- Location
- Yes.
I feel awkward because i made the same mistake.
Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest
- Thread starter eaglejarl
- Start date
-
- Tags
- naruto rationalist romance armageddon is looking better and better damn you kishimoto explosions everywhere explosives solve everyone if in doubt surrender to the mercy of zabuza it seemed like a good idea at the time looks like a really bad case of being a jōnin my god. where does the lore end? precommitting is the winning plan screaming in kagome screw the rules i have explosives something bad might still happen sometimes you gotta sociopath stabby zabby subsection c of paragraph 9 should include we can weaponize this so hard
Some more thoughts on the bijuu seal
Kinda sounds like it's a 2D slice of a 3D (or even 4D!) object that's constantly moving through that object. What we could do is either get someone to watch it long enough to build a mental 3D map of the whole thing and then draw it out. Sasuke should have good examination, and Naruto is positively inclined towards him. Could be a fun scene. Once we have enough snapshots, we could try to make the 3D model using ES (by interpolating between different snapshots) and see if it pings the IN in any way. We could also examine that with out currently 26 PS and see if it makes any sense as a 3D seal.
@Paperclipped @eaglejarl @Velorien
Does the bijuu seal on Prime Naruto's abdomen loop, or is it constantly changing into new configurations?
If it does loop, then does Hazo have enough information on the bijuu seal (from Jiraiya's notes, Minato's notes, as well as his own snapshots and notes) to make a series of drawings encompassing the start to the end of the loop?
Kinda sounds like it's a 2D slice of a 3D (or even 4D!) object that's constantly moving through that object. What we could do is either get someone to watch it long enough to build a mental 3D map of the whole thing and then draw it out. Sasuke should have good examination, and Naruto is positively inclined towards him. Could be a fun scene. Once we have enough snapshots, we could try to make the 3D model using ES (by interpolating between different snapshots) and see if it pings the IN in any way. We could also examine that with out currently 26 PS and see if it makes any sense as a 3D seal.
@Paperclipped @eaglejarl @Velorien
Does the bijuu seal on Prime Naruto's abdomen loop, or is it constantly changing into new configurations?
If it does loop, then does Hazo have enough information on the bijuu seal (from Jiraiya's notes, Minato's notes, as well as his own snapshots and notes) to make a series of drawings encompassing the start to the end of the loop?
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Two things:
1. Chapter 614 part 2 will be the Thursday update because writing before/after work is really hard and I don't know how @Velorien manages it.
2. Obviously, "Yūdai has been taken" should have been "Yūma has been taken" and this was an error on my part. There was some QM discussion about having it actually be Yūdai, with the explanation that he did not actually die during his seal failure but instead became unmoored from time and was flitting from moment to moment, never to have an actual impact on the plot but still to Easter Egg in occasionally. Sadly, it was determined not to do that so the old chapter has been updated to say Yūma.
1. Chapter 614 part 2 will be the Thursday update because writing before/after work is really hard and I don't know how @Velorien manages it.
2. Obviously, "Yūdai has been taken" should have been "Yūma has been taken" and this was an error on my part. There was some QM discussion about having it actually be Yūdai, with the explanation that he did not actually die during his seal failure but instead became unmoored from time and was flitting from moment to moment, never to have an actual impact on the plot but still to Easter Egg in occasionally. Sadly, it was determined not to do that so the old chapter has been updated to say Yūma.
- Location
- Pacific standard
Never fear Yūma, our reasons for rescuing you were absolutely not rooted in wanting to play with scary anti-memes, we are absolutely still coming for you ^_^
Hugs. IRL issues suck and take precedence, no worries.
GRUE: okay fine jc im fixing it
- Location
- Book Fort
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I must admit some sorrow that this did not pan out. It could have been an interesting story beat without impacting the overall worldbuilding too much (Sealing Failures do Impossible Things That Cannot Be Replicated). That said, I understand and accept the decision.
- Location
- Book Fort
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Also, meatspace takes priority, especially since you either still have COVID, or are on the mend from COVID. Don't stress, we'll fine. Drink water, relax, and try not to melt in this hellish heat (I swear, I was outside for 0.2 seconds, and I could feel my bones melting).
@eaglejarl @Velorien @Paperclipped
In the interests of boosting Sealing and PS we've had some proposed ideas for (litho)seals that smooth out environmental chakra and make it more regular. Does Hazou think that has promise as something that could make (P)Sealing easier?
What are the top 3-5 difficulties with infusion?
My model is that infusion involves extraordinarily complicated shaping of your chakra to the seal. So anything that makes shaping your chakra easier is something that helps with infusion.
Are there other things that could help? Like an advanced almanac for phases of the moons and whatnot?
In the interests of boosting Sealing and PS we've had some proposed ideas for (litho)seals that smooth out environmental chakra and make it more regular. Does Hazou think that has promise as something that could make (P)Sealing easier?
What are the top 3-5 difficulties with infusion?
My model is that infusion involves extraordinarily complicated shaping of your chakra to the seal. So anything that makes shaping your chakra easier is something that helps with infusion.
Are there other things that could help? Like an advanced almanac for phases of the moons and whatnot?
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- Location
- United States
- Location
- Yes.
*screaming in faflec*
I wanna poke the spider silk armor thing again. I know there was a ruling that pure spider silk armor wouldn't give us proper armor. But now we have another thing in our arsenal: earthshaping!
I propose a composite of densified diamond and spidersilk weave, it'll be some sort of a scale armor. Something like a wetsuit (goes from neck to elbows, and thighs) woven from spidersilk, with interleaved diamond scales that allow for bending but take the force of the blow. If we want to get fancy, we can make something that covers the whole body, but I haven't done enough math to figure out if that's doable. Should be though, since even densified diamond would be 40% less dense than steel. So we'd in effect get armor that's 40% lighter.
We know the arachnid clan has a lot of weavers, and we can easily make densified diamond scales and give this project to them. They would do it too. Anybody up for it?
I propose a composite of densified diamond and spidersilk weave, it'll be some sort of a scale armor. Something like a wetsuit (goes from neck to elbows, and thighs) woven from spidersilk, with interleaved diamond scales that allow for bending but take the force of the blow. If we want to get fancy, we can make something that covers the whole body, but I haven't done enough math to figure out if that's doable. Should be though, since even densified diamond would be 40% less dense than steel. So we'd in effect get armor that's 40% lighter.
We know the arachnid clan has a lot of weavers, and we can easily make densified diamond scales and give this project to them. They would do it too. Anybody up for it?
