The Dune's Eye (Contract)

[Okada Kaji]

The Dune's Eye
A Jomei Matsui Adventure


Crystal clear glass reflected the starch white desert sands, and his copper pipe shimmered. The view through his telescope lens was shaky, and Jomei struggled to hold it for the desert heat. The setting of this tale was a vast desert; in fact, the most fertile and expansive desert known to man. From one edge of the world to the other... Despite much nay-saying from the SRD community, he did believe the world was round. Jomei was sure that no other place in the world compared to this.

In a single year’s time: Jomei had gone from an expedition to Kiri's acrtic center to the greatest desert ecosystem ever known. The Wind territory's size rivaled his own nation, and contained a variety of biomes. Yet the wind nation's reputation came from the great Sunan Plains. This arid, scorching land has barred many outsider’s from ever settling for eons. Despite the desert's natural defense against settling, it could support life with proper effort. A few nomadic tribes dared to live in the mountains of this land. and it was one of their distress calls that led Jomei to the land today.

How far would he go for the sake of innovation? That was the question furrowing his brow, as Jomei had come so far away from home yet again in search of something. But what for? In search of enlightenment or a means to an end, maybe, but it could have just as easily been the hint of excitement. Jomei revealed himself, standing besides and anchored and braked Sandyacht. The machine was a single-seated, light-framed steel carriage, with a two-sail propulsion rig. Jomei wore a pair of goggles to shield his eyes from the gusts rich with sandy debris and pebbles. Dust covered every inch of him, until his crimson uniform was unrecognizable. Jomei sought his destination from across the horizon with his trusted telescope and map. Upon recognizing the green speck in the distance, he released his breaks, and let the wind whisk him away. He set off towards the grotto; one of many valley paradises disregarded as illusions brought on by the heat. Yet this paradise was a rare truth, and a secret of the land. At the behest of a family of nomads, Jomei has come in search of an oasis with no name. With wind in his sails, Jomei piloted his contraption down a slope that must have stood a mile high. He resembled a dust ball as he slid into the grassy valley oasis. He came to a skidding halt among the dense vegetation, like a ship running aground on the shore. This oasis destination was a lush forest setting, rife with isolated samples of plant-life. The lone ninja anchored his carriage, and resumed his search on foot, pushing to the valley.

By now, you may be wondering what kind of plight would invite Jomei to venture out to the wilds of the wind lands. "There they are" the sound of Jomei's voice spoke with intrigue, and echoed through the brush. He arrived to a patch of wild flowers, where bright sun light penetrated a dense forest shroud. Flowers with bright red, and pick pedals, and plump green seed pods grew unhindered along the forest floor. Seemingly cautious towards the plant-life, Jomei continued his visual inspection and tracked forth. It took him roughly five minutes of wandering to find what he sought; one corpse of a nomad who met his fate. He was little more than a skeleton in rags, and held an empty rotten basket. Jomei knelt down to inspect the body, and confirmed that it was the body he was sent to find. The nomads who survive off of this oasis claim that a predator threatens their prosperity. Jomei brushed his fingers along the skeleton's bones, collecting residue from a powerful poison the coated the corpse and withering grass around it. Gifted with an immunity to most poisons, Jomei was an ideal candidate to aid the nomads, and came to find a solution to their troubles here. Something had taken up a residence here, and defied the nomad's efforts to manage the unique crops found in the oasis. Assuming that touching the crop would anger his voyeur, Jomei watched and waited quietly for a sign of the oasis's unknown hunter.

- WC 722
- Marked for Training.
- Noting Poison Resistance is granted by Hachihashi Toxic Passive.
- Attempting Contract Search.
- Seeking Immersion.

 

[Hashigaki Kauru]

The Lizard Contract was found!

Do you Accept or Decline?​

<i></i>

 

[Okada Kaji]

Through his browsing Jomei found the first signs of the creature who loomed through this hidden oasis. There were splits in the grass, claw-prints in the mud, and the occasional shed scale left behind. It was then that Jomei heard the sounds of something moving, hiding in the shadows. The young ninja grew tense and all the more weary of his surroundings, so sure that something was stalking him, watching and waiting.

