[BSD-RP] The Valley of Screams

[Shinigami]

He was impressed with the speed displayed by the young seeming Captain. He moved with such skill and ever so prevalent grace it made Shusuke wish to review his footwork pattern once this was all over. Closing in on this proctor as he honed in, it was almost as if the two shared the same battle instinct within the same moment if mere more thought, they both dash toward one another. Shusuke's reiatsu imbued body still taking effect over his battle instinct and prowess attempts a double pincer move attack by collapsing both sides of the Captains body, removing any breathing room he has to counter attack...until he counter attacked. At this time, thick red smoke filled the air around them similar to the fashion of his own reiatsu signature, he allowed it to take place because he could use it to his advantage. By the swing of his sword upon the right side of the captains body, Yu had already used Shunpo to dodge the incoming slash. Upon realizing the miss, Shusuke steadied and stood to his full six foot frame and instantly knew what to do by sheathing the blade in his right hand and performing a simple Bakudo with the same arm.
"Bakudo #8, Seki…"
Soon a small blue orb of energy formed at the back of the right hand of Shusuke. He assumed it wouldn't be long until the counter attack had revealed itself, and he was right. Almost immediately after forming the Seki, he heard another Kido being prepared from a distance. He knew it wouldn't come from the red and grey smog that now encapsulated his body, he heard it from high above in the air. He looked for the moment but was hard to discern Yu's body from within the smoke space. "Hado #31, Shakkaho! he had said. The glowing red ball of energy sailed from the palm of Yu straight down into the smoke space! Simply raising his right arm, feeling the heat from the Kido. The Hado and Bakudo clash. A large explosion emanates from within the smoke creating more of it in its aftermath. Shusuke had blocked against the first red blast and had backed away from the space to avoid taking unnecessary damage from the attack. Out of mere instinct he returns his gaze on the kid air captain, only to have his eyes widen to find several more Hado blasts emanate from the master kido users hands. Without a second thought on the matter, he soon then formed the tiny bakudo upon the back of his hand and began to go to work.
The first of the barrage came in right on top of him like the last one had, lifting his right arm and then flicking the arm as if he were throwing a frisbee, the small Bakudo then snaps from his hand and into the air meeting the Kido blast and causing another explosion. Avoiding the next two blasts, He runs from his current position and zigs from the impact of the Kido as it crashed into the ground leaving a crater in its wake. Shusuke would then zag from the direction he was already headed into yet another to avoid the second blast. Forming yet another Seki spell, this time he would focus the reiatsu into the top of his foot as he ran in what would be a semi circle around the perimeter of Yu's airborne body. Dodging yet another Shakkaho barrage, he would suddenly stop in front of the area of where the blast would land, making a juking movement and then using a spin maneuver changing the direction once more from his natural speed alone. As he ran past the impacting blast, he leaped off of his leftt foot into the air and releases the fully formed Seki upon his right foot in a kicking action in the same manner he had launched it before! Landing in a kneel, slightly panting from his last few maneuvers. He watched as his tiny Blue spell gleam with innocence into the remaining two large red blasts. He aimed it well enough for it to hit one Kido and from the contact of the explosion mid air, it stopped the final blast that followed. A large kaboom could be heard throughout the immediate area of the Valley, the winds howled with violence on the last impact. He would not stop there however as Shusuke would soon find his legs once more beneath him and once more and use his left hand to channel his reiatsu into his blade. All while keeping eyes on Yu and his movements, his feet in particular, he soon spoke just seconds after the impact in midair between Kido.
"Bakudo #9, Horin.
As he spoke the name of his Kido, he began twirling his zanpakuto in his hand as small yellow sparks crackled from the edges of his blade. Swiftly performing great moves of his agility with his swordplay, the blade would soon glow radiantly a yellow-orange hue with it still the ever apparent electric current that seems to be surging from the blade he wielded. After enough time had passed after amassing enough reiryoku, Shusuke discharged the Kido and soon a brilliant yellow glowing rope soon erupted from his sword. In a horizontal slash manner, he launched the Kido upward into the air at Yu's location to ensnare him. Due to the smoke from the recent Kido clash it would be some time before it had dissipated entirely, making it difficult to discern the attack outright. The rope would burst through the smoke and Shusuke would flick his wrist holding his hilt and wrap the lifelike Kido around the captain. If successful, he'd use all his strength and bring him down with all his force to the broken ground beneath them with a roaring thud.
He would then await and see how badly damaged the captain would be if his Bakudo were successful, while staying his guard and grip upon his blade in his left hand then steadying his free right for anything that followed.

