XXXFlaring hues tracked a bobbing pink head through the demonic host as Sona raced towards the tower and disappeared inside. And again, the matron with a leviathan's shadow was alone in a sea of enemies once more. The wyrm soared over head, wind buffeting the ground and knocking creatures aside as a bellow of magma escaped from her throat. Chitinous claws dug into a beast's soft under-belly, pulling insides out like long, carmine spaghetti. Sebaru began eating her opponent's as pale form was slowly caked in a thick layer of imbrued ooze. Those piercing eyes continued to glint beneath the rusty, viscous slime that slid off of her. A predatory gaze always locking onto her neck choice of prey before crudely smashing or crushing whatever unfortunate fiend managed to gain her enmity.
371/800 ( 120 )
Deecee Sama
Cor Contritum
Master Cliff Fate
Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2018 6:20 am
《261 STR | 000 PRW | 005 DEF | 067 SPD | 015 STA | 00 VIT》
Ikki felt way out of sorts being in this cave, a feeling that he didn't like very much. All of his senses were just gone as if he had just been born without them. He stumbled about the foreign environment like a newborn struggling to walk for the first time. To even think of navigating this entire place by himself sounded impossible, so he halted and just stood there huffing in frustration and opted instead to wait for Hunter. Interestingly enough, with the loss of his senses, there was a weird sensation pulsing throughout his body. It was oddly familiar but very alien in nature, reminding the Wano of a time where his life was simpler. The words of his grandfather came to mind, echoes of his voice reaching into the depths of his mind and pulling Ikki back to the land under the rising sun. His home. He could vividly recall the day that he had first begun his lessons with his grandfather, much to his father's chagrin. The very first thing he said would be words that he carried with him in his heart.
"Talent is something you make bloom, whereas instinct is something you polish and hone." Sugawara Tadao spoke as he drew a diagram in the sand. Ikki listened attentively as he explained the concept of Ki and its limitless potential, making sure not to miss a single word. It was also at this time that he experienced firsthand what exactly Ki was like.
Ikki closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, heeding his grandfather's' words and teachings. He felt the previous sensation grow, coursing through him and out, then back in with each breath he took. This was the first time he had actually felt Ki, despite having come in contact with it at an early age. A form outline by wisps of glowing energy approached him and halted, just standing there. Ikki made an attempt to say something but discovered that he could not form words, let alone make any sounds. Puzzled, his attention turned back to the figure, which turned out to be Hunter. The words he spoke carried news that would have definitely left him speechless had he been able to speak. It had only been moments ago that he'd seen Sona, but to hear that she had died? He almost didn't want to believe it, however, Hunter's tone spared no expense for jokes. At that moment, everything went dark again and he was once again subjected to darkness. He reached out to where Hunter stood, hoping to latch onto something
What was this? Watching the kid struggle with what looked like the bare bone basics of their power, Hunter drew in air showing avid irritation. Damn the boy. He was sure that if he was still alive, he had some prowess in the arte of Ki, but it seemed he'd put too much hope in his ability. Standing up straight as Ikki tried to grasp him, a hand grasped the kids wrist with fierce strength. Eyes glistening with anger. He didn't have time to play babysitter. "Listen you pissant, you've got to keep your composure or you'll lose the ki you've gathered. To use it properly, your mind must be at a state of calm. You lose that, even for a second, and you'll lose your breath. The fact that you're alive means you can at least control your breathing, but you've got to do more than just keep it in check." At best he could run a crash course on what was to be expected, but Hunter wasn't in the mood for this. His blade was in here and they were wasting precious time.
Letting go, he shifted away while pacing deeper into the darkness, which he could see clearly through. Ikki, though, might have a harder time. "This kid is useless to me if he can't even use the fundamentals.. ." Then, an idea sprouted. Maybe. . maybe the kid was a different kind of learner. If he was able to stand firm here, then he had ability. Perhaps it just needed to be awakened.
"I lied kid. . " Eyes of slit gold turned heel back to Ikki, a smile fanged present. "I killed that b***h of a girlfriend of yours. Even made real good use of her before she died." Come on. Show him that anger. "She wouldn't shut up about me tossin' you in here, so I gave her a good time then chucked the b***h inside. But don't fret. You'll join her in the afterlife soon enough." Head careened to the side as an upsurge of purple energy encircled Hunter. Clashing indigo sploshed about, breaking the earth and shaking the area. If this didn't work, then he had nothing else. They couldn't waste time. Igor was gonna be able to smell him soon enough so headway needed to be made.
