Lingering Despair

[Eshin Sōtō]

Eshin's frenzied rampage through the spectral horde had unleashed a primal surge of power within him. His claws, like voracious predators, tore through the wraith-like beings with relentless fury. Each slash and strike left a trail of fractured jaws and shattered ribs in his wake. The air around him crackled with surging lightning, a manifestation of his insatiable hunger for strength. In those moments, he felt invincible, a monstrous force capable of obliterating endless waves of enemies.

However, amidst the chaotic dance of destruction, Eshin failed to notice the encroaching darkness that gradually swallowed his surroundings. It was a sinister veil that descended upon him, shrouding the battlefield in obscurity. Only the pallid glow of the moon offered a meager spotlight in the void.

As his senses slowly adjusted to this eerie new setting, he found himself surrounded by specters, their ethereal forms bearing down on him like silent predators in the night. The only other presence in this desolate place was a solitary, gnarled tree, its form phasing in and out of his vision like a mirage.

What drew his attention, however, were the lifeless forms scattered amid the spectral host. They were humans and Shinigami, empty vessels stripped of their souls. Amidst the macabre tableau, a glimmer of gold caught his eye, a stark contrast to the lifeless void. It was a morbid curiosity that compelled him forward.

With a swift motion, Eshin clawed away the specter that had bitten him, the wound fading into a dull throb. He set his sights on the shimmering gold and raced towards it, driven by an insatiable desire to claim whatever mysterious object it might be.

Once he secured the golden prize, he turned his attention to the enigmatic tree, determined to uncover its secrets in this eerie and unsettling realm.

[Skoll Koryu]

“M-Might have been… But you don’t know f-for sure!”

The stranger’s retort to Skoll’s anger only served to fan the flames, and the Nakabakki briefly considered another kick to properly express his feelings on the matter. Maybe? Maybe? The fuck was this guy thinking; any creature here was almost certainly one of the things they were searching for. Aside from the Shinigami that had been assigned to the mission, Skoll was the only non-humanoid addition to the party. Anyone else? That was a threat or a stranger. But no, the naive idiot who had the lack of sense to throw himself in the way of a Bala before properly assessing the situation had decided to protect the creature, of all things. He even claimed he wouldn’t let anyone die! What the fuck was up with this guy?

Struggling to keep his anger down, Skoll reached down to assist the Shinigami up, albeit roughly. He grabbed the man’s Shihakusho by the collar and dragged him to his feet, aiding him in pushing himself up and standing. Once the man was up, Skoll gave him another rough shove, though not likely enough to knock him back down, just enough to stagger him if he didn’t brace himself. Having expressed himself as best as he could for the moment, the half-demon turned around quickly to survey the area.

The white figure was there, but just at the edge of their vision. It was a silhouette, a shade, a being of ephemeral light that could barely be made out. It drifted away and started to fade into the forest’s shadows even as Skoll spotted it, and the Nakabakki considered another strike. Something faster, perhaps… no, the idiot accompanying him would probably try and block that too. Fine then, another approach, perhaps; Skoll wasn’t exactly a model of diplomacy, but he could at least make an attempt if he couldn’t act in his usual manner.

“Hey, you! Fucking shadow thing! Get your ass back her and talk to us—”

“I’m sorry… my little Volsung...”

The words cut clearly through the air despite the distance, and worse, their effect on Skoll was noticeable. His eyes widened, and his body froze momentarily. Volsung? How would anyone from the forest know about his pack? But worse was the familiarity of the creature’s words, the tone of sympathy and apology. They chilled him for a moment, a possibility sinking its teeth into his spirit… and then immediately, that cold was replaced by a burning inferno of anger. Irritation was gone, and fury started to build up at an alarming rate. Skoll’s body shook as his fists clenched, and his fangs gnashed together as anger grew. If the Shinigami with him could sense spiritual energy, they would notice an abrupt change, notice the angry, violent, tempestuous tint to his spiritual pressure. Bloodlust and hatred would tinge it bloody red.

How fucking dare you...

