A Taste of Conquest

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Golnax
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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Sun Jun 14, 2020 3:13 am

phpBB [video] The Land of Rivers and Streams was... well it wasn't exactly what Aimi was expecting from a neighbor of the large, powerful and prosperous Fire Country to say the least. The thick forests of Fire bled up into the more northern country and mesh with an almost swampy marsh, the ground growing more and more moist the deeper into the country he went. The constant ribbiting of frogs seemed to be his only companion as the air felt as if it were growing thicker and heavier with humidity. A multitude of small streams crossed his path and though he was technically following a river up north, he wasn't actually traveling on it, preferring instead to keep it off to his left within ear shot.

Up in the trees he leaped from one branch to another, looking for a road that wasn't made of mud because of the most recent rains and finding more and more that such a thing was just a lofty dream. The Kaguya would stop and stand up on a branch, gently panting and reaching up to wipe a heavy dose of sweat from his brow. It was a hot day that day and he'd been on the move for a while. He thought back to a few days ago when he had been within the walls of Konohagakure... he still couldn't believe that he had managed to get that Hyuuga to escort him there in the first place, and the time he had spent there was... well, eye opening. It was so different from Kirigakure that, after he left, he couldn't help but feel like he had somehow violently invaded even though he had done nothing but sit back and observe. His very presence had felt like an anomaly in that bright atmosphere...

Which is what drove him north as quickly as he could without drawing attention to himself. The more distance that he put between himself and Konoha the more comfortable he became, though he couldn't say why for certain. All he knew is that he had a very deep craving for something, something that he refused to acknowledge even to himself. A change of scene, a change of pace, that's what he needed. Thus he had selected River Country (selected being a strong term since he had ended up there randomly) to explore and take his mind off of his recent experiences, and the growing hunger inside of him that he didn't want to feed.

Standing and sweating in the damp, croaking air, the Kaguya looked skyward up through the leaves of the tree he was in. 'What am I going to do now...?' the bare chested bannin thought to himself. Return to Kirigakure? No, of course not. The world outside of those misty walls meant way too much for him to return now, even if he was currently struggling with feelings that he refused to name. Then what...?

Little did he know that the answer would be exactly where he was looking: the sky.

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Wed Jun 17, 2020 12:27 am

"We've flown this path for three days, Katsu. What in the world are you hoping to find? This land is nothing but forest and water. The creatures here made rot and weakness. If you're hoping to find a challenge you'll find dirt, nothing more." Katsu and Korialstraz flew through the skies on lazy winds. Their wings barely flapped as they glide high enough to see for miles. To the south rest the city Hide and Anori had gone to find supplies. To the north was just flatland. "You bitch Hide out cause when I do it I just get a lecture. He says he wants us passing over every damn day, we do it." Kori cocked a scaled eyeridge. "You can eat him alive. No, you can literally turn him into a mangled pancake. Why take orders from him still." "Cause he's my dad for one, and he's smarter than me for two. We may not agree on fucking everything but I owe him that respect for getting me out of Kiri. . . twice."

Katsu's nose picked up something drafting on the wind. It was a chakra source, a huge one. One that this land should not have. Instantly her instinct flared and had to be forced backwards, causing her to snap her head back and forth. "Besides, I think he may have been right. Upwind." The pair shifted their wings and turned towards the scent, and soon it was in view. From this height neither of them could make out details. "I'll check it out. You hang close." Katsu began descending and heading straight towards the man, keeping senses alert. As she got closer she angled more steeply, eventually going into a dive. Within 10 yards she had tucked her wings and flipped around, landing on her feet and causing a minor localized earthquake. The wicked dagger at her back was raised as she stepped forward, baring sharpened predatory teeth. "Who the fuck are you and why are you here?"

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Wed Jun 17, 2020 12:55 am

From up above there flew what looked like two dragons at first, both seemed to be flying rather lazily on the wind which was all well and good but the Kaguya's breath caught in his throat at the sight of them. Dragons? Here? He'd only ever seen one dragon before and that was some time back in the Land of Fire! Seeing two now seemed like a minor miracle to him, but seeing was not all that he would manage to do it seemed. While he had noticed them it seemed that at least one of them took notice of him, too, and before he knew it they had turned around in the air and were flying to his location! He didn't move, simply watched and waited, holding out hope that it might not be headed for him. Alas his hope was dashed as the figure came crashing down through the trees and down onto the ground, the earth shaking at their impact and causing many leaves to fall from the tree that the Kaguya stood on. He himself had to adjust his balance to keep up on the branch but all the while he kept his eyes on her.

And he couldn't believe his eyes; He'd seen her before! Way back when when had saw the dragon for the first time! There was literally no mistaking the large, powerful, naked draconic woman. Her messy hair alone would have been enough to give her away, but that aggressive attitude of hers rang a bell in his mind of their encounter years prior when he had elected to simply leave rather than push a confrontation. What fate was it that now brought the two of them together again? The real question was though, did she remember him?

To test this the Kaguya dropped out from the tree and landed gently on the ground not far from the draconic woman and, perhaps oddly, he began to sing. There was a reason for his singing though - it was the same song he had been singing on that day when he ran into her. He remembered every detail of their encounter together, and if he had made any sort of impression on her then she would likely remember this strange, melodic, nonsense song that he was singing. Slowly he rose up to his feet and faced her, his blue eyes meeting those green and red ones. He did not sing for long, just long enough to gauge if she would recognize the song or not.

"What a strange thing it is, running into you here of all places. When last we met your dragon was a baby. Looks like it's grown up now," he said, giving details of their encounter to see if it rang any bells for her. "Don't think I ever caught your name, though..."

