Autumn Event, Tuski Style

Takeshiyama and the purple haired man seemed to ignore the two kunoichi as they entered the scene, but thankfully Oda was kind enough to fill them both in. The two smiled and returned Oda's greeting, then walked on either side of him after they left the shop. The trio of Tsuki ninja followed the two Ronin toward the house as Oda explained the situation to them. Hana was quite skeptical however Hasumi found herself intrigued by the tale. The young raven haired girl pondered what made the lantern function, but was to afraid to actually want to test it out. She made sure not to get to close to the seemingly cursed object as the group walked through the streets, her blue eyes however remain fixed on it in fearful fascination.  

"Did it seem like some sort of Genjutsu, or is it some weird Fuinjutsu message... thing?" Hana inquired, her lack of knowledge into the art of chakra manipulation showing as she struggled to consider what sort of techniques could cause such a phenomenon. Despite her lack of understanding Hana was unbothered by the intel the other tsuki nin provided, she figured whatever it was couldn't be to dangerous if the shop keeper had come out of the situation alright. Illusions were certainly annoying to deal with but Hana figured she was tough enough to endure them, and if it was a message that just meant they were dealing with a weirdo.

As the group of shinobi arrived at the house Hasumi found herself shivering, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and goosebumps prickled along her arms. Hana was unaware of the negative energy that seemed to permeate from the building but Hasu found herself sensitive to it for some reason. "There's something wrong with that place." Was all the girl could muster as she stood outside the building with the others. The white haired Oni looked past Oda and at the young girl she'd been charged to protect after the girl made the remark, wondering what she was on about. After briefly looking at the frightened expression on Hasu's face the Oni bodyguard rolled her eyes, figuring the kid was just spooked and making things up.

The taller kunoichi turned back to look at the building and noticed that the purple haired guy was approaching the back door. She raised an eyebrow as he seemed to produce a crowbar from the trash, wondering if he really was just a common thief or if he was just doing a bit. The Oni crossed her arms and waited to see what happened, meanwhile Hasu only got more nervous.

The raven haired girl slightly flinched at the sound of the door being broken open, though things seemed fine at first. Hasumi continued to try and convince herself that nothing to crazy was going to happen, that the lantern was just some form of message like Hana had suggested. The young kunoichi wasn't sure if she could handle another dangerous mission, she had offered Oda assistance hoping it was just going to be resolving a dispute between two guests of the village.

Hana and Hasu couldn't see much of what happened as the purple haired man walked down into the basement, but they heard him yell and saw the strange green glow that seemed to emanate from the doorway for a moment before spreading into the rest of the house. Hasu took a deep breath as she watched the house seem to come to life, wondering if whatever was inside was going to come out and attack them for trespassing. She slowly brought her hands together, ready to do so some hand seals if she needed to escape quickly. Hana on the other hand stood frozen, the only noticeable movement she made as the green light appeared and took the form of the rat was her arms dropping from their crossed position to hanging limply at her sides. She did her best to keep a stoic expression as she witnessed the supernatural event, but the façade fell and was replaced by wide eyes as another larger display of supernatural light suddenly overtook the property.

The two kunoichi watched the large rat silently as it told it's story to the group, both quite unknowledgeable in necromancy. Neither of the girls had a clue as to how to free the spirits trapped within the house, or if it would be safe to go inside and make an attempt. As the spectral display faded away and vanished the two remained still, unsure as to what to do. The Wounded Oni brought the two back to reality when he addressed them, commanding them to gather supplies for what they guessed would be an exorcism. Hasu was quicker to respond, turning to the Oni and giving him a nod as she refocused onto the task at hand. Hana on the other hand took a moment, her brow furrowing as she tried to understand just what had happened and why the other Oni suddenly needed salt.

As the two were about to turn back to the market Oda addressed them, informing them that he was heading into the building as well. Hana was slightly taken aback by the Genin's bravery, but smiled and gave him a nod before turning and heading toward the market.

Hasu's eyes looked at Oda with concern as she glanced between him and the building, "Be careful, alright? Me and Hana will try and return as quick as we can!"

With that the girl turned and ran toward the market, though she wasn't fast at all. As she passed Hana the white haired Oni took up a jog and kept pace with her as they headed to the market. Hasu ended up getting several sacks full of salt that she made Hana carry as she went through the market buying up a bunch of charms as well. By the end of it Hasu's arms were laden with all sorts of vaguely religious jewelry and trinkets. As her and Hanan headed back to the property they even had a priest in tow, or at the very least a man who claimed to be one. The man had heard Hasu talking to shop merchants as she had gone through and bought just about everything and had offered his services.

The two kunoichi and the priest hurried back to the building at the priests pace, hoping they made it back before anything to crazy happened to the shinobi who had stayed behind. Upon arriving the 3 of them would look around and try to find the others outside before heading within the building to look for them. Upon spotting Takeshiyama they'd present the sacks of salt and assortment of charms.

"We also grabbed a priest, figured it wouldn't hurt."

WC:1135
TWC:2150
TMWC:9,206/12,000

After defending himself against the ghostly arrival of the lost souls; the convict hears a faint message. He couldnt quite understand the origin of where the voice came from. However, the objective as clear; release the souls from their earthly prisons. He sighs upon dreadfully fantasising how this all would play out. Then again; the relics all throughout the house seem to be vintage. Whoever lived here, left all their possessions behind, ripe for the taking. In today’s world, vintage meant money. He perks up at the thought of it all, “Hmm, aint nobody looking for this stuff anyway. Why leave money on the table?”, he said with a gleeful smile as he went right to work.

Moments later, Katsuragi was seen sauntering around the house swing his wrought iron crow bar that he seemed to have grown attached to. He knocked over dressers, tore up couches, and even broke into the wine cabinet to help himself to some delightful chianti with a vintage that possibly predated the ghost themselves! Katsuragi wasn’t much of a wine drinker, that was left to the uppity aristocrats. A bit too pretentious for a commoner like Katsuragi. Nevertheless, he helped himself to a couple bottles.

