Arc 1 ~ Canon 1: Tartarus Stirs [DE, R]

[Col Arana]

Col smirked at Alice. A wicked, malicious smirk. "Oh, I assure you, you would regret facing me, my dear. I'm sure you're very competent, but absolutely nothing compared to me." He remarked. "But if you wish to try yourself, I will humor you. I'd thought to slip in undetected and have a look at this magnificent artifact of Seb's, but seeing how you've noticed me that presents a complication. And as you undoubtedly came from that encampment over there, no doubt they have been alerted to my presence as well. So it would not do to kill the witness, I suppose. Besides, any battle I involve myself in will undoubtedly ruin any semblance of stealth." He said, seemingly mulling over my options. "You say Seb is understaffed?" He asked. He pondered his options for awhile. "And you operate under your own authority? So if I so chose, I could take a position closer to Seb's base of operations, you say?" He asked. "I'm not much one for taking orders. I'm far more suited to being given a target, and eliminating them." He stated. "Ah, but you are correct. We are not properly introduced. My name is Col. Last of the Escudo." He stated, watching Alice for any reactions.

While Col spoke, he continued to listen to the battle raging on at the riverbank. "Well, let's say I play along with Seb's game for now." He murmured, lifting a hand and pointing his index finger towards the riverbank, where the battle between the Hollows raged, along with Amalia, Jak and Tatsuya's efforts to ward them off. "Hm hmmm..... Such marvelous reiatsu." Col noted, salivating quietly. Then he quietly hopped into the air. His movements were wraithlike and silent, barely brushing the leaves of the trees. A dim blue orb began to form at Col's fingertip. "Well. I'll give my contribution at least." He mused aloud. Col extended his senses to take note of the largest concentration of Hollow reiatsu on the opposite side of the river. "There we are.". In the next instant, there was a sound that was like a combination of a shriek and a thunderclap that echoed across the woods, and a colossal pillar of death exploded out from Col's position. Like an artillery shot it cascaded through the air, scything a deep furrow into the target one the far side of the river, and then detonated in a cataclysmic explosion which could be seen for miles away, likely leaving nothing but a wasteland crater in its place, and debris raining around the battlefield all about. While Cole's reiatsu strength was not quite on the level of Amalia, it was still comparable, and it completely dwarfed that of Jak Halcolm, despite the Nakabakki's considerable power. Even the formidable of Tatsuya was only a pale shadow of the raw force of this sudden reiatsu that, to everyone except Alice, had seemingly come out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly, as Col disappeared back below the treeline, landing next to Alice once more.

"There, that ought to help them out a bit." He said with a small yawn of dismissal. "Now then. Since I'm throwing my lot in with Seb today, perhaps I'll run interception towards the base. It would be disastrous if someone managed to slip through their defenses and was already infiltrating the base wouldn't it? I imagine it's my civic duty to make sure no such mistakes happen. Besides, I'm not much for the spotlight, and that little display might cause someone to come and investigate. Will you be coming with? Your detection abilities are most formidable." Col suggested to Alice.


Reiatsu Remaining: 3200/3400 (-200 for a Cero)

Col's Cero will travel through and strike at a point where the Hollow reiatsus are strongest on the western side of the river. Where precisely that is on the map, I leave up to the GM's discretion. If they feel that this would be outside of the effective range of Col's Cero, then it will hit the highest concentration WITHIN the effective range of Col's Cero. Note that Col is not PARTICULARLY concerned about friendly fire here, if that happens to be particularly close to allied lines

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

OOC: Gonna drop a post to keep this thread moving. Posting order is Jak, Amalia, and then Tatsuya. Col is free to post whenever. If Jak does not post within a week, Amalia may then post without waiting.

Alice looked physically unsettled by Col’s dark smile. The Arrancar was naturally quite creepy, but the woman also exaggerated the terror and discomfort in her face. "Oh, I assure you, you would regret facing me, my dear. I'm sure you're very competent, but absolutely nothing compared to me. But if you wish to try yourself, I will humor you.” The woman’s expression quickly shifted to one of disappointment. “Humor me? What a turn off. Guys like you really don’t know how to show girls like me a good time.” She was no longer excited about the prospects of fighting Col if he would do so only to ‘humor’ her. No, that wasn’t fun at all.

Regardless, Alice continued to listen to the Arrancar. "You say Seb is understaffed?" She nodded. "And you operate under your own authority? So if I so chose, I could take a position closer to Seb's base of operations, you say?" She nodded again, and then shrugged with disinterest. "Ah, but you are correct. We are not properly introduced. My name is Col. Last of the Escudo." Alice didn’t even meet his eye as he introduced himself, instead glancing at her wrist as if to check the time on her non-existent watch. “Not gonna lie, sketchy Arrancar guy, but I stopped caring what your name was like 20 seconds ago.”

"Well, let's say I play along with Seb's game for now." Alice truthfully wasn’t paying attention to Col. Her gaze wandered through the trees and brush of the forest, but the Arrancar quickly reclaimed her attention the moment his reiatsu spiked. Her eyes darted back to him just in time to witness an enormous cero leap from his arm, clearing a trench through the forest until it made impact at the center of the hollow army, erupting into an immense explosion. Alice’s eyes were focused and analytic as she studied the Arrancar. They carried no surprise. After all, she had already detected his reiatsu signature, so she was aware of the raw power he possessed. His latest stunt simply proved that he was going to be an interesting player in this war.

"There, that ought to help them out a bit. Now then. Since I'm throwing my lot in with Seb today, perhaps I'll run interception towards the base. It would be disastrous if someone managed to slip through their defenses and was already infiltrating the base wouldn't it? I imagine it's my civic duty to make sure no such mistakes happen. Besides, I'm not much for the spotlight, and that little display might cause someone to come and investigate. Will you be coming with? Your detection abilities are most formidable." Once more, her mood swung wildly as a bright, cheerful smile illuminated her face. “Okay, sketchy Arrancar guy. I’ll lead the way!”

---

To say that Amalia was putting in work was an understatement. First and foremost, her defense was perfectly effective. The hollow might as well have been firing spitballs at her instead of bala. The Vandenreich officer would come out of the attacks completely unharmed. ”Child’s play.” And out came the artillery. Amalia’s six black discs cut through the hollow like knives through butter, meeting barely any resistance. She took down 15 gillian in a matter of seconds. As her discs continued their rampage, the hollow all began retreating back into the forest.

