Located a few miles off the coast of Lamia Scylla lies a strange tower of unknown origin. Upon further inspection, the edifice was identified as a dungeon and labeled the Tower of Babel. Many adventurers have entered, only for a handful to return either scarred by the experience or seemingly different from before. Legend spoke of a structure that had the power to deliver man closer to the realm of either gods or demons, but first one would have to clear the trials set by the dungeon. A stone tablet rests at the entrance of the Tower of Babel and reads:“Inside is a world where one loses the body and be left with only the spirit. The terror of not being able to see anything, to feel anything...There’s nothing in the world that’s more vulnerable than the naked soul.”
⟓
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:03 pm
Of all the times for this to happen, why now?
There he was, minding his own business. Finally having met up with Ru again and enjoying some casual drinks with a brat and rRegina. Then, BOOM, next thing you know his Ki Radar is off the charts. That only happened when two things occurred. The first, when a member of his family was around, which was impossible from what he could tell. They'd all died off. The second, when that damn tower was about to open up. Everything pointed to that and as much as he hated it, he had no other choice. It was time to trudge back into the depths of hell.
With him a trio of ladies, something he never would've thought. Well, one of them wasn't so much a lady as she was a monstrous beast trapped in succulent human-esque form, but that was close enough for him. With a blade to his back and a gord of sake tied to his hip, he made his way across the land towards his destination. It'd appeared on a remote island this town, far away from most people which was good. That meant he didn't have to worry about the creatures that poured out of it causing a ruckus and messin' with the towns folk. Tarn hues shifted behind him for a moment, making sure everyone was keeping up. "Brat, don't stray too far from us. I ain't got time to be tryna' track you through all this s**t. Regina, stay close to me. Ru. . " If her blood got riled up there was no way he was gonna try to contain her. Better to just let her do as she pleased if anything came to attack.". . remember the two with you aren't the enemy. We're gettin' close."
The closer they got the more his senses edged. Night was getting closer as an orange sky painted the horizon and over the cliff side lay that forbidden tower, just as he'd expected it to be. Amidst it all, in front, a myriad of different shaped demons had already begun pouring out onto the land. Tch. .
He was too late.
Taking his sword from his back, he'd watch in displeasure. "None of em' get off this island. They're from hell and need to be sent back there. Otherwise who knows what the ******** go wrong. Mission here is to kill em' all. . Then I'm goin' inside to get my sword back. After that, I'm closin' this place up so it won't mess up what I got planned." Even if Hunter didn't care for what happened to people, leaving this untouched would've just ended terribly. The world could be overrun and he'd have to deal with that. Being forced to play hero was terrible.
"Hit them hard. Hit them fast. Kill them without remorse. Any questions?" This was the time to ask.
The waves rocking the boat were less than welcomed as she slowly came to consciousness, "Ugh..." her stomach rolled as her vision swirled in front of her. Everything was gross, 'Awake now I see." the voice drifted through her ears briefly as she would squint looking around. No other sound came about as she would feel her stomach tumble again and she would look for the nearest area to wretch. Scents of women filled her nose as well as the sea, thank goodness she couldn't smell the vileness in the water right now. Grumbling as she wiped at her mouth and glanced back to stare at the other two women and the man, Hunter, she would faintly recall sitting with him and...Regina, then whiteness and finally...wakefulness here. Deep blue eyes glanced towards the three as Hunter seemed to be leading them into... "What the ******** are those?" she muttered as she would manage to find her legs and stand up straight. Watching Hunter jump off the boat telling her not to stray too far made her grumble, "Yes dad." the sarcastic words escaped her as she would look to the other two, "Does that mean I can eat them...well I'm going to even if you say I can't." she stated simply as they approached the large island with a big old tower. Spreading her hands out as her arms shifted into large wings, "None off the island! Got it!" she stated while squatting. At the end of "Any questions" she'd push off her wings taking her high into the clouds before a large shadow appeared over the water and dipped low, "Hungry." the voice was unexpected as she looked around, but once again let it be a hallucination due to her current hangover. Wings stirred up the wind as she hovered over the island and took a deep breath in before releasing a torrent of lava near the mid way, slowing down the onslaught hopefully and trapping the faster beasties on the ends of part of the island.
