[澤] Heart of the Country ||

[Mongooseh]

Vidar was hesitant at first, he expected suspicion not this seemingly genuine warmth and concern from this old(?) man. Carefully Vidar sheathed his trench knife with deliberate slow movements and after showed his hands were clear of items.

As he entered Vidar became self aware that he was amongst possibly polite company again. He checked his gloves were on properly and his mask was fastened to his face securely. Now that he was sure he was appropriately dressed for polite company Vidar nodded at the jovial old man and said clearly but briefly, "Thanks."

Skirting around the old man and the other whom was silent and severely under dressed for this weather. Vidar made his way to the fire and squatted down next to it. Vidar allowed himself to be absorbed in this small moment of pleasure as the edge of the chill was removed from his bones before turning his head to the old man.

Gesturing with one finger in the air in a vague circular motion he asked the man, "Where am I?"

show spoilerhide spoiler

Chakra: 80/100
Stamina: 100/100
XP confused

 

[Lanfaer]

⦉ Power gives freedom from control and the pen of destiny to the author. ⦊
❝ Power begets freedom, and I shall be the freest of them all. ❞

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【 C U R S E D ⦁ B E G O T T E N ⦁ M A N I P U L A T O R 】xxxxx ◢ H e s r i k U r u k s a b r i l ◣ xxxxx【 M I Z U K A G E ⦁ S A G E ⦁ H A R V E S T E R 】

tab Observation was key to survival. It was a lesson Hesrik has learned many times over the decades, and had he learned the lesson sooner there was a good chance his heart would have stilled its beating many years ago. Instead now, here he was, gaze staring past the fellow as he ducked his way in from the chaotic elements outside, pretending to not see the lack of a true face within his hood. A mask hid it, though more than the mask Hesrik wore himself. Few people wore a mask without justification, whether material, such as lasting physical harm, or mental, hiding their crimes behind a figment of security. Which, he wondered, would this man fall under?
tab Allowing the stranger to pass he waited until the sound of his cloak striking the earth informed him the male had sat, or at the very lease crouched. Turning and using one hand to steady himself upon the walls he shuffled forward with feet moving carefully across the uneven terrain. Only once his wandering foot glanced the log across from the stranger did he start, though not harshly, as if he was used to the maneuver but acknowledge its suddenness. Crouching slowly, hand extended, he spoke as he found his seating. "I apologize, but I do not know," he muttered, a sigh to show just how regretful that answer was. While it was true, better to make the man assume he knew nothing. The fire played the shadows across his body, revealing the grey and black of his robes, their faded and old exterior and the brass breastplate on his chest. It blared into the depths of the skull on his shoulder, and they played eerily across his eyes, twin pools of milky white, as he stared "ahead" at the figure. Would he be startled by the half mask Hesrik wore, the stitched grin that covered the orifice beneath? His nose, steepling the material with its presence, was short and narrow, which when matched with his already incredibly thin and narrow body made him look old, or emaciated. Either served his purpose well, no matter what he chose to believe.
tab Finally sitting with a thud and a pained groan, Hesrik held his hands towards the flame to 'warm' them from his time near the entrance. What was cold to the fires of emotion? "Tell me, stranger," he whispered, his words quiet and wizened, demanding to be heard without being glaringly obvious. "Where do you think we are?"
tab Would the newcomer catch the avoidance of the question? Or, better would he instead catch the reasonable justification he offered as a reason behind his lack of knowledge? Blindness. So many believed the blind to be weak, useless, nothing more than the next step on the links of success. Only when they really believed such lies did someone like Hesrik come and snatch them down. It was a cycle he enjoyed, and endured with relish.
tab
tab

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❝ With power, there is always a price. ❞

show spoilerhide spoiler

Techniques Used:
✤

Current Objectives:
✤ Discover where I am, and what year it is. How long have we slept?

Items of Note:
✤ Proficiency Training from E - C with Tendrils, requiring 10 posts to accomplish. Seven of these posts were utilized for the same post requirement to escape the location as well.

