Starring:
Date: June 27, 2014
Summary:
Suna nin investigate a newly-exposed cave to rescue lost miners.
"Salt Mines Rescue"
A salt mine [Land of Wind]
C-rank: A cave-in at a salt mine has resulted in several workers being lost down an unexplored shaft. A ninja team is required to explore the shaft and if possible rescue the workers. (Suggestion: who knows what-all is really down there…)
Disaster in the salt mines! A cave-in has resulted in a number of workers disappearing down an unknown shaft — and worse, a loss of productivity! D: Well, no, this mine isn't really run by people as cold-hearted as all that. :P If it was, would they have hired ninja to investigate the slim chance that some of the workers are alive, and bring back the bodies of those that aren't for a proper burial? And, um, while you're down there, check out whether the new shaft has anything worth mining? …Distant third priority, of course, but hey, our other workers would benefit if we found some rich new veins. c.c
Shemri is one of those chosen for this spelunking mission. Her clan's capability to operate in very low-light conditions and her spider-like extra limb skills are both ideal for what they're facing. Not that she wouldn't rather be hunting down some exotic dangerous beast, but you don't get your favorite types of assignments every day as a shinobi, and this isn't anything too bad. "We must take great care as we descend," Shemri remarks, holding a light stick over the offending shaft and peering into its depths. "If anyone survived their fall and has remained alive in the time it took for us to arrive, they are unlikely to perish in the next hour. Haste will not help."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Do you wish to use the CRS for this mission, BTW?"
«OOC» Moe would need a bit of a walkthrough.
«IGA» Ayumu is fine either way.
«OOC» Shemri starts figuring out people's stats.
The teams purpose was two fold, though only one of those underlying reasons truly mattered to the Iga. Not by choice of course, but bothersome politics and other dealings that Ayumu would've personally rather see fall flat on their asses versus assist in any way, shape, or form. Or at least… that is what Ryoji would do. Trapped between the two, Ayumu spent the majority of the trip silently arguing with a shadow clone bearing "Ryoji's" conscious. The subtle looks, quiet tappings, and innocent self-administration of massages for sore muscles came to an abrupt end with Shemri speaks up for the team.
"Truer words have not been spoken before, Cap'n." The clone says, grinning from ear to ear. Ayumu opens his mouth as if to retort, but catches himself and simply buries his hands in his pockets. "Who's taking point? Or perhaps better yet, what?" Ayumu asks, cutting off the clone before it get another word in edge wise. While Shemri works out the logistics, both clone and creator begin sorting and molding whatever fleshy sensors they thought would fit best for the mission.
«IGA» Ayumu brushes up.
HOW does Moe keep getting put on teams with Ayumu? Kuoroke must find some amusement in this somehow. It glare would be shot toward the split-minded man and his clone once in a while as they argue, though the Kuroki tries not to let it annoy her too much. "Save some off chance of someone trying to get out and having an accident, I'd suppose you're right," the woman says with a nod, another glance being given to Ayumu before she looks back at Shemri and awaits an answer to his question along with further instruction.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Okay, I am going to say our first task is to descend into the shaft, and doing so without mishap has a difficulty of 5. Shemri is a +8 ninja because her total stats are above 64. That means her base roll for anything is 1d13, so I shall do that first…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 9 with 1d13 die.
«IGA» Ayumu goes next, jah?
«OOC» Shemri says, "No problem at all. If there had been, I could have also rolled 1d8 for her A-rank Extra Limb skills, since that is relevant to the task."
«OOC» Shemri says, "This is a fact, Ayumu. You are a +7 Ninja, so your base roll is 1d12."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 2 with 1d12 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Curse.. you.. dice!"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Alright.. hmm.."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Uh-oh. X) I recommend you use your B-rank skill at Hair Manip."
«OOC» Shemri says, "That would be 1d6, unless you wish to spend chakra on it. Since maneuvering is associated with defense, I would say you can double the roll range for every chakra points spent. You currently have 7."
«IGA» Ayumu also started off in tension 1, jah?
«OOC» Shemri says, "Well, yes, but that is for attacking."
«IGA» Ayumu snaps fingers.
RP: Ayumu rolled a 1 with 1d6 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "And he was never seen again.."
«OOC» Shemri says, "It will not be fatal. X) And perhaps your fall path will help us figure out where the workers ended up. ;9"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "First hand account, nice. XD"
«IGA» Ayumu blames the clone for kicking him off. >(
«IGA» Ayumu coughs, "how much damage?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "I am going to say 2 damage, making you a +5 Ninja for now."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Moe, you are a +5 Ninja to begin with, so your base roll is 1d10."
RP: Moe rolled a 1 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Moe ;.;
«OOC» Moe =ded off the bat
«IGA» Ayumu says, "You can save yourself… mayve. *.*"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "be*"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Heh. X) You still can make a style roll. You have C-rank Chakra Tattoo skills, so you roll 1d4 by default. Spend 1 chakra point to make that 1d8 instead, 2 points for 1d16, etc. You have 5 chakra points to start with, and you regenerate 2 every round."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Oh, and there is no theoretical maximum to how much chakra you can build up. I suppose regenerate was not the best choice of word. e.ea"
«OOC» Shemri says, "You need a 4 to meet the task difficulty, so you can do it without chakra…just barely. 2 points of damage is worth avoiding, though."
