Fate Will Find a Way [Dual Contract Search]

[Kaen]

Kaen opened his eyes, lush fertile foliage invaded his vision. Everywhere he looked, as far as he could see, Green. The lavish trees, the wild undergrowth, even the unstoppable moss that took over fallen logs. It truly was a sight to behold. In the distance he could hear the -tap tap tap- of a woodpecker tunneling its way into the side of what could be a new home, or maybe just searching for his breakfast. The leaves lightly rustled in the softy breeze that ran through the tops of the trees. Nearby he could hear the light trickle of water, a small stream perhaps? Kaen was thirsty, at the time, and made his way towards what he hoped was water. He inhaled deeply, taking it all in. The smell of fresh air was pungent coupled with the smell of damp vegetation. The robust earthy aromas were unlike anything he had ever experienced back in Suna. Kaen drew nearer to the source of water, he grew excited as he had been without water for quite some time. Stepping over a rotting log, a twig would snap in the distance! Kaen froze... He was presumably alone out here, at least these were his hopes. After a few minutes of silence, aside from the hustle and bustling noises of nature itself, Kaen dismissed it as nothing and continued on his path.

At last he made it, a quaint stream glimmered brightly like a perfect sapphire in the noon sunlight. Kaen's face brightened up in relief and excitement at the discovery of this precious water source. Without a second's notice he scrambled to the water-side and fell to his knees plunging his head deep under the water. Had he possessed a larger stomach, Kaen might have actually threatened to suck up the entirety of the water's precious life giving drops. The taste was so pure, essence of aqua with a splash of mother nature. Nothing would ever come closer to pure bliss in this moment... With a full stomach and his heart at ease, Kaen slumped backwards into the soft, downy grass. The grass was tall and unkempt, its dagger like strands of leaves danced in tandem with one another as the wind blew like a beautiful orchestral conductor. If you payed close enough attention, nature was not unlike that ya know, each piece having its own part to play in the wonderful music of life. Kaen stared up into the blue sky, light fluffy clouds scuttled their way across the canvass of the heavens. Some were random and without specific shape, but on occasion a similarity could be distinguished in them. That one there, kinda looked like a fish, ooh that one right there looks somewhat like steak! Kaen would lose himself in the simplicity that was nature and fell into a deep, comfortable slumber...

As he slept he dreamt...

EHH EHH EHH EHH EHH EHH EHH EHH EHH! Alarms blazing in his ear, lazily he reached over the the device to silence it. He brought it to his face for closer inspection, it read 6:00 AM. Ugh... just a little longer... he thought... Resetting the strange device he placed it back onto the nightstand. He rolled over and a moment later he was fast asleep again.

Kaen awoke...

Kaen rubbed his eyes awake, how long had he slept? The sun did not look like it had even moved, he wondered what disturbed his strange little nap. No matter, Kaen readjusted himself and found a comfy spot in the dirt and closed his eyes once more...

The dream continued...

EHH EHH EHH EHH EHH EHH EHH EHH EHH! Alarms blazing in his ear, lazily he reached over the the device to silence it. He brought it to his face for closer inspection, it read 6:15 AM. Fine... he thought... He placed the device back onto the nightstand and rolled out of bed. The window was next to his side of the bed, the curtains were closed. It was still dark outside. He stretched widely before forcing himself up. Stumbling over the random pillows over the floor, he barely made it to the bathroom. Why did she even need so many pillows? "They make the bed look nice, they are decorations" Girls... He reached past the sliding glass door and turned the handle, in an instant a flow of water burst from above. In moments the bathroom was filled with steam and he was inside the shower. At first he only stood there, soaking in the warmth. In time he would actually clean himself, but for now... relax. Soon enough he was out and was dressing himself. His pants were black, they paired nicely with his boots that were also black. He reached into the closet and pulled forth another black item, a shirt to be precise. It hung on a plastic hanger, which he placed back into the closet after donning the ebony attire. After tucking everything in nicely he would button up his grey button up uniform. His metal badge glimmered softly in the ill lit bathroom. He straightened his name-tag and walked out into the kitchen. Grabbing a couple of fruit he would exit the house and lock the door behind him. The cool crisp air clashed violently on his previously warm skin. He hurried to the ??? and opened the door. He climbed inside and started it up. He connected a strange wire to the device that woke him up earlier. Bloop it signaled that it was charging, whatever that meant... He activated the device and summoned forth sweet melodic tunes that flooded the interior of the ???. Again he fiddled with the device and began to press symbols into it. They read ">.>". A moment later the screen would move and new symbols responded in kind, "Good morning Kaen!".

Pain...

Kaen jolted back awake, the sun had moved slightly. His head throbbed intensely, what was that dream? He would sit there a while longer rubbing his temples, still trying to decipher what the hell he just experienced...


[MFT, waiting on Umashi]

 

[Seijin]

Wanting nothing more than a bit of time away from the prying eyes of his entire team, Umashi found himself wandering a bit away while the rest slept on. What started as a brisk walk for rest and relaxation turned into a bit of a safari trip as Umashi convincingly ended up lost. Or at least as lost as one could be when they purposefully refused to check a map or a compass for any sense of direction. From the mountains to the jungle, the amount of terrain that Umashi crossed was a bit unbelievable but for ever logical question about how he did what he did, there was the excuse of “shinobi magic”.

Ending up in the thick of things by the time that he opted for rest, what he stumbled upon was a sleeping man. Looking around to see if anybody else was about, Umashi sensed a trap and continued on his way as he didn’t exactly step into the open to try to rouse him. Continuing on his way he began to collect various low hanging fruits and nuts that he knew that he probably wouldn’t find anywhere else in the world. Like a good medical practitioner, Umashi was sure to carefully catalog ever finding that he could. It was thanks in part to one particular fruit that he found himself in a bit of a dizzying spell. Manipulating the chakra in his body, he forced the inebriated feeling away as he stumbled further on a mission to do all that he could do.

Careful to take only sample sized bites before carefully packing them away in his shoulder strapped bag, Umashi tasted things that were sweet and things that were tart, those that had a bit of a crunch and even those that were mushy. The village council would probably have a meeting for impeachment if they knew that he had wondered off on his own and was skipping the anti-poison process in order to simply experience life on the edge. In some ways Umashi simply didn’t care to concern himself with what they expected him to do on this trip. In fact that was just the reason why he was striking off on his own, in order to get from out under their watchful eye.

