who will take
I want some tiger pets! Given it's Gato you could do a thing where Andy is the only one to rehabilitate them from their mistreatment? They could be plenty bullshit if animals have Chakra too.
[X] Power Roll: Second Roll (450)
[X] Creature Roll: Second Roll (450)
[X] Stay in. It's better to stabilize the situation before committing to any travel. While also waiting for any potential 'guests' like shareholders of Gato's company, if he had any. And also use this time to bond with his creatures a bit more. And talk with some villagers.
[X] Power Roll: Second Roll (450)
I can agree with that, and there may be other factors involving Gato that haven't appeared yet. The Rumbling whatever pirates went to ask someone named Gataro questions on behalf of Gato, so what might they do when they get back and find Gato dead? Interrogate the villagers most likely, which could turn out very badly for anyone questioned by them, or just leave for better shores hopefully.
Then there's a bigger concern, the tone of the story likes pointing out this is a real place that holds a culture with few morals in some of its higher authority figures, the existence of ninja and their wide range of expected missions being the most prevalent of note, so how can we know what those who supported Gato's rule in the Land of Waves might do to the village with the Miyamoto clan trying to gain control over the territory.
[X] Stay in. It's better to stabilize the situation before committing to any travel. While also waiting for any potential 'guests' like shareholders of Gato's company, if he had any. And also use this time to bond with his creatures a bit more. And talk with some villagers.
[X] Power Roll: Second Roll (450)
Changing vote, I'm willing to see what happens with the pet tigers, and the Pirate's comment swayed me.
[X] Stay in. It's better to stabilize the situation before committing to any travel. While also waiting for any potential 'guests' like shareholders of Gato's company, if he had any. And also use this time to bond with his creatures a bit more. And talk with some villagers.
Go to Erisa and ask about bounty hunting - well, maybe good in perspective, but Andy already has some bad experience with blood and other things. This one need to wait for a while, I think.
Stay in. It's better to stabilize the situation before committing to any travel. While also waiting for any potential 'guests' like shareholders of Gato's company, if he had any. And also use this time to bond with his creatures a bit more. And talk with some villagers. - well, some people related to Geto can come back. Also, maybe Andy can help village with recovery and get to know the locals better, otherwise they know almost nothing about him. Well, besides the fact that he killed a bunch of bandits, which sounds creepy.
Go with Tsunami to The Land of Fire capital. While Tsunami in theory is noble according to The Land of Waves laws, it's not completely acknowledged outside. With the evidence they gathered, they may at least secure a visit and talks with a Daimyo. And with some luck, Miyamoto Clan or Akio-Sama some luck will get their rule acknowledges, and reparations for Gato's tyranny paid off. - not sure if it good idea or not, because politicians are... Well, we must have a strong position, some kind of advantage and a plan. Mutual benefit is the key. Because it is quite possible that Gato was more valuable, while he was still alive. I don't want to climb into that snake's nest
It's fine if you post plans, as I do take them into account when writing. Some ideas that showed up (like an argument about women for Babar, etc.) were pretty good .
Also, I don't want to stereotype politicians, but this is still a feudal-like society. With ALL that implies. But you will find some good or neutral people there as well.
Although your position, with what you have, isn't exactly weak. Shinobi have specific, special privileges. Well, you aren't one in theory, but seeing your creatures they will look at you differently. Unfortunately also with more paranoia.
But the best would be to grant some concessions to them, like some part of fish trading. Andy may do something as well, like track someone as few favors. Also with Gato's loot, it may open up unique options as well, like exotic jewelry. Gifts to buy goodwill are a good way to convince rulers on your side, as in the end, their individual opinion is that much more important.
Also, I know how you guys like tigers so far, but well... they could be gifted as well.
Try to seek help somewhere else? There are other countries after all and may be easier to negotiate with, from a more equal position. - but why they should help? We need strong position (again), something to offer or make declining us more painful, than make arrangements. It's again about the politics in the place I know nothing about. And Andy also knows nothing...
So, maybe let Tazuna go to Konoha for shinobi workers and Tsunami go to the Wave, while Andy stay here and making sure nothing bad happens. Because he kinda useless for political things for now and only can provide convenience of movement, can guard on the road...
He would be mostly a bodyguard, true. In the end, Tazuna DID go alone to Konoha for example, so most likely what will happen. Not sure about Tsunami, but we'll see.
who will take
I want some tiger pets! Given it's Gato you could do a thing where Andy is the only one to rehabilitate them from their mistreatment? They could be plenty bullshit if animals have Chakra too.
I can agree with that, and there may be other factors involving Gato that haven't appeared yet. The Rumbling whatever pirates went to ask someone named Gataro questions on behalf of Gato, so what might they do when they get back and find Gato dead? Interrogate the villagers most likely, which could turn out very badly for anyone questioned by them, or just leave for better shores hopefully.
