Travelling Spores

[Piece]

The past few weeks had gone by with incredible celerity and a trudging slow march at the same time. Ontarou's schedule had been constantly stretched to capacity, divided between his classes, household chores, and relentless personal training. Even still, the exhausting days seemed to not want to give way to the turn of the calendar. He had slowly grown impatient with Aimi, if he was to be honest with himself. He had never believed the man had forgotten his promise to take him on a small voyage, Aimi was above that. Now, if the man had decided to wait a fair bit longer before fulfilling said promise, that was an entirely different matter. You sure made me wait for it, sensei. I hope it's everything I expect it to be...

The small white cap of a boy had brought with him what he hoped to be neither too little nor too much. Travelling, camping, generally being away from his home for more than a day weren't exactly things he was accustomed to. Kinoko were akin to mushrooms. Mushrooms are not known to be mobile. They are known for growing in a spot close together and staying that way. As he rummaged through the backpack he had brought with him, he was more or less confident that at least he wouldn't be left hanging in most situations. Flint and steel to start fires, two changes of clothes, a metal pan to cook with if needed, coat in case it rains or gets cold, what else should I have brought...?

This would be his third equipment check in the past thirty minutes, at this point done more out of nerves and excitement than a true pragmatic need. His mentor had told him to wait for him close to the outdoor classrooms they met at on an almost daily basis, along with any luggage. Something his family and neighbors made sure to hammer into his skull for the time that had passed was a novelty concept - travel light. The comfort of carrying less weight came accompanied by the anxiety of worrying one hadn't brought enough. Clothes. Money. Food. Did he want to look like a careless airhead to his teacher?

He shook his head in a frenzy, getting his emotions back under control. The day he had been waiting for for so long had come, and he wasn't going to allow nerves to steal its glory away. Samurai, ninja, lands I haven't even heard of. Maybe even snow...God, I think my heart is going to pop. Where are you, Aimi-sama?

[Golnax]

And then he'd be there.

In a blink-and-you'd-still-miss-it moment, Aimi Kaguya stood before Ontarou as he was looking through his backpack. He himself carried nothing of the sort, for he needed nothing of the sort. The cloak around his waist was all the clothing he ever wore, really, and the few bits of equipment he chose to take with him were standard affair. A sword at his hip, a buttbag on the other. He expected to use neither during this outing but it was an ingrained habit to not leave home armed. The little white cap, meanwhile, likely had plenty in that backpack of his. An amused smile spread across his face at the thought; 'Does he think we'll be walking?'

"I take it you're ready to go? You've got everything you need? Good, good," Aimi spoke up. He was fairly eager to leave himself, truth be told. The time spent between the initial agreement and now hadn't been idly spent by the Kaguya Daimyo, but the logistics of making sure that things ran smoothly while he was gone, putting the appropriate people in the right places to keep order, along with convincing the samurai that caught wind of it that he did not need an escort was both time consuming and exhausting.

With little more than a flex of his back muscles, Aimi would sprout a pair of skeletal, feathered wings, looking every bit like a bird's, fanning them wide before turning around and kneeling on the ground with his back to Ontarou. "Hop on. We're heading north, and it will be much faster if we're not on foot!"

Jutsu UsedShow

Death Bone Pulse • Skeletal Wings
A-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
The user will channel to ossify bone in their shoulders, growing a pair of skeletal wings at a speed equal to the users’ [Speed]. These wings have strength equal to the users’ [Strength]. These wings then ossify further as thin, hollow bones are added, mimicking the structure of keratin in the feathers of birds. These wings allow the user to fly, giving them a maximum speed equal to the users’ [Speed] while in the air and a maximum height of 30 meters.

[Piece]

Slowly shoveling his equipment back into the backpack, Ontarou's eyes lingered upon the older man. Everything from the man's presence to his physical appearance, to his routine habit of performing inhuman feats as easily as breathing had a way of catching the young Kinoko in a spell. Once more, he found himself positively speechless in his mentor's presence, having to force himself to utter a few words. "H-Hi, sensei. I was just preparing my things..."

