Make Las Noches Great Again (closed, Ver)

Hueco Mundo never changed. That was it’s ‘thing’, really. A desert of eternal night filled with ageless, cannibalistic beasts. Verbrennung found the place dull as well as nostalgic. She had, after all, ‘grown up’ here in a sense. Most of those fond memories were simply of fights and meals, but they were fond nonetheless. Some comfort could be taken from a place that never changed, but it was also stagnant.

The Arrancar inhaled deeply as black foot met with white sand, a telltale sizzle emitting from beneath her with each step that she took. While she began her wanderings, that Raven of hers flew some distance above her. The creature liked to keep its senses perked as it rotated from flying ahead of its companion to flying behind. Always alert, always ready. Verbrennung could trust in the Raven to notify her of danger or intrigue while she mulled over recent happenings.

Reaching back with a hand, she ran blackened digits over the long since healed wound that the Miscreation had inflicted upon her shoulder. While his visage briefly danced in her mind—in all its intense glory—Verbrennung’s thoughts fixated more heavily on her experience with Albrecht and Freylief. A knot of wounded and resentful emotions welled up in her gut as she recalled the male Quincy’s demeanour and body language throughout the encounter. Nervousness, uncertainty, guardedness… The words he gave to the Arrancar seemed to be carefully chosen as if there was little trust there. While they had only met once before, the conversation they shared under the moonlight was treasured by the lonely Hollow-breed. He was her friend now, and hers alone. Freylief be damned.

‘Verbrennung.’ The mental voice of the Raven interrupted the woman’s internal gnashing of teeth. Her attentions piqued and she halted her steady march forward, stopping just at the edge of a steep sand dune. Her eyes swept over the plain of sand below that lead to the city she had always avoided: Las Noches. It appeared that Full-Masks were working hard tearing down any nearby quartz trees and bringing the materials back to the crumbling piece of civilization that had always stuck out amongst the empty wastes. The Raven landed on Verbrennung’s shoulder, folding its wings carefully as it regarded the scene alongside her.

‘What are they doing? Rebuilding the city? Mn… but why, or perhaps more importantly… for who?’ The Arrancar mused to the bird, her head tilting to one side as she regarded the city and its workers.

‘Perhaps if we stay and watch we will find out. Keep your senses spread.’ An agreeable enough plan, she thought, sinking down to sit in the sands and observe the going-ons in front of her.

The pair remained there for an hour, watching the Hollow-breeds work away and occasionally get into hunger-fueled squabbles. As time went on, the oddly-shaped Gillian perched above the others whom the pair had assumed was simply part of the construction crew began to prove itself as being different from the others, position-wise. It scolded the laborers, directed them and oversaw their work. How odd...

Neither being knew much of anything about the inner workings or the who’s-who of Las Noches, so they simply continued to watch in hopes of gaining information from a safe distance. After all, what if there was a powerful being within who was capable of hiding their signature? They couldn't take the risk that, if such a being was there, it would be friendly.


[580]

Cazador had just let the other hollows go to hunt, he watched some move back towards Las Noches to find a easy meal while other headed down into the forest below to hunt for more difficult prey, some weak ones even tore holes in the air to claw their way to the world of the living. As they finally had all left the king he spread his wings and took to the air once more, he found it easier to swoop his prey from above, often impaling them upon his spear like tail. He looked downwards as he spotted a arrancar, he wondered how long they had been by the sand dune, or why they weren't in the city itself. He rarely if ever saw arrancar leave Las Noches proper, coming in low towards the arrancar, he noticed she looked quite human-like except for the mask fragment and the ashen tone of her skin. He closed his wings as he skidded to a halt, leaving a small trench from the force of his feet against the sand. He called forth his reiatsu to wreath him in arcs of electrical light, leaping about him as if ready to strike. He drew himself up to his full height as if to intimidate the arrancar. “Who are you?” his wings opened and closed as he settled them, his tail slowly swishing from side to side, tracing a line in the sand.