Now, Amalia might be surprised when an enormous cero broke through the dense trees on her own side of the river, chasing after the retreating hollow and eliminating a dozen of them with one explosion. There were clearly individuals on Seb’s side with a similar ability to bring raw destruction upon their enemies.

Now, it was up to Amalia whether she wanted to try to find the mysterious origin of that cero in the forest or continue combatting hollow at the river. Although Douma and his subordinate were holding their own, Tom’s team at the southern end was getting pushed back beyond the river toward Seb’s base. However, she did have a 3rd option. She could even chase down the retreating hollow.

Interestingly enough, as the hollow retreated, an individual emerged to take their place. He had olive skin, long, violet hair and dark sunglasses that blocked his eyes. A gold earring dangled from his right ear. “That wasn’t very nice of you, miss,” he called to her with a cool confidence in his voice. “Let’s talk this out, man-to-beautiful-woman. My name’s Jason, and I’m the leader of my crew. What can I do for a beautiful maiden like yourself? Maybe something that might have us walking out of here hand-in-hand?”

---

Meanwhile, at K26…

Alice brought Col to the base of a large cliff spanning over 100 feet into the air. She approached the rocky incline, knocking politely against the rough stone. “Knock knock, bitches. Guess who’s back!” At first, the bount was met with silence. However, the stones began to slowly rustle in front of her. A thin, horizontal band of rock slide to the side, revealing a set of black eyes framed by pink hair.

“What the hell, no!” the woman exclaimed the moment she saw Col standing beside Alice. “You can’t bring random fucking people in here. Hell, you’re not even allowed in till your mission's over. Fuck off.” Alice looked to Col an unperturbed smile. “Give Sarah a minute, she’ll warm up to you.” In response, the woman lifted her middle finger up to the pair before forcefully shutting the camouflaged eye slot.

“Hmm…” Alice thought to herself quietly before turning her attention back to Col. “Guess that’s a no from her. Whatcha want to do now, sketchy Arrancar guy?”

The Tom Bullets FC I Should’ve Linked A Long Time Ago 

The Girl in the Cliff – Sarah Jacobs FC

Jason FC

OOC note to Jak: Once he handles that barrage of cero headed his way from my last post, he’ll have the same options as Amalia.

[Jak Halcom]

(OOC: Sorry for the delay, shit had hit the fan for me.)

Jak began evading the cero's immediatly. He was not a particularly fast fighter. He was more the type to get in close and trade blows with his opponent rather than try to avoid blows all together. Even so, that was mostly against one opponet that he can focus on, right now was the complete opposite of that. He was fighting a freaking army, and the one person that he was with decided to go balls deep into the enemy and fight them. For once he actually wished that he had Takara with him. At least then he could have some cover to charge his Chaos Bomb, but the fact was he didn't have her around, and had to deal with it. He would just need to think on his feet. 

Speaking of which. He would roll to avoid ceros, which kicked up dirt with each impact. Some of them were shot wide enough to not worry about, other were a little close for comfort. He swore with each close encounter with a blast feeling the force of the impact with each close call, but nothing that would hamper him too much. He knew that he couldn't keep dodging forever. Eventually one of them would hit. Boom! another cero hit the space he was just previously occupying. They were getting closer. He decided that he needed to retake the offensive. He needed a way to destroy multiple enemies at once. He changed his course to head near the river. 

As he ran, he fired one spirit bolt after another. Instead of flying directly to their target, some would fly past their target, others will fall short, all at different elevations, and surrounding a fairly large group of hollows. Two dozen spirit bolts floated in mid air waiting for Jak's command. He stopped for a moment and clenched his right fist. That was the go signal. He would watch as the spirit bolts would dive for the enemy closest to them. Most of them taking two to four spirit bolts, but all should be coming down. Those that were lucky enough to evade a spirit bolt's initial pass would find it coming back around to hit them again. He had to hold still for this, but he hoped that the hollows would worry more about the bolts than him right now. 

Spirit Bolt Barrage -150 1040 remaining

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

Amalia's large, bladed discs rotated around her as a large explosion erupted nearby, enveloping the frightened, retreating hollows. "Destroyed by a disease much similar to yourself. How pathetically tragic." She commented, disdain lacing her tone. "It seems everywhere I go I am accompanied by simple trash and now I must deal with that." Amalia's irritation was noticeable in her tone as the rumbles of explosion began to settle. She was not particularly pleased by the presence of an Arrancar. Hollows were one thing, but Arrancar were an even more unpredictable variable. One might think a mindless hollow was bad, but Arrancar possessed reasonable intelligence and malice. Combined these two characteristics made them unpredictable and dangerous.

Despite her disgust, she couldn't couldn't ignore her interest. Much like a hunter, seeking rare game, she enjoyed killing creatures such as Arrancar. On one hand it was sport, on the other it was her responsibility, and strong belief, to purify aspects of this world. Where better to begin purification than with the epitome of disease: Arrancar. Suddenly a voice could be heard in the distance. "That wasn't very nice of you, miss." Amalia turned her head slightly to gaze upon the strange man from her periphery. As she adjusted her posture and turned to face him, she couldn't help but notice his garish attire. My, my. She said mentally before he continued. "Let's talk this out, man-to-beautiful-woman. My name's Jason, and I'm the leader of my crew."

Beneath her mask a smile began to sprout from her lips. Even a sweet smile could be deceptive when coming from Amalia. Normally, it would indicate pleasure or friendliness, but the same rules never applied neatly to Amalia. A mere smile could mean something else entirely. "What can I do for a beautiful maiden like yourself? Maybe something that might have us walking out of here hand-in-hand?" Amalia placed her left arm across her chest and rested her right elbow on it, her hand beneath her chin. She stared at the man with unmistakable curiosity, but he was left wondering about her expression and her thoughts.

"Beautiful maiden?" She questioned. "Can you truly determine the caliber of my beauty without seeing my face? For all you know, beneath this mask could be a most hideous creature." Amalia lightly chuckled as she raised her hand and placed her fingers on the base of her disc. "Let me guess, you're here to stop me." She said as she caressed the base of the disc. She gazed at him, observing his expression despite his his dark glasses. "And you're employed by whomever controls these grotesque creatures. I'm likely a thorn in their side. Yes, that would make sense." She twirled her finger in the air causing one of the discs to rotate atop her finger.  Amalia sighed as she turned began walking away, her disks tightly clinging to the nearby space. "As thrilling as your attempt at charm has been, right now that Arrancar seems more interesting than this." 

