White, the Colour of our Armour [JT, R]

[Valentin Acciai]

It was unchangeable this land of Hueco Mundo, realm of white sands and darkest of nights. Once more like always the lone lightgiver in this barren realm the great pale moon touched the world in its entirety, even the Menos Forest had pockets of light penetrating deep within past the sands. Some theorized it was the trees themselves that with their crystalline structure absorbed the surface light and shared it with the depths but the trees themselves never produced any glimmer nor sheen but none the less the moon somehow made its way there. Hueco Mundo didn’t always make all that much sense but this wasn’t earth so it didn’t need to as hollows were grateful all the same not to be trapped in eternal darkness.

Hollow, that most base of creatures prone to sin and mindless slaughter, beings borne of suffering and wasted lives in the afterlife many went mad. Some might just forget everything about who they were, many simply regressed into the base animals that the other races knew them as, savages to be slain on sight for the safety of all. With so much stacked against them it would seem impossible for there to be civilization in this gentle looking yet very real hellscape but despite that there were those who persevered. Stronger souls, some blessed with a speck of good that had never managed to leave them. Most were cowards scared to die a second time, some others longed for more meaningful lives than that of endless slaughter and there were even a few special souls, ringleaders in this abstraction in the world who sought to unite hollow kind and civilize it.

So it came to be that if one looked hard enough and long enough one would come to find sights quite strange, enclaves hidden deep in rock and sand where the powerful yet savage couldn’t find them. It could hardly be called a town but it did have structures of stone dug out of the very mountain they hid within, covered with mazes and dead ends only navigable if one was of sane mind enough to read. At first glance one might think of a dwarven hold of tolkien fantasy but the doorways were made for giants and it’s craftsmanship was abysmal, scratched into shape with tooth and claw. This was among the highest levels a hollow civilization could reach, not even populated to three digits they had but the simple law of anyone who made themselves troublesome being quickly added to the menu, ganged up on and consumed.

It might sound savage but such was the hollow condition and it helped those who lived within this place handle the ever constant hunger whenever hunting went poorly. So, why was Valentin here in this place of cowards, philosophers and hopeless dreamers? a simple thing, where there was civilization there was trade and having been here before he had earned a degree of trust from the inhabitants of this conclave however small. At the very moment he stood before a being quadruple his size which was easy enough to achieve since Valentin was of human size and frame. Evolved to copy what he wanted to be like the most he even had pink hair on his head and eyes of purple rather than yellow although he kept his notable spiked tail and his body was covered by white chitinous plates like knightly armour which beneath lurked purple flesh.

As for the hollow before him it was a behemoth of muscle with a mostly naked body and a brown furred back, arms like tree trunks and red skin like thick leather. Amusingly enough it’s mask was rather adorable, perfectly round with three simple holes. Truthfully Valentin’s own masked would have looked to fit better on the hollow as his face was that of a japanese oni despite being an Italian. ’’North… ward… between.. two mountains… hole, deep hole.’’ it slowly spoke with a voice that rumbled the earth beneath it with it’s depth, it found gathering the right words difficult but seemed to care a lot about talking. Despite it’s tone being so dark the hollow seemed to be happy over the opportunity to use it’s vocal cords and think to solve a problem.

’’And do you know how many were there big guy?’’ Valentin asked ’’If not, were any of them particularly… hmn... scary?’’ the Adjuchas doubted the lumbering hollow to understand complex concepts like reiatsu sensory or stages of evolution so he had tried to keep the conversation at a level understandable to even young children and with the giant giving his words some thought, one of his oversized fists holding his balance on the ground as the other scratched at the bottom of his tiny mask he replied ’’many weak… weaker than… self.’’ he halted a little longer while struggling with a concept ’’like you, one… feel scared, ran here. But you… very nice, talks to us.’’ valentin was sure that if the hollow was able to smile it would have, it was always nice to meet a hollow which despite having such low intelligence still managed to be so pleasant if slow.

His tail shifted behind him in a soft, pleased manner after Valentin had heard the creature’s praise ’’Course i’ll talk to you big guy, you’re such a delightful fellow!’’ he said, giving the hollow a light fistbump against the tree trunk like arm, only to receive one in turn that sent him staggering and almost falling over as he regained his stature. ’’Now don’t you worry none, i’ll make sure the scary one goes away. You’ll be able to go hunting all you want to keep your brothers fed~’’ his words seemed to please it as it shifted from knuckle to knuckle, the brothers spoken of weren’t the hollows real brothers judging from what he’d been told but rather other individuals living here who while smarter than the kind brute were nowhere near as capable at fighting. Most likely they were for the most part just using him for safe meals but Valentin was a little jealous of the brute, dense at it was it was undoubtedly one of the happiest hollows in the world to trust others so fully.

[Nemo Castrillón]

(TRAINING FOR SP/TTP)

A heavy hoof stomped down upon the serpent-like Hollow slithering below Nemo's equine body, seeking to dig into the prey she had subdued before. She was not in a mood for sharing - the fight with the boar-fiend laying before her had tired her considerably. It was also a great risk, one that the Chessmaster would likely not have condoned. She had explicit orders to stay alive, even if it meant abandoning her position close at the entrance to the enclave which she had been monitoring for days, albeit from a distance. Were it not for her equine grace and speed, she would have not been assigned this task - there was at least one Hollow among the throng who made her tremble with its sheer presence, and she was certain that she only survived for so long because it regarded her as mere trash.

The grunts were not so picky at all, and Nemo had to flee again and again at every opportunity she got, lest they’d gang up on her and rip her to pieces. Her abilities were formidable and her strength quite impressive for a mere Hollow, but this resilience would only last so long against the flurry of claws and teeth a group of her own kin could unleash. She managed to elude them for a long time, until one of them got a drop on her - the immense, boar-like creature fought valiantly, but its massive bulk didn’t protect it from the deep cuts inflicted by Nemo’s rapier-like horn, and the nightmare was not kind enough to take a charge of him head-on. Ablative armor aside, the heavier frame would have likely meant multiple fractures and perhaps even a shattered mask.

