Nightmares End [IO]

Truth, pt.1:

Truth, pt.2:

Truth, pt.3:

This was the third time that Yuuma had found himself enveloped by the mist that took him to this strange place where things didn't make much sense, the dead danced in the streets and twisted games of murder were of a regular occurrence. Whatever this place was, Yuuma was determined to get to the bottom of whatever was pulling Hoshi ninja from their dreams and placing them into hellish situations. Just like before, he had embraced that falling sensation when the mist had surrounded him in his dreams, and like before, began to take slow, careful steps forward until he was certain he could feel solid ground beneath his feet. Emerging from the mist, Yuuma found himself on another road, though this time the road would lead away from the village he could spot behind him with the turn of his head. Noises of the damned and wailing of the cursed could be heard even from here. Cries of victims within the city being subjected to some manner of unspeakable horror. Their cries tugged at Yuuma to respond, to break down the path and attempt to invade the city and rescue those he could, but a better part of him understood that the best way to save anyone was to put an end to whatever was going on. And that was exactly what he intended to do.

Turning his gaze back up the road, he'd see a multi-storied pagoda sitting at the top of a small hill. Mist swirled and billowed from its open doorway, and an eerie red light seemed to pulse at the top floor of it like a hellish lighthouse. On either side of the door stood a guard, each of them with a strange red symbol marked on themselves that Yuuma didn't recognize at this distance. Whoever these guards were, they didn't seem bothered by the goings-on around them, nor did they seem bothered by the harrowing screams coming from the town. They also didn't move like those monsters Yuuma had seen in the graveyard outside the hotel, leading him to believe that these were either much more elaborate images....or they were alive.

Not yet spotted, Yuuma would crouch low and work his way off the path into a thicket of trees that were scattered along the roadside. He wasn't the sneakiest of ninja, but with only moonlight in this place, it was quite easy to go unnoticed. Without a doubt, this must be the spot that all this trouble was centered around. Given this was the only place he had actually noticed people that were alive, whoever was behind all of this must be at the top of the tower. For the moment, Yuuma would settle into his hiding spot and observe the area. Before he made any moves, he'd have to devise a plan for slipping past the guard and getting inside the building, which would require no small amount of subtly. Above and beyond that, he knew there were other people in the city, which meant there could possibly be more ninja nearby. If he could spot out any that he could recognize, they might make valuable allies if he could convince them to join him in putting an end to this.

As much as Yuuma wanted to see this done with, it was best to simply wait and see what his patience would earn him. For now.

WC - 562

Having completed a series of rigorous training Zayrian had finally returned home, where he enjoyed a savory supper, invigorating shower, and overall relaxation. Now in the comforts of his own room, he laid his head down upon his pillow, turned to the side, pulled his blanket up and over his shoulders. He closed his eyes and began to clear his mind of today's events and slowly began to drift off. As he fell deeper into sleep, his body began to twitch several times in response to his subconscious fully taking over. Initially his dreams were quite ordinary yet all in an instance a sort of sinister setting seized control of the dream and swallowed Zay whole. Suddenly all would fade to black, and Zay's stress level would skyrocket. His physical body began to toss and turn in angst in a futile attempt to awaken. But to no avail, the nightmare's grasp tightened and Zay felt as if he was physically plummeting further into its reality. Everything started feeling more real, and that sensation of falling began to intensify. Then, the darkness of the dream transcended into something far more tangible. 

The sky bore an ominous, purple hue embedded with dark grey storm clouds. The violent winds vehemently whipped Zayrian around throughout the sky as he continued to descend downward. While nearing the ground, a surge of anxiety ensued from his fear of death. Yet just before crashing down into the unforgiving earth, Zay's eyes opened, his core tightened and flexed forward and his head swung up. Now sitting up, he nearly hyperventilated as his head cocked from side to side to take in his surroundings. 

"Where am I?" he cried in a frenzied panic. Not a single thing around him was characteristic of home: the Haven of Hoshigakure. Instead, was lied before him was an unearthly string of decrepit buildings. His beady eyes shifted from the pathway of buildings further down the road, to the patch of grass he sat upon. Adjacent to it was a pathway leading deeper into the unfamiliar village, His eyes followed the pathway, and when they would fall upon it his ears would invasively be pierced by the shrieks and squeals of villagers calling out for help. His adrenaline would kick in, and his heart would begin to throb to the point that it felt like it was pounding out from his chest. In response he gripped his left pectoral muscle with his right hand and firmly placed his left hand upon the ground. He propped himself up to his feet and stood facing the pathway towards the village. Should he enter? Should he try to go save those inside? What would he be up against? For a moment, Zay turned around with the thought of fleeing himself. Yet when he turned his head, his eyes fell upon a temple residing upon a not so distant hill. A shroud of fog rolled down the hill, seemingly sourced from the temple itself. Cutting through the fog was a beam of scarlet light coming from the top of the temple. As the beam cut through, Zay could almost make out the silhouette of two figures guarding the entrance to the temple. The beam continued to wave through the mist, and was rapidly encroaching upon Zay's position. In response, the young genin darted away from the beam and dove behind a series of bushes near the side of the road. Evading the light and possibility of being spotted, Zay's heart continued to pound but the fear he felt was lightly calmed when his eyes fell upon a person also seeming to elude being seen. 

"Hey," Zayrian would whisper while following the person towards the thicket of trees. Surely anyone who was sneaking around was not a participant of whatever terror this foreign place embodied. "Wait up!"

While nearing the person and entering the woods, Zay would discern the physical attributes and appearance of the man he approached. He seemed oddly familiar, yet how would Zayrian know anyone in a place like this? As he got closer, Zayrian's memory would finally dawn upon the fact that this man was a shinobi of Hoshigakure. One who Zay had only seen in passing, yet never had any interactions with. "Are you too a shinobi from Hoshigakure? What's going on here?" he would inquire once finally within reasonable speaking range. While he waited for a response, he maintained a low profile to prevent being discovered from any hostile presence, and occasionally would check out their surroundings to make sure the two were not being watched. 

(WC: 763)

Takeda gave a long, low, metallic sigh as he trekked his way home from the library that cold night. The wind was howling and the moon was full behind cloudy skys that night, with only some small smatterings of stars visible in the sky above. The newly made Genin had spent his night studying at Hoshigakure's National Archives, hoping to learn more about both medical biology and the rather interesting art of shinobi puppetry, a new skill that Takeda had picked up recently. Quite the interesting blend of clever mechanisms and shinobi tool, just Takeda's kind of style. Still, there was something in the air that didn't feel quite right that night. It felt as though the member of the Canopic was being watched, that some oppressive force was staring him down like prey as his heels clacked against the empty cobbled streets of the village hidden in the stars. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. Not one bit.

