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Post by epoch on Jul 14, 2009 7:22:50 GMT 1
"You're still lacking finesse."
The words seemed to echo as the dust settled, a Shinigami trainee beaten and broken beneath Epoch's blade. Though still far from the power of, lets say a Captain, he did quite well for himself considering his seat in the Sixth Division.
His self-proclaimed pupil salvaged what little there was left of his composure, pulling herself to a kneeling position. She bowed honorably before shrinking to the sidelines, awaiting more of her lecture.
"If you're going to charge in at me like a mindless savage, at least have the decency to try to distract me from your already obvious attack." He paused, sheathing his blade. "Never reveal your plans or actions to the opponent without diverting their full attention first. Even a small rock thrown in the distance could possibly be of some help in the future."
Of course, Epoch was simply reciting what he himself had learned throughout the years of being beaten senseless by his master. But that was enough for now.
"Dismissed."
There were far more important things to do this day.
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Post by .devious on Jul 14, 2009 7:31:20 GMT 1
Things didn't seem to be going the way that I had always thought that they would. Lately, I'd been seeing a greater amount of the Shinigami kind who were becoming aware of my kind; the Hollows with a mind. While we were certainly more rare than our mindless brethren, it seemed almost like lately there were hundreds of us running around, and the more that there were, the more that I was certain that Soul Society would obtain more valuable information about us. It was on this hunt for information that brought me to my dangerous mission for today; sneaking into Soul Society.
One would almost think that it was a death wish, attempting to enter these lands, but I had come from the lands of what the Shinigami called "Rukongai", and had made my way here, transformed into the appearance of a standard Hispanic male, my usual form. The darkened hair lay upon my scalp and the lack of my Hollow mask was certainly interesting, but the hole that would mark me was also covered by spiritually-created clothing. I could only hope that I didn't run into someone who was exceptionally powerful in their ability to sense the difference in reiatsus, else I might've been in trouble.
However, appearing within Seireitei was easier than I had expected it to be. I had ditched the white garb that was my standard and now found myself within the black robe of the Shinigami, a sword formed of a stretched and then transformed part of my body. It was harder than steel, and I felt very awkward wearing it, for I knew that I wasn't exactly the most skilled with it, either. Continuing my walk, however, I'd find myself relieved when nobody stopped to ask me any questions. I was almost in shock; was Soul Society truly this easy to penetrate for one of my skills?
It seemed like a little subterfuge could go a long way. Chuckling softly to myself, I'd then begin to pass by what looked like a training grounds, only to see a man dismissing what had seemed to be a student. Curious, I halted to watch. Perhaps I'd see some of the legendary techniques of the Shinigami used here? Perhaps I could gather more intelligence than I had originally anticipated...
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Post by epoch on Jul 14, 2009 7:44:13 GMT 1
Perhaps it was fate, but the moment the young Hollow had begun to 'stare' was exactly when Kazuma had finished his lecture and turned; his eyes befell the entity, whom struck an odd sense within him.
Training fields were rather common in Soul Society, so why the shock? Obviously, something was a little off.
Yet Kazuma kept his calm, cool and collected demeanor despite his suspicions. There was no need to jump to conclusions before solid evidence had been gathered, though sloothing was his next option.
Casually, he strolled over to the young male with keen eyes. At first it might have seemed as if he was simply going to pass him, Kazuma keeping to himself and remaining silent as moved. On the hidden Hollow's left flank, well within ten feet, he could easily run through the various obscured checks to make sure everything was alright on a spiritual level--
and that's when it hit him.
!
Without warning or questions, the Shinigami drew forth his weapon with deadly speed and accuracy. The attack was quite simple, presented as a horizontal slash that would easily cleave through most of the fiend's torso, yet that did nothing to hinder the deadliness of it. Pre-arranged footing and positioning of the body only aided in the ferocity of the entire assault, leaving no room for error on the newly-discovered hollow's part. One mistake... and he'd be gone.
Hmph, did he think he would be able to hide from everyone?
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Post by .devious on Jul 14, 2009 7:53:50 GMT 1
It was interesting, to say the least. The man that I'd been spying upon certainly seemed powerful enough. He had been giving sword lessons to a young girl, so that said that he was at least better than her. But how good was he, exactly? It was these thoughts that ran through his mind while he noticed the man's repositioning, the shinigami turning to face the Hollow. It was clear that the man was aware of my stare, but what did that mean? As the man began a fluid walk towards where I stood, I felt a shiver go down my spine. Did he know about me? Was my cover blown? Had I been too cocky?
My unease only continued to grow as he continued his paces towards me. Finally, however, the man was close enough that I truly believed that I'd been spared whatever fate might've been delivered into me by his hands. Just as he stepped to my side, however, I got a sudden jolt of fear; instinct that screamed at me to move. Without a thought in the world, my body would suddenly jolt nearly ten meters to the right, where my eyes would witness the blade of the shinigami beginning to slice through what would've been me had instinct not been there.
Unluckily for my opponent, I was a native of Hueco Mundo, where surprise attacks were common, and the only way to escape was a quick reposition with the use of Sonido and then to either escape, or to engage in a more fair environment. Now that I was here, though, I found my hand going to the sword that had rested upon my left hip, and with a skill that I wasn't aware that I had, I'd find the weapon quickly withdrawn and within a two-handed grip to face the man who had initiated the attack. I was now watching his every move, but what would it be?