Quickly gathering his belongings and throwing the pack over his shoulder, the Kinoko began to wonder where his mentor's own traveling gear was. The breezy smell of dawn brought with it the humidity of soon-to-come winter. Ontarou rolled his eyes in a gesture of self-reprehension, it was Kaguya Aimi who stood before him. The man could be trusted to know what was best for himself. Him and his unwavering eyes and the bemused smirk he seemed to have constantly postured on his face whenever around the young Kinoko. Once questioned, Ontarou was quick to shake his head affirmatively. It was now or never, a journey that would be told for the ages. He wondered how big he would be once it was over. How strong. His legs definitely should get a bit larger. "Yes! I'm totally ready. Have you any idea of a route-"

Of course. Stocking up on equipment, preparing for adversity, and mapping out a good route for a long trip were completely meaningless, plebian pursuits to something that could be compared to a spirit of nature. The man could sprout wings from his back, wings that shook the grass by simply spreading them. Wings that blew the morning air into Ontarou's face and rolled his hair backward as Aimi stretched them out. As the Daimyo of Gold Country took a knee, inviting him for a flight upon himself, his young student stood still for a moment. This was the unreal kind of ability one could attain by training oneself to the point of being able to take on entire nations. He wasn't terrified nor ashamed. As he clutched his mentor from behind, he felt nothing but pure, unbridled awe. By the Goddess, what other things are out there that one can't explain so easily?

[Golnax]

With Ontarou on his back Aimi would take flight after making sure that the young Kinoko was secured to his person well enough. With a flap of his bone-white wings they were off, flying vertically up in the air in what amounted to a single great leap before his wings flapped to stabilize them up in the air. From there it was a simple matter to just fly, something that, at this point, did indeed come as natural to Aimi as breathing. The speed at which they flew was likely faster than Ontarou had ever had the chance to move in his life... but nowhere near as fast as Aimi could have taken him. Realistically there was no need to move so quickly. This trip would likely last a few days and they would be making many stops along the way to let the white haired Kinoko see and experience things. Thinking on it then, the whole idea was very nostalgic...

Their first stop was within Southern Gold itself. "Look down there," Aimi said, raising his voice to make sure he was heard while pointing downward over the large lake they were flying over. More than the lake, though, Aimi was pointing out the city floating atop it, the entire thing built upon a bed of floating wooden platforms with architecture built in such a way that it could support a pyramid! "That is Lake Blomst, and the city is Ulvengrad. This was the formal capital of Plains and Sea before I made it Gold, and this is the only true city here in the south for hundreds of miles! The lake is salt water, and changes colors depending on the time of year. You'll have to make a trip back here during spring time, the water is a vibrant pink!"

The two of them passed over Ulvengrad and the lake it was built upon and kept going. They could have taken the time to land and explore the city, yes, but Ontarou would know of Ulvengrad by name and reputation certainly. Though it was extremely likely that he had never been there himself, the city on the lake was open to him now. He could visit it safely any time now. It was for this reason that Aimi continued onward to newer experiences and places for the young, curious white cap to see.

Veering to the northeast, Aimi would take Ontarou towards a natural monument that was plain to see even over Lake Blomst. A great mountain that reached high up into the sky, far higher than what they were flying. They would get close, but not descend. "Have you seen the volcano up close before? This is Mt. Tletl, dormant for now but still plentiful in riches! Before the Great War, people would come to the mountain twice a year to collect a substance known as Pele's Hair. They'd weave it into jewelry and export it. This still happens I assume, but now the mountain is being excavated for precious metals and gems. This is one of the operations that I want to expand upon! The more gold and gemstones we have, the richer our country is. The richer the country is, the faster we can grow."

The second major landmark seen, Aimi would once more veer to true north and fly fast, taking Ontarou over the grass sea and the scrublands that he would be quite familiar with, having lived among them until recently as all Kinoko were forced to before the end of the War. Further they would go north until they came upon a squat mountain range, where Aimi would ascend and truly begin to pick up speed, reaching back and holding onto Ontarou's sides to make sure he didn't fall.

"We're passing over Wind Country territory now," Aimi informed Ontarou solemnly as they passed over the mountains that gave way to the forests. "This land used to be known as Dungeon Country. You'll see why before long. It was the first nation that I conquered - more persuaded to join my cause, really - and it was from here that I began the forging of Gold as it is today. After the War, to prevent prolonging of fighting, I conceded this land to Wind, and the samurai who were from here under my charge were allowed to return home..." What he left unsaid was his reluctance to do this at the time, and his current desire to take the land back. Someday... fortunately for him, time was always on Aimi Kaguya's side.

