Curse of Kusa - Part 1 [Event]

[neko bo beko]

Just as soon as she thought things might be going downhill, the mood is interrupted by a new and approved, returned Houkou. When he smiles, Harue can't help but still feel slightly weary, but not so uneasy. He was clearly trying anyways. Harue appreciated it wholly, but she didn't feel like making the atmosphere stuffy by thanking him for returning or for his attempt at keeping a level attitude. Instead, she only smiles and beams slightly, in a somewhat better mood herself now. She looks to Inoryu with an expression that reads 'scratch that,' though she is rather disappointed that they won't be able to take a gander at the structure to the right of them. At least they'd be heading towards the hand-print pedestal. If they had leisure time on the way back, she could keep it in mind. Or maybe it was pointless - she didn't know. Still, she made small visual investigations along the way without straying from the group. She's not sure if the formation is still in tact, but she moves to the right flank of their small unit regardless. She tried her best to at least stay closer to Inoryu, trying to keep in mind that Houkou placed him in charge of her. It gave her an intense tingling along her spine, like her skin was tightening, but she ignored it in favor of being cooperative. She didn't want to rock the boat, especially when their teamwork seemed to be mended at least for now.

As they move onward, Harue glances briefly over her shoulder at the jump spot and where the light disappears into the clouds, towards where Ameya still rests. Twisting up her face, she worries briefly about the consequences of leaving her there. What if she messed things up from the inside? What if she was ignorant to the good of the team and did something to put them all in danger? Harue looks hesitantly forward to say something about it, but Houkou's already speaking into the radio to her. Swallowing thickly, the pinkette hopes that'll be enough. 

When they come to the pedestal, Harue can't help but feel underwhelmed. She thought it would be exciting, but in reality it was just daunting. She stares pointedly at the device, blinking a few times as her impulsive, gut reaction murmurs to her, to place her hand in the impression. Standing idly close by to Houkou, she looks to him from aside and studies him for a moment. He'd only asked for it to be looked at, not activated - she kept this in mind acutely as she stepped towards the pedestal. She wasn't very keen with devices at all, but she was good at putting two and two together most of the time. Staying within close range of everyone and trying not to get in anyone's way who might be better adept with devices and traps, Harue examines the pedestal and the surrounding area carefully, keeping an eye out for any connections between the device and anything that might be within their proximity. She was somewhat pessimistic in her awkward study, not moving much around aside from taking easy steps around the pedestal. [investigate 100, observation 81]

---

SPOILER: Click to show

active -
eyes of the planes
soul guard
solid regard
shadow walker: hide in plain sight

skills -
observation 81
investigation 100

Harue's Notes

SPOILER: Click to show

harue - 10 smoke pellets, 1 healing hands leyden, 1 clear nausea leyden, radio (channel 5) 4 vivre tags (half) (1 to houkou, 1 to yuri, 1 to and from tomomi)

houkou - 2 healing hands leyden, 6 vivre tags (4 half) (1 from harue, 1 from tomo, 1 from inoryu, 1 from ameya)

tomomi - 1 healing hands leyden, 2 cleanse spirit leydens, compass, radio, 3 vivre card (half) (1 to houkou, 1 to harue, 1 from harue)

inoryu - 1 healing hands leyden, 1 cleanse nausea leyden, 1 cleanse spirit leyden, 1 lightning leyden, 1 vivre tag (to houkou)

ameya - 1 lightning leyden, 1 healing hands leyden, 1 cleanse paralysis leyden, 7 vivre tags(?) (1 to houkou)

[Inoryu]

    Inoryu nodded to Houkou's new orders, "Understood." As they made their way to the pedestal, Inoryu reflected on his own behavior. He hoped that he didn't come off as rude in anyway after asking if the Genin's understood. Feeling more strict due to Harue's soft exterior, he was merely trying to see where her and Tomomi's head was at. It was brought on mostly by Tomomi's complete disregard of Houkou's order. He wanted to know why he disobeyed, or what may have brought on the disobedience. Due to Inoryu's background, such disobedience was unheard of and he wanted to know why it happened to determine if it will happen again in the future. 

    It was clear where Harue's head was at. She was focused on the mission and was reliable in her reports, she was doing very well. As far as Ameya went, Inoryu had surveillance on her at the jump spot. She was sleeping now, and as long as she remained there sleeping, she was at least out of danger and close to Yuri.  He took a deep breath and observed his surroundings. He got a look at the pedestal with the hand print and immediately thought using a shadow clone to experiment with it would be the best bet. He had never come across a contraption such as it, not even in his studies, and was clueless of how to work it. Perhaps pushing some chakra through it would cause some sort of reaction, but who knows what it may do. 

