A Crown of Fangs, A Throne of Swords (NDE, R)

[Matthew Hazeman]

Name: A Crown of Fangs, A Throne of Swords

Participants: Garret the Wanderer, Amagai Kuchiki, Kisala Shihoin

Location: English Countryside

Difficulty Level: Medium

Setting: NDE

Plotline: Archaeology is a nice pastime, especially in places as storied as England. However, it's distinctly less good when an archaeologist finds the remnants of a reiatsu-tainted artifact, one that matches up with the descriptions of an item that an escaped Akki apparently crafted themselves. A few days after reporting the find, the farm that it was discovered on has ceased all contact with the outside world, and strange creatures have started attacking any and all population centers near the farm. What's more, any spiritually sensitive being can tell you that there's a feeling of wrongness emerging from the farm now, one that's only growing stronger...

Estimated Enemy Strength: Expect to see a lot of Class 4's, with a Class 2 max potentially showing up.

Estimated Time Until Completion: This will be going on for a while. I don't know the exact page number, but with general thread trends, it wouldn't be unexpected for this to last a few months.

Special Conditions: DO NOT TRY TO END FIGHTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Try to be a bit cinematic and anime about things like this. Unless you do something stupid, like sticking your hand in a blender, your characters will not be taken out. However, if you try to play a game of insta-gib rocket tag against anything that isn't showing up in large numbers, I will respond in kind.

In addition, while your characters can certainly choose to not get along or even fight each other, I will say that doing so is not a good idea.

[Garret]

Quiet. It wasn't that he was any stranger to the lack of noise, but this just didn't seem right. The air seemed tense, as if something was going to happen. No birds. No animals. Not even any wind. It all seemed so...suspicious. The only sound was the ones he made, the sound of leaves being crushed beneath his feet as he walked. The light flutter of his cloak. All sounds he was used to, ones that he made. So why was it so quiet? He was on edge. Alertness boosted to the max, awareness as high as it could go, Garret pushed forward with caution. A frown painting itself across his face as he walked, that single gray eye of his narrowing slightly as he continued on, walking as he always did.

Where was he going? Even he wasn't sure. Garret never knew where he was going, letting his feet and the winds guide him along a invisible path. A path that only lead to more battles. For the swordsman the battlefield was his home. But right now he was not sure where he was going. Something was calling to him, like a weird itch in the back of his mind, something that he couldn't make go away. Something was drawing him in, though he honestly doubted it was him that was being lured in but rather that thing inside of him. Garret exhaled, lowering his gaze a bit to look down at his hand as he walked.

Wrapped in dirtied bandages, in order to help him better hold his sword, Garret stared down at his covered palm. Even through the wrappings he could make out the shapes of the calluses his hand possessed, the result of constantly rubbing against the grip of his weapon. Cracked and damaged nails, the results of his constant fighting, showed that his hands were in just as bad a condition as the rest of his body. But it wasn't his body's imperfections he was looking for, or in this case looking at. Garret could see the shakes, the trembles in his hand.

His eye narrowed at the sight. The shakes were getting worse. Sometimes his fingers didn't want to work correctly, exhausted from all the shaking they did. His condition was worsening. The result of using his Bakkoto without being able to control it. He knew that the warnings that Taiho Kasumi'Oji had foretold for him had been something worth heeding, but Garret did not expect the symptoms to appear so soon. "Yours is different from the rest. It's more attached and thus has a far more intimate relationship with your body. It has access to you in ways that the others don't." He remembered that bitches voice rather well. The voice of a viper ready to strike.

"If you're unable to control it you have more to fear than just losing your mind. The toll it takes on your body is enormous, and prolonged extensive use of its power will begin to damage you. Your fingers will get tired from all the shaking. You'll begin to lose your senses; taste will be first followed by smell, then your ability to touch. Unless you can learn to control it, it shall completely devour you. Mind, body, and soul." Garret frowned, clenching his fingers into a fist and willing the tremors to stop.

