FREEDOM! (Mission S rank)

[Kairyuu]

The message had been rather short on details, which was something Hoshikata didn't like. Details were what kept things running smoothly, the finer points which when skipped could result in quite a bit of a problem for people. But it was not detailed. It was, however, filled with money. A down payment it said, half with the rest to be had upon completion of services. Hoshikata was obviously not hurting for money, not hat was not what interested him. He was curious who would want to hire him and why.

The objective was simple. They were to break a man out of jail. The hard part was that they didn't know anything about him except the cryptic 'you'll know him when you see him' at the end. And the location of the jail. He would have dismissed it had it not come with that money to show it was serious. As it was he put it to his companions and took those with him who agreed to give it a chance.

And now they stood outside of the town, on a mountain ridge looking over the hundred foot drop at the lights twinkling below. The prison was easy to make out, being that it was walled and had a patrol guarding it. The rest of the town looked like simple wooden buildings and lanterns, very rustic. Didn't these people know what year it was? Just amish mash of people.

He turns to look at his friends and frowns softly. ”Getting into the prison is not going to be easy, and we cannot be seen doing so. I don't want to sour relations at this point in time. Ideas?” As if to emphasize his desire not to be seen the clouds move over the moon, and in his midnight black robes he became a shadow for a brief moment before they moved back, a ray of light catching on the globe atop the staff at his feet.

 

[Shiruko Makoto]

Re: FREEDOM! (Mission)

A mission meant money, which wasn't something any of them actually needed at that point but it also meant building a reputation as mercenaries, which was beneficial. So Tatsuya had shrugged and gone 'okay' even though it sounded like a stealth mission and he was more of the bang and crash type.

And here it was, a stealth mission when he was the bang and crash type.

"So you don't want me to set off a chain of explosions then?" He gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I don't know how much I'll be good for. Can't you walk through walls? Why do you need me? I suppose I could remove their senses for a bit, but I think they'd probably notice that and I'd have to do it one at a time."

He glanced at Hoshikata briefly, and shrugged.

"Some tricky combination of Invisibility and Temple of Nirvana might also work if we're quiet enough, but I never learned the former and the latter makes things far too dicey for my tastes. Of course, if you just don't want to be seen rather than straight out not noticed, it would be brilliant if anyone brought any flash bombs so we can toss a few of those out and whack the guards over the head. We could also jam them in any number of binds until we're done, if you want to do it that way. Or you two could distract them with some illusions or whatever it is you do and I can hit them in the right spot to knock them out."

He shrugged again. He really wasn't built for stealth, after all.

 

[Akako]

Re: FREEDOM! (Mission)

A mission? And here they were thinking they wouldn’t have to go on those things any more now that they were not affiliated to a village. It seems they thought wrong, but for the better. Not having missions would get too boring too fast and here was one that perfectly coincided with their specialty: a stealth mission… Well, it wasn’t really a stealth mission considering they only were needed to bust a man out of jail but it would be better if nobody knew it was them, considering.

The two looked over at the slumbering town, trying to deduce what they could from looking alone. Although they were not as good as Keiji, they’d like to think they had the talent for it. It a small town anyway, possibly most likely a place for nomads and some retired shinobi, mostly civilians who couldn’t get citizenship in the villages. Population ranging from two thousand to five thousand at most; a refugee town if at the smack dab centre of it was a prison hold.

“Let’s not cause any structural damage outside of the prison itself; most of these people are probably civilians. No need for unnecessary casualties,” one twin said as much, crossing his arms. This one was Akane and she didn’t even hide it this time, distinguishing the two and their specialties a possible necessity during a mission. It was mostly for Temujin’s sake seeing as the two other with them could, annoyingly, tell them apart. Although both wore black clothes, soft and snug which would make silent movement easy for them, they were distinguished by the more feminine cut of her clothes as opposed to the masculine cut of Akihiko’s. The sister was most in tune with the element of water and of illusions; while the brother took to the earth and took to the non elemental arts.

