/falls off mountain. x.x

[¤ Tenkai ¤]

name; climbing mountain gekitsuu
rank; c
description; A while ago during Kumogakure birthing stages a man once made a bet with a Jounin. The man bet the Jounin that the shinobi’s current students couldn’t climb Mountain Gekitsuu. Mountain Gekitsuu is the highest mountain within’ Kumogakure no Sato and is rumored to be the started point for the famous Kumogakure no Sato village. Anyway, the Jounin accepted the mans bet because the shinobi had insurmountable faith in his Genin. Long story short the Genin climbed the mountain and returned. The Jounin won the bet and all was well. Now it’s your turn to climb Mountain Gekitsuu, and prove to Kumogakure that you aren’t just some shinobi. You’re a Kumogakure no Sato shinobi.
reward; 50 experience, 1,000 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable

Instead of meeting at the center of the village like we would normally do, Miu and I decided to meet at the base of a mountain. Mountain Gekitsuu was actually one of the larger mountains within all of Kumogakure, it is rumored that it is the mountain that actually inspired the creation of the Cloud Village. I had no idea why this would ever be a mission, but we had to climb up the mountain without any equipment or mountain-climbing gear. I mean, I get it that Miu and I were ninja, but still. The mountain was freaking huge!

Climbing the mountain would literally take hours, and the temperature grew colder the higher we traveled. I was a bit worried for both Miu and I, since we had to physically climb the mountain ourselves. This was a test of endurance and strength, and to be honest, I did not really have either of those two. I had a strong perseverance mentality, but that normally supplemented my ninjutsu abilities. This time, we would be using our physically abilities which I lacked.

I did not want to complain in front of Miu, and a mission was after all just a mission, so I would look at her and begin to talk. ”Well, I guess we have to use our strength to physically climb the mountain! I’m a bit worried, but I think we can do it. I mean, we could use our chakra to keep us gravitated towards the wall of the mountain. That should keep us stable enough to climb the mountain, despite the jagged edges and sharp rocks.

I guess the truth was I was a bit sad that this mission was more demanding than the last two, but as long as I had a partner with me, it made everything slightly better. It was not like I was doing this mission alone; I had someone with me to climb up the mountain. And also, if something were to happen to either of us, we could help each other to ensure that we would both remain safe throughout the mission. Had I did this mission alone and somehow slipped, I could only rely on myself which can prove to be very risky.

”Is everything okay? I guess we can just start climbing once you are ready. I’m going to start focusing my chakra to get a better grip on the wall, but we have to use as little as possible to keep our reserves full. The higher we get the more chakra we will have to use to keep balanced while climbing. This is going to be tough…” My voice started to trail off. In theory, we did not really need much chakra at all to start climbing, but once we got higher we were going to need much more. I had hoped that we were going to have excellent chakra control to enable us to reach the top of the mountain.

[irezumi]

Standing at the base of the mountain, Miu’s eyes traveled the scaled vertical rise into the heavens with its jagged rocks and its small ledges. Even if they did physically climb parts of the mountain successfully, the mountain didn’t seem to provide – by looking at it from down here – many rest stops to pause at or thick edges to take small breaks… but maybe things would look differently once they set off on their way? The longer she stared at the challenge, the more intimidated she felt.

Like a creeping spider, her intimidation turned into nervousness and her nerves mutated to fear.

It felt as though her skin were crawling; all the small hairs on her arms and the back of her neck raising in logical protest to the upcoming climb. When Hayline informed her that they would be ascending the mountain without gear or tools, and that they would be utilizing their strength, stamina and perhaps their useful chakra to be making the climb, Miu felt her stomach plummet.

“R-really? But--” She thought for a few moments, considering the possibilities they could approach for climbing the mountain and not having to just use the things Hayline had mentioned. Miu couldn’t believe that they would allow anyone to climb this mountain without any gear or tools for help…it just didn’t make sense. The prickly sensations in her arms crawled again and Miu was once more reminded of spiders…

And then it dawned on her!

