The Ancient Ruins [EVENT]

[Y]

The woman of many personalities would launch her soul, effortlessly, at the crown, attempting to destroy it. Unfortunately for her, the crown had no soul. As a result, the blast had no effect on it, and there was nothing to sever or sear, as the case might be. It sat there, on the pedestal, a strange chakra device.

Meanwhile, the Hokage was charming the Imperator. He then asked him questions by way of mental link. "Fools, of course the crown needn't be smashed in order so that you may free the slaves. But, you will never find a magus of sufficient talent to undo what I have done here. You will simply have to restore to me Imperium over these chambers by smashing the crown. Then, I will have the power to free the slaves, in a similar manner to what the wind elemental was doing, but more effortless, for I will free all of those who are trapped.

[Solus]

F

inally some clarity. Somehow smashing the crown would give power of some kind to this person. Helping someone become stronger in this way would always backfire, no matter what. Power had no affiliation other than the person wielding it, to be used for good or evil. As far as that went, this thing would probably only work for its own selfish reasons. It was only an assumption, but Gosei guessed that if freed this thing would only free those people if there was some kind of personal gain.

"If I were to free you, what is to stop you from going back on your word and not free them? So far you have shown little honour with your unwarranted hostility. Also, so far you only have said that you can free them, not that you will." He would ask the thing in Latin before turning to Tarah in Common. "He claims that smashing the crown will restore him to power and that it will allow him to rule these chambers. He says that he is the only one who can free everyone though. I coerced him into telling the truth so I guess that's the deal. He only mentioned to have the power to free those people. He did not promise yet to actually do it."

[Y]

There was little to say, about what was happening. It was a moment of indecision for the pair. "I will, without going back on my word, free your slaves. I will also spare your puny republic, as my refounding of the Empire. I will swear upon my very existence. You have made it clear that I, in no state, can best you in a fight. My only hope to anything more than a fading phantom, lost to the ages, and lost to this reality is in you. I plead now, break this crown and free me."

[Solus]

F

inally this thing was starting to get over it, admitting that his pride had been misplaced. Or was he simply lying? Technically there was only one way to find it out. A nod to the thing, if it could even perceive the outside world visually, would be the only confirmation that Gosei had understood. "He promises to free our slaves if we break the crown and admits that we are stronger. I have no idea if he's lying, but I think this is the only option left." Sideways Gosei would look at the object on the pedestal.

He did not have many techniques that could destroy that thing with controlled damage. He could electrify the crown or blow it against the back wall, but elegant smashing would with Gosei's set of techniques would probably end with everyone killed. Instead he would therefore opt to make a courteous waving motion towards the crown with his arm, a half smile curling around his lips as he addressed Tarah. "Will you do the honours?"

[Nira]

Tarah frowned at the notion of being trapped by one option. "Fine."

Tarah picked up the crown, then tossed it into the air with her right hand. When she did so, she pointed her left hand up at the glimmering metal. From the tip of her finger, a small pocket of heat fired out. When it collided with the crown, a minature explosion detonated, filling the room with the devesating sound of a broken relic.

[Y]

The pair had decided; they would comply with the command of the Imperator. Tarah would attempt to break the crown, by using a jot of fire, sent out from her hand using that long-forgotten martial art, and the jot would melt the flame slightly, destroying its perfect conductivity of chakra, and making it a far less beautiful but, in a savage way, an impressive diadem. The thing, as any who looked at it with a sense for chakra would see imediately, lost all its energy, in a small burst of the that invisible chakra in the room. At that moment, the patterns of movement for all the chakra in the room changed, all the mechanisms and gems in the wall were changed, and more energy seemed to be flowing, in the form of fire wind and lightning chakra, to the spot where the revived imperator was. Tarah, who was using her technique to keep the Imperator alive, would feel the burden lifted from her, realising she was no longer keeping the soul there. Stumbling, the so-called leader of a once-great nation clamored to his feet, and gestured, swinging the doors open wide, and causing a wind, not strong, but subtle, to push toward the door, where three archaeologists would appear, mid conversation about the purpose of this building, while one insisted that it was just an unusual example of a bathhouse, as notable by its location in the village. They looked pale, but they did not seem to be aware that anything was wrong. The pressure plate in the floor could be heard creeping downward, as if it was turning off. "You may go, my Consul. I'm unsure of how another fight would go, and I do not wish to find out. Leave to me this sanctuary, and a battle does not have to ensue between forces of greater order and of this realm. You may take your servants, and whatever loot they have taken from this city, simply leave to me the crown you used to open this door, and the sancutary of this chamber, and faciamus pacem." He spoke aloud, with a charming voice, could it be the voice of the Emperor? While, if he got his way, the historians would not know, but they would not know their maker either, so perhaps the deal would be satisfactory.