20,325
+800
-500 teilchenaufprall maintenance 
=20,625

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

OOC: Shizuka will be taking Tatsuya’s spot in the adventure.

[Col Arana]

It seemed Col had begun to bore Alice, and his eyes glittered. Oh, she'd be very intriguing company then. Someone who demanded he keep pace with her? How rich. Col couldn't help but smirk slightly at her boldness. "My sincere apologies. I'll have to try something else to interest you." He noted.

Col was relieved to have cleared the site of his Cero. Even if someone came to investigate it now, they'd find little trace of him, unless their skill at Energy Sensory was as keen as his or Alice's. The Bount had led Col toward a cliff face with no visible entryway. Col gave a small but delighted smile. "Ah, a hidden base. How marvelous. I'm very glad you brought me with you. It would have been tremendously difficult to locate this without someone who already knew where it was." He said, in a polite tone of voice. Whether it was genuine or merely feigning politeness however, was unclear. Col watched as Alice attempted to gain entry, with little success. Upon the initial rebuke, Col interjected. "Whatever assignment you may have given Miss Alice, was not given to me. And besides, I have a report I would like to deliver~. Perhaps you might make an exception?" The arrancar chimed in, before the two were flipped off and the camoflaged panel was shut. Col raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be on pleasant terms." He noted, continuing to focus on the flow of battle. "Are you close? Or merely acquiantences by profession?" Col paused a moment to intake the battle with his reiatsu sensing. It seemed the Hollow were being forced back. "Your troops are holding the line admirably given the circumstances, I must say." But there was someone else.... A new, more potent reiatsu. He smirked. So they're beginning to bring out their heavy hitters. Hmm.... Little time to waste then.

The former Escudo's eyes scanned the cliff face. "Tell me. What is the base behind this cliff like? Is it reinforced? Or does Seb literally operate out of a cave?" He asked. "Not that I'm one to judge, nomad that I am. It is perfectly serviceable. However, if I'm to be inspecting the defenses available, it would be useful to understand just how easy or difficult it might be to breach this door." He spoke, drawling on the word "breach", as if to intone his intentions to Alice, should he receive a favorable answer. It was possible, of course, that these walls were lined by some manner of reiatsu resistant material. In which case, Col's energy could be better spent. However. If indeed it was merely a base holed up in a cave, with little but rock and steel protecting it... well. Such things might hold out a base hollow or low ranking Shinigami, but Col was confident he could enter at will, without even causing much of a mess. A precise entry into Seb's base of operations, without necessarily drawing the attention of the entire organization.

And of course, of relevance was if this "Sarah" was not provoked into further conversation by Col's brief interjection, or even if she could hear the two beyond the wall. Col lifted his own hand as if to knock again. What was he planning though? Something that, if indeed, this wall could be breached, would likely shock Alice quite a bit. And anyone else, who'd already pegged Col as an arrancar. Hado #1; Sho. An invisible wave of force. Normally used to hurl an opponent back, it could be applied to shatter a wall of stone invisibly. Col's display of reiatsu before would draw most to assume him to be a reiatsu specialist. He'd also made certain to demonstrate his advanced sensory abilities to Alice already. Exceptional perceptive skills, and remarkable Reiatsu Strength. Decent speed as well. With all of these advantages, someone like Col must be lacking somewhere right? If he worked on his reiatsu, speed and perception so much perhaps his strength must surely suffer for it? Which would possibly draw further confusion as to Col's abilities if the Arrancar were to shatter the hidden doorway with a casual knock.

However, Col momentarily refrained to seek a response from either Alice or Sarah. A showing of force like that would be utterly pointless if Sarah could be persuaded into further conversation and access gained without violence. And besides, if the cliff face was reinforced against reiatsu attacks even with Col's strength, a low level Hado would be a pointless waste of energy. Col's next move depended on a myriad of variables, pertaining the responses of those around him. So for a moment he hesitated, to garner a response.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Jak’s offensive effort eliminated another group of retreating hollow, reducing the forces of the attacking parties even further. It seemed that they had realized that it would be impossible to overwhelm Seb’s defenses with sheer numbers alone, and Jason’s appearance was an indicator of a new strategy on their part. The young mercenary was quite disappointed when he was met with indifference and neglect by Amalia. But Jason did not accept defeat, especially in the face of a beautiful single woman. She wasn’t getting away that easily.

With her back to Jason, Amalia would have no warning before several bullets flew past her. There was no sound of gunfire. She’d only feel the air from the bullets rushing past her right side and hear them bury themselves into the sand. Ten bullets were fired in total, and they formed a heart-shape in the sand in front of the Vandenreich Captain. “Baby,” he began, placing heavy emphasis on the word. “Seb doesn’t know how to treat you right. They want to use you to protect their precious Crystal. If I had that Crystal, I’d put it on a ring and slip that ring on your finger. Once we get a hold of it, I’ll ditch my crew and we can go to Hawaii, drink some mimosas, and go swimming with dolphins.” Jason appeared to be serious. Despite his charming smile and the silenced uzi gun he held casually in his right hand, his body language was void of hostility. “What do you say, baby?”

OOC: Jak is also present at the scene, so he has the opportunity to interact with Jason as well or pursue something else. That’s up to him.

---

Sarah didn’t seem to care much for Col. Once she closed the eye-slit, it remained shut. Col might attempt to scan the building with his energy sensory, but he was blocked out by some material beneath the stone. “Oh, Sarah and I? Yeah, we’re like two peas in a pod. She’s just salty that I beat her ass during job a few months ago, but that’s ancient history.”

As Col inquired about the structure of the building, Alice walked up to the edge of the plateau and knocked gently against the rock. “It looks like rock…” she said slowly while leaning in to observe the material closely before stepping back and proclaiming, “Yeah, it’s rock for sure. As for what’s behind the rock, probably some variation of spiritual steel imbued with sekki sekki, but your guess is as good as mine.”

”If I'm to be inspecting the defenses available, it would be useful to understand just how easy or difficult it might be to breach this door." Alice flashed the Arrancar a mischievous grin. “You might be more fun than I gave you credit for, sketchy Arrancar guy.” After a wink, the bount took several steps away from the cliff. “Don’t hold your punches.”

