The Wolf and the Madman

Tue Jul 05, 2016 4:00 pm

[PLAY POSTING MUSIC]

ENTER THE DEPTHS

Artist: Pendulum - Song: Crush - Word Count: 539

Soft beams of moonlight trickled down through gaps of Karakura Forest’s canopy, casting a faint eerie glow upon the thin layer of fog which covered its floor. On this night there shined a full moon, and while that may have helped any Human with problems of vision it was not much of an issue for the young Shinigami who currently patrolled the forest’s outer regions. Since her youth she’d been able to traverse the darkness of the night. Still, it was quite lovely. Adding to the rhythmic chirping and clicking of various bugs, the chilled air of night time, and a current lack of Hollows made the entire experience very relaxing. Despite this, she was not completely off guard, for there were rumors of other dark things residing within the forest.

As was typical for a routine patrol, the petite Wolf was gowned in the traditional Shinigami uniform, altered of course with a black eyepatch over the left side of her face, and a small hole in the back to allow her abnormally lengthy tail some freedom. Her weapon was not drawn, however despite the tranquil mood she found her fingers anxiously tapping against the hilt of her sword. Unfortunately the serene environment also gave Yuki plenty of time to think and reflect upon her past. Not that she had only bad thoughts to fall back to. She’d experienced quite a bit of happiness within her life, and she certainly had many things to look forward to still. If she kept herself on the right topics then said relaxation might even be achievable! For the moment, however, she focused on keeping her mind blank. Eventually it paid off for her, as she noticed something off within the area.

Is it a Hollow? It doesn’t feel the same.

She had heard that something else was hunting within the region. Not a Hollow, something that was potentially darker still. It was a creature that killed not out of hunger. A predator. Who better to send after it than another predator? Of course she hadn’t been called here by anyone. No, she was simply curious, and had arrived under the guise of a routine patrol. If all went well then her curiosity would be sated properly: with battle.

Yuki’s trajectory was diverted as she ventured deeper into the forest. The light that slipped through the trees above gradually lessened, until only trace amounts remained. Eventually she came to a stop. By now the rhythmic chirping noises had all but vanished, leaving everything silent. The creature was keeping itself hidden, but she knew it was close, and her singular red gaze cautious shifted around, searching ever vigilant. If she spoke then it would most likely hear her. It would certainly make introductions easier if that were the case.

In her all too familiar neutral tone she started to speak. “Hello. I am Yuki Kameko. Reveal yourself.”

One hand remained rested upon the pommel of her sword, fingers no longer anxiously tapping away. In battle she was calm. Or, at the very least, during the onset she was calm. Keeping herself in check was constantly an issue, but it ultimately only made her stronger. At least, that is what she liked to tell herself.

Tue Jul 05, 2016 7:21 pm

[PLAY POSTING MUSIC]

ENTER THE VESSEL OF MADNESS

Artist: Undertale - Song: Death By Glamour Dual Mix - Word Count: 1,551

Karakura Forest. The place where Vanyel spent most of his free time. It was somewhere he could talk to himself and the voices in his head....in peace. Nowhere else could grant him this. It was always, always somewhere that had someone that could eavesdrop. The maniac hated being bothered when he didn't want it. However, if anyone DID bother him, he would just kill them. Useless life.

That's what most of humanity was. A snicker left the Wielder of Dark Chi's lips as he continued to take long strides throughout the green forest outside of Karakura. A snake-like tongue would slide across his lips as his steel-lined boots slammed against the ground repeatedly.

The line that was across his face would slowly move, forming an evil grin. White, jagged teeth would be seen from this man's mouth. As he grinned his trademark evil grin, his fingers would slowly grace the hilt of his sword, Kuro Komo. As they did, those same fingers would slowly drift around his main, signature, and most deadly weapon. With the power to cut near anything in one simply swing, Kuro Komo was a deadly force. The katana was just as deadly as the name. Black Cloud. With the blade of the sword the bolt of lightning that could strike and cleave one open at any moment, the blade became feared for some.

Vanyel's pale fingers slowly ascended to the pommel of his sword, with his fingers dancing in a playful rhythm. The gentle, silent taps of his fingers against steel rang out like music to his ears as Vanyel continued to drum against the pommel of his own sword. The walk he was talking now had turned into a stride, with the various fancy trinkets of his jacket jingling as his steps took the slightest bit more enthusiasm. He was glad to be out of Karakura Central. No more prying eyes. Perfect chance to talk to the voices and see what they wanted.

However, there were no voices. It was simply Vanyel's own insanity. The voices were generated by his insanity, as well as the hundreds of victims he had claimed. He could hear voices within his mind, telling him to kill more....shed more and more blood. Vanyel didn't have problem with it. He loved killing, and spreading more and more blood. Hell, he was crazy enough to TASTE his victim's blood. Blood had never tasted bad, but it was just something odd. Something he wasn't used to.