Mongooseh

Quote:

[ e x p ] 0000 x|x [ r y o ] 0000 x|x [ c h a k r a ] 115 / 115 x|x [ s t a m i n a ] 100 / 100

[ m o o d ] Bemused x|x [ h e a l t h ] Weakened x|x [ i n j u r i e s ] None x|x [ c o n t r o l ] Established  

[Mongooseh]

Vidar listened intently to the answer of his question but was disappointed when the old man claimed he did not know. His head visibly sunk a bit as he focused on the fire trying to work out what his next plan was. The focus was almost so intense that he almost did not hear the question the man posed back at him.

'Where do I think I am?' Vidar thought silently to himself he recollected the surroundings he first found himself in. At first Vidar shrugged heavily and visibly signalling his sharing in the lack of knowledge where they were.

"Are you not local?" Asked Vidar to the old man but also gesturing to the male model nearby, it was strange to have this many people lost finding each other.

Then taking out of his pack a pencil and a sketchbook Vidar drew a rough map of the clearing he arrived in, with the forest, cliff and the cave. He marked the cave with an arrow before handing over the book to the old man.

"We are there." Vidar stated definitively with a weird sense of confidence.

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Chakra: 80/100
Stamina: 100/100
XP confused

Lanfaer

lookie here

 

[Lanfaer]

⦉ Power gives freedom from control and the pen of destiny to the author. ⦊
❝ Power begets freedom, and I shall be the freest of them all. ❞

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【 C U R S E D ⦁ B E G O T T E N ⦁ M A N I P U L A T O R 】xxxxx ◢ H e s r i k U r u k s a b r i l ◣ xxxxx【 M I Z U K A G E ⦁ S A G E ⦁ H A R V E S T E R 】

tab A map was drawn in response to his question and, quite frankly, Hesrik wasn't sure how to address it. The last minute had involved him trying to fool the stranger into believing that he was blind, feeling about with each step and shuffling his feet to avoid stumbling over everything. Despite this the young man decided to answer the question of where he thought he was by drawing a crude map and presenting it with the confidence and pride of a preschooler. There was a time once where the former Mizukage would have judged such actions to be the hallmarks of simpletons, the sort of person who served for little more than body shields in times of war, or slaves for the working of fields and other peasant work. Yet in one minute Baranara had showed him the error of that foolish thinking. Oh, it wasn't something that came in a flash, for there had been multiple times throughout the decades that he had realized there was no use judging anyone on what is immediately apparent. It was just a refresher course on the subject, and it was this that made the older male hesitate before giving up the charade.
tab It was easy to pretend to be other than you were. That should be obvious, given Hesrik himself was already doing it.
tab Sighing internally at the thought he considered the next words he was to speak before parting his lips once more, allowing wizened words to spill forth. "In truth, I cannot see such things, fellow stranger." Best to continue the charade for now than to allow what could be a man of great intelligence the chance to notice a lack of continuity. Raising his gauntleted hands to the fire to warm the metal that clothed them Hesrik continued to stare beyond the other, blinking only when their dryness and the heat and smoke of the fire forced him to. "In the little I can tell, I believe we may be in the Land of Water," he continued, his mind intent upon his companions reactions. Did he knew of Kirigakure no Sato? Was he a former shinobi, or a man of the wild, though of clearly different ilk than Baranara? "The mud here carries the scent of the ocean, meaning we are close. Too, this storm carries with it the stench of brine. I wager we are near the ocean, though which direction would be difficult for me to ascertain." Best to keep his lexicon advanced, to maintain the appearance of age. Age was respected in the old world by nearly all cultures, though rogues and wild men differed in that approach at times. Still Hesrik waited, slowly moving his palms towards one another until they met at the tips. Dry washing them, rubbing them together to spread the warmth, he returned them to warming.
tab Behind the male it became increasingly obvious that something was not right. When arriving he had spent some time scanning the walls, and the shadows they had left. Perhaps it was the new angle, but it looked like one of the walls had a cleft in it that recessed further than he had previously assumed. There was little he could do to confirm his hypothesis whilst pretending to be blind, yet there might be a way to trick the newly found companion into doing it for him. For the moment he observed, for there was no need to rush as long as it was being observed.
tab Instead he decided to open the first in what would likely prove to be a long series of plays to maneuver the stranger into a position that most benefited Hesrik himself. In this case it behooved him to collect the stranger into his care and control. It was clear the world had changed, but how much, and in what ways, remained a mystery that he intended to solve. Never before had the stakes been higher, for the world before was one he knew, where the rules of society could be manipulated and twisted to stall his enemies and place his allies in the most opportune locations. Now? Now there were no rules, no social constructs to fall behind. The reality was that power in this world would be defined by an arms race to the top, followed closely by the number of scrolls and the amount of knowledge one could amass in as short a time period as could be earned. That meant taking risks. That meant building anew, and defining, himself, the rules that would exist. It meant governing, whether from the shadows or from the lead, putting himself and all he stood for in danger of the long, dreaded silence of the Echoes that had birthed him.
tab In short, the risks were great, but the rewards? The rewards were greater. This was a world without definition, without leadership. He would be the first to establish what was needed and lead this world into a future of peace, prosperity, and wealth.
tab Whether the world wanted it or not.

