The Whispering Woods (Mission)

[Okibi]

The first time it happened, Okibi thought she was just 'smelling things', or that her nose was playing tricks on her. The smell of blood and steel wafted into her nose as Judori lead them into the crystal forest, but when she turned around to look back the way they'd come, there was nothing there. Her candy colored eyes narrowed on the higher branches of the ancient trees, her suspicions increasing. The scent had dissappeared, but she was almost certain that it had been there.

She looked down at Seven, who'd also looked over his shoulder. "Seven smell it too?" She asked quietly as she turned back around. The giant dog nodded silently, but said nothing as they continued on their trek.

When they broke into the area that housed an unusual amount of crystals, Okibi slipped off Judori's shoulder and looked around. Her brows knotted with unease. Indeed, such an amalgamation of crystallization was odd in the Elderwood. She would know, she liked to spend a good deal of her time there. Although the crystals grew in abundance through the entire forest, coming across such a cluster was... strange. Okibi couldnt help feeling on edge just being in the same vicinity. They didnt feel natural; the hairs at the back of her neck were standing on end.

At the moment when Shiroi heard the hearts beating within the crystals, so too did Okibi pick up the scent that had assaulted her earlier. She whirled around on her heels, eyes trained on the upper branches of the surrounding trees with her fangs bared. "We got company." She snarled, just as her surveying gaze landed on the source of the smell. She'd never seen anything like it, and it's appearance set her teeth to grinding. For the most part, it resembled a human, except for its 'skin', extra pair of eyes and absence of mouth. Scratch that, it didnt really resemble a human at all.

When the insect-ish interloper looked down, so did Okibi a short second after it. When something else loomed out of the forest, Okibi immediately recognized the armor that was Sousuke's trademark. It was a little worse for wear - or a lot - but the crackling voice that came from it could only belong to her pack-mate. His words came out short and disjointed, sounding very unlike the long winded man she knew. Obviously, judging by sound and appearance, something was not right with him.

If Shiori hadnt beaten her too it, Okibi would have been at Sousuke's side in a heartbeat. However, Okibi knew absolutely no healing jutsu, and judging by the green glow that surrounded the older females hand, she would be of more use to him than herself. Snorting, Okibi looked back up at the spike covered intruder. Just then, Seven rushed to her side, looking the other way at something she couldnt see. A growl rumbled out of the dogs chest as the sound of crystals breaking erupted somewhere behind her. Okibi didnt dare take her eyes off the four eyed creature.

"What going on!?" She demanded. Seven snapped a description to her of the warped bucks that now faced them. Okibi made a noise of irritation, her top lip curling. They were being surrounded by enemies. "What our plan of attack?" She asked the group, waiting - which was very out of her character - for orders.

[MFT]

 

[Kumiko]

Not long after Kumiko displayed the creature known as an Unbent, and explained her battle with them, the group set off to begin their mission. IT was then that Okibi vocalized her worry over her fighting style. " Don't worry Okibi. I had that challenge too. If anything, if we come in contact with one of these things, it will force you to adapt and become stronger. " This was very true. One couldn't solely rely on one form of fighting style. However they couldn't linger on this topic for very long.

It wasn't long after they entered the Elderwood that something felt off. As if eyes were following their every move. Yet would disappear before Kumiko, or any other within the group, could pinpoint it. Never before had Kumiko been to a place such as this. Crystals of every colour littered the woods until they came across a large cluster, prominently blood red, ocean blue, and forest green. It was here Judori's puppet stopped the group. Upon hearing his words Kumiko would activate her sharingan, crimson bleeding into onyx eyes. She'd stare down the crystals, analyzing them, which made her pause. " That is weird. It's chakra is more like a human's than anything else. ' Which perplexed her.

Her questions were quickly discarded as a highly damaged mark two design of Sousukes erupted from the crystal woods. Kumiko quickly went into alert. In that same moment minions burst from the crystals, corrupted stags, whose flesh and antlers contorted into sword like weapons. It angered her Sousuke would venture out here on his own to fight against an unknown enemy. Especially if said enemy was anything like the Unbent she fought before. But that anger wouldn't get her anywhere right now.

Seeing Shiori rush over towards Sousuke-San she figured the girl to be a med nin, or at least know enough to heal him, which left the rest to defend her and the Steward. She'd turn her crimson gaze towards Okibi. " We defend Shiori while she heals the Steward. " Yet the creatures had not attacked, yet, which gave them the advantage. Kumiko would further this advantage. Forming a series of hand seals Kumiko would activate her Black Eruption shadow ninjutsu. From the shadows beneath them tendrils would form from the shadows and impale the stags, preventing them from moving. This would create an opening for the others.

Jutsu Used: http://www.ninpocho.com/viewtopic.php?f=291&t=367
MFT
WORDS: 401

OOC: Sorry it's taken so long to post. The last week has been pretty hectic. But I'm back. I know Roku won't be back till the end of the weekend.