“What if we used our talents to make gear and tools for ourselves? Or are we not allowed to do that for this mission…?” She inquired with a pinch of doubt, wondering if the lurking disappointment she was feeling were any clue or indication as to what Hayline’s response might be. Not wanting to dwell too long on her doubtful feelings unless Hayline interjected with a reply; Miu continued her idea—

“You see, I’m thinking…maybe I could draw up some ropes or secure lines, and then maybe I could even draw up some large spiders – uh, friendly spiders of course!--” Miu absolutely hated spiders “—and they could make the climb ahead of us, and when they reach the top they’ll have the lines attached to them and then maybe we could, oh I dunno, use them as a safety anchor to help slowly make our way up?” I just don’t wanna fall!!!!… was Miu’s sentiments, exactly.

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[¤ Tenkai ¤]

I was a little disappointed as well when I found out that they did not supply us both with mountain-climbing gear, but since it was set up to be a challenge, I guess they did not want to make things easy on us. Still, it would have been nice to have some sort of support just in case we fell off of the mountain. I was not too worried about falling off of the mountain because I knew that I could always just create a crystallized platform to keep me afloat. However, Miu’s idea to create our own shinobi gear to climb that mountain was just absolutely brilliant!

”Good idea, Miu! You continue to surprise me every mission.” I was pleasantly happy with her idea to have the spiders crawl up ahead of us and produce a silk string to wrap around our body, just in case we did fall—at least we wouldn’t fall down to our deaths. And if we needed some sturdy substance to grab a hold of, I could always create a crystallized beam to poke out of the mountain so we could grip on something. No worries at all for us two!

”If you and I get tired from climbing this mountain, I am able to create a crystallized platform for us to rest on and regain our composure.” I almost underestimated how tall the mountain truly was. And even with our shinobi skills, we were only but mere genin—climbing the largest mountain in the land of Thunder. Or at least it was rumored to be one of the tallest ones. There would be no doubt in my mind that we were going to get tired, but it was a good thing that Miu came prepared to use her specialized Li skills once again to save the day.

”I know I haven’t said this much… but I am so happy that I’m doing these missions with you. It is turning out so well, and I sincerely believe that we can conquer this mountain-climbing challenge together! I suppose we’ll both wait down here for the spiders to reach ahead on the mountain…and then they can also spew out a silk string to us and we can wrap it around ourselves tightly. And then we begin climbing this monstrous obstacle?!”

It was a bit nerve-wracking, but I wanted to make sure Miu felt comfortable doing this challenge. It would be harder to complete it if she was nervous all of the way, especially when both of our lives are potentially on the line. I tried to lighten the mood for the both of us so we could focus on completing this mission as safely as possible. I was pretty confident that Miu was definitely feeling more relaxed after she had created her climbing gear, despite the fact that I was not particular fond of spiders. However, she said they would be friendly spiders, so I trusted them!

[irezumi]

The decision had been made!

Truthfully, as soon as Hayline agreed with Miu’s ideas for creating gear and even drawing up some spiders to help them along their way up the mountain, Miu began to feel better. She felt the knots in her stomach slowly loosening and even the tiny hairs begin to relax. With her skin no longer crawling and threatening to carry her away, she took two deep breaths in order to center herself before getting back to the duo’s task: a gigantic mountain climb.

Miu blushed slightly at Hayline’s praise, but she took note of the fact that, eventually, she seemed to blush less and less in ferocity as time went on and she grew more accustomed to Hayline’s company. As if channeling some sort of psychic energy, Hayline hit the nail right on the head of Miu’s concerns in regards to the pair not having a place to rest should they need it.

A crystallized platform; how ingenious!

Clearing her throat, Miu started: “I’m very happy we were paired up together, Hayline. These missions have turned out very good so far, and I believe we’ll get up the mountain, too.” She kept it short and sweet; Miu style. Now that she was feeling a tad bit more comfortable with the upcoming challenge; what with Hayline having put most of her fears to rest and all of Miu’s bodily reactions to her nerves beginning to subside, she showcased a smile for her partner before she turned her attention back to the base of the mountain.

So… they would need some simple gear drawn up, nothing spectacular… and spiders that would help them get up the mountain. No problem, right? With a roll of her shoulders – which triggered the release of a gentle sigh – Miu lulled her head to the side and allowed her lashes to flutter momentarily as she thought her creations up. Then, grabbing for her scroll and her brush with its ink, she set to work almost immediately.