Then there's a bigger concern, the tone of the story likes pointing out this is a real place that holds a culture with few morals in some of its higher authority figures, the existence of ninja and their wide range of expected missions being the most prevalent of note, so how can we know what those who supported Gato's rule in the Land of Waves might do to the village with the Miyamoto clan trying to gain control over the territory.
Naruto, in canon, had LOTS of dark themes. It's simply true. So I follow with it, but I also mentioned that it also follows a bit on the rule of shounen/cool. So kind of a mix.
Ironically I fell out of love with the 5th Jojo's Bizarre. That vid mentions that it's rules are established if a little loose. But Gio? They clearly establish how his power works in the first 2 episodes. Then trash those rules. Plus how they tease the previous little MC teaming up for nothing? Ends up being the series I dislike the most. I like the next 1 well enough even if they didn't go the way I wanted till I got a few episodes to the end and just find out the creator trashed the Anime to bring out Speed Ball Run faster.
Don't actually need this first one but still curious what dear QM has planned.
[X] Go with Tazuna to the Konoha. Hiring some shinobi to help, to build help rebuild, and mostly protect citizens at the most vulnerable moment may be crucial.
Think we should travel after we get our bearings.
[X] Stay in. It's better to stabilize the situation before committing to any travel. While also waiting for any potential 'guests' like shareholders of Gato's company, if he had any. And also use this time to bond with his creatures a bit more. And talk with some villagers.
@Kejmur
Definitely roll for encounters when traveling.
[X] Power Roll: Second Roll (450)
[X] Creature Roll: Second Roll (450)
Adhoc vote count started by Doccer on Jun 14, 2022 at 1:41 AM, finished with 14 posts and 7 votes.
[X] Stay in. It's better to stabilize the situation before committing to any travel. While also waiting for any potential 'guests' like shareholders of Gato's company, if he had any. And also use this time to bond with his creatures a bit more. And talk with some villagers.
[X] Go to Erisa. She knows how the bounty hunting business works. We may need as much money as we can get. Also learning about any big local threats may be worth it. Possibly also hire less… honorable help. And those shinobi hired by Gato.
I will repeat, just in case you missed a question, connected to how the quest continues to play out.
Also, I may ask - do you want me to keep it mostly narrative like it is now, or maybe you want to see some Encounter Rolls, to add some randomness to it? I'm fine either way, but I may as well ask.
Any encounter with Konoha is something I'm looking forward to. I'm still thinking on Tazuna going anyway, even on his own, but not sure about this yet.
[X] Go to Erisa. She knows how the bounty hunting business works. We may need as much money as we can get. Also learning about any big local threats may be worth it. Possibly also hire less… honorable help. And those shinobi hired by Gato.
1. Power Roll: Second Roll -> 8
2. Creature Roll: Second Roll (450) - 1
Players Action Vote.
1. Stay in. It's better to stabilize the situation before committing to any travel. While also waiting for any potential 'guests' like shareholders of Gato's company, if he had any. And also use this time to bond with his creatures a bit more. And talk with some villagers. -> 5
2. Go to Erisa. She knows how the bounty hunting business works. We may need as much money as we can get. Also learning about any big local threats may be worth it. Possibly also hire less… honorable help. And those shinobi hired by Gato. -> 3
Ok, Power Roll twice. Let's see what we get...
Roll: D125=11 Swarm (200)
Roll: D125=52 Speed Boost (200)
Banked Points: 50
While Swarm isn't that useful for you yet, as most of your creatures are big (it still has uses with Toucan Puffin and Bikōchū, and both help GREATLY here, as 100 scouts/trackers will make those kind of jobs easier. Also communication issues? Not an issue anymore between your creatures.
And Speed Boost... oh boy, Shrowd's only problem (which you guys pointed out) was speed. With this? This isn't an issue anymore.
Using an African Elephant with Size Augmentation and Speed Boost as well? Friggin scary as well. Or Warrior Bug instead. Bikōchū covers up tracking part, while Toucan Puffin scouting, so it's alright for now.
Combat wise you aren't lacking. What your team may need more right now is utility, mostly healing.
In other words, good friggin rolls.
Also 5 chapters are up, so it means Theme roll!
[Roll: D40=21 Lightning Theme
Wow, I must say it - your luck this round is well, pretty damn impressive. Well, those kunai/shuriken/swords, etc. are suddenly FAR less of an issue. After the next one I may increase the round needed from 5 to more for Theme Rolls, as there is only 39 themes around, so I may prefer to spread it with time.
Poor TenTen, trying to fight you at this point would be just funny.
Yeah, was so excited for Shrowd I forgot about some ideas about the Bikōchū. Will that scent memory ability be an advantage when using it, or can Ando just ask for it to track whatever he wants, animal language for the win? Since its first summoning would be its birth, is there any specific scent you wanted it to remember, like say Tsunami before she goes to the capitol to find her if things go wrong?
