Trouble on Koburi Pass

[William O, Creed]

Koburi Pass, a hiking trail that William has been interested in for the last few months yet due to the amount of studying, practicing and testing that he had to complete in order to actually accomplish the goal of becoming a police officer hadn’t been able to accomplish. Now though that was going to change as he had left Tokyo early in the morning and now around noon was nearing the start of the trail. He’d taken his time managing to get to the location from Tokyo instead of spending even a bit of his money on a train ticket to Saitama which was definitely closer than Tokyo. Even still it wasn’t that far only on average an hour and a half from Tokyo which meant it had taken him a bit longer on foot, but either way now he was here.

Now moving across the natural dirt beneath his feet William could really feel the difference. Living in Tokyo for the last couple years he realized after a few moments that it had been awhile since he had walked on anything that wasn’t solid like an artificial floor or cement. Still the fresh air and scenery around him were things that he actually missed quite a bit and brought a smile to his face. Something so simple often was overlooked and forgotten by many and it seemed that despite everything else that set him apart in the end he was still human. So as he moved through the trail he made sure to really apprentice what was around him and everything he could hear like the birds and other animals moving in close proximity.

After about half an hour William hadn’t even made that much progress through the trail, but was enjoying himself. Almost as if he were allowing his body to rest in the same manner as one would when sleeping or meditating. This just seemed so peaceful as if he were really away from the troubles or the world. Little did he know though that fuerther up the trail was a couple of individuals that had already made it to the highest point in Koburi Pass and now were returning. Sadly, these people were in the sights of something with less than positive intentions.

[Kazura Uzaki]

Training for CTP

The couple were walking down from the top of the pass, holding hands and chatting. They looked like they were enjoying themselves on the trail and waved towards William as they saw him coming up the trail towards them. Their wave was a little odd, though, William would notice. It was almost like there was something mirroring them just behind them, just out of reach. A shadow in the air where there shouldn't be a shadow. The light was coming from behind the couple, so the only shadows that should be cast should be in front of them, not behind them. Something was definitely wrong there, but the couple didn't seem to notice or mind.

Then, as if something slipped by accident, William would see a flash of bright purple eyes behind the shorter of the pair. Something was definitely very very wrong. Something was behind this couple, shadowing them for who knows what purpose. As if it knew that it had been caught, the shadow intensified and the couple both dropped to their knees as if they were nauseous and were about to throw up from intense stomach pain. Doubled over, the shade behind them could be more clearly seen as a black creature with a white mask and intense purple eyes.

A Hollow.

Meanwhile, another figure moved through the brush of the Koburi Pass trail, tracking down the Hollow. He had yet to make it close to the top of the pass, but was headed upwards to try and find the creature that had been detected by his Spiritual Network. The Hollow was making too many spiritual waves and had been caught by Uzaki's Detection Network and had alerted the Fullbringer CEO that the people nearby were in danger. Moving to take care of it himself, Kazura quickly made his way up the pass towards William and the couple who desperately needed someone to step in.

[William O, Creed]

The sight of the young couple displaying their relationship via hand holding was something that William thought was nice. He hadn’t really been expecting to find anyone else on the trail although the appearance of others on such a beautiful piece of Japan wasn’t too surprising. “Can’t expect to keep anything like this to myself.” William thought. When they got closer to one another though that’s when William notices that something wasn’t quite right. There was definitely a distortion in the air that happened to stay behind the both of them.

It took a moment and that’s when William realized what the distortion most likely was, Hollow. It had been quite awhile since he had seen one especially one that actually appeared as a distortion and not their usually narly selves. Just another piece of the puzzle that revealed the answer to that strange transparent entity behind the couple, these were the purple eyes that William met with his own piercing blue. He knew now what was about to happen and he couldn’t allow it to unfold.