    "Until we can determine what this pedestal does, I could summon a shadow clone instead to try and use this thing. My chakra constructs can be made substantial, so it could provide many things a real body could before dismissal," Inoryu suggested. The Yamanaka didn't know what else he could do other than look around, so he did just that, merely acting more as a sentry until he received an order. He kept his attention to things happening outside of the barriers to get any clue of the land their in. [Observation: 134]

SPOILER: Click to show

Selective invisibility still active, 20 mins, Will save 30 , Stealth 495

[j]

Tomo couldn't help but cringe slightly upon Inoryu's attempt at leading them. 'Is this a joke...?' He thought to himself. This creepy looking kid with part of a set of armour and useless gadgets was supposed to lead them? No way. Honestly he'd rather get killed by the scary brown guy. Well, whatever... Tomomi isn't the sort to stir up trouble, so he'd have to follow along for now. Tomo was clearly being judged poorly, and perhaps rightfully so. When asked if he understood their situation and Inoryu's intentions, he nodded once in affirmation.

Upon being asked about the barriers, Yuri spoke to them from the radios, seemingly answering the question for him. But then Houkou came back. He seemed to have perked himself up slightly, and was ready to resume leadership of their ragtag band of dopes. Their orders were clear and they moved towards the pedestal as a group. Their accordance seemed to have resumed where it left off before Tomomi briefly ruined everything for the mission.

Then it seemed like everybody was considering what to do next... which brought Tomomi's thoughts to the portal before; where the best option was to just go for it. He considered his options while everybody seemed to submit their suggestions or remain silent. Tomomi focused on the pedestal just like the rest of them for a bit. Perhaps revealing some sort of chakra-related secret regarding the object, or not. Either way he'd had enough. Tomomi wasn't even the strongest individual here, and he had the balls to do what needed to be done. With a determined and somewhat disappointed expression, he stepped forward and slapped his hand down on the imprint, while expressing his opinion.

"Tch... don't be a pussy, Chūnin."

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan x6 [10 meter telescopic]
Observation 260+30+30, 320
Stealth 125
solid regard - immune to fear.

neko bo beko , DJ Loki , Inoryu , An'ei Sekitan , Dr. Neuro, RN

[DJ Loki]

The brazen Hyuuga placed his hand on the pedestal there was the sound of whirling and the clanking of gears. The crystal from the tree began to light up, and then shot down at the platform in front of the pedestal. The platformed blazed a bright radiate color that seemed to be composed purely of unrefined chakra, or chakra like energy. As the platform lite up it's light, flowed through a power line of sorts. That power line lead over to the building to the right of where they entered. Once the energy entered into the building the power shut down completely shut down. After the power shut down and the light faded, a disembodied artificial voice sounded,

"Inadequate power, all towers not engaged, Destination not specified. Error... error. Array incomplete, please contact engineers for assistance." It would seem that Tomo's reckless actions once again gleamed a bit of valuable information for the group once again. This was highly complicated devices, nothing like what was seen on the surface above. Even those well versed in the use of Chakra Devices could learn little from just looking at this set up. They would need to explore further.

[An'ei Sekitan]

As Tomomi reached out to touch the device, being an obscene little prick, Houkou could not help but smirk at him and watch. Three things were the possibility here; either it worked, it did not work, or it was trapped and none of them would know until it was sprung. So when the voice called out, claiming there was not enough power, and other exploded, Houkou was disappointed. However, he was also pleased, because it confirmed a theory of his that had been brewing since he saw that other building they could reach, to which they would need to backtrack. Seemed that it was time to go play the part of the power company.

”Thank you for being predictable, Tomomi.” That knowing smirk stayed on his face the whole time, even when Tomomi had been ‘calling him out’, and it remained even now for a moment longer, lingering just long enough for observant others to see before fading. “Well then, let’s go find this box a bit more power and then make our way forward. Keep your eyes open for a map or some way of knowing where to navigate. Let’s go.” Houkou would point over at the building they had passed on the way here, then began to move that direction without waiting for the others, as he was always one to lead from the front.

Houkou would stand before the cathedral, as it looked much like one, for only a moment. Long enough for everyone to catch up if they had lingered behind for too long, and then he would make his way inside the front door carefully, but decisively [Observation Check: 210 + (Die)] Whatever was inside, it was most likely going to be nasty, or annoying, either way Houkou wished he had his cigarettes.

[neko bo beko]

Harue was trying exceptionally hard to keep some kind of equilibrium, even if that meant clamming up and following people she didn't understand. Tomomi, on the other hand, had an entirely different objective and, apparently, an addiction to reckless abandon. She winces when he slaps his hand down on the hand-print pedestal, but can't help but let out a small laugh when he addresses either Inoryu or Houkou as a pussy. Not because of the implication, but simply because such foul language makes her cheeks burn pink. 