Vanyel's thoughts of blood, death, and murder were soon interrupted by a wave of spiritual pressure that hit him. Someone was there. His grin that had faded when the wave of spiritual pressure hit him soon returned. His fingers that were previously tapping the pommel of his sword slowly wrapped around the hilt of it. The blade of Kuro Komo made a quiet scraping noise as the sword was withdrawn from the hilt. As the blade was introduced to the cold, night air, Vanyel's evil sword seemed to radiate an aura of darkness. Not of literal darkness, but evil.

Vanyel's boots slowly dug into the dirt beneath him, before he launched himself into a nearby tree and landed perfectly. As his white teeth that were revealed by his insane grin gleamed within the night, the sword that Vanyel had held tight within his right hand shined in the moonlight. The silver steel of the katana shimmered within the moonlight it shined off of. Vanyel grinned even more as his knees were forced to a straightening position, and Vanyel stood. His eyes slowly closed, and his tongue slid from his mouth the slither over his lips once more.

Vanyel slowly opened his eyes. The ocean blue eyes that this man boasted shined in the moonlight. His boots would now dig into the bark of the tree he currently stood on. As he did, a circle of what would seem like dust and air would form around his feet. This was not the case. The was him charging the energy of Chi, known as "Sei" within his feet. However, it was not only Sei energy that was being charged within his feet. The much more aggressive and wild energy, "Dou", was being mixed in within the charge Vanyel was performing. His grin grew from ear to ear. The charge was complete.

BOOM.

The quiet sound of the energy releasing echoed throughout the area as Vanyel was sent flying through the air, speeding though the night air incredibly fast. Kuro Komo was now being held with both of his hands as the blade was now facing behind him. As Vanyel approached the area of where he had felt the spiritual pressure from before, he would slowly turn the sword to the right, and his movement abruptly stopped. The sharp steel of his sword had embedded itself within the trunk of the tree he was passing. Kicking himself forward, Vanyel began to spin up the tree.

As the steel left the tree, Vanyel was sent a small ways distance up in the air, before he softly landed on a branch just inches below him. The left leg of Vanyel would sharply cross over his right, and his hands would then leave the hilt of his sword leaving the item floating within the air. His arms would then cross. His narrowed eyes would slowly gaze downwards. There they were. The one who had that interesting spiritual pressure. Vanyel's grin returned, and his tongue slid out of his mouth, licking his lips sadistically as his blue eyes glared at this young girl.

Hehe....a ripe victim. Completely clueless. No idea what kind of hell they were about to be put through. His hand slowly uncrossed his arms and his left arm would shoot out, snatching his katana out of the air, which had left suspended in the air with Chengtan. As Vanyel observed this girl, he could define a few features about her. She was.....a fucking....Shinigami. God. Damn it. Another one of those fuckin' soul freaks. How could he tell? The spiritual power coming from this girl's sword. The Zanpakutō that hung at her side. His grin soon turned to a frown. He DESPISED Shinigami. They just wouldn't FUCKING DIE. Well....at least not easily.

Vanyel's frown soon morphed into a scowl, with his teeth clenched as tight as possible. He would KILL this bitch. He would make it so that she wouldn't be able to run. Make her feel alone. Helpless. UNABLE TO BE SAVED. Vanyel's grin returned as these thoughts flowed within his mind. Mm....she would be a nice and tasty victim. He wasn't just talking about killing her. She was pretty damn nice. His arm slowly drifted to his side, before Vanyel would slide his deadly weapon back into the sheath. It wasn't exactly nice to scare such a cute little lady like he was about to, now was it?

Flicking his wrist, a comb would eject from his sleeve and slide right into his hand. His arm would raise and the comb would gently rake through his matted white hair. This would neaten his hair. Couldn't just walk up to a lady lookin' like ya just got mauled, now could ya? With his hair now much neater than before, and the blue stripe in his hair in check, Vanyel would then disappear. Vanished in an instant. His body quickly reappeared on the ground. Using the Chi Human's form of Shunpo, Buzhou, Vanyel was able to quickly travel from the tree to the ground in short time. Time to do a quick check of everything. Dagger? Check. Kuro Komo? Of course. Insanity? 300% check.

With his hands quickly moving up to his punk-like jacket, he would do a few quick readjustments, then grin again, before reaching down to his pants and quickly dusting them off. Everything was clean! Now...time to make sure he didn't get sniffed out. Putting his hands together in the form of some sort of prayer, a skill of Vanyel's would activate. However, it wasn't an offensive ability. It was something that he rarely used due to the circumstances of this ability. Yizhi. Or, as Vanyel liked to call it: "The Weak-ifier". With a quiet disgusting sounding crackle, Vanyel's Chi flow would essentially stop entirely. This would not stop his heart, or end his life. This would simply render him powerless until he undid this ability.