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❝ With power, there is always a price. ❞

show spoilerhide spoiler

Techniques Used:
✤

Current Objectives:
✤ Discover where I am, and what year it is. How long have we slept?

Items of Note:
✤

Mongooseh

Quote:

[ e x p ] 0000 x|x [ r y o ] 0000 x|x [ c h a k r a ] 115 / 115 x|x [ s t a m i n a ] 100 / 100

[ m o o d ] Bemused x|x [ h e a l t h ] Weakened x|x [ i n j u r i e s ] None x|x [ c o n t r o l ] Established  

[Mongooseh]

Vidar retracted the offer of the journal at the affirmation of the man being blind with a quick, “Sorry.” Stowing the journal away back into his pack Vidar thought back over the last minute, the milky white eyes were a sign of blindness but could have just been scarring, kicking the log, the fumbling in the cave despite the fire light and the careful feeling about now all kind of made sense.
Though he may be visually impaired it did seem that he made up for it in his other sense giving Vidar detailed descriptions of the scent of the air which he didn’t pick up but it is not like Vidar spent much time outside. Vidar did however take in the information carefully at least he now was working with what seemed like an informed guess rather than stumbling around like a blind man he could now work towards a goal.
Vidar pondered for a moment rising to his feet to walk towards the cave entrance to look outside into the rain again.
“The Land of Water?” Mused Vidar crossing his arms but turning to make sure the old man could hear him through his mask and over the din of the rain, “Head to high ground. Get bearing of surroundings. Hidden Mist village should not be too hard to spot. Lot of mist surrounded by mountains. Good place to start.”
Vidar took a good look at the cliff wondering how hard it would be to scale it in the rain before returning to the fire and asking, “Do you want to come with me? I can’t stop you following me so best to check now and go together if you are.”  

[Lanfaer]

⦉ Power gives freedom from control and the pen of destiny to the author. ⦊
❝ Power begets freedom, and I shall be the freest of them all. ❞

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【 C U R S E D ⦁ B E G O T T E N ⦁ M A N I P U L A T O R 】xxxxx ◢ H e s r i k U r u k s a b r i l ◣ xxxxx【 M I Z U K A G E ⦁ S A G E ⦁ H A R V E S T E R 】