This was the sort of thing that he had been raised to stop. It didn’t matter now that he was in Japan. It didn’t matter that he was no longer looking after his sister or helping out his father. It didn’t even matter that now he had a real job and was trying to build a real life like anyone else. No none of those things mattered because this was the sort of thing that William always knew he was meant for and rules him as his purpose. That’s why the tall foreigner in this land rushed forward and would do everything in his power to save this young couple even if it cost him his right to walk this very same trail in the future like them.

The couple dropped to their knees and looked like they were about to throw up which gave William exactly what he needed so that he wouldn’t have to explain later why he had rushed towards them. That wasn’t his intention however as the body of this Hollow became clear to him. The black body with the white mask. IT had been quite awhile since the last time he had seen one so clearly, but all the same this was going to end like it always did. Getting in between the couple and the Hollow, William was going to attempt to do what he could right away aiming to strike the beast in its throat with his right hand then follow up with an elbow right to its mask.

[Kazura Uzaki]

William charged at the Hollow, aiming to punch it in the throat and jab it in the mask with his elbow. The creature just chuckled at the attempt. As William got within five feet of it, the Hollow appeared to become shadowy again, slowly fading. By the time the officer reached it, his punches hit smoke. The Hollow wrapped around William and started talking in his ear. "Aren't you just the tastiest..." The couple started to recover from their nausea, but soon passed out on the trail from what appeared to be exhaustion. Their shadow had been transferred to William who was now in the clutches of this Hollow. The creature was mirroring his every move, staying just an inch behind him as if it was tethered to him. Everywhere he moved, it was still right behind him, stuck to him like glue or a shadow. And it began to drink from him, slowly draining his spiritual energy, his reiatsu. The drain was small, just 1 measly point of reiatsu amount... this moment, that is.

Meanwhile, Kazura was still climbing the trail, searching for anything of note that would lead him to the Hollow he was tracking...

[William O, Creed]

Well this turned out completely great! William’s facial expression would easily give away that he wasn’t too keen on the idea of a Hollow that could seemingly be untouched. This definitely wasn’t a sort of ability thaty William had been expecting a Hollow to possess. He knew that the ability to alter one’s physical form into smoke was something that a Bount could achieve. Now though it seemed that this purple eyed ass had the same sort of ability and it was going to make dealing with it very difficult. Now Will had to think hard about what he could possibly do to cause this Hollow enough harm that it would leave the couple alone.

He turned and could see that the couple were now both laying across the ground and passed out. That was both a good thing and a bad thing. I meant that neither of them would see what was going on, but it also meant they were more susceptible to the Hollow. In typical Hollow fashion the thing began to run its mouth and William had to fight his own emotions so that he could focus and stay on course. Now he realized as he began to turn that this Hollow was playing a little game with him. “Is it trying to break me mentally or just a bigger ass than I thought.” Afew more moves and William knew for sure that the Hollow had to have some sort of ability or talent.

So he had to make some move where he could attack this Hollow while eliminating its ability to just copy his movements. A moment after coming to these conclusions William jumped off the ground and began to rotate in the hopes of seeing the Hollow now behind him. A high kick done while in the air wouldn’t have any real power to it, but enough that he might be able to push the Hollow back to the ground. If this didn’t work he’d have to come up with something else, but if the Hollow copied him he was at least safe since he wasn’t expecting the Hollow to kick him backwards.

Remaining Reiatsu: 399/400

Strength: 50
Speed: 50
Spiritual Pressure: 40
Reiatsu Strength: 40
Instincts: 50
Senses: 50
Energy Sensory: 0
Healing Expertise: 0

Firearms: 1
Learning: 1
Analyzing: 1
Krav Maga: 1
Anti-Stealth: 1
Lack of Fear: 1
Focused Eye: 1
Pain Tolerance: 1
Battle Analysis: 1
Strength of Will: 1

[Kazura Uzaki]

William jumped up into the air and spun around in an incredibly acrobatic kick. Unfortunately, as he rotated, he didn't see the Hollow behind him and his jump kick hit nothing but air. The Hollow continued to mirror him, as if glued to him Spiritually, and the rotating of William's body similarly rotated the Hollow's body. "Aww, is it going to be like this between us? Here I thought I could play with my food, kekeke~" The Hollow's laugh was chillingly cold as it continued to whisper in the officer's ear. "It'll take more than a spin to shake me, kekeke~" As it spoke, it breathed in, drawing in 2 points of William's reiatsu.

