Power pushed to its limit (1 other person)

OOC: In this thread, I'd like to have it that so the two players (myself + ???) push their characters to the absolute limit. My own character (Azerik) is somewhat overpowered so to speak, so if you want to join, I ask that you use a powerhouse character, that is fairly balanced in physical and magical power, like my own. Please send a PM to request to join.

No longer open: Abyss Master with the character combo Carcaroth and Kerel have joined.

BIC: I had been traveling for quite some time now, the mountain scenery the same as it had been all day, and the trees still as tall as they had been. All in all...rather boring.

"I haven't had a decent fight in ages," I complained, "the only things to fight out here are wild animals, and I can take care of them without releasing."

"Perhaps you should put out a notice then," came an old mans voice from inside my head, "spread a rumor through all the villages saying there's a strong warrior looking for someone to fight?"

"I did that before," I said looking up at the sky, "and I still don't think this world has anyone of my caliber. I died to get this power, I can only imagine what else it would cost to gain this kind of power while staying alive."

The sky was cloudy, and the sun cast a few rays onto the barren landscape beneath. Morning greeted the world with a cold wind today, making Carcaroth shudder as he stared upwards.

"It's been some time now," he said, supposedly to himself. Any bystander would at least think so. Anyone who didn't have insight to his thoughts.

Yeah, it has.

It had been some time since they had left the Dome. Kerel almost sounded as though he had forgotten that he was supposed to insult the human at every given opportunity. It was probably too early in the morning for him to care much.

Carca's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. "I wonder how much stronger I've gotten."

One way to find out. Kerel's voice had returned to its usual snide, sarcastic tone. Go beat up some punk.

"Shut up," Carca sighed as he let his gaze fall. "We'll just have to continue."

If it makes you feel any better, I do think you're less pathetic tha you were at first. Not by a whole lot, but still -

Not giving the demon an answer, Carca began trotting down the hill.

"Did you hear that," I said looking up the mountain path I had been climbing down, "someone else is climbing down the mountain..."

"Do you think someone saw you're notice?"

I didn't bother answering, I simply turned around and started walking back towards the sound of moving footsteps.

Several moments later, I met a man on the trail, and stood there sniffing the air. The man smelled very peculiar but I couldn't quite place it...

Kid, watch it.

Carcaroth felt it too. There was a new presence, not far away from them. It was fairly strong, making it easier to pick up.

"What do you think it is?" he muttered.

Not human, that's for sure.

Carca agreed. The energy felt different from a regular person's. It was enough to stir interest, but not enough to scare him away.

Let's check it out.

"Are you sure?" Carca said hesitantly. "It's not as though we want trouble at this point..."

Believe me, kid. While I'm here, the most you'll suffer through will be some broken bones.

"Alright, alright... but then we'll go back to finding the sword."

Yeah, yeah.

With a small frown, Carcaroth continued on. He didn't have to search for long, however, as he soon encountered the man who had given off the energy vibes. Or, "man" was perhaps too big a word. He resembled a teenage boy more.

"... hi," Carca said hesitantly.

"You smell strange," I said bluntly after the man uttered a hesitant greeting, "you smell human, yet inhuman at the same time."

I sized the guy up, and placed his age around 19 or 20. I noticed he had a one handed sword, as well as a pair of long-knives, almost the size of daggers at his waist. Judging by his scent, he didn't have anywhere near enough spiritual energy to use magic of any kind, but there was another scent, that was just barely masked by his own. It took several seconds of analyzing the smell for me to realize, it smelled like the Gate to Hell.

"You've got a contract with a symbiotic demon," I said looking him in the eyes, "don't you?"

"We're not symbiotic and we're not under a contract," said Carcaroth suddenly, "but I suppose you could say that we are demons."

It had become so common for Kerel to take control that Carca had no objections at all when the demon began speaking.

"I am curious, though," he went on. "You could smell me? That's strange. How do I smell? Nice, I hope. If not then I blame this kid - "

Kerel stopped talking suddenly.

"... you're strange too. Kinda... like myself."

"Seems you misunderstood me," I said scratching the back of my head, "when I say contract I mean an agreement of some sort. You gave that guy something, in return for using his body as a host. I imagine he was probably dying. It's not uncommon. As for not being symbiotic...you live in his body, so as long as your in this world, you exist in a state of symbiosis along with him."

