[BiTPR2] Renewed Revolution: Spirit World V

[Hawkflight]

"Whereas I have seen, spoken to or studied the stories of dozens of spirits that could, indeed, transform." Katsurou teased. "Can you trust your grandfather's experience on this?"

"Oh, uh, right," Suguri agreed sheepishly. She rubbed at her fur, then shook her head. "Nope, not shedding."

((Sorry for the delay, been dealing with a spinal injury that threw me for a loop.))

[Kuroimaken]

((No worries.))

"Don't worry about it. The growth is a result of your spiritual pressure suddenly peaking. It is by nature an unsustainable state.
Given time, it will shed on its own, whether in clumps or all at once.

If you want to stay that way, you'll have to strengthen your spiritual pressure a lot first."

[KnightDisciple]

"Somebody get this man to the nearest Medlog hospital." Koutarou calls out to a couple of nearby soldiers.

Turning to Masaru, he offers a curt nod. The Combat Division leader knew he wasn't off the hook by a long shot, but he made a good point.

"Naturally, Captain. We have bigger issues at hand right now.

Besides, we will need to address the troops soon. Morale is a critical resource right now.

Keep the troops ready, but refrain from engaging anybody until second order. If this is who we think it is, we don't want to appear ready to draw our swords."

Masaru's nod in return acknowledges what's not said.

"I'm going to have them go to a defensive posture, and not strike unless directly attacked. If it is who we think it is, you're correct. If it's not, then caution is warranted. If it is, but someone else tries to take advantage, we need to be ready for that, as well."

The area around them was a flurry of activity as the Combat Division moved to their barracks, and from there several squads moved out to assigned posts throughout the Seireitei. No sirens sounded, but plenty of radios crackled as orders were sent and confirmed.

"Working on it. Anyone know where Notorious J-H-oel is? Might be good to ask him if he's got any tech asspulls."

Masaru looks at the drone with Chouko's voice coming out of it. Then looks to the spot not that far away where Jehoel at least was standing. If the Primera Espada hasn't left, he will look back at the drone and then slowly point toward Jehoel.

[Dorizzit]

Jehoel releases his shield the moment the battle ends, sending a wave of pent-up spiritual energy flowing through the spectators before dissipating. If he has any opinion on the battle's outcome, he does not show it. When Chouko asks as to his whereabouts, he nods at Masaru's indication before stepping closer to the drone.

"I have no such assistance to render. While I've managed to navigate the spatial distortions now surrounding the Soul Society, the creation of a Garganta within the Seireitei is obviously impossible due to the Shakonmaku. The best assistance I could offer would be a cadre of our Garganta specialists to ferry Shinigami from outside the gates, but I believe we can all agree that this would be a temporary and inefficient solution at best."

[Kuroimaken]

"We'll have to come up with a solution to this ourselves. We have Garganta-mimicking Kidou, but we can't simply replace the Senkaimon network with our casters.

For the moment, we will focus on returning our current operatives to Seireitei, try to restablish our transport and communications network, and plan our next move. In the meantime, I have work to do fixing the mess that Wan Li Lin left behind."

[strawberryman]

The sound of rockets come from above the gathered leaders as one of the Orchestra touches down. His sweatshirt indicates him as... Tenor? Followed by three others.

Soprano, Contralto, and Baritone.

"I believe we may have a solution. We only require one thing." He gestures to Jehoel, giving a polite bow. "We need you to open a garganta. We can meet you outside the Shakonmaku easily."

The drone shifts to view the four. "...you guys buildin' yourselves now? That was rhetorical, by the way, I already know."

[Dorizzit]

Seireitei
Arena

Jehoel nods.

"Very well. I will meet you outside the western gate."

Why he chose the farthest gate from their current location is anyone's guess.

"Captain. Captain-Commander."

Jehoel nods in acknowledgement to Masaru and Koutarou before blurring away. He arrives at the designated location a few minutes later.

SENCorp Headquarters

A Senkaimon operator who presumably has a name speaks up from nearby Chouko and Hideki.

"Uh...I just had something weird happen. I had a request for an emergency withdrawal in sector 3785, but the Senkaimon activated without any prompt from me. I haven't...wait...I've just received confirmation that our operative arrived safely. I'm still locked out of the system."

[KnightDisciple]

"Whatever we do do, we don't want to entirely eliminate our Mortal World patrols, even if we recall most teams. If nothing else, Von Geister's forces bear keeping alert toward."
He glances at Jehoel when he says this, but says nothing beyond that.