She's surprised when Houkou seems to be rather happy with what had transpired, if that's what you could call whatever that smile portrayed. Harue twisted up her expression, at least excited to go to the strange structure that she'd originally been eyeing. As they moved back towards their Jump Spot, Harue moving inevitably to the right flank of the dying formation, she thinks about the pedestal itself. After their brief interaction with it, she had the slight idea that it was far beyond their own realm of understanding. At least until they did some digging, hopefully. She wonders aimlessly about what the device had erupted with. Inadequate power, all towers not engaged... She assumed that meant the pedestals in each quadrant needed to be activated at the same time, or... Well, regardless, whatever this was about, they might need the help of one of those engineers it sputtered on about. Pulling herself out of her thoughts as they pass the Jump Spot, Harue looks towards Houkou as she considers the likelihood of him wanting to let anything from this world help them. She frowned slightly then, but avoided thinking about what would happen if they ran into someone unfamiliar to their world. While Harue was always quick to try and pacify those kinds of confrontations, she had yet to see any of these people in the same type of conflict. Part of her hoped she wouldn't have to, but another part of her was so, so curious about the life that existed in this timespace. 

Disregarding negativity, or at least trying to, Harue nudged her way past the door once it was her turn to fit through. She wasn't hesitant, turning her red eyes around the interior and checking each immediate wall, curious if someone or something might be hiding along the walls, invisible or not.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

active -
eyes of the planes
soul guard
solid regard
shadow walker: hide in plain sight

skills -
observation 81
investigation 100

Harue's Notes

SPOILER: Click to show

harue - 10 smoke pellets, 1 healing hands leyden, 1 clear nausea leyden, radio (channel 5) 4 vivre tags (half) (1 to houkou, 1 to yuri, 1 to and from tomomi)

houkou - 2 healing hands leyden, 6 vivre tags (4 half) (1 from harue, 1 from tomo, 1 from inoryu, 1 from ameya)

tomomi - 1 healing hands leyden, 2 cleanse spirit leydens, compass, radio, 3 vivre card (half) (1 to houkou, 1 to harue, 1 from harue)

inoryu - 1 healing hands leyden, 1 cleanse nausea leyden, 1 cleanse spirit leyden, 1 lightning leyden, 1 vivre tag (to houkou)

ameya - 1 lightning leyden, 1 healing hands leyden, 1 cleanse paralysis leyden, 7 vivre tags(?) (1 to houkou)

[Inoryu]

    New light of Tomomi's character was revealed when he nodded to Inoryu's inquiry. It lead to the conclusion that Tomomi wasn't mentally challenged, but merely had no respect for authority. Inoryu had never seen him around the Ninja Academy so it was safe to presume that Tomomi wasn't classically trained. Not only that, but Inoryu's own specialized training probably widens the gap between them. Before he could venture anymore information about Tomomi, Houkou returned with clear directives for the party as a whole. After moving to the pedestal and conducting a short investigation of it, Tomomi activated the device, coupled with a snide comment to the Chunin. Inoryu felt that the comment was addressed to him personally but the Yamanaka took it with a grain of salt. It gave him all a direction on how to gain favor with the young genin. Tomomi was fearless, and in order to earn some respect, as long as Inoryu was in Tomomi's presence, he would act fearless as well. [Acting:125] Harue laughed at the remark and Inoryu was determining her attitude towards him with a refined skill for sensing motives to determine her attitude towards him. [Sense Motive(Read Mood):160] 

    The sound of whirling and gears resonated as if a machine came to life. As the crystal in the tree lit up and beamed at the platform in front of the pedestal, Inoryu couldn't help but feel some excitement. The chakra light seemed to then flow through some sort of power line that led to the building Inoryu wanted to explore, but when the light hit the building, the mechanism shut down and the chakra light faded. A disembodied, artificial voice then resounded the area, "Inadequate power, all towers not engaged, Destination not specified. Error... error. Array incomplete, please contact engineers for assistance." Immediately, his hypothesis was that the pedestal activated another form of space-time travel, and considering the means that got him to where he was, it seemed plausible. "Towers" might mean designated power centers for the device. "Array Incomplete" might mean that there was some kind of configuration or calibration that needed to be done for the device to work. He wanted to investigate further. 

    At this point, Tomomi was also gaining favor with the commander. This only hardened Inoryu's own resolve as Houkou complimented the genin and smirked. He was accepting Tomomi, and under Yuri's directive he would follow his lead. He realized that even though Tomomi was disobedient, he had gotten them this far, and Inoryu tried to see past himself and see Tomomi's recklessness as a good quality for this mission. His and Ameya's recklessness did have their rewards after all. They made their way to the cathedral and Inoryu would cut in front of Houkou with a shunshin and attempt to enter. It was the first step to change Tomomi's attitude towards him and it was easy as it aligned with his own personal preference to be the first through the door. His invisibility glamour was still active and would allow him an advantage if someone outside his party couldn't perceive him. If he could, Inoryu would fling the door open wide enough where he could slip through quickly alone as to not reveal his party. Immediately, all of his senses would be a cohesion of observation as he took in the new surrounding while quickly drawing three bo shuriken in each hand. [Observation:134]