“Any shinobi force would be concentrated on the prison. Patrol guards on rotation; there will be a window when we can merely sneak in. It’d be a small window of time but that’d be enough if we speed in,” Akihiko huffed, scratching the side of his head. He tilted his head back to look at the dark skies with a sigh. “Hopefully, we’ll be in easily. Getting out with the prisoner will be the problem if they’re not much for stealth. Although...” he looked back at their brother and Isaki Temujin. The two could tell easily Hoshikata was practiced in being a shadow like they were but... knowing their brother, not so much, and they couldn't fully tell with the Isaki brother.

 

[Kaguya Jikan]

'A mission he says, it will be fun he says.' Temujin walked briskly to the rendezvous point set up by his older brother. The entire time, Temujin took in the scenery with almost a sharp awe, it was much more beautiful out here than it was in mist. Abruptly Temujin noticed his foot was over a ledge and another would be his life, quickly withdrawing his foot he turned to face the group. 'Hope no one saw that one, clumsy me.' trying to hide his mistake he walked over the group as they began speaking.

Listening to the groups ideas he nodded and shrugged depending on how much work each job sounded. He wasn't lazy but sometimes he wish the quicker more relaxed path could be taken, for sake of ease. But with the lack of details in this mission it didn't seem like it was going to be a walk in the park. Looking over the ledge Temujin tried to find the entrance to the prison, the darkness shrouded most of the prison and he couldn't make out a thing. "So, no unnecessary casualties and no relations harmed, how exactly are we going to do this now? We could create a diversion, separate the team into two squads, drunken brawl for two of us and the others slip in the prison. That is if the brawl brings enough attention, and I'm also not sure about splitting up."

Temujin crossed his arms and let out a little hmm, this was going to be a tricky one right from the get go. "One things for sure, we need an escape plan for once we do have the prisoner as well. Another rendezvous point in case we split up." The mission would be fun, that's for sure, it didn't look like they could escape a battle and it had been awhile since Temujin had seen battle. His battle sense was itching, just a small fight he thought, just a small one.

 

[Kairyuu]

He looked between them, nodding at the ideas before bending over to lift his staff in hand and frowning at them suddenly. ”I wish to point one thing out. While civilian lives are at stake, so is the mission. This might sound cold, but we cannot worry about the people of the village. We have an objective, and we have the means to reach it.” He looks to the twins and then away, back to the village blow with the twinkling lights of night life. For several moments the only sign he wasn't suddenly a statue were the white streams of exhaled air from his body. Finally he turns to look back at them.

”I think our best bet would honestly be to sow panic among the people. For instance, I am skilled in many fire ninjutsu, we could get the homes on fire. And then when that's going on, we attack them. Not directly of course, more like....well now. Tatsuya what is that behind you?” It wasn't posed as a serious question so much as a 'look what I can do!' but he did wish them to look.

Standing behind his oldest friend was a skeleton, dirty and without any visible means of stability but nonetheless it stood there waiting for commands. ”I can use these. They won't really cause any harm, they can, however, grab people and look intimidating. The sudden attack of the undead should draw many guards away from the prison and give us an opening in. Arguments?”

 

[Shiruko Makoto]

Tatsuya frowned. "Do we have to endanger civilians? Seems like pointless collateral damage. So tacky." He sighed.

Of course, if he took charge of that side of things for the most part, then it wasn't actually a huge likelihood there'd be many--or even any--civilian casualties. he might be more bang and crash, but bang and crash could scare people and thus keep them from getting killed. Hoshikata might not be concerned about that, but he was. Not that he'd say he was concerned, of course. Just do his best to not let anyone innocent die.

Guards were still fair game.

"As long as you keep the fire to a jutsu, I can send everyone running and screaming and whatnot far more effectively." He took a step back and half turn to better study the skeleton at the same time as the town. "Yes. That should do it. Be careful to stick to wherever it is you will be supposed to be, or you'll be overcome with existential despair, and may or may not lose temporary use of a sense or two."

He nodded. He would just...let the void out a bit, deliberately, like he had done accidentally before. And maybe create some impressive visual effects to go with it. It'd blend nicely with these walking corpses, and nothing spoke terror like suddenly going blind or deaf. He'd be immune to that aspect of it even if they weren't his powers, of course.

