Katuso did not approve of. A matter for another time.

Sousuke hoped that this little ... adventure? Mission was it? Would brighten both of their moods. Kuro loved combat. Harupia ... well ... he was a social creature and a builder. Sousuke was certain something would come of this to be helpful..

MFT: 773

 

[Toraono Kuro]

The Present

The Black Mirror had been provoked once again and the Ancient enemy now faced someone far more in tune with his rage than Kaibudo. Not that Kuro had always been that way but his kindness had been left ragged and torn except when it came to the needs of women and children. Akuma Kuro, the original blood borne Kuro moved about the dojo with a swift earnest pace his multi prescient senses had been giving him a steady feed of all the things occurring around Sunagakure. Most of it was blame from the remnants of the village for not preventing the Cabal attack. Kuro normally did not have to do the his original ANBU job but now it was necessary for him to be far more and far more distinct in his actions than he had ever been. Slowly steadily Kuro had been arranging the warriors of the Toraono Clan into roaming 2 to 4 person patrols. Eventually he would establish trainees to replace the shattered ANBU corps if Mikaboshi did not rise to the occasion once more. An eerie sense of foreboding reached Kuro as he approached his father's chambers and with that sense Kuro went full speed leaving a trail of wind and flame in his wake. As he burst through the double doors to find his mother unconscious and his father's blood everywhere. He had been protecting her from something powerful, and apparently beyond human and demon from shattered chamber. Not a single ward had been broken, they had simply been erased, his father was gone and fighting no doubt. On that note Kuro knew his father was out there fighting and there was not enough blood for him to be dead. He was definitely injured and as Kuro called Sashi via the intercom to tend to his mother he received the message from Sousuke on why this attack had occurred. The black mirror... HOW CAN THIS BE?! Hyakujuuonouu and Kuro's chakras began to spike in rage and just as quickly cooled. It was time to hunt...

Kuro looked over his mother she was still vital and functional, she had been struck with an intoxicant, something sweet that she wouldn't have noticed. Kuro noted the chamber and as his vision broadened he found what the culprit might be. A rare desert violet, it's smell matched the scent on his mother's breath. Nodding to Sashi, Akuma Kuro telekinetically wrapped and picked up the flower and made his way to Sousuke's chambers when he visited his home away from. He would be able to identify this flower's origins and then the chase could begin. Kuro went at top speed to Sousuke, he wasn't truly worried about his father he knew his father was quite capable but with artifacts involved it was best to have the best and few were as intelligent or capable as Sousuke.



The Past

Kaibudo exchanged blows with the huntsman a warrior hunter of great renown whom distinctly hated demons and demon blooded people. He was not without reasons rest assured but the Toraono Clan led by the reborn Toraono Kaibudo was under an eternal oath as were all of his kindred. They were not of the demon race that lived to torment, they were hunters, guardians, and warriors of another kind and now he was forced to face another whom wanted to claim his head simply because of his source of power and the pact that allowed him to exist in this world.

The Huntsman Fen was far smarter than Kaibduo, he knew how to goad a beast into a well placed trap and despite his intellect and ferocity the abomination known as Kaibudo defied him. He laughed at his poisons, suffered every attack with a smile and blatantly refused to accept pain. Were Kaibudo not bleeding he would have thought he was hallucinating but with every other blow Kaibudo took a step closer and pressed and advantage he should not have. Something was amiss, he wasn't trying to win outright it was as if he was stalling... With an ease that still surprised him he wounded his prey and slipped away to further plot and have a more successful assault. Kaibudo wasn't as smart as he was that he was certain but he was ever surprising...

The Huntsman slipped away leaving Kaibudo facing a metal clone of himself.

WC: 726
MFT

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Shigeo let out a small sigh as he took in the sun, laying himself down on his sand cloud as he moved above the village in a somewhat messily pace. He was still in a relaxed mood, the day going along in a lazy manner...teetering on the brink of consciousness as he was listening to another lecture of his family’s exploits. On that day he had also learnt the cute chunin he had invited for coffee didn’t have much more to offer besides her pretty face...not that it was necessarily a bad thing, but the occasional tryst with another pretty face was starting to feel just...not worth the effort. It was quite rare to find someone not fawning over his status in the Sunaku family, or his impeccable looks. The Taijutsu instructor from the academy was still playing hard to get...So he was quite glad to get the message from Judori to provide him a bit of distraction.

Shigeo was quite the cocky bastard in the eyes of many. Even in his academy years he often heard people say he didn’t earn a thing he had, that he was a spoiled brat form a rich house. As years went on he became better and better in shutting these people up, usually with a well-aimed chunk of the soil, or a good punch if they were close enough. Shigeo knew his own strength, and as boastful and cocky as he might have been, he was always willing to show he could walk the walk. Of course he knew how to keep his manners when needed, and could be quite the friendly charmer in most cases, but he did have a somewhat short temper at times. Perhaps that was part of the reason the bond between him and Judori was formed. The son of the Steward was one of the few who saw him for what he was, not judging him for things he had no control over, but also not trying to coddle him about the mistakes he did. And to be honest, he somewhat did enjoy attempting to break the grim puppeteer out of his shell... quite literary at times if he decided to test some new contraption with him.

As he mused he finally reached the destination, the Toranao Dojo. And he could see Judori already there, one of his puppets trying to clean up the apparent mess. Whatever this was...someone had to have a pretty big pair of balls to mess with the Toranao. He couldn’t help but smile a bit, eager to temper someone ego a bit. Once close enough he hoped of his nimbus, landing on the large puppet as he said"Sorry for the wait...though it seems you've kept yourself busy well enough. What the hell happened here?"

Many years later...

Haru stretched himself gently, licking his inner lips to get the last tastes of coffee on his tongue. He had slept like a log last night...the reconstruction was ongoing, and trying to help with it was getting him pretty tired. Still, as he received a message that Sousuke would need his assistance, he didn’t hesitate to come. As...hectic as their last team up was, he was looking forward to try and catch up...and maybe get rid of this dreaded feeling he was still missing out on so many things, so many details he should know...his musing was interrupted as just before reaching the room with Sousuke, he was thrown into a twirl as a great force of speed passed through him into the room. Catching his balance quickly he looked up and said"What the...ahh, Kuro-san...I guess I should have expected you in your house, haha. And Sousuke...catching up on some z's as well I see?" he joked, seeing his friend lying on the floor...though after all that has went on, he couldn’t help but dread that there was some more sinister meaning to his friends position. Then again, he could imagine him lying on the hard floor to see how it felt. Regardless, he was anxious to find out just what was going on.

