You have entered the K-Ray Grounds

Where KuroRei come to mingle...some ShiroRei too if they're lucky....

[kraygrounds-blog]

#62. "This is your one and only chance.”

There he was, making snide comments at Sol and flashing an infuriating syrupy smile at her. Nila was just about to test the sharpness of a KuroRei blade relic on Khlarc’s annoying ponytail (which she knew for a fact, that he could spend all day in the mirror to perfect it), when she witnessed him attacking a larger man, and getting slammed backward into the dark marble floor that was reminiscent to the grand underground halls located at the K-Ray Grounds. A few KuroRei urns that stood on their respective ornamental tables near where Khlarc lay wobbled dangerously. Although mildly fascinated by the power that wafted out of this one individual, Nila eyed him with bewilderment as he clucked his tongue at the fallen heap of The Shadows captain. There was a dark itch inside her that made Nila want to reach out and draw upon this individual’s power to restore herself, that one meal of the beefhead Infernal Rei Ki trainee only marginally recovered her own Rei Ki to the point that it would no longer give her the sensation of extreme physical pain by threefold, but her physical wounds of broken ribs were still causing her discomfort. If swift footed Khlarc could barely even unsheathe his hidden daggers in front of Luskaroth, she would have no chance in her condition. Nila concentrated in keeping that inner swirling darkness within her in check. The individual looked at her squarely in the face with one ice blue eye and smiled mischievously, “Allow me to introduce myself, young ones. My name is Luskaroth.” From the way he looked at her, she was certain that he recognised her, Nila’s eyes narrowed into slits as she pulled up that last clear memory of the white ShiroRei isolation room…. It was that same, detestable singular ice blue eye looking down at her from the observation deck. The way he gave his self-introduction like he had never met her before was most sarcastic. “From my sources, I heard that Sol was in a bit of a pinch and needed to meet up with Marizza… and somehow managed to run into Nila at the same time. Since I knew the two of you were to meet up here, I took the opportunity to meet you both, since I have need for both of you.” Unable to bear looking at that eye for another moment, Nila quickly cast her eyes over to the occupants in the dining hall to assess the situation everybody was in. A silent crumpled heap on the floor, Khlarc was probably still winded from the Luskaroth’s rough treatment. Sol remained where he had settled, doing his best imitation as a piece of accessory to the dining room upholstery while concentrating on creating a stony face. Rizza stood furthest away from everybody, she had not moved from the entrance where Khlarc had brought her in. Luskaroth spoke to the ShiroRei, his voice bounced through the large hallway, “Marizza, I don’t believe we have ever met face to face. From my sources, the ShiroRei hid you from sight for some good reason. I’d like to know your side of the story.” Rizza glared, typical defensive behaviour, “Because I’m a disgrace to the ShiroRei, I’m tainted by your people.” While the ShiroRei girl was still occupied with Luskaroth, Nila took the short moment to study her features. The way the ShiroRei girl stood and dressed, had an obvious air of a rebellious teen with electro goth punk fashion pulled straight off the streets of Harajuku. Nila noticed all rings and piercings on Rizza and snickered to herself, only the weakest of Infernal Rei Ki would ever bother to dress like this, was this girl trying to make statement or something? Either way, it seemed that the pesky ShuroRei girl was the only one in shape to deal with Luskaroth, whatever her powers may be…. Detecting a stare from another person, the intense gaze Rizza had trained on Luskaroth shifted, her large green eyes caught Nila looking at her. The ShiroRei hardened her glare at her natural enemy, throwing her a quizzical and challenging look. Nila frowned a little and decided to ignore Rizza for the moment and switch tactics by moving over to Khlarc, who was now struggling to get up. Getting up onto one knee, Khlarc grit his teeth as he tried to get his breath back.  “You murderous traitor…”, he hissed as Nila knelt down by his side and offered a helping hand. “Captain..?” Like somebody had electrocuted him, Khlarc’s head snapped around to look at Nila, “Say that again?” “..Captain?” A slight flush of pride spread across Khlarc’s face, “I’d never thought I’d hear that from you ever again~~~!!” Nila suddenly found herself being approached by the Shadows Captain’s hand reaching over for a hug. Immediately, she slapped his hand away and stood up. “Watch where you put your hands.” She said coolly. Khlarc looked confused, he gave her a good up and down and realised what she meant when his eyes settled on the chest. “Haha, well slap me silly and call me stupid, I can’t believe I never noticed that your bust size increased!!” Nila’s annoyance flared at the comment and almost instinctively started up an Absolute Death radius that only covered the distance between her and Khlarc’s. She watched with mild satisfaction as Khlarc began to look slightly green in the face, but somehow, the satisfaction in seeing Khlarc looking nauseous made her neutralise her attack. “You know..” Khlarc gasped as he finally got to his feet, he closed is eyes for a second to compose himself “you used to do that to me every time I pissed you off. I can’t help it if you leave yourself wide open like that; you know you’re asking for trouble Nila.” Opening his eyes again, Nila saw the seriousness in them as he stared at the Great Betrayer, readying himself for another round of battle. “There is information I need from you, and I will get to the bottom of this at all costs.” Khlarc spat, “Sol, don’t make me find out that you’re planning a betrayal too!” Sol’s face remained stony as he tilted his head slightly toward his fellow comrade, “There is none of that sort of foolishness from me.” He said darkly. Luskaroth laughed, “Khlarc, I’m hoping that you’re not going to be stupid enough to try and lay a finger on me again.” The tall figure that had stood a few metres away blurred, suddenly he appeared within a foot from Khlarc and Nila, a grin stretched over his face as the two Shadows members took a small step back at the unanticipated surprise attack. “It’s only been twenty years! I can’t believe your skills as the top infiltrator have dulled to this state, Khlarc.” Luskaroth’s one eye narrowed as he said in an authoritative tone, “Now, out of my way, boy.” Nila could barely see the multiple palm strikes from Luskaroth being parried away by Khlarc, as she dropped aside into a defensive stance a sudden sharp pain reminded her of the broken ribs she possessed. Silently cursing to herself of her lack of pain tolerance, she grit her teeth and tried to focus on the battle. Khlarc jumped back and released a concentrated burst of ki as he found an opening in Luskaroth’s attacks, a line of 50 small ki daggers manifested itself in mid air around him and flew toward his former leader within palm striking range. A mere click of Luskaroth’s tongue was all Nila heard when she felt a surge of Ki that could only be the power of an Infernal Five, enveloping them within an instant. She watched in bewilderment as Khlarc’s close range attack was completely rendered useless, all his ki daggers disappeared into the air like shimmering metal grey dust. Without stopping, Khlarc followed through his failed Rei ki attack for a physical ki-infused right hook at Luskaroth’s head, only to have the former Infernal Five simultaneously stepped forward toward him to avoid the fist from making contact. Almost casually, Luskaroth lifted his hand and pushed his middle finger into Khlarc’s forehead. Khlarc froze in horror as he felt the Infernal Rei ki build up its kinetic energy within his body. An entire second later, Khlarc was flung backward at exhilarating speed, crashing through various relics and chairs, and into the wall. With Khlarc at a safe distance away from her, Nila immediately expanded a surrounding field of Absolute Death, containing her and Luskaroth within it. From the dimly lit room, she could not tell whether Sol had finally hauled his ass off the couch or not, but she thought she saw the ShiroRei girl moving over to Khlarc. Her eyes trained on the enigmatic figure that was moving toward her, Nila’s eyes turned completely black as she began to feed on his life force in attempt to stop him. She saw his aura rising toward her was a sickly green colour that surrounded him like miasma, unlike what she had earlier in the evening, Luskaroth’s Infernal Five ki was as powerful as it could come. Within the first three seconds, she felt her ribs heal up completely. The pain she felt earlier seemed like the distant past. The dark swirling mass she had been learning to get familiar with again was hungry for more of this power; Nila looked at her opponent squarely in the eye, determined to at least cripple this former Infernal Five. The powerful pure KuroRei ki infusing with her own, made her feel more and more powerful. The mission to assassinate Sol and infuse his powers with hers would not even match what she was feeling right now. Oppa was merely a KuroRei, Luskaroth was at present, still every bit of an Infernal Five. The only thing that felt strange was the sensation of taking his life force. Nila’s Absolute Death attack was still drawing away at Luskaroth’s ki at full force, but it seemed like the miasma-like aura that surrounded Luskaroth never faded like the weaker people she had consumed previously. To her surprise, Luskaroth leaned over to her and smiled, it was a grim painful smile as he reached over and cupped his hands on the sides of her head. “That’s right Nila, right where I need you. Take whatever you need. Keep consuming.” The consistency of the miasma began to change, it was no longer a sickly smoggy green, but a pearly grey green, tainted and modified. The painful smile twisted into a calculating grin of malice has Luskaroth gripped Nila tightly by her head. It was too late by the time Nila realised that it was the similar type of modified ki that she was forced to consume over the years of imprisonment within that empty, white room. She tried without success, to neutralise her Absolute Death field, Nila had once again, completely lost control of her own powers of Ki consumption. “Little girl. Did you think that there are people who can make your abilities turn against you?” he whispered gently, like he was talking to something precious, “My ki is similar to that of a disease, once it gets into your system, it stays in there, slowly eating away at the poor victim, dying a death determined solely by me. My own ki invades the entire body, allowing me to remotely control that person’s muscles and body, even after death. Your unique ability to consume the life-force of others, and make it yours, means that while you cannot die from my will alone. My KuroRei ki is forever infused within yours….” Luskaroth leaned even closer, to take in the horror in Nila’s black eyes. “You are mine, to do whatever I need. But for that to happen, I’m going to have to give back your memories.” --- One hand clutching his aching head, Khlarc leaned into the cracked wall, angry at his own incompetence. He wanted to do nothing more than to smash through Nila’s field of Absolute Death and take revenge for his fallen comrades, but that attack of Nila’s was so aptly named simply because he had no defence over it, just like everybody else, everybody but that Traitor. Still shaking his head to get his vision back, he was only dimly aware that Rizza had moved over toward him, her back turned toward him, she was getting ready to defend him in case of an attack, “Hey, Kuro- Khlarc, you better be able to give me a crash course on what’s happening here. I followed you willingly so that I could get answers! Not more questions!” Khlarc shot a dirty stare into her back, his patience worn out. Women were just so demanding sometimes, “Sweet cheeks, in case you haven’t noticed, is it not bleedingly obvious that the situation to be asking for answers right now, is just not desirable?” “I know, that’s why I’m going to have to stick around, I can’t have you dying on me without giving me some answers first.” She stated.  The two of them watched the two figures in the middle of the room, a dome of shifting multicoloured Kuro Rei ki indicated that the Absolute Death attack was still active at full power. Seeing Luskaroth gripping Nila by her head, within her own attack was an unnerving sight to Khlarc, it was obvious something was not right. Why couldn’t she stop consuming? It looked like Luskaroth had complete control over her. Khlarc clenched his fists till his knuckles were white, if only he could do something about it. The colours of the Absolute Death dome suddenly flared brightly before neutralising itself, Luskaroth dropped his hands and stumbled back a little, still with that infuriating smile on his face. The KuroRei girl stood there, with her head hanging low, glowing an unnatural red aura. Nila’s hell raiser black eyes looked up, the look in them had changed, it no longer had that confused look in it anymore. The dangerous glint in Nila’s eyes was a nostalgic memory to the two members of the Dark Nebula. Khlarc managed to find his voice as he pushed himself off the wall. “N..Nila?” Nila wasn’t looking him, her eyes were trained on Sol, who had finally left his post, the look on her face was unamused, “If you want forgiveness, Oppa. This is your one and only chance.” 

