Entering the Realm of Raiden [Dual Contract Search]

[Toraono Kuro]

ooc:
I thought the initial description covered the description of the chambers but for more exact descriptions it will require you to actually venture into the chambers or take efforts to investigate them.

contract ic: As Kotsuko leaped into the energy field his body underwent a minor transformation as he became more bear like and less human, although he maintained his human appearance his body became massive and his hair became much thicker and more fur like.

Spoiler

Just as he was about to become a full fledged bear he was grabbed by the now incredibly strong Nanami whom quickly drew the energy field away from them with her efforts. Her robe became more like a suit of dynamic leather armor in response to her actions and prayers. Slowly she realized she was simply hugging Kotsuko's neck and he was no longer a small child he was now a nine foot tall were-bear in appearance at least and in the far distance they could see a large shirtless man in a large towel like set of clothing wrestling playfully with a giant bear. It was obvious they were playing from the laughter coming from the man and the gruff sounds of play from the bear. There were others out there having their own fun but this was the first two beings they ran across after trespassing into the deep end.

 

[Kazu]

Confusion. That's all that Kotsuko felt as he crossed over the barrier. He quickly lost control of his senses, and things were beginning to get weird for him. His vision went blurry, and his hearing became distorted. His sense of smell felt overwhelmed, and his taste was all wrong too. Ko had no idea what was going on. He could no longer tell who or where he was, and he began to feel dizzy. He had no idea how long long he was like that. Seconds? Hours? Days? His guess was useless, and he merely allowed it to continue to wash over him. Eventually, the overflow of information and sensory data began to calm down — he was regaining control over himself. When he came to, everything looked different. Had the place gotten smaller? Ko realized that he felt someone's arms wrapped around him, and he looked down to see who it might be. He realized it was Nanami, the woman who had accompanied him to this place. And yet...why was she so small? He took a closer look, however, and realized there was more than that wrong. His skin...it had fur on it. Thick brown, musty fur, Ko felt his face. The same thing. He was beginning to panic here. "Nanami..." His voice was deep and booming, much different from what he was used to. He didn't know what to make of any of this. "What happened to me?!" Ko knew not what to do. His brash actions had been risky, he'd known, but he'd never expected things to turn out like this. Not with him turning into a...a...

"I'm a bear!" This was unimaginable. What forces were at play that could have caused something like this? Ko looked around himself, trying to take in everything that was around him. He saw figures, movement, and various different things. He was having trouble adjusting to this. The closest pair was actually a man and a bear, the two wrestling together in what could only be described as harmless fun. They seemed not to have a care in the world, though Ko did. He turned back to Nanami, a questioning look in his eyes. "What do we do? Maybe they know what's going on?" Ko wasn't overly eager to just run ahead again. He'd been careless just a moment ago, and he wasn't keen on becoming a full-fledged bear or something. The young boy, or whatever he was now, waited to see what Nanami thought before he went over and asked them if they knew what had happened to Ko.

 

[Tsukino Nanami]

</B>Chapter 9: Gates of Hell<B>Bonus Chapter: The Voice of the Mountain

Within the Corridor​

"The Right to Bear Arms"​

As the woman crossed the threshold, her robes changed to a strange suit of leather armor. She actually rather likes this armor as it fit her quite well and actually looked pretty cool. If only armor was an actual thing. But then again, she had the ability to defend herself without armor, but armor looks so good sometimes! As she crossed the threshold and spat out metal needles into the wall, she noticed something swelling under her arm before realizing she was running with a creature under her arm. The creature grew larger and hairier by the moment. Upon reaching a safe area, the woman found herself having the creature in a headlock. Oh, it was extremely tempting to perform a forbidden technique called the Bulldog upon the bear-thing, but the thought escaped her mind as this was neither the time nor the place for goofy theatrics. Besides, she doesn't know this child well enough to play around like that. Then again, he did see her naked.

Releasing the creature from her grip, or rather removing herself from the large creature's body, the woman took a couple steps back and starts to snicker a bit. She held in a laugh before noticing a man wrestling with a bear. She's starting to see a pattern here. Her attention towards the man and his bear was disrupted by the boy's calling of her name. She turned and looked at Kotsuko and nodded her head during his realization of what he had become. "Yes, indeed. You're a bear. Bears are powerful creatures," she said trying to lessen the blow. However, forming handseals with those massive paws might prove to be a bit difficult. Then a question was addressed to her by her newly obtained fuzzy friend. "Yes, they might know something, but be natural and be careful. Bears are quite territorial, ya know. They may already know we're in here. Follow my lead," the woman stated, re-adjusting the armor she newly acquired. While it looks nice, it wasn't all that comfortable.

