HomeCast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
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Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Wed Jun 17, 2020 1:00 pm
Daishi laid there in bed, turning occasionally, but unable to find sleep. He could feel them. Same as any other night, the eyes were there. Never malicious, or creepy, merely there. One might have thought he had a guardian angel, but there was no sense of protection from the watching sense either. It was merely there, and perhaps that was what kept him from sleeping. He wasn't able to tell what it was the eyes were, what they wanted, or if they wanted anything at all.
For a moment, he stood, looked out the window into the darkness outside it, dotted with the lights of the street and the city beyond. Nothing. Same as before. Same as every other night for a month. With a sigh, the boy laid back in bed and pulled the covers up over himself.
Across the street, the watcher continued to watch, relaxed as it was atop the roof of the next house. Again the boy had stared directly at him, and seen nothing. He had not seen the gleaming cage of white bone that wrapped around him. The glistening cords of black muscle that defined him. The brilliant yellow eyes that even now remained fixed on the window. Daishi could see none of it.
But El Rey could see him.
He was not immensely hungry. He was not likely to lose himself to the hunger for some weeks yet, which is why he could afford to sit here and wait. To watch the boy and his family, and take in whatever detail he made out. To learn more about the state he'd come from. Though what it told him he was not able to piece together just yet. There was some sense of some emotion there, but it was muted. Warped.
He almost wanted to eat the boy. He had heightened spiritual presence from the rest of this town, but it was not nearly enough. And he was not a victor. El Rey only ate the victors. The strongest. The luckiest. The hunters. So he would not eat the boy. The boy would be bait. Something would come to hunt him, and something would come to hunt that. Or maybe it would be only one hunter, and El Rey would have to be the second.
Or, maybe, he had sat in one place long enough to catch their attention. Those so claimed gods. Yes, that would be interesting as well. Maybe he would be hunted this time.
For a moment, he stood, looked out the window into the darkness outside it, dotted with the lights of the street and the city beyond. Nothing. Same as before. Same as every other night for a month. With a sigh, the boy laid back in bed and pulled the covers up over himself.
Across the street, the watcher continued to watch, relaxed as it was atop the roof of the next house. Again the boy had stared directly at him, and seen nothing. He had not seen the gleaming cage of white bone that wrapped around him. The glistening cords of black muscle that defined him. The brilliant yellow eyes that even now remained fixed on the window. Daishi could see none of it.
But El Rey could see him.
He was not immensely hungry. He was not likely to lose himself to the hunger for some weeks yet, which is why he could afford to sit here and wait. To watch the boy and his family, and take in whatever detail he made out. To learn more about the state he'd come from. Though what it told him he was not able to piece together just yet. There was some sense of some emotion there, but it was muted. Warped.
He almost wanted to eat the boy. He had heightened spiritual presence from the rest of this town, but it was not nearly enough. And he was not a victor. El Rey only ate the victors. The strongest. The luckiest. The hunters. So he would not eat the boy. The boy would be bait. Something would come to hunt him, and something would come to hunt that. Or maybe it would be only one hunter, and El Rey would have to be the second.
Or, maybe, he had sat in one place long enough to catch their attention. Those so claimed gods. Yes, that would be interesting as well. Maybe he would be hunted this time.
Last edited by El Rey on Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:45 am; edited 2 times in total
El Rey- Posts : 32
Join date : 2020-05-25
Age : 29
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:19 am
The Head of Clan Hatayama had grown more confident in himself these past few weeks. Being thrown into a swim or die environment with the political intrigue of the nobility, nearly getting killed by Hollow then running into Quincy. Yep. His life had gone from tranquil to chaos rather swiftly. It seemed that fate simply had no chill at all when it came to handling Zenji’s life.
He had volunteered for another routine patrol in Karakura Town, this area seemed to be a damned magnet for trouble, when the opportunity came up. This time he’d managed to even secure a partner for himself, his cousin Zâbel, so that he hopefully wouldn’t have his ass kicked without any backup.
Walking sedately through the town, this was no hunt and destroy assignment after all, he was staying ground level at the moment as nothing had caught his attention yet.
‘Well seems today is going to be a quiet o-...’ the thought was cut off almost immediately by the beeping of his Denreishinki. Pulling the device out he sighed heavily at the message. A nearby, potent, Hollow was on the hunt and he was being ordered to investigate. Checking the map function it appeared he was far closer than his partner. Raising the device to his ear he called Zâbel. ‘I’ll check it out. Make your way here, carefully, and provide back up if you can.’
Snapping the device shut the man shoved it in his pocket and set off.
A basic, if not overly quick, Flash Step brought Zenji up to the roof. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop until he got to where the device had indicated he should travel to. Keeping his own Spiritual Pressure subdued so that the Hollow didn’t immediately sense him the man spotted the large, feline, Hollow within moments thanks to the advice he’d already received.
If he was quick, and careful, hopefully the Hollow wouldn’t see him above it before it was too late. It’d be nice to have one of these missions go well for once.
Reaching out with his left hand the Shinigami drew symbols in the air, a red line of energy trailing after the digit as it moved swiftly and surely. “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat!" The energy flared “Bakudō #9. Geki."
He had volunteered for another routine patrol in Karakura Town, this area seemed to be a damned magnet for trouble, when the opportunity came up. This time he’d managed to even secure a partner for himself, his cousin Zâbel, so that he hopefully wouldn’t have his ass kicked without any backup.
Walking sedately through the town, this was no hunt and destroy assignment after all, he was staying ground level at the moment as nothing had caught his attention yet.
‘Well seems today is going to be a quiet o-...’ the thought was cut off almost immediately by the beeping of his Denreishinki. Pulling the device out he sighed heavily at the message. A nearby, potent, Hollow was on the hunt and he was being ordered to investigate. Checking the map function it appeared he was far closer than his partner. Raising the device to his ear he called Zâbel. ‘I’ll check it out. Make your way here, carefully, and provide back up if you can.’
Snapping the device shut the man shoved it in his pocket and set off.
A basic, if not overly quick, Flash Step brought Zenji up to the roof. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop until he got to where the device had indicated he should travel to. Keeping his own Spiritual Pressure subdued so that the Hollow didn’t immediately sense him the man spotted the large, feline, Hollow within moments thanks to the advice he’d already received.
If he was quick, and careful, hopefully the Hollow wouldn’t see him above it before it was too late. It’d be nice to have one of these missions go well for once.
Reaching out with his left hand the Shinigami drew symbols in the air, a red line of energy trailing after the digit as it moved swiftly and surely. “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat!" The energy flared “Bakudō #9. Geki."
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:44 am
"Interesting."
The problem with the possibility of being hunted was that sometimes you were right. And the hunter was under no obligation to announce themselves to that they were hunting. Really, it was in their interest to never do so until it was too late. He spent whole fights between two prospective targets, keeping himself hidden so that neither would know he was there until it was time for him to strike and eat. He'd never experienced the hunt from the other end. Or if he had, he couldn't remember it just like a million other things that might have been useful to him.
That was why his spiritual pressure had not been repressed in that moment. He had not sensed anyone approaching immediately, so he did not feel he needed to. His pressure might even have made things more tantalizing. Made it more likely for multiple other hunters to show up so that he would have a lovely pick of meals. He'd never needed to hide from someone hunting him.
When the spiritual pressure flared in the air above him and words cried out in a chant, he knew he was being hunted. The roof cracked and splintered beneath him as the hollow chose his destination. Not straight up. Close, but that might spook his hunter too much. Simply close. An angle. With a snarl he threw himself into the air much as he had at his targets, with all force his body could summon. No fancy footwork, just power.
That was why the air cracked like thunder as he 'landed' near the shinigami above him, vertical on the air which seemed to shudder from his presence there. Using pure force, he was fast, but not fast enough to escape the red light creeping along his limbs. If his mask allowed him to grin, he certainly would have. "Interesting." he said again, as he had when the energy started to flare.
"So very interesting. You creep in with your soul suppressed, and then act to disable your target, hopefully before it knows you are there." He was flexing, ever so slightly. He couldn't break free of the paralysis. Not immediately. If he kept flexing, perhaps he could weaken it, or perhaps force the shinigami to keep applying it and take up his time. "You leave an opening. A terrible one."
This was so interesting.
"Your words. They betray you, shinigami." he said, relishing the chance to use the word at one of them. "Had you moved closer and struck with your blade, you might yet have claimed your prey." He paused, curiosity creeping into his mind once more. "But you did not. You kept your distance rather than go for the kill."
"Do you fear me, shinigami?"
The problem with the possibility of being hunted was that sometimes you were right. And the hunter was under no obligation to announce themselves to that they were hunting. Really, it was in their interest to never do so until it was too late. He spent whole fights between two prospective targets, keeping himself hidden so that neither would know he was there until it was time for him to strike and eat. He'd never experienced the hunt from the other end. Or if he had, he couldn't remember it just like a million other things that might have been useful to him.
That was why his spiritual pressure had not been repressed in that moment. He had not sensed anyone approaching immediately, so he did not feel he needed to. His pressure might even have made things more tantalizing. Made it more likely for multiple other hunters to show up so that he would have a lovely pick of meals. He'd never needed to hide from someone hunting him.
When the spiritual pressure flared in the air above him and words cried out in a chant, he knew he was being hunted. The roof cracked and splintered beneath him as the hollow chose his destination. Not straight up. Close, but that might spook his hunter too much. Simply close. An angle. With a snarl he threw himself into the air much as he had at his targets, with all force his body could summon. No fancy footwork, just power.
That was why the air cracked like thunder as he 'landed' near the shinigami above him, vertical on the air which seemed to shudder from his presence there. Using pure force, he was fast, but not fast enough to escape the red light creeping along his limbs. If his mask allowed him to grin, he certainly would have. "Interesting." he said again, as he had when the energy started to flare.
"So very interesting. You creep in with your soul suppressed, and then act to disable your target, hopefully before it knows you are there." He was flexing, ever so slightly. He couldn't break free of the paralysis. Not immediately. If he kept flexing, perhaps he could weaken it, or perhaps force the shinigami to keep applying it and take up his time. "You leave an opening. A terrible one."
This was so interesting.
"Your words. They betray you, shinigami." he said, relishing the chance to use the word at one of them. "Had you moved closer and struck with your blade, you might yet have claimed your prey." He paused, curiosity creeping into his mind once more. "But you did not. You kept your distance rather than go for the kill."
"Do you fear me, shinigami?"
El Rey- Posts : 32
Join date : 2020-05-25
Age : 29
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Thu Jun 18, 2020 12:20 pm
Zenji’s heart nearly tore itself free from his chest as the Hollow tore towards him, moving quickly, to take up a position near him. Zenji used a swift Flash Step of his own to shoot up and slightly back. He had only slightly improved the distance between himself and the beast but, more importantly, he was now level with it.
