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Post by David Huxley on Jul 21, 2013 19:46:44 GMT -5
[OOC: This takes place in David's past] Kadachi, Pakistan’s largest city glistened with life. Even at the suns peak, Helios’s closest ride, people and communication seemed to thrive. For the North American natives, a lonely group of four, the three digit heat was nothing short of misery. Their attentions were preoccupied though. A brooding anxiety hung over all of them as they walked through the streets of Kadachi, entering buildings and asking the same questions they had asked two weeks ago. ‘Have you seen this man?’. Locales became familiarities and this maze of a metropolis felt more like a full circle.
The four of them had been sent out in search of a defected member who they all knew from first hand experience had gone mentally insane. Their search led them to this heavy district and left them with more questions than answers. The first days were handled with a carefree naivety, they surveyed the city and mapped out any routes, their conversations with the inhabitants were quaint and enjoyable, the people had their own culture compared to the rest of the country. There was time to complain about the heat back then. Unfortunately, a bizarre incursion of hollow attacks had shocked them back to the reality. This was no vacation, it was a hunt. The man they had lost to hysteria was forcing the destruction of spirit chains and creating monsters as he so saw fit.
People were dying by the scores, buildings seem to collapse or mysteriously inherent structural damage, the reiatsu pressure of hollows grown consistently over the last several days. The city, in all it’s happy activity was the breeding ground for a melancholy sorrow. Everyone in the squad felt different about the situation. David, the medic, was stunned and eager to confront his departed comrade for the sake of justice. His motivations were juvenile to say the least. Barley, an irritable weapons genius was happy slaughtering the stray monstrosities. His attitude was much more honest and it showed in his racist and crude nature. Klang was the least emotionally attached, maybe he was the reason none of them felt hot in 109 degree fahrenheit weather. This was also a testament to his professionalism and out of all of them, he possible had the best control of his abilities and “talents”.
.However...the person most invested in this tragedy was the Captain, Dominick. The weight of the personal accountability he took crushed his already guilt ridden conscious. A new venue, an enjoyable populace and all the government funds he could ask for couldn’t entertain his attention. His mind was single tracked and for the last few days, with a high influx of Hollow attacks, he had dedicated nights to planning and personal disposal of those creatures. Children of his sins, as he coined the hollows.
Today was felt no different, except for the Captain who constantly reassured them that they were “getting close to Andrew”. But as the daylight dimmed out, the sight of the moon and stars was a disheartening greeting.
David waved at a young Pakistan girl as he hopped back in the military van. Her smile was beautiful but the sudden tug on her wrist from her father made David second guess his feelings.
“Sum’ people just don’ like ‘Muricans, Dave. Bunch of filthy Ragheads if you ask me...” Barley held and oversized knife in his hand and pointed it towards the unhappy father. “Gimm’ a minute with him and Hadji over there will needs those god damn rags for his spilt gutts.” David’s smirk was unconvincing but it didn’t deter Barley from talking. It took Klang a simple cough and glare to return an air of silence to the truck. The rest of the ride was quiet, occasionally interrupted by the Captain’s agitated nail biting. Everyone noticed but no one spoke a word about it. The street posts and city lights reminded David of Christmas even if they were months away from fall. He could almost imagine the oversized Evegreen Conifurs that stood watch in every shopping mall around the corner, the happy music, the fake Santa Clauses. David felt that they all needed a gift, a reward for their labors, but what they didn’t know was that sometimes what you get isn’t want you want.
David’s body rocked forwards as they came to a parking. The lights that filled his head disappeared and made room for the dull one dollar luminescent bulbs that lined the parking lot. They followed the flickering balls of light until they made it back to their room. The hotel they were staying at was prestigious and consistently made an effort to please their whims, but it was too late in the game to enjoy the luxuries of civilian wealth, for all of them.
Once again they came to a stop. This time they stalled in front of their rooms. The air was dense and although the blistering heat had shrunk to a cool 88 degrees, David couldn’t help but sweat. They were all too experienced to ignore the hostility that emanated from their room. The Captain reached over to Klang’s ear, he spoke softly and allowed the elevator music from the end of the hallway to conceal their plan. By now everyone had already mentally prepared themselves, David constantly looking back at the elevator. The music was annoying, unfit for his attitude and just as the doors closed for the mechanical moving room, Klang had kicked open the door to their “headquarters”.
Red. Everywhere. Like an abstract painting, there was no definition or direction, there was just blood everywhere. Two men laid on the floor, two technical geniuses who had assisted them with computer networking and communications for the past week. Both their throats had been slit, one of them was missing some fingers.
The Captain’s interests were elsewhere, Klang and David both understood this and started moving the bodies into the restroom for later disposal. Dominick looked around the room, his attentions became fixated on a cluster of fingers on a desk. A letter was buried beneath them. The writing was sporadic to say the least, words were randomly chosen and placed on the piece of paper like some madmans rambling.
Hate. Government. Life. Death. Pain. Family. The list went on and the seemingly only coherent sentence was at the end, “Your souls are next.” Behind the page was a small picture, a location so it seemed from afar.
Everyone was busy doing something, Klang was talking to authorities over the phone, Barley was preparing weapons for everyone and Dominick was obsessively looking at a glowing screen. He punched the desk angrily as a new website page loaded.
“Everyone on me.”
David dropped the body he held in his arms and rushed past the door, putting on some armored vest as he left. This would be the last time David would ever see this hotel ever again.
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Shego
Lost Soul
Posts: 22
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Post by Shego on Jul 21, 2013 22:14:03 GMT -5
The United States had finally reached it's peak; their domain stretched nearly the entire length of the known world. Unofficially, countries big and small pledged allegiance to their rule, and for that they were pampered with their love and resources. Some did not comply, and they were punished for being unruly upstarts in their domain, and once they had shown them the errors of their ways did they accept -- mostly. The reasoning for this mass underfoot take over was the military's adoption of spiritually aware humans, taking notice of the surge of unexplained phenomenon, they used it to their advantage instead of blind prejudice.
Upstarts and rebels were nothing new to those in power, but this case was especially delicate. A former potential of the government had defected; spiritually attuned, mentally broken with secrets locked inside. Andrew, one of the few gems of the secret branch of the government, lost his mind within the last six months, holing himself up in Karachi for more purposes than refuge, it is suspected. The degeneration of his mind was a by product of years of wet work. The disillusion of his role, the price of wielding his power and his ultimate lack of understanding and guidance pushed him over the edge.
