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The Illuminators: Last Trinity (A Naruto AU)

The Illuminators

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A world wandering in darkness, trapped in cycles of war and hatred. The chosen few who seek to change the future. Love, bonds, strength, and the watchful eye of heaven.

The descendant of a renegade. The lost child who became death herself. The slave who became a brave soldier. These are they who seek to tear apart the past and illuminate the future.

Welcome to a world beyond our own. Where the revolution may not be televised, but it will be in high definition all the same. Shout your creed to the sky, and prepare to engage.
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Introduction
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    • FortePlus

    FortePlus

    The THRILL from Green Hill
    Location
    Toronto
    Pronouns
    He/Him
    The renegade soldier Jacob West started his rampage throughout the ninja world, defeating every opponent he came across and demanding that the world move towards a peaceful era. Although his power was unmatched, he disappeared a decade ago and has not been seen by the world since.

    His grandson has started a search for him, after being exiled for searching into his grandfather's fate and exploits.

    The world, plunged into darkness, must be illuminated once more.


    Welcome to another Naruto world. This story begins near the start of the original series, with many changes due to the actions of one man. Lives have been altered, alliances made, and new power is out there to be discovered.

    The story revolves around that man from outside of the main continent, and a port city in the Iron Country, which is politically neutral. Out of this place, called Kennedy Port, comes a rich history.

    Our lead character is Joshua West, the grandson of the man who changed the world, with his roots in a country far from the one his family grew up in. He aims to erase despair from the hearts of those close to him, and then the world itself.

    He is joined by an accomplished mercenary, a princess of the old world who has pledged herself to him and his cause. Her name is Hannah Kuiper, known to many as the Gold Reaper.

    And with them is a young civilian woman who escaped her own darkness, choosing to repay her saviours by immersing herself in the shinobi arts and joining them in their journey. Her name is Ritsu Tanaka, one with her sights on changing her world for the better.

    Together, they go on the greatest journey that ever was, and ever will be.

    For better. For worse. And everything in between. The world will be immersed in light, and change forever. What that change will mean will be decided as always: on the battlefield.

    It's time.


    Joshua -- Hannah -- Ritsu
    ---
    A Naruto Alternate Universe Story:
    The Illuminators​

    Reader advisory: a heads up blanket warning for things that will appear within the story​
    • coarse language​
    • violence​
    • mature references and subject matter, including discussion of death and murder​
    • implied sexual references​
    • light sexual innuendo (on the part of at least one character, semi-regularly)​
    • discussions of sexual assault​
    • discussions of physical assault​
    • bigotry, including racism, homophobia and transphobia​
    This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a warning for what might be common. In the event of a possible rules breach, comment in the thread, send a PM, or hit the report button so administration can handle it.

    The age rating for this story should amount to T. At worst, bordering M.

    Reader discretion is still advised. Be safe.    ​
     
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    Explanations and System
  • Informational
    • Information and Systems​

    To be clear: this is a quest that leans harder on narrative than simulation. As a result it's going to feel much more game-like, sort of; this will be reflected in action choices, information delivery, travel, etc. Your actions will still have consequences, but the weight will attempt to be relative to each choice made. Numbers won't matter outside of statistical data, and that will establish who has immediate advantage in any given encounter. It's not to be treated as an absolute, but rather as something that will help you make informed decisions within the narrative.

    The flavour of this story is very much a mix of the Naruto world and Western influence, so you'll notice a few things as the story unfolds. As said before, this is an AU of the Naruto world, starting out from near the top of part 1. Canon is already altered because of Gramps, so a lot of the story beats won't go the same. There's also a more active presence when it comes to certain villains, though don't expect Akatsuki to be some sort of super threat causing instant havoc; at this point in the canon they're still too broke to do much of anything.

    Databooks will be included and updated as much as possible, feel free to point out if there's something missing or looks like it's out of place.

    There's no life system in place. You can in theory die as many times as you want, but things get messy if you get hurt badly or screw something up. The story tends to flow forward and I try not to be too harsh in terms of choices and impact on the world. Usually you'll restart from the place you screwed up, with some author insight if you do experience death. Critical moments in fights will be marked.

    Chakra will be regulated to the point where you'll know when you're close to empty. You won't die from overusing chakra, just bad moves that will directly kill you. Other narrative scenes, such as slice of life or dramatic events, are safe from any kind of death or permanent harm.

    A lot of things will not be hard data, such as alliances and relationships, unless specific events come into play. I try to do as good a job as possible of conveying relations through the story, but I'm always open to comments or questions about what's happening and how it's happening within the narrative.

    Stats will be listed naturally in the databooks, and depending on how it goes I'll have a "match tape" system. The match tape will feature an opponent's stats and signature technique or techniques, giving some insight into how well you match up in certain areas. This can help you plan accordingly in battle.

    Ninjutsu: out of 10
    Taijutsu: out of 10
    Genjutsu: out of 10
    Intelligence: out of 10
    Strength: out of 10
    Speed: out of 10
    Stamina: out of 10
    Seal Speed: out of 10

    Element Level (your prowess in a given element)
    - Fire /out of 5
    - Water /out of 5
    - Earth /out of 5
    - Lightning /out of 5
    - Wind /out of 5
    - (advanced natures &c)

    All stats are out of 10, as shown above. You can also earn + beside stats, which denote a special condition (e.g a boost from being a jinchuuriki) or an ability that boosts their techniques of that type. Only one + is needed, and while stats are out of 10 they can with enough work easily exceed the limit of 10. When you hit milestones like that, you get new abilities associated with that category. You'll also note something in common with the three character picks in regards to jutsu. There are no actual restrictions to elements or what are registered as bloodline limits for these people, which is tied into the lore.

    Battles and Momentum

    My preference is to write fights with "weight" or momentum to them. A successful barrage of attacks is fair to counter, but to completely erase the momentum of the MC all at once when they can't do anything about it is unfair.

    The combat system at its core is simple, with lines of choices followed by the ever popular write in option. When you write in you can do what you want and steer the fight into whatever direction you like, provided it fits with what's happening. For single line choices, there are good and less good options. When you pick one of those, the MC will act within character and launch the move specified, then will follow with what's the most logical follow-up. To simplify, if you make a good choice in a fight, you won't have to worry about what to do after the first move; it will be taken care of. Bad or sub-optimal picks will have the MC fight to the best of their ability back to a neutral point where the fight resumes. Each update will take stock of the situation and present appropriate options.

