Ninpocho Chronicles
Ninpocho Chronicles is a fantasy-ish setting storyline, set in an alternate universe World of Ninjas, where the Naruto and Boruto series take place. This means that none of the canon characters exists, or existed here.
Each ninja starts from the bottom and start their training as an Academy Student. From there they develop abilities akin to that of demigods as they grow in age and experience.
Along the way they gain new friends (or enemies), take on jobs and complete contracts and missions for their respective villages where their training and skill will be tested to their limits.
The sky is the limit as the blank page you see before you can be filled with countless of adventures with your character in the game.
This is Ninpocho Chronicles.
Current Ninpocho Chronicles Time:
The Darkest Dungeon [Private - Avaron]
- Thread starter Mikaboshi
- Start date
Avaron
How long had she been there? Weeks...? Months...? Years? The Obsidian Palace defied physics and denied her the knowledge of the passage of time. The days passed monotonously, the only ledger she had in her mind was the changing of the guard. The words she heard them say. The celebration of a holiday, the passage of a week as they named the months and the days. Still, after long enough you begin to lose reason. There was a constant ebb of energy here in the Obsidian, a truly curious phenomenon. The structure was a source of decay; this flagging sense of life lost making the periods of wakefulness barely more than periods of sentient lethargy.
She remembered the stories, they were a staple of her childhood. In the time before time where a great hunger stirred. It came from the predator's intent and could not be sated with the thrill of the hunt or by the spoils of victory. Its hunger insatiable, the chase and the catch only deepened its esurience. Soon enough, all matter of game was caught. At least all quarry that was intended to be a part of the hunt, the game became to small... they were no longer worthy game for an apex predator so the ravenous beast turned a gilded eye to greater contenders. At they time they did not know, how could they? Sometimes mores are so old that one cannot recall why they are taboo but such proscribed things are such for a reason. They turned on their own kind, each-other at first until there was only one. They came from one and they returned to a singular entity, their essence consolidated into a lone being the others discovered how their power was greatly divided. It was then that it cast its hungry gaze beyond its realm and to the doors of the other courts, with each meal it took onto itself their victim's strength and carried on. It was their inspiration.
She was sleeping when he came but the chill that eminated from his presence as the room dropped twenty degrees pulled her from her somnolence. The chains from her wrists restlessly clanked and she first stirred. A cloud of smoke-like air escaped her mouth in a mist as her eyes opened and through hazy lenses she saw the room shift and twist. It contorted, displaced by an aberrant presence. It made her nauseous, she could feel the bitter bile in the back of her throat. She studied the chance, the displacement and the shadows as they became lively and take a life of their own as a cloaked figure emerged.
"Prisoner is awake?"
"And the Warden speaks?" She muttered. Would she know the difference between the Warden or the Deep Court Lord? No but she had heard of both and knew the difference between fact and fable. She had heard that both fell into obscurity some time ago, years ago in fact. "What has drawn you from dormancy?" She raised a tired head, "you would be the first caller to my cell in some time... finally a question or have you lost your way?"
Episode 1: 'Prized Possession'| Avaron Side Story said:[col]He had been a busy man, so tending to all his loose ends was a troublesome and never ending ordeal. If he had his way, this individual would have never ended up in the Obsidian. This was no more a prison as it was a hostel for how people that did not belong seemed to enter and leave as they pleased, and prisoners were constantly just popping up and escaping. It was one of the very reasons why he had suggested removing the ANBU HQ from the prison, it was a sorry location. If he had his way, this location would have been sunk with the rotten remains of the rest of the formerly underground village.
But as mentioned earlier-- loose ends remained. With that in mind, he found himself, once more donning his Tenken persona, one which he had been absent from for months, to pay a visit to his prized possession. He had given strict orders not to feed or even go near the prisoners cell, not because he didn't fully trust the prison staff (which he didn't) but because he continued to toy with the idea of letting her starve to death and see if she would reanimate as a skeleton and how effective that was. But he had a change of heart and approved her once a week meal. His next idea was the one he was going to begin today... that is until he came upon an interesting sight.
Someone was with the prisoner, and seemed to be chatting it up.
"Excuse me... have I interrupted a date?"
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OOC: MFT - 263
|[legend="[glow=blue][b][size=5]Tenken[/size][/b][/glow]"][/col]
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Avaron
Was she hungry, yes. She was always hungry. These months without food should have left her emaciated, skeletal in fact. It would have been a cruel way to die but she should have only lasted a matter of days without water. Unlikely a consideration for the Sennin. However, like a Ancient, it would seem she required neither. Albeit drained and unhappy, she was still very much alive and vital. Defiant when necessary. It was amazing she was not thrown into the pit a long time ago where whatever matter of monster of fiend that survived longer than the rest could rip her apart. But no, she remained here all this time. She often wondered if this was the day of her execution, but she doubted anyone sought a swift death for her. It was one of the advantages the Soverign offered oddly enough, a protracted and oft delayed demise. She was useful and she knew it, even if they spent their days ignoring her and hoping she would soon wither.