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Wed Jun 17, 2020 1:49 am

The singing had caused Katsu to take a step backwards, catching her off guard. Incredulous eyes glared at this man as she flexed her wings before bringing the sharpened points of each long "finger" to bare as well. After a second, the song begun to ring a bell. Finally, she examined this man more closely. Her nostrils flared as his scent was taken in. Something clicked as she finally retook that step forward. "Oh, oh we've met before." The crimson chakra began to dance through her hair. "You're the bastard from Kiri." A low growl had begun to thrum from deep in her chest. "You've got 1 chance to explain what the fuck you're doing in my sight again before I turn you into tomorrow's shit."

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Wed Jun 17, 2020 5:27 am

Deja vu is a peculiar emotion indeed and at that moment it was flooding Aimi's system as the woman before him flared her chakra and gave him an ultimatum... an ultimatum that he found kind of amusing. Years back he'd been quick to retreat with the intent of following her but had lost her after, too much distance between the two of them. Now though he stood still, he stood his ground and seemed to study her. His head tilted slightly as he took in her posture, her demeanor, the aggressive display of chakra and claws, wings and a growl. She was like a feral animal who was cornered or perhaps had cornered something and that's what amused him. He thought perhaps that she had spent too much time alone out in the wilderness with that dragon of hers or something like that.

"Chance," he said simply, raising his arms up and shrugging his shoulders. "I'm out here right now exploring the world. Matter of fact I just came from Konohagakure a few days ago... Does it matter that I'm from Kirigakure?" he asked, curious. Before when they had met with one another he had told her where he was from I believed which was how she knew, but as chance would have it his departure from the village came before her return not too long after. As such, he had no real knowledge of her beyond their brief encounter years ago and so his body language was calm, relaxed, at ease and not at all primed for an attack. If her senses were as sharp as her demeanor was animal, she should easily be able to tell that he had no intention of attacking her... as of yet.

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Mon Jun 29, 2020 12:14 am

The air grew tense between the two. As she glared at Aimi a few things became obvious. Not only did he not intend to attack, but he didn't even feel threatened by her display. Once more her nostrils flared, this time focusing more on new information more than memory. A familiar scent came to her, and the parasite began to stimulate her hunger. The beast took a step back and barred her teeth. A threatening growl began to emanate from her chest. A second later she was lowering to a crouch, her snarling maw dripping with anticipation.

Kori saw the display and drew his weapon before angling down as well. A quick scan told that the rest of their party was still a good ways distant. "Shit." It wasn't long before he was in view of the pair, his body glowing a brilliant orange as sweltering heat radiated outward, causing distortions in the air around him. With a heavy thud he landed beside Katsu, weapon pointed at Aimi. "Kat, who's this gu. . . ." recognition cut his statement short. The white hair, the chiseled face. The toned chest. "What the hell are you doing here?" As soon as he got the words out though Katsu's growl was turning into a barely contained snarl. "Katsu. . .?" Between her snarls, and recognition of Aimi a look of near panic was splayed across the dragon's face.

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:49 am

This was going almost exactly like it had last time the two of them met. This time though the feral woman seemed less chatty and didn't give him some warning to back off. No, this time she simply doubled down on her beastly behavior and seemed to be priming herself for an attack towards him - that or she was just trying to scare him off again. Somehow though he doubted it was the latter and as she began to crouch down and growl some more, baring her teeth and making it no secret with her body language that she was not at all in a friendly mood. Her display actually reminded him of a wolf of all things. He himself was a man and had grown very significantly since the last time they had encountered one another. He was prepared for an attack if that was what she chose to do. To show this, the travelling bannin slowly spread his legs apart as he readied to move if need be.

Then from the sky came a dragon - the dragon, actually, that he had seen quite some time ago. He dropped down from the sky all glowing orange and radiating heat, a weapon drawn and aimed at him and... speaking? Aimi couldn't recall him talking before. He only remembered how the drake had been much smaller and had retreated behind the feral woman when he excitedly rushed forward to get a closer look. Now the little drake had grown up at least as much as he had it looked like and was a full on dragon! Seeing the black scaly creature again the Kaguya smiled wide, his eyes lighting up and his posture relaxing just a bit. "Oh hey, it's you! You're still hanging around with her, huh?" he asked, lightly gesturing towards the still growling nude woman.

"I'm here of my own accord travelling. I bumped into you lot by chance. Again," he stated, returning his eyes to the green haired woman for a moment before looking back at the seemingly cooler (ironically) headed dragon though he kept her in the side of his vision. "You gonna calm her down or...?" the Kaguya asked, still as of yet not making any aggressive moves in the slightest. If things were going to escalate into a conflict of some sort it would be the snarling woman that started things, not him.

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:59 pm

Confusion turned to frustration as Katsu's posture further signified dangerous intent. Kori's brow furrowed as he scanned this man, showing no sign of threat and thus no challenge. Something else had her going feral, and that something had to be the parasite. Kori lowered his weapon and placed himself between Katsu and Aimi, allowing the orange glow to fade. "Katsu, go to Arsa. You're losing to the shard." Her green and red eyes locked with his. However, violent shaking of the head indicated he had been heard. She took wing, angling towards their primary homestead.

Kori, satisfied with the situation as it was, turned to Aimi and took in the sight. He rest his weapon against the ground and shoulder. "If I recall our last meeting was similar. You have an effect on her I can't figure, and normally I'd trust that instinct." The dragon did a couple short seals and reached to the ground, literally pulling an earthen chair from the dirt and rock, doing it once more for Aimi before taking a seat. "Last I remember you had wings though, or am I mistaken?"

