Post by Schultz Silverhult on Mar 18, 2013 10:51:28 GMT -5
They were in the clear for the moment, both Kyousei and Shinsei; the two had escaped the roaming Tek-Tek that had been pursuing them and were each exploring in their own way. Kyousei had chosen to kneel down in the river with a large tree branch for cover, but considering that the murky, blood-flecked water was only shin-high, it was a rather ludicrous attempt at disguising himself that made the Shinigami stand out all the more. Shinsei, on the other hand, was still within the woods, though he had lost all pursuit at the time. The man had given his report and sent Mizuki back to the village, though that was possibly a mistake on his part. Though she had been terrified, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, she had also known the area. He would find out soon enough whether his decision had been a good one or not.
Back to Kyousei, the Vice Captain would find himself in increasingly shallow water, as if it were simply being sucked into the ground the further upstream he went. That was a mixed blessing; though the crimson waters were starting to vanish, they were replaced with thick, goopy mud that squelched beneath his feet as he continued his pace. The morass sucked at his feet, growing deeper until it splattered his thighs with dripping mud. Atop that, the deep footprints behind him didn’t fill up with the mud that mounded up around each step; instead, they started to fill with crimson blood, just as Hibiki and Shinsei had observed before encountering the Tek-Tek. Soon, it seemed as if there was a glittering trail of red pointing out his direction like a dull beacon behind him.
The walk was eerily silent, with only the sound of Kyousei’s slogging through the mud breaking up the quiet. There was no wind among the trees, no animals within the woods; instead, all was dead silent, save for the Vice Captain’s movements. It created an odd feeling of being alone yet being watched, as his lack of energy sensory did not register the dull throb of Hollow Reiatsu that covered the entire forest but he knew it could be there, simply from the fact that it had spoken. He wouldn’t know where it had come from, where the Hollow was located now, yet at the same time there was that “itching” sensation that there was something around, a prickling feeling that would set most people on edge.
Suddenly, a sound would break through the air, a woman’s voice. It was too far away to make the words out distinctly, but Kyousei would be able to tell the direction and head that way anyway. As he made his way through the mud-slicked forest, the woman’s voice would become more and more distinct. After a few minutes of travel, he’d be able to understand them, though it made no more sense to him at that point than when he had been unable to distinguish them at all. “…Eight… Nine… Where is it? Where is the last one? WHERE IS IT…!”
The last shriek echoed loudly in Kyousei’s mind, almost like a psychic blast tearing through his skull. It didn’t hurt significantly, more on the level of a dull headache, but it was enough to set off warning bells; clearly those wails of agony were something to be concerned with. However, he’d be unable to leave; a turn would show that the mist that had covered the entire village had suddenly closed in behind him, leaving his former trail to vanish into the thick tendrils of gray-white vapor. Indeed, a glance to either side would show the same, that he was being funneled forward with no escape. An attempt to flee into the mist would have him turned around in seconds, unable to see which direction he was running in, and in a second he would emerge in the same place as before. There was no choice to go but forward.
Upon following the path, as there was no option to do otherwise, Kyousei would be greeted by the sight of a large stone well that rose up from the marshy woods, nearly waist-high. The voice was coming from that well, and it was louder than ever. Now, the Vice-Captain could clearly hear what the woman was saying, though it simply sounded like she was counting. “…Three…Four…Five…” There was no obvious reason as to why the woman would be counting, no known significance to what it could mean. All Kyousei knew was that the female’s wails had been painful before, and he could only hope that they wouldn’t get worse.
“…Eight… Nine… Where is it? Where is the last one? WHERE IS IT…!” Judging by the increasing pain of his headache, which was more severe than last time, Kyousei’s hopes were quickly shattered. He had to deal with this threat, and fast!
Okiku's Current Reiatsu Strength: 400
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While Kyousei was gearing up for the challenge of the well spirit’s voice, Shinsei was still within the woods themselves, searching for signs of the Hollow’s presence. He could sense the being’s Reiatsu all over the forest, dull and throbbing like a heartbeat in itself. No matter which way he looked, the feeling was consistent, permanent; no device or technique would tell him anything that he didn’t already know, that the Hollow’s energy was layered all around him in every direction, with no apparent source. It was an eerie sensation, knowing you were surrounded by the enemy at all times, that the monster could be behind any shadow, concealed through lack of Reiatsu concealment.
Regardless of the situation, Shinsei pressed on. After a few minutes of travel, dealing with similar conditions to that Kyousei had gone through with the mud—albeit with a much thinner layer of the muck than the Vice-Captain had trudged through—the Zero Division member found himself facing a small structure rising out of the woods. It almost looked like a two-story house, but it lacked the inviting presence that most homes had. There were no lights set out, no signs of life, and no sounds; all of those aspects made the building suspect. The paint was torn and peeling, looking as though the structure had been abandoned, while the front door hung lazily on one hinge and both front windows were shattered.