XXXSebaru could taste the coppery breath undulating entrancingly through the breeze before her rusty hues even managed to slide across the horizon and focus on a singular sallow nail that perforated the azure sky. The prow of the ship hung lower into the waves as Sebaru leaned forward, claws raking furrows into the ornate figure-head. A salacious tongue slipped lecherously from lips that pulled a little too far back, the doll-like face splitting to form a reptilian grin. Two black pits contracted into thin blades in the fiery wells of the female's hues.
The ship ground up onto the shore, parting sand with its sharpened bow. The wooden vessel settled with a creak as Sebaru hopped off into the wet gravel with a sodden whop. The pup kept looking at the rest of them, an acerbic undertone lilting her voice as she spoke to Hunter. A subdued rumble echoed in the pale female's thorax, a warning. But the threat was extinguished by Hunter's reminder. The other matrons were not comestible, yet.
Forward the small throng hiked into dusky hills painted titian by the light of the ebbing sun. The group overlooked a ravine, below the writhing masses of infernal flesh and lactescent fangs. Hunter did not look pleased by this revelation, drawing the deadly nail that hung across his shoulder off of his back. Sebaru heard the words 'None of em' get off this island.' and that was all experimental regent needed before her substantial form plummetted towards the pulpy, wriggling host below. A barbarous, insatiable simper spread from one gill to the other as ossein splintered beneath the impetus of her descent.
Soon Sebaru was wading through molten slag, vomited by the young one now in the mold of a massive wyrm. Sebaru seemed unstirred by the liquid rock that licked at her pale thighs, the emberous scoria reflected in the craters of her eyes. No, the monster wearing the fleshy mask of a woman was too preoccupied with swinging her chitinous claws. Massive manuses kerfed whatever they managed to collide with into a gossamer mist.
They had been in Carmine Town for what was supposed to be a relaxing stop on their journey when Regina and Hunter had met Tenebrae. Then in the middle of that some large monstrous woman had approached that apparently Hunter had prior history with. And then they were headed off for another area because of some Tower or other. Needless to say their relaxing stop hadn’t been so. Not that meeting Tenebrae or Sebaru had been particularly stressful, but it hadn’t quite been what she’d had in mind.
Then again, what else did she really expect? It seemed pretty par for the course with Hunter. Maybe she just wasn’t used to the thought that it wasn’t just Hunter and her anymore. Sure they had been looking for others, but now that they found some others… Regina just wasn’t sure what she thought about it all.
As they neared the tower, Hunter spoke. Apparently she was to stick close to him, which wasn’t terribly surprising. Of the group of them, Hunter was Hunter, Sebaru was clearly able to handle herself, and Tenebrae could turn into a dragon. What did she really have to offer on the battlefield?
“What exactly is this tower anyway?” Regina asked, walking up behind Hunter to peer out at the tower in question. Clearly Hunter had been here before. Then she saw all the demons. Hunter spoke, and Regina raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said your sword was in a cave somewhere?” Unfortunately now was hardly the time as the other women leapt into the fray. Regina remained beside Hunter for the moment considering her options. When asked if there were any questions, Regina shook her head no.
Hopefully things went smoothly, but Regina still wished she’d had time to look into this devil fruit option for gaining power.
╔════════════════════════╗ "These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real. There's just too much that time cannot erase. When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears. When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears. And I held your hand through all of these years. But you still have all of me. You used to captivate me by your resonating light. Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind. Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams. Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me." ╚════════════════════════╝
Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:24 pm
《261 STR | 000 PRW | 005 DEF | 067 SPD | 015 STA | 00 VIT》
Pushing his sleeve into the arms of his coat, Ikki pushed on the button to call the elevator. He straightened the coat on his body and began to slide hair ties onto his head. As Sona trailed behind him, he could hear her groan after learning the cause of his sudden performance. Ikki let out a strained sigh and rested his hand onto his hips, letting his head fall slightly to the right and using the other hand to rub his nose. "Right? As much as I would rather leave him be, I do kind of owe him I guess? He didn't kill me when he had the chance after all...It's something I suppose." The familiar ding of the elevator bell rang as the doors slid open and he stepped inside, waiting for Sona to enter before selecting the lobby. True to his words, Ikki wasn't very fond of Huter, but that wasn't the real reason he as going. The idea of fighting demons was actually enticing enough to tolerate Hunter's presence. A chill ran down his spine as he shivered, clenching his fists and knocking them together. "Truth be told, I'm not going because Hunter's there," he revealed, looking to his partner and pocketing his hands, "Apparently, there are demons running around over there." A grin spread across his face and he tapped his head, "I think I can read his mind or something, I don't really know. It's like I can tell where he is and what the situation around him is like. Though it only seems to relate mostly to danger."
