The smoldering ruins of Gimangakure, the most dangerous place in the shinobi world. Once Bandits, Rouges, and all manner of ill intended vagabonds congregated here to trade riches and recruit men. After the destruction of the Village committed by the Twin Prince Gang Many rouge simply scattered throughout the land of rivers creating many of the gangs roaming round today.
While in the ruins of Gimangakure, one can still find some structures semi-intact and operational. Such as the market place, the prison, and the vicious underbelly of Gimangakure. The Cistern.
Months after it's collapse the negative energy collected here still lingers, causing those foolish enough to camp out here vivid nightmares, and horrifying day terrors as they awake.
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 11:57 am
I'm getting by with my wicked ways ✦ I'm loading up and I'm taking names ✦ I wanna dig my way to hell ✦
Akihiko hadn't expected Akaran to give him the time of day as they travelled. "Listen, I... I understand what you expect. But I am not anything less because I'm not who you keep thinking I am," he hissed. "I am who I am. I am what I am. I don't think we should let my history get in the way of what we can do together." He pointedly avoided looking at Akaran, unsure if he could handle any scrutiny right now. "We can-"
He was cut off by the appearance of three red senbon appearing by his feet; looking up, he saw the medical nin as described: a redhead woman with sharp teeth and a blood-stained clothes. She grinned at them as she manipulated the blood from her clothes into sharp needles, sending them at the two men. Akihiko didn't hesitate, pushing his hand into the air to send the senbon flying away from them both [ Beast Wave: Gale Wind Palm [ Juha: Reppushou ] | Rank A ]. He turned to say something else to Akaran, but the medical nin was sending more bloody blades their way, forcing Akihiko to move away. "s**t, she's good from a distance," he said, noticing how her continued barrage of blood-based weapons were difficult for Akihiko to evade despite the distance.
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Ephemeral Ozymandias
ghostfinch
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 6:19 pm
▱▰▱Since Akihiko was deciding to throw the gauntlet, Akaran would as well. "Well I'm sorry that I didn't wanna hear from some little creep in a shitty bar about how many people you've bodied!" He was irate and offended that Akihiko was taking this tone with him. "That's what I'm doin', ya jackass! Those things you did before were wrong and I'm looking past your mistakes because you're a better person now! You can be offended but it's tru-." Akaran and Akihiko stopped talking over each other when needles landed in front of them. Akihiko sprang into action just as Akaran became protective. His rage was directed at the target as he felt his anger boil over into more primal instincts. Why could he not argue with his significant other in peace? It was quite rude above all else.
Akaran felt his blood boil as he watched Akihiko intervene and blast the needles away. The oni was not one to make use of ninjutsu and especially not as skillfully as Akihiko. He winced as he felt a burning sensation on the back of his neck. Time felt like it was moving more slowly as he watched the medic continue her barrage. His adrenaline pumped as he rubbed the back of his neck but it still felt like fire was scorching his skin. Fiery eyes narrowed on her as the burning sensation persisted. The Hell is this? He kept rubbing until he felt like the soothing was making it worse. He was unable to look at the back of his neck but if Akihiko did he would see a mark begin to form. Akaran's hands balled up into fists as his rage grew. Maybe Aki's right and I was wrong about him. But I know the good man that he is. Akaran was conflicted as he felt the pain squeeze mist from his fiery orange eyes. He extended one of his arms over to Akihiko and took a squared, protective stance. He's such an a*****e acting like I'm just making s**t up about him. But he's my a*****e damn it!" His anger toward Akihiko was consolidated toward the medic. The rage, confusion, and doubts stirred within him like a whirlpool that overwhelmed his senses yet cut at his soul with precision. The marking on his neck that took the appearance of a red orchid flower glowed like magma before the marks spread wildly over his skin. Each marking looked like an orchid petal that was a sinister crimson color. Suddenly, the markings became so prominent that they all combined into making Akaran's skin of a carmine color. His black horns became far longer and his muscles grew. His fangs became more prominent as the bones from his ribcage left his skin through his back to form bone wings and he grew a long reptilian tail. His skin became harder than titanium as well. Akaran appeared as a true oni of the fire mountain with attributes of the Kaguya curse as well. The power coursing through him was immense now that his long-dormant Curse of the Blood Orchid was unleashed. Akaran released an immensely loud oni roar and opened his eyes to reveal his darkened sclera with orange pupils that were glowing even brighter.
Akaran's physical attributes were so enhanced that he disappeared and reappeared directly in front of the medic in a blink without even using body flicker. His fists formed knife-hands as he performed a cross-cut toward her torso. The rampaging oni's strength was so immense that as his hands cut through the air they would form exploding air pockets along the axis his hands traveled. His adrenaline was only enhanced by the flow of corrupted nature chakra pumping through his body. Akaran's wrath was fueled by a sadistic bloodlust caused by the feral nature of releasing this seal.
