The lowlands of Lightning Country were already awake despite the world feeling as if it was still at rest. Mist clung to irrigation channels and riverbanks before drifting lazily above fields that stretched in neat, deliberate patterns toward distant villages. Water moved everywhere here being quietly guided to feed crops, power mills, and sustain the lives of people who had chosen to build permanence in this place. Somewhere from just beyond the nearest rise, smoke curled from morning hearths and into the pale sky above. Retired shinobi, farmers, craftsmen, and a few large families called this place 'Home'. Civilization thrived in this belt of land because the mountains gave just enough and demanded little in return.
Abruptly, the land ended. Nozomi stood at the edge of a wound that had not existed the evening prior. There was a quarry which yawned open before her. It was a vast circular depression carved cleanly into the earth near the base of the mountain, where stone shifted from fertile soil into veins of pale marble and iron infused rock. However, none of the walls bore markings of long hours of work. It did not look old as most quarry's do, but it seemed legitimate none the less. She had arrived before sunrise, when the world was still dark and the first breath of cold air off the mountain cut through her and awoke every nerve in her body. She had welcomed it, due to her previous training, the cold kept the mind precise.
Each detonation had been perfectly measured and each collapse guided. The crater had been formed in layers as if workers had spent years peeling the mountain open to allow for such a quarry to exist. Here, she took pride in her work as she awaited Ruri to arrive. The sun now crested just above the horizon, spilling gold across the quarry walls. Heat followed quickly causing the exposed stone to bake which brought about a faint metallic smell.
This place would teach something different than the hot springs had. There, chaos had been the teacher. How to channel instincts into reaction, adaptation, and survival. Then, it taught a practice in patience in the cleanup phase. Here, the lesson would be creation through destruction. Rather then break something down to dispose of it, this would be a lesson in how to take something massive and break it down to become useful. The marble glimmered faintly in the morning light where veins had been exposed along the quarry wall. Pale, dense, and most of all, beautiful. Stone carved by pressure and time. A beauty that would soon become the foundation of the new hot springs.
She imagined Ruri's reaction as she wiped the sheen of sweat away from her forehead. The look on the girls face when the mountainous terrain abruptly changed character as she crossed the terrain will be enjoyable to see. For now, Nozomi simply waited on the edge of the slope down. The sun had just come up fully now and was beginning to challenge the cold air that dropped from the mountain top. Folding her arms loosely, she allowed her gaze to drift toward the path that led to this place and waited for the student to arrive.
[WC: 540, Class: 1/5, Total WC: 540]
Abruptly, the land ended. Nozomi stood at the edge of a wound that had not existed the evening prior. There was a quarry which yawned open before her. It was a vast circular depression carved cleanly into the earth near the base of the mountain, where stone shifted from fertile soil into veins of pale marble and iron infused rock. However, none of the walls bore markings of long hours of work. It did not look old as most quarry's do, but it seemed legitimate none the less. She had arrived before sunrise, when the world was still dark and the first breath of cold air off the mountain cut through her and awoke every nerve in her body. She had welcomed it, due to her previous training, the cold kept the mind precise.
Each detonation had been perfectly measured and each collapse guided. The crater had been formed in layers as if workers had spent years peeling the mountain open to allow for such a quarry to exist. Here, she took pride in her work as she awaited Ruri to arrive. The sun now crested just above the horizon, spilling gold across the quarry walls. Heat followed quickly causing the exposed stone to bake which brought about a faint metallic smell.
This place would teach something different than the hot springs had. There, chaos had been the teacher. How to channel instincts into reaction, adaptation, and survival. Then, it taught a practice in patience in the cleanup phase. Here, the lesson would be creation through destruction. Rather then break something down to dispose of it, this would be a lesson in how to take something massive and break it down to become useful. The marble glimmered faintly in the morning light where veins had been exposed along the quarry wall. Pale, dense, and most of all, beautiful. Stone carved by pressure and time. A beauty that would soon become the foundation of the new hot springs.
She imagined Ruri's reaction as she wiped the sheen of sweat away from her forehead. The look on the girls face when the mountainous terrain abruptly changed character as she crossed the terrain will be enjoyable to see. For now, Nozomi simply waited on the edge of the slope down. The sun had just come up fully now and was beginning to challenge the cold air that dropped from the mountain top. Folding her arms loosely, she allowed her gaze to drift toward the path that led to this place and waited for the student to arrive.
[WC: 540, Class: 1/5, Total WC: 540]
