[Infernal Prisoner] Wisdom Cries Out

[Santaru Rin]

Details: The research settlement near Kumogakure no Sato proper has uncovered an archeological treasure near the village. They suspect the structure is dangerous, and at least trapped, and want some assistance in recovering any interesting artifacts. Minimizing the site's exposure to deleterious elements is important, so one smallish sort of ninja has been requested. Retrieval of these items is a matter of national security.

Members Needed: Shindou

notes: This item will prove useful in a Part 2 mission. The challenge here will be traps.

Shindou had received a message from the Strategic Ops division just the day before. The message outlined essentially a simple mission for the older trainee to take on--it didn't pit him against traitors or rivals, but rather against the environment and his own judgment.

On the other side of the ancient forest was a small research settlement that existed under Cloud's protective aegis. A great deal of subjects were studied there away from the watchful eye of the Bakufuu; even med-nin sometimes worked there. Recently, a group of scholars from that settlement had discovered ruins after a mudslide washed away part of the mountain slope. The ruins were in poor condition, and required investigation by someone with a delicate touch and excellent timing.

The scholars suspected that the ruin might collapse at any time, especially with the onset of heavy rains at the end of autumn. For that reason, they wanted a ninja to take photographs and collect any portable artifacts. The ANBU Sennin was also interested in the ruins and artifacts, and had included in the mission scroll a list of items that Shindou should confiscate if found. The Sennin also wanted to know of any potential tunnels from the ruin into secure locations in the village, including near the Torre, the Aesculapium, the Athenaeum, and the Sileo.

The message noted that Shindou would receive more detail about the ruins from a scientist waiting at the site, and that a spelunker's kit had been assembled for him at the quartermaster's office in the Legation, where most missions were handed out.

Spoiler

Thanks for waiting patiently, Shindou. This will be a solo mission for you. The goal is, as always, to be entertaining for us both, to maybe solve some puzzles and spring some traps, and to pick up some goodies. It is possible to fail this mission, but impossible to die in it.

 

[Shiruba]

This is the first mission Shindou has been on in decade. The elusive veteran used to do missions like these with ease but maybe his age has caught up with him or his knew found abilities would make it even easier for him. The mission was not of high rank but it was of importance. If the Commander herself wanted Shindou to obtain specific items from the decaying ruins he will. This mission is more desirable for a smaller shinobi but a man larger then 6ft tall was selected. In the shinobi world size does not matter since different jutsus can be used to manipulate your body. Anxiety has been building inside Shindou since he received the mission the day before. The elder AIT wore his black robe that has burn damage at the bottom of the robe from the demon invasion and he wore his ANBU mask that appeared as a devilish skull like Death wears in the anime Soul Eater.

The prepared shinobi has obtained his kit from the quartermasters office in the Legation so he would be well equipped. The mission would take place within the Ancient Forest, which would normally frighten most people but not Shindou. This place was his home and he went here when he wanted solitude. There is no better place for peace and quiet then a forest filled with devilish creatures that wanted to eat your flesh. There has been a rain pounding the area lately causing the mudslide and movement would not be easy because of it. Shindou must be on his toes for anything, including traps and wild animals.

Shindou has made it to the site where the scientist wait and they seem to be busy with some odd work. Being a scientist that collected data on ancient sites seemed like a rather boring job but it certainly wasn't for them. These things intrigued these scientist. Shindou walked towards a scientist to figure out what exactly he was needed for.

Hello, I am here as a request from Cloud. May I speak with whoever is in charge?

 

[Santaru Rin]

A group of robed men and women paused in their conversation and looked at Shindou. As a unit, the entire group flinched back from the apparition before them--in the eyes of these civilians, Shindou must look like the avatar of death Himself. A few breaths of time passed and no one seemed brave enough to claim responsibility for the scene when a slim wisp of a youth stepped forward from one of the covered tables.

He bowed politely to Shindou and introduced himself. "I am Yamamoto. My senior requested help from Kumogakure no Sato... Though I thought he had only asked for a Genin." The teenager boldly sized Shindou up. Yamamoto was barely tall enough to reach Shindou's chest, and looked more like a girl than a shining example of masculine science. "He is not here right now, so please, allow me to show you our problem."

The dig site was a short walk away from where the researchers had assembled their equipment and the items they had recovered so far. Yamamoto walked quickly, apparently not minding the muddy path he led Shindou on. The ancient forest swallowed them both noiselessly.

As they walked, Yamamoto explained the project and the scientists' problems. "Kumogakure has been built and destroyed several times. We think that an even older settlement once existed here, and that the original village was built on top of its ruins. We have been fortunate enough to receive some help from the old mining company's records in determining where we should dig. This discovery was related to those records, but we hadn't begun digging here when the mudslide happened. The mudslide revealed parts of the ruin, including an entry, but has also made the place very unstable.

