Another Sharpened Sword [JT, NDE, Closed]

[Blair Aldaine ❅]

"Jesus, I'm BEAT!"

Blair, alone in the training grounds, was practicing some of the fighting moves that Shizuka had been teaching her for the last several months. That woman was insane. She was strong, but also insane. Blair didn't stand a chance at keeping up with her and felt like the distance between the two of them was growing further and further with each passing day. So, in an attempt to keep up with everything on her own, she started practicing with some of the equipment. The training grounds were so incredibly expensive that it made it easy to do everything she wanted to do, thankfully.

Punching bags of various types lined the grounds. The area was quite large and open, as well. In fact, apparently, Xcution had a bunch of these just all over the place within their headquarters after it had been rebuilt. Blair was lucky that day because she was off in the States visiting her parents, so she wasn't around when all of the destruction hit. Unfortunately, when she got back, things were still being built. Even to this day, there are repairs going on. Shizuka had talked about hiring a few architects to help ensure this kind of devastation never happened again, and Blair supported it.

Dressed in a pastel pink hoodie with a pair of black leggings and white converse sneakers, Blair was kicking away at some of the standing punching bags with a bunch of water in the base to keep it upright. Her kicks, though relatively strong, still felt so foreign in her own body. She didn't have much fighting experience at all and did her best to copy what she'd learned from Shizuka, but it wasn't enough. She never even used her powers except for... Well, except for that one time when she was six years old. She still remembered it, but shuddered as she balanced herself on one leg, holding the other against the bag. She hated thinking about all of that.

"I know I was supposed to meet someone today, but they aren't even here yet. I don't know how much time had passed, but I guess I assumed it wouldn't take this long. I'm starting to get antsy and I can feel it."

Blair pouted once both feet were firmly on the ground again and tightened her ponytail. She blew some air upward to move her bangs out and away from her eyes and sighed. She was already so sweaty, which she guessed made sense given what she was wearing. The training room wasn't particularly warm, but the constant moving for the last twenty minutes or so didn't do her any favors. Blair looked down at her hands. Her nails had pressed indents into her skin as she'd balled them into fists while she kicked. That must've been some unconscious reaction to the physical activity, but it wasn't painful. She hadn't broken the skin at all.

"Well, I guess I'll just keep working at it. I've been told that I'm not always easy to talk to or whatever since I tend to be kind of quiet... so I'm going to make a promise to myself. I'll keep training both my body and my social ability. Or something." Blair kicked again. "The second one can happen as soon as this person shows up."

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

Finally she could get up and out of that stupid chair! It had been a little over a month since she’d been defeated, rescued and healed all by Xcution. Now she had accepted the group and was a member although she really wasn’t sure what that meant. Over the last month she had basically done two things beyond just sleeping and reading. She’d been staying in the hospital area the entire time so that the doctors and scientists had easy access to her. Although she was scared about what they were testing she was even more afraid of the thing inside her arm.

These people were the best chance she had of getting it under control or getting it out. It hadn’t taken long though for her to get the negative news from the doctors. The thing inside her arm this Bakkoto wasn't going to allow a separation. Everytime the doctors or scientists had tried it had caused blades to grow from her arm seeking out those trying to help her. They’d tried it three times now and the last time had ended when a scientist had gotten a blade in his stomach. Madelyn felt horrible about it all even though she’d been unconscious during all the surgeries.

Since then they’d instead been cooking something up that would let her hypothetically keep control even if she used some of the Bakkoto’s power. While that thought was encouraging Madelyn couldn’t help still being afraid of it. Whenever she used its power up to this point it changed who she was. It changed her enough that she didn’t look the same anymore. Her blue hair had been turned pink with only the lower half now still retaining its original color. She just wanted to keep practicing and learning more about the magic.

Sometimes she’d wake up in those empty alleys after killing a hollow or something else, with a scroll in her lap. They usually were just something simple like information about the spiritual worlds or about what the Bakkoto could do or what she’d done with it. Sometimes though there were things written on the scroll, magic spells called kido. She’s only learned a few so far but using them meant she could help others without using lethal force. She didn’t have to kill anyone again if she could learn more of these kido spells.

