The Wicked Storm [Mission S Rank]

[Shiruko Makoto]

Everything happened rather...rapidly.

One moment, the four of them were pushing their way through the harsh barriers and conditions of the inner area of the outer storm, fighting to get to the eye. Sousuke was advising against killing the man controlling it, which Makoto could agree upon; if nothing else, it might prevent them from defeating the storm now--or later if such an event occurred again. So there was a certain logic to leaving the man alive, assuming there was enough left of his mind for him to be considered 'alive' in more than the technical sense.

The next moment, Nanami was flipping out to a degree that suggested she had had a panic attack of some kind, possibly brought on by an unexpected phobia. They managed to press forward anyway, the medic apparently calming to a degree, and Sousuke's created golem absorbing the lion's share of the force from the inner lightning barrier.

This time he saw the shadows coming and reflexively pulled himself out of the way, easily sidestepping them. And only Sousuke made it to the crystalline labyrinth.

What on earth is under there?

But he really didn't have time to worry about the others. They weren't alone, after all, and he had to believe that they would be able to make it out; possibly they would even manage to surface on the other side of the barrier. There was a fairly narrow window of opportunity while Sousuke's creation sucked up the lightning.

Assuming we all live through this, I'll have to be sure Nanami knows that was a bad plan. Assuming she put conscious thought into it.

Makoto shook his head to clear it. He and Katsuo still had to get through the inner barrier, which looked...painful, if they didn't have any kind of plan.

"Charming," he said lightly, not really seeing another option than to trust that Katsuo at least vaguely knew what he was doing. Every technique he knew for repelling, containing, or resisting lightning had to have an elemental charge run through it, making them all utterly useless in his hands. There were other options he could potentially try, but none of them were assured.

On the other hand, they were likely to be subject to an assault almost upon the instant they set foot into the eye of the storm. So that was something he would be ready for. And if whatever it was Katsuo was doing worked, he'd be ready to throw his own protection up when they dashed forward, just in case.

The only elemental technique he'd used had been the wind attack, by design and not chance. It was simply easier for him to limit himself like that, not to mention safer that way. It wasn't as if he wanted to advertise the not-quite-rightness of elemental attacks he cast. What did you call a wind ninjutsu that wasn't, really, a wind ninjutsu? So he tried to stick to a more limited repertoire.

Fortunately, that 'limited' repertoire was still quite expansive.

It was into his ANBU techniques he dug now, for a specific kind of barrier that would protect them as they crossed the threshold, for he was nigh-certain they would need one. It wasn't so much of a cost that throwing it down would deplete him too much, should it be unneeded.

"The second we get past where that lightning barrier is now, I'm going to put up a barrier, because I'm fairly sure we'll be attacked," he called. "Don't touch it! It will drain your chakra if you do. If you want to attempt to speak to the storm's controller at all, do it while that barrier is up."

Gods above and below knew that if any attempt were to be made at diplomacy, Makoto should not be the one doing it. Katsuo seemed to generally know what was going on and was a Sand native besides; it would have to be him unless Sousuke punched upward through the sands on the other side.

With no real alternative, he began prepping to cast his unusual barrier so he would have it ready on the instant of crossing over. Never hurts to be prepared...

 

[Michi]

"I'm going to try and tear that wall down. This is either going to go very well or very badly so uh." </B><i></i>

"Hold on to your butt."<i></i>​

"Charming."

Perhaps the storm would detach his derriere, stranger stories have been told. Katsuo had a particular kinship with this storm, despite his limited power-set in comparison to his kin. Perhaps it was the spark of Primus, the One King housed within him from the diamond throne that gave him such raw power or allowed him to realize a potential he always had but strived to ignore. The lightning started to bend and sway, no-longer snaping and sparking the air before it, turning specks of sand into shards of 'diamond dust.' The lightning wall was focused on Katsuo, not the hunk of blackened metal that was once Sousuke's armored golem or a hunk of metallic refuse that used to serve as a lightning rod. The magnetic force of the electrical energy was all that maintained their form as they returned to the dust from whence they came. The lightning and even the heat and the glow from the fulmination seemed to be swallowed up by a single focal point. At first the tide was slow, or seemingly such with the terrors that concentrating such force in a singular place would bring but then it flooded this same focal point. A tiny black bit, that too sealed itself away so the nothing was no longer there even. An utter negation of what once was.

When the lightning wall was destroyed, it was as if a dam broke and the storm itself weakened but spread itself inward. A fine fist of diamond dust being kicked up by disorganized winds, lacking the power that they once had. The storm in the desert was unchanged in its puissance beyond them and before was mere trifles in comparison. They could see clearly with their physical eyes a great stone structure resting at the very center of this dust-cloud. A shaft of white, hot light broke the churning heavens which were black immediately above less the dim occasional glow of energy housed within the eye of the storm.

The earth below them vibrated. It was strange, not in candidacy with the magnetic and gravitational energies that permeated this space.

"The second we get past where that lightning barrier is now, I'm going to put up a barrier, because I'm fairly sure we'll be attacked."

Makoto warned as he created a defensive barrier that was resistant against many forms of chakra techniques and seemingly hungered for such life energies. It was there but it was not, easily enough to traverse IF they had the available chakra to expend.

"Don't touch it! It will drain your chakra if you do. If you want to attempt to speak to the storm's controller at all, do it while that barrier is up."

The skies crackled with energy. A trio of lightning bolts hit the ground in front of them. None actually striking the pair nor the barrier, they would have to get closer to who... or whatever it was to be in any danger of that.

ROAR!​

A terrible sound could be heard from afar. It was coming from the crystalline passageway. What it was could only be guessed, but it was big and powerful in all likelihood unless it was posturing.

What Happened?

• Katsuo presses the cheat button and uses Kamui on the lightning wall. The entire lightning wall has been swallowed.
• Katsuo and Makoto can see a great rock formation at the center of the eye, a stalk of pure energy is pouring from it into the celestial spaces.
• Katsuo and Makoto could feel a mild quivering of the earth.
• Makoto casts Intangible Passage
• A trio of lightning bolts hit the ground in front of them, none actually striking Makoto or Katsuo.
• Katsuo and Makoto can hear a ROAR erupt from the 'crystal slide' Nanami made.

* * * * * * * * * * In the Depths of the Worm-Carved Caverns * * * * * * * * * *​

[col3]Takahashi Sousuke
HP: 42,600 [-4542] 38,058
CP: 35,400 [-14918] 20,482
AP: 10 [-6] 4 (1 will roll over into the next round)
Effects: Senbon Coating (The user takes -15% damage from all physical sources, and melee contact with the user inflicts 20% of the total damage back with a 22% chance of increasing bleeding. Causes 2% Max HP damage per round as well as a 8% chance to autofail if poisoned); (-2 evasion, -2 accuracy, -1000 HP per round x3 rounds).
Notes: 504 CP used from Rock Golem last round; 496 CP spent from Steel Slam last round; 8850 CP spent making and moving a giant earth wall to get through the storm; 1917 damage taken from the storm.|Mizushima Nanami
HP: 42,000 [-3690] 38,310
CP: 36,000 [-7016] 28,984 [+1080] 30,064
AP: 10 [-6] 4 (1 will roll over into the next round)
Effects: Spirit Lantern; Crystal Eye; Crystalline Passageway (20% chance of having their actions treated as Sneak Attacks and a 20% chance of having their attacks suffer blindshot penalties)
Notes: 3300 CP used from Crystalline Passage last round; 1200 CP used from Shadow Constriction last round; -560 spent from skeletal fortification of self; -560 spent from skeletal fortification of Makoto; 2100 damage taken from the storm.|Sandworm
HP: 40,000 [-30] [-990] [-990] 37,990
CP: 40,000
AP: 10
Effects: Burdening Touch (-2 Accuracy and dodge and gives their actions a 28% chance to have action's Ap cost increase by +10%, and cp cost by +10%.[/col3]

"Sand worm tunnel."

The Steward assessed. The roughly hewn turnnel was one of many. These same tunnels filled the depths of Wind Country, created by rather elusive beasts commonly only found on the surface. Worms have little need to burrow, being the alpha predator in Kaze no Kuni, less their rival the Carnasaur except to eat and to birth. Most of the twisting tunnels under the earth were made by roaming worms, devouring the hard earth - biting through solid stone and compressed dirt. Thankfully for them, this was such a tunnel. Most tunnels were abandoned immediately after they are made, which is why the great many catacombs that made Sunagakure were safe to reside in. Unfortunately, the pulsing energy that resonated from this place attracts more than a motley band of adventurers.

"Are you still functioning Nanami?"

"Still fully functional, Takahashi-san"

Something could be heard grinding... or rather moving and the sound was getting louder. As if someone flipped a switch, a soft glow alongside the female mercenary illuminated the space. Something was there, moving slowly, that is it was. It was as if someone turned the lights on and abruptly pulled the worm from its slumber. A dull rumble resonated from its maw. Flaps of hardened flesh pulled away to reveal circular rows of teeth that filled its gullet. From its depths came a terrible, rotten stench. That low rumble was a prelude to what the worm would do next as it came for Nanami first with deceptive speed.

"It is ... beyond highly likely ... that one is coming this way. Sandworms are usually susceptible to water techniques... but don't flood the tunnel we need to find a way out."<i></i>

That was a true fact, sandworms, even those attuned to water did not care for the stuff. Sandworms are a necessary part of Wind Country's ecosystem as well as economy. Sandworms excrete as waste something called Carmot, a dense inert substance that was infused with elemental properties. It is a mystery how this happens, but it is believed to be a reflection of the actual Sandworm's attunement with the natural world. Considered extremely valuable, this Carmot is a primary source of power in Wind Country, specifically Sunagakure. Nanami created a water whip while the sandworm rushed past her, she narrowly escaped the creature's terrible jaws. As she wheeled around, the water whip snapped on the worm's carapace. As the whip broke, it splashed the walls of the cavern and a low rumbling growl seemed to escape the beast.

"Don't make contract with my armour... this defense of mine has some offensive aspects."

Sousuke warned as a spiked coat erupted from the Steward. The sandworm, however did not heed this warning as it barreled straight for Soususke, its' massive form taking up almost all of the tunnel. Sousuke too was able to leap, duck and twist out of the way somehow.

"The options are ... force it to retreat. Tame it ... or be eaten. The middle option has a very ... low chance of success as we are not figures of legend... but we can certainly try it out. The third option is something we're going to prevent at all costs ... and the first will be very awkward."

Nanami had manifested yet another water whip and a small crystal beacon. The whip cracked as it made contact with the charging worm and the eye zoomed ahead, all it saw was the massive length of the creature. The worm was not the kind legands were made of, but none-the-less a force to be reckoned with. The size of a house (literally, not metaphorically), it was just shy of 100 feet in length. It was thirty feet tall, an adolescent worm by textbook regards (B Rank). As for the gender, let's not get any glass eyes too close - crystal breaks a lot easier than stone.

<B>"I'll try and weigh it down, if that fails ... blast it with a water technique."

Sousuke suggested but Nanami was already on it. The Kazekage countered the beat's wild attacks with an attack of his own, Burdening Touch. The worm was already large, used to carrying its massive weight. But several tons more did in fact create a new burden for the riled Sandworm. Rather than attack the pair directly, the worm began to thrash violently in the tunnel. The walls shuddered and shook and the ground quavered and quaked. Neither the Kazekage or the Mercenary were about to maintain their footing.

