The Early Leviathan Gets the Worm (Mission / Closed)

With the feeling of cold, damp rocks at his finger tips, Rivu pounced through the topsoil and into the Sandstone Plateau. This was a trip that the Tsuchikage had made many times before. The people of the village loved him as their beloved Leviathan of Iwagakure, what they didn't know was that the "of Iwagakure" was like a choking cage to him.

In his blood, he was as a beast. He had a ravenous desire for blood and he could do little within his power to get over it. Inside the village walls, he is forced to cage himself and his inhibitions and it was not an easy feat for him. Every day was a challenge and, when it became too much to bare, he would just run. He never went far from the village, and never for too long.

No, he still did care for Iwagakure, loved it and within those massive stone walls. The cage just doesn't suit him is all. These were his moments to vent out his frustrations, and he made the most of them. Often times, he would leave with a mission, and this time he would be out for one of his favorite 'vacations.'

Apparently, there is a massive worm attacking travelers along this road. If he is going to rip something apart, it may as well benefit the village. Even still, this target goes beyond the country's safety for him, at least for now. No, the only thing Rivu has on his mind is the chance to hunt worthy prey.

He takes many of these vacations. What he does with his time varies. Sometimes it can be rigorous training, perhaps he might simply destroy something. His personal favorites, however, were always the hunts. The thrill of the battle, a magnificent melee between predator and worthy prey.

As Rivu arrived at the Plateau, he quickly ascended towards the surface. Kicking off from below, he breached the topsoil. Running down the road, he was crouched down on all fours, like a beast. In his head, he had nothing on his mind but his prey, the gigantic worm attacking his country. Where are you beasty, come on out. He thought, glancing from side to side.

The ridges along Rivu's face formed back to normal while, at the same time, his legs began to ripple and curl. Fine and dense scales took shape around his body, stopping around his face. Along the top of the scales were thin ridges that sliced through the air as he moved. The scales provided Rivu with a defense that was both dense and aerodynamic. "Come now beasty!" He shouted, continuing to run down the road at incredible speeds.

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His mind reached out, searching for chakra to fill the voided space he could see so clearly in his head; but here? Nothing, there was nobody around. It was a strange thing; he had traveled this road many times, it has been far too long since someone would be traveling. What's all this then, beasty? Scaring off my family, killing my family? To have survived here for more than a week, you must be something else. His eyes flashed. "You will be a fine hunt, worm!" He yelled out.

Someone capable of fighting off the shinobi of Iwagakure for this long must be a truly magnificent creature. Continuing his beast like sprint, he suddenly stopped, still on all fours. A grin stretched across Rivu's gray face as he slowly righted himself. Beneath his feet, 800 meters away, a massive chakra source was heading straight for him.

He turned his body and faced the direction of the incoming worm. Crouching down onto his knees, he put his fist to the ground, his black and yellow eyes keenly focused towards his prey. "That's right, beasty," he said softly, yet menacingly. "It'll all be over soon."

The gigantic worm came in close, relatively speaking. Within 100 meters, the long beast stayed his ground beneath the earth. Biding its time and its energy, it waited for Rivu to be distracted or injured. When it was sure the meal would be quick and easy it would strike. "Hmph," he scoffed, thinking to himself. I'm not sure whether to congratulate its cautiousness or mock this primitive instinct. He thought, opening his right eye even wider than before and his breath getting much heavier.

"No, it doesn't even matter. Poor beasty, completely unaware of what he's gotten into!" He laughed hard, staring at the unmoving chakra of his prey.

Like a shinobi halting the chakra flow from their feet, Rivu fell through the earth as one would through water. He submerged completely and righted himself, maintaining a defensive combat stance. Keeping his focus on his target, he kicked downwards towards the worm.

[OOC: Stats maintained]

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The sudden rush towards it, reasonably so, spooked and began making his way through the earth, straight towards the Cursed One. Now, that's more like it, beasty, show me what you can do! Brimming with excitement, Rivu met his prey with great speed. Extending his fist in front of him, he collided head on with the worm's maw, one of the larger front teeth.

The collision sent a shockwave into the surrounding dirt. Pushed back with extreme force, a rough meter radius space. Rivu looked on his foe with his yellow eyes and laughed. "Damn, you are one ugly snake, aren't you?" He laughed once more, "What do you say we take this outside?"

