More Vultures, Vultures, Vultures

Tue Apr 28, 2020 5:22 pm

As Guren began his journey from the Cave of Carnage to Sunagakure, he couldn’t help but feel satisfied. Although he ran the risk of his life by going rogue, a part of him felt fulfilled. In the last few months he had learned a lot regarding about the Chinoike Clan. Having visited the Valley of Hell, the backstory that the Bearded Blood Vultures had told him provided significantly more context. It was truly a shame that the relationship between the two parties had went south, but Guren would plan to make amends for the sins of his clan. Reflecting on this notion, a part of him felt it was also necessary to atone for his own crimes against his village. Abandonment, casting genjutsu on allies, and injuring a hunter ninja. But amongst all of that, Guren did his best to make sure that he didn’t kill anyone. Death was something he was all too familiar with, and truthfully did not wish to inflict it on any undeserving of it. While Guren was self-reflecting, his trek seemed to be passing him by. He had already made a sizeable dent in the trip he had upcoming. And all in an instance, that progress would be reduced to zero. While at one point in time he would be walking through the desert, an instance later he would find himself back at the entrance of the Cave of Carnage.

“What the hell?” he would let out, while looking back and forth. He couldn’t believe his eyes, as he had been right back where he was a day. As he scoped out his surroundings, he saw Shodai standing before him among a familiar pile of bones and bodies. There was nothing but confusion in the atmosphere.

“Guren. Glad you could make it. Good to see you’re still in once piece after Kami whooped your ass” Shodai began.

“Shodai..how did I get here?” Guren inquired. Seeing the situation for what it was, it seemed as if Shodai had summoned Guren. But was that possible? Could summoning races summon their summoner? It was confusing to think of, but the only conclusion Guren could come to.

“Well I summoned you….er, well…reverse summoned you. Are your surprised? Didn’t you read the fine print of the contract?” Shodai responded while letting out a laugh. “This is a mutual thing, baby.”
Scratching his head, Guren was still confused. Reverse summonings seemed like they would make sense considering the nature of the contract he signed, but it was still strange. Nevertheless he shrugged it off. “I see. So why did you bring me back here? I need to head to a civilization as I am low on food.”

“Food? Just eat what we eat. We’ll go hunting together…” Shodai paused as an idea clicked in his head. “As a matter of fact, we can kill two bir…uh, two snakes with one stone. You can go hunting with some of the others. That’s actually why I called you here. We were all surprised with how quickly you had left the cave. We were just getting started!”

This interaction had only lead to more questions. Just getting started? Guren had been at the Cave of Carnage for a week training with the summons, what more business did they have with him right now? Also, he mentioned others. Was he referring to the vultures that Guren had already met? What would be the purpose of hunting with them?

"I was here for a week. I thought I stayed fo..." Guren began but was swiftly interrupted by Shodai.

"A week? Perfect! *Kaw* So fortunate that you'll be in our company for another week. I'm really starting to like you, ya know? But hey, Guren, listen. There's some other vultures that after hearing a contract was signed, were keen on meeting you. They don't necessarily think you are ready to have complete reigns of our race, and want to see you in action. So just let the kids take you hunting okay? I gotta go though. They're waiting for you inside." Shodai explained. His excitement was evident, as he just word vomited all over Guren. The Chinoike must have made a good impression on him, but maybe not the rest as Shodai indicated.

Without many options, Guren entered the mouth of the cave. His stomach rumbled consistently, loud enough to be audible and echo throughout the cave. After a short distance, he was greeted by two vultures. He had never seen these two before. They were similar in size to what Hageko and Yoji were, yet immediately Guren could tell that their personalities were not. Their postures seemed stiff, upright and proper. Almost pretentiously looking down on Guren as if he were fodder. Maybe they heard that Kami and Shodai bested him, and so his reputation among the vulture kingdom was tarnished. This would be a pretty good inference from Guren, as he hit the nail right on the head.

"So, you are Guren huh? I hope your abilities speak for themselves...and speak louder than your stomach." one vulture began. Her words seemed cold, as if she were insulting Guren and insinuating that he was helpless. This didn't really bother him though. Words were trivial to him, actions meant more. Unfortunately his actions against Kami in particular didn't amount to respect from those who stood before him. "I'm Hoka, and this is Yori." the smaller bird continued while extending her left wing to point towards the vulture beside her. "She's a quiet type...What say you though, are you ready for a hunt? We too are hungry."