The elevator came to a halt and the door opened, leading the pair back into the lobby as Ikki shrugged, "It's weird but kinda cool." He stepped out of the elevator and opened the door, letting Sona pass him by as they made their way towards their new destination. The feeling slowly crept back into Ikki's mind as they walked forwards, this time notably stronger. He grabbed Sona's hand and began to pull her into a forest, "This way!" The air began to grow heavier as they ran and Ikki felt an immense pressure slam onto his shoulders. The hairs on the back of his neck began to rise, his senses reaching peak intensity like a volcano erupting. Orange painted the sky as the sun could be seen fading into the horizon and Ikki stopped at the edge of the forest to see what appeared to be a battle in progress. The sound of his heartbeat rang in Ikki's ears, his eyes scanning the area, making out four figures amidst the ensuing chaos. One of which he recognized immediately to be Hunter, but the other three he was unsure of. As usual and true to his character, Hunter was busy immersed in the horde, cutting down every creature that stood in his path. Much to his surprise, another took to the skies, morphing into the form of a massive wyrm and began spewing lava down onto the creatures, while the remaining two fended of the creatures in their own unique way. The only thing separating him from the action was a mild drop to the beach and a small pack of demons.
He turned to Sona and gestured towards the battle, "I'll see you on the field." With that, the young Wanosian would kick the ground and disappear from view, leaving next to no trace of him being in that very spot. His foot touched down on the sand and the heads of numerous demons would turn to face him. Their sizes and builds varied, but the one thing that was certain was their bloodlust as each creature took a stance, prepared to pounce at a moments notice. Ikki breathed out and looked ahead of him as everything else began to fade away. The only thing that mattered was the battle ahead of him, it as kill or be killed and he very much so preferred to be the last one standing. "Yikes. Aren't you all an ugly lot, huh? Well...Let's get this party started!" He shouted, charging forward and quickly slamming his elbow into the maw of the beast in front of him.
XXX"UGHHH I GUESS?? He still sucks though." Sona pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, glaring at the elevator doors as the opened. The next words Ikki spoke though, did pique her interest. "Demons?! You know, before I met you, I used to go on normal jobs. I've never wrestled a demon..." Were demons even supposed to exist?! The cyborg wasn't a genius, but even she knew things like the supernatural and creatures of legend weren't just supposed to be... out there! "Eh?! You can read minds?!" Stepping closer to her friend, she pushed her forehead against his, staring intently into his eyes. "What am I thinking about right now?" The words were whispered, as if she was afraid talking too loud would disturb the link. As they made it to the lobby, Sona followed after the partner, allowing him to pull her along. How the tables had turned! Now he was the GPS! She was so proud! It didn't take long for the pair to come across the clearing where there was clearly a battle in progress, and the young woman watched on in fascination as she studied the odd collection of individuals.
There was Hunter, of course. Some pretty ladies and.. "IS THAT A DRAGON?! AWWW YEEAAAAAAH!" This was a good trip after all! "SOMEONE DOWN THERE PUNCH HUNTER IN THE FACE!" Cupping her hands over her mouth to amplify her voice, she called down to the fighters below. Hearing Ikki's farewell, Sona gave him a small wave, swaying as she waited for a good moment to drop down herself. Such moment came in the form of a demon - super rad by the way - foolishly moving closer to the edge beneath her. Promptly leaping off the cliff, she smacked down onto the back of the creature, wrapping her arms around it tightly and squealing with delight as it panicked and took off running. "NOW I CAN SAY I WRESTLED A DEMON! MUAHAHAHA!"
Word Count: ???
CrspyDonut
Decee Sama
Master Cliff Fate
Cor Contritum
Chaos Reclaimer
Ryunosuke Ryusei
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 6:53 am
He was sickened to his core to see these things running amuck.
