[PM] [8th/9th/7th] Week ---: Masks and Rubble

Mystydjinn · Jan 16, 2014

Hikaru stepped through the senkaimon and peered at his surroundings. Sad, broken and dismal, just like the slums he found Choko in on his three hundred eighty fourth birthday, or death day rather. They were still the same way he remembered them, even her house was still an old charred mess. Very much unlike her own.

However as the lone soul reaper scanned the horizon with his orange eyes, the sapphire head was nowhere to be seen. "Oh well," he sighed, "I guess it couldn't be that easy, luck hasn't been on my side lately anyway." The mage spoke truthfully, the main reason he had come to earth was to try and deal with his problems. However today it seemed, trouble would follow him here anyway.

Hikaru stretched and began walking through the gray rubble with his sheathed zanpakutou hefted onto his shoulder, 'I'll just look for her after I'm done with the kesode thingie,' he thought. The Mage had come to earth to look for a friend of his, under the guise of a soul burial mission. The spell blade hadn't expected danger but, he needed Getsumei for the execution of his mission. Besides, anything can happen could happen.

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FogOverLondon · Jan 17, 2014

Elsewhere, having recovered most of his injuries in the care of the Orpheus, Absalom had completed the requisite de-briefing, filing his year-overdue report on the death of the Lady Amrit. It was a heavy-hearted task but he had finally found a milestone in the process of his grieving, feeling as though he could finally begin to move forward.

But that wasn't the end of his troubles. His mysterious attacker had injected him with some kind of drug, rendering him blind, as a direct effect and, secondarily, culling his recovery with nightmares, dreamscapes where he was fully aware and would fully remember. Amid the nightly tortures of his dreams, he was quickly beginning to believe that he was going mad; unable to distinguish reality from fantasy almost entirely. He was beginning to think he had lost his luck, though at least the tremors and convulsions he had first-experienced were finally over with.

After refusing the assistance of his fellow agents, the proud Englishman had been lost for almost an hour while trying to make his way to a pay phone to call Natalie, Darius' old partner who had retired and gone silent after the death of the Amrit heiress. If anyone could help him, it was Natalie, who had specialized in mission coordination and intelligence gathering.

Stumbling through the rubble, he fell to his knees near Hikaru, the noise catching the Shinigami's ear.

[232]

Mystydjinn · Jan 23, 2014

"What the-?"
A small clattering of rocks and gravel behind him alerted the mage to someone's presence, particularly a human's. He turned around slowly gripping his zanpakutou, and almost jumped a foot in the air. There was a dead guy laying on the ground behind him, or maybe just unconscious. Hikaru could see faint breathing in his chest and stooped low to help him, the human might not be able to see him but he could still help out. Besides its not like it'll end the world or some shit right?

So Hikaru picked the man up and put his arm around his shoulder carefully, and began walking in what he hoped was towards a hospital. It'd been six years since he'd been in japan, or rather seven now. So his memory might have been a little off. As they half-walked, half-limped towards civilization and hopefully... Intelligent life. The death god made a few attempts to wake the man up, or keep him awake, not necessarily in that order.

^{Sorry if it sounds weird, trying a new writing style.

169}

FogOverLondon · Jan 23, 2014

Reanimating in the wake of consciousness, alerted to the prodding of another at his Victorian-esque era gentleman's clothing, Absalom violently reacted by grabbing Hikaru's wrist. Was this a dream? Had he finally spent the last of his focus grounding him in reality, to trade it for an unwelcome affront to his person?

Throwing his grip away, he roughly gave the wrist a sharp squeeze as he released, as if to communicate his intent silently. The nimble young man, hailing from the gates of the afterlife, leaped back a few feet, his robes fluttering gently as he landed.

Now raised fully erect to a standing position, it was mostly adrenaline that helped Absalom to his feet. Stoking the fires of his anger, he recognized the sound of the enemy's flowing attire and reattached the sound to the scene in his memory, as he revisited the night he had been attacked.

He had to calm himself, he had to kill them! He had to be focused, but how?

Fire filled his chest and the glasses-wearing operative bellowed a scream to try and bent his elbows in toward his body as his powers began to form. Absalom's psychic fists now hovered translucently at his side and Absalom charged.

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGHHHHHH!" Screamed the man, while he leaped into the air and brought down his fury upon Hikaru.

Moments seemed to slow as the Volkswagen Beetle-sized fist clenched and swung down hard, hoping to crush Hikaru into a lifeless mush.

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Mystydjinn · Jan 30, 2014

What the hell? Hikaru exclaimed leaping backwards away from the man and drawing his blade, had he stumbled across the Hulk while looking for a soul? Just his luck.

