[Infernal Prisoner] Wrath Brings Forth Blood

[Santaru Rin]

Team Leader: Hoshiko Gin
Details: The Ryuu political faction is competing with the Bakufuu political faction to gain possession of a fabled gauntlet. The ANBU Sennin wants the gauntlet recovered and the factions hopelessly entangled out of the way of civilian settlements. A detailed briefing will be provided to the mission recipient. Retrieval of this item is a matter of national security.

Participants: Jinkotsu Kosei, Hoshiko Gin, Kogami Ayumu
Modded by: Rin

Contemporaneous with Masao's mission arc.

Takayama had provided a mount per ANBU at a stable just beyond Kumogakure no Sato's great Gates. The average Jounin could certainly outrun a destrier over short distances, but for endurance, nothing beat the steady steppe beast who was the gods' own gift to nomads. Riding was ever the noble's pastime, especially now that the noble mount's role in warfare was long past, but ninja still received the proper training--one never knew when one would be assigned somewhere off the beaten track, and trains could not be relied upon in uncertain times. The horses carried the ANBU through the days uncomplainingly in return for care, forage, and occasional oats.

The ride past Tenouza brought with it its own set of tensions. Being seen by military or paramilitary scouts, or worse, by penny-pinching spies, could spell disaster for the assignment. The team saw the trail which at least one set of forces had left behind in moving on the fortress. The laissez faire approach towards camp order at abandoned entrenchments suggested that these were PMC forces, who rarely cared about ruining a farmer's field or about field hygiene, for that matter. The occasional corpse, replete with humiliation wounds and abandoned in ditches, summarized the fates of any tenants who complained about the treatment.

A cold front moved in the night before the team's arrival. A curving stream delineated the separation between the Tenouzan territory and the han the fortress was situated on. Beyond the stream, the land rose up in a great and continuous series of hills--this was no mountain, not to the men and women of Kumogakure, but it was still a lovely sight while blanketed in snow. Much of that snow had been disturbed. The lingering smell of death left little doubt as to the how. A few naked, rotting corpses rested under a fresh inch of snowfall. Partially frozen, the bodies glistened. The ANBU were quiet enough that they did not disturb the crows making use of the remains.

The hill screened them from the view of the camps beyond; in turn, the team was somewhat protected by snowdrifts, scrubs, and glacier scree. A stand of trees upon the hill skirted the ruined fortress, whose crumbling walls must have, at one time, protected some imagined strategic advantage. The fortress sat, hulking, at the top, which had long ago been razed to accommodate the squat structure. Ruined walls and doors peeked from the hillside further down, suggesting a subterranean warren meant to confound foes and provide escape routes for the besieged. The map provided addressed some of these routes, but others indubitably remained secret.

Now is a good time to plan your approach, scout around, and pester me for folio materials!

 

[Hoshiko Gin]

All the necessary need-to-know information about Kosei and how it would work in their team dynamic had been exchanged. She took note that they all excelled in different areas. The Raikage Guard trainee was an avid Ninjutsu user, even pushing the limits in warping time to his advantage. The thought fascinated her; it was a considerable advantage to be able to go back in time during battle, even if for only a few precious seconds. Seconds were often the difference between the living and the dead.

Gin talked sparingly while they rode their mounts through the dense snow, only conversing and acquainting herself with the two trainees during their allotted period of rest. She enforced two key points; rationing out their food supply and requiring one person to stand vigil while the remaining pair took what time they could to rest worn bodies (in rotational fashion of course). As an ANBU, you were always alert, even while sleeping; you could be called at any hour of the day... Or night.

It was quite obvious that they were behind at least one of the factions. The aftermath was.. Heartbreaking. With each corpse they passed, disrobed and beaten so mercilessly, the kunoichi felt sickened as the sight pulled on her heartstrings. Whoever had done this showed no respect for anyone, living or dead; instinct and her attachment with those of the other worlds desperately pushed her to ease the disgrace wrought upon these men and women. Whether they were deserving of such sympathy didn't matter, but as much as she wanted to do something.. This was not her place.

They reined in their horses behind the cover provided by the massive pile of snow. She dismounted her horse, and advised the other two to do the same, taking out the folio they had already gone over a few times during their pitstops. The fortress would be just beyond this point, should her calculations be correct. So, by-the-way my narrating amigo, what might this map and intel read? Any secret passage? A certain entrance they must take, perhaps?

"We'll stop here to quickly hash out our plan of action one last time before we continue. Got it? We don't have much time.."

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu was as ready for the action to start as ever. The initial thrill of riding a horse dissipated quickly and left him itching for something interesting to happen for the days it took to reach their destination. He got to know a bit about how the other two fought, though he had fought by Gin's side before. He had been somewhat excited to take another mission with Gin, but he was surprised to find her somewhat quieter than he was accustomed to. He wondered if this was her first time leading a mission. She was probably taking it very seriously, which was a good thing for everyone. Still, it left Ayumu a bit bored on the ride, which was terribly difficult for him.