 

[Asagao]

The quiver rocked up and down, the arrows rattling about inside their holster, as he made his way across the forest's un-level terrain. His bow was slung across his body, the string hugging tightly up against his chest, firmly securing it to his mid-section. As the group came to a halt, he would stretch out a bit drawing his bow, gladly removing it's weight from his tired shoulders. Leaning his weapon against a nearby tree, he would take a moment to relax, while the others went about inspecting the surrounding area. Scanning the treetops, he would see nothing but still leaves dangling idly from their outstretched branches. He couldn't place his finger on it, but the woods seemed different somehow. They were oddly at peace. Quiet. Something was not right here. Being this deep into the Elderwoods they should have come across many different species of wildlife. Judori had been correct with his assessment. They were all alone. Isolated. Something had cleared this area out, which meant only one thing. Ambush.

Scrambling back for his bow, he would notch an arrow, pulling it from the quiver with lighting speed. Remaining at a ready position to attack, Asagao would head away from the group, deeper into the forest seeking out higher ground. Climbing to the top of a large rock formation, he had found himself the perfect elevated advantage point. He had a clear view of his comrades and little in the way of objects to impede his shots. All he had to do now was wait for the enemy to show themselves. Illuminating the darkened forest, he would activate his Bright Tapestry ability, which would set the woods aglow with his eyes.

When the crystals suddenly came alive, he would too, gearing up and ready to attack. His teammates were all preparing, moving quickly into battle formation, trying to adjust to the sudden enemy. Drawing back with his right arm, his elbow was held up high, sturdy and straight. His chest was firm and strong; just as he had been instructed all those years ago as a youth in training. Controlling his breathing, he would inhale short small breaths - in and out - as he lined up his shot. The moment he had a clear attack lane, he would release and let the arrow fly.

Zipping through the air with incredible speed, the projectile would sail towards its target smooth, like a dragonfly, so quick and agile, riding an afternoon breeze. Notching another arrow, he would continue to send them at the crystal foes, attempting to provide his teammates with enough cover, allowing them the time to attack and vanquish the threat for good.

[Marked For Training]
[ ooc: Shiori: I think going outside to inspect strange noises while only wearing a semi-reveling nightgown is probably the worst thing you could possibly do, lol. =S ]

 

[Takahashi Aki]

As the Steward made his way to the group, he inevitably was clocked by his cousin's arm. "You dolt, what are you doing?! Fight them!!"<i></i> The Steward cried out in what seemed to be anger. It was strange at best for the Steward rarely seemed to express himself so, but then again there was the simple fact that they were under attack. Usually an attack on someone would bring out the worst on them no?

The Watcher from above which was noticed by Okibi exchanged glances with her for some time. The moment though that the Steward called his cousin a dolt, the insect humanoid watcher seemed to change the focus of his attention being Shiori and the Steward. The watcher seemingly produced from thin air a twisted looking ebon sword. The watcher twitched, and for a moment seemed like he was going to jump into combat, but he halted and for good reason as the rest of the suna nin began to react to the infested stags.

The black eruption summoned by Kumiko tore violently out of the ground impaling each of the three stags. Blood and gore rippled out of their bodies but as they remained still for a moment. The first more stag worked and fought breaking through the jutsu lacking several muscles and got a bit further before collapsing completely from a lack of muscles which simply feel out of the creature. To put the point of the creature's demise further Asagao had fired arrows and planted one right between the eyes. It took quite some time, but the spark of life finally left the eyes of the first stag. A very cold and dreadful look came from those eyes as they rested solely upon him.

The other two stags attempted to fight their way out of the dark jutsu. An unexpected thing occurred though as one of the two stags actually took a bite out of the neck of the other. It was a frightful sight as the infested stag store flesh out of the other repeatedly. Upon digestion the stag grew larger and tore itself out of the jutsu. As that happened, the muscles which were initially impaled began to repair themselves. The stag stomped its hoof as it continued to mutate. Asagao continued to fire arrows and those arrows did meet the mark but the infested stag pelting him further. The stag lowered his head and began to charge towards Asagao now. The arrows had slowed down the stag, but it now came as a stumbled charge of sort which was intercepted by Judori's puppet. The great mechanical puppet retrieved a shield from his back and blocked the charge. Although the charge was blocked the former Steward's puppet was being pushed back. For its size, the infested stag seemed to boast great strength. "More arrows. More techniques." The former Steward requested.

 

[Michi]

"Well, keep your face out of where my arm is going!" Shiori argued back. She would have chucked something at him and increased his injuries, much like an annoyed tween but there was something else of greater interest happening. "How am I supposed to fix you when you keep letting yourself get beat up," she complained or scolded, it was impossible for even her to tell the difference. He was wearing a tin-can over his body. Why would anyone do that was beyond her, cans were for soup not for wears. Silly Sousuke. Someone announced her role would be healing the Steward. She attempted to knock on the can-suit curiously, it would made a cool echo if she impacted it. The reverberations would give her an idea if successful as to what non-soft tissue injuries he suffered. She would use a medical technique if allowed Regeneration. It was a run of the mill cure all in her opinion. Chakra magic seems to fix everything, she was not entirely sure of why Medic School taught her anatomy for besides knowing which organs are more important than others since the same technique for the most part "fixes" everything.