tab While the male stowed his journal and proceeded to gaze outside, Hesrik was instead considering the best action to take from this point forward. Considering. Plotting. Formulating each step to exacting detail before even the first was finished. Perhaps a victim of his own paranoia he simply couldn't allow himself to move without maneuvering himself into optimal position. As such, even as the question he expected came his way the former Mizukage reasoned the options he had before him.
tab The first was a rather forward, and simple solution. Extract the heart of the stranger, and steal from him the power such an action would give, but risk the skills he inevitably possessed that were so outside of Hesrik's own. It wasn't a question, a possibility, but a foregone reality that would come to fruition if the decision was made. Even now as the stranger made his way back towards the fire, each step thundering sharply in his ears, there were plans for such an operation to be executed. A single word, the jerk of his right hand upwards, clenched into a fist. The stones would hall would closed around him, clashing together and crushing his skull into pieces. Failure would be followed by a wall forming between the two of them, three deep, before another wall would erect at chest level. Jump or duck, the stranger would be locked in a box tighter than any banker's time schedule, and there he would remain, unable to move, until he died of thirst. There was time. There was patience. What was time to one who did not breathe? Eat? Sleep?
tab The second option formed as his next step fell: To follow the human, and leave Baranara behind. While next likely the worst decision he could make the previous discussion left it suspect as to just what Baranara's leaving would risk him. Killing the savage wasn't an option, however. Dark and realistic as Hesrik was, his word was his bond. He would give Baranara seventy two hours of safe passage, unhindered directly or indirectly, before he would take action. That was time that, while necessary, threatened his existence. A calculated risk, and one that would be put to the test if he went after the stranger and assisted him. That said, travel did have its upsides. The decision to rebuild the Mist of old wasn't a difficult one. Safety in numbers, and more? Knowledge. This world was to be built on knowledge as trade. To set himself atop that structure would be the best. On that front he'd need time to write, to convert the jutsu into the necessary scripts.
tab Time he didn't have, as boots settled before him.
tab The third option was the more logical, which was to remain until more information became available. A part of Hesrik demanded this. needed this in a way that almost made him choose it out of hand. But avoiding the world, an unknown, wasn't going to be a valid option to bet on for much longer. Being left behind wasn't an option, not when his life and position would be in danger. To build required acquisition of resources that he couldn't afford to wait on.
tab In short, it wasn't truly an option at all. Which left only the previous two as viable.
tab Sighing internally, Hesrik seemed to mull over the question a moment before raising his gaze to meet the young man's. There was little within those depths he could read behind the mask, and that normally wouldn't bother him. But not knowing disquieted him in a way he wasn't willing to openly admit to. Instead, he simply began with the basics. "My name is Oragor, a practitioner of the Ninjutsu arts. If we are to travel together, there needs be no dishonesty between us. Who are you and, more importantly, what were you?"

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❝ With power, there is always a price. ❞

show spoilerhide spoiler

Techniques Used:
✤

Current Objectives:
✤ Discover where I am, and what year it is. How long have we slept?

Items of Note:
✤

Mongooseh

Quote:

[ e x p ] 0000 x|x [ r y o ] 0000 x|x [ c h a k r a ] 115 / 115 x|x [ s t a m i n a ] 100 / 100

[ m o o d ] Bemused x|x [ h e a l t h ] Weakened x|x [ i n j u r i e s ] None x|x [ c o n t r o l ] Established  

[Mongooseh]

Vidar was slightly annoyed that 'Oragor' was avoiding his questions though at least Oragor brought up a question he had been meaning to ask himself but had not found a natural point in conversation to bring it up. The statement itself from Oragor did not ring true, it felt half baked, 'there needs to be no dishonesty' yet here he was holding back information while it was not lying it was withholding information needlessly.

Vidar thought deeply over this but dismissed it, if Oragor wanted to be elusive he must have his reasons and instead returned to his Sensei's teachings for guidance and said aloud mid thought, "...Or at least do not utter things you know not to be true..."

Vidar Paused for a melancholy moment before looking Oragor straight in the eyes and answering without pause or hesitation, "Vidar Trygve, Genin of Otugakure No Sato."  

