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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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Velorien said:
I can feel the waves of inspiration and imagination rippling through the hivemind. Let there be a competition!

We will award up to 15 XP to the author of the best bowling-themed omake (subject to quality and basic language/spelling/grammar).[1] In addition, the winner may submit a name to be used for a new NPC when we next need one (subject to sanity and basic language/spelling/grammar).

A sufficiently good omake that fits with the existing setting, characterisation and timeline could even get canonised.

Competition ends on Sunday 7th of June, 9 a.m. New York Time.
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It's been ~1 month since the deadline and it doesn't look like there will be another bowling omake (unfortunately).

Is awarding the XP and or closing the competition officially still on the table?
 
We can just use the SC Pepperoni trick to avoid killing Hazou.

We can't download that part of the scroll, because no IN, but SC can probably tell us what's really there.
 
MMKII said:
*realizes that Shadow Clone Hazou can safely study the awesome and super duper powerful eldritch artifact without Iron Nerve getting in the way*

: D
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KAGOME: "What if he goes insane and kills us all!?"

Noburi: "How would we be able to tell the difference to now?"


I hope we summon spirit-grandpa Indra or something cool like that.
 
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Chapter 356.2: A Tale of Two Summoners, Part 2
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    • July 18, 1069
    — Nine-ish weeks after Noburi first spoke to Gamabunta
    — Five-ish weeks after he fulfilled Gamabunta's trade requirements and officially became the Toad Summoner

    It seemed...absolutely horrifying, actually. Horrifying, and threatening. Like a Thing from a different reality (or, worse, between realities), crouched on the granite pedestal and waiting for him to get close. A scroll three feet long and a foot thick, the 'paper' wound up around a an umbilicus made of a perfectly polished and completely unfamiliar wood so deep brown it shone. The writing surface was not papyrus or vellum or paper or any other substance he knew, although it sure looked more like some kind of skin than anything plant-derived. The kanji on the outside were written in an ancient style that he could not read, aside from three that Kagome-sensei had told him meant, very roughly, 'endangering your bloodline with powers from Beyond'. The sealmaster didn't understand much more of the script than that but it was enough to set the tone.

    More than the physical charaaatertics of the Scroll were the mmeories that that that he was trying very hard not to think about. The memories of what had happ.e.ned when he had read Keiko's Scroll. The memories which were definitely in the past! He hadn't had an espisod in months and he wasn't going to lose it now# He wasn't going to unwind the Scroll farther than he absolutely had to. Just enough to see where to sign it, no more.

    "Dude, stop being a wuss and sign it," Noburi said, slapping him on the back. "All the cool kids are doing it."

    "Given the individuals in our social circle who both are Summoners and could plausibly be described as 'kids', I'm uncertain of what definition of 'cool' you are using. Regardless, I think it may be inaccurate."

    "Hey, it only needs one example for it to be true, and we've got that," Noburi said, preening.

    "I appreciate the compliment, but I have never felt that 'cool' was an appropriate designation for myself."

    "Ooh! Sick burn, sis. Congratulations on finally starting to learn how to banter."

    "I have no idea what you mean." Her lips twitched very slightly into a trace of a smile as she turned to Hazō. "I have faith in you, Hazō. You are well prepared and will do well."

    Warmth flooded into Hazō's heart and he dragged his eyes off the Dog Scroll to meet Keiko's gaze. "You really mean that?"

    "I admit to grave reservations, yet I understand that expressing them at this moment would be inappropriate and counterproductive. Therefore, I am focusing on the positive."

    "Ah."

    "Oh, don't listen to her!" Mari stepped forward and swept Hazō into a massive hug. He returned it, trying hard not to let her feel how badly he was shaking.

    "It's okay, really," she said, holding him close and rubbing his back. "This is what you were born for. Everyone says that Kakashi's dogs were a lot like real dogs, except smart. Loyal, friendly, helpful, supportive? That's you to the last brushstroke. They're going to love you."

    "Really?" he whispered.

    She nodded into his shoulder. "Really." She stepped back far enough that she could sweep the ninja headband off of him and lean her forehead against his, one hand cupped at the back of his head and the other on his shoulder. It was a remarkably intimate yet utterly nonsexual moment and he could feel his breathing moving into sync with hers: slow, calm breaths that leached away the incipient panic and grounded him into a world of earth and trees and family. All the voices that had been racing around in his head, whispering of death and blood and pain, got quieter and there was more space for Hazō inside Hazō's skull.