Then the second shock came swiftly on the feet of the other. It spoke and not just guttural nonsense but full sentences, well thought out ones, as if it had the same intelligence as a Human being. “Interesting.” he murmured as his mind considered the possibilities. Was it close to evolution? Was it already a higher form of Hollow than those he had come across before? What exactly was it that limited, or allowed the growth of, the feral intellect of the corrupt sou-
“Zenji! Act!” Snapped the agitated Zanpakuto causing the Shinigami to come back to the present. She was right, he had a tendency to contemplate, to consider and not act.
His hand came out, fingers pointed at the paralysed Hollow, and he repeated his earlier incantation. "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! As the words and energy flowed from the Shinigami as did the red glow outlining the Hollow’s form grew thicker, stronger, more resolute. "Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat!"
Kōjutsu Eishō. The reciting of the incantation on an already active spell to reinforce its powers, very useful for barriers but useful in such situations as these. Zenji had been tempted to attempt a Nijū Eishō but pairing two bindings at once might have stretched his precious little power.
Still all he had managed to do was buy time. No Bakudō lasted forever and that went doubly for a low level spell such as that one, the fact it had worked at all was a testament to the weak Shinigami’s skill. He was considering what to do when the Hollow’s last words struck a nerve.
“I am not!” snarled the Shinigami at the accusation of being afraid, voice cracking as his eyes went slightly wide. Memories flickered through his mind of the beating he’d taken from the last Hollow he fought, of the luck he had come across in his escape and the agony his body had gone through both during, then after, the skirmish. Worst of all however was the death of poor, innocent, Suki.
Taking out his phone he pressed a button and sent a signal that cancelled his partner’s rendezvous. He’d deal with this alone.
Everything had gone very calm all of a sudden, very quiet, if he had been afraid that fear was a long gone memory. He felt only the need, the want, to destroy the monster in front of him.
“Ah… Zenji?” came the worried voice of his Zanpakuto but the man was too livid to listen.
Zenji of the Hatayama, the Monk, the peaceful, the balance keeper and leader of the faithful was currently gritting his teeth in anger as he pointed his staff at the Hollow. The Zanpakuto tried to speak to him again but it’s voice was faint, distant.
“No beast. I do not fear you” he replied with a voice so uncharacteristically cold that he didn’t immediately recognise it as his. A hand came up, the Reiryoku gathering along the limb, as he prepared another spell.
Then the second shock came swiftly on the feet of the other. It spoke and not just guttural nonsense but full sentences, well thought out ones, as if it had the same intelligence as a Human being. “Interesting.” he murmured as his mind considered the possibilities. Was it close to evolution? Was it already a higher form of Hollow than those he had come across before? What exactly was it that limited, or allowed the growth of, the feral intellect of the corrupt sou-
“Zenji! Act!” Snapped the agitated Zanpakuto causing the Shinigami to come back to the present. She was right, he had a tendency to contemplate, to consider and not act.
His hand came out, fingers pointed at the paralysed Hollow, and he repeated his earlier incantation. "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! As the words and energy flowed from the Shinigami as did the red glow outlining the Hollow’s form grew thicker, stronger, more resolute. "Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat!"
Kōjutsu Eishō. The reciting of the incantation on an already active spell to reinforce its powers, very useful for barriers but useful in such situations as these. Zenji had been tempted to attempt a Nijū Eishō but pairing two bindings at once might have stretched his precious little power.
Still all he had managed to do was buy time. No Bakudō lasted forever and that went doubly for a low level spell such as that one, the fact it had worked at all was a testament to the weak Shinigami’s skill. He was considering what to do when the Hollow’s last words struck a nerve.
“I am not!” snarled the Shinigami at the accusation of being afraid, voice cracking as his eyes went slightly wide. Memories flickered through his mind of the beating he’d taken from the last Hollow he fought, of the luck he had come across in his escape and the agony his body had gone through both during, then after, the skirmish. Worst of all however was the death of poor, innocent, Suki.
Taking out his phone he pressed a button and sent a signal that cancelled his partner’s rendezvous. He’d deal with this alone.
Everything had gone very calm all of a sudden, very quiet, if he had been afraid that fear was a long gone memory. He felt only the need, the want, to destroy the monster in front of him.
“Ah… Zenji?” came the worried voice of his Zanpakuto but the man was too livid to listen.
Zenji of the Hatayama, the Monk, the peaceful, the balance keeper and leader of the faithful was currently gritting his teeth in anger as he pointed his staff at the Hollow. The Zanpakuto tried to speak to him again but it’s voice was faint, distant.
“No beast. I do not fear you” he replied with a voice so uncharacteristically cold that he didn’t immediately recognise it as his. A hand came up, the Reiryoku gathering along the limb, as he prepared another spell.
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Thu Jun 18, 2020 1:54 pm
There was a sound like a great cracking and falling of stones. There was something there in his chest. Something fairly close to amusement. And as such it was only appropriate for him to give the proper sound. At least, that was what the vague memories told him. In this situation, he was sure it would be taken as a mocking thing. He couldn't bring himself to feel empathy for this man though. Especially not after he reinforced the red, paralyzing light along the hollow's limbs.
At least this time he was ready for it. He couldn't stop it, but he continued to flex and shift, ever so slightly. Carefully. He didn't want the shinigami to know immediately when he was ready to break through this red light. He would need to wait for the proper opening. "You lie." he said. Not a question, or an accusation. It was a statement of fact as the hollow saw it. "You speak to me only in screams. You strike me though I have done nothing to you. You dare not even address me by name." A little more flexing, the exposed muscle of his body glistening in the moonlight.
He could feel the spell loosening. He would have to force it to crack open, but he was ready to do that much. Just had to wait for the man to make a mistake. He was already so interesting, El Rey didn't think he would be eating tonight. He would be speaking, as even with scant few words, this shinigami was more talkative than the last few had been. Only the one to give him his name had been so accommodating previously.
His time came. It was good that he had taken the time to talk to that girl. The one he had saved with one of his hunts. That peculiar gathering of energy to one limb. It was not the same with the shinigami, but similar enough that he could discern it. And what was more, it seemed something different than the paralyzing spell he had been struck with twice previously.
'Now.'
He sprang forward again, further still not relying on his dexterity, but solely his power to move him from one spot to another. A black and white bolt hurled through the air to land, once more as though on a wall, this time just above the shinigami. The air let out a thunderous crash beneath him as he shook off the spell, but remained in place. "You run. You hide. You shout. You disable. You forsake names mine and your own."
He took a single step closer down the plane of the air, smooth, calm, yet with the crack of thunder still sounding as he prepped himself should he need to move once more.
"Shinigami, God of Death, you fear."
At least this time he was ready for it. He couldn't stop it, but he continued to flex and shift, ever so slightly. Carefully. He didn't want the shinigami to know immediately when he was ready to break through this red light. He would need to wait for the proper opening. "You lie." he said. Not a question, or an accusation. It was a statement of fact as the hollow saw it. "You speak to me only in screams. You strike me though I have done nothing to you. You dare not even address me by name." A little more flexing, the exposed muscle of his body glistening in the moonlight.
He could feel the spell loosening. He would have to force it to crack open, but he was ready to do that much. Just had to wait for the man to make a mistake. He was already so interesting, El Rey didn't think he would be eating tonight. He would be speaking, as even with scant few words, this shinigami was more talkative than the last few had been. Only the one to give him his name had been so accommodating previously.
His time came. It was good that he had taken the time to talk to that girl. The one he had saved with one of his hunts. That peculiar gathering of energy to one limb. It was not the same with the shinigami, but similar enough that he could discern it. And what was more, it seemed something different than the paralyzing spell he had been struck with twice previously.
'Now.'
He sprang forward again, further still not relying on his dexterity, but solely his power to move him from one spot to another. A black and white bolt hurled through the air to land, once more as though on a wall, this time just above the shinigami. The air let out a thunderous crash beneath him as he shook off the spell, but remained in place. "You run. You hide. You shout. You disable. You forsake names mine and your own."
He took a single step closer down the plane of the air, smooth, calm, yet with the crack of thunder still sounding as he prepped himself should he need to move once more.
"Shinigami, God of Death, you fear."
El Rey- Posts : 32
Join date : 2020-05-25
Age : 29
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Fri Jun 19, 2020 4:56 pm
Zenji took a step backwards, instinctually retreating in the face of the Hollow’s advance, causing his growing rage to grow as it fed on the shameful fear that built up inside of him. Orange energy danced around the Soul Reaper’s form as it grew in line with his barely restrained fury.
His breathing was coming out far heavier than he’d intended.
“Zenji! Calm down and think! Focus your aggression! LISTEN TO ME!” The voice came as if from afar as if the Spirit was crying out across a great distance, it's tone becoming furious and frustrated.
However it was enough for the Shinigami to hold on to a touch of caution. The Hollow’s power was not yet known, he wasn’t sure how quick it could go but it moved faster than Zenji himself could. More importantly it was terrifyingly articulate. All the other Hollow he’d met had been snarling, instinct driven, animals filled with rage and hunger or, at best, capable of stringing together three words into an incoherent sentence. He had to assume it was possibly as intelligent as any Soul Reaper and if that was the case then it could be acting tactically. Alongside with it’s unknown combative power he really did have to be careful.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t destroy it.
The Soul Reaper wasn’t a skilled fighter and although he was nearly a master of the Demon Arts he often failed to act imaginatively so maybe it was time for that.
Dismissing the dense spirit particles under his feet Zenji began to fall backwards through the air towards the ground as he no longer had a foothold to keep upright. As he fell he pushed both his hands upwards towards the Hollow “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat!" he said, starting quietly but his voice rising asd he spoke. His hands would move along with the Hollow to track it. “Bakudō #9. Hōrin."
Tendrils of mixing orange and yellow energy would shoot out towards the Hollow, if it landed it would ensnare the creature immobilizing it. The plan was to use his momentum to pull on it and fling it towards the ground as forcefully as possible.
If he succeeded he could deal with the Hollow at his leisure. There were a few answers he wanted before he purified it’s corrupted soul.
His breathing was coming out far heavier than he’d intended.
“Zenji! Calm down and think! Focus your aggression! LISTEN TO ME!” The voice came as if from afar as if the Spirit was crying out across a great distance, it's tone becoming furious and frustrated.
However it was enough for the Shinigami to hold on to a touch of caution. The Hollow’s power was not yet known, he wasn’t sure how quick it could go but it moved faster than Zenji himself could. More importantly it was terrifyingly articulate. All the other Hollow he’d met had been snarling, instinct driven, animals filled with rage and hunger or, at best, capable of stringing together three words into an incoherent sentence. He had to assume it was possibly as intelligent as any Soul Reaper and if that was the case then it could be acting tactically. Alongside with it’s unknown combative power he really did have to be careful.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t destroy it.
