Post by Alain Merrick on Jul 18, 2017 0:51:56 GMT -5
Merrick’s guardian, Josephine, had been dead for a little over thirty three years. At the time, she was believed to have been the victim of an unknown illness which had struck a very limited amount of the Rukongai population. Even the Shinigami had never seen anything like it. Thus, her death was nothing more than an unfortunate tragedy. As the years passed, Merrick began to develop a begrudging acceptance of her passing. He would never forget his dearly departed mother, but at least the loss had grown less painful. Nevertheless, he continued his pursuit of the medical arts which Josephine had unknowingly inspired. Having always been regaled in his youth by stories of the wise, benevolent Shinigami and their bottomless well of knowledge, eventually led him to join the ranks of the Gotei. Alain Merrick had become a medic of Third Division.
Five months ago and after more than three decades of silence, the mysterious disease which had killed his mother, was seen once again. One day, while traversing the corridors of the Seireitei General Hospital, Merrick overheard a conversation between two members of the senior medical staff. They spoke about a young boy who had fallen ill to some indeterminate affliction. Despite his belief that Josephine's death was behind him, he felt compelled to examine the report which his colleagues had mentioned. Upon reading the document for himself, he knew that the child was suffering from the same symptoms as his mother. In that moment, his wound was opened anew. The acceptance of his guardian’s death had been but a fiction, or worse, a subconscious coping mechanism. After reaching this realization, he made plans to visit the sick kid. Merrick may not have been able to do anything for Josephine, but perhaps he had a second chance at some much needed closure.
When he arrived at the home of the ailing minor, he immediately fell prey to an unforeseen assault at the hands of a cloaked and hooded figure. Obviously, Alain gave chase, but the assailant was simply too fast for the unseasoned Shinigami. In the ensuing fight, Merrick was badly injured and left for dead. He only survived because a random patrol had been in the vicinity and felt his waning reiatsu. The next few days would be spent recovering in a hospital bed. In that brief time, he would conclude that Josephine’s death was murder and not some random illness. Now it had to be proven. Since he trusted no one to aid him in this endeavor, he launched a one man investigation into the death of his guardian and the mysterious Rukongai malady. Unfortunately, after months of steady investigating, he had turned up next to nothing and was quickly running out of leads. However, his patience and diligence was about to be rewarded.
During a recent visit to Fifth Division for zanjutsu training, Merrick happened upon a female member boasting about one of her latest hollow kills. Finding such exploits petty, he tuned her out almost instantly. Yet she made one comment which stuck with him, a number of hollows in the human world were dying, but not by Shinigami hands. At the time, the statement meant nothing to the Third Division medic, but the words had been filed away in his head. A few days later, he heard a similar remark from a patient in the hospital who had just returned from the realm of the living. To say the least, his interest was growing, but he still hadn’t made the connection. This would occur two weeks later when Alain sought out Shinsei Madarame and Fourth Division to ascertain the progress of his special project. While waiting in one of the squad’s testing facilities, some members of the research and engineering departments were discussing a recent earth realm report. It detailed hollows expiring due to a loss of life force. All of the pieces had just fallen into place.
None of these conversations or reports would have been illuminating on their own, but combined, they described the symptoms of the Rukongai illness. He had just stumbled upon a lead, but nearly three weeks had passed due to his inability to make a connection. As such, he needed to travel to earth as soon as possible, but not before obtaining copies of any reports detailing the incidents. Likewise, the Gotei didn’t look kindly upon their people going awol. Therefore, he needed to fabricate a reasonable motive for the trip. This came at the hands of the acting Captain of Third Division, and Chief of Medicine who had offered Alain an extended secondment in the human realm when he first joined the squad. Finally, the time had come to accept the month long medical posting. Within days, he had approval and was ready to depart on his month long investigation . . .
Tokyo, Japan. He had been to the city only one other time. During that assignment, he was acting as support for some inane Fifth Division initiation. It had been a waste of his talents, but at least the task was brief. The downside was that he didn’t have a chance to familiarize himself with the modern metropolis. As a result, it took days to look into the previous hollow deaths instead of hours. He was also visiting locations as much as four weeks after the initial incidents. This yielded next to nothing in the way of clues, but he felt comfortable making one plausible deduction. The hollows were being attacked and killed within a particular section of Tokyo. He couldn’t dismiss the possibility of a Shinigami patrol or other spiritual entity being responsible, but the reports suspected neither. So the next option would be to stake-out the territory. It provided him with his best opportunity to respond at a moment’s notice and perhaps catch someone in the act.
Four days after his initial investigation and there had yet to be a recurring instance of the suspicious hollow death. There were a few occasions when it was necessary to dispatch a hollow, but nothing else. Even then, he tried to wait until the last minute before finishing off. To his dismay, he had been unable to draw out an unsuspecting culprits. All of this changed on day five. From atop one of the many skyscrapers, Merrick was observing the jubilant nightlife of the populace. They have absolutely no idea. He was about to move to a different location when the denreishinki began to vibrate within his pocket. Upon removing the electronic device and glancing at the screen, he saw that a rather sizeable hollow presence was being detected south of his current position. He stretched out with his meager sense detection ability and confirmed the reiatsu signature. Stronger than anything that he had encountered in the previous week, it would have been unwise to put off its elimination for even a short while.