«IGA» Ayumu beckons Moe from at the bottom of the shaft. >:3
RP: Moe rolled a 4 with 1d16 die.
«OOC» Moe sweatdrops.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Just barely"
«IGA» Ayumu fistshakes!
«OOC» Moe says, "The dice are not in my favor today."
«OOC» Shemri says, "…Good choice, it seems. X) 2 replaceable chakra points traded for avoiding 2 irreparable (for this scene anyway) points of damage."
«OOC» Shemri wonders whether she should allow herself a rescue attempt for Ayumu.
«OOC» Moe says, "He's got a shadow clone to replace him. *sagenod*"
«IGA» Ayumu smirks.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Don't worry about it this time Shemri. :3"
Shemri tucks her light stick into one of her sash-ends. "I shall go first. I am well-suited for this task. Try to follow in my path. Shiikaa." Shemri's cat bounds up and nestles in her left arm. He's pretty capable of climbing down himself, to be sure, but why waste chakra? Shemri approaches the shaft side-on and sticks her foot to the rock face over the edge. Stretching the sash with the light stick out to illuminate the way, she shuffles sideways down the deep pit. With patient care and cat-like balance, Shemri has little trouble with the descent.
Ryoji could no longer take it any more. He turns to Moe with a genial smile, but the words at the tip of his tongue would not have reflected had Ayumu not intervened by placing a hand on the clone's shoulder, and that's it. Just a polite pat on the shoulder meant to draw the clone's attention back to the matter at hand. "Ash youm wish," Ayumu says with his mouth still full. However, before Shemri descends (and as not to startle her in the process), Ayumu spits out a mysterious bunch of pink goop down into the tunnel.
There's no telling exactly /where/ it'll end up, but the sensors (predator vision eyes, hyper sensitive ears, etc etc..) would be safe to fully form once they reach the bottom. In the mean time, the only thing left to do was — "Whoops!" The original is given no chance to process just what /that/ meant, because soon after he's falling into the shaft, spinning and twisting and scrabbling for purchase instead of panicking and screaming like he should've. Belatedly does he get the idea to unbind his pony tail and form a pair of steel hairs into hands. Rock and earth is shared and upturned as the hands try desperately to stop his descent.
They don't succeed.
The next thing anyone hears after his crash landing is either the whistles from his clones casual descent, or mild groans from the original…
The Kuroki glances at Ryoji as he starts to speak, lifting an eyebrow then looking back ahead and shaking her head as Ayumu takes a serious tumble. With very little more luck than the Iga, however, Moe slips down the cavern a bit as she tries to make her way down. She, however, is a bit more quick about her wits today, as she points a hand up, sending a snake tattoo to latch around a rock and catch herself. "… This… might not be a good day," she grumbles, a bit, casting a death glare at the downed Iga if he should try to gain a glance up her kimono as she starts to use the tattoo to walk herself down the cavern to follow Shemri and Shikkaa safely.
«IGA» Ayumu is blind. ;-; "How could I possibly look up your Kimono?~~"
«OOC» Moe knows about yo eyes, Iga!
«IGA» Ayumu rarely uses eyes if he can help it. ;-;
«IGA» Ayumu makes an exception today though, out of spite!
«OOC» Moe thumps on the nose.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Ooooh, lacey~"
«IGA» Ayumu does a bit magnification to see what else he spots. :>
«OOC» Moe makes note to serve Ayumu tea later. +_+
«OOC» Shemri says, "Hmm, I believe I shall have us all roll for perception."
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Heh, my turn for poor luck. X)"
«OOC» Shemri says, "With C-rank Maneshi Senses:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d4 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Ayumu, 1d10 for base please."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 6 with 1d10 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Good enough or up the ante?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "And…your sensory skills are B-rank, I'm guessing?"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Yarp"
«OOC» Shemri says, "I'm not going for a mark per se, just letting our rolls determine who notices what."
«OOC» Shemri says, "1d8."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 2 with 1d8 die.
«IGA» Ayumu kicks the dice.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Moe, 1d10."
«OOC» Kuoroke says, "Moe?"
«OOC» Shemri shrugs and rolls for her.
RP: Shemri rolled a 5 with 1d10 die.
RP: Moe rolled a 6 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Moe boss.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Okay, Moe will find the first of our cave-in victims, who appears to have been killed by the fall. Ayumu will detect a few trails from others dragging themselves along."
Shiikaa looks as Ayumu falls. Y'know, just looks, with that blank expression and whole-head turning manner cats have when something interesting goes by. .o^ ^o.o^ ^o. Shemri stiffens in panic, then relaxes ruefully when she hears Ayumu's groans. -.-; Guess he can't be dead if his clone's still around, too. e.e "Hoi, am I going to need to hold your hand for this whole mission?" :P
After descending a bit, they find that the shaft is not quite as deep as it first appeared, luckily for Ayumu. The reason it looked so deep is because the rock down here is a curiously dark brown, almost black. Actually it's not even the rock itself, it's…some sort of slimy coating on it. c.c Shemri locates Ayumu down at the bottom of the ravine, which seems to curve to a U-shape. "Hoi, can you move on your own? Pull yourself together." Hmm, seems like they're in a tunnel of some sort now, which way should they go?