[kraygrounds-blog]

#61. "Allow me to introduce myself, young ones."

Sol coughed involuntarily as he stepped closer to Nila.  He had actually hoped he would encounter no one else along the way as he dragged his body to the secret location.  The fact that he met up with Nila made it even more difficult to keep her out of this mess.  He decided to alleviate any suspicion with some conversation. "I got into a little scuffle.  I didn't even know I could do what I did to get out of it." "From the looks of it, that wasn't just a little skirmish.  I felt that.  Everyone felt that." "Well that sucks for me then.  But don't let it bother you.  I'm just passing through here so lay low until I get back." "Oh no, you're not just keeping me cooped up in a room somewhere again.  I mean, I really like Protekt and all, but I don't like it when I'm told nothing." Sol paused momentarily as he heard the words 'like Protekt' and noticed Nila about to continue but end her sentence hesitantly. "Hm, is that so?  Maybe you should go find him then so he can continue training you." "Did you ignore what I just said, Oppa?  I'm tired of being pushed aside while you huddle together for some secret mission or whatever else you talk about.  Forget it, I'm going with you." Nila's stubbornness seemed to have gotten worse over the weeks.  If he was in better shape, he would have been more intimidating to make her stay put.  He was in no condition to try and look scary now. "In that case, you better know how to operate the vehicle." Sol directed Nila where to go as he slumped on her shoulder for support to the Volkswagen 1-litre car he kept hidden from the others.  The car was small enough to fit in the inconspicuous area where he had his own storage space.  He sloppily punched in the key code for the door and it slid open. "Wow Oppa, I didn't know you had such a sweet ride." Sol could not tell if Nila was being sarcastic or honest, but he didn't care at this point. "You're driving it.  The destination is preset to where we are going so you mostly just have to steer." Without another word, Sol threw his body into the backseat and sighed in pain.  Times like this made him wish he learned some rejuvenation techniques from Protekt.  Then again, Protekt was one of the last people he wanted to see right now.  He saw Nila step into the driver's seat and take over as if she was programmed to do it.  Some instincts just never die.  Within seconds, Nila backed out of the storage space and accelerated onto the street.  Sol peered back to see the door slide closed and look just as unassuming as when they went to get the car.  He hoped no one would trace his movements.  Knowing Protekt, Sol presumed he was already in a race to keep himself from getting caught. **************************************************************** Protekt dusted himself off as heaps of rubble fell from the ceiling all around him.  The flames had still not died down since they were infused with KuroRei Rei Ki.  Sol's last attack did indeed catch him by surprise; he had never seen the miniature KuroRei use such a technique.  Then again, with all the mystery surrounding his supposed comrade, there is no telling what else he was hiding.  Protekt walked over to the blackened, charred, and still burning remains of Gorgon.  After having witnessed countless fellow soldiers die in combat, he did not even bat an eye.  Gorgon was just another coworker who was killed in action.  However, the doctor in him instinctively caused him to kneel down and check for a pulse and any other signs of life.  Confirming the time of death as 6:42 PM EST, Protekt stood again and surveyed his surroundings.  The training hall was in irreparable disarray.  The cleaning crew will most likely take forever to get done with replacing the room.  That Sol was never good at holding back and this scene simply proved the point with more than just a bang.  As he heard heavy footsteps from a distance nearing the somehow still intact door, he recalled the exact moment of Sol's desperation attack. Protekt had Sol right where he wanted him.  The Abysmal Plummet would have rendered Sol immobile and preferably paralyzed.  It happened when he took his eye away from Sol for just a split second to see Gorgon close in with a slow excuse of a lariat.  He felt Sol ignite as he immediately pulled up his defense Rei Ki shield.  The force was strong enough to send Protekt flying back, even causing some damage and leaving a few bruises.  Gorgon was not so lucky as he felt the full brunt of the explosion, which acted as a highly effective counterattack.  He could not decide who was the bigger fool:  Sol for killing Gorgon or Gorgon for being killed by Sol.  Gorgon was arguably the weakest of the Dark Nebula.  If it had not been for his older brother's involvement, he may not have even been in such an esteemed position.  More evidence of Gorgon's lack of ability showed by the day as Protekt trained Nila and used Gorgon practically as a training dummy.  In fact, Gorgon's involvement was slowing Nila's progress, which prompted him to train her by himself.  None of that mattered now, considering the Dark Nebula was in need of a replacement member of the Carnage faction.  Protekt turned his head to see Gigan step inside the training hall and immediately rush over to his recently deceased younger brother.  He knew better than to disturb one of the Infernal Five who had just lost a family member. Before long, Gigan rose and spoke. "So that's what the fuck happened.  Where is the little shit?" Protekt knew Gigan had already surmised the whole situation and was already setting plans in motion to capture Sol. "I do not know.  He could not have gotten far considering the poor condition he is in after the blast.  My condolences for your brother." "Yeah, fuck that.  He never kept himself strong enough no matter how many times I beat it into his head, now he's a dead fuck and no one will miss him.  On that note, how the fuck did you lose to a shit stain like Sol?" Protekt exhaled sharply, irritated both by Gigan's statement and by the truthfulness behind it. "I was caught off guard.  I will know what to expect next time." "Doesn't fucking matter what you'll do next time, you high horse fairy.  Just catch the asshole and bring him to me.  Where's Khlarc?  He would make this job easier." Protekt had also wondered about the whereabouts of Khlarc, their designated tracker and retriever.  If he was in cahoots with Sol, the situation would become even more of a headache.  He remained silent for Gigan to issue the next order. "All right, fuck it.  Your mission is to find Sol and bring him back alive.  You're free to kill whoever the fuck gets in your way.  This includes that tainted bitch Nila.  You know I don't give a flying fuck about her." Protekt nodded in acknowledgment and walked towards the locker room for his supplies.  One question remained in his mind as he exited the training hall:  What was so important that Sol would endanger his own life to flee from the K-Ray Grounds? **************************************************************** Khlarc leaped through the buildings as swiftly as when he infiltrated the ShiroRei headquarters.  He tried his best to distract himself, but he could not deny how nice a pair of breasts felt behind him as the young ShiroRei clung onto him to not fall off.  The girl was obviously not adept in this line of work, which was somewhat disappointing.  The ShiroRei just did not seem to train their youth to be ready when facing off against the KuroRei and Infernal Rei Ki infantry.  Khlarc had his momentary thought process interrupted with a swift tap on the back of the head, which he believed was the girl hitting him. "Stop grinning, you pervert.  My boobs aren't bouncing for your enjoyment, just slow down a little." Khlarc ignored the comment and increased his pace.  They were now far enough away from the ShiroRei grounds for her squeals to not be heard by any stray ShiroRei.  Khlarc could not help but chuckle as he felt like he was now babysitting a bratty little girl who had quite a mouth.  He jumped towards a clearing and landed with a gentle clip of his feet against the concrete.  The movement must have scared the girl a little more as another screech pierced his ears. "Ow, okay, your scream attack hurts more than your fist.  I will put you down now since we will probably be out of sight if we move by foot.  Can you keep up?" "Well, not to brag, but I am one of the faster--" "Great, follow me." Khlarc darted through the alleys between buildings, making sharp turns and quick changes in direction.  He glimpsed back to see the ShiroRei girl panting heavily from several hundred yards behind.  They really did not train their new recruits.  Khlarc ran backwards until he was directly next to the girl who glared at him angrily while still running sluggishly. "So you're one of the fastest among your people?  I know that's a lie because that one woman from the Divine Five had some blazing speed on her." "Are you....*pant*....here to....*pant*....taunt me or....*pant*.....carry me again?" Khlarc's eyes reduced to that of thin narrow slits as he stared at the girl.  There was no helping it, they were going to get caught at this rate.  He grabbed her by the waist, hoisted her up behind him, then bolted forward again towards their destination. After nearly half an hour of running, Khlarc remembered one location Sol may have been suggesting.  It was not his own hideout where he brought Gorgon and Sol about a month ago.  This one was in a ten story apartment complex that used to be a bustling living quarters for Infernal Rei Ki until the Great Betrayal twenty years ago.  The Dark Nebula had one meeting there in the past, the meeting led by Luskaroth.  If Sol wanted to keep hidden from the others, that would be the place.  There would be no danger because only members of the Dark Nebula would know about the missing floor in the apartment.  Almost as if on cue and after catching her breath, the young Rizza spoke again. "Do you even know where you're going?  If you're taking me to some dark alley to try something, I am sending a high alert beacon to the Divine Five to tear you to pieces." Khlarc read the bluff and scoffed. "There is someone who can give me far more pleasure than you would have learned in your short period of life, sweet cheeks.  Just hold on, it is only a few more minutes away." The two had finally arrived at the dilapidated building that still had the sign barely reading "Infer Nulls Hulls".  Whoever named these things seriously needed a new job.  Taking the faster route, Khlarc soared upwards, propelling himself higher with each foot against the wall.  The girl did not seem to scream this time, but did hold onto Khlarc tighter allowing for more bouncy goodness for him.  When he reached a patch of the brick wall, he jumped above it, then turned his body forward so he dove straight in.  This time, the girl did scream, since it did look like they were torpedoing into a wall.  In the last second, the wall slid open and closed as Khlarc flipped forward into a smooth landing.  They had entered the 9 1/2 floor that no one else would be able to reach.  Pleased with his timely arrival, Khlarc grunted in satisfaction.  This was interrupted with many steady smacks to the back of his head from behind. "Stop. Scaring. The. Crap. Out. Of. Me. By. Diving. Into. Walls. That. Look. Like. We. Will. Smash. Into!" Khlarc's eyes narrowed into slits again as he took the abuse.  With the girl still striking his head from behind, he walked over to another wall in the hallway and tapped a rhythmic pattern.  A piece of the wall sliced itself open and Khlarc pulled Rizza inside. **************************************************************** Sol exhaled in the dimly lit room as he sat in the couch.  Nila seemed too fascinated by what seemed like KuroRei relics that linked to her past scattered all over the room.  The room was more like a dining hall with lots of comfortable sofas and chairs instead of dining tables.  There were tables here and there, but they all looked to be aesthetic furniture carrying various articles of KuroRei tools.  Sol looked up as he saw the entrance open and close with the new arrivals of Khlarc and Rizza. "Hey Sol...oh damn!  You look like hell.  Who did that to you?" "Me." "Looks like you're good at destroying everything including yourself, oh Great Destroyer." Sol hardened his stare at the young ShiroRei which seemed to stifle her a little bit.  Khlarc played the mediator. "Anyway, it looks like we're all here.  Oh, and there's Nila.  You brought Nila?  Why?" "Because he couldn't drive by himself in that state.  I am not about to be left in the dark any longer anyhow." Khlarc gave an exaggerated smile so as to make up for being a part of keeping information away from Nila. Before anyone else said another word, there was a slow sarcastic applause from a darker side of the room. "Well done, well done.  A proper reunion if I do say so myself, don't you think?  How have you been Khlarc?" The previously bright Khlarc grit his teeth, clenched his fists, and lowered his head as he glared at the intruder.  He had not seen this individual since the Great Betrayal and rightly so. "Oh is that how you treat your old boss?  Well, I guess with all the brainwashing they do at the K-Ray Grounds, that's to be expected.  We used to have such good times together.  Sol seems to remember them, don't you Sol?" Sol replied only with a light sigh as he glanced at Nila, then Rizza, then finally Khlarc.   "Okay, so you're all taking the silent route.  That's fine, since I'm going to be doing most of the talking anyway.  The two young ones probably have no idea who I am and they would need to know that if they are to complete the respective missions I am about to give them." Khlarc finally responded, gradually increasing in anger. "You won't be giving any orders!" "Oh, but I will and they will follow them.  They can't help it.  Their superiors have prevented their personal growth for far too long.  You can already see they are fed up with being locked inside without anyone respecting their abilities.  You used to be just like them, Khlarc.  Surely you remember what sad state you were in before I recruited you for the Dark Nebula." "Shut your traitorous mouth before I alert the entire KuroRei headquarters of your location!" "You won't do that.  You would have already if you were going to.  I know you have lots of questions for me, no matter how misleadingly angry you are.  Why can't you have a cool head like Sol?  He seems to understand the values of good leadership." Sol remained quiet, avoiding the eyes of all who were present. "The hell with this then, this is for all the brethren who died because of you!" Khlarc flung himself towards the slightly larger man, unsheathing several daggers seemingly out of nowhere.  As Khlarc neared his target, he felt a strong hand grab his shirt, pull him close, then what felt like a locomotive slam into his chest as his body flew back faster than when he had jumped forward.  The man clicked his tongue a few times as he shook his head in disapproval. "Now I know I taught you better than that.  You forgot all your better moves.  Anyway, stay down there for a while as I introduce myself to the new recruits." He smiled mischievously at the young KuroRei and ShiroRei who looked both bewildered and beguiled at the same time.   "Allow me to introduce myself, young ones.  My name is Luskaroth."