He looked closer at the woman, crossing his arms over his chest as he peered down on the woman, he noticed the raven as well if some curiosity, He didn't see a weapon on the arrancar which struck him as strange, while he was used to arrancar not having normal sword like zanpakuto of the shinigami he had never seen one without one before. “Where is your blade, arrancar?” He looked through his memories and gave a small huff, “I don't recall seeing or sensing you in Las Noches before. Do you fear your king that greatly?” A twisted smile grew across the draconic mask, before he started to laugh. “Never have I seen a arrancar scared of myself yet.” He crouched low to make eye contact with Verbrennung, “You do well to fear me though, you are safe enough for now.” He laughed once more as he stood up straight, “Is the bird your pet?”



Something still seemed wrong to Cazador, while he enjoyed the thought that he had never seen the arrancar cause she feared him he also doubted the accuracy of that. So why then did he not know of this arrancar? Was she just freshly turned into a arrancar from a hollow? He knew enough about arrancar to know if a gillian such as himself removed their mask, that they more often then not did not look as human as she did. He wasn't great at sensing reiatsu in the first place but he did not sense a great gap in their power. Had he really grown that close to adjuchas in such a short period of time?

WC 510/1071

Like a swarm dispersing from its hive, Verbrennung and the Raven watched as the Full-Masks scattered to the wastes in search of fellow beasts to satiate their hunger. However, the Hollow-breed that felt like a Gillian yet looked like an Adjuchas stayed in the general area, taking to the skies to feed. The pair watched the oddity in silence, observing its movements and hunting methods until it spotted them. Verbrennung wasn’t trying to hide her presence, and thus, was unsurprised when the beast descended upon them. Nevertheless, she prepared herself. The Full-Masks could be unpredictable, after all.

The draconic creature landed before the Arrancar, skidding along the sands before coming to a full stop. Verbrennung tilted her head in curiosity as the Gillian-Thing reared up to stand upon its hind legs and allowed its reiatsu to wreath its body in discharges of electricity. Was it trying to mimic her own fires that naturally bloomed from her shoulders? Intimidate her perhaps? Both? She found herself feeling confused more than anything. It didn't help that its swishing tail reminded her more of an irate cat than of a monster.

“Who are you?” It asked in tone that was closer to a demand than actual inquiry. Surprise lined her features openly, the emotion had hit her so quickly she had had no time to physically hide it. The Arrancar had been preparing to be sized up or possibly for a fight to break out but not for the Gillian to speak. Such an evolution of Hollow-breed was not known for their… discourse.

Shock lingered in the mind of Verbrennung as it eyed her over, its arms folded over its chest all the while pressing the sable woman for answers. She remained seated as the encounter unfolded, red eyes meeting with yellow. Listening seemed like the smartest thing to do for now, though, it was evident that her face struggled to remain straight. Her lips twitched when the Gillian asked if she feared her king so greatly. Fear her king? Who? She had a king? What…?

“Never have I seen an Arrancar scared of myself yet. You do well to fear me, though, you are safe enough for now.”

Verbrennung stared at the creature blankly for a long moment, her lips pressing into a forced, thin line. When her resolve finally deteriorated beyond her control from the ridiculous things she was hearing, laughter broke free of her. This sound was accompanied by plumes of smoke spewing from her and a disapproving glare from the Raven upon her shoulder.

“I… Excuse me? Here I sit in awe that a Gillian can speak beyond the language of beasts and you proclaim yourself a feared king? MY king at that!” She spoke with a mixture of disbelief and amusement, “You may be an oddly shaped Gillian but unless you are hiding some substantial power… You are still a Gillian yet.” At the end of her spiel, the Arrancar shook her head.

“I am Verbrennung, one who has never set foot within Las Noches.” Her head canted to the side, “And who are you who proclaims yourself my king?” The question was spoken with genuine curiosity. Never before had she been in a situation like this so her thoughts weighed more heavily on her own questions versus providing answers to the “king’s”.


