Demon in the Green

[Kuzuru]

After waking from his dream - - - <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://omniverse-rpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2576#p23170">viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2576#p23170</a><!-- l -->

Renji had found a quaint little waterfall to rest near. It was near a small clearing and he sat against a tree, face the fast moving stream. The rushing water gave him comfort and helped him fall asleep. His dream was rough and frightening. When he slept he would often enter the blade and keep tabs on the souls he had collected over the years, it was a bizarre ritual but it was one that kept him sane. Kuzuru had forced him out of sleeping and he woke with a start. A few feet in front of him was an old man sitting with his legs cross. The man must have been in his late sixties. He had a simple sword resting across his lap.

Renji instinctively reached for his blade, but stopped when the man grinned and raised his hands.

“Rushing into battle so soon? I’ve no interest in fighting you” he crowed, his hands trembled with age.

Renji kept his hands in his lap and asked the man “what do you want then?”

“Nothing of consequence, I just find this waterfall refreshing, as I’m sure you did. It’s kind of a hidden gem here in the Tangled, don’t you agree?” he cocked his head to the side and lowered his hands. Renji smirked slightly at the man’s question. It was refreshing to find someone who seemed somewhat normal.

“Yes, I suppose this place is pretty wonderful isn’t it? My name is Renji by the way, pleasure to meet you” he smiled, somewhat glad that he was able to have a normal conversation without Kuzuru interjecting every second. He reached into the pocket stitched inside his shirt and retrieved a small smoking pipe.

“Chad, Chad Millwell swordsman extraordinaire”

Renji scowled slightly and thought so the sword isn’t just for show. “So you’re a bladesman as well?” Renji scoffed slightly “aren’t you a bit gray in the hair to be swinging a sword?”

Chad smiled softly and laughed “oh, perhaps. I just can’t seem to break the habit, I just love the thrill of a good battle.” Renji smirked a little and pulled his wide-brimmed bamboo hat to cover his face further. A cloud of smoke billowed up from underneath the hat and Chad continued speaking.

“I noticed you have a blade, care to have a little sparring match?”

“I don’t spar” Renji responded, his warm tone was now cold and unforgiving.

“Oh? Than how do you practice?”

“I only fight for blood, I’ve spent many years practicing, I don’t need to practice anymore”

“I see...” the old man trailed off. A gentle breeze whipped through the clearing and scattered Renji’s smoke clouds away. He heard the old man stand and ready his sword “very well, if you only fight for blood than so be it.”

Renji’s heart skipped a beat as Chad challenged him. He looked up at the ancient bladesman and raised an eye “are you sure you want to do this?”

“Most definitely”

The moment Chad accepted the challenge Renji was upon him. Drawing his blade in one sqift motion and erupting from his seated position he slashed out. Chad blocked Renji’s sword with his sheath and swiped back at the immortal swordsman. He’s quick, very quick Renji thought as he tumbled backwards and faced his opponent.

“Ohohoho, have we found a good match for you Renji? Kill the bastard, spill his blood into the stream!”

Renji closed his eyes and tried to force Kuzuru away, but the demon’s grip was monstrous. Chad dashed forward and took a diagonal cut at Renji. Even with his eyes closed he could predict his opponent’s movement and he deftly stepped to the side. Renji could feel his grip over sanity slipping and Kuzuru began to swallow him whole. Bloodthirsty he rushed forward and ducked under another swing, Renji tackled Chad to the ground and sent the old man’s sword flying.

“You’ll die the same as all the others!” Renji bellowed as he raised his sword high to deliver the killing blow. From the treeline a curved blade attached to a chain flew past Renji’s face. The chain pulled itself taut and snapped the sickle backwards in the air. From the blade a blinding flash of light erupted, burning Renji’s eye and causing him to scream out in pain. Another chained weapon shot from the nearby treeline, this time it was a large metal cylinder. The weight cracked into Renji’s chest and sent him flying backwards off Chad. The impact also released a titanic thunderclap, leaving Renji deaf and blind.

Kuzuru’s voice was gone, but so was everything else. He couldn’t see and he couldn’t hear. The swordsman cried out, trying to hear his own voice to no avail. The Blade of Lost Souls was no longer in his grip and for the first time in a long while he felt frightened. Without the blade he was no longer immortal, and even though Omni promised him eternal life he would not trust the omnipotent bastard. Renji groaned and felt the forming bruise on his stomach. His vision began to come back and his ears started to stop ringing.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t let you kill my quarry.”

[Kuzuru]

Renji rubbed his eyes and stumbled to a crouching position. Chad was already back on his feet, staring at the new arrival. He was a sleek suit of purple body armor, the man almost looks like a robot, but that notion was thrown out when his visor flicked open. Inside the exo-suit was a younger boy, probably only in his late teens or early twenties. He had ash-colored hair and sharp piercing grey eyes. In his hand swung a chained weapon, with a curved sickle on on end and a weighted cylinder on the other.