    She must have sensed the tension going out of his muscles because she straightened up and gave him a motherly kiss on the cheek. And then she spoiled it by ruffling his hair and laughing. "Have fun with it, kiddo. Be yourself." She handed him his headband and stepped back, gesturing sweepingly towards the Scroll.

    "Except not the version of you that commits treason!" Noburi added.

    "Noburi! That is not youthful!"

    "Did you want to let him go without the reminder?"

    "I'm sure Hazō won't commit any treason," Akane replied, one beat later than Hazō would have preferred. She distracted him by stepping in close and hugging him tight. "My only worry is that you'll have so many questions for them that you'll miss dinner."

    Hazō chuckled. "Well, can't be missing that. I think Sensei is making his hardscrapple omelette. I'll be back by sundown, I promise."

    The Demigoddess of Youth smiled, lighting up the drizzly grey early morning light. "I'll hold you to it."

    With one last deep breath, Hazō stepped forward, slashed his arm open so that his life could spill forth, and signed the Scroll in bloody fingerstrokes.

    Something grabbed him by the inside of his skull and tried to drag him Out. He spun chakra through his head, reinforcing the bones and denying the metaphysical force the option to move him. It whispered and cried in his ear, tugging and pleading, claiming that he misunderstood himself and needed to be reminded of truth.

    No.

    Hazō, Resolve to not have his PTSD triggered by contact with the Scroll and get thrown into another Out episode: 24 + 6 (dice): 30

    TN: 25

    +1 FP for succeeding at a critical social/mental test with major consequences!


    No. He was Hazō, Lord of the Gōketsu. {UNWORTHY} Brother of Keiko, wife of Nara. {ABANDONED GoNE aWay lEFt You beHind go and be alONe safer easier} Brother of Noburi, wielder of water. {mOCker rIVAl unkind tuRN AWay} Brother of Akane, Demigoddess of Youth. {shATTEred drEAM fuTURes clOseD leave It behIND have peace} Son of Hana, abandoned of the Kurosawa. {..hearTHbrEaker NEEdlESs viOLEnce maNIPulaTOr flee} Son of Shinji, lost before his time. {..gone join him iN peACe} Student and more of Mari, the Firehair, the Heartbreaker. {.....unTRustwOrthy exhaustINg leave go solitude and ease} Heir and more of Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, the spymaster, the warrior, the protector, the jokester. {.......threats} His feet were in the dirt, his brow was bathed in sun, his lungs were filled with air. {.........}

    Pamf!

    A cloud of green smoke erupted from the air and then dispersed, revealing a silver-furred greyhound.

    "Greetings, Summoner applicant," the dog said, studying Hazō intently while ignoring everyone and everything else. "I assume this means that Kakashi is, as we feared, dead?"

    Hazō nodded, taking care to look at the dog's snout instead of her eyes as he spoke. "I'm sorry. Kakashi died a hero, quite literally saving the world." He caught himself. Precision mattered when dealing with nonhumans. "Or, at least, humanity." He took out a bandage and wrapped it around his arm, not looking away from the dog's snout.

    The greyhound hung her head low and scratched three times at the ground with her right forepaw. Unlike Jiraiya, Kakashi's notes on canine culture and body language had been utterly pathetic; Hazō had no idea if the gesture was a challenge, a mourning for the dead, or something else. Regardless, the dog held the pose for several seconds, then straightened. "I am Canoe, third-rank scout of the Green Hills pack. What is your name, applicant?"

    "Hazō, of Clan Gōketsu."

    "Did you kill Kakashi?"

    "I did not. I am from his village. I did not have the honor to fight beside him, but I have been to his grave and honored his passing in ways that are fit in the eyes of my people."

    The greyhound nodded slowly. "You will need to speak with Cannai, the Alpha of the Dog Clan. He will judge whether you are fit to serve."

    Hazō gave a shallow bow. "Thank you. I am ready when you are." He found himself very aware of his family, standing back and watching while hardly daring to breathe for fear of upsetting this delicate moment.

    "Understand that he will ask you about your role in Kakashi's death, and that if you lie we will tear the flesh from your bones. You will not be able to escape us."

