Sagitarii and The Gatekeepers: C Mission [Archive]

Azure Wrath

08-31-2007, 03:39 PM

Prologue

The wind stung like swarms of wasps in the god-forsaken heat. An unforgiving sun baked down upon the treacherous lands below and spared no mercy for the fragile humans who stalked this land. The sun glowed a colour of golden death and sprayed waves of blistering heat upon the desert floor. Tufts of powerful wind picked up sprays of sand and pelted it against anything that stood in they way of the demonic wind. It made life very hard for Excavation Team 6.

Having spent nearly 3 weeks in Camp Aryen, the excavators were pissed off. Having not discovered a single thing in the time they’ve been here and having endured several diseases, countless infections and an infinite supply of grief, all those who worked here at Camp Aryen were ready to give up. Samuel Toukai, however, persisted. He was the organizer of this excavation and cared little for the complaints of those who worked for him. He knew he would find it here. He was the one who discovered the first Gatekeeper, though ancient lore says little about it. He remembered the sight of the Gatekeeper he had, as he stared into the golden blue sun. The image teased his mind and wrangled at his soul.

‘I will find it… I will find you.’

Stepping further into the desert, further away from the camp, he looks upon the infinite sands spread out ahead. Something lurked in the sky… he could feel it. But he could see nothing in the sands. It was just dune after dune after dune. Nothing worth seeing, except a group of men, dressed in white, busy digging away at random spots in the desert. The green glimmer of the Gatekeeper he possessed flickered in his mind. The Horse. What did it mean? He had no idea… But he knew it would lead him to what lay beneath the sands. It was a mystic calling, a deep seed in his mind, a splinter of glass lost in the deepest crevices of his persona. He walked further into the expanses of the sands.

‘Sagitarii’

The word echoed in his mind. He had never heard the word before, but his entity twisted in grotesque pleasure as the word resounded through his mind. What did it mean? He knew not… but he knew that he was getting closer… so close to

‘NOW’

The word shot through his mind like a bolt of lightning, causing him to freeze in his tracks. His body shivered at the power that had just pulsed through the fibers of his body. What remained of his sanity shriveled away like a serpent that was just burnt by the flames of hell. He looked down. He foot lay on something harder then desert sand… It was something hard… like stone. Slowly, he went down to his knees. Something pulled his hand down to the earth. Could it have been his own twisted mind? Or was it the force from below? Either way, it dragged his nails into the sand, scraping the stone clean. On it, he could see decorations that have withered with time. It was flat, smooth… It was….

“MEN!!!! GET YOUR EQUIPMENT!!!”

The cry of ecstasy and fanaticism roared through the sands of the desert. All the men turned to Samuel Toukai, who was now digging away furiously at the ground.

He had finally found it.

Azure Wrath

12-26-2007, 02:21 PM

Come on, Hitame!

A hazy summer afternoon was something that was rather rare in the Hidden Cloud. With little clouds in the air and no wind, it seemed that the meaning behind the name of the village was lost. People were out working, busy doing repairs, making things, selling things, buying things. And people were happy. Times were good at the moment. Everyone had something to do and most of them had a smile on their face, doing it.

... Especially Hitame Roko...

It was just after tea-time that a set of chuunin came knocking on the Roko-residence. Three chuunin, all casually standing on the well-kept doorstep; one girl, two boys, roughly the age of 20 each. One carried a big scroll in his hand and seemed to be the unofficial leader of this group. As Hitame’s mother opened the door, the three chuunin bowed down and greeted her. It wasn’t long before she invited them in. Hitame’s mother was a caring lady and rather pretty for her age... As a matter of fact, she was not that old. Her face still held so much life in it and her cashmere eyes were always wide awake and illustrated perfectly how she was always thinking. The three chuunin walked inside and the leader wasted no time before he got to the point of his visit.

“Good afternoon Mrs. Roko. We have come to deliver a message from the Raikage-sama. We require three genin to go on a low-ranked mission, but it seems that most of the genin in the Hidden Cloud are busy. The mission has been lying in wait in the Raikage’s office for seven weeks now, so it has been requested that we find three specific genin. Hitame Roko is one of them”

Hitame’s mother smiled gently and nodded her head. But while she smiled, she checked these three out, to make sure they were genuine. One could never be too careful and as an ex-shinobi, she knew the world was never as pretty as it seemed. Scanning through the three chuunin, she could see they were official chuunin of the Hidden Cloud. Each bore a genuine forehead protector from the Cloud, each had their chuunin vest and the letter the leader bore had the genuine seal from the Raikage. The young girl in the group was very pretty, with long blond hair and sharp blue eyes... and a good figure... Hitame’s mom smiled and silently wished that her son would get a nice girlfriend like this.

“Hitame is upstairs, in his room. I’ll take you to him.”

And so Hitame’s mom walked the messengers up to the young genin’s room. The door was shut, but his mom thought little of this at the time. So she opened the door to her son’s room and also opened the door to quite a deal of embarrassment.

For on his bed, sat Hitame Roko, with his pants down at his ankles, a book rested on his knees, which was supported by one hand, while he supported something else with his other hand (which was luckily covered by the book). Upon closer inspection, the (now blushing and nearly hysterical) chuunin team could see the words “Come Come Paradise” written on the cover of the book. The girl in the team giggled.

“(Come Come Paradise? ...Excuse the pun...)”

By now, Hitame’s eyes were wide with shock... it took him a few seconds to realize that his mother had intruded his ‘sexy time’. But when he finally realized it...

“MOM!!! WHAT THE FUCK?!?! HAVE YOU HEARD OF KNOCKING?!?!!”

His voice was loud and jittery, still shocked by her intrusion... but his mother was not sorry, not at all.

“DO NOT SWEAR AT YOUR MOTHER LIKE THAT!!! I WILL BEAT YOU LIKE A SICK DOG IF YOU EVER TALK TO ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!!! BOY, I AM THIS CLOSE TO GROUNDING YOU!!! YOU UNDERSTAND?!?”

Embarrassment levels were running at an all time high, for now his face was redder than the palm of his right hand. Hitame Roko, once known as George Field, was now caught in a silly situation, to say the least. He was just thankful that she had intruded at the given time... a few moments later could have dealt even more embarrassment to the young shinobi. Luckily for him, the three chuunin left the room, allowing him to calm down a bit. His mom remained in the room though and the two spent the next few minutes yelling at each other. The chuunin team could not contain their laughter.

“Oh man... The first shinobi for this mission wanks to adult novels... I sure as hell do not want to see what the other members are like.”

Azure Wrath

12-26-2007, 04:10 PM

The proposal and the number

Anryoku wasn’t doing too well. Life wasn’t really going her way. For starters, she lost. Again. Having made it all the way to the final round of the Tournament of the Sun, Anry had figured that she had gotten stronger. Strong enough to beat Kaishi, the boy who had defeated her once. Now, he had defeated her a second time. It didn’t weigh well on the girl who fancied keeping her ego intact. Being a girl, she wanted to prove to the world that she was just as strong as any other shinobi... But fortune did not favour the young girl. Along with this, Awashi was still nowhere to be found. His disappearance a few weeks earlier had come as a huge shock to the girl who’d been friends with Awashi for several years. Awashi, Anry and Hitame had spent long days and many years together and a strong bond had formed between them.... but now, one of the three was gone... and it troubled Anry.

Life was rough. But it didn’t wait either. It kept going on, relentless like a raging current. Which is probably why Anry heard the knocking at the door of the Kagirinai Manor. She put down the scroll she was studying and walked to the front door of the Manor. Her footsteps resounded through the hallway, but her shoes made it sound like two people walking instead of one. The candle light in the hallway painted seven shadows of her, spread evenly around her. She gave little heed to the sound of her feet or the seven shadows though. She was hoping that she would see Awashi at the doorway. She secretly wished she could see his blond hair and blue eyes staring at her. She wanted him back. She wanted her friend back. Her calm walk soon turned to a rushed power walk... which in turn evolved into a jog. But opening the door did not reveal Awashi. Instead...

“Hey babe. Fancy some dinner? You know, go out for some chicken.... maybe some sex.”

Hitame was being big mouth... which was as common as the rain in this country. But he had three shinobi standing behind him... these three had seriousness covering their faces... but underneath that shell of emotional coldness, they were silently laughing at ol’ Big Mouth in front of them. One moment, this kid was utterly embarrassed, caught wanking by his mom... now, he was casually chatting up and joking around with this girl. It was obvious that he knew her... but not one of the three shinobi knew what he thought he’d accomplish by such a line.

“Hitame? Oh... Hi.”

Her disappointment was unmistakable and the hurt it caused Hitame was rather obvious. Taking an offended defensive stance, the brown-haired boy extended his arms to her and smiled cheerfully.

“Ok, ok... don’t worry... we’ll scratch the dinner..... but we can still do the sex sometime, if you want.”

The chuunin girl behind Hitame giggled a bit, thinking about how perverted this kid was. Would he ever stop? She doubted it... Kids like him kept their perversion for many years to come... but it was relieving to see someone with a sense of humour. After her giggle, the chuunin in charge stepped forward.

“Kagirinai Anryoku... We have come from the Raikage. We have a mission for you. The Raikage has requested that you, Hitame Roko and Awashi Hetsu do this mission. However, it has come to our attention that Awashi Hetsu has fled the Hidden Cloud.”

Those last words painted a shade of gray across the Kagirinai girl’s face and dulled her eyes a bit. A bad move from the chuunin? Perhaps... but shinobi weren’t supposed to have connections that cause such emotions in the first place.

“So... We are replacing Awashi Hetsu with another shinobi... a rookie, who just passed the Academy. He passed with flying colours. Not exactly the best in his class, but he was close. We will go and meet him soon. Once all three of you have been assembled, we will tell you about the mission. This is a C Rank mission and we do not expect it to involve much danger. We ask that you come with us, so we can brief your team. You will be in charge of the team if you accept.”

Anryoku thought for a while. A mission? The last mission (and the first one in her career) did not turn out well at all. Images of Nicholio Deschain, Marten Dean and JP Dolbec flashed through her mind. The scene at the Brazen Head rippled in her memory... and her final images of Luke raged in her mind, spinning a torrent of flame and anguish in her head. What if it all happened again? What if she screwed up the mission like last time? What if...

“She will go. The Kagirinai owe the Hidden Cloud its service, after previous.... events.”

The voice that spoke came from behind Anryoku. The voice was powerful and many knew and respected it. It was the voice of Kagirinai Jin. His hands were now resting on Anry’s shoulders, between her silver hair. She turned her head back and looked at Jin. He smiled at her with a reassurance that killed all the “what if” questions in her mind. It seems she was going on a new mission... another mission. But this time, without Awashi... with someone new, someone to take his place... What would it bode for her? She didn’t know.

She had no idea what would happen in the days that were to come. But deep within her, there was something that screamed.... something calling with torment, telling her to come closer and to stay away at the same time. Something screaming the number seven.

The number seven. Did she have any idea what the number would mean to her? Probably not. But she could feel it. She felt like seven. What crazy thought was it to ‘feel’ like a number? No rational thought could explain it.... but she felt it.

Azure Wrath

12-26-2007, 04:48 PM

Eyes of the Ocean

Anryoku and Hitame waited at a park somewhere in the Hidden Cloud. The three chuunin said that they would go and find the third member of their team and would be back soon. They had fired off in search of this unknown member who was to accompany them.

“I don’t want anyone else... I want Awashi...”

Her face was glum, but her voice was even duller and it hurt Hitame to hear her like this. He moved closer to her and gave her a soft hug... As he did, something within him warmed up a bit... some deep feeling of care and protection. It was strange and not entirely normal to him. Hitame may have his own demons.... but he hid them very well, making it seem as if he has no insecurities at all. Which was quite the contrary.

Four leaves gently pattered down from the sky and rested on the two. Then Hitame let Anry edge away from him. There was a single tear welling up in one of her eyes and it tore at Hitame’s heart.

“Anry... Don’t worry... we’ll get him back. I promise you, I’ll bring him back. I’ll go hunt him down with these sexy hands you see in front of you!”