Jomei accepts.

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

The corpse would reveal a good amount of details if closely inspected, though for now, it seemed the Ninja was tense about other, more important things. Something was walking, with a really light build that barely separated the grass. The strange, little thing was not seen but heard. The grass gently rustled around it due to its low weight, swarming through lush green grass that nearly waved for Jomei's attention. That would be if a couple other spots didn't begin to mimic the movements of the first. The swarm of scaled lizards could be counted on a single hand, yet seemed to blend in well enough that there appeared to be more along the blurred lines of 12 lizards. The little creatures would stay for a few scant moments and just like their appearance, scatter away in a flurry of activity! A deep, low and bland beeping like sound could be heard, almost like the warning call before a bullet hell boss dropped in. The Light squeaking would come from a small stack of rocks with a dark brown little lizard on top.

With one really hard to see lizard on the rocks, close to eight things in the grass rushing away at full speed, and one corpse on the ground, the scene was well full of activity.

 

[Okada Kaji]

First came one, and then another. Piles of leaves and grass shook and split as the oasis wilds came alive. A lounge of scampering reptiles were busy, spying and fleeing as their species do. They were gone as quickly as they emerged, and left the lone human in awe at their appearance. Full of intrigue, Jomei did not hesitate to follow the little reptiles at once. He raised the hood of his concealing cloak, and shook off the bits of sand until the magic properties of the cloth began to take effect. Jomei blended into the shade provided by the dense tree canopy, and chased after the creatures with an almost playful energy to him. Jomei was agile and spry, and moved with quiet, reflexive actions through the underbrush; behind every sundered tree’s stump, or surfaced boulder. He made for the friendliest hunter possible, and stopped every few movement actions to check his pouch for some kind of peace offering to give these reptiles. He had a few crumbled crackers, and a bag of fire-feather jerky he felt a bit reluctant to share.

Some light reading of a local survival manual during his passage to the wind country managed to enlighten Jomei to basic knowledge about the region’s wildlife. It was a thick, old text book written by someone particularly proud of the region’s collection of monsters and misfits. He read the book, and several others from cover to cover during the week long convoy. While the manual mostly exaggerated how terrifying the native wildlife could be, it did so with the purpose of keeping it’s reader willfully confined to their humble city lives, safe behind their village walls. To keep them away from the secret sanctuaries hidden from mankind; places like this oasis. But aside from anecdotal descriptions of carnosaurs and sandworms, Jomei came to know of the numerous species that inhabited the region, and quickly narrowed down his options after the brief sighting. Most reptile species live in solitude, and lizards in that size wouldn’t have made a meal from prey the size of an adult human, or so Jomei considered.

He cleverly slowed his paces and crept towards a clearing in that oasis setting. The dense forestry was broken apart at the feet of a rocky, mountainous shape that arose like a cliff, and overlooked the vast oasis surrounding it. It was at that moment that Jomei understood that the little game of cat and mouse was more of a summons, and that he had arrived at the foot of a mighty stone throne. “Ah, well it appears I have stumbled into a nest” he figured upon taking a good look around. It made perfect sense, after all. Reptiles are truly cold-blooded, making a sunny cliff the perfect home, surrounded by shady, dense hunting grounds, also perfect and balancing to their kind. “My name is Jomei the... a human.” Many creatures of the shinobi world are much smarter than what you may be accustomed to, and as such Jomei expected that his lurking company understood the common tongue. “I am a shinobi, and have come on behalf of the nomad tribe settled east from here. The ones who have been trespassing on your land. They want to reach a peaceful agreement with you to harvest the red flowers growing in your forest gardens.” Jomei humbled himself in front of the cleverly hidden creatures, and knelt despite seeing no one hidden in his direct line of sight. He even revealed the transparent bag of dehydrated poultry he coveted, and set it down. “Come on guys, let’s talk about this.”