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- Location
- United States
Which doesn't really make sense. Spider silk would make for amazing soft body armor. It's just impossible to source IRL
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Chapter 614: Dark Miasma, Part 2
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Atomu was the last to rappel into the cavern. The moment he hit the ground, Hazō demanded, "Where was he taken?"
"Down, at the fourth right-hand branch," Atomu said, pointing.
"Right. Cangue, lead on."
"Hey!" Candoru yelped. "You're not gonna let a bitch take point, are you? Don't you want the strongest fighters up front?"
"I don't have time for your nonsense," Hazō said. "Shut up or I'll let Yuno show you what a 'bitch' can do to you. Cangue, go." He glanced over his shoulder at Yuno. "That's 'bitch' in Dog terms, meaning any female."
Yuno smiled and hefted Satsuko. "I understood. Let me know when I'm allowed to make that demonstration."
Candoru suddenly looked uncertain, but he fell in behind Cangue, crowding so close he was almost stepping on her heels. She thwapped him with her tail and he moved slightly to the side and back half a step. The others fell in behind, the other summons spreading out around the humans.
"So, hey, gotta question," Noburi said as they prowled down the tunnel that led into the depths. "I wasn't going to waste time asking about this before we moved out, but now that we've got a minute... Your message said that Yūma had been taken but didn't have any details. Where exactly, and how?"
"Yūma and I were in a small cavern a couple hundred yards down, fighting a group of armored centipedes," Atomu explained. "He was holding the right flank, keeping three of the creatures back while I dealt with the first one. One of them lunged forward onto his spear, weighing it down just long enough that another got close before either of us could respond. It bit him in the calf and yanked his feet out from under him, causing him to drop his spear as he fell. He thrashed for a moment and then went stiff as a board, so I think the bite was likely poisoned. I was already closely engaged and could not break loose to recover him." The final words came out in a pained voice that every ninja who had ever served in the field knew. "The centipede dragged him out of sight, leaving me dealing with the one I had been fighting plus the survivor of the ones he had been handling. I couldn't save him, My Lord. Truly, I would have if I could."
"I know, Atomu," Hazō said. "Don't worry. No one doubts that."
They traveled in silence for another thirty meters.
"Really wish I could make clones down here," Hazō grumbled.
"We are already into the miasma, sir," Atomu said. "Can't you feel it?"
"Is that what that is?" Noburi asked in surprise. "I thought I had just been slacking on my cardio lately."
Surprised, Hazō took an inventory of his own body.
The entire scene has the Aspect "Dark Miasma", making sight beyond a Zone nearly impossible. Additionally, deeper in the caves (which includes where the team is now), the miasma thickens, weakening those that have to pass through it. Once per combat, enemies may tag "Dark Miasma" against you.
Everyone must make a Physique check, with the effects lasting as long as you remain in the miasma:
Hazō (Physique): 35 - 3 = 32
Noburi (Physique): 36 + 0 = 36
Kei (Physique): 36 + 0 = 36
Yuno (Physique): ?? + 0 = ??
No comment on Atomu and Yuno. The kids are all down 2 boxes on their stress tracks, meaning that the first hit of 3 stress or fewer will fill their third box. Damage beyond that or additional strikes will roll into their Consequences.
Technically, Hazō's Medium Consequence should take 'a week' to heal and it hasn't been that long but I'm getting rid of it and saying he healed early. Time scales are intentionally fuzzy in Fated to Die.
Everyone must make a Physique check, with the effects lasting as long as you remain in the miasma:
- 19 or less: Temporary Mild Consequence.
- 20-39: 2 boxes of stress track filled for the duration.
- 40-59: 1 box of stress track filled; enemies may not tag "Dark Miasma".
- 60+: no stress, no tags.
Hazō (Physique): 35 - 3 = 32
Noburi (Physique): 36 + 0 = 36
Kei (Physique): 36 + 0 = 36
Yuno (Physique): ?? + 0 = ??
No comment on Atomu and Yuno. The kids are all down 2 boxes on their stress tracks, meaning that the first hit of 3 stress or fewer will fill their third box. Damage beyond that or additional strikes will roll into their Consequences.
Technically, Hazō's Medium Consequence should take 'a week' to heal and it hasn't been that long but I'm getting rid of it and saying he healed early. Time scales are intentionally fuzzy in Fated to Die.
"Yeah, I feel it too," Hazō said. "Shortness of breath, slight numbness in the extremities."
Everyone digested that for a moment and then continued on. There was nothing to say.
"If you could create clones," Kei said with a very slight smile. "Would you recreate Hazō NotASub?"
"What?" Hazō asked.
"Your clone, the one who went into the caves immediately after the failure. You said at the time that his name was 'Hazō NotASub'." There was implication. She was implying.
"Oh, man, I totally forgot that!" Noburi said. "I can't believe I missed it at the time."
"He was working on a Substitution seal," Hazō mumbled, going red.
"Ah. Of course."
"Could we focus on the mission, please?!"
"Is anyone else seeing more of those violet flickers?" Cangue asked suddenly, cutting across the sibling snidery. "Or smelling them? They smell...sharp. Nasty. Like rotted flesh burning."
The team was halfway to their destination, at least two hundred yards underground, jogging along a rough tear in the stone that trended steeply downwards. Steeply enough that it was necessary to control your speed carefully or you would find yourself accelerating and eventually fall over. It was wide enough that they could travel three abreast, the summons who couldn't actually die on the outside in a ring around the humans.
"I see them," Hazō said. "I've been watching them for the last minute or so and I think they're gathering."
"Duck!" Noburi shouted, flicking his Water Whip at Hazō's head. The Gōketsu leader dropped into a crouch, trusting his brother, and spun to see what was happening. He completed the turn in time to see Noburi split an Isanese ninja's head in half.
The 'man' was a shade, made of violet flickers and stench, but his face was burned into Hazō's memory. He was one of the ninja who had come earthsurfing in to murder the team at the cave during their first visit to Isan. Kagome-sensei had turned him into soup with his blast harness; Hazō had been looking right at him when the blast went off.
The worst part was that Hazō couldn't remember the man's name. He must have met him; there were few enough people in Isan that Team Uplift had met all of them during their stay, but this man's name had eluded him and it was too late now. Hazō would never know it.
Cangue lunged forward, meeting the first of the surviving shades with powerful jaws that tore its leg off...but not before it brought its violet-flame knife down into her back. Shade and dog disappeared at once.
"Nooo!" Candoru bellowed, lunging forward and right into a rising kick from a different shade. It caught him under the chin and snapped his head back so far his neck broke and he disappeared.
Hazō felt like he was moving through molasses. All around him, combat was joined. All six summons went down in the first few seconds of the battle, their shells weakened by the dark miasma to the point where a slight scratch was enough to pop them and send their awareness back to the Seventh Path.