The Soul Reaper wasn’t a skilled fighter and although he was nearly a master of the Demon Arts he often failed to act imaginatively so maybe it was time for that.
Dismissing the dense spirit particles under his feet Zenji began to fall backwards through the air towards the ground as he no longer had a foothold to keep upright. As he fell he pushed both his hands upwards towards the Hollow “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat!" he said, starting quietly but his voice rising asd he spoke. His hands would move along with the Hollow to track it. “Bakudō #9. Hōrin."
Tendrils of mixing orange and yellow energy would shoot out towards the Hollow, if it landed it would ensnare the creature immobilizing it. The plan was to use his momentum to pull on it and fling it towards the ground as forcefully as possible.
If he succeeded he could deal with the Hollow at his leisure. There were a few answers he wanted before he purified it’s corrupted soul.
Last edited by Zenji Hatayama on Mon Jun 22, 2020 1:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Sat Jun 20, 2020 8:24 am
Again he ran, though El Rey continued to make no overtly hostile acts. It was interesting to see this shinigami continuously get riled up by his mere presence. And continue to restrain him rather than try for anything harmful. Perhaps that was the reason he still wasn't acting to attack. There was a chance, however slight, that this shinigami might be willing to talk. If that was the case, it wouldn't be in his nature to ignore it.
Would it?
"No, surely not." he spoke aloud, though his eyes were unfocused. Clearly he wasn't addressing the shinigami in that. His eyes came back to full color and focus when the man began to speak again. It seemed a little softer than he would expect based on where the man had been standing. Which made sense since he was no longer standing there. The man had begun to fall and cast again. Again, El Rey was curious. this man made such odd actions, and yet he still claimed not to fear. He was running again, and making sure that he couldn't follow.
The hollow crouched, preparing to break through the paralysis again and spring after the man when the color of the spell caught his attention. Not pure crimson. There was orange mixed among it this time. Before he could ponder the point of this, the chains wrapped about him once more, and not only did he feel himself stuck, but pulled as well. Did the man mean to cast him to the earth?
El Rey skidded forward several feet, then several more as the man yanked on the chains, but the hollow was dug in on his plane of air before the paralysis had locked in. He could be moved, but it was not going to be so easy. Especially given the difference in their sizes. The man could generously be called the size of one of his front limbs. It would take a little more than that to send him flying. Instead he continued to slide on the plane of air, skidding closer and closer to the ground, closer to the shinigami that had started this slide.
"You desire that we speak on even ground, shinigami? You need only ask."
Would it?
"No, surely not." he spoke aloud, though his eyes were unfocused. Clearly he wasn't addressing the shinigami in that. His eyes came back to full color and focus when the man began to speak again. It seemed a little softer than he would expect based on where the man had been standing. Which made sense since he was no longer standing there. The man had begun to fall and cast again. Again, El Rey was curious. this man made such odd actions, and yet he still claimed not to fear. He was running again, and making sure that he couldn't follow.
The hollow crouched, preparing to break through the paralysis again and spring after the man when the color of the spell caught his attention. Not pure crimson. There was orange mixed among it this time. Before he could ponder the point of this, the chains wrapped about him once more, and not only did he feel himself stuck, but pulled as well. Did the man mean to cast him to the earth?
El Rey skidded forward several feet, then several more as the man yanked on the chains, but the hollow was dug in on his plane of air before the paralysis had locked in. He could be moved, but it was not going to be so easy. Especially given the difference in their sizes. The man could generously be called the size of one of his front limbs. It would take a little more than that to send him flying. Instead he continued to slide on the plane of air, skidding closer and closer to the ground, closer to the shinigami that had started this slide.
"You desire that we speak on even ground, shinigami? You need only ask."
El Rey- Posts : 32
Join date : 2020-05-25
Age : 29
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:14 am
Well the plan hadn’t worked out precisely as planned, in training the ability had stolen a targets ability to properly solidify Reishi beneath their feet and so would lose their foothold. In retrospect none of the people Zenji had trained with were stronger than himself which, likely meant, they were weaker than this beast.
“Shit.” muttered the Soul Reaper as he regained his own foothold in the air, albeit lower than the Hollow’s current position. Chewing his lip momentarily in thought the man tried to think of what to do next, everything he threw at the Hollow didn’t seem to work as intended.
“Staying in character then?” mocked the Spirit, usually the one of the words where good-natured but there was a cruel cutting undercurrent this time. Zenji’s fury had faded into frustration and concern as his continued attempts at restraining the beast fell short of what he believed would occur. Which, at least, meant that his Zanpakuto could speak with him clearly.
“Use the opportunity you have now, he’s restricted, injure him and then learn what it is you want to know.” advised the Spirit, the warmth slowly reentering her voice.
Zenji nodded in agreement with her. Usually she wasn’t the cautious one out of the pair and that fact was enough for the Soul Reaper to realise he was acting unusually. Very well he’d be careful. The longer this confrontation went the more the Soul Reaper wanted to verbally engage with the beast but he wasn’t willing to do so until the scales were more in his favour.
“Not on even ground.” he replied in a much calmer tone than before.
One hand drew back, to keep tension on the tendril holding the Hollow, Zenji reached up with his free hand to touch a finger against the spiritual chain. “Hadō #11. Tsuzuri Raiden.” he said in a strong, confident, voice. Bright yellow electrical energy shot down the tendril towards the Hollow with the intention of electrocuting the held creature.
“Shit.” muttered the Soul Reaper as he regained his own foothold in the air, albeit lower than the Hollow’s current position. Chewing his lip momentarily in thought the man tried to think of what to do next, everything he threw at the Hollow didn’t seem to work as intended.
“Staying in character then?” mocked the Spirit, usually the one of the words where good-natured but there was a cruel cutting undercurrent this time. Zenji’s fury had faded into frustration and concern as his continued attempts at restraining the beast fell short of what he believed would occur. Which, at least, meant that his Zanpakuto could speak with him clearly.
“Use the opportunity you have now, he’s restricted, injure him and then learn what it is you want to know.” advised the Spirit, the warmth slowly reentering her voice.
Zenji nodded in agreement with her. Usually she wasn’t the cautious one out of the pair and that fact was enough for the Soul Reaper to realise he was acting unusually. Very well he’d be careful. The longer this confrontation went the more the Soul Reaper wanted to verbally engage with the beast but he wasn’t willing to do so until the scales were more in his favour.
“Not on even ground.” he replied in a much calmer tone than before.
One hand drew back, to keep tension on the tendril holding the Hollow, Zenji reached up with his free hand to touch a finger against the spiritual chain. “Hadō #11. Tsuzuri Raiden.” he said in a strong, confident, voice. Bright yellow electrical energy shot down the tendril towards the Hollow with the intention of electrocuting the held creature.
Last edited by Zenji Hatayama on Mon Jun 22, 2020 1:24 pm; edited 1 time in total
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Mon Jun 22, 2020 2:29 am
When he stopped sliding, El Rey had just a little hope. Hope that maybe for once he would be able to have a proper conversation with a shinigami. It would be so very interesting. They could discuss the philosophies of their respective 'sides' the nature of the world, and so much more which would help the hollow learn and grow. He had no animosity with the shinigami. As taunting as he had been, there was no real malice in it. Just trying to force his hunter to see them on equal ground and thus give up the farce. They couldn't be friendly, but they could be civil. Respectful. They could-
He could learn and grow from this moment as so much pain arced through his body. The shinigami had started casting again. In his meandering mind, he had probably noticed it on some level, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. This shinigami perhaps wasn't as different from the rest as he hoped.
Hope?
He had felt hope. Just as swift, clear and true as the pain still rolling through him. As he stood there, body tensed from the paralysis and unable to writhe from the electric arcing, he remembered what it was like to properly hope. Yes, he had felt it, and this was what it had brought him. He had hoped the shinigami would speak of his own volition, while he was yet still strong and able to attack. The girl. Bait. She had spoken at enough length, but she was weak. Frightened of men like this one. El Rey absorbed the information, and he learned.
If he wanted to talk, it would have to be from the other end of a blade.
So to speak.
His eyes unclouded once more and focused on the shinigami. His body was smoking lightly, some sections of bone scorched darker, but he yet still stood, and there was a clear purpose in his eyes. "You will live to regret your aggression."
El Rey had no fancy spiritual blasts that he might level back at the man. Not yet at least. He had no elegant footwork which might outstrip the shinigami. He could not shrug off blows as a mountain might the wind. What he had, was his strength. The strength to finally break through the paralysis. The strength to reach down, grab the tether in his teeth and try to yank the shinigami up at him. And then the strength to follow with a pounce, straight down, not only to meet the shinigami, but to try and pin him to the cold earth below. He wasn't going to try and crush him. Just repay in kind so that they might then speak.
If he missed, then at least he would be on the ground and better able to leverage his options.
He could learn and grow from this moment as so much pain arced through his body. The shinigami had started casting again. In his meandering mind, he had probably noticed it on some level, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. This shinigami perhaps wasn't as different from the rest as he hoped.
Hope?
He had felt hope. Just as swift, clear and true as the pain still rolling through him. As he stood there, body tensed from the paralysis and unable to writhe from the electric arcing, he remembered what it was like to properly hope. Yes, he had felt it, and this was what it had brought him. He had hoped the shinigami would speak of his own volition, while he was yet still strong and able to attack. The girl. Bait. She had spoken at enough length, but she was weak. Frightened of men like this one. El Rey absorbed the information, and he learned.
If he wanted to talk, it would have to be from the other end of a blade.
So to speak.
His eyes unclouded once more and focused on the shinigami. His body was smoking lightly, some sections of bone scorched darker, but he yet still stood, and there was a clear purpose in his eyes. "You will live to regret your aggression."
El Rey had no fancy spiritual blasts that he might level back at the man. Not yet at least. He had no elegant footwork which might outstrip the shinigami. He could not shrug off blows as a mountain might the wind. What he had, was his strength. The strength to finally break through the paralysis. The strength to reach down, grab the tether in his teeth and try to yank the shinigami up at him. And then the strength to follow with a pounce, straight down, not only to meet the shinigami, but to try and pin him to the cold earth below. He wasn't going to try and crush him. Just repay in kind so that they might then speak.
If he missed, then at least he would be on the ground and better able to leverage his options.
El Rey- Posts : 32
Join date : 2020-05-25
Age : 29
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Mon Jun 22, 2020 1:43 pm
The Soul Reaper grinned, confidence incarnate, at the Hollow’s threat. “We’ll see, beast.” he sneered.
Empty bravado, empty bravado, empty bravado. With no overwhelming fury left to shield him from his fear he was left with the realisation that this Hollow was big and now it was also rather pissed.
“Strip it’s flesh from it’s bones, burn it, cut it and crush it. Then we can do what must be done.” the Spirit put in with a bit much enthusiasm.
