In Search Of... [Relic Quest]

[Bit]

A truly tactical man you were, maybe that is what all the other who tried before you lacked. Quickly making your way to the staircase that lead to the next level of the pyramid, the door behind you would slam shut as the entrance did. This would start to seem like a theme of this entire maze, once you started it you had no choice but to finish or die trying. So as you made your way up what had started to turn into a spiral stair case you would hear a voice echoing through it, but this time it wouldn’t be the one that had been taunting your very existence from the start. This time the voice would resemble that of the little girl that you had encountered in your last test, “Hehehe, you’re smart man mister blonde… But you won’t make it through this maze….” The voice would echo through the stair case, before sounding off again but this time the voice would convert back to that evil tone it once held. “YOU WILL FALL JUST AS ALL THE ONES WHO TRIED BEFOR YOU.” As the voice came to its end it would finish off with that horrid laugh.

Now as you pushed up the stair you wouldn’t hear anything other than your own footsteps thudding against the stairs, as you traveled up the stairs you would notice the beautiful artwork that was displayed on the walls. Each picture seemed to be leading into one another etching out what seemed like the history behind the temple, until you reached the panicle of the staircase. There would be a picture of a man he would be sporting a crown as if he was the king of something. It would be mindful for you take note of his appearance, but that was truly up to you. Now on to the logistics there had been two paths that you had to choose from as you did awhile back, though this time there hadn’t been any difference in their appearance. Both hallways would be dimly lit by the torches that had been lined along the walls; it was purely up to you to choose which way you wanted to go.

[Jae]

For some time I traveled up the spiral stair case, surveying the surrounding area hopes of discovering a trap before it could spring or anything else that would prompt me to resume my guard. Nothing of interest appeared for some time until a familiar voice chimed in; it belong to the girl from earlier. In one breath she applauded me for my quick thinking and, in the next, dismissed me just as the Elusive Man had. Though I typically paused to take the messages into account, this time I decided to push forward and listen in. It didn't take long for the Elusive Man to make his presence felt by shouting in agreement with the Elusive Girl's final statement.

And yet again he punctuated his insult with a cynical laugh. My eyelids lowered contemptuously as his fleeting presence took it's leave, continuing my survey of the area surrounding me. Artwork lined the interior walls of the chasm housing the staircase but one thing stood out about these paintings; they were sequential and appeared to tell a story about a man -- it wasn't until I ascended some distance that I saw a picture of a crowned individual. I paused to take his appearance into account; perhaps this was the Elusive Man?

An eager smirk took over my visage as I thought of beating him into submission. Perhaps I could take him back to the compound for research, I mused before continuing on my ascent. Eventually the staircase ended and I found myself at another fork in the path; one leading left and the other leading right.

Given the nature of the labyrinth, I hadn't expected anything harmless to appear on either path and thusly turned down the "Right Path" to see what contents it held. And of course, I remained poised to respond toward anything I found.

[Bit]

all of your choices etched out your destiny as you moved through Sohyo’s temple, a place made to kill man like yourself. As you chose the hall that had been located on your right that door too would be slammed shut, though this time there was no theatrics as progressed through the hallway. It hadn’t been a sound, not even the sound of your feet hitting the ground. Odd yes it was but it wasn’t something you had any control over, it was just something you had to deal with. But soon the hallway would start to begin a uphill run, nothing else about the path had about the path other than that.

As you trucked on through the tunnel you would begin to hear the sound of running water, where it was coming from was unknown to you. Soon after you would hear the sound of your feet splashing in the water, though the current wasn’t very strong it was picking up by the second. The amount of water that was pushing against your feet would be rising steadily as you made your way through the tunnel. Now this would prove to be a problem because the end of the tunnel hadn’t actually been visible at this moment, but what you could see and hear was the sound of a door opening slowly and slamming shut. The door opened over the course of 3 seconds an took about a half second to close, but the true problem was that every time it was opening it releasing small waves that were enough to knock you back. How you would address this problem was up to you, and if you hadn’t acted you would probably drown for the water that was already being built up at the base of the tunnel within the next 30 seconds.

