Starring:
Date: February 28, 2012
Summary:
The locals have been growing sick with foreigners bringing in illnesses with them from different lands and apothecary shops have been running out of ingredients quickly! Due the high need, many of the ingredients have been plucked early on, leaving the rest in dangerous areas to be retrieved. A shop, down on its luck, hires Etsu and Eremi, albeit reluctantly, to gather some cornflowers to bring back in order to replenish the stock.
"Gather the Cornflower!"
Shiren Caverns
With the exams in the village and many foreigners come to visit, some of them have
brought with them some illnesses that needed treatment among the locals. Shops that specialized
in medicinal works were running out of certain kinds of ingredients needed for cures to these
various illnesses. One shop in particular plain ran out of a crucial ingredient for the illness
they received the most visits for, so it needed someone or some people to go out and gather
some of what they required. The plant happened to be a cornflower that grew specially in caves
or around them. There were some that gladly threw themselves at the prospect until they
realized the dangerous area it was growing in. Then they disappeared… From the shop.
But, there were two that would risk themselves to gather up some cornflower. Those two
happened to be Eremi and Etsu. They walked into the shop after reading about a posting on a
bulletin board, hoping to get more information, but the shopkeep was a bit vague on the details
of what they were getting into. All they knew is that the cornflower grew in a certain area,
but since it's been plucked into submission outside the caves it grows around, the only option
was to go in. Seemed simple enough, but something was off. Very, very off. "Guess we'll have to
figure things out when we get there. I suppose we should be lucky that the flower is closeby in
Shiren Caverns, right?" Etsu asked of Eremi before they left.
Before long, they arrived at the caves with plenty of sunlight to spare. This should
be easy enough to get through. Go in, find a flower and get out.
This was something that came completely out of the blue, helping the village of
Sunagakure. Though it was quite noble to do so, given the choice, Eremi would have left it up
to others to take this task on. Leaving the seeking of the fame, riches and dangers that came
along with retrieving the cornflower. The only reason he felt this way was because he had
planned on never having to return to the Shiren Caverns after he stepped foot outside of them
during the middle of the exams. The boy went through a lot during his stay in the caverns,
things that put him on a slightly different path then when he had entered the exams and changed
the way he viewed most things slightly. These were things he was hoping to put behind him and
never have to face again.
But then he ran into Etsu, whom after the last time they spoke, had her mind made up on
the two of them working together. Growing stronger together and testing each others abilities.
He didn't think it would be so soon though. Figured he would have returned to Konoha first, but
seeing the girl act in such a way, made it quite difficult for Eremi to say no. So he didn't.
Instead he nodded and smiled as they went from the bulletin board shop and made their way to
the Caverns.
"Lucky? No." Eremi shook his head, "We'll be lucky to come out alive. The participants
weren't the only thing inside those caves and now with them all cleared out. What originally
lives in there, is free to roam around." The boy swallowed hard as he looked from Etsu to the
entrance itself. "It's going to be pitch black in some places." He walked over toward a nearby
tree and snapped off a branch before returning back to the girls side, "We'll need light when
that happens."
"…"
Etsu adjusted her goggles in silence so that they fitted more comfortably on her face.
"Your knowledge of this place will be valuable to us as we search for this cornflower. I'm
going to try to ignore the part about coming out alive. I have no intention of going in only to
die. Whatever we run into will just have to succumb to us and our mission. I refuse to lose to
wildlife or any other thing or person in here. We will gather the cornflower and leave here
alive. The only ones dying in here will be enemies against our own hands…or jutsu." With that
said, she walks forward into the cave to check it out.
The entrance isn't all that active with wildlife except the occassional insect that
creeps along the ground. Because it's the area where people are most concentrated now, very few
things are here. There's some grass tucked into mildly dark corners, any flowers that were
there are now gone leaving nothing but scattered leaves and stems on the ground with the
occassional petal. Further away were two exits that lead in opposite directions to the
northeast and northwest, both of which are wide mouthed and can support a number of people
crossing through the area. "I choose this direction," she pointed to the northeast. "Agree,
disagree?" There was a light amount of webbing in that area, but nothing too concerning. Just
localized spiders, it seemed, some with a few captured meals. "…Actually, what else do you
know of these caverns? You've been in here before…has anything been imprinted on your mind
about the different sections?"