A chill runs through his body, his spine feeling as those spiders were crawling down his back. This eerie feeling, went on for some time till he finally retraced his steps back to the wine cabinet. He gasps upon seeing a figure manifest in front of him. It was a girl, with ghostly features; she looked as if she was no more than 23 years old.

“… that’s the owners wine. He’s not gonna like that~”, she said before finally vanishing. Katsuragi, not fearing the warning from the used to be dead and damned girl, rolls his eyes and continues on with the stealing.

“Yeah whatever, that’s not half as scary as being broke! Now lets see what else ya got..”, he looks around and notices a lone vase what appeared to be made out of marble. “Hmm, looks old era..”

“Of kiri origin… meticulous in design too. Could’ve belong to a late widow, which could mean…”, he said while continuing to examine the piece of art work. Placing the crowbar down, he grabs the vase with both hands pours out the continues after removing the lid.

“Ha! I knew it!”, he said whole the grey power seeped out of the vase. Suddenly, a ghost appears from the ash as if it was rising from the ashes like a pheonix reborn. He gives Katsuragi a long stare, “Shame on you, son. Shame…you pilfer the home of a deadman?!”

Katsuragi, gives the vase two more shakes to fully empty out the valuable vase after the ghost questioned the MaDKat’s morality. “Move on! I gotta fence this shit without any of your shit inside!”, after the ghost loved on, free to escape the house, Katsuragi finds himself a few more items that he felt had value. That also possessed a few ghosts. They were set free, but seemed needed at the same time. No matter, he cared not for the deceased.

“Yep, that should be about it. Hey, what’s that over there…”, he hoisted the white sack full of valuable vintage relics over his back before venturing towards the door that led to the master bedroom. Upon opening it, he sees a lone apparition floating in the middle of the room.

“One for one…”, the voice bellowed throughout the house multiple times. The ghost transforms into a ball of fire, the same fire before that lacked the heat to burn. It then evolved into a rat, the same rat that put them on this path. “Lantern rat! It’s back!”

“The spirit knows what you have done. You have stolen from hi-“

“What about the others, they broke in too. Don’t know about the two short broads from earlier, but yeah they involved too. And that’s not snitching either, cause you know what I know, right?!”, Katsuragi awaited a reply from the rat.

“Yeah sure, I’ll get to them too. But in order to put things right, you must release the spirit you have robbed. A life for a life. You must sacrifice someone, in order to appease the spirit!”

“Ok, sure. I don’t know about jumbo, he seems like he could trouble. But that oda kid, he seems innocent enough to go along with it. Unless you want those two broads. But, there’s two of them, which trouble from the other that lives; especially the one with the horns. You know what! Fuck it”, he drops the white sack on the ground and swiftly retrieves the ANT bushranger combat knife from his holster. “I’ll go get one of those broads, oh where does this have to take place?! Cause while I was looking through the house, the spirit wouldn’t happen to be Yamamoto Yukio right? I found some deeds here and there along the house; and a few other deeds with different property listings.

“Well, no! You have to go to the Mansion! I have spoken! And how did you know about his na-”

“Yeah, but thats cause he owned it. I mean, if his spirit is tethered to the Mansion, can’t we just do the offering here in his name? I mean, you are the middle man. You could drop a line to whoever runs the underworld to let him go?”

“Uh, I’m going to speak to the large one then the others. Goodbye!”, the ghost disappears in an instant only to reappear for a second to leave one last message. “But yes, please release the evil spirit with an offering. The other innocent spirits must be set free.”

“Right~ that’s what im sayin!”, he said after twirling his combat knife around with flawless precision. Moments later, Katsuragi was seen outside searching for someone. His eyes narrow while scanning the area for the two girls. “Opt! There they are… and who’s the old man?!”, he spots the group outside before they could regroup with jumbo.

He slowly walks over towards the group 30 meters away. “Hey! You two! Ya you! Come over here, I gotta talk to you for a moment!”, his pace gets faster with each meter closin in on the ladies. The combat knife was still present and very much visable. If he reached them, Katsuragi would explain the situation.

“I know what we have to do, I talked to rat spirit. It wants something from us that is very precious. Something that one has worked very hard to conceal. Something that when gone, you can never regain. Something, so shattering…”, his hand reaches out slowly towards the girls. His task was clear, as well as his conscience; cause you can’t have one in his line of work.

His hand was seen fastener against the throat of the preist. “We gotta kill the priest, in order to release the spirit! Good job bringing him here ladies, less work on our part.”, he could help but admire their usefulness, despite being below six feet.
—-
TWC: 3,504
TMWC: 10,381

Oda entered the house with the two other shinobi. The large Oni immediately headed for the basement, with the Jashinist beginning to fleece the main floor. Oda briefly thought of trying to dissuade the young purple haired man from trying to steal anything but thought better of it. He couldn’t stop him if he tried. With a new focus he moved to the upstairs, he cautiously moved through the house, he didn’t know what exactly he was looking for, but he felt some sort of pull to the end of the hallway. As he moved down the hallway the lighting of the place became unnaturally dark. So dark that the end of the hall could no longer be seen. Oda moved forward slowly, trying not to let fear overcome him.

As he crept forward one of the many doors that lined either side of the hallway slammed open, a small rubber ball rolled out of the room, stopping in the center of the hallway. Keep it together man, keep it together, He thought to himself. Out of the darkness came a wailing ghost. At first, an amorphous mass of spectral cloud, which quickly condensed down into the visage of a young boy no older than 12. It cried and whimpered above the ball. “H-Hey there, i-its ok little man” Oda didn’t really know what to do, his protective instincts kicking in as he crept closer.

The boys crying abruptly stopped and his head tilted up, as if being puppeteered “You’ve angered the master. You and your friends must pay the penance” The ghostly visage wailed before charging at Oda. The surprise of it all made him step back in shock, the Ball floated into the air and shot forward at him.