    Unless you make a fatal mistake, fights are always within your grasp. The write-in is for anyone who wants to have a deeper management of combat and take advantage of something they see, which is always fair.

    Here's a representation of what a typical fight might look like. This is subject to change, depending on how things go the bottom section might not be needed.

    Actions
    - option 1
    - option 2
    - etc.
    - write in
    ---
    Shortlist of techniques
    - option 1
    - option 2
    - etc.
    - write in

    Non combat situations will be formatted similarly, depending on need.
    Techniques and Training

    Depends on the story and situation. If there's proper time to train, training will happen and be given as an option. There's also the ability - which is encouraged - to request training sessions since you can plug away at things and have it work out for you. There's really no set path here or any real restrictions. What will happen, as fair play, is that as you keep growing certain things will scale with you. As long as you keep improving, you can potentially take on anyone you want, but it'll always be a challenge to get to the top. Not just for the sake of story balance, but because lore demands it: it's a world where everyone gets a chance to get swole. And swole they shall be, whether they're your BFFs, frenemies, or actual enemies.

    Techniques will be free pickings for questers. You can either pick from canon techniques that you know of or remember, or look towards cool custom techniques the QM will provide. Some are just variations on what is in canon, others are entirely different things, and still others blend those two worlds. Learning phases will offer things tailored more towards the primary combat form than others, but you're not locked out of picking something completely opposite your style if you want.

    Here's a breakdown of the classical elements and how they line for technique progression.

    Fire: good for range and area of effect attacks. At close range, specialty techniques are more limited, even at higher levels. Sees a pretty dramatic change from lower to top levels. Great for keeping opponents out of your face, but not the best option for active hands.

    Water: easy enough to pick up but more difficult to master or immediately make lethal on its own. Water is good for defensive and area of effect attacks, though unlike fire it's not immediately fatal when starting out. It stands out in fights over water sources, as expected. Excellent for keeping enemies honest if supplements like clones are used right.

    Earth: great for defense and some reckless offense if needed. Shifting terrain is a good opener and there are lots of techniques to do that, making life hard for enemies who need decent footing. Takes a decent amount of control to get to immediately lethal levels, but there's a lot of utility. Patience and calculation are a big part of making earth techniques successful.

    Wind: extremely versatile. Can easily supplement the user with self-buffs and attacks can also buff each other. With cutting ability, it can quickly become dangerous and lethal to enemies with simple applications. A good technique spread means it has something for every range if the user takes advantage. Decent enough to pick up and strong when mastered.

    Lightning: like wind, extremely versatile and can immediately be a lethal option. Buffing techs like adaptive armor can quickly make anyone look good by attacking before the enemy can get set. A range of techniques means this is also good from just about any distance and suited to those with very active hands in close especially. Pays big dividends like wind fairly quickly.
    Aesthetic Options

    It's not terribly important to some, but I like the idea of appearances and those contributing to how a character looks and behaves within the narrative. It also helps with other things.

    You'll have a default appearance and look, and your appearance can be changed with training and other experiences, all of that if you want. Free option/write-ins are always there for you. Clothing is also customizable whenever you want it to be, again with default settings attached that you can change. Your "alignments" and story actions also change how you're physically viewed, some more than others. Some characters will also give you items and gifts that you can equip or hold onto, and will usually be on your person or in hammerspace of some kind. Keeping a running tally is something I will strive to do, especially if it's an important item of some kind. With all of this said, item management shouldn't be much of a problem, since I like to try and keep things inside of the story and not get too too meta unless situations call for it. That's to say, I'm not going to make an item important that you have with you and not remind you of it - if I do, call it out, please. Helps us both.
    Politics and Diplomacy

    Depending on what you want to do and how you'll do it, this will become important. While this isn't going to even attempt to become a rational civ quest type thing (read: it's out of my wheelhouse), interpersonal relationships, alliances, and enemies will play a role in how you move, fight, and generally just do things in the world and move around. There will be leniency; the ninja world is never ever set in stone and friends can become enemies very quickly, and vice versa. So you have room to piss people off if you want, or if you're just into trolling. I guess.

    Since your MC is an important person not only in the current world, but in all of history for many reasons, the approaches aren't exactly going to be subtle, especially for ninja dudes. People can and will turn on you for petty things if they don't get to know you first. Your actual friends won't be that volatile unless you really really mess up.
    World Effects and Active Story

    As advertised. Each thing you do will have an effect on another thing. The world will shift and move, not only as you do, but as time passes. Battles will have an effect on your status and movement, and actions will cause ripples across the map. This isn't too much of a stretch; the world isn't as stable as it seems and carries a lot of tension due to the changes made before this part of the story began.

    For the most part, you'll have a heads' up when things that directly affect you are about to happen, and if you leverage your contacts properly by buckling down on opportunities, you'll be able to get a pulse of the world and make whatever moves you want.

    Other OCs will appear and their presence will allow you to disrupt canon elements if you make proper contact with them, whether for good or evil. And if you're one of the people who pops in recognizes anyone from certain other quests...don't worry, it's on purpose.
    Relationships and Allies

    By default friends and family will like you, again it comes down to what you do, but some love is unconditional and you can't do a thing about it. Same thing with hatred at times.

    When you gain partners, they're going to be straight with you to start, because in this world you're needed to do things. If you finish up missions properly, you'll end up in their good graces, and you can easily stack up the good will to the point where they'll fight for you in the name of love and/or friendship. War is also a good way to make lots of [tomodachi].

    And we can't forget romance! Waifus! The essence of all good quests. Since you're a [dude] you'll encounter lots of [ladies] across your journey, some coming on stronger than others. You can opt to be just friends of course, if you're into that. All three of the main characters at the start have their own sort of harem-atic magnetism by default (for one it's actually lore-related to boot) so don't be shocked by people kind of flocking to you in hopes of joining your team, for one reason or another.