Giving in? Surrendering himself to a weapon? Ridiculous. Garret would find a way. He'd find a way to take the reins, to use the armor like it was supposed to be used. Garret was its master, not the other way around. Somehow, someway, he'd find a way to take control. No matter what it took. He wouldn't let it destroy him, he couldn't afford to. Not until he was finished. Not until Garret had wiped them all out. Not until every single Hollow was dead. Not until this rage inside of him had subsided. Gritting his teeth beneath his lips, Garrets anger began to grow. He would not let the armor consume him.

Is that really what you want?

And there it was. Garret narrowed his eye, the corners of his vision picking up on the unnatural movement. It was a little distance off, moving between the trees keeping pace with him. A hound as black as night, unnatural in appearance, something that would never exist truly in this world. A manifestation of his madness, a manipulation of his darker emotions by the parasite within him, a living embodiment of the darkness within him. Lightning shaped eyes filled with the masks of countless Hollows, Garret faced forward, doing his best to ignore the hound that stalked beside him.

It's still burning within you, an inferno that desires to be free and scorch the earth and consume everything in its path. Control? You don't want control.

Garret blinked, it was gone. No, it had moved. It was now walking on the other side of him. It's form had changed. It was larger. It's mouth had spread farther down its body, opening up to reveal a collection of razor sharp teeth. Dark red liquid began to pour from between its teeth as it walked, the blood of all the Hollows that Garret had killed.

Control means letting it go. Control means surrendering the anger, your purpose. Control means that you're still human. But that's not what you want. This is what you want. Have you even noticed it? Your sword and yourself, you've both begun to stink just like them. You're becoming nothing more than the very things that you kill.

Garrets teeth began to clench together, fingers tightening together to levels that he could crush steel.

But that makes it easier. You thirst for this. You long to be this. You wish to burn away the restraints of your human heart. To be consumed by the anger, to burn them with your hatred. Why do you continue to resist? What point is there to holding it in anymore? You have nothing left but the fight. Become carefree. Become the beast. Tear them all apart...just like they did to Cassandra.

"ENOUGH!" Garret shouted, swinging his left arm at the apparition with his full strength. The result ending in a shockwave that, when fired, wiped out a large portion of the forest that stood in its way. The explosion finally brought sound to the forest, the sound of panicked animals and settling debris. Garret took deep breaths, glaring at where he had last seen the apparition. It's laughter echoed in his mind, become quieter and quieter as it descended back into him. Blacker and blacker you will become...until finally when the Beast takes control. Nothing will stand in our way. We will make the world run red.. Garret sneered, hiding his arms back beneath his cloak and continuing on.

He kept going forward, heading to wherever this disturbance was that was attracting him. Whatever it was, they would have to deal with a very dangerous Garret. He hoped they were ready.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}

Strength - 400 Points = 800

Speed - 100 - Points

Spiritual Pressure - 300 - Points = 450

Reiatsu Strength - 100 - Points = 60

Light Aura - 20 - Points

Dark Aura - 80 - Points

Instinct - 150 - Points

Senses - 150 - Points = 112

Energy sensory - 0 - Points

Healing Expertise - 0 - Points

Total SP: 1200 Points

• [Weapons: Greatswords] {2}
  
  
• [Strength of Will] {2}
  
  
• [Pain Tolerance] {2}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {2}
  
  
• [Lack of Fear] {2}
  
  
• [Damage Recovery] {2}
  
  
• [Bleeding Tolerance] {2}
  

[Amagai Kuchiki]

((First post in....months. Sorry if I'm too obviously rusty))

"Amagai!" A single one of the Vice Captain's eyes opened, his body still sitting in lotus position. Strange, people tended not to interrupt him while he was meditating. "Vice Captain, sir!" The cry came again, and Amagai realized that the noise was coming from behind him. With a deep sigh, the Kuchiki rising star opened both eyes, and rose to his feet. With a simple bit of footwork, Amagai turned 180 degrees on his heels, body remaining motionless other than the apparent rotation.