Luckily, he caught it in both his hands. The ball continued to press forward, the two locked in a pushing contest as it bore at Oda's head. He struggled against it briefly before quickly letting go with one hand and signing the hand signs for a Scatter Shot Technique. As he did so fire came shooting out of his mouth, hitting the ball with force and launching it backwards. It crumbled into dust after a few more shots from Oda's technique. In the ensuing smoke of the flames, the spectral visage of the boy could be seen floating up and away into the sky, it looked down briefly with a smile on its face “Thankyou” it whispered through the air as it disappeared from the house. Oda was confused, what the hell was going on? He thought. He continued to follow the supernatural pull that beckoned him towards the end of the hall.

The doors to the hallway began slamming open and closed as he crept forward, the very house itself feeling like it was going to collapse from the shaking. He continued on, determined to find the source of this evil. As he did, a green ball of flame erupted from one of the lanterns that adorned the walls. It floated forward before condensing into the recognizable form of the rat that Oda had seen before.

“Whew boy am I glad to see you. How do I save more trapped ones? Where is the-”

“There isn’t enough time boy” The rat interrupted harshly, Oda cocked his head in confusion. “You have angered the spirit of the shinobi in this house. You must bring a sacrifice, yes, a sacrifice for the house” The rat said, a strange malice in his tone.

Oda was trapped in confusion. None of this made sense to him, he looked back down the hallway, and then back down towards where he felt the pull. His eyes widened as the soul of the young boy he had freed manifested within the shadows again. Already he was less opaque, what little remained trapped here was quickly fading, all the spirit had time to do before disappearing quickly was shake his head no.

Oda’s demeanor became angry again, “I don’t believe you.” He said coldly.

“What?! What do you mean you don’t believe me- hey- hey where are you going” The rat said as Oda began to move past him, his leg passing through the rat harmlessly. “Hey- don’t go into that room. I’m warning you don’t-” Oda opened the door at the end of the hallway. A lovely golden light poured out of the room, as if caught in a perpetual summer.

He entered the room in some shock. Scattered across the wall and on shelves were various items. Ghostly visages cried and wailed, caught in some invisible pillar that sat at the center of the room. None of the spirits within seemed to react to him at first. Until he fully entered the room and approached one of the various items that sat on a shelf nearby. As he did a particular spirit, a young woman pressed her face up against the barrier, nodding with some hope in her eyes.

“You mustn’t break these items, it will anger the shinobi who are trapped in them!” The rat bellowed from below, looking up at Oda. He ignored the spirits pleas and smashed the small glass snow globe that seemed to grab the woman's attention. As she pressed up against the barrier the sudden freedom made her fall forward, ghostly wisps of smoke following behind her.

“There isn’t much time” Her voice echoed through the room. “The house, the house is the trap. Don’t stay in the house” She said as she began to float up and through the ceiling, her voice getting further and further away.

“Don’t listen to her! We- I mean the house. The house can only free us if it receives a sacrifice-”

“Stop talking.” Oda said coldly as he shook in anger. The anger in him was noticeable, and he had a dark look on his face. “You try to trick me and my friends, like you’ve probably tricked so many other well meaning people. You trap innocent children- CHILDREN!?” He now yelled at full force. His eyes flickering like flames. “It ends now.” He said before quickly flashing the hand signs to his Fire Dragon Bullet technique and unleashing a dragon of fire that flowed and curled all throughout the room. As the fire from the dragon impacted the walls around him, breaking items and setting the walls alight,  he rolled into the hallway. Already numerous spirits began floating out of the smoke, some mouthed thankyou, some closed their eyes in bliss as they floated away. The rat remained, squealing in anger “No! What are you doing? No!!!”

Oda simply continued his assault, whistling a tune and activating a Great Fireball
technique, launching it down the hallway and exploding it. The flames began to spread.
He made it to the main floor before yelling out to anyone still in the house, as he did not know who had entered by now. He hoped not too many remained.  “Time to leave!” He said before kicking the door to the mansion open and walking out of the house.

Oda would wait a beat to give time for the Oni and anyone in the house to leave. However, his anger prevented him from being completely responsible, and he narrowed his eyes in rage before proceeding to activate his Great Dragon Fire Technique with a quick and fluid whistling tune.

With immense force the large fireballs would explode out of the pillars, one from each pillar, with 2 quickly shooting from Oda's exhalation. Making sure to aim up at the upper levels of the house, they would tear through the house with force, exploding the glass of the windows and lighting the various furniture inside. The rat could be heard squealing before running out of the house, cursing at the shinobi as it did so.

In one final attack, he would flash the hand signs to summon a Water Dragon Bullet, crashing it through the rubble of the house and extinguishing any flames still present. The ensuing plume of smoke rose to the sky, within its billowing plumes the faces of various spirits could be seen floating out. The rat would be the final one, squealing and yelling at the shinobi

“I WILL FIND A WAY BACK. YOU HAVEN’T HEARD THE LAST OF YAMAMOTO YUKIOoooo” Its voice drifted away as the rat spirit became pulled by the pillar of smoke, until it joined the swirling mass of spirits as they escaped this material realm.

Oda would snap out of his anger once the sounds of breaking timber and shattering glass would subside. Breathing heavily, he would look over to the other Shinobi with a sheepish look on his face.

“Uh…sorry” He would look down in embarrassment at his outburst.  

From there the shinobi would remain relatively quiet, exhausted from his impulsive attack and embarrassed at his own temper. He would intervene if Kat tried to hurt the innocent priest, but otherwise stay quiet on the way back to town. If Hasu or Hana tried addressing him he would be polite but give short answers. The entire idea of that house troubled him and he couldn’t shake the feeling of anger that it caused in him.

His sleep that night was not restful.

---

[Exit]

Jutsu used:

WC: 1537
TWC: 3772
TMWC: 11918

Claims:

Oda Terumi wrote:Oda entered the house with the two other shinobi. The large Oni immediately headed for the basement, with the Jashinist beginning to fleece the main floor. Oda briefly thought of trying to dissuade the young purple haired man from trying to steal anything but thought better of it. He couldn’t stop him if he tried. With a new focus he moved to the upstairs, he cautiously moved through the house, he didn’t know what exactly he was looking for, but he felt some sort of pull to the end of the hallway. As he moved down the hallway the lighting of the place became unnaturally dark. So dark that the end of the hall could no longer be seen. Oda moved forward slowly, trying not to let fear overcome him.