[Jae]

Since I'd entered my path had been ripe with diversions and the further I delved into the temple, the more I realized there was no turning back. From the undead animals to the relentless jests of the Elusive Man, I had been trialed with obstacle after obstacle and still prevailed to see what else was in store. My path down the next area would be no exception as I soon was soon accompanied by the pervasive sound of running water. My once solid steps against the hard floor soon transformed into audible splashes that caused me to further inspect the area.

It was then I noticed that I had been standing in a small puddle of water. I didn't pause, continuing forward through the dimly lit chasm until my minute splashes began to sound more like incredible dunks against the once low-level water. Once the moisture found it's way past my ankle, I realized what I had been lured into.


"The water level's rising," I calmly stated, huffing a sigh of discontent as I trekked forward. The end of the tunnel was still beyond my scope but I knew that if I didn't make it out of here in time, I was going to have to fight for my survival. In the distance ahead I could hear clearly the sound of some mechanism, a trap door perhaps? Keeping that in mind, along with the rising water levels, I put two and two together to foresee that each time the resounding crash occurred the water level ascended.

My leisurely trek picked it's pace up significantly when I discovered that the sound of my feet dunking in the water had progressed into me sloshing through a pool that lingered at the middle of my shin. I had to act fast and as my pace accelerated, I found that the lingering water resisted my progression and actually forced me backward a step or two. This was bad but I hadn't come so far to admit defeat. I jumped from the water's grasp and instinctively coated the bottoms of my feet with a layer of chakra that allowed me to stand atop the water unhindered. From there I darted forward in a full sprint, looking behind me only to realize that same water had been collecting at the basin of the ascending tunnel. It wouldn't be long before the entire chamber was filled.

With each torrent of water that gushed forward, I was forced to raise my arms to defend myself from the crash until I finally found myself before the trap door that was releasing the water. I fought to maintain footing while I observed and timed the contraption, which seemed to open slower than it shut. I'd have to break the threshold quickly and deal with the incoming water simultaneously. Time was short and I braced myself for another torrential wave to make it's way.

C R A S H

Three seconds.

I formed a single hand seal that spawned a replica of myself that also stood atop the water. Given the size of hallway, I was forced to conjure the replica linearly behind myself where it strung together three handseals of it's own, inhaling deeply in preparation of what was to come. During his inhale, I began circulating chakra through my body.


"Here it comes," I affirmed when the doors finally opened to their fullest and the wave of water came bolting in our direction. But in that instant, the clone from behind he let loose an incredible gust of wind that not only fought to resist the moving water's momentum but unwittingly propelled me forward at an accelerated speed. Given we worked in tandem, it didn't surprise the replica when I set myself forward in a High-Speed Movement attempting to breach aperture.

__________________________________________

Techniques Used:

SPOILER: Click to show

1. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)
Rank: B
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)
Type: Supplementary
Handseals: 1
Chakra Consumption: Halves the user’s chakra

Kage Bunshin is an advanced, forbidden Ninjutsu technique, which grants the user the ability to create a tangible clone. The normal Bunshin technique creates a copy of the ninja that lacks any substance. However, Kage Bunshin distributes the ninja's chakra evenly among the clones and creates a real copy with form and substance, to the point the clone can utilize any jutsu the original ninja knows, and spawns with any equipment the user has one them at the time of the summoning. When the clone finally disperses, any new knowledge it has gained is passed back to the original ninja and any additional clones.

Note: This technique is only capable of being learned by Jounin or above. Up to a maximum of five clones can be created. Please note that the user’s chakra is divided evenly among however many clones they create. Upon being destroyed, whatever remaining chakra the clone has is given back to the user. Despite having an extended range (virtually limitless), these clones must be created within five meters of the user.

2. Daitoppa (Great Breakthrough)
Rank: C
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m)
Type: Offensive
Handseals: 3
Chakra Consumption: Mid Low
Daitoppa is a Ninjutsu technique which utilizes the Wind Element. After performing the necessary handseals, the user blows a single strong current of wind from their mouth, shaped like a cone. This technique carries an enormous amount of force and is capable of leveling anything it hits.

3. Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)
Rank: D
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m)
Type: Supplementary
Handseals: -
Chakra Consumption: Low

Shunshin no Jutsu is a basic ninjutsu technique used across the shinobi world by all, ranging from the most basic shinobi to the legends of lore. Considered is a high-speed movement technique - to an observer caught in the optical illusion, it appears as if the user has teleported. This allows the user to escape or attack suddenly, should they need to. However, while a high-speed movement, if used in broad daylight, one will still be quite visible and as such, easier to be defended against. In order to achieve maximum effect, the user must to combine it with a distraction.

Note: Despite popular belief, this is not an ability that allows an individual to teleport, or even move incomprehensibly fast. It simply combines high mobility with some disruption of visibility to conceal those movements. That in mind, if you can conceal your movement, it is common for this technique to allow very long-distance dashes before enemies may notice you.

[Bit]

A true master mind is what you could’ve been considered for getting past this contraption, it had been the death of so many men before you. As you propelled yourself forward getting past the door it would seem as if you trigged something, with a loud clicking noise the torrents of water that were erupting from behind the corridor would calm. While the door that had been slamming shut on a timer would come to a creaky stop, while being about half way open. With the water level now dropping as you pushed forward the end of the tunnel had been apparent, it couldn’t have been more than 15 meters away from you. The tunnel would continue to be an upward travel as you ascended to the next room.

If you entered the room the first thing that your eyes would set upon is mountains of gold, to your left and right. It was like a scene right out of a movie, it would become evident that you were close to reaching your goal. But as you would see there wasn’t only gold in this room, there had been scattered bones all of the room. As you progressed forward into the treasure the little girl from the monkey room would warp a top one of the mounds of gold in the center of the room, though this time she had returned to her cute form “You’ve made it this far mister Blondie, what do ya say you quit while you’re ahead and walk away before you meet my pop pop, he won’t be glad to see you.” She’d say playfully as she twirled about on the mound of gold before vanishing.

With the girl’s disappearance two doors would open on respective sides of the room, the door to the right a slight breeze would flow from outside pushing into the room along with the sunlight. On other side of the room was a door that lead down another hallway, it wasn’t well lit but there would be a torch on the wall at the entrance. Now it was up to you to choose what path you would take, you could always quit while you were head and stocks pile you some money or continue to truck on through the Temple of Sohyo for what you truly want.

[Jae]

The sound of water had been so prevalent throughout the area that I didn't hear the audible click that came shortly after I'd passed the doorway, so the sight of the water calming down flooded me with a sense of relief. The sound of the creaky door caught my attention and I turned back to observe it's gradual halt, my replica standing just on the other side. A simple thought returned him to source and I continued up the tunnel where the end was just in sight. My extra clothing, now torn and wet, became more a hindrance than anything and so I opted to remove my jacket while retaining my tattered shirt.

My gradual ascent eventually brought me to the most wondrous sight I'd seen since my arrival (the girl had lost her spot after turning into a malicious hell spawn); a room filled with gold as far as the eye could see. Was this where I would find the fabled Weaklessness Short Swords? I delved deeper into the glorious treasury, taking heed to the skeletal remains that littered the area. Were these MANJI agents? Something wasn't what it seemed. And just as my suspicions arose, that same little girl from earlier appeared atop one of the numerous mounds of gold. She looked down upon me with a smile before she spoke, and while her congeniality was a welcome substitute for her terrifying alter ego, I couldn't help but remain on edge when she arrived.


Pop pop? I imagined she was referring to the Elusive Man, given they were both equally annoying as the next. But before I could inquire further, much like her "Pop Pop", she disappeared without a trace.

That was when two doors opened on the leftmost and rightmost walls -- one supposedly revealing the outside and the other leading deeper into the labyrinth. Her statements made it clear that the item I sought was not in this room while also presuming that I was just your average tomb raider. Failure was not an option in the eyes of my superiors so to return empty handed would have been suicide. Without a word, I turned toward the door that led deeper into the pyramid and took the torch into my possession, making my way down that dimly lit path in search of what I'd originally come for.

