Starring:
Date: February 5, 2013
Summary:
Kirigakure and Konohagakure missions clash.
"Hidden Shields"
Forested Road not far outside of Kyuusen
Old Forest Road [Fort Kyuusen]
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This winding road pushes its way through the forest, not far from the path that a stream takes through the woods. At one point, the road crosses the stream with a simple bridge.
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Contents:
Meruin (Lumberjack)
Hikari
Madarobi
Exits:
East - (E) [Hotaru Caverns Path]
West - (W) [Hananosei Road]
Just before noontime in the land of grass finds the weather to be a moderately warm thing, pleasant for this point in winter. Full, white clouds of the kind that fill the young and romantic with whimsy float through the blue skies at their own languid pace, able to be seen through the breaks in the forestal canopy overhead. There is, in fact, snow gracing the ground and the trees, still covering all in a blanket, though it grows wetter as the abnormally warm day wears on.
Meruin notes this all with a stillness. The teenager's rests within the branches of one of the trees, body holding a near preternatural stillness. His skin holds a translucent look, as though he were someone with a long term sickness, but it doesn't at all show on his face. Indeed, nothing does, his expression a mask of patience and aloofness as he awaits.
There was a caravan on it's way through here, he knew. And it would be guarded by various mercenary fighters, he was aware. He knew of these things because it was his job to either see them killed or driven off, though he had no orders against the caravan itself. His mission was only to dispatch the guards. Which was why he alone was more than acceptable for just such a thing.
If they were on schedule, they should be coming by soon…
RP: Meruin joins the roleplay.
COMBAT: It is now Meruin's turn.
RP: Madarobi joins the roleplay.
RP: Hikari joins the roleplay.
Traveling at an abnormally casual pace, Madarobi led a group of merchants to an unknown location. Taking in the rich damp air, he tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. This was his first mission since his return to Konoha, and even though he had been away for so long it was driving him somewhat crazy sitting around. Using certain trades and skills Hikari and himself had learned on their last journey, he adorned what would look like to any person surveying, the clothes of a merchant or villager. He could not take credit for the idea since Hikari was adamant about blending in with their caravan escorts, regardless it seemed like a flawless plan to turn in surprise attacks around on their foes.
Regardless of their preparation Madarobi would be relaxed nonetheless. The mission seemed simple and precise. The odds of running into any trouble were slim, and even though completing a mission was always a joyous event, he was a little sad since his recent training had been stale to say the least.
Trailing behind the caravan by a good ten feet, Hikari walked just quick enough to keep up with the group. A escort mission was just what she needed, simple and sweet. To blend in with the group, Hikari dressed as a simple merchant today, no bright colors just mellow tans and grays just in case they were ambushed. Even though her bright red hair made her stick out more than anyone else in the group. It crossed her mind that her hair could be seen as a big old target for an enemy, "Not like that will happen, but just to be safe," she thought to herself as she took off her hat and shover her hair on the top of her head, then placing the hat back on. Looking up to her partner Madarobi walking up at the front, she sighed. Placing her hands behind her head, she tilted her head back and looked up at the sky, trying to imagine shapes and figures being formed out of the clouds.
The orbs of swirling mist Meruin calls eyes shift in the direction of the caravan as it comes into sight. It'd seem that the caravan had done well with travel and was just on time. The chuunin examines the caravan, immediately searching for his targets. A small motion, a slight twitch of the brow, marks when he notices that there were no guards posted at the head of the caravan. Only the merchants within. He'd chosen this place specifically because it was near the exit of the forest and near the entrance of Kyuusen. They were almost at their destination. Which meant their guard should be somewhere near it's lowest. But for no guards to be posted at the fore? He sat still and awaited, observing further to see if they were further back.
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Hikari with STEALTH…24
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Madarobi with STEALTH…34
COMBAT: Meruin finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Madarobi's turn.