600wc

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

Talk, that was the keyword that would drive away the silence. And there was one person there that hated silence beyond anything! With that invitation echoing out, one of the grass piles would stop moving. The thing inside would blaze forward before leaping head first at Jomei, letting off a slight whistle as it did! The Lizard revealed itself halfway through its jump, crashing into the Earth in front of the Shinobi. That was, until the size of the bugger was found! The inch long lizard was covered in a sandy texture of skin. It was dark brown, with blobs of lighter clay tans. It looked as if it was a creature that was born from the sand itself, which lead to its amazing natural camouflaging abilities. Its hunchback leads to its tiny tail that curved downwards limply in a near transparent peach. On the literal other end of the lizard, its fingernail shaped head had large eyes for its body, taking up about a third of its entire face. The little chameleon would go invisible once more as it scurried up the pant leg of Jomei...

The Lizard would reveal itself on Jomei's shoulder, showcasing its invisibility with a few twitches of its triangular eyes. It spoke a squeaky anger, "We were protecting those flies, dickhead!" It would try to attack Jomei with its weak tongue, flicking the side of his head. It took a few steps forward before squeaking out, "If you have a death wish, just wait, when boss comes home he wi-" The little thing sniffed the air, seeing the bag of poultry. The little lizard had never seen anything like it before, so it asked, "What... is... that?" It was an alluring aroma, but it was weak due to the lack of water. Thankfully they were near an oasis!

 

[Okada Kaji]

Jomei did an awkward dance as the small creature slipped up his pant leg, attempting to shake it free and drop the thing back to the ground. But the sly lizard was too agile, and too crafty. The small lizard defied him and emerged from beneath Jomei’s collar, positioned perfectly to berate the human adventurer. To be so small, the lizard didn’t lack in attitude and whipped at Jomei harmlessly with it’s tongue. “Protecting the flies, you say” Jomei replied, realizing something while he said so. The small lizard didn’t care for Jomei’s building insight, and it’s wide, glaring eyes focused intently on the offering Jomei set out for the mysterious boss the critter mentioned in the moment’s passing. This boss was most-likely who Jomei ventured out to this oasis for, and when the small, snouted reptile made the remark, it earned a prize.

A morsel of the jerkied poultry was revealed in one of Jomei’s palms; an offering of sorts. “Oh, this?” Though it was just a hunch, his plan was working. “This is smoked fire feather, a delicacy where I come from- the land of earth, far far away. You’re welcome to try a piece, but I ought’ to save some for this boss of yours.” He kept the hand holding the morsel out and rigid, aiming to ease the small creature’s passage from his shoulder down to his, and into his palm. As he did so, he cautiously put the remaining bag away, sealing it tightly upon remember how the creature so easily wormed it’s way into his clothing before. “Introduce me to ‘im, and there will be more jerky in it for you, too.”

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

The little beasty looked at the prize, nearly drooling at the mouth. It opened it's maw, preparing its powerful muscles to snatch the prize out of Jomei's hands, it stopped when it noticed just how far off the jerky was. The Chameleon looked up to Jomei and asked, "So... you honestly believe I would fall for a trap where you could easily grab me?" The lizard stomped with rage, which would be a gentle tapping on Jomei's shoulder due to the strength difference. The lizard would start yelling, "If you honestly believe I would fall for a trick that pathetic, that crude, that down right stupid you would be absolutely..." The lizard screamed with glee as it jumped a few inches into the air, its eyes covered in hearts and swooning like a girl being asked out on prom night, "Correct!"

A massive Komodo Dragon ripped out of the darkness, slapping the Chameleon so hard that he seemed to fly on forever into space, turning to a white sparkle. The Dragon consumed the entire poultry within a few seconds, gulping it down faster than a Sunagakure ninja drank water. Its long tail flicked up, whacking the Jerky out of Jomei's hand and consuming it whole. The dragon spoke harshly, thick and deep like a vibrating monster, "Hatchling, I know not what you are here for, but you have appeased my stomach. I am willing to hear what you have to say... but know that I could easily pick the meat out of my teeth with your bones..." Vile toxins dripped out of her maw. She sounded barely close to a woman, but the harsh conditions of this desert expanse seemed to make it fit a bit better than most. Her scales were sandy, but a lot darker than the Chameleons. Her hide blended in well with the regular desert, but her constantly leaking drool gave her away. The grass that made contact with the acid began to wither a bit.

