ѕ н α ∂ σ ω ѕ є є к є r • н ú η у ι ѕ т í r α ɢ є :: 1 4 ▌ɢ є η ∂ є r :: м α ℓ є ▌נ σ υ η ι η / σ ι η ι η ▌к ι r ι ɢ α к υ r є ηιηנυтsυ ▌ρυρρєтєєr ▌υкуσ cℓαη ▌נιηcнυυrιкι :: rσкυвι нσsт ▌ ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄ r y σ :: 両 1 0 1 8 0 α c :: 1 9 4 0 0 ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄ c н α к r α • ρ σ σ ℓ :: 9 3 0 / 9 3 5 ѕ т α м ι η α • ρ σ σ ℓ :: 3 8 5 / 3 8 5 ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄
-----нe didn't question why I'd stopped mid-sentence and that was for the best. I clenched my teeth. Everything I threw at him got shut down. I was running out of reasons to be angry, but that anger still hadn't been quelled. Though hearing he'd come up with the idea for the puppet arm before I had frustrated me. I couldn't explain why it had, but I felt that all too familiar knot in the pit of my stomach again. "Well, whatever you left for me got crushed along with my bow when Sypher dropped an airship on the office." I felt emotionally dead. Nerves had been frayed, and I honestly wasn't sure what to do with myself. Sleep, maybe, but I wasn't really tired. Just... exhausted. Sighing, I looked away from Jack. "You can't solve everything with logic, Jack. To be human is to think without logic sometimes." Hugging myself, I turned toward the tunnel leading to the island. "You should learn what it means fast, then. With this life we've chosen, one or both of us could be dead by tomorrow for all we know."
xxJack Harren Snipe xxxx xxRank :: Jounin // Village :: Kirigakure no Satoxxxx
Chakra Pool :: 1,320||1,340______AC :: 18,300 Stamina Pool :: 575||575______Ryo :: 52,000 [20,000 In Bank] Sage Chakra :: 447||447
-----Jack didn't nod, he didn't even blink, just stared at the ground with knuckles white from the strain of his emotions. Yet what did he say here, when any word would simply prove to be a failure here. His mind worked in the ways of logic, of thought and reason rather than emotion. And yet to fix this, to become a human that can be relate-able, he would need to learn the power of emotions; their use. Taking a deep breath, calming himself, forcing his emotions to remain even, Jack finally spoke. "You are right." The words were likely a surprise, for they held sincerity, something that was abnormal for one whose voice remained so even most times. "You are right, Shadow." Eyes finally rose to meet Shadow's, if only he would look at them. "All I can say is that I am sorry, and will try to become better. And towards that, I offer something in return. I would like to show you the heart of our island, the heart of illusion there. I believe it would serve well for personal training, and the training of our Genin." Looking out towards the island, his expression became saddened, and his voice dropped with it, his tone...pained. He simply couldn't change it, try to redirect the conversation, as was his old desire, his old way of dealing with situations that were difficult. No, here, he would confront head on his problems, because to do less would prove how unfit he was to be family for Shadow.
-----"Shadow...Many feel that I am emotionless, but that is not the case..." His stance changed, his muscles tensing while his eyes widened, his mouth becoming but a light while his knuckles whitened further. Stress, pain, fear? Some sort of mix of emotions was clear upon him, more emotion than he had ever shown, but even so it was simply mild emotional reactions. Finally he looked back to Shadow, and he seemed to tighten up worse, as if the words pained him to say. "My emotions...they are separate from myself. My mind and body do not work in tandem. Extreme emotion pushes through to the surface, but anything less? Even someone with tamer senses will read nothing from me until I feel enough emotion for it to get through to my form." Once more his eyes dipped, showing that, perhaps, eye contact was becoming difficult for him in this situation. "By no means is it an excuse, but understand. I may seem emotionless, I may not seem to care, but my every action recently came from the desire to see you again, because you are what I believe is the key to my humanity. Because you are my family. If I cannot show it right, if I cannot say it right, that Truth is etched into my soul and will never change."
-----For Jack to have said this must have been truly difficult, because if he was telling the truth his body was screwed up in such a way as to appear vulnerable. He looked uncomfortable, afraid even, and he was clenching his fists hard enough that he might well puncture his palms with his nails were he not careful.
►► |•| O. O. C. |•| ◄◄
|•| Passives |•| ► Genni Genjutsu [ Strengthen Genjutsu ] → By having the Sakkakugan active during a genjutsu, the user powers up the technique to the point where it can no longer be discerned as real or fake by non-Sakkakugan doujutsu. In addition to this, if the afflicted manages to find out they are in a genjutsu, it will require an additional [15] chakra for them to activate Kai. It also takes as much to use this technique. ► Izumi no Seirei → Custom Belt Buckle → Triples the recovery of chakra/stamina, the amount of which depends upon the method used [Must use listed methods in guild rules for base recovery cost]
|•| Techniques Used |•|
|•| Techniques Active |•| → [All Tattooed techniques are stored using the Time Sealing technique, and made permanent by Tattooing and set storage length to "9,000 Years". Activation requires chakra to be placed into it via Contingency or direct use, but fuinjutsu never fades due to it being tattooed] ← ► [Chain] Contingency || → A fourth dimensional object tattooed upon a two dimensional plane, it causes a slight headache when looked at for too long. → Has several triggers locked within it that can activate depending on actions taken. The triggers are listed below, as well as the effect that occurs. Unless triggered effect is awakened, fuinjutsu does not appear to be a technique in nature, though double sensors will see a faint trace of chakra within the formation of the technique. Read technique description for more information. • When right pinky is curled into a ball, but the other fingers are not, activate False Place Technique fuinjutsu, placed left of the Contingency tattoo, as per direction. Unless otherwise specified by twitching the right big toe at time of casting, Genjutsu will draw from Tensa Fuin above heart for upkeep. • When the middle right part of upper lip is nipped with teeth, activate Voice of Persuasion fuinjutsu, placed just above belly button. If left upper lip is nipped with teeth, activate Voice of Terror instead. Unless otherwise specified by the twitching of the right big toe at time of casting, Genjutsu will draw from Tensa Fuin on right wrist for upkeep. • When left foot is angled at a nine o' clock orientation while the right is at a one o' clock orientation, activate Scattering Ashes fuinjutsu placed above the center Contingency tattoo after two second delay. If "stay" is spoken before time is up, this Chain is stopped. At time of casting, destination must be within Jack's mind, else the fuinjutsu is set to transport Jack and all in contact with him to his Island. If successive casting is required for destination to be reached, cost is paid automatically. Unless otherwise specified by the twitching of the right big toe at time of casting, jutsu will draw from Tensa Fuin to the above right of the Contingency.