It was towards the late part of Captain Dominick and team's search that Shinigami scouts had caught wind of their activities, finding an irregularly large concentration of Hollow. Only one other city in this vast stretch of sand had spiritual reading; insignificant to the scale in Karachi, and what they found once investigated disturbed them greatly. Two scouts. Seated officers Hisenko and Jin surveyed the area the days leading to this moment, taking note of the transpiring events. The duo reported their findings to Shego, then soon to be captain and acting field leader of this sudden mission. Funny how a routine purification turned into an investigation.
"What we have found greatly disturbed us. It was an area of humans, naked though they were, wrapped themselves in the skins and fabrics of other life around them. They were suicidal, destructive, aggressive, deceitful; everything we were not. I'm familiar with other species killing one of their own, or even to take it's own life, but these humans did it all willingly, as if under some hypnosis. But that is just speculation. A word while monitoring this strange behavior can only so aptly be summed up: Genocide.
It had taken me many observations to properly give the word a definition that I could comprehend, and when I did I wish I hadn't. The utter annihilation of a group that was not of your own, every adult, child, every bit of its culture, is what it meant. To do so not only confounded me morally but even through an ecological standpoint would it not greatly change the environment and cause more humans to manifest into Hollow? Truly no human would be capable of such a foul act, but as I continued to monitor them, the more I realized they would not only do so willfully, but willingly, fanatically, dogmatically.
I fear we had stumbled upon a civilization that fully deserves punishment for its ways. If not the disgusting, indiscriminate act, the sheer volume of Hollow coming into existence. I report my findings to you, Field Leader Shego, to deliberate the fate of this city."
- Hisenko
In the hours of personal observation, Shego concluded that these Hollow are prone to civil war, a strategy coined for them to silently pick off many of the roaming hollow to thin the numbers, isolating them to a particular area so in the event new manifestations occur, it'll be easier for them to find the source. It was simple, but she felt it should work.
Fortunately, all of the Hollow were splintered, the fresh creatures had demanded their own sovereignty in sections of Karachi, so there was not a single united group among them besides small alliances different groups had against others. Night reigned supreme, the temperature, a once unbearable heat, decreased to a manageable level. Hisenko and Jin weren't accustomed to the raging heat, finding themselves wiping sweat from their collective brows whilst muttering indifferences on the matter at hand.
Hisenko wanted to purge the area completely no matter the cost. A very straight forward, insensitive outlook. Jin on the other hand wanted to spend more time to mull over the details, to minimize the collateral damage and loss of life. Ultimately it would be up to the discretion of their field leader who had yet to be seen by the two since the report went out via Jigokucho. The bickering between the two officers ceased, their spiritual sensors picking up multiple signals from within the city. Too many to count, all of which were swarming in droves to a far off locale.
This instant unification had the scouts flabbergasted. They had both assumed their independence was one out of inherent evolution, not of circumstance. How horribly wrong they were. They found more spiritual flaring to and from all stretches of the city, more warnings, more information, more united resolve. They began to calculate the total reiatsu signals and all their individual might. The scouts soon realized that they needed their field leader. The best the Shinigami could do were to follow the swarm.
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Post by David Huxley on Jul 22, 2013 18:43:35 GMT -5
悪事身にとまる
All evil done clings to the body The grip on his sanity was suffocating David. The squad van was jetting through blazing streets. Cars piled up, parked upside down in the middle of the streets from packs of hollows. Their attacks were relentless and quick, anyone who was able to run did so. The unlucky ones had their souls sucked from their body and devoured. One hollow became two through this process. The Captain’s driving was quick and agile, he avoided the metallic boulders that blocked the highways. Blood collected from broken car doors and stuck to their vehicle, David could only turn his head from the desperate faces of children and elders. The guilt felt like quicksand, one possible rescued soul became an inch in the pit. David didn’t know what was crushing him more, remorse or the plentiful hollow pressures.
He was no more useful than an observer, only commenting on the terror that ransacked through buildings. He took out a rolled up paperback book from his back pocket and skimmed through the pages furiously. It was the DSM or “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders”thingermabob, a useful book for his role as the squad medic. Reading was a comfort zone for him and distracted his cognition, but as he flipped through the page the word “psychopathy” reminded him of Andrew. He realized he couldn’t escape, not today at least.
It all caught up to them eventually, an entrance to a two lane street blocked by rubbage and corpses. Once flickering neon signs became dead paperweight.
“I’m driving through it.” Dominick announced. It sounded ridiculous because it was, but no one disagreed from that haunted face by him. His hair was a mess, his body glistened with a sheen of sweat and his eyes displayed a bloodlust none of them had seen before. “Put on your seatbelts everyone.” And they did. None of them knew if the armored vehicle, namely the reinforced bumpers, could handle the collision. But it seemed like all of them mutually agreed that failure would be a good wakeup call for the Captain.
He stepped back up a little bit and they all grabbed whatever handle they could find. The breaks and gas pedals were held until they mimicked the hollows screech. Instantly they were off, head first into a barricade of bodies. Before they could hit though an odd sensation struck their spiritual sensors, ‘Fuck’ was the last thing David recalled saying.
The four wheel monstrosity was flipped into the air and spun like a table top before wobbling on the floor. Like a limping animal, the truck teetered and rocked back and forth before stopping on it’s hood (or maybe it was the bottom now). Glass imbedded itself on the side of David’s face, but the wounds were shallow. By the time he had regained consciousness, Klang and Barley were already out preparing their weapons for combat. Four spiritual humans had caused a flock in Gillian class hollows. The only two capable squad members were fighting and fending them off easily. The amount was increasing by the minute though and the sudden need to help ringed David’s senses.
Strength was slowly returning to him as he cut off the jammed seat belt. His head and neck hit the floor and his pain receptors immediately cried out. After squirming for a bit and listening to the Captain’s delusional talking, David worked his way out of the car from the door window. He looked at his reflection from a pool blood, specifically the glass that now disfigured his face and sighed. His attention was split between the possessed Dominick and mass of Hollows.
“Got...kill...Andrew...repent...” Persistent words from a mentally broken old man, David figured. He opted to fight rather than listen to the absurdity of his fallen commander and standing up, fought through the pain. A compressed spine and throbbing knee couldn’t stop him from releasing his fullbring. Shooting it out released a cool breeze that soothed his aches but it was only temporary as he whipped himself into the middle of the fight. His convictions were half hearted, his stability was only a knot above Dominicks, but his desire to live was as strong as ever.
This was only the beginning into the descent into madness.
