Starring:
Date: February 9, 2015
Summary:
Arisu has been sent to take back a girl from a cult that intends to resurrect its god, the Scarab.
"Scarab them All Away"
Land of Wind
Arisu got the mission from the Mizukage. Her journey to the Land of Wind was probably more than boring, though, in all honesty. Not many people were seeking to mess with her, most of the bandits occupied with travelers who look like they have something of worth and no killing intent. And the beasts didn't come out all that often, either. Within the Land of Wind was a temple; her goal. Torches lined a path to the entrance, all alight to show someone must be at home. Her target, a young girl, is held in chains in a small cage as the men inside make preparations. What is being planned to happen to her can be seen in different portions of the same temple, four stands in each 'corner' of a circular room and one in the center.
Arisu had approached the temple unseen, her body composed of a large, invisible cloud of freefloating chakra, rather than being condensed into a physical body. As she approached the entrance however, the chakra moved in on itself, shaping itself into a feminine form, in a black dress.
She stepped into the entrance of the temple, and began to walk more quickly… Her footsteps were silent, and as she extended her chakra cloud around her, down various paths, she picked her way through the interior of the temple, on the hunt for the young girl that she had been sent here to rescue.
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with GHOST-INVISIBILITY with a roll of: 50
[NPC System]: Grunt Guard roll(s) SENSES from 15 to 30 and get(s) a 19. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
The guards that stand outside (for there are a few!) don't seem to notice Arisu… at all… The girl gets in fairly easily, as most expect people to make a big show of entering and rescuing and the like. Further in, people are probably a bit more wary… a bit more stronger. But for now, the way is basically clear. The room that the girl is within is filled to the brim with people preparing everything for the tribute. All she can do for now is watch within her cage and just hope that she can manage to escape… or something. Either way, she wants to avoid getting tied to a post and eaten by a giant scarab that these people revere as a god…
Arisu steps silently up to the edge of the room, looking around, and counting the number of people within the room holding the girl… If there were few enough, there was nothing in her mission parameters that suggested she couldn't simply kill them… Though if there were too many, a stealthier approach may have to be necessary.
There are ten men total in the room, though only five look to be fighters. The others are priests that are preparing for the ritual. All the guards, though, are focused around the cage. Apparently this girl is very valuable to them… A needed component for this ritual. She's thin, from what Arisu can see, thanks to being malnourished via captivity. Her hair is rather short, ending just below her chin, though it's a bit ragged thanks to rough treatment. Bruises and cuts are visible on her arms and legs, and a secure iron shackle chains her leg to the cage she's in. Around her neck is a collar, showing that she's a slave. Green eyes are looking on the ritual nervously, the priests starting to chant.
Arisu observes for only a few more seconds before nodding to herself… There were few enough actual fighters that she could probably simply kill them and be done with it. And so, she began to focus her chakra, the chakra in the cloud surrounding her beginning to swirl wildly, as she prepared it for use… Though none of her would-be opponenets would be able to tell unless they were sensor-nin… and even then, she would already be lit up like a Christmas Tree, so she suspected none of them were sensors.
Arisu is correct in assuming such. The priests here don't run a popular 'religion' here, so they have very little money at their disposal to hire shinobi guards. The guards stay as oblivious as ever, though a few of them turn their heads away as the four sub-priests stab the girls that are already tied to posts. It seems the ritual is starting, and it's moving fast! The priests continue to chant in some non-Japanese language, most of it sounding just like random noises. The four start to pound a rhythm with their feet. /1/ 2-3 /1/ 2-3 /1/ 2-3
And Arisu moves quickly… Or rather… well… She doesn't actually move. Not so much as hand symbols, even… Instead she condenses her cloud of chakra just behind the slaves being killed — into a small ball of blue flame, totally inconspicuous, but glowing bright… And then it explodes in a bright flash. It's followed a moment later with a second explosion, just in case the first one is simply not enough to blind and deafen the priests and bodyguards.
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with FOXFIRE-FLASHBANG with a roll of: 29
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with FOXFIRE-FLASHBANG with a roll of: 41
[NPC System]: Guard roll(s) Sixth Sense from 20 to 45 and get(s) a 41. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Guard roll(s) Sixth Sense from 20 to 45 and get(s) a 38. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
Something is wrong… One of the guards realizes this and immediately reacts, saying, "GET DOWN!" and managing to avoid getting attacked. The others aren't as lucky, though… Four of the Five guards are down and out for the count thanks to the lucky (or is it skilled?) shot, and many of the priests are just surprised enough that their chanting ceases. "The girl!" shouts the head priest. "Get her!"