► Tensa Fuin || → Tesseract Tattooed to the Upper Right of the Contingency → Allows the storage, and retrieval, of Energy such as Chakra, Sage Chakra, and Stamina within it, without limit. _____→ {1 2, 2 5 0cp} // {5, 2 2 5sp} // {3, 6 6 0sc} ► Tensa Fuin || → Tesseract Carved Into Cane Just Beneath Cap → Allows the storage, and retrieval, of Energy such as Chakra, Sage Chakra, and Stamina within it, without limit. _____→ {1 2, 2 5 0cp} // {5, 2 2 5sp} // {3, 6 6 0sc} ► Scattering the Ashes || → Shape of small candle flame above Contingency → Acts as technique of the same name when Trigger is activated or chakra placed into it. ► Voice of Persuasion || → Violin shape three inches below heart Contingency tattoo. → Acts as jutsu of the same name ► Voice of Terror || → Mask of fear shape three inches below heart Contingency tattoo, just right of Voice of Persuasion → Acts as Jutsu of the same name ► False Place Technique || → Standing Mirror shape three inches below heart Contingency tattoo, just left of Voice of Persuasion → Acts as jutsu of the same name.
► Kokohi no Jutsu [ False Place Technique ] || → Anime C Rank [Set to Trigger] → Kokohi no Jutsu is a simple Genjutsu technique which changes the appearance of a nearby object. The object is no larger than a human, maximum, and can be interacted with as if it were the appearance given. → In this case, the jutsu is used to show Jack still laying where he is but the threads missing. Should he move, the illusion remains in place and under constant control.
NeverDreamt
Tao-Benshin
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"I Must Drag Truth Kicking and Screaming into the Light"
ѕ н α ∂ σ ω ѕ є є к є r • н ú η у ι ѕ т í r α ɢ є :: 1 4 ▌ɢ є η ∂ є r :: м α ℓ є ▌נ σ υ η ι η / σ ι η ι η ▌к ι r ι ɢ α к υ r є ηιηנυтsυ ▌ρυρρєтєєr ▌υкуσ cℓαη ▌נιηcнυυrιкι :: rσкυвι нσsт ▌ ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄ r y σ :: 両 1 0 1 8 0 α c :: 1 9 4 0 0 ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄ c н α к r α • ρ σ σ ℓ :: 9 3 0 / 9 3 5 ѕ т α м ι η α • ρ σ σ ℓ :: 3 8 5 / 3 8 5 ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄
-----α sigh escaped me, but I'm not entirely sure what emotion went with it at the moment. Anger, frustration, and the extended feeling of loneliness I felt often all writhed in a painful knot within me. He acted like I didn't understand. He acted like I didn't know people viewed me exactly the same; I was cold to almost everyone who spoke to me. It wasn't like I could help it, it just sort of happened. "Right now, Jack, I don't honestly care." My gaze flicked back to him briefly. "This is exactly what I meant. Stop trying to put a logical reason to why you are the way you are. Accept the fact that I'm going to be angry for a while, and there might not be any real rhyme or reason to it." I hesitated, and looked down at the ground just off to my side. "I don't need any more surprises right now. Maybe later, if it's for training, I can take my genin to this 'heart' that you're talking about. But..." I wrapped my arms around myself again. "Right now, I need something I don't think anyone in this village can provide for me." I needed some form of companionship. No one was willing to get to know me well enough to be considered not just a friend but a companion as well. Not a relationship. Just... I didn't know what I was thinking. So I left it at that and headed for the tunnel. Maybe some sleep would clear up my thoughts.
xxJack Harren Snipe xxxx xxRank :: Jounin // Village :: Kirigakure no Satoxxxx
Chakra Pool :: 1,320||1,340______AC :: 18,300 Stamina Pool :: 575||575______Ryo :: 52,000 [20,000 In Bank] Sage Chakra :: 447||447
-----Jack, unfortunately, understood. Or rather, fortunately. As much as he wished Shadow would forgive him, he knew the younger boy would need time to heal, to forgive, if ever he was going to. Taking a deep breath, Jack nodded slowly and looked to his Genin, who still seemed to be training, before looking back at Shadow. "I understand. I will be suggesting to other teachers the use of the island for training, though only if they feel they can control it sufficiently for their genin to be safe. With you or I, we are a part of that island, and thus control it. Others? They require something...more." Looking towards the island, Jack walked cautiously over to his coat that he had left nearby, folded neatly in a pile. Pulling it up, shaking it out, he slid his arms into the sleeves, he continued speaking. "Be well, Shadow." With that he turned, hefted his cane, and moved back to the edge of the cliff face. Standing still, staring into the distance, Jack waited. He knew it was only a matter of time before his genin finished, or others arrived. Only a matter of time.
-----
-----
►► |•| O. O. C. |•| ◄◄
|•| Passives |•| ► Genni Genjutsu [ Strengthen Genjutsu ] → By having the Sakkakugan active during a genjutsu, the user powers up the technique to the point where it can no longer be discerned as real or fake by non-Sakkakugan doujutsu. In addition to this, if the afflicted manages to find out they are in a genjutsu, it will require an additional [15] chakra for them to activate Kai. It also takes as much to use this technique. ► Izumi no Seirei → Custom Belt Buckle → Triples the recovery of chakra/stamina, the amount of which depends upon the method used [Must use listed methods in guild rules for base recovery cost]
|•| Techniques Used |•|
|•| Techniques Active |•| → [All Tattooed techniques are stored using the Time Sealing technique, and made permanent by Tattooing and set storage length to "9,000 Years". Activation requires chakra to be placed into it via Contingency or direct use, but fuinjutsu never fades due to it being tattooed] ← ► [Chain] Contingency || → A fourth dimensional object tattooed upon a two dimensional plane, it causes a slight headache when looked at for too long. → Has several triggers locked within it that can activate depending on actions taken. The triggers are listed below, as well as the effect that occurs. Unless triggered effect is awakened, fuinjutsu does not appear to be a technique in nature, though double sensors will see a faint trace of chakra within the formation of the technique. Read technique description for more information. • When right pinky is curled into a ball, but the other fingers are not, activate False Place Technique fuinjutsu, placed left of the Contingency tattoo, as per direction. Unless otherwise specified by twitching the right big toe at time of casting, Genjutsu will draw from Tensa Fuin above heart for upkeep. • When the middle right part of upper lip is nipped with teeth, activate Voice of Persuasion fuinjutsu, placed just above belly button. If left upper lip is nipped with teeth, activate Voice of Terror instead. Unless otherwise specified by the twitching of the right big toe at time of casting, Genjutsu will draw from Tensa Fuin on right wrist for upkeep. • When left foot is angled at a nine o' clock orientation while the right is at a one o' clock orientation, activate Scattering Ashes fuinjutsu placed above the center Contingency tattoo after two second delay. If "stay" is spoken before time is up, this Chain is stopped. At time of casting, destination must be within Jack's mind, else the fuinjutsu is set to transport Jack and all in contact with him to his Island. If successive casting is required for destination to be reached, cost is paid automatically. Unless otherwise specified by the twitching of the right big toe at time of casting, jutsu will draw from Tensa Fuin to the above right of the Contingency.