    While it's fun, I'll strive not to let harem time cut into the quest or the quest progression too much.
    Partner Growth and Full Synchro

    Your partners (allies, friends, lovers, etc.) react to what you do and behave in response to that. Some partners will only act on your orders, some will act completely independent of you, and still others will follow your lead and fight by your side. They will offer advice, solicited and unsolicited, make their own life choices, ask questions, and consider what actions you take. Positive relationships therefore mean that your partners and/or team will attempt to do the right thing instead of something dumb that makes your life harder. Interacting with your partners gives them a fuller understanding of your mannerisms, styles, and tendencies, meaning they can react better to whatever you choose to do - this goes from combining attack effects to defending you from crushing or fatal blows. Levels of a relationship will change how your partners grow and change, but relationships and bond strength are two different things. Friends can have a stronger bond than lovers, and rivals greater bonds than family. It is dependent on situation. Don't feel the need to press a relationship for a potential bonus.

    The mention of momentum-based combat brings in another feature. When partners or teams fight together, they can earn a combat boost called "Full Synchronization" or "Full Synchro". Full Synchro is the optimization of coordinated movements, and the potential grows the more times you fight and train with each other, the latter offering a bigger boost overall. As said earlier, momentum in combat grows the potential of Full Synchro and it will be notated as battles go on. Full Synchro starts with making coordination better and grows up to the creation of powerful combination techniques. These can be things like combining compatible elements on the fly, layering jutsu, and launching combined attacks with optimum timing (e.g. absurd things like Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black Arrow Style Zero (WR: Rasenshuriken + BR: Kagutsuchi) from canon Naruto). The amount of possibilities is potentially endless as a result.

    So, how does Full Synchro actually break down? There are a number of ways the count builds. By itself, it builds by 5%, or 5 points out of 100, each and every turn you're partnered up. Team actions add 5% each, for each one performed. This includes jutsu, offensive, and defensive movements performed by the team. Parrying a blow meant for your partner, or intercepting an incoming attack both count towards the bonus. Counter attacks from hard reads add 10%, and Full or Fatal Counters add 15%. Passive combat boosts from special abilities are added in as well, boosting the rate further. Once the Full Synchro point threshold is reached or exceeded, the boost is activated. This boost is active until one or more people on the team are hit by an attack; the balance of Full Synchronization is delicate despite its great power.

    The evolution of Full Synchronization is Perfect Synchronization, reached when an incredible bond between two people is formed. It carries all of the strengths of Full Synchro and is reached in the same manner. Once it is activated, unlike its counterpart, it will remain active until one or more team members is dispatched or takes a fatal attack that completely knocks them out of the fight. Perfect Synchro also adds the benefit of special custom combinations, available for the current battle. These techniques are not only varied, but tailored to each battle and situation - some of them will even change form turn by turn in response to enemies. A truly powerful tool that can change the tide of any fight!

    The last item is the potential of new techniques. Depending on your companions, you can offer to teach them new or improved techniques that fit in with their nature. If it's something odd, they will give you notice before you make the decision whether to press on or not. They will make offers to you in the same manner. Please note that you cannot be progression-locked by these events, but your partners may be aware of something in the world and will try to react accordingly by offering you their time.

     
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  • Informational
    • World Status
  • Informational
    • The major villages look different in this iteration, some more than others.

    Current:

    Village Hidden in the Leaves    : The most powerful in terms of military, political, and social might. Home to many of the world's premier shinobi, both in the past and in the present. They produce prominent warriors such as the 'God of Shinobi', the 'Yellow Flash', the 'White Fang', and the legendary 'Sannin'. This was the first of the five shinobi villages to ever be built, and it has a large population with many clans living within its walls. Their development programs for their shinobi are brilliant, their economic situation is quite stable, and they have excellent command of their military resources. Nobody would dare attack this village without a death wish of some sort, taking note of the many revered and respected shinobi that reside there. The fear of Konohagakure's 'speak softly and carry a big stick' policy is making some villages a bit antsy. They hold the strength of one jinchuuriki, the Nine Tails.

    Hokage: Minato Namikaze, Fourth Hokage
    Disposition: Friendly, Allied

    Village Hidden in the Clouds: Their economic status is superb, and that allows them to flood the military with funding while being able to satisfy the needs of the people in the village. They have been under an aggressive arms-gathering strategy and have been increasing their numbers more and more with each passing season. They have two jinchuuriki to Konoha's one, and they value their jinchuuriki highly, seeing as they're not willing to put them in any kind of danger unless necessary. Because of the pressure from the Lightning Daimyo, there has been an insatiable hunger for jutsu and techniques of all kinds. They hold the strength of two jinchuuriki, the Two Tails and Eight Tails.

    Raikage: A, Fourth Raikage
    Disposition: Extremely Hostile, Enemy

    Village Hidden in the Rocks: Led by Oonoki of the Twin Scales, a man said to 'always get his way'. There are rumors that the criminal organization Akatsuki has been employed several times by this village to carry out missions. The village also holds two jinchuuriki, the same as the Hidden Cloud. Their military strength is no joke, though their economy could stand to see some improvement if they want to remain strong. This village is very much battle-hardened as well...both metaphorically speaking and literally. They hold the strength of two jinchuuriki, the Four Tails and Five Tails.

    Tsuchikage: Oonoki of the Twin Scales, Third Tsuchikage
    Disposition: Neutral

    Village Hidden in the Mist: Constantly covered in a thick mist. There is a high number of nukenin that originate from this village, and so there is a unique class of shinobi called hunter-nin that are tasked to hunt down and kill these defectors. The village is home to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, a group of highly-skilled shinobi with various types of bladed weapons. A young woman by the name of Mei Terumi is the current and fifth Mizukage. They also have two tailed beasts and a solid military force, as well as a decent economy. Accessibility might be a factor, as well as all of the nasty rumours about the village itself, and their wariness towards anyone with special abilities. They hold the strength of one jinchuuriki, the Six Tails. They also have the Three Tails sealed away.

    Mizukage: Mei Terumi, Fifth Mizukage
    Disposition: Friendly, Allied

    Village Hidden in the Sand: This village has been weakened by deep cuts in funding and the outsourcing of missions to other countries, most notably the Leaf. The village therefore has a weak military and little economic growth to speak of. Many people have left the village in search of greener pastures. The Kazekage tried to offset the balance of military power by sealing one of the tailed beasts inside of his own son, known now as Gaara of the Desert. He lost his mother in the process, and was turned into a monster. The hopes of the village ride on his back...and they seem to be anxious to get him out on missions so that he can unleash his powers without harming villagers. The Sand is in desperation mode, and has been for a good while now. They hold the strength of one jinchuuriki, the One Tail.