With that last bit of his sentence, Hitame waved his hands in her face and tried to milk a smile from her. To a degree, it worked... but her tear still waited there for a while.

Another two leaves gently drifted down from the sky, falling on Anry’s shoulders...

“Thank you Hitame... We’ll find him... I miss him... a lot.”

Deep within Hitame, jealously was hurting him a bit. He would love this kind of attention, to be perfectly honest with himself. Wasn’t Anry always paying attention to Awashi? Wasn’t he always the odd one out? He wondered to himself if she would mourn for him, if he had left... What if Awashi was still there and Hitame had left? Would Anry be upset then? Would she be crying then? Hitame could only wonder.... but it was a painful thought... But now was not the time for such petty problems. His friend was in need and he had to help her. He wanted to help her.

“Don’t worry Anry. I’m sure this new guy we’re getting will be cool. If he’s not, I’ll just kick his ass a bit! Anyway, I’ll protect you Anry. Don’t worry.”

Hitame smiled at her, as one more leaf fell down upon her shoulder. She shook her shoulders to drop the leaves... and then her tear rolled down her face. But when it was gone, she attempted a sweet smile... and it melted Hitame’s heart.

“Thank you, Hitame.”

Some appreciation. It made him smile as well. Did she know how desperate he was for her attention? Probably not. What if she knew? If she really knew how much she meant to him... would she still take him as such a joke? ‘Guess it’s the curse of being a nice, caring guy’, Hitame would always think, at times like these. Drifting off into thought, Hitame’s eyes fell into the distance.... but they were soon brought back by a deep voice.

“Hey there”

Both Hitame and Anry turned to their sides to see this person. They caught sight of a tall, well built guy, with short black hair and cold blue eyes. His skin was tanned and his body was rippled with muscles. He wore black denim pants which fit loosely around his legs and a tight perfect blue shirt, which complimented his eyes perfectly. On his back, he carried a massive two-handed sword, which curved like a scimitar. His hair was rough and wild, standing in all directions... but those eyes... it seemed as if they glowed with the intensity of the ocean. His forehead protector hung on his pants like a belt and it clearly proclaimed that he was from the Hidden Cloud.

“I am Dimitry Dea-Se... and it seems I’m joining you two for a mission!”

Those eyes of the ocean scanned through the two shinobi. It was pretty obvious to both Anry and Hitame that this guy was a talented shinobi. Apparently fresh out of the academy, but he seemed to have the right traits to be a shinobi. He looked bright, strong and swift. He also happened to be rather good looking. Maybe even very good looking.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Dimitry-kun. My name is Anryoku. And this here is my friend, Hitame.”

“Anryoku? A pretty name... and it does you justice, for you are even prettier than the name.”

Hitame winced slightly at the rather lame attempt to flatter Anry... But it seemed to work! When Anry giggled and blushed (albeit a fake giggle), Hitame felt a pang of jealousy within him. This guy was going for Anry! And Hitame was not too keen to see that happen. ‘She’s my friend, not his!’, he thought as he saw him smiling warmly at her. This little scene made it apparent to Hitame that the mission would not be too easy...

As he thought that, the three chuunin appeared. They wasted no time, as the unannounced leader stepped forward with the mission scroll. He handed it to Anry and offered a slight bow after giving it to her, for some odd reason. Good manners was Anry’s guess for his unnecessary formality. She opened the scroll to read what it had to say... but she did not have to, for the chuunin leader seemed to know exactly what was written in the scroll.

“An excavation team in a desert to the far south-west of the Hidden Cloud have made some kind of discovery and they require assistance from shinobi. You are to meet with Samuel Toukai and help him with the excavation. You will receive 150 each if the mission is completed successfully.”

The chuunin leader waited a second or two before going on.

“Finally... be careful. We have no idea what they are excavating. Assess the situation properly and do not blindly rush into danger. We do not expect much danger from the mission, but still... take care. That is all.”

At that moment, a jounin appeared next to the three chuunin, making it a total of seven shinobi in the park. The jounin eyed them all out, then looked at the three chuunin.

“Here you are... I’ve been looking for you... we have a mission to do! Come!”

The three chuunin nodded and then turned to the three genin... who nodded at them. Then, the three chuunin and the jounin blasted off to their own mission, while the three genin remained. Hitame was the first to speak.

“Off to go dig up some ruins, eh? Think I should take my shovel, or will you be the one doing all the spading, Dimitry?”

Dimitry smirked at Hitame and Anryoku could only sigh. The trip to the excavation site was going to be a long one indeed...

Azure Wrath

12-27-2007, 12:44 PM

Digging at Aryen

Digging was hard work. Especially when the sun baked on your back and drove all water from every pore in your body, causing you to be encased in a shell of your own dried sweat, stinking like a mule and peeling layer after layer of sunburnt skin... and all this, while digging mound after pile after heap of dirt from a desert that bore an infinite amount of it... It struck despair into those who were digging like people possessed.

But the excavation team at Site Aryen (which had now become the focal point in the ‘Excavation and Exploration Project 7’, which was established by both Kumogakure and Sunagakure) were not just digging... they were unveiling a discovery. They had found something which would make them famous. The team leader, Samuel Toukai was one of few who still had the motivation to go on though, for strange things were happening at this site. Numerous reports of strange sightings and unknown sicknesses made the workers worry and lowered morale on a great scale. The amount of excavators rapidly decreased... at first, it was hard to notice, but as the sky darkened above the site, more beds were emptied and more tents disappeared. The actual camp site was a few hundred meters away from the site, which was now becoming one large crater with something in the middle. Some thought it was a temple, for its decorations were immaculate and rich in detail and wealth... others thought it was a relic, for it was not big enough to be a temple. The part that they had uncovered so far was roughly the size of a large house, being one large rectangle. The discovery that caused great excitement was something that seemed to be a doorway. It was after the first excavator got the first glance at the doorway, that the dark clouds started gathering above the sight... The desert was windy... but nearing this site, the wind seemed to die down.

For that matter, most things seemed to follow in that path. Throughout the desert, the people observed cacti all over the dunes, coupled with vultures and smaller insects... however, closer to the site, the plants and animals were not to be seen. The cacti had turned brown and shrivelled... and the animals were either long gone or lay dead under the sun, where not even the vultures would feed. At night, the men were terrified of voices and paranormal sightings.

But Samuel Toukai did not pay heed to any of these men. In his pocket, a green glow could be seen, radiating through his beige pants. The men had their theories on what it was that caused this glow... No one would have guessed what it would mean... no one would have thought that it would cause such trouble. Not even Samuel knew that the one that he held in his pocket, The Horse, would be the catalyst of such events that were to follow. The round stone in his pocket with the kanji symbol for The Horse glowed more as the digging progressed... And he would stroke it, gently whispering to it. The stone had claimed his sanity... but it was not the stone that was sucking out his life... it was the voice at the other end of the stone. Who was it? He had no idea, not the slightest. But the voice kept speaking to him, telling him to keep digging... telling him where to dig... telling him who would come to complain next... And the voice spoke of the three who came to aid them. The three who would assist in the discovery that would change Samuel’s life... and the life of the three shinobi as well.

Azure Wrath

12-27-2007, 07:45 PM

Road to the storm

The trip to the mission location was indeed painfully long. The three genin were blessed, for Dimitry’s father owned a stabling yard and lent three horses to the genin, so they had a way to get to the site without exhausting themselves. Packed with plenty of food, water and shinobi supplies, they had set out the morning after being briefed. The night before they had all packed and gotten their equipment ready for the big mission. Anryoku had slowly started getting excited for this mission, looking forward to making some grand new discovery and maybe even becoming famous for it! A distraction is what she needed to get her mind off of all the things that were plaguing her mind right now.

However, the friction between Hitame and Dimitry was not the kind of distraction she had needed. The two boys did not get along very well, to say the very least. Ever since they embarked early that morning, there was an odd aura of tension between the two, mainly courtesy of Hitame... But it wasn’t long before the tension spread and Dimitry started avoiding Hitame. There were no 3-way conversations, no playful palaver. Only two-way conversations, between either Hitame and Anry, or Anry and Dimitry, where both would ignore the existence of the other. It made the trip rather uncomfortable for the young Anryoku, who didn’t really know what to do in a situation like this... But she decided it would be best to remain neutral and just let them be.

“(They’ll sort themselves out... Give them some time, then they’ll accept each other... maybe they’ll even become buddies. I need them both to help in this mission, can’t have two quarrelling teammates... We need all three on this mission... Unlike at Capricoso.......... I was a fool. I left Hitame and Awashi to do all the work... and.... if I hadn’t become involved... If I had kept my distance... Luke... Luke would have... If I had listened to Hitame...)”

A short sigh came from Anry’s mouth and her head began to hung low. The happenings at Capricoso still hung heavily on her heart. The images of Carnival Reap would haunt her and not let go of her mind. The flames, the screams, the pain. Her loved one. The flames...

Absolutely lost in thought, Anryoku gently rode forward into the distance. It was 7pm now and the sky was glimmering with twilight, casting a strange purple hue over the sky. In this day’s travel, the scenery had changed immensely. They started their journey in the Hidden Cloud, where they were surrounded by forests, mountains, streams and grass... but slowly, it all waned as the mountains sunk into earth, the grass grew browner, the rivers and streams ran away and the trees became more and more scarce. Eventually, they were travelling through a desert... and oddly enough, they were travelling to an area that had a thick layer of menacing clouds overhead. Those clouds were sickly gray, even verging on a putrid brown at some spots... and the odd part was that it was just a small patch where these clouds hung. It was indeed an intimidating sight... and the three genin were well on their way to this place. By now, under the twilight sky, they were travelling on orange sand, cast with soft purple light, with a few cacti around them and a soft, trodden path to the site they were going to. Camp Site Aryen was where they were supposed to meet Samuel Toukai.

By 7pm, they were only a few miles away, but a dawning feeling of dread had begun to take over. The clouds, the lack of life and the awful feeling in Anry’s gut all told her that something was not very right here. And her gut also told her that she was walking into serious trouble. Something that could mean danger, peril and heartache.

Something evil.

Something seven.

Azure Wrath

12-27-2007, 08:15 PM

Many Introductions

The arrival at Camp Aryen was nothing spectacular. The sky above the three genin was dark and cloudy and filled with a faint smell of something Anry could not place her finger on... the closest thing she could relate it to was old metal. The smell did not comfort her at all. It stung her nostrils and only added to her fears of this mission.

“Do you guys smell that? There’s something that smells like.... I don’t know.... steel perhaps...”

Anry looked at the two boys, hoping to be reassured by them agreeing. It would make her feel a bit better if the other two also smelled it. Hitame looked at her, then took a deep sniff in the air, with some snorting sounds accompanying the long sniff.

“Hmm.... Nope, sorry Anry. I can’t smell a thing.”

His eyes scanned through her, trying to see what she was thinking... but all he could see was a slight tone of disappointment... but Dimitry also saw the disappointment, so he decided to take the opportunity.

“Wait... I smell it too! The smell of... steel! Yes, I smell it so clearly now!”

While saying this (and lying through his teeth), he swept his hands in the air, gently ‘pushing’ more air into his nose, trying to look as cool as possible. Anry had no idea he was lying to her, but Hitame somehow sensed it.

“Oh, I’m so glad I’m not the only one! Thought I was going crazy! Thank you Dimitry.”

Anryoku nodded to him in appreciation and, in effect, made Hitame feel as useless as Paris Hilton in an episode of the Weakest Link. His head hung low for a while, but he soon jerked it back up when some excavators came to greet the three shinobi. Two men leaded the group of roughly 6 excavators. Anryoku counted them.... Seven in total. The two in the lead seemed to be in charge, while the 5 behind them seemed like ordinary grunt workers... but Anry could have sworn she saw another amongst them... but she checked over and over again... only 5 of them. It was probably just a mirage. Or something. Either way, Anry knew she had to keep her composure when meeting with these men. One of them was probably Samuel Toukai, the person they were to report to.

So, the three dismounted their horses and walked towards the approaching party of seven. As they came close enough, one of the two in the lead took of his beige hat and greeted them cheerfully.