 

[Okada Kaji]

The diplomatic bait worked out a little better than he expected. The ruler of this reptilian paradise surfaced in a sudden rush, springing out from the tall grass in an effort to bring herself closer to source of that enticing scent. “What a specimen” the young ninja marveled at the sight of the massive reptile, registering both fear and intrigue in her presence. Jomei barely kept on his feet as the aggressive komodo monitor slid over the bag of treats, and even lost his little friend in the process. Jomei was caught glancing over his shoulder, questioning the fate of the small one, before the big one called for his attention with some confident banter. The sound of her voice was clear and profound, and penetrated Jomei, delivering enough of a cause for Jomei to believe that she could be bargained with.

“No no, you don’t really want to do that, do you?” Jomei answered with a nervous energy about him. “I probably wouldn’t taste that great anyway. They say you are what you eat, and I recently adopted a diet of soylent compounds” then he drummed a hand against his stomach twice, “not tasty stuff.” But, with all of that toxic ooze dripping from her jowls, could she even taste anything beyond her own spit?
“I hope you enjoyed the snack” Jomei added. “Carrying around morsels that tasty for weeks on end was no small task. But I resisted the temptation of eating them, just so I could provide you with a proper tribute.” While that wasn’t entirely true, the offering did stave the heavy breathing dragon queen from chomping down on Jomei instead.

“Without a proper tribute, I might have ended up like that human corpse rotting away in your poppy field. I feel as though I effectively evaluated how much your time is worth, and a tribute of some jerky would prove to be adequate.” Sure that the intelligent monarch of a lizard would understand him, Jomei continued to state the meaning of his sudden arrival. “This oasis is unlike any other anomaly I have seen in this land, and I can only believe that it has remained so untouched by human settlers, and perfect, because your kind have claimed this paradise as your own, and protected with unrivaled tenacity.” The drops of acid ate away at the ground, creating small streams of smoke which again reminded Jomei of the shriveled up corpse, and that he would have to behave carefully here. “The growth of this habitat is so incredible that views of the sun have been blockaded by the dense tree-line. And yet, these red flowers of yours grow in dense patches, far and wide. The nomads I met claimed that the milk of the seed pod contain a powerful healing agent. And when the humans came here for them, it was you who vanquished one of them that day in the flower patch. You know that the flowers are special, but the humans… they covet them.”

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

The Komodo Dragon snarled. She said, "If you believe you know how much I am worth due to some 'jerky' I believe you are poorly mistaken. I will allow your comrades to come through here... Shinobi. At a cost..." She took a breath before going onto her laundry list, "No more than ten can be taken per week. No Humans may make camp here, or drink from my water. No Human shall attack any animal here, unless the animal attacked first. And finally, if any Human walks through here to collect flowers, they must have a conversation with the little ones. Some more languages and accents will help their brains to grow." The Komodo Dragon finished up, "I almost forgot... Two slabs of meat. One foot long each. One so we do not kill you, one for the flowers. If that is all your business hatchling.... take your flowers and leave..."

 

[Okada Kaji]

Jomei held a reluctant grin as the elder dragon made a remark about his tribute, insisting that he in fact made a vast underestimation about her Though the dragon queen did not appreciate his gift very much, it was a token of gratitude none the less, and she’d willingly hold an audience with Jomei for all the trouble he went through. So now the mighty Queen and the ninja parlayed with countless subjects of the queen in hiding, watching their transaction take place. More scamps like the small chameleon who dared to approach him first, but was blown away by the Queen’s royal entrance. But now, that savage side of the Oasis’ primal ruler was at rest, and the other side of this magnificent ruler appeared, taking form as a shrewd negotiator. She gave a surprisingly well composed list of demands, reasonably sensible ones at that. And though the list was long, Jomei knew the nomads would accept whatever the dragon queen expected from them, all for the milk of the poppy. Prepared to agree to her terms, Jomei shook his head and took in a deep breath. “I believe the Tottori Nomads will agree to these terms” Jomei answered with a scripted precision. “But” a hesitant pause froze him. “Before I can take the news of this agreement back to those people, I need to know the truth about the red flowers.” Jomei took a few paces to where he found the nearest poppies, and he knelt into the patch. “When I took on the plight of the Tottori people, I met with their leader too, and he told me about a run-in with a creature two of his farmers had, here in the poppy patch. He said the monster claimed one of them, and took mercy on the second. When he explained the poppy harvesting to me, he resisted any attempt I made to start conversation about the exact effects of the plant.”

