Starring:
Date: April 18, 2014
Summary:
A team goes to explore a structure buried in the desert and runs into an occupational hazard.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Beetle Hotel"
A Ruin in the Desert [Land of Wind]
B-rank: The deserts around Sunagakure hold many mysteries, and one of them has recently shown a glimmer of its existence. A violent windstorm displaced the sand in a large area, and near the bottom of the huge bowl which resulted, a corner of an unknown structure with a window-like opening was spotted. An archaeological team is being dispatched to study and explore this ruin, and they require a ninja team to support and protect them. In all likelihood, the ruin contains no maliciously intended traps or the like, but there are always the typical dangers of the desert to contend with, the possibility of structural failure, and the potential for the sand bowl to fill in again.
So this ruin has been found in the desert! It must be a sunken ruin, because it took a wind vortex hollowing out a huge bowl in the sand to reveal even the top of a building. Of course everyone knows what this means — time to explore! This opportunity must be taken before the sand buries the structure again. An archaeological team is sent along with a ninja guard specially selected for the task: an Iga for varied sensory capability, a Maneshi for vision in extremely low-light conditions, and a Watanabe Council Member for…general desert survival skill? e.ea Maybe they just thought it would be a relatively easy mission for Council Member Itami to participate in while recovering from the assassination attempt on her. Anyway, yeah, Shemri, Ayumu, and Itami…and apparently Soren managed to get on the team as well, almost as much as a part of the archaeological crew as the ninja aspect. Some special interest in the ruins apparently.
Shemri trudges along with the rest of the group on their way to the site. "I do not wish to be a dredge upon anyone, but I do not believe this mission shall be of great worth in the end," she remarks. "This sand bowl we are supposed to be visiting cannot last forever, nor shall we be able to keep the desert out of it. We must be wary of any sudden winds pushing it back into place." Shemri's cat Shiikaa keeps a wary eye on Soren as they travel. Not only is he an outsider, he smells faintly of dog for some reason. ^e.e^
«IGA» Ayumu hahs, "Useless Watanabi." <.< >.>
«IGA» Ayumu ducks behind Shemri.
Ayumu purpose was clear from the moment the onset of the mission. And yet, he found himself feeling a little uncertain. The seemingly unshakeable feeling had him keep quiet despite whatever opportunities there were to exploit word play and dig up more dirt regarding his compatriots for the mission. It may also have something to do with the fact that he seemed so keen on hovering near the edge of the group, pretending to play rear guard until they arrived at the ruins.
"Mayhaps, Shemri-chan, but whatever worth this place my possess might prove invaluable in regards to any other future discoveries." That's right ladies and gentlemen. Ayumu has just spoken an entire sentence WITHOUT twisting his words into such gunk that one is either forced to reach their own conclusion, OR ignore it outright. Something was definitely a little off with the Iga.
«IGA» Ayumu misses something, but addresses it next round. z.z;a
«OOC» Itami apologizes for delays.
«OOC» Itami has been busy tending to her grandmother.
«IGA» Ayumu patpats, "Set only dropped a few moments ago." ^^
«IGA» Ayumu shall brb himself though. x.x
«OOC» Soren says, "Sorry. Was reading up on the CRS."
«OOC» Soren starts on a pose.
«OOC» Itami laughs. Assassination~
Easy enough? More or less, though it was difficult to her in some ways. She was happy to come along, but Itami wasn't sure how much she was going to be able to do. She was still dealing with the damage that poison dealt to her system, even though she'd been cured and healed, her nerves were still under stress and shock from the pain she endured. Still, she was mobile and able and the best way to handle these things was to be active. "It might not, but seeing what the desert hides is always a nice present," she responded to Shemri cheerfully despite her condition.
"How big is this sand bowl? I just might be able to do something about that…" She switched the staff in her hands. "Ayumu may have something there. No telling what kind of history may be around here and I love my share of it. It's…only me, though I suppose. Any attempts to share before have ended with students trying to flee somewhere," she grumbled. Though, it may be because she's attacked them on numerous occasions before. She took a look back at Soren and smiled. "How are you doing, hm? Finding everything alright?"
It's true. Soren had found his way onto the mission. The moment he had heard about the temple, he had decided to at least check it out. It was pure luck, and maybe a little bit of help on Itami's part (maybe, he didn't know if this was true or not) that had gotten him on mission! Regardless, Soren walks, trudging through the desert keeping up with the rest of the small party of Ninja with little effort. And indeed! He did smell of dog! Well… more specifically fox, but that's not too big of a deal!
Soren smiled, as he glanced up to Itami, just off to the side of the group as a whole. "So far everything's been good. It's been entirely too long since I've been able to visit, and this just happens to be a good excuse." he says with a small snicker, walking closer to the group now. He'd been mostly silent up till now. "I know I'm at least curious about the temple… and things depending, we may have to see about finding a more permanent solution to the sand bowl problem." he says scratching his chin, glancing at Itami. Then amongst the rest of the group. "Even if it's not what I hope, gifts of the past shouldn't be ignored. If there's anything of worth in there, it would be to your benefit to preserve it." he says, nodding a bit. He spares a specific glance to the cat, before looking back up to Itami.
«OOC» Soren says, "Sorry about that. >.<; Had a distraction."
«OOC» Shemri says, "So, would you all like to use CRS, or just free-pose things?"
«IGA» Ayumu chants CRS in the background. >.>
«OOC» Soren says, "I'd be up for it."
«OOC» Itami is cool with CRS.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well. :)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Let's see…to show the system in action, I think I shall have an enemy attack me to start with. We are about to deal with some giant scarabs coming up out of the sand, and the first one targets Shemri. They are +3 Big Bugs, so the base roll is 1d8."
RP: Shemri rolled a 8 with 1d8 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Fff. XD"
«OOC» Soren snickers.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Joy. X) It has C-rank Bug Brawl and C-rank Chemical Warfare styles, and since it rolled so high with its base it will spend 2 chakra to do a C-level Chemical Warfare attack on Shemri."
RP: Shemri rolled a 6 with 1d8 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Total of 14. I have much to contend with. :/"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Shemri is a +8 Ninja, so her base roll is 1d13."
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri thudfalls. X)
«IGA» Ayumu saves SHemri~ ;.;
«IGA» Ayumu lags something fierce. X)
«OOC» Shemri says, "Hmm, well, you could do a rescue attempt if you wish, but you will be unable to attack this round if you do."
«IGA» Ayumu Finger snaps.
«IGA» Ayumu leaves ye be then. z.z;a
«OOC» Soren is ok with trying to rescue Shemri.
«OOC» Itami says, "Anything in double digits hates rolling high. XD"
«OOC» Itami says, "Single digits? Natural all the way. :|"
«IGA» Ayumu cackles.
«OOC» Shemri says, "You are certain you wish to do that, Soren? It would help, even if it does not save me on its own. It would stack with my own defense roll. I could quite likely save myself by spending a couple chakra, though."
«OOC» Soren starts with a Ninjastat of 7. "So base Ninja roll of 1d12, and I have an A-rank Tai style to use aswell. +1d8?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "This is a fact."
«OOC» Soren says, "And yeah, I'm aware. But Soren's better in the support role anyway."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well, do your base roll."
RP: Soren rolled a 2 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Soren winces. >.o
«OOC» Soren says, "Then roll the 1d8, yes?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Heh. X) Yes."
«OOC» Shemri says, "BTW…"
«OOC» Soren says, "Yup?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "How are you defending? To clarify, this will be a squirt of caustic chemicals coming at Shemri."
«OOC» Soren hmms… "Sticks his right arm in the path of the chemicals." >.>; "He's got a spare."
RP: Soren rolled a 3 with 1d8 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Heh. X) The puppet arm? I suppose that would work, it would not damage wood very quickly."
«OOC» Soren says, "Yup"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "only 5 more points to cover.."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "You can do it SHemri-san~ :D"
«OOC» Shemri says, "So, altogether a 7 now, and I must reach 14…so that is 7 more, not 5, unless I am counting something wrong. c.c"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Oh woops. XD"
«IGA» Ayumu no not the maths.
«OOC» Shemri says, "I suppose I shall still use 2 chakra, it would be a pity to miss after Soren sacrificed his attack. Double-double my A-rank Wind Manipulation for…"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Knows*"
RP: Shemri rolled a 14 with 1d32 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Huzzah!"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Good. Now Shemri attacks back…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d13 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "The curse of the 2 is back. XD"
«OOC» Shemri says, "The main thing the primers are out of date on, BTW, is chakra, most everything is doubled there. We begin with chakra equal to our Ninja level, we receive 2 chakra per round, and it takes twice as much to reach the various tension levels."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Which means Shemri now has 6 chakra and is at tension level 1, so she may do D-rank attacks for free. She shall do a double shuriken throw at the scarab."
RP: Shemri rolled a 8 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Finally a decent roll. X)"
«IGA» Ayumu gets to rolling now with a base of 12, jah?
«IGA» Ayumu says, "er"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well. I was actually going to have three scarabs involved, but I suppose we had best get through this fight quickly and save the real action for in the ruin. X)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "And yes, 1d12."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 3 with 1d12 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Curse ye dice. :I"
«OOC» Shemri says, "You are also at tensions level 1 (7 chakra), so you can do D-ranks for free, C-ranks for 1, etc."