The battle wasn't completely one-sided. Panchipāma caught a shade in her claws and ripped it apart with a surge of powerful muscles...only to be kicked in the knee by another shade and broken.
All around Hazō, the same show played out. The shades were coming from all directions, including out of the walls. The summons, all on the outer ring and thus first to engage the enemy, got popped in seconds with the sole exception being Pankurashun. Cangue, Panchipāma, and Gamakaberu each managed to take a shade with them, making four 'dead' when combined with Noburi's kill. Multiple squads survived and they weren't fleeing.
Worse, Kei stitched two of the shades up with perfect headshots, point-first through both of them. The kunai bounced off the wall behind the shades, not bothering them in the slightest. They didn't even sneeze as the metal passed through their sinuses.
Finally, Hazō's body caught up to his brain. He lunged for the nearest shade, desperately hoping that warm flesh could do what cold steel couldn't. He pushed chakra through his right fist and punched through the chest of the nearest shade, following through with his whole body. Had the blow landed it would have made a hole in through the shade's sternum and out through its spine and then Hazō would have rammed it backwards as he went chest-to-chest. Instead, he stepped through the shade like stepping through a waterfall: a brief moment of chill on the skin and nothing else.
"Summoner, no!" Pankurashun cried as the shade whirled, its vaporous sword upraised at Hazō's unprotected back. The massive pangolin sergeant threw himself at the shade, which saw him coming in its peripheral vision and slashed out in a one-handed cut to the side. Shadow sword and pangolin claws both found their mark and both accomplished their objective.
"Agh!" someone screamed from behind Hazō as he twisted aside from another strike by another Isanese ninja's flickering violet shadow.
Noburi's Water Whip flicked over Hazō's shoulder and wrapped around the shade's throat. Noburi anchored himself to the floor with chakra and pulled, powerful muscles sheathed in ninja magic yanking the shadow off its feet and across the battle to slam into the other remaining shadow, driving them both into the far wall where they exploded into mist.
Hazō crouched, gasping for air in the cloying, oppressive wetness of the miasma, as he checked the party by eye.
Noburi stood, tall and proud, Whip in hand, head on a swivel as he guarded his family. All he needed was a sunset behind and a skull under his foot and he would have been a painting from older and more heroic times.
Atomu was on the ground, propped up on one elbow. Kei knelt over him, applying pressure to the gash in his side where an enemy attack had ripped his side open.
"Atomu!" Hazō said, coming to his feet and rushing to his clanmate's side.
"It's fine, lord," Atomu said, holding up a hand. His face was blank as he did, the blankness of a trained warrior holding his every muscle still so they would not betray his pain.
"What happened?!"
"It's just a nick, sir," Atomu said as Kei yanked the pressure bandage tight and tied it off with unfortunately well-practiced hands. "Thank you, Lady Kei." He climbed to his feet, determination forcing Kei to shrink back or endure more contact than her shrieking nerves had already allowed.
"You need to go back," Hazō said firmly.
"I'm fine, sir, truly."
"You are not fine," Kei said. "You will most likely bleed to death within the next few minutes if you do not receive medical attention. Noburi, please confirm?"
Noburi stepped close, not looking at Atomu even as he laid one hand on the man's ribs, because Noburi's eyes were still searching for attackers who might emerge from the walls at any moment. Green medical chakra flared around Noburi's hand, probing into the wound. Atomu winced and then sighed in relief as some of the pain ebbed.
"She's right," Noburi said. "You're going to be in serious trouble if you don't get that seen to immediately. I've put in a temporary nerve block to numb the pain and tied the worst of it together with chakra stitching, but I don't have time for a full repair while we're down here." He looked over to Hazō. "Your call, boss. Do we send him back and continue on or do we all bail?"
"I can still fight!" Atomu insisted. "I'm fine, and we still need to save Yūma!"
"No," Noburi said, finally meeting his patient's eyes. "You're not fine. Now be quiet or I'll follow Lady Tsunade's First Maxim: the best treatment for patients who are 'doing fine' is a few seconds of pressure on the carotids and some tie-down straps."
Atomu looked grumpy, but he went quiet.
Hazō licked his lips nervously, reviewing his memory for scattered glimpses of the battle. "I didn't get a great look at what was happening. Everyone report."
"My first target was less resilient than normal flesh," Noburi said. "My Whip did more damage than expected. They are also lighter than expected, so I was able to physically move them into one another."
"Satsuko and I parried the attack of the first and killed him with a Rise of Winter strike," Yuno reported. "Satsuko is sad because he had no blood to spill."
Hazō ignored that rather psychotic report and looked to Kei.
"The summons were effective against our opponents, but the miasma rendered their shells too fragile for more than momentary combat," she said calmly, absently wiping traces of Atomu's blood off her hands with a cloth. "Even with Noburi present, I am uncertain if it will be worth the chakra expenditure to resummon them."
"Were you able to harm the shades?"
Kei hesitated. "My initial attack was unsuccessful," she admitted. "I have several ideas for followup attempts."
"Such as?"
"The shades are highly resistant to physical damage," Kei said reluctantly. "They are harmed primarily by chakra-based attacks: in this encounter that meant Noburi's Water Whip ninjutsu and the attacks of the summons."
"Satsuko bit them!" Yuno said, raising her axe and her eyebrows at the same time.
"Hence why I say 'highly resistant' instead of 'immune'. Although my kunai were ineffective on their own, they may be more successful if I use ones with tags attached. This space is too small for explosives, but the chakra embedded in the tag should still be sufficient to cause damage as it passes through them."
"Do you have any tags that create large chakra effects without an explosion?" Yuno asked.
"Yes," Hazō said, surprised. "I think. Hang on." He went through his pouches; he had grabbed his full battle rattle and thrown it on over whatever he was currently wearing when the message arrived, but hadn't bothered to take anything off. Did that mean...? Yes!
"Here," Hazō said, holding out a trio of tags to his sister. "These are some of the Fourth's seals that I've been working on. They make a massive chakra construct. It doesn't do anything and it disperses after a few seconds, but it might act like a physical object to them. It's also slow to spin up, about three-quarters of a second."
"Thank you," she said, taking the seals and quickly fastening them to the hilts of three kunai.
"All right," Hazō said. "Atomu, can you move quickly?"
"Yes," Noburi said, riding over Atomu's response. "It's not ideal but he can jog for probably ten minutes without too much risk of bursting those stitches. He needs to go straight to the hospital."
