Souls of the Lost DE

[Connor Greaves]

There was much that Connor was failing to comprehend at the moment. Brought to a new location without his knowledge that looked like it was stolen straight from a novel left his mind boggled. He was left in a stupor, and was flat footed in his reactions. He saw the orb coming at him a little too late for him to completely defend against it. His first reaction was to grab the shield he had been laid under when he arrived. He pulled it up, and leaned back, as the orb slammed into it, throwing it and him backwards. He considered himself fast, but he couldn't consistently avoid attacks like that.

He was on his back, with the shield on top on him. The soul reaper groaned from the impact, looking up to see where his apparent enemy was. As it turned out, directly in front of him. The creature, because he dared not call it a man, was a hideous abomination. It was one of those beings that radiated a sense of wrongness, like a miasma wafting off it. It repulsed him to his core, and filled Connor with a rage he rarely feels. The abomination held a pole ax in its hands, raised high above its head, a breath away from striking down the young soul reaper. "This is for getting my hopes up. May your husk never rise again."

Connor surged into action, as he forced the shield to once again suffer the consequences of his inability to act, as the polearm slammed into it. With a roar of exertion, he pushed the shield and the axe head to the side, as he sprung to his feet. He dropped the shield in the same motion that he grabbed his sheath and sword hit in his hands, drawing and slashing at the monstrosity standing before him. "Curse the world! Tamashī!" His weapon had an aura about it that was almost as poisonous as it felt, as the creature would soon find out. The swinging of his sword created a wave of viscous purple poison, that if not dodged in time, would split the faux man in twain.

The poisoned wave would move at a speed of 800, comparable to even the magic orbs the creature of slaughter had at its disposal. "Abhorrent creature of insanity! You are a blight on this world! Wither away and perish by the wayside like the disease ridden dog you are! Suffer in agony and scream to your masters for your misfortune! Die!" Connor was offended by the very existence of this insult to mankind. It was a mockery of a being, and no one would shed tears for its demise. He would make sure this thing would fall to his poison or blade, whichever was faster.

Release: No cost
Poisoned Wave: 150

Shield Blocks: 14/16
175 damage from not fully blocked damage
325/500 Hp remaining

SPOILER: Click to show

{Technique, Overall, and Stats}

Strength- 200
Speed- 400
Reiatsu Strength- 50
Spiritual Pressure- (400+100%) 800
Senses- 100
Instinct- 110
Energy Sensory- 0

Dark- 100
Light- 0


Skills

Strength of Will- 2
Weapons: Swords- 2
Weapons: Guns- 1
Street Fighting- 2
Acting- 2
Disguise- 2
Crafting- 2
Charisma- 2

Poisoned wave: This is Connor's only ranged attack in release. By charging his blade with a bit of reiatsu, some of the poison will gather on it. By flicking his blade or slashing, a large crescent wave will fly in whatever direction he attacks at. This blade will cut anything it touches, as well as spread more poison. The crescent flies at a speed of 800, and cuts with the force of his highest spiritual stat. Anything it makes contact with will have its infection accelerated by three posts. This will also turn weaker abilities into poison. Costs 150 reiatsu, and can also be used in shikai.

Tamashī is a weapon in the most literal sense. It will corrupt all things standing in its path, be it friend or foe, it cares not. This is not something to train with, and not something that can be used carelessly by Connor. Tamashī is a poison as destructive as they come, consuming and twisting all those who are unfortunate enough to be touched by it. Tamashī creates a slimy black liquid that is all too eager to show exactly what it can do. Once this makes contact with something without spiritual capabilities, it start taking effect immediately.

The poison dissolves into its victims, seeping into them, and corrupting them to the bone. Once it has dissolved, it starts to warp and change them, turning everything to the nightmares Connor fears the most. The zanpakuto warps things, giving them new deranged properties. The concrete floors of the city can take the form of dried out humans, wailing out in anguish, trying to claim more for the foundation, while the earth takes on a darker, harder form, harder than most metals. Trees and plant life grow faces, angry at all creation, happily trying to infect the ones who cut them down for the most trivial of things. Animals gain a devilish appearance, and start to go rabid, attacking anything that has not yet been affected.

Buildings become nightmare fuel, taunting you as you waste away at a society you can never escape from, while their doors become portals to anywhere. People, normal people anyway, lose all sense of self, as they become something akin to a zombie, with their eyes shrunken, and their skin like tanned prunes. But, despite how everyone looks, the people are still the same on the inside. The living beings are still conscious for the entirety of this process, even as they lose control of themselves.

In spite of how quickly the poison spreads, the actual change is very slow, at least in comparison. The poison still acts like any other. If you have a resistance to poison, it changes you slower. With that in mind, the entire transformation takes two posts to fully complete for non-spiritual beings or objects. Anything without any remaining reiatsu will be changed instantly, regardless of resistances. If anything poisoned dies while under the effects of the poison, or are killed by the sword, will be changing instantly as well.

Spiritual beings are only slightly better off, depending on your perspective. Spiritual beings, thanks to the strength of their souls, can resist the effects of this. To a degree. The poison will still spread as fast as it does on anything else, but the change is slowed down exponentially. The process is painful, and only those with a two or more in pain resistance can fight without an issue during it. The transformation will begin from where the poison first touched you, and travel further each post. This takes ten posts to fully complete.

After four posts of a full transformation, or the transformed parts of you, vanish, as if you were never there, including the affected environment. Anything that vanishes like this is tied to Connor's zanpakuto indefinitely. Whenever Connor uses his release, whatever vanished due to the poison can reappear. Enemies can stall this poison by paying 200 per post. However, for every post that it is stalled, the cost is increased by 100, meaning by post five, the cost would be 700 reiatsu. By letting the poison progress, it resets the cost to stall it.

