The monster and the druggy [Sol Vihata] [Osaka]

Cherry blossoms were setting in quite nicely this year, Sol mused as he stared up from the park bench he laid on. Pedals fell here and there, pushed about by a mild gust of wind, and the vagrant dragged his lethargic form into an upright position. Once again, he had no idea how he had gotten to where he was now, but the place was familiar enough that he could peg it as Osaka. How many times had he been here? Twice? Maybe he'd actually get to see the castle this time around. Rummaging through his coat pockets, he fished out a bottle and slammed down several capsules when the whispers in his head started picking up tempo.

Grinding them pills between gnashing teeth, Sol brought his glossed over gaze to the people walking by. It was a pretty day. Too pretty for the voices to be scrambling about like mad the way they were. Wincing when the screaming in his head took a high pitch, Sol hauled himself from his resting place, bones creaking and muscles crying out in protest. A small child stood next to him, soccer ball in hand and a nose that couldn't contain the large snot bubble dripping from it. Raising a brow, he looked around only to find others were ignoring them both. Odd...usually people were quick to pull a child away from a ragged looking vagrant like himself. Milling about, making every straining effort to pretend he wasn't there.

If not for his appearance, then most definitely that unwashed stink that accompanied him. Taking a closer look at the boy, he noticed a small chain hanging from the child's chest and his stomach twisted into knots at the thought. Nope, nope, just an illusion.

“You can see me? Do you want to play, Hobo-san?” The child asked, Sol's left eye twitching. Sure, he was a vagabond, a bum, a homeless wanderer. But that didn't mean he liked people calling him that. Snatching the ball, he tossed it with all his strength, the boy's eyes sparkling as he laughed and hollered while chasing after it. Mumbling some curses, and shooting a glare at the people staring at a man who just swung his arm about wildly at nothing, Sol went about fetching his dufflebag. Voices prodded in his mind, increasing their jibberish. He didn't want to be caught up playing with things that weren't there, even if h--

A scream and a crunch caused a wave of goosebumps across every inch of his skin. The previously gentle wind was now replaced by an inconsistent zephyr powered by a steady beating sound. Slowly looking over his shoulder, Sol could see the giant insectoid hunched over. The ball rolled away from it, slowly dispersing into blue particles. Once again, peopled milled about aimlessly, passing through the beast and hunching their shoulders against the wind. His right eye burned and the voices plagued his mind with insults and miserable opinions. Snarling, caring little if the boy or the monster were truly real, the white-haired vagabond charged the beast that seemed just as startled as he had been.

Screams from panicked people filled the park, cherry blossom pedals being kicked up as everyone saw fit to escape from the screaming madman. His fist collided into the creature's face, it's teeth sharp and jagged cutting into knuckles. Back by an unseen force, the ground pried apart and launched the creature further. Slamming through a tree, splinters and pedals exploding in every direction, only increased the panic. Sol didn't care, he just wanted it dead. Dead, dead, kill the the dead, eat the soul of the soul eater, pry and scream, shambling, oh, mama, the people run, why do they run? They run because fuck you! Hahaehehehe!!

A red tint glossed over his eye as he leapt upon the creature, it's skeletal face chomping at his as the vagrant swatted aside sword-like legs that tried to pierce him. It tried to flip around, to beat its wings furiously and excrete some yellow powder but Sol wasn't having any of that, keeping the creature pinned with his forearm as his face darted dangerously towards the monster's neck. Managing to hook one of its legs alongside his stomach, it threw him aside before he could go about ripping its throat out with his teeth. Tumbling across the park, smashing through sculptures and hitting a tree with a sturdy thud, Sol was about to charge back at the creature until he saw what he could only describe as a werewolf. All he could sense from it was that it had the same taint, the same smell, the same vicious aura the giant bug had. Gritting his teeth, the red tint in his right eye intensifying, Sol picked up a chunk of stone from one of the sculptures and chucked it at the new creature. It smacked the beast upside the head, drawing its attention.