[Lanfaer]

⦉ Power gives freedom from control and the pen of destiny to the author. ⦊
❝ Power begets freedom, and I shall be the freest of them all. ❞

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【 C U R S E D ⦁ B E G O T T E N ⦁ M A N I P U L A T O R 】xxxxx ◢ H e s r i k U r u k s a b r i l ◣ xxxxx【 M I Z U K A G E ⦁ S A G E ⦁ H A R V E S T E R 】

tab Cocking his head to the side at Vidar's answer Hesrik quickly ran through the memories he bore of the Hidden Sound Village, as it was once known. Otogakure no Sato, a village that had been swept up during the rise of Yougangakure, and that which lost face in the bloody aftermath that followed. That was one conflict he had gladly kept himself out of, for there was no order to be had when a village as small as it tried to play for power in a setting that didn't call for it. The days where missives passed across his desk, reports of the missing soldiers and envoys who had made their way through the Battlements towards the mysterious Yougangakure, was one he remembered well for it had solely been responsible for no action being taken to contact the village of lava that hid away in the aptly named Land of Fire. Even his more...unusual methods had born no fruit, and as such Kirigakure stopped all overtures of peace and friendship both publicly and privately. There was much to thank the little sound village for, as without its lessons he would have blundered into a hornet's nest.
tab Hesrik did not wish to act decrepit, but blind...blind had its uses. Being impotent in this scenario would only end in a waste of time he could ill afford. Instead he nodded slowly, thinking about the best question to ask as he stepped over the log and made his way towards the entrance with hesitance in each step, though taken with haste. Fearless of each step, and yet careful all the same. What would his companion think of such movements? Weakness, most likely, but it was difficult to say for certain. Instead, Hesrik stopped and listed, for something else occurred that bothered him, something barely on the edge of perception for those not as paranoid as he.
tab "The rain has stopped."
tab Clasping withered hands behind his back while the rain became a light drizzle until it, too, faded from life. It wasn't until the drops became rare that he stepped forward with his tone heavy, and clear. "A genin. Good. You know of discipline I imagine this world will lack. If we go up now, we may be struck by lightning, though with the rain gone the chances are quite low. That said, I cannot fault your interpretation of events and the movements to come. High ground, I believe, is through the trees ahead, where it seems to dead end in a cliff. Perhaps as you suggest it will give us a better vantage point with which to plot our next move."
tab Stepping forward, ropes whisping across the each with each step, the older man moved towards the distance, heedless of the random moisture that dared to strike his personage.
tab

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❝ With power, there is always a price. ❞

show spoilerhide spoiler

Techniques Used:
✤

Current Objectives:
✤ Discover where I am, and what year it is. How long have we slept?

Items of Note:
✤

Mongooseh

Quote:

[ e x p ] 0000 x|x [ r y o ] 0000 x|x [ c h a k r a ] 115 / 115 x|x [ s t a m i n a ] 100 / 100

[ m o o d ] Bemused x|x [ h e a l t h ] Weakened x|x [ i n j u r i e s ] None x|x [ c o n t r o l ] Established  

[Mongooseh]

Vidar grunted in agreement as he watched as Oragor walked off into the now suddenly absent of rain outside. Taking up his pack and checking the straps to make sure it was secure. Now ready Vidar jogged after Oragor and matching his pace walking to his side.

Now that he didn't need to shout to speak to Oragor Vidar remarked, "I'll take point when we enter the forest."

As they reached the edge of the forest Vidar would speed up and forge slightly ahead of Oragor keeping watch for dangers.

show spoilerhide spoiler

Chakra: 80/100
Stamina: 100/100
XP confused

Lanfaer

lookie here

 

[Lanfaer]

⦉ Power gives freedom from control and the pen of destiny to the author. ⦊
❝ Power begets freedom, and I shall be the freest of them all. ❞

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

【 C U R S E D ⦁ B E G O T T E N ⦁ M A N I P U L A T O R 】xxxxx ◢ H e s r i k U r u k s a b r i l ◣ xxxxx【 M I Z U K A G E ⦁ S A G E ⦁ H A R V E S T E R 】