Mizuki might have known what the house was, but she had been sent back to the village by Shinsei, leaving him to wander blind, so to speak. The Zero Division didn’t have any initial reason to explore the house, either, though if he chose to he could do so for his own purposes. Nothing stood out about the building except for the simple fact that it was there, abandoned in the middle of a forest that was said to be haunted, said to be possessed by evil spirits. Besides that, however, there was nothing compelling, nothing unique about the building that would draw the eye to it, that would draw the mind to it. No, this was just another deserted structure.
Then the wailing began. It was the sound of a hundred voices, speaking in a disjointed yet somehow synchronic chorus of misery. The sounds came from the building, all sounding like the cries of a group of humans. The sounds were those of pain, of misery, of forced suffering and shattered hope. Shinsei was welcome to abandon them should he choose to do so; after all, he had a more important mission here in the forest, and delaying to examine the house might allow the Hollow he was pursuing time to gather its strength further. Simply put, it was only his conscience that would determine whether or not he would deal with the situation as he saw it. It was up to him to make his decision to pause or to move on.
Back to Kyousei, the Vice Captain would find himself in increasingly shallow water, as if it were simply being sucked into the ground the further upstream he went. That was a mixed blessing; though the crimson waters were starting to vanish, they were replaced with thick, goopy mud that squelched beneath his feet as he continued his pace. The morass sucked at his feet, growing deeper until it splattered his thighs with dripping mud. Atop that, the deep footprints behind him didn’t fill up with the mud that mounded up around each step; instead, they started to fill with crimson blood, just as Hibiki and Shinsei had observed before encountering the Tek-Tek. Soon, it seemed as if there was a glittering trail of red pointing out his direction like a dull beacon behind him.
The walk was eerily silent, with only the sound of Kyousei’s slogging through the mud breaking up the quiet. There was no wind among the trees, no animals within the woods; instead, all was dead silent, save for the Vice Captain’s movements. It created an odd feeling of being alone yet being watched, as his lack of energy sensory did not register the dull throb of Hollow Reiatsu that covered the entire forest but he knew it could be there, simply from the fact that it had spoken. He wouldn’t know where it had come from, where the Hollow was located now, yet at the same time there was that “itching” sensation that there was something around, a prickling feeling that would set most people on edge.
Suddenly, a sound would break through the air, a woman’s voice. It was too far away to make the words out distinctly, but Kyousei would be able to tell the direction and head that way anyway. As he made his way through the mud-slicked forest, the woman’s voice would become more and more distinct. After a few minutes of travel, he’d be able to understand them, though it made no more sense to him at that point than when he had been unable to distinguish them at all. “…Eight… Nine… Where is it? Where is the last one? WHERE IS IT…!”
The last shriek echoed loudly in Kyousei’s mind, almost like a psychic blast tearing through his skull. It didn’t hurt significantly, more on the level of a dull headache, but it was enough to set off warning bells; clearly those wails of agony were something to be concerned with. However, he’d be unable to leave; a turn would show that the mist that had covered the entire village had suddenly closed in behind him, leaving his former trail to vanish into the thick tendrils of gray-white vapor. Indeed, a glance to either side would show the same, that he was being funneled forward with no escape. An attempt to flee into the mist would have him turned around in seconds, unable to see which direction he was running in, and in a second he would emerge in the same place as before. There was no choice to go but forward.
Upon following the path, as there was no option to do otherwise, Kyousei would be greeted by the sight of a large stone well that rose up from the marshy woods, nearly waist-high. The voice was coming from that well, and it was louder than ever. Now, the Vice-Captain could clearly hear what the woman was saying, though it simply sounded like she was counting. “…Three…Four…Five…” There was no obvious reason as to why the woman would be counting, no known significance to what it could mean. All Kyousei knew was that the female’s wails had been painful before, and he could only hope that they wouldn’t get worse.
“…Eight… Nine… Where is it? Where is the last one? WHERE IS IT…!” Judging by the increasing pain of his headache, which was more severe than last time, Kyousei’s hopes were quickly shattered. He had to deal with this threat, and fast!
Class: 2
Appearance: N/A – Instead of encountering the ghost itself, the victims are trapped within a fifty-yard radius of a well until they find a way to escape. The well is made of stone and is in poor condition, with parts of it missing and the wooden frame and rope decayed. Lichens grow on the side of it. From within the well, a woman’s voice can be heard, starting off calm as she begins to count up from one to nine. As she gets closer to nine, her voice gets more frantic and panicked, and after she reaches nine she pauses and screams out, unable to reach ten for some reason. This scream is delivered at an extraordinarily loud pitch and volume, damaging the ears of those who are caught within range. At this point the voice starts over, but each time she reaches the final scream, it is louder and more devastating than before. This spirit cannot be faced in combat, but does not move or strike out either. This is a puzzle-type challenge to be figured out.