    Kazekage: Rasa, Fourth Kazekage
    Disposition: Extremely Hostile, Enemy
     
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  • Informational
    • Episode 1.0: They Call Me Zeke
  • Threadmarks
    • "You're an absolute lifesaver, bless you. It's been so hard lately."

    "No problem, ma'am."

    "You really should charge more, too. I know you said you're only around for the next few days, but I think it only makes sense. The normal freelancers charge inflated prices or just straight up scam you," the woman with dark skin said. She holds her baby against her chest, bundled up securely. "And don't get me started on the shinobi. Just war dogs at this point, poor things. Listen, you take care of yourself. I want to see you around again and fix you a proper meal."

    "No promises," you say to her with a smile as you leave her kitchen. The stove was on the fritz, along with a lot of other things. Nothing you couldn't handle for cheap, and she was overwhelmed as it was.

    "Just like you, Zeke. Go on, I know you have other things to get to. And spend that damn money on yourself for once!"

    You wave her goodbye as the door closes behind you. Another day, another job. More money in your pocket, not that you were exactly wanting at the moment. As you walk out onto the familiar paths of the Hidden Cloud, you tilt your hat up to look at the overcast skies. No rain again today, seemed like. Better for your purposes.

    "..."

    This was probably the only place besides your old home where you wouldn't stand out much. People tended to mistake you for a local, or didn't think much of your freelance work as they assumed you were from the surrounding area.

    You weren't. And 'Zeke' was only one of your names.

    If anyone knew who you really were, they'd report you and then the real mess would start. It wasn't that you had committed any crimes - aside from that 'one' that sent you out on your journey in the first place - but you were very closely connected to a certain man, one that made a lot of the Cloud higher ups sore. He made everyone sore, didn't he? That was your Gramps, after all. You wished you had met him even once, before he disappeared all that time ago. Doing all of those incredible things. Taking on the world.

    And winning. Easily.

    "I don't think I'll ever get that strong." You look down at your hands, turning them over and back. This dark skin of yours was derived from another place, off continent. A place called...well, the Outer Continent. And those people were originally descended from a place called the Original World. It was crazy, and you wanted to study it. But there weren't any books or material to speak of. The shinobi world was pretty self-centered, anyways, so it only made sense. At the least, your auntie Sarah and your extremely organized and bookish friend Noriko were working on that.

    "I really wanted to read those," you mutter. "Stupid."

    It's been two years since you've been exiled from your hometown, Kennedy Port. Away from your parents, your family, your friends. You wonder how they're all doing...but you've got a job to do. Find the old man. And part of doing that means changing the world. You don't know why he's disappeared, but causing a global shift? That would pull anyone out of hiding, and uncover secrets you could use. What the hell was that man's endgame? If Grams didn't know, nobody would.

    "Well...I guess we'll see how things turn out." You shoulder your backpack and adjust your hat again. Always good to be cautious. Now, you should head to your next destination. More work. Then again, Grams did talk about keeping your hands moving and the devil on his back foot.

    Alright...time for the next move. You hop down a nearby mountainside and towards the bottom.

    ---

    [] A local woman wants to make a delivery of bread and baked goods. She's asking for an escort for the trip north.
    [] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
    [] You want to get something to eat before you do anything else.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Data: Your Main Character (Joshua)
  • Informational
    • Joshua Ezekiel West
    5' 9" (1.75 m), 180 lbs (81.8 kg)
    16 years
    Born: Kennedy Port, Iron Country
    Residence: n/a
    Rank: n/a
    Shinobi Registration: n/a

    Aliases: Joshua, Josh, Zeke, Blue Arrow

    Appearance: Tall, dark-skinned young man (some describe it as chocolate-toned). Friendly face. Athletic build from years of work and training, typical for a trained fighter. Seems a bit intimidating to civilians sometimes because of his size. Hair is curly, cut low and faded at the sides. Brown eyes.

    Attire: (default) - regular combat-style vest, coloured blue. Dark grey cap. Black shirt and cargo shorts. Sneakers, reinforced for overall durability, with blue bottoms.

    Misc.: tba.

    Base Stats:
    Ninjutsu: 5
    Taijutsu: 10.5
    Genjutsu: 1
    Intelligence: 10
    Strength: 10
    Speed: 10
    Stamina: 10
    Seal Speed: 3
    Total: 59.5/80

    Taijutsu typing
    Elemental All-Rounder
    Temperance / Kindness / Humility

    Element Level:
    Wind 1.5/5
    Water 0.5/5
    Fire 0.5/5
    Earth 0.5/5
    Lightning 0.5/5

    Special Abilities

    Contextual Gravity
    - otherwise called natural charisma. Draws people and events towards you, in this case for better more than for worse because of the chosen personality traits. The strength of influence increases along with overall ability. A potentially world changing power depending on the path that's taken.

    Speed Reading
    - awarded for reaching 10 int. Navigating situations will be made a lot easier, in combat and especially in social situations where reading the atmosphere is important. You'll constantly have your mind working towards the best and most efficient solutions, and are less likely to put your foot in your mouth as a result.

    Captain Clutch
    - an ability that can change the tide of battle. Once every battle in a desperate position, you can use a free opportunity to save an ally in trouble in addition to your other plans.

    Two of Braves
    - a special ability shared by Joshua and Hannah. Formed from their bond as soulmates, this allows them to read each other's hearts and connect on the highest levels. In battle, this can manifest in the ability to have either one read the other's movements, anticipating their next strike, and boosting it in many ways including power, accuracy, and status effects. In action, this will appear as a vote option that has your character deduce what action your partner will take, with sub options on how to capitalize on it. While in each other's presence, both parties will have their two lowest stats boosted by one point each, and the Full Synchronization rate will be boosted by another 20% on top of all other increases. Full Synchronization will also change, becoming Perfect Synchronization. Perfect Synchro allows for complete, perfect unity and access to custom techniques that will only appear in a fight, and which will be tailored to each unique situation. This mutual skill and all of its effects are active whenever Joshua and Hannah enter battle together, and cannot be disabled by enemies. The effects of this technique will grow along with the characters as appropriate.
    Jutsu

    Body Flicker
    - by using the Body Flicker Technique, the user can move short to long distances at an almost untraceable speed. To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily vitalise the body and move at extreme speeds. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance and elevation between the user and the intended destination.