They stopped a couple of times to rest, taking turns as lookout to make certain they were not discovered. Soon enough they neared Tenouza, which meant the other parties would be about- they needed to be careful not to be seen, lest their cover be blown and one or more of the factions see them coming. They eventually came upon the path of destruction left by one of the groups they would be competing against. The scenes they passed were unpleasant to say the least. Destroyed fields, bodies of people who appeared to have been tortured, likely for fun.

Ayumu supposed it was possible that the Bakufuu's leader in this area was letting his men run wild, but this sort of behavior was one thing Ryuu and those under him were infamous for. He almost wished their mission was instead to assassinate the man, but he understood that there would be consequences to that- otherwise it would have been done long ago. Needless to say, if they did end up coming in to some conflict with the ones they were following now, he would not be broken up about it. If anything he would relish getting a chance to take some revenge on the dead's behalf. Naturally, he would not stoop to their level, but killing a few was not out of the question. He had to shake thoughts like these several times on the way- they had other things to do. They would feel the loss of the gauntlet more than that of a few soldiers.

At last they stopped and dismounted, gathering around the portfolio to review its contents once again and formulate a plan for how they were going to infiltrate the fortress. The key to the mission was stealth. Ayumu had not been very good at it when he joined ANBU, but he had learned a lot since joining. He was confident he wouldn't let the team down. He waited for Gin to take out the folio so they could look through it. At the moment, Ayumu was most interested in the map.

"Let's see the map, I think we need to check all our possible entry points and find the one with the least resistance. Hopefully the two main forces haven't moved on the fortress yet and we'll find getting in easy," he said, beginning to look over the map at their options.

[MFT: 522]

 

[Oshiro Saki]

It took about half an hour for the trio to discuss their respective strengths and weaknesses, as well as their fighting style and other elavent things. It appeared that the group had a very well-rounded, balanced team: Kosei was a master of ninjutsu, Gin was a genjutsu specialist, and Ayumu was a taijutsu powerhouse. With any luck, the three would get along fairly well, and make this mission look like it didn't go half bad. Kosei doubted it would be too hard, but they all had to be cautious just in case. One misstep, and they would be spotted. If they were spotted, factions would be alerted. If factions were alerted, they would probably be overwhelmed and killed. The aftermath of such a discovery, that Kumo had sent ANBU in for the object, could cause the civil war to come to Kumogakure itself. It was a nervewracking thought.... and so Kosei determined in his heart that he would not fail this mission.

Kosei found a new sense of justice when they rode through what the appeared to be a warzone... if you could call it that. Burned corpses, bodies punctured by wooken stakes, and men whose faces were unrecognizable because the crows had already picked away so much. This wasn't a warzone; there had been no war. This was as much a war as a boot is with an ant. This had been a slaughter. The AiT felt like he was going to throw up inside his mask, but somehow supressed the urge. He felt himself starting to cry for those who had died, for he had always been on the more sensitive side of things. But he fought back the tears, hardened his face, and ignored the death around him, instead turning his bitter sadness into a controled hatred towards those who had done this. He knew he had to be careful with how he felt, though: he was not here to kill, unless it was called for. This was a mission of stealth, not destruction.

Not much longer after the group had ridden past that scene, they arrived at the fortress holding the relic. Their horses halted, and Kosei brought his closer to Gin, so that he could talk to her in a more hushed tone. This was one of the most dangerous parts of the mission, and Kosei wasn't going to screw up now. "Check the portfolio for a picture of the relic. At this point, we don't even know what it looks like, how big it is, or where exactly it's being held." he said. Kosei looked back at the path they had taken to their current location. There was a benefit from traveling through all that mess: their horse's tracks would be masked by those who had gone before them. They had all been careful to stay within the already disturbed snow, just in case someone were to come along and see another trail headed somewhere else. "Once we know what we're looking for, we should do what Ayumu suggested. We can use the Active Camo jutsu to mask our presence while we do so."

 

[Santaru Rin]

The trio dismounted and retreated to cover to confer over their options.

The main map indicated that the fortress had once contained its own community. The great gatehouse now stood closed and was probably watched and reinforced; it would only be natural if the redoubt just past the gatehouse sheltered yet more watchers. The railyard entry was likely secured and probably the secondary gate indicated on the map was as well. No inconspicuous postern gate had been noted, but it was likely that a postern led into one of the three towers connected to the curtain wall by flying buttresses. The curtain wall itself, as well as some of the bastions, had been shattered in more than a few places. The bastions were a more recent construction--some unfortunate commander's last ditch effort at modernizing a fort rendered obsolete by siege artillery.

Another, simpler map consisting of broad lines described the subterranean tunnels. Lighter lines were nearer the surface, and darker were deeper. Several of these, as evidenced by white circles, breached the surface at some point. The map was not very elaborate, and almost certainly not complete, as a matter of simple security.

The gauntlet pictured was a pre-scientific era artifact with an articulated grip. The piece was a simple affair that didn't exactly wear its power, whatever that was, on its sleeve.

Morning was swiftly turning into noon. Far up above on the hillside, a detachment of five soldiers in Bakufuu fatigues were slowly patrolling. They were little more than dark blue splotches against the snow.