► Tensa Fuin || → Tesseract Tattooed to the Upper Right of the Contingency → Allows the storage, and retrieval, of Energy such as Chakra, Sage Chakra, and Stamina within it, without limit. _____→ {1 2, 2 5 0cp} // {5, 2 2 5sp} // {3, 6 6 0sc} ► Tensa Fuin || → Tesseract Carved Into Cane Just Beneath Cap → Allows the storage, and retrieval, of Energy such as Chakra, Sage Chakra, and Stamina within it, without limit. _____→ {1 2, 2 5 0cp} // {5, 2 2 5sp} // {3, 6 6 0sc} ► Scattering the Ashes || → Shape of small candle flame above Contingency → Acts as technique of the same name when Trigger is activated or chakra placed into it. ► Voice of Persuasion || → Violin shape three inches below heart Contingency tattoo. → Acts as jutsu of the same name ► Voice of Terror || → Mask of fear shape three inches below heart Contingency tattoo, just right of Voice of Persuasion → Acts as Jutsu of the same name ► False Place Technique || → Standing Mirror shape three inches below heart Contingency tattoo, just left of Voice of Persuasion → Acts as jutsu of the same name.
► Kokohi no Jutsu [ False Place Technique ] || → Anime C Rank [Set to Trigger] → Kokohi no Jutsu is a simple Genjutsu technique which changes the appearance of a nearby object. The object is no larger than a human, maximum, and can be interacted with as if it were the appearance given. → In this case, the jutsu is used to show Jack still laying where he is but the threads missing. Should he move, the illusion remains in place and under constant control.
NeverDreamt
Tao-Benshin
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"I Must Drag Truth Kicking and Screaming into the Light"
xxJack Harren Snipe xxxx xxRank :: Jounin // Village :: Kirigakure no Satoxxxx
Chakra Pool :: 1,320||1,340______AC :: 18,300 Stamina Pool :: 575||575______Ryo :: 52,000 [20,000 In Bank] Sage Chakra :: 447||447
-----None had come to him, nor had his genin finished training. This was...unfortunate, yet not unforeseeable. Another unfortunate turn of events was that Sypher had yet to arrive, which he assumed was due to something far more pressing on the Mizukage's time and mind. By no means did Jack think himself above the needs of others, in fact he would laud Sypher for choosing others before him due to mostly any reason. In this situation it left the jounin with his own thoughts, desires, and pains. Once more he resisted the urge to touch the tattoos, the Contingencies he had laid upon his flesh for his use, for they itched with their imprinting and the chakra flowing through them. Sighing silently, closing his eyes as the sun set upon the horizon and cast the world into infinite shades of twilight, the Mad Carny thought about the different techniques he had to learn yet, ones that had taken a backburner to the creation of his Contingencies and the jutsu combination that followed. While time allowed he should likely touch onto them, learning them before some other dire emergency took his focus from them.
-----Considering the list he had memorized before, Jack wondered if, in this training, he should reach into the powers of the Sage to extend his awareness. Yet doing so seemed a cheap, easy way out of learning, for just being within Senin Modo would allow him the ability to detect chakra sources without a technique. Shaking his head shortly to himself, to the thoughts he bore, Jack inhaled slowly and released, forming the first handsign of the jutsu. [Learning :: Kagura Shingan → 1/3 :: Incomplete]
-----Sensory based jutsu were a class unto themselves, relying as they did upon reaching out with what equated to the power of one's own soul to touch another, to feel them out and understand them. It was an intimate connection that few other methods could bestow. In this case, the sensation of touch, of smell, of taste was not what he sought but the wellspring of energy that all living being bore. A second handsign followed, though this was but a method of focusing instead of one of action. [Learning :: Kagura Shingan → 2/3 :: Incomplete]
-----Sweat beaded upon his brow as he struggled, reaching out for those near him, for the barest hint of life that animals and other beings of instinct could inherently detect. When his consciousness found another, when his soul finally found a sibling, his mind flooded with information, with sensory input he'd simply never dealt with before. Mind reeling with the strain Jack took a firm step backwards, his cane having fallen forgotten upon the ground beside him. Releasing the handsign and banishing the information from the forefront of his mind left a profound sense of relief for him, yet he knew this was not the only technique he needed to learn. No, there were others, just as personal, and just thinking about it brought shivers to his spine. [Learning :: Kagura Shingan → 3/3 :: Complete]
-----Taking shallow breaths and working slowly to lengthen them, Jack considered the next technique on his mental list as he crossed out the former. The next was the ability to read the minds of others, or one's self, and either alter, erase, or restore memories. It was an intense, powerful technique if utilized properly, but required a partner to truly test the effectiveness of. In this case, given his current state of mind, there were none available to train with. Instead, he held his fingertips together, slowly dancing them into the formations that brought forth the technique, and flowed his chakra through them just as he would were he to unleash this jutsu. Only when he had performed such an exercise thrice would he lower his hands, keeping in mind that he would need to test it on another to truly learn of its effectiveness. [Learning :: Dokushinjutsu [Eye Mind Reading] → 1/1 :: Complete]
-----The next technique on his list was...different in composition than most he had learned. As a Musician type shinobi, learning to convert techniques from hand signs to the notes of a song was required and, in many cases, time consuming. Yet here when leafing through the scrolls in the academy he had discovered not a diagram of hand signs to perform but a score of notes. It was this now that he called up as he knelt carefully to retrieve Revelation, grabbing carefully the steel grip of the cane and raising the mouthpiece with utmost care. The notes were beautiful, uplifting, and oddly repressed at the same time. It had to be, else the opponent would be able to discover the point of the technique before it was most effective. [Learning :: Menma's Chakra Enhancing Music → 1/3 :: Incomplete]
-----Inhaling carefully, avoiding contact to keep from squealing his flute, Jack began to play. The notes were but the beginning of this technique, for as his fingers danced to the steps recalled from memory his chakra flowed from between his lips to kiss the mouthpiece. Lovingly it stroked the opening before surging forward, the rhythm of the music kicking off not unlike the ascension of an avian. [Learning :: Menma's Chakra Enhancing Music → 2/3 :: Incomplete]
-----The moment of adulation came and went as the jutsu infused the music and sought out a target, yet woe must it have felt when none presented itself. Instead, the chakra began to disperse as Jack wound down the notes, leading to a rather early finale. Separating his mouth from the piece before him, the jounin darted out his tongue to stroke his lips, to taste the chakra lingering there. Sighing in contentment, Jack lowered the cane and opened his eyes at last, looking upon the darkness of the sky, and the darkness of a storm in the distance. [Learning :: Menma's Chakra Enhancing Music → 3/3 :: Complete]
