Of the Study for Beasts and Bijuu

Mort sat down in one of the old chars inside the library, the room normally darker then the main hall of the cathedral from a lack of windows, the opaque stained glass that did line the walls almost useless, so he had improvised. With a few fusee balls around the room placed in locations that originally gave off light, the room was as bright as he once remembered it. It was melancholic, just as welcoming as it was off putting for him; and yet he had decided to call this place his home away from home, the one major link remaining to his old life.

On the table next to him were old history books, legends and lore that he had procured from several places; some more trustworthy then others, but any sort of knowledge was better then nothing. In his hand was info he had gathered from word of mouth and though connections he had quickly established from knowing where to look. The names were concerning, as there were names he recognized from his past life; Ikomiki, Ashitaka, Akihiro, Hana, Masaru, Kazuya. All the names were familiar, but he wasn't sure of what to make of their existence yet. But those were things he'd have to personally look into, and as long as he was tied down in Kumo for the time being, he'd have to do with small droplets of info from those who came and went.

But those people weren't why he was here, no he had decided to do some more research into the Bijuu, specifically the process of sealing one into a person and then harnessing it's power. He understood the underlying technique, make a storage seal that had a built-in nozzle that could release the power of the Bijuu at the will of the jinchuriki. For that reason he had made a clone that would work on designing a very basic seal to put a Bijuu in, as well as safety measures in case the seal was made incorrectly. He wished his job was going to be easier, but he knew that wasn't going to be the case, as he was looking into how he could find them. The list was important as if Akihiro was like the one he knew, the Niibi was already taken, but out of the nine that one was fairly low on his list. Claws and fire were nice, but he knew he could do better. Hachibi and the Kyuubi were tempting to go after, their raw power something that he could use as a Kurama, but their innate powers didn't suit his fighting style. Sanbi, Yonbi, Gobi, and the Rokubi were all also good candidates even if they were weaker, but those too had drawbacks. Ichibi was his backup next to the Kyuubi, as it's natural abilities would blend well with his own. At that left the Nanabi, the seven tailed beast that was said to have gone to Suna's land of wind.

Compared to the other beasts, there was very little known about the seven-tailed menace other then it being an insect. It displayed no elemental attacks, almost purely attacks based upon existing insects like natural flight; venom; silk; and the ability to burrow in just about anything, though that last one might be due to it's bijuu strength. Still, it covered two of his current major weaknesses: a current lack of proper flight, and a defense against doton attacks. There were risks in becoming a jinchuriki, sure, but he was a warrior, and a warrior didn't back down from a challenge such as this one, which was what brought him back to here, as he read up on any reports he could get ahold of as well as the history books that could give him a clue into finding his target. Leaning back into his chair, he'd begin to read.

---

185/185 CP
Fusee x5; -5 CP
Shadow Clone; Split CP
Main: 90/185 CP
Clone: 90/185 CP

The books and scrolls he had procured were rather dry for the Sword Seraph compared to his usual preferred reading material, that being proper folklore and fictional stories, but if he wanted to locate his quarry he first needed to try and understand the mindset of his target, or targets if the Nanabi was currently sealed within a jinchuriki.

A jinchuriki. Troublesome business fighting even one. The fight he had with the jinchuriki called Jaakuna Sero was one that upon looking back without the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins was an extremely close match, and he barely used the bijuu's power at all, the only indication that he did being the bone that Mort had sealed. The bone used in the ritual to give him immortality. He'd shake his head, dismissing the memory of the ritual. Jaakuna was an example of the power boost he'd receive from just acquiring the Nanabi with little practice, what a monster he could have been if he had mastered the bijuu's power. Mort wished he had a proper reference, the best he could work with was anecdotes and comparing them to other mysterious powers he had heard of or seen himself. The power of an animal sage was strong, yes, but while they wielded the powers of nature even Ryuko had made it clear that Rafaela was stronger, and it was supposedly as strong as one. He had heard rumors that one could gain the powers of the Sage of Six Paths himself, but while that would be an asset he'd've preferred more then the Nanabi as it would let him have a defense against nature and bijuu chakra in theory, trying to gain the powers of a dead man was rather...tricky.

He'd close the book he was reading, looking at his clone and their project. The clone would stop and look at his main self, give a small shrug, and then go back to work. Not much progress from them either, a shame, but not unexpected. It was the first time he was trying to make a new jutsu from scratch with these new rulesets. Getting up and taking one of the books with him he'd step outside of the library, took one of the fusee balls, and made his way to one of the worship rooms he had repurposed to work as a place he stored a bunch of water. He knew he should try to buy the place properly as what he was doing right now wasn't technically legal, but no one outside of his 'cousin' and himself really came by here, and he heavily doubted that a civilian would enter one of the backrooms where worship was held. Opening up the door he'd take one of the metal flasks he had pre-filled and took it back with him, taking little time to shut the door behind him in case that room was haunted. Now that he thought about it, would haunted water be considered 'blessed' by Jashinists? Maybe, doubtful though if the Necrossiah did indeed eat souls or whatever it was.

Before he sat back down he'd take a moment to look over his clone's shoulder, and it seemed they had come to a similar conclusion as one he had debated on giving to himself. The clone had taken the time to draw up some basic ideas for some jutsu. They were all fairly simple, one to enhance the mind, one to enhance the body, and another to alter the user's eyes. He had to take a moment when he read the last one, clearly the clone was more bored then he, but it could be useful. Nodding he'd head back to his seat, opened his metal flask, and took a sip as he continued to read his boring, dry books of potential knowledge.

---

185/185 CP
Fusee x5; -5 CP
Shadow Clone; Split CP
Main: 90/185 CP
Clone: 90/185 CP

Learning:
Minor Body Glyph; 0/100
Minor Mind Glyph; 0/100
False Dojutsu; 0/100

Several hours passed, with several refreshes on the Fusee technique Mort sat back in frustration. While he knew more about the folklore surrounding Bijuu in general, he felt like he was no closer to acquiring a means to locate the beast. For a creature the size of the Darhk Tower, they were surprisingly stealthy. Looking over to his clone it was clear they weren't making much progress either. Figuring the day was a loss for now, he'd dispel the clone and get out of his chair.

"I think I'm going to have to actually go out into the world and hunt one down myself. A shame, but I guess that's what I get for thinking I could use old methods."

Taking a final glance at the desk, he'd notice there was a letter he had forgotten to read up on. It was in the pile of info surrounding those who stood out in this time, but for some reason it wasn't opened. Odd. Picking up the letter he'd unseal it's contents and read it's contents.

It took him several minutes before he regained his composure after reading what it said regarding the Von Rose Clan. It seemed that  whatever was going on in this time had influenced things farther back then he had assumed, as there was next to no information regarding the Von Roses in Kishin, let alone the Land of Lightning. Apparently they were never exiled in this time, leading to next to none of them in the land. Sure there were a few, but they were outliers compared to the clan he knew of. And if the Von Roses weren't in Kishin, then whatever incarnation of Ryuko that existed in this time was like Nova, an anomaly that shouldn't exist. His breating started to become erratic as the information sunk in deeper, clutching his last remaining keepsake of his mentor as he focused his mind. She was truly gone. Tamwyn was truly gone. Elliryanna was truly gone. Even he was, by proxy of Nova, gone.

He had failed before he had even begun.

But he was still alive, so their memories weren't dead either.

It was time to pay some respects.

{Exit}