"So you should probably largely let me to the town," he said casually, as the air got slightly colder around him to prove that he could do it. Technically it wasn't actually just sucking the heat out of the air, it was replacing part of the air around him with nothing. Hence the existential dread and potential temporary blindness. "I mean, if one of you skeleton corralers also wants to stick around too, sure, but I have a feeling you'll need all hands on deck for the prison, right?"

Not that he believed any of them would cut loose and decide to kill people just to inspire panic, but...actually, yes, he did.

 

[Akako]

The problem with not being an… official team for a mission meant there were questions as to who exactly was the leader, of course. Hopefully, and it looks as if, that wasn’t going to be a problem though as everyone was cooperating and peacefully pitching in ideas as to how it would go. Of course, that might be attributed to the fact that the five of them were from main families of prestigious clans and thus knew and acted better than their lessers.

“Hmm, it would be easier to sneak in the fewer people there are… Although a simple drunken brawl won’t attract guards from the prisons. Mass panic and hysteria on the other hand,” Akane nodded, considering Temujin’s suggestion along with the other’s. Her red eyes glinted at the thought and a smirk alighted on her face at the idea of inspiring fear. “A team controlling the distraction and overseeing it would be beneficial. They can minimize casualties and damage and, if the distraction doesn’t work, they can adapt. And, when the extraction team is making their way out, the team outside can help by attacking the guards from the rear in a pincer formation.”

Considering their specialties, that meant the first team would be Tatsuya and Temujin leaving the twins and Hoshikata for the extraction team. Akihiko had to make a face from that thought of being with the Isaki and not their brother though. But at least he’ll be with her sister. “And I think Akihiko should go with you brother. It would be easier if I did not have to cover him with my Genjutsu as well.”

“What?!” Akihiko hissed, surprised that Akane would even suggest such a thing. Why would she want to be separated from him? And to be alone with that Hoshikata bastard? “No! I’m coming with you; I can do stealth without the aid of your illusions, sister, you know that!”

Akane crossed her arms with a scowl. “I know you can but, like I have said, it’d be easier with fewer people sneaking in. Besides, the two of us can communicate in our own way to make coordination between the two teams easier.” Her tone wavered, not one to be separated from her twin for so long. They always stuck together in missions, no matter what, unless they were separated by something other than their own choice. This would be the first time one twin put up the idea of them being split up.

 

[Kaguya Jikan]

'Mass Panic, Mass Hysteria, Skeletons and the walking dead, tonight is shaping up to be a good night.' Temujin studied his brother while he spoke, he enjoyed watching his brother take on a leader role it inspired him to be more like Hoshikata in some aspects. Looking toward the skeleton Temujin let out a little laugh, he wasn't used to seeing walking skeletons but the motion struck his funny bone as the skeleton looked rather fragile from his vantage point.

"Crossing off unnecessary casualties, should make the mission more fun." Temujin was rifling through his pack when he began to look flustered and dumped the bag on the floor, some water, smoke bombs and everything except his dagger. "Oh jeez, brother it seems I left my dagger on the train or on the boat, or somewhere besides my bag. Toss me a piercing weapon would ya?" He wasn't embarrassed and didn't think his brother would be mad, he was rather clumsy and ditsy when it came to remembering key items. Checking his belt was the last place he could of looked, and it wasn't there. "Yep, definitely forgot it."

He preferred a small dagger to fight with as the piercing blade made for such juicy blood holes in the human body and was a perfect tool for dragging out the heart of an unsuspecting victim. Well, a dead victim usually. That's when he spotted Tatsuya manipulate the void, something he thought only he knew of. Tatsuya could manipulate it much better than he could, he was an amateur void adept and still feared the emptiness of the void. Temujin dropped his jaw at the manipulation and looked on in somewhat astonishment and somewhat fear as he knew the desperate draw of the void. Unsure of how to bring up a topic on the void he saved it for later. Temujin was snapped out of his jaw dropping feebleness as one of the twins yelled something.

"Hahah, so many family quirks before us, how will we ever manage."

 

[Kairyuu]

His eyes turn to Tatsuya at the talk of endagering people. If Tatsuya had even the slightest inkling of what Hoshikata was capable of, had done, he would likely be fighting for his life right now with the other two betting on who would win, and Temujin waiting to see whose heart he got. Instead of speaking on this he simply shrugs, ”We can try to limit them, but we can not be seen. Period. Anyone who sees your face and can identify you later...cannot be left to do so. So henge first, then head on down.”

