Bears {ATI - Nira}

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

The land of Bears is a rough and tough nation void of any formal military but known for its hardy people and especially its burly men. So well known for these men actually that many an adventurer has come to this place to test their brawling metal, invading local taverns and challenging the drunken loggers there. Many ninja also traverse this Land on their way between the Land of Wind and Earth due to the river system between the counties which allows for easy navigation. In recent times there has been a crazy rumor going through the Land of Bears that has spread like wildfire through the locals. Something to do with a man of crazy strength and a weird style of jutsu. Just what it is varies from person to person but apparently it all started outside a tavern deep within the Pine Forests where the loggers hang out. The Bears Only Tavern.

[Nira]

Tarah strolled through the Pine Forests with her defenses from traveling still up and running. She moved through the world with the absence of fear and resistance to extreme temperatures. Her scarlet macaw wings were clean, and folded behind her back. She currently had an ability active to fly without even needing them, but she had both in case one of them failed. Some might not notice it, but Tarah's footsteps were entirely silent, as her feet were floating a little over an inch above the ground.

Despite the handful of self improvements, Tarah got plenty of rest, and was fully awake and charged.

Tarah eventually stopped in front of the Tavern, which apparently was the core of the rumors that persisted through the area. She didn't have any concrete clue about where they lead, and wasn't sure if she should take the name of the Tavern seriously. For the moment, Tarah adjusted the perfected longsword strapped to her left hip, fiddling with the activation of the fire enhancement. A masterwork longsword accompanied it, and both blades had sturdy crystal sheaths. She was ready for a fight, but not interested in a useless fight.

The headband that indicated Tarah's shinobi allegiance was nowhere to be found on her body, she had left it behind for her travels. She wore her KMP uniform underneath her violet cloak, but the uniform was currently lacking any badges or identification. It was mostly used for its vest, whose chest pockets carried a soldier pill and a disruptor. Her two melody arms, one with a cryo enhancement and one with a shock enhancement, were attached to the right side of her hip. Stashed in her cloak's inner pockets, she had her Sniper Mono-Goggle with thermal, x-ray, zooming vision, and anti-flash lens.

For the moment, Tarah loitered around the front of the Tavern, seeing if there was anything that would catch her attention.

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

The 'Bears Only Tavern' stood strongly, nestled within the trees deep into the Land of Bears territory alongside the country's river system. It was actually a part of the Claw and Fang Inn, a dining area for those staying as guests though one didn't have to be staying to approach the tavern. The Inn was a large one, used for the loggers of of old English brick house and its electricity needs were powered naturally by a a water powered turbine from the river. There were a number of bridges leading to the building, one of which Tarah would have had to have crossed in order to reach it. As for her loitering around outside, the only thing of note that would catch her attention, as minor as it was, would be the fact that all of the chimney's were pouring out small clouds of smoke meaning that there would appear to be a number of people within the building but as she would take note of things outside, someone would take note of her.

The security guard stationed at the front of the Tavern shouted at her for her petty loitering. "Hey girlie! Get out of here, would ya?! This place is for bears only!" The man would appear old, his full beard and incredibly bushy eyebrows having grown grey with age, though his body told a different story. Rippling muscles and a crazed looked would indicate that he was still tough as nails despite his age and white polo with jeans. Yuck outfit. If she were to go to the back she would be met with another security guard that would be just as adamant about not allowing her entry into the 'Bears only tavern'. This man would be younger, his grown beard and bushy eyebrows still black with youth. His outfit however would be different as he'd be wearing a red shit with leather jacket and pants. More fashionable but still awful taste. He wouldn't be bald like the older man either, he'd still have a full head of black hair that grew to mid-length compared to the older gents chrome dome.

Each man would not allow Nira access and stand in her way if she were to try and enter claiming the tavern was for bears and only bears.

SPOILER: Click to show

Security Guard 1
-C ranked Taijutsu Master
-Boxing Mastery

Security Guard 2
-C ranked Taijutsu Master
-Kempo Mastery

[Nira]

Tarah raised her hands. "Okay, okay," she said while backing off, "bears only, got it."