There was a haze in his mind as he attempted to puzzle over exactly what was going wrong that night. That cold, creeping sensation worming its way into his brain and down his spine, chilling him to his core. What was it? What had gotten him so riled up? Yet before his brain could interpret the unnerving signals plaguing the night, a deeper look of horror spread across Takeda's face as he felt a pressure towards the back of his head. There was a yanking motion once before his face grew cold, exposed to the night air. The boys mask was missing. Takeda quickly threw his hand over his mouth and spun around with wide eyes to see who had removed the mask from his face. A single black cat, horribly malnourished and haunting in appearance, stood with mask in hand, hunched in an arched back position as it backed away from the member of the Canopic.

"Hey! Give that back you little thief!

While an ordinary person wouldn't have cause for concern, Takeda was a little different. Most people that wear masks were typically doing so out of some form of fashion statement or another. Or there were those that did so out of a practical purpose, whether it concealed their identity or provided some small defense against toxins in their field of work. Though for Takeda, that was far less of the case. Within his body was a deadly viral pathogen, one both highly infectious and highly lethal when applied to those who didn't possess Takeda's bloodline. Without that mask, there was nothing stopping him from spreading it, willingly or not. And if that pathogen got out, it would spread like wildfire. Numerous people would die, including Takeda, who would be put to death by the village for spreading his virus.

Takeda took off into a full sprint after that accursed feline bandit, who began sprinting in kind into a nearby blackened alley. Takeda barreled head first after his quarry into that dark and foreboding passageway, fully intent on catching that cat. Misty puffs of breath emerged from between the boys gloved fingers wrapped tightly around his mouth from his screaming lungs. They begged to release their used supply of air, they craved new oxygen from the surrounding atmosphere, but Takeda just couldn't give in. Not yet.

Though as he ran something became dreadfully concerning to the man. Cats weren't this fast. Takeda was FAR from the fastest shinobi you'd find, but by virtue of his position he was significantly faster than the average citizen, to a superhuman degree. He should've caught this cat in mere moments. By this point, it was taking minutes. Better yet, this cat was bizarre in other ways as well. His mask was affixed tightly to his face before this incident. Even if the average house cat wanted to rip it off his head, none of them would be strong enough, dextrous enough, quick enough, stealthy enough, or even smart enough to do so.

Though just as Takeda finished that train of thought, the cat dropped his mask in a flash and darted off behind some dumpster or another. Takeda abandoned his quarry and quickly snatched up the discarded mask from the ground and affixed it tightly to his skull once more, taking deep metallic breaths from the night air to soothe his aching lungs. The oppressive force felt stronger than ever, and Takeda wanted desperately to leave this alley. His eyes darted to each and every wall of the alley where the shadows danced in the moonlight, suddenly struck by an intense wave of paranoia. He needed to leave, he needed to go, NOW. Yet before he could, a sharp pain drove its way into the side of Takeda's neck.

His hand shot up to touch the spot, finding blood where he did. Takeda whipped his body around to find some strange figure with syringe in hand standing there. They were an odd fellow, cloaked almost entirely in a solid black robe. All that was visible was one gnarled and jaundiced hand. Takeda was about to shout, scream, do something, but no noise emerged from his mouth. His vision blurred and faded, and he collapsed to the floor below. Takeda lost consiousness.

To Takeda, the transfer was instantaneous. To the two already in Yugakure however, it was much slower. The sound of whispers would emerge from around them, and a misty figure would begin to materialize into existence. When it finally formulated, Takeda would be standing there blinking confusedly.

"Where... Where am I?"

Word Count - 921

It didn't take long for Yuuma's search to bear fruit. Despite the dark, clouded sky concealing them from what could have been the starlight, it seemed that he was not alone in this endeavor. Still, Yuuma hadn't quite been expecting to be followed into the brush, and as he made himself comfortable, a voice would come from behind him prompting him to duck a hand into his weapon pouch and grip a Kunai with his left hand as his right hand formed the seal of the bird. Pale blue eyes landed on the tan-skinned figure of Zayrian, his mind quickly identifying the Hoshigakure headband on his person. Yuuma had seen this guy around a few times but never had he gotten his name. He knew the boy to be a Genin but hadn't personally looked into his mission logs and thus knew very little about him. For a brief moment, Yuuma appear skeptical in how he was going to respond, not completely certain that this figure wasn't another deception presented by this hellish place that seemed to pull him in. Taking a fair amount of time to measure his response, he would eventually release the grip on the kunai he had stashed away and his other hand dropped the symbol. "You don't know..?" Yuuma questioned, turning to face the younger man more directly, though his head would swivel back to the road that wasn't far away in order to make sure that there wasn't anyone coming down the lane just in time to catch them out.

What came next didn't help the growing paranoia of the Chuunin. The whispers in the woods form a rather sinister backdrop to the already tense situation, the mist swirling and churning into what could seem to be conjoining into the shape of a person. Falling silent, Yuuma would stay in a readied crouch for whatever was about to appear, but as the seconds ticked on, he would note the figure becoming more and more familiar. Although for Takeda it might have felt like the snapping of a rubber band as he popped into place, Yuuma witnessed the much slower phasing in that they all must have experienced at one point or another in order to get here. He had never seen it happen before, as the last set of times had proven difficult to see much of anything as he appeared. Seeing what he would call the "falling" into this awful place was something else entirely. As the form of Takeda solidified Yuuma would reach up and grip the young, freshly crowned Genin by the scruff his shirt and drag him down into a crouch with the other two. "Takeda!" Yuuma whispered harshly, more so out of surprise seeing the young lad here of all places. After hearing the uttered noise of confusion, Yuuma looked back and forth between the two of them. "Neither of you have experienced this yet?" He would give them a moment to respond before he continued.

"This place...where ever it is, is a nightmare. Literally and figuratively. I'm not sure who and I'm not sure why, but something has been pulling people to this place and subjecting them to all manner of twisted design. This is my third time here, and allow me to tell you that the first two experiences were not pleasant in the slightest." Yuuma broke his explanation to steal another glance over his shoulder to the road, then looked up to the hill to the squat tower that he would point out to both of them. "Takeda, you know me already, but for you-" he said, motioning to Zayrian," -my name is Yuuma Fujiwara, and I am Chuunin of Hoshigakure. I've come here tonight to put an end to whatever is going on, and I believe it has to do with whatever is going on at the top of that tower. I'm not sure how much experience either of you has, but if we are going to make sure that the people of our village can rest easy at night, it's going to be up to us to put an end to it. Listen." The end of his sentence was punctuated by a silent motion back to the city where more screams of horror could be heard. "Even now, people fall victim to horrors conjured by these monsters, and while I'd love nothing more than to storm the city and save them, we will be little good to anyone if we get caught up in another nightmare." Looking back to the both of them, he would get a gauge for their reactions and listen to whatever response they might offer his initial explanation.

