[Infernal Prisoner] The Ways of Darkness

[Santaru Rin]

Mission Rank: Solo D-Rank
Battle: Unlikely/RP Only
Details: There is a sealed wing of the Aurora Eruditio where misbehaving students were punished many, many years ago. Something important is supposed to be there. A detailed briefing will be given to the recipient of this mission. Retrieval of these items is a matter of national security.

Participant: Keiji

Returning to the Academy hit any Kumonin with a surge of nostalgia (or perhaps rage, depending on one's experiences there). For Keiji, the return was perhaps a little bittersweet. He had only been out of the place for a few years, and was now an apprentice at the famed Aesculapium. A visit to the old school, given how had last parted the place, was a reminder of how far he'd come, and how far he had left to go. His memories of that new year's night hardly matched the beauty of the place when limned in the light and shadow of late morning. Ancient firs swayed in the yard and stunted maples stretched their bare limbs toward the low sky. Still more snow seemed likely; luckily, he would be inside for this assignment.

No one paid any mind to a young med-nin walking into the Academy. As often as not there was something going on here for nearly any ninja, and so Keiji was not visibly out of place. He hadn't been gone so long that he could forget where the original wing was, either. The paper doors there were yellowed with age. Someone had pasted up caution tape across the sliding doors and entrusted that to warn the curious and wandering away. Well, Keiji was supposed to be here, so the warning was meaningless.

Nothing could be heard from beyond the door. If anyone had snuck in and gotten the tape replaced behind them, well, either they were out of earshot or they were being properly sneaky like any ninja should. If there were any unquiet spirits, well, they were simply waiting for a plaything to arrive.

The old wing had not been properly explored by any of the latest generation of Kumonin. It was three floors with rather low ceilings, a heated stone floor, paper sliding doors, and cracked plaster walls. Numerous classrooms lined the T-shaped corridor for the first two floors, and at the ends of the perpendicular hall were stairs going up on the left hand and down on the right. The third floor was all for offices, and the small basement was storage and utilities... And more than that, or so rumors suggested.

Now is a good time to ICly plan how Keiji will play out his search and what, if any, contingencies he has for dealing with anything hostile.

 

[Keiji]

Standing front of the warning plaster he first looked around him, making sure no one saw him enter the locked down area. He walked in, pushing the warning plaster to the side, while making sure it was still placed and apparent for anyone, he closed the door behind him. Looking around the distinct smell of old dust, and almost ancient furnishing was easily distinguishable from the previous main wing he just came from. Pulling out a piece of paper and a pen, he doodled the corridors and the apparent number of hallways, Now, according to my information there's offices at the top floor, basement is for storage, and the two floors, this and above is all classes. He paused his thoughts as he doodled how the two class room floors were. Two doors each side in the main hallway, I'll assume there's only one or two in the other side halls. He rolled up the piece of paper and put it in his bag again as he stood up looking over the classrooms. First, I'll look over a few rooms, on the way, as I head to the stairs, I'll skip the first floor and head straight to the offices, if I'm lucky the Lantern would sit up there, waiting to be picked up, if that's not the case. He took a step towards the first class on the right side and grabbed the handle to the door. I'll have to head for the Basement. A serious face appeared on his face. He didn't want to fail this mission. And he was serious on making this mission a success, and he was ready for anything. He pulled out a Kunai from his shoulder bag, readied himself for whatever awaited him in the first class room. He pulled the door slowly to the side, trying to avoid making too much noise.

 

[Santaru Rin]

The medical trainee, prepared for danger, stealthily pushed the door open only a crack. Watery light filled that room from dirty windows that cried out for a school cleaning event. Alas, there was nothing obvious there. Desks and chairs had been pushed together and neatly stacked in the center of the room, and an empty set of cobwebbed cubbyholes in the back promised naught but ancient pencils and 'do you like me y/n' notes. Dust motes whirled as he pushed the door open all the way. Nothing inside. Heartened at least a little that no one was waiting right here to ingest him, Keiji checked another classroom and found much the same, plus a nest of mice spilling out of a desk someone had stuffed full of tissues.