SPOILER: Click to show

-Selective invisibility active, 19 mins, Will save 30 , Stealth 495
-Mobility +4 Dodge

[j]

Luckily for Tomo, no harm came to him upon placing his digits onto the object. Unfortunately, nothing else happened after that, other than the voice that denied any further occurrence. Inoryu's reaction to Tomomi's snide comment was probably about what he expected. That is to say that there wasn't an apparent reaction other than his continued oddness. The kid seemed to be having some sort of constant inner monologue. Instead of properly responding to the taunt, he seemed to adjust himself slightly, and then move onto considering Houkou's reaction. Houkou by the way, seemed somewhat satisfied by Tomomi's action. Tomo cringed at the thought that his frustration could be predictable.

They'd moved on now, following after Houkou much in the way that sheep would. Tomo quickly grew tired of the monotonous tedium of subservience. Perhaps someday he'd be free of duty and responsibility. However, for now, he followed after Houkou into the cathedral. It was a gaudy structure, and Tomomi carefully scanned the interior of the building with his Byakugan before entering after his superior. Just then, Inoryu disappeared and reappeared in front of Houkou, slipping into the door alone. Again Tomomi winced. Where did Yuri get these people? Tomomi's hand met his face in reflexive expression of his abhorrence. Was it too late to go home?

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan x6 [10 meter telescopic]
Observation 260+30+30, 320
Stealth 125
solid regard - immune to fear.

neko bo beko , DJ Loki , Inoryu , An'ei Sekitan , Dr. Neuro, RN

[DJ Loki]

As the lot of them began to file into the building, they all noticed something very odd about it, other than the obvious. Inside looked much like one would expect of a Lobby of sorts. However, it was somehow held both an ancient, yet distance future feel to the aesthetic. Not only did the designs some to follow this pattern but so did the devices that would visible in the area. It wasn't am overly large area, only a 50m diameter Circular room with a hole large enough in the roof, to allow the light the seemed to power the portable into this place.

However that was the only bit of power this place seemed to be outputting at the moment. Everything else seemed to be in disarray. In the middle of the room where the light came down, there was an obvious device that powered it, not only that but there was a circle counter that seemed to circle around the same said device. To their left as they entered would be a partially lite board map. While the light was fading it was still in good enough condition, to see. According to the map the Engineer deck was located on the second floor, the last room on the South side of the building. The Desk in the middle of the room was marked as... Reception and Departure...

To the west of the room there were visible stairs, that didn't seem to be in great condition, and to the east side and west sides there seemed to be the remains of railings. leading up to the circular counter, clearly something to organize queues. Toward the North of the building seemed to be a waiting area. However everything looked to be a bit run down, but in surprisingly good condition, based on how long things seemed to have been this way. Who ever this Engineer was, surely they were long since dead by this point. Regardless, they would need to find something that would push them forward.

[An'ei Sekitan]

Inoryu darted in before him, but he paid it no mind, growing tired of trying to put safety above results. They had yet to run into hostility and it would be some time still before they did, at least that looked to be the case, and Houkou was not even the least bit worried about it even if they did. “Harue, go check out that device receiving the light, see if there is a way to get more light, I don’t care how you do it. Inoryu, get me pictures of that map, you will be the guide for this place, then aid Harue. Tomomi, go up through that hole and see if there is anything that is in the way of the light that comes in. I’ll go to the Reception and Departure area and see what I can find. Use your radios if anything happens, call me immediately. Report this to Yuri, Haru.” With that, Houkou was off to the stair and up to the Reception and Departure room to see if he could find a more detailed map, or perhaps some instructions on how to run this place.

[neko bo beko]

The inside of their destination wasn't at all what Harue had expected, but then again, it was everything she had expected in that regard. Coming in apparently last, or at least second to last, Harue examined wall to wall what appeared to be a bunch of historical junk. To their immediate left, Harue could see a strange lite board, presumably a map of some sort. Moving towards it almost instantly, she examines it to get a grasp of where they stood. When Houkou gives her a task, she looks to him and then the strange device outputting light. She had no idea how to manufacture or tinker or, whatever the hell it required, but she gave an affirmative nod any way. "I'll do my best," she says, moving across the strange, lobby-esque room to the round desk that surrounds the device. She hums in response to Houkou's departure, hand gravitating towards the radio at her hip as she continues to scan the circular island surrounding the device to try and see if the two were connected.