As Hoka welcomed Guren on the hunt, his stomach again growled loudly. Like it was responding for him. And so he nodded, seeing as he didn't have much of a choice. "What exactly are we hunting for? Vultures and humans may not have the exact same diet." Guren asked. It was a fair point to bring up. Vultures feasted on freshly dead animals, while humans consumed those that were cooked.

"You're not in a position to be picky. Let's go." Yori would say. Her words were short and concise, almost as if she was cutting the conversation short. Perhaps she didn't see the need to entertain an entire dialogue. She had already heard enough about Guren from the others, and the only reason he stood before her was to assist in their hunt. Upon finishing her statement, she flew off with Hoka following closely behind. And so Guren would sprint after them. He felt a little uneasy, but set aside his concerns as any food was better than now. The three departed from the tunnel and traveled a short distance away, at the edge of a canyon. Some distance below there was a small family of wolves, resting. Upon laying eyes on them, Guren already figured out what the plan was.

Perching on the edge of the canyon and overlooking the wolves, Hoka and Yuri salivated. "Fresh meat. And I count three, one for each of us. But we prefer our meals dead...So guren, can you kill a small pack of wolves for us?" Hoke asked. Guren had figured that this would be a joint activity, where he would pair with the two and wipe the wolves out. But if seemed as if the vultures were more keen in spectating Guren's handle of it. And that was fine. His hunger was at its peak, and he knew that this could be a quick task for him.

Without a word, Guren lept from the edge of the canyon and removed two kunai, one in each hand. As he neared the wall parallel to the one he had leaped from, his kunai dug into the face of the earth. The impact of making contact with the wall combined with gravitational forces pulled the kunai which Guren gripped downward and towards the sleeping wolves. As he slid down the face of the wall, he approached closer and closer to his next meal. When within striking distance, he pressed his feet against the wall and twisted his hips. His right kunai removed itself from the wall, while the left was still dug into it. Then he would leap again, removing the other kunai from the wall as well. He pounced towards and targeted the biggest wolf. Upon nearing the wolf, he directed his two kunai straight into the head of the wolf. Swiftly and painless it died. The sound of the commotion awoke the two smaller wolves, which would arise to see their mother dead. As they whimpered in fear, Guren removed the kunai from the head of their mother, and hurled the two towards them: one at each. The kunai would be driven into the hearts of each of the wolf pups, killing them as well.

As he retrieved the kunai from the dead wolves, Hoka and Yori would swoop in for the kill. Both feeding upon the dead wolf pups. "Damn Guren, you're heartless huh? Good job though." They would say as they feasted upon the flesh, bones, and blood of the freshly killed cubs. While they did so, Guren would spend time skinning the mother wolf. With the fur gone, he would focus his attention on severing certain portions of meat from the back, shoulders, butt, breast, and so on so forth. With each cut of meat he had, he set aside, all but one. Then Guren would go on to make a small fire nearby, and roast a piece of the meat. When it was cooked to his liking, he would sink his teeth in. It was lean and a bit tough, yet edible. The vultures watched as Guren did so, without exchanging any words. Clearly he knew how to survive in the wild, which spoke for his resilience. They looked at each other and gave a slight nod. Regardless of what the others said, Guren clearly seemed capable. Upon finishing their meal, Guren packed up the remaining meat and alongside the vultures started off back towards the Cave of Carnage.

Upon arrival a new vulture awaited, positioned at the top of the cave. The one looked unique against any that Guren had seen so far. While her colors were comparable to the rest of the race, the color of her eyes was what stood out the most. They were a neon green, surrounded by black which matched her beard. Her feathers were rustled, from head to chest. Her beak even had a purple-ish hue to it when the light would strike it a certain way. Additionally both of her wings reflected nearly the darkest shade of black. “What…have you brought me?” she would hiss, drool dripping from the side of her beak.

Upon seeing her, Hoka and Yori would prepare to leave. “We don’t want any parts of Bia. But Guren, you’re okay. Not so bad.” The two would fly off deeper into the cave.

Standing beneath Bia, Guren held up the pieces of wolf meat he had hunted. They were covered in blood, as a result of carrying them back to the cave, so was Guren. He grabbed a piece with one hand and threw it up in the direction of Bia. As it flew towards her, she would open her sharp beak and snap it, catching from mid-air. She would aggressively and violently devour the piece of bloody meat. While she did so, Guren pinned the rest of the cuts of meat to the wall of the cave. He was hanging them with the intention of drying the meat, so that he could come back and cook them later. An innovative way of preserving the meat.

