Random Encounter [Enfuego]

[Naitome]

GM

The storm came slowly. So slowly in fact that what few natural waterways, inlets, and rivers graced the gravel mooring of Tsuchi No Kuni's continental lump could scarcely contain the years of dirt-rain that accumulated into tempest. It was a storm deep beneath the earth and crashing down from above, tectonic plate shift that raised the heat in the Land of Earth to levels that assaulted even the upper atmosphere. When lightning fell, it was gathered by the stonescape into quartz crystal regoliths. Everywhere covering the dry expanse of the country were ships that had been carried from distant oceans by the grand storm and thrown to become wreckage. A wasteland of dead vessels buried in rock.

Fate would spare not even a handful this day, only you and the cracked earth and the wind spreading thick particles like unguent on the structure-bruised skin of the earth.

You wake up, sprawled across the length of what appears to be an enormous weapon-casing, a missile shell as big as a small town. There are bodes impacted in the dry land around you, but they are difficult to see in the dust. The sky is so gray you cannot track the sun's movements, do not know if it is some peculiar twilight or merely some larger thing blocking out the day.

Nearly 200 meters from where you will no doubt stand to better gather your bearings, you'll see the unmistakable pipes of an even larger ship that has almost completely succumbed to the land around you. You can hear, high above, thick thunder cracking the sky into frenzy, but no rain falls...only dirt and mud and needle sharp pebbles whipped into insanity by the unusual storm.


To the north, far far beyond even several days walk, are the lights of what appear to be a city.

To the south, equally far, something is moving. It is larger than the ship-pieces around you, given its distance, but it is impossible to tell if it is a living thing, or some sort of machine. It seems to be moving towards the city, albeit at a slow pace due to its size.


Behind you, close enough to trip over if youre not careful to look, is an ornate treasure chest, unusually long and wide. It is almost 2 meters in total length, and carries a simple lock, and a note.


The note says "Do Not Open". If you check, you'll find that the chest is quite heavy, but the lock probably isn't too difficult to break...

---

Random Encounter - SSS Rank
☆ F ☆
Proceed.

[☆ F ☆]

☆

"FINALLY, I AWAKE...!!!"

Darkness, undisputed. Cumulous in form, it spread over me, and though I was far from mobile - or even alive, for that matter - some for of me felt it. The darkness that spread above, like a disease, tumbling through the skies like a dragon of death, bringing physicality to despair. It was terror in its purest form, and for whatever reason, a form of me had been brought into existence merely to experience it. And so there I was - was it my soul, or my mind...? - immobile, supine, subject to the psychotic apathy nature currently spat at me. Was I being punished? Was this eternal? Was this all simply a dream, or worse, a nightmare...?

"Unfortunately, no."

Though my sanity had been tested by the fact I was made to feel that the very meet concept of me - Uchiha Faust? I don't know anymore... - was simply designed to feel pain, a sudden jolt of excitement at my sides proved otherwise. Entranced in the billowing darkness of the skies above, I was oblivious to the fact I was actually wiggling my toes and slowly curling my fingers, natural instinctual reactions a human body emits when given life. Life! It took another moment, but then it hit me; I wasn't just a dream...

At the moment, I was with my corporeal body, and albeit extremely debilitated and disorientated, the once daming touch of time was now granting me improved restoration with every forward pace. Every tick and every tock resulted in my entire self coming together, and although the initial attempts at recovery were chock full of clumsiness, I was soon sitting up, my hands and arms sprawled to my sides as support. Though my head was still trying to adjust itself, I was able to see my general surroundings somewhat. As I scanned the landscape, a sudden memory was triggered - apparently, the last thing I remember was being in a prison...

Trying to think of more simply made my head hurt, and given I had just came to life, I was in no mood for pain. Annoyed, I shook my head once, cleared my thoughts, and restarted my surveillance. Though I knew not where I stood, I was able to create a quick breakdown of my surroundings. It was desolate all over. A barren wasteland from the pits of hell, unknown structures protruded from lifeless earth and rock, all while the skies remained dark and the air unwelcoming. Distance sighting became a chore, but some general outlines could be made out. A...city? Maybe. But wait. What the fuck was the behind me...!? It looks like it's moving - not good.

