☠☠☠Branded like an animal! xxx☠☠☠I can still feel the burn in my mind! xxxxxx☠☠☠I do believe that you made your message clear! xxxxxxxxx☠☠☠I think I'm losin' my mind, I think I'm losin' my mind!
Riki-Jin which is what The Narrator decided to call Rikiya Aka Kyojin... Who would want to put Kyojin/Rikiya after every word he says?!? Well Now its Riki-Jin or simply Kyojin. Doesn't freaking matter, anyway... Riki-Jin went back to the academy after 5 long years of doing completely nothing... Which kinda annoyed him but Riki-Jin still enjoyed the touring of the planet, he met many interesting characters. Half of them he killed and the other half well he let them live... One of them was a certain girl from the Void... Ironically Xio was from that village... Seems like a lot of insane or angry girls live there, Kyojin climbed up a tree and sat on the branch. Wrath and Daniel The Narrator appeared and sat down with him, thank god for the fact that they aren't that real, Kyojin was reminiscing and particularly on that pink colored hair, well he has a red hair so its simply natural in some people. “If the other voices were around at that time other than you, Wrath and Ms Narrator... They could die, Especially Feminine... She will be very jealous that girl was a lot more hour glass like and but I must remind you... A GIRL GOT YOU MURDERED YOU MORON! AND SHE LIVED IN HIDDEN VOID LIKE OASIS!” The Narrator suddenly screaming at the end and Wrath well he was resting... He was tired, yes voices get tired too but he well, just felt tired. Kyojin ignored Daniel... He was just picturing the features of Oasis Zappaku, and that highly matured body... He hasn't seen her for 2 years though... He and her just fought a lot and she won a lot too... But if he won, he knew she was messing with him... He did meet this kid she was with, hell he thought he was a little brother but he was just a puppy, he had no idea he could actually like a woman... Maybe its just that he is truly a male person, every straight men loves to see a sight like Oasis Zappaku. With that Kyojin slapped himself back to reality... Mental slap that is, he then looked back in the time he was still in the academy.
It was still infested with zombies... Lots of Zombies... Kyojin and Rikiya still hated each other Kyojin more because Rikiya did steal his body, “A Host within a Host... Hostception anyone?” Daniel said, “Shut up and narrate what happened,” Wrath said finally speaking after all this time, Riki-Jin sliced one zombie in half, letting it's blood spill the once clean ground, Riki-Jin was simply a teenager with anger problems... Well he still had that problem come on he wants to kill more than half of the people in his village... And if anyone say's its normal, deserves to have to die... Head crush or Neck slice.
Riki-Jin heard zombies somewhere on his right... “How long are you going to keep this flashback anyway?” Daniel Asked, “When someone or something distracts me,” Riki-Jin says. “But there's no more zombies!!?!” Daniel Shouted, “Just quit complaining and just get on with the flashback,” Riki-Jin said, Where was I? Oh yeah as Riki-Jin walked to where the moans came from he decided to clear the path, cutting down every and leaving no undead well standing... Mostly crippling them or tearing them limb from limb like he did this daily... Which he might be doing in a few hours or days. The savage like look on his eyes, he was angry and he was venting it on these undead beings, he finished and he was covered in undead liquid... That is if they even had liquid inside them, but he was covered in something, he kept it away from his mouth though and so he walked out of the Academy... Kyojin was having his memory of leaving this academy without supervision well except for Ms Narrator.
Kyojin opened his eyes and that madman gleam was back, the anger that's slowly being built up, anger that he will let out when the right time is out... If its a little to early, he will have more to spare, leaping out of the tree branch and into the ground, he walked to where the teacher was, when he saw Kyojin it took him a while to remember who just appeared, “Look who just suddenly showed up!” The Teacher said obviously angry but Riki-Jin remained calm, Ms Narrator was scarier when she was angry, not like this old fool, Kyojin was right in front of the teacher, he wasn't doing nothing... He still trained his legs to its limits, he can also thank the fact he was 'Wrath' incarnate but he still needed to get stronger and he still had to kill some people before he can fully unlock Wrath's power and let that power course through Kyojin, “You used to be the best student in our class! In your village! Now your a complete different person...” Kyojin just placed his katana on this man's neck letting it cut through the skin a little, “Just let me graduate... And we can get this over with... I trained my jutsu's... I enjoy my solitude... Maybe you should just see how powerful I am... Just look at my chakra, you do have those eyes right sensei?” Riki-Jin said and The Teacher muttered something and he nearly fell when he walked back. “I'm not the Kyojin you all knew, The one who died... The One they called Monster in my village... Well I'm inside this body and I plan on staying in it for a very long time,” Riki-Jin said and the long sleeves that hid the chains wrapped around the teacher's neck and Kyojin pulled the man closer letting the blade near his eye before stopping him... The Blade was half an inch from the teacher's eye that, Kyojin swore he saw a sweat drop from his forehead, “Do you think you can intimidate me?” The Teacher said putting up a brave front, “I was hoping you would say that.” The next thing that happened was a scream and a word that said... 'MY ARM!!! MY ARM!!!' It may have woken up or alerted a lot so Kyojin placed the blade on the teacher's neck, “Just say the word I graduated and I'll make sure my blade doesn't cut your head next...”
An Hour later the teacher came back and Kyojin was sitting on the desk eating an apple, “Alright you graduate... But I told them why I lost my arm.” The Teacher said and Kyojin just smirked, taking a last bite of his apple, Kyojin just nodded and simply decapitated the Teacher, grabbed his headband and placed it around his head... The Headband had a blood stain on it too and Kyojin left it be. He killed more Ninja's on his way out of the academy, he had graduated.
...Don't know how much I can take☣☣☣ ...Secret thoughts inside me wake☣☣☣xxx ...I've lost what was within me☣☣☣xxxxxx ...Oh sweet insanity☣☣☣xxxxxxxxx
The Technique
1,163 x 2 = 2,326 + 2,759 = 5,085 - Total Chakra
Remaining Chakra - 5,085
Henge no Jutsu: 300 Skill Points Bushin no Jutsu: 300 Skill Points Art of Substitution: 400 Skill Points Tree Climbing: 600 Skill Points Water Walking: 600 Skill Points Chakra Molding: 500 Skill Points Leaf Concentration: 500 Skill Points Shuriken/ Kunai Target Practice: 200 Skill Points Weight Lifting: 300 Skill Points Weight Running: 300 Skill Points Dummy Fighting: 200 Skill Points Sparing: 300 Skill Points Meditating: 300 Skill Points
All Completed - 4,800
Is it Music (Korn) or is it Voices (Disturbed)?:Another Brick in the Wall - Korn / Divide - Disturbed The Quote of the Voices:So can you tell me what exactly does freedom mean, If I'm not free to be as twisted as I wanna be? Am i with a possible target(s)?:Teacher Am i losing control of my Fragile Sanity?:Yes
Akaba held the tiny leaf by the stem and he studied it for a moment with an expression that clearly said he was not that interested. He moved his thumb and index finger back and forth causing the leaf to spin. He let loose his grip and the leaf twirled to the ground and he shook his head side to side as he knelt down. "It's light, flimsy, and weak, it's a mystery to me how the average winds do not severe them." He said softly to himself. He was aware that he had probably spoken more to himself than all the others combined at the academy since he got there. He picked the leaf up and let it drift into the palm of his right hand. He gently placed his left hand over the leaf. He had taken the thoughts into his mind. The thoughts of the wind flowing, his chakra emerging, and the leaf splitting. He then felt a ripple of wind between his palms and Akaba let it flow before letting his left arm rest and studying the leaf which laid still and split half way through in the palm of his hand. He sighed and felt the slight disappointment of the fact that he had failed overestimated his abilities and stopped too early. He picked up the leaf with his left hand and when it was in front of his face, he moved his right hand to grab on to the other side and gently severed it. His overwhelming want was not filled with the action. He could rip apart the leaf with physical strength easier than with chakra, his goal was not yet reached. He brushed his hand across the bush that sat gently behind him until taking hold of a leaf and plucking it from it's branch. Inspecting it ensuring it was free of holes or cuts as to not gain an advantage. He was pleased with the shape, color, and condition of the leaf. He held it withing his two cupped hands and focused once again on the wind chakra in his body to flow and cut through the leaf. He felt the slight winds of his body flowing out of his hands and he felt the leaf rattle so his focus was increased and he could slowly feel the wind thinning out into a fine sharp current which he could feel as he slowly pressed his two palms together. As the flow stopped, he felt the split in the leaf, completely carved through. He gave out a sigh of relief this time. He lifted his left hand to see the careful split down the center stem of the leaf. He then gave out more of his wind chakra from his right palm slowly blowing the split leaf into the open air where the wind blew it off to the side and the pieces gently rested on the ground. It had taken him a while but he was capable of using the wind chakra that pumped through his body in its most basic form to his advantage now. It needed much work which was aware of, but he was also aware that he was another step closer to the point of mastering the Ice Release that was so dear to his family.
Now that he had finished that objective, it was time to move on. He took a scroll from the basket across the yard from him. He whipped it open and quickly studied it intently. "Just aim work with Kunai..." He said softly to the point where the wind could overpower his words. His hand drifted along the side of his bag as he turned to the right where three trees had target boards strapped upon them about seven yards away. He pulled out three special Kunai to his village and with one solid motion he unleashed all three with the movement of his entire upper body. Then with a tut tut tut dirt bounced into the air. All three into the ground, which was an obvious result, he just wanted to see if he could tap into any miraculous power hidden away in him, that at this point was not there. He let off a small grin as he pulled out another mist Kunai studying the long spike, then the shorter spike. He pointed it forward before lifting it up over his head and with the visualization of the Kunai flying straight into the center target he flung his hand forward, loosening his solid grip and the Kunai drifted from his hand at a speed that tricked the eye into thinking it was fast, but it was not nearly fast enough, but with a fourth now familiar tut he had hit one of the outer rings of the center target. Without moving the rest of his body he picked another Kunai from his hip pouch and flung it with even more force than the last. It was much quicker this time but further from the center, on just the tip of the board with visible difference in placement from the last one. On the inside he was still not impressed with the speed as it was not going to cut it at a long range. He quickly grabbed the last four of his tucked away Kunai and with alternating forces he threw them quickly. He was amazed that he managed to get his second Kunai to strike almost immediately after the first and just outside of the bulls-eye. Greater speed and accuracy than the other three. He recalled the technique he used for that throw and he ran forward grabbing one of the first three Kunai from the ground, which took a tad bit more force to pull from the ground than he had expected and the surprise was shown on his face. None the less, he bounced back into his former position and repeated the form he used on the best throw he had yielding similar results. He quickly jogged forward grabbing the other Kunai that stuck into the dirt, over estimating it to the point where when he pulled them out he almost lost his balance and fell backward. He then jogged forward to the center target board pulling out the other eight. He tucked them all away. He then ran back to his old position once again. He placed the Kunai in his hip bag and with the familiar move that has proved successful with him he threw all ten Kunai. He had been correct in thinking this was the position he should use. They all made it straight on the board cleared of the outside two of the six rings. The seventh actually hitting the center. He let off a smile and a bright chuckle. He happily sprung forward towards the target, he studied the careful incisions of the Kunai and pulled out the blades tucking each away in his hip pouch. He was sure that was all he needed for now on this subject. He walked back to the basket of scrolls picking out another random one.
His breathing had slowed as he started to read. Though a thought interrupted the words from crossing his mind. He laughed slightly at how he behaved during class. The distractions of the other students bothered him to the point he could not focus. He couldn't really focus on his school work that's why he ended up here, right now, late afternoon, alone. The teacher allowed him to study alone where he could focus more. He had gotten quite a bit accomplished already for being the third day he was doing this. He shook his head as he noticed he was drifting off once again. He then started reading the scroll over again. His next objective would be tree climbing. His thought was that it would be easy. After all he had already learned to use his Chakra nature, his actual Charkra would be simple. He walked over to the center target practice tree. He placed his right foot on it. He began to lift up his left foot but could feel that he was about to fall so quickly placed it back down with a soft thud. He started commanding his Chakra flow to his feet he took a few deep breaths and then silence, he could feel a bond between the tree and his foot so he moved his left foot up, and he could feel his right foot's bond to the tree, just when he thought he had it, he felt his body start to fall back and he quickly pushed his foot with great force flipping back and landing on his stomach with some dirt flying into his mouth. He cringed at the earthy taste as he spit it onto the ground in front of him and pushed himself up dusting off his chest. He was aware that he would need to try some more and not let his upper body fall. He looked at the tree, studied it a bit, and placed his left foot first this time, he felt the bond coming on, and made sure it didn't get too strong and break the bark. He then quickly placed his right foot on the tree but forced too much Chakra into it and caused the very thing that he had been focusing on just before. The bark broke apart and he quickly placed his right foot back upon the ground before losing his balance. He grabbed onto the tree with his hands and when he felt he wouldn't fall, he placed his right foot onto the tree and started letting a similar Chakra flow to the left and felt the bond between them. His hands let the tree go and he fell backward but placed his hands down and kept the focus on his legs. He started to pull his body up with his legs and could now feel that he had it. He started to move his feet one at a time up the tree. It was clear now, the amount of Chakra needed to sustain his balance. He steadily walked up the tree and with a sigh of relief he loosened the force in his Chakra through lack of focus and started falling. He managed to push off of the tree with his feet and flipped backwards again, this time landing on his feet.