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Tue Jun 30, 2020 3:28 pm

Aimi watched as first the dragon stepped in front of the increasingly menacing woman, spoke to her, and then as she flew away to some destination unknown. His eyes returned to the dragon once she was out of sight and he relaxed once more. He watched quietly as he spoke and then, of all things, performed a jutsu which sent his mind racing. A dragon that knew ninjutsu? Did the woman teach him? Did she even know ninjutsu? If she didn't, then how did the dragon learn? Plenty of questions but no readily available answers so rather than pursuing any of these thoughts he simply stepped forward towards the second conjured chair. As he walked forward a fair of feathered wings would sprout from his back, fanning out wide and splaying the bone feathers like fingers.

"Still got them, but they tend to attract a lot of attention so I keep them inside when not in use," he explained simply as he pulled his wings back into his body and sat down in the earthen seat. It was warm to the touch like the sunlight that had been shining on it all day. As he sat he leaned forward slightly and pulled his long hair out from behind his back and tossed it over his shoulder. "You know I have plenty of effects on different people, but never ones so immediately hostile... well, at least without good reason. As I recall our last meeting though, you weren't doing much talking. Realistically it hasn't been all that long ago, so I wonder what's changed?" he inquired.

He glanced over at the lance-like weapon that was resting against the drakes' shoulder. Though the black dragon before him had no way of knowing it the reality was that his sword was technically primed and ready in its' sheath. The Kaguya felt no real hostility coming from the dragon since the orange glow quieted down and so, deciding that this meeting was going to continue to be peaceful for as long as possible, he slowly reached down to his left hip and very slowly pulled the long sword out and drove the tip into the ground in front of him, flat side of the blade facing the dragon. Letting go of the handle he leaned back in his seat and asked another question.

"Who is she?"

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Tue Jun 30, 2020 3:43 pm

Kori's eyes followed the movements as he listened, even nodding appreciatively at the display of the wings. The gesture of the blade caused a slight smile across his scaly lips. With a flick of his tail he did the same, wrapping the lance and driving it into the dirt, just barely out of reach. "Very long story, suffice to say I owe her twice over." Kori reached into a pouch and withdrew some elk jerky, passing a few strips to Aimi before chewing on his own. "And her story is not mine to tell. Wanna know that you'll have to convince her to calm down and not try to eat you."

With a glance back in the direction Katsu had run off he decided to relax and speak candidly. "Back then I was here on her whim. These days I'm my own lord, though I respect my debt to her and the Titan. Speaking of, he'll likely be along before long to investigate once she's calmed down. I say we have ample time between now and then though." Recognizing strength where he saw it, Kori extended a taloned hand towards Aimi, slightly leaning forward to facilitate the gestured picked up from Hidetsuga. "My name is Korialstraz. My native home is the plane of fire and volcanoes. I greet you as equal for you stand against death without fear not once but twice."

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Tue Jun 30, 2020 4:15 pm

A downright civilized dragon sat across from Aimi Kaguya it seemed and the bannin was frankly thrilled. He didn't quite understand the figure across from him fully but he felt he didn't need to. It was a dragon to his eyes and that was rare, exceedingly rare, hell it was about as rare of a thing to come by in this world! Dragons had always been kickass in his mind and having seen this one younger years before and now running into the same dragon again? Aimi was no man of faith but if he was it might have been tested. He reached out and took the jerky from Korialstraz, sniffing at it for a moment before taking a small bite and setting the rest in his lap as he chewed. He wasn't actually hungry but it seemed rude not to taste at least a little bit.

He listened as the dragon spoke and looked down at his clawed talon as he extended it. Swallowing the jerky he reached out across from his sword and grabbed a hold of that scaled hand of his, goosebumps rising up on his skin and a smile cracking out over his face. "Aimi Kaguya, ninja of Kirigakure. If you know anything about the place then you know that we face death all the time. It means more to some than others and, well, suffice to say that I don't scare all that easy," he said, holding on to the talon for maybe just a hair longer than he should have before letting go and leaning back in his seat.

"I must say, it's a bit surreal sitting here like this. Kids all over I'm sure grow up hearing stories about dragons but never get the chance to see one. Yet here I am... heh, I suppose I must be exceedingly lucky!" he said cheerfully, grinning ear to ear. The smile fell from his face though as he briefly considered what to say next. The way he saw it there was two avenues he could explore but as he considered asking why the naked woman got so agitated by him being from Kiri he decided that particular subject could wait until he could actually speak to her. Instead, he breached the other subject.

"What's this... Titan you mentioned?"

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Tue Jun 30, 2020 4:43 pm

"That explains a lot. . ." Kori took another bite of his jerky and let the greetings be done. As Aimi spoke of children's dreams of his kind a pride filled smile crossed the dragon's lips. His chest puffed out and he sat up more straight weather he recognized it or not. A nicely pampered ego would loosen his lips to perhaps a bit more information that he intended to let slip.

"Different people call him different names. Normally I'd call him unworthy the shit worms eat. He's proven his steel many times over, to my admiration and humbling. The Titan is her dad and the one taking control of recent events around here. Katsu may have supreme say, but he's proven his authority and vision to earn her acquiescence." A strangely sentimental look came across his eyes as the dragon looked at his jerky. "Even I must admit his great size and strength doesn't betray the brilliance of his tactical process. The name Mercenary King fits the more I see him every day."

