08-01-2016, 04:40 PM
Renji’s head thrummed with the ferocity of at least seven jackhammers. This was a familiar place to the ageless swordsman, it was his own personal rabbit hole. The ground was cold and the air was filled with stale dust. This place was stagnation incarnate. He opened his eyes and climbed to his feet. Every muscle sore, every bone cracked and aching. Three stone walls surrounded him, with a fourth made of rusted bars. There was no door. Silence, absolute silence was louder than any cacophony that Renji could imagine. With an urgency reserved for delayed bathroom visits the swordsman rushed towards the bars of his prison. Shouts were met with wordless whispers. He rattled the bars of his cell, baring his flesh against the flaky and rusted metal.
“What have you done?” Rou’s voice echoed from behind him. Renji turned around to face his fellow prisoner. The once-jovial Rou now sported a dour face, and his casual clothes were cast aside for a set of leather armor. As a coming storm the denizen of the prison rushed forward, pinning Renji against the bars of his cage. Rou’s gloved hand wrapped around Renji’s neck and kept him tight against the rusted shafts. Fire smoldered beneath his honeyed eyes and he inspected his prey as a rabid dog would. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone could you?” he finally asked, making no effort to hide the venom in his voice.
Renji glanced away and stayed silent. With a mighty heave Rou ripped his prey from the bars and dashed him against the cobblestone floor. Renji’s attacker stalked forward, his voice shaking with rage, “well!? What do you have to say for yourself? You could’ve lived happily ever after with that demon locked up and starved, but no you had to feed him omnillium and break his chains. You- you, fucking imbecile.”
“I didn’t want to die,” Renji offered, inching away from Rou.
“Die!?” Rou shouted and smacked his hand against the stone wall, “you’re a prime Renji, you can’t die here! You just didn’t want to lose…”
“No! I…” Renji began to speak, but was sharply interrupted.
“You what? You couldn’t accept the fact that you’re weak without that demon holding your hand,” Rou reached down and hefted Renji up by the collar, “face it kid, you’re nothing but a coward and a pathetic swordsman. Always have been, always will be.”
“That’s not true,” Renji pushed Rou away.
“Whatever,” Rou spit, “believe what you want, but you’re still just a novice in my eyes.”
Renji opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and glanced towards a corner of his prison. Four walls, no doors. “How did you get in here Rou?”
“That demon isn’t the only one that has access to your omnilium,” Rou grabbed at the bar and stood still for a moment. After a moment of silence the rusted bars turned to liquid and melted away. The leather-clad man stepped out of the jail cell and motioned for Renji to follow him. “You got us into this mess, you’re going to get us out.” he said.
Renji hesitated for a moment before following Rou into the corridor. There were no more cells, just endless walls of stone forever twisting into madness. Rou walked quickly, forcing Renji to enter a light-job to keep up. “Where are all the prisoners?” Renji finally asked after several minutes of walking.
“Since you’ve given that demon free reign of your omnilium, he’s made some renovations.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means he’s made it harder for you to take over,” Rou paused for a moment, “in other words he’s turned this place into an almost-impossible gauntlet.”
“Then how am I supposed to take control?” Renji asked.
“You have to fight your way out,” the guide responded, “I’d do it myself, but I can’t take control of a body that isn’t mine.”
Soon enough the duo came face-to-face with a dead-end. Renji’s guide pressed his palm against the solid wall, and as if the stone was nothing more than putty he forged a handle. With a solid thunk Rou turned the freshly-made handle and slid the slab of stone open. A circular atrium, devoid of torches, but nonetheless well-lit, opened before them. In the center two swords sat crossed upon a pedestal. The guide stepped into the room and without ceremony removed a sword from its home. He pointed his sword at Renji and said, “pick up your weapon, we’ve got a lot of training to do.”
“Training?” Renji asked as if the word was foreign.
“Kuzuru has taken every powerful warrior that you’ve ever killed and stacked them against you, they hate you and without that demon’s help you’re nothing but an amateur.”
Renji pursed his lips and let out a sharp pulse of air. He withdrew his sword from the stone pedestal and held it in front of him. Slowly he dropped into a low stance and said, “I’m far from an amateur Rou, I may not be as strong without that demon, but I’m still a mas-” Before he could finish his training partner was upon him. A flash of metal caught Renji’s blade and smacked it from his hands. With a flourish of his weapon Rou brought his sword to Renji’s throat and pressed the razor edge against his flesh.