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Shego
Lost Soul
Posts: 22
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Post by Shego on Jul 22, 2013 21:18:22 GMT -5
Humanity without borders. He lit the cigar, the flames licking at the end of the paper tube filled with tobacco. Andrew's eyes darted back down at the carnage, the chaos he had constructed, then to either side as Hollow stood sentry, gawking mindlessly. Seven feet tall, half a ton presumably with all their visual muscle mass, they were positively monstrous. Something outside of normal Hollow evolution - they had been twisted by Andrew into something completely different.
Their insanely durable physiology only furthered their ability to perform the role of thugs: Physically tough and biologically redundant, they host a number of organs that are naturally inclined to letting them survive (and even thrive) in the harshest environments. Perhaps a precautionary for biological weapons. Their eyes are side-set on their bodies, granting them 240-degree vision. Normally a trait in prey animals, this feature has been adapted to let them see oncoming predators from a wide angle of vision. Anatomically, they have a pronounced protrusion along their back, where a human would otherwise have a flat spine. A secondary nervous cluster and reservoir for neuroconductive fluid.
These personalized monsters possess a thick hide, which are virtually impervious to cuts, scrapes or contusions. With an assortment of redundant organs, such as four pairs of lungs, a secondary and tertiary heart, an enlarged hypothalamus, additional adrenal and digestive glands in the parathyroid and endocrine systems, they are highly resistant to environmental hazards, including toxins, radiation, and extreme heat and cold. Even their nervous system is extremely durable, with these monstrosities having the ability to pump internally produced auto-coagulating neuroconductive fluid that functions as a replacement for the primary nervous system in the event of spinal damage or serious nerve damage.
In additional to all this redundancy, these creations are physically tough. Though they have hardened hides, these creatures also possess a limited exoskeleton on their bodies. This exoskeleton consists of a slanted, almost hemispherical plate covering the forehead, leading over the top of the head and covering the back of the neck.
Andrew was pleased with the outcome of his pets, a testament of his every growing power. Yet, in his fractured mind, he ceased to yield -- to call it a day and vanish of the radar. Not like he'd have an easy time of it. To him, Karachi was a test, a show of what his power was capable of. His plans were to march to the west -- to take the fight to his former masters at their door step. So sure of he in his power that the defector watched over his work right in the heart of it. At the tippy-top of this towering building he observed Hollow ripping men, women, children into pieces. The floor layout suggested Andrew held up in a hotel -- penthouse suite coupled with all the amenities, even a private elevator. The cigar that left hanging idle in his mouth received another drag, smoke bellowing from flared nostrils.
Bing.
Elevator doors swung open, much to the surprise of Andrew and his creations. It was Shego, the missing piece to the three-man team. "Who the fuck are you?" stated Andrew, words partly slewed thanks to the cigar lodged in his mouth. "A Shinigami. A guardian to all that exists on this world. An impervious shelter that allowed you miserable creatures growth," the Shinigami responded simply, much to Andrew's disbelief, and rightfully so. This woman who casually waltz into his domain unannounced, spouting guardianship over the planet? She's just as crazy he would think, prying the cigar from his mouth, grinning.
"Shinigami? The fuck is that -- ya know what? Doesn't make a difference. Look. If you're here to play hero, you're too little, too late. What I have done cannot be undone. The corruption is absolute. Kill her." Andrew released his beasts from their proverbial chains, the hulking figures pouncing towards the lone Shinigami, only to be repelled by superior reiatsu. "What the.. hell.." Andrew let out in a baffled tone, commanding the beasts to attack again, only to find their response lacking. "Even these beasts recognize what you are oblivious to, human. Your power has blinded you. But what hubris to think these pets could protect you from me. If you couldn't even master these primitives, what makes you think you can ascend to greater levels?" Shego had her arms placed casually behind her back, as if she were back at her division debriefing her subordinates.
With a flex of her power, she sends one of the two pets flying through concrete walls, sprouting from the side of the hotel and crashing in proximity of David, his crew, and her subordinates. In a mixture of rage and desperation, Andrew plunged his hand into his remaining pet, assimilating with it to boost himself. Such rapid transformation bore pain, grotesque popping of muscle and bone, the breaking and reforming of his human coil into a mixture of his pet and a middle-aged war veteran. A labored breath escaped his lips; "Y-You.. Y-You're just.. just another government dog sent to kill me. I'll.. get rid of you.. I'll get rid of ALL you fuckers!"
Like an animal backed into a corner, Andrew rushed at his opponent, blind with fury and blood lust. Rapid thuds of increased weight bore down into fine carpentry, creating dents in the flooring. Ambition of a mad man drew him to this state, to this final hour. An over-sized fist cocked itself, primed then released with a trajectory towards Shego's face. Boom! A shockwave emitted from assumed impact, shattering surrounding furniture and fixtures. The overbearing physical strength was stopped by overbearing spiritual pressure. "You are a fool. Even now, your feeble attempts do nothing but fortify your primitive nature. Children and fire who disregard the welfare of those around them."
Shego flared up her reiatsu, drawing Andrew to his knees in pain, much to his desire to speak in protest. "There will be no reprieve for your actions. No after life for you to enjoy. You will be nothing but a memory -- and even that will burn out. This pitiful attempt, this 'legacy' you hoped to etch into the world is nothing more than a momentary diversion." Lowering an arm, Shego drew her blade, the cutting end held high above Andrew. "I hope you enjoyed this moment in the spotlight."
Meanwhile on the killing floor, Hisenko and Jin observed the unit engage the Hollow, taking note of their peculiar abilities. They were aware of humans becoming more spiritually aware, nothing like this had ever crossed their minds. Their movements and strength were impressive, comparable to their own even. The duos observations continued around the fourth wave of Hollow until a familiar pressure radiated through their being. Shego was near. If that wasn't enough to raise alarm, the massive beast flung their direction would seal the deal.
It seemed to shake off most of the damage, stumbling up to its feet before giving a brief shake to rid itself of a temporary daze. It seemed to have no interest in going back where it came from, taking immediate interest in the unit and the then hidden Shinigami. The beast's spiritual pressure was incredible, more than enough to pit against the unit. Perhaps too much. Judging it a better time than any, Hisenko and Jin revealed themselves - the two seated Shinigami poised for action. "We're here to help!" exclaimed Jin, much to Hisenko's chagrin. Surely questions would be raised about their involvement, but in the heat of the moment it would surely take a back seat.
The beast roared violently, priming itself to attack the group.