 

[Shinigami]

“Hadō #31. Shakkahō!”
With rapid succession, crimson orbs immediately launch from Yū’s palms, an innumerable amount raining down onto the blooming smog and the immediate area around it. The barrage of flaming meteors advances into the smoke, threatening to incinerate the unsuspecting Shinigami below. However, the remarkable and fast approaching heat is miraculously enough to alert Shusuke of the impending danger and he moves into action. He raises his arm, a blue orb of reiryoku now concentrated on the back of his hand. However, he would soon learn what a fatal mistake his counter would prove to be.
Already seen as inferior in comparison to Yū’s insight in regards to kidō, the “expert” Shinigami would require another hundred years of studying the art of kidō to even come close to the level of the blonde prodigy. This, added by the fact that the spell he had erected to protect himself was by definition already substandard against the higher-leveled Shakkahō– which was even more bolstered by the spell’s incantation… Shusuke’s defense wouldn’t even stand a chance. In a different world, perhaps where their roles were reversed, would his usage of Seki be justifiable in the face of the Captain’s Hadō but in every other situation, Shusuke had set himself up for undeniable failure. Convinced that this low-graded defense will be enough to withstand a kidō casted by an uncontested master, the cocky Shinigami maintains his position within the red fog… and then, the spell makes its impact.
Perhaps now, he would grasp the true meaning of the Captain’s ominous apology.

Listen while reading

A large, fiery explosion emanates from the point of impact, however, not at all due to the clash of the two spells, but from the utter destruction of Shusuke’s forearm. From the elbow down, the Shinigami’s arm would be effortlessly obliterated– not even blood would drip from the open wound as the exit point would have instantly cauterized. Expectedly in sheer panic, Shusuke darts out of reach from the crimson smoke, however, not even close to fast enough to outrun the speed of the already present Shakkahō barrage.
Despite his pacifist nature aside from this moment, and perhaps because of it, Yū is just as proficient in shunpo as he is in kidō; Second only to the infamous Kyomu Mukuro, there is rarely, if ever, an opponent capable of outpacing the Captain and Shusuke would not find himself in the category along with the rest of the Soul Society. The Shinigami, whose own shunpo would prove to be as unremarkable as his underdeveloped kidō, would hardly be able to dodge this barrage with speed alone. Yū had previously proven his usage of kidō and shunpo to be skilled enough to confine and damage the Second Division Captain. Aside from his healing capabilities, his mastery over kidō and shunpo may be the very reason that Yu dons his haori today; This is to further emphasize, that if even a peerless master of speed is not capable of outrunning a kidō barrage from Yū, then Shusuke, as someone who hasn’t trained to specialize and master his speed, would find himself hopeless… and he would realize this instantly.
The pair catch sight of each other for a second, and the Captain registers the look of terror in Shusuke’s bug-eyed expression. Not even his fancy footwork would suffice, and this, coupled with Yū’s adept perception, would allow him to lead his shots on his evasive target. As any true marksman might share, only a fool fires where his target is, a true expert fires where his opponent will be. Despite Shusuke's assumed spontaneous and impulsive movements, the Captain would have no trouble tracking his location, and appropriately adjusting his aim.
The fleeing Shinigami foolishly turns to deflect against the next wave of the orbs, only to face the same wrath he had experienced not even a moment before. This time, an orb strikes him directly in the shoulder, specifically through his scapula, simultaneously shattering his left shoulder joint and leaving a gaping, burning hole between the left side of his chest and his collarbone. Another pierces cleanly through his left thigh, separating the limb into two pieces and leaving the left portion of his hip severely charred.
With no left leg to properly stand on, with no right arm left to properly brandish his blade, Yū is more than satisfied with the outcome and cuts his assault short, soaring back down to ground level. Shusuke would land with a rough skid across the valley floor, a few meters away from the now, descended Captain Nakamoto.
It’s clear the young boy isn’t proud of what he has done, but this would potentially serve as a reminder to the challenging shinigami that this was a test, and as proctor, the boy unfortunately would be unable to hold back any longer. With a considerable amount of distance shared between them, the smell of burnt flesh is still pungent enough to infiltrate Yū’s nostrils. His face fights the urge to contort into disgust, and instead, he calls out softly to the severely wounded Shusuke.
“I did say I was sorry…”

 

[Shinigami]