And then Akane went on about forming teams. For a moment he thought he would once more alone with her and her shadow, but then she sent the shadow away and revealed they could still communicate. ”Akihiko, if you two have a way to talk over that distance then you are best keeping your sister safe by staying with Tatsuya. You two can serve as a link between the groups to keep both safe from something the other might now.”

And finally his tanto is pulled free and handed to Temujin. The weapon has a polished bone handle with a tassel hanging off the end that ended in a broken upside-down cross like the one Hoshikata usually wore. The blade was good steel with a patter etched into it like hexagons. Closer look would reveal this was no etching but the composition of the weapon itself. ”Godspeed to your three.”

With those words he turns and forms handseals, staring at the buildings below. It would begin simple, a roof catching fire, but soon it became obvious this was no mistake as more houses followed. And then the screaming came, so loud it could heard up here, screams of fear as people discovered skeletons wandering about. Hoshikata turns to his companions and smiles.

He smiles at Akane, an odd look. ”Don't scream. You're absolutely safe.” Those words are no sooner out than he pulls her to him, his robes covering her from sight briefly as he leaps over the edge with her. Sure enough he proves his word true as, when they begin to close in, he uses his kinesis abilities to push them against the ground below. Soon they begin slowing, and even come to a very gentle landing on the ground below, just inside the wall.

 

[Shiruko Makoto]

"But I don't know--" And he was gone. Tatsuya sighed and facepalmed.

Doesn't even make sure anyone else has their part of the plan before yelling orders and taking off. Figures. Not a team player, that one.

"All right, this is mildly embarrassing, but I don't know Transformation," he said, with a sheepish grin and spread palms. "However, considering as the feelings of futility and despair are going to be coming from me, I think it's fine if I just look like an otherworldly...thing that no one's going to want to go near. Transformation wouldn't disguise me as the source of all of that anyway."

Phase 1 - Metal.

As he spoke he was forming handseals for a modified version of Senbon Coating, making the senbon so tiny they could have been mistaken for fluid metal. The spines slid slowly over his entire body, appearing to coat him in a liquid metal--though any attempt to touch him would cause instant bleeding, and even moonlight showed they were patterned into scales. He allowed the metal to cover every part of him except his eyes, nose, and mouth, and then for added measure diverted a bit of chakra into his left eye--the gold one--to make it glow a little. The end result certainly didn't resemble anything human, particularly when, with an artistic flourish of his hands, Tatsuya crafted a set of six bony, frayed-looking 'wings' on his back out of the 'liquid' metal.

"Well, I certainly doubt I look like anything human, and quite possibly of this world," he said cheerfully, the human voice incongruous with the contrast of his appearance. "Should I add anything for effect before we head down there and I start spreading despair? Otherwise I think we can get a move on."

Indeed, he was itching to head down and put out the fire and start herding people away from it, but, well. He needed to wait for the signal, which would likely come in the form of loads of skeletons.

 

[Akako]

During the boat ride, Temujin had proved to be an interesting and fun character. But perhaps his nature wasn’t all that good in the face of a mission. “Our job is to break someone out of prison, not destroy a town. But if there are witnesses, then casualties will happen I suppose,” Akane sighed, running a hand through her hair. She watched as roofs started to catch fire and noted that she will help put them out once they were safe and done with the mission.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t be this disgustingly moral but, surrounded by so many personalities from the Shoukyou and Isaki clan at all times during their travel was taking its toll on her and Akihiko’s empathetic abilities. Losing their identities in exchange of someone else was always a danger to Empaths which was one of the reasons why they were so close to each other, one twin acting as an anchor and a buffer to the other. This has been the worst so far in all their lives, not counting when they were very, very young children. But if push comes to shove, they would most likely ask their brother for a way to confine them until they regain themselves, even if it means braving the void.