The long, skeletal fangs dug deep into the innards of the squirming beast just after tearing off the serpent’s head. Nemo’s eyes flickered with savage delight at the carnage, at least for a moment - before the light of the glowing orbs faded into a sorrowful shimmer. Drenched up to her jaw in black ichor she tore pieces of its flesh out, just to feast on them with disgust - she should have been proud of winning this battle and relished in her meal, just as a hunter would do with its justly earned quarry. Yet she could not find any taste for the savage urge that led her to cannibalize her own damned kin - and as she calmed down slowly from the intense rush of taste, she started to hum a soft tune, seeking forgiveness and divine providence, a haunting Kyrie Eleison, tainted with the stigma of the ogrish darkness of her nature.

Just another day in Purgatory it seemed - but just as the dying fiend below her had stopped moving around, her unholy feast was interrupted. She felt a presence, one matching her own in a way - it was one of her kin, a Hollow...its power was immense, surpassing even the one hiding below the surface, with his goons huddled around him like a ragtag band of jackals around a majestic direwolf. It was more chiseled however, definitely less savage than anything she had felt before. Lord Tiempo and her own court were small fries compared to this one - was this one of the famed Vasto Lorde that the Chessmaster had talked about? It did not seem to regard her as a threat, otherwise she would most likely have been vaporized already. What his intentions were, she was about to find out soon enough.

Nemo slowly backed away from her feast. She let her head hang low and took up a submissive position, one that would immediately signal the Hollow that she understood the nature of their meeting and was willing to give away her prey in exchange for being allowed to continue drawing breath under the gloaming sky of Hueco Mundo and not be crushed by the mere presence of such a magnificent being. It was a symbolic gesture rather than a genuine offer - she was taught that Vasto Lorde did not have to suffer from hunger anymore and would certainly not stoop low enough to scavenge upon the kill of another. But the way she knelt down before him was not the gesture of a savage, mindless animal, and the really strong Hollows were more likely to patronize those who would have retained their sensitivity and intellect than those who were simply potent at killing.


- One Class 8 Hollow devoured
- One Class 7 Hollow devoured

[Valentin Acciai]

Having had little reason to delay Valentin left the settlement in great haste after giving the gentle giant with a warm farewell. Despite lacking for physical strength the Adjuchas speed was nothing to scoff at, in his base form he was sufficiently quick to be on par with most beings of his own level and when he desired to he could at his convenience triple that speed but such was draining and worthless to do when combat had yet to begin so he settled for traveling at his average speed of 250 towards the northern twin mountains at a pace comparable to a car at full thrust, not using reiatsu would make the whole catching them off guard a lot easier obviously. He didn’t want his prey to have the time to set impromptu traps or such bothersome stuff.

He took care to run with as few steps as possible, nearly jumping his way through the sands to minimize the imprint of dust and sand thrown up in the air as he ran past the desert dunes. Sand while great for hiding as a stationary target was anything but subtle when one needed to move fast, silent true but oh so visible as the air easily catched the sand one pushed aside like a campfire with legs with less smell of tasty meats and burnt wood and more a coughing fit of dry salts and bone fragments plaguing your lungs. The trip was uneventful and such was to be expected, this was far from Las Noches and more common entrances to the Menos Forest, that’s why the settlement had made it’s home here in the first place, it’s uneventfulness.

No one expected more than a few feral strays to wander this far into the wasteland and if something sentient went here it was more than likely just plain out lost or aimless in it’s direction. As he was beginning to reach the foot of the mountains this changed however, if not for his keen senses he wouldn’t have noticed the commotion until he ran into it. But since he did notice he took to a full halt, walking on the long path around a sand dune to spy his little eyes on the sight before him. The battle he witnessed was of rather low intensity but little more could be expected of mere hollow fighting one on one, but rather than the fighting it was the appearance of the more Equine looking hollow that grabbed his attention.

That’s… a unicorn, isn’t it? it was, had to be. An ugly unicorn sure but it WAS a hollow unicorn, it probably looked better if it evolved some, he bet it was probably really pretty if it ever became an Arrancar provided Valentin didn’t take a fancy to dining on fairy hollow meat. Looking just a little longer he observed his favoured combatant come out on top and claim it’s right to feed, he smiled just a little behind the mask with that face of his he had no memory of yet had of recent become more and more aware of having as his Adjuchas body felt more like a shell that his being soon wanted to break out of. He had taken the strange change of mindset as a good sign but of course knew he had yet to reach the final stage of his eventual and unavoidable ascension as a higher being.

But as for now, right now he noticed someone quite rude intending to stop the Unicorn’s sweet music. a sand shark of sorts was thinking itself mighty clever but Valentin could vaguely hear it pushing sand out of it’s way as he noted it beelining towards the Unicorn hollow from below. He hadn’t intended to disturb but now he really had no choice now did he, couldn’t very well let such a rare sight get mauled so suddenly nor could he tolerate a meal thief! the only meal thief he tolerated was himself but you just don’t rob Unicorns! or sentient hollow, or sentient Unicorn hollows! anyone who would do such was truly a hopeless savage devoid of reason. Thus with little time to act he shot off one of his tail spikes into the far distance of the sand.

The fleshy spike penetrating the sands deep as it transformed into an orb of flesh that began to grow Valentin a secondary spare brain juuuuuust in case things got vile. Now as he was actively letting out a strand of reiatsu to maintain contact with his growing brain orb the Unicorn easily picked up on his presence as he voluntarily stepped over the dune to reveal himself. He walked with casual steps, pretending to be unaware of the lurking trapper hollow that could probably sense his every step with great accuracy. Now was the golden moment, was the Unicorn hollow a sentient being or would it foolishly charge at him or run away? As it turned out it backed off and seemily tried to bow to him.

