Highway to Hell [EPIC - GM'd by Coal]

[Coal]

[OOC: @tellar Ace Detective Nara Kinzoku Madame Loki Initially I will be placing you, simply for organizations sake, but I will not control your or anything of that nature. I am just giving you the start point. If you use a skill, please state the amount of SP you have in that skill when you use it, so I don’t have to search through these overly large bios to find them. If you do not have a skill, but still wish to use it, you may at a roll of a single d20 with no bonuses. All other basic NFRP rules apply. Let’s have fun. It’s gonna be tough…for you. Not me. Lol.]

Clouds rolled lazily across the sky, a speed that would make a turtle seem swift, with nothing to do and nowhere to go. A bright blue sky backdrop held those lazy clouds in its bosom, dragging them along on its current, all headed toward the east into the rising sun. Not quite noon, but definitely after midmorning, that blazing golden orb danced between the clouds, playing fluffy shadows across the land and buildings of Hi no Kuni, including the city of Tanzaku-Gai. It was a chilly day, not unpleasant, but a light jacket would do wonders for insulation of heat. Most of the birds had migrated, but there were a few diehards hanging about, hopping around on the ridges of the rooftops, watching the people down below bustle about their day.

As with all good adventures, this one begins in the Market Place, the hub of human civilization, and an all-around great place to pick up information; a great place to get into trouble too if you’re not careful. Even though the air had a slight nip, the industrious people of Hi no Kuni still moved about, making purchases, selling their wares, and haggling for deals. A few people in cloaks moved about in the shadows, at least in a way, skulking here and there while seemingly not moving much at all. Others seemed to be browsing wares, touching a thing here, picking up and object to observe there, and then putting it back as if to contemplate the purchase. Not inherently suspicious, as this was a world of shinobi, but the eye seemed to slide off of these people when focused upon.

A crier stands before a building off to the left of this band of allies, a bit forward up the street perhaps a block, maybe a little more. His dress is casual, like a part timer would dress for a street crier job, with blue jeans, sneakers and a hoodie with the hood down. Messy black hair atop his head, cut short, and dark brown eyes in a slightly above cute face. “The Pub is always open for business, day and night, you can’t stop the Dryad! Come one, come most! We have a maximum capacity, so all o you can’t come at the same time! Sorry!” He grinned at his little joke, but the owner of the tavern was hardly amused, striking him in the back of the head with a thrown wooden spoon from inside via front window.

Further down the streets, near the stalls and stands of the panhandlers and distant merchants, a cloaked individual moved along slowly, deliberately. The gender could not be identified, nor could any features save for a general idea of height, before the eyes would slide right off to focus on something completely different. Suddenly the individual vanished, although not in a puff a smoke, just merely left sight and was gone. The other cloaked individuals did the same, almost all at the same time, gone as if they had never been there, and not a single person seemed to care.

The shadows seemed a little deeper, a shade darker, and a bit longer all around…

[Ace Detective Nara]

[Enter]

It was tad bit nippy, Tetsu thought to himself as he put his boots on, tying them properly over his olive green BDU trousers. He and Kinzoku had been wandering for a while, finally approaching the city center as Tetsu prepared himself for his meet up with Claire, as she had gone off shopping and they had agreed to meet up somewhere around the capital of the leaf village before heading back home. “Damn where could that girl be?” Tetsu asked himself as he scanned what was looking like a central hub of trade for the fire capital. Tetsu wore his Olive BDU uniform, with his metal Konohagakure protector plate fastened to his left shoulder like a patch, over his grey tee shirt. He wore his olive BDU pants with black combat boots which matched the color of his fireproof fingerless gloves. He wore his tinted anti flash rectangle glasses with a conditional viewing lenses. His beige Shemagh scarf was warped around his neck like a scarf and not a hood. His right leg holster, which held 2 half pouches with two kunai, 1 quick loader pouch of bo shuriken with 3 explosive tags attacked to the first three, and 1 scroll pouch filled with 1 map of the known word.

Tetsu’s vest held a majority of his gear, on the left hand side he held a single slot of Bo shuriken. He also held his 2 packs of cigarettes, 2 lighters, and his electronic compass. He also wore a butt pack upon a belt around his waist, which held 40 locking tags, 40 explosive tags, 4 Kunai knives, 1 slot of Bo shuriken, 2 knives, and 1 slot of caltrops. He wore his Walkie talkie upon his left vest shoulder, and he carried his medical pack, which carried 3 rebar splints rolled up, his Clairaudient Fly Finger Stethoscope, an anti-shock blanket and his witch watch that had his Nara clan symbol imprinted on the front. The pack was held on a sling across his shoulder, which was comfortable enough for transport his gear as he adjusted his glasses and looked into the market place that was bustling with people.

[Basically just listing gear, here is where the actual RP starts]

Meeting up with his companions, Tetsu couldn’t help but feel a bit pleasant at the gentle blue skies and the relaxing cool air of the opening to spring. “It’s been too long since we’ve been out like this.” Tetsu would comment subtly as he looked like he was more so ready for a mission than a day out in the market; however Tetsu was the team’s leader, and consequently he had to look the part. It was about this time when to his left, some casually dressed crier who was struck back at the head with a wooden object, and Tetsu thought was a spoon. Approaching the fellow, Tetsu patted the fellow on the shoulder, “Hey man, you okay?” Tetsu asked as he could feel a little chill passing over him as surely hooded figures weren’t doing anything suspicious. Reaching into his medical bag, pulling out his witch watch as he opened it to check the time of day, (would say it’s just about 10 o’clock ish, but you know after mid-morning, before noon, if I’m wrong correct me please Coal.) The sun was to the east, which would cast a long enough shadow, but not really thinking about that at the moment with no real need to, Tetsu glanced at the small picture of Claire, Kinzoku and Loki that he kept in his watch, looking back at the real deal before putting his watch back.

“It’s a little early to be advertising a pub isn’t it?” Tetsu asked nonchalantly as he would pick up the wooden spoon front the ground, at the moment he looked down, suddenly it seemed as if the shadows were a bit deeper, darker, longer…which was strange to say the very least. For a Nara, a master of shadows, this was definitely off putting, and cause for concern; however acting like something was up would only cause panic and possibly jeopardize his safety. With a gentle smirk, he would offer the fellow the spoon as a gesture of good will as he couldn’t help but wonder how the fellow would handle a solider looking ninja speaking to him. It was definitely strange.

Traits -only posting these once-

SPOILER: Click to show

1. Physician
Rank: "C"
Skill: Heritage Trait
Effect: User is trained to the healing arts.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: User has +20 Skill points to divide as they wish among all First Aid, Botany, and Herbalist. At each Class Level the user gain an additional +5 Heritage skill Points to place in any one of these skills. User gains +1 Heritage Points per die roll when learning the skill. User also gains a +10 to all First Aid Skills. Through advanced training in medicine and healing techniques, the user can set bones, suture lacerations, and apply a myriad of balms, unguents, and other remedies to speed the healing process. Such care requires 1 minute. This trait replaces 1 Freebies.
Limit: Must start with Character; replaces 1 Freebies.
(+20 to First Aid: Healing)
(+5 First Aid: Autopsy) +1 to die roll
(+10 to ALL First Aid Skills)

2. Able Learner
Rank: "C"
Skill: Social Trait
Effect: The user has great aptitude for learning.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: When learning a skill, the skill states how many times a die roll may be applied to show how much they learned within that skill. Example, when a user learns "Botany" they gain 5 die rolls. This "trait" increases the amount of die rolls by 1.5 rounded to the highest number at 1 die roll per learning, however any number higher than 1 die roll is rounded down. For example: User learns Botany and gains 5 die rolls. With this Trait they will gain 7 die rolls. However if a user learns Lockpicking they normally get 1 die roll, however with this Trait they will gain 2 die rolls.
Limit: Must start with Character; replaces 2 Freebies.

3. Will of Men, The
Rank: "C"
Skill: Faith Trait
Effect: Men are creatures of will; their will carries them through a harsh world of politics and physical dangers.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: User gains a +1 trait bonus to all Will Saves. At "C", "B', "A", and "S" Class level, gain an additional +1 trait bonus. This trait replaces 1 Freebies.
Limit: Must start with Character; replaces 1 Freebies.

4. Eidetic Memory
Rank: "C"
Skill: Heritage Trait
Effect: A few rare humans have perfect recall, allowing them to remember minor details from an event that others have long forgotten.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: They gain +5 heritage bonus to all Skill Category 3 Skill checks. User gains a +10 heritage bonus on Observation checks to detect a disguise. The user also gains a +1 Racial bonus to Die Rolls pertaining to Skill Category 3 Skills. If they have any questions about an event, such as a person’s name or exactly what happened, their Game Master must tell them the details (even if the character’s player has forgotten them). They cannot remember extremely fine details, such as the text of a book left open on a desk, but they can remember the general gist of the book or the topic the passage covered. They always remember faces, names, and the basic sequence of events. User is able to memorize 1 additional formula per 5 points Alchemy. This trait replaces 1 Freebies.
Limit: Must start with Character; replaces 1 Freebies.

5. Engineer
Rank: "C"
Skill: Heritage Trait
Effect: User knows all there is to know about construction and invention.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: User has +20 Skill points to divide as they wish among Craft, Engineering, Disable Device, Technician, and Construction, Siege Works. At each Class Level the user gain an additional +5 Heritage skill Points to place in any one of these skills. User gains +1 Heritage Points per die roll when learning the skill. User must choose in either having a +5 to all following skills: Artistic Ability, Bowyer/Fletcher, Cobbling, Construction, Disable Device, Fondling (Covert Appraisal Technique), Escape Artist, Forgery, Gem Cutting, Leatherworking, Locksmithing, Lock Picking, Metal Working, Musical Instrument, Pick-Pocket, Pottery, Ride, Rope Use, Sleight of Hand, and Weaponsmith or +10 to any 1 of their Heritage Skills. User is adept at dismantling and rebuilding just about anything they come across. User may disable a "C" and "D" Rank device in half a movement, and any other device in 1d3 rounds. In addition user gains a +5 competence bonus to all Craft, Disable Device, and Engineering. This trait replaces 1 Freebies.
Limit: Must start with Character; replaces 1 Freebies.
(+10 to Engineering, +10 to Disable Device)
(+15 Heritage Skill to Disable Device) +1 to Die Roll
(+5 to all listed skills)

6. Officer (Of the Law :3)
Rank: "C"
Skill: Heritage Trait
Effect: User once held command rank in the military.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: User has +20 Skill points to divide as they wish among Geology, Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Ride. At each Class Level the user gain an additional +5 Heritage skill Points to place in any one of these skills. User gains +1 Heritage Points per die roll when learning the skill. User must choose in having either a +2 Bonus to Will Saves, or +10 to any background skill. This trait replaces 1 Freebies.
Limit: Must start with Character; replaces 1 Freebies.
(+5 To sense motive, +5 to Ride, +5 to Geology, +5 to Intimidate)
(+15 Heritage Bonus to Sense Motive) +1 to Die roll
(+2 to Will saves)