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Post by David Huxley on Jul 23, 2013 20:06:19 GMT -5
餓鬼の目に水見えず
To the eyes of gaki, water is viewless. “Now this is the shit I am TALKING ABOUT!” Barley grabbed onto the open mouth of a hollow. His arms suddenly transformed, blotches of a black metallic substance etched onto his arms and hands in an almost leopard pattern. His body upper torso looked completely disfigured by the transformation and unproportional to his now small thighs. A barbaric fullbring for a barbaric man. His grip on the teeth of the hollows grew stronger, actually chipping the white pearls with his simple grab. Barley snarled, his nose pulsated with each breath as his ferocity grew louder and louder. His war cry resounded as he carried the giant monster above his head, the roar silenced everyone in the vicinity. The beast of 20 meters height was nothing but a decoration now.
One. Two. Three times, he slammed the hollow onto the ground until it’s tongue extended outwards in some final display of agony and exhaustion. Barley set him down and climbed onto his face, blood seething from his broken tooth and scratched body. He readied his arm into the air, the giant fist creating a shadow from the moonlight and he flung the arm straight into the hollow’s face. Barley waited only for a second before releasing a flurry of punches onto the face. The hollow didn’t look so big after his body had been imprinted into the pavement, after withstanding a series of thirty consecutive hits the hollow vanished into a cloud of black particles that dissipated into the cool air. The only evidence of it’s existence was now at the bottom of a five meter crater. Klang and David both stared at the hole and the broken asphalt that now looked as brittle as glass.
Klang had his own situation to handle, his movements were much swifter and gentler. Waste little energy, invest his all into the attack. Maybe it was for this reason that he chose to handle hollows as groups, following their rhythms with his fullbring; a modification to his eye that let him see everything at half the speed. He had trained his body to it’s peak to adjust for the difference in his own movements with those of his eyes. It paid off, twenty hollows became fifteen in an instant. One slash of his seemed to kill hollows in scores, but it wasn’t one slash and that was the beauty of it. It took only moments before the group was left with one lone survivor, some humanoid gillian. He looked at Klang and flung his arms at him.
Both of them were minced into pieces before they could touch him. “Ooooh shit, Klang’s ganna make some shishbabs with those chunks.” Chunks of flesh hit the floor with a thump. The pain sent the hollow running and crying. He made it two meters, three tops, before Klang flung his sword through his hollow hole in the center of his chest and slashed downwards to cut the rest of his body in half. There was a reason they called Klang the koi fish...then again, David didn’t know any koi fish that had a katana strapped to it.
David, unlike Barley and Klang, did not have the versatility or brutish strength to kill any hollows. All he had were gimmicks, plans,and hunter's instinct maybe. Wits were all he could use against monsters who he had no other physical superiority over. Combined with his still injured body and slow recovery time, he had a long ways to go before he could run on the side of buildings and do somersaults.
David attacked the closest hollow, anchoring his blade into a hollows leg. He kept a good handle on the chains that trailed his arms to the kunai. The hollow tried attack, David anticipated this and wrapped the chains against the hollows arm. His other fist tried attacking him, he too chained this arm. He did this to all four limbs, keeping close diligence to the hollow’s subtleties; his muscle movement, point of view and the surroundings around both of them. With good timing, the hollow was hog tied and lying on his back. David removed the blade from the Hollow’s leg and chipped away at the mask. The human eye that stared back at him from behind the facade was startling even if he had already seen it dozens times before. David knew the harsh cruelty of nature and it was because of this harsh reality, of the humanity all hollow’s once possessed, that he figured the most humane thing to do would put it out of it’s misery.
War though, gave no room for grieving. Only minutes after the fights, a new stronger hollow appeared. His body type was completely different than the gillian and adjuchas class hollows they had just destroyed. His body looked modified; a layer of hide that bulged, a sack of organic fluid that clung to his spinal region and two eyes set apart from each other, almost encompassing each said of the face. David was the only one to realize the two shinigami’s that spoke, he couldn’t quite hear them from the distance and commotion that the new Hollow made. It was disorientated, frightened from something, it slammed itself onto the floor before scouting his surroundings and coming to contact with Barley and Klang. Both of them took the initiative to attack first, Barley held onto his leg and Klang jumped into the air to attack from above.
David was looking for the two shinigami’s he had barely sensed, but their figures got hidden behind a cloud of smoke. Fire raged on all around them, caused by broken gas lines and the sparks from light posts. Explosions resounded every interval of ten seconds and searching for the two seemed less appealing than dealing with the monstrosity that wrecked havoc next to him. They had been fighting for thirty minutes straight, their captain was still in a self-induced mesmerized lunacy and all of their bodies by now had been hurt and overused.
How long could they last, David wondered.
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Shego
Lost Soul
Posts: 22
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Post by Shego on Jul 25, 2013 15:16:17 GMT -5
A thing may look specious in theory, and yet be ruinous in practice; a thing may look evil in theory, and yet be in practice excellent. That was the dilemma surrounding Andrew, who could only look up with helplessness the blade that came swinging down to seal his fate. In the end, was he truly an evil man? Or was he just misunderstood? A rebel too abstract in his points that no one would get him, no matter how hard they tried. The old, sound, and honest maxim that 'you shall not do evil that good may come,' is applicable in this situation. With a clean slice, Andrew was bifurcated from the neck, his head rolling across damaged flooring and his mutated body falling limp.
Shego had a matter-of-fact look on her face. Taking the life of someone without trial, without a chance for redemption failed to phase her. The true rule in determining to embrace or reject any thing is not whether it have any evil int it; but whether it have more evil than of good. There are a few things wholly evil, or wholly good. Almost everything, especially of human life, is an inseparable compound of the two; so that her best judgement of the preponderance between them is continually demanded.
"Humans are so complex, yet so simple," the captain let out with an exaggerated sigh, sheathing her blade before gripping her fingers in Andrew's hair, plucking his head from the destroyed suite floor. The surrounding Hollow seemed to have been broken of their spell, the flooding swarm fractured once again. The unit and the scouts would immediately notice this shift in group thought with some Hollow retreating and others looking aloof. Manifesting a Hell Butterfly, Shego spoke casually to it before sending it on it's way to her division; "A clean up crew of four to my location. Ensure no Hollow escapes and all other interference silenced."
While it wasn't her division's duty to clean up these sort of messes, she had some tie to the event and thus it was her responsibility to an extent. And that was more than enough to make this a solitary matter. All that was left was for her to tie up loose ends with the unit ground side, who seemed to have burned a fair portion of their reserves fighting the swarm. Hisenko and Jin were baffled at the display of strength these humans produced -- easily rivaling that of a seated shinigami. They seemed to relish in the moment, taking Hollow head on without fear, fueling by anger and blood lust.
