Scouts sent out to Lightning country have not returned in their hunt for the Utagoe herb locations. It is possible that they are still out searching, or that they could have possibly been struck by lightning and killed. Regardless, it is urgent that those dispatched on this mission take extreme caution. Special safety rods will be sent with you. They are composed of a highly dense metal with an insulated rubber base as a grounding. Chances are that they will not last beyond one or two uses if struck by a huge lightning bolt, but they will prove very useful to you both. Best of luck, and if things get hairy, run away. Your search will pick up at the last reported location of the scouts.

-----

Lightning cracks over the darkened skies over the countryside. Fitting for the name, tonight bore a storm that spoke no rain, but only roared with thunder and glared with lightning. The perfect time to get struck by lightning, were anyone made entirely of metal; being on such a high plateau would not hurt your one in a hundred-thousand chance of kissing a stray bolt, either.

This plateau was one of four, jointed together near the center of each. They would make somewhat of a cross, with the plains on the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest. The land formation followed somewhat of an uneven curve in the middle, causing a mound to form in the intersection. Each of the four plateaus were at equal elevation; the only point that exceeded this general equal field would be said mound. At the center of this mound, one could note three dead bodies. One was missing its head, another mauled horribly, the third blackened with its clothes scorched.

To the southwest, one could note a silhouette of a humanoid figure. Between lightning strikes, a sword's glint could be made out. This figure seemed content to sit alone, its general figure faced towards the mound. Maybe a survivor?

Yui laughed reading her mission not to mention giving her this stupid rod, like she needed something to nullify electricity; she was a walking dam battery. Still she brought them just in case, maybe they could somehow be useful for beating someone to death who knew. Still if the search teams had not returned she was guessing it was not because of lightening, no she had a feeling it was something a lot darker than that. Walking through the storm she simply chuckled, nature and lightening she did not give two shits about either, she wanted this idem though, she wanted to live, and this was something that would help her with that. So if anyone was stupid enough to get in her way, they would feel a very swift and painful death, she was serious about this mission and that was both a good and a bad thing.

Moving through to a cross road she could smell something in the air it was blood, she smiled a little she was expecting as much. Maybe the maddened killer was still around; to kill someone in an area like this you had to be insane. The blood smelled somewhat old she was unsure, still it smelled good to her, the scent of spilt human blood it was wonderful. Looking ahead she could see why three dead bodies, a man seemed to be nearby a glint of metal. He must be someone who uses swords, one man without a head another mutilated badly, he sure did some handy work, still maybe he would be fun to talk to. Walking slowly toward the man he would see a white ANBU mask and a massively large figure moving toward him.

“Interesting handy work you did here, nice clean cut to the head though the mutilation could have been better, still overall not a bad set of kills, guessing by the man with the missing head I would say you did this bloody mess.”

She removed her mask showing the man a sight he might not even be able to think possible, her large ears twitching at the sound of thunder along with her long fangs she had. She was no normal human anyone could tell that and her massive body size certainly showed she was no weak person. She was not acting aggressive yet, she remained calm in case this guy was a total nut but if he did chose to fight her and she would rip his heart out and eat it with his last dying vision.

“You see I don't give a shit about those three I am here for a flower, but unlike them it isn't for profit I need it to keep my body alive. They were sent by the same person as me to search for it but they are worthless people, so I was sent because I am far more likely to obtain a flower. The flower was called, what was it again Utagoe or something like that, have you seen any of them around here? "

She still remained on guard in case he attacked, usually however people would try to chat a little to see how the person was emotionally. People who were unstable were the most frightening of foes, because they were impossible to predict what actions they would take. Setska stepped from behind Yui her wolf eyes watching the mans every movement she would never allow anyone to harm someone she loved so much, Yui was a treasure dear to her.

She recognized this area. She had never been here before, but it was definitely coming back to her. And she had been sure she had gone through most of Lightning country as a Kaijin member.

Nonetheless, it didn't seem like a harmful place... If one disregarded the bodies that lie there. Obviously those who had been sent there before them hadn't survived. Perhaps they couldn't find the Utagoe? Saku herself had never gone to look for it, but this was supposedly the only place it grew. She looked, from side to side, twirling the lightning rod in her fingers. It wouldn't take them too long to find it, as Saku herself knew what Utagoe looked like; she had used it once in her mother's shop for some sort of remedy. She couldn't remember what it was, but it was something she had made only rarely.

She glanced at the bodies once more. One looked as if it was missing its head; this puzzled the young Riyuu girl. She did not think that a normal lightning strike would cause such damage. One was blackened with scorched clothes; very common for being struck by lightning. The third was mauled horribly, to the point that an identity was indistinguishable. It looked as if at least one of these bodies had not met their matches through a lightning strike, certainly not. A frown crossed her face, and she turned to her comrade, a woman whose name was Inuzuka Yui.