Though she's not willing to be grabbed…. She isn't being let out of her cage as the remaining guard drags her over to the head priest towards the center of the room. The most she can do, though, is just stare, green eyes wide as she pictures her fate. A faint spark of hope was there when the explosionon happened, but there was no one? Where was her 'knight in shining armor' like her parents told her about?
Arisu's invisible body flickers briefly, coming into view shortly after the flashbang explosions, only to flicker back out of existence again. Instead of becoming invisible however, Arisu appears on the other side of the room, behind the Guard that grabbed the girl.
She spoke softly, "…Release the girl. If you don't, I'll kill you. It will not be quick. It will be slow, and agonizingly painful." Her voice was even, and nearly monotone. As if to show that she meant business, three ghostly, ethereal kunai materialized in front of him, one pointed at his face. One at his belly, and one at his groin.
Having Arisu's voice come out of nowhere is very surprising, and also very creepy. It was like being in your own personal horror movie! He coughs lightly, face now drained of almost all color, and steps back from the cage. "I don't have the key… But you can take her," he says, struggling to keep his voice steady. The head priest looks furious at the guard. "I'm not paying you to give her up, I'm paying you to protect us and her! If you're not doing your job, then you're not getting paid!"
The head priest, one might notice, has a knife slip into his hand as he steps towards the pathetic guard, slitting the man's throat. Then his gaze turns to Arisu, eyes narrowed. She didn't look like much, but she took out the five guards he hired. The man throws the blade he used to cut the first man at Arisu, providing a distraction, hopefully, before making a grab at the cage so he can unlock it and drag the poor girl out.
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Knife from 25 to 45 and get(s) a 33. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
RPCOMBAT: Arisu defends against with a GHOST-FLICKER…43
The knife… does nothing. As soon as the blade touches Arisu's body, it simply flickers, her skin flashing white, then disappearing entirely to display skull and bones, before flashing back to a normal form again. The knife itself… passed right through her, It keeps flying rapidly behind her, but stops all of a sudden after a few feet, floating in the air.
"…Thank you." Arisu says evenly, "You saved me the trouble of killing him anyway." She didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that the man was killed… Everyone needed to die anyway.
The knife behind Arisu slowly turned to reorient itself on the priest, before shooting forward like a dart, blade extended toward his throat.
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with POLTERGEIST-II with a roll of: 30
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Dash Step from 20 to 45 and get(s) a 36. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
The man is quick with his hands, as well as quick on his feet. It takes him almost no time to free the girl and avoid the knife, allowing it to thud on the floor behind him. "Take her," he tells one of the priests nearby, kicking the man so he gets up to take the girl and tie her to the post in the middle of the room about ten feet away. In the meantime, the head priest grabs a conveniently placed weapon that was actually /within/ the ground. A long spearlike weapon usually called a glaive. He takes a step forward with the weapon, spinning and making a arcing slash twice against the ghost-like Arisu.
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Slice from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 36. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Slice from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 54. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
RPCOMBAT: Arisu defends against with a GHOST-FLICKER…40
RPCOMBAT: Arisu counters with POLTERGEIST-GRAPPLE…46
The glaive passes through Arisu the first time, her body flickering through it. The second slash is pushed back against, with an unseen force… but it breaks free and strikes the ghostly girl. Arisu barely stumbles back, the glaive having sliced cleanly into her body from shoulder to belly.
There was no blood.
The wound didn't bleed. Not even a splatter. Instead, it rapidly knit itself back together. Eventually, there was no visible wound at all, and Arisu didn't seem much worse for wear. She frowned at the High Priest. "Foolish man." She says dully… and then in much deeper echoing bass tone, "You can't kill what's already dead."
Arisu's body twitches slightly, her bones cracking loudly beneath her flesh, as her arms and fingers start to lengthen visibly. Her eyes shift as well, becoming more sunken into her head, while her skin takes on a positively corpse-like pallor. The black of her pupil seems to leak away, switching places with the white of her sclera. She speaks again, still in the deep, nearly demonic voice "But the dead… can certainly kill you."
As if coming to an unspoken call, semi-transparent arms begin to reach up out of the ground along the temple floor, scratching and clawing at the stone and sand as they slowly claw their way up out of the ground, their bodies grotesque, and their eyes piercing and predatory. As they come out of the ground, they begin to move quickly toward the High Priest and his flunkies. They screech and moan loudly as they move, their sounds clearly inhuman and angry. If any of the priests had the presence of mind to try and see through a Genjutsu… they'd find that this, as horrifying as it might be, was quite real… There really were angry spirits coming for them, clawing at them. Biting at them… consuming their very life essences to transfer them to Arisu.