[Bit]

A brave soul is what you could’ve considered to be, even with seeing the remains of the falling within the tomb filled with gold and giving the chance to leave you still wanted to proceed into the maze. As you grabbed the torch that had been just outside the hallway before you entered you would allow yourself what little light that would be allowed to you, as you moved through the hall you would see that these walls to were lined with paintings. Though these painting were nothing like the others, they had seemed to be fading with time with a slightly crusty look to them. “Wrong choice boy, you should’ve taken my child’s advice, this isn’t a game you play to win. It’s a lose lose situation.” As the ominous voice echoed through the halls you would notice his change of tone, it no longer held the playful one he had with you as when you first entered.

But should you have continued on through the hall the paintings would continue to change if you were paying attrition, now it would begin to depict the story of treasure you sought. It would show the many men who had failed to obtain the power, falling short of the glory that you wanted for yourself. Scare tactics of course, but that wouldn’t falter you would it? You’ve came to far to quit now, at this point you were at the tip of the iceberg of obtaining what you wanted enough to risk your life for it.

Now the path that laid ahead of you would start to narrow out as you walked, but to your surprise you would come to a door a dead end. In the center of the door a dial would existed with symbols stacked on top of each other, you could clearly see that it was a puzzle. But the question was what the answer; there hadn’t been any clues for you to solve this one. It had seemed very random that this type of puzzle would appear after so many traps and demons appear to deter your travel through the tomb. And now they throw a letter puzzle at you out of nowhere, what could possibly be the answer to the six letter puzzle?

[Jae]

The path, like many of the previous ones, was poorly lit with paintings lining the walls on both sides. The paintings coupled with the Elusive Girl's earlier statements made it evident that this forgotten place wasn't a tomb -- at least it wasn't intended to be. This was a home -- a house that once belonged to an old miser and his child. His stores of wealth couldn't protect him from an eventual death and so he stowed himself away with his riches on the outskirts of the desert, for reasons only he knew. Whatever drove him to such extremes had turned him into a madman over time and his daughter had fallen ill to his lunacy as well.

I knew I would hear from him soon; he was too arrogant to not speak when he felt he had his prey trapped in a corner and as if I'd summoned him myself, his voice filled the walkway; only this time his tone was less zealous than before. Whether he would admit it or not he was becoming weary of my presence, or namely his ability to keep me away from his coveted treasure. His dialect was strong, stern, and outwardly confident but I could see past his facade. Adopting his demeanor I bellowed jests of my own, smirking confidently as I moved forward.


"Is that so? You don't sound so sure of yourself, All-Mighty King!"

I didn't expect an answer and didn't wait for one either, pressing forward until I found myself at the end of the narrowing path where a single door stood. The dial at it's center immediately caught my eye and I held the torch toward it in order to examine it. There were six rotating pieces, each covered in archaic letters that vaguely resembled our contemporary alphabet. Retracing my steps, I scrambled to think of any potential clue that might have alluded to the puzzle's answer.


Damnit! How could I be so careless?!

My free hand slammed into the door hard enough for an echo to carry throughout the tunnel, dust showering from the area just above me. I huffed a sigh of discontent, placing my back against the rightmost wall with my torch still in hand.


Now's not a time to be agitated. My light is only going to last so long -- think damnit! Think! The answer lies somewhere in my adventure.

I turned to face the dial once more, leaning in to associate each symbol with a letter from our modern alphabet. Six dials, six letters, I mused before extending a hand to turn the wheels.

M
O
N
K
E
Y

I stepped back, hoping there would be some sort of response.

[Bit]

"Wrong!" the wheel would spin wildy for about two seconds before stopping.

[Jae]

Nothing; the door the didn't budge, but the fact that I wasn't immediately pelted with poison was somewhat relieving. I was surprised when the dial rearranged itself and something about it made me uneasy.


Damnit! Think! Something's bound to pop in my head!

And as if hit with a flash realization I felt like I knew the answer.


Pop....


POP POP!

I immediately took toward the dial, spinning the wheels anxious until the cryptic symbols resembled the phrase:

P
O
P
P
O
P

[Bit]

"Wrong!" the wheel would spin wildy for about two seconds before stopping.

