009 | Where Your Demons Hide

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Emergency demon fighting
When: Late May 5-Early May 6
Where: Just outside of Tokyo
Summary: The demon from the school has reared its ugly head again and needs to be taken down.



On the evening of May 5, the Heavens suddenly receive an influx of prayers from people in and around a certain town just outside of Tokyo. There seem to be a lot of people in the area that have suddenly stopped responding normally (or at all). The situation continues to spread as the night goes on until not only is the whole town suffering from this malady, but the neighboring towns are starting to become affected as well.

With so many gods and shinki on hand - including new ones that have just appeared - the Heavens have issued a request for any available gods and shinki to go investigate what might be happening down on the Near Shore. New gods and shinki will be given the low-down on what's happening, but not much more than that.

The situation will continue to expand until just a little before dawn, when the demon finally has enough power to revive.



Drained Humans

Many humans in the affected areas are walking around despondently. Oftentimes, they are just walking into things or getting hit by things. There have been a few car-related incidents as well. Anyone who was present for the high school incident will recognize these symptoms as something that was happening to people in the school. The glazed looks, the spiritless responses and reactions. So this should be fairly familiar to some.

No One's Safe

Unfortunately, being in the town will start to wear on anyone who is there. Gods and shinki alike will find themselves growing more despondent the longer they spend in the town. All of their energy will be slowly sapped from their bodies, and shinki in particular will feel almost like their existence is draining away.

Hellish Circle

There is a large park in the center of the town. Drawn all around this park is a magic circle, large enough to encompass the whole park. There are candles around the edges of the circle, and in the center there is a cup filled with blood covered by a mask with a swirling eye pattern on it. Stepping into this circle will not only make you extremely tired and suddenly drained, but it will also bring bat-like ayakashi bearing down on you.

The Demon

The Demon itself rears its ugly head just a little before dawn, springing out from the center of the magic circle and looking right pleased with itself. It stands about 5'8" tall, so it is largely unimposing, but there is an aura about it that makes it undeniable that it is powerful. The demon will gladly fight anyone who comes at it, though most he will just shove out of the way without a second thought.



In Summary:

• Help the drained people
• Try not to get drained yourself
• Be careful about being corrupted
• Fight the demon
• Have fun~

Comments

drained humans

[skyleopardess]

[Yoruichi arrives after the crash. It's a terrible scene--the distraught driver, the horrified onlookers, and of course, the girl who'd so needlessly lost her life.

But all of that fades at the sight of Zangetsu staring, motionless. Yoruichi might have thought he'd been affected like the humans, but when she follows his line of sight, she sees the girl's loose spirit, and her whole body goes cold.]

Zangetsu. [Her voice is relaxed but firm, so as not to agitate him. And she never stops moving towards him, limbs loose and ready to dart forward if he attacks.] Leave her alone. Her night's been shitty enough, hm? Let's go.

[moonfang]

[the sight would be enough to make most people lose their lunch. But not a Hollow.

For a Hollow, this is lunch.

A new soul, recently liberated from its earthly vessel. Confused. Scared. Too distracted to notice the creature watching it. Perfect prey.

On another day, Yoruichi's voice would probably be enough to snap him out of it, for him to get his shit together and ignore his urges. But just being around this area was draining him, increasing his hunger. He stands there, fingers twitching ever so slightly.

He's lost in his own world, hyperfocused on the spirit, who moves to one side, away from the growing crowd. A clear shot. Suddenly, his pupils dilate and he vanishes, reappearing on the roof of the ruined car on all fours, his claws leaving deep slashes in the metal. Then he uses his traction on the car to spring at the spirit, grabbing at her with all four sets of talons, and tackling her to the ground. She shrieks in panic and he lets out a soul-shaking roar, cracking his jaw open wide]

[skyleopardess]

[Yoruichi's soft spot for her student has led to her initial efforts backfiring. He remains still another tense moment, but then lunges for the girl, knocking her to the ground. Yoruichi's moving almost as soon as he is, swearing at herself underneath her breath.

White kidou outlines her body, shunko blasting off the fabric on her back and shoulders. Yoruichi doesn't want to go full strength against Zangetsu, but she needs to hit him hard enough to bring him back to his senses.]

Zangetsu!

[It's snapped out in what she suspects is a futile effort. Flickering into sight right next to him, she spins to launch a powerful kick at his side, hoping to dislodge his grip.

If she breaks a rib or something, well. She can heal it for him later.]

[moonfang]

[The sword-spirit part of his brain is overcome, drowned out by the Hollow that was drained, tired, and starving. He needed to eat, or he would die. Die, or be eaten himself, weak as he was. But thankfully for the spirit and, quite frankly, for everyone involved, Yoruichi is quite fast.

The kick connects, and there is a sickening crack. Yep, there went a few ribs. His claws are curved and wicked, but he can't hold on through that, and he rolls to one side. The spirit discovers that the dead can, in fact, bleed; her wounds ooze blood. She holds her hand over her wound, then looks at Yoruichi. She doesn't stay long. The spirit scrambles to her feet and flees the scene, vanishing in the process.

The Hollow hisses, holding his ribs. The pain was enough to knock him back to his senses. He watches the spirit flee, then disappear. Then he looks at Yoruichi, seeming to fold into himself]

.... Shit.

[skyleopardess]

[Yoruichi spares a moment to make sure the girl is okay--well, not okay, but well enough to run away, at least. When she looks at Zangetsu, he's hunched over. By his expression, it's more than just her kick that has him looking so morose.]