A few more minutes would pass before Yuuma would lift a hand, quieting the conversation amidst whatever thought was being spoken as a pair of figures appeared on the road coming from the town. Both of them dressed in long, black robes that looked strikingly like the ones worn on the guards up by the pagoda along with a unique red mark on their forehead. A mark that they could clearly define from their hiding spot among the bushes. Together, the two walked nearly shoulder to shoulder up the road and to the base of the tower, where they would walk right through the open doors without a second thought to the guards. Watching the transaction take place, he would look back to the pair of Genin he had with him and offered them a reassuring grin. "The stars will guide us. Come on, let's put an end to this. For Hoshigakure." A minor pep talk that would lead into a short series of hand seals that both of them could easily identify as the transformation jutsu. In a puff of smoke, Yuuma would take on the appearance of a slender, black-haired figure with a white-powdered face and a red marking matching the ones they had seen before on his forehead. Standing, he'd settle the new black robes over his form and move out onto the road, silently waiting for his companions to join him before stepping out of the fog and making their way up the path.

With the three of them joined together, they would begin making their way up the trail at a casual pace. Breaking through the fog, it felt as though the tower only became more and more ominous as they approached as though it was testing their resolve. The hellish red light flickering at the top, strong enough to reflect off the bottom of the grey clouds in the sky above giving the whole skyline the appearance of having been taken to another land entirely- one that was perhaps not even anywhere close to the land of Haven. A place where the things of nightmares were allowed to roam without regard to the waking, serving no master but their own twisted desires. Despite this, Yuuma refused to be shaken and rest his eyes on the very top of the tower, brow furrowed in concentration as he put one foot in front of the other. "I wonder what Tsuna would do if he was here. He'd have some brilliant plan figured out by now, no doubt. To be sure, he'd likely be up the road tapping his foot while waiting for me to tie my shoes." It wasn't so much a mantra as much as it was comforting thoughts Yuuma silently offered himself as they approached. Something familiar that he could hold like a torch against the encroaching darkness. "Well, don't worry Tsuna. If you are somewhere out in that city, I'll make sure not to fail you."

Nearing the tower, Yuuma corrected his gaze forward and proceeded without a second thought. He walked slow, steady, with a purpose. He belonged here. He was one of these people. They would have no need to stop him because this was just another part of the perverse natural order of this place. Beyond that, he would have to offer the two Genin who walked behind him the pace they needed. Not too fast. Not too slow. As they began to pass from the outside to the inside, Yuuma would allow his gaze to flicker to the side for just a moment, catching sight of the gaunt figure of the guards who stared out into the perpetual night without blinking. "Are they human? Are they even alive? What sort of person would you have to be to take part in this?" Keeping his thoughts to himself, Yuuma would pass by with the two behind him undisturbed. They were given no issue as they entered the first room of the building, swallowed by a veil of darkness before emerging on the other side.

WC - 1,448
TWC - 2,010

As Zayrian addressed the Hoshigakure Shinobi, he was met with an alarmed and cautious response. The shinobi would reach into his pocket, and his right hand would quickly fire through a motion. Perhaps a hand seal. Zay couldn't discern what exactly the shinobi had readied himself with as it was dark and his hands may have been concealed. But Zay would be a fool to think that in a place like this, a skilled and trained Hoshigakure shinobi wouldn't be startled and on guard when suddenly approached in the dead of night. And so Zay took no offense to the defensive posture that the shinobi maintained, hell he himself likely would have responded in the same way. The shinobi seemed staggered that Zay was uncertain of his identity, but to be fair Zay hadn't experienced much interaction with the shinobi outside of his graduating class. "My apologies, I don't really know too many Hoshigakure shinobi. But I'm fairly certain I've seen you amongst some of the Chuunin in the village. I'm Zayrian, a newly appointed genin. But you can call me Zay for short."

Before the two could complete a full exchange of introductions, an audible whispering began to fall upon their ears. Within close proximity, the whispering began to take a definitive and tangible shape. It would develop into a visible swirl of mist and wind, which would materialize into the shape of a person. As the person would continue to form, his stature would clearly teem overtop of Zay's own. He also seemed a bit broader and more developed, leading Zay to believe that he was likely older. Perhaps he was a Chuunin? And from the familiarity exhibited between the two shinobi, perhaps the first was also a Chuunin? Or even better they were both Jounin. Takeda was the second's name; one that didn't ring a bell to Zay. Nevertheless he inferred that the two before him were both older, Zay also presumed they were experienced shinobi no matter the rank. This instilled a bit of comfort within him in an otherwise blood-curdling environment the trio found themselves in. 

The first shinobi would swiftly yank the second down in an attempt to conceal him from any hostile presence. Now with the triad of shinobi all squatting and hiding together, the first shinobi would pose a question to the two. Had they experienced this yet? What would that mean? Experienced what? The last thing that Zay remembered before awakening in this place was falling asleep in the comforts of his own home. For all he knew, he was still dreaming. But he was skeptical of this thought, as his surroundings appeared to be much more vivid and the interactions he had with those around him felt surreal. The first shinobi would continue to explain his thought process, beginning with describing the place they stood in as a nightmare. Apparently there were numerous people being abducted by it, and not just once. The shinobi admitted to now being exposed to this world of horror three times; further elaborating that the first two were just as unsettling as this one. Subsequently he would point out the pagoda off in the distance. Zay's eyes would follow the motion of his hand and he would once again glimpse upon the abnormal tower. He continued with his introduction, now revealing his identity and status as a shinobi to Zay. In response, Zay let out a short sigh of solace knowing he was in the company of a seasoned ninja who would likely take the lead on commanding the newly formed three man unit. Leadership was important during times like this. And Yuuma would waste no time briefing Zay and Takeda on his intel thus far. He had speculated that the temple was the source of the wizardry occurring in this place, and he was hell bent on putting an end to it. Upon hearing the passionate resolve from the Chuunin leader, Zay's face and demeanor would be instilled with determination. He listened attentively, postured up with his shoulders out as his body leaned in towards Yuuma. His eye brows lowered, jaw clinched, and hands balled into tight fists. Naturally he was a bit anxious of the predicament the three were in, but nevertheless felt confident. 

In response to Yuuma's rundown of the situation, Zay would open his mouth, "Yuuma, Takeda. Nice to formerly meet you, although not under these circumstances. I'm Zay, a genin of Hoshigakure. I may not have much in the field experience, but I have been training rigorously. I am capable in taijutsu as well as katon style ninjutsu. I'm not sure where your strengths lie, but I am confident I can employ my abilities to complement the both of yours. As for the mission at hand, I am all on board. Will you be serving as our commander?"