"Lady Yuri," Harue starts, unsure on any other way to address her so suddenly. "We're incapable of activating the pedestal, it tells us that we're inadequate and that not all towers are engaged. I'm just going to assume that means all quadrants need to activate the pedestals at the same time, or.. something." Harue pauses, taking a moment to walk around the circular counter to get a better look at the makeshift fusebox itself, still trying to figure out what it would take. She didn't exactly want to kick it, or hit it with some NinJutsu. Though, she did keep those two ideas in the back of her mind. "We came to what I'm guessing is one of the towers? The tower of our quadrant. It's pretty empty." Harue looks to Inoryu, then to the hole where Tomomi is supposed to crawl through. "Houkou went up a flight, to the second floor for now. Do you... know how to get the power going better?"

The pink one looks to the lite map, its dim light giving off a faint hum she can't hear. She gives the light-power device a tap with her foot, carefully. She squints, looking up into the hole where the light cascades down from, and wonders if the light is more than just light. Was it okay for Tomomi to crawl around in it? She narrows her eyes more, effectively crinkling her face up, as she exasperatedly looks back to the desk. She wondered if there was simply an 'on' switch.' Finally, Harue steps away and takes a gander around the area they're in now that Houkou's pressure is not daunting upon them all. "And... do you know what happened here? In this, uh, realm? I get the feeling this isn't the good type of abandoned."

---

SPOILER: Click to show

active -
eyes of the planes
soul guard
solid regard
shadow walker: hide in plain sight

skills -
observation 81
investigation 100

Harue's Notes

SPOILER: Click to show

harue - 10 smoke pellets, 1 healing hands leyden, 1 clear nausea leyden, radio (channel 5) 4 vivre tags (half) (1 to houkou, 1 to yuri, 1 to and from tomomi)

houkou - 2 healing hands leyden, 6 vivre tags (4 half) (1 from harue, 1 from tomo, 1 from inoryu, 1 from ameya)

tomomi - 1 healing hands leyden, 2 cleanse spirit leydens, compass, radio, 3 vivre card (half) (1 to houkou, 1 to harue, 1 from harue)

inoryu - 1 healing hands leyden, 1 cleanse nausea leyden, 1 cleanse spirit leyden, 1 lightning leyden, 1 vivre tag (to houkou)

ameya - 1 lightning leyden, 1 healing hands leyden, 1 cleanse paralysis leyden, 7 vivre tags(?) (1 to houkou)

[Inoryu]

    Inoryu wasn't expecting to enter into a well lit room that appeared to fit well with the theme of the land. He truly wanted to encounter a creature to better understand the plane that they were on, so he returned his shuriken back to his butt bags and eased his demeanor. The room was interesting nonetheless and more of the same aesthetic beauty that he found so endearing. He examined the room, but mostly soaked in the atmosphere rather than any fine details. There were no otherworldly creatures and no threats that he could assess. In the midst of his appreciation, Houkou had given them orders. His order was to snap pictures of the lite board map and then assist Harue in her investigation. Inoryu made his way to the left where he could get a good picture and snapped it with a touch of his camera vision goggles. He then took the time to transfer the picture to his holodisk so he may always have the map as a reference. He also took a moment to commit the map to memory in order to gain a clear understanding of the place they were in. [Eidetic Memory]

    Once he understood the map and all of its details, he made his way over to Harue's station. He observed the circular counter and the light powered device in the center. He would make his way around the enclosure for any interactive arrays he could use to control the device. Then he would weave a series of eight hand seals and project his mind out with the mind spy technique. His mind became free to roam anywhere within 15 meters and was capable of hearing what was going on around him. He would use this state to investigate the inner workings of the device. He kept an eye out for any configurations that an engineer might work with but did not allow that to limit what findings he may happen upon through a free search of the fifteen meter diameter within the device. After inspecting all he could within the device, his mind would roam in the center to investigate how the light powers the technology. He would rise through the light for fifteen meters and take an aerial view of the device. He would then follow the light to or even through the device to increase his understanding of the role it played in the technology. In this endeavor, he was also willing to go as far as his jutsu would allow. On the surface, Inoryu would merely be standing at the circular enclosure of the device with his eyes closed and head limp as if he were asleep. 

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu used-
Mind Spy: Hearing
Standing Technique 

Jutsu Active-
Selective invisibility, 18 mins, Will save 30 , Stealth 495

 

[j]

Unfortunately it seemed as though the answer wasn't going to be directly handed to them. They'd have to figure it out for themselves. The room was rather odd. Architecture unlike any space he'd seen before. Perhaps from a different age or species altogether. Well, either way that didn't especially mean anything to Tomo. While he was spaced out, admiring the oddities of the room, their roles were divvied. His attention was drawn back to reality by the mention of his own name. His orders were to go up through the hole and check for any obstruction to the energy/light going through the gap in the ceiling.