Crspy Donut
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 1:45 pm
《261 STR | 000 PRW | 005 DEF | 067 SPD | 015 STA | 00 VIT》
A hand tightened around Ikki's wrist as he was yanked closer towards Hunter. He winced at the strength of the man's grip and although he couldn't see anything, Ikki could definitely tell that Hunter was not in the mood to mess around. At most, he could hear what Hunter was saying, but as far as any other of his senses went, they were quite dull. Blobs of luminous colors danced around in his field of view, but the silhouette of Hunter, clad in purple, felt like a sinister force. The sheer pressure of his presence could be felt as Ikki was pulled closer towards Hunter. Ikki knew that he needed to keep calm given that was the only reason he was able to breath in the first place, but that was the extent of his current abilities. Beyond that, the possibility of him being able to regain his other senses remained up in the air.
As soon as Hunter released his hand, Ikki relaxed and tried to get a better feel for the concept of ki. The analogy his grandfather used to compare it to was like a cup holding water. He focused on the foreign feeling inside of his body and reached out as if to grab the surrounding energy with hi very being. It took a couple of tries, but Ikki was starting to get the hang of sensing and identifying the ki around him. By then, Hunter was already more than a couple paces ahead of him and made no clear indication of slowing down. The more time that passed, the more progress he managed to make in formulating his own understanding of ki. However, the moment he grasped that understanding was the moment that he hit a wall. Rather than a wall, it was more like a door, waiting to be opened by something. However, while he was occupied with trying to figure it out, it took only a few words fro Hunter to break his concentration.
With each passing moment, Hunter was getting more and more frustrated. No reaction. No presence. Nothing. From what he could tell, the kid was a lost cause. Better to kill him now than have him weighing him down later.
"I killed her. That little pink b***h you call a girlfriend or whatever. I killed her and used her like a cheap slut before I did it."
His voice edged while walking in a circle, his ki vibrant in the depths of the cave. The flashing indigo shown off various walls but kept a low dim as not to attract too many visitors. "I'm tired of acting like I don't hate all of you spineless, worthless, no good human sacks of s**t. All you do is get in my way. She did the same and got put out of her misery for it. And now, I'm gonna do the same to you."Stopping a few feet away, his head leaned back as the aura permeated the air. Fluctuating to spread and increase. He wanted a reaction. He wanted the kid to break. Give in the rage and let some of that power out. If he was still alive, there was something pushing him to be here.
"WELL KID?! YOU READY TO ********' DIE?!"
Crspy Donut
Posted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:57 pm
《261 STR | 000 PRW | 005 DEF | 067 SPD | 015 STA | 00 VIT》
"You did what?" Ikki halted in his tracks. His voice laced with anger and disbelief in the statement that had come from Hunter's mouth. Sona was dead? The news hit him like a titan-class galleon, his legs losing their strength causing him to fall to the ground. Staggered breaths escaped the boy's lips as he frantically looked around, desperate to prove his companions words false. Even with his dulled senses, he could not find any trace of his pink haired partner residing within the tower. Flashes of memories between the pair played through Ikki's mind the more he thought of her and the grim realization that he would never see her again set in. As he sat motionless, lamenting in his loss, the rest of Hunter's message registered in his mind triggering a fit of rage.
Deep inside him a fount of emotions welled up, bubbling over until he could no longer maintain his composure. Whatever feelings he had repressed and bottled up for years had finally reached the limit. The youth balled his fists so tight that he could feel his nails digging into his skin. The sharp pain followed by feeling of warm, crimson ichor trickling down his palms was nothing compared to the rage that filled Ikki's head with nothing but one purpose. To kill Hunter. It was this very rage that resided within the Wano's heart that drove him to leave his home. The very same fury that was created by the one man who made his life miserable.
Rising from the ground, Ikki ambled forwards one foot at a time until he broke into a full sprint in Hunter's direction. He swung a blood soaked fist into the face of Hunter, throwing his entire body weight into the blow. "I'm...gonna kill...you..." The words left his gritted teeth, eyes alight with burning passion for a single purpose. To exact his revenge by whatever means necessary
That was it. This was what he was looking for! Hunter was starting to feel it. The amount of residual Ki the boy had was rising by the second, which was what the elder wanted. The more he had access to, the more he could use and the faster he could grow accustomed to it, but only by trial by fire. Teaching him was pointless. He had to learn all on his own.
Even if that meant dragging the kid through hell to do it.
With him a little closer, Hunter's hand easily slid up within a moment; a single finger stopping the first from colliding with the wano's face. Eyes piercing downward, a sigh released before he took a single leap back, egging Ikki to follow him with each jaunting step. The echoes of his hops heard, but only to him, coined to wait for Ikki to come ever closer. As much as he was a predator, he needed to see him grow. He needed to edge him along and the best way to do that was to show him how inferior he was to Hunter currently.