About half way up the trail now, Kazura saw a footprint in the mud that he didn't recognize. He stopped to examine it but soon found that it was just a couple Sika Deer prints smashed together. They must have walked really close together to form such an odd assortment of prints. Gathering up his hiking pack, Kazura continued up the trail scanning for anything else that could look out of sorts in a Spiritual kind of way. He let his paltry Energy Sensory extend out as far as he could, but he hadn't began to feel any sort of clashing or exuding of reiatsu yet.

[William O, Creed]

While in the air Will felt nothing collide against his foot nor his leg which meant that this damn Hollow was doing something more complex than just anticipating and reacting to his movements. Now he was fairly certain that this Hollow had some sort of ability to link its own movements to his own. He really was starting to get fed up with the loud mouth on this masked monster. “Why is it that I’m always stuck with the ones that like to talk.” William kept his thoughts to himself not wanting to give this Hollow the enjoyment of conversation even if they were in the middle of a battle.

The couple were safe for the moment as this Hollow focused on him which was William’s main concern. Now though he had to figure out some way to eliminate this Hollow. He didn’t have any sort of weapon on him beyond his own physical body which honestly wouldn’t be much good against a Hollow unless he had luck on his side. First though he’d have to think of some way to land a hit. He hadn’t realized it at first, but now as his feet touched the ground once again it came to him. This Hollow was attached to him just like a shadow so what would happen if . . .

In perhaps the most strange approach that he had ever employed against anything William didn’t move nor did he strike. He stod and felt the meager amount of reiatsu seep from him by this Hollow. So it was feeding on him while attached. That wasn’t good, but at the rate that this Hollow was doing it that wouldn’t be an issue. Will was confident now that this Hollow really didn’t see him as a threat which wasn’t really luck, but still something he would gladly accept. “Who needs luck when your enemy is an idiot.”

William’s action against the Hollow though wouldn’t appear all that genius either as the large foriegn man simply dropped to the ground and laid back on his back. Of course the trail didn’t have anything really painful on it such as a jagged rock or broken glass, but even still it wasn’t really comfortable. William lay there wondering just what was going to happen to the Hollow if his shadow was directly below him. The way the sun was positioned meant essentially that by laying down he didn’t really have a shadow. If he was right the Hollow would have to do something else which meant he’d have to be ready for some sort of attack any moment now.

Remaining Reiatsu: 397/400

[Kazura Uzaki]

Laying down on the ground, William would feel as if he was lying on a blanket or a small pillow. It didn't feel like lying on a dirt trail. The "blanket" started to squirm and wiggle and William would feel as if he was being pushed around by a weakling. This Hollow didn't have a lot of strength behind it, but had a physical presence behind him. The police officer would feel his reiatsu drained again, this time 3 points of drain. The voice was a little muffled as it continued to whisper in his ear. "mmmph~ Think... you're... so... clever? mmmph~ Taste... this..." Suddenly, William would feel a pin start to poke into his back. First, just a pair of pins at his shoulder blade, poking at him and threatening to break skin. Followed by a few more pins at his upper back near the shoulders, a few more lower down the spine, and a few more pairs lower and lower down to the small of his back. Almost like a bear trap gently poking into him. Like a venus fly trap mouth with tiny little teeth trying to close...

Kazura was now two-thirds his way up the trail, still looking for something out of the ordinary. He found a butterfly that caught his attention. As he continued to look at it, it landed on a branch and began to turn red and bleed. The blood dripped down to the ground and a spooky voice emerged from the puddle on the ground. "Why do you run from me, Kazura? Why do you run..." He blinked and rubbed his eyes and the butterfly looked normal again and fluttered off into the air. This kind of thing was becoming more and more abundant lately, it had begun to barely phase Kazura. He was getting all too used to the kind of event where he saw something gross and it called out to him...