    Body Replacement
    - The instant before they are to be struck by an attack, the user replaces themselves with a block of wood or something similar. Because the attack does hit something, opponents may briefly believe that they've successfully struck the user. But this is merely an optical illusion and opponents will quickly notice what's happened. If users are fast enough, they can use this brief lapse in the opponent's attentions to stage a counterattack.

    Correspondence
    - a technique that allows for soundless communication, created by Yukari Uzumaki. The jutsu is housed inside of a seal and activated at the user's will, allowing them to speak mentally with those who are connected to them. Lines of communication can be switched on and off at any time, and communication can take place even if the users are transformed or long distances apart.

    Transformation/Henge
    - this technique is most often used to disguise the user as another person, but they can also turn into an animal, plant, or inanimate object.

    Clone
    - for this technique, users create one or more afterimages of themselves to move alongside them. Unlike most other clone techniques, these afterimages have no substance and thus are incapable of damaging opponents. Opponents can identify clones from their original through careful observation, as clones won't cast shadows, crush grass, kick up dust, etc.

    Fire Release: Great Fireball
    - the user kneads chakra in their body and turns it into fire, which they then expel from their mouth.

    Water Release: Water Prison
    - this technique traps a target in a sphere of water; the water can either be drawn from the surroundings or expelled from the user's mouth. The water that the sphere is made from is noticeably heavy, which restricts the target's movements and can make breathing difficult. The user must stay in contact with the sphere.

    Earth Release: Earth Shore Return
    - the user slams their hands to the ground or stomps downward alternatively. The strength of the slam is great enough to rip open a section in front of them and leverage it up into a wall.

    Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Running
    - the user forms lightning in their hand and launches it at the opponent in the form a hound to attack them.The user's hand remains connected to the hound by a cord of lightning, allowing them to freely manipulate the speed and range of the technique.

    Wind Release: Gale Palm
    - with the user clasping their hands together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale, which has enough force to knock over a person. When used in conjunction with shuriken or kunai, the tools become more lethal as their speed is increased.

    The Eight Inner Gates
    - the Eight Gates are eight specific tenketsu on a person's Chakra Pathway System which limit the overall flow of chakra within a person's body. The basis for the idea of the chakra gates comes from the body's limits on the functions within it. This makes the body much weaker, but it keeps the body from expiring too soon. By undergoing intense training, one can learn how to open these gates allowing the user to surpass their own physical limits at the cost of extreme damage to their own body.
    >> First Gate of Opening
    - located in the brain. Removes the restraints of the brain on the muscles so 100% of the user's strength can be used whereas normally, a person can only use 20% of their muscles' strength to keep them from disintegrating.
    >> Second Gate of Healing
    - located in the brain. Forcibly increases the user's physical strength and temporarily re-energises the body.

    Accelerator Knuckle
    - a punch chambered before being delivered with dramatic acceleration. From a short range, the user drives forward in a straight line to land a straight punch with force behind it. The unique style of this technique means it can be launched in all directions from the ground, even as a reverse strike. The power is evened out between both hands so that it's consistently delivered.

    Dead Driver
    - a devastating attack. A large windup makes this attack relatively slow compared to others. The user channels a massive amount of energy into their fist and delivers an unstoppable downward punch that will shatter any object, easily ruining even steel. The attack is most effective when used as a finisher or from above as it is charged up.

    Vicious Impact I
    - an attack that uses battle momentum and forward progress. After landing a vicious blow, the attack power will continually rise if the user repeats the technique and lands it again. Can be delivered from or in the air. When identifying a counter attack opportunity, this doubles as a reversal. The momentum of the opponent's technique is turned against them.

    Screaming Eagle
    - using a combination of speed and chakra, the user creates a blade of wind with their hand or another supplementary tool.

    Celestial Advance (Amenozenshin)
    - A space-time migration art, developed and customized by Hannah Kuiper for use by Joshua West. Based on the principles of summoning arts and the Hiraishin technique, the user 'paints' a circle over their chosen target with a chakra-based technique formula, and travels a chosen distance through a dimensional lane. Traveling like a 'divine lightning bolt', the user can move through space-time to any location within their sight-lines and stop at will, performing other actions immediately afterwards. The stress of technique use means that an exceptionally strong body and high chakra levels are necessary requirements. All points in three-dimensional space are accessible.
    >> Motionless Celestial Advance (Amenozenshin: Senkou)
    - an improvement on the original technique, modified by Joshua West. By using precise bursts of chakra and whole-body movement, tremendous speed is generated from the ground or any similar stable surface. Intent is hidden until the very last moment, allowing the user to approach with as little as a single standing step before appearing almost immediately in the target area. As with the technique's original incarnation, immediate follow-up movements are possible. The improvements to the technique mean that there is even more fine control once transport is completed. This allows for more complex movements and combinations. The limitations of movement still apply. Designated targets must be within the user's line of sight.


    The grandson of the man who changed the world, with his roots in a country far from the one his family grew up in. A young man with a strong will. After being inspired by stories of his grandfather, he changed himself from a chubby bookworm to someone with great strength and influence. Joshua carries a level head and an unwavering heart, always focused on what he needs to and when he needs to do it. He's sharp when it comes to analyzing situations and is quick to react without making mistakes or missing a beat. His belief is that one can and should do the right thing, even if the world tries to stop you. He aims to erase despair from the hearts of those close to him, and then the world itself.

    This young man has the ability to use many jutsu and even impossible bloodline limits, despite not being a shinobi. Nobody is sure of the extent of his ability, and that has caused a ripple of fear among the elites of the shinobi world. His fighting style trends towards close range attacks, functioning similar to boxing with a unique brand of quick moving taijutsu.


