Original Sin [P]

[Katsumaru]

Bayard knelt before the altar, fists clenched and heart bounding with anticipation. His long, flowing blond hair rested softly on his shoulder as the candle light fell on the man’s fair skin. A black haired man in blue robes stood above him, gray hilted blade in his hand. Touching the flat of the blade lightly upon Bayard’s shoulder, the priest spoke, tone deep and resonating. ”The Vigilant God shall watch upon you with his peering eye. You shall raise your blade in his honor, each and every stain of blood spilled for his sacred will. Watch as he does, be vigilant as he. With a wry smile upon his face the robed man spoke once again,”You are now a templar of the the Vigilant Eye. Stand, rise, and receive your first task.”

The newly appointment templar stood slowly, the light of the sun beaming through the church window, shining upon his sturdy figure. Donning a set of golden full plate, Bayard gleamed with an unmatched righteousness. But he was no righteous man. The warrior commited crimes unfathomable, so wretched that they shall not be mentioned. ”In his name I bleed, in his name the crimson shall flow. I belong to him, my every breath, my every act. “

The priest looked upon Bayard with azure eyes, ”Your first task. It is to slay the false angels. Cursed demons. The Shikigami.”

”Consider it done.” Bayard said, a wicked smile upon his face as he grabbed the hilt of his enchanted blade.

_________________________________________

Kaminari no Kuni’s namesake was at a full flurry as the lightning roared through the gray skies, sending flashes of light through the moist, rain filled terrain beneath. The wind roared with such an intensity that trees were nearly torn from their roots, swaying from side to side as they so desperately grasped the grounds. The night was deep, and on this dark evening on which the most vile, despicable act was commited, the horror of that crime echoing through the mountaineous terrain for many years to follow.

But what was this crime? To that we shall get soon.

A small village by the name of Angel’s Dusk stood high in the mountains. It belonged to a group of Shikigami who have settled down several decades ago, hunting and breeding as they went on with their aimless lives. But that was not all they did. They were at a war with the Vigilant Eye, an order of Templars appropriately named after the Vigilant God. A false god, they believed. The battles stained the grounds with blood and sweat.

And tonight, especially, the grounds were covered in that crimson liquid, soaked into the grounds by the falling rain. The center of this slaughter? Angel’s Dusk. The Shikigami lied sprawled across the grounds, their bodies mangled. Women, men, children, and even the elderly, all ruthlessly slaughtered, not the slightest sign of mercy shown. Many of the bodies were covered in multiple pierce wounds located at points not fatal, daming the victims to a slow, excrutiating death.

Amongst this scene of chaos stood a single man clad in golden armor. He stood above the cowered figure of a woman in her early twenties, eyes filled with fear. Sheathing his blade, Bayard stepped closer and closer. With a smile, he reached out his left hand. Hesitantly, the girl grabbed it, shaking both from the fear and the wretched cold. Immediately upon her standing, the templar wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed.

He squeezed and squeezed and squeezed. He squeezed until the life faded from her eyes.

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[enzan]

I wanted to investigate some Intel gathered by some of our ninja. There was something big that was supposed to happen within the next few days. I didn’t want to know the rest because explaining it to me would just weaken my resolve or should I say my care to even go. Also I didn’t want them to send another ninja out for this mission because I could have lost out on some fun.

I was curious about the legendary shikigami, and, there beautiful arts with the style of origami and paper. Now I have never seen a shikigami before in my life which is why I was so adamant to go. I mean if someone said you could go see a mythical creature and it won’t bite you head off wouldn’t you do it? Now I am a very lay ninja and I won’t sugar coat it if I hadn’t of heard the words shikigami and no fighting I wouldn’t have gone.

That was nearly two days ago, this journey was long and I can’t really say hard because it was basically walking. The only difference that I could see was the ferocious storms which had drummed with such a beautiful sound within the sky. It was my loneliness which had actual set off tiny little chain reactions of emotions on the inside. It was a day like this that I lost my family, and, the funny part was I wanted to feel bad but inside I didn’t care.