[554 - 1134]

Cazador could hardly contain himself as he saw the growing look of humor on the arrancar's face, his patience wore through when she had the gall to laugh in his face. The look of disbelief grew on Cazador as he thought back to when he met Octavia and how she too had dismissed him at first, his swishing tail came to a stop as he felt his grip on his temper slip when she mentions that he was still merely a gillian. His reiatsu grew thick in the air, the feel of a rising storm, “I am THE King of Hueco Mundo, Cazador Del Tormenta.” A sudden surge of electricity from his finger as it pointed at Verbrennung's feet, the bolt arcing from his fingertip to the ground at the woman's feet fusing in the heat to make glass. “You, Verbrennung, I'll give you this insolence one time, due to lack of knowledge. I expect you not to speak with such disregard for my station again unless you mean to make me a foe.”



The wings of the hollow flared around his body to make him look larger then he was in his attempt to intimidate the arrancar, he was still curious about the ashen woman though, and of the bird that seemed to travel with her. “I will admit I'm curious you're a arrancar that claims to never have set foot in Las Noches nor have you of the king of Las Noches. I find this hard to believe, never have I encountered a arrancar who did not come from Las Noches.” He settled himself after the outburst, his stern reminder sent and yet he was now on edge, how would this woman react to his threats? The young king was slowly learning there were limits to how far he could push before things turned to lash back at him.



He thought back to his encounter with Octavia, he had been marginally successful with her but had the fight been needed? He knew he felt good after yet was that because he achieved his goal or due to fighting with the woman. The gillian soon grew lost in thought as he stared at the arrancar before him, giving his head a shake to refocus on the task at hand. “Tell me of your journey here, Verbrennung.” He decided that perhaps listening would gain him more followers then force alone. He relaxed his posture more as he ruffled his wings trying to make them more comfortable as he relaxed in position.

WC 421/1492

During her encounter with the Miscreation, Verbrennung had found her mind filled with little rationality. She had felt she was facing her imminent death—and thus—her body had become like that of a cornered wild cat's: tense with anxiety. Now that the Arrancar was faced with a Gillian proclaiming itself above her, she couldn't help but wonder if this was a joke. Were there more powerful Full-Masks or Arrancar hiding nearby? Observing what occurred between the two? Or was this truly it? While primal fear wasn't pumping adrenaline through her veins, she kept a preparedness about her just in case a fight broke out. Until tempers flared beyond control, the Arrancar and the Raven simply… observed as the self-proclaimed King took in the words, the tone, and the body language of Verbrennung. It didn't matter which language this creature spoke fluently as the woman had clearly said in every possible way that she thought the Gillian was a joke.

Ozone filled the air as the Gillian made its rage known for her dismissive words, even going so far as letting a bolt of its electricity strike the ground at her feet. As Verbrennung eyed the newly formed patch of glass in front of her, Cazador began to proclaim that it would see past her ‘insolence’ this time as she didn’t know any better… if she pressed on, however, she would gain a foe. The slight, upward curve of her lips demonstrated in a simple to understand manner what she thought of that statement.

Verbrennung pushed herself to her feet after the Gillian fell silent, casually brushing white sand from her nude form. It had made known its curiosity towards her origins; never before had Cazador met an Arrancar who had not only never been inside Las Noches but also never heard of the King. She offered the creature a shrug of a shoulder at its words, the Raven hopping down as she did so to walk along the sands with a stern, watchful gaze.

“What can I say? I felt no need to go there as I wasn't made there. My tale, however, brings with it a question for you, Cazador.” She set an index finger upon her chin as she regarded the Gillian, “My journey… Mn, well my journey brought me here to rest after a great many days of battle within the Soul Society. It’s curious that the ‘King’ of Hueco Mundo is not up there with the rest of the horde. What is an army without a commander, after all?”

Those red-on-black eyes of hers examined every twitch of the draconic mask Cazador possessed, “Did you even know an army of Hollow and Arrancar were invading the Seireitei, or did you just slide into the ruins of Las Noches and hope to take over while everyone was busy?” An amused smile spread over her lips.

“And yet you have the boldness to tell me to watch what I say? You’ve not earned the respect of the beasts to give out such warnings. If anything, Cazador, you should watch yourself lest you make me your foe.” The charred woman allowed her reiatsu to flow freely in that moment, as if to give emphasis to her words in a manner that mimicked Cazador. The fire that burned upon her shoulders seemed to roar more intensely as she ceased all suppression. A growing warmth filled the air along with a more potent stink of ash and burning skin. This was the primal language of the spiritual beasts, yet still, she was curious how the 'King' would respond for he was at quite the crossroads...