[kraygrounds-blog]

#60. "Well, yes... he did."

The shockwaves of KuroRei Ki still gnawed at Rizza as she sat in her room muttering. Something was going on, and it bothered her to not know what it was. Finally she accepted the fact that Char was probably right, and she decided to go to bed. She began stripping down to throw on some shorts and a sports bra, but stopped as she felt something behind her. She glanced quickly, but saw nothing. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, so she threw on her clothes again and stood at the window, trying to figure out what was bugging her. Suddenly, hands appeared on the sill, followed quickly by a face that she almost recognized. Shock registered on her face as the person- a KuroRei, she realized- fell backwards, barely catching himself. As he lifted himself back up, Rizza jabbed at his face out of instinct. It hit him directly in the jaw, but to her chagrin, he barely even seemed phased by it.   "Ow. Good thing you don't punch as hard as Nila."   Nila? That creepy KuroRei girl. This was getting weirder by the second. The KuroRei poked his head in a little further, apparently to get a better look at her, which in turn gave Rizza a better look at him. Curious as she was, this intrusion made her slightly indignant- especially because she still had the feeling that someone had been watching her undress, and if it had been anyone, it was this guy. So, she got a little snippy.   "What?! Who are you, and why are you here? Wait," Rizza paused, taking another look at his face, "I remember you." He had been at the K-Ray Grounds, standing next to Sol. So why WAS he here? And even odder, he didn't seem intent on harming her- although that would probably have been a terrible idea on his part, because every ShiroRei in the building would have homed in on the disturbance and the guy would have ended up as Kuro-paste. "You were with Sol--"   He cut her off, which just made her even more irritated. "Yes, I am the guy who was with Sol, the guy you wanted to meet for some reason.  Now he has invited you to come visit.  I am here to deliver you to him.  Less questions means faster delivery time and I get to enjoy good times with a certain vixen again.  So let's get a move on.  Get dressed....oh, you're already dressed.  But you had just taken off your...ah, I mean, yes good, let's go."   Aha. So he HAD been watching. Dickweed.   He headed back out the window, but turned around when he realized Rizza hadn't moved. She stood there, arms crossed, not ready to believe him and more than a little ready to go get Durum or Aurora and make him pay for watching her undress.   "So let me get this straight, KuroRei. You want me to believe that Sol Sar, who tried to kill me, almost killed my friend, and basically told me to go fuck  myself the last time I saw him, wants me to meet him now?" This was either incredible or retarded. Rizza wasn't sure which, yet. "Why, in all hells, should I believe you? And you'd better give a damned good reason in about ten seconds, or you're going to be ripped limb from limb by Durum the Conqueror."   The KuroRei sighed heavily and sat on the window sill. "All right. This is the short version: something is going very, very wrong within our ranks. I'm not sure what, but it's bad enough that Sol Sar texted me- with worse english than usual- that this was an emergency and I was to gather you and meet at the appointed spot. I haven't the slightest clue what he wants with you, but you apparently made an impression on him when you ventured rather stupidly into the K-Ray Grounds by yourself. I have nothing else that I can tell you, other than I really, really need you to come with me... and I would be very appreciative if you'd do so quickly, quietly, and without alerting the Divine Five," the KuroRei said with a slight shudder.   Rizza didn't trust him at all. And yet, wasn't this what she had wanted? Something was going down at the K-Ray Grounds, and if Rizza didn't find out what, she might go crazy. So her choices were stay here and go mad with wondering, or put her life in the hands of this KuroRei and find out what the hell was going on. She chewed on her lip for a moment and glanced at her door. She wanted to tell Char, but she knew he'd stop her if he knew what she was doing. This might be her only chance to really get in the thick of things.   The KuroRei stayed silent, but he was obviously getting impatient. That either meant that his story was true, and it was some sort of emergency- although why Sol Sar wanted to speak with her now, Rizza had no clue- or his story was false, and he was wondering if she would fall for it. Rizza narrowed her eyes at him and took a step forward. "Alright, KuroRei. I'm not saying that I believe you, but I want to get out of here anyway. Where are we going?"   "Khlarc."   "What?"   "My name. It's Khlarc. No point in you calling me 'KuroRei' over and over again," he responded.   Rizza rolled her eyes. "I think I prefer not to get too personal with a KuroRei, but whatever. That still doesn't answer my question."   Khlarc looked out the window behind him and hesitated a moment. "Well... I'm not sure."   Rizza looked at him in disbelief and ground her teeth in irritation. "How can you not know? Didn't you say Sol Sar told you to meet 'at the appointed spot'?"   "Well, yes... he did. He simply neglected to mention where this meeting place was."   "Great. So that basically just confirms that you KuroRei are a bunch of idiots, just like the ShiroRei." This was turning out to be a really bad idea, thought Rizza.   "Don't worry. He didn't tell me where you were, either, and I found you easily enough." With that, he disappeared out the window. Rizza walked over to it and saw him jumping to a ledge further away.   "Hey, KuroRei- Khlarc. How do you expect me to get out this way?"   Khlarc looked around sheepishly and came back. "I... guess I will have to carry you."   Rizza made a face as she crawled out her window and onto Khlarc's back. "Don't get any ideas, by the way. You're lucky I didn't have Durum kill you just for watching me undress."