COMBAT: Madarobi defends against STEALTH(34) attack from Meruin with a PERCEPTION…22
COMBAT: Madarobi loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
"Oyyy! We are almost thur Madarobi." The closest merchant stammers to Madarobi as they continue their nonchalant journey. Sighing loudly, he turns back and nods towards the gentleman. "Well hopefully no one saw that." He thinks as he once again surveys the surrounding hoping to see any threats. He planned on Hikari really spotting any danger since he had never done too well at foreseeing ambushes. Actually Madarobi came to the realization as they walked that he wasn't very observant at all. He laughed aloud a bit and continued on his merry way.
COMBAT: Madarobi finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Hikari's turn.
COMBAT: Hikari defends against STEALTH(24) attack from Meruin with a PERCEPTION…20
COMBAT: Hikari loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
Hikari's attention was quickly drawn to one of the merchants who suddenly yelled something up to Madarobi, shaking her head at his obvious stupidity she began to jog up to the front towards Mad shoving the loud merchant as she went past whispering, "Shhhhhh." Reaching her friend at the front she said quietly, "We're all good in the back. Haven't seen a thing out of place. How about up here, we all good?" As she waited for his response she pulled a small loaf of bread out of a bag she had slung over herself and tore it in half, handing Madarobi a piece as she bit into her own half.
COMBAT: Hikari finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Meruin's turn.
After a small while, it became abundantly clear that there were no obviously posted guards on the caravan. Which meant that either his information was faulty and he had no mission here, or that the guards were hidden for some reason. The only way to find out the first was to determine whether or not the second was true. As such, the Okumo Chuunin decided to see if there was anything to draw out.
A single seal sees a clone created in front of the caravan. The Meruin clone stands still, saying only, "Die," before moving into a flurry of of sudden hand seals. The real Meruin does the same and the air around the first wagon churns into sudden motion, moving with enough speed to actually lacerate flesh before closing in, shattering wood and crippling the horse pulling it. The nin then observed, attempting to pick out those who acted as hired help should.
RPCOMBAT: Meruin attacks with CLOSING-THE-FAN…23
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Madarobi with STEALTH…35
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Hikari with STEALTH…38
COMBAT: Meruin finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Madarobi's turn.
COMBAT: Madarobi defends against STEALTH(35) attack from Meruin with a PERCEPTION…24
COMBAT: Madarobi loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
Shoveling in the piece of bread handed to him by Hikari, Madarobi almost began to choke as the caravan is confronted. "Looks like we have company!" Madarobi yells to both Hikari and the following members of the caravan. Quickly pushing everyone to safety of what seemed to be an erratic wind storm of some sort, he glanced in Hikari's general direction. "Like we planned." He mouths with no sound. Throwing his cloak in the air, it would now be obvious that he was not a simple merchant. Raising his voice, he would yell in the general direction of the unknown figure as the caravan is seemingly ripped in to shreds. "This is a protected caravan! Halt your advancement and we will be on our way. Otherwise you have to go through me!"
COMBAT: Madarobi focuses 5000 stamina to turn it into usable chakra!
COMBAT: Madarobi finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Hikari's turn.
COMBAT: Hikari defends against STEALTH(38) attack from Meruin with a PERCEPTION…13
COMBAT: Hikari loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
Her green eyes widening at the sudden appearance of this tall slender young man, she jumped slightly and stumbled a bit. Her woven hat falling off her head, letting her great lengths of bright red hair flow back down around her. "What the…!?" she choked out as the bread she was just chewing had now gotten lodged in her throat. Being pushed over to the side of the road by Madarobi, Hikari nodded at his silent statement and went along to the side with the rest of the group. Grabbing the horse who was injured and trying to settle him down by giving him an apple she also had in her bag. "Everyone get off the road!" she yelled to the caravan. Looking back over her shoulder to see Madarobi about to take on this unknown foe. In the shadows of a nearby tree she would wait for the go ahead from her partner, for now he was on his own.
COMBAT: Hikari finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Meruin's turn.