I felt detached from them to the point I now doubted the memories that I had inside. I could feel a sharp pain transfer within my mind when I thought about them. I stopped, my feet couldn’t move it was like they were paralyzed, and, I had to grab my head as the pain plagued it. I wanted it to stop, and I couldn’t help myself but I had to scream within the air. ” RHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! “ I fell to my knees with the pain still surging.

My mission would end up in a failure and if I fell unconscious right now I don’t know when I would wake up. I used all of my will power to get up and move forward, the sound of clashing metal and such was getting louder as the entrance quickly came upon me. I was moving at a constant rate of three meters per second, and, this was my rush from the pain inside my head.

And that was when I saw the most disgusting sight someone could ever see in someone’s life. I grew irrational and angry within my mind at the sight of death and destruction. I was losing my mind to some sort of inner madness, and, grabbed my head covering my left eye. I screamed at anyone who would listen. ” What the fuck is going on!!!! “

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[Katsumaru]

Bayard’s Mind

[/u]

When I was asked to murder the Shikigami, I accepted the task with glee. The Vigilant God wills it, for they are sinners, mocking imitations of angels, an insult to the truly divine. What greater insult to a God than an insult to his cretions, his divine spawn? In their haughty folly, their festering arrogance lead to their doom – a doom necessary, for the very breath of the Shikigami is a curse upon this world. For that sin, they cannot be forgiven.

Some would call my murder of these Shikigami a sin. They are all buffoons. Fools, fools, fools. When a man murders for a cause, it is a righteous task, and I am a righteous man. These villagers suffered not out of my spite, my sheer hatred for them, but only because in pain they can be purified. The pain they feel at the end of my blade absolves them of sin. As they scream in terror, I smile in joy, for in their fear, the curmudgeons realize what treason they have commited.

The Vigilant God will not be defied.

________________________________________________

The tale goes on…

[/u]


The lifeless body of the strangled woman gave one last spasm before her spirit completely faded. She lied amongst the corpses of many, at least three scores, mangled and mutilated. Bayard stood above the asphyxiated victim, winds sending the flowing, blond hairs into a wild dance. While they swayed from side to side, he unsheathed his blood-stained blade and pointed the tip at the ground, grasping the hilt with both hands as he knelt, eyes closed as the man begun a prayer, voice booming, ringing even through the sporadic crackle of thunder.

”Blessed be I, he who has completed a sacred task. I ask not to be forgiven, for there is nothing to be forgiven for. Instead, I ask that they be forgiven, for they knew not how they have sinned, how they have defied.The blood was spilled for a virtuous cause, their wretched screams beseeching for absolution. Shall it be needed, I will follow the fools into the hells themselves, if the Vigilant Got shan’t forgive them.

[/center]

Bayard overheard the genin’s desperate yell. Taking slow steps, the rain dripped off his golden armor, the finely polished metal now ruined with the blood and guts of the numerous dead. As the crimson flowed into the grounds, it stained the earth a deep purple, the blemishes yet another reminder of the tragedy by which the Shikigami met their doom. He stepped closer and closer to Konami. Closer and closer.

Standing three meters from the genin, the templar spoke, tone deep and resonating, yet sincere. ”You are not one of them. Your are but a child, not meant to see the punishment handed out for the sin, but I suppose that it is too late. And as any mind, ever curious, you demnd an explanation. So I ask you to follow me to the temple, and it will be given.”[/i]

As you look up at this man, hearing him speak in the sincere voice, you notice a malicious gleam in his eye – not hostile intend towards you, but rather eyes blaring with a bigoted hatred towards any who defy the Templars. There was simply something off with this man. The way he stood, the way he stared, the way he breathed. This man was truly zealous, but his zeal was misplaced. This man was truly horrid.

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[enzan]

(”You are not one of them. You are but a child, not meant to see the punishment handed out for the sin, but I suppose that it is too late. And as any mind, ever curious, you demand an explanation. So I ask you to follow me to the temple, and it will be given.”)