The groans and what little can be seen of the dazed Iga in the dim light of the shaft is genuine. But, he still retained consciousness, so there's no real way of telling just what he is or is not aware of at the moment besides a serious back ache. "Laces?" He murmurs wearily.
Ryoji on the other hand is just fine! So fine in fact that he has the gull to say the following once prompted (incidentally) by Shemri. "Oh that'd be lovely, Shemri-chan! You and me against the darkness~ And then after, we can even go for long walk on a beach at sunset." The clone takes a deep breath at that point and stares off elsewhere to imagine just the scenario as they continued their descent. The only thing to draw its attention away from its thoughts is the slimy coating the rocks along the way.
"Curious." It mutters as it drew to a stop and crouch down to examine the stuff more closely. "I'll be fine. Just… just give a moment." He emits before grudgingly following Shemri's orders. A sniffle and a bit of dusting off later, the Iga motions for Moe and Shemri to take a closer look at the drag marks his sensors had in the mean time picked up on before moving ahead to track them.
As she finds her way to the bottom, Moe would glance around, taking a moment to lift an eyebrow at Ayumu and shake her head. "Remind me to make sure an avalanche happens next time you fall." Thin lines of ink would begin to spread from her tattoos over her body as she uses them to search out for signs of life or death. Her eyes narrow as she seems to find something and makes her way over to a crevice where she finds a pair of bodies. "Well, we've found our first dead weight," she says with a sigh as she extends both her hands, two massive snakes rising off them to entangle the corpses and pull them out into the main path and set them down to be picked up later. "I don't suppose any of you are able to store these in scrolls?"
«OOC» Moe afks briefly to grab dinner.
Shemri's already gotten used to disregarding what 'Ryoji' says for the most part, and she's not very well-versed in romance tropes, so she ironically doesn't pick up on the fact she's being hit on, if only jokingly. Shiikaa is a little more perceptive. ^e.e^ He taps his paw on Shemri's finger near her diamond ring. Hey stooge, see this? It'll get jabbed into the underside of your chin on the end of a fist if you don't respect what it signifies. :P
Shemri shakes her head in response to Moe's question. "I do not have that skill, no. I imagine we shall have to rig a pulley system up top and pull them up in body bags later on. For now, let us focus on trying to find those who may still be alive." And then Ayumu finds a clue toward that goal. "Ah. Aha. Good work. Let us move onward."
Tracking proves to be pretty easy, because there's only one way to go after determining the initial direction. The tunnel goes on for a little ways, turning a couple times, then suddenly opens up into a big space. Holding the light stick high, Shemri scans the room. There's lots of that dark slime around, but other than that it's just a big enclosure…oh, except that there's a man sitting curled up in the corner! "Hoi, are you all right?! Where are the others?!" Shemri shouts. The man startles, apparently having been asleep, then gestures frantically for silence. A moment later it becomes apparent why. A faint rumbling and cracking comes from a nearby wall, then the head of a gigantic worm breaks through. Eerily silent except for the sickly squelch of its slimy body on the rocks, the worm wriggles into the cave, opening wide a circular maw with hundreds of teeth. Battle time!
«OOC» Shemri says, "I am going to say this is a +10 Giant Worm with B-rank Slimy Survivor skills."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Ayumu, first attack is yours. Roll 1d10 to start."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 4 with 1d10 die.
«IGA» Ayumu siiiighs.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "11 chakra, jesh?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "No, just 9. I have not counted any rounds besides that first one where we were descending."
«IGA» Ayumu sagenods and hmms..
«OOC» Moe says, "Back"
«OOC» Shemri says, "WB."
«IGA» Ayumu goes for c-rank under shadow clone.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "which I b-rank mastery for it"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Very well, 1 chakra spent, and roll 1d10."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 1 with 1d10 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "…"
«IGA» Ayumu withering sighs..
«OOC» Shemri says, "Worm does base roll for defense…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 7 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Its slimy hide is unaffected. :/ Moe, when you have caught up, roll 1d10 for your attack base."
RP: Moe rolled a 4 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Okay, you are currently at 5 Chakra, which means you are /just/ within Tension Level 1. This makes D-rank attacks free, C-ranks cost 1 Chakra, etc., although C-rank is the highest you are capable of now. Since you gain 2 Chakra per round, you probably may as well spend 1 point on attacking almost regardless of what happens. :P"
The clone throws back only an amused grin at the cat before going back to its examinations. Something about the slime set him off. And considering the slope of the cavern…
Meanwhile, the original's only responses to Moe — and belatedly ones at that — are a thumbs up to the reminder and a headshakes regarding the scrolls. There best bet is to leave them wherever she chose to move them. Something Shemri thankfully voices while the Iga focused on keeping track of his trackers.
Before long, the trio find themselves hovering (or at least in Shemri's case) over the the sole survivor discovered thus far. "Hmm… Shem—" Is all gets out before the rumbling and cracking stone alerts all to the peril at hand. Unable to see the gigantic worm for what it was exactly, Ayumu reacts purely by instinct to what felt like danger. A single shuriken slips from his sleeves with a wave of his hands, followed by a hand seal from its owner. Soon several copies of the shuriken poof into existence next to it, all flying with deadly accuracy.