But right as Col was about to cast his spell, the stone of the cliff suddenly slid inward, creating a doorway-like opening into the plateau. From the dark corridor, the slender figure of Sarah Jones emerged, her pink hair bobbing up and down as she walked. From her facial expression, it was quite clear that she wasn’t happy. “Whatever, come in.” A dark figure stood behind Sarah, shrouded in the darkness of the corridor. He was quite tall, standing at around 6 feet and 4 inches. He had short black hair and equally black eyes.

Sarah and the man accompanying her led the way through the dimly-lit walkway as the rock closed shut behind them. From what Col could see, the walls and floor were metallic. Due to the poor light conditions, he wouldn’t be able to see how long the walkway extended. He’d have to trust the man – who hadn’t uttered a word or even made eye-contact with any of their guests – and Sarah. “Oh, this quiet guy right here is Alex- er, Alexander the Black. He’s Shanks’s right-hand man. He doesn’t talk a lot, in case you hadn’t figured that out by now.”

Alice cheerfully walked beside Col with a bounce in her steps as they walked for about ten minutes before arriving at a metal door. There was no handle on this door, and no other entrances or exits in the corridor. It seemed to be the only way in. Sarah leaned into the door, holding her face just a few inches from the metal. “Oh Blechie!!!” she exclaimed, as if she was addressing an adorable new-born baby. “I brought you the Arrancar man just like you asked.” Sarah’s demeanor then did a 180 degree flip as she turned to address Col.

“Speak clearly into the door,” she said coldly. “They can hear you. State your name, any affiliation you have to an organization, and your purpose here. If they like you, they’ll open the door. If not…” Sarah’s thumb pointed over her shoulder to the cold eyes of Alexander the Black. “… Alex will escort you out.”

---

Meanwhile, at the southern portion of the river, things weren’t looking too good for Seb’s forces. Most of them, in fact, were quite dead. Of the original fifteen or so, there were only four left standing. Three of the four were injured. One of the injured individuals, clutching his bleeding arm, sprinted away from the river bank toward the cover of the trees. “Fuck, I’m not gonna die here today,” he cried as he disappeared through the shadows cast by the thick canopy.

“Damn…” Tom muttered bitterly as he lost some of the only support he had. The fullbringer weaved backward, dodging cero as he and his team were getting pushed further and further back against the dozens of Gillian hollow that approached. Soon, Tom’s squad would be overwhelmed. By his side, a gunslinger put rounds of bullets through the masks of hollow, but his speed was lacking. The hollow, as if they saw an opening when he mis-stepped, fired three simultaneous bala right at his chest. He was killed on impact.

“Shit.” This was the first time in a while that Tom was short on words. If he lost focus and made a wrong move, he too would be blown up by the energy attacks. His only option was to fire a few shockwave punches while dancing back toward the trees. His only remaining support was a swordsman with a busted wrist. The man was useless.

I really wish those guys at Seb hired some extra hands, ha ha ha, he thought to himself with grim amusement. Fortunately for Tom, Seb did have one more contract with a high-profile assassin, and her timing was impeccable. He was about to be saved by Xcution’s top assassin.

Alexander the Black FC

OOC: Tom and his gang are at W28, fighting off the hollow marching across the river. Shizuka should make her entrance somewhere around there. The only two who should concern themselves with a posting order are Jak and Amalia. Jak has first post.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Only a single notice was sent out. Shizuka had felt the searing pain so familiar to her whenever Satsujun wanted something from his organization. The signal gripped on her heart and sanity until she overcame all other thoughts with the one true desire to obey. That was how these things went. Once they were in Xcution, their souls were bound to Satsujun's own. She was always free to leave if she willed it, but she never wanted to. Besides, the only reason the pain was so great was because she was in the middle of shopping. She had wanted to finish her trip before she left to go help whoever needed her, and that didn't fly over very well.

The Fullbringer arrived as quickly as she could after she was relocated. Even from a distance, she could hear the mayhem that was going on. She knew people were dead, and some troops were failing miserably. That must have been why she was sent out. She was practically the bare bones that held her organization together at this point, and Satsujun probably trusted her the most. She couldn't blame him when everyone else left them high and dry. A lot of members quit. The Ranks had to be minimized in order to make sure everything was even the smallest bit more orderly. It was a shame, but it was necessary.

As the blonde approached W28, she smelled what could only possibly be bodies. Corpses. She closed her eyes slowly and furrowed her brow, making note of the souls that had to have been lost that day because of this disaster. That sucked. But there were a couple of people still alive. So maybe there was hope? Well, she only way she'd find out for sure is if she continued on her path. Shizuka ran as fast as she could towards the square and locked on to another person. That must be Tom. She remembered the bio Satsujun provided briefly before Shizuka left and recognized his face. That was good. So he was still alive.

Shizuka sprinted around the area where the Hollow was, staying as far away from it as possible without going too much further away from Tom than she needed. She didn't want to risk the Hollow knowing where she was, and she hoped that it would be distracted enough to ignore her. Practically everyone else in the world aside from her seemed to be able to sense others, though, so she couldn't be sure. Still, she did what she could and stopped herself behind Tom. With a gentle motion, she made her presence known just enough for him to not be startled. A bit of heat through a minor use of Soul Command approached Tom's back.

"You look like you could use some help."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shizuka's Stats}

Strength - [100] Points

Speed - [300] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [200] = [500] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400] = [1000] Points

Light Aura - [60] Points

Dark Aura - [40] Points

Instinct - [200] = [100] Points

Senses [200] = [100] Points

Energy sensory - [0] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1400] Points

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shizuka's Skills}

[Weapon: Firearms] {3}

[Stealth] {3}

[Strength of Will] {3}

[Charisma/Leadership] {2}

[Analyzing] {2}

[Battle Analysis] {2}

[Martial Arts: MMA] {2}

[Honeypotting - The art of manipulation to obtain information. Basically, a girl gathers enough information about her target - male or female, doesn't matter - and dresses accordingly or changes how she acts to be able to get them to do whatever she wants or tell her what she needs to hear.] {1}

[Jak Halcom]

Jak watched his spirit bots tear the hollows apart. It seemed that the remaining hollows were retreating. He was smiling despite breathing a bit heavier than he would have anticipated he would. He wiped the sweat from his brow. Maybe now he would have a bit of time to rest and relax, maybe look over the local flora if there were still anything left after the battle. The local flora was quite beautiful, he was glad that he picked the one flower that he did. Otherwise, it might have been long destroyed in that initial wave. Jak reached into his pocket and felt the soft petals. Luckily it was still intact thankfully. It would be a shame to lose it now. 