As he crept forward one of the many doors that lined either side of the hallway slammed open, a small rubber ball rolled out of the room, stopping in the center of the hallway. Keep it together man, keep it together, He thought to himself. Out of the darkness came a wailing ghost. At first, an amorphous mass of spectral cloud, which quickly condensed down into the visage of a young boy no older than 12. It cried and whimpered above the ball. “H-Hey there, i-its ok little man” Oda didn’t really know what to do, his protective instincts kicking in as he crept closer.

The boys crying abruptly stopped and his head tilted up, as if being puppeteered “You’ve angered the master. You and your friends must pay the penance” The ghostly visage wailed before charging at Oda. The surprise of it all made him step back in shock, the Ball floated into the air and shot forward at him.

Luckily, he caught it in both his hands. The ball continued to press forward, the two locked in a pushing contest as it bore at Oda's head. He struggled against it briefly before quickly letting go with one hand and signing the hand signs for a Scatter Shot Technique. As he did so fire came shooting out of his mouth, hitting the ball with force and launching it backwards. It crumbled into dust after a few more shots from Oda's technique. In the ensuing smoke of the flames, the spectral visage of the boy could be seen floating up and away into the sky, it looked down briefly with a smile on its face “Thankyou” it whispered through the air as it disappeared from the house. Oda was confused, what the hell was going on? He thought. He continued to follow the supernatural pull that beckoned him towards the end of the hall.

The doors to the hallway began slamming open and closed as he crept forward, the very house itself feeling like it was going to collapse from the shaking. He continued on, determined to find the source of this evil. As he did, a green ball of flame erupted from one of the lanterns that adorned the walls. It floated forward before condensing into the recognizable form of the rat that Oda had seen before.

“Whew boy am I glad to see you. How do I save more trapped ones? Where is the-”

“There isn’t enough time boy” The rat interrupted harshly, Oda cocked his head in confusion. “You have angered the spirit of the shinobi in this house. You must bring a sacrifice, yes, a sacrifice for the house” The rat said, a strange malice in his tone.

Oda was trapped in confusion. None of this made sense to him, he looked back down the hallway, and then back down towards where he felt the pull. His eyes widened as the soul of the young boy he had freed manifested within the shadows again. Already he was less opaque, what little remained trapped here was quickly fading, all the spirit had time to do before disappearing quickly was shake his head no.

Oda’s demeanor became angry again, “I don’t believe you.” He said coldly.

“What?! What do you mean you don’t believe me- hey- hey where are you going” The rat said as Oda began to move past him, his leg passing through the rat harmlessly. “Hey- don’t go into that room. I’m warning you don’t-” Oda opened the door at the end of the hallway. A lovely golden light poured out of the room, as if caught in a perpetual summer.

He entered the room in some shock. Scattered across the wall and on shelves were various items. Ghostly visages cried and wailed, caught in some invisible pillar that sat at the center of the room. None of the spirits within seemed to react to him at first. Until he fully entered the room and approached one of the various items that sat on a shelf nearby. As he did a particular spirit, a young woman pressed her face up against the barrier, nodding with some hope in her eyes.

“You mustn’t break these items, it will anger the shinobi who are trapped in them!” The rat bellowed from below, looking up at Oda. He ignored the spirits pleas and smashed the small glass snow globe that seemed to grab the woman's attention. As she pressed up against the barrier the sudden freedom made her fall forward, ghostly wisps of smoke following behind her.

“There isn’t much time” Her voice echoed through the room. “The house, the house is the trap. Don’t stay in the house” She said as she began to float up and through the ceiling, her voice getting further and further away.

“Don’t listen to her! We- I mean the house. The house can only free us if it receives a sacrifice-”

“Stop talking.” Oda said coldly as he shook in anger. The anger in him was noticeable, and he had a dark look on his face. “You try to trick me and my friends, like you’ve probably tricked so many other well meaning people. You trap innocent children- CHILDREN!?” He now yelled at full force. His eyes flickering like flames. “It ends now.” He said before quickly flashing the hand signs to his Fire Dragon Bullet technique and unleashing a dragon of fire that flowed and curled all throughout the room. As the fire from the dragon impacted the walls around him, breaking items and setting the walls alight,  he rolled into the hallway. Already numerous spirits began floating out of the smoke, some mouthed thankyou, some closed their eyes in bliss as they floated away. The rat remained, squealing in anger “No! What are you doing? No!!!”

Oda simply continued his assault, whistling a tune and activating a Great Fireball
technique, launching it down the hallway and exploding it. The flames began to spread.
He made it to the main floor before yelling out to anyone still in the house, as he did not know who had entered by now. He hoped not too many remained.  “Time to leave!” He said before kicking the door to the mansion open and walking out of the house.

Oda would wait a beat to give time for the Oni and anyone in the house to leave. However, his anger prevented him from being completely responsible, and he narrowed his eyes in rage before proceeding to activate his Great Dragon Fire Technique with a quick and fluid whistling tune.

With immense force the large fireballs would explode out of the pillars, one from each pillar, with 2 quickly shooting from Oda's exhalation. Making sure to aim up at the upper levels of the house, they would tear through the house with force, exploding the glass of the windows and lighting the various furniture inside. The rat could be heard squealing before running out of the house, cursing at the shinobi as it did so.

In one final attack, he would flash the hand signs to summon a Water Dragon Bullet, crashing it through the rubble of the house and extinguishing any flames still present. The ensuing plume of smoke rose to the sky, within its billowing plumes the faces of various spirits could be seen floating out. The rat would be the final one, squealing and yelling at the shinobi

“I WILL FIND A WAY BACK. YOU HAVEN’T HEARD THE LAST OF YAMAMOTO YUKIOoooo” Its voice drifted away as the rat spirit became pulled by the pillar of smoke, until it joined the swirling mass of spirits as they escaped this material realm.

Oda would snap out of his anger once the sounds of breaking timber and shattering glass would subside. Breathing heavily, he would look over to the other Shinobi with a sheepish look on his face.

“Uh…sorry” He would look down in embarrassment at his outburst.  