With a sword raised to the sky, brandished, he prepared to leap downward into the fray with an excited expression. When was the last time he'd gotten to be in the slaughter?! Just the thought of cutting all these beings down brought a certain lust that shook his eyes. Carving about the ground with the pull of his blade, a single foot took to the edge after hearing Regina. Seemed he'd be the last to join the fray. "This is the cave. It takes different forms. The demons mean I'm right. These pieces of s**t will run rampant and destroy everything if they aren't stopped now." Hues turned to go back to her, momentarily ceasing movement as a light smile took his features - that jeering glance he was used to giving. "What? Don't tell me your afraid, princess. Fukakakakakaka~" If so, she could stay where she was. Safety was her top priority. As for Ru and Tenebrae, they seemed to be taking care of things just fine.
It was time to move. "If you're going, try to stay close. If you're staying, then see ya' in a bit."And off the cliff he went, landing with fierce, splitting force as the blade cleaved one demon in halve and the force carried to several others. They all roared, turning to eye him. With a forward motion, he rammed his blade directly through ones skull, keeping the ram going til three move joined it. Blood splattered about him, stinging as if it were acid. But he didn't mind at all. Oh no, he reveled in it. "C'MON! C'MON! MAKE ME FEEL ALIVE!" In nothing but the literal sense, he'd reverted back to his primal state. The Hunter he'd been before all the influences took to him. It was just what battle did. Cleaving the trio's head off and letting his blade sit for a moment, he was sure he'd heard the irritating voice of one brat who still hadn't hit puberty.
". . . She's here too?! And the boy. . I suppose he'll be of some use after all." Looking to the horde as the demons just kept pouring from the tower - his eyes would narrow in thought. Slaughtering them would only go so far. The only way for that tower to be appeased was with a sacrifice. Someone had to go in. Without a second to think, he cut his way through the battlefield til he reached where Ikki was and was back to back with him. "Alright boy, I'm gonna use you for somethin'. Don't fret. I'll be right in after you."He wasn't going to explain anything else. Grasping Ikki up by the shirt, Hunter spun in place til a tornado began to form and, only after stopping, threw the kid like a cannon going off. With speed and power, he'd go flying forward, knocking demons along til he was inside the cave itself.
The horde stopped pouring and all that was left was the demons outside, which he'd leave to the ladies. On his heel, he ran forward through the cleared path. "RU! THE PINK HAIRED GIRL IS OUR FRIEND. TENEBRAE, DON'T SPIT LAVA ON EVERYTHING! REGINA, I'LL BE RIGHT BACK! SONA. . " Stopping for a moment at its entrance, he turned to see her in the distance with an evil grin."Sorry I killed your boyfriend. Fukakakaka~" Off into the dark, to find his blade.
Membrane stretched wide as the feel of the wind blowing across the leather skin eased the pleasant burn that rolled through her wings, the scent of burning flesh and smog easily penetrated her nose. This was the amazing feeling of being so much bigger and stronger than what the small human body had been, shedding the tight skin that locked away the beast was exhilarating. Ocean blue eyes focused on the beings below, the white haired one was moving through the steaming lava with no issue while she soared and rounded the island, taking in the various people around her.
Deep purple to navy blue scales shimmered in the light as she would tuck her wings and swoop down in a dive her wings unfurling close to the ground and sending many bodies flying around her. A roar shook the air as she would do a spin and send even more demons flying about cutting through some that hadn't avoided the tip of her bladed tail, she'd growl as she would drop down the hooks on the ends of her wings supporting her like fingers. Breathing in once again as she would feel the heat of her body pool in her chest and unleash another torrent of heat upon the fools around her, the screams of death that surrounded her were like a sonnet. Tenebrae barely had a hold on her conscious thought as she would practically give into her domineering nature, the yell of someone getting excited made her reptilian head turn to stare at a young pink haired girl.
