Team 1: Day 2 Prep

Spoiler:

Nakaba, Sera, and Kudo had managed to survive the ordeals of the first day. Despite being ambushed twice, their luck had picked up. While they hadn't formed an alliance with the other group, they didn't end up fighting, and thus managed to get a little more rest than had otherwise been expected, expending little energy. Due to this, they found that their energy levels had all restored by 10%.

As they travel away from the Oasis, it takes a while for anyone to notice that they had actually left the Oasis a long while ago. The new maze had been gradually shifting in appearance, looking more and more maze-like, and less like an Oasis. Any attempts to backtrack would lead them to a dead-end: This Maze had been closed in around them from outside forces, making it their current task.

They could hear the sounds of others who had wandered in as well, but the echoing footsteps bounced off this impossible geometry, making it impossible to pinpoint where they had originated, nor how close they had come from. Perhaps, even, the maze itself was shifting here and there.

The trio wandered through the tropical oasis away from Natsuki and Nao and finally found a place to rest their bodies. An indeterminate amount of time had passed and Sera could feel some of her strength returning; the poison seeming to finally be out of her system. No longer did she need to rely on her chakra wings, so she would save her reserves and walk with Kudo and Nakaba instead. After resting, the group would find themselves in a new cavern in a series of hallways. Turn after turn, they went deeper within until they found themselves in a much larger space that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Stairs went up to the ceiling and doors and banisters lined the area. If she hadn’t been using her sensory abilities non-stop, Sera would have bet good money they were in a genjutsu.

“What the heck is going on here?” her voice would echo throughout the seemingly endless area. Before she could start to explore, Sera would take out an arrow and card an X into the archway that they had just walked through to get here. To make extra sure, she would carve a little S above it as well. “We shouldn’t wander, but in case we need to get out of here fast, at least we know that this route will take us back to that lush area.”

Sera would then look around the surrounding area and try to identify all of the possible avenues they could get attacked from. With a sigh, she would shake her head in disappointment. With all of the corners and corridors, they could get attacked from anywhere. If they could get ambushed while actively watching the only exit to a cavern, they wouldn’t stand a chance at pre-empting an attack here. The blonde hunter would shake her head and shine a bright smile to her teammates; breaking through any doom and gloom that had been creeping in.

“Alright, once again we should familiarize ourselves with the area, but we shouldn’t split up. I think it would be wise to always be able to see at least one other person while we’re in here. It doesn’t seem to be genjutsu, but its definitely not normal. If we get secluded that could mean the end for us.”


—----------------------
Techniques Used:
Sensing Technique (0.5 cost)


(+10% chakra gained before these reductions = 236.1/260)

Total Chakra Remaining: 235.6/260 (After the techniques used.)

Having survived the harrowing journey thus far Kudo and her group found themselves in a disorienting and confounding location that immediately had the young girl thinking it was an illusion. This thought was quickly abandoned as they found themselves perfectly capable of walking what appeared to be upside down and breaking all sorts of physics. Were this really genjutsu it would likely be used to drop us off a cliff or side of stairs. Not wanting to waste any more of her dwindling reserves she elected not to use any genjutsu releasing techniques as the paranoia of losing control of her faculties lessened.

Thankfully Sera’s intuition and perception made quick work deducing their next best play, Kudo nodded in agreement not wanting to be alone in this strange place. “I couldn’t agree more, we need every advantage we can get and our numbers seem to be top of that list.”

Deets:

It wasn't that he was familiar with Escher, but these impossible landscapes brought something familiar to his mind. He could feel the inky black well into masses at the corner of his vision. The burden he'd taken on almost manifesting in the nooks and crannies of this place. Slow whispers churned in his mind, rolling off of the cool, dead landscape. "Does this place give anyone else the creeps?" Pale green eyes glowed distantly in one of the corridors, and Nakaba would become transfixed on them.

"I definitely agree with you. Sticking together sounds like a good plan." The green eted ghost would recede into the depths of its hallway as Nakaba, while backing away from it would bump into Kudo. "AAH!" He would startle himself yelling and jumping away from her like he'd stepped in something foul. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. Keep going. You were saying: seclusion could mean the end for us." Nakaba did his best to pay attention, but he was already incredibly spooked. If it was a genjutsu, they were doing a damn good job. He had to keep reminding himself to suppress and reserve his chakra. They weren't under attack yet.

The weird dim-dawnlike, originless, radiance in this cavern didn't help its vibe. Shadows almost seem to dance on their own all throughout the cavern. Any competent ninja could see, but it was plenty for a competent ninja to also exploit the contrasts to hide. Nakaba was doing his best to focus as his gaze fell onto the ceiling. A set of pale eyes meeting his own. A skeleton picked clean except its tongue, eyes, hair, and ears was laying. Laying! on the ceiling like it had settled down for a nap. Teeth chattering, from within the confines of his imagination, Nakaba's soul would project up and out of his mouth with its eyes closed, hands in prayer, with a little halo. Quickly realizing that it was heading towards the skeleton breaststroke back into Nakaba who'd look absolutely horrified as he snapped back into reality. "Looks like this place is also unsurprisingly dangerous."