«IGA» Ayumu shall conserve and go with a D under shadow clone style.
RP: Ayumu rolled a 1 with 1d8 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Why do I try? T.T"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Heh. Itami?"
«OOC» Itami says, "Huh?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Do you wish to attack the scarab as well?"
«OOC» Itami says, "Oh, sure."
«OOC» Itami will perform a d-rank attack. She'll smack it with the staff she has in hand. X)
«OOC» Itami says, "Or is that more like e-rank? Hahaha."
«OOC» Shemri wonders if Itami should start as a +8 Ninja in this scene, to account for her recent injuries. ;)
«OOC» Shemri goes with that. "Base roll is 1d13."
«OOC» Itami is all good with it. n.n
«OOC» Shemri does base roll for Itami.
RP: Shemri rolled a 11 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Oh good. n.n Now, which style would attacking with your staff fall under? Gentle Mist, or Kenjutsu?"
«OOC» Itami says, "Kenjutsu, likely."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Itami has kenjutsu?! o.O"
«OOC» Itami says, "Yes. Yes she does. >:D"
«OOC» Soren o.O
«IGA» Ayumu fears something fierce now. ;.;
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well, and what is your highest-ranking Kenjutsu technique? I cannot quite tell. X)"
«OOC» Soren needs to spar with her sometime then. XD
«OOC» Itami says, "Hyper speed chain kill."
«OOC» Shemri says, "B-rank, then. Doing a D-rank technique in that style gives you a 1d8 roll."
«OOC» Itami says, "So I should roll a b-rank? c.c"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Naw"
«OOC» Itami says, "Oh, wait, I get it. XD"
«OOC» Itami got stuck. Lol.
«IGA» Ayumu nodsnods.
«IGA» Ayumu patpats.
RP: Itami rolled a 6 with 1d8 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Itami makes sure their deded. XD"
«OOC» Itami snickers.
«OOC» Shemri finishes her pose, then will roll the beetle's defenses.
Shemri glances at Itami. "Ah. Aha. This sand slope we have been climbing the past few minutes?" Shemri indicates the 'dune' they're walking on which had sloped up so gradually that nobody had really noticed how big it was and of course it wasn't a narrative oversight. c.c "I believe this is the sand that was displaced from the bowl." e.e Yup, you'd have to build a pretty tall structure to keep the sand out of this bowl, and even there you'd get sand falling in every so often and probably shifting under your wall too. Mmmmmaybe you could manage some sort of tunnel leading from the ruins up to the current lip of the bowl, then it wouldn't matter too much if the bowl filled in again. e.ea But Shemri's no engineer, she's not qualified to speculate on —
*PSSSHT!*
A sudden squirting noise is all the warning the group receives as a jet of nasty-looking liquid comes shooting up out of the sand in Shemri's direction! o.O; Fortunately it's enough for Shiikaa, who blows the chemicals away with a gust of wind. ^>.<^ The source of the attack becomes apparent when a huge scarab beetle, the size of a large dog, scrabbles up out of its hiding place in the sand. Shemri scowls and flicks a pair of shuriken at the creature. "Whether the trip proves worthwhile or no, it appears we shall be earning our pay!" >.<
«OOC» Shemri says, "Okay, base roll for beetle's defense against Ayumu…"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "C'mon 2. >.>"
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d8 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Even better! :D"
«IGA» Ayumu makes them work for their survival. >:3
«OOC» Shemri says, "It defends with E-rank move in C-rank Bug Brawl style…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d4 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Double huzzah!"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Bug takes 2 damage, is now a +1 Big Bug."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Base roll for defense against Itami…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d6 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "It needs 13 more to survive, it has no choice but to use a C-rank defense."
RP: Shemri rolled a 14 with 1d16 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Hmm…I shall bend the rules a little and ignore that Soren attempted a rescue earlier. ;) Do a base roll for attacking it, Soren."
«OOC» Shemri says, "That would be 1d12, BTW."
RP: Soren rolled a 10 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Soren swings with a D-rank Kenjutsu technique, from my A-rank Chakra Style Kenjutsu.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Excellent. You are at tension level 1, so D-ranks are free. Not that you need the extra damage, but it boosts your roll range a little at least. If you use your A-rank taijutsu style that would be a 1d10."
RP: Soren rolled a 1 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Soren laughs. XD
«OOC» Shemri says, "Heh, decent altogether though."
RP: Shemri rolled a 5 with 1d6 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d8 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "It is dead. n.n"
«OOC» Shemri says, "It managed to deflect Itami's staff blow with its wing-cover, in case you wish to know for posing purposes."
«OOC» Shemri says, "How long do we all have to take part in this scene, BTW?"
«OOC» Soren mehs. "I have a couple hours.
Ayumu peers in Itami's general direction with a pensive look about it him after the comment she made. Then… merely shakes his head in exasperation before letting his focus shift elsewhere. Recalling the familiar scent and sound of Soren's voice belatedly prompts to speak; but, the Iga hesitates for a second too long and loses the courage to say anything. Perhaps probing the desert might — Eyes widen to the size of saucer as realization suddenly dons on him. Too late is he to call out a warning (though thankfully Shemri needed it not), but he still springs into action in his own way. A single shuriken is sent flying, only to be accompanied by a brother and sister mid-flight; both born from a puff of smoke. His aim is a little off for one, but a critical point in the critters armor is pierced.
"Tch! Aim for the joints!"
«IGA» Ayumu is free~
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Free is a bird *translation: However many hours it'd be* X)"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "er, this would take"
«OOC» Itami hmm. If that's the case, we may have to pose in favor of the couple hours. Haha.
«OOC» Itami forgot how CRS can be sometimes. X3
«OOC» Soren says, "XD"
«OOC» Shemri should probably handle most of the actual rolling to speed things up, just ask what techniques people are doing. X)
«IGA» Ayumu sagenods and brb, again. x.x;a
"You make a good point. I don't think I've ever spent this long climbing a slope before, that's true," Itami chuckled at the thought. "Maybe I can't do much about it, then," she shrugged, but a bit of pain shot through her body at that small effort. She winced a bit, but she'd be fine. As they continued onward, the sound of…something unusual came up out of the sand and with it, some ugly looking liquid. When the source of the acid comes up, she continues conversation with Soren! "I'm glad you were able to come along. As for this sand bowl problem, I, well, that's a whole different kind of matter there," she grips her staff tightly as she prepares to launch an attack at the beetle. "I can only hope that whatever is here has potential to be preserved, but if these beetles are going to be a part of that, I may consider leaving it buried." She went off and struck the beetle, but its wing managed to deflect the blow. "Aim for the joints? Of course, but that thing was faster than I thought it would be.
«OOC» Soren says, "Anyways. So, got a quick question. Anyone mind me RP summoning Ayame? XD I'm not goign to actually grab the charbit or anything. Just want to grab her for RP reasons."
«OOC» Itami doesn't mind.
«OOC» Shemri says, "I do not see why not."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Same here"
Soren shrugged. "I hadn't noticed." he says with a grin, as he continued walking up the dune. When the bug does show itself, Soren is the last to react! That's not like mr. Zippy himself. He summons his favorite Ninjato first, into his right hand. And with a flicker, his blade whistles through the air, cleaving upwards it's tip leaving a trail in the sand, splitting the bugs head.
He cleans his blade first, before glancing back. "As am I. It's not often I get to speak with my favorite lizard." he says with a small grin, noting the wince. "You ok?" he asks with a small raise of his brow. Well… she needs to come anyway… may as well call her a bit early. He nicks his thumb, before running through his handsigns. "Ayame." he says, as he makes his last handsign. "Mind giving Itami a hand?" The fox seems to fade into existence almost like a mirage. Standing 6 feet at her shoulder, with 5 long, fluffy tails, Ayame appears behind Soren, and not too far from the councilwoman, moving over next to her, kneeling, and apparently offering her a ride!
«OOC» Shemri says, "We are about to head into a dark building, although we shall have light sticks with us. We should each roll to determine how much we are able to sense in there. Shemri has Maneshi Senses, a C-rank sensory technique, so she shall get a bonus 1d4."
RP: Shemri rolled a 7 with 1d13 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d4 die.
«OOC» Soren has no special sensory techniques. So just 1d12+1d2?
«OOC» Shemri says, "Just the 1d12, actually."
«OOC» Itami has chemical sense. It's c-rank.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well, that will help."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Oh yes, and I am taking care of all rolls. X) Soren:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 6 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Itami:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Itami XD
RP: Shemri rolled a 3 with 1d4 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Ayumu:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 5 with 1d12 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Er"
«OOC» Itami says, "Those double digits are evile!"
«IGA» Ayumu bahs and goes with C under shiryoku
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d4 die.
«IGA» Ayumu T.T
«IGA» Ayumu commits seppuku for bringing shame to the clan!
«OOC» Shemri says, "'Bad' rolls happen all the time in CRS. X) It has very strong variation, by design."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Besides, a total of 6 is quite decent."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Still.. for a sensory clan to roll about as well as joe without training is just so.. saddening. ;.;"
«OOC» Soren snickers.