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WC: 822

GP: 16

Total GP: 16

The only reason Chainhunter didn't start running as fast as he could when he detected the presence of the young plus was because his body was already pushing itself to its absolute limits. That was the target? Why would a hollow even want a meal that small, that weak, and reeking of so much innocence that Chainhunter could literally smell it from over a mile away!? No, it couldn't happen, this would not happen, he absolutely would not allow this child to be consumed, to die a horrible terrifying death in the jaws of that insect! Chainhuter would not let that happen, HE COULD NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!

But it did happen. Chainhunter was still almost mile away when he felt the tiny spark of reitsu disappear. No. He searched again, reaching out his spirit, grasping desperately for even the tiniest hint of a life where the plus had been, where the hollow was. NO! There was nothing, no sign of the little one, only the humans and the insect that had just gobbled up an innocent life. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Chainhunter's vision was tinted with red as he ran on. His rage blotting out every thought, every other feeling. Even the hunger, usually so all-consuming itself was completely eclipsed by the total fury he felt at knowing another life was snuffed out by the evil he had allowed to escape. All Chainhunter could think about was how he would kill that worthless, cowardly, pathetic, weak little insect! Tearing, ripping, biting, choking, blasting, thrashing it until it felt every bit of pain it deserved, and then making it watch as chainhunter consumed whatever little  pathetic bit of power such a cowardly excuse for a hollow could possibly have! 

As he turned the final corner to get a look at the object of his hatred he saw a mortal fly into view from his right, and slam into a tree in front of him. This only made Chainhunter's vision flash an even deeper shade of red as he automatically assumed this human was also under attack by the moth hollow. He looked over in the direction the human had flown from and sure enough there it was. The wretched creature was just standing there, shaking itself like a wet dog. Chainhunter's already beast like mind was much too suffocated with rage to even wonder why it was doing that. The only thoughts in his head were plans and images of him wrapping a chain around the monster's throat and choking it to death while he ate it alive at the same time.

Before he got a chance to put this plan into motion however his vision jerked to the right as an explosion of pain shot through his masked head. He saw the rock hit the ground next to him and barked as he jerked his head back to the left to see what slimy idiot had decided it wanted to die a violent death. He was genuinly shocked to see the human that he had just watch rocket into a tree standing on both feet and looking at him with hate in his red eyes. Wait, red eyes? No, only one red eye, the other one had just looked red because of the veil of rage that had clouded Chainhunters vision. He didn't know, or even bother to think about why this human could see him or why he had thrown a rock at a hollow's head but it didn't matter. He'd crack the human's skull after he had torn out the moth's throat. With a final growl of warning to the human Chainhunter charged toward his real target and immediately got a chain ready to throw as the monster started to jump into the air. This thing was absolutely NOT escaping him again!

WC:632

GP:12

TGP:18

(reseting GP after this post)

It growled at him. It growled and turned away, not giving the vagrant a shred of its attention. Gritting his teeth as he snapped to his feet, Sol balled his fists but stumbled forward soon after. His right eye blazed, red smoke billowing from it like a chimney as the voices chattered wildly. It balks, it laughs, it giggles, oh good little doggy it is, it smells, momma! Mère, the wolf, da volk, gai láng, it wants to blow down the piggy's house! No, nein, neit, it wants to crunch. Butterfly wings, so lovely! Láncok kötődnek, chains that bind, of fate and time. Fangs of Poine, spirit of vengeance! Oh, that was a terrible Cage mov-Da! Help me! Taste the blood, the black, de sev, the dark, sufrir, suffer the sufferer!

Taking hold of his stomach, he pulled his hand away to see it covered in a dark crimson. The white-haired vagabond hadn't even noticed the bug had cut him. Letting out a sharp exhale of air, Sol saw the chain from the wolf wrap around one leg of the moth. Pulling tight, a sense of approaching victory exuded from the creature. His skin burned, hot to the touch, as he stood up straight and bolted towards the hound.