7. Mathematical Prodigy
Rank: "C"
Skill: Chakra Trait
Effect: Mathematics has always come easily for the user, and they have always been able to "see the math" in the physical and Chakra world.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: User gains a +5 bonus on Chakra Lore and Engineering, and Techcraft checks, and 1 of these skills (Chakra Lore) gain 1 additional Die Roll each time learned. This trait replaces 1 Freebies.
Limit: Must start with Character; replaces 1 Freebies.
(+1 Die roll to Chakra Lore)

Augments, only posting these once too

SPOILER: Click to show

Enhanced Metabolism
Rank: "B"
Type: Augmentation
Effect: Accelerated electrical impulses along your central nervous system have given you enhanced reaction times.
Special: To perform: 12 hours; Duration: Permanent
Drawback: User cannot take this Augmentation if they have the Lethargy drawback.
Description: Takes up 2 Augmentation Points. User gains a +1 Ritual bonus to movements.
Limit: Must be a Ritualist for Augmentation Rituals.
Cost: Market Price: 23,000 Ryo Performing Price: 17,000 Ryo

Shock Absorber
Rank: "C"
Type: Augmentation
Effect: The Target is capable of surviving amazing falls by reducing the impact of the ground on their body.
Special: To perform: 12 Hours; Duration: Permanent
Drawback: ---
Description: Takes up 1 Augmentation Point. An augmentation performed on a target's body, creating a shock absorber which allows the Target to withstand from falling damage. When falling, the Target ignores falling damage from falls less than 30 meters. For attack damage the damage caused is reduced by 25%.
Limit: Must be a Ritualist for Augmentation Rituals.
Cost: Market Price: 12,000 Ryo Performing Price: 9,000 Ryo

[Kinzoku]

[ENTER]

10 o'clock in the morning
Tanzaku-Gai
Market Place

Highway to Hell
There Kinzoku stood with his teammates in all their glory. The newly formed Blitz Squadron had been pretty successful so far. First they had accomplished a mission before they were a team. Then were noticed by the Hokage and were made officially a team. Lastly, they had just recently went on a mission regarding the previously mentioned mission, which was a success. All in all, Kinzoku was a lot happier with this team than his last and finally felt at home with his new "family".

While he was basking in his team's glory and admiring them with a smile on his face, Kinzoku would watch over them. With Kinzoku was his pants which carried a gem in one slot and two grenades in the other. Also, on Kiznoku's rear, was his butt bag which was equipped with one kunai and four shuriken. All this was hidden of course with Kinzoku's everyday attire trench coat which helped conceal most of anything going on under it.

"So this is what what a team feels like huh?"

Thinking to himself, Kinzoku would watch as Tetsu interacted with the person who was just struck by a wooden spoon. Though it was quite comical, Kinzoku would refrain from laughing not to offend the person. For now, Kinzoku would just watch and as always, keep aware of his surroundings. Being outside of the village was not as safe as being in the village, and usually problems broke out at markets. Not to mention, their previous mission took place at a market, and the destruction was not something to make you at ease in markets.

SPOILER: Click to show

Pants
Rank: "C"
Type: Main, Slot Holder, 2 Slots, Clothing
Effect: Also known as trousers.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Picture There are so many different types of pants, with different designs and colors. Trousers are an item of clothing worn from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately. Shorts are similar to trousers, but with legs that come down only to around the area of the knee, higher or lower depending on the style of the garment. To distinguish them from shorts, trousers may be called "long trousers" in certain contexts such as school uniform, where tailored shorts may be called "short trousers". Trousers have 4 Pockets, 2 on the front of each pant leg, and 2 at the back where the butt is located at. Each Pocket has the same amount of holding space as a half Pouch. A total of 4 Pouches can be stitched into the pants. 2 Pouches may be stitched at the top of the pants (1 per pant leg) while 2 may be stitched at the bottom (1 per pant leg). The ones at the bottom may only have Half Pouches.
Limit: These type of items may be bought inside any Tailor Shop.
Cost: 500 Ryo Each.

[/i][/b]
Rank: "S"
Type: Secondary, 15 per Slot, Harnessed Gem
Effect: A harnessed Gem giving the person who has it the ability of Telekinesis.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The origin and history of the Gem of Telekinesis has been lost to time. Scholars recount tales of the gems use, and some have made claims about the first person to have harnessed the gems natural Alchemical Properties, but none of these claims can be proven. However, only the scholars seem to care about the origin of the Gem of Telekinesis. Everybody else only cares that the gem functions as it does; the who and when of the first to harness it is unimportant. When a large yellow sapphire gemstone is cut so that the gem has four sides and that two of the ends are exactly 1.42 times the length of the shorter ends, which are exactly .25 inches away from the gems center the gems natural Alchemical Properties is harnessed. The bearer of the gem is able to use it to perform various feats of telekinetic power. The duration can last up to Concentration for up to 10 rounds. Sustained Force: A sustained force moves an object weighing no more than 325 pounds up to 16 meters per round. An object can be telekinetically manipulated as if with 1 hand. Even able untie a knot. Combat Maneuver: Once per round, the user can use Telekinesis perform a bull-rush, disarm, grapple, or trip. Violent Rush: User may attack with objects to do damage equal to the item or 6 Armour Points of Damage per 25 pounds. The gem has an effective use 3 times per day.
Limit: These types of items may be bought inside any Alchemy Shop. With a 5% chance of finding.
Cost: 61,400 Ryo Each.

Grenade: Template x2
Rank: "S"
Type: Secondary, 3 per Slot, Explosive
Effect: A template item that combines 3 pouches to create a larger and more deadlier effect.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A grenade is a unique alchemical weapon that combines multiple splash weapons/explosives to increase its damage slightly while increasing its range significantly. Every grenade has a range of 15-meters-radius burst no matter the splash weapon/explosive combination. A grenade takes up 3 splash weapon/explosive to create. This can be used in any kind of combination of 3. For example, a user may combine 3 Explosion (Fire) to create an Explosion (Fire) Grenade, or an 1 Shriek Bomb and 2 Stormstone to create a Shriek Stormstone Grenade. Each splash weapon/explosive does 3/4 Damage of the total. Damage is sacrificed due to the combination of splash weapon/explosives while distance is significantly increased. Any splash weapon/explosive that does status damage (blindness, deafness, etc) does not increase, however the Save is increased by 1 per splash weapon/explosive used. For example: 1 Stormstone has an 18 Fortitude. If 3 are used to create a Grenade it will have a 21 Fortitude.
Limit: These items may be bought inside any Weapon Shop.
Cost: Price of each individual Splash Weapon/Explosive.

[/i][/b]
Rank: "A"
Type: Secondary, 15 per Slot, Chemicals & Compounds, Explosive
Effect: Produces a fiery explosion that can cause nearby opponents to start burning.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Mix the saltpeter and the sulfur in a congelation method. This will take 1 hour to create. This will make 1 standard-shot of "Dancing Star". The explosive may be programmed with a timer to explode up to 6 seconds. This explosive is especially effective against creatures that attack in swarms and are vulnerable to fire. It can also be used to ignite gas, and gas from other explosives. It will explode dealing 36 Armour Points of fire damage initially, plus an additional 18 Armour Points for 1 additional round to anyone within 8 meters radius burst of the blast.
Ingredients 2 thumb-vial of saltpeter. 4 thumb-vials of sulfur.
Limit: These types of items may be bought inside any Alchemist Shop.
Cost: 591 Ryo Each.[/ul][/ul]

Butt Bag Type 1
Rank: "C"
Type: Main, Tailor, Slot Holder, Holds 15 Slots (15 for Items of Scroll Length), Bag
Effect: A waist pack worn with the pouch in back.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Picture A pack worn at the back along a belt at the waist. Water repellent collar with drawstring pack with quick release closures attached to 1 inch cinch straps and a top carry handle. It has a vented bottom with keeper clips to attach to the belt, or straps to wrap around a belt. The compartment has the dimensions Height of 10.25 inches Width of 10.5 inches and Depth of 7 inches. The interior holds 15 slots of scroll length as well as main objects that fit in the same dimensions. Normally extra clothes is held in this spot as well as other non combative supplies.
Limit: These type of items may be bought inside any Tailor Shop.
Cost: 1,700 Ryo

[/i][/b]
Rank: "C" Rank
Type: Secondary, 2 per Slot, Piercing/Slashing, Knife
Effect: A kunai is a tool derived from the masonry trowel.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A Light Weapon. These weapons do +4 Amour Points of Damage. The Range Increment of this weapon is 5 meters. A kunai has a blade that is about less than 1 foot in length. The user gains a +10 bonus on Sleight of Hand Skill to conceal a knife on their body.
Limit: These items may be bought inside any Weapon Shop.
Cost: 1,000 Ryo per Slot, or 500 Ryo Each.

Shuriken, Hira x4
Rank: "C" Rank
Type: Secondary, 15 per Slot, Piercing, Shuriken
Effect: A shuriken is a small piece of metal with sharpened edges, designed for throwing.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A Light Weapon. These weapons do +2 Amour Points of Damage. The Range Increment of this weapon is 5 meters. Although they are thrown weapons, shuriken are quick and easy to draw, thus allowing the user to draw such weapons without the need of a movement. A shuriken can't be used as a melee weapon. Hira-shuriken are constructed from thin, flat plates of metal and generally resemble popular conceptions of shuriken.
Limit: These items may be bought inside any Weapon Shop.
Cost: 1,500 Ryo per Slot, or 100 Ryo Each.[/ul][/spoiler]


[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Deleted]

Claire Sakurai - or rather, Uchiha - was...late. For a change. It wasn't easy to arrange such an elaborate attire after all, and she was still tired from her late night shopping. Wasn't even finished really, just out of money. She'd need to make more later.

Under her white jacket, which flared open at the collar and midriff, it was possible to see her vest, which was lined with a Mithral chain mesh. This was cropped just above the navel so as to show the Spirit Amber piercing set there. Hanging from her neck, below her long, rose-colored hair was a pendant set with an All Seeing Eye. Each hand had a small fingerless glove reinforced as a gauntlet enhanced with electroshock and powerful piston modifications. She also had a skull-emblazoned ring on each fourth finger, a Skull of Strength on the right, and a Skull of the Ghost on the right. Oh her left shoulder was a shining greenish pauldron of lightweight Mithral, which held in place a long scarlet shoulder cape, though it was designed to release if tugged with sufficient force. That pauldron also bore her Konohagakure Village Insignia, which was attached to a length of cloth threaded tightly through two narrow slots. On her right wrist was her Personal Information Processor, or P.I.P.-Boy, currently displaying a map of the area - just one of many she'd scanned into the device - while strapped to her left forearm was a small Buckler.