How would they treat them? Would they have to do battle against these suped up humans? It became an inner battle of duty and preservation. Every shinigami, no matter what division they were apart of, had the innate duty to protect humans as they were essentially their life blood. Without humans, the flow of souls would cause an inevitable decline in the Divisions power. But the reverse of this coin tells a different tale; should these humans get strong enough, they could contest against Shinigami. Human conquest has always been ingrained into the fabric of every mortal being.
The beast on the battlefield seemed so sure of itself, pitting itself against an overused and battered force. That is until the very entity that it distanced itself from came into view. Instinctively the beast ran, self-preservation far higher on the priority list than slaughtering David and crew. Shego, with an idle hand, crushed the creature with her spiritual pressure. A feat common to those of captain class. "Taicho!" Hisenko and Jin poured from behind the scenes, rushing to the side of their commander.
After a brief in-house with the two, Shego sent them off to the far ends of the city to start the clean up. Andrew's head still in hand, she took a gander at his former comrades -- only matching them up as comrades based on their uniform. "Power. All men crave it. Some fight for it tooth and nail. Never understanding the struggle to hold it only leads to it slipping through the fingers. Power always finds its way to the worthy, and always when it is most needed." Shego under handed Andrew's head towards the unit, eyes staring intently at these humans. "Violence. You may call me an enforcer, I like to call it being a mediator. Now, for example, this little stunt your friend pulled threatened the very existence of this area. The number of fresh souls -- too many to count. I say threatened because, well, a head without a body is not much of a threat. That just leaves the rest of the litter."
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Post by David Huxley on Jul 25, 2013 23:23:04 GMT -5
地獄極楽は心にあり
Hell and Heaven are in the earth of man. The dismembered head of their team mate flashes through the air and slowly rolled over to the group. Hair covered two lifeless pupils, but the terrified expression was still fresh on his face. This was expected from all of them, one way or another, a firestarter like Andrew was doomed to live a short existence. The shadows of sin always follow the figure and without check, consume them into oblivion. Everyone in the area was a dog, a different owner, a different yard, but when given a bone they’d always fetch no matter what it was. And like a dog, Klang and Barley recognized the difference in power between them all, an important instinct for a fighter. It was fight or flight for the crew and with the way she handled the hollow, it seemed like they were interested in a plane chartered back to the U S of A.
Barley kept his fists lowered. “Yo, yo, yo wicked witch of the we-” he took a quick glance of the head, reminding himself of the consequence of a loose tongue. “Uhh, we don’t have a problem here. Looks like you took care of our job ahead of us. I’m not interested in killing no chin- err, samurais in black dresses.” The spiritual pressure of the Shinigami was enough to keep their full brings up instinctively. It felt like static noise, a subtle annoyance in the air, that cautioned them of a constant threat.
Klang was much more paranoid, his fingers rubbed the leather grip of his katana. His senses were acute, the flicker of flames, small echoes of rubble falling down from hills of cars and a strong wind that fanned the fires and drifted the fumes away from them. Any unnatural sound, change in the currents of the wind or sudden obstruction in his eyes would communicate to his arms to strike. With all her might and strength, he figured he needed but one single opening. After all, even god’s bleed with a wounded heart.
David was much more timid, his arms and feet trembled. Like a rat in a snake pit, he could only scurry in circles waiting for the paralyzing bite to free him of the fear. He spun his the kunai blade at the end of his chain closely to him with a hand. The book he had been reading next to him was conveniently open though slightly charred. The only legible words he could find were “Suvivor’s guilt”. The word confused him for a few moments, stalling his whimpering jitters. Eyes widened as the sound of thunder roared behind him, it was unnerving. He knew what the word meant now, he knew what would happen to all of them now...he knew what he would have to do now. A vision appeared to him, only imaginary of course, but it looked as clear as glass. The fight would ensue, they would all die unnaturally and the circle of flames would come to drag them all to hell.
Vivid flashes of white energy proved his conjecture. It was Dominick, it was their captain. Andrew’s madness didn’t fade with his death, the torch was just passed. Dominick’s body nearly destroyed the van into pieces, his face showed no expression, no anger that was clearly visible in his violent bursts of white lightning. Andrew and Dominick had been friends throughout their time in the armed service, they killed together, they joked together. They were brothers and when one of them went mad, the other felt the obligation to kill him. It was an unnatural connection of two souls, not bound by petty emotions of love or hatred. It was fate. Two like minded individuals, with so many similarities it was uncanny. Seeing one of them change so fast, Dominick felt, was like watching his own death. Friends to the end and with Andrew’s sanity far from alive, he felt he was the only one to bring peace to his troubled spirit.
Dominick wasn’t angry that he was cheated of an opportunity to reason with a madman, he was angry that he was cheated from saving Andrew’s soul. Shego’s blade bore nothing but a callous sense of duty. What she took from him was the justice Dominick was entitled to.
At that moment of time, it all became obvious. The shinigami he had never met, he understood why she was here, the hysteria that attracted her was never with Andrew; it was in Shego, it was in Dominick, it was even in Barley and Klang and it was in David. Soldiers caught in a web of duty and righteousness, bound by a belief that wasn’t even theirs. This was true madness, unwavering, unsullied senses of commitment they all carried.
David looked behind him. The image of Dominick rushing forward, charged with electricity so intense it pushed aside all the debris and pavement on the floor. Yet with all it’s speed, it seemed so surprisingly slow in comparison to his understanding. The thought occurred to him; to be trampled by a life of blind contract or the freedom of opportunity? His face calmed, the young soldier released his final word to the team. “Oh..”
David chose to run away.
At the last moment before the intensity of the lightning could eradicate his earthly vessel he had jumped into the air. The attack was so intense that the mere air and flying earth around Dominick sent him flying past the ring of fire. The shards of glass imbedded in his face were slapped out of him by the force leaving behind a river of blood that painted the right side of his face red. From the low flames, the last thing David remembered seeing from the Captain was his giant six feet claymore with the intent of piercing the Shinigami’s captain-to-be. The flare of flame covered the rest of the picture and from that day on, David assumed no more ties with anyone but himself. He found the nearest alley and ran, ran as fast as he could. He could imagine the lightning tear Dominick’s flesh from his bone, a power fueled not by will of the mind but determination of the heart. He could imagine Klang’s keen but mistaken loyalty lead him to a death. He could even imagine Barley’s final joke, “I can’t believe Carrie fucking killed me...”. There were no tears to be shed though, they had chosen their place and David his. Only the insane would choose a path not dictated by their own dogma.