«OOC» Itami says, "Yep. Dat 1. :|"
The scarab beetle hisses and clicks as it's assaulted back. XC It turns to flee into the sand bowl, but Soren's attack turns out to be the coup de grace for it. Shiikaa sniffs at the crushed bug briefly. Last time they ran into giant versions of Small Crunchy Noms, they turned out friendly…those ones had big horns on their heads, though. Pretty sure this is a different family. ^c.c^
After that little adventure is done, the group continues into the sand bowl. The structure that was discovered earlier is quite visible, a grey stone building that contrasts sharply with the sand around it. Upon reaching the ruin and finding the window which grants them entry, Shemri instructs the archaeologists to stay outside while they check the inside for dangers. "Shiikaa shall protect you, should any other creatures appear," she tells them. Yup, the archaeologists just got told to sit outside with the small cat. 'Course, it's a cat that's already shown a hint of how formidable it can be. >:3 And maybe Soren's foxy friend will volunteer to help guard too.
Shemri takes point going into the building, seeing as her clan is well-suited to dark places. Not that they were foolish enough to come on this expedition without bringing along some light sticks, but even that doesn't make the place bright and clear in every corner. Shemri walks slowly along the passage they find themselves in, checking for traps and the like. c.c It doesn't seem like that sort of place, though. If Shemri had to guess, she'd say it was some sort of inn, with regularly spaced rooms placed along the hallway. Just because it wasn't built with malicious intent doesn't mean it's not hazardous, though. Shemri stops suddenly and holds her hand up to signal a halt. "Ah. Aha. The floor does not look sound up ahead," she remarks. "What shall we do? Climb around it, or go back and explore these rooms? Even if we can get across, it may not be so easy to get the others past it when we let them in." e.e
«IGA» Ayumu hmms..
«IGA» Ayumu only notes the hazard mention by shemri or can direct his earlier roll focus towards the other rooms?
«OOC» Shemri says, "The former. Nobody senses anything more really."
Ayumu smirks a little, but doesn't dare let his focus waver from Itami until Soren finishes the scarabs off with a swipe of his weapon. "Hmm…" The opportunity was just too good to ignore. While the others were busy conversing amongst themselves, the Iga would see about storing away some choice parts of the beetle. 'Waste not, Want—' The thought goes unfinished due to Ayame's abrupt appearance.
"A fennec?" He murmurs, only for his mind to quickly dismiss the fact. The 'material' composing Ayame smelled… off. Otherwordly even. Curious as he is about the strange new arrival, Ayumu tightens his jaw and forces down desires for the sake of focusing back on the mission.
Before long, he finds himself under the comforting embrace of darkness along with the others. That is, until someone pulls out the light stick. As if a blind man has any need of such silly things! Still, he clamped down on any desire to ward the others off of using them and just focused on probing around using his sensors that dropped out of his hair.
"Hmm… I'd go with the spider approach, but then, but… I'm an Iga. What do you think Itami-chama? Your people have more experience with this sort of thing, neh?"
"Hm. I feel we're going to have problems with that thing later…" Itami remarks about the beetle as it takes off. "Favorite lizard," she repeated with a chuckle. "Am I okay? Yes. I just had an attempt against my life that I'm recovering from. I've had the best cures used on me, but my nerves are still shaken by the ordeal, so…I have pains every once in a while from them trying to recover," she explains as she switches the staff once more.
When the fox is called out, she expects to see something small and instead, she sees something much larger. "Looks like it's been a while. She's bigger than what I remember." She wasn't expecting the offer of a ride, but she felt it'd be rude not to take her up on it. "Thank you, Ayame," she remembered her name, at least…No, it wasn't because it was spoken!
She decided to hop off Ayame once they reached the building saying, "I think I'll go it alone from here, but I appreciate the ride. Perhaps we could use a bit more assistance out here, not that Shiikaa isn't enough to take care of things," she explained to the fox. She proceeded inside and couldn't see much of anything, thus caution was key. She isn't used to not seeing in these particular conditions. Even she's baffled by that. "Watanabe are experienced with this sort of thing. We'd probably make the crawl knowing that we could, but I think we can explore these other rooms instead. Perhaps there may be other ways around this loose floor."
«OOC» Shemri thinks we'll be lucky if we get one more round of poses done before Soren has to go. X)
«OOC» Itami chuckles.
The fox just kinda smiles when Itami speaks up. They make their way down to the bowl, and when they arrive, Ayame finally speaks. "It's not any Kitsune design I'm aware of. So I'll wait out here." she says with a nod, her tails swaying slowly, as she lay herself in the sand. "Gives me a chance to investigate…" she says, now half distracted, her gaze falling on the cat.
Soren nods. "Oof. Sounds nasty." he says, wincing at the mention of Itami's predicament. As they enter, Soren simply stays back, sword still at the ready, just in case. When they come to the shaky floor, Soren nodded. "Hmmm… I agree with Itami. We're here to explore the place. That said, maybe it would be best for you to investigate ahead? Maybe with Shemri-san as backup?" he suggests towards Ayumu.
«OOC» Shemri says, "There are two way I am thinking this could go. We could have another, bigger fight, or we could simply run into a danger which causes us to flee immediately. If we do the former we would probably have to pause and pick this up another time. I do not suppose all of you expect to be available tomorrow?"
«IGA» Ayumu would be.
«OOC» Itami should be as well.
«OOC» Shemri could be ready to resume nearly any time tomorrow, but it would help to know when she should get online.
«OOC» Soren says, "Hmmm… I actually don't know. 6.6;"
«IGA» Ayumu would be officially available after anytime past 11 pst.
«OOC» Soren notes, his job's busiest time of year is Easter. >.>; I have -no- clue when I'll be free tommorrow, if at all.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Hmm. Would you be horribly disappointed if we went on without you? X)"
«OOC» Soren says, "So if worse comes to worse, feel free to just say Soren went back to guard the front with Ayame and Shiikaa."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well. We shall pause for now, then."
«OOC» Soren says, "Ok."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Many thanks for taking part thus far. :) Farewell."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Likewise, shemri-dono~"
04/19/14
«OOC» Shemri goes to make dinner while the others are still idle. X)
Itami has arrived.
«IGA» Ayumu clamors up onto Itami's shoulder as he says, "Shemri-dono has lfet to prep din-din."
«OOC» Itami nodnod.
«OOC» Itami is fairly tired, though.
«OOC» Itami can try and slug through, but I spend the majority of my day at a program that drained me.
«IGA» Ayumu nods solemnly.
Ayame (Flower) pages Shemri, Ayumu, and Itami: Soren's indisposed at the moment (Sortof) so I'll sent Ayame's charbit in, if you guys don't mind.
From afar (to Ayame, Shemri, and Itami), Ayumu (Riji) does not.
«IGA» Ayumu points to 22/145
Ayame has arrived.
«NPC» Ayame pounces on Itami. ^n.n^
«OOC» Shemri returns and tries to get the ball rolling again.
Shemri shifts her jaw. "Hrmm…ordinarily I would say that we should not split up…but time is short here, and this place does not seem particularly dangerous. Very well, Ayumu-san and I shall explore further this way." Shemri hops up and sticks to the ceiling, crawling along it with her hands and feet while her sash keeps hold of her light-stick.
Taking a peek into the rooms along the passage proves a little more difficult than one might think. The walls of the structure are a bit warped by the pressure of the sand that's been on top of it for so long, and as a result the doors are stuck. It's nothing a little ninja force can't get through, though. Inside, the furniture and layout, while a bit foreign-looking, seems to bear out the inn theory. Beds, tables, chairs, scarabs, lam — whoa, SCARABS! O.O; A couple of beetles, even bigger than the one they encountered outside, are occupying these bedrooms, and they're not happy to be disturbed! >C
Meanwhile, Shemri and Ayumu's path leads them downstairs. They find what looks like a dining area of some sort. The most striking thing about it is the prevalence of some sort of white ball-like decoration, the size of a ball children might kick around in the marketplace. They're everywhere, placed in seemingly random ways. "Ah. Aha. I expect these balls were important to their culture," Shemri remarks, taking the opportunity to be an amateur archaeologist. "Perhaps they symbolize the sun, or the moon, or — " Just then one of the balls nearby tears open, and a scarab pokes its head out. "…Oh." o.o; A glance upward shows that the ceiling in this area is literally CRAWLING with the bugs! They're smaller than the one outside, but there's about a dozen of 'em!
«OOC» Shemri says, "So, now there are two +5 Scarabs upstairs, and 12 +1 Scarabs downstairs. They have not attacked yet, but they shall given the chance."
Oh, and back outside, Shiikaa is feeling a little perturbed. Just what are you talking about investigating, fox lady? ^e.e^;
Ayumu has disconnected.
«NPC» Ayame blinks. o.o
«OOC» Shemri imagines it's connection difficulties. -.-
«OOC» Shemri says, "Hmmm…considering the scene did sort of split in two, we /could/ do just Soren and Itami's part for now. X)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Base roll for Itami:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 10 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Itami is at 10 chakra, which makes her just shy of tension level 2. D-ranks are free, C-ranks are 1 chakra, etc."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Itami, do you wish to attack one of the scarabs?"
«NPC» Ayame blinks. o.o
«OOC» Shemri guesses she may have fallen asleep at the keyboard. X) It's happened before, and she did say she was tired. Or she could be helping her grandmother with something.