She strode swiftly through the market, each footstep kicking up dust with the deceptive weight behind them thanks to her reinforced combat boots, enhanced in a similar fashion to her gloves. Her long legs had free range to move under her short skirt, her red leather pouch jostling slightly with each impact. The smallest of its three pockets carried an Awareness Stone, its near-magical effects functioning just by being in her possession, as well as a few accessories she wanted to distribute among her friends. Two Skulls of Strength set in rings, as well as a Skull of the Ghost ring, and two Gems of the Wise, one of which was set in a stud earring. Additionally there were two small baggies, one holding ten Soldier Pills and the other two Saddilia nuts.

The mid-sized pocket carried two Medium Basic Crossbow Magazines, each filled to the brim with fifty bolts. One was high-impact rounds made with Watakusi Boreworm heads, Basic Force-Projection shafts, and Razor Blade Spinning fletching. The other held area-of-effect splash rounds, made with Tagari-Ya Template Lightning Bottle arrowheads, Basic Superheated shafts, and Razor Blade Spinning Fletching.

The largest pocket carried two further magazines, all filled with identical basic rounds, one hundred shots in all. These were made with Broad Head Point arrowheads, Basic shafts, and Razor Blade fletching. A further magazine of these basic shots was preloaded into her signature weapon, the Blazefire Saber, which hung behind her in its holster from her Utility Belt, its grip in easy reach of her right hand and giving her a grand total of two hundred fifty rounds of ammunition.

The Utility Belt held her skirt in place as a normal belt would, but there were also eleven utility pouches attached to it, arranged about her waist. Most of them carried grenades of various sorts, though she also carried some Blood Clot Pills, oils for her Blazefire Saber, and holodisks to download any relevant electronic data to her P.I.P.-Boy. There was also one Speedy Healing Herb and a piece of Flint to scrape off of her Blazefire Saber in case she needed to start any fires.

The Blazefire Saber itself was an advanced piece of weaponry, a transformation-type "Gunblade" which could mechanically change forms at the flick of a switch near her thumb between a Basic Crossbow and a curved Longsword. Its roster of improvements was impressive - Internal Configuration kept its profile sleek and minimal for easy drawing and holstering, the Pistol Grip made it easy to handle one-handed in Crossbow form as was her preference, The Red Dot Sight and Crossbow scope gave her some aim assistance for hip fire and long distance shots respectively. The Sniper module made it easy to disassemble and reassemble for easy upgrades and maintenance as well as reducing the weight to make it easier to handle, while the Stabilizer cut the recoil for further handling quality. The Removable Stock balanced out the weight profile in Crossbow form, as well as making two-handed aim for long shots more comfortable, while the DNA Lock in the grip prevented the mechanical aspects from working for anyone other than herself. The blade also had Thermal and Cryo enhancements, applying Heat and Cold energy to strikes. Since the blade ran along the bottom of the barrel in Crossbow form, that energy could also be transferred to the loaded bolts for ranged application.

Sakurai's oceanic eyes scanned the crowds to find her allies, though she debated shifting to the blood scarlet hue of Sharingan. Her keen ears, each studded with a white gem - a double pearl Gem of the Wise on the left and a quartz Lightning Stone on the right - listened for any of the cues they might be nearby. Like the sound of wanton destruction. Seemed she couldn't take Kinzoku anywhere without him breaking everything for several meters. Honestly she had hoped for the chance to maybe have the potential at a private date with Tetsu, the Nara she considered her Partner, but having Kinz around wasn't so bad. If nothing else he could act as a buffer between them, and help her keep her emotional urges in check. Upsetting the status quo after all would have...far-reaching consequences, and she wasn't sure she was ready to handle that.

Still, she felt somehow uneasy. Something about this place was...off, and she couldn't quite put her finger on what, let alone how or why. Maybe she was just being paranoid. After all, the last time she'd been to an open market lane, her group had all but annihilated it. Blitz Squadron was built to handle the toughest assignments, but they really lacked in any sort of delicate touch. Subtlety was by far their greatest weakness. At least the place looked to still be standing. For now, anyway.

She sighed, and rubbed one hand against the back of her head. Maybe they should just find somewhere for drinks, and try to relax a little for a change. Technically nobody in the group was old enough to legally obtain or consume alcohol, but by her estimation if you were old enough to fight and die for your nation's security, prosperity, and power you were old enough to raise a glass in its honor.

"Sorry," She apologized when she finally caught up, "Ended up running a bit behind." She gave her companions a general appraisal at a glance, and suddenly felt rather overdressed. As usual. Then again, she was essentially a walking artillery when they had only gathered to do some casual shopping. "Nice specs, Tets. New?"

The Nara in question stopped to help out some kind of human advertisement for a place called the Dryad, which seemed to be an inn and pub, but he scoffed at the idea even as she was thinking it might be a decent idea to check it out. Maybe she shouldn't bring it up. Hm...ah, screw it, she was going to just go ahead and do it.

"Actually...that doesn't sound like too bad an idea. After all, we're here to have a bit of fun for a while and unwind a bit while we're off duty right?

[Coal]

As the others conversed, it would seem that only one would come to aid the Crier that was knocked down by the wooden spoon. Tetsu would pick up the spoon instead, a little to the dismay of the boy, but he was used to it. However, in this particular moment, with the shadows becoming deeper, longer, more sinister even though the day was reaching the high point where the sun would shine directly down (Yes, it’s around 10 ish), he would speak to Tetsu. His face would turn a little, becoming a little more grey and a little longer, his voice distorting just a bit, but only for Tetsu’s ears, and the eyes would go black with yellow irises. “Open your eyes so you can see the flames…”

To Tetsu, the world was slight shade of grey, losing color and becoming more macabre, as those walking the streets began to decay a little and elongate to some crazy deformity. Those in the hoods watched from a distance, always watching, their faces shrouded in shadow, their shadows growing the opposite direction than the light of the sun. Any time he blinked, those in the cloaks would be closer, those in the streets would lose more flesh, and the world would get a little grayer. After a moment, Tetsu would be surrounded by those in the masks, They would be gazing down at him, and he could nearly see their faces. Deformities all of them, creatures that had to keep themselves hidden, and they began to lean in further. Suddenly a hand on the shoulder and everything would be fine, it was the Crier boy and he was standing, giving Tetsu a look of concern. “Hey man, you might need a break. Better head inside with your friends and have a seat.” There was no trace of anything that just occurred.

For Kinzoku and Claire, the world was a fair and busy as it had always been, complete with color and healthy individuals on about their business. The shadows that had seemed longer before were now back to normal, although it was a real question if it had ever been a thing in the first place, or if just a hallucination. But regardless, a few people left the tavern, freeing up enough space for all of the team to enter, so that they could all enjoy a nice refreshing drink together, as the world was meant to be. There was a lot of rowdy sounds coming from the Tavern known as the Dryad, most of it was good, some of it sounded like it was getting angry, but all in all it was a rather normal Pub.

[Ace Detective Nara]

Tetsu had simply been trying to help the guy out, but the shadows he had only just noticed began to seem much longer than before, and even more than that…sinister? Evil? Malicious? Tetsu couldn’t quite put the feeling he was experiencing into words as he looked up at the fellow whom he was returning the spoon to only to find his face greying in tint and distorting in some weird fashion which made the fellow’s face seem longer. Tetsu recoiled, almost throwing himself backward to the ground as he caught himself on his back foot, shocked by what seemed to be happening as the strange gray face distortion seemed to have eyes of glaring black with yellow irises as for a brief moment his dull green eyes made contact with the yellow irises of what Tetsu could only assume was some sort of hallucination or maybe even an illusion of some sort. Being that understanding as it may, it didn’t make it any less scary as the words “Open your eyes so you can see the flames…” resonated in his ears.

The world slowly began to tint in a grey like color, as if the color was simply fading away. “What the hell…” Tetsu whispered, turning back to the street where his companions were standing and people were bustling about the market place. To Tetsu’s dismay, the people in the streets passing by seemed to be almost distorting and melting away, each instant becoming more and more decayed looking in appearance as he gazed upon the flesh rotten visages of his companions. Tetsu couldn’t help but feel horrified at what he was witnessing. It was as if they were melting into some sort of stretching beast right before his very eyes. Beyond his teammates, he noticed what looked like hooded figures, not quite like the regular people…just watching him as consequently he had to close his eyes for a blink. When he reopened his eyes, the masked figures seemed closer than before. “What?” Tetsu asked squinting his eyes just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things as he took his glasses off and wiped his eyes down.

Opening his eyes again, suddenly the people would be even closer, almost on top of him, as Tetsu couldn’t help but feel like these things were attempting to do something to him, as they all just seemed to be watching him. The World also seemed to be draining of more color and the people seemed to be becoming less and less human the more he blinked. Tetsu, for just a moment felt as if he was in some deep shit, as he blinked again, unable to force his eyes to remain open for too long as suddenly he was surrounded by these figures. Who were these people? What did they want with him? All these questions flooded Tetsu’s mind but he just couldn’t find the ability to speak as the creatures were clearly malformed and disfigured in such a way that that they had to keep themselves hidden. “Is this real?” Tetsu asked as he simply reaching out as they leaned in, his fingers extending forward to feel if these things were real or not as suddenly he felt himself being drug back to reality with what felt like a hand upon his shoulder.

“Hey man, you might need a break. Better head inside with your friends and have a seat.”

“Oh um sorry…um, yeah that’s probably a good idea…yeah…” Tetsu said walking back over to his compatriots, dropping the spoon as he didn’t have the will to carry it at this point. “Yeah Claire…these are new glasses, I like you’re piercing by the way…” Tetsu would state on his return as he seemed clearly shaken by whatever episode he had just had. It was clear that whatever those things had been, they had not been human, and furthermore they had done something to alter his view on reality. “Yeah let’s just go inside this pub, I could use a drink to be honest,” Tetsu would state a bit disheartened in tone to Claire as she would suggest that they enter. Nudging his head to the side as a gesture to get moving towards the bar. Tetsu would reach back as he would take the first steps forward, offering his gloved right hand to Claire in a gesture for her to clasp it. He needed a bit of emotional support right now, even though whatever just happened had only been some sort of illusion…or had it really been. Either way he needed some support to help understand what it was that he had just experienced.