“Greetings shinobi! I am Samuel Toukai! Welcome to Camp Aryen! We have expected you! We are truly honoured to have you here with us. We are on the brink of an amazing discovery, one that will go down in the history books! Unfortunately, I have to attend to a few things, but I will leave you with my assistant and representative of the Excavation and Exploration Project 7 team. His name is Roy. Vohn Roy, but we just call him Roy. He will take you to your tents and inform you of what is going on here. Also, he will organise dinner for all of you. Now... I need to go.”

Samuel spoke with great diplomacy and made all three of the genin feel very welcome at the camp... but Anry noticed an odd flicker of green in his eyes with those last few words of his... but Samuel was gone before she could asses it further. As he walked off, 3 excavators followed him back to the excavation site, which was a fair distance away. The other two took the horses, probably to a stable nearby. Anry could only see a large dip in the ground where the excavation site was... more light would have maybe revealed more, but at this time of the evening (especially with the dark clouds blocking whatever moonlight there could have been) it was nearly impossible to see anything, except where the excavation team had lit up a few small fires for light.

Roy stepped closer to the three genin as Samuel left them. He smiled at them and bowed gently. His face was soft and warm, but his long black hair covered a fair amount of it. Dark brown eyes looked at them and gave them all a sense of warmth. Anryoku immediately felt she could trust this man.

“Good evening to all three of you. As Samuel has already said... I am Roy. I am sent from the head of the Excavation and Exploration Project 7 committee to check up on what is going on here. I am in charge of all the admin here, while Samuel is in charge of the actual excavation. If you have any questions concerning this place or the people here, let me know, I have all the info you will need.”

Anryoku bowed down to show her respect to Roy and then she introduced herself and her team.

“Good evening Roy. We are well met. I am Kagirinai Anryoku and I am the leader of our team. As oyu know, we are all genin from the Hidden Cloud. To my left is Dimitry Dea-Se...”

As she said that, Dimitry smiled, waved his hand and then bowed down a bit.

“...and to my right, is Hitame Roko.”

Hitame smiled at Roy and then he nodded. Roy then nodded at all three of them.

“Pleased to meet you all... Now, I am pretty sure you all re exhausted after a long day’s travels. We have arranged three tents for you. One for each of you. Food will be brought to each of you in the morning and evening. A light lunch will also be available at the large tent near the excavation site. Now, let me show you your tents.”

Roy made a simple gesture to the three genin to walk beside him. They did so and fill up next to him, while walking towards a series of small green tents. Anry walked to the right of Roy and Dimiry then came right next to Anry... So Hitame walked to the left of Roy. Feeling mildly rejected, Hitame decided to sound more professional and to make an impression on Roy and to astonish Anry.

“So, Roy... What is the situation here? What exactly are we digging up here?”

Surprisingly enough, Hitame sounded rather serious. And his face also seemed serious. It may have been the light of the nearby fire that wrapped his face in dark red hues, or it may have been that he was not smiling... but Anry saw something new in him. To the other two, it seemed pretty normal though.

“Well, we have been digging for a long time and only recently, we hit the top surface of a structure. Up until yesterday, we had no idea what it was. Much speculation has been going around on what exactly it is... But Samuel is convinced that it is... a tomb. I have my doubts though. Yesterday, we fully uncovered a doorway, which has allowed us to get inside.”

Roy paused for a while, as a small hint of doubt (or was it fear?) ran through his face, like a splotch of blood running through a stream of water. He took a breath and then continued.

“But...there seems to be some kind of a gate into the inner reaches of the building. I’d like to think that it’s not a tomb though...... there have been people with concerns. Some swear they’ve seen.... ghosts.... others hear voices. People have been leaving. Some have gotten awfully sick. I’d like to think it is coincidence... If it isn’t though.... and it is a tomb... I mean, I’m not superstitious... but it’s still scary, ya know?”

The three genin nodded without saying a word at all, listening intently on the interesting (and slightly creepy) story. None of them believed in ghosts... But where all keen to find out if these claims were true. Most times, stories like these were created by people who just wanted to scare the others off, so one could claim all the fame of the discovery... But the three genin would find out about it.

“Anyway... the reason we need you is to help with the unlocking of the gate. We will brief you on it tomorrow, when we take you there. As for now...”

Then, Roy stopped. Right in front of him were two tents, each open, showing off a neat bed, a makeshift table next to the bed and some clothes as well. He signalled with his hands to both entrances and looked at Hitame and then Dimitry.

“These are your tents. Like I said, we’ll bring your breakfast to you in the morning... Expect to be waken up at about 7am. We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow.”

Hitame’s face suddenly lit up at the thought of breakfast in bed. He leapt up slightly and shot his fist up into the air.

“Awesome! That’s rockin’, Roy! Thanks a million!”

Hitame and Dimitry left to their tents, while Roy escorted Anry to her tent, which was a few meters away from the other tents. Her tent looked just like theirs, but was slightly away from the rest. She assumed this was because she was the only girl on the team. When she asked Roy about this, he told her that it was indeed because of that, to give a girl her privacy. By checking this out, Anry realized she was the only girl at the excavation site.

After checking out her tent, Roy left to go and assist Samuel and his team. Anry then went straight to bed, for she had a long day behind her back. The travel to the camp site was a long, rough and draining one, to say the least. So she went to sleep... And that night, she dreamt.

Azure Wrath

12-28-2007, 05:07 AM

The Feast

After a haze of black and green, Anryoku finds herself in a twisted realm that is inside her head. A world where everything is light, yet it is riddled with darkness... the kind of darkness you don’t see... you only feel it. The kind that makes you look around to see if you still cast a shadow. Her eyes pull open to reveal the world in front of her as the shroud of black emerald passes her sights. She is blinded by the intense light and the overwhelming darkness at the same time. And she finds herself standing in a hall. Or, not standing... kneeling, with her bare knees brushing against cold granite, devoid of colour. She is naked, on her knees. In front of her, she sees a massive dining hall, with seven great tables, each one stretching away into infinity. And each of these tables is littered with food. Each one has plates, dishes, jugs, glasses, bowls and even baby bottles filled to the max with food. Any food she can imagine is found on these tables... but Anryoku is not hungry, not today. Yet... something pulls her... until she feels something cold pressing against the back of her head. She turns her head around... to see him.

He is tall and strong. He is covered in many plates of golden armour, riddled with decorations of jewellery and platinum inlays. He wears a great golden mask with two horns piercing into the sky. Two wide black gaping holes are located at his eyes and his mouth is one large open void, screaming dominance to the world. And in his one hand, he holds a colossal bow... and in the other hand, a golden arrow, which is the same arrow pressed at the back of Anry’s head. This is him. The Archer.

Sagitarii

She has no idea how she knows this, nor does she understand why she feels the seven, for she does not even know what they are. But as she sees him, it dawns upon her that all seven are here, in this hall. She turns her head back to the hall to see the lines of tables. Seven of them, each with ‘something’ in the middle of the table, covered with cloth. Seven cloths, each one a different colour. Black, purple, green, blue, red, yellow and white. Each emanates a soft glow and each tugs at her very soul, pulling her closer. The seven are calling her, drawing her in.

White wants to consume her.
Yellow wants her possessions.
Blue wants her to be its slave.
Green wants to see her lose all she has.
Red wants her body.
Purple wants to destroy all her beauty.
Black wants her to suffer.

They all want to torment her, while Sagitarii presses his arrow further into the back of her head. The pain is terrible and the blood is already trickling down the back of her neck. She tries to scream, but she can’t. She tries even harder, but nothing comes out. She finds that she cannot move, no matter how hard she tries. Her arms and legs are bound. Then he speaks.

“Come. Feed.”

The voice crushes all hope and causes her mind to shake, as if suffering an earthquake. Her vision blurs and for a second; all goes black... but then her vision returns... and she looks straight into her own eyes. Except they aren’t hers. They are purple, each crying a stream of blood. She sees that is her. It is Anryoku standing in front of her. A paler Anryoku, with black hair and purple eyes, with two streams of blood trickling down from her eyes. She is naked too... and she seems hungry. Anry watches in horror as the black-haired Anryoku looks at Sagitarii like a sick puppy.

“Go. Feed.”

And she does. Turning around, she shows her naked body, both breasts, all her naked skin to all of the great dining hall, to the seven, to the tables, to the plates, jugs and even the baby bottles. And then she begins her feast. Dashing forwards, she runs to the nearest table and runs her hands through the first plate, grabbing pieces of chicken and stuffing it down her face. Her midnight hair glimmers as she does. Her other hand plunges into a saucer of gravy and then scoops it up, bringing it to her mouth, dripping gravy all over her naked body. Scurrying off, she slips on a puddle of the gravy she spilt and lands on the floor. But she does not wince, not at all... instead, she crawls forward, like an animal and claws up to the next table, plunging her hands into the nearby fish, ripping shreds of meat right out of the fish, consuming it and all of the bones in it as well. Her hands get filthy as she takes the next fish and eats it whole, guzzling it down in a few bites, leaving no remnants of the former sea creature...only a few pieces of the fish’s skin and half an eye remains on her lips, but those are soon licked up and then consumed too. Climbing onto the table, she runs forward, spilling jugs and plates, but grabbing where she goes. She lifts a sickly green apple into the air and chomps straight through it, baring no regard for the core of the apple at all. Her next prey is a large leg of lamb, glistening with fat and heat. She lifts it up and bites straight into it, causing more blood to drip down her chin, over her neck and down her chest. She feasts as she polishes all the meat of f of the bone and then discards it by throwing it into a nearby table, knocking a pitcher full of juice over, spilling the orange contents onto the white tablecloth.

Anryoku stares in utter horror seeing herself feasting like an animal on all of the food in front of her. It torments her to see this but she cannot look away. He won’t let her. He is forcing her to watch it all. And the seven, they are pulling her as well. Sagitarii and the seven, forcing her into watching herself, her other side, feasting and growing fat and covered in grease and blood. The feeding continues as Anry kneels in pain and horror, succumbing to Sagitarii’s terrible will. Then he speaks again.

“You will find the Gatekeepers. The green is found. The other three are not. You will find them and bring them to me. For then you will feed for years to come.”

Anry wants to deny it, she wants to say no, but she cannot. Her body won’t move. But the other Anry, the purple-eyed monster turns to Sagitarii and smiles wickedly, showing half chewed olives and blood in her teeth. She then utters a ‘yes master’ with food spilling from her mouth. And then she resumes feasting, propping her mouth full of raw eggs, breaking the shells open with her teeth and sucking the insides dry. Sagitarii nods with approval.

“Good. Now, wake up fool!”

And with his last word, he releases the arrow, which pierces straight through Anryoku’s head as the golden tip emerges on the other side of her throat. Her head drops low as her blank eyes stare at the ground. The pain is immense, but she is still alive. She can feel the blood inside of her trickling down the arrow and out of her body.

Then all fades to black again, in a flurry of tormenting clouds, taking her away from the great hall, Sagitarii and the seven.

Azure Wrath

12-29-2007, 09:35 AM

Bacon and Eggs

Anryoku awoke screaming that morning. Her voice tore into the entire camp, probably terrifying the remaining excavators even more. Rumours of ghosts had riddled the camp... and now, the terrible scream of a girl. It was probably enough to give the men nightmares... but none which would compare to the one Anryoku had.

Her mind was now racing and she was drenched in sweat... Slowly, she ran her hand down the back of her head... she couldn’t feel anything. No hole where the arrow pierced her. Not a mark or a scar or anything. She was alive.

“It was... just a dream........just........”

She sighed briefly. No matter if she said it or not, the dream had terrified her.

“....a dream...”

The images kept going through her eyes, raping her mind. It left her cold and scared and got her crying. For a minute or two, she lay in her bed, crying softly into her pillow... What then struck her as odd was that no one had heard her scream. There was no ruckus at all, as if no one heard it or no one cared ... but she didn’t let it bother her too much.

“Maybe the scream was still in my dream or something... who knows.”

She lay in her bed for an hour or so, when she heard someone outside of her tent.

“Knock knock! Breakfast is here!”