'This….is one scary girl…' Was all that went through Eremi's mind as Etsu spoke. If
the girl had a fear, she didn't show it. She knew what she wanted, what needed to be done and
nothing was going to stand in her way. In a way, Eremi admired that greatly. They were traits
that he himself sought after…to an extent. "The caverns are surprisingly large and most parts
I avoided to take other paths, but I'll share what I can the best." He watched the girl closely
and it was her own confidence that helped Eremi find some of his own as he followed by her
side.
The inside of the cave, the entrance itself, was exactly how he remembered it. It
wasn't too long ago that he was standing here, so not much should have changed. A glance would
be given to Etsu as she picks a direction, "Well, there's a lot of winding and criss crossing
tunnels making it easy to get lost. There's a section deep in the caverns with a lake, another
section not too far back with hot springs and geysers, there's one spot full of stalactites and
stalagmites and another section…" The boy went silent as he looked around the area as if
someone might be listening, "That once housed the largest spider you could ever imagine…It's
dead now, but that doesn't mean there weren't others like it."
"Good," she remarked. "Let's go this way." She headed in the northeast direction while
listening to the descriptions of the caverns that Eremi offered. So, it's possible to get lost
in here. She thinks she might have to use a bit of communication to find her way through here,
but in the meantime, she leaks some kikaichu out into the air so they could follow a path back
to the entrance should things get a bit crazy.
"I got the feeling that the shopkeeper was leaving out some information. I'm guessing
it's all the wild animals that were in here. Understandable, but there's nothing out of the
ordinary here. Except for that giant spider you mentioned. /That/ would have been something to
mention, but since you also stated that it's dead, I suppose that's our biggest threat here, so
we can move along smoothly."
The duo proceed deeper into the cave, the light of the entrance disappearing and
giving way to the natural plants that give off light here. It's rather beautiful, but Etsu
isn't impressed if only because she was focused on the mission. She'd have time to look at
things later. As Eremi provided, there was a great deal of winding paths and places that looked
to be paths, but weren't and areas that were completely inaccessible. This was going to be a
difficult process, but there's determination present on the team. Deeper in, the air grows
thicker with humidity, possibly coming from the lake in the area or some other natural sources,
but there's a bout of dry air coming from the east. There's sunlight to find in that direction,
but they'd need to cross through a point of darkness before getting there. Luckily, there's
still those plants to illuminate some of the path there.
Along the walls, there are shadows crawling around, but nothing that can be completely
identified with yet. Still, it may be best to look into it as it could be something potentially
harmful.
Even with the participants of the exams cleared out of the caverns and the giant spider
killed, there was still a feeling about this place that made Eremi feel on edge. As if the two
of them were being watched or there was something waiting to jump out and get them around the
next turn or bend. It left the boy with little to do but constantly peer around in hopes that
he'll spot it before it gets him. Still, he did his best to keep up with Etsu while trying to
hide the way he was feeling. There was no need for her to have to worry about him. Wondering if
she made the right choice in bringing him along.
To try and calm his mind, Eremi began to twirl the branch around that he broke off that
tree from earlier, "If the shopkeep told us everything, he'd have to make up the difference for
hazard pay. Seems like he wanted to keep it as simple as possible to not have to pay too much
out of pocket." Shrugging the thought of it off as they moved deeper into the caverns. It
didn't matter now, they were already in pretty deep and turning around would be pointless.
Besides, Eremi was pretty sure Etsu wasn't going to just give up now.
There was then a loud smack as he hit the end of the branch against one hand, clenching
it tightly between both and bending it in the middle to tests its strength a bit. Soon enough
the natural cave light would disappear, leaving them both in the darkness, "Should I…light
this yet? There are some pretty thick shadows up ahead and for all we know, we've already
passed the cornflower."