He let off a sigh of relief as he had gotten that down successfully he rolled the scroll back up and placed it gently into the basket pulling out the next. He unrolled it gently, regaining his breath from the previous exercise he began to read it steadily. By this time he realized he learns faster by reading than having it explained to him. The thought of him finally getting these down also came with that. He let off a small smirk enjoying the fact he was so easily getting these down. He read the scroll quickly then read over it one more time feeling he didn't completely get it down the first time. The scroll explained how to use Chakra to walk upon water. In the Land of Water this would be extremely useful as he read over the key points one last time he walked over to the small pond. He was wearing special waterproof pants so he did not make a big deal of getting them wet. He placed his hands together and focused his Chakra, he thought about how the scroll specified that it is similar to the three climbing technique but this required more focus due to you having maintain fluctuating Chakra to deal with the constant changes of water. He took in a deep sigh as he focused the Chakra into his feat as he stepped onto the still water and a slight ripple appeared and he picked up his other foot and managed to stay balanced on only his right foot. He placed down the left and with another ripple and then that was quickly broken and his foot penetrated the top of the water causing a small splash forcing the other foot's balance to fail and both legs were knee deep in water. He pulled himself out of the water shaking his legs which appeared wet but the water could not soak through. He tried once again, focused even harder this time. First the right foot, balance achieved. He then moved the left foot onto the water, this time the balance was flowing through both feet, he felt safe to begin walking, so he did. He paced around the top of the water, slowly at first, but then began jogging, and skating across the surface until blowing forward in a full fledged run and falling in. He panted a little as he took a moment to reflect on his apparent loss of balance. He stuck his hand in the water and splashed some onto his face. He placed his hand low towards the water and forced his wind Chakra onto the surface where it caused a few ripples. He then gained a look of anger in his attempt to fully unleash his Chakra the water began bouncing up and created large ripples before bouncing violently in the air and into Akaba's face. He stood there looking into the ripples for a few seconds before they faded. He jumped up and let his Chakra flow in his feet and attempted to catch himself on top of the water, which his left foot caught the surface and his right went straight through. He pulled his right foot up and gently stepped onto the surface this time catching it. He jumped again, this time successful, then again once more to prove to himself it was no accident. He tried to run again, this time more successful. He stomped with his dominant right foot and the ripples were light. He tapped the water with that foot, the ripples were just as light. He had gotten this technique down as well.
He ran back to the scroll basket while rolling up the Water Walking scroll and while placing it down with his right hand, he also grabbed another with his left hand. He studied the new one quickly, it was a simple technique, a standard clone creation, the Bushin no Jutsu. "A clone without substance" The words gently escaped Akaba's mouth as he turned around and placed the scroll on the ground before him uttering the words "Ram, Snake, Tiger" he pulled out a folded paper from his hip pouch and unfolded it he studied the hand symbols for a moment refreshing his memory of the Snake hand seal. He quickly folded it up again and placed it away. He then collided his two hands and quickly made the three hand seals of the Ram, Snake, and Tiger and with his Chakra flowing a burst of white smoke next to him and a copy of him stood there, both of them holding the Tiger Hand Seal. The true Akaba took a deep breath as he looked over to the side at the perfectly sculpted clone. He grinned at the clone for a moment before bouncing back and pulling a mist kunai from his pouch and with the same technique had used earlier flung the Kunai at his clone and a violent burst of white smoke deployed upon impact. Akaba landed on one knee and ran over to the Kunai pulling it from the dirt. He was pleased with this. He then moved onto the next scroll. By the time he grabbed it he realized he had left the previous scroll on the floor and rolled it up quickly leaving it on the ground, he unrolled the new scroll and read it carefully, not needing to check on the hand seals needed in this technique, he rolled it up and then slammed his hands together once more in the form of the Dog, Boar, then Ram symbols. Then with a burst of white smoke a tree remained in his place. The Henge no Jutsu was completed simply as well. He could tell that he was getting quicker at learning things.
He took the two scrolls and then placed both into a bucket and picked up the last one that he needed to study. He rolled it out and began looking at the explanation of the Substitution Jutsu. He noticed that unlike the other two Jutsu he had just learned, this one required five hand seals rather than just three. He placed the scroll on the ground as he placed his hands together and quickly formed the seals for Ram, Bear, Ox, Dog, then Snake and with a poof of white smoke the young ninja appeared behind one of the target practice trees and in his former place a log fell to the floor. He ran over to inspect the log and marveled at his ability to learn this technique. He smiled and then flipped the log over inspecting it further. He then rolled up the scroll and placed it into the basket, which he picked up gently to make sure he didn't drop any of the scrolls. He moved it to the inside of the academy in the spot the teacher had pulled it from before giving it to Akaba.
Quote:
2893 Words Typed Learned [N] Henge no Jutsu: 300 Skill Points
Render stares forward contently at the instructor from her place in the front aisle of the classroom where no one else seemed to want to sit. She watches the instructor begin introducing himself and smiles to show him that she is listening. "My name is Waijen and I will be replacing your professor for a while. Don't call me teacher or sensei or anything like that. Mr. Waijen will do just fine." As he continues to speak Boyto creeps from his seat in the back to sit next to her. She notices him but keeps her attention on Mr. Waijen. He doesn't say anything and seems to just sit there in his usual forward hunch position. It isn't until class ends on the last bit of the lecture on Water Walking that he says anything. The instructor is long gone and only a handful of students remain.
"That guy's our teacher? I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not." Surprised at him coming off judgmental, Render turns her head to look at him. She waits for him to go on and he eventually does. "I've seen that guy before. Well, my cousin has. He's a shape shifting demon."
"What is that supposed to mean? Is that a thing, a real thing?" Boyto nods to her.
"He can take the shape of almost anything, living and non. He's mastered by a pair of twins that are said to be crazy but I dunno. He's made through alchemy and harbors souls of the dead." He seems to shiver a little which makes Render look off and behind her into the hall. She then looks back at the boy who seems to have embraced himself. "I just get a bad feeling."
"He's just a temp. There's nothing to worry about. And I’m sure that even though he's a shape shifter he's not all bad. You should give him more of a chance than going by what you hear, Boyto." She stands from her seat and he shrugs. He figured he could give the guy a shot. He stands up soon after and the two venture into the hall.
"You remember that place where we got shish kabobs?" Render nods to the boy. "Well, I heard that the daughter of the Kage disappeared. Scary, huh?" The Temari male waits for her to say something but she doesn't. "Anyway, so now there's a mission available to find her. Trouble is that the Kage is a little out of it so when it comes to getting details on it from him it's nigh impossible. Not many people can get pass that and he's been waiting for like a week or something."
"That's terrible," Render whispers. He was waiting for her to say that. "Someone needs to try and help him then. And that someone is us!" That was more than a someone but he was waiting for that too.
"This isn't going to be like that cat stuck in a tree mission from three days ago. This could be super dangerous. You have to prepare yourself to get into a lot of hairy situations." They continue walking but once they near the front doors of the academy Boyto steps in front of her and they both come to a halt. "If we do this then you have to put your trust in me and mine in you. Are you willing to trust me?" Render smiles, nods, and gives an excited 'Of course'. "Then let's go right now!" He turns around and rushes out of the door as Render smiles and then runs along after him.
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"She's a girl, a girl! Where, oh, where is our hero Hikai when you need him? Where?" Boyto lets his mouth hang open as he and Render watch the Kage of Hidden Flame pace around frantically.
"Who's Hikai," Boyto asks towards Render and soon he wishes he hadn't. The Kage gets real close and in his face and becomes yelling about a boy named Hikai Watari. He was a master of flames to the point where he could manipulate them with his hands and devour it with no trouble at all. He had characteristics of a dragon in his immunity to his only element of fire, his fangs, and the way his flames reacted to him. He was a great hero of Hidden Flame even though he never did anything to actually save them. "Not much of a hero if you ask me--."
"Well I didn't Boyot," the man barks.
"It's Boyto," the brunette corrects in a high, angry tone. At least he got all the letters but that still wasn't his name. Render steps forward a little and gestures to the Kage.
"We need you to put Hikai aside and tell us what you know about your daughter and where she may have gone." He continues raving about how cool Hikai is and soon Render is left with saying, "It's been a week. There's no guarantee that she's alive. You need to tell us what we need to know or you may never get to see your only daughter again." That was harsh for Render but true. Boyto looks at the Kage and actually notices him growing serious. He tells the two of a path under the village built by someone that he can't recall. He had noticed her being curious about the paths after a point where he and his daughter began remembering the Uchiha Hikai out of the blue. He tells them where the path is and how to get into it. And soon the two, Boyto and Render, are at the entrance to the path. Boyto pries open the emergency hatch to a dark tunnel. They ready to find a means to see through the darkness when lights begin to flick to life.
"Creepy!" Render begins to enter first but Boyto rushes ahead of her. "Boys first in these types of situations," he explains. He then leads the way deeper into the tunnel. After hours of walking they come to a point in the tunnel that is left dark. "Maybe this is where we exit?"
"You shouldn't be here. What business do you have in these tunnels?" Boyto jumps back a little and bumps into Render who stands waiting for some sign to go on the offensive or defensive. A female wearing little more than a gothic style red dress that is form fitting steps out of the darkness and eyes the two. She looked to be around the same age as Render.
"We're looking for the Kage's daughter. She's gone missing," Boyto manages to say as he straightens up. He apologizes to Render for bumping into her and then steps forward. "If you know where she is then you need to tell us. We know that she may or may not have come down here or been wandering around here or saw this place and got curious... or something." His words fell off at the end. "Interrogation fail," he groans in a whisper. "If you know where she is--."
"If she knows where the Kage's daughter is then what? You want to be starting some s**t," someone hisses from the darkness. Boyto resists a yelp as the gothic style of dress woman turns to look at someone they couldn't see. "You two ain't that strong so you'd better turn back around."
"We're plenty strong!" Boyto straightens up only to flinch back into Render as a figure begins to come into view. "I'm strong enough to fight beside Render and to save the Kage's daughter with her. S-So..." He notices the appearance of the person that had been growling at him and swallows hard. The crimson eyes of the Uchiha burn into the youth as Render seems to also grow uneasy. Fangs are visible digging into the man's bottom lips, his eyes are that of the Sharingan at its first level, the heat coming off of him is hot but seems angry, and he's got a very angry expression on his face. "You're Hikai," Boyto states as the boy dressed in a navy tank top and dark denim jeans steps closer to him.
"So? My name meaningful to you or something?" The female touches the man on the shoulder and he seems to snort and step back.
"You are Hikai, the one the Kage is extremely adoring of. We're not here to cause you any trouble. We just want to find his daughter and return her to him," Render reasons.
"Mina will return once she's done. She helped us hide when the villager's tried to, well..." Hikai seems to cringe and mumble something that only the female hears. "They were getting out of hand when they noticed him doing something with his fire so she helped us hide in the path down here. She's sleeping right now and we'll return her tonight," the female finally says. She is warm in tone but dark as if having a side to her more menacing.
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"He thought something happened to me? Oh no. I shouldn't have worried him," a young girl whimpers.
"He won't care as long as you're safe, Mina. I can't believe we find you hanging out here with Hikai and Grimace. I just remembered that it was mentioned you two had gone missing." Hikai growls and sets down his canteen after a quick drink. Boyto is sitting on the ground of the path while Render is sitting on her coat beside him. Mina is sitting on Boyto's coat and is positioned directly across from Render and sitting beside Hikai. Grimace is standing beside Hikai on his other side as the Uchiha beats his free hand against the ground in a fist.
"Don't say my name like we're damn pals. You're too goofy to be any friend of mine." That was mean. Boyto just shrugs as Hikai goes on, "And if you so much as whisper a word about us to anyone then we'll hunt you down, right Grim?" He seems to gesture towards the female beside him who is idly combing through her wavy, bright red hair with her hands. Her gray eyes shift from her hands to Hikai and she gives him a quirky little smirk. Boyto quickly notices this exchange and leans towards Hikai.
"Is Grimace your girlfriend? You gave her a nickname and she's grinning at you awfully strange," Boyto blurts out. Before he can say anything more Render yanks him back as Hikai flings his body forward, aiming to head butt the youth. "Ah!"
"Don't go running your mouth about things you don't understand ya b*****d!" Grimace notices a thin layer of flames starting to form along Hikai's skin and decides to walk over to stand beside Boyto. The Uchiha male manages to rein in his anger and just snorts. "You gonna let him go calling you my girlfriend so lightly? We're teammates," he mutters. Even though he said that and Grimace gives a small nod, Boyto wasn't convinced. But he wasn't about to say anything again. Render notices that she's got Boyto's arm pressed against her chest, her arms wrapped around his, and releases him. She relaxes a little as Boyto looks to her and then to Grimace. He gives a small shrug as if to say he didn't think what he said would be that bad and Grimace seems to flow back over to Hikai. He watches how she moves and how she stands at his side and still thinks they have more going on than they let on. "You ever had a bounty on your head, kid," Hikai asks with a bite to his voice. Boyto looks at him and o does Render. Mina just looks between everyone, not knowing where she stands. "Doubt you have, but who's to say. When you've had people after you you tend not to do anything to draw attention to people."
"You don't lay any claims to anyone and make sure you're the only one they're looking for. You hide and keep secrets, all to keep things from going to Hell. It doesn't matter how Grimace and I together looks to you, but don't go spewing connections between us. I'll be damned if Grimace and I have the same bounty on our heads cause some little s**t thought he knew something." Boyto swallows hard. He got where Hikai was coming from. Even if they were an item, they wouldn't admit it because they were hiding for a reason.