From there the shinobi would remain relatively quiet, exhausted from his impulsive attack and embarrassed at his own temper. He would intervene if Kat tried to hurt the innocent priest, but otherwise stay quiet on the way back to town. If Hasu or Hana tried addressing him he would be polite but give short answers. The entire idea of that house troubled him and he couldn’t shake the feeling of anger that it caused in him.

His sleep that night was not restful.

---

[Exit]

Jutsu used:

WC: 1537
TWC: 3772
TMWC: 11918

Claims:

Approved

As Takeshiyama descended the creaking steps, his eyes adjusted to a dim, pulsing light that was different from the ghostly green glow of the previous lantern. At the center of the basement, an old wooden chair stood alone, as if placed with deliberate purpose, facing the stairs. On it sat a lantern he hadn’t seen before, its flame flickering with a strange, unsettling blue light.

The lantern’s pale glow cast elongated shadows across the rough walls, and every flicker seemed to make the room itself shift, as if the walls were subtly bending toward him. Wiggly-Woo tensed, his scales rippling in an uneasy pattern against Takeshiyama’s arm.

"That’s no ordinary light, Kaito," Wiggly-Woo’s voice whispered in his mind, his tone a low, cautionary hiss. “This place was meant to trap, not to guide.”

Takeshiyama approached the lantern slowly, feeling a chill that crept through his bones, colder than the basement’s air. He sprinkled a line of salt around him as he moved forward, uttering words of a quiet chant meant to dispel any spirits bound to objects. As he came closer, he noticed faint, delicate carvings along the lantern’s brass frame—symbols of binding, ancient and powerful. This lantern was, without a doubt, something sinister.

The blue light flared as he reached out, casting a shadow of something in the chair—a shape that wasn’t his own. Takeshiyama’s breath halted as he froze in place, staring at the shadow that seemed almost to breathe, its form ethereal yet oddly solid, its shape vaguely human, but not entirely.

Wiggly-Woo constricted slightly, a warning. "Whatever’ssssss trapped here isssss watching."

In a voice that echoed as though coming from a great distance, layered and hollow, the lantern spoke—not in words, but through Takeshiyama’s mind, creeping through his senses like ice water down his spine. “I am the last of many. The one who trapped us did not intend for freedom. Only through your strength and resolve can we be released.”

He felt the weight of the spirits’ plea settle on him, thick and heavy. Takeshiyama gave a solemn nod, acknowledging the burden placed upon him, his voice a quiet murmur. "I’ll see you freed. Rest assured, I do not break my word."

Just then, smoke began to snake down the stairwell, faint at first but growing thicker, filling the air with a tang of burning wood. A shout from above confirmed it—Oda had indeed set something alight.

“You have little time, Kaito,” Wiggly-Woo hissed urgently, his coils loosening as though preparing for a hasty retreat. “The fire will not wait, and nor ssssshould we.”

With a final glance at the lantern, Takeshiyama placed his hand over it as if in a gesture of respect, then turned, his feet carrying him up the stairs as the basement filled with the glow of that unnatural blue light.  As he did so, he moved the lantern to be hidden within his kimono to the annoyance of Wiggly-Woo.  It wasn't long before he had exited the house that the final attack from Oda came crashing through the house causing its collapse.  In truth had he been a bit slower he might have been in trouble due to the other shinobi's willingness to cause property damage.  

What was unusual was, though he had entered and then exited through the same door, he was no longer with the group.  "Ummm where are we..."  He said with a gravelly voice, prompting Wiggly-Woo to finally stick his head out.  Flicking its tongue it seemed to take in their surroundings.

Where before they had been within the village, they now stood in a forest clearing.  A destroyed campsite lay scattered around them, and no light from the village could be seen.  "We aren't in Tsssuki anymore..."  Wiggly Woo hissed.  

"Interesting...."  as Takeshiyama said that the lantern glowed even brighter....before vanishing from within the folds of his clothes.  
"Well....guess we need to start walking back..."  He said, doing his best noting where they were and the general direction of the campsite.  Though it no doubt would require investigation, he also felt that he needed to let the others know he hadn't been killed, the next part of the mystery only seemed to deepen.

Exit - TWC - 8019

Claims:
+6,000 Ryo / 30 AP / 30 Fall Fest Tickets
+10,000 Ryo / 50 AP / 40 Fall Fest Tickets
+ 12,500 Ryo / 62 AP / 50 Fall Fest Tickets and 1 Festival Poster

All AP goes to Wiggly-Woo

Training at Max stat discount

Learning water for 1.5k
Learning Lunar Release for 1.5k (I have permission from Kage
Learning Pet Friendly for 1.5k
Learning World In Sleeves for 1.5k as I already had 1k here
Learning ERF Superior Strength for 1875

This totals to 7875, remaining words discarded.

Takeshiyama wrote:As Takeshiyama descended the creaking steps, his eyes adjusted to a dim, pulsing light that was different from the ghostly green glow of the previous lantern. At the center of the basement, an old wooden chair stood alone, as if placed with deliberate purpose, facing the stairs. On it sat a lantern he hadn’t seen before, its flame flickering with a strange, unsettling blue light.

The lantern’s pale glow cast elongated shadows across the rough walls, and every flicker seemed to make the room itself shift, as if the walls were subtly bending toward him. Wiggly-Woo tensed, his scales rippling in an uneasy pattern against Takeshiyama’s arm.

"That’s no ordinary light, Kaito," Wiggly-Woo’s voice whispered in his mind, his tone a low, cautionary hiss. “This place was meant to trap, not to guide.”

Takeshiyama approached the lantern slowly, feeling a chill that crept through his bones, colder than the basement’s air. He sprinkled a line of salt around him as he moved forward, uttering words of a quiet chant meant to dispel any spirits bound to objects. As he came closer, he noticed faint, delicate carvings along the lantern’s brass frame—symbols of binding, ancient and powerful. This lantern was, without a doubt, something sinister.

The blue light flared as he reached out, casting a shadow of something in the chair—a shape that wasn’t his own. Takeshiyama’s breath halted as he froze in place, staring at the shadow that seemed almost to breathe, its form ethereal yet oddly solid, its shape vaguely human, but not entirely.