Turning her body towards the teen that was a bit too far out on the island to enjoy the action, she'd move her wings shoving off the ground as she would take to the air again creating an updraft as she went and sending more than just demons flying this time. Within moments the pink girl would be swept up into claws and taken into the air, she'd tilt to the side as she surveyed for a spot to place the girl where she wasn't in large amounts of numbers, but enough to have fun. Spotting the outer edge of the magma ring she made earlier she would move low and glance to the girl with one eye before dropping her ten feet from the ground in a small horde of demons. From there the wyvern moved and circled again before spotting Regina standing basically alone, demons were starting to impede towards her area, Tene would land over the woman her talon'd feet only a meter behind the woman as wings shielded her on either side, she breathed in again and sent another torrent blazing a straight path through the beasts to cut them back some.
Head bent down as she would pant and glance upside down at Regina's face, curiosity sparkling in her eyes before she would waddle past Regina. Tene moved forward her tail up as she avoided hitting her friend with it and watched as Hunter took off with some kid, she didn't have much time to think about it as she would be scrambled on by demons which would get thrown off as quickly as they got on. Left and right they were split in two by claws and tail, those that were unlucky were trampled by her large talon'd toes. Word Count:
XXXA pale neck craned and rubious hues focused on the color of corral catching the setting sun. A brilliant salmonish glare sliced across the albino's sight, causing a ossein hand to raise up infront of the carmine orbs that were shallowly set in nearly translucent orbits. The giantess lurched forward, carnage and entrails dripping from serrated talons. Cruor cascaded down from plump lips, sharp fangs protruding from a snarl. The silvery edges were stained a deep, nauseating cerise; The cardinal liquor contrasted starkly with the nearly glowing pale skin that it adorned, running in rivulets down the white gown that hugged the woman's celestial curves. The pink-haired girl, Sona the friend, was loud. It made her easy to find in the tumult. Sebaru strode across the field of corpusclous strife towards the energetic youth as those slender, yet surprisingly muscular, arms wrapped around a demon and choked it as it barrelled over its confederates. Just as it was about to slam into Sebaru's conspicuously blanched form, the monstrous female brought a hammered fist down onto the beast's skull with a wet crunch! "...⍜☍⏃⊬?.. che..aaaare..you....okay?" The first words left her throat were in some sort of alien tongue, the rest came out as if metal was grinding against metal. She was clearly forcing her predatory maw to form consonants in ways that it was not accustomed to as she reached down to scoop Sona up with a pulpous covered claw.
As the others went along the battlefield, Regina addressed Hunter directly, curious about the cave he’d mentioned before. “I see, so inside is your blade, if time works differently within there, how long will you be gone out here?” The demons had to be stopped to be sure, but Regina wasn’t expecting to be of much help. What could she do against demons? As he mentioned her being afraid, Regina shook her head no, even if that was kind of a lie. At least some part of her was afraid, but she also wanted to know something else even more important.
“If I go inside, will I get stronger?” If she could even survive it, he’d mentioned something similar that had her curious. If she could be more useful than she was currently by going inside, she couldn’t rely on Hunter forever. “I can’t rely on you forever…”, or at least she didn’t want to if possible.
Watching him head off the cliff after speaking to her, Regina considered the many demons ahead. The rest of them were going ham and killing demons as if it were effortless. To have such strength was a foreign concept, but how could she expect to take back her kingdom like this?
There were apparently a couple more arrivals that seemed to know Hunter and joined the fray quickly. They too seemed to be quite strong. Regina was solely focused on watching them all in action that it was only once Hunter was shouting at her that she snapped out of it. He was going inside the tower. Should she follow?
The large draconic form of Tenebrae landed over her and shielded her as a torrent of magma was released at some approaching demons. “Thanks.” Regina said patting Tenebrae’s underbelly. Biting her lip, she looked back at the large dragon. “Can you take me to the tower?” If she did plan on going inside, she needed a way to get there first.
Of course, they could handle the demons before them as well. Which made Regina remember something she’d done when she first met Hunter when instinct had taken over. Stepping to the side so that she was clear of Tenebrae, Regina drew her leg back and proceeded to kick forward with all the force she could muster and release a shockwave out in the shape of her kick towards more of the incoming demons. While she wasn’t sure how much damage it would do, it was at least better than nothing.