Pain wasn't something Shusuke was unfamiliar to. His entire life could be seen as him overcoming it and rebranding it as an armor for him to wear. This armor would weigh down on him heavily today, along with a certain sense of shame and unfulfillment. What he assumed would be a sufficient amount of reiryoku, would turn out to be not nearly enough to even begin with. Taking the full brunt of the destructive spell to his forearm, the Hado completely blew through his lower arm causing swift pain to pass through his arm and the rest of his body. Backing out of the red fog to avoid any further damage he was met with a barrage of more destructive #31. Unable to flee, just as he had assumed to make a step towards safety...was met with a flurry of fires. Searing straight through his chest, and leg. He stood there for but a moment, his eyes blank from the blasts he had just barely withstood head on. He had wished he could have at the very least...he wasnt too sure at this point really. But was bewildered and just was in utter dismay from the attack he just took. Obviously, he was without words, but if he had found any they would be riddled with shame. He misjudged himself heavily, failing miserably and poorly in the face of true challenge. He wondered if he had reached his limit as a Shinigami. Falling to the ground as his deathly facial expression doesn't move a single muscle. Chest first into the ground with a thud, he finally managed to bring himself back to reality. He was debating on what was truly worse, death or this defeat. For a moment, just a small one he considered the death but his mind would ring heavily on this day for a very long time. Laying in the dirt silent as he heard the soft spoken 4th Division Captain reiterate his apology, Shusuke couldn't help but grin but not out of amusement, but out of pity for his lack of skill. He wondered if he'd die today, wouldn't mind that In particular but it didn't seem likely. The shame would hang above him for as long as it was common knowledge. He felt an urge to call out to the captain, but failed to find his voice. A rare time for it, but he felt fear to call him as if it would make him seem weaker than he had already displayed. He stayed silent and just awaited for judgment to pass.

 

[Shinigami]

護廷十三隊

 

[Shinigami]