"Aargh!" A hand would strike her across the face, the knuckles abrading her cheek as her head was turned violently to the side and her mouth was filled with a metallic taste. The sound of her cry would be brief, perhaps underwhelming as it echoed through the halls but it was likely Mikaboshi was simply getting started. Her cheek stung and throbbed as she turned her face back towards her captor, she did not want to miss a thing. She was not a masochist like some of her Soverign brethren but she did not fear pain either. Pain and paucity were common among her people, it was what made what she was such a blessing. She did not realize he was so close, her head was in a fog otherwise she would have realized that he was too far but somehow had reached her.
"I must say that I am amazed you have the energy for impudence given your situation."
She let out a laugh, "what worse can be done to me. Exile to the pit?" Let her live with the vestiges of real terrors or wander aimlessly through the catacombs alone.
"Perhaps I am hungry and have simply grown tired of waiting for Sunagakure to be through with you."
He threatened, giving off an aura of malicious intent that she lacked the stamina to plagiarize. "It would seem some ANBU have become rather attached to me," there was a gleam in her eyes as she said that as well as the hint of a smirk. If she was intimidated, she was not willing to betray her dignity in admitting such. She assumed the other ANBU, her keeper, as it were had some sort of clout in the ANBU branch considering how he greedily kept her to himself. One would think him the jealous type. "Perhaps he would get lonely without his bastille mascot." She wondered if he knew that he was the first to visit her besides the metal-masked ANBU, if he did not she would not keep it a secret. The truth in this case would only deepen any paranoia or sense of disrespect the 'Warden' might feel if such things came to light, but she also wondered why. There was never an interrogation, in fact she assumed Tenken wanted nothing from her but a slow demise that he would watch at intervals. His voyeuristic tenancies were charming, but tedious, there was much to do still and hardly enough time for it all. Perhaps the 'Warden' or whomever he might actually be would pick up the pace of motivation. "Are you supposed to be here?" She shook her head side to side, "or have you come ahead on your--"
"No... in truth I am curious about how they made you so I have come to inspect you. You are not a hybrid but also not entirely human which makes you something new."
He did not seem riled by her attempts to get under his skin, to force him to make a mistake yet. He did seem to have his reasons, perhaps he was even sent if she could glean something from the words he used. She was disappointed but curious and would raise an arched brow at his inquiry. "I have no idea what you are talking about," she lied. She was about to dig her metaphorical nails back into him when the air became stale about her and with an exhale as his hand raised she would feel the tight grip of darkness wrap around her. She would instinctively move against the binding tendrils of gloom, however they nor her fetters would give way, but the shadows would appear unusual where they touched her, almost like vapor rather than tangible darkness. Avaron's own shadow would shift slightly of its own accord but do nothing more as she let out a surprised shout. It was a Deep Court Ancient most likely, she had realized and her heart began to race. "Don't touch me troglodyte!" A term that Mikaboshi would know, its literal meaning "one who creeps into holes" which became a derogatory term for Ancient survivors after Godsfall. The term pointed out the fact that many of the Ancients who fled, sought refuge in caves or in the tunnels beneath Wind Country and humans lauded their victory with the term but over the years it fell into disuse in Wind Country as there were no more Ancients remaining. The term is still used on rare occasion to refer to a human, unkempt and perhaps uncivilized as well but in the modern day that would be the only use for the term.
She would ineffectively attempt to avoid his shadows as she felt them slither over her. What little energy she had reserved thus far was being used in her struggle against the shade despite her ultimate gains from their proximity. Yes, even Mikaboshi would feel it. Not the draw from the Obsidian itself, although that too was persistent but the draw from Avaron which was similar but not the same, although much weaker. She had nothing to do with the Wild Hunt, that was not why. The manacles would abrade her wrists before one would finally *snap* but the shadows would slam her arm back against the wall with additional force. In their search, the shadows would discover several things. First, she was sealed, but the seal was nothing like Fuu's. After all, she was a voluntary participant and a collector of sorts it would appear. The seals were not obvious, dark inky blotches on her flesh, rather more like seared brands that left ridges that could be only barely felt. The symbols were old and in Runic, one of the earlier renditions in fact. He would recognize the seals, but in style only. They were similar, but not the same as the ones that Nao placed on Fuu. Perhaps there was a bit of pride placing them on a less than willing target in the Oracle's case as they were used as a means of control and manipulation on her. The question here was, of course -- what were the purposes of these? They were numerous, much more so than they were on Fuu. Effort was taken to hide these, most of which on her back so it was unlikely that they were self-scribed but he found them in other places as well.