If Claire grabbed his right hand, Tetsu would channel his understanding of the medical arts down into her arm as he would cast his Greater Status on the touch as his palm would feel warm to the touch as far as Claire was aware. Linking their chakra networks, Tetsu sighed a bit with relief as he felt that knowing her condition would help him discern if she was alright if another episode where it looked like the skin was being pealed right off the bone happened again. Using his free hand, Tetsu would pat Kinzoku on the shoulder, preforming the Status technique at the same time in theory as he would with Claire as he wanted to make sure that if something really crazy like that happened again he could keep track of if they were really alright or not. He was a bit shaken, but maybe drink would do him some good as they entered the strange bar which was a bit aggressive sounding, but all in all sounded much like a pub would.

Techniques Being Used

SPOILER: Click to show

Status, Greater
Rank: "B"
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: A jutsu Doctors learn to keep a mental status on their patients and is able to give a helping hand.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A touching technique. This Jutsu lasts for 5 hours per Class Level. A touching technique. This Jutsu lasts for 5 hours per Class Level. When the user needs to keep track of comrades who may get separated, Status allows the user to mentally monitor their relative positions and general condition. They are are aware of direction and distance to the creatures and any conditions affecting them: unharmed, wounded, disabled, staggered, unconscious, dying, nauseated, panicked, stunned, poisoned, diseased, confused, or the like. Once the Jutsu has been Performed upon the subjects, the distance between them and the User does not affect the Jutsu as long as they are in the same realm. If a subject leaves the plane, or if it dies, the Jutsu ceases to function for it. User can also perform a limiteed selection of Jutsus through the link, as if they were touching the target. The user may perform Jutsus that are harmless, "D" or "C" rank, help the Creature, and Jutsus have no range (Touch Jutsus). For example if the user is aware someone is dying they may perform a Healing Hands (Light) to try and help them. The number of creatures that may be affected is 1 per Class Level plus 1 for "B" and "S" Class making it a total 7 creatures at "S" Class.
Limit: Must be a Medical Doctor. Must know Status.
Can Affect: [5] creatures/people at "A" Class

Casting this both on Claire and Kinzoku

[Kinzoku]

As Claire arrived on the scene, Kinzoku nodded to her acknowledging her presence. Everyone was late once in a while, therefore who was he to judge? Turning back to the good samaritan Tetsu, Kinzoku would watch as a discomforted Tetsu would fumble his words in response to the Crier's suggestion. Dropping the spoon, Tetsu would completely go against his previous statement of it being too early to enter a Pub and took the Crier's advice.

"??"

Kinzoku would raise an eyebrow as Tetsu was acting weird. Kinzoku had never seen Tetsu act this way before. Even on their previous mission where Tetsu was confronted by a man about double his size, Tetsu seemed calm and collected. Therefore this unfamiliar Tetsu which was nervous and uncomfortable was not one Kinzoku was used to. As off-setting as this was, Kinzoku could not help but feel uneasy himself. Tetsu was his teammate and seeing him shaken up was not normal.

After Tetsu put his arm on Kinzoku's shoulder, Kinzoku would walk in the Pub with them. As he did, Kinzoku would try to make sure he was the last one in the pub before activating one of his techniques. With everyone in front of him, Kinzoku would resonate his soul from his body and tune the wavelength to a frequency that could communicate with the souls in the Pub. Scanning around Kinzoku would check the bar for anything that was unusual that could be discomforting to Tetsu.

"Why is he acting so weird?"

Kinzoku was intent on finding out why his teammate had done an entire three sixty and was suddenly acting weird. Due to this, Kinzoku would make sure he tried to search for any ill aligned souls and make note of any powerful souls in the Pub. While doing so, Kinzoku would play it cool on the outside. For now, he had no reason to fret too much. It wasn't as if their lives were in danger or anything. Plus, if he were to notice anything unusual with his Soul Tuning, he would be sure to confront Tetsu about it.

SPOILER: Click to show

Soul Tuning
Rank: "B"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: Using the ability to manipulate their soul, the user is able to sense other souls to greater degrees.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: By sacrificing a movement, the user can sense the presence or absence of creatures (or anything else) within a Soul within a cone distance of 20 meters + 2 meters per Resonance Technique. And their relative numbers and directions from the user, but not a pinpoint location. Most solid materials do not block this sense, but at least 2 meters of stone, wood, or earth, or 3 inches of iron or other heavy metal will block it, as will any solid sheet of lead. If the user has at least 25 Skill Points in Soul Wavelength then whenever they use Soul Tuning, the user can gain a general location as if they were using Blindsense, but only for the purpose of detecting things with souls. Also as an additional movement, the user may pinpoint the exact location of the soul as if they had Blindsight. In half a round action the user can gauge the Soul's Power. "D" Class Faint, "C" Class Moderate, "B" Class Strong, "A" and "S" Class Overwhelming. If the user's Class Level is "C" or lower, then they gauge an overwhelming Aura, the user is Dazed for 1 round. If the user has 50 Points into Soul Wavelength, whenever the user detects Souls, they can detect the positions of Souls as if they had blindsight. Also, as a Movement the user may detect the Alignment of the soul they can sense. If the user has at least 75 points into Soul Wavelength, then during the first movement, the user can also sense the alignment, and within half a round, the user can learn the soul's type and subtype, and also the basic makeup of their Class Level Specialists. This allows the user to make performances with Soul Wavelength at a range greater than touch but within the distance of Soul Tuning.
Limit: Must be a Mabuki. Must know Soul Wavelength 5 Skill Points.

Soul Wavelength is Mastered

[Deleted]

Taking Tetsu's offered hand with a grin, Claire ushered the group inside. Poor Tetsu, always so overworked. Seemed like it was starting to catch up with him. Probably Kinz's fault. Tetsu wasn't the type to enjoy the destruction the kid brought in his wake. That was more Claire's speed, though she did her best to act with more restraint.

Inside, she would scan the crowd looking for a good place to sit. Perhaps someone would lead them around, or else they would have to seat themselves. Either way, once they were tabled she dumped one thousand ryo on the table. As soon as possible, she ordered a round of Ciders, no change needed back, and began digging through her smallest pouch to pull out a handful of jewelry.

"Got you guys some presents," she explained, sliding a Skull of Strength ring and a Gem of the Wise stud earring to Kinzoku, and two rings - a Skull of Strength and a Skull of the Ghost - as well as an unset Gem of the Wise and the small bag of Saddilia nuts over to Tetsu. "Something of a celebration of our successes, and a hope for more. We're the best and brightest of Konoha, after all. Drinks are on me."

---

Cider (Wine)
Rank: "B"
Type: Main, Ingestibles, Alcohol
Effect: Alcoholic cider is an ancient beverage that is commonly served alongside wine and ale.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A wine alcohol produced with the brewing skill. Typically found in various locations. Alcoholic cider is an ancient beverage that is commonly served alongside wine and ale. Though often preferred by many ale and beer drinkers, the creation of cider is a bit more similar to wine making than it is brewing. Usually cider is treated to a mild spicing of a dash or two of cinnamon, clove, or other such spices during its fermentation process. Strength: 6; Serving Size: Half-Bottle
Ingredients 4 large pitchers of apples.
Limit: These types of items may be bought inside any Alchemist Shop.
Cost: 15,600 Ryo Each. Serving Size Cost: 293 Ryo Each.

[Madame Loki]

Kinz would indeed feel a dark presences, but it may not be from the sources he may have hoped for, and it would be coming from behind him. A familiar figure would walk through the doors of the bars and begin to push Kinz forward mostly to get him out of the way. She was adorned and a clearly new "Battle Dress". Even the light in the bar would glisten off of the Celestial Mithral material that the battle dress was made up. It protected everything but her head, and the the back area that were left open. Underneath the battle dress, hugged tightly to her body, was her Catwalk Stunner, the color of which matched the darker Navy Blue colors present on her Armor. However just like the battle dress her back area would be exposed, and on her lower back was what would look like a tattoo, but was her Suns Renewal Seal. She wore her hair longer than she usually did, and  her dark locks flowed almost to her knees. The battle dress was cut low in the front to show off her cleavage.

Or it would it have if not for her Golden Witch Watch was hanging from her neck. The golden Watch held, a handful of Harness gem, some common and other of her own design. It held the Gem of Telekensis, Gems of Energy (Cold Moderate),Doolittle Gem, Gem of the Wise, Gem of Insight, and a Tear of Raijin. Lower on her body, around the belly button was another seal, her Soul Guard Seal. As the bar door closed behind her she adjusted her the glasses on her face with her left hand. These glasses were not prescription, they were actually specialized goggles that held 8 lens; Anti-Flash Lenses, Zooming Vision(x100 zoom), Canny Descrier, X-Ray Vision, Condition Viewing Vision, Camera Vision x1, Thermal Vision x1, Compass Lensatic x1.

Her hands where gloved due to the design of the armor, but what was more curious was a large, what looked like a metal bracelet on her arm. This was in fact a wrist strap that contained 4 half pouches. Inside side of 3 of the pouches was a single Witch Tear Grenade, and the 4th pouch was a Disruptor, with both a Mine and Emitter Detonator. She would scratch the Byakugō no In Seal on her lower left of her face under her lip, that looked to be nothing more than a mole, a little imperfection that made Loki perfection. he looked around at the bar and saw where Claire and Tetsu were and began to walk over towards them. She sighed, as she looked back at Kinz, as she continued to walk towards the others, her Trigger Boots clacking against the bar floor as she went. They held the Gem Of Energy( Fire Moderate); Gem of Energy( Electricity Moderate) attached to the shin area of the knee high boots, that added an extra 6in to her natural height, having her standing at around 6'2 at the moment.

On the boots heels combined with the Trigger Boots were the Toccatta, which housed Gem of Prescience, and Gems of Energy (Acid Greater) Harness gems, and the Nocturne that house the Gems of Energy (Sonic Greater). As she walked towards her team, her hips would sway, and she would move through the bar, as if she owned it. If one had a keen eye they may have been able to spot, through all her hair, the other two Crossbows she had holstered on her lower back, under neath her battle dress. These were the other half of The Love is Blue Set. The Prelude .v2, which housed a spirit Amber, and the Minuet .v2, that also housed a Spirit Amber, as well as a Crystal Ice. Each one of her crossbows had a permanent Hiraishin seal on their handles, that looked like a kiss stain with butterfly wings protruding from them. They were also all loaded with a full pistol magazine of Witch Tears Bolts, which consisted of Witch Tear Explosive bolt heads, a balanced shaft, and Spinning Razor Blade Fletchings.

Finally making her way to their table, she pulled up a chair and sighed. As sat down and crossed her legs. Her long hair fell over her shoulders and most of her legs. She flipped her hair a bit and looked at Claire, "Best and the Brightest huh? Well that does certainly apply to me. And do you really think... getting drunk is necessary?" Loki would ask as she ran her finger over the bar table. Lifting her finger up see would see some of the dirt that was on her gloved finger. Her face frowned up as she reached over and wiped the dirt off on Claire's shoulder as she obviously didn't seem to care much about such things. Loki folded her arms, "So why are we here again? And why is Kinz being weird?"