Repeated exposure to the poison cuts another post from the victim's remaining time till transformation. Those with a 2 in poison resist take twice as long to transform, while a three will be completely immune, save for being killed by the blade or one of the zombies. Knocking Connor out or killing him is the easiest way to cure yourself of the poison. If you want to cure it with regular healing, you need to have an ability with both higher healing than his offensive strength, or a tech two classes higher than his release. Beings created by the poison can only infect those they have a 50% stat superiority over, or 2 classes over.]

[Abaddon]

Abaddon had hoped that the surprise attack would have worked, it seemed that he wasn’t the only one with the same idea of doing a surprise attack as the girl who introduced herself as Irina had attacked as well, using something that looked like a snowball….. honestly he wasn’t really sure as to what a snowball could do, however he had seen stranger fullbringers do well enough with even stranger powers than snowballs. Sadly a burst of flame stopped any chance that they had of being able to take him out with a quick surprise attack. Abaddon cursed at himself to think that a basic arrow would actually do anything especially one fired right at the head.

As the form that assumed to be a man spoke Abaddon started to move, he wasn’t about to stand still if this thing… could control fire like a fullbringer, then he knew that something bad was going to come his way, and he was right. Three balls of fire were formed and fired out. Abaddon saw their speed and knew that he wouldn’t be able to get out of the way just by running, even if he was drawing in reiatsu he really wasn’t too happy with the idea of using what he had to escape, but there wasn’t really an option here. It was either use it, or get burnt by flames.

Without saying anything Abaddon molded the very reiatsu around his body to his feet, using what he was able to gather to glide and move faster than what he could do normally. As he glided his arm went out to grab at Irina and drag her away from the blast that was coming towards her, he wasn’t sure if she could do something the same, however he wasn’t about to gamble on it. Especially when it seemed that the other one in the group was simply standing around in a stupor. His stepping technique would land the two of them further to the left of where the slob of a man was standing.

Abaddon at this time would see that finally the shingami started to do something, he was glad that at the very least the man wasn’t going to stand around like an idiot. With an attack fired off by the shingami Abaddon saw his chance and pulled back his bow again, firing off another arrow right at the knee of the tub of lard in clothing. Given that the gargantuan flab was moving towards conner Abaddon was sure that his concentration wasn’t directed towards him and Irina, he would need to apologize later to her about the sudden movement of her, but that would be later. His focus went to draw in some more reiatsu from the ring on his finger, if this thing was going to give him more reiatsu then he would take it as long as he could.

remaning reiatsu 1950/1200 -50 for Hirenkyaku + 400 from the ring

18 outa 20 arrows left

[Irina Davayte]

Neither Abaddon's nor Irina's attack landed, but she figured it had been worth a try. Unsure if she would be able to use a flash step here, Irina was fine with being dragged out of the way. Sure, as a teenager, she would have interpreted Abaddon's action to be a sign of not trusting her to take care of herself, but now in her twenties, she was too old, and frankly, they were in too much danger, for that to even cross her mind. If this wasn't the right time to be a team player, nothing was.

Connor took the hit, but struck back, aiming his weapon, accompanied by a wave of purple, at Marus. Ah good. she thought. This is fine. We'll get rid of that guy, probably get rid of whatever 'master' he is referring to, and then go home. It was a three-step plan. Seemed easy enough. Sure, she didn't believe that, but she'd recently read somewhere that having a positive attitude was supposed to be helpful for meeting your goals.

Recalling, again, that she really lacked any sort of threatening ranged attack, Irina flung another blast of snow at Marus, this time right at his face. Sure, they really only stung and chapped at peoples' skin; it certainly wouldn't destroy him. But she wasn't interested in getting close enough to attack with her sword, and if nothing else, if her companions' attacks hadn't destroyed the man, she supposed she'd at least interfere with his vision. She continued to hold the shield aloft, while keeping a grip on her sword with the other hand. Wielding two things at once was probably something she could have trained for, she realized, but she'd have to make due for now.


Remaining reiatsu: 4150 - 50 (snow blast) = 4100
HP: 285

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}
Strength - [150] Points
Speed - [150] Points
Spiritual Pressure - [280] x1.5 (420) Points
Reiatsu Strength - [290] x1.5 (435) Points
Light Aura - [70] Points
Dark Aura - [30] Points
Instinct - [200] x.65 (130) Points
Senses - [100] x.65 (65) Points
Energy sensory - [60] x.33 (20) Points
Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1230] Points

Abilities
Weapons: Swords {2}
Strength of Will {2}
Crafting/Forging {2}
Lack of Fear {1}
Pain Tolerance {1}
Cold Tolerance {1}
Alcohol Tolerance {1}
Learning {1}

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Despite Marus’s internal joy at having managed to hit Connor with his fireball he was still more than a little displeased how and the fact he still found it in himself to ignore the threat before him. That stupor hadn’t left his eyes even when he reacted with pulling up a heavy shield. But all that changed once he’d slammed his great axe down on Connor, who had yet again managed to hide behind his shield. But Marus saw his face, saw the frown that grew, immediately noticed the evident disgust that was growing inside him as he finally started looking at him. Realizing just what kind of monster they were dealing with. That’s it. That’s the look I crave from you hero types. Thinking those like myself are heinous monsters who need to be eradicated. And you’re right, but that determination to slide the blade into my heart or another vital portion of my body. Mmmmmm yes, these are the moments I crave. Perhaps all you needed was a jolt. If so let’s see just how deep the rabbit hole goes!


What happened next actually managed to catch Marus off guard. He felt a bit of strength behind Connor. Not enough that in a test of strength between the two Connor would win but definitely more than Marus had seen barring a few select individuals. So when Marus felt his axe get thrown to the side along with the heavy shield Connor had wielded his expression was nothing but surprise. That’s when Marus realized finally that for once, he was actually in danger. Well to a degree anyway. Connor’s sword changed, no longer was a simple weapon that held no unique properties, no it had an aura. . not unlike himself. Nor the other demons, especially the higher tier. There was nothing it wouldn’t consume and the only difference between this weapon and the demons was that this thing served no one. It was it’s own master, all others were simply pawns in it’s game. Marus couldn’t allow himself to get hit by this. But he was at such a close range He’d have very little time if any, especially considering that he didn’t take any of these three seriously prior. But now he knew there was at least one individual he needed to keep track of.