Rivu jumped into the ceiling. While he rose, he kicked forward, knocking in some of the worm's teeth. The worm lashed back in pain, but quickly recovered as its predator fled to the surface. Truth be told, however, he was not fleeing.

[OOC: Stats maintained]

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As he ascended, Rivu's scaly hide morphed and adjusted again. His arms increased greatly in size, as did his hands. All along his body, his muscles became more defined as well. Manipulating the chakra output of the Hiding Like a Mole Technique, Rivu created solid outcroppings handholds to grab and pull off of. Doing the same at his feet, he kicked towards the surface, increasing his speed greatly.

[Using Hidden Rock Squid Technique]

He reached the surface much more quickly than the worm that was on his tail. That's right beasty, come and get me! He breached the ground at an incredible velocity and yet the ground was completely undisturbed. He rose into the air, like a large fish taking to the sky. Moments later, the large worm had reached the surface as well. Large chunks of earth separated and lifted above the surface, a testament to the beast's power.

"What beautiful prey you are!" He said, laughing hysterically as he reached the crest of his jump. "Now show me what you can do!" He began descending onto the still rapidly approaching animal. With it's mouth open, he aimed to devour the Tsuchikage then and there. Rivu began yelling, loudly; screaming for the battle about to begin.

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The two met in mid-air, the body of the worm still somewhat buried in the ground below. Rivu's laughs filled the once silent air, combined with the crashing of stone and the shrieks of his prey. Rivu tucked his body close together and his body faded from the open air, descending straight through the rowed teeth of the worm. As he fell down the worms gullet, he poked his head from his body, quickly glancing at the seemingly endless line of teeth. Without a moment's hesitation, he thrust his arm towards the bottom of the worm's maw, clutching tightly at its tongue.

One of the worm's teeth extended just a little further than the others and cut at Rivu's body, producing a sizable cut on the side of his leg. Cringing in pain, he let out a single and powerful laugh. He threw his arm across his body, the beast's tongue still in hand. Acting quickly, he grabbed the tongue with his other hand and stretched it over one of the jutting teeth.

As it caught, he gripped hard at the slippery tongue, his hands contorting. Scale-like protrusions formed, cutting into the great wet  innards of the worm, his body collided with the inside of the contorting worm, now headed back into the ground.

His body crashed into the wall of teeth that lined the worm's throat. In a combination of pain and exhilaration, Rivu's laughter filled the enclosed dank space as he attempted to communicate with the beast. "Ahahahaha, you are a strong one, aren't you?" He cringed, pushing off himself off the wall. As he separated himself from the wall, several teeth began to pull from his body. He had two puncture wounds on either of his stomach and one going into his upper right thigh.

His hysterical laughs were almost audible until the worm hit the ground, sinking back down and maneuvering quickly down the road. Rivu sensed the great speed and fell to the bottom of the worm as it went horizontal. Landing along the tongue of the great beast, he stood to his feet and charged up the snakes throat. His bare feet kicked down their fleshy floor and his hands waving back and forth frantically as he neared the maw of the monster. Pulling them in front of his chest, he prepared his hand signs. Ram, Dragon, Boar! His body twisted and shifted as he prepared the seals, his legs grew in size and short spines fanned out, adding to their weight.

"Earth Style, Hidden Rock Swordfish!" He said, with a slight hoarse to his voice. He was in pain. As he neared the front, the worm began to ascend, increasing the elevation that he was running. He braced himself of the change, dropping his hands and pushing off to restore his balance.

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He forced chakra through the base of his feet and kicked hard as he reached the large mouth of the creature. The enhanced force of Rivu's kick caused the worm's mouth to open wide, allowing him to jump clear of the worm's mouth. He jumped to the ground where he sank immediately. Swimming through the earth, he curved himself upwards towards the surface. He popped from the ground, springing just slightly above the surface.

He clutched his at his stomach as he watched the worm in front of him. In the back of his mind, Rivu felt something was off, but he was too intent on this worthy adversary to care. Indeed, in the ignored recesses of his mind, a single wisp of chakra came into range sometime ago. Indeed, the poor man was just a traveling merchant, returning home to Iwagakure. He fell from his feet as soon as the giant worm appeared, and he was equally thrown by the appearance of the apparently bleeding Tsuchikage who hadn't noticed him.