In the hallway before the stairs up, he found a spill of noodles and red sauce so dessicated that at first, he thought it was a mummified bird carcass. The first floor had met his expectations; the map was accurate, and there was very little of any obvious use. There were a few fresh scuffs from combat boots--perhaps whomever had surveyed the place to determine an exorcism was necessary? As he ascended to the second floor, he felt a sudden chill, as though someone had walked over his grave. But no one was there. If ghosts were toying with him, they had yet to do anything interesting.

The second floor, same as the first, sans wasted ramen. A few lockers lined the hall; variously dented past opening, locked, or lacking doors, they didn't offer much to the discerning eye. Who would leave an interesting lantern in a locker, anyway? Skip it, he'd decided, so up he went to the third floor.

The offices were in equally sorry shape. The wire-reinforced glass windows in the office doors were cracked, straight-up broken, or blacked out with grease. The names had long since peeled away. This floor, with fewer exterior windows, was much darker. It stank of mildew and worse, the leavings of pests. Naturally this wing had to be condemned--the structure was simply completely unhealthful, as even med-nins in training knew. Black mold had spread its characteristic stain on the walls and ceiling, making the place look blotchily diseased. There were four offices on this floor--two bullpens with many low-walled cubicles for teachers, the office which might have belonged to whomever passed for a headmaster in the day (or simply a breakroom), and lastly a conference room. It was possible that the lantern resided in any of those...

 

[Keiji]

It was strange, to say the least, there didn't appear to be anyone or to have ever been anyone, there's little trace to identify if there ever had been anyone checking in academy wing, yet then why, why did it felt like he was being watched, a creepy and eerie sensation rustled in the back of his mind, like a Tiger prowling, waiting to jump out and maul it's prey, Keiji tightened his grip on his Kunai and re-affirmed himself with whatever that might appear in any distinct way to be a danger or attempting to attack him he would dispose of. And he'd make short work of it. He held his kunai high and tight. As he pondered on what to do. There's clearly an importance about this lantern, naturally it wouldn't be placed as an ornamental piece but instead placed somewhere it might be kept safe and yet still within arms reach of the more important or skilled shinobi. The offices designed for the higher ranking is the best bet, by any degree. He took the first steps towards the bigger office. Might be the main office of the highest ranking official of the wing, or it might just be a big breakroom for the Teachers.. Best bet yet.. Ever step felt like everything around him was getting closer, more tighter, his breathing was lacking in determination as his thoughts went on. The last place I'd want to check is the basement, and if none of these rooms have what I'm looking for, that'll be the last bet.. He swallowed the saliva that had been piling up and took a deep breath. I'm not scared of ghosts or anything, but this is just getting creepy.. As he approached the door to the big office he looked to the side examining the area closely. First this, then the other offices, Conference room, I hate those kinds of rooms.. Then the cubicles, I'd never want to work somewhere like that, tight spaces, and sitting next to weird people.. He shook off the thoughts as he remember back on his Academy days. Damn classes..

 

[Santaru Rin]

Keiji opened the head office anxiously, only to recoil as the strench of old death billowed around him in a cloud of dust. Rays of silvery light from the window pierced the gloom, illuminating the chaos of overturned, cobwebbed furniture without warmth. White stuffing was scattered over the room, the entrails of disemboweled overstuffed chairs which had been viciously slashed and had their legs knocked off and crushed. The interior walls had holes in them where paper and plaster had been ripped away, leaving bare the wooden studs.

The thick layer of dust had been disturbed--someone had swept the lamps and furniture and crates from the desk, leaving them scattered and in pieces on the floor. A steel lockbox had been torn open like tinfoil and left behind at the desk. The box was empty.

A wide, brownish stain had dried up beneath the large desk, which must have belonged to someone in charge... No papers had been left behind, nor weapons. A closer investigation of the stain yielded more--it was a circle, actually, and around the outside in reverse order were the signs of the zodiac, ending with the serpent. The interior of the circle was so thickly crowded with symbols that an interpretation was possible. The ink was certainly not ink.

Try as he might, Keiji found no sign of the lamp in the office, nor in the other offices. That left the basement as his final hope. As he left the top floor, he heard something scraping softly in the hall behind him. Nothing was there--maybe it was only a draft.