"Fine," Hazō said. "We didn't see any of these things until now, so you're probably safe to return alone. I'm not comfortable with that, but without the summons or Shadow Clones we need all hands to continue the fight. I am ordering you to retreat at best speed and go immediately to Leaf General Hospital. On your way out the gate, dispatch one of the guards. He is to take twelve civilians into the city, locate Mari and Haru, and send them back to us at best speed. Have the first three check the Tower, the Merchant Council headquarters, and the KEI headquarters. The rest should spread out and ask if anyone has seen them; Mari is fairly noticeable. Have them spread the word that whoever finds Mari or Haru can present themselves at the Gōketsu compound to receive a reward of ten thousand ryō. Mari and Haru are to get the names of the person who finds them before returning so that we know who to reward. Each of our dozen volunteers will also receive ten thousand ryō just so they don't feel left out. Got all that?"
"Yes, lord. Return immediately. Have a gate guard gather twelve civilians. They are to search the city for Lady Mari and Lord Haru. Each will receive ten thousand ryō after Lady Mari and Haru are found. They are to spread the word that whomever finds Lady Mari or Haru will receive ten thousand. Lady Mari and Haru are to get the name of the person who finds them. I am to report directly to the hospital after passing these orders to the guard."
"Good man. Go."
Atomu looked like he wanted to protest one more time, but Noburi gave him an arch look and raised a hand filled with medical chakra. Atomu's lips compressed in frustration; he nodded and jogged away up the tunnel.
"Chakra refills, then onwards?" Noburi asked, already unslinging his barrel.
"Chakra refills, then onwards," Hazō said.
o-o-o-o
Five minutes farther on, they were attacked by Ken, Bosatsu, and Mirai. The three genin were still genin and Team Uplift were now hardened warriors with support from the terrifyingly skilled Yuno and Satsuko. They cut through the phantoms like soft cheese, barely slowing down in the process. Kei didn't even have time to attack before the enemy were all dead.
Hazō found it suspicious that his sister, probably the sibling with the best reaction time of any of them, had not managed to get a shot off against opponents she was confident her family could handle. It did not escape his notice that they were still close enough to the surface that he could have sent her back.
o-o-o-o
"Blood," Yuno said, pausing and crouching down to dip her fingers.
Hazō crouched next to her, holding his Jiraiya's Awesome Daybright Lantern seal closer. It was only a small amount of blood and he would have missed it on his own while they were moving at speed.
Yuno dipped her fingers and sniffed, then rubbed it between her fingers. "Fresh, probably not more than ten minutes," she said. "See how the drops are oval, and the pattern is fan-shaped? Yūma was struggling and some of it splashed outwards. He is still alive and now he is conscious."
"Promising," Hazō said. "Let's keep moving."
o-o-o-o
The blood trail continued, growing larger as they traveled. There were drops on the ground in a swerving line and the occasional splotch higher up, as though someone with bloodied hands had caught himself on the wall.
"He appears to have escaped his captor," Yuno said. "Unfortunately, he is progressing deeper instead of returning to the surface. He is stumbling and lurching."
"Do you think he has a specific objective or is he simply turned around?"
Yuno shook her head. "Unclear."
Hazō sighed, a difficult action in the oppressive murk. "Fine. We're getting closer, let's keep going."
o-o-o-o
The tunnel they had been following emerged from the wall of a massive cavern, easily a hundred feet across and eighty feet high. The floor was fifty or sixty feet away, the walls were wet, and water plink...plink...plinked off the floor in multiple places, each location the site of stone fangs that hung from the ceiling and reached up from the floor. The earth was red and grey like ancient flesh with arteries of green and shocking blue swirled through it.
"Beautiful..." Kei whispered.
"It is," Hazō said quietly, momentarily forgetting his battle-wrought wariness to simply bask in the glory around them.
"We need to continue," Yuno said. "The traces end here, suggesting that Yūma climbed down instead of doubling back. Satsuko and I will need to cast about for his trail once we reach the floor."
"Right," Hazō said, snapping back to his surroundings. "I don't want more of those shades coming out of the wall while we're climbing down. Hot drop, move away from the wall when you hit. I lead." He checked that his drop gloves were properly fit and stepped over the edge. He allowed himself to fall half his height before slapping one hand on the wall and applying just enough chakra adhesion to slow himself but not enough to actually arrest his momentum. The glove heated from friction on the stone as he fell, faster and faster. Six feet from the bottom he kicked off the wall hard, flinging himself outwards so that he could roll and spread the impact of his landing. The ground was uneven and he came to his feet with bruises that he ignored.
Three soft impacts behind him and his family were once more shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
"Show off," Noburi muttered.
"Rich words from you," Hazō said with quiet amusement, not looking because he was still expecting attack. Noburi laughed.
The attack came less than a minute later. Daizen stepped out of a massive chunk of stone, fallen from the ceiling in an age long gone. The team turned to face him but the chakdar seal on Hazō's belly buzzed furiously and he glanced up and backwards to find another enemy dropping from the ceiling, twin swords upraised.
Their opponent was a dead man. Dead about three days, based on the slight decomposition and the white film over the eyes. The body had definitely been through a storage seal; it was torn up, bits of flesh crushed or even ripped off by the stresses. The damage was mostly superficial; the actual cause of death was readily apparent: someone had hammered a spike through the left ear canal and into the brain. About an inch of the spike was still sticking out, and this was another memory that often cycled through Hazō's nightmares.
"Look out!" Hazō said, shoving Kei away before the descending katana could cut her in half. She rolled neatly and came to her feet, movements fluid and precise as she triggered the seal on her kunai and raised her arm to throw.
"Haiii!" Yuno yelled, lunging for Daizen and trusting her team to handle the second enemy.
Daizen's fingers flicked through handseals and lightning lashed out around him, reaching for Yuno with hungry, crackling tendrils. She ducked and wove, avoiding each of the attacks before diving forward and rolling past Daizen. Satsuko flicked out as she passed by the shade, slashing at its ankle and barely missing as the creature jumped back.
Hazō had his own problems; he slipped the wakazashi strike and lashed out with the unearthly metal of his pangolin claw gauntlets, ripping across the enemy's face. The blades passed through its head without slowing down, causing it to flicker but doing no actual damage.
"Left!" Kei called and Hazō moved in familiar patterns, entering with an irimi that forced the enemy to turn to face him, leaving it open for his sister's kunai to thread its way under the arm and into the rib cage, the seal on the hilt dragging a multi-faceted chakra creation the size of two fists in its wake. The creature flickered again and utterly ignored the attack.