“Nothing but a novice, “ Rou seethed, pressing his sword tighter against Renji’s neck, “you’ve been nothing but a leech, feeding off the strength of that demon and the souls that he’s swallowed.”
“What have you done?” Rou’s voice echoed from behind him. Renji turned around to face his fellow prisoner. The once-jovial Rou now sported a dour face, and his casual clothes were cast aside for a set of leather armor. As a coming storm the denizen of the prison rushed forward, pinning Renji against the bars of his cage. Rou’s gloved hand wrapped around Renji’s neck and kept him tight against the rusted shafts. Fire smoldered beneath his honeyed eyes and he inspected his prey as a rabid dog would. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone could you?” he finally asked, making no effort to hide the venom in his voice.
Renji glanced away and stayed silent. With a mighty heave Rou ripped his prey from the bars and dashed him against the cobblestone floor. Renji’s attacker stalked forward, his voice shaking with rage, “well!? What do you have to say for yourself? You could’ve lived happily ever after with that demon locked up and starved, but no you had to feed him omnillium and break his chains. You- you, fucking imbecile.”
“I didn’t want to die,” Renji offered, inching away from Rou.
“Die!?” Rou shouted and smacked his hand against the stone wall, “you’re a prime Renji, you can’t die here! You just didn’t want to lose…”
“No! I…” Renji began to speak, but was sharply interrupted.
“You what? You couldn’t accept the fact that you’re weak without that demon holding your hand,” Rou reached down and hefted Renji up by the collar, “face it kid, you’re nothing but a coward and a pathetic swordsman. Always have been, always will be.”
“That’s not true,” Renji pushed Rou away.
“Whatever,” Rou spit, “believe what you want, but you’re still just a novice in my eyes.”
Renji opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and glanced towards a corner of his prison. Four walls, no doors. “How did you get in here Rou?”
“That demon isn’t the only one that has access to your omnilium,” Rou grabbed at the bar and stood still for a moment. After a moment of silence the rusted bars turned to liquid and melted away. The leather-clad man stepped out of the jail cell and motioned for Renji to follow him. “You got us into this mess, you’re going to get us out.” he said.
Renji hesitated for a moment before following Rou into the corridor. There were no more cells, just endless walls of stone forever twisting into madness. Rou walked quickly, forcing Renji to enter a light-job to keep up. “Where are all the prisoners?” Renji finally asked after several minutes of walking.
“Since you’ve given that demon free reign of your omnilium, he’s made some renovations.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means he’s made it harder for you to take over,” Rou paused for a moment, “in other words he’s turned this place into an almost-impossible gauntlet.”
“Then how am I supposed to take control?” Renji asked.
“You have to fight your way out,” the guide responded, “I’d do it myself, but I can’t take control of a body that isn’t mine.”
Soon enough the duo came face-to-face with a dead-end. Renji’s guide pressed his palm against the solid wall, and as if the stone was nothing more than putty he forged a handle. With a solid thunk Rou turned the freshly-made handle and slid the slab of stone open. A circular atrium, devoid of torches, but nonetheless well-lit, opened before them. In the center two swords sat crossed upon a pedestal. The guide stepped into the room and without ceremony removed a sword from its home. He pointed his sword at Renji and said, “pick up your weapon, we’ve got a lot of training to do.”
“Training?” Renji asked as if the word was foreign.
“Kuzuru has taken every powerful warrior that you’ve ever killed and stacked them against you, they hate you and without that demon’s help you’re nothing but an amateur.”
Renji pursed his lips and let out a sharp pulse of air. He withdrew his sword from the stone pedestal and held it in front of him. Slowly he dropped into a low stance and said, “I’m far from an amateur Rou, I may not be as strong without that demon, but I’m still a mas-” Before he could finish his training partner was upon him. A flash of metal caught Renji’s blade and smacked it from his hands. With a flourish of his weapon Rou brought his sword to Renji’s throat and pressed the razor edge against his flesh.
“Nothing but a novice, “ Rou seethed, pressing his sword tighter against Renji’s neck, “you’ve been nothing but a leech, feeding off the strength of that demon and the souls that he’s swallowed.”