Mft, Wc= 681

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Past

The puppet turned its head to the side as Shiego landed on its shoulder. The glowing orbs that represented its eyes glowed green. Was it annoyance? Such was hard to tell as the puppet did not have a face that had a mouth, or eyebrows. Shiego spoke his greetings unto Judori, which was heard. What was more important though was what was not said. The reason why he was late. "Your date did not go as intended. If it did, you would have been walking with a swagger of sorts in your step. Instead you rode about on the nimbus as evidenced by the sand grains on my shoulder." He observed. He allowed Shiego to remain positioned on the shoulder. Thankfully the puppet was broad shoulders seeing as how an adult man was seeming standing perfectly balanced on the shoulder. The puppet tossed the mock dragon head up for Shiego to catch. "The infiltrator had placed this on the wrong body. Look at the detail. The stone work was cleanly cut. This isn't some amateur. The rest of the statue is intact. The banners are ripped. He or she wanted this to be seen and in turn he wants some act. The expectation is to either embarrass Lord Kaibudo into a fit of rage and then jeopardize his courtship which would be dangerous to our foreign relations as Lady Azame is in fact a foreign princess. I would advise you to stay away from that courtship. I've heard tales of men fighting to the death over her."

The puppet turned and began walking towards the torn banners, "An act of war. A chilling thought my good Shiego. Assaulting one of the high houses. Possible, but far too personal. The attacker singled out this one particular house. Why is the more important question." The puppet stared at the tatters banners. "The Taijutsu instructor, by the way, is getting divorced. She may be playing hard to get on purpose. She enjoys the concept of her being hunted, and in turn becoming the hunter when she ends a marriage, particularly with a noble with quite a bit of family wealth. Meaning you in specific, and not me as my household is ... light on material goods. I advise caution, but you may wish to look inwards instead of outwards. There is a particular shorter woman within the clan skill set who ... is most resourceful. Dark haired. There is also a Hashigaki lady who seems to have taken an interest in you. Shy natured. A good keeper of secrets." Judori did care deeply for his friends. "Kaibudo should be here. I don't think he's taking this insult well. Which is why I was here first... to undo some of the damage done. He is not always well tempered."

***

The Present

"I don't sleep. I haven't slept, authentically, since the Cabal invasion."<i></i> Sousuke answered Harupia. The grid-like pattern on Sousuke's face was still present. He was still sickly from before, but seemingly his colour was better. His eyes shifted over to his older friend. "How is your father. Still having the hidden smoke from time to time? I caught him the other day after my council meeting with Dad lighting up a cigar. He seemed to be enjoying himself. I suspect that your mother has been ... not well informed on his purchases. He's been hiding them very well on his person."<i></i> A lighter conversation of sorts. Lady Kohana advised him that solving his stress levels with smoking was most unhealthy. Sousuke had advised her that he very much agreed with her. Granted he kept the zippo his grandmother gave him. It was used more or less as a sound filter at times, and to sometimes vent frustration through the clacking of it.

He remained on the floor staring at the ceiling as Kuro ran in. His adopted older brother was panicked. Seemingly. The Steward would sit up. He stared hard at Kuro knowing that something was up. He would give Kuro a moment to gather himself. Sousuke's planned mission, for the moment, seemed like it was going to be put on hold. He noticed the follow Kuro had. He raised his hands slightly as a coating of steel covered his hands as he plucked the flower from Kuro's hand. He sniffed it. A slight frown appeared on his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his zippo. Seemingly he plucked a petal from the flower and then attended the table his room had. He burned the petal. The puff of smoke was a an entwined and twirling black and violet. "Violet-Stripped Orchid. Seemingly thought to have been... extinct due to the Diamond Maelstrom ... original location co-ordinates are 16, 02. Curious. Very curious. That is where we were going today... but now we all the more reason to."<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

The Past: Kaibudo arrived with a look of disbelief then a small tremor settled through his body as he took up the reigns of control over his emotions and looked back to see Lady Azame and her entourage on the way. Kaibudo had just dispatched an iron clone of a warrior that had fought him evenly with weapons and skill. He was overjoyed at the thought of an opponent worthy of his time but weary of anything interfering with Lady Azame's activities and overt desires. She had laid claim to him as if he were a piece of meat and though it thrilled Kaibudo to no end to be sought after as a prize he could not help but feel somewhat slighted in the manner in which he was supposed to be nothing more than breeding fodder for her. Smiling at his best friends he quickly blasted away the ruined banners with a taijutsu movement then Kaibudo nodded to Judori and Shiego to continue what repairs they could as he used their secret sign language to explain that a huntsman of great skill was inside the dojo and toying with him. He had fought him evenly and still managed to escape... great excitement... As Lady Azame approached Kaibudo took a knee and lowered his thick silver haired head before addressing her. "My Lady of the blade I did not expect you to return so soon, my friends and I are making some much needed repairs. Might I invite you to have lunch with us in an hour?" Taking in the scene with a nod to each man she stepped to Kaibudo and placed her left hand in his hair stroking the texture and finding she did indeed like it as she spoke she looked over Judori with an all knowing smile and nodded to Shiego to keep covering Kaibudo. "I WILL NOT WAIT, I WILL BATHE AND ONCE MY BATH IS COMPLETE I EXPECT YOU IN MY CHAMBERS AT MY BECK AND CALL WITHIN THE HOUR AND YOU WILL BRING ME LUNCH THAT YOU KNOW I DESIRE... do you understand me my chosen?"<i></i> Kaibudo seemed to be entranced as she rubbed his head and replied groggily "As you... wish m'lady."

Present

Kuro saw Harupia but he felt his presence first, it seemed that some of Hyakujuuonouu's power had taken hold within him. Kuro could only pray it did not take over as Hyakujuuonouu was a lover of battle first and foremost and a guardian second. With a nod Kuro grasped Harupia's right shoulder in greeting although his emotional state was still down. "Harupia, you seem well..."

Kuro was clear headed but frustrated until Sousuke analyzed the flower with ease. A great burden seemed to evaporate from Kuro's over reaching soul as his other avatars either searched for Kaibudo or maintained his duties elsewhere. "Steward Sousuke... I am forever honored to have you as a brother, Kaibudo is missing, mother has been poisoned and that flower was my only clue until now, Thank you for taking away the frustration I was building, let's go search about and find out what is going on."<i></i>

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Shigeo turned towards the faceless head of the armor as he said. „Hey, it was a pretty long walk here you know, and I thought you’d appreciate the practicality if flying towards here…but yeah, date was a bit of a wash…Guess I should have just skipped to the hot coffee at her place part from the get go” he concluded with a chuckle as he hoped of his friends shoulder, inspecting the statue a bit more “Looks pretty clean that’s for sure. Whoever did this must be pretty balsy… They’ll be lucky if Kaibudo gets them before the fair lady…and you don’t have to tell me that. Though sometimes you have to wonder if they were fighting to be with her, or to be away from her…” He mused in a more hushed tone. He had heard tales of Azame’s…ferociousness. He liked a feisty women, but not necessarily one who would try to break him…literary.

Shigeo listened to his friend talk more, smirking a bit as he pulled out a cigar, lighting it with a simple fire jutsu before saying “Since when are you so interested in my love life, huh? Won’t stop me from trying to actually hook you up. You could use some warmth after sitting in the cold steel so long, haha. And you don’t say…a girl trying to get me for the money. Heh…well, she’s welcome to try and hunt me down…Let’s just hope she won’t bite of more than she can chew. Still, appreciate the advice…and yeah, hopefully Kaibudo won’t come in swords’ blazing here…”

Soon he noticed the men himself come, quite visibly perturbed by the situation…or maybe by the fact the lady he was courting was hot on his heels. He nodded in greeting towards the men as he looked as the two interacted with each other, Azame’s outburst leaving him somewhat startled…and doing his best to stifle his laughter. Which was proving to be one of his greatest challenges yet. He never was the best in the more subtle arts of the Shinobi. The Tabaco product in his lips wasn’t helping.

