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N A R R A T O R

After having exited the explorer's tent, with your older brother's translation papers in hand, you would cross the illuminated interior of this stone chamber and approach the large stone tablet ahead. It's just about three times your size, and a little under a meter thick, engraved all over with the draconian symbols you saw in the journal. Like the traditional Japanese language, the symbols are meant to be read vertically, rather than horizontally. This should make things a bit easier for you, on account of your language classes back in Kumogakure no Sato.

Considering you have to stop and check the translation for each symbol, however, deciphering its message takes you a little while. But, with patience, you eventually manage to read the first half: Honed in battle's pyre... the body grows strong... under winter's icy breath... meditation for the soul... but through dragon's cunning... power flows through us all... patience truimphs over reckless ascent... understanding allows the passage of progress... a spirit hardened like ebony ore... a fire born in darkness.

It's spotty, and you don't have enough translations to decipher the rest of the tablet yet, but at least some of your curiosity has been fulfilled. By now, it should be clear that this place is a tomb-- a tomb belonging to a once important person... or creature. What you managed to read on the tablet seems to have been some kind of eulogy, a message from beyond. But what could have compelled to bring anyone (particularly your older brother) here? What was to look for in this place anyway, and did it have something to do with the tablet?

The sound of pebbles echo from afar.

N A R R A T O R

The doors to the establishment burst open, the silhouetted shadows of men casting their darkness onto the many wooden chairs and tables covering the main floor. Everyone in the popular Inn of Men turned their heads to see who was there-- then almost immediately turned away. The men entering this once calm and quiet establishment walked in, five bodies strong, their strides filled with unfounded swagger and a devil may care attitude. Dressed in leather jackets, steel-toed boots, and worn khakis, this posse seemed to be immediately recognizable to the locals. And, if you lived in Kusagakure no Sato long enough, you'd know just who they were. The Sons of Fuji, a low-level criminal organization pretending to be martial arts enthusiasts.

One of them knocks down a chair as he enters, while another shoves you (Barry) off their path as they pass by, headed straight to the bar's counter for drinks. The 'clink' of chains can be heard rattling as they walk, these metal constraints hanging out from their pockets, meant to be more of an intimidation than anything else. Not surprisingly, it seems to have its effect on the bartender. "Aye, barkeep!" The alpha of this posse shouts, slamming a gloved hand on the counter. "Bring us some drinks, or we'll pay your old lady a visit!" Two of them saunter over to the pool table at the corner of the room, while the other three take their seats at the stools. Their aggressive nature, and foul horseplay, is bound to bring the Inn of Men some trouble tonight.

The eye-- it burned.

Pulsating with erratic beats of pain, an unseen force pushing it to attack, and expel whatever horrifying terrors it sought to unleash. Underneath all of this torturous agony, my sheer force of will was the only barrier between its evil intents and the woman I'd come to admire for so long. Yet, I could almost feel the crimson pupil twirl and spin its shuriken-shaped center, acting as a rabid dog would-- chained, and violently attempting to lunge out and bite. But I would, just as violently, hold back its savagery. I'd end myself the moment I knew I couldn't control it.

And absolutely no harm would come to Blanche.

As she expressed her concern, her worry, her bewilderment, I was half-lost in the process of building the mental fortitude required to contain this affliction. This... venom. Already I felt so vulnerable, so uncomfortable without my mask on, shifting my eyes away from her own-- a guilt, a shame, cloaked within a practical reason for precaution. I still worried, I still struggled. But at least I'd worked up the resolve to show her-- to finally show her. And, what little relief the loss of the burden allowed was just enough to inspire a momentary glimmer of strength.

"Birdie, I--" I didn't know how to respond. Where to start. She asked me why I'd had this happen to me. Why I hadn't come to her about it. But I couldn't utter a word after all-- the mere act of showing her having already crossed a line I had never thought I would cross. Her embrace, however, and more importantly, her words, calmed my worries of explanation. She didn't seem to care much for an immediate answer. She only sought to diagnose the problem and fix it, as she had done so many times before. 

"I trust you..." I muttered.

We parted our bodies once more, my good eye evaluating her as she spoke and moved, a pool of shimmering green captured in solemn thought. When she finished speaking, a momentary silence coming between us as I waited for her to finish a half-formed sentence, she'd come to a slow and paced stop. I could see the anxiety. I could see the concern. And it made me uneasy seeing her like this, fueling the raw hate I already had for the devil's eye even more. But, the crux of my worry lay in one haunting detail:

I saw in her what I'd once seen in Vera.

Not just the exuberant beauty. Not just their fervent passion for life. But a stubbornness that rivaled, and triumphed, over my own. Like Vera, and like Hirihi today, Blanche was, in my eyes, the ideal woman. And I had indeed held her in exceptionally high regard in the past. To say that our relationship hadn't approached romanticism its fair share of times would be a lie. And to say that I'd never actually loved her would be absolutely ridiculous. I had loved her, and I still did, to a certain extent... but time had a way of changing things. And, with Hirihi in my heart, I was comfortable with just the thought of 'what could have been'.

