Starring:
Meruin, Fulgur (emitter)
Date: July 30, 2011
Summary:
Temporarily driven half-insane, Meruin goes on a killing streak.
WARNING: Contains strong violence.
"The Power of Control - Symptoms of Insanity"
Kirigakure's Rice Paddy Fields
This is probably one of the more quiet places of Kirigakure, save for
the usual worker making rounds in the field with soft sploshes of their sandals
touching the saturated earth. Despite the various calls of the birds nested here,
those are largely ignored and easily blend into the background, so to speak.
A commotion starts…
The birds' cries grow stronger as something upsets them, though whatever
it is goes unknown. Some begin to take flight and give warning to others in the
area, including the workers who may still be in the field. It's best to take
cover at this time and haste must be made, lest someone be a victim today.
The commotion was Meruin.
The nine year old was cresting another hill, moving down it with an
excessive amount of speed, a severed arm in his hand and blood covering from
fingertip to elbow. His face was caught in the rictus of a snarl, the usual mask
of calm nowhere to be found around his face. Indeed, control in general seemed to
be beyond him as he darted down the hill and over the water of fledhling
rice-paddies towards the workers. This was he who they called 'The Defiler of the
Flesh'.
He raised an arm, a shuriken whirring from underneath his sleeve in the
direction of a somewhat distant worker, the steel moving swiftly. Immediately
after, he took to the skies in a high arcing leap, the boy's eyes trained on a
separate worker.
The birds took flight and left the area. Those workers who did not heed
the warning were left to be picked off by the one they deemed the Defiler of the
Flesh.
The shuriken streaked across the field, easily lodging itself into the
distant worker who immediately fell to the ground. The man wasn't down and out
yet, but he was close. He rose to his hands and knees in an attempt to gather
himself and continue running, the adrenaline now coursing through his body
refusing him the option of suffering in the field.
No one knew which worker he'd be targeting next, but they didn't want to
find out. The natural reaction of looking back to make sure the distance between
them and the Defiler was lengthy at best may have cost some a few precious
moments as they went stumbling through the marshy waters towards safety in the
forms of huts and some stone structures.
Meruin gave chase as prey sought to escape, landing on the back of the
man who'd caught his shuriken with his stomach, breaking the worker's spine with
the force of his fall. He took the shuriken out, slashed his throat with a talon,
and immediately took off after those who were attempting to get away. The bloody
shuriken took to the air again, flying towards the back of another worker as the
boy put on speed, flying even faster. A platinum covering of fur was springing up
in patches along his cheek, arms, and legs.
The sickening crack of the spine followed by the slash of the throat set
the workers into overdrive to escape. Some made it inside their homes and made
sure the hatches were secure. Still, there were some that lived farther and their
only haven was the larger stone building that was beginning to close its doors.
A woman's cry pierced the air having been stricken by the shuriken that
was thrown. She, unlike the male, continued to lay on the ground, though she
wasn't done for yet. Help was on the way.
Some of the workers took to arms to attempt to fight off the threat
while wondering where their help would come from, if there's any. Armed with all
manner of gardening tools and some with ninja accessories, they went out to fight
the threat that was Meruin. They couldn't wait any longer and watch themselves
get slaughtered.
Luckily, help wasn't too far away. In a few more moments, they'd be
flashing onto the field to fight off the threat and get people to safety. In
fact, just now a few smoke bombs were thrown to the ground near the woman who was
lying in the field. A couple of ninja were on their way to scoop her up and bring
her to safety, being ahead of the pack that was soon to come.
Resistance was met with a growl from deep in the throat of the nine year
old, the sound entirely animalistic. The fur that was on his body quickly spread
across the whole of his body as he met the garn-tool wielding workers head on
with a beastial bellow. The talons on his fingers extended slightly and he
vanished, reappearing on the far side of the line before darting through the
whole group of resistors, each of them finding themselves to have new smiles
adorning their throats.
