Chae Soon-ja

She introduces herself as Sonja Choi. It isn’t all that far off from her actual name and people seem to find it easier to remember.

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20

Freelance.

NINETEEN, TWENTY-ONE -- YUN-LEE

171 cm (5 ft 6 in)

55 kg (121 lbs)

Soon-ja doesn’t particularly stand out, though she’s plenty attractive for a 400 year old woman. Her slightly wavy, blonde hair is generally left unbound to fall about her shoulders, though she’ll put it into a loose ponytail if it gets in her way. While blonde obviously isn’t her natural hair color, it doesn’t look completely unnatural, rather framing her dark brown eyes, soft facial features, and borderline pale skin. Her slender, feminine frame belies the reasonable amount of muscle built from years of harsh training. Soon-ja has a rather large circular scar just above her belly button where her Chain of Fate was originally attached. She has no recollection of receiving the scar, though she mentally links its presence with her inner hollow. This assumption may not be far from the truth.

She wears a variety of clothes, though she greatly prefers loose-fitting tops and jeans in muted colors for everyday fare. She avoids wearing heavy outerwear so long as the weather permits. That said, she isn’t particularly fond of the cold or heat, so she don her favorite beige jacket or hat as appropriate.

Shinigami
This specifically refers to her duties as one, rather than the faction as a whole. Ever since her self-enforced banishment, Soon-ja has continued to complete her perceived duties as a Shigami. It helps bring her a sense of purpose in her otherwise bland life.

Training
Her knowledge and skills are directly related to her success as a Shinigami and thus their improvement is continually on Soon-ja’s mind. She spends the vast majority of her time training for various skills.

Fishing
A task from her childhood that clearly reminds her of her roots. Soon-ja finds fishing extremely relaxing, as well as slightly productive. It’s an activity she vastly prefers to do alone, however the occasional company isn’t unwelcome.

Video games
Entertainment has evolved at a startling rate in the past years, bringing with it a few inventions through which Soon-ja fills the vast majority of her free time. She’s particularly partial to rhythm games, though quite enjoys most non-sports genres.

Smoothies
They’re refreshing, tasty, and (usually) healthy. It helps that smoothies are relatively cheap and easy to make, requiring only a variety of fruits, yogurt, and juice. Soon-ja is rather partial to peaches and strawberries.

Cooking
It was never stated that one had to be good at something to like it. Soon-ja isn’t particularly adept at cooking, but it’s a skill she’d like to eventually master. She often doesn’t have the time to sit down a cook for a decent amount of time, but she does so whenever possible.

Arrogance
People who consider themselves superior to others for no discernable reason, or at least not one Soon-ja considers valid, get on her nerves. She tried her best to avoid such people to avoid an unwanted clash.

Spiders
Arachnophobia is pretty common, though Soon-ja will always attest that she isn’t afraid of the spiders themselves. She’ll say something about how she doesn’t want to squish them and quickly vacate the room.

Lessons
An oddity considering her love for training, but Soon-ja can’t stand receiving lessons. It isn’t that she doesn’t respect the skill of others rather that she can’t seem to grasp concepts without attempting them multiple times herself. It’s pretty embarrassing to fail dozens of times in front of a teacher. She has no problems giving people lessons, though.

Fizzy Drinks
The funny feel of carbonated drinks on her tongue is something Soon-ja can’t stand. She avoids any fizzy drink like the plague, refusing to even try so much as a drop of anything remotely bubbly. This extends to non-liquid foods that have a similar sensation, such as shrimp chips.

Laziness
People who want things, but are unable to motive themselves enough to at least attempt to obtain it, disgust Soon-ja. She isn’t one to openly detest people, so she generally just avoids contact with such individuals.

Money
As far as Soon-ja is concerned, money is more of an inconvenience than anything else. She’s forced to obtain it to maintain her preferred lifestyle, however she takes no joy in its possession.

Set in her ways, Soon-ja is quite stubborn in regards to her longstanding lifestyle. Her rigid nature makes her mentally resistant to change. She follows a careful regimen that she set for herself, violation of which would be pure sacrilege. It can take a long while before she can even begin to digest major events that force her to act outside her own accepted norm. In terms of smaller events which she deems unimportant, such as how she spends her free time, she’s much more flexible.