"From our initial surveys, we have determined that the ruin was a sort of vault. We are not sure if it was a treasury or something else, like a mausoleum for a wealthy individual or family. We were not able to go far enough into the ruin before the dangers became obvious. There are many narrow passageways with low ceilings, and other damage may have made places hard or impossible to pass. We believe some areas may be trapped as well. Our experience was inconclusive.

"What we hope is that you will be able to penetrate the complex further than we could, perhaps make some simple maps, and retrieve any easily carried artifacts. We also have a camera we hope you can take pictures of some interesting areas with, such as any art you may come across-mosaics, statues, that sort of thing--important looking rooms, that manner of thing."

Under the forest canopy, the day's dim sunlight was reduced to twilight levels. Many villagers held superstitions about the ill-aspected place, though the researchers were apparently unconcerned about any dangers the forest might have held.

The pair at last came upon a muddy clearing against the mountain's face. A small pavilion had been constructed here. Yamamoto led Shindou to it, where they could stand out of the rain for a few moments. The researcher removed his poncho, revealing muddied, damp robes. "Well..." He pointed across the clearing. "That is the dig." Immense quantities of mud and stone had piled up at the base of the slope, which looked as though a huge bite had been taken out of it. Masoned stone peeked out of the devastation. A way in had been cleared and staked out, with sandbags used to shore up the uncertain earth.

Yamamoto picked up a bulky camera from the table. "You can take up to sixty photos with this. They print out from here," he pointed to the base of the camera, "And the flash is automatic. Please try to keep the photographs dry." He offered the camera to Shindou.

 

[Shiruba]

The group on historians and archaeologists remained quiet because of shock and fear but Shindou did not want to show his face. A few moments later that seemed to be a little boy or a girl it was easy to say full blown maturity was not reached yet but the lad will still get Shindou's respect. The old vet gave a slight bow back to the child to show respect and kindness so the others would be at ease. That is true but my superiors would like to check out some other things while I am here and Genin wouldn't understand what to look for. Shindou followed Yamamoto through a muddy path to a destination unknown to Shindou but fortunately this boy would debrief him along the way speeding up the process of formalities. That mudslide was a blessing and a curse. It seems you can get into the ruins but for not long. Kizoku knew what he must do and just knodded for the rest and he had also remembered what his other mission was for Santaru Rin. The two finally made it to their destination and and it was amazing work by the archaeologists. Hopefully, those sand bags worked and the earth didn't collapse. Yamamoto handed Shindou the bulky camera that looked like it can withstand any type of impact damage. Maybe it was made by Nokia. Shindou placed the camera in a location in his robe and took off into the ruin's entrance.

Shindou took out a piece of paper that told him what Rin wanted him to return with.

 

[Santaru Rin]

"You are exactly right, shinobi-dono," Yamamoto replied. "Please come back safely." He bowed politely to well-wish Shindou.

Besides a detailed section describing what scrolls with jutsu or tablets with jutsu would look like, the Sennin's list also mentioned a pair of bronze vases, knee high, modeled off of prisoners in torment; a matched set of earrings, necklace, and torques made from demons' bones; and, underlined thrice, a map that appeared to be of constellations which no longer existed. This last item was more important than all the rest, and if a trade off needed to be made, the Sennin wanted this above any possible lost techniques and artifacts. There was also a note exhorting the ninja who took the mission--in this case, Shindou--to use his best judgment: anything which looked like it would be devastating in the wrong hands should also be confiscated.

Getting into the compound was, thanks to the archaeologists' work, simple enough. For an experienced ninja, mud and loose gravel were not an obstacle when there was no need to be stealthy. The low and narrow entrance was more annoying for a man of Shindou's size. Beyond there, the archaeologists had set up a small, portable generator which Yamamoto had turned on remotely. Yellow light bloomed from bare bulbs set up around this chamber. It seemed there had been some time to do more limited reinforcements--large wooden beams formed As which helped brace the ceiling. The solution wasn't perfect, though, as evidenced by occasional grinding noises and the spittle sound of mud dripping from further off.

Within the compound, the whistle and wheeze of wind suggested to Shindou that the place was immense. The first room was nothing particularly special; it wasn't even very big, so it probably was not the main entrance. Dusty outlines on the floor showed where items had already been moved out of this area. The walls were painted in red, white, and black pigments which were damaged by water. The scene was too distorted to understand.

Besides the hole Shindou had entered through, the room presented two paths to go into the compound. The left hand side led into darkness. From that direction, the soft sounds of moving water could be heard. The right hand side was well-lit by a strand of electric bulbs, suggesting it had been at least partially explored.

