Those that lurk within the Dark...

First topic message reminder :

Mission type: *Special Mission*
Special users: Yes
Users: SG, Seireitei, Arcana
Objectives:
Seireitei: Learn what is behind the mysterious disappearances within the Castle walls.... What is lurking there?
Arcana:Possible rumors of a odd relic orb, or possible evidence of a hogyoku shard, if true, recover the shard or relic.... Discover what is lurking within the castle......
Main objective: GET OUT.... ALIVE.....

Special conditions:
1)All gear will be lost upon entering/or shortly after entering the Castle....
2)The monsters within are deadly and normal attacks will not harm them..... though attacks
using spirit energy or kidou will stun them long enough for you to find a place to hide or run.
3)Retreat is not shameful here... and will prove useful in most if not all situations....
4)Characters will be required to make barricades to escape the monsters
5)Staying in darkness for to long will eat at your sanity... and will cause your character to
freakout... how they freak out is up to you... sanity can be restored by staying in light or by
being near light sources....
6)All gear will be returned upon exiting the Castle.... it can also be found within chests hidden
throughout the Castle......
7)Expect to be split up in the castle..... You will have to find eachother and provide support
if you expect to survive....

Description: There have been odd reports of disappearances within an old ruined castle in the sands of hueco mundo... The castle seems to have been being maintained... but by whom or what in uncertain... many have gone there seeking refuge, Shinigami and Arrancar alike, from the many sandstorms that blow through this area of Hueco Mundo... You are to seek out and discover the reason behind these disappearances.... and report back immediately..

(OOC: Maps of the floors and Floor Key are included below.... please excuse the bad drawings....)

MAP KEY:

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BF1 MAP:

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BF2 MAP:

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BF3 MAP:

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BF4 MAP:

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BF5 MAP:

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BF6 MAP:

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BF7 MAP:

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BF8 MAP:

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BF9 MAP:

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Upon reaching hueco mundo, Shiro looks around, surveying the area. He looks at Altria, and takes her by the hand. "lets go... Kyu-chan's probably already there by now... judging by the big sand cloud in the distance." He continues onward, taking Altria along as well.

Glancing around she sighs defeated,last chance of slipping away now gone.Falling in step with Shiro,comforted by feeling of his warm hand around hers she tries not to think about the castle and horrors that could be lurking within,instead focusing on humming a melody.
Watching horizon,first outlines of large structure starting to show her heart sinks,filling with dread.'I don't want to! I don't want to go there!!! Let someone else do it!!I..don't..want.. to!!' Quivering,only solid feeling of Shiro's hand in hers keeps her from bolting back.Tsukiyomi's soothing words brushing through her thought like silky water,calming them Altria sighs,putting panicky feeling back.But feeling of dread remains like an ominous cloud.

Kyuri makes it to the old Castle ruins after many minutes of running. She pauses briefly to catch her breath before going to run around the entire perimeter of the Castle, scoping out all the possible entryways and exits from the front sides and back. Finally coming to a stop at the main gates which are slightly ajar, Kyuri bounces in place before waving to the others, "Hey! Hey hey!! Hurry up! I wanna Explore already! there are two entryways here! This one here and one in the back!" She jumps up and down kicking up small dust clouds of sand upon each landing. "let's go, let's go! you guys are slow!! >.<"

Stopping at the main gates of the old castle Loki casts appreciative look over the structure, excited to be soon exploring it.Inhaling dust from clouds of sand kicked up by Kyuri he coughs,waving hand in front."Dude,chill Kyuri.You don't rush into these things,sheesh." Shaking his head Loki slowly approaches gates,studying castle structure.

Coming up after loki and yuri, Shiro walks in after them, while pulling Altria along. He pauses to look at Kyuri, reaching out to pat her head. "He's right you know.... you have to slow down sometimes.." He smiles slightly, and ushers her in through the main gates, taking a look around the main entrance hall.