Suddenly the insect that was being pulled down began to beat its ridiculous wings all the faster, the speed sending waves of sharp wind that nipped at the skin and caused cherry blossom pedals to spin into a breath-taking whirlwind. Muscles in his calves expanded and contracted rapidly, massaged and stimulated by an unseen force as it helped him push off the ground and bound into an impressive leap. The moth had managed to gain enough speed and momentum to lift the werewolf from the earth, but Sol was there with a feral scream of his own as he vaulted off the head of the wolf and launched himself at the insect as it took off into the air.

He could deal with the beast later, the demon that could fly would be more difficult to catch. Grabbing a handful of its black fur and gripping tightly, it let out a deafening cry and tried to shake Sol free. It spun in the air, erratically flying back and forth trying to shake both Sol and the wolf that had chained itself to the creature. Refusing to let go and not caring how high up in the air he was, Sol threw his arm back and slammed his fist into the spine of the roaring moth-demon.

Its wings sputtered in their rapid-flapping, causing the trio to dip and slide along the edge of a sky-scrapper. Glass cracked and threatened to shatter as the creature tried to slam the vagrant and the wolf in tow into the building. Reaching new heights, Sol lost his grip and tumbled back as the moth angled upward. Wind rushed by him, vertigo setting in as he frantically tried to grab something solid to hold. Taking a fistful of the creature's fur at its rear, the vagrant growled in protest as he looked down. Wisps of clouds sped passed them, the chill of the wind almost overpowering the heat that emanated from his skin. Still his right eye burned fierce.

Screaming though his voice wasn't to be heard in the whipping speed of the wind, Sol slammed his fist into the body of the insect. His will manifested, the vagrant's fist exploded into the moth-demon who let out a blood-curdling screech as it started to spiral down. Never releasing his grip, the white-haired man's crazed eyes grew wider as the beast slammed into the top wall of a castle. Toppling head over heels, Sol was launched from the creature and tumbled to the earth below.

Bones snapped and rocks cut into his skin as he skipped across the dirt like a rock across a pond. Pain, blood, crimson vision, anger. Body smashing through a tree, Sol could barely make out the screams of panicked citizens as he finally came to a halt. Blood dripped from his head and he would've been happy to lay there if the burning in his right eye hadn't ceased. Heat prickled his skin from more than injury as Sol pushed himself up to wobbly legs.

Quite a mess had been made in the park, trees torn and cherry blossoms scattered in the air along with clouds of dust. The wall of the old castle was missing a huge chunk out of its top but Sol ground his teeth when he caught the tip of the moth's wing dip over the wall. It was heading towards the old castle. An old castle once fortified by a strong wall and now surrounded by a sea of cherry blossoms for tourists to enjoy. Ignoring the injuries, as many as there were, and the indecent chants of the voices in his head egging him on, the vagrant lifted his beaten body from the ground. And just as suddenly they flared up in warning, like bells going off. Big bad, big bad, come to get you! Oh, I bet he's into bondage! Teeth and chains, les dents et les chaînes! To tie you up and feast, oh but not so much a feast as a snack for he has the fun, er hat das spiel, he wants to play! Játszani a bug és lánc, oh daddy, o detka, lets play those fifty shades between demons!

Only a short distance away was the wolf adorned in chains. It had managed to survive the fall just as well, if not better than Sol had managed. The tattered pupil in his right eye responded as it began to quake and rotate slowly. And ceased as what the wolf did next managed to pierce the cacophony of scrambling voices in his mind.

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WC: 972

GP: 19

Total GP: 35

The chain wrapped tightly around the monster's leg, which was good. The moth responded by flying off with Chainhunter in tow, which was bad. The wind tried to tear Chainhunter to pieces, and the moth’s erratic flight had him bouncing in the air. Even so he would not allow his grip to loosen and instead brought up his other hand to the chain, doubling the strength of his grasp. He did not expect a foot to suddenly come down on his face. Had he not been so focused on keeping hold to the chain and the prey he may have been knocked down when the human suddenly used his mask as a stepping stone to get closer to the creature, but then again if he hadn’t been so focused on this hunt he might have seen the human coming as well.

