Starring:
Kefka (emitter), Michiko, Hige, Kiji, Reza
Date: May 20, 2016
Summary:
The Lands of Lightning, Water, and Fire all receive the same distress cry as the Storm Brigade target more innocents.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Storm Brigade - A Message From The Storm"
Neutral Island north of the Land of Water
A bit of paranoia has begun to spread with the rumors of black-robed figures being accompanied by storms that wipe out entire towns. There've begun to be quite a few false alarms that are simply normal seasonal weather hitting a town, but they can't really be ignored lest a real attack by these people come.
Today's cry for help comes from an island farming village that trades with most of the lands around it in one way or another, depending on conditions. It sits a few days' sail east of Kirigakure, and storm clouds have hung overhead for a couple days before the carrier birds arrived at the villages asking for help. The way the storm was described, it is quite heavy for the island this time of year, enough to warrant concern that it could in act be an unnatural storm.
By the time anyone is able to arrive, a large number of the houses on the island are already underwater. Those uphill aren't completely submerged, but are mostly at least halfway covered. Some of the townsfolk are gathered in large clusters in building up at the highest elevations on the island. Others are on top of houses or in the tops of trees, clinging on for dear life among the insane wind, rain, and lightning that threatens to obliterate their entire way of life. A number, however… are seen floating lifeless or being swept under by the currents caused by the storm. There are even a few that are missing limbs thanks to predatory ocean life swarming around the island. All in all, even if it's not caused by jutsu, this storm could very well destroy this place.
Whether or not it's a false alarm, Kumogakure would send a few shinobi to investigate the matter. Michiko herself hasn't gone on a mission in some time thanks to the recent news the Raikage brought with him. And the fact that the Raikage was absent for the past few months… So she takes a small boat out to this island (apparently by herself… Because dang PCs be lazy :|) and squint a bit. "This is going to work out well…" she mutters, eyeing the island and directing her boat to the right place. A few well-placed bursts of wind should get her there sooner or later.
Kiji had been on a patrol when word of the storm had come. She sent her squad back to Kirigakure, hoping for backup to follow as she herself moved north at top spee. The island wasn' technicly Kiri territory but it was close enough to get her attention. She had long white hair done in a braid that hung down her back. Her clothes were black silk with a white mark of a spider on one hem. She wore sleeveless top and a black pleated skirt and at first glance she might appear to be acivilian. She did wear a hitai-ate on her forehead, though.
Arriving slightly before Michiko, Kiji had already walked up to a few of the houses trailing boats on ropes, gathering survivors of roofs to bring to land. As Michiko got closer Kiji paused and flipped her hair over her hitai-ate before opening her senses more fully, searching for anyone nearby with chakra higher than a civilian.
Leaf was wary to send anyone on this request, due to it's close nature to the Land of Water and not wanting to give them a reason to start a war. Those bloodthirsty Kiri folks! So the craziest person Konoha has takes it and goes. Poor Konsho and Kizoku, having to deal with Hige. They were well on their way as soon as they heard about the issue and didn't even bother to get a boat. It would've taken too long and trying to get someone to sail a Leaf nin into hostile waters is not high on peoples lists of things to do. As soon as they arrive Konsho scoops out someone flailing in the water onto his back and the three Inuzuka land on 'dry' land to drop him off. There may be rain, but that doesn't completely drown out the scents, and there's one nearby that is surprisingly familiar. "Kiji?" And then there's an actual boat. Smart Michiko.
COMBAT: Shifty focuses 8280 stamina to turn it into 10000 usable chakra!
COMBAT: Michiko focuses 8869 stamina to turn it into 12000 usable chakra!
COMBAT: Kiji focuses 7205 stamina to turn it into 10000 usable chakra!
RPCOMBAT: Kiji defends against with a AUGMENTED-PERCEPTION…59
RP: Hige transforms into KONSHO.
COMBAT: Hige focuses 6042 stamina to turn it into 8000 usable chakra!
RPCOMBAT: Hige defends against with a INUZUKA-SENSES-II…67
Naughty, naughty. Haven't these goofs learned that those who try to help against the Storm wind up getting obliterated by it?! Maybe their friends haven't been informing the properly of the kind of battles they're going through in trying to save these people. Such carelessness!