Some light would work right about now. Etsu didn't have anything to light fires…a
foolish thing to admit to at this moment. She couldn't see a darn thing. "Yes, I think you
should light it. We're going to need it as we go further…" Her voice trailed off.
In the darkness there seemed to be more activity than before. It's natural, she thinks
since this area seemed to be undisturbed. Without anything to bother it, the place thrived with
a natural food chain. Lizards ate the bugs, the bugs ate…other bugs and those that were
smaller feasted on the elements this cave had to offer, minerals, natural sugars, and other
such things.
The lizards, being the largest, make the most noise by shifting pebbles and earth
around inside the cave in their attempt to eat. Alone, they're enough to spook the average
person, but not much else is out here to cause issues. "It's…really dark," that's saying
something for her. "I can't feel much else ahead, but I don't want to move forward until we can
see better. We could try to follow this dry wind, but the rest of the path might be iffy."
Still remaining close to Etsu, Eremi nodded in response whether she could see it or not
he didn't take into consideration. "Sure, no problem." Stopping in his movements, he went down
to the ground and placed the branch out in front of him. "Let me just…" Reaching behind his
cloak to retrieve a pouch that attached to his back, he proceeded to open and rifle through it.
Moving things around and pulling out other items that were simply in the way before grabbing a
roll of bandages, a kunai and some flint and steel.
He started with the kunai first, holding it in his hand while grabbing at the end of
his cloak with the other. With it, he cut off a decent section from it and placed it on one end
of the branch before stabbing the kunai in the dirt. He then picked up the roll of bandages,
pulled a piece of it free to get it ready then held the branch in one hand and taped the cut
cloth tightly against it. After that was done, he dropped the bandages and the branch to pick
up the flint and steel in each hand. Striking the two together to create sparks that would
flicker and jump off wildly until eventually catching the cloth ablaze.
Quickly he put everything back in the pouch, attached it to its back and stood up while
hold the branch in one hand. The light it put off spread out, sending the shadows that reached
for the two running. "There we go, now which way should we go?" Waving the makeshift torch this
way and that to show the possible routes.
Etsu heard everything Eremi was doing, but had a bit of trouble seeing what it all
was. All she could hear were just a random assortment of sounds coming from him and his bag.
She waited patiently while looking around the area, thinking that she might have to train
herself in dark areas with her kikaichu. She likes knowing things and when she doesn't know,
she grows frustrated.
Sparks begin to fly from the flint and steel striking against one another, barely
lighting the area due to how bright it could get every so often, but nothing to really work
with. It's only when the torch lights up that the view of the area comes full circle and…it
is not a pretty sight.
Ants are scattered around the area, digging into corpses and snatching away their
nutrients to carry back to their respective colonies. Oddly enough, the corpses didn't produce
a scent. Closer inspection would reveal they were freshly killed, but by who is hard to
determine at this moment. With all the ants crawling around on the bodies, there's nothing to
show for about what killed them. Speculation could lean towards the ants, but they don't look
to be aggressive. Did a murder take place here? If so, by who?
"…This is not what I was expecting to see…" Etsu shook her head. "We should tread
carefully. Let's walk across the area and proceed forward into this dry wind. If the ants get
in the way, wave the torch near them to make them scatter…" She offers calmly.
Someone was around here that did away with those corpses, but there don't seem to be
any signs of struggle, however the area does reveal that there are prints. It's unclear what
kind of prints they are, though.
"Whoa…" Eremi managed to say in regards to seeing the corpses scattered about as he
held the torch light directed at them. What he really wanted to do was scream or even let Etsu
know that he no longer thinks this is a good idea. That if ever there was a time to turn
around, it was now. But he held his tongue and kept his nerves in check, using every ounce of
strength he had to prevent himself from shaking while in front of Etsu.
Slowly, he moved toward the corpses, bringing the torch light closer for a better look.