Chakra'n'Stuff:

It was soon apparent that the area around them was indeed moving on its own and that it wasn’t a figment of their imagination. Sera swore internally as she turned back to see that her marked archway was no longer in the same space it was before. Luckily, the rest of her group agreed with her plan to stick together, and they were able to explore a bit without losing sight of one another. “It’s definitely dangerous alright. I have no idea how to get out of here.” Sera agreed with Nakaba. Now knowing that they were walking relatively endlessly, Sera would hold out a hand for the trio to stop. “Let’s take a second and discuss strategy. Our top priority at this point is to get a second scroll. You still have ours right Nakaba?” Sera would eye the young man’s bag. “In order to do that we’ll probably need to go more on the offensive. That most likely means finding a way out of this maze unless there’s someone else in here.”

Sera would take a second and stomp her foot, letting the echoing sound reverberate throughout the insane room in which they stood. “It’s going to be hard to pinpoint anyone with sound so we’ll need to keep our eyes peeled and our chakra sensing sharp.” She looked at Kudo at the mention of the sensory abilities. Sera would maintain hers as well, but she remembered Kudo mentioning that she possessed the ability as well and the more the better.

“What do you guys think? If you have any differing opinions I want to hear them. As much as I’d love to, I can’t think of everything myself.” she would try her best to recreate an authentic chuckle. There wasn’t time or maybe even a need to set an official leader, so while Sera would try and steer the group in the right direction, she didn’t want it to sound like she was giving orders. They were all equals here; each trying their best to succeed in their own right.


—----------------------

Techniques Used:
Sensing Technique (0.5 cost)

Total Chakra Remaining: 235.1/260 (After the techniques used.)

With each step bringing them further into this bizarre realm of constant motion and reality bending properties Kudo kept a close eye on her chakra sensing to ensure they weren’t snuck up on. She kept her head on a swivel too having learned from their past encounter that sensing wasn’t as reliable as she’d once thought.

At the mention of chakra sensing Kudo would give a thumbs up in response, glad to have another to share the duty with.

The whole situation felt all but entirely untenable, how were they supposed to get any rest in a place like this? The one thing that gave her any amount of assurance was her affinity with Fūton. At this thought an idea formed of how to make this strange environment work to their advantage.

“My Fūton chakra should be of great assistance in a place like this. If we’re separated by being knocked off I can help keep us together, that with Sera's amazing wings we should have a good shot at staying whole. Then if we can deduce who has the scroll I can help separate them with a gust of wind so we can more swiftly take it.”

With a new sense of confidence after all they’d been through Kudo squeezed her fist in anticipation. “Offense it is.”

Deets:

Scratching the back of his head, Nakaba couldn’t deny Sera’s point. Up till now he’d been quite passive. He had only stumbled across enemies and allies. If he were at his best- No, he should have been able to cover. Simply being tired had never held him back. Long hours, results that aren’t divinable, and a hostile environment. That’s what Nakaba was forged in. He’d been slacking off. As tepid as this part of the exams was, he’d have to find another way to get fired up about it. The other two weren’t so tepid, maybe he’d just try to match them for now. His eyes would faint glow a warm orange.

Nakaba would start by mirroring his allies, and after a pause would move into his thoughts. ”Offense it is. If this is a cave, we can probably use those Fuuton, that’s wind right, to follow the air flow out of here. That is if there is a ‘way’ out, and this isn’t a puzzle that needs to be solved.” Nakaba would think to himself a little longer. Pondering the flame hidden away within himself. ”When I was a kid in the Land of Wind, me and my buddy Roki got lost. He used a match to guide us back to the entrance by following the natural flow of the air.” Nakaba would shrug. He figured the odds at 30/70 success/failure. Regardless he would still observe to see if he could feel any changes in the air around him, noting that cool air was swirling, mixing and descending from the hallways above. This was a volcano, but he’d been relatively cool and comfortable since they entered all things considered.

Chakra stuff:

“Offense it is.” Sera would grin and nod her head alongside her two teammates. Although they had a bit of a rocky start, the three of them were on the same page and were determined to get through this part of the exam. Kudo suggested using their wind techniques and Nakaba likewise suggested using a match to indicate which way the wind was blowing. Both of these methods would in theory help with finding an exit. “Good thinking!” she would encourage both of them while giving them head nods. She didn’t have any matches on her, so she hoped that Nakaba had some on him. If he didn’t follow through with some source of fire Sera would probably step forward and create some herself. If I don’t need to exert any more chakra then I shouldn’t, but if it's necessary… She weighed the pros and cons, but ultimately would wait to see what Nakaba would do. In the meantime, Sera would lightly tap the structures nearby with one of her feet. As she kicked the stairs, the archway and the floor, she would pay close attention to how the sound reverberated throughout the area. With her incredible senses she would begin to map out the area in her mind, being conscious of when the walls and structures shifted.