Akihiko had no more room to argue about their separation though when Hoshikata took his sister with him. The brother was left with his fists clenched and his teeth gritted. But there was the mission at hand and he turned around with an annoyed sigh at Tatsuya and Temujin. “I’m not good at illusions like sister but I know how to use the Transformation technique,” he said, surprisingly not joking at the fact that the eldest Shoukyou did not know how to use such a basic technique. He watched though as Tatsuya transformed into a demonic, winged monster made of metal and nodded. “I think it would make sense for me to copy your design too,” he said, before putting together the appropriate handseals. His body started to melt, the pale skin growing into silver scales and sprouting wings, until he turned into a miniature version of what Tatsuya had turned into. Except, instead of the golden glow in his eyes, he still had the same red hues.

Back with Akane, she was silent since Hoshikata had… spirited her away. She showed no fear, even the slightest scream as the man had warned her off. When they touched down on the ground, she was quick to remove herself albeit in a gentle manner from her betrothed with a small scowl. “I’m very much capable of ending an argument with my brother, thank you very much Hoshikata-sama,” she hissed, even if her tone said it wasn’t exactly gratefulness that she wanted to express.

The anger on her face melted away turning into slight guilt though as she looked away with a sigh. “Forgive my recent childishness and hostility. I would explain but perhaps this is not the time nor the place to speak of such matters,” she said, her voice trailing off as red eyes looked this way and that to take in her current surroundings now that they were in a different vantage point. And without any further sign that she would speak unless spoken to, she started to weave the darkness about her to try and render herself Invisible to the world.

 

[Kaguya Jikan]

Looking over the two winged creatures he smiled and said, "Impressive" Taking off his overcoat Temujin undid the stitches in his arms and legs, quickly revealing tendrils coming from his limbs. With one tendril he slid up his flesh and equipment into the bag and hid it behind a rock. With another he slid the overcoat back on and covered his face. "If the idea is to not look human, I think I've got it covered. Well, to an extent." The tendrils propped him up and he looked like a giant ball of tendrils. Kind of like a spaghetti monster with an overcoat wrapped around him.

"Time to scare some innocents, how chipper of a night. Scaring the locals, breaking out some guy from a prison, we should hang out more often." He chuckled as he spoke, "As for my disfigured body, not even my brother has seen these" he said as he whipped some tendrils around. 'And the final touch, my hat.' he thought, as he grabbed his hat with a bunch of tendrils and placed it gently on his head. Tipping it to the others he waited for the signal.

'Secrets can only be secrets for so long, and I had to outdo them on monster makeup. I had to!'

 

[Kairyuu]

He caught a bare hint of response from Tatsuya on the way down, but past that nothing discernable. It almost sounded like he was going to say he didn't know how to henge, which was foolish since any shinobi should know that skill. His concern now was the woman in his arms as they fell. Her silence was good, it meant she was capable of intelligence. And as they touched down she extricated herself and scowled. So much for a nice time.

”Never said you weren't, but we do want to get this done before the sun rises and I felt it prudent to go ahead and start.” He rises to his full height and presses back against a wall, letting the shadows hide him even as he motions her to follow. ”No, rather not. Forgiveness may come after we speak further. For right now, can you use a genjutsu to clone my skeletons?” He had no idea she could do the same trick, which was bad. If these five wished to survive alone, they would need to know each other as well as they did themselves.

The problem there was Hoshikata wasn't keen on anyone getting to know him. He felt rather certain that if Tatsuya even had a clue as to what his old friend had become he would have nothing more to do with him. And he might take the two twins with him. That would put The Seer himself into quite a bind since he needed them.

If she mentioned being able to make her own skeletons she would find him staring at her silently for a moment, face blank but eyes showing intrigue. And then he would begin, peering over the wall and summoning his minions forth. It wasn't many, ten in all, but considering the fire and hopefully his friends doing their part, it would serve their purpose well.

”Get ready. Once they begin, we'll have very little time.”

 

[Shiruko Makoto]

Tatsuya inspected his compatriots' disguises and grinned, the effect looking eerie when his lips were outlined in silver scales. "Perfect. A little me and an eldritch horror. Now let's get moving, I think I see the signal."

No, he wasn't afraid--that would be impossible. He was pretty impressed, though. That looked like a useful talent to have.