Years Later…
Haru simply nodded as Sousuke mentioned his lack of sleep, and then answered both him and Kuro “Well…I am feeling mostly well. I do manage to get some sleep. But I tend to get some nightmares as well…and then usually spend trying to paint down the images I remember. A weird experience for sure…Though I’ll have a lot of fancy abstract art to show off” he concluded with a small chuckle before continuing “I think you underestimate my mother Sousuke… If she hasn’t said anything yet, it means she’s simply waiting for the right moment to bring the topic up…then again maybe I’m underestimating my father’s sneakiness…”. He blinked as Sousuke analyze the flower before he said “Seems you mind is as sharp as ever…and the situation is quite dire. I’m sure you mother will be fine Kuro. She’d sonner raze the village then let herself succumb to mere poison” he said in a lighthearted manner…though one could wonder if Lady Azame wouldn’t do just that “in any case, I’m ready to go as well…though I’m a bit curious what way you original intent to go there Sousuke?”

Mft, Wc= 539

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Past

The puppet stared at Kaibudo and then the Lady Azame. The head shifting back and forth. Judori listened to the bestial man and the princess talking back and forth about lunch. The puppet's eyes turned skyward for a moment. Lunch. It was not the time for lunch. It was not even noon. Why on earth were they talking about lunch? Did Kaibudo even know what the woman wanted? The female gender was incredibly difficult, perplexing, and strange. One moment they wanted your money. Other times they wanted your company for sexual practices. Other times they wanted neither and wanted the male gender as far away as possible. "Women are truly complicated creatures. I do not even wish this upon my greatest foe-- ... mmm ... no I might." If only Judori had a way to turn the female gender upon his foe and re-create this scene upon them...

Kaibudo was making gestures conveying what had happened to him and more importantly who the perpetrator was who damaged the dojo so. The puppet in turn made a small hand gesture 'understood'. Likewise Lady Azame made a gesture and nodded. Well. Everything seemed to be very well known by both parties, granted Kaibudo may not have knowledge of this. "Kaibudo has encountered our culprit. A man of great skill to challenge him." The puppet would speak in a low voice. The puppet in turn would raise both hands at the remark of Kaibudo needing to be back in one hour. "Point of order. We may take longer than an hour. Given that we would need to visit the geographical point of 20,99 in order to ... ... gather ... ... ... ... mushrooms and peppers." Were there mushrooms and peppers at that locale? No. It was where huntsmen came from. The puppet very much like the real Judori held his hands together behind his back. Luckily the puppet did not carry a facial expression so as to judge whether or not he was truly lying. "That of course is our path. Shiego has already come prepared. Kaibudo, may need several moments before preparing to head out himself. Shiego let us leave Kaibudo to... ... ... well make good of this new development of time. Do not keep him too long Lady Azame, as men of the realm we have ... tasks to do to keep it safe ... and your stomach full of ... lunch." With that the giant puppet would begin to exit the room hoping Kaibudo wouldn't receive too much of a tongue lashing for ... late lunch.

****

The Present

"Well. My mind is properly attended to like a blade with a whet stone. Such sharpness is required when one is required to deal with people and things outside the realm of proper logical reasoning."<i></i> Sousuke pocketed the zippo, "Your mother is well informed from inner social circles. I suspect she is indeed biding her time to put a very ... difficult predicament upon your father."<i></i> Sousuke realized. Indeed the female gender was quite clever... if not ... too clever at times. He nodded and agreed with Harupia, "Lady Azame would perhaps will herself to recover as poison is perhaps one of the more ... secretive and honourless ways to die? That being said it is effective. History has proven it accordingly."<i></i> A slight grimace would appear on his face. It was not something he was ... wanting to say.

Sousuke raised an eyebrow at the missing Kaibudo. "Most curious."<i></i> He referenced the missing father of Kuro. Sousuke usually knew of Kaibudo's comings and goings. He folded his arms behind him. He looked skyward and seemed to think about the matter only to be interrupted by Harupia's query. "16, 02 is also home to keepers of an artifact called the Black Mirror or the Black Vortex. It has become a contested hotspot of sorts. With the storm going down various warlords having been trying to claim territories, resources and artifacts. My intentions is to check on its keepers and to see ... if they have lost the artifact to the new locale. My father buried its keepers underground much like our home except for a smaller space. His concern was to ... hide them from others. Maybe it was here he got the idea to hide us underground. Without the storm though to keep things in check ... the surface has become increasingly dangerous."<i></i> The Steward shook his head. Clearly troubled he was by the two sided sword that was the world without the storm. "That being said ... we need to also make a name for ourselves as ... most of Wind Country sees us as ... the ones to be blamed for the storm. As per ... the intolerable Kaito and the ... most acknowledgeable Fuu we are supposed to be the heroes of Wind Country. I suppose we should do so accordingly."<i></i>

***

With that the Steward would pack up his things and begin to make final preparations to the destination of 16,02. While the journey itself was uneventful the locale was not what the Steward expected. The land was desolate. A sort of badlands as it were. The diamond maelstrom had left its effects on the land. There were 'scars' on rocky terrain. Years of diamond sands tearing and ripping the land to shreds. The Steward rubbed his forehead. "The damage here is absurd."<i></i> He referenced. "I expected it to be bad, this though is worse than I had calculated it to be."<i></i> Sousuke blinked and observed his surroundings.

MFT: 924

 

[Toraono Kuro]

The Past
Kaibudo backed away from Azame and her entourage to whisper to Judori's puppet since he knew the master puppeteer could both hear through and fuse with his puppets in combat. Being the Shinigami of automata made Shiego one of the most dangerous beings in existence for creatures like Kaibudo and he loved him for it. Kaibudo had always marveled at how the Takahashi Clan leader could create something and wear it like armor, wield it like a weapon, or simply merge with it body and soul and become something like Kaibudo had once been as a true demonbeast. Whispering in a manner that only the puppet relaying information to Judori and Shiego could hear... "I have learned a method that will allow me to sedate the lady into a state of bliss that will only take five minutes to accomplish but after I use this technique I will be fatigued for travel, can I count on your aid to get me back out into the desert until my physical capacity recovers?" Snickering Kaibudo knew Shiego had wondered what secrets the Shiatsu mistresses of Soon had been teaching him and now he had some idea once Kaibudo mentioned the time frame and immediate fatigue. Azame nodded to her entourage whom set off to prepare her room before she grabbed Kaibudo by his hair and pulled him violently back to her and nibbled at his chin. "I hunger... do not keep me waiting..." This would be the first of many battles lost to Azame by Kaibudo as he looked to her with actual fear in his eyes for a brief moment before nodding to Shiego and hand signaling 5 minutes meet back here, as he was dragged toward her complimentary chambers.