There's also Andy's magic staff he forgot he has, your first card nets you a magical staff to cast with if you wanted it, is it something he forgot about or do you just have no interest in giving him one. While not a first choice, they are sturdy enough to give a good wallop on anyone who gets close to him, and since he doesn't have weapon summoning yet, it would give him A weapon at least, and it goes poof when he's not using it so no worries about it being taken from him. He is in no condition to be fighting shinobi himself, but having even a magically created stick between him and a sword from some mook would be a boon right now, and no I didn't forget Aegis, just wanted to know what the staff would mean to Andy.
Edit: wait wouldn't that be Enhanced Themes? Cause I thought regular Themes made them look a certain way, while Enhanced Themes is a Power that gives each Theme an extra ability when using them?
Just checked, yeah right now Andy's Summons can look like Machines and Lightning, but until Enhanced Themes is rolled that's all it does, no airless breathing or metal immunity for now, unless I forgot something about a previous chapter.
Oh sweet! The 1 Power I wanted most for this setting!
For that Lightning Theme not too shabby. Can you teach that Craterpede to roll over? The Craterpede rolling over, or the elephant charging, thru a crowd of Shinobi, especially with Speed Boost would make Andy pretty set! Hell can you imagine 100 Toucan Puffins acting as Lightening Speed Bullets?!
I personally suggest making a free theme only for every 10 chapters minimum.
Just checked, yeah right now Andy's Summons can look like Machines and Lightning, but until Enhanced Themes is rolled that's all it does, no airless breathing or metal immunity for now, unless I forgot something about a previous chapter.
Yeah, was so excited for Shrowd I forgot about some ideas about the Bikōchū. Will that scent memory ability be an advantage when using it, or can Ando just ask for it to track whatever he wants, animal language for the win? Since its first summoning would be its birth, is there any specific scent you wanted it to remember, like say Tsunami before she goes to the capitol to find her if things go wrong?
Animal Language for the win. He will be able to track anyone. And yes, remembering Tsunami is a priority here. I will make it work that the scents the bug likes will be simply something that he will have easier time tracking.
There's also Andy's magic staff he forgot he has, your first card nets you a magical staff to cast with if you wanted it, is it something he forgot about or do you just have no interest in giving him one. While not a first choice, they are sturdy enough to give a good wallop on anyone who gets close to him, and since he doesn't have weapon summoning yet, it would give him A weapon at least, and it goes poof when he's not using it so no worries about it being taken from him. He is in no condition to be fighting shinobi himself, but having even a magically created stick between him and a sword from some mook would be a boon right now, and no I didn't forget Aegis, just wanted to know what the staff would mean to Andy.
Edit: wait wouldn't that be Enhanced Themes? Cause I thought regular Themes made them look a certain way, while Enhanced Themes is a Power that gives each Theme an extra ability when using them?
It's my mistake here. Enhanced Themes, I will make edits to correct this. I just find those little power-ups a cool bonus to add a bit of flavor to the whole Celestial Menagerie.
Oh sweet! The 1 Power I wanted most for this setting!
For that Lightning Theme not too shabby. Can you teach that Craterpede to roll over? The Craterpede rolling over, or the elephant charging, thru a crowd of Shinobi, especially with Speed Boost would make Andy pretty set! Hell can you imagine 100 Toucan Puffins acting as Lightening Speed Bullets?!
This is what I personally aim for. So yeah, I will most likely make it 10 chapters, maybe even 15. We'll see. Your current two themes help A LOT on their own now, so you don't desperately need anything else.
By the way, if you want to get in on the Celedtial Forge/Menagerie/Grimoire discord it's here Join the Celestial Forge 2 in Exile Discord Server!
you should be able to get yourself a dedicated channel for this quest.
I guess, if you haven't already made up your mind then do random encounters where it makes sense( I know, this sounds vague but hear me out). So since we choose canon that the broad stroke of events will play as they happened before, but there's obviously going to be wiggle room now that Andy is here. A mishmash of 'destiny' and the butterfly effect.
Let's say on extended travel, about every 2 weeks, Andy rolls for random encounter. So you roll, then you ask yourself is that a person who could conceivably be there, either a local within the area or an international traveler? If Andy left Wave Country right now and then he rolled Team 7 as a random encounter then the roll is canceled is Team 7 doesn't exist yet. We're months out from graduation. Alternatively, say Andy rolled Team 8 then it would go through, as unlike Team 7, Might Gai, Lee, Ten Ten, and Neji could probably be on a mission at this time. None of them would be stuck at the Academy.
High level or dangerous encounters like Orochimaru or Tobi don't occur at this time unless Andy actively goes to a base of operations.
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Chapter 8: More Training and Bonding With Menagerie, Confrontation With The Villagers, New Discovery
New day. While his mood is still heavy, and he can't help his nerves about the incoming confrontation with the villagers, the worst is behind them. And while people died, and some buildings were destroyed, thankfully most people managed to avoid the worst, so there is that at least.