"Someone is after you?" Neither Grimace or Hikai give Render a response. She would assume someone was after them and would leave it at that. Before long night sets in and Boyto and Render manage to convince Grimace and Hikai, more so Grimace, to let them spend the night in the tunnels until the next day when they would return Mina to her father Alyager, the Kage of Hidden Flame.
x
Notes:: RPC = Render [Orimara] {Chakra Surge::2,300 / Current Chakra::2,300} ---------------- Current Outfit = Render is wearing her usual. Also wears a winter coat that is not described. [Boyto]. Also wears a winter coat that is not described. ---------------- Last Post = The Shinobi Academy (Pp. 311, P. 9) ---------------- Words = 2,148 Total Words = 4,663 Anywhere Words = 0 Free Techniques = 5 [Season 100!!!!] (counts prior posts only) ---------------- Village Training List:: 4,500 - Henge no Jutsu: 300 Skill Points - Bushin no Jutsu: 300 Skill Points - Art of Substitution: 400 Skill Points - Tree Climbing: 600 Skill Points - Water Walking: 600 Skill Points - Chakra Molding: 500 Skill Points - Leaf Concentration: 500 Skill Points - Shuriken/ Kunai Target Practice: 200 Skill Points - Weight Lifting: 300 Skill Points - Weight Running: 300 Skill Points - Dummy Fighting: 200 Skill Points - Sparing: 300 Skill Points - Meditating: 300 Skill Points
Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 5:33 am
Academy Completion Post
Day 8xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Render awakens very early in the morning to the shriek of Boyto. She rubs her sapphire colored eyes with the back of her hand and props herself up using her other arm. She watches the blurred figure of Boyto pacing and eventually her vision clears after she rubs her other eye. "Boyto... what's the matter?" The Temari stops pacing and places both hands firmly against the side of his head. He goes on about how he shouldn't have hollered since Render was sleeping and how he forgets she needs her rest. Then, as Mina yawns and rolls over beneath Boyto's coat, the boy explains that Grimace and Hikai are gone. "What? You're sure," Render asks as she moves her coat from atop of her. She shivers a little at the drop in the temperature of the room and begins to understand that Grimace and Hikai are indeed gone. When Hikai was present his body radiated with such heat that the cold deep in the tunnel wasn't the least bit bothersome.
"I woke up cause it felt like the sun was up and then as I go to sit up the place is freezing! So I looked around and saw Grimace and Hikai were gone. And then I yelled and woke you up." The brown haired youth looks over at Mina who continues to snore rather noticeably and smirks. "She doesn't seem to be waking up even though I yelled. I guess she must not have heard me." Render watches as the boy walks over to Mina with a playful grin.
"If you scare her awake you might--," Render goes to say as she sits up in the butterfly position. But before she can Boyto gives a deep and loud roar and Mina's eyes burst open. Render, sensing something being dangerous, gets to her feet instantly. After she runs over to Boyto and tackles him to the ground, Mina eyes go blank. Once the two hit the ground an intense flames is spewed from the girl's mouth and ventures farther down the path. Render feels the heat rush over her and presses herself closer to Boyto on the ground. The boy doesn't pay that any mind and seems to stare up at the dragon in surprise. The dragon doesn't touch any side of the large tunnel as it fly through. Just when Boyto begins to tell Render she can get off of him, another dragon is spewed forth. Then another, and another, before there were eventually eight dragons summoned. This wasn't good.
Boyto maneuvers his hand until able to get into his pocket and manages to shift out his clan fan. He gently pushes Render off of him, the girl rolling until on her back on the ground, and grips the fan tight. "Don't fan the flames, Boyto." The roar of the dragons and crackling of the flame was too much for the boy to hear the Orimara, He flicks his wrist and sends a gust of flames up from his position on the ground. The gust twists and turns and eventually lifts Boyto and turns him until heis on his feet in the center of the gust. His eyes are blank, seeming to hold a cold stare, as the dragons rush in his direction from down the tunnel. "Is she manipulating them?" Render rolls onto her belly and begins crawling over to Mina who still holds that spaced out look in her eyes. Flames stop spewing from her mouth and is replaced by a thick smoke. Render moves faster to try and stop Mina before Boyto see's what happens when flames and wind clash.
Before she can make it to the girl she hears Boyto state in a very bland, deep tone, "Wind Superiority." The entire tunnel soon gains the feel of floating as if Boyto had used his winds to cause the structure to be gently pried from in the earth and into the air. Render's body and that of Mina seem to almost levitate off of the ground. "Suffocation," Boyto finally states as the flame dragons seem to dissolve until completely gone. The smoke is soon grasped by the wind and thinned out across the tunnel. A vortex also seems to form around Mina. Render tries to enter within it to see what is happening in the vortex but can feel the air being sucked from her lungs as she grows nearer. "Deactivate," Boyto states as the wind settles and soon vanishes. Boyto stands where he is a moment before falling backward. Render gasps as does Mina, finally snapping out of her trance at the sensation of having the air pulled from her, and gets to her feet.
"Are you all right, Mina?" The kage's daughter nods and Render quickly turns and rushes over to Boyto. "Boyto? Boyto!" She calls to him to try and get him to come around but he just continues to lay there with his eyes shut. Render, not being too experienced with medicine, decides to see if he's breathing. When she see's that he is, she gives a sigh of relief. That had to be a good sign. He probably just used too much chakra.
Quote:
Day 9xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"No... no, no... No, I got it!" Boyto moans until completely a full statement. He bolts up and looks around an ash covered room. He breathes in and out a few times before noticing Render knelt beside him. He looks down at the sofa he is resting on and then at the girl. "I must have overdid it," he complains with a small frown. Render just smiles and pats him on the head with her hand. She tells him she's glad he's all right and then someone enters into the living area.
"What a sty. I must have left the window open again. What a spaz," insults a man. He stands there in the doorway, staring at Render and Boyto. He brings up a hand and adjusts his trilby hat until it covers one eye and part of the other. His wavy black hair almost covers much of his eyes from view as is, but it's not hard to see his dark red eyes. He ventures deeper into the room as Render turns her head to watch him approach. "Render, right? It's been a while. Last time I saw you Boyto was bursting through the door talking about he'd found a girl that needed to go to the Academy. How old did you say you were," the man prods. He was about her age, perhaps about two years older. He stares at her with his narrowed eyes only for him to notice her beginning to look back to Boyto. "Hey," he whispers, taking her chin in his grasp. He was gentle, very gentle, "You don't have to be unsure. I'm not trying anything if that's what you're worried about. Was just thinking how you looked like a kid like Boyto, but you're older than that, right?" Render nods a little.
"I'm twenty-one," she informs him. He releases her chin and sits down on the floor. He rests his back against the sofa, props up one knee, and then hangs the corresponding arm across the knee. He gestures to her with the hand from that same arm.
"No kidding? I'm twenty-three--" He was two years older. "--just so you know. The second eldest of our gang." He seems to sit there a moment, letting his hand drop and tap against his calf. "He's not in a good mood. So you should try and keep a low profile," the man warns sternly. Render looks at this man as he shuts his eyes. Boyto, just lying there listening, seems to hold a dissatisfied expression. His forehead is wrinkled slightly, his eyebrows furrowed some, and his eyes are narrowed. His mouth forms a flat line but seems a little more turned under than straight. Render seems to notice this and turns from Boyto on the sofa. She sits close beside the twenty-three year old with her legs bent beneath her; her hands resting atop her thighs. As Boyto lays back down on the furniture another person comes strolling into the room.
"Boyto out again," the new male asks. His hair is black and short styled so it covers the brim of his nose but stays out of his eyes; all of his hair smoothed forward on his head to that part of the front and the sides. His eyes are beady and dark, which seems to reflect his appearance. One hand is hooked onto his belt along the side while the other is deep into his pocket.
"Yeah, Paujil. He's a kid but he's still a lightweight," the man beside Render mocks fondly. Boyto kicks the man a little making him lean forward a little with a grin.
"Max is barking around town. So with any luck he won't be at the house for a while. That'd give the kid some time to recuperate before all hell breaks lose," Paujil replies unenthusiastically. He lingers in the doorway before he turns his head to look out of the wide open front door. Ash begins blowing in a little from outside as Boyto's mouth shifts into a flat line and his eyes just stare lazily at the ceiling. The room was going to get more filthy before he would have a chance to clean it. Render stands from her place on the floor and bows to Paujil and the man on the floor.
With a raise of her body to be in an upright position she says warmly, "Welcome back Clay and Paujil. I was going to wait until everyone showed up but I guess it'll be just you two. Darren is with Max, right?"
"My clone is. I wasn't about to be subjected to such senseless bloodshed--" a male with dirty blond hair styled in a curly bowl cut. The man loosens the red tie around his neck more than it is, and then rests his hands against the opening in his shirt that showed some of his chest. "--I don't care for it unless it's my doing." He looks at Render and then gives her a twisted grin. green eyes are dim but light up a litte; they even widen some. His dark green eyes look her face over and then he steps through the door. He reels a leg back, kicking the door shut. He then proceeds walking until reaching the living room. He comes to rest almost in front of Render but he is soon blocked when Clay stands up.
"He'll be pissed as s**t if you pull that out here," Clay warns calmly. Darren, now bored, shrugs. His eyes lose their luster and become lazy in look and intensity. He moves his hands to rest on his waist before turning around and heading for the doorway leading into the rest of the house. Render watches him go and wonders if Max would be the angry one Clay mentioned. And what would Darren reveal that Max wouldn't like? What was that mission of theirs anyway?
"Welcome back Darren," she whispers in disappointment after him. She wanted to properly say hello to him but he approached then left so suddenly that she couldn't.
"Don't worry about him," Clay and Boyto say together. They exchange a few insult before everyone eventually settles down.
Quote:
A loud crash is heard and then a pained cry. Everyone but Darren look to the front door as it is eased open. Shadows pool from outside as a man motions into the room. "There goes Darren's clone," Paujil comments with a chuckle. He sits in the armchair across the room from the sofa with Clay resting on the arm of it. Darren is sprawled out on the floor face down and seemingly enjoying it based on him not moving. Boyto is now sitting up on the sofa at one end with Render sitting at the other. A man unruly blonde hair steps into the living room, leaving the door wide open. Render, and Boyto after seeing her working so hard alone, had cleaned up the whole place the best they could. And now it was going to get messied with ash from outside. Hazel eyes slide over each person before falling on Boyto. His eyes are noticeably angry along with being rather beady and glazed. The man walks over to the Temari and sits on the couch in between him and Render.
"Who the hell is she," he asks. He seems to be referring to Render, obviously as she is the only she around, but keeps his eyes focused on Boyto from the corner of his eyes. The boy gives a confused 'huh' and the man grits his teeth. With a clench of his fist Render shifts on the couch to face this man.
"Hello Max, I'm Render. You are busy a lot so you probably don't remember meeting me almost a month ago. Welcome home," she says sweetly. Max seems to relax his hand, the others in the room aside from him, Render, and Darren relaxing their tense bodies.
"Right. The little girl that Boyto dragged in here. I'm surprised you stuck around. You never did look like someone that was here for some Academy bullshit." His voice seems distant, as if hes not even in his body at the moment. "Darren, you idiot, you kept it in your pants right?" He hears the man face down on the floor laugh a little. He scoots forward in his seat and rolls the male over with his foot. "You always like to show that thing off. You didn't flash it to Boyto and the girl, did you?" The girl? Render listens to him speak and tries to discern what they might be talking about. But she gets nothing from it.
"No," Darren replies simply. Max then scoots back in his seat and slips into a slouch. He rests his back against the sofa as Render begins to face forward again.
"How about we go, huh? You and me Render, we could take off together." She quickly turns her head to look at Max. He watches her hair drift up and then fall along her body, her rosy cheeks remain their naturally rosy color, and her eyes open a little wider. Before she can speak he goes on to say, "I know you're not some minor. So why don't you spend the night in my room tonight?" Boyto seems to tense up on the sofa, something that Max notices, and he is given a warning from the man. "If you think you can then do. If you think you will then do. If you think you know then show." While it seemed like it held nothing to it. He was telling Boyto that if he wanted to do something then to do it. If he thought he could do something then to do it. If he thinks he knows then show. If he wanted Max to leave Render alone and he would make him if not, then he would have to show that he could. Also meaning that if Boyto showed any signs of doing anything against what Max is doing then they would fight each other. And the cold gaze that filled his eyes when he glanced over to Boyto revealed what he could do, he would do and how he would show it.
"I'd prefer not to," Render interrupts. Clay winces a little as Paujil does nothing. Darren seems have sprout a steadily growing grin as Max looks to Render again. Once Boyto looks at the Orimara she seems to go on. "I'm not that kind of girl. To sleep in a bed with someone I've only ever met once. I can't allow myself to do something so out of character of me," she concludes. Her tone is stern but is very sweet. Max seems to acknowledge her and sighs heavily.
"I'll just have to be soaked and dry," he mutters. Darren chuckles which prompts Max to stand up. He lifts his foot and then sets it down on the stomach of the man. Darren grunts but continues to grin. He steps a little harder and then rolls the male over to the sofa. As Max walks away and towards the sleeping area of the house Paujil kicks Darren to keep him from rolling into him. Render gives a sad 'ow' as Darren groans a little and then laughs. Clay seems to watch Max wander away and waits for him to finally say, "Let's go," to beckon all but Boyto and Render to follow him.
Quote:
Day 32xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Invocation: Art of Custom-Selective Eradication... Invocation: Art of Custom-Selective Eradication... Invocation: Art of..." Render stands in the living room listening to the sound of a young girl's voice in the sleeping area of the place she called home for almost two months now. She had received a message sent along by the carrier of the tiny voice. The message was from the man that she called master. It read:
"My student. I have noted your absence and decided to allow you to gain knowledge. But now you are to return to home to receive a mission. Your objective before you leave is to assist the mind altering one in erasing you from the people's memory that you have encountered. She will then proceed to seek out the two that fled and take care of their memory as well. I am certain that you will complete your task and will be ready upon arrival in home for your mission."
I was signed with a speck of blood in the corner of the letter. That was his blood seal signature to show it was official. Only his blood would bring about a change type reaction in Gesshoku. Render clutches the dagger in her hands, the blade composed of pure moonlight. "Invocation: Art of Custom-Selective Eradication." The Orimara continues staring at her weapon before hearing, "It's done. I'm going on ahead."