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Shego
Lost Soul
Posts: 22
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Post by Shego on Jul 26, 2013 21:14:53 GMT -5
Shego failed to acknowledge these humans for what they really are. She cared not for their backstory, their personal struggle to power, love interests, none of it. All she aspired to achieve was her own desires, and judging from the way Dominick let his anger get the best of him, so did he. She didn't mind. Let them hate, so long as they fear. A conduit of modern lifeblood sparkled off the Captain's body like a blown fuse, the toned soldier christened with unnatural power. Surrendering to fear and allowing oneself to be paralyzed by peril isn't something most can afford to do.
Dominick felt obligation to do what Shego did, and in many ways she crushed him -- tore what thread of sanity that anchored him to the world away. If she had knew the bond the two shared sooner, she would have prolonged it, just to see how far she can twist him. She was taught like so many shinigami before her that their work for peace must begin within the private world of each of them. To build for man a world without fear, they must be without fear. To build a world of justice, they must be just.
Shego never took this philosophy to heart, as from this arises the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that she should wish to be both: but since love and fear can hardly exist together. is she must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved. In a flash of brilliance, Dominick bellowed out from the ring of fire, clad in electricity, claymore held in the killing position -- his aim to pierce Shego, no doubt other unsavory follow ups.
Given the hard arc of the blade, Shego would sprout backwards to avoid the initial impact, painting a trail of spiritual energy in her wake. Taking on the trio head first would be a fools gambit. Klang and Barley, eager as they were to follow suit with their captains advances, they were noticeably fatigued, reluctant even to immediately participate. She would use this to her advantage. For now she would maintain distance, giving herself time to analyze the abilities of the main threat: Dominick. It was a mixture of warrior's honor and morbid curiosity. Every warrior's got the same basis, it all boils down to who wants it the most. And unlike Andrew, Dominick wants it the most.
It's not how big the dog is, it's how big the fight is in the dog. And Shego won't fucking stop. She'll prod him, push him and his comrades to their very limit to see just how badly they want it. Victory, to live and fight another day -- that's what warriors want. That's it. Now, Shego's not slack when it comes to killing. She's taken more than enough mementos to satisfy even the most primitive ritualists' god. She's slain horrible abominations from the edges of the known dimensions. She's killed things that came from the very ground itself. She has caked her skin with blood of creatures from lifetimes away from what this unit can comprehend. She has even fought beings they might have worshiped as gods.
But has she never seen something as exciting as the human idea of 'Vengeance', nor a human in pursuit of it. Now madness, that's just the emergency exit. It allows anyone to simply step outside, closing the door on all those dreadful things that happened. Lock them away.. forever. Shego found this aspect of the emotional spectrum boring -- it left little to dissect. Can't break what is already broken. Was Dominick pursuing vengeance, or is he simply following the path of madness?
Shego kept her arms behind her back, casually shifting her speeds and reflexes to keep herself at a safe distance, and to avoid obvious lethal attacks. A mocking gesture that would no doubt rustle his jimmies. "There must be part of you that's disgusted by how easily your comrade fell to me. Part of you that wishes to strike me down with almighty retribution. Or maybe you don't care. Maybe you're just like him -- another primitive on the chopping block. Mindlessly filtering your actions towards nothing. No goals, no aspirations, monkey work."
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Post by David Huxley on Jul 27, 2013 20:44:36 GMT -5
陰の形にしたがうごとし
Even as the shadow follows the shape
Sharks have a natural predatory instinct to circle it’s prey. Years of film and television had hidden the real purpose of this motion, to defend itself. The shark does not always feast on prey it circles; it watches before it eats. The distance, the way it swims allows the hungry predator to watch over it’s food, if it even is food. If the teethed behemoth senses overwhelming animosity and strength, it has given itself distance to escape. More often, the odd swim allows the carnivore to look for openings.
The three men had observed Shego flail around in the air, avoiding the quick attack from Dominick. They figured it wouldn’t be enough and had taken positions across from each other to form a perfect triangle against Shego. They had fought together for years and the fruits of their teamwork had produced a bond that surpassed words and phrases. They knew each others weaknesses and strengths, they compensated for each other, they listened to each others feelings more than their actions. Even in Dominick’s drunken state of rage, he preserved his comrades bond and naturally moved with them. His style and stance were changing drastically and a prolonged fight, both Barley and Klang figured, would kill them all.
Dominick listened to Shego’s vexation and although it angered him, he was too experienced to blindly attack her. Never the less, letting her run her mouth was something his honor couldn’t afford.
“Disgusted? No...” His hand tightly conformed into a claw as he scratched his blade. The noise was horrific, a loud screech that rung louder and louder as he made his way to the base of his sword. “I’m not mad at you for what you did. This isn’t something I’m doing for my country or my creed. I’m just trying to correct one of God’s many mistakes; allowing some freak to play executioner.” The tone was an alarm for the other two, as Dominick raised his voice and jumped in the air, Barley had already prepared his support. He scooped concrete from the base of a lamp post and condensed the giant light into the size of a baseball with his bare hands. The ball was dense and durable, more importantly, Barley was strong. However, this power came at the cost of his accuracy. At his maximum strength, he threw the ball at Shego's general location, aiming for her abdomen but knowing the possibility of hitting her leg or barely nipping her was real. The throw was so strong that his whole body twisted forward and crashed into the floor to stop the momentum.
Dominick raised his blade, prepared to shoot out a blast of electrical reiatsu towards Shego but he waited patiently for Klang’s call. He had the most important job, to monitor Shego’s movements and guess her position with his eagle eye. The most subtle movement in a direction would be enough for him to mumble in his communicator and direct Dominick’s hatred.
Their tactics were simple; corner and kill. Their greatest strength, unity, was also a problem. One mistake would lead to a ruin strategy and none of them were experienced in fighting by themselves besides The Captain. Two tired soldiers and one excitable Demon is a recipe for failure. Attrition would be their downfall.
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Shego
Lost Soul
Posts: 22
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Post by Shego on Jul 28, 2013 18:05:30 GMT -5
Shego felt peaceful in the heat of the moment, where death loomed just inches away from her face. And while the trio could potentially harm her, maybe even in the best circumstances, considering their levels of mental and physical fatigue, kill her. Still, the humans would try to best her in their condition. "Laudable. Even in the face of an overwhelming foe, you still cling on to petty hope. Surrounding me will do what, exactly?" Shego retained her pose, eyes tracing the movements of the trio, noting their relative positions. Dominick scratched his blade, sending out a horrific screech in a potential attempt to disorient her.