Walking gently towards the two with the bear following behind, she spoke up when the two groups got within vocal range. "Excuse me?" she asked once before speaking again, "Excuse me" she echoed. She noticed the man playing with the large animal, speaking up and leaving distance between the two groups to not alarm the actual bear or the bear-sized man wrestling it. "Hi," she said raising her hand into a static wave. "We're new here and my friend turned into a bear. Do you know how to fix that?"

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Mishima released the bear from a headlock as the young woman addressed him he turned and stared her directly in the eyes.


"The only way to reverse the effects of bearification is to best each spa battle in a game of choice... you must use everything you have and if worse comes to worse you must fight your partner for the right to receive the blessing of the temple. Now if you'll excuse us, me and Kuma have a wrestling match to finish."<i></i>

As he shifted on his feet to face the bear behind him you could actually see them both smile at one-another before engaging in a grappling match. No punches or kicks were thrown, they used the essentials of wrestling only. It was apparently one of the rules of their game a wrestling match to see who was purely stronger. In the distance you could hear other matches going on, some were using elemental jutsu, some were playing tic-tac-toe or jin-ryu-wei. There were games of mastery of all kinds going on that pushed one's minds and bodies to the limit. Looks like they were going to have to find themselves a challenge or two, lest they end up facing eachother.

 

[Kazu]

The were-bear Ko narrowed his eyes at the woman as she snickered at his predicament. He didn't think it was all that funny, personally, but he wasn't about to pick a fight with her. There were more important issues at hand, like changing back into a person! Ko trotted along beside the woman as she approached the pair of wrestlers, asking them the simple question as to how he might be turned back into a person. The man spoke up with a ferocity that made the young boy (or bear) question whether or not the man was human still — it would almost make more sense if he were a shaved bear that could talk. Despite this, Ko appreciated that the man shared with them what they were meant to do. Somehow, it all seemed very obvious when he spelled it out like that.

Ko would have to compete, in various different tasks, in order to be turned back into a human. There a multitude of people and bears that he could challenge in this room, though there was no telling what sort of tasks each would ask of him. For all he knew, they could all want different things from him. It made him a little nervous, but at the same time he did enjoy challenges such as this. He welcomed it, and decided that this might not be so bad after all. Looking to Nanami, Ko gave her a bit of a shrugging nod. "I guess that's that then, huh? We'll re-group, I guess?" Ko went off to find a partner to challenge. Approaching a nearby bear, Ko hesitantly spoke up. "Excuse me, but I understand I'm supposed to challenge you? What is your challenge, and your name?" He figured he might as well be polite about it. He hoped these were friendly competitions, and merely competitive in nature. He figured that would be the case, based on the bear and the man they'd just run into. It was possible they were the most tame pair around, but Ko sincerely hoped not. Either way, he would simply have to do what he had to do.

He awaited the bear's response.

 

[Tsukino Nanami]

</B>Chapter 9: Gates of Hell<B>Bonus Chapter: The Voice of the Mountain​

The woman's eyes narrowed as the brutish looking man informed them that they had to go through every chamber and win their game of choice. This doesn't seem to bode well as her 'partner' doesn't have the habit of thinking things through and being methodical. He seemed to be the 'in-your-face' kind of shinobi. Two conflicting styles working together can either be amazing or absolutely tragic. She hopes that the child learned to think things through instead of launching forward; headstrong. The part that made Nanami annoyed was the fact that the two may have to fight one another.

Turning her eyes back towards the child for a moment, she cleared her throat before turning to look towards the bear-sized man as he returned to wrestling with his bear. Another groan could be heard from the woman. She's quite annoyed about the riddles that this temple is pushing upon them. Nobody speaks fully and everyone's words have hidden meanings. At least that's what she thought before hearing other people with bears fighting with elements or playing games. And then the bear-boy took off on his own. Of course, thinking with a gung-ho attitude. The best way to complete challenges are together. Separating wouldn't be very effective as Nanami knows things that Kotsuko doesn't and visa versa. She's not going to let Kotsuko separate. That's just silliness.

Following 'Kumotsuko' to the spa that he went to, Nanami spoke up as she approached the boy from behind. "Dividing and conquering isn't going to happen. You remember what happened the last time right?"