So there’s a wolf among sheep’s clothing is there? Then there’s nothing I can do at this point. I need to give the wolf something to eat and ensure it gets its fill. For it’s going to be the last meal this beast will get! With a second or two at the most to spare Marus turned his body and allowed the sludge and blade to catch his left arm and sever it completely. From there Marus took a few steps back and looked over at his now stump of an upper arm. Just an inch or two above the elbow was gone and his arm looked like it was being violently consumed by whatever that sludge was. Meanwhile he could feel the lingering corruption on his stump trying to take hold and without a seconds delay cut off the reminder of that arm with his great axe. He bled profusely but the corruption had nowhere to go and though he was now injured far more than he’d ever intended to be his anger was doing a fantastic job of numbing the pain.


Speaking of pain another blossom of pain made itself present in his upper thigh. Marus, in his need to immediately separate himself from the corruption, had forgotten that he needed to pay attention to the other two in this fight. Both of which would make themselves very evidently apparent as Abaddon’s arrow was now hindering his movement, mildly, but still hindering. The surprise factor of even being hit at all made him drop to a knee and that allowed him to realize there was another blast of snow that had been coming his way. He’d only barely dodged it and that was by accident. This fact ignited quite a bit of anger in him however. These insignificant INSECTS! They DARE to think they can harm ME, MARUS?! They think themselves so highly that they can even TRY to kill me? I’ll show them. They will learn why the other officials and even demons fear ME. THIS TRANSGRESSION WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED!


Marus immediately stood up flexing his muscles in his leg to break the wooden arrow and shot a small controlled fireball at his weeping wound. It instantly cauterized with no amount of unpleasantness and an odor worse than the bodies that were currently burning. His body started to glow not unlike a candle that was steadily consuming it’s wax. Initially it was yellow then orange, then red, and it ended in crimson with blalck speck flares. Almost immediately after his aura got to this last shade it exploded, but not in a damaging manner it was simply a show of just how pissed off he was. The gloves were coming off and any threats of violence and suffering were now promises aimed at all those present. No one present would be unable to completely shrug it off as such malice and anger was quite literally inhuman. This would be when Connor would notice that Marus was solely staring at him, gaze furious and without mercy. But just because his eyes were on Connor hadn’t meant he’d forgotten about the other two ingrates present. They’d have to be dealt with before he could kill the man who took his arm.


Grip tightening on his great axe’s shaft and some energy pouring into his right arm and in a second he was more than ready to deal with all present. Marus then swung his axe around, starting with swinging in the direction of Abaddon and Irina and continuing to spin around until he finally had his axe’s head return to Connor’s direction. Unlike before however Marus’s swing let loose a massive continuous shockwave that was quickly approaching all but him (1600 OS). Marus however had to take a moment to breathe and catch himself after letting loose this shockwave however. He was used to fighting with two arms after all and to further that this spell just drained him a good bit physically but as he saw the shockwave rapidly approaching all present he felt a sinister satisfaction about the two flies behind him being dealt appropriately. Connor on the other hand he’d go after using his acceleration spell again (900 speed) dragging his axe with him on the ground to bring him right up to him. By the time he’d appeared the shockwave would have only just dealt with him at best a second or two prior to Marus’s arrival. Which meant Connor needed to figure out something to defend himself with lest he get cleaved from his right leg up and across his torso because Marus wasn’t taking him back alive anymore.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Techs used}
1. Cog: By giving up 100 Reiatsu, the user pumps an explosive amount of intimidating power out. Anyone of inferior class will immediately be intimidated. This does not mean they won't fight. Those who are weak enough in comparison will feel a huge, exaggerated surge of power that will probably make them surrender. This can also be used on Hollows to actually scare them away instead of having to kill them. This does NOT work on animals! It only works on "intelligent beings." This means unless it has a similar to human intelligence, this wont' work on an animal.


2. Impact: This stage can be used only for physical confrontation. When activated, hit strength quadruples. This means that one can activate it while punching an enemy. If the user has 200 strength, that strength will count as 800 during the instance of the punch. This is very physically draining, and quickly exhausts the body's nutrients. It shortens lifespan to use too often, and it weakens stamina very quickly. This lasts for 1 post, and costs 200 Reiatsu.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Marus HP}
2,000 total

-800 from Connor
-200 from Abaddon (due to hitting him in the leg)

2,000 - 1,000 = 1,000 HP remaining

SPOILER: Click to show

{Maruss release}
Class 4

2/10 posts

Fullbring level 1

SPOILER: Click to show

{Marus's reiatsu}
-200 for Impact
-100 for Cog
-25 for movement
-50 for fire spray

total used 375 reiatsu

2,105 - 375 = 1,700 reiatsu remaining

[Abaddon]

Abaddon watched as Connor not only was able to fend off the attack off the attack from the living tub of lard, but was also able to deal a powerful blow to the man. Abaddon didn’t really know what sort of effect Connor’s attack had, but it was clear that the attack it’s self was powerful enough to render the arm of the sentient sack of fat more of a liability than an actual asset. Which seeing Marus cut off and then sear the wound was a shock tho Abaddon could have sworn he smelt burning fat in the air when the fire cooked Marus’s skin.

From what Abaddon could tell the actions that they had taken against Marus had actually dealt damage to him, Abaddon could see that his arrow was lodged in the leg of the mammoth. While not exactly what he wanted at the very least an arrow had hit it’s mark and Marus seemed to annoyed at the attacks. So much so that with the sloppy attack that was coming next Abaddon knew what he would do. As Marus started to swing his great axe Abaddon started to use Hirenkyaku to raise him upwards into the air, allowing him to dodge the sloppy shockwave that was coming towards them.