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Tue Jun 30, 2020 5:01 pm

A nice hunk of details, but nothing that was too terribly concrete. This so called 'titan' was the father of the woman who had flown off in a huff, he was big, supposedly powerful, at least powerful enough to garner the respect of a dragon. He apparently was a tactician of some sort but his daughter called all the shots, implying that she had more strength than he did. He was also responsible for whatever... events were going on and was known as the Mercenary King. The name rang exactly zero bells for the Kaguya and though he had been making a quick V line from Konohagakure to where he was now, he had failed to notice any sort of goings on in his travels thus far which meant that he hadn't come across them yet; until now anyways.

Aimi took in all of these details and memorized them as he was want to do. it was a good habit, after all, to repeat things in your mind so that you had less of a chance of forgetting them. The bannin figured that he had the dragons' attention so far and he was getting plenty of information out of him, why not keep going? "Mercenary King, huh? Well, can't say I've ever heard of him personally. I don't remember the name from any BINGO book anyway. Sounds like quite a guy! Tell me though, what's this about current events and all that?" He smiled, raising his hands up defensively. "Don't get the wrong idea! I'm not trying to butt heads or anything. Just the opposite. I'm out and about in the world of my own accord and I don't need a reason to end my trip early, so if this... business is something that I feel I would rather avoid, well then I'd just as soon hear about it from the uh, dragons' mouth so to speak," he said with a slight chuckle. He was keeping his mild manner up but the truth was he was intrigued. A dragon, a woman and a titan who called himself a mercenary king. The longer he spent with this bunch the more interesting it was getting!

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Tue Jun 30, 2020 5:13 pm

"This land is beautiful isn't it? There's a serenity in the gentle rise and fall of the hills. The water gently rolls into ever more violent streams. Eventually it all terminates at the ocean. The people here live by the code of survival. They hunt, fish, and build with their own two hands. While they're miserably weak and rife with disease, they do what they must to survive. I can respect that." His gaze went further south, staring beyond the trees at a vibrant city walled off from the rabble in the wetlands. "Then there's the blight on life over there. A fortified town that doesn't dare venture beyond its walls. A nest of scum so convinced of their power and might, yet so cowardly they're unable to prove it."

Another bite was taken from his Jerky as Kori scowled in derision. "The Titan has a soft spot for these lands, as does Arsa and Katsu admittedly. Different reasons for each but his is the most simple. He hates those who take advantage of their own without taking care of them first. Sees it as wrong or some such. He's convinced Katsu we should give the city an ultimatum. Either take down the wall and help this land, or be cleared out and replaced. Personally I'd rather burn the whole damn place to the ground and take a nap on the still burning husk." His gaze once more traveled back to Aimi. "Knowing him he'd establish himself as some kind of king of this nation and try to help its people. Establish a proper trade line and build it up for the good of all. He'd damn sure try to train them to actually take care of themselves better. . . Can't say I hate that last part though."

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Post by Golnax » Tue Jun 30, 2020 5:47 pm

More names and a plan. An interesting plan at that. Aimi didn't actually know what country he was in at the moment - he wasn't familiar with the geography or anything like that. If he had a map in front of him he could maybe identify it, but based on the details the dragon was giving him so far? He had no real clues as to what the bigger plot was. Something about some rich assholes behind a walled city, something about burning that city to the ground and... taking the country over? That was the gist of it anyways, or at least that's what he was interpreting. The dragon made it sound as if the people who lived in this country were just like the disease and drug addled Untouchables back in Kirigakure... just in a more swampy environment.

Again he would listen and be quiet until the drake had finished speaking. If he was right he was being told of a potential revolution lead by this Titan... or no, by the woman since she was the one really in charge apparently. The Titan just made the plans. It was big. Real big. The kind of big that could reach the ninja villages and that made him wary. He had wanted to get to know this group more but as he sat there and considered what Korialstraz was saying he was beginning to realize that that might not be the best idea for him. If this country he was in was under the protection of Fire, then any sort of revolution would garner Konoha's attention... and he could ill afford to get in the cross-hairs of an enemy village. He would be called back to Kirigakure for service or for protection, whatever the Mizukage would decide to do with him. Whatever it was he would be told to return and he could not have that. Not so soon after being released into the world.

He sat in his chair in silence and contemplated the information he'd been given. More than that though, he thought of Konoha. It was so... different. So bright in comparison. The people were genuinely friendly - not out of fear or an obligation to treat shinobi differently but really, truly at ease and willing to put on a smile and be kind to one another. The ninja were strong there was no question of that but their strength wasn't the same as his or Shinji's or the Mizukage's. After spending time in their village, he still didn't know what it was that motivated those ninja to seek strength. All he knew was that the more he thought about Konoha the more ill at ease he felt...

It was a couple of minutes of straight silence before Aimi spoke again. If Korialstraz said anything during that time the bannin did not hear it. His eyes were distant and unfocused, a reflection of his troubled mind. He felt he needed the familiar to anchor himself. He needed all of the things he knew for a minute, but he didn't want to return to Kirigakure. What he craved was simple, the one thing that had always managed to clear his head regardless of circumstance: violence.

Aimi's eyes snapped back over to the dragon and he sat up straight. "What's the name of this... city? This country? And this... business you speak on. You wouldn't need any help, would you?" he asked directly. From that moment on he was forcing himself to look at this dragon and the group he represented as a possible client and this plan of theirs as a potential mission. If he could get involved, let loose, raise some hell, a part of him believed that his heart and mind might be set at ease so that he could start travelling again and head far, far away from Konohagakure.

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:33 pm

The dragon was taken a bit back by the sudden enthusiasm. For a second he thought this was a joke and began to grew angry, the ridges between each scale glowing ever so faintly. However, after a time the genuine sincerity came through and he calmed down. "I don't know on any of those fronts. I would welcome the company in the slaughter. It is the Titan who makes that call though, not me. My way the town would be smoldering by day's break. I feel he'll want to salvage as much of the life and structure he can though." A slight snort of derision escaped his nostrils, causing a puff of smoke to form little rings.

