The cave that the knowledge he had found within the Book of Gelel led him to was hidden in a set of mountain ranges not too terribly far from Crimson City. The book had warned him that it was easy to miss the path up into the mountains and it was true. It had been nestled behind a rock formation at the base of the mountain itself that did not appear. Still he had found it and begun his traversal, keeping wary of potential traps that might or might not be about the path ahead. Secrets such as this one did not always rely on secrecy itself for defense and at times human intervention in its protection could almost certainly be counted on. So he moved up the path with a wary eye. As such his progress was much slower than one might expect. However eventually he came across a cave entrance that was well hidden from any angle from the ground. One might have been able to pick it out if one was flying overhead but only if they were looking at the right moment.
That in itself would equate to a startling amount of security. After all, knowing something was there to get to was two parts of the task in terms of getting to it. Still, given what he had read it would not matter if someone had found the cave. The Vein of precious stone within would be worthless to them. Three stones was the limit of what the Vein could distribute access to. Only three, anymore that were chipped out would do no good to anyone. With all three of the stones currently in Kirigakure. One would be hard pressed to get an active stone from the Vein at any point. For chipping away a stone and hoping one of the three were destroyed would do no good. One had to be destroyed before breaking off a piece of the Vein in order for the Vein to empower it as a true ‘Stone of Gelel’. That meant the only ones with knowledge of when it would be able to produce a new one were those with that knowledge in Kirigakure.
However that did not mean there wouldn’t be assailants skulking about in the cave intending to waylay one of the three holders of the Stones when they came to unlock its full potential. That would of course be the opportune moment to gain a stone. Once all three were mined from the Vein anyway. Of course that would require someone with the knowledge of what the Vein was, and all the rest of the information. Something that he had been assured when talking out the details of the takeover via correspondence. Still, Valen really did not know how tight the security had been before. So acting with a certain amount of caution was prudent. Besides, none of that precluded the idea that someone still could have legitimately stumbled upon the place by accident and used the cave as a shelter.
Still, Valen kept his senses sharp as he entered the cave, his hearing and sense of smell sharp enough to warn him of a threat. His sword, the Hai no Ha was tied to his waist and his cloak and gloves were in evidence as well. He never really left his home without his equipment on him of course and red eyes kept a watchful eye as best as they could in the darkened cave. Still, eventually the passage would begin to lighten by degrees and soon enough the Jounin Commander would be able to see by the light of an eerie glow that was coming from deeper within. A glow that he himself recognized of course. As a matter of fact, the Stone of Gelel that he had embedded within his own chest matched the glow. Swirling and coming to seemingly lifelike light. Between the two lights his ability to see within the cave had increased by a substantial margin and he moved more confidently, his step no longer slowed by the careful stride of someone trying to not to trip on rocks and drops that he could not see.
Soon enough he would come out into a massive cavern that held a large pool of water. The glow came from that crystalline pool and he moved to edge of it and peered into it's depth. It was deep enough that he would need to swim down to the bottom but that was nothing to worry over. His cloak would make swimming awkward but he had done it before. So he knew that he could manage the inconvenience. Before he dove in however he looked about the cavern. Noting that the ceiling of it was dotted with semiprecious stones. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethyst, topaz, all of those and more could be seen but to Valen's eyes they seemed to have been set into the rock rather than naturally discovered. Which would make sense, finding that type of variety of gemstone in one range would not be particularly believable. Still, it was an interesting way to decorate the cavern and the light from the Stone played off the surfaces of the semiprecious stones, casting light across the cavern. Looking down into the pool he tried to get an idea of where upon it's bottom the Vein lay. It took him a bit before he came to the sudden realization that the entirety of the bottom of the pool was the Vein. Not only that, but that was only the part of the Vein that was visible. For all he knew it descended down into the mountain for miles.