"Sixth Seat Haru Izgoshi, how are you doing on this wonderful day? I assume this matter of business is rather important." Amagai made a habit of knowing the names of everyone who he was directly in charge of, which included all seated officers in the First Division. The girl, short, with mousy brown hair, stepped forward, and bowed before Amagai, extending before her a sealed scroll. Amagai took the scroll, opened in, and examined the contents, the smile on his face briefly fading, his brows knitting, focusing deeply.

"I see. They were right to send you to fetch me. Tell the Captain Commander I'll be on my way immediately." Amagai handed Haru back the scroll, then paused, and flashed her a smile. "Thank you for interrupting my meditation, this is a matter that should be handled straight away." Amagai gave her a short nod, then vanished, quickly moving at full speed across the Gotei 13, headed straight towards the gates that would lead him to the human world.

---

He arrived a few miles away from the farm, which was the current center of the distinctly evil, vile reiatsu that penetrated the surrounding countryside. Amagai was told that he would be meeting with another Shinigami operator, Kisala Shihoin, so he wasn't running in alone. Not yet. That wasn't his style at all, anyways. Amagai was a team player, and a pacifist, although he had the distinct feeling that the second of those things would be tried very thoroughly by the Hell monsters that they were almost certainly about to encounter.

[Kisala Shihoin]

Kisala had been in the human world for several days now already due to another assignment. She was in France after tracking down a particularly dangerous Arrancar. It was unknown if it had any conection with the factions of Huaco Mundo, or it it was on its own. Keira sat on top of Notre Dame looking out at the city. It was a beautiful city. The sunset in the river and the way the city was designed. If she could, she would sit on the cathedral and just enjoy the view for hours. But as her luck would have it, there was more business for her to take care of. Out from the sky fluttering lightly on the breeze was a Hell Butterfly. The black insect would stick out against the orange sky.

She stuck out her hand for it to land and to receive the message. She was quickly briefed about the situation in England, and was told to meet her partner for the assignment as soon as possible. Kisala Shihoin sent it back on its way before standing on one of the gargoyles. "Well it looks like sight seeing will have to wait for another day." She said with a shrug. "It is a shame too, it was a nice place. The air is cleaner than most places we end up going." Haruken chimed. Kisala looked down at her Zanpakuto fondly which was strapped to her hip. "I know, lets see if the English countryside compares to this." Kisala replied before making her way to England. 

She felt another presence nearby the farm. It was the presence of another shinigami, which was a comforting feeling. She knew that she was not going to be alone for this assignment, but still another person helping out was much better in this oppressive environment. She headed out to the location of the shinigami. She noticed that it was Amagi Kuchiki. Amagi was a fellow Vice Captain, the Vice Captain of squad one. She had heard of him of course, but didn't know him personally, or professionally. She walked behind him making enough noise to announce his her presence to him. "Its good to see you Vice Captain Amagi Kuchiki." She said bowing politely to her fellow noble. 

Kisala was never one for formalities, but she was willing to jump through the hoops knowing that her actions didn't just reflect solely on her. The Shihoin girl's off white hair had been trimmed neater since her promotion to the vice captain of squad two, but it was still basically in it's usual mess. Her burning orange eyes looked straight at the Kuchiki, and would meet his eyes if he turned around. The well endowed woman made sure to make herself presentable, but she was not afraid to let some show. Her Zanpakuto hung at her hip in its folded position, already in its shikai form. Haruken always had preferred to stay in her released form, and Kisala never saw a reason to not allow her that.

[Matthew Hazeman]

If there was one word to be used to describe the reiatsu emanating from the farm, it was vile. While an area infested with Hollows may have possessed a certain unpleasant quality about its flavor, there would be no way to consider this as even remotely the same in quality. The reiatsu here was unusually dense, far denser than it should be in the likes of the Land of the Living. But there was more to it than that. It was almost like every shadow here was watching you. You could even see scuttling forms out of the corners of your eyes, forms that simply disappeared when you tried to look directly at them. And while the musty smell of peat was normal for the region, there was an indistinct scent lurking just beneath it as well. Something was very wrong with this place. Very, very wrong.