“What, you don’t eat your meat raw? Weak.” She would say while flapping her wings, preparing to fly away.

“Bia,” Guren would repeat before she took off. She halted in place. “Tell me…are you one of the vultures and believes me to be weak?” Guren asked. He wanted to get to the bottom of this, and track down the source of the disappointment some of the race had with him.

“I believe all are weak, unless they prove otherwise. Bringing me a piece of meat wouldn’t change my opinion of you.”

“So what would?”

Bia paused momentarily, reflecting on the question at hand. She knew Guren was capable of hunting, evident by the food he had brought back. She also knew that he could hold his own, as he bested her comrade Bushi. So Bia would need to be clever about her response and figure out what it was that would convince her that Guren was deserving of maintaining the summoning contract with the bearded vultures. And then her mind came to it.

“There are hawks not far from here. They harass the smaller vultures at time. I want you to go to their nest and exterminate them. And I want to watch the massacre.” Bia said in a rather bloodthirsty tone. Just looking are her was menacing enough, and considering the act she wanted Guren to perform seemed unnecessary. But Guren was not in a position to negotiate. Truly whatever it was that the vultures wanted, he would have to fulfill. And because of the justification beyond wanting Guren to handle the hawks, he could get on board with it. The contract did imply that Guren would protect the vultures, just as they would protect him.

“Lead the way,” Guren said. Short and to the point, he just wanted to get this over with.

“We can’t go now, it is too bright outside. I suggest you rest before we head out. It will be some time.”

And so he would. He was tired, a little daytime nap did not sound bad at all especially since he would be busy carrying out Bia’s will during night time. As the sun set Bia would nudge Guren, waking him up. “It’s time. Let’s go,” she said. Within seconds Guren was up and ready to go; the two departed minutes after Guren awoke. The sun was setting and temperatures were dropping, darkness began to fall across the desert while Guren and Bia crept through the late night. Finally they had come across the base of the hawk’s mountain.

“There. They’re up there.” Bia whispered while pointing with her beak in the direction of the summit of the mountain. Guren would look up, the depth perception made it seem like it had went on towards the clouds. The only way was up.

“Might as well get started.” Guren sighed. He removed the kunai from his pouch and began to ascend the mountain. Using his surface walking technique, his chakra directed itself into his feet so that as he would climb up the mountain, his feet could give him sufficient footing. Bia took this all in as she easily flew up, maintaining pace with him. The two would make their way up, and up, and up until finally they could see the nests of multiple families of hawks.

Whispering, Bia asked, “So what is your plan Guren?”

“There’s many of them. I need to do this swiftly and in one motion. Just distance yourself, I don’t want to hurt you.” Guren said. Bia would fly a ways back so that she could spectate would Guren would do. Forcing more chakra towards his feet, Furen was able to stand on the side of the mountain without falling or losing his balance. He performed several hand seals, and so after it began to rain upon the hawks. It was a rain more intense than what would ever been seen in the land of Wind, yet the hawks slept through it and got soaked in the process. As the rain had picked up more, Guren performed a second set of seals swiftly followed by a third. The second set had caused a significantly portion of the rain to construct itself in the form of needles which pierced the wings of the hawks. They were now soaked and incapable of flying away. Right after, a surge of lightning originating from Guren beamed towards all the hawks. It was carried so easily by the water in the atmosphere, acting as a conductor for the lightning. It severely shocked and electrocuted the entirely families of hawks which roosted in the respective nests. Not a single one survived. As Bia watched, her eyes lit up with joy. It was a stupendous act to marvel at, and she was truly amused.

“Wow! Bushi was right. You’re ruthless. Keep that up, and you and Shoka will get along just fine. Let’s head back to the cave and I’ll introduce you to him.” Bia would exclaim. Her tone was a lot brighter than what she had towards Guren earlier.

“If that’s all then yes, we should head back.” Guren let out. Truthfully he was tired of killing random animals for the enjoyment of the vultures. At some point it seemed as if the vultures were a bit blood thirsty. There was nothing wrong with that, but there seemed like bigger things that they could have been working towards. Bia nodded, and the two set off towards the Cave of Carnage.

Upon arrival, it was the dead of night, completely pitch black. The only reason that Guren was able to make it back was because he followed the sound of Bia’s flapping wings. Already Guren felt as if this set of vultures we was interacting with this time around were completely different than the last. They were more intense, bloodthirsty, self-concerned. They were less interested in learning Guren and speaking with him. Maybe this was because they had already learned some information from the vultures that went through the proper introductory phase with him. Or maybe it was because they needed Guren to accomplish certain tasks for them. These tasks, although gruesome, had specific purposes to them all related to survival. They likely were capable of accomplishing each themselves, however seeing the level that a human would go for them was probably refreshing. Dragging his feet through the sand, Guren sat against the mouth of the cave and leaned his head against the wall.