He chuckled softly when he saw it but otherwise remained calm and quiet as he stopped but a few meters away, having fun at her expense by not revealing his intent and merely intimidating her with his being for now yet the quiet was intentional, he was listening, intently. THERE! his mind yelled aloud as his left arm acted on pure instinct as it raised itself to mid height before he flicked his index finger against his thumb in Nemo’s direction, spawning a Bala that flew right past her with such force that the hollow behind her fresh out of the sand to drag a meal to the depths found itself impaled by the sheer force of Valentin’s spiritual strength, a charred hole having been carved out of it’s shark-like visage as it slumped to the ground dead.

’’How rude trying to steal a meal like that, wouldn’t you say?’’ he said in a cheery and rather unfittingly bright tone, wholly unsuited to his cruel looking mask as the Adjuchas sank his body down to a comfortable squat as his long spiked tail waved left and right playfully behind him. ’’Can’t stand stuff like that, here you killed these two fair and square and that prick tried to nab em from right under your feet! some hollow just plain lack manners, wouldn’t you agree Mr Unicorn person~?’’ a moment later before actually allowing her to speak he’d interrupt again as his index finger rose to his head to indicate that he had just thought of something. ’’Waaait wait wait! can Unicorns even speak? oh unicorn of hollow kind can you more than hum sweet melodies!!?’’ he demanded to know. ''Also, my kill. Kick it here would you kindly~ a fella has an appetite~''

[Nemo Castrillón]

Nemo tried to keep herself as calm as possible, yet her body refused to obey and she softly began to quiver as the amazingly strong Hollow closed in on her. It was obvious that he wasn’t in a hurry, and yet every one of her instincts shouted “RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY.” She lowered her head even further and closed her eyes, causing her to notice the faint vibrations in the ground around her. It seemed as if it was soon to collapse or turn into a pit of quicksand if she remained kneeling there any longer. She averted her gaze from the newcomer and looked around in panic, only to try and jump to the side when the sand shark which popped up behind her was suddenly blown apart. Her motions were more catlike than equine in that situation, and as she regained her footing, she wheeled around herself slowly in a defensive posture, expecting more assailants.

It was only after the great fiend began to speak that she came to a stop and managed to relax herself, although the things she heard were just...not completely what she had expected. Her ears perked up slightly as she listened to the creature, delighted that it would not only be able to speak, possessing the shard of reason, but it also seemed that he has recognized her gesture and treated her with kinship, despite the unusually excited and light-hearted way of expressing it. She expected a more dominant behavior, a bellowing voice telling her to submit to him, to get insulted for her weakness and frailty. Yet none of those happened - it seems that she was very much in luck, perhaps even blessed to an extent or guided by divine providence.

She skipped behind the dead shark-monster and flinged the body over to Valentin with a hard kick, whirling up a small cloud of sand while doing so. She shook her head and looked towards the direction of the cave entrance - and yet she was thinking more about the words the Hollow with the frightening mask had just said. It seems that he was adhering to some personal code of honor aswell, as there was no chivalry among Hollows when it came to eating - having a peaceful meal was much more the exception than one might believe, even when one was of the more powerful variety. There were Hollows out there which specialized on scavenging freshly laid carcasses, and even though she would have probably been able to give the ambush predator a good trashing, she couldn’t have done much about it if it chose to simply snatch away the corpses of her prey.

“Thank you, powerful one. If it wasn’t for your intervention, that fiend would have stolen my prey from me, or worse. This hell is filled with lost souls who have long succumbed to their hunger, unable to think about anything else than consumption, even if it means forsaking everything good and right.” Her voice was fairly high pitched but pleasantly rough, with a fine dialect that quickly identified her as of scottish descent. She would resume her consumption while Valentin started eating, placing great care in hiding her face from him while doing so. She seemed to be well-mannered and somewhat shy, and it was more than likely that she felt disgusted by the way she had to sustain herself.

They’d barely have the time to finish their meal before being rudely interrupted. A bloodcurdling roar came from the deep cavern, and the air grew heavy with the Reiatsu of a powerful Hollow. Nemo’s knees quivered for a moment, just barely managing to keep her footing until the rain of Reishi stopped - Hollows began swarming out of the hole, first one, then a pair, then half a dozen. Yet all of them seemed to be trash, unfit to fight someone as strong as Valentin. “Not all of them abandon their cave when the time to hunt has come...I have yet to see the one who is able to subdue me with his presence alone. That is why I’m here...my master wishes to know. He considers him a menace that needs to be destroyed.”

[Valentin Acciai]

a smudge of intimidation always made for a fun game, good thing it didn’t run though or else Valentin would have had no qualms about eating it’s share as well. After the whole killing business was over with he was quite relieved to know that he had been right about the Unicorn hollow, it was sentient indeed, a pleasant turn of events to be sure. And even better, it was a polite one! a rare treat among their kin Valentin was fortunate this night indeed. Ahh~ to be thanked felt so nice, unicorns truly are pure creatures even when they’re native to Hueco Mundo~ were the stupid thoughts that coursed through his mind as he began to snack on the hollow corpse that his new friend kicked over to him. ’’You say some odd things hmn… Miss Unicorn? most of us are robbed of everything good and right the moment we are reborn as such repulsive beings.’’

Valentin stated before continuing between the bites, noting the female hollows discomfort with eating in his presence and thus distanced his gaze just enough as to not directly look at her. ’’The two of us just got lucky i’d say, minimal memory fragmentation, a speck of emotions to latch onto and remember. It’s a luxury compared to the unfortunate souls we consume.’’ he stated as one with a lot of expertise in the area but then again all hollows capable of thought had some degree of knowledge on this matter. Ah crap, he sounded like a total bummer right now! ’’It’s not a pretty road we walk, that much is certainly true. But have hope little one~’’ he said making fun of the fact that she was in actuality far larger than himself in size.

’’Evolution is always around the corner, every step it makes you feel a little more human, a little more your true self and less the beast you were forcibly made. I realise what i say could be seen as a very selfish thing but the unfortunate hollow who cannot remember themselves anymore, consume them without regret and allow them to become the stepping stones to your own humanity. That way their lives will not have been pointless.’’ was he laying it on too thick? ah maybe, but getting philosophical now and then was the right of the old! Valentin was damn near a hundred years old now though he didn’t much like to linger on that, years didn’t exactly count the same way when you were already dead in his mind.