«NPC» Ayame shrugs. "Anyways… I think I'm gonna call it an early night." >.>;
«OOC» Itami is alive…
«OOC» Itami says, "But admittedly I did fall asleep. z.z"
«OOC» Itami will just let this go anyhow. I doubt I have anything significant to pose.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Heh. X) It sounds as though we had best try again another time."
«OOC» Itami nods. I apologize, but I was just far too tired. :/
«OOC» Itami is doing better now, but that's after the fact.
04/25/14
«OOC» Shemri says, "Soren and Itami are now facing two +5 scarabs, and Ayumu and Shemri have a dozen +1 scarabs. Now may be a good time to experiment with multiple-target attacks, Ayumu. ;)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "But first, your base roll:"
«OOC» Itami laughs.
RP: Shemri rolled a 6 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Itami is a +8 ninja for this scene, right?
«OOC» Shemri says, "Ayumu has 9 chakra available. And yes, Itami."
«OOC» Itami nod.
«OOC» Shemri says, "So, what do you wish to do, Ayumu?"
«IGA» Ayumu will go with attacking multi targets. )|a
«OOC» Shemri should note that the +1 scarabs have no skills, so their rolls will be their 1d6 base rolls and that's it.
«IGA» Ayumu keeps that in mind.
«OOC» Shemri says, "How many? You get a 1d3 penalty roll for each extra target."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "6"
«OOC» Shemri says, "That is quite ambitious, but then, the more that you attack, the more chances to succeed you have. X)"
«IGA» Ayumu grins.
«IGA» Ayumu gets to rolling his base 'n all that?
«OOC» Shemri says, "I already rolled base for you."
«OOC» Shemri was taking over rolls to speed things along.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Oh right, your rolling for all. X)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "D-rank move, spending 0 chakra? Any amount of damage will squish them, of course."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Indeed, under shadow clone style"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Ah, remind me what level that is?"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "B"
RP: Shemri rolled a 7 with 1d8 die.
«IGA» Ayumu woots!
«OOC» Shemri says, "Total of 13, minus penalty…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 9 with 5d3 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "End result of 4. The bugs each have a 50/50 chance of survival."
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d6 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d6 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d6 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d6 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d6 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d6 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "You killed 4 of them."
«IGA» Ayumu +.+d
«IGA» Ayumu chin rubs, "What was the original pose order again?" @.@
«OOC» Shemri says, "Shemri, Ayumu, Itami, Soren."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Itami's base roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 9 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Pretty good. Itami, you have 10 chakra, which means you are still just shy of tension level 2. If you spend only 1 chakra before your next attack, you will be able to use level 2 then."
«OOC» Shemri says, "How would you like to deal with the big bugs?"
«OOC» Itami yay~
«OOC» Itami hmm. I'll go with a c-rank this time if possible.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well. 1 chakra used, and…which style?"
«OOC» Itami says, "Kenjutsu."
«OOC» Shemri says, "What rank is that again?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "B-rank. Style roll…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 6 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Not bad, total of 15."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Scarab 1's base roll for defense:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 8 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Scarab 1 uses a C-rank bug brawling move to defend…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 13 with 1d16 die.
«OOC» Itami XD
«OOC» Shemri says, "It is safe, but at least it will not be able to use tension levels when it attacks. ;)"
"Heheh, To the danger we shall roam'th." Ayumu states as he follows along after Shemri. Along the way he's nagged by the temptation to throw in a butt and blind combination joke in, BUT thought better of it. No point getting his teeth kicked in while in such a precarious position… At least, not yet. >.>
Sightless though he may be, the descent is kept in mind as easily as his awareness of his proximity of Shemri, and… something else. While he's busy pondering over the matter, the amateur archeologist that was Shemri runs commentary. "Why am I so perturbed by this—" His cut off by the noisy sound of newborn scarabs. Agitated at the insects indifference to the man's desire to think, Ayumu wastes little time in snatching up a piece of fallen masonry, calls out for Shemri to duck, then chucks the stone at the largest cluster of the creatures. He forms three hand seals in quick succession, resulting in not one, not two, but several more chunks of masonry poofing into existence in mid-air along side the original. Four out of the dozen or so scarabs do not fare to well as a result… (re)
«OOC» Shemri says, "Soren's base roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Hmm, could have been better. Soren, you have 9 chakra. If you manage to use none until your next attack, you will be at tension level 2. What would you like to do?"
«OOC» Itami can't remember where she's at. XD
«OOC» Soren says, "D-rank (Should be free) and swing at the same one Itami just swung at."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Physically you mean, Itami?"
«OOC» Soren is avoiding using his chakra until he can get up to the next tension level.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well. Using your A-rank chakra taijutsu style, I assume?"
«OOC» Shemri goes ahead and rolls it.
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Total of 8. Scarab 1 does defense base roll…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 5 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "…and D-rank technique to defend…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 5 with 1d8 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "It manages to avoid harm."
«OOC» Itami says, "Yeah, physically. We split up, right? Hahaha."
«OOC» Shemri says, "This is a fact. Itami and Soren are exploring the bedrooms on the top floor, Shemri and Ayumu went downstairs."
«OOC» Itami says, "Cool."
«OOC» Itami poses so she won't hold stuff up any further. X3
"Bedrooms," Itami remarked plainly enough as she and Soren investigated the upper level. What was this place again? It's looking less like a temple and more like a…home. "Village?" She questioned aloud and shrugged while limping along. "It seems normal enough around here. Beds, tables, chairs, scarabs, lam— wait, what?" She seemed confused as she finshed off her statement and prepared herself. "Why do we keep running into these things? What is this place?!" She shouldn't be surprised that there are large scarabs beneath the ground. She did spend the majority of her life living subterranean, but maybe village life has softened her a bit.
She grumbled and whipped her staff around and lashed out with a two handed strike only to feel the vibration run back up the staff and into her hands. "Ow, ow, ow…. These things are very tough. I think I'll need to opt another strategy for them. Wood, clearly, is not going to work on them."
Soren looked about, calmly, and collected. "Hmmm… maybe some form of Inn? Possibly an old clan complex or something maybe?" he asks aloud, noticing the scarabs almost as Itami does. Following shortly behind Itami's strike, Soren follows up, lashing at the armor clad pest with his own blade, only for it to be deflected off it's carapace. "Hmmm… Steel doesn't seem to be working either…" he says, leaping back, and readying his defenses. Time for a different strategy indeed!
Meanwhile, outside, Ayame just sits there… staring at the cat intently, occaisionally sliding herself forward, her tails wagging slowly. She sniffs at the air, trying to investigate the cat a bit more closely, only to suddenly sneeze at all the dust and sand in the air.
«OOC» Soren says, "Sorry. Busy working up my new suna-alts wiki page."
«OOC» Soren is kinda distracted. XD
«OOC» Shemri gets to figuring out the bugs' moves. X)
«OOC» Itami laughs.
«OOC» Soren says, "Bugs moves: Surrender, die, cannibalize, flee!"
«OOC» Shemri says, "I believe I shall have the remaining baby scarabs gang up on Shemri and Ayumu in groups of four each. That means they can only do 1 damage, but they combine all their rolls together."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Against Shemri:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 15 with 4d6 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Against Ayumu:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 10 with 4d6 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Shemri's base defense roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 10 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "I shall risk defending without chakra, as it is only 1 damage if I fail."
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d8 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Just short. X)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Ayumu's base defense roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 12 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "He is safe no matter what."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Scarab 1 base attack roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 8 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "He shall do a C-rank Chemical Warfare move targeting both Itami and Soren."
RP: Shemri rolled a 7 with 1d8 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d3 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "End result of 14."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Itami's base defense roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "You must spend chakra to have any hope of avoiding 3 damage, Itami. That would mean you shall not be tension level 2 to attack, though. :o"
«OOC» Shemri gets her attack roll done while Itami figures out her move. Base roll:
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "I think I shall target just two of them. D-rank Extra Limb attack:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 3 with 1d10 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d3 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "End result of 6. Scarabs defend:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 6 with 1d6 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 3 with 1d6 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "One of them survives. X)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Itami, for your reference, you must roll a 10 or better. Spending 1 chakra will give you a 1d16, spending 2 will give you 1d32."
«OOC» Shemri gets Soren's stuff going too. Base roll:
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Erk. X) You need a 12 or better. Same possibilities as Itami for your style roll. 3 damage /is/ a pretty hefty chunk, I would say it is worth avoiding."
«OOC» Soren says, "Hmmm…"
«OOC» Itami laughs.
«OOC» Soren dislikes this decision. "Hmmmm… so My A-rank Tai style still won't get me out of it if I roll max? Hmmm… I'll throw one chakra at the problem."
«OOC» Itami whee~
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well."
«OOC» Itami guesses she'll be spendin'chakra.
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d16 die.
«IGA» Ayumu .-.
«IGA» Ayumu patpats Soren.
«OOC» Shemri says, "You are now a +4 Ninja."
«OOC» Shemri says, "How much, Itami?"
«OOC» Itami says, "How do TFs factor into this? Hahaha."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "There isn't a system for it. Yet. >.>"
«OOC» Shemri says, "The system does not handle TFs as it currently is. You could pose going into TFs as you reach new tension levels, but that's about it."