Noburi's Water Whip struck like a snake, slicing through the air in a strike that would carve the enemy's head neatly from top of spine to front of forehead if it landed, just like the Wakahisa clan master had taught so many years ago. The corpse warrior's wakazashi lashed out to slice the whip away, just as it had before, but Noburi was no longer the inexperienced genin of years past. He twisted his wrist and his Whip coiled, spinning around the cut-parry and continuing on. A split second later, the back of the shade's head hit the ground; another instant and the body went to its knees, then to the ground, and then puffed away.
"That was incredibly satisfying," Noburi muttered as he went to his wife's aid.
Yuno and Satsuko and Daizen were locked in a twisting, turning furball of attacks and parries and dodges. She was covered in burns from the Storm Wisps' lightning but had managed not to take debilitating damage. Daizen had learned her patterns; every time she moved closer the lightning tendrils would shift to attack and she would need to back away, no longer able to evade all of them.
Daizen's head turned slightly as he saw Noburi charging in. A cruel smile flicked across his face and he leaped away from Yuno, going for Noburi instead.
"Look out!" Yuno cried, throwing herself in the shade's path before it could get to her husband.
The tendrils of lightning struck like snakes, plunging at Yuno from three directions and giving her no options for escape without leaving the path clear to Noburi. Satsuko parried the first attack, Yuno barely twisted aside from the second, and the third went through her shoulder from front to back. She screamed and dropped, muscles twitching and spasming so that her roll back to her feet was clumsy, a half-broken doll puppeted by a drunken apprentice.
"No!" Noburi shouted, voice thunderous. His Water Whip cracked back and forth, striking at Daizen once, twice, thrice. The whip moved like a living snake, a serpent of water that danced to its master's will, carving small chunks off of shadow-Daizen and forcing him back.
Noburi caught Yuno under the arm and helped stabilize her. "Damnit, honey, I love you but could you please not get yourself killed for me?"
She laughed and kissed his cheek, then took a firm grip on Satsuko's hilt and sidestepped to the left, forcing Daizen to choose which of the spouses he would face.
Hazō saw all this, his mind racing for an answer. His fists didn't work, his claws didn't work, he needed a chakra effect, what did he have...?
"Pangolin Clan Technique: Ghost Scales!" he shouted, flicking out handseals and pouring his chakra forth as the glowing gold construct of a pangolin snapped into existence around him. He raised hands that were now sheathed in scales and eight-inch claws and charged, coming from the right so that Daizen was pincered from three directions.
Daizen turned to face him, echoes of memory flickering across his face. He jumped forward, lightning gathering in his hands as he slammed a hammer fist at Hazō from the right.
By instinct, Hazō raised one hand to block the attack while the other counterpunched. It was the wrong move; he shouldn't have tried to block, should have dodged instead. Blocking was no good when the enemy was immaterial.
Fortunately, the chakra-construct pangolin shell around Hazō existed in the same way that the shade existed. It caught the attack and stopped it even as Hazō's counterattack tore a gash across Daizen's chest. Not a big gash, nothing that would have been decisive in a battle, but a gash.
"Yes!" Hazō shouted, even as the Storm Wisps jutsu counterattacked and lightning crackled across his skin as he frantically jumped back and Daizen chased after.
"Leave him!" Yuno cried, charging at Daizen from the side with Satsuko leading the way. Her steps were less spastic but her balance was still shot. Her charge took her across Noburi's path, forcing him to arrest his movement and abort his attack.
Daizen turned, his Storm Wisps lashing and biting at Yuno. She dodged the first cleanly just as Kei called out "Pangolin Clan Technique: Pangolin's Reach!" and yanked on Daizen's left ankle. The pull was weak but it threw Daizen off just enough that Yuno was able to duck under the second attack, avoiding it by so little that her hair stood up in its wake. She vanished before the third strike could split her skull open. A chunk of rock fell to the ground where she had been an instant earlier and now she was forty feet away.
Noburi got moving again, but he was too slow to prevent Daizen's lightning from snapping once more at Hazō. The pangolin construct tanked the first two attacks but the third slashed across his thigh, leaving burned flesh in its wake.
That was the last time Daizen would ever harm someone loved by Gōketsu Noburi.
Noburi's Water Whip curled up from underneath, spearing through Daizen's lower jaw and out through the top of his head. It looped back on itself and Noburi pulled, powerful muscles ripping the water tendril back and out through the bones of its victim's skull.
Daizen puffed into nothing.
The Gōketsu stood, chests heaving as they checked each other over.
"Everyone okay?" Hazō asked.
"Yes," Yuno said, moving back to them. She was rubbing her left bicep and seemed to be slightly favoring one leg, but she wasn't bleeding and Hazō didn't see anything other than some undoubtedly painful but probably not debilitating burns.
"I am unharmed," Kei said. "Also, ineffective. I apologize for my uselessness." Her fingers were twisting together, clenching tight in self-loathing.
"You saved me," Yuno said. "Had you not pulled him off balance I would have been killed before I could Substitute."
"I should have been able to pull him completely off his feet!" Kei said. "Had I actually practiced, had I spent any time whatsoever training the gift of the pangolins properly, the way a decent Summoner should have, I would have been able to—"
"Stop," Hazō said. "You're spiraling. I need you to hold it together until we're off the field, and then we'll tell you how amazing you are and to stop beating yourself up. Can you do that?"
Kei clamped trembling lips together, but she nodded jerkily.
"Okay, good. Noburi, you okay?"
"You guys tanked all the damage," Noburi said, running medical-green hands down Yuno's body with a doctor's professionalism that still left her blushing like a house afire. "I didn't even manage to get close."
"Seemed plenty close enough when you pithed that guy like a frog," Hazō said with a grin. "You need to slow down, bro. You're making me look bad."
"I always make you look bad, Mr Mew," Noburi said, checking Kei by eye and deciding there was no need for a physical examination. He didn't give Hazō the choice, running chakra-sheathed hands across his brother's chest and legs without quite touching.
"This is a bad burn," he said, straightening up.
"I'm fine and shut up about tie-down straps," Hazō said. "Yuno, do you see Yūma's trail?"
"Yes," she said, pointing. "Over there. His bleeding is increasing, but we are catching up to him. He can't be much farther."
Hazō nodded, thinking. "Kei, you've got a bad matchup against these guys, but we're too deep in the caves for me to be comfortable sending you back alone. I think—"
What does Hazō think?
Do you continue deeper into the caverns to hopefully rescue Yūma, do you retreat, or do you do something else? Do you split the party or stay together?
Also, thank you to @Paperclipped for rolling up the combats for me.
EDIT: Paper was kind enough to prep the combat rolls for posting. Here you go:
Violet Flame Shades
Incorporeal Form - Can only be harmed by ninjutsu, physical fighting skills do nothing. Certain ninjutsu-enhanced physical fighting skills will do half their usual amount of stress, capped by the ninjutsu's Effect. When taking a physical hit that is ignored, the Violet Flame Shade instead takes the fragile Aspect "Flickering Flame" until the start of its next initiative, upon which the attacker gains a tag.