When the Orchestra present their plan, Masaru gives a firm nod but says nothing more, though he does make a mental note about their growing numbers. Once Jehoel has left with them, he turns to Koutarou.

"Commander, do you want me with you, at HQ, or with my Division?"

[Kuroimaken]

"Your Division, Captain. Whichever first contact we have, I need someone who'll know the best course of action and is able to enforce it as well." Koutarou gravely spoke.

"Besides, you'll know what to look for. The remainder of the Combat Division might not, and we can't spread the information at the moment."

[KnightDisciple]

Masaru's face tightened a bit, but he nodded.
"I understand, Commander. I'll go coordinate from our situation room now. Please contact me if the situation changes, regardless of the change."

Unless stopped, he'd speed off toward the large room in Combat Division that had recently gotten a lot of maps and a couple communication stations installed, to help coordinate defensive and offensive moves in both the Mortal World and Soul Society.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Senshi's head]

"Welp, guess that's me. Bye."

"You speak as if that means something", the voice answers... still sounding like it's coming the exact same distance from behind Senshi, despite him moving. "You can't run away from your own head. I'm the new Devil on your shoulder now. I'll always be here, watching Unless you fancy the other guy more?" The "other guy" being the white-clad, masked entity who Senshi saw in his Inner World.

[Kuroimaken]

It was around this point poor Senshi felt a giant index finger tapping down on his shoulder. "Hey, hollowstink? Who in blazes are you talking to?"

[strawberryman]

Seireitei
Arena

Jehoel nods.

"Very well. I will meet you outside the western gate."

Why he chose the farthest gate from their current location is anyone's guess.

"Captain. Captain-Commander."

Jehoel nods in acknowledgement to Masaru and Koutarou before blurring away. He arrives at the designated location a few minutes later.

The orchestra members arrive in quicker time than Jehoel might expect, which is odd, because it barely looked like they were on his tail.

Tenor takes the lead, as last time. "Good. So, as explained, we will need you to open a garganta. We've turned off our blockers, which is a risk but necessary to get our men back and our communications up and running again. Simultaneously, we are sending our plans to the Engineering Captain so we can patch our network as well as the network we had with you. We'll accomplish this by sending a resonance pulse. In so many words, we are going to change the frequency of our communications and travel - formerly based on the Senkaimon network, which is now inoperable for us - by moving it to a garganta-based system. This will carry risks of being exposed to the spy we know of in the Dangai Void, but with proper encryption and intelligent coverage we do not forsee that as a problem." He bows a bit to Jehoel.

"So with nothing further... shall we?"

SENCorp Headquarters

A Senkaimon operator who presumably has a name speaks up from nearby Chouko and Hideki.

"Uh...I just had something weird happen. I had a request for an emergency withdrawal in sector 3785, but the Senkaimon activated without any prompt from me. I haven't...wait...I've just received confirmation that our operative arrived safely. I'm still locked out of the system."

Chouko looks over just as she's getting an information barrage from the Orchestra. "...dammit, Koutetsu, you know this mumbo-jumbo, cover it. I'm getting shown up by my kids again." She grumbles about chain of command and other grievances as she starts typing frantically, working to decouple the programming built around the senkaimon network to align with the new system.

(Momoka's House)

"That so? How'd that start? It's been... swear, over a century or two since I've seen Yuki- um, her." Gwyn shrugs.

Momoka, meanwhile, pushes forward one of the more restrained plans, probably one of Setsurou's backups at best. "This one is acceptable, however I should have to request an alternative to the giant roast pig. Apart from that, aesthetically I agree with it the most, but the pig seems a bit... garish."

"...you kidding? I've always wanted to try some whole roasted pork." Gwyn seems... mostly serious, actually. Momoka rolls her eyes anyway.

[Dorizzit]

Jehoel listens to the explanation provided by Tenor.

"Simple enough."

Jehoel snaps his fingers, opening a Garganta in the air next to them.

"Now that that's taken care of, what, precisely-"

Jehoel is interrupted by a Senkaimon gate opening directly behind his Garganta. Within moments, the Senkaimon rotates to its side and opens, the normally-pristine edges of the doors fracturing into jagged edges reminiscent of teeth. Opening wide, the gate swallows Jehoel's Garganta whole before twisting into a grotesque mockery of a smile and vanishing, taking Jehoel's portal with it.