«OOC» Shemri says, "If you do a C-rank attack, you would roll 1d8."
RP: Moe rolled a 4 with 1d8 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Base roll for worm (should've done 1d15 last time, but it hardly matters)…"
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d15 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Ah, lucky us. Slimy Survival defense:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 5 with 1d6 die.
«OOC» Moe says, "So what do I pose?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Come to think of it, it could not have succeeded anyway. X) Unless I'd had it spend 'Chakra', but I do not wish to make this drag out. Worm takes 3 damage and is now a +7 Giant Worm."
«OOC» Moe headtilts.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Pose doing a successful C-rank attack with your tattoo style. The worm will not do much to actively defend itself, it mostly relies on its slime and body curvature to shunt off attacks."
"Very well," Moe says with a shrug before turning to follow the group down the trail. She lifts an eyebrow at the man as she motions for silence, eyes widening as she worm enters. "… Lovely," she says with a sigh before reaching to loosen her obi a bit. No, not to give anyone a peek! This loosens her collar enough to let a pair of giant snakes fly off the larger tattoo on her back to latch onto and bind the worm enough for the others' attacks to land.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Worm's base attack roll:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 11 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Moe says, "We gon dai!"
«OOC» Shemri says, "B-rank attack against Shemri:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Shemri's base defense:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 6 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "I believe I shall spend 2 chakra on my defense, even though that means I shall not be Tension Level 2 for attacking. :/"
RP: Shemri rolled a 28 with 1d32 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Shemri's base attack:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 7 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Shiikaa does a D-rank wind attack, which is free because I am Tension Level 1."
RP: Shemri rolled a 3 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Worm's base defense:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d12 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Worm takes 2 damage and is now a +5 Giant Worm."
«IGA» Ayumu woots!
«IGA» Ayumu gets to finishing it off. Sort of. >_>d
RP: Ayumu rolled a 1 with 1d10 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "…."
«IGA» Ayumu just.. goes with a d-rank under his shadow clone style. e_e
«OOC» Shemri says, "That would be 1d8."
RP: Ayumu rolled a 1 with 1d8 die.
«IGA» Ayumu T__T
«OOC» Shemri patpats. X) "The worm cannot fail to defend against that, so I shall skip the rolls." n.n;
«IGA» Ayumu says, "At least if this goes past this round I'll be in tension 2. e_e"
The giant worm seems undaunted by Ayumu's shuriken, which graze along its rubbery hide without penetrating. Moe's tattoo snakes, on the other hand, do manage to latch on. The worm thrashes in response, and a squirt of some nasty substance comes out of some gland in its maw, ending up heading toward Shemri. o.O Shemri blurs upward to avoid the chemical attack, and latches onto the ceiling with her sashes. Not a bad position, since it casts the light of her stick downward and makes the area a bit easier for the others to see. Shiikaa fires off a wind bullet at the worm, punching a small but bleeding hole into its head.
A light goes off in the clones head. "Taste test!" It exclaims before following through with the action. Seconds later, it notes by the vibrations and what is picked up by the ear he had exchanged with one of Ayumu's own earlier that he need not have done so. His creator as well as the rest of the team were in danger. Oh! And the worker too! Can't forget about the main objective of this whole thing now. Technically…
"Better get back there before Mr. Straight-and-narrow takes a gamble that even I wouldn't take." The clone emits before taking off.
"Too off." Is about all that leaves the Iga's mouth before the worm makes its move. Ayumu lowers his stance in anticipation of the giant making a target out of him for being the first to react violently to its presence. Granted, Moe /was/ the only who managed to deal any damage to the darn thing. "I came as soon as I—"
"Nevermind that, tend to the worker." Ayumu interjects harshly. The clone looks about ready to defy the Iga for a few moments, but ultimately decides to follow its maker's wishes. Unless there's any obvious signs that the man can't be moved without being treated, the clone is quick to pick him up and try to head back down the tunnel with the worker in his arms. In the meantime, Ayumu tries again with fewer number of shuriken. Sadly, either there was some type of magnetic force field around the beast (something the Iga would've picked up on naturally), or… his aim was just that terrible. T__T
«OOC» Moe says, "What do I roll?"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "1d10 to start"
RP: Moe rolled a 7 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Moe woo!
«IGA» Ayumu says, "noice."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Good, now 1d8 for a C-rank if you like."
RP: Moe rolled a 6 with 1d8 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Worm's base defense:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 4 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Sliminess:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 1d6 die.
«OOC» Moe fistpumps!
«OOC» Shemri says, "Worm takes another 3 damage."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Worm's base attack:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 6 with 1d7 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "I am going to say it attacks ALL of us by causing a rockfall. That will be a B-rank attack, but it subtracts 2d3 for the extra targets."
RP: Shemri rolled a 9 with 1d12 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 2 with 2d3 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Total of 13. :o"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Shemri's base defense:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 9 with 1d13 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Dodging with D-rank technique in Extra Limb style:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 1 with 1d16 die.