Tomo nodded in affirmation. Sharing to his superior that he'd shortly be doing exactly as he was asked. It seems their now somewhat more proactive senior had a self-assured change of heart. It seemed he was ready to get this over with, rather than dragging each meaningless task onto infinity. At the rate they'd been moving it seemed as though they'd be there forever. Tomo briefly examined the others as they moved towards their assigned tasks. He listened to Harue for a moment, enjoying the inflection of her voice for a moment before losing interest and returning to his own task.

Tomo jumped up to the upper point of the space. Gently and skillfully his feet landed on the side of the hole. Using chakra, he stuck the soles of his sandals to the surface. He paced upwards in the hole until he was able to see clearly exactly what it was he was looking at. Perhaps nothing, perhaps some sort of obstacle.

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan x6 [10 meter telescopic]
Observation 260+30+30, 320
Stealth 125
solid regard - immune to fear.
tree walking

neko bo beko , DJ Loki , Inoryu , An'ei Sekitan , Dr. Neuro, RN

[DJ Loki]

As Harue relayed information, the others wouldn't fine out much else about what they were looking at. They would discover many things, but without the knowledge necessary they'd have no idea of piecing together what was or was not important. And what that were looking at was nothing like what they have seen on the surface, it was far more advanced, and yet somehow it seemed rather old, about as old as the abandon city on the surface.

Back at base Yuri was being bombarded by information for all three groups, and they all were telling her similar but different things and they all were melding together in her mind. She was getting everything down it was just a bit choatice, "Ok everyone, shut up, For a second." She shouted out over the channels. "I really need to learn Shadow clone." She mumbled as she got all the information down, she then responded over the channels, to all groups.

"Ok it seems I'm getting similar reports from everyone, just that your areas are in different states of disarray. Ok, from what I'm getting, Team Salihn's Engineer is... out of commission? When she went into the room it was completely trashed. Team Su's Pedstal won't even respond seems like that place is a shit show. And when they went inside, the only thing that was working was the portal to get there, so they are completely blind over there. Team Houkou's location seems to be in the best shape so far, but we'll have to wait to see how this Engineer is. Although I don't expect much." Yuri went silent for a moment, and then said said,

"Everyone switch your radio channels to 3, we'll all be communicating on this channel. Just report your what team is reporting in. From the reports I'm getting From Harue, we'll need to have some cooperation." After everyone had switched channels Yuri, told Salihn to inform Houkou on how to get to the Engineer room. "Yes mam... Greetings again Demon Dog. If your area is well powered like the Lady Kusakage has stated then you should have no trouble spotting the Second floor, Departure and Receiving Just pass that to the south, should be a hallway. Once you get to the hall take a left, a right and another left, and you should come to a door, with electronic Words shinning above the door. Mine says Out of Commission and the inside was completely trashed. Hopefully you'll have more luck. Over."

Once Houkou made his way to the door, he would indeed have more luck. The electronic words above the door would read, "Open".

[Draven]

Godric would find himself at the base. The 8 foot tall Vampire of course having his Multiple Sword Holster (Overview)/w 20 Sword, Longsword (Overview)[Hiraishin placed on all]/w increasing both Swords and Holster by 1 size increments on his left hip and his Benihime (Crimson Princess)[Hira Placed] on his right. He also had a Gas Mask (Overview) 1 filter model, hanging round his neck with a Gas Mask Filter: E installed. Also around his neck were Goggles with X-Ray Vision, Zooming Vision x5, and Condition Viewing Vision. On each of his arms were Melody Arms...

He wore his overcoat, with a fancy shirt underneath, a simple cloak, [47 Slots] Pack, Assault, around his waist, and a [8 Slots] Vest, Tactical Chest Rig. Inside the assault pack were, 5-Slots/285-Senbon (Overview, a Rebreather (Overview), Motion Sensor x3, Handheld Surveillance Monitor, 7 doses of Hawkweed, and 5-Slot/40-Tag: Exploding. Inside the Chest ring was 8-slots/16-Kunai (Overview) +1 size.

He would look toward Yuri with a slightly tilted head. "This place is supposed to be an interest in some way. Is there anything that would need my expertise?" He questioned. Though it would seem things were well underway. The Kusakage seemed rather busy, but he wished to relieve some of that stress. Perhaps he would be of some use...

[An'ei Sekitan]

Houkou listened to the information being relayed over to him by Salihn, since they were all now on a single channel per Yuri’s instruction, and then followed the directions that had been given to him. [Observation: 210 + (Roll)] Houkou would make his way to the hall, eyes peeled for traps and the like, or perhaps signs of any life or unlife that might be here, then took the left and kept moving until he could take a right, followed by a final left. Before him would loom a door that would claim ‘Open’ upon it, lit up in fluorescent light, and basically asking him to go inside. I’d better be ready for anything. With a quiet resolve, Houkou would open the door and, pending no obstructions or attacks from the other side, make his way in and have a look about the place.