The passed over the snowy forests as they descended over the peaks of the mountain, following the wooded area for several miles as they went further and further into Wind territory. Off in the distance, Ontarou would be able to see the grasslands to the east and barren, snowy plains to the west of the forest. The "Land out of Time", as it had once been known, still indeed lived up to it's name. It still looked like how he remembered it when he had come to challenge wandering bands of samurai into servitude, so many years ago...

As they flew further and further north, Aimi would nod his head down as they passed over yet another lake, this one much larger than Lake Blomst had been and covered in both islands and ruins which sat upon those islands. "These are the dungeons that this land was known for. I've never delved into them myself, but they are apparently quite treacherous. This doesn't stop adventurers from delving into them and trying to find secrets, however. From what I recall, no one knows who made them, which makes them a consistent draw for people to come and investigate."

Further north they travelled and by now the sun was beginning to set. Once they were passed Dungeon Country, Aimi would announce, "We've passed over into Gold Country territory again! Look! See those hills?" he called, nodding his head towards an intricate, almost interlocking, series of mounds jutting up from out of the ground that stretched on for miles and miles in either direction. Despite the time of year, the air here was actually warming up compared to what it had been all day for the two of them! This was because, from here on for a while, they would be within a tropical biome. "Those were all man made! The people here had lived their lives in a bloody cycle, dominated by animals that grew extremely violent every few years! These hills are both home and fortress for the people who lived here, with intricate tunnels built into them connecting most of them! These days though, the people are free to live elsewhere... we're headed down!"

True to his word, Aimi would begin to descend towards the hills after many hours of flying. Landing softly, he would kneel down and let Ontarou off of his back before standing tall and stretching, first his arms high over his head and then pushing his stomach forward with his hands on his lower back. His spine audibly popped multiple times during this process with more to follow as he rolled his shoulders and turned his head from side to side. He hadn't had to carry someone for that long in a long time, and speeding up over Wind's territory to spend as little time in their air space as possible had been far less leisurely than the comparative glide that they had been enjoying up until they passed the mountains.

"We'll camp here for the night," the Daimyo declared, sitting down on the ground and letting out a sigh as he began to relax, retracting his wings back into his body. He sat quietly, waiting for what was inevitably going to be a stream of excited questions and/or statements from Ontarou in three...

two...

one...

[Piece]

The first sensation to hit him was the slap. The air itself seemed to oppose the idea of a human such as him soaring through the skies like a majestic eagle. His small, still-growing arms clutched his mentor in a relentless grip as he forced himself as close to him as possible. After all, Ontarou wasn't exactly fond of the idea of slipping away and falling through the clouds, bringing his adventures to an early end. Every muscle in his body had contracted out of primal fear, an uncontrollable sensation of impotent vulnerability. His mind rushed much like a frothing, desperate horse, and in this case, he had lost control of the reins as soon as the race had begun. Oh no, oh dear, oh Goddess, please. Mushrooms aren't supposed to fly! We stay in the good safe ground and we don't move, oh please-!? He was desperately trying to open his mouth and scream, yet the sinking feeling in his gut had robbed his lungs of the oxygen he needed to do so. It was a new sensation for the young white cap. To be so afraid that one loses the ability to shout. Please, don't let me fall. Let's just go back and forget about this whole damned trip, I can't take it!

At first, Ontarou couldn't even force himself to open his eyes for a peek. As soon as he tried, he would immediately have to shut them away from the terrifying reality he had found himself in. However, with time, he gradually allowed himself small bits of courage. He would keep his eyes open just that little bit longer, catching short glimpses of the rushing world beneath him. People, trees, rocks, fields, animals, and just about everything else had become tiny from above. The boy wondered if this was what hawks felt like every time they took to the skies. The tingling of panic had not abandoned his spine just yet, but he now felt quite a bit larger than before. He was looking down upon the tiny, tiny world, and his newfound self-confidence allowed him to take just a little bit more of it in with each stolen glance. Indecisive as to where to look, he would switch between trying to keep up with what happened below and losing himself in the blue skies that surrounded him. One thing piqued his curiosity. The rushing, fresh air that enveloped him had its own smell. Flying itself had a smell. Slowly, his face contorted into a nervous smile. I truly must be dreaming, there is no way this is happening...