Tarah moved away from the entrance of the tavern, then slipped behind a tree. She put her hands together in a dance of handseals, then let her chakra surge and cloak her in an illusion.

To those that now gazed toward Tarah, they would see a grizzly bear instead of a girl. It was an illusion meant to imitate the very presence of beasts, so that other bears wouldn't even question Tarah's form.

The mighty grizzly bear, with an unnatrually tall height of ten feet, waddled to the front of the tavern. Her form's light brown fur was fuzzy, but a bit damp, like she had just come out from a river. Her shiny, dark eyes stared down at the two, now apparently smaller men, although Tarah's actually body still had to look up. As the bear opened its mouth to wear a smug and beastly grin, it showed off an array of sharp teeth, all slightly yellow.

To augment the effects a bit, Tarah borrowed the voice of one of the two men, and spoke with it using her adaptive bard voice.

"This bear enough for you?" she asked.

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

As Tarah would walk away her actions would not go unnoticed by the keen eye of the security guard despite her ducking behind a tree for a moment. He was well aware at this point that she was using some sort of transformation technique to transform herself into a literal bear and attempting entry. "Not that kind of bear Missy..." he'd trail off as he'd raise an eyebrow. "It's a club for bears not ah, bears..." It would appear as though the girl had missed some kind of subtext in the naming of the establishment. One would think that it was obvious considering the number of lumber jacking men and the hairy beards of the security guards what was implied by the term 'BEAR' but hey, this only served to show that the Tarah was indeed innocent to the worlds perverted nature. Perhaps now that this little mishap was 'cleared up' and she had realised that this was indeed a gay bar, she would be able to move on. or perhaps she'd simply swipe the security guard aside with a raking paw swipe of the bear. Who knows.

[Nira]

Tarah tilted her head in confusion. The large veil of a grizzly bear mimicked the movement.

Inside the girl's head, a short discussion began.

"What does he mean by bears?" Tarah thought, "Do they just mean boys?"

Aryia's nervousness spiked a bit. "Essentially, sweetheart. There's really noting to earn by being here, you should go els-"

Deena cut Aryia's thoughts off. "Burn the place down. It'll be amusing."

Tanni jumped in to overshadow Deena's bloodlust with an assortment of melodies. "Let's hold a concert! We'll make it more fun to be out here than inside that stuffy old place."

"You can't always hold concerts," complained Elsie. "That doesn't work, it hasn't work anytime we tried."

Tanni wasn't discouraged. "Well, you gotta try, keep making it bet-"

Deena's presence grew again. "No, Tanni has the right idea. Let's have a little fun, draw them out..."

Following Deena's idea, Tarah suddenly jumped high into the air. She perched herself atop a thick branch from a neighboring tree. Since the grizzly bear veil mimicked the movement, the large creature also appeared to make the fantastic act of acrobatics.

From the branch, Tarah was able to call down at the men below. Her voice was laced with chakra, armed with the ability to infect their minds. Combined with an insult, she'd be able to inspire one of the guards to attack the nearest person. Since Tarah was up a tree, it was likely to be the other guard.

"Hey!" she called, addressing mostly the bald security man, "That other guard's been thinking that if you were any greasier, he'd be able to fry an egg on your head!"

Barb of the Jester
Rank: C
Skill: Ninjutsu, Vocal
Effect: Infuriates a target.
Special: Singing
Drawback: Only affects single target. Could cause an ally or self danger.
Description: A Mind Affecting Technique. By calling out a stream of taunts the Bard may influence any one target infuriating them. This will cause the target to attack the nearest person to them. This skill lasts as long as the bard keeps calling out insults with a maximum of three posts.
Limit: Art of the Bard. 'Singing'.

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

An interesting tactic, now that she had realised the true nature of the tavern she had arrived at, she intended to infuriate the old man by security. It worked of course, the guys was angry by nature so this of course was a no brainer. "What'd you say you stupid grizzly bastard!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. The only person in sight at this point, the bearded man would charge directly at the tree that Tarah stood upon and launch himself toward it, slamming his fist into the bark causing the tree to shake violently with the action. He wasn't strong enough yet to cause the tree to fall over but the punch would leave a dent in tree as the bark was stripped away and show that he was serious about fighting now but he had a bum knee so jumping up wasn't exactly an option. Long range against this opponent was suited.