Elsewhere on the farm....

"My my, the Demiurge wasn't kidding about this place! Sealed up tighter than a nun's asshole here, innit?!"

"Your terms are elementary, but accurate. The shortlifers seem to have inadvertently activated the emergency protocols. A pity."

"Vorniclex knock down door?"

"Unfortunately, things are slightly more complicated than that. Between the Grey Maidens funneling reishi into it and the Feasters mucking about with the latent energies of the area, I doubt that even you could simply brute force it. It seems that this one requires a woman's touch."

"Wonderful idea! But just a wee bit complicated now, though."

"Verlain. You of all people should know that this sort of thing is my specialty. It doesn't matter how competent this Council was. I have yet to see a lock that I couldn't-"

"He means that we have company, Nualia. The depths of your blindness continues to astound me. It's like someone has lit a bonfire out there."

"... Ah. Then I better get started, shouldn't I?"

"Ooooh, more than just the firework, Blackhammer. Someone else with them, Shinigami if I had to guess by the feel. Got another party-crasher coming from the forest as well, some sort of Quincy judging by the Hollownip pourin' offa him. Can already feel some Feasters making their way towards the lot of 'em, though."

"Vorniclex knock people around?"

"... No. Not yet. Verlain, keep an eye on what happens while the intruders deal with the Feasters. Keep me informed of their capabilities, and read into them as much as possible. Vorniclex, spread the gospel to some of the plants, have them keep our guests nice and comfortable while we handle the job. Nualia, keep working on getting us inside Scarwall ASAP. The stummers should hold for a few more hours at least, and with the reishi those Feasters are pumping out, they'll be in the dark about our location until then. I expect us to be well on our way out before then, though. Understood?"

"Crystal clear, Boss!"

"Vorniclex understands."

"Mmmph."

"Good. I don't care how hard the Seireitei brings down the hammer, I'm getting that crown."

Garret

The forest around the swordsman would suddenly go quiet, with even the sounds of startled animals he had scattered dying out suddenly. It was a experience he would be long familiar with by now: Something supernatural was coming for him. Whatever it was, it would be upon him in a matter of moments. However, it was unlikely that he wouldn't be able to deal with any Hollow that tried to blindly attack him at this point. What he did to prepare for it was in his hands now.

The Vice Captains

Kisala would feel the reiatsu around them suddenly surge, as if someone had begun to vigorously stir the energy. Both Vice-Captains would hear a faint cawing in the air, one that was steadily gaining in volume. Suddenly, a rush of wind would come from the sky, and thousands of glowing, yellow eyes would open up. While it was difficult to make out their exact shapes of the creatures in the fading light of day, they seemed distinctly avian in nature, possibly owl-like. However, no normal owls would be gathered in these kinds of numbers, nor would they ever attack any spiritual being.

[Garret]

His feet came to a stop when he felt the air around him suddenly shift. It wasn't like an increase or decrease in the air pressure, as he was still able to breathe normally. No, rather it was that something had begun to stir. Garret didn't have Energy Sensory, so sensing reiatsu was out of the question for him, but a man like him, who was forced into a life of never ending battles, Garret had begun to pick up on other forms of sensory. There was danger in the air, that being the only real way to describe what Garret was sensing. Not only that, but even though it was hard to believe this already quiet forest became even more silent. The swordsman stopped moving, thus casting himself in true silence. Not even his breathing broke it, as he stood...waiting, watching, and listening.

His right arm was raised, reaching behind him and grasping the grip that extended out from beneath his cloak, before pulling free that weapon he called a sword. But, looking at it, could anyone really call it a sword? The weapon was too big, too heavy, too rough and too long to be called a sword. It was more like a slab of raw iron. Resting the weapons tip against the earth floor, Garrets eye slowly glanced from left to right. He knew something was coming from him. In the middle of the woods, Garret had plenty of foliage and trees to use as makeshift barriers and things to get between himself and an assailant.