[kraygrounds-blog]

#59. “Stop looking like you’re guilty. It doesn’t suit you."

Nila’s head turned down to look at the little dusty bits of the ceiling that had just fallen onto her shoulder. The halogen lights that lit up the hallway flickered for a few seconds before settling into a permanent dim.  Just as she was about to brush off the ceiling bits from her shoulder, a door opened further down the corridor and a curious young Infernal Rei Ki trainee popped his head out to see what was going on. On impulse, Nila immediately stopped in her tracks and stiffened a little, her ki rose a little to take a defensive stance. Although the Infernal Rei Ki trainee sensed the power was superior to his own, it was one he did not recognise from the last 5 years he had been living at the K-Ray grounds. He was proud of his heritage and confident with the skills he had acquired from training, the Infernal Rei Ki stalked out of his dorm and proceeded to walk toward Nila, he saw how small she was and smirked to himself as he puffed out his muscular chest to make himself look a little bigger, he had been in the middle of doing weights just as he heard the explosions, he felt pretty confident he could take her on, “With all due respect, but I will need to confirm..” Another loud explosion, followed by a series of smaller ones resounded somewhere within the building. The KuroRei ki that catalysed these explosions flung itself in and outward pattern to create the simultaneous fiery ignitions, though it was extremely faint, Nila’s senses caught the end bits of the ki, it was unmistakably from Sol. She felt the ground beneath her feet shudder a little from the aftershock, it was enough to make the already dizzy, aching Nila lose her footing and topple into a conveniently placed hallway table. “Garrgh~!!” Nila winced as her ribs responded painfully to the sudden movement, like an avalanche within her, Nila’s injured ki echoed the pain of the broken ribs through her body, intensifying the overall sensation of pain. She grit her teeth at the realisation of Ulrich’s ability, absorbing his rendered version of ki could damage her own and at the same time, it would finetune itself to intensify any feeling of pain which was inflicted on the body. It didn’t help much that her pain tolerance wasn’t high. Freaking Oppa… what the hell was he doing causing so much disruption? “I will need to confirm your status within the K-Ray Grounds, your Order and the name of your leader.” Nila heard what he said and had no inkling what she could say in return. Couldn’t the imbecile see she was in absolute pain? Still supporting herself against the hallway table, Nila’s head hung, waiting for the majority of the pain to slowly subside, she didn’t bother wasting energy to look at him. “Your status, Order and leader.”  There was something about this Infernal Rei Ki’s voice that annoyed Nila mildly. For such a large guy,  he had a voice that was whiny, like those rude, acne prone pubescent kids that worked at fast food chains that thought they had complete control. As he stepped closer, she felt his ki surround her, it was so pathetically weak compared to the people she had been hanging around with of late. Nila didn’t want to deal with this weakling; she had much more pressing matters to work on. What was she going to tell him anyway? The Infernal Rei Ki trainee stepped closer again, his hand outstretched, ready to grab her shoulder. His own ki started to flare up with his arising suspicion of the stranger in his corridor. “I’m talking to you… I need to know your status, Order and lead…” His beefy hand grasped her right shoulder a fraction too hard, and Nila took a sharp intake of breath at the surprise force. A small surge of fresh ki belonging to her prey filled her, causing a momentary loss of pain, it allowed Nila’s left hand to let go of the hallway table. Sending her butterfly knife out from her sleeve, the blade flicked open and nicked the Infernal Rei Ki trainee on the cheek as it flew past his head.  Surprised at the sudden loss of energy, the trainee stumbled back and tried to throw his arms up to defend himself. His feet became tangled from his sudden lack of strength and fell heavily onto the cold floor. Nila gave into her own hunger, and was dimly aware that her body was on top of his in a flash, pinning him down with a knee to his chest. Her eyes hellraiser black and all pain completely forgotten, Nila grinned down at her prey menacingly and pulled his arms away from his face with surprising force. Yelling with pain and horror, the trainee turned his face to one side, his cut cheek facing up toward her. “You’re not nearly enough to completely heal me, you’re that pathetic.” She hissed at him. A thin red trickle of his life force seeped through the cut on his cheek, Nila inhaled it deeply, savouring whatever weak power he contained, infusing it into her own, healing her own ki that had been burned earlier by that despicable Infernal Five. She continued breathing deeply, feeling her rei ki heal with each breath she took, Nila watched the trainee’s ki trail thin out as she absorbed every last part of him, until only his sweaty gym clothes were left on the floor. Only then, did she look up to observe her surroundings. A pair of wary black eyes stared back at her from afar, it was too dim to make out the features, but Nila knew who it was from the familiar presence. “…Oppa..?” “Which other idiot would stay around and watch you eat up one of your own, like a David Attenborough documentary?” Nila blinked, and looked at the remains of the trainee, a pang of guilt swelled up inside her, didn’t she just tell herself a few minutes ago, that she was going to find Protekt to help her? So that she didn’t have to go on another killing rampage? “Stop looking like you’re guilty. It doesn’t suit you. You used to do it all the time anyway, how else did we get rid of the idiots who thought they had enough power to be promoted through the ranks?” Sol grunted, as Nila slowly neutralised her Absolute Death radius, he pushed himself off the wall which he had been leaning on for support. He dragged his aching body slowly toward her, there was no point rushing to get out of this place if Nila’s Absolute Death radius was active and expanded on his escape route. At least she got rid of that pesky Infernal Rei Ki trainee, Sol had been meaning to find any excuse to kill the beef head off, with the situation he was in at present, he was almost glad that he didn’t have to do it today. “Your face is cut.” He motioned at his own cheek, mirroring the cut on Nila’s face. “Why did Ulrich call for you, Nila?” Nila was quite taken aback at the sight she saw as Sol got closer toward her. He looked in worse shape than she was. “You look worse than me, Oppa…What’s going on?”

[kraygrounds-blog]

#58. "Ow. Good thing you don't punch as hard as Nila."