[605 - 1739]

Cazador watched closely for any signs of aggression, while his posture may have been relaxed his mind was racing. He was trying to size the arrancar up, he sensed the difference between their reiatsu, while the gap wasn't huge, he could tell he was at the disadvantage should it come to fighting. As Verbrennung stood and began to brush sand from herself the dragon grew tense, ready for a attack at any moment, now that she was standing he lost a little more of any edge he held. A smile broke across Cazador's face when she brought up the invasion, “Oh yes, I do know we are fighting there. I was there, not as I am now, a different me. I blew up one of there buildings, I ate the shinigami that came out, then I...” The battle with Murat flashed before his mind bringing rage with it, “I was battling two shinigami, one strong one, Murat. I will kill him next time and I will consume him.” A sudden flare of the dragon's reiatsu at the thought of battling Murat once more, his aspect demanded his vengeance against the man. “As for not being with them, it's not my war, I didn't start it and it's not my fault the old king never returned. I would have gladly battled him for the position I now hold.”



He felt the release of the arrancar's reiatsu before he saw the fires upon her grow more intense, they both chose to use the language innate to all hollow and those arrancar willing to call back to their past. Pushing out as much reiatsu as he could the electric arcs leaped along the spines along his arms and a current formed between his horns. The sickly green in his reiatsu shifting and swirling about him, he couldn't hold himself back any further from this arrancar, her constant mocking of him. The dragon's hands curled into fists as he bellowed in rage, the iconic call of a gillian. He knew the sound put many on edge and even trained shinigami learned to grow more cautious when they heard it. A surge of electric energy shot into the sky overhead, three powerful bolts in rapid succession. The clear sky grew cloudy over head, arcs of lightning leaping back and forth between the clouds.



“Final chance Verbrennung! I have warned you once already or are you willing to bring my wrath down upon you?!?” The air between the two grew tense, the hollow's electric reiatsu clashing against the smoke and ash of the arrancar's, two creatures on the edge of battle. The dragon was ready to bring his full might against the arrancar, while he had been lucky last time he knew he couldn't rely on his luck again. This time he was ready for war.

WC 471/1963

Verbrennung listened to Cazador’s tale. It claimed it had indeed attended the invasion of Seireitei, even going so far as to describe how it had blown up a building and fought some Shinigami. One eaten, one… not. It seemed quite bitter about the Shinigami it called ‘Murat’. What the Arrancar took special note of, however, was that the Gillian said it had been a ‘different self’ then.

How curious, she thought. What did it mean by that? Had this Gillian only just evolved into such? Could it truly be that fresh from the evolutionary machine? Yet, here it was… dubbing itself King of the whole endless desert.

The creature that called itself royalty gave Verbrennung it’s final warning after she mocked it once more and displayed her flame-like reiatsu. Dare she risk its wrath, it threatened with claws balled angrily. To push home its point, Cazador called forth its reiatsu in a primal display of power. Electricity arced between its mask’s horns and static-filled clouds began to gather overhead. The Arrancar observed with muted amusement while the King showed off its display.

A thought was projected to Verbrennung's companion, ‘To the skies. I believe things are about to get messy.’ The Raven did not respond aloud or mentally; it simply took to the air with a few flaps of its wings. It circled silently above. Waiting.

“I do dare, Cazador, because I feel a tad insulted myself that you would call yourself my King. If the zealots of Las Noches want to gather and worship you, that’s their decision. However…” An anger rose in her voice; a tone that was a mixture of disbelief and disgust. What had begun as confusion and hilarity had grown into insult as Verbrennung realized it was serious about its claim, “To simply set yourself in a ruined fortress and decide you are the King of us ALL, well… That’s just horribly arrogant for a creature as weak as you.”

Her red-on-black eyes narrowed towards the Gillian, “It’s time you learned your place in this primal world.”

As the venomous words left her lips, a fiery Cero came tearing down from above.