«OOC» Itami nodnod. If I tf, what tension level would that place me at? X3
«OOC» Shemri suggests spending 2 chakra. Your chance of succeeding is still less than half with only 1 chakra.
«OOC» Itami hmm.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Tension levels are based on reserve chakra. All you can do is try to save it up."
«OOC» Itami will spend the 2. Hahaha.
«OOC» Shemri says, "But, this is the last fight of the scene anyway, so a chakra spending spree may be advisable instead. X)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Itami's style roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 28 with 1d32 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Easily succeeds."
«OOC» Itami yarr!
«OOC» Soren is totally going to A-rank this guy for that. >.>;
«OOC» Shemri says, "Scarab 2 base roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 9 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Scarab 2 busts through the wall from the adjacent room, free D-rank physical attack against Itami due to being tension level 1:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d6 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "End result 10."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Itami's base defense roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 7 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "You need a 3 or better to avoid 2 damage. The probability of doing that without spending more chakra is 3/4, not too bad."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Go ahead with E-rank defense?"
«OOC» Itami says, "Son of a gun. XD"
«OOC» Itami says, "Yeah, go ahead with e-rank. Lol."
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d8 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "You succeed."
«OOC» Shemri says, "If you wish you can start rolling for your attacks, I am going to work on the pose."
«IGA» Ayumu nods, "There are.. 7 beetles left, jah?"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "er, the tiny ones"
«OOC» Shemri says, "This is a fact."
«IGA» Ayumu chin rubs.
«OOC» Shemri says, "You get to do your base roll before deciding anything, remember."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 2 with 1d12 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Well then!"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Oh, I should mention you have 11 chakra and thus are at tension level 2. :)"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Free.. c-ranks… *foams at the mouth* :E"
«IGA» Ayumu goes for 3 then with a C under shadow clone. XO Which would be 1d10 & 3d3, jah?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "2d3, actually. First target has no penalty."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 1 with 1d10 die.
«IGA» Ayumu T.T
RP: Ayumu rolled a 3 with 2d3 die.
«IGA» Ayumu effectively misses all his targets. XD
«OOC» Shemri says, "End result of 0. XD"
«OOC» Itami says, "What the deuce do I roll? Hahaha."
«OOC» Shemri says, "1d13 for your base, then your A-rank style would start at 1d10 (free D-rank), +2 for each chakra point spent to increase rank."
«OOC» Shemri says, "You could also spend a point of chakra to throw another style onto it, which does not increase damage, but you get another whole 1dwhatever to success."
Scarabs aren't exactly a social insect like ants or bees, but they do like to hang out in numbers and take advantage of that to take down bigger prey. When Ayumu wipes out four of them, the rest immediately decide to rush the intruders. 8C Two groups of four scuttle in and assault Shemri and Ayumu. Shemri tries to get away by hopping onto a table, but one of them manages to give her a painful nip on the leg in passing. Shemri puts kunai into the grasp of her sashes and stabs down at the not-so-little pests from her perch on the table. >.< One is skewered, but the rest evade her other knife.
Upstairs, the giant scarab turns and unleashes a spray of noxious chemicals at its attackers. >C The nerve of some people, breaking into one's nest in the middle of naptime and assaulting without cause! Well, okay, it would've tried to eat them upon noticing them anyway, but still! The chemicals also act as a combat warning signal for a similarly huge scarab in the next room over, which smashes through the weak wooden wall and takes a snap at Itami.
And outside, Shiikaa be like…back off, lady, you're getting all up in my whiskers. ^e.e^; Besides, you're the weird giant fox thing, haven't you ever seen a housecat before?
«OOC» Soren says, "And the answer to Shiikaa's question. Nope."
«OOC» Itami says, "Aaaah."
«OOC» Itami says, "Well. XD"
RP: Itami rolled a 9 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Itami says, "These dice!"
«OOC» Itami says, "The hate!"
«OOC» Shemri says, "That was a decent roll. c.c"
«OOC» Shemri recommends you go all-out based on that, in fact.
«OOC» Itami says, "Roll an a-rank?"
«OOC» Shemri nods.
«OOC» Itami says, "And that's 1d10 right? X3"
«OOC» Shemri says, "1d16, actually. And you /could/ spend a point of chakra to put a 1d8 on top of that (assuming both styles used are A-rank), and attack both scarabs at once."
«OOC» Itami says, "Oh. Okay."
RP: Itami rolled a 4 with 1d16 die.
«OOC» Itami flops.
«OOC» Shemri chooses to assume you /did/ want to protect your investment by combining styles? ;)
«OOC» Itami says, "Sure, let's do that. XD"
RP: Itami rolled a 8 with 1d8 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very good. n.n And a 1d3 penalty to attack both at once?"
"Mmm.. Beetle paste. Say Shem—" Ayumu jolts at the skittering sound of the beetles on assault. He leaps well out of range of even the ones that tried to catch him mid-flight. As a consequence, he nearly crashes head long into the sealing. Thankfully, those surprisingly sensitive hairs on his head alert him early enough for him to reach up and adhere his hands to the cieling with chakra. A little bit of maneuvering more and he's crouch atop of it, and fishing something out of his pockets.
"Hope these were worthwhile." He murmurs as he chucks a set of iron balls at the group that attacked him. Alas, trying to recreate the event from before goes ill for him, eliciting a heavy sigh from the Iga and a murmured, "Figures."
RP: Itami rolled a 1 with 1d3 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "End result of 20."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Scarab 1 base defense roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 9 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "It spend 2 chakra to try and save itself…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 16 with 1d16 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "And succeeds. X)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Scarab 2 base roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 5 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Again, 2 chakra spent…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 5 with 1d16 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Fails. Scarab 2 is wiped out."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Soren's base roll:"
«OOC» Soren says, "OK. Run me through this real quick. what +5 for my base roll?"
RP: Shemri rolled a 7 with 1d9 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "+4 by my reckoning."
«OOC» Soren says, "Right. +4."
«OOC» Soren says, "Ok…"
«OOC» Shemri says, "You have 10 chakra, tension level 1."
«OOC» Shemri recommends hitting hard.
«OOC» Soren hmms… Blowing 5 chakra. A-rank attacking this guy, and adding my C-rank Ninjutsu to the roll aswell. (Why couldn't I have picked up my B-rank Ninjutsu yet. Y.Y)
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Actually that's only 4 chakra, as you start at D-rank for free."
«OOC» Soren says, "Ah! Right."
RP: Shemri rolled a 6 with 1d16 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d4 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "End result is 15."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Scarab 1 base roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "It has to do a C-rank defense to have any chance of surviving."
RP: Shemri rolled a 16 with 1d16 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "And it manages again. XD"
«OOC» Shemri says, "At least you'll still have something to do while Ayumu and I continue mopping up the babies. X)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Baby scarabs attack again, 4 on Shemri, 3 on Ayumu."
RP: Shemri rolled a 19 with 4d6 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 12 with 3d6 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Shemri's base defense roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 6 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Itami can pose now? X3
«OOC» Shemri says, "Yes, go ahead."
«OOC» Itami successfully defended and attacked? Hahaha.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Considering we're near the end and the babies have only 1 health each, tension levels don't help much. e.e I'm going to spend 2 chakra on defense with A-rank Extra Limb."
RP: Shemri rolled a 27 with 1d32 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Shemri's base attack roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Shemri wishes she had Shiikaa down here, then she could combine with wind manip. X)
«OOC» Shemri says, "Ah well. D-rank attack against 2 targets."
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d10 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 3 with 2d3 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Total of 0. XD"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "XD"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "They some slick son of a guns!"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Ayumu's base defense roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 10 with 1d12 die.
«IGA» Ayumu *.*
«OOC» Shemri says, "You need a 2 or better. Very unlikely you shall fail."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Eh, go with the e-rank under shiryoku"
«IGA» Ayumu has b-rank mastery in there.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well."
RP: Shemri rolled a 6 with 1d6 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Safe."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "heck yeah!"
«IGA» Ayumu rolls his atks, or should hold off for others to catch-up? c.ca
"Likely so, but goodness," Itami states. "What happened here for this place to become home to scarabs unless these scarabs did this to them?" She inquired as she made efforts to evade the scarab bursting through the wall. With a jump and roll out of the way, she strained as she raised back up, but she returned the favor by lashing out at the scarabs attacking them with her wind and staff together. "I'd still love to explore this place after we're done with these, but I think my efforts should be best focused on letting them know what the true danger is," she states as she prepares to take form.
«OOC» Shemri says, "You could go ahead."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 12 with 1d13 die.
«IGA» Ayumu *.*
«OOC» Shemri says, "That was supposed to be 1d12, but we'll take it. ;)"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "er, doh. x.x;"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Can I multi target and combine styles?"
«OOC» Shemri nods.
«IGA» Ayumu considers heavily.
«OOC» Soren says, "Question. What did the bug hit me with again?"
«OOC» Soren was thinking it was acide.
«OOC» Shemri says, "A chemical spray."
«OOC» Soren says, "That's what I thought."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 6 with 1d10 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "18.. hmm.."
«IGA» Ayumu belatedly notes, was rolling C under shadow clone. And shall be targeting 4 so..
RP: Ayumu rolled a 8 with 4d3 die.
«IGA» Ayumu facepalms.