As he rose up into the air Abaddon reached back and pulled out from his quiver two arrows, notching them at the same time. Still while in the air Abaddon pulled back on the string after notching both arrows. His aim was where Marus was, however it seemed that the walking representation of obesity was spry for his size. As Marus rushed towards Connor Abaddon readjusted his aim to have both arrows hit Marus in the back, given that his attention was turned away from him and Irina it was more than likely that the two arrows would land, if they did Marus would find himself with an arrow right where his heart would be and the other where his right lung should be.

remaining reiatsu 1900/1200 -50 for Hirenkyaku 

16 outa 20 arrows left

[Irina Davayte]

Okay, people are setting themselves on fire now, but this is fine. Stay sharp, don't die, ignore that smell. Seeing the shockwave approach, Irina instinctively used Bringer Light to try to get away, jumping five feet in the air. It wasn't as high as she normally would have jumped using this method, but she was relieved to find that she could do something, as she knew she wasn't indestructible. Usually one to try to negotiate with an adversary, Irina instead continued her frosty silence towards Marus, and as he approached closer, she lunged within 10 feet of him to try to strike him.

Extending her sword towards Marus, she willed a two-foot icicle to grow from it, and two more icicles followed for a total of six feet extended from the tip of her sword. If it connected with Marus, it would freeze his flesh an inch around the wound. With it being unwieldy and somewhat awkward to control a weapon of that length, this wasn't a trick she used often, but Irina had no interest in getting any closer. Whether she struck her target or not, Irina would disengage the icicle after her attempt, letting it fall to the ground, and return her sword to a defensive position in front of her immediately.

Remaining reiatsu: 4100 - 50 (Bringer Light) - 50*3 (icicles) = 3900
HP: 285

[Connor Greaves]

Connor felt a flare of pain as he forced his axe wielding opponent onto the back foot. His left hand grasped it, as he hissed in pain. It seems that the shield had failed to totally protect him from the flaming orb that had been initially launched at him. A mark of his foolishness, and something he would have to live with for the moment. He needed to put this abomination down as fast as he could, lest his wounds catch up with him. He was very tempted to pull out his bankai, but the other two would be caught up in it if he did. He might be forced to, if this creature pulls any more tricks out of its putrid sleeves.

He was pleasantly surprised at the sight of his poison severing its arm from its body. What left him more than a touch disappointed, was that the beast caught on to what his zanpakuto did, and severed the rest of its arm before the poison could consume the rest of it. It was smarter than it looks, he would give it that much at least. He was also grateful for the two fighting with him, as two blasts impacted the back of the monster, wounding it. That was good for Connor, who wondered if Marcus would fall. The answer was a disappointing not entirely, as it dropped to one knee, holding itself up the the shaft of the great axe. But the injuries that it sustained seemed to only enrage the monster.

The Wrath the beast felt was palpable, seeming to radiate off it like heatwaves off a radiator. And it seemed to be entirely focused on Connor himself. It might have seemed like a foolish move not to rush the human-like monster, but he had little idea of what he was fighting. That could have been a trap, given he had only seen the beast use balls of fire. Hindsight would dictate that, given the powers he had seen, those heatwaves were probably more accurate than he had given them credit for. Still, the beast was well and truly pissed, and it seemed that the other two were more than happy to keep their distance, as he engaged the wrathful abomination in melee.

The odor wafting off the faux man was overpowering. The scent of charred flesh permeated the air, leaving no room for any other smells. It was vile, much like the beast, but it showed that it either felt no pain, or it had a tenacity well above his own. If it were not for the fact that this beast had to die, he would worry for what it had been through. If only this thing was not trying to murder them for no reason. Or, maybe there was a reason, be he had been spacing out at the time when it was explained. Nah, that could not be it. 'Oh hey, why is it suddenly glowing?'

Indeed Marcus was now glowing. Starting off with a vibrant orange, before transitioning into a hateful red. Truly fitting for a beast of rage such as it was. Also worrying, as now he had to throw hands with it. Fun. Then it burst outward like an explosion! The thought of Bankai seriously crossed his mind at this point, wondering how fast those two could run. Connor could hear the wood on the axe creak and groan under the pressure Marcus was subjecting it to, making the Soul Reaper more than a bit nervous. And he had every right to be, as the living candle swung his polearm around, launching attacks at all three of them in a wave.

Connor could taste the power behind that attack, and wondered where that was earlier. He was homing that it was a temporary boost in power, as he knew that he would fall quickly to that kind of strength. He had a moment of time to think of how to avoid a strike like that, and attempted to Shunpo upwards, like the other two had done. He quickly found out that, no, that was not an option for him. Panic flashed across his eyes, before, in an act of desperation, he launched a Poisoned Wave at the ground beneath him. The effect was immediate, as the cobblestone road shifted into the awaiting arms of a hoard of zombies.

The grabbed at him, pulling him into the writhing mass of bodies, just before the shockwave could blow him into little pieces. It was only for a moment, as they shoved him back into the fray, as Marcus was before him in an instant. The man had made the mistake of sweeping his axe at Connor. This might have worked had he still two arms to his name, but that was not a privilege that Marcus had at the moment. Connor, being held aloft by the hands of the undead, matched the charge of Marcus. He may not be as fast as the fastest fat man in the world, but he was fast enough to keep pace with the movements it made. Like Marcus, Connor was sweeping his blade upwards, dragging a wave of poison, as he surged forward.

He swept his sword up, on the same side that Marcus was swinging up from. Both hands on his sword, he intercepted the attack. With a roar of determination, he swung up, releasing a Poisoned Wave, intent on cleaving the Candle Man in twain, from groin to head. Marcus might have been able to accelerate over to him with an impressive speed, but the beast was not as fast as Connor himself was, nor was it faster than his attack. As the wave of poison traveled, the ground beneath it would quickly shift into the undead, clawing out at anything above it. This would include Marcus, should he manage to avoid the attack, and not move at least ten feet away from the aftermath.