RP: Arisu transforms into MALEVOLENCE.
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with GHOST-CLONE-II with a roll of: 41
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Interrupt from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 45. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Parry from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 60. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Parry from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 54. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Parry from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 45. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Parry from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 45. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Parry from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 45. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
The head priest uses his glaive to sweep through all the spirits that Arisu has summoned, able to disperse the chakra that makes them up. "You cannot destroy those who are holy," he replies, eyes narrowed. "The ritual shall be completed, and the Scarab shall rise again! I don't know who you are, but shinobi are not welcome here!" Then he removes paper from his cloak, the kanji for 'purge' written on it. "Begone!" he shouts, attempting to stick the tag onto the ghosty Arisu while the man in back ties the girl to the post with shaking hands. He messes up a few times in his tying, though, slowing the process.
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Purge! from 38 to 68 and get(s) a 67. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
Arisu shakes her head slowly, "You're worse than a fool. You're a madman and a murderer." She tilts her head at the tag, and raises a hand to try and push back with poltergeist power, but is unsuccessful. The tag touches her hand, and she suddenly vanishes with a screech. Apparently, the tag worked… For now.
With Arisu no longer interfering the men are able to restrain the girl, though she fights and kicks /a lot/ to try and get free. The months of mistreatment, though, are not kind, and it doesn't take much from two men to subdue her despite the fact she was trying her best. "Now to complete the ritual…" murmurs the head priest. "Get into position!" he then shouts, sending the man who helped him to his 'corner' and they begin to chant. "Sa-Tsss-Ma-Shi-O-Ki-Wa-E-A-To-Pa" Definitely nonsensical, but apparently it means something. While they chant, the head priest slits the girl's throat. However, it's shallow, as they only need her blood.
Arisu was supposedly gone… At least at first, after a bit, the effects of the purge tag faded, and her power to effect the rest of the world around her returned… And she was clearly very very unhappy.
The ghost girl uses her poltergeist abilities to first invisibly untie the ropes holding the girl to the post — Though a disembodied whisper in the girl's ear tells her to sit still… and prepare to dodge the man with the knife.
Then, she reappears behind the Head Priest, eyes blazing. Hoping to catch the man off guard, she concentrates her poltergeist powers on him instead… He might feel an unnerving surge of primal instinct telling him to MOVE from the area, and quickly — a split second before the poltergeist power solidifies around the man to hold him in place.
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with POLTERGEIST-GRAPPLE with a roll of: 48
[NPC System]: High Priest roll(s) Parry from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 59. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
The guards don't notice her getting untied… Though by that point, her throat was already slit. A thin line of blood started to drip down, and the men continue to chant, even as the High Priest deals with Arisu. "I thought you disappeared… Go back to whence you came!" he shouts, finding another seal in his pockets. It had a kanji on it: one that was ancient and had the character that was an ancestor of the current kanji 'lightning'. He attempts to slap the seal onto Arisu again, hoping to injure her enough that she disappears for good.
[NPC System]: High Priest roll(s) Lightning from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 48. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
RPCOMBAT: Arisu defends against with a GHOST-FLICKER…48
Arisu's body flickers as he tries to stick her with another tag, "Your seals are cheap tricks… Just like shinobi. They're not holy, and can't keep me gone forever." She turns her poltergeist abilities on the girl, instead of the priest… Unable to move she'd be unable to escape in time… and it would allow Arisu to push the blood back into the girl's veins, and keep it there while she dealt with the Priest. Once she had her, she lifted the girl toward the ceiling of the temple, to wait for Arisu to finish… First thing's first… protect the cargo. Second: Eliminate witnesses.
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with POLTERGEIST-III with a roll of: 35
The young girl whimpers a bit as she's picked up, but doesn't do much more. Arisu was the one who was going to save her, and she was grateful for that. The Head priest can't stop Arisu from taking the girl, either, to which he's rather angry about. Instead, he wields his glaive and attempts to slash Arisu once more, two graceful slashes aiming for the 'ghost''s head.
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Arc Slash from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 54. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Arc Slash from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 50. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
RPCOMBAT: Arisu defends against with a IMPERFECT-INCORPORIETY…48
RPCOMBAT: Arisu counters with POLTERGEIST-GRAPPLE…48
The Glaive comes around to slash her across the face twice, though once again there is no blood, and the wounds quickly knit back together as if they were never there. The ghost girl frowns darkly as she eyes the man, she opens her mouth, as if to speak… but instead of speaking, she SCREAMS at the top of her lungs — if she had lungs that is. Either way, the sound is likely very painful, unless the priest can defend himself against the vibrations. She doesn't stop after one burst, the sound continues on long after a normal person would have been out of breath, cracking the stone on the ground as the vibrations become too much.