RPCOMBAT: Meruin defends against with a CLONE-TECHNIQUE…18
Ninja…
One at least. Meruin remains where he is, keeping that one in view as he observes the others, gaze sifting through the crowd as confusion cropped up and limited panic began at the front. There was no way to tell if there were any further nin-guards or if there were simply some merchants who kept their head better than others. He had eyes on one… But it was not yet time to strike. So he awaited, still hidden.
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Madarobi with STEALTH…28
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Hikari with STEALTH…22
COMBAT: Meruin finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Madarobi's turn.
COMBAT: Madarobi defends against STEALTH(28) attack from Meruin with a PERCEPTION…30
COMBAT: Madarobi wins the roll.
Grinning broadly, Madarobi instantly examined the events that were unfolding and stood his ground. He would not yet let his attacker know that he was aware of his true location, but was ready to strike at any second. The tension continued to grow still, especially since he could not tell Hikari about him spotting the true foe up in the trees nearby. Regardless he was confident in her ability to examine the scenario and figure it out for herself. It was too risky to blow her cover.
Walking solemnly towards the opposing figure in the road, he would stop approximately fifteen feet in front of the unique eyed individual and relay another warning. "Leave now! You do not want to do this!"
COMBAT: Hikari defends against STEALTH(22) attack from Meruin with a PERCEPTION…17
COMBAT: Hikari loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
Staying under the shade of the trees, Hikari watched cautiously around her making sure this boy in the road was their only problem. Not being able to determine whether or not he was alone, she placed her hand in the bottom of the bag where there was a generous supply of kunai and grabbed one, not taking her hand out of the bag. Continuing to watch around for any sudden movements, she would not give up her position until Madarobi needed her. "Stay calm everyone, we might be able to get you to safety if Mad can keep his attention for long enough, but for now just stay put." she whispered quietly to the frightened caravan.
COMBAT: Hikari finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Meruin's turn.
Meruin, unaware that he'd been caught, simply remained where he was. His clone, however, seemed content to ignore Madarobi, walking towards the caravan and lifting a hand. From the forests opposite the side the Okumo was on came a small horde of spiders, their chittering loud and screeches piercing. Rushing, they started towards the merchants. "We will feed," was the clone's reply as the assault began.
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Hikari with STEALTH…33
Grinning menacingly, Madarobi couldn't help but be a little excited at the thought of a good battle. This idea became even more appealing in the fact that he knew he would get the first strike. "You asked for it.." He says under his breath as he begins to push his chakra towards Meruin's true location. He would start small hoping to scare away the individual before anyone really got hurt. No fight was worth someone innocent getting hurt or even killed in Madarobi's eyes. "Suffocate!" He whispers as his chakra gains distance.
COMBAT: Madarobi attacks Meruin with ASPHYXIATION…29
COMBAT: Madarobi attacks Meruin with ASPHYXIATION…26
COMBAT: Madarobi attacks Meruin with ASPHYXIATION…39
COMBAT: Madarobi finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Hikari's turn.
COMBAT: Hikari defends against STEALTH(33) attack from Meruin with a PERCEPTION…27
COMBAT: Hikari loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
Hikari's heart began to beat rapidly as floor of the forest began to quiver with, hmm what is that? "Spiders!" she yelped out and a shiver went down her spine. Jumping back slightly, the tiny hairs on her arms stood on end. "I hate bugs. Disgusting." she thought to herself, focusing some of her chakra just in case she had to shield the caravan from the onslaught of tiny creatures. Now glaring over at Madarobi, her eyes so piercing she would'nt be surprised if he could feel her stare she whispered under her breath, "Come on now Madarobi, get him."
COMBAT: Hikari focuses 2000 stamina to turn it into usable chakra!
COMBAT: Hikari finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Meruin's turn.