-----The next technique would, thankfully, allow him the ability to cast his gaze upon the village without resorting to the powers of Buzachi. While the queen bee was a powerful summon in her own right, and while Jack was a perfect gentleman, the act of diplomacy every time she was summoned took far too long to be practical. It was simply a matter of practicality. Thus it was that when skimming the archives Jack found himself drawn to this jutsu. [Learning :: Toomegane no Jutsu [ Telescope Technique ] → 1/5 :: Incomplete]
-----Inhaling softly to center himself, to clear his mind of anxiety, he raised the cane with his right hand and brought it down with firmly, planting the tip into the soft, loamy earth. Eyes lowered to the top of the cane where the pale blue crystal lay Jack released the stick and brought his hands together, forming the first few hand signs of the technique with leisure. This particular technique was an intense one, and deserved some reverence in the learning. [Learning :: Toomegane no Jutsu [ Telescope Technique ] → 2/5 :: Incomplete]
-----Forming the final handseals, the jounin stared into the depths of the crystal atop his cane, feeling and sensing the chakra crackling between his fingertips as he extended his fingers. Splaying them out in a relaxed shape, Jack held them on either side of the ball and concentrated. Transferring of chakra from hands to object was difficult for him, for it was rare indeed that he used hand seals at all given his Musician training. [Learning :: Toomegane no Jutsu [ Telescope Technique ] → 3/5 :: Incomplete]
-----The ball began to cloud, little tendrils of grey leaching into the interior like little maggots. They wriggled and twitched spasmodically with the smoke expanding and filling the insides of the ball in mere moments. Shortly the grey turned to black, a color to match the storms that even now blanketed the horizon and colored the world in shades of ash. Chakra flowed through him, reaching out into the world from the ball, spidering out until no trace remained as to its path. [Learning :: Toomegane no Jutsu [ Telescope Technique ] → 4/5 :: Incomplete]
-----It was at last that the storm broke, the clouded depths spreading thin, forming the depths of his home in exacting detail. There lay the cabinets, the bells within untouched even by the surrounding dust. In the center, the engram ingrained into the surface of the floor, a location to speak with spirits both fair and foul. And to the side, the door, locked and sealed in such a way that only his cane would open it. It was...perfect, and that was all he needed. Releasing at last the chakra, the clouds gathered and returned before fading from view, leaving behind only the perfect serenity of the sapphire depths. [Learning :: Toomegane no Jutsu [ Telescope Technique ] → 5/5 :: Complete]
-----Relaxing slightly, Jack considered his next move, the next listed technique he desired to learn. Already others feared him for his connection with insects even before his pact, and now? Now the reality would make it worse. But that was not where he wanted to end it, for Jack knew well that his jutsu and abilities bore a theme, and the next technique he wished to learn continued with it. Taking the head of his cane gingerly, avoiding the wooden sections, Jack hauled back and threw the weapon into the air, over the side of the cliff. It soared as he formed the chakra within his right arm before he thrusted the limb forward. With a hiss two snakes flew from his sleeves, two black asps that snatched thec ane from the air in their fangs, hooking it back into his left hand grip as he yanked them back to home. Catching it lightly, Jack's lips twitched up in a smile, wondering what, i n the end, Shadow would think of this new addition to his list. [Learning :: Senei Jashu [ Hidden Shadow Snake Hands ] → 1/1 :: Complete]
-----The next jutsu upon his list reminded him of the former technique he wished to learn where he could delve into the mind of another. Astral Projection was a valuable tool, but testing it here, now, without warning a soul could have disastrous consequences. So, instead of forming the chakra, unleashing it, and witnessing the effects himself he instead repeated the earlier exercise. Inhaling, the formation of the handsigns, and the flow of chakra from his hands to his mind and soul, these were the steps he took to learn it. Unfortunately for him, he would need to test it another time to confirm its authenticity as a valuable skill to possess. [Learning :: Kozumikku Jigyou no Jutsu [ Astral Projection Skill ] → 1/1 :: Complete]
-----This one was another that cast him worried, for historically and genealogically speaking his bloodline was not known for fleet of foot. Worried as he was about whether he could physically perform the speed or not, he almost skipped this particular jutsu in the roster. Yet...it held promise. It would allow him fast movement, a way to evade even the deadliest of attacks a limited time before the strain became too much. Steeling himself, Jack formed the single handseal, and appeared nearly ten feet to the left as if in the timespan of a blink. Taking a deep breath, he sighed explosively, feeling his stomach clench and roil at that feeling of movement. [Learning :: Shunshin no Jutsu [ Body Flicker Technique ] → 1/1 :: Complete]
-----The next technique, like others that came prior, would once more be a jutsu that he had no real way of testing. The chakra requirements were odd, requiring more shinobi be present and willing to help him to shatter a barrier. As a shinobi with a team the technique could not be denied as a valued asset in many differing situations. The problem was testing it on a barrier, and the only one he knew of for certain nearby was the one that encompassed his own island. And he could not break that one, no matter how many shinobi he had with him, simply because breaking it would unleash all of the horrors onto the lands of Kirigakure no Sato. Raising his hands, Jack merely went through the steps, forming the handsigns and retaining them in memory for future use before moving to allowing his chakra to travel to others. It was...interesting, and gave him several ideas for creation. [Learning :: Kekkai Massatsu no Jutsu [ Barrier Shatter Technique ] → 1/1 :: Complete]
-----The last was a gruesome technique, but one that he felt could work to his benefit at later times. Of course, the technique would need to be modified, but at the moment it was the basics he concerned himself with. Reaching into his left coat pocket, Jack withdrew a small handful of needles, something he had kept nearby for when he decided to train with them. Forming the handseals, he tossed them into the earth, their ends turning conical before spearing and digging into the earth. Smiling triumphantly, the Jounin sighed and released the technique, bending to retrieve the needles a moment later. [Learning :: Gyorai Shin [ Torpedo Needle ] → 1/1 :: Complete]
-----Rotating his shoulder to stretch them loose after the long repetition and minute details he had had to worry about, Jack turned and looked about, realizing that in all that time still no one had showed. Had Sypher forgotten his message? Had something terrible happened of which he had no knowledge? While the temptation of using the crystal of his cane to scan the village was intense, even he was forced to admit that that would have been a foolhardy mistake. Instead, tossing his cane up into the air and snagging it at the head, he walked towards where his home's secret entrance lay, considering his next steps as he wasted time on the walk.