[Coal]

Drinks! Of course drinks! Even though it was the middle of the day, there were still many people inside of the bar, stirring up a ruckas as the older folks would say. These men were rugged, although they were not violent in appearance, despite most being pale like those who worked nights or in mines with little solar contact. Hay and sawdust was spread all over the floor, the reason becoming obvious the as the drunker patrons would spill their mead and beer, and this was a technique to keep slipping in check. Waitresses weaved between tables like anaconda on a river made of alcohol and straw. Lightning quick were their strikes, leaving drink and hardly a trace, trained by years of avoiding pinches and unwanted grabs.

The Quartet’s wine was delivered with haste, lightning fast in fact, with glasses set for all of them in the blink of an eye. The noise of the Tavern was nearly deafening to those not used to such bustle, making some of the words lost in the drone, as was the case with Loki’s words; unless you had the ears to hear them. It was muggy in the tavern, hot as well, although not nearly as hot as it had been outside. However, after a moment, the noise began to die down as a woman took to a stage that was not previously noticeable. The lights dimmed and only those for the stage remained, nestled opposite the bar (to the west as the bar is toward the east with the front door facing south if you’re leaving). Her song was sad, lamenting, and yet it was beautiful as well. The highs, the lows, the delivery, it could really take you to a place where you could feel the world on your shoulders.

I wait for you upon this barren earth,
I pine for you beside this cold death hearth,
And in my mind I see your face so clear,
Even though my eyes can see that you are no longer near…no longer here…
…with me…

The beating of your heart was so silent,
The taking of your soul much to violent,
Yet you fought for me with all you had,
You’re gone forever but I know you’re glad…
…not me…no…not me…

Many patrons looked down at their drinks with sad faces, remembering lovers or brothers, wives or mothers, while this woman dressed all in black sang this very ballad. She was beautiful, far too beautiful to be normal, and she drew all the light to her body as she sang. Or…was there never any light at all? This time they could all see it, even Loki, if they cared to look, but how could they resist? The light was leached, absorbed by this singing woman as the darkness grew from her clothing, claws of blackness scraping at the floor, ripping away the boards. Her eyes were blood red, dripping from a too beautiful face, and maggots began to fall upon the floor. Everything was maggots, falling in the drinks, dripping from the flesh of the other patrons. If Claire were to look down into her glass at any point during this, she would fine an eyeball staring back at her, the iris impossibly blue. The eye would blink once, but would otherwise continue to stare.

Even the walls and tables had begun to decay, becoming old, the building sagging under the mush of rotted wood. Even so, the woman never stopped singing until this very moment, her final words hanging on the air like a man would hang from the rafters, a rope around his neck to dangle in the hearts and minds of those who looked upon him.

Fear me not and embrace your keeper…
Come children, come to the reaper…
…Unto Death…unto sleep…forever…

Something crawled from the darkness, black and horrible, with skin speckled with bumps and scales. Puss dripped from open sores around its eyes and mouth, the ten eyes all aimed at the for who sat upon the table, but the gaze most heavily upon Tetsu. Yellow fangs and sickly claws, a forked tongue and three barbed tails, spiked all the way down its back. This creature had ten horns upon his head, each with a crown of thorns, and it cackled. Suddenly it was coming forward, swiftly, scrapping across the floor and through the tables, the blood running like a river from the patrons caught in its wake. Too fast to escape properly, even with the shunshin, it was faster than anything earthly could possibly be, and its jaw opened to an incredulous size to show three rows of yellowed rotten fangs on top and bottom. The screech it let out was deafening and unworldly, like the darkness incarnate and it was upon them, leaping forward.

Suddenly the light would return with a slight wobble effect, as if one were pulled from a realm inside of a bubble, or a ripple in a pond. Nothing had changed and the woman stepped off stage, her dress was blue and she was good looking, but not quite beautiful with auburn hair. There was not a sign of anyone else in the area, but the crowd was lively and cheering, not somber and thoughtful. A hooded figure stepped out into the day, but he was bumped, dropping a single golden token to the ground, silent in the fall due to the straw and sawdust. It would be tough to see, but someone with the right eyes could do so. But what the hell was going on around here? The sound of a whistle could be heard outside, muc like that of a train, and it seemed to pierce the air regardless of the noise…

[Coal]

[Kinz and the Soul Tuning]

As the Soul Tuning is used, you see nothing at first, then it comes into focus gradually, as if something is fogging your Tuning. You never reach full focus, as if there’s too much interference, and everything is hazy and generalized. All souls that you perceive are in the cool color spectrum ranging from blues to greens. However, everything looks normal, even the hooded figure who exited the Tavern, however, something does stand out. A yellow soul upon the floor, the shape of a coin, but…coins can’t have souls, can they? Clearly it is an immortal soul, but…what is it? This is the only thing that stands out in this generalized room of souls.

[Ace Detective Nara]

The drinks came around to the table as they took their seats at the really dusty bar. There must have been some sort of sawdust or pollen or something in the air as Tetsu sneezed into his elbow, hating how dusty everything seemed to feel inside of the bar. The bar maids moved faster than lightning fast maneuvers as they placed the drinks on the table with the skill of a true waitress. The moved pretty quick, and pretty swiftly. Yawning as Tetsu shook his head at the noise. “God it’s noisy in here,” he complained as he couldn’t even here his own statement, let alone his thoughts. It was sweltering, and he could feel the sweat rolling down his brow as he tried to forget the very strange masked people he had seen only a few moments earlier. Today was certainly not looking too good, especially since he was hallucinating. Maybe he was working himself too hard? Regardless Tetsu would sigh and attempt to relax as he would bring his glass up to his lips.

Right before taking a sip of his wine, the lights would die down as Tetsu was suddenly distracted, lowering his beverage to the table as a woman, whom was not previously noticeable on a stage that was likewise mysterious, began to sing. The Stage itself seemed to be to the west of the bar, but to the east of the doors, probably more so in-between the two as Tetsu would lean back in his chair, listening to the sad song begin as it was clear that she was singing in a minor key.

I wait for you upon this barren earth,

I pine for you beside this cold death hearth,

And in my mind I see your face so clear,

Even though my eyes can see that you are no longer near…no longer here…

…with me…

The beating of your heart was so silent,

The taking of your soul much too violent,

Yet you fought for me with all you had,

You’re gone forever but I know you’re glad…

…not me…no…not me…

The notes echoed softly, as if being sang by a master of the vocal arts. Clearly this singer had spent many night practicing these lines, as if making them part of her very being. The feeling could be felt though her words and tone. It was a very well done, but the lyrics sounded kind of eerie, and ominous. Tetsu couldn’t help but feel a little unsettled by the words seemed to leech the light right out of the room as Tetsu noticed as the woman seemed to be taking all the light into herself as she sang. It was in this moment that Tetsu thought to himself that this woman couldn’t be human. He was a master of shadows, and recognized shadow play when he saw it. Clearly it wasn’t anything of the Nara clan, like his own specialty, but more so something much deeper and sinister, maybe an illusion? Regardless Tetsu was still caught off guard when suddenly everything seemed to deteriorate into hell once again. The woman suddenly had shadowy claws reaching from her dress and her eyes began to appear blood red. Maggots, rot, it was everywhere as the table, the floor, even his drink was full of the grotesque things. Tetsu was starting to think he was going crazy as the bar itself seemed to decay around them.

Fear me not and embrace your keeper…

Come children, come to the reaper…

…Unto Death…unto sleep…forever…

He heard the woman continue as he could still feel the weight of what was happening around him in his heart. That weight only thickened when suddenly a huge creature, black, with scaly puss sore ridden skin, ten eyes that were aimed at him and his compatriots but it seemed as if it was staring most heavily at him. He noticed the ten horns and crowns of thorns as all he could do was stare at the thing with a look of nonchalance, attempting not to show how scared he really was. That quickly changed as it cackled and began moving through the crowd leaving blood in its wake. It moved faster than anything he had ever seen in his life, and all Tetsu could do was shout “Motherfucker!” As he reactively launched the liquid in his glass at the creature as he brought his other hand up to guard his face as the creature was suddenly gone and the wine would splash upon the sawdust upon the floor.

“What the hell was that?” Tetsu asked as he looked over to Claire and then to Kinzoku and Loki. He was so confused as to what happened as he noticed the woman singing was now only a simple woman in a blue dress, pretty, but not beautiful. He was not sober enough for something like this…Pushing himself to his feet, Tetsu scanned the room, looking for anything that would explain what happened, or maybe some clues that could help him fathom what had just happened.

Evidence Analysis
Rank: "E"
Skill: Skill
Effect: A skill to identify and categorize evidence.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The Evidence Analysis skill spotlights large-scale inspections, ranging from wide collections of interviews to long information tours. The Evidence Analysis skill is used to "canvass" an area (i.e. interview many people in a short time, seeking information about specific topics or suspicious behavior). It’s also used to tell whether someone has searched an area or body before the user, and to research topics. This skill is common among police, field operatives, amateur and professional researchers, and other inquisitive archetypes. If user has 25 or more Ranks in History, Local (Specific Country) user gains a Synergy Bonus +10 to Evidence Analysis to Profile, and gain Information on people. If user has 25 or more Ranks in Evidence Analysis user gains a Synergy Bonus +10 to Ballistics, Blood Spatter Analysis, Cultures (When gaining Information on Others), DNA Profiling, Know Ability, Observation, and Sense Motive. Each time learned user gets 1 die roll to increase the skill.
Limit: ---
TP:20
SP:35/125

Observation
Rank: "E"
Skill: Skill
Effect: This skill focuses certain powers of observation - sight, smell, hearing, and touch.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Can be learned by an Animal. A failed check indicates that the character is oblivious until the thing is pointed out to him. This skill is important for ferreting out advancing enemies or ambushes, generally real-time events and actions occurring, versus scrutiny, which covers static objects or areas. A Game Master may roll an Observation skill check for a Character any time there is an NPC, monster, event or happening that a character might notice, even if he did not specifically state that he is monitoring his surroundings. Characters are capable of noticing any event within their perception. Observation reveals only facts, not motivation. If user has 25 or more Ranks in Evidence Analysis user gains a Synergy Bonus +10 to Observation. Each time learned user gets 1 die roll to increase the skill.
Limit: ---
TP:20
SP:52/125

[Sorry I took so long, I had lots of assignments this week T-T]

[Kinzoku]

At first, Kinzoku could not make anything out in the bar. Everything seemed to be fine, but then again, his soul tuning did seem hazy. This had not happened since he first trained the technique. With this information Kinzoku assumed it was something with the bar. Maybe for security reasons they had something that disrupted chakra in there. Either way, if it was the rules of the bar, there was nothing Kinzoku could do. He just had to be aware he could not solely rely on his chakra.