Zay posed this question to Yuuma who had already seemed to establish his defined role as the leader of the squad. He himself expected and hoped this was the case, as teams with a leader seemed to operate smoother. But it was always good to promote transparency and communications rather than having unspoken expectations. Upon hearing the response from Yuuma and Takeda, Zay would note the lifted hand of Yuuma and duck down and silence himself. He would peer out from his vantage point to catch a glance of the robed figures who would patrol the pathway to the pagoda prior to being permitted entry. As they passed by the trio's location, the hairs on the back of Zay's neck would erect and chills would pour down his spine. They were menacing. Perhaps it was just their presence, but something about the hostile duo was off putting. It felt as if they emitted a sinister aura which trailed behind them, almost leaving behind a gut wrenching stench of despair. Despite Zay's brief state of fear, he did not allow this to be displayed. Instead he portrayed himself to be unwavering and ready to take on the task at hand. Because he was. 

Seemingly at the perfect time, Yuuma would offer brief words of encouragement which lifted Zay's slightly broken spirit. He turned his attention back towards the Chuunin leader, and nodded in agreement. "For Hoshigakure!" he resolved in a hushed tone. With that, Yuuma's hands would dance through a sequence of hand seals which were familiar to Zay. They were characteristic of the transformation jutsu. It would appear that as the pair of robed figures walked by, Yuuma closely studied their appearance. In turn he would execute the transformation technique perfectly and now fully blend in with the opposition. In an instant, Zayrian would meticulously observe the disguised appearance of Yuuma and subsequently mirror his actions. Upon finalizing the last hand seal, Zay's own appearance would take the shape of a robed figured resembling Yuuma's transformation. He utilized slight differences in an effort to appear somewhat distinguishable, but not so much that he would raise any red flags. Instead, Zay now was coated with a black robe, his hair still white and spiked, yet his skin was as pale as ever. His face bore the identical scarlet symbol which resided on Yuuma's face. 

As a unit the trio removed themselves from their place of hiding, and would ascend up the pathway at an inconspicuous pace. Approaching the temple felt as if the three were nearing the Gates of Hell. The air around it grew warmer, the stench broadened, and an uncanny sensation of anxiety fell upon Zay. Still though, he persevered. Even though he had been putting up a tough front, on the inside he was scared. It was a natural reaction for a 13 year old to have when standing before what resembled a haunted mansion. But the shinobi within Zay did not falter. It was enough to drive his motivation and ensure he maintained his confidence. Besides, with a team of three capable Hoshigakure shinobi, there should be nothing to worry about. While walking, Zay reflected on the fact that this was truly a nightmare. If this were true, then what would be the real world implications of undergoing something like this? Would Zay remember, or would only his subconscious recall the events that would transpire? Clearly Yuuma had a deep understanding of this place, but was that just the dream version of him who did? Or was he truly conscious of everything occurring too? Would Zay awaken back in his bed when the mission was complete? Would the team remember Zay when back in the real world? His mind contemplated a hundred different thoughts, all the while his physical body continued to uphold its disguise. 

Finally they would reach the entrance of the building, and Zay's heart rate would begin to accelerate in anticipation of what would happen next. With a proper disguise, he was sure that they would be allowed entry with no hesitation. Still the idea of getting caught almost made his stomach turn. Nevertheless, he maintained his pace and followed the lead of his commander. Yuuma would proceed through the threshold of the building with a hitch. Not even once did the guards seem to inspect him. His technique had truly been perfect. Now as Zay passed by, he would walk in the same manner as Yuuma. He refrained from allowing his eyes to deflect their gaze and meet that of the guards. Instead he just looked forward, almost as if his eyes had been laser focused on the center of Yuuma's back. And to his approval, the guards wouldn't say anything to him. He could only describe the feeling of walking through the main doorway as what it might feel like to enter the Gates of Hell. Who knew what cynical rituals would occur here? One thing was for certain though: anything that happened in this building was of pure evil intention. Nothing holy belonged in a place like this. And how brave of it was the trio of Hoshigakure shinobi to willingly expose themselves to such a place? Even if it was their only choice...Now all that was left was for Takeda to successfully advance by the guards and infiltrate the tower's premises with his newfound team. 

WC: 1703. TWC: 2466

Before the words left his masked mouth a pair of strong hands gripped the man by his jacket. They dragged the dazed Genin into a hunched position before he had a chance to realize what was happening. Alarm bells were ringing in Takeda's head, swearing that he was under attack. His hand was about to dart up to his mask, infect whoever it was that was attempting to assault him before they had a chance to do any serious harm, though a mere instant later his guard dropped. Standing before him was Yuuma, the one who had given him the Genin Exam. A relieved sigh escaped from Takeda's lips as he gazed into the admittedly worried proctor's eyes and uttered the words spoken at the end of his last post.

"Oh Yuuma... Thank God you're here. I wasn't sure what was going on, so a friendly face is good to see."

Though Takeda was still puzzled at the situation. A mere few instants ago he was sitting in a Hoshigakure market square, and now he stood crouched next to the man in question, as well as some other shinobi that Takeda had never met before. The member of the Canopic gave a friendly and half hearted wave to the boy before turning back to face the once proctor of the genin in hopes of an explanation. He asked if they knew what was going on, a question to which Takeda shook his head.

"No sir. I was walking through the streets when someone stole my mask. I chased it down and put it back on before someone slipped behind me and drugged me. Afterr that I blacked out, and I woke up here."

The more experienced shinobi seemed to ponder that for a moment before taking charge and explaining the situation. The reality of it seemed entirely unreal. Some nightmare world in which the citizens of their village were tortured? What sick and twisted individual would create such a reality, would do such a thing? What did they even gain from such depraved cruelty? No matter, Takeda supposed that it didn't matter. It was his job to fix it now that he was a shinobi of this village, regardless of whether or not he was tasked with such a thing officially. The other shinobi, calling himself Zayrian, introduced himself to the two shinobi. Takeda gave a sheepish smile to the boy, something invisible to him under the mask, and rubbed a hand against the back of his head.

"Well... nice to meet you Zayrian. Can't say I'm too experienced myself, but I think I've got enough tricks up my sleeve to help us out."

Yuuma quickly hushed Takeda with a single raised fist as he observed the figures roaming across the road. They followed the path up to a massive pagoda that sat atop a hill. Takeda took note of the man's reaction and followed suit with a transformation technique of his own into a blonde haired cultist with lengthy black robes, though the transformation wasn't perfect. It was relatively obvious that the transformation that he'd taken had large buck teeth emerging from his mouth, though thankfully the markings were perfected. A good thing for the member of the Canopic, otherwise he likely would've been left behind from the mission. Yuuma insisted that the stars would guide them through the journey. Takeda hoped so.