He would also notice one symbol that he did know -- in recent years Sunagakure had taken a renewed interest in the Orders and with that came a reminder of these nearly forgotten symbols. She donned the symbol of Ranger, the mark used no ink and was more like a welt over her left breast near her sternum, above where her heart might rest. She shrieked the way some did when they would find a spider - a mixture of revulsion and fear but it was not that she feared Ancients. No, she knew how to deal with that which could not be killed, after all that is why she was here. Ancients were brutes, monsters that copulated with humans and created abominations that they called 'hybrids' which sounded much nicer than what they truly were. Ancients were the slave-drivers and the sadists, the monsters that went 'bump' in the night. Her utter and true humanity was the one thing she truly prided herself on, something many Sunans could not claim. That thread of Ancient lineage, recessive now in most because the relation far too remote was all Ancients needed to pull hard enough to resurrect their courts and they knew it. Yes, she intended to finish the task her venerable ancestors failed and destroy what they left behind, starting with The Wild Hunt.
[/quote]Episode 2: 'Care to Share'| Avaron Side Story said:[col]It would seem that the figure before him was a mixture of creepy and familiar, and if he was a betting man, there would be only one solid bet on who would go against his warnings; someone who didn't care for them. The bulk of the ANBU recruits he had brought in were done so through him personally, cultivating his own soldiers as a start of sowing loyalty. The prison staff was a bit different, but none that possessed the will or abilities as the thing before him. So his bet, and he reckoned a good one, was that this individual before him was a face that was every bit annoying as it was nostalgic. It had been a while, he had not forgotten about what the thing had twisted Fuu into.
"Oh? Anything you would care to share... I too happened to want to have a little chat with my caged birdy but why duplicate efforts?"
There was no telling how well his request would be answered. Out of all the individuals present for the union between Mikaboshi, the Sennin and the Kage, he was one of the few to not have physically fought against or truly bared his fangs to him. While he did not hold the groveling fealty to the shadow thing that Kuro did, he still kept his attitudes and actions openly neutral, if not a bit passive aggressive and playful, by comparison. Maybe somewhere within his darkness he would chose this time to be forthcoming and honor the arrangement between the them all or if maybe, just maybe, there would be some feeling of some watered down, mild respect for a former employee, one who not only gave everything to ANBU but kept it running in the absense of the former Sennin. He did not think that the latter was the forte of the ancient, as it would require some inkling of humanity. Either way, he hoped to gain something today and it was either going to be easy or hard.
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OOC: MFT - 336
|[legend="[glow=blue][b][size=5]Tenken[/size][/b][/glow]"][/col]
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Avaron
His claw would catch her arm and slam it back against the cold, stone wall with bone-rattling force. She glared up at him with a defiant expression as she still tried to shake herself free of his intimate presence. Her chains rattled but she was not able to rip herself free, the firm grip of the shadows prevented her the freedom of movement sufficient to find the force necessary. He would of course find what he was looking for, as those shadows grazed over her flesh that was never broken but was somehow branded with such fine attention to detail that the markings in and of themselves should have been a marvel to behold.
"You have much energy for someone who has been a guest in my dear palace for so long. Let me help you with that."
The tendrils, like barbed fangs would pierce her flesh, nearly impaling her as they threatened to break through the other side. It hurt and she screamed, making a harsh guttural sound as she did. There was no use resisting, but she tried all the same but it only added to the torment she felt with his shadow's invasion. Her body would feel feverish despite the cold as some of her essence was stolen from her, but as it was and Mikaboshi partook of what should have been a banquet he might feel disappointment in the quality of the cuisine he sampled. She tasted awful, like copper pennies and vinegar, it would unsettle him to the core if he continued but he would find himself quite capable of doing so if he chose to. It was likely not something he had sampled before unless he was one of the reckless Ancients that did break one of their ultimate taboos where they consumed their own kind. No, she was not an Ancient, she never was. Nor had she been gifted or fed an Ancient, like the rest. Some, such as Avaron, had their dignity and knew what it was to be human and that their humanity was the greatest asset of all. She had never eaten an Ancient and her bloodline was pure, otherwise her caste would be far below her present vocation. Or so she thought, but her power was unlike any power Sunagakure had faced before, those seals on her body did in fact serve a singular purpose. She was eating... she was eating all the time, that is why she did not starve. When she walked through a marketplace she took from them threads of what tied them to an Ancient heritage, Whatever lingering spark of muddied blood they might have and it became her source of power until she exhausted it. She was slowly losing her humanity through consumption and she did not, could not realize. She would not believe it even if she was told otherwise.
She took back nearly as much as he consumed during this exchange, his shadowy 'magic' as it were empowering her. It was truly a passive effect for her, she did not need to try, it would simply happen but there would be no taste and no sense of satisfaction in the darkness she stole from him in exchange for a chunk of her humanity along with threads from countless courts, many obscure and forgotten. She would feel the hollowing from Mikaboshi's act of diminution. The lethargy from her weakened state despite her own gains beneath the Deep Court monster's domination.
"Don't touch me troglodyte!" Those were the words she said, she had forgotten that such words had no bearing her in Sunagakure. Such antediluvian words of derision were lost over the centuries. She had forgotten but she was reminded as his talon-like fingers wrapped around her throat, robbing her breath and adding a deeper bite to the bitter chill. Her lips were turning blue from the cold and she lacked the strength to shiver, never-mind try to strike him when he came into range.
"Now from whence did a whelp your age learn an insult like that?"