“I know you’re not tired already. We just got back. I bet meeting Shoka will wake you up. I’ll go fetch him.”

Bia said while waddling off into the depths of the cave. The sound of her talons clacking against the floor of the clave made an ambient “pitter, patter” which reverbed through the cave until she was deep enough for the echo to fade. As he finally got a moment to himself, Guren just relaxed. These vultures seemed high maintenance. Always needing something, requiring attention, and giving him a hard time. They weren’t like some of the fun loving, easy going vultures that he had previously met. And who would be next? Some vulture named Shoka? Just his name alone sounded even more intense than the rest. Guren would have to savor this brief break that he would get, as this would likely be short lived.

And it was. The sound of a wings flapping and air being sliced raced towards him. He would swiftly turn his head and in the darkness of the night could just barely make out an aviary species on trajectory to pierce him with its beak. He would duck, narrowly avoiding the vulture which flew deeper into the cave. The sound of its wings flapping would slowly start to fade.

“Man what the fuck? Can I catch a break?” he asked to himself under his breath. And in that moment, the sound of wings flapping returned. This time roaring through the cave. Guren, recognizing that it was likely the same vulture stood straight up and booked it outside the cave. He would run up the side of the wall and grab ahold of the lip of the entrance and flip over and atop. Performing a couple hand seals, a flash of lightning would appear in his hands instantly illuminating the area around him. What was once sea of darkness was not brightened by the chidori within Guren’s hand. The echo got louder and louder until its source rushed out the wind, stirring up a huge gust of wind in the process which kicked up bones and sand in the process. The vulture that violently flew out of the cave was fiery red, like a phoenix and just its sheer nature tensed Guren up. He already knew what was coming, this vulture was looking for a fight.

As it flew out and upwards it turned itself upside down and began approaching Guren at a high speed. Once near, it would shift the directional pattern of its wings flapping as if it were coming to a halt. As it did, the air behind Guren would suck towards the vulture, ripping Guren from his position and send him flying towards the vulture.

“You’ve gotta be shitting me!” he exclaimed as he still held the chidori which was the only thing allowing him to see at this point.

As his body was pulled towards the vulture, massive globs of regurgitate blood were being hurled at him. At least three. He shifted his weight to propel his arm forward, which ripped through the orbs of blood heading towards him. Next would be the vulture. *WHAM* went the sound of the vulture’s wing smacking down on Guren, disrupting both his attack and his balance and sending him to the ground. A loud thud was made upon Guren’s crash with the ground beneath him. Normally he would be able to shake something like this off, however his body landed right atop of a rock. It should feel like it pierced his stomach, but instead a *POOF* would be heard as the clone of Guren would disappear into a pile of blood. The real Guren would still be perched atop the cave.

“Why are you attacking me?” he called out loud enough for the vulture to here. To which it would still be flapping his wings and not give a response. Instead the frequency of the flapping accelerated faster and faster, and the bird starting spiraling in place. The intentions were clear, it was going to charge to blitz Guren with some attack that resembled a drill, with the beak being the focal point of the attack. And then it would take off, giving Guren little to no time to react. Right as it came rushing towards him, the attack was intercepted by a larger vulture, intersecting the one perpendicularly. It would grab the first vulture with its arms and fly higher and higher at a speed that seemed unnatural, until they reached the sky. Guren wouldn’t be able to see much more as it was still dark out, but all he would hear was the occasional squawk of a vulture and wings flapping. It sounded like the two were fighting, but for what? Certainly not over Guren, but was the one defending him? Then the smaller vulture would come flying out of the air at full speed, until it crashed into the grown. The vulture would lay there for some time, clearly beating by the larger and superior one.

“Apologies…You will have to forgive Kiku for her…abrasiveness.” The massive vulture would say with a slight bow. “I am Shoka. Perhaps Bia told you of me?”