‘A… are you okay?’ Zenji silently asked, turning his attention inwards for a moment. Had his earlier emotional outburst affected her somehow? For the longest moment there was no response and then when she did it was in a warmer tone. “Sorry! Just caught up in the moment!”
Zenji sighed with relief. At least that was something he didn’t need to concern himself with. Especially with that thing in front of him.
His worry accelerated as the bindings around the Hollow shattered. It tried to use his tether against him but it wasn’t a mere cord, it was an extension of his will, as the Hollow bit down onto it the spiritual rope was already trying to wrap itself around his mouth and neck trying to find purchase to immobilise the monster once more. As such Zenji chose to allow it to continue existing which meant that when it yanked him towards it, the move worked perfectly.
The Soul Reaper was flying upwards towards the creature as it pounced down towards him, a flash step might have helped him move aside enough to survive the attack. However there was one issue with that. Zenji had no intention of dodging. His forearm came up as if to block the Hollow’s claws as they reached towards him.
“Shīrudo!”
A pale orange barrier was summoned like a shield attached to a knight’s forearm. The shield caught the blow, absorbing the damage, but not the momentum. Zenji was flung downwards at a rapid pace, luckily he wasn’t that high anymore, and he slammed into an office building’s rooftop with a heavy thud.
Groaning in pain he let the defensive Bakudō flicker out of existence. His left hand still held a ball of energy from which Tsuzuri Raiden was attached and the Kido was still trying to rebind the Hollow as the Shinigami kept feeding it Reiryoku.
Forcing himself to his feet, with a grimace at the pain shooting down the side he had landed on, Zenji half-wanted to just try and get away. He considered quickly calling his partner to help until his Zanpakuto Spirit put in harshly. “Stand your ground! Fake it! Smile. Be confident and frustrate it. Be mocking and anger it.”
So, as usual, he obeyed the formless Spirit and trusted to her advice. Giving a grin at the Hollow he spoke with a cocky tone, so far outside his usual polite repertoire that the voice almost sounded like someone else to his ears. “Surely you can do better!”
Empty bravado, empty bravado, empty bravado. With no overwhelming fury left to shield him from his fear he was left with the realisation that this Hollow was big and now it was also rather pissed.
“Strip it’s flesh from it’s bones, burn it, cut it and crush it. Then we can do what must be done.” the Spirit put in with a bit much enthusiasm.
‘A… are you okay?’ Zenji silently asked, turning his attention inwards for a moment. Had his earlier emotional outburst affected her somehow? For the longest moment there was no response and then when she did it was in a warmer tone. “Sorry! Just caught up in the moment!”
Zenji sighed with relief. At least that was something he didn’t need to concern himself with. Especially with that thing in front of him.
His worry accelerated as the bindings around the Hollow shattered. It tried to use his tether against him but it wasn’t a mere cord, it was an extension of his will, as the Hollow bit down onto it the spiritual rope was already trying to wrap itself around his mouth and neck trying to find purchase to immobilise the monster once more. As such Zenji chose to allow it to continue existing which meant that when it yanked him towards it, the move worked perfectly.
The Soul Reaper was flying upwards towards the creature as it pounced down towards him, a flash step might have helped him move aside enough to survive the attack. However there was one issue with that. Zenji had no intention of dodging. His forearm came up as if to block the Hollow’s claws as they reached towards him.
“Shīrudo!”
A pale orange barrier was summoned like a shield attached to a knight’s forearm. The shield caught the blow, absorbing the damage, but not the momentum. Zenji was flung downwards at a rapid pace, luckily he wasn’t that high anymore, and he slammed into an office building’s rooftop with a heavy thud.
Groaning in pain he let the defensive Bakudō flicker out of existence. His left hand still held a ball of energy from which Tsuzuri Raiden was attached and the Kido was still trying to rebind the Hollow as the Shinigami kept feeding it Reiryoku.
Forcing himself to his feet, with a grimace at the pain shooting down the side he had landed on, Zenji half-wanted to just try and get away. He considered quickly calling his partner to help until his Zanpakuto Spirit put in harshly. “Stand your ground! Fake it! Smile. Be confident and frustrate it. Be mocking and anger it.”
So, as usual, he obeyed the formless Spirit and trusted to her advice. Giving a grin at the Hollow he spoke with a cocky tone, so far outside his usual polite repertoire that the voice almost sounded like someone else to his ears. “Surely you can do better!”
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Wed Jun 24, 2020 9:40 am
El Rey spat out the cord that was trying to wrap itself around his mouth. His eyes followed it back to the shinigami's hand and he mused a moment on the exact nature of it. How long he might be allowed to take advantage of such a thing. Surely not much longer. He was going to have to switch tactics quickly. Listening to the shinigami though, he was almost tempted to try it just one more time. Just to mess with him a little. There was something to learn in the man's behavior, surely.
"Of course I can. But I also said you would live. Would you force me to be a liar, shinigami? Which of us is the true beast here?"
Taunting. Banter, grinning . . . This was somewhat familiar. Not in this life. Perhaps his last. He would have to thank the shinigami when this was all over for that. For now, he would still have to play the game. Keep moving so that the chain would not be able to latch fully on to him again. So the leonine hollow started to pace, back and forth before the shinigami, looking for all the world wholly relaxed despite the various evidence of burns on its body.
"Now that I think of it, you are the more beastly. To attack one who did nothing to you, stun it, tie it up, shock it. Though I have not been able to determine the reason yet. Why shinigami act so beastly when a hollow is around. Why they fear." He lingered on that word again as it seemed to strike some sort of special cord with this man. Past experience likely. With a hollow, or with fear in general? If only the man would simply talk, El Rey could learn so much. But, this was something too. He was talking, thinking, coherent for so much longer than he should have been. Perhaps conflict fed him as much as souls.
"Still, you are more talkative than the last few shinigami, so I shall still extend some hospitality with the name your comrades have given me. My name-" He was moving again. Speed through force rather than technique once more, the air cracking under his feet. He landed near and to the side of the shinigami again, and swung. Though rather than swing at where the man was, the massive paw aimed elsewhere, towards a spot a short distance behind the shinigami. The distance he had retreated on instinct the previous two times the hollow had advanced. Another swing to stun as opposed to kill.
"is El Rey. The King."
"Of course I can. But I also said you would live. Would you force me to be a liar, shinigami? Which of us is the true beast here?"
Taunting. Banter, grinning . . . This was somewhat familiar. Not in this life. Perhaps his last. He would have to thank the shinigami when this was all over for that. For now, he would still have to play the game. Keep moving so that the chain would not be able to latch fully on to him again. So the leonine hollow started to pace, back and forth before the shinigami, looking for all the world wholly relaxed despite the various evidence of burns on its body.
"Now that I think of it, you are the more beastly. To attack one who did nothing to you, stun it, tie it up, shock it. Though I have not been able to determine the reason yet. Why shinigami act so beastly when a hollow is around. Why they fear." He lingered on that word again as it seemed to strike some sort of special cord with this man. Past experience likely. With a hollow, or with fear in general? If only the man would simply talk, El Rey could learn so much. But, this was something too. He was talking, thinking, coherent for so much longer than he should have been. Perhaps conflict fed him as much as souls.
"Still, you are more talkative than the last few shinigami, so I shall still extend some hospitality with the name your comrades have given me. My name-" He was moving again. Speed through force rather than technique once more, the air cracking under his feet. He landed near and to the side of the shinigami again, and swung. Though rather than swing at where the man was, the massive paw aimed elsewhere, towards a spot a short distance behind the shinigami. The distance he had retreated on instinct the previous two times the hollow had advanced. Another swing to stun as opposed to kill.
"is El Rey. The King."
El Rey- Posts : 32
Join date : 2020-05-25
Age : 29
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Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:09 pm
Zenji frowned at the Hollow as it began to talk again, feeling irritation begin to worm it’s way into the fear at his core. Gritting his teeth he forced a mean smile onto his lips. “You sure do like to hear yourself speak, don’t you beast?” he sneered.
The binding was still trying to worm it’s way around the Hollow but Zenji was a savvy enough expert in Bakudo to know when a spell was a wasted effort. The creature was moving in such a way that whilst the arcane rope never quite lost touch it was still unable to properly find proper purchase. Zenji flickered his wrist and let the spell evaporate into Spirit particles.
Zenji raised an eyebrow at the long winded speech from the Hollow. “I admit you have more intelligence than most of your lowly race. So I must wonder, do you truely not know why your kind must be purified? Or, like a beast, do you simply not care.”
The Soul Reaper might have had more to say only for the monster to suddenly move towards him with fearsome speed. It was quicker than he but not that much faster. He could at least follow it’s movements. On instinct Zenji, being the inexperienced combatant he was, tried to do the same again and skip backwards away from the oncoming animal. And he did. Straight into the claw of the animal, stunning him as he stumbled away and dropped to the ground.
Blinking up at it he tried to chase away the confusion. “King?” he laughed harshly, trying to buy time for his recovery. “King of what monster? You are nothing. Your existence means nothing. Shall I explain your nature to you?”
Using his staff, he pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily on it for support although he made a show of looking far more reliant on the support than he really was. “You are an aberration. A corruption. A poor, pathetic, soul that was unable to find peace. That soul became a monster. That monster consumed another soul. Then another. On and on driven by nothing but pathetic, petty, purposeless hunger. That is all you are. A need. A temporary spark running here and there, eating what it can, until you inevitably are given the peace of purification or consumed by the bigger beast.”
Zenji laughed, still buying time, he wasn’t so dazed anymore but he wanted to let his Spiritual Power re-energize before he cast another spell. “So we, the keepers of the Balance that allows all realms to exist, hunt you. We defeat you. We purify you. The beast is cast aside and the humanity within is allowed to do, what humans call, passing on.”
Drawing himself up Zenji smirked, looking at “El Rey” with an expression that made it clear which of the two was the lesser being. “So you see beast. You are simply the hunted remnants of a broken soul which we will fix. Be it today, tomorrow or a year from now. You will end and the poor souls trapped in this disgusting shell of yours will be allowed peace.”
The binding was still trying to worm it’s way around the Hollow but Zenji was a savvy enough expert in Bakudo to know when a spell was a wasted effort. The creature was moving in such a way that whilst the arcane rope never quite lost touch it was still unable to properly find proper purchase. Zenji flickered his wrist and let the spell evaporate into Spirit particles.
Zenji raised an eyebrow at the long winded speech from the Hollow. “I admit you have more intelligence than most of your lowly race. So I must wonder, do you truely not know why your kind must be purified? Or, like a beast, do you simply not care.”