tab The instant Vidar turned his back and his gaze wandered from Hesrik several tendrils snaked from his back and wrapped around the scythe at the fire pit. Hefting it, revealing the strength they bore, the thick bands withdrew and brought the weapon silently towards him. Raising a hand, catching it and letting it in the crook of his arm the former Mizukage stared after his newest companion with a sort of bemusement. It hadn't been long, at least to his perception, since soldiers had flocked to his banner for the control, and the wealth, his decisions brought to the land. True, "freedom" was a concept few truly understood but in exchange for their freedom the civilians received security. No one dared attack, to encroach on Kirigakure no Sato, lest they be slaughtered unceremoniously. In that time soldiers of fortune, men of action, became a common sight that he had been forced to rub elbows with. Not all of them had been a chore to interact with, and several had even graced him with personal time. Not of the sexual kind, of course, but they served well to slate his intellectual appetites with stories, experiences, and knowledge that he had yet to experience.
tab Such were the delights of those who are dead.
tab Sighing as he watched the soldier of fortune 'take point' Hesrik reached into one side of his robe and retrieved the journal he had stowed within his chest cavity earlier. With it came a pen, and as he walked slowly after the newest addition to his menagerie, he put the pen to paper and began to scratch away. Unlike other shinobi of the past, who learned the art of Ninjutsu through handseals, chakra manipulation, and hours of intense practice, Hesrik had never had the need for such intensive physical requirements. Instead something else took its place: study, script, and memorization through repetition. [1! Complete]
tab Like the Wizards and Sorcerers of fantasy novels and games, Hesrik read the knowledge within scrolls and converted them into written formula that encompassed both somatic, and verbal, components in an effort to break down Chakra to its finest roots. It was most definitely something his peers and leadership had frowned upon as it broke tradition more powerful and ancient than law. Yet...had that truly been the case? Handseals were a form of somatic ritual that served as a channel for chakra to expel and take shape. In many cases ranging from bloodline to special forms of training this ritual is either partially, or in full, negated. Scribbling another such line down, he turned the page and maneuvered his way around a tree as Vidar led the way. [2! Complete]
tab Each step brought the pair further into the forest that, oddly enough, seemed sloped upwards towards what would likely be a rather tall hill. Given the depression in the earth behind them it was likely it would overlook the hole. Given the timeframe of their rapid ascent, Hesrik had been relatively unable to scout the area, relying instead on Baranara to keep his eyes out while he had reasserted control over the parasite within. Noting down the final text of yet another jutsu, noting the hand gestures required, the former Mizukage wondered at the intelligence of that former decision. Now, it meant he would need to rely on Vidar, something that could have, and should have, been avoided at all costs. [3! Complete]
tab Stepping carefully over a root, stopping his scribing long enough to use his scythe for the purpose, he returned the weapon to his shoulder and continued writing, caring not if the soldier leading the group realized that this negated his act at being blind. Necessity demanded it, for without knowledge there would be no survival. Returning pen to paper the former shinobi continued to note in his spidery script the arcane words and gestures needed for the next technique, the Earth Shuriken technique. A simple movement would be needed, but time necessary to form the shuriken couldn't be negated no matter the syllables prescribed. Still, useful as it could prove, he would finish the last letter with a flourish before turning the page. [4! Complete]
tab The forest was dark indeed, thick from rapid growth. Continuing to write almost absentmindedly, Hesrik raised his voice to speak to his companion, deciding that for the moment there was no need to remain quiet. Their travels would, hopefully, align for quite some time. Without Baranara's assured assistance it left him in quite a precarious situation, for his forte was arcane knowledge and jutsu usage. That meant a lack of physical offense or defense in regards to strategic combat that would be difficult to overcome. Better to make allies than enemies now, then, while the world was still young and full of possibilities. "Tell me, Vidar," he called conversationally. "You've just awoken, as I have, yet do you have a goal in mind? Have you turned your thoughts to the future, or do you wait to worry about the here and now first?" [5! Complete]

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❝ With power, there is always a price. ❞

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Techniques Used:
✤

Current Objectives:
✤ Discover where I am, and what year it is. How long have we slept?