╔════════════════════════╗ "These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real. There's just too much that time cannot erase. When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears. When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears. And I held your hand through all of these years. But you still have all of me. You used to captivate me by your resonating light. Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind. Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams. Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me." ╚════════════════════════╝
Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 10:33 am
《261 STR | 000 PRW | 005 DEF | 067 SPD | 015 STA | 00 VIT》
Nothing spelled out a good day better than being knee deep in a horde of demons waiting to rend the flesh off of your bones. Ikki, having planted his elbow into the throat of his first victim, proceeded to lodge his foot into its sternum, sending it falling back into its comrades. He whirled around, leaping onto the back of another, pounding his fists into its spine, each strike growing heavier and heavier until the creature howled in agony as it collapsed under its own weight. The rush of battle washed over Ikki like an ocean wave, consuming its unsuspecting victim. He took a moment to turn his attention to Sona, who was currently latched onto one of the demons as it was frantically bucking around, trying to throw her off of its back. Shaking his head with a small smile, the Wano turned back, narrowly dodging a swipe aimed at his head. A few strands of hair passed by his eyes and a claw grazed his chin, nearly causing him to trip and fall. Crouching slightly, Ikki waited as the beast reared back for another strike and dashed in, wrapping his arms around its forearm and pushed his back against the creature using it as leverage to bring it over his head and slam the demon into the ground. Following up, his foot came down on its head, crushing its head with a sickening crunch that even made him wince slightly at the sound.
"That didn't sound pretty at all..." Ikki said, his voice trailing off as he felt someone press against his back. Before he got a chance to turn around, a hand grabbed the back of his coat and a voice spoke, "Alright boy, I'm gonna use you for somethin'. Don't fret. I'll be right in after you." He recognized the voice as Hunter, who was currently being oddly cryptic, which in fact, was not normal according to his personality. Ikki furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to form a sentence, but was interrupted by suddenly being spun around and tossed in the direction of the large spire. He sailed through the sky, crashing into numerous groups of demons and tossing them aside as he landed inside the structure and tumbled until he hit what might have been a wall. The moment he passed into the entrance of the tower, everything went pitch black. Ikki groaned, stretching as he picked himself off the ground, rubbing his back, "What the hell was that for..." Of all the things Hunter has done to him so far, this was beginning to reach the top of his list. He reached out and waved his arms about in an attempt to find a wall or something. It took a moment, but his hand found itself along the surface of a wall, which was slick with something wet. He assumed it to be seawater given the strong breeze that began to blow from what Ikki could only guess was opposite of the direction he came in. Sliding his hand along the wall, he proceeded to move deeper into the cave, unsure of what was laid out before him.
XXX Though she was far more amused with riding the strange creatures that had gathered, Sona knew her fun had to come to an end at some point. A vice grip on the demon with her right hand, the cyborg lifted her left, her hand disappearing temporarily to take the form of what looked like a small cannon. Leaning forward, she placed the barrel against the beat's skull, a confident smirk on her lips. "Bang!" And suddenly her ride was over, the monster collapsing beneath her in a still pile with Sona standing upon its corpse, glancing around the battlefield for a moment to get a sense of what was going on. It seemed that the dragon, pretty lady, and large woman were all still kicking a**, Ikki was fine, and she didn't give a s**t as to what Hunter was doing. With a satisfied nod, the girl turned just in time to intercept a new opponent's maw as it was about to snap down to try to chomp down on her. Grunting, she twisted her arms, successfully flipping the creature over with a surprising amount of strength. "Sorry, but I'm not ganna be your snack!" Once more her arm recoiled, a bullet piercing through flesh and bone to cut down another target. "Boom."
Though Sona kept up her positive demeanor, the sheer amount of this creatures was not to be underestimated. Hopefully someone had an idea for how to stem the flow, cause as it was, she was just a gun and not a tactician. Halting, she watched with wide eyes as the strangely beautiful giantess came over to her, crushing one of the demons in a gory display before promptly scooping her up. Seemingly completely unphased by the blood on the woman's hands, the cyborg looked up at her with sparkling eyes. "Y-You're so cool! How'd you get so big?!" The tone of the giant woman's voice was horrendous, and reminded her of when she had parts of her damaged in battle. But her presence was so interesting that she really didn't mind. Maybe she was robotic, too, and that's why her voice sounded like that! Or maybe she was another god! Sona certainly hoped the latter wasn't true. The celestial beings had been kind to her, but it had also been a bit overwhelming, even for her. "I am A-Okay! I-" Her words were cut off when she heard a calamity across the battlefield, turning and blinking in confusion as she saw her partner rolling across the field and knocking into enemies like a bowling ball. The girl watched him disappear into the cave, tilting her head and still for a couple of moments. Computing... Computing..