«OOC» Shemri acks. X) Takes 4 damage.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Now we're really doomed. T.T"
«OOC» Shemri says, "No, even if all three of us take the hit here, we shall still be standing, and we shall likely finish it this round."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Shemri's base attack:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 3 with 1d9 die.
«OOC» Shemri gets C-rank free due to Tension Level 2, and spends 1 chakra to combine Extra Limb with Wind Manip.
RP: Shemri rolled a 13 with 1d14 die.
RP: Shemri rolled a 8 with 1d8 die.
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Oh very noice"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Total of 24. Worm's base defense:"
RP: Shemri rolled a 7 with 1d7 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "I shall say it spends a little on its defense this time."
"Are you sure you didn't come to the mission drunk?" Moe comments to Ayumu with a smirk as he seems to be a bit down on his luck with this battle. "Don't worry, child. The adults will handle this." With that, she sends another pair of snakes from her arms down to latch onto the giant creature and bind it. "Feisty thing. Too bad it's too old to be trained to be of any use."
RP: Shemri rolled a 16 with 1d18 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "It just barely fails. X) Technically it should be down now, but I shall roll its defenses if you two wish to take parting shots at it."
«IGA» Ayumu would go with you killing it. z.zd
RP: Ayumu rolled a 5 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Might as well use up chakra on defense."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "True enough. z.z"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "1d32 for b-rank, jah?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "That was for a C-rank from a A-rank style, actually. A B-rank from a B-rank style would be 1d48."
«IGA» Ayumu says, "Oh, going with that then. o.od"
RP: Ayumu rolled a 24 with 1d48 die.
«IGA» Ayumu gets the freak out of doj.
«IGA» Ayumu rolls again for the clone with the worker, "Or safe to assume their safe?"
«IGA» Ayumu says, "they're*"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Eh, let's just say they are fine."
«IGA» Ayumu nods.
The giant worm looks like it would be roaring in pain if it had any vocal capabilities. >XO But there does seem to be an ominous rumbling noise starting to fill the room. Suddenly the ceiling cracks, and large chunks of rock rain down on the ninja. In Shemri's case, she was already stuck to the falling rock. o.O; It slams against the floor before she can get out from under it. x.x
…A long moment later, the rock shifts, then tips upward. Shemri's tails, including a black one that wasn't there a moment ago, push the rock off of her. Shemri stands, her right arm and left leg wrapped in Shiikaa's fur. "Enough of this!" >.< Shemri dashes around the worm and swipes at its side, claws edged with wind chakra extending from her fingers. The worm's hide seems to resist even this for a moment, but then they slice through and cut deep.
Apparently the worm decides it's had enough too, because it wriggles back into the tunnel from which it came. Shemri breathes heavily while watching it retreat with a suspicious glare. Once it disappears around a bend, her furry augmentations and tail go *POOF*, and there is Shiikaa perched on her shoulder. "We should get out of here before it decides to come back." Shemri looks toward the surviving worker. "Hoi, the others, do you know what happened to them?" The terrified man nods glumly and points after the monster worm. "All gone," he says simply. o.o;
«IGA» Ayumu cackles.
"Yes, I am sure." Ayumu deadpans right on back. The child comment that follows elicits some gritted teeth from the Iga, but no further barbs exchanged. He simply watches with his focus splintered finely between his comrades, their adversary, and the clone's hasty treatment of the workers injuries (should their be any). That division cost him the chance to focus on any one thing; such as Shemri's rather comedic misfortunes.
Guided by his sensors, Ayumu predicts and follows the path of less resistance, but greatest advantages for him. Rocks would shatter against one another or the ground, but not a one comes close to harming the Iga before he reaches the mouth of the entryway into the cavern. From there he intended to plot his next attack and… "Apparently watch its slimy tail slip away." He states, rubbing his eyes. "… Permission to leave my sensors for our side objective, Shemri-taichou?" Ayumu asks, still rubbing his eyes.
«OOC» Shemri says, "Moe, you still need to roll your defense. Aiming for 13 or better."
«OOC» Shemri says, "Start with 1d10."
RP: Moe rolled a 6 with 1d10 die.
«OOC» Shemri says, "You can add 1d16 to that by spending 2 chakra."
RP: Moe rolled a 10 with 1d16 die.
«OOC» Moe gets smacked against the wall? X)
«OOC» Shemri says, "Success."
«OOC» Moe says, "Oh, I win?"
«OOC» Shemri says, "Yes, you got a total of 16."
«OOC» Moe says, "Gotcha."
Releasing the worm from her tattoos, Moe now uses them to guard herself as she jumps off to keep from being smacked into the wall as the worm flees. Luckily they are big enough to block the rocks from falling on top of her. Once it's gone, she would allow the snakes to vanish back into her clothes then stand upright to refasten her obi to tighten her kimono back properly. "Well, that was entertaining," he says with a smirk before looking to Ayumu. "You alright, little boy? Need a cup of juice or something to calm your nerves?"