No. No. It was not her. It was not her. She was dead and buried. Skoll visited the gravesite often, a quiet hillock a short ways away from the Volsung camp. She was dead. She was dead! That bastard Fenrir had attacked her, had his way, and left her to struggle through the bearing and birth of her half-breed bastard. She had died in doing so, unable to care for the child that had been forced upon her, free from suffering the need to care for the beast she had birthed. No. No. No no no no no. No.

“That damned wench...” Even Skoll’s tone was deeper, filled with a vicious anger. “And you… and you fucking let her get away!” Suddenly, the half-demon whirled on the Shinigami who had interrupted him. He practically spat his words at the man. “You let her get away, you let her get the fuck away, you shitfaced pacifist! What the hell were you thinking? Goddamnit!” Anger. A red haze. He could barely see, barely think. He started pacing back and forth, the rage building a restless energy in his feet, his hands clenching into fists again and again. He didn’t even notice the other Shinigami’s disappearance, so lost in his anger was he; even if he had, it didn’t matter. It was their fault. It was their damned fault!

All he could do was let out an angry, anguished scream that would echo through the woods.

[Akio Naito]

The captured young man had been bracing for his spell to prove ineffective against the nightmare clad in (presumably spiritual) flesh that had overpowered him so easily. Then he'd heard it shrieking in pain, alongside another voice screaming somewhere else in the woods. Both cut off abruptly a moment before he hit the ground in a clearing, a painful landing that ensured his already jolted senses had an even harsher time adjusting to disorienting effect of being shaken violently and then seemingly warped across a distance he couldn't even begin estimating at the time. Where did they- is this? Disturbing and disorienting as being transported to a stange location had been to Akio, it was still one of the best cases that could have come out of being grappled. He was still alive, wasn't maimed, and had been inspired research defensive spells that discouraged hostile spirits at a reasonable distance during any future investigations.

A few seconds passed, enough for a deep breath of cool night air before the injured spellcaster pushed off of the ground with his arm, using it to support himself while he forced his way back onto his feet. No pursuit? He hadn't seen any signs of his attacker since arriving in the clearing, but that hadn't been a license to lay in the grass and wait for morning. Besides, Akio could tell that he wasn't alone in the clearing now that he'd stood and reoriented himself. "Good evening." He fell into a somewhat more defensive posture, clearly uncomfortable exposed in the clearing, ready to evade or flee even as he offered a casual greeting to the strangers present. Keeping that kind of guard up felt logical, sensible, and sane after the initial memory lane routine and the overwhelming monster that had followed it.

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

The ephemeral being that he had saved drifted in the darkness. It flickered with a light, a light that desperately fought the dark in luminescent brilliance... Before being swallowed by it. Dulling into something dour and forlorn.

The beastman jerked him to his feet. He landed gracefully upon them despite the tumultuous uplifting he'd received. A shove then helped him stumble out of the man's personal bubble. His human hand moved over the place where Skoll's palm had made contact with his chest. It throbbed gently. It hurt. But that hadn't been the intent of the act.

Kazuhiko closed his eyes and let his senses flow over the area. They rolled over Skoll and through him. He didn't seem evil. Even as he screamed obscenities. But something changed as the ghost-like figure spoke. The creature begged forgiveness with piteous words that surely should have been accompanied by tears. He didn't understand what she was asking about... But the beast man seemed to, and he reacted.

His body tensed. The lines of his face sharpened. His heart skipped a beat. Kazuhiko couldn't well sense his spiritual energy... But he could sense every single change in his physical body. For a moment he was in shock. But when that moment passed it bled into an emotion that was much easier to manage. Rage. The tension shifted to his fists. His heartbeat sped up. Adrenaline was beginning to set in.

He weathered a barrage of the beastman's sharpest words. Accusations laced with vulgarity. He wasn't wrong. Kazuhiko had let her get away. "If you'd have killed her, we wouldn't know anything about her." He noted. He was certain that wouldn't ease the man's anger. But perhaps he could redirect it.