A quiet groan of pain escaped Vanyel. His grin faded and was replaced by a brief look of pain. It pained him to use this. He hated doing this. It made him weak. He would not be weak for long. His grin returned as he slowly stood, dusting his body off once more, re-straightening his clothing, and putting on his least threatening grin. His feet would then lift and quietly set upon the ground. Step after step, Vanyel would reveal himself. Seeing this Shinigami girl this close to him sickened him, but he had to keep his act up. A friendly smile emerged onto Vanyel's lips as he slowed his walk to a stop. His back would bend as he bowed to her in a very formal, Japanese styled greeting. His head would tilt to the side as he asked his question.

"My, my....what's a cute little girl like you doing out here, in the woods, at night? There are dangerous people that come out at night....one in particular...."

Tue Jul 05, 2016 8:37 pm

[PLAY POSTING MUSIC]

ENTER THE DEPTHS

Artist: Pendulum - Song: Crush - Word Count: 745

Silence hung within the air once more as she waited in suspense for a response. The sickening darkness crept closer still. It became abundantly clear the creature knew that she was here, as its movements grew more cautious. Had it heard her? With the quiet night surrounding them she doubted that it had not.

Suddenly the feeling of dread disappeared, and in that single moment she tensed up, preparing herself for an attack. However the attack never materialized. Clearly it was hiding its power, but for what purpose? Would it attempt to lure her into an ambush? Perhaps it planned on sneaking in closer, to unleash a single deciding attack? Maybe it had fled? She didn’t have long to wait before her thoughts were answered.

A man casually stepped out into the small clearing in front of her, and from that moment on her crimson orb remained locked upon his figure. It appeared to be a Human. White hair with some stripe of blue and clothes which just screamed ‘Human’ only further cemented the fact. He was certainly not a Shinigami, nor was he one of the unusual Arrancar types that she’d met. All things pointed towards him being a Human, and so she ultimately decided that it must be the case. Still, she had not noticed his approach, which meant that he had to be a Human with at least some spiritual awareness. Or something. She honestly didn’t interact much with Humans. Perhaps this was an entirely Human thing that she was simply not getting.

On the other hand, he’d appeared right after her prey had vanished, and he’d appeared without her initially realizing it. To make things more confusing, she couldn’t get any sort of read on this man’s spiritual pressure. Either he had none, which was possible though implausible given the situation, or he was really good at hiding it. He wore a pleasant smile too, with no traces of malice, but his words were off putting. They mixed with the formal and frankly polite greeting in a way that slightly unnerved her.

How rude. He didn’t even introduce himself, when I gave him the same curtesy. No matter.

Gripping securely upon the hilt of her Zanpakutō, Yuki casually drew it out from its sheathe, holding it with tip pointed out towards the ground on her right.

“You think me a fool?” she questioned calmly, restraining the hints of growing anger while her nose silently drew in a whiff of air, in order to capture the scent of her foe.

Gotcha.

A large tail batted once against the ground behind the petite girl, an unconscious movement set off by a growing feeling of annoyance. Still, his underestimation would be her victory. Despite how much it ticked her off, her appearance as some weak girl often swung things into her favor. It was certainly a good way to start the fight. Even now she could tell what he was thinking.

Oh this little morsel is going to be a cake walk! I am going to have so much fun! Golly, I could just take my time with her! Tonight is going to be just the best! Maybe after I’m finished here I’ll go out and have myself an ice cream! Oh won’t it just be lovely?!

She had to force herself not to roll her eyes at the thought, nipping at her own tongue faintly to keep her words within her mind.

Calm yourself. You can’t be losing it already. You’re making the same mistake. Don’t underestimate him.

Within moments her tail had returned to its calmed state, and her expression had taken on something that bordered between neutral apathy and perhaps a hint of boredom. Not that she was actually bored, of course. In fact she was only growing more excited! This would be the first time she ever fought, for real, against a Human! That is, if he was a Human. It was entirely possible that he was something that she’d never met before, but she doubted it.

“Before we start, I’d like to know why you slaughtered those people. If you don’t mind, that is.”

While she awaited his response the young Shinigami’s feet pressed a few centimeters to each side, strengthening and steadying her stance, although her weapon remained loosely held to her right side. The way he spoke along with the rumors she’d heard suggested a predatory creature. Most likely he would come to her. She was ready.

Wed Jul 06, 2016 6:31 pm

[PLAY POSTING MUSIC]

ENTER THE VESSEL OF MADNESS

Artist: Toby Fox - Song: Gaster's Theme - Word Count: 983

Damn! How did she know already?! Vanyel's face soon morphed to one of confusion as the girl blurted out sentences. Thought her a fool? Why? If she was clever enough to sniff him out that easily, she most certainly was not a fool. With the girl drawing her sword, Vanyel's eyes would slowly close and his head would bow, before his mouth emerged with an evil grin. His white teeth gleamed within the darkness, and he would slowly begin to giggle. Small bursts of them. However, it soon escalated to full psychotic laughter.