Sol instantly flared up his Rei Ki to intense battle proportions.  He had not done this since the time he was under the employ of his previous sanctioned leader, Luskaroth.  Without so much as an explanation or defense of his accusations, Sol dug into his hoodie pocket and grabbed two handfuls of ball bearings.  He thrust out his arms, releasing his hands as the hundreds of ball bearings flew towards Gorgon and Protekt.  He did not expect to do any major damage, but just enough to cause a distraction.  Sol ignited each of the ball bearings and immediately sent immolation charges to all the individual blasts.  This would cause an explosive chain reaction that would only end after the last particle of the last ball bearing burst into flames.  Sol heard the surprised gasps and grunts of his peers as he turned and flung a few ball bearings in the opposite direction, where the wall stood in his way.  He would have used the door, but the circumstances did not allow for such luxuries.  Just as a hole blasted through the tough surface of the training hall wall, Sol stepped forward to begin his sprint.  His escape was halted with a firm hand grabbing hold of his hood, pulling him back, then a swift devastating kick into his spine from behind.  Sol coughed sharply as he flew forward from the force of the kick and rolled roughly a few yards.  Such a precise blow with that level of power could have only come from Protekt.  He knew this was not going to be an easy departure, if not downright impossible.  If it was only Gorgon, he would have stood a chance. At the end of his roll, Sol pushed off the training floor mats with his hands to propel himself closer to the new hole in the wall.  He felt a rush from his right side and threw up his arms as a guard.  He felt his sorely mistaken defensive tactic before he could realize anything else in the form of an even sharper kick straight into his gut.  Sol was losing this battle fast.  It was not even a second thought that the strongest individual in hand to hand combat in the Dark Nebula, perhaps the whole KuroRei population save for the Infernal Five, has always been Protekt.  It was not just his speed, strength, precision, and experience that made him so fearsome but his deadly resolve.  Sol did not have the luxury of rolling after the second kick.  Before he could maneuver his body to land safely, he felt strong arms grapple his body in mid-air and fling him upwards.  He threw down multiple ball bearings, exploding them haphazardly in hopes of slowing down the foreboding assailant who singlehandedly annihilated entire parties of ShiroRei on a daily basis.  Sol just barely caught a glimpse of Protekt launch himself from the floor and take hold of his body.  From the position he found himself, Sol realized with dread that the next maneuver was the Abysmal Plummet.  If he lived through the attack, Sol may not be able to use most of his limbs the way most people do.  As he found himself falling rapidly, seeing the floor mat exceedingly closer with each nanosecond, his only thought was survival. The next few seconds could only be described as an explosive blur.  Sol's entire body became a catalyst for a simultaneous implosion and explosion, sending all combatants flying in various directions.  Perhaps it was luck on Sol's part and unluckiness on Gorgon's part, but as Protekt was about to land the decisive blow in the fight, Gorgon had positioned himself beneath them to match their descent with a massive punch of his own.  This served as just the right placement for Sol's desperation attack to blast through both Protekt's and Gorgon's defenses, since Protekt's body was directly next to his and Gorgon was left wide open mid-swing.  The entire training hall lit up in explosive energy as anything not attached to the floor scattered in the air like paperweights.  Sol fell heftily near the door that still managed to stand, scrambled himself up, and heavily threw his body through, not looking for survivors or waiting for any retaliation.  He dragged his badly beaten body through the corridor and into the locker room.  Not having the time or desire to think about a lock combination, Sol blew open his locker and reached in for his emBalmPilot.  He hastily typed in a message and threw the device back inside.  Sol needed to get away from the premises as soon as infernally possible.  Any passerby Infernal Rei Ki trainee could take him down in his current state.  Sol carried his aching body towards one of the secret passageways and entered. **************************************************************** The hushed silence in the meeting room was abruptly broken with the distant rumble that all members visibly felt.  Gigan eyed each of the other Infernal Five warily, suspecting one of them having to do with it.   "So who wants to fess up before I squeeze it out of each of you?" "Do stop being a brute, you oaf.  What is to say you are not the very traitor you seek?" Gigan heard an audible snicker come from Swcraft and a scoff from Felicea.  This meeting looked to go nowhere fast and into hostility even faster. "Enough with this nonsense, Gigan.  Ulrich may be a snide one, but there doesn't seem to be any meaning behind this meeting." Rainart's authoritative words seemed to silence any other resistance. "Then let's start by explaining that f*cking explosion we just felt.  What the f*ck was that?  Or did you not hear it with your head stuck so far up your own ass it comes out the other side?" "Now that you mention it, Gigan, our Ulrich does have a striking resemblance of an ostrich trying to be its own proctologist." "You should sooner bite off your own tongue before I have it forcibly removed from you, ineloquent knave." Gigan appreciated the comment from Swcraft, but the meeting had lost all its merit at this point.  He could not shake off the ominous feeling behind the rumbling from a few minutes ago.  He decided it was best to send the Infernal Five on their separate ways as he investigated further alone. "I guess we'll have to address this crap later.  I just thought of something I have to do, so I'll adjourn this meeting.  If you got any complaints, fill my suggestion box." Not waiting for a response, Gigan stood from his seat and exited the meeting hall.  He could feel the cold stare of Rainart from behind, but had more pressing matters at hand.  As each of the members gradually left to go their separate ways, Swcraft checked his diePhone for his latest text message from Khlarc: "Just got a new emergency mission.  You should know the details even more than I do.  I'm just the delivery boy " **************************************************************** Khlarc waited for all the lights to dim before making his next move.  He hadn't infiltrated a highly defensive base in the longest time, it was almost like he was being too cautious to a fault.  If he got caught here, it would leave an embarrassing track record before his untimely death.  Khlarc zipped across the outer wall of the building, avoiding all windows.  He checked his destRoid one more time to see if he missed any details.  Sol was always the worst texter.  The message read: "gp9o gert razza qwik emrgncy met @ teh plc asp."  If it wasn't for his keen ability to decode the most complex of hidden messages, Khlarc may have been as clueless as the next person.  Apparently, his mission was to get Rizza and to meet at the designated place in this time of emergency.  The missed detail was where this place was and where Rizza was, but Khlarc decided to let his instincts do all the thinking while he went through the motions.  Khlarc had been in search and rescue missions before, but never for a ShiroRei girl from the very main ShiroRei headquarters that housed all the Divine Rei Ki.  Sol was either desperate or had way too much faith in his abilities.  Khlarc decided it was neither and that Sol was just stupid.  This may have made Khlarc even dumber for going along with it.  With only his mind to accompany him with incessant nagging, he deftly leaped between ledges until he reached the area that appeared to be for new trainees.  The schematic he stole from the new guards proved useful.  The sloppy ShiroRei always seemed to place their security in the hands of the new recruits.  Khlarc cast a quick Gleaming Eye and sent the little menace towards the window.  It flew silently down, giving Khlarc full view of everything it saw.  Khlarc widened his eyes when he saw the nubile young Rizza's body as she removed her garments.  He only spied the curvaceous shape of the youth as she had her back turned to his "Eye".  Moments like this made him wonder why he never did taint some ShiroRei when he had the chance during his glory years. His objective kicked in faster than his hormones as Khlarc dissipated his Gleaming Eye and jumped towards the window.  He jumped onto his hands and was ready to kick himself inside when he came face to face with a surprised Rizza.  Muffling his outcry, he clumsily fell backwards and regained his composure to flip himself back onto the ledge of the window.  His face met with her fist as an introduction.   "Ow.  Good thing you don't punch as hard as Nila." "What?!  Who are you?  Why are you here?  Wait, I remember you.  You were with Sol--" Khlarc covered the young ShiroRei's mouth and ran down the plan as quickly as he could. "Yes, I am the guy who was with Sol, the guy you wanted to meet for some reason.  Now he has invited you to come visit.  I am here to deliver you to him.  Less questions means faster delivery time and I get to enjoy good times with a certain vixen again.  So let's get a move on.  Get dressed....oh, you're already dressed.  But you had just taken off your...ah, I mean, yes good, let's go." Khlarc hoped she missed his obvious slip up as he straightened himself and turned for the window, this time from the inside heading out.  When he did not hear her footsteps behind him, he turned back to see her standing with her arms folded and lips tightly shut in a skeptical stance.  This was going to be a tougher mission than the time he had to smuggle dirty ShiroRei magazines for Gigan back in the day.

[kraygrounds-blog]

#57. "You know I'm not going to bed, right?"

She felt it. She felt it, and there was nothing she could do about it, damnit, not with Aurora and her uncle watching her so closely now. There was some big shit going on with the Kuro Rei. At the first explosion of Infernal Rei Ki, Rizza nearly dropped her staff, even as Durum attacked her. She stopped and turned toward the K-Ray. The feel of it left a foul taste in her mouth, and she ignored Durum as he attempted to get her to focus on the training session again. It felt different from any of the KuroRei Ki she had felt during her little visit. There was something exceedingly unpleasant about it. After a moment, Rizza shook her head to clear it and faced Durum again, but it seemed that no sooner had they began drilling moves again when another, smaller burst of Ki tickled the edge of her mind. This one she almost recognized... she was sure whoever it belonged to had been there when she had. Durum waited not quite patiently as Rizza stared off toward the K-Ray Grounds.   "Rizza." The word was almost, but not quite, a warning.   "I know, uncle. But something's happening. We should be paying attention whenever that much energy is flying around. Wasn't that what the whole point of me being a 'guardian' was? To teach me to sense these and figure out what's going on?" Rizza was frustrated. If she could just go look...   "Aye, but you aren't a guardian right now, are ya? I'm tryin to get ya to focus, dear. Now, come on." Durum ran her through a few dozen more drills. Rizza hadn't realized that training would be this boring, and it was grating on her nerves.   "How long do we have to do these same drills over and over, uncle? Shouldn't I be learning to use my Ki, or something?" Rizza stared balefully at the offending staff, which she had originally been so excited to receive.   Char chose that moment to enter and came up behind Rizza, moving her hands to proper positions on the staff. "You're going to have to be patient, kiddo. You need to master the basics before you can even think of adding in the more complicated flashy effects," he said with a grin.   Rizza made a face at him. "Easy for you to say, Char... You just heal people! The basics is all you ever learned."   He laughed at Rizza's obdurateness. "Exactly! So you can bet I got pretty darn good at them," he replied with an affected imperious tone, closing his eyes and sticking his nose in the air. He opened one eye a slit and glanced down at Rizza, trying not to grin. Durum chuckled at Rizza attempted to fix the evil eye on both of them at the same time.   With a sigh, Rizza gave in and allowed herself to be lead through several more drills before being "sent off to bed".   "You know I'm not going to bed, right?" she asked Char as he walked her the room she had been given in the training complex.   "You may as well, Rizza... There's nothing else to do around here. They're not going to let you out of their sight," he replied sympathetically. "If there was anything I could do, you know I'd do it. I hate being cooped up as much as you do. But there's something going on that's beyond either of us, and Durum and Aurora just want to keep you safe. I do, too," he added with a hug. Rizza half-heartedly hugged him back and said goodnight with another sigh.     "Keep me 'safe'... feh. I don't see how it's any different from Corinth keeping me 'under wraps'," Rizza muttered as she closed the door behind her. She couldn't get her mind off the Rei Ki she had felt earlier today. Something was going on, and she wanted desperately to find out what it was.