Rarely was a Kage allowed to strike out on their own and after the Fire Country Daimyo incident . . . Umashi’s life was no longer his own. It was upon realizing that he ought to be getting back to the group that he took the same path out that he had followed coming in. Once again he found that there was a sleeping man there, the same sleeping man, only this time the guy seemed to be reenacting something or another. Obviously he’d probably gotten drunk off of the local fruit. Against his better judgement, Umashi walked over to the man and tried to rouse him with a quick shove with his foot. What he assumed might simply cause something of a tongue lashing from a clearly intoxicated individual did quit the opposite and woke him fully up with a jolt.

Yelping, Umashi jumped back on the defensive and readied his attack but he found that to be a bit overboard as the guy didn’t even seem to notice him. Clearly whatever he had been on was of the top shelf premium sort of kind. While the man was still in his coming to phase, Umashi reached into his bag and pulled out a canteen full of water and some headache pills. “Look bro, I’m not going to even ask if it tasted good going down but what I can offer is something to ease the hangover. Did your waifu break up with you or something because you were karate chopping and kung fu fighting all in your sleep!” He offered the things to the guy with an outstretched arm but if the guy tried any funny business then Umashi was on the ready.

OOC: Using the 800 point ASP option to search for Slug. I'm opting for one more round of RPing before we request the c-mod.

 

[Kaen]

“Look bro, I’m not going to even ask if it tasted good going down but what I can offer is something to ease the hangover. Did your waifu break up with you or something because you were karate chopping and kung fu fighting all in your sleep!” A mysterious stranger was present upon being jolted awake, he had never seen this person before. Granted he was in an entirely new country, you could say it was safe to assume that you wouldn't know anyone here... Kaen rubbed his eyes, still sitting on the ground haphazardly with his guard down completely. "Uhh... huh? What? Oh...." Yeah he was pretty out of it, so much so he took the pills without a second thought as to what they might be and swallowed them dry. Granted ever since that day, he had a certain resistance to mundane chemicals and drugs.

After taking the mystery pill from the mystery man, Kaen climbed his way to his feet in a drunken fashion. It was strange really, he did not recall indulging in any extra curricular usage and yet here he was, stumbling like a fool in front of some random person, how shameful. "Oh man... I'm sorry, I'm not entirely sure what's come over me, my head is killing me too." Kaen gained his balance steadily, once he was fully under control of his body he would address stranger. Nothing like a pleasant conversation to start things off right, yeah? "Anyhow, I appreciate you not robbing me or worse just now, it's nice to meet you..." Kean quickly patted himself down, double checking to be sure that the new figure hadn't actually taken anything. On the surface it appeared everything was order and Kaen gave a nervous chuckle, hopefully he didn't think it rude to be sure he wasn't a pickpocket. Kaen outreached his hand in good faith, going for a handshake. "The name's Kaen, by the way." If the man took Kaen's hand he would immediately notice something out of the norm. Kaen's body was exceptionally hotter than most normal "People". Over time Kaen had learned to suppress his blatant abilities, but some things just cant be snuffed out entirely, it seemed. But that was most likely because he wasn't normal at all, but in fact something all together different. Something that should be extinct, but wasn't. Himself, the amalgam of the group, along with her and a few others randomly scattered across the lands, still holding on to what vestige of existence they might keep.

"So, what brings you out he--" Kaen's sentence was abruptly cut short as he blacked out, his body slumping hard to the grassy earth below. Everything went black...

"I have you going to West Support, just grab a radio and head in now." The authoritative figure gave him his orders for the day, he did as he was commanded and exited the small room filled with other people in like uniform. He headed up the stairs and pushed open the doorway at the top. On the outer side of the door it read "Employees Only" on a wooden placard. He scoffed every time he read that. As if anyone who was willing to do something against the rules was going to listen to a stupid sign. He took a hard left and made his way to a large metal door, where it then opened for him. Inside was a very small room, just big enough for a few people to stand comfortably in. On one side there were windows that overlooked a mossy overgrown courtyard that hadn't been used in 50 years. On the opposite side of the room was a large window, behind the glass was numerous blinking lights and strange contraptions littering the walls. Near the middle was a small hole, big enough for small things such as keys or canisters of chemicals that could easily be passed through. On the inside of the glass was a large man, looming over like a ever watching guardian. He spoke in a distorted voice; Identification... Without hesitation, he reached into his pocket and pulled forth a official issued ID card that had his picture and pertinent information on it. He passed it through the small opening to the looming figure. You're clear, go ahead... A second metal doorway opened up into a slightly larger room with large metal bars that blocked any further passage. He went around the corner to the next window where he was handed a radio, through another small opening. He clasped it onto his duty belt and signaled the man inside that he was ready to enter. With a low hiss and a pop the large barred door released its lock and he would step forward passed the threshold...

Pain...

Kaen came to once more, this time more slowly and in even more pain than before. What was happening to him? What were these strange visions he was having? Why was he in so much pain?

 

[Seijin]

Umashi had barely muttered his name and a greeting, "Umashi, nice to meet you." before the guy had fallen back into one of his episodes. His mind jumping from fear to concern, Umashi's medical instinct kicked in and without much hesitation he forcefully applied a Medical Ward* on the man and then summoned a Pristine Aura* to cover the grounds that they were on.

A bit showy and possible overboard but if this guy was suffering from some sort of consumed poison then Umashi saw it as his duty to allow no harm to befall this stranger. Although he highly doubted it, this could all be an elaborate trap to catch the Hokage in a bind. Sitting down to think as he watched over the man, the guy began to stir but Umashi put up a protective hand to warn him. "Look man, I'm a well versed medical shinobi and I think that you need some help. Do you have any idea of what you might have consumed that might have left you like this, or were you attacked?" They were pretty safe bet questions one could assume. If the guy could retrace his steps then Umashi could help him out. The sooner that Umashi figured this out and got on his way then the sooner he'd be out of the danger zone.

OOC: Thanks for waiting on me. Ironically I ended up in the hospital myself this week. @_@! Sending this to the C-mod team. Again, for the Slug contract via the 800 point option for choosing a contract.

 

[Kitetsu Kurikara]

Spoiler

[col]

|

Name: Kouta
Age: 400 years
Appearance: Grey, green, brown, and black are all mixed into his protective layer to create a wood-like appearance. When he isn't hiding, he stands at 3 meters tall. His eye stalks stretch upwards to add 1 extra meter to his height.​

[/col]

How could such a peaceful creature be so massive and destructive? Not even Kouta himself knew. He never meant to hurt anything, but every time he would move around he would leave behind a trail of slime. But as he grew older and occasionally observed the medics use healing jutsu, he wondered if he was able to do the same. And he talked to the elders of his pod as he moved along with their migrating group. They had once again started for a new location when their last one needed a break from their constant feeding. He learned more about the medical jutsu and how to harness the powers that their slug kind possessed.