SPOILER: Click to show

Smash
Rank: "C" + "C" For Variations.
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: An unorthodox, curving upwards at a diagonal angle somewhere between a Straight and an Upper.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The Smash is a Middle-Range Blow that is hard to predict as it is unorthodox, curving upwards at a diagonal angle somewhere between a Straight and an Upper. Because it can only be thrown from a position where the guard is lowered, the Smash has the potential to be prone to Counters.

3/4 Upper - Connected to the Smash in the respect that it strikes in the area between a Straight and an Upper and is thrown from a stance that uses a lowered guard, the 3/4 Uppercut can be easily differentiated as it follows a straight, diagonal path without curling inward. It also shares similarities with the Short Upper as they are both compact, vertical punch.
Low Modified Version Smash - A more powerful variation of the Smash which increases its damaging capabilities by throwing the full weight of the body into the punch in a much larger, upward swing. It is thrown by bending the knees further and tilting the body to the side, so far that the boxer virtually vanishes from the opponent's line of sight, before propelling upwards in the same manner as that of an Uppercut.


Limit: Must learn in a gym that teaches Bokushingu (Boxing), Must know the Four Punching Basics.

[Nira]

Tarah sighed, the old man didn't seem to be aware of the other guard for some reason. True, perhaps he didn't have the hearing that Tarah was able to use to detect everything around her, but she figured he'd at least be aware of the other guard's proximity.

Seeing that she needed to lure the man close to the other guard, Tarah took flight. She didn't need to flap her wings to do so, since her soul was still granting her the ability to navigate quite well through the air. Tarah, with the appearance of a flying bear, slowly flew around the tavern, so that she'd soon be above the second guard. She remained a fairly constant twelve meters above the ground.

"Aw, too bad," she continued her insults, "not strong enough to down a tree? I can do it easy, y'know. Those muscles really don't do much do they?"

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

(OOC: I said the guy was at the back, you're at the front right now. Not much to do atm.)

Angry that the bear was no defying not only himself but the law of gravity he would fly into an even greater rage and chase after the now hovering bear continuing to shout. "Why don't you come down here and show me then you stupid bear!" he would yell loudly running after Tarah. His bum knee would seem to cut in however and he would stumble and fall to the ground with the effort, eating the dirt. Quick to ready himself however he was once again back to chasing the flying bear shouting explicits. Coming around the back of the tavern the old man would encounter the other security guard and his attention would divert to him. The second security guard would question the first about why he was there before quickly being forced to defend himself as he was attacked. The two were now in a small brawl with one another and entrance into the tavern was free for anyone who wanted to go inside.

[Nira]

Tarah watched as the men argued with their engorged fists. It was an entertaining sight after such a dull week of traveling. Still, as tempting as it was for her to continue her insults and watch the fight unfold, she wanted a look in the forbidden building. There likely wasn't any need to hurl any more insults. Now that the second guard had been caught in blows, the rage that came with combat was sure to keep the misunderstanding going long enough.

Tarah flew again, assisted by her empowered soul. She went over the roof of the establishment to land again at the front of the Taven. She dropped the illusion of being a bear. Since no one inside saw Tarah transform into the creature, they might think it to be an actual bear and come to arms. Fighting them meant indulging in unnecessary exhaustion.

A quick glance was thrown toward the bridges behind Tarah. She took note of the river and the water. It might be useful. Taking out the turbine might be something to consider if things didn't go well.

After confirming her surroundings, Tarah pushed herself through the front door of the brick house.