"There's a symbiote inhabiting the entire eye." I spoke, my gaze turning down to the half-mask I held in my hand. "The only possible solution is surgery. But that would involve replacing this sharingan with another..." I steadily placed the half-mask back on, my face once again drowned in a light shadow. "Otherwise, my body will reject any transplanted organ that isn't as molecularly strong as a doujustu." With my mask back on, I turned up to look at her, my gaze gauging her expression. 

"And I'll most likely die."

ASSAILANTS Whiskey Hounds (x 6)

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SPOILER: Click to show

You (Kai) begin to hear the barks and howls afar increase in volume as you continue through the woodlands. The downward slope seems to give you an advantage, as you have the higher ground, but the foliage covering this somewhat rocky terrain provides ample cover for the creatures seeking to intercept you. When you do find them, they converge on you from all sides, six in total, attacking simultaneously. Each of these abominations are the size of lion's, but as fast as cougars, proving to be more than a handful.

Their powerful looking jaws are a testament to the deadly potential of even a single bite. And their ferocity is only matched by their unusually precise method of attacking-- bursting out of bushes, and behind the cover of rocks or trees, and taking advantage of your blind spots. Almost immediately, you'll be able to tell that they were trained. And their handler isn't too far behind them, a loud gruffled voice roaring afar, hollering with a chorus of insults and threats. For now, however, you'll need to focus on fighting for your life against these hellish carnivores.

ASSAILANTS Drunken Crossbow Posse (x 4)

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You (Yukiko) will be able to see the silhouettes of buildings beyond the pine trees higher up the mountain. But you'll also take notice of a posse of raggedy-dressed men, approaching you quickly, but cautiously. As they take positions behind trees and rocks, striving to avoid any lightning arrows you might fire (which they saw you fire earlier), you'll be forced to deal with them first before advancing any further. They each carry an automatic crossbow, sporadically firing arrows at you whenever they get the chance, as one of them attempts to sneak up on you from the right-- using the bushes as cover, with a Bowie knife in hand.

There are four men in total. Three of them are providing suppressing fire with their crossbows, while the other stealthily takes advantage of that distraction to attempt close-combat. Somewhere nearby, you hear the pain-filled cries of other enemies, and you know Sozin is busy at the moment. So, uncertain of whether he'll be able to come to your need anytime soon, you'll need to hold off (or dispatch) these four assailants on your own. But, with three of them behind cover, and another threatening to sneak up on you, how will you strike back this time?

N A R R A T O R

The illumination that the many lit torches within provided, contrary to Yukiko's initial state of vision, was actually quite substantial. It took her vibrant blue eyes a moment to adjust, but eventually she'd find that the spacious square sepulcher was as lit, and in visual detail, as any electrically-lit room she'd find in Kumogakure no Sato. Such was the unique-- and carefully crafted-- design of the room, using the orbs of corporeal fire light (that emanated off the multiple torches) to their full potential.

As such, the contents of the large explorer's tent she had come face-to-face with were almost immediately visible to her. The fact that there was a lit-- albeit small-- campfire within, slowly boiling a pot of stew that hung over it, only illuminated the interior of the gigantic tent even more. But, despite the various items within, perhaps the first thing that would catch her eye would be the unusually large stone tomb occupying a majority of the interior's space. This large rectangular sarcophagus has an equally as large engraving of a dragon's skeleton on its flat stone surface.

Expand spoiler for details:

SPOILER: Click to show

Under this large explorer's tent, Sahrotsahviing's sarcophagus takes upon the role of an exceptionally big table. Piles of books, pieces of parchment, scrawled upon maps, and scattered notes have been stacked upon this unorthodox piece of furniture, a perfect example behind the organized chaos of an archaeologist and adventurer. The tomb has more than enough room for just research material, however. In addition, rucksacks full of plants, herbs, relics, and other equipment have been placed upon it as well. Despite the considerable amount of room the sarcophagus takes up, there is still enough space for a mattress at the north-east corner of the tent. At the north-west corner, a small pot of stew slowly boils over a calm campfire.

Aside from the strange sarcophagus, however, the next curiosity to grace her eyes would most likely be the tattered old journal on the mattress. But who could blame her if she went to explore the rest of the sepulcher instead? The perplexing stone tablet, standing upright on the other side of the room, could prove to be more interesting. Not to mention that passageway at the corner of the dusty old tomb, brimming with raw darkness, whispers seemingly beckoning for her to come and investigate what was hidden within.

The next course of action was hers to take.

Circa: + 40 EXP.
Fina: + 40 EXP.

(Added to your [M:] bars.)