Jomei fondled one of the flowers, gently examining it, from the pedals to the pod. He noted a scent similar to chocolate when he came close to the plant, and observed the pod where he knew it’s milk would be. “What kind of secrets are hiding in these flowers? Why only ten, unless there’s a reason to limit them? And if you have a reason to withhold them, why allow the humans to harvest them at all?” Without doing harm to the flower, Jomei arose and parted from the patch, returning to the direct presence of the mightiest reptile.

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

The lizard roared in anger! Her jaw flew open, hissing as saliva splattered. It took a step forward, eyeing him with hate. The lizard was so appalled that she wanted to educate this fool! She snarled out, "A hatchling should hold their tongue when it comes to what their proven can do and will do. You assume so much from those childish looks, smiles, and scents that tell you to think you understand. The truth is that we do not want you idiots destroying our entire supply of poppies. Have you ever thought of growing them, hatchling?! Have you ever thought of cultivating your own crop, so you don't have to steal or borrow from others?! Your not self-sufficient and you humans already have the 'best' medical technology in the world, eh? Then why do you need our flowers?" The Komodo Dragon slithered her tongue, a bit calmer now that she exploded with rage. She continued, "We will allow you to harvest them so that we can get tribute. It isn't always easy finding meat in... oh I don't know, THE DESERT?! Its survival of the fittest, and Humans are in this race to if you forgot. If they can not protect themselves, they were never worthy of life as a predator, and merely as a prey. They hide behind you when you owe nothing to them. You're not even of the same kind. Humans have been blessed due to the fact that one of you became a god! Then their bodyline continued, and every chakra comes from them. Your the newest example of the royal blood shinobi... why don't you ever use it instead of servicing?"

The Dragon was trying to either switch subjects or expand her metaphors. Though to what end, and how effectively, all came to Jomei.

 

[Okada Kaji]

There was wisdom beneath the reptilian hisses that accompanied her words. The lizard queen reflected upon the nature of man, and how Jomei placed himself between the nomadic tribe and their dilemma. Rather than pick the flower known among the tribe as the Dunsai, the humans could have simply cultivated their own. But, being so resolute in her paradise, the Lizard Queen did not consider, or perhaps not understand just how unique her habitat was. “I’m sorry, but there isn’t a stretch of land within a thousand leagues from here, fertile enough, or the right climate to host these flowers.” Jomei didn’t need to refer to his map to know that he’d need another, hard-to-find oasis to produce a treasure like these. After all, it was only through her fierce guard that outsiders had not already plundered the crop, and made the dunsai an extinct species. But, where the people of Tottori could not harvest the dunsai, who’s to say Jomei would not stand a chance if he tried? Jomei contemplated the idea in a loop of thought for a moment, considering a greater solution more along the line of the confidence this lizard queen placed in his kind.

“Actually” he said, breaking his momentary pause, “what if I did try to produce the dunsai myself?” Jomei could rarely refuse a challenge towards his intellect and ability to create, and as such, the mystery of the dunsai; it’s beauty, mystique, and magical effects, commanded him to learn more about it. Why did the nomads covet it so? Even the lizard queen failed to offer Jomei an adequate answer. He must know.

“My kind may seem advanced to the life your lizards lead, but shinobi are not always able to find cures to what ails us. Sometimes we humans need help that ninshu cannot provide. If you’ll have it, I’ll take on the task of creating a dunsai harvest of my own, and use the flower’s potent medicine to do good for my kind, and your kind alike. If there is any truth to the nomads’ claim, let me be the one to confirm it.” Sure of his idea, Jomei removed his backpack, and revealed glass jar meant for contain any sort of unique specimen Jomei might wander across in his travels. It wasn’t the best way to store fauna, but today it would suffice. “I will learn how to grow these flowers, breakdown their magic into scientific knowledge, and find their true potential. I can only imagine how simply the nomads were using the flower. I bet I can accomplish so much more from a laboratory.” However, there was a little problem with Jomei’s big idea. He knew very little, better yet nothing about growing anything from the dirt, and spent much more time understanding how to put bodies into it. “Scrap the first deal, I have another... better one.”