He looked up at the man and narrowed his eyes, then a second later he was gone. When he reappeared, Hikaru was standing above him in the air reciting the words to a simple binding spell, " The first ring comes in the morn. The second ring seals in the afternoon. The final ring binds at the day's dusk. Bakudou number ten, Sealing Rings."

Three golden bands formed quickly around the raging man binding his arms to his sides, and keeping his boulder fists in check. Something is seriously wrong with this dude, he doesn't need a hospital he needs a psyche ward, The spellblade thought narrowing his eyes at the man before him, and walked slowly down from his lofty position using the ambient reshi as a staircase. Its only been the first time he'd done this and he was already wandering away from his orders. Thankfully however his goal was in sight, now if only he could deal with the pissed, hulking, nut job on the ground without killing him.

FogOverLondon · Jan 31, 2014

As he wriggled on the ground, the Orpheus agent, blind and helpless raged. He was still unsure if this was a dream, although it was a strong indicator that he had never met the young man before. And even though the stress on his mind was mounting, he struggled.

His screaming was so loud and so incoherent, that he could feel his voice going hoarse. But the insult of his enemy, who had bound him to his fate-in-darkness, was too much.

Absalom nearly lost all ability to sense Hikaru in his rage, but managed to finally break free of the warm, solid bindings that had mysteriously appeared around him.

The spell violently collapsed as he staggered to his feet. He flailed wildly, with his psychic fists following his movements, albeit removed from his person by several feet, as he established a defensive range. Then, after a few moments, he called out angrily to his foe.

"Who are you?! Why did you do this to me?!" he yelled, voice fading for just a moment from hoarseness.

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Mystydjinn · Feb 4, 2014

Ugh, questions. At least the guy's calmed down some, the shinigami thought as he slowly descended back to the earth, when his feet touched the ground he sighed and answered, "Self-defense jerk, you're the one who started swinging Hulk fists all over the place. I was trying to help."

The spellblade took three cautionary steps forward, keeping his left hand on his zanpaktou. This dude was obviously disturbed, and delirious, maybe even insane. Hopefully he could diffuse the situation before it broke out into a real fight, if it did the wayward soul he was looking for could be devoured before he got there, and that would not look good for his first mission out.

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notes

FogOverLondon · Feb 6, 2014

His heart was racing. The darkness that had initially shrouded him for days now, was slowly becoming a collection of sounds and pictures. He couldn't see, but he could sense Thanoresonance. Those things that emitted the energy became like lights, flickering gently in the dark.

"You're lying!" He said angrily, "If you won't tell me willingly, I'll force you to tell me!"

The large translucent fists flattened themselves and thrust down into the pavement, grabbing up a single, large chunk of the black parking lot. The chunk was roughly the size of a four-wheeler "all terrain vehicle", or ATV, and tossed it in Hikaru's direction. Absalom wasn't very fast, at least not by supernatural standards, but he was fast for a human. His renewed offensive, hopefully, would force his enemy to dodge, allowing him the opportunity to push his attack forward.

[143/794]

NPC Stats: Ethan Absalom Barclay - Orpheus Consultant

Mystydjinn · Feb 11, 2014

Hikaru easily dodged the boulder with a sidestep, and stopped inches from where it crashed into the ground. Then flipping the blackened metal of his zanpakutou around backwards in his hand, he stood ready for confrontation.
It looks like there's no talking to this guy, I'll have to beat the crazy out of him. Maybe I can bring him back to his senses long enough to figure out whats going on... Dammit, looks like my plans for the day just went out the window, he grumbled to himself sourly, Choko will have to wait.

For now he had to focus his attention on the present threat, he was being forced to fight an enemy he couldn't hurt. "I already told you why I'm here, now would you stop acting like a two year old throwing a tantrum and calm down? I'm not here to hurt you," Hikaru shouted to the man, edging closer again, "just hear me out at least."

FogOverLondon · Feb 12, 2014

By this point, Absalom was breathing heavily; his heaving, mostly drawn from panic. Could he really trust the young, disembodied voice? Was this another effect of what he had been forcefully injected with? Another dream? A delusion? He had been living a waking nightmare for days now, after all. The part-time Orpheus Agent tried to uncoil his stance, allowing his psychic fists to rest at his side a little. Carefully, cautiously, he stepped forward, attempting to believe the warmth in Hikaru's voice. The Brit was hesitant but found himself, his body compelled against the divisiveness of his thoughts. He walked forward, as if accepting the Shinigami's plea for talk.