"If you wish to help I welcome it. However, I'd know more about who's going to be at my back. I know your name and your affiliation with Kiri. Since you've been honest I'll return the favor. Katsu is from Kiri, and she will be beside me when we turn the waters to steam to mask our carnage within its walls. Where do your loyalties lie?" As he spoke soft wing beats could be faintly heard in the distance, signalling the approach of someone or something. Too far to be seen, but close enough to be noticed by the keen eared.

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Post by Golnax » Fri Jul 10, 2020 4:56 pm

Naturally it was up to the Titan (or more accurately Katsu he imagined since she apparently actually called the shots) to decide whether or not he could come along and that was fine with the Kaguya. If he was deemed worthy or useful, great, he had an outlet to let out his troubled feelings without actually having to face them! If he was rejected and turned away, also great, it meant that he had absolutely no worries about getting caught in a small scale revolution that could attract the attention of the larger nations. He could be out of these skies and far away by hundreds of miles by the time sunset came. So far so good to the bannin's ears, but then he heard the bombshell - that Katsu was from Kiri.

Now, Aimi Kaguya was not great with names or faces. If they were not direct accomplices of his on a mission, students of his, his mother and father or the Mizukage, he generally pushed names out of his mind as soon as they were no longer useful to him. He had a vague recollection of who was and wasn't in the BINGO book but it had been so long since he last looked that it was probably out of date anyways. Thus it was only naturally that he was surprised by the place at which the savage woman had come from. Why she acted the way she did was still a mystery to him - as far as he knew there were no clans, houses or families that condoned running around naked and acting like a wild animal (nor had he ever bothered to keep track of who was or wasn't a jinchuriki) - but if she was a rogue ninja after all then it made absolute sense why she would be so aggressive around him and why Korialstraz questioned where his loyalties were.

"Well, naturally, I'm allied with Kirigakure," he said, almost a reflex, but he held his hand up in front of him. "Don't get the wrong idea though. I'm not a part of the Head Hunter Organization nor do I have any sort of order or mission to bring Katsu back to the village. I have no obligation whatsoever, for that matter, to report back to them that I encountered you either. As far as I'm concerned this is a vacation for me and it's one that I'm not going to interrupt. Besides, if this hostile take over of yours goes the way you want it to then I'm sure every ninja village will hear about it soon enough... which reminds me," he paused, lowering his arm and crossing them both over his chest.

"If I help out with this, and I'm willing to help out, I do have a single condition that you and your... uh... pack? Will have to abide by."

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Wed Jul 29, 2020 2:50 am

The rushing of wings grew louder on the wind. Kori looked to Aimi with amusement. "If you're being honest then you'll speak with the titan. That should be him coming now." As if on cue a large shadow could be seen spreading across the ground. Looking up would reveal Katsu carrying a monolithic man, his body clad in steel and fur. Upon her back were two women as well, though their features were masked from view. She dipped into a sloped dive, dropping speed as she did with some effort. By the time she was about ten feet from the ground a near hover had been achieved, allowing all passengers to dismount.

Hidetsuga landed first, his heavy footfalls creating metallic clanks as armor shifted beneath his bear skin cloak. A thick shaggy beard hung down across his barrel chest, covered in a steel breastplate. In his gauntlet covered right hand a massive maul was carried, its head the size of a man's entire torso, and on his back was a large round shield sized for the 8 foot behemoth that carried it. His brown eyes regarded Aimi carefully before locking with Kori's. He took in the situation, understanding there was no immediate threat. The Titan approached Aimi, a metal and leather covered hand outstretched in welcome. "My name is Hidetsuga, lad. Folks call me bear or titan. Despite me lass' reaction to ye I hope you find welcome here long as yer blade stays sheathed."

The women dismounted Katsu as she landed. The smaller of the two, heavily muscled but significantly shorter than either Katsu or Hidetsuga, approached the latter. She rest a hand on his shoulder for a moment while surveying the situation himself. The simple lenin pants and shirt, with leather boots, accented her long green hair with natural colors. Between her features and the look in her emerald eyes, it was obvious this was Katsu's mother, Anori.

The other woman, covered in scars and tattoos and clad in naught but a simple leather skirt immediately took up stance beside Katsu. She locked eyes with the primal woman and whispered quietly, a soft hand resting on the larger's chest. After a second the crimson cloak began to fade. The Beastia regarded Aimi with intensity, but made no move to get closer for now, staying a solid thirty feet away with Arsa.

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:28 pm

As the shadow of the group came over them Aimi glanced up towards the sky before giving the dragon one last look and turning his attention fully to the situation above. Katsu came landing back down with three other individuals with her, boasting in this act alone her incredible strength, and, if he were pressed for it, he would have to confess that he was... kind of disappointed. When he had pictured the 'Titan', he imagined some colossal black dragon with a maw filled with teeth that were as tall as he was, piercing reptilian eyes and a body that was all armored scales and muscle. He imagined that anyone that traveled with Katsu and Korialstraz was some variant of dragon, actually. In hindsight it must have just been wishful thinking to see more dragons that had let him think this way.

The shirtless bannin looked over the huge man before him as well as the two women, noting similarities in style of dress and features here and there as well as how they all looked at him. He didn't sense that there was any sort of real trust there just yet and that was fine. He wasn't necessarily asking for trust after all. As the self professed Titan extended his hand and greeting Aimi looked him over and couldn't help but think, 'Fuck me is he huge,' which was by no means an understatement or over statement. The man had to be roughly three feet taller than Aimi was and his hand alone was big enough to fully wrap around his head it looked like! Despite not being a dragon, he certainly lived up to his title.