After a few hundred years of constant movement and plenty of broken relationships, Soon-ja has become fairly secretive. Her lack of contact with other Shinigami made forming any kind of lasting friendship with others extremely difficult. She spun a web of white lies to delicately separate her forced social life from her Shinigami duties, though it wouldn’t take a whole lot of digging to figure things out. She can seem distant, even disconnected at times, in social settings, though she does a decent enough job at masking it.

Soon-ja does her best to make rational decisions, but there are times when she can’t help but be swept up in the whims of her own heat. Sympathetic would be one way to put it, though emotional might be closer to the mark. While she does a reasonable job at reining in her emotions the majority of the time, she occasionally makes uncharacteristically rash decisions.

While she isn’t vindictive, Soon-ja is unforgiving. Her trust isn’t something that’s given lightly and, once broken, isn’t something that can be fully received again. While she may forgive lesser betrayals, she’ll rarely forget them. A proper reason or motive alongside a sincere apology is the minimum required for her to even pretend to get past such an event. Truthfully, however, Soon-ja will always see any blunder as a stain of mistrust on even the strongest of bonds.

When Soon-ja chooses a major course of action, she focuses her entire being into its completion. There is very little that she’ll allow to interfere with her chosen task. Devoted might be a way to describe it, though her zealous attitude seems to surpass mere attachment. Fortunately she doesn’t often find things to dedicate both her heart and mind to. She rarely acts upon her whims however, when she does, she approaches them with the same burning fervor.

Constantly reaching for that which is slightly beyond her reach, Soon-ja has an undeniable determination to excel at whatever she sets her mind to. She’s ambitious; to her, the completion point is never the end point.

After hundreds of years of preforming thankless jobs for a faction that would very likely execute her, Soon-ja doesn’t look for praise for her work. It isn’t even remotely a driving factor. Her humble attitude is only assisted by her respect for all foes on and off the battlefield. While fighting is a necessity for her job, it isn’t something she takes great pride in. She rarely boasts, or even wants to talk about, her combat abilities or potential.

Overall, Soon-ja is a courteous person. She’s fairly polite in most situations and, despite her mostly introverted nature, she’s quite tactful. While she isn’t the biggest social butterfly, she’s always friendly towards new acquaintances and, unless given a reason to the contrary, will continue to treat everyone with equal respect.

None.

None.

name:
精力急流 (Seiryoku Kyūryū)
Playful Torrent

sealed form:
Seiryoku Kyūryū is an average looking katana in all but one respect: its hilt bears a circular hole at the very end as if someone had taken an extremely powerful hole puncher to it. This “feature” makes the Zanpakuto off balance in its sealed form.

spirit:
Seiryoku Kyūryū takes the form of youthful woman with loose, black pigtails. She always wears light blue sundress, though the grey patterns that adorn the garment constantly shift across the fabric. Sometimes she has a large brimmed straw hat, however it’s usually found floating around the finicky winds rather than on her head. Other than those two garments, and her two hair ties, Seiryoku Kyūryū wears nothing else.

As far as personality goes, the Seiryoku Kyūryū is more like an excited teenager rather than the young woman she would appear to be. She talks. She talks a lot. Mostly about things Soon-ja doesn’t care about. She’s constantly optimistic and extremely friendly, though she tends to pry a bit too much. She has an odd obsession with fishing, though not in the traditional sense. She merely lowers her line into the depths of Soon-ja’s inner world and pulls out a seemingly random object. Sometimes she keeps it, other times she’ll toss it back. Either way, she takes great pride in her hobby, often showing off her latest catches.

inner world:
Soon-ja’s inner world is an odd formation in the sky, just above the cloud layer. The clouds themselves drift around haphazardly, seemingly independent of the ever-changing breeze. Fifteen meter-wide hexagonal marble pillars arranged in a large circle are the only notable solid surfaces, extending down into the abyss below. While clouds will occasionally block the view between pillars, the dazzling sun above the center of the formation allows for easy navigation. Seiryoku Kyūryū is almost always found sitting on the outer edge of one of the pillars, fishing into the nothingness below.