COMBAT: Meruin defends against ASPHYXIATION(29) attack from Madarobi with a WIND-BARRIER…26
COMBAT: Meruin loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
COMBAT: Madarobi drains stamina from Meruin
COMBAT: Madarobi attacks you with ASPHYXIATION and rolls a 26. Action?
COMBAT: Meruin defends against ASPHYXIATION(26) attack from Madarobi with a DODGE-II…48
COMBAT: Meruin takes 0 partial damage.
COMBAT: Madarobi drains stamina from Meruin
COMBAT: Madarobi attacks you with ASPHYXIATION and rolls a 39. Action?
COMBAT: Meruin defends against ASPHYXIATION(39) attack from Madarobi with a DEPLETION…58
COMBAT: Meruin wins the roll.
The spiders stop with a suddness as Meruin finds his ability to breath immediately hindered. His eyes narrow on Madarobi. This one was his only known ninja target, and as such, he could only focus on him and hope that he was the source of his issues. The sickly Okumo flashes through a series of hand seals before the wind kicks up around him, blowing his cover but also blowing some wind into his face by design, hopefully restoring the air that had been displaced to suffocate him.
It hadn't worked. Perhaps, then, the air was being removed from a larger area. The Okumo leapt with a sudden speed, the single motion taking him to the other end of the forest-lined path, landing lightly in the tree there. Still, he found breathing… arduous. Meruin's eyes flashed. Genjutsu.
A spark of chakra is sent to his brain and the spiders living there awaken, eating at the chakra — both what he'd given and what was used to make the genjutsu, severing the link. The Kirigakure Chuunin's arm lashes out and a pair of shuriken sweep from his sleeve, arcing towards Madarobi. His other arm does the same, whipping towards the genjutsuist. What appears, however, is a sudden stream of spider silk lined in caustic poisons. He uses this as a lash, whipping at the guard.
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Madarobi with SHARP…30
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Madarobi with WISPS-OF-PAIN…32
COMBAT: Meruin finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Madarobi's turn.
COMBAT: Madarobi defends against SHARP(30) attack from Meruin with a FADE…31
COMBAT: Madarobi wins the roll.
COMBAT: Madarobi defends against WISPS-OF-PAIN(32) attack from Meruin with a FADE…35
COMBAT: Madarobi wins the roll.
Feeling the link between him and his attacker diminish for a second, Madarobi takes the opportunity to prepare for a counter attack. Preemptively forcing chakra towards Meruin, Madarobi would seemingly vanish for a few seconds although he simply took his time to walk a few feet to the left. As two shurikens zip by Madarobi's previous location, he would look back at Hikari with a slight nod tohis let her know it was time to advance. Raising his hands quickly, he would flash through several hand seals and continue to be a decoy for Hikari to try and ambush the foe.
COMBAT: Madarobi attacks Meruin with INFESTATION…37
COMBAT: Madarobi attacks Meruin with INFESTATION…40
Watching contently, Madarobi finally give her the go ahead. Closing her eyes and focusing her chakra into the shadows around her, Hikari then opened her eyes and quite eerily whispered, "Shadow body bind." The shadow of a protruding branch in the tree she was standing under moved quickly towards their opponent hopefully unseen by him. The smokey snake-like shadow slithered around Madarobis feet, then bolted at Meruins own shadow. If all goes as planned, she would have their adversary in her shadowy grasp so that he would be under control long enough for the caravan to travel safely to their destination.
COMBAT: Hikari attacks Meruin with SHADOW-BODY-BIND…37
COMBAT: Hikari finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Meruin's turn.
COMBAT: Meruin defends against INFESTATION(37) attack from Madarobi with a DEPLETION…34
COMBAT: Meruin loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
COMBAT: Madarobi drains stamina from Meruin
COMBAT: Meruin defends against INFESTATION(40) attack from Madarobi with a DEPLETION…35
COMBAT: Meruin loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
COMBAT: Madarobi drains stamina from Meruin
COMBAT: Meruin defends against SHADOW-BODY-BIND(37) attack from Hikari with a DODGE-II…48
COMBAT: Meruin wins the roll.
