Canons 5-10: Z's Side of Things

[Deleted]

((Lord hasn't logged into the forum since January 10th. I'm personally voting for a skip of his post and plotkai to the fight against Myza so we can wrap up canon 5.))

[Zeich Yajuu]

((OOC: Well, we need to wrap this up unfortunately to get all of the threads together again, so pardon the sudden shift from our battle.))

Keldas had disappeared from sight, and Noir had slipped away despite the injuries to him; for the moment, it seemed that they were free from danger for the moment. The orb pestering Amaya would certainly be a problem in itself, given Myza's attitude towards the kitsune and her Zanpaktou's nature, but it wasn't a threat like the Arrancar had been previously. Amaya and Taien would be able to take a moment to breathe—well, assuming they could tune out the orb that was still pestering the kitsune, or else destroy it—and decide their next move. They could go after Keldas, to eliminate a backstab attempt from him at a later point, or press forward towards their destination, hoping that despite the time taken to get this far, they could still serve a purpose.

Myza's announcement suggested that their presence wouldn't be required in the Espada rooms, seeing as the other Shinigami had made it to the throne room. Worse, it was known they were at the throne room, so the team's distractions wouldn't do much in drawing foes from that particular battlefield. The Hougyoku would be far more vital than dealing with annoying Shinigami blowing up a few rooms, especially with what Kouhai would do to them if they allowed the Shinigami to succeed in their goals, so it was likely that the Distraction team's mission was over at this point. It was a failure, sadly, but given that they had been stalled by the labyrinth of Las Noches as well as the Arrancar that had stood in their way, it was to be expected. Neither encounter had taken terribly long, but given the overall time it had taken them to travel, following “Bec,” it seemed that they were further behind than they had expected.

Well, nothing to do about it now. Fortunately, a Hell Butterfly arrived at their position then, giving them both new orders. The two Shinigami were ordered to cancel their mission to destroy the Espada's rooms, and instead were told to assume their secondary positions that they had been briefed about before the mission had begun. Participants had been informed that they would either be joining the main group in the throne room or else pulling out of Las Noches once the mission had succeeded or failed. Those who were injured or exhausted, or those who would be in the way of the larger group, had been asked to retreat at the end of this mission, while others had been told that they would assist the main groups in bringing the Hougyoku back to the artificial Garganta.

For those who were joining the main group, there were two paths through the far door that Keldas had gone through. The first was a long spiral staircase heading upwards, while the other was a door that was left slightly ajar, likely proof that Keldas had retreated through that room. Of the two paths, it seemed that the stairs were the best bet. Those joining the main group would head up them, slowly ascending towards the throne room of Las Noches. Who was waiting there? No one knew...

((OOC: Alright, wrap-up done. Now for the rewards for the quest. Since the mission is a failure (unfortunately due to RL stuff and several thread delays from people dropping), there is no quest completion reward. However, the thread was completed, and thanks to two pages of solid work, Taien, Amaya, and Myza receive 600 TP each. Record this in your point bank, and I'll get Zou to tie us into the main branch again.))

[Deleted]

((Just some closure. Amaya is taking the option to return to SS.))

Well, they had their new orders, and Amaya knew which of the two options she was taking. Thus far, her value in the mission was non-existent. She had literally done nothing worthwhile in her eyes, and thus her talents would be better utilized back in Soul Society, healing the wounded as they returned. Right now, she was nothing but a target. She’d already shown that she wasn’t really helping by being here. Her attacks were unable to harm any of the foes, and she’d nearly been killed at least three times already. On top of that, there was also the incessant insanity coming from Myzaraphiston. She was still going on and on about Hibiki, and acting incredibly bipolar to boot. One minute she sounded like she was crying, the next minute she was furious, and the minute after that she was perfectly normal and trying to threaten everyone.

Textbook insanity. That was the diagnosis. Hibiki, having been out of the loop for quite some time, had no clue why she was so obsessed with him either. We fought once… years ago. I kicked her ass and apparently she wants to bang me now or something… but I’m with you on this one. Pretty sure she's lost it. I kinda wish I knew why she cared so much… I don’t even really remember her that well to be honest. You thinking bipolar… or maybe schizophrenia? After a moment of consideration, Amaya realized that she didn’t really care enough to diagnose her enemy's variety of crazy. All that mattered was that, in her eyes, Myza was delusional. The threat about blowing up the Garganta was probably just another one of her delusions, and thus there was no harm in heading back home.

”Oi, Taien, I’m heading back. I’m just going to get in the way in a fight of that scale.” And with that done, Amaya made her way back to the Garganta, and retreated from the invasion force.