That done, he turned to the sound of the explosion of the smoke bombs,
their clouding the sight of the woman insignificant. It was more the presence of
threateningly loud sounds and it's heralding of new enemies. Meruin's misted eyes
narrowed as the police force began to arrive. More motion, more people
confronting his dominance. He threw himself towards where the smoke was, seeking
to stomp resistance out.
The workers, faced with not a boy, but a beast quickly lost what morale
they had as he began to take shape into something entirely different. What /was/
he?!
Their answer came in the form of a roar and subsequently, sliced
throats. By now, the other workers had escaped and those taking the field now are
the ninja tasked with capturing the rampaging youth.
The woman was taken to safety inside the stone building where she would
be treated by a resident healer. The rest of the ninja flickered onto the field
where they'd begin to make seals, those that controlled water acting first.
They wanted to end this quickly and effectively, so their efforts were
focused specifically on restraining him. If necessary, the water prison would be
utilized. Two ninja sent out two jets of water, the smoke now clearing, to reveal
them heading straight for Meruin to knock him out of the air and onto the ground.
Meruin avoids both juts of water with a sidewards sliding jumping,
clearing them with a bit of breathing room. But he didn't take any time for that,
instead, already darting straight towards the main bulk of the ninja that'd made
their way to apprehend him, his arms lashing out towards the two who'd shot the
streams of pressured water at him. Glints of light showed the two more shuriken
finding their way towards those nin. Darkness was beginning to spread across his
body, a chitin as black as the abyss covering the silken fur in patches across
his body.
The first shuriken was dodged by one ninja, but the other wasn't so
lucky and was stricken with it in his chest. He did wear protective gear however,
so that may have softened the blow of the shuriken, despite it managing to draw
blood. The two spread out and made way for two more ninja to come in, these two
firing off large bullets of water towards Meruin in an attempt to slow him down.
The surrounding ninja began to make seals as well to keep the attacks
coming for the chance to finally trap him. At this rate, he might take out the
whole force if they're not prepared.
Meruin ducked the first water bullet, his small child's form dipping
easily underneath and rising back up on the otherside to see the next bulelt
speeding his way. He sidestepped in his forward motion but it clipped him in the
side. He used that momentum to whirl into a spin that took him smoothly around
the final bullet.
He was closer now, still growling, and dealing with numerous enemies. The
spinning… didn't stop, though his forward motion did. Instead, it increased,
getting faster and faster until his hair whipped out away from him, trying to
follow the air that fled the force of him. Abruptly, an explosion of spider silk
threw itself from his body in all directions, swiftly streaking to 200 square
yards of acidic silk-land. A moment later, Meruin burst from the center, again
covered in spider silk and now adorned with four large spider limbs from his back
that were made of the same substance.
He rushed towards the village proper, eyes scanning for survivors.
More than the couple that attacked him were trapped. There were others
that ended up layered in the acidic silk and left to burn beneath it. There were
still a fortunate many that were outside of the radius, though they'd have to
watch where they were stepping. They couldn't afford to come in close to attack
what was growing into a beast before their eyes. The boy seemingly changed at any
given moment.
Two ninja came up again, after focusing, drawing up water into the air
only to fire them off in a torrent of needle-like drops. If there were any
workers that were around, they were more than likely trapped in the webbing and
unable to escape.
Meruin simply trucked through the needles that flew his way, half of the
sharpened liquids simply rebounding off of the hard shell beneath his fur while
the other half thudded into him hard enough for the force that spread through his
body to cause a bit of pain. That pain only brought a bellow from the nine year
old's chest, the sound blasting past the fangs that hung heavy in his mouth at
the offending ninja trying to apprehend him.
That sound was almost like a clarion call, a horn sounding to rally the
troops. Suddenly, from the small sea of silk that the boy had just thrown about
came large mobs of spiders, surprising and seeking closely bunched groups of
ninja to swarm and destroy, leading them to a spider-bitten death. And all the
while, Meruin let some of the silk covering his arms drift int longer strands and
rushed toward the ninja that was closest, lashing out with the acidic strands
until they were downed and moving on to the next.