Technique Used: ▰ Violet | Rank B | Simple [ Boosted to S+ Overwhelming ] The Kyotouryuu user simultaneously slams both of their knife hands into the torso of their opponent, unleashing a powerful and focused shock wave directly through the enemy's body. The resulting damage causes bloody blistering of the flesh inches around the struck that explode from the back of the user as well. The opponent is thrown twenty feet away from the user after being struck. This technique reduces the target's agility to zero for two posts. ▰ The Final Dance of the Blood Orchid | Rank S+ | Spiritual [ Overwhelming ] Considered the ultimate technique of the Kaguya clan. While the Curse of the Blood Orchid is unleashed, the user begins by enfusing their skeletal structure with an immense amount of corrupted nature chakra (half of the technique's cost). This chakra pulsates through the body and makes the entire skeleton harder than titanium increasing their endurance by [2]. The hardness of the bones also enhances their physical strength by [2]. The spinal column becomes a reptillian-like tail and the user also forces immense bone wings out of the back. Long demonic horns also leave the Kaguya's forehead. The bone tail and horns can pierce targets like a lance while the bone wings can cover the entire body as a shield against S rank and lower spiritual techniques. This ghastly and powerful transformation lasts for as long as the Curse of the Blood Orchid does and requires the curse to be fully unleashed. Technique Active: • [ Technique Name ] ▱▰▱○ [ Rank ]
Status Effects: • None
Personal Attributes ▱▰▱ Swordless Swordsman | As a fastidious student of Kyotoryuu, he is able to use small and medium blade bukijutsu styles through his "knife hands" causing them to act as taijutsu techniques in effect while consuming bukijutsu slots. ▱▰▱ Wandering Warrior | The Soko Sento and Kote Art styles can be used with an unarmored body. ▱▰▱ Unyielding Willow | Grants [2] stat points rather than [1] for the mastery of stages three and six of the Dance of the Meadow style for a total of [4] stat points. The Endurance stat cap of the Kaguya increases by [1] to a maximum of [9]. Finally, if half the resource cost of a bone armor technique is spent then it gains the attributes of armor and this does not cost a combat action. If the bone armor technique is E-Rank then it is considered very light armor, D-C rank for light armor, B-A rank for medium armor, and S-S+ rank for heavy armor. ▱▰▱ Martial Paragon | The favored fighting styles of the Kaguya are Taijutsu and Bukijutsu and, as a result, the Kaguya is able to start off with 2 additional taijutsu or bukijutsu styles. Finally, all complex Dance of the Meadow techniques are treated as spiritual in collision with other complex techniques. ▱▰▱ Curse Born | Forbidden Seals, including Curse of the Blood Orchid, owned by this rpc have an additional 100 corrupted nature chakra stored in their seal. This increases their cap from 400 to 500. Also, the Kaguya is able to recover faster from the drawbacks of forbidden seals following the deactivation of the seal making the stat reductions last for three posts rather than five. ▱▰▱ Mountain Clan | Oni are able to korabo suiton and sake techniques without the sake being reduced in strength. These can be korabo'd for one activation every two posts. In this circumstance, sake creation techniques are unnecessary but an augment needs to be paid for to korabo with the suiton technique. The Oni starts with [2] additional taijutsu styles upon creation. ▱▰▱ Clever Brew Master | The Oni receives two additional customs per body rank to produce new brew types. They are able to cast bloodline techniques through somatic movements. Their saketon pool is increased by 100. The Oni receives [1] point of strength and endurance at D-Rank and a second point of strength and endurance at B-Rank. ▱▰▱ Ogrelord | The Oni's saketon pool is increased by 200. Sake used by the Oni remove or restore chakra from the target two ranks below the rank brewed for poisonous or medicinal brews respectively. The Oni restores an additional 50 saketon per post passively. The Oni's stamina is increased by 200 and taijutsu techniques cost 10 stamina less at a minimum of 5. ▱▰▱ It's All Ogre Now | Akaran's oni heritage allows him to add an additional 100 chakra to his saketon reserves and cannot be increased beyond this.
**LEARNED - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
**MISSION - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
kiiwispoet
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 7:10 pm
I'm getting by with my wicked ways ✦ I'm loading up and I'm taking names ✦ I wanna dig my way to hell ✦
The medical nin looked relatively unfazed by the change in Akaran's appearance. The blood on her body became spiked defensively, but Akaran's attacks still pierced through it and into her skin, drawing blood from her even as his hands split from the spikes. The force of his attack and the exploding air pockets pushed her back a few steps despite her incredible endurance, but it wasn't enough to remove her from the circle on the ground, which glowed all of a sudden. "Unfortunate little thing," she cooed with false sympathy as she swiped up some of the blood from his hands that had landed on her chest, licking it as her eyes rolled back and her skin turned black [ Forbidden Art: Crimson Controller Possessing Blood [ Kinjutsu: Shijihyouketsu ] | Rank S+ ]. White outlines appeared across her body that mimicked bones, and it took Akihiko a moment to place the technique.
"Akaran! She's a Jashinist! You can't hit her!" Akaran's transformation, something feral and unstoppable, made Akihiko fear that the man wouldn't be able to understand him. He had so many questions about the transformation that he couldn't ask like they were like this, while he was so scared Akaran would kill her at cost of his own life. "Get away from her before you kill yourself!" He got on one knee, forming an o with his hands. This technique was dangerous because it took so long to prep, but he trusted Akaran to get the ******** out of the way when the time was right [ Final Method: Remote Demolition | Rank S+ ].
"Aka! Push her out of the circle and I can kill her!" His voice broke with hysterics, afraid Akaran's bloodlust would get him killed. And Akihiko had done nothing but rile up the other man all day, and Akaran's blood would be on his hands.
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Ephemeral Ozymandias
ghostfinch
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 8:18 pm
▱▰▱Akaran completely lost control of himself as his rampage continued. The seal caused him only to fixate on destroying and eliminating his target. The oni felt no pain even as his hands were slashed open. He watched the woman ingest his blood and pounded his chest wildly in response. He had no idea what was going on as he saw the woman's skin blacken and the pentagram of blood form under their feet. He looked over at Akihiko with animalistic rage in his eyes before responding with a loud roar. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!" This would certainly answer Akihiko about whether Akaran was capable of understanding his pleas and directions. Akaran then charged forward and slammed his hands into her multiple times. Each strike would release a highly concussive blast that would send her flying backward dozens of feet out of the circle. Akaran would rip his shirt off savagely and release more bones from his torso. "GURRRRRRRRRRRRAGH!" Another gutteral, animalistic roar left his lips before he took off in pursuit of the woman, causing him to leave the circle as well. However, before he could reach her he felt his knees give out on him and he began to see double. "Urrrrr..." Akaran suddenly collapsed with a loud thud and began dry heaving but still maintained his transformation and consciousness.