Hearing his words and deciding to take them literally, the Kaguya slowly stood up from his seat of earth and reached out very slowly, so that all could see his actions very plainly, to grab a hold of his sword. He pulled it out from the ground in front of him and then slowly sheathed the blade on his left hip once more. "Aimi Kaguya," he said, holding his arms out to the side for a moment before reaching out and taking Hidetsugas' hand. For all his power and strength Aimi couldn't help but feel like a child in front of this man!

"So... I hear you're planning on starting a revolution or something along those lines. I'd like to help. I'm good at this sort of thing! Just... I can't have Kirigakure or any other ninja village for that matter knowing that I was involved, so, if you'd be fine with me tagging along and helping, I only ask that you never tell a soul that I did." There, it was said. It all just kind of... came out. Aimi wasn't quite as composed as he normally was due to the combination of being in the presence of a literal giant and his current emotional turmoil. Doubtless he could have been more articulate about it, but there was a good chance that using less words was only going to help him with this particular group.

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:49 pm

From the background Katsu began to growl once more in displeasure. However, a soothing hand on the woman's face silenced her. The pair shared a short hushed conversation before the larger woman shook her head. "You're right. . . Thanks." With a grunt she ripped the membranes in her wings, using the sharpened points of each "finger" to press into the ground, leaning back on them comfortably and offering her lap as seat for Arsa. The smaller woman took it and leaned into the beast.

Anori, after looking towards the girls returned attention to Aimi. Upon hearing his request a serious look took her attention to Kori. "You spoke of that? Bear and I haven't made those plans solid enough to act on and you're spreading it to those affiliated with the people who tried to kill our daughter?!" Kori, with a cold look, replied bluntly. "See Katsu's reaction to him. Last time she behaved like this was with the Mizukage, and Kenji before him. If this man was a threat at least I'd be dead already. I'd have been dead years ago when we met before too." After considering his words she returned attention to the Titan.

Bear considered the words closely, taking in Kori and Anori's responses. He seemed to mentally balance several things at once. Eventually he moved to take a possition directly opposite where Aimi's seat had been, motioning at the spot. Kori once again reached to the earth and raised a massive stone seat. The large man sat and motioned for Aimi to do the same, laying his hammer and shield at either side. However, it was now that his eyes narrowed on the blade at the Kaguya's hip. A sensation of unease and desire gripped the man, if only for a brief instant before dismissal. "You stow your arms and speak plainly. I can respect that. The lizard offers vouch for your power, as does my daughter. I can respect that too, lad. I'll not play at ye either, we could use yer might. Only concern is the strength of yer heart lad. Why do ye wish to aid a bunch of outsiders like us? And I suppose I've naught but yer word that you'll keep secrecy in kind as well."

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:44 pm

Aimi's sharp eyes moved back and forth between all of the new, strange faces before him as they spoke one after the other. He couldn't hear what was being said between Katsu and the other woman, but based on her body language and Katsu's reaction he could assume that it was something that was calming at the very least. The smaller woman held influence over the supposed leader of this group. His blue eyes went back to the other woman and Kori as they spoke back and forth to each other. He didn't recognize one of the names mentioned, Kenji, but he definitely knew who the Mizukage was. That meant that this 'Kenji' was someone comparable to the Mizukage in strength; that meant he was comparable to the Mizukage in strength. At least according to the naked beast anyway. The bannin fidgeted on the spot a bit and slightly puffed his chest out. He hadn't really considered it before due likely to years of systematic indoctrination - that he was comparable to Kasai in strength. The thought almost made him blush!

Taking his seat once more Aimi let his left arm rest relaxed against the guard of his blade with his fingers laid limply over the pommel while the Titan sat down and spoke with him. He asked a hard question that the Kaguya wished he hadn't and his face visibly grew more tense at the realization that he would have to confront this question and provide an answer. Once the much larger man finished speaking he let out a sigh and closed his eyes. They remained shut for only a second before he opened them back up again, looked the huge man in the eyes and said, "It's mutually assured destruction. See, I can't have Kirigakure know - or any of the other ninja villages for that matter - that I'm involved in anything like this. It would be... inconvenient at best, and at worse it could lead to an escalation that may lead to a war. Conversely, if Kirigakure were to learn that Katsu, apparently from the village, was behind this as well... I can only imagine the sort of retribution that they'd try to bring down on her - and on me for not trying to kill, disable, or bring her back. I keep your secret because you'll keep mine, or else we both suffer." That was the easy part to answer.

Taking in a deep breath that puffed out his chiseled chest, Aimi continued. "As for why I would help you... I'm not... entirely... sure. I just..." he trailed off, broke eye contact with the Titan and raised his hand up to run it through his long white hair, tucking the bangs on the left side of his head behind his head. He debated on whether or not to explain that he had come there from Konohagakure, that he was bewildered to say the least and completely confused at worse. He didn't want to seem weak to these people in any sense of the word and, fearing that his hesitation and lack of an immediate answer had already done so, Aimi steeled himself and turned back towards the Titan.