I paused, taking a short breath, and lowered my hand before continuing, "You're scent isn't what you think I'm referring to. Beings give off an aura of some sort, regardless of how powerful or weak they may be, instead of seeing this aura, I sense it in a way not unlike a dog smells the fear of someone it's attacking. Demons have a scent extremely different from most beings. To call it dark would be inaccurate, since not all demons seem to posses a cruel and evil nature. Because you both exist in a single body, I can smell both of you at the same time, but up until a second ago, the human scent was overpowering your demon scent...in any case, I'm bored, and haven't had a decent fight in ages, I don't suppose you'd mind obliging me?"

Kerel raised an eyebrow.

"You speak in a funny way," he said slowly. "As though you're in a hurry or something."

He paused a little, studying the man before him. Carcaroth could feel the demon think hard on what to say next. Maybe it was a brand new insult he was working on.

"Are you sure about this, kiddo?" he muttered. "Going against a demon? If you are so knowledgable about our kin then you should know that our powers far exceed those of other... creatures."

Creature... it seemed that Kerel too shared the notion that this was not a human being.

"In any case, I don't fight for fun. I kill for fun, that's true, but I honestly think you would object to that a little bit."

Another pause.

"But I suppose it can't be helped."

"If you think you can kill me go ahead," I said with a smile as I drew my katana, "mind you, I've already died once, and I'm in no hurry to do it again, so you can expect a decent resistance from me."

My katana was now half out of the sheath, should he accept my proposal, it would be a simple matter to bare the rest of the blade, but should he refuse, I could just as easily re-sheath it.

"I've met my fair share of demons," I said casually, "only one of them had powers above average though. I suppose one could equate his power to that of an Adjuchas Hollow...though I doubt you know what a Hollow is. Easy enough to take care of if you have power and your prepared, but lethal to the powerful unsuspecting person, would be a good term to describe it."

Kerel snorted, forming a sword in his hands with sheer magic. "Chances are that you've never fought one of my kin before. I am quite limited in this human body, it simply cannot handle my powers that well. I suppose that is going to help you a little here."

The demon's sword was engulfed in flames. He swung it a few times, leaving a fiery trace hanging in the air.

"So you have died already? That's interesting."

He smirked for himself as he threw his cloak off, readying for battle.

"You must have something stuck in your ears," I said as I removed the rest of my bade from the sheath, "I've just told you, I've fought, and killed your kin before."

I didn't give him any time to respond, leaping into one of the nearby trees, and using the branch to launch myself at him from above. I felt rather than felt our sword collide, as he blocked my aerial assault, and I pushed down harder. was suspended above him, by nothing more than the force we were generating, which was enough to begin cracking the mountain terrain beneath his feet. I pulled out from the lock, and he swung his sword at me in an attempt to catch me off balance. I tucked my legs to my chest, and the blade passed harmlessly under me. When my feet hit the ground, I jumped backwards avoiding the sword blade that came forth to stab at me. When I was a fair distance away, I stopped my movements, and closed my eyes.

"I apologize for this, but it seems we have yet to introduce ourselves," I said opening my eyes to reveal that the irises were now golden, and the pupils slitted, "my name is Azerik Zaraki; 12th Squad Lieutenant of the 13 Court Guard Squads, of the Soul Society. I wouldn't call the Soul Society heaven, but its the place where most dead souls end up if they don't go to hell."

"No, I heard you," Kerel said flatly. "But we - my people - are not just any kind of demons."

He held the sword before him. The flames burned fiercely, as though they yearned for blood. He slowly lowered it a little, keeping a calm and flat expression on his face.

"Some would not even call us demons. It is just something we are known as, simply because of our nature. Fire magic, blood magic, possessions... you know."

He waved a little with his hand as he spoke.

"Our kin is one of immense strength, physically and magically. Because of this, we are few in numbers, for it is difficult to keep such a powerful people united. I really doubt that the demons you speak of are of my kin."

Their swords clashed again. Sparks flew, and shockwaves as well. Kerel remained emotionless.

Watch out for his eyes, said Carcaroth from within his mind. They're not normal.