Hear him out? Am I going crazy? Maëlle...

No.

He couldn't, he wouldn't! It was a trap! It had to be! He had been surprised once... not this time!

"I told you," he said, "I'll make you tell me what you did to me!", releasing a short, low, psychic jab directly toward the front his enemy.

[168/962]

Mystydjinn · Feb 12, 2014

That was shortly met with steel, Hikaru had managed to draw his blade just in tome to stop the blow, forcing them into a deadlock. Why do I always get the crazy ones, huh? Hikaru grumbled inwardly to himself, and shifted his weight forward. The man obviously held the high ground in terms of raw power, his technique and mobility were lacking however, Guess I'll have to dance with him, but how long can I keep it up?

He was stuck between a rock, and a hard place. He had two options: throw morals out the window and kill him, or keep playing "keep away." I can't kill him, I'm not Reshin, he grimaced, as the man's fist made him dig his feet into the ground. Then his face lit up for a brief moment, his release had to do with nightmares. Sure it'd be only the second time tapping Getsumei's power, that and he

Its better than losing a death match to a stranger. If you won't kill him you'd better do something,The spirit growled angrily at him, eliciting a minute burst of light from the purple jewel in the silvery hilt. The spell blade didn't like the idea much, but his friends would never let him... "Die it down" if he lost to a psycho.

He sighed, attempting to clear his mind and visualize his mind scape. Then began speaking slowly and carefully, "Moonlight..."

lilmangoseed · Feb 13, 2014

"I honestly thought this battle was going to be more interesting by now," a young woman yawned as she leaned back and brought her arms behind her head. Tan skin was lit in the amber light, and her hair was cropped in a short, punkish bob with red streaks sliding through naturally dark strands. She was dressed in a suit vest with a sleeveless blouse underneath with matching tight black pants, and over her face was a pair of glasses with gray-green lens. Watching outside the window, she looked upon Hikaru and Absalom who continued their rather dull bout. "I mean, really, just look at them, Seig. They might as well be dancing. You know, when she decided to use the serum on Barclay, I really thought that he was strong. But he's just a weiner. My grandmother would do a better job than him. He hasn't even laid a mark on that Wraith yet. Not a single one!"

"Relax, Atsura," a tall man with short dirty blonde hair replied from the floor as he looked at a laptop screen with numbers and bars that quickly spread across the monitor. He too was dressed in a suit and wore a matching pair of gray-green glasses over his eyes. "Give it some time. This is supposed to be a test run anyway. Plus, even if Barclay fails to take out that Wraith, she'll be here to neutralize him herself."

"I know, I know." Her eyes pulled away from the window, and she sauntered toward Seig in a pair of black converses. Every step caused a small puff of dust to lift from the ground. The pair were in an abandoned, empty room with nothing but a single, hanging creaky light, the outside noise, and the reflection of the computer screen to bring life into their vicinity. She wrapped her arms around Seig's muscular, broad shoulders, rested her head against his, and looked at the monitor with him. "At least both of them have increased their Dynamism," Atsura admitted.

"Barclay is the stronger of the two, especially with the serum to give him a boost." His eyes stayed fixated on the screen as he typed a few codes into the system. "If he's able to just knock the Wraith out, then we won't have to bother calling her."

"That's a big 'if' considering his poor performance up until now."

"Like I said, give it some time," he replied calmly, clicking a tab.

"Five minutes then." She pulled back and made her way toward the window. "Otherwise, I'm calling her or neutralizing them myself. The last thing we need is for someone to notice them and get more witnesses involved."

[448]

OOG: I'll give you guys' another week before I jump in to interrupt the fight. I know you two have been working on this for almost a month, but try to make the battle more dynamic. Take a few shots, up the tempo, and utilize more of your abilities. It'll make the battle more interesting for both the readers and especially you as the writers.

<3

Mystydjinn · Feb 14, 2014

"Pāsu yami, endo akumu no chisei o gekkō, Nightmare soldier."
As the release command words slipped past his lips the spellblade felt a small surge of power run throughout his body, then there was a flash of black light and Getsumei's scythe form appeared in his hands. Hikaru found himself in an interesting situation, he was seeing his mindscape in front of his eyes simultaneously with reality.
What the hell-? he wondered confusedly, whats going on?

You released me on your own will, what exactly did you think happened? Getsumei the blade's snarky squatter in queen victoria's lost wardrobe,You needed help so here I am, speaking of which do you realize this is the first time in months you've spoken to me?