release command:
圧縮する (Asshukusuru) Compress

description:
Seiryoku Kyūryū as a whole straightens, widening significantly near the tip to make room for a large circular hole that forms. A reinforced steel spine, etched with detailed swirling clouds, forms opposite the cutting edge. Once complete, the blade of the Zanpakuto more closely resembles a khanda than a katana. The circular guard of the weapon grows a pair of wispy tendrils that curl and harden around the disk. The hilt gains a few extra centimeters, but otherwise remains the same, keeping the hole from its sealed form.

type: Wind.

techniques:
For: Shikai
Name: 弾く (Hajiku) Snap
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 1 post
Cost: Minimal
Range: None
Description:
Hajiku produces a directed explosion of air pressure in the hollow tip of Seiryoku Kyūryū, accelerating the blade by a substantial amount in a chosen direction. The force is strictly linear once the technique has been activated; in fact drastically altering the swinging arc of the weapon becomes more difficult without further use of Hajiku. The amount of force can be scaled for each use to give the user more control over the weapon’s movement. This technique is accompanied by an audible crack that emanates from the tip of Seiryoku Kyūryū upon activation.

For: Shikai
Name: 震とう衝撃波 (Shintō Shōgekiha) Concussive Shockwave
Type: Offensive/Defensive
Cooldown: 3 posts
Cost: Moderate
Range: Short
Description:
Shintō Shōgekiha causes the tip of Seiryoku Kyūryū to produce a rapidly expanding burst of concussive wind. The force of the blast is enough to repel many weaker attacks, though stronger attacks will merely be hindered. While the technique is often used in a defensive manner, it can easily be used offensively assuming the target is close enough. Shintō Shōgekiha can deal moderate blunt damage as long as the target is within the range of the short range of two (2) meters from the tip of the blade.

For: Shikai
Name: 風球大砲 (Kaze-Kyū Taihō) Windsphere Cannon
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 6 posts
Cost: Moderate
Range: Long
Description:
Kaze-Kyū Taihō manifests an orb of compressed wind, slowly growing from the tip of Seiryoku Kyūryū to a diameter of one (1) meter. This process generally takes a single post to finish. Once complete, the sphere uses its own stored wind to propel itself forward at a terrifying rate, slowly losing mass and power as it moves forward. This means that the size and strength of the attack falls as it moves farther away from its origin point. At around fifty (50) meters the sphere runs completely out of power, dissipating into the surrounding air.

Upon contact with any solid object, the sphere will release any remaining energy in the form of a directed, conical blast of slicing winds and blunt force. At pointblank range, Kaze-Kyū Taihō is capable of extreme lacerations and severe impact damage. At long ranges, however, the technique would be more like a pleasant breeze than an actual attack.

name:
大嵐の治世 (Ōarashi no Chisei)
Reign of the Tempest

description:
In addition to the hole already in existence, a line of perforations appear from the guard to the tip of Seiryoku Kyūryū. The holes are separated by couple of centimeters, arranged growing diameter from the base of the blade. The guard is replaced by a mass of wind that constantly churns as it swirls about the Zanpakuto. The spine from the Shikai remains in place, along with the changes to the blade itself.

Ten translucent orbs filled with swirling winds appear above Soon-ja’s head, forming a slowly rotating halo that serves as a basis for the majority of her powers. As they are consumed, the space between the remaining orbs is kept equal and the rotation kept constant. Once all the orbs are used, the Bankai is forcefully ended regardless of Soon-ja’s own will.

type: Wind.

stat upgrades: +2 REI +2 SEI +2 BUK +2 HOH

techniques:
For: Bankai
Name: 権限弾く(Kengen Hajiku) Empowered Snap
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 1 post
Cost: Minimal
Range: None
Description:
Using Kengen Hajiku uses no orbs. Kengen Hajiku is functionally identical to the Shikai version, though there is a notable increase in the power of the directed blast and, thus, the power of the swing. Upon activation, the technique releases a resounding boom rather than the crack of the lesser version. This can be fairly disruptive from a concentration standpoint, but is otherwise just an obvious tell.