Something else had caught Jak's attention. The girl he was talking to before the battle was now talking to some stranger. Jak did not see him among the other mercenaries in on the defense. Something about him Jak didn't like. He just had a gut feeling that he was not one of theirs. Jak took several deep breaths to steady himself and trudged over to Amelia and the stranger. He had managed to catch some of their  conversation during the tail end of his last attack, and his trek up to them. It seemed this guy saw himself as a regular Casanova. From what little Jak was able to catch, the girl in the mask was not too impressed with him. 

"Hey bud, the lady isn't interested." He called stopping beside the masked woman. "Persistence is one thing, but when a lady says she aint interested, she aint interested." He looked over at Amelia still keeping the stranger in the corner of his eye. "Hey I can take care of him. I can tell you have something more interesting to check out.' He returned his full attention to the man with the gun. Really? Next to swords, particularly katanas, guns just seemed so mundane, and overused with all he had seen. He has seen people launch cheese at him, shoot arrow made of energy, a toy use wind armor, the list goes on. A gun was on the less interesting end of that list. Regardless Jak got ready. He didn't know if the stranger would attack him right off or what. Either way, he wasn't getting caught unprepared. 

[Col Arana]

Seki Seki behind the stone? That would be troublesome. Seki seki repelled spiritual abilities, and while Col could certainly blast through it, given time-- time was not a luxury he had here. Besides, any attempt would unquestionably draw in more attention than he wanted at the moment. Still. It would also be the best way to attract prey. So as Col prepared to blast the door with a Hado spell, it was suddenly opened, and Sarah emerged, admitting them entrance. Well, this was much more convenient. Col didn't miss the man behind Sarah and quickly measured him up. Col had an air of arrogance about him, that made it seem like he was looking down on the man, as he entered, even as he looked up at him. The way Col looked at him... It was as though he didn't matter. That he was nobody. A cockroach, earning only a momentary glance to observe its existence, before being deemed too insignificant to continue to acknowledge its presence. But that was Col in any case. Self-assured and confident to the last. The only sign Col gave of anything ruffling his feathers, was a slight irritated look as the door sealed shut behind him. Seki-seki stone inhibited the ability to detect reiatsu so with the door sealed, even Col's energy sensory meant that the flow of the battle outside was muted to him. Annoying, indeed. It left the battle quite unpredictable.

He followed Sarah down the hall, to the door, one hand resting lightly on the hilt of the sword at his hip. Observing his surroundings and memorizing them. Once they reached the door, Col noticed the shift in Sarah's demeanor. "Is your crush beyond that door?" Col asked, bemused, only to be answered with a cold tone from the woman as she warned him that Alexander would "escort" him out if he was deemed unfit to serve. That was fine. Col didn't consider himself fit to serve anyone. While he would never call himself such a thing, Col was a rabid dog, to be pointed in the direction of the people you didn't like. And then you got out of his way. He had no allegiance to anyone but himself. A selfish creature, but one with considerable power. So sometimes it would indeed be worth it to compensate him, just to encourage him not to devour you after the job was done. As for Col himself, he saw himself above "serving" others, but was not opposed to an alliance-- if it could be made worth his while. A grin flitted across Col's face as Sarah warned him about Alexander. "Oh, I might dearly love to see that." Col then looked at the door. "My name is Col. I am the last of the Escudo." He stated coolly. "And I have come here, because I knew a great battle would be waged here... and I wanted to kill some of the powerful individuals, that would be present." He told them without missing a beat. Even the brief hesitation between his introduction and his reason for coming seemed natural, and only placed there for emphasis, rather than any concerns or awkwardness in expressing his interest. Perhaps not the answer that was expected of a potential recruit standing chest deep in what could quickly become hostile territory.

Of course Col wanted to see the new source of Seb's power as well. But murder.... devouring the strong to become strong himself... That was his real quest. To satiate the endless hunger the former Primera had left within him when she'd torn off his mask. Sowing chaos... While not a primary objective, Col still loved to see the little ants squirm and run around without their dictating presence. Besides. Chaos made it very easy to pick off the stragglers who wandered far from the pack in the confusion. If Col could kill a high ranking member of Seb (or the attacking forces, he would be quite fine with either), he expected to see dissent cause the ranks below to crumble, and open up many, many more victims that might have otherwise posed a threat to him in a group.

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

Amalia's eyes narrowed as as a smug grin passed across her lips. "...Every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other." She quoted abruptly with a eerily calm tone of voice. She turned slightly, glancing back at Jason. Her eyes carefully focused on him as her expression softened and her body relaxed. Amalia's demeanor was prone to fluctuation, which typically left others wondering her true motives. Under normal circumstances others would have an opportunity to gaze upon her face and attempt to glean some intent. However, she was unquestionably clever and it was not uncommon to intentionally mislead others. Even those who considered her a friend and ally were unsure of her motives.

She possessed an unreadable quality when wanting to do so, but Jason was unable to see her face. He could not read anything from her expression. He would need to rely exclusively on tone of voice and whatever messages he could obtain from her gaze. There was a dullness to her gaze as she looked upon him. This quality was unrelated to the sparkle her eyes possessed due to their vibrant coloring. Instead, it was as though she no longer had any investment in him as an opponent. Surely she would be pleased to kill him, but something about his actions had left her uninspired. If he had hoped to intimidate or impress her, the opportunity had been wasted. She had but two interests now, and one of those interests would render him an invalid. 

"Hey I can take care of him. I can tell you have something more interesting to check out." Amalia glanced briefly at Jak as he spoke, but paid little mind to him. He knew nothing of her motives and she didn't care to reveal them. Her attention was now on Jason, who had just finished firing bullets at her. Some might say his actions were bold, but she didn't see it that way. He had the perfect opportunity, but squandered it so he could make a fool of himself. Amalia let out a breathy chuckle from the base of her throat. "And yet, despite all our efforts to conceal the vast majority of ourselves we are left vulnerable to interpretation. The smallest thing is capable of revealing so much more than we could imagine." She said softly before turning her entire body to face Jason. 

"You desperately wanted my attention and now you have both of ours." She said, gesturing slightly to Jak. "How delighted you must be to have our undivided attention." Amalia's disks twirled around her as she placed her hand upon one. "When you first arrived, I thought you were simply another scavenger, leeching off a broken system of pirates, criminals, and thieves. What a frivolous way to spend one's life, in the servitude of grimy criminals masquerading as nobles. Power is not something you earn, it is something you're born with." Amalia detested this whole situation and all those apart of it. She wasn't fond of spending her time working alongside thugs and self-proclaimed criminal overlords. 