 

[Hoshiko Gin]

The two maps were positioned side by side on the ground and the gauntlet's likeness was being etched in the ANBU shinobi's minds one after the other. Gin held each map in place as she knelt with all her weight on her knees, etching her fingers along the many lines one presented. She stopped at a western region and circled the area with her fingers. "These circles represent our entrance, the lines each with their own purpose. The darker the line, the deeper they are, correct?" She tapped the area on the map again, "I say we head west from here and try to spot these tunnels. There are multiple entrances marked, so there may be more in that area or along the way. We can just skirt the bottom of this hill and follow it west where we won't be within enemy visibility."

"Are there any objections, additions, etc?" The kunoichi asked, looking upwards with her hands draped across her knees, "If not, let's find a safe place for our mounts, leave 'em some oats, and hit the road."

She stood, folding both maps and offering it to the two trainees to take another wish if they so-wished. "Also, good thinking Kosei. Although, we must also be careful not to leave any tracks behind that might tip off our opposition. If you don't know how to do that, I highly suggest practicing this technique once we've brought that artifact back." Destroy presence was one of the more useful of jutsu in the ANBU arsenal when given assignments like this. It would be an increasingly necessary technique once the young trainees took on more high-profile missions.

The horses were trained well thankfully, she thought, as they stopped and left their mounts disguised amongst the shrubbery and foliage before moving westward in search of tunnel entrances. She wasn't quite sure what the entrances would look like, but she could only hope there would be some that were obvious. In the distance, a handful of soldiers could be seen farther up the hill, but paired with the groups active camo and position in comparison, she felt confident that they would be undetected and able to safely moves westward.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu looked at the two maps that were produced from the folio, studying them carefully. He had taken a look at them before they had arrived, but now was the time to make decisions. The first was clearly a map of the fortress itself, the shape indicative of the walls as well as the various towers. Inside the walls there were several different buildings, enough that it was a bit discouraging thinking about how they were going to locate a little gauntlet with so many buildings to cover. Of course, this map was not going to do them any good right now unless they planned to try to stroll right in through one of the main entrances. That was obviously the worst possible thing they could do as they would no doubt be heavily guarded. Once they found their way in the main walls, this map would come in handy. As for how they were going to get inside, that was where the other map came in.

The second map was just a little confusing when compared to the first. In fact, at first look Ayumu had not guessed that it was actually a map. Gin had clued him in on this during one of their breaks on the way to the hill. From the looks of it, it seemed to be several paths of some sort. The notes that came with the maps indicated that they were in fact underground tunnels that went through the hill including underneath the fortress. As Gin said, the darker the lines were, the further underground. The white dots showed the places where the tunnels reached the surface. Gin went on to explain the next step she thought they should take, asking their opinions.

"I agree. Heading further up the hill to one of the more shallow tunnels would mean going past more guards. The tunnels further from the fortress might be less guarded, if guarded at all. If we're lucky, maybe we'll spot one that's not even on the map, eh?" he said in agreement with Gin, standing up. He walked over to the horses, his specifically, and gently run his hand over its head. These horses had brought them a long way and were indeed well trained. There had been a few times that something had happened on the way that might have spooked a normal horse, but these stoic beasts had stared down the potential threat without fear. He lead his horse to a nearby tree and tied it to the trunk.

Reaching in to the satchel on the horse's side he pulled out a bag of oats, placing it against the tree where the horse could get to it. He had already placed the thick blanket over the horse's back when they had stopped- it would keep the horse from freezing while waiting- assuming they came back. Along with the shrubbery that was high enough to give cover, the white blanket would also help to keep the horse blended in with the snowy backdrop. "Hold this position, Seabiscuit," he said quietly, giving the horse another pat on its head. As he left the cover of the foliage, Ayumu immediately activated his active camouflage, one of the many ANBU jutsu he had learned since becoming a trainee. Additionally, he activated the Destroy Presence jutsu which would mop up his footprints in the snow. He wasn't sure if Kosei knew the jutsu- if he didn't, he would follow behind Kosei and use his own jutsu to get rid of both of their footprints.

"Let'sa go!" he said in a hushed exclamation, and off they would go westward in search of a tunnel entrance.

 

[Oshiro Saki]

They were looking for a gauntlet. By all outward appearances, this gauntlet looked normal enough: finger guards, a bracer that wen up the forearm, and riveted joints where the body naturally bent. So... why was it so important? Besides it looking old, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. Maybe... maybe it had some kind of mystical power? If it were something extraordinary, then surely more than just an ANBU and two AiTs would have been deployued to retrieve it. But it was just them. So why was it so badly desired by FOUR separate factions, counting the ANBU?

Kosei put those thoughts at the back of his mind for now and focused more on the maps. It wasn't his job to ask why, he was simply there to do. It was his place. The map provided the general schematics for the fortress, which revealed that jutting out all along the walls were different room-shaped buildings, one which they could see from where they were at the moment. Inside, there were even more rooms inside... about fourty-four, maybe fourty five in total. "So many rooms..." Kosei muttered. They could take forever to search, and trying to do so whilst avoiding patrols of guards would be impossible. But that was why the ANBU were doing it: they do the impossible all the time. A second map showed the subterranian tunnel system underneath the complex, with dots marking everywhere they surfaced.

