The Shadow Cast By The Wayward Shinigami (Closed w/ JWC)

Mon May 25, 2015 2:50 am

Gabriel was always the odd one. He was never motivated enough to do anything, but lay around. Nothing ever motivated him enough to even act. He was always forced to do things within his division. Though it was supposed to be where he specialized it wasn’t anywhere close to something he enjoyed. His hands ached to tear life from those who he deemed to be his enemy, his feet ached to take him across the land and his blade thirst for the blood. His brothers found their places within the Gotei 13, but he found nothing. He found weak people and their weak ideals. Surrounded by cowards within his own division which was supposedly the most cutthroat within the entire Gotei he didn’t know what else he could do. Earlier in the day he laid under a tree and just stared in the sky. Looking at the vast nothingness was exactly what his heart felt like, empty. He cared for his brothers, but that was it, and they no longer needed him. So it was now time for him to find what would compel his soul. What would allow him to do something that would truly make him want to draw his sword?

While he laid there he stared into the sky and a message came to him from one of the officers within the 2nd division. He was to be in a group to assist the vanguard in a Karakura scouting mission to make sure nothing illicit was happening within or around the city that could put it in danger. He was obviously less than happy. He hates having to do stupid things like this. Useless missions that had no effect on anything. The Vanguard was strong enough to protect themselves, but for some reason they needed the help of the Shinigami. Gabriel hated it all, but he still needed to follow orders. So he unwillingly jumped to his feet and made his way over to the portal to Karakura.

He wasn’t in any hurry at all so he just strode on over there. Showing up about an hour late and all of the other members of his team were pretty pissed, but expected it out of him. Once they were ready they went through the portal and appeared in a group of four outside of Karakura. They were then debriefed on the situation. They would meet up with representatives from the Vanguard that they would team up with and assist in order to scout the area and deal with any threats. Gabriel didn’t really care, but he just rode the back of the group and did what he was told. They had a single guide once they got there who led them to the point where they would meet up with their allies.

Karakura was an interesting place. He had a few trips to it, but there was actually something to do here. All he did in the Seireitei was sit around and wait for his next assignment, but here it was actually interesting. Though he doesn’t know what would fulfill him, it was a hell of a lot better than doing absolutely nothing for a place he hated every day. They came to a stop at the rendezvous point right outside the roughest area of town in order to wait for the team that would show up from The Vanguard.

Mon May 25, 2015 11:30 am

Artist: Vexaic- Song: Scarred Heart - Word Count: 827

(This thread will henceforth take place before the black world event)

James stretched out at his desk, Carine sitting at the edge, swinging her feet back and forth. The room had an air of quiet. But it was a calm quiet that he liked. Carine liked it too, it appeared. A beeping on James' wristpad made his eyes dart to see what was wrong. Vanguard troops had reason to believe a group of demons was terrorizing the outskirts of Karakura. He would be teaming up with some shinigami from the Gotei 13 to take care of the problem. A simple intel and assassination mission. Find the leader, dispatch him, disperse the remainder. James could have taken care of this on his own, without having to babysit. He looked up at Carine, his eyes dark from lack of sleep. "Carine..." He said quietly. She turned around and pressed her lips to his. James closed his eyes almost instinctively. Enjoying the moment. She rarely kissed him, Carine. So when she did, he had to enjoy it. Not so much his decision as hers. "Even if you don't enjoy it, you have to at least savor it! For me~" She'd say... And James for whatever reason, couldn't help but respect her wishes. Perhaps it was the power of the Sueki. Opening his eyes he was out of his memories and back in his room. "We've got to go to Vanguard main Headquarters in Karakura. Brief some probably abominably weak shinigami on a mission we could have done on our own, and essentially hold their hands and make sure they don't die. If this is what allying with the Gotei 13 entitles, then perhaps the Vanguard ought to realign themselves..." James chuckled to himself, and already began resenting the idea of having to deal with more people. "Oh come now, James~" Carine teased, lightly slapping his hand. "Don't be so mean!" James smiled, and took Carine's hand. "Let's go. Do you have your umbrella? It's supposed to be rainy today." With a nod, they stepped through the portal.