Items of Note:
✤ Techniques Learned:

Learned

► Iwagakure: Shunshin no Jutsu [D] -- 1
► Gou no Doro [D] -- 1
► Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu [D] -- 1
► Doton Shuriken no Jutsu [D] -- 1
► Fuusajin [D] -- 1
► Zankuuha [D] -- 1
► Kaze Fūchūfuyū [E] -- 1

Mongooseh

Quote:

[ e x p ] 0000 x|x [ r y o ] 0000 x|x [ c h a k r a ] 115 / 115 x|x [ s t a m i n a ] 100 / 100

[ m o o d ] Bemused x|x [ h e a l t h ] Weakened x|x [ i n j u r i e s ] None x|x [ c o n t r o l ] Established  

[Mongooseh]

Vidar glanced over his shoulder at Hesrik as Hesrik asked the question, Vidar's eyes focused on the pen and paper in Hesrik's hands and Vidar's eyes flashed with a moment of intelligence and recognition. Reaffirming his mask was secure Vidar turned his attention back to the path he was forging through the forest before answering, "Hmph, a bit of both. I have a goal. Not one for grand strategy planning though. Knowing nothing of today I cannot plan for tomorrow. So I must first collect the clay to make the bricks for the foundation of my plan."

Vidar paused for a moment and then stopped walking. Then making a waving gesture as if dismissing his previous statement and continuing, "Forgive my prose. I'm sure a man such as yourself understands without a grunt like me needing to bore you. Just warning you I'm about to use a Jutsu."

Taking one of his gloves off carefully, revealing the burn-scarred flesh, he placed the glove in a pocket before quickly making the necessary hand gestures and voicing the incantation, "Jihibiki Kansei no Jutsu."

Vidar placed his naked hand on the ground and begun feeling with his chakra for any other beings around apart from them.

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Chakra: 80/100
Stamina: 100/100
XP confused

Lanfaer

lookie here

 

[Lanfaer]

⦉ Power gives freedom from control and the pen of destiny to the author. ⦊
❝ Power begets freedom, and I shall be the freest of them all. ❞

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【 C U R S E D ⦁ B E G O T T E N ⦁ M A N I P U L A T O R 】xxxxx ◢ H e s r i k U r u k s a b r i l ◣ xxxxx【 M I Z U K A G E ⦁ S A G E ⦁ H A R V E S T E R 】

tab As Vidar bravely stepped between Hesrik and the Bloodied Iron Hesrik was somewhat startled, though not by the meatshield's decision to be his namesake. The title, the name...he knew of it. And that knowledge came with something worming its way into his bowels, sending the parasites within him whispering once more. Something that sent his heart fluttering with an emotion he remembered only feeling once before since his days as Mizukage: fear.
tab 'Fear.' whispered the voices within him with reverence, tasting the delicacy in the emotion that coursed through him. He was no alien to its presence, nor a stranger to the direction such emotion often forced him to go. Fear of death was such a familiar taste that it hardly counted as a fear anymore, and more an instinct he'd welcomed as a subset of his own emotional spectrum. Yet this fear is what helped him dissect and observe the fear now filling him for what it was, an emotion impressed upon him by some external means. That didn't mean he failed to experience it by any means, but just knowing the truth is half the battle with Genjutsu. That said, he did not know the technique he needed most right then: Kai. Without it, he felt the fear, and without it, too, he knew that his actions would be impacted.
tab What would he do, then?
tab The demand for food was something Hesrik clearly understood. If only the female knew just how much he desired to rip out her heart and feast upon it...but no. 'Reactions are best kept close to heart, controlled and persecuted for what they are: a weakness,' he remembered reading once. 'Fear, the little death, the mind killer. Control of self is perhaps the best defense against its wiles.' So instead of succumbing to panic he acted as the willow and bent to its whims under his own terms. Holding his hands aloft in order to show they were not filled with weaponry, he raised his voice in a stutter to proclaim to the woman's ears the 'truth' of his emotional state. "Please don't kill me! I have food, but take it! Take it all, and leave me alone!" Into his robes would his hands go, reaching inside and plucking forth the small package he'd used previously. A package with grease, roasted chicken drumsticks, and a glass pot of mashed potatoes. Strange though they were, they'd been effective before. Perhaps they would again?
tab Brandishing them over and around Vidar, Hesrik crouched and shuffled around him, the stutter of fear still within his voice. Acting, or perhaps reacting to the fear elicited by the genjutsu-like effect? Either wouldn't matter as he stopped five feet away from Vidar and bowed his head, holding the containers aloft. "I have heard great things about you, lady bandit, and I wish you health everlasting on your journey! Please, take this humble gesture, and leave us to our own path!" Placing the containers on the ground he retreated on crouched limbs, balancing on his hands as he skittered back towards where his scythe, rammed into the ground, rested standing. Taking the scythe in both hands, trembling, he hunched his shoulders and 'averted' his eyes from her gaze, awaiting her 'judgment'.
tab What she may not know was that his mutterings that followed were not of fear, but of enchantment. Memories, he had just discovered, were beginning to return. Words of power, gestures both arcane and mundane flowing through his memory. Rituals, written word, diagrams, things that had been lost now returned to his mind. That made the fear easier to resist even as he stopped the muttering of such things and instead stood with hunched shoulders, watching the bandit in case she decided to attack. Vidar, he hoped, would simply wait where he'd been before, ready to be the good meatshield and defend him long enough to tear the young woman a lesson in blood and pain.
tab For who could say that this little woman was truly the Bloodied Iron, the fiercest of the bandit groups who terrorized the Lightning lands to the north? The same woman who had sundered his caravans and splintered his soldiers across the lands? Could she truly be the one who had forced him to reconsider trade routes and inventing new jutsu that would defend his people from her touch and who had evaded him for years as he hunted her with the greatest of resources?
tab Perhaps, if she was, she could be of some use. But if not...the youngster would feel the brunt of his aggressions.