Technique Used: ▰ Victorious Charge | Rank S+ | Simple [ Overwhelming ] The user enters a low squatted stance and charges forward at the target. While moving [2] points slower, the opponent's hands are capable of delivering fifty open palmed concussive blasts that bulldoze target's with a [6] point increase in strength. This bulldozing charge throws targets ten feet per strike if unblocked, tossing the opponent just far enough to be caught by the next strike as the user moves forward. If the first strike is successful the remainder are guaranteed. Opponent's who are stricken by this have shattered bones upon location of each impact. Technique Active: ▰ The Final Dance of the Blood Orchid | Rank S+ | Spiritual [ Overwhelming ] Considered the ultimate technique of the Kaguya clan. While the Curse of the Blood Orchid is unleashed, the user begins by enfusing their skeletal structure with an immense amount of corrupted nature chakra (half of the technique's cost). This chakra pulsates through the body and makes the entire skeleton harder than titanium increasing their endurance by [2]. The hardness of the bones also enhances their physical strength by [2]. The spinal column becomes a reptillian-like tail and the user also forces immense bone wings out of the back. Long demonic horns also leave the Kaguya's forehead. The bone tail and horns can pierce targets like a lance while the bone wings can cover the entire body as a shield against S rank and lower spiritual techniques. This ghastly and powerful transformation lasts for as long as the Curse of the Blood Orchid does and requires the curse to be fully unleashed.
Status Effects: • None
Personal Attributes ▱▰▱ Swordless Swordsman | As a fastidious student of Kyotoryuu, he is able to use small and medium blade bukijutsu styles through his "knife hands" causing them to act as taijutsu techniques in effect while consuming bukijutsu slots. ▱▰▱ Wandering Warrior | The Soko Sento and Kote Art styles can be used with an unarmored body. ▱▰▱ Unyielding Willow | Grants [2] stat points rather than [1] for the mastery of stages three and six of the Dance of the Meadow style for a total of [4] stat points. The Endurance stat cap of the Kaguya increases by [1] to a maximum of [9]. Finally, if half the resource cost of a bone armor technique is spent then it gains the attributes of armor and this does not cost a combat action. If the bone armor technique is E-Rank then it is considered very light armor, D-C rank for light armor, B-A rank for medium armor, and S-S+ rank for heavy armor. ▱▰▱ Martial Paragon | The favored fighting styles of the Kaguya are Taijutsu and Bukijutsu and, as a result, the Kaguya is able to start off with 2 additional taijutsu or bukijutsu styles. Finally, all complex Dance of the Meadow techniques are treated as spiritual in collision with other complex techniques. ▱▰▱ Curse Born | Forbidden Seals, including Curse of the Blood Orchid, owned by this rpc have an additional 100 corrupted nature chakra stored in their seal. This increases their cap from 400 to 500. Also, the Kaguya is able to recover faster from the drawbacks of forbidden seals following the deactivation of the seal making the stat reductions last for three posts rather than five. ▱▰▱ Mountain Clan | Oni are able to korabo suiton and sake techniques without the sake being reduced in strength. These can be korabo'd for one activation every two posts. In this circumstance, sake creation techniques are unnecessary but an augment needs to be paid for to korabo with the suiton technique. The Oni starts with [2] additional taijutsu styles upon creation. ▱▰▱ Clever Brew Master | The Oni receives two additional customs per body rank to produce new brew types. They are able to cast bloodline techniques through somatic movements. Their saketon pool is increased by 100. The Oni receives [1] point of strength and endurance at D-Rank and a second point of strength and endurance at B-Rank. ▱▰▱ Ogrelord | The Oni's saketon pool is increased by 200. Sake used by the Oni remove or restore chakra from the target two ranks below the rank brewed for poisonous or medicinal brews respectively. The Oni restores an additional 50 saketon per post passively. The Oni's stamina is increased by 200 and taijutsu techniques cost 10 stamina less at a minimum of 5. ▱▰▱ It's All Ogre Now | Akaran's oni heritage allows him to add an additional 100 chakra to his saketon reserves and cannot be increased beyond this.
**LEARNED - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
**MISSION - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2020 9:49 am
I'm getting by with my wicked ways ✦ I'm loading up and I'm taking names ✦ I wanna dig my way to hell ✦
The moment the medical nin was pushed far from the circle by one of Akaran's swings, Akihiko released the jutsu, sniping her with a destructive force from his particle nature chakra that demolished not only her body but also much of the debris and ground around her [ Final Method: Remote Demolition | Rank S+ ]. "Nicely done, Aka! You were a total beast!" He got up from his position, running over to Akaran only to find the man bent over and heaving, face paling suddenly.
"Aka?" He had a hand on the man's shoulder, noting suddenly the strange mark on the back of Akaran's neck. "What the hell is that? Akaran? Is that - did you-?" And then Akaran crumpled to the ground.
Akaran rolled to his back and Akihiko took the opportunity to frame the man's face, trying to urge Akaran's eyes open but they were glassy and unfocused. Akihiko's eyes trailed down the man's body to see if there was anything else, and he saw the clear, viscous liquid leaking out of Akaran's hands, and it looked nothing like sake or normal secretion. Poison?
With such a large dose injected immediately, Akaran wouldn't make it back to the marketplace for treatment from Mai. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Aka. You'll be okay, you hear me?"
---
"Let me see him," Akihiko argued with the medic. He would have fought his way into the room, but he didn't want to incite violence when the O-Inari hospital had taken in Akaran with little care. In response for his care in the outskirts of the ruins of Gimangakure, Akihiko was subjected to incessant propaganda about how evil the shinobi world was, since the O-Inari only opened up a functional humanitarian hospital here to spread their gospel about the evils of ninja.
But this particular group of O-Inari were incredibly serious about traditions, including that of only spouses and family visiting before patient release, and Akihiko had very little patience for it. "I'm the only one he has," Akihiko argued further. He's all that I have, he thought. "If the poison is out of him, I want to see-"
"You two are not brothers, and you are not married. We cannot allow you inside. It is important to uphold tradition in light of the chaos that the shinobi world brings..." And Akihiko tuned the rest of her spiel out. He rested a hand on the hilt of his blade, but he didn't draw it just yet. He worried his bottom lip as he considered that the only reason he hadn't seen Akihiko the second the poison was removed was because they were not married, and how Akaran would have to wake up all alone in a foreign place... "Damn it..."