Jomei hung on the lizard queen’s words whenever she spoke, and had come to expect certain ideals from her. And as such, he devised an idea that he thought would appeal to her taste. He got on with it, expecting her ire. “How about instead of the nomads encroaching on your paradise at all, you allow your subjects to join me, and teach me how to grow the red flowers, and in exchange, those subjects you deem me worthy to befriend will see the marvels of the world by my side.” The young ninja went boldly with his words, building self-respect as he realized the truth in his statements. “My name is Jomei Matsui; I am a human, a shinobi by title, explorer by trade, and my passion is innovation.”

Jomei knew what he was asking for. Time and time again he had witnessed the power that could come from forming a contract bond with a beast clan; yet in this case it was wisdom he sought. By his side, the lizard kind would be an immeasurable asset in times of research and battle alike. “Your little ones will gain worldly experience with me” he boasted. “They will see battle, and return to you alive, and whole. I have survived the wrath of a Basilisk rampage, guided an earth-bound spirit into the afterlife, and escaped from a hungry spider horde in the frozen isles of Kirigakure. Your lizard pups will eat well. I’ll make sure to provide a nice meal each time I call your kin to my aide, and they’ll have much better offerings than the jerky I was able to bring you today.” As he spoke of his request and his promises, Jomei proceeded to pluck three flowers in their entirety, and took them in the jar as samples and seeds. “Allow your me access to your wisdom, and I’ll turn three flowers into three thousand, and deter the humans from ever bothering you again.”​

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

The reptilian beast just sighed before shaking her head, "You are not even close to the commander of Lizards, nor would I ever want you to be without earning it Hatchling. The flower is simply a flower, and I am the Beta here. If you truly wish to use my family and friends as weapons... I must simply ask what is wrong with humanity? Fortunately, enough for you Hatchling, if you prove yourself to represent Lizards... we will be willing to allow you to create what you Humans call... a 'Contract'." She nearly hissed out the word, a bit disgusted but knowing her duty as an Eldar. She spoke the beginning of a ritual, " I will tell you that death will be possible, and we won't hold back our punches against a human hatchling. I am the Eldar Kechakala, and I will lead you down this trial if you truly wish it. Your first step is to prove your devotion..." She flicked her tail, allowing the falling body of the tiny chameleon to come crashing down, leaving the horrific cracking sound of the near dead Chameleon's bones shattering to flood the land.

Kechakala stated nothing but silence, watching what Jomei would do.

 

[Okada Kaji]

And so, it all came down to a point. Jomei was silent and nerve-wracked as the Elder Lizard mentioned the demanding traditions of her station as a ruling overseer, second only to another figure; but that was a mystery for another day. The notion of allowing Jomei to form a contract surfaced, and with it came the promise of absolute danger, and possibly the end of his life. If she’d smash her own youngling without so much as an afterthought, what kind of acts would she commit against Jomei with her effortless power? “Nothing worth having is gained without a challenge” Jomei said with a reluctant energy, in response once Kechakala finished her decree. “Especially not such an honorable bond.”

The Elder dragon was an incredible creature, with an incredible size and strength leading the threats she presented. Jomei doubted that Kechakala would even feel the sting of his arrows the moment she started charging for him. The young ninja accounted for the space between them, and the deep woods that surrounded the throne room-like clearing of rocky, hilly land. Cover was his only hope once this trial began, yet he would be like prey to the predator in these deep woods; her home and hunting ground. In a direct skirmish, the jaws of Kechakala might tear Jomei in two. He shuddered at the thought of those jaws crushing him, with teeth gripping through his flesh and bone. No, running and hiding wouldn’t do, either. He had to earn her respect, and it would not be gained through cowardice. “I accept your trial” he answered decidedly, sure that he would somehow prevail the indomitable challenge he expected. It seemed as if most of his ideals were lost in translation when he spoke with the elder, but now, the time had come to elevate their communication to the most classic level: the time-honored tradition of combat.