 

[Keiji]

"Goddammit!" The shout came abruptly and helped stir some confidence in himself as he turned around after having looked around for the origin of the strange scratching sound. It was discomforting. A creeping, nagging feeling was stirring in the back of his mind as he took the first step onto the stairway, he walked softly avoiding creeks and loud noises from his walking. He hated it, he literally hated it, those weird symbols, the zodiacs, strangely enough, peculiar that the zodiacs themselves would have any form of relevance to the situation at hand, he remembered on the last symbol noticeable in the circle again and huffed at himself, "Why is it always snakes!" He said out loud to himself in a slightly frustrated fashion. He squeezed the Kunai firmly again as he went reached the floor underneath quickly scanning the hallways, "nothing out of the ordinary.. Yet" He took a step further down, then quickly turned around and scanned with his eyes.. "nothing.." He grumbled and huffed irritably as he continued walking down. Just as he was halfway to the ground floor, he stopped up, and bowed forward as far as he could, enabling him to 'stick his head out' to look at the ground floor with the front door at the end of the hallway, he was trying to avoid confrontations trying to spot anything out of the ordinary before himself. If the darkness in the basement is too thick, I'll have to rely on my Byakugan and my other senses. He thought to himself as he peeked down at the ground floor halls.

 

[Santaru Rin]

nothing

nothin

no

echoed softly back to Keiji. He saw no overt signs of anyone else on the ground floor, and so with some trepidation he crossed the short hallway to the stairwell descending to the basement. Here, too, was a hint of foulness in the air. He cautiously pushed the door open and, as expected, found that there was no light. The stench that met him was tremendous. The little daylight shed around him was only enough to see that the tiled floor was truly begrimed.

He activated his Byakugan and kept his kunai at the ready. The black mold colonies which had staked their claims along the wall and ceiling emitted the same faint energy as all living, yet nonsentient things. This helped provide a guide to the layout of the basement. He could see as well, surprisingly, that there was not a single rodent or other pest down there.

The basement was a series of rooms without halls, connected only by doorways illuminated by the microbes which had destroyed their wooden frames. The center of the area was mysteriously blank--it would have been enough room for a regular classroom, but he did not detect a doorframe like the others.

 

[Keiji]

"no doorframe apparently" He said out loud to himself as he scanned his eyes across the pathway in front of him, the opening that clearly would have had a regular frame around was lacking. Must've been devoured over time by the.. Things down here.. He sticked out his tongue in disgust towards the floor, reminding himself not to try and stay down here for too long. With his byakugan activated, eyes pinched together to check his surroundings closely, hands tightly grasping his kunai, just waiting if anything were to come out, but with eyes focused, any real living organism wouldn't be able to do anything, not without being spotted first. Taking a few confident steps into the first room, and assured himself of the power in his eyes as he blinked and re-examined the corridor behind him leading up to the ground floor. He turned and fixated his eyes on his surroundings, he bent his knees and examined the ground beneath him, the floor was tiled, dark and grim, the dust was almost graspable and if just slightly sturdier could have been utilized as dust balls to throw at people, a slight smile appeared on his lips by the idea of throwing thick dust balls at the girls he was familiar with. The floor felt almost like it was hard concrete, it was cold and bitter to the touch, the floor was completely solid and didn't appear hollow underneath. It was curious when he looked up and around realizing the vast size of the room, it would have been odd to have a class down here, in the cold and bitter rooms, it seemed almost blank to untrained eye, it was easy to spot from the dust specks still present had a slight resemblance of having had tables and other furniture of sorts. He felt a chill in the air as he stood up again and looked in front of him. Doubt crept into his mind. What if it isn't even here?! What if I've just spent the last two hours scraping through random translucent clues to no avail?! "Arr!" He bit his lips in frustration as he stared into the next room, walking up to the next opening. Hoping something would at least be apparent in the next room, some slight hint of either a presence or signs of a storage room, hopefully keeping the lantern or something else even. He would continue till he would find a sufficient clue, or anything to hint at the presence of the aforementioned lantern.

