Starring:
Date: January 13, 2016
Summary:
A trip to some ruins in the Northern Desert for an enterprising writer gets cut short by serpentine monsters.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Sands Consume You Pt. 1"
Open Desert - Northern Desert [Land of Wind]
The northern desert is a hot, inhospitable place to be. Dry, winds blow through, when there's wind at all, doing more to abuse the flesh than to cool it. But it's here that a mission is happening, with the person who filed the request, and some Sunagakure shinobi in tow. Waffuru is dressed in a draping white cloak and hood, and other clothing suitable to the desert, and has brought BUNCHES of water. Also some research equipment, like paper and pencils. She is hoping to investigate some ruins for signs of ancient records and seal techniques, or maybe just inspiration for a book. But she doesn't want to be out here alone, because she isn't exactly the strongest, and the desert is full of bandits.
The trek here was not short, but at least they all have basic ninja physical abilities (right? RIGHT?) so they made good time. It's night, and the crescent moon in the sky is their only illumination. It's colder now than it was during the day… A blessing. But they don't have all night, and after a trip like that, they probably want to get back to the Village soon so they can sleep.
The ruins before them mostly amount to a collection of pillar fragments and worn stones, few of them even identifiable as anything other than rubble. But it appears that this is the place.
Hiroto had Tenshi sitting on his head.(If Arika wasn't here pushing him off.) "Cold night huh?" He just kept walking.. He was used to the desert getting cold. He didn't like it, but he could deal with it. He just walked up to the ruins for a bit and looked around. "Alrighty… so anything in specific you want us to help look for? Or maybe just have us keep guard?" He knew it was for them to stay here as guards for the mission, but who knows. Maybe she wouldn't mind the extra help. Really for now Tenshi and Hiroto both just started at the ruins examining them.
Akina had avoided walking through the scorching desert for the most part, melding with the earth and traveling through the sand itself towards their destination. When night arrives, much to her relief, the masked kunoichi emerges and falls into step with the group as they approach what appears to be the last remains of some ancient building, it's bones still visible as pieces of pillars and stone make up the last of what it was. Her head turns slightly, with the vague impression that she was looking around them. "Hm, maybe she just wants the extra hands." Akina murmurs back to Hiroto.
"It's fine! I can take of the research part myself." she answers Hiroto and Akina. The red-head starts looking around for anything of note, though she doesn't expect ancient records to just be sitting out in the open after all this time. Waffuru just waves off the concerns of the other two. "Keep an eye out of interruptions and danger. That's all I need. I'm not a fighter."
Well. Time to stand around and watch for danger then. Exciting.
OH NO LOOK A SCORPION IS COMING THIS WAit no, it turned and is going off to the south, nevermind.
Hiroto shrugs and looks at AKina. "Well I guess we just get to sit here and watch huh?" He looks at his bird before pointing to the sky. "Get to looking around Tenshi. We don't want any surprises." He chuckled a bit before looking back to Akina. "You have a way to look around too right? I forget." He smiled a bit before looking over his shoulder at Waffuru…wondering what she might find.
Akina makes a small sound of acknowledgement to Waffuru, turning her attention away from the ruins to begin the steady scan of the desert. Without glancing at Hiroto, she points up at her temple. "Night vision. One of the reasons I'm nocturnal. But also the ground beneath my feet, will alert me to whoever or whatever." she murmurs. "So far I only see what naturally lives out here anyways."
What Hiroto's falcon sees is that not too far from where they are, a bit to the north, south of the region called the Desert of Knives, there appears to be an armed camp of some kind. Probably bandits, but could be mercenaries, or very well-protected traders, or something else. They look local, rather than foreign, in either case. Night time vision is probably less for a falcon than day time, but the fires going in their camps should be enough to see by even from this distance.
What may be discerned by Akina, however, is that there are unusual 'pockets' of vibration in the ground. The sand muffles it a great deal, as it naturally does, which indicates whatever is out there is producing a LOT of seismic activity. And they seem to be moving in a straight line towards that camp that all those hooligans are gathered at. Hmmmmmm…
Waffuru, meanwhile, is trying to dig up the base of a pillar fragment with her hands. She really didn't come prepared for digging. Not a very good archaeologist, is she?