He would open up the comms for the radio so that he might relay everything he say, potentially aiding everyone, but mostly just ready to give Yuri a head's up. "I'm in the Receiving and Departure room now, going to see if I can find a way to turn this on. Tomomi, if you're still in the light tunnel, be ready to leave it when I give the word. I don't know what will happen if I get this working."

[neko bo beko]

When Yuri orders everyone to shut up, Harue inhales sharply and allows herself a moment to realize she had no idea how to get more power running. Inoryu would seem to be just as helpless as her, even with his ability to possess entities, and the pink one worries this might be counted as a failure. Harue tilts her head, looking to Tomomi's lower half hanging from the hole in the ceiling as she changes the channel of her radio to 3 per instructions. 

Harue listens intently to the status of each quadrant, her heart thrumming in her ears briefly when Yuri says that their quadrant is in the best shape. Which meant they'd have the most weight on their shoulders - Harue rolls hers, straightening up and idling back towards the lite map on the wall. She listens to the directions that someone unfamiliar by voice gives Houkou, eyes trailing over the map, trying to find his location. Demon dog? She looks to the staircase he'd disappeared into and wonders if they should follow, but doesn't move to do anything more than listen for a signal. Acting on a whim, even if she felt it was necessary or important, was still a whim. She didn't want to upset the balance again. Once there is some radio silence, Harue moves to stand back with Inoryu and the hole Tomomi had crawled into. "I think-" she cuts herself off, eyes darting to the Yamanaka, then to her old teammate. "Uh... what do you two think we should do?" Though she did have an inkling of an idea of what she wanted to do, she didn't want to be held accountable for anything stupid they may end up doing. And there was a chain of command, of course. Apparently.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

active -
eyes of the planes
soul guard
solid regard
shadow walker: hide in plain sight

skills -
observation 81
investigation 100

Harue's Notes

SPOILER: Click to show

harue - 10 smoke pellets, 1 healing hands leyden, 1 clear nausea leyden, radio (channel 5) 4 vivre tags (half) (1 to houkou, 1 to yuri, 1 to and from tomomi)

houkou - 2 healing hands leyden, 6 vivre tags (4 half) (1 from harue, 1 from tomo, 1 from inoryu, 1 from ameya)

tomomi - 1 healing hands leyden, 2 cleanse spirit leydens, compass, radio, 3 vivre card (half) (1 to houkou, 1 to harue, 1 from harue)

inoryu - 1 healing hands leyden, 1 cleanse nausea leyden, 1 cleanse spirit leyden, 1 lightning leyden, 1 vivre tag (to houkou)

ameya - 1 lightning leyden, 1 healing hands leyden, 1 cleanse paralysis leyden, 7 vivre tags(?) (1 to houkou)

[Inoryu]

    Inoryu's mind spy state revealed an ornate mass of internal structure that was hopelessly beyond his understanding. Throughout his investigation, he would look for any sign of clues as to how the machine works but came up short. Instead, he is completely rapt with the same aesthetic beauty that is prevalent in the ultra-foreign land. As he took a closer look at the highly advanced, yet seemingly ancient technology, he heard Yuri's static voice over the wireless radios. His body became animated again almost immediately as the Kusakage began to speak.

    The Yamanaka smiled slightly as it dawned on him that the engineer wasn't a person, but a place. Perhaps the controls for this highly sophisticated machine could be found there and brought to life, or maybe it was only one compartment of an entire mechanism that needed to be addressed. Inoryu yearned for answers because mere speculation is not valid information, and they needed the latter to meet the mission's objective. Inoryu was well aware that they were still in the early stages of the investigation and was confident that eventually, answers would be illuminated. Patience resonated with him like a ringing bell.

    According to Yuri's update, his team was in the best position to collect Intel. That was both exciting and daunting, meaning that more responsibility fell on Team Houkou, he could feel the pressure to perform. He was resolved to give his best effort meaning that he would remain attentive, focused, and engaged at all times. However, this was his first high ranked mission, possibly S-ranked, and his first as a Chunin. He could feel the pressure mounting as he thought of being showcased to other Kusa-nin for the first time in such a high stakes environment. Such meanderings around the village were unimportant compared to this. He would have to reveal his true self to his companions and hope for the best. 