"All right," she replies. The girl seems to note her hesitation and tone with a sideward nod and then skips towards and then out of the front door. Render stares at the door as it is closed silently under a veil of silence that affected object sounds for all and voices for the others resting in their beds. She looks over at the sofa at Boyto who scratches his stomach atop of the blanket covering him. His mouth is hanging open but he soon shuts it and grins happily. The silver eyed maiden takes a deep breath to try and build up her resolve and then makes her way to the front door. She leaves out in the same silent manner as the young girl and soon sounds returns to the building. In Max's room where Darren is asleep beneath his bed, the man lies awake, his hazel eyes on his open bedroom door.
x
Notes:: RPC = Render [Orimara] {Chakra Surge::2,300 / Current Chakra::2,300} ---------------- Current Outfit = Render is wearing her usual. Also wears a winter coat that is not described. Then image clothing. [Boyto]. Also wears a winter coat that is not described. Then image clothing. Darren, Max, Paujil, and Clay. Wearing image clothing. ---------------- Last Post = The Shinobi Academy (Pp. 312, P. 3) ---------------- Words = 2,772 Total Words = 4,663 Anywhere Words = 0 Free Techniques = 5 [Season 100!!!!] (counts prior posts only) ---------------- Village Training List:: 4,500 - Henge no Jutsu: 300 Skill Points - Bushin no Jutsu: 300 Skill Points - Art of Substitution: 400 Skill Points - Tree Climbing: 600 Skill Points - Water Walking: 600 Skill Points - Chakra Molding: 500 Skill Points - Leaf Concentration: 500 Skill Points - Shuriken/ Kunai Target Practice: 200 Skill Points - Weight Lifting: 300 Skill Points - Weight Running: 300 Skill Points - Dummy Fighting: 200 Skill Points - Sparing: 300 Skill Points - Meditating: 300 Skill Points
♫ ♫ ♫ You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, ♪ ♪ ♪ xxxxx☣ ☣ ☣ Love like you'll never be hurt, ☢ ☢ ☢ xxxxxxxxx✔ ✔ ✔ Sing like there's nobody listening, ✘✘✘ xxxxxxxxxxxxx♔ ♔ ♔ And live like it's heaven on earth. ♕ ♕ ♕
The silence of the corridor was broken because of a young boy that was running. He looked at one room at a time, searching. He entered the last classroom and sat at a seat near a window. He placed his bag beside him and waited for his teacher. *Poof* A ninja appeared in the room and placed his book and papers on the teacher's desk. He looked at the students to check if there is someone who repeated the year. He sat down and asked, " So, you youngsters wanna be a ninja? I'm strict when it comes to teaching. But let me give you a heads up. My name is Iruka Umino. And I'm gonna be your homeroom teacher from now on. " Iruka walked around the room to check his students' attendance. " Kazuto." " Hai! " " Yuuki." " Hai! " " Shinto. " " Here. " " Bryce. " As Iruka-sensei said the name, no one reacted. Silence filled the room. Iruka repeated, " Bryce? Bryce Uchiha? " Still, no answer. He walked around the room once more to see a blonde kid staring at the clouds. Iruka approached the child, seeing that he has headphones on. He removed the headphones and strictly said, " Headphones are not allowed in my class, mister. " The young boy noticed that his headphones were gone, and saw it being placed on his desk. He looked at the teacher with a confused look. " What's your name? " Iruka asked. " Please give me my headphones back first. I can't think straight if I dont have it. " he politely said. Iruka sighed and gave the kid's headphones back. " So, what's your name? I would likely deduct some of your points because of your misbehavior. And its just the start of the school year. " Iruka said while taking out another set of papers. " Im truly sorry about my behavior just now. The clouds were just too...alluring. I cant take my eyes off of it. " he said with a frown. Iruka sighed another time, and looked at the child. " Fine. Fine. You're forgiven. For now. I will allow you to use your headphones in my class. But once I ask you a question, or call you out for a demonstration, you have to do it correctly. Or else Im gonna confiscate that. " The young boy nodded, and with a cheerful voice, he answered, " My name is Bryce Uchiha. Please take care of me. " Iruka just smiled with somewhat relief. He continued with the attendance. And when he finished, he walked to his desk and placed all his papers in the drawer. He stood up straight and said, "So, to start up this year, I would teach you how to do the Henge no Jutsu. " The class widened their eyes and a big smile was found on their faces. ' Yaaaay! ' is obviously what they want to say. " So, I would first demonstrate the Henge no Jutsu and.......Bryce would copy me. " Just like any usual reaction, the whole class looked at Bryce. Iruka then demonstrated the Jutsu and transformed into a chair. The whole class stared at their sensei as he executed the jutsu, except Bryce. After performing the jutsu, Iruka called down Bryce and made him stand in front of everybody. " Now then Bryce, perform the jutsu like how I did. " Iruka whispered to Bryce. Bryce just smiled as an answer. He did the necessary hand signs and shouted, " Henge no Jutsu! " A puff of smoke engulfed Bryce, and as the smoke slowly vanished away, Bryce transformed into a chair, completely similar to what Iruka did. The whole class, including Iruka, clapped their hands. A puff of smoke once again engulfed the chair-Bryce. As the smoke vanished...again, Bryce appeared, increased the volume of his headphones and walked back to his seat.
✍ ✍ ✍ Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. ✉ ✉ ✉ ❅ ❅ ❅ Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. ✶ ✶ ✶ xxxxxx ☝ ☝ ☝ Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. ☟ ☟ ☟ xxxxxxxx ☁ ☁ ☁ Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears. ☂ ☂ ☂xxxxxxxxxxxx
♫ ♫ ♫ You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, ♪ ♪ ♪ xxxxx☣ ☣ ☣ Love like you'll never be hurt, ☢ ☢ ☢ xxxxxxxxx✔ ✔ ✔ Sing like there's nobody listening, ✘✘✘ xxxxxxxxxxxxx♔ ♔ ♔ And live like it's heaven on earth. ♕ ♕ ♕
The next day, Bryce enters the classroom and does his usual thing every morning. Walk to his seat, place his bag beside him, listen to continuous music, and stare outside; but then, " Bryce-kun! You were so cool yesterday! You easily performed the jutsu! " , " Hey, Bryce! Teach us how to do Henge no Jutsu!" " Hai, hai. I'm gonna teach you guys later. After we learn the Bunshin no Jutsu. " Bryce replied with a smile.
The door creaked as Iruka-sensei entered. " Well then class. Return to your seats and lets check attendance. " he said while taking out a new set of papers. " Inori." " Here, sensei! " " Satsuki." " Here. " " Julliene." " Yeah, yeah. " " Bryce." " Haaaai. " " Hmph. Miku." " Yes! "And so on and so forth. " So then class, it seems that Summer-chan is the only one absent. " Iruka said as he list down her name in the 'Absentees' part of the paper.
" Okay then! Now, were gonna continue our lesson! Yesterday, we started with the Henge no Jutsu, correct? Now, we shall proceed to a much more difficult topic. The Bunshin no Jutsu! " Iruka exclaimed to his class. " Well then, who would like to tell us what exactly is the Bunshin no Jutsu? Hmmm.....Bryce. Tell us , what is the Bunshin no Jutsu? Iruka said as he looked at Bryce.
Bryce turned around and stood up. " Kyaaa! " the girls said while giggling. " Ahem. The Bunshin no Jutsu, also known as the Clone Technique, is a ninjutsu that creates an intangible copy of one's own body, without any substance. Since the clone itself doesn't have the ability to attack, and thus can only be used to confuse the enemy, it is mainly used in combination with other ninjutsu. It's a basic technique, but depending on one's ingenuity, it can be used effectively. This jutsu entirely differ from the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Since this technique creates clones of the user, yes. However, these clones are actual copies, not illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. " Bryce sharply explained. Iruka smiled, with a little bit of disbelief, since this kid is just 11 years old, yet he can accurately explain what the jutsu entirely is. " Well, Mr. Know-it-all , would you like to demonstrate us the jutsu you proudly summarized? " Iruka said with a slight cocky tone.
Bryce walked towards the front and changed the music in his headphones. He slightly nodded his head to the rhythm and did the necessary hand seals. Ram - Snake - Tiger, the class were unable to distinguish what kind of seals he did due to his speed. " Bunshin no Jutsu. " he gently said. Then, two puffs of smoke appeared beside him. As the smoke vanished ( yeah, its always 'vanished' , lol. ) 2 clones completely identical to Bryce appeared, though slightly transparent. The whole class clapped with astonishment as he successfully performed the jutsu. Then, the two clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Bryce bowed down, as sign of thanks.
✍ ✍ ✍ Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. ✉ ✉ ✉ ❅ ❅ ❅ Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. ✶ ✶ ✶ xxxxxx ☝ ☝ ☝ Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. ☟ ☟ ☟ xxxxxxxx ☁ ☁ ☁ Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears. ☂ ☂ ☂xxxxxxxxxxxx
♫ ♫ ♫ You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, ♪ ♪ ♪ xxxxx☣ ☣ ☣ Love like you'll never be hurt, ☢ ☢ ☢ xxxxxxxxx✔ ✔ ✔ Sing like there's nobody listening, ✘✘✘ xxxxxxxxxxxxx♔ ♔ ♔ And live like it's heaven on earth. ♕ ♕ ♕
In the middle of the night, Iruka placed a note on the front door." Students are to come at the park for the next lesson. You are to not enter the classroom unless it is crucial. - Iruka "Iruka chuckled after taping the note on t he door.................................The next morning, the students headed straight to the park when they read the note. Iruka walked through the crowd of students and jumped on the swing. He clapped his hands to refer the attention to him. " Now that everybody is here, lets start our next lesson, which isssss, The Art of Substitution. " he said. Then, Iruka took out a book and flipped the pages swiftly. " Ah, here it is. *cough* The Art of Substitution is a ninjutsu-type technique whereas the user can substitute himself to a near by object, or person. This technique is mostly used for fleeing from an enemy. " Iruka explained as he looked at Bryce, who was...playing. Iruka felt disheartened after seeing a young talent, just, playing over there. He pinched his nose bridge with his fingers, he called out to Bryce , annoyed, " Bryce! Why are you just playing over there while I professionally explain the next lesson?! Come over here and do the jutsu! " Bryce flinched as he got scolded. He slowly turned around ,and increased the volume of his headphones. He walked through the crowd, passing boys who are amazed at his intelligence, and passing girls who are red like a fresh tomato that just got picked up. After passing through the crowd, he composed himself . He looked at Iruka and made an annoying face. Iruka saw Bryce and, snap , Iruka chased Bryce." Why you little....! " he groaned. Bryce laughed while running to avoid Iruka. But then Iruka caught up, he took Bryce's foot that made them trip. *Poof* Iruka just ignored the sound and began strangling Bryce. And as the dust and smoke faded, Iruka noticed that he actually strangling a dummy , the one he brought over. Noticing his mistake, he immediately stood up, and saw Bryce, who was sitting on a branch. " And that, is how you perform the jutsu for fleeing. " Bryce said with a smile as he jumped down. " Now, now Sensei. That behavior of mine was related to the lesson. Whereas you use it on-the-spot, against enemies. " he continued. Iruka then dismissed his class and went home with a bitter attitude.
✍ ✍ ✍ Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. ✉ ✉ ✉ ❅ ❅ ❅ Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. ✶ ✶ ✶ xxxxxx ☝ ☝ ☝ Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. ☟ ☟ ☟ xxxxxxxx ☁ ☁ ☁ Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears. ☂ ☂ ☂xxxxxxxxxxxx
Oᴛʜᴇʀ Iɴғᴏ : Wᴏʀᴅs Tʏᴘᴇᴅ = 416
Wᴏʀᴅs Tʏᴘᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴘᴏsᴛ = 541
Wᴏʀᴅ Cᴏᴜɴᴛ = 2108
Sʜᴀʀɪɴɢᴀɴ Lᴠʟ. 1 Cᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs : Uɴᴜsᴇᴅ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ :
Bᴀsɪᴄ Tᴇᴄʜɴɪǫᴜᴇs :
Hᴇɴɢᴇ ɴᴏ Jᴜᴛsᴜ : 651 / 300 Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs : Cᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ
Bᴜɴsʜɪɴ ɴᴏ Jᴜᴛsᴜ : 541/300 Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs : Cᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ
Aʀᴛ ᴏғ Sᴜʙsᴛɪᴛᴜᴛɪᴏɴ : 416/400 Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs : Complete
Tʀᴇᴇ Cʟɪᴍʙɪɴɢ : 000/600 Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs : Nᴏᴛ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴇᴛ
Wᴀᴛᴇʀ Wᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ : 000/600 Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs : Nᴏᴛ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴇᴛ
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 8:51 am
A song could be heard, sounding tinny due to the battered quality of the radio. But it wouldn't sound right any other way. Their radio had always been a piece of junk, and the music they listened to had always sounded like it was played at the bottom of an empty oil drum. The air held a whiff of stale cigarette smoke, oil and sweat, the aroma never quite going away completely, no matter how often they tried to air the place out. Now was not one of those times. A furious storm was on the approach, dark clouds scudding angrily across the sky, and promising rain in abundance. Not that the people inside were paying it any mind. They had far more important matters on their mind.
"Cripes, how you keep doin' that?! You be cheatin'?!" The speaker, glaring past a face tattooed with a bright blue targeting reticle, leveled an accusatory finger at the person sitting opposite them at the small table. The speaker was a wiry young man, who could almost be called handsome if it weren't for his ever-present scowl and attitude. His hair was a pale blonde, which drew attention to his striking blue eyes.