Scribble, scribble, scribble.

The resulting artwork displayed two large spiders, their outstretching eight legs each paling only in comparison to the hundreds of small eyeballs each of them had; all the better to see you with, my dear? At first glance, they very well could’ve looked vicious – they were spiders after all – but upon closer inspection, Miu’s final touches could be seen. The tiny hairs that covered the arachnids’ bodies were soft and comfy instead of course and creepy. The eyeballs, although still counting in the hundreds, were all different shapes and variations of sizes. Lastly, if anyone cared to really investigate… Miu’s spiders had no fangs to bear, which meant nothing to bite with. Friendly spiders!

Once the scroll was placed on the ground, Miu conducted her symphony of hand seals that were needed and finished up with her usual command for her special ability and then took a step back to watch her own fireworks begin. Honestly, she didn’t want to be close to the scroll when the spiders started crawling from the parchment. They may have been friendly spiders, but they were still spiders…

Scratching and scraping away, eight elongated limbs followed by eight more limbs scurried and twitched against each other as the two spiders battled one another to escape their paper prison. Tiny hisses and squeals echoed at the mountain’s base as the two ink spiders climbed their way from Miu’s ink-drawn world and into the reality that she and Hayline waited. Once free, the arachnids twitched and flicked their way around until their numerous eyes settled on Miu in anticipation.

“Uh…” yuuuuuuuuuuuuck..! “I need you two to, uh, crawl to the top of that mountain and then release one of your really strong threads back down here to us.”

“—Please.” She added for good measure.

With a duty, the spiders that Miu created turned away from the women and quickly began scurrying the face of the mountain until they ascended to such high heights that they were no longer visible to their eyes. Miu figured spiders were pretty fast climbers, but she wondered just how fast they’d really be. After a few minutes of waiting, two reinforced, thick threads dribbled from the skies and down to Miu and Hayline.

“Our rides have arrived!” She announced and turned her sights to Hayline. She didn’t mention it, but Miu thought it a little creepy how the threads just seemed to dangle down to them from out of the clouds.

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[¤ Tenkai ¤]

I always loved to watch Miu use her Li-clan abilities. It was so fascinating to see her birth to life something that was literally stuck on the paper. I still could not understand how such a small drawing could be manifested into such a large creation once she activated her technique, but I suppose that is the magical part of the whole experience. Like most occasions, I stood behind Miu to give her breathing room to use her jutsu.

I was thoroughly impressed with the end result. Her spiders once birthed, followed her instructions precisely. I honestly did not like them being so close to me; my instincts were to attack them at once. But I continually reminded myself that they were allies, and besides, it did not seem like they had any fangs to attack with if they did betray their owner, which they wouldn’t.

Once the spiders crawled up the mountain side, I wondered how far up would they go. I was not sure how long they could shoot their ink down to us, but I guess I was about to find out. As I looked up, I lost sight of them as they were out of the normal human’s eye of visibility. They were out of range, undoubtedly quite far up the mountain. We waited a few moments until two black strings came spewing out of the clouds.

If I had not known that they were from Miu’s creation, I probably would have been very scared to even touch the ropes. I tied the robe around my petite body, and grab onto the side of the mountain. I wish I had gloves to wear, but there would be no point in dreading over items that were not available to us. Formulating a small amount of spiritual energy, I would then begin to concentrate my chakra to my hands and feet. The small burst of magical powers would allow for me to firmly grip the side of the mountain.

I started to climb the mountain, one rock at a time. Lifting my feet, I would ascend higher and higher. Arm, foot, arm foot. I moved slowly but accurately, ensuring that none of the rocks that I had grabbed would tumble under my weight. I eyed Miu carefully as well, making sure that she was okay with climbing the mountain too. I suppose we were lucky that we had a “safety net” that the spiders had created (the strings in case we fell). Hesitantly, I smiled to Miu and then nodded to her. We can do this!

[irezumi]

It didn’t take Hayline long at all to grab on to the sturdy thread that had been dropped down for them by her spiders, and begin her way up the mountain. And she was using her chakra to help steady herself to the rock?

This girl was awesome!