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

As Tarah would enter the tavern her presence would go unnoticed, at first. She would find the place filled with burly looking men, hairy men, men amongst men! Jesus Christ even I'm having trouble figuring where I'm going with this. They're be a manly waiter in jeans and a wife beater and apron going around and serving everyone beer and sandwiches, the manliest of dishes, casually being hit on by the patrons of the tavern who numbered in the dozens and mostly appeared to be extremely drunk at this point. Patrons of note would first be a man who would drunkenly approach Tarah after she had entered and speak to her, slurring his words as he did. "Hey you've got a tight ass!" He'd immediately collapse after speaking, passing out on the floor in his black and white suit. More important figure to take note of would be the Bartender, serving drinks to everyone (whom Nira would note to be of notable strength if she were to utilise her sensing ability) and a man surrounded by other men, wearing a party hat and not much else, as he entertained them with his muscles. This muscle bound, party hat wearing animal would be of even greater strength than the bartender, even the power of his mustache would be stronger that the beareded bartender. Such strength was unnatural of this world.

That said however the knowledge your average bartender possessed could not be ignored.

SPOILER: Click to show

Drunk Man
-E class, 'cause I said so
-No skills


Bartender Blue
-B ranked Tai Master
-Brawler Mastery


Freddie
-A ranked Tai master
-Boxing Mastery
-Chakra Gates
-Iron Fist
-Augments: Shock Absorber, enhanced metabolism, thunder fist


Freddie's Moustache
Super S ranked Moustache
-Ability to bend the fabric of the universe itself

[Nira]

Tarah's suspicions were immediately confirmed after her entrance into the tavern. It appeared to be a club for boys only, just as she guessed. A few of the personalities rattling in her head had a hint of disagreement, like they knew something more, but the present scene convinced Tarah that she wasn't mistaken. Other than that, there wasn't anything too significant. The physique of most of the patrons here were very similar. Tarah wasn't sure if that was contributed to the country, or if there was a weight specification of some sort.

A man who waddled like he was at the edge of consciousness approached Tarah. He managed to air out one crude compliment regarding Tarah's posterior, before his mind was lost to the dream realm. Tarah paid him very little attention, but the presence of an unconscious person nearby had tactical applications that she could use later.

Tarah moved through the room, slipping past the thin spaces between the tavern's bulky audience. She arrived in front of the bartender. The young girl leaned against the counter and waved her hand to draw the barkeep's attention. "Soda, please!"

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

The bar tender would notice the girl waving him down and move to meet with her though his words would not be ones of welcoming or of a helpful nature. "What the-? How'd you get in here, security!" he would call after the men outside to come in and do their job however they would not come due to the duo's fighting. Confused at why they weren't responding to him he decided to try and kick her out himself by using words. "Look little Miss, this isn't a place for you. This is a place for men only, you have to leave" he'd insist as he'd try to shoo her out the door. Meanwhile the antiques of the rowdy patron men would continue as they would begin to cheer every so often as the night went on.

[Nira]

Tarah sighed. She hoped that the crowd inside the building were a bit more lenient than the bald man outside, but it didn't seem to be the case. There were other ways to listen in on whatever goes on inside the building, but Tarah didn't feel inspired enough to act. She'd rather enjoy a drink.

Tarah opened her mouth, and searched her mind for a sorrowful tale. The men here were uptight when it came to keeping the establishment male, so a stories with male leads was sure to stab them in the heart effectively. When the song was in mind, chakra raced to Tarah's throat and charged it with the power to pierce minds.

"Brothers in arms, here they're pleading,
What waits for those who charge to war.
Brothers in arms, their heart're teeming,
Their loss and pain they can't ignore."

Tarah hopped over the table so that she was in the booth alongside the bartender.

"Now it's over and now it's done,
They stayed for those worth fighting for.
The war was fought and now it's won,
The blade and fist found at their core."

A empty glass was taken and washed out, and Tarah filled with up with several ice cubes.

"Soon they found themselves divided,
Lost their purpose, unprovided.
One such thing lets them assemble,
At ends they drink, sentimental."

After finding some soda, Tarah poured it into her glass and hopped back out of that bartender's section.

"To loss and pain, become their slaves,
Brothers in arms, meet at the graves."

Tarah took a sip from her drink.

Dirge of the Soul
Rank: C
Skill: Ninjutsu, Vocal
Effect: A tune so sad must stop and listen.
Special: Singing
Drawback: Effects enemies and allies alike.
Description: A Mind Affecting technique. The bard plays a mournful tune, telling a sad tale that is so entrancing anyone within a twenty meter radius is forced to stop and listen to the tale. They will not being able to perform skills or violent actions during this time, they must simply listen. This skill lasts for three posts or until the bard stops singing.
Limit: Art of the Bard. 'Singing'.