Anryoku suddenly remembered that breakfast was to be delivered at her room, so she quickly got dressed and wiped the tears from her face. She checked one more time to see if she was looking decent enough to be exposed to the outside world... and then she opened her tent’s flap. She saw the young boy outside, holding a plate of lazy scrambled eggs and some medium-crispy bacon, with a slice of toast on the side. She suddenly felt hungry, despite her grotesque dream, so she smiled at the boy and nodded.

“Thank you very much.”

The boy then smiled at her and scurried off. He had more people to feed and could not waste time. So Anryoku was left alone in her tent. She sat down on the edge of her bed and slowly began to eat. As she did, her mind drifted off to the dream of the previous night. Sagitarii and the seven. She had no idea who Sagitarii was, nor did she know what the seven were... but the thought of both riddled her with fear. The number seven had been in her mind since the mission began and she could not understand why, until now.

“The seven... What are they? I... I have no idea what they could be.... but I sense something from them... in the dream.... I felt it... so much hatred... so much despair..... like being in hell. What are they? Who are they? And who is Sagitarii? How do I even know the name?”

Without even knowing it, Anryoku had neatly separated her food into seven sections on her plate with a fragment of bacon, toast and egg on each of the seven sections. When she realized what she had done, she felt a chill going down her back... and then she took her fork and messed it around again, before taking another bite into it. She decided that it would probably be best to ignore this situation until she had time for it... because she had other stuff on her plate today. Much more than just bacon and eggs.

Azure Wrath

12-29-2007, 11:47 AM

On Bacon and Religion

Hitame was never the religious type. Not once in his life did he ever feel a strong connection with God or the Lord Jesus or any other deity for that matter. He may have worshipped his father’s collection of adult material, but that was pretty much as far his worshipping went with Hitame. However, if there was ever one thing that Hitame would thank the Almighty Power for, it would have been the invention of the greatest thing known to mankind.

Bacon

There was not a day that went by that Hitame did not feast in the marvel that was the almighty bacon. To him, it was the greatest food in existence. And on the scorching morning in Camp Aryen, he feasted on a large plate, packed full of bacon. Not too crispy but still well cooked. Just the way he liked it. And not one bit was left untouched. Many people refused to eat the fat on the bacon, but to Hitame Roko, this was seen as a cardinal sin. So on this morning, Hitame ate like a king. He didn’t care for the toast and he sure as hell didn’t care for the eggs. It was the bacon that kept him eating far beyond the point of just ‘having eaten enough’.

However, the bacon came to an end, which signed that he probably had to begin his day. Hitame was lucky enough to have received breakfast in bed, as promised by Roy the previous day, but he still had work to do. So, he got dressed in comfortable clothes that would suit him well for the day to come. They were loose and a white-beige shade, to keep him as cool as possible in the extreme heat in the desert. But as he stepped outside, he was confronted by a strange sight. It was blistering hot outside... but it was still dark.

“Huh? The sun should have risen by now...”

He looked up and, at first, it seemed as if it was night. But when his eyes adjusted to the outside conditions, he realized that the sun had indeed risen... but the immense storm clouds were still hanging overhead, blocking out most light. In the distant horizon, he could see the blue sky... but above him (and in a pretty large radius around the camp for that matter) it was a dark gray-brown-purple series of thick clouds. Rain seemed imminent. And along with it, torrential thunderstorms, he assumed. For a few seconds, it all looked really pretty... but the sight of these clouds over his head became rather unnerving and even demoralizing.

It was soon after he saw the clouds above, that he saw Anryoku coming stepping out of her tent. Her tent was a distance away from his, but she spotted him with ease and he could spot her easily too. But she also saw the clouds above and he could see that it unnerved her as well... And he could also see that something was on her mind. After she observed the sky and walked to him, he could see that something was wrong with her. She looked troubled, worried and... very sad. As she came closer, he took a quick breath in to ask her what was wrong.

“Hey there Anry! What’s wrong? You look sad... Is something bothering you? You know, if something’s up, you can come talk to me, I’m here for you.”

An awfully sweet line... But it didn’t come from Hitame. It came from behind him. It was Dimitry’s voice. And it aggravated Hitame a fair amount indeed. Stealing the spotlight from Hitame was something that rarely happened and it made Hitame feel mildly rejected. And Anry’s reply didn’t help much either.

“...Thank you Dimitry. I’m fine though. Just didn’t sleep well, that’s all.”

As she said that, she walked straight past Hitame to stand next to Dimitry. Hitame could hardly make eye contact with her, because her eyes were focused on Dimitry’s eyes...

Had Hitame been a religious man, then that would have been the day that he’d ask the Almighty Power to kill. Without any mercy... and probably with a few slow-motion replays thrown in for kicks.

Azure Wrath

12-29-2007, 06:02 PM

Climbing down the throat of the tomb

After some small talk, the three genin walked off to the excavation site. It was probably time to see what was going on and what they needed to do. So they went along a trodden path in the sand to find their way to the structure where Samuel and the rest of the people were already busy excavating. As they approached the site, they eventually reached a large hole in the ground, which nearly resembled a crater, except for the fact that it had a small stone structure in the middle. It was a bleak yellow colour and held many vivid decorations on it, which had obviously survived time’s toll. And on the one side of this square structure, there was a large doorway which was wreathed in darkness.

There was no wind. None at all. Which struck the three genin as strange. It also seemed as if the clouds were converging above this building. It was an eerie site, to say the least. Some excavators were outside, busy cleaning the numerous decorations on the arch of the doorway. The three genin kept walking and examined the doorway. On it, they could see the image of a man with a mask. A mask with great horns and a wide gaping mouth. A man holding a colossal bow.

The sight nearly caused Anryoku to faint as a surge of dizziness ripped into her mind. She had seen this man before. Last night. In the hall. It was...

“(Sagitarii)”

Her face went pale and her body began to shiver. It was then that she immediately knew that this structure was a tomb. This was where Sagitarii was buried. But were the seven here too? She did not know. The wisdom of Sagitarii being entombed here was all that flooded her mind. Further examination of the arch showed more vivid decorations. Around Sagitarii were four circles, each with a kanji symbol, which had now been withered away by time. Each of these circles had lines drawn to the centre of Sagitarii. Radiating outwards from him were hundreds of arrows that formed a large circle in which he was the centred.

The sight terrified Anryoku, but she hid it very well from the other two, who were oblivious to Sagitarii. The two boys stood, running their fingers across the engraving in the arch, trying to decipher the meaning behind it, while Anry knew the story behind it. Or at least, a part of it. She did not know where the seven fitted into the story, nor did she know about those other 4 circles around him. Further investigation would probably help, she figured. So, she led the two boys into the doorway.

“(Why am I walking in? Why? Wasn’t I scared? I still am scared. Terrified.... But.... something is pulling.... A force... What is it? It feels as if.... as if I must go in. What is it? Who is it? Who is Sagitarii? What does he want from me? And why am I so.... lured?”)

Anry’s mind rushes full of confusion as to the unhealthy force that drew her further and further into the tomb. She kept moving forwards, despite the small fear that ran in the back of her mind. She felt so different this day. Not in a good way, nor in a bad way... just different. It didn’t concern her either. But there was some sick seed within her, eager to find out about Sagitarii. In the dark corners of her mind, she wanted to find out, she wanted to see him, she wanted to meet him. The other part of her wanted to run away. What seemed to be rational thought just wanted to leave the tomb, the camp and the whole damn desert! But something kept her stepping forwards instead of backwards.

“(You know he’s looking for you. You cannot hide from him)”
“(Shut up. Leave me alone.)”
“(You know why you’re stepping forward, you bitch. It’s me. It’s all me!!)”
“(SHUT UP!!!!)”
“(.... He he... fine. I will lower my voice....)”

The voice had come at a bad time. Anry raised her hand to her forehead and rubbed it slightly. This was not the time to worry about such petty problems. That’s what she thought at the time, so she continued moving forwards.

After entering the doorway, the three were greeted by darkness. And it embraced them with vigour and passion. However, after their eyes adjusted, they could see dim light emanating from a hole at the far end of the single room they stood in. When they stepped closer (it was at this point that Hitame noticed Anryoku lifting her hand to her forehead), they saw there was a deep hole in the ground, with a makeshift step ladder climbing down the throat of the hole. The three hardly hesitated, as Anry was the first to step down the ladder. The hole was narrow, offering claustrophobia to the weak-minded. Luckily, none of the genin suffered from this, so it made the climb easier. But it was a rather long descent, with the air glowing brighter with candlelight as they got closer to the bottom. With the last few steps, excitement filled all three of the genin. They all realized that they desperately wanted to see what this place looked like.

And when they got to the bottom of the pit, they were amazed.

Azure Wrath

01-02-2008, 06:57 AM

And so the mission begins

After a long climb, three genin from the Hidden Cloud were faced by an amazing sight. The entrance to a tomb. Kagirinai Anryoku instinctively knew it was the tomb of Sagitarii. Samuel Toukai also knew, but both of them were quiet about, not allowing the rest of the world to know about who lay on the other side of this wall. Despite not knowing what was on the other side, Hitame and Dimitry were amazed at the sight that lay in front of them. So was Anryoku for that matter.

For in front of the genin, stood a massive wall. A wall that had so many inscriptions and pictures, that there were no empty spots on it. In the very centre of the wall, there was a fine slit into the wall, which was very narrow, seeming to accommodate a blade. From this slit ran four lines, until they met four circular recesses in the wall, each the same size as an apple, roughly. Inside each of these holes was a kanji symbol, which had a faint glow to it. The holes were arranged in a diamond shape.

The top one had a purple glow, with the symbol for The Snake in it.
The bottom one had a blue glow, with the symbol for The Bird in it.
The right one had a green glow, with a symbol for The Horse in it.
The left one had an orange glow, with a symbol for The Tiger in it.

Each one of these offered more light to the room they were in, revealing the inscriptions and pictures on the walls. And there were many of them. Long lost ruins were inscribed everywhere, with pictures accompanying them. The ruins ran all around the room, on the floors, on all four walls and on the roof. And most of the excavation team were busy examining it, under dim candlelight and the soft glow radiating from the four slots in the wall. Samuel was busy studying the four slots, when he saw the three genin who entered the room. Slowly, he moved away from the wall, with his hand in his right pocket. He then turned to them, showing his face to them. He seemed tired and very drained... but there was an odd glimmer in his eyes, one that none could put a finger on. But before they could think about it much, he started talking.

“So... welcome to what we’ve called The First Hall. Roy may have told you, but I have a theory that this building is a great tomb. I firmly stand by this theory, despite what others have told me. I also think that these four slots are the key to getting into the actual tomb. What I want from you three is to help me find a way into this tomb. I have figured a bit out, that I will share with you.”

Samuel paused for a short while, getting some breath and fiddling in his right pocket. For an instant, Hitame thought he saw something glowing in that pocket... but before he could make sure, it was gone. Then, Samuel continued.

“I postulate that these four slots require some kind of a key in each of them. As you can see, there are four, each with their own colour and their own symbol. The Bird, The Tiger, The Snake and The Horse. Each has a riddle to uncovering where they are hidden. I believe we need these four Gatekeepers to open the tomb.”

When hearing the word ‘Gatekeepers’, Anryoku found another cold chill running down her back... and as she did, her vision blurred again, as if the world is pulled away from her very being. But all came back to her soon. Sagitarii had mentioned the Gatekeepers to her. These were the things he needed to be unlocked. And Samuel wanted her to find them.

“Four riddles. One for each of the Gatekeepers.”

Samuel took another deep breath and then pointed at the green recess, with The Horse symbol on it.

“Far north, where the lush fields provide a place where our noblest of friends can roam free, inhabits one of the items, as green as the pastures they feed on.”

He then pointed to the purple recess, with The Snake symbol.

“Vile, vicious and venomous, the second of all, can be found deep within the womb Orion had returned to. Purple with envy, it awaits its conqueror, ready to strike”

Then, he pointed his finger to the yellow gap, with The Tiger symbol.

“Not afraid of water, unlike his brethren, he waits in the thick forest. Unsheathing his teeth and claws like daggers, no person is safe from his lethal pounce. Elegance kills. O, range is best kept if you value your life.”

And finally, he pointed to the blue recess, The Bird symbol.

