Now You Feel Like Number None [Bleach Arrancar Quest]
- Thread starter Omicron
- Start date
- Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Omegahugger
Inattentive Idiot
Glad to see I am not the only one who kept misreading that...
- Location
- america
well madoka did use a bow as a weapon right?
- Location
- Brittany, France
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I think we can call the vote here, with Tousen scoring a comfortable win.
- Location
- PA
That's why it's conveinent we handed him two files of important information for the guy to look over. Plus any findings and knowledge he can wring out of Szayel's reports on Cirucci's upgrades. I figure if we wanted AIZEN shenanigans we'd have gone for Loly& Menoly showing up to, among other things, see about getting Casus Beli to get payback on Luppi-I'm pretty sure he ended up fighting those two alongside Dorondi's squad...
- Location
- Here & There
Ooh time for awkward shenanigans.
"Sorry not sorry about taking you hostage"
"Sorry not sorry about taking you hostage"
Now You Feel Like Number 48 - 20: That Which Exhumes
- Location
- Texas
Now You Feel Like Number 48
XX: That Which Exhumes
——————————————
The return trip is faster than the journey out. When you left, you were searching for Ren's bridge, and in the vast, shifting desert, even a bridge is a tiny thing. A needle in a haystack. To have any chance of locating it, you had to move deliberately, periodically unleashing pesquisa or using sonido to take to the air and gain a better vantage point.
No such precautions are needed to find Las Noches. Hueco Mundo is vast, but Las Noches is vast itself, and more, you have an enchanted needle which always points back toward the empty city-fortress. Returning is just a matter of walking, with the enormous shield sideways across your shoulders.
Ishi flies overhead some of the time; at times she lands and walks nearby. It's hard for her to keep pace with you; her great dragonfly form is well-suited to flight, and poorly equipped for the ground. When walks, she struggles to keep the pace you set; when she flies, she zig-zags and curls constantly not to outdistance you.
Watching her reminds you that you used to be able to soar at will. Not just for those precious times when you release the power pent up in Golondrina; once, you were as much a creature of the air. A part of you wants to tell her; another part wants to speak of anything else.
Ishi spots the walls first, and the gate which opens into Nemo's wall-fort. She circles down to land next to you, and you halt to speak.
"There is your palace, yes?" she asks. "It is enough? You are home; you will keep your word? You will show me this Aisslinger?"
She has a sort of desperate edge to her voice. Not threatening, exactly. More…expecting the worst. She has been searching for so long, and disappointed so many times, that she is resigned to the possibility. She expects to betrayed, and she would rather face betrayal here, where it is just the two of you, far from any allies that might be waiting in Las Noches.
You can't help but remember that she is an adjuchas, no trivial opponent, and like all in Hueco Mundo, a predator. And in the time you travelled, her wounds have been regenerating, which is a capability you surrendered upon becoming arrancar.
You kneel down in the sand, and begin drawing rough shapes.
"Cirucci Sanderwicci keeps her word," you reassure. "This circle is Las Noches, and we are standing here, at the place. Aisslinger lives in a series of tunnels, at this X, not far away. I must deliver this prize first, but if you will be patient a little while yet, I will take you to Aisslinger myself. Or, if you cannot wait, seek him out yourself. If you go to him, be wary. He is bitter, and cruel, and he may have servants with him. He is arrancar, with a beaked mask, and his hands and feet are like tree roots. He knows how to break masks, but do not submit to his arts lightly. He cares greatly for his own self, and little for his patients."
"It is more than I received from Ren," Ishi finally answered. "I will go with you, and wait a little while. I have already waited long."
And so, the two of you walk the last steps to Las Noches, and enter by the gate of the pillars. You lean the shield against the wall outside, and peek your head around the doorframe. Inside, there is the familiar checkerboard of light and shadow cast by the columns. The floor needs sweeping again.
And brooding stonily against the closest pillar, staring you right in the face, is the Privaron.
Well, so much for making a grand entrance. You straighten up slowly and step into full view. You desperately try to project sophistication and unflappability. This is terrible. You look like you were rolled down a hill in a barrel, and you sort of forgot about it on the way back because you were so excited about giving her the shield, but what were you thinking, you couldn't have cleaned up first, you look like a crazed hermit, and she's so calm, so perfect in her new uniform (which you got for her, and that was totally the right call) even if she insists on wearing those hakama under it, and why isn't she saying anything, and…
Nemo Elcorbuzier walks toward you calmly, and silently looks at you like a general inspecting a line of soldiers. She tugs lightly at your surviving sleeve, and pokes at your curls with a finger, which is totally uncalled-for, given the sorry state of her own hair. She probably doesn't even condition. Eventually, you can't handle the silence any more.