ROAR!​

A terrible sound filled the cavern and the crystalline passage, perhaps even the traveling male Mercenary and the Masashi could hear the Sandworm's vicious cry from afar. The woman's lantern disintegrated as the terrible sound was absorbed by the unfortunate construct, plunging them both back into darkness. There was an ambient glow from the surface, they could still make out edges but not features. Not that they would want to in any case. They knew what was before them and it was terrible. Still, from the darkness a sinewy harpoon shot out. It came past Sousuke, cutting into his side but not catching his body. It broke through his armor easily, chips of metal sprayed the area near him and the cord retracted back into the maw of the beast as quickly as it erupted.

Spoiler

Some random Sandworm facts:

• Historically Sandworms have been a creature of both reverence and fear. There is a nomadic tribe that exists to even this day that worships the sandworm as it represents the strength and tenacity these nomads wish to possess. These Sand Sages subsist off the Sandworms: their meat a food-source, their armor could be fashioned into natural armor that is said to have uncanny properties, the various enzymes and even the carmot are used for a variety of healing ceremonies. Even the soft flesh hidden beneath the natural armor of the Sandworm can be tanned and worn as leather.
• The teeth of a Sandworm have no special properties but are made of a dense nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium and calcium network that when ground-up acts as a nutrient rich base for agriculture.

Statistic/Properties

• Water is very damaging to Sandworms - water attacks ignore damage reduction.
• Sandworms are very large, it is impossible to miss a Sandworm with a non-genjutsu attack.
• Sandworms have natural armor that reduces the damages taken by 90% until a piece of armor is natural armor removed.
• Natural armor must be pried off, prying armor off requires a physical action (taijutsu/physical attack), the user must announce intent to pry off a piece of armor and it requires a full round's AP to remove the armor.
• By entering the maw of a Sandworm, the user will be exposed to progressively higher levels of heat until they are incinerated - 5% max HP round 1, 10% max HP round 2, 15% max HP round 3, 20% max HP round 3, etc.
• From inside of the sandworm, there is no natural armor, all attacks hit for full damage and all AOE attacks hit for double damage automatically.
• ATT Score for this sandworm is 25; EVA is 0.

Sandworm HP:
E Rank: 5,000
D Rank: 10,000
C Rank: 20,000
B Rank: 40,000
A Rank: 80,000
S Rank: 160,000

Techniques:
Thrash: A technique where the worm moves violently side to side and acts as a melee AOE attack.
Quavering Earth: A technique where the worm smashed itself violently into the earth causing an AOE attack that we would consider AOE ranged taijutsu
Impale: A technique where the worm releases a harpoon-like organic implement that used Ranged taijutsu accuracy and progressively draws a player into its maw over 3 rounds. If the fibrous material is broken (has HP) then the player is free. Can only draw in one player at a time. During these 3 rounds the player will not be attacked by the worm or effected by any of the worm;s other techniques.
Tail Sweep: a single targeting attack that damages a player as well as sends them flying. It will cost the player AP to return to the battle and be considered in range to attack or to be attacked.
Consume: When 3 rounds have eclipsed since a player has been "impaled" a player is consumed. This is a damaging attack that causes level 3 bleed.
Bite: The worm bites a player causing damage and bleed 1 (or +1 each time this happens).
Rend: An attack where the worm attempts to take a bite out of a player, there is a percentile chance of limb loss (can recover the limb after battle or get a prosthetic depending on the player's preference).
Roar: Considered to be a genjutsu attack - it disables player evasion, accuracy and causes severe pain - AOE attack
Furnace: Once inside the worm, player takes fire damage that is equivalent to a percentage of their max HP.
Emesis: The worm vomits - this may include vomiting up a player if a player is inside of the worm. The vomit is hot and damaging, it is also smelly and slippery. Has an effect on the ability to cast certain jutsus.
Burrow: The worm attempts to either hide under the ground to flee or to initiate an attack.
Surfacing: When a worm emerges from beneath the ground. Considered to have a stealth bonus to accuracy and damage. Percentile chance that a player will be consumed.

Actions:

• 0.0 seconds | Nanami maintains Crystalline Passageway.
  1.5 seconds | Nanami casts Spirit Lantern.
  2.0 seconds | The Sandworm attempts to BITE Nanami. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 53. Attack Roll: 5 Evasion Roll: 17 (MISS!)
  3.0 seconds | Nanami creates a Water Whip. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 12. Attack Roll: 19 Evasion Roll: 14.
  3.0 seconds | Soususke casts senbon coating on self with special action "poison."
  4.0 seconds | The Sandworm attempts to BITE Sousuke. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 13. Attack Roll: 8 Evasion Roll: 13 (MISS).
  4.5 seconds | Nanami creates a Water Whip. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 55. Attack Roll: 17 Evasion Roll: 17.
  6.0 seconds | Nanami creates a Crystal Eye
  6.0 seconds | Sousuke attacks the Sandworm with Burdening Touch. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 45. Attack Roll: 20 (CRIT!) Evasion Roll: 12.
  6.0 seconds | The sandworm starts to THRASH. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 29. Attack Roll Soususke: 15. Attack Roll Nanami: 12. Evasion Roll Soususke: 14 (HIT!) Evasion Roll Nanami: 8 (HIT!)
  8.0 seconds | The sandworm lets out a ROAR. Attack Roll Soususke: 19. Attack Roll Nanami: 8. Evasion Roll Soususke: 3 (HIT!). Evasion Roll Nanami: 8 (MISS).
  • Nanami was protected by her spirit lantern. She is unaffected by the ROAR.
  10. seconds | The sandworm attempts to impale Sousuke. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 21. Attack Roll: 5 Evasion Roll: 8. (HIT)

 

[Akako]

[col]They were like rats in a cage. A snake's cage, to be precise. At least, it seemed that way to the doctor. How could two, TWO, tiny humans go against a great legendary beast that could easily flatten towns? It could very well be the pessimist in her (although she preferred to think of it as realism). But every move seemed to spell death if it got close enough to them.

Its sharp teeth tried to snap at her but she managed to scramble out of the way. She had lashed in return, striking with one of her whips. The other came, a stinging blow, when she saw it try to devour her companion as well. She doesn't even remember summoning the Crystal Eye once more, in the face of the thing threatening her patient (after all, the three men on her team were her patients, although not in the most official sense of the word).

They were laboratory rats in a cage. The scientists poking and prodding at them, jeering and sneering behind the glass. There was no escape, no escape. But Pestilence would protect her sisters and brother from harm. They would regret the day they dare lay their hands on them. Death may be the strongest of the fiv- four of them. War was even stronger than both she and Famine. That didn't mean she was weak. It may seem it. But they would realize they were wrong.

As the roar made the tunnel shudder, all that Nanami could focus on was the monster that dare threaten what she sought to protect. Its battle cry didn't faze her, hardly shook her. And, although she had taken a Healer's Oath, a promise to protect human life... the sandworm wasn't human.

Her code to protect and heal did not extend to it.

A big.

Stupid.

Worm.

Another roar shook the ground. But this time, it wasn't from the behemoth. Calling upon the rains from the surface, the waters gathered, sloshing through the Crystalline Passage and running like a dog to its master.

A great shark bared its vicious maw, plenty rows of sharp teeth, sinking into the worm's hide. Although not as big as the giant parasite, easily about a third or fourth in size, it made up for with its tenacity. Besides, the worm's size should only make it an easier target.

"Are you still functional, Takahashi-san?" the woman asked. It was an ironic echo of his question before, as she stood back to watch her work even if she was ever ready to move and avoid the ugly beast itself.

The attacks that followed could easily be called attacks done out of spite.

|</FONTFACE>[legend="[b]Out of Character Notes[/b]"]

• Ahhh, I hate fighting. So, let's kill this thing before it saps our HP and CP anymore. Besides, won't break my rule of high level jutsus every other round only. I did use low level tech last round, lol. By the by, the water used for Water Shark Bomb are from the surface rain, funneled through the passage. It's then recycled for the rest of the water techniques.
  
  Summary:
  
  0.0 AP - Maintain Crystal Eye and Crystalline Passage.
  
  3.0 AP - Water Shark Bomb (Mastered)
  • Transformed into A Rank with Jutsu Expansion
  • Special Action: Great Shark Bomb, +20% CP Cost, +10% Dmg
  3.0 AP - Grand Hydra Excavation (Mastered)
  
  4.5 AP - Grand Hydra Excavation (Mastered) and Water Dragon Bullet (Mastered)
  • Uses Jutsu Creator
  
  B-Mod Bonuses: (Didn't know if you were using these, but here you go)
  Nara's Slippery Mind: +2 Gen Save and Awareness
  Nara's Shadow Tactics: +10% Damage, +1 Accuracy while in shade... (we're underground...)
  Dark Sage: -10% CP Cost, +2 Ninjutsu Accuracy
  Fearless: +10% DR to all Damage, -1 Evasion and Gen Save
  Hyperactive: +3% Max CP every round
  Duelist: Doesn't matter, didn't declare it against Sandworm
  Jutsu Mastery: -10% CP Cost, -50% CP Cost for Special Actions

[/legend]<FONTFACE fontface="monospace">[/col]

 

[Takahashi Aki]

This was going to be a story to tell Aki. Aki by default would tell his children, and his children's children. Now. The nature of that story had two versions to it. Papa Sousuke was killed and then ate by a sandworm. Papa Sousuke had slain a sandworm. Well. The best case scenario for this was ... the latter of the two. The sandworm roared at him. What was sandworm saliva covered him. It was not a nice experience. Shortly after it was inquired if he was still functioning. "Still functioning."<i></i> He answered. He drew the Black Blade. The weapon seemed old, older than his armour, older than the Steward himself. How old was the weapon? Not even Sousuke knew. The weapon seemed to transform slightly and crystallize.

Sousuke began to scan the sandworm. Sandworm armour was if anything resilient. That being the case though... that armour could be destroyed, or at the very least removed. His eyes narrowed as he began to figure out weak points in the armour. "That... armour ... it shifts as it moves ..."<i></i> Sousuke noticed. "I'm going to start cutting through the sandworms armour. It is my intent expose a weak spot for later... which you can certainly take advantage of."<i></i> The Steward stepped forward, he grip on the weapon tightened as began his assault upon the sandworm. It wasn't an assault so much as it was an attempt to pry open armour. His movement flickered as would begin to attempt to pry the armour away from the sandworm's hide. His strikes were not surgical in nature, but they were calculated. The sandworm biology wasn't something Sousuke had studied, but given his momentary observations with this creature there was at least some items to be understood. The Steward's strikes would be in a flurry of sword strokes. While the sandworm wasn't the fastest of targets, it allowed the Steward to make use of his less accurate techniques as he would attempt to remove the armour from the creature.

Spoiler

0.5 Activate defensive stance (full +4)
0.5 activate feral style
3 Activating Diamond Cutter Master Rank
2.25 Lotus Flower Master Rank w/ special effect - pry armour
Activate Myriad Strike
1.75 Lunar Steps Master Rank (Waning Effect) - pry armour
1.75 Sword Juggle Master Rank - pry armour

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]Katsuo's elation at the success of his plan was cut tragically short by the most terrifying sound he could think of filling the air.