Calling out, I'd ask, "Why did you attack me?"
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Post by Takuya on Jul 15, 2009 3:45:37 GMT 1
Chapter 29 – The Worst Joke In All The Land
I let out a sigh as I walked down the streets of Seireitei, the home of the Shinigami. The core of the Rukongai was elegant and wealthy, and the streets themselves where tastefully designed. It was good to be home, that much was for sure. I always liked returning to the Seireitei. There was a problem, however; things were changing. Changing dramatically. I felt as though something had stirred when I talked to that being… Rescuezo was his name.
And then there was the daisho. When I awoke today, there had been not the simple wakazashi resting beside my bed. Just as mysteriously as my zanpaktou had first formed, a katana had appeared. I knew from the moment my fingers wrapped around the enigmatic hilt that it was a part of me; a part of my zanpaktou. I could feel it resonating with me, even now as I carried it. I felt more connected to the sword than I ever had.
“Kuso!” I cursed suddenly, moving laterally as my hands slid to the hilt of my waka- I suddenly realized that my hand was on the hilt of the katana. I faltered for a moment, but only a moment, and caught myself and continued moving. I sensed the same reiatsu I had when I had first detected Rescuezo. It was unthinkable that he was now in the Seireitei, but all the signs pointed to it. With a slick motion, I drew the katana, coming to rest just outside the training ground.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
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Post by epoch on Jul 17, 2009 1:50:45 GMT 1
"Either you think I'm a follow, Hollow, or you're truly that idiotic." Kazuma's words were stern and cold, his expression changing little despite his victim's fortunate dodging; he'd make sure the next swing would claim his head. "Whatever the case, your life will be over shortly."
Naturally, as his duty as a Shinigami officer, Kazuma planned on slaying this foe even though his powers hadn't been fully demonstrated. One thing he did know? Shape shifting.
This brought forth a plethora of possibilities that the Shinigami accounted for in an instant, such as the ability to possibly form weapons or defenses from his skin and body - he would need to be careful if he was to make it out of this fight alive.
That's when he moved. Kazuma raced forward with a note-worthy pace, his sword held just outside his right flank though angled toward his opponent for maximum mobility be it for offense or defense. Soon, he would be upon him.
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Post by .devious on Jul 17, 2009 7:50:25 GMT 1
Well, this boy certainly didn't waste any time. After repositioning myself and calling out to him, the Shinigami spoke quickly, calling out the fact that he knew that I was a Hollow, and then he was charging towards me. It wasn't often that I could be surprised, but in this situation, I was. In all other cases that I'd met a Shinigami, they had seemed more rational and intelligent than this man, who just brashly charged forward. However, I knew better than to underestimate this man; an opponent was always capable of doing the most unexpected, and he'd certainly figured out that I was a Hollow quickly enough.
It was just then that I sensed another reiatsu, one that I had felt before. Riku Takuya, the Shinigami that I had met within the Human World, was somewhere close by. Dammit, if I could feel him, that I knew without a doubt that he could feel me, which would probably mean that he was on his way here. I knew full well that while I might be able to survive an encounter against a singular shinigami, a two-on-one battle was certainly far outside of my league, as I had demonstrated against the Quincey and Human that I had engaged earlier.
What to do in this situation? With another use of Sonido, I'd find myself moving away, landing upon the roof of a building about ten meters behind where my original location had been. From there, I'd call out, "How about a truce? I don't exactly relish the concept of fighting both of you." Upon the roof, I had seen Riku Takuya's appearance within the training grounds, and now that I had called out that I knew that there were two, perhaps the other swordsman would halt. If not, I knew that I would be hard pressed to even escape, let alone fight them. I could only hope that sense and reason could be put on display.
Else I was in trouble.
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Post by Takuya on Jul 18, 2009 21:07:29 GMT 1
Chapter 30 – Tarbrush
I sighed. I should have known better than to let Rescuezo out of my sights. He had been convincing, sure, but now it seemed that he was going to use that power of his to invade the Seireitei. I had only myself to blame. Well, actually, that wasn’t entirely true, I realized, as my grip tightened on the hilt of my katana. I could blame Rescuezo as well. Which I was about to do, with the edge of my katana. I raced forward and jumped into mid-air.
I disappeared from the air, however, pushing my spiritual energy to it’s physical limits as I flashed away, using the power of a Shunpo to get within a few meters of Rescuezo. I held the katana level, pointing it directly at him. I was a little disappointed, to be honest. I had hoped one day I would get to learn more about him, to learn more about myself through the process. Now, it seemed, Rescuezo had doomed himself.
“This was a really bad choice, Rescuezo,” I said with a sigh. “I wish it could be different, but this is my home that you’ve invaded.” I set my other hand on the hilt of the wakazashi. I would make my strike when the other Shinigami’s strike arrived. But first, I had to wait and see how that turned out. I hoped he didn’t plan on stopping and talking with the Hollow; my own failing in that was the reason Rescuezo was still alive.
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