>>43983413
This morning, you've received a Hell Butterfly with Urahara's summonings. You immediately head out to the Spiritual Wave Measurement Lab, the destination he specified. After exchanging polite greetings and a little small talk, the Captain explains himself.

"A Shinigami named Ito Satoshi, 8th Division, has been persistently reporting Hollow slayings when none had actually occurred according to our readings. He's upset because we're withholding the bounty, but we can't even determine which Hollow he'd slain. It might sound surprising, but many Hollows look very similar to each other, so a description doesn't cut it when it comes to identification. But on the contrary, our readings are usually good enough to accurately determine such a thing."

Urahara glances at one of the monitors, the one showing Area Number 4851 in the corner of its display. It must be the location you'll be heading to; all it shows is a green grid with a few blinking dots on it.

"Your mission is very simple. If he's lying for the sake of a paycheck, well, tell us, and we'll make sure he's reprimanded. If you feel like getting him to stop yourself, it might be worth a try, I suppose." The Captain smiles, shrugging a bit. "But if there's something more to it than that and it's us who need to check our equipment, well, please figure it out for us, Ryouta-kun."

He takes something out of his pocket. It's a small phone. You've heard and read about the concept of cellphones, but you've never actually seen them.

"This is an experimental communications device that we've developed, the Denreishinki. It actually did really well in practical tests, so we've been pushing to supply every Division with them. In addition to allowing us to constantly maintain contact, it also detects Hollows and has a set of other various functions. Here you go."

You flip open the device and press a few buttons to make sure that it works. It seems to function just fine.

(2/3)

>>43983441
"Much lighter than the stuff we used previously, isn't it? And you don't need to rely on complex Kido or the slow Hell Butterflies anymore if you don't want to carry all of that weight. The future sure is great, isn't it?" He chuckles a bit. You nod.

"Oh, and there's something else." He hands you another small device that fits comfortably into your palm. It's a blue-tinted glass container coated in white plastic. There are a few buttons on it. "When you slay a Hollow, the purification process leaves behind wisps of light, doesn't it? If you happen to come across any unusual specimens, could you press this blue button here and capture one of those lights for me? It'll provide me with a sample when you return. Mind you, it's not a quota or anything like that. Just if you happen to get the chance. Your mission and well-being naturally take priority."

...

>Ask him what he needs the samples for.
>Don't ask; proceed with the mission.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>43983457
>>Ask him what he needs the samples for.

Character Sheet: http://pastebin.com/maynXK2P

>>43983457
Ask what the wisps are?

>>43983457
>Don't ask; proceed with the mission.
I mean he's a scientist, he obviously wants to study and do experiments on them.

>>43983457
>Ask him what he needs the samples for.

>>43983457
>Don't ask; proceed with the mission.

Seems pretty rude to ask our superiors their motive.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>43983457
Voting over, rolling to break the tie!

1-3 is asking, 4-6 is not!

>>43983591
>>43983643
You nod and put the device in your pocket. Urahara smiles again and continues with the briefing.

"You'll be heading to Nordlingen, Germany. Don't suppose you've heard of that place. It's an unremarkable and small town; you should be able to find your way around it easily. We haven't notified Ito Satoshi of your imminent arrival, so you're free to handle the situation however you like. Use the Denreishinki to report anything you find." The blond man pauses, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, that's right. You can speak German, can't you? What other languages were there? English, Russian, Italian, Chinese... It surprised me when I first found out, you know. You really were an ideal choice for this sort of duty."

You nod and offer your thanks. You know a few more languages than that, but you don't want to interrupt him.

"Where did that kind of knowledge come from, I wonder?" Urahara ends up asking you a question, though he muses it out loud, as if wanting to figure it out by himself.

You give him an answer. "My mother likes to read books from the Human World. She's learned foreign languages to read the books she wants, as translations are hard to come by. She then taught me so that I could do the same."

"Your mother sounds like a very intelligent woman. I'm impressed yet again, Ryouta-kun. It's actually very rare for anyone to know more than one language in Soul Society, especially for someone from Rukongai. Behind your plain appearance, there's an unbelievable amount of talent." He smiles again. "I wouldn't mind meeting her someday. It's... quite unfortunate that I have so much work to do. Speaking of which, I should get going. I'll have someone take you to the Senkaimon..."

"There is no need. I know the way."

"Very well then. Good luck, Ryouta-kun."

The Captain takes his leave.

...

(1/2)

>>43984751
Man, who the fuck are we even? Even if we're pretty mediocre in terms of raw power, this definitely isn't normal.