Shemri nods to Ayumu. "Very well." From there, the mission is fairly straightforward. They return to the shaft where the cave-in occurred and move the survivor and the two corpses back up to the primary mine. They don't want to fool around with setting up a pulley system when the giant worm (and maybe others of its kind) might show up again, so they make do with hauling the bodies, both living and dead, up directly in tow using Shemri's sashes, with the other two nin coming up behind to stabilize things. Not the safest method possible if the area itself wasn't a danger, but it is, and as ninja they can manage. Fortunately the worm doesn't make another appearance that day, and the Suna nin are able to report the outcome of their mission to the mine supervisor and recommend a higher-class mission to eradicate the biohazard. :P
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
C-rank: A cave-in at a salt mine has resulted in several workers being lost down an unexplored shaft. A ninja team is required to explore the shaft and if possible rescue the workers. (Suggestion: who knows what-all is really down there…)
Disaster in the salt mines! A cave-in has resulted in a number of workers disappearing down an unknown shaft — and worse, a loss of productivity! D: Well, no, this mine isn't really run by people as cold-hearted as all that. :P If it was, would they have hired ninja to investigate the slim chance that some of the workers are alive, and bring back the bodies of those that aren't for a proper burial? And, um, while you're down there, check out whether the new shaft has anything worth mining? …Distant third priority, of course, but hey, our other workers would benefit if we found some rich new veins. c.c
Shemri is one of those chosen for this spelunking mission. Her clan's capability to operate in very low-light conditions and her spider-like extra limb skills are both ideal for what they're facing. Not that she wouldn't rather be hunting down some exotic dangerous beast, but you don't get your favorite types of assignments every day as a shinobi, and this isn't anything too bad. "We must take great care as we descend," Shemri remarks, holding a light stick over the offending shaft and peering into its depths. "If anyone survived their fall and has remained alive in the time it took for us to arrive, they are unlikely to perish in the next hour. Haste will not help."
The teams purpose was two fold, though only one of those underlying reasons truly mattered to the Iga. Not by choice of course, but bothersome politics and other dealings that Ayumu would've personally rather see fall flat on their asses versus assist in any way, shape, or form. Or at least… that is what Ryoji would do. Trapped between the two, Ayumu spent the majority of the trip silently arguing with a shadow clone bearing "Ryoji's" conscious. The subtle looks, quiet tappings, and innocent self-administration of massages for sore muscles came to an abrupt end with Shemri speaks up for the team.
"Truer words have not been spoken before, Cap'n." The clone says, grinning from ear to ear. Ayumu opens his mouth as if to retort, but catches himself and simply buries his hands in his pockets. "Who's taking point? Or perhaps better yet, what?" Ayumu asks, cutting off the clone before it get another word in edge wise. While Shemri works out the logistics, both clone and creator begin sorting and molding whatever fleshy sensors they thought would fit best for the mission.
HOW does Moe keep getting put on teams with Ayumu? Kuoroke must find some amusement in this somehow. It glare would be shot toward the split-minded man and his clone once in a while as they argue, though the Kuroki tries not to let it annoy her too much. "Save some off chance of someone trying to get out and having an accident, I'd suppose you're right," the woman says with a nod, another glance being given to Ayumu before she looks back at Shemri and awaits an answer to his question along with further instruction.
Shemri tucks her light stick into one of her sash-ends. "I shall go first. I am well-suited for this task. Try to follow in my path. Shiikaa." Shemri's cat bounds up and nestles in her left arm. He's pretty capable of climbing down himself, to be sure, but why waste chakra? Shemri approaches the shaft side-on and sticks her foot to the rock face over the edge. Stretching the sash with the light stick out to illuminate the way, she shuffles sideways down the deep pit. With patient care and cat-like balance, Shemri has little trouble with the descent.
Ryoji could no longer take it any more. He turns to Moe with a genial smile, but the words at the tip of his tongue would not have reflected had Ayumu not intervened by placing a hand on the clone's shoulder, and that's it. Just a polite pat on the shoulder meant to draw the clone's attention back to the matter at hand. "Ash youm wish," Ayumu says with his mouth still full. However, before Shemri descends (and as not to startle her in the process), Ayumu spits out a mysterious bunch of pink goop down into the tunnel.
There's no telling exactly /where/ it'll end up, but the sensors (predator vision eyes, hyper sensitive ears, etc etc..) would be safe to fully form once they reach the bottom. In the mean time, the only thing left to do was — "Whoops!" The original is given no chance to process just what /that/ meant, because soon after he's falling into the shaft, spinning and twisting and scrabbling for purchase instead of panicking and screaming like he should've. Belatedly does he get the idea to unbind his pony tail and form a pair of steel hairs into hands. Rock and earth is shared and upturned as the hands try desperately to stop his descent.
They don't succeed.
The next thing anyone hears after his crash landing is either the whistles from his clones casual descent, or mild groans from the original…
The Kuroki glances at Ryoji as he starts to speak, lifting an eyebrow then looking back ahead and shaking her head as Ayumu takes a serious tumble. With very little more luck than the Iga, however, Moe slips down the cavern a bit as she tries to make her way down. She, however, is a bit more quick about her wits today, as she points a hand up, sending a snake tattoo to latch around a rock and catch herself. "… This… might not be a good day," she grumbles, a bit, casting a death glare at the downed Iga if he should try to gain a glance up her kimono as she starts to use the tattoo to walk herself down the cavern to follow Shemri and Shikkaa safely.