Chainhunter watched in amazement as the mortal, that same little flesh bag that had had the audacity to throw a rock at him, grabbed onto the fur of his prey’s back. This one was too brave for his own good. Did he not realize that he was attacking his natural predator? Though, watching the battle one might mistake the human for the predator and the moth for the prey. Realizing it was now in the clutches of not one but two opponents the hollow started trying to shake them off, flying even more erratically, and trying to smash them into buildings. Time after time Chainhunter was slammed into the concrete of the human’s creations, and he watched as the human struggled to keep its grip on the thin handful of fur the kept him from a deadly fall as the moth twisted and spun and used the full power of the G-forces that it could muster, but neither wolf nor human would relent.

Finally the mortal lost his grip for a moment, but quickly managed to grab another patch of the hollow’s fur, this time a bit lower. Apparently tired of flying rag-doll airlines, the mortal reared back his fist, and punched the bug! A mortal punching a hollow that must have been ten times his own size seemed like a move of desperation or madness at first glance, except for the part where the insect’s abdomen exploded where the fist met it. Chainhunter’s eyes widened at the sight of a human wounding a hollow so, before he was slammed into yet another skyscraper by the moth’s lurching in pain. What had he just seen? Had the human used some sort of cero or something? There must have been something more to it. No simple punch, regardless of the strength behind it, could cause the kind of bloody explosion he had just witnessed.

Regardless, they all had more important things to be thinking about at the moment. Whatever the mortal had done, it had apparently hurt bad enough to cause the moth to lose control, and while their prey losing its ability to fly was a good thing overall, it also meant that Chainhunter and the human were now falling to the hard earth below along with their enemy, and there was nothing they could do about it. Chainhunter didn’t know what the human experienced, but for the hollow the ground hurt a lot more than the buildings had, and he finally had to let go of his chain as he rolled along the stony ground like a ragdoll. Well, “let go” wasn’t really accurate, it was more like he lost all chain-related concentration causing the ghostly metal to fade from existence.

Chainhunter shook himself like a dog as he struggled to lift himself up. The prey had apparently crashed into some sort of castle in the middle of a park. The cherry blossoms filled the area with a sweet scent, which was a bit nauseating to one with a strong sense of smell like Chainhunter. The whole area was filled with mortals, most of which were looking around at the aftermath of their crash-landing with shock and horror. There was only one mortal that Chainhunter really cared about at the moment though, and he was laying under a tree that he had apparently crashed into. He really should stop getting thrown into trees, it couldn’t be good for his health.

Chainhunter started walking toward the human, which was kind of painful with all of the bruises and cuts he had sustained when he hit the ground. He had never seen a human with the kind of power this one had, or any power for that matter. Let alone a human willing to attack a hollow. Chainhunter wasn’t sure what to make of this mortal, but one thing was clear, they both wanted the moth dead, and the moth wasn’t dead yet. Oh it was hurt to be sure, its reiatsu was significantly weaker than before, but Chainhunter could still feel it, somewhere on the other end of the castle.

“Fight with me.” He said simply, and then turned and ran toward the castle, toward the prey. It seemed kind of pointless really, telling the human to do exactly what he had been doing before, but he felt obligated to ask. Though, the words that came out of his mouth hadn’t really been a question. Of course they weren’t like an order either, more of a… statement? Instruction perhaps? No matter, Chainhunter had faith that the mortal would understand, and the two of them would end the moth’s life together.

Speaking of which, Chainhunter had hardly moved three feet before their prey appeared once again, hovering over the castle, looking hurt and angry. With a mighty roar the moth let loose the ability their kind was most known for, the cero. A sickly green light shot towards the mortal, carrying with it the moth’s only desire. Kill. Moving more quickly than he ever had before Chainhunter put his own body between that of the mortal and the moth, and shot his own cero in answer. The two were equal in strength, and the hollows found themselves in a stalemate, each trying to sustain the cero a little longer than the other, or strengthen it a little more. Then there was the human, the wild card, standing behind Chainhunter. It would be him to decide the winner of this contest.