Strangely enough, there are no scents besides those of the villagers available for rescue. Even chakra sense wouldn't be able make a lot of sense of what's going on here as far as who or how many might be controlling this storm. It's as if the entire storm itself well as the water around it are absolutely full of chakra. There's not much way to pick out a person at all, except for one… The white-haired one and the one with the dogs are the first to act, thus they shall be the first to get a 'warning shot'.
As a black cloak-adorned figure suddenly rises from the depths of the ocean with rather insane speed, its hands are already pointed at the Okumo and Inuzuka Trio as well as the civilians they are trying to help. Fierce streams of lightning fly from its hands, attempting to severely damage the shinobi and annihilate those they're trying to help.
RP: Michiko transforms into SIZZLE-I.
Michiko watches as the black-cloaked figure appears and she would frown just a bit as she gathered her chakra. A thin slice of wind would form in her hand, and she would throw it towards the figure even as he (she?) sent lightning right towards Hige and Kiji … Not that she recognizes them at first. But when she saw the two ninken, she could assume it was probably Hige. An ally. Kiji is a bit questionable, but she seemed to be helping out the civilians, so obviously Kiji is on her side, right?
COMBAT: Kiji defends against LIGHTNING-CRASH(84) attack from Shifty with a RINGS-OF-BLOOD…58
COMBAT: Kiji loses the roll and sustains 1285 damage.
Kiji looked over at Hige as he spoke, though she had sensed him in general. She nodded and kicked one of the boats with her foot so it slid across the water toward Hige. The look in her eyes was simple. Temporary truce. Save the idiot civilians.
She did not have much extra warning when the person came up from the water. It was just enough to establish rings of blood circling around her, putting her directly in the path of the attack and thus protecting the civilians. But it knocked her completely off her feet, threw her back a few yards and plunged her deep into the water. For a moment she seemed stunned, shocked (pun intended) at the impact. She nearly took in a lungful of water before she began swimming, blood forming little propellers to make her move faster out of the water. When she rose, all but one spot in her hair was soaked, her eyes were black on black and she had her gaze set directly on the one that attacked her. Even as blood slipped down her chin from her lips, the hole in her chest closed and the burns soothed. "Cowards."
RP: Kiji transforms into BLOOD-RAGE.
COMBAT: Kiji heals Kiji for 2133 with ADVANCED REGENERATION.
RP: Hige transforms into KONSHO'S-HEART.
COMBAT: Hige defends against LIGHTNING-CRASH(73) attack from Shifty with a BLOCK…62
COMBAT: Hige loses the roll and sustains 2367 damage.
Hige simply nodded to Kiji before he turned, picking up the scent of the new arrival. Feral eyes narrow at the figure before he's moving. As the lightning flashes he and Konsho put themselves directly in the path, both of them taking the full brunt of the lightning and causing no small amount of burns to appear, especially along Higes arms. But they had put themselves between the huddled group and ate it. Kizoku meanwhile has started herding said people away from the lightning wielder and hopefully towards that incoming boat. Despite the burning flesh Hige simply lowers his arms and stares at the figure. "Who are you and what the script do you want?"
Having been informed of Michiko's leaving to investigate the strange storm occurances, Reza tailed after her on his own hoping to both assist and out of his own curiosity. Arriving a short time after Michiko he'd resign himself to observe the situation for now and see what he could learn before directly involving himself as he'd slowly make his way towards the groupings of people.
COMBAT: Shifty defends against WIND-SLICE(42) attack from Michiko with a ACROBATIC-DODGE-II…66
With its attention on those that started trying to help the civlians first, the cloaked figure seems to basically ignore Michiko's existence right up until the blade of air is about to hit it. In a rather impressive, if flamboyant, display of agility, it leaps into the air and flips backward over the blade of wind to land perfectly on top of the water and out of danger of the blade. Reaching toward Michiko, it wags a finger as if admonishing a child then looks toward Hige and actually seems to physically laugh at him, though no actual sound comes from its mouth.
After canting its head a few times back and forth, the being finally decides to act a bit. It lifts its hands into the air as the rain suddenly begins to fall even harder, a large portion of that rain spinning into a torrent that comes down from the heavens to try and sweep all three shinobi that have reached the island so far as well as any of the villagers standing with them up into it. If the shinobi can't defend them from the attack for defending themselves, after all, it's going to be rather difficult to save any that the impact of the water itself doesn't obliterate.
RP: Michiko transforms into SIZZLE-IV.
RP: Michiko uses MUD-CREATION.