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

To her divine words, the whole bar would fall silent and stand to listen to her beautiful voice. As if an angel had fallen from the sky and wept, her words touched the very souls of those in the tavern and filled them with a sadness that went unparallelled in their lives. Unable to do anything but weep themselves as she sang the whole bar just sat and listened, crying as they drank their ale and ate their sandwiches. The bar tender was of course most receptive to her plight and, as he cried very visibly, he begged her to tell him her troubles. "Oh please dear Miss, tell me what's happened to you" he pleaded with Tarah, all thoughts of kicking her out the bar now vanished from his mind. Freddy himself was forced to pat down his moustache with a handkerchief as his tears had damped the facial hair.

[Nira]

Tarah shrugged while sipping at her drink. She looked up in thought and considered when to say to the men now that she had evaded eviction. She avoided lies like the plague, but stating that she was here for curiosity was a bit dull and unfitting.

"I can't quite say," Tarah said. "But, say, if there was a nigh-invincible warrior, with an armor that no physical attack can expect to pass, do you know of any way to defeat such a person?"

There was no enemy with the traits that Tarah described, but she was mostly referring to herself with a little extra emphasis. It had been a while since she fought anyone, and she wanted to see if anyone knew of a way to overcome what she planned to become. If her plans of overwhelming power was opposed, she'd simply have to find the method that counters her opposition.

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

The whole bar fell silent. They knew of who the girl spoke of, he was a mans man. A warrior of the highest class, the manliest of man that could man the men of man. At the notion Freddie and his facial hair began to shine unwordly, seemingly unnaturally, as he would pose with a thumbs up carrying a large smile. He'd then turn that thumb down and the light behind him would turn to darkness and his smile to a frown as he'd sulk silently as if defeated. As he was comforted by the men around him the bartender spoke up. "Ah yeah... Him..." he trail off as he resigned himself to answering her. "He's a man who came here a few months ago wearing nothing but a loincloth. He challenged Freddy to fistycuffs and defeated him. That was the first time that had happened, period. He left shortly after, said he was going into the mountains to train himself, took one of the men to be his student." Throughout his explanation the bartender unconsciously cleaned the glasses in his reach, conditioned by his everyday job. He hadn't much else to say on the matter however if Tarah had any further questions he would answer them.

[Nira]

Tarah considered the information, she wasn't sure what to make of it, though. Hand to hand combat usually wasn't a threat in the first place, so she wasn't sure how powerful the man they spoke of to be. The only measure of strength they talked about was that Freddy was defeated. That didn't really mean much, since Freddy's potential was largely unknown.

Tarah turned and looked at the crowd of men. "So, to start with, who exactly is Freddy?"

While she spoke, Tarah dug into her soul and extracted a sense of chakra. She took roughly a dozen seconds of sensing to determine who had the strongest chakra signature in the entire tavern.

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

As she would extend her chakra sensing ability there would be one chakra signature that would stand out, above all the other signatures in the area. It would rival her own power yet not surpass it. The Bartender would speak. "Oh you'll know him when you see him" he assured Nira as a shirtless man with a hairy chest and suspenders would reveal himself to the woman (not penis-wise but presence-wise). While he said no words at this point it would be evident that this guy was Freddie. If she were to observe him she would find his hands and knuckles worn and calloused proving to her that he was proficient with hand to hand combat and a master of the art of taijutsu. Not much else could be said about him at this moment however.

[Nira]

Tarah nodded once toward Freddie, then turned back toward the bartender. She drank some more soda and made no further comments. When she placed her drink back down, she muttered a little tune in the language of Necril. Her tongue called to the earth, though not for the sake of necromancy.

Outside the tavern, the moist earth became the target of Tarah's call. Half of Tarah's chakra channeled into the ground. Mud came to life, overcome with the need for animation. It rose like a tower, and limbs soon sprouted from it like the branches of a sapling.