Shindou is in excellent condition!

He has spelunking equipment from the Quartermaster, a list of things from Rin, and a hardened polaroid camera from Yamamoto.

The left path is the shorter but more dangerous path--taking this path may lead to success more quickly, but also has a higher risk of failure.

The right path is the longer path--taking this path will prolong the adventure, but will probably have less loot.

 

[Shiruba]

Shindou gave a grin and bowed back to Yamamoto even though he wouldn't be able to see it. It appeared the map was the most important thing for Shindou to find and the others seemed like private items she would want for her house. After Shindou squeezed through the entrance the young man turned on the generator and lit the chamber, wooden beams were put up in order to secure the location be for how long was uncertain. A whistling breeze blew Shindou's robe making it appear that the ruin he is currently in is immense. The elder veteran has located two pathways; the left side was darker and less explored and the right was lit up with light bulbs showing that it has been explored to a certain extent.

The left side seems like a safer choice because he hasn't been told if anyone has been injured from that location but the left side may have more valuable accessories such as the map. Shindou's curiousity got the best of him so he activated byakugan and chose to follow the dark and gloomy path to the left that promises water of the other side. Hopefully, his byakugan will pick up any disturbances so he could react fast enough.

 

[Santaru Rin]

The right-hand path Shindou followed twisted sharply back and forth, causing him to quickly lose view of the way in. The Byakugan provided a staticky view of the passage and enhanced what little light remained. So far, only the small amounts of ambient energy provided any visual. Places like this old ruin, abandoned, subterannean places nearly devoid of living organisms, emitted very minute quantities of energy. A place bustling with people or full of plantlife would have given more to go on... However, a veteran knew he had to work with the hand he was dealt.

A light source would probably make the going easier, as the Byakugan revealed an already-triggered pit trap half full of water. More water was still running into the hole, judging by the sound. Jumping across was a relatively simple matter for a Jounin. Beyond, a few rooms shielded only by rotting wooden doors awaited. Each had the potential to contain something useful, something deadly, or both... Or perhaps nothing at all.

The first door was difficult to open, despite the rot. The second door, when touched, all but fell utterly apart. The second was swollen with moisture and soft enough to simply push right through. Not a single sound came from beyond any of the doors. Shindou was alone.

 

[Shiruba]

Shindou was able to evade the first trap with ease because of his byakugan. The area around him was swollen from moisture and was rotting. Three doors could be seen and each were rotting at a different pace which was uncommon. Although opening these doors could be risky his mission was to achieve important artifacts and take pictures. Shindou entered the door that was difficult to open first but he entered slowly just in case a trap was sprung. Shindou was ready to use kaiten to knock away and projectile headed for him but hopefully that won't be the case.

 

[Santaru Rin]

The door creaked painfully open at first, and then a tug of extra resistance stopped the venerable trainee short. His instincts told him it was a trap, but he wasn't certain which kind--projectiles seemed the most obvious, and so he pressed the rest of the way, fully prepared to use his bloodline to deflect anything shot at him. By the time Shindou consciously heard the dull, triple thump of metal, he had already initiated the Eight Trigrams Palms Rotating Heaven technique. A burst of chakra power illuminated the room--the ancient trap had failed mechanically, leaving the Hyuuga a bit perturbed that he had busted out such an advanced technique for nothing. It was rather like getting tricked out in new duds, breaking out the bank account, and making a reservation at the finest ryokan in the area only to find that his date had never shown up.

With a light, Shindou had a look around.

The statue standing before the door had five holes in its base, about chest-height for a man of Shindou's size. The projectiles were meant to come from there, but the device was probably frozen from time. The rest of the room seemed less dangerous, though sodden and muddy. Damaged paintings on the walls illustrated some religious mumbo jumbo cycle of death in the same color palette as the previous wall-paintings. The room had many waist-high stone shelves. Some had been crushed by fallen masonry. There were a few fabulous examples of early pottery and even some metal plates--what sort of metal was difficult to tell due to corrosion. The rest of the crockery was simply workable. There were sealed jars, some painted black, others stained too much to guess their original hue. Whatever the purpose of the things in this storage room remained unknowable.

A little persistence paid off, however, in the form of the two bronze vases he'd been ordered to retrieve--here they were, in the back of the room. Now, how to transport them?