    Joshua comes from a family with a polished military and political background. His mother Condi is a diplomat for the Iron Country, his father Jonah is a member of the ruling political party and former samurai. His older sister Samantha ascended to an officer position with the navy before retiring quickly and starting a personal delivery service by boat. His paternal grandmother Rebecca is a highly renowned doctor, with rumours of her being as skilled as Tsunade abounding. Sharp eyes and a keen instinct are part of his lifestyle as a result, and he likes to observe as well as keep to himself on important matters unless prompted or he's with someone he trusts.


    Hannah Kuiper, beloved friend - After meeting Hannah on a seemingly light mission, she shared her secrets with him and asked if they could be friends, to which he enthusiastically said yes. He values her insight, accepts her quirkiness, and enjoys seeing how much happier she is now that they're officially friends.

    Ritsu Tanaka, devoted partner - Ritsu joined the party after being saved from the clutches of a yakuza boss, changing her life. She agreed to become a warrior and has worked diligently to get up to speed. Joshua notes she's strong on her own merits, and though she's older in terms of age, he sees her as a 'daughter' to be proud of.

    Yukari Uzumaki - a trusted acquaintance and fixer. Expert in sealing arts and has her finger on the pulse of the shinobi world at all times.

    Senna Egami - Yukari's companion and an elite infiltrator. Can access the spirit world with jutsu via her bloodline limit, the Yuureigan, as well as perform related spectral activities.
    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 16, 2019 at 2:15 PM, finished with 3 posts and 2 votes.
    • [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 16, 2019 at 2:16 PM, finished with 3 posts and 2 votes.
    • [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 16, 2019 at 2:16 PM, finished with 3 posts and 2 votes.
    • --[X] Wind
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Water
      [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Humility
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Temperance
      [X] Man of Steel
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Fire
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 16, 2019 at 2:17 PM, finished with 3 posts and 2 votes.
    • [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 16, 2019 at 2:18 PM, finished with 3 posts and 2 votes.
    • [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 16, 2019 at 2:18 PM, finished with 3 posts and 2 votes.
    • --[X] Wind
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Water
      [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Humility
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Temperance
      [X] Man of Steel
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Fire
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...
     
    Last edited:
  • Informational
    • MC Building 1
  • Threadmarks
    • Let's start the build. Here are a few options for flavour:

    [] Coast to Coast: 35 stat points to start. This is the more relaxed option for the overall story; for those who want to make it more of an experience rather than any sort of struggle. You'll run into trouble a bit less often and will solve most of your problems with diplomacy and talking rather than fighting. It's not to say that there won't be any fighting - it's a Naruto quest - but you'll have more time to focus on the numerous waifus that will appear more frequently in this mode, asking for your help and all that.

    [] Watch me Work: 40 stat points to start. The normal vanilla option, where you're hitting things and talking to people in about equal measure, provided you don't take too many detours. The story will unfold as originally planned.

    [] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.

    Once you pick an option, distribute your stat points accordingly. For now, everything is capped at 10 points and you can't go over. If you do decide to min max, you'll have to wait a bit to get a + or put something over the 10 point wall.

    ---

    Element options are as follows. They determine what techniques you can try to learn from jump and how many. Pick your level of competency and the appropriate number of elements to follow.

    [] Expertise in one element.
    [] High control of two elements.
    [] Basic control of three elements.
    [] Familiarity with four elements.
    [] The bare basics of all five classical elements.

    [] Fire
    [] Water
    [] Earth
    [] Lightning
    [] Wind

    ---

    Battle style selects your primary fighting style out of the three major types. These are just bases that you can build on later. Picking one thing doesn't root you to it alone forever.

    [] "Ninjutsu" type
    [] "Taijutsu" type
    [] "Genjutsu" type

    ---

    Personality traits can be chosen. These are all write-ins, or can be left to QM to decide.

    [] Primary personality trait.
    [] Secondary personality trait.
    [] Tertiary personality trait.
    [] QM picks.
    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 15, 2019 at 9:01 AM, finished with 15 posts and 1 votes.
    • [X] You want to get something to eat before you do anything else.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 16, 2019 at 12:31 AM, finished with 6 posts and 3 votes.
    • --[X] Wind
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Water
      [X] You want to get something to eat before you do anything else.
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] Humility
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Fire
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 16, 2019 at 12:32 AM, finished with 6 posts and 3 votes.
    • [X] You want to get something to eat before you do anything else.
      [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 16, 2019 at 12:32 AM, finished with 6 posts and 3 votes.
    • [X] You want to get something to eat before you do anything else.
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 17, 2019 at 1:19 AM, finished with 4 posts and 2 votes.
    • --[X] Wind
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Water
      [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Humility
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Temperance
      [X] Man of Steel
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Fire
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 17, 2019 at 1:20 AM, finished with 4 posts and 2 votes.
    • --[X] Wind
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Water
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Humility
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Temperance
      [X] Man of Steel
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Fire
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.

    [X] Man of Steel
    -[X] Katon or go to the League:     55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
    --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
    --[X] Taijutsu: 10
    --[X] Genjutsu: 1
    --[X] Intelligence: 10
    --[X] Strength: 10
    --[X] Speed: 10
    --[X] Stamina: 10
    --[X] Seal Speed: 3
    -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
    --[X] Fire
    --[X] Water
    --[X] Earth
    --[X] Lightning
    --[X] Wind
    -[X] "Taijutsu" type
    -[X] Temperance
    -[X] Kindness
    -[X] Humility
    Adhoc vote count started by Hikari on May 15, 2019 at 8:41 PM, finished with 3 posts and 2 votes.
    • [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by Hikari on May 15, 2019 at 8:42 PM, finished with 6 posts and 3 votes.
    • [X] You want to get something to eat before you do anything else.
      [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...
     
    Last edited:
    I'll probably have a vote check around 12 noon EST on Thursday. If I get a few more votes before then, I'll start up sooner and give you the next MC building phase.

    In the meantime, watch the bio and system spaces for updates and tweaks.
     
    [X] Plan StarkDemise

    -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.

    -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.

    -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
    -[X] Taijutsu: 1
    -[X] Genjutsu: 10
    -[X] Intelligence: 10
    -[X] Strength: 1
    -[X] Speed: 3
    -[X] Stamina: 10
    -[X] Seal Speed: 10
    Total: /55

    [X] Basic control of three elements.
    --[X] Water
    --[X] Lightning
    --[X] Wind

    -[X] "Ninjutsu" type

    -[X] QM picks.
     