She simply couldn't roll her eyes emphatically enough to express her disdain. For her, the black market and all its participants were nothing but weak-willed criminals with no real merit. Amalia wasn't one for pity, however. "But you seem to be different and know quite a bit about Seb, too. I suppose you all make it your business to know one another. It makes sense. But do you know of this crystal?" She said with a lilt in her voice. "Only something with true value would persuade me in any direction. If the value is enough, persuasion is not out of the question. However, I know so little about you and here you know I am employed by Seb. That's not very gentlemanly of you." She said playfully.

"It might be a safer alternative as my colleague here has demonstrated a rather protective nature." She remarked with a flirtatious tone as she stepped toward Jak. She placed her hand on his left bicep and let her fingers slide across his muscular frame and onto his shoulder. She trailed behind him, gliding her finger across her neck and leaning in, her head near his right shoulder. "You would also be interested in knowing slightly more about dear Jason, right? I mean, look at him. He could have done so much worse back there and yet he was kind enough to show me mercy. Perhaps we should hear him out." She stepped forward as her discs encircled them both. She glanced back at Jak for a mere second and winked. "Surely you must see the benefit of this." She then turned to face Jason. "Alright. We're all ears." She responded with interest in her tone. She leaned to the side and placed her arm on Jak's shoulder. 




20,625
+800
-500 Teilchenaufprall 
=20,925

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

"You look like you could use some help."

Tom turned to find the source of the voice, and a pleasant smile appeared on his face when he saw Shizuka. “Yes please, lady.” Even as Tom spoke, he leapt back past Shizuka, taking cover in the trees. There were 35 or so hollow in the river, slowly approaching the jungle. “Though I’m getting kinda burnt out.” Tom, who seemed to be a close-range fighter, acknowledged that he couldn’t maintain his same fast-past evasive and aggressive maneuvers. He his stamina was simply drained. Beside him, his last ally other than Shizuka had been slain by a rapid bala strike. Unless he sought cover, he’d eventually tire out and succumb to the attacks as well.

Shizuka had two obvious options. She could provide some cover and retreat alongside Tom, buying time for them to restrategize and recover their energy. The other was option more flashy. Shizuka would have to muster enormous destructive force and demolish the majority of hollow in a short period of time, just as Amalia had earlier. While the Xcution assassin was not limited to these two approaches, they were the most apparent choices before her. She could employ her experience or creativity to determine the best course of action, but she’d have to act quickly. If the woman idled too long, she’d find a barrage of cero and bala heading her way.

---

In the meantime, Amalia, Jak, and Jason were all engaging in some friendly conversation. "Hey bud, the lady isn't interested."Jason raised a questioning eyebrow toward the nakabakki, like he was surprised the man even spoke to him. “And you are...?” Strangely, he wasn’t insulted by Jak’s words. The challenge posed by the nakabakki seemed to only pull on his smile.

"Hey I can take care of him. I can tell you have something more interesting to check out.”

Jason let out a loud, hearty laugh. “Hahahaha, that’s funny,” he cried, wiping imaginary tears from his eyes. “You don’t know anything about me, do you?” he asked as his laughed died down. “I may not be the biggest, baddest bad guy out there, but you don’t get to my position if a guy like you can ‘take care of me.’ No offense, man, but I was watching your little exchange. You’ve got some potential, but you’re nowhere near where you’d need to be for me to take you seriously. But I’ve got plenty of room to expand my team, and there might be a place for you on it. Feel free to send an application my way, big shot.” Jason sent a flashy wink Jak’s way. This whole interaction was strange. For some reason, Jason was getting a kick out of it.

"You desperately wanted my attention and now you have both of ours. How delighted you must be to have our undivided attention."

“Bingo, baby. You’ve got some quality brains behind that beautiful body.” Jason was fairly show and a little obnoxious, but he gave Amalia his attention when it was her turn to talk. He nodded along, his eyes alternating between both her and Jak – studying their expressions as the woman spoke and made a move on the nakabkki. He wasn’t bothered by her flirtatious action. Just based on his attentiveness, it was apparently that Jason was quite focused. He seemed like his was playing around earlier, but that was all a front. This was business.

“First thing’s first, baby, I’m not like those other criminals. Don’t even put us on the same playing field. I’ve got too much ambition – too much vision – to be content with cashing in checks for a living. That chick started me off with only 25 hollow, but when I figured out how the game worked, I built an army. There’s no comparing me to those other street slum.

“Do I know of this crystal? Heck, you probably know as much as I do. It exists. That’s for sure. There’ve been too many rumors from different sources for the Crystal to be a myth, and I wanna get my hands on it. That’s where the value is, baby. You want persuasion? There it is: let’s get that Crystal. If you’re asking me about it, then I bet Seb hasn’t let you get even close to the thing. But I have a feeling that you and I are the same. Money’s for the street trash and thugs. We’re in it for the power.”

Jason began walking toward Jak and Amalia, walking on a platform of air ground just above the surface of the water. He approached slowly, still carrying his automatic gun in his right hand. There was no trust among criminals, but there was still opportunity. He recognized that, and perhaps Amalia and Jak would also see him as an opportunity. “How do you two feel about joining Jason’s crew for the day?”

---

"Is your crush beyond that door?"

Sarah turned to Col with an irritated glare. Her anger burned through her eyes, but the woman suppressed her emotion. Through her teeth, she muttered maliciously, “Do you own a toothbrush?” It didn’t matter if Col had bad breath or not, she’d throw the insult regardless. Sarah obviously didn’t make the call to admit Col, and she certainly wasn’t happy to respect it. Unfortunately, orders were orders.

“My name is Col. I am the last of the Escudo.” Sarah, Alexander, and Alice had no reaction to Col’s words. Alice and Sarah both raised her eyebrows uncertainly in response, although Alexander remained stoic. From first glance, it would seem that none of those present knew of the Escudo. Col was a relic of a secretive organization. For that reason, he couldn’t expect the average criminal to give him the respect someone with the power of a Zarpa of the Escudo deserved.

“And I have come here, because I knew a great battle would be waged here... and I wanted to kill some of the powerful individuals, that would be present." Alice’s jaw dropped. “Motherfucker… I’m not powerful enough for you to fight, huh?” she appeared visibly angry, clenching her fists and shaking with exasperation. “I see how it is, sketchy Arrancar guy. Fuck you, too.”