Considering Hayline’s idea as a good one, Miu balanced her chakra steadily between her spiders and used some to help keep her securely to the mountain’s face for when she began climbing. Gripping her own thread and deciding to wrap it around her wrists once, maybe twice… and Miu would make sure she started off with a good foot hold on the rock before she began trekking her way up after her mission partner.

One rock, two rock, three rock, four…

She counted as the steps she took brought her towards Hayline; hands first to grip, and legs and feet to follow – all the while the thread securing her safety. Miu knew the mountain was big, but she figured the two of them could make it up there in no time. And Hayline’s crystallized platforms for when they needed a break? Sweeeet.

Just where had the spiders climbed to? How far had they climbed and where –if at all – had they stopped?

Finally, in a voice that much characterized Miu’s demeanor, she asked softly:

“So, where do you think the spiders stopped, anyway?”

Small conversation was good for this climb.

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[¤ Tenkai ¤]

"I have no idea! I'm already tired though, but we have to press on." Continued the long trek up the mountain, I found a small platform that was perfect for us to stand on and regather our composure. It was obvious that there would be no way for the both of us to climb the mountain in one go, but luckily for us--the mountain itself was not as ragged as we had initially thought. Standing on the platform, I would observe the distance that we had already covered. It was pretty impressive honestly.

"Okay, let's keep going." After we had taken a long enough break, we continued to keep climbing the mountain. There was a lot more distance that needed to be covered, so I decided to keep balancing my spiritual energy being used to ensure that I did not collapse from over-exertion. Are you okay, Miu?" Occasionally, I continued to look after her well-being and made sure that she was okay to continue to climb the mountain. This mission was definitely different than our other ones. That was for sure!

[/blockquote]

[irezumi]

Different from the other missions the pair had been on previously so far, indeed.

“Yeah…I’m good for now.” Miu replied once they had started again on their climb. However, she couldn’t…wouldn’t deny that the nice break they’d had on the natural platform offered by the rock just moments prior had been very helpful. Not that the climb itself wasn’t exerting her – it was – but Miu’s depletion in physical strength and stamina was being tested also by her use of chakra.

Of course if it becomes too much, I’ll let Hayline know.

Luckily for her, the spiders seemed to have been able to make the climb pretty easily on their own and so she wasn’t pushing forth too much chakra for either of the things she was putting her chakra to use for. They were very high up, she recalled looking down at the distance they had made thus far when they’d stopped on the platform that the mountain offered on its own.

That was surprising in itself, honestly. Looking up the mountain from the ground in the beginning, Miu thought this climb was going to be without any natural rest or sanctuary offered by the mountain itself and that Hayline would have to graciously perform any and all resting stops for them. However to Miu’s surprise, the mountain had offered solace.

Another grab with her hand, a check for sturdy rock, and another foot to follow; up the mountain they went. That was, until the next rock Miu reached for crumbled in her grasp as she pulled to bring her foot up after it.

“Waaa---!” was all that Miu managed to get out before her instincts had her scrambling with her freed hand for another – sturdier – rock, while her other hand held fast to the secure rock it’d found and all the while Miu was thankful again and again for the safety that the thread offered wrapped around her wrists.

“It’s okay! False alarm!”

She was even surprised; proudly, that she’d managed to keep focus on her chakra when that burst of excitement had happened. Feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins now, causing her heart to thunder a little, Miu crossed herself in silence for not being more careful.

Dummy, dummy, dummy!

So there were going to be a couple of nerve-testing moments on this climb, after all!

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[¤ Tenkai ¤]

Oh no! I was so surprised. I almost had a heart-attack when the rock Miu grabbed slipped from her grasp. I almost immediately began to conjure up more chakra at a rapid pace in order to use one of my crystallized technique. However, Miu's reflexes proved to be quite astute when she quickly regained her composure on the mountain's side and remained sturdy. Nice... By the time I blinked, she was already holding onto a safer, more reliable rock. Remarkable.

"Ahh, so you are okay! That's good, you almost had me so worried. I thought I was going to have to create a crystallized platform for you!" I began to giggle a bit in order to relieve some tension that might be building up in her. I am sure her muscles probably contracted and her body was on high-alert, but we were almost at the top! We could not stop now. I continued to travel along the mountain once I knew that Miu was okay.