“ If you'd like, I can lather up with some teriyaki sauce before we get started,” he admittedly strangely, as a suggestion. “ I know this is really just a ploy for you to eat me.” Jokes aside, Jomei used the last fleeting moment before the unknown was sprang upon him, and set aside his adventuring pack, sure that it would trouble him aerodynamically once the trial began. There would be no more room for error from the son of stone, today.

“Om nom nom.”​

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

"You have failed your first trial already hatchling. How pathetic of you to watch another Hatchling suffer and not even lift a finger... just simply go about your day?" Kechakala silently walked on, leaving a few chameleons to appear out of the void of the shadows and claim the injured one. They all vanished, rapidly trying to escort him away to some place he could be healed. Kechakala began to walk angrily on, her stum-like legs moving like a machine. Her entire body began to move to a rhythm that became more and more obvious as time went on. That was when the next challenge was secretly begun like the other, the determination of just how hard the rest were to be. A field of stones lead to a small lake. It was about the size of a normal school, but it was only a foot or so deep. Kechakala began to walk on the stones in her pattern, which made the little stones blast upwards with small droplets of water. The water didn't faze the Elder, who simply was wondering what would happen if Jomei would understand...

 

[Okada Kaji]

“The force of your tail-strike was formidable” Jomei admitted with a familiar, nervous energy. He was quick to defend himself from the lizard queen’s latest slighting remark. “I was sure that the blow rendered your hatchling dead; only a fool rushes in to face the same result. I’d do ‘im little good, laying there besides ‘im.” Though callous, his reasoning represented the meaning of the saying- survival of the fittest. Like the spider, Jomei navigated all circumstances with an incredible passive perception of his surrounding and targets, and rarely acted outside of an ideal opportunity. He was an opportunist. And now, he used what wisdom he had to prowl in the shadow of Kechakala with his attention set to her every move. Left and right, her monstrous tail waved over the dusty earth behind her, and Jomei kept back, far out of it’s whipping range.

The lizard queen took Jomei down a short path, and slipped onto a body of water behind the lizard’s lounge. Four clawed feet paced out onto the water, or so it went. It was the sight of Kechakala displaying a rhythmic step to summon a path of stones, which surfaced to meet each hulking step. Simple paces for the lizard queen would require agile leaps from Jomei if he was going to mimic her motions, and the wide gait of her four-legged stride. Jomei loomed behind her, pondering if mimicry was really the point of the exercise.

“I have never been a big fan of magic” Jomei admitted in a whisper, one kept to himself. “When dealing in magic, nothing is ever as it appears to be.” In his travels, Jomei had encountered all manners of innovations and phenomena created as a result of magic, or as they commonly called it, ninjutsu. Expecting a sudden change, Jomei went into motion, following the exact sequence of steps taken by the Lizard queen, making strides with enhancements of chakra emanating from his every step. “2, 3, 5, 1, 4” He made an sporadic series of dashes, even moving backwards in order to account for the hind legs, perfectly emulating the giant lizard queen. It was then that he knew. Jomei could sense the coming shift of his environment, as if his mimicry copied the entry of a secure access code. There was something more to the shady water hole, and at the end of the stepping stone, Jomei had uncovered the means behind Kechakala’s ruse.

"This must be the dragon's den."​

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

The Elder smiled as the child fell for the trap. She said, "I must say, I lied. I never trusted any of you stupid Humans anyways. I would rather see such a revolting, self-centered hatchling should be chucked off a cliff! So.. DIE!" An explosion of water from the stones would try to seal Jomei in, allowing for the Dragon to snap her fangs into his stomach! The drooling saliva easily told that the attack would be horrifically damaging against organics. She charged, throwing her massive weight around like a hammer. She kept on violently trying to bite, snap, and slap Jomei, fusing her actions into a flowing move like the water. Her tail aimed for the throat, claws at the legs, and her body went with her fangs, trying to smash into him.