So what was it coming for him? He wasn't sure. Hollows did not pursue him at day, and with his general avoidance of civilization due to their Hollow occupants, meant that the chances of it being one of those white masked beasts were next to none. So what was it? The swordsman lifted his weapon to the height of his waist, pointing the weapon behind him and handling the grip with both of his hands, adopting a ready position. There was no need to run, there was no need to rush to meet with something that was clearly heading for him. So Garret would stand here, ready for his coming opponent.

[Amagai Kuchiki]

Kisala's arrival was met with a warm smile from Amagai. The Vice Captain's smile was charming, and truly showed his heritage. He looked remarkably like his father when he smiled, albeit less dangerous. Which was true: Amagai was far less dangerous than Sozen, entirely intentionally. His potential was such that if he trained towards that end, he would likely surpass his father within a few decades. And yet, Amagai had no interest in such a fate. Not yet, at least.

"Vice Captain Kisala Shihoin, the honor is mine. I look forward to cooperating with you in this mission." Amagai spoke in a measured voice, yet one that was clearly still full of emotions. Even though his manner might have been somewhat rehearsed, it felt organic and original. It felt personal, to try and pin it down. Amagai seemed professional, and yet not stiflingly so. And then he flashed a slightly larger grin, one that let the professionalism slip for a moment into something goofier, something authentic, "Let's not waste any time then, shall we? Once more into the breach, dear friend, once more."

The ground around Amagai shifted, dust moving upwards as Amagai set his focus on movement. Even before Amagai moved, there was force behind his intent, which aligned perfectly with his ability to act, thus influencing the world. Not wanting to waste another second in this place full of vile reiatsu, Amagai burst into motion, before the owllike figures that were watching him or Kisala became obvious.

He pushed through the vile air, even as it started to churn, crawling down his back like sins unforgiven. He kept to a pace that he knew that Kisala would be able to keep up with, one that wouldn't tire him out particularly quickly. Amagai was fast, even amongst the Vice Captains. There were faster than him, but they weren't the average. But if he slowed down, he became more of an endurance runner. And in his path he left a trail of wispy dust clouds that seemed to beckon that Kisala follow him, ignoring the malicious intent of those that surrounded them.

Amagai had his eyes on the prize.

[Kisala Shihoin]

"Vice Captain Kisala Shihoin, the honor is mine. I look forward to cooperating with you in this mission." She nodded in agreement with the Kuchiki. "Indeed, though I wish to cooperate as much as possible, lets get this mission over with as soon as possible. I do not like the feel of this place." She said narrowing her eyes in the direction of the farm. Amagai took off and Kisala fallowed closely behind him. She was able to keep up with him for the most part, though her mind shifted to something when she felt the reiatsu in the air shift. She could tell that something was coming. "Keep your wits about you. Something is about to be upon us." 

Just as she said that, the wind picked up and the sky above them was filled with bird shaped objects. She couldn't see anything really clearly, but she could make out their glowing yellow eyes. She drew her blade, but she did not attack the creatures. She wanted to wait and see what they would do. She would attack the second that they do first. She tightened her grip on her Zanpakuto. She was splitting her attention between the avian creatures above them, and to Amagai in front of her. She took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves. She had not been on a mission like this one before, she did not know what to expect, and she didn't like it. 

[Matthew Hazeman]

Garret

Shadows began to collect in the air above Garret, each one seeming like an indistinct avian shape. Yellow eyes would glare at the swordsman from the shadows, and the cursed spirit would begin to hear faint whispers. They seemed to be coming from all around him, becoming clearer and clearer as he listened.

Greetings, mortal. Your offering is accepted. The Council thanks you for your sacrifice to revive the Thief of Life. Prepare for disablement and redistribution.

With that, hundreds of the birds would suddenly swoop down towards Garret, a hellish cacophony of shrieks filling the air as they descended upon him. The creatures were roughly the size of normal owls, so chances were good that they would be no issue for someone like Garret. However, just the sheer number present could present a serious problem.

The Vice Captains

As Amagai began to rush forward, the swarm of birds would begins to appear and fill the air between him and his fellow Vice Captain. Whispers would fill the air, slowly becoming clearer and clearer as they spoke.

