A Midnight Stroll

[Miranda Frost]

Thread Title: A Midnight Stroll
Participants: Mariposa Serrato, Ludwig, the Magnificent
World: Hueco Mundo
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: A cave in the depths of the Forest of the Menos
Special Conditions: none
Circumstances: Mariposa Serrato has kidnapped Miranda Frost and have stowed her away in a cave in the depths of the Forest of the Menos in hopes of squeezing valuable information out of her. Little did Serrato know that Captain Ludwig of Squad 13 was in Hueco Mundo at this time, compiling data for his newest project.

[Miranda Frost]

Days come, days go, but there is no telling how long Miranda was subjected to her imprisonment in Hueco Mundo. The sounds of distant screams and wails was an ever present torture to the Shinigami. The air was cold with the only source of available warmth being the body of the Fraccion, Marriposa Serrato, should Miranda be willing to hand over the information she wanted. Miranda was a bit too stubborn for this sort of eh… suggestion.

During the times she was allowed to be awake her heartbeat pounded hard in her chest. Every time she awoke embraced by the moth-like Arrancar she resisted and separated herself. Miranda knew she couldn’t fight her way out of captivity, but even if she did there was a horde of hollows of various shapes and sizes just outside the cave mouth, just waiting to get a taste of the shinigami kept deep within. She could feel them lurking and lingering. The only thing keeping them away was the Fraccion’s presence.

In that lies her predicament. She couldn’t leave without being killed, but to stay ment enduring what was given to her. The sounds, the cold, the forced unconscious states and whatever may have happened. Her mind was kept in such a muddled state, easily manipulated by Serrato’s power, but kept in a state that she could easily tell the Arrancar what she needed to know. Little did Serrato know that Miranda knew very little of the information she seeked.

Miranda kept herself away, using a rocky wall nearby to prop herself up. Her stomach churned. She couldn’t remember if she had eaten anything since her abduction, not that she wanted to know. She could smell the fading corpses of those who wandered too close in. It was not something she wished to dwell on. Miranda drew her legs firmly against her chest for warmth, Her steely eyes never leaving Serrato’s form.

“I don’t know the information you want.” She stated quietly, her gloved hands gripping tightly to her legs. “Why did you have to bring me here?” Miranda had a feeling she knew the answer before the words escaped her lips. People are more susceptible to persuasion if they are worn down. Serrato was doing a good job so far. The environment was terrible, the hope of escaped was easily dashed, and the temptations offered was an decent escape from it.

Miranda knew Serrato was attracted to her, whether it be her demeanor or physical form. She saw it in the way she spoke to her, the way she held her every time she woke, and the soft but secure hold on her when it was time for Miranda to sleep. If Frost gave in she’d not need to fear anything anymore. She could focus on all the things Serrato had promised and suggested. As of this point Frost was fit to endure more of this psychological torture. “Just take me back… If they send someone after me it wont be a pretty day for you.”

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

To an unsuspecting person the outside of Squad 13 seemed the same as ever. People walking to and fro with papers in hand. Others training in the background and even a few just relaxing or tending to some of the plant life that had recently been added around the barracks. Inside the main barracks however there was stark silence. This was in part due to there being only person inside. Ludwig. It had already been a week and a half since the news hit the squad that they had lost two more of their own. Tatsumi Shikuya and Leonardo Fredrick. 4th and 5th seats respectively and some of the newer middle chain for squad 13. The squad had not taken their loss well and though outsiders would never really see it Ludwig knew just how deeply each member was hurt. In truth only the newest members really were free of any genuine sadness as they wouldn’t have known either. Ludwig on the other hand was the man who’d trained them and helped them get to where they were. Learned just a little more about them than others did just due to having more frequent talks with them. And undeniably was one of the most hurt by their death.



Thus bringing us to what Ludwig was doing currently inside his office. He’d been thinking about what he could do since their deaths. How he could make up for them when he couldn’t bring them back to their family. Admittedly there wasn’t anything he could do. But that didn’t stop his anger from flaring up occasionally with his reiatsu following suit. It’s been a week and a half already. I need to let this anger go. It won’t bring them back and sadly neither can I given I wasn’t there when they needed me… And yet I can’t. Like the families of Leonardo and Tatsumi their loss is not so easily overcome. Yet I must let this anger go, it’ll only cloud my decisions the longer it remains. I need to just let it go. He sighed deeply forcibly making his anger become smoldering coals instead of a burning fire. The feeling didn’t sit well within his stomach but he had a job to do. And if he didn’t push on he’d never do right by his remaining squad. That said he still picked up the report on the incident and reread it, hoping that something, anything would pop out that he hadn’t already read.