For: Bankai
Name: 大風球大砲 (Ōkaze-Kyū Taihō) Great Windsphere Cannon
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 2 posts
Cost: Moderate
Range: Long
Description:
Ōkaze-Kyū Taihō consumes a single orb, rematerializing it at the tip of Seiryoku Kyūryū. The technique is very similar to its Shikai counterpart with a few key differences. Ōkaze-Kyū Taihō has no charge time; the orb is fired immediately upon materialization. The projectile is only about five (5) centimeters in diameter, but it moves incredibly fast and loses no strength as it travels.

Upon contact with any solid object, the sphere will release its energy in the form of a directed, conical blast of slicing winds and blunt force. The entire power of the explosion is directed forward in a tight cone, focusing all the destructive force of the sphere into a tiny area.

For: Bankai
Name: 風鉱山フィールド(Kaze Kōzan Fīrudo) Windmine Field
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 10 posts
Cost: Moderate
Range: Medium
Description:
Kaze Kōzan Fīrudo consumes two (2) orbs, expanding and dissipating them into the air. After a brief pause, two dozen “mines” manifest randomly within a twenty (20) meter radius. They will never be created inside or touching already existing objects or people. Each “mine” is roughly half a meter in diameter, completely spherical, and filled with a cloudy storm of compressed wind. Their outlines are clearly defined by their translucent shell making it easy for all but the most unobservant opponents detect them.

The “mines” react to high amounts of reiatsu, violently exploding when a sufficient amount comes into contact with one. Generally the cause would be an opponent, however reiatsu-based attacks can just as easily trigger them. When a “mine” is triggered, it releases a torrent of slicing winds immediately followed by a powerful concussive blast within a small radius. All “mines” last for five (5) posts.

For: Bankai
Name: 大風球刑務所 (Ōkaze-Kyū Keimusho) Great Windsphere Prison
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 6 posts
Cost: High
Range: Medium
Description:
Ōkaze-Kyū Keimusho uses four (4) orbs, reforming them in any space within twenty (20) meters. A massive vortex sucks everything within a ten (10) meter radius towards the cluster. The pull of the wind is fairly powerful, but certainly escapable. A single post later, a translucent shell, ten (10) meters in diameter, forms around the eye of the vortex. Anything partially inside the shell is stuck when the shell forms. Objects and people are not sucked in, nor are they ejected out; they’re simply stuck. Attempting to move in or out of the shell is met with extreme resistance and, while not impossible, it is very difficult.

Inside the shell, the vortex becomes a raging storm of slicing winds that decimates anything unfortunate enough to be trapped inside. A post after the shell is complete, the technique ends and whatever remains inside the shell is released. Characters with REI or HAK equal to the user's SEI can break free of the shell when partially trapped, however a REI or HAK greater than the user's SEI is required if the character is entirely encased.

name:
孤独な急流 (Kodokuna Kyūryū)
Lonely Torrent

appearance:
Kodokuna Kyūryū appears much as Soon-ja did as a teen, though groomed to perfection. Her slender frame is garbed in an intricately embroidered red and gold Hwarot - a traditional Korean ceremonial dress – and a pair of woven slippers. Her silky, black hair is gathered nearly into a braided bun at the nape of her neck, parted perfectly at the center of her head and held together by a wooden stick carved into delicate wisps. A few escaped strands of hair fall across her smooth face, the only major oddity being her black sclera and orange pupils.

personality:
Kodokuna Kyūryū is usually extremely calm and composed, though she’s actually quite prone to provocation and bouts of fiery rage. Shes considers almost everyone vastly inferior to her in just about every possible aspect, seeing them as mere vessels for her own continued legacy rather than sentient beings.

She needs to be important. People need to remember her. She constantly seeks validation of her own existence through the words, actions, and presence of others. This is her basic need and the single most important driving factor in almost all her decisions. This desire can be fulfilled through her host, however Soon-ja’s personality and lifestyle generally doesn’t present many such opportunities. As such, Kodokuna Kyūryū becomes more active the longer her host chooses to seclude herself from social contact.