Meanwhile, she did not entirely understand the images the sounds made for her of the vicious stags. Consumption is the transfer energy, often considered "calories" as a measure of heat that is converted to energy through a length and boring series of chemical reactions. There was a strange hunger that was shared, there was unnatural, swift growth. The speed of transfer would be too swift for any known living thing, this was not organic. A mind was unlikely. It was either feral or under the intentions of another, like Judori's puppets. The first fell the damages, but what would happen if it ate its fallen? What would happen if it devoured one of them? The transfer of energy leads to an increase in strength, or so that is the hypothesis of the for the most part useless woman.

Shiori had decided from her "assessment" that everyone else was going to need to chuck something large and damaging at it once it was separated from other meal options. "How is it metabolizing?" She asked her cousin although the question was loud enough for anyone to hear. That was essentially her question, how did it devour, repair and grow at such a rapid rate. Was there a limitation to this skill? Was the quality of their meat better, worse or indifferent to the stag's metabolism?

 

[Asagao]

His tactics had worked to perfection. Covering his teammates from afar, his arrows would rain down upon their foes like a vengeful storm. Pinning an arrow right between the eyes of one of the stags, he felt a rush of pure adrenaline course through his veins as the enemies life expired, leaving it's body permanently for the afterlife. Having not felt such a feeling in quite some time, it was truly invigorating to experience the thrill of combat once more. This time around though, his conscious was completely free and clear of guilt. He was not killing people for money or out of misplaced loyalty, no, these creatures were the work of genuine evil; they had to die, they would be a threat to the entire village if left alive.

Unshaken by the sight of the violent charge from the mutated deer, Asagao remained poised and confident, steadily holding down his position. Isolated from the rest of the group, he would need to make these next few attacks count. Having stared death in the face time after time in the past, what was one more time, really? He smirked at the thought, as he retrieved three more arrows from his quiver. Quickly priming the arrows with some explosive tags, his attention would be pulled away by the sound of a loud crash and struggle. Looking up, he would see a large puppet attempting to slow down the stag's movement, blocking it, giving Asagao and the rest of the team more time to attack. Notching one of the explosive arrows, he would pull back and release it, sending it directly into the lower half of a large tree trunk. Firing the other two arrows into two more tree trunks on the opposite side of the first arrow, he would shout out a warning to the puppet master, hoping to give him enough time to pull his metal soldier back to safety.

"THE ARROWS ARE SET TO EXPLODE!! BE CAREFUL!!" With his hands cupped around his mouth, his warning would travel to all present ears who were within shouting distance.

Boom!!...Boom!!...Boom!!

The explosives would detonate with great force; wood and bark splintering and scattering all over, ripping the trees from their mighty, ancient roots. Teetering about, the trees would sway left and right, almost as if they were casually contemplating witch way they were going to fall. Crossing his fingers, he was hoping he had placed the arrows accurately enough to force them to collapse and land on the last stag that was still up and breathing, effectively putting it down for good.

[Marked For Training]

 

[Raizo]

OOC: I apologize about the absence

Roku was caught off guard by everything that had suddenly happen. The discovery of gems, the appearance of zombie-like critters and a small skirmish that happened to occur from it. Those around him responded promptly to the danger with what talents and skills they had. It were times like these that Roku felt unneeded. His arsenal was built upon hand-to-hand combat and judging from the looks of the beast that had appeared it would not seem like that route would be all that effective. Last thing he wanted was becoming consumed with whatever wretched sickness that had tainted the stags. Instead he would take his place next to Shiori and Sousuke. He had been warned by the Stewkage's father at one point to watch over his son, so what better time than the present? The medic tended to the metal clad leader of the village while the rest of the group attacked the putrid animals. Roku was prepared to step in and aid should things progress even further, and he thought that moment had arose when one of the beasts began to grow off of feasting upon another. Instead, Asagao, seemed to have a rather crafty plan set up involving his arrows and the wildlife around the creature. Hearing the warning of the purpose of the arrows Roku would take his place in front of the two Takahashi's prepared to offer up his own body to block his leader and the medic from any potential shock brought about by the attack.

 

[Kumiko]

Kumiko wasn't the only one to take up offense against the corrupted stags. Asagao, from where ever his location was in the distance, fired off arrow after arrow. Luckily her own shadow jutsu hit home, impaling violently through each of the three stags. That seemed to be enough to take out one of the creatures, though only after a discomforting effort to break free. It's only limitation being it's own body. Afterwhich an arrow from Asagao silenced the it for good.