The Present
Kuro listened to Sousuke's logic before acknowledging the truth of his words. It was true there had been many attempts on his mother and she had dealt with poisons on many occasions. Without Sousuke's input Kuro was certain he would miss something vital as his emotions could easily take over when family was involved. Nodding in synch with the explanation Sousuke gave they quickly made their way to the area where the artifact should have been stored and protected, only to find the storm had ravaged the land beyond Sousuke's estimates. Something else was off about the area there was no movement, no sense of any life, no plants, animals, nothing within 100 feet. Kuro's animal like senses told him a multitude of things were wrong, even in the most desolate places in the desert there was life of some kind. Yet here, on this scarred, barren, patch of sand for a good stretch there was an absolute void of life. Something had devoured the life force of the area and seemingly masked it by dropping a load of sand atop it. "Sousuke, Harupia, do you also sense that their is absolutely no life nearby? I can't sense the living chakra of anything near us. It feels as if the land and the very air have suffered some kind of trauma."

WC: 500
MFT

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Once upon a time…
Shigeo started to choke a bit, beating his chest a bit as he said *Ekh, sorry about that…tasting a new brand here, seems pretty strong” to cover up the laugh Judori’s comment caused him. The whole situation was quite amusing… But he knew better then to laugh in the face of the Toranao and Lady Azame, especially after they were challenged in such a manner. He would speak up after Judoris puppet “Yeah, the most exquisite peppers…can’t say much about the mushrooms, bot a huge fan of those” as he inhaled his cigar yet again. As Kaibudo whispered to both of them, he furrowed his brow a bit before he gave a small smirk from behind the smoke, bowing down as he said “Always a pleasure to be graced by your presence lady Azame” as the two friends headed out to wait for Kaibudo to prepare the…delicate for his lady.

As they stood outside waiting Shigeo said “That’s a bit of a risky gambit there by Kaibudo…If I’m guessing right what he wants to do, it’ll surely…satisfy the lady quickly. But I know how a body can react once you get frisky like that…Once got a black eye myself cause I wasn’t paying attention to a girls arms…Heh, was worth it though. I just hope he won’t be sent flying or come back with cracked ribs when she embraces him as they wrap up their little lunch…” he paused to take another drag of his cigar before turning to Judori “Soo…Have you been attempting to have lunch with any lady? And I do mean proper lunch…though I’d be pleasantly surprised if you already moved on to something more spicy” he said with a grin, turning to the men within the puppet.

And in current news…
Haru let out a chuckle as he said “Till surely be amusing once it happens…though I can’t help but feel a bit sorry about dad even thinking about it. And I’m sure Lady Azame will be fine” he said to both of them, in a reassuring tone. After the happenings of the last few weeks he found himself struggling to be as optimistic as he’d like, but he tried his best…both for himself and the people around him. As Sousuke started to speak about their goal he would say “Sounds like a good start, making sure one of the many eldritch artifacts we seem to have littering the lands doesn’t get into wrong hands” though a sour feeling was born deep inside of him. The thought about what the surface thought about them… mixeed with his own feelings about what the surface did with them…the time would come to clear all those things. Hopefully.

Once they came to their destination, the sight was quite… ghastly. He would expect desolation in the land. It looked almost like a flat surface. He knew the maelstrom was destructive, but as Sousuke said, this was a whole different scale. As Kruo spoke about the feeling of lifelessness he kneeled on the ground and placed his hand on the ground, focusing on the soil underneath him . He spoke up “The mixture in the soil is…well, all the normal minerals are there, but there is a lot of other things. I can feel processed ores, wood’s, and…a lots of finely grinded flesh and bone. Something bad happened here…And I have no idea what It can be” he mused as he looked closer at the scars on the ground, wondering what could cause such unusual fissures in the soil.

Mft, Wc= 592

 

[Takahashi Aki]

(Kuro oocly wanted someone to drag Kaibudo along, so I figured something light and funny would do)

The Past

Judori's puppet carried Kaibudo's unconscious body and stuffed it in a caravan. All the same being very careful with it so as to not have it get injured upon emergency impacts. Thus Kaibudo was surrounded by pillows. The puppet lugged the giant about and fitted him nicely inside the caravan's trunk. The discussion with Shiego was met with pauses and bouts of silence. The puppet stared at Shiego multiple times. "Surely you jest... about the black eye part. I would have thought you to be ... wiser in your ... exploits." There was a certain uncertainty in Judori's tone. The Steward had little to no experience in dealing with women outside of an office setting, or a court. He did not have the social charms or grace either of his companions had, and he certainly did not have the charm the Kazekage had. Upon sercuring Kaibudo, Judori's puppet got into the caravan as well. "We need to go through various check points. I'm certain you can use your charm to get us past. Try not to have them check the cargo considering it will be myself and Kaibudo." The puppet motioned to the front of the caravan. Two pure breed Takahashi horses were present. Judori in person had trained Shiego how to administer the proper calls and motions to get the utmost obedience from them.

***

As the trio of Sunaites passed through various boarders with little interference, Judori finally answered Shiego's other question. The puppet was covered up in clothe but the eyes glowed green beneath it. "I didn't answer your other question earlier... but that was because I have no answer." Judori admitted, "I suppose the answer is the dame I lunch with is the realm. I've always let marriages form themselves due to political reasons, but that seemingly is dying down. I don't have your ... social charm ... and it something I have no ... love, hate, or jealousy for. It is something that I deal with because I must. Man owes it to himself his flaws." The puppet turned its head. There was one final check out before they entered the land of the Huntsmen unto which Huntsmen Fen came from. "You may have difficulty with this party Shiego. The Huntsmen don't take kindly to strangers with unmarked caravans like ours. I suspect a fight may indeed occur. Steel yourself ... and hopefully Kaibudo will awaken soon too should we ... incur difficulities. Curious these men are ... foreign. What the devil is going in in their domain? They do not use mercenaries..." Judori's observation was cut short as with that being said as the caravan approached several bows strings were drew taught and several leering eyes were on the coachman that Shiego roleplayed as.

"Ho there. We have no imports here. Turn back your vehicle." spoke what was the commanding officer. This man wore too formal a uniform to be a huntsman. His dialect was indeed very off, and certainly not present to the realm unto which he was guardsman of. "Are you daft? I said no imports. Huntsmen have no need of your trinkets you heathen gypsies."