Eyes glued to to the castle she shivers,clutching Shiro's hand tightly,like a lifeline.Looking around the place worriedly Altria follows in nervously,forcing herself to keep moving. Absently she reaches to rest one hand on Tsukiyomi's hilt,finding comfort at the contact.'Don't want to go in..don't want to..don't..want..to..'

Checking to make sure he had coordinates right Zero takes off for their destination,wall of sand getting kicked up from burst of reiatsu.Covering mile after mile of dessert landscape he keeps same pace,looking like a blur to outside eyes.Castle structure coming into view soon after he slows down gradually,coming to full halt at back entrance.Cyan glow shimmering around his legs slowly fades away,reiatsu sinking back in.Looking at the castle with studying gaze his expression remains same bored one,as if exploring abandoned castles where people disappear is an everyday occurrence.Staying near back entrance he waits for Mikiru and Yasei to catch up.

Wanting to get to castle as fast as possible he jumps down to the sands below,calling up reiatsu and wrapping it around himself before taking off in burst of speed.Sonido-ing through Hueco Mundo,intent on their destination Yasei reaches it in no time.Staring at the castle in awe he grins happily,"Wooho!This looks awesome!Gotta be monsters and treasure in there!!!" Excitement pouring off him Yasei strides up to the back entrance,stopping near Zero. Quivering with overflowing energy he bounds inside,too inpatient to wait for Mikiru or Zero.

Touching down on the hueco mundo sands, Mikiru looks around, scanning the area. Taaking a moment to gather his emerald blue reiatsu, he takes off in a burst of shunpo, appearing near Zero. Seeing Yasei had already gone inside, he sighs, "always the reckless one.. isn't he Zero? ... " assuming his usual blank expression, he glances to Zero, " shall we?" he turns back to face the door, and heads inside, taking a look around.

Gotei 13:
As everyone enters the main entrance hall, the place seems to have a rather gloomy air about it, yet in a weird way a welcoming one as well. For a place that looks fairly old, the building and interior seems to have been well maintained. Near the back of the room, past the large support columns is a grand staircase leading up on either side, a series of doors line the walls leading into different rooms labeled with near illegible writing. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling, providing some light, aside from the large windows letting in natural light from the outside. Overall, there's a rather peaceful feeling.

Arcana:
The back entrance mimics that of the main one, providing the same look and feel, a few doors are present here, as well as a few old worn and dusty portraits hanging from the walls. A few of the support columns are cracked, one having already fallen long ago, it's remains are nothing but a pile of ruble on the floor, a few jagged rocks scattered here and there. Overall, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.

? ? ?
suddenly.. both entrance halls grow considerably darker, lights dimming out. A cold gust of wind blows through the entire area, before everyone is simultaneously knocked unconscious by some unseen force.

(OOC: Ok... here's where the fun begins.. Everyone has been knocked out and moved to separate locations throughout the castle. There are a total of 9 floors or Basement floors. so... if your character is on Basement Floor 1 be sure to label that in your posts as BF1, then continue on. anyhow... In order to complete this mission, you must find the others of your original party or group as well as the members of the other group... you'll need to cooperate with eachother to avoid the monsters and pick up important items. Your spirit energy will be used up quicker here than normal so use it sparingly to create light orbs or whatever can make a light. Remember, you are relatively defenseless and using your wits will be a key factor to your survival. any way.... current positions of everyone's characters as of right now are... also... everyone's gear and zanpakuto have been spirited away by some unseen forces....