Leaping from the building, he employed shunpo to erase the distance between he and his target. Halfway to his destination, the denreishinki emitted a sonorous tone, indicating elimination of the hollow presence. This could be it. Not wanting to miss a potential chance, he summoned as much speed as he could muster. Within seconds, he was landing in a well-lit park. Conscious not to be taken unaware, his right hand fell to the hilt of the zanpakuto hanging at his left hip. Then he attempted to detect the hollow signature. Where did you go . . . there. Its reiatsu was weak and growing steadily weaker, but he managed to follow it. Interesting. Merrick was standing a short distance from a ten foot long wolf-like hollow with massive body. The beast was splayed along the ground and looked uninjured, but was somehow hemorrhaging life force. Uncertain of the danger present, he made a quick gesture with his free hand, erecting a transparent bluish-white barrier around the creature.
As he walked towards the barrier to examine the situation more closely, he began to sense a quick coalescing of energy at the opposite end of the park. Turning his head to the right, he was just in time to see a cloaked and hooded figure release a condensed ball of flame. You? Merrick was staring dumbfounded when the barrier was struck by the fiery blast, incinerating his construct and the warped soul within. The expanding wave of heat and flame knocked him to the ground and burned portions of his uniform. From his seated position, he could still see the humanoid silhouette through the inferno. And then, they vanished. Not this time dammit. Merrick jumped to his feet and was soon in pursuit. Although he hadn’t progressed much in sense detection and tracking since that night in the Rukongai, he had improved enough to locate the reiatsu signature of his quarry. In a matter seconds, the lithe form was in his visual range.
If Alain wanted answers, he needed to take the attacker alive. As the distance between them slowly decreased, he began to incant a binding spell. The words were whisper, but the stranger was vigilant. Glancing over their shoulder, they studied the Shinigami with a pair of glowing yellow eyes set within a face obscured by shadow. “Bakudo #9 Horin.” A bluish-white tendril formed in each hand. Holding them in clenched fists, the reishi ropes grew to form two lengthy whips which he used to lash at the fleeing enemy. Yet no matter how close Alain came to catching his foe, they were always able to weave their way through the swinging cords. Son of a . . . After one final evasive maneuver, the adversary offered a taunting shake of the head, followed by a burst of speed so sudden that they vanished without trace. With sight and reiatsu sense lost, Merrick stopped in mid-air with zanpakuto drawn, cautious of a surprise attack. He waited five minutes, then ten, and then twenty. Either his nemesis had an abundance of patience or they were truly gone. Leaning towards the latter, he returned to the park, but with blade in hand.
1669/1669
Five months ago and after more than three decades of silence, the mysterious disease which had killed his mother, was seen once again. One day, while traversing the corridors of the Seireitei General Hospital, Merrick overheard a conversation between two members of the senior medical staff. They spoke about a young boy who had fallen ill to some indeterminate affliction. Despite his belief that Josephine's death was behind him, he felt compelled to examine the report which his colleagues had mentioned. Upon reading the document for himself, he knew that the child was suffering from the same symptoms as his mother. In that moment, his wound was opened anew. The acceptance of his guardian’s death had been but a fiction, or worse, a subconscious coping mechanism. After reaching this realization, he made plans to visit the sick kid. Merrick may not have been able to do anything for Josephine, but perhaps he had a second chance at some much needed closure.
When he arrived at the home of the ailing minor, he immediately fell prey to an unforeseen assault at the hands of a cloaked and hooded figure. Obviously, Alain gave chase, but the assailant was simply too fast for the unseasoned Shinigami. In the ensuing fight, Merrick was badly injured and left for dead. He only survived because a random patrol had been in the vicinity and felt his waning reiatsu. The next few days would be spent recovering in a hospital bed. In that brief time, he would conclude that Josephine’s death was murder and not some random illness. Now it had to be proven. Since he trusted no one to aid him in this endeavor, he launched a one man investigation into the death of his guardian and the mysterious Rukongai malady. Unfortunately, after months of steady investigating, he had turned up next to nothing and was quickly running out of leads. However, his patience and diligence was about to be rewarded.
During a recent visit to Fifth Division for zanjutsu training, Merrick happened upon a female member boasting about one of her latest hollow kills. Finding such exploits petty, he tuned her out almost instantly. Yet she made one comment which stuck with him, a number of hollows in the human world were dying, but not by Shinigami hands. At the time, the statement meant nothing to the Third Division medic, but the words had been filed away in his head. A few days later, he heard a similar remark from a patient in the hospital who had just returned from the realm of the living. To say the least, his interest was growing, but he still hadn’t made the connection. This would occur two weeks later when Alain sought out Shinsei Madarame and Fourth Division to ascertain the progress of his special project. While waiting in one of the squad’s testing facilities, some members of the research and engineering departments were discussing a recent earth realm report. It detailed hollows expiring due to a loss of life force. All of the pieces had just fallen into place.