*tap...tap...tap*
Her pen rocked slowly back and forth between her fingers as the pointed tip lightly grazed the surface of her cherry wood crafted desk. Eyes trained on the smooth calligraphy of her name that just finished signing on the bottom of the long winded application. This moment felt a bit more lackluster than she would’ve imagined. Years back, Okito had been vying for a leadership position for decades but now it just seemed like...paper work. However she tried to continually remind herself of her accomplishment and not ruminate on the shortcomings. Most in her position would’ve been satisfied with just escaping that good’ole noble brand of indentured servitude, but that wasn’t enough. There are other generations that have come up after her, many branch family children she still visited from time to time that looked up to her example. That clan needed to change, but no matter what scraps of influence and prestige she grasped it never seemed to make a real dent. She needed to get to the point where her words alone had pull, that family needed to understand that someone could pose a threat to their way of life. If she could weasel her way into the right circles, she could even get a seat on that damn Shihōin Council. Those old looking scrotums have been laying the foundations of Shihōin law for as far back as we can account, they never change their constitution and they don’t make exceptions. Historically, all members of the Council had given their time to the Gotei 13 in the past and were retired seated positions from numerous divisions. Okito would do the same, but she didn’t have centuries to wastem this process had to be expedited. The only way to possibly do that? Captaincy. That way she could bring light to the atrocities of her family and be able to withstand it’s backlash.
Her fingers clenched slightly in frustration along the piece of paper, wrinkling the sides.
Power was required to form a path of the kind of change she envisioned, maybe she could even reach past her own family and maybe reach other Noble Families. But one must sweep their own front door before they go sweeping their neighbour’s, and that’s what she intended to do. Another point she always tries to keep at the forefront of her mind is that although the issues presiding within the Noble Families were high priority, she had an entire division to worry about should she pass. 12th Division had always had a slightly problematic past, but it’s also done so much good for the Gotei 13 and the citizens of Soul Society. None of their achievements were ever plastered in bold for the world to see, everything is kept hidden away or for Shinigami usage only. Okito wanted to create a service that could be used by all citizens of Soul Society that added a positive spin to people’s views of themselves and the world.
Glancing over to her few dozens of sticky notes of ideas for what types of services she could provide with her skill set remained from her last few brainstorms from the previous day. However, bringing her thoughts back, she had to prepare and focus for this Captaincy Exam. All other matters could be revisited at a later date.
Okito never really had been exposed to live combat before, in the 2nd Division her only real adversaries were the tenants of the Nest of Maggots. Granted, those people know how to keep your reflexes sharp and your body limber but it wasn’t like real combat. As one of the keepers of the Maggot’s Nest their goals were to always nullify the threat not execute. As their trauma counselor, she evaluated their mental health and daily activities. In addition to that, once transferred to 12th Division, she was cooped up in the Sales department which was stifling to say the least. The Breach that occurred a few decades back was the first time she even got to stretch her muscles outside of training. Shinigami in her division tended to be more devoted to their research than to honing any real combatant skill. That sense of danger she hears from others who’ve been in the field is irreplaceable, she can only recall one real time she felt like she was legitimately going to die. She had just finished meeting Hikoto for lunch, she hadn’t been in the 4th for long at that time. They had always been together in the 2nd so they went over time trying to catch each other up on new events. Hikoto was nervous about pissing off her captain because of how much the 4th emphasized punctuality. Once they had arrived at the front gates, it’s like you could instantly feel this presence. This overwhelming feeling of animosity, it was the heaviest thing she’d ever felt on her shoulders. Dropping a knee to attempt to help withstand the pressure, she felt like her lungs couldn’t expand. The air she needed just wasn’t reaching her, she began gasping with panic. Hikoto had grasped her shoulders trying to reassure her that everything was fine; it was just a reiatsu based effect. The 4th Division Captain just wanted to express her...dissatisfaction with Hikoto’s tardiness.
Jolting back from her memories, till this day she remembered that feeling it’s like it stayed with her all these years. She shrugged her shoulders dramatically as if trying to get rid of the unpleasant sensation.
If that’s a Captain with an attitude problem, then what was it going to be like to fight one actively trying to kill you? That answer was something she’d be experiencing first hand real soon. Eventually pulling herself from that self-induced fog, she promptly folded the application and stuffed it into its envelope, dropping it in the outgoing mail slot right outside her office door for an intern to fetch.
Afterwards, days seemed to inch by dangerously slow, her work seemed to lack a certain zest of the days prior. Word soon spread of her Captaincy submission throughout the small department and while most were hopeful for her success, even stopping by to give her their well wishes. It felt with every vote of confidence she received her nervousness spiked,and it was manifesting itself through annoying ass fidgeting tactics and stale work performance. Eyeballing the small pile of finger nails she’d been building all day, her frown grew as she avoided what she knew were destroyed nail beds. Silently vowing to herself to tend to the ugly things once this was all over.
Unfortunately, some members of her division weren’t pleased with her seemingly sudden career aspirations. That much was obvious from the definite uptick in her workload, there were assignments coming down from higher ups left and right with tasks that were far outside her set of responsibilities. Although she was never shy of going above and beyond, this was laying it on a little thick, and to add insult to injury they all came with deadlines that were fast approaching. She suspected all this could be easily traced back to a couple of her clansmen that were on the Research and Development’s Board of Trustees, 12th Division’s untouchables. Despite her division’s size, gossip traveled like wild fire and burned as hot as her temper that was rising by the moment. Digging the tip of her pen as she reviewed yet another document, it’s fragile body harshly snapped, spraying it’s dark liquid contents across her desk and onto various documents. She stared blankly at the scene of her pen’s murder, release a small slew whispered profanities before tossing it’s remains in the disposal bin.