"?!"

As Loki nudged Kinzoku it shocked him out of his thinking trance. Following her to the table, Kinzoku continued to observe the room even though his soul tuning was hazy. Watching the waitresses move with such elegance and grace, dodging all unwanted attention, Kinzoku tried to do the same to get to the table. First, he dodged a waitress, but in doing so, bumped into a table. Recovering from the table he bumped another waitress. As he back away from her, apologizing, a hand that was meant to grope her caught him.

Kinzoku's face grew red with anger and embarrassment. After that he just followed the waitress going to their table and used her as cover. Still bumping a couple people and tables Kinzoku arrived at the table enraged. But before he could say anything Claire handed them gifts.

"Aww... for me? Thanks Claire! I had something for you guys as well but I did not bring it today since I did not know what the plans were."

Kinzoku would then put on the ring and insert the stud into his left ear. Suddenly, the light would start to leave the bar. It seemed as if the the bar was growing darker by the second. When Kinzoku turned towards the only source of light, he was met by a lady who was singing. As she sung her song, a creature appeared from the darkness and began to make it's way towards Tetsu. Pushing off from the table made of maggots, Kinzoku got up and tried to step on the creature as hard as he could while shaking off the maggots on his hand. But as quickly as the creature came, it had left and all that was under his foot was the drink Tetsu had thrown at the creature.

"Dammit! I need to be faster. Tetsu was able to throw his drink before I could arrive to stomp on it."

Suddenly something would grab Kinzoku's attention as everything came back to "normal".

"!!"

A yellow small soul would his the floor by the exit. It was dropped by a hooded figure exiting the bar. As Kinzoku raced to grab it, he just stared at it intrigued.

"Guys, I don't know what's going on but this place is weird. Did anyone else see that thing that attacked Tetsu? Not to mention, some guy dropped this coin about the same time the creature disappeared and the coin has a soul."

Kinzoku would then sit in silence, allowing the information to sink in. Not to mention, he wondered what input his team would have.

SPOILER: Click to show

Received:

Skull of Strength Ring
Rank: "S"
Type: Secondary, 15 per Slot, Harnessed Gem
Effect: A harnessed Gem that gives TaiJutsu Damage strength to those who has the skull.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A skull of strength is carved from a flawless crystal of amethyst of a light violet color. The skull that is carved is about 2 inches in height. Once carved, the skull’s natural alchemical properties are released. When a person carries or holds a skull of strength, their strength increases by increasing all TaiJutsu Damage by +4. Scratching or otherwise damaging the skull negates its alchemical property.
Limit: These types of items may be bought inside any Alchemy Shop. With a 25% chance of finding.
Cost: 8,500 Ryo Each.

Gem of the Wise Stud
Rank: "S"
Type: Secondary, 50 per Slot, Harnessed Gem
Effect: A harnessed Gem that improves the wearer's institution and strengthens their willpower.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Jewelers are always after the perfect pearl, a flawless sphere that is the perfection of the oysters toil. While a perfect pearl may fetch a kingly sum, Alchemists and others who harness the natural Alchemical properties from gems and minerals will scoff at such a perfect specimen. For these people, the pearls true luster and Alchemy is only revealed in a seemingly flawed specimen. A pearl that has grown with 2 ovoid hemispheres that resembles a brain in shape allows the natural Alchemical properties to be harnessed. It is rare for a pearl to form naturally into this shape, and a highly specialized profession of culturing pearls to grow into this shape has cropped up. Even with growing cultured pearls, the chance of successfully growing a gem of the wise is slim. It requires a well-crafted seed to be prepared and then placed inside the oyster. After several years the oyster is opened and only then will the culture know if they were successful. The pearls natural Alchemical properties is released in a properly grown pearl. Holding or wearing the pearl improves the wearer’s intuition and strengthens their willpower. The bearer receives a +25 competence bonus to Sense Motive skill checks and a +4 competence bonus to Will saves.
Limit: These types of items may be bought inside any Alchemy Shop. With a 20% chance of finding.
Cost: 35,000 Ryo Each.

[Deleted]

Claire raised her glass with a smirk in acknowledgement of her companions, and took a deep drought. In a way, the rowdy place reminded her of home. Sure her poor village was a peaceful place on the whole, but there was always a sense of bustle to it very much unlike the Manor she lived in now with her Captain. She smiled, in good spirits on the whole.

The drink wasn't strong enough to have any meaningful effect on her with only the first round, but she still enjoyed the flavor. Alcoholic or no, Claire loved warm spiced Cider. The fresher the Apples used, the better.

After a minstrel took the stage, the place quieted somewhat out of respect for the performer. It was only proper courtesy, really. The song, although the words seemed to flow in one ear and out the other so to speak, resonated within her, evoking emotional responses she hadn't quite expected. It felt meaningful somehow, as though it was meant for her to hear, but she couldn't quite place how or why.

And then the world went very sideways, very quickly. The light drained from the room, and everything took a more sinister tint. A single gazing eye emerged from the depths of her mug, staring into her own heterochromatic gaze as maggots emerged from the walls, the floor, the ceiling. The patrons and the minstrel took on a horrific, rotting caste. Something was very, very wrong.

She had the training and discipline to maintain her composure, unlike Tetsu and Kinzoku who reacted instinctively. There were three options here. The first was that their drinks had been spiked. It was unlikely given that they all appeared to be seeing the same thing. The second was that someone was messing with their heads, that this was an elaborate illusion being cast upon them. The third, and what she prayed was least probable was that this was really happening. Perhaps in that event the bar itself was the illusion, disguising a grotesque trap.

To verify the situation, she did two things. First, she would stop suppressing the Light she emitted naturally at all times, allowing her body to shine freely like the sun. Twenty meters would be lit as if by broad daylight, another twenty as if by way of a good quality torch. If there was a chakra or chakra-like Darkness effect present, her Light would cancel it out, and if not the creeping shadows should be dispelled by her incandescence.

The second was to send a small amount of chakra to her eyes, activating her Uchiha blood and transforming her blue-green irises to the scarlet hues of the Sharingan. With this, although she would still be subject to the effects of any genjutsus that managed to penetrate her mind, she would be able to identify them and take appropriate measures if any were present.

When the dread beast arose, her sight locked on to it naturally as the most threatening thing in the room. It moved frightfully fast, though she should be capable of tracking it, and made as though to assault Tetsu. If it was an illusion, she wouldn't bother with any physical actions. They wouldn't have any effect, and there was no way she could reach the Nara in time to Dispel him. She would have to just heal him after the fact.

On the other hand if it was real...well, there was still the issue of rising from her seat and crossing the distance, but she trusted that her beloved Partner could handle himself on reflex alone for at least a moment. In the meantime she would simply hammer it with a Chakra Missile at full power and see what if anything that might accomplish. At-will, a cluster of seven dense masses of pure chakra could appear in the air around her and streak unerringly toward her target, each with roughly enough power to cause Minor injuries. Applied individually, they wouldn't be too powerful, but it would make for a decent test shot, but she was able to combine them mid-shot into a more powerful cumulative burst capable of inflicting damage beyond Critical injuries.

As quickly as the scenario began, regardless of outcome, it would fade away as though nothing had ever happened. On the plus side, she would still be sitting down, and likely wouldn't have so much as spilled her drink. Still, that was a bizarre occurrence and in no way could it be coincidental. She had to think. Did she recognize that creature? Hard to say.

---

Attitude Justifications

Icy Calm
Rank: "C" [10 TP]
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: Having grown up on a diet of unnerving situations, user is particularly difficult to frighten.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: User might not enjoy their own fear, but they have certainly grown used to it. User receives a +4 cultural bonus on all Saves against effects that induce or cause fear. In addition, the user that is shaken suffer only half of the normal effects.
Limit: Must learn from Universal Miscellaneous.

Fearless
Rank: "D" [10 TP]
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User has a strong grip on their nerves and are very difficult to terrify.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Whether it is through experience or sheer stubbornness, user shrugs off fear and continue on their way, unaffected by even the most fearsome beasts. User gain a +3 competence bonus to all saves versus Fear effects.
Limit: Must learn from Universal Miscellaneous. Must know Iron Will.

Strong Stomach
Rank: "D" [10 TP]
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: A person occasionally encounters scenes that are unpleasant.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: This technique applies to people who are relatively unshaken by gore scenes. A user gains a+2 Will save when faced with gory or morbid scenes.
Limit: Must learn from Universal Miscellaneous.



Scenario Investigation

Scintillant Form
Rank: "A" [90 TP]
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: The user may turn their body into pure light while becoming immune to blinded and dazzled conditions.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The user's body has begun its transformation into a vessel of pure light. The akasin is now immune to the blinded and dazzled conditions. In addition, the user's body radiates a constant Daylight effect (Duration 50 minutes per Class Level. User sheds light as bright as full daylight in a 20-meter radius, and dim light for an additional 20 meters beyond that. Creatures that take penalties in bright light also take them while within the radius of this Chakra Light. Despite its name, this ability is not equivalent of Daylight for the purposes of creatures that are damaged or destroyed by bright light. Daylight brought into an area of Chakra Darkness (or vice versa) is temporarily negated, so that the otherwise prevailing light condition exist in the overlapping areas of effect. Daylight counters or dispels any Darkness Jutsu of equal or lower level.) This effect can be suppressed or resumed as a movement.
Limit: Must be a practitioner of The Eight Celestial Gates. Must be a practitioner of the Akasin Philosophy.

Sharingan (写輪眼 "Copy Wheel Eye,") 2nd Tomoe
Rank: "B" [60 TP]
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: The Sharingan (写輪眼 "Copy Wheel Eye,") 2nd Tomoe allows the user to track movements and copy them for techniques. User is also capable of piercing stronger GenJutsus.
Special: ---
Drawback: Technique Copying has its limits as well as Movement tracking.
Description: Sharingan (写輪眼 "Copy Wheel Eye,") 2nd Tomoe The eyes of the user turns red in color with a black pupil in the middle. Two Tomoe (Comma) appears along the opposite ends of the eyes. Each eye gains two Tomoe.
Able to see through "B" Rank and lower GenJutsus.
Able to copy a technique to learn. Every Training Point User earns they get an Additional Point to learn the technique.
Additional Point does Not go into User's Class, nor Mastery.
Additional Point takes away from learning Capacity such as universal technique points and non mastery points.
May only copy Releases (If you know Release first), Perceptions (If you know Perception first), and Basic non Chakra Related Fighting Styles and TaiJutsu Techniques.
May copy Technique Trees if user learns the first technique that starts the Technique Tree.
Does not Copy Multi Ranked Techniques, except the first initial technique.
Does not Copy Selfish Techniques

Must watch technique being performed at all times whether it is Playable Character or Non Playable Character. Must not take eyes off of person performing said technique.