One night while they were resting, he decided to go on ahead to see if he could find a good place for them to lodge for a few hundred years. Upon discovering a beautiful, lush forest with a peaceful river running through it, he realized this would be the perfect place. Hungry from his trek, Kouta stopped to get a drink from the river. He had a run in with an eagle, bigger than any he had ever seen. It was almost twice his size, having only been a meter or so tall. He managed to escape quickly, disguising himself in the mud near the river.

Throughout his visit to this part of the forest, he was attacked repeatedly by giant birds and weasels, occasionally even a few beavers near the riverbed. Kouta didn't know what the problem was; he hadn't done a single thing but visit the forest and eat or drink a little bit. When he attempted to return to his pod, he could no longer find the way back. He wasn't sure how quickly they would be leaving, but he had a feeling they would be gone within the week even if they decided to stay. No animal would help him; it was almost as if his kind were hated.

Which brought him to where he is now, hiding himself by looking like a large root attached to a giant tree near a large pond. He had heard voices nearby but didn't trust them to not attack him. All he wanted to do was return to the pod so he could keep traveling with them to a safer place. Upon listening in to the conversation a bit more, Kouta decided to look into what was going on. Someone sounded worried for whoever they were talking to. He slowly moved away from the tree, turning to face the direction of the sounds and following them at a slow pace. If one were to listen closely, he would be able to hear a strange squishing sound. Otherwise, Kouta could go completely unnoticed. He didn't crush anything he slid over, and no leaves crinkled under the slime he secreted as he moved. When he found the two humans addressing each other, he watched as one of them cast two medical jutsu around them to help the one that had collapsed. Kouta grew interested in what was happening, as well as who these two people were.

[OOC: I apologize for the wait, but here we are! And this is my 100th post on NC!!]

 

[Kaen]

There was a loud ringing in his ears, he was barely sitting up as the pain was so immense. This Umashi stranger was doing his best to care for him, it was strange really. Never before had he seen such blind caring for a stranger. For all he knew it could have just been a trap designed to lure him into certain death. They were both so far away and alone from the world, nobody would have heard him scream. But fortunately for both of them, this was not the case. Kaen was plagued by some unknown affliction, even Umashi's medical prowess did little to alleviate the symptoms of his impending doom. "Look man, I'm a well versed medical shinobi and I think that you need some help. Do you have any idea of what you might have consumed that might have left you like this, or were you attacked?" A medic? Just like Kasen... Even she would probably have a difficult time ascertaining Kaen's newfound illness. He hadn't done anything differently than the day before, nor had he consumed any strange substances, even so those had little effect on him, most certainly wouldn't cause death. "No, I have no clue as to why this is happening to me. I haven't been picking any colorful berries or mushrooms if that's what you're asking. I stopped here to rest and enjoy the day and decided to take a nap. That's when it all started.

It worsened now... He didn't pass out like before but instead the melding of the vision and his known reality began to converge. Kaen reached for his shoulder and grasped at nothing. His accent even changed, strangely enough. "Control, outer delta two please." Surely Umashi would have no clue as to what was going on, not unless he could read minds. "Good morning, nice day we're..." His speech slurred and halted before changing back to normal. "All I know is that I've been seeing some strange things in my head and I have a splitting headache, like nothing I've ever experienced before." Kaen was so preoccupied by the pain and being lost somewhere between this world and the next, he would never see the approaching creature until it made itself known.

 

[Seijin]

As the guy kept talking, Umashi nodded his head but for the slightest of moments, Umashi smelled something different about the air. Fully attuned to wind nature chakra, just the slightest changing of wind currents tugged at something internal within him but he didn't follow up on the smell. Just that small mental aloofness however caused him to miss the next mental crack that this guy Kaen was having. Shaking his head, Umashi knew that they'd probably need some help and so he asked a few more questions as he began to eye their surroundings for anything that might give an indication as to what might have happened. "So did you scratch yourself on anything, or did anything bite you? I don't see any signs of bee's or the like but one can't be sure about these things." Like a good doctor Umashi was going to get to the bottom of this by asking a whole lot of questions to try and retrace this mans steps, he first noticed the slime that wasn't there just a few moments before. Had he missed anything.?

As he slowly stopped asking mindless doctor questions, Umashi began to turn as he traced the slime all the way to what was clearly not . . . a lion, tiger or bear. His fight or flight instinct kicking in, he put a protective hand between him and Kaen as he didn't want to cause any alarm with his movements but he did want to draw all attention to himself. The question occurred to him if he was possibly seeing things himself but speculation would only lead to more speculation so he simply asked the question. Angling his face towards Kaen but keeping his eyes on the giant creature he asked another simple question as he tried to make out exactly what he was looking at. The eyes . . . were weird and that's all that he could really make out against the backdrop but even the eyes were as high up as a tree. In his mind Umashi imagined that he was looking at some sort of strange forest dwelling half man-half insectoid-creature. "Hey . . . Kaen was it? Do you happen to have any pets because . . ." His voice trailed off as the form of the creature began to take shape as his eyes adjusted for the natural camouflage that it seemed to have.Umashi had certainly not signed up for all of this.

OOC: Maintaining the healz on Kaen. ICly trying to figure out what Kouta is . . .

 

[Okada Kaji]

Humans, of course, it had to be humans.

For what seemed like many of millennia, there have been many clans of the wild; noteworthy alliances formed from flesh and blood with the aims of survival and prosperity within the animal kingdom. Of these clans, it was first the tribes of mankind who arose to stake a claim on the realm. However, while man spread out to form many tribes, villages, cities and nations, there still remained many small societies, forced to recede into their own private niches of nature. Of the many wild clans, most of them knew better than to risk their safety dealing with mankind, as that often came with a cost, and the Zo Clan was no exception.