Yuuma began to lead the trio up the hill towards the pagoda. He remained calm in Takeda's eyes, cool as a cucumber in the face of pressure. Though Takeda couldn't say that he felt the same. He tried his best to look calm, though underneath he could feel sweat building. This was to be his first infiltration mission, at the very least his first real one. He could remember his time back at the Academy, he could remember clearly all the drills that they had taught him on infiltrating enemy hideouts. They had seemed so simple then, sitting in his chair and listening to the professor lecture students less than half Takeda's age who were passing out in their chairs. It was far different in person, when the stakes were high. Still though, he refused to be the weak link here. Even through his faulty disguise Takeda maintained composure. He hid his hands together in between the sleeves of his robes and locked them tight, concealing his sweaty and shaking palms from the sight line of his companions and the guards at the pagoda entrance. Taking after the other two, it wasn't long before they managed to slip between the emotionless guards at the entrance, making their way through a black veil into the first room of the religious building.

When they entered, it was impossible to see. All that stood before them was the vast expanse of blackened hallway. Their footsteps clacked against stone tile as the scene of must, rot, and decay hit their nostrils in a wave. It felt like forever as Takeda walked forward into that black expanse, and the journey certainly wasn't pleasant. The stone floor eventually faded away into something Takeda couldn't quite make out, though as he walked forward the floor was slick and squishy, squelching sounds being heard with each and every footstep that he made across the expanse. Every once in a while he would step on some hardened object that would snap against his feet, though the boy couldn't, and in fact didn't want to make out what it was. Yet after some time of walking in that black expanse the ground faded back into stone and a light appeared off in the distance. It was odd really. This passageway was many leagues longer than it needed to be. In fact it was larger than it physically could be given the space of the outside of the pagoda. The gears turned in Takeda's mind as he attempted to piece together exactly what it could be that caused such a distortion. Sure they were in some sort of nightmare realm. That could easily explain it, that they were placed in some form of twisted Genjutsu. Though it could also be that it was some strange form of Space-Time Ninjutsu, placing them in some otherworldly realm for the perverse amusement of its creator. Takeda doubted he would find the answers here.

It wasn't long before they came into the first chamber. It wasn't anything particularly impressive, being a mere stone square room with doors in each corner and a large black marble obelisk with carved runes placed in the center of the room. Though there was one peculiar detail. In each of the three corners of the room was a single empty sarcophagus, their lids flipped open to reveal something barren inside. Though in the final corner, the corner to the entering group's left, was a figure. It stood tall, far taller than their group by a good foot. It was a pale figure, with skin stretched so thin over its skull that it almost could've passed for a skeleton. It had on some ceremonial garbs, and a thin dribble of dried blood was caked alongside its mouth. Takeda was about to open his mouth to speak to the group when the creature's eyes opened, revealing two golden and glowing irises that seemed to stare off into nothing. Takeda flinched, though held his ground. Seems as though the creature was stirring, though it wasn't fully aware yet. Takeda gritted his teeth, weighing the pros and cons. Whatever this thing was, it's clear it wasn't human. Who knows if their disguises would work on it? Not wanting to take the chance Takeda briskly walked over to one of the other sarcophagus'. He only had to hope that his companions took the cue as he slowly closed the lid on top of himself, trapping himself in musky darkness just as the twisted creature began to move its hands to drag itself from its tomb.

Word Count - 1324

Total Word Count - 2245

It seemed the opening gambit was a success; Yuuma and his entourage of Genin were able to sneak their way through the front door and into the antechamber that awaited them just beyond. The room was full of thick darkness that obscured even the sharpest of sights, the ground under them shifting in texture until it felt squishy. Malleable. Almost like they were walking on some fort of wet cloth that was dispersed with intermittent branches of cartridge that would snap underneath their foot as they walked. Despite having entered the building expecting a shrine, it felt more like the trio was descending into the mouth of some manner of enormous, patient being. Something that allowed its prey to foolishly walk into its own gaping maw to devour them out of sight of anyone or anything. The thought alone was enough to put Yuuma on edge, even as he focused on the far end of the hall where an opening to the first chamber could be seen. Still, he had to steel himself. The two behind him were counting on him, and he could not allow himself to falter in spirit even if their execution was going to have to be somewhat improvised. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he would address the two behind him without turning around.

The sound of his voice would sound like a whisper, somewhat displaced from his body as he utilized Ventriloquism to speak in a low murmur that both of them might hear. "I don't suppose either of you has studied in the field of sensory and detection, have you?" Yuuma would give them both a moment to answer, either audibly or otherwise. Even before asking, he found it very unlikely that either of them would have opted into the field- most Genin takes something that allows them to do missions as their primary specialty. For all the benefits that having sensory brought, it didn't exactly offer one a strong fighting kit, and most jutsu were meant to complement or supplement other forms of fighting. Having given them both a moment to reply, Yuuma would begin speaking again with the next part of the plan. "Alright, both of you listen to me closely. We are currently undercover in what could be considered a strongly fortified enemy zone. This means our cover is our life- we have no idea what sort of numbers are in this place, the extent of their abilities, or their current layout. As far as knowledge goes, we are at a severe disadvantage. This means the best course of action is to maintain the one advantage we do have- the element of surprise. So long as we keep this, we have a hope of getting through this."

The hallway would morph into its stone form, giving them solid ground to walk on once more though Yuuma had little time to explain much more before they got to the room. "We have to find the stairs leading to the top. Evade patrols. Keep your head low and your eyes down. Getting caught means death." Yuuma typically wasn't a fan of leaving things on a dire note, but he wanted to make sure there was no illusion as to the weight of their mission. Their moves from here on out would have to be well thought out and correctly applied, or any one of them risked turning the ire of the cult onto them. Not a moment too soon had the revelation settled into place that the trio entered the room. Coffins. Exits. Enemy. Yuuma's eyes snapped onto the pale figure as it began to stir from its resting place. His first instinct was to fight- to unleash a technique with alarming speed to capture and quell the foe before it had a chance to fully rouse, but something about this person seemed off.

Takeda had the right call. Although Yuuma was not very quick, he could manage his way to a sarcophagus and offer Zayrian a reassuring nod if he was looking out of sorts to the plan. With a small effort, Yuuma would close the lid on his own hiding place, leaving him there alone in the dark with only the sound of his own heartbeat to accompany him. There was something chilling about being in such a confined space. Hearing your breath bounce off a boundary you cannot see but know is just in front of your face. To not be able to move much to one side or the other and yet not have a physical restraint on you. Finding it more soothing to simply close his eyes, Yuuma would do so and bide his time until the danger had passed.

Minutes would pass before Yuuma cracked his coffin to take a look outside, though he naturally would respond to any sounds of them being discovered in an instant. Thankfully, for now, that didn't seem to be the case. The figure had gone; where, he wasn't quite sure, but for certain not in this place with them now. If either of the others had yet to emerge from their hiding spots, Yuuma would give them both a small signal that the coast was clear and they could return. Gathered once more into the center of the room, Yuuma would take a look down the three different hallways that lead out of the room in an attempt to discern which one of them could take them to their destination. All three of them looked exactly the same, and yet there was something odd that Yuuma couldn't quite place a finger on. The way the hallways sat all looked the same, each stretching into distant darkness that couldn't be seen. Each with a swirling mist that would tangle about their feet when they would make to pass.