«IGA» Ayumu keeps forgetting the first one doesn't count against. XD
RP: Ayumu rolled a 7 with 3d3 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "You realize they cannot roll more than 6? X)"
«IGA» Ayumu forgot, actually. .-.
«IGA» Ayumu should've aimed for more as considered originally. X)
«OOC» Shemri will let you redo it. Would be good to finish things off this round.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Hai hai!"
«OOC» Shemri says, "There are 7 of them."
«IGA» Ayumu takes on ALL of them. *.*
«IGA» Ayumu is feeling that gutsy. :v
RP: Ayumu rolled a 9 with 6d3 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "They cannot possibly avoid it. They are all dead."
Soren gets blasted by a sudden gush of chemicals, the acidic substance quickly eating away at a large segment of flesh on his one -good- arm, and soaked his chest, smoke rising from all over his body. "Lobby!" he yelped, leaping back, wincing as the chemicals kept doing their job. He glared at the bug that hit him, his vision blurring slightly, as the pain quickly set in. These things seriously sting! He raised his blade, chakra Pouring into the blade, as he loosed a blade of chakra at his insectoid foe, the slash -missing the target completely, and proceeding to tear into the back wall, no doubt making quite the ruckus.
«IGA» Ayumu ends up the only uninjuried from this entire mission. >.>
«OOC» Shemri says, "Gah, forgot Soren was last in order. X) Okay, Scarab 1's base attack roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 3 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "It comes after Soren with an E-rank physical attack."
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d4 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Total of 5."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Soren's base defense roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d9 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Need a 4 or better. Considering how close we are to the end, spending a point of chakra or even two would be fine."
«OOC» Itami is on the phone handling some medical bidness.
The baby scarabs display a surprising jumping cability, getting up onto the table with Shemri. o.O; Fortunately she manages to attach her sashes to the ceiling and yank herself up to it before they can close in on her. Unfortunately, she drops her kunai in doing so. >.<; The bugs also continuing pursuing Ayumu, although he seems to be pretty hard to catch.
Back upstairs, one of the giant scarabs is cleaved clean in half by Itami's wind-augmented strike. It scrabbles and buzzes its wings in its death throes, leaking bug ichor all over. The other one seems to be quite a survivor, though. It jumps up to the ceiling to avoid Itami's death sweep, scuttles along it, and tries to drop down on top of Soren.
Ayumu shakes his head to both clear his mind and in dismissal of any comment from Shemri. He needed to focus since the blasted beetles have thus far managed to avoid both Suna Shinobi's attempt to reduce ranks by limb and blades. For a brief moment, he allows his agitation free reign, causing his control over the overclocked nervous system to fluctuate. It was a miracle he still managed to stay adhered to the cieling for so long…
"Predictable." He mutters cooly underbreath. The beetles, perhaps sensing the fluctuations or for some other reason, try to attack again. Three would not be enough to catch the Iga off guard; especially not one with extrasensory organs on alert. A simple leap towards the ground at an angle saves him, but during the very same fall the man taxes his system to mark every potential target in the room. By the time he has landed, all angles were accounted for. Barely a half a second later the Iga is in the air again with hands buried in the tangled folds of his hair.
With uncanny agility, the man flips and twists in mid-air, turning his world upside down as a pair of shuriken are pulled free. Both are sent flying in two different directions, and both are soon joined by the exact number of shadow copies to rid the room of beetles.
All Seven are dead or incapicated by the time he touches down on the cieling again.
Regretably, his lack of a pre-emptive warning might lead to Shemri being startled by a close shave with the spinning blades of death.
Soren has disconnected.
«OOC» Itami says, "Do I roll anything to retaliate against the bug attacking Soren?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "You could, but then you would be unable to attack."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Soren, I'm waiting on your decision. X)"
«OOC» Itami says, "Oh. Hahaha."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Oh wait, Soren disconnected. X)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Well, let's go ahead and roll Itami's attack. Base:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 8 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Pretty decent. Go all-out to finish this bug?"
«OOC» Itami says, "Yus! Keel et!"
RP: Shemri rolled a 14 with 1d16 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d6 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Total of 26."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Scarab base defense roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "It is dead."
«OOC» Itami yarr!
«OOC» Shemri says, "Yarr indeed."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Since Soren is disconnected, I'm going to make his move for him: he blows as much chakra as possible on a wild A-rank defense. XD Nothing else to use it on, after all. ;)"
«OOC» Itami laughs.
RP: Shemri rolled a 44 with 1d128 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Success!"
«OOC» Shemri says, "I believe it is your turn, Itami. ;)"
«OOC» Shemri AFKs to get dinner.
«OOC» Itami says, "OH. xD"
Itami took a bit of pride when she struck down the scarab, but that didn't mean it was all that pleasing. She did suffer for it as her nerves fired off and pain rushed through her body. "Argh!" She shouted as she finished that thing off. That still left the scarab that attacked Soren, but it appears he handled his as well, despite having been acid attacked by it. "Finally, we can move forward!" She smiled. "Let's go and hope that we don't run into…oh, who am I kidding, we'll probably run into more of these things. We've already seen enough of them already. I'm certain we'll run into more," she grumbled. "But this time I'm going to take care of them like a lizard would. Although, I don't think they'll be very appealing or appetizing, especially after that acid attack…" She shook her head. "Not very appealing at all."
Victory! All of the scarabs have been exterminated. All the ones in the currently explored areas, anyway. c.c Fortunately it turns out there are no big surprises throughout the rest of the building. In all likelihood the two biggest scarabs were the parents of all the little ones. After clearing the building of hazards, the ninja give the okay for the archaologists to enter, and they spend what time they can studying the fascinating…roadside inn. e.e Well, they can't all be lost temples and treasure hordes of kings. :P
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
B-rank: The deserts around Sunagakure hold many mysteries, and one of them has recently shown a glimmer of its existence. A violent windstorm displaced the sand in a large area, and near the bottom of the huge bowl which resulted, a corner of an unknown structure with a window-like opening was spotted. An archaeological team is being dispatched to study and explore this ruin, and they require a ninja team to support and protect them. In all likelihood, the ruin contains no maliciously intended traps or the like, but there are always the typical dangers of the desert to contend with, the possibility of structural failure, and the potential for the sand bowl to fill in again.
So this ruin has been found in the desert! It must be a sunken ruin, because it took a wind vortex hollowing out a huge bowl in the sand to reveal even the top of a building. Of course everyone knows what this means — time to explore! This opportunity must be taken before the sand buries the structure again. An archaeological team is sent along with a ninja guard specially selected for the task: an Iga for varied sensory capability, a Maneshi for vision in extremely low-light conditions, and a Watanabe Council Member for…general desert survival skill? e.ea Maybe they just thought it would be a relatively easy mission for Council Member Itami to participate in while recovering from the assassination attempt on her. Anyway, yeah, Shemri, Ayumu, and Itami…and apparently Soren managed to get on the team as well, almost as much as a part of the archaeological crew as the ninja aspect. Some special interest in the ruins apparently.
Shemri trudges along with the rest of the group on their way to the site. "I do not wish to be a dredge upon anyone, but I do not believe this mission shall be of great worth in the end," she remarks. "This sand bowl we are supposed to be visiting cannot last forever, nor shall we be able to keep the desert out of it. We must be wary of any sudden winds pushing it back into place." Shemri's cat Shiikaa keeps a wary eye on Soren as they travel. Not only is he an outsider, he smells faintly of dog for some reason. ^e.e^
Ayumu purpose was clear from the moment the onset of the mission. And yet, he found himself feeling a little uncertain. The seemingly unshakeable feeling had him keep quiet despite whatever opportunities there were to exploit word play and dig up more dirt regarding his compatriots for the mission. It may also have something to do with the fact that he seemed so keen on hovering near the edge of the group, pretending to play rear guard until they arrived at the ruins.
"Mayhaps, Shemri-chan, but whatever worth this place my possess might prove invaluable in regards to any other future discoveries." That's right ladies and gentlemen. Ayumu has just spoken an entire sentence WITHOUT twisting his words into such gunk that one is either forced to reach their own conclusion, OR ignore it outright. Something was definitely a little off with the Iga.
Easy enough? More or less, though it was difficult to her in some ways. She was happy to come along, but Itami wasn't sure how much she was going to be able to do. She was still dealing with the damage that poison dealt to her system, even though she'd been cured and healed, her nerves were still under stress and shock from the pain she endured. Still, she was mobile and able and the best way to handle these things was to be active. "It might not, but seeing what the desert hides is always a nice present," she responded to Shemri cheerfully despite her condition.
"How big is this sand bowl? I just might be able to do something about that…" She switched the staff in her hands. "Ayumu may have something there. No telling what kind of history may be around here and I love my share of it. It's…only me, though I suppose. Any attempts to share before have ended with students trying to flee somewhere," she grumbled. Though, it may be because she's attacked them on numerous occasions before. She took a look back at Soren and smiled. "How are you doing, hm? Finding everything alright?"
It's true. Soren had found his way onto the mission. The moment he had heard about the temple, he had decided to at least check it out. It was pure luck, and maybe a little bit of help on Itami's part (maybe, he didn't know if this was true or not) that had gotten him on mission! Regardless, Soren walks, trudging through the desert keeping up with the rest of the small party of Ninja with little effort. And indeed! He did smell of dog! Well… more specifically fox, but that's not too big of a deal!