His head flicked back, and his eyes widened as his laughter continued. Comical. FUCKING COMICAL. His laughter continued for a short time, before his head would lower once more, and his laughter would slowly die down. It was amusing. To see this girl sniff him out in such a short time. No point in hiding, now was it? Vanyel smirked and raised his arms. Shrugging, Vanyel would slowly move his right arm upwards, showing a single strand of a a white band that was tied around his upper arm, wrist, and the upper half of his actual hand.

Taking the small strand of the band within his teeth, he moved his arm down to near his chest, before reaching into his jacket. Pulling out three small dagger-like kunai weapons, Vanyel held those three within the crevices of his index, middle, and ring fingers. Pulling his head back by the slightest, Vanyel tightened the band on his arm with his teeth, before his mouth slid into a bigger grin than before.

"Well, shit. I've been had."

With the band on his hand now tightened, Vanyel slowly lifted his arm again, then snapped his fingers. The Chi skill he had used before now stopped. The chi flow within Vanyel Xioyang resumed once again. A massive burst of energy pressure shot from his form. With his power now returned to him, Vanyel now was surrounded with a small, barely visible, black and crimson red aura. With his closed eyes hidden by the darkness again, his white teeth were the main thing to look at. As his snake-like tongue slithered from his mouth and over his lips, the hand that had been used to snap his fingers now drifted towards the sword that hung at his side. With a loud scraping sound, the blade was quickly removed from the sheath, and exposed to the night air.

Kuro Komo now had been unsheathed. Would this young Shinigami girl's blood satisfy it? Perhaps. Vanyel's head slowly leaned back, now revealing his eyes as they opened. The ocean blue eyes that were filled with insanity glared at The Wolf with an interest, but yet also anger. He was hoping to play around with her a little longer before revealing himself. Oh well. It couldn't be helped. Vanyel lifted his sword arm, pointing the tip of the deadly weapon at the girl, before reaching with his other hand to his shoulder, where the hilt of another weapon lie.

His dagger. It had no special powers, or any kind of abilities, but that didn't make it any less devastating. He had slit many people's throats with this dagger alone. However, Kuro Komo was more of a weapon that he used after combat to kill someone. The dagger seemed to be used when he was killing unsuspecting victims. Vanyel slowly wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his dagger, before flicking his thumb over the small fastener that held the dagger in it's place on his shoulder. Sliding the blade quietly from it's leather sheath, the second weapon Vanyel possessed was revealed.

His grin grew even wider as he did, before he would twirl his second weapon in between his fingers over and over, then stopping it by gripping tight on the hilt, stopping any movement that the dagger had. His dagger now faced behind him. His weapon was backwards. He didn't care though. He was capable of fighting with it backwards. His insane eyes would flash with amusement as he grinned sadistically at the girl.

"I have to ask, sweetheart...how did ya manage to sniff me out? I had all my precious powers sealed so I could play around with ya! You're just an adorable little thing aren't ya? Would've been fun to play with you...but I guess we'll have to play in a different way, now won't we?"

Vanyel quickly moved his weapons behind him, before kicking forward, launching himself forward and raising his weapons. However, he would not attack with his weapons just yet. Time to test her a little. As Vanyel got closer to the Yuki, he would thrust his leg forward, aiming to hit anywhere in her midsection. As he did, he would then bring his leg flying upwards, aiming to kick her in the face. After this, he would disappear. Reappearing a short distance away from Yuki, he would point the tip of the sword he held at her.

"You wanna know why I killed them people, hun? It's because they were weak! THE STRONG SURVIVE, AND THE WEAK PERISH! IT'S THE BASICS OF LIFE, SWEETHEART! GET FUCKING USED TO IT!"

After yelling this, Vanyel would point a finger at her. A small orb of black and crimson energy would form at the tip of his finger. This orb would spark and fizz, before it would fly off in the form of a thin, black and red beam. The energy would fly in Yuki's direction, aiming to hit her or destroy the tree behind her. Whichever got hit didn't matter. As long as the girl moved, Vanyel knew that she would be ready to fight. He slid into a strange combat stance, with his dagger still held backwards, but his arm across his chest, with the dagger pointing outwards. Twirling his sword to be held backwards as well,V Vanyel now held his weapons in a sort of X form.

Stance in formation. Time to begin.

Thu Jul 07, 2016 1:23 am

[PLAY POSTING MUSIC]

ENTER THE DEPTHS

Artist: Pendulum - Song: Crush - Word Count: 834

And just like that, the Human revealed his true face. She was genuinely surprised, having figured that he’d attempt to continue the charade. Not that she was disappointed. After all, it meant they could skip the foreplay and jump right into the good stuff! Still, she was somewhat disappointed at what he really was. She’d slain many a Hollow in the past, and most were quite similar to the way he was now behaving, or at least those with a recognized intelligence. Then again, it was somewhat refreshing to see on a Human, and very curious to boot!

How very similar they can be. Then again, Shinigami can be that way too. Anyone can really. Still kind of neat to see in person. Although I don’t really understand what the joke is here. What could be that funny? Am I really that oblivious?