"Almost there, I can see the spiders." My hands grew tired and my legs were shaking terribly, but I could not let down--not now. I continued to push harder and harder and I was able to see the top in my eye sight. I was not sure if I was honestly going to make it, but there was no way in hell that I was going to stop now. My chakra that I had conjured up to use a technique, was now placed into my hands and feet to give my body more support for this final trek. I had to just give it my all in order to succeed, so I climbed and climbed more.

[/blockquote]

[irezumi]

With the extra push of exertion needed for the adrenaline burst in her body, her muscles were left tight and sore and her breathing wasn’t anything to be envied. That, and well… it didn’t help that the air so high up here was thin, anyway. But they were reaching the top, Miu heard Hayline call out. It wouldn’t’ be much longer now!
And she could see the spiders, too?

Wow! They really had climbed all the way to the top!

Miu was glad that her spiders made it all the way to the top and didn’t stop halfway to wait for the girls. In her silence, she smiled to herself with gratitude towards Hayline’s statement of how she had been ready to form a crystallized platform to save Miu should she had really fell.

It’s very nice not being so bashful around someone for once.

Short, shallow breath in. Short, shallow breath out. Climbing more, Miu took the chance of peering up and beyond from where she was currently climbing, and she could see the spiders too now that they were high up enough that the clouds didn’t hide the arachnids anymore.

“Oh! There they are!” She called out, trying her best to save what deep breathing she had.

I see them! she finished to herself.

Gripping the thread around her wrist a little tighter, Miu reached a bit higher than the distance she’d been reaching before; if she reached just a little further, the more distance she’d be making with every pull up and therefore the closing they’d be getting to the top!

When Miu and Hayline reached close enough to the ledge of the top, the spiders scurried back so as to tighten the tension of the threads to help pull the girls over the last bit of distance to the flat surface that proved as the mountain’s top peaks. Once successful, the spiders would flit around in their unspoken triumph of helping get the girls to the top; they’d done their job well.

Grasping for the ledge, Miu sucked in a breath at the sudden pull the spider offered to its thread to get her to the flat surface. Sore and tired – and her breathing in short huffs and puffs – Miu brought herself to her feet and grinned at Hayline.

THEY HAD ARRIVED! But now they’d have to get back down…

“Thank you very much.” Miu simply offered to the arachnids for their performance, and just like that the spiders gave a wriggle and seemingly melted back down to their original forms, leaving puddles of ink. Miu already had an ideas as to how she and Hayline could get back down the mountain.

Turning to her, despite Miu’s labored breathing and her aching body, there was an excited glint in her eyes. “I’m thinking eagles…or gryphons?!”

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[¤ Tenkai ¤]

"Eagles!" After arriving at the top, Hayline would patiently wait for Miu to create eagles in order for them to fly back to the bottom and get their paperwork signed. Once her paperwork was signed, Hayline would then go to the mission compound area. It was a great thing that they were partners, because it made their missions so much easier by using her Li-clan techniques.

Although Hayline did not do much except for over-seeing the mission, she knew that in the future she would be so much better prepared to help out Miu more. Hayline did not practice much prior to taking these missions, and her techniques were more like root techniques. However, climbing the mountain had definitely given her more stamina and upper body strength that she desperately needed.

/exit

[irezumi]

Eagles it was!

A little drawing here, a little summoning there, and a dash of the needed hand seals and –

Voila!

Two eagles, way too beautiful and magnificent to describe, spread their wings and took to life –and flight – from the scroll. Gathering her things, Miu perched herself atop her eagle and once Hayline did the same, the eagles would effortlessly fly the girls down from the top of the mountain they’d just climbed.

Once at the bottom, Miu thanked the eagles… who quickly disappeared to ink once more, and followed after Hayline to the mission compound where they would be able to turn everything in. Her newly discovered physical strength would surely aid them on their upcoming missions. Miu felt the muscles in her arms and legs tightening and becoming stronger from their adventure.

Eagles…who would’ve thought? Come to think of it, they should’ve just had the eagles fly them up the silly mountain to begin with!

Ah well, hindsight was 20/20…

[Exit;Miu]

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[Shinryu]

Tenkai: +50
Irezumi: +48