However the it was not the same for the other two. They took tried to fight against the shadows, one slightly weaker than the other. But then the unexpected happened! The stronger of the two bite the other! Repeatedly tearing flesh from its counterpart, growing and becoming stronger with each bite taken, even regenerating its early wound from her jutsu. Never has Kumiko's crimson eyes seen such a sight. If she had not been hardened by the ANBU training she under went her stomach would be churning. The weaker stag hit the ground with a dead thud, leaving only one much larger and ferocious stag.

In the meantime Shiori attended to Sousuke, healing his wounds, which appeared to be grave considering the time taken to heal him. Roku had taken up a defensive stance before the two of them, protecting them from any assault Kumiko, Asagao, or Okibi were unable to defend against. That was when a voice shouted out from a distance, Asagao's. Thankfully Kumiko was already at a distance yet the explosions rocked the ground more than she thought an arrow would. With the magnitude of such an explosion, enough to uproot trees and splinter its bark, Kumiko was at a loss. There was no where for her to take cover from and as a result was sent flying backwards into one of the uprooted trees.

words: 310
[ MFT]

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The devastation caused by Asagao's charged arrows was no small thing. Indeed the infected stag was killed. What killed it first was a good question, was it the splinters? Or was it ultimately the toppled tree that delivered the crushing blow. The team would find the infested stag very much dead, and very much a victim to both of the aforementioned effects. Judori's puppet was on the other side of the tree. Above him was Kumiko who was caught on a branch. The giant puppet reached up to take hold of her and to bring her back down. "One. Two. Three. Four. Five... Okibi? Number Seven?" The puppet called out. Sousuke seemed to care very little for his own ward as he stood up. Perhaps it was the shock setting in, or perhaps he just didn't know what to do. The giant puppet marched across, and placed its giant shield once more on its back. "Okibi?! Okibi??!! Number Seven?" The giant puppet's voice projected. No answers came back. The giant puppet eyed his son. "Stick with the group. I'll go find her and Number Seven." With that the giant puppet departed to go find his son's ward and her companion.

Luckily for Roku, his body block while handy wasn't truly necessary. "Uhh... thanks bro."<i></i> Sousuke spoke very awkwardly. The Steward's eyes shifted from his cousin back to Roku, and then back to Shiori. Shiori reached out and tried to heal Sousuke. Upon contact with his metallic frame, the regeneration jutsu did something very strange. The jutsu sizzled. Sousuke jerked away automatically. "Are you trying to kill me or something?"<i></i> He spoke harshly to Shiori. It seemed very uncharacteristic for him to speak in such a way. Sousuke then looked up. He looked about as if he was trying to find something. "Where did he go now... bah. Matters not."<i></i> The Steward pointed to the west. "There is a heavy cluster of crystals to the west. I think it might be the source of the corruption. It's quite nasty, and we should use some of those explosive arrows to get at it."<i></i>

 

[Michi]

It sizzled. That technique never sizzles. Cousin jerked and Shiori yelped in shock.

<"Are you trying to kill me or something?"> He accused.

"N-no, this is wrong," Shiori announced, actually serious for once. She could not see why it sizzled, but a regeneration should have increased his own metabolic performance. His metabolism was sizzling him. "Wasting..." she announced solemnly. She had no idea why she said that or even where understanding of that term came from. But perhaps what she verbalized was true, his body was actively destroying itself. She canceled her medical effort immediately. Rather than provide him with his own bodily forces, external aid was likely necessary. Mystical Force was a strong enough technique, it might not heal his external wound but it might seal off his internal damages or reverse the strange condition that he suffers from.

<"THE ARROWS ARE SET TO EXPLODE!! BE CAREFUL!!"> A man called out.

Boom!!...Boom!!...Boom!!​

So much noise, it was deafening. The world around her screamed as the arrows whistled and made their impact with a *thunk* Followed by the explosive roar, the crack and whine of fallen trees that carried off their comrade. The ground grumbled and rattled with the disturbance. She could not see -- not through sound or through eye for that terrible moment. It was too loud. But as the sounds settled with the death whine of the stag. Her ears were ringing and the world was in a haze for a few moments longer.

"What does his injury look like? Does it look like those monsters?" She asked Roku. It was a valid question, she was blind. She had no idea what the creatures looked like but she was sure that they looked different at the very least. The stags hungered -- their metabolism was out of whack because of hunger and it was self-cannibalizing because of it, or so that was her running theory. Did cousin also have this wasting hunger? The possibility frightened her, she thought of her cousin as an unstoppable force. Certainly the unstoppable force would remain true but he would be a host of this... wasting hunger. "Cousin. were you bit there? At the site of your injury" She asked Sousuke. It dawned on her, "was anyone else bit!" She called out this question. Perhaps she should have added scratched or in some way has their blood come into contact with these infected creatures. Was this a communicable disease process? It was continually referenced as corruption. The word choice made her uneasy, for something to be corrupted it had to be changed. Could they become corrupted?