Andy also has decided that while his summons should keep him safe, one day being able to at least be able to run may make a difference in his survival odds. So, while very not happy about it, setting up an exercising routine before each day, with some additional moves (mostly for his beer belly, thankfully not as big these days, but still) to finish the normal workout routine.
He woke up before everyone in the Miyamoto household, made a simple sandwich with the bread, and left the summer house. To make sure they aren't worried, he leaves a simple message behind and moves on.
Several minutes, with the village left behind, he summons almost all of his creatures and continues his exercises. Most of them cheer him on in their own unique ways, but some of them prefer to laze around instead. Mostly Babar, Lax, and Sneak. Sneak surprises him at first a bit, but with his invisibility specialty, but again, ambush predators, which is what Andy assumes about Chameleon Drake species with their invisibility, are used to being still for longer periods of time. Although with how naturally fast he can be, Andy's assessment here may be wrong.
Lax both look at him in exasperation and disgust, which makes him laugh out loud, knowing how lazy this bird can be, even if it hurts a bit to do it after putting his body through training. Andy feels like he is out of shape, but not badly, so he should be able to return to some decent form.
Suddenly between Babar, Lax and Sneak somehow slide in Squirmy, Craterpede with a gusto rolls its long body around Babar, and the elephant in return roams his trunk around the face of Squirmy, showing his affection this way. It's cute how affectionate they are with each other. Young, budding friendship.
Sneak in return eyerolls his four eyes a bit on the sight, but in the end, a tight smile of amusement is there. He looks also a bit annoyed, at the sudden big creature forcing him to move a bit, but suddenly his eyes roam towards the Toucan Puffin, that sits up on him, and almost lazily… catches flying insects, the glutton. Another thing that is a bit surprising for Andy, as with this beak he would expect a fish or fruit eater, as an animal mixed with Toucan and Puffin, but he must be clearly an omnivore of some kind. Lax receives the nod of thanks from the reptilian drake, and they find a mutual understanding in their combined laziness.
Fancy, with far too much energy, goats and teases the Zabu to chase after him, the bug-like alien accepting the challenge, with Andy helping him cheat a bit by speed-boosting him to keep up, his first two summons having that special first bond in the group. Andy feels sad that this happens way too late, and it's insane how much happened in… just 3 days. But at least he can relax, and his own worries and nerves slowly disappear seeing this amazing, adorable sight.
Aegis, The Shield simply levitates around, acting like a mother hen, when Zabu suddenly turns a bit too harshly and softens up a blow from hitting the incoming trees. It's not like it would even hurt him, but the gesture is appreciated.
Scorpio, returning from chasing some animals, Andy, at last, feels somewhat safe to release, with negative emotions slightly lessening compared to yesterday. The creature joins the duo of Babar and Squirmy, pretty much greeting them, and asking them if it can get closer to them. They both agree, and the duo turns into a hugging trio.
There are still two creatures left, and it's not fair to simply leave them be. Shrowd and Bikōchū.
So with instinctual ease at this point, summons both directly from his soul. The bug calmly stays on his shoulder but does not react outside of it. When Andy asks simply how it is, she, as a female, doesn't answer but simply nods. Not a talkative type in any way, with it, possibly being mute. But with Animal Language, even the most basic gestures are something that Andy understands well, each new conversation improving his talent. Also, Bikōchū perfectly understands his words, reacting to every single one with no issues. Not that big of a surprise, as those insects have a history of directly working with a shinobi clan Aburame.
What is hard to ignore is a very, very massive bird-like creature that dwarfs pretty much everyone in the field with its sheer size. Andy's knowledge about this particular monster is limited at most, but he knows that it's in the same power category as the beings from Monster Hunter. Strong, deadly, and powerful. Andy feels unnerved by the sheer presence and some amount of… negative emotions. Nightmarish indeed.
Scorpio reacts a bit harshly, snapping his pincers towards the bird, and moves closer. Before Andy reacts to it, the sudden feelings feel far less oppressive and uncontrolled. The avian beast, with an almost motherly gesture… pats the Death Stalker on his carapace, and Scorpio releases its characteristic weird vinyl-like screeches in happiness while saying in monotone 'acceptance, happiness', which with a monotone that Andy hears in his head sounds weird. Andy wonders if Death Stalker takes Shrowd as some sort of Grimm Queen, with the creature being very closely connected to negativity, just like Grimm are.
Hello, my comrades. Hello Summoner. How may I serve you, and my new family?
Such a deep, female voice, resonates in his mind. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it fits this creature perfectly. Regal, majestic, and powerful. And weirdly gentle.
If I have any enemies to torment or rip to shreds, just give me the command!
Never mind, Andy instantly changes his mind.
"No, I just wanted you to meet your comrades, and me, if this isn't an issue."