    The Chunin switched the channel of his communicator to channel 3 and listened in on Salihn's instructions to Houkou, then Houkou's instructions to Tomomi. As he watched Tomomi make his way through the hole in the ceiling, he noticed Harue approach and begin to say something only to cut herself off and ask for directions. Inoryu listened, a slight pause as she finished, and without hesitation replied with a smile that was full of acceptance, "You have a good head on your shoulders, Harue. If you ever have any suggestions, thoughts, concerns or otherwise, I would truly value your input. I do my best to understand multiple perspectives and your perspective is no less than anybody else's on the team, at least in my perspective. I think that engineer Houkou is investigating could provide us with more information. If you feel stuck, then at least always do your best to adhere to directives. We have to look out for each other, especially during times like these where we might be exposed to S-ranked threats. If we look out for each other, it makes us more effective in combat, increases the success rate of the mission, and simultaneously increases our likelihood of survival. So for now, I want to stick with Houkou and Tomomi, unless ordered to split apart. There was a short pause as Inoryu kept an eye on Tomomi Hyuuga, "Though I would like to put those barriers outside to the test," Inoryu continued, "In our fight against Vlad, Lord Seventh effortlessly escaped such a barrier imposed by Ameya. Tomomi and Ameya have the same eyes as Yuri, so I wonder if that ability to cut chakra related constructs is inherent to the clan. Also, by studying the barriers with the various doujutsu in our team, we might gain a better understanding of the land we're in and might get a clue as to how this machine works. Hell, maybe we could even break the barriers with enough power, then we can designate a rally point for every team on this assignment." Inoryu felt as though he was rambling so he quickly offered a closing statement, "At the very least, we would be collecting more Intel which is our assignment." He shrugged his shoulders, "We weren't the first team in so these barriers might have already been tested, and the Intel collected."  

Jutsu active - Selective invisibility, 16 mins, Will save 30 , Stealth 495



   

[j]

There was nothing there...

Disappointing to say the least. Their progress remained impeded by something unknown. Would he ever get out of here? Tomo dropped from the hole in the ceiling and hovered slowly to a spot on the ground near Harue and Inoryu. Their radio came to life just then. Yuri explained their situation somewhat, leaving the duo plus one standing there waiting for Houkou's orders. Harue, perhaps without realizing that Tomo was there, now asked Inoryu what he thought.

Horror fell upon the boys face as he realized just what she'd done. He couldn't help but gasp mightily while he comprehended his situation. Why did she do that? Just how nice was she? Tomo stood speechless while the kid prattled endlessly. His eyes crossed behind his glasses, drool fell from his open mouth. Was this some sort of infinite genjutsu created for torture? At the mention of testing the barriers, Tomo couldn't take it any more. He snapped back to his senses and made an odd sound resembling a shocked young girl. "AH!"

"DID YOU HEAR THAT!?"

He pointed excitedly in the direction of Houkou. Obviously he hadn't heard anything, but if it meant ending this suffering, he'd gladly lie a thousand times.

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan x6 [10 meter telescopic]
observation 260+30+30, 320
stealth 125
solid regard - immune to fear.
tree walking
flight

neko bo beko , DJ Loki , Inoryu , An'ei Sekitan , Dr. Neuro, RN

[DJ Loki]

Your Friendly Neighborhood Helper Bot.

As Houkou got closer to the door he heard the sounds of clanging, and the rubbing of metals together. A voice echoed out of the room but it did not sound as if it came from the mouth of a human. It was mechanical in nature but still very much had a sort of life of it's own. "Well this is just a mess... just a mess. People have arrived for the first time in ages, and everything's gone to pot. I told those two...Power save and shutdown sure, but awake up every decade or so to run maintenance. Idiots.. idiots.... OH! whose that?" The creature turned around the face Houkou. From there Houkou could see that the thing was floating above the ground.

It moved and looked much like a puppet, but his sharigan picked up no Chakra strings on it. It floated their in place, a metal mass of machine with orange visor where it's head would otherwise be. Behind it was another thing that looked very similar to it only it's visor was blue in color. There was another hunched out in the corner that had a Green Visor. None of them seemed to be active save for the one that stood before Houkou. "Greetings, life form. This unit is known as Epsilon Delta 7, a Helper Bot, currently functioning as engineer of this tower. I do apologize for the state of affairs, the transport has been down for quite some time."

Epsilon moved around the table that the other helper bot was working on was, and after he got on the other said her began to work on it's insides once again. "To get the towers up an running, I will need the assistance of these two, or at the very least their access codes. However in order to do that, I will need power to activate them, but to produce such power will need the Towers to be activated. We run on Bio Energy, and we can only draw it from the Crystal in the tree outside through the tower's mechanism." Epsilon had nothing to hide, there was no reason to, his job was to help anyone who came to the best of his abilities.

The only reason someone would come here after all this time from the outside, was to go to the Grand City. So he would facilitate their journey as best he could. "Hmm, perhaps siphoning the Energy from the Crystal? No... the crystal emits a frequency wave. If I get to close it will destroy my systems. Speaking of wish I would suggest that you don't leave the safety of the barrier, getting too close to that crystal will turn human's insides to pudding without proper gear." As Eplison gave Houkou the warning he would be able to see the Chakra flowing through the machines body. It was what powered it. Bio Energy as the Machine called it seemed to just be Chakra, or rather an refined version of it.

"No worries Life form. I should be able to get these two up an running within 10 years." Epsilon then brought up his hand to give Houkou a thumbs up, as if 10 years was a more that acceptable time line.