COMBAT: Michiko defends against GREAT-WATERFALL(84) attack from Shifty with a EARTH-DOME…88
Michiko would spy Kizoku rushing the people towards her boat and she would start trying to get it ashore and ready for people. Of course, luck dictates that she get attacked before anything good happens, so she has to spew out a lot of mud to properly protect herself, the girl attempting to extend this protection to the civilians and ninken that are rushing towards her. Any others are a bit out of luck…. >.>;
Michiko would wait for a few moments to make sure that the people she was helping were safe, and then she'd seem to disappear for a moment, using chakra to speed herself right towards the shifty person just laughing at them all. "I'd appreciate if you stopped attacking innocents," she would say simply before reaching out to try and tap a few key places that would make it harder for the person to dodge. … Umm, assuming she's close enough. To follow up, another palm surrounded with chakra would shoot out, trying to send in more destructive chakra through the person's system.
COMBAT: Kiji defends against GREAT-WATERFALL(80) attack from Shifty with a RINGS-OF-BLOOD…68
COMBAT: Kiji loses the roll and sustains 1275 damage.
Kiji, dripping wet, silk clinging in a kind of uncomfortable way, glowered at the robed one. She lifted her arms, those rings surrounding her again, spinning in concentric circles. But again she was struck. The impact was greater with the water than the lighting, plunging the Okumo deep into the water. She held tight to her breath, trying to swim out of the roiling current. As she slipped out and away fnally, her breath slipped and she faded slowly eve as her body slowed below the surface, slowly startng to sink…
COMBAT: Hige defends against GREAT-WATERFALL(68) attack from Shifty with a FOUR-LEGGED-DODGE-II…102
Thank God Michiko is taking care of the civilians, cause there's nothing he could do to intercept this. Nothing easy at least. But once he sees the wall forming around them he and Konsho vanish in a burst of speed brought on by four legs. Chakra flows through them and Higes feralness quadruples as he lashed out towards the figure, speed bringing him close as lightning flows from his claws in an effort to rend the thing.
As the water comes and hits, Reza dashes in sweeping up people into his arms along the way, keeping them from sinking and by people.. Kiji if allowed. It wouldn't be long from Michiko's erecting the wall to Reza standing in it's protection. "Ok. I'm late. What I miss!" Reza would call out as he approached Michiko's position charging and unlocking his seal restraints. "Seems like you could use some high voltage."
RP: Reza transforms into STORM-AURA-LVL-3.
COMBAT: Reza focuses 7460 stamina to turn it into 10000 usable chakra!
COMBAT: Shifty defends against MUSCLE-RELAXATION-TECHNIQUE(68) attack from Michiko with a CHAKRA-DODGE-III…88
COMBAT: Shifty defends against DISRUPTION-PALM(42) attack from Michiko with a DODGE-II…68
COMBAT: Shifty defends against LIGHTNING-CLAW-II(70) attack from Hige with a DODGE-II…52
COMBAT: Shifty loses the roll and sustains 792 damage.
The cloaked figure seems to laugh again when Michiko asks it to stop killing innocent people. It almost seems to dance as it dodges around her strikes, seeming way more amused than it should be to be in such a battle. Of course, then it gets a little TOO cocky and doesn't quite judge what it should about the attack Hige and his Ninken are coming at it with. The eletrically-charged attack slams into him and sends him down into the water, plummeting down open for attack.
In other good news, this causes the torrent that had captured Kiji and some of the civilian to die down. Of course, a number of those would be dead. This allows her to be free to act and those that survived along with her to be able to breathe.
COMBAT: Michiko heals Kiji for 2029 with SOOTHING CHAKRA PALM.
"Just a bit. Next time I'd prefer you weren't late," Michiko would shoot back in Reza's direction, even as she chooses to, instead of taking advantage of the offered opening Hige gave, heal Kiji. Who is either with Reza or she stopped tumbling around in the water so Michi could rescue her. Regardless of who has her and the like, Michiko would send chakra through Kiji's system that would both heal and rejuvenate her a bit! How nice. "Kiji-san, you certainly look like you could be worse for wear," she comments. "I'd say more, but that man over there is being very annoying." Michiko nods towards the cloaked person and would step away from Kiji once the Okumo was healed to her liking.
RP: Kiji transforms into BLOODY-EQUILIBRIUM.
