[Event] Invasion - Outer Death City Districts + City Borders

[soul_mods]

Characters: Open to all
Location: Death City - Outer Death City Districts + City Borders
Rating: R
Time: November 16, midnight - 4am.
Description: Now that Shibusen’s defenses have been shattered, what sort of things will come creeping in to take advantage of this? List of relevant links to the event here.

Comments

[OPEN] [Outer Residential District 1 - Near Zone 3 ] [Midnight]

[mumyo_ken]

Okita had been in Death City now for more than a month, and despite that, there were days when the place still felt as foreign as it was, times when he marveled at the strangeness of it all and found himself wondering if he'd somehow gotten lost in a particularly fanciful dream.

And then there were nights like this one--when the call went out and danger was imminent, when the air was filled with tension and all of the townspeople took cover. And at those times, it seemed as if nothing had changed at all. The streets were not Kyoto's, and it wasn't Japan he fought to protect, but none of that mattered.

When the alert came, there was no question what he and his partner would do. As rough as things had been the last few days, neither of them could turn away from the fighting, though they might have had their own reasons for answering the call. Their skills were needed. For now, that was all that mattered

Sooo what's the game plan, partner? :3

[alastinglight]

The past few days had been a blur, and a matter of focusing on his work while completely avoiding the people he didn't have the strength to face he'd much rather not see. As such, while he'd never admit it out loud, in a way this attack on the city might give him the purpose he had been searching for, if only for a moment.

"It's too quiet here, isn't it?" he eventually said, breaking the silence between him and Okita. They did not talk all that often these days, beyond whatever was necessary.

Stab things until they're dead?

[mumyo_ken]

"I'm sure it won't be for long," he replied, staring out over the rubble that constituted zone three. It was one of the primary breaches in the city's defenses and it stood to reason it would be one of the areas chosen for attack. That was the reason they were there.

There were stronger and more experienced partnerships in Death City, certainly, but he and his partner knew battles, and knew how to fight them. Anything that tried to cross into the city was going to have to face them, first.

Ffff. That works!

[alastinglight]

"Likely not."

Takasugi stared out from the reflection of the blade he currently was, eyes narrowed, focused on the darkness beyond. The sounds of other battles being fought in the distance barely registered to him. There was nothing but him, his partner, and that moment.

True to Okita's word, neither of them had to wait all that much. The telltale glow and chittering of approaching kishin eggs started to appear from far off, straight ahead of them.

Re: Ffff. That works!

[mumyo_ken]

It had been difficult, perhaps, to truly comprehend the enormity of the problem Death City was facing until that moment. But as the enemy came closer, it was easy to tell that they really were facing an invading army, of sorts.

It should have bothered him. He knew that even the most seasoned of fighters would unnerved by the sight of what was coming, but he wasn't. And he knew, deep down, that it was a liability as much as it was a gift.

Now wasn't a time for contemplation, though. The fight was at hand now, and given the choice between standing and watching it approach, or taking the fight to them, he always chose the latter.

"It looks like this is it."

He waited until the first of the kishin eggs was within range and then charged into the fray.

[alastinglight]

The first target rared its teeth at them, jaws snapping, tail whipping about, ready to sweep any weak target off of its feet. There was another coming up from the other end, sweeping in with one gigantic claw.

The only thought on Takasugi's mind was eliminating their target. He could trace what would have been his own path to their enemy in his mind, subconsciously mirroring Okita's movements.

[mumyo_ken]

This was going to be more difficult than any of the missions they had run so far, but he was prepared for that. There was no point in over-thinking it or letting himself get overwhelmed. He just had to move, trust his instincts, even if his opponents were far from human.

He leapt to avoid the tail swinging in his direction, swinging his Weapon around has he did so to cut hard across its upper torso. It wouldn't be enough to kill, but it was enough time to spin and strike his other attacker, severing several of it's claw-like fingers.

[alastinglight]

The blood from the wound, of course, splattered unto Takasugi, and the Weapon absorbed it immediately, transforming it into raw power, sharpening the edge.

The injured kishin shrieked, backing off. The other one, however, was relentless, driven on by the fact that Okita appeared, indeed, to be a feisty enough opponent. A target of interest.

[mumyo_ken]

That had bought him a little time, at least.

"They aren't going to make this easy for us, are they?"

And then he was being attacked again, and attacking in kind, dodging a swipe that might have taken his head off had it connected and using the momentum earned by the movement to twist back around and swing the black blade hard into the creature's side.

[alastinglight]

"I don't think we would be content if they did."

Black humor, and all, but one did develop a taste for that sort of thing when one's been on the battlefield for too long. The cut went a little deeper than it should have, by merit of Takasugi's abilities, and the kishin, clearly startled, attempted to slink away, uncertain of what it was supposed to do. In the meantime, its companion was circling, eying the pair with some wariness.

[mumyo_ken]

"I suppose that's true." It wasn't strictly true that he enjoyed fighting or killing--it was a messy business, and he preferred cleanliness--but it was what he was meant for. The rest of the time, he might be weak and broken, but here, he did not have those worries.

He wasn't about to let an enemy retreat--even one that wasn't human, and pursued the wounded kishin, pressing his advantage and slashing it across the belly. The other, he kept in his peripheral vision, waiting to see if it would attack or flee.

[alastinglight]

Fortunately(?) for them, the other kishin wasn't stupid: it was attempting to turn tail and run, thus leaving itself wide open.

"Okita-san."

Asking for another favor, but well. He seemed to be doing that very often these days.

[mumyo_ken]

"Hm?"

Running away was hardly honorable. It didn't matter that their opponents weren't human... he simply couldn't abide that level of cowardice. And he could hardly leave a kishin--even a wounded one--alive. It might still be able to do harm to those less skilled than he and his partner were. The only real option was to pursue.

[alastinglight]

"...Do you think we could figure out where Katsura and Gintoki are again, once things slow down?"

They were still his friends, after all, in spite of everything.

[mumyo_ken]

"Of course. Once this area is contained, we'll go find them."

The devotion to his comrades, even when they weren't on the best of terms, was touching, although Okita also wondered if it might not be a weakness, in a way. If so, it was probably one most people possessed, and it didn't seem that Takasugi let it distract him.

He'd caught up with the kishin by this point, which seemed to have realized he wasn't going to give up the chase. Instead, it turned again, lunging at the Meister and his weapon. It took Souji an instant longer than he would have liked to respond, but he was quick enough to bring the blade up in time to block its claws.

[alastinglight]

"Thank you."

Their target, in the meantime, was going for another shot at them. Its fear made it desperate, however, and that sort of thing could get one killed on the battlefield.