Shiikaa looks as Ayumu falls. Y'know, just looks, with that blank expression and whole-head turning manner cats have when something interesting goes by. .o^ ^o.o^ ^o. Shemri stiffens in panic, then relaxes ruefully when she hears Ayumu's groans. -.-; Guess he can't be dead if his clone's still around, too. e.e "Hoi, am I going to need to hold your hand for this whole mission?" :P
After descending a bit, they find that the shaft is not quite as deep as it first appeared, luckily for Ayumu. The reason it looked so deep is because the rock down here is a curiously dark brown, almost black. Actually it's not even the rock itself, it's…some sort of slimy coating on it. c.c Shemri locates Ayumu down at the bottom of the ravine, which seems to curve to a U-shape. "Hoi, can you move on your own? Pull yourself together." Hmm, seems like they're in a tunnel of some sort now, which way should they go?
The groans and what little can be seen of the dazed Iga in the dim light of the shaft is genuine. But, he still retained consciousness, so there's no real way of telling just what he is or is not aware of at the moment besides a serious back ache. "Laces?" He murmurs wearily.
Ryoji on the other hand is just fine! So fine in fact that he has the gull to say the following once prompted (incidentally) by Shemri. "Oh that'd be lovely, Shemri-chan! You and me against the darkness~ And then after, we can even go for long walk on a beach at sunset." The clone takes a deep breath at that point and stares off elsewhere to imagine just the scenario as they continued their descent. The only thing to draw its attention away from its thoughts is the slimy coating the rocks along the way.
"Curious." It mutters as it drew to a stop and crouch down to examine the stuff more closely. "I'll be fine. Just… just give a moment." He emits before grudgingly following Shemri's orders. A sniffle and a bit of dusting off later, the Iga motions for Moe and Shemri to take a closer look at the drag marks his sensors had in the mean time picked up on before moving ahead to track them.
As she finds her way to the bottom, Moe would glance around, taking a moment to lift an eyebrow at Ayumu and shake her head. "Remind me to make sure an avalanche happens next time you fall." Thin lines of ink would begin to spread from her tattoos over her body as she uses them to search out for signs of life or death. Her eyes narrow as she seems to find something and makes her way over to a crevice where she finds a pair of bodies. "Well, we've found our first dead weight," she says with a sigh as she extends both her hands, two massive snakes rising off them to entangle the corpses and pull them out into the main path and set them down to be picked up later. "I don't suppose any of you are able to store these in scrolls?"
Shemri's already gotten used to disregarding what 'Ryoji' says for the most part, and she's not very well-versed in romance tropes, so she ironically doesn't pick up on the fact she's being hit on, if only jokingly. Shiikaa is a little more perceptive. ^e.e^ He taps his paw on Shemri's finger near her diamond ring. Hey stooge, see this? It'll get jabbed into the underside of your chin on the end of a fist if you don't respect what it signifies. :P
Shemri shakes her head in response to Moe's question. "I do not have that skill, no. I imagine we shall have to rig a pulley system up top and pull them up in body bags later on. For now, let us focus on trying to find those who may still be alive." And then Ayumu finds a clue toward that goal. "Ah. Aha. Good work. Let us move onward."
Tracking proves to be pretty easy, because there's only one way to go after determining the initial direction. The tunnel goes on for a little ways, turning a couple times, then suddenly opens up into a big space. Holding the light stick high, Shemri scans the room. There's lots of that dark slime around, but other than that it's just a big enclosure…oh, except that there's a man sitting curled up in the corner! "Hoi, are you all right?! Where are the others?!" Shemri shouts. The man startles, apparently having been asleep, then gestures frantically for silence. A moment later it becomes apparent why. A faint rumbling and cracking comes from a nearby wall, then the head of a gigantic worm breaks through. Eerily silent except for the sickly squelch of its slimy body on the rocks, the worm wriggles into the cave, opening wide a circular maw with hundreds of teeth. Battle time!
The clone throws back only an amused grin at the cat before going back to its examinations. Something about the slime set him off. And considering the slope of the cavern…
Meanwhile, the original's only responses to Moe — and belatedly ones at that — are a thumbs up to the reminder and a headshakes regarding the scrolls. There best bet is to leave them wherever she chose to move them. Something Shemri thankfully voices while the Iga focused on keeping track of his trackers.
Before long, the trio find themselves hovering (or at least in Shemri's case) over the the sole survivor discovered thus far. "Hmm… Shem—" Is all gets out before the rumbling and cracking stone alerts all to the peril at hand. Unable to see the gigantic worm for what it was exactly, Ayumu reacts purely by instinct to what felt like danger. A single shuriken slips from his sleeves with a wave of his hands, followed by a hand seal from its owner. Soon several copies of the shuriken poof into existence next to it, all flying with deadly accuracy.
"Very well," Moe says with a shrug before turning to follow the group down the trail. She lifts an eyebrow at the man as she motions for silence, eyes widening as she worm enters. "… Lovely," she says with a sigh before reaching to loosen her obi a bit. No, not to give anyone a peek! This loosens her collar enough to let a pair of giant snakes fly off the larger tattoo on her back to latch onto and bind the worm enough for the others' attacks to land.
