Day 4 ☀ Digging through my own muscles for a clue

[savior_n_black]

Who: Ichigo ( savior_n_black ), Shiro ( holeheart ), Rukia snowwhitesoul ) AND POSSIBLY MORE LATER?
What: Ichigo, and Shiro's powers finally force them to merge back into a single soul.
When: Day 4, early
Where: Middle of the city
Warnings: Language, violence, minor body horror?

Comments

[notglitching]

Shiro's not the only figure covered in blood. And neither of them are alone in being tired. Rinzler's been running over a week without recharge, gone from combat (failure) to dissection to a nightmare. While the armored user had stopped his derezz, milicycles on milicycles of more battle, with creatures he couldn't even begin to classify, had hardly left him undamaged. But that isn't his main concern.

Error. Mistake. Malfunction. The program doesn't know what to call it, but it's splitting him apart. He can't think. Can't process, can't understand-Rinzler has to fight, and for once, he didn't know why. There was a reason. Used to be.

Keep moving. Keep going (trying), keep looking for something to battle (protect). His systems are a mess, constant wrecking crackle of failure, reprimand, wrongness-but none of it made a difference anymore. He couldn't-didn't know-

Movement. The black helmet raises, dim circuits flickering an edge brighter in their glitchy patterns of uneven color. He has to be ready, has to-

No.

Rinzler's hands clench around the disks still in his grasp, stance tensely unsteady as he stares out. He remembers.

And he doesn't want this fight.

[savior_n_black]

I know you are. I'm sorry, but I gotta use bankai a little bit longer, okay?

Ichigo is aware using his powers were putting a harder strain on Shiro, but he needed the speed, and stamina just to be able to keep Shiro covered while he ate.

Which is what he was in the midst of when it seemed like a shadow detached itself from the night, and came closer. Well, almost a shadow.
Frowning, Ichigo tightened his hold on Tensa Zangetsu, and turned to face Rinzler head on.

...You look like hell.

And though Ichigo is pissed off, Rukia told him what happened. This was not the time, and place to get into figuring out how to disarm Rinzler.

[holeheart]

I know, I know... I'll be ok. He easily strips the flesh from the arm, helping himself to the muscles and blood before casting it aside. As much as he loved to eat bones and their marrow, they simply did not provide enough energy for the time it took to eat them. Shiro sniffs the air, hoping for another snake; they provided the most reishi.

But then Ichigo turns and addresses someone else, someone Shiro hadn't even sensed. That damn weird program, Rinzler. And they did not like each other. But the program seemed to be in some distress, glitching and changing from orange to tinges of blue and back again. The Hollow hisses at him.

What do you want?

[notglitching]

Rinzler stills. The helmet tilts slightly, glance flickering between the two. It lags a bit on Shiro, a strange burst (revulsion? hate?) running through his processing at the meal. Was he...?

(Threat.)

The program's head jerks sideways, form rigid as he looks back to the pair. Not now. He didn't-shouldn't-it wouldn't matter-

Stop it.

They hadn't attacked yet. It didn't make sense. The helmet lowers slightly as Rinzler shakes his head. He doesn't want anything. He doesn't know what to want.

[savior_n_black]

Giving Rinzler a quick once-over, Ichigo frowns harder at the weird blue, and orange lights. Rinzler definitely seemed worse off, but the sudden twitch made Ichigo wonder just how aware Rinzler was of where he was, and what was going on.

But the thinking is cut short by movement somewhere behind Rinzler. More of those weird corpse-things, and if that awful clicking sound was any indicator more of those locusts. A faceless pile of body parts seems to notice them first.

Shit, Shiro hurry it up!

Again jogging up to, then right past Rinzler.

This isn't the time, but you and me? We're gonna have a serious fucking TALK soon.

[holeheart]

Shit!! Shiro growls and finishes the last bit of the arm, tossing it away and then pulling his sword from his back. The black cloth unwraps from around it and he hisses.

We'll deal with you later, Rinzler.

He bounds past Ichigo, using the huge cleaver-like blade to sever one of the reanimati in twain.

[notglitching]

The program's head snaps half around at the sound. He doesn't like what he sees. More creatures-those creatures. The misshapen almost-users. Grabbing, crawling, bleeding. He's frozen, tense, attention split between threats in front and behind. The pair's closing; he should move, reposition, ready-it doesn't matter what he-

They're running past.

The program stares for a moment, something running through his processing he didn't quite understand. Not quite bitterness. Regret? Closer, maybe. Of course they had other threats to fight. That was their purpose.