"...Hm."

Jehoel's reaction is subdued, but this is a rare situation where the ancient Hollow could accurately be described as flabbergasted.

"That's a new trick."

[Kuroimaken]

[Lovey-dovey Wedding Planning Land]

"Fine, we'll have the more restrained plan for our social wedding. You realize that means I'm going all-out on our honeymoon,
right?"

Setsurou considers an alternative to the giant roasted pig.

"I'm pretty sure I can replace that with a non-meat replica that no one will be able to tell apart from the real thing. Would that be agreeable?"

[strawberryman]

"..." Tenor and the others hold their hands out for a moment before this happens, then set them back down. Tenor taps the side of his head.

"This means that whomever is cutting our transportation can be assumed to be hostile in some respects. Try again? After all, this does mean that until we find a solution that you are trapped here."

The four hold their hands up preemptively. "We are going to count down from 10. After 1, open your garganta and concentrate as much of your reiatsu into the opening as you can. Mother, prepare to devote 60% additional power to the communications network on the same count." Elsewhere, Chouko is getting a direct feed to the conversation, and for all her grumbling, she is prepared.

[Dorizzit]

Jehoel nods.

"I will devote...an appropriate quantity of energy to the next Descorrer."

Jehoel waits for the countdown, then proceeds to open another Garganta. As it opens, Jehoel pours an amount of Reiryoku into it comparable to a lieutenant in power. Once more, the Senkaimon gate opens and attempts to consume the Garganta, but is slowed heavily by the output of power. Jehoel pulls one hand back.

"Shall I destroy it?"

[strawberryman]

The Orchestra... begin opening garganta prior to the countdown. One after one in the space of seconds, firing out disruptive pulses even if the same thing occurs. "Ten... Nine... Eight..."

On and on they go, even as Tenor continues counting. Devices on their arms glow as they open garganta without incantation, simply working from an internal bank of energy to replicate the casting of a spell. "Seven... Six... Five..."

Elsewhere, Chouko's metallic fingers clack on a keyboard, diverting energy to the communications network from other places. Which means... there are power outages in other sectors. Unessential items shut down. "Four... Three... Two..."

All the while, the Orchestra just continues with the process. There is clearly a plan behind all of this! It must be impressive how quickly they adapted to it, though it will be even more impressive if it works. "One." Tenor looks to Jehoel as he opens his garganta.

"Yes. Now." With all said and done, the process works something like a DDOS, overwhelming the system with a continuous barrage of dialogs, in concert with Jehoel's dedicated hit to the system. As soon as it's down, they respond in kind, setting up the new network and putting in failsafes to prevent the interruption from occurring again.

[Dorizzit]

Western Gate of the Seireitei

"Very well. Cero Matanza."

A deep blue light coalesces in Jehoel's hand, splitting into dozens of smaller rays of energy that tear the warped Senkaimon to rapidly fading shreds.

"I assume that gave you what you needed?"

Soul King Palace
Rin's Inner Sanctum

Working with a holographic display in one of her deepest laboratories, Rin is shaken from her thoughts by a sudden beeping noise from a computer mounted on her left forearm. Swiping her sleeve back, she examines the readout for a few seconds before chuckling softly to herself.

"Beautifully done. Now, I wonder..."

She taps at the console.

"Takenaka Chouko..."

The display in front of her pulses.

Simulations Complete. No Anomalies Found.

"Begin automated construction."

Turning away, Rin heads for a nearby opening in space.

"Time to go."

[strawberryman]

[Soul Society]
(Outside the Western Gate / SENCorp)

Tenor and the other members of the acapella group concentrate for a few moments, even while Chouko types away frantically. "We're through, aaaaand... network renewed. All communication and travel systems based on senkaimon are being replaced with garganta generation. Suck it!"

Tenor stops, letting out a fabricated sigh before leading a synchronized bow to Jehoel. "Wonderful results. We should be aware of any potential fallout but the first importance is reinstating our network. We owe you our deepest gratitude, Yurius." Polite and well-spoken for an android.

(Momoka's House)

Momoka sighs, looking to Gwyn who gives... well, the closest approximation to puppy eyes she can manage.

"...no need. I can mute my distaste for family's sake."

Gwyn throws her arms up. "Woo! At least something about this won't be a *****y noblefest! There better be lots of booze, too!"

"There is mention of a giant cask of whiskey. Among other things."