Water began exploding in torrents, lasting a few moments before the stone would fall back down and lock the ever-shifting battlegrounds. Now it was time to kill this fool...

 

[Okada Kaji]

The promise of danger was surely fulfilled by Kechakala. She lured Jomei out onto the water’s edge, and used stone steps to trigger her trap. The lizard queen unsealed a mighty sphere of water, which arose to encapsulate Jomei in an aquatic prison. Jomei was spun within an entrapping current which spun him in rapid rotation. The force was enough to crumple him up and expose him for a finishing slashing from Kechakala. She began to swat her massive tail through the maelstrom, and stuck Jomei once at the waist. Yet Jomei resisted, and resorted to a desperate strategy with his last held breath. It took all his might to weave hand seals within the trap, but he would not be beat so easily. The aquatic sphere expanded outward, luminous and heavenly before erupting into a whirlwind of steam. The fog washed over the attacking mega-lizard, and her snapping jaws tasted nothing but the sour swampy mist. Jomei was spun away by his blast; the aptly named dragon flame jutsu spun him off without aim, deeper into the shallow pond. He skipped like a stone across the surf, attempting to levitate himself about the murky depths using the water-walking art of his heritage. But he sank, almost fading away entirely within the deep end of mire.


Kechakala wasn’t given long to gloat on, that is, as Jomei surfaced once more. He rolled out from beneath the water as if he were rolling out from beneath the covers in bed, and kept rolling further until he swung himself to his feet. The young ninja looked different than he did before, but he was not burned; in fact he became more warrior-like. A thin layer of viscous golden webbing lined his skin, creating an armor more capable of protecting Jomei from the onslaught of the lizard queen. Even through the fog of steam, his golden flesh was bright and gleaming wherever it wasn’t covered by drenched clothing. His every move created golden dust as the armor gradually chipped; this time, it was brittled by heat damage, and partly melted where Kechakala attempted to bite through, but failed. “Now you’ve gone and made me lose my hat” he complained, addressing a more prevalent concern of the moment. Now his hair was set free, flowing in the wind with golden flakes in his scalp. Jomei realized that his attempts at diplomacy were a fault, lost in translation and useless against a being like the powerful lady of the lounge. No kind of agreement could be reached without her respect, and that would only be earned through battle. “You might have taken my cap, but you won’t take my life. My armor will withstand your fangs, and you can’t trigger a trap I won’t escape. If a fight is what you need to broker this deal with me, so be it. But I haven’t come to fight Kechakala, I’ve come to bargain.”​

X X X X​

487 WC/MFT

 

[Junan]

"No, you came to get what you wanted. You came here as a servant being paid by a group of humans who had tried to take what they wanted by force, and when that failed they sent you. First you tried to broker a deal between me, the lizards I serve and the land I protect, and then after we had come to an agreeable arrangement you tried to change the deal entirely into something that serves you better, where you could call on lizards at will to do as you request under the guise of helping them.

You thought you saw a weakness, the desire I had for the humans to speak with the hatchlings so that they could develop a greater capacity for intelligence, and you looked to exploit that perceived weakness.

I took this as strength of your character, but then I watched as first you allowed one of those who you claimed you would protect and help to grow die without even trying to help. You attempted to hide your failings behind a weak excuse, thinking that I would kill one of my own hatchlings? Surely you are not that stupid.

Then you followed me blindly, you thought that by doing so you would gain what exactly? You didn't watch, you didn't take time to think, you simply did and without reason.

My initial assessment of you has been betrayed and it seems that perhaps you were the opposite of what I had hoped for. You desire to exploit our weakness was not a strength of character, it was simply a desire to gain something. You don't know how strong or weak we are, you acted just like a tiny hatchling with its hands out begging its mother for more. What's worse is that you felt that you could do this because you possess the strengths bestowed through your blood, the gifts that the ancient god of humanity passed on unknowingly to a fool.

What do you say to this?"

It seemed that if he were going to manage to avoid any attempt at hitting him with attacks that she would instead resort to a far sharper weapon, her forked tongue.