Kouta knew better than to willingly expose himself to the attention of a human, let alone two of those hideous things. Four hundred years of experience had made him wise, and he did not expect these two-leggers— an endearing term for humans, to break the mold and offer him kindness. No, this land, in particular, had been especially unkind, even vision. Though, something about them brought some intrigue to the veteran slug. He was spying, trying to gain a greater understanding of the young ailing shinobi, and the old one who was trying to aid him. Old Kouta thought himself clever as he hid his stocky form behind the foliage, creating a natural camouflage with his grooved skin, which resembled tree bark. When combined with a coating of chakra, a slug as skilled as Kouta would go unnoticeable by most ninja; but a Kage always arose above expectation. Kouta thought he was perfectly hidden, and spied on the two-leggers with two light-sensitive tendrils which served for his sense of sight.

However, the perceptive old slug suddenly lost quite a bit of his intrigue when a rumble shook the earth beneath his long body. He knew what he felt when that first tremor quaked and began retreated farther out of sight as the thumping grew stronger and louder. The two-leggers were in peril, or so Kouta realized. Indeed, many of the creatures, from the young two-legger with the fiery mane to the birds who attacked Kouta so unkindly before by the river, were acting strangely out-of-character. A thump, and a thump. The sensation of danger was rich in the air, as was a growing musky odor as something big approached them all. Kouta knew, but the two shinobi were embroiled in a mystery. A thump, and a thump. Whatever was approaching knew how to take cover, as it was not visible through the thickets of foliage surrounding Kaen and Umashi. A thump, and a thump. Its pace was uneven; it wasn’t something just walking, it was stalking, it was hunting.

“You do not belong here, you must leave!” A sudden, mind trembling message shot into the minds of both shinobi, delivered like a telepathic blast of information from a gruff, masculine voice. “Hurry, you must flee!” The sound of an old man was invading their minds, inciting terror that would have made lesser shinobi run in any direction their feet would carry them. And then, an entirely different below rang out through the winding woods as a titanic, humanoid create tore down two thick trees as it emerged. Had Umashi or Kaen seen a giant before? “WHY ARE YOU PICKIN’ ON ME?” The monstrous man screamed with full lungs at the two shinobi, notably different from the voice that rang out warnings in their minds. “STOP PICKIN’ ON ME!” The giant demanded, full of confusion and with his eyes glowing red. He was mindlessly gnashing his teeth between each scream, seeming absent-minded and in another mental space, even for a creature so stupid. His head was full of hair conditioned with honey to form a pompadour, and phat-ass beard, dope as hell. The giant stood at about twenty feet tall with a physique covered from head to toe in corded muscles, coarse hair, scars from gashes and wounds, and several shredded stag hides tied into knots, used as a loincloth to cover his endowment. His mad fury required an answer, and until he was satisfied the Giant was hellbent on eliminating whatever living creatures he could find. Suddenly he uprooted one of the two leaning trees and turned it into a missile aiming at the two hapless adventurers.

 

[Seijin]

"Do no further harm . . ."

Still trying to figure out just what the creature was that he was looking at, Umashi didn't hear anything from Kaen but he was suddenly mentally assaulted by the sound of someone else. A warning was thrown his way and the mental recoil of the act made Umashi grimace with unease. Was this that thing talking to them? His mind raced with all the possibilities and complexities of the situation before he settled on the fact that now was the time for more questions. As much as he wanted to go in guns a blazing and to eliminate all threats, he couldn't promise that this was more of a stealthy opponents genjutsu or the please of a saddened creature. Asking the question aloud, "To where?" Umashi got his answer as he both felt and heard the sounds of something far greater.

Whipping his head around behind him, Umashi noticed that Kaen had still not stirred from his most recent bout of insanity and then he noticed the large body of a giant of a man crashing through the trees. Not having enough time to even utter a swear word, Umashi stepped into a familiar stance as the giant picked up the log and threw it at them. With the world slowing to a crawl before him, Umashi mentally cycled through all the possible reasons that a giant would find reason to attack them. Was he truly confused? Was the voice in Umashi's head the same thing that was attacking Kaen and quite possibly this overgrown human or was he simply just looking for a fight?

Somewhere in the back of Umashi's mind, he compared the giant to the last giant he'd seen in Iwagakure, Ming Yao, surely this current brute was twice as tall as he was. Getting his head back into the moment though, Umashi realized that while he wanted to completely add another trophy to his wall, he had to ask more questions to get to the root of the issue. The oath of the medical shinobi echoed in his mind and instead of going on a full assault, Umashi whipped out his flintlock and stuffing it with chakra shot in mere fractions of a second, he lined up his shot and used his chakra to ignite it. Making vacuum like noise, a cone of chakra spiraled into the log and much like one would sharpen a pencil, the log disintegrated from the point of impact clear to the root. Hopefully this titan would quit attacking and talk after seeing that Umashi wasn't some pushover.Yelling up to the titan, Umashi would try to reason with him. "What did we do to you?"



OOC: Maintaining Medical Ward and Pristine Aura on Kaen. Using Initiative to whip out a flintlock pistol as well as activate Hasted Steps and using both steps to push Molecular Collision to 0 seconds in efforts to cause the log to explode into dust.

 

[Kaen]

Umashi was attempting to inquire further into Kaen's interests, but Kaen had already slumped over like a limp noodle, again. This time, however, would spell certain doom for Kaen, at least his mind anyways. Something impossible was about to happen... He was walking down a flight of metal stairs. The ends had been tapered off with a rough yellow plastic plate to aid in traction for the winter months. It was May though, well past the time they really needed to be there. But like all things around here, not much made sense and you should just follow orders and do your job. His freshly shined shoes made solid thumps with each step, his new boots were heavier than the last pair. He reached the bottom of the stairs where he was met with significant authority, one of the Captains here. He nodded in respect but said nothing, he knew their time was valuable and wouldn't be wasted on someone such as he. The Captain didn't even make eye contact, brushing him off like yesterday's news. No surprise there really, he just continue on his path towards his assigned unit.

After climbing a nearly exhausting 4 story flight of stairs, he reached one of the highest points in the prison. He stopped at the landing and turned to face the wide open sky before him. He could nearly see the whole town from up here. It was almost liberating, the fresh air filled his lungs with the cool breeze. One of those silly moments passed over him in that moment. Just one of those nerdy times where you kinda wished you had super powers or something, just leap off the top floor and fly away into the sunset. He smirked a bit, what a silly notion, those kinds of things were just for the movies and all that. He swung open the large and heavy metal door that stood before him. Upon entering he was blasted with the unmistakable scent of prison. Something about it just had a unique smell, not a bad one, just one you could never forget. He proceeded forward until he reached the officer's station."Hey, how's it goin... You have 3 empties and Smith was escorted off a little bit ago for fighting. Four guys on LOP and Murray is on a 72 hour conduct order. That's all I got for you, have a chit?" He nodded as the other man gave him his briefing. Nodding again he reached into his left coat pock and pulled out a hard plastic card and handed it over to the man. He would then get settled in before preparing for count.