"Pipe down, Maverick, you know none of us is gonna cheat here." A brawny hand reached out to pick up a stoneware jug off the edge of the table, before lifting it to its owner's mouth. A long moment later, they set the now noticeably less full jug down with a hollow thunk. They leaned back in their chair, causing the folding chair to creak alarmingly under their weight. A heavyset man, their body was covered in layers of muscle, not fat, and covered further by an oil and flame-marred jumpsuit. Their head was shaved bald, showing off an angry scar that ran from just above their left eye to past their ear.
The accused cheater reached out with both hands to gather the pile of bills and coins, pulling the pot closer. As they did, they leaned forward slightly in their chair, letting the single storm lantern that hung above the table finally bring their features to light. An older man, though still in his prime, he sported a veritable mane of dark brown hair, streaks of gray at his temples. He wore a mechanic's jumpsuit, one just as oil-stained as ragged as the big man's. Gray eyes met Maverick's heated glare evenly, until finally Maverick had to blink and turn away. They only spoke after he had, a bass rumble that held an edge of steel. "If you really think I cheated, do you wish to issue grievance?"
Maverick froze for an instant, and the tension in the room ratcheted up several degrees in an instant. He turned back to meet the other man's calm gaze, before flinching and slumping his shoulders. "No, sir." He sighed and settled back in his seat. He tossed his cards into the pile with the rest, waiting for the next round to start. Only then did the room's tension begin to drop, though not completely.
The leader finished raking his winnings in before picking up the cards and expertly shuffling them. He set the deck down, offering it to the player on his left to cut. As he did, he tossed a bill into the center of the table, setting the ante for the next round.
Three other bills met the first as the rest of the table threw in for another round. Their remaining cash varied, but none had nearly as much as they had when the night started. The only one who'd even come close to keeping their salary was the fourth participant, and the only woman. Shockingly vivid red hair stood out, framing her lightly tanned skin and green eyes. Just like the others, she wore a jumpsuit, her only concession to fashion being practical rather than presentable. That being a holstered pistol, tucked under her left arm. She chuckled, her voice rick in contrasts; a dusky contralto tainted with smoke and a hint of an unmistakable brogue. "Haha, you boys best be watching yerselves, or Morgan'll fleece ye dry."
The conversation died down as the next round started, the four players focusing on their cards and trying to read each other's hands from the wrong side. Bluffing and strategic risks abounded, until the game finally died down well over an hour later. Not by anyone winding up broke, but by the simple expedient of the clock on the wall chiming the late hour. By unspoken agreement, they finished their final round before getting up from the table and pocketing their winnings, or lack thereof. None of them would starve, but one or two would have to be careful until their next payday.
"Better luck next time, eh Maverick?" The redhead's tone held just a touch of teasing in it, and she was not surprised at all when he just waved her off before stalking out the door, grumbling all the while. She only shrugged and watched as the heavyset man managed to slip through the door without getting stuck. He wasn't actually that big, but it still seemed surprising each time it didn't happen.
Only then did the redhead share a glance with the only other remaining player, before jerking her chin at the other end of the room. He nodded, and they both approached the stacked crates and boxes that were filled with assorted supplies. They reached the impromptu wall, before they instantly sped up, the redhead actually vaulting the stack of boxes to land nimbly on the other side, while the man rounded the corner at a run.
"Eeps!" The girl that had been spying on the game jerked back in surprise, she'd been waiting for them to leave before making her getaway. But they'd found her! She frowned, cheeks flushed with embarrassment and adrenaline from the fright. "H-how long did you know...?"
The redhead cut off any further comment with a well-placed blow, a mild smack to the head. "Och lass, ye cannae be spyin on staff meetins like this, I dinnae raise ye like that! An we ken from th' start, din we Morgan?"
Morgan bobbed his head in a curt nod, before a slow smile came to his face. Only for a moment, before it vanished and he fixed the young girl with his very best stern glare. "That we did, and she's been doing this for far too long. I think it's about time she be punished for her temerity." His voice had started warm, but it soon gained the same edge that he had used to cut off Maverick's accusation earlier. That same tone had convinced many a warrior to back down, to surrender without a fight.
But the girl only grinned at him, cocking her hands on her narrow hips as she straightened up. She was young, but her hair was a stark white, which drew attention to her crimson eyes. She wore a pair of glasses, they hung low on her nose, seeming on the verge of slipping off. Incongruous in the middle of what seemed to be the office of a warehouse of some kind, she wore a school uniform, a sailor style blouse and a pleated blue skirt. "You may say that, but I know you're proud of me, Da."
Morgan only sighed before relaxing his posture. He reached out and tousled the girl's hair, earning a short laugh even as he pretended to ignore the glare the redhead was currently sending to both of them now. "That I am, but you weren't supposed to tell your mum that, now she'll be cross at both of us."
"Don't encourage the lass, Morgan! It's bad enough she insists on using the whole base as her personal playground, she should know better than to eavesdrop on staff meetings!" Of course, everyone knew that the 'staff meetings' were really just weekly gambling sessions. But the knowledge of who won and lost were a secret, and part and parcel of the mantle of leadership.
"You worry too much, Stheno. She doesn't mean any harm, and she's already said she wants to join the Hounds anyways."
"All the more reason why she needs to learn some discipline, she cannae be breaking regs like that if she wants to be allowed to join! And as for you, young lady, if you try this sort of thing again, I'll tan your hide meself!"
The girl sobered up, she knew that when her mother got that angry, the best course was to accept whatever her punishment was. "Yes, ma'am." She sighed, she had hoped that sneaking into the staff meeting might have given her the opportunity to find out something about what the Hounds had scheduled, any upcoming ops or missions. But nothing, the only talk she'd heard was banter.
With her daughter properly chastened, Stheno shooed her off, told her to head back and get ready for bed. She had to punch in the latest requisition forms to the system, so the quartermaster could make sure their stocks were well-supplied. That, and she planned to drop in on the group currently patrolling, for a surprise inspection. She may not have punished her daughter, but that didn't mean she couldn't vent some frustration if the scouts were sloppy.
-------------------
"Rendezvous site is clear, repeat, rendezvous site is clear. Bring it on in." The voice in Stheno's ear was tinny and crackled with static, but she could understand it just fine. Rather than speaking her reply, she just clicked the button twice, standard opsec for potentially unsecure communications. Opsec, or operational security, was a system of rules and regulations to help safeguard the group. In this case, by not actually speaking, she didn't identify herself to anyone who might be listening in. After all, just because Maverick didn't see anyone out there... They wouldn't know who was carrying the cargo from a simple click over the radio.
She set out a moment later, slipping from one patch of shadows to the next. The rain had pounded the landscape into a muddy morass, and the going was slow. The footing was unstable, and slimy mud squelched with every step she took. Luckily, the cargo wasn't too heavy, but she still felt like it was a burden she'd be glad to be rid of. The mission was a simple one, nice and straightforward. The local militia had needed some emergency supplies after they'd been raided by a roving group from the enemy's faction. The two factions had originally sprung up because of a political matter. But that was several years ago, and the rivalry had swelled into a full-on war. The city had been split between the two group, with a narrow band of neutral territory between them.
The fighting had been especially bitter when an errant raid had destroyed much of the city's stores of grain, their reserves for the upcoming winter. Winters were especially harsh in this area, and the loss was acutely felt by all, not just the combatants. That was where the Kell Hounds had been called in. Not to fight for either side, that violated their mercenary code. Taking sides in a political issue could be potentially lethal for any mercenary group; the ramifications of supporting any political agenda could be disastrous. Instead, they had confined themselves to limited patrols of their own area, and occasional support runs to either faction. It may have been unscrupulous to deal with both sides, but it was also necessary. Neither side had the means to survive the winter without some form of support. As well, both sides knew the Kell Hounds were neutral, and were helping both factions. This would normally make them a target, but if they were, then the support for both sides would be unilaterally cut off. So the fighting was kept to a minimum, and not in an area where it might jeopardize that assistance.
Thus, Stheno found herself slogging through the mud, carrying a series of boxes strapped to a rig on her back. Normally, the load would be far more than any single person could manage. But she had a few tricks up her sleeve that mitigated the weight of her load, and resulted in her being only vaguely slowed down. Even that slight detraction was felt, and frustrating in itself, however. It should be her out there on point, securing the drop zone and making sure that any insurgents didn't stray too close. Not back here, carrying the supplies like a common pack mule! Even though she hated it, she had to admit it made sense, which made her hate it even more. If they got predictable, they were no use to anyone. So occasionally they rotated the tasks, which occasionally ended up in annoying moments like this.
She was lost in thought, cursing her poor luck, and not paying enough attention to her surroundings. That's what she would claim later, at least. Anything to avoid admitting that she had simply been snuck up on. She had only a bare instant to react when she felt the presence step in close behind her. Normally, she'd have a clear shot at them, whoever they were. But not with all those boxes weighing her down and limited her movements. Even if they weren't as heavy as they usually were, they were still bulky, and awkward to maneuver through a forest, let alone trying to do so in combat.
She was just about to push backward, hoping to rely on the boxes' size to make her accoster lose their balance. But they saw through the maneuver, and sidestepped her effort, before reaching out and grabbing the boxes, pulling them even further back. With a muffled curse, Stheno felt herself falling back, and it was only through a supreme act of will and no small amount of skill that she managed to stay upright. At the same time, she spared a hand to grab her pistol, before turning and leveling it at the temple of her attacker.
Only to blink and curse, louder this time, at what she saw. Or rather, who. "Dammit, Morgan, what're ye tryin' to do, get yuir fool head blown clear off?" She sighed, before carefully holstering her firearm once more. Still a bit shaky as the adrenaline that had flooded her system had nowhere to go, she straightened up and tightened a hand into a fist. It'd be so easy to just throw a single punch, knock him down on his smug arse, she thought. And it would, too. She'd done it before, floored him with a single punch. But no, now was not the time, she had to remember the mission. Instead, she turned on her heel and set off, muttering to herself. "One of these days, Morgan..."
Morgan only watched her go before melting back into the shadows. Testing his soldiers unannounced like this was the only way to truly be sure that they weren't getting sloppy. Sloppy got you killed, even in supposedly safe tasks like this one. Stheno had passed; how would the others fare? And if she could vent a little frustration in dressing down any she found lacking, so much the better.
----------------------
"This is Templar, reporting in. Basket is away, returning to HQ." Stheno hit the button to signal the end of her message. She'd handed the supplies over, and received the agreed-upon payment. Not quite as much as the supplies were truly worth, but Morgan had insisted that they only charge what the militias could afford. To her, it seemed a waste. Why support a war if the two sides couldn’t normally afford to fund it? Wasn't that just needless provocation in it's own way? But he was the boss, so there was no point in trying to change his mind. He was at least as stubborn as her. She'd never seen him change his mind, at least not without insurmountable evidence to prove the opposing point absolutely.
"Roger that, Templar. Paragon sends his complements, over." This last drew out Stheno's anger from before. Paragon was Morgan's callsign, and 'his complements' meant merely that she'd passed his latest test. She'd only find out once she returned to base if any of the others had. She doubted that Maverick had, he was just too cocky to be careful. But Rook tended to hold his own, the big guy was unusually stealthy when he had a mind to be.
After a few more moments of tromping through the mud and muck, Stheno finally reached the edge of the forest, and with it, the presence of the grassy fields. This was much better, she could move easier now. She broke into a loping gait that ate up the distance to base, the reinforced suitcase strapped to her back. She was eager to get back before much more time had passed. She'd missed seeing her daughter before she set out for this latest mission, and that was bothering her. Normally, Scherbe was there every time, wishing good luck to whoever was dispatched, and waiting to welcome them back. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was different this time. The unsettling feeling intensified, causing her to speed up from her trot to a full sprint.
----------------------
Stheno arrived back at base in record time, jogging in through the open hangar door. They had a pretty well-equipped facility, with enough gear and weaponry to take on a small army. Transportation, too, they were a mobile base, after all. Already, she could hear the sounds of various repair jobs in mid-process, arc-welding, soldering, and a cacophony of shouted orders from one mechanic to the next. Quotes of specs versus actual readings, and methods to eke out a few more pounds per square inch of pressure, it was a familiar background noise. But even so, she still felt ill at ease, and passed through the hangar without stopping.
Only a moment after she left, she saw Morgan, striding down the hall toward her. Even as distracted as she was, she still stopped to snap a quick salute. In the field, and during meetings, such shows of respect were often discarded. But on base, on the clock? You always saluted, that was the rule.
Morgan waved her at ease, brandishing a piece of paper. As he got closer, she could see the serious expression clouding his face, and she closed the remaining distance in an instant. She accepted the paper when he held it out to her. "You need to see this."
Da, I've decided to go out and become strong enough that I can be a full member of the Hounds. I'll be someone you can be proud of by the time I come back. Don't worry, and tell Mum I love her. -Cadet Scherbe
Stheno looked up from the paper, shock robbing her of her words for several long moments. Scherbe had left, just like that? Without a word to either of them, just a note? Had she even taken any supplies, did she know where she was going? It was still the middle of the rainy season, and she'd never learned how to swim. If one of the rivers flooded and overflowed its banks, she could be swept away! Stricken, she met Morgan's gaze, and felt the same sense of calm settle over her as any time she took command of a mission. Everything boiled away until it was all black and white, and the objective was clear in her mind. They needed to go out and bring her back!
"Well what d'ye think yuir doin just standin' there? We need to send out oor scouts and rovers, she cannae hae gone far. We can still catch her, bring her back and talk some sense into her!" She turned to head back to the hangar and set out herself, but a strong hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks.
"Stheno... She made her choice. We have to let her go. She's ready for this." Morgan turned her back to face him, and felt a flicker of surprise at the sheer emotion on her face. She'd always been the strongest member of the Hounds, she'd never even looked close to being vulnerable before. But now? Now she looked scared, terrified.
"Ye dinna ken tha! She's just a wee lass, she's nae ready yet!" As her emotions spiraled out of control, her brogue thickened, becoming harder and harder to understand with each passing moment.