BF1:Mikiru
BF2:Yasei, Kyuri
BF3:
BF4:Altria
BF5:Shiro
BF6:
BF7:Yuriko
BF8:Zero, Loki

BF9:

~Altria~
Looking around the entrance hall,a peaceful feeling settled all around,she relaxes somewhat, letting go of Shiro's hand to study label on one of the doors.The writing gone too illegible with age Altria whirls around at sudden cold gust of wind,everything going black as she collapses unconscious.
~~~~~BF4~~~~~~
Coming awake slowly Altria utters a muffled curse,pounding headache invading her head.Lifting hand to massage her temples she contemplates proper ways to get revenge on Captain for sending her on such mission when shrill tingles of alarm brush through her,a feeling of something missing.Eyes flicking open she sits up quickly,hand going to her waist to find Tsukiyomi missing.Cold chill running down her spine,heart rate speeding up in panic Altria searches around for him futily without really seeing surroundings.Realizing at last her zanpakuto is truly gone she slumps down,quivering.Closing eyes tightly Altria reaches out for him,immediate relief flooding her when his voice answers,sounding muffled but still there.Trying to focus and locate where the blade itself is,it's location seems veiled and unreachable.Checking to see rest of her equipment is also gone she stands up slowly,finally taking a good look at where she ended up.

Glancing at Mikiru he shakes his head,"Unfortunately for the rest of us.." Striding inside his eyes sweep over the entrance hall,taking in details.Dismissing broken support column he drifts over to one of the portraits,wiping off dust to clear picture beneath.Turning to remind Yasei not to wonder off on his own as usual Zero crumples to the ground,knocked unconscious by some force.
~~~BF8~~~
Waking up slowly he remains still,keeping eyes closed and listening first.Confirming he's indeed alone Zero springs up,reaching to draw his zanpakuto.Pausing finding it's not there he spends couple moments checking,cursing upon finding not only his zanpakuto but everything else missing too.Straightening out he holds one hand out,closing his eyes and focusing,pulling, trying to call it back to himself."Come,Chimamire Bara!" Nothing happening after couple moments he tries again and again without luck,finally dropping his arm.'I see..if I can't call her to me means one thing..something's getting in the way..like a shield.Seems we walked right into a trap.Who set it up and why is the question..' Remaining coldly calm Zero dusts himself off and sets out to explore his surroundings, objectives forming in his mind. 'Find Chimamire Bara..reunite with Mikiru and Yasei..find out what the hell's going on here..and get the hell out..'

*Mikiru*

Looking around the area, finding nothing out of the ordinary, Mikiru jolts, turning around and stares at the wall, cold gust suddenly blowing through the room. Raising his zan up in defense, he suddenly passes out as the room goes dark, unseen force robbing him of his consciousness.

*BF1*

After laying unconscious for what seems like hours, Mikiru blinks awake slowly, vision somewhat hazy. He sits up slowly, wincing somewhat, he coughs, slight redness coming up into his hand. "uhg... not good... one guesses one hasn't fully healed..." He uses a minor healing kidou to mend his internal injury, then slowly gets to his feet looking around. Suddenly noticing Tatsutahime is nowhere to be found as is the rest of his equipment, Mikiru looks around the gloomy half-lit corridor. "ahh... this is not good..." what is going on here? .... one's instincts say.... there is a greater force at work here... Taking a moment to recollect himself together, he heads down the corridor carefully, remaining on alert to anything that may be present in the area.

~BF2~
Waking up in a different place Yasei sits up,rubbing his head."Mngg..what the hell.." Climbing to his feet unsteadily he looks around,reaching to check on his weapons by habit to find them gone."Eh???" Checking and rechecking only to confirm his twin zanpakuto are indeed gone,along with rest of equipment he brought along Yasei sighs,brushing hand over his face. 'My stuff's all gone..Mikiru-san and Icecube are gone..and I'm on my own..at least for now...' Large grin slowly appearing on his face Yasei wanders out to explore happily,creeping about like a brave explorer from one of his mangas,darting from corner to corner.