[kraygrounds-blog]

#56. “I don’t think they’d be happy if I started consuming the souls of my own people.”

Nila winced as she made her way up the fire stairs. She had been blindly limping around the dimly lit corridors of the K-Ray headquarters for the last hour and couldn’t find the damn elevator. The pain of her ki being burnt away from the meeting with Ulrich didn’t sit well with her various forming bruises and broken ribs. Pain raked at her lungs as she dragged her feet up the never ending sets of stairs… Her pain tolerance was most definitely not very high… Just where was that goddamn exit? Mustering her remaining strength, Nila forced her feet to move upward on the stairs, with only her thoughts to entertain her, she wondered, why did Ulrich want her to complete this mission? She remembered the shroud of shifting KuroRei ki of the Infernal Five, and the white arm that reached out and took her blood from her cheek. Gritting her teeth as the pain ripped through her right side, she had moved her arm too far forward on the railing, she’d kill to have Swcraft’s teleporting abilities right now, it’d save her all the trouble of trying to find any medical help, wonder if he could muster up any energy to teleport if he were in a world of pain like this? There were so many unanswered questions concerning the Infernal Five, she observed so much secrecy between their movements that it seemed like it was almost a joke that these individually powerful figures were actually banded together as a leading group to go up against their nemesis, the Shirorei. The period of time she had been living here, she noticed through all the discipline and strict organisation of the Dark Nebula factions, she felt a lack of structure and coordination in the movements of the fellow KuroRei and the Infernal Rei Ki that setup camp within the K-Ray Grounds. It seemed that Protekt, Khlarc, Gorgon and Sol were the most tightly knit bunch out of the lot. Could this have possibly been due to the betrayal she heard about that happened so many years ago? Damn it, she needed to find out for her own sake. The little bits of memories she had been getting back bit by bit weren’t enough to satisfy her, how much more powerful could she be? Was she really as powerful as Ulrich and Khlarc had claimed? With the state that her body was in right now, Nila certainly didn’t feel powerful. She needed to fix herself, as soon as possible. Her question was… who could help her?  Immediately her butterfly knife sitting in her sleeve warmed against her forearm, the gentle warmth enveloped her like the rays of a warm winter sun stroking her skin. Her mind suddenly opened up to another memory long forgotten, the familiar blue black hair , his head bent over her shoulder to inspect a large gash in her arm, blood was pouring out all over the place. His cape had fallen forward casually over his arms and rested heavily on the floor around Nila, she saw that her blood dripping squarely onto it, the blade side of her ornately crafted butterfly knife peeked out from under the cape as it lay quietly on the floor, there was also a spatter of blood on it...Not hers, she dimly recalled. “Sol really does have the subtlety of a jackhammer doesn’t he?” Protekt’s voice echoed in her vision as he gently twisted her forearm back and forth, his big hands engulfed her tiny little ones…. Nila noted that the hands belonged to a body of a child. The memory dimmed, the thin red trails of nostalgic ancient KuroRei ki meeting her arm, sinking in and mending the gash…. Nila’s jet black eyes snapped back into focus, and she was back in the dim stairwell again. Her mind started tingling with that strange sensation, it was unconsciously sensing for anybody alive. Anybody to devour… Somewhere above her, not very far away, she sensed movement of Infernal Rei Ki jostling around…. So weak, so easily devoured…can heal so easily…. She stopped and blinked, and looked at her sleeve where her butterfly knife lay, it was still enveloping that little part of her forearm with that gentle warm sensation, like it was coaxing her to do something, remember something, reminding her to eat…Nila spoke to it softly, “I don’t think they’d be happy if I started consuming the souls of my own people.” Immediately something similar to a soft chime sounded in her head, like a little sad whine of a puppy, and the warmth that surrounded her arm slowly faded, leaving only a clear message that made Nila crack a smile. You suck Rei Ki balls. Suddenly knowing that the end of this gruelling climb was near, Nila’s determination was renewed, slowly and painfully, she pulled herself forward and upward again. Her senses alive and buzzing, actively reaching out to summon and find the people she relied on so dearly.

[kraygrounds-blog]

#55. "...it is all because of you, Sol the Destroyer."

Protekt and Sol hurried down the corridor towards the training hall.  As expected, it was empty.  Neither men spoke as they both gathered what information they could to forumlate what could have happened.  Protekt was the first to give a theory. "Maybe they all went to the bathroom." "You really need to cut down on the habit of saying something ridiculous just to break the silence." "Well I try not to be as ominous as you." "Is it working?" "Can't you tell?  People still ask me to bodyguard something valuable." Sol exhaled sharply seeing that he would not win this argument.  He had been treating Nila with far too much kindness.  Anyone who knew anything about Sol would be immediately suspicious.  There was also that issue about whether or not he had carnal relations with her.  If Gigan was so concerned about it, the rumors were bound to have spread as far as the lowly Infernal Rei Ki recruits.  That meant every single KuroRei worth anything had their own ideas. "Do you know where Khlarc went?" "I know about as much as you right now.  Training Nila is the only thing on my schedule." Sol considered Protekt's last statement.  None of them had been given any important missions as of late.  It was expected that Sol would receive nothing.  In fact, the higher ups not acknowledging his existence was a more proper course of action.  Gigan always did break from the norm, much to the distaste of his superiors.  Now that Sol's giant friend was a superior, this gave some leeway in surveillance.   "Protekt, our first priority would be to locate Nila.  You can't continue your duties without her." "You have a point, but make sure that's the only reason you want to find her." The tension among his peers amplified over the week.  The Dark Nebula were indeed a group of KuroRei who went on multiple death-defying missions which would undoubtedly bring about camaraderie.  However, in all the years serving together, each member had his share of secrets.  Out of them all, Sol looked the most suspicious due to his absence after the Great Betrayal.  The details about Sol's involvement are also sketchy at best.  Sol wanted to keep it that way, for he did not need any unnecessary conflict with someone digging up the past. "Fine, let's see if Bulwerth saw her walk out. "I'm surprised you remember our barkeep's name after all these years." "As notorious as you are for forgetting names, Protekt, I always keep important ones in mind." In the middle of their collective chuckle, the two heard a rumbling getting closer by the millisecond.  Within moments, an entity burst into the training hall, flung Protekt several yards in one direction and grabbed hold of Sol's throat.  Protekt twirled his body in the air and landed without any troubles.  The real problem was still to come.  Sol choked frequently as he struggled in the firm grip of Gorgon's hand.  Protekt knew better to interrupt, for this was not a mere sparring session.  Gorgon's fiery red eyes indicated a serious matter.  He would take out Gorgon if the need arose. "Don't worry, Protekt.  I am keeping him alive so he can hear what I have to say.  It's not my place to kill this explosive worm.  Come to think of it, you've got a fitting end waiting for you." "Whatever it is, you need to calm down before anyone else gets hurt.  You know I am not going to be pulling my punches." Gorgon's eyes dimmed down to their normal dark brown.  Sol could feel the grip loosening on his throat as he managed a slew of coughs and choking gasps of air.  As Sol felt his body drop like a sack of potatoes, he was glad to know that Protekt was there. "Good call, Gorgon.  Now let's get the situation and then we'll see if you can resume the choking position." Sol continued coughing for air.  He was instantly reminded why the Dark Nebula was so feared among those who knew about them.  His peers were pretty terrifying people.  He slowly rose to his feet as Gorgon spoke. "Your previous master Ulrich called for Nila." The calm expression Protekt had immediately twisted into a scowl of distaste.  Sol had been given missions by Ulrich in the past when he was a young member advancing in the ranks.  Every single mission was an assassination.   "I will break it to both of you like I had done to me.  Ulrich knows everything about Luskaroth and more.  He also knows how Nila got into the hands of the ShiroRei." Sol inhaled deeply and looked among his teammates as Gorgon turned to his direction. "The reason Nila went missing, the reason the Dark Nebula fell apart, the reason Luskaroth rose to power, and the reason we are in the mess right now...it is all because of you, Sol the Destroyer." ********************************************* Gigan strummed his fingers onto the table of the meeting hall.  He called an emergency meeting, half expecting no one else to show.  He looked around the room to see Ulrich across from him with his cold white fingertips gathered together.  On the other end of the table was Swcraft, clacking away rapidly in his laptop, netbook, and diePhone.  Rainart thundered in with heavy foosteps and took his place in the main throne seat.  The only one left was Felicea.  Almost as if rehearsed, the last Infernal Five member clacked into the hall making echoes with her heels.  Her top seemed to have been put together roughly, as if they were hastily put on.  After each member took their seats, Gigan started the meeting. "Good of you to all get your asses in here.  It won't be long." "Better not be.  I need to get back to...my business." "Yes indeed, our Felicea does enjoy delving into the debauchery of the lower class." Ulrich had made another unnecessary statement.  It was no secret that Felicea enjoyed one of the lesser activities the humans seemed to not be able to get enough of and she seemed to choose her 'companions' selectively.  Swcraft checked his diePhone for a text message from Khlarc that read: 'Is Elice looking okay?  I hope her shirt isn't all out of place.  Damn was she on fire todayyyy ' which clearly confirmed where the two had been. "Enough about the nonsense.  Gigan, why have you called us here?" The authoritative voice that could only belong to Rainart boomed in the dark medieval conference room.  Gigan obliged with an answer. "I called this meeting because there is something bothering me.  People are talking but no one is saying anything.  So let's stop shitting out of our mouths and sticking our heads up each others' asses." Swcraft momentarily stopped typing in his laptop. "You always had flowery language, didn't you Gigan?  We understand the gravity of the situation but your descriptive adjectives do not help the matter." "Ah shut up, you brainiac.  What I mean is, Luskaroth is still around." There was an expected deafening silence in the meeting hall.  For the next few minutes, the only one talking was Gigan. "I don't mean I met him at the local bar.  I mean that whatever he did twenty years ago was not finished back then.  There is still a whole ton of shit that is about to happen and we're just picking at our asses and sniffing at our fingers.  We need to find the little sneaky bitches who work for Luskaroth and kill them." "And how do you propose to do that, oh great Gigan?" The remark was a thrown challenge and a logical question from Ulrich.  Gigan was not unprepared for such snide comments. "We'll start by killing the one f*cker who has been helping him all along, who happens to be in this room."