Other than Alice’s outburst, Col would be met with over a minute of silence from the other end of the door. After that short period of time, a low, thunderous voice rang through the door, echoing in the walkway behind the group. “There is no battle within this facility. If you seek battle, look by the river.” It seemed that Seb would not entertain the Arrancar. “If you emerge victorious, only then may you return to receive monetary compensation."[/i]

As the echoes of the deep voices faded, Sarah brought her hands together in a clap. “Well, that’s that,” she said with glee. Col’s rejection by Seb had certainly lifted her spirits. “Hasta la vista. Feel free to show yourselves out.” Sarah waved goodbye, stepping in between Col and the door he spoke into. She wanted to make sure he didn’t try any funny business. Just in case things got hostile, Alexander positioned himself beside Sarah. They were prepared for any escalation.

Alice’s gaze shifted between Sarah and Alexander before eventually falling on Col. “So, what’s the plan now?” She asked, her previous rage replaced with genuine curiosity. She followed Col in pursuit of two things: a show and some action. So far, she had gotten neither. “If you’re really adamant about getting an ass whooping, I’d be happy to deliver it once we get outside.”

[Col Arana]

Col wasn't surprised at the rejection. At all. True, he'd played with the possibility, but he had already known the unlikelihood of a desire to kill others being sufficient. That was unsurprising, and he had not even glanced at Alice when she expressed her frustration. "Well. Perhaps you will be able to show me your capabilities soon enough. Then I'll see if you are worthy of the time it would take me to kill you." He commented to her, as Alexander and Sarah barred his way through the door. "A pity." He said, and began to turn to leave. "The river you say? There were a few there, I suppose. None that particularly intrigued me, though. What a shame." He stated as he began his exit. "Let me see.... there was a Quincy, wasn't there? I was very surprised to see that." He said as he stepped away from the door, his back to Alexander and Sarah. It sounded like he was rambling. Like he just liked hearing the sound of his own voice. The arrogance was strong in this one, alright. But so too, was Col's wrath. "And I think I sensed a Shinigami earlier? A spiritual specialist..." He sighed. "Do you realize how dull it is to face the Shinigami? Especially spiritual specialists and their little kido spells. I've killed so many shinigami, did you know I've actually memorized some of those ridiculous chants?" Another step. "What was it? Something like... Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!" Col expressed in a grandiose albeit mocking tone, and gave a soft chuckle as though making fun of the incantation. He gave a sigh. "Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro."

And then something that Alice and Alexander probably didn't expect happened. Six rods of light abruptly formed and slammed around Alexander. A kido spell. Rikujokoro, just as Col had been saying. Lack of knowledge of the Escudo may have come to bite them at this juncture, for there was, in fairness, almost no way that they could have expected an arrancar to properly cast a Bakudo. Arrancar typically could only employ Cero and Bala. Something like this... should have been impossible. At least not without releasing first. But Col had still done it, and with a full incantation at that, massively amplifying the power of the kido. As for targeting? Col had turned his back and begun walking away for a reason. Crossing his arms in front of his body, it was child's play to extend out his index finger to point at Alex, completely hidden in the folds of his coat. Alex was the enforcer. Wasn't that it? He was probably the more dangerous of the two, between Alexander and Sarah. Still. Sarah could have unusual abilities too. That was why Col wasn't stopping there. The instant the light rods appeared and pinned Alexander, Col spun around. "Hado #1! Sho!" He declared, thrusting his right arm forwards. An invisible pulse of force was aimed at Sarah this time, to blast her away from Charlotte Katakuri.... Dogtoo ...Alexander. For all Col knew she had some kind of purification ability, and so it was better to put some distance between her and Alexander.

"I've decided on a new arrangement, Seb." Col declared. "If these two of yours are actually worth the time it takes for me to kill them, I will do precisely that, and go down to the river to find my prey. I'll consider their lives my payment." He determined. "As for you, my dear." He said to Alice, giving her a sidelong look, while maintaining focus on Alexander and Sarah. "It's really up to you. I don't mind if you want to wait your turn, fight alongside me, join them against me... For my insult, however, I will gladly accept your challenge at any time." He told her, drawing his Zanpakuto, but watching Alexander and Sarah closely. Sarah had likely been thrown back with considerable force. She likely wouldn't suffer too much injury despite being hurled into a wall by his Hado spell, but it would be disorienting and give him a momentary opening perhaps. As for Alexander, Col had bound him with a very strong kido spell. Rikujoko may only have been a mid-level kido but it was powerful and fast, and Col had added the full incantation, increasing the power of the kido by 25%. Unless Alex possessed an unfathomably strong reiatsu strength, or physical strength, breaking free unaided would be nearly impossible.

"I see my introduction was lost on you, but no matter. I've never been one much for title's anyways." Col hefted his Zanpakuto in one hand, and held the other free, aimed at Sarah. A bala formed there and then hung in the air. "Allow me to rectify that. My name is Col Arana. And today I am your executioner!" He declared as he lunged at the immobilized Alexander with a skewering and lethal thrust at his mid-section. His attack was straightforward, and aggressive, but Col was not being arrogant. ....Okay. He was, in picking this fight, but he was open to the possibility of Alexander breaking free somehow. Although it was a powerful, lethal lunge, he was mindful of this and could break off from the thrust if something happened. As far as Col saw it though, there was only benefits to this situation. Either Alexander was impaled and died outright, or he or Sarah revealed their abilities. Either one was fine. Either way, Col was, deep down inside, looking forward to this fight. And perhaps Alice would get a decent show out of it as well. 

Reiatsu Remaining: 3105/3400 (-120 for Bala Durmiente, -25 for Sho, -150 for Rikujokoro)

Rikujokoro strength: 1750

[Jak Halcom]

it didn't seem that the stranger was phased at all when Jak decided to enter the conversation. His intention was not primarily to intimidate, though that would have been a helpful outcome, but more just to announce his presence. After he had spoke to Amalia, the man seemed to burst into laughter. Jak glared at the man who seemed to see Jak oh so amusing. Jak did not like to be mocked. Call it a cliche, but he was rather prideful about his fighting capabilities. This man who did nothing but watch so far was underestimating Jak. That was something Jak knew that got people killed. The cockier someone has become the more susceptible they were to it.