Wiggly-Woo constricted slightly, a warning. "Whatever’ssssss trapped here isssss watching."

In a voice that echoed as though coming from a great distance, layered and hollow, the lantern spoke—not in words, but through Takeshiyama’s mind, creeping through his senses like ice water down his spine. “I am the last of many. The one who trapped us did not intend for freedom. Only through your strength and resolve can we be released.”

He felt the weight of the spirits’ plea settle on him, thick and heavy. Takeshiyama gave a solemn nod, acknowledging the burden placed upon him, his voice a quiet murmur. "I’ll see you freed. Rest assured, I do not break my word."

Just then, smoke began to snake down the stairwell, faint at first but growing thicker, filling the air with a tang of burning wood. A shout from above confirmed it—Oda had indeed set something alight.

“You have little time, Kaito,” Wiggly-Woo hissed urgently, his coils loosening as though preparing for a hasty retreat. “The fire will not wait, and nor ssssshould we.”

With a final glance at the lantern, Takeshiyama placed his hand over it as if in a gesture of respect, then turned, his feet carrying him up the stairs as the basement filled with the glow of that unnatural blue light.  As he did so, he moved the lantern to be hidden within his kimono to the annoyance of Wiggly-Woo.  It wasn't long before he had exited the house that the final attack from Oda came crashing through the house causing its collapse.  In truth had he been a bit slower he might have been in trouble due to the other shinobi's willingness to cause property damage.  

What was unusual was, though he had entered and then exited through the same door, he was no longer with the group.  "Ummm where are we..."  He said with a gravelly voice, prompting Wiggly-Woo to finally stick his head out.  Flicking its tongue it seemed to take in their surroundings.

Where before they had been within the village, they now stood in a forest clearing.  A destroyed campsite lay scattered around them, and no light from the village could be seen.  "We aren't in Tsssuki anymore..."  Wiggly Woo hissed.  

"Interesting...."  as Takeshiyama said that the lantern glowed even brighter....before vanishing from within the folds of his clothes.  
"Well....guess we need to start walking back..."  He said, doing his best noting where they were and the general direction of the campsite.  Though it no doubt would require investigation, he also felt that he needed to let the others know he hadn't been killed, the next part of the mystery only seemed to deepen.

Exit - TWC - 8019

Claims:
+6,000 Ryo / 30 AP / 30 Fall Fest Tickets
+10,000 Ryo / 50 AP / 40 Fall Fest Tickets
+ 12,500 Ryo / 62 AP / 50 Fall Fest Tickets and 1 Festival Poster

All AP goes to Wiggly-Woo

Training at Max stat discount

Learning water for 1.5k
Learning Lunar Release for 1.5k (I have permission from Kage
Learning Pet Friendly for 1.5k
Learning World In Sleeves for 1.5k as I already had 1k here
Learning ERF Superior Strength for 1875

This totals to 7875, remaining words discarded.

Approved

The two kunoichi and their priest companion were met by Kats as they neared the mansion, who called to them and began to head toward them. Upon noticing the knife in his hand Hasu's footsteps slowed, followed by her slightly raising her hands up and nervously smiling. Hana on the other hand simply smirked at the sight of the blade, curious as to what the man's intentions were. The Oni woman stepped closer to Hasu as the man's pace increased, her smirk growing into a smile at the thought of the man perhaps being possessed and attacking them. The white haired Ushitora was ready to show off some of her lightning techniques if the man proved aggressive, figuring she could paralyze him and then figure out how to fix him.

Despite the two girls cautious display the priests pace remained unhindered, and he had just pulled ahead of the two as Kats got within speaking distance. The old man furrowed his brow in concern as Kats began to talk about a rat and having to sacrifice something precious, realizing that something serious was actually going on at the mansion and that he wasn't going to be getting paid to do a quick ritual. He'd barely had time to register his misfortune before it grew even more immensely, and he found himself being grabbed and threatened by the purple haired man.

Hasu stood there in shock, but Hana was quick to act. Thw young woman had several sacks of salt resting upon her right shoulder and supported by her right arm. With her left she reached up and grabbed the top most sack, quickly flinging and launching it toward Kats. If the man didn't get out of the way the sack would explode against him and cover him in salt. Regardless of if it worked, she would then say,  "That's how you do an exorcism, right?" Could you let go of the priest, please? Surely we can handle this without murdering random people."

After she finished speaking she'd walk past Kats and the priest and head toward the mansion. She'd stay just out of arms reach as she passed.

The younger kunoichi, Hasu, looked even more frightened as the events unfolded. Her hands were covering the lower part of her face as she watched Kats threatening the priests life, unsure of what to do. She possessed a few techniques but most would injure the priest as well if they succeeded. After Hana left and abandoned her to the situation Hasu would witness what events unfolded. If Kats let the man go she would let out a sigh of relief, but if he kept the man hostage she'd slowly try and follow him to see what fate had in store for the priest who'd offered to help.

Hana reached the building around the time it started to burst into flames. Realizing that something must be going on, the Chunin quickly activated one of her enhancers and rushed through one of the walls. Her body was suddenly bathed in blue lightning as she kicked through the wall and destroyed a shelf of books, accidentally releasing 4 spirits that had been trapped within when she decimated the small section of the building. As the remnants of the books and shelves smashed against an interior wall, paper and wood scattering throughout the room, the Blue Oni noticed a shimmer of something metallic. Immediately distracted from her task, the woman ran over and picked up a small gold bar that had been hidden within one of the books. Pocketing it, Hana quickly returned to her task and attempted to find out what was happening within the building.

Unfortunately the Oni woman hadn't really prepared herself for this situation, and she ended up wandering around half blind and coughing from the smoke. It wasn't until she heard Oda shout that it was time to leave that she realized the others probably got out on their own and made her way to the door the Genin had kicked open. Upon exiting she allowed the lightning surrounding her to dissipate, sighing as she realized she'd ruined her makeup and gotten her clothes dirty. She continued to look herself over until the house suddenly exploded, causing her to look up and realize Oda had unleashed a technique to destroy the mansion. The young Oni watched as the Genin used his ninjutsu to summon dragons of fire and water, impressed by his display of elemental manipulation.