But damn, they were being so noisy down in that cave! couldn’t they wait for their turn? the domineering roar seemed to suggest that that was a negatory, they apparently didn’t approve of uninvited guests speaking philosophy while gnawing on the bones of their allies, understandable to be fair but still, rude. Standing up and wiping his mouth of the blood as best he could Valentin was still quite passive about things, much like Nemo suspected he wasn’t very concerned about those minions nor their boss. He was an Adjuchas and while not a combat specialist he was none the less powerful, far more so than anyone here. Nemo revealed some interesting details when she spoke again though, a master? judging by her words this master had to be quite different from your average brutal thug of a boss to command someone like her.

But he’d never learn more if he didn’t give her a helping hand, she was a little stronger than the average hollow but just a little. Good thing Valentin held the power to change that. ’’Valentin acciai, that was and still is my name. You may think of me as a doctor of sorts, now please don’t freak out.’’ he’d state as his spiked tail pointed itself in her direction and shortly after two spikes of bone would fly her way at a speed of 600 aimed to penetrate into her thigh. If it hit Nemo would come to find the spikes sinking into her flesh leaving no wound behind as a most strange feeling of muscles pulsing with energy would begin to fill her body as speed and strength alike would surge to a total of 300 in each when combined with her innate talent.

’’A temporary gift~’’ Valentin stated playfully as his hands tied themselves behind his back while he stretched casually yet remained fully aware of his surroundings ’’Make the best use of it, it’s a rare thing to suddenly find one’s body twice as spry. And not to worry, if their boss shows themselves i’ll join in on the fun~’’ the Adjuchas mused, he oh so liked to observe battles rather than partake in them, a difference of perspective that granted far more amusement when one could focus on all players. Still he was nowhere near defenseless and hoped the female hollow would understand as much, any hollow that came too close to him would find themselves cleft in twain if not many more pieces.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Living Spike Shots}Technique Name: [Living Spike Shots]

Class: [4]

Technique Type: [Hollow]

Usable By (Technique is available to which races?): [Hollow]

Technique Element: [Organic]

Technique Description and Effects (Explain appearance, powers, and effect): [This technique allows Valentin to fire off spikes that can be grown from any part of his body in front of wherever he's aiming the spikes to a penetrating power equal to his Reiatsu Strength and a Static Speed of 600. The spikes on average are the size of a short punching dagger or 5 inches long and 1 inch wide so they can do moderate harm however there is a limited number of them. On his tail he has 10 spikes usable for that purpose and regenerates them naturally by 1 spike per 50 healing expertise a turn when it comes to those on his tail. Expending Reiatsu he can generate these same spikes from any part of his body with a cost of 25 Reiatsu for two spikes.

This technique acts as a stepping stone for further abilities as the spikes fired from his body are still alive and connected to him for a time, his Reiatsu visibly still present in them. They are made from an outer layer of bone structure with a fleshy inside akin to an organ though initially inert and malleable until another ability makes use of them and gives them purpose. Should there be no resistance from the body it hits for example a friendly and aware target then the spikes will upon penetration sacrifice their bone exterior to heal the wound made upon entry after the organic part has gone inside. Even if they do not strike a target they will still become a beacon for his spiritual energy and just as capable to transform to suit his purposes. this flesh eventually dissolves within twenty minutes whether or not having a host to sustain itself from and would have to be replaced to continue it's duties.]

How to use technique (How is it activated?): [By aiming the concerned body part in a chosen direction and simply forcing them out by contracting his muscles, in short flexing them out.]

Technique Drawbacks (Limitations, repercussions for use, etc) (Insert Below)

Supply of fired spikes must be regenerated.

Always go straight so they can be easy to predict.

If the relevant muscle structure is notably injured this technique cannot be used from there until healed. When altered with a technique, a spike takes on the ability granted by that technique, but cannot be altered further.

Incantation and Effect:

Made By: Valentin Acciai

Reserved? (Yes/No) (Can others use your technique, or just your character?): [Yes]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Doping In Style}Technique Name: [Doping In Style]

Class: [3]

Technique Type: [Hollow]

Usable By (Technique is available to which races?): [Hollow]

Technique Element: [Organic]

Technique Description and Effects (Explain appearance, powers, and effect): [Generating and overlapping strands of muscle tissue Valentin condenses layer after layer to create densely woven muscles that might look normal enough but contains far more power than they did in their normal state. Using this ability Valentin can spend his Healing Expertise prior to type to increase another's or his own physical attributes by the same amount prior to type by also paying a Reiatsu cost every turn equal to the amount of Stat Points moved around. This of course means that the rest of abilities in possession by Valentin that require Healing Expertise will weaken by the same amount and might cause him to regenerate slower than usual and such. For example this means Valentin could sacrifice all 400 of his healing expertise for a turn to increase his or another's base strength by 200 points and his base speed by 200 or however he wishes to spread it.]

How to use technique (How is it activated?): [It is willed into effect using his own tissue, be it within his own body or the body of another that has part of his flesh in them.]

Technique Drawbacks (Limitations, repercussions for use, etc) If physical stats are increased by 200 or lower in total there is no drawback for the person the technique is used on, if stats are increased by 201-400 total a low amount of fatigue begins to build and becomes moderate fatigue after 3 turns and severe fatigue after 8.

low fatigue is little more than building up a sweat and doesn't affect the host much, moderate fatigue lactic acid is beginning to form and breath might become unsteady as oxygen intake struggles to be enough. Severe fatigue leads to exhaustion, inability to keep up with an opponent they otherwise should be able to due to the protests of their body demanding rest. They're panting deeply for breath as the lactic acid leaves them feeling weak and exposed with muscles refusing to move as they should. Target will need 2 turns of inaction to drop from each and every stage of fatigue.