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The three of them stayed their positions, waiting for the others to move. Rivu was still unaware of the man behind him, but the worm was firmly at the front of his mind. "Come on you great ugly beast! Come and get me!" The beast let loose a mighty roar as it opened its four jawed maw. It's tongue lashed around uselessly in it's mouth, apparently it was damaged when Rivu had used it to stop his descent.

The sounds were incomprehensible, which was strange, as Rivu had the capacity for understanding animals. No, this monster had no intentions of speaking to him; to it, this was kill or be killed. Sighing deeply out of his nose, Rivu stood up straight in a display of superiority. "You don't know what you're dealing with, beasty!" He yelled out, laughing once more at the giant worm before him.

Suddenly, the worm lurched forward, digging into the ground between it and the Tsuchikage. Back peddling his left foot, he redistributed his weight and prepared for the incoming strike. Little did he know, however, that he was not the intended target. It was a hypothesis that quickly dawned on Rivu as the worm's chakra signature passed underneath him. "What? Where are you-"

He turned around and his right eye flared in shock. "Nooo!" He screamed, jolting forward towards the confused man. Rivu's hunt had just lost it's thrilling fun, now there were others at stake. The muscles along Rivu's legs and arms swelled slightly and his steps cracked the ground beneath his feet.

He dove forward, extending his arms in front of him and diving into the earth to save the man. He was running out of time, however. The beast was fast and Rivu had already wasted a lot of time not realizing what was happening. It was going to be close.

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Rivu clawed through the earth, rushing to the aid of the unfortunate traveler. No no! He thought, chakra bursting from his hands and feet. The thrill of battle and the excitement of a successful hunt was crumbling to pieces in the ensuing tragedy. Had he had a little more self control, instead of rampaging around as a beast himself, this man would not have been in danger. Even Rivu knew that.

Damn it Rivu! He snarled to himself. It didn't take long. To the man on the surface, the entire event transpired in mere moments. The worm appeared and regurgitated a live shinobi, the Tsuchikage of all people. The tremors of the earth and the shock of it all knocked him to the ground. By the time he had landed, the worm was already crashing into the ground, moving towards him without he or Rivu knowing.

As the man sat, supporting his weight on his hands behind him, he gazed at the now silent landscape. His mouth was open in awe and his eyes, unblinking. The ground began to tremble slightly and just as quickly as they disappeared, the ground underneath him gave way and his body fell flat on Rivu's back.

"Gaaaaaaah!" He yelled, just barely intercepting the worm as it breached the earth. The traveler was safe, relatively speaking, but they were riding fast, and his arms and legs were firmly stretched across the gaping jaws of the worm. His hands gripped hard at the base of the fairly large teeth while his feet were planted firmly in the gums, pushing against the biting worm.

They rose rapidly into the air, close to 30 meters. As the great beast righted itself, it trashed it's head back and forth, knocking the traveler to the ground at high speeds, probably.

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The poor man fell to the ground. His body collided with the ground and bounced up with a crude thump. He stayed limp on the ground, twitching slightly in the pain, a pool of blood starting to bleed out all around him. He coughed, blood. He wasn't in good shape, and, given the severity of the bleeding, he would probably not last much longer. Meanwhile, the worm was still thrashing about, Rivu caught between it's massive teeth.

This man was currently the least of Rivu's worries. Still forcing open the jaws of the massive creature, his grip was beginning to fail. Gah, this doesn't look good. He thought as his hand started to slide from the slippery walls of the worms mandible. Well, it's now or never! With a loud grunt, Rivu let go his grip. The toothy jaws snapped down onto him. He re-lifted his hands and, pushing off of the now closing jaws, kicked back at the beast's bottom jaws.

With a sharp snap, the separate mandibles fell limp as the worm screeched in pain. With fierce tenacity, the creature bit down once more on the Tsuchikage, this time in an attack he did not expect. Oh, damn i- "Gargh!" A large tooth crashed through Rivu's upper thigh, piercing right through. He let his body go limp and fell from the worm's mouth, the great beast frantically swinging it's head. He landed to the ground, sinking seamlessly into the ground as is his nature.