She took a few deep, pained breaths as she stared into the darkness beneath the robe. "Home," she rasped. The truth would do her no harm, as her father would always say ...and if the truth be dangerous bend it for your gains. Ancients, the Deep Court in particular, she was keenly familiar with. Their inability to lie and their propensity to deceive. Others simply outright lied, their needs and wants obvious in the fabricated statements they made. It was one of the many things that made mortal men and immortal Ancients so different. "U-unless you needed a lesson in the meaning of words," she muttered back mustering what little determination she still had despite her pains "and have forgotten your history in your old age." The insult was forced, it lacked the snappiness and sass a more capable Ranger could have mustered certainly as a welling sense of doubt started to fill her mind. She doubted now that he was -sent- for her, but he was here for her the same and he would devour her. When she did not know, it could be minutes from now or perhaps hours or even days.
Still, death by an Ancient menace was an honorable death. There were worse fates, although few less painful.
She steeled her resolve, not to survive, but to deny him as much pleasure as possible from their encounter and his tendril's perverse wanderings. Some fates, less honorable than others. She would try to take from him more than he took from her, the ebb and flow of energy perhaps making her too much effort for the perceived gains, not truly realizing that it was only a demonstration of gluttony for her to do so. Because gluttony would be her sin. It would be then that another visitor would have make themselves known, she knew the voice despite the fact that he was not one for words: Tenken. Relief washed over her as ironic as it might seem because he had been her tormentor these past weeks... months... perhaps years... Mostly through denial of resources and perceived needs, he was more a negligent jailer in her eyes at this point waiting for her to die. Still, she understood pride and possession. She felt that Tenken considered her his, that being why he refused to share. The ruckus being what called him here because why else would her distressed cries pique the attention of a fellow fiend.
She wondered if she could use this to her advantage.
Their exchange was brief and she hoped that it would naturally devolve, but rather than devolve it appeared that they were going to collaborate. That Tenken had come here of his own volition to seek answers to an unasked question. Her eyes would lock on Tenken for a moment as she looked past the shoulder of the cloaked figure that had pinned her. What did she know. What could she used against either one of them. "Friends? ...Neither of you truly seemed to be the type," she pried as her own shadow would creep close to Tenken's heel. A single strand no thicker than a hair would start to travel up his leg. She was looking for a weapon, something to cut the monster off of her. If she found a sword, a knife or anything truly sharp and dangerous she would try to rip the blade from the holster and wildly brandish the dangerous blade as she flung it at Mikaboshi's midsection. [Simply shadow manipulation, feel free to evade or deny because she is very weak]
Episode 3: 'Otogakure no Sato'| Avaron Side Story said:[col]Mikaboshi would continue his questioning or torturing or questurtoring of the Ms. Ten. She mentioned home and that seemed to spur a small response from Mikaboshi, but it also perked up Tenken a bit as that was where his questioning was going to eventually go. After mentioning creating a file, the eyes of Roku would roll behind his mask. There was some small amount of selfishness that had him wanting the information now for his own personal gain and not fully caring for the dissemination to the rest of his cohort. However, even if it was an attempt to keep from sharing information with him, it was at least notable that he seemed interested in continuing to be a team player. He would then actually share something with him, the mark upon her.
"Well, now that is..."
And before he could fully remark, something else intriguing would happen as the pressure from his sheathed blade would lessen. His eyes would snap down as his hand would quickly reach out catching the blade by the hilt. Without hesitation he would firmly snap the blade down into the ground, burying the steel deep into the floor as his grip remained.
"...interesting."
He would notice the weak, hair-thin tendril that had managed to worm its way around his leg. The muscles in his leg would begin to flex and bulge as he would raise it and slam it down into the ground, denting the flooring inward and hopefully shaking free of the grasp of the thin obstruction. Clearly, he did not like the floor.
"No need to rush to bring out my blade, we will get there in due time... but it seems your annoying abilities are still as lively as ever."
His artificial hand, concealed under a glove, would raise up and begin to pantomime stroking a beard upon the masked face of Tenken.
"Strange mark, strange abilities and a strange partnership with The Sovereign... my dear number 10, what are the denizens of Tea Country hiding over there... and why would your ilk choose to side with someone like that corrupt king in Sora? A marriage and your servitude, what an odd amount of support..."
Would she answer, would she give a worthwhile answer... would it ultimately matter?
Answers to these questions and more, on the next episode of...
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OOC:
|[legend="[glow=blue][b][size=5]Tenken[/size][/b][/glow]"][/col]
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Avaron
The chill that enveloped her beneath this jagged restraint was robbing her of her strength and vitality but she seemed to be taking back his gains in the energy swapping impasse. Of course, there was also Roku's vigor now that he was within range. He would feel that slight tug at the sinews of his heart that would make them ache and a mild sense of breathlessness like as if he bounded up a flight of stars. His energy was wildly different from Mikaboshi's, unlike her own but familiar all the same. She knew it well as it was the same as her compeers among the Soverign, people if you could call them that, that she felt she was far above in both prowess and dignity. She had known what Tenken was for some time, but his energy was aberrant and changing, of course that was because he was sacrificing his humanity for power and in the process becoming an amalgamation of everything worth hating. If the Deep Court Ancient had so many questions, he should ask him.