A few minutes later he was sorting the days mail in order by cell number, fortunately there wasn't much today so it went by rather quickly. Right on time, as per usual, control broadcasted over the intercom announcing the 4:30 count. He set down the papers he was working on and picked up his phone and broadcasted over the unit; "Count time, Count time. Sit up on your bunks, no talking." he grabbed his clipboard and headed down the tier, checking each cell and checking off the ones that were absent. Afterwards he counted them all and picked up his phone again and called control, informing them on the count he had. After it was accepted, he hung up the phone and passed out the mail. He had some time to kill so he decided to long onto his computer. He began to type in the letters, but he didn't get any further than NI before it auto filled it in, he went there a lot... Just about then a cringing pain swept over his head, a freak migraine that came out of nowhere. He grabbed his head in reaction, knocking over his cup of water he just got. And then as quick as it came, it was gone... He shook his head in confusion, but dismissed it as a freak incident and no more. He scrolled down to the bottom of the page and logged in, typing out the username resulted in even more strikes of pain, each letter burned into his mind. K, his head felt groggy, A, his vision blurred, E, his body felt like it was going to fail, N, his head hit the glass top and everything went black...

“You do not belong here, you must leave!” A voice pierced through his mind, shaking him from his slumber. Everything was still kinda out of focus and blurry. He was on the ground, underneath he could feel lush foliage. "What the... hell?" He said out loud, his accent changing again. But something was different visually this time, at least for Umashi and their mystery guest. He seemed not so lost in otherworld, but more in tune with his physical surrounding. “Hurry, you must flee!” Everything came into picture after that, the lush forest area, the bumbling giant creature rampaging towards them, and a mysterious yet familiar person clad in some strange attire. He looked down at himself and immediately began to freak out. This wasn't his body! A deafening blast went off as the familiar figure blasted away an incoming log. He winced in a surprised reaction, he was so quick he didn't even see him pull out the strange gun, and what the hell did he just shoot, what the flying turtle for an earth is actually going on?! Then it hit him... "You're... I'm... We're... Are you... Umashi?" It would appear a strange question given that Umashi had already introduced himself earlier. His head was still confused and bewildered at the possibility of what was happening right now. It was almost too much to comprehend, he had an idea of what was going on, but was in the realm of impossibilities beyond his scope of imagination...

 

[Okada Kaji]

Old Kouta looked on in amazement as the upright two-legger stood valiantly to oppose the giant’s sudden attack. An airborne, uprooted tree would have crushed just about any land-walking creature the old slug could imagine, yet when Umashi raised his hand-held contraption, a surge of chakra turned the mass of wood into pulp. With a mighty boom, the giant’s rage was challenged, and a fog of dispensed sawdust rained down around the scene before settling quickly. The titan was dismayed, and suddenly questioning its motives as it leaned back, and reached for another tree to pluck out of the ground. “Odar crush puny bullies” he bellowed. “Odar make bullies sorry, taking Odar lunch money!” And that was the best explanation Umashi would get in that instance, as Odar insisted on more tree tossing instead. Stray leaves filled the wind as Odar began ripping and flinging tree after tree in an arbor assault: this wasn’t your typical wood style.

It appeared that Odar would see just how many shots Umashi had in that hand cannon, tossing several trees with reckless abandon. Some would fall aside from poor accuracy, while some would have to be blasted again if only to avoid being splattered. But regardless of how the duo of shinobi responded, the old slug Kouta was left revisiting his idea of these foreign two-leggers; there was certainly more to them than his perceptive tendrils could sense at first. Kouta’s ability to read vital signs was immaculate in his veteran age, even from so far away. The Hokage’s heart rate was steady, unperturbed as a sign of his experience in the matter; what kind of threat was the fumbling giant? Awakening to a giant attack surely startled Kaen though, but even he wasn’t inspired to flee suddenly.

“Just what kind of two-legged--” the old slug beamed the start of his slurring astonishment to Kaen and Umashi, but quickly paused to regain his manners. “What kind of humans can be so powerful? ‘Incredible,” complimented the slug as he found some kind of hope from their battling. “There is something affecting the creatures of this forest, yet you humans are resisting it for the most part, as am I. The same cannot be said for Odar; the giant is usually peaceful and keeps to himself… but something is doing this to him.” The old slug revealed himself partly from his hidden position, peeking up from below his floral camouflage in an attempt to reveal himself to the shinobi, but not the raging Odar.
[spoilername="Actions"]`0sec - Odar's first Piercing Timber was blasted to smithereens by Molecular Collision.

---

`2sec - Odar throws another Piercing Timber targeting Umashi
`2sec - Odar throws another Piercing Timber crashing shortly
`2sec - Odar throws another Piercing Timber targeting Kaen
`2sec - Odar throws another Piercing Timber targeting Umashi
`2sec - Odar throws another Piercing Timber crashes way long, past the shinobi.[/spoilername]

 

[Seijin]

Listening to the slug, Umashi looked on at the timbers flying towards him and Kaen. Some people in the world expect their Kage to save them from every single creature in the brush. Umashi may have been the protector of his people but he wasn't exactly some sort of superman either. With Kaen asking if he was who he said that he was, Umashi didn't exactly have time to go about responding in a way that would have not come across rudely so he more pushed than motioned for Kaen to get to his feet as he yelled, "Kaen, move!" before he sheathed his flintlock and hastily made a series of hand seals as he aimed an outstretched open palm towards the incoming projectiles. Letting the chakra move through him, he closed the outstretched palm into a fist and then motioned towards the ground, If he had timed things just right the logs would drop to the ground just short of their targets.

Straining to maintain the medical jutsu that he had protecting Kaen as well as lock down far flung trees, Umashi dodged the resulting crash of the trees as he ran left the comfort of his current position and quickly moved towards the giant. Yelling out orders to Kaen, Umashi gave a quick rundown of the plan with what precious moments that they had before the giant started uprooting the rest of the forest. "Kaen, be prepared to talk some sense into this dude when you see my mark on him!" Without waiting on a confirmation, Umashi yelled at the giant, trying to draw his attention directly to him instead of at another missile. "Odar! Calm the frack down!"