Information gathering was never his specialty and even now all he sees are a bunch of dead
bodies littered with ants. A shiver ran up the boys spine causing him to clench the torch
tighter and withdraw a kunai from its holster with the other one.
Swinging the torch about, he noticed the prints and raised it up as the tracks went off
in a direction, possibly stopping or continuing, he didn't know. The wind that blew about, beat
against the flame, which licked up in response, nearly going out once until Eremi brought it
back closer toward him. "Ok, if we must." He swallowed hard as he got into step with Etsu,
looking between her and the torch as it began to snap about at the wind once again. "I hope it
doesn't go out."
"Hopefully not. I think I might be able to help with that, though…" She guides her
earth element kikaichu to the torch to surround it like a lamp shade so that the wind wouldn't
affect the flame too much.
They continue on into the dry wind and thankfully, it doesn't increase in speed the
further they go. So, the area must be more open than it seems now. This darkness doesn't grant
much in the way of reassurance. Soon enough, they're outside the zone of the corpses and are
now met with a wider expanse inside the caverns, it must be another room. From this place, the
dry wind seems more centered. There's two sections to this room, one tunel above and one tunnel
below. The dry wind comes from the tunnel above as well as sunlight. Tufts of grass can be seen
at the mouth of the tunnel and a couple wildflowers, one in particular being the cornflower
they were looking for.
"We've found it," Etsu said in a less than enthusiastic fashion. Pointing up to the
edge of the upper tunnel, she then pulls out the paper of the flower and compared it. "This is
the same flower, right?" She asked of Eremi. "All that's left to do is climb up there and get
it." She didn't know tree walking, but it didn't seem to be of much use in this area anyway.
Much of the place was broken rock and cragged. Some of these rocks are a bit unstable, but for
the most part they can be used to climb up and get to the upper tunnel.
Eremi watched in astonishment as the kikaichu worked as a lamp shade. It was an
ingenious use of the insects he hadn't thought possible. It also made for a decent disco
effect, as he extended the torch out and into the wind, no longer worried that it might go out.
Even with the wind blowing against it, the little amount that did reach the flames only
intensified them like blowing on a camp fire.
"What?!"The boy said in a scared panic, not sure exactly what Etsu was claiming that
was found. His first thoughts being that of what killed the bodies they left behind to the
ants. It wasn't until he noticed the girl pointing to one of the tunnels that he realized what
she was talking about. "Umm…." Looking between the two, the paper that was now pulled out and
the cornflower ahead, "It looks like it yes."
"I guess, we can go get it and hurry out of here? Let others, authority wise, know
about the bodies?" Besides, they're just genin. Not equipped with handling what ever is done
here killing groups of people. "If anything a warning sign outside the caves needs to be posted
to not enter." He gave Etsu a serious look before moving toward the upper tunnel that housed
the cornflower. Once a few feet closer, he then proceeded to jump up to a nearby jutted rock
and then to the next one, planning to simply use his speed and agility to get him there, since
he didn't know tree climbing himself.
Etsu lofted a brow at Eremi as he shouted, his voice echoing around the area, but
given a bit of an exit from the sunlit roof of the upper tunnel. She wanted to smile and almost
did, but that would be interrupted as the sound of clicking took over the area. It echoed from
each wall, but the most frequency was coming from above where Eremi was headed to.
Nestled away a short distance away was a scorpion. A giant scorpion. Because things in
this cave just can't be small. It was hidden beneath the sand that leaked into the area from
the cracks that lead to the surface. Lifting up from the ground, it shook away the dirt and
focused its beady black eyes in on him when he landed. Guess that scream was enough to shake it
out of its slumber. It didn't look happy, but…were scorpions ever happy?
Etsu followed up after Eremi, but she was a bit more slow since she didn't have the
speed or agility to offer while climbing. She'd nearly fallen a number of times, but recovered
well enough to keep going. When she did reach the upper tunnel, she saw the scorpion that
inhabited this area and all she could think was, "Darn…" This just got ten times harder.