WC:1050

GP:21[claimed]

It had talked to him. Actually talked to him. No, not just that…it has asked him to cooperate. Had a demon ever done that before? They either attacked like wild beasts hellbent on destruction or spout off nonsense about Sol being at the bottom of the food chain. That thought broke the silence in the vagrant’s mind, jeers and vulgar insults sifted through. Demon? EatEaTateAtEATeat!? You! You, him, us, nonono, YES, you eat, not to be eaten, pick the teeth with their bones, draw in, oh, draw, to paint, paint us a pretty, oh yes, a pretty picture!

Slack jawed, unable to give an answer, the white-haired man just stood flustered and confused. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his hand over his right eye as the wolf turned to give chase to the moth. Red smoke seeped through his fingers and continued to rise and then dissipate. What should he do? The voices and his own instincts told him he should smash the beast’s head in while his back is turned. To pounce on him, rip fur and flesh from it and devour the creature, to make it feel what it was to be…

Bright emerald light encompassed his vision, a perversion as to what light should be. Danger screamed out of every pore of his body, he was shivering like mad as his eyes widened. Yet instead of moving, he just stood there staring like an insect drawn to a flame. And rest assured, he would have burned had the wolf not suddenly appeared before him and fired its own blast.

Color cascaded all around him, flaring and flashing like a chaotic dance. Harsh light snuffed out the midday sun, Sol not able to take his eyes off the back of the beast that stood in the way of the bug’s destructive power. Not only had it spoken to him, it defended him. Like some big, fluffy savior made of teeth and claws. Yet even with that in mind the voices still whispered in his head, told him to kill them both. Let them battle it out, to stand aside and finish the worn out victor.

It was all happening too quickly, his body ached and bled, the bones in his legs and arms felt smashed and several thick splinters of wood jutted from his skin. He looked like he had been by a truck and he might as well have. They screamed in his head louder and louder, pounding on the wall that was his skull. A feast, a fight, they wanted so much from him and just being around these monsters made his skin burn hotter than the wounds he had sustained.

Letting out a feral scream, he darted around the wolf and sprinted underneath the beams towards the insect. Hundreds of voices roared in protest and that was all Sol needed to know he was making a better decision. They couldn’t be trusted, he had to go with his gut. And his gut said that it was better to choose the one that didn’t devour a little boy right in front of him. Be damned the consequences, he wanted vengeance for the ghost child, he wanted the bug demon to suffer for it!

Dust swirled around him as he screeched to a halt, digging his heels deep into the ground as the invisible force whipped around him like a raging bull. Pivoting on his right foot, ignoring the searing pain erupt from it as more bones cracked, Sol swung his arm up in a violent uppercut. Red smoke gushed from his right eye as it glowed a deep crimson and the unseen force collided into the hovering monster with a satisfying crack under its chin. It’s skull-like mask cracked as its head swung up and its blast sputtered out, quickly overpowered by the wolf’s. Deadly energy rocketed through the air, ripping a large hole through the bug’s abdomen and practically tearing it into two.

It fell from the sky, the creature too defeated to even let out a death cry as it crashed into the castle. Every ragged breath the vagrant took was painful but he forced himself to take a deep breath as his arm fell to his side. His shoulders began to shake violently, more whispers rambling in his head, pulling at memories and other hurtful flaws to make him flinch and cave. Neck cracking as it suddenly twitched to the side, he began to giggle to himself as his grin widened.

Realizing what he was doing, he regained his composure quickly by slamming his fist into his face. Self-inflicted pain always seemed to stifle his insanity, he mused as he turned to the wolf. Blood poured from his nose and down his mouth, clinging to the rough patchwork that was his facial hair. At this point the entire location had been abandoned, people most likely screaming that a lone madman was destroying things with explosives. For what else could cause so much destruction?