~BF5~

Coming to upon feeling something cold and wet lapping at his face, Shiro blinks awake, finding himself laying in a pool of water only 2 cms deep. He gets up, finding the entire front of his uniform and pants completely soaked. "merg... how long... have I been lying here?..." He looks around, then realizes, he feels a lot lighter. "eh??? hey... where did-???" he pats around his uniform, finding ever single one of his kunai, smoke bombs and flash seals are missing. Eyes widening he swears quietly to himself, "Fenikkusu's gone too!" he looks around, finding it easy to find his way in the dark, and makes it towards the stairwell. He looks around, then stealthily ascends to the BF4. my kunai... T T I gotta find my Kunai... And Altri!! I gotta find Altri-chan first! Altri first.. kunai and gear later. >< GO!!!!! he reaches the door leading to BF4, slowly pushing it open, and pears around incase anything or anyone is nearby,

~BF2~

Having been knocked out cold on the ground, Kyuri remains knocked out in the middle of an open room, and appears to be snoozing in sleep. She rolls onto her stomach, resting her head on her arms for a pillow, but looks slightly sprawled out at the same time, completely unaware that her stuff is missing yet, or that there's another person coming her way. "zzz..."

~BF2~
Creeping about the hallways and checking rooms with happy grin Yasei seems to be enjoying himself greatly,not worried over lost equipment and being separated in strange place in the least.Even lack of treasure and monsters so far haven't dampened his spirits.Open room coming up,hearing someone in it he sneaks up quietly,hoping it's a monster to fight. Instead, he sees a girl sprawled out on her stomach...fast asleep? "Eh??" Quietly crouching down he sneaks up closer,peering into her face. 'Wait a sec..it's that girl I met..Kyuri,was it?? What is she doing here...besides sleeping in middle of the room and on the floor..' Scratching his head Yasei observes her sleeping for few moments more before reaching to poke her shoulder,whispering,"Hey..wake up!"

*BF7*

Stirring slightly after being knocked unconscious, Yuriko opens her eyes slightly, groaning. she gets up, feeling a slight throbbing pain in her head. shaking her head to clear it, Yuriko looks around,, finding herself behind bars, in a musty old cell. Amethyst eyes widening finding her zan missing, and being stuck in almost complete darkness. Patting around frantically finding the rest of her gear gone as well, including her medical herbs and medicines. Feeling utterly alone, darkness pressing in on her, she curls together, jumping upon hearing something clatter to the ground by her feet. Timidly she speaks out in a low quiet voice, "h-h... hello?? i-i-is... s-someone there?" calling forth a small orb of reiatsu, it illuminates the cell, revealing iron chains attached to the far wall, splintered remains of a wooden bed frame, and the skeletal remains of what used to be a person by her feet. Eye widening in horror, Yuriko jumps to the far side of the cell by the door, letting out a terrified cry.

__Loki___BF8___
Climbing to consciousness his first thought is of being horribly uncomfortable,something sharp digging into his back.Groaning,he rolls over,opening eyes groggily.Soft semi-darkness covers hallway he's in,obscuring vision of it further on.Sitting up slowly Loki looks down,finding sharp rock that was so uncomfortable."Okaaay..what the heck happened?" Thinking back he recalls entering front hall with everyone,lights dimming,sudden cold gust of wind and then..nothing. Something knocked me out..probably everyone else too..and dropped me off here? Hnn..man,it's like one of scary movies!Group gets split up in a scary mansion..and picked off one by one.Leet! Climbing to his feet unsteadily and suddenly feeling much lighter then usual Loki pats his pockets,finding all of his gear gone."Frack!!All my gear's gone...goggles gone too,damn it!!Argg..not Raijin too!!" Cursing like a sailor Loki glowers at the wall,getting ticked,growling threateningly to no one specifically and air in general."It had better all be alright when I find it or some heads are going to roll!" Orienting himself he sets off to explore the place and see about finding his gear and rest of the group.

~~BF4~~Room H ~~
Looking around the room,eyes getting used to murky half darkness she starts to make out furniture,a desk,and closet with shelf near it.Moving stealthily,trying to remain as quiet as possible she steps over to the desk.Brushing fingers over the books strewn on top they come away covered in dust,clear lines revealing title written in some foreign language.Carefully shifting chair to the side she pulls open drawers,one after another,hoping there will something of use there.'Light...a f-flashlight maybe..or even a candle..that hallway outside looks so dark.. I need something to see by....could make reiatsu glow orb..but..only if I have too..they out to have candles in place like this!!'