Arriving in the Vanguard headquarters, they authenticated themselves as the Lord of Whispers and the Arbiter. Now to find those recruits. James checked the database to find out where they were stationed, and Carine opened a Kumotabi to get there. Dropping seemingly out of the sky in front of the recruits, James turned on his contacts and scanned the group. "Mr. Alexander." He addressed the man in front of him. "Regrettably, you're the strongest one here. So you'll be sticking close to me. The rest of you won't be very useful, and I guarantee at least all three of you will die almost immediately. You're taking up scouting positions. You." He pointed at the only female recruit. "Take up position on that hill there." Before she left, he tossed a communicator at each of them, regardless of whether they were ready to catch it or not. "Communications. They're waterproof, fire resistant. And powerful enough that I could whisper from halfway across Japan, and you'd hear me." James pointed the other two to the positions they were to take up, then turned to Gabriel. "My name is James William Caldwell. I am the Vanguard's Dimir Lord of Whispers. The closest equivalent in the Gotei 13 is a captain of your intelligence squad." James smiled at the man, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If they told you this was a 'scouting mission'... they lied. The Vanguard doesn't do 'scouting missions'. Not this branch anyway. This is assasination and crowd control. But we are still an intelligence agency. This is Carine, my second-in-command, and the Dimir Arbiter... like a vice-captain. I hope you're following me." James said, snapping in front of the recruit's face. "Mission briefing is as follows. There's a group of demons causing trouble on the outskirts of the city. We're to investigate, decide the threat level, and eliminate the targets. The boss has been designated a C-Class. Easy pickings for me... Not so much for you. That's why you're going to face it. But don't worry. It's an assassination mission, so just find his weak spot, hit it as hard as you can, and take him down without him noticing. Or wait til he notices, then strike, if you want malice points." James was already tired of speaking. He sat down a moment, and looked over the man. "Can you use that sword? If not this will become veeeery difficult. For you anyway." James laughed. "Oh, but don't worry. I won't let you die. Maybe." He pointed down to the caves where the demons were reported to frequent. "That's our target. If things don't go our way, we lure whatever's within to the outside, and your friends blast him with kido, while you and I pick it off with Melee attacks. That's only in the case of something higher than a C-class being in there." With that, he started walking toward the cave area, Carine following, and putting on her fighting gloves.

Tue Jun 02, 2015 2:06 am

Taking stalk of the man who appeared in front of him Gabriel at first didn't care much for him. He seemed to have a large superiority complex about him and that annoyed him. They must have just sent someone trivial who's good at talking their way out of things to meet with him was his first thoughts. He rolled his eyes at the showy entrance, but as he began to speak his ideals changed. He realized real quickly how useless his comrades were, but what was even more great was this wasn't another shit-eatin scouting mission. His blade would taste the blood of the cowardly and the distraught. This was his opportunity to tear into some vile beasts and end their lives before they even know what was going on. It was perfect. In the Gotei 13 all he got was low ranking, useless and easy scouting missions which did him no good. He hated his very existence within that plan and he hated the fact he was stuck and going no where.

Hearing James talk about his division and what the mission would be a flash of excitement crossed his face. He went from a laid back and irritated position to a readied and interested one. He grinned from ear to ear at finally getting the chance to do some real work and rubbed the palms of his hands together. He stood up straight and his eyes went from dull to completely focused on James as he replied to the description with

"Finally something interesting for me to tear into. You guys don't seem that bad after all. Call me Gabriel. This'll be fun."