[Solus]

E

ver so slightly Gosei would narrow his eyes, gleaming at the man. He simply could not bring himself to trust this thing, even as it seemed to restore itself, get to its feet, and keep its end of the promise. "Tarah, leave the crown here. He wants it and I feel that it gives more trouble than it is worth." It asked to make peace, in reply to which Gosei would merely nod. Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Gosei would turn to the three people who had suddenly appeared. "It's a grave! Now, in the name of Konoha, you are to leave this place. Gather everything you have found and move outside now. Failure to comply within two minutes will result in your forceful removal of this place." He spoke as he approached them, pointing to the way outside with his arm. It was time to leave and seal up this place.

[Nira]

"That's too bad, Tanni will be disappointed." Tarah sighed and wandered toward the door. While she moved, she considered any further actions she could take, and her past lives were there to help out with the discussion.

Tarah walked on, like she was on autopilot, as they began to leave the place.

Tanni was definitely disappointed, and made sure to express that thought as loud as she could think. "No fair, why does the loser guy get to pick out terms."

"Would you rather we kill him, then?" Deena called the image of the ancient leader into everyone's thoughts. "He was defeated easily enough the first time. We retrieved the lost persons, it's not as if we'll lose out on anything."

Vi's displeasure rippled through the mind. "No. There is no need to purge an ancient soul when we no longer need to. What lingers in his soul could still be of great value to us."

Aryia's attention returned to the rescued. "Let's make sure that everyone's freed. I recall that dear benefactor mentioning the presence of another team, best to make sure no one is left behind."

Tarah nodded, and made her way to the archaeologists to make sure that everyone was okay and accounted for.

[Y]

The pair seemed content with the arrangement. The mysterious general was there, looking defeated as he sat back in his throne. The negotiations had been strange, and the man seemed different now, less intense. Whether it was of his defeat or of the breaking of the crown that the cause was was impossible to say. Silently, he waved his conquerors out, unsure of what to do. A living legend, a man of ancient history, how he was preserved all this time was yet unknown, but the mission was accomplished; the archaeologists were saved, and ran quickly out when they encountered the flamboyant but slightly singed forms of the two remaining ninja from the mission.

The three archaeologists were clearly the original team, caught and preserved in the moment that they triggered the trap. It was impossible to say what happened to the other team, the original rescue mission. Perhaps the plate which launched the flames previously had something to do with that? The archaeologists, bewildered would confront the ninja at first. "Excuse me, do you have a permit from the Hi no Kuni government to be here?" 

Another, who seemed to have the will of the third would say "I think that's the Godaime Hokage Gosei. Maybe we should listen to him." They decided that was for the best, and walked out of the building, heading back for their tent. It could be heard that they were discussing the remaining plans of their excavation.

[Solus]

O

ne archaeologist even thought of backtalk, only to be reprimanded by one of the others. "I don't need a permit, I am the Godaime Hokage." Gosei decided to confirm, just to be sure. Why would he ever request permission? Just bringing the face was usually more than enough. Not everyone was accounted for, but perhaps those had perished like his summon had. It was the most logical explanation. On the way out they were discussing further excavations. The sheer danger that posed was enough to make Gosei shiver. Already people had died here.