"Stand behind me," he told the other two. "Otherwise...well, I don't know what otherwise, but it won't be pleasant."

And then he let the void out.

The first thing the void always went for was open chakra. That was the reason he found it so easy to cancel jutsu--you just let a little sliver of the void out, and it ate the chakra powering the jutsu. So the fires went out first, spreading out from him as he walked forward. Since he was letting a lot out rather than just a little as he usually did, the cold would hit next--not a cold of winter or chill air, but cold like the warmth was being sucked from the area and replaced with something other. He was careful to leave the space breathable and livable, but it would be exceedingly uncomfortable to walk in and anyone who didn't start running might get frostbite.

Phase 2- Crystal.

At the same time he channeled crystal chakra through the weapons sheathed on his back. It required more effort than channeling while drawn did and he would never do it in battle, but for this it wouldn't matter. Besides, the void wouldn't eat the chakra of who had opened it. While he did this, he was careful to aim the spreading void away from the walking corpses, since he didn't want to cancel out the chakra animating them.

He used the crystal chakra to mark out the 'wings' of both himself and Akihiko, making shards of crystal the same colour as their glowing eyes drip off the end and hit the ground, solid, as if they were the strange blood of some ethereal creature freezing. Temujin instead got obsidian-coloured footsteps that didn't even resemble human feet, but would be recognizable as footprints from how he walked.

The next touch was shimmering blue-green crystal slowly coating random blades of grass and other plants in the area, as if some chaotic force were marking them for its own amusement.

He shouldn't have had to tell the others to go distract in their own way, but he would be marching very visibly down the main street of the area.

Hopefully they'd be out of range for the last part, though, since the last thing he let the void flow through him to do was radiate terror and despair of an incomprehensible level. He marked them just in case so they hopefully wouldn't be affected, but if either has a sensitivity to it he couldn't help that. People who stepped too near him would lose one of their senses until he was out of range. That ought to keep him from being directly attacked, and the terror of the vast, incomprehensible nothingness he was spreading should keep them panicked.

That should be an effective distraction.

 

[Akako]

Akihiko watched, impressed himself by the ease of the transformation Temujin did. Probably because it wasn’t so much as a transformation but a shedding of a normal form. The strings made him look like a Frankenstein monster, body parts stitched together and perked the interest of Akihiko but knew now was not the time to ask about it. Much like Tatsuya, he wasn’t afraid too and in fact enjoyed as he watched the turning into the abomination. One could say he was an abomination himself, along with his sister, due to the darker arts they practiced in secret.

“Yes, we should hang out more often outside of missions and travelling,” Akihiko agreed with a nod, finding the action much easier than Tatsuya might have had. And, with no more further words from him, followed suit after his brother, letting out an inhumane cry. It was a cry he heard during the monster attacks on Mist, using a low level Mimic Genjutsu to simulate it was easy enough and it truly did send the people running and screaming. Fear and despair was everywhere and it was… delicious.

Akane still was quite unhappy she wasn’t allowed to settle the argument with her brother but put it aside. Whining did nobody any good and there was the mission to focus on. She follows silently, almost drifting like a wraith in appearance due to the illusions coating her. But then a smirk happens upon her face at Hoshikata’s request.

Clone the skeletons using Genjutsu? Oh, she can do much more than that. She didn’t say anything, just used the technique necessary as more corpses, ten as well, started to rise from the ground around her. It was the same technique the Isaki had used before and, if he noticed, she said nothing about it. Surely someone as skilled in illusions and necromancy would be able to tell the difference from sight alone?

• OutOfCharacter | Marked for Training at 318 Words

 

[Kaguya Jikan]

Temujin reveled in the sights and sounds of the night, the screaming, the terror, the absolutely chaotic environment. He couldn't believe how well their plan was working, the town was in a complete uproar. But this was just the beginning, Temujin began flailing his tendrils about, making sure to aim at villagers but miss by just a little bit to give them a scare of a lifetime. It was hard to aim so many tendrils and he ended up smashing a house in, 'Woops, I guess that's part of that uneccesary casualties I crossed off my list, hope no one was home, actually, it doesn't matter!' Temujin let out the most evil laugh he could muster and continued to flail his mighty tendrils across the town, smashing and crashing about.

