[BitPR²] Mortal World V

[Frozen_Feet]

[Rome; Inside the Barrier]

As Senshi speaks, the snake-haired creature grabs its sword with both hands. "We'll see about that." Just as he throws his shuriken, the creature brings its sword down in a diagonal slash. "Luna Creciente!" The entire length of the barrier's interior is bisected by a blood red crescent of spiritual energy, and the bright light prevents Senshi from seeing where his projectiles hit. He might want to focus on not getting hit by the crescent himself!

---

[Kunlun Mountains; Inside the Mountain Fortress]

A black, faceless form observes a female humanoid in ZHE Quincy uniform and a Hollow's mask standing inside a transparent yellow barrier. At the other end of the barrier, a little less than 10 meters from her, a circular practice target stands attached to a post. "Experiment #107. Commencing test firing", the woman remarks, holding a silver pentacle in her hands. Reishi from around her is drawn towards the pentacle, forming into a ghostly blue bow. She draws the string back, an ethereal arrow appearing from thin air, then releases and the arrow flies and pierces the middle of the target.

The woman glances at the black figure outside the barrier, then lets her bow down. Then, a man in similar uniform but wearing a different mask, coughs and steps forward from behind her. "Test #108. Performing control", he mumbles, points a finger at the target, and in a flash of crimson light, it is completely incinerated.

All three watch the burning cinders of the practice target in mild disappointment as others maintaining the barrier let it fall.

"... Experiment #108 finished.", the woman drones. "Observations: bow formation complete. Arrow formation complete. Accuracy decent. Power..."

Still inferior to our Bala, the black, faceless figure concludes for her.

The man who served as control shrugs. "Well that's hardly a surprise, is it? The original Project Luna was about giving a living human the powers of a powerful spirit. As powerful spirits, we don't necessarily stand to gain much from acquiring the powers of a living human."

The woman glances at the man, then at the black, faceless figure. "Additionally, the continuation of that project, die Endsölung die Hohlefrage, had the aim of creating loyal soldiers of otherwise hostile spirits. It wasn't concerned with power. As we are not really Quincies, we don't have much to gain on that front either."

The black, faceless form nods. You both have good points, it notes. We indeed don't seem to have much to gain from this. Therefore, to continue this project of ours, it speaks at it turns to walk out of the room, the logical next step is to find someone who is not us, is it not?

The two uniformed humanoids ponder this, then nod and follow in the black, faceless figure's footsteps. "I take it another trip to Hueco Mundo is in order?"

The black, faceless figure nods. Indeed. Indeed it is.

---

[Later; again in the fortress on Kunlun Mountains]

It'd been quite an ordeal, finding another Menos. As before, the once crowded Forest of Menos had echoed in its emptiness, having still not recovered from the mass destruction fifty years ago. It might never recover now that Las Noches has taken to capturing and making into Arrancars every new Hollow they can find. As for the the Sands... almost all of those Menos with even an inkling of intelligence have been lured to Las Noches due to the prospect of never needing to fear hunger and loss of self again.

But, if there is one thing the collective powers of the creatures gathered around are good at, it is searching large areas for people who might be on the run or hiding. Now, the black, faceless humanoid stands before their catch, flanked by humanoid Hollows in white Quincy uniforms.

Hello there, it speaks, leaning closer to the captured creature. They've wrapped the Menos in white bandages, a method invented in Las Noches to force a non-humanoid Hollow back to a human shape. In addition, the Menos has been strapped with steel bands to what might look like a dentist's chair to an unenlightened viewer. The chair, in truth, is an artefact they recovered wholesale from Silbern and brought here.

I do not know if you can actually hear me as you are now, the black, faceless being continues. I would like to tell you this won't hurt. Unfortunately, based on what I've read, that would be lying. This will hurt. It will hurt quite a bit. However, you may take some solace in the fact that once it's over, you will be incapable of remembering any of it.

At this point, a female Hollow in a Quincy uniform steps forward and places a silver pentacle in a receptable filled with some clear blue liquid. In a mere moment, the liquid turns blood red and flows into a number of syringes attached to the chair. A male Hollow observes the control panel of the device as what suspicuously looks like the headpiece of an electric chair is lowered around the temples of the captured Menos.

The female Hollow glances at the black, faceless figure. "Everything is in place. We're ready to activate Sklaverei."

The black, faceless figure stands straight. Good. Begin Experiment #108. And so the syringes plunge into the captured Menos and an arc of electricity form a halo over its head...