Incantation and Effect:

Made By:
Valentin Acciai

Reserved? (Yes/No) (Can others use your technique, or just your character?): [Yes]

2300/2500 Reiatsu
-200 Doping in Style (boosting Nemo's speed and strength by 100 each for a total of 300 each after type)

Consumed 1 Class 8 Hollow

[Nemo Castrillón]

“I used to be known by another name...now I’m just Nemo” she said regretfully, with blackened gore staining her snout almost to the eyesockets. She was more a parody of an unicorn than anything else, since her voice was sweet and tender despite the horrible distortion forced upon it by the mask; a sinister, ghoulish parody of a being of absolute purity, without any humorous implications however. She seemed to feel much better when Valentin wasn’t looking, and while the hideous sounds of consumption were still abound, her coarse and shaken Reiatsu calmed down even as the enemy began to swarm around the cave’s entrance. The presence of Valentin seemed to calm her, even though her eyes narrowed when she looked back on the throng of beasts gathering.

“A luxury? What an odd thing to say. If I had the choice to forget, I would. There was a time when I thought so, at least…but the guilt won’t fade away” she said, and the vivid glow in her eyes grew dimmer and dimmer. She was familiar with the terms of Hollow evolution, even though the deeper realities of the concept continued to elude her mind, which was partially caused by the Chessmaster’s hazy explanations. She was told that she’d regain her humanity if she kept her valiant composure, this would not work without consuming however, and the number of unfortunate beings she had to devour woud range in the thousands for sure. “Valentin, please tell me...do we ever cease to hunger? Does someone as strong as you still need to devour souls to sustain himself?”

When Valentin shot the spikes at her, she instinctively tried to dodge them, not realizing at first what kind of power they suffused with her own essence. Her feeling of betrayal almost instantly faded however as the skeletal “syringes” injected her with a very potent effect that made Nemo feel valorous and strong beyond belief. But just as she asked her question timidly the dune close to them busted open, and a massive ball of bone-porcelain shot out of the cloud, flying towards the four-legged Hollow in a low arc. Were it not for Valentin’s gift she probably would have taken the massive hit - with his help she was able to skip to the side however, the arcing air strafing her body as she took up a graceful combat stance. The armadillo-like creature unfurled itself as it came to a halt and pushed itself further towards another dune, perhaps to find higher ground to jump down from.

Nemo had a whole other set of problems however. A pair of flying Hollows started circling around her, rapidly closing in as their humongous wings whirled up the dust and silt around her. They were twin hornets, with stingers as long as a man’s arm, their masks white and segmented, giving them an eerie insectoid look. Nemo tried to back away to face them both from one side, yet they always seemed to try and maneuver her out by attacking from the flanks, the front and the back, more like a pack of wolves than true wasps - but every bit as aggressive. The equine, empowered by her newfound friend’s helpful ability was able to keep track of their motions fairly well, evading and slashing at them with renewed grace - and as she ripped open the thick abdomen of one, a slosh of maggots and elongated eggs poured to the ground before the dying creature joined its innards.

This all came at a cost however - the second one managed to stab her with its sharp appendage, piercing her amazing armor and causing the dreadful unicorn to stagger as the venom rippled through her left thigh. It was just a shallow wound and she would likely be able to recover, but her marble-like flesh was still in its infancy, unable to completely resist a potent toxin like that. The daring downward thrust made the insect vulnerable however, and as Nemo severed its wing-pair it fell to the ground, spinning and writhing helplessly before her heart-shaped, porcelain skull was suddenly shattered by a pair of heavy hooves. The pain and the mortal danger made the beast shine through Nemo’s gallant demeanor as she gave a horribly distorted, spectral shriek while rising up on her hind legs - and as she did, another half a dozen Hollows appeared on the spine of the dune the armored Hollow has crashed through previously.

[Valentin Acciai]

Nemo, a short and rare name he could only vaguely recollect from some old book but couldn't place on the globe yet due to her appearance and accent he nonetheless made the guess that she was once a European… wait what was he saying, Valentin's mask resembled that of a Japanese oni but he sure as hell wasn't Asian! Still the accent was too notable to be anything other than irish, aah~ what serene tones his ear holes were blessed with. She didn't seem to agree with his idea of being blessed with memories, true Valentin couldn't know her past but having a past was something valuable to most of their kin as a lingering thread to tie one to their lost humanity.

Valentin knew of more than a few hollows who while fully sentient lacked any memory of their past selves and as such their lives were ones of existential dread, crying such horrid things as who am I or why am I. Undeniably to possess such a thing as a name was a blessing in such circumstances. He continued to listen, heeding the screams of other hollows little as she asked the most relevant question of all for their kind, will the hunger end? ``Will the hunger end? Why of course it will, never waver in your dedication. Always improve, always chase evolution, hunt the greatest of game! Do I still hunger? Very much so but I know my journey is almost over.

I am an Adjuchas that much you should know, from here only the step to Vasto Lorde remains.`` he stated with confidence in his voice as the pack attacked. Nemo sure was lucky she hadn't been able to dodge his spikes, she would have become a quick morsel to these dregs had she not received his liquid blessing that temporarily altered her. It was always quite fun to watch someone trying to adapt to ludicrous changes to their capabilities, especially when it made them crash into things clumsily. She was handling it well though, perhaps a little stiffer in movement upon close observation but she seemed quick to adapt, a natural it seemed but then again she was a horse so it was to a degree expected she would be able to handle both her newfound speed and strength.

Only two hollow showed any initial interest in him, a humanoid creature with scythes for fingers and muscular legs which dashed right for him while the other was a significantly smaller ferret like creature that disappeared through an ulcera and manifested mere centimeters from digging it’s fangs into his neck. It tried to take a bite and did in all actuality succeed if partially, Valentin wasn’t able to dodge such a precise ulcera but was quick enough to bite the bastard proper dead in return with his many fanged mouth, chomping the little weasel in half before it managed to tear out his throat in kind as his minor wound healed shut as to not tempt fate.

As for the big one the ferret thing had provided ample distraction for it to close the distance. Dashing at him with great leaps that threw gouts of sand in the air the scythed hollow spread its arms wide and it’s many scythed talons wider still as it swung against him. It was fast and likely stronger on a physical level so Valentin took the attack seriously, jumping back from the first blow and deflecting the opposite hand with the spikes of his tail as he fired upon the limb and scored several hits which penetrated with such force that it flung the hollow back with an angered expression that hinted at worry. The beast actually took a step back as it began digging into its own arm with its claws in an act of self mutilation.