[Jae]

Once again I was left in the dark as to what the password was, and for some reason, I didn't think I'd be given amnesty for my continual mistakes. I felt myself gradually falling ill, not with fear, but with the same lunacy I'd seen both the Elusive Man and the Elusive Girl exhibit. One part of me thought it wise to completely decimate the door -- I had the power to do so, right? My more logical mind quickly intervened and I eventually came to the conclusion that acting so rashly would give me more trouble than it was worth.

I took a step back once more to ponder my purpose for being here in the first place. I'd been sent to this location on a retrieval mission to acquire an ancient artifact purported to house unprecedented powers -- The Weaklessness Soaring Swords, a more romanticized title for the artifact originally titled "Fujaku Hishō Shōken". My dossier had been abbreviated as to prevent outside interference and provided very little information about the weapons. All I knew was that they once belonged to a former Kazekage, the title I currently held.


I won't leave here without killing you, I spoke aloud while envisioning the Elusive Man and his innumerable traps.

So I began to think. What would a Kazekage want with a relic such as this? I had to be careful. This could have been my final chance at unlocking the door. My fingers cautiously turned the dials, re-positioning the cryptic letters until they formed another phrase:

F
U
U
T
O
N

And just like before I anxiously awaited the result.

[Bit]

As you logged the letters into the dial, it would once again spin wildly before stopping on the very word you entered. Within a couple of moments the door would begin to rise reviling what seemed to be the throne room of the entire pyramid, the room was well lit as if it had electrical light sources but it didn’t. There were multiple torches hung around the room with a center piece hanging from the ceiling, the rooms dimensions measured about 30x30 meters. Now as you entered you elected to continue on with your quest for these weapons, you would meet the ultimate challenge. One that had been the death of every man who tried before you, sitting within the throne was a man with dark hair that swung passes his ears. He wouldn’t be moving very much he would almost appear as if he was dead for a few moments, until his eyes cracked open revealing a black set of eyes with pupils that were a light yellow tent.

“Now Tosen, you’ve made it too my throne room. I hadn’t expected you to actually be capable of accomplishing this, but now is the time that your journey will come to an abrupt end.” As the man’s words were spoken he’d raise from his throne forming one seal, within moments countless ebony threads would burst from the man’s back. The sight of this would prove to be very horrific, but you wouldn’t be bothered by this because it was something you should’ve expected from such a demonic temple. As the threads completely erupted from his body which wouldn’t take more than a couple of moments, “This will be your end!”

SPOILER: Click to show

Jiongu (Earth Grudge Fear)
Rank: SS
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m)
Type: Supplementary
Handseals: 10 to devour the heart
Chakra Consumption: High associated with devouring a heart; Mid per turn, per limb spent manipulating the threads in clusters
This is the procedure a user must undergo in order to enter the world of Jiongu. The most prominent ability of this basic understanding is that the user can assimilate the hearts of ninja he\she kills, allowing them to prolong their life indefinitely. The maximum about of hearts a user can obtain and use actively is four, excluding their own (making a grand total of five). It should be noted that simply replacing your original heart (the one in your chest) with that of another provides no additional bonus aside from a longer life. Only multiple hearts (2 – 4) provide the elemental bonus.

On a more advanced level, the user can manipulate large clusters of the threads, emitted from various slits along their appendages, which are capable of a variety of uses. This ranges from restricting movement of capture shinobi, deflecting weaponry, or whatever else the user of this technique might feasible concoct in the midst of battle.

Note: This is essentially a procedure during which the ninja’s body is infused and organs are replaced with a countless number of black tendrils.

The user may select one of any compatible elements from any heart they devour. Hybrid elements, so long as the Jiongu user possesses the prerequisites for them, count as a single element. Any fatal damage or blood loss to the user of this technique will destroy the user’s natural heart. Any subsequent hearts will have to be destroyed directly, and are visible and stored in the particularly obvious-to-spot masks on the user’s back.

The user will completely die when all the hearts are destroyed. The user may have a total of five hearts (including their natural heart) within their body at a single time. Once the a heart is destroyed, the user loses the ability to manipulate the elemental chakra associated with that heart.