"Violence is what I understand best. I'm from Kirigakure, so it Katsu. You should know that death and murder is second nature to us. I don't want to tell you why, because frankly it's none of yours or anyone elses' business - this is still part of my vacation after all - but right now I need to be a part of this. I haven't had any good exercise in weeks. Haven't had to kill anything or anyone for a while now. I'm starting to get the itch again, you know? Now I could just go off and kill some innocent person or some such but frankly? That's never been my style. I don't know what Katsu's told you about Kiri but there's this place called the Untouchable district that we shinobi can go to to get our rocks off killing whenever we feel like it. Never suited me. So now I see a chance to blow off some steam in a major way, and I feel I have to be a part of it. Kori's right - if Katsu reacted the same way to me as she did Kasai, the Mizukage, it can only be a good thing for you and your cause, right?" he tempted. Temptation of his strength, he feared, was the best course of action he had if they felt that his unwillingness to tell them exactly why he needed this was insufficient.

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:23 pm

The titan produced a pipe with some tobacco as Aimi set in to tell his tale. He'd just began tapping it off and searching for a striker when the Kaguya had mentioned the mutual destruction of both of their worlds. A soft smile came across the big man's face beneath the bush called a beard, though he remained silent. A couple seconds later he held the pipe over to Kori who simply inhaled through it, lighting the thing in the process. A nod of thanks was given as Kori passed it back, exhaling far more smoke than should have been given from the pipe.

As everyone finally settled into their various seats Aimi would finish speaking and the gathered lot would look between themselves. The only eyes that remained fixed to Aimi where the Titan's. He offered their guest a pipe of his own, manifest from somewhere in the furs he called clothing. Whether it was taken or not Hide would speak. "Weren't a couple year's ago I called those slums my home. We lived in the outter most ring cause me girl needed the freedom to move." He motioned to Katsu. After a second he rolled both shoulders and sat up more straight, sighing. "Thank ye fer telling the truth ta me lad. Allow me to repay the favor in kind."

"I know the land ye speak. As said we lived there, Anori, Katsu, and I. We lived in those slums fer a few reasons. The lass was always a wild one and I came into the family right as her mother was showing through in her. These old bones needed rest from years on the plains. Mercenary life gets exhausting, ye know? Besides, I took and arrow to the knee and couldn't keep up anymore. Came into this family in water country and moved into Kiri, hoping to put Katsu through training for some discipline. If anything it made 'er more wild." At this Katsu smiled and relaxed back on her wing. Arsa was sitting in her lap, listening intently but not removing her hand from the larger woman's chest. "Y'all's teachin is brutal and unfair. Training killers, not warriors. Granted, she came through in various ways, fer better and worse. Wouldn't change what we did iffen given another chance."

Anori has taken up seat at the large man's side. The two held a conversation between them in silence before Hide got back to Aimi."I now me girl's got a natural urge to hunt and feed. I figured that was unique to her. Guessing it runs a bit more prolific among ye lot. That said, we know Kiri well and frankly don't like them much. Bastard's tried to kill me girl. Chose her to learn from some beast that claimed to be a god, sealed the monster inside her. She and it got on and she. . . Well the lass made me and 'er mah here right proud. But she grew more wild." Bear looked over at his daughter who at this point had begun to hang her head and growl. Behind a veil of green barred teeth could be seen and even Arsa wasn't moving, concern on her face. The titanic man sighed heavily. "I'm sorry lass. . . I'll make this part quick." He returned attention to Aimi. "Those bastards ripped the beast from her chest and made her what she is now. So you'll fergive of we have little trust or love fer our once home. Iffen yer wanting to murder, I'd suggest you look elsewhere. I've killed an innocent man in the name of the job but I'll not cause a massacre. I'm wanting to get these people to be something. . . A wee bit more."

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:55 pm

phpBB [video] Aimi reached out and took the pipe from the Titan once it was offered to him. He didn't smoke it, but he did light it, snapping his fingers after channeling a bit of chakra and igniting the tobacco in it with a tiny spurt of ephemeral flame. He held onto the pipe. Aimi listened. Aimi listened carefully. His sharp eyes left the Titan only to look over at Katsu and her mother as he explained that not just the naked wild child was from there but he and the other woman as well, making them all refugees in a sense given that they were from the Untouchable district. He couldn't help but think it smart of them to leave along with Katsu - it wasn't as if anyone from Kiri would stop them. No one cared about Untouchables after all. It made perfect sense to him that anyone would want to leave that wretched stretch of shacks, drugs, murder and sickness and he didn't blame them for it one bit.

However, he did take particular offense to the implication that the Titan set upon him in his initial rejection. Aimi frowned deeply and the corner of his nostril twitched as he took a moment to maintain his composure. Unlike Katsu who fully embraced her more animal instincts, he fancied himself a man and thus above snarling and growling every chance he got. Aimi tilted his head forward slightly and gave the man a hard look. "You'll have to forgive me, but I don't represent Kirigakure beyond my occupation. Not in the slightest," he said slowly, a dull fire in his voice that seemed to quake with a sort of rage that matched the rising smoke from his borrowed and unsmoked pipe.

"I already told you that I don't mistreat the people of the Untouchable district, your former home. Far from it. I'll let you in on a little secret, something that no one in Kirigakure knew until a very short time ago, not until after I was promoted to bannin and had the authority and strength needed for it not to matter anymore. My parents are Untouchables. My father's a slave, my mother a former slave. If there is anyone in all of Kirigakure who knows the cruelties of the village it is me."

He paused, rolling his right shoulder and pushing out from it a spike of bone very slowly so that all could see plainly. A demonstration. "Do you know how a Kaguya comes to be? We're not like other clans. None of us are related, not really. You see we have a disease in common that we're all born with - Heterotrophic Ossification it's called. Means that our flesh and other squishy bits are turned to bone slowly from the moment we're born. Sometimes before. The Kaguya take us away from our parents before we are a year old, perform a ritual on us, and then we're cured. At a price. For our lives we are expected to serve. Serve the village. Serve the family that owns us. Serve the clan itself. And we're not allowed to have contact with our actual mothers and fathers after that. We're told that they're dead or that the clan is their true family and that that's enough. It wasn't for me. I sought out my parents, I found them - but not before I was already a man. I've known them only for about three years now, and I've done everything in my power to foster a relationship and protect them in that time."