This was the first time though that she’d been told to go somewhere else. Getting out and about through the base was strange and quite overwhelming. So much so that Madelyn was actually late for this appointment. She’d been told to train with a different member about her age who could help her get more in shape physically. Madelyn didn’t really believe she was in bad shape, not considering the recent starvation. When she found the right area and opened the door she saw a massive gym with a girl kicking a punching bag.

“Hello are you Blair?”

Nervous didn’t even begin to explain how Madelyn was feeling right now. The girl if she was Blair was wearing similar clothing to what Madelyn had on right now. A pink hoodie with a matching pair of sweatpants. Not something that Madelyn would have worn beyond just comfort before but right now she could believe how soft it all felt. Her hoodie had a big black X on the center which Maddie didn’t hate. Tying her hair up in a ponytail she stepped into the gym ready to do what she could to prove herself useful so she could keep getting help.

“My name is Madelyn. Nice to meet you.”

[Blair Aldaine ❅]

Sweat dripped down her face as the hand Blair used to wipe her forehead failed to get everything. She was tired, but all of this was worth it. She was going to become stronger no matter what. She was going to get a hold of her powers and do what she believed was best in order to achieve her goals. All of this was going to lead up to what would one day be the biggest moment of her life: finding her sister and bringing her home. Until then, she trained and tried to work with as many people as possible. Being able to learn their fighting styles meant Blair could adapt more easily, and she was already decently smart enough. She just needed practice.

The sudden voice startled the blonde girl as she whipped her head around in Madelyn's direction, red eyes wide with shock. This expression lasted for only a minute before her features calmed and she smiled, laughing a bit to herself. She really needed to get better about sensing when other people approached. Blair had heard that this was something that basic people could do, yet Shizuka had mentioned at some point that it was actually kind of difficult for her. For being the leader of an organization like this, it was really odd that she lacked something that was considered a basic skill.

"Yeah, that's me! Sorry, I should have waited for you, I guess. I just figured I'd get a few practice hits in. It's nice to meet you, too!"

She had practiced in front of a mirror for weeks, and even spent some time out in public by herself as much as she could in order to work on her social anxiety. Even now, Blair was actually quite uncomfortable, but she didn't want to let that show too obviously. In fact, she made her her facial expressions were pretty calm after the initial startle she experienced so that Madelyn wouldn't think she was crazy. Blair, annoyed at her own insecurities, was doing everything the internet told her was the right thing to do to be able to handle herself in public without anyone else around for support.

"Are you here to train, too? I was told someone was going to meet me, so I suppose that's you. I think it's cute that we have the same hoodie color on!" With an excited smile, Blair held out her hand to Madelyn in an effort to establish a connection. "Except you're just a little bit taller than me. Everyone is taller than me."

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

“Oh no, no worries. I guess I’m just a little late. Don’t really know this place all that well yet.”

Madelyn was embarrassed, nervous and shy. A bunch of different emotions that really didn’t collaborate well together. At the moment she just wanted to make sure that she didn’t make a bad impression. Blair seemed like a girl that was nice and had similar taste in clothing. The Madelyn of just a year ago would have wasted absolutely zero time approaching Blair in order to try and make her a friend. Madelyn now though wasn’t really sure about herself, she was going to keep things going in order to get her life back on track, but could she really get friends again . . . did she deserve them?

Madelyn wasn’t here to continue contemplating whether or not she had to take responsibility for the actions that she’d taken while under the influence of her Bakkoto, she was here to practice with Blair. Physically exercise was something that Madelyn wasn’t really all that great at, she was skinny due to her high metabolism. Sure she ran in school and didn’t mind it, but she wasn’t ever really considered fast. She could already tell just by looking that Blair knew more than her. The issue though in her mind was whether or not this was safe.

She’d received an injection of the drug that was supposed to keep the Bakkoto from influencing her, it would let her use all the powers the Bakkoto possessed with her mind unaltered. It was something beyond what Madelyn ever thought of praying for. It was time to see if it would really work and if Madelyn could even stomach the idea of morphing her body or fighting in general without the adrenaline pumping throughout her body.

“Yes I was told that I should exercise and have someone show me the basics of how to fight.” Madelyn spoke in a very low volume still unsure of herself and nervous enough that she already felt like she was doing something wrong. Thankfully though Blair’s comment about the hoodies brought a wave of joy to Madelyn. A smile breaking out across her face, the first genuine expression of real happiness since her death. “Thanks, no need to worry about being small, just means you’re a spring that can reach any height.”