Not waiting for the duo to collect the flowers that were scattered in the area, the
scorpion rushed towards both of them, pincers at the ready to crush them and sting them, much
like what happened in the area where the corpses resided. Those prints on the ground? They
belonged to this big lug.
The clicking sound was definitely weird, as if each leap Eremi took was causing cracks
to form in the caverns. Though that couldn't be what it was, for as he got closer to the upper
tunnel, the noise grew closer and louder. Having no clue what might cause it, he would just
have to wait until it showed itself. Until that time, Eremi glanced back to make sure Etsu was
keeping up. Seeing that she was, he nodded and smiled, "Almost there." An attempt to be
reaffirming before turning ahead.
When he finally reached the open area his eyes were focused intently on the flowers
before them, oblivous to anything else that might be around. "Alright, let's start gathering."
Just about to extinguish the torch, when the disappointment from Etsu was heard that caused
Eremi to look up at her and then in the direction she was…
This sight before the boy was unbelievable, making him wonder just what kind of water
poured through these caverns to create such monsterous creatures. First the spider and now the
scorpion. Was it related to the arachnids or just pure coincidence? The time for questions and
speculation would have to wait. The giant scorpion was headed for the both of them now.
Not hesitating the boy took the wielded torch, reared back and hurled it directly for
the face of the beast. As soon as his hands were free however, he leaped over toward Etsu,
wrapping one arm around her waist and grabbed tightly. With a situation like this, they were
both going to need to work together and use what ever advantages they could. So he'd use his
speed and power to help Etsu get to a safer distance, carrying her off to one side several
yards away so she could keep range while Eremi fought up close.
The torch clonked right against the giant scorpion's face and in return it was mildly
stunned. There were some cinders that fell into its eyes that it tried to shake out. The
feeling of burning would remain, but for the most part, the cinders had cooled quickly enough
and the scorpion was able to resume its attack against Eremi and Etsu.
Etsu almost didn't have time to respond to the threat of the scorpion, but she was
gathered up by her teammate quickly enough and out of harm's way. She was grateful for his
quick feet and agility, but this didn't solve the problem of the scorpion that they were
dealing with.
With some distance between them and the scorpion, the Aburame girl tried to assess the
situation quickly enough, but wasn't able to. She wondered if she was experiencing panic. Her
heartrate was certainly elevated. When she looked to Eremi to see what he was doing, she saw he
was going off to engage the scorpion again. She didn't want him to fight alone on this thing,
so she shoved away her thoughts for now and focused only on the demise of this arachnid.
She starts by sending some kikaichu into the ground to dig their way towards the
scorpion and underneath it. She wanted to loosen up the ground so that it'd be more difficult
for it to move when they were finished.
The scorpion, having endured an attack from Eremi was intent on returning the favor to
him so as it moved forward, it drew back its claw to strike out at him and pick him up to crush
him. The number of kikaichu digging beneath the ground caused minute vibrations which it
attempted to evade by taking partially to the wall to continue it's attack.
Now that Etsu was safe or at least safer, Eremi simply needed to draw the beasts
attention. Which unless it had intelligence, shouldn't be too hard. A quick shift in the boys
stance and he dug one foot into the ground, using it as a springboard as he pushed off with it
and began running straight at the scorpion. The distance from where he left Etsu to where the
creatures face was quickly made up, looking as if the two were about to collide, but at the
last second Eremi comes to a skidding stop and takes off to the left.
He'd make a wide arc before returning and trying the same thing, but seeing as the
Scorpion was now walking partly up the wall, Eremi would take to the air with a jump to land on
the wall nearby, only to push off from it and go in with a jab to the pure black eyes that
stared at him intently.
Swinging at full strength, his fist comes wide, just missing due to a pincer wrapping
around his waist and holding him back. The pincer then began to close in on him,
"AAAAAAHHHHHH~~~!!!!!" Eremi hollered at the top of his lungs as his fingers dug into his own
side to get between himself and pry apart the claw.