"Mistress Nemo? I'm back, you probably noticed I was out for a few days, but I brought you back a present! I think you'll really like it. It's very pretty, and it's the only one like it. Um, it's a little dirty right now, because I had to break a few walls when I was getting it, but I'll polish it right up again, and it'll look so nice on your wall, and you're going to love it. I just…I hope you like it…"
You duck back around the corner and pick up the shield. Ishi is standing out of sight, with a funny look on her face. Well, kind off. It's hard to tell, with that mask, but she looks like she WOULD have a funny look on her face, if her face worked that way. Something about her eyes. You glare at her sharply, just in case, and then carry the shield out to where the Privaron can inspect it.
Her reaction is as much as you hoped for, and confusing, besides. She was wearing what you almost call a satisfied smile as you round the door frame, and then her eyes catch the Mantis Shield, and the expression drops from her face, enchanging for a sort of bewildered scowl. Her eyes narrow, and with a step, she's grasping the shield by the rim, examining the little carved flourishes that decorate the insides edge.
Which is odd, when you think about it. You'd expect the decorative touches to be on the face, where other people could see them, but that side is totally featureless. Pure, unblemished, shining.
Whatever Nemo is looking for, she apparently found it. She takes an unsteady step backward, and then another. And then, before you even have time to flinch, she hurls a bala right at it. To your shock, it rebounds from the mirrored surface, and streaks off to impact a far-off pillar face. She touches the shield again, and stares at her own reflection; cracked mask, brown eyes, wild hair, as if she has never seen herself before.
And then she gives you thumbs up. And, then, affirmation finished, points sharply off to one side, where you see a tea pot sitting.
By the time the tea is ready, the Privaron is kneeling calmly by the little low table, with a cheerily malicious smirk. Ishi is reclining uncomfortably; her body is not well-suited for furniture. She seems to fighting an internal war against stark panic, from being in such close proximity to such great power. Which is fair; not everyone can be as fearless as Cirucci Sanderwicci, after all. The adjuchas has probably never been close to someone of Espada-tier power before. You feel a swelling of benevolent sympathy towards her.
That evaporates when you realize she's telling Privaron Nemo about the temple, in entirely inaccurate detail, but you have to get the biscuits arranged before you can interrupt gracefully.
"I do not mean to stare," Ishi was saying breathlessly, when you finally begin serving the refreshment. "I am sorry. I am sorry if this is rude. But, your mask…it is not like hers, or Ren's, or the Rinker's. It is large, and rough? Why is it so?"
You want to slap Ishi, honestly. You don't just go around asking people personal questions like that. Not important people, like Nemo Elcorbuzier. All that wandering around the desert must have sandblasted her manners right off. If she gets vaporized for impertinence, it's going to be no one's fault but her own.
But the Privaron doesn't take offense. She shrugs, and feels the jagged edge, and glances sidelong at the shield of the Mantis.
It is rough, she signals, because she didn't know any better when she removed it. She had not wanted to break her mask, but she was captured once, long ago, and there was no other way to be free. She removed her mask like a snared wolf will gnaw off its own leg; it was painful, and left scars.
Ishi reflects upon this, as the three of you sip tea.
Congratulations! You have reached the end of Arc 3.
XX: That Which Exhumes
——————————————
The return trip is faster than the journey out. When you left, you were searching for Ren's bridge, and in the vast, shifting desert, even a bridge is a tiny thing. A needle in a haystack. To have any chance of locating it, you had to move deliberately, periodically unleashing pesquisa or using sonido to take to the air and gain a better vantage point.
No such precautions are needed to find Las Noches. Hueco Mundo is vast, but Las Noches is vast itself, and more, you have an enchanted needle which always points back toward the empty city-fortress. Returning is just a matter of walking, with the enormous shield sideways across your shoulders.
Ishi flies overhead some of the time; at times she lands and walks nearby. It's hard for her to keep pace with you; her great dragonfly form is well-suited to flight, and poorly equipped for the ground. When walks, she struggles to keep the pace you set; when she flies, she zig-zags and curls constantly not to outdistance you.