"I do know. She's ready, look." Morgan pulled something out of one of the deep pockets sewn into the side of his jacket. It was a rock. Not just a rock, though. One that was carefully sculpted, carved, molded. It was a polished black, almost glossy like obsidian, but with a burling shadow in its core that gave it an almost lifelike texture. It was of a dog, a hound in mid-leap, fangs bared and entire posture speaking of controlled strength and boundless determination. It was an almost perfect three-dimensional representation of the Kell Hounds' symbol, done in a single piece of stone.
Stheno looked at the sculpture for a moment, but she didn't know what it was supposed to represent. Realization hit her a moment later, as the full ramifications of the sculpture hit her. "But... when?" How had Scherbe awoken into her family's namesake abilities, without her own mother having caught wind of it? And to such a degree as this? She had to have been training for months, even years, to be able to achieve this level of fine control. And all of that without consulting with the only other person who had access to those same abilities? How?
"When? I'd say... about five or six months. She's been bound and determined to prove herself strong enough."
A moment passed before Stheno locked on to the truth of what she'd just heard. Then it hit her. "Wait, you ken about this, and you dinna tell me?! You craic-filled thrice-damned-" [3672 out of ??? ]
[img][img]http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u446/TheYellowWolf/Bryce Uchiha Ice Dragon Cerberus And Seals/330680-bigthumbnail_zps9a61e6b1.jpg[/img]
•♦•♦•♦• Bʀʏᴄᴇ Uᴄʜɪʜᴀ •♦•♦•♦•
♫ ♫ ♫ You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, ♪ ♪ ♪ xxxxx☣ ☣ ☣ Love like you'll never be hurt, ☢ ☢ ☢ xxxxxxxxx✔ ✔ ✔ Sing like there's nobody listening, ✘✘✘ xxxxxxxxxxxxx♔ ♔ ♔ And live like it's heaven on earth. ♕ ♕ ♕
" Bryce! Bryce, get down from there! Bryceeeee!" Iruka-sensei exclaimed. " Catch me first, sensei! " Bryce said while laughing. " Bryce! I'll give you detention! A whole month of it! " Bryce screeched to a halt. " Fine, fine." he scowled.
So, you might be asking why that scene happened. Well,here's the story. --- 5 hours ago ---
Bryce was walking down the hallway. He was reading a book and the volume of his headphones were high, so he currently cannot hear anything, other than the words he mumbles. He accidentally bumped into a genin that was roaming around. " Ow! You little twerp! Don't you look at where you're goin'?! " the genin yelled. Being unable to hear, Bryce just looked at him and lowly said," Sorry. Well,excuse me." The genin was acting being high and mighty , and since young Bryce here is just an Academy Student, he forcefully made Bryce turn around. Bryce just continued reading. " Hey, twerp. You see here? It's a forehead protector. And I own it! " he said while pointing at his forehead protector. Bryce just ignored him, again. You see, Bryce has the habit that, when he's preoccupied, he tend to ignore everything around him. Well, he's preoccupied now, reading a book that is. The genin became extremely annoyed at the young blonde kid and dragged him outside the Academy. He pushed Bryce over to a wall, and gripped his collar up. Making Bryce be pushed highly against the wall. Bryce just nodded in return. The genin got angrier and took Bryce's book off of his hands and punched him. Bryce stood up and wiped the blood off his mouth. He glared at the genin, which caused him to retreat a couple of steps behind." You cocky little brat! T-take this! Doton : Doryuha! ( Lit. means Earth Release : Earth Flow Wave ) " the genin screeched. The ground started shaking, and gathered to a single point, beneath the genin's feet. The ground arose and created a pointy like structure, which can move freely by the user. It became bigger and went straight to Bryce. Of course, Bryce just jumped to evade it. The genin kept on attacking Bryce until he was forced to cancel his technique." *Pant* *Pant* Why you.....Take this! Doton : Tsuchi Kairo! ( Lit. means Earth Release : Earth Corridor )" Then, the ground around Bryce started to shake. It started to rise up around him, making him stuck inside a cave that has a hole at the top. Bryce sighed he took a deep breath said, " Baka, senpai. Using an earth technique when my element is lightning. " he said in a loud voice, enough for the genin to hear. " Wh-wha?" the genin scowled. " Well, I wont even use my techniques. No offense senpai but, this technique of your is great, but the amount of chakra you placed to it is far less than the supposed amount. " he said as he approached the side of the cave thingy. " Sharingan! " he gently said. Bryce walked around and checked where the chakra is weak. Even though its just a lvl. 1 Sharingan, Bryce still finds it helpful. He walked over to a particular place, and started touching the wall. Bryce concentrated all his chakra on his finger and released it a couple of seconds later. The place where Bryce touched exploded, causing a large hole. He walked out and saw the genin attack him with a kunai. With his Sharingan, he easily dodged his attacks. " Doton : Kengan no Jutsu! ( Lit. means Earth Release : Earth Fist ) " the genin shouted. With his Sharingan, Bryce copied the genin's hand seals and did the same. " Doton : Kengan no Jutsu " Rocks started to form on Bryce's fist. The genin and Bryce ran up to each other, the genin punched Bryce's stomach. But when he hit him, a puff of smoke engulfed Bryce and he disappeared; he substituted himself to a bag that was near them. The genin was astonished and flew away as he got hit by Bryce's copied technique. Bryce walked up to the wall and concentrated all his chakra on his feet and walked on it. But at the same time, Iruka just walked out of the academy and saw the battle between Bryce and the genin kid. " What the....Oh wait, let me watch this first. " he said as he hid at a near tree. Meanwhile...the genin did the same and concentrated his chakra on his feet to walk on the wall. He dashed to Bryce, who was sitting on the wall, and threw five shurikens at him. Once again, with his Sharingan, the shurikens were slower, so Bryce just caught all of them. Iruka was astonished to what the young kid can do. Not to mention him using a Sharingan freely. Iruka wrote down exactly what he saw to some sheets of paper he already had. Back to the fight - The genin ran up to Bryce, but in a moment when his foot landed just before Bryce, the genin flew up to the tree. Not knowing what happened he looked at Bryce, who was smiling back. " Wh-what just happened? You freak! " he quivered. Bryce stood up and walked down from the wall. " You see, while you were running, I used trap equipment to set up an very obvious trap. Really, senpai. You call yourself a genin? I'm ashamed. Really. " he said as he glared at the genin while walking down. He picked up the book that the genin threw away and walked towards the tree. " Iruka-sensei, please don't tell anyone about what you saw. Also..." he stopped, he went behind Iruka and gathered his lightning element onto his finger. After feeling that the amount of lightning on his finger is ready,he poked Iruka, making him jump out of the bush. Bryce smiled at him and laughed. "...Spying is bad sensei, " he continued as he ran away. Iruka, annoyed, chased after Bryce. Bryce ran from here and there, up and down, over and under. They came across a river. Iruka was confident that Bryce wouldn't make it across since water walking is way harder than tree climbing. Bryce concentrated more of his chakra on his feet and tried walking on water. He wobbled for a while, then started walking. Due to the strong current, Bryce's feet went off balance, causing him to fall on the river. " Pwah! That was harder than I expected. " he said as he concentrated another set of his chakra on his feet. He jumped and landed on the surface of the water. Knowing the flaw, Bryce overcame what he missed before and ran across the river. Iruka was stunned about what Bryce just did, once again, because he never thought an 11 year old kid can do this without even trying hard. Iruka ran after Bryce after regaining himself. " Bryce! Bryce, get down from there! Bryceeeee!" Iruka-sensei exclaimed. " Catch me first, sensei! " Bryce said while laughing. " Bryce! I'll give you detention! A whole month of it! " Bryce screeched to a halt. " Fine, fine." he scowled. Iruka dragged Bryce back to the academy for a week's worth of detention. " You never said something about me getting detention even if I came back with you. Not fair. " he pouted.
✍ ✍ ✍ Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. ✉ ✉ ✉ ❅ ❅ ❅ Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. ✶ ✶ ✶ xxxxxx ☝ ☝ ☝ Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. ☟ ☟ ☟ xxxxxxxx ☁ ☁ ☁ Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears. ☂ ☂ ☂xxxxxxxxxxxx
Scherbe eyed the sky with distaste; she should have made better plans. It was still the rainy season, so of course there was another storm on the way. She would much rather be inside under a thick canvas blanket, rather than out in the rain. But she'd made her choice, and it was too late to turn back now. Plus, the whole point of this excursion was to become stronger, to prove she was worthy of becoming a Kell Hound. She would never accomplish that goal if she could be stymied by something as mundane as the rain. No, she'd simply have to work past her dislike, and try to endure.
At least she had been prepared; she wasn't that much of an amateur. She'd put together a rucksack, stuffed to the brim with all the gear she expected to have need of. It was a heavy load, but she was suited to carrying such a burden. Due in part to a life of activity and training, but also to the aptitudes she had inherited from her mother. She hoped that she would be forgiven, for not even having the courage to say goodbye in person. Leaving a note was all she had been capable of, anything more and she might have faltered.
She had already donned the rain slicker, the thick fabric rough and smelling strongly of wax and oil, from the waterproofing it had been subjected to. It would keep the worst of the rain off, though not all. She could still handle it, if it wasn't that much rain, then she could retain her composure. It was frustrating, having this much difficulty over simple water. She knew that her fear was mostly unfounded, and there was no logical reason she couldn’t have simply pushed harder and still learned to swim. But that time when she was younger, the terror had been so deep-seated, so visceral. She'd been helpless in the water, sinking fast and unable to breathe. She had thrashed, she had tried to grab onto anything. But she'd been too far from the water's edge, and she could only watch as the water swallowed her up.
She'd been rescued, obviously. But it had been several long, horrible moments of fighting off that heavy darkness before, and she had very nearly succumbed in that time. Ever since then, she simply couldn't remain calm when around large quantities of water. Drinking a glass of it was alright, but staying out in the rain would have normally been unthinkable. It had been daunting enough to even start taking baths again, those first few months especially. She'd come a long way since then, but even now, she still felt uneasy about actually going out in the rain. Her determination to join the Hounds was all that was keeping her outside and not running back home.
And then, the storm broke. Great sheets of rain began to fall almost immediately, along with a bitterly cold wind, blowing the rain almost horizontal. Scherbe pulled the slicker tighter about herself, and leaned forward to continue making progress against the strong gale-force wind. A continual barrage of drops of frigid water bombarded her face, causing her to blink almost continuously, trying to get the water out of her eyes long enough to see. She growled in the back of her throat; this was even more harrowing than she had expected! Already, she could feel fear bubbling up inside of her. It was an irrational fear, but it was all the more difficult to cope with because of that. She could almost feel the ground melt away underfoot, as if she'd fallen into that lake once more. Her breath froze in her throat, she couldn't breathe! The cold of the icy water leeched the heat from her, and robbed her limbs of movement.
She might have collapsed there and then where it not, ironically enough, for the storm. A bolt of lightning struck down, close enough that she could feel the disturbance of the air pressure temporarily disrupt the wind. A bare instant later, a near-deafening crack of thunder snapped her out of her fears. She sucked in a huge breath of air, coughing and choking as she sucked in some rain along with it. She shuddered, her arms wrapping tightly around herself as she tried to get a handle over her pounding heart and frenzied thoughts. Was she insane? She didn't belong out here! She needed to head back, return to base before the storm got even worse. If she did now, surely her mum wouldn't be too mad at her. Indecision weighed her down for a moment, during which the rain seemed to intensify, almost building to a noticeably physical weight on her. It was almost like the storm was trying to push her down, down to her knees in the mud and muck.
She hung her head, almost prepared to give up, despite the determination she had felt before. This... this was just too much. She'd thought she was ready, now she knew how wrong she was. Her sigh was lost in the constant noise of the rain, as she struggled to pull her booted feet free from the mud, to turn around and try to return to base. Only to stop short and bite back an unladylike curse. Where had the base gone?! The storm had caused the daylight to vanish, casting the entire area into an early twilight. She couldn’t see even a trace of lights from the base, lights that she knew were normally visible from miles away. She hadn't travelled that far, but the storm had hid the base's presence, just as surely as it had hidden the last few hours of daylight.
For all intent and purposes, she was lost. If she could just figure out where she was, she could try to find the nearest shelter. She'd left the base plenty of other time, she knew all the best redoubts and hidey holes. But not knowing where she was made all that worthless. If she tried to head back to base, she'd almost certainly only wind up even more lost. But could she press on? That would be just as dangerous, she could easily take a wrong turn. The terrain here was largely even, but if she were to stumble across one of the few rare hills, or even worse, slip and fall into the river! No, if she tried to proceed, it would have to be done with extreme caution, taking every preventative measure she could think of. If she was careful enough, maybe luck would be on her side and she could find somewhere to lay low, and wait the worst of the storm out?
She had to try. She knew that the storm was only going to get even worse before it got better, and if she was already having this much trouble, then what chance would she stand against the worst of it? She had to get moving, try to find some form of shelter, however meager it might be. Already, her slicker had proven itself only partially effective. Her face was drenched, and no small amount of water had found its way into her boots, making her feet squelch with every step she took. The ground underfoot was no better off, the mud and muck getting thicker and slipperier with every passing moment.
Lightning flashed, a bolt of incandescent white that lit up her surroundings in stark detail. An instant later, a deafening boom of thunder rattled the air around her, a physical sensation that threatened to knock her off her feet. She managed to stay upright, and what was more, she finally managed to get a good glimpse of her surroundings. The majority of it was trees, old-growth oak and maple, the trunks easily a yard wide in some specimens.
But there, not too terribly far away, she could see a house. Just a small cottage, made of roughly finished lumber and pitch, with sod covering the roof. Odd, she didn't remember seeing a building like that in any of her earlier explorations. She must have traveled even further than she had thought. The rain picked up a moment later, urging her to hasten her steps, and try to reach that cottage, and shelter from the weather. Surely whoever owned that cottage wouldn't begrudge her a hot and a cot?