Did he know? She doubted it.
The cloaked Ancient had a moment of show and tell as he exposed her mark to her masked keeper. She had nothing to say about it, the mark was what it was but she doubted they fully understood what that mark meant or in the Ancient's case remembered. But neither of them would have to ask, they would not live long enough to do so as a fiber-thin strand of shadow wormed up his leg, twisting about his thigh in the process before settling upon the hilt of Tenken's blade. The tendril would tightly wrap about the weapon, assuredly the one gifted to him by the self-proclaimed Death Court Lord who was in reality still nothing more than a hybrid trying to outrank his 'betters' from an Ancient's perspective. With a single, smooth motion the shadows would pull Tenken's sword from its scabbard and it would twist about in flight as if it was being wielded by an unseen swordsman as her shadows attempted to stab Mikaboshi through the back.
The weapon would be caught in flight, the blade itself embedded into the stone floor as he slammed the reckless weapon into the ground in a singular, violent motion. The floor would crack and pebbles would spray about the area immediately around, raining down on Mikaboshi's back as well as Avaron's exposed legs. He would flex his legs and the near intangible thread that had twisted around his leg would become painfully tight before it would recoil like a pulled rubber band. He would attempt to stomp on the shadow, leaving a crater where his foot found the ground and the shade. But shadows cannot be caught, they cannot be trapped, yet in some eerie cases they can take form. He would be free of the shadow, but the shadow was certainly not trapped beneath his heel. It appears she met the meat-head of this duo. If she had the strength she would laugh at her observation, a has-been Ancient and a meathead that punches until his problems go away.
"Strange mark, strange abilities and a strange partnership with The Sovereign... my dear number 10, what are the denizens of Tea Country hiding over there... and why would your ilk choose to side with someone like that corrupt king in Sora? A marriage and your servitude, what an odd amount of support..."
She let out a weak cough, she was short of breath from exerting herself as she had while Tenken inserted himself into this scenario. He said something that stood out to her, the fact that they mentioned Tea Country. That is a fact that she never shared.
She hid the surprise on her face at the stated connection as the pot called the kettle black. "Playing dumb are we?" Perhaps it was time for the focus to be on the miscegenation. "I can feel what you are, the threads they fed you... how long have you been lying?" As father always said, no reason to lie and if the truth is dangerous bend it to your gains. "How long have you been hiding your true nature?"
She did not know exactly what he was, but she knew enough. There was only one way a man's power would feel like his did -- hybrids were a mixture where both aspects of the nature took their fair share of the biology whereas the Soverign were human. Some might have had a mixed heritage, being a hybrid before a Soverign but their lineage hardly mattered. Throwaways each and every one of them. They were primarily human and their Ancient gains came through -- well, that is an explanation for a later time now isn't it.
Episode 4: 'Nao is the Time'| Avaron Side Story said:[col]She attempted to turn Mikaboshi's attention toward himself. It was a good play and far too annoying that things like her could discern whatever it was that he happened to be. It would make running from it that much more difficult, but that wasn't really too much to say until he better understood himself.
"Deflection, already hitting the bottom of the barrel?"
Mikaboshi had glanced at him twice, which the first time would not have been an issue but the second would cause some concern. Fortunately, it wasn't like Roku had been lying to the faces of his compatriots this entire time as suspicious rose against him. Whatever had happened to him was dormant and slowly started to bubble up. Recently the awakening had been more rapid than the past but it wasn't like he had set answers. Sure, the assumption he held was he was merely a reject of the Sovereign and potentially Nao, but there was no solid proof. Either way, he was not the one in a cell, and Mikaboshi had redirected her attention to his own question on a subject he was curious about as well. He red glowing eyes would turn slightly to lock dead on with the female.
"I would highly encourage you to answer him, he is not near as forgiving as I am."
Was that the complete truth? Who cared. All that mattered was her talking and giving something of use while conditions were still as amicable as they could be in this situation. There would be a pause for her to have time to answer Mikaboshi's request to know about Nao. Tenken also had some questions but wanted to see how she went with this subject before addressing something that had been bugging him since he made his way to the prison.
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OOC: MFT - 301
|[legend="[glow=blue][b][size=5]Tenken[/size][/b][/glow]"][/col]
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Avaron
She was taking in both the Deep Court Ancient as well as the miscegenation, she could feel their essence inside of her. The masked ANBU in the back was physically strong, she wondered just how strong he was truly as she felt his essence fortify her lame limbs. The Deep Court Lord was full of tricks, his icy presence seemed to take less of a toll on her as the moments passed and her shadows grew restless, lively even as they slithered and started to snatch. Another fang would pierce her breast, causing ineffable agony to rack her thin, tired form. Draining as much as she took, threatening to perhaps try and take more. It made her mind numb, the pain was drowning out all thought and reason. Instinct dictated that she needed to bite back, but there were some things worse than dying to a true Ranger.