The Soul Reaper might have had more to say only for the monster to suddenly move towards him with fearsome speed. It was quicker than he but not that much faster. He could at least follow it’s movements. On instinct Zenji, being the inexperienced combatant he was, tried to do the same again and skip backwards away from the oncoming animal. And he did. Straight into the claw of the animal, stunning him as he stumbled away and dropped to the ground.
Blinking up at it he tried to chase away the confusion. “King?” he laughed harshly, trying to buy time for his recovery. “King of what monster? You are nothing. Your existence means nothing. Shall I explain your nature to you?”
Using his staff, he pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily on it for support although he made a show of looking far more reliant on the support than he really was. “You are an aberration. A corruption. A poor, pathetic, soul that was unable to find peace. That soul became a monster. That monster consumed another soul. Then another. On and on driven by nothing but pathetic, petty, purposeless hunger. That is all you are. A need. A temporary spark running here and there, eating what it can, until you inevitably are given the peace of purification or consumed by the bigger beast.”
Zenji laughed, still buying time, he wasn’t so dazed anymore but he wanted to let his Spiritual Power re-energize before he cast another spell. “So we, the keepers of the Balance that allows all realms to exist, hunt you. We defeat you. We purify you. The beast is cast aside and the humanity within is allowed to do, what humans call, passing on.”
Drawing himself up Zenji smirked, looking at “El Rey” with an expression that made it clear which of the two was the lesser being. “So you see beast. You are simply the hunted remnants of a broken soul which we will fix. Be it today, tomorrow or a year from now. You will end and the poor souls trapped in this disgusting shell of yours will be allowed peace.”
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
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Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Wed Jun 24, 2020 2:15 pm
"You doth protest too much, methinks."
The words stopped him for a moment. For all the bravado and shouting of the man, it was this one phrase from himself that gave him pause. Summoned up from somewhere within his psyche. Somewhere in his past. The thing that gave him the ability to speak and think in the first place. Truly this was a shinigami to be cherished. After all his hesitance, he was finally talking civilly and fully. And summoning all sorts of half remembered things from the hollow's past.
He shook his head, dispelling the cloud of thoughts threatening to incapacitate him as fully as his hunger. The shinigami was talking. Though rudely he had not given his name, he was offering information that was useful to the hollow. And as such El Rey should respond and keep the flow of words clear and strong.
Was he grinning? The mask probably didn't allow for it but it felt like he was grinning.
"If it is like a beast not to care, then again, you show yourself the more beastly. Though I thank you for finally speaking, you project your own fear and unknowing hatred into your words." He was pacing again, allowing the shinigami to get up and recover himself. His every movement as languid and relaxed as he had been when he was resting on the rooftop before the shinigami attacked.
"Still, your words are useful. I remember nothing of before. I simply woke, and was. To know I was once one of the souls that wander the street explains where my mind and curiosity originated. Though of my name, its origins you will have to tell me, shinigami." Perhaps eventually the man would get tired of being addressed as such and give a name. "It was not one crafted by me. I have no need for a name, other than to identify myself to others who are so inclined to speak, and they are few and far between. No, this name was given to me by your kind. So consult with them as to why I would be named king."
The man spoke more when he was angry. Annoyed. When calm all he would do was hurl insults and spells. Perhaps . . .
El Rey's next motion was to sit. Not lounge as he had been before, but merely plant his hindquarters down and perhaps present something easier to keep track of. As though they were truly engaged in conversation. For the 'monster' to act with more civility than the keeper of balance. "If you'd like to take a seat as well, you may."
He might regret that.
"You speak in absolutes, which shows you do not care about the truth nearly as much as you might claim. I am not driven by my hunger. Influenced, undoubtedly, though not through any lack of trying. It seems if I go too long without quieting it, I will become a beast much like yourself or lower hollows. Blindly attacking those doing nothing for no established reason. Unlike them, I can speak. I can plan. I can hunt worth a damn and ensure my first few strikes will end my prey if that is my purpose. Perhaps I was named El Rey because of this fact. Because I am better. Because I stand above those who can't, or actively decide not to act as I do."
The words stopped him for a moment. For all the bravado and shouting of the man, it was this one phrase from himself that gave him pause. Summoned up from somewhere within his psyche. Somewhere in his past. The thing that gave him the ability to speak and think in the first place. Truly this was a shinigami to be cherished. After all his hesitance, he was finally talking civilly and fully. And summoning all sorts of half remembered things from the hollow's past.
He shook his head, dispelling the cloud of thoughts threatening to incapacitate him as fully as his hunger. The shinigami was talking. Though rudely he had not given his name, he was offering information that was useful to the hollow. And as such El Rey should respond and keep the flow of words clear and strong.
Was he grinning? The mask probably didn't allow for it but it felt like he was grinning.
"If it is like a beast not to care, then again, you show yourself the more beastly. Though I thank you for finally speaking, you project your own fear and unknowing hatred into your words." He was pacing again, allowing the shinigami to get up and recover himself. His every movement as languid and relaxed as he had been when he was resting on the rooftop before the shinigami attacked.
"Still, your words are useful. I remember nothing of before. I simply woke, and was. To know I was once one of the souls that wander the street explains where my mind and curiosity originated. Though of my name, its origins you will have to tell me, shinigami." Perhaps eventually the man would get tired of being addressed as such and give a name. "It was not one crafted by me. I have no need for a name, other than to identify myself to others who are so inclined to speak, and they are few and far between. No, this name was given to me by your kind. So consult with them as to why I would be named king."
The man spoke more when he was angry. Annoyed. When calm all he would do was hurl insults and spells. Perhaps . . .
El Rey's next motion was to sit. Not lounge as he had been before, but merely plant his hindquarters down and perhaps present something easier to keep track of. As though they were truly engaged in conversation. For the 'monster' to act with more civility than the keeper of balance. "If you'd like to take a seat as well, you may."
He might regret that.
"You speak in absolutes, which shows you do not care about the truth nearly as much as you might claim. I am not driven by my hunger. Influenced, undoubtedly, though not through any lack of trying. It seems if I go too long without quieting it, I will become a beast much like yourself or lower hollows. Blindly attacking those doing nothing for no established reason. Unlike them, I can speak. I can plan. I can hunt worth a damn and ensure my first few strikes will end my prey if that is my purpose. Perhaps I was named El Rey because of this fact. Because I am better. Because I stand above those who can't, or actively decide not to act as I do."
El Rey- Posts : 32
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Age : 29
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Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Wed Jun 24, 2020 3:55 pm
Zenji took a deep breath and out. As unnatural as it felt it truly felt like the Hollow had absolutely no intention to kill him. At least not yet. Zenji sighed heavily as he forced himself to be centered despite his discomfort. He wondered if he would have been less relaxed if he hadn’t already ran into his worst nightmare.
The Quincy
Dismissing that thought, one problem at a time, the Soul Reaper stared coldly at the Hollow. He wasn’t smiling now but nor was he feigning arrogance. He simply was looking at El Rey with an odd mixture of disgust and curiosity. The large cat-like monster was sitting now.
‘This is like a strange fever dream.’
For a moment the incantations for Hadō #88, #89, #90 & #91 in rapid succession. After all there was no kill like overkill. However he was also fairly certain he didn’t have the energy left for any of them and, even if he did, the amount of collateral damage would be staggering. Yet even dismissing those concerns all it would take was for the Hollow to manage to avoid the attack and Zenji would have absolutely nothing left to dodge with.
“Well that leaves one option doesn’t it? Talk to it.”
Zenji sighed again. “Fine on one condition.” The Shinigami clasped his hands together as his Spiritual Pressure began to rise, clearly about to use another Spiritual Spell, he kept his gaze locked on the Hollow. “Bakudō #73. Tozanshō.” A ball of blue light began to glow at his feet before extending upwards towards four points which, when they began to join, formed an inverted pyramid around Zenji. He was now trapped within his own barrier and completely safe from the animal.
Sweat dripped down Zenji’s forehead from the sheer amount of energy it had taken to form the defensive spell.
Sitting slowly, carefully, he sat cross legged at the bottom of the inverted pyramid and looked at the Hollow through the blue-tinged walls.
“You will of course forgive me but considering your kind’s predilection towards eating others and my peoples duty to slay you I think this is the only way to conduct civil discourse without worry.”
Folding his arms Zenji frowned. “So what reason so you have to keep hunting, consuming souls other than a mere need? What higher ambitions do you seek to fulfil? Do you believe that you, or any Hollow, can have purpose beyond mere violence?” he asked, curiosity leaking into his voice despite his best efforts.
“You say I speak in absolutes but I stand before thousands of years of traditions, teachings and growth. In ancient times we were known as the Balancers because that is our role, our duty, our purpose. We maintain the equilibrium of Souls. An essential lynch pin in reality. However I will not claim that all of my kind are motivated by duty. Some simply seek to earn the rewards of slaying Hollow.”
Tilting his head to one side Zenji looked at El Rey for the first time without any form of dislike, just analytical interest. “So what is your motivation for existence?”
The Quincy
Dismissing that thought, one problem at a time, the Soul Reaper stared coldly at the Hollow. He wasn’t smiling now but nor was he feigning arrogance. He simply was looking at El Rey with an odd mixture of disgust and curiosity. The large cat-like monster was sitting now.
‘This is like a strange fever dream.’
For a moment the incantations for Hadō #88, #89, #90 & #91 in rapid succession. After all there was no kill like overkill. However he was also fairly certain he didn’t have the energy left for any of them and, even if he did, the amount of collateral damage would be staggering. Yet even dismissing those concerns all it would take was for the Hollow to manage to avoid the attack and Zenji would have absolutely nothing left to dodge with.
“Well that leaves one option doesn’t it? Talk to it.”
Zenji sighed again. “Fine on one condition.” The Shinigami clasped his hands together as his Spiritual Pressure began to rise, clearly about to use another Spiritual Spell, he kept his gaze locked on the Hollow. “Bakudō #73. Tozanshō.” A ball of blue light began to glow at his feet before extending upwards towards four points which, when they began to join, formed an inverted pyramid around Zenji. He was now trapped within his own barrier and completely safe from the animal.
Sweat dripped down Zenji’s forehead from the sheer amount of energy it had taken to form the defensive spell.
Sitting slowly, carefully, he sat cross legged at the bottom of the inverted pyramid and looked at the Hollow through the blue-tinged walls.
“You will of course forgive me but considering your kind’s predilection towards eating others and my peoples duty to slay you I think this is the only way to conduct civil discourse without worry.”
Folding his arms Zenji frowned. “So what reason so you have to keep hunting, consuming souls other than a mere need? What higher ambitions do you seek to fulfil? Do you believe that you, or any Hollow, can have purpose beyond mere violence?” he asked, curiosity leaking into his voice despite his best efforts.