Using the giants name could or couldn't be a bad thing, but as Umashi locked his eyes on Odar, his own began to glow red as he waited for the red mark to appear on the fiend, signaling his control. Having no idea if giants minds worked in the same fashion as normal humanoids, Umashi was aiming for a long shot but all he needed was for somebody in his part of two men and a large insectoid thing to help him out with calming this large violent forest keeper. As he started to feel his chakra connecting with Odar and searching for an entrance into his mind, Umashi yelled back to either of the two to give him a hand. "Umm, somebody give me a hand please?!?" Kaen would need to sober up for a few seconds, that or their new friend would have to make himself useful in more ways than just a voice in the shadows could be.


OOC: I tried not to godmod, I swear!
Last round of maintaining medical jutsu.
0s~Using Initiative to sheath Flintlock and to activate Hasted Steps
1s~Using Centrifugal Force (mastered)(hasted steps x2) to force the flying piercing timber to the forest floor instead of hitting their intended targets.
3s~Use Gaze of Enslavement on Odar in order to calm him so that he will listen to reason.

 

[Kaen]

Umashi yelled at Kaen to move. It threw him off a bit because it wasn't his name... but was? This was all really strange and confusing and just made everything so complicated. I suppose it would be simpler to just call him Kaen for now, but it's not Kaen's mind, mind you. Shaking the increasingly strange and outlandish inner monologue aside, Kaen rolled backwards and pushed himself away from the chaotic fray. The ground crumbled under the force of his jump and Kaen's body was sent rocketing backwards, crashing into a tree. A low grunt was expelled from his lungs as he had the wind knocked out of him. The bark cracked under the force of the impact. Kaen's body slumped slowly to the forest ground where he sat dazed for a brief moment. This body was completely different than what he was used too, this universe even had different laws. Kaen was slowly starting to piece things together in his head to allow him to operate this new body.

Umashi issued his next set of commands, hopefully Kaen would be able to comply. "Kaen, be prepared to talk some sense into this dude when you see my mark on him!" Talk?! This thing, whatever it was, didn't seem the type to talk at all. Why should any sense be spoke at all? But the voice in his head said that Odar, that was this strange giant's name it seemed, was actually peaceful and that something was happening to the creatures in the forest. Kaen wondered for a moment if that could partly explain what was going on with him currently... Kaen picked himself off the ground and rushed forward to Umashi's side. A small plume of dust was cast up into the air as Kaen was having far to much fun with this body. Going o to 100 real quick was pretty fun, this new body had some unique perks his previous didn't quite match... "Umm, somebody give me a hand please?!?" Umashi was performing a jutsu on Odar, Gaze of... something. His head was still pretty fuzzy from whatever the hell happened, but his memories were, for the most part, intact. From what he could remember, it was supposed to make him do something, or nothing... This was Kaen's chance to help out the Hokage! "I'm right here, Umashi. Let's do this!" Kaen then formed some random seals, to him they seemed right. But to the trained, or even novice academy students, the signs were all wrong, sloppy and some weren't even real signs at all. With a sluggish mess of an attempt at ninjutsu, Kaen thrust his hand outwards in expectance. A slight lul in the action would take place, then in a fiery explosion, Kaen would be catapulted backwards as whatever the hell he just tried to do backfired in his face. Without proper seal knowledge, or even how to use chakra, Kaen's attempt at helping were catastrophic. Kaen's body was sent backwards into the same tree as before, it's structure deteriorating even further than the last impact. This wasn't good at all...

[Actions: Fail at ninja life]

 

[Okada Kaji]

One after another, quick thinking and another swift counter-attack defeated Odar’s barrage of flying pine trees. Odar’s improvised wood style was no match for the opposing gravity manipulation. Umashi was able to handle the situation the best he could, but at his suggestion, Kaen misjudged his own strength and fled frantically, propelling himself into the pine.

Attempting to subdue Odar, Umashi drew in close in order to cast a will dominating dojutsu known as the Gaze of Enslavement; a powerful yet mysterious art which seized Odar, and stopped him in his tracks as well as any bind. The Titan slowed to a stop with his armed wound back, like a catapult ready to heave a fist full of force into Umashi. The giant fist trembled as Odar struggled, trying to fight this second controlling command in favor of the first. “Odar… straight A student! ‘Odar do nothing to deserve—” there was no sense in what the giant claimed, but he seemed fully convinced that he was, in fact, a child in grade school, harassed by bullies on the schoolyard.

But then, a stream of light green slime was slung across the titan’s fist, creating an elastic bind which pulled at the giant until the arm was bent downward. Even more of the substance was fired, one after another until the giant was bound in place. The earth shook when he fell to his knees willingly... At last, Umashi’s genjutsu took full hold over the spell which commanded him before. Call it a manual override.

“Zo clan slime comes second to none!” The proclamation came from a familiar old voice, delivered in another mental message as old Kouta revealed himself by sliding out from under his cover. “Odar isn’t going anywhere, at least not until we have some answers.” The veteran slug was mighty in stature for a mollusk, much greater in size than either of his two-legged, human companions might have ever seen before. Using his slime trail like a lubricant to expedite his movement, Kouta approached Umashi and the would-be Kaen with unexpected speed for a slithering slug. “Do not be alarmed young masters; my name is Kouta of the Zo clan… the resident cleric in this neck of the woods.” To the likes of Kouta, even Umashi seemed like a spry young human, fresh out the womb. “And isn’t this something? I have never seen your kind handle a giant so efficiently. Could it be that fate has brought you to this place?”

“Oooh” The giant was making groggy groans now as if he was feeling one hell of a hangover all of a sudden. “What kind of trickery is this, Kouta? Odar never consented to be the target for a game of slime the giant” the giant man said, revealing a greater spark of intellect than he revealed before when he was acting strangely. Even more, he seemed to know the old slug. “How did Odar even get here?” he asked, seeming puzzled. “And who are your ugly friends? Odar thought Kouta say he hate us two-leggers! Hmph!”

 

[Seijin]

Umashi completely and totally wanted to lay into Kaen in the most completely un Kage-like way possible. Who was this rookie? Feeling completely unnerved by the gargantuan slug that zipped by him, he gulped nervously, The way that this Kouta moved, spoke and generally slimed things up was giving Umashi the chills and even further than that, the way that went on about its slime. In its defense though, at least it got the giant talking. Being courteous, Umashi nodded to their newfound ally and signaled his acceptance of the creatures help. "Well they do say that fate will find a way . . ." Umashi didn't want to waste too much time on shooting the breeze while he kept his concentration on the giant, Odar. Clapping his hands very loudly, Umashi tried to get Odars attention, ignoring for the moment the fact that Kouta apparently didn't like humanoids so well. "Odar, hey buddy. Quick question, what's the last thing you remember before you got here?" Since Umashi couldn't count on Kaen, and apparently Kouta had some explaining to do, Umashi wanted to cut right to the chase and understand what was going on in this forest and perhaps if it was linked to what was clearly going on with Kaen. Hopefully the guy didn't do anything else stupid.