It was then, however, that Yui addressed the one who seemed to be the sole survivor, a sword glinting. They moved towards the man, and Sakuraiyu nearly knocked Yui out for her lack of tactics. Telling this man that what they were looking for was Utagoe? Not to mention that Yui herself was from the Hidden Leaf; if this man was a highly-ranked Kaijin member, that would mean trouble. If word got out that one Riyuu Sakuraiyu was there...

No. That would not be good. That would compromise her entirely. She herself was highly ranked and revered above many Kaijin members - as most were forced in at the rank of Chuunin, and Sakuraiyu herself was an S-Rank - but if this man were to be higher and much more powerful...

Sakuraiyu placed a hand on Yui's shoulder, and leaned her lips towards the girl's ear.

"Quiet. This man could be a... former comrade of mine. If you are found anywhere in this area, the chances of yourself being killed are quite likely. And I do not want to have to force myself to kill you in order to keep my loyalty to this village. If you understand what I mean. Back away, and follow my orders." Sakuraiyu hoped that would keep Yui down. Sakuraiyu was an S-Rank, and was not to be toyed with; one touch from her, which would be fairly unavoidable due to the fact that Yui was an Inuzuka, and she could have a person writing on the ground in extreme pain. Pain that clouded the mind. And then, of course, she could strike.

That, in itself, was what made her so very deadly. Fatalities to anyone who crossed her the wrong way, that was for sure.

"Now tell us. What happened here?" Saku's hand moved 'casually' to her hip, and she leaned her weight on one foot. However, her lithe, feminine fingers reached for something that seemed to be hiding behind that black garment...

As they neared the last body, it would be a mystery as to who it really was. Slumped over, blood stains all across his clothing, it was clear that this may very well be a target who was spared such a painful fate. Yui's words barely got a twitch out of the body, and Sakuraiyu's made him slowly look up. Half of his face had been slashed, one eyeball missing...very recently made, it seemed, as caked blood covered the hole. Not a sight for the weak of stomach. On his forehead was the symbol of Lightning. Had he come to back up the three scouts from Leaf?

"H...He...has a beast...The herb...Don't...t-kgh!"

Without warning, a large stalagmite thrust itself through the man's chest. A vacant look of horror and despair faded to simple passing. His sword was released, and his posture went loose. Almost as quick as the rock had impaled him, it pulled back on the man; the ground opened up, like a gaping maw, to swallow the man up. Slamming shut on him, one foot didn't quite make it all the way and severed from the body, blood leaking along the grass to stain it a dark brown.

Only seconds afterwards, there'd be a rumbling sound. Then, silence. If either of the party glanced back towards the center of the plains, there would be the Utagoe herb, slightly blemished with blood, slightly covered in dust. Rain began to fall, very lightly. Tears from the sky to wash away the pain suffered by the four men, perhaps?

Yui listen to the woman belittle her and demand she obeyed her and laughed rather loudly, what an impudent little wench to think she had any right to be high and mighty. Still Yui needed that flower and for now she would hold her tongue, after the flower was obtained however she would show that woman what a bitch like her deserves. She listened to the man as he tried to speak but was impaled by some stone formation, interesting it seemed the flower was being protected by something. This was not a humans work, no this had to be a type of summon or some type of seal placed in the area, she began to look around for any signs of a seal placed on any nearby objects, if not a seal this might be slightly more difficult.

“I will tell you this now, I won't listen to you at all but I need that flower enough that I don't intend to fight you right now. You just saw what I did, this is being protected by something and not a human for certain, meaning it’s a seal or a summon one of the two. "

She began to smell the air if another person was in the area she was very on guard as well as her canine, neither would be allowed to be surprised. This woman still tested her luck with Yui however she could completely obliterate her in a matter of seconds, this woman had no idea of the power Yui had. She was not called he Cursed Fang of leaf for no reason, she was considered to be the devil by some.

“Anyways, because you are my leader, oh master over me you should try to approach it first, I mean I am too stupid to know anything about this country after all. I am just a dumb mutt with any sense of intelligent and you are from here, so by all means go ahead and check the flower out first. "

Her tone was extremely sarcastic but she was waiting for orders, if she would obey them was the major question she would not risk her life for this woman though. If she died Yui would not care one bit, in fact she could eat her after wards, and a nice healthy snack is never a bad choice at all.

[[>_> This looks like it could be an interesting thread... =D]]

Saku didn't even flinch as the stake hit the man. Something about someone having a beast? And then mention of the herb... She slipped the little object that had been in her fingers back to where it was. She didn't need it then; there was obviously something bigger going on here. Saku didn't know what it was, and from the looks of things, she didn't want to find out, either.