“You say I speak in absolutes but I stand before thousands of years of traditions, teachings and growth. In ancient times we were known as the Balancers because that is our role, our duty, our purpose. We maintain the equilibrium of Souls. An essential lynch pin in reality. However I will not claim that all of my kind are motivated by duty. Some simply seek to earn the rewards of slaying Hollow.”
Tilting his head to one side Zenji looked at El Rey for the first time without any form of dislike, just analytical interest. “So what is your motivation for existence?”
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:37 pm
El Rey remained silent for a few moments as the man made his preparations to sit. It was similar to what he had seen feral cats doing in his many wanderings. If something was nearby, it would hiss, spit, maybe claw at a little and try to make it look bigger than it truly was. Then it would do one of two things. It would either leave, or it would take all the time it very well pleased making itself comfortable to finally sit. "Cat . . . shinigami." he muttered as he watched.
And then, he listened. He listened, he processed, and if he didn't understand completely, he at least tried to learn. For that was his way. That was what called to him, beyond the hunger, the pain, the anger, the echoes of it all. He wanted to know. But to express it just as that would not be enough. Not for the benefit of the shinigami. No, it would not be enough for El Rey. Words carried meaning, but they did not have the weight he needed. No, he would need something far more . . . substantial. Something less abstract.
A curious change came over the hollow. He was focusing himself. Deliberately trying to evoke something that he felt in the moments when he was his fullest. Something that only happened for the briefest second, that he still knew to be there. He could not see what was happening, but his audience would have the best possible view of this change from within it's dome of protection.
From around the edges of the mask, something dark and wispy began to leak out. Almost like smoke, but it did not rise or curl. No, it was more like shreds of ribbon in the breeze, or a liquid pouring down over an uneven surface. It dripped and drifted, out along the hollow's form, cloaking him. Golden eyes remained locked with the shinigami's as he looked at once towards and through him. He saw this past fight, he saw the actions of one he had spoken with before. He saw them, and he processed them. He let the knowledge wash over him, and took it into himself through some primal sense. Some instinctual knowing.
Though the mask remained pristine, it was now ringed by a great mane of the black mist, and down along the hollow's body, bone and sinew had been covered by the same shifting, shuddering material. It was never solid, not for long, but in those brief moments it might have been mistaken for fur. It pulled at the moonlight falling about the hollow, obscuring precisely where he was even as he remained still. El Rey lifted a single great paw, and golden light pooled around it much as the black mist had. With eyes still on Zenji, he brought it down.
That dripping gold spread quickly, encompassing the area immediately around the one named King and illuminating him. From it, briefly, tendrils lifted, lashed, then fell back again with a metallic crash like a chain. A small plane of light rose before the hollow, then dropped back into the pool like crumbling glass. A mote lifted, dashed forward, back, and dropped within yet again.
Blink.
The feline of muscle and bone sat there before the shinigami, lightly dragging its paw that scant few feet over the roof, back to where it had been previously. A bird cried out in the night, a cloud passed briefly over the moon, and one could feel the tick of every clock. A demonstration of but a few moments, but it demonstrated in something beyond words. But El Rey was not nearly so rude as to leave it at that.
"I wish to learn."
And then, he listened. He listened, he processed, and if he didn't understand completely, he at least tried to learn. For that was his way. That was what called to him, beyond the hunger, the pain, the anger, the echoes of it all. He wanted to know. But to express it just as that would not be enough. Not for the benefit of the shinigami. No, it would not be enough for El Rey. Words carried meaning, but they did not have the weight he needed. No, he would need something far more . . . substantial. Something less abstract.
A curious change came over the hollow. He was focusing himself. Deliberately trying to evoke something that he felt in the moments when he was his fullest. Something that only happened for the briefest second, that he still knew to be there. He could not see what was happening, but his audience would have the best possible view of this change from within it's dome of protection.
From around the edges of the mask, something dark and wispy began to leak out. Almost like smoke, but it did not rise or curl. No, it was more like shreds of ribbon in the breeze, or a liquid pouring down over an uneven surface. It dripped and drifted, out along the hollow's form, cloaking him. Golden eyes remained locked with the shinigami's as he looked at once towards and through him. He saw this past fight, he saw the actions of one he had spoken with before. He saw them, and he processed them. He let the knowledge wash over him, and took it into himself through some primal sense. Some instinctual knowing.
Though the mask remained pristine, it was now ringed by a great mane of the black mist, and down along the hollow's body, bone and sinew had been covered by the same shifting, shuddering material. It was never solid, not for long, but in those brief moments it might have been mistaken for fur. It pulled at the moonlight falling about the hollow, obscuring precisely where he was even as he remained still. El Rey lifted a single great paw, and golden light pooled around it much as the black mist had. With eyes still on Zenji, he brought it down.
That dripping gold spread quickly, encompassing the area immediately around the one named King and illuminating him. From it, briefly, tendrils lifted, lashed, then fell back again with a metallic crash like a chain. A small plane of light rose before the hollow, then dropped back into the pool like crumbling glass. A mote lifted, dashed forward, back, and dropped within yet again.
Blink.
The feline of muscle and bone sat there before the shinigami, lightly dragging its paw that scant few feet over the roof, back to where it had been previously. A bird cried out in the night, a cloud passed briefly over the moon, and one could feel the tick of every clock. A demonstration of but a few moments, but it demonstrated in something beyond words. But El Rey was not nearly so rude as to leave it at that.
"I wish to learn."
El Rey- Posts : 32
Join date : 2020-05-25
Age : 29
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Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Fri Jun 26, 2020 7:23 pm
He watched intently, his expression one of confusion and intense interest, as the Hollow’s energy began to shift and warp taking form. The man’s frown deepened as he realised what was happening. It was a pale imitation of the real thing of course but it shouldn’t have been possible nonetheless. The beast, no, the Hollow was demonstrating something that even a talented Shinigami student couldn’t do on their first attempt. Shaping Reikyoku to it… to his will.
He probably should have been afraid, maybe even angry, but instead he was only interested. Zenji closed his eyes and tried to sort through his conflicting emotions. He was perfectly safe from what he had seen, for all its strength, and ability to adapt it didn’t have the strength to shatter a barrier of the 73rd level cast by a Demon Artist of Zenji’s skill level. So he was in no danger.
Tapping a finger against his forearm he pondered the situation. Be calm. Contemplate. These were natural traits to the man, traits handed down from inheritor of the Hatayama’s Divine Responsibilities to the next.
First he considered the most important question. How significant was it that he should kill this Hollow? In the grand scheme of things? Not really. Yes Hollow had to be purged to protect the Balance, leaving them to simply consume and consume meant the Balance of Souls between the Soul Society and combined realms of living and Hollow would get out of Balance. Hollow would eat mortals and carry their souls with them. Hollows would eat other Hollows and add those souls to themselves as well. Eventually a Shinigami could purify a single greater Hollow and send thousands back to their natural place.
So one Hollow? A pre-menos Hollow at that? Not any danger to the Balance in the short-term.
That was the single most important question. Of course the Hollow might hurt mortals but that wasn’t really Zenji’s concern. The short lived Humans would eventually reenter the proper cycle when the Hollow got purified so it didn’t matter. However the chance to interact with a Hollow so close to becoming a mindless primal Gillian? That was a rare opportunity. The scholar in Zenji was beginning to take over.
His calm mind, still unsure, turned to consider his earlier anger. Had the Hollow caused it? He mocked him. He had tried, and succeeded, to provoke him. But those were just words. Frankly compared to most of its breed he had been downright polite. Really it had been Zenji's own fault for letting this "El Rey" manipulate him so easily.
'I have much to learn myself.'
Opening his eyes Zenji looked at the Hollow just as it spoke. Could it learn? Not the stealing of combat techniques but the important understanding of reality. Would it accept such teachings?
Well let’s find out.
“Learn? Very well. El Rey, aside from what I said earlier, what do you know of the Balance of Souls?”
He probably should have been afraid, maybe even angry, but instead he was only interested. Zenji closed his eyes and tried to sort through his conflicting emotions. He was perfectly safe from what he had seen, for all its strength, and ability to adapt it didn’t have the strength to shatter a barrier of the 73rd level cast by a Demon Artist of Zenji’s skill level. So he was in no danger.
Tapping a finger against his forearm he pondered the situation. Be calm. Contemplate. These were natural traits to the man, traits handed down from inheritor of the Hatayama’s Divine Responsibilities to the next.
First he considered the most important question. How significant was it that he should kill this Hollow? In the grand scheme of things? Not really. Yes Hollow had to be purged to protect the Balance, leaving them to simply consume and consume meant the Balance of Souls between the Soul Society and combined realms of living and Hollow would get out of Balance. Hollow would eat mortals and carry their souls with them. Hollows would eat other Hollows and add those souls to themselves as well. Eventually a Shinigami could purify a single greater Hollow and send thousands back to their natural place.
So one Hollow? A pre-menos Hollow at that? Not any danger to the Balance in the short-term.
That was the single most important question. Of course the Hollow might hurt mortals but that wasn’t really Zenji’s concern. The short lived Humans would eventually reenter the proper cycle when the Hollow got purified so it didn’t matter. However the chance to interact with a Hollow so close to becoming a mindless primal Gillian? That was a rare opportunity. The scholar in Zenji was beginning to take over.
His calm mind, still unsure, turned to consider his earlier anger. Had the Hollow caused it? He mocked him. He had tried, and succeeded, to provoke him. But those were just words. Frankly compared to most of its breed he had been downright polite. Really it had been Zenji's own fault for letting this "El Rey" manipulate him so easily.
'I have much to learn myself.'
Opening his eyes Zenji looked at the Hollow just as it spoke. Could it learn? Not the stealing of combat techniques but the important understanding of reality. Would it accept such teachings?
Well let’s find out.
“Learn? Very well. El Rey, aside from what I said earlier, what do you know of the Balance of Souls?”
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Sat Jun 27, 2020 7:45 am
He was getting somewhere. Actually getting somewhere. Getting the chance to learn from one of the things so insistent on hunting him. Or previously so insistent. Insistent when it has enough energy perhaps? There had been a lot of magic used in their brief tussle. He wouldn't be surprised if the shinigami was worn out. His bones still ached from the lightning. That trick in particular he would have to learn. Or the paralysis. It would be useful as he was-
Drifting. . .
His mind was drifting again. Not from lack of focus, but abundance of it. It felt as muddying as the opposite and he briefly looked down and shook his head. He had been asked a question. A specific one that required particular knowledge. He needed to dilute his focus, just a little. Bite into the question, rip, tear, digest, take note of what he felt.
When had he closed his eyes?
They opened again and turned to the shinigami. "You said it allows all realms to exist. You made great mention of souls, so they must play a role. I know there is this world, and a place only Hollow and exceedingly unfortunate souls may go. I have not seen your kind there, and you do not seem of this world, so I assume there must be somewhere you go, and where the souls you 'purify' go which is free of hollow."