His words echoed his excited and dark nature. It'd been like this had lit a near dormant fire within his soul that was pointed towards justice, but gleamed with darkness. This division that he spoke of interested him, but he didn't care for their positions. Only that with them he'd get to do some damage. His brothers both excelled while he stayed where he was, because they were always loved. Always chosen over him for their "cheery" dispositions and the "gung-ho" attitudes. Gabriel was sick of it, but this was the battlefield his was meant to tread. He became antsy waiting through James explaining everything to him, but when he asked if he knew how to use his blade he eagerly replied

"This Zanpakutō is made for tasting the blood of his enemies, and I'll wield it whatever way necessary to get to that end. No matter the strength of these demons the darkness will soon overcome them. Looks like my boredom will finally overcome."

When he finished talking Him and his companion began walking towards the cave. Eagerly Gabriel made sure his comrades did what they were told while walking on the opposite side of James compared to Carine. They seemed to complain, but Gabriel quickly told them to shut the hell up. Those rule abiding useless pieces of trash would only get in the way of his fun.

He still did not fully know if James would be massively strong, mainly from lack of listening, or if he would just be all talk, but either way if they did as they said they did then Gabriel would have no problem joining them in this mission.

As they approached the opening he was curious if the women was just as strong too. He wasn't prejudice, but she just didn't seem to give off a deadly aura. It didn't matter to him though because if she wasn't up for it that just meant more for him. Though his ideals may have been naive and arrogant it was much over due for the stagnant state he had been in until now.

Walking in they could hear growls and voices echoing through out the cave. It was obvious that these demons weren't expecting the group which made it even the sweeter. He slowed his breathing and lowered his presence as he had been taught and entered the cave with the others ready for whatever would come next.

Tue Jun 02, 2015 3:32 am

Artist: Epic Score - Song: Scars and Bruises - Word Count: 676

In the cavern, there was a long narrow hallway, leading to an opening that had clearly been spruced up by the demons. Peeking around the corner, he saw a group of them sitting a the table. Turning on his contacts, he then could see two more off to the left, and one farther from them, standing at the next (and only) narrow hallway leading further in. They each had a tier of 6-0, their only dangerous traits being that they had sharp objects laying around nearby. James whirled around the corner.

"Gabriel. There's some at that table. I'm gonna take them out from here. You sneak around and take out those other two at the same time as me. Then, Carine'll get that last one. Once that's done, you'll guard the entryway and inform me if any more are coming, while I secure the room and search for information. Hopefully these guys aren't Shadow Fall, or we're pretty much declaring war." James chuckled softly as he looked back to his comrade. "Although seeing how weak they are, I doubt a war with SF would be too difficult." He laughed again, quietly, then began punching in Macros on his wristpad.

"Don't worry about it. The network already identified these guys as just some common thugs, but it couldn't help to take down an underground syndicate while we're here. We'll get some clues on who they work for, then kill the boss as a message. Hopefully after that, we can work our way through these bastards until we reach the higher ups. Then maybe I'll help you out in combat." James loaded two macros, M4 (A water whip/dart/ball/whatever he chooses), and M-1-2 (Wind chains that attach to his blades like Kratos' blades of chaos). He would quickly impale the entire group at the table, then throw his blade at the one near the hall. That was the plan anyway, and James quickly and quietly moved to his destination. James waited for the rookie to poke his head out, then signaled for when to start the attack. Carine wrapped herself in Kumitsu, which made her spirit energy undetectable to outside sources, and, because it was dark in the caves, it made her invisible as well. Carine, though undetectable to everyone but James, who had his contacts tuned to her bio-frequency so he could see her in the dark during combat, crept stealthily behind the demon at the hall. They were talking amongst themselves. "Y'know, I gotta say, the boss does know how to stick it to 'em! This plan oughta work perfectly, there's no way it could fail!" James almost wanted to impale him right there for essentially jynxing himself, but he thought it more important to find out what that plan was. "Hey, you idiot! We don't talk about our plans here. That's why we get the messages! So we don't have to talk about 'em!" Another one said, increasing James' irritation with the whole lot. They couldn't be making this any easier. "C'mon, cmon! It's not like anybody's listening anyway. It's just us in this stupid cave." The records were right in saying these guys were a group of thugs. They lacked clear organization. Hopefully by now the recruit was in place, as, even if he wasn't, James would shoot his Manifesto Water Macro through the group at the table. If Gabriel didn't react just in that instant, James would impale both of his targets as well, then look to Carine, who simply knocked her target out with a chop to the neck.