“Towering high above its surroundings, encircled by the yellow desert sands and the blue skies it's trying to reach, this destination strikes fear and vertigo in any adventurer. Its fearless inhabitant looks down on any possible prey from miles to come, waiting, stalling, and hoping for a chance.”

After revealing the final riddle, Samuel eyed out the three genin in the dim rainbow light of the First Hall. He waited a while, to see if there were any questions from the three, but it seemed as if they all understood.

“(Seems that these three are pretty bright. It shouldn’t be a problem for me getting in then. If they do all the work...)”

After some thought, Samuel finally resumed talking, ready to give out the mission to the three genin. Anryoku, Hitame and Dimitry all stood, ready to hear what Samuel had to say. The other excavators in the room were still busy brushing away at ruins, trying to decipher what was written in the great hall, but did listen to what Samuel had to say.

(“Four for the seven. We will find them!”)
(“What? Go away!”)

Again, Anryoku held her hand to her head, trying to soothe the confusion in her mind. Samuel saw this, but paid little heed to it. He knew that everyone had their demons... especially him. So, he began his briefing.

“Ok... so what I want you three to do is this. There are three of you. I want each of you to go hunt one of these gatekeepers. I will go after one myself, meaning each of us will be after one of them. Each of you must decipher the riddle and find out where it is pointing us to. Find the Gatekeepers, bring them here and then unlock the tomb. This is your mission. The Hidden Cloud has agreed that you will help out until the tomb is unlocked and we find what is inside.”

(“Sagitarii, the Archer is inside. Do not fear him. Embrace him as a god”)
(“Shut up!”)

Anry’s voice was rather talkative this day and had a cynical tone to its voice. She wondered how a voice inside of her head could have such a cynical tone to it, but somehow it did. She was now rubbing her forehead to take away the mind-splitting screaming in her head. It helped to a degree.

“So... that is your mission. You can go now. Feel free to take one of my excavators along with you, if you feel you need a companion. Now... let us go back up. It is lunch time. After lunch, we can go forth with the mission.”

As he finished off, everybody turned to the ladder that led to the exit of the First Hall... except for Anryoku, who was staring at the great wall with its ruins in front of her. Hitame gently touched her on her shoulder and leaned closer to her ear.

“Hey... let’s get going.”

She didn’t look at him, but she did utter a soft reply to him.

“It is fine, you lot go ahead without me. I’ll be there soon, just want to check something.”

Hitame was hesitant at first, but then he turned away and left, leaving Anryoku alone in the First Hall, with the shades of the four recesses flickering across her visage, painting dim rainbow shadows on her face. Then she heard a noise from the left hand side.

She was not alone in the hall.

Azure Wrath

01-02-2008, 08:02 AM

Mind meeting Yku?

As she heard the sound from the side of the room, Anryoku felt the world pull back from her vision, as if she was pulled back into her own mind. It caused a second of utter wooziness and it blurred her vision... But her consciousness returned soon enough.

She could hear walking to the side, somewhere in the shadows. Her hand dropped to her wakizashi, in case she needed to defend herself from whoever it was. But a soft voice that resounded in her mind calmed her defensive nature.

“Hey hey darlin'... calm down. I’m not gonna hurt you, ya know?”

As Anryoku heard the voice, she saw a girl emerge from the shadows. This girl was young and pretty, probably the same age as Anryoku. Her hair was a soft black colour and her eyes had a soft pink, nearly purple haze to it. She looked a bit like Anry, actually, having similar features on her face. However, this girl had much bigger boobs than Anry and was a bit shorter. She carried a spear on her back, but had the regular excavators’ equipment as well. She was dressed like the rest of the excavators at the site, so Anry assumed that this girl was part of the excavation team.

“Ah darlin’, don’t look so damn scared, will ya?! I ain’t gonna harm ya, darlin’!”

The girl walked forwards and extended her arm to Anry. The genin decided that this person wouldn’t want to cause her any harm. Despite the spear on her back and her sudden appearance, Anry figured that a fellow excavator wouldn’t try and hurt her. ‘Why would she?’, Anry thought. So, Anryoku extended her arm to this girl.

“Hi... Sorry, I’m just a bit... tense. This place is a bit creepy. Anyway, my name is Anryoku.”

The girl smiled at Anry and shook her hand softly, yet firmly. Her eyes had depth to them and were kind on the surface. After they shook hands, the girl introduced herself.

“My name is Yku, pleased to meet ya, darling! I’m part of the excavation team here, but I’m keeping a low profile, because that darn Samuel seems to be rather intimidated by me, because little old me knows more about this darn place than he does!”

“Oh, so you know a lot of this place? Would you mind coming along with me, I need to go find one of the Gatekeepers?”

“Sure thing, darling! Ya know, I think we’d make a good team! You seem pretty bright for a Kagirinai!”

“How did you know I was...”

“Nah, doesn’t matter darlin’! I know things! Now, let’s get going! Four for the seven, let’s go! We can find ‘em all!”

Before Anryoku could say more, Yku climbed up the step ladder at one hell of a speed. Anry had little choice, so she followed Yku up the ladder. While still climbing, Anry could hear Yku calling from the top of the ladder.

“After lunch, meet me at the northern exit of the camp! We’re gonna go hunt The Tiger, darlin’!”

There was a chill running down Anry’s back. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong... but it was nothing she could place her finger on. So, she followed instead.

Azure Wrath

01-02-2008, 09:51 AM

Let’s split up, gang!

After some lunch, the three genin were separated. Anry sat on her own, thinking a bit about everything, it seemed. Hitame could not help but feel that something was seriously bothering Anry, but he could not figure out what it was. He desperately wanted to know, but was afraid of asking, because he assumed she would not tell him. And he was not keen on being rejected like that. So, he wondered in silence about her well being. But he had other things to worry about. He had teamed up with Roy to hunt The Snake. During lunch, Hitame had approached Roy and asked him if he’d assist him. Roy was eager to help and seemed to be a very friendly person, so Hitame was very happy to be paired up with Roy. He figured it would be the best set up for him.

Meanwhile, Dimitry had joined up with another excavator, called Sol de Mort. Dimitry and Sol looked quite a bit similar, with the same build and the same hair colour. Sol’s hair was longer though and his eyes were a dull green. He seemed really eager about finding the Gatekeepers, but told Dimitry of the many ‘horrors’ that people were talking about in the campsite. According to Sol, there were numerous sightings of ghosts. Some people have fallen incredibly ill and some have even disappeared. It concerned Dimitry a bit, but he decided not to let it show. Acting tough was his speciality and he had to keep his cool in front of Anry.

Anry, however, did not pay much attention to either of the boys. She was in an odd trance where she could only think about the Gatekeepers, Sagitarii and Yku. She could not place a finger on her feelings and emotions at that moment. Something was perpetually drawing her to the solving of this mission and the mystery of Sagitarii... and the seven. Her mind was wrapped in so many things at the same time that she did not know what to think.

When lunch was over, the three groups split up. Anry went to the northern entrance of the camp by herself, while Dimitry and Sol remained at their lunch table. They were covered by a canopy which would have saved them from the sun... but the menacing clouds still hovered overhead. Hitame and Roy, however, went back to the excavation site, where they decided to do some further investigation of the ruins and the walls.

So it happened that the three genin were split up, each on their own mission to find the Gatekeepers. Samuel saw this and was pleased. From his tent, he saw the three breaking up into their groups to find him his Gatekeepers. He smiled and pulled an object from his pocket. It glimmered like an emerald and shone a green haze on his face. He smiled and gently stroked it.

“Soon.... soon.”

Azure Wrath

01-02-2008, 01:02 PM

O, range!

While she walked away from the camp, Anryoku soon spotted Yku, waiting for her at the exit. Anryoku looked behind her and saw no one and then looks back at Yku, who has a smile plastered on her face.

“Took ya long enough, darlin’! Now, let’s get going!”

“Wait, wait... where are we going? We got that riddle, but we have no idea what it means.”

“Nonsense honey! You may not know what it means, but I do. ‘Not afraid of water, unlike his brethren, he waits in the thick forest. Unsheathing his teeth and claws like daggers, no person is safe from his lethal pounce. Elegance kills. O, range is best kept if you value your life’. That is a clear reference to The Tiger, darlin’. The last bit ‘o, range’ is an indication of the colour, orange. And he is found in a forest, which is also clearly shown in the riddle, silly! The forest must be nearby, because ‘the range is best kept’ ... and there is only one forest within a radius of 20 miles from this camp, hun. That forest is a huge oasis in the desert. Scientists are stunned at the existence of this forest, for it is not normal for such a forest to exist in the desert, ya know. But few have ventured in it... Or, few have come back out of the forest. I think the very reason for the forest’s existence is due to the Gatekeeper that is hidden in the forest. So let’s get going darlin’!”

“Wow... how do you know all of this? I mean, that all makes sense... but when did you find this out? And why didn’t you tell Samuel about it?”

“Well, darlin’... Samuel is a prick. Yep, he’s an outright prick. He thinks he knows everything and he thinks he’s the only one who’s right on this whole darn camp! I refuse to work with him, honey. I will rather do things on my own than work with that pompous arse! He’s just a tool, a slave to the Gatekeepers! Been losing his sanity, they say. So I work on my own and have been observing the ruins for a long time... This is just my conclusion after a long time of work. Now, I finally have myself a shinobi to help me get the gatekeepers! It’s wonderful darlin’, I really appreciate your help! Now, let’s get going!”

Anryoku nodded at Yku, picking up some similarities. Yku reminded Anry of herself, when she was hyper and energetic. This didn’t happen too much nowadays though, with all the burdens on her heart. Recently, Anryoku was rather depressed. But this girl reminded Anry of her bright side. So Anry smiled at her and decided that she should try and bring her bright side back as well.

“Ok, let’s get going then! Let’s go catch this tiger!”

Anryoku and Yku laughed and then began their journey north. Trudging through vast dunes, they moved away from the camp, away from the storm, on their way to the Tiger’s Forest...

Azure Wrath

01-02-2008, 01:43 PM

Humour, Cliché’s and a Tribute to Roy

Back in the darkness of the ruins, Hitame and Roy were observing the great wall of ruins and inscriptions in front of them. The soft flicker of the recesses in the wall illuminated the First Hall for them, so they could read what there was to read on the walls. Roy ran his fingers over the riddle next to the purple gap in the wall and read it out softly.

“Vile, vicious and venomous, the second of all, can be found deep within the womb Orion had returned to. Purple with envy, it awaits its conqueror, ready to strike”

Roy paused for a while, thinking about the inscription. Hitame stood behind him and also thought about it for a while. They both hung in silence, until Hitame spoke.

“Orion? The womb Orion returned to? It doesn’t make sense”

“I know... I gather it’s referring to the star sign, Orion.”

“Yeah, I think so too. Do you think it could have any connection with Sagittarius? The picture we saw on the stone arch at the entrance had a man bearing a bow and arrow... And Sagittarius is known as the archer, if I’m not mistaken.”

Hitame sounded rather serious for once, which was rather odd. But he had lots of reason to be serious. It was a serious mission and the hall they were in did not promote any humour from him. He did not know about Sagitarii who was entombed in this great ruin, but if he had, then the connection between Orion and Sagitarii would have been even stronger.

“Hmm... that is a good point. You could be onto something, Hitame. And the womb.... do you think it could mean.... these very ruins?”

“I think so. In some weird twisted way, it makes sense. The same way that finding lesbian porn arousing makes sense. You don’t know why you think it is arousing... but it is.”

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds... and then Roy burst into laughter, which was soon followed by Hitame’s own laughter. It seemed that Hitame’s humour could not be constrained for too long.

“Oh man... a joker? I didn’t expect that from you!”

“Seriously? Nah, I’m a joker all of the time. Unless something bothers me.”

“Oh? So I guess something is bothering you then, because you’ve seemed a bit... away.”

“Ha ha... am I that easy to read?”

“Yeah, I like kidding around as well, so I guess we’re the same like that.”

“Ha ha, that’s good to hear. Well, tell you what, I’ll tell you all about it if you keep it to yourself. Getting it off of my chest will help. But first, let’s sort out this stupid riddle. So, you think the Gatekeeper could be hidden in this building? It makes sense to me... it’s the last place one would search.”