Once more the cause was Valentin’s spikes. Rather than strengthen the hollow as it did Nemo these ones were actively robbing the hollow of it’s reiatsu, fueling it to Valentin through the thin strings of reiatsu that bonded to the spikes that had dug themselves deep into the flesh and fused with it. It seemed the hollow had realized this and was trying to get rid of Valentin’s parasitic influence before it was too late but it’s focus on this task was to prove fatal when it lapsed in it’s attention towards the Adjuchas and as a result Valentin’s dexterous tail smashed against it’s skull spikes first and skewered it’s head with ease instantly killing the creature. A little paranoid about these things Valentin quickly closed in to snack on the hollows neck having himself a few mouthfuls as he continued to observe the Unicorn’s struggles while keeping an eye out for any other would be ambushers like that weasel.

There was some wit to the hollows in these parts he noted, most seemed to primarily target Nemo figuring to remove any weaker targets before moving on to the bigger threat of Valentin himself but they were doing a piss poor job at it. The injuries she had sustained unluckily for them were non-fatal and hence of little difficulty for the medically minded hollow to heal from a distance. The first spike in her flesh that had melded into tissue was what supplied Nemo her excess of power but the other was a spare that had no purpose until now. Pulsing with reiatsu the lump of flesh that had become Nemo’s own read her biological makeup, every little detail about her body that could be made.

The wound shallow as it was closed in an instant but he realized she was still in a perilous condition, the immediate threats were dealt with but more were on their way so without wasting time he dashed for Nemo whilst scolding her half heartedly ’’Step one of surviving hollow attacks, don’t get poisoned unless you’re me. I’m the living antidote, you’re not!’’ having said that he immediately yelled right afterwards in a pissed off tone ’’SHOVE OFF FUCKFACE!!!’’ as his fist-held bala collided with the face of the armadillo hollow that had attacked his conversation partner earlier and punted it with his spiritual strength into the ground just before Nemo’s hooves into a bloody and broken mess which he also saw fit to shoot a few of his spikes into between it's armour plates for extra measure, plus chugging that tasty reiatsu like the parasite he was.

’’Now what was i do- ah yes, venom!’’ he stated as he stood before her and had his right hand manifest a glowing green aura between his fingers and held the aura against the area of her body that had been struck ever so briefly as his expert skill in the field purged the weaker venom in an instant ’’There, much better. Unfortunately this doctor doesn’t have any candy in his pockets nor does the doctor have pockets for that matter. Pocket dimensions through that’s a different matter, now, would you like a cookie?’’ the nonsensical hollow asked, pulling out a chocolate chip from between his armour plates where the black markings of a sealing tattoo was hidden.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Organic Generation}Organic Generation, Valentin has the ability to generate various tissues from anything carrying his Reiatsu signature, not always just from his body. This makes him quite adept at creating organic structures and regenerating himself from injuries as well as that of others and can with sufficient time and Healing Expertise regenerate from the most devastating damage to a body as long as there is Reiatsu to spare. There are 3 different types or tiers if you will of this regeneration, the simplest being the regeneration of muscles, skin or anything at the surface level which would take him 1 turn of healing. The second type being the more serious injury of major muscle and even limb loss where he would be required to grow back a large part of a body from where it is missing, taking the time of 3 turns before fully functional. And lastly the third type being the most complex and important is the regeneration of things such as internal organs which could take as long as 5 turns. All of this regeneration does have a Reiatsu cost of course, the first type being 25 Reiatsu per injury, the second at 100 and the third at 200 Reiatsu. For every 250 Healing Expertise Valentin possesses he can reduce the time to heal by one turn, meaning the lower tiers if he were to become supremely proficient with the healing arts could heal near instantaneously.

Should this regeneration be used to restore any natural armour or weapon then the regenerated spot will be half as tough as it usually was for 3 posts before properly hardening. He can make use of his abilities in others by expending his own Reiatsu at double the price for any technique usable in himself though it requires that a piece of his flesh has been inserted into their body to act as a beacon for his Reiatsu to stream into them by what would look like a thread for those good at sensing energy. While his power can allow him a great deal of comfort knowing that there is no such thing as a permanently lost body part for any he would deign to call friend his abilities do have one great flaw, it's a network and Valentin is the mainframe. Any relatively recent healing from his beacons (Until combat ends or 20 minutes) he has applied to others will rapidly fall apart and unravel should he be put in a state of severe mental distress or unconsciousness, the whole system crashing with him.]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Parasite}Technique Name: [Parasite]

Class: [4]

Technique Type: [Hollow]

Usable By (Technique is available to which races?): [Hollow]

Technique Element: [Organic]

Technique Description and Effects (Explain appearance, powers, and effect): [Building on Living Spike Shots the Parasite technique can transform the equivalent biomass of two spikes that has entered the target into a small fleshy lump that holds itself in place by fusing with nearby material. It can only be used on unresisting targets or targets at least equal or below Valentin's Class and has no inherent reiatsu cost, otherwise repulsed by their spiritual pressure. The parasite's function is to leech off Reiatsu from others and using the strings of Reiatsu attaching Living Spike Shots to Valentin in normal cases sends some of a target's Reiatsu to flow into Valentin. The parasite can harvest up to 150 Reiatsu a turn from a target and there can't be more than one parasite per person, if a target wishes to be rid of the parasite they can expend 300 Reiatsu to burn it out of their body or alternatively rip it out despite the injury of doing such. If a hostile target is of same class as Valentin he can drain them of 100 Reiatsu a turn and if 1 class below of further 150 Reiatsu. The parasite lives only as long as an ordinary spike once separated from Valentin and must be replaces every 20 minutes to continue working.]

How to use technique (How is it activated?): [Activate on a Living Spike Shot that has entered a target.]

Technique Drawbacks (Limitations, repercussions for use, etc) (Requires either willing target or class inferior target.)