If he hadn't reacted in time, James would glare at him with a cold stare. "Seriously?"

If he had, James would simply not.

Regardless of what happened, James would begin his search for the paperwork regarding their mission immediately. He motioned for Gabriel to guard the entryway. As he scanned paper after paper into his home database, Carine searched the bodies of their victims for any interesting artifacts. So far, no luck. James scanned through the entire stack on the table, then would proceed to one of the other tables nearby. If left uninterrupted, James would peruse through that stack as well.

Sat Jun 06, 2015 2:40 pm

At the moment of James movement Gabriel drew his sword and flash stepped right behind the closest demon. He grabbed it over it's mouth with a tight grasp and ripped it's entire head towards the opposite direction snapping it. He quickly followed it by stabbing his blade through the middle of the neck of the second demon and chopping forward through the throat making it so all you could hear was the hissing of air spewing out. He then quickly jumped out of the the way as the attack from James shredded through the now corpses he left behind.

"That was close to being reckless don't you think so James..."

James flash stepped back over towards the entrance and then took up post in the darkest area towards the entrance. It was exciting for him. He finally was afforded the opportunity to do good work. The kind of work he was born for. In mere moments he tore away the life of one of the demons with his bare hand and his Zanpakutō bathed the blood of his enemy. Seeing the dead lying around he yearned for more, but he had to hold himself still and quell his bloodlust. He must be silent in both his heart and his body to prevent any for noticing him.

"Let's hope there's more James. If not I won't be allowed to have any more fun. Area is clear. You are free to do as you wish, but if any more come just continue with your fact finding and allow me to take care of them, or else it maybe even years tell I get to do something this amazing again."

Gabriel wiped the blood from the recently deceased demon upon his pant leg and sheathed his sword.

I don't know your name, but I can tell you are satisfied, but only barely. I have to do more, but only when it is permitted.

He sat in anticipation with his eyes burning a hole into the entrance waiting for the next he would kill. His eyes excited for the first time in who knows how long. This was obvious that this was the meaning of his existence, but now his question in his own heart was.

*Why haven't I felt this before. I'm supposed to be where I "should have" been fulfilled, but nothing has come out of it. I feel more fulfilled here than in his own home*

Tue Jun 23, 2015 7:05 am

(OOC: James only would have killed those two if Gabriel hadn't but for ease of continuation, I'll just go with that)

James ignored the utterance of the abhorrently weak Shinigami. It wasn't a habit of his to allow his lessers to disrespect him. James continued looking through the papers scattered around the room. It appeared to be plans to attack Karakura. They'd stumbled on one hell of a mission. Next step was securing information that would lead to either a resolution, or the next group of these goons. If this truly became some form of underground syndicate that may be dangerous to the Vanguard or Earth itself, James would definitely need to report this to the higher-ups. At any rate, they would need to find the leader of this group, and find out what they were up to. "Gabriel. We need to find out who runs this place. We're gonna need to go deeper into the cave." James whispered into his communicator. "You take point. Carine and I will be right behind you." As he said that, he removed all his spells from the foreground as he retrieved his blades.

(Sorry for the wait, and sorry it's so short, you can take the lead as far what attacks us next xD)

Tue Jun 23, 2015 1:01 pm

Gabriel sat at the entrance as he was told, but it wasn't enough. He wanted more. Every fiber of his being for once felt alive. He could feel his pulse through his finger tips reverberate through his Zanpakutō. He continued to watch in this dark and grungy cave, but soon began to slump back into boredom. Replaying the kills in his head his eyes wandered around the cave hoping that Something would show up for them to kill. His eyes traced across the each stone and placement in the cave, but nothing that interested him either. He was curious though. Was this front party really their front guard or what was up?