Of course, it's not. You were busy after all.
"I was. And will be for a long while. I'm just happy seeing you get along so well with each other."
Especially as the familiar bug on his shoulder suddenly flies out towards the massive being, and lands on its Beak, and if it's possible, the avian nightmare smiles at the sight, clearly not bothered at all.
When Andy wants to add something else, new additions, directly grating into his soul, show up. And well, they sure are impressive.
Roll: D125=11 Swarm (200)
Roll: D125=52 Speed Boost (200)
[Roll: D40=21 Lightning Theme
Swarm will be a phenomenal addition with Bikōchū and Toucan Puffin, suddenly making communication issues so, so much easier to handle with 100 of them, while also scouting around from the air. Ex-Aburame bugs pretty much becoming 100 hound-like trackers, with a very sensitive sense of smell should make finding something or someone that much easier.
"Well guys, good news. I received some nice bonuses to help you out. Especially you Babar and… I apologize, I should name you Shrowd and Bikōchū. How about Natasha and Canna. Sounds good?"
Excellent. And about that bonus?
"Oh, it's a Speed Boost." Seeing the excited reactions from his menagerie, and sadistic smiles from both Sneak and Natasha, he can tell they like the news.
"Also new Theme Transformations. I'm happy that for some reason I can transform you even when you are up. I guess Celestial blessing?" Andy shrugs, and in the end, turns them all into lightning.
The amount of light at first makes him react, and cover his eyes, but it's beautiful, to see sparkling bolts of lightning spreading around the area. It feels like observing a group of thunders gathering in one place, while barely being constrained from crushing everything around. Such a raw, wild beauty.
"And also Swarm. Lax and Canna, you may in fact suddenly have 99 of other comrades of your species." When Andy activates the power, at first on Toucan Puffin, Lax simply covers the Sneak in his numbers, being even more effective at bug catching, not bothering the big drake with its weight at all. Once Andy changes the target of the power, the bugs start flying around and landing on everyone involved.
"We have some things to test. Be ready guys."
And they do. Craterpede Squirmy quickly turns into a lightning ball of electric mayhem, which weirdly reminds him of the Akimichi Partial Multi-Size technique. Babar and Zabu are thoroughly tested on the combination of Size and Speed changes, which they take advantage of. 100 flying lightning bugs or birds also sounds like a nasty combo.
Machine Theme is also tested. Mostly on durability, and in that situation Andy learns that when they bleed, thankfully it's just a scratch, they bleed… black oil. Which is interesting by itself. Also, Lightning and Machine themes have a weird interaction, that may either paralyze or slow down someone who is made like a machine or instead 'improve' their speed. Also when Andy tells Babar to spit in his Machine form, he releases randomly parts like bolts, small pieces of metal, or metal springs.
Does this mean that I may visit junkyards, and get free money this way? Or give people specific materials? How odd, but also handy and fascinating!
Happy with this bonding session, and their camaraderie, he slightly gets less certain. The talk with villagers is incoming, but he refuses to back off.
"It's time to see other people. I'm sorry Natasha, but them seeing YOU may be too much. Please scout the area if you don't mind?"
Of course.
And with that, they move towards the village, with some free spaces between each other. Andy doesn't want to come as threatening, with all of his creatures entering the settlement at once. The smallest ones are in front, flying around, and Andy slowly riding in on Fancy. With bigger animals being a few meters behind.
Andy notices several women, who he suspects are ex-prostitutes, with one of them glaring at him. The few of Tazuna's boys and the older woman in some sort of military suit that Andy suspects is most likely Erisa. Tazuna and Tsunami are also there obviously, greeting him in their own way.
Andy straightens up. He notices far more villagers, but most of them keep up the distance, intimidated by the sight. But also curious.
"Been a while." Tazuna simply greets.
"So he is the 'shinobi' I heard people talk about." The woman, who glared at him first, suddenly becomes eerily calm. "I already cried enough, and those monsters took my baby. Choking on the blood being pierced by the tusk of that elephant of yours."
Andy almost winces, the image still very vivid in his mind. And while he can thankfully sleep, last night he woke up a few times covered in sweat.
"Plan was risky, and I lost control over the situation, with too many things happening at once. Sometimes people awaken special abilities, and I did mine 2 days ago. I regret many things, and seeing your daughter dying like this still brings me nightmares." Andy sighs. "I… just wanted to help."
"And I approved of the idea. Gato needed to die, and we decided that we needed to act fast. Even knowing how inexperienced our new ally is." Tazuna states, and drinks from the bottle. Andy shows nothing towards him but appreciates Tazuna helping him out, by taking part of the blame on himself.
"And you did." Tsunami simply states. "Good people also died that day, and we knew it wouldn't… be clean. But if we continued, we would all sooner or later simply be starved to death."