The kikaichu missed the mark against the scorpion, crushing the ground beneath it too
late for it to be effective. The scorpion was able to evade the attack and successfully pinch
Eremi in its pincer in an attempt to crush him. Etsu, cursing herself for her poor ability from
the last assault released the kikaichu from her cloak in a dense wave to 'wash' the scorpion
away and out of the tunnel. She was hoping that it would let go of her partner in the process.
She couldn't bear to hear the shouting.
The scorpion, with Eremi locked in its pincers tried to employ the other so it could
pull him apart much like it would any other meal to make it more simple to eat, but it was
faced with a wave with a kikaichu to deal with. This time, the enemy was much more visible than
last time and it began to make a scuttle up further on the wall to ensure the wave missed. The
boy was still locked in its pincer and had the intent of killing him. It hasn't yet used its
tail, but doesn't feel it needs to at this point.
Grunting and panting, Eremi was growing more and more frustrated while he tried to free
himself from his captor as he's being tossed around like an empty caracass within the scorpions
pincer. The upsetting part about it was that he was tired of feeling like the helpless victim,
that no matter how often he put himself out there after getting past the hump of being
terrified and too scared to do anything, in front of anyone, it always ended up with him in a
position a lot similar to this one. Practically making a fool of himself and needing to be
rescued by others.
Still unable to do much, when the scorpion couldn't squeeze any tighter and brought its
other pincer around to dig into him. Eremi could only just barely block and even that failed as
blood splurted from a fresh and open wound signifying the pincer hit its mark. "AAAHHH!!!"
Eremi started to squirm, no longer trying to get out of the clutches of the beast
through his own strength, but was going to force the creature to let go of its own free will.
With a little help of course. "LET!" A hand managed to find an opening between the pincer and
himself that was a direct line to a pouch. "GO!" Instantly the hand dug inside and withdrew a
kunai clenched tightly in it. "OF! HOlding the weapon high above his head now the boy was
primed to strike. "ME!!!" He then brought the kunai down to stab repeatedly into the armored
shell of the pincer itself, scratching and digging until its found the soft meat.
The scorpion once again dodged an attack and was now higher up on the wall and out of
the way of the kikaichu yet again. Etsu was displeased with what was going on, especially since
she couldn't catch this scorpion. She was angry, especially after she was slowly slipping away
from her promises earlier of getting out of here alive and with the flowers. Taking down any
enemies that would go against them. She began to gather herself for the moment, focusing her
chakra so that she'd be able to initiate a stronger attack.
Eremi's fight agains the pincer of the scorpion wouldn't be in vain. After it lashed
out at him with it's other claw and tried to peel away at him, the burst of energy and struggle
against the scorpion proved to be a success and in turn, the pincer's grip began to weaken the
more he pried himself from its grasp. The scorpion tried to keep him under control, but it was
of no use. The determination was great enough to give him the energy he needed to retaliate
against the foe and stab at the pincer of the giant scoprion, the first of the strikes able to
put a crack in its exoskeleton while the others served to scratch it. Considering the first
strike was deep enough to penetrate some nerves, the scorpion let go and withdrew, deciding to
use its tail to its advantage now.
Screeching in response, it lashed out at him blindly, but missed since Eremi was now
in descent toward the ground. The scorpion itself was still positioned on the wall, open for
attack. "Eremi!" Etsu called. "Do you think you could hit the scorpion with something stronger?
I've got something that's bound to bring it harm, but I need a good opening first. I know
you've taken some damage and I'm asking a lot out of you, but I need a good solid strike
against it. If not that, something to open up that wound on its pincer a little more," she
explained.
Things were looking a bit grim at the moment, but there could be a chance for some
turn around. Speaking of turn around, the giant scorpion is turning around now and is headed
towards the ground, attempting to attack Etsu now with a lashing of its barbed tail.
Suddenly being released from the pincer so high up in the air, Eremi panicked and began
to flail his arms around as if trying to catch some wind under them and slow his decent. At the
same time, he felt a sudden push of air from above that caught his attention and as he looked
up, his eyes grew wide seeing the tip of a very sharp, barbed tail nearly missing him.