Hollow screams were louder. "Cute," she stated with a smirk, listening to the man go on about God's mistake. To her it was what she suspected. She took what he deemed to be his duty and trampled on it. "I guess you wanted to consolidate him -- enforce your bond, bring him back to the fold? Seeing how he was alone, broken, you weren't on great terms. A shame, really. I would have enjoyed doing the deed in front of you." The Unit Captain sprang up, Barley bunching up a lamp post during his comrades flight. Instinctively she shifted from her current position away -- towards Klang who seemed to be waiting in the wings for an opportunity to strike.
During this maneuver of the body, the Shinigami drew her blade, ushering out her initial release command: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the End, I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life, freely." While she was speaking, her eyes and body were alert, taking note of the airborne Dominick and the watchful eye of Klang. Her blade would burst with black reiatsu, changing the stark white zanpaktou to a sleek jet black, a portion of her power emanating from her.
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Post by David Huxley on Jul 29, 2013 16:07:14 GMT -5
報復
Retribution. Shego had dodged the ball of metal that now lay on the side of a building, stuck into red brick walls. The impact had sent chunks of pipes and rubble down onto the streets to be feasted on by the flames. Barley struggled for a bit, but was eventually released from the grip the earth had on his arm. He sighed, looking around for David and once realizing his abandonment, gave an irritated snarl. It was time for war though and he spent it crushing a nearby car into a ball. This was much harder though and required more time. His nickname, canon arm, fit his role; as living artillery.
Dominick stayed silently in the air, unresponsive to Shego’s remarks. Dominick had no obligation to explain himself, his sentiments or his ideals to a freak, he figured. His arms began to steady in preparation for a strike, he was angry alright, but hearing her last comment reminded him of the price of an excited mind. Andrew was the perfect example, allow your feelings to drive you and the only thing waiting at the end of the tunnel was the embrace of death. Even the lightning that empowered his blade roared quietly as it awaited for it’s victim. Feelings were out the window, his only curiosities were what her blade’s new form would do and how he would remove her head from her body.
Klang’s mind was isolated on a single task, recalling his name would be difficult. His eye circle in it’s socket as it twisted itself to find Shego. She had dared him, coming towards him a straightforward fashion. Two bulls ready to cross horns. The uncertainty of that outcome led him to doubt his own strength and opted for an easier solution. “On me.” He mumbled in his headset. Dominick twisted his neck to the left and immediately threw a ball of electrical energy towards Klang. Shego was nothing but a blur to his eyes but he trusted Klang’s judgement and almost after throwing the attack, flung himself using bringers light at the point of impact. The lightning would hit something, whether it was her or the floor. He just contained himself in the smoke of the aftermath, inspecting and preparing himself for an engagement.
Klang by now had sprung into the air, avoiding the blast all together. He had asked for help almost immediately as he was jumping. The battlefield looked smaller from above, he noticed Barley’s position and gave him a nod. Now he would wait again, for the second attack. He was a swimmer in the sea, trying to fight a shark in it’s own habitat. This field was hers now, all he could do is swim with the current and hope it could carry them to shore.
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Shego
Lost Soul
Posts: 22
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Post by Shego on Jul 30, 2013 21:16:31 GMT -5
The dodge was simple enough, expected even. The follow up from Dominick and Klang were the most curious. Barley remained stationary, balling up another death ball, this time the preparation would be a considerable time sink. Aside from Dominick, the other two were reluctant to engage Shego, and she took note of this. For now, she'd pursue them and have Dominick chase her. The gamble of taking her on straightforward caused Klang to falter, leaping high into the air. "Why would he put himself in such a vulnerable position?" She was under the assumption he was aware of Shunpo, though it wouldn't matter as the ball of lightning triggered her spiritual senses.
The assumed course of action would be to dodge, getting hit being the dumbest thing to do. Shego would take another route. Utilizing shunpo, the shinigami would avoid the ball, hearing the resulting boom from impact accompanied with fizzling electric. Her burst of speed would not be directed towards Klang, rather her target changed again, this time it was the preoccupied Barley. The bladed end of Sanus Ensis radiated with psionic energies, signifying a soon to be devastating attack. Even if he manage to ball up the car in time, he would have to cock it and release. Added time he didn't have on his own.
Positioning her zanpaktou up in a horizontal fashion, she swiftly brought her forearm across her chest, swinging promptly towards Barley's head, attempting to sever it from the bridge of his nose up.
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Used:
Name: Disseverment
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 1 post
Cost: Mild
Range: Mid-Long
Description: Shego charges psionic energies at the bladed end of her zanpaktou, projecting razor sharp energy in a wave the length of the blade. The energy is finely condensed, making penetration of tough surfaces generally superior on the same scale of power. As such it has the potential to slice through the likes of Hierro and energy-based attacks if enough power differential is present. These attacks can be implemented through the swinging or thrusting of the sword. It's damage is potentially lethal if exposed areas such as the neck are struck.
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Post by David Huxley on Aug 1, 2013 0:17:01 GMT -5
犠牲
Sacrifice Three nanoseconds too late. A scream, “Barley!”, had sparked his attention. Klang who could only watch from above predicted as best as he could, where she was heading, but he was only able to release one word before she was already feet in front of Barley. His reflexes were good, but not good enough to completely avoid the attack. As he moved left, he could feel the warm sensation of reiatsu pierce the right of his chest, next to his lung. Her attitude was cold, her movements were keen, but the sensation of his tainted red wine streaming around the psionic energy of her blade and evaporating into the air anything but bleak.
For years, Barley had imagined his death to be anything but warm. It was comforting, his wound had already sent a message to his brain to release endorphins, a testament to his body’s experience in pain. It was quick to ease his passing and as Barley reflected his life’s decision, the women he had fucked, the men he had fucked over, he had almost become oblivious to the blade lodged through his chest. His lungs were still working, his heart was still beating, his body was still alive even if he knew it wouldn’t be soon enough. It was then that he did something he had never done before, fulfill his duty as a soldier. The enticing caress of death would have to wait.