[kraygrounds-blog]

#54. "...you will find that you have the world at your fingertips.”

The concept of the mission was indeed very simple. Only one person’s name was stated that required elimination, and that name just so happened to belong to the person whom Nila felt she trusted the most in this hot mess. “Kill Sol Sar.” Ulrich’s cold steely order rang through her mind and shook her core. Somewhere inside her, most probably her old-self, immediately leapt into action at the opportunity of a mission, like an eager sheepdog awaiting the commands of her master. Plans had even begun forming in her head, how she could use Oppa’s trust to lure him into her traps…. Nila stalled, her grin slowly faded. Frozen, she stood in the room, unable to comprehend why she had trouble murmuring her once-favourite phrase “Orders received”. Through the shadows, Nila felt the darker presence observing her, hungry to know the next course of action she would take. It was unfortunate that the hesitation seemed a moment too long for the second-in-command. “Silent again, where does your loyalty lie? Maybe I overestimated your essence as a Kurorei after all.” “Sir, I..” “Your permission to speak is denied until I see fit.” Ulrich hissed, as sharp as his voice, his KuroRei ki lashed out like a whip and wrapped itself around Nila’s body like a million little threads, binding her movements and lifting her body an entire foot into the air, so she was left suspended like a puppet tangled in her own strings. A flare of yellow glow of the Infernal Five’s eyes slowly dimmed again near the wall of the room, the annoyance in its eyes were clear. Instinctive fear took over Nila, her eyes blackened as her locust demon began to spread its wings from within, it wanted to eliminate the binding spell and escape out of this place. She felt her absolute-death radius struggling to expand and the dark threads of the bind slowly began merging into her, feeding her strength to break free. Immediately the substance of the ki that bound her movements changed, she felt it withdraw in surprise, only to lash back out around her and tighten its grip on her to the point of suffocation, the KuroRei ki threads that belonged to Ulrich thickened menacingly, and as Nila’s core continued to consume the dark Infernal Five ki, she felt the ki burning her from the inside out… like acid corroding her powers. The pain was so intense that her inner being gave into submission, Nila hung there in the air, helpless and barely conscious. “Insolent brat!” he spat, “Do you think you are that powerful so that you can take on the Infernal Five?! Your arrogance must stem from that fireball of menace you call your Oppa.” Nila felt a sting on her cheek, something had slapped her face, it felt like a whip made from the thinnest of threads… maybe it was Ulrich’s Ki? She couldn’t tell, physical pain was nothing compared to what had just happened to her own Ki. A dull ache pulsated on her cheek, something wet trickled to her chin. …Blood?   She stayed quiet as she felt his presence encircling her like a shark drawn to blood. “Maybe… those damned ShiroRei did do something that altered your unerring loyalty after all.” He sneered. “Did you know your pathetic existence has kicked up a stink in this war? Nobody is sure about anything anymore, and you are possibly to blame.” The bind placed upon her loosened a fraction, still barely allowing her able to breathe. Nila’s eyes slowly looked up and saw the pair of glowing yellow eyes glaring at her with treachery and malice. Ulrich was just a breath’s space away from her, yet she still could not make out the features of his face, it was like he had used his own KuroRei ki to mask his physical being. What a coward....  She felt icy cold slender fingers reaching out and pushing gently against her stinging cheek momentarily. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed an arm of glowing white skin as pale and smooth as ivory withdraw into the murky shifting veil of KuroRei Ki, the slender fingers were the last to disappear, she noted they were stained in dark red… guess she didn’t cry… or drool after all. “Still slightly tainted with ShiroRei Ki… but it can still taste so purely dark. Your ability to eat the light and change it into dark is no doubt a wonder. You are truly terrifying Nila Shistocerca, you’re about as close to being the perfect KuroRei as anybody can get.” Without losing its edge, the authoritative voice of the Infernal Five’s Second-in-command became soft, “Nila, kill Sol Sar. Eat him up with that terrifying power of yours and you will find that you have the world at your fingertips.” You have your fingers on my face like it’s about to rip my face off… If I have the world at my fingertips… then what does that make you….? The binds that held Nila shifted suddenly, jerking her backwards, they flung her out the dark room and back into the corridor of the K-Ray Grounds, dumping her unceremoniously against the dimly lit marble wall. Sighing, Nila slowly got up and limped down the corridor as she gingerly put her hand to her side to inspect the damage… broken ribs… great.

[kraygrounds-blog]

#53. "I missed you, Char."

It had been almost a week, and Durum and Aurora had yet to keep their promise. Mostly Rizza had just wandered around the complex aimlessly; she stopped in on Laurel and Xander's training here and there, but as there was nothing she could really do to contribute, she usually just sat sullenly off to the side and watched for a few minutes before getting up and leaving again. Once or twice she found an empty training room and practiced on her own, but when someone else entered, she generally felt unwanted and in the way, as usual.   Just when Rizza had been almost ready to accept that things weren't going to change, they finally did. She was draped over the arms of an overstuffed chair in an empty room, lazily tracing the patterns on the wall with her finger, when the door opened and Char walked in. Rizza realized she hadn't seen him since the day of the attack; he was looking much better, at least. She leapt up and ran to him, throwing her arms around the older ShiroRei. Char responded by picking Rizza up and swinging her around like he used to when she was younger. When he set her down, Rizza simply rested her head against his chest.   "I missed you, Char."   "What, were you worried?" He pushed her away slightly and grinned down at her.   Rizza made a face. "Hardly! You're too stubborn to stay hurt. Still, I..."   Char ruffled Rizza's already messy hair. "Don't worry about it, Rizza. You know I'd never be able to stay away from you too long." He laughed as Rizza made another face and fixed her now-ruined ponytail. "I mean, who'd be here to annoy you, then?"   Rizza scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. Just about every other ShiroRei in existence?" With a newly smoothed ponytail, she shook her head. "Anyway, why'd you come find me now? Don't you have something important to be doing, like everyone besides me?"   Char winked and said nothing, but took Rizza's arm and lead her out the door and down the hallway. Rizza was surprised when he lead her to a training room, but even more surprised when she saw both Durum and Aurora inside. She didn't dare think that they were keeping their promise; she had been let down too many times. Still, a tiny spark of hope flared inside her, and for once, it was rewarded.   Durum stood up and wordlessly handed her a staff. An actual, genuine fighting staff. Rizza looked it over and saw her name inscribed on one end. She looked from Char to Durum to Aurora in turn, and then back to Char, who nodded. She was going to be trained.

[kraygrounds-blog]

#52. "Kill Sol Sar."