>>43984751
The black butterfly leads you along the bare path between the two worlds. The air ripples and the gates form at the end of your route, sliding apart to grant entrance into the other reality. Your feet step onto a tiled triangle rooftop that tips one of the many buildings littering the visible street. Although varying in sizes, the houses all seem similar to one another, all built with brick of yellow or red hue, and most of them sharing an identically designed roof, though with the colors of the tiles occasionally varying from the usual red.

You've heard that some of the busier cities in the Human World can hide behind the height of their gray buildings and thick industrial smog the sun from the massive crowds wandering on the ground beneath; this does not seem like that kind of town. Even Soul Society feels tightly packed at many times in most districts; but this town feels sparse when it comes to both people and houses; trees frequently crop up between structures. There must have been no need to use the space occupied by them, which is why they still remain.

Judging by the sun, it's midday, just like it was back in Soul Society when you left. The road here lasted for what felt like mere minutes. Unfortunately, there's no way to reliably check that. The time here doesn't align with Soul Society too well.

But it's time to get to work. At the moment, you feel no presence of other spiritual beings aside from one, which you believe to be the Shinigami responsible for this area. Your special cellphone doesn't show anything, either. You think you're hiding yourself well enough to keep yourself from being spotted, so Ito Satoshi must still be unaware of your arrival here.

(2/3)

>>43984779
Anon stop scaring me you fuck.

>>43984813
You could either head to him right away or take a look around the town first, to see if that turns up anything of note. You can gather information easily, as you know the local language. But at the same time, it might be redundant to do for a mission like this.

...

>Investigate the town first, see if there's anything out of the ordinary going on.
>Find the Shinigami in charge of this area, Ito Satoshi. Approach him openly.
>Find the Shinigami in charge of this area, Ito Satoshi. Observe him from hiding.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>43984838
>Find the Shinigami in charge of this area, Ito Satoshi. Observe him from hiding.

We're small enough to not draw attention and we need to see if he's killing hollows anyways.

>>43984838
>Find the Shinigami in charge of this area, Ito Satoshi. Observe him from hiding.

Have we started to develop a relationship with our sword over the timeskip?

>>43984838
>>Find the Shinigami in charge of this area, Ito Satoshi. Observe him from hiding.

>>43984895
Nope.

>>43984838
>Find the Shinigami in charge of this area, Ito Satoshi. Observe him from hiding.
Stealth now!

>>43984895
I think we only leveled our special analyzing ability and that's it.

>>43984838
Voting over, writing!

A Rank Analytical mind must be the anti-Kubo.

Glance at someone and know all of their plans just from the way they breath.

>>43984905
>>43984895
>>43984859
You set out, phasing along through the interiors of buildings to maintain constant cover. It's not the humans that you're worried about; they can neither see you nor feel the wind that trails your quick steps as you swiftly dash past. Satoshi is most certainly keeping an eye out, so a lax approach would give you away.

You spot another person in black robes as you look through the window of a kitchen, lying on one of the flat rooftops. You haven't actually gotten a description of the Shinigami you were meant to look out for, but thinking logically, there can't be anyone other than Ito Satoshi in this area, so that must be him. He appears young and slim, around your apparent age, with smoothly combed brown hair, a sheathed sword laid out beside him, and a bottle of beer occupying the opposite hand.

Satoshi is staring up towards the clear skies, bathing in the warm sunlight and watching the clouds go by as he sips his drink. It's very strange. He should be making rounds around the town.

You keep observing him, not sure what to expect. It doesn't seem right to draw conclusions right away; perhaps he's just tired, or has done all the work that needs doing. Though, if it's the latter, how could he know that for sure?

He continues to lie for the better part of an hour. You take out your cellphone, meaning to make a report, but the device isn't working properly. Your calls and messages aren't going through. Although the buttons and the screen function, there is no signal. It's very strange. Is it a malfunction, or is something blocking it? The Captain did mention that the device was experimental.

(1/2)

>>43985452
It seems that you'll have to rely on Hell Butterflies for communication. You have one with you, the butterfly that brought you here, but it's the only one you have. It will take time to deliver a message, and yet more time to receive a response.

....

>Send the butterfly. Report Satoshi's behavior and the Denreishinki's malfunction.
>Keep it with you for the time being. Continue observing.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>43985464
>Keep it with you for the time being. Continue observing.

>>43985464
>Keep it with you for the time being. Continue observing.

>>43985464
>Keep it with you for the time being. Continue observing.

>>43985464
>>Keep it with you for the time being. Continue observing.

>>43985464
>Send the butterfly. Report Satoshi's behavior and the Denreishinki's malfunction.

>>43985464
Voting over, writing!

>>43985494
>>43985542
You decide to keep it. There might be more important things to report later on.