OOC: *puts on gumshoe attire and whips out the magnifying glass*

 

[Kaen]

Even in his second dizzy spell Kaen was able to comprehend the words that were spoken by the giant. Its mentioning of a "Straight A student" caused Kaen's senses to perk up. He knew, for the most part, how academies worked in this world, and they weren't based on a traditional grading system. Was it possible that this giant was experiencing the same strange paranormal phenomenon that Kaen was? I suppose at this point, nothing was in the realm of impossible or unfeasible. Kaen picked himself off the ground, again, and walked over towards the partially subdued giant that Umashi was attempting to remain in control of. Before he could speak, a glob of slime was hurled from the brush and stuck fast to the giant. Then an large volley of slime followed and held the giant down in place, for the time being anyways.

The voice that was invading his mind thus far revealed itself, the source of the slime no doubt. A fascinating sight to behold, even if this bodie's original mind were present. Kaen's inner nerd squealed a little bit as the slug propelled itself along the ground. It had been a while, but Kaen knew what this meant. A chance to intertwine his and this Kouta's fates, a contract if you would. The race of Slugs were a powerful and formidable ally for anyone to have. If the opportunity presented itself... Oh man, you can bet on Kaen saying yes, even without the consent of the original mind's blessing. Kaen knew Kaen... And he knew that he would see the edge this would give him in battle and the care he could provide for Kasen. After all, this is what everything was about, making sure he possessed the ability to protect Kasen from anything and everything.

It might have sounded insulting, at first glace, the "Ugly" and "Two-leggers" terms that were used. But such was life, and as the old saying goes, sticks and stones. The giant was more coherent now and speaking with much more sensibility and intellect than before. He too felt a strange sensation of not knowing where or how he ended up somewhere, interesting... Kaen approached the strange assortment that was the "group" and addressed himself after Umashi made his inquiry. "This ugly two-legger goes by the name De-- Ahem... Kaen. I too am curious as to where you where previous to here, in this world or the next..." That seemed a bit cryptic, but perhaps the giant might have experienced the same out of body transference that he was. It was a long shot, but if this was the case, it would definitelyhelp everyone understand what the hell was actually happening, whether they believed it or not...

[OOC MFT]

 

[Okada Kaji]

The agreeable Titan was like an open book then, sparing no detail so long as he was in control, and old Kouta was there to ensure that the humans would do no harm. “Odar not remember much from before dream. ‘Remember Mistuwa Creek; Odar being very thirsty from the morning hunt. Odar had good catch too…” The big titan paused then, and looked about, certain, and then disappointed, he realized that he had lost his hard earned game along with his complete memory. “Had one doe and two dueling stags with antlers locked,” he continued, almost forgetting about the matter at hand in favor of recalling the travesty of the game he left behind. “Odar was going to eat good tonight… now Odar eat nothing!” He then made the most disgruntled grimace he could fix onto his hairy jowls. “Odar lives hard knock life.”

Having heard the same information from Odar as his human acquaintances, Kouta chose to act under the pretense of pulling the two-leggers to good use. He turned to them, particularly Umashi, who seemed useful in a fight. The other human, Kaen, was still struggling and seemed a bit useless so far. “Mitsuwa Creek is not far from here” Kouta explained using his telepathic connection. “If Odar’s memory ends there, perhaps there are more clues to be found there as well. You two should hurry there and see what you can find, and I will catch up as quickly as I can…” The slug’s long tendrils then pointed back to Odar, which he left out of his following mental dialogue. “Your genjutsu has freed Odar from whatever has come over him, yet I fear that his affliction may return once your illusion fades. It may be unwise to pursue a possible source for the trouble overtaking the forest, with Odar returning suddenly returning, acting strangely. It may sound uncouth, but perhaps we may need to put Odar down to prevent the possibility. What say you?”

 

[Seijin]

Listening to the giant tell his tale, Umashi managed to keep one eye on Kaen and one eye on Kouta as he did his best to keep a good scan on what was going on around them. As the giant told his tale, Umashi did his best to imagine just what the place that he was talking about looked like and suddenly he found himself going back to his age old adage to not drink the local water without testing it first. As the giant would trail off and Kouta would perk up, Umashi deadpanned when the large slug spoke to 'offing' Odar the giant. Shaking his head, Umashi refrained from giving the slug some of its own medicine and stayed cool as he responded back mentally.

"No, that's not how I like to do things and clearly its not his fault that he's acting like this. I say that it's best to keep him close and try to figure out what's going on with him and with Kaen for that matter. It only takes a bit of poison to spoil good water and the quicker that we get to the bottom of this, the quicker we can keep other creatures of the forest from suffering similar bouts of madness." Not wishing to even mentally speak more on the idea of killing even one member of their newly formed team, Umashi turned to Odar. "Hey, I'm sorry to hear that about your catch. Can you lead us back to that creek? I want to try and get your dinner back for you!" Umashi definitely had to keep things simple in order for Odar to understand him.

 

[Kaen]

As the giant told his tale of remembrance, Kaen was partially paying attention. His head was beginning to hurt again, something strange was happening internally that he "other" mind couldn't comprehend. The giant spoke about a creek and a missed meal, so sad. Kaen got awfully cranky when he hadn't eaten in a while. Not enough to go hurling trees at strangers however. The slug, Kouta, mentioned that the spring that the giant spoke of wasn't far from here and that he and Umashi should investigate as quickly as they could. But the Kouta suggested something surprising. "It may sound uncouth, but perhaps we may need to put Odar down to prevent the possibility. What say you?” Put him down? Like kill him?! Umashi was quick to respond; "No, that's not how I like to do things and clearly its not his fault that he's acting like this. I say that it's best to keep him close and try to figure out what's going on with him and with Kaen for that matter. It only takes a bit of poison to spoil good water and the quicker that we get to the bottom of this, the quicker we can keep other creatures of the forest from suffering similar bouts of madness." Kaen nodded in agreement. "Whatever it is that caused Odar here to attack us like that surely was unnatural. How could we condemn someone who was not in control of their mind? Something strange is definitely happening here, even with me. This isn't even my real world, I'm actually..." A sensation crashed over his mind like a raging storm causing uproars of the sea. Something in the back of his head began to burn. "Hey, I'm sorry to hear that about your catch. Can you lead us back to that creek? I want to try and get your dinner back for you!" Umashi continued, ready to lend his ever helpful hand in aid. Kaen began to waver, muttering out a bit more sluggishly. I... Kaen's cre--..." Before he could finish his sentence, revealing something profound and paradoxical, Kaen collapsed like a limp rag doll to the ground.