Kiji was completely limp whe Reza scooped her out of her shallow water grave, eyes closed, no breath. Something reached out with little legs from her white hair and pinched her neck then, causing her to choke on the water in her lungs. Black on red eyes blinked open slowly and it took her a long moment to figure out where she was. Reza was someone she had never met before, and she flushe red as she realized she was in some strange man's arms. Then Michiko was healing and talking to her. Visibly, her eyes shifted from a crimson eye inside black sclera to an ice blue eye instead. It gave her a feral look but she nodded, calmly.
Slipping to her feet she mumbled a thank you to both of them for the aid and turned toward the one she was talking about. Blood seemed to seep from her pores as her chakra rose even further. She stepped forward her head tilted up slightly, looking 'down' at the robed man. "Leave. Now." A second later her blood converged into half adozen rather large spears that hovered in the air about her… a flick of the wrist and they were sent hurtling at the enemy, hoping to impale, tear apart, maim…. Kiji was easy to please…
Claws rend through the figure and Hige doesn't even look back to the others. His other senses have told him that all is well enough. Instead Hige and Konsho jump high into the air, leaving plenty of space for Kiji's spears to pass, before they start spinning. Not sideways, but head over heel, like a saw blade. The two Inuzuka split in the air and in a burst of speed come down on either side of the figure, not intending to let him have a chance to live. Hige's a tad bit mad.
Reza would offer a smile towards Kiji before nodding towards Michiko. "Aye boss." With that Reza would eye the cloaked figure before nodding. Drawing two shuriken he'd open the fight as he often does. Two lightning kunai to test the target's reflexes and speed. "Anything you can enlighten me on em? Style preferences, element nature?" Reza would leap forward flinging a kunai into the assault already gunning for the cloaked figure
COMBAT: Shifty defends against ARSENAL-OF-BLOOD(90) attack from Kiji with a TENSE…15
COMBAT: Shifty loses the roll and sustains 2577 damage.
COMBAT: Shifty defends against FANG-ROTATING-FANG(92) attack from Hige with a TENSE…21
COMBAT: Shifty loses the roll and sustains 2381 damage.
COMBAT: Shifty defends against LIGHTNING-SHARP(55) attack from Reza with a TENSE…16
COMBAT: Shifty loses the roll and sustains 1008 damage.
COMBAT: Shifty defends against LIGHTNING-SHARP(44) attack from Reza with a TENSE…16
COMBAT: Shifty loses the roll and sustains 946 damage.
As weapons of blood and metal and claws and fangs tear down through the water into the figure, it seems to get shredded to bits. Blood begins to fill the water that does not belong to the civilians, and then it… dissipates? The robed figure literally vanishes amongst the waters of the ocean. And yet the storm above does not subside. In fact it worsens as if the heaven themselves are angry at the shinobi. If Kiji is using her sensor abilities now that they are further down in the water, she would sense something frigthening… There are dozens of shinobi under the water, at least some of them without the need to breathe underwater and the others protected by some kind of barrier. Apparently the one they were fighting is simply the one they sent up to distract the shinobi while the storm continues to flood the island. Now the question becomes who flees or continues to attack first.
Michiko watches the cloaked figure carefully, even as she says, "Storm Brigade. He's used Water and Lightning manipulation this far, and he seems to enjoy using ninjutsu to cause stormy weather much like this." She would pause when the figure itself vanished into the water, and Kiji seemed to be signaling something. It took a moment for Michiko to realize what that something was, but her eyes widened a bit as she pieced together what was being 'said'. "Reza-san, help me get the civilians into this boat… As many as you can." Then she starts moving to try and find anyone who might be alive as she signaled back to Kiji a bit. Something along the lines of 'Can work together on the ship, if needed. Doubt Hige wants to leave…'
RPCOMBAT: Michiko defends against with a MASTERED-EARTHEN-SENSE…95
Kiji opened her mind wide as the enemy dissipated. Something was definitely not right about how he 'died'. What she found sent a shiver downher spine. There were too many of them. She turned to Michiko and the others, yelling out the number basics even as she burst forth with dozens of tentacles, reaching out to snag the various boats and a few people she could reach, helping to put them in the boats and to lash the boats together with blood chains. Then she fashioned a sail on the head boat. All fro her blood. A few miles out it would dissipate once it was out of her range but for now it would hold. Then Kiji was beside Hige. "Get your dogs out of here too." Even as she moved away and started plucking civilians from the various 'safe' plaes and depositing them int he boats. "You need wind. YOU!" She pointed to Reza (as she dd not know his name) "Ue your lightning, charge those storm clouds and it will give us more wind. Get those people out of here. I'll stand betwen them and you for as long as I can." And with that she was running back to her place on the water, watching with her mind's eyes….