Poisoned Wave x2: 300
Total Reiatsu Remaining 7,550/8,000

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Marus was grinning wildly, maddeningly even as his mouth seemed to consume his entire face. With bloodshot eyes his entire being was focused on Connor given the two behind him had to deal with his shockwave. He knew they’d all dodge, it really wasn’t his best and his rage hadn’t helped much with it but it would distract them at least for a few moments as they’d need to manage it somehow. But this is where Connor’s power took Marus’s smile and made it go to shock. His weapon wasn’t just a poison or at least the normal poison one coats a blade with. It was a poison against the world, not unlike his master in a way. And it poisoned the world by warping it into horrible reflections of pain and misery. The fact the very stone beneath Connor’s feet became a collection of humans was unthinkable to Marus. Never had he seen such an ability and never again would he if he had his way. In truth there was a small seed planted deep within Marus, a seed of fear of what this power would do if left unattended. Now though he neither acknowledged nor recognized it for what it was. Right now he needed to manage against it which included the newest onslaught of poison that was going to come his way.



He’d only just reached Connor when he’d noticed the increased output of liquid which could only imply that he was going to launch another slash at him. DAMN IT!! I’ve fallen for the same trap a SECOND TIME. Think Marus, THINK. There MUST be something we can do. We cannot take this poison directly. So what else is there? Think damnit! And that’s when it hit him. He can’t stop it. Not directly anyway it was too magically charged that even his pyromancy barring a spell or two could really deal with it. However he still had a hand and thus he still had a means of casting. And if he could propel his great axe he’d have a chance to stop the swing before it came up high enough to launch the wave of sludge. It’d be a long shot, a gamble even as Marus really didn’t want to launch what could be considered his child in a way at the utterly frustrating insect before him. But there was no other choice and that’s why he immediately dropped the axe haphazardly throwing it at Connor’s blade. This was followed up with a half charged and quickly formed fireball, one that was far larger than anything Marus had produced currently as it was 15 ft in diameter. And without a second thought immediately detonated it while it was still in his hand.



Marus would take the brunt of his own attack but so would Connor as they both were within the blast. This also included his own greataxe as well which now propelled by the fireballs blast would be more than quick enough to intercept the blade and maybe even land into Connor’s right shoulder if he were fortunate. Assuming Connor had managed to not get thrown back by the point blank blast. Marus however would not be so lucky and would be blasted back and into the 3 attacks aimed at him however their places of damage would be different than intended by their owners.



Abaddon’s first arrow would instead pierce his throat but sadly it would hit dead center and damage his trachea and esophagus than hitting the major arteries at the sides. His second arrow on the other hand though not dead center in his right lung would still hit true all the same. The upper portion of his lung would be stabbed through with the arrow actually managing to fly completely through before landing about two feet in front of Marus. But neither of these really compared to what Irina would have achieved. Irina may have only meant to scratch him or even deal damage somewhere non-vital. Instead however Marus literally became impaled on her icicle blade beginning to freeze the upper portion of his left lung and the flesh around it. Marus was fortunate that she’d break off the icicle and just let it remain within him however as he could fall to the ground on his knees with the icicle holding him up alone.



Marus tried to speak but found he could barely breathe at least not without great effort on his part and it didn’t help that he could feel blood filling his right lung. It didn’t help though that he’d had his vocal cords damaged anyway so speech was entirely off the question. That however would not stop the dark murderous thoughts from swirling inside his head. Is. . . Is this defeat? Beaten by COCKROACHES barely worthy of being crushed beneath my heel? It can’t be! I AM OFFICIAL MARUS! And yet my body is damaged beyond what I’ve experienced in years. Even breathing which should be a thought at the worst is something I have to focus on. Grahhhhh! I didn’t even get to kill one of them! Let alone allow my axe to taste their blood! This can’t be allowed to stand. I can’t allow this. I WON’T allow this!” Marus would flare his energy once more but it barely held any of the strength he’d shown not but a handful of seconds prior. Still that was all he’d need, he just needed to wait. His servant was nearby, it always was. But he’d still require a moment or two before it could arrive. He simply needed to wait for it to arrive.





A short distance away, from under the bridge. . .





The beast arose from a cliff. It had sensed the first flare of it’s master. Immense anger from what it could understand given it’s basic comprehension of emotions. It wasn’t the flare it was trained to respond to but it was a sign that his master may need its assistance. And thus it rose to its full height and launched itself into the air with its powerful legs. From there it would spread its wings to their full span of 20 feet on either end and begin the trek over as fast as it possibly could bring itself. It was only a few moments later that its eyes widened as it sensed the true signal, the weak flare almost undetectable to those not in the immediate area. Doubling its efforts the beast surged onwards towards it’s master. It would not fail if it had a say in the matter and thankfully having already started its journey it would be a minute at the absolute most before it arrived. To ensure it’s master realized it’s imminent arrival it would let out a deep and easily recognizable roar. Marus had summoned a dragon, something that could only exist in this apocalyptic fantasy realm. And not only was it coming straight for them, it sounded pissed.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Marus reiatsu}
-400 for fireball

1,700-400 = 1,300 reiatsu remaining

SPOILER: Click to show

{Marus information}
Damage taken

-200 from the first arrow
-300 from the second arrow
-435 from Irina's icicle

total damage is 935 damage

1000 - 935 = 65 HP remaining

Release has ended.

Marus is immobile from having taken so much damage and still bleeding out from the hole in his right lung.

[Abaddon]

Abaddon’s arrows had met their mark, well not exactly they hadn’t hit in the spots that he had originally aimed for yet they still stabbed the glob of lard that they had been fighting all this time. This was due mostly due to the fact that both Conner’s and Irina’s attack. Without their interference Abaddon was sure that his own attacks might of failed. Still with everything that hit the walking example of obesity Abaddon was sure that he wouldn’t be able to get up any more, well not after another arrow to the face. Even if Conner or Irina wanted to grant mercy or ask questions of this fat sack Abaddon wasn’t one for mercy at this point.