Again he paused, the bone sinking back into his shoulder as he stood up from his chair and looked down at the Titan - or at least as best as he could given the height difference. "So I have to say that it's particularly offensive that you think I would just maim and murder and wantonly kill without any sort of restraint. If you don't want me to kill a lot of people fine, just point me in the direction of at least one that needs to die. You're trying to start a revolution - don't bullshit me and tell me that you're going to kill no one. Not with someone like Katsu in your ranks," he said, jutting his head upwards in the direction of the thus far sitting woman. The air was growing tense beneath the trees, the feeling of danger pervading the clearing that would no doubt inflame the former genma host. Aimi didn't care. He was desperate to convince this group - this family - that he was a good fit for this operation. So long as he made no direct aggressive actions, which he was being very careful not to do, he could express these acts of microaggression all he wanted.

Jutsu UsedShow
Katon • Pin-point
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
The user channels their katon chakra into their finger tips. Then, with a snap of their fingers, the user ignites a small area up to a 1x1x1 meter area in size in flames. An instant before the ignition, there is a small 'ember' of flame that indicates where the bloom of flame will erupt. This flame lasts for only an instant and quickly dissipates after burning. The flame and ember appear with [Speed] equal to the users' [Control] and has [Strength] equal to the users' [Control]. The user can perform this jutsu at a range of 10 meters.

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Thu Aug 20, 2020 12:24 pm

Several long smokey draws were had on his pipe. The Titan regarded this man with an intense glare. His every feature was considered along with each movement. Aimi's frustration and indignation were clearly recognized. Despite the tone of his voice being more than a little combative, he was right. As silence settled between the men and gathered crowd Bear let the air sit. The tense air would incite Katsu, and thus Kori would get involved as well. However, he'd do nothing. He needed to think on Aimi's words, because he was right. A man grunted in displeasure, but a beast stepped forward.

Arsa had been moved aside and Katsu came forward. She was much more calm, the usual snarl disappeared into Arsa's calming touch. A lingering trailing hand betrayed the affection she had for the smaller woman before she placed the other on Bear's shoulder. "He wants to leave, Hide. He won't say it but he's wanting to get the hell out of there." To Bear's shock she gripped his shoulder firmly, a sign he used to do with her of comfort. After a second of holding his gaze she turned to Aimi and locked eyes with him. "I know how your "family" works. A friend of mine who's gone now was Kaguya. . . . You sorta remind me of him actually. What I didn't know was that you're all kidnapped. . . He never mentioned that part." Katsu extended a hand to him after a second in the same gesture Hide did. "You help my dad with this thing, in turn we skin the blue blooded whelps alive and scratch an itch. Afterwards, we discuss getting your real parents out of that fucking hell hole. . . Deal?"

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Golnax » Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:44 pm

Aimi's words had obviously had an effect on the group. All were silent and stirring in their own way while the bare chested bannin stood before them, unmovable as a statue. At length Katsu moved forward and one could almost hear the creak in Aimi's bones as he turned his head to look at her. Unlike earlier and when they had met before, now it appeared that she was calm and inserting herself as more than just a wild beast. Her words, though, bisected him. His eyes flinched and he screamed out in his mind, 'It isn't true!' and he believed that. Even if he did want to leave, where would he go? What would he do? Why risk being branded as a traitor by Kirigakure of all villages and suffer the ire of t he Head Hunter Division? It wasn't as if he had a family (and a dragon) to fall back on for protection. He had his issues with Kirigakure, issues he mostly kept to himself, but to want to abandon the village that had given him everything? Given him his life? Of course it wasn't true...

... Wasn't it?

He met Katsu's gaze and continued to listen to her speaking. It didn't surprise him that she had known a Kaguya or two in her time. Despite being the smallest clan in Kirigakure the men of bone made it a point to make a name for themselves. They had to because they were so small. He looked down at Katsu's extended hand and then back up at her. He reached out and grabbed a hold of her forearm. "I'm sure I knew him at one point or another. Why would he have given you, a kunoichi not of the clan, secrets about how we're made in full? I'll help you kill some corrupt aristocrats or whatever. We can talk more after."

The deal made, Aimi pulled his arm back away from Katsu and brought his hands up to his hips. He closed his blue eyes for a moment and took in a breath, easing himself and relaxing. The decision had apparently been made and he would be allowed to do what he did best. Any other deeper consideration could wait until later. Or indefinitely. He opened his eyes and looked around at the group. "So when are we leaving?" he asked quietly, relief clearly in his voice.

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A Taste of Conquest

Post by Das Kirb » Thu Aug 20, 2020 5:08 pm

With a verbal pact sealed Hidetsuga stood and retrieved his hammer, Kori doing the same with his lance. The chairs were dissolved back into the earth, leaving only a patch of barren dirt. Anori and the Titan shared a long look at each other before sighing in resignation. Arsa approached Katsu and Aimi, a wide grin upon her face. "You are known to us now Kaguya, Aimi. In time, complete knowledge will be shared for you and she are of kin souls. I am rarely wrong. Come, for now we drink and sing. Let those two think, we but wait. The fire is warm at home. Come." Katsu looked at Arsa and smiled, her eyes returning to Aimi as she turned around, leading her family and it's newest ally, however temporary, back home.

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