    Last edited:
    Checking in. Gonna wait until around 1 am EST on Friday to see if anything else pops up. I think between Friday/Saturday I'll consider going with whatever has the highest counts and merging what's needed.

    Questions are encouraged as always.
    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 17, 2019 at 1:15 AM, finished with 4 posts and 2 votes.
    • --[X] Wind
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Water
      [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Humility
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Temperance
      [X] Man of Steel
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Fire
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 17, 2019 at 1:15 AM, finished with 4 posts and 2 votes.
    • [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 17, 2019 at 1:16 AM, finished with 4 posts and 2 votes.
    • [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 17, 2019 at 1:17 AM, finished with 4 posts and 2 votes.
    • --[X] Wind
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Water
      [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Humility
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Temperance
      [X] Man of Steel
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Fire
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 17, 2019 at 1:18 AM, finished with 4 posts and 2 votes.
    • [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 17, 2019 at 1:19 AM, finished with 4 posts and 2 votes.
    • [X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      [X] Man of Steel
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Fire
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Temperance
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Humility
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended amounts of fighting compared to the other options, but you'll come up against quality opponents relatively quickly and consistently whenever you do fight.
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      --[X] Water
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Wind
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...
     
    Well we have two competing viewpoints for the character build, one vote is winning for story progression.

    The stats have some overlap, but that's it.

    @StarkDemise @Hikari how do y'all want to go about the next move? I'll pull up the vote tally so you can see what you have in common, kinda.
    Adhoc vote count started by FortePlus on May 17, 2019 at 1:20 AM, finished with 4 posts and 2 votes.
    • --[X] Wind
      --[X] Lightning
      --[X] Water
      -[X] A fellow freelancer, rather an actual mercenary, wants some help with a few light local jobs since you know the area better. All you know is that it's a woman.
      -[X] Intelligence: 10
      --[X] Stamina: 10
      -[X] Katon or go to the League: 55 stat points. You'll be pretty strong to start, so you'll have decent enemies giving you a decent challenge when you do fight. You won't be doing extended
      -[X] Taijutsu: 1
      -[X] Ninjutsu: 10
      -[X] Genjutsu: 10
      -[X] Humility
      -[X] Strength: 1
      -[X] Speed: 3
      -[X] Seal Speed: 10
      [X] Basic control of three elements.
      -[X] "Ninjutsu" type
      [X] Plan StarkDemise
      -[X] "Taijutsu" type
      -[X] Kindness
      -[X] Temperance
      [X] Man of Steel
      --[X] Earth
      --[X] Fire
      -[X] The bare basics of all five classical elements.
      --[X] Seal Speed: 3
      --[X] Speed: 10
      --[X] Strength: 10
      --[X] Genjutsu: 1
      --[X] Taijutsu: 10
      --[X] Ninjutsu: 1
      -[X] QM picks.
    Click to expand...
     


    Alright, looks like we're going with the Mike Bison build. I'll wait a bit longer before doing anything substantial. Added a few system things and notes for our MC.

    Adding more stuff now actually. I feel like I want to clear stuff up because the story will throttle up pretty smoothly thanks to the incoming updates, so more info will be helpful.

    Friday from 10am - 12 noon EST is currently the move and hopefully some more will check in before I get the update going. Any input before then is appreciated, for now I'll work on fixing up more things in the lead sections.
     
    Last edited:
    Episode 1.1: They Call Me Zeke
  • Threadmarks
    • You grab something from a street vendor and hurry off to your contact, a man called Face. He's tall, wiry, and talks too much for his own good. He's also an excellent fixer in his own right and has helped you a lot in the past few days, so you let his eccentricities go.

    "It's wild, bro. I found out the Gold Reaper is around somewhere. You might bump into her while meeting up with your lady friend."

    You raise a brow. "Damn, really...I'll stay on my toes, then. Thanks. Stay safe out there."

    He gives you a few hearty slaps on the back as you leave. The Gold Reaper, also called the Golden Shinigami among other names. There are plenty of women with blonde hair, especially around these parts, but that feature was what gave that particular woman part of her title. The other was being a complete war machine. If you needed someone or something obliterated, that was your gal. She kept her identity pretty quiet, changed her hair every so often, moved around a lot. People only caught wind of her through her recent jobs.

    But you wondered about the woman you were meeting today. She decided to pick you out of everyone else, and you were curious as to why. Ah, well. You'd figure it out. The walkways layered on top of each other lead you further upwards, floating above the village and the valleys far below. Not that the Cloud needed to be more difficult to invade, but it never hurts to be too prepared.

    "This looks like the place." One of those small, modern-looking coffee shops. Cafes, they're usually called. There's a porch out front and you take a seat first, as instructed. A young lady greets you and takes your order; you get yourself a sandwich, two cups of coffee, and tea. You take your watch out of your pocket briefly and whistle as the seconds tick by.

    179...180.

    Right on cue, you hear the clicking of thick heels and watch as a woman approaches. She stops beside the table and nods politely.

    "May I sit?"

    "Yeah. Go ahead."

    "Many thanks. I will seat myself, thank you."

    You nod and watch as she sits down across from you, settling into her chair in a manner you could only call 'classy'. A blonde woman, nearly your height and with a healthy-looking chest. She has a dark blue sweater on, paired with a dark pleated skirt that stops above her knees. Her black socks seem to be thigh-highs and they follow her long, toned legs to dip into her heels, stopping just above her toes. You can see the nails on those, as well as her hands, are painted light blue.

    Her violet eyes are scanning you at the same time you look over her. That blonde hair of hers is long and fashioned into a 'hime' cut, you notice. It's just a little on the nose, considering.

    "Thinking something?" she asks.

    "Nothing bad, if that's what you're asking."

    She laughs softly. "I see. It's nice to come upon such a handsome man. I always did have a...mm, fondness for chocolate," she says, running her tongue across her top lip.

    Aggressive, huh. Then again, not exactly at odds with the rest of her.

    "I'm sure there are plenty of guys around her to ogle," you quip back.

    "Humble, too. I rather like you already," she says with a smile. "But honestly, there aren't many others to consider. You have plenty of delicious qualities that I can see already. Anyways, before I truly forget my manners...I go by Dani."