The giant worm seems undaunted by Ayumu's shuriken, which graze along its rubbery hide without penetrating. Moe's tattoo snakes, on the other hand, do manage to latch on. The worm thrashes in response, and a squirt of some nasty substance comes out of some gland in its maw, ending up heading toward Shemri. o.O Shemri blurs upward to avoid the chemical attack, and latches onto the ceiling with her sashes. Not a bad position, since it casts the light of her stick downward and makes the area a bit easier for the others to see. Shiikaa fires off a wind bullet at the worm, punching a small but bleeding hole into its head.
A light goes off in the clones head. "Taste test!" It exclaims before following through with the action. Seconds later, it notes by the vibrations and what is picked up by the ear he had exchanged with one of Ayumu's own earlier that he need not have done so. His creator as well as the rest of the team were in danger. Oh! And the worker too! Can't forget about the main objective of this whole thing now. Technically…
"Better get back there before Mr. Straight-and-narrow takes a gamble that even I wouldn't take." The clone emits before taking off.
"Too off." Is about all that leaves the Iga's mouth before the worm makes its move. Ayumu lowers his stance in anticipation of the giant making a target out of him for being the first to react violently to its presence. Granted, Moe /was/ the only who managed to deal any damage to the darn thing. "I came as soon as I—"
"Nevermind that, tend to the worker." Ayumu interjects harshly. The clone looks about ready to defy the Iga for a few moments, but ultimately decides to follow its maker's wishes. Unless there's any obvious signs that the man can't be moved without being treated, the clone is quick to pick him up and try to head back down the tunnel with the worker in his arms. In the meantime, Ayumu tries again with fewer number of shuriken. Sadly, either there was some type of magnetic force field around the beast (something the Iga would've picked up on naturally), or… his aim was just that terrible. T__T
"Are you sure you didn't come to the mission drunk?" Moe comments to Ayumu with a smirk as he seems to be a bit down on his luck with this battle. "Don't worry, child. The adults will handle this." With that, she sends another pair of snakes from her arms down to latch onto the giant creature and bind it. "Feisty thing. Too bad it's too old to be trained to be of any use."
The giant worm looks like it would be roaring in pain if it had any vocal capabilities. >XO But there does seem to be an ominous rumbling noise starting to fill the room. Suddenly the ceiling cracks, and large chunks of rock rain down on the ninja. In Shemri's case, she was already stuck to the falling rock. o.O; It slams against the floor before she can get out from under it. x.x
…A long moment later, the rock shifts, then tips upward. Shemri's tails, including a black one that wasn't there a moment ago, push the rock off of her. Shemri stands, her right arm and left leg wrapped in Shiikaa's fur. "Enough of this!" >.< Shemri dashes around the worm and swipes at its side, claws edged with wind chakra extending from her fingers. The worm's hide seems to resist even this for a moment, but then they slice through and cut deep.
Apparently the worm decides it's had enough too, because it wriggles back into the tunnel from which it came. Shemri breathes heavily while watching it retreat with a suspicious glare. Once it disappears around a bend, her furry augmentations and tail go *POOF*, and there is Shiikaa perched on her shoulder. "We should get out of here before it decides to come back." Shemri looks toward the surviving worker. "Hoi, the others, do you know what happened to them?" The terrified man nods glumly and points after the monster worm. "All gone," he says simply. o.o;
"Yes, I am sure." Ayumu deadpans right on back. The child comment that follows elicits some gritted teeth from the Iga, but no further barbs exchanged. He simply watches with his focus splintered finely between his comrades, their adversary, and the clone's hasty treatment of the workers injuries (should their be any). That division cost him the chance to focus on any one thing; such as Shemri's rather comedic misfortunes.
Guided by his sensors, Ayumu predicts and follows the path of less resistance, but greatest advantages for him. Rocks would shatter against one another or the ground, but not a one comes close to harming the Iga before he reaches the mouth of the entryway into the cavern. From there he intended to plot his next attack and… "Apparently watch its slimy tail slip away." He states, rubbing his eyes. "… Permission to leave my sensors for our side objective, Shemri-taichou?" Ayumu asks, still rubbing his eyes.
Releasing the worm from her tattoos, Moe now uses them to guard herself as she jumps off to keep from being smacked into the wall as the worm flees. Luckily they are big enough to block the rocks from falling on top of her. Once it's gone, she would allow the snakes to vanish back into her clothes then stand upright to refasten her obi to tighten her kimono back properly. "Well, that was entertaining," he says with a smirk before looking to Ayumu. "You alright, little boy? Need a cup of juice or something to calm your nerves?"
Shemri nods to Ayumu. "Very well." From there, the mission is fairly straightforward. They return to the shaft where the cave-in occurred and move the survivor and the two corpses back up to the primary mine. They don't want to fool around with setting up a pulley system when the giant worm (and maybe others of its kind) might show up again, so they make do with hauling the bodies, both living and dead, up directly in tow using Shemri's sashes, with the other two nin coming up behind to stabilize things. Not the safest method possible if the area itself wasn't a danger, but it is, and as ninja they can manage. Fortunately the worm doesn't make another appearance that day, and the Suna nin are able to report the outcome of their mission to the mine supervisor and recommend a higher-class mission to eradicate the biohazard. :P
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