“Yeah, I think it could actually be hidden in here. Right underneath our noses... Sounds very much like a serpent to me.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right Roy. But... we need to search this hall then.”

Hitame and Roy searched around the room for a while... but they could find no doorways or passages. It was just the one hall, with the hole leading to the top entrance. They searched the walls for levers or switches of any kind, but none could be found. The search eventually became a bit hopeless, as they covered the same areas over and over again. With enough time, both Hitame and Roy became rather glum and annoyed. Hitame was standing next to the four recesses, when his frustration took over.

“This is gay! How the hell are we gonna find this thing!? Stupid riddle!!”

With his scream, Hitame shot his fist at the purple recess in the wall. As it hit the wall, something made a strange, ancient clicking sound.... and soon after that, one of the walls in the other end of the room lowered, revealing a doorway. Hitame and Roy both looked at the doorway in amazement. Hitame was the first to speak.

“That is like....such a cliché!”

Roy nodded slowly and then looked at Hitame with half a smile on his face.

“And how does that make you feel?”

Hitame laughed cheerfully at Roy’s comment.

“Like I wanna tear up this ‘base’!”

“Then let the base boom!”

Laughing, the two men entered the doorway to the darker, unknown depths of the great ruins, with no idea of what lay in the darker depths of this amazing and terrifying tomb.

Azure Wrath

01-02-2008, 06:36 PM

Dragging behind

“So, the vertigo is a clear sign of height. From reading all of this, it is safe to assume that we will be going to a really high place. ‘Encircled by the yellow desert sands’ is a clear indication that it is in the desert as well.”

Sol de Mort was on a rampage, tearing through the riddle for the Gatekeeper at a sickly pace, one that left Dimitry dragging all the way back at the starting line while Sol was nearly at the finishing line. There was no better way to make a person who was already insecure about himself, feel even more threatened.

“So, Dimitry, what do you think they mean with ‘blue skies it’s trying to reach’... do you think it could mean a mountain?”

“Um... yeah, I do think that, because.... it’s what mountains do. They try to, like, reach into the sky, stretching their...”

“No wait... I think it could be a tree. Birds generally flock in trees and trees grow, making them ‘reach’ into the sky even more. You get what I’m saying?”

“Yeah, I was also thinking a tree actually, because the branches also look like, um... hands.”

“Yes, my thoughts exactly.”

The pace at which Sol was thinking was incredible and left Dimitry feeling rather behind. Seeming useless was never something anyone enjoyed, but Dimitry was one who could not handle not being in the spotlight. So this little meeting did not do his ego good... not one bit.

“But Sol... there aren’t any trees in the desert. There’s only a crap load of cacti. So I don’t think we’d find this place.”

“That’s what you think. But I’ve done lots of research on this desert. To the west, there is a kind of a monument, a phenomenon. One great tree, which has sprouted high into the sky. We have done a lot of research on it, but no one has seen the top. Thinking about it now, it makes sense that the Gatekeeper we are looking for is situated at the very top of that tree. It fits into the riddle perfectly!”

Dimitry nodded his head violently in agreement and tried hard to get a word in while Sol was speaking, but did not match up with the pace at which Sol was moving.

“Towering high above its surroundings, encircled by the yellow desert sands and the blue skies it's trying to reach, this destination strikes fear and vertigo in any adventurer. Its fearless inhabitant looks down on any possible prey from miles to come, waiting, stalling, and hoping for a chance. It makes perfect sense. Dimitry, let’s get going! That tree is our target and is not too far away from here. Do you have climbing equipment?”

“No, I don’t think I-...”

“Ok, it’s fine. I have an extra set that you can borrow! Thought you’d be prepared though.... Now, let’s get going! I need to get this Gatekeeper!”

Before Dimitry could say anything, Sol was off, on the way to his tent to get the gear, leaving Dimitry alone under the canopy.

“(Shit... this guy is stealing my flame... Hmm... I guess I need to start playing dirty. Can’t let him take the spotlight.)”

While Sol was away, Dimitry plotted his way into fame and popularity, while Sol was in his tent, looking for climbing equipment to so he could find the Gatekeeper. He was also deep in thought, with similar thoughts to Dimitry.

“(Hmmm... I need this Gatekeeper... And it would be best if the shinobi didn’t get it... otherwise, our plans aren’t going to work out. Hm... Well, accidents could happen... Hmm....)”

So both Sol and Dimitry sat plotting for a while, each with plans darker than the clouds overhead...

Azure Wrath

01-03-2008, 06:15 AM

The soliloquy, interrupted

The journey through the desert did not take as long as Anry thought it would. Yku offered to be a good guide and knew exactly where to go, cutting down on the time of the journey. The sun weighed heavily on the two though, especially Anry. The heat was blistering and the wind had come up, proving to be rather relentless. The wind did all in its power to conceal the tracks left by Anryoku, showing no remnants of her travels in the sand... and it did the same to the tracks of Yku, it seemed.

Anry was trailing behind Yku, who was rather determined to get somewhere fast. She did not waste any time moving forward as relentlessly as the wind itself and strode with utter determination. Anryoku found it hard to keep up, but somehow she did.

“He he... seems she’s eager to get to the forest... but... it would be good to get this mission done... Things are awfully weird, to say the least. But... Oh boy. I wish Awashi was here... I could use his advice. Or anyone’s advice... Someone...”

At that moment, Anryoku saw Hitame in her mind. For some reason, up until now, it never crossed her mind to actually talk to Hitame about her problems. The boy who’d been her friend for several years had never appeared to her as someone she could open up to or talk to about all of her issues to.

“Maybe I should talk to him when I get back. Maybe... Maybe I should pay some attention to him. He’s always been there for me and I’ve taken it for granted... always been making me smile, lightening whatever tension there was in the air... He helped me at Capricoso... If I had listened to him, things would have turned out better.”

As she walked through the vast desert, under a bitter yellow sun, she reminded herself of all the times with Hitame, all the times he helped her, all the times that him and Awashi had spent aiding her.

“They... they really are great friends. I couldn’t ask for better... They care for me... Especially Hitame... He’s always trying to make me smile... always trying to make things better when I’m depressed. I should really appreciate him more... Maybe I should show some care back to the guy...”

Lost in thought, Anry began to lag behind a bit, almost losing sight of Yku... but the black haired companion soon appeared on the horizon, looking back at Anry with an irritated expression on her face.

“Hey hun!! Move that pretty ass of yours! We need to get going, now!!”

“Just a minute,Yku! I need to catch my breath a bit.”

“I said, NOW!!!”

The air reeked of anger when the last word came from Yku’s mouth and as she said it, Anry’s head suffered a sharp agonizing pain. She pressed her right hand to the side of her head, pressing hard, hoping to relieve the pressure..... But the pain took a while to go away. While she pressed, her vision blurred again. It was over soon though (despite feeling much longer for Anry) and when her vision returned properly, Yku was standing closer to her.

“Didn’t mean to shout darlin’, but we need to get going. I want to get this done, A-S-A-freaking-P, ya know?”

Anry didn’t say anything, for she was struck very uncomfortable by Yku’s tone of voice earlier and the sharp pain she had in her head. The voice she heard coming from Yku reminded her of the screams of the voice at the back of her head. It may have been her imagination though, so she pushed her suspicions to the back of her mind, where that voice usually screamed from. Anry then just nodded at Yku.

“Now now, don’t be mad at me. I know you better than you think, darling’. You and I... I think we’re pretty similar, ya know? It’s good to meet someone who’s a reflection of yourself, ain’t it?”

“(I’m nothing like you....... darlin’)... let’s go get this Gatekeeper.”

“Hell yeah! No one will beat you, not with Yku Rona on your team! Come, the forest is just over that dune, darlin’!”

“...(...Yku... Rona?)...”

Azure Wrath

01-04-2008, 08:15 AM

Snakes on a path

“So, how does that make you feel?”

“Well, not that great really. It feels like I’m always there for her... but she’s never there for me. As if I give so much, and she only gives this much back.... and I figure hand gestures in the dark won’t aid you much, eh?”

“Not really...”

Walking through the long, dark corridor of the ruins, Hitame and Roy were busy having a deep, meaningful conversation about the (statistically proven, claimed Hitame) source of all depression in men: women. The path they were walking on did not split at all, proving to be rather linear, which made the exploration rather easy, despite the darkness. Hitame held a torch in his hand, so they had little red flames dancing on the walls while they walked.

“I mean, I do so much for her, but it never seems as if she sees it. But when I do one thing wrong, then she immediately sees it... and it’s annoying. Because if other guys do something good, something that I do all the time, then she suddenly sees it in them and appreciates their efforts, while she still sees past mine. Or, maybe she doesn’t... but it comes across that way. But I don’t know how I would know... I mean, I’d just like some appreciation from her... if she could treat me the way I treat her, it would be great, but I’m not even hoping for that... All I want is for her to show that she sees me, that she appreciates me. And to give a bit more back, when I give.”

“I know what you mean man... but girls tend to do that. I figure it’s because they become acquainted with all you give them, so they are used to getting it... but when someone else offers it to them, it’s new and exotic, so they chase after it, to boost their ego. However, that doesn’t mean that they do not appreciate you. Do not worry about it, I’m sure that at the end of the day, she does care for you, she just doesn’t show it.”

“Hmm..... I hope you’re right. Once in my life, I just want to hear it from her. Just once...”

Continuing the long walk down the narrow tunnel, the two men grew a bit quieter as they saw a glow towards the end of the tunnel. At first, it was extremely faint and difficult to notice, but as they slowly progressed, they could pick it up easily. It was a strange violet glow, pulsating slightly.

“Roy... I think we’re getting close to it.”

“About time too... We’ve been walking for a really long time.”

The tunnel may have been long and linear, but it still had a few things that made it hard to navigate. Rubble, holes in the ground, sudden dips or elevations in the path and one pit made the tunnel seem a bit treacherous. But somehow, it did not seem defended well at all. With some careful navigation, all of those ‘problems’ could be avoided with ease.

As they moved closer and closer to the purple haze, the air grew old and wet. The reek of time filled their nostrils... but the stench of decaying life also lingered somewhere in that air. It was not the most pleasant of smells, nor did it go well with the musky brown walls that were painted dim red with soft flame and sick purple from an unknown source. There was a sick rainbow of reds, browns and purples in the tunnel that did well at unnerving Hitame and Roy.

After walking a while, the texture of the ground they walked on changed. It felt like the rock was replaced by lots of twigs and sticks, which cracked beneath their feet as the slowly walked over it. Hitame stopped for a moment, because the surface he was walking on did not feel too solid.

“What the hell? What are we walking on?”

Then Hitame lowered his head a bit to see what it was they were stepping on. At first, it seemed like it was just a lot of sticks, who’ve had the brown and green stolen from them by the hands of time. However, upon closer inspection, he saw that these were...

“...bones? What the hell?”

By passing the torch in front of him, Hitame made it clear that the rest of the path was paved with the remains of the once-living. Even closer inspection revealed that they were the bones of snakes... hundreds upon hundreds of snakes. Small skeletons of several snakes stared steadily with empty sockets at the two men as they stepped forward, crunching over bones as they progressed. It was a sick scene and was made more disgusting due to the stench that seemed to fit perfectly with the dim purple light that lay ahead. The stench of death was rich in the air and it demanded for more of it.

Slowly stepping forward, the two eventually came into a circular room. Within this room, in the centre of it, was a large stone sculpture, which was in the shape of a coiled up snake, with its mouth open, staring down at those in front of it. Around the sculpture was a circular trench, filled with more skeletons of thousands of snakes. Once, a long time ago, this chamber was obviously filled with hordes of snakes... now it was just filled with the taste, stench, sight, noise and even feel of death, all glimmering in the radiance of the purple light that pulsated from the vile mouth of the serpent sculpture. For in the mouth of this serpent sculpture was clasped a purple orb, the size of an apple, which glimmered of amethyst, illuminating the roof of the room purple and tainting the grey hue of ancient bones with a slight tinge of plum.