The questioning would persist, however, there was a moment of uncertainly she identified even if it was only for a moment. Perhaps she misinterpreted it as interest or concern. It mattered little as long as attentions would divided and certainty was challenged. "Nao?" She echoed through gritted teeth. Of all men, a fascination with Number Five? Of course she knew him as much more than a member of the Soverign or as a 'confidant' to the Diamyo. She knew him as a part of the Otokage's inner circle and as a confidant to Kageoni Yami as well. Of course, those were all peripheral relationships, friendships and while meaning could be divined from their proximity they meant nothing truly but things could most certainly be inferred. Of course what they were asking was not 'who did he know' but 'who was he.' Nao was a man. A better man than either of them could be even with their protracted lives if they tried. "Adherent and Adviser of Daimyo Ishii, godfather to the Daimyo's legitimate heirs Sango and Susumu, and member of the Daimyo's closest council." She answered through gritted teeth, all that she said was true but was that all? It was certainly not what they wanted to hear and she knew it. She waited for the wave of pain that would surely follow.
Her backed arched as the pain surged through her. Survive, for now she would but she knew that she could not hold out forever. Even with the gifts Nao gave her. They were looking for a monster.
She can give them one.
"What do you want to know about him? His sins? His vices? His weaknesses of mind or heart?" She was trying to wrestle back some control, she knew something and they wanted it. That was one of the few things she had on her side considering her present predicament. That and the doubt she saw, even if for a moment. There was a sense of wondering skepticism but he gravity it bore was questionable. Was it merely a passing curiosity or was it a concern that she could did her nails into. That was not something that she could be entirely certain of but she needed to nurture the unsavory sentiment that might be festering. But again it was hard to concentrate through the pain. "He cannot stand in sunlight... Requires the vitality of others to stave off madness and to survive... and committed the first sin." Was that the truth? Maybe. How would they know? "Oh... and..." She grimaces as she tried to move her arm, angle her wrist and point with an unclenched hand towards Tenken. "He would know better than I."
Episode 5: 'Rock and an Ancient Place'| Avaron Side Story said:[col]Mikaboshi would make his intentions of turning Avaron into on of his bastardized hybrids. Outwardly, due to his mask and cloak covering his body, nothing would appear to happen. Behind his mask, however, Roku would grit his teeth to the point it felt like each and every one of them was about to burst into dust under the pressure. His lip snarled up like a ravenous beast ready to strike. If killing intent could be felt, then its stench would be strongly emitting from Tenken. The thoughts of what Fuu was twisted into was still a fresh and not completely healed wound, but he still needed to see this play out. After the both of them held strong in not falling for her attempt to turn them, there was some doubt that Mikaboshi would turn around and intentionally provoke him.
Think... she said something that was a word I hadn't ever heard, by inference I could tell it was an insult, but Mikaboshi seemed to know it. My under three decades of life in comparison to his lifetime is a drop in the bucket, so sure he knows words that have faded from our vernacular. But she used it, and while it is curious as to why she used it, she did so purposefully. All of her words are carefully chosen with intentions of provocation. So then there are a couple of things at play with her but lets go with the two easiest routes to follow; 1) she is older than she appears or 2) she is being trained by a source that is older, whether that is teaching material or an instructor. She bares the symbol of the Rangers, she has an open disdain for the thought of Mikaboshi and whatever the hell I am... so it has to do with the Ancients. Rangers were created to hunt their kind... does that mean... hmmmm, so there is something awfully strange going on in Tea Country. So she is different from the other members of the Sovereign, she asked to be placed in their ranks which means her strength would have superseded any Ancient essence she might have received. So let's go with this; she has been raise in the Ranger ideology since her youth, so what does that mean. That means that someone kept the Orders alive in Tea Country, or at leas the Rangers aspect. So if that is the case, why is there a disdain for Suna? What warped her to believe that we are the enemy... could it be that we allowed the orders to fade? Also, the Rangers and a hatred for Ancients... why join the Sovereign. What is her objective... what was her Sovereign objective? Why did she come here and why did she wait patiently here... hmmmmm...
"A fate worse than death... taking this proud Ranger and twisting her into nothing more than a breed of the things she loathes... hilarious."
His words were assumptions but he hoped that Mikaboshi was bluffing and that Avaron was indeed staunchly raised in the Ranger upbringing. If those two proved true, then this bluff would work. If Mikaboshi did try to turn her or Avaron wasn't a Ranger, then this plan went to shit in a hurry.
"When she becomes one of your minions-- I mean more accommodating, I would like to ask her about her mission, but that can wait until you've assimilated her into your court. No rush."
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OOC: MFT - 575
|[legend="[glow=blue][b][size=5]Tenken[/size][/b][/glow]"][/col]
[/legend]
Avaron
It was heart to breathe beneath the pressure and despite Ancient's icy presence. She was looking past the shadowy monster, through the darkened haze at the creature to his back. It was no friend of hers was it? No, of course not. Nao's indecent obsessions might be reprehensible by nature, they made her skin crawl but they were strict adherents to the Order's mandate. Still she watched for a reaction, surprise, anger, even indifference.