"...****, can you marry me?" Gwyn remarks this with some cheery amusement at Setsurou. Momoka smiles a bit, sighs, and rolls her eyes.

[Draken]

SENCorp Headquarters

Hideki is exasperated at the new task.

"Am I the only person who knows how to operate the security cameras in this place? Should I hold a crash course after this string of calamities is over?"

He remotely checks who has just arrived in defiance of the foreign system lockdown.

[Kuroimaken]

(Momoka's House)

Momoka sighs, looking to Gwyn who gives... well, the closest approximation to puppy eyes she can manage.

"...no need. I can mute my distaste for family's sake."

Gwyn throws her arms up. "Woo! At least something about this won't be a *****y noblefest! There better be lots of booze, too!"

"There is mention of a giant cask of whiskey. Among other things."

"...****, can you marry me?" Gwyn remarks this with some cheery amusement at Setsurou. Momoka smiles a bit, sighs, and rolls her eyes.

"No offense Gwyn, but my kind of girl is your sister." Setsurou noted while bringing in Momo for a peck on the cheek. "I promise when you find someone you want to marry that I will plan out the party, though."

He remembers a little something.

"Of course, that's if you can still stand the sight of my face after I teach you how to behave around nobles. Though something tells me you'll have more fun if I make a challenge out of it."

[Draken]

[Hueco Mundo]
. . . The White Sands
Very far from Las Noches...
. . . Far from Anything

The wind is still as a garganta opens atop a tall dune, the moon is hanging bright in the middle of the sky as usual, and not a single sound, not a faint motion, not a sign of a living thing can be found for miles around.

"Ah... Home, decrepit, home."

And then there is this guy. Clovis Severin, the Ghost King's personal court jester. Just behind him, should be Nuala Birne. Also just behind him is an eye tendril of Argos, the great, living information network of the Ghost King's Court and Cult, an unthinkably enormous mass of tentacles, eyes and talons, holding a computer tablet. The wonders of ancient biomagic enhanced by mere human technology. Jarring, by all means. One must wonder how it gets its Wi-Fi in the Deep Void.

... Anyway, Hueco Mundo.

Behind the garganta and just a few feet under the dune they stand on now, the white sands stretch out into the horizon, flat, empty and featureless. Not a single jutting stone spire, no mountains, no sign of Las Noches, this lone dune feeling like an island in the middle of the ocean, this is a forgotten place.

And just ahead, in the direction the portal faces, a vertiginous drop, covered in sand that is for sure, but here and there, a surface of glass is exposed in this vast crater at the center of which rise numerous twisted stone spires pockmarked with holes. In older days the skies would be choked with winged things and seething masses of horrid life would blanket the land, but now this place is silent. Where once none would dare approach now none have reason to.

[The Hive].

[Ammutseba]

[Hueco Mundo, The Hive]

Attended by her two personal arrancar, one tall and thin, the other short and round, Nuala Byrne steps down from the portal as regally as a queen from her coach. She takes in the surrounding landscape with a deep breath, as if she were smelling the age of the place. The wrecking balls in her hair clack with each step she takes; Priska's Quincy cross jingles at her side. Surveying the Hive below, she smiles thinly. "Na," she begins, "tha's more like it."

The memories sealed away in a place this old were bound to be of use. And who knows, maybe it would even have a library or two to make things easier for her. "S'quiet," she comments, and then approaches the cliff. Sparing little glance back toward Escarabajo, Saltamontes and her generous guide, she wastes no time, stepping off the escarpment and sliding down its face, trailing green sparks in her wake.

[Draken]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive)

"You are right, it is quiet. Eerie, really. This place used to be all the buzz. About half of their majesties' children took after their parents and turned out insectoid, you know."

And then she slides off.

"Hey, wait for me, I am supposed to be guiding here! This is most improper!"

Clovis slides down after Nuala, up above in the dune, Argos eyes Nuala's attendants, before sliding back into the garganta and raising its optical barriers.

The way down is long, the crater is humongous and its lowest area is definitely under the level of the Forest of Menos. If something did indeed strike the planet and cause it, it just might be what left this world dead.

"What do you plan to do if you trip a trap? Talk your way out of it? Actually that might work, not a good argument. At least wait for your expendable meat shields, there could be squatters! Powerful ones! Would have to be to not be eaten by the defenses."

In spite of his words, Clovis has caught up to her quickly and easily.