-----
►► |•| O. O. C. |•| ◄◄
|•| Passives |•| ► Genni Genjutsu [ Strengthen Genjutsu ] → By having the Sakkakugan active during a genjutsu, the user powers up the technique to the point where it can no longer be discerned as real or fake by non-Sakkakugan doujutsu. In addition to this, if the afflicted manages to find out they are in a genjutsu, it will require an additional [15] chakra for them to activate Kai. It also takes as much to use this technique. ► Izumi no Seirei → Custom Belt Buckle → Triples the recovery of chakra/stamina, the amount of which depends upon the method used [Must use listed methods in guild rules for base recovery cost]
|•| Techniques Used |•|
|•| Techniques Active |•| → [All Tattooed techniques are stored using the Time Sealing technique, and made permanent by Tattooing and set storage length to "9,000 Years". Activation requires chakra to be placed into it via Contingency or direct use, but fuinjutsu never fades due to it being tattooed] ←
► [Chain] Contingency || → A fourth dimensional object tattooed upon a two dimensional plane, it causes a slight headache when looked at for too long. → Has several triggers locked within it that can activate depending on actions taken. The triggers are listed below, as well as the effect that occurs. Unless triggered effect is awakened, fuinjutsu does not appear to be a technique in nature, though double sensors will see a faint trace of chakra within the formation of the technique. Read technique description for more information. • When right pinky is curled into a ball, but the other fingers are not, activate False Place Technique fuinjutsu, placed left of the Contingency tattoo, as per direction. Unless otherwise specified by twitching the right big toe at time of casting, Genjutsu will draw from Tensa Fuin above heart for upkeep. • When the middle right part of upper lip is nipped with teeth, activate Voice of Persuasion fuinjutsu, placed just above belly button. If left upper lip is nipped with teeth, activate Voice of Terror instead. Unless otherwise specified by the twitching of the right big toe at time of casting, Genjutsu will draw from Tensa Fuin on right wrist for upkeep. • When left foot is angled at a nine o' clock orientation while the right is at a one o' clock orientation, activate Scattering Ashes fuinjutsu placed above the center Contingency tattoo after two second delay. If "stay" is spoken before time is up, this Chain is stopped. At time of casting, destination must be within Jack's mind, else the fuinjutsu is set to transport Jack and all in contact with him to his Island. If successive casting is required for destination to be reached, cost is paid automatically. Unless otherwise specified by the twitching of the right big toe at time of casting, jutsu will draw from Tensa Fuin to the above right of the Contingency.
► Tensa Fuin || → Tesseract Tattooed to the Upper Right of the Contingency → Allows the storage, and retrieval, of Energy such as Chakra, Sage Chakra, and Stamina within it, without limit. _____→ {1 2, 2 5 0cp} // {5, 2 2 5sp} // {3, 6 6 0sc} ► Tensa Fuin || → Tesseract Carved Into Cane Just Beneath Cap → Allows the storage, and retrieval, of Energy such as Chakra, Sage Chakra, and Stamina within it, without limit. _____→ {1 2, 2 5 0cp} // {5, 2 2 5sp} // {3, 6 6 0sc} ► Scattering the Ashes || → Shape of small candle flame above Contingency → Acts as technique of the same name when Trigger is activated or chakra placed into it. ► Voice of Persuasion || → Violin shape three inches below heart Contingency tattoo. → Acts as jutsu of the same name ► Voice of Terror || → Mask of fear shape three inches below heart Contingency tattoo, just right of Voice of Persuasion → Acts as Jutsu of the same name ► False Place Technique || → Standing Mirror shape three inches below heart Contingency tattoo, just left of Voice of Persuasion → Acts as jutsu of the same name.
► Kokohi no Jutsu [ False Place Technique ] || → Anime C Rank [Set to Trigger] → Kokohi no Jutsu is a simple Genjutsu technique which changes the appearance of a nearby object. The object is no larger than a human, maximum, and can be interacted with as if it were the appearance given. → In this case, the jutsu is used to show Jack still laying where he is but the threads missing. Should he move, the illusion remains in place and under constant control.
NeverDreamt
Tao-Benshin
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"I Must Drag Truth Kicking and Screaming into the Light"
"I Will Show You What You Truly Are"
"The Savior... or the Beast..."
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 11:37 am
Silence. The sounds of Shadow's arrival were muffled by the darkness around him, the twisted creaks and moans of the forest seeming to steal away everything, including the ambient warmth of his body. Of all places, Shadow had arrived at the exact location that he had seen, and from where he stood now, new sights would be available. First and foremost would be the sky, darker than sin, with no moon, no stars, and only the vague sense of something sinister unseen above looking down upon him. From the trees would come the sense of hunger, reaching out to snag at him, and for every breath he waited the trees somehow seemed to edge closer, as if to ensnare. The ground was rotted, with creeping crawling things and, in places, skeletal remains. Somewhere in the distance light pervaded, a soft, nebulous white light that gave the sensation of peace, and bliss.
◢ S h a d o w H ú n y i s t í r ◣ ⦉A phantom walks to the sea, fades and secretly drowns until his heart's appeased.⦊
【O I N I N⦁N I N J U T S U - P U P P E T E E R⦁U K Y O】
❝And we will go where no one ever knows. And we will never have to play the part of afeared in the dark.❞
[x] So the barriers between locations did exactly what I'd hoped they would do; a brief disorientation later, I found myself surround by familiar yet unfamiliar trees, like those of the lighter parts of the island, but dark and dismal. And I didn't recognize where I was, meaning this was definitely an area I'd never gone to, one of the few places besides his room that Jack told me never to enter. Well, I'd been in his room and that hadn't been so bad, so how could this be worse than standing in the presence of hundreds of cursed objects?
In the distance, I caught sight of the same light I'd seen before, in my brief glance through the doors of the office before a certain masked girl stood in my way. Ultimately her attempts to stop me went in vain because I sought another way to the heart, and if there was anything to lose, well, we'd be dead once the looming god reached us anyway. No, I needed to be there to connect the dots. To find out what Jack had done for this to happen, and why it was happening in the first place. As far as I could tell we weren't in any danger, but then I didn't know how desperate he'd become with his defenses. Because as far as I was concerned, this put us into more danger than any threat from outside could. In a place where thought became reality, anything could go horribly wrong. Especially there, so I had to keep my worries locked tightly behind a front of apathy.
As I traveled through the darkness toward the soft glow, the whispers in the shadows grew almost a cacophony of hushed voices and limbs of blackened trees reached toward me as if to snatch me away. Everything was dead, except for the things that crawled around my feet with every step. Enough with the bugs already. I couldn't deny at least some small part of me felt apprehensive, not knowing what to expect in a place such as this. Still, hands clenched into fists, I pushed forward, doing the best I could to keep my senses ahead of me, toward my goal where the light touched the forest.