How unlucky one must be to be swallowed by by an army of well
coordinated spiders. The group hardly saw the attack coming and they paid for it.
Now they have to spend time getting them off, if able… Doubtful.
The others in the surrounding area thought they were prepared, but the
boy keeps getting stronger by the second. Can he even be called a boy anymore?
He's darn near a spider. Were all Okumo like this?
Flickering away from the silken whisps, the ninja began to retaliate
with whatever they could muster. Part of the field was covered in acidic spider
silk and at this rate, they might not have much to work with if he keeps spinning
threads. They continue their attacks, driving themselves further away so that
they could distance themselves from him and spare some chance at living long
enough to attack.
As they've done before, they coordinate their attacks in twos and switch
out to allow for some consistency. Two walls of water were formed and rushed
towards the spider boy to crush him in. Another ninja, mostly fearful, flees the
scene to go alert others. Though, considering the damage, others should be on
their way by now…
As the attacks came on and the ninja began to spread out, some to flee,
Meruin let out a deeper growl, throwing himself forward. He rushed straight at
the wall in the front of him, hands flashing, the wind picking up until there was
a shield of his own in front of him, a tempest kept under heel and wrapped around
him. He leapt at the water wall and met it straight on, the wind dashing the wall
to liquid rubble. For a time. He was almost through it when it pierced his
defenses and it carried him backwards, some, slamming him into the other wall.
Mist was thrust about as moving water met moving wind until both dissipated.
Hitting the ground, Meruin let out a grunt of ragged rage. The spider
legs along his back suddenly grew segmented plates of spider chitin over them and
new eyes sprouted on his face before those huge spider legs, twice as long as he
is tall, slammed into the ground, lifting him from it to let loose a bellow at
the offending ninja.
Trapdoors opened up, suddenly, beneath various ninja over and near the
silk-infested land. Platinum strands leapt out to capture the ninja and pull them
in for the poisonous spiders inside to consume. And then Meruin vanished… He
reappeared near various ninja, lashing out with claws, strands of silk whipping
out with them.
It doesn't make sense. This one keeps rebounding with everything they
throw at him and it's not getting any easier to take him down. While they're
growing tired, he's growing stronger. Where are the reinforcements?
They were just about there and knew what to expect, but it appears the
person of interest has changed since they were warned. Now it seems the inividual
/is/ a spider more or less. Needing time to regroup, the forces gather around and
place themselves on the defense, hoping they might last long enough to attack
once again.
By now, the area is as good as destroyed. The rice prices might be going
up locally for this one and the waters as well as soil might be affected for some
time after this. Production will be cut down and all because of an insane spider.
His prey was winding down, now on the defensive, and Meruin's grimace
only tightened, as though it'd only made him angry that he was winning. Group
together as they were, it was the perfect opportunity to take them all out in one
fell swoop. He vanished, reappearing amidst them, standing above them all on his
8 feet long spider legs. With a spider's speed he dipped down, merely laying
hands on all there. Ah, but the toxin…
Whoever was touched would soon feel the effects of the toxin moving
through their bodies. What was supposed to bring pain actually brought bliss.
They can't fight effectively with their bodies slacking on them. Dying slowly has
never felt better…
That leaves behind a spare few individuals of the first wave and the
rest of the second wave to deal with. One of the ninja of the second wave began
to unleash a water dragon, using up a decent amount of water to send forth and
take down the beast they were up against. Another was working on a trap to put
him in. This has gone on long enough and they didn't have much more time to lose.
The longer this went on, the more wild he became.
Meruin turns to look the newcomers, drool staining the fur around his
snarl. His hair flared out behind him, undulating violently into the air as his
body converted it's physical energy into reserves of a more spiritual kind,
chakra flooding his body once more as he stayed crouched over those he'd brought
to his touch.
Meruin took one of those ninja at his feet, his misted eyes challenging
anyone to come close enough to those he'd claimed as prey for him to take
offense. But, for the moment, his intent wasn't attack. Not yet, anyway. No. Now,
the defiler had taken some damage and it was looking to replenish it's stores of
energy.