With the agreement of the rest of the group, Kosei led his horse to a secluded area, under a tree, hidden from the castle-like structure by a high patch of shrubbery. Tying the horse to the same tree that Ayumu had, Kosei threw a few hand signs, and instantly vanished in with the snow, only his tracks and uncovered head revealing where he was. A few seconds later, the tracks also disappeared, courtesy of one Destroy Presence ninjutsu. Kosei nodded at Ayumu, brought the hood of his cloak over his head, and repositioned the mask over his face. He was now almost completely invisible to the naked eye. "Be careful."


[MFT]

 

[Santaru Rin]

I am not a big stickler on posting order. Unless you want to wait, please don't feel like you must 'wait your turn.'

The trio, now disguised in natural greys and browns, flitted from cover to cover and left nothing of themselves behind in the snow. Above, the patrol moved on, oblivious to the infiltrators now piercing the fortress the Bakufuu and Lord Ryuu postured over.

Gin found a secret entry first when her gaze was caught by a hollow-eyed phantom standing on the snow bank above, pointing down at what at a glance seemed only like a concavity in the snow. The phantom opened its mouth to speak, only to be obliterated from its half-existence in an instant--breaking the iron rule against naming its murderer. As if a signal flare had been lit, the translucent spirits of the dead rose up from the hillside and from the roads, slowly and deliberately converging on the team's position--on Gin's position. The ghosts of men were harmless intriguers. Perhaps their ill-will towards their murderers would help Gin accomplish her mission.

The three of them cautiously excavated the site, moving swiftly and silently. The tunnel was sealed by a simple, small concrete hatch, easy enough for skillful shinobi to open and crawl into. Once within, Ayumu performed the destroy presence jutsu again, leaving the outside untouched to almost any eye. These subterranean tunnels were unlit and dank. Slime coated the walls, ceiling, and floor of the passage, which was so low as to require everyone to bend and so narrow as to require them to walk in single file. Ghosts crowded around them, whispering with reedy voices only Gin could hear. These war-bitten revenants were only weakly bound to the world, already resigned to the Gates of Enma to which all were inevitably drawn.

They coaxed Gin on with words and gestures, leading the ANBU further into the hill, beacons only she could see. The enhanced senses of Kosei and Ayumu were led into the type of fantasies engendered by interminable descent into darkness. There was no light here for even a cat-eye jutsu to help, and risking illumination was foolhardy at best when god only knew who might be lurking, waiting to report spies.

At a three-way junction the cavalcade of phantoms paused. Here, the group could choose to ascend into the black by means of iron bars embedded in the wall, an ugly ladder rust-streaked and bacteria-stained. The ghosts, however, surged down a path which descended further into the hill, leaving Gin behind.

 

[Hoshiko Gin]

Her peripherals caught sight of an image suddenly after walking some distance from their original position—she came to an immediate stop and held her arm out for the others to wait. She walked closer intently, looking up at the figure that seemed to be pointing at something and trudging up the slope to get a better look; there seemed to be an abnormality here that could be promising. Gin smiled towards the entity graciously, ’Wait, don’t..’ And in the next instant he was gone. The woman sighed and beckoned for the Ayumu and Kosei to come near while showing no signs of witnessing something out of the norm. They didn’t have to know her secret just yet, and instead could simply toss it up to a ‘kunoichi’s intuition’.

”This area looks promising. Let’s see what we find underneath here…” Stated Gin, slowly growing quiet with concentration as she knelt to dig around in the snow. As they began their swift search, an array of faces appeared before her, huddling around her. If only the rest of her team could see this.. What wonders they were missing! She continued her work amidst the muddled whispers of their ghostly spectators until someone came across the small passageway. The hatch was easily manipulated open, and the ghosts readily entered – and of course she had full intention in following them. Looking down into it, all she could see was darkness. ”It’s going to be tight guys.. but stay close..” She remembered she hadn’t said very much to Ayumu this whole mission, what with all the pressure of not getting them killed.

”Hey Ayumu-kun, I won’t tell if you.. you know..” Touch something you shouldn’t. Gin winked at the young trainee before descending into the cramped tunnels.

Instantly she grimaced at a cool, sticky wetness on her shoulder. It was so dark, she couldn’t tell what it was and it was likely better that way. The muddled voices of her guides grew louder, reverberating in the close perimeters. She could see them faintly, and followed close behind until they came finally to a crossroad of sorts. They could move upwards to where that ladder led or….

The phantoms rushed forward and down deeper into the hill… ’Wait!’ Obviously they knew where they were going and for some reason they were actually helping the team of ANBU. Perhaps, making use of what time they had someone nearby who took notice of them? Or even better yet for the ANBU, they were too seeking justice of those who had forsaken them. She moved after them without hesitation.

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Gin's arm flew up, signalling the other two to halt. Kosei's shinobi training kicked in immediately, and he stopped on his very next hop, looking all ninja-like and defying physics by coming to an immediate stop.Their leader led them up the hill a bit, to a small dip in the snow, then uncovered it, revealing a tunnel. More importantly, a tunnel that Kosei had not noticed, and was not marked on the map. How did she see that? Is she.... a Hyuuga or something?? Hyuugan decent was the only possible explanation that Kosei could come up with on the spot, but when he looked at her eyes, not only were there no veins presently bulging out of her face, but her eyes had color. So that was out. But how then? Maybe.... maybe she was just that good. It probably meant that Kosei had a lot more training to do.... a further testament as to why he was still a trainee. Gin said something. "Shhh..." he interjected in a hushed tone so low so that only the people directly around him could hear him, which, in this case, were his partners.