His words rose and alarm within my mind which was ringing at the highest octave. I couldn’t help but grab my head again as my mind screamed at me over and over. ”Kill him. . . Kill the murderer!!!!”I began to shiver a little bit trying to raise my bodies’ heat within the gale like winds. I wanted to get and explanation for why this was happening in the first place.

I began to look around with my right eye and could see the death and destruction once more. The bodies brought back images of the remains of the mother and father that I knew. It was weird emotions that I knew played with before began to sound off as if a melody of melancholy consumed me. I looked towards the armor clad knight and spoke words distorted not by fear but madness. ” I want and explanation as to why you thought it was righteous to kill those under the protection of the raikage.”

I showed no fear towards him because if he decided to strike I would kill him without a worry. His bodily armor would not save him from the sounds of madness. I couldn't help a wide spread smile which appeared on my face as I began to follow him. If I found probable cause then this would just become sweeter when I got revenge for them.

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[Katsumaru]

With Bayard walking on, beckoning for the shinobi to follow, the rain continued to fall heavily, drenching the blood-covered armor even further. The weathers intensity refused to lessen; it worsened as the winds grew so heavy that walking became rather tedious. Thunder flashed in the distance as lightning struck a nearby tree, setting the wood ablaze as the branches soared off into the distance.

The templar gave a short and curt explanation, his words sharp and dripping with fury,”They were sinners. It is my duty, the duty of the order, to slay these sinners, purify them through steel.”

Bayard continued to walk for some time through the mountainous terrain, but he came to a sudden halt when something stirred in the distance – five figures moving through the trees on the right. Two arrows shot from the dark, both aimed at the Shionbi. As these arrows were released, three of the figures stepped forth from the trees, clad in rags but all armed with blades. They were bandits.

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[enzan]

The air of the knight changed almost in and instant from sinister to pure evil. His melody was a little too harmonious in these bleak and nasty circumstances. I looked around as I followed him and the horrific scene stunned me, death held fiercely in the air even with the storm winds. The sounds of madness within my mind began to become soothed by the sight of all the countless bodies of innocence which were lost. Yet I was sickened to the very core of my soul by this bastard’s action of killing all of these people, except the horrific truth might be something more relatable later.

As I followed him the storm winds seemed to calm down a little bit but the darkness of the thundering clouds stayed behind. His explanation was as expected something which lacked beauty or even rationality, yet I am a ninja and sometimes my missions lack rationality as well. I would down right refuse and assassination mission for it held no merit to furthering my status silently. I could already see it that this man would have to be killed and his body along with whoever sent him here so the remaining shikigami can gain a sort of peace.

I pulled from my back my instrument of death, my Dormmamu a guitar which allowed me to pull off my wide arraignments of ototon ninjutsu by using its beautiful and soothing sounds. I began to seal, this death would be quick and painless and then I could investigate on my own. Yet it would seem life was not that simple as I could hear the sounds of movement coming towards us both. I was interrupted in finishing my seals by the sounds of something whistling through the air. ” Is this some sort of set up?!?! ”

I moved as fast as I could to avoid the arrows which seemed to conveniently go past the knight and towards me. I was now slightly angry, I was now three meters to the left of myself by running at full speed to my left. I could now accurately see the bastards and would make them all pay for what they had done by trying to kill me. I began to seal once more but this time I built chakra up in my vocal cord for a beautiful song for them. I was still moving as I sealed making sure to evade to the right as I finished the (2 second ) seals I screamed at my highest octave towards them ( the bandits ).

” GURHAAAAAAA !!!!! “

SPOILER: Click to show

[/s]), III, IV & V[/b]

[/i][/ul][/ul]


Ototon Ryouuken (Sound Dominion) [625]
Rank: D, C, B, A, S
Type: Supplementary / Ototon Ninjutsu
Range: 0 - 50 meters
Handseals: No
Chakra: Mid
Special: Highest rank determines the range the sound waves produced by the user can travel, as well as their speed.
D: 10 meters // 5 meters per second
C: 20 m // 10 mps
B: 30 m // 15 mps
A: 40 m // 20 mps
S: 50 m // 25 mps

Description: The basis behind the majority of Ototon techniques lie in the user's ability to control the very sound waves around them. 'Sound Dominion' is just as its name implies, a fundamental supplementary jutsu of Ototon nature that allows the user to intermingle their chakra with that of nature, harmonizing the two in order to create complete control over all sound around them. Once this link is achieved, the door is opened for greater creations to be made.
Domain: Ototon.