Jiongu, Abata-Kan (Earth Grudge Fear, Sense of the Avatar)
Rank: S
Type: Supplementary
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)
Handseals: 1
Chakra: 2x High per Avatar.
A powerful addition to the Jiongu art, this allows the user to essentially create “avatars” by using their devoured hearts and the ebony threads within their body. These horrendous creatures, with the hearts as their brains, boast impressive strength and speed, making them incredibly lethal opponents. However, the also possess the ability to emit rays of their respective elemental nature, which are capable of causing severe damage to both their victims and their surroundings. Though it limits the user’s ability to manipulate the remainder of the threads inside their body, the user gains a small army capable of truly devastating results in exchange.

Note: Each avatar will take one of the user’s four additional hearts in order to manifest, and thusly acquire the element of said heart (removing it from the user until the heart returns). These avatars are comprised of the majority of the user’s black tendrils, limiting their ability to manipulate the remaining threads in their body to Jiongu, Ito Kuro (Earth Grudge Fear, Black Thread) when two or more Avatars are simultaneously active. The Avatars cannot perform any jutsu the shinobi they acquired their hearts from, but instead, fire beams (roughly 1 meter wide) accurately up to ten meters away of the their respective element. Due to being formed from nothing more than these highly resilient black threads, the Avatar possess an incredible amount of strength and speed (comparable to the 3rd gate). The “heart” giving them life is located in their head, serving as the brain.

[Jae]

The puzzle contraption spun wildly on it's own for a moment before locking onto the phrase I'd entered. I huffed a sigh of relief as the locked door began rising to reveal the next area, whose appearance differed vastly from the hallway. It was an ornate area, well lit and rather spacious as denoted by the audible click my shoes made while I pressed forward. My eyes panned the area observantly until my focus was drawn toward the figure sitting in what appeared to be a majestic throne. He was frozen in place and visually resembled a cadaver. My curiosity prompted me to inspect the figure but during my approach, his eyes cracked open to reveal a disgusting set of jaundice yellow eyes.

I recognized his noxious tone of voice the moment he called out my name -- it was the Elusive Man. After his confident spiel he rose from his seat and formed a single seal that caused a vile wave of black tendrils to burst from within him. Hesitant to approach, I formed a single handseal of my own that conjured a replica to my left side. It only took a thought to set him in motion, his hands darting together quickly to form a set of seals.

While he did that, I aroused my chakra stores to prepare for what was to come.

[/b]

---

1. Kage Bunshin
2. ___________

Clone

---

1. ___________
[/ul]
[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Bit]

A deep ominous laugh from the man as his threads had completely formed 3 avatars within moments of him exerting the threads from his person. The avatars would be stationed around the two to his right and one to his left. Now in correspondence to the formation of your single clone the avatar1[/sup that had been standing next to the elusive man’s left had taken off in direct pursuit of your clone, it would be moving in a curving motion while it prepared its own attack. The rate that the avatar had been able close the space between itself and the clone was so great that it would almost appear as a bloob.

Meanwhile the elusive man had jumped back onto the top of his throne, while moving his hands through a plethora of handseals. His objective had seemed clear and that was to annihilate you from existence, and with the help of his avatars he felt as though with the help of his avatars had ensured him victory so as his team of black creatures lead the assault on you, he would gloat a bit. “Get’em boy’s show him why he should have taking the gold and left!”

Under his commands his avatars had taking off in what seemed like a planned battle formation, avatar² would take to aerial view of the throne room while charging his own attack. While avatar³ took his own direct route moving around to the left side of the throne room while attempting to catch your left flank open. His speed also would be untraceable by the untrained eye, or at least very hard to keep up with. If he had went uninterrupted with his left flank within in moments of his departure from his creator.

SPOILER: Click to show

Avatar¹
Prep_1

Avatar²
Prep_2

Avatar³

Elusive man
Prep_1

SPOILER: Click to show

50x50 room measurements.
Sorry for doing this late but I thought it'd be better to do it now than to fight in a place with no sense of what it looks like.