"And why it needed to be my daughter? Yuki-chan… My baby… If you didn't rush it wouldn't end up this way! Maybe you should have bothered to train, huh? Maybe rushing it was a bad idea, with possibly trying to hunt Gato later on, huh?! Maybe if you kept that Elephant around you, and keep it in FUCKING CHECK IT WOULDN'T END UP IN A BLOODBATH?! FUCKING FAILURE!"
"Stop." The deceptively calm, but also sharp voice pierces the air. What catches Andy's eye is a wood leg, clearly lost somewhere in the past. The katana near her torso shows that she was an experienced fighter of some sort. "Calm down, it's unbecoming to act like this. You aren't the only one who lost someone, as my son Daiko also died there. And seeing this young man in front of him, he is as inexperienced as he says. I see it from his body language. A warrior he isn't. Also, to be brutal about it, our losses are minimal for the freedom we received back." She turns her eyes to fuming, but slightly calmer ex-prostitute. "As you see I don't cause the scene over it, even if it hurts a lot. So fucking calm down, and behave."
"Andou-san did suggest warning people before doing all of this. We knew it wouldn't be able to work perfectly, but we did what we could." Tsunami adds in.
"And what do you have to say about it, boy?" Erisa turns those words towards Andy.
Andy gulps but continues. "An issue is that my summoned creatures can't stay more than 1 kilometer away from me. So I tried to find a spot, where I could see everything as well as possible. It worked out fine, before the… incident. I suspect that sudden death enraged my elephant, while it shocked me hard to the point where my reaction was far slower than it should be. I'm… not used to this kind of violence. It was hard to communicate and keep everything in check. It became even more complicated when I was ambushed by an enemy kunoichi." Erisa narrowed her eyes, and Andy quickly adds that she had a cloud symbol on her forehead, crossed.
"I will help you identify her, Andou-san. And I will also introduce you to one of my colleagues. Now that we are free, we should be able to meet him. "Please continue your story."
Andy continues and explains everything that happened.
"Sloppy, but could be worse. You tried to keep it simple, and it almost worked without a hitch." Erisa's opinion is calm, but also critical. Andy accepts it.
Andy bends his torso and head down, in a clear gesture of apology. "I apologize. I know it doesn't mean much, but I genuinely apologize. A… disaster like this won't repeat ever again. I'd rather die than let something like this repeat. I already had training sessions with my summons, and we will continue doing so. Also I will help you in any way I can"
"You mean it, mate, and this is what matters!" A black-skinned worker answers back. Most people around are mostly white or Asian, so he kind of stands out. Other guys around him smile toward him and clearly respect him. "We volunteered to help! We knew the risk, and in the end, that fucker Gato is dead! We should celebrate, and make sure people that died there can move to a better world in peace!" His positive attitude is something that Andy is envious of in his optimism.
"My name's Jo!" He moves towards Andy and grabs his hand. Andy, while not physically weak, can almost feel like his hand is crushed. "It does suck that some of us couldn't make it, and it does fucking suck. Some of us are angry and sad, but you did your best! When you feel like it, go with us, and drink with us! Heck, you already worked with us, with no complaints!" Andy slightly smiles at his encouragement.
"Thanks." Andy simply states. "I know that things between us started roughly, but I will do my best to make up for it. If you need anything, just ask me. And I will do everything to protect you all, and make sure no one can enslave you like this ever again. You have my word!" And while the reception was mostly reserved, some people did in fact cheer back.
"Fuck off and die. Let's go girl." Yuriko spat, but in the end, left. Andy sighs, but honestly, that whole encounter ended up better than he expected.
"Just give them some time. They survived hell, and mistrust is strong. But in the end, most of them are grateful." Tsunami adds while Andy accepts the words for what they are.
"But it also feels like it's too good to be true, and they wait for something to go wrong." Andy guesses, and both Tazuna and Tsunami nod at that.
"Let's go home." Tsunami simply smiles and gently guides Andy back to the summer house. Tazuna raises his eyebrows but leaves this scene without any additional commentary.
Once they are in, and sit on the meal and some tea, Tazuna asks.
"So what you plan to do, greenhorn?" He quickly gets to the point.
"I will stay in for a while. Someone may return, and it's better if I'm around." Andy nods. "Plus I feel like I need to make up to those people, and also get to know them better."
"Fair. Also, I will go to Konoha, to hire some help." Tazuna states, not liking the idea of spending the money, but sees the necessity here. "It should take around 1,5 weeks by horse? Something like that. Hmmm… good sake."
"And I will go to Tokudamachi. We need to see what happens around the country."
"Are you sure none of you need my help?"
"It's fine, Andou-kun. I know this terrain really well. Also, I won't go alone, some of dad's men will go with me." Andy suddenly moves his arm to the air and seeing the questioning looks of both Tsunami and Tazuna, the familiar bug lands on his arm.