 

[Shiruba]

Shindou pushed the door with a decent amount of force. It was harder then expected and he knew a trap was on the way but which type he was uncertain about. The swift shinobi used his Hyuuga ability to knock away the projectiles but he heard was thuds as the metal projectiles miss horribly. It was a waste of such an advanced jutsu but it was nothing to be ashamed of. You can never be to prepared for anything nowadays especially at his age. Shindou observed the area and a statue that probably had the projectiles in them. So much defense but for what reason? The items in the room caught his eye such as the jars painted black, he didn't know what could be inside of it or the reason for painting over it.

First, Shindou took out the camera and took a few pictures of the area and of the jars. Maybe the archeologist knew what they were or not. Two bronze vases were on Santaru Rin's list and the seem pretty heavy but Shindou had a jutsu that would do the trick. After casting a few hand seals the old vet used a useful jutsu called Combination Transformation, he fused the two items with his body to be able to carry them much easier.

Shindou went to the hall way and was ready to enter the room with the most door.

MFT 236 word

 

[Santaru Rin]

Ready for anything, Shindou pushed through the hopelessly rotten door. It crumbled into so much mulch at the slightest pressure, allowing him to step through. He was fortunate in that he encountered no traps this time.

He found himself on a wrap-around mezzanine level overlooking what had once been a grand chamber of some sort. The entrance he'd used must have been just a functional side door, perhaps for servants once upon a time, as he could see a pair of grand doors on either side of the mezzanine. Those doors clung to their hinges; fallen masonry and mud had all but destroyed any chance of seeing what was beyond them. The gloom here smelled of earth and mildew.

Down below, black, still water reflected his light back to him. From what he could make out, the walls around the chamber were graven with decorative friezes--at least up on the mezzanine level. Whatever was below would require some exploration to uncover. He could make out shapes down there in the dark which promised platforms that could keep him, and by extension the camera, out of the water.

The stone columns along the mezzanine level appeared more than sturdy enough to support the climbing rigging Shindou had been provided. Using the tools would be safer than leaping into the dark and possibly slipping--no ninja was completely proof against accidents.

 

[Shiruba]

Shindou pushed through moist and grotesque door to only have it crumble before him. The rest of the structure seemed even more dangerous to him, a genin would probably die if he didn't know what he was doing. The room Shindou entered was spacious and could have been used for parties, festivals and maybe even for religious purposes. Images of this room could be useful so he snapped some images for the archeologists. Walking through the chamber he noticed two larger doors barely on there hinges that led to a lower area that contained water. Shindou went down the stairs and found two paths he could take, the first path to the North seem easy because there were platforms he could use but the other to the South was a bit more difficult but he would be able to jump to a pillar and follow it. Like any child if he was a child he took the hard way. The old veteran that was young at heart jumped to the pillar slipping a little because it got moss on it from the water and bacteria in the air. The Cloud Royalty followed it along and reach two double doors but before he reach the area a took a few other snaps of the area and where it led. This could be a tunnel of some sort and Shindou took a mental recording with Snap Shot. Shindou reach the double doors but the path was obstructed by a fallen pillar but he used a basic jutsu called transformation to shrink to get through.

OOC: Sorry I wrote a post earlier but my computer messed up and I lost it.

 

[Santaru Rin]

Shindou crawled through until he found himself in another large room. This time, he was knee-high in thick, decayed-smelling mush. No light but his own filtered down into these depths. A large chest awaited him on ruined dais. The rest of the chamber was so heavily damaged that little of value was to be seen or had, so the Jounin made his way to the chest. A quick inspection revealed only the most trivial of traps, easily disarmed by the simple expedient of punching through the wooden lid to see what awaited within.

There laid an ivory scrollcase decorated in gold and jewels. Within was the constellation map that his Sennin was so interested in. Naught else but rotted velvet remained. If there was anything else of interest in this old ruin, it would have to wait--the place had begun creaking again, and it was almost certainly time to get out before the ruin's geometry became particularly punishing.

Take the scroll, exit the ruin, report to Yamamoto, and exit the topic! You can just say you delivered the stuff to Rin. Once you've done all that, I will post for your reward.

 

[Shiruba]

Shindou crawled through the hole only to find himself in a larger room. He jumped into thick muck that must have been standing there for decades. Shindou took pictures with the camera and used the flashing light help him make out what was around him. The room was much large then the chamber he was just in not to long ago. As he pressed on he discovered a chest in the middle of the room that must have had something inside. With his byakugan he was able to see through the chest and a scroll was found inside of it. With a quick punch he broke the chest and saw the ivory scroll that had jewels cover all over it. The old vet instantly noticed what the scroll contained and he needed to head back immediately. Shindou crawled back through the doorway he came in and went back to the surface. Lucky he did so early enough because the area seemed even more unstable then before. He saw Yamamoto and delivered the images and the camera which was still in perfect condition. The trip back to the Commanders office wasn't to long and he was able to deliver the goods as requested.

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