The wolf’s neutral expression took on the faintest of frowns, although she did not otherwise react to the insanity which leaked out from the man before her. Her red gaze briefly shot towards the three smaller weapons that were retrieved, although such things were not really a threat to her. If anything her misunderstanding of the situation bugged her more. What had been so funny that she could have missed? Was it something on her face?

“I don’t get it” she muttered under her breath.

At last the moment seemed to arrive as the mysterious Human released the hidden well of energy within himself. It wasn’t enough to cause her to flinch, as she’d experienced much greater pressure in the past. Not that she planned on taking it easy on him. If the fight was short, and he was not a challenge either because he did not take it seriously or because he was simply too weak, then she would slay him quickly. Of course if they both went all out then it wouldn’t matter how short or long the fight was, as it’d be exciting regardless.

I might not even need to release my Shikai. How wonderful that would be, to fight with full control over my actions!

Stirred to life, Yuki’s tail gently swung from one side to the other, kicking up the occasional fallen leaf in its wake. She grew further excited by the second, especially when she noticed the faint aura of energy which surrounded her foe. Clearly he was not a push-over. When the man drew his blade her tail halted in place, signaling that she was prepared for his attack. She was ready to fight, but her opponent clearly was not, as he pulled free yet another weapon. He even started to speak, which caused her to wonder when the fight would actually take place.

Patience. You need to calm down. It will come.

“You hid yourself too late, and emerged with your ruse too soon. The coincidences added up” she responded calmly, ignoring for the moment that he’d just called her ‘adorable’. Not that she’d have time to get angry about it anyways, for as soon as she’d finished speaking the man lunged forth into an attack! That was, of course, something she’d predicted all too easily. Although his method of attack was unusual: instead of striking with the weapons that he’d drawn her opponent instead decided that it was a smart move to lead with a kick!

In a flash of steel her blade was drawn inwards from her right, aiming to clash right into the side of her opponent’s foot and leg! While her intentions were to cleave the foot from the leg, she would certainly accept simply diverting the attack away from her body, and perhaps even the breaking of his leg. She didn’t hold back either, and struck at her full strength, figuring that he was going to underestimate her. Regardless of the outcome, the man soon disappeared and then reappeared not too far away, which she figured was his version of the flash step.

After answering her question the evil Human pointed a finger towards her! An orb of sickening energy shot forth in her direction, however as it neared her she disappeared, just as he had. Only she didn’t end up at his side, or behind him, or even above him. Most people would expect someone who used flash step to do this. Instead she appeared right in front of him, crouched low to the ground, somewhat beneath his stance thanks to her very petite stature, and fairly close as to keep her inside of any potential counter attack. The Zanpakutō she held in her right hand was lowered to her right hip, the tip of her weapon aimed directly for her target. Her piercing red gaze locked onto Vanyel’s as her blade was pushed upwards, diagonally aimed between the upper gap of the ‘X’ that was formed by his weapons, with the intention of sliding right into his throat, while her left hand pushed back, adding momentum to her attack.

“By that logic you will perish tonight.”

Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:53 am

[PLAY POSTING MUSIC]

ENTER THE VESSEL OF MADNESS

Artist: RWBY OST - Song: I Burn Remix - Word Count: 1,066

Vanyel was more than prepared for an attack on his leg. Using Xinfeng, he surrounded his leg with a thick layer of Chi, which acted similar to an Arrancar's Hierro. This meant that the attack one his leg would simply bounce off of him, however, since Vanyel could see his own Xinfeng "skin", he could see very visible cracks within the layer of Chi. If more attacks as powerful as that hit him, his Xinfeng would be no more. This girl wasn't too bad in terms of power. She was most certainly strong for a Shinigami.

Vanyel's Yoh attack had missed. The tree that the girl was standing in front of soon was greeted with this powerful energy blast. With the energy rushing through the tree trunk immensely fast, the tree stood no chance against the energy blast that Vanyel fired. As the massive object slid from where it stood and collapsed to the ground, making a loud slam as the wood impacted the ground. Vanyel grinned as this happened. He was quite impressed with his own performance. However, he was more impressed by this girl deciding to use Flash Step to avoid it, rather than move. A rather interesting move.

Vanyel grinned as she appeared right in front of him. Activating Jiaodian, Vanyel quickly scanned her movements, then quickly readjusted his weapons. Instead of the X form they were in previously, they spread apart from each other, with each weapon's blade now being pointed towards the ground, and Vanyel leaned back. While this helped him avoid the strike to his neck, it did not protect him entirely. The upward slash of the blade cut a small portion into his skin, causing a black line to form on his chest, before a small, thin line of crimson red blood began to pour down his chest, and Vanyel quickly used Buzhou to flash away, and he grinned.

The hand that held his katana slowly hovered their way towards the cut on his chest. He had forgotten to spread the rest of his Xinfeng to the rest of his body. His index and middle fingers extended from the grip on his katana and gently dabbed the blood that spread onto his chest. As his fingers were raised closer to his eyes and his tongue slid over his lips again. However, his tongue did not go back into his mouth. Instead, his tongue slid forward, tasting the small traces of blood that covered his fingers. Hm. Not bad. His fingers soon moved to his jacket, wiping the blood off on it. His blood tasted surprisingly well. However....he was eager to find out what HERS tasted like.