Techniques Used: ✤
Current Objectives: ✤
Items of Note: ✤
Lanfaer
❝I'd never meant for you to mend this heart back in from two...❞
┏ ┃ a c | 29620 ┃ r y o | 10330 ┃ c h a k r a | 1035 / 1085 (+15) ┃ s t a m i n a | 435 / 435 ┃ m o o d | apathetic ┃ h e a l t h | fine ┃ i n j u r i e s | none ┗
The silence was deafening, in a way, for it accentuated the smallest of sounds around him. Worse, the cones of his ears brought sounds from outside closer, making them more...apparent than otherwise would have been. Moving forward, his heartbeat was the loudest sound to resonate within his bones, but the things crawling across the remains of the dead scritched and scratched their way into his skull. The presence of something unseen watching came next to his sensibilities, as well as a soft, background hiss, as if the wind were only minimally whisping between branches and bodies to stir the air. Death, decay, the scents of all things old and ancient pervaded the forest in such a way as to impress the time of ages upon the forest. No human being had been here in what must be millenia, it would seem, though the skeletons around might argue that point. What might catch Shadow's eye, however, was that these skeletons, while mostly human and animal, were interspersed with...other things. Things with which no name could be given, with bones twisted and knotted, with joints in wrong places and frames that matched nothing from his homeland. In fact, on one side what at first looked to be a thicket of trees was, in fact, a large skeletal system rotted with age and thick with pits and scars, as if from some sort of acidic rain.
As he neared the whiteness a single note would ring in his ears, a harmonic tone that seemed to distort the outlines of the trees and bones and earth, destabilizing their existence. The light had grown and strangely enough seemed to exist in a sort of fine mist, motes dancing in the air like tiny shards of glass to refract light in every which way he could look.
It took only a few moments for his eyes to adjust to what lay at its heart.
A woman blazed with light, her dress a mix of old and new styles, with black hair that fell down her back in waves. Grey eyes stared ahead whilst hands graceful and lean, clasped before her in a sort of small frown of annoyance. She stood no taller than Shadow, with her head tilted just a smidge forward so as to look at someone a bit smaller than herself, but she did not move. No, in fact, nothing seemed to move, from the beautiful woman to the motes of light around here. The center of this cloud was still, frozen in time, but the farther one moved from the center the faster and more lively the motes seemed to be.
From the light a gentle hand came, the back of its finger resting gently upon her cheek. Adjusting eyes would reveal the frame of Jack, in his original clothes from before he'd become the Mizukage, an alien expression upon his face. Confusion clouded his eyes, though a strange spark burned within their depths. Lips parted as if ready to speak, yet afraid to do so, and his hands? They trembled, something that only happened when the strongest of emotions reached his body from his mind. Hand lifting from her face, Jack lowered a finger to her lips, their gentle touch dimpling the flesh on either side, showing that this illusion, at least, was quite real. From everywhere a voice seemed to come, a resonation from the depths of somewhere...far, far away. And as it came together, Jack's voice echoed through the woods in a strange way, almost like...a dream. "Is it better to live a lie, both to yourself and to others?"
The finger upon her lip left her flesh to hover before Jack's eyes, and the confusion within his gaze grew worse. Strangely, a tear beaded upon his left eye before leaving a glistening trail down his cheek. Expression turning to confusion and shock, he lifted his free hand and touched the trail with a hand that shook worse than before. Suddenly the body changed, crystal rising from the ground around her, and within the body swirled with light until it changed, faded, and was revealed to be Jack himself, entombed within a diamond casket. It stood erect, vertically, held in place by some unseen force, as he lowered his hands to his sides. Inhaling softly, Jack's eyes closed before his voice, normal, came from him at last. "Greetings, Shadow. I wondered when it was you would arrive here, despite my warnings."
◢ S h a d o w H ú n y i s t í r ◣ ⦉A phantom walks to the sea, fades and secretly drowns until his heart's appeased.⦊
【O I N I N⦁N I N J U T S U - P U P P E T E E R⦁U K Y O】
❝And we will go where no one ever knows. And we will never have to play the part of afeared in the dark.❞
[x] Sensitive ears made every sound that broke the ghastly silence painful, making them spasmodically twitch in alarm to whatever direction the noise originated from. The acrid stench of decay that I was becoming far too familiar with filled my nose, to which I responded by pulling my scarf over the lower half of my face. Still, the scent stained my nostrils and made me shudder in disgust. I was quickly finding myself done with the overwhelming stenches that kept assaulting my nose, but Kirigakure seemed to be in an ever downward spiral into insanity and death. Or at least the last year or so felt that way. The time loop and the disgusting mushrooms, then the Sero incident, and now this. This life was not playing nice on my senses.
Those aside, I made sure to keep my eyes fixed on the light, perhaps out of fear that it might vanish, and I'd be left alone in the darkness.
[If you fear it, it will be come real. Weren't those your words?]
Actually I said 'Anything you believe is real becomes real'. So I'll just pretend it doesn't exist. I wasn't entirely sure what 'it' was, but that was sort of the point. Maybe the forest, or something that went unseen in the depths around me. But so long as I didn't provide it with the thought 'it' wouldn't become reality. Or at least that was how it was supposed to work. But the bugs kept crawling and the trees kept reaching, which told me more than I wanted that what I thought meant nothing there.
Laughter rumbled through my mind, and I frowned slightly. Saiken continued unabated. [There's nothing wrong with being afraid. Who do you have to prove, here in the darkness?]
You're not helping. I reached the edge of the aura of light, and found myself filled with warmth, strangely. Shh... The soft hiss stopped the bijuu before it could make any snarky remarks as my gaze settled on something I hadn't expected to find. I wouldn't have been able to hear him anyway, with the ringing silence that seemed to fill the air. The glow originated from a young woman, pale skinned with gray eyes. Her soft black hair lifted gently in a breeze that otherwise didn't seem to exist. She was oddly beautiful, in an almost exotic way. Across from her, only partially to my surprise, stood Jack--I'd expected to find him there, but not like this. His gaze, something few aside from myself could read, was filled confusion, but as well as a tenderness I don't think I'd ever seen in him. Emotions I knew that he did not understand that he felt.
Jack's voice echoed around me, pulling my gaze away only briefly, but I brought it back in time to see crystal form about her form until she was entirely encased in it. But it wasn't the girl that was locked away inside of the casket; it was Jack himself, facing the copy of himself.
And then his spoke to me, and I stood slightly straighter before hesitantly moving forward. "Guess I've gotten more stubborn over the years." It took longer than expected to get there, thanks to genin who thought they knew better. Brow furrowing, I turned my attention intently to the gemstone coffin, although I still spoke to the freed Jack. "What is all of this? What's going on? The entire village is trapped in some sick combination of a dream and a nightmare." And we were about to get stepped on, but that much I kept to myself for the moment, clamping my mouth shut.
Techniques Used: ✤
Current Objectives: ✤
Items of Note: ✤
Lanfaer
❝I'd never meant for you to mend this heart back in from two...❞
┏ ┃ a c | 29620 ┃ r y o | 10330 ┃ c h a k r a | 1050 / 1085 (+15) ┃ s t a m i n a | 435 / 435 ┃ m o o d | apathetic ┃ h e a l t h | fine ┃ i n j u r i e s | none ┗
The other jack turned, his expression somewhat...dreamy. It was a strange quality coming from Jack, almost as if he wasn't quite aware of the world around him. Eyes clouded with emotions without names, that jack moved towards the center of the light, reaching out to touch the crystal case with a strange reverence to the movements. Almost as if he were afraid of it. Instantly a strange pattern formed in gold upon its face, spreading like a disease across its surface as it looped and twirled. When it finished, the gold formed a leaf pattern that swirled around six spheres, each glowing with a dark intensity that the light shied away from. It was these that Jack smiled at with sorrow before turning once more to look upon Shadow. "I...fell asleep." The words were simple, but even this copy seemed to not like the words he had used, almost as if they were simply not good enough. So he tried again. "The Jack you know fell asleep, and his defenses activated. He has it where thought alone can activate his jutsu now. A nightmare, an...accident. It split us from him, creating what you see now."