Ephemeral Ozymandias
ghostfinch
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2020 10:48 am
▱▰▱Akaran had collapsed and fallen unconscious in the field. When he fell his forbidden seal returned to its dormant state as his skin returned to its normal color and the carmine petals retreated into the orchid mark. His memory was a blur between his fainting until he finally came to in the hospital. The O-Inari worshippers took a shine to Akaran as a patient when they discovered that he was a samurai and not a shinobi. In addition, they were intrigued by the forbidden seal on the back of his neck. Forbidden seals were considered blessings in their faith rather than perversions of natural energy as was believed by the Children of Evergreen and other faiths. When Akaran opened his eyes he felt dead from exhaustion and the weight of his eyelids became a burden. The drowsy oni sat up in his bed and looked around the hospital room before ripping his IV out. When he tried to roll out of bed he realized just how weak he was yet still mobile. He dragged himself across the room and felt sore with every step before grabbing his sake gourd. This particular brew included caffeine and other stimulants that would bring him back from the dead. The parched oni chugged the alcohol like it was water as some of it escaped the corners of his mouth and dripped on the floor. He belched loudly and threw the emptied gourd on the floor. A nurse watched this charming display from the hallway before hesitatingly informing him that he was free to go and gave him his clothes. When he saw the tear in his shirt his memories of his unleashed seal came back with the same ferocity that unleashing that mark entailed. Akaran tried to dismiss these fearful thoughts for now as he dressed himself in a daze. He looked down at the bandages on his hands and remembered that he was poisoned. Eventually, he was able to put two and two together that Akihiko must have brought him here.
He followed a nurse out of the emergency room after taking many wrong turns through the labyrinth of hallways in the hospital. He was drowsily and desperately looking for Akihiko before he saw him in the main lobby. Akaran was relieved to see him and walked straight toward him before throwing his arms around him. He tightly embraced him and leaned on him. Akaran was visibly distraught from all the memories of what went down. His gait also had a limp to it that slowed him. The unleashed forbidden seal and the poison had left him quite emaciated. He felt the caffeine begin to force his eyes open wider. Once the hug was over, Akaran would keep an arm on Akihiko's shoulder and lean on him to help him walk faster. "I'm hungry. Let's get outta here." Akaran announced through the brain fog that was beginning to be pierced by the stimulating brew. Once Akaran was checked out he would leave the building with Akihiko and sit down at a burger place. Once he devoured a few burgers he wiped his face and began speaking to Akihiko. "I don't know what happened to me. I got angry and suddenly my neck started burning up. Before I knew it I started fighting and I couldn't control myself." He put away a handful of salty french fries into his mouth and shook his head. When he gulped the fries down he looked up sheepishly at Akihiko. He felt so guilty for the brutality he showed. He had no qualms with defending himself but he felt that the seal made him go too far. "The doc said it's a for-bid-den seal. Some Ka-gu-yas are born with this seal. But then she said that this one is uni-que to me with some "oni traits" in it. She said that it makes me much stronger but that it weakens me after it's over. I feel like crap so that's true I think." Akaran shook his head and reflected after explaining what the doctor told him as he was being discharged earlier. "Whatever the Hell it is, it's evil and I hate it. I'm scared of what I'll do if it happens again. And..." Akaran paused with a guilty stammer before continuing. "She died, right? The medic..." Akaran had collapsed before he saw what happened and was unsure if he killed her or if Akihiko did. He knew that she was trying to murder them and they had no other choice, but Aka took no pleasure in taking a life. Now that he was fully alert after his brew metabolized, he realized that his regret and melancholy were probably not comforting his partner who had to haul him to the hospital. "Anyway, thanks for saving my hide." He changed the subject with a lighter tone before reaching across the table and grabbing Aki's hand in a manner that mirrored when they were in the steakhouse the other day. "I love you." Akaran's droopy eyes brightened a little as he felt the corners of his mouth upturn sincerely. The pair still had much to discuss from their argument before the fight but there was no doubt on Akaran's part that Akihiko was here for him.
Personal Attributes ▱▰▱ Swordless Swordsman | As a fastidious student of Kyotoryuu, he is able to use small and medium blade bukijutsu styles through his "knife hands" causing them to act as taijutsu techniques in effect while consuming bukijutsu slots. ▱▰▱ Wandering Warrior | The Soko Sento and Kote Art styles can be used with an unarmored body. ▱▰▱ Unyielding Willow | Grants [2] stat points rather than [1] for the mastery of stages three and six of the Dance of the Meadow style for a total of [4] stat points. The Endurance stat cap of the Kaguya increases by [1] to a maximum of [9]. Finally, if half the resource cost of a bone armor technique is spent then it gains the attributes of armor and this does not cost a combat action. If the bone armor technique is E-Rank then it is considered very light armor, D-C rank for light armor, B-A rank for medium armor, and S-S+ rank for heavy armor. ▱▰▱ Martial Paragon | The favored fighting styles of the Kaguya are Taijutsu and Bukijutsu and, as a result, the Kaguya is able to start off with 2 additional taijutsu or bukijutsu styles. Finally, all complex Dance of the Meadow techniques are treated as spiritual in collision with other complex techniques. ▱▰▱ Curse Born | Forbidden Seals, including Curse of the Blood Orchid, owned by this rpc have an additional 100 corrupted nature chakra stored in their seal. This increases their cap from 400 to 500. Also, the Kaguya is able to recover faster from the drawbacks of forbidden seals following the deactivation of the seal making the stat reductions last for three posts rather than five. ▱▰▱ Mountain Clan | Oni are able to korabo suiton and sake techniques without the sake being reduced in strength. These can be korabo'd for one activation every two posts. In this circumstance, sake creation techniques are unnecessary but an augment needs to be paid for to korabo with the suiton technique. The Oni starts with [2] additional taijutsu styles upon creation. ▱▰▱ Clever Brew Master | The Oni receives two additional customs per body rank to produce new brew types. They are able to cast bloodline techniques through somatic movements. Their saketon pool is increased by 100. The Oni receives [1] point of strength and endurance at D-Rank and a second point of strength and endurance at B-Rank. ▱▰▱ Ogrelord | The Oni's saketon pool is increased by 200. Sake used by the Oni remove or restore chakra from the target two ranks below the rank brewed for poisonous or medicinal brews respectively. The Oni restores an additional 50 saketon per post passively. The Oni's stamina is increased by 200 and taijutsu techniques cost 10 stamina less at a minimum of 5. ▱▰▱ It's All Ogre Now | Akaran's oni heritage allows him to add an additional 100 chakra to his saketon reserves and cannot be increased beyond this.