His teacher's voice broke through the cacophony of the winds to pull his attention to one of the marvels of the world. Over the currently sapphire waters of a gigantic lake swung an entire village. Somehow, rather than stick with the safe, sturdy foundation of solid earth, some very smart people had decided to defy the conventions of human fear and make shifting water the pillars of the largest city of what used to be its own country. Ulvengrad, its magical lake, and its strange architecture were indeed nothing new to Ontarou. He had dreamt of seeing the place for as long as he could remember. Seeing it, however, was a whole different thing. He could barely believe his eyes as he wiped away the tears brought out by the rushing wind, looking back again. As Aimi described how the water changed colors, his jaw fell open. This led to the air resistance flapping his cheeks like those of a running dog before he closed it once more.

Now more accustomed to wind resistance and the terrifying acrophobic heights, Ontarou found it easier to look around. His hair was still standing on edge, but he was far too occupied feasting his eyes to bother with fear for the moment. The volcano could have been erupting with all the geothermic fury of the earth as they flew over it, in the spiritual flow state he found himself in at the moment there was nothing that could knock him back into sobering reality. Every new sight, smell and sound was a different precious jewel to fill the coffers of memory and he was a dedicated prospector. Nonetheless, his loyalty and commitment to his newly acquired country was still present. I wonder if we can help with the mining...maybe use the mushrooms to suck the stones out...?
There was a small sense of familiarity poking at him as they flew ever further, though Ontarou didn't bother to feed this subconscious at the time. With so many new memories to absorb, the old ones were relegated to the backrooms of his mind. Even as they soared over an entirely different country, he found himself there and not there simultaneously. The lands brought with them different landmarks, smells and shades, yet he couldn't help but wonder about the nature of such separation. If it's a different country how come it looks like just more of the same with a different taste...? His mind was plagued with proto-philosophical inquiries of such a kind, before he spotted the strokes of white in the distance. His eyes widened as he pinned them to the western horizon. Is that...snow?!!

---

Once the hot air struck the boy's face, he popped back into the front seat of his own voyage, glad until such a moment to be a simple spectator and take in the wonders of the huge world he had until then considered so small. As Aimi described the communities which were so cleverly built and developed, he couldn't help but notice that so much of the world's beauty had come to be from the pressure of eventual destruction. Certainly, something to consider over a cup of mushroom soup. His mentor announced their incoming stop, and Ontarou braced as they lost altitude. His instinctive fear of falling made a small comeback as they approached the ground, vanishing completely as the duo landed.

Unmounting the Daimyo of Gold, the young Kinoko found himself stumbling over his own feet, almost akin to a newborn horse or calf. There was a strange tingling in his lower back and his legs and sense of balance weren't all there. After taking a knee himself, it was a pair of minutes until he regained his composure as his mentor cracked and snapped his body back into shape. Ontarou barely heard Aimi's words, nodding out of subconscious reflex. The flight had driven his mind into a strange zen state which seemed to have kept him domesticated for the past couple of hours. For the following moments, it would appear as if the young man, who was currently staring at the ground in a pseudo-shock, was out of it just enough to spare the older ninja from a psychic attack. However, at the last minute, almost prophetically, his senses came rushing back and his brain went into overdrive as he unleashed the onslaught. "OH MY GOD! Aimi-sensei flying is the best! Do you think I'll be able to fly someday? I mean, probably not, I can't control my bones like that. Maybe something to do with mushrooms?! Oh, oh, and what about Ulvengrad? How did they ever manage to make that?! Aren't they afraid the city might fall!? Also, also, do you think Mount Tletl will erupt again soon? Nevermind, that's not important, can we visit one of the dungeons? Do you think there's treasure? Wait, going back to Mount Tletl I think my family can help, maybe push out the stones with our mushrooms? Do you miss the samurai from back there?

His enthusiasm seemed more alive than ever, yet another test to the Daimyo that sat down upon the ground. One thing was for sure, the trip was obviously appreciated thus far.

[Golnax]

There it was. The little whitecap's excitableness was truly something to behold! Were he eighty years younger, he might have found the little outburst of inquiries annoying to the point of forcing him to either slow down or abandon the conversation entirely. Time had tempered his temperament though and he instead sat quietly as Ontarou rattled off statement after statement after question, smiling all the while. The Kinoko had been surprisingly quiet during their flight and he definitely felt that he was afraid from how stiff his body was against his back. He had at first considered that flying might not have been the best idea, that he might have been inadvertently traumatizing the young lad, but that was quickly discarded as the Kinoko relaxed more and more.