No ****, genius, replied the demon. Listen, boy, I've fought a lot of people - and I mean a LOT of people. I know when there's something you need to look out for.

Kerel made a deadly swing that Azerik (at least that was what he said his name was) narrowly dodged. As they drew away from each other once more, Kerel made a short, elegant bow.

"I'm Kerel," he said.

"Nice to know," I said with a smirk, "and what would you human counterpart be known as?"

If Kerel was surprised I could tell which of the two was currently speaking, he didn't show it. Deciding he was smart enough (smart?) to talk while fighting, I leaped towards him again, and began to slash wildly at him, he blocked all my blows, and I blocked all the counter-attacks he threw at me. We went at it for several seconds, then-as though by some farce of fate-our blades missed each other in the air, and we both landed a hit on the other, long ragged cuts appearing on our left arms. The injuries weren't serious, but the flames along Kerel's sword had burned me slightly in passing, so the cut was throbbing twice as much as it normally would.

"You're not bad," I said with a smile as I jumped into a nearby tree and stood on a high mounted branch, "I usually don't have to release my Zanpaktou when facing people in this world, but it seems I'll have to make an exception."

I held my sword up high, the tip of the blade pointing towards the open sky. Purple energy began to seep from my body, and envelop the sword in my hands. I opened my mouth as my teeth began to grow more fang-like, and spit out the word, "Howl; Sumasshuyochi!"

The purple energy exploded out of my body, until my sword and myself appeared as only a silhouette. The sword began to change shape, and by the time the energy had begun flowing back into my body, it had become a large European broadsword, with a black crescent moon guard.

"Meet Sumasshuyochi," I said letting the flat of the massive blade rest on my left shoulder, "he's one of the 3 people you'll be dealing with today."

Kerel ignored the slight pain in his left arm, just watching his opponent. It was unwise to just stand by and let him do whatever he pleased, but he did not feel threatened - not yet. Carcaroth seemed to be of a different opinion, however.

It's not normal, he said again. The demon kept quiet.

When the little show was over and Azerik had once again appeared, now wielding a bigger sword. As he introduced Kerel to the sword (he didn't catch the name), the demon let out a small snort.

"You really need to work on your names," he remarked. "That just doesn't sound right."

He held out his other hand, and another flaming sword appeared in his grasp. "Alright, let's take this one step further."

"Hey it's not like I picked the name," I said incredulously, "besides the name is accurate. 'Earth Smasher' is a fitting name for someone who smashes the earth often."

I wasn't sure if Kerel noticed I was referring to my sword as a person, so I decided to just let Sumasshuyochi do the talking.

"I see you demons are as rude as ever," his voice echoed in everyone's heads, "what exactly is it about my name that you dislike?"

"And you still haven't told us the name of your human host," I added, "it'd be a pity if the 5 of us got off on the wrong footing, so its smart to introduce everyone right away."

I jumped down from my perch, and swung my sword at the symbiotic pair, who jumped backwards, his swords leaving a heat trail in the air. My sword slammed into the ground, leaving a large jagged gash in the rocky terrain. The irony of the action didn't escape me, nor I imagine, did it escape Kerel's notice. I picked the sword up once more, and unleashed a flurry of slashes, with surprisingly blinding speed for such a large weapon. Kerel tried to jab at me with his twin flaming blades, but I used the thick flat side of my sword as a shield, and was pushed back a few inches.

"Stop treating me as a weakling and show me you real power," I said as I dug the tip of my sword into the ground and used the hilt to lift myself into a handstand off the pommel, "otherwise you might end up dying!"

I pushed my sword forward-still doing a handstand on the pommel-and shouted with both my voice and Sumasshuyochi's, "Getsuga Tensho!" A blast of purple energy flowed from the blade of my sword as I swung it up above my head, crawling across the ground and lengthening the gash I had made by digging my sword into the ground. As the blast sped towards Kerel, I landed on the ground, and started chasing after the blast, my sword trailing behind me. I quickly overtook the blast, and got behind Kerel faster than he was likely to see, and used the flat of my blade to push him closer to the oncoming blast.

Kerel was already gone - all that remained was a phantom of his being. As it disappeared, Azerik had already found the demon with his eyes, using large bat-like wings to keep himself in the air.