[William O, Creed]

This definitely was the weirdest encounter with a Hollow that William had ever experienced. Normally the Hollows that he had fought throughout his life were at that stage when intelligent thought had abandoned them. This one could still plan and interact like anyone else. That meant either this Hollow was more powerful or it hadn’t yet killed everyone that it had loved while alive. Either way though that all just led to the same conclusion. William had to defeat and kill it before it could accomplish such a thing. Now as he lay on the ground he realized that it didn’t feel like the ground should. This Hollow had definitely utilized an ability that much William knew although what exactly it did was still a mystery and just kept getting stranger.

All this Hollow so far seemed to be able to accomplish was eating some of his reiatsu. Honestly it wasn’t even a small portion of it. William honestly couldn’t even really tell that the Hollow was draining him. It was so insignificant that it could be compared to the amount of energy it required for him to throw a well executed punch. Thankfully it turned out that William was right on more than one subject. Not only had laying down on the ground had some sort of effect on this Hollow, but it seemed his belief that this idiot would harm itself was correct. William only knew that laying down on the ground accomplished something when he heard the voice of the Hollow muffled in such a way.

Now though as he felt like he was being tended to in an acupuncture session he found he’d need to do something else also. It was highly unlikely that just laying here would manage to suffocate the Hollow. What else could he do though? Well Will had to do something so for a moment he thought about what made sense involving his shadow. That’s when he lifted his left arm and quickly brought it back down against slamming it against the ground allowing his physical body to essentially clash against his shadow. Whether or not this would actually work he had no idea, but inaction was his worst enemy not this Hollow.

Remaining Reiatsu: 394/400

[Kazura Uzaki]

William's elbow hit something substantial and the Hollow made a noise of pain. However, the pins continued to dig deeper into William's back. It refused to let go, even though it definitely sounded like it had been hurt by being struck. William probably also felt a little pain as he had to hit the ground hard with his elbow to cause such damage, but it could be worth it. The closing of the Hollow's "jaw" continued to press into the officer's back, cutting into his clothing in a few points and finally breaking skin. The Hollow breathed deep in again, taking 5 points of reiatsu from the man. If he had been keeping track of the small drain, it would have felt like it was getting about 50% stronger with each draw and could end up getting very strong very quickly... However, the needles of the Hollow's teeth were the more pressing issue at the moment. It had a firm grip and would not let go.

Kazura was now three-quarters the way up the trail. He could see the summit, but with his average senses could not make out the trio on the ground at this time. William and the unconscious couple were not yet on his radar, nor could he sense the hollow yet. He continued to climb, looking for what tracks and spiritual markings he could find. He stopped for a moment, something in the shadows having caught his eye. He left the trail and found a body leaning up against a tree. The corpse had been stabbed through the back all the way to the front in ten pairs of piercings all the way down from the shoulders to the lower back. It looked shriveled as if all of the moisture had been sucked from the body. This must be the work of some dastardly creature, most likely the Hollow he was tracking as the body appeared to have residual reiatsu in the wounds... Kazura hurried towards the summit, hoping he wasn't too late to stop the next meal.

[William O, Creed]

William felt the pain numb his elbow for a moment then the pain became dull and his ability to feel that specific location on his left arm was diminished. Striking solid ground with one's full strength, never a great idea even in this life or death situation. However, it wasn’t a failed action at least. William had this confirmed once again by the very Hollow that he was fighting. The sound of this Hollow grunting told William quite a bit that he needed to know. First of which was that he had been right in his assumption. He could in fact hit this Hollow most likely by connecting his physical actions with his shadow, although limited it was something at least.

The second and arguably even more important thing that he learned was that despite his meager physical strength he was still tough enough to cause this Hollow some kind of harm. Whether or not it was severe or even substantial he couldn’t tell, but he had to accept what was given to him and work with it. Now though he was still faced with an issue that he needed to answer. The pin sensation on his back was getting worse. Only a moment later he could feel his skin break and the needles dig into his flesh. Grunting as it happened William did his best to fight off the pain.