Sandworms were a rare encounter for the shinobi of Sunagakure because they rarely ventured to the surface but for someone who had spent the last twenty years in the open desert, Katsuo knew exactly what that thundering cry meant. It meant that when Nanami had broached the surface of the desert with her technique they had fallen into one of the many gargantuan tunnels that ran beneath Wind Country. Commonly referred to worm-carved caverns, those places were considered by desert-folk to be hazardous in the extreme and to be avoided at all costs except those who were mad or desperate enough to delve into them to retrieve the valuable substance called Carmot. It was said by those who were knowledgable in such things that the caverns themselves were likely created by worms which were far larger than the common breeds of sandworm that dwelt in the desert in the Common Era but even those "mundane" worms could grow to be in excess of forty feet long and were forces of nature in their behavior. Once awoken and agitated a sandworm could just as easily go right back to sleep as it could go on a several hundred mile rampage destroying anything unfortunate enough to be caught in it's path.

There was only one choice. He had judged the idea of jumping into the strange crystal formation which had appeared following Nanami and Sousuke's descent into the depths as too much of a risk previously but he couldn't just leave them face to face with a sandworm of unknown size category. There was no way to judge just from the sound that it's roar made just how large the beast they were facing was or if there would be more of them shortly. Sandworms were not social creatures but if the echo of the worm's roar had reached the surface with such clarity it could quickly become a rather large battle and that was not something that he could overlook.

"We have to get down there." Katsuo remarked to Makoto as he moved to where the crystalline "slide" was. "I don't really have the time to explain but how would you like to do something extremely reckless and heroic?"

Now wasn't really the time for jokes but Katsuo couldn't help it. There was a not inconsiderable part of him that was excited at the idea of challenging a sandworm. It wasn't a fight that he would ever choose to pick if only because if he lost it could potentially mean a great deal of suffering for innocent people in the area but now that the opportunity presented itself... his blood was boiling at the challenge. And ultimately... the storm wasn't going anywhere. It wasn't like it wouldn't be there when he got back. It would keep.

Grinning besides himself, Katsuo couldn't help but laugh at the very idea he was rationalizing jumping into a Ninjutsu-generated hole in the ground to go wrestle a sandworm. Regardless of what Makoto might say to stop him, Katsuo twisted his wrists and expelled a cushion of gravitational chakra before jumping into the "slide". If Makoto did indeed attempt to stop him from doing so, the Mercenary would likely hear the words "I'm sorry friend I can't hear you over how heroic I'm being right now!" yelled back up at him echoing through the crystals of the "slide".|[legend="[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]"][I'm fairly alarmed, here !!]

• Using Anti-Gravity [Master Rank] to (heroically) control my descent through the slide and activating Storm Mail [Master Rank] for preparation when I arrive.

Also, sorry for the wait!





*Borrowed Nanami's post-code layout with permission. She is the best-est.[/legend][/col]

 

[Shiruko Makoto]

Well. Apparently that hadn't been necessary.

No attack from the center of the storm came, but rather the bellow of what sounded like a large, angry--or possibly hungry--creature from belowgrounds. Around about where their companions would be, actually.

Makoto sighed as he let the barrier he'd put up drop. They had been so close too. He could taste it. But now they had to segue out for a rescue mission.Hopefully they wouldn't have to bypass the lightning wall a second time. Maybe they would even manage to come up on the other side of where it had been, so it wouldn't be a concern.

"So, what the hell was that even?" If Sand had dragons, he was bringing a scale home just for the hell of it, to see how everyone reacted. It could have been a dragon! But he'd done some reading after getting to Sand, and it seemed the local nightmare beasts were something called 'sandworms', which was a fairly innocuous name for something that apparently quite happily ate people whenever it got the chance. "...It's a sandworm isn't it."

Of course it was.

And everything had been going so well, too.

...For certain definitions of 'going well' that included losing half the team into the caverns under the sand, that was. Hey, he'd been on missions that included treks through a swamp full of leeches, venomous snakes, and the occasional alligator. Where his whole team, himself included, had forgotten they could walk on water and their squad captain had let loose a string of swears when she remembered. Getting partly scoured by sand was nothing.

"Don't suppose we have time to prepare a plan of--" Of course not. Makoto watched Katsuo go before remarking to the now-empty air, "this is a bad idea."

Not that he had much choice. Facing down a storm demigod in the middle of the storm he controlled, alone, would be an even worse idea.

He really disliked being in a situation where 'let's go after the man-eating giant desert monster' was the least stupid option available to him.

Well then.

He pulled out his parasol again, checked it, opened it, heaved an enormous sigh as if to tell the fates he was Not Happy With This, and jumped on the 'slide.' The drag from the parasol ought to slow him down enough so he wouldn't go at too dangerous a speed. He also quickly formed a handseal as he went down, giving himself an extra layer of protection. The normally visible earth coating would simply appear as a sort of clothing-tight chakra forcefield draped around him, drained of element by his natural chakra disability when it came to casting elementally.

"For the record," he called ahead, "I'm going along with this because while it is a very bad idea it also manages to be the least bad idea available!"

It would never be said that Makoto did not get in his pessimistic objections ahead of time.

 

[Michi]

OC: Not my best work, but I do not want to leave you guys waiting. Yes Ray, you lost an arm. Yes, Enzan and Reiko are coming. Yes, Adell... a Sandworm is about to swallow you whole.

IC:
"So, what the hell was that even?"

It was likely that this was the first time Makoto has ever hear a sandworm call. A terrible, unearthly sound that grumbled and screamed from the depths. The rock-formation and all of the answers that they were looking for was mere yards away. They could have finished this mission, likely called it a success and made their way back to the hidden village. It would have been a simple task that came with great rewards - heroic status, a mission complete and obviously the compensation many mercenaries have come to covet.

"...It's a sandworm isn't it."

Makoto had seemingly assessed and accurately ascertained. It was among the worst case scenarios, but there were two other legendary beasts that would have placed them in similar peril the ridgeback sphynx, if one were ever to awaken and the carnasaur, the only create strong enough to consider a sandworm a food-source.

"We have to get down there."

Katsuo commented. It would be a perilous journey to even reach the worm-carved caverns that Nanami and Sousuke broached. Through a crystalline maze with all those twists and turns on a decline into the dark depths. The risk of becoming displaced, lost or simply damaged on the descent were real perils. Perhaps Katsuo was oblivious to the danger or perchance he never gave such self-preservation a second thought.

"Don't suppose we have time to prepare a plan of--"

A logical request and a likely reason the mysterious mercenary had lived this long on his own but he was cut short by a reckless statement.

"I don't really have the time to explain but how would you like to do something extremely reckless and heroic?"

Katsuo almost inquired, as it was not a question as much as it was a statement of what he was about to do. His hands ran through a series of handseals that countered nature's gravitational forces and he breached the crystalline passage.

"this is a bad idea."

Makoto tried to warn him as he relinquished his hold over the intangible passage that was intended to protect them from the mysterious source of the storm, but Katsuo was already gone. He had ittle choice at this point, to either combat the mysterious threat unknown alone, to remain a sitting duck in this open expanse, or to pursue the foolhardy shinobi into the depths. He chose the later-most option. He too breached the crystalline passages and found himself too plummeting into the depths.

"For the record..."

Makoto's voice echoing behind Katsuo he called.

"I'm going along with this because while it is a very bad idea it also manages to be the least bad idea available!"

"I'm sorry friend I can't hear you over how heroic I'm being right now!"

...Off to slay a sandworm.

What Happened?

• Katsuo casts Anti-Gravity
• Katsuo enters the slide-maze.
• Katsuo enters combat the beginning of the next round.
• Makoto drops Intangible Passage
• Makoto casts Earthen Coating
• Makoto enters the slide-maze.
• Makoto enters combat the beginning of the next round.

Inside the subterranean maze...

"Are you still functional, Takahashi-san?"

"Still functioning."

Perhaps their alliance was all they had, in the dark depths despite barely knowing each other as they faced a rarely seen threat. Its teeth snapped its carapace rumbled against earthen walls as the sandworm rushed past Sousuke, nearly taking a limb as it passed. Whilst Soukse prepares himself for battle and draws his blade, the mercenary proved to be a rather skillful ninjutsuist capable of manipulating one of Wind Country's most precious commodities: water. The fluid took the form of a shark, an unknown beast to the denizens of the desert and it 'swam' straight for the sandworm. The sandworm let out a cave-shattering cry but seemed more enraged than anything else. Water was toxic to sandworms, this was an elementary fact for those who had lived their lives in the desert but being that water is so rare... it is also an underutilized skill and mastery in the desert. The bespectacled doctor was proving her value in more ways than one, as the hard outter shell of one of the annelid's rings started to noticeably crack. The attack seemed to enrage the worm, it started to move about with even greater force and violently so.

The worm released its gastric contents, a slurry of earth, debris and organic matte. It possessed an astringent stench that permeated the cavern with the stomach twisting odor. The flaps about the worm's maw peeled back and a dark sinewy tendril shot out and flew through the darkness, aimed directly at Nanami. The harpoon-like tendril of organic sinew pierced Nanami's abdomen and went straight through to the other side. The damages the woman suffered were a pittance of what would have been expected, but the peril was not the tendril that had impaled her but the fact that the line went taut immediately thereafter and started to pull her closer. Closer to the masw of the beast. In short order she would be consumed if she did not pull herself free of the organic harpoon.

While Sousuke prepared his weapon, Nanami followed up with yet another attack. Her skilled hands manipulated the water in such a way that swirling drills were directed straight at the sandworm. All three struck the unfortunate legendary beast. The annelid's tail attempted to sweep around and strike the Steward Kage, the walls of the cavern being pushed back and crumbling due to the shear force of the sandworm's powerful attack. The Kazekage was able to scramble out of the way. The sandworm starts thrashing immediately thereafter, crushing Sousuke in a vital area.

Sousuke armed with his enhanced blade came for the sandworm, destined to exchange blows. His sword clanged audibly in a series of rapid and risky strikes. The poison from his body and the power of his link with his weapon were terrible, but the near indestructible shell protected the worm from a majority of his attack. However, his blade dug deep between the plates that covered the worm, damage not being his primary intent. With a slice and a heave and a pull a plate fell away. A foul order escaped from the site of the injury but the soft, slimy grey flesh beneath was supple and unprotected. The risky endeavor of closing the gap with the sandworm cost Sousuke his arm as the worm snapped at Sousuke with deceptive speed and took into its gullet the Kazekage's arm. Blood flowed from the Steward's stump, but now was not a time to address losses but rather what one must do to prevent further losses. The worm crashed into the ground, causing the entire maze and cavern to shudder and shake, but Sousuke was able to avoid the disorientation and pain of the sandworm's fierce strike.

Nanami in a final display of ninjutsu skill creates her own attack, as she manipulates two exceedingly powerful water ninjutsus into a single whirling amalgamation of water and debris that she launched at the sandworm. The water splashed and sprayed the cavern, some running between the crevices of the worm's plates and letting off steam. The poor dumbfounded beast let out a wail that could perhaps be heard for miles.