**LEARNED - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
**MISSION - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
kiiwispoet
Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2020 11:41 am
I'm getting by with my wicked ways ✦ I'm loading up and I'm taking names ✦ I wanna dig my way to hell ✦
Akihiko was so relieved to see Akaran, he was quick to embrace the other and was happy that the old Akaran was back when he mentioned his hunger. Sitting down, he couldn't stop watching Aka enjoy himself even as the oni explained everything the nurse said. He was glad that the seal wasn't an unknown variable anymore, though they'd need to test its limits a little more.
"I love you, too, Aka..." he said as he played with the last of his fries. "But we need to discuss the elephant in the room. I am willing to give up half of what I'm good at, work-wise, for your comfort, because I love you. I love you more than my work, and, trust me, I love doing a good job, regardless of what it is. It's like, a part of my identity," he said slowly, struggling with the words because emotional fluency wasn't his strong suit. ********, he hated being vulnerable, but addressing this more subtly was not going to get the job done.
"I am someone who is capable of doing things you abhor. I simply am. It doesn't keep me awake at night, it doesn't haunt me when my eyes are closed. But. I'm also someone who can protect, and save, and demolish human trafficking rings; and I can do that with you, too. We can do a lot of 'good,' Aka. I can't change who or what I am, but I can do the things that make you happy. I can avoid the ones that bother you. This is - this is all I can offer you, Akaran. And if that's not enough for you..." He couldn't meet Akaran's eyes. It was too difficult to say, but he wanted to seem more flippant, more okay with things than he was. He wanted to say, 'I get it' but he couldn't get the words past his lips. It felt like his chest was caving in. For a man who'd picked out several homes to retire in after he'd made his riches, he certainly couldn't imagine his future anymore, not without Akaran in it.
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Ephemeral Ozymandias
ghostfinch
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2020 12:40 pm
▱▰▱Akaran felt his grip on Akihiko's hand tighten when he heard the words that returned his love. He did not flinch as he looked into Akihiko's eyes and listened to him lay it all out on the table. He listened intently to each word before taking a long pause after he finished to formulate his response. Akaran was never a good talker so it took time for him to formulate his thoughts. I don't wanna keep saying the same thing and he's being so honest... This was a thought that kept occurring to him as he formulated what he needed to say. "When I close my eyes and think of the moment I fell in love with you, I remember the Ya-ma-o-kas. There wasn't anything in that for you, definitely not money. You just did it because it was the right thing to do. It's right to help people who helped you. You bravely put your life on the line for that." Aka looked at Aki with intense admiration as he relived those memories with a love that was sealed by their first kiss. His grip on Aki's palm tightened even further with his fingers coiling around his hand. "It hurts me to think of your past because I look up to you so much. Not because I look down on you. Don't think for a second that I'm judging you. I love you for your flaws like you love me for mine." Akaran spoke honestly and sincerely to correct the record. He never doubted Akihiko despite Aki's insistence that there is no good in him. "You're smart and strong and caring to people you love. I've made so many mistakes as I've wandered these lands, but not you. I'm luckier than I deserve that I'll get to help people with the man I love. It means something about your heart that you're going to do that." Akaran did not mean to flatter or inflate Aki's ego as this was truly who he saw him as. He thought more about the substance of Akihiko's meaning. His endless declarations that he lacked a moral compass and that he was only going to be a force for good for his benefit. "I've learned from you that sometimes we need to break the rules to do the right thing. I think your ability to knock people's teeth in without worrying about it makes you better than me sometimes." Akaran now understood that a hero could not be harmless. There were times when it was necessary to be ruthless to protect the vulnerable. "I just need you to promise me that we're gonna do right by the people who need a hand out here and kick the s**t outta the ones makin' trouble." Akaran naturally allowed one of his pinkies to curl into Akihiko's while their hands were folded together to cement the promise. "I'll keep going. Life would be so stupid without you." Akaran spoke with determination before winking and smiling flirtatiously.
Personal Attributes ▱▰▱ Swordless Swordsman | As a fastidious student of Kyotoryuu, he is able to use small and medium blade bukijutsu styles through his "knife hands" causing them to act as taijutsu techniques in effect while consuming bukijutsu slots. ▱▰▱ Wandering Warrior | The Soko Sento and Kote Art styles can be used with an unarmored body. ▱▰▱ Unyielding Willow | Grants [2] stat points rather than [1] for the mastery of stages three and six of the Dance of the Meadow style for a total of [4] stat points. The Endurance stat cap of the Kaguya increases by [1] to a maximum of [9]. Finally, if half the resource cost of a bone armor technique is spent then it gains the attributes of armor and this does not cost a combat action. If the bone armor technique is E-Rank then it is considered very light armor, D-C rank for light armor, B-A rank for medium armor, and S-S+ rank for heavy armor. ▱▰▱ Martial Paragon | The favored fighting styles of the Kaguya are Taijutsu and Bukijutsu and, as a result, the Kaguya is able to start off with 2 additional taijutsu or bukijutsu styles. Finally, all complex Dance of the Meadow techniques are treated as spiritual in collision with other complex techniques. ▱▰▱ Curse Born | Forbidden Seals, including Curse of the Blood Orchid, owned by this rpc have an additional 100 corrupted nature chakra stored in their seal. This increases their cap from 400 to 500. Also, the Kaguya is able to recover faster from the drawbacks of forbidden seals following the deactivation of the seal making the stat reductions last for three posts rather than five. ▱▰▱ Mountain Clan | Oni are able to korabo suiton and sake techniques without the sake being reduced in strength. These can be korabo'd for one activation every two posts. In this circumstance, sake creation techniques are unnecessary but an augment needs to be paid for to korabo with the suiton technique. The Oni starts with [2] additional taijutsu styles upon creation. ▱▰▱ Clever Brew Master | The Oni receives two additional customs per body rank to produce new brew types. They are able to cast bloodline techniques through somatic movements. Their saketon pool is increased by 100. The Oni receives [1] point of strength and endurance at D-Rank and a second point of strength and endurance at B-Rank. ▱▰▱ Ogrelord | The Oni's saketon pool is increased by 200. Sake used by the Oni remove or restore chakra from the target two ranks below the rank brewed for poisonous or medicinal brews respectively. The Oni restores an additional 50 saketon per post passively. The Oni's stamina is increased by 200 and taijutsu techniques cost 10 stamina less at a minimum of 5. ▱▰▱ It's All Ogre Now | Akaran's oni heritage allows him to add an additional 100 chakra to his saketon reserves and cannot be increased beyond this.