 

[Santaru Rin]

Keiji pored over the basement, treading nearly the full circuit of rooms. Little remained but junk, dry rotted mops, and useless furniture. He had all but given up when something grabbed him and yanked him, with the sound of tearing paper, through the blank space in the center of the basement.

There was no light here, not even the illumination let in by the open basement door. Whatever had abducted Keiji was gone. He had been abandoned under a table--or, no, it was not a simple table. It was a rolling bed, one of several in the room, of a type familiar to Keiji. These were modular hospital beds with four point restraints attached. The leather straps were brittle from lack of use. The gently sloped floor was pierced by a drain in the center. One side of the room was dominated by a steel cage built into the wall. Various implements, from straps to boards, hung on the wall or were scattered on the floor.

Look as he might, there was no clear avenue for escape. Whatever had brought him in here had not left him a way out.

A clammy and too-long tongue licked up his neck and behind his ear, leaving behind a layer of slime. Chakra energy coalesced behind him, and at that moment, he noticed the shape of the lamp, trapped in a corner by a tangle of too many beds.

 

[Keiji]

What is it with these tantalizing rooms?!</COLOR><i></i> A great sigh of frustration pushed itself through his mouth, like a searing frosty layer of pure emotion. He stood by himself in yet another empty room, the rooms that kept repeating themselves, like an endless maze of repetition. A feeling of emptiness crept up in the back of his mind, just as a strange thing grabbed a hold of his sleeve, and pulled him downwards, what surprised him the most wasn't the fact that he was being pulled but more that he did not see it coming! He found himself underneath something, a table perhaps?, by sliding his hand on the side, and then further on top of it, he realized it had a leathery surface, strange and bewildered, he got up from under it and saw that it wasn't just a table, or a chair, it was a hospital, and not just any regular ones, these had 4 point restraint straps on it.

Confused and slightly frustrated by the additional confusing matters on top of each other he quickly looked around and scanned his eyes across the walls. No exits or entrances, there's no way out.. He remained calm to his best ability and took a deep breath, but just as he did he felt the tongue-like 'thing' lick the back of his neck.

His mind went rapid with ideas, plans and actions to take, in front of him he saw the lamp. Behind him the strange sensation of chakra energy. He quickly moved up his relaxed arm, tightened his grip of the Kunai and prepared to strike, but as he did it he would quickly take a few steps forward, then turn quickly around and move backwards facing whatever this 'thing' is. He'd be ready with his feet behind him to shuffle the beds aside, and if he couldn't, he'd just jump. Ready if this slimy, gooey thing would attack or move against him, his fists would be raised up, ready to strike with the Kunai held tightly in one hand.

<COLOR color="darkgreen">Whether it will attack or not. I'll have to keep moving!<i></i> He jumped, sprinting with his feet as he turned around and shouted and faced the apparition "What the hell are you?!" He shouted in a slightly frustrated and annoyed voice. The apparition didn't answer, and didn't appear to be specifically dangerous, it just stood there, creeping and staring blankly at him. It emanated with strange chakra energies, like the entire being itself was one big chakra blob, no veins was visible, he stayed calm and persistent, he held it within sight as he kept walking backwards with hastened steps. This, thing, had seemed to have taken an interest in Keiji as he started to move, hovering slightly above the floor.

Feet bumping into the side of the hospital beds he looked quickly behind him and with a quick jump, he jumped over the beds, and landed on the other side standing right next to lamp, with his free hand he quickly grabbed it and turned to face the ghost-like apparition now standing right by the side of the beds, it's face, see-through and it's presence eerie, the hollow eyes staring at Keiji as if he was some delicious animal ready to be devoured. Keiji pulled out a lighter from the bottomless pits inside of shoulder bag, opened the side of the lamp, and lit it quickly, he then held the lamp up high in front of himself and readied if the apparition were to do anything against him, lamp in one hand, and his Kunai tightly held in the other. I need to look for an exit, I need to get out of here and bring back the lamp!<i></i>

 

[Santaru Rin]

"Yᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ." The phantom's voice was dry and papery, sibilant with the sound of snow hissing as it fell. "Wᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ." It was unconcerned by Keiji's small kunai and his tiny fire.