To protect. The enforcer stares at the pair for just a moment longer before his rigid grip on his weapons drops to the even tension of battle. The first disk flies towards a five-limbed creature as the program steps up on a nearby wall and launches towards the fight.

[savior_n_black]

That seemed to be the problem with the creatures infesting the city. They came in waves. It's just a few reanimanti, but Ichigo is focusing on one, himself when one of the dog-sized locusts jumped him from behind, sinking mandibles into his shoulder.

AUGH, fuck!

It gets a swift pull, with his off hand over his shoulder, and decapitated....but where there's one, there's more. It's luck alone that means Ichigo is at an intersection on the street when he looks up. The death of a few draw the attention of many, and the buzzing sound his getting louder. Turning, and trusting Shiro to watch his back, he backs up a step, letting black, and red fire ignite along his blade. The swarm is joined with more of the corpse-piles, but the rumbling noise under the street itself is what's worrying him.

Backing up another step, he draws back his sword, charged Getsuga ready--

Wha -- Ah, WATCH THE GROUND!

And stumbled as a three skeletal hands reach out from a fissure some previous battle opened in the asphalt, and drags at his ankle, and the hem of his tattered coat. It's enough to pull him down to one knee, enough to slow him down, and just enough to keep that Getsuga from firing at the swarm.

Just long enough for the fissure to burst open wider, and the wedged head of the biggest snake Ichigo has ever seen to rear out of it. Between the snake hissing at him threateningly, and the swam gaining on them, Ichigo chooses to aim at the swarm; the command phrase to focus his attack translating even through the TENEKA.

Getsuga Ten-SHOU!

The arc of blackened fire burns through insects like a hot knife through butter; charred insect parts raining around him. The choice would protect the other two from the swarm. But it leaves him wide open for the serpent's attack.

[holeheart]

Trusting Shiro with his back ended up being a good idea. He stood with his back to Ichigo's, watching the locusts carefully, and actually making an effort to not expend more energy than he absolutely needed to. The locusts that get too close get chopped in half, their energy immediately evaporating into blue reishi and being absorbed through Shiro's blade; a trick he'd come up with through necessity. In the heat of battle, he didn't have time to eat, so he turned the sword into a reishi "vacuum" of sorts by pulling all of the energy out of it.

"Die!! Kyaaarr!!!"

The damn skeleton hands get a hold of Shiro, temporarily, but he slips free somehow, jumping back and away, slashing the bones to bits as he does.

"ICHIGO!!" The Hollow cries out, pouring energy he didn't have into the sword, letting off an un-named Getsuga Tenshou on the serpent. But it does little more than make it bleed and piss it off more... regardless, Shiro is running to get between the snake and Ichigo. He had to protect him! And Shiro honestly didn't trust Rinzler to do anything worthwhile.

[notglitching]

Rinzler didn't expect trust. And he wasn't used to fighting with anyone.

But he remembered what to do with snakes.

The program touches down long enough to jerk his disk free of the limp corpse before he crouches and leaps up. The snake's coming from below this time, which makes things easier, but it's still close. The creature's mouth snaps open with a sound of fury at the hollow's attack, and Rinzler's arm flashes up, disk just barely catching above the gaping maw. Momentum carries him forward, and his body curls in, kicks off the heated inside of the mouth to flip around above. Motion, calculation, precision-he touches down atop the creature's nose. Two quick steps, a lunge forward, and his disks bury deep in the nearer eye, black fluid spurting out to hiss off his circuits with prickling heat.

There's a noise, a jerking thrust of pressure, and he's nearly thrown free as the head jerks to the side. Rinzler flattens by instinct, averts a lashing coil of massive tail, and clings grimly as the creature thrashes. Not deep enough. But he caught its attention.

[savior_n_black]

Actually no one expected that. But Ichigo wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. As Rinzler displayed some of those crazy ninja skills, Ichigo yanked at his ankle, and used the flat of his blade to hack at the skeletal hands until they released him.

As soon as he saw Shiro use that Getsuga, he knew it weakened the hollow, and with Rinzler there, the attack was enough to save his life. Still, with a flash of gratitude through their unique bond at Shiro, Ichigo is running past the fissure, and using a push of shunpo to gain altitude.
The snake was thrashing wildly, trying to snap at the program still riding it's damaged eye socket, but Ichigo gathered reishi under his heels, getting footing as best he could.

Eleven seconds, partner. Give me eleven seconds.

Shiro would understand the reference. Shiro would understand that Ichigo was asking for help, even though it was putting a huge strain on them both. Rinzler might be a dubious ally, but he'd just saved Ichigo's life. Only fair to return the favor.