Vicious Flames - Attacks roll at +AB. Attacks have Weapons:1 and deal Energy:Fire damage.
To The Aether, You Return - Shades are not bound strongly to the world. They have no Consequence slots above Mild, and are Taken Out if they take damage beyond that.
??? - (more attributes not yet discovered by Team Gōketsu)
I'm not gonna clean up and post Combat 1 with its half dozen summons and just as many enemies. Combat 2 (vs Team Muramatsu) wasn't rolled.
Combat 3: Daizen and the Corpse Warrior
The Corpse Warrior is waiting on the ceiling for an ambush...
Corpse Warrior (Stealth): ?? + ? (timeladder 3x) + ? (tag "Dark Miasma") + 6 = ??
Yuno (Alertness): ?? - 6 = ??
Well, if Yuno doesn't notice, no one will.
The team enters a new cavern, seeing a violet figure within, and start to cast their ninjutsu (HM/WW for Noburi, PKH for Kei/Hazō). Unfortunately, Daizen returns the favor, starting to cast its own ninjutsu (Storm Wisps - now Flame Wisps?), and they decide to run in rather than let the enemy prep.
Initiative:
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 3 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? - 3 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? - 9 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) - 3 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) - 6 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) + 0 = ??
Yuno easily dodges all the Storm Wisps and attacks.
Yuno (Melee Weapons) ?? + ? (boost) - 3 = ??
Daizen (Athletics): ?? + 0 = ??
Shade-Daizen is now "Flickering"!
Corpse Warrior
Drops from the ceiling to attack Hazō. Despite winning Stealth hard, chakdar keeps Hazō from being surprised, thus keeping the corpse warrior from using most of its ambush stunts.
Corpse Warrior (Weapons): ?? + ? (tag "Dark Miasma") + ? (2x invokes) - 3 = ??
Hazō (Taijutsu): 43 + 5 (boost) + 8 (RB) + 6 = 62
Thanks to chakdar, Hazō avoids any damage, and counterattacks! Corpse Warrior is "Flickering".
[NB: mechanically. Hazō should have the chance to try for Roki here. However, he's being ambushed - that is, there's no exchange for him to make tricks and feints. I'm not going to give him the bonus here.]
Kei
Kei doesn't have many options. She attacks the Corpse Warrior, using a Jinchūriki chain seal on a kunai.
Kei (Ranged Weapons): 40 + 10 (PKH) + 3 = 53
Corpse Warrior (Athletics): ?? - 6 = ??
Corpse Warrior is already flickering! Nothing more happens.
Daizen
Lightning Aura! He attacks Yuno.
Daizen (Taijutsu): ?? - 3 = ??
Yuno (Melee Weapons) ?? + ? (boost) + 6 = ??
He loses the counterattack, proc-ing Lightning Aura, which is absorbed by Storm Wisps. He's already "Flickering".
Noburi
Kill the Corpse Warrior that attacked Hazō.
Noburi (Water Whip): 50 + 6 (boost) + 7 (HM) + 8 (RB) + 6 (tag "Flickering") + 3 = 74
Corpse Warrior: ?? + 3 = ??
Barely enough! The Shade is dispelled!
Hazō
Recognizes Daizen, calls out that the Wisps are dangerous to get near! He doesn't have a solution except for sealing failures though...
Ninjutsu might work against these guys: Ghost Scales for his Standard.
Initiative
Backs off, knowing now that the Storm Wisps will auto-attack. Need to find a way around them.
Block Daizen from closing with the other two:
Yuno (Athletics): ?? + ? (boost) + 3 = ??
Kei
Another day, another PKH + RW attack.
Kei (Ranged Weapons): 40 + 10 (PKH) - 3 = 47
Daizen (Athletics): ?? - 3 = ??
That's a miss.
Daizen
Standard: Storm Bolt on his own feet, powering up Storm Wisps. Then, engage Yuno, triggering the 3x Storm Wisps attacks.
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? - 3 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 3 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 3 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) - 6 = ??
Ouch! Yuno takes ? stress, filling her stress track.
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) + ? (invoke "Pest Exterminator") + 9 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) + ? (invoke "Wedded to Hope") + 6 = ??
Lucky little duckling... no Consequence yet.
Noburi
Noburi (Water Whip): 50 + 6 (boost) + 7 (HM) + 6 (tag "Team Uplift") + 0 = 69
Daizen (Athletics): ?? + ? (tag Dark Miasma) + ? (2x invokes) + 3 = ??
Daizen takes 2 stress.
Hazō
Not gonna bother rolling Roki, Hazō is almost certain to get it.
Hazō (Taijutsu): 43 + 5 (boost) + 5 (Roki) + 0 = 53
Daizen (Athletics): ?? + ? (tag Dark Miasma) + ? (1x invokes) - 3 = ??
Hazō lands a hit! 1 more stress fills up Daizen's track. Daizen is also "Flickering" now.
Lightning Aura procs again. I'm making an executive decision to nerf Storm Wisps here by saying that it can't be powered up by the same jutsu multiple times. Instead, LA hits Hazō.
Daizen (Lightning Aura): ?? - 3 = ??
Hazō (Athletics): 40 + 5 (boost) - 3= 42
Easy dodge.
New round!
Yuno: Shit. Daizen is about to attack and kill someone. Best that it's her, at least? She Blocks him again, then uses PKH (Effect: 3), in melee to make sure that when Storm Wisps attack, she takes them herself.
Kei: Tries a Maneuver with Pangolin's Reach to pull Daizen "Off-Balance".
Kei (Pangolin's Reach, level 1): lmao
Daizen (Alertness): ez
Not a chance.
Daizen
Alas Yuno, your luck ends here. Out of Aspects to tag, the three Storm Wisps attacks will at least maim her, if not outright kill her as tags stack up.
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 0 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 6 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 3 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (2x PKH tags) + 6 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (1x PKH tag) + 12 (what?!) = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (Sub) + 9 (Jashin favors you!) = ??
Somehow, Yuno dodges all 3 attacks. Unable to close for any other attack and with Storm Wisps expended, Daizen throws a Storm Bolt at Hazō. Hazō could counterattack with Taijutsu as he's in the same Zone, but opts to Substitute for the better bonus.
Daizen (Storm Bolt): ?? + 0 = ??
Hazō (Athletics): 40 + 5 (boost) + 10 (Substitution) + 0 = 55
Hazō takes 2 physical stress, bypassing his armor.