Counting his blessings, Eremi quickly regained his composure moments before his feet
touched the ground and he rolled with the momentum to cushion the impact then sprang to his
feet. Hearing his name called, he spun around to Etsu that was sharing with him what she
expected of him. Now to only not let her down. "You can count on……"
Unable to finish what he had planned to say as the scorpion came landing on the ground
in front of him, blocking his view of the girl. Though its attention was no longer directed at
him, it was making it's move at Etsu. This changes everything. Clenching his fists and
narrowing his eyes, he focused deep within instantly unlocking one gate, but he didn't stop
there and forced his way through to opening another gate. Hopefully his training using the gate
while in the protective fields would pay off.
Leaning forward Eremi took off in a flash, but there was no change in his movement, no
trick to which direction he was heading. He was going straight for the scorpion and was going
to keep the beast away from Etsu the best he could. When the creature got closer, he didn't
slow down and instead dropped down to one knee and extended a foot to slide under the belly of
the beast. With the foot that was extended, he dug it into the ground to stop himself, twisted
about and used the tucked in leg to shoot straight up at the already injured pincer.
Etsu crossed her arms, signaling her kikaichu to come and draw up into a column that
would protect her from the impact of the scorpion tail. It penetrated, but just barely, the
barb sticking out in front of her face showing just how close she came to getting stabbed by
it. Not cool. The scorpion began to retract its tail from the column, but struggled a bit since
it was so thick. In that time, Eremi managed to get a good strike against its wounded pincer
from underneath with a powerful kick that cracked the exoskeleton further so the meat was
exposed. The giant scorpion was sent reeling and stumbled backward a bit, it's tail popping out
of the column in the process from it's forced pull from the barrier. It was tricked and now
being double teamed. With two enemies to face off against, it used its long reach with its tail
to its advantage to try and strike at Eremi while it extended its good pincer to attack Etsu so
she wouldn't be able to make any other moves.
Unfortunately, she was already on the move with her attack and once she uncrossed her
arms, she lowered one and pointed one toward the scorpion, guiding them to access the wound and
burrow into it to wreak havoc across its body from the inside out. This scorpion was going to
die. "Are you okay, Eremi?" She wanted to know so they could gather these flowers and get him
some attention for the wounds he sustained. She was very upset with herself, so it showed when
she attacked the beast in the worst way possible.
Leaping back to stand next to Etsu after his kick landed, he looked toward the girl,
seeing the difference in power between himself and her as the kikaichu not only defended
against the attacks, countered in their own way. Why hadn't she joined the chuunin exams? Were
his only thoughts now. She would have easily made it to the tournament and definitely claimed a
top spot. He sighed quietly to himself realizing that no matter how hard he trains, he'll still
be passed by geniuses. New ones and old. His best chance from here on out would be luck, but
even that wasn't something he could rely on. Eventually it runs out or how he was beginning to
see it, you don't start with it at all.
Turning toward the scorpion now, he watched the creature writhing in pain while the
bugs burrowed in its flesh. Practically incapacitated now and he felt now sorrow for it.
Grabbing his sides, he lifted up his shirt to reveal a red and black ring that formed around
his torso, "Ya, this is going to need some time to heal." Dropping the shirt he took in a
breath and closed the gates anew while moving toward the cornflowers and began plucking them up
by the handful. "How many we need before we should return?" Grabbing as many as he could.
The scorpion would be able to take no more and eventually would give in to the attack
against it's body from the kikaichu. Before long all the writhing wound down into twitches and
from there, nothing. The scorpion was down. Etsu inhaled deeply and sighed the breath back out
before retracting her arm and drawing the kikaichu back into her coat. "Let's get out of here
then. Gather all that you can…" She paused, "Wait, I should gather them all, you should
rest," she offered and began to pick up all the cornflowers the area had. "We beat the
scorpion. I told you we were going to get out of here alive, didn't I?"