-----------------
It took several frustratingly long moments of slipping and sliding, but Scherbe finally managed to drag her half-drowned carcass up the slight hill that presaged the cottage's front door. She could see a cheery light coming from within, undoubtedly whoever was inside had a cheery fire going. She could almost smell it, the faintly pungent scent of smoke and maple wood. Taking a moment to catch her breath, and shuck the worst of the water off of her, she finally looked marginally presentable, and knocked three times on the door.
A moment passed, during which she heard no reply. But she didn't immediately knock again, she waited a long moment. Even so, she was just raising her hand to knock again, when the door finally opened. Warm yellow light backlit the person standing in the doorway; she couldn't make out any real details of who they were or what they looked like. Nonetheless, she had no choice but to beg succor and hope they were feeling charitable. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to letting a traveler come in out of the storm?"
She barely had a chance to finish speaking before she felt a pair of hands dart out and grab her by the shoulders. She was pulled bodily inside, even as she heard a deep voice speak. "Of course I would! A storm like that is no place for the likes of a slip of a girl like you!" Blinking rainwater out of her eyes, she repressed a momentary burst of irritation at the rather dismissive manner she'd just been referred to. Instead, she focused on getting her first look at her host, and his home. He was tall, but almost painfully thin and wiry. Unruly black hair hung down to his shoulders in a messy mane, and his face seemed to indicate he was actually older than he seemed. Laughter marks at the corner of his eyes, and a heavily creased brow cast his eyes in shadow. Overall, he seemed intimidating, and the presence of an armful of empty bottles on the nearby table did little to put her at ease. Still, he had invited her in out of the storm, so custom demanded she act gracious. "Thank you very much, it's coming down much heavier than I had expected."
"I should think so! Th' signs were all there, din ya pay attention?" The man clucked in the back of his throat before turning away and fumbling amidst the mess on the table. The clink of glass against metal could be heard, was he digging something out from between those bottles? Scherbe was trying to remain focused, but it wasn't easy. Even after coming in out of the rain, she still felt chilled to the bone, and she was almost continually shivering. It seemed he had noticed this, as he turned back to her with the two tried and true cures for the chills. A threadbare blanket, and a flask of hard liquor. Technically not for children, but she'd had her fair share over the years. It would have been almost impossible to stay with the Kell Hounds as long as she had and NOT managed to sneak a drink or two.
She accepted the help eagerly, wrapping the blanket around her thin shoulders even as she tried to unscrew the cap of the hip flask. Her hands were still shaking, so it took a few tries. But she eventually succeeded, before knocking back a solid slug of what tasted like a rather poor malt whiskey. She'd had better, but the fire it caused going down was appreciated nevertheless. Already feeling a bit warmer, she was able to screw the cap back on, before handing the flask back. The man was impressed, and said so. "You drink well for a youngster, you n** a little from yer daddy's cabinet?"
"Something like tha." Even though she was grateful to the man for taking her in out of the rain, that was no reason to tell him who she was, and where she came from. That'd just be bragging, and poor manners. So she let it go there, shifting the blanket to wrap a little tighter around her. As she did, the man waved her to a seat, and she gratefully sank into the only unclaimed chair in the room, a rickety hand-made chair. It wasn't quite balanced correctly, but it beat staying on her feet.
It took time, but she gradually dried out and warmed up. The man offered freely from the flask, but she kept her wits about her and didn't drink more than a second hit. She wasn't about to get intoxicated in front of a stranger, that was just trouble waiting to happen. Already, she felt a faint blurriness in the back of her head, like she was in the midst of nodding off. It was no surprise that she was tired, but this seemed different. Brow furrowed in suspicion, she tried to get to her feet. "Wha di yuh..." Her words were thick and unclear in her throat, sounding like little more than a slurred string of gibberish.
When the man noticed her troubles, a malicious grin came to his face. Suddenly, he seemed even more dangerous than he had in that first moment. Far too late, Scherbe realized she'd made a very bad choice. "Finally! Thought it'd take ye forever to pass out! It usually takes just a sip o' me special blend to work, yuir tougher than ye look. But no' as tough as Black Tom!"
Just before she slipped into darkness, Scherbe was struck by a horrific realization. She knew that name! 'Black Tom', that was one of the targets that the Kell Hounds had gone after just a few months ago, for trafficking in humans. They'd caught him, how in the world had he gotten free again?! Any further thought was impossible, however, as she collapsed to the floor, unconscious. [2391 x 2 = 4782 + 3672 = 8454 out of ??? ]
~Shikuma Kitsuna~ The Kitsuna clan girl sighed as she strolls down the hall way of the Academy, her wooden sandals making a hallow tap as she walked. The whole place sure was loud recently. It had been a long time since the Zombies issue had happened and the place had once again become the usual boring school it always had been.
.... Minus the boring part.
Tail swaying with the motion of her hips as she made her way towards the classroom door. Shikuma wasn't in much of a rush to get out of the Academy anymore. In fact she could probably get out quite easily if she actually put an effort in to it. But she was good at the tests they had to do, great at the training and target practice. And meeting interesting people was unavoidable in a place like the Academy. In the long run, meeting more and more strong people would take her one step closer to her goal. Her loyal wolf companion trailed behind her on silent white paws, and as Shikuma entered the Class room, the canine followed her in. The two crossed the loud classroom and headed towards Shikuma's seat.
The young teen gave a brief nod to Eri, the Shugotenshi Clan kid that she had teamed up with for awhile when the zombie like creatures were roaming the ninja world. Together they'd protected the place, and the majority of the students. She was fairly surprised to see that Eri was still here, but it didn't concern her. Since Raion and Cinder had both gotten out, she couldn't help but wonder what both of them were up to. It had just been so long. Her golden gaze drifted away from Eri and as she took her seat, she waited boredly in the noisy room as the kids spoke among eachother.
Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:13 am
~Eri Shugotenshi~
~Points thus far: 1952~
Eri yawned boredly, stretching his arms above his head while he arched back in his chair, letting it teeter dangerously, threatening to fall backwards. Crossing his arms behind his head, he let his bored pale golden gaze drift along the ceiling making shapes out of the designs in the wood. The class room wasn't exactly quiet, but it was less loud than it had been lately. There were quite a few new kids who'd joined the Academy, and it had been surprisingly rambunctious the past few months. With the coming of the Snow, it made Eri think of his village, and just how much time he'd wasted here at the Academy doing nothing in particular. It was easy to pass the classes, but it was relaxing; the life of a student. Eri didn't like fighting. He loathed hurting other people, especially people who had good hearts but were only fighting because it was their duty to their village.
Most of the villages were at peace with each other, for the time being. But anyone with half a brain knew that peace didn't last for a long time. Nothing was ever eternal in life. He let out another sigh and looked around the class room, as he did he saw one of his fellow classmates cast him a glance and a greeting nod. He returned it with an absent wave. Shikuma was one of the ones who'd helped out during the Zombie issue. It wasn't like they were friends or anything, but he couldn't help but think of the girl as a comrade. With her skills, she'd probably get out around the same time as him.
Home. Eri couldn't stop thinking of his beautiful village. It was his pride and joy, and he'd spent way to much time in the Academy. Needless to say, he was feeling a little homesick. It was time to kick it up a notch, finish the last bit of his studies and get out of the Academy quickly.
Scherbe slowly woke up, to the feeling of a horrible headache. It was intense enough that she felt like the room itself was rocking back and forth. She tried to open her eyes, but a sudden burst of nausea had her focused more on avoiding vomiting than looking around. What had happened? After she'd been foolish enough to drink from that flask, she'd passed out. She had no idea just how long she'd been out, or if anything had been done to her. Assuming she managed to get away, she'd never live this down! With that sense of burning shame to boil away her nausea, she finally managed to open her eyes. Only to realize just why she felt so ill.
It wasn't just the aftereffects of the drink, she was on a boat! Really not much more than a skiff, a small boat that could seat eight comfortably. There were more than eight, though. She could see at least ten other girls of about her age, all clustered near her. Some were still passed out, while others were awake and in various stages of grief, terror or fear. She tried to get up, only to realize she couldn't move. She could turn her head, but her arms and legs were froze in place. She found the reason a moment later, thick chains were manacled to her wrists and ankles. There was a collar around her neck, too, connected to the other chains. They were heavy, but she'd carried heavier loads before. The loss of mobility was the true danger.
That and the location. She was trapped on a boat! Even if she were to break out of the chains, what could she do, here of all places? She couldn't swim, and the more she looked at the endless expanse of water, the more she felt that old terror resurfacing. All that was between her and a watery grave was a thin layer of wood. If she caused trouble, what if they simply threw her over the edge? Her breath froze in her throat, plunging into the pit of despair. She couldn’t do anything until they'd gotten off of the boat, and off of the water. Wherever they were headed, that was where she would have to make her stand. Not to only free herself, but the others, too. And if possible, she'd bring Black Tom in all over again. She knew a bit about him from taking a peek at the dossier from the last time. Not enough to give her any major insight into his depraved mind, or any clue if he had any weaknesses. But a little bit of knowledge was better than nothing, most of the time.
For now, all she could do was bide her time, and try to avoid panicking from being surrounded by so much water. Pulling her gaze away from the endless expanse of blue, she took a surreptitious head count. There were eleven other girls in the same predicament as she, there was a full dozen captives. She couldn't see Black Tom, but she could see four other men. They had the look and mien of hired thungs, brought in for their muscle instead of their brains. Each one of them could be a strong opponent in their own right, and all the more if they were being guided by Black Tom. He was a sneaky one, he'd eluded capture for over a year before, and now he'd escaped all over again. He was obviously trouble in every sense of the word.
The day continued at a crawl, the sound of the small boat's motor the only sound. Each time that one of the girls seemed about to speak, a sharp look from one of their guards promptly shut them up. Scherbe had yet to see Black Tom make an appearance, but she knew he was there. She didn't know how, there was no proof of it. But she knew it for truth. Just like she knew that she'd have to find a way to let the others know of her tentative plan, to make sure they were all ready to run when the time came. The chains were heavy enough that she didn't know how fast any of the other girls would be, but once they got onto solid land, she could see about breaking them. She didn't think that the chains connected each girl to the next, something like that would only slow down their walking speed. Unless there was already transportation waiting for them at the dock, to avoid being spotted... She'd have to move fast when she first saw the chance, there wouldn't be the time to hesitate.
For now, though, she had to find a way to distract the guards long enough to tell at least one of the other girls of her plan. If she could manage that, then she could hope that the news would spread, that the rest would hear about it, too. There was really no way she could get close to all of the others, something like that would be too suspicious by far. She'd have to trust that the rest of the captives could at least make some effort toward securing their own freedom, if nothing else. She had no idea if any of them had had any form of training, but as long as they weren't completely naive and sheltered, she could expect some skill.
Finally, she saw her chance. Several of the guards seemed bored enough that they were beginning to talk with each other. They were still keeping an eye on the captives, but not as closely as they had been previously. If she was careful, she could tell the others a quick message. Lowering her voice to little more than a throaty whisper, she barely moved her mouth as she subvocalized. "I have a plan, to get us all free. When we're on land, I'll attack, all of you stay together. I won't have the chance to go after each of you to break your chains."
To her credit, the girl she spoke to managed to hide her reaction to what she'd heard, hid it aside from a narrowing of the eyes and a slight nod. She'd try to tell the others, hopefully they'd all agree to the plan, too. Whether she believed Scherbe actually had a chance, or was simply unwilling to offer to help fight, it didn't matter. If she didn't have the training to fight well, better that she not get involved, it would only be a distraction.
Moments after that brief, muted conversation, Scherbe noticed something in the distance. In the distance, but getting closer. Land! She could see a splash of vibrant green and dirty brown. A wooden pier backed by dense trees? She could work with that, the forest would give them an ideal hiding place once they had managed to escape. She had no idea where they were, or why Black Tom had chosen this location to take them. Surely, whatever the reason was, it wouldn't be a good one. She had to assume there would be no friends here, in a strange land.
The hum of the boat's motor shifted, and the back and forth motion grew even choppier, as the boat sped up to reach the dock quickly. Impatience? That meant that Black Tom might be expecting trouble, either from within or without. He'd be wary, then, and that would make her task that much more difficult. If he was expecting trouble, then she had to assume that any overt attempt to trick the guards would be spotted immediately. She had been considering using a distraction to try to eliminate one quickly. Now, she'd have to resort to a blitz attack, going on the offensive with no warning. Risky, but she had to believe she was strong enough to manage at least that much. If she could just manage to fight them one on one, she felt she had a chance.
And then the boat was slowing, before it bumped slightly against the dock. One of the goons jumped off, before lashing it in place. The others began to order the girls to their feet, before sending them hobbling forward. With their ankles chained together, they couldn't jump out of the boat, so the thugs picked them up one at a time, before setting them on the dock. Scherbe held back a shudder when she realized they weren't being very polite in just how they were holding the girls. One more reason to thrash them soundly. She bit back a sharp comment when it was her turn to be moved, feeling a flash of disgust at the grabby thug's poor attempt to cover up his groping.
But then, she was finally on solid land again. There was water underneath the dock, but her footing was secure, and she felt safer than she had in hours. Now, now she could finally go into action. She locked eyes with the girl she had whispered to before, and nodded. Now was the time, before the goons had finished up with the boat. Now was the time to act!
Scherbe possessed a skill that wasn't obvious by any stretch of the imagination. She had inherited it from her mother, from a long line of powerful fighters from Hidden Stone. Her own unique combination of those hereditary talents was unusual, but suited her. She used those abilities now, causing a thin but dense layer of stone to begin forming over much of her body in a sudden influx of armor. In addition to defense, the stone made her stronger, far stronger than she appeared. Strong enough to snap those thin metal chains. She'd worry about the actual manacles and collars later, however. For now, she simply forced her arms apart, the brittle sound of snapping metal almost hidden within the hiccoughing pops of the idling engine from the boat.