Incantation and Effect:

Made By:
Valentin Acciai

Reserved? (Yes/No) (Can others use your technique, or just your character?): [Yes]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Remedy}Technique Name: Remedy

Class: 4

Technique Type: General Spiritual Technique

Usable By: Any Race

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects:
Remedy is an essential technique for dealing with enemy poisons and acids that are introduced to the body. By spreading their Reiatsu through the victim, the user of this technique can literally “burn” the foreign contaminants out of the blood, organs, bones and muscles. It can even go so far as to remove acids from the skin layer, burning them away as well. This leaves the body free of outside substances, though it doesn’t heal wounds or ease the pain at all. In fact, it does quite the opposite, causing a severe amount of pain; the Reiatsu literally burns away the contaminants, leaving the entire body feeling as though it is being heavily seared during the entire process. The pain is worth the price though, leaving the patient healthy, if temporarily pained.

How to use technique:
The user presses their hands into the patient and floods Reiatsu through them, destroying contaminants as they do so.

Technique Drawbacks:
The first drawback to this technique, aside from a per-post cost of 150 Reiatsu to keep it active, is that it is not always instantaneous. If user’s Healing Expertise is greater than the offensive stat of a contaminant, then it only takes a single post of healing to remove it. A 25% superiority on the part of the attacker makes the healing take two posts, a 50% makes it take three, and double or higher is immune to this technique altogether. Additionally, the pain from this technique is fairly high, enough to tax the body, so a patient being treated loses stamina as though they had spent a whole post fighting at full capacity for each post that they are being treated. If the patient is using it on their own body, then the stamina drain is doubled, as they have to concentrate on the technique through the pain. Requires a Healing Expertise of 100 or higher to use.

Incantation and Effect: "Feel the fever burn, feel the pain ravage, and feel the illness ease." When the incantation is used, the user's Healing Expertise is treated as though it is increased by 20% for the sake of comparing to the offensive stat of contaminants.

Made By: Z-Wolf

Reserved?: No

SPOILER: Click to show

{Black Mark Seal}Technique Name: Black Mark Seal

Class: 6

Technique Type: Seal

Usable By : Any Race

Technique Description and Effects : This technique is a simple sealing process. By drawing a seal onto the ground with one's reiatsu, the user can seal an object into their body in the form of a tattoo. This tattoo must scale with the size of whatever it is that is sealed onto the user, with a percent linked to the size of the object in feet. The tattoo must take up 1% of the user's body for every foot in size the object has (This applies to the largest dimension the object has. If a broom that is four feet long, and only half a foot wide is taken in, and a board of wood four feet long and three feet wide are made, then both tattoos would take up 2% of the user's body as 4 feet is the largest dimension). A finger would compose about 1% of the body, the hand about 5%, an entire limb about 15%, the Torso takes up 30%, Head takes up 10%

Object and entities sealed within this space are put in stasis, and maintain qualities from when they were sealed (Outside of things on a post-specific timer). No living thing can ever be sealed against it's will, regardless of OS or Class superiority. Additionally, no Attack can be sealed ever. Because of this, this technique is largely unuseful in direct combat, and generally is only used as a utility power.

Technique Drawbacks: While there is no reiatsu cost for normal sealing and unsealing outside of combat, if the user has at least 250 Instincts, they will be able to perform the unsealing and sealing ritual quickly enough to be used in combat. In this manner, the technique costs 100 reiatsu to seal/unseal an object or individual. Release weapons may never be sealed. Additionally, while the general state of an object is maintained, normal duration for the item being sealed is retained. (If something that lasts 4 posts is sealed, if the object is unsealed 2 posts later, it will have 2 posts left before it expires. ) This ensures that only objects with naturally long life and duration are utilized, or else are only sealed for brief moments at a time. Stasis-bound objects and entities, while they maintain their basic state, still take damage and suffer effects while sealed.

Made By: Hebika

Reserved? : No

-50 Organic Generation
+300 Parasite
-50 Bala
-150 Remedy
-50 Black Mark Seal
-200 Doping in Style (Nemo's physical stats still at 300 each)

2100/2500 Reiatsu

Consumed 1 Class 8 Hollow
Consumed 1 Class 7 Hollow

[Nemo Castrillón]

Nemo barely managed to take heed of the uplifting words spoken to her as her insticts took over, yet they resonated with her somewhere deep within, bolstering her resilience and defiant posture. As she reared herself up, it became apparent that Valentin’s observation was correct - the chaff, realizing they would not really be able to subdue him without the help of their heavy rather went for the obviousl more fragile and less experienced of the two Hollows who were now fighting side by side. The efforts of their comrades to weaken the equine partner of the Adjuchas were unsuccessful however as the latter proved to be an expert in medical matters, and as she quickly patched her up, she made a split-second decision to move to the offensive, barely letting the other one finish.

“Not now....” - she shook her head briefly before bursting away from under his hands. It was only now that the immense boost in speed and strength had become really accessible to her - she made a mighty leap and crashed directly into a hulking mass of flesh of a Hollow, her spiraled horn cracking it’s sternum with a loud noise, shutting off it’s scared wail instantly. As it toppled to the ground a large cloud of dust was swirled up, causing Valentin to lose sight of his ward for a moment. Her Reiatsu was hale and hearty however - his medicinal skill had really paid off in sustaining her, and it seems that she was quick to realize that the toxins have left her body as she strode forward with renewed vigor.

Only a moment later she galopped out of the cloud, driving a crouching, lizard-like Hollow back with the ichor-soaked spike on her head. The beast blew up its cheeks and spat out a glob of yellowish spit at her - after facing the toxic stab of the hornets she was not keen to take this attack and steered herself to the side slightly, barely exiting the trajectory. The attack definitely hit something though, as it became apparent soon when a screaming grotesque humanoid Hollow emerged from the dust, clutching its shoulder that was sizzling and oozing as the potent acid burrowed itself into its flesh, causing its right arm to fall to the ground shortly after.