[Blair Aldaine ❅]

Madelyn was sweet! She made Blair smile and brought about this calming aura that the blonde didn't expect. Xcution really did hire good people in one way or another. It was even difficult to imagine the CEO as a bad person after the interactions Blair had with her and the fact that she offered all of her employees a place to live for less rent than what she charged the locals. Even these training grounds were quite generous. There were all kinds of equipment pieces for the two of them to use, so Blair led Madelyn over to the same punching bag she'd just been using and decided to see if the girl would be interested in giving some motions a shot.

"You're definitely right about the height thing! If people wanna underestimate me, that's their problem." Dancing around the bag a bit, Blair went to the opposite side that Madelyn was on. "So whaddya say? Wanna practice on these things first?"

Directing Madelyn to copy what she was doing, Blair started using her right hand to punch the bag once again. Her strength wasn't the highest out of everyone she'd trained with at Xcution, but it was close-ish to the middle, so she felt confident that this would be a good starting point before the two of them tried to do any sparring. It would also be a good way for Madelyn to warm up, and that would be a great start for her. Loosening up before stuff like this was just as important, and Blair wanted to keep things physical if she was able to. She didn't remember the last time she'd used her powers very well, but she knew it wasn't a good time and she felt as if she kind of lost herself.

Pushing the thought out of her mind, she motioned for Madelyn to make sure the girl was following and watched her actions, as well, trying to match the pace. She didn't want to mess up solely because she didn't want the punching bag to get knocked over. She may not be as strong as others in the organization, but she was stronger than average humans, so her punches and kicks still had a good bit of force behind them. Most of these bags were reinforced somehow, but that didn't stop her from knocking a few over by accident before Madelyn had arrived. She cleaned it all up, but it took some effort.

"So what brings you here? Not 'here' here, like in the gym, but the organization. I'm curious." Blair spoke between breaths, trying to keep her voice steady.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Blair's Stats}

Strength - [300] = 200 Points

Speed - 300 Points

Spiritual Pressure - [400] = 600 Points

Reiatsu Strength - 300 Points

Light Aura - 50 Points

Dark Aura - 50 Points

Instinct - 50 Points

Senses - 50 Points

Energy Sensory - 0 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Total SP: 1400 Points

SPOILER: Click to show

{Blair's Skills}

[Weapon: Explosives] {3}

[Strength of Will] {3}

[Battle Analysis] {2}

[Analyzing] {2}

[Martial Arts: MMA] {2}

[Acrobatics] {2}

[Pain Tolerance] {2}

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

Blair was definitely a positive, the best possible person that Madelyn could hope to find here to practice with, although she recognized some of the equipment in the area she didn’t know how to use the majority of them. Even those that she knew how to use from school or television she had no idea about what they actually did for the body. When Blair actually asked her if she wanted to practice, Madelyn couldn’t find the words. She stood trying to figure out what to say as the idea of actually hitting the bag scared her.

She felt overwhelmed with anxiety at the idea of just hitting the bag and looking stupid. “I’m not really sure. I haven’t ever tried.” Madelyn spoke in a much more meek manner now. She was clouded in a fog of doubt, disbelief and fear when she saw Blair begin to punch the bag. The impact told Madelyn that Blair, despite being smaller than her height but roughly the same size as well, was much much physically stronger. The sound that came from every hit and the way the bag moved, it was like a full grown man using a baseball bat.

Malden took a few moments to really breathe, doing her best to calm down. She wasn’t afraid of Blair, she was afraid of what could happen just from seeing the notion of combat. Already she could feel a sort of crawl up her spine. “Physically I’m not really any different than I was before.” Madelyn looked around a little more embarrassed and tried not to diminish how nice Blair was being. She’d been sent here to try and learn with Blair, but fighting with her hands . . it was just like before. “I can do this though.”

Madelyn concentrated for a moment after she raised her right hand and pointed out at one of the other punching bags a few feet away. “Sho.” She spoke gently, casting one of the few kido that she’d managed to learn from the small scrolls left for her when she’d been on the street. Right away the punching bag was knocked backwards as if it’s just been hit with a powerful punch a fair amount louder than Blair’s punches had managed.