The doton shadow clone of Tarah stretched her constructed limbs. Her personality was one of Vi Gesic, the first of Tarah's lifetimes. Vi yawned, as if she had woken from a long sleep. She didn't have much interest in combat, but was more than willing to do a favor for the younger personality.

Vi sang a song of her own, and soon her body was cloaked by a transparent armor of crystal, enforced to the highest degree of durability. Her skin turned pitch black as her biomass focused entirely on amplifying her physical strength. A few handseals were made at the end, which caused the clothing Vi wore to shift into a jumpsuit. The suit included a mask that encompassed the girl's entire head, only letting her long hair loose in the back.

Fortified, and with her identity superficially hidden, Vi Gesic pushed herself into the tavern. Without warning, she picked up the closest unattended drink and threw it at Freddie's face.

Earth techniques may be cast through song.

Doton Kage Bunshin (Earth Shadow Clone)
Rank: "B"
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: This technique allows the user to make a shadow clone infused with earth.
Special: "Clone Seal"
Drawback: Same drawbacks as Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)
Description: Picture Takes the amount of time to perform a "B" Rank Jutsu. This technique creates a shadow clone made of mud of the user. Since its made of mud, it can continue to reform and mould itself back to its original shape. After reverting to mud, it can hold the opponent in place. It takes 1/3rd of a round for a clone to reform back to its original state to perform any actions.
Limit: Must know the Earth Release. Must know Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique).

Crystal techniques may be cast through song.
Crystal techniques supported by "S" rank crystallization.

Kesshō no Yoroi (Crystal Release: Crystal Armor)
Rank: C
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: This jutsu allows the user to become encased in a thin sheet of crystal to protect them from blunt force trauma. This armor can also aid the user in performing stronger physical attacks. The crystal is transparent and can only be noticed by light reflecting off it.
Special: "Handseals"
Drawback: None
Description: Picture
Forming the needed hand seals, the user encases themselves in a crystalline armor. It is transparent, but is able to reflect light. It has the ability to block two C rank attack plus whatever your skill in Crystallization before breaking, and lends itself to enhancing punching/kicking taijutsu damage by a D rank due to it adding a slight amount of weight to the strike.
Limit: Must know the Crystal Release, and Shōton: Crystallization

<Up to S Rank>
Musclemass
Rank: "B", "A", "S"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: A manipulation of the body that increases the strength ranks of the user as well as striking power.
Special: ---
Drawback: Cannot be used with Armour.
Description: When used a large amount of biomass is shifted throughout the body of the user, molding it into a more black-biomass muscular body. While active, it boosts the user's strength to immense proportions, increasing the damage done in close combat and the damage and distance of thrown objects. Musclemass increases the user's melee damage and increases the speed at which they strike. Objects thrown with Musclemass will hit harder, fly further, and move faster than objects thrown at the user's normal strength; upgrades will augment the distance. All of the user's combat abilities, save for the Devastators will be enhanced by Musclemass. The weakness of the Musclemass is that it does not actually modify user's attack abilities, only makes them more potent. When first learned this technique increases striking attacks by 20 Points worth of Damage while increasing knockback by 50%. When learned the 2nd time it increases striking attacks by 30 Points worth of Damage while increasing knockback by 75%. At this level, a charged attack (2 movements Preparing) will turn any human opponent it strikes into bloody chunks. When learned the 3rd time it increases striking attacks by 40 Points worth of Damage while increasing knockback by 100%.
Limit: Must be a Protean. Must know Full Body Transformation.

Hifuko Me-Kuo-Ba (Clothing Make Over)
Rank: C
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: Changes the users clothing
Special: "Hand Seals"
Drawback: Only works on the users clothing. Cannot change the colors of the fabric unless you are blending two colors into a third, such as blue and red to make purple. Cannot create slot holding items,
Description: Using their skill at manipulating fabric the Karinui have discovered how to re-arrange their clothing if need be. After performing the needed seals the fabric of the clothing will ripple and the fibers will move at the users command. This can be used to transform shirts and pants into dresses, kimono into pants, and any other number of possibilities.
Limit: Must be a Karinui. Must Know "Sankuchu-ru".