"That is a tiresome misdirection."
Indifference it is.
"Was it?" She gasped painfully as another wave of pain wracked her body. If this persisted, they were going to kill her. She did not fear pain, hunger or even death. She did not welcome it either but she was fully prepared to die here and she did not suffer from the delusion that death would be easy for her. If anything she was a seeker of death in this scenario. While she did not come to Sunagakure to die but she was willing to sacrifice herself for the Order if that was what was required of her.
So this is how I am going to die. The least I could do is spit in their eye.
It was hard to be brave but somehow she smiled through the pain, she would be defiant until the end. She would do her people proud. She would not fold and she would not forget everything that they taught her. She would protect them. She would protect their future. Her sacrifice would have meaning and all she had done would not be in vain. That was what she believed. What she hoped.
They were not going to get anything out of her that they did not already know.
"If that is all you have to say on the matter, perhaps I should simply go about my business and be gone. After all I am sure you will be more receptive to my questions once you have joined me in the shadows."
Her mind was in a fog from the pain, she did did not read between the lines. Not at first. He was leaving, that was all she heard -- that he would be 'gone.' She was relieved and while he tried to not show it, her body relaxed. At least her shoulders did. The pain was no less, in fact it was getting worse but she did not care. He was bored. He was leaving.
Foolish girl.
"A fate worse than death... taking this proud Ranger and twisting her into nothing more than a breed of the things she loathes... hilarious."
The ANBU to Mikaboshi's rear clarified. The color drained from her face, the smile faded. She started to shake; she could not help it. She did not have a snappy come back, a threat to make. She could not think of one. She screamed.
"Dur nAu hi, VODahMIn ahRK sahLAG KrUziik DrOG!"
She snapped and fought against the chains, her exhaustion irrelevant. Her words were blocky, coarse, those words were not her native tongue but she knew the words all the same. Every child learned. They never forgot. They were words that Mikaboshi would know: Curse on you, unremembered and pathetic Ancient Lord. As for the man in the back, the words would seem familiar, like the lyrics to a song he had long ago forgotten. She needed to be brave but in reality all she felt was terror and disgust. The words were all bluster, a desperate attempt to toss the Ancient off-balance using their long-forgotten language. The insult she hurled at him was the only thing that caused a rise from the Ancient. Her mind was reaching, while she knew it was hopeless that her people would come and even less that she would be able to break free on her own but she did not want to suffer the disgrace of corruption: It is better to die than to preserve her life by incurring that terrible disgrace. To sacrifice her humanity. The loss of life is but a moment's grief, but being one of THEM would bring grief every day."
She would not be corrupted.
"When she becomes one of your minions-- I mean more accommodating, I would like to ask her about her mission, but that can wait until you've assimilated her into your court. No rush."
The abomination mocked. Yes, that is what he was, an abomination and she recognized it. He stunk of them and thought he could be both when he was neither. She let out a yell of pain and frustration as she pulled herself closer to Mikaboshi, letting his shadowy tendrils rip deeper into her, the limitation being her weakness and restraint. It was getting harder to breathe, she could smell her own blood. "Zu'u fund milaar dir," she grunted, a mist of blood would escape her mouth as she told him I would rather die. And she meant that, even if she had to assist in her own murder. "Krii zey hi nikriin!" Kill me you coward!
But she was not that brave. She was brave enough to die, yes. But she was not brave enough to become one of them.
"Nid, lig nid." No, please no.
Episode 6: 'Babbling Brook'| Avaron Side Story said:[col]It would seem that the gamble had played off thus far, the threats from both Tenken and Mikaboshi seemed to send the color running from the face of the proud woman. She would grow panicked and begin speaking in a language that sounded very wonky. It was like she knew the words but they weren't hers, a child repeating something a grandparent had said. What's more, the words would not strike him as truly meaningful as they would familiar. Almost a deja vu like quality to them. Was this more credibility to the one teaching the shinobi back in Tea Country were being instructed by someone very old and very well versed in The Orders? It was almost a given that they had information on The Orders, so that wasn't so much the question he still had about it. It was more so on the source of their knowledge. Person or records stolen from the Oracles. That, however, was not the most pressing set of questions he had.
She would continue to squirm as Mikaboshi would draw closer and continue his psychological torture of the prisoner. There was some concern with how far the Ancient was willing to take this and some even bigger concerns with if touching her was a good idea as her powers seemed to be a particularly large nuisance. There was hope that her fracturing mental and emotional state would play favorably in keeping her from acting on her gifts, but she was more stubborn than the two of them so he would be prepared to strike should she pull something.
"Hmmm, I have several questions but the one that I am dying to know... or at least she will be dying, in a figurative sense as she would be reborn a hybrid, to tell me... most people give up hope upon entering these depths, most people would begin to go mad in the silence of this void, especially since I removed contact with other people from you, and most would have at least shown some sign of breaking from the lack of regular food and water. You are not. You strike me as someone waiting, someone who is perfectly content being in this prison."