**LEARNED - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
**MISSION - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
kiiwispoet
Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2020 6:17 pm
I'm getting by with my wicked ways ✦ I'm loading up and I'm taking names ✦ I wanna dig my way to hell ✦
I owed them, Akihiko thought when Akaran said he'd helped the Yamaoka family because it was the right thing to do. Of course, it hadn't cost him much of anything and he'd gotten to see Akaran in action, so there was no loss there. But Akaran still had lofty ideals about Akihiko's motivations despite the explanation... but, Akaran was also making his peace with what he understood.
He squeezed Akaran's hand back, giving him a lopsided smile. "You're such a sap," he accused warmly. "My life would be too smart without you. Everything would make too much sense," he teased. I love you, he thought. I'd burn down the entire world for you. He leaned over the table to give Akaran a chaste kiss, glad that their immediate interpersonal disaster was solved.
"After I update Mai, what do you want to do?" Then his face fell, thinking back to Ken and the bar. "I, uh, understand that you're not a fan of my past, but I can't guarantee it won't come up again. Do you... want to know about it? At all? I'm happy to not talk about it if its just going to upset you, but if you're going to feel like I'm harboring secrets from you down the line, maybe we should let Ken spill my guts. Or I could." He hated to risk putting himself back in the doghouse after just getting out, but he wanted the beef completely squashed before moving forward. There needed to be a complete understanding before he could continue exploring the sudden inspiration to... take things further with Akaran.
OOC:
Ephemeral Ozymandias
ghostfinch
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 6:54 am
▱▰▱Akaran frowned and used his free hand to whack Akihiko on the shoulder for calling him a sap. "You know I don't like that." He was annoyed but also recognized that Aki had a hard time expressing himself sometimes. Teasing was a sort of affection for him as well. His cheeks flushed when he felt Aki's lips briefly pressed against his. It shook a smile out of him even as he was pouting. When Aki brought up the discussion about his past work he frowned again and huffed. He actually did think a couple of times on if he would actually want to hear it. "I don't like Ken..." Aka murmured as he quietly weighed his options and continued holding Aki's hand, letting his fingers rub against the dog bite scar on Aki's hand. "If you're going to tell me then tell me everything. And it has to be from you." Aka spoke resolutely and genuinely as usual. He agreed with Aki that it was probably time that he knew the whole truth. Living in ignorance seemed to make him more fearful as he did not know what he was dealing with. Nonetheless, Akaran braced for it knowing that he was likely to see his hero in a more complex light. "I...if I don't like what I hear, I don't know. I'm too in love with you to go back to just friends, A-ki-hi-ko. But I trust you and I'd rather know your truth than ignore it." Aka felt as if he was looking into a dark abyss and about to jump. He had every reason to trust Aki based on his numerous actions of sincere love but it would always be difficult for him to reconcile those feelings with the knowledge of Aki not always being that way.
Personal Attributes ▱▰▱ Swordless Swordsman | As a fastidious student of Kyotoryuu, he is able to use small and medium blade bukijutsu styles through his "knife hands" causing them to act as taijutsu techniques in effect while consuming bukijutsu slots. ▱▰▱ Wandering Warrior | The Soko Sento and Kote Art styles can be used with an unarmored body. ▱▰▱ Unyielding Willow | Grants [2] stat points rather than [1] for the mastery of stages three and six of the Dance of the Meadow style for a total of [4] stat points. The Endurance stat cap of the Kaguya increases by [1] to a maximum of [9]. Finally, if half the resource cost of a bone armor technique is spent then it gains the attributes of armor and this does not cost a combat action. If the bone armor technique is E-Rank then it is considered very light armor, D-C rank for light armor, B-A rank for medium armor, and S-S+ rank for heavy armor. ▱▰▱ Martial Paragon | The favored fighting styles of the Kaguya are Taijutsu and Bukijutsu and, as a result, the Kaguya is able to start off with 2 additional taijutsu or bukijutsu styles. Finally, all complex Dance of the Meadow techniques are treated as spiritual in collision with other complex techniques. ▱▰▱ Curse Born | Forbidden Seals, including Curse of the Blood Orchid, owned by this rpc have an additional 100 corrupted nature chakra stored in their seal. This increases their cap from 400 to 500. Also, the Kaguya is able to recover faster from the drawbacks of forbidden seals following the deactivation of the seal making the stat reductions last for three posts rather than five. ▱▰▱ Mountain Clan | Oni are able to korabo suiton and sake techniques without the sake being reduced in strength. These can be korabo'd for one activation every two posts. In this circumstance, sake creation techniques are unnecessary but an augment needs to be paid for to korabo with the suiton technique. The Oni starts with [2] additional taijutsu styles upon creation. ▱▰▱ Clever Brew Master | The Oni receives two additional customs per body rank to produce new brew types. They are able to cast bloodline techniques through somatic movements. Their saketon pool is increased by 100. The Oni receives [1] point of strength and endurance at D-Rank and a second point of strength and endurance at B-Rank. ▱▰▱ Ogrelord | The Oni's saketon pool is increased by 200. Sake used by the Oni remove or restore chakra from the target two ranks below the rank brewed for poisonous or medicinal brews respectively. The Oni restores an additional 50 saketon per post passively. The Oni's stamina is increased by 200 and taijutsu techniques cost 10 stamina less at a minimum of 5. ▱▰▱ It's All Ogre Now | Akaran's oni heritage allows him to add an additional 100 chakra to his saketon reserves and cannot be increased beyond this.
**LEARNED - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
**MISSION - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
kiiwispoet
Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 12:29 pm
I'm getting by with my wicked ways ✦ I'm loading up and I'm taking names ✦ I wanna dig my way to hell ✦
Akihiko snickered as Akaran rejected the term sap, but he sobered up as Akaran talked through is feelings on the matter. Akihiko took it seriously, but he wasn't entirely sure where to start. "Okay. Well, I guess the first time I was hired to do something shady was when I stole some artwork from a fancy schmancy party at some hag's mansion. It was really easy all things considered, but it had been work for the Haru family, which are essentially mobsters. I hadn't known until I'd accepted a few more gigs from them, and then they were demanding my loyalty and offering all these luxuries to move up in their organization. But I'm not one for being tied down like that, so I'd refused."