He pulled himself from the soil and rose to his feet. The worm, wandering off a ways, was still throwing his face in every direction. With several large crashes and a spine shivering snap, the great jaws of the worm fell to the ground. Interesting, it doesn't bleed. He stepped slightly and fumbled, falling to his opposite knee. "Damn that hurts," he said with a slight laugh, blood pouring from the wound in his thigh.

[OOC: Stats maintained]

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"Lord Tsuchikage!" The man cried out, coughing on his own blood. Turning his head, Rivu looked on the man, clearly dying. Underneath, he could see that the man's back was not on the ground, a stone had pierced his back and was supporting him upright. He felt nothing, shock had dulled his senses.

"Are you okay?!" He yelled out, limping towards the man. "Let me-" he started. A loud shriek came from behind him, the worm was still thrashing about, in great pain. Rivu turned back to the man and limped towards him.

"Lord Tsuchikage, I," he coughed once more, choking on his own blood. His eyes closed and he breathed his last breath. Rivu's eye flashed in the slow realization of what happened. His breathing gew slow, but fierce as he turned to face behind him. The worm's frenzy continued, howling in the background. He walked around the bloodied corpse of the villager and fell to his knees.

His eye was glued to the corpse in front of him. As his mouth hung open, a tear ran down his right cheek. "Damn it," he said with muffled breath, his gaze raising to the still trashing worm. He raised his hands in front of his face, the gray skin of the engorged claws did little to raise his spirits. Several tears dropped down onto his arms as he mourned the loss of this poor man.

With a heavy conviction, the annihilation of that worm, Rivu dropped his hands to the ground, pushing off to raise himself to his feet. He very quickly remember his wound as the sharp pain surged through his body. Falling to the ground, he laughed slightly to himself. "Fine then, beasty," he started, his face curling and contorting to something more bestial than human.

The gray skin around his body faded to a darker shade as Rivu further let go of his inhibitions. There's no time to fool around. This worm needs to die, now.  The skin and muscle along the sides of his chest churned. Putting his legs together, the adjacent flesh began to morph and ripple. The fabric of his pants tore apart as spines thrust from the inside of one leg to the other; his bare feet coming together into the tip.

From his waist, this long dark gray tail extended for a meter and a half. The wound in his side was still bleeding, but the mass of muscle that was his combined legs were more than capable of moving Rivu along. With his new found speed, he lunged forward, over the villager's body, towards the unsuspecting worm.

"You hear me, beasty!" He said, landing on the ground, opposite the corpse, where he sank seamlessly into the ground to his waist. Solidifying the ground beneath his tail, he slithered through the earth at great speed. His torso, bent forward to compensate for the speed, wavered back and forth as he headed towards the beast. "You're dead!"

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Beneath the surface, Rivu's new appendage swung rapidly back and forth, pushing him forward. With each curve of the tail, a brief pulse of chakra propelled him even faster. With unimaginable speed, he pursued his mark; the one that hurt a member of his village, a member of his family. With a lust for blood not easily sated, he rapidly neared the worm.

As he made his approach, he ducked his head beneath the surface; moving through the earth the way a snake might through water. I don't know where you came from, I don't care why you're here, but you... He thought, his face curling in anger beneath the soil. He would have his vengeance. It took only moments for Rivu to cross the gap between them.

The worm's frantic wailing started to subside. The beast had severed off it's broken bottom jaws. It's gaping mouth now appeared to be something like a trash bin with some of it's rounded top missing for receiving garbage. Rivu had another idea, however.

Within meters of the worm, who began to look around for his missing assailant, Rivu curved his path downward, deeper into the ground. He was about fifty meters below the worm when he stopped and righted himself. Rivu's eye was closed in the darkness, but he faced his head upwards and snarled to himself, the worm dies now.

Launching himself from his downward position, he ascended through the earth, chakra pulsating from his hands and tail. He rose very quickly, headed straight for the stationary beast above. Rivu reached the surface and, with a last blast of chakra, expelled himself from the ground towards the worm's head.