Now it was evident why he'd been quiet: He was paying attention, something that Aimi could appreciate. His every question, while rushed, went over most of what he had seen that day and he found himself in the position of having to pay attention in order to keep track of them all! "Alright, alright, slow down, one at a time!" he chuckled, holding a hand up and waving it to try and get Ontarou's attention.

"If you put in enough training with your ninjutsu then yes, you will be able to fly one day if you put your mind to it. There are a number of ways that ninja can fly with tools or with jutsu. The most common way, I imagine, is with the use of Fuuton - you remember that, yes? Wind ninjutsu. I've heard tell that a ninja proficient enough in Fuuton can wrap their body in wind and use it to carry them to simulate flight. Your mushrooms, too, could be used I suppose, if you get creative enough... a toadstool is kind of shaped like an umbrella, yeah?" he asked, holding his hands up and gesturing them in such a way that he outlined the basic shape of an umbrella. "Perhaps you could use a Fuuton ninjutsu to lift you up in the air by the cap or something. It's possible, but it would be up to you to figure out how."

Lowering his hands and shaking his head, the Daimyo would continue. "I don't know how Ulvengrad was made or how it stays afloat anymore than I know when the mountain will erupt again next. I'm not from these lands, remember? They're just as much a marvel to me as they are to you. I don't know much of anything about volcanoes and my knowledge of architecture is only slightly more impressive. These questions are better asked a native than me, sadly."

Once more Aimi shook his head as he continued to answer Ontarou's questions. "We can't go delving into the dungeons. Not without risking trouble with Wind and possibly our own lives. I've never been in them myself, I don't know what's down there, but I think I recall stories of them being dangerous places all the same... besides, if it's treasure you're after, we'll be able to see stuff like that in a day or two!"

The Kaguya smiled as he thought of the mushroom people sprouting fungus in order to break down rock and dig through volcanic soil. "Slow down, slow down. I've already got some people working on mining the mountain and there are plans in place to expand the operation in order to get more gold. I had thought that the Kinoko could help with such matters, but you would all need more training before then. From what I can tell, your clan is mostly proficient in either Suiton or Doton elemental ninjutsu, the later of which could be used to move great chunks of earth and help us more easily mine the gold and gems that are there. One step at a time though - you first need to know how to move the earth with your chakra!"

By that point it was beginning to get dark and Aimi was getting quite hungry. Emerging from his chest would come a tiny skeleton, looking very much like a child or even an infant's which, while somewhat disturbing to look at, would be made either more so or less so depending on Ontarou's disposition as the Kaguya struck the construct and made it fall into a pile of bones in front of him, only to push said pile further away from him with one of his legs until they were at tip-toe range. Then, with a snap of his fingers, the bones would be set alight and just like that they had a campfire, one that smelled awful in comparison to wood or even grass, but it would do.

"It's hard to miss people you don't remember," Aimi replied, pulling his legs up and leaning forward to lean on his knees. "The war was a very long time ago for me, and I can no longer recall any names or faces of the samurai who fought with me and ultimately decided to return home that were from Dungeon. Do I wish that we still possessed their fighting force? Yes, of course, the more men the better - but at the end of the day I don't think we need them so much. I'm able to teach the workings of chakra and pass it down to others which in turn makes each and every perspective warrior who learns stronger than they were before. We are at the genesis of an entirely new strain of shinobi in the world. It's an exciting time to live in...!"

Looking up from the fire, Aimi would smile at Ontarou and say, "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty hungry, and flying for so long has left me feeling pretty tired. Why don't you try your hand at gathering some food for us? Think of it as a little training exercise."

Jutsu UsedShow

Death Bone Pulse • Bone Clone (Pygmy)
C-Ranked Nintaijutsu
By ossifying bones throughout their body, the user creates an entire skeletal structure at a speed equal to the users’ [Speed] that is no bigger than twenty one inches tall before pushing it outside of their body. This tiny construct is able to perform simple tasks the user tells it to and has [Strength] and [Speed] equal to the user's [Control]. The construct lasts for up to 5 posts before falling apart.

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.