He laughed cruelly, taking a swig of his drink. "That was a hell of a beating I got. I guess I left town after that, and ended up taking a job from the Katagawa family - again, without knowing - and that's when I met the Yamaoka family. I had been moving product when I was attacked by bandits or rivals or something. I should have died. The Yamaoka brought me in. They treated me for two weeks - when the infection should have taken me out if the blood loss didn't. I've owed them ever since - which is what they cashed in on." He shrugged, though his gaze lingered far in the distance, seeing all the violence that had graced his life since he had chosen this path. He had dozens more stories, but they could come in time. He'd be honest. He hadn't gotten into the gruesome stuff yet, or the s**t that was basically a war crime. Even in the face of those incidents, he had done plenty of kind acts in his life. He'd saved thousands of lives over his years, directly and indirectly. Maybe there was a part of him that did match Akaran's idealistic perspective.
"I hope you don't mind the ugliness that comes from a past like mine," he said, looking at his dog bite scar before rubbing the back of his left shoulder, all too aware of the scar that existed there, too.
OOC:
Ephemeral Ozymandias
ghostfinch
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 12:59 pm
▱▰▱Aka was nervous listening to Akihiko regale him about his personal history. So far what he described was not too bad but he had a sense that there was more to come. He was somewhat relieved to hear that Aki at least acknowledged that his past was ugly. Aki's candor caused Aka to reflect on some of his own mistakes and reasoned that maybe Aki would feel that this was less one-sided if Aka shared some of his own faults. "I remember you talked a little bit about the Ya-ma-o-kas and Ka-ta-ga-was before but not everything." This was at least some reassurance that Akaran had been listening to him now and in the past. Akaran's eyes became emphatically saddened when he looked away at the wall before turning back to Aki. "What's the worst job you ever did?" At this point, Akaran just wanted to get it over with and out of the way. The suspense was becoming unbearable and weighed heavily on his heart. In an effort to give Aki some reprieve so that this would not feel like an interrogation, he would speak up again. He rubbed Aki's hand again to silently reassure him that he was safe to open up to him and noticed when he looked at his scar. His eyes glanced up at the ceiling as he thought of his own mistakes. "When I was a kid in school, back when they still let me in school in Zai-shin. Anyway, I used to punch boys who wouldn't kiss me. And wrestle them outside. I was really angry because they'd laugh at me for my horns, calling me a yo-kai. I hurt myself a few times ripping them out but they always grew back. Even when I grew up I still got into a lot of fights. They kicked me outta school when I was bigger because I almost mauled a boy. I'd ask my dad about my horns and he kept lying saying they were bones, not horns. When I got kicked out my dad was disappointed. After that, I decided to be nice to everyone even if they were mean but I still feel bad." Akaran felt a lot of guilt that seeped into his words. He was the scourge of the Zaishin academy as a result of being constantly excluded. He felt guilty that he did not rise above the harassment at the time. This was one major impetus for Akaran becoming the type of person he grew to be.
Personal Attributes ▱▰▱ Swordless Swordsman | As a fastidious student of Kyotoryuu, he is able to use small and medium blade bukijutsu styles through his "knife hands" causing them to act as taijutsu techniques in effect while consuming bukijutsu slots. ▱▰▱ Wandering Warrior | The Soko Sento and Kote Art styles can be used with an unarmored body. ▱▰▱ Unyielding Willow | Grants [2] stat points rather than [1] for the mastery of stages three and six of the Dance of the Meadow style for a total of [4] stat points. The Endurance stat cap of the Kaguya increases by [1] to a maximum of [9]. Finally, if half the resource cost of a bone armor technique is spent then it gains the attributes of armor and this does not cost a combat action. If the bone armor technique is E-Rank then it is considered very light armor, D-C rank for light armor, B-A rank for medium armor, and S-S+ rank for heavy armor. ▱▰▱ Martial Paragon | The favored fighting styles of the Kaguya are Taijutsu and Bukijutsu and, as a result, the Kaguya is able to start off with 2 additional taijutsu or bukijutsu styles. Finally, all complex Dance of the Meadow techniques are treated as spiritual in collision with other complex techniques. ▱▰▱ Curse Born | Forbidden Seals, including Curse of the Blood Orchid, owned by this rpc have an additional 100 corrupted nature chakra stored in their seal. This increases their cap from 400 to 500. Also, the Kaguya is able to recover faster from the drawbacks of forbidden seals following the deactivation of the seal making the stat reductions last for three posts rather than five. ▱▰▱ Mountain Clan | Oni are able to korabo suiton and sake techniques without the sake being reduced in strength. These can be korabo'd for one activation every two posts. In this circumstance, sake creation techniques are unnecessary but an augment needs to be paid for to korabo with the suiton technique. The Oni starts with [2] additional taijutsu styles upon creation. ▱▰▱ Clever Brew Master | The Oni receives two additional customs per body rank to produce new brew types. They are able to cast bloodline techniques through somatic movements. Their saketon pool is increased by 100. The Oni receives [1] point of strength and endurance at D-Rank and a second point of strength and endurance at B-Rank. ▱▰▱ Ogrelord | The Oni's saketon pool is increased by 200. Sake used by the Oni remove or restore chakra from the target two ranks below the rank brewed for poisonous or medicinal brews respectively. The Oni restores an additional 50 saketon per post passively. The Oni's stamina is increased by 200 and taijutsu techniques cost 10 stamina less at a minimum of 5. ▱▰▱ It's All Ogre Now | Akaran's oni heritage allows him to add an additional 100 chakra to his saketon reserves and cannot be increased beyond this.