"Iᴛ ɪs ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇsᴛ." Keiji cast around for an exit, feeling his heart pound. Sweat collected along his spine. The ghost seemed unconcerned. It floated noiselessly after, issuing its odd, halting statements.

"Tʜᴇ sᴄᴇɴᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀʀʀʏ.

"Yᴏᴜʀ ᴛᴀsᴛᴇ." A pounding noise echoed through the room, hard enough for the floor and walls to vibrate. Dust burst in the air, making sight and breath both difficult. Something was coming... Was it coming for Keiji? Yet more phantoms? Or worse? The dust closed in, pressing on the med-nin apprentice as heavily as six feet of soil.

"Wᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴋɪɴᴅ.

"Mᴀɴʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ. Fᴇᴡ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴇғᴛ.

"Yᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ.

"Yᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ." The pinpricks of light swung wildly around the room as Keiji tried to ward the phantom away with the lamp whilst searching for an escape route. It was then that he realized the light illuminated a path through the dust, and, as he followed it, through the wall as though there were no wall at all--but nor was the basement there. He had entered some nightmare realm, a void of shifting flagstones, unanchored walls with manacles holding leering skeletons, and damning racks where children like the boy he had been were stretched and tormented.

"Kᴀʀᴍɪᴄ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴ. Yᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ sᴛᴀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴜs.

"Fᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ."

The lamp, however, illuminated a path before him, each step bringing him closer to the realm of the real, shielding his body, though not his mind, from the horrors generations of children in decades past had suffered in order to become what he had become--a shinobi. Ghosts clustered behind him. The terrible pounding grew only stronger, and the earth trembled beneath him until even the great vault of the void crumbled in huge chunks of stone and great wooden beams. Something clouted Keiji on the head and he knew nothing more.

Light awoke him, and the sound of a voice.

"Son? Are you alright, son?" a kindly voice asked. Someone wiped his face. Opening his eyes, he saw above him a woman dressed in the deep blue robes of Raiden's priesthood. She held a filthy cloth. He was kneeling over a lamp, surrounded by the ruins of the old school wing. No rubble had fallen in the small area around him--though sore, he was free of injury.

"We didn't realize you were in here when we began the exorcism--we thought everyone had left. Are you quite alright?" she asked apologetically.

You've recovered the lamp. Make your exit RP and post in your Legation topic dropping the lamp off, and then I will post the payment request.

 

[Keiji]

*Cough* *hark!* Keiji collected himself as he looked up with a faint smile. "Yeah.." He patted his arms and legs checking for any apparent wounds, still holding the Kunai in hand. Nothing.. "I'm quite alright.." He paused. "Surprisingly enough!" A smile grew apparent on his lips. "All thanks to your pretty eyes!" His voice turned slightly flirtatious as he looked up at her.

Looking around scanning the ruins with his eyes not being able to spot anything of importance, until he looked down in front of him, the lamp, still intact and unharmed. A sigh escaped from his mouth as he held his hand on his chest. Attempting to get up, he felt a little sore, it felt as if his legs hadn't moved in years, a sore spot on both buttocks as well as his thighs was slightly painful. "Urgh, I'm alright, I'm alright" He held his hand up ignoring any help that may come in getting himself up. Reaching down, he grabbed the lamp, Hmm, the light went out. I'd better keep this safe. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't friendly, I'll try and stay out of creepy basements from now on..

He looked around and found his shoulder bag still hanging tightly around his shoulders. Reaching in, he looked inside, placed in the Kunai and pulled out a small white piece of cloth. A little dirty, but it should do the trick.. Covering the lamp, then turning to the woman dressed in priesthood clothes, he bowed quick and gallantly. "I thank you for the assistance, kind woman, I would stay and chat, but I must hurry off, I have something important to do!" He said with a firm and direct voice. Quickly turning around again he closed his shoulder bag tightly and began to walk his way back towards the Legation offices. I bet they won't expect me back so sudden! Hehe A slight grin encroached upon his lips as he made his way, slightly limping due to the excessive pain in his thighs and buttocks.


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