“I will tell you this now, I won't listen to you at all but I need that flower enough that I don't intend to fight you right now. You just saw what I did, this is being protected by something and not a human for certain, meaning it’s a seal or a summon one of the two.

“Anyways, because you are my leader, oh master over me you should try to approach it first, I mean I am too stupid to know anything about this country after all. I am just a dumb mutt with any sense of intelligent and you are from here, so by all means go ahead and check the flower out first. "

Saku's tolerance level kicked down a notch. This woman was really going to piss her off, and Saku wasn't one for intentional violence. That, and it was hard to piss someone off as calm-headed as she was. Not that she was near that point right then, but if Yui kept up as she did, the chances would certainly dwindle higher... Slowly, but surely.

"Hrm. Though a seal and a summon do sound like strong possibilities, perhaps it is a defense mechanism of the herb. I do not doubt your ideas, but I worked once with utagoe, but it had already been picked; they had said it was fairly rare and hard to find. If it is a defense mechanism, then I'm not entirely sure what can be done."

She turned around to face Yui. "You are not a dumb mutt. I did not call you such. And I did not say you knew nothing about this country; it's hard to have no knowledge of some of the events which have taken place here. What I am saying is that this place is dangerous. The Kaijin are not to be trifled with. While we are genuinely far from any of the headquarters that I myself know of, there may be some of our grunts that are wandering around.

"I'm not asking you to obey every order I give you; I am merely asking that you take into account what I have to say. Surely, you may have better opinions of parts of the situation, which is entirely true, but as you mentioned, I am from this country. I can tell you that it would be in your best interest, if you wish to find this herb, to at least hear what I have to say at times." Icy blue eyes looked directly at Yuki, and Saku hoped her words had sunk in. She had to get some form of teamwork going, and her mind was already roiling. If it came down to actually having to fight someone or something, she would be counting on Yui to keep the enemy at a distance; the woman was an Inuzuka, after all, and from what Saku had heard, most Inuzuka were close-range fighters. If this intelligence were true, then if Yui were to keep to the frontlines, that would place Saku in an advantageous situation for a Ninjutsu or Genjutsu user...

She turned back around and scanned the area. The sky was dark, with what looked like cumulonimbus clouds, a sign that a storm was on the way. Then again, that was fairly normal for Lightning country; it wasn't called "lightning" country for nothing. Saku frowned, and looked harder along the horizon. However, her vision was blurry as always...

"Can you see any sort of strange herb along the horizon? My eyesight at the moment is rather blurry..." Saku squinted as much as she could, but she didn't want to activate her Naiteki Joukei just yet. She would wait until it was absolutely necessary.

[hide][EDIT: Until Ice Queen decides to post, she will be auto-d to fight the NPC's pet.][/hide]

The silhouette of the herb was indeed in the background, and as Yui and Sakuraiyu argued on about their meaningless little squabble of intention between one another, the silhouette seemed to grow larger and larger, until it seemed to be just a bubble around the herb. Without any further delay, the form stood up. Wrapped in the dark of the night and shrouded by deep navy fabric, this man seemed quite misshapen, especially around his right arm, which seemed to resemble a tree trunk in comparison with the rest of his arms and legs.

They didn't fall for his trap, but he would have to make do. The left was raised and seemed to flash hand seals; a bolt of lightning would flash and show for a split instant to those with good eyesight that his arm was, in fact, essentially a large oblong stone, with finger-like extensions at the end, though none was shaped like a finger should be. His entire face, save for one eye, was covered in an oddly contoured mask. His single eye seemed almost inhuman, bulging out past what would be normal for the skull. Around his neck lay a wide necklace that seemed to be made of polished tusks and fangs, all carved with individual words and symbols, though none could be made out at this distance. The rest of his body seemed moderately normal...

His hand seals stopped, and the ground began to rumble at the end of the women's argument. Two more stalactites would crash through the ground at them, in the same method as before that had ended the sole survivor of the first attack. As he finished, the massive boulder-like arm lifted, and sounds of crushing rock moved as one finger extended. "Flee disa sanctuary, else I killa you like I killa de others." Whatever warning of a beast made from the scout seemed unfounded, as he attacked on his own. Perhaps a possible illusion, though this man would not give any hint to it. His massive arm crushed down into the earth with a shudder, a defensive stance taken. "Two freaks inna storm don't gotta no business buggina me."

After the stalagmites, a creature burst forth from the ground, rampaging towards the Inuzuka freak. A mighty tackle would drag her away towards the opposite side of the plateau, separating her from her ally. This weird fellow with the slurred accent turned his full attention to Sakuraiyu. "Now getta outta here ors I'm be killina you."