The recognition clicked in Yuuma's mind as his eyes flit between each of the hallways. "The mist..." he said quietly, pointing it out to them when the two inevitably looked to him. "Two of the hallways, the mist is moving the same direction, but the third looks like the mist is coming from the hallway. That has to be the way to go." Taking a moment to collect himself, he would check on the other two before taking point once again, taking them down the third hall that seemed to originate the mist that spilled from the building and down into the village.

WC - 1,066
TWC - 3,016

As the trio stealthily maneuvered through the darkened temple, the unsettling sound of the team’s footsteps violated Zay’s ear drums. It was far too quiet to be listening to such sloshy steps. With each step, the temptation of looking down to see what the ground consisted of fell upon Zay. Yet he did not want to imagine what would be the source. The last thing his stomach could take after being exposed to such foul stenches was seeing what might be the source. His senses were truly being assaulted, yet his only option was really to endure. Finally it seemed like their first leg of exploring this temple had neared an end, as the long and shadowed hallway would finally come to an end. But before the trio would enter the room, Yuuma would address the team. He was inquiring to see what type of background either of the genin had in sensory jutsu. Unfortunately Zayrian was unfamiliar with this style, as he had really just become a full-fledged shinbo. Nevertheless he wished he did have some type of sensory advantage, as perhaps it would present some level of comfort in this wretched place. He shook his head no, and turned to Takeda in anticipation of his response.
 
Yuuma would continue, and express the dire nature of the mission. There was really one option: don’t get caught. And simultaneously the objective was to continue onward with the investigation. Zay had a clear understanding of this, but certainly recognized why Yuuma was conveying this information in such a grave tone. Being discovered meant being killed. Who knew what type of traps were set in this place to deal with intruders? Zay nodded in affirmation of the points Yuuma brought up, and would then continue to follow him deeper down the hallway. It would transcend into taking more of a medieval setting with all of the stone present in the floors and walls. Yuuma would further reiterate the point of the mission, stating that the team would need to find a stairway. Upon hearing that, Zay’s mind immediately prioritized finding such a path. As the team traversed the threshold into the room filled with closed coffins and more marble décor. Seemingly upon being seen, each sarcophagus’s lid would slide open. With haste, it would see as if Yuuma and Takeda would dive into two of the coffins. And so, Zay would rush over to the third and lie within it. As he turned his body to lay upon it, his eyes met the shaded figure which prompted Takeda’s quick response of getting into the coffin. Upon sight, Zay immediately felt his stomach drop and in response he rapidly yet silently slid the lid back over top of his. He would immediately shut his eyes as tight as possible and pray in hopes of not being discovered. While within the coffin, the sounds of the outer world were deafened. All he could hear was the consistent thumping of his increased heartbeat. That along with the sound of his attempted, hushed breathing.
 
It felt like ages that he lied within that coffin, yet after some minutes he began to feel comfortable. Almost as if anything from outside the coffin couldn’t reach him. Shortly after, the loud sound of a coffin opening struck Zay’s ears. Chills immediately ran down his spine as his mind began to wonder. Was this his teammates escaping from their coffins, or could it be whatever that figure was opening each of them? And if it was the latter, then this would mean that his was next. Apprehensively, Zay would steadily crack open his casket. Upon it being opened, he would wait several seconds to see if anything came to attack him. Realizing he now heard the familiar footsteps of his teammates moving around the room, Zay would open his coffin all the way and climb out from his box. Once out, he would dust himself off, stand alongside Yuuma and Takeda, and look in the direction of their gaze. The three would all be looking at the different passageways leading out from the room. At first glance, each of which appeared identical. There seemed to be no discerning way of learning which path would be the right one. Well at this point there likely wasn’t a *right* path, as no matter where they went there would be trouble awaiting them. But the pathway that would lead to the stairwell is what the three sought after. While attempting to distinguish one exit from another, Yuuma interrupted with an observation of his own. He quietly identified that the mist had been traveling in a similar, inward path in two of the hallways. In the third, the one on the right, the mist seemed to be stemming from deeper down the path. Interesting. Perhaps this mist was same as the mist that poured out from the tower initially. If source, then it was probable that the source had been channeling the mist to pour from his or her location, out of the hallway, out of the tower, down the hill, and into the village. Maybe this mist was what drove the village mad? Maybe the mist was what allured the trio of Hoshigakure shinobi into this dream world? The only way at uncovering this would be to proceed down the hallway.
 
“I agree. Let’s go…” Zay would confirm, waiting for Yuuma to lead before falling behind him and Takeda. Now walking down the hallway, Zay’s knees would be covered in mist. It was thick and persistent, not like typical mist. No, this had to have been chakra infused. For it felt as if there were a physical presence weighing against Zay’s legs in an attempt to prevent him from proceeding down the depths of the hallway. Although the path seemed endless, Zay’s intuition would force him to turn his head to his right. When he would, he would see a stone protruding out from the wall in a quiet irregular way. He would stop in his tracks and observe the stone closer. He would raise his palm, and as it neared the stone it would light up. Subsequently the entire segment of the wall would illuminate and reveal an archway. “Hey guys, “ Zay would quietly call out, “I think we have to go this way…”
 
Past the archway was a spiral stairwell. Zay would refrain from walking past the threshold and ascending the stairwell until Yuuma would lead the way. Then the three would continue up the stairs. It was a short flight of stairs, and atop of it the three could clearly make out the ungodly door. The mist was rolling out from the cracks of the door, yet at this point it was at its peak intensity. Walking through this thick, chakra infused mist, was akin to walking through a pool of gravy. It was thick, moist, and heavy. Zay, even with his taijutsu background and above average strength for his age, struggled and began to perspire at a steady rate. He wiped the sweat from his brow and continued up the stairs. Now the three stood before the mighty door. It was tall, oak, and burnt. It almost appeared as if it had been sealed shut through some type of jutsu in the past. But maybe that seal was recently compromised and broken, as clearly someone was currently residing in it. Zay would await for any final briefing before entering the room, and would follow instructions accordingly. Upon opening the door, wind would rush outward of the room violently. It was significant enough to push backward anyone who was not braced to the wall or anchored to the floor. Luckily, Zay had gripped the railing on the wall adjacent to him to hold himself in place. The amount of wind rushing was so intense that it would nearly shut Zay’s eyes, stopping him from getting a good glance at what was coming from the room. But soon after, the wind would subside and calm. As it would, Zay would lift his face to look towards the direction of the room and he would only see a number of shadowy figures standing within the room. It was dimly lit by several candles, strategically placed throughout the room. Yet as the three would peer into the room, an audible *crack* could be heard. This crack was the result of all the figures in the room turning their heads in unison and focusing their attention on the intruders.