◢ S h a d o w H ú n y i s t í r ◣ ⦉A phantom walks to the sea, fades and secretly drowns until his heart's appeased.⦊
【O I N I N⦁N I N J U T S U - P U P P E T E E R⦁U K Y O】
❝And we will go where no one ever knows. And we will never have to play the part of afeared in the dark.❞
[x] [Something isn't right.]
He didn't need to tell me to figure that out. As 'Jack' finished speaking, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, the sense of being watched creeping up on me again. Laughter, in the distance echoed menacingly, insanity in the darkest of ways. And strangely familiar for a reason that brought fear from the depths I kept it to the surface. Clenching my hands into fists, I moved closer, bringing the front of the casket in full view of my sight. Six orbs of shadow danced along a golden leaf embedded in the crystal. It was at these I found myself staring, for a moment unable to pull my gaze away.
[Shadow!]
I jolted and blinked several times, finding my hand to have wandered to the crystal, which was cool to the touch. Breathing deeply, I focused my gaze instead on the Jack who lay within, the real one, who had lost his hat at some point when he left to find himself. The hat I'd stolen after it appeared on that girl's head. Removing it carefully from my own, I held it tightly for a brief few seconds before holding it out to one of the spheres, the one at the tip, where a hat my properly go. There were supposed to be six keys, right? And there were six keyholes here.
That chilling laugh again dragged my attention away to the darkness encroaching. He was here. No, it was here. That thing I'd seen in the dark then, when Jack sacrificed himself to stop those women. When we were caught in the time loop and I'd gone back in time to meet a former Jack who hadn't been broken. But what did that mean now? This Jack was different had been shattered and glued back together, but I didn't believe he was fixed. Maybe that was the 'perdition' the ones who ruled this world meant. Because that thing was lurking. All because Jack believed he could handle everything alone.
But... was I really any different? I used other people as they came and never asked for help. I'd always been that way. Taught that the world was dog-eat-dog I didn't trust anyone and they didn't trust me. I'd become jaded, and apathetic. The whole situation with the Sero and... the village flooding... it all could have been avoided if maybe we'd just been able to work together. Instead, I was convinced I didn't need anyone to fix it. Look what that had cost us.
This time, though, this wasn't something I could do on my own. I knew where to put the keys, but didn't have the time to find them. Just like Jack wouldn't pull through this on his own. Either that godlike being was going to come down on the village or the thing that was watching me would get to me first.
I pulled the sapphire from my pocket, the one that I knew was from the head of Jack's staff, and turned back to the copy of him, holding it in front of me. "I need the keys that others in the village have. Is there a way I can reach them, or... or talk to them from here? To give them instructions?"
Techniques Used: ✤
Current Objectives: ✤
Items of Note: ✤
Lanfaer
❝I'd never meant for you to mend this heart back in from two...❞
┏ ┃ a c | 29620 ┃ r y o | 10330 ┃ c h a k r a | 1065 / 1085 (+15) ┃ s t a m i n a | 435 / 435 ┃ m o o d | apathetic ┃ h e a l t h | fine ┃ i n j u r i e s | none ┗
The echoing laughter answered Shadow, though it came from a great distance away, echoing off of the trees. The noise caused the dreamy Jack to turn his misted eyes, slowly, to the side as if searching for something with little care in the world. As he did so, the hat that Shadow had placed against the stone seemed to meld within it, causing the darkness to fade and become a blazingly bright, white spot. As if in pain a screech tore out from the darkness beyond, so loud and growing louder that it might well distort Shadow's sight from its vibrational frequency. Cutting off into stilled silence, the dream Jack's expression turned sour. "You can, here. This place is a meeting of light and dark, dream and nightmare, where both parts of Jack reside. Or, at least, where the darkness had resided until the Devourer came here." The tone of that title was one of dread, of anger, and of fear. Whatever it was was dark indeed. "As any place, Shadow, your mind is a weapon here. You must open yourself to the darkness, and the light, and embrace both within you. Only then will your mind, and your words, travel to other places. I will protect you if I can."
[For everyone I quoted, the only part that actually matters is the last paragraph. You all heard this in your heads.]
【F I F T E E N⦁S I L E N T⦁G U A R D I A N】
◢ S h a d o w H ú n y i s t í r ◣ ⦉A phantom walks to the sea, fades and secretly drowns until his heart's appeased.⦊
【O I N I N⦁N I N J U T S U - P U P P E T E E R⦁U K Y O】
❝And we will go where no one ever knows. And we will never have to play the part of afeared in the dark.❞
[x] My gaze shot away from the glassy-eyed Jack back to the shadows that still seemed to press ever closer as a shriek filled the air. Because my eyes had adjusted to the light, seeing through the darkness was impossible. Evidently whatever I'd done with the hat harmed the creature that stalked out there. The sound grew so great that I was forced to cover my ears, clamping my eyes shut until it passed, cutting off abruptly but leaving all of my senses ringing. Whatever happened, it appeared the Jack beside me was none too pleased with it. He explained just what I had thought but wasn't sure of, that I commanded this place if I had the will to do so. It just required letting both the light and dark grab a hold of me, the latter of which terrified me. I couldn't stop the creeping thought that it would have something to do with the thing I was to 'lose' by entering that place. Although, the copy promised to protect me.
But seeing as I knew Jack and had the knowledge needed to control this world we were trapped in, in order to free us, I had to risk it taking hold of me. I looked down at the gemstone still firmly in my grasp. Once I did this, I would have to hope that others had indeed found the rest of the keys and that they could make it there in time. I couldn't do it alone, after all. The question, then, was how would they get the pieces to me? I didn't want to risk anyone's lives in coming there; it was far too dangerous for myself, let alone anyone else that attempted to enter the heart.
Of course, the office, given I could get that girl to cooperate. If I had them gather the pieces at the office, and I could take them to Jack myself. Then no one would be in danger. Maybe this time I could actually save someone.
Taking a deep breath and setting my resolve, I thrust the sapphire into another of the spheres, which, just like the first, faded into a bright white light. It was promptly followed by another scream, this one growing even louder than the first, if possible, an agonizing sound that left me panting from pain once it stopped. I turned a wide-eyed gaze to Jack and swallowed roughly. Right, I had to let that thing, that's voice along could apparently scramble my brain, near me. No big deal. Facing the crystal casket once more, I closed my eyes and let my mind travel outward.