Isseppaku [Vocal Pressure] [75]
Rank: D, C, B, A, S
Type: Offensive / Ototon Ninjutsu
Range: See special!
Handseals: Yes
Chakra: Very Low - Very High
Special: Pressure range and speed depends on the user's highest 'Sound Dominion' range. Blast come in the form of a stream no larger than 2 meters in diameter. Causes both physical and neurological pain, inducing nausea, temporary dizziness, and difficulty with balance. While screaming, the user must remain in place. Highest rank known determines knock-back range and how long the effects of the user's scream last upon it's victims.

[/b] 2 meters // Near-Instant
C: 4 m // 1/4 ^th of a Turn
B: 6 m // Half a turn
A: 8 m // 3/4 ^th's of a Turn
S: 10 m // Full Turn![/ul]

Description: Isseppaku is quite a powerful technique created by the masters of the Sound Element, allowing advanced control over their vocal distribution. Upon completing the necessary handseals, the user collects chakra within their vocal cords, allowing the pressure to build. Once enough chakra is sustained, the user screams forth in a specific direction, releasing pressurized sound waves to blast into the distance, knocking any unfortunate beings within the technique's range off their feet and thrown meters behind. The size of the sound wave is a mere meter-by-meter diameter.
Domain: Ototon. Ototon Ryouuken of equal rank.[/spoiler]

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[Katsumaru]

As the shinobi’s fingers begun the dance of seals, the ones to the left and right split in their path, fifteen meters away. The one in the center was shocked by the loud scream, standing motionless as he leapt backwards, believing that he must evade some jutsu, but unfortunately he was mistaken, and in that moment of slight error, he was open for attack

The one on the right moved in a flash, a shunpo carrying him into the charging Shinobi’s path. Five meters away when he appeared again, his motion rapid but not impossible to follow, he pulled forth a kunai, and with two steps, closed a large part of the distance and lunged out.

The bandit on the left erupted into a series of seals, completed rather quickly, and called forth five sparrows of lightning directed at Bayard. The birds flew, but the swordsman weaved left and right to close the distance, and upon having covered it, when he within two meters of the bandit who resumed with his charge, Bayard pulled forth his blade and swung in an upward, diagonally-right slash, which the thug deflected with his kunai.

SPOILER: Click to show

Shunpo x1

SPOILER: Click to show

Lightning Wrath’s Reach; C

Jakura (Lightning Sparrow Cometh)
Rank: C
Type: Supplementary / Raiton Ninjutsu
Range: See special!
Handseals: Yes
Chakra: Mid
Special: Up to 5 sparrows can be summoned at a time, plus 5 more each time retrained, for a maximum of 50 sparrows active at any given time. However, after every fourth retraining, the consumption will go up by one. Sparrows fly as fast their 'Karai Shin' allows, and retain the size of their normal counterparts. No other jutsu may be performed while controlling the sparrows, and the user must remain still. Range at which sparrows can be controlled depends on the user's highest 'Karai Shin' range.
Description: The Lightning Sparrows Cometh! In the form of bright blue sparrows, these creations fly to wherever the user desires, allowing them to reach and damage places previously deemed impossible. As the user continues to improve their skill in this technique, they can summon more and more sparrows.
Domain: Raiton. Karai Shin 'C'.

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[enzan]

I watched closely, surveying the battle field well. It would seem this knight had gotten me into trouble; I panicked a little. I couldn’t contain the madness inside, when I needed to focus on the battle field. I switched positions still running forward after unleashing my melody ototon attack. There was an enemy I couldn’t distinguish; his movements were faster than I could follow. I had moved, four meters from my original point and within a second we were face to face.