[col3]Takahashi Sousuke
HP: 38,058 [-4476] 33,582
CP: 20,482 [-2871] 17,611
AP: 11 [-10.25] 0.75
Effects: Senbon Coating (The user takes -15% damage from all physical sources, and melee contact with the user inflicts 20% of the total damage back with a 22% chance of increasing bleeding. Causes 2% Max HP damage per round as well as a 8% chance to autofail if poisoned); (-2 evasion, -2 accuracy, -1000 HP per round x3 rounds). Defensive Mode: When in defensive mode, the player receives -1 to accuracy per +1 to dodge instead of the normal +2 dodge -4 Accuracy defense penalty. The maximum amount of dodge for accuracy they may swap is 4. -10% Damage Taken while in Defensive Mode.; Feral Assault: Each consecutive Slashing Taijutsu Attack made by the user gains +3% Damage and +1 Accuracy, stacking up to +6% Damage and +2 Accuracy. For each Non-Slashing Taijutsu Attack made lowers the stack by -3% Damage and +1 Accuracy.; Diamond Cutter: Crystallizes the user's weapon, giving all attacks made with it +15% damage and a 20% chance to activate the 'Adamantite' effect. Bleeding/Suppression/Called Shot chances are all increased by +12%.; Limb Loss (arm); Bleed I
Notes: Added drawing blade to sent actions.|Mizushima Nanami
HP: 38,310 [-3420] 34,890
CP: 30,064 [-11551] [+1080] 19,593
AP: 11 [-10.5] 0.5
Effects: Crystal Eye; Crystalline Passageway (20% chance of having their actions treated as Sneak Attacks and a 20% chance of having their attacks suffer blindshot penalties); Harpooned.
Notes: You will be consumed by the sandworm in 3 rounds if you do not break the cord that unites you with the sandworm. It has 5K HP.|Sandworm
HP: 37,990 [-23892] 14,098
CP: 40,000
AP: 10 [-9.5] 0.5
Effects: Burdening Touch (-2 Accuracy and dodge and gives their actions a 28% chance to have action's Ap cost increase by +10%, and cp cost by +10%; poisoned; Harpooned Nanami; Bezerking.

[legend="[b]Harpoon[/b]"]HP: 5,000
Note: Will consume Nanami in 3 rounds, 1 of 3 passed.[/legend][/col3]

Actions:

• 0.0 seconds | Nanami maintains Crystalline Passageway.
  0.00 seconds | Nanami maintains Crystal Eye
  0.45 seconds | Sousuke activates defensive stance (full +4).
  0.90 seconds | Sousuke activates feral style
  1.35 seconds | Sousuke draws weapon
  2.00 seconds | Sandworm attacks Sousuke, uses REND. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 32. Sneak Attack. Attack Roll: 4, Evasion Roll: 18. MISS!
  2.72 seconds | Nanami casts Water Shark Bomb (Mastered) that she transformed into an A Rank jutsu with jutsu expansion and then used the special action "Great Shark Bomb." Attack Roll: 9. HIT! 48% chance of causing "crush effect". Roll: 29. CRUSH EFFECT! Sandworm is suppressed for 0.5 AP and his carapace is cracked!
  2.27 seconds | Sandworm bezerks
  3.00 seconds | Sandworm vomits at Nanami. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 84. Normal Attack. Attack Roll: 8 Evasion Roll: 13. MISS!
  4.00 seconds | Sandworm launches a harpoon at Nanami. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 34. Sneak Attack. Attack Roll: 14. Evasion Roll: 1. Harpoon pierces Nanami.
  4.08 seconds | Sousuke activates Diamond Cutter Master Rank
  5.00 seconds | The Sandworm attacks Sousuke with tail sweep. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 63. Normal Attack. Attack Roll: 1. Evasion Roll: 6. MISS!
  5.44 seconds | Nanami attacks the sandworm with Grand Hydra Excavation (Mastered). Roll: 19, 15, 7. HIT! x3. 17% chance to cause pierce effect. 25, 19, 99. Failed to cause pierce effect.
  6.00 seconds | The Sandworm thrashes. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 84, 64. Normal Attack. Attack (Sousuke) Roll: 20 (CRITICAL STRIKE) Evasion: 10. CRIT!
  • Senbon Coating Check. Attack Roll: 14. Evasion Roll: 7. Failed.
  6.13 seconds | Sousuke attacks the sandworm with Lotus Flower Master Rank w/ special effect - pry armour. Roll: 15, 18. HIT! Senbon Coating 20% of damages additional reflected back onto worm. Senbon Coating poison - nin check. Attack Roll: 1; Evasion Roll: 11. Failed to poison. Bleed Chance. Roll: 72. Failed. Suppression Chance. Roll: 59. Failed. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 1. Blind Shot. Bleed Chance (1-32 bleed). Roll: 23. BLEED I.
  - Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 10. Blind Shot.
  6.13 seconds | Sousuke activated Myriad Strike.
  7.00 seconds | Sandworm attempts to Rend Sousuke. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 96. Normal Attack. Attack Roll: 18. Evasion Roll: 1. HIT! 40% chance of called shot limb penalty (1-20) OR limb loss (21-40). Roll: 29. Sousuke has suffered limb loss (arm). Sousuke may still use taijutsu techniques but unless he is capable of performing one-handed seals he will not be able to use any technique that requires handseals. Remember to recover your arm at the end of the battle if you want it back, use a cadaver, keep the limb lost or get a prosthetic. Forced maiming is not allowed by site rules and there is always a way to circumvent permanent scars (but we both know you think scars are cool). BLEED I.
  • Senbon Coating Check. Attack Roll: 10. Evasion Roll: 10. Failed.
  7.72 seconds | Sousuke attacks the sandworm with Lunar Steps Master Rank (Waning Effect) and attempts to pry armor. Attack Roll: 10. Hit! Senbon Coating 20% of damages additional reflected back onto worm. Senbon Coating poison - nin check. Attack Roll: 6; Evasion Roll: 15. Failed to poison. Bleed Chance. Roll: 94. Failed. Suppression Chance. Roll: 60. Failed. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 22. Sneak Attack. Bleed Chance. Roll: 23. BLEED II. Armor pried.
  8.00 seconds | Sandworm crashes against the ground, causing the earth to quiver. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 66. Normal Attack. Attack Roll: 7. Evasion Roll: 13. MISS!
  8.50 seconds | The sandworm is suppressed for the remainder of the round!
  9.31 seconds | Sousuke attacks the Sandworm with Sword Juggle Master Rank - pry armor. Attack Roll: 3, 20, 5, 12, 4. CRITICAL Hit x1 HIT x4! Senbon Coating 20% of damages additional reflected back onto worm. Senbon Coating poison - nin check. Attack Roll: 17; Evasion Roll: 15. Poison. Bleed Chance. Roll: 90. Failed. Suppression Chance. Roll: 6. Suppressed for 0.5 AP. Blind Shot (1-20), Sneak Attack (21-40), Normal Attack (41-100): 7. Blind Shot. Bleed Chance. Roll: 83. Failed to increase bleed. Armor pried.
  9.53 seconds | Nanami attacks the sandworm with Grand Hydra Excavation (Mastered) and Water Dragon Bullet (Mastered) using Jutsu Creator. Roll: 7. HIT! 31% chance to cause 'Pierce' effect. Roll: 15. Pierce effect. 31% chance to cause 'cascade effect'. Roll: 89. Failed to cause cascade effect. The carapace has been fractured and the worm has been suppressed for 0.5 AP.

 

[Akako]

[col]She and the Steward of Gondor... or the Steward of Sand, rather, worked in tandem to cut down the sandworm to size. Figuratively. For all the damage they've done, the beast won't go down just yet, as expected of such a feared and legendary beast. But she could feel that it was close to death. And to think she thought Pestilence would be necessary to slay this foe.

There was some witty retort, somewhere in there. But it was lost as the shout of "I'm sorry friend, I can't hear you over how heroic I'm being right now," echoed around the tunnels. There would have been a grin on her face too and another witty retort. But it seemed such display of wit would have to wait as... well... this was unfortunate.

The doctor blinked, staring down at her chest. A harpoon like appendage, what she assumed to be a tongue, cleanly went through her. She could feel it dig into her back as she was pulled forward but the most she could say was: "Oh my. That is not a pleasant feeling." And it definitely wasn't.

Thankfully, it seemed to have missed her vital organs. Of course, by vital, she meant anything that would instantly kill her. No doubt, the thing had penetrated her lungs and had given her a pulmonary laceration. But unless she yanked the harpoon out, the appendage itself should block off the worst of the damage. That was a good thing, considering that penetrating chest trauma had a ten percent mortality rate. It didn't seem like a good image to have, to be killed because of a stupid worm's tongue.

The pain set off something in her brain though and the crystalline passage around them shattered into nothingness. Just in time to let the two surface dwellers join their little underground party.

Finding her own tongue was a chore but she managed to still be chatty, despite everything.

"If you have trouble hearing, Masashi-san, may I recommend going to an otolaryngologist? Or perhaps a psychiatrist would be preferable, if you are starting to find awesome taking audible form? Also, Takahashi-san? Might you cauterize your bleeding stump? I'm afraid I am unable to at the moment. All tied up," she informed them before dropping to the ground.

All the energy had left her body, with what she had done, and she seemed unperturbed by the fact that she was being dragged into the sandworm. The woman just wanted to rest a bit, a five minute break if possible. She trusted her companions to kill it anyway. They were the shinobi after all, not she. And if she had been consumed before they could... well, the worm would truly regret it. Someone with great medical knowledge would know how to wreck havoc from the inside after all.

"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, the medicine go down, the medicine go down. Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, in a most delightful way," she hummed lazily, groaning when her head hit a rock as she was dragged.

Suddenly, she piped up as if remembering: "An otolaryngologist is an ear, nose and throat physician. Just so you know."

|</FONTFACE>[legend="[b]Out of Character Notes[/b]"]

• Marked for Training on Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:02 am with 536 words
  
  We'll be replacing Ray's arm with one made of dead sandworm tissue.
  
  I'll let you guys kill it. I forgot to watch my CP, lol.
  
  Summary:
  
  0.0 AP - Drop Crystalline Passage, Maintain Crystal Eye
  • It should close just behind the two latecomers
  3.0 AP - Silver Flash (Mastered)
  
  • Target Harpoon tongue thing
  <i></i>
  10.0 AP - Rest to regain 23% of my HP and and 26% of my CP
  • I gain +3% HP and CP more due to Nara's Shadow Tactics
  • +3% more CP for Hyperactive
  • Tatsuya agreed to cut off the Harpoon for me...

[/legend]<FONTFACE fontface="monospace">[/col]

 

[Takahashi Aki]

With some effort, the plate went flying off. What followed next even the Steward was ... surprised with. The creature in question chomped down on his arm and ripped it off. The pain was excruciating. The Steward emitted a metallic cry of sorts ... which would cut short. The Steward honed his senses and put the pain out of his mind... or at least he tried to. Nanami reminded him of his missing arm. Yes. There was that much to be fixed... after the sandworm had been killed, and his arm retrieved from the cooling corpse of this monstrosity. The Steward would get his arm back. Okibi lost his arm. His grandmother had lost an arm. He just lost an arm, but he wasn't going to have it lost forever.