El Rey took a moment to shift where he sat, kick away a rock from beneath himself, then pointedly looked to the shinigami, waiting.
Drifting. . .
His mind was drifting again. Not from lack of focus, but abundance of it. It felt as muddying as the opposite and he briefly looked down and shook his head. He had been asked a question. A specific one that required particular knowledge. He needed to dilute his focus, just a little. Bite into the question, rip, tear, digest, take note of what he felt.
When had he closed his eyes?
They opened again and turned to the shinigami. "You said it allows all realms to exist. You made great mention of souls, so they must play a role. I know there is this world, and a place only Hollow and exceedingly unfortunate souls may go. I have not seen your kind there, and you do not seem of this world, so I assume there must be somewhere you go, and where the souls you 'purify' go which is free of hollow."
El Rey took a moment to shift where he sat, kick away a rock from beneath himself, then pointedly looked to the shinigami, waiting.
El Rey- Posts : 32
Join date : 2020-05-25
Age : 29
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Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Sat Jun 27, 2020 11:27 am
The Soul Reaper was in his element now, his was the Clan of Balance, and explaining the natural flow of things came easy to him. It would be truly wondrous if learning the truth caused the Hollow to alter it’s behaviour. He doubted it but wasn’t it worth the try? Seeing a Hollow act counter its nature, to be so unique, wouldn’t that be an experience?
Zenji raised his hands above his head as if reaching for something unseen. “There presides a being beyond our sight who operates as a Divine Balance over the flow of souls between worlds. It is by his will that all realms remain secure and safe.”
Lowering his hands he looked at the Hollow. “However is nature is such that he can not directly interfere and so instead he has bestown his mandate on us, the Shinigami, to maintain the Balance. Our ancestors had other names such as Regulators and Balancers which directly reference this most important of duties.”
He paused, did the Hollow understand, could he comprehend? Or was he, for all his intellect, too arrogant to believe such greatness could lie beyond his reach? “This Balance is central to the functioning of existence. The Balance itself is a simple concept, it refers to how many Souls exist on one side known as the Soul Society and the other side which is the sum total of those in this Realm and the other known as Hueco Mundo which is filled with your kind.”
Again he paused. This creature, as smart and quick witted as it appeared, had limited experience of existence comparable to a young child with the mind of an adult. So he gave it time to sink in. “So El Rey you see this is why we do what we do. When a Shinigami “slays” a Hollow we do not destroy it. The Souls within are purified and allowed to travel onwards to the Soul Society which is the proper flow of things.” he paused again, a shorter rest this time, then continued. “This is why we must purify your kind. If we didn't, Hollow would consume and consume. More souls added to their being. So even when one Hollow consumes another that keeps that overall total of Souls on this side.”
Zenji smiled faintly. It was a basic concept but one that meant everything. At one time he had wondered if it would not be more beneficial to just teach sentient beings, who had the power to interact with Reishi, why this was important. It had been an ideal pondering not worthy of real consideration. But if the intelligent Hollow realised the enormity of the task placed before Soul Reapers would they behave differently? If Spirituals understand why Shinigami did as they did would they stay out of affairs above their mortal existence? Probably not. Hollow still wouldn’t want to end and mortals would still not understand the fact that Shinigami did not exist to protect their small lives but something much, much larger.
“The Balance matters to all of us. If not then the realms begin to… slide out of place. All realities be it the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo or the Living World will merge with all the spaces and voids in between being drawn in as well. What would be left would be chaos, good for nobody.” he stated
Resting his hands back on his knees he tilted his head slightly. He turned his focus inwards. Already his Spiritual Strength had begun to grow. If he needed to continue his duties he would find it well within the realm of possibility but, first, it would be interesting to see how the Hollow reacted. “Do you understand?”
Zenji raised his hands above his head as if reaching for something unseen. “There presides a being beyond our sight who operates as a Divine Balance over the flow of souls between worlds. It is by his will that all realms remain secure and safe.”
Lowering his hands he looked at the Hollow. “However is nature is such that he can not directly interfere and so instead he has bestown his mandate on us, the Shinigami, to maintain the Balance. Our ancestors had other names such as Regulators and Balancers which directly reference this most important of duties.”
He paused, did the Hollow understand, could he comprehend? Or was he, for all his intellect, too arrogant to believe such greatness could lie beyond his reach? “This Balance is central to the functioning of existence. The Balance itself is a simple concept, it refers to how many Souls exist on one side known as the Soul Society and the other side which is the sum total of those in this Realm and the other known as Hueco Mundo which is filled with your kind.”
Again he paused. This creature, as smart and quick witted as it appeared, had limited experience of existence comparable to a young child with the mind of an adult. So he gave it time to sink in. “So El Rey you see this is why we do what we do. When a Shinigami “slays” a Hollow we do not destroy it. The Souls within are purified and allowed to travel onwards to the Soul Society which is the proper flow of things.” he paused again, a shorter rest this time, then continued. “This is why we must purify your kind. If we didn't, Hollow would consume and consume. More souls added to their being. So even when one Hollow consumes another that keeps that overall total of Souls on this side.”
Zenji smiled faintly. It was a basic concept but one that meant everything. At one time he had wondered if it would not be more beneficial to just teach sentient beings, who had the power to interact with Reishi, why this was important. It had been an ideal pondering not worthy of real consideration. But if the intelligent Hollow realised the enormity of the task placed before Soul Reapers would they behave differently? If Spirituals understand why Shinigami did as they did would they stay out of affairs above their mortal existence? Probably not. Hollow still wouldn’t want to end and mortals would still not understand the fact that Shinigami did not exist to protect their small lives but something much, much larger.
“The Balance matters to all of us. If not then the realms begin to… slide out of place. All realities be it the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo or the Living World will merge with all the spaces and voids in between being drawn in as well. What would be left would be chaos, good for nobody.” he stated
Resting his hands back on his knees he tilted his head slightly. He turned his focus inwards. Already his Spiritual Strength had begun to grow. If he needed to continue his duties he would find it well within the realm of possibility but, first, it would be interesting to see how the Hollow reacted. “Do you understand?”
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:22 am
The hollow listened. Something in the way the shinigami spoke of a being beyond sight sparked some hint of a memory within him. Something so powerful that it could not interact with the world directly. He had known of something like that in a past life. Had he believed it? Could he without being able to see it? It was a question for later. But for now . . . he wasn't sure if the shinigami was telling the truth or not.
He himself operated beyond the sight of most humans and animals. And he was much more powerful than them. Any of them, crushed in an instant if he desired. This entire building they sat upon could be cracked open like an ant hill for him to feast on what was inside. But it would be as eating ants to him by this point. So for something to exist even beyond his sight was an interesting thought. Likely not something hollow in nature, otherwise its hunger would be mentioned. Or perhaps it was a hollow so powerful that it no longer felt hunger.
Perhaps, if this was a succession of beings, it was still digesting its meal of the previous supreme entity.
El Rey looked towards the sky. He was listening, but his mind was elsewhere. How much more powerful would he need to become to perceive this being? Was it possible? He could eat and eat and eat until he was full to bursting, but would it be enough? The worst thing he could do would be to try.
He blinked, and his eyes snapped back to the shinigami, still nameless. El Rey would call him Speaker. Good enough as a name. Descriptive, and easy to remember. Like Bait. He mulled over the thought of balance for a few moments longer while an answer formed in his mind. "Slay and purify to keep the balance. So then, is it a balance between three points, or two? If you must keep balance, but Hueco Mundo and your Soul Society are on the same side of the scales, then whether a hollow and all souls within it are purified or eventually leave to Hueco Mundo, they join the side of the scales you insist souls must go to. If it is between three points, then to keep balance it would be more useful to hunt in Hueco Mundo."
He looked off towards the moon. "I feel a pull. An instinct. Each time I had to retreat briefly, I had a sense perhaps to stay. The hollow on this side and those who hunt them have begun to taste thin. Insubstantial. Just as souls did. They will not be enough to stave off my hunger for much longer. If I feel this, then so too must all hollow, which mean the strongest, those who have feasted longest and hold the most souls, will be in Hueco Mundo. If the balance is between three points, hollows on this side will funnel souls straight to Hueco Mundo instead of to your Soul Society, increasing the weight which would remain there."
Eyes back to Speaker. "But you cannot be too zealous hunting hollows, and purifying souls, or the three point balance will tip in the direction of Soul Society in turn. Your religion asks much of you, Speaker. I do not envy that, but I am grateful to learn."
He himself operated beyond the sight of most humans and animals. And he was much more powerful than them. Any of them, crushed in an instant if he desired. This entire building they sat upon could be cracked open like an ant hill for him to feast on what was inside. But it would be as eating ants to him by this point. So for something to exist even beyond his sight was an interesting thought. Likely not something hollow in nature, otherwise its hunger would be mentioned. Or perhaps it was a hollow so powerful that it no longer felt hunger.
Perhaps, if this was a succession of beings, it was still digesting its meal of the previous supreme entity.
El Rey looked towards the sky. He was listening, but his mind was elsewhere. How much more powerful would he need to become to perceive this being? Was it possible? He could eat and eat and eat until he was full to bursting, but would it be enough? The worst thing he could do would be to try.
He blinked, and his eyes snapped back to the shinigami, still nameless. El Rey would call him Speaker. Good enough as a name. Descriptive, and easy to remember. Like Bait. He mulled over the thought of balance for a few moments longer while an answer formed in his mind. "Slay and purify to keep the balance. So then, is it a balance between three points, or two? If you must keep balance, but Hueco Mundo and your Soul Society are on the same side of the scales, then whether a hollow and all souls within it are purified or eventually leave to Hueco Mundo, they join the side of the scales you insist souls must go to. If it is between three points, then to keep balance it would be more useful to hunt in Hueco Mundo."
He looked off towards the moon. "I feel a pull. An instinct. Each time I had to retreat briefly, I had a sense perhaps to stay. The hollow on this side and those who hunt them have begun to taste thin. Insubstantial. Just as souls did. They will not be enough to stave off my hunger for much longer. If I feel this, then so too must all hollow, which mean the strongest, those who have feasted longest and hold the most souls, will be in Hueco Mundo. If the balance is between three points, hollows on this side will funnel souls straight to Hueco Mundo instead of to your Soul Society, increasing the weight which would remain there."
Eyes back to Speaker. "But you cannot be too zealous hunting hollows, and purifying souls, or the three point balance will tip in the direction of Soul Society in turn. Your religion asks much of you, Speaker. I do not envy that, but I am grateful to learn."
El Rey- Posts : 32
Join date : 2020-05-25
Age : 29
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Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Tue Jun 30, 2020 1:09 pm
“Three realms and two points.” Zenji clarified with a thoughtful expression. The Hollow’s curiosity was fascinating, he was in the Soul Reaper’s experience a one of a kind entity worthy of study. He momentarily considered using Bakudo to tie up the beast and drag it back to Soul Society for proper study but frankly his power had run dry some time ago and he wasn’t sure he had it in him to cast any high level spells.