As she spoke about him perishing, Vanyel simply grinned. He knew that he wouldn't die. He was slippery. He wouldn't die so easily. His grin grew wider, and his katana pointed towards her. The tip of the blade shone off a wave of moonlight from the blade. Vanyel cocked his head slowly to the side, with his insanity ever more obvious.

"Nope. Not happenin' tonight, hun! No death for me! I'm quite the slippery little weasel!"

Vanyel then flicked his weapon to the side, before flipping his sword so that it was once again backwards, then his left foot slowly slid back. With the aura of Awakening bursting forward from the core of Vanyel Xioyang, his entire form would begin to change. As the blue on his clothing would turn black, and the white on his clothing would turn to a deep shade of crimson red, the aura of his awakening would flow around him, boasting a crimson red and black aura. As well as this, a burst of spiritual power would emit from Vanyel now. However, his wasn't going to just stand there. Priming the pommels of his weapons, Vanyel leaped forward with immense speed. Even without using Buzhou, his speed was phenomenal in this form.

As Vanyel sped towards his enemy, he would be directly in front of her, thrusting his weapons forward. The pommels of his weapons would thrust forward mercilessly, executing a series of high speed attacks. However, Vanyel was not holding anything back with this onslaught. His attacks were being used with full force. Any hits that connected would most likely feel as if someone close to Yuki's strength were hitting her. This was due to the enhanced strength that Vanyel achieved when he activated awakening. With this girl demonstrating her strength and skill with her previous attacks, Vanyel wasn't holding back.

His attack stopped, and he used Buzhou to dash backwards and recover. He had used a lot of strength in that assault of blows. However, he wasn't done. Again, he rushed forward, performing the same attack pattern. However, combining with his thrusts of weapon hilts and pommels, he was also attacking with his legs with quick, powerful strikes to Yuki's head, body, and legs. Vanyel was using the skills of his own custom martial arts set, "The Tolling Bell Kick". Using powerful, but swift kicks to the legs, head, and midsection of an opponent, Vanyel wielded this set of martial arts in a way, as the name suggests, to make them feel like the have a ringing bell in their head, and knock them off balance.

Vanyel continued to attack Yuki with his insane speed and enhanced strength. Without mercy, his thrusts and kicks began to become even more wilder, almost as if he was desperate to hit her. Vanyel then flipped his sword back to a normal guard, then flicked his arm down to slam the dagger within the ground. Gripping the sword with both hands, Vanyel let out a mighty battle cry, and slammed the sword down with all his might. After this Vanyel would thrust his hand upwards, firing a beam of energy at her. Another Yoh attack. The beam would speed towards her, and Vanyel would soon move back with Buzhou again, before his Awakening vanished. His features changed back to normal, and his eyes turned back to their normal ocean blue. Vanyel grinned and pointed his sword at her, before snapping his fingers.

The dagger he hurled into the ground was surrounded with an aura of black. As the dagger was lifted from the ground and floated back to it's owner's grasp, Vanyel snatched it from the air and twirled it around between his fingers. This girl was proving interesting. Perhaps she would be able to push him to his limits....

Thu Jul 07, 2016 12:25 pm

[PLAY POSTING MUSIC]

ENTER THE DEPTHS

Artist: Pendulum - Song: Crush - Word Count: 1,104

A shield? Good. This won’t be a quick fight.

Instead of cleaving through the man’s leg Yuki’s blade had simply deflected it. At least that meant that she could avoid his initial attack. Her use of flash step also seemed to work, as she avoided the strange glowing orb of sickly darkness, and even managed to close in unexpectedly. It allowed her to hit her foe, drawing the first blood of their battle, which either meant that his shield was weak or that he simply couldn’t or didn’t spread it over the rest of his body. She ultimately chalked it up to his simply forgetting to spread it, as she did not wish to underestimate him.

Blood dripped from her opponent’s chest, prompting the young wolf to briefly sniff at the air, drawing his scent deeper into her memory. She could also feel it stirring something within her. Now she would need to dedicate a fraction of her focus towards keeping it caged, although their current one on one conflict meant that it shouldn’t be much of an issue. In any case, her opponent had drawn back in a brief consolidating retreat. Yuki was then treated to an unusual show which caused her left brow to lift somewhat, although it could hardly be seen thanks to the eyepatch that she wore.

He is a strange one. I don’t get like that when I go feral, do I? Oh please say that I don’t! Wait, what is a weasel?

Suddenly the aura that surrounded the Human grew stronger, and even his clothes changed. While Yuki’s expression remained the same she was inwardly quite giddy! He had his own little Shikai! This meant that their fight would be even more enjoyable, although it also meant she had to be more careful, less she loses control over herself. With that in mind she chose not to immediately unseal her Zanpakutō or to release the shikai form. Either would mean giving up some control.