"Will do once I've killed this thing... and stopped it from devouring you like it did my arm."<i></i> It was a tall order. Yet ... Sousuke could surprise people. He had indeed removed the sandworm's armour. Its flesh was in the open. The Steward's eyes narrowed. He glowed a sickly blue for a moment as he conjured his chakra. He dashed at the target's forced weakness. His honed skill with a blade would see him past this. The Steward pushed himself beyond his normal limits, and targeted the opening he had just made. The now crystallized ebon blade would begin hacking and slashing at the weak point that was established. A dark barrier surrounded Sousuke as he began his assault. Yet that barrier would not be the only thing happening simultaneously. The barrier would be used offensively at the same time as follow up came in a series of slashes. With each slash The Steward in his calculated effort would attempt to deal a deathblow to the subterranean terror. Unfortunately Nanami seemed to have hit her head on a rock... why wasn't she fighting back? She was just going to allow herself to be. The Steward watched as she hit her head. That did not make anything better... but remarkably she was still talking about specialists. "Noted ... I'm a Steeltechnist."<i></i> He spoke almost casually as he was wrapping up his assault. The Steward upon the end of his assault would back up with a leap. He would do as the medic had suggested earlier, and attempt to clot up the wound. While the armour was indeed metal, he still had some leather workings on the interior. He sheathed his blade and tore into his armour pulling out straps to try and cover up the wound to get the bleeding and the wound itself to clot up.

He heard Katuso who was on his way down. His cousin would be with them shortly, and the Steward did not look forward to having to explain to his cousin what had just happened to the two of them. He expected a full tongue lashing from the older Sunahoshi heir ... but did Katuso ever truly get mad? Well... he did before. This though was ... well ... it was different.

Actions
maintain all buffs and stances
2.75 Limit Break Rank 2
2.75 Higuma Rank 2 - target weak point
2.75 Annihilation Rank 2 - target weak point
2.75 Heavenly Sword Rank 2- target weak point
0 Drop Black Blade
0 Rip leather straps out from core interiors of armour and clog the wound

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]Beneath them the slide of crystal disintegrated and suddenly Katsuo was in free fall... but he'd come prepared for that. The cushion of gravity chakra that he'd expelled gave him complete control over his falling velocity allowing him to drop quickly to the cave flood unharmed and ready to fight... with the sheathed Tatsumasa in hand. He hadn't drawn the sword against the Cabal as he'd felt that bringing his father's blade to bear against men and women that he wished to recruit for the good of the state would not have been in his best interest but here there was no reason to hold back. This would be the first time he'd wielded the blade since taking in the spark of Primus and as he wrapped his fingers around the leather-bound hilt of the blade, he could feel his own energy resonate with that within the sword. Even though it had been broken and reforged, Tatsumasa felt more powerful than ever and for that Katsuo mentally noted to thank Judori later for his wondrous work in restoring the blade.

It was about to pay off in a large way.

Standing not too far away from where Nanami was pinned to the ground with the harpoon from the sandworm, Katsuo knew that he had to act quickly. While the insides of the sandworm might be more vulnerable to attack, they were also perhaps the most lethal place on the worm. Within the chitinous plates of a sandworm lay a living furnace of heat and energy which the worm used to "digest" the grit, sand and earth that it chewed it's way through which is what made them capable of eating almost literally anything. He heard her follow up to his quip to Makoto on the way down through the Crystalline Passage and couldn't repress a smirk. Hundreds of feet underground, facing down a beast that was legendary for it's destructive potential and even worse stabbed through the chest with a tendon harpoon while being dragged to her doom inside of said legendary beast and she still managed to find a moment to laugh in the face of her peril.

My kind of lady, thought Katsuo.

Both she and Sousuke seemed to be well enough to speak -- even though Sousuke seemed to have lost an arm to the sandworm's massive maw if Nanami's yell was to be believed -- which freed Katsuo's attention up to deal with the sandworm. Shifting his feet against the rough ground that he stood upon, Katsuo managed to find sure enough footing for what he was going to attempt. In terms of fighting, Katsuo was not a genius of invention. None of his techniques were truly original -- they were learned from others and mastered under his own terms... and Katsuo'd had many masters over the years but the first and perhaps the most well-known of them had been his mother. A prodigy in her own right, Masashi Inara had made a name for herself by bringing judgment to the damned with the edge of her sword for many years before meeting Kazekage Sunahoshi Hiro and becoming enamored of him. She was famous for her style of demon slaying: the Transcendent Sword and it's associated techniques. While Katsuo had never mastered all of his mother's techniques, the highest and most powerful Transcendent Swords had always eluded him for his lack of spiritual dexterity, the ones that he had mastered were dangerous enough. Especially so when combined with the power of Tatsumasa and the spark of Primus.

Crouching low for a moment with gravitational and magnetic chakra swirling around his form, Katsuo's body erupted in bolts of energy for a split second before crossing the distance between where he'd been standing and where the sandworm was in a single instant. This was not a shinobi technique by any means. Katsuo's mother was not a shinobi and had never been trained in such arts. Her techniques were not the brand of technique that incapacitated or harmed an opponent. They were demon slaying techniques intended to obliterate their target and that was exactly what Katsuo had in mind as he drew Tatsumasa into a single swing aimed at the sandworm's body...

"Transcendent Sword #3 -- Dragonslayer!""

Katsuo's voice thundered off of the walls of the cavern as calling the name of his technique aloud brought power to his limbs and to Tatsumasa. The concept and practice of "calling out" one's attacks was one that was often mocked outside of the martial arts community but it served a practical purpose for those that understood such things. Names were constructs of thought that possessed great power which allowed those performing the named technique to focus with that much more intent upon the performance of their attack. In many schools of martial arts the most important portion of an attack wasn't the size of one's muscles or the speed with which an attack could be executed but the conviction that one could muster during an attack. In a contest of equal strength and speed it was the one that believed harder or wanted the victory more that seized it. It likely would sound almost corny to those who were uninitiated to such things but in a contest of strength and speed against a creature that could crush rocks with it's jaws and burrow through solid stone... Katsuo wanted all of the advantages that he could muster.|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvtKKbCubps&t=27]SCENE BGM[/url]]"]

• Maintaining Anti-Gravity [Master Rank] [0 AP / 280 CP]
• Maintaining Storm Mail [Master Rank] [0 AP / 410 CP]
• Cast Gravitational Pull on sandworm (I realize the sandworm is too large for me to pull -- I am pulling myself to the sandworm). [2 AP / 672 CP]
  • Using Storm Mail's Special Action to decrease the AP Timing of Gravitational Pull by -1.5 AP. [+20% CP Cost]
  • Using the Special Action Gravitational Pull to combo into Transcendent Sword #3 - Dragonslayer [4.125 AP / 3811 CP / 3296 HP]
    • Jutsu Creator: Fist of Sin (Wrath) + Fist of Virtue (Kindness)
    • Total HP/CP Cost Modifiers: +85% CP Cost / +60% HP Cost
• Dramatic pose as Sandworm blows up behind me. [0 AP]

[/legend][/col]

 

[Shiruko Makoto]

The ride down was surprisingly smooth, although also incredibly fast, even though Makoto was slowing himself a little bit with the drag from his parasol. All the way down he was mentally berating himself, his teammates, and the world in general for the existence of the storm, the existence of sandworms, and the existence of the mission, in that order.

Still, when he got to the end of the slide he managed to do a little jump to the ground, the parasol catching a bit of air still and making him look like he had floated down the last foot or two. He didn't bother sheathing it; it might be needed.

The scene was, of course, pretty much utter chaos.

"So that's a Sandworm," he mused. "Well. Impressive in size, at least, but I think it loses some effect from the bleeding."

He paused to note the harpoon through Nanami's midsection and the fact Sousuke was missing an arm.

"You two have been busy." He lifted his free hand and twitched his fingers, debating what to do. The others had the Sandworm in hand themselves, so... "Need a hand? I'm going to assume you don't want to get eaten."

Going a little delirious, apparently. Well, Nanami was a medic after all, and had been the one to panic in the first place. Maybe medics just weren't cut out for field missions.

Is she in shock or something like that? That's not good. Hopefully she'll recover in a minute; I don't much fancy hauling around an unconscious person while we combat a storm demigod. However the hell we get back up.

He was already absently going through one-handed seals for his accustomed favourite attack, aiming a few feet down the tongue harpoon from Nanami. He didn't want to hit her, after all, and the other two would be targeting the worm itself. If they didn't manage to kill it after he'd freed her, he could help there.

And he definitely didn't want to get attacked himself either because. Well. Sousuke had apparently lost an arm to the thing and wow. Just. No. It was taking him a good deal of restraint to not comment on that.

Yet. He would most definitely comment on it after this was over.

Namely, on how their medic was probably along for precisely such things as this and...well, a competent med-nin could surely reattach an arm in the field if it were retrieved, right?

(His estimation of Sousuke did rise a few notches with the observation that he had lost an arm and was still fighting like it was no big deal and some tiny part of Makoto was going holy shit over that. Clearly the man was made of steel.)

He winced slightly at Katsuo's calling his attack. He was an effective fighter, no doubt, but...well, a little more subtlety wouldn't hurt him at any point, no?

Then again, Makoto had significantly more 'bang and crash' style fighting than most of his clan did, thanks to his tendency to use Ninjutsu rather than Taijutsu. Fortunately, that was an asset in situations like this, as he completed a rapid-fire sequence of one-handed seals to blast that harpoon in half.

The second it was severed, he'd grab Nanami, tug her off to the side, and shield her with his parasol from what would hopefully be a rain of sandworm guts.

He drew the line at being covered in sandworm guts.