It was as the man was held up by the icicle that he heard a roar come, from the distance Abaddon saw a massive beast that could only be a dragon start towards them. Without even thinking Abaddon acted running at full speed towards the man. Without any hesitation Abaddon went right towards Marus, an arrow held in his grasp he pushed the tip of the arrow through his fingers and used the movement of his speed to slam his fist with the arrow tip into the back of Marus’s skull. If it connected the attack would have the full force of his own strength fueled by his speed slamming into the back of the man’s neck.

The moment that Abaddon would connect with the man's neck Abaddon would use his stepping technique to get out of the immediate area. He had a bad feeling that the dragon would be coming towards them and he wasn’t exactly sure what was going to happen. However if that dragon was anything like those of myths then he knew the destructive power that it had and right now he wasn’t able to fight it, that and the others really shouldn’t bother with trying to deal with the dragon. The Hirenkyaku would land Abaddon far away from where Marus was and would be running away from the area. He’d hope that the others would follow suit by doing a final strike to Marus and then running.

Remaning reiatsu 1500/1200-100 for hirenkayku 

[Irina Davayte]

This was undoubtedly the most violent activity in which Irina had participated in quite some time and probably ever, but, probably due to the other-worldly nature of the whole scene, she was keeping it together surprisingly well. Would she have nightmares later? Absolutely. But for the moment, she was relatively unaffected by seeing Marus pretty much dying as they attacked. Although she was definitely not a doctor and didn't have the medical knowledge to label his condition as a pneumothorax brought on by a penetrating chest injury, Irina mentally diagnosed the man as "mostly dead", and, on hearing the dragon's roar, decided that her best course of action would be to get out of there and hopefully their foe would just bleed out.

Booking it towards the bridge, Irina was able to use one flash step, but found herself unable to take another, and just sprinted the old-fashioned way, hopefully towards some kind of cover. Let that guy bleed out, don't get eaten, figure out who brought me here and why, she mentally ticked off her new to-do list.

Remaining reiatsu: 3900 - 50 (Bringer Light)
HP: 285

[Connor Greaves]

Connor had an angered look about him that showed clearly on his face. A look of frustration at the fact that this monster who masqueraded as a human was so difficult to put down. Frustration at the fact that he and several other innocents were dragged down into this impromptu Hell against their wills. Frustration at the fact that this thing could have been so much more. He could see this beast as a guardian for the living world. Killing hollows, helping humans, eating far more than was needed. Yet this thing chooses to relish in his own madness and bloodlust! He degrades himself, falling to the point of mindless hedonistic violence!

And he was going to cut him down for it. He would cut this monster down, and kill this entire dimension from within, should he find that there are only more Marcus' running about. Not in terms of power, he knew as he was now he would easily fall to two people of his strength, but in terms on mentality. More pseudo demons running about. More beasts with an unquenchable thirst for blood and carnage. He could almost feel himself running faster as he charged the Axe wielding, Victorian-style villain. But this would only prove to be a massive mistake for the young Soul Reaper.

For as much as he loathed the man, he could no deny that Marcus was indeed clever. One arm down and surrounded by enemies, Marcus was a cornered rat. Something Connor had forgotten in the heat of the moment. The look of shock and fear morphed into a frightening grin, as he moved his axe in a position, aiming the blade at Connor, before releasing it. This confused him greatly, but knew it could be nothing but trouble. He was proven right, as a ball of flame formed in his hand. His eye widened, and managed to utter out, "Uh oh., as his world exploded.

Heat rushed at him, enveloping him as he was violently thrown backwards. The weapon Marcus had been using sailed through the air, gouging deep into the shoulder of the soul reaper. Connor thought he screamed out in pain, but the ringing in his ears was so loud, he could not be sure. His vision was blurred, but he could tell that he was flat on his back on the cold- scratch that- formerly cold ground. His shoulder screamed at him, and his exposed skin felt like it was peeling off in parts. Against the wishes of his body, he did his best to sit up and see where his Zanpakuto landed.

It had been knocked out of his hands by the blast, and was currently imbedded in the cobblestone. The poison was rolling off the weapon in waves, slowly converting the ground into more of the undead. But Connor was not in a position to wield it at the moment. With a great deal of effort, he got into a sitting position, trying to see what kind of condition his opponent was. Marcus was in a similar situation to himself, having been seemingly critically injured, not only from his own attack, but from the other two as well. He could see several arrows sticking out his backside like needles in a pincushion.

But those dinky arrows were nothing in comparison to the massive pike of ice currently lodged in side. He knew not which of them achieved such a feat, but he would be sure to congratulate them later. If there was a later, that is, as he managed to hear something beyond the ringing in his ears. A roar of something he did not recognize. It was loud, and not too far away. It might have been in response to the fall of Marcus, but he knew that he was currently in no position to fight something else after an attack like that. He had a feeling that, in spite of not sustaining any injuries, the other two with him would be in a similar position.

Body screaming against him, he pulled himself to his feet and grabbed his sword. It took him a few tries to catch his breath, before yelling over to the pair. Or, trying to, anyway, as they were already taking their leave. Smart. He sheathed his accursed blade, before making his way out of the area, grabbing his shield along the way. It was a difficult thing to do, but he figured that if he left it behind such a useful lifeline, he would most certainly regret it later on. So, with the assumption that Marcus was dead, and the arrival of something much more fearsome than the grisly man, Connor fled the area.

-Damage taken

150 from the edge of the fireball
100 from the Great Axe hitting his shoulder

75/500 Hp remaining

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

The roar of the beast approaching was louder than ever as it quickly made it’s way over. It’s speed double if not triple what anyone present had currently. Worse yet it only seemed to get faster by the second. Marus chuckled to himself, tried to anyway but ended up coughing up more blood and getting his own blood to stain his clothes. His anger was still palpable, damn near physical but his exhaustion was present even more than his anger. And thus despite realizing that he was a sitting duck he couldn’t move anywhere else. He needed to be patient with his beast as it was going about as fast as it could. However that didn’t stop him from considering the distinct possibility that one if not all of them could kill him quickly and possibly run away without even having to deal with his dragon. He groaned mentally at this thought. This humiliation. . . this indignity. I can’t allow this to continue. Yet when I need my body most it fails me. Miserably so. It’s just like the humans I’ve watched and killed. They lose themselves and their lives in moments like these. My magic even seems to fail me and it doesn’t help I’m fading, slowly but surely. There must be a way. There must be A WAY!