Madelgn in fact was surprised at the sight herself, how her own power had produced something like that she didn’t know. For what could have been several months she’d really just been surviving on the streets in a homeless series of constant battles. When she wasn’t getting taken over by the Bakkoto, she was either wallowing in misery or practicing these spells. How did her spells get so strong though? Sho hadn’t been that strong when she’d first learned it. Had she really developed just by surviving?

“Sorry I know it’s not the same. I just don’t know if something like . . boxing will really help me. I don’t think I have the confidence to fight someone up close.” Madelyn wasn’t lying although she wasn’t giving Blair the entire truth either. She was afraid of fighting up close or even at all, but she was more afraid of what could happen. The Bakkoto could influence her or take over at any moment and usually it happened when she was in danger. The drug she’d taken for the first time was no guarantee. She really didn’t want to hurt anyone especially not someone so nice like Blair.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2575/2600
Sho: -25

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength: 50
Speed: 300
Spiritual Pressure: 260
Reiatsu Strength: 290
Instinct: 100
Senses: 50
Energy Sensory: 0
Healing Expertise: 0
Light Aura: 100
Dark Aura: 0

Charisma: 1
Learning: 1
Battle Focus: 2
Pain Tolerance: 2
Damage Recovery: 2
Street Fighting: 2
Bleeding Tolerance: 1

[Blair Aldaine ❅]

Madelyn's clear discomfort reminded Blair of her own interactions with the majority of other people. She had to actively work on herself every single day and tried to not be so paralyzingly shy, but she failed sometimes, too. Madelyn hadn't gotten to that point yet and clearly still struggled with accepting herself. It was a shame. She had so much potential, and the two of them were already so similar that the blonde girl couldn't help but feel like this could be her first time making an actual friend. So after observing Madelyn's use of Sho, Blair came out from behind her own punching bag.

"That was still cool, though! You did a good job with it! I dunno what you wanna get out of this, but in my experience, working on weaknesses could help ya just as much," Blair stated confidently, her Jersey accent coming out with her excitement.

She didn't have much time around other spiritual people. Those she met were incredibly busy, so it didn't make a lot of sense for her to spend much time with them and ask questions. She figured it'd be best to learn on the job or do training like this. If Madelyn felt better casting spells, then that could work for her. But when Blair didn't have better advice to give her because she didn't have better advice for herself, then all she could say was that Madelyn could try to strengthen herself in all areas to some extent. It was true that some people leaned more towards being physical rather than using their spiritual abilities, though. Maybe she was better with spiritual things.

She also seemed to not hear Blair's previous question. She guessed that made sense. This was a very specific kind of organization, after all. Talking about their motivations for doing stuff probably wasn't a good practice anyway. Still, that made her feel even more curious than before. She wanted to know and understand Madelyn's motivations but didn't want to disrespect the girl's privacy. She was already super reserved, so maybe that just meant she had something to hide. Whatever the reason, Blair decided to shrug it off and keep going. If Madelyn felt better casting her spells, she could do that.

"That's if you wanna, anyway. I'm not gonna force ya to do something you think is uncomfortable or anything! But prepping the body is just as important as prepping the mind. And our jobs aren't easy."

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

Madelyn was happy to know that her strength really had gotten stronger, but more than the encouraging words from Blair was a needed boost. One thing she knew at least for the moment was that she could use her spells around someone else like Blair without the Bakkoto taking over. Of course she was still terrified of that happening and didn’t relax. This drug was brand new so to Madelyn it could fail at any moment. What Blair said next though about working on weaknesses was a little eye opening.

Madelyn took a moment inhaling as much air as her lungs could hold and did her best to try and push all her doubt from her mind. Her father had always told her to be confident, to not allow her doubt to dictate her life. She hadn’t really thought about her family in the last few days or weeks, it was painful even now, but for the first time she could remember was going to take a step outside her comfort zone. Take the advice of her father and listen to what Blair was suggesting.

Madelyn started right away punching the bag one after another sending out every bit of strength she could with her arms. Of course she had no prior training and no clue about how to really use her hands to fight. So much so that her thumb was tucked inside her fist, the position of her feet was tight together. Madelyn though was so caught up in her own head that she didn’t even register what she had started doing to her own hands. It’d only take the span of ten seconds for Madelyn to stop and step back with her knuckles torn.