Hitame and Roy stared at the sculpture in front of them with the utmost sense of fear and respect. For in front of them lay one of the Gatekeepers. There was not a sound in the air, but it sounded of death speaking to them, commanding them to take this orb; the purple apple. ‘Taste the fruit’, it commanded them, at the eve of their doubt.

“Roy... it’s the Gatekeeper...”

And Hitame did eat, for he stretched out his hand towards the purple orb. Slowly, his hand grew lilac as the orb painted its damnation upon his palm, signing the contract of the serpent’s wrath with him. Hitame’s eyes glimmered indigo for a brief second, until his hand wrapped around the orb. Roy stood back, allowing Hitame to pluck the orb from the serpent’s mouth.

Then, Hitame yanked the fruit from the reptile’s mouth. The Gatekeeper was in his hand... and for a second, he could only stare at the beautiful orb, which was half-transparent, half-amethyst. In the very centre of it, seemed to drift the kanji symbol for The Snake... Slowly, the grand glow of the orb retracted into the depths of the orb, which seemed to be its own little world. After a second or two, the radiance was gone and replaced with only a soft dim light pulsing from the orb, which could only light up Hitame’s hand.

“There. Seems we got it. Now, let’s go Roy!”

Hitame smiled with a huge dumb grin, but somehow looked rather proud while doing it. He had gotten the Gatekeeper. However, that smile was short-lived, for it disappeared in a plume of smoke! As Hitame stood in front of the great sculpture, a large blast of blood coloured mist shot from the statue’s mouth! Another blast of deep purple gas fired up from the floor he stood on, covering him in clouds of blood purple gas. At first, his screams were terrible and tormented, but soon his voice was choked as fear grabbed him by his neck, allowing the venomous gas to slowly creep down his lungs to poison every corner of his body and soul, to claim his life.

He dropped the Gatekeeper, which hit the floor with a sickening clang, probably laughing at the human it had damned.

Azure Wrath

01-06-2008, 02:28 PM

Dimitry VS Sol: The Race

Silence was never meant to be seen, nor was it meant to be tasted. In general, silence was meant to be heard (or not heard), but on this day, it was also felt. The air actually stank of silence and there were lines of silence running between Dimitry and Sol. Their travel through the great desert was riddled with all the five senses’ incarnation of silence. It was hardly broken and when it was, it was quickly repaired again. There were only short lines of conversation between the two men who were pretty much unofficial rivals by now.

While they were making their plans to find the Gatekeeper, they both had unofficially signed a contract saying that they would be arch-rivals from that point forward. The contract was signed in their bitterness and was seconded by their competitiveness. Both of them were now on a mission to prove that the other was inferior and this was the mother of the silence that was born between them, the silence that screamed ‘awkwardness’ at the top of its lungs.

However, after spotting the great tree Sol had spoken about, some conversation had shot up, cracking the silence... if only for a while.

“So, Sol... I assume this is the tree we are looking for? I mean, the top branches even look like hands, clawing at the sky. Climbing up is gonna be a bitch though.”

“Nah, I’ve climbed worse actually, it shouldn’t be that hard... And yes, I know that this is our target, don’t worry. You have your climbing gear, right?”

“Yeah, I still have it. I’m a shinobi.”

Sol was not too sure what Dimitry was trying to get at with that last line, but he didn’t really care. He was only intent on finding the Gatekeeper. So was Dimitry, for that matter. Neither of the two men were concerned about the wellbeing of the other, as long as they could complete their mission. Along with the silence between them, seemed to come a rather uncomfortable air of dislike.

But neither of them could deny that the sight in front of them was their target. After endless amounts of dunes and oceans of sand, they had finally encountered a lone tree, which sprouted from the desert like a stone peak. At its base, it was wider than most houses and (luckily) held many gaps in it where the two boys could find spots for grip. The great tree towered roughly 200 meters into the air, which was a mean climb by anyone’s books. At only about 70 meters into the air, branches began to shoot from the great trunk which penetrated the blue sky. Each of these first branches were as thick as a ‘normal’ trees and each of these branches held millions of leaves, which for some reason were bright green in this skeletal desert. Dimitry assumed that this tree’s root system ran deep underground, deep enough to find a source of water. At the very top of the tree, for the last 20 meters, the tree seemed to make a huge wooden hand that clawed into the sky. At the top, this wooden hand seemed to glimmer with the sapphire of the sky itself.

“You scared of heights, Dimitry?”

“Hell no. You?”

“Same. Let’s get this over with. And, to make it fun... Let’s see who can get to the top first... you know, for some friendly competition?”

There was a cynical tone to the word ‘friendly’ in Sol’s voice and Dimitry picked it up almost instantly... But he was not going to back down to this man, not at all.

“It’s on. I’ll see you from the top, how’s that?”

“When I’m already on my way back down? Suit yourself, genin.”

Before Dimitry could even comment on the condescending tone that Sol had in his breath, Sol was already on his way forward, rope in one hand, pick in his other. Dimitry did not hesitate for another second and then also ran forward with his equipment. A strong rope which was attached to his back, some shoes with sharp points to them, meant for sticking into the tree and one large pick, with which he could hammer into the tree. The rope would mean very little until there were branches around, making the first stretch of the tree rather dangerous. Walking up the tree with simple chakra control was probably the best idea, but Dimitry figured that this large climb would be way too chakra-consuming. So he decided to save his chakra for emergencies only.

As Dimitry began his ascent of the great tree, he realized that Sol had done this several times before, for he was already a good few meters above Dimitry in the climb. He was moving at a very fast pace, one which Dimitry could not quite match, because he had never used gear like this and was still uncertain about his skills at climbing.

However, he was travelling up the tree at a remarkable speed. It was not too long before Dimitry had gotten to the part of the tree where the first set of branches began to sprout from the main trunk. Sol was still ahead of him, but it seemed like Dimitry was actually catching up to Sol, who was now slowing down slightly. Things were going Dimitry’s way, it seemed.

Having reached the many branches, they could now finally use their ropes to sling over the branches, in case they did slip and fall. The rope was connected at one coupling on their harnesses an after being slung over the branches, they would latch the rope onto a second coupling on their harnesses. This way, they would be safe if they slipped. It took a lot of stress off of both of them, because a fall would be fatal from their height.

With the use of these ropes, one did not have to rely on their picks so much, for they could merely hang, pull themselves up with the ropes and climb up with their feet, which stuck to the bark of the grand tree. So, Dimitry adopted this strategy, for he could see Sol doing it as well. It did indeed make the climb a lot easier.

Until one of the couplings on Dimitry’s harness snapped. Dimitry had no idea then, nor did he ever find out, that Sol had tampered with this coupling before they left. As the coupling snapped, Dimitry’s rope loosened at the tampered coupling’s end... then it shot up to the air, over the branch which Dimitry had slung it over... and this caused gravity to reacquaint itself with Dimitry’s body. Gravity greeted him kindly be yanking him down to earth, where it would find great pleasure in crushing Dimitry’s body on the hot desert sand.... but, unfortunately for gravity’s violent sense of nature, the loose end of the rope snagged in a fork of branches, where it got caught and broke gravity’s hold on Dimitry’s body... however, this did turn Dimitry into a human pendulum... a pendulum that arched towards the great tree trunk at a formidable speed...

Dimitry was hanging upside down when his face smashed into the tree trunk. And his sight left him at that moment... and so did his consciousness, which drowned in darkness and bloody pain.

It was an immeasurable amount of time later, that Dimitry came to again. He was now staring at the desert sand, which seemed to move from his suspended state. His head throbbed with excruciating pain, but he was still alive, which was probably a good thing. At first, he did not realize where he was. But after common sense took over, he could feel what had happened. He was slung over someone’s shoulder. Looking down, he could see it was Sol who was carrying him. From his point of view, he could also see something in Sol’s hand... a blue orb of sorts, one that glowed with a dim azure colour, with the kanji symbol for The Bird floating within its centre. Then, looking back to the tree, Dimitry saw an interesting sight... the great tree, which was now not so great. It had begun to wither, losing all of its leaves. Branches were slowly falling from it, as if the tree was disintegrating. It also seemed to be sinking. The tree was...dying. Dimitry then looked back at Sol’s back... He then saw that Sol was bleeding. He had several large gashes in his clothes, as if something had attacked him. Dimitry could only guess that there was ‘something’ guarding that Gatekeeper. But it all didn’t matter to him. Only one thing mattered.

Dimitry had lost the race.

Azure Wrath

01-13-2008, 04:55 PM

Tiger, Tiger

It had been a few months ago that Anryoku ventured into the Crystal Forest with Hitame and Awashi. A lot had happened between then and this day, including several battles, a lot of training and immense heartbreak. But oddly enough, Anryoku was scared this day, when she found herself deep within another forest. This one was not made from crystal; this one was made from wood and leaves. This one did not have the blood of fallen warriors flowing through it, it had streams of water. However, there was something sinister that this forest held, which the Crystal Forest could not match up to. An air of evil. Something hung in the air like a dreaded blanket of darkness that sprinkled powder of discomfort that threatened something invisible yet tangible.

Among all the dark green leaves, the thick undergrowth and the moist air, something orange and seven hung in the air, the light, the water and the whole forest. And this bothered Anryoku quite a bit. Yku seemed to move forward through the forest at a speed which was nearly animal-like, as if something fed her to move forward through the dense growths of trees and bushes. Anry had no choice but to follow Yku into the dark depths of the forest.

Despite the odd air in the forest, it seemed dead, as if the ‘life’ in the forest was artificial, as if the trees, water and even the moisture in the air was fake. Anry noticed this in the strange state she was in. It all seemed strange to her, as if it was only two dimensional, as if it all was just pictures in front of her.

Despite the feeling of plastic, the sounds of brushing leaves still whistled softly into Anry’s ears as her and Yku powered through the forest. By this time, they had travelled to nearly the centre of the forest and it had become darker and darker as they moved to the middle. The once lush green leaves and lightly shaded tree trunks had now turned to a soft, sinister orange glow, with deep black shades running down them, painting orange and black stripes raining down from the treetops. There was now a semi-clear path, as if the forest beckoned them to step closer into the tainted paradise. The path tore through the dense undergrowth, leaving the two girls with a soft path, which seemed to have been used often, though there was no evidence of any forms of life having ever walked on this path. The forest seemed dead(er), the more they moved towards the middle... but yet, it seemed to move, as if a silent wind swayed the trees and the leaves and even the dim light. It made the whole forest seem to move, as if it was indeed alive.

“Yku... this place... It’s...”

“I know, it is scary. But we need to press on, hun. We’re nearly there... I can feel it... Can’t you? Like... something is pulling us closer, as if...”

“...as if it had dug its claw into us, pulling us closer, regardless of our opinion?”

“You read my mind, darlin’... We’re so alike!”

It actually scared Anry that she felt the same feeling that Yku had... but it was true... they were moving forward but didn’t want to. Anry was, at least. Yku seemed to feed off the invisible glow that their target gave off. She seemed to thrive to get to their destination... so Anry had to tail her.

It was not long before the two girls came to an area where the ground stood wide open, despite the sky still being covered by treetops. But those treetops had the same black and orange glimmer to it that spoke pure menace. In front of the two girls was a large, dome shaped clearing in the forest. It glowed with a bright, ravaging orange which distorted the forest with its sick glow. On the forest floor was many bushes, in a circular pattern, with exactly seven of them arranged around the middle of this clearing. In the middle, was a pedestal of great marble. It was a paw, with grand nails sticking out of it. These claws all converged at one spot, about two meters in the air and one meter away from the base of the monument. Where these claws converged was a bright orange light; the source of the glow that sickened the forest. In those claws was the Gatekeeper they were looking for. The Tiger, who was burning bright in this forest, through both day and night.

“Anry, darlin’.... It is there... we need to get it... you go...”

Anry would have told Yku to do it herself... but she did not mind, for some reason. She didn’t mind to step forward and remove that orange orb from the claws of uncertainty. As a matter of fact... she actually wanted to. Her mind told her not to... but something else told her to do it. Something (or someone?) lifted her hand into the air and made her feet walk forwards. That force kept her eyes on the Gatekeeper that seemed to scream at her to come closer.