Soren smiled, as he glanced up to Itami, just off to the side of the group as a whole. "So far everything's been good. It's been entirely too long since I've been able to visit, and this just happens to be a good excuse." he says with a small snicker, walking closer to the group now. He'd been mostly silent up till now. "I know I'm at least curious about the temple… and things depending, we may have to see about finding a more permanent solution to the sand bowl problem." he says scratching his chin, glancing at Itami. Then amongst the rest of the group. "Even if it's not what I hope, gifts of the past shouldn't be ignored. If there's anything of worth in there, it would be to your benefit to preserve it." he says, nodding a bit. He spares a specific glance to the cat, before looking back up to Itami.
Shemri glances at Itami. "Ah. Aha. This sand slope we have been climbing the past few minutes?" Shemri indicates the 'dune' they're walking on which had sloped up so gradually that nobody had really noticed how big it was and of course it wasn't a narrative oversight. c.c "I believe this is the sand that was displaced from the bowl." e.e Yup, you'd have to build a pretty tall structure to keep the sand out of this bowl, and even there you'd get sand falling in every so often and probably shifting under your wall too. Mmmmmaybe you could manage some sort of tunnel leading from the ruins up to the current lip of the bowl, then it wouldn't matter too much if the bowl filled in again. e.ea But Shemri's no engineer, she's not qualified to speculate on —
*PSSSHT!*
A sudden squirting noise is all the warning the group receives as a jet of nasty-looking liquid comes shooting up out of the sand in Shemri's direction! o.O; Fortunately it's enough for Shiikaa, who blows the chemicals away with a gust of wind. ^>.<^ The source of the attack becomes apparent when a huge scarab beetle, the size of a large dog, scrabbles up out of its hiding place in the sand. Shemri scowls and flicks a pair of shuriken at the creature. "Whether the trip proves worthwhile or no, it appears we shall be earning our pay!" >.<
Ayumu peers in Itami's general direction with a pensive look about it him after the comment she made. Then… merely shakes his head in exasperation before letting his focus shift elsewhere. Recalling the familiar scent and sound of Soren's voice belatedly prompts to speak; but, the Iga hesitates for a second too long and loses the courage to say anything. Perhaps probing the desert might — Eyes widen to the size of saucer as realization suddenly dons on him. Too late is he to call out a warning (though thankfully Shemri needed it not), but he still springs into action in his own way. A single shuriken is sent flying, only to be accompanied by a brother and sister mid-flight; both born from a puff of smoke. His aim is a little off for one, but a critical point in the critters armor is pierced.
"Tch! Aim for the joints!"
"You make a good point. I don't think I've ever spent this long climbing a slope before, that's true," Itami chuckled at the thought. "Maybe I can't do much about it, then," she shrugged, but a bit of pain shot through her body at that small effort. She winced a bit, but she'd be fine. As they continued onward, the sound of…something unusual came up out of the sand and with it, some ugly looking liquid. When the source of the acid comes up, she continues conversation with Soren! "I'm glad you were able to come along. As for this sand bowl problem, I, well, that's a whole different kind of matter there," she grips her staff tightly as she prepares to launch an attack at the beetle. "I can only hope that whatever is here has potential to be preserved, but if these beetles are going to be a part of that, I may consider leaving it buried." She went off and struck the beetle, but its wing managed to deflect the blow. "Aim for the joints? Of course, but that thing was faster than I thought it would be.
Soren shrugged. "I hadn't noticed." he says with a grin, as he continued walking up the dune. When the bug does show itself, Soren is the last to react! That's not like mr. Zippy himself. He summons his favorite Ninjato first, into his right hand. And with a flicker, his blade whistles through the air, cleaving upwards it's tip leaving a trail in the sand, splitting the bugs head.
He cleans his blade first, before glancing back. "As am I. It's not often I get to speak with my favorite lizard." he says with a small grin, noting the wince. "You ok?" he asks with a small raise of his brow. Well… she needs to come anyway… may as well call her a bit early. He nicks his thumb, before running through his handsigns. "Ayame." he says, as he makes his last handsign. "Mind giving Itami a hand?" The fox seems to fade into existence almost like a mirage. Standing 6 feet at her shoulder, with 5 long, fluffy tails, Ayame appears behind Soren, and not too far from the councilwoman, moving over next to her, kneeling, and apparently offering her a ride!
The scarab beetle hisses and clicks as it's assaulted back. XC It turns to flee into the sand bowl, but Soren's attack turns out to be the coup de grace for it. Shiikaa sniffs at the crushed bug briefly. Last time they ran into giant versions of Small Crunchy Noms, they turned out friendly…those ones had big horns on their heads, though. Pretty sure this is a different family. ^c.c^
After that little adventure is done, the group continues into the sand bowl. The structure that was discovered earlier is quite visible, a grey stone building that contrasts sharply with the sand around it. Upon reaching the ruin and finding the window which grants them entry, Shemri instructs the archaeologists to stay outside while they check the inside for dangers. "Shiikaa shall protect you, should any other creatures appear," she tells them. Yup, the archaeologists just got told to sit outside with the small cat. 'Course, it's a cat that's already shown a hint of how formidable it can be. >:3 And maybe Soren's foxy friend will volunteer to help guard too.
Shemri takes point going into the building, seeing as her clan is well-suited to dark places. Not that they were foolish enough to come on this expedition without bringing along some light sticks, but even that doesn't make the place bright and clear in every corner. Shemri walks slowly along the passage they find themselves in, checking for traps and the like. c.c It doesn't seem like that sort of place, though. If Shemri had to guess, she'd say it was some sort of inn, with regularly spaced rooms placed along the hallway. Just because it wasn't built with malicious intent doesn't mean it's not hazardous, though. Shemri stops suddenly and holds her hand up to signal a halt. "Ah. Aha. The floor does not look sound up ahead," she remarks. "What shall we do? Climb around it, or go back and explore these rooms? Even if we can get across, it may not be so easy to get the others past it when we let them in." e.e
Ayumu smirks a little, but doesn't dare let his focus waver from Itami until Soren finishes the scarabs off with a swipe of his weapon. "Hmm…" The opportunity was just too good to ignore. While the others were busy conversing amongst themselves, the Iga would see about storing away some choice parts of the beetle. 'Waste not, Want—' The thought goes unfinished due to Ayame's abrupt appearance.
"A fennec?" He murmurs, only for his mind to quickly dismiss the fact. The 'material' composing Ayame smelled… off. Otherwordly even. Curious as he is about the strange new arrival, Ayumu tightens his jaw and forces down desires for the sake of focusing back on the mission.
Before long, he finds himself under the comforting embrace of darkness along with the others. That is, until someone pulls out the light stick. As if a blind man has any need of such silly things! Still, he clamped down on any desire to ward the others off of using them and just focused on probing around using his sensors that dropped out of his hair.
"Hmm… I'd go with the spider approach, but then, but… I'm an Iga. What do you think Itami-chama? Your people have more experience with this sort of thing, neh?"
"Hm. I feel we're going to have problems with that thing later…" Itami remarks about the beetle as it takes off. "Favorite lizard," she repeated with a chuckle. "Am I okay? Yes. I just had an attempt against my life that I'm recovering from. I've had the best cures used on me, but my nerves are still shaken by the ordeal, so…I have pains every once in a while from them trying to recover," she explains as she switches the staff once more.
When the fox is called out, she expects to see something small and instead, she sees something much larger. "Looks like it's been a while. She's bigger than what I remember." She wasn't expecting the offer of a ride, but she felt it'd be rude not to take her up on it. "Thank you, Ayame," she remembered her name, at least…No, it wasn't because it was spoken!
She decided to hop off Ayame once they reached the building saying, "I think I'll go it alone from here, but I appreciate the ride. Perhaps we could use a bit more assistance out here, not that Shiikaa isn't enough to take care of things," she explained to the fox. She proceeded inside and couldn't see much of anything, thus caution was key. She isn't used to not seeing in these particular conditions. Even she's baffled by that. "Watanabe are experienced with this sort of thing. We'd probably make the crawl knowing that we could, but I think we can explore these other rooms instead. Perhaps there may be other ways around this loose floor."
The fox just kinda smiles when Itami speaks up. They make their way down to the bowl, and when they arrive, Ayame finally speaks. "It's not any Kitsune design I'm aware of. So I'll wait out here." she says with a nod, her tails swaying slowly, as she lay herself in the sand. "Gives me a chance to investigate…" she says, now half distracted, her gaze falling on the cat.
Soren nods. "Oof. Sounds nasty." he says, wincing at the mention of Itami's predicament. As they enter, Soren simply stays back, sword still at the ready, just in case. When they come to the shaky floor, Soren nodded. "Hmmm… I agree with Itami. We're here to explore the place. That said, maybe it would be best for you to investigate ahead? Maybe with Shemri-san as backup?" he suggests towards Ayumu.
Shemri shifts her jaw. "Hrmm…ordinarily I would say that we should not split up…but time is short here, and this place does not seem particularly dangerous. Very well, Ayumu-san and I shall explore further this way." Shemri hops up and sticks to the ceiling, crawling along it with her hands and feet while her sash keeps hold of her light-stick.