Hana was about to turn and leave when the resulting smoke began to twist and take the shape of fleeing spirits. The silver eyed woman squinted and looked at the smoke in confusion, listening as a disembodied voice claimed it would find its way back.

"Well, that was something." Hana's voice contained a hint of dejection within it, she'd been hoping that there'd be some crazy ghosts to fight or something. The white haired woman was also rather peeved that she'd ruined her outfit, but could only blame her own impulsiveness for that. Remaining a moment to see if any more strange supernatural things occurred, Hana was the only present to hear Oda's apology.  "I mean, it looks like it worked to me." With that Hana shrugged and went off to find Hasu and get back to the festival. She already decided she didn't care about being dirty.

Upon reuniting the two would bid everyone else farewell and make their way back to the festival. Hopefully Hasumi wasn't traumatized but that would all depend on what Kats did with the priest. Throughout the ordeal the priest would beg Kats for his life and try to bribe the purple haired man with spiritual favors.  

WC:948
TWC:3,098

[EXIT]

Narrowing his eyes, the struggling priest within his grasp, he finally begins to do what was needed to be done; his wild heart flutters with anticipation. However, the harpies that gathered said tribute, had other plans in mind for priest. His catches one of the girls reaching for something, a weapon or something? Their movements and everything around him within 5 meters slowed down, due to his split second ability. The aerial assault was then sent flying towards Katsuragi, and with natural instinct, he hoists the priest right in the path of the barrage of sodium. He smirks upon the comment of how to properly do an exorism.

“Damn, don’t you get it! We need to off him in order to set things striaght with the ghost.”, his vision tracking, Hana saunter on by away from the group. He shakes his head in impatience, they were not ready for such acts of devotion; Such acts of reserved for only the most devoted Katsuragi surmised. After along drawn out sigh, he turns towards the remaining, Hasu.

However, the priest grabbed Katsuragi’s attention before he could speak to her. His whining about the church and its acceptance of creatures from all walks of life were welcome, along with his tutelage. Although, Katsuragi was a man of the faith, He didn’t quite believe the two served the same lord and savior. “Yeah, I don’t know buddy. MY lord and savior is pretty clear on worshipping golden calfs, you know, false gods. What do you think? Think we can make him into a believer?”, he grips the hilt of his weapon even tighter, looks towards the lone girl for a response. However, from a distance, a trail of smoke emerges as it streched high into the sky.

“Whoah, what the fuck is goin on back th- Aww man!! My loot! It’s still in the house!!”, he ditches the priest and makes his way back towards the house to gather his rightly earned loot his scavenged. It was too late, the house was gone and the culprit displayed right in front of him; expressing feelings if guilt. “Man, that loot could have fetched me atleast 70k ryo; way to go, pyro!”, he reaches for a pre roll in his pocket after placing his commando knife back into its sheath. He was ready to forget all about the ghouls, ghosts, spirits, and whatever else that once occupied the house.

“Whelp, I had enough of this. If I wanted to commune with ghosts and spirits, I would have stayed at the temple. Yeesh, I really need to check back in with the Jashin temple. Really lackin on the devotion to the services. *is seen lighting a pre roll* Meh, I can do that later or whenever I get around to it.”, the MaDKat was seen leaving the area along with leaving the priest behind. He figured as long as he had faith, the spirits of the once standing house shouldnt bother him… well atleast for the rest of the day.
—-
Exit,
TWC/ 4,007
Claiming +28,500 Ryo, 142 AP / 120 Fall Fest Tickets, and 1 Festival Poster

313 words for Smoke Obstruction Technique V7, Previous Training

500 words for upgrading Split Second V7 to S rank, down grading Cosmos Stride V7 to A rank. (Discount due to max stats)

375 words for upgrading Ironclad Grip V7 to A rank. (Discount due to max stats)

313 words for upgrading Cloud Shotgun V7 to A rank.(Discount due to max stats)

313 words for upgrading Stomp and Stop V7 to A rank.(Discount due to max stats)

1,875 words for Raging Bison V7 A rank(Discount due to max stats)

311 words towards Flash Step V7 311/2,213 words(discount due to max stats.)

Hasumi Hayato wrote:The two kunoichi and their priest companion were met by Kats as they neared the mansion, who called to them and began to head toward them. Upon noticing the knife in his hand Hasu's footsteps slowed, followed by her slightly raising her hands up and nervously smiling. Hana on the other hand simply smirked at the sight of the blade, curious as to what the man's intentions were. The Oni woman stepped closer to Hasu as the man's pace increased, her smirk growing into a smile at the thought of the man perhaps being possessed and attacking them. The white haired Ushitora was ready to show off some of her lightning techniques if the man proved aggressive, figuring she could paralyze him and then figure out how to fix him.

Despite the two girls cautious display the priests pace remained unhindered, and he had just pulled ahead of the two as Kats got within speaking distance. The old man furrowed his brow in concern as Kats began to talk about a rat and having to sacrifice something precious, realizing that something serious was actually going on at the mansion and that he wasn't going to be getting paid to do a quick ritual. He'd barely had time to register his misfortune before it grew even more immensely, and he found himself being grabbed and threatened by the purple haired man.

Hasu stood there in shock, but Hana was quick to act. Thw young woman had several sacks of salt resting upon her right shoulder and supported by her right arm. With her left she reached up and grabbed the top most sack, quickly flinging and launching it toward Kats. If the man didn't get out of the way the sack would explode against him and cover him in salt. Regardless of if it worked, she would then say,  "That's how you do an exorcism, right?" Could you let go of the priest, please? Surely we can handle this without murdering random people."

After she finished speaking she'd walk past Kats and the priest and head toward the mansion. She'd stay just out of arms reach as she passed.

The younger kunoichi, Hasu, looked even more frightened as the events unfolded. Her hands were covering the lower part of her face as she watched Kats threatening the priests life, unsure of what to do. She possessed a few techniques but most would injure the priest as well if they succeeded. After Hana left and abandoned her to the situation Hasu would witness what events unfolded. If Kats let the man go she would let out a sigh of relief, but if he kept the man hostage she'd slowly try and follow him to see what fate had in store for the priest who'd offered to help.