[359 - 2098]

As the clouds gathered overhead the air filled with a hum from the clouds, Cazador left all reason behind and as if the raven taking to the air had been the green light for the battle to begin. The king looked down on Verbrennung, the arrancar clearly not bending knee through words alone, as much as these arrancar claimed to have been evolved they were no better then the full masks. In the end all they understood was force. The arrancar claimed to teach him his place in the primal world, she would soon learn he was no push over. His position as king might not have been well earned but the young gillian had a inner strength that defied logic. As his claws opened his palms bleeding from being balled into fists, as the ichor from the wound rose toward the horns of the hollow. Electric surges turned red with the blood they carried, shifting to a blue green as he charged the gran rey, his own variant on the cero mixed with his lightning. The cero from above was heralded by lightning, as the bolt came from above the cero, Cazador's gran rey met it from below. Showers of explosive material rained down, the gran rey had warped the space above the king as it left his horns. Now the king had been surprised by the force of the cero that his had met. “Your cero is strong.” The king's cero had carried on to the clouds above, mixing with the storm overhead as the clouds took on a sickly green light.



Cazador quickly searched his mind for his action, the storm was his best chance of catching the woman off guard. Opening a garganta above the clouds that linked into the sea in the human world, his wings spreading as he took flight, “Deserts in a storm are prone to flash flooding...” As the garganta finished opening into the human world seawater poured through, passing through the electrically charged storm crashing to the ground with force as Cazador closed the garganta. “This is the power of a king!” The wounds in his palm had already healed, charging energy around his claws before making a sweep over the battlefield with his palm, the bala sonico rained down swarms of quick bala smashing into the flooded desert.



As lightning flashed behind the king he looked for the raven of the arrancar, the first cero couldn't have come from her, was it a strange hollow that traveled with her? He didn't know but when he was done with Verbrennung he would find out, for now his mind focused on the battle before him, this arrancar would not be a push over.

WC 451/2414
--
reaction expert cero met by expert cero
action
hollow evolution novice (lightning storm) 
bala journeymen

Finally it was time for instinct to speak to instinct, she thought to herself, as the self-proclaimed King met her raven’s cero with a Gran Rey. The two explosive forces of fire and electricity tore against one another in a violent display of the spiritual power between the two beings. Through the growing primal tensions, Cazador complemented Verbrennung’s cero. She simply gave the creature a half-grin as the Gillian left her little time to retort. The Full-Mask quickly tore open a garganta and let a crashing torrent of seawater flood the area... Water that Cazador infused with surges of its electrical powers.

A hiss escaped the Arrancar— for as cliche as it was— the burning woman did indeed hate water. Such a suffocating and smothering thing it was… Such a tactic was smart, she could appreciate that, but that didn’t stop her from hating Cazador for it.

With a lift of her left knee— as if she were about to take a step up— Verbrennung seemed to simply stand there while the charged waters flooded against and around her. It wasn’t long before reality made itself known, however, as the ‘image’ of Ver vanished but a split moment later. Truthfully, the Arrancar had used Sonido to launch herself into the air above the deadly waters she so despised. What was left behind was simply an after image. With resentment burning through her veins, Verbrennung drug a canine tooth across her palm prior to landing behind the great dragon Gillian. Speed was what the Arrancar was counting on to see her through this fight to victory. She was not stealthy, nor was she physically impressive, but she did possess a certain swiftness to her movements and spiritual fires that burned like a volcano.

Verbrennung lifted a hand once she landed behind Cazador, the glow of her molten blood mixing with the energy charging in front of the Hollow hole in her left palm. The King had been gracious enough to show her its Gran Rey Cero— an impressive feat for a Gillian indeed— and she felt she should return the favour. No, it hadn’t flourished the technique at her back but she really hated water. A little revenge was in order, and with this thought in mind, a certain glee could be seen in the creases of her face; those red-on-black eyes having become orbs of orange heat whilst her Cero charged. Smoke and steam seemed to billow from between her gritted teeth as she let her fireball of a Gran Rey soar towards Cazador; a move that was followed up by a single Bala from the Raven above a moment later.


[441 - 2531]