While Kodokuna Kyūryū isn’t a bloodthirsty maniac, it turns out that violence is an easy way to get someone to remember you quickly. During combat she’s extremely sadistic, preferring to maim her foes rather than outright killing them. She often misjudges an opponent’s resilience, accidently killing them in the process.

hollow mask:
Soon-ja’s mask is similar to a traditional kitsune mask, though the features are highly angled with more prominent cheekbones and eye slits. Two ear-like protrusions extend from the top of the mask, curving back and inwards towards the center. The mask changes drastically just below the nose, hosting an unusually wide set of easily identifiable hollow teeth set in a disturbing grin. The entire ensemble is decorated with swirls of crimson with lighter highlights.

stat upgrades: +2 HAK +2 HOH

Soon-ja was born in a small coastal village in Korea to a family of fishers. Her early life was uneventful; a lack of other children and the village’s small population of thirty meant there was always someone to look after her. She didn’t have an active imagination, nor was she particularly adventurous, so she managed to reach adulthood without any hiccups.

She enjoyed her peaceful life and reveled in the strict routine her family followed. Waking as the sun rose, working nets, rods, and traps until noon, cleaning whatever was caught until supper, and sleeping at night. Any free time Soon-ja had was spent fixing broken lines and mending ripped nets. She happily lived her life for her family, devoting all of her being into the one thing in the world that seemed to matter. It helped that she was pretty good at it, too.

There were plenty of ways to die out in an isolated village. Disease, infection, or even a rusty hook could spell death without proper medication; something that wouldn’t make its way to Soon-ja’s village for another few hundred years. Still, Soon-ja managed to die in a seemingly unlikely fashion farther from her home than she’d ever been. She died alone on the shores of a foreign land, 400 miles from where she was born.

Soon-ja’s village had plenty of dealings with Japanese pirates, often offering them fish, crops, or livestock in exchange for peace. The pirates rarely declined; pillaging a village with minimal monetary value wasn’t really worth their time. So, when Japanese ships were seen on the horizon, the villagers merely prepared another tribute. The ships, however, were not pirates. They were an invasion. The reason for the war, nor its eventual failure, was known to Soon-ja as the Japanese swept through the village. It wasn’t a slaughter - most of the villagers were spared along with their homes and crops – but some soldiers wanted trophies. And the trophies they were looking for weren’t always inanimate. Soon-ja was whisked off to sea along with other women and treasures gathered from similar villages.

The trip to Japan was long and uncomfortable, but it gave Soon-ja plenty of time to process her situation. She managed to surprise and overpower a soldier using a fishing hook once the boats had landed, attempting to escape down the shoreline. She was shot by a matchlock rifle as she fled, the projectile burying itself deep within her right shoulder. She bled to death in a nearby cave as she attempted to nurse her own wounds.

While she had no important drive to remain in the human world, Soon-ja wasn’t quite willing to leave either. Instead she remained on the beach, watching the ships depart and return. Her Chain of Fate slowly corroded as she waited, the days turning into weeks. It wasn’t enmity, anger, or bloodlust that overtook her, but loneliness. All her life she’d been surrounded by friends and family only to be robbed of their warmth in her final moments. How would they even remember her? Swept away in the receding tide of the invading army, she’d left everything too suddently. Soon-ja lost consciousness as the final lengths of her chain disintegrated. She awoke in Rukongai, supposedly saved by a Shinigami in the moments before she turned Hollow.

Soon-ja’s first ten years in Rukongai were uneventful. With no clear direction, her life ground to a considerable standstill. In a desperate search for purpose, Soon-ja applied to the Shinigami Academy with little to no knowledge on the purpose of the school. She failed miserably, rejected in every sense of the word, but the experience helped breathe purpose back into her life. For the next ten years, she slowly taught herself to read and write, a skill that had previously seemed pointless. She worked various jobs and intently researched the Shinigami. On her 40th birthday, Soon-ja was accepted into the Academy.

While she achieved reasonable success with Kido, Soon-ja’s marks in the other three of the four combat forms were abysmally low. Despite that she had a working knowledge of the concepts, her skill in Hakuda, Hoho, and Zanjutsu was subpar. She did not graduate in the normal six years, nor was she accepted into any of the Gotei 13 squads after struggling for eight, seemingly long, years. In the grand scheme of things the ten years it took Soon-ja to obtain an unseated position in the 8th squad was negligible, however she considered it one of her greatest accomplishments.