At first there was nothing, but gradually, the cold of the darkness touched my skin. I almost flinched away from it, but forced myself to accept it instead. It was from there that, supposedly I would be able to reach the minds of others. Perhaps not read them myself, but touch them enough that they could hear me.
But what was I to say? Not exactly one for words, normal sentences came hard to me. Focus on giving orders. I could at the very least accomplish that. So I spoke, and hoped that it worked.
"If you can hear me, I need everyone who has a puzzle piece to come to the office." I half wondered if anyone would even recognize my voice, given how rarely I spoke. "The walls between locations in the village have dissolved and you should be able to move freely now. I have two of the keys, and I'm missing four. But hurry. I don't know how much longer we have."
Techniques Used: ✤
Current Objectives: ✤
Items of Note: ✤
Lanfaer
Lily Platypus
Nueromancer JMan240
Toryu Naminosaki
NecroPlant
BlackFruity
HeadlessKoko
Codekasu
Royal Oatmeal
little mintchan
The Wolf of Asgard
❝I'd never meant for you to mend this heart back in from two...❞
┏ ┃ a c | 29620 ┃ r y o | 10330 ┃ c h a k r a | 1080 / 1085 (+15) ┃ s t a m i n a | 435 / 435 ┃ m o o d | afraid ┃ h e a l t h | fine ┃ i n j u r i e s | none ┗
The calls went out with the sounding of a gong, the vibrations rattling Shadow's bones but in no way harming him. Oh, no, that much was reserved for a bit of something...else. Within the shadows around him there would come a movement, a stirring within the leaves as the wind began to blow lightly at first, and then harder, and harder. The motes of light came around him, a gleaming shield of diamonds, and yet the darkness grew. Strange cries followed the wind as silent lightning arced across the sky.
And only then did it move.
From somewhere in the darkness a loud screeching laugh echoed as the wind roared into life as a roaring tornado of flames coalesced within the forest, the flames licking outwards in a rush of heat and rage. It split down the middle, splintering into three large dragon heads of fire, a technique that Shadow might well remember, as well as the fellow who stood atop ts head.
The Plaguebearer.
A cackling laugh erupted from his throat just as from the opposite direction something that clicked and menaced with jabbering mouths reached out from the shadows and grasped towards Shadow, stopping inches from his face as it fought to overwhelm the light. Dream Jack turned and brought his arms out to the sides, turning them sharply and slamming his fists together before his frame. The ground erupted between Shadow and the monster of jiggering insanity, and hands of steel gripped them and twisted, rending it apart and pulling it away.
But not before Shadow would see howling, screaming faces within the skin, wriggling and trying to escape.
Jack raised his voice just as the trees around them began to shake and tremble, their bark twisting into faces twisted, broken, and bleeding, faces of shinobi he knew, faces of friends dead or missing. And their limbs snapped and twisted, fighting to escape. However, he was forced to shut it as the flames and darkness came in again, as the energy of the world seemed to come for him, and his eyes burst into light as he held out his hands to ward it off.
◢ S h a d o w H ú n y i s t í r ◣ ⦉A phantom walks to the sea, fades and secretly drowns until his heart's appeased.⦊
【O I N I N⦁N I N J U T S U - P U P P E T E E R⦁U K Y O】
❝And we will go where no one ever knows. And we will never have to play the part of afeared in the dark.❞
[x] I was right. The moment I touched the darkness, everything went horribly wrong. My message rang clear, but I was forced to release it the moment I was finished. Leaves rustled around me, and I whirled to face the depths that had come all too close. Every now and then as I waited for the thing I knew was there came, lightning lit up the forest around me, revealing things I didn't want to see or imagine.
When it finally did come, even I wasn't prepared for it. A rush of flames swirled into the sky before splitting into three dragon heads. I had assumed the being that watched me to be that thing from the time loop, that was released when Jack died, the Devourer. Instead, I was faced with an all too familiar sight. Standing atop the center head was the Plaguebearer, in the flesh.
Normally I was capable of suppressing my fear, shoving it to the side so that I was able to focus on the task at hand. But when the creature who could kill with a look or a touch, a man who I had personally slain, the first human I'd ever taken the life of, stared down at me, my blood turned to ice in my veins but roared in my ears. It was impossible. But it wasn't, not there, not at the heart of Jack's Island, where reality distorted and anything had the potential of happening. He hadn't been bidden; I hadn't given him two thoughts since this whole mess began, but still the heart had summoned him from the depths of my memories and made him real. And this place was stronger than me; he wasn't something I could just wish out of existence. I couldn't move, couldn't avert my gaze for fear he would strike in that instant, not unlike a viper. I gripped the wrist of my puppet hand tightly to steady the flesh one.
I was jolted out of that fixation not a moment later at the rapid sound of clicking behind me. Shadowy creatures with fanged mouths reached out toward me, trying to grab a hold and likely tear me to shreds. However, they seemed unable to reach past the orbs of light that surrounded me. Thanks to the glow, though, I saw the faces that stretched the skin, recognizable features from people I had no names for, and I instinctively took a step away, nearly losing my footing. It was then that the dream Jack acted, using a technique I did not recall seeing before. Or maybe it wasn't a technique but he had willed it into existence.
But the world struck back, flames and shadows alike swarming to swallow us whole. If I didn't do something the copy trying to protect me wouldn't make it, and I didn't want to test what that might do to the real Jack. Even then, I couldn't let the darkness reach the casket in which he lay. Facing the plaguebearer once more, I held my wooden hand out in front of me, the other still clamped firmly at the wrist to brace it. If it came close enough, I intended to use one of the features I'd given it. Unfortunately before then I hadn't had the chance to even test if it worked, but it was modeled sort of after chakra dispersal gloves. While it did have that ability as well by consuming chakra stored within it, this ability allowed me to absorb almost any chakra-based technique, restoring my own for half the cost of it, but that wasn't the point here; I didn't need the energy. I only hoped that it worked properly or I wouldn't be able to use it again for several minutes.
All of this was assuming the still broken pieces of it could hold up to the pressure behind the attack.
My whole body trembled, my breath coming rapid and labored, but I forced a snarl that kept me where I stood before the 'flight' response could kick in. "You're after me, right?! So come on!" Part of me said that this was foolish and that I should just run, summon the doors that lead out of the office where the others were supposed to wait for me to take the pieces. But I couldn't risk Jack's life, and I couldn't risk this monster getting free.
Techniques Used: ✤
Current Objectives: ✤
Items of Note: ✤
Lanfaer
❝I'd never meant for you to mend this heart back in from two...❞
┏ ┃ a c | 29620 ┃ r y o | 10330 ┃ c h a k r a | 1080 / 1085 ┃ s t a m i n a | 435 / 435 ┃ m o o d | terrified ┃ h e a l t h | fine ┃ i n j u r i e s | none ┗