That was a whole lot of Vein and he could feel the thrumming tension of power in the air within the cavern. It tingled up and down his skin, almost caressing him in its embrace. The energy about the cavern seemed to coincide with the stone and he felt the stone in his chest pulse, like that of a heartbeat. From what he had read he would need to make physical contact with the stone after meditating for a time and giving the stone he had time to harmonize with the Vein. Even now he could feel a similar pulse that his stone was emanating coming from that of the Vein itself. Although the two were most definitely not pulsing in time. He had no indication of how long it would take to do. So Valen sat, pulling out some food and drink. When he had arrived on the island he had stayed at an inn and paid for a full meal as well as a whole chicken, a loaf of bread and some cheese. Those three items he had stored, intent on using it as a meal in case he needed it. He retrieved them now and ate, taking some drinks from a flask of water he kept with him. The point of course was to remove as many distractions as possible from his mind when he began working on meditating. Doing such things was not something he was particularly skilled in and so he wagered it would take time to get into the proper mindset. Although he more suspected the meditation itself was just an explanation of something to do to take up time in order to give the Stone time to harmonize with the Vein. Still he wasn't going to practice any fire release techniques in an enclosed cavern. So his options were somewhat limited. Still he could use the time to consider options of things to do back home.
Once he had eaten he stored his trash away and then moved into the pool. He leaned back in it and let himself float along the top of the pool with his eyes closed. He kept his senses sharp as he simply floated along the top of the water, guiding himself toward the center and taking deep, calming breathes as he let his mind focus on possibilities. Before he had left he had given out three of the seven swords of the mist. The Nuibari, Samehada, and Kabutowari, he had hopes for another two possible members one of which being Tsumi Yokai. Although the demon man would need to prove he could be trusted before he was given the Kubikiribōchō. Although there was something to say for giving it to him anyway. He had led a number of Kumogakure citizen's to Kirigakure and they had all been smoothly integrated into the village. Still, people tended to flock toward who they knew and so those from the Land of Lightning had generally chosen to stay together. That could have dangerous repercussions down the line if they began to feel ostracized or closed off. Or if they felt they weren't trusted. He had not returned to Kirigakure with the knowledge that the nation they had called home was now Kirigakure's to govern however when he would he did not honestly know how they would react.
Giving Tsumi the Kubikiribōchō early would be good for the trust of those individuals. The man was too noticeable to miss and the sword itself was as large as he was. The act of giving the blade to Tsumi as a sign of trust might go a long way toward breaking the ice with the people who had joined because of fear. It was definitely something to consider, but he wagered he would give the sword to the Yokai before long. That left two, Hiramekarei and Shibuki. Hiramekarei he had a planned wielder for, and he would offer it to the man almost as soon as he got back to the village and got caught up on any work that had built up in his absence. Raphael Uzumaki, Valen wasn't sure the Jounin could wield the sword but he did not have a whole lot of options available to him. So it would not hurt to give him the chance to do so. Still, that would leave Shibuki. Which was still in the form of a cane that Kitsuki had wielded. He would need to find a weaponcrafter that could change the weapon back into it's original form. Not only that but he would probably have them change the form of his own weapon as well. He personally felt it was time for a bit of a style change.
As these thoughts swirled around his mind the faint pulsing of the Stone and Vein would slowly begin to harmonize until finally the stone embedded in his chest gave off the same thrum of power that seemed to be everywhere in the room. He felt that constant flow of power settle into his body. Like electricity in a closed circuit, constantly flowing through him with the Stone itself as it's source, like a battery. He knew people couldn't possible feel or sense it's power without access to a stone itself but the thought of that blew Valen's mind in a way. How could anyone not feel this? How could they not sense it? Still, he knew people couldn't sense it, knew they couldn't feel the power resonating through him. Not from the Stone of Gelel at any rate. It would probably lead people to underestimate him. But that was something he could live with.. for now. Still, now that the Gelel Stone had seemed to harmonize, Valen would turn over in the water after taking a breath. Then swim down, descending into the water and laying a hand upon the smooth surface of the deep pool. His touch of the floor of the pool confirmed his earlier suspicion of the entire bottom of the pool being the Vein itself. At that touch his Stone began to resonate with a deep warmth, not painfully hot, but definitely noticeable. He felt the energy of the Vein flow into the stone and felt both the Stone and Vein thrum in time with each other. As if the two were the heartbeat of lovers long separated and returned together once again.
Swimming back up to the surface of the pool Valen would pull himself out of it, and begin to simply leave. He still wasn't going to start a fire this deep into the cave but it did not matter regardless. By the time he reached the entrance his own body temperature had dried him off and he stepped out into the afternoon sun and took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the brightness. Once that was done he rolled his neck, feeling and hearing various cracks and pops as he worked the muscles. Then he began trek down the mountain, his intent upon returning home.