While Irina and even Connor ran away and managed to get more than a safe distance away it was Abaddon who proved Marus’s paranoia correct. He was coming as sure as the wind would blow with the intent to kill ever present. But sadly without actually using his step technique to close the distance the dragon would be able to make it to the two before Abaddon could even attempt to attack. It glared down at him as it flew over the two. Using the end of it’s tail to swipe at Abaddon, which considering was as thick as Abaddon was tall, was nothing short of a thick wall of tensed muscles coming his way. (1000 Speed) If it landed against Abaddon he’d be surprisingly well off despite getting cast aside a minimum of 60 feet towards Connor and Irina. If he yet still managed to dodge the beasts tail it would only ensure he’d suffer a worse fate.



And such a fate would be quick as the dragon regardless of if it’s tail swipe hit, to turn around and land on top of Marus. Legs on either side of him, tail covering the front and it’s head a good 40 feet above Abaddon. If he paid attention to it he’d immediately notice it’s neck would be glowing with only a few seconds to spare before it released a breath of fire. It swung it’s head side to side to ensure that all that lay before it for 50 feet would be charred to a crisp. And oddly enough even once it was done the flames would continue to burn for several minutes later. If Abaddon was caught in this there would be no doubt he’d perish without immediate aid from his allies.



With the potential threat quickly dealt with the dragon would look down at it’s master. Still frozen in place and heavily wounded. Thankfully though Marus didn’t need his voice to command it. He could speak telepathically given how close in proximity they were to one another. And though none of those watching might have caught it, the dragon’s head would dip in a quick nod of understanding. A moment later it would gingerly grab a hold of Marus with it’s mouth and start it’s trip to the castle. At most this would take a minute with only another minute of anyone keeping track of it before the beast would fly behind the massive outer wall of the castle.



With everything said and done where Marus and the beast once stood there would be a small orb, shining and almost made of white light. It’s glow would be gentle and inviting with no hint of malice or ill will towards them. To counter this would be Marus’s great axe. Imbedded in the cobblestone near the right wall of the bridge and it oozed off his malevolent energy. Not quite reiatsu but just as potent. And this was with the weapon “sealed” and more akin to a normal weapon, if the bulky thing could be considered “normal” in any way that wasn’t a high fantasy setting. Last but not least however would be a small pouch, one that had a bit of blood on it, Marus’s in fact as it was a personal herb pouch that he carried on his person. To no one’s surprise it held herbs. Carefully taken care of and dried out there were six total that were a bright yellow and looked akin to a weed with wide spread branches. Definitely not appetizing but they did have a calming feel to them despite their previous owner.



In the meantime if anyone looked around they’d see there were 8 humanoids spread throughout the opposite side of the bridge with a great gate in front of them. Reinforced with steel it was tightly shut but it was clearly the only way to go further in past the outer wall. To the left was a stairway that led to the side of the wall. And just before this was the entrance on the left side of the bridge toward where the fight started. Abaddon would be the closest to the stairway and see the metal gate opened. Obviously beyond it lie the execution site where various bodies, mounds of burning flesh, and several crucifixion sites were standing. A grizzly place but perhaps fruitful if something could be found throughout the mounds of bodies. As for the humanoids they seemed to be unaware of the trio’s presence or the fight that had just finished before their eyes. Instead they just roamed aimlessly, with wooden makeshift armor, broken swords and shittily held together wooden planks they claimed as shields. The closest was watching a mound of fire burn and it was at most 200 feet from Irina and to the left side of the bridge.



From the humanoid that was watching fire about 20 feet from it were two other humanoids that were just sitting behind wooden blanks that were large enough to be makeshift walls. Another one was hidden on the right side of the bridge behind another wooden wall completely. Meanwhile the other 5 were roaming the front gate with 2 hitting it with their broken swords. 2 with flaming swords and the others like their former compatriots. If any made their way towards them and didn’t outright attack them they’d start walking closer to them. Heads tilted and mouths agape as if they wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. And once within 10 feet of any singular individual would jump towards them and begin flailing their weapon at them mindlessly. Lethal intent behind the swings but with so little force and speed behind them that it really wasn’t a surprise they looked as shitty as they did currently.





OOC:



Congratulations, ya’ll beat the “tutorial” boss. For this boss you will all be getting 1000 soul dregs. Assuming you pick them up. (The white orb is the collection of “souls” you will all receive.) Once these initial souls are collected you will all automatically receive souls from enemies killed. Items will be made obvious in the post, such as this one with Marus’s axe and the herb bag. Remember once “picked up” anyone can use a consumable.



If none are mentioned then assume there’s nothing of value to be found. And last but not least Boss weapons are a thing! So if ya’ll decide to take Marus’s weapon you can “release it” as though it were an artificial zan (in this case an artificial fullbring) and gain his overall. The cost is the same as a normal fullbring however it only lasts 6 posts as opposed to 10. This would not gain the infinite duration from perma-release.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Humanoids present}
Strength: 100
Speed: 150
RS: 0
SPPR: 50
Instinct: 100
Senses: 100
ES: 0
HE: 0

Add another 100 OS to the weapons of the flaming humanoids.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Dragon}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Area before them}

[Abaddon]

Abaddon could feel his heart race as he got closer to Marus, The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he was within range, just a few more moments and Marus would be killed. This monster of a man would be dead and they would be able to take a breather. That was till the dragon’s tail came into contact with Abaddon. The pure force of the attack flung Abaddon right towards where Irina and Conner were running to. Abaddon fell unconscious from the pure force of the attack. It would take a few moments before Abaddon would be able to regain consciousness.