“You don’t know anything about me, do you?” Jak would give him that. He didn't. Nor did Jak care.  “I may not be the biggest, baddest bad guy out there, but you don’t get to my position if a guy like you can ‘take care of me.’ No offense, man, but I was watching your little exchange. You’ve got some potential, but you’re nowhere near where you’d need to be for me to take you seriously. But I’ve got plenty of room to expand my team, and there might be a place for you on it. Feel free to send an application my way, big shot.” It was Jak's turn to laugh. Not much compared to Jason. It was a low chuckle rumbling in the back of his throat.

"Well you don't know much about competent fighters then." Jak started an eager smile. "We never show all our tricks in the first round." Jak wanted nothing more than to walk over there and punch him in his smug, prick face. His face might show a confident smile, but his eyes showed a near uncontrollable anger ready to be unleashed. Jak would have gone through with his desire to, to whatever end, but Amalia caused him to hesitate when she suddenly spoke telling Jason that now he had both of their undivided attentions. He waited as she talked listening to her, but keeping his crimson eyes still focused on Jason. He focused on him to the point where he just about tuned out Amalia.

A finger on his left arm brought him out of his focused trance. His eyes shifted quickly to Amalia running her finger up his arm his body tensing slightly. It was an odd feeling for Jak. He had not had much experience when it comes to...this. He had little experience when it comes to anything flirtatious or romantic in any form. Despite having a body that most women would clamor for, Jak's glowing red, chained, right arm kept normal humans as far away from him as possible even when he is in a good mood. Those who dwelled within the world of spirits and interacted with them usually saw him as nothing more than an animal to be put down. As Amalia's finger reached his left shoulder he relaxed a bit returning his focus to Jason, but now aware of Amalia.

"It might be a safer alternative as my colleague here has demonstrated a rather protective nature." She turned to Jak who finally let his eyes move away from Jason to look at Amalia. "You would also be interested in knowing slightly more about dear Jason, right? I mean, look at him. He could have done so much worse back there and yet he was kind enough to show me mercy. Perhaps we should hear him out." Jak did not really care to know more than he already did. To Jak the only thing that mattered was that he was their enemy, and that meant they needed to kick his ass. He was a simple man. Jak knew and accepted that. Still he relented. "Very well." 

He listened to the man's spill mostly just validating what Amalia just said. Now Jak wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he accepted his lot in life as a fighter not a thinker, but he was questioning the whole reasoning of why they WOULD join with Jason if they wanted to take the jewel from themselves. "Not to poke holes in your offer, but what is stopping us from continuing to fight you, win, and then just go through Sebs weakened defenses to take the jewel for ourselves?" Jak knew there was no "us" when it came between him and Amalia, but he didn't think Jason would have known that. Jak would keep a fairly stoic expression keeping his arms crossed and his feet slightly narrowed. That was the closest thing he would come to a relaxed position.

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

Amalia delivered a disarming smile to Jason as he offered for them to join him. It seemed as though he didn't know much, though Amalia knew better than to believe someone like him. He had already revealed much about himself and his motives were becoming clearer. He wasn't in the business of being clueless. His success in this field was dependent upon knowing more and revealing even less. Amalia could respect a good poker face, but wondered how Jak would feel about this. 

Jak was slightly less clear in her eyes. She hadn't yet interacted with him enough to know better, though there was chivalrousness about him. Or perhaps he simply didn't believe Amalia was capable of caring for herself. Either way, the prospect of having two men on her side was intriguing. Amalia's allegiance was a tenuous one. She was fickle like that. You had to truly do something special to hold her interest and nothing Seb had done had guaranteed her loyalty. She was now thinking it was wise to wear a disguise. They would be less inclined to trust her if she were known to be a Sternritter.

"I bet Seb hasn’t let you get even close to the thing." Amalia placed her hand on her chin as her finger pressed against her cheek. "Good point." Suddenly Jak spoke up in response to Jason. "Not to poke holes in your offer, but what is stopping us from continuing to fight you, win, and then just go through Sebs weakened defenses to take the jewel for ourselves?" Amalia leaned back and stood beside Jak. Her eyes widened as her expression beneath her mask brightened. She pointed casually toward Jak, "Another good point. It seems we have so many options here today. And to think I expected to be bored."

It appeared Jak had not taken issue with something Jason had said. Amalia's mouth widened as she grinned, her eyes narrowing on Jason. "But he has a hollow army." She said lackadaisically. "That chick gave them to you, but with your genius you managed to create a large horde. That is quite the achievement. To think a simple fullbringer would manage to control such mindless beasts as hollows." She circled around Jak and began walking toward where the bullets outlined a heart. She leaned down and touched the bullets, outlining the design with her fingers.

She glanced over at Jason and smiled with her eyes. "Quite the display of ingenuity, though I'm surprised someone who boasts of his power would need to rely on the likes of hollows. I suppose you have your reasons. Though maybe you're merely a slave leading other slaves. This chick, as you put it, offered them to you. Maybe you're the real puppet, not the hollows." She added with a faint chuckle. "I'm sure that isn't the case, though. I mean, you have skill. That much is evident. You probably know everything there is to know about this chick, right?" She began walking toward Jason. 

"You don't seem like the type to be controlled. You do the controlling, unless I am wrong and she truly is pulling all the strings. You might have these hollows on a leash, but she did give them to you. I hope me killing so many of them didn't harm your authority any." As she neared Jason she raised her hand and wagged her finger, gesturing him toward her. "Come closer. Making a lady do all the work is not gentlemanly." Amalia would attempt to slide her hands up his arms, grabbing his biceps before glancing directly into his eyes.

She began to say softly. "I have no real attachment to Seb, especially if they keep secrets. I could be persuaded if the right offer came by. If the offer is lucrative enough I would gladly pledge my loyalty to that person as long as they assured to keep me safe. I mean, someone like you..." She said as she glided her finger across his chest and let her hair fall and sweep across his neck, leaning on him. "Someone strong. The man in charge. The man who is out for power. I am attracted to power, I must say." 

She then leaned in and whispered very softly into Jason's ear. "But what do we plan to do with him?" Her eyes centered on Jak. "If he can't be persuaded then will you or I deal with him? I'm not certain I can." Her whispers were so soft only those with superior senses would be able to hear what she said, other than Jason. "I'm not particularly fond of hollows, but using them as grunts could be useful. Perhaps this woman can show me how to control them as she does you. Or is she no longer int he picture. Either way...him. Your thoughts?"





20,925
+800 at end of post
-500 teilchenaufprall
21,225