RPCOMBAT: Kiji defends against with a WIDE-RANGE-ANALYSIS…87
COMBAT: Kiji attacks target 1 with CRIMSON-TAILS with a roll of: 74
Hige watched, feral eyes scanning the blood in the water before it just…vanishes. That's not right. Someone else was here. And then he heard he Kiji's words on the numbers and he muttered under his breath. Konsho quickly took a few to the boats as well before returning to Hige's side, Kizoku now riding atop Konsho's back. They move out to stand next to Kiji then, Hige giving her a fanged grin and shaking his head. "I'm not leaving until they're safe. Better to have all of us try to help stave off any chase while they get them out." He thumbs over his shoulder briefly before he looks down to the water, seeming to ignore the wind, the rain, even the pain that his burned arms must be giving him. And he waits.
Reza would be prepping another attack to launch when Michiko issued the new orders. Checking the look on her face he knew not to question things as he immediately formed several water clones to assist in retrieving civilians and getting them to the boat. The original Reza would nod towards Kiji. "Lightning I can do. What's coming?" Reza would wait for a moment for the answer before he joined his clones in getting people to the boat.
As the shinobi start to try and get the civilians out, bolts of lightning begin to shoot into the sky above. The clouds begin to surge with lightning, growing more and more with a massive amount of chakra in a way reminiscent of a jutsu some might recognize. There is not much time to think about it, however, as that lightning is not building for nothing. Oddly there is a pattern of kanji that looks odd. If one could look at the surface of the water in a puddle, however, they might notice the pattern spells out 'The Storm Will Cleanse The Earth'.
RPCOMBAT: Michiko defends against with a BODY-FLICKER-TECHNIQUE…78
COMBAT: Michiko heals Hige for 2088 with SOOTHING CHAKRA PALM.
Michiko runs this way and that trying to gather all the civilians to the boat … Well, apparently boats because Kiji is now building a lot of backup boats. How thoughtful. Michiko ushers them over, trying to get them to hurry up. Once all the people that could be saved were heading towards the boats, Michiko zipped over to Hige and Konsho and quickly healed some of their injuries. Enough to maybe get those nasty lightning burns feeling a bit better. "This is fun, isn't it, Hige-kun?" she would ask, voice dripping with sarcasm as she eyed the gathering lightning. Wait, was it … :| Michiko is pretty sure she can't read that and she doesn't want to…
Kiji bent at the knees lightly, watching, waiting.. But as Hige stepped up next to her she blinked at him a few times. Strange to have someone dispbey her orders (like ever) but stranger that that person was marked as an enemy most of the time. She turned again to face and prepare for the oncomming attacks that would start soon. "Hige-san… We shall have a chat if we both survive. However…" She lowered her voice to whisper. "I can regenerate myself. I can take more damage. Use that."
To Reza Kiji simply said, "A legion."
And the storm kicked up a notch. Kiji narrowed her eyes, looking up at the clouds, at the odd way the kanji was backwards, trying to get an idea of what it said… But as she was staring at the clouds she had an idea. "Hold them off if you can." She then sprouted huge bloody wings. A step then another and she leapt into the air, heading straght for the eye of the storm. Storms spun at the center and so, Kiji began flying as fast as she could in the opposite direction. If she could slow theeye ro change it slightly….. it might change the power they weilded.
RPCOMBAT: Kiji defends against with a BLOODY-PINION…121
Hige just lets out a growling chuckle at Kiji's words and he knows that they'll have a good discussion later. But for now he just nods in agreement to waiting for Kiji. Of course he keeps an eye out and waits for the danger. But then he manages to read the sky and mutters a curse. He looks up in time to see Kiji suffering a lightning blow! Yes, that's it! Hige launches forward to catch the incapacitated Okumo before pushing off for the boats at top speed.
As the team races off, the blast comes down to obliterate the island completely, leaving naught but ash and rubble and the carving of the kanji, and likely the broken and nearly dead body of an Okumo foolhardy enough to charge into the eye of the storm… Mission complete?