Taking a peek into the rooms along the passage proves a little more difficult than one might think. The walls of the structure are a bit warped by the pressure of the sand that's been on top of it for so long, and as a result the doors are stuck. It's nothing a little ninja force can't get through, though. Inside, the furniture and layout, while a bit foreign-looking, seems to bear out the inn theory. Beds, tables, chairs, scarabs, lam — whoa, SCARABS! O.O; A couple of beetles, even bigger than the one they encountered outside, are occupying these bedrooms, and they're not happy to be disturbed! >C
Meanwhile, Shemri and Ayumu's path leads them downstairs. They find what looks like a dining area of some sort. The most striking thing about it is the prevalence of some sort of white ball-like decoration, the size of a ball children might kick around in the marketplace. They're everywhere, placed in seemingly random ways. "Ah. Aha. I expect these balls were important to their culture," Shemri remarks, taking the opportunity to be an amateur archaeologist. "Perhaps they symbolize the sun, or the moon, or — " Just then one of the balls nearby tears open, and a scarab pokes its head out. "…Oh." o.o; A glance upward shows that the ceiling in this area is literally CRAWLING with the bugs! They're smaller than the one outside, but there's about a dozen of 'em!
"Heheh, To the danger we shall roam'th." Ayumu states as he follows along after Shemri. Along the way he's nagged by the temptation to throw in a butt and blind combination joke in, BUT thought better of it. No point getting his teeth kicked in while in such a precarious position… At least, not yet. >.>
Sightless though he may be, the descent is kept in mind as easily as his awareness of his proximity of Shemri, and… something else. While he's busy pondering over the matter, the amateur archeologist that was Shemri runs commentary. "Why am I so perturbed by this—" His cut off by the noisy sound of newborn scarabs. Agitated at the insects indifference to the man's desire to think, Ayumu wastes little time in snatching up a piece of fallen masonry, calls out for Shemri to duck, then chucks the stone at the largest cluster of the creatures. He forms three hand seals in quick succession, resulting in not one, not two, but several more chunks of masonry poofing into existence in mid-air along side the original. Four out of the dozen or so scarabs do not fare to well as a result… (re)
"Bedrooms," Itami remarked plainly enough as she and Soren investigated the upper level. What was this place again? It's looking less like a temple and more like a…home. "Village?" She questioned aloud and shrugged while limping along. "It seems normal enough around here. Beds, tables, chairs, scarabs, lam— wait, what?" She seemed confused as she finshed off her statement and prepared herself. "Why do we keep running into these things? What is this place?!" She shouldn't be surprised that there are large scarabs beneath the ground. She did spend the majority of her life living subterranean, but maybe village life has softened her a bit.
She grumbled and whipped her staff around and lashed out with a two handed strike only to feel the vibration run back up the staff and into her hands. "Ow, ow, ow…. These things are very tough. I think I'll need to opt another strategy for them. Wood, clearly, is not going to work on them."
Soren looked about, calmly, and collected. "Hmmm… maybe some form of Inn? Possibly an old clan complex or something maybe?" he asks aloud, noticing the scarabs almost as Itami does. Following shortly behind Itami's strike, Soren follows up, lashing at the armor clad pest with his own blade, only for it to be deflected off it's carapace. "Hmmm… Steel doesn't seem to be working either…" he says, leaping back, and readying his defenses. Time for a different strategy indeed!
Meanwhile, outside, Ayame just sits there… staring at the cat intently, occaisionally sliding herself forward, her tails wagging slowly. She sniffs at the air, trying to investigate the cat a bit more closely, only to suddenly sneeze at all the dust and sand in the air.
Scarabs aren't exactly a social insect like ants or bees, but they do like to hang out in numbers and take advantage of that to take down bigger prey. When Ayumu wipes out four of them, the rest immediately decide to rush the intruders. 8C Two groups of four scuttle in and assault Shemri and Ayumu. Shemri tries to get away by hopping onto a table, but one of them manages to give her a painful nip on the leg in passing. Shemri puts kunai into the grasp of her sashes and stabs down at the not-so-little pests from her perch on the table. >.< One is skewered, but the rest evade her other knife.
Upstairs, the giant scarab turns and unleashes a spray of noxious chemicals at its attackers. >C The nerve of some people, breaking into one's nest in the middle of naptime and assaulting without cause! Well, okay, it would've tried to eat them upon noticing them anyway, but still! The chemicals also act as a combat warning signal for a similarly huge scarab in the next room over, which smashes through the weak wooden wall and takes a snap at Itami.
And outside, Shiikaa be like…back off, lady, you're getting all up in my whiskers. ^e.e^; Besides, you're the weird giant fox thing, haven't you ever seen a housecat before?
"Mmm.. Beetle paste. Say Shem—" Ayumu jolts at the skittering sound of the beetles on assault. He leaps well out of range of even the ones that tried to catch him mid-flight. As a consequence, he nearly crashes head long into the sealing. Thankfully, those surprisingly sensitive hairs on his head alert him early enough for him to reach up and adhere his hands to the cieling with chakra. A little bit of maneuvering more and he's crouch atop of it, and fishing something out of his pockets.
"Hope these were worthwhile." He murmurs as he chucks a set of iron balls at the group that attacked him. Alas, trying to recreate the event from before goes ill for him, eliciting a heavy sigh from the Iga and a murmured, "Figures."
"Likely so, but goodness," Itami states. "What happened here for this place to become home to scarabs unless these scarabs did this to them?" She inquired as she made efforts to evade the scarab bursting through the wall. With a jump and roll out of the way, she strained as she raised back up, but she returned the favor by lashing out at the scarabs attacking them with her wind and staff together. "I'd still love to explore this place after we're done with these, but I think my efforts should be best focused on letting them know what the true danger is," she states as she prepares to take form.
Soren gets blasted by a sudden gush of chemicals, the acidic substance quickly eating away at a large segment of flesh on his one -good- arm, and soaked his chest, smoke rising from all over his body. "Lobby!" he yelped, leaping back, wincing as the chemicals kept doing their job. He glared at the bug that hit him, his vision blurring slightly, as the pain quickly set in. These things seriously sting! He raised his blade, chakra Pouring into the blade, as he loosed a blade of chakra at his insectoid foe, the slash -missing the target completely, and proceeding to tear into the back wall, no doubt making quite the ruckus.
The baby scarabs display a surprising jumping cability, getting up onto the table with Shemri. o.O; Fortunately she manages to attach her sashes to the ceiling and yank herself up to it before they can close in on her. Unfortunately, she drops her kunai in doing so. >.<; The bugs also continuing pursuing Ayumu, although he seems to be pretty hard to catch.
Back upstairs, one of the giant scarabs is cleaved clean in half by Itami's wind-augmented strike. It scrabbles and buzzes its wings in its death throes, leaking bug ichor all over. The other one seems to be quite a survivor, though. It jumps up to the ceiling to avoid Itami's death sweep, scuttles along it, and tries to drop down on top of Soren.
Ayumu shakes his head to both clear his mind and in dismissal of any comment from Shemri. He needed to focus since the blasted beetles have thus far managed to avoid both Suna Shinobi's attempt to reduce ranks by limb and blades. For a brief moment, he allows his agitation free reign, causing his control over the overclocked nervous system to fluctuate. It was a miracle he still managed to stay adhered to the cieling for so long…
"Predictable." He mutters cooly underbreath. The beetles, perhaps sensing the fluctuations or for some other reason, try to attack again. Three would not be enough to catch the Iga off guard; especially not one with extrasensory organs on alert. A simple leap towards the ground at an angle saves him, but during the very same fall the man taxes his system to mark every potential target in the room. By the time he has landed, all angles were accounted for. Barely a half a second later the Iga is in the air again with hands buried in the tangled folds of his hair.
With uncanny agility, the man flips and twists in mid-air, turning his world upside down as a pair of shuriken are pulled free. Both are sent flying in two different directions, and both are soon joined by the exact number of shadow copies to rid the room of beetles.
All Seven are dead or incapicated by the time he touches down on the cieling again.
Regretably, his lack of a pre-emptive warning might lead to Shemri being startled by a close shave with the spinning blades of death.
Itami took a bit of pride when she struck down the scarab, but that didn't mean it was all that pleasing. She did suffer for it as her nerves fired off and pain rushed through her body. "Argh!" She shouted as she finished that thing off. That still left the scarab that attacked Soren, but it appears he handled his as well, despite having been acid attacked by it. "Finally, we can move forward!" She smiled. "Let's go and hope that we don't run into…oh, who am I kidding, we'll probably run into more of these things. We've already seen enough of them already. I'm certain we'll run into more," she grumbled. "But this time I'm going to take care of them like a lizard would. Although, I don't think they'll be very appealing or appetizing, especially after that acid attack…" She shook her head. "Not very appealing at all."
Victory! All of the scarabs have been exterminated. All the ones in the currently explored areas, anyway. c.c Fortunately it turns out there are no big surprises throughout the rest of the building. In all likelihood the two biggest scarabs were the parents of all the little ones. After clearing the building of hazards, the ninja give the okay for the archaologists to enter, and they spend what time they can studying the fascinating…roadside inn. e.e Well, they can't all be lost temples and treasure hordes of kings. :P
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