Watching her reminds you that you used to be able to soar at will. Not just for those precious times when you release the power pent up in Golondrina; once, you were as much a creature of the air. A part of you wants to tell her; another part wants to speak of anything else.
Ishi spots the walls first, and the gate which opens into Nemo's wall-fort. She circles down to land next to you, and you halt to speak.
"There is your palace, yes?" she asks. "It is enough? You are home; you will keep your word? You will show me this Aisslinger?"
She has a sort of desperate edge to her voice. Not threatening, exactly. More…expecting the worst. She has been searching for so long, and disappointed so many times, that she is resigned to the possibility. She expects to betrayed, and she would rather face betrayal here, where it is just the two of you, far from any allies that might be waiting in Las Noches.
You can't help but remember that she is an adjuchas, no trivial opponent, and like all in Hueco Mundo, a predator. And in the time you travelled, her wounds have been regenerating, which is a capability you surrendered upon becoming arrancar.
You kneel down in the sand, and begin drawing rough shapes.
"Cirucci Sanderwicci keeps her word," you reassure. "This circle is Las Noches, and we are standing here, at the place. Aisslinger lives in a series of tunnels, at this X, not far away. I must deliver this prize first, but if you will be patient a little while yet, I will take you to Aisslinger myself. Or, if you cannot wait, seek him out yourself. If you go to him, be wary. He is bitter, and cruel, and he may have servants with him. He is arrancar, with a beaked mask, and his hands and feet are like tree roots. He knows how to break masks, but do not submit to his arts lightly. He cares greatly for his own self, and little for his patients."
"It is more than I received from Ren," Ishi finally answered. "I will go with you, and wait a little while. I have already waited long."
And so, the two of you walk the last steps to Las Noches, and enter by the gate of the pillars. You lean the shield against the wall outside, and peek your head around the doorframe. Inside, there is the familiar checkerboard of light and shadow cast by the columns. The floor needs sweeping again.
And brooding stonily against the closest pillar, staring you right in the face, is the Privaron.
Well, so much for making a grand entrance. You straighten up slowly and step into full view. You desperately try to project sophistication and unflappability. This is terrible. You look like you were rolled down a hill in a barrel, and you sort of forgot about it on the way back because you were so excited about giving her the shield, but what were you thinking, you couldn't have cleaned up first, you look like a crazed hermit, and she's so calm, so perfect in her new uniform (which you got for her, and that was totally the right call) even if she insists on wearing those hakama under it, and why isn't she saying anything, and…
Nemo Elcorbuzier walks toward you calmly, and silently looks at you like a general inspecting a line of soldiers. She tugs lightly at your surviving sleeve, and pokes at your curls with a finger, which is totally uncalled-for, given the sorry state of her own hair. She probably doesn't even condition. Eventually, you can't handle the silence any more.
"Mistress Nemo? I'm back, you probably noticed I was out for a few days, but I brought you back a present! I think you'll really like it. It's very pretty, and it's the only one like it. Um, it's a little dirty right now, because I had to break a few walls when I was getting it, but I'll polish it right up again, and it'll look so nice on your wall, and you're going to love it. I just…I hope you like it…"
You duck back around the corner and pick up the shield. Ishi is standing out of sight, with a funny look on her face. Well, kind off. It's hard to tell, with that mask, but she looks like she WOULD have a funny look on her face, if her face worked that way. Something about her eyes. You glare at her sharply, just in case, and then carry the shield out to where the Privaron can inspect it.
Her reaction is as much as you hoped for, and confusing, besides. She was wearing what you almost call a satisfied smile as you round the door frame, and then her eyes catch the Mantis Shield, and the expression drops from her face, enchanging for a sort of bewildered scowl. Her eyes narrow, and with a step, she's grasping the shield by the rim, examining the little carved flourishes that decorate the insides edge.
Which is odd, when you think about it. You'd expect the decorative touches to be on the face, where other people could see them, but that side is totally featureless. Pure, unblemished, shining.
Whatever Nemo is looking for, she apparently found it. She takes an unsteady step backward, and then another. And then, before you even have time to flinch, she hurls a bala right at it. To your shock, it rebounds from the mirrored surface, and streaks off to impact a far-off pillar face. She touches the shield again, and stares at her own reflection; cracked mask, brown eyes, wild hair, as if she has never seen herself before.