Guren, looking back and forth between the fallen and the standing vultures compared their appearance. The sun was finally starting to rise, which brought just enough visibility for Guren to make out the looks of the two. The fiery phoenix seemed elegant in every sense. Her coat was luscious and well maintained. Her stature was muscular and chiseled. Shoka on the other hand, looked tattered and like he was falling apart. His wings, had several small holes through them. Judging by the diameter and roughness of their outlines, it looked like he was pierced by a spear several times. While two distinct holes were evident of a large bite mark where the fangs sunk through the wings. His beak was fractured, cracked, and broken. Guren shuddered thinking about the pain that Shoka had withstood, as it could be compared to the sting from a bone fracture. From the looks of it, it appeared as if the vulture had attempted to piece together parts of his beak but by replacing missing pieces with bones of various animals. Yet unlike the other vultures, Shoka had a mane of hair. It almost looked lion-like, as it was white and fluffy enough to resemble clouds. Shoka didn’t look like any vulture that Guren had seen. Purely unique. Even down to his colors which were predominantly black, red blood stains, and a very faint gold hue. Truthfully, Shoka looked like an abomination, or a menace.

“Don’t worry about it, Shoka. I’m Guren.”

“Ah yes. I have heard of you. You are the one that has fought against, with, and for the vultures. I have been eager to meet you.”

“Why is that?”

“You are one of the last of Chinoike members. You are one of the last that can pair with us. Thus, you are one of the last summoners who I might have the chance to work with. I thank you for coming.” Shoka replied. There was a strangeness to his words and tone. It would sound very opportunistic, yet riddled with deceit. Nevertheless Guren would not care too much. He knew that this vulture would likely not attack him, but instead seek to befriend him based upon their dialogue.

“I see.”

“Yes, and I do too. I see you and me accomplishing big things together, for we are the same. You see I wish to seek combat, fighting anything and everything that stands in my way. And naturally, a summoner brings about that kind of attention. If I ally myself with you, you can serve as a vessel of violence. And I will help you every step of the way.” Shoka would said. Just as he would, Kiku would get back up, and shake off the impact of the attack she just suffered.

"He is a manipulator. And I totally would have killed you if it weren’t for your craftiness and his intervention. We must continue this again.” Kiku would let out in defeat as she would disappear into the cave.

“Is she always so intense?” Guren would ask while watching her leave from the two.

“We all are always so intense, Guren. Whether we show it or not. But I ask of you, are you intense? Do you have that undying passion in your heart? Do you have an everlasting flame which cannot be extinguished, even by the mightiest of suiton techniques? If so, what is it that drives you?”

“…Learning. I want to learn this world and what it has to offer. I want to be able to know more than what I had been taught before. I want to know what is to be learned beyond the covers of a book.”

“So, you are like me then? That is why you excite me, Guren. You want to see the world for what it is, and you want to begin by I presume, traveling. And I wish to accompany you. I have seen many battles against creatures, animals, humans, and time. Through my years I have learned how to survive where others couldn’t. I learned how to survive where those died. There is not a situation which I am ill prepared for. And that is why we are already in sync. And so I have a proposition for you.”

Guren leaned in a little bit, for it seemed as if Shoka was reading him like a book. So far, everything he said to him was the truth but whatever came next surely had to be layered with ulterior motives. The word proposition implied that both parties would work together to gain mutual benefits. It was a word characteristic of a contract, and the more Guren thought of it, the more it seemed true that each of the Vultures he had met came with a proposition of their own. In that essence, Shoka was no different than the rest.

“What proposition is that?”

“Well, in order for you to earn the respect of the entire race you need to impress both, not just one of our founders. You displayed heart against Kami and Shodai in your match which you were handicapped against the two. That alone speaks volume and shows merit. However, there is one who will not be so easily swayed. In order for you to acquire the blessing of Kiyuki, you must defeat her. There is no easy way out. If you pass out she will tear you to shreds. While she may seem sweet outside of combat, once engaged with her there is nothing but intensity. That is why you need me by your side.”

While Guren listened, he couldn’t help but reminisce on his battle against the other two vultures. His genjutsu had hugely helped him secure an edge, but even the one on one fight against Kami was taxing. This time he had prepared himself mentally and physically for whatever the vultures would throw at it. He was more familiar with their techniques, and had a good understanding of what he would be up against. Yet the description of Kiyuki from Shoka made it sound as if she were even more powerful that Kami. If that were true, then Guren would have his hands full.

“So what do you have to gain from it?”

Shoka chuckled a bit, as his ploy was sniffed out. “Well, since you asked…I seek to free myself from being bound to this life of solitude. The others don’t understand me, they see me as dark and twisted. But I just see the world for what it is, and like you, want to learn more of it. Specifically of its dark secrets. The only way I can show my ability and independence to Kiyuki, is by defeating her. So that is our common goal. Liberation, and respect.”