In an instant Vanyel had closed the distance, only he wasn’t using his version of the flash step. His speed nearly caught her off guard, and his first attack nearly smashed right into her face! Just barely managing to duck below it, the Shinigami was met with a flurry of strikes from the pommels of the man’s weapons. With her right hand she shifted the hilt of her weapon around, using it to deflect and to block as many of the strikes as possible. Her left hand also moved to assist whenever it was possible, however with this she could only deflect the attacks.

While Yuki did a good job of keeping the strikes away from vital areas, she did not go completely unscathed. A few deflected strikes impacted with her shoulders and arms, and fewer still managed to scrape against the sides of her torso. When the first kick was unexpectedly delivered Yuki was struck in the side of her left leg, causing it to shudder briefly with the impact. However she was a quick learner and she already had the perfect counter to said leg strikes: leading with her right foot and moving in between a couple of his strikes Yuki pressed her body in closer to his. It was that simple, although it was a major point of her fighting style. By moving in closer he would have limited ways with which to strike at her with his legs, and less momentum for it. Her massive tail also now provided an important defense, as it shifted around to meet the leg strikes, padding her against the attacks and, when possible, deflecting or stopping them completely. With this assistance she was allowed to focus her hands against the pommel strikes.

When Vanyel flicked his dagger downwards Yuki initially believed the attack was meant for her, and so she abandoned her close in stance, instead kicking backwards to gain enough distance to avoid the weapon. This would unintentionally help her when the man closed the distance between them, gripping his weapon in both hands to unleash a savage downwards cleave towards her body. Within that brief moment Yuki lifted her sword overhead, holding its blade horizontally with her left hand securely placed against the blunt backside of the weapon. Her legs scooted apart slightly and her stance made stable in preparation for the force of his attack. Even her tail lifted outwards behind her, offering further balance. Weapons clashed and sparks briefly lit up the darkness as metal scraped against metal. Yuki’s arms shook slightly with the impact, although she managed to hold her own against it.

Moments after their blades clashed Vanyel removed one hand from his weapon, pointing it towards her body. A sudden beam of sickening energy shot forth; only this time she was too close to completely avoid it. It slammed into her as she started to shift her body away and sent her tumbling back along the ground, although she managed to recover mid-roll and back up to her feet. The robes of Yuki’s left shoulder were torn away, revealing the bare flesh that they normally hid, now a bright red from the impact, much like a nasty rug burn, only with traces of crimson where more of the skin had been torn away. Despite all the attacks made against her Yuki seemed to be relatively fine. Her body occasionally and momentarily shook in places as she recovered from the onslaught of strikes; however her visage had still remained unchanged.

“Is that it?”

My turn.

The air suddenly grew heavier as she unsealed her Zanpakutō’s power. Any fractured bones were now held secured by her spiritual energy. Her tail thrashed once against the ground, cracking the earth with its weight, as if to warn the Human of its power. Gritting her teeth the young Shinigami shot forth, kicking off in a sprint to close the distance between them. When she neared Vanyel her foot kicked off the ground, sending her up towards his torso. Yuki’s blade came crashing down, held in both hands, mirroring the attack that he’d made against her, aimed for the center of Vanyel’s skull. At the same time her tail shot forth with the aim of curling around her opponent’s neck. It would serve as a distraction, and it would force him to make a choice: block her sword and be strangled or block her tail and be cleaved. As if that weren’t enough Yuki’s left foot shot out, aiming to slam into the man’s right shoulder, both to injure him and to act as a foot hold for future strikes and evasive maneuvers.

Thu Jul 28, 2016 9:05 am

[PLAY POSTING MUSIC]

ENTER THE VESSEL OF MADNESS

Artist: Toby Fox - Song: Megalovania - Word Count: 719

Eyes of blue lit up the darkness of night. Vanyel's eyes lit up in the darkness and his sword raised into a defensive guard. That wasn't just it. He had plenty more where that came from. Holding his dagger in front of the blade, Vanyel slowly narrowed his eyes, before spreading his left leg outwards into a strange stance. He swore to himself that he would never use this martial arts set again. Black Ink Ruler. The custom martial arts from the Xu Family. After he was banished from the Xu Family, the tradition was that the one who was leaving would have the Xu Family's martial arts stripped of them.

However, it didn't meant that he didn't remember the scripts. He remembered every single word of those scripts. He memorized those scripts because he knew that the day would come where he would no longer be with the Xu Family. However, there was one thing he didn't memorize. He didn't remember how the flow of the Chi energy went within the martial arts. There was a high chance that he would screw half the moves up, and the Chi flow would not be proper. It was a risk he had to take. He would win this fight, no matter how many shady methods he had to use.