Nevertheless, he entered the tunnel, which was closed behind him after Ayumu entered. Inside the tunnel, it was pitch black. So black, in fact that Kosei couldn't see his hand an inch away from his face. This wasn't just ordinary darkness... this was... ADVANCED darkness (points for the reference)! The tunnels were tight, just large enough for about two, maaaaayyyybe three people to fit in side by side. Probably fewer, but Kosei couldn't tell... because it was dark. Regardelss, he traveled on the left side of the tunnel, his left hand lightly grazing the wall, as a guide, and his right hand on the scimitar horizontally strapped to his lower back. He didn't really know what was going on at the moment, let alone what to expect. He followed Gin by the light sound of her footsteps along the stone floor, as faint as they were. As an ANBU, Kosei's hearing was more in tune with what was going on, so even though she was moving almost 100% silently, he could pick up on the quiet noise she made. His mind wandered oh-so briefly, to what Gin had told Ayumu just before they had entered the tunnel. Thinking about it, he rolled his eyes and shook his head. Let's not mix business with pleasure... Kosei thought inwardly. He'd assumed earlier that Ayumu and Gin had known each other beforehand. THey acted like it, and they didn't have to introduce themselves. That they might have been love partners hadn't occured to him... and it made him shake his head. Kosei's respect for Gin fell a couple notches after that.

Suddenly, Gin made a sharp turn, as Kosei heard, and started down a curve in the tunnel. Not wanting to get lost, he turned and follpwed the sound of her footsteps. Hopefully this mission wouldn't be too long.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu followed the others, making sure to destroys any traces of his footprints in the snow as he went. Here and there, Ayumu would spot soldiers at a fair distance, but none so close as to be any threat. With their active camo and covering their trail, they were practically ghosts themselves. Suddenly, Gin stopped and the two trainees followed suit. Ayumu glanced at Gin and then looked around. What had she seen- was there a threat? He couldn't see anything nearby. She sighed for some indiscernible reason and then motioned for the trainees to come closer before kneeling to dig. 'Here? Why here?' Ayumu wondered, but he decided to humor her.

He knelt down beside her and looked around to make sure no soldiers were around to see, then began to toss snow aside. Moments later, to his surprise, they uncovered a hatch that had been hidden beneath the snow. 'How in the...' Ayumu thought, looking up at Gin with wonder at how she had known this was here. It was certainly not on the map and there was no way it was visible until just now. There had been a slight dip in the snow in this spot, but how could she have guessed it was this? His expression turned to one of admiration for his sempai. "Nice, Gin-sempai!" he praised in a hushed whisper before he slowly pulled the hatch open. They peered down inside and saw nothing but darkness- this was going to be fun in a sarcastic way.

His two teammates entered the hatch before Ayumu, Gin making a comment to Ayumu with a wink. "Won't tell if I what?" Ayumu asked in confusion, only to be shh'd by Kosei a moment later. "Don't tell me to shh!" Ayumu fired back in a hushed whisper. After both his teammates were in the tunnel, he entered and closed the hatch behind him. Once inside he performed a few handseals and then activated the Destroy Presence jutsu once more. This would cause the snow that had previously covered the hatch to once more move in to place over the hatch, hiding it just as well as it had been moments ago. In other words, nobody but Gin would be able to find it.

Now they began to wade through the darkness in silence. The three of them were trained shinobi, so of course their movement was silent. The whole experience was a bit unnerving, it was almost like being both deaf and blind, Ayumu imagined, but he could just barely hear his teammates breathing. Soon, they passed a ladder leading up, a small amount of light coming from above. Gin, however, continued past the ladder without hesitation. Ayumu wondered why, but she had found the hatch when the two of them could not. He didn't know how, but it seemed she knew something they didn't. He only wished she would clue them in on it. He followed nonetheless, hoping they wouldn't spend much longer in this darkness.

 

[Santaru Rin]

Gin followed the train of ghosts deeper, leaving the junction without a second thought. Kosei, next in line, moved almost as silently as her unseen escort and was the critical link in ensuring that Ayumu, too, could follow the woman's abrupt choices in direction. S-Class Wizard Kogami Ayumu brought up the rear.

Some manner of excitement had thrilled through the ghosts and now they made double time, urging Gin on through their hunting posture and almost frenzied gestures. Go, go! they said. Come, hurry!

The small passage ended abruptly, three feet up in the middle of the wall of a larger, dimly-lit tunnel with bricked wall and floors. The ceiling was supported by stone ogives every couple meters, providing reassuring strength against the crushing weight of hill and fortress. Down the center of the tunnel, practically large enough to admit a steam engine and its complement of cars, was a channel filled by a sluggish stream of brackish water. Every several sections of wall was a sconce holding a gas lantern; many of these no longer worked. The weak blue light was just barely sufficient to cast the shadows of a 3 man patrol up ahead, not yet visible due to the curve of the tunnel.