"No, you shall not. You shall leave. this place is cursed. You might not know it, but a long time has passed since this moment and when you last entered here." He warned before telling them the exact date. The discontinuity between the two would probably startle them. In the minds of these people it was probably weeks ago. "We will be going through everything that you have found to check for potentially dangerous objects. Then you shall leave and never come back. People have died here. This place will be hidden, phase into legend, from legend into myth and then it shall wither from the collective memory. It is a shame, but it is the only way."

[Nira]

Aryia, struck by the grief of failing to save the other team, expressed her worry to the rest. "Oh no, the poor dears. Is there anything we could do for them?"

"Nah, they're with their gods, now," Elsie denied. "Our revival limit is sure to have passed, and its not like our revivals by itself are permanent."

"Well, make sure to walk ahead of everyone, Tarah," Aryia directed every personality toward the catacomb passageway ahead. "Make sure any traps that get set off go onto you. Vi's still outside, so we'll be fine in the long run."

Tarah shrugged and followed Aryia's suggestion. They had already made their way through the passage in one direction, she didn't think going the opposite way was going to reveal any new dangers, but precautions were always welcome.

Vi still waited outside, having avoided all the conflict.

[Y]

The archaeologists, who had finally decided their scholarly education was no match for the pair of local ninja they were interacting with, silently complied with all commands. They shuffled outside, and saw the clone. The traps had all been diffused, and the door had been swung open, as wide as they went. Once everybody was outside, the doors would shut. The disgruntled archaeologists went over to their tent, whispering things, which were just audible, wandering what had happened, and why ninja had been sent after them. They began packing up their things. One of them, being the one who questioned the Hokage before, commented that they had more coins earlier, but the others quieted him quickly.

[Solus]

S

ilently Gosei watched over these men, standing just a bit to close, like a personal space invader, to instil an uncomfortable feeling. The less at ease they felt, the quicker they would move Gosei theorized. "A 'stay out' sign probably will not cut it in this situation. Do you have any ideas?" Gosei asked, looking sideways at Tarah. Normally he would have Aputsiaq seal up this place under many layers of earth. Unfortunately the summon was temporarily out of the running, cutting off that option. "I feel the excessive desire to burn it all to the ground. Blow up and raze the entire place. Watch it be torn asunder whilst enjoying a fine malt whisky"

[Nira]

Vi stood up and walked over to the group when they appeared. "Burn it? Why so?"

She looked around at the archaeologists, who were apparently retrieved without any problems. That meant the request was more or less fulfilled. She wasn't yet aware of what happened inside.

The Vi inside Tarah's own head went silent as the soul splits met up again. There didn't seem to be a need for the same personality to speak up when together.

Tarah shook her head. "There's a mad spirit down there, Vi, that's why Lord Gosei wants to put it away. I can't do anything to it right now. I only remember most of my destructive techniques, but I'm sure burning this place down will not be met with approval from the university."

"If there's a need to keep it preserved and off limits," Vi started to look into the distance. "Maybe we should hire out some guardians, at least until we have better sealing methods. There's bound to be a surplus of soldiers somewhere."

[Y]

OOC: So, so sorry for the late reply.

---

The pair had discussed, idly, what they would do with the place. While it could burn, and many a city of the Ancient Chakra Empire had met that fate, particularly the capital, they would be destroying an ancient archaeological site. An archaeologist, the one who had defied the Hokage in the first place, was still close enough to them to hear what was going on, as a stray echo could be heard coming from the tent. "Those bastards want to burn the place down! I don't care if he's the damn Emperor, somebody has got to stop him!" The replies sounded less angry, but the question stood whether or not the burning of the site would be met with resistance.

[Solus]

A

s expected the archaeologists started to protest the second Gosei mentioned burning it down. They would probably have complained too if he had taken only a chip of stone, so he paid little heed to their pleas, instead addressing Vi and Tarah. "Eh, I would have preferred a more permanent solution, but closing off this location would indeed to the trick. Perhaps we could even learn from this creature on how to expand our own lifespans. That would be something to behold."

Turning back to the archaeologists in the tent the Godaime would resist the urge of punting them into action, He had no time for such puny people. "Hurry, every second spent in this place is another second of unnecessary danger. I am losing my patience. Just be happy that you still live and this place still stands and move before I actually start burning things down... Less complaints and more chop chop and you can save your precious ruins by merely moving your ass." Perhaps the threat would kick these people into gear. Gosei just wanted to leave.