[legend="[b]OOC Notes/Actions[/b]"]-Maintain Earthen Coating [0 AP]
-Cast Chakra Blast w/Affinity Move Combo [2.5 AP]
-> Chain into Wind Scythe [2 AP]
Both aiming to sever the harpoon in Nanami from the Sandworm's tongue at a distance where it won't hit her.
[Conditional: If the worm attacks me, use Barrier Special Action: Energy Wall reflexively. [2 AP]]
-Heroically pull Nanami away from exploding Sandworm and shield us both with Parasol [0 AP][/legend]<i></i>

 

[Michi]

[col]Masashi Katsuo
HP: 48,000 [-9247] 38,753
CP: 28,200 [-11405] 16,795
AP: 10 [-4.13] 5.87
Effects: Anti-Gravity, Storm-Mail, Right hand of the King
Notes: Removed the HP/CP losses from the rounds previous. Calculated your passive damages in the worm attack.|Shiruko Makoto
HP: 39,000 [-1755] 37,245
CP: 36,000 [-3919] 32,081
AP: 10
Effects: Earthen Coating
Notes: Removed the HP/CP losses from the rounds previous.[/col]

[col3]Takahashi Sousuke
HP: 33,582 [-3089] 30,493
CP: 20,482 [-2871] 17,611
AP: 11 [-10.25] 0.75
Effects: Senbon Coating (The user takes -15% damage from all physical sources, and melee contact with the user inflicts 20% of the total damage back with a 22% chance of increasing bleeding. Causes 2% Max HP damage per round as well as a 8% chance to autofail if poisoned); (-2 evasion, -2 accuracy, -1000 HP per round x3 rounds). Defensive Mode: When in defensive mode, the player receives -1 to accuracy per +1 to dodge instead of the normal +2 dodge -4 Accuracy defense penalty. The maximum amount of dodge for accuracy they may swap is 4. -10% Damage Taken while in Defensive Mode.; Feral Assault: Each consecutive Slashing Taijutsu Attack made by the user gains +3% Damage and +1 Accuracy, stacking up to +6% Damage and +2 Accuracy. For each Non-Slashing Taijutsu Attack made lowers the stack by -3% Damage and +1 Accuracy.; Diamond Cutter: Crystallizes the user's weapon, giving all attacks made with it +15% damage and a 20% chance to activate the 'Adamantite' effect. Bleeding/Suppression/Called Shot chances are all increased by +12%.; Limb Loss (arm); Bleed I
Notes: Added drawing blade to sent actions.|Mizushima Nanami
HP: 34,890 [+9660] 44,450 42,000 [Max]
CP: 19,593 [-120] [+8280] 27,753
AP: 10.5 [-10.5] 0
Effects: Crystal Eye; Crystalline Passageway (20% chance of having their actions treated as Sneak Attacks and a 20% chance of having their attacks suffer blindshot penalties); Harpooned.
Notes: You are free from the sandworm. You have gained benefits from resting. Makoto's parasol saved you.|Sandworm
HP: 14,098 [-31855] -17,754
CP: 40,000
AP: 10.5
Effects: Burdening Touch (-2 Accuracy and dodge and gives their actions a 28% chance to have action's Ap cost increase by +10%, and cp cost by +10%; poisoned; Harpooned Nanami; Bezerking; Bleed II; Knocked Out.

[legend="[b]Harpoon[/b]"]HP: 5,000 [-10650] -5650
DESTROYED
Note: Will consume Nanami in 3 rounds, 1 of 3 passed.[/legend][/col3]



Katsuo and Makoto slide into battle...

"So that's a Sandworm... Well. Impressive in size, at least, but I think it loses some effect from the bleeding."

It was a terrible scene, Nanami was pierced through her chest and on the ground soon to be consumed by the Sandworm. Sousuke was standing, battle ready still but he was missing his arm. The Steward seemed undeterred by his lost appendage or the raging beast before him. Nanami seemed resided to remain limp at the end of the monster's line, being dragged into the depths of the monster's belly. The organic tendril that had broken the young woman's form grew taut after it broke through her soft flesh. With the tensile strength of steel, it tried to pull the young mercenary inward towards its massive maw. The stale stench that emanated from the Sandworm's throat filled the cavern. It was strange how earth could have such a smell in the digestive track, Sandworms were strange creatures indeed, capable of making their way through earth and to some extent stone their great size is almost deceptive. Sandworms can subsist entirely off the microorganisms that live in the earth, making due with so little yet being... so much seems like a mathematical impossibility but these annelids were living proof of what can be done with so little. A relaitvely unknown fact about these worms is that with greater caloric intake, their growth and strength could be exponential - that being the secret to great legendary beasts such as Barynx the devourer of its own kind. These unfortunate adventurers, a rare delight as the storm has pushed the sandworms underground for the most part. The relatively rare and elusive creatures' growth was stunted by the lack of 'large prey.'

"Oh my. That is not a pleasant feeling."

The female merc announced, possibly stunned by the sudden loss of freedom. She was not struggling despite the jaws of death slowly closing in.

"You two have been busy."

A would-be hero announced. It was true, Nanami and Sousuke put a large dent in the Sandworm. The carapace had been cracked and the water attacks Nanami utilized had severely weakened the great fiend. Still, both Nanami and Sousuke were in a tight spot. Sousuke had already lost one arm and if he lost another, he would have no offense against this rampaging creature. Nanami was moments from being swallowed whole by the worm.

"Need a hand? I'm going to assume you don't want to get eaten."

Makoto offered the rambling doctor. Ever the gentleman one would suppose, asking for permission before rendering heroic duties.

"Will do once I've killed this thing... and stopped it from devouring you like it did my arm."

Sousuke also offered. Such gentlemen the pair of them. Despite the loss of an appendage and the blood that trickled from his arm, he was still willing to fight and Sousuke was preparing for something big while Makoto was focused on rescuing the girl.

The Masashi mustered up his strength for a single destructive attack intended to fell perhaps such a powerful opponent. He flew through the air, toes barely touching the ground as his hands ran through a series of handseals that upon completion gave the sandworm a gravitational pull that sent him 'plummeting' laterally blade-first.

"Transcendent Sword #3 -- Dragonslayer!""

The Sandworm never had a chance to attack...

Katsuo cried, his blade cutting through the unfortunate worm. The sandworm was bisected clean through. The worm let of a terrible death cry that rattled the walls. Its body thrashed violently, its intestinal contents spilling from the great wound Katsuo made in its side. Boiling hot lava-like gastric contents spilled onto the floor. Sousuke's bones found among the liquefied stones that splattered the walls and the floors. Searing hot, lava-like gastric contents spewed forth, threatening to digest anything that fell within its radius. Makoto broke through the worm's tendon-like harpoon and it fell limp before Nanami before he ushered her to safety behind his parasol. Death or disability would not deter Sousuke as he too launched a barrage of attacks against the unmoving sandworm. He hacked and saws in a dramatic fashion and did not cease until his frenzied attack was complete.

Tiny holes were burnt between the ribs of his parasol but it did protect his precious flesh from being splashed with boiling hot worm slurry. Sousuke and Katsuo, however, were not as fortunate. He was still attempting to attack the sandworm when Katsuo broke through the unfortunate beast. The dangerous pre-carmot shot out and covered Sousuke, the acid and the heat burning his flesh as he dove for the worm weapon first in dramatic fashion. He was only moments late, his adrenaline and his momentum moved despite the likely searing pain, he did not cease until his frenzied attack was completed.

Whilst Katsuo dramatically posed before his kill and Sousuke continued to claw at the unconscious worm, they were covered with burning hot worm goo.~

What Happened?<i></i>

• 0.0 Seconds | Nanami drops Crystalline Passageway.
  0.00 Seconds | Nanami maintains Crystal Eye
  0.00 Seconds | Sousuke maintains defensive stance (full +4).
  0.00 Seconds | Sousuke maintains feral style
  0.00 Seconds | Katsuo maintains Anti-Gravity
  0.00 Seconds | Katsuo maintaining Storm Mail [Master Rank]
  0.00 Seconds | I do not know how Sousuke got his arm back without some chakra manipulation or anything of the sort.
  0.00 Seconds | Mizushima Nanami rests.
  0.00 Seconds | Sousuke maintains Senbon Coating.
  0.00 Seconds | Sousuke maintains Diamond Cutter.
  0.50 Seconds | Katsuo casts Gravitational Pull on sandworm to pull the worm towards himself using Using Storm Mail's Special Action to expedite the attack and another special action Gravitational Pull to use Jutsu Creator to combine: Fist of Sin (Wrath) + Fist of Virtue (Kindness). Attack Roll: 6, 19 Hit x2
  • 21% chance of gaining the 'Laser Guided' effect. Roll: 71, 28. Failed.
    Worm has been KO'd
  2.50 Seconds | Makoto chain casts Chakra Blast and Wind Scythe to attack the harpoon in Nanami's chest. Success. Nanami falls to the ground and the Harpoon is destroyed! Roll: 20. CRIT!
  • 28% Chance of inflicting 'Chakra Burn'. Roll: 69 Failed.
    28% Chance of inflicting 'Non Elemental'. Roll: 19 Non Elemental Effect!
    18% chance of 'Wind Slice'. Roll: 45. Failed.
    • Makoto heroically pulls Nanami away from the Sandworm.
  5.50 Seconds | Sousuke uses Limit Break to combo: Higuma and Annihilation. Attack Rolls: 2, 7, 18, 1. HIT x4 Higuma. 4620 Attack Roll: 14. HIT x1 Annihilation.
  • Chance of increasing bleeding. Roll: 19. Bleed I.
    20% chance to activate the 'Adamantite' effect. Roll: 8
    Chance of increasing bleeding. Roll: 12. Bleed II.
    20% chance to activate the 'Adamantite' effect. Roll: 13
  5.50 Seconds | Sandworm's inners become outters - they are splashed onto Sousuke and Katsuo. THEY BURN!
  10.0 Seconds | Mizushima Nanami rests. Gained 23% max HP and 26% max CP.

[legend="[b]So...[/b]"]Yes the sandworm is dead.
Yes the sandworm exploded... kinda, gastric contents are everywhere.
Makoto was the only one using some sort of barrier since this is an environmental thing since the battle is over
Sousuke did get hit with worm guts.[/legend]

 

[Akako]

[col]Still hooked up, like some bed ridden patient on a twisted life line, the doctor hardly did anything this time around. The thought of entering the creature's maw hardly fazed her, a clear contrast to her panic attack of past. Perhaps she has had time to acclimatize to the craziness shinobi often submerged themselves in by now. Whatever the case, she wasn't being helpful. A fact that she would soon rectify anyhow, if the others would question her ability and reason for being here. That is, if nearly giving the sandworm water intoxication wasn't enough.

"I've heard that Water Country's giant squids are much more formidable. I've never seen them myself though," she droned on casually, even as the harpoon was severed and she was dragged off. Brown eyes bore into the other mercenary before they ran over his body, up and down. "At least you've kept yourself healthy. Remind me to give you a lollipop after this. Although you could perhaps use to gain some more weight."

The fighting may as well have been background noise at this point. But to show that she was still aware of her surroundings, the woman was quick to get up to her feet and to applaud the two Sunans when the worm was dead. That is, she did so as soon as she was sure the other man's parasol could be pushed away without getting guts all over their persons. "I'd hit you with Shiruko-san's parasol, had it been made of more forgiving materials. You should have let Masashi-san finish off the stupid worm," the doctor deadpanned, staring with furrowed brows at Sousuke.

Her gaze moved over to Katsuo as well, giving the two men a stare that subtly said she found them weird for hacking into a dead thing so feverishly. Of course, she was a hypocrite, considering she still wasn't doing anything to the appendage hanging through her chest. "But, as it is, I will have to punish you like so." Without warning, she splashed the two with chilly waters that should wash off most of the guts covering them.

Not missing a beat, she was already moving to retrieve Sousuke's arm. Or what was left of it. "Problematic," she hummed, moving to another pile. It seemed that she was salvaging what could be considered as sandworm muscles and scale. Pushing up her sleeves, she was elbow deep in gore to personally handpick materials for reconstruction and grafting. A shinobi's regeneration technique should be enough for a hasty patch up job, but she rather the reattached limb be made of sturdier, real material for a prolonged lifespan in case they run into any further complications.

With enough material, she reconstructed the arm, molding the materials like clay and arranging the scales in a manner that it would not wholly impede movement. It was done like how a person would make lasagne. Except this lasagne was made of meats and tubes and bones.

A glint entered her eyes as she worked. A glint that would perhaps be familiar to the two Sunans, similar to the look when she started speaking medical jargon and what not when they had been dealing with the Cabal. Her speech that followed was, as before, clipped and being let loose at an alarming rate as if she had no need for breath.