Sol eyed the wolf, tilting his head to the side. They wanted him to eat this thing…it wouldn’t be so bad. The flesh of a monster, was it sweet? Bitter? Did it need a little pepper? He could test who was more injured…he could probably overcome the beast and his lasers. No, I...I don't want to. This demon…it made his skin crawl, made it burn and made his eye that painful red. Yet…it had saved him. Did it mean to or was Sol merely in the way? Questions…no…just one…just one needed to be answered…

“If I rip you open, beasty…will I find little red riding hood stuffed in your belly?” The vagrant asked, his eyes crazed as the red smoke continued to drift from his right eye. He had meant to ask if the wolf was going to hurt anyone but he felt that question would suffice. Sol doubted he had the strength to battle with the monster, despite what the overwhelming symphony of whispers told him…

But he’d be more than willing to see who could make it for the other’s throat first…

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WC: 1014

GP: 20

Total GP: 55

The human did not disappoint. As Chainhunter used the power of his cero to protect his new hunting partner, he returned the favor by dashing toward their mutual prey. Chainhunter did not see what happened next, but he felt the human and hollow’s reiatsu with his Pesquisa as the man unleashed a kind of power that no mere mortal should have been able to possess on the overgrown moth. The attack alone wasn’t enough to defeat it, but it was more than enough to give Chainhunter the advantage in their Cero tug-of-war, and when the light dimmed and the dust cleared, their enemy was dying from the massive hole in its mid-section.

Chainhunter stood in that spot for a moment, panting in an attempt to catch his breath. The Cero was a difficult technique, and sustaining it like that was quite taxing. But it had worked. They had won. A smile, hidden behind his mask, stretched across Chainhunters lips as he stared at the unmoving form of his prey, and after a moment he lifted his head to the sky, and gave the world his customary victory-howl.

With that done there was nothing left between him and his meal, and so he dove right in with the typical hollow gusto. He had already consumed an entire leg before he remembered his partner. With a chunk of flesh still making its way through his teeth, Chainhunter looked at the human who had helped him secure his kill. He was watching him, but he wasn’t eating. Was he afraid of Chainhunter? Was he waiting for an invitation to join in the feast? Did humans even eat hollows at all? Chainhunter really wasn’t in the habit of sharing his food, but then, he wasn’t in the habit of asking for help either. He wasn’t happy about it, and wasn’t even sure the mortal would accept, but he did deserve a prize as much as the hollow did. Chainhunter finally swallowed.

“Eat if you want. But I won’t wait for you.” He said and dove back into his meal. He expected the human to join him, to break off a leg or a chunk of its abdomen, or to say no. The question he got instead caught him completely off guard, so much so that it caused him to actually stop eating and stare at the man who had moments ago been his partner. At first he thought it was a threat. The words “rip you open” rarely meant anything else. But what in the world was little red riding hood? He said it like it was a name, was it a hollow? Or some other human he knew, maybe one that a hollow had eaten? Or was it just a joking way to make a threat.

Chainhunter sniffed the air. He hadn’t really had time to find out what the human smelled like before, but now seemed like a good time. Not that it helped much. The human, like so many others, had a scent that was too complex to read. It certainly didn’t smell like evil, but there was nothing in it to tell him definitively whether or not the guy was a threat. Chainhunter’s very instincts were torn. Part of him wanted to just assume the mortal had decided to betray him and take his food. That part of him wanted to attack him outright. Another part, specifically his Pesquisa, told him that was a horrible idea. Yet another part worried that it would be wrong to kill someone that didn’t really smell evil, and wondered if it was a threat at all. In the end he decided on wariness, watching the man closely as he gave the most honest answer his hunger-stricken mind could muster.

“If you attack me I will fight. I don’t know who “little red riding hood” is, but I only eat evil souls. Everyone else stinks.” 

WC:650

GP:13