Soon-ja operated well under the radar, taking part in various efforts excursions and hollow exterminations. Despite her slowly rising years of training, her progress was painstakingly slow. She barely managed to achieve Shikai after 70 years of service. Her own powerlessness infuriated her; she couldn’t help but feel like something was intentionally hindering her progress. She wasn’t too far off. Her inner hollow, a seed planted at her own original death, had matured during her early years in Rukongai. It had slowly sapped the fruits of her training in a creeping attempt to gain control, pushing its own emotions closer to Soon-ja’s heart.

80 years into Soon-ja’s service in the Gotei 13, on a standard mission to destroy a rather large cluster of hollows, her hollow finally made its move. Soon-ja awoke amidst the aftermath of the slaughter, a disturbing hollow mask staring up at her from her blood-soaked lap. While all the hollows had been cleanly dispatched, the mutilated bodies of her companions were scattered around her. She was quick to the horrifying realization, assisted by the echoing voice in her mind. She hid her tracks as best she could and fled.

Over the next few years, Soon-ja’s inner hollow briefly wrestled control from her a dozen or so times, forcing her into seclusion. While her isolation stopped her from causing any major damage and kept her well under the radar, it also seemed to be a catalyst for her hollow’s hostile takeover attempts. When the frequency of the conflicts became unbearable, Soon-ja began the long process of subduing the monster that raged within her. Rather than an extended physical contest, Soon-ja entered the first of many long debates with her inner hollow. What she reached in the end wasn’t dominion over her power; it was more of an agreement. Her hollow couldn’t win, but its small bouts of control were more than just inconvenient. In exchange for leaving exile and returning to normal society, Soon-ja managed to get her inner hollow to succumb to her will.

For the next few hundred years Soon-ja lived the life of a nomad. Maintaining an active social life was difficult for her, though it was a condition for her continued peace so she made every attempt possible. Her lack of proper aging forced her to break ties with any associates and relocate on a regular basis. She continued her training in all forms of combat, keeping to the hash regimen she had adhered to before her exile. Without her hollow hindering her progress, Soon-ja made impressive progress. She still considered it her duty to exterminate stay hollow and preform soul burials, managing to avoid conflict with local Shinigami through her constant movement.

Several important milestones came and went during this period with little fanfare to accompany them. Her combat ability skyrocketed through rigorous training, extensive combat experience, and a reasonable bit of assistance from her Zanpakuto and inner hollow. 150 years into her exile, Soon-ja achieved Bankai. While initially incomplete, she continued to hone its power in the following centuries. While Soon-ja was mostly aware of the events surrounding Aizen, she maintained a decent distance from the action. The concentration of the Gotei 13 on the subject made it difficult for her to approach anyway. Even when she learned of the other Visored, she chose to maintain her distance from the enigmatic group.

She continues to live her life as she has for centuries, quietly training and completing her duties as a Shinigami, unaware of the imminent apocalypse.

Soon-ja had waited hours for night, watching the thin rays of light that shone through the deck slowly dissipate to make way for the encroaching darkness. The rocking of the boat had long since stopped, signaling that the ship had likely run aground. She tightened her grip on her weapon: an unusually large fishing hook. The hook itself was almost as large as her hand and, though the old metal had since rusted from neglect, the terrifying barbed tip was still extraordinarily sharp. The same tool that had helped her village persist for centuries was now her only salvation.

Her current predicament was anything but fortunate; trapped in an unknown boat in an unknown land for an unknown purpose. The curved wooden walls were stuffed with caulk, but trickles of sea water still managed to find their way into the damp hold. The two meter long bench upon which she sat was shared by three other prisoners giving no room to comfortably rest. The rest of the hold was similarly filled with benches, prisoners, and piles of random oddities with perceived value. The only exit from the hold was a single, sheer set of stairs that lead to the deck. And there was always a guard posted on the stairs. It made sneaking out extremely difficult, if not impossible. Past that one man, however, was possible freedom.