Hana reached the building around the time it started to burst into flames. Realizing that something must be going on, the Chunin quickly activated one of her enhancers and rushed through one of the walls. Her body was suddenly bathed in blue lightning as she kicked through the wall and destroyed a shelf of books, accidentally releasing 4 spirits that had been trapped within when she decimated the small section of the building. As the remnants of the books and shelves smashed against an interior wall, paper and wood scattering throughout the room, the Blue Oni noticed a shimmer of something metallic. Immediately distracted from her task, the woman ran over and picked up a small gold bar that had been hidden within one of the books. Pocketing it, Hana quickly returned to her task and attempted to find out what was happening within the building.

Unfortunately the Oni woman hadn't really prepared herself for this situation, and she ended up wandering around half blind and coughing from the smoke. It wasn't until she heard Oda shout that it was time to leave that she realized the others probably got out on their own and made her way to the door the Genin had kicked open. Upon exiting she allowed the lightning surrounding her to dissipate, sighing as she realized she'd ruined her makeup and gotten her clothes dirty. She continued to look herself over until the house suddenly exploded, causing her to look up and realize Oda had unleashed a technique to destroy the mansion. The young Oni watched as the Genin used his ninjutsu to summon dragons of fire and water, impressed by his display of elemental manipulation.

Hana was about to turn and leave when the resulting smoke began to twist and take the shape of fleeing spirits. The silver eyed woman squinted and looked at the smoke in confusion, listening as a disembodied voice claimed it would find its way back.

"Well, that was something." Hana's voice contained a hint of dejection within it, she'd been hoping that there'd be some crazy ghosts to fight or something. The white haired woman was also rather peeved that she'd ruined her outfit, but could only blame her own impulsiveness for that. Remaining a moment to see if any more strange supernatural things occurred, Hana was the only present to hear Oda's apology.  "I mean, it looks like it worked to me." With that Hana shrugged and went off to find Hasu and get back to the festival. She already decided she didn't care about being dirty.

Upon reuniting the two would bid everyone else farewell and make their way back to the festival. Hopefully Hasumi wasn't traumatized but that would all depend on what Kats did with the priest. Throughout the ordeal the priest would beg Kats for his life and try to bribe the purple haired man with spiritual favors.  

WC:948
TWC:3,098

[EXIT]

Claims

Mission Rewards
AP and Ryo doubled by Beloved Presence
57,000 Ryo
284 AP
120 Fall Fest Tickets
1 Festival Poster

WC Claims
324 to complete  Curse Mark Transformation, Previous Training Here.
2,500 words to Upgrade Underground Projection Fish to A-Rank along with my mastery, Previous Training Here. Applying Max Stat Discount to both (1,125 words to go from C to A)

Modified totals
Total Ryo: 41,250+57,000 =98,250
Total AP: 572+284=856

Approved

Katsuragi wrote:Narrowing his eyes, the struggling priest within his grasp, he finally begins to do what was needed to be done; his wild heart flutters with anticipation. However, the harpies that gathered said tribute, had other plans in mind for priest. His catches one of the girls reaching for something, a weapon or something? Their movements and everything around him within 5 meters slowed down, due to his split second ability. The aerial assault was then sent flying towards Katsuragi, and with natural instinct, he hoists the priest right in the path of the barrage of sodium. He smirks upon the comment of how to properly do an exorism.

“Damn, don’t you get it! We need to off him in order to set things striaght with the ghost.”, his vision tracking, Hana saunter on by away from the group. He shakes his head in impatience, they were not ready for such acts of devotion; Such acts of reserved for only the most devoted Katsuragi surmised. After along drawn out sigh, he turns towards the remaining, Hasu.

However, the priest grabbed Katsuragi’s attention before he could speak to her. His whining about the church and its acceptance of creatures from all walks of life were welcome, along with his tutelage. Although, Katsuragi was a man of the faith, He didn’t quite believe the two served the same lord and savior. “Yeah, I don’t know buddy. MY lord and savior is pretty clear on worshipping golden calfs, you know, false gods. What do you think? Think we can make him into a believer?”, he grips the hilt of his weapon even tighter, looks towards the lone girl for a response. However, from a distance, a trail of smoke emerges as it streched high into the sky.

“Whoah, what the fuck is goin on back th- Aww man!! My loot! It’s still in the house!!”, he ditches the priest and makes his way back towards the house to gather his rightly earned loot his scavenged. It was too late, the house was gone and the culprit displayed right in front of him; expressing feelings if guilt. “Man, that loot could have fetched me atleast 70k ryo; way to go, pyro!”, he reaches for a pre roll in his pocket after placing his commando knife back into its sheath. He was ready to forget all about the ghouls, ghosts, spirits, and whatever else that once occupied the house.

“Whelp, I had enough of this. If I wanted to commune with ghosts and spirits, I would have stayed at the temple. Yeesh, I really need to check back in with the Jashin temple. Really lackin on the devotion to the services. *is seen lighting a pre roll* Meh, I can do that later or whenever I get around to it.”, the MaDKat was seen leaving the area along with leaving the priest behind. He figured as long as he had faith, the spirits of the once standing house shouldnt bother him… well atleast for the rest of the day.
—-
Exit,
TWC/ 4,007
Claiming +28,500 Ryo, 142 AP / 120 Fall Fest Tickets, and 1 Festival Poster

313 words for Smoke Obstruction Technique V7, Previous Training

500 words for upgrading Split Second V7 to S rank, down grading Cosmos Stride V7 to A rank. (Discount due to max stats)

375 words for upgrading Ironclad Grip V7 to A rank. (Discount due to max stats)

313 words for upgrading Cloud Shotgun V7 to A rank.(Discount due to max stats)

313 words for upgrading Stomp and Stop V7 to A rank.(Discount due to max stats)

1,875 words for Raging Bison V7 A rank(Discount due to max stats)

311 words towards Flash Step V7 311/2,213 words(discount due to max stats.)

Approved. Good job