Blood wasn’t dripping from her hands, but she had done something almost all beginners do except on a greater scale. It would hurt a lot and would take a couple of days to heal. Madelyn though had felt it before she even started to step back, the feeling was coursing throughout her body once again. The Bakkoto was going to take over! At least that’s what she thought, looking down at both her hands ready for them to change into the black gauntlets with sharp fingernails.

No such change occurred, it wouldn’t no matter how long Madely stopped after what she’d just done. The sensation she was feeling wasn’t the Bakkoto influencing her, it was the adrenaline that’s started to be released. A meager, tiny amount compared to the typical release from the Bakkoto. All the same though Madelyn could feel it. A sensation which was a factor in the monster she’d been forced to become. Madelyn kept staring at her hands when suddenly as she focused on the sensation in her body, she saw the pink line of influence appear from her forearm to her left hand.

The Bakkoto was awake, could it influence her though or was Madelyn beginning to figure out how to be the one in control? Spread up her arm to her left eye, Madelyn’s left eye shifted from blue to bright glowing pink. Blair, if she could sense reiatsu would feel Madelyn’s steadily rising higher and higher. Her left hand would shift a moment later, appearing to have black metal growing from her skin that took the shape of a sharp fingered gauntlet with a shining pink orb on the back of her hand.

Madelyn turned to Blair though and tears started to pour down her face. “I don’t want to attack you.”

[Blair Aldaine ❅]

Madelyn was not quite much of a fighter the way Blair had originally thought. It made her smile a bit awkwardly as she watched the girl punch with somewhat poor form, though that was something that could be taught. Blair wasn't super good at any of this stuff when she started out, so it wasn't like she was going to make any comments right away. The advice she'd give Madelyn would be thoughtful and not accusatory at all, too. The worst thing, in Blair's mind, would be for a mentor to say or do something that could cause any level of embarrassment for the person learning the moves. She didn't want to do something like that.

Seeing the girl hurting herself was a bit tough, though she was thankful Madelyn didn't have any blood coming out of her knuckles. With a brief word of permission, the blonde Fullbringer was seconds away from offering some help on punching form when she noticed Madelyn getting fairly worked up. Blair, having no Energy Sensory to speak of, wouldn't be able to feel the changes happening within Madelyn. What she did notice, on the other hand, was that her training partner had an actual physical change happening to her body. Her eye turned bright pink and her arm began transforming into something much more terrifying than it had been a moment earlier.

Madelyn's tears made Blair's stomach turn out of guilt. "You won't attack me if you don't want to. I'm not really sure what's going on... but I do know that you'll wanna try to do what ya can to get that under control. I mean... I know what that can be like through experience, too. It's not like my abilities treat me very nicely."

She was young. She remembered and it haunted her. Blair's powers, though not particularly dangerous on their own, had completely overshadowed her when she was about six years old. She caused devastating damage to a major city in the Northeast side of the United States. When someone suddenly realizes they have the ability to shoot modes of transportation out of portals and can't control it, all they can do is sit and watch as planes get ripped from other places in the sky and shot through massive towers. Blair wasn't conscious, exactly, when it happened. She never fully was when she used her Fullbring. It was as if something else took over that enraged her. Any anger she had sat in the frontlines of her mind.

"You're way better than this stuff, Madelyn! If ya don't want to hurt me, then ya won't." Reaching out very slowly, Blair attempted to place her right hand on Madelyn's transformed arm. "Instead, try to use your powers against the punching bags. They can be replaced. I can handle myself, so don't worry."

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

Madelyn could feel the surge, the adrenaline that seemed to just burst through her body out of nowhere sending her emotions out of control, while her mind was strapped to a rocket. This was the first time in over two weeks that she felt the familiar sensation, adrenaline pumping throughout her body. It was something that for the last year had happened multiple times a week. Enough that the Bakkoto had essentially trained her to associate it with attacking anyone or anything around her. Madelyn had already been aware of Blair, obviously and thus now as she turned to her with her left arm already shifted Madelyn felt the drive in her chest. Madelyn managed to speak while holding her left hand in her right almost like she was trying to fight off the sensation she was getting from the Bakkoto.