Shoka’s perspective made a lot of sense to Guren. If he truly was misunderstood, Guren could understand that. He felt the same way when he was growing up. He never had anyone that got it, the closest he had to that was his former squad mates. And still, they basically saw him as a business partner. Nevertheless, the proposal made sense.

“Very well. I assume you know where we can find her?”

“Yes. She resides deep into the Cave of Carnage. You travel until the end of the cave, and keep going. There is a genjutsu barrier which protects her from being discovered. If one with the Ketsuryugan is capable of breaking that barrier, then she can be reached. Her lair is massive, almost an entirely new world all within the Cave. If you get on my back, I will fly us to that barrier and leave the rest to you.” Shoka said while kneeling over to allow Guren to mount him (pause).

Guren nodded as he understood the premise of the plan. He climbed up Shoka’s massive back. Shoka extended his wings then flapped them several times before taking off. The two would soar through the cave, which was truly massive once inside it. From the outside the Cave of Carnage seemed nothing more than another cave within the desert, but once inside one would truly be forced to marvel at its wonder. It was magnificent. As they raced through, they would see the other vultures which Guren had already met with. Each of them, doing their own thing, not really paying Guren or Shoka too much attention aside from a quick glance. They knew where the two were headed, for all in the race had a good understanding that the two were alike. Yet still, none of them had confidence that Guren and Shoka could beat Kiyuki.

After some minutes of flying, the two finally reached what looked like the landmark for the barrier Shoka had spoken of. He halted his flight, and landed just upon the entrance to the barrier. “This is it Guren.”

“Shoka…This..just looks like the end of a cave.” Guren said while looking ahead. It seemed like a dead end, as in front of them lied a rock cave in.

“Guren…Activate your dojutsu. You will see.”

Shrugging, Guren’s eyes lit up and displayed their crimson characteristic. Upon doing so, the genjutsu barrier faded and the lair was revealed. And it was massive. There were pillars that seemed like the stretched at least 50 m tall from the ground and a massive comparable in size to a courtyard. Surprisingly enough it was well lit, with flame torches around the perimeter of the area. As the two made their way through the area, they saw Kyuki meditating in the center of the courtyard area. As she did so, her wings flapped consistently. This was likely the cause of the genjutsu. From the several fights Guren had with some of the other vultures, he knew that their genjutsu prowess was real and to be taken seriously. However he also speculated that the source was audible, stemming from either the sound of the wings flapping or from the kaw made simultaneously. It was difficult to discern which the source was, as they were always used in tandem of each other.

“Shoka, to what do I owe this surprise? And why did you bring Guren here?” Kiyuki’s voice was alluring, relaxing, and overall pleasant. Not something one would expect from a massive vulture. Her appearance didn’t match her voice at all. She was quite larger than Shoka, and more maintained. Yet she could still be seen as intimidating.

“Lady Kiyuki, we’re here to challenge you. We both need to prove ourselves to the rest of the race. Until we are both accepted, we won’t be leaving here.” Shoka said aloud.

“Oh? Is that so Guren? Would you agree? Do you think that the two of you could beat me, and earn my praise?” Kiyuki asked while starting into Guren’s eyes. It was if she was staring into his soul, peaking at his essence and resolve. Would she break him right here? No, Guren had come too far. Nothing would stop him here.

“Lady Kiyuki. Shoka told you why we are here. I hope you see our request through.” Guren would let out confidently. Shoka looked over at Guren and nodded in approval. Although Guren didn’t have much to say, he said a lot. It showed that the two were on the same page and willing to go head on with a juggernaut like Kiyuki. Upon hearing the Chinoike’s response, she laughed. Her laughter started off faint and subtle, however it would quickly develop into a bit uncontrollable, and then cynical. The laughter turned into shrieks, screeches, and kaws. They pierced Guren’s ear drums, dropping him to the ground and clutching his ears to attempt to block out the high pitched frequency from Kiyuki. And just like that, it would stop. Rising back to his feet, he looked around. Confused of his surroundings, he couldn’t make out where he has. It didn’t seem all that different from the heart of the cave which he was just in, but this would seem more different. It was a bit hotter, more humid, and just overall damp. And no one was to be found.