<"Where did he go now... bah. Matters not.">

Who was he? Was it uncle? The boy with the noisy arrows? The human meat shield? They were all here. Was the person who was knocked back a man? Thankfully she did not address the person as such, that would be quite the embarrassment. Whoever he was looking for, they were only of fleeting interest something that Shiori did not question in her cousin. She felt him to be flighty at times although it was likely unusual for him to be this way in a mission she was unfamiliar with him in this scope, being this is the first one she had accompanied him on. She cocked her head to the side -- was everyone here? The world was crisp and clear in her mind's eye, the sounds reverberated off the fallen and displaced. The beating hearts made a strong, proud rhythm. How was cousin's heart, she turned her attention to his. His medical condition still befuddled the woman.

<"There is a heavy cluster of crystals to the west. I think it might be the source of the corruption. It's quite nasty, and we should use some of those explosive arrows to get at it.">

Why would they want to go west, towards these... things. Couldn't they just wall off and quarantine the area? She would of course not verbally protest or vocalize her misgivings and follow the lead of whoever.

OC: I asked a lot of questions that may need a few OC answers from 'ya Ray.

 

[Kumiko]

The force of the blast sent her flying into the near by uprooted tree. Upon impact Kumiko cringed in pain as the wind was literally out of her. Below her she could vaguely make Judori San out. But her vision was still slightly blurred and the ringing in her ears wouldn't abate. Carefully the female Uchiha plucked herself out of the splintered tree, though a little shaky once her feet found solid ground. Once more she was vaguely aware of Judori going off in search of Okibi and number seven. Leaving herself, Sousuke, Shiori, Roku, and Asagao off in the distance. ' That idiot! He could have killed us all! She thought. Now was not the time to chastise him. Sousuke San was already preparing to move out and she would do as he said. However Shiori had a few questions of her own.

Still recovering Kumiko made her way over towards the small group, no longer caring about Roku's presence....considering she was nearly blasted into pieces. " I was not bitten. Just a little sore. " She craned her back, allowing for a loud pop from her spine. Though it did little to alleviate the pain. " It doesn't look like anyone else was bitten, including the Steward. I can't say that blast didn't do any damage. Maybe we shouldn't use the same blasting power as that last one. " The only thing they needed now was to wait on Asagao to clear a path for them. After which, Kumiko would follow.

Words: 258
[ MFT ]

 

[Asagao]

The destruction of the trees had been massive, the explosions far exceeding Asagao's initial intentions. Yes, he had succeeded in the slaying of the last remaining stag, but he had also put the lives of his fellow comrades in danger which was always an unforgivable action. How could he be so careless? His judgement was normally spot on, yet he had gone completely overboard using way too many e-notes almost killing the young female shinobi in the process. He would have to make it up to her somehow.

Tugging with all of his might, he would finally dislodge the arrow he had stuck between the eyes of the first stag. Cleaning the mutated deer's blood off the tip, he would casually slip it back into his quiver and continue to retrieve the rest of arrows; the ones that had missed their mark. After finally securing the last of them, his quiver would once again hang low, weighted down by the deadly projectiles. Walking over to the young femaile, Kumiko, Asagao would quickly drop to one knee and bow is head, apologizing for almost sending her into the afterlife. "Forgive me, my actions were reckless and inexcusable. I pray that you are well and unharmed." His words were genuine and sincere, he truly felt terrible about what had happened to her.

Catching wind of the Stewards idea, Asagao would slip out one arrow and prime it with one explosive tag. Heading over towards the crystals, he would stand facing the colorful minerals and become lost, admiring their beauty. "It is a shame we have to blow them up, neh? They are really quite amazing." He would chuckle, before notching the arrow and letting it fly.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Shiori followed up with another healing jutsu. This time the jutsu didn't sizzle, it almost combusted upon the steel that made up the mark II armour. For a fleeting moment it seemed as if Sousuke was going to shout and that the mouth peice of the mark II was going to crack open revealing a set of teeth. "Seriously. Stop it. I'm fine."<i></i> Sousuke spoke in too short of a sentence. It came off harshly, which was something extraordinarily rare if not present in the known existence of the Steward's most tempered mannerisms. "Me? Bit? No. I got rattled by a crystal explosion. I mishandled the situation. You know ... them being foreign and the like. Those things aren't sposed to be here, not natural, you know?"<i></i> He waved his hand about. "Those monsters are too slow for the likes of me, but an explosion from a crystal. Yeaah. That's a bit harder to dodge."<i></i>