The situation was highly disorienting for the death god, seeing two planes of reality at once was bad enough, but dealing with her in the middle of a fight was more than he bargained for. She had taken to resting her arms loosely around the human's shoulders, though he and the rest of the world were completely oblivious to what Hikaru was seeing. His deadlock with the man's giant fist was still in effect and he had somehow gotten the scythe blade wedged in between the psychokinetic fingers when he released, preventing him from breaking away.
Hikaru gritted his teeth and shifted his weight backwards, digging the tip of the scythe into the large fist while pulling to throw him off balance. Well I'm sorry you were so lonely, but right now is not the time to deal with partnership problems. I'm kind of busy at the moment, he said glowering at the moonwraith, then tried to turn his attention back on the problem at hand, "Hey crazy stranger, stop swinging and let me help you!"

shikai notes

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FogOverLondon · Feb 17, 2014

For Absalom, it was too late for words. He had voiced his only demand and received no answer. His anger was at its peak, and he just knew that his young foe had the answers. He had attacked him, or someone like him and the mewling of this cub wouldn't deter him, not in the slightest.

Feeling himself being pulled forward, he gave into the draw and closed the small space between them. Silently commanding his psychokinetic hands, his left bore the mental strain of the embedded scythe and swatted away. Knowing that the scythe would not be dislodged so easily, Absalom sprung off of the pavement until he was directly upside down over the Grim.

With only a few feet between them, the part-time Agent stretched his glasses-veiled view "upward" to his enemy and let loose a moderately powered right directly downward. Fluidly transitioning while he tensed his body to hang in midair, as well as any Olympic Gymnast would, he drew his sidearm while his original attack crashed below him. In to what, he couldn't tell; since smoke kicked up when it landed.

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Notes

Mystydjinn · Feb 24, 2014

The smoke cleared slowly, revealing Hikaru crouched down on his knees with his arms high above his head. There seemed to be just a small blue disc in between himself and the fist, and in the center of that fist was a silver dream catcher fastened to his wrist. The mage blinked and looked up in surprise at his new-found aid, "What the-?" His confusion was evident on his face, So I've been toting around a shield on my arm for a month? Better late then never I guess, he grumbled to himself shaking his head. He could worry about that later, for now he had a problem he'd yet to solve. The smoke had not yet completely dissipated, giving him the element of surprise that he'd been lacking until now. Hikaru rolled away from the 'blast zone' of his foe's earlier attack and began speaking quickly, "Cast yourself upon the sacrificial altar. Three sinners rise and pray to an indifferent universe. Hadou number twenty, cosmos summit!"

Immediately three rocky, and rather rusty looking pillars, rose up out of the ground. One beneath Hikaru, vaulting him high into the air, and the other two spaced out evenly between him and his airborne target. Using the momentum he received from the rising pillar's rapid motion; he leapt off the stone platform and alighted on the next, seemingly pulling his scythe out the air as he closed in on the agent. He was planning to run past the man, and just tap him at least with a non-lethal side of his weapon. Then hopefully release his crazed adversary from his nightmare, This is not my idea of how to spend a Saturday, not at all.

notes for what I did.

Current Reiatsu: 3025.3
A mother's love: Active
Reminiscence: Active
Cosmos Summit: Activated
Waking Nightmare: Pre-Activation

A mother's love

sword summon thingie

FogOverLondon · Feb 25, 2014

His opponent was fast, that was certain. Even with Absalom's newfound comfort in reading and visualizing his surroundings by locating his enemy's Thanoresonance, he couldn't escape the fact that he would have a hard time if the battle prolonged. In a blur of color, Hikaru had rushed him, doing him a favor and closing the distance that he was having a hard time managing.

Even with a wealth of experience fighting humans, this... person, was different somehow. It reminded him of the "serpent" he had once fought, as did his previous attacker.

No more playing around, he thought.

He wasn't particularly fond of using his Orpheus-issued firearms, but with this, the gap between Hikaru's speed and the Brit's superb capability to attack and defend against close opponents was more than equalized. Still hanging upside down in midair, he withdrew his Gunslinger sidearm and unloaded a hail of gunfire at the forward-moving Grim.

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Mystydjinn · Feb 25, 2014

Hikaru watched the man twist himself around in midair passively, only realizing two late that the man was preparing to fire. The shots flew past him in a blur, two of which grazed his shoulder and thigh. This caused him to falter a bit, but he lost no momentum. He was already flying through the air directly on a collision course with his opponent. Though by now he'd realized that his game of 'keep away' he was playing with his opponent, was working well while it lasted.