The Present

Sousuke nodded his head at Kuro's assessment of the area. It was disturbing to say the least. "Not even a trace of bandits or ... wildlife. The Sandworms have been returning... but even then there is not a trace of them." Sousuke sniffed the air. There was a something not right about it. There was a smell of death present. It was faint. It was then confirmed by Harupia who did a soil check using his family based skillset. "Ah. Rot."<i></i> Sousuke observed as he listened to the details. "Buried entities... but the storm would have eradicated it some time ago. This is seeming more ... recent."<i></i> Sousuke formed some hand seals and called the minerals together to form metal clones, as the tore out from the ground some of them brought with them what Harupia had mentioned earlier. One of the metal clones had in their hands an arm, which Sousuke was handed. The Steward took the hand and studied it. "Well. We have an exception here, but a good lead..."<i></i> Other metal clones brought up the grinded flesh and bone that was aforementioned. Sousuke studied the arm before handing it back to his metal clone. He scratched the back of his head. "That's not the storm. That's ... someone's sick joke, if I had to make a forward theory. It was torn off... but decay is ... not setting in properly."<i></i> He handed the arm to Kuro. "Sloppy."<i></i>

"What's the limit to your search Harupia? Can you expand forward?"<i></i> He placed his hands on his hips. Sousuke had engaged things out in the wild before that were ... outside of the normal bestiary. "Something was here some time ago. Nature buried it, but did not damage it. I abhor to think ... if this arm belonged to one of the Keepers of the Black Vortex. They were buried underground like us, but ... well... this arm was clearly found on the surface."<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

The Past

Kaibudo's lay half asleep amidst pillows and leather as the heat waves passed over the cargo container with ease. A light refrigeration system had been placed in the container making travel like this actually quite pleasant. With a calming breath Kaibudo wiggled his digits one by one making sure he could function again after using his body as a living pleasure toy by using chakra, high velocity movement, and specially made lubricants to overwhelm Azame's libido and in the midst of their tryst massage pressure points that would force even as strong a woman as her to sleep for 2 to 3 days. It had been the most exhausting act of non violence, well pseudo violence he had ever carried out. He would have to thank the librarian for the Karma Sutra book and his advice. Thus Kaibudo surrounded by pillows gave a small but well known knock to let his companions know he was awake and capable should trouble emerge. Which due to their natural proclivities and unluckiness was bound to happen soon.

They soon entered the lands of the Huntsmen unto which Huntsmen Fen had come from. A rather distinct and off kilter voice reached Kaibudo's hearing "Ho there. We have no imports here. Turn back your vehicle." spoke some soon to be unconscious arse. "Are you daft? I said no imports. Huntsmen have no need of your trinkets you heathen gypsies." Kaibudo's body began to gather its potential for a high speed assault as soon as Judori gave the customary sound of a double knock or stomp on the boards of the caravan.

The Present

Kuro took the arm and looked it over carefully, it had indeed been torn from a person's body and in a manner that did not allow rot. The mummification properties of the soil in the area were present but not that concentrated. This individual had been struck with some kind of unnatural attack. The scent was too faint and though the limb had dried out it still felt livid, capable. "We should not dally here long whatever was capable of this would still be close and this kill does not seem to be for sport or food. The way this arm was torn from the body looks as if someone was playing with their prey. It's an unnatural way to kill, far beyond what even normal ninjutsu techniques would do"<i></i>

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

After a bit of waiting, Kaibudo did indeed join them…though he needed some assistance. At the very least he didn’t suffer any broken limbs…at least it looked that way. As Judori admonished him for his lack of forethought, after a considerable bout of silence, he simply let out a sheepish chuckle as he said “Heh, it’s not like we got into a fist fight. I was treating her good…but I guess I rubbed her just a little too intense at one point…next thing I knew the hand went flying. Still, at the time it wasn’t such an…unpleasant feeling. The pain was a bit more of a pain the next day…still was worth it though” he concluded just as Kiabudo was nestled in the back of the carriage “Hehe, I see I’ll be giving you quite a luxurious ride. Don’t worry, I know the drill. Can’t let some damn Desert Dwellers get their sandy hands on the good’s!” he said mid performing hand seals, transforming his visage into the of an older, grillzed man, a fitting visage for a supposed caravan handler. Giving the horses an affectionate pat he took the reins before they headed of towards their destination.

The ride went on with little fanfare, until Judori spoke up to him from the back. Shigeo usury knew that pressing information out of his friend was a somewhat futile exercise unless he wanted to speak about it. With a bit of a grin he said “Dying out ehh? I don’t quite think so, especially if you look around the courts or social gatherings of some big cat merchants… Politics, money, that’ll always be a reason to get some poor gal hooked up with some filthy slob…I guess were lucky enough that a person’s skill and blood can be just as valuable as their coffers…though you can bet my pa still berates me about needing to find a proper women…Ehh, gotta enjoy myself while I can. And hey, compared to how you were a few years ago, I’d say your quite the charmer… I’m sure there is some fine gal waiting to wiggle her way through that tin can of yours”. As Judori explained about the Huntsman, he turned his head before saying “Whatever is going on, we’ll just to have to ask them…sternly”. As the head guard came to the caravan, he listened to him try to turn him back as he shouted back “Pah, trinkets! Yer dirty bows and daggers are trinkets compared to the good’s I bring here! Step aside son, lest you want to defend yer land with rickety junk!” the shouting more to wake up Kaibudo, and giving him some times. As he looked around, he focused on the particles of sand on the ground and air, slowly making them gather around where the guardsman were…as soon as the signal came, he was ready to strike.

Present time
As they stood on the desolate ground, Sousuke began his own research, a bit more…direct then his as his summoned clones began to dig through the ground. It had effects, for sure. The grizzly sight of a torn arm sent a shiver down the Sunaku’s spine. Not the worst thing he saw…but still not the best. As Sousuke spoke on, Harupia would say “Someone came and slaughtered these man…tearing them to pieces if I’m understanding you right? Reminds me of a certain foul toad…” he spat, reminding himself of the deranged members of the Cabal…were they here before they attacked their home?

Cracking his fingers he would say “Hard to tell. It’s been a while since I tried to sense what was around the sand…the Maelstrom made it always a tricky thing. But I’ll see just how far I can reach…” before he plunged his hands into the sand in a swift motion, the sand kicking up a bit form the force, with him crouching with closed eyes. Focusing intently he traveled through the soil the best he could…feeling the sand moving all around him, going deeper and deeper, mingling with all sorts of ore and gems, fragments of creatures millennia old and quite recent…it was hard without knowing what exactly he was looking for…but he was looking to the best of his ability.
Mft, Wc= 705

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Past
Judori listened intently to Shiego's remarks. Somewhere, Judori was smiling at his friend's accent. Indeed. The time to spring the trap had come. Kaibudo had surely woken up by now. The puppet proceeded to unlock the hinges for Kaibudo to come out. After a series of clicks, then came the double knock upon the surface of the caravan for Kaibudo to let loose. Judori opened the hatches and allowed for Kaibudo, when ready, to speedily assault, disarm, and knock out unconsciously their annoying doorman. Judori expected about a fifteen second assault to occur and within that Kaibudo would return back to his position in the caravan. Curiously these men were not well trained as each of them were unexpected delivery of blows and attacks.

"I think we should have declared something." Judori spoke after all was said and done. The puppet emerged from the caravan and studied the gates that was before them. Well. There wasn't much to them. "Strange. Foreign men holding down the gate." The puppet made his way to the gate and removed from his back a kite shield. The puppet took a moment to calculate the blow and struck through the pitiful lock holding the gates tight and shut. Judori's puppet would push the gates open and motion for Kaibudo and Shiego to go through with the caravan. "I trust you're not feeling too sore Lord Kaibudo. I tried to cushion your ride as much as I possibly could. You'll need to give my apologies to Lady Azame, but I trust ... no harm no foul ... considering you left her in a most manageable position." Once the caravan and his companions had made their way through the gates, the puppet would close the door, and seal it shut.