Kumiko went to further verify for Shiori that Sousuke had not been bitten. "Thanks .. ... babe? At least someone... ah nevermind. Lets roll."<i></i> Sousuke lead the group deeper into the woods. As the drew nearer and nearer to the crystal cluster he spoke of, the atmosphere seemed to be darker and darker. Trees held their limbs up as if in fear of the crystals. In some cases it seemed that the trees began to have faces. These facial expressions were illustrating horror. Bark shaped in mouths that were screaming, eyes that seemed to what to look away. The cluster of crystals they were approaching was dark red. When they grew nearer and nearer it seemed that the grass too was tainted as it was of the same tone of red. They were one hundred meters away from the crystal when Sousuke stopped. He jerked a bit forward and fell forward. "Hah."<i></i> The voice came out not modified but perfectly clear. It was as if Sousuke wasn't wearing his helmet. "Well... we managed to get this far. That's good. Can't hold this roose up forever."<i></i> Sousuke got up and turned around. The faceplate of the mark II had cracked open where the mouth was. The mouthpeice dropped revealing a set of jagged teeth. "Surprise?"</I><i></i> A very sick and twisted smile formed upon the face. The mark two began to twist and crack, some bits of armour fell off revealing a violet carapace. To Shiori, and Asagao the sight would be a surprise, but Kumiko of course was slightly familiar. The foe that stood before them was an Unbent, who took the form of or had absorbed an aspect of their leader. "Sooo... who wants to be take part in my experiment? I'm sure one of you would like to step up--" There was a slight pause as he looked up.

Standing on a tree branch behind the three a form shifted in. It too was an Unbent, but the appearance of it was slightly off. It had metal sticking out of it, was slightly too angular, and it carried with it a curved ebon blade. This Unbent emitted a hissing noise, one that was recognizable by Shiori. "Oh yes. I see you there. There you are. Go busy yourself looking for the girl and her dog. I know that they mean something to... heh, well let's not going into great detail here." Another set of hisses and the ebon blade was pointed at not the three suna nin, but the Mark II Unbent. It seemed like it was a threat, such was evidenced by what was said next. <I>"Back down. If you so much as interfere with my grand experiment, I'll detonate this crystal. I know what you're fully capable of and you're boring, but not these First Men maggots here. Now be a good boy, and go away. I have an experiment to conduct."<i></i> The Unbent standing on the tree branch turned his gaze to the suna nin. The Unbent shook his insectoid head, and made his retreat back. "Now then... a darkness user, a flesh healer, and an archer with a taste for explosions. I wonder what best I can derive for your corpses?"<i></i>

 

[Michi]

</I>

...Sizzle...​

<i></i>

"Seriously. Stop it. I'm fine."

And again her healing jutsu seemed to worked in the opposite manner that it should have. This does not normally happen. Healing things, well heals things. She just could not stop herself from hurting him, he scolded her and Shiori furrowed her brow and carried a misty-eyed pained expression as a result. With a quivering lower lip she replied simply to her meany of a cousin, "I was trying to help Cousin." He went on to explain the fact that he was not somehow tainted with the whatever virulent process the stags suffered from. A weight lifted from her breast at this knowledge at the least, although in the bit of her stomach she felt sick from her inadvertent assault of her adopted cousin.

"Thanks .. ... babe? At least someone... ah nevermind. Lets roll."

The he called someone <I>"babe." Shiori's head cocked to the side and her face fell lop-sided. Sousuke and this lady? She had no idea who she was, he had neglected to mention this secret lover. She let out a huff, it released this new pressure she felt in her throat as a taste of jealousy started to swell. She would not bring it up now. Certainly this lady was no good for him. A hussy... a cheat... from a less than savory family line... an opportunist perhaps... Her mind mulled over all of the possible shortcomings she would later point out to her cousin in private (OC: Sorry, she is just strangely jealous and I do not think you are any of these things). This incident likely ruined her day as well as Sousuke's since she would likely nit-pick everything she could over the next few days to alleviate her annoyance at the expense of her dear cousin's sanity. The pretty man knelt before Sousuke's woman and announced an apology for some real or imagined slight. She was pouting of course since possibly blasting the lady into oblivion would have been a negative thing for -some- people she could have supposed but she was especially unreasonable with her anger. This anger-management issue was something she possibly realized but did not really care about when she was in a huff. The strumpet got him too... she thought to herself in reference to Asagao's apology. She followed Sousuke, not really paying attention to where they were going, her mind was now fixated elsewhere.

"Well... we managed to get this far. That's good. Can't hold this roose up forever."

Eventually they came to a stop, she was not entirely sure of where they had went. Something was happening to Sousuke. He sounded different. His shape and posture. She was of course unfamiliar with the man-beast that was before her. She was not sure if she let out a scream at the twisted image of what was her cousin in her eyes. She would not be cognizant of the abilities of an Unbent or the fact that it could take on the form, mannerisms or knowledge of another being. All she knew was the fact that she was following her cousin one moment and the next this twisted fiend was before them. What was happening? Where was cousin?