    A shiver went down Hazō's spine but he refused to show any trace of it. "I understand. I have not lied and will not do so when I speak to Cannai."

    "Very well. Speak departure to your pack and then we shall go."

    Hazō looked around the circle with a slightly forced smile. "Wish me luck, guys."

    "Good luck, bro. Don't worry, you got this."

    "Don't forget the stuff I gave you," Kagome-sensei said, making incomprehensibly vague gestures that Hazō knew referred to the megaoverdone quantities of destructive seals Kagome-sensei had stuffed Hazō's pockets with before the ceremony started.

    "I have faith in the strength of your youth. Remember: Back by sundown, as you promised."

    Hazō chuckled. "I remember."

    "Good luck, Hazō," Keiko said, the words simple but heartfelt.

    "Make us proud, Hazō," Mari told him, smiling and offering a thumbs-up.

    He smiled back. "I'll do my best." He turned back to the Dog Clan representative. "Thank you, Canoe. I'm ready."

    The world tore itself apart and massive claws ripped Hazō's skull to pieces, shoving aNgles and 7h/ught5 inTO h!s BRAIN that did @B9LL there but hE R*ja67d them, forced THEM( .ack until r#ality knit it.#elf back together and he was standing on a grassy sward, a silver-blue sky above him and a cool breeze ruffling his hair. The grass was knee-high and stretched in all directions farther than he could see, except to the north where a grove of trees broke the sightline. At least two dozen dogs were spread throughout the immediate area, three or four lounging on each other, a group of half a dozen talking animatedly, and two parents training a quintet of pups on the finer points of stalking and pouncing. At his appearance, everyone stopped what they were doing and sat up alertly, staring at him.

    "This is a lovely area," Hazō said, waving at the various dogs and smiling while being careful not to show his teeth.

    "This is the home of the Grassy Hills pack," Canoe told him, setting off towards the trees. "Cannai awaits you."

    Hazō followed silently, eyeing the activity around him and very aware that he was being studied in return. Studied, and also followed; a half dozen dogs had broken away from what they were doing and were coming towards him from the sides and behind. He reminded himself that he could leave the Seventh Path at any time and nigh-instantly. He also refused to think about why Canoe had been so confident that he wouldn't be able to escape if the Alpha Dog chose to kill him.

    Canoe stopped at the edge of the trees. "Cannai is within. Good hunting, Hazō of Clan Gōketsu."

    "Good hunting to you, Canoe of the Grassy Hills pack."

    Canoe turned and loped off, her effortless speed making clear just how much she had been holding back for Hazō's convenience.

    Hazō studied the trees for a moment, then squared his shoulders and walked into their shade.

    The 'forest' was not large, probably not more than a few square miles based on what he'd seen from the outside, but the trees were densely packed and the light was dim as a result. There was little ground clutter or brush so walking was easy enough, although there were also no tracks or signs of where to go. Lacking any specific instructions, Hazō simply walked forward, lining up trees in order to ensure that he went straight.

    After perhaps five minutes, he broke out of the trees and into a small clearing, maybe eighty feet across, with a large pond in the middle. The angle of the sun splashed one side of the clearing in dappled shadow and left the other side, Hazō's side, fully lit. He had to shade his eyes and let them adjust for a moment before he spotted the Alpha Dog lying in the shade across the water from him.

    Cannai was enormous. Not landmark-size like Pantsā and Gamabunta, but when he stood up he would easily be eight feet at the shoulder. Hazō had been trying not to have expectations, but he had still been expecting something like a wolf; Cannai was not that. The Alpha Dog had brindled fur that lay flat to his body, outsized paws, a long tail, and a massive, short-jawed head. He was currently lying down, paws stretched out in front of him with his head up, studying Hazō.

    "Cross the water," Cannai rumbled.

    Hazō walked across the pond and took an archaic pose of respect before the Alpha Dog: Left knee down, left fist on the ground, right knee up, right forearm on right thigh, head down. He wasn't sure why, but it felt more appropriate for this audience than a more normal bow or seiza.

    "So. My friend is dead."

    "Yes, Alpha."

    "Hmm."

    Hazō wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he simply waited.

    "And you are?"