Noburi
Noburi (Water Whip): 50 + 6 (boost) + 7 (HM) + 3 = 66
Daizen (Athletics): ?? + 0
Noburi takes the kill!
Oops, I forgot the team has PCJ active giving them -1 on all rolls. That probably would have mattered. Anyway, I can't be bothered to revise things. Call it a freebie, since PCJ wasn't stopping any damage here.
Incorporeal Form - Can only be harmed by ninjutsu, physical fighting skills do nothing. Certain ninjutsu-enhanced physical fighting skills will do half their usual amount of stress, capped by the ninjutsu's Effect. When taking a physical hit that is ignored, the Violet Flame Shade instead takes the fragile Aspect "Flickering Flame" until the start of its next initiative, upon which the attacker gains a tag.
Vicious Flames - Attacks roll at +AB. Attacks have Weapons:1 and deal Energy:Fire damage.
To The Aether, You Return - Shades are not bound strongly to the world. They have no Consequence slots above Mild, and are Taken Out if they take damage beyond that.
??? - (more attributes not yet discovered by Team Gōketsu)
I'm not gonna clean up and post Combat 1 with its half dozen summons and just as many enemies. Combat 2 (vs Team Muramatsu) wasn't rolled.
Combat 3: Daizen and the Corpse Warrior
The Corpse Warrior is waiting on the ceiling for an ambush...
Corpse Warrior (Stealth): ?? + ? (timeladder 3x) + ? (tag "Dark Miasma") + 6 = ??
Yuno (Alertness): ?? - 6 = ??
Well, if Yuno doesn't notice, no one will.
The team enters a new cavern, seeing a violet figure within, and start to cast their ninjutsu (HM/WW for Noburi, PKH for Kei/Hazō). Unfortunately, Daizen returns the favor, starting to cast its own ninjutsu (Storm Wisps - now Flame Wisps?), and they decide to run in rather than let the enemy prep.
Initiative:
- Yuno
- Corpse Warrior
- Kei
- Daizen
- Noburi
- Hazō
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 3 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? - 3 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? - 9 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) - 3 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) - 6 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) + 0 = ??
Yuno easily dodges all the Storm Wisps and attacks.
Yuno (Melee Weapons) ?? + ? (boost) - 3 = ??
Daizen (Athletics): ?? + 0 = ??
Shade-Daizen is now "Flickering"!
Corpse Warrior
Drops from the ceiling to attack Hazō. Despite winning Stealth hard, chakdar keeps Hazō from being surprised, thus keeping the corpse warrior from using most of its ambush stunts.
Corpse Warrior (Weapons): ?? + ? (tag "Dark Miasma") + ? (2x invokes) - 3 = ??
Hazō (Taijutsu): 43 + 5 (boost) + 8 (RB) + 6 = 62
Thanks to chakdar, Hazō avoids any damage, and counterattacks! Corpse Warrior is "Flickering".
[NB: mechanically. Hazō should have the chance to try for Roki here. However, he's being ambushed - that is, there's no exchange for him to make tricks and feints. I'm not going to give him the bonus here.]
Kei
Kei doesn't have many options. She attacks the Corpse Warrior, using a Jinchūriki chain seal on a kunai.
Kei (Ranged Weapons): 40 + 10 (PKH) + 3 = 53
Corpse Warrior (Athletics): ?? - 6 = ??
Corpse Warrior is already flickering! Nothing more happens.
Daizen
Lightning Aura! He attacks Yuno.
Daizen (Taijutsu): ?? - 3 = ??
Yuno (Melee Weapons) ?? + ? (boost) + 6 = ??
He loses the counterattack, proc-ing Lightning Aura, which is absorbed by Storm Wisps. He's already "Flickering".
Noburi
Kill the Corpse Warrior that attacked Hazō.
Noburi (Water Whip): 50 + 6 (boost) + 7 (HM) + 8 (RB) + 6 (tag "Flickering") + 3 = 74
Corpse Warrior: ?? + 3 = ??
Barely enough! The Shade is dispelled!
Hazō
Recognizes Daizen, calls out that the Wisps are dangerous to get near! He doesn't have a solution except for sealing failures though...
Ninjutsu might work against these guys: Ghost Scales for his Standard.
Initiative
- Yuno
- Kei
- Daizen
- Noburi
- Hazō
Backs off, knowing now that the Storm Wisps will auto-attack. Need to find a way around them.
Block Daizen from closing with the other two:
Yuno (Athletics): ?? + ? (boost) + 3 = ??
Kei
Another day, another PKH + RW attack.
Kei (Ranged Weapons): 40 + 10 (PKH) - 3 = 47
Daizen (Athletics): ?? - 3 = ??
That's a miss.
Daizen
Standard: Storm Bolt on his own feet, powering up Storm Wisps. Then, engage Yuno, triggering the 3x Storm Wisps attacks.
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? - 3 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 3 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 3 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) - 6 = ??
Ouch! Yuno takes ? stress, filling her stress track.
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) + ? (invoke "Pest Exterminator") + 9 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (boost) + ? (invoke "Wedded to Hope") + 6 = ??
Lucky little duckling... no Consequence yet.
Noburi
Noburi (Water Whip): 50 + 6 (boost) + 7 (HM) + 6 (tag "Team Uplift") + 0 = 69
Daizen (Athletics): ?? + ? (tag Dark Miasma) + ? (2x invokes) + 3 = ??
Daizen takes 2 stress.
Hazō
Not gonna bother rolling Roki, Hazō is almost certain to get it.
Hazō (Taijutsu): 43 + 5 (boost) + 5 (Roki) + 0 = 53
Daizen (Athletics): ?? + ? (tag Dark Miasma) + ? (1x invokes) - 3 = ??
Hazō lands a hit! 1 more stress fills up Daizen's track. Daizen is also "Flickering" now.
Lightning Aura procs again. I'm making an executive decision to nerf Storm Wisps here by saying that it can't be powered up by the same jutsu multiple times. Instead, LA hits Hazō.
Daizen (Lightning Aura): ?? - 3 = ??
Hazō (Athletics): 40 + 5 (boost) - 3= 42
Easy dodge.
New round!
Yuno: Shit. Daizen is about to attack and kill someone. Best that it's her, at least? She Blocks him again, then uses PKH (Effect: 3), in melee to make sure that when Storm Wisps attack, she takes them herself.
Kei: Tries a Maneuver with Pangolin's Reach to pull Daizen "Off-Balance".
Kei (Pangolin's Reach, level 1): lmao
Daizen (Alertness): ez
Not a chance.