You crouch down behind a table, keeping your eyes on the other Shinigami. The kitchen is empty, with only the slight humming of the fridge disturbing what would otherwise be an utterly dead silence. You don't feel hungry or thirsty, so you stay where you are.

Without any warning, you begin to feel something. It's the sensation of a dangerous presence, a Hollow's poisonous spiritual energy. With yourself hidden firmly, out of sight and out of mind, the monster is heading towards your careless colleague, who still lies about. Is he completely oblivious to what's approaching?

As you set your hand on your sword, ready to act, the young man begins to sluggishly get up to his feet. The bottle is set on the red tiled rooftop, while the sword is drawn out of its sheath. He sets the blunt side of his sword on his palm, the hilt still in the other hand, and murmurs something. You read his lips.

"Fling, Ishiken."

Satoshi's sword warps and twists as it hears its name, soon taking up the bizarre form resembling an anchor, or perhaps a steel, sharp crossbow without a string. He hefts his weapon up and takes aim. A red bolt erupts from the bead, raw spiritual power drawing an arc as it flies towards a point in the sky. It then fizzles out into crimson smoke, apparently having reached its mark.

>Satoshi's Zanpakuto Resonance: D+
>At this level, the user knows their sword's true name and can use Shikai in combat. Releasing their sword takes up an entire turn. The user's and the blade's coinciding personalities make cooperation easier, providing additional special abilities normally reserved for a higher rank of the skill.

(1/2)

>>43986533
>SHIKAI: Ishiken
>Command: Fling
>Rank: D
>Type: Anti-Unit
>Range: 1-10
>Maximum Target: 1 person
>A crossbow that fires bolts of pure spiritual energy. The weapon possesses several modes of firing which may be selected from at the moment of shooting. Its unique shape lets the user fight in close combat without penalties.
>First mode. Seek: E Rank. The projectile heads towards a target point following a trajectory the user visualizes at the moment of firing.

Satoshi seems pleased with himself, sits back down and reaches for his drink.

...But the Hollow is still present, still approaching him. You can feel it, and you are certain that you are not mistaken.

What is he doing?

...

>Keep observing.
>Alert Satoshi.
>Don't alert Satoshi; try to slay the Hollow the moment it attacks him.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>43986595
>Keep observing.

>>43986595
>Keep observing.

>>43986595
>Don't alert Satoshi; try to slay the Hollow the moment it attacks him.

>>43986595
>>Keep observing.
So, what's blocking the signal of our device is also blocking them from getting a reading on the hollow? We should find the source

>>43986595
>Keep observing
Also side note, since we're rank D shouldnt we have all his stats displayed since a 1 combat turn has happened even if we werent part of it?

Sorry for rules lawyering

>>43986595
>>Keep observing.

>>43986595
>Keep observing
The fact our cell phone isn't working may mean that something is wrong with this area, explaining why soul society aren't getting notified of this dude taking out hollows

>>43986595
>Don't alert Satoshi; try to slay the Hollow the moment it attacks him.

>>43986744
It's true! I was going to reveal his stats next post!

>>43986595
Voting over, writing!

>>43986618
>>43986681
>>43986736
You stay where you are, hoping to piece together the situation with the next set of events. The Shinigami tries to get back into his leisurely mood, taking another sip from his bottle.

>Satoshi's Attributes:
>STR: D
>END: E
>AGI: E
>SPI: D
>REIA: E (D)

That's when the Hollow emerges, moving through roof tiles like through air. It emerged right behind him, its looming shadow the only reason Ito Satoshi had been made aware that he was attacked. His sword was still released, so he turned with it in hand, trying to point it at the creature.

But he wasn't nearly quick enough to make that work.

The creature that pounces him is a green dog-like beast, crawling around on four legs, its face hidden underneath a lion's skull, and its neck encircled by a frill vaguely resembling flower petals in its shape, five of them in number, from what you can see. Its yellow eyes flare with a sick hunger, fangs eager to sink into flesh. In its jump, the neck frill spreads out, spraying miniscule spikes into the Shinigami. Satoshi is forced to close his eyes at the worst possible moment.

His fate was sealed there. The Hollow knocks him down and bites into his nape, viciously pulling with its jaws. Satoshi doesn't resist, but the monster is still having trouble, sloppily working its way through the tough remains. It seems surprisingly weak.

(1/2)

>>43987718
A Shinigami is hard to kill. Beheading is the only reliable means of doing so. Satoshi may not be moving, but he might still be alive. You wonder if the Hollow is distracted enough to be sneaked up on. Right now, while trying to kill its prey, it most certainly is; but the bigger question is if you can make it to a suitable position to slay it before it's done lopping off the head. If that occurs and it just so happens to turn around, you'll be in a lot of trouble.