    "Hazō, Lord of Clan Gōketsu, ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, adopted son of Gōketsu Jiraiya, the teacher of Kakashi's teacher. I only had the honor of meeting Kakashi once, and only briefly. He was assigned to protect me and several others during our trip to the Chūnin Exams; our enemies were visibly terrified of him. He died at the Battle of Nagi Island, which we believe saved literally the entire human race from enslavement. Without him the battle would have been lost. Leaf has raised monuments in his honor and his name shall be kept in our histories forever."

    "Humans have no right to speak of 'forever'. Your lives are too brief."

    "Your pardon, Alpha. I misspoke. His name is now in our histories and Leaf intends that it will be preserved there, his tale told to future generations, forever. Something will undoubtedly prevent it from being truly forever, but it will require massive deaths or great change to see his memory lost."

    "A fitting honor. Thank you for telling me."

    Hazō almost looked up at that; he hadn't expected the Alpha to say 'please' or 'thank you'.

    "You are surprised."

    "Yes, Alpha."

    "Why?"

    "My experience with the very powerful is that they don't always feel the need to thank their inferiors."

    "Are you my inferior, Hazō of Clan Gōketsu?"

    Now that question couldn't be more visibly a trap.

    "Alpha, I am having trouble answering the question because it depends very much on definitions," he said carefully. "I am not part of your pack and you have not yet accepted me as your Summoner, so I owe you no obedience and you owe me no protection. In that sense, I am neither your inferior nor your superior, although I would certainly not claim equality. You are by far my elder, which in my culture requires a measure of respect, but I'm not sure that makes me 'inferior'. You're vastly more powerful than I, and therefore I am your inferior in combat. You are Alpha of an entire Clan that lays claim to massive territory, whereas I am Lord of a handful of ninja and several hundred civilians who collectively own maybe a few square miles, meaning that I am inferior to you in rank. Given our different ages, I suspect you are far wiser than I, and therefore I am your inferior in that area."

    "How old do you believe I am, Hazō of Clan Gōketsu?"

    "Uhhh...I mean...the other Bosses that I know of all seem to be several hundred years old or more. I assumed—"

    "Do not make assumptions. It leads to missed prey and empty bellies."

    "Yes, Alpha."

    "Look at me."

    Hazō shifted to seiza, placing his hands on his thighs and meeting the Alpha's eyes as calmly as he could. They were enormous, golden, and he felt them sizing him up.

    "Tell me of your history, Hazō of Clan Gōketsu. Begin at the beginning and speak only truth. I have time for many long tales but not for even one short lie."

    "Yes, Alpha." He paused, thinking. "With respect, there are things I know that are not mine to share, things that are secrets either of my clan or my village. If the Dog Clan works like I think it does then my clan, the Gōketsu, would be like the Grassy Hills pack while my village would be like the Dog Clan overall. Some of these secrets are things that when asked about them I can simply say 'I can't talk about that'. Others are things where simply knowing that there is a secret would be a major piece towards knowing the secret. Among humans, the expected thing is to lie when questions are asked about a topic like that. How would you like me to proceed?"

    Cannai's tongue lolled in amusement. "Tell your tale carefully and I shall shape my questions equally carefully."

    "Thank you, sir. I was born in the Village Hidden in the Mist...."

    The tale went on and on, Cannai listening silently, motionlessly, those golden eyes staring Hazō down, until Hazō reached the part of the tale where he went missing. At that point came the questions and requests for elaboration. Hazō answered each question as honestly as he could, being careful in his framing and moving away from certain topics but being careful not to tell any outright lies. He got the feeling that Cannai knew precisely what he was doing, but the Alpha was polite and allowed him to retain the important secrets. He was far more concerned with Hazō's thoughts and feelings and reactions as opposed to what exactly he had done or where he had been.

    "...and then I signed the scroll."

    "Hm."

    The massive dog looked at him silently for ten solid seconds, during which time Hazō fought not to fidget and utterly failed not to sweat.

    "Kakashi was a lone wolf with little ability to make friends among his own pack, yet he did well among our Clan. He was a powerful ally who fought beside us against the Leopards and their arrogant invasions of our territory. He was wealthy on the Human Path and able to provide us with things we lack here. He had the favor of your Hokage, meaning that the Dog Clan had Leaf itself as an ally that could be dispatched to further our interests. As a wealthy and clanless jōnin he was able to spend significant amounts of time here, meaning that his hands were useful to us.