[Nira]

"It'll be fine, we'll find a better solution if its doesn't work out," Vi turned away from the ground and began strolling down the path. "If anything, we're bound to find a plan of action after picking out some past experiences. I wouldn't worry."

Tarah didn't quite understand all of what Vi was getting at, so she ignored it. "Anyway, what other nearby settlements are up and around here? If we just do a quick sweep of the area with our chakra senses, we can pick out people strong enough to hold this place."

[Y]

The two continued their discussion, meanwhile the packing of the archaeological team was underway. They heard the reply of the ninja, and kept their heads down, rearranging their things in preparation of leaving. They were grumbling mildly at the fact that some things were missing, but it was clear they were done arguing. The tent was falling quickly, and they were packing things up into crates. "I suppose we should head back over to Manarola, and pick up that wagon to move all this back to the university." Once their things were neatly piled, they brought them by the road and began to walk off.

[Solus]

F

inally, after applying quite a bit of pressure the scientists had gathered up their stuff faster than they probably anticipated themselves, announcing their destination. "Very good..." Gosei mentioned, though he did not fancy the idea of them going back and forth. He was missing something at this point. Placing his fingers in his mouth he would whistle three times, looking around to see from which direction his call would be answered. It did not take long for some of the trees at the edge of the excavation to start rumbling as Sir Pounce'a'lot reappeared. It was thundering forth on three pairs of legs, using the front pair to wipe something off its fangs as it neared. Clearly it had taken the time it had to wait as a moment to feed.

Coming to a standstill next to its master the almost ten meters long monster would drop its belly to the ground for easy access. "There is no need to return here. Start stacking crates on my uhm... Transport. We will go directly to Manarola to pick up your cart and from there straight to the university! Sir Pounce'a'lot, I will need some silk." With a low rumble that seemed to indicate acknowledgement the murderous creature would start to spin long white strands of wire from its rear, their clear use being to fix the cargo it would receive in place. Taking up a position on one of the legs, since the creature was more than a single man high, the Godaime was ready for some manual labour of taking the crates as they would be supplied by the scientists stacking them. "Tarah, if you would be so kind, could you tie all of this into place with that wire?" Hopefully this would speed up things considerably and they would be back at the university with all the rescued save and sound.

SPOILER: Click to show

used by my AC multiple times to get as much wire as needed:

Name: Spider silk creation
Rank: C
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The spider creates a single very strong wire that doesn't stick.
Special: ---
Drawback: Only four meters (about 12 feet) of wire can be made each six seconds.
Description: The spider starts producing a spider silk wire that doesn't stick. It is a tad stronger than ninja wire and can only be cut by a C-ranked or higher force. Denatures after two days, making the wire useless after that time.
Limit: Must be a spider, must know 'Web spit'

[Nira]

Tarah's mouth briefly fell open in mild revulsion. They wasn't looking forward to touching any threads made out of the large creature's bum. She didn't really want to disappoint Gosei, though, so she quietly reached into her mind and switched personalities with someone who wasn't as bothered with the large arachnid.

Alida was fine with it, but she lacked some of the finesse required from making useful knots. If she tied them, it might get rather difficult to untie the crates.

Elsie was extremely disgusted by the creature

Tanni had already been switched to earlier, and switching to her again might result in the shift being too obvious.

Deena thought such labors were beneath her.

That left Aryia, Janice, and Vi. Vi was already out and about in the soul split, so she couldn't be doubled. Out of the two remaining choices, Aryia was the most in touch with seamstress skills.

Tarah's eye color shifted as she allowed Aryia to take control of their physical body.

The nurturing personality immediately took hold of the wire and spun it around the crates. Despite her experience with threads, it wasn't the best of jobs. Aryia wasn't quite so connected with her memories yet. Combat had been the recent focus in past life retrieval, so she could only try her best. Thankfully, the large amount of webbing gave room for mistakes.

After finishing the task of tying down the wire, Tarah regained control of the physical body.