As he neared the third pillar he stretched out his foot, and planted it on the suspended rock. Then shifting his weight down, he brought the sharpened back end of the scythe across his body diagonally; aiming for the Orpheus agent who was still free falling through the air. As he moved a green flame appeared, engulfing the small blade. The fire did not burn the blade, nor did it give off heat; thankfully for Hikaru it was so small he couldn't see it, preventing his pyrophobia from causing him to faint.

notes

^[1875]

FogOverLondon · Feb 27, 2014

As they both landed, backs facing each other, Absalom faltered. He spun back toward his enemy, whose flapping robes still enraged his memory of the assault that had rendered him blind in the first place. He almost wondered if he had been struck harder than he had realized as a powerful nausea began to boil in his stomach. His picture of his surroundings, which had already been a dim attempt to visualize the Thanoresonance in front of him, as well as objects he could identify with a faint "ping" of his own energy, began to spin and tilt. The shifted sense of orientation was something he had not anticipated, and he cursed himself for falling prey to it. His uncertainty about whether or not the youth even had any information began to shake him, beginning from within and then, heart pounding, extended to his limbs.

Reflexively he looked down, despite his inability to see, and tried to grit his teeth to overcome his new-found trepidation. He knew he was stronger than the foe, he knew he had a great deal of battle experience, even war experience, to draw from. And he had always been considered a dependable asset, many times operating abroad for Orpheus with only the Lady Amrit as his non-combat support. But now the question rose in his mind, could he possibly lose this fight?

As if called by his question, he began to recall the fight that had rendered him blind, and the death of his beloved mistress that had spurned him so harshly over the last year.

He resisted falling to his knees and, hands shaking, he rose his gun toward his opponent, preparing to fire.

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lilmangoseed · Feb 28, 2014

As Absalom's raging bullet sped rampantly through the air, Hikaru swept quickly from the floor and thrust off his right foot, bursting to the left. Moving with a fox-like finesse, he dodged the shot entirely.

But missed the silent net that bound around him. A pair of hunters had tracked and foreshadowed his movements, his instincts, analyzing him as their prey. Despite how agile the spirited Wraith might have been, the preparation of his watchers was far too extensive to maneuver around without warning.

The net itself was heavy and composed of dense synthetic fibers that weighed down over Hikaru like a mat of steel. It drained him, immediately sealing Hikaru's zanpakutou and cutting off his ability to utilize the strengths of Nightmare Soldier or any of his other abilities.

"Got him," a woman's voice called to Absalom. "You can relax now, Mr. Barclay."

Another shot fired. This time, it was a six-inch spike that impaled between Hikaru's ribs and released a medication that slowly leaked dreams and somnolence into his body.

Two agents, wearing suits and a pair of gray-green glasses, emerged from the side of a building and approached the Orpheus agent. The female voice spoke again, her voice becoming more encouraging and appreciative with every word. "If you only knew the greatness of your deed, Mr. Barclay... You took initiative and attacked one of these damned Wraiths, as we call them. They're spiritual beings that wreck havoc on Earth, and for millenia, they have been using our people, our lands, our planet for their own selfish reasons."

She separated from her stoic, blonde-haired partner and drew even closer to the obviously shaken man. Her steps were soft, steady, like the cool placidity of her voice. Her short hair bobbed as she walked and framed a warm face.

"I know this is a lot to take at once... But I want you to know that we can help you. We've seen many others like you -- people who lose their sight and are filled with rage. Some of them are haunted by nightmares, and occasionally, they can even feel their blood run hot with poison. It was all because of the Wraiths. Do you experience those symptoms too?"

She paused, glanced to her tall partner, and gave a small nod. Then she turned back to Absalom.

"If so, my organization is currently working on a cure. We've had some good trials. And what's more..."

Amber eyes scanned Absalom's expression, giving him a moment to comprehend all that she was saying, while carefully evaluating the way his features changed as he listened.

"We're looking for a way to grant you and the other innocent victims revenge."

[447/875]

Mystydjinn · Mar 1, 2014

Fading in and out of darkness Hikaru groaned in confusion and pain, the spike was rubbing up against his lungs. The dreams were begining to mix in with reality, and soon he couldn't tell weather the purple Ren in a fairy princess costume was real, or the effects of the drug.
Damnit... Knew I should have learned senkaimon.... The net's draining abilities were making him feel sluggish and sleepy, he was worried that if he let the drug take him he may not wake back up. Through his drooping eyes he took in the scene, strange folks in strange suits, and a strange lady... Hmm... Seems strange, he could only manage to catch a few words from the convorsation: Wraith, victem, organization, and revenge...

"Uhn..." he groaned, "This... Will not end well..." and that was the last thing he said before he passed out.

⁺¹⁴⁴

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