"Shiruko-san. Sanest individual here. Relatively speaking. Please see if there's a way to the surface. Takashi-san. Advise getting a proper prosthesis at your soonest convenience. Making do with materials we have now. Will lose some range of motion and feeling. Will be heavy too. And slimy. Foreign substance in the body and what not. But at least you will have a functional arm. Also, sandworm scales might serve as protection. Unsure. Untested. No time for tests. Mission first. Mmm, tests... Masashi-san. Restrain patient. I do not want to reattach his arm backward. Would be funny. But would be inconvenient. Mizushima-san," she paused, pouting in thought. "Keeping the harpoon. Do not want to bleed out. Also keeping the appendage for study. Remind me to get sandworm samples as soon as we're done with limb reattachment procedure."

With a regrown arm in hand, Nanami stood up once more and turned towards Sousuke with a pinning gaze. Reattaching a bone wouldn't be too hard. A skeletal fortification would be an easy fix. Reattaching blood vessels, nerves and tissues, especially that made of foreign substance and built from scratch using memory of the human anatomy alone was another thing entirely. Taking into factor that they had no microsurgical tools to speak of, it would be complicated. She would have to use chakra and her own fingers in lieu of such things. The flaring of mystical force on her hands made sure to sterilize them, in any case.

"Do be still. This will be painful. Anaesthetic would only affect procedure and your performance in the mission. But don't be shy to scream."|</FONTFACE>
[legend="[b]Out of Character Notes[/b]"]

• Please tell me if I have to edit my post.
  
  Summary:
  
  Rinse Off (Mastered) to wash the vile gunk off Katsuo and Sousuke.
  
  Regeneration (Mastered) to regrow muscle and skin on Sousuke's bones using donour sandworm tissue.
  
  Skeletal Fortification (Mastered) to reattach the bones.
  
  Mystical Force (Mastered) to reattach tendons, arteries and what not.

[/legend]<FONTFACE fontface="monospace">[/col]

 

[Michi]

Note: I find Nanami's method of attaching a donor-grafted arm that is yours with an allograft acceptable as long as Sousuke consents and further find that to be a clever use of jutsus.

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]Katsuo's muscles screamed at him as he landed and the sandworm's life was ended. The various Transcendent Sword techniques were all uniquely powerful demon slaying attacks but they put a great deal of strain on the body of the user. While there were no visible wounds on his body from completing the attack Katsuo could feel the damage that was done to him from the inside out as his chest pounded. To make matters worse, a tsunami of sandworm gore coated him as the felled beast dropped to the cavern floor... and Sousuke rushed into attack the corpse. Delivering a fierce beat-down to the creature's unmoving body, Katsuo wiped the visor of his sturdy helmet with his sizzling gloves and rushed to Sousuke's side to see if there was something wrong with the Steward. Didn't he realize that he was literally beating a dead worm?

"Sousuke, that's enough." He called before reaching the Steward who unleashed another chakra-heavy taijutsu technique into the still-bodied beast. "Sousuke it's done, let it be."

They were both covered in what Katsuo could only describe as the sandworm's death juice and boy did it smell almost as badly as it burned. He couldn't feel it yet through the layer armor that he was wearing but he suspected that he would soon... but as soon as Katsuo placed his hand upon Sousuke's shoulder to bring the Steward back to his sense the full enormity of what had happened to Sousuke hit him. In the moments as he fell from the mouth of the cavern they encountered the worm in Katsuo's attention had been almost entirely upon defeating the creature and while his mind had registered what had happened to Sousuke it seemed like his rational mind was just now catching up to what his subconscious had already taken notice of. Before he could say anything however Nanami called that she would "punish them" for something and a torrent of cold water would wash over the two. There wasn't enough force behind the jet to topple Katsuo from his feet but it certainly did the trick of cleaning off the potentially dangerous goop that the sandworm had sprayed all over them.

"We've gotta get this arm squared away, Sousuke. Suna's breath you're lucky you're still conscious." Swore Katsuo as he grabbed Sousuke and attempted to guide him over to where Nanami gestured he should restrain Sousuke. After what they'd gone through with the Cabal, Katsuo had enough faith in Nanami's skill as both a doctor and a medical shinobi that whatever she was about to attempt was going to be in the best interest of the Steward-Kazekage.

Probably.|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5PTDZM_9ZY&list=PL883956BE5ACDA1DD&index=2]SCENE BGM[/url]]"][/legend]

I'M SORRY IT'S LAME I TRIED.[/col]

 

[Takahashi Aki]

(This is an irony here in that Sousuke is still a purple haired Ichigo... bwaha.)

Sousuke didn't quite realized how dead the sandworm had been when he was hacking it up and causing it to spill guts all over the place. He hadn't expected Katuso to single handedly kill the sandworm. It took his cousin two times to get him to snap out of his ... battle focus. Once Katsuo had gotten his attention, Sousuke looked at the creature that was quite clearly dead. Nanami made a remark about Katuso having finished off the worm. Sousuke's spiked armour began to recede. He blinked a few times. Everyone could seen the red orbs that represented Sousuke's eyes blink a few times more. Was tge sandworm dead? Truly dead? "Well... I had to ensure that this sandworm had suffered a complete and total terminal failure. It was entirely probable that Katuso could have been devoured by one like when Hannibal Chau was devoured by a Kaiju... when said Kaiju had been thought to be slain. Granted of course that it was an infant Kaiju..."<i></i> It was a historical reference that many would probably not get. More myth than history really. Still though it was a very valid point. Nanami had blasted him with a Sousuke a water jutsu. History lesson had been cut short by Nanami who was constructing a replacement arm on hand. Sousuke had been very grateful that she had washed his armour off. Sure it wasn't sparkling, and sure the scrapes and cuts needed to be painted over but this was certainly an improvement given that ... the smell and the guts would not be travelling with them.

She described it to him. The arm was made out of the remains of his bones, and sandworm tissue. "Naturally problematic. Original skeletal structure entirely compromised. Finger bones perhaps turned to dust or obliterated."<i></i> That much could be agreed upon. "Could construct a metallic clone and rewire and make use of arm, given our settings it will be an even greater hindrance if magnetic forces oppose us even further."<i></i> Sousuke admitted. "Proceed at will."<i></i> No anaesthetic. Raw nerves going to be connected. This was going to certainly be a charming little exercise. It was possible that the replacement arm would be rejected by his body, but hopefully that would occur sometime after the mission. Katuso spoke of how Sousuke was still conscious, and how lucky he was at that. "I do surprise people from time to time. Remember the condition you found me in the last time when I was engaged in combat?"<i></i> A joke. A poor one at best, but at least he was trying to make light of a very bad situation. Nanami joked with him about screaming. The Steward made a sort of shrugging gesture as best he could. "It'll be transmitted... slightly different."<i></i> Nanami probably didn't understand that Sousuke had been screaming earlier when the metallic cry he emitted upon initial dismemberment. "...One more thing I now have in common with my grandmother, but I certainly don't carry her stubborn nature."<i></i>

 

[Shiruko Makoto]

Makoto resisted the urge to sigh when the sandworm's innards predictably splashed everywhere. The fabric of his parasol was of course waterproof, thanks to using it as an actual umbrella sometimes during Moon's more rainy seasons, and they splashed harmlessly off of its surface. He held it off to one side after the deluge was done, shaking it lightly away from anyone to get the last few drops off.

The smell was still unpleasant, though to be expected.

"Overkill," he said lightly. "I certainly hope everyone else has been conserving chakra for the final showdown to a degree, as it seems unlikely we can reason with the person on the rock up there."

He shook off his parasol one last time before sheathing it away again.

Nanami had finally stopped spouting nonsense, only to instead make a comment on his weight. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, as if he hadn't heard that one before.

Yes, built like a twig, thank you, knew that already. I'm sure it isn't even more obvious compared to those two. It was enough to give him an inferiority complex, if he were even capable of getting such a thing.

"I try to avoid things like getting my arm taken off and getting covered in the intestines of an exploded desert creature, yes," he said mildly. "Though I'll pass on the lollipop, thanks. Watching my figure and all."

That was how people were supposed to handle that sort of thing, right? Take it in stride, make a little joke?

Well I am at least trying this whole 'social skills' thing everyone keeps harping on. They can't say I'm not.

He couldn't help the quick smirk when she doused the other two, though. Maybe they didn't mind wandering around covered in the rapidly-smelling remains of a sandworm, but clearly she, like he, would have minded walking with them when they were in such a state.

Trusting that the medic could do medical things, although apparently lacked the desire to do anything about the harpoon through her own torso, he glanced around for a moment, catching his breath. The spray of water had hit only a bit of the walls as well, and the majority of the sandworm's splattered intestines was on the walls, with some of it lying in a puddle on the ground. He estimated thy were about twenty to thirty feet underground, given the speed and angle of their travel down the slide.

Could be an issue, unless at least one of us can fly and another has a rope--both of which I sincerely doubt.

Normally he would have voiced an objection as to being considered only the sanest person in the room compared to other ninja--never a good baseline for sanity in the first place, really--but he was already considering the logistics of how to get out of there. In case the lightning barrier had come back up they'd want to do it on the other side, so...

"Yes," he said, distracted. "A way back up. Hm. Well. I have an idea, I suppose. I hope no one minds climbing if they have to, though I'm sure I can arrange something else if that's a problem."

The way up to the surface would require some kind of explosion, of course. Of a sort. Not exactly of the traditionally explosive kind, that wasn't something he could do.

But what he could do was blast the wall with a widened beam of pure chakra, wide enough so that even the largest of them could fit through crawling, angled upward at roughly a forty five degree angle, to a spot that would be on the other side of the barrier--not far from where he and Katsuo had reached before hearing the roar. Well, okay, maybe slightly ahead of that, but not much.

He had considered targeting the ceiling, but it would be difficult to climb that. He had further considered using a lightning technique, but opted for his own element instead, for both expediency and a better level of control over the angle and width.

Plus lack of wanting to potentially drop a glass missile on everyone's heads when the lightning hit the sand.

He was ready to flip out his parasol at an instant's notice, too, just in case there was some dust and debris coming down from it anyway.

"Can't quite do handholds, but the angle should be fine for everyone anyway," he said easily. "When we start climbing I'll throw some moving barriers up front again, just in case we're attacked right after we get out."

 

[Michi]

"Overkill... I certainly hope everyone else has been conserving chakra for the final showdown to a degree, as it seems unlikely we can reason with the person on the rock up there." Makoto reminded the team, his mind still on the primary intention of this group. This adventure was not to slay a sandwom, although that would be a fascinating story, it was an unintended aside to their adventure, one that perhaps they would not have the energy to complete if they did not take care. One of them was already severely injured, having lost a limb and all and their medic had an organic harpoon sticking out her chest that would likely fester soon if it was not removed.

"I've heard that Water Country's giant squids are much more formidable. I've never seen them myself though." Nanami compared the earthen annelid to a cephalopod of the sea. Perhaps they were rather large but there was a choice in traversing the great sea, whereas they lived in the desert. Although, perhaps the fear of drowning was alleviated for Sunans as they only had to fear being eaten alive. Ever dutiful and perhaps a bit thankless Nanami addressed her savior.