    "You, on the other hand, are a child. Perhaps you are powerful for a chūnin, but being one of the strongest pups is an unimpressive feat. Your adoptive father is gone and you have alienated your Hokage, meaning you lack the ability to influence your home world. Your wealth seems greater than Kakashi's, yet he was able to provide all that we need so the excess is of no value. You are a Clan Lord, meaning your time must be spent almost exclusively on the Human Path. You can't fight beside us, you lack any significant Human Path military force, and you will lack time to make your hands useful to us. Having you as a trade conduit has some value, but were I to give you any of the Dog Clan's secrets I would have to assume they would be compromised immediately.

    "Being a contracted dog means being available at all hours of day and night, being prepared to be ripped away from family perhaps in the middle of mating, in order to go into battle or fullfil the needs of a foreigner. It means regularly suffering the pain of death, even if the reality is escaped. I do not have issue with assigning my people to a worthy Summoner, yet you are no worthy Summoner. Why should my people suffer for you?"

    "Seals?" Hazō asked. "I don't know if your prior Summoners used them much, and I'm not sure if there are any cultural taboos about it—the Pangolins had some, but they got over it."

    "Yes, and their ability to get over their objections appears to have had positive outcomes for them and negative for everyone else. From what you say they are halfway through Hyena territory, meaning they will be on my borders at some point soon." He paused. "I have never actually seen a pangolin, Hazō. People on the Seventh Path rarely travel more than a single nation away, if that. These apparently warlike and xenophobic creatures will be coming to my watering hole soon, looking to expand their hunting ranges at the expense of my pack."

    "...Yes," Hazō said, not knowing what else to offer. "Please recall that I shut down the flow of seals to them as soon as I could and I wanted to find a way to stop the warring. I'm prepared to offer you defensive measures, if that helps?"

    "Defensive measures. The xenophobic warmongers gain weapons and shields, but we are to receive only the shields."

    "No! I apologize, that's not what I meant. I don't want to start another war, but I do want to be helpful to you, and to prove my worth."

    "You wanted to prevent war yet at the slightest hint of reproof you offer to give me the tools to conduct a campaign of my own."

    "I..." He stopped and took a moment to master himself. Mari-sensei Rule #23: When you're in a hole, stop digging.

    "I am having to balance conflicting needs and I will need time to find the best path," he began carefully. "I did not want to cause the Pangolin War and I did what I could to stop it. I don't want to start another one, but I also want to minimize the damage that I caused, and one way to do that would be to provide you and other nations with tools that can be used to defend yourselves but would be more difficult to turn to offensive use. I very much want to make a good impression on you and I'm struggling to find things of value that I can offer. I came here with absolutely zero idea what to expect; the family talked a lot about it but we had no clue what would be an attractive sales pitch. I can provide modest quantities of different foods that you probably don't have here. I have some jutsu that might be adaptable for you. I have whatever I can procure with human money, although you'd need to tell me what would be valuable to you. Mostly, however, the valuable thing that my clan has that few others do is seals. I can't offer skywalkers or skytowers, but I can offer a lot of useful defensive seals, utility seals, and small-scale weapons for defensive use. Tell me what I can do to be worthy of being the Dog Summoner and, so long as it does not compromise me with my family or my Hokage, I will see if I can provide it."

    "A fair answer. Come." Cannai stood up and passed back the way Hazō had come, striding easily across the surface of the pond. He wasn't running but he wasn't walking either; Hazō had to jog to keep up with the dog's long-legged strides.

    They were through the trees and onto the plains quickly. Cannai shifted up into a casual lope that had Hazō struggling to keep up. The Alpha paid no attention, simply heading out into the grass in an apparently random direction and continuing until the rest of the dogs were far behind.

    Finally, he stopped and sat down. Hazō nearly collapsed, doubling over with his hands on his knees and struggling to get his breath back. Cannai waited patiently while Hazō recovered and, once the potential Summoner had caught his breath and straightened up, he tossed his chin towards the horizon.