    "Zeke," you reply, taking her hand. "It's nice meeting you. Oh, coffee's here and some tea if you wanted."

    "Tea is fine."

    "How do you like it?"

    She pauses a moment. "A touch of honey and cream, if you would."

    "Got it." You mix it up for her and push the saucer over gently. She takes a sip and seems satisfied.

    "Much appreciated. Very good."

    "Glad I could help. So," you say as you remove your hat, "you said you needed some navigational help."

    "I did, to our mutual contact. The boy talks too much," she says with her stately tone. "He's a darling, though. I've been able to find quite a bit of work thanks to him." The way she talks makes her sound regal, but not in the arrogant kind of way you usually associate with it. Maybe she came from money, and this was a hobby or sport? Either way, she has a believable kind of swagger and dignity about her...something like that is hard to fake convincingly.

    "What's the job?" you ask.

    "I met a young lady the other day...she bakes and sells pastries from a small booth on the northern side of the village. A darling little cinnamon roll...her wish was to head further up north, out of town to make a sizable delivery. Transportation will be provided, and the payment will be substantial enough. This is on the way to something that I want to do. There are some ruins that I've been researching and want to head into, in order to check for a scroll and some other items of value."

    "That doesn't sound too bad."

    "I hoped you would say as much. Also...truthfully, I don't want to take the money she's offering. Not all of it, anyways," Dani says as she crosses her legs over, relaxing a bit in her chair.

    "You don't have a need for it?"

    "It's not that. I just feel like there's no point to it when she's already obviously struggling. I suppose part of why I sought you out-"

    "Ah, I got a rep for not overcharging."

    "Yes. You understand."

    You sip your coffee and nod. "We'll take the same kind of pay cut. Deal?"

    She smiles. "Yes. We have a deal. Of course, if you need...compensation...of any kind. I'm available."

    "Piling it on, aren't you?"

    "Why not? I could get lucky, couldn't I?" She pouts a moment later. "You must be taken."

    "Well...no."

    Her eyes light up again, and you sigh. "Goodie! That means I can work on you for a while longer. Talk about luck!"

    You want to be annoyed, but...you feel like this relentless teasing is as far as she'll go. That much might be fine.

    ---

    You finish your quick bite and follow Dani uptown, ascending a bit further into the clouds towards the higher platforms of the village. She predictably turns more than a few heads, and the movement she gets when she walks doesn't hurt either. She's probably not 'taken' too, but it's likely by choice more than anything else.

    "It's just a touch exotic, I think."

    Her voice snaps you out of your thought. "What is?"

    "Having someone like me around. It's different. Foreign. Something like that...simply draws people in. Vanilla is a good flavour too, right?"

    You start to understand what she's talking about. "You're more than an object, you know."

    "You really are kind. But it's not an opinion I'm expressing to you. It's a fact of life. Maybe a little hard to accept..."

    "..."

    "What about you?" she asks, looking into your eyes expectantly. You tilt your cap down and grunt.

    "No comment."

    "I see." Dani walks ahead quietly, her hips again swaying softly with her steps. You follow, noting how much hungrier some of the gazes on her are than before.

    ---

    "You're back!"

    "As promised."

    As you reach your destination, you see Dani and another young woman share a hug. Her black hair is tied back into a bun, and she has olive green eyes. A few bangs are in front of her face, and she brushes them aside on occasion as she talks. She does seem a bit on the 'small and precious' side, as Dani mentioned earlier. Her blue overalls are faded and covered with all manner of different shaped and coloured patches. Sentimental value, then.

    "This is Zeke," Dani says. You take the girl's hand gently and nod once. "We'll be helping you out together."

    "My name's Gina. I think that Dani told you already, but I'm heading up north for a special delivery and to stay a while. I don't know if I'm coming back to town yet, so I've dismantled the stand for now."

    "How come?" you ask.

    She rubs one arm nervously. "Difficulties. And the shinobi haven't been...cooperative."

    "I get it."

    "Thanks. It's hard to talk about. I might go home and see Mom. I have to think about it some more, but let's get out of here first. Oh, and don't worry, the money's in the cart with everything else. Just this way."

    "5L Mountain Pass, then?" Dani asks.

    "Uh-huh. If we get moving, it'll be just over a day's travel, counting sleep. And it's not like I'm paying you by the hour," Gina says as she shoulders a pack. "So don't work too hard."

    "We'll try not to," you reply.

    "I hope not. Anyways, let's head out."

    It's an uneventful ride down the mountain passage. You watch the high walls and the area behind you while Dani keeps her gaze focused ahead. Gina is in the driver's seat, keeping an even pace. The cart is filled with all kinds of supplies, as well as already baked goods and plenty of bread in particular. Gina encourages you to eat as much as you want, since she has a habit of reusing everything in some way until she can't anymore.

    This is supposed to be one of the safest passes out of the village, but you can never be too relaxed out here. Still, this is an okay time to relax. It's late afternoon, though hard to tell with all the cloud cover.

    ---

    [] Talk to Dani.
    [] Talk to Gina.
    [] Keep to yourself for now.
     
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    • In line with what was talked about in the beginning, the world is about to move in a new direction. What's the path you want to set foot on right now?

    [] Your aim is to save the world from whatever might come, and preserve the current world as it moves towards peace. (Hero)

    [] You want to change way things are, for better or for worse. You don't know how you'll get there yet, but you have to find a way. (Revolutionary)

    [] Use the chaos that will come to rise above everyone else and become the strongest. From there, you will decide the world's fate on your own. (Power)

    [] The world is going to change. You need more than strength, you need to rule over everything and shape in your own image. (Conqueror)

    [] You can do what your grandfather didn't and end the age of shinobi forever. The world will bring its hatred down on you as a result, but you have to crush this cycle to realize a free world. (End)

    [] Write-in. Make your own story and define a new age for yourself. (Trailblazer)

    [] You don't know yet. Maybe you should let it sit and wait for the winds to blow. (Wanderer)
     
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    Yeah...I would rather not have any romance, to be honest. Though, pretty sure it is inevitable. On another note, I have to ask, where can I find the prequel of this quest, if it exists? This feels a bit confusing, to be honest.

    [X] Keep to yourself for now.
    [X] You don't know yet. Maybe you should let it sit and wait for the winds to blow. (Wanderer)
     
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