Appearance: N/A – Instead of encountering the ghost itself, the victims are trapped within a fifty-yard radius of a well until they find a way to escape. The well is made of stone and is in poor condition, with parts of it missing and the wooden frame and rope decayed. Lichens grow on the side of it. From within the well, a woman’s voice can be heard, starting off calm as she begins to count up from one to nine. As she gets closer to nine, her voice gets more frantic and panicked, and after she reaches nine she pauses and screams out, unable to reach ten for some reason. This scream is delivered at an extraordinarily loud pitch and volume, damaging the ears of those who are caught within range. At this point the voice starts over, but each time she reaches the final scream, it is louder and more devastating than before. This spirit cannot be faced in combat, but does not move or strike out either. This is a puzzle-type challenge to be figured out.
Countdown Scream: Okiku begins to count up from one to nine. After nine, she lets out a powerful shriek that starts at a Reiatsu Strength of 400. The scream can be resisted completely by any higher Reiatsu Strength, creating only a mild soreness in the ears and a ringing in the head. However, each time she reaches ten afterwards (she will hit ten once per post) the Reiatsu Strength will increase by 100. As it goes higher and higher it will be more severely damaging, and if the difference ever reaches 100 or greater, it will become fatal.
Sinkhole Arms: If anyone leans over the well to look within, long arms will reach out from the well, cold and wet like that of a drowned woman. They will pull with a Strength Stat of 300, and the victim will only have a few seconds to escape from her grip. If pulled into the well, the victim is trapped within with the spirit, and is forced to count along with the spirit until she attempts to reach ten, shrieking along with her in agony. While trapped in the well, the screams are treated as though they have 100 more Reiatsu Strength than if the victim was outside the well.
Sinkhole Arms: If anyone leans over the well to look within, long arms will reach out from the well, cold and wet like that of a drowned woman. They will pull with a Strength Stat of 300, and the victim will only have a few seconds to escape from her grip. If pulled into the well, the victim is trapped within with the spirit, and is forced to count along with the spirit until she attempts to reach ten, shrieking along with her in agony. While trapped in the well, the screams are treated as though they have 100 more Reiatsu Strength than if the victim was outside the well.
Okiku's Current Reiatsu Strength: 400
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While Kyousei was gearing up for the challenge of the well spirit’s voice, Shinsei was still within the woods themselves, searching for signs of the Hollow’s presence. He could sense the being’s Reiatsu all over the forest, dull and throbbing like a heartbeat in itself. No matter which way he looked, the feeling was consistent, permanent; no device or technique would tell him anything that he didn’t already know, that the Hollow’s energy was layered all around him in every direction, with no apparent source. It was an eerie sensation, knowing you were surrounded by the enemy at all times, that the monster could be behind any shadow, concealed through lack of Reiatsu concealment.
Regardless of the situation, Shinsei pressed on. After a few minutes of travel, dealing with similar conditions to that Kyousei had gone through with the mud—albeit with a much thinner layer of the muck than the Vice-Captain had trudged through—the Zero Division member found himself facing a small structure rising out of the woods. It almost looked like a two-story house, but it lacked the inviting presence that most homes had. There were no lights set out, no signs of life, and no sounds; all of those aspects made the building suspect. The paint was torn and peeling, looking as though the structure had been abandoned, while the front door hung lazily on one hinge and both front windows were shattered.
Mizuki might have known what the house was, but she had been sent back to the village by Shinsei, leaving him to wander blind, so to speak. The Zero Division didn’t have any initial reason to explore the house, either, though if he chose to he could do so for his own purposes. Nothing stood out about the building except for the simple fact that it was there, abandoned in the middle of a forest that was said to be haunted, said to be possessed by evil spirits. Besides that, however, there was nothing compelling, nothing unique about the building that would draw the eye to it, that would draw the mind to it. No, this was just another deserted structure.
Then the wailing began. It was the sound of a hundred voices, speaking in a disjointed yet somehow synchronic chorus of misery. The sounds came from the building, all sounding like the cries of a group of humans. The sounds were those of pain, of misery, of forced suffering and shattered hope. Shinsei was welcome to abandon them should he choose to do so; after all, he had a more important mission here in the forest, and delaying to examine the house might allow the Hollow he was pursuing time to gather its strength further. Simply put, it was only his conscience that would determine whether or not he would deal with the situation as he saw it. It was up to him to make his decision to pause or to move on.