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with BANSHEE-SCREAM with a roll of: 69
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with BANSHEE-SCREAM with a roll of: 60
The sound… It's a screaming like no other. The High Priest and those around him cover their ears, but not even that is enough to block the sound. They drop to their knees, trying to make it so their heads are no longer visible as they are ducking between the legs to escape the horrible sound. The young girl is still… just floating up near the ceiling because of Arisu.
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with FOXFIRE-BOMB with a roll of: 48
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with FOXFIRE-BOMB with a roll of: 41
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with FOXFIRE-BOMB with a roll of: 44
[NPC System]: Head Priest roll(s) Seal Barrier from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 42. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Priests roll(s) Roll from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 44. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Priests roll(s) Roll from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 49. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Priests roll(s) Roll from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 42. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Priests roll(s) Roll from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 26. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Priests roll(s) Roll from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 48. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
Of the priests, two are able to completely escape. The others end up dying a horrible fiery death. The head one is caught by the foxfire, but is otherwise okay. Just a bit… crispier than he'd like. "Get that spirit!" he yells, pointing wildly at Arisu. The priests don't really like this order, but they'll die anyway. Might as well go down fighting, right? One of them wields a cross. A large come with pointy spikes on one end that are tipped with poison. The other uses a sword. They both charge at Arisu in an attempt to kill her (as much as possible), one slashing, the other stabbing.
[NPC System]: Sword Priest roll(s) Slashy from 30 to 50 and get(s) a 33. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Sword Priest roll(s) Slashy from 30 to 50 and get(s) a 31. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Cross Priest roll(s) Stabby from 30 to 50 and get(s) a 46. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Cross Priest roll(s) Stabby from 30 to 50 and get(s) a 30. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
RPCOMBAT: Arisu defends against with a GHOST-FLICKER…47
RPCOMBAT: Arisu defends against with a GHOST-FLICKER…46
RPCOMBAT: Arisu defends against with a IMPERFECT-INCORPORIETY…59
RPCOMBAT: Arisu defends against with a GHOST-FLICKER…54
Arisu hisses inhumanly, her teeth long and blackened in her mouth. She continues hissing even as the priests' weapons pass through her constantly flickering body, but otherwise does nothing as she watchest the High Priest, aparently watching him, and paying little attention to his flunkies.
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with BANSHEE-SCREAM with a roll of: 74
COMBAT: Arisu attacks target 1 with BANSHEE-SCREAM with a roll of: 56
[NPC System]: Priests roll(s) Vacuum Maker from 50 to 80 and get(s) a 80. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Priests roll(s) Vacuum Maker from 40 to 80 and get(s) a 69. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
And again… The priests all fail to gain any ground on Arisu, their attacks, both tricky and brutal pass right through her… She begins hissing again, and this time, she doesn't stop. Instead, the sound grows louder… and louder… and LOUDER… Shaking stones and rattling the foundations of the temple. A large crack runs up one of the pillars with the extended sound a it grows to nigh impossible decibel levels in an attempt to finally kill the priests
[NPC System]: Priests roll(s) Three Seal Barrier from 40 to 80 and get(s) a 49. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Priests roll(s) Three Seal Barrier from 40 to 80 and get(s) a 50. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
[NPC System]: Priests roll(s) Three Seal Barrier from 40 to 80 and get(s) a 76. - Rolled by: Tsubaki
The structure cracks, but doesn't break. A lot of cracks… So many… The ceiling is going to cave in at any moment. The priests decide to do a last-ditch effort. With only three, it's not as strong… But it can still work. Three seal tags were brought out, one for each man, and set around Arisu. If successful, a shield would appear and hopefully break Arisu's hold on the girl. Should this work, someone would attempt to catch the girl.
Arisu hisses again as the barrier comes up… And the girl drops, as Arisu's chakra cloud is disrupted by the barrier… She glances at the girl again as soon as it disappears, attempting to reestablish her hold on the girl before she can be dropped down too far…
Arisu is able to catch the girl, but in the meantime, the priests are able to run away. They can't complete the ceremony like this, so they'll just save their own lives for now… Of course, that means that technically Arisu failed her mission, but at least she succeeded in taking the girl back. With the priests gone and the girl retrieved, Arisu can probably go back to Kirigakure.