"Yes, another demon stereotype," he sighed. "The name of the boy is Carcaroth, by the way."

He gently landed on the ground, letting his long blades of fire scratch agains the earth slightly as he walked towards his foe.

"If your sword is called Earth Smasher in whatever stupid language, then why don't you just cut the crap and call it... well, Earth Smasher? It's so unnecessarily stupid to use such long and complicated names for something as simple as that."

His remarks seemed to have no effect on Azerik, it seemed. It annoyed him.

"I'd love to show you my real power," he went on, "but I'm afraid I must disappoint you. In this form I am severely restricted. I am limited to fire magic and - I suppose you saw - some slight illusion magic. But even if I could use my more serious powers, I'd hardly find you worthy of one of my seal techniques. You're not that strong... yet."

He swung his swords again. "I suppose I could try a little harder, though."

The wings flapped with great force, sending him forth and towards his enemy. The swords clashed again, and greater shockwaves had them both put back a little. Kerel was quick to follow up with a swift slash, which was easily dodged. He followed up with another strike using his other sword, making sure that there was little room for a counter-attack.

"If you can't use full power," I said as I dodged blade after blade, "then push what power you can use to the absolute limit. It is a law of nature that no being can use their true potential without dying, so all living creatures strive to find their limits, and expand those limits with training, whether it be mental or physical."

As the sparks flew, I noticed that his defense was wide open, insultingly so, because of my current inability to retaliate.

"And Sumasshuyochi's name is what it is," I said in somewhat angry tone, "asking why I would not call him by his name's translation, is like asking why I should call you Kerel, instead of something ridiculous like 'winged demon'. His name is the name he was born with, which happens to be Sumasshuyochi, which happens to translate into the common language as Earth Smasher. Do you see my point yet, or is your mind too bloodthirsty to grasp basic debate?"

Deciding it was time to end this game of cat and mouse, I focused my reiatsu into the blade of my sword, and felt the air around us rushing towards it and condensing. When enough air had been focused onto my blade's edge, I forced Kerel to lock blades with me by dashing forward with my sword held in front of me. I pushed him back for several second, then swung my sword with enough force to destroy several buildings, and released the condensed air in a shockwave, which sent Kerel careening off into the sky, the air catching in his wings, preventing him from pushing his way back towards me.

"I hope you're having fun," I shouted to him with a grin on my own face, "cuz this next attack is a doozie!"

I jumped from tree to tree, increasing my height, then jumped up above Kerel, and slammed him down to the ground too fast for him to cast one of his illusions, then as I began to descend myself, I fired a Getsuga Tensho towards him, and let it stretch out into a wire of purple energy. I flicked my sword in a direction, and the wire began to rotate rapidly. When I was half way to the ground, the spinning thread of energy had been expanded into a massive drill of bright purple light. No matter how fast he moved he would have to block this instead of dodging it, as the the size of the attack itself would take out the entire mountain side.

There was a massive explosion as the energy connected. Dust and smoke whirled around in chaos, and there was a thundering roar. The demon had disappeared entirely into the smoke that lingered.

"Firstly," said a dark and cold voice, "My name is short and easy to remember, therefore there is no need to call me 'winged demon'."

His wings flapped, clearing the smoke. Where the thin, pale human boy with long black hair had once stood was now a winged being. He still had the black hair and the same face, but his eyes had changed - now they had become blood red in color, and strange symbols glowed in orange on his skin.

"Secondly, the name is still stupid, because it's still long and complicated, as though anyone is expected to actually remember that sh**. I mean, seriously."

His wings seemed to have taken the damage of the attack, yet Kerel showed no signs of pain or even slight disturbance. He was as expressionless as he had been before.

"And thirdly, fun is the only reason why I'm wasting my time with you."

The demon raised his hand. An orb of fire formed instantly in his palm, and he threw it towards Azerik, who predictably avoided it with ease. As Kerel shot up into the air once again, he threw another fireball, and another after that. For each blast he fired, the orbs became larger and deadlier, and it did not take long before it had turned into a game of tag. Kerel continued to fire off magical blasts, and Azerik continued to avoid them, at times attempting a counter-attack, but the demon would not allow it.