In the ascent, he pulled back his arm. In a flash, his arms morphed and transformed. His arms and hands grew larger and developed small spines. Like a trash bin, the worm's missing bottom jaws allowed him to pass into the worm's mouth without it even noticing.

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With the great speed of his rise and the power in his punch, he made contact with the roof of the worm's mouth. The great beast's head knocked back as it howled in pain. The force of the impact sent the beast flying off of it's position and sent it flying through the air.

It's body folded helplessly as it flew through the air, landing with a loud crash and a slight skid. It groaned in pain as it made it's landing while Rivu watched from it's previous position, his hand still tightly wrapped into fists and his breathing heavy. He stared with fury from his right eye as he slowly slithered his way towards the worm's suffering body.

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The great beast grunted and twitched. It's sprawled and curled body was now completely rooted from the ground. With his similar appendage, Rivu continued to slither towards his prey. His arms were flexed at his sides, his hands closed in a tight fist. With his head angled down, he kept his black eyes fixated on the creature that took that villager's life. With deep and heavy breaths, his body dipped up and down slightly as his body waved side to side with the motions of his tail.

He neared the worm's head, and stopped. Rivu stared with anger burning in his yellow irises, The two holes from the missing jaws were still bleeding. Inside, the roof of its mouth was crushed, indented upwards from the powerful punch. Looking at the head, he realized that this thing had no eyes. Rivu gritted his teeth angrily, tightening the grip in his fist. "I wanted you to watch me kill you, beasty." He said, his breaths becoming deeper as his rage grew.

"This'll have to do!" He yelled out, bringing both of his hands above his head. Roaring with anger, he brought both hands down upon the worm's head. The ground cracked and gave way, large rocks jutted out of the ground. The force behind the blow was tremendous, shoving the crushed head of the beast several feet down. The worm's body shivered slightly before it fell completely still, dead. Rivu kept his fists on the beast's hide; his breathing began to grow more steady.

The blast blew Rivu's blonde hair out of his head. It flowed briefly behind his head before falling back into his face, covering the scar along his left eye. I have given a lot for my village, for my people. He sighed and his gray skin ignited into a brilliant burning red.

[Stats maintained]

The beast was slain and the roads of the Sandstone Plateau were, once again, safe. Rivu's took a deep breath as the wind picked up, his cloak and hair furling in the breeze. His tail curled around beneath him as his burning skin faded to his normal skin tone. He closed his eyes as his newly formed appendage contorted beneath the changing gradient. The tail form started to separate, slowly fading into his original legs. He rose to his original height as his legs took shape, the tips of the two spreading into toes.

His thirst was sated with the blood of his downed prey and he slid back into his sanity. A tear rolled down the side of his face once more as he stared down at the creature. He let out a slight sigh in recognition of reality, that man was dead. Putting his foot behind the other, he pivoted around. A sharp pain shot up the side of Rivu's body as he fell to the ground. Bracing his fall with his hands, he looked down at his leg, at the bleeding wound. He almost laughed at himself for forgetting, but that was the extent of his cursed form; he just wasn't himself.

He did, however, recognize the need to address this wound. These are far too severe to make the trip back. His eye peered around until he spotted corpse of the villager. He sighed. I don't like where this is going, but I don't have much choice. He slowly rose to his feet once more. Closing his eye, he winced in pain with each step he took. He approached the dead man with a heavy heart. He was filled with sadness as the gravity of this necessity weighed upon him. I'm sorry, please forgive me for what I am about to do.

[Stats returned to normal]

He walked to the corpse of the man, the only other sign of humanity within at least 800 meters. Stopping just short of him, Rivu looked on his bloodied mess of a corpse. His eye began to water and a single tear washed across his cheek. He knelt down beside the body and placed his hand on the dead man's chest.

"Please forgive me," he startedm out loud. "I do this, not because I want to, but because I have to." His hand began to change shape, turning into a proboscis type appendage. Manipulating the chakra in his hand, he began to siphon matter and energy from the body.

Rivu continued to weep softly as the man's body faded to nothing, leaving only clothing behind. Meanwhile, at his leg, the wound closed up and healed perfectly; not even a scar was left behind. With another deep sigh, he turned around. "I am sorry."

He dipped his head down in somber reflection and wiped away the tears on his face before starting his journey home.

[exit]

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