My reaction speed wasn’t perfect thanks to my hesitation and his lunge worked. I was stabbed, except I moved a bit to the side, I couldn’t think because of the intense pain. This was something I had never felt before and couldn’t avoid; as I punched forward slamming my fist into his face I knew it was a weak attempt. The wound had already been introduced and I was losing myself quickly and needed medical attention. I staggered, my body in shock from the extreme wound it just received, I tried to catch my breath but it was hard.

There were only hard gulps and swallowing my saliva as I tried to continue on. I wasn’t going to die here at least this was all I thought as I tried to stand.”Is this punishment for ragna. . . and even mother and father.”

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[Katsumaru]

The wound inflicted certainly slowed the foe’s reaction, despite the flow of adrenaline, hence the blow was easily avoided. The kunai extended his reach, hence when the foe’s blow came in, the bandit had the slightest instant longer to react, leaning his head to the side and avoiding the blow. As the fist soared freely, the thug attempted to grip it, and then, using that grasp to send the boy swinging towards the left. With the kunai, the thug would then, mid-swing, thrust the kunai towards the enemy, using that loss of balance from the grasp in hopes of ensuring that the blade would connect with the child.

The thug which Bayard fought, rather hastily, performed two shunshin to carry him backwards, increasing the distance by twenty meters. Then, with a renewed vigor, his hands danced to perform a series of seals, completed in two seconds. Upon completion, three tigers appeared forth from the thin air, felines of lightning. One darted towards Bayard and two towards Konami, all three moving at the speed of fifteen meters per second. Bayard rolled towards the side, plenty of time to evade as it came.

The one headed towards Konami split left and right in an attempt to attack him from both sides. Not only did he have to deal with the grasp and kunai by the thug he had attacked, but these two tigers which approached rapidly, and should the bandits grapple have succeeded, evasion will be difficult, if not impossible. Should they connect, Konami will find himself unable to move. And if that is so, then the bandit with the kunai would immediately lash out again at his throat in an attempt to finish him off.

SPOILER: Click to show

Efficient Sealing II
Lightning Wrath's Reach; S
Shishikyu Funzen (Thunder Style – Shocking Tiger’s Wrath) [Learned Thrice]
Rank: A
Type: Offensive / Raiton Ninjutsu
Range: See special!
Handseals: Yes.
Chakra: Very High
Special: Creates a single large, 1 meter tiger comprised of pure raiton essence, plus one more each time retrained. However, after every second retraining, the consumption will go up by one. Tigers can travel as far and as fast as the user's 'Karai Shin'. An indirect strike from these tigers (a slash of its claws, a bite) renders the victim's body numb for a half a second, and receiving a full blast from a kamikaze strike leaves the victim paralyzed for a half a turn. As a bonus, the user can hold the last handseal of the sequence as they look at their desired target, allowing them to order whatever remaining live tigers to converge all at once onto that target.
Description: The Shishikyu technique allows the user to use their prowess in the raiton arts in order to create several tigers consisting purely of raiton energy. Once birthed, they can move at decent speeds, and can defend the user form attacks, as well as attack others. Dark blue and constantly shining, these tigers move fast to strike their target, and can swipe quickly as an attack. Only attacks that can disrupt their essence can hurt them, and they carry an ultimate attack which involves the user holding a particular handseal so that they can all converge on a particular enemy, hurting it greatly.
Domain: Raiton. Karai Shin' A'.

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[enzan]

I was off my balance, his swift movement allowed him to move out of the way. I felt my body swing around, his grip was insane and I couldn’t escape. I tried my best to kick his side but all that did was help push me off balance. The ground was intense; the pain rattled my entire body as I met the hard pavement. I couldn’t move because of the grip but then my vision was blurred thanks to two bluish neon sparks.

The pain was unspeakable but there was nothing more I could do as my throat was being repeatable hacked at with the man’s kunai. The pain seemed to subside to the point all feeling within my body was gone. And then my vision began to fade into a fierce darkness. Was I being saved or was this truly the end?

[Death]

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[KEITH]

Approved.