Hiroto heard the little sound from Tenshi that indicated the need to stay alert. "See anything Akina? Tenshi seems to have spotted something nearby." Hiroto looks up at his bird as he flies in a certain way…..the way that indicates there is a fire." THere is some sort of fire….seems like a camp then." He stands up straight and looks out there himself as well. Tenshi moves closer and tries to concentrate on that exact position now.
"See, besides the fire of that camp some ways off that you spotted too, no. But /feel/…" Akina trails off. Bending her knees slightly she reaches out to place a hand on the ground, becoming quiet for a pause or two. "I think there's something below the sand, moving fast towards that camp. I'm not sure how to describe it, but there's more than a little bit of seismic activity, which means that whatever I feel is actually quite worse, since the sand would absorb some of the impact." The mask glances over her shoulder. "In either case, we should be careful."
Waffuru pays half-attention to what's going on. Of course she's concerned about danger! Who wouldn't be? But she just found a REALLY COOL BUNCH OF SYMBOLS on the pillar fragment. Amazing that they haven't been worn away! "Huh… Looks like…"
The men in the camp to the north seem to have realized something is up as well, based on what Hiroto and his falcon can see, because they're leaping up and getting all active, weapons drawn, and pointing off to the west…
"Kinda' like… Umm…" She doesn't know this language, but Waffuru is trying to guess based off of the symbols.
Something long and dark whips up out of the sand, seeming to grab or impale a guy and then pull him back under the sand when it retreats.
"…Snakessssss?" the Uzumaki guesses.
The camp to the north erupts with tremors and activity as horrible, lengthy, dark things erupt from the ground, smashing tents, seizing people, tearing horses in half, and sending the entire camp into chaos in eerie silence due to how distant the camp is from them. Well, maybe faint echoes of screams may be heard, but the wind aids in covering that up.
"Yeah, snakes!" Waffuru straightens up, hands on her hips, looking quite pleased with herself. "Neat!"
Hiroto saw that part now since he was standing up. "Well silicon… Ummm… Waffuru.. I think you should get ready to hide and stay hidden… The ruins might be best though just stay away from the sand." He pulls an arrow free and places it on his bow. "Akina… I am sure you took note of what happened too. Seems like these dangers are already done with the camp.. It happened quick too." Tenshi stayed in the air for fear of getting to close to the sand. "Be ready…. they may come here next." He started charging chakra into his arrow.
"Yeah, snakes…" Akina repeats, though much less enthusiastically so, compared to Waffuru. Exhaling a light breath, she removes her hand and rises to her feet, still feeling the sand beneath her and the distant rumblings. Or now, the lack thereof. "Hiroto, it took a horse in half. It might be better if we run instead of staying and hiding." Though she says this, already she's preparing chakra on the off chance that they're confronted.
Waffuru turns to find out what's going on. She hasn't seen or felt what the other two have, but she gets the gist of it. "Ugh! I get it already, baka! Right now it's really unhealthy to stay here." She looks to the north, but immediately decides she'd rather not see any bisected horses. "I've seen enough for now. If I come back out here again, it's going to be with more protection and better preparations. Let's get out of here!" She then turns and starts dashing south, back towards Sunagakure. Waiting for the monsters to detect them here is probably not the best plan. Even if they were to stay and wait, they'd have no guarantee of being safe. The safest thing they can do right now is not be where the danger is!
…She hopes!
"…And thanks for the heads-up, you two." Waffuru offers as she runs. She wouldn't have known until it was too late without them.
Hiroto frowns and follows as Tenshi does in the air. "Yeah. I suppose that is a true thing, but even then… out here. It will probably catch up to us. Which means we still need to be ready to fight if it makes it here." Which meant they had to be sure… Extra sure that they paid attention to the sand beneath them and behind them. Hiroto kept his pace equal to Akina's just in case she was behind him. Though she figured if she needed to she could move quicker then he could.
Waffuru is already heading south, running as fast as she can muster no doubt. Akina picks up her pace to follow, making sure to keep an eye on their six all the while. "If it, or them, catch up to us, grab her and start running. I'll stay behind to stall whatever it is as long as I can. I doubt it'll get near the village, too many people." Again Akina glances behind them, in the direction of the ruins. "I think that might be it's den too."