Surprise surprise one detail did. 3 stealth squad died, his two seated officers died, and a squad 10 shinigami was reported missing. Ludwig read that over again just to be certain as missing was something entirely different than “dead”. There might yet still be a chance to find this missing person. Looking over the report fully he quickly found out a Miranda Frost was the missing person in question. Odd considering that every other shinigami had been slaughtered by the entity in question except her. Ludwig put down his papers as he began to think. Is there any reason to pick this particular shinigami over the others? She doesn’t seem very high up thus there probably isn’t any real information value to her. Granted she’s defense force so maybe there is some? Hmm… Admittedly my own men probably would have been more valuable if they were seeking information. So why? There doesn’t seem to be any real reason to have picked her. He remained still as his mind went over the possibilities. In the end however he simply determined the entity knew something he didn’t or just had a particular taste that Miranda simply fit the bill for.



So that left the elephant in the room. What would Ludwig do? Or better yet what COULD he do? The answer was pretty obvious. Ludwig had been devising a technique that allowed him to produce a garganta or something equivalent to allow his squad to travel to Hueco Mundo. One of the luxuries of having Adolf as his. . . close friend. Certain abilities of the arrancar and by extension hollows were a bit more familiar to him. The technique however wasn’t tested yet and admittedly could follow suit like his “trip” to Silbern. Was she worth it? For his own men he’d have done it in a heartbeat but this Captain Hotaru’s subordinate. Someone he’d never met. In truth he was probably going to be overstepping his boundaries if he did try to help. Especially if her respective captain had plans already to send aid… but what if she didn’t? It wasn’t like the Soul Society had an active means of going to Hueco Mundo, at least not to Ludwig’s knowledge. He frowned a bit to himself at the thought. He needed to make the right decision here and admittedly he was mostly considering this so he could get payback for his men. A small sigh and Ludwig almost pushed the thought away. Almost.



Before he could completely dismiss it he remember his own rules. Specifically the 3rd one he’d made once he’d become the captain of Squad 13. Reach out to others when they needed help. Miranda of squad 10 seemed to fit the bill pretty well if she was alive. And Ludwig would have the means to go get her. This in mind it’d be pretty contradictory if he just left her to be in Hueco Mundo. “What kind of captain would I be if I didn’t follow my own rules?” He chuckled and rubbed his face with one hand. He needed to go somewhere private so he could keep as few eyes as possible from seeing his newest kido in action. He didn’t need any rumors spreading until he’d perfected it. Let alone for his squad to get tasked with anything related to “Hueco Mundo” when it wasn’t prepared for it. With a purpose to propel him Ludwig quickly made his way toward his personal training grounds. It took a bit of patience and quick feet to quickly get to his private domain without any prying eyes following him but about 15 minutes later he’d arrived. It was a small garden in the middle of the barracks walkways with a nice open space in the center of the garden. And given it was in the back of the squad’s barracks hardly anyone would be here given it was mostly surrounded by storage areas.



Without wasting any further time Ludwig went toward the center of his garden and started his mental incantation. My right hand is the stone that bridges worlds. My left hand is the blade that binds reality. The black-haired shepherd is hung from a chair. Stratus clouds come, and I strike down the ibis. Keikaigi. As Ludwig chanted mentally the air around him swirled a bit before condensing into his right hand. As soon as he was finished however he had a small orb, almost invisible to his eyes on his middle finger. It didn’t help the entire thing was transparent but in truth it didn’t matter how it looked. All he needed it to do was open a pathway to Hueco Mundo. Bringing up his thumb to his middle finger he placed pressure on the orb for a moment then snapped his fingers shattering the orb in the process. It sent out a short but intense pulse before seemingly vanishing. Ludwig glanced around uncertain where the entrance would open up at if at all given this was the first time he’d attempted to open a garganta. A few more moments passed and finally the space in front of Ludwig stretched and ultimately shattered revealing the dark abyss in between worlds. Ominous and silent Ludwig knew that he’d gotten the result he was looking for. “Let’s hope that I’m not too late. And for good measure. Draw out your soul’s desires, Karvaldia.