At that point I began to stand, and only then I would come to realize two things - the giant, unknown object I had passed out on, and the treasure chest nearby. I had to stare at the "shell" underneath me in awe for a moment, but once the note on the chest was spotted, all attention fell on it. It was locked, and the note urged for it not to be open. Just what was going on....?

"Okay, I'm done with this. Time to flip the script and act. I need to get out of there, and soon..."

Though fatigued from all that had occurred and still attempting to figure out how I arrived here, my body soon kicked into automatic action. I had little time to waste. Whatever...giant fucking thing coming behind me was not exactly what I'd call welcoming, making the glowing settlement north the next best thing. And while I was tempted to open that chest, I was also good at reading. But this was all way too weird. So I did the only logical thing any proper holder of the title of 'F' would do - I took the damn thing with me.

Given my medical strength, nothing was too heavy for my Giant's Grip. While I couldn't open it now, I'd make a point to figure that out later. But for now, it was time to relocate. With the chest hoisted over my head, I began to move north with haste. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{CHAKRA USED = 30}Katainigiri (Giant’s Grip)
Rank: A
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m)
Type: Supplementary
Handseals: -
Chakra Consumption: Mid to cast, Low to sustain

With a steady stream of precise chakra fed to their muscles, the medic is capable of a sudden boost to their lifting and throwing ability. Masters of this technique have been rumored to be capable of lifting and throwing large trees, boulders, and even buildings.

Note: The user has an increased lifting capacity, and can toss whatever object they are hold up to twenty-five meters away.

[ 370 / 400 ]

MADE BY ♔KOJIHIME

[Naitome]

GM

• Your Giant's Grip is successful at lifting the chest, though even with the nearly unparalleled physical might its performance bestows, advanced medical training and shinobi experience allow you the insight to realize that it is far heavier than should be possible. Balance is difficult with it hoisted, and you can feel the enhanced weight of something inside it being jostled around as you move towards the city.
• The enormous unsightly creature seems to become more ethereal and phantomlike as you make the decision to move away from it. For the next three turns, there is a 75% chance you will forget its existence completely. Each turn you spend moving away from it reduces your overall visibility of the creature by 25% (even with the Sharingan active).
• You have gained the temporary ability "Quest Knowledge: The City". It is now impossible for you to forget that you chose to move towards a city, and you will remember that it exists (as well as any experiences inside), regardless of other conditions.
• Your rank has bestowed upon you advanced combat experience. You are aware, almost immediately after moving towards the city, of a feeling of being tracked or followed, though there is no visual evidence to support this. It is merely a hunch, and can be ignored or acted upon at your discretion.
• Your unique connection to the mortal coil, the planes of Life and Death have given you insight. There is something immortal, something like you, in the direction of the city. In RP terms, the city is approximately 35 posts away. There may be shortcuts provided...

The road towards the city is drab and uninteresting, littered with the same bland brandishment of destroyed buildings that you woke too, with one major change. It is slowly becoming dark, pitch black, and you can see that whatever light you'd thought might be a fading sun was just chakra-fueled detritus burning off in the friction of the storms. As it grows darker, so too does it grow colder, and the distant lights of the city provide an easy, basic destination, but no detail. Without some source of your own light, you will be forced into a narrow strolling that leaves only the far-off city recognizable; so dark, you will not be able to see your own hand in front of your face.

The landscape is treacherous. Uneven terrain split by terrible dead constructs; you must find some way to make your footing in the dark. There are no obvious animal sounds except for ragged breathing, that seems to emanate from everywhere at once, surrounding you, but not close enough to inspire action, panic-noises. And then...


....you hear something else.


"H-h-h-elp-p-p-p..."


Where is it coming from?

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Random Encounter - SSS Rank
☆ F ☆
Proceed.