Little did Madelyn know though that the Bakkoto wasn't actually doing anything right now other than responding to her, the injection that the Xcution scientists had come up with was working for the most part. The Bakkoto couldn't alter her chemical makeup, at least not at the moment which meant that the adrenaline she currently felt rushing throughout her body was natural. It wasn't accompanied with the large amount of dopamine, allowing her to retain her usual personality. What she was feeling at the moment came from learned behavior, if it wasn't for Blair speaking to her than Madelyn may have lost focus and began acting on her impulses once again. To her it felt like her left hand was a separate entity that sought to tear Blair apart even now as Blair spoke and Madelyn did her best to direct her hand away.

"I'm trying Blair, but whatever is inside me always wants to attack!" Madelyn's finger nails on her left hand would suddenly extend out like sharp spikes covering the length of the room in the blink on an eye. Her nails didn't just reach over to the wall across the gym, but pierced into the wall digging deep. Madelyn couldn't control what she believed to be the Bakkoto when it fact it was just the result of her physiological torture that had now for certain changed her. Although she was fighting her own tainted soul Madelyn kept her nails extended believing now that they were in the wall, Blair was safe. If she could just keep them in the wall then they couldn't hurt Blair. She just had to figure out how to gain control and turn back now.

Madelyn had come across more than a handful of individuals that were brave enough to stand their ground against her transformation although most of them couldn't win. She never would have even imagined someone as nice as Blair who was brave enough to walk up and touch her transformed body even if it was only her left arm right now. Madelyn's disbelief was enough that her attention on the sensation that adrenaline gave her wasn't the foremost present thing and thus realization would dawn through the kindness of a stranger. Madelyn's eyes widened as she felt Blair's hand touch her own, as she saw the contact and yet it was all there. She didn't feel anything else beyond mild excitement whatever was going on she couldn't explain and didn't understand, but one thing was certain to Madelyn now. This thing didn't have complete control over her anymore!

Exhaling slowly Madelyn takes her time to focus on what she was feeling right now and do her best to remember that feeling, after a few seconds she smiled at Blair. "Thank you, I can't believe this." The blades on Madelyn's fingers retracted from the wall across the gym shrinking back down to the normal size. Although Blair was still right in front of her Madelyn couldn't help but look over her left arm in wonder. "I've never actually seen myself with a clear head before, I have no clue what this thing makes me look like when it takes control. . . When I use it." Madelyn was starting to struggle with the idea that she really had things under control so long as she had that medicine now. Almost a year of homeless slaughter and now suddenly it was over, it was something to good to be true. Something Blair may be able to pick up on as tears began to stream down Madelyn's face.

[Blair Aldaine ❅]

It was clear that Madelyn was dealing with something incredibly personal. Witnessing the nails puncturing the wall across from them was enough to put Blair on edge, causing her to startle a bit where she stood. It was only a guess at the time, but the Fullbringer made the assumption that she was instructed to train with Madelyn because she was strong enough to handle the girl. The difference in their power could be felt, even if only a little, so Blair knew off the bat that she'd be okay if Madelyn ever chose to engage in actual combat. The reason she was pushing so hard for the two of them to stick to punching bags, though, was to avoid anyone getting hurt.

As tears flowed down Madelyn's face, Blair sighed and realized she had started feeling bad. It was sad to see someone struggling so much, especially when helping them was going to be difficult. There wasn't a lot Blair could do, admittedly. Maybe prove to Madelyn that she'd be fine? Well, maybe, but that wasn't going to be something she wanted to happen. The Fullbringer hated using her own abilities for probably a similar reason to why Madelyn hated using hers. History didn't need to repeat itself, after all. There wasn't any reason to go digging any of that back up. Blair was finally at a point in her life where she could try to forget it all.

"A'right, I get it. You've got some kinda fear holding you back from going all out. Ya know, that power is something I think Xcution wants. I mean, I wouldn't know completely. I'm just a Sword. They don't tell me anything unless I go digging."

Despite how open Xcution was about their affairs, that was something Blair could never understand. The corporate secrecy drove her nuts. There were always whispers of things happening but never confirmations. How could such a large company get involved in so many things and still somehow manage to keep it quiet? That was beyond her. Blair didn't have the luxury of questioning such things and, frankly, she didn't want to. Even if the CEO was known for having an amiable personality, that didn't mean she was all sugar and no spice. Blair and Shizuka met each other years ago and were actually the same age, but there was something about that woman that made Blair pause and try her best to not act out.