Soon-ja’s plan was essentially to disable the one guard and flee from whatever she discovered on the deck. It wasn’t prefect. It wasn’t even good. There were so many unknowns she couldn’t even begin to compensate for them. Regardless, she refused to sit and do nothing. She waved at the man to get his attention, indicating that she needed something. The guard hesitated at first, reluctant to leave his post, but eventually relented to Soon-ja’s constant beckons. The man wearily approached, always keeping one eye on the stairs and a hand on his sword. He spoke, though his words meant nothing to Soon-ja; she couldn’t even speak his language. With nothing to lose, she mustered her courage, took a deep breath, stood, and swung her weapon at the guard’s head.

The barbed hook slid cleanly through the soldier’s cheek, slicing through the skin with a disturbing lack of resistance. Soon-ja froze, her hand still gripping the textured metal, as she stared into the guard’s dark brown eyes. The man’s eyes slowly rotated to stare at the rusted iron hook protruding from under his left eye, his mind slowly processing the horrific event. He raised his left hand and carefully groped the punctured area; methodically feeling his way up the hook to Soon-ja’s shaking hand. His eyes widened as his disbelief was dispelled. He fully opened his mouth, but only a disturbing chocking noise emerged as he weakly attempted to pull back. Soon-ja watched the entire macabre scene in her frozen state, unable to muster the will to even run. The guard pause once more, shivered, and released a demonic howl that seemed to shake the very foundations of the ship.

The man’s unearthly shriek shook Soon-ja back into action; she yanked the hook towards her, bringing her knee up to meet the guard’s folding chest. She’d already set her escape in motion. Stopping here because of one man’s misfortune would do her no favors. Soon-ja felt a splitting pain in her joint as the sickening crunch of bones erupted from the guard’s ribcage. She released her grip on her makeshift weapon and bolted for the stairs towards the deck, stumbling as a fresh flow of blood gushed from her busted knee. The guard crumpled forward onto the bench, loosing a string of unintelligible curses mixed with screams of confusion and rage. The rest of the prisoners looked on with confusion, unable or unwilling to act. Those without the will to move forward would be left behind.

Soon-ja burst onto the deck of the ship, seeing her true surroundings for the first time. The ship appeared to be partially beached and the crew disembarked for the night. The moon shone at full strength, illuminating the shocked faces of the two soldiers posted on the ship, presumably to guard it. There was no time to formulate a proper plan, nor was she prepared to deal with armed soldiers without the element of surprise. Soon-ja proceeded with the only realistic option available: she hurled herself over the side, plunging into the chilly ocean below. The sea water soaked into her already filthy, blood-stained clothes, weighing down her already exhausted body. She floundered momentarily before pulling herself to shore as the guards began to raise the alarm.

She staggered down the beach, all swiftness lost with the ebb of adrenaline. Her knee burned with every step, blood still flowing from between the cracks of the caked sand. In the distance Soon-ja could swear she heard laughing alongside the distinctive crack of matchlock rifles. She barely noticed the sand erupting around her from the impacts of bullets, focusing all her remaining energy on forward movement. A burst of pain erupted from her right shoulder, forcing her into an awkward pirouette that spun her for a full rotation before slamming her face first into gritty sand.

And there she lay, waiting for the soldiers to come finish her off. A few more gunshots rang out along with their accompanying impacts, but then… nothing. A minute passed, then an hour. Nobody was coming. Soon-ja mustered her strength and pushed on, dragging herself through the sand. It took her another hour to drag herself into a small cave in the side of the cliff, away from prying eyes. She struggled to push herself upright, wincing as she placed weight on her ruptured shoulder. Tending to her wounds was her highest priority. Escape meant nothing if she died.

She screamed in pain as her fingers probed around her fresh wound, searching for the projectile. It was a disturbing and agonizing feeling. Her vision flicked and her fingers grew numb, forcing her to stop her fruitless search. Now helpless and immobile, Soon-ja could to nothing but stare at the wall opposite. She could barely twitch her limbs that were quickly losing feeling. The pain slowly subsided to a dull throb as her vision began to blacken. Though her final breath, she managed to grind out her final words. Words that only the cave would hear. ”What a shitty way to die.”

AV-0

HAN: 12
REI: 18 (+2)
HAK: 12 (+2)
SEI: 18 (+2)
BUK: 14 (+2)
HOH: 16 (+4)
Points Earned: 0
Total points: 90

Chae

None