Shinigami. You intrude upon affairs that concern you not. Your reiatsu shall be used to aid in the ressurection of the Thief of Life. Prepare for disablement and redistribution.

Hundreds of birds would then rush at both of the now-separated Vice Captains, screeching in hellish fury as they descended towards each of the Shinigami who had dared to intrude upon this place.

SPOILER: Click to show

{The Feasters - Individual}

Powers: For most spiritual beings, Feasters are remarkably easy to dispose of. Any hit at all will instantly discoporate them. However, once destroyed, Feasters release a "spike" of hell-based energies, which saturate the area and individuals in a 15 foot radius of themselves. In small doses, this energy is mostly harmless. However, as non-Hell races get exposed to more of this energy, their bodies begin to have an adverse reaction. Minor aches extend throughout the body after being exposed to the death of 200 Feasters, and a distinct nausea begins to settle in upon killing 400. Upon killing 600 Feasters, the formerly minor aches begin to become truly serious pains throughout the entire body. 800 dead, and the nausea becomes nearly overwhelming, with uncontrollable projectile vomiting a near certainty.

[Garret]

What was this? As Garret stood ready he found that the source of the disturbances he was feeling where not coming from ahead, or from his left, from his right, or from behind him. It was from above him. Raising his head to the sky, Garret watched as a cloud of dark coloring began to form in the air above him. Focusing his vision revealed that the dark shapes were, in fact, birds of some kind. Owls, Garret believed. "Birds?" They swarmed above him like a swarm of locusts preparing to descend down upon a field of wheat. Their whisperings filled the air, and as a result immediately pushed the swordsman into a bad mood. He had had enough of whispers for one day.

Greetings, mortal. Your offering is accepted. The Council thanks you for your sacrifice to revive the Thief of Life. Prepare for disablement and redistribution.

Well that was something. Owls didn't usually talk unless they were story book characters. What was the thief of life? He got the feeling that he wasn't going to like whatever the hell the birds were going to do to him, so the instant that they veered downwards to swarm him, the swordsman swung his sword. If simply swinging had been his intentions, then wiping out these pests would have taken much longer than anticipated. Instead, Garret had packed every ounce of his physical power into his swing, as he did each and every time, and a result of such tremendous power a force was released. Garrets swing released a wave of air, a wall of it that shimmered and distorted the natural stillness of reality.

Garret's shockwaves were basically his own version of a Hollow's Cero, or an Arrancar's Bala. It was his own signature attacks. Sure, okay, it was literally nothing more than him exerting his Titan-like physical strength upon the world, but how many other people could reach such levels of strength to produce these waves of force? Anyways, Garret released his shockwave which, as expected, created a display of exploding owl bodies once the massive wave of energy slammed itself into the much weaker creatures. Their pitiful masses, and weight, combined with the fact that they died and vanished after a single hit meant that nothing was there to stop or slow down Garrets air strike.

Within a few moments a new clearing was formed in the forest, as Garret swung his weapon a few more times, releasing three more shockwaves that cleared away more of the owls. But as he did so, Garret began to realize something was wrong. His body was beginning to ache in a way that it hadn't before. Releasing shockwave attacks had never done this to his body before, so what the hell was happening? When killed those birds seemed to explode with some form of energy, and as Garret pondered over that a picture began to paint itself in his head. Where the deaths of the owls weakening him? Like a slow working poison?

Perhaps to the surprise of the owls, Garret was suddenly gone, taking off with a Shunpo Eichi and heading further into the forest, coming out of his attack and making a full sprint in the direction he had been going in before. Sure enough, getting away from the swarm was reducing the effects he was experiencing a moment before, confirming to Garret that the swarm was nothing but a distraction. Something was out to get him, and he figured he'd find it and end it when he reached his destination.