(WC: 5895)

Tue Apr 28, 2020 5:34 pm

Guren began walking around, trying to observe the setting to determine what exactly was going on. This seemed like a genjutsu, but Guren was sure that he had activated his Ketsuryugan before the fight even began back at the barrier. And then he realized what was going on. The genjutsu barrier he had discussed with Shodai was not triggered visually, it was audio based. This would mean that while the two had thought they passed through the genjutsu initially, had actually activated upon the two attempting to pass through the barrier. And so the entire interaction which Guren thought he had, was actually a part of the genjutsu. Recognizing this, he performed his hand seal: release. When he would return, he would be at the threshold of where the barrier was. Shoka, still standing in place likely under the effect of the genjutsu. Guren placed his hand upon Shoka’s wing and released him from the genjutsu.

“Damnit. I should have paid more attention to that barrier. At first glance I thought I could dispel it, but come to realize that there was a low pitched humming stemming from it. I thought I was just hearing things, but that makes sense now.” Guren theorized out loud. Shoka was impressed with Guren’s deductive reasoning, and a bit frustrated that the battle already commenced and the two were behind.

“Shoka, back me up.” Guren said while focusing his attention on Kiyuki. He performed several hands seals and unleashed an intense chidori in the palm of his hand. Following this he would quickly sprint in front of Shoka, and begin running at full speed. Recognizing Guren’s plan, Shoka wifted up a tremendous gust of wind in Guren’s direction with a few flaps of his wings. This accelerated Guren’s speed significantly, hurling him straight towards Kiyuki. Once the wind was kicked up, Shoka would swiftly fly behind Guren. As he ran, Guren performed a water prison jutsu with his left hand, which he would instantly release, forcing a puddle of water on the ground beneath him. This would serve as more of a failsafe if anything. While the two approached Kiyuki, she would swiftly arise and with one flap of her wings, exerted a huge gust of wind which was powerful enough to repel both Guren and Shoka. Guren would fly back several feet and crash into Shoka, whose mass provided more resistance than Guren’s would against the tremendous blast. As he crashed into Shoka, he would fall down on the puddle he previously made. Shoka would fly back several feet. Quickly, Guren performed a couple hand seals then disappeared into the puddle of water, while Kiyuki was now mounting a comeback against Skoda. She flew straight towards the small vulture, and when the two would make contact she would grab hands with him as the two wrestled for dominance. Shoka was unmatched with the strength of Kiyuki, and so she would quickly overpower him. However right as she was bringing him down to his knees, two Gurens emerged from the puddle of water, each with a chidori in their hand and racing towards Kiyuki to save Shoka. When they leaped from the puddle of water, a splash of water from the puddle was kicked up. A third Guren would jump out from the water, and employed the water from the puddle and splashes to turn into 30 tiny needles, all of which he would send at Kiyuki.

Although Kiyuki heard the footsteps from Guren’s clones, she paid them little attention. Because of her grip on Shoka, even though she was overpowering him, he held her firmly in place. She was unable to move and so she would have to tank the attacks from Guren, risky but worth it. The chidoris would come launching at her with full speed, making contact with her skin. Quickly following this, all 30 of the water needles would impact her as well. Yet although the damage from the lightning and water attacks was enough to make her flinch, she remained mostly uninjured aside from some scratches and a slight amount of pain. Her response was to spin around, while still holding Shoka by the hands. As she did so, his body crashed into the two clones causing them to immediately disappear. Shoka released his grip on Kiyuki’s hands and flew off to the side, catching himself before he fell down. At this point both Guren and Shoka were several meters away from Kiyuki yet there were on both sides of her. She stood in the middle, with one arm facing each of them. Symmetrically she would motion the two to approach her. And they would Shoka would blitz Kiyuki, engaging in a taijutsu based battle with her. Guren on the other hand would slit his hands before blitzing her, and as he closed the distance would immediately ascend four heads of his blood dragon. He would take a different approach in how he would utilize them, compared to what he had done before against Kami. This time he would send three of dragon’s head at Kiyuki while she was focused on Shoka. From the back, two would bite her wings in an attempt to hold her down. The third would maneuver its body around her torso and constrict. This time, Guren was using the majority of the dragons to restrict Kiyuki’s movement. And it was effectively. As Shoka held Kiyuki’s hands in place, almost her entire body was restricted. As Guren stood atop the fourth and final blood dragon together they would shift over, and behind Shoka. Guren was now completely facing Kiyuki. His eyes would make contact with hers, as she would suddenly spiral into a genjutsu of his own.