Daizen
Alas Yuno, your luck ends here. Out of Aspects to tag, the three Storm Wisps attacks will at least maim her, if not outright kill her as tags stack up.
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 0 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 6 = ??
Daizen (Storm Wisps): ?? + 3 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (2x PKH tags) + 6 = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (1x PKH tag) + 12 (what?!) = ??
Yuno (Athletics) ?? + ? (Sub) + 9 (Jashin favors you!) = ??
Somehow, Yuno dodges all 3 attacks. Unable to close for any other attack and with Storm Wisps expended, Daizen throws a Storm Bolt at Hazō. Hazō could counterattack with Taijutsu as he's in the same Zone, but opts to Substitute for the better bonus.
Daizen (Storm Bolt): ?? + 0 = ??
Hazō (Athletics): 40 + 5 (boost) + 10 (Substitution) + 0 = 55
Hazō takes 2 physical stress, bypassing his armor.
Noburi
Noburi (Water Whip): 50 + 6 (boost) + 7 (HM) + 3 = 66
Daizen (Athletics): ?? + 0
Noburi takes the kill!
Oops, I forgot the team has PCJ active giving them -1 on all rolls. That probably would have mattered. Anyway, I can't be bothered to revise things. Call it a freebie, since PCJ wasn't stopping any damage here.
Brevity XP: 3
"GM had fun" XP: 0 I should have loved this update but this cough is lingering, I'm still COVID positive, the world is a horrible place and grumble grumble, it's hard to work up excitement right now.
FP net:
- Yuno: +0
- Kei: +2
- Noburi: +1
- Hazō: +2
- Everyone but Noburi has refilled to full CP. Noburi is a little above half (exact number TBD).
- Hazō has a Mild "Electrical Burn" Consequence.
- Yuno's 4-box stress track is full but will reset before the next battle.
- Noburi and Kei are unhurt.
- Noburi is at 798 CP, everyone else at full.
Voting ends on Saturday, .
Note: It's extremely likely that the next update will be an interlude unless @Velorien or @Paperclipped can take it. If so, the vote will reopen.
Last edited:
@Paperclipped @eaglejarl @Velorien is there any chance we could get a look at the rolls for this chapter?
It is very helpful for tactics planning to see what does and does not work well.
It is very helpful for tactics planning to see what does and does not work well.
Also do we get FP awards for surviving the update yet? Or will it be awarded after Part 3, ditto for surviving significant conflicts. Sounds like there was at least one this update and possibly more.
- Location
- Yes.
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Afraid not. Paper felt the document was too rough for public consumption and I ended up diverging from it anyway so that only some of the fight beats were rolled.
I didn't track every FP that Paper had them spend. I'm feeling lousy and am at work, so for simplicity let's say that they all got the same as they spent across the course of those fights. It's easier for me and I strongly suspect you come out ahead of where you would if I actually did the math.
- Pronouns
- She/Her/They/Them
He never learns, does he?
[X] Yes, that
Their threat rating either goes down a little or up quite a bit, depending on whether that was voluntary or not. Blood-chilling.
Ninja culture of blaming oneself for everything that goes wrong surely makes very useful traumatised glass cannons, but between Atomu's guilt just before, the water-poisoned jōnin thinking they just hadn't worked hard enough on their chakra reserves, and "oh, otherworldly miasma in my lungs? nah, must just be me being bad at things" it becomes more and more obvious we need to shatter that culture at some point. It's harming those we actually like...
Not being a submersible does explain why he took damage from being in a dangerous environment... Should have made Hazō TotallyASub, then he'd have been able to take some more abuse... 0
ew. That doesn't spell good things. Love the ramping atmosphere of things looking and being wrong, but it's impossible not to wonder... how does she know the smell of burning rotten flesh? Just when the MfD setting stops feeling so macabre, you learn something new that shakes you inside.
WHAT. WAIT NO SERIOUSLY WHAT
I'm lucky I finished my drink shortly before reading, 'cause I totally would have spilled some. Perhaps not a full spit-take, but seriously what.
OUR SINS IT'S OUR SINS COMING TO GET US AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
What I had been saying about the macabre? Well, w o w .
Don't worry, obviously you're meeting him again
He's learning respect, looks like.
Ugh. That, owwww. ouch.
SOME SANITY
Ooooooooh.
Hazō complimenting people and generally being positive to good people is heartwarming. It's a high-stress situation, and he thinks to spare a "good man" that might just be usual, but how many people do that? Not many, that is how many. I care he.
Oh hi guys, it's been a while! We haven't forgiven you btw.
Let's just hope... Akane doesn't show up.
Yuno, you're great, and you're terrifying.
What an ominous name for what I interpret as stala(ct/gm)ites... but might be real fangs.
Once again, I'm given SCP "Site-13" vibes from a chapter and Yūma going steadily deeper is frankly terrifying.
Badass. Just saying. Bad Ass.
Envious because you can't roll with your barrel, are you?
The first person to be back from the dead for the seventeenth time (using two different methods, too!)
OH. OOOOOOH.
As someone who did fencing, that looks like a... *checks English fencing vocabulary* sabre quinte feint and disengage. Damn the English names are disappointing. Still, that's impressive from this angle.
HIDAN: So, Hazō, killed enough people lately?
HAZŌ: Went out with my family and we killed Daizen!
HIDAN: Do I have to get angry? I'll kill ya if you disrespect Jas-
HAZŌ: I mean we killed him again.
HIDAN: Huh? Oh. Ooooooh. Nice one, kiddo.
Well yeah, you're not quite dead yet so no need to make it happen
Aw, sorry to hear that. Hope you are in a good place to heal and rest. Remember to keep resting well for some time even after you start feeling better, I know everyone here is a sexy genius who knows a lot about everything but we all tend to forget that, and it's important to keep in mind that you're not done healing until you're at full health, even though we wish it to be so and people around push us to be more active right away
Thanks for the chapter!
-----
I think Kei should stay with us.
It isn't safe for her to return alone. Turning the whole party around likely abandons Yūma to death. splitting the party in half is madness given the level of danger we've seen.
And having her with us dosen't make things more dangerous. Any attacks aimed at her would be aimed at one of our family regardless, and she's already shown she can make a small but decisive difference with Zephyer's Reach.
-----
I think Kei should stay with us.
It isn't safe for her to return alone. Turning the whole party around likely abandons Yūma to death. splitting the party in half is madness given the level of danger we've seen.
And having her with us dosen't make things more dangerous. Any attacks aimed at her would be aimed at one of our family regardless, and she's already shown she can make a small but decisive difference with Zephyer's Reach.
- Location
- floating away
Who was this?? I don't remember Hazo killing anybody by driving a spike through their head?