"WHAT?!" Hunter's words finally hit her, and she squirmed from where she was cradled into the woman's grasp, hitting the ground running. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! COME BACK HERE YOU b*****d, WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Enraged, she bolted after the fiend, calling out for her partner as she entered the cave. "IK-" Cupping her hand over her mouth, she managed to get one syllable out before everything went black.
Hunter couldn't exactly piece together the feeling that went down his spine every time he entered this place. It wasn't a good one, but it wasn't a bad one either. Coming through the entrance, a hand rested on a nearby wall as flashes of the past played. A younger self -- Him, Ibiki Nobunaga, heir to the prestigious Nobunaga household, trying his hardest to best this cave of the underworld. Nothing but cold and silence. Nothing but decadent sadness and despair as you were left with no feeling. No touch. No smell. No taste. Nothing. The only thing that could guide you was the Ki you felt surging around you and inside you. To cultivate it was key in growing in strength and there he was, a mere boy being forced to the edges of his sanity.
"You can do this." A voice of sweet lilac, his dear sister spoke.
"I believe in you, Ibiki." Rough and strong; his father.
"Don't worry. If it gets too hard, I'm always here for you." A care and caress of a mother.
"Heh. Just don't die!" The only friend he'd ever known, Tetsuya.
All of them standing there at that entrance. .
Reality came hitting like a flood of bricks as he felt another fall behind him. He was sworn he'd told no one else to follow him. Taking a pace back some, the sight of Sona laying dead on the ground caused yellow hues to pierce with only a hint of sadness. The girl. .
Welp, he couldn't do anything about that now.
Moving forward, he went onward to see that the boy was somehow still alive and trekking through the cave. That didn't make any sense. You had to have Ki Resonance to even survive the entrance. "You. . " Through Ki alone, Hunter could speak. Once mastering the art, you could do nearly the impossible.". . How are you. . "Hmph. . Well, if Ikki was still alive that meant he could be of some use. Igor was deep within and he wasn't an easy target to slip past, but. . if he had help. "Boy, your girlfriend or whatever the ******** she was is dead. She died at the entrance of the cave following me inside. I told her to stay, but she didn't listen." Shrugging to himself, he'd step further forward. ". . But. . I know where her soul is. Help me find my blade and we'll see about getting your friend back." It was also an excuse, because even if he did dislike Sona he held. . memories with her. Soft ones with Barbos. .
But he'd never say that aloud."We have to go to the bottom of this cave. "He'd await a response before continuing, not realizing that Ikki perhaps hadn't found the ability to even speak in here.
Tenebrae moved with expertise as she would whip away demons left and right only stopping when she felt it was safe enough to turn and look to Regina who had previously touched her belly and made a request of her. With a nod she'd easily scoop up Regina with her tail and attempt to place the woman on her back gently, might have been a little more rough then she intended. The small cove between her neck and the spines that started on her back was almost like a saddle area, perfect for one or two passengers. When she felt Regina was comfortable she would shudder once or twice as she would release one more torrent of lava at oncoming beasties and then stretch her wings out. She flourished them purposely to give Regina a heads up on the fact that they were about to take flight. Strong movements easily helped them take to the air as Tene floated on the updraft from the heat, she would curve around the island once seeking out the entrance to the cave, she'd slow as she descended and then find that the space near the entrance was too small for her to land. Instead she'd find herself clinging to the tower itself, heavy pants came from her as she would offer her tail to Regina so she could lower the woman the last of the way near the entrance.
Once done Tene would bunch her muscles and with huge effort shove off the tower and flap her wings hard, she'd move away quickly and head back into the fray with the others. This time she'd come near the white haired woman and swoop by her grasping two large demons that came in a bunch of seven for the woman, talons curled into the beasties and they would turn into a bunch of gore and pieces within moments as her talons shredded through their bodies. A roar escaped her lungs as she felt ecstatic at being able to shift for so long, she'd bank to the left as she sought out more prey to hunt on the island. Word Count:
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