A moment later, her chains were broken, and she could move freely. She didn't waste an instant, turning and rushign toward the closest thug, before colliding with them with enough force to send them over the edge of the dock, and down into the water. She counted on this sudden attack buying her another instant of delayed reaction from the thugs, she had to keep moving. She rushed the next closest thug, lashing out with a snap punch to their midsection. Unfortunately they saw her coming, and raised an arm to block the blow. Just as unfortunately, this time for them, they hadn't realized just what the gray coating her fist actually was. Rather than a punch from a young girl, it felt like they'd been smacked with a pillar of marble. The relatively slender bones of their forearm were no match for such a blow, and they snapped soundly.
The thug sank to his knees, howling with pain as he clutched his broken arm to his chest. He would be out of the fight, at least for a time. That left two, and then Black Tom himself. Scherbe spun to look at her surroundings, and had to make a quick decision. One thug was rushing back to the boat, almost certainly intent upon warning Black Tom, and costing her any remaining element of surprise. The other was advancing on the other girls, whether to take them as hostage against her surrender, or merely to attack them to prevent their escape. Did she stop the one going after her fellow captives, or the one about to alert Black Tom? It was no contest, in the end the choice was made for her. She'd asked the other girls to stick together, their safety was her responsibility.
So she rushed forward, moving quickly despite the added weight of her stone armor. Even so, it seemed she wouldn't get there in time, she was too far away. If she only had some manner of weapon, something she could throw to blunt the thug's momentum! Then it hit her, literally. She could still feel the length of chain hanging from her neck, maybe it would work. She snapped the link near the collar, before whipping the entire length of chain at the thug. It didn't fly as well as she'd hoped, but it still reached him. Nothing as impressive as wrapping around his legs and bringing him down, it instead simply collided with the back of his leg, the slight weight of the chain still substantial enough to cause him to flinch, his leg to jerk in a reflex action.
That bought her the time she needed, to cover the distance between them. She didn't waste time with subtleties, she instead brought her interlocked hands down in a crushing blow at the back of the thug's neck, dropping him like a rock. He wouldn't be waking up for hours. She couldn't take time to celebrate, however, she needed to break the chains of the rest of the girls, and get it done before Black Tom showed up. So she got right to work, not even bothering to say her intentions as she advanced on the closest girl.
The girl had only seen the combat, seen Scherbe get covered in some kind of armor and tear into the thugs. Even if that on it's own might have made her seem an ally, it didn't make her feel any more safe around someone so dangerous. So she backed up, though not far and not fast, due to the chains' continued presence. "Wait, what're you? Stay back!"
Scherbe growled, she didn't have time for this! They had to move now! "I'm tryin ta free ya, girl, stop your struggling." She stepped in quickly, before reaching out and grabbing the chain running from the girl's neck to her wrists. Now that she had caught her, she could snap her chains. It took only a moment, then she was able to move on to freeing the others. Now that they had seen what she had planned, none of the others tried resisting. The one who had seemed embarrassed by her mistake, and annoyed.
Just as Scherbe snapped the last chain, before she even had the opportunity to get the group moving, she heard a too-familiar voice call out from behind them. "An jes where do ye be thinkin o taking me profits, lass? Ye doona wan be making me mad, yuir punishment will be all te worse!" It was Black Tom, looking furious and holding a knotted and warped walking stick. He was already off the boat, and only a few meters away.
Scherbe turned back to face the other girls, before taking an instant to whisper one last piece of advice. She then straightened up and turned back to face her true enemy. She'd taken care of most of his thugs, but what of the fourth. She didn't see him, that meant... Even without turning, she knew what was about to happen. She raised her voice, before shouting for the others to run for it. And just in time, the last remaining thug had been about to sneak up on them. They tore off like the hounds of hell were after them, leaving just Scherbe, Black Tom and his thug.
"Lass, ye should nae have done that, now I'll be having to make the difference from ye alone!"
"Black Tom Cassidy, surrender now while you have the chance. The courts may be lenient if you do."
Black Tom seemed to be surprised by her knowledge of his family name. That was not something he used, not in this line of work. Far too easy for an enemy or business rival to track down his family. And he may be a right damnable b*****d, but he loved his family. If this lass knew his name, then she was no ordinary girl. "If you ken tha, then I dinnae be holdin back!" With that, he strode forward confidently, raising his staff into a ready stance. He closed the distance in just a moment, before lashing out with a solid blow, his staff whistling through the air.
Scherbe raised an arm to block the strike, but still felt the force of the blow, even through her stone armor. It had stung, but nothing more, she could block hits like that until he tired out. "If that stick is all you have, you'd be wise to surrender, Cassidy."
Black Tom chuckled for a moment, before raising his staff once more. "This be no just a stick, this be a shillelagh, an it's more'n enough for th likes of ye!" He pointed the head of the staff at Scherbe, and a small ball of flame, a will o'wisp, flickered into existence, before growing in size by leaps and bounds. Once it reached a sphere of over two feet wide, it rushed forward, striking the ground just in front of Scherbe. It detonated, sending out a blast of flame and wind.that buffeted Scherbe violently, sending her tumbling back amidst the smoke and debris of the explosion.
She came to a stop, coughing, before managing to get to her feet. That had hurt! But she could still fight. She needed to fight, to make sure everyone else had enough time to get away. She knew she could track them, and make sure they found a way back to their homes. But first, she had to deal with Black Tom. She clenched a fist and thickened her armor. It would slow her down, but she'd need the added protection, in order to survive another blast like that.
"Still alive? Yuir a tough lass, ye remine me o one fiery maid in patricular. Jes who are ye?"
"All you need to know is that I'm part of the Kell Hounds, and when we bring you in this time, you'll stay there!"
But rather than be impressed, Black Tom laughed. "Hahaha! Yuir no Kell Hound lass, I ken them all, and they'd not let such a waif in their ranks. Nae matter how much ye take after Stheno, lyings a filthy habit."
For a moment, Scherbe was about to demand just how Black Tom knew her mother. Then she realized there were only two ways he could answer, and neither were anything she needed to hear. The first, merely what she already knew. That Stheno had been a part of the op that brought Black Tom in the last time. The other was something she was trying desperately to not even think about. If he knew her through some other aspects, perhaps not even as enemies. That was something that she didn't want to hear. So she held her tongue, and instead further bolstered her armor, including one or two aspects of it that usually went foregone. Then she rushed in, stomping right through the shallow crater with only a minor loss of mobility. He'd pay for saying she wasn't good enough to join the Kell Hounds; she'd prove she was worthy by defeating him!
Black Tom readied to block her charge, not resorting to another blast now that she was getting closer. That was one weakness of that attack, if he used it too close to himself, the shockwave would affect him, too. So now that she'd closed the distance to him, he'd have to stick with hand to hand combat. He wasn't worried, how strong could a little girl be, even one with odd armor that she'd gotten from somewhere, somehow. He waited for her charge to almost reach him, before he lashed out with his staff once more, this time leading with the tip, in a savage thrust aimed directly for Scherbe's gut. He would have liked to avoid damaging the merchandise, but now that his profits were in danger, he'd do what he had to. Even if that meant putting her to work directly, rather than just selling her off.
Scherbe's charge was blunted when she felt the staff stab at her, the force considerable. Almost enough to shatter her armor, and certainly enough to send a spike of pain stabbing through her guts. She forced herself to work through it, and rushed in close once more, lashing out with a series of surprisingly quick blows. Black Tom still managed to block them all, he was just as skilled with his staff at close range as long. But she was keeping him busy, he couldn't counterattack without risking her attacks getting through.
Perhaps she spoke too soon. She'd been focused on continually attacking him, so his surprise instep kick, while not terribly painful, knocked her off balance, and disrupted her attacks. Rather than fall to her knees, she pushed against the ground with her feet, to turn. Better to fall away from Black Tom, to have the room to maneuver. If nothing else, she could hit the ground with both hands, before pushing off and springing back to her feet. Unfortunately she never got the chance. Even as she was turning and falling, Black Tom had stepped close and grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her back upright.
She could feel him pull her back against his chest, even as his arms instantly went into a headlock, his forearm wedged under her chin, pressing tightly enough that she couldn't breathe. She struggled, pulling at his arm, but it was no use. He laughed then, mocking her for thinking she could stand against him. He'd enjoy training her to obey him in all things.
Scherbe could feel her consciousness slipping; the loss of air was going to cause her to pass out. Was this how it was going to end? Captured just a day into her efforts to prove herself, and then kept as Black Tom's plaything? That couldn't be true! She was stronger than this, she knew she was! With the last ergs of her determination, she put all of her strength into one last effort to break free. At the same time, she directed it in an alternate direction, hoping that the possible surprise would aid her efforts.
Scherbe's armor normally just covered her in a thin but strong layer of stone. But it held more potential than that. It could go one step further, and grant her the semblance of a gargoyle, those famed statues of dragons and fiends that served as rainspouts for suitably old buildings. As such, when she had strengthened her armor enough, a tail had formed solid stone but as flexible as flesh. She lashed out with it now, in a rapid strike at a sensitive area. It may have been unsporting, but she didn't have the luxury of playing nice.
Just as she had grown a tail, she had also grown wings. They were a bit more difficult to control, so they had stayed folded at her shoulders. Even so, they helped her efforts to free herself. When she'd struck Black Tom , he'd froze for an instant, as the pain temporarily wiped his mind of conscious thought. He slumped forward, and a small bit of ill fortune caused his chin to collide solidly with the spur of solid stone that was Scherbe's wing. Leading with his chin, the force of the impact left him stunned for a moment, even as he finished crumpling to the ground.
As soon as Scherbe had gained her freedom, she greedily sucked in deep lungfuls of air, breathing deep. She then turned and looked down at Black Tom. He was in intense pain, but she knew he wasn't out of the fight yet. If she gave him time to recover, he'd return to battle even stronger, and furious. She had to move now, to finish it before he could recover. He was on his side, so she rolled him over onto his stomach, before lashing out with a sharp punch to the base of his neck. As he slumped unconscious, she sighed and relaxed. Was it over? Had she actually done it? Her breathing was still uneven, and she knew she'd have a pretty large bruise from that strike to the gut. But she had done it, hadn't she? [4015 + 8454 = 12,469 out of ??? ]
Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 8:35 am
Starrk sat back in his seat, arms folded behind his head as per the usual as the teacher was going on about some boring as subject they had already talked about a thousand times. Something about how to use ninja tools or something like that. He didn't really give a damn honestly as he yawned a bit and glanced out the window. He couldn't really care less about this crap anyways. He already knew damn near everything he needed or cared to learn. Though for whatever reason, he was stuck here for a while as he sat there, borderline asleep as the teacher rambled on and on and on. He really felt like just cutting class tomorrow so he didn't have to sit through all this stupid crap. Sighing as he closed his eyes, he was glad that he sat at the very back of the class so that it was somewhat less obvious that he was sleeping during class. He'd rather go outside and relax or something, maybe take a nap somewhere warm and quiet where he could be left alone for a while. He'd probably practice some of his kenjutsu after he was rested. Maybe. He tended to be a bit lazy when it came to actual training honestly. Slowly starting to doze off, he stopped caring (not that he did a whole lot before) about the lesson and just let himself pass out in his chair once again as his plan for the day.
Quote:
Words in post = 248 New word total = 248
Ryunosuke Ryusei
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Raia-The-Red
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 11:01 am
~Shikuma Kitsuna~
~Points thus far: 3123~
After the teacher had finished giving them all a lecture and had slipped out of the classroom, leaving everyone to do as they pleased on their break, the classroom suddenly came alive with noise once more. Although everyone kept their voices down, The invisible fox like ears on Shikuma's head caught different parts of sentences and conversations. She sighed boredly and flung another pencil at the ceiling, managing to spear the led into the soft wood above. Adding another pencil to the ceiling till she was out of them, she reached a hand out to pet Ooka, her wolf companion on the head. Running her fingers through the white silky fur, Shikuma decided to get out and do something fun or useful. It didn't really matter what she decided to do, but anything was better than sitting and doing nothing but stare at a blank chalk board. Everyone else seemed pretty bored too. There weren't many kids she knew at the Academy anymore, they'd all finished and left already. But even so, Shikuma wasn't shy, and if any of the others cared to join her, they were more than welcome. She jumps up onto Ooka's back and the two walk off towards the door, but before the Kitsuna girl left she glanced back at the classroom. She knew if she offered, Eri would come with her, but it would be interesting if anyone else came.
"Hey, any of you feel like doing something, other than staying in a boring classroom?"
Starrk sat back in his seat, arms folded behind his head as per the usual as the teacher was going on about some boring as subject they had already talked about a thousand times. Something about how to use ninja tools or something like that. He didn't really give a damn honestly as he yawned a bit and glanced out the window. He couldn't really care less about this crap anyways. He already knew damn near everything he needed or cared to learn. Though for whatever reason, he was stuck here for a while as he sat there, borderline asleep as the teacher rambled on and on and on. He really felt like just cutting class tomorrow so he didn't have to sit through all this stupid crap. Sighing as he closed his eyes, he was glad that he sat at the very back of the class so that it was somewhat less obvious that he was sleeping during class. He'd rather go outside and relax or something, maybe take a nap somewhere warm and quiet where he could be left alone for a while. He'd probably practice some of his kenjutsu after he was rested. Maybe. He tended to be a bit lazy when it came to actual training honestly. Slowly starting to doze off, he stopped caring (not that he did a whole lot before) about the lesson and just let himself pass out in his chair once again as his plan for the day.