Then the void came, the ever looming void that sat in his mind, If the monsters weren't enough to scare the everliving dawn out of the villagers the absolute nothingness of the void damn sure was. It quickly put an end to the fires which were now the least of the village's problems. With hulking monsters and from the looks of it, more undead filling the streets it's a surprise the entire village wasn't deserted, not for lack of trying on most villagers part.

It was now up to Hoshikata and Akane to get into the prison unseen while Temujin, Tatsuya and Akihiko continued the scarefest outside. 'Hurry up brother, we don't have all night, nor do I know how long I can maintain these tendrils while the void is so present.'

 

[Kairyuu]

As the screams would begin to fill the night, those golden eyes turn to face the opening to the prison before them, seeing as well as if the moon were in fact the sun up in the sky. He turns then and looks to the skeletons, taking a start at seeing so many. His concern was not that she had done it, but that somehow she had hit him with the genjutsu. That concern was thrown away quickly however, once he realized she had herself summoned undead to do her bidding. Hoshikata looks over, his golden eyes the only thing visible right now under the hood of his robes, the moon overhead casting the rest of his face into a shadow.

”I think we have much to talk about later. For now, silence.” He steps closer to her, raising his robes and covering her in them. No romantic gesture this, but instead a step to hide them both as footsteps begin pounding past behind him, the guards running out into the town to determine what was going on. And the entire time he stood there, looking down at her as they did, saying nothing. He could smell her, this close, and found that it was not an offensive thing. As the steps outside their little world fade away his eyes break from her own as he steps away.

With a motion for her to follow he makes his way in the same way the guards just went out. Though he could easily have lit their way with his staff, he did not. Light would be a giveaway and he was sure that in a moment the darkness would be removed by lights. And sure enough it was as they moved into the prison proper and hit the next obstacle.

Many of the guards had left, but six still stood inside, watching the prisoners. The foyer they were in led to another room which split into two hallways. Three guards were to each side. Hoshikata looks back at Akane, then points at himself and motions to the guards on the right. Hopefully she would get the hint, for he would not wait and instead step free of the shadows, his hands moving. One guard is simply lifted from the ground and flung into another, both grinding against the wall before slumping to the floor. The third one on his side turns to look in astonishment and Hoshikata throws his staff, infusing it with kinetic energy. The weapon flies right at the man, who turns in time to catch it in the face. It slams into his head a few more times to make sure he was not getting back up, and Hoshikata turns to see how Akane was doing.

He could only hope his other companions were doing their part.

(MFT WC 469)

 

[Shiruko Makoto]

It took a lot of will to hold the void open.

Tatsuya had always known that, but he didn't do it often. He resolved to practice, since this sort of thing would come in handy in the future if they weren't going to have the same resources to fall back on as they used to. With practice, he'd probably be able to do it with no effort at all.

Still, being a human doorway to the abyss of nothingness did require some focus. It didn't target him in the same way as anyone else, but it did tax his determination to do. He had to hold himself together, using sheer willpower to maintain a physical presence and keep his mind from slipping into the void. Not to mention to keep it at the level he wanted it at instead of spreading too far.

Most of the civilians were fleeing, of course. That was good. If they left the town, they'd probably spend the night in whatever shelter lay nearby, and return later. It was unlikely any of them would step near him--

An axe impacted his side. He twitched. His peripheral vision was off from the metal, but he should have sensed that.

Or not. My senses only tell me about threats, and that didn't even scratch my jutsu.

He turned slowly, flaring all six of the ragged wings. The man standing there was staring at him in horror--not blind, then. Possibly deaf. The axe in his hands was dented along the bladed edge. Tatsuya stared back, searching for a scrap of the pity that had made him, early, decry deliberate killing of civilians.

Of course there are brave ones.

It would inhibit the mission to leave him alive. So he let his 'scales' emanate Mercury Poisoning and swung out with one hand, encased in a claw. The claw sliced the man's throat, the mercury dumping down his throat. He gurgled and fell over. Tatsuya made himself turn and continue on. He had to spread the void over the town, until the skeletons started getting summoned back.