Even the trees were not trees. She did not hear them as being not-trees. Was she paying attention? Did they have no vital sign? Did her mind omit this as her senses were honed elsewhere. The Jezebel was of course to blame. The twisted Sousuke talked about experimentation, still like the Sousuke she knew... kinda-sorta. Was this creature a manipulation of the essence of her cousin or a corrupted version of the actual Kazekage. If it was Sousuke, he would make it. "KILL IT WITH FIRE!" That was her solution. Someone made things blow up, it happened not that long ago. She was pretty sure it was the pretty one but she was so engrossed in the injuries of the Kazekage she barely noticed the events that unfolded between the infected stags. It was possible, in fact probable that this thing was Sousuke, something that she with her present understanding of the situation could not rule out. In which case, attacking him might kill him. This would be a more important fact if he had not angered her a few minutes earlier, leading her to an imagined slight against an imagined relationship that has caused her to feel jealousy. It was 50/50 in Shiori's mind, it was also possible that whoever this thing was beaten and killed or captured their comrade and in his absence it has used his identity to gather information about them as a group to determine their assets and skills before facing a group that it felt it had the power to defeat.

Although it seemed odd, she did consider the possibility of healing her twisted cousin again. Healing seemed to cause him discomfort. He was upset and had snapped at her twice with her medicinal attempts, but first it was time for a song. It was a fast-paced tune that had no words, just a series of strange sounds that somewhat resembled an acapella. It was odd and perhaps she should have attempted to learn this song in another way but her tongue was nimble and her voice had exceptional range. She utilized the technique called Fevre De Pitch. This song can be heard HERE, less the snazzy beard of course. Everyone except the twisted Sousuke was included in her song, including her perceived rival. Would she have to reference her as cousin too? Would she be cousin in-law? Missus Kazekage? Darn-nit... back to singing.

 

[Kumiko]

She expected Asagao to feel bad, however, she didn't expect him to drop to one knee before her with such a sincere apology. At first she felt a little embarrassed by his attention to her though a small mixture of anger still dwelt. " I have endured worse before. Besides, you should be apologizing to your Steward for such reckless actions."

What un-nerved her the most was the behavior of Sousuke. It wasn't natural for him to be so...angry. But then again maybe that was the relationship with his cousin. Kumiko had never met her before nor viewed the two interacting together. So...maybe this was normal? what wasn't normal was Sousuke calling her babe. What was that about? her head cocked to the side in his direction, giving him a weird look. Suspicion crept within her mind. Yet deeper and deeper the Mark II lead them into the woods. And darker and darker everything became around them. As they walked the female Uchiha couldn't help but feel a weird vibe from Shiori. Occasionally she'd glance her way with a strange expression on her face. But quickly she'd brush it off. The group had better things to worry about.

With her sharingan still active she scanned about the party noticing the strange, almost face like, qualities of the trees. Soon, before them, was a massive dark red crystal. It's essence tainting the grass red around it. And that was when Kumiko's suspicions were answered. The Mark II's face plate would crack open revealing the sinister mouth of an Unbent, until it twisted and contorted into its proper form. Kumiko immediately went on the defensive. " Shiori! Stay away from it! Kumiko shouted, worried the girl was too close to this evil creature. Kumiko would make sure the group was a safe distance away from the Unbent as she watched the interaction between it and the new arrival.

" What have you done with our Steward !?" Seeing as the monstrosity new of Sousuke's Mark II armor meant that he had either seen Sousuke, Interacted with him, or captured and/or killed him. Given the nature of this creature she wouldn't put it past it to kill first ask questions later.

 

[Asagao]

Looking up, his knee still bent to the ground, his apology had not gone exactly the way he had planned it. Yes, the young female HAD forgiven him - but she had also chastised him about injuring the Steward. And to make matters worse, she had also drifted off into a deep thought, completely dismissing his presence all together, almost as if he no longer existed at all. Standing up, Asagao would look into her distant dreamlike eyes and awkwardly turn away, leaving her lost in her own mind. "Wait, did she just say the Steward was injured?"

Turning his head, he would see his Kage on the ground with Shiori hovering atop of him trying to tend to his wounds. Startled by this sudden realization that he had almost killed two of his comrades - with one of them being the village leader - his heart sank deep into his stomach. The shame of it all was almost too much to bear. How could he have been so reckless? It truly was unforgivable how careless he had been. Ashamed and burdened by it all, he would need to make it up to his team..especially the Steward. He could not let this be the lasting impression they had of him. He would not stand for that!

Hanging back, he would follow the group at a safe distance, as they moved deeper into the woods, covering their flank. He needed some alone time to reflect on his poor decisions. The thrill of combat at been too great, he had allowed himself to become overzealous, which had caused him to make a poor strategic decision. Noticing the group and come to a halt, his eyes would follow their gaze and lock onto a figure standing in the trees. He couldn't for the life of him make out the figure clearly from his angle, the leaves and branches were covering him up, but he got the sense this guy was responsible for everything that was going on here. Hesitant to act, Asagao didn't want a repeat of earlier, so he would just stand idly by and watch, gawking at the shadowy individual in the trees; that is until someone yelled something about kill it with fire.