[Exit]
[Traveling back to Kiri from Crimson State Isle using a Corvette
Full Kaiju Ocean: 96 Hours (48 Hours due to Corvette)
Half Major Nation (Borders to Kiri Gates): 24 Hours (spending 25 chakra to make it 12 due to his B rank speed)
Total Travel Time: 60 hours.
Arrival Time: 9:43 PM on Sunday 4/2.
That in itself would equate to a startling amount of security. After all, knowing something was there to get to was two parts of the task in terms of getting to it. Still, given what he had read it would not matter if someone had found the cave. The Vein of precious stone within would be worthless to them. Three stones was the limit of what the Vein could distribute access to. Only three, anymore that were chipped out would do no good to anyone. With all three of the stones currently in Kirigakure. One would be hard pressed to get an active stone from the Vein at any point. For chipping away a stone and hoping one of the three were destroyed would do no good. One had to be destroyed before breaking off a piece of the Vein in order for the Vein to empower it as a true ‘Stone of Gelel’. That meant the only ones with knowledge of when it would be able to produce a new one were those with that knowledge in Kirigakure.
However that did not mean there wouldn’t be assailants skulking about in the cave intending to waylay one of the three holders of the Stones when they came to unlock its full potential. That would of course be the opportune moment to gain a stone. Once all three were mined from the Vein anyway. Of course that would require someone with the knowledge of what the Vein was, and all the rest of the information. Something that he had been assured when talking out the details of the takeover via correspondence. Still, Valen really did not know how tight the security had been before. So acting with a certain amount of caution was prudent. Besides, none of that precluded the idea that someone still could have legitimately stumbled upon the place by accident and used the cave as a shelter.
Still, Valen kept his senses sharp as he entered the cave, his hearing and sense of smell sharp enough to warn him of a threat. His sword, the Hai no Ha was tied to his waist and his cloak and gloves were in evidence as well. He never really left his home without his equipment on him of course and red eyes kept a watchful eye as best as they could in the darkened cave. Still, eventually the passage would begin to lighten by degrees and soon enough the Jounin Commander would be able to see by the light of an eerie glow that was coming from deeper within. A glow that he himself recognized of course. As a matter of fact, the Stone of Gelel that he had embedded within his own chest matched the glow. Swirling and coming to seemingly lifelike light. Between the two lights his ability to see within the cave had increased by a substantial margin and he moved more confidently, his step no longer slowed by the careful stride of someone trying to not to trip on rocks and drops that he could not see.
Soon enough he would come out into a massive cavern that held a large pool of water. The glow came from that crystalline pool and he moved to edge of it and peered into it's depth. It was deep enough that he would need to swim down to the bottom but that was nothing to worry over. His cloak would make swimming awkward but he had done it before. So he knew that he could manage the inconvenience. Before he dove in however he looked about the cavern. Noting that the ceiling of it was dotted with semiprecious stones. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethyst, topaz, all of those and more could be seen but to Valen's eyes they seemed to have been set into the rock rather than naturally discovered. Which would make sense, finding that type of variety of gemstone in one range would not be particularly believable. Still, it was an interesting way to decorate the cavern and the light from the Stone played off the surfaces of the semiprecious stones, casting light across the cavern. Looking down into the pool he tried to get an idea of where upon it's bottom the Vein lay. It took him a bit before he came to the sudden realization that the entirety of the bottom of the pool was the Vein. Not only that, but that was only the part of the Vein that was visible. For all he knew it descended down into the mountain for miles.
That was a whole lot of Vein and he could feel the thrumming tension of power in the air within the cavern. It tingled up and down his skin, almost caressing him in its embrace. The energy about the cavern seemed to coincide with the stone and he felt the stone in his chest pulse, like that of a heartbeat. From what he had read he would need to make physical contact with the stone after meditating for a time and giving the stone he had time to harmonize with the Vein. Even now he could feel a similar pulse that his stone was emanating coming from that of the Vein itself. Although the two were most definitely not pulsing in time. He had no indication of how long it would take to do. So Valen sat, pulling out some food and drink. When he had arrived on the island he had stayed at an inn and paid for a full meal as well as a whole chicken, a loaf of bread and some cheese. Those three items he had stored, intent on using it as a meal in case he needed it. He retrieved them now and ate, taking some drinks from a flask of water he kept with him. The point of course was to remove as many distractions as possible from his mind when he began working on meditating. Doing such things was not something he was particularly skilled in and so he wagered it would take time to get into the proper mindset. Although he more suspected the meditation itself was just an explanation of something to do to take up time in order to give the Stone time to harmonize with the Vein. Still he wasn't going to practice any fire release techniques in an enclosed cavern. So his options were somewhat limited. Still he could use the time to consider options of things to do back home.