“On one side is the Soul Society carrying within it all the souls of the deceased who have managed to pass on correctly. Then on the other side of the scales lies the realm of living souls and those who failed to properly pass on becoming corrupted thus forming the race known as Hollow.”
Zenji folded his hands on his laps as he tilted his head. “So you see Hunting does little help. When a Hollow consumes another Hollow they simply absorb all those souls keeping them on the other side of the scales. Purification is the only answer to properly regulate the flow. In ancient times there were other threats, such as the threat of Souls being destroyed...” Zenji shuddered at the idea. “Luckily such abominations have long since been cleansed from the realms”
Listening to the Hollow the Shinigami nodded. “The instinct to hunt, the need to consume, will always be with you. As you grow more powerful you will become a greater threat to the Balance as the amount of souls within your form increases. However all Hollow have a limit, few get past the initial Menos stage and frankly such dumb creatures are easily enough purged when they make the mistake of leaving the barren land of Hueco Mundo.” he stated. Sure Gillian were strong, often requiring Lieutenant power to defeat, but they were dumber than the basest Hollow and easily fought due to their size. “Your need to be the strongest is also the need to feed you see. Of course even at the pinnacle of Hollow strength and growth the actual threat a single Hollow inflicts on the Balance is relatively small.” Zenji added. What he didn’t say was that it would take a true idiot to go hunting the legendary Vasto Lordes. He’d never even heard of one being reported but he’d read about them in the history books, they were apparently Captain-Level Hollow. The idea was enough to give one nightmares. It was said they never left Hueco Mundo though, for whatever reason, Zenji supposed that mere Human Souls would never be enough to satisfy their hunger so why bother?
“You are right.” Zenji added with a smile. “To, say, try and purge the entire population of Hueco Mundo would be as foolish and heretical as leaving the Hollow population to grow without oversight.” he told the Hollow. “One must avoid extremes. Balance should be sought. It is not an easy task but it is a necessary one and one I am proud to perform.” he added.
Zenji stepped forward and tapped the side of the barrier causing it to slide open as he stepped towards the Hollow. “Well it’s time to be finishing up my patrol for today.” he said, raising his staff.
“On one side is the Soul Society carrying within it all the souls of the deceased who have managed to pass on correctly. Then on the other side of the scales lies the realm of living souls and those who failed to properly pass on becoming corrupted thus forming the race known as Hollow.”
Zenji folded his hands on his laps as he tilted his head. “So you see Hunting does little help. When a Hollow consumes another Hollow they simply absorb all those souls keeping them on the other side of the scales. Purification is the only answer to properly regulate the flow. In ancient times there were other threats, such as the threat of Souls being destroyed...” Zenji shuddered at the idea. “Luckily such abominations have long since been cleansed from the realms”
Listening to the Hollow the Shinigami nodded. “The instinct to hunt, the need to consume, will always be with you. As you grow more powerful you will become a greater threat to the Balance as the amount of souls within your form increases. However all Hollow have a limit, few get past the initial Menos stage and frankly such dumb creatures are easily enough purged when they make the mistake of leaving the barren land of Hueco Mundo.” he stated. Sure Gillian were strong, often requiring Lieutenant power to defeat, but they were dumber than the basest Hollow and easily fought due to their size. “Your need to be the strongest is also the need to feed you see. Of course even at the pinnacle of Hollow strength and growth the actual threat a single Hollow inflicts on the Balance is relatively small.” Zenji added. What he didn’t say was that it would take a true idiot to go hunting the legendary Vasto Lordes. He’d never even heard of one being reported but he’d read about them in the history books, they were apparently Captain-Level Hollow. The idea was enough to give one nightmares. It was said they never left Hueco Mundo though, for whatever reason, Zenji supposed that mere Human Souls would never be enough to satisfy their hunger so why bother?
“You are right.” Zenji added with a smile. “To, say, try and purge the entire population of Hueco Mundo would be as foolish and heretical as leaving the Hollow population to grow without oversight.” he told the Hollow. “One must avoid extremes. Balance should be sought. It is not an easy task but it is a necessary one and one I am proud to perform.” he added.
Zenji stepped forward and tapped the side of the barrier causing it to slide open as he stepped towards the Hollow. “Well it’s time to be finishing up my patrol for today.” he said, raising his staff.
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by El Rey Fri Jul 03, 2020 10:36 pm
Once again he listened. The shinigami was correcting him on some of his connections made, but that was fine. For the moment, this was all talk to him. Speaker was doing just that. Speaking. Expressing what he believed to be true. But religion did not do much for El Rey beyond the promise of further information. He was a hollow. He believed the building was there beneath his paws because he could feel it there, flimsy as it might be. He knew there to be a realm just for hollows because he had been there. Briefly, of course. A dark, stark place which was far too empty of things to know for his liking.
Perhaps, maybe, he would muse on the idea of something beyond his understanding. Memories, from before, how many lives? No matter. As he was now was beyond as he was then. So perhaps even in the future he himself would become something beyond what he was now. Something he could not know. Speaker had mentioned something like that.
"Menos."
Did he know them? Had he known them? The apparently lived in Hueco Mundo. He had been there several times. What had he seen? What would he know? What did he feel? The name alone summoned . . . No. It would do him no good to think on it now. Speaker was still speaking, and it wouldn't be polite to miss anything he had to say. El Rey would take in it all, and he would use it to become stronger still. Speaker had said the stronger he became, the greater a threat he would be. Perhaps he would prove that assumption wrong. The man had also assumed that a hollow was in no way worth talking to.
When Speaker stepped out of his box, El Rey stood up once more, and remained where he was. While tempting to walk forward just as Speaker had in respect, he knew it would be taken elsewise. His ear flicked from behind the mask, and he turned to look away. Even before that sad, sepulchral howl rang out across the night, the hollow was ready for it. Another of his kind. This one closing in on its prey. From the direction of the boy. El Rey glanced sidelong at Speaker.
"And I have a meal to catch. I will need a clear mind to think on what I have learned this night."
The hollow turned the rest of the way, squared himself up, then pounced out into the air in the direction of his quarry. The King always left on his own terms.
Perhaps, maybe, he would muse on the idea of something beyond his understanding. Memories, from before, how many lives? No matter. As he was now was beyond as he was then. So perhaps even in the future he himself would become something beyond what he was now. Something he could not know. Speaker had mentioned something like that.
"Menos."
Did he know them? Had he known them? The apparently lived in Hueco Mundo. He had been there several times. What had he seen? What would he know? What did he feel? The name alone summoned . . . No. It would do him no good to think on it now. Speaker was still speaking, and it wouldn't be polite to miss anything he had to say. El Rey would take in it all, and he would use it to become stronger still. Speaker had said the stronger he became, the greater a threat he would be. Perhaps he would prove that assumption wrong. The man had also assumed that a hollow was in no way worth talking to.
When Speaker stepped out of his box, El Rey stood up once more, and remained where he was. While tempting to walk forward just as Speaker had in respect, he knew it would be taken elsewise. His ear flicked from behind the mask, and he turned to look away. Even before that sad, sepulchral howl rang out across the night, the hollow was ready for it. Another of his kind. This one closing in on its prey. From the direction of the boy. El Rey glanced sidelong at Speaker.
"And I have a meal to catch. I will need a clear mind to think on what I have learned this night."
The hollow turned the rest of the way, squared himself up, then pounced out into the air in the direction of his quarry. The King always left on his own terms.
El Rey- Posts : 32
Join date : 2020-05-25
Age : 29
Re: Cast Your Shell {Zenji | Closed}
by Zenji Hatayama Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:17 am
“Do. I am sure we shall meet again El Rey” Zenji simply stated as the Hollow vanished into the city streets.
Zenji drove his staff into the air before him before twisting it in the air. “Open.” he commanded and the air twisted as reality bent to obey his authority as a Shinigami. The shoji appeared and slid open slowly to reveal a world of light beyond. Waiting a moment he paused and withdrew his phone-like device to send a message to his partner that they should return to the Soul Society immediately due to the presence of a dangerous almost menos-class Hollow on the hunt within the Town.
Then sending a message to the Command Centre of the First Division he requested a more experienced combat squad be dispatched to deal with a dangerous Hollow while supplying El Rey’s description. Just because he had found the Hollow interesting didn’t mean he was going to ignore his duty.
After a few moments a Jigokuchō, one of the black hell butterflies, fluttered through the portal to guide it’s Soul Reaper back to his realm.
He’d have to file a report once he got back about all of this. Of course he was going to leave out all the pieces referring to how he had actually had a conversation with the Cat-like beast. That would be too awkward to explain. Instead he would just mention the traits he’d noticed, it’s lethality and how close it likely was to reaching the first steps of Menos evolution.
It had been an interesting day but now it was time to get back to his ordinary job. Processing and reviewing AARs. Sad and miserable though it may be it was his role within the Gotei.
‘Maybe I should ask Nao to join me for some tea? She’s probably in her office doing the work of her entire department again.’
Stepping through he vanished into the burning light as he passed through from the Realm of the Living into the perfect surroundings of the Court of Pure Souls.
//THREAD EXIT
Zenji drove his staff into the air before him before twisting it in the air. “Open.” he commanded and the air twisted as reality bent to obey his authority as a Shinigami. The shoji appeared and slid open slowly to reveal a world of light beyond. Waiting a moment he paused and withdrew his phone-like device to send a message to his partner that they should return to the Soul Society immediately due to the presence of a dangerous almost menos-class Hollow on the hunt within the Town.
Then sending a message to the Command Centre of the First Division he requested a more experienced combat squad be dispatched to deal with a dangerous Hollow while supplying El Rey’s description. Just because he had found the Hollow interesting didn’t mean he was going to ignore his duty.
After a few moments a Jigokuchō, one of the black hell butterflies, fluttered through the portal to guide it’s Soul Reaper back to his realm.
He’d have to file a report once he got back about all of this. Of course he was going to leave out all the pieces referring to how he had actually had a conversation with the Cat-like beast. That would be too awkward to explain. Instead he would just mention the traits he’d noticed, it’s lethality and how close it likely was to reaching the first steps of Menos evolution.
It had been an interesting day but now it was time to get back to his ordinary job. Processing and reviewing AARs. Sad and miserable though it may be it was his role within the Gotei.
‘Maybe I should ask Nao to join me for some tea? She’s probably in her office doing the work of her entire department again.’
Stepping through he vanished into the burning light as he passed through from the Realm of the Living into the perfect surroundings of the Court of Pure Souls.
//THREAD EXIT
Zenji Hatayama- Posts : 278
Join date : 2020-06-14
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