"Ahh, screw it!" Notching another explosive arrow, he would aim for the tree branch the guy or thing was standing on and let loose, letting his arrow fly, hoping it hit its mark.

[Marked for Training]

ooc: Horrible post. Ugh. I am terribly sorry for the horrendous wait. I am not gonna make any excuses..I just lost motivation for the topic. I am gonna forgo all my rewards for this mission..effectively turning this into a regular topic for myself. *nods*

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Kill it with fire Shiori screamed. The faux-Sousuke would mimic her voice right back at her. "Kill it with fire!" The voice roared back at much higher intervals. What the faux-Sousuke could not do was imitate her song which was to aid her allies. Shiori's allies would find themselves being empowered by her song.

Kumiko posed the faux-Sousuke with several questions. The faux-Sousuke let out a laugh. "Hah. Yes. Sure. Why not. Maybe I killed your Steward. Maybe I'm wearing his flesh for a new pelt. It's quite lovely don't you think? All this shining metal? Maybe he escaped from me and is dying due to his injuries from a scuffle from earlier when I tried absorbing him. Maybe we swapped bodies. Ooho. Wouldn't that be good? Yes."<i></i> The Unbent taunted at Kumiko not giving her any real answers to work with.

Asago went on the offensive and fired an arrow trying to hit the Unbent from earlier, but the arrow caught nothing. Whatever had been corresponding with the faux-Sousuke from earlier had clearly high tailed it and left.

The silver Unbent prepared for battle. Several blades would begin to emerge from the hands like a swiss army knife. Various blades, and various sizes, and sharpness too. The Silver Unbent swung his army first firing a number of blades at Shiori in an attempt to cease her annoying singing. The second swing of the arm was aimed at Asagao as he was actually armed, and from prior experiences he was actually very dangerous with his explosions. Upon firing all razor limbs. The Silver Unbent would then regrow these digits, but instead of having projectile limbs he would form two axe-hands and would begin a charge towards Kumiko. The Unbent would bring both limbs down upon her in an X formation trying to cleave her very being in two.

 

[Michi]

"Shiori! Stay away from it!" Kumiko attempted to warn her a moment too late as her false cousin took a swing at her with some sort of weapon that she did not recognize. It cut into her midsection, although it was only a grazing blow. Her voice raised an octave in response to the sudden surge of pain. Asagao shot at the impostor with an arrow but missed. Shiori staggered back, still singing her song of justice and victory in hopes of inspiring her allies. She was not the fighting kind, MEDICS do medical things. The closest thing she had to a fight was not a fight at all and resulted in deaths as she stood by and watched a madwoman kill the ailing around her. She wanted to be stronger but she had no idea how.

What if this thing was her cousin? Somehow... somewhere... What if they killed him?

This thing was not Sousuke. It might look like him, but it could not be him. But what if he was? It was going for Kumiko. She was dating her Sousuke, she should just let him slice her up. It was serve her right for stealing him away from her. Of course he was never hers, she had only claimed him in her mind and he was not interested in her in that way more than likely. She did not understand why she felt that way, she just did. She did not want to share or help him find happiness even if it was not with her, she wanted him to be with her. It was greedy and not true love but she did not want to admit that even to herself.

She ran her hands through a familiar series of seals and prepared to cast [Hypersonic Reverberation]. Perhaps if she bound the rampaging, armed unbent before it reached Kumiko it would not hurt anyone. No... wait until a second too late. It would not be her fault that she failed to bind the unbent in time. Then Sousuke would be hers again. Her mind considered this as well as attempting to bind Kumiko to aid the unbent in her destruction. But the consideration was brief. With a deep sense of self-loathing for what she perceived a weakness in her own character she tried to stop the unbent before it struck Kumiko. Her face was painted with the signs of disappointment and perhaps even regret regardless of the result. She could have ensured Sousuke's heart, or so that is what her childish logic dictated. All she had to do was eliminate the competition and it would have been the fault of the unbent. It was such an opportunity and she was such a stupid child for not taking this chance. But she couldn't, it was not in her nature. Not yet at least.

"H-how do we want to k-kill it." Shiori stuttered. It might be Sousuke, but it was not any more. She got over her initial knee-jerk reaction to whatever this thing is or was. It might be him, but he would never be hers in this form either. Perhaps he was not in there at all and they would still find him. If it was not him at all, then it had hurt Sousuke in some way. No matter what or who it was, it needed to be destroyed.

She wanted to cry. Missions were supposed to be fun. She would maybe even make some new friends. She thought Sousuke would see how awesome she was and tell her that he loved her and felt everything she thought she felt. Now she was dealing with some pretty girl who was probably Sousuke's girlfriend and she could not even let something try to kill her. She was thinking about killing something that might be at some level Sousuke. And IF it was him, how would she get him back. Was there some form of medical technology that could revive him from beyond death? There had to be something.

WC: 668

[MFT]​

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