The patrol was quiet but for their soft footsteps. The team had time to plan their evasion, but Gin's ghosts were heading toward the men and past them, deeper into the hill where, one hoped, the gauntlets would be found at last, and perhaps a means of causing havoc for those above.

Send me your actions and you might get some seeekrit info to include in your post!

Sorry for the wait, slept in all Sunday to catch up on sleep debt. q_q

 

[Oshiro Saki]

A dull light from ahead in the tunnel gave Kosei just enough guidance for him to see where he was going without having to use the wall as a reference point. This new light came from another tunnel that merged into the one they were currently traversing. Their current tunnel ended in a sharp meter-high ledge, which led into the wider, higher tunnel from which the light came. A fairly large gutter-like thing ran through the middle, in which there was a decent amount of black sludge-water... or, maybe even just sludge. The stuff looked nasty! Like, maybe you coulda put your arm in it, and have it come out all covered in gangrene. Yea. That bad.

The light was just bright enough to cast three flickering shadows across the opposite side of the tunnel. Kosei reacted by crouching down, moving past Gin, and planting his back to the edge of the wall all Mission Impossible style... whatever that was. Unfortunately, he didn't think that last part through; hitting the wall as hard as he did sent a new wave of pain through his still-sore back, forcing a muted grunt from him. He covered his mouth immediately to stop any further sound, and hoped to Raiden that the patrol hadn't heard it.

The others followed his actions in a similar manner, though they were slightly different and I can't go into any detail without metagaming. The point is that they all hid, to a certain extent. Kosei was still invisible with his Active Camo. Clutching his scimitar, he waited for the patrol to pass... and pass it did. They all stepped down and walked passed the unit of ANBU. As the did, Kosei looked to where Ayumu was and shook his head, as a message of not to kill them. They should probably leave as little trace as possible, so he thought. But even as the patrol passed, Kosei heard the klink klink of a ring of keys on the last man's belt. As soon as he stepped down from the higher tunnel, Kosei did what he did best. The ring holding the keys was basically a circular carribeaner. Using simple magnetic control, Kosei pulled the hinged section open, then swiped them from off his body as he passed. The guard felt nothing. Kosei chukled inwardly. Oh, the irony... he thought, stepping into the raised tunnel.

Kosei walked ahead for a bit, inspecting the keys. There were three of them: two of iron, one of brass. He turned them about in his hand while he inspected them, walking along with the others. To conserve chakra, he deactivated his Active Camo. He was, after all, past the patrol, and wouldn't probably see another one for HOLY CRAP THERE'S ANOTHER GUY RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. Kosei's first reaction was to pull him scimitar, which he did, and slice at the man's neck, which he also did. But remembering that they had to make it look as though non-shinobi had done it, he put a little more force into the slice, causing a jagged, uneven look in the cut. The man's blood spurtted a few inches, but he couldn't scream, as his vocal cords had been cut. He fell to the floor almost instantly, but Kosei caught him and leaned himover the water basin thingie, so that the man's blood spilled into that. THe water therein was so black that it was almost impossible to see the difference betreen it and the bllod. Seeing no other option, Kosei dumped the body in the water. It wasn't exactly a good hinding spot... but it was the only one.

Further up the tunnel, the group came upon a spiral staircase, leading both up and down. Kosei turned to the other two and pulled out the keys. "Well," he said in a hushed tone. "We could split up. Or, we could go together... up to you guys. I say we should go down, though."

MFT

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The whole trip through the tunnels had been made in pitch black darkness so far. This level of darkness was not something Ayumu was accustomed to, relying solely on his hand placed against the wall to tell him he was still in a tunnel. It was also silent, save for the slightest sound of breathing from his companions and himself. As they went on, it seemed like he could hear the sound of their breathing growing louder, but he realized his hearing was simply increasing slightly the longer he went without sight. When a hint of light appeared ahead, Ayumu almost didn't notice at first. The light increased as they continued and then finally reached the lit tunnel.

If it was lit, that meant it was occupied. There were people somewhere in that tunnel. This one was much larger than the previous, and certainly more well maintained, but the ugly water running down the center led Ayumu to believe the main purpose of this tunnel was not for traversing. Some kind of drain? A sewer, maybe? 'Ew, is that why the water is...' he thought, but was distracted by the shadows of three men up ahead. They were moving, and from the looks of it headed the way of the three shinobi. Ayumu glanced around quickly, but there were no places to hide. His Active Camo technique had never dropped, so he was still practically invisible, but it was still unnerving. At least the lights were dim.

Ayumu slipped against the wall as if he was trying to become apart of it, then drew a knife which he held tightly in his hand. His first instinct was to kill them, sad as that was. Kosei had the same thought and shook his head at Ayumu, but he was camouflaged so Ayumu saw nothing. As the guards neared Ayumu considered the consequences of killing them. If anybody else was in this tunnel, they would risk finding these men dead and alerting the whole fortress to their presence- which was what Takayama had told them not to do if possible. Instead, Ayumu opted to freeze in place against the wall and wait for them to pass. As they did, he noticed that they were not wearing the attire of any of the soldiers they had seen thus far. This was the mysterious third party. Ayumu studied them as they passed, then continued on sure the others were as well even if he couldn't see them.