He could have just encased the man in the crystal dripping off his bony wings, he realized after a second. But why would an abyssal horror spare a human life? Besides, it was technically self-defense, and he had killed for less in the past.

...Does it actually bother me, just because he couldn't hurt me? How odd. I need to get over that.

The truth was, without a moral point to fixate on like loyalty to a country, his moral compass was swinging wildly and leaving him prone to attacks of conscience. It would until he settled it down or found another guiding star. Whatever that would be.

 

[Akako]

Oh, it has been a while since he’s had so much fun. When teamed up together with his sister, she always did most of the thinking and ordering about. Everything had to be controlled, precise, very little was left to chance and they only went as they pleased when chances of failure was slim to none. But, with no Akane to tell him off, he started recklessly acting, trashing about and wrecking a nearby vegetable cart in the process. The vendor cried and ran away, screaming about cabbages.

The chaos was glorious and Akihiko couldn’t help but laugh, still in that monstrous voice, as he picked up and threw the cart at a huddled group of civilians. But deliberately making it look like he missed. Lost in his own joy and the panic and fear, two emotions that brought the twins euphoria, he didn’t even notice his older brother’s moral strife.

But while pandemonium was wreaked in one group, it was much silent and calm with the other. Akane nodded, her lips in a thin line as she was covered in her betrothed’s cloak. The proximity, although definitely… different, was not awkward as she expected it would be. She didn’t know why but left it at that. She padded along with ease due to her size and stature and her choice of clothing. But she focused her gaze on where they stepped, extending her senses to watch out for guards that might stumble upon them. Although she could feel his gaze on her, she chose not to comment on it.

Their next problem was another thing she chose to address silently. Three guards each between the two of them and, Akane being one normally sent to these sorts of missions, already knew what to do. Two of the three on her side easily fell asleep, taken a hold of by the Temple of Nirvana, leaning on each other, no pain, no muss and no fuss.

But she kept one awake and well for a reason as she stepped out of the shadows, partially lifting the illusion that made herself invisible as she drifted towards the last guard standing. The man looked gobsmacked and at a loss for words as the female gave him an enchanting smile, one which would send lesser men like these to their knees. It was a smile that held endless possibilities and empty promises, as long as the man did her bidding. It didn’t hurt to also put his mind under her hold, make him think she was an ally and the other guards his enemy. It was obvious how the mental control took hold with the glazed eyes and dreamy expression on the man.

“Could you help us, dear sir? We’re looking for someone and I would love it if you could help us find him,” she said, clasping her hands together and tilting her head.

• OutOfCharacter | Used a mixture of Charm Person and Betrayal (Mastered) on the last guard

 

[Kaguya Jikan]

Temujin frantically searched for more things to destroy, it was in his lifeblood to destroy, not create. Smashing huts was one thing, he wanted to bring down the prison. So he made his way towards the prison where guards where rushing out to see what the commotion was all about. There were many guards, six by his count, Temujin would make quick work of them, whipping his tendrils and knocking three of them out of the fight. they flew into the fencing around the prison and crashed haphazardly into the ground in heaps.

The other guards weren't dumb enough to walk directly at him and took a different approach, spreading themselves out around Temujin so he would have to look around to fight them. He quickly snagged one in a bind with his tendrils leaving two more. A guard with a sword slashed the tendrils, which was futile in the end as Temujin regenerated them and in bulk. 'Silly little guards, do they really think they can stop such perfection of body? Such perfection indeed.' Tightening the grip on the bound guard Temujin could feel him go slack and pass out, tossing him over to the other heaps of guards he was free to focus on the two before him.

Using the regenerated tendrils he smacked one of the guards in the head, before going low and tripping him. Then he lifted his tendrils high in the air and brought down his tentacles with a mighty smash on the guard which caused blood to fly from his lips. The second guard was now on his shoulders trying to choke him out with a bo staff. Temujin "melted" into his tendrils leaving the guard with no grip as he tumbled to the ground. "It's over for you little creature" was all he said before bringing the full weight of all of his tendrils down on the guards head. Then there was a mess.

Temujin then began to smash his tendrils into the prison, 'Freeing some crooks shouldn't be too much of a bad thing, I hope, haha.'

[OOC: MFT - 348 Words]