[Sorry for the delay. Brother came back from the MIddle East so I wanted to spend time with him]

 

[Toraono Kuro]

ooc: no complaints this is contract not regular RP and I am glad your brother is safe

The bear turned to him and stood on two legs before holding out a pair of massive six sided dice that were seemingly made of wood. The bear held them in her massive paws and shook them gently before they rolled to a stop atop the hot water and the numbers read three and four. The bear roared a gleeful sound as its opponent was forced to remove another piece of clothing that made him naked and as he was stripped naked, he became a bear and the woman returned to her normal state. She then turned to Kotsuko with a wry grin as she pet her defeated opponent on the head as he disappeared into a foggy steam that in turn clothed her nude body in robes like the ones they had entered in,except these robes were far more accented and even bore runes. "My opponent had chosen strip dice or craps as some might call it. He lost and now I am free to claim a boon from the temple unless you want to challenge me?" She nodded to the young lady that had stepped forth and curtsied with a knowing grin.

 

[Kazu]

Ko paid little attention to the woman following him. The man's words may have been clear to here, but Ko had trouble understanding people sometimes. It was as if Common were an encrypted message, and he had neither the key nor the linguistic knowledge to decrypt the code. He was an outsider when it came to words, and that meant that he often either missed the meaning of words entirely or he misinterpreted them. In this case, Ko hadn't realized that they were supposed to go together through these trials. If the man had meant to refer to them as a group, he should have used a plural identifier, such as "you two" or "you guys". Using a singular identifier misconstrued the meaning of the man's words to seem like it was an individual challenge. How was Ko supposed to know they were working through this as a team? To him, this was merely some woman he'd just met and had stripped before him earlier. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Either way, they seemed more like a mismatched pair than a team.

Ko's focus had been drawn almost immediately to the actions of the pair that stood before Nanami and himself. A bear and a man, it had seemed at first, that were together rolling a pair of massive wooden dice. Ko recognized this game as gambling of some sort. As the dice came to a stop above the warm waters of the spring, Ko saw that the she-bear had rolled a lucky seven. Claiming her victory, the she-bear slowly transformed back into a human as the man regretfully removed the last of his clothing. As he did, the mists engulfed him and transformed the man into a bear — he was like Kotsuko now, as he disappeared into the mists to, undoubtedly, try his luck somewhere else. Perhaps he would wander in this temple for all eternity, forever remaining a bear? The thought seemed rather gruesome to Ko.

Turning his attention back to the woman in front of him, Ko realized they'd have to beat her in order to claim her reward. He didn't know what sort of reward, but surely it should turn him human again. Right? The way she confidently smiled at them, though, was a little unsettling. She was so incredibly confident, Ko wondered whether they truly had a chance. He couldn't allow himself to simply remain a bear forever, though. He approached the woman, his hulking bear form looming over her. "I'll challenge you." Perhaps she hadn't been challenging Ko personally, but he had a plan. He shifted for a moment, giving himself a bit of time. He was glad that, despite his current form, he was still able to mold chakra. He might not have his gourd of sand with him, but the young shinobi was very able to improvise. He would not allow himself to remain a bear forever. Without looking back at Nanami, Ko sat down and picked up the dice. "I wager everything on a hi-lo. Agreed?" He waited for her answer before he continued. This had to work.

Before he threw them, something strange happened. Ko wasn't going to just leave this to chance — he had used his chakra to draw a bit of the wall off, crushing the plaster and stone to dust and sand which he could manipulate. With no indication of his tactic, he directed a bit of it into the woman's eye as he threw the dice. It should have been enough to make her eyes water, and for her to rub them with her hands. She would be blind. As she did this, Ko rolled the dice. As they fell, his sands gently guided them into position. He chose to go for the two 1's with this roll, and so he guided the dice to be exactly what he needed them to be. As they landed on the water, the two 1's showed themselves. Ko guided his sands away from his opponent's eyes, allowing her to rub the last bit out. He waited for her reaction, for her to see the outcome of their little bet, and then he gave her a smile and a handshake. "Good game. Better luck next time."

 

[Tsukino Nanami]

[col]

Chapter 9: Gates of HellBonus Act: The Voice of the Mountain​

Nanami followed Ko to his first trial. The woman stated the challenge was 'strip dice' or 'craps'. If the name 'Strip Dice' had anything to do with the actual challenge, Nanami would most likely refuse; unless that is the only option available for completing the trial. She didn't care about getting naked if it served a purpose. Shameful fan-service is simply shameful and something that Nanami frowned upon. However, if it was a means to an end, then perhaps it is a necessary evil. Nanami simply hopes the name didn't match the event. She wasn't fond of gambling nor is she a fan of taking unnecessary risks. She calculated the outcomes of just about everything in the past only to now falter to having to take a gamble for the sake of the reckless child's humanity.