Limit: Must know Sharingan (写輪眼 "Copy Wheel Eye,") 1st Tomoe, Must know Written Copy.



Chakra Missile Damage Rating: 126 AP

Force Specialization
Rank: "C" [10 TP]
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: The user is able to strike harder with their Force Jutsus than any normal Force Specialist can.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A Force Specialist adds +1 bonus damage to each Rank of the Jutsu they performed that is a Force Jutsu. If the Force Jutsu does not deal damage expressed by rank, the user adds only a +1 bonus to the total damage dealt.
Limit: Must be a Shape Transformation Specialist. Must have mastered Shape Transformation Specialist.

Chakra Missile
Rank: "D" [10 TP]
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: The user shoots missiles made from force at a target or targets.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The user is able to perform this technique at a distance of 30 meters plus 15 meters per class level. User is able to target up to 5 creatures, no 2 of which can be more than 5 meters apart. The Duration of the Jutsu is Instantaneous. A missile of Chakra energy darts forth from the user's hands and strikes its target, dealing 5 Armour points of Force Damage. Specific parts of a creature cannot be singled out. Inanimate objects are not damaged by the Jutsu. For every Class Level starting at "D" Class, the user gains an additional missile—If the user shoots multiple missiles, the user can have them strike a single creature or several creatures. A single missile can strike only 1 creature.
Limit: Must be a Shape Transformation Specialist.

Bonus Missile
Rank: "C" [10 TP]
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User creates more Chakra Missiles than normal.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A Force Missile user gains increased mastery over their Jutsu of choice. Every time they perform a Chakra Missile an additional Missile is created even this extra missile exceeds the normal maximum of 5 Missiles that the Jutsu normally allows. Thus, a "C" Class user will release 3 Missiles. At "B" Class the user benefits from an additional Bonus Missile. This means that an "S" Class user can create up to 7 missiles with a single performing of Chakra Missile.
Limit: Must be a Shape Transformation Specialist. Must know Chakra Missile.

Combined Missiles
Rank: "B" [40 TP]
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User can combine all their Chakra missiles into a single missile to overcome damage reduction and hardness.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The user can choose to combine all the missiles from the same performing of a Chakra Missile Jutsu into a single missile. This missile inflicts an amount of damage equal to the total damage of all the missiles. This same technique may be applied to all Chakra Missile techniques including techniques that need the knowledge of Chakra Missile.
Limit: Must be a Shape Transformation Specialist. Must know Chakra Missile.

Legendary Missiles +4
Rank: "A" [70 TP]
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User can make their Chakra Missiles larger and more powerful.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The Chakra Missiles enhanced by this Jutsu deal greater damage, each missile doing 7 Armour Points of damage. Jutsu Handseal/Chakra Increase: 1 Rank. Unlike most Jutsu Enhancement techniques, this one can be applied to a Chakra Missile Jutsu multiple times, each time increasing the damage of the missiles and increasing the chakra and time of the effective Jutsu. Thus +2 Ranks deal 9 Armour Points of damage per Missile. +3 Ranks deal 13 Armour Points of damage per Missile. +4 Ranks deal 17 Armour Points of damage per Missile. All other supplementary may still be applied.
Limit: Must be a Shape Transformation Specialist. Must know Chakra Missile.

Still Missile
Rank: "S" [100 TP]
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User can perform their Chakra Missiles and other associated techniques without needing arm movements.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: All of the user's Chakra Missile techniques including techniques associated with Chakra Missile no longer need hand and arm movements. The user can perform these techniques as if they were using a Still Jutsu technique but without an increased Handseal/Chakra level.
Limit: Must be a Shape Transformation Specialist. Must know Chakra Missile.


Monster Identification Check: 50 effective skill

0 base [Untrained]

Improved Monster Lore
Rank: "C" [10 TP]
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: The user is obsessed with the abilities and weaknesses of Creatures.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The user gains a sacred bonus on all skill checks to identify the abilities and weaknesses of Non Animal Lore creatures equal to 10 per Class Level. This technique replaces Monster Lore with the higher ability.
Limit: Must be a Venator. Must know Monster Lore.

[Madame Loki]

Loki grimaced at the sight of the drinks. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy liquor as much as the next person, it was the fact that, she refused to let her lips touch anything from this filthy bar. She pushed the glass away from her and gently rubbed her hands together to make sure that nothing had gotten on her gloves. She sighed as she looked at the rest of them seeming to enjoy themselves. Loki folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, as she waited for them to get this non-sense out of their system so they could actually do something constructive. Her attention was then drawn to the stage by the performer. The looks the woman was getting... irritated Loki.

She rolled her eyes and look down at her hands as the woman would begin to preform her song. Loki started to hum to herself out of spite of the woman, having no desire to listen to her third rate voice. Yes, Loki could be that petty. Loki glanced up just in time to see a creature crawl out from the shadows on the stage. "Filthy place... of course it would house such filth." Loki was going to make a move to eliminate the threat, but then saw the beast move at extreme speeds. Loki's eyes narrowed as she watched the monster move not over the tables but through them. Loki's lips pursed with annoyance, it was either a creature not of these plane, or a hallucination of some sort. Loki highly doubt it was a genjutsu, he mind was too strong for such nonsense to work. Unless of course... it was of the glamour variety.

Regardless, it was not something that would be dealt with physically. If it was truly a threat, she would just deal with the fall out afterwards. Her time would be better spent figuring out why and how it was happening. But in all honesty, she really didn't care to. Loki sighed again, and folded her arms as everything returned to normal, and the beautiful singer turned out to be quite plain indeed. Loki smirked as she settled more into her sit, hallucinations... hallucinations targeting Tetsu specifically, "Who did you piss off Tetsu? They're clearly sending you a message. Best find it quick." Loki would comment, as if the situation had nothing to do with her. Which in her mind it didn't.

[Coal]

[First: The results of your searches and the consequences]

[Tetsu]

The evidence before you is little, perhaps even none, and yet you search. There are no marks upon the ground, that wooded floor, dust in the air kicked up in the huff by Claire. A drink upon the wood, soaking into those thirsty beams, and you know it to be your own. A scuff mark made by the boot of Kinzoku, although nothing worth noting, as you knew who did that without a doubt. The patrons are…gone, you do notice this, as there is nobody in this building and it gets stranger still. That wood, that thirsty beam, and others like it are all actually rotted, as with the tables and the chairs. Cobwebs line the ceiling, mice scurry in the corner, and the beam of the rooftop allow lances of light to pierce the darkness and allow the motes of dust to dance. Another curiosity is that there is in fact fresh chilled drinks in your glasses, actual wine, without any nonsense about it like it has been all day it seems, even the mugs and glasses of the other patrons were there and fresh. Finally you could hear a whistle blow in the distance outside of the building, but it sounded lower than street level. You can see that the dust seems…odd, near the bar. This seems to be all you notice.

[Kinzoku]

As he moved from the team, he would notice that everything was rotted and empty, just like Tetsu had done, the dust dancing in the air from those Chakra Missiles that Claire had used to assault the floor. Picking up the coin, he would feel that it was warm, and it also felt friendly, if that could be such a feeling. Engraved upon the coin was a few words ‘D_NTO_ STATIO__ One Fair covers most!’ On the back was the picture of a train and below that train was a name that was still clear ‘Blaine’. As Kinz went to park his behind to sit and wait, the weight of his body would cause the chair to creek, then snap a split second later sending up more of the dust that seemed to coat everything now. On the bright side, the chair waited until he was done addressing his companions before breaking to pieces below him, spilling him on the floor if his reflexes were not lightning fast.

[Claire]

There had been no chakra to see from the creature and yet it had been no illusion either, as there was no chakra flows to pierce. The light did not seem to effect anything, save for shining a light in Loki’s face, but the creature vanished in any case before those Chakra Missiles could strike, forcing the dust to dislodge from its final rest to begin another journey. The creature was nothing she had ever seen before, her lore of no use in discerning the identity of the being. However, she was correct that her drink had not spilled at all, so that was a blessing, because even though the building was rotted and abandoned, the heat of the day still seemed to be within it and a chilled drink was a blessing.

[Loki]

Loki, miss pristine Loki, had not lifted a finger for her teammates and they all had been in a position to know; although whether they cared was another matter. It was true that the creature had not come for her, leaving her to her musings, allowing her a more aloof place of judgement on the situation. She would notice that the place was empty and rotted, the lances of light allowing the motes of dust to dance within them, and the fact that the glasses were all actually very clean with chilled wine with them; at least those that had survived. Beyond that, Loki did not see much else. [Must Beat a concentration check (Will) DC of 30 at a -20 Will Save]

[Now the fun parts: Statuses!]

Oddly enough, Loki would be the first to feel it, a tickle in the back of her throat and a tingle under her flesh; all of her flesh. It was like little bugs, maybe ants, were crawling around all over beneath her skin. There would be no visible change to her skin though, nothing moving beneath the surface, but that knowledge would not cause the sensation to fade. Her very last feeling seemed to continue to increase, that irritation that she felt before the creature had appeared, continuing to grow and grow very slowly. It was the kind of irritation one would feel when your shirt would get snagged, or someone would eat the last snack that you had been saving, maybe even leaving the dishes laying around for you to pick up like a mother of some kind. The world would seem to grate on her nerves. [Must Beat a concentration check (Will) DC of 30 at a -20 Will Save when using skills or techniques. +15 striking power of Taijutsu techniques]

As for Claire, she would be the next to feel it, like a restlessness in her fingers, causing them to constantly move ever so slightly and oh so randomly. Every couple of seconds, maybe a delay of three seconds maximum, one of her fingers would twitch. Every now and then more than one would twitch if the calm went to three seconds too often, and even her hands would sometimes spaz open and closed just once, rarely, but still enough to pose a problem in the future. In addition to that, it would always seem like someone was standing behind her, breathing on her neck constantly, with warm wet breath like that of a dog. No matter how fast she turned around, it was always be behind her, happening randomly it seemed, and for no set time at all. [-15 Striking Power to Taijutsu and -5 to Will Saves. Concentration Check (Will) DC of 20 at a -10 Will Save when using Skills or techniques.]