To the company of three the lands of the huntsmen were ... damaged. The land was polluted and vile. There were craters and debris displaced. This seemed like a slaughter of sorts. Yet who was the one being slaughtered? Bodies laying about were not the bodies of the huntsmen, instead it was the bodies of troops outfitted in the wear that the three of them had dispatched earlier. "The men at the gates were keeping something trapped inside, but .. I expect we will find out soon. We are being watched." The puppet elementally charged his shield with fire. "On your guard. The way out remains shut and sealed. We need to figure out what happened here." There was a tortured howling in the distance, and some quick footed movements. The nature of these movements were beyond that of the men that they had just taken out, but not quite on par with Kaibudo's. There was a fire in the distance as a village was burning.

The Present

"There is something more primal about this my good Harupia. Besides ... Shouki actually had some element of brains to his scheme. Let us not forget the certainty principle."</B><i></i> Sousuke paused for a moment as he watched his older companion dig his hands into the sand and begin to sense what was before them. As Harupia continued to trek through the waves of sand, dirt, bone, and other earthly materials he would hit a rock, almost literally as he found a mass of corruption. It was bubbling, dark, and rotting. It was unsettling to say the least. The corruption that was being senses was at least a kilometer away. It was difficult unfortunately to tell if it was moving forward.

Sousuke turned to his adopted older brother and heeded his council. "Agreed." Sousuke formed a few hand seals and summoned the insect contract Nemuri. The moth and Sousuke had a small exchange which led to the Steward complimenting the moth on her wings and how pretty they were. The moth flapped her wings and worked her way up. The moth turned left then right. The moth then returned down and perched on Sousuke's head. <B>"Well? What did you get from your aerial view?"<i></i>

"Not overly much. There is some hole in the ground about a kilmeter away, but it looks like they got hit by something big. It doesn't look pleasant. Moreover there were bodies over there."<i></i>

MFT: 700

 

[Toraono Kuro]

The Past

Kaibudo didn't bat an eye or roar in challenge, he simply leapt from the disguised crate and became a flurry of disabling blows, he didn't kick any because he wasn't trying to kill or maim anyone and although they were armored troops they had obviously been very poorly equipped for Kaibudo found he did not even have to draw upon any of his inner strength to knock them unconscious. Even his youngest students were of sterner stuff than these men. Either the world was becoming a far frailer place or Kaibudo's training methods had made the young men and ladies that trained in his dojo overly proficient. He was literally of two minds on the matter and decided it was probably both. With the soldiers hidden and covered so that they wouldn't be slain in their abrupt slumber or wake up able to signal alarm, Kaibudo returned to nod to Judori's puppet's comments about Lady Azame. "She is indeed more than a handful but I suspect she would have disabled or killed these men even faster than I am capable of. I suspect she was holding back so she didn't exhaust me which worries me greatly. Now as for this area, there is something literally drawing the life energy from these lands and that should not be capable on the scale that we are sensing. Is it possible that some of the Unbent are on the move?" Kaibudo had very good reason to worry about the Unbent, if they were to absorb enough life energy from either of them they could take on their abilities and since the three of them were capable of leveling a moderate sized country that would be a very bad thing indeed.

They soon scouted the lands of the Huntsmen the tortured howling of some beast in the distance, the bodies of soldiers strewn about and a taint to the land. The Unbent would have taken some of the life energy of the soldiers regardless of the soldiers being rather weak. Some of Kaibudo's fears began to fade as others came to the forefront. If this wasn't done by the Unbent then WHAT or WHO had done this?

The Present

Kuro reached out to the environment with his devil sage senses and found the natural chakra of the entire area absent. It was simply gone, there wasn't even a void left to fill. All the natural chakra of the area had been simply taken. It was as if it has been swept up and taken away. Kuro looked to Harupia to see what he felt from the sands and the earth beneath them.

((ooc: sorry about the small post... working))

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Just as expected, as soon as the knocking came all hell broke lose…for the guards. Along with the blur of Kaiboduo’s attack, a flurry of sand shot up from the ground, attacking the enemies blindsides and knocking them out. It went well…all too well. He was expecting much better from these guards with how tough they acted. He didn’t even need to stand up. As Judori spoke up he said “Don’t care where there from, but they seem to be pretty bad at their job…was expecting at least one of them to stand up to us” As he undid his transformation, while Judori worked on the lock. Smiling a bit an Kaibudo he said “She probably was saving her strength to give you a nice reward once you teach these guys not to mess with you property” rising his brow as he spoke about some dark powers. The Toranao were always on the lookout for any ancient energies or demon wherever they went…what was worrying was the fact they were right more often than now.

And it seemed that it would be another such instance. Whatever happened here… it wasn’t ready. The all too familiar stench of rot tickled his nose. Who, or whatever was kept here, was much less lenient with the foreign force then they were. All the bodies flayed across the land…and the ever present feeling that they were being watched. They moved in silence, as he said in a hushed tone “Seems pretty clear. Something messed these poor sobs good. Probably tried to weaponized the wrong demon or something…and now we’ll have to clean up…” As the howl came to his ears, and he saw the village in the distance, he didn’t think too much. Using his sand nimbus low on the ground, to give himself a makeshift board, he would dash forward on the sand, almost gliding on it, the impulse to stop whatever was in the village and his headstrong nature getting the best of him. Besides, he knew his friends could keep up.

Present Time
Haru reached more and more, disconnected from their surroundings. As he moved deeper he could start feeling something…slowly inching closer towards it…A large mass…oozing like an old wound…filthy, sticky…as if ready to consume him…

As the moth queen spoke, he pulled his hands out of the ground with a surprised shout, panting slightly as he sat back on the soil. Calming himself a bit, he would say “Kilometer away…sounds about right. It felt like a crater…filled with something…I don’t know what it is…but it is foul. And we must rid this land of it. Quick” he finished, his tone unusably serious, dusting himself of, before he used a sand nimbus near the ground, levitating himself slightly above the sand and sped of towards the source In a graceful, yet hasty manner. He didn’t know what the hell that was, but he knew one thing. It needed to be gone, fast.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Past

"I do think she is above killing. Lady Azame is ... quite amicable, although mostly terrifying." Judori remarked about the woman as Kaibudo described what she would have done in this situation. The large blue puppet spoke as he kept his shield at the ready to deflect attacks from any angle. Kaibudo had then inquired if it was the Unbent who would have done this. Judori's puppet made an assessment of the lands, "Entirely possible." Judori acknowledged, he hestiated when making the conclusion when he was about to. The puppet made a fumbling gesture of sorts, just as Judori would have done so. "Though the land here is not quite as dead." The howling only began to grow gradually worse. While Judori and Kaibudo were exchanging theories as to what could have done this Shiego had his say about the matter. His theory was also acceptable, "Huntsmen are not particularly fond of demons, may have been an experiment gone wrong... but yes we will have to clean up-- wait!"[/color] The puppet reached out to grab Shiego but his companion was already on the move, stylish if Judori had to say so himself. Shiego conjured his hands into a method of transportation. It didn't take long for Shiego to create a distance between himself and his friends.