...

>Keep observing.
>Distract it loudly; just get it off Satoshi.
>Take your chances with stealth. Get into position. A properly executed slash to the back of the head will kill it even if it's tougher than it looks.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>43987749
>Take your chances with stealth. Get into position. A properly executed slash to the back of the head will kill it even if it's tougher than it looks.

>>43987749
>Take your chances with stealth. Get into position. A properly executed slash to the back of the head will kill it even if it's tougher than it looks.

>>43987749
>Take your chances with stealth. Get into position. A properly executed slash to the back of the head will kill it even if it's tougher than it looks.

>>43987749
>Take your chances with stealth. Get into position. A properly executed slash to the back of the head will kill it even if it's tougher than it looks.

>>43987749
>>Take your chances with stealth. Get into position. A properly executed slash to the back of the head will kill it even if it's tougher than it looks.

>>43987749
Voting over, writing!

>>43987774
>>43987785
You dart out of the safety of your hiding spot, disregarding the brick walls and windows in your way. You halt a drop in speed of your jump by stepping onto the air, only to immediately leap again, crossing a city block in a matter of seconds. Through the use of Shunpo, you make your way behind the green Hollow, sword drawn and ready.

With one more jump, you fling yourself at its back, your weapon raised up into the air. You tilt your entire body and bring it down onto the monster's head, tilting your whole body in order to compensate for the Hollow's problematic anatomy.

The blade sinks into the bone, making its way through to the flesh and deeper down, cutting into the other end of its head. It's as clean of a hit as you could hope for. Your awkward posture forced you to tumble down onto the tiled roof, but with a quick roll, you spring back to your feet, the tip of your Zanpakuto pointed at the threat.

Hollow's Attributes:
>STR: E
>END: D
>AGI: C
>SPI: B
>REIA: E

...But the Hollow is slain. Its body begins to scatter to the winds, the outward ugliness of a lost heart turning into beautiful wisps flying towards the heavens.

You look at Satoshi. He's bled out almost all there is to bleed, staining the red tiles a grimmer shade, but his neck remains attached, even if barely. He can't breathe and his eyes are glassed over, numb to the brightness of the blue sky's sun. You can't tell if he's still alive. But it might be worth to bring him back, either way.

You notice those blue wisps flying off from his body as well. He isn't dissolving, but those spikes that pierced him are. It seems that they were part of the Hollow. What does that entail, if anything? You take a closer look, inspecting the Shinigami's condition in further detail. Unfortunately, it's hard to make anything out; his injuries are grave enough to make any other current condition imperceptible.

(1/2)

>>43988607
That thing wasn't a direct combat type, but giving it a chance to act might have been a fatal mistake, regardless. It's a good thing you didn't take any chances, even if it was at the unintentional expense of another person.

It's fairly likely that those spikes it shot out were somehow poisonous, but there is no way to confirm it anymore.

...Wait, you still have a way. That device Urahara gave you... If you were to take one of these floating wisps, could he figure it out? Is it even important anymore? With the Hollow slain, whatever could have been affecting Satoshi has probably faded out along with it.

But at the same time, why not? Even if this Hollow did not seem particularly anomalous, it might still help Urahara with his research, whatever that might be. There is practically no reason not to do this. It's surprising that you're even having doubts at all.

It's not like you know something that you shouldn't, right?

...

>Take the sample.
>Don't take the sample.

>>43988636
>Take the sample.

>>43988636
>Take the sample.

>>43988636
>Take the sample.
Shit man, I don't know. I'm kinda creeped out by how unaffected Ryouta is by this gross and possibly mortal wound. Not a very empathetic guy apparently

>>43988636
>It's not like you know something that you shouldn't, right?
Hogyoku:Electric Boogaloo?

>>43988636
>Take the sample.

>>43988702
Ryouta doesn't seem to react to much in general.

>>43988636
>Take the sample.

>>43988636
>Take the sample.

File: a really calm person.png (595 KB, 1000x1000)

595 KB PNG

>>43988636
I'd like to end the thread for tonight, it's getting really late and I'm feeling a bit tired!

I'm not sure if there'll be another thread tomorrow, unfortunately! It's that part of the year when I need to worry about finals and other annoying real life stuff. I should probably get that headache out of the way as soon as I can and then really push out threads at a faster pace during the holidays!
Keep an eye out on twitter: https://twitter.com/Mushroomgami

If you have any feedback or questions, throw them my way!

I understand that it's been a bit of a slow start. I'm trying to step up the pace, so please stick with me for a bit as I get into it properly!

Thanks for reading!

>>43989097
Thanks for running

>>43989097
Thanks for writing!