That is until, Kosei deactivated his camoflauge and practically walked in to another guard. 'Shit!' Ayumu thought, clenching his dagger. Fortunately Kosei killed the man before he could make a sound and caught him before he hit the floor. Ayumu sighed quietly in relief and approached the body as Kosei put it in the water. The thought of using his Destroy Presence technique to get rid of the body and blood entirely crossed his mind, but if the purpose was to make it seem as if another faction was responsible it wouldn't be a bad idea to leave it for them to find later. They wouldn't expect Shinobi to be so sloppy, right?

Ayumu followed the visible Kosei up the tunnel, but didn't deactivate his camo until they reached the decision point. Up or down. Kosei pulled out the keys he had obtained a couple of minutes ago. "Nice, you got those off one of the guards?" he said before Kosei asked what they would do. Ayumu thought about it. There was no way to tell which direction the gauntlet would be in. He suspected down, because the most valuable thing would be locked away deep underground where it was safe. 'Right?' But there was no telling for sure. The decision was up to their leader, but Ayumu would make a comment. "I'd like to say we should split up, but we don't know which of these keys we'll need in which direction... so we may need to stick together. Gin?" he asked, looking to the leader to see what she'd decide. Depending, he'd start going in the direction he was ordered, alone or not.

[MFT]

 

[Santaru Rin]

The three of them made it swiftly and silently to the end of the tunnel. The fourth patrolman's body was almost entirely hidden by the murky water of the channel, lending Kosei some peace of mind. The weight of keys in his pocket was also similarly soothing. It was good to be able to make use of one's natural talents.

The spiral stair was encased in a huge concrete pipe; at the very top, light seeped in around a wooden trapdoor which appeared to be latched from the outside. From so far down, it was difficult to tell if the door was guarded or not. No one seemed to be obviously crossing over it. Downward, the stair was lit by a few far-spaced red lights embedded in the stair. They created color, yet illuminated very little besides the metal grating of the stairs.

Walking silently on these would be no simple feat.

Spoiler

Last Round's PMd Info - Kosei and Koutamon

Kosei's going to hang around the tunnel mouth and I would guess Ayumu would head to the other side and make like a chameleon. Then you spooks hang tight while 1, 2, 3 pass. Kosei pick-pockets superdeftly and gets a keyring with 3 keys--two iron, one grass. You both continue up the tunnel and come upon guard #4, who is walking a fair distance behind the other 3 in order to catch out anyone who thought they could slip by the main patrol.

These guys are not PMC and not Bakufuu, so they are your mysterious third, the Cabal, and they all appear to either be samurai or their trainees, so they are tough if you decide to scrabble with them. you're all jounin though, so they're not going to give you a hard time if you simply skulk cautiously. They are ALL men and ALL from the majority ethnic group.

So if you move up the way the patrol CAME from, you'll come into a stairwell with spiral stairs going up and down. You can choose to end the post here or you guys can continue. The next info is only known IC if you actually GO UP or GO DOWN. If you go up, you're going to end up in the redoubt. If you go down, you're going to be in a bunker of sorts. Going up: you're not going to find the gauntlet, but you will find opportunities to make trouble. Going down: you'll find the gauntlet, but have relatively fewer means of embroiling the factions DOWN THERE.

Obvs you could go up and then go down, but you'll have to be careful, and that will extend your mission.

[16:34] <Koutamon> what if we choose to go backwards
[16:35] <RantaruSin> well, you could go the other way and end up back outside, but you're going to be very close to the PMC encampment in broad daylight - again you don't know this IC but you could make a reasonable guess that something like this is likely.

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Gin didn't say much, but Ayumu agreed that splitting up would be a viable option. They could cover more ground that way... and in theory, they would find the gauntlet twice, maybe three times as quickly. The headstrong part of Kosei's personality took over, and without really waiting for the confirmation of his superior, decided which direction he would go, more by action than by speaking. He began to step down the reddish-glowing stairs, towards the basement. "I'm going downward." he said resolutely. Should they follow, he wouldn't stop them. But he WAS going down, unless Gin for some reasone stopped him.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Kosei decided that he would go down, that was all Ayumu needed. Kosei had the keys, but Ayumu would just use brute force to get past any obstacles than he had to. After all- shinobi weren't really expected to be brutes, they were expected to be more subtle. He would figure it out somehow. "I'll go up, then... unless you have objections, Gin. I think both of you should go down, but I'll leave it up to you. If any doors get in my way I'll get rid of them in a very un-shinobi like fashion. I have my headset, so be sure to make contact if you find the gauntlet or anything else significant happens- otherwise let's maintain radio silence. When one of us finds the gauntlet, we can try to meet here if possible, if not we'll secure our escapes individually and meet up at the horses. I'm also going to transform in to a soldier from the Bakufu so I can blame any shenanigans I get up to on them!" he said, putting his hands together in a seal. A cloud of smoke enveloped him for a moment and then cleared, revealing a perfect copy of of a Bakufu soldier. They had seen three on a patrol earlier before entering the tunnel, so Ayumu figured he would borrow one's appearance.