"It's Bikōchū. This species is famous for having a sense of smell so keen, that most dogs would be envious of it. Also it 'memorizes' the smells, and once she smells it, as she is female, with a name Canna." The bug buzzes the confirmation. "She will never forget it. So I do it mostly for your safety, Tsunami-san."
"Thank you, Andou-kun. It's weirdly cute for a bug." She states and slowly presents her arm, so the bug can memorize the smell. It moves its small trunk all around her hand, and once done, nods in confirmation."
"How's Inari? I may need to talk with him at one point."
"In shock. I mostly leave him with other children, but he smiled today for the first time since… Kaiza's death."
"It's great! I may entertain the kids at one point."
"You like them?" Tsunami simply smiles, and something very warm, and giddy shows in her eyes.
"Yeah! At one point I had an idea of trying to become a caretaker, but it never panned out." Andy always got along with kids. "Although not sure how parents here would react to me being near them."
"I will ask some of them. Just give them some time, and they will like you."
"Hopefully. Anything else?"
"Yeah. Those tigers. We keep them locked in the villa, but you may try to interact with them. Being the animal tamer, and all."
"I will try. I'm curious about them myself. Also, it may be a bit random question, but I noticed… no stray animals around. Or any domestic pets? What happened?"
Tsunami grimaces. "Gato found them 'disgusting' so he asked people to execute as many as they could. When some refused, he asked his men to do it instead and punished harshly any strugglers. Some animals simply ran away and hid around the island. Hopefully, some will return to their owners." Tsunami calmly takes a sip of the delicious tea. "I think you still underestimate how grateful we are for what you did Andou-kun. Seeing your bewildered reaction, and shocked anger, I can tell you aren't used to people being so vile. Gato was one of the worst scumbags ever born. So while some people are still reserved towards you, I'm truly grateful for what you did. Again, thank you Andou-kun."
Andy smiles and puts a head behind his head, slightly embarrassed. "I did what was right."
"And people almost never do what is right." Tazuna bluntly states. "Which tells good things about you. Even if you need to put yourself in shape. My daughter won't marry a bum like you. And the dowry better be damn good!" Tazuna slurs out, clearly drunk at this point."
"Dad!" Tsunami calls scandalized. "I'm sorry for him… again."
"It's… alright," Andy answers, clearly embarrassed. "He is drunk after all."
"I can hear you, shitty greenhorn."
"Anyway… I may also look for those animals, and gather them in a shelter, or something?"
"It's a good idea. With Gato's additional money, and us hunting or fishing some food, we aren't starving right now." Tsunami adds. "In fact.."
When they hear someone enter, that looks like Jo, he greets. "Hey, people! I have one hell of news! But yeah, you better check it first."
"What is it, Jo-san?"
"Well, luck truly smiles upon us, as I found this!" Jo shows in his hand several familiar-looking stones.
"It that an amber?" Andy asks, and Tsunami is surprised by this discovery. Even Tazuna is slightly curious, if obviously still drunk.
"Yeah! We found this around 5 kilometers from here. If there is more of it… it's going to be awesome!"
"How did you find it?" Andy asks.
"Gato was hiring some people, outsiders, for mining this. The greedy bastard created a whole complex for mining that treasure.
"Another reason why he wanted to keep Wave under his thumb." Andy grimly states. "And he managed to keep it hidden, and most likely why he kept villagers as closely to the village as possible."
"Yeah, most likely! Fuck him, now that he is dead. Also, there is something underwater that we have yet to check out. But in this case, it may be better if you see it, Andou."
"We'll see. I will also need to check out those tigers. Still so much to do."
But it looks like the luck starts to smile at last for the Land of Waves. But part of him is also worried that the new treasure may bring out new trouble if discovered. This time, Andy will be ready for it.
==============
3,7k words. I wanted to write more, like including a scene with tigers, but it's started to get too long anyway.
I will round the word count up, and give you 200 points for this. This is the first part of Wave Arc, with most likely one more chapter (or maybe two if I feel they are needed) before the time skip, with a new encounter. After this chapter a few more slice-of-life scenes. I have some ideas, but feel free to give some suggestions.
So no Action votes this time around. More Wave Slice of Life. Yes, I will have Andy talk with Erisa, Jo, and who knows who else soon.
I hope it's an enjoyable read .
Also tomorrow I take a break from writing. I feel like I need it.
And also...
[] Creature Roll (250)
[] Power Roll (250)
[] Creature Roll: Second Roll (250)
[] Power Roll: Second Roll (250)
[] Don't Spend Points
This option returns, as you gain fewer points. Remember that if you gain more than 600 points, they go to waste, so keep it in mind. Cheers .
Don't forget the chances that those 2 ninjas might try to buy their way back in by selling that info about a hot new bloodline over in little backwater Wave.
So since we choose canon that the broad stroke of events will play as they happened before, but there's obviously going to be wiggle room now that Andy is here. A mishmash of 'destiny' and the butterfly effect.