    "Dog is a powerful Clan. Our territory stretches to the north and south across most of the continent, and far to the east and west. We are far more flexible than most Clans—we number many powerful front-line fighters, many tunnel-diggers and -fighters, many scouts and trackers. There is a member of Dog born for almost any need. We can eat nearly anything and our lands are lush with plant and prey. We have water, we have sun and shade. Our neighbors are largely quiescent—the Leopards to our south have members that can more than overmatch a single dog, yet we travel in packs and they flee before us. The Hornets to the southwest care little for our lands, although they are too alien for comfortable trade. The Bears are our friends, although both Clans tend to take care to separate once the honey mead comes out. The Hares are largely peaceful and not even remotely able to challenge us. The Hyenas test our borders often, although not in the last moons—I had wondered why they were moving to a more defensive posture, but now I see that was likely because they were drawing down troops on our border to face the Pangolins on the east.

    "The Dog are a blessed Clan. The one thing that we largely lack is a way to move our families quickly. Our soldiers can outrun the Hyena over the long haul, but the pups cannot. It may happen that the Hyena become desperate of losing to the Pangolins and decide to lunge through us and carve out territory on our west side in order to use us as a buffer. Or perhaps they will be subsumed and the Pangolins will decide to test us in their turn.

    "You claim to be clever and you speak of your inventions. Fine. I shall grant you Canoe as a summon; she is to be kept out of battle and is primarily intended for purposes of reverse-summoning. Go back to your home, discover a way for us to move dozens of pups quickly over hundreds of miles of prairie. If you succeed, I will accept you as a full Summoner and we shall find you contracts that will let you bring the power of Dog to your need."

    "Yes, Alpha. May I ask for some details so I know what to build?"

    "Of course."

    "How many pups? How big? Are they mobile on their own over short distances? Can I assume that there will be some adults with them? How many, and how strong?"

    "The latest whelping was two months ago, so all of the pups are able to run a short distance—perhaps a half mile before they grow tired. As initial proof, bring me something that can move a dozen pups who are protected by eight adults the size and roughly the same strength as Canoe."

    "How soon do you need it?"

    Cannai looked at Hazō, then looked into the distance to the east. "How soon will the Pangolin Clan be at my bed?"




    XP AWARD: 148 This chapter (posted in two parts as 356.1 and 356.2) covered a period of 59 days (May 20 to July 18). The plan was merely 'let EJ write what he wants'; I don't want to disincentivize plan-making by giving a high award for that, but I also don't want to give nothing. I'm awarding it as a 2.5 XP/day plan but there is "GM had fun" bonus below.

    Brevity XP: 0 Technically lots of brevity but see comments above.

    Creative training XP: 0

    "GM had fun" XP: 50     These scenes were fun and I was excited to write them, but they were also exhausting. Still, definitely worth an award.

    Hazō is now back home with the rest of the family. It's 10am.

    Vote time! What to do now?

    Voting ends on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, at 12pm London time.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • eaglejarl said:
    Why did icy shivers pass up and down his spine when he unrolled it and looked at the names, each one written in the lifeblood of a powerful ninja, all of whom formed an unbroken chain that, according to a simple bit of math, probably stretched back to before the Sage gave the world chakra, which made the whole thing impossible? Why had Asuma ordered him to never allow the Scroll to be unrolled back far enough to see the first name, much less the actual writing on the scroll?

    Oh, right. Item of legend that embodies travel between the space between dimensions, into which I will be binding my blood, my chakra, and possibly my soul.
    Click to expand...
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    Motherfucker, these are things we need to know. Now I've got to go remodel an entire prospective cosmology from scratch. I had shit to do today.

    *grumble grumble*
     
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    I seem to recall we had ideas about single-direction, long release explosives, or "thrust" seals. Could we fashion some sort of sled that's, well, rocket powered? Mr Alpha Dog did specify that it was hundreds of miles of prairie, so the terrain shouldn't be too bad. Thoughts?
     
    eaglejarl said:
    Go back to your home, discover a way for us to move dozens of pups quickly over hundreds of miles of prairie. If you succeed, I will accept you as a full Summoner and we shall find you contracts that will let you bring the power of Dog to your need."
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    @Kiba

    Well, what shall we build to accomplish this? Dog sled of some sort?
     
    Kill the pups, put their carcasses in storage seals, put the storage seals on Adult Dog's backs.

    Clearly this is the optimal solution that can have no negative outcomes whatsoever.

    NB: This is sarcasm. I do not wish for this method to be suggested, let alone implemented.
     