—----------------------

Techniques Used:
Sensing Technique (0.5 cost)

Total Chakra Remaining: 234.6/260

At the mention of wind Nakaba seemed to get a good idea to utilize air currents to try and figure a way out of this strange realm. Nodding in agreement Kudo was quite glad to have someone with such out-of-the-box thinking to help puzzle through this strange scenario they found themselves in.

Making sure to maintain a constant trickle of chakra to her enhanced senses, Kudo would continue to scan their surrounding area for any disturbances. Thankfully they looked to be alone thus far, but she was still wary of being too trusting with these senses after the previous encounter.

Deets:

Awkward, I got misunderstood. It's for the best though, I'd be even more tepid if I just kept relying on them. Nakaba would pull out a cigarette,gently settling it between his lips. Scanning the area he could vaguely get a sense for the movement of the Air with the convection of the heat. As his eyes scanned upwards he would roll the ciggie in the corner of his mouth. There? Two hallways had air that mixed steadily, it was impossible for Nakaba to tell which was producing which effect. He’d wait twenty seconds, thirty, a minute. Lighting his cigarette as he counted the seconds pass by, he see a big upheaval as the air unmixed and the convecting heat and cold became a stream as air from all around, but especially the air above was sucked into an upside down hall with a staircase the connected it to the ceiling.

Nakaba would watch as the smoke training from his cigarette slightly danced in the wind winding up at an angle. In an act of sincere trust, Nakaba would drop his chakra suppression. Taking a drag fast and long enough to deplete his cigarette to just ashes, Nakaba would form handseals [Crd: D++]: Tiger, Rabbit, Dog. His chest seemed to expand large enough to hurt. Like he was holding a trumpet, Nakaba would put both hands in front of his mouth creating a billowing plume of smoke aimed at the disruption [Str: C | Crd: A | Initial Projectile Speed: B | Effective Range: 60m]. The heat from the smoke was much easier to track. For a moment it would swirl at the ceiling , going nowhere.

Like the cave was inhaling, the mass of smoke would collect in the convecting tangle of air currents, and the siphon out of the part of the cave they traveled in outwards. Nakaba suspected the heat escaping from the mouth of the volcano created a low pressure system. He was biased in that he longed for the heat of the Sun. Now any would have to do. Even lava seemed more appealing than the dank dark. With a swipe of his sword, Nakaba would collect some wood from nearby millwork. “If you two still have your jam and tack from before, I think we have our heading.” Nakaba would speed off [Spd: A - Activating Sprinting] after the smoke, jumping to the ceiling and speeding along down the hall, now inverted himself. “Come on!”

Jutsu stuff. It’s messily done, sorry:

Survival roll was forgotten

The member 'Kimiko' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Surgical Dice' : 100

The two of her teammates got to work quickly on analyzing the windflows via chakra manipulation and cigarette manipulation skills. Sera would smile slightly at the idea of a cigarette assisting with tracking since typically the smell would give away ones’ location. Instead of being a flaw, this time it was a boon. Nakaba would begin to follow the trail of smoke while simultaneously revealing that their chakra had been suppressed the whole test. Sera would give a nod of understanding to her teammates and would jump after Nakaba, using her chakra to stick to the walls as she ran. The trio got closer and closer to the edge of the maze and Sera would hone her senses to try and catch another group off guard. This time she was determined to prove her worth to any of those watching.

—----------------------

Techniques Used:
Sensing Technique (0.5 cost)

(+25% chakra recovery from survival roll -> Chakra remaining: 260/260)
Total Chakra Remaining: 259.5/260

With a trail of smoke to follow the way out led by the sharp-minded Nakaba the three of them finally had a heading and began moving with the cigarette as a guide. Utilizing the all-helpful foot-sticky-no-jutsu they were able to make their way through the ups and downs and ultimately the exit of this disorienting realm, nothing popping up on her chakra radar but making sure to keep a close eye on monitoring it as they continued. The anticipation before what came next caused a flurry of butterflies to flap about anxiously in her stomach, to which Kudo would squeeze her fists together tightly in a failed attempt to ward off the feeling. Focusing on her teammates as she followed from the back helped calm her nerves, glad to have such competent allies to rely on in this portion of the exam.

Deets:

The embers were growing, but they were still just embers. Nakaba's jutsu would slowly fade as they ventured to the maze's edge. With a gust, the heat hitting his face again, he braced himself for the next leg. Things were going good right now, but if they got jumped again, he'd have to be prepared for the worst. As quickly as it came his ember would fade. Hmm. Frustrating. He'd rein his chakra back in. The gentle jangling of his swords would set rhythm to his pace. The maze might have been a nice place to make camp, but he was glad to be done with it. On to the next one, I guess. What would await Team 1 next oh great God of Dice?

Chakra:

The member 'Nakaba' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Surgical Dice' : 35

Their egress was short and efficient. The gang was off to the next leg of this trial.

[Exit- taking my group too]

Sera followed Nakaba into the encounter!

[Exit Thread]

And thusly did Kudo follow Nakaba and Sera through the exit! Hurray!

~~~~~~~~~~

Attempted Exit