~BF2---Room A~

Stirring slightly, Kyuri stretches out, catching Yasei's wrist gently with her hand. Yawning, she blinks a few times murmuring, "I'm.. up... I'm up..." Using Yasei's arm as support, she pulls herself up into a sitting position, and looks around the room. "... whoa.... where the heck am I?" She turns to glance at Yasei's face, taking in his spirit signature and analyzes it for a moment before identifying it. "oh... you're.. that.. boy from before..." She stares at him for a long moment, "Yasei.. right?" focusing on him, she still isn't aware of her missing equipment yet or zanpakuto.

~BF2~Room A ~
Watching Kyuri quietly with intrigued expression he carefully pulls his arm back,rubbing it absently."Yeah..I'm Yasei..and you're..Kyuri?" Studying her his crimson eyes pick out lack of zanpakuto.Frowning,Yasei stands up,starting to explore the room while talking."Your zanpakuto is gone..I bet rest of your stuff is gone too..just like mine.." Rummaging through the shelf and then closet,looking for anything of use or clues he glances back at her,"What are you doing here?Mission?Or by accident?Anyone else was with you?"

__BF8__Room B___
Stumbling down the corridor through the murky dark making visibility lower then low Loki keeps one hand on the wall for support.It doesn't do much good,next piece of rubble on the floor tripping him once again.Face planting ground he growls curses,pulling up into sitting position.With patience run thin he declares to the dark."Enough is enough! Since my flashlight and glow-sticks got spirited away with rest of my stuff,time to get creative!" Putting his hand out palm up he concentrates on gathering energy there,shaping it into an orb.It fizzles and crackles,rapidly growing in size and getting out of control,quickly blowing up in his face. "Yaah!!" Coughing Loki grumbles curses,brushing smoke from his eyes and trying again.This time,using much less reiatsu,the orb stays.It fizzles and crackles ominously,unstable but providing some light still.Scrambling to his feet Loki turns corner,finding end of hallway and door.Peering into the room first to check for monsters he quietly sneaks inside.Seeing closet and some shelf's Loki rummages around them,looking for usable things and clues.

BF2 Room A
Yasei: In the Shelf is nothing but a few old dust covered books, anything written in them would appear as gibberish if the language is unknown to you. on one of the lower shelves in the shelf is what looks to be a few small boxes, looking a lot like matches. inside the closet reveals a small bloodied note on the floor reading only as: 'it's coming... keep silent... hide.. it's coming...'
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BF4 Room H
Altria: Inside the first few drawers on the left side of the desk is nothing, in the right, reveals a quill with ink in the first drawer, nothing in the second, and a small box that look to be matches. Else where is an eerie moaning growl, but it sounds farther of and not so close.
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BF8 Room B
Loki: Inside the shelves reveals a 3 small bottles of some substance, the labels are somewhat faded, but mention something of spirit energy, a small box of matches, and a rusted old key. There's bloodstains on the floor that appear recent, and whatever or whoever made them, looked to have been dragged along, before the marks disappear by the door completely as if they either got up, or were carried off elsewhere.

BF2~ Room A

Staring in Yasei's direction, Kyuri gets up and searches her person, finding that everything is missing as Yasei had said. "ah.... Youjutsu's gone... my little kitten." she looks saddened for all of three seconds, before going over to Yasei, sticking close by. "I was sent here on a mission along with my older brother.... and Altria, Loki, and.. oh Yuriko.." she bounces in place a few times before continuing. "We're here trying to investigate the cause of some disappearances here..." she pauses, and smiles at him, "what are you here for Yasei? did you come here with others to? or, were you curious about things here?"