That was her sign to leave and she took her cue, someone was obviously trying to raddle her nerves, and she’d be damn if she sat here aimlessly and let it happen. Making sure to check her mail slot before her departure to see if she recieved ANYTHING other than sales goal predictions and charts. There it was, the letter she’d been anticipating all week wrapped elegantly in the special ordered parchment, leaning against the entryway of her office door, she opened it. Honey glazed irises scanned over the letter running over the words briskly…
“Blah Blah Blah….you’ve showed characteristics of heroism and leadership skills...blah blah blah...approved for Captaincy Exam against Captain Tenzen Oda...blah blah blah…Valley of Screams. Okay, that’s the info she needed.”
Turning back around she re-entered her office and closed the door quietly behind her, locking it. After experiencing all the destruction that came from the last major problem in R&D, it seems like the right thing to make preparations just in case she ever found herself cornered like that again. While they had been reconstructing the building she had been able to sneak in to make some modifications to the interior of the office’s walls, while eyes were averted elsewhere. It was times like those she counted herself lucky for the lessons beat into by 2nd division, hiding anything anywhere was a treasured asset of hers.
Coming around the desk she propped her hips on the edge of the desk facing the back of her office’s flavorless wallpaper. Holding her single right hand pointer finger up, she curled her claw tipped finger and gently tugged downward as the seemingly invisible reflected off the minor light in the room revealing itself. The outline of rectangular cutouts in the walls appeared as they unfolded revealing glass display cases of varying sizes and shapes. These walls held many of her unreleased inventions, a mixture of things she made off a whim that could do some real good but wouldn’t really sell well and others too destructive to let just anyone have access too. After the Denreishinki X debacle from her first years within the division, where she ‘supposedly’ got credit but never received any compensation for her contribution. She learned the hard way that maybe the Division shouldn’t have access to all her pet projects. Lips pursed, she mused over what items she needed and for what purpose they’d serve in this exam.
“Hmmm”
Leaning back slightly turning away from the display, moving her right hand towards the computer, she grazed the keyboard. Awakening it from its slumber, illuminating her face once again in it’s slight blue hue.
“I’ll just do some shallow level digging, because I don’t know anything about this man.”
Her eyes scanned through some surface level data that came up from simply plugging his name into her search engine(carefully augmented to her expectations with a privacy protocol to prevent others from peeping into her business), as Oda-san’s face appeared across her screen, his name appeared in bold letters over news articles along with other accusatory language. Images of a Hollow mask dominated her screen.
“ Hmmm, he doesn’t seem well liked due to his recent...changes. He wasn’t exactly the sociable type to begin with so receiving that much unsolicited animosity must be difficult, I feel bad for him.”
“Wait, no you don’t! I always do this shit, I will not let my brain be clouded by a situation that has nothing to do with me. He is my OPPONENT.”
Biting her lip at her internal struggle, she continued and came to a conclusion. Although she pitied his current fate, the point is due to his recent acquisition of power this exam was going to be a bit more difficult than she’d anticipated. But on a more positive note, she can try strategies on him she wouldn’t on a regular shinigami. He’d technically be her first real hollow of this caliber as well, even if this didn’t go as planned, this would be one hell of a research mission for her. Possibly improve several pieces of her collection with what she learns from this battle.
“Hmm...opportunities indeed.”
Collecting what she felt she needed, placing them in her assorted pants pockets. Sliding an item into each of her ankle and thigh holsters and re-sealed her inventory. Hopping off her desk, dusting herself off attempting to smooth out any wrinkles. It was not as if appearance mattered in the slightest, but it was just something about a bad first impression that rubbed her wrong. Stilling herself for what was to come, taking a deep breath thinking of all the young faces of the children she was doing this for, from back on the Estate. She could feel her confidence returning to her little by little. Alast, it was time to go. Although under normal circumstances she’d taken the elevator and walked like a normal person, she didn’t want to drag this on for any longer than necessary. Opening her window, moving forward, she placed her sandal adorned foot carefully on the thread that went from outside her window into the distance towards the general direction of the 10th Division. Now completely outside the window, she pushed off. The polished wood of her sandals having little to no traction on the tiny thread, her body effortlessly glided along the thread. The well honed balance of her figure along the threads was the only thing keeping her upright, speeding it up a bit; it was there her form would’ve seemed to have disappeared from sight to the untrained eyes of those below.
Arriving at the Senkaimon, she stared up at it’s large emblazoned doors then glanced down at her butterfly composed of sheer blackness void. Having always found them beautiful, they were one of the few livings she had identified with as a child as they’d often encircle the Main House’s Senkaimon with their private garden, that although smaller than the one before her but no less grand. She nodded respectfully towards the Kido Corps members who stood alongside the gate’s doors as she walked through. Arriving on the other side she took in the waste land before her, this wasn’t her first time traveling through the gates but it was definitely her first time experiencing a dreading looking place like this. She instantly noticed she was alone in the vast space, her opponent hadn’t arrived yet. Glancing down at her clawed hand, her past experiences told her to lay traps and wait for the prey. However, she didn’t feel that mindset fit this situation, no matter how much her instinct wanted to treat him like a Hollow. He wasn’t, he was a fellow Shinigami first and foremost, his character will reveal itself in this exchange, and that will be how she will judge him. Although slightly soft-hearted to his situation, she was no idiot, and remained on high alert while masking her presence while distancing herself from the Gate. Although far away, she knew her figure could still be seen in the distance. She stood, muscles tense as if preparing to lunge forward like a coiled snake preparing to strike. All that could be heard in the silence were the audible cracks of the bones in her hands as she patiently waited for the Captain’s arrival.

"Today, I take a huge step towards getting up from under the Shihōin’s feet and onto their fucking necks."