Nemo did not leave much of a breathing room for the scaled creature. It was distinctly smaller than her, and the increased mass of her marble-like flesh came crashing down on the supple frame of the acid spitter as its spine was snapped immediately. With the help of her friend, she had become akin to a juggernaut, her good instincts and excellent physical properties already showing signs of the immense potential she would have later in her evolution. The injured humanoid quickly sprinted towards her, trying to smash his fist into her back from above -and instead of dodging, she braced herself for the impact as her body began to reshape its surface to accomodate to the impact.

She was not even brought to her knees by the attack, standing her ground valiantly. Her extruded armor absorbed the impact with appalling efficiency, turning the massive fist of her assailant into a mess of shattered bones and mangled flesh. It’s screams were cut short when she turned to face the creature, biting down on the demolished arm while throwing the massive Hollow to the ground before slicing through his throat in a single motion. Not even content with this outcome she buried her fangs deep into its flesh, eyeing the remaining three with a defiant glare, silently promising them a similar fate should they dare to come closer. From the cave’s entrance however, a shadowy humanoid figure appeared - and as it flexed its Reiatsu, the cowardly throng became emboldened once again, seeing that their just emerged champion would easily tie up Valentin while they could gather their strength and subdue Nemo while the two giants were fighting.

- One Class 7 Hollow devoured

[Valentin Acciai]

ah, a pity. She didn’t care for the cookie, was she on a diet perhaps? more likely she was simply too serious to be distracted by his antics in the middle of a very much lethal battle between hollow. Nonetheless the venom was purged from her body in time before the Equine hollow impatiently darted off again, kind of rude but eh he didn’t expect much politeness out of the lesser hollow forms. Her being reasonable enough to hold a conversation with was plenty good enough to excuse such behaviour. It did make him somewhat proud though to see what his ability was doing to her, turning a weak usually irrelevant hollow into something of a minor powerhouse more akin to a Gillian in power level than the regular hollow she was.

While dust was kicked up to obscure his sight of her he wasn’t overly concerned, nothing especially dangerous was in sight as this all appeared to be the regular straightforward hollow rush. The pathetic strategy of swarming a target whilst hoping someone in the lemming charge could score a critical blow. As such he focused on striking down a few targets of his own, primarily aerial threats that he suspected Nemo would have trouble with. Tail pointing skywards and his arms raised in a similar fashion, the foes in the air were a cautious bunch, grown to resemble avians with large leathery wings to represent their spinelessness. Their initial gaze was directed at Nemo as they circled the area like carrion vultures, little interest in taking on Valentin. It was smart of them to avoid him but not as smart to ignore him, a first volley of his spikes shot into the air and would claim one of the aerial pack.

It’s skewered body crashing down into the sand with a thud that sent the avian hollows into a frenzy as they picked up speed and demonstrated that Valentin was far from the only one with ranged tools at his disposal. A veritable rain of iron feathers and Bala rained down upon his location as the Adjuchas fired back with all three limbs, bone spikes growing out of his forearms and the tip of his tail with great speed and shot out just as quickly only to be replaced. At first the aim of both parties were pretty awful but once distance was properly gauged and despite Valentin having a degree of success with a few of them shot down he was forced on the defense. Expending ludicrous amounts of Reiatsu to accelerate himself to ever greater speeds to dodge and maneuver around the hail of fire he was taking.

Small cuts of narrowly dodged shots he could feel the invasive venoms trying to dominate his body through the minor wounds but they chose a poor target to poison. Valentin didn't even have to resort to any manner of technique to purify himself, his body as it was a mecka of rejuvenation and restoration was too mighty for the poison. Breaking the compounds down and exterminating them without issue as the deadly game of dodge continued for a few moments more. During the whole distance war Valentin had moved closer and closer with every evasive maneuver to improve his aim and the results had shown, the few hollows still in the air had become terrified of his unending supply and made retreat while they still could. It was a good thing they did so too for Valentin as the Adjuchas picked up on a far greater threat that even his terrible reiatsu senses were able to pick up on.

”The leader shows himself? Took you long enough, got your brown pants on?.” he said with confidence and intended mockery as he turned around to face the shadowy figure emerging from its den. ”You know in hindsight i recognize we hollow don’t really wear pants but it’s a joke… ah well, you won’t live long enough to tell anyone that it fell flat anyways.” managing to finish speaking he weaved to the side as a bala flew past him and proceeded to fire two spikes of his own in return which were deflected by what looked to be it's stoney hide, ah, that was a problem. ’’Hookay there big boy you know how this works!’’
Val said despite his attack having proved less than successful ''It's a me eat you world and i'm me so you're gonna have to be you, sorry bout that.'' the nonsensical Adjuchas spoke as he returned the favour to the statue looking humanoid of an Adjuchas, a cero quickly forming in his hand he shortly after blasted the cave entrance in a bright sheen of destructive red, colliding with the enemy leader who simply raised it's arm to protect it's eyes and began wading towards Val through the heat of the cero with seemingly little care as the cave behind it collapsed from the blast. ''This is, hmph... concerning.''

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cero}
Technique Name: [Cero (Zero)]

Class: [4]

Technique Type: [Hollow Technique]

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects:

Available only to Hollows or Arrancar of at least Gillian status, Cero is the signature technique of higher level Hollow races. This concentrates their reiatsu into a condensed blast of light which fires out, usually from the hands or similar body part, though many can use it from their chests, feet, mouths, or other appendages. Color is usually red, but many Arrancar have learned how to alter the color of their fired Cero. When charging it appears to be an orb, but when fired is a large, very wide beam. It has a distinct high-pitched sound when charging, and a very low growl when fired. Anyone can hear either, and thus discerning a Cero is very easy. In power, weaker Cero explode on contact with targets, but some Cero have enough power to keep going after hitting a target, and simply consume and disintegrate it.

How to use technique:

Aim body part at target and charge the technique, then fire. In speed, takes a few seconds total.

Technique Drawbacks

Reiatsu cost of 200, despite being class 4.

-200 Living Spike Shots
+300 Parasite
-200 Doping in Style (No change)
-200 Cero

1800/2500 Reiatsu

I name him... Rocky Hollowa