[Amagai Kuchiki]

The surge of birds proved an irritating problem, and force Amagai's hand far faster than he had expected to be pressured. He wasn't in danger, but his ally potentially was, and he absolutely couldn't allow that. Wordlessly, the rising star of a Vice Captain released his Shikai, the words echoing hollowly in his head: Eclipse, Takibi. His Zanpakutou, attached to his side in a plain hilt, as fitting for such a plain weapon, as fitting for such a plain man, melted into pure, fiery reiatsu, and thus the gate of battle was opened.

Two rings, one on his ring finger, the other on his pinkie, were molded out of the reiatsu, connected by a band of fiery reiatsu, which solidified as a chain. Simplistic, beautiful, and deceptively powerful, mimicking it's wieder flawlessly. Amagai's soul was in sync with that of his spirit, Takibi, whose familiar reiatsu called out to Amagai's own, and asked him for assistance. And Amagai granted the spirit the assistance he needed, wordlessly activating a Kido, as the birds rushed forward towards him, sending a bolt of fire into the ground, and another one backwards to hit dead center a small boulder, a little bit away from the clearing that Amagai and Kisala found themselves in.

And just like that, he vanished. One moment Amagai was there, the next, he was gone. He vanished from his original location, and appeared standing on top of the boulder, not even breathing hard. Such speed was unparalleled among the members of soul society, because Amagai possessed true teleportation, using fire as a mechanism of movement. And now that he had a sufficient distance away from the surging foes, he had time to consider the state of combat, as well as prepare a counter attack.



Reiatsu: 2400/3000 (-400 Soukahou, -200 Shikai)
1/5 Soukahou posts
1/10 Shikai posts

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats (Because I Forgot Them)}
Strength: 50

Speed: 250 (500)
Reiatsu Strength: 350 (700)

Spiritual Pressure: 300
Instinct: 200
Senses: 200 (100)

Energy Sensory: 50

Healing Expertise: 0

Dark Aura: 0

Light Aura: 100





Kido: 3

Battle Analysis: 3

Charisma/Leadership: 3

War Strategy: 3

Strength of Will: 3

[Kisala Shihoin]

Kisala stopped when she heard the giant flock of bird like creatures suddenly appearing all around them. She found herself cut off from her fellow vice captain. It looked like she had little choice in the matter. She will have to fight. She heard something that was quite strange to her. Shinigami. You intrude upon affairs that concern you not. Your reiatsu shall be used to aid in the ressurection of the Thief of Life. Prepare for disablement and redistribution. "Who's there!" Kisala shouted, but the screeching bird creatures drowned her out. 

There were several questions flying through her mind at that moment. Who was the Thief of Life? Who was that voice that spoke to them? She shook her head and told herself to focus. She needed to deal with the current threat at hand. She drew her blade, and unfolded the four blades to put the sword into it's shuriken form. These things were flying around in the air. That made them vulnerable to the thing that Kisala was an expert at. Her Zanpakuto specialized in wind attacks, usually things flying around were subjected heavily to the whims of the wind. 

She formed four small shurikens made out of the wind itself around her. They spun in place hovering just waiting for their command to fly. She swiped the air with her Zanpakuto, and sent the four shuriken to do their jobs. They fanned out as they flew each one striking a different owl like creature. Those attacks seemed to be enough to take them out. When they died, she was able to sense the spike in a strange energy. She was not sure what it was, but she didn't want to get too close to it whatever it was. 

[Matthew Hazeman]

Garret
Garret's attacks were remarkably successful in fending off the airborne creatures, with the sheer masses of air simply splattering them into a rancid-smelling goo that was raining down on him. Seemingly unperturbed by the man's attacks, the birds would continue to try to reach him, only to be met with attack after attack. However, as the pain began to settle in Garret's body, he finally relented his assault, simply using a stepping technique to leave the creatures behind. Amazingly enough, the birds didn't seem to follow him, as if they had decided that he was not worth the trouble to pursue.

However, it seemed that he would be unable to escape a fight just yet. The cursed spirit would hear a sudden roar of flames, as well as more of the cawing of those birds. He would easily be able to head towards the direction of the noise, if he so chose to.