Ludwig’s knife immediately shifted into a notebook and shortly afterward a pencil appeared in his right hand. He nodded at his zanpakuto and released a breath as he felt the first of many barriers to come being broken down. For a moment the Soul Society would know he’d released only to subsequently disappear. Hopefully no one important would notice but if they did he’d explain once he returned, preferably with Miranda in toe. With his mind clear and emotions removed he began running through the void hell bent on making it to Hueco Mundo as quickly as possible. In the meantime he’d draw a simple black circle, a cartoony handgun, and Spike from Tom and Jerry. He had one mission, to find Miranda Frost and return her to the Soul Society. Hopefully these would be the only drawings he’d need but depending on where he ended up in Hueco Mundo would depend on if this prediction was accurate. If anything he’d heard of the Forest of Menos where seemingly endless hollow lived. If anything he’d definitely need more backup given he was going in with his full power bursting out for anyone and everyone to feel. This suspicion was proved to be correct as once he exited the garganta he found himself at the base of a tree in the forest. Ludwig groaned but ultimately pulled out Spike and proceeded to cast Sazanami chanting the incantation mentally. [color=[[alevioletred] Throw the pebble in the pond; ripple across the still waters, trace the boundaries, return. [/color] If he was going to be attacked by hollows he wanted to know just how many were going to come after him and how many more companions he’d need first. Thankfully he had over a mile’s worth of radar coming in so he’d very easily figure out where and how many would soon surround him. And hopefully where Miranda would be at if she were anywhere nearby. Spike in the meantime was standing upright on his two hind legs and glaring around at the currently clear area. Even he knew that it was only a matter of time before something was going to show and he wasn't going to be caught off guard if he could help it.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}
-300 reiatsu for Shikai at class 3
-25 reiatsu for Sazanami
-94 reiatsu for Spike's creation

419 reiatsu used

3000-419 reiatsu= 2581

2581/3000 reiatsu remaining

SPOILER: Click to show

{Sazanami}
Sazanami is a particularly simplistic and straightforward Bakudo that at first seems to have no actual ability about it. When activated, this Bakudo sends a pulse of Reiatsu out in a spherical ripple from the user’s palm. This Reiatsu has no actual effect on anything, traveling until it reaches another object with some form of spiritual energy. Once it has done so, it bounces in the direction of its origin, giving an idea of the direction of any nearby active spiritual objects. This excludes environmental objects such as buildings within Soul Society, which do not possess an active spiritual energy. Such objects simply cause the rippling Reiatsu to stop without rebounding. When mastered, this technique can also be sent through objects, such as the ground or a building, rather than stopping upon impacting them. Additionally, mastery allows a constant ripple effect for the duration of a single post, regardless of incantation, that originates from its casting point. The range of this technique varies by the Reiatsu Strength of the user; for every 50 Reiatsu Strength the user has, this technique has a range of one hundred feet in radius. The ripples themselves travel at an astounding 4000 Speed. Due to its incredible speed and the thinned-out nature of the Reiatsu, the technique is undetectable to any but the user unless one actively knows that it is there.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}
Stats: Ludwig

Strength: 25

Speed: 300

Reiatsu Strength: 1400

Spiritual Pressure: 300

Instinct: 300

Senses: 25

Energy sense: 25

Healing expertise: 0

Light: 75

Dark: 25



Skills:

Strength of Will- 3

Weapon: Cartoon Drawings- 3

Battle Analysis- 2

Learning- 3

Mental Incantation- 2

Damage Recovery- 2

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats for Spike}
Pic: Strength: 1400

Speed: 300

Reiatsu Strength: 0

Spiritual Pressure: 0

Instinct: 300

Senses: 25

Energy sense: 25

Healing expertise: 0

Durability: 1750

SPOILER: Click to show

{Release}
1/19 posts

Released at Class 3

1/2 posts before next stat increase

Stats choosen to increase are Speed and RS

[Kitai Yoru]

6 posts for Miranda, 60 TP
7 posts for Ludwig, 70 TP

No Victory TP awarded