Meruin feels a sudden pain in his arm. He looks down for a brief moment, but sees nothing. The pain comes again and realization dawns. His spiders were beginning to bite him. The pricks of pain increased in number and harshness as they begin to tear at him in earnest. He exends his senses towards his spiders, investigating, but all seems to be entirely… normal. More Genjutsu. The Okumo sends a spark to his brain, awakening the chakra consuming spiders that adorn it and ignores it. The pain, however, does not go away…
His eyes catch the movement near his opponent. A shadow that moved around the genjutsuist, streaking towards where he stood atop his tree branch. Another nin and a Nara, still unlocated. He leapt from his location, avoiding the shadow binding and landing in the by the caravan. The pain still hadn't ceased and it wore on him, leaving him surprisingly drained of energy. Two enemy ninja and no telling how many were here. This had already turned bad. It was time to make his exit. This mission was one to toss away.
He threw himself into a sudden spin, the speed of it enough that his long hair lashed out and the air fled from him, able to be felt by any nearby. One moment to the next saw a deluge of spider silk bursting from his form in all directions, including skywards, the platinum material covered in acids. It slammed into a decent portion of the caravan and would sweep up Madaroibi, Hikari, and any mearchants still not near the other end if they didn't avoid it. But the main purpose of it was to give him a little space to recover the spiders that'd been used as an initial goad, the small horde streaming through the webs to find him and join the illusionary ones tearing at him under the skin.
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Madarobi with SILKEN-ENCROACHMENT…37
COMBAT: Meruin attacks Hikari with SILKEN-ENCROACHMENT…51
COMBAT: Meruin finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Madarobi's turn.
COMBAT: Madarobi defends against SILKEN-ENCROACHMENT(37) attack from Meruin with a PHANTOM-VANISH…47
COMBAT: Madarobi wins the roll.
Continuing to barely hold on to the chakra link between him and his shifty foe, Madarobi created a phantom illusion of himself that would be seen my Meruin as he snuck behind a nearby tree for cover. Feeling a burst of wind rustle the environment around him, platinum lines of material can be seen scattering about. Luckily that tree seemed to take the blunt force of the barrage, but for now all Madarobi could do is wait for the onslaught to halt. Trying to see how Hikari and the merchants were weathering this attack, Madarobi's cockiness turned into dismay. He had never seen an opponent with abilities like these, and couldn't help but fear the worst.
COMBAT: Madarobi finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Hikari's turn.
COMBAT: Hikari defends against SILKEN-ENCROACHMENT(51) attack from Meruin with a SHADOW-SKIN-I…42
COMBAT: Hikari loses the roll and sustains 486 damage.
COMBAT: Meruin drains stamina from Hikari
Being taken off guard, the webs much more quick than Hikari's shadows trying to encase her in their smokey sanctuary. The acid dripping from the webs hit first, burning her pale skin as she winced in pain and was quickly pinned between the tree and the webs, scratching and grabbing at her sticky cage. The screams and moans from the caravan making her forget about her own pain as she tried to free all of the innocent people she was supposed to be protecting. Tearing through the poisonous silk she was able to free half the caravan before succumbing to the blisters now covering her face and arms. "Madarobi! Hurry and come over here, get these people out of this stuff!" Scratching her arms till they bled, she fell over and screamed out into the forest, not knowing where Meruin had gone, "You'll be sorry for that! One day, I'll find you!"
COMBAT: Hikari finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Meruin's turn.
COMBAT: [3900:Health] [900:Chakra] [6491:Stamina] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
His attack finished and his brood regained, the chuunin leapt from the silks, unharmed by his own secretions. Atop it, he cast a final glance to the surrounding area before shaking his head. It was the first mission he'd failed since becoming a genin some 8 years ago. Misinformation or no, it would be a crippling blemish on his record. Meruin vanished, reappearing within the forest and out of sight, beginning his long journey home already fatigued.