Finally Kerel had reached the point where he was close enough. As his wings carried him straight towards Azerik in great speed, his next card was played - flames appeared out of thin air and rained down on them. It proved to be too much at the same time for Azerik, as he had to avoid the fire while also trying to counter Kerel himself - the demon landed a kick powerful enough to send his opponent flying back.

Good move, said Carcaroth. Kerel just snorted.

We've not gotten to that point yet, kid. We're just exchanging blows.

The wings slowly retreated back into his body. With a satisfied groan he cracked his neck, letting his red eyes rest on the recovering Azerik.

"It's a little problematic with limits," he said, just loud enough for Azerik to hear. "You see, go too far and you lose the body. If I kill the boy, I will die as well. Go a little over the line and the body will be permanently damaged, rendering me in an even tougher spot than I would be with such a limited host."

He brushed hair away from his eyes.

"That's the kind of power I wield."

"I've no qualms about losing this body," I said as I stood up, pieces of rock and dirt falling off me, "it's only temporary after all."

After I was standing straight, I had a small coughing fit, blood coming out of my mouth and onto my hands.

"If you push your limits slowly, instead of trying to pass them all at once, they eventually expand. The longer you inhabit Carcaroth's body, the more he will adapt to your presence, and the more power you let him use, the more power he will eventually be able to handle. And I'll say this only once more; I didn't name Sumasshuyochi, it's the name he was born with!"

I spit out some blood and continued, "If the body is limited, train the body to expand its limits, as you would train your powers to expand there's. If the concept of dying is holding you back from testing your limits, you're just a coward."

I fired 3 Getsuga Tensho to keep Kerel busy, then jumped back and held my sword behind my back.

"Bankai!" I shouted as black and dark purple energy envelops me, completely blocking me from view. The loose dirt that had been beaten up during the confrontation swirled around me in a cloud of dust. When both the dust and the energy dissipated, I was shown now wielding a elegant European longsword, and said calmly," Sumasshuyochi, Gaidoku."

Kerel looked as if he were going to speak, but I cut him off saying, "Before you say anything about the name, its just how things work, and I'm in no mood to explain the mechanics to you!"

With that I disappeared in the eyes of the demonic duo, and entered the space between spaces. Images and words flashed through my mind, and I registered them as places I had been, or had yet to go. I saw the backs of Kerel and Carcaroth's body as they saw me disappear only seconds earlier. I selected my destination carefully, and exited the inbetween space 2 seconds before I disappeared from their sight. I slammed their body with the flat of my sword sending them flying into the ground where I had been only seconds ago.

"Can you beat the ability to time travel," I said with a smirk, "I don't imagine you can."

He felt a small pain in his back, which was less annoying than the force of the strike, which sent him into the ground. He groaned, getting back to his feet as Azerik was busy getting away from the flames that had suddenly showered over him as soon as the blade had made contact with Kerel's body.

"Flame shield, very effective against surprise attacks," Kerel muttered as he stood up. "And you're right, I can't beat time-travelling - I prefer to live in the present afterall."

He made a swift movement with his hand, and a fiery whip extended from his palm and ensnared Azerik's wrist. Kerel effortlessly swung the whip over his head, sending Azerik back a bit.

"Before you go off calling anyone a coward, strange person," Kerel said, and even Carcaroth felt frightened of how cold the voice was, despite the demon being covered in flames now, "I'd expect you to understand 'our kin' a little better than thus, if I am to believe what you've been spouting. We do not sacrifice ourselves for things like honor and glory. We do not care about cowardice or bravery - such things are only the perception of others. What matters to us is power. Power, which can only be achieved through life, not death."

His two swords had disappeared, now replaced by the whip and a double-bladed weapon - his signature weapon. Play-time seemed to be over.

"That's why I do not wish to die. What fun is there in dying? What can I achieve in death? I am not like you, who can just return after you die. When I'm gone, I'm gone. Poof. Not here."

His long black hair had begun to get a hint of red. His nails became sharper, and his teeth as well.

"It's true, I do not have anything that can counter time-travelling," he said quietly. "But I don't need to. While I do not have all my strength, I do have my endurance."

The whip disappeared.

"So, if you wish to witness more of my power, I recommend you come up with some different tactics."