They took out the front easily, and it was no fight at all. In fact everything was going too well. He centered himself and kept and eagle's eye on the few other entrances. He was looking for anything to alert him to the presence of others. Whether it be a sound, a glimmer or movement in the dark or anything else. Until chatter started to come from the two entrances into the main portion of the cave and what broke the eerie sound of shuffling papers was a small sound coming from one of the pockets of the demons. Though looking at James he probably already had summed this much up pressed his communicator

"Looks like we have company. 3 maybe 4 in each tunnel. I can't really sense them, but they're still really loud. If we are gonna move we should do so quickly. What's the plan?"

And as he spoke he walked to James with as light of footsteps as possible.

Wed Jul 01, 2015 12:17 am

Hearing the rather loud demons entering the cave from all around, James tensed up, and reached for his blade. With a nod, he looked toward Carine, who simply nodded back. Carine, using her martial arts skill Honeydew, clung to the ceiling. James, looking back at Gabriel, quickly whispered "You're on your own. Use that brain of yours." And with that, jammed his blades into the high ceiling above to remain there with Carine. As the demons entered the room, James quickly checked each of their power levels. The four on the right were all weaklings, so if Gabriel had any instinct, he'd rush to take them out before dealing with the two 4 tier demons coming from the left. James would simply sit this one out until it was absolutely necessary to join in. Carine used her kumitsu to hide James and herself in the shadow of the cave, concealing their energy, and their physical appearance from view.

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As the Demon known as Za'Korath entered alongside his companion, he felt something was off. The usual chatter from inside the caves was not present. Had his friends left to go take care of something? But, then they would have seen him. Before entering the main area, he held a hand out to stop his companion of near equal strength Sho'gotara before he foolishly entered the room. The others would be returning soon, and it wouldn't make sense for him to sacrifice the both of them if intruders had invaded. "Sho, I think there's someone in there..." He whispered to his friend beside him. "Let's wait a bit. If we hear screaming, we'll go in to help. I just got a baaaad feeling about this." Sho nodded, and they took up defensive stances outside the inner cave's entrance. Meanwhile, on the other side, the four demons were entering the cave. If Gabriel hadn't hidden yet, or made no attempt to, the closest one would begin to shout for help. The rest, regardless of what happened to the closest would draw their blades, all getting the same eerie feeling from the area.

Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:07 am

There was no time to waste and many to kill. His blood was boiling over and it was more than time to quench it. He breathed in deeply and slowly as the others hid and realized this time he had them all to himself. Which was perfect for him. His arrogance may some day be his undoing, but for this day he would do as he wanted. He didn't care whether the others would think of him differently or not with this whether it was a test or not.

He quickly hid himself behind a pillar of rock and as the four weaker demons entered barely far enough for room to fit someone behind them. There smell was disgusting and their appearance was grotesque. To him their lives were about as meaningful as a roach's, and as fleeting as the wind. So like leaves to the breeze he would cast them away and do so happily. Then with a steady incantation he flash stepped behind the farthest to the left demon with his Zanpakutō in his right hand he snapped the back of the knee of the demon with a sharp kick hearing a quick snap he was behind and lunged at the two to the farthest right with his blade sliding it into the mid throat of both of them. Blood splattered out of the other side of each neck and began to waterfall down either side.

" Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat!

Finishing the incantation just as the untouched demon was about to punch him in the face his body was entrapped in a red light paralyzing him. With that done he wrapped his left arm around the head of the demon with the crippled leg and lifted up quickly and hard snapping it's neck. Sliding his blade out of the other two he quickly slit the paralyzed demon's throat and left him paralyzed while he flash stepped to same pillar leaving the gruesome scene as the red light dissipated and the body dropped to the ground making a loud thump.

The Shadow Cast By The Wayward Shinigami (Closed w/ JWC)

The Shadow Cast By The Wayward Shinigami (Closed w/ JWC)

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