**LEARNED - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
**MISSION - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
kiiwispoet
Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 1:39 pm
I'm getting by with my wicked ways ✦ I'm loading up and I'm taking names ✦ I wanna dig my way to hell ✦
Akihiko worried his bottom lip at Akaran's question. Akihiko figured he could kind of vaguely lay out his history in an honest but not overbearing way to clear the air, but if Akaran was asking directly... "Well, you may think my moving product for the Katagawa family was the worst," he said thoughtfully. Then, he figured his meaning was escaping the oni. "Product meaning people, Aka. I trafficked people. Not sure who, not sure why, but I picked them up from a port and transported them for the Katagawa family before I knew who they were or what they were doing," he confessed, pointedly not clarifying that he wouldn't have objected had he known what they were doing, only that he had stopped working for them once he realized it was a crime family that would inevitably demand his loyalty.
He kept looking away from Akaran as he recalled the event. "I think it might have been... something to do with doujutsu. I think they were members of the Hyuuga, though I can't say for certain because I didn't have to interact with any of them. I suspect, if anything, they were either studied or used for training private militia. The Hyuuga have powerful eyes and their abilities can benefit medics and fighters alike - I'm sure they were utilized for one or the other purpose. They didn't necessarily suffer, is what I mean, but I'm not justifying my actions. Just... I wasn't delivering them like lambs to the slaughter, is what I mean."
He frowned as Akaran shared his personal shame with his horns growing up, and the bullying. His grip tightened on the oni as he thought about tearing apart everyone who ever hurt him. Then, he took a breath and relaxed. "I'm sorry you didn't get what you needed, as a kid." His eyes were kind, but it was impossible to tell if he had a similar upbringing or if he couldn't relate.
OOC:
Ephemeral Ozymandias
ghostfinch
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:25 pm
▱▰▱Ripping the bandaid off was necessary but it stung all the same as he looked at his lover from across the table. Listening to Aki's confession was an intense bombardment against Akaran's conscience. Trafficking human beings who were kidnapped and held against their will was almost emblematic of the wide spectrum of suffering that was so tragically commonplace in the world he lived in that it made almost plain. Mentioning his father also made his lip quiver as he remembered the traumatic sight of his father committing suicide over his own existence. This intense whirlpool of emotions welled up in his eyes. Tears rolled over the crimson tears of his Kaguya eye warpaint. "Sorry." Akaran whimpered as he retracted his hands to cover his eyes and dry his eyes. He prevented himself from fully sobbing after a few breaths and his tears wiped away. Akihiko's face became almost luminous through the veil of moisture over his eyes. It was a conflicting sensation, gut-wrenching and uncontrollable in his attempts to not be judgmental of someone who meant a lot to him and continued to. "Okay, that's the worst then." He exhaled and clasped his hands together in front of him and processed the information. "The world is so dark and ******** up." He remembered his body being carried off for a lynching in Zaishin just because of how he was born and not because of anything he did. Greed, hatred, it was all an unstoppable wave of sin that he had to face head-on. "But we will raise it to the light." Akaran said with a hopeful tone and smiled softly as he recollected himself. There was still a pain in his chest that was eating at him because of this. Perhaps it would just take time to heal. "You can keep going." Aka gave Aki permission as he grabbed his hand again. He did not want Aki to stop in the middle of it all just because of Aka's emotional expressions. "When I started wandering the Land of Iron I would get so hungry that I thought my stomach was going to eat itself. When that happened I would steal food from people. One time it was so bad that I stole from a pregnant woman in a caravan on the road. I thought I was gonna die of hunger but I think the guilt did me in enough." Akaran understood that the world could create desperate enough conditions for people to do the unthinkable. Had his family been more tolerant perhaps he would have been allowed to be a samurai instead of having to wander in exile. This was not an excuse that Akaran would ever grant himself though and the incidents of his theft weighed heavily on him.
Personal Attributes ▱▰▱ Swordless Swordsman | As a fastidious student of Kyotoryuu, he is able to use small and medium blade bukijutsu styles through his "knife hands" causing them to act as taijutsu techniques in effect while consuming bukijutsu slots. ▱▰▱ Wandering Warrior | The Soko Sento and Kote Art styles can be used with an unarmored body. ▱▰▱ Unyielding Willow | Grants [2] stat points rather than [1] for the mastery of stages three and six of the Dance of the Meadow style for a total of [4] stat points. The Endurance stat cap of the Kaguya increases by [1] to a maximum of [9]. Finally, if half the resource cost of a bone armor technique is spent then it gains the attributes of armor and this does not cost a combat action. If the bone armor technique is E-Rank then it is considered very light armor, D-C rank for light armor, B-A rank for medium armor, and S-S+ rank for heavy armor. ▱▰▱ Martial Paragon | The favored fighting styles of the Kaguya are Taijutsu and Bukijutsu and, as a result, the Kaguya is able to start off with 2 additional taijutsu or bukijutsu styles. Finally, all complex Dance of the Meadow techniques are treated as spiritual in collision with other complex techniques. ▱▰▱ Curse Born | Forbidden Seals, including Curse of the Blood Orchid, owned by this rpc have an additional 100 corrupted nature chakra stored in their seal. This increases their cap from 400 to 500. Also, the Kaguya is able to recover faster from the drawbacks of forbidden seals following the deactivation of the seal making the stat reductions last for three posts rather than five. ▱▰▱ Mountain Clan | Oni are able to korabo suiton and sake techniques without the sake being reduced in strength. These can be korabo'd for one activation every two posts. In this circumstance, sake creation techniques are unnecessary but an augment needs to be paid for to korabo with the suiton technique. The Oni starts with [2] additional taijutsu styles upon creation. ▱▰▱ Clever Brew Master | The Oni receives two additional customs per body rank to produce new brew types. They are able to cast bloodline techniques through somatic movements. Their saketon pool is increased by 100. The Oni receives [1] point of strength and endurance at D-Rank and a second point of strength and endurance at B-Rank. ▱▰▱ Ogrelord | The Oni's saketon pool is increased by 200. Sake used by the Oni remove or restore chakra from the target two ranks below the rank brewed for poisonous or medicinal brews respectively. The Oni restores an additional 50 saketon per post passively. The Oni's stamina is increased by 200 and taijutsu techniques cost 10 stamina less at a minimum of 5. ▱▰▱ It's All Ogre Now | Akaran's oni heritage allows him to add an additional 100 chakra to his saketon reserves and cannot be increased beyond this.