Are you back with me, kiddo?

[Shunko sparks at her shoulders and fingertips as she holds herself ready--he looks better, but she's not taking another chance so soon.]

[moonfang]

[He feels bad. Not bad enough to blight her, but pretty bad. He knows what just happened, even though he has no clear memory of it. He can put pieces together, he's not stupid. In response to her question, he growls at himself, grabbing onto to his horns and shaking his head back and forth, as if to rattle his brain a bit more]

The energy drain of this thing... it's getting to me. I'm so hungry. I saw that ghost and... shit. [he frowns, looking up at her] You're not blighted, are you?

[NOT LIKE HE CARES OR ANYTHING]

[skyleopardess]

[She should have guessed--it's been getting steadily worse, but with Kisuke's recent arrival, she'd allowed herself a sigh of relief. But it's clear they need to take drastic measures.

With a sigh, she releases shunko, walking over to squat next to Zangetsu.]

I'm fine. Lie down so I can heal you. [She pauses] Then we'll find you something to eat.

[Her eyes are dark, and her lips are pressed together, showing she's not exactly happy about whatever she's planning to do.]

[moonfang]

[He offers a small, almost sheepish nod, and he lies down. But not without another hiss as his broken ribs protest. His own high-speed regeneration bubbles feebly under the the surface of his skin, but with the drain on his energy, it's not working too well. They needed to find whatever was causing this and kill it. Dead. Stat.]

[that dark expression on her face doesn't escape his notice, and he frowns] What are you planning...?

[skyleopardess]

[She's quiet a moment, placing gentle hands on his ribcage as she activates her healing kidou. The pragmatic part of her says its their best and quickest option, but the rest of her hates the idea.]

Kisuke's still working on something to help you. And you'd probably be able to wait if this hadn't happened, but...[She shakes her head] I think we're running out of time.

[It'd seemed simple enough, if horrific. Kill a violent criminal, then feed his loose soul to Zangetsu. The world is out one scumbag, and Zangetsu finally gets a meal that fills him up.

She looks down at Zangetsu's face. Despite his hunger, despite his baser urges, he's trusted her, and listened to her. Yoruichi has a responsibility to steer him in the right direction, and if she falters now, he may not come back to the right path. If she starts killing people for him now, what's to stop him from doing it the next time his hunger gets the better of him?

No, it's not an option.

Mind made up, her expression clears, and her voice returns to normal.]

We're going to the zoo. I feel a little bad for the kids, but until Kisuke fixes you up, it's our best bet.

[moonfang]

[surprisingly, his Hollow healing works in tandem with the kidou, pulling the energy in and organizing with it to heal the ribs faster. He breathes a sigh of relief -- one that doesn't hurt like fire in his chest.]

Kisuke..? [friend of hers? Hell. Friend of his? He'll never know. Once healed, he props himself up on his elbows and listens. She seems to be having a storm of thoughts before she actually decides to speak again]

Zoo? Oh. You mean the big animals. Do you think it'll work?

[skyleopardess]

He and I grew up together. He's a scientist, so once he gets settled I know he can find a way to help you.

[Zangetsu heals in a matter of moments, thankfully, with no relapses so far. Still, no sense wasting time.]

Smaller animals have been working so far, right? [She knows Zangetsu hunts with his other god, but doesn't know exactly what kind of animals he's been eating. Hopefully the bigger zoo animals will be enough to take the edge off.] Since your energy's so depleted, something bigger might work.

[moonfang]

Scientist.... [he says it aloud, but mostly to himself, as if considering it. A scientist that works with spiritual matters? He'd probably have the best chance at figuring out a long term solution.

He snickers to himself, thinking about the quarry available at the zoo] I have always wanted to try giraffe.

[skyleopardess]

[Yoruichi snorts, shaking her head.]

Who looks at those goofy things and wonders how they taste? [At least it's a giraffe--she'd have to veto him eating one of the cats.

She lays a brief hand on his head, ruffling his hair a bit before standing up.]

Come on then, brat. Can you walk?

[moonfang]

It's not that weird! It's just like a tall cow, right?

[argh, hair ruffles. He grimaces, but doesn't necessarily move away. He then hums thoughtfully, then shakes his head]

I think I can but... I'm afraid I'll get distracted again. [he holds out his arm, palm up, displaying the name Yoruichi had given him] Might be easier if you just take me there, boss.

[skyleopardess]

[Yoruichi gives him a long, searching look, then nods. If his control's already shaky, there's no sense in pushing their luck. That girl won't be the only loose soul tonight.]

All right. Let's go, Shuki.

[Zangetsu disappears, and there's the familiar feel of the mask forming on her face as a white sword appears in her hand. If she hadn't known Zangetsu was tired, this would have told her--this isn't nearly the normal boost in strength she usually gets from him.

But it'll be enough.

Gripping the sword firmly, she launches into shunpo, heading towards the zoo.]

[moonfang]

[and just like that, the Hollow vanishes and is replaced by the skeletal mask and snow-white sword. And, just like that, the urge to hunt and eat is reduced dramatically. He's still hungry, and he's still exhausted, but mingling his energy with Yoruichi's gives him more focus, more composure. It's easier to just think straight. He watches their progress through the eyes of the mask.

But staying in weapon form forever isn't really a viable option. He enjoys being able to walk and having legs too much.]

I hope the zoo is far away from whatever this shit is.