"You? Kill me? Hhahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA! You ain't got a chance in hell, kid! You ain't got the power! Ain't got the skill! You're so disgustingly weak that I'm ashamed to call you a warrior! And just like you, your little b***h of a girlfriend was too! You should've heard how she cried when I took her chasity. That face of anguish when she found out she'd given it up to one of the people she hated the most. God, what a rush!"[/color
Cackling high, Hunter motioned a free hand side to side in jeering laughter. ]C'mon Ikki. You gonna let him get away with that?
CrspyDonut
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:50 pm
It was a lie.
He knew it was, yet every fiber of his being refused to acknowledge it. Maybe it was just repressed emotions that he held over Hunter for some time. The only thing he really cared about right now was letting loose and tearing Hunter to shreds. There was no one to stop him from trying after all. He could feel it. A fount of energy welling up inside him, pulsing and surging through his veins as he charged straight at Hunter. Everything around him faded, the only thing in his focus was his target that was on the move. Ikki gnashed his teeth and he tensed up, leg muscles bulging as he built up power and pushed off the ground with an explosive burst of force. The ground beneath him caved as he hurtled towards Hunter, attempting to close the distance between he and his foe in a single leap.
Heat.
A burning sensation bubbled within, fueling the source of his strength. A desire born out of raw emotion and nothing more, devoid of concrete substance and directed thought. A feeling beyond human consciousness reserved only beings who have simply grasp the beginning of the infinite. Ikki plowed ahead, his instincts pushing him towards a singular purpose, one that his body and mind both synchronously understood. Closer and closer, the distance between him and Hunter shortened. It was until Hunter was well within his sight that Ikki took the initiative and threw the first punch. Leaping into the air, Ikki drew his right arm back, coated in armament haki and swung with all his might.
That power that well within him was one that the Nobunaga clan had harnessed for generations. They were born for this purpose; to protect the tower at all costs and make sure the King of Hell didn't dare come back from the underworld, but to see how adept Ikki was at mastering the art of Ki this quickly only made the olden Ronin watch in confusion. Did that mean. . he had his blood within him? That was the only conclusion he could draw. But how? How could this boy be of the same lineage?
Just as he cleared the gap at such a breakneck and intense space, Hunter rolled his body back. Just enough so that the fist Ikki threw stopped mere inches from the elder before him, jeering with a smile from ear to ear as his own arm had extended to come up to where Ikki's neck began. One false move and he'd tear his throat out.
"C'mon now. Do better."
From that position he leaped back again, giving Ikki another chance to come at him.
"I'll count the amount of times I could've killed you before actually doin' it. So far, I count one."
Waving two fingers, Hunter went down into a stance no one had ever seen him use. Both palms open ended; a style meant to rip and tear. When no having access to a blade, this was what he was taught. The Gnashing Tiger, similar to the stance Ikki himself employed.
CrspyDonut
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 7:08 pm
"C'mon now. Do better."
The words taunted him as Hunter sneered in his face after adeptly dodging his first strike and grabbing his neck. Ikki knew by the speed and strength of the grip, that Hunter could have snapped it like a twig then and there. Yet he didn't,but instead pushed him back and put distance between them. He lowered himself into a stance that was reminiscent of his own and that's when it hit him. Ikki could remember stories about how his ancestors were great warriors, who would serve nobility, offering their strength in return for the opportunity to engage in glorious combat for sport. The thought of possessing the very same blood as that man sickened him, yet strangely enough, deep down he began to feel excited. The looming threat of death seemed to erect a sense of euphoria that he had never experienced, the thrill of combat elevated his senses to another level and he could feel it. The boiling of his blood and the same heat he'd felt before begin to intensify. It was through this feeling that he could clearly see what he was lacking, or rather, the weakness that he was holding on to for so long.
It was his humanity.
What stood before him was no man, but a monster in a man's shoes. It was so obvious, yet it had taken so long to come to the conclusion. Thoughts flooded his mind as he processed this new revelation, the information coming to him all at once, his fight or flight response reacting to the situation.
Run, run, run. You can't win. RUN. He's too strong. You'll die, just run away.
The words from Hunter echoed in his mind, "I'll count the amount of times I could've killed you before actually doin' it. So far, I count one."
One? One. How many more times would he "die".
Every ounce of his being was locked in a struggle, unable to determine what the best course of action was. Ikki halted in his tracks for a moment as he stared blankly at Hunter, time seemingly slowing to a halt. It was now or ever, he had to make a choice: Would he turn tail and run away again or would he stay and confront his problems head on. Time ticked away like the wax of a burning candle, what felt like minutes, were merely seconds as more and more thoughts flooded his mind. It would be in those seconds that the boy would resume movement, he was wasting time playing what-if with himself. Ikki launched himself forward, resuming his assault once more.