“Chad Millwell, for your crimes against Camelot I am here to collect your bounty. You can come peacefully or I can slay you where you stand. I have no qualms with either choice, but do make it quickly.” He spoke in an even tone, showing no inflections or emotion whatsoever. Renji picked his sword from the ground and instantly Kuzuru roared into his head.

“A new playtoy!? He looks young! Feed me his blood! Kill Kill!”

“Oh, what a bother. I’m sorry but I have no interest in dealing with you today” Chad frowned “please forgive me Renji, but our duel will have to be postponed.” Without another word he leaped across the stream and dashed into the river. The armored man sighed as his visor clamped down “how obnoxious.” He began to run after Chad but Renji dashed towards the purple man.

“You scared away my opponent! Fight me!” Renji yelled, accidently allowing some of his demon’s bloodlust show. The armored man ignored him and continued to chase Chad. Renji came close and stabbed forward, a direct attack towards the new arrival’s heart. To Renji’s surprise his target saw the attack coming. Almost instantly a shimmering purple portal tore itself into existence in front of Renji’s attack. Effortlessly half of Renji’s sword was swallowed by the portal, completely nullifying his strike.

“Please do not get in my way, I have no qualms about killing you as well” the man had stopped running and turned to face Renji. The swordsman pulled his blade from the portal and dashed backwards

He grinned and took a toke from his pipe “so you finally acknowledge me, I’m honored. Please tell me your name, I’d hate to not know the name of a man I am about to kill.”

“My name is Talos. Forgive me for my bluntness, but you cannot beat me. Exodus has already examined your capabilities and in your current state you are leagues below me.”

“Is that so?” Renji’s grin faded and he assumed a battle position.

“Yes. You must be a new prime, you’re not very powerful. I’m not sure how strong you were in your realm, but surely you understand you strength has diminished here in the Omniverse.”

“Just kill him already!”

Renji dashed forward and swung at Talos, who simply side-stepped the strike. The swordsman followed up his strike by ramming in Talos, charging him into a tree. Without wasting a beat Talos smacked the sickle portion of his weapon against the tree, releasing a massive burst of light. Renji stumbled backwards and was hit again by the weighted cylinder, releasing a massive thunderclap and sending him sprawling across the ground.

“Hahahaa! He’s kicking your ass Renji! How could I have managed to get stuck with a weakling like you?”

The swordsman managed to grip his sword and scowled at the demon’s comment. Even defeaned and blinded Renji could still hear Kuzuru’s constant taunting. He stood up and rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on his opponent. Talos threw his sickle outwards and Renji could tell that the blade would miss by a few inches, but it wasn’t meant to draw blood it was meant to disorient.

“Stop that!” Renji shouted and smacked the weapon out of the air. Using Talos’ moment of vulnerability Renji dashed forward and cut a line into the purple exosuit. Talos reacted quickly and swung the weighted cylinder at his attacker. Renji expected the counter attack and jumped high into the air, grabbing a tree branch with his free hand. Deftly he pulled himself up onto the branch and leaped down at Talos.

“Enough of this” Talos mused. A large purple portal opened under Talos’ feet and he fell through. Renji’s sword plunged into the ground, missing his opponent by mere seconds. Another rift opened, several feet away and Talos stepped out of it. The swordsman scowled and freed his sword from the earth.

“So, why did you attack us? Not that I mind, you’re a much better opponent than that old man.”

“I’m a bounty hunter and that man you were fighting was convicted for the murder of several people including three children. Naturally, I’m here to collect the bounty.”

“A child-killer eh?”

“Yes, so please allow me to go chase him before he can cause more harm. Surely you want someone like that apprehended?”

Renji laughed slightly “like I give a damn! I’m not letting you leave so soon, you’re the first opponent in over a thousand years that has managed to prove a challenge. I would be a fool to pass on an opportunity like that.”

“Very well...” Talos threw both ends of his weapon out to either side of his body. They disappeared into two portals. Before Renji could act several portals tore into existence around him. From these portals Talos’ weapon erupted, traveling through portal after portal. A cage of moving chains was created around Renji, he readied his blade to block any attack.

“Blitzkreig” Talos spoke softly and pulled back on his weapon, forcing them to reel themselves in. A storm of thunder and lightning swallowed the swordsman. Shock and Awe clattered against eachother, burning Renji’s retinas and bursting his ear drums. The weight smacked against his body and the blade cut him in several places. The world went dark and silence and all the swordsman could feel was the pain of his fresh wounds. He dropped to his knees and staked his sword into the ground, using it as a brace before collapsing to the ground. Just like that The Immortal Swordsman had lost his first fight in several thousand years. Talos stepped through a shimmering portal and disappeared into the green, leaving Renji broken and bleeding.