---

Meanwhile inside Kaen's mind...

In the furthest reaches of Kaen's mind, hiding among the darkest crevasses, waiting in wait for the brief moments he was called upon for aid, He bided his time. Mostly he sat still, meditating on the ground living within his own mind, reliving the countless raging wars and battles from a time long past. Occasionally he would live vicariously through Kaen's eyes and ears, learning new things about the world that Mother Suna had not bothered to share with him. She was much stronger willed that this young creation was, yes... Kaen was warm, a perfect place for him to hide, for now... But like all good things, they had great weaknesses. This arrangement was comfortable for the most part, but should anything happen to Kaen, so to would He perish. So like a natural body mechanism, he would be obligated to perform feats that were no different than a body's own natural defenses. He had only been partially paying attention to the outside world, the natural flora and fauna was quite boring and served him no purpose. But this day, this moment in time, he felt a presence that did not belong here. It stirred him from his slumber... In the darkness, a pair of fiendish eyes opened wide. The fire's within came to life, signalling his awakening.

He ventured forth from his private corner, searching for his keeper. It wasn't hard, considering they shared a single mind now. A section of Kaen's mind was frozen, casting strange energy signals forth in every which way. A static field surrounded Kaen's inner mind's body. A sleeping body, unconscious even within his own mind. "How curious..." The steam vented from his mouth as he exhaled, standing before Kaen's body. Normally Mother Suna's seal kept him from overtaking Kaen's body physically, but it required Kaen's mind the be intact and unperturbed. But something strange was happening to Kaen's mind that effected his entire system. This wasn't good... He would need to act now or risk being lost to the eternal void of death. The figure looked upwards towards the light of the outside world. "Fret not, my young kin, I will set things right and save us both. Forgive me for breaching our agreement..." He reached out into the near infinite expanse that was Kaen's mind and called forth the inner powers that dwelled within his soul, his body and mind. In a fiery explosion, the being burst upwards riding a flash of fire to the surface. He grumbled a sentence so strong that it reverberated in the outer world simultaneously.

---

Kaen's body would still remain on the ground, unless Umashi had opted to catch him during mid fall. But he would not wish to be near him during this transference of consciousness. Kaen's body was not a fully ascended Ancient and thus his body was not capable of concealing His nature. The ground around him would began to heat and dry up in the wake of Kaen's increasing body temperature. A few seconds later the grass and leaves that littered the forest floor yellowed and wilted, the turning a ashen black as the fried in Kaen's overwhelming heat force. Still unconscious, his lips moved. A low rumbling voice escaped and reverberated among the forest landscape. "Assuming control..." Kaen's body began to rise up from the ground in a supernatural fashion and hung just above the surface of the ground. There his body would slowly twist and contort, allowing the essence of His being.

After the partial transformation was complete, Kaen's familiar but obviously different body lowered itself to the ground, He was in control now, at least until they figured out the source of all this chaotic confusion. His appearance might have been somewhat disturbing, he could only hope nobody attacked on sight. Such things were surely strange for people in these new times. He opened his eyes and exhaled a plume of steam, breathing in his first breath of fresh air in centuries. "Kaen recently visited the stream that you have mentioned. He drank from that stream and his inner chakra network and mind is in such disarray. I am willing to aid you in solving this mystery and saving Kaen's life. In exchange I give you my word that you will remained unharmed... What say you?" Not much of a oath of loyalty there, but even amongst the passive aggressive threats he made veiled as an aiding hand, it really was the nicest he was capable of being. Had he not been shackled to the semi mortal body of Kaen, he surely would have challenged them all right then and there.



[OOC MFT, SOOOOOOOO SORRY this took forever. I struggled to find a way to get some inspiration to figure out how to fix my self detriments I placed on my self lol. But this should help progress things now, hope this works]

 

[Okada Kaji]

Old Kouta was fortunate that his two-legger acquaintances did not have the same shrewd instincts he had developed after losing his way for so many alone in the wilderness. It was unlike the Zo clan to speak so crudely when it came to the value of a life, and any other Zo Slug would have condemned Kouta for even joking about putting Odar down. Umashi, and even Kaen rebutted the notion with a greater sense of civility that left the elder mollusk reconsidering his own idea as something savage, even for a situation such as this one.

The old slug retreated his telepathic bond to privacy then, taking a moment to feel shame as the two shinobi collected themselves in their own ways, and rallied Odar to aid them on their quest. “Odar show way,” he said once the magical bond of Kouta’s slime dissolved at the slug’s psychic command. The mighty brute arose to a fully standing position and was still picking the slime off of his extremities as he turned to lead the shinobi to the waterside.

Although it didn’t come without more strange behavior, Kaen rallied himself to follow along with Umashi and Odar, and the trio would make a brief excursion through the path of destruction the giant created previously. Severed tree trunks served as a reminder of the strength the giant had during his fit of madness.

Once they arrived, the giant pointed stupidly at the creek in general. He lacked the memory to recall any specifics, but there was an abundance of clues to follow if the shinobi were perceptive enough to decipher them. The water running along the forest floor was about two feet deep— or three feet in areas where the silty creek bed dipped and the aquatic life was more abundant. The lack of width in the creek was a fine indicator of how easy it might have been to poison the water source. If they actually had the means to do so, the shinobi could have identified the poison in the water if they collected a sample. Some dried blood spots across the water’s edge hinted at the area where Odar left his captured game, but his spoils were indeed gone, as he figured they’d be by now.

The creek was running north to south at a slight angle, with few noteworthy features in either direction: well, there was an abundance of flora and fauna, but little seemed out of the ordinary at first glance. But upon further inspect, the shinobi would eventually notice a moss-covered cave at the foot of a steep hillside incline just north of their location. It was a black portal, just large enough for a human, or slug to pass through… but if they went in there, they’d have to leave poor Odar behind. What a shame.