Laying on the ground Abaddon felt as if several bones were broken from that one attack, still there was something that he was seeing that forced him to push himself past the limits of his own body. With the minor energy sensory he had he could see that the orb was special. Each step towards the orb was a labor, however he felt drawn to it. Without saying anything else to the others he touched the orb and felt something akin to reiatsu go back into him. His pain eased for a moment, enough so that he was able to pick up the herb pouch and lean against the axe.

Opening the herb pouch he took one out to exame it. As he did , it burned up and the smoke from the herb entered his lungs. Abaddon felt the pain vanish from his body, not totally, however most of the pain subsided. With reniuned vigor Abaddon picked up the axe and walked over to Conner, offering him one of the herbs. Abaddon’s gaze went over towards the humanoids walking around. If only he could use his real bow and not the wooden one that he had.

It was that thought that he felt something inside of him burn away and suddenly a rush of power came into his body. He knew instantly what this meant. He had his bow back, with a smile across his face he took aim at the foul humans walking around. “Forgive me for this.” Abaddon pulled back notching arrows and fired off eight arrows each one aimed dead center at the beings walking around. He hoped that they would hit and that, would be it for the monsters.

+1000 souls + boss Axe +herb pouch with 6 herbs 
-700 souls for gaining back release and gaining 2 properties 
-80 reiatsu for 8 class 8 arrows. 
-1 herb 

[Connor Greaves]

Connor did not make it very far. While his body was leaps and bounds more durable than the bodies of humans, Connor was injured, deeply so. He managed to get to a good distance away from where he was before, but his body was starting to fail him. His arm dropped the shield against his will, barely managing to catch himself from falling by grabbing onto a small wall. His breath was ragged and shallow, letting out sharps pants as his lungs desperately tried to catch a decent breath. His strength of will was the only thing that was keeping him from passing out at this point, and even that would fail him if he was left untreated for long enough.

That monster had been the closest person he had yet to face in terms of skill and power. He had seen stronger individuals before, but it was a different experience when you fought someone so equal to you. He had to fight with everything he had, brawling against the crazed ax-murderer to a stand still. But even then he had held back. Those other two would have gotten caught up if he had used his bankai against Marcus. Everything would have been consumed if he had unleashed it. He asked himself repeatedly why he was tied to such an evil thing, and always came up without an answer.

He slumped down against the wall, as his breathing began to slow. His body felt colder than he had ever felt before. It was only when you lost something that you realize how much it does. Blood was so warm, keeping the cold at bay. He could only imagine how cold Marcus was with that ice spear through his gut. It gave him little comfort that the faux man managed to escape, even if it was with assistance. Dragons were real, who could have guessed? He coughed, sounding like he was hacking up a lung, spitting to the side. There was movement, as he saw something approaching him. It was the human, he thinks. His vision was getting cloudy by this point.

The human held something in front of his face, and with what felt like a herculean effort, he managed to grasp it with his undamaged side. He looked at it, holding it close to his face in confusion. Why was he being given this weird leaf? What was the point of this. He would have attempted to voice his thoughts, but the leaf started to emit a gray smoke, which practically flew up his nose. It was an overpowering feeling, but not an entirely unpleasant one. He let out a startled gasp, as he felt the wound on his shoulder stitch itself together again.

His eye snapped open from the sensation, scrambling to his feet. He was far from perfect health, but he could breath normally now. The second degree burns faded, leaving only red chapped skin in their place. Never before had he felt relief like this. The breath of fresh... well, not exactly fresh, given the location, but it was still nice, given that all he could feel before was pain. "Thank you." Connor nodded at the man, before he picked his belongings back up. He could not afford to rest, however, regardless to how much he wanted to.

He drew his abhorrent blade once more, spotting the nearby undead. Or at least he hopped they were undead. If they were still alive and sentient in that grotesque form... He would pray that they he could end their suffering as quickly as possible. While feeling much better than 'half-dead', he was still in no shape to be rushing over to them. So, in spite of his previous statement, he took long and slow strides to meet them. The moment he got within striking distance, his blade would lash out, attempting to behead or bisect them, cutting down the painful-to-look-at monsters.

+200 Health from Herb

275/500 Hp remaining

[Irina Davayte]

Well,[/font] Irina thought darkly, "So much for letting him bleed out."[/font] The dragon came and swooped up Marus in its mouth like a kitten. Ew. She noted the status of the two men. Connor appeared to be in pretty terrible shape, so Irina positioned herself beside him, figuring she could at least lower him to the ground if he lost consciousness. In particular, she noted the risk of his head hitting the wall he was clutching. Nobody needed a concussion on top of everything else going on. Anyway, Abaddon probably already had one. There was no way his brain wasn't shaken up from all of that. Although he was looking, by Irina's approximation, half-dead, Abaddon poked at the glowing orb. On verifying that nothing terrible would happen to him, Irina followed suit, gently touching the orb.

Abaddon collected Marus's axe, which was fine by Irina, who didn't like the vibes it gave out, and had no interest in it herself. Both men smoked some herbs, and she wasn't sure if they were actually healthier or just high. Like she had with the rest of the recent occurrences, Irina didn't comment. It didn't feel like the time for chit chat. Still, she figured something should be done to stop the blood that might still be pouring out of Connor's shoulder. Although she remained definitely not a doctor, she'd been injured enough as a kid to have a vague idea of how to care for a bleed. She tried to intervene before Connor recollected his things. "I'd like to put some pressure on that shoulder and wrap it up. It doesn't seem to be spurting anymore, but it can't be closed up that well," she began to request.

The zombies, she mentally named the humanoid creatures, would have to go first though, she decided. They didn't exactly appear to be living fulfilling lives, and didn't seem safe to keep around. If any of Abaddon's arrows missed, she'd run at the nearest zombie to try to slice it diagonally, keeping her body covered by her sword as best she could.


Remaining reiatsu: 3850
HP: 285
+1000 souls