"Hey, I got an idea. Why not try to use your abilities in here? The walls and everything are reinforced. I mean, if you wanna. I won't judge either way. But..." With a smile, Blair's bright red eyes met Madelyn's. "It's either that or we fight. They want a report from us after this, anyway."

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

Madelyn for the first time in perhaps a year felt happy. Maybe it wasn’t an actual year but it was very close, since the last time she’d felt something even close to this had been when she’d found lady Keira. Although things didn’t work out with her, Madelyn still would like to thank her if she ever found her again. Holding her left hand in front of her face now she could see the black armor that had become a part of her body. The fact her hand looked like it was solid metal with her nails like knives.

Despite this being the first time that Madelyn had a clear head for the most part while transformed, she handled it quite well. To some it was almost like Madelyn was like any other soul using a bakkoto. Normally using the parasite didn’t have any adverse effect on mind and perhaps the injection that Xcution had formed would now allow Madelyn to fall into that category as well. Turning her hand around though Madelyn would shriek in terror.

Right there on the back of her hand was the parasite! It’s large glowing pink eye with its slanted massive pupil. The moment she could see it though the eye obviously saw her too, its pupil shifting and staring her down. Madelyn felt like her body was frozen, gripped too tight to move by an invisible hand larger than her entire body. She was staring at the thing that had changed her, the thing that made her attack so many people, the monster responsible for keeping her homeless for a year! she could feel something as its eye glowed brighter and veins seemed to become visible on all sides.

This thing was trying to take control, it was trying to send her into a frenzy like all those times before, but Madelyn didn’t feel anything other than a slight disturbance in her shoulders and stomach. That's when she smiled and pulled her hand up close to her face. “This is my body! Now you’re my prisoner. I’LL BE USING YOU!” Madelyn started off speaking low but by the end she was screaming at the bakkoto. She felt confident, safe, in control for the first time in over a year.

She heard what Blair said and decided why shouldn’t she try and do everything she could remember the bakkoto doing. When it’d been in control she could remember using her hair to form weapons, her entire body getting turned into a weapon, so why couldn’t she do it? The same way she focused on her left arm in order to trigger the awakening Madelyn attempted throughout her entire body. It would take her about thirty seconds to get the right feel when suddenly the pink crude jagged lines that ran from her left arm up to her eye started to spread across most of her body.

Just like that in the blink of an eye all of the clothing that Madelyn had been wearing seemed to disappear as her reiatsu spiked astronomically higher while it became visible. Her physical body was surrounded by her bright pink reiatsu while her entire body shifted. From her feet up to her head, black high heels on her feet that had blades for heels. Black armor covering her feet up to the mid section of her thighs. The sides of her torso up to her bust and then her arms all covered with the same thick black armor.

Although it was a power that reinforced her body turning her flesh into armor, to many including Madelyn herself it looked more like a battle swimsuit. After fully transforming Madelyn stood still for several seconds breathing heavily before lifting up both her hands. Both arms now matched one another with the exception of the Bakkoto living in her left hand. Wiggling her fingers Madelyn couldn’t believe what she was seeing. A turn of the arm and she noticed the blade on the back side of each forearm.

She knew what they were, but like everything else had never used them consciously. A bit of focus was all it took for each blade to grow out of her forearm and then slowly extend out to the maximum length of three meters. Two incredibly long thin blades that came from her arms, Madelyn had no clue how to use these especially not at the skill level of someone like a Shinigami. Looking down she noticed that her breasts were basically exposed! She was essentially wearing a push up bra made of metal and nothing else!

“Ahhk!”

Madelyn shrieked embarrassed when she noticed that it wasn’t just her breasts but her mid-drift was completely uncovered and then her crouch was covered by what she could tell was basically a thong made of the black metal armor. She was supposed to fight like this! “This can’t be what I’ve looked like! It makes me fight like a stripper!” Madelyn tried to cover her crotch not realizing that the blades were still out or maybe just not thinking about it. Either way they cut one chain that a punching bag was hanging from dropping it to the floor while another bag was sliced open and sand began to fall.

“I can’t believe this! Blair is this normal?