There were five total. One, who appeared to be their leader, standing within the center of the room, arms reaching outward to each side. He seemed to be undergoing some type of ritual. The other four individuals in the room seemed to stand in front of him, guarding any from nearing him. Of the four, there were two shinobi, and two four legged, two headed beasts. They appeared to be hounds, each chained at the neck. In each shinobi’s dominant hand, they bound the hounds with a tight grip on the chains.
 
“Intruders! Shinobi! Hounds! Be prepared to feast!” the main cultist would cry out while simultaneously stepping forward from the center of the room. When he would do so, the sheer power of the man could be felt by his booming footsteps. “But first, which of you is the leader here? That’s who I want to EAT first!” he would exclaim with a demonic grin upon his face. Upon revealing his smile, saliva and blood would come dripping out from his mouth and dribbling down the threads of his robe.

Zay would slightly shudder, yet before any of the three could respond, the man would continue. “Clearly, it’s you!” he would say while pointing to Yuuma. “Very well then, come!” he would finalize. And when he would, both of his hands would bring his fingers together and create an audible *snap*. As soon as the snap was complete, all three of the Hoshigakure team would be teleported. Zay would find himself entrapped in a massive, white plane of a room with nothing except for one hounds and one of the shinobi. The enemies would stand no more than five meters from Zay. The shinobi would then release his clutch of the collars of the hounds, and with haste it would rush towards Zay. Instinctively, Zay would drop to the floor and slam his palms on the ground. Resultantly, he would summon a violent surge of bones up from the ground. They would travel forward with the intent on intercepting the path of the hound. The hound would respond with a lunge up and into the air, but also forward and towards Zay’s direction. It would leap over the erected bones from the ground and now be flying through the air. At least in the air it wouldn’t be able to dodge him. And so while it was airborne, Zay would shoot out a series of 5 consecutive bone spikes along the hound’s immediate trajectory. The result? All 5 bones piercing and cracking into various portions of the hound, grounding it from the sky and impaling it onto the garden of bones Zay summoned. If that wasn’t enough to defeat it, then hopefully at least it would render it immobile for the time being. Ideally long enough for Zay to fight the shinobi. 

But as Zay was panning around the room, he couldn’t see where the shinobi had gone off too. Suddenly a rumbling within the ground was apparent. Intuitively, Zay lunged to his right and hardened his bones as tough as he could. The shinobi would spurt out from the ground, rising up, seeking to hurl a kick into the genin. Yet Zay’s sudden instincts drove him to evade his location. Had he remained in that position, he’d likely be subject to some serious damage. Yet due to his successful evasion, he would try to go on the offense. Now with clear sight of his opposition, he would rifle through four hand seals, effectively spawning 3 demon head lanterns in front of him. They would simultaneously float at full speed towards the direction of the shinobi; who would respond with a series of hand seals of his own. As the fire heads approached him, the shinobi would interrupt their attack and meet it with a defensive spew of water from his mouth. And so a cloud of steam would form, obscuring both the vision of Zay and the shinobi. Amongst the thick steam, the shinobi would lunge himself out from, know wielding a kunai in each hand. His attack had caught Zay off guard. There was only time for a split second reaction, thus Zay lifted his left arm up and forward and extended a series of four bones from it. He would motion it in a way so that the extended bones would clash with and block the kunai. Yet that same motion was enough to impale and skewer the shinobi upon the remaining two bones. Now with the shinobi stunned and in his grasp, he would retract the bones from his arm. Next, he would perform a leaf whirlwind in the form of a powerful kick to the head of the shinobi. The impact was enough to send the dazed shinobi flying over to the patch or erected bones were he too would end up skewered alongside his dog. 

Sweating and adrenaline pumping, Zay took a moment to collect himself. He had been breathing heavily and in a frenzied panic, yet by following his gut reaction and paying close attention to the attacks of the duo, he made it out alive. And with the defeat of the shinobi and his deformed dog, the white plane of a room would suddenly transform back into the room Zay, Takeda, and Yuuma first stumbled upon the enemy. Was his transportation back a result of him winning his fight? Or was it the result of Yuuma or Takeda defeating their foes away? No matter the case, when Zay would teleport back into the main room, the trio of Hoshigakure shinobi would stand victorious yet fatigued. 

“D-Did we do it? Did we really end the nightmares?” Zay would inquire as his body began to dematerialize along with the world and people around him. Upon hearing confirmation of this from his comrades, Zay would sigh with relief and smile light. “Cool…” was all he could let out before his body completely dissolved away. And throughout this process, Zay’s conscious body began to awaken in the solace of his own home in his own bed. Of course he had been drenched in sweat, but it was reassuring to find himself back in a familiar place. By this time, it was just before dawn. Uneasy, yet still reckless, he wondered if he fell back asleep would he fall back into the corrupt dream world. But his body and mind were so tired that he couldn’t fight it. Consequently he found himself slipping back off into a slumber. But this time it was peaceful. The mission truly was a success.

-Exit-

WC: 2510, TWC = 4976
Claiming mission rewards: 
6000 Ryo / 100 Ryo from Genin Mission Completion / 30 AP / 8 Tickets
10,000 Ryo / 100 Ryo from Genin Mission Completion/ 50 AP / 10 Tickets
12,500 Ryo / 100 Ryo from Genin Mission Completion / 63 AP/ 12 Tickets / 1 Golden Ticket

2750 towards Dance of the Clematis: Flower, A (2750/2750)
2466 towards Dance of the Clematis: Vine, A (2466/2500)

4976/100 = 49.7 -> 49 Stat Points
10 to Vigor (65)
10 to Chakra (20)
10 to Speed (30)
19 to Strength (59)

Yuuma asked whether the Genin had any experience in the field of sensory techniques, a question which elicited a negative response from the Canopic member.

"I can't say I have. My specialty is on medicine and engineering. Stuff like that goes over my head."

Unfortunate yet true. Takeda had a sharp eye and a quick wit sure, but no more than any shinobi did. Growing up homeschooled his parents set forth most of the curriculum that he learned, and as members of the Canopic themselves they deemed it important that he learned the nature of the disease within his body. It lead to a particularly in depth knowledge of biology in the boy. Though he picked up some interest in other scientific topics along the way. He supposed that's what drew him to look at the field of puppetry. He actually had a project on the way in that regard, though it was far from being ready in time for this mission...

Eventually they got into the room which prompted the shinobi to flee to cover inside the coffins aligning the wall. It was quite a while within that musty coffin until Yuuma finally emerged to signal safety to his two wards. Takeda had a bit of time to puzzle over the nature of the situation they were in. Not the nature of the nightmare that they remained in, but the room they were in currently. There was one creature inside the last coffin, and there were four within the room... the logical implication would be that there were three more of those accursed things. That certainly wasn't a pleasant thought in Takeda's mind as Yuuma signalled the fact that it was safe to come out.