"At least you've kept yourself healthy. Remind me to give you a lollipop after this. Although you could perhaps use to gain some more weight." Bribery was an acceptable method of coercion, although a kiss would have been more appropriate. After all Nanami was among three eligible bachelors, the term 'eligible' being used loosely considering the fact that Sousuke was not right in the head and who knows what is wrong with Katsuo and Makoto but the live of a shinobi or a mercenary is not the vocation of the stable or the sane.

"I try to avoid things like getting my arm taken off and getting covered in the intestines of an exploded desert creature, yes... Though I'll pass on the lollipop, thanks. Watching my figure and all." Yes, good job not getting yourself killed or nearly so. It was a rare trait to find among shinobi, yet social ineptitude and sarcasm were however quite commonplace.

The scalding, astringent innards of the worm burned the Steward's flesh as he continued to cut and tear into the felled monster. It sprayed the walls and Katsuo with its caustic fluids capable of making stone melt."Sousuke, that's enough." The worm's dead body shifted from Sousuke's powerful impact, causing the tunnel to rumble uneasily as Soiusuke hacked away, exerting his chakra stores violently.

"Sousuke it's done, let it be."Katsuo ordered. Katsuo's station was not well-known to the denizens if Sunagakure yet. Katsuo did not bear the name of the one king and his line, his claim to the diamond throne known to few as the Masashi were nothing but an old family in the eyes of Wind Country. Yet his word held weight with the Steward who did know him, that he came from the line of Primus but lacked power or at the very least knowledge of his mastery over the diamond sands. The Steward ever deferential to the Sunahoshi's will.

"Well... I had to ensure that this sandworm had suffered a complete and total terminal failure. It was entirely probable that Katuso could have been devoured by one like when Hannibal Chau was devoured by a Kaiju... when said Kaiju had been thought to be slain. Granted of course that it was an infant Kaiju..."</B><i></i> A hand clasped onto the Kage's shoulder, it was a lurid scene to behold. A hand upon Sousuke's shoulder but the socket held nothing below. A great, legendary monster dead and mutilated before them - the stench of death ensconced them as did the creature's viscera. Muscle and broken carapace mingled with gastric juices and blood. Their armors were nothing but putty any longer. No longer capable of holding up against the wrath of the storm if they decided to amble through the maelstrom once again.

"I'd hit you with Shiruko-san's parasol, had it been made of more forgiving materials. You should have let Masashi-san finish off the stupid worm," Nanami threatened. "But, as it is, I will have to punish you like so." The skilled water-manipulator ran her hands through a practiced array and released a stream of water that washed away the cutting bodily fluids.

"Problematic." The soupy remains of Sousuke's arm still existed, only in a different form, like the bones of a bird allow and diminished Nanami's perversion of what was would do if Sousuke would consent. An amalgamation of what was once his and what was not - made of dead worm tissue which was far from what was biologically human. It would make due for now, beggars could not afford to be choosers but Sousuke tried. Nanami plunged her hand into the slurry of worm remains, the acidic juices would try to melt away her fingers like they did Sousuke's arm if she did not move with haste. Her pulled, and stretched and manipulated the fibers and the sinew, the tendons and the ligaments with the muscle and slivers of bone into something that grossly resembled a limb.

"Shiruko-san. Sanest individual here. Relatively speaking. Please see if there's a way to the surface. Takashi-san. Advise getting a proper prosthesis at your soonest convenience. Making do with materials we have now. Will lose some range of motion and feeling. Will be heavy too. And slimy. Foreign substance in the body and what not. But at least you will have a functional arm. Also, sandworm scales might serve as protection. Unsure. Untested. No time for tests. Mission first. Mmm, tests... Masashi-san. Restrain patient. I do not want to reattach his arm backward. Would be funny. But would be inconvenient. Mizushima-san."

"Yes... A way back up. Hm. Well. I have an idea, I suppose. I hope no one minds climbing if they have to, though I'm sure I can arrange something else if that's a problem."

Makoto proposed as his hands ran through an array of seals and then shot off from the palm of his hands a bolt of pure energy that broke through the hardened earth and pliable sand. As it broke through the surface and escaped into the heavens, the sands started to pour in from the desert spaces adjacent. The opening from which the sun shone through would only last moments before sealing away once again. They would have to move fast. It was a good thing he had not shot directly up, the integrity of the cavern would not have survived the assault and the weighted earth above would have come crashing down on their respective heads. The angle merely risked filling itself in, not filling in the very cavern that housed them.

"Naturally problematic. Original skeletal structure entirely compromised. Finger bones perhaps turned to dust or obliterated." <i></i> Sousuke complained or perhaps debated as he went on about perhaps the arm he wished he had even if his arm was fully intact. "Could construct a metallic clone and rewire and make use of arm, given our settings it will be an even greater hindrance if magnetic forces oppose us even further." Perhaps he was hopeful that their time would be abundant in this cavern. They had only come across an adolescent annelid, there might be others and they might be larger. At this moment, the magnetic forces were only a partial problem because he, they had the option of turning the other way. Of returning another day and trying to break this near three-decade long curse.

"We've gotta get this arm squared away, Sousuke. Suna's breath you're lucky you're still conscious." Katsuo breathed as he guided Sousuke closer to Nanami, prepared to hold him down if need be as the lady requested.

"Proceed at will." Sousuke relented. The stump, still bleeding and raw from where the worm had ripped him asunder Nanami prepared to work.

"I do surprise people from time to time. Remember the condition you found me in the last time when I was engaged in combat?" Their last meeting was at the gates, Sousuke subject to the ebb and flow of his consciousness as his lover ripped him back from the darkness and the abyss along with his opponent. Both had nearly found death at the hands of another, the only affection they shared was the love they had for Yume. That final stand against the Cabal may not have saved additional lives yet but perhaps in time their victory that day would transform Wind Country in ways they had never considered. It was because of them that this team braved the desert. It was because of the information gained through Kaito who may not be a man worthy of their trust has acquiesced their adventure. Little did Kaito know or perhaps he did, that he was a pawn manipulated like the rest of them. That his hate was nothing more than a tool utilized to meet an ends. That soon the next phase of attack would be underway and that this team would unknowingly unlock the door.

"Do be still. This will be painful. Anaesthetic would only affect procedure and your performance in the mission. But don't be shy to scream." Nanami advised.

"It'll be transmitted... slightly different."<i></i> Sousuke replied. <B>"...One more thing I now have in common with my grandmother, but I certainly don't carry her stubborn nature." Quite the chatterbox considering the delicate and painful procedure he was about to endure.

Meanwhile, Makoto prepared the team for the migration to the surface. "Can't quite do handholds, but the angle should be fine for everyone anyway." He observed. The 45 degree able should have been sufficient for any of them to amble without climbing, although the angle would prove steep and something their calfs would feel in the morning that was likely their last concern. "When we start climbing I'll throw some moving barriers up front again, just in case we're attacked right after we get out." His parasol prepared for the rain of pebbles and trickling streams of sand, he was likely the neatest/cleanest participant in an S Rank mission in this author's experience.

What Happened?

• Makoto uses Chakra Blast to break through the earth and reach the surface.
• Nanami uses Rinse Off (Mastered) to wash off Katsuo and Sousuke in time for a wet T shirt contest. BTW, Katsuo won.
• Nanami uses Regeneration (Mastered) to regrow muscle and skin on Sousuke's bones using donor sandworm tissue.
• Nanami uses Skeletal Fortification (Mastered) to reattach the bones --SUCCESS!.
• Nanami uses Mystical Force (Mastered) to reattach tendons, arteries and what not to Sousuke --SUCCESS!.

 

[Akako]

[col]The procedure went off without a hitch. Thankfully. Because the last thing they needed right now was one of their fighters to lack a limb when they needed every hand they had. At the very least, she was confident that the grafted arm won't be rejected so easily. It'll be able to last a week or two at best before they'd need a proper prosthesis. She doubted the mission would last that long. Hopefully.

Stepping back to admire her work, she nodded and fished out a handful of lemon lollies from her pocket. She handed one to each of the others on her team, all the while patting them on the back. One of the lollies was for herself and she grinned around the candy before looking up at the impromptu tunnel.

"Not exactly a yellow brick road. But, as long as it leads us straight to the Wizard of Oz," she beamed.

Without warning, she made a run for one of the nearest walls. Speeding up and using the momentum to reach the opening, she started climbing. Humming under her breath as she did so: "We're off to see the wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. We hear he is a whiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was."|</FONTFACE>[legend="[b]Out of Character Notes[/b]"]

• I've got nothing. So, uh...
  
  
  

[/legend]<FONTFACE fontface="monospace">[/col]

 

[Takahashi Aki]

A metallic screech on one or two occasions may have emitted from the Steward as the nerves were attached. The newly attached arm felt heavy at first. The organic wiring had been successful. Within seconds he had gotten the feeling of his arm back. It didn't feel right at first. It didn't have to they had a job to get done. The Steward had already removed move of his green armour and tried to armour up again, this time relying upon the most basic design of the MKI. Sousuke wore a grey linked suit underneath. Sousuke expected to see the metallic plates simply begin linking together and rise up from under his flesh. It didn't though. That was troubling. He tried it again. He focused intently upon trying to get the basic armour to surface. "Damn."<i></i> He muttered to himself. He kicked over and revealed a part of the puppet armour he had been working with. The sandworm vomit had been eating through the armour. Takahashi Fire Forged Steel was very durable, but this was eating through it. It had compromised the structural integrity. There were connector points which fed between this armour and his flesh. It allowed his armour to be controlled more at mental will than physical movement. Like the time he had his legs broken, the feeds were registering into the metallic plates under his flesh, thus allowing him to conduct his moments through thought because his physical body could not. The Steward's mind began running through what had happened. As he did this he grabbed and removed the breather from the helmet. Thankfully that portion of the armour had yet to be compromised.

Sousuke took the lemon flavoured lolly and removed the wrapper he pocketed the plastic wrapper as he did not beleive in littering. Sousuke's mood had soured, very much like the lolly he was ... questionably enjoying. During this time he was trying out various simple moments with his new arm, and hand. He made a fist. He made clawed gesture. He wiggled his digits. Very foreign, but it was working. He watched as Nanami ran off, the Steward shook his head. She had forgotten her sample. The Steward hacked off another peice of flesh. He held out his newly fitted arm. A small hole formed in the palm of his hand. It hurt for a moment. He emitted a plasma blast to vapourize the sandworm juices as he didn't want it eating through his bag. The Steward placed the sample into his bag. What was it about sandworm vomit that ate through his armour, but not the creature itself? Sure it was Nanami's sample... but she could get it once he had unraveled the mystery as to what properties it contained.

Sousuke approached Katuso as he made his way to climb the wall, "I would advise not using the King's Blade against Sandworms in the future. My armour has been compromised, but the properties of Tatsumasa may have been different. Forging techniques back then were different. I haven't been able to replicate them. Father may be able to."<i></i> Katuso treasured that weapon, and Sousuke knew it. It was one of the original symbols of Sungakure. The Steward shook his head. "Sorry about earlier too."<i></i> He approached the wall, and with his new limb he swung it at the wall. He had to get used to using it. This was going to be one of the ways. Sousuke half expected the reaction timing to be slow, but his new arm reacted as needed. It grabbed hold of the wall, and he began scaling it. "The arm is working at intended. You have my gratitude Nanami."<i></i>