However, there was also another thing that would make this harder for him. The air had grown heavier. What did that girl do? Did she have control over the air? No...that's absurd! There was no one who could have control over the air! Vanyel would't have it! Clenching his teeth, Vanyel quickly swapped where his weapons were in his hands. His primary hand, which was his right, now held the dagger. His left now held the sword. His entire body would burst a crimson and black aura once more, before he crouched down, preparing for Yuki to attack.

The girl dashed forward, and Vanyel waited. Drawing the blade of his dagger to his shoulder, he continued to wait for her to close in. However, what he didn't expect was for her to mimic him. Moving his dagger up to defend, Vanyel was left open for the other attack to hit him. A tail curled around his neck violently, cutting off his air supply. Strangled and gagging noises came from him as he choked from the tail wrapped around his neck. Another attack came from her. A single kick to his shoulder. However, a grin spread across Vanyel's face.

"RUN."

Allowing his body to transfer all of his body weight into his feet, Vanyel would seem to fall to his knees as the kick came, just barely missing his shoulder, but there was still the tail that was a problem. However, this gave Vanyel an idea. Since she was this close, he could try something. Letting go of his sword, Vanyel's left arm would reach out and attempt to grab the girl by the neck. Attempting to pull her close, Vanyel would grip tight around the girl's neck and then release a single attack that could possibly free him.

Tilian.

A large energy blast erupted from around him, which would act like a massive shockwave. The blast had some nasty effect, especially when she would be this close. If Yuki managed to escape his grasp, he highly doubted that she would be able to get out of this. With the range of this Tilian attack being 150 meters, the blast would be mildly hard for him to avoid. The effects that Yuki would feel is she were caught in this blast would be a loss of balance, dizziness, and partial deafness. However, to use this, Vanyel needed to use a large amount of energy, leaving him a small bit exhausted.

Picking his sword up, the aura of Awakening faded around him. His white teeth shined in the moonlight as his grin continued. Soon, it became quiet laughter. The laughter continued more and more as it even grew louder. His head flicked back and his laughter grew loud enough to be heard even outside of Karakura Forest. This fight was glorious! More! More! He needed more out of this fight! More blood....more power shown. He slowly lowered his head to face Yuki and he slipped his tongue over his lips.

This little playtime with the Wolf was coming to an end....

Thu Jul 28, 2016 3:13 pm

[PLAY POSTING MUSIC]

ENTER THE DEPTHS

Artist: Pendulum - Song: Crush - Word Count: 617

There was a shift in the man’s stance; however it did not worry the Shinigami. She already had an attack in mind, and she would follow through on it. As it turns out she was right to do this: her mimicking his earlier strike caught him off guard and forced him into a defensive posture. Something she’d done had also apparently driven the man into a rage; however there was no way for her to know exactly why that had occurred, and so it was pushed into the back of her mind.

Her weapon clashed with the man’s, just as she had expected, which had left his neck open for an assault by her tail. As it curled around the vulnerable region it squeezed against his flesh, aiming to bring him to unconsciousness with a lack of oxygen. Her kick had missed, however the grip that her tail had was enough to at least keep her suspended above the ground when it was combined with the constant downwards pressure of her cleaving sword. Suddenly the man released his grip upon his own sword, now reaching forward to grab at her neck! However she was not going to simply allow this: as the hand neared her throat Yuki lowered her head, snapping out with her sharpened teeth to bite hard into the gripping digits. If she managed this then she’d have yet another part of his body immobilized.

You’d think that Humans would know not to reach out and interact with wild beasts. Well, he will now at least.

Regardless of whether or not her neck was grabbed Yuki held her constricting tail grip upon the man’s body and continued to exert pressure downwards with her sword. With one of his hands removed she hoped to gradually overpower the man, but it seemed as though he had yet another trick up his sleeve. A powerful blast of energy suddenly exploded outwards from his body, a shockwave which intended on sending her away. And, very briefly, her tail’s grip did loosen, at least slightly, and her body started to fly backwards, too light weight to actually remain where it was. However there was one very fatal flaw in the Human’s plan: her tail was still held around his neck.

As she started on her flight away from Vanyel the tail that had remained around his neck coiled inwards, aiming to grip tightly upon the same place that it had before. The energy burst would send her outwards still, but she planned on dragging the Human right behind herself with the force of his own attack! That or snap his neck, but she figured he would at least be durable enough to avoid such a fate.

If she did manage to drag him along with her on this short but wild ride then Yuki would, upon hitting the ground, thrust her blade in towards the following Vanyel, intending on skewering him upon it! But of course if he did manage to find his way out of it she would instead work on returning to her feet. Regardless of whichever outcome had occurred there was a secondary issue to deal with: her senses. The unusual blast was also meant to mess with these, and Yuki’s was quite enhanced. A ringing filled her ears, completely blocking out any other noise, and for a few moments she would be stuck stumbling about, everything within her vision spinning wildly. Her nose constantly sniffed at the air, searching for any signs that he might approach while she was trying to recover.

Ow. That hurt. If he attacks now I might be in a little bit of trouble. I’d really rather not use my Shikai though.

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