With whatever bit of strength Barley could muster he gripped onto Shego’s arm, the one specifically holding her soldier killer. His body wasn’t endorphins weren’t prepared for movement and even they couldn’t suppress the acute stinging that rode up through his forearm and into his shoulder. The pain occurred again, this time in his other hand as he grabbed a hold of her neck, or tried too. Had he succeeded, he would dig his fingernails into her flesh, feeling the sensation of her bare skin even through the Shihakushō. He hoped his fullbring could outlast his body. Barley did what he did best, hold on.
Klang flinched in disgust, even professionalism couldn’t hold his frustration. His eyes squinted and nose pulsated. Blood dripped down from the grip of his blade as the leather dug and ripped some of the flesh from the palm of his hands. A complete shift of paradigm, Klang spread the blood on his hands across his face. His killing intent was feral, certainly, but fixated on Shego. Excluding the abandoned Andrew, this was Unit 47’s first death; one that would be compensated with anotheri life. Klang was a bill collector and her debt was up, he figured.
Dominick’s animosity couldn’t wait for his rationality, he immediately changed direction and used bringer’s light to speed him up further. Dominick could see Barley’s movements and understood what it meant for him to latch onto Shego. He had resigned his life. His name had been signed and the letter was written in blood, it was now Dominick’s duty to discharge him. Lightning wrapped itself around the sword and created a thin layer of white energy. It was conformed to the shape of his claymore, increasing it’s sharpness seemingly. As Dominick ran, debris flew left and right from the floor, his sword was cutting through the pavement effortlessly, he had sacrificed his reiatsu and stamina just to be wielding his basilisk of a sword and with the conviction to cut down his friend, too boot. This was a necessary sacrifice, he reasoned and has he got closer to his enemy, any restraints he had vanished. The arrow that guided his moral compass pointed straight to hell, his madness that incubated in the womb of guilt had taken it’s first breath of fresh air. Dominick didn’t care if Barley had managed to grab ahold of her and keep her confined, he just wanted one shot at her. With a horizontal slash, his blade glowed and the energy that surrounded his blade extended the height by a factor of two. This would be enough to cut through Barley and in theory, Shego.
Barley knew his captain had taken the liberty to cut his ties to the world, he was prepared for this. As his mind faded, the light of Dominick’s blade grew in intensity. He didn’t know if he was still hanging onto Shego or if he had failed, he just told his muscles to stand still and they did; tensed up in the strong grip he intended. His final thoughts were true, no jokes, no hidden symbolism but they were the summation of his existence, of his career as a man of duty.
‘Fuck you, Dom.’
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Shego
Lost Soul
Posts: 22
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Post by Shego on Aug 1, 2013 20:04:58 GMT -5
One second, the blinking of an eye, a breath. Enough to change the course of a life - and this like was Barely's. The keen eye of Klang wasn't enough to prevent the fatal blow to his comrade. While not an instantaneous death, the damage was too severe for the soldier to continue living. If only David had stayed, maybe the outcome would've been different. "Weak and feeble. Even with your dying breath you still defy me," Shego said with slight annoyance, avoiding Barely's attempts to restrain her. The urge to end Barley's life by her own hand pulled at her sword hand, but the sweeter deal of Dominick doing the deed was far too enticing.
Simply shunpoing away from the incoming slash, she avoided the attack -- the fatigued, mortally wounded, and mentally defeated Barley was left alone to take the full brunt. The torrent of light sliced into Barley like a hot knife to butter, tearing apart muscle, bone, vital organs. Blood splattered and fizzled. The end result left Barley half a man. A victorious smirk stretched along the shinigami's face, emerald eyes peering at the failure that is Dominick. "I like you, Dom, was it? You're a shallow, precious child -- the revelationist -- happy with the sweeping sounds of battle. But I am the revelation. The force at the core of things."
Shego flexed her reiatsu yet again, trembling the area around her. "Do not concern yourself with what I have done; rather tremble at the thought of what I am about to do." Her shift was not on Dominick again, this time on the remaining partner Klang. With a burst of speed, the shinigami closed the gap between herself and the voyeur, blade drawn for a swift horizontal slash. Unlike her previous attack against Barley, this one had no enhance slicing capabilities; rather it shifted her mental energy into physical, increasing the impact force. Should Klang decide to put up a defense, the resulting clash of her blade would send out a concussive burst of psionic energy, launching him a considerable distance.
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Post by David Huxley on Aug 2, 2013 4:14:43 GMT -5
地獄への道よい意思と舗装されている
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Skids of blood raced across the air, leaving behind thin dried lines of blood on the floor. Dominick watched as his comrade was cut in half from the waist, most of the wound had been cauterized at impact which only allowed small sprinkles of Barley’s blood to taint the area around him. Barley was unconscious by the time he had been split into two. The shroud of death would protect him from the pain he would have felt, even God, with all his tragic humor could not allow Barley to endure Dominick’s mental anguish. This was his pain now, and only his. It was impossible to tell though, whether Dominick cared anymore. His mental toll had manifested itself into reality, bags under his eyes weighed down his face, his ears had become selectively deaf, only listening to what he wanted to hear. Shego’s taunts, Klang’s calls, nothing but white noise to encourage his savage thoughts.
Red painted his face; blood always gave you the best shade of red on the lips. Barley was nothing more than half the man he used to be, to Dominick. His demise was nothing but a passing memory, to him, he was nothing but charred flesh and bone. Dominick discarded his view of Barley (it was disgusting), with his sword gripped instead, he looked back at Shego flailing in the air. Her mouth moved but no words came out, the hiss of flames of the flames in the background and her eerie smile were the only things he could process. Her quips were nothing but pointless conjecture, petty words to undermine the mind of a psychopath.
Just before Dominick could regain his posture and strike, Shego disappeared. Klang was already prepared though, his eyes could see everything, Shego’s drawn sword, Dominick’s carelessness, Barley’s stropped spine. Shego went in for a horizontal slash but Klang dodged, his speed at close range was nearly hers, the lethargic rhythm of time that lead Klang helped him. Klang lowered his body and swooped underneath the slash and orientated his blade towards Shego’s abdomen. He wanted nothing more than to stab her in the stomach and decorate her nape with a necklace made from her own intestines. However, Klang's crude fashion sense would need to be postponed. Prudence and vigilance were necessary agents to combat two hungry wolves; their philosophical war was over, this was a game of survival now.
That’s why it wasn’t surprising to Klang... when he sensed his Captain’s reiatsu from above the both of them. The intensity was all he needed to confirm that his blade was being guided towards the kill once again. What he would do though, was an unknown variable even to Klang. He just hoped that Dominick would point the blade at the guilty first and not at the most convenient.
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