None of these conversations or reports would have been illuminating on their own, but combined, they described the symptoms of the Rukongai illness. He had just stumbled upon a lead, but nearly three weeks had passed due to his inability to make a connection. As such, he needed to travel to earth as soon as possible, but not before obtaining copies of any reports detailing the incidents. Likewise, the Gotei didn’t look kindly upon their people going awol. Therefore, he needed to fabricate a reasonable motive for the trip. This came at the hands of the acting Captain of Third Division, and Chief of Medicine who had offered Alain an extended secondment in the human realm when he first joined the squad. Finally, the time had come to accept the month long medical posting. Within days, he had approval and was ready to depart on his month long investigation . . .
Tokyo, Japan. He had been to the city only one other time. During that assignment, he was acting as support for some inane Fifth Division initiation. It had been a waste of his talents, but at least the task was brief. The downside was that he didn’t have a chance to familiarize himself with the modern metropolis. As a result, it took days to look into the previous hollow deaths instead of hours. He was also visiting locations as much as four weeks after the initial incidents. This yielded next to nothing in the way of clues, but he felt comfortable making one plausible deduction. The hollows were being attacked and killed within a particular section of Tokyo. He couldn’t dismiss the possibility of a Shinigami patrol or other spiritual entity being responsible, but the reports suspected neither. So the next option would be to stake-out the territory. It provided him with his best opportunity to respond at a moment’s notice and perhaps catch someone in the act.
Four days after his initial investigation and there had yet to be a recurring instance of the suspicious hollow death. There were a few occasions when it was necessary to dispatch a hollow, but nothing else. Even then, he tried to wait until the last minute before finishing off. To his dismay, he had been unable to draw out an unsuspecting culprits. All of this changed on day five. From atop one of the many skyscrapers, Merrick was observing the jubilant nightlife of the populace. They have absolutely no idea. He was about to move to a different location when the denreishinki began to vibrate within his pocket. Upon removing the electronic device and glancing at the screen, he saw that a rather sizeable hollow presence was being detected south of his current position. He stretched out with his meager sense detection ability and confirmed the reiatsu signature. Stronger than anything that he had encountered in the previous week, it would have been unwise to put off its elimination for even a short while.
Leaping from the building, he employed shunpo to erase the distance between he and his target. Halfway to his destination, the denreishinki emitted a sonorous tone, indicating elimination of the hollow presence. This could be it. Not wanting to miss a potential chance, he summoned as much speed as he could muster. Within seconds, he was landing in a well-lit park. Conscious not to be taken unaware, his right hand fell to the hilt of the zanpakuto hanging at his left hip. Then he attempted to detect the hollow signature. Where did you go . . . there. Its reiatsu was weak and growing steadily weaker, but he managed to follow it. Interesting. Merrick was standing a short distance from a ten foot long wolf-like hollow with massive body. The beast was splayed along the ground and looked uninjured, but was somehow hemorrhaging life force. Uncertain of the danger present, he made a quick gesture with his free hand, erecting a transparent bluish-white barrier around the creature.
As he walked towards the barrier to examine the situation more closely, he began to sense a quick coalescing of energy at the opposite end of the park. Turning his head to the right, he was just in time to see a cloaked and hooded figure release a condensed ball of flame. You? Merrick was staring dumbfounded when the barrier was struck by the fiery blast, incinerating his construct and the warped soul within. The expanding wave of heat and flame knocked him to the ground and burned portions of his uniform. From his seated position, he could still see the humanoid silhouette through the inferno. And then, they vanished. Not this time dammit. Merrick jumped to his feet and was soon in pursuit. Although he hadn’t progressed much in sense detection and tracking since that night in the Rukongai, he had improved enough to locate the reiatsu signature of his quarry. In a matter seconds, the lithe form was in his visual range.
If Alain wanted answers, he needed to take the attacker alive. As the distance between them slowly decreased, he began to incant a binding spell. The words were whisper, but the stranger was vigilant. Glancing over their shoulder, they studied the Shinigami with a pair of glowing yellow eyes set within a face obscured by shadow. “Bakudo #9 Horin.” A bluish-white tendril formed in each hand. Holding them in clenched fists, the reishi ropes grew to form two lengthy whips which he used to lash at the fleeing enemy. Yet no matter how close Alain came to catching his foe, they were always able to weave their way through the swinging cords. Son of a . . . After one final evasive maneuver, the adversary offered a taunting shake of the head, followed by a burst of speed so sudden that they vanished without trace. With sight and reiatsu sense lost, Merrick stopped in mid-air with zanpakuto drawn, cautious of a surprise attack. He waited five minutes, then ten, and then twenty. Either his nemesis had an abundance of patience or they were truly gone. Leaning towards the latter, he returned to the park, but with blade in hand.
1669/1669