Theme
The puppet would attempt to catch up to Shiego, assuming that Kaibudo would keep up. Unfortunately the puppet was not fast enough, but more importantly the puppet paused as a large shadow loomed over them. "Kaibudo wait." The puppet with shield in hand turned around to look up. What Kaibudo and Judori would see was something of great concern. A large bird monstrosity overshadow them. The creature would emit a large screech. The screech caused the puppet to freeze for a moment. Seemingly the sound disrupted Judori's control over the puppet. "Blast." Judori would state as the puppet seemed to come back to its senses.

"INSECTS DESERVE TO BE CRUSHED."</B><i></i> Declared a female voice. It wasn't coming from the avian monstrosity, no it was coming from above it? White energy seemed to coalease in the beak and then the bird made a head wave firing out a destructive beam that was one hundred meters wide. Judori's puppet would expand his shield and knock Judori down. The puppet would slam the shield into the ground and emit a chakra barrier to save them from the onslaught that was about to be rained on them. Judori's barrier did shatter and the shield did hold, but the grounds surrounding the two was devastated. The ground was smoking. Judori's puppet got up from the ground. "Our nemesis certainly had a way in revealing herself." Judori admitted getting up showing a little worse for wear. The howls around the men went off again as creatures emerged from their surroundings. Humanoids, snow white fur, warped features began to surround the two men slowly. They appeared sickly and weakened. They had talons and razor sharp nails, but none yet made a motion to attack them yet.

The howls were a dialect Kaibudo would have some difficulty in understanding. Beast-man... metal man. Survivors? The speech was slurred and slowed. It took several howls to get even a few words. Did they lock us in? I don't recognize them from the village. Fen. Did he bring help?

Shiego like Kaibudo and Judori caught a full glimpse of the terror that attacked him, but someone was with him oddly. Someone threw something at Shiego hard and fast trying to distract him. Whether he liked it or not Shiego would be batted away from the path of the beam, and the one doing so was following him still. The stranger in time revealing himself to be a man. He wore lions fur, had short black hair with a goatee. "Hrmph. Sand is strong. Didn't think it be that strong. Didn't think I'd have to hit you that far to have you move. Sorry about that." He spoke in a thick dialect. The stranger twirled a spear about. The spear was dripping oddly, not blood but some sickly green liquid. "That bird up there is a going to give us trouble. We're gonna have to get it down somehow... but the bloody thing disappeared after it attacked. How does something that large disappear so fast?"

***

The Present

Harupia spoke of what the moth had seen. It didn't take him much to get going. Harupia was off to the races. Sousuke shook his head. "I admire your enthusiasm but ... oh nevermind." Sousuke took off after his friend, and was keeping up. It didn't take the two of them long to get to the point. The site of the corruption was if anything most unnerving. It seemed that the cave itself was flooded with this black oozing corruption. The Steward kept his distance and observed. He turned to Kuro and then to Harupia. <B>"We'll need to figure out a way to drain this but we certainly do not want to expand the corruption any further. I am most doubtful of there being any survivors but ... we certainly cannot allow this to go unchecked."<i></i>

The corruption was not growing in size began to swirl and rise. Skeletal figures began to emerge from the black pools. Curiously the skeletal figures were stripped of flesh to the bone entirely. It would certainly be a good guess that the ooze had taken away their flesh and innards. The skeletons seeming did not pose any threat to the party as seemingly passed the three of them by. Sousuke in perhaps his ... not so brightest moment reached out to grab one of the femurs of the skeleton. The structure immediately fell to pieces, but even more unfortunate was the fact that the skeletons, seven in total had now turned their gaze unto Sousuke who was most annoyed with himself as evidenced by the narrowing of the eyes. The skeletons opened their mouths and then began to make their move upon the group. Two of them going for Haru and Sousuke, and three of them attacking Kuro. Curiously as their murderous intentions became clear, their skeletal features changes becoming more jagged and harmful as each of them tried slashing at the trio.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

THE Past

Kaibudo listened carefully to the beings surrounding them and beneath their appearances easily made out that these beings had been or were somehow still human. He held his hand before Judori's puppet with a nod of thanks before he spoke loud and clear so that they could at the very least understand him. "I am Toraono Kaibudo, Master of the Toraono Dojo, we come here seeking the cause of the disruption to the land...<i></i>(not bothering to mention the rampant destruction of the property around the dojo) Can anyone tell us what is going on here and why we have been attacked? I mean you no harm. <i></i> (( That he would defend himself and his friends went unspoken but without question he would do just that. )) Ready to release his full potential at a moment's notice Kaibudo stood relaxed with his hands up and his arms bent the universal non threatening posture of upright walking beings. They needed to catch up to Shiego but that would not be possible if they had to stop and fight everything along the way.


The Present

Kuro was unable to stop Sousuke from indulging his inquisitive nature he was however able to stop all these skeletons with his telekinesis. After a double burst of concussive force all 6 skeletons lay in shambles with only one remaining near Harupia. A sick feeling surged through Kuro momentarily as he subconsciously stepped away from the blighted lands to ensure the corruption made no contact with him. He then eyed Sousuke to ensure he had suffered no ill effects from touching one of the skeletons, Harupia can you capture that remaining skeleton? So that Sousuke may complete his personal analysis while I produce a protective barrier. The less we come into contact with this sickness the better."<i></i> Kuro was absolutely certain nothing good could come of playing with this sickness that corrupted the very land.

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Shigeo’s hot head could often get him in trouble… or at times get others in trouble. Still, he couldn’t just let the village burn… When the shadow started to cover his path, he had enough reason to look up. Now that was one big bird…though he doubted it would make for good food. He saw Judori and Kiabudo, his friend apparently having trouble controlling his puppet armor. That’s why he was always a bit skeptical to the mechanized weapons. Never know when something doesn’t quite click. Before he could move in closer the women shouted (from wherever she might be) and the giant bird decided to attack, covering the ground in a display of destructive force. Still being in the momentum of his movement he tried his best to dodge…before getting knocked to the side just out of the range of the blast. The projectile was quite strong, managing to hit him through his sand defense…though it wasn’t always perfect when it came to sneak attacks.

Turning to the direction of the strike, he noticed the men…quite a beast of a men, only accentuated by the beastly garb he had. He gritted his teeth at his words, before his visage softened slightly as he said “Thanks for the compliment…and reminding me I need to work on my awareness of getting struck from the side. You have a men throwing arm as well… Makes me wonder if my sand would be able to stop you throwing that spear of yours” he complimented, though half assessing the possibility he would need to fight the man…though the fact his weapon was not socked in human blood was a good sign. Regardless he would say “Perhaps it can conflate itself, perhaps whoever is controlling he creature has knowledge of space warping techniques…I think my friends would have a better chance of knowing and tracking it down…and could need some help” he concluded, looking towards Judori and Kaibudo, fine after the beam attack, but sounded by other creatures. Mentioning to the mysterious male he said “Follow me. I’d say the game is big enough for 4 hunters” before moving to regroup with his team.