When it began, she would find herself remaining in her lair as usual. However what she would see was horrific. There were dead vultures everywhere, blood on the floor and walls of the cave, and an eerie sensation of unease radiating through the air. Walking among the dead and through a pathway of blood, was Guren. Each step that he took boomed throughout the cave, seeming to shake Kiyuki herself. Within the illusion, the pool of blood from the fallen began to accumulate around him in the form of a blood dragon. It propelled him above her, and followed the trend of the genjutsu: approaching her menacingly. Kiyuki was unable to move, as she was so full of fear that she felt as if she were paralyzed. And finally once close, the dragon’s head would lunge into her biting her right on the neck. Kiyuki, in the genjutsu, would pass out. In reality while all of this was occurring, Guren had sent an electrifying wave of lightning chakra through the dragon, which gripped upon Kiyuki. The combination of the genjutsu and electrified blood based attack would stun her, as she would fall unconscious.
Guren would release the blood dragon as he would calmly descend to the ground to stand in front of Shoka. Shoka was amazed. Although he felt as if his abilities were not utilized entirely during the fight, he understood Guren’s intent of handling it primarily alone. Shoka’s purpose in the fight was to provide a distraction, and that was fair. Guren felt as if he needed to redeem himself because of the way his last fight ended. He felt as if it should earn him some respect within the vulture race; and it would. This fight was significantly easier in these circumstances. Instead of being pressed by two massive forces, Guren had the assistance of a juggernaut. Without Shoka, it likely would have played out quite differently.

Nevertheless, Guren and Shoka were victorious. Shoka took a couple steps forward and looked down at Kiyuki. “So…we won. How does it feel to have an entire race of vultures forced to recognize you?” Shoka would ask.

“I didn’t want to force any of you into anything. I just needed to prove myself. And now I feel I need to stay here and watch over Kiyuki to make sure she recovers. I think I pushed it a bit.” Guren admitted. He felt as if he had been consumed by the battle and was fighting to survive. Yet he knew the level of compassion that the vultures showed him when he had been bested and fell unconscious. And so he would repay the favor.

“You’re interesting Guren…I will go and spread news to the others that we have proved ourselves. Neither of us should receive any more animosity from any of the vultures anymore. You will be respected as our comrade now.” Shoka said while bowing slightly to Guren. His words were genuine, as he was likely grateful that Guren had assisted him in their endeavors. Then he would fly off, towards the dwelling space of the rest of the race.

Meanwhile Guren would sit down and lay his head against the body of Kiyuki. He was tired, and at this point just wanted some rest. And after all of his efforts, the least she could do would be to let him use her as a pillow. The two would rest for some hours, as they both had used quite a bit of energy. When Kiyuki would awake, she would see Guren lying on her. She felt indifferent about this. Normally she wouldn’t be willing or interested in allowing a human to come so close to her. But Guren was different. His genjutsu was fierce and terrifying, yet he showed her a gentle side by resting on her after she had fallen unconscious. She found him interesting, and the duality of his personality allowed her to recognize the similarities in their demeanors. And at this point, there was no more reason to dismiss him. He had proven his intentions to the vultures. While he would have to flex on them to showcase his might, he did so only to be accepted. She let out a sigh and laid her head back down.

When his energy was recovered, Guren awoke. Kiyuki was still asleep. She likely would stay this way for some time. And so Guren would take his leave, officially this time. He spent an hour making his way out of the cave, passing several vultures who would exchange a nod and bow, demonstrating their respect to Guren. He had successfully left an impression on the vultures, which would be retained for time to come. Before exiting the cave, he made a meal out of one of the cuts of meat he had hung up to dry. Although it wasn’t fresh, it was still edible. Now with a full stomach, he would legitimately start his travel to Sunagakure. This time, without interruption.

~Exit~

(WC: 1783. Total = 7678)

Using the 25% WC from max stats to apply to the below:
E-Rank Summon (250 * .75 = 188)
D-Rank Summon (500 * .75 = 375)
C-Rank Summon (1000 * .75 = 750)
B-Rank Summon (1500 * .75 = 1125)
A-Rank Summon (2500 * .75 = 1875)
S-Rank Summon (4000 * .75 = 3000)
These summons are from the Bearded Blood Vultures and each will be acquired upon individual approval.
Total towards summons = 7313 Words, 365 remaining
188 towards Basic Medical Ninjutsu (562+188 = 750/750)
177 towards Water Release: Rain Shark (1004+177 = 1181/1875)

Wed Apr 29, 2020 10:20 am

More Vultures, Vultures, Vultures

More Vultures, Vultures, Vultures

Re: More Vultures, Vultures, Vultures

Re: More Vultures, Vultures, Vultures