Descending like a dark comet, the black, and red energy is this time kept contained within his sword, making the blade seem to burn on it's own. As he swing down, the white hollow mask formed over Ichigo's face, giving just enough extra energy into the attack to maybe pull this off.

The fire, and sword barely avoid slashing Rinzler in the process of the serpent's thrashing, but as he descends in a long arc, the burning blade bisects the animal's skull straight down the middle, and not stopping as it cut through scale, bone, and flesh alike. With it's head in two pieces, the serpent was dead before it hit the ground.

[holeheart]

Shiro panted, unable to do much else even without calling its name. He gets down on one knee, panting hard and using Zangetsu to support himself. Shit... shouldn't'a... done that...

But then thankfulness, and a request. 11 seconds? That was the best Ichigo could manage way back when he had first beaten Shiro. I don't know... I'll give you what I can...

Energy surges around the Hollow, then zooms from his end of the chain to Ichigo's. Do what you can!

Shiro moved out of the way, scampering away from the snake, from Rinzler, from the crevasse with the snakes. His sword only serves to slash wildly at anything that gets too close; there's not much else can do while Ichigo uses the mask. But it worked. Thank fucking god it worked. The snake's bisected body hits the ground with a loud thud. Now Shiro is crawling back towards the snake, rolling it over to give him access to its underside. He stabs his blade into it, absorbing reishi from it, then digs in with his claws, looking for the heart.

He needed this right now. The snake's heart was still beating from all the energy still coursing through its body. He needs that!

[notglitching]

Rinzler was clinging on, just starting to edge sideways towards the other socket, when a flash behind caught his attention. The user was falling, dropping from above (how had he gotten up?) sword an arc of heat and darkness.

The program twists back to the side, then pushes off as the weapon burns through the air, digs into the creature below and slices cleanly through. Rinzler lands, turns, and promptly drops as the impact of the falling snake shakes the already cracked and fissured ground. He comes up in a roll, weapon lashing out to the side to lop off the flailing limbs of a half-trapped corpse-creature.

The helmet snaps back towards the others with something between shock and interest even as he flings a disk out towards the nearest surviving threat. That, he hadn't expected.

[savior_n_black]

The downed Serpent would help Shiro a lot, and Ichigo dispels the hollow mask in another flash of black, and crimson energy quickly. If he didn't absolutely need it, he wouldn't use it, but while Shiro was busy consuming a larger amount of reishi, Ichigo blurs out of sight once, then back again to slash apart one of the smaller locusts making a break for them.

Rinzler's disk is flying in long arcs, but without using Getsuga, Ichigo is limited to a flurry of up close strikes. It's ungainly, and not perfectly coordinated in the least, but between the program, and the human, they're doing a rather good job of trading off between long, and short range attacks. Even going so far as Ichigo using a burst of shunpo to jump over Rinzler's crouched form, and meet the reanimanti that were using their fallen to increase their grotesquely mutated piles of limbs.

We have to burn them!

[holeheart]

Shiro wasn't complaining at all. Rinzler being there meant that both Ichigo and his back were covered, while Shiro ate. And the snake was wonderful, even if the meat was blackish red and probably toxic to any other creature. There was the heart.... delicious. And so full of energy. It was the spiritual center of the animal, and all of the reishi poured into him. Lapping off the blood allowed him to get every last bit. Shiro had become very good at eating fast, and he didn't need to breathe often, so choking wasn't an issue. He licks his lips and grab his sword.

Then it's right back to the fray. Locusts and reanimati. Their numbers are finally decreasing, this wave almost done for. But they still needed to destroy them.

"How? I can't use Cero right now!"

[notglitching]

Rinzler's primary focus had been on the oversized bugs. His disks tended less towards sticking in the hard shells than the soft fleshy meat of the reassembled corpses. And the locusts didn't bleed like users.

The 'shouted' thoughts make him take a second look. He'd encountered these creatures before, but in these numbers... they were replenishing too fast. As far as threats go, they're not as dangerous as most-slow, stupid, less mobile than the flying opponents. But they keep coming.

The program hesitates, calculates-then runs for the nearest structure, disks merging in a hand. He pushes as much speed as he can manage (still too slow) into the motion as he steps up, grabs and flings past a low ledge, reaches for a balcony-window-roof. It's two stories, plus a low wall at the top-not enough. Doesn't matter.

His disk docks on his back as his other hand snatches his remaining baton. The ISO damaged one function, but this... should work. Rinzler launches off the edge as the jet rezzes around him in lines of blue, jerks to face the crawling creatures and their pile of twisted limbs. There's a moment's frozen stutter, a faint nudge up to avoid proximity to the user-and he clenches both hands around the triggers in a wide burst of bright fire.

The drop is far too short.