Present time

Haru was quite glad his friends were able to keep up, chastising himself for surfing of so foolishly. But whatever he felt…he just wanted it gone. He had enough of dealing with dark corrupt forces, and he was looking forward to squashing this here and now. Though it seemed to be not such a simple task. The whole cave was filled, like a filthy, festering wound in the land. They couldn’t let this spread anywhere, and besides, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to drain it in any way “Do you have any idea what this can be? I would be careful with trying to remove it in anyway if we don’t… As much as I’d want to see this burned or removed in any way, who knows if it won’t feed of our attacks…" he mused, as the skeletal forms started to pour out. Just as sickening as the whole cave…and apparently very delicate, as one crumbled under Sousuke touch. Before anyone could pounder on the move, the beings grew much more hostile, assaulting all of them. Fortunately Kuro was there to stop the attack, and he himself as agile enough to dodge the one near to him. As he heard Kuro speak he nodded, gesturing with his hand and making the sand rise from the ground, enveloping itself around the skeleton. He was careful, since It seemed the beings were quite fragile. He tried his best not to crack it into dust…though he couldn’t mind getting rid of it as soon as possible.

Mft, Wc= 618

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Past

Judori's puppet took in details of the company around them. Kaibudo took the diplomatic approach, which was the safest thing to do for starters. The way the litter of them growled and spoke seemed highly human-like in nature. The puppet was slow in moving to stand behind Kaibudo. "Kaibudo. These were humans at some point. Their gestures are ... well, watch, they will speak for themselves." As Judori finished some of the creatures cupped their hands togethers, others scratched their heads, and some had their shoulders slunk as they seemed to be desperate and or very frustrated with the situation before them. The large puppet had no a clue of what was being spoken.

Kaibudo on the other hand would hear the same dialect, still broken still confusing. Beast-man. Fen went to him to get him to help us! One of the smaller creatures spoke The gender was most uncertain, but the youngling shook his fists, but not in a threatening manner. There were murmurs between the others and more the younger ones seemed to bright up. Hope seemed to present itself. The taller and older humanoids seemed to be weary. He is the Beast-Man. Look at his features. Who is the other one? He is so shiny. It hurts my eyes. The murmurs spoke of Judori's puppet, We live here. We were attacked by a bird who blocked out the sun. Spoke the first most creature. A sickly hacking cough followed, They want something our ancestors had told us never to use. Then came cries of anger about how talking too much about this topic was going to betray us. Other cries came about where was Fen, and about how Fen used a tool to better himself. Fen! We should have never let him use IT! He's brought ruin upon us. Mumurs came of a description of a woman, a red woman with horns riding the bird. A description came of a crystal hammer than when used broke the ground and caused the ground to bleed black fluids.

Shiego would return with the man at his side. The man would twirl his spear, and speak in accordance. "Space warp? What's thur? It moves really fast. It zips 'bout."<i></i> The man spoke , "Four hunters? Wait. You're not alone?"<i></i> the man spoke as he came upon Judori and Kaibudo. Strangely the children-sized creatures would come running at the man cheering a name that would probably cause Kaibudo to see red. Fen! Fen! Fen! He brought help! He brought the beast-man, a metal-man, and a sand-man to help! The Hunter looked wearily at Kaibudo. He gripped his spear hard and held it pointing at the man, "Ah. So I seein' Kaibudo the Beast here. Now wait a tic-- we're not pals, the only way to get a beast killed here is to anger another beast to bring it to fight off- I mean to say-- I needs a pal right now. Sungakure is home to some prime predators, and I pissed on the biggest predator in hopes to save my homeland."<i></i>

Judori's puppet faceplamed. He understood what was going on, "He's trying to apply the concept of the enemy of my enemy is my friend... or he's trying to get two prime-predators to square off." It was a very clumsy concept being applied. Judori looked to Kaibudo, "Your call Kaibudo. We can help this guy, or not. He seems to be in a right proper problem. Equally if we don't help him out here, the threat here will in time affect us." Judori looked to Shiego, "Well, at least you're in one peice. I suspect our nemesis helped you dodge the end-game environmental disaster?"

***

The Present

The combined words of Harupia and Kuro left one skeleton left. Sousuke shook his head, "Um... sorry. I suppose sometimes I need to keep my hands to myself... but thank-you for capturing one for me."<i></i> Curiously... the sand did not compromise the skeleton. It remained there, and seemed feisty. Sousuke observed the fighting skeleton. "Well. Let's start with theories. The black liquid in question may have absorbed all of the flesh and innards. It could be acid, but I doubt that because of the fact that the bones remain. What is not clear though is the concept that they are walking on their own. What is binding them together is not the strongest force. It seems to be like a most ... well, poor effort. Where they were going though is what I have to wonder, I blame myself for first and foremost spoiling learning that opportunity."<i></i> Sousuke looked to Harupia, and then to Kuro. "I could try sending a metal clone down into this mess, or I could go myself down into this mess. We need to destroy the stuff in question. Evaporating it is questionable because ... well it would then be in the air we breathe. It's not like we have a storage facility for this thing either."<i></i> Sousuke commented. "We need to drain it either way."<i></i> Sousuke frowned slightly. "Harupia, try summoning a sand worm and let's see if we can soak the fluid."<i></i> He suggested first and foremost. "Unless, you have something else in mind Kuro? I know you have a vast and large host of summons and skillsets. We could try and freeze it, but freezing it would only expand it which would cause us issues in trying to get down there anyways."<i></i>

Sousuke shook his head, "Another alternative is to vacuum this up, but we don't know where or how deep this cave could be. A wind jutsu may be of use to draw it out, but we would need a considerable holding tank which we could construct between the three of us."<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Past:
Kaibudo shook his head in great distaste like a lion shaking his mane before he looked at Fen seriously. "We will solve your problem, I WILL HELP YOUR PEOPLE, and YOU will EXPLAIN EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON HERE AS WE HUNT... Judori, Shiego can you look over these people and help figure out exactly what happened to them? If I am to fight I will need to separate myself from you for a moment to call upon my full power. I will not allow people to suffer because of stupidity." Kaibudo began his ritual of unlocking his hidden potential he needed to have himself primed and ready because he would only get one shot at a flying foe.

Present:

Akuma Kuro mulled over what was necessary to clean up or at least seal a calamity this large and finally realized he had the perfect solution, mirror jutsu he could literally trap it inside its own reflection for a while.

Looking at Sousuke for a brief moment like any older brother would he turned back to Harupia, "Sousuke san, I can create a 3 point mirror image black blockade to seal this corruption but while I seal it you two will need to find the source of it. After I have sealed all I can, I will use my shin-shun jutsu to get to you in a few seconds. I also believe that Summoning any outside assistance to deal with this would put them and everyone else nearby in greater jeopardy. From initial analysis the only reason this has not spread faster is because it simply did not have enough to feed upon yet."<i></i>

Kuro was taking everything into account, if he had greater knowledge of the past occasions in which incidents like this had occurred he might have been capable of a better plan despite the short notice and the knee jerk reaction he was having.

MFT
WC: 310

OOC: my apologies for the lateness and the size of this post, my personal laptop had a meltdown.