"How about we help each other and go after her?" He offered his human hand palm up. No weapons. Yet, it was impossible to ignore his strange prosthetic. It hung limply from his shoulder like a coat on a hook. "Come on!" His face upturned to Skoll with a smile. He would have been looking him right in the eyes, if his weren't closed.

[Scarlet]

Walking in the forest as she was Hikari with her axe ready to swing with instinct and nerves being the only guide through her right hand didn’t know how to handle the anxiety coursing through her. Her left hand was now out in front of her with a decent amount of fire hovering above her palm. It was essentially a torch allowing Hikari to see what was immortality around her like all humans throughout most of history though, she couldn’t stand not knowing what was just beyond the luminescence of the fire. Although she was doing her best right now Hikari couldn’t even vent without trying to make any unnecessary sounds while not realizing that she was already revealing herself to everything around her.

“If only I could see. There’s got to be something better than this torch.” Hikari lemented within her mind wishing that she knew more about how she could use soul command or even her reiatsu. If only she could strengthen her eyesight or illuminate the area in some bigger way without risking it igniting. These damn voices radiated around her causing a risk in aggression to the point Hikari began to feel her emotions snap. She didn’t like this, she just wanted to hack the Hollow apart if it was one, like all the others she’d come across so far. Suddenly flash after flash of yellow light danced across the darkened forest and in a matter of just a few seconds Hikari found herself in an opening yet couldn’t find any joy in that fact.

The opening didn’t signify anything other than she’d moved onto the next stage of terror, bodies all across the ground, enough to tell her that whatever was out there definitely deserved to be killed and yet wouldn’t fight her fair. The screaming assaulted her ears, her skull experiencing enough pain that she felt like the actual foundation was going to crack and break apart. She’d never heard anything so drowning in volume. She couldn’t even place her hands over her ears knowing that such an action was just welcoming whatever was out here to attack her. Struggling to keep her eyes open though Hikari in plain view to everyone in the opening would see just one entity. The black werewolf that to her had to be what slaughtered all these people. Charging it right now wouldn’t work though, she had to keep her eyes on it and just hope it would get close enough for her to end it in one swing as the screaming kept her struggling to even stand.

[Aura Kyuketsuki]

Note: I will be post a continuation after everyone has another round of posts. Instead of me posting this time around, this will allow everyone to take in the information and commit to whatever actions they will do so. Use what information you have at your disposal before I hit again fwue.


End Note

[Akio Naito]

Akio adjusted the silver bangle on his injured left arm as he took the first few steps towards the center of the clearing, turning on a heel to get another look around. This night had made him regret not bringing any of his tools, wishing he had the comforting weight of the reichlich kathedrale's stakes in his pockets, even though he knew for a fact he wouldn't be willing to wield that weapon where anyone could see. Especially not the pair he was sharing this clearing with; now that he'd gotten a bit closer, he could tell one wore the death-conquering garb of a shinigami, though they appeared to be wearing some form of glove that reflected the moonlight. The other stranger was... a wild animal? He had heard about spirits like that, but the closest he'd ever seen in person had been his employer's doll. The presence of those two had set him on edge, but the shinigami was an obvious threat, as his mismatched eyes saw it.

"Apologies, but it appears that the three of us have all arrived to investigate the same incident." He called out the strangers in the most respectful tone of voice that he could and idly adjusted the black bangle on his right arm in an attempt to distract himself from his own fear of shinigami. "I would be willing to pool our efforts, if that would be acceptable. Although I must ask you to entertain my limitations as a mortal spellcaster, my contribution will obviously fall short of what a shinigami could offer you." Managing expectations had become one of his habitual defenses against the black-clad spirits, using the stilted formality as a kind of armor against potential conflict. And he had plenty of reason to avoid conflict with shinigami, even if he couldn't make out a sword anywhere on the that particular one's person, as even a total lack of weaponry wouldn't make them any less of a potential threat should things have come to that.

[Sieglinde P. Krantz]

Oookay so! Given like all but one or two members have left, and Rucha has displayed an attempt to kick this back up to no avail, she'll be receiving full rewards.

Rucha, on any of her characters: 1,500 TP.
Akio & Scarlet: 600 TP.