[hide]Intended Damage: 40 to Sakuraiyu, 60 to Yui

[Doton]Sudden Stalagmite Skill [Kyuusekijun no Jutsu]
Fervent performing of special hand seals causes a modification of the earth beneath a target's body without any shifting of the topsoil. This technique allows for a quick and sneaky assault without alerting where the attack is coming from. Because of its lack of modifying the top existing soil, it doesn't carry the punch that a full blown assault does, but its sneaky nature can be equally deadly. | Chakra: 40 [Inc 2] | Damage: 40 | Stalagmites: 1 [Inc 2] | C-Rank | 12 Exp

???'s stats
HP: 1290
Chakra: 1300

Strength: 13
Speed: 8
Reflex: 12
Control: 15
Endurance: 10
Accuracy: 10[/hide]

[[whoops. I thought I posted here, but I guess I didn't. =o]]

Quick movement was the only thing that was about to save her life then and there. She rolled, hard onto her posterior, rolled up onto her back and shoulders, hands now beside her ears, and stretched her feet towards the sky in a full back extension. The woman landed clean on the balls of her feet, mind spinning with ideas. A Valkyrie sounded like the perfect way for her to go; however, there was little she could do without her doujutsu. A few quick seals brought her to perfection in her eyesight; it was much easier to see what she was facing then and there.

She frowned at what she saw. She wasn't entirely sure what this was, but to her, it seemed like a defense mechanism of the herb. She circled, on the balls of her feet, cloak fluttering behind her in the breeze and her cyan-dyed hair floating like a river, its strands wrapping around her face, making her look like an ethereal goddess, with her pale complexion and icy eyes. Her eyes held nothing, nothing at all, like looking into glassy pools of ice; entirely nothing, no end to them. One could drown in them if they did not look so very solid.

It was obvious; the only way she could think to stop this thing was for either her to get close or for a Valkyrie to get close. Then, if at all possible, she could enter a closer-range combat with the being, and perhaps get that in... It would certainly be an interesting thing if she could. However, alternatives would definitely be her best friend. Perhaps if she created one Valkyrie and two Kage Bunshin, then sent the three out... The bunshin would most likely disappear after a single hit, but perhaps if she could keep them coming from the Valkyrie, then it would be possible for the Valkyrie to be defended and get her way deep in and close to the utagoe herb. Then, perhaps, she could grab a chunk of the herb, or the whole thing altogether... Depending on whether the being would be able to defend it or not.

Saku truly hoped that it preferred to use longer-ranged attacks; it would put her at quite the advantage. However, without Yui, she was entirely screwed, to a point, if the being preferred closer-range combat. Saku wasn't designed for such things, and although she could hold up with her bow and her poisons and other herbs, the being would certainly be able to out-muscle her. It seemed, though, that at the rate the being was moving, Saku was slightly faster, and that fact could definitely be increased with a specific jutsu... There were certainly alternatives to her situation. If she could increase her speed to completely outmatch her opponent, then perhaps she would have a close-combat advantage. However, her reflexes could only be so fast for so long... Eventually she might tire out, depending on the state of the being. Chakra control would have to be the way to go. A nice Genjutsu may have been able to subdue whatever she was faced with... or so she hoped.


__________________

ID: 0
DT: 0

Jutsu Used:

- Inner Sight [Naiteki Joukei]
The Inner Sight is the single sort of 'Doujutsu' that the Riyuu clan possesses. As they are people who tend to fight with abilities derived from the Dream World, as well as some of their melee fighters who hunt with bow and spear, they must have a way to connect themselves to the Dream World as well as to enhance their abilities with the clan's melee weapons of choice. The Inner Sight allows a Riyuu to connect to the Dream World and to derive their power from it, as well as control aspects of the world that is unknown to have been for human being such as they are. Without this, it is impossible for a Riyuu to use any Dream abilities. It also enhances, for those who are ranged fighters, eyesight when it comes to hitting targets. It increases their accuracy when activated, even from long distances. They are able to hit targets better than normal and can be quite powerful. The reason for this is that each Riyuu member is born with a defect - bad eyesight. While it can be corrected simply with glasses, this ability simply makes things such as that much easier. All abilities of the Riyuu clan require this to be active. | Chakra - 20 to activate, 10 (Every post) | Increases Accuracy by 1 at a cost of 5 chakra every post [Inc2] | Riyuu Clan Members Only | D-Rank | 6 exp

No Weapons Used

No Active Jutsu

Stats:

HP: 1415/1415
Chakra: 1860/1890 [-30]

Strength: 3
Speed: 9
Reflex: 7
Control: 20
Endurance: 20
Accuracy: 3