The Vice Captains
Amagai was quite successful in annihilating a good portion of the attacking birds that had surrounded him and Kisala, the flames of his Soukahou burning away at the birds, causing them to fill the air with a rancid, sour stench. With nary a pause between his attacks, he would punch a hole that both he and Kisala could have easily escaped from. Indeed, the Kuchiki Vice-Captain was quick to take advantage of this fact, using his Shikai to teleport out to one of the fires he had made. The end result would be most of the bird-like creatures diving to where he used to be, before they began to wheel around to try and attack him once again.

Kisala, on the other hand, seemed determined to stay put and put up a fight. Indeed, she was able to perform her desired action with her wind shuriken, with each hit killing one of the avian creatures. Sadly, the effort was not enough, as there was quite literally hundreds of the creatures around. The swarm of birds would begin to close up the holes Amagai punched through as they continued to dive towards the Shihoin Vice-Captain. Had she elected to move from her location like her fellow Vice-Captain, she might have been perfectly safe. However, now she was stuck in with the creatures. They would descend upon the girl with claws ripping and beaks tearing, each attempting to do as much damage as possible.

Elsewhere
"Sweet baby Jesus being sodomized by a Catholic! That fucking Hollow-nip guy just wiped out nearly all the Feasters who went after him! Like, those Shinigami are still struggling with some of the fucking things, and he's already home free!"

"Vorniclex go smash now?"

"No. While your strength is admirable, we still need to prepare. Your skills are better used elsewhere."

"So what, we're just going to let him waltz around the place?!"

"Of course not. Time to earn your paycheck, Verlain."

"... Shit. Fine, fine! I'll step up to the plate then. But if he kills me, I'm going to fucking haunt your ass!"

[Garret]

While, at first, Garret had believed that escaping from the birds would have dismissed the effects he was feeling on his body, it seemed that this was not the case. He could still feel the soreness inside of him, it not diminishing even as he got farther and farther away from the horde of birds which did not follow after him. Garret narrowed his eye a bit, wondering why that was. Perhaps they hadn't expected for him to have done so much damage to their numbers? Garret didn't know, but his train of thought suddenly shifted with a sound that was quite similar to a roar of flames. What now? Following the roar was the caw of numerous more birds. Well, whatever it was, it was in the line of his path. So he decided to head for it and see what it was.

[Amagai Kuchiki]

The smell that the birds emitted when burned was highly concerning. It made Amagai's stomach turn in on itself, and although he suppressed the urge to vomit, it wasn't a task easily done. He could hardly imagine what being directly next to the dying birds would be like, and made a mental note to avoid that if at all possible. As the birds surged towards where he used to be, only to realize he had moved, and recalculate, Amagai formulated a game plan.

In an instant, his hand moved up and a barrage of firey spikes flew from his hand, destroying another large chunk of the birds. As they neared him, once again he vanished, appearing in the first spot, firing another salvo. He could repeat this process for however long he needed to, until they birds were cleared out. And then he saw Kisala, suddenly buried underneath part of the bird swarm. No![/i] he mentally cried out, his heart racing at seeing an ally injured.

Another series of fire blasts arced from his hand, expertly aiming to strike at the swarm surrounding Kisala, but not Kisala herself. One of the blasts would strike a tree next to her, engulfing it in flames. Luckily, Amagai was an expert tactician with key observational skills: the tree was far enough separated from other trees that the forest wouldn't burn down. But in the instant the tree burst into flames, suddenly Amagai was bursting out from it, reaching through the birds, and grabbing Kisala.

Amagai's arms would be covered in pecks, certainly, but it was only for a second that he needed to reach through the swarm, and grab just Kisala's arm. Then, he'd teleport again, dragging Kisala through the flames with him. They'd pop out a few hundred feet away, where one of his other blasts had traveled, lighting up a small stone cave entrance in the ground. Kisala, of course, would have some burns on her arms from where she was dragged into the flames, but wouldn't be hurt by Amagai beyond that. And he could heal her further if needed.


2/5 Soukahou posts
2/10 Shikai posts