The boy sank his fangs into the neck of one of hte ninja, lifting the
body up by it's shoulder. Acid flooded the man's veins, quickly beginning to melt
the ninja's insides, turning it into a healthy soup that Meruin swiftly began to
imbibe, sucking the nutrients into himself. He was feeding.
Now there's the rest of the second wave to deal with. One of the ninja
of the second wave began to unleash a water dragon, using up a decent amount of
water to send forth and take down the beast they were up against. Another was
working on a trap to put him in. This has gone on long enough and they didn't
have much more time to lose. The longer this went on, the more wild he became.
Besides, he just turned a first wave ninja into soup. That's not a fate
they want to meet with…
At the sight of the dragon, Meruin leapt into the air, his motion swift
and sure. Yes and still, the water creature caught him in it's jaws and slammed
him back to the earth, the damage of the strike undoing nearly all of the good
that he'd done himself through the consumption of the Kirigakure ninja. When the
deluge finished and he lay in the puddle of the water dragon's remains, the nine
year old picked himself back up — more slowly than he might've at the start of
things — and set his arachnid legs back to work, having them move him forward
and ignoring his own heavy breathing.
He leapt into the air in a motion very much like what he'd just done in
an attempt to avoid the water dragon, soaring high. An outstretching of his limbs
sent his own deluge raining down at his enemies. It was spider silk, meant to
enwrap and entrap, and he'd swiftly follow it down. He darted after ninja who
were entrapped and ninja who weren't, an extra pair of arms finding it's way out
of his torso to aid him as he made to spread death.
The second wave ninja each utilized a means to escape the attacks, some
making use of wind to blast away the tendrils while others sought to burn them
away. The majority used water, whipping away at them until they were secure
enough to create some distance between themselves and the beast they were
fighting.
Those on backup began to make the trap and their combined efforts would
draw the water up and towards the spider until it formed into an orb of water to
keep him trapped inside of. This had to end here and now.
His offense thwarted, Meruin slammed his arachnid legs into the ground
with enough force to crack the ground and leaned forward. His mouth opened wide
and he unleashed a bellow at the ninja as the water around him quickly began to
rise and coalesce.
He vanished…
… And reappeared outside of the orb.
The ninja's attempts at capture had failed and Meruin threw himself into
a spin, seeing to it that they paid for their failure. "Kiri is NO place for the
weak," were the words he spat out, barely recognizable, as his feet touched the
ground and his arachnid legs lifted to the air. Acidic strands of spider silk
flooded the area from the boy.
There was no waste in time before Meruin shot off again, skating along
the ground as though it were made of ice due to wind chakra, leaving the orb of
water a goodly distance behind. Soon enough, he went backto use his arachnid legs
for transport and picked /up/ speed, dashing in. Now, he simply went into a
berserker's rage, lashing out with poisoned talons and poisoned whips made of
spider silk.
This was tougher than they'd thought it be and they suffered for their
underestimation. Yet, they still had the numbers and they were using it to their
advantage to try and apprehend him.
Those that were felled wouldn't quite be avenged. It was because of
their lack of care of what they were facing that brought them this demise so they
deserved what they got. The others would just make sure that they wouldn't suffer
the same.
The attack was performed once more and the water rose from the ground to
form an orb around him. They needed to trap him and quickly. He wasn't holding
back and became more feral. Combating something like this would almost prove
useless if he went any further.
Again the orb of water came up to capture him and again Meruin displayed
his speed, vanishing from the target area and reappearing in front of one of the
ninja who'd been the reason for that jutsu's creation. Abruptly, an arachnid leg
along his back fell from him, hitting the ground with a heavy thud before
beginning to dissolve. The other three spider legs did the same as all that
covered Meruin's body fell away from him, leaving the nine year old naked and
shaking, subtly, seemingly in control of himself again, for the most part.
"Take me."
