Post by Luke Clyburn on Oct 13, 2023 9:32:44 GMT -5
This is a joint training thread between Luke Clyburn, Eris Discordia and Aura Kyuketsuki
Training for CTP.
The moon was heavy and full as it lit down on the sleeping city. A silent observer of the events that transpired during the night. The moon cast no judgment. No condemnation. No approval. It simply watched in silence at those that scurried about beneath its presence. The orbital body witnessed the event in the back alley of one of Karakura’s streets. A woman with a piece of metal stuck to her chest with a single chain link extending from it was reduced to a shimmering, teal orb resting in the palm of one man's hand. Amber hued and looked down at the sphere held with fingers before a sigh escaped from his lips. ”Thank you for the meal.” he said quietly to himself before taking the orb and pushing it into his mouth. With an audible gulp, he swallowed it totally and completely. The same teal color the orb had outlined the man's figure for just a moment. Once the light died out, Luke opened his now briefly glowing eyes back up to the moon.
That was the third one this week.
Luke thought to himself as he stared up at the ceiling of his apartment. Laying in bed with all the lights off, the only light coming from the city through the window, Luke stared up at the ceiling. He slowly blinked as he thought about the events that had just transpired in the city streets before he came home. That was the third soul I’ve eaten this week. Luke repeated to himself before lifting his left hand up and above his face. Even after feeding so much, his hand still had slight tremors. He was still suffering symptoms of starvation. The sight and feeling of those shakes caused the Bount's eyes to narrow a bit. Lowering his arm back down across his eyes, Luke let out a sigh.
As it was previously stated, Luke had already fed multiple times this week. But even after sucking down a third soul, his extreme hunger still remained. Or, rather, the hunger was abated, but the feeling of starvation remained. Did that make any sense? No, it didn’t, even to Luke. But the Bount understood what was going on. The souls he was eating weren’t all going to him. They were being rationed out between him and three other hungry stomachs. This isn’t working. Luke thought to himself as he let out an irritated grumble. It didn’t seem to matter how much he fed. Everything was being taken for his Doll's regeneration. Plus, the souls he had been feeding on all week were pretty much nothing more than hard-boiled eggs if Luke had to make a food comparison. Sure, they were healthy, but a single egg had fewer calories than something like a steak.
What Luke needed was an entire thirty-two-ounce steak dinner with all the fixings level soul. His mind immediately went to Shizuka and Aura. From what he had felt, they had souls strong enough to help abate the growing hunger. If Luke fed from the living with Futter, he would receive a much better meal than what he was getting through souls with Immortality Drink. But Luke wouldn’t do that. He didn’t feed on the living unless it was absolutely necessary or unless they consented. For the latter, he wouldn’t drain them of everything anyway, plus that was a very intimate procedure for him.
He had personal rules he abided by when it came to feeding. Firstly, he couldn’t let himself be seen by anybody. Living humans and Shinigami especially. Secondly, he dieted himself on only the souls of the deceased rather than the souls of the living. As stated earlier, if Luke fed through Futter, he would receive a much better meal. But Luke wasn’t keen on the idea of killing some random innocent nobody and eating them. The problem was that feeding on living souls was much better tasting than dead souls. So good, in fact, that if a Bount didn’t have proper self-control, they could become addicted to the taste and become nothing more than ghouls prowling the night for their next meal. Mindless monsters. Luke already knew full well just how good this taste was. First with Shizuka Sanamizu, and now with Aura Kyuketsuki. So, Luke restricted himself to the souls of the deceased.
The third rule also came into play when Luke prepared to feed on a deceased soul. Luke would try to find souls that had incredibly short chains. From what he understood, those chains were the timer until they would devolve into a Hollow. Spirits with short chains didn’t have much time left to be found by a Shinigami. So he’d take care of it in his own way. Other Bounts might call him weak and say he should feed on whoever and whenever. But he rejected that. He had a moral code that he simply couldn’t violate. He chose to live in both the human's and Bount's worlds and would do things his own way. This helped him to grow comfortable with what he had to do. There was another part to the third rule: he would talk to them whenever he found a spirit. Try to make their last moments comfortable. Try to abate their worries. Understand them. No afterlife awaited those the Bount devoured. They would be a part of him forever.