"Be careful... I have the sneaking suspicion that that creature wasn't the only one in this building."

Takeda looked around the strange room, puzzled by the mist that seemed to pollute the allways. Though it was Yuuma that indicated that it seemed to be emerging from one hallway in particular. With no other leads, a desire to leave the room he was currently in, and a trust in the more experienced shinobi's judgement, Takeda had to agree that the room seemed to be their best option if they wanted to find the mist's origins. Takeda took the back row of the group, following behind Yuuma as he lead his way down the hallway of thickened mist. Each step was like wading through molasses as they descended down into the unknown, and Takeda quickly began to grow tired, wheezing and groaning with each and every step as he made his way after the group. Good lord was he out of shape... Still, he couldn't afford to give up now. Even if he wasn't a particularly strong shinobi, it never hurt to have safety in numbers. Besides, these guys were his best chance at survival for the time being. Leaving them would likely mean getting discovered and killed by the creature he had seen before.

It was the one called Zay who discovered the hidden stone attached to the wall next to them, something Takeda didn't notice through the thick mist that clung to his legs. His hand reached out to touch the stone, something that caused the wall to alight with blinding orange light and intricate patterns of runes. The display was breathtaking, and if Takeda had any more time he'd have stopped to admire the view. An impossibility for now sure, though it didn't diminish from its unearthly beauty. The runes quickly faded along with the stone composing the wall, revealing an arch for the group to go through.

"That's... interesting. Wonder how they managed to do that?"

Zay believed that this was the way they had to go, to which Takeda agreed. Unless this was some strange and elaborate false flag, it only made sense that this would be the way they needed to go to find whatever it was they were looking for.

Yuuma quickly took the lead and led the group up through the heavy mist to stand before a heavy and burned oaken door. It was a rather ugly looking thing, one that any reasonable person would've discarded and replaced many years ago, though clearly the current residents didn't feel the same way. The scorch marks that rendered its parts a blackened charcoal husk seemed particularly strange however. As Takeda looked upon them, they almost seemed to resembled blackened faces, twisted and morphed in hideous grimaces of pain and misery. The entire thing was creepy, and gave the Canopic member the shivers as he gazed upon it. It was some twisted thing he thought, and a brief flash of irrational terror appeared in his mind for the briefest of moments, convincing him that these were the souls of the damned, trapped in physical form within the hard knots of the charred wood, though his rational mind dismisseed the claims almost immediately. After all, this was just some sick dream right? It's simply sheer coincidence that these charred indentations resemble human faces...

Zay quickly opened the door soon after Takeda's inner musings, an action which provoked an intense wave of wind to emerge from the door. The sheer force off the blast was enough to send the Canopic flying through the air and slamming into the back wall, knocking the wind out of the poor shinobi and sending waves of radiating pain throughout his spine. He groaned for a minute but was able to recover with some difficulty. The wind was strong, but thankfully his spine wasn't broken. With some effort Takeda collected himself from the floor below and brought himself into an upright position, wheezing heavily as he did so. As he recovered he saw the cultists standing before them. They stood cloaked in darkness, but the flickering light was just enough to make out some of the details of their occult form. All of them seemed to possess some form of deformity or another, ranging from a hunch back to hideous scars marring their forms visible even through their cloaks. And the cloaks... what a sight they were to behold. Most of them possessed a single red cloak draped around their body with the hood being up around their head. It was mostly simple in appearance, though it possessed a rather intricate silver lattice pattern adorning the hem of the robes, and a single closed eye was painted over the hood. Though the main cultist... He was a hunchbacked fellow, and he possessed gnarled and withered hands that seemed stained black from some malady or another. Gangrene maybe if Takeda had to take a guess. His robe was colored black, and possessed a golden trim lining the hem of his robes. He had a single black sash belt wrapped around his waist, which had a single polished ceremonial dagger tucked inside. His face was well hidden and covered by the hood of his robe, though the robe possessed a single open eye painted on the area that covered his face. Unnerving...

The entire room sprung into action as the cultist's roared to life, offended by the shinobi intrusion and determined to kill the interlopers who dare come into their lair. Zay sprung into action, using some strange bone techniques to incapacitate one of the two headed mongrels that they sent to assault the shinobi, though that was all Takeda had time to see before two non-shinobi cultists were running towards him with ceremonial daggers in hand. Takeda supposed that they figured him to be the weakest of the bunch. A correct assumption on their part, though he wasn't quite so weak that he wasn't able to defend or save himself from their onslaught. As they approached the shinobi with daggers in hand, Takeda weaved a set of his own hand seals before letting loose a green mist from his mask, which instantly made its way towards the cultists before they had reasonable time to defend themselves. They weren't shinobi after all, so Takeda had an innate advantage over them. He was faster, stronger, probably better than them in almost every conceivable way. They all were for that matter. They clutched at their throats as they delved into an intense coughing fit, falling to the ground and gasping for air as blood pooled from their mouths to the ground below. Takeda was relatively satisfied with the result, though he wasn't out of the woods yet as he saw that wretched dog approaching him. With little time to think Takeda quickly conjured a single chakra thread to snatch one of the daggers on the floor, pulling it quickly into his hand  just in time as the dog lunged at him. With quick movements Takeda sidestepped, driving the dagger into the ear of one of the dog heads, causing that one to whimper once before falling silent, giving little more than tiny twitches as it fell to the ground. The creature gave a meaty slap as it fell to the ground, though it didn't seem to be dead just yet. The other head was unaffected by Takeda's assault, still growling and slobbering at the Canopic Shinobi as it turned to rip him in half. Though something strange had happened. As it turned to face the man, it seemed to do so only using half of its body, as the other half lay dead and limp. Takeda couldn't help but grin.

"Lost your other half huh? Sorry about that."

A genuinely tragic situation, though Takeda wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to survive the enounter. With a single forward lunge Takeda plunged the bloodied dagger into the remaining creature's eye with enough force to puncture the brain, leaving the entire thing motionless. Looks like Takeda had won his fight.

As the member of the Canopic turned to look and see how his companions had fared, something particularly strange began to occur. The entire room began to dissolve as the three of them began to vanish. Zay quickly asked if they had done it, if they'd won and ended the nightmares. In truth, Takeda didn't know. It seemed too easy that the entire ordeal would end just by killing those figures. And yet... how else would it have ended.

"I think... it's over."

All three of them fully vanished, and Takeda embraced the nothingness for a moment before waking up with a jolt. There he was, laying on his futon in his crummy apartment. He wasn't in the street like before, nor was he in that strange village. He was just... here.

"Strange... I don't remember getting home last night."

Takeda shrugged. Guess he'd just have to chalk this up to a particularly strange, particularly bad dream.

Word Count - 1784

Total Word Count - 4029

Claims:

approved