And then she gives you thumbs up. And, then, affirmation finished, points sharply off to one side, where you see a tea pot sitting.
By the time the tea is ready, the Privaron is kneeling calmly by the little low table, with a cheerily malicious smirk. Ishi is reclining uncomfortably; her body is not well-suited for furniture. She seems to fighting an internal war against stark panic, from being in such close proximity to such great power. Which is fair; not everyone can be as fearless as Cirucci Sanderwicci, after all. The adjuchas has probably never been close to someone of Espada-tier power before. You feel a swelling of benevolent sympathy towards her.
That evaporates when you realize she's telling Privaron Nemo about the temple, in entirely inaccurate detail, but you have to get the biscuits arranged before you can interrupt gracefully.
"I do not mean to stare," Ishi was saying breathlessly, when you finally begin serving the refreshment. "I am sorry. I am sorry if this is rude. But, your mask…it is not like hers, or Ren's, or the Rinker's. It is large, and rough? Why is it so?"
You want to slap Ishi, honestly. You don't just go around asking people personal questions like that. Not important people, like Nemo Elcorbuzier. All that wandering around the desert must have sandblasted her manners right off. If she gets vaporized for impertinence, it's going to be no one's fault but her own.
But the Privaron doesn't take offense. She shrugs, and feels the jagged edge, and glances sidelong at the shield of the Mantis.
It is rough, she signals, because she didn't know any better when she removed it. She had not wanted to break her mask, but she was captured once, long ago, and there was no other way to be free. She removed her mask like a snared wolf will gnaw off its own leg; it was painful, and left scars.
Ishi reflects upon this, as the three of you sip tea.
Congratulations! You have reached the end of Arc 3.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Hah. That's a very clever way of tying the ideas about P!Nemo being a natural arrancar to her backstory with Mantis.
I love it.
NSMS
Probably evil, unfortunately.
- Location
- A rapidly widening tear in the fabric of reality
So, where do we put our XP for this arc? I know some people just want to keep pushing our Resurreccion, but seriously, we're already Master rank in it and only have one other skill- Combat Arts- above Skilled! We can barely sustain it for a minute at this point! I think Control is the way to go for now, but if anybody has a better idea...
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
No way, man. We gotta keep pushing. One day, one time...
L E G E N D A R Y
R E S
- Location
- Australia
Style. Definitely Style. Other arrancars have things like Resurreccion, Combat Arts, and Control, but none of them have Style. Out of all the potential arrancars who could've become Nemo's Chief of Staff, it just so happened to be the one with Style. I don't think that's a coincidence.
NSMS
Probably evil, unfortunately.
- Location
- A rapidly widening tear in the fabric of reality
We've already been told having our Resurreccion above our Control by as much as it is now causes us problems. How bad do you think it'll be if we go straight to Legendary without levelling it?
Cirucci: Behold! My ultimate power! Rip, Golondrina!
*momentary brilliant flashes of light, followed by an anticlimatic thunk*
D. Roy: ...aaaand she knocked herself out. Well, I guess there's nobody to stop me taking this loot now~
- Location
- Australia
We're talking about Minirucci, not canon!Nemo.
Omegahugger
Inattentive Idiot
The "rip" part of the command phrase is actually the sound of Cirucci's dress ripping underneath her overwhelming power.
Sorry if this is slightly off-topic, but there doesn't seem to be a Bleach General thread, and I am planning to use this for an omake:
Is there anything in particular I should check out to get more about Kon's voice and personality, outside of his intro episode and the bits of the Arrancar arc with him in them? I know he showed up in some filler, but I've got no clue if it's worth spending time on or not.
Is there anything in particular I should check out to get more about Kon's voice and personality, outside of his intro episode and the bits of the Arrancar arc with him in them? I know he showed up in some filler, but I've got no clue if it's worth spending time on or not.
His intro episode is the best he ever is. He has actual pathos and character as a soul made as an artificial weapon who refuses to kill and doesn't want to fight.
It's downhill from there as he becomes solely comic relief. And that's "comic" relief, since he's not really funny.
Kinruush
Who?
- Location
- USA
Sadly, to the best of my knowledge, Tatsuki's interlude here in Number None gives him more characterization than you'll find in the manga/anime outside of maybe the episode he's introduced in.