Kinzoku by the door would find that he was far clumsier than he had been previously, his balance thrown for a loop, like the drunkard who had far too much to drink. The world would constantly swim in his vision, not too much, but more erratic than should he be upon a boat, with random large waves of equilibrium loss and then near perfect sailing at other times. The coin itself would always feel warm to his touch, a loving warmth, and one that he would wish to covet for as long as his days should last. In his hands, he could feel as if he were more powerful, and yet his mind was fogged while holding it. In his head he could hear the coin whisper, but the words did not make sense quite yet. Bellowdunbare and Elodahbaahr. This seemed to occur any time Kinzoku attempted to take the time to think, with vague messages flooding his brain and forcing his attention to it. [Concentration Check (Will) DC 20 at a -10 Will Save when using Skill or Techniques. Sense Motive DC 35 at a + 10 affinity to coin to understand messages from the coin/-5 Skill for each person that helps]

Tetsu would be visibly shaken by the experience that had occurred, the last powerful emotion that he had felt from the creature was fear. In the corner of his eye there would always seem to be something lurking, just out of his sight, as if turning quickly enough he would catch it. Whichever way he turned, the vaguely humanoid figure would be on the opposite side, watching him, waiting, and always at a different distance than before. Closer or further away at what seemed whim, with the very rare instance when it would be so close he could make out the pimpled black flesh before a turn in that direction would cause it to vanish, although ignoring it seemed to make it come closer slowly as it whispered in some guttural language from another world. His skin would feel clammy and the hairs always seemed to be standing, unable to shake the feeling that something was about to touch him. [Concentration Check (Will) DC 25 at a -10 Will Save when using Skills and Techniques. Language (Demonic) DC of 35 to understand the messages.]

[Now for the actual story advancing!]

Below the Tavern there sat a station, rusted and old, forgotten as time moved on. Many of the gasglow lights that had hung above had broken, casting eerie shadows upon a trainyard of forgotten steel. Robed figures stood in what seemed haphazard formation below, waiting, although for what still remained hidden from the world. Another came down a staircase some distance from the tracks, strolling across a platform and dusting black gloved hands off to the side, face shrouded in shadow from the hood. Finally the whistle would blow, the very same whistle that had been heard above, and a light would fill the tunnel. Another robed figured left a booth off to the side of the main platform, some meters away, perhaps fifty or so and in the dark. Through a glass window crisscrossed with wire green lights blinked and several screens were lit, but many more were dark and sparks fizzled into the bleak blackness of it, leaving behind the after image of their passing. The voice was guttural as it spoke, impossible to know if it was male or female, as it reached the group and stood before a man in black who knelt upon the ground.

Long white hair that nearly touched the dusty subway platform, and an unkept white beard upon his face, his golden eyes glaring at those that stood around him. Chains of darkness, like nothing he had ever seen, dug into his clothing, his body, his very flesh and he constantly bled and repaired himself in a never ending cycle. These creatures in the robes, speaking that guttural language that Tetsu no doubt heard even now, grabbed the chains of dark which bound the man and yanked him to his feet in his own tattered black robe. “I made you all, you shits!” Froth spewed from his lips as he barked at them, yet it fell on deaf ears, the sound of the train whistle too loud to be spoken over. It pulled into the subway station with a powerful rumble, stopping before those who stood on the platform, and a podium raised from the floor before one of the robed figures. “INSERT THE S—SKRRT—SOUL COIN! THEN BOARD BLAINE!” Another golden coin, the yellow soul screaming, was placed inside the podium’s coin slot near the left hand side. On the screen hieroglyphics would scroll by, followed by a green confirmation, and then the opening of the doors.

In the empty tavern, rotted and filthy, the carcass of something once grand and maybe still, the four teammates still stood; some of them in any case. Dust danced in the rafters and motes of light, playful in their chaos, without a care for the world. As the companions handled the things that befell them in this muggy, hot, empty building full of cold drinks, the very foundation seemed to rumble. Another whistle of a train exploded from somewhere below and away, shaking even more dust loose from the supports in the rooftop, and then suddenly vanished, although it would linger in their ears a moment or two longer. Kinzoku would hear the coin screaming that he kept on his person, high and piercing, but completely unheard by the others that were with him.

Their ticks would begin to bother them, making it hard to concentrate, like a fever or a mental illness of some kind. Their throats were scratchy as well, each and every one of them, at a slight nausea was always at the back of their tongues now it seemed. To taste anything would cause it to taste like ashes, unable to wash the taste from their mouths, and something always smelled like slightly rotten meat. It was becoming increasingly difficult for them to concentrate. Did something move in the shadow? Was something in the corner creeping ever closer? Nothing was right with the world any longer and all were part of it. What was going on?

[Ace Detective Nara]

Everything felt out of places, as if nothing was the way it was supposed to be. The building seemed different, Tetsu thought to himself as his heart still raced from the strange illusion-like creature that had attacked him for some reason or another. What was going on here? Tetsu really didn’t have a clue as to what he was going to do, as he and his friends really had not provoked any kind of attack. They were in friendly territory too; which really didn’t make him feel any better when it came to thinking about them being attacked here in this bar. What was going on? Slowly pushing himself up from the table, Tetsu would notice that everything looked dark, dusty, and decrepit. The dust by the bar seemed a bit weird, which was strange since everything just kind of appeared there in the blink of an eye. Tetsu also noticed the strange wine that filled their glasses, even the one he had emptied out of fear when the strange beast attacked. Tetsu’s weird senses were tingling. “Something isn’t right,” Tetsu stated quietly as he made his way towards the bar, wanting to inspect the strange dust, but suddenly Tetsu froze in his tracks.

There across the bar, once again, was one of those really weird men that had tried to touch him outside. He was still a bit shaken, and clearly wasn’t sure what the strange thing wanted; however it seemed to disappear just as soon as it came, yet Tetsu could still feel the blistered figure staring at him. What do these guys want? Tetsu asked himself mentally as he turned around again looking for the creepy figure. It was hard to concentrate with this THING watching him, getting suddenly closer, then further away, and always saying just out of eye sight. When he would turn to look at it, it would evade him, as it didn’t want to be seen. As it got a little closer, Tetsu could hear it muttering something strange, and almost demonic as he felt very uncomfortable.

Reaching the bar Tetsu pressed his back up against it turning his head in an attempt to keep an eye on the creature that he could never quite see. It seemed to move when he attempted to look at it…but when he looked away if he didn’t keep his focus on looking for it, he could feel it getting closer choking him in. Drawing his Tanto short sword, Tetsu would hold the blade in a reverse grip ready to attack. “Back off you!” Tetsu exclaimed in annoyance as the creature continued to play its little game of avoid Tetsu. Tetsu would have been driven mad, had he not notice something in his blade. The clean polished metal seemed reflective, he noted to himself as he attempted to formulate a plan of sorts.

Turning his back to the strange creature, Tetsu would hold his blade up, using the reflective mirrors edge to try and keep tabs on the creature. Much like the ancient hero Perseus, who vanquished the Vile Queen Gorgon using the reflectiveness of his shield, Tetsu attempted to use this tactic to follow the creature, which he was now following with his blade, while keeping his eyes front to inspect the dust. Doing his best to keep track of his follower and to see what was going on in the odd dust, Tetsu was now struggling to overcome his tick. The subtle sounds of a train, which sounded subterranean almost, seemed to blare, but he still couldn’t quite understand what was happening. The whistle lingered in his hears for a moment as he suddenly began to feel sick, and not just sick, but parched and sick. It was as if he were dehydrated or something, but he remembered drinking well on their journey here. This was obviously part of the trick of this place, but why the sudden nausea and thirst? Tetsu couldn’t think straight, but even at that he attempted to overcome his follower and keep his focus on his investigation.

Shadows kept moving, and things kept happening. Tetsu’s follower and the shadows around them made him a bit paranoid. He didn’t’ know quite what to do, but he used his knife’s reflective surface to keep tabs on everything happening as best he could while he attempted an investigation. Hopefully there was some sort of clue that would key into why he was suffering so much.

[Madame Loki]

[OOC: Yeah I'm bailing on this. Not moving nearly as fast as it needs to be, don't wanna spend another half a year doing an epic.]

Loki noticed that there was something odd going on with her. It was difficult to concentrate. There was obviously something going on here, either she had been drugged somehow or there was something in the air. She grumbled to herself as she didn't have the patience for this today. She closed her eyes for a moment and her Prescience Gem began to grants her power, increasing her focus. This would give her a +15 bonus to her will saves. As her mind cleared she looked at the group, "I didn't come out for mystery man hunt, or whatever the hell this is. I'm going home... Tell me how things turn out. Call me if you get in over your heads." Loki waved good-bye to the group, knowing that she was going to get an earful from Claire later. With a raised eyebrow, she vanished with a flash of yellow light as she teleported back to her home in Konoha, using her Hiraishin.

-exits-

[Kinzoku]

As Kinzoku went to take a seat, he felt a bit drunk. Because of this, he would miss the bench slightly and fall on the floor. But thanks to Kinzoku's quick instincts, Kinzoku would turn his rear end metal in order to not hurt himself. In doing so, he would land much harder than he expected too. Luckily, this would be more detrimental to the floor of the old tavern and not to him.

"Huh?!"

As Kinzoku would hit the ground, he would continue to fall straight through it and land in what seemed like an old train station. While falling, Kinzoku could hear a whistle lingering as if a train had just departed. But even louder than that, he heard something whisper.

"Bellowdunbare and Elodahbaahr"

As he landed, Kinzoku would speak the words to himself.

"Bellowdunbare and Elodahbaahr?"

Landing on his metal rump, Kinzoku would turn it back to normal. Not only was he still feeling the drunk affects but he was thrown off a bit from the fall.

"Hey guys! I think I found something!"

As Kinzoku would yell up to the rest of the group, hoping they would hear him. There was something up with this place, whether it was genjutsu or something else. But Kinzoku was going to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, Kinzoku would keep his soul tuning active to make sure there were no other souls in the area, and if there were, that they couldn't sneak up on them.

[Deleted]

Loki expressed her migivings and headed out. Claire wanted to be angry, wanted to call her a useless coward, but...well, she agreed with her.

"Guys, I hate to say it, but I'm with Loki on this. Something's not right here. Don't you think we should consider getting out of here and reporting to the Captain? Either we're under psychic attack, or there's something going on with this place we are way underqualified to be dealing with."

And then Kinzoku fell straight through the floor. Fan-fucking-tastic. Claire sighed and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Hold on Kinz, I'll raise the floor up from under you."

She felt very uncomfortable as she moved to perform the hand seals, like someone was hovering just over her shoulder. But none of her wards were alerting her to danger, so it must just be paranoia. Still, it was cause for concern. Her fingers spasmed. That was different. She frowned, tried again. Her entire hands tiwitched out of alignment, disrupting the seals. Could the drinks have been affecting her already?

"I uh...I'm having a little difficulty here. I cant, I can't seem to get a jutsu off. My hands are too unsteady. I really don't like this guys. I think we should leave as soon as we get you out of there. Tetsu, could you see if there's like a basement door or something anywhere?"