Once he had eaten he stored his trash away and then moved into the pool. He leaned back in it and let himself float along the top of the pool with his eyes closed. He kept his senses sharp as he simply floated along the top of the water, guiding himself toward the center and taking deep, calming breathes as he let his mind focus on possibilities. Before he had left he had given out three of the seven swords of the mist. The Nuibari, Samehada, and Kabutowari, he had hopes for another two possible members one of which being Tsumi Yokai. Although the demon man would need to prove he could be trusted before he was given the Kubikiribōchō. Although there was something to say for giving it to him anyway. He had led a number of Kumogakure citizen's to Kirigakure and they had all been smoothly integrated into the village. Still, people tended to flock toward who they knew and so those from the Land of Lightning had generally chosen to stay together. That could have dangerous repercussions down the line if they began to feel ostracized or closed off. Or if they felt they weren't trusted. He had not returned to Kirigakure with the knowledge that the nation they had called home was now Kirigakure's to govern however when he would he did not honestly know how they would react.
Giving Tsumi the Kubikiribōchō early would be good for the trust of those individuals. The man was too noticeable to miss and the sword itself was as large as he was. The act of giving the blade to Tsumi as a sign of trust might go a long way toward breaking the ice with the people who had joined because of fear. It was definitely something to consider, but he wagered he would give the sword to the Yokai before long. That left two, Hiramekarei and Shibuki. Hiramekarei he had a planned wielder for, and he would offer it to the man almost as soon as he got back to the village and got caught up on any work that had built up in his absence. Raphael Uzumaki, Valen wasn't sure the Jounin could wield the sword but he did not have a whole lot of options available to him. So it would not hurt to give him the chance to do so. Still, that would leave Shibuki. Which was still in the form of a cane that Kitsuki had wielded. He would need to find a weaponcrafter that could change the weapon back into it's original form. Not only that but he would probably have them change the form of his own weapon as well. He personally felt it was time for a bit of a style change.
As these thoughts swirled around his mind the faint pulsing of the Stone and Vein would slowly begin to harmonize until finally the stone embedded in his chest gave off the same thrum of power that seemed to be everywhere in the room. He felt that constant flow of power settle into his body. Like electricity in a closed circuit, constantly flowing through him with the Stone itself as it's source, like a battery. He knew people couldn't possible feel or sense it's power without access to a stone itself but the thought of that blew Valen's mind in a way. How could anyone not feel this? How could they not sense it? Still, he knew people couldn't sense it, knew they couldn't feel the power resonating through him. Not from the Stone of Gelel at any rate. It would probably lead people to underestimate him. But that was something he could live with.. for now. Still, now that the Gelel Stone had seemed to harmonize, Valen would turn over in the water after taking a breath. Then swim down, descending into the water and laying a hand upon the smooth surface of the deep pool. His touch of the floor of the pool confirmed his earlier suspicion of the entire bottom of the pool being the Vein itself. At that touch his Stone began to resonate with a deep warmth, not painfully hot, but definitely noticeable. He felt the energy of the Vein flow into the stone and felt both the Stone and Vein thrum in time with each other. As if the two were the heartbeat of lovers long separated and returned together once again.
Swimming back up to the surface of the pool Valen would pull himself out of it, and begin to simply leave. He still wasn't going to start a fire this deep into the cave but it did not matter regardless. By the time he reached the entrance his own body temperature had dried him off and he stepped out into the afternoon sun and took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the brightness. Once that was done he rolled his neck, feeling and hearing various cracks and pops as he worked the muscles. Then he began trek down the mountain, his intent upon returning home.
[Exit]
[Traveling back to Kiri from Crimson State Isle using a Corvette
Full Kaiju Ocean: 96 Hours (48 Hours due to Corvette)
Half Major Nation (Borders to Kiri Gates): 24 Hours (spending 25 chakra to make it 12 due to his B rank speed)
Total Travel Time: 60 hours.
Arrival Time: 9:43 PM on Sunday 4/2.