    Why can't we do what comes natural to us...



    ...and commit treason by giving them Sky Walkers?

    Strap a few pups on an adult that can jump large distances in the air with them and problem solved in the way that will satisfy both IC and OOC memery.

    Or, if you want Hazou to be a boring law-abiding citizen, just find a way to keep the pups secured safely to the adults. Cannai himself said the adults have no problem making the run and some of them will always be watching over the pups.

    Maybe to sweeten the pot we can add something that makes it easier for the adults to maintain the run. There aren't gravity altering seals that can make the adults lighter, right? Or offset the weight of the added pups. Or something along the lines.

    Maybe even storage seals filled with supplies like food and water so they can make the run without having to pause to forage could help.
     
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    While it would be tempting to devise a method of explosives-powered flight, I believe it would be most worthwhile to stick to ground-based explosive propulsion vehicles. A few thoughts:
    • Ground travel is likely to be both easier and less war-exploitable than any sky travel, so let's focus on that.
      • No roads means wheels are a heckin, and I'm not sure treads are technologically viable, so a sled-type vehicle is probably our best bet.
    • Explosive propulsion sounds like a good way to get the speed required.
      • Don't put all our eggs in one basket, though. We can also look into macerator-propulsion or having the adult dogs pull the sled (suboptimal but a possible resort)
    • On non-dog-powered sleds, we could attach a force wall to the front to clear obstacles, perhaps.
      • Maybe not as useful in prairie areas?
     
    faflec said:
    Skywalkers don't allow faster travel, just vertical travel. (By themselves) they aren't enough to satisfy Cannai's requirements.
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    Technically, you only need something that's as fast as the adult dogs. The issue he wants you to fix is "the pups slow everyone else down".

    Other important things to remember:
    1. Dogs have no hands.
    2. Each dog that needs to use seals will need to be individually trained in how.

    Tua said:
    That were some really impressive/imaginative uses of the medium of text there, @eaglejarl. :3
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    Thank you! It involved some fussy tag fiddling or twiddling capitalization to make it look right.
     
    Tua said:
    You keep that up and I will just have to assume that you actually don't want us to commit treason. 🙃
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    I want us to be intelligent about our treasons, thank you :rolleyes:
    Inferno Vulpix said:
    Explosive propulsion sounds like a good way to get the speed required.
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    *ahem*
    OliWhail said:
    Before they left Leaf ahead of the Chuunin Exam Finals, the kids asked Kagome to work on explosion-based rocket jumping boots: take directed explosion seals and stretch the explosion out over a longer period of time so that the impulse is lower. Add the "triggered by chakra adhesion" bit. Put them on the bottom of your shoes with the seal facing you, activate them, and get thrown forward.

    He has completed them.
    • They grant superleap, not flight. Mechanical effects when activated (choose one):
      • +(Creator's Aspect Bonus for Sealing at time of creation) on Athletics, Taijutsu, or Melee Weapons.
      • +1 zone on a Sprint or Supplemental Move action. This requires spending a Supplemental action in addition to the normal (Standard for Sprint / Supplemental for Move) action.
    • Each seal is 1 use, and they must be used in pairs, 1 per foot. Any use of chakra adhesion (e.g., to wallwalk) will trigger them. Trying to layer them triggers all of the seals, so you get only a single activation before needing to swap them out.
      • You must have them pre-prepared (i.e., attached to your shoes) before using them, but fortunately you can use the same sort of hot-swap inserts that have been designed for the skywalkers.
      • It is the equivalent of a Full-Round Action to draw a pair of inserts from a pocket and reload both feet. You can split this up across rounds by using a Supplemental action to withdraw the inserts on one round and then using your Standard and one of your Supplementals to place them in on the next round.
      • Fortunately, the inserts also protect your feet from the controlled explosions.
    • Although encased in the sole inserts, they can be ruined by sufficiently intense environmental effects, by QM fiat. They're fine in light rain, but swimming or a sufficiently powerful impact to your feet might damage them.
    These require training to use effectively; bonuses are halved if the user is not experienced in their use. Training for use with Athletics is represented by a Stunt: "Rocket Jump!" (10XP). Training for use with Taijutsu or Melee Weapons is represented by a Stunt: "Shōryūken!" (20XP).
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