"Alright, I'm heading up. Good luck to us all," he said, moving up the stairs and reactivating his stealth for the time being. He approached the ladder to the hatch which seeped light from the slight gaps around it, then climbed to the top. Pressing gently up on it with one hand, he discovered that it would not open. It appeared to be locked from the other side- the keys would have done him no good anyway. Of course, with his strength, he could knock the hatch off its hinges entirely and jump out, but that seemed a bit too superhuman for a supposed Bakufu soldier. 'What would a muggle do?' he thought, the term he used obviously referring to non-shinobi. If he didn't have his superhuman strength, he would need leverage to open this locked hatch. He looked down at his sword, which currently appeared to be a standard Bakufu soldier issue blade. It certainly wasn't the manufacturer's intended use but it would do. He slid the thin tip of the blade through the front gap of the latch and quickly yanked it down to pry the hatch open and break the latch.

The latch no longer hindering him, he quickly pushed the hatch open while deactivating his cloaking, then hopped right out. By prying open the hatch he was more or less giving up any chance at stealth anyway. Still, he would look like a Bakufu soldier if there were guards waiting for him, and more importantly none of them would escape alive if he had his say on the matter. He would decide once he assessed the situation. #YOLO

[MFT]

 

[Santaru Rin]

With Kosei and Gin poised to descend and Ayumu ready to breach the citadel, the party was split. Always ready with a plan, the latter trainee henged into a Bakufuu soldier and stealthily climbed the spiral stair. His sword served as a crowbar, the skeleton key which opened all locks. Fortunately, disguised Kumo steel was still Kumo steel, fortified with chakra to improve tensile strength and hardness in defiance of modern metallurgy. The lock shattered with a harsh tone, leaving a smear of rust on the blade.

He popped up through the hatch. Much to his relief, Ayumu was not immediately beset upon by guards. He was in a small room, mainly empty but for dust, cobwebs, and stacks of dry-rotted crates. Muddy tracks left by kegutsu and rubber tread indicated that this hatch did, indeed, see regular use, so Ayumu's intrusion would eventually be noticed.

Upon exiting the room, Ayumu would find himself in the immense halls of the main redoubt. The building overlooked the main gate, and indeed was arrayed such that marksmen at every floor and each window could turn the courtyard between the building's front facade and the gatehouse into a killing zone. The place was quiet for now, with nary a whisper of someone on patrol, but all of that could change very easily. Someone had been--or was--here, and not too far away, two encampments were posturing for control of the fortress.

Down below in the claustrophobic stairwell were Gin and Kosei. The dank shaft led deep into the earth. As they descended, the air became warmer and stale, and the stairs were slippery with black growth. With the dim red lights, the effect was hellish. Eventually the concrete tube gave way into a great void overlooking a huge cavern below. The air was marginally fresher, but no cooler. Beneath them and away were red, flickering lights--torches, lamps, and other forms of illumination dotting the immense black. They silhouetted constructions which appeared much more ancient than the fortress above, and in their design and materials, quite alien to the Cloud shinobis' eyes.

The stair led down to a landing atop a great pinnacle of seamless, grey stone. Down there, Kosei could see that there was a guard with a lamp laid atop the low wall of the landing, as well as a small sidesword and a naginata too long to be useful in fighting in such close confines. The guard had not yet noticed them.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Despite leaping up through the hatch in a brazen way, Ayumu had kept it silent. He landed without a sound and looked around the room to find it empty, for the moment. At first glance, it was dusty and seemed underused but further inspection revealed fresh muddy tracks on the floor. Overall the room hadn't seen much use, but recently it had gotten some activity. Someone could be back soon- perhaps it was the patrol they had passed on the way in. Now that he was up here, he had the chance to resume stealth for the time being. He made a revision to his strategy simply to open the door and transformed in to the likeness of a Cabal guard with the same attire as the patrol they had passed. He didn't bother to copy a face- if anybody recognized it he wouldn't be able to mimic a voice he had never heard. He would have to hope they didn't all know every single member of their group and more immediately that nobody was outside this door.

As an afterthought, Ayumu closed the hatch in hopes that it wouldn't be immediately obvious someone had broken in if they came in this room. Heading to the door now he unlocked and opened it gently to make the least noise he could then stepped out in to the hallway to see if anyone was around. Assuming no one was he would close and re-lock the door behind himself and once more perform the seal to cloak himself in active camo. It was dim, so the camo would work especially well. Now he had to look for the gauntlet, even if it seemed more likely to be downstairs. There was also the possibility it had already been found by the faction inside the fortress. Speaking of which, this structure he was in was strangely quiet. He wondered if it was empty. Had it already been searched and cleared by the third party?

'Guess all I can do is look around,' he thought, turning right and starting down the hallway swiftly but quietly. He didn't know what he was looking for aside from the gauntlet. If possible, he hoped to perhaps find some guards to eavesdrop on for some clues on where he could locate the gauntlet or any other useful information. Some sign as to where they had all gone would also potentially be useful. Other than that, he wasn't sure what he would find, but he kept close to the wall in case he crossed paths with any patrols. If he couldn't find anything on this floor, he would try moving up if it was possible.