Well, while the 'butterfly effect' is something I believe in such scenarios, it's hard to change something, if you aren't there in the first place unless you do something big enough to change it. Like you never visit Konoha, but if you kill Orochimaru, Konoha Invasion will most likely either never happen, or it will with just Rasa being desperate enough to do it, which will change things drastically.
Or if you never visit the mentioned by me Land of Birds, canon events should more or less follow the same path.
Also, 'destiny' is a big thing in Naruto, so this I will also take into account. Toad Sage potential encounter would be interesting, to say the least .
Let's say on extended travel, about every 2 weeks, Andy rolls for random encounter. So you roll, then you ask yourself is that a person who could conceivably be there, either a local within the area or an international traveler?
If Andy left Wave Country right now and then he rolled Team 7 as a random encounter then the roll is canceled is Team 7 doesn't exist yet. We're months out from graduation.
I can't confirm or deny, but yes, Zabuza and Haku not being there is a very big hint on this not being near canon Wave start. I also left other hints, like the state of the bridge, or Tazuna still collecting money. Which also limits Konoha encounters pretty heavily. But not impossible Konoha encounters.
Alternatively, say Andy rolled Team 8 then it would go through, as unlike Team 7, Might Gai, Lee, Ten Ten, and Neji could probably be on a mission at this time. None of them would be stuck at the Academy.
Obviously. Those people are busy doing their own things, and in any such scenario, they would send underlings first.
Something REALLY important would need to happen for them to personally bother. I would even say several, long chains of events.
Also, as the canon map of Elemental Nations is big here - I'm avoiding expies. I don't like the idea of 'borrowing' characters from other anime/western worlds, and inserting them here, while making them 'native'. It sounds lazy to me. So yeah, OCs all the way.
Maybe at one point, I may consider giving rewards for some 'create your characters' omakes.
Don't forget the chances that those 2 ninjas might try to buy their way back in by selling that info about a hot new bloodline over in little backwater Wave.
Unfortunately, there is a very high chance of this happening.
Although those two won't be responsible for an encounter like Orochimaru or Tobi. As those two would need to learn from parties far more likely to learn (like Kumogakure being the most obvious one). So it will take a LONG way for any response from 'big players' like those.
Thankfully Celestial Menagerie allows you to grow strong, pretty fast in fact, so I would say once you see them, you should be ready.
Fancy, with far too much energy, goats and teases the Zabu to chase after him, the bug-like alien accepting the challenge, with Andy helping him cheat a bit by speed-boosting him to keep up,
You mention speed boost before gaining speed boost.
Also, you boosted a lot of power, Swarm is a summoning power so it should only work at the moment of summoning. And it can only apply to one creature at a time, not Bikochu and Toucan puffin at the same time.
The effects of your themes are more potent than intended, by default they're just cosmetic effects. A machine elephant shouldn't be able to produce nuts and bolts.
And you do not have the Enhanced Themes power.
As I said before if you want to rule things that way, it's your choice. But if you do it for each and every power you need to remember all your house rules and your heroes will become stronger exponentially faster.
Also, you boosted a lot of power, Swarm is a summoning power so it should only work at the moment of summoning. And it can only apply to one creature at a time, not Bikochu and Toucan puffin at the same time.
I will be doing a few house rules in this. Although it's my mistake for two of them to be able to do it at the same time, as this is too much even with boosts. This is fixed.
The effects of your themes are more potent than intended, by default they're just cosmetic effects. A machine elephant shouldn't be able to produce nuts and bolts.
And you do not have the Enhanced Themes power.
As I said before if you want to rule things that way, it's your choice. But if you do it for each and every power you need to remember all your house rules and your heroes will become stronger exponentially faster.
It's alright . To be fair Celestial Menagerie is absurdly strong anyway as a powerset.
But thanks for writing this anyway. Swarm being possible for more than 1 creature was a genuine mistake on my part, which I fixed.
Also, me posting it almost daily pretty much doesn't give me any time for proper proofreading really after work. So yeah, I miss those points once in a while.
"Fair. Also, I will go to Konoha, to hire some help." Tazuna states, not liking the idea of spending the money, but sees the necessity here. "It should take around 1,5 weeks by horse? Something like that. Hmmm… good sake."
"And I will go to Tokudamachi. We need to see what happens around the country."
I can't confirm or deny, but yes, Zabuza and Haku not being there is a very big hint on this not being near canon Wave start. I also left other hints, like the state of the bridge, or Tazuna still collecting money. Which also limits Konoha encounters pretty heavily. But not impossible Konoha encounters.
I always assumed there were months in-between arcs\episides for Kakashi to train them properly. Otherwise he's barely trained them at all and they've barely had any time to grow into proper Shinobi.
[X] Creature Roll: Second Roll (250)
[X] Power Roll: Second Roll (250)
. It's NOT a story post. Just answering some posts.