Following up this Hollow’s bite William lifted both his arms this time and began to essentially pummel downwards repeatedly elbowing his own shadow. He knew there was a chance this wouldn’t be enough yet at the same time he didn’t know how long he had to make a move and based on his instincts this was the best move he could make. This didn’t seem to be getting better though as he felt for the first time his reiatsu being drained from him. “Oh COME ON!” He had to either knock this thing out or hurt it enough that it let him go cause now it really was starting to harm him. “Let’s just see which of us is more stubborn. Go ahead drink my soul let’s see how you like the taste of poison.”

[Kazura Uzaki]

As William began repeatedly beating the ground, the Hollow started to attempt to fade into shadow again. With each repeated blow the process of becoming intangible was interrupted in that area, keeping it from fully dispersing until a few moments had passed and a few good blows had landed. The Hollow had become like smoke again, pooling around what was left of William's shadow and then starting to rise up around the officer like a visible bad stink. It grew until it completely engulfed the man and then started to try to flow down into his mouth and nose and grow semi-solid again to choke him. Suddenly having one's entirety of their sinuses and throat occupied would be an unpleasant feeling.

At this point in time, though, there was another Fullbringer closing in. Now close enough to spot the three bodies on the ground, one of which with a cloud trying to choke it, Kazura Stepped into the fray with Bringer Light to get right up into William's space. "Not today, foul creature!" Kazura grabbed at the solid parts of the Hollow, gripped firmly, and then Bringer Flashed his hand back to rip the Hollow out of William before any damage could be done. This may hurt a little, but it would come out like a wet noodle and not like a brick being pulled from his sinuses and throat. Not assuming that any of the three were spiritually sensitive, but guessing that the Hollow's current victim was at least aware of something going wrong, Kazura tried to fling the hollow to the side only to find that it had wrapped around him and now was possessing his shadow...

"You shouldn't have done that..."

Turning to William, who was probably gasping for breath about now, Kazura tried to assess the situation more appropriately before anyone else got hurt or worse. "I'm here to help, but I'll need yours. What can you tell me?" Kazura similarly tried to turn around, only to find the Hollow mirroring his every move. The teeth of the hollow began to dig into his back aggressively and his reiatsu began to drain, but so slight that he didn't notice at all given his massive amount of pool to work with. The teeth did sting though.

9,993/10,000

[William O, Creed]

The repetitive striking of his elbows against the ground of the trail was causing William quite a bit of pain now. He could feel the force that his body was unleashing reverberating back up his arms causing a painful thud throughout both his forearms. This wasn’t something that he would be able to keep up for long and the more repetitions he made the weaker his arms became, this really was a bad situation where he literally had to damage himself in order to harm this Hollow. Thankfully though it seemed the Hollow lost this game of chicken as it dissipated from within his shadow, becoming dark smoke that blocked William’s vision.

Enveloping William’s line of sight obscuring everything that he could witness, although now effectively blind William knew he was no cripple making the quick decision to roll over onto his stomach and push off the ground in the same manner as a push-up. Hundreds of these every week made this physical exertion minimal, fast and near second nature to William as he got back on his feet. Sadly, though this didn’t seem to affect the Hollow at all. William didn’t really have any time left to try any other maneuvers as the Hollow smoke moved down his throat and up his nose blocking his passageways. That’s when he could feel the interior of his skull filling with an almost glue like liquid.

Dropping to his knees from asphyxiation William began to raise his arms up and deliver quick hooks towards his head. It only lasted for a moment with three blows all of them ceasing only a few centimeters from his face. All he could hope for was that his shadow would still be a source of weakness to this prick. Thankfully though it seemed William wouldn’t need to be his own savior as the Hollow was pulled from him along with the evil ability it was using to essentially drown William on solid land.