Her fears were realized once the she-bear rolled a seven, causing the man to remove a piece of his clothing. ~You have got to be kidding me~ she said to herself. Her eyes went to the were-bear named Kotsuko for a brief moment before sighing outwards. Guess she'll have to be the strip champion in this tag-team duo. She was the only one with any clothing on her body. Leaning in to whisper into Kotsuko's ear. "You owe me SO much for this, runt," she said before the bear-boy challenged the she-bear to the game of dice. She was familiar with the game of craps and hearing the child challenge the woman to a game of high/low made her wish to face-palm. That's not quite how Craps is played, unfortunately.

"We aren't in our element, child. I don't think you have a choice in the game," Nanami stated. And the the were-bear picked up the giant dice and flung them. Sighing audibly, the woman stands there and observes. If this boy loses, what does he lose? Everything? He has nothing on him. Taking unnecessary risks is... unnecessary. Since these are Ko's trials, Nanami's just along for the ride as the champion for the boy if the need arises.|[/col]

 

[Toraono Kuro]

The woman almost laughed as she stifled a giggle as Kotsuko tried to force his own game upon the monastery dice. As he rolled two 1's for snake eyes she simply shrugged as she waited for the penalty to kick in. The poor boy would be stripped of his bear form and the water now too hot for his unprotected body would have begun to slow cook him but the woman was genuinely kind once she saw he was basically a child, well a teenager. Hence his actions would always be brash and mannish until he matured or learned to use his intuition. Using her sacred robe's sash she lifted the young boy whom had once been a rather large were bear from the water and wrapped him up gently like she was swaddling a baby. "I am sorry young one, you rolled the dice out of turn and used chakra instead of pure luck to win the game, cheating in such a manner brings a penalty so you shall be vulnerable as a baby for a while unless your partner can beat me in a game of my choosing. I admire your rash actions and your need to take action but you really must learn to control it when you are in places like this..."<i></i> Kotsuko would find himself protected from the stifling heat and his body in a more child like form as he regressed from a teen to a youth, he'd actually lost seven years of growth. Luckily he kept his experience and memories. Swaddled in the woman's sash which held him above the now scalding waters, she physically took hold of him and placed him on a stone step away from the waters which would have harmed him severely as penalty. Turning to Nanami she formally introduced herself. "I am Reinja Taikou and I challenge you to a game of black jack. We shall each select 3 cards using the mystic energy here and whomever is closest to the number 21 will receive a boon, since your companion cheated you can play to remove his penalty or exile him from the temple, your second game would be to win a boon from the temple or you can choose what I have won from my trials in this temple. It is your choice... Do you accept my game of chance young lady?"

Spoiler

ooc: for this game you can go to this site https://www.wizards.com/d20modern/d20mdice/dice.htm and roll a 1d6, a 1d8, and a 1d10 you will then take a screenshot of your rolls and pm it to me and I will pm my rolls to you and whomever is closer to 21 wins the decision on what Kotsuko's final penalty will be. Your second set of rolls will determine your next step in the contract- good luck

 

[Kazu]

Ko had been confident in his strategy. He didn't consider the possibility that they'd have anticipated such a strategy. His face quickly turned from confident and in-control to one of surprise and frustration. He knew something was wrong as soon as he felt the energies creeping up around him — the giant were-bear form which he'd been turned into was slowly melting around him, returning him to that of his original form. However, there was something different. He felt more vulnerable, more raw. There was something wrong with this place. The waters around him were becoming unbearably hot, to the point where he was jumping from one foot to the other. He felt like a child, and it aggravated him to no end. As he struggled, he was picked up by...the stranger's robe? Ko couldn't believe this place. This was insane. As she spoke to him, chastising his actions, the young boy gave her a sour look. "Why not?! Luck is bullshit — leaving things to chance is dumb." He was becoming irritated. This whole situation was becoming too much for the young boy. As he listened to the woman speak to Nanami, the young boy let out a sigh.

"No. Don't bother playing this woman, Nanami. I admit defeat, I quit, whatever it is. I want to leave." Ko didn't know what the rules for this were. He didn't care what happened from here on out, he just wanted to go. He'd had enough of mysticism for one day, and he really would have much rather if they'd been able to enjoy the bath instead. That hadn't been the case, though. They'd been curious, and this is what they got for it. Perhaps this was a lesson for him? Who knows. Ko just knew that he wanted out, to leave, and to be rid of this wretched place of magic and bears. This was not the place for him. "Please, show me the way out so that I may leave peacefully."

[ooc: Attempting to Leave Topic. I'm giving up on this search.]