But this wasn’t working. Luke’s hunger wasn’t abating. He thought about the two women he had recently fed on. The Fullbringer and fellow Bount. His breathing quickened for a second as he remembered their individual tastes and contemplated, just for a second, calling the more eager of the two to help him with this problem. But he didn’t. He was able to control himself. She would be more than willing to be a meal for you if you simply asked. A voice suddenly pierced through the quiet in Luke’s mind and actually made the man jump with surprise. He sat up in his bed with lightning speed on reflex before letting out a groan and a sigh of embarrassment. I’m still not used to you being the one talking to me. Luke replied back, returning to a laying position and staring up at his ceiling. I am just suggesting what you already think about. One of those two would happily jump at the chance to let you feed on her. the Doll inside him continued.
He wasn’t wrong. But this was also weird. Out of all three Dolls that Luke was expecting to come back first, the one that did was the one he least expected. The very Doll that was why Luke had to spend three years regenerating in a block of ice. They hadn’t talked much since the completion of his regeneration, but every now and then, the two would share words. You probably know better than I do, so, how much longer do you think it’s gonna take for the other two? Luke asked, sitting up again and pushing himself to the edge of his bed. ”At this rate? No idea. It could be a week. Could be months.” Springflut replied in his mind. Luke felt as if a massive presence was sitting in the room with him, situated behind him. Don’t take this question the wrong way, but why were you the first one back?
”Different circumstances. You destroyed me. I had to regenerate from that. It's no different from when a Doll usually dies. The other two were left in a released state for three years. Their forms, consciousness, and identities eroded away until they were little more than their base elements following their last orders, like drones. Their condition is a tad more nuanced, hence the slower regeneration cycle and your increased appetite.”
His explanation made sense. It was what Luke had guessed anyhow. But hearing his suspicions back to him helped confirm his theory. ”If you’re not comfortable feeding on your friend, there is always going back to Hollows.” Springflut suddenly suggested, immediately making Luke nauseous as he remembered the taste. Did you say that on purpose? Luke asked but only heard a stifled chuckle in response. This was weird. Them talking again after so long, and everything they had gone through was weird. The conversation was interrupted when Luke’s phone suddenly came to life. A text message had come through. Crawling across his bed to his nightstand, Luke swiped the screen to see what he had. An unsaved number with a message that didn’t look like a scam at all.
”Heyyyy Mr. Clyburn it’s Nadia! I really hope you’re not busy. The Mistress really really wants to see you. She’s got work for you to do so can you get here as soon as you can?”
Luke recognized the name and blinked. How did she get my number? was the first thing Luke thought to ask before he read the rest of the message. By mistress, there was only one person who Nadia could have been referring to. Well, having something to do was better than lying around doing nothing. With a grunt, Luke got to his feet and started getting dressed.
Riding through the mountain roads at night was nice. Luke wouldn’t ever complain about that. Heading to the mountain bunker that had been converted into the home of Aura’s coven was never an unenjoyable drive. Pulling his motorcycle up into the parking lot, Luke killed the engine and pulled his helmet off his head. Giving his head a shake to fix his hair, Luke noticed it didn’t seem that busy tonight, given the smaller line than he saw last time. Wearing his usual leather jacket with a black, tight-fitting, t-shirt and cargo pants, Luke approached the doorway and headed inside. He was carrying a long sword bag on his back. He wasn’t sure why he decided to bring his weapon, but he figured that if Aura had work for him, then he’d better bring it.
Making his way across the catwalks, through the club, past the private massage rooms, and to a fork in the road, Luke finally stopped. Would Aura be waiting for him in her office or down deeper in the citadel? Looking to see if he felt her reiatsu, Luke found her rather quickly and headed toward her office. Activating the elevator and heading up, Luke stepped into the other Bounts office and gave a little wave as he stepped in. ”Yo! You called?”
Training for CTP.