A swift yank from some unseen entity pulled the Hollow from William who proceeded to vomit on the side of the trail. It took him a few moments, but now back on his feet with red eyes and a crimson anger he looked for the Hollow yet saw no traces. What he did see was another man who William was certain had just managed to save him. He’ll have to inquire about how he managed to do that after this Hollow is eradicated. His back, arms and now head hurt from everything that had happened over the last minute, but he could tell after this man asked him about the Hollow that it must have gone into his shadow.

“It’s got some sort of shadow ability, you can wound it by making physical actions against your own shadow.” William wasn’t sure the man would understand as it was a rather strange ability. Rushing over towards him William would hold his right hand up showcasing body language that would tell this man he wasn’t a threat. When he got within three feet of the man William would turn, putting the sun behind him in order to enlarge his own shadow. Afterwards extending his left leg out in a kick that would have his shadow hit this man’s own. William wasn’t sure if this would work, but harming his own shadow had so this was a logical leap to him.

[Kazura Uzaki]

As the teeth bit into Kazura again and drained him of another 10 reiatsu, he decided that enough was enough. William tried to hit the Hollow by making their shadows connect, but the hollow seemed unaffected. So, Kazura prepared to defend himself while transitioning to the offensive at the same time. He hardened his entire body into a metal form using his altered Gravitational Pressure from Impossible's "An Elemental Switch" to coat himself in metal. That stopped the Hollow from being able to bite into him any more and potentially removing its ability to drain him of his reiatsu. Then, he used Bringer Light to Flash backwards into a nearby tree.

To say the Hollow had the wind knocked out of it would be an understatement, as it found itself crushed between metal and wood and flattened to pieces. It happened so suddenly that vaporizing into the gaseous form wasn't fast enough to avoid being crushed. The Mask of the Hollow shattered into pieces as the metal Kazura crushed it against the tree. As the Hollow started to destabilize and dissipate, it uttered a final curse. "You may have gotten me, but as for my two brothers... Good luck finding them..." Unable to deactivate the Elemental Switch Gravitational Pressure for awhile longer, Kazura would have to stay metal for now.

He approached William with an outstretched hand. "Thanks for the tip. If you could see it, means you're aware of the Other Worlds?" Risking sounding like a crazy person was worth it, especially if William had been able to see it to give him the tip on how to defeat it. The two other brothers comment from the dying Hollow bothered Kazura, but he didn't yet bring it up. The Hollow had been loud enough that both of them had surely heard it, and he wanted to get pleasantries out of the way first and get each other up to speed before moving forward with anything.

9,533/10,000

[William O, Creed]

The fact that William watched as his enlarged shadow moved over this new arrivals shadow and yet didn’t hear the sound of the Hollow howling was a disappointment. He’d been fairly certain after learning that by attacking with his own shadow against himself that this sort of approach would have been successful, only for it to do nothing at all. Now he just was a hindrance that stood by as this Hollow moved on to attack someone else. A pain far greater than actual physical torment was powerlessness for this Fullbringer.

What William watched next though was eye opening, an ability that he hadn’t seen or even read about in the past was put right on display in front of him. He watched as the new arrival seemingly turned his entire body of flesh into some sort of carbon metal. No sooner did he shift from flesh to metal did this new guy vanish to William’s eyes. William’s head swiftly turned and saw one of the trees a short distance away lean in the opposite direction. In front of that tree William could see this new guy and the Hollow that was now crushed and vanishing as he pronounced that his brothers would be a worse threat than himself.

“Hopefully they’re estranged siblings, but I doubt it.” William joked to himself knowing now that at any point additional Hollows were likely to arrive with abilities perhaps just as strange and difficult to combat. For right now though he had to find out who this guy was and what exactly he did to make himself essentially into a walking weapon. Willaim returned the hand shake although shaking a hand of complete metal was definitely a different sensation. “Yes I’m aware, the question is whether or not his so-called brothers are here or in Hueco Mundo though. William O, Creed.”