Approaching her while her and Mikaboshi were originally talking when he happened on them was when it struck him. She appeared less like someone in prison and more like someone waiting.
"Care to tell me, before you become a pet of The Deep, who or what you are hoping to find here?"
That was when it hit him, something she had said from the very beginning. She had said it mixed with a taunt, but the way she said it seemed to be with more emphasis. Like there was something within her had hoped she would get to this location. And while he did not fully understand why anyone would want to be placed there or just placed further into the recesses of this place in general, it almost made sense. There was something within the darkness, the furthest reaches, that he himself was curious about. The strange draining energy of this location was a mystery to him, possibly the result of an incomplete handoff of power from Mikaboshi to Kazuki and Roku, but there was definitely a hunger in this place. It called to him. It was like there was something inviting down in the bottom of this hole that wanted him to stop by. A mixture of intrigue, fear and a small trace of familiarity. But, he never venture down because of several reasons. The struggle to return from the ultimate depth of this place would crush even the strongest person, he believed. Whether mentally or physically, this place only got less forgiving the further you went in. It did not register friend of foe or discriminate. Most importantly, he was always busy elsewhere to go and take care of things out of the palace. Maybe if he had hung around more in the actual presence he would have smelled it, felt it or noticed it; that something in the prison wreaked of Ancient.
"Something is in The Pit..."
It was not so much a question as a realization himself and an open ended lingering thought for both Mikaboshi and Avaron, or at least get someone to respond.
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OOC: MFT - 711
|[legend="[glow=blue][b][size=5]Tenken[/size][/b][/glow]"][/col]
[/legend]
Avaron
[col]
[/spoilername]There were no heroes here. Just lesser and greater villains.
She stiffened as the back of his hand ran down the side her face. She tried to look away, to avoid his touch. There was something worse, more invasive with the tender almost taunting contact his flesh made that caused her flesh to want to crawl. It was hard to be brave, she did not want to endure. She did not want to change. She wanted to die. Death was a release from not only the pain but also from a worse fate. She wondered how much strength she would have to muster to impale herself further. The shadows were not far from her vital organs; she just needed to finish the job. A cold shiver ran through her. The sharpened ends of his claws ran down her throat, she screamed at him to kill her. In her mind's eye she could see it -- the curved hook-like nails would rip into her pallid flesh and her blood would spew from the open gash in a crimson spray as her arteries were severed. If he dug deep enough she would not even have to bleed out if his talons dug deep enough and broke into her trachea; she might even drown. Yes, she was hoping to die even if the death was painful and brutal. Bleeding out would not be so bad. Being ripped apart would only hurt for a few moments and she was already numb to the pain, his shadows like fangs already had her in their bite. Mikaboshi was draining her life essence as fast as she could take theirs. She could not get ahead but her body was unwilling to die. How she desperately wished now for a weaker form.[/col]
"But you must understand that your life is no longer about what you want, my pet. It is about what I want... I have so many questions that need to be answered."
It was getting hard to breathe. She tried to look away. Her only response a pained grunt through gritted teeth. She hated them both with every fiber of her being, whatever indifference she might have had. Whatever hesitation that might have blunted her resolve had faded during her confinement and this final offense.
"And answer them you shall. Once I've made you more pliable to my desires. Tenken, have you anything to say before I begin my work? I expect the process will be... protracted."
How about stop? You have gone too far?
No, those are the things the hero says and there are no heroes here, only lesser and greater villains. A hero does not isolate and does not starve. They do not torture and they do not strip others of their dignity or humanity.
There was no way out. There was no hope. She would thrust herself forward and hope that she would die.
But she would not.
It was not for lack of effort or even the Dark Lord's keen skill but rather dearth of strength. The effort feeble and tired. She would cough up a mouthful of blood and while her condition was dire, she was far from dead.
"Hmmm, I have several questions but the one that I am dying to know... or at least she will be dying, in a figurative sense as she would be reborn a hybrid, to tell me... most people give up hope upon entering these depths, most people would begin to go mad in the silence of this void, especially since I removed contact with other people from you, and most would have at least shown some sign of breaking from the lack of regular food and water. You are not. You strike me as someone waiting, someone who is perfectly content being in this prison."
Yeah, she was aware. She was there for the whole fucking ordeal.
"Care to tell me, before you become a pet of The Deep, who or what you are hoping to find here?"
"I am malleable," she muttered the old mantra. She looked past the the darkness and the chilly haze, "more malleable than either of you." Was this a moment of defiance? Perhaps, but if it was it would surely be her last. Words had real power when used as intended.
"Something is in The Pit..."
Tenken concluded. He was not wrong even if it was quite a leap in logic. After all the righteous ANBU Captain simply detailed the inhumane conditions he had left her in -- this state of physical and psychological neglect. Yes there was something the lived in the dark and the deep. A low hacking guffaw would erupt from her, they did not know or they did not remember? She wondered which since they were bedding a monster with a truly voracious appetite. "I believe he is set in his ways." Not everything is malleable, at least to her.
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