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❝ With power, there is always a price. ❞

show spoilerhide spoiler

Techniques Used:
✤

Current Objectives:
✤ Discover where I am, and what year it is. How long have we slept?

Items of Note:
✤ Techniques Learned:

Learned

► Iwagakure: Shunshin no Jutsu [D] -- 1
► Gou no Doro [D] -- 1
► Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu [D] -- 1
► Doton Shuriken no Jutsu [D] -- 1
► Fuusajin [D] -- 1
► Zankuuha [D] -- 1
► Kaze Fūchūfuyū [E] -- 1

Mongooseh

Quote:

[ e x p ] 0000 x|x [ r y o ] 0000 x|x [ c h a k r a ] 115 / 115 x|x [ s t a m i n a ] 100 / 100

[ m o o d ] Bemused x|x [ h e a l t h ] Weakened x|x [ i n j u r i e s ] None x|x [ c o n t r o l ] Established  

[Mongooseh]

During the exchange Vidar kept a tight grip on the handle the formed brass a comforting feeling. Vidar's focus was mostly on Takira's actions so he was mostly blind to whatever 'Orgagor' was up to until Orgaor crawled like a bug around his legs to deposit his offering to Takira before scuttling back. Seeing Oragor behave like this and comply with the Takira's coercion Vidar grimaced behind the mask and almost shook his head before he refocused on Takira to see what her next move was.

Takira struck Vidar as malicious and unhinged in her response to Oragor's offer. The way she moved the reddish-grey dust behind her was a bit unnerving as well, there were constantly stories amongst ninja-kind of people with monstrous abilities who made history and here was one in front of him.

'This could be dangerous...' Vidar thought to himself as he carefully watched the dust float down and retrieved the proffered food. Then Takira carried on grandstanding over Oragor's wailing before making a pointless threat and walking off.

As neither of them intended to stop her, Vidar waited until Takira was out of sight before sheathing his knife and relaxing slightly. Turning his gaze to Oragor Vidar's eyes narrowed slightly before reaching into his pack, taking out a peach and throwing it to Oragor. Whether or not Oragor caught it didn't matter to Vidar as he carried on forging the path ahead.

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Chakra: 80/100
Stamina: 100/100
XP confused

Lanfaer

lookie here

magcookie

lookie here