She walked past one of the seven bushes and its thorns scraped at her sides, leaving three long stripes down her leg, clawing at her skin and even drawing a trickle of blood... but Anry did not feel it. She could only feel the drawing strength of Gatekeeper.

(...Sagitarii? Are you here?...)

Her thoughts got no reply, only a ruckus from the deeper alcoves of her mind. She knew Sagitarii was not there, in the Gatekeeper... but she could feel him. His presence... and something else, which closed off her mind to the impending danger. But nothing mattered to her at this stage. She was in a trance, deluded by the orange light, the glow, the org, the Gatekeeper, the Tiger.

So she reached out her hand when she was near the orange gatekeeper... and then she clasped her hands around it. And as she plucked it from its marble claws, the forest came to life, erupting in noise.

And Anry’s eyes rolled back, revealing two white eyes with a hint of orange, devoid of anything Kagirinai Anryoku.

Azure Wrath

01-18-2008, 05:32 PM

Jaded Eye

Not once did Samuel Toukai even suspect that he was being watched by one of Sagitarii’s eyes. He never knew that the green orb he kept in his pocket (none other than The Horse) was one of Sagitarii’s eyes, seeing far into the world, outside of his entrapment. It could see Samuel and it could even talk to him, but somehow, Samuel never knew that the Gatekeeper he possessed could actually see him.

Sagitarii was once a man who only had two eyes, like any other man. But he did not see from his two eyes anymore. He saw from his entombment and from his four Gatekeepers, those who kept him sealed. But by using his eyes strategically, he knew that he could free himself. He had the pawn he needed... and he could feel his time was close. His four eyes, Horse, Snake, Bird and Tiger were all on their way. Once they served their purpose, they would be destroyed. Sagitarii had no need for those filthy orbs that kept him entombed after he was released. Nor did he need Samuel Tokai, Vohn Roy or any of the other excavators. The three shinobi however... he saw something within them. Something he wanted. Gluttony, the very bars of his prison, called to his core, making him crave the girl. And to get to feed on her, he would have to escape. And that meant bending Samuel even further... which was easy, for Samuel was already feasting on Sagitarii’s hollow promises

(“The Tiger has been taken. It will be here soon, if the girl lives.”)

“What about the boy, master? He needs immediate medical attention... Roy figures he won’t last 24 hours. If we get...”

(“SILENCE FOOL!!! I do not care for those pawns! And you do not either! You care for the treasure within the tomb! Wealth! Glory! POWER!! IT IS YOURS!!!”)

“... Yes... I want the power... I want it all...”

(“Then follow my instructions, fool.”)

From the desk where Samuel sat, a jade glow was dancing on his face, playing games with the shadows casted across his visage, making him look like a teenager for a while... but changing in an instant, making him look like an elder. Under the light casted from Sagitarii’s eye, Samuel had no age and his face had lost its identity. His eyes were dull and tired, filled only with the reflection of The Horse and the hopes of prosperity.

“...I will follow you....”

(“Of course you will... without me, you are nothing, mortal.”)

“Yes.... without you... I am nothing.”

(“Now... The one with the Bird... he will betray you and everyone here. You will hear the markings of his actions soon. Soon after that, the Tiger will arrive. Then, we have all four. Bring them to me, or be damned, mortal.”)

“Betrayal? Who will betray me? Why...?”

(“SILENCE, YOU INSOLENT WHELP! HIDE THE HORSE! SOMEONE IS COMING!”)

The words struck Samuel with such a force that it knocked him off of his chair, as he clasped towards the jade orb in front of him. As he fell, he tucked the Gatekeeper into his pocket, where Sagitarii looked intently from the inside. The glow quieted down as Sagitarii hid his presence from the intruder. And soon, someone was heard outside.

“Mr. Toukai... We have some problems. May I come in?”

Samuel’s eyes were still spread wide open, Sagitarii saw, revealing ages of confusion and fatigue in the two sombre white shells of his eyes. With a quick shudder, he snapped back, cracking away the feelings that had him lying on the floor of his tent.

“Ugh... Yes, come in.”

A young excavator stepped inside, one that meant nothing to Sagitarii. This boy did not just have fear written all over him... he had it engraved in his face. Samuel seemed to spot it too and grew concerned when he saw it.

“Boy... what is wrong?”

“Sir... Some of the men... We’ve been seeing ghosts in and around the campsite... I know it sounds crazy.... but.... more and more have been appearing... and the screams... The rest of the men... they’re all terrified... Please sir... can we please halt the excavation? I don’t know what’s down there.... but I don’t like it... I.... I feel... These clouds... they’re building up.... I dunno if I’m being paranoid.... but I think its building up to....”

“Stop... Boy, I know you’re scared.... and so am I.”

A lie... and the green orb in Samuel’s pocket could feel it. It chuckled slightly at the young boy and his claims of ghosts. Sagitarii knew of these ghosts and was interested in seeing how it developed. But he was also interested in what Samuel had to say to the boy.

“Now... ghosts do not exist... and I promise... there will be great rewards when we open that tomb... Do you not want to be rich, boy? Do you not want to be drenched in wealth and might? We will have it all when we open this tomb! Didn’t you tell me about how poor your mother is? That’s why you took this job, right? Now... if we open that tomb and get what’s in there... then you and your mother will never have to worry about money again, right? Now, bear with me, boy. In twenty four hours, we will be in the tomb. Soon... just bear with me. Do you trust me?”

“.... Yes sir... I do, sir. Sorry for my insolence, sir.”

“Do not worry about it. Now... go on with your work.”

The boy left and Sagitarii snickered from Samuel’s pocket. As he did, the pocket glowed with emerald and ripped all kindness from Samuel’s face, as if it were just a sickened layer of old skin.

(“You intend on sharing with the boy?”)

“... Not at all... We’ll get rid of them all when I open the tomb... I will not share this with anyone. It is mine!”

And for the first time in ages, Sagitarii, one of the Seven, laughed at the irony which was the very foundation of humanity. After his sickening laugh, he shut his eye and the green orb glowed softer and softer, until it returned to its usual pale shade of jade.

Azure Wrath

01-20-2008, 09:17 AM

Run Forest, Run

With a sudden roar, the forest in which The Tiger once slept was suddenly awoken. It caused the ground to shudder and the sky to crack.

The young Kagirinai Anryoku was running now. In her hand, she had the amber orb of The Tiger, while in her other hand, she held her emerald wakizashi, which she used to clear her path, for the forest hungered for her blood and chased her with a bloodlust that matched that of the devils rage.

Before the Anryoku touched the Gatekeeper, she never expected the forest to come to life. She never thought that the floor around her would open, with gaping teeth of petrified roots. She didn’t expect the seven bushes surrounding the Gatekeeper’s pedestal to come to life, taking the form of deathly felines, all comprised of branches and thick thorns, each with the crimson eyes of Hades burning in their faces. She did not expect the forest roof to start collapsing into the great jaws of the forest floor.

But now, the young girl was running. The trees, the branches, the roots, the creatures of the forest were all chasing her, while the ground beneath the forest opened even wider, swallowing all that lay behind the silver-haired girl. Thorny vines whipped at her legs as she ran, scratching at her calves and claiming droplets of blood as their reward. Branches fell in her path, forcing her to leap and roll further. And, of course, the seven cats were pursuing her, as if she was a mere buck. But this buck ran well and defended herself from what came to her. Her skills were refined and unlike anything her friends or foes had ever seen. It seemed that her survival instincts had kicked in and had chained the old Anryoku’s fighting style at the back of her mind, for now she was ruthless, sharp, agile and deadly. The obstructions that came to her path were rendered to ruins.

The ground trembled behind her footsteps as each step she took caused the ground to be swallowed by the orifice that grew from the epicentre of the forest. Her foot slipped as she leapt over a fallen stump, but she sunk her wakizashi into the ground and flipped herself back up before her legs were devoured by the endless black pit behind her.

Running forward still, one of the seven cats dashed into her flank, with thorns for claws and petrified branches for teeth, both sets eager to be filled with the touch and taste of soft crimson blood. The girl swung as she heard the beast leap at her side, twisting her body to face the red-eyed animal. Her wakizashi’s tip hung to the ground while her hand flicked the blade to the air, in an upwards slash that clove the beast’s jaws in half and split its head. A demonic roar left the creature, before it turned back into a mere bush, to be swallowed by the forest.

A huge chasm was soon found in front of the girl, threatening her with a fatal fall into the abyss. She did not hesitate at all, for the keen eyes she possessed spotted a convenient set of vines. Her leap was swift and true. She bit into the blade of her wakizashi, to free her right hand, while she kept the prized Gatekeeper in her left hand... the right hand then caught the vine and swung over the great gap in the ground. After letting go, she took the wakizashi back in her hand and landed on the dirt with a quick roll. The six remaining beasts jumped across through the twilight green air of the jungle. The first one clawed into the edge of the gap with its front paws, while the others landed on its back, getting across with ease. The last one landed on the beast which hung from the edge, and ripped its claws out of the forest dirt with their combined weight, sending the two beasts plummeting down into an abyss that welcomed them with open blackness.

Four remained chasing her, each shining with persistence and evil. They ran with both malice and grace, with their paws hardly touching the soil and undergrowth beneath them... but the young girl ran fast enough to keep a lead, if only a few meters. She could finally see light at the end of the forest. Aside from the rumbling and falling debris, she could spot the dim shine of the outside world on the horizon. Her escape was nearly complete.... but the forest wanted her blood even more now. The taste of her blood was in the system of this living jungle, for her calves were scratched raw from the hundreds of small vines peeling from the floor to trap her, causing her to drip blood in her wake.

It was in the final few hundred meters of her great dash that the Kagirinai was outrun by the beasts. It was not her fatigue that caused it (for she showed and bore none), but instead it was the last blast of strength within the beasts. The first bit into her left calf, not digging particularly deep, but it was enough to stop her in her tracks. The second dug its claws into her back, from her right hand side. The third sunk its claws into her left shoulder and then launched its teeth at her left arm, hoping to loosen her grip on the Gatekeeper. The fourth came from the front and leapt at her face with its dreaded teeth...

... But the girl had no intention of dying. The attacks upon her only fuelled the flames of her pyre of determination, causing her to scream in defiance, but not in pain. Her scream made the roars of these beasts and the very forest seem petty... and the sickening whistle of her blade as it plunged forward, down the throat of the fourth beast, was also heard through the forest. The fourth beast crumbled into a bundle of twigs and thorns after her blow and allowed her to flick the blade to her left side and take a chunk out of the third beast. The third one lost half of its face under the shearing force of the emerald wakizashi. As the blade ripped through the creature, its grip loosened on the Kagirinai’s shoulder and arm, allowing her to twist her body around. With sudden movements, she dropped her wakizashi, allowing it to peg into the dirt and with her other hand, she lobbed the Gatekeeper into the sky. The two remaining felines slightly loosened their grip on the girl as they stared at the orange orb in the sky... and it was in this moment that the girl shot into the sky and broke from their potentially fatal lock, streaming some blood from where they once had their claws and teeth planted. While she was in the sky, her hands punched out sudden seals, followed by a few words that resounded coldly in the forest. As she did, both creatures leapt up to her, so close that she could have felt their breath on her ankles, if they had the blessing to breath.

“Hatsugori Dangan no jutsu!!”

After those words, a blast of ice was shot from her hands, which she had aimed at the two creatures that were lined up behind each other. The green shard of crystal blasted from her hands and pierced both of the demon cats, turning them to dust to be devoured by the wind.

In her flight, she grabbed onto the Gatekeeper which was still in mid air. Her fingers touched it and she smiled sickly while landing. As her feet hit the ground, the floor cracked and began to sink away. With no time to spare, the girl ripped her wakizashi from the ground and ran the last sprint out of the forest, with all of the feline beasts gone, but the scream of the starving forest still pounding at her back.

After she leapt over the edge of the forest, the young Kagirinai was back in the desert... Yku was nowhere to be seen, having probably made her escape elsewhere. The green eyed girl stopped for a while and looked back at the forest from the safety of the blistering desert heat. The forest was now sinking into the desert sands. The great