[Ammutseba]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive)


Nuala responds to Clovis with a sly smile and a sidelong glance at him. "Na. Those fools are here t' hold m' sword and m' beer," she tells him. "Clearly, I can trust ya 'ave a vested interest in m' survival, 'ere, else ya would na be tryin' t' warn me jus' na."

Still sliding along the side of the crater, she finally picks up a bit of speed, releasing the ground from the fullbring that erstwhile kept her from tumbling head over heels into the yawning. The wind rushes past her and Clovis, causing the jewelry in her hair to click and jingle as she descends.

"I met th' Segunda and Tercera back in Las Noches," she informs him. "F'nya didn't already na f' yerself. That Tercera... righ' bastard. F' I hadn't been... mm. Na excuses, but I was dead on m' feet, jus' then. So, I be itchin' fer a problem I can solve with violence, yano?"

She kneels down a bit as the path begins to level out, arranging the sandy descent into a glass-smooth runway. A stone comes up swiftly, directly in front of her, but she weaves around it with the ease of a skater, and then continues on her way.

[Hawkflight]

((No worries.))

"Don't worry about it. The growth is a result of your spiritual pressure suddenly peaking. It is by nature an unsustainable state. Given time, it will shed on its own, whether in clumps or all at once.

If you want to stay that way, you'll have to strengthen your spiritual pressure a lot first."

Suguri tilted her head. "How do I do that?" she asked.

[Kuroimaken]

Suguri tilted her head. "How do I do that?" she asked.

"The same way anyone gets stronger: exercise!

...though perhaps we're going to need to condition you to accept what this kind of exercise is first."

[Draken]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive)

Clovis makes a difficult face.

"I... Don't know how to say this without being blunt, darlin'. But you were like a baby gazelle trying to discuss on even footing with lions. In older times, you would be dead by now and wiser to the differences between hollows and humans."

"Well, in older times you would probably not be defiant to begin with. Spiritually aware people knew what this side was like and they knew how to appease the courts of the menos, if they didn't enshrine the nearest shinigami and 'corrupt' the sod with praise, wine and women. But nowadays you have all those fancy weapons and human rights and lovely nonsense, and we were gone and the shinigami hid themselves and short lived little things just forgot what the spirit world was really about."

In no time, the two arrive at the foot of the spires, the center of the crater. There is rubble here, and a great gaping hole that looks like it might once have been a gate. A gate sized for something that must have had nails larger than people.

"Well, bummer. Oscar will be cross to know this door was blasted, it was quite a piece of art."

Sure enough, the shards of stonework scattered around bear motifs to them. The larger ones appear to show carvings of a number of hollows. Some of them very unusual in form, others much more... Mythological, lets say.

"The audience chamber is just ahead... It is pretty much ninety percent of this upper structure really."

Sure enough, it is straight stone corridor ahead, with side tunnels and stairs splitting very often, up and down, to both sides in all sizes, likely a mesh of tunnels surrounding the mentioned room.

And sure enough, the hall opens into a suitably enormous chamber illuminated by something that glows on the walls. Walls broken by numerous balconies and decorated with the pale stonework visages of numberless hollows in a flowing miles-long mural, parts of which are broken.

"..."

Clovis appears to be reminiscing.

[Ammutseba]

Nuala gives her mysterious guide about half of her attention, generous considering where they were, as he gives her his lesson in history, manners and distinctions. She wanted to correct him, but thought better of it. If it became necessary for him to learn otherwise or not, what difference did it make to her? Better that he not have to see what she was capable of. Yes, she could be a mere human for what he offered her. Dignity for knowledge, a trade she would take him in for a fool. She shrugs off his commentary about lions and babes, and instead smiles.

"Ya've had yer eye on me fer quite some time, na?" She asks as they come upon the gate. "'Preciate yer bein 'blunt,' na would waste time wit' some wutless beatin' 'round th' bush about it. I'm na quite as 'elpless as ya might ken, tha."

He leads her further inside, past the antechamber and into the audience hall. Grand and imposing, even in its old-- no, in its antediluvian age. Something shines dimly from within the walls, or perhaps on them. It's difficult to tell, but it casts the room into deep shadows as Clovis trails off into silence. Raising a brow, Nuala ponders on how that's possible, but says nothing.

Ignorant, or perhaps apathetic of the danger, she walks toward the back of the chamber, where there must surely be a throne.