Gorgon's eyes only shimmered that way when he was in a frenzy killing ShiroRei or when he had grave news.  Before waiting for a response, he spoke again. "Nila, follow me.  Now.  Khlarc, Miss Felecea asked for you.  I'll take Nila to where she needs to go." "What's with the mystery, Gorgon?  It's not like you.  But I understand, no more questions from me.  Off you go, Nila." Nila seemed to oblige momentarily, but she paused before fully exiting the door. "What about Sol Oppa?" "Can't tell him where I'm taking you.  Let's go." Gorgon, the supposed gentle giant, emanated an aura more ominous and overbearing than Nila had felt before since their abrupt reunion.  She felt it was a quick reminder that the men who seemed to be her older brothers and/or uncles were not to be trifled with when they meant business.  Without another word, Nila walked in the direction to where Gorgon was seemingly going.  He did not lead the way, which seemed peculiar, but Nila did not question and simply glimpsed back every so often to make sure Gorgon was behind her.  She felt uneasy that Gorgon's usual gentle demeanor was replaced with a serious expression almost holding back utter rage. Gorgon stopped suddenly and banged on a piece of the wall in the dark corridor, which happened to be a door.  Nila jumped slightly and turned around, seeing Gorgon motion for her to go inside. "This is as far as I go, Nila.  Please mind your manners once you're inside." "But Gorgon, where will you--?" "Step inside and mind your manners." Gorgon gave her a slight push, which felt more like a hard shove with his massive strength.  Nila's body practically flew inside as the door closed behind her.  The room was dimly lit with torches all around.  It was amazing how the K-Ray Grounds had so many rooms and corridors in what looked on the outside as a rundown bar.  Nila surmised many of the passages and halls were underground, which would explain the darkness.  Before she could gather her bearings, a voice cracked through the darkness. "So you're the infamous Nila?  Not much to look at, are you?  Maybe by human standards, you look to be a good pleasure tool in bed.  But you look useless to me." Nila searched for the voice.  As insulting as it was, the individual seemed to have an air of authority behind him.  The voice was definitely male.  It sounded older, as if it belonged to one who has seen many more years and events than anyone she had met.  She felt it only right to respond immediately, even though she was unsure where the individual was. "Yes, I am Nila.  I apologize for not recognizing your voice, sir.  I have only recently gathered a fraction of my memories." "You never met me before, foul child.  I do commend Gorgon's loyalty.  He loathed the idea of having me meet you, but what can he do?  Sworn to serve and dedicated to follow the Five, as they say.  If only Gigan would take after his younger brother.  But alas, back to the matter at hand." Nila was able to put pieces together from the last sentence uttered by the man.  This individual was one of the Infernal Five.  She crossed off Swcraft, Gigan, and Felicea.  She only really knew Swcraft while the others remained names only to her.  She had heard that there was a leader of the Five, but she could not tell if this person was the leader or the remaining member, Ulrich. "Yes, remain silent.  You won't have anything to say that will interest me anyway.  I am Ulrich, second-in-command of the Infernal Five.  If Rainart hadn't joined so quickly, I would be the one ruling this cesspool.  Now that introductions are out of the way, you will do something for me." Nila never liked taking orders and disliked it even more when it was from a rude person she did not know.  However, something told her that disobeying would be fatal to her. "What would you have me do?" "Oh, eager are we?  The task is quite simple.  Well, no, let me rephrase that.  The concept is simple, but actually going through with it will be challenging.  I have tried multiple times.  Not myself personally, but all those I sent to complete the mission were killed.  It's quite dangerous." At the last statement, Nila could make out an eerie grin from the dim lights emitted from the torches.  Ulrich seemed to be moving around as he spoke, since she could not place where he was exactly. "Am I to complete this mission for you?" There was a delay in response.  The moment was not exactly suspenseful, since Nila had all about gone through plenty of traumatic experiences in her relatively short life.  With all the betrayal, deaths, Rei Ki draining, and murderous father figures, she did not think anything could surprise her at this point.  Ulrich's dreary voice broke the silence once again. "Yes, you are.  So quick to accept a mission, the rumors must be true.  You enjoy fulfilling your duty.  It's a shame that...never mind.  Very well, you will have your mission and will report to me as soon as it is finished." "I will do as you ask." Ulrich chuckled which sounded more like a raspy hiss.  Nila was unsure of everything about this second commander of the Infernal Five, which cast doubt in her trust of Swcraft.  Could they all be like this?  Were they just as bad as the ShiroRei's Divine Five?  Nila blocked out the distracting questions momentarily to accept her mission.  She looked to the direction where she believed Ulrich stood.  He actually stood in place this time. "What will you have me do?" The answer came quickly, which seemed more abrupt considering all the stalling Ulrich did. "Kill Sol Sar." ************************************* Sol kneeled in front of Gigan.  Each of the Infernal Five had his or her own special room, each massive in its own scale.  Sol had been summoned to Gigan's chambers. "Get up, shrimp.  You know I hate all that high and mighty bullshit." Sol cracked a small smile as he stood and faced Gigan, the older brother of Gorgon. "So how have you been, squirt?" "I feel like I've been squeezed out of a trash compactor and dropped into a pool of acid." "Hm, doesn't sound so bad.  I'll throw in some ShiroRei piss for good measure." "Gross, Gigan.  Just gross." Sol and Gigan had always gotten along since they first met.  If what Sol and Gorgan had was a begrudged respect for one another, Sol and Gigan were actually friends.  The two shared some laughs and continued their small talk for a few minutes. "Anyway, time to get down to business.  You brought a problem into our hands, little man.  What are you expecting us to do with Nila?" "Not much.  I will look after her." "Bullshit, you little ass monkey.  Do you even know where she is right now?" Sol was caught off guard with the last question.  He knew she should be in training with Protekt or Gorgon.  He actually saw her roughly half an hour ago to give her his gift he prepared.  A worried expression slowly crept onto his face. "Stop that puppy dog nastiness.  You look like a lost turd sandwich.  Go check up on her." Sol nodded briefly.  "Didn't you have something to talk to me about?" "Yeah, I did.  But it's going to slap you upside the head so fast you'll grow another head after it pulls your original one out of your own ass." "What is it, Gigan?" "Have you ever f*cked Nila?" Sol coughed involuntarily at Gigan's as he was visibly taken aback. "Come on now, Gigan.  You know I'm not trying to be a parent here..." "Shut up and answer the question.  We don't reproduce by f*cking like humans.  But we still get pleasure out of it.  I know how you've been looking at her since you first encountered her.  Unlike the humans, we don't quite age like that so there are no laws subjugating us to who we f*ck." Sol, clearly uncomfortable with the topic, shifted his position multiple times during Gigan's last rant. "Look, small fry.  If you didn't do anything, just tell me.  If you did anything, just tell me.  I don't talk about that kind of shit with anyone besides the ones directly involved, you know that.  But I need you to be completely honest with me if I am going to still call you my friend." Sol exhaled deeply, more calmed down than before.  He knew he could trust Gigan, if there was anyone to trust at all.  In fact, the only reason he and any of his companions from the Dark Nebula are alive was thanks to Gigan.  He owed the giant his life. "Okay, Gigan.  I'll tell you and only you.  What happened was--" "FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU------!!" Sol and Gigan both paused.  Their faces went from confused to relieved to aggravated.  The scream belonged to Felicea.  The cause was most likely Khlarc.  Thankfully, since there was no visible rumbling of the entire building, the outburst was not dangerous.  When it came to Khlarc, Felicea never could keep her temper down.  Sol sighed and continued. "As I was saying, what happened was--" There was a knock on the large heavy door at the end of the room.  The door opened and closed, revealing Protekt standing before the two. "I apologize for interrupting, but have either of you seen Nila?  We were still in the middle of training when Khlarc was supposedly going to check up on her and haven't seen them since.  Gorgon seemed troubled by something too." The three all shared serious expressions.  Nothing hardly ever bothered Gorgon.  Noticing him actually uneasy was something they had seen with Luskaroth's betrayal, but nothing else.  Gigan rose from his seat and gave the two a slight nod. Protekt and Sol understood the motion and exited the chambers without another word.  Within seconds, the door on the other side of the room burst open with a heaving Gorgon stepping inside, eyes glaring a menacing crimson red. "Brother, what is the meaning of this?" "Calm down, Gorgon.  I know you're upset, but you know I'm going to kick your ass if you try anything." "I don't question your strength, but I do question your motives.  Why was Nila sent to Ulrich?" Gigan narrowed his eyes into Gorgon's to make sure he was not lying. "So that's what happened.  That bastard, Ulrich.  He's always plotting something.  He's already put a plan in motion.  Look, he even got you involved so you would suspect me of some shit I don't even know about.  The conniving asshole." Gorgon's eyes immediately returned to their seemingly normal dark brown.  "I am sorry, brother.  I should have known." "Forget it, you oversized pit bull.  I'll get to the bottom of this.  Get out for now." "Yes, brother." Gigan sat back down in his chair.  He and everyone else in the Infernal Five knew about Ulrich's ulterior motives in everything he does.  However, this time something did not bode well for all of them.  Gigan sensed the movement of another betrayal.

[kraygrounds-blog]

#51. Something's come up Nila, you are to come with us immediately."

It wasn't really her birthday, Gorgon explained later, it was the day where Nila had officially been taken under their wings. She was extremely young at the time, but they made sure that day was celebrated somehow every year. .. till she disappeared. "I'm suprised Sol remembered it, I guess he missed you the most out of all of us." Gorgon said as they packed up the mats and blocks. Nila opened up the box and inspected the blade, it was a very finely handcrafted ornament, very very new and had no master. Nila cherished it by placing it in the hidden compartment within her dorm room when the lads had all retreated somewhere unreachable to her to discuss their manly problems. That little bit of power Protekt had put into her during the routine exercise with Gorgon left Nila in awe. That was the power of a true infernal. Just that little bit of power could knock down a man the size of a bear...  Nila felt the gap of power between her and Protekt. Was Oppa... Sol.. like that too? She remembered the look on his face just before he got bowled over into the wall... maybe not. Swcraft, Nila frowned, the mysterious man whom she had investigated over the past few months during her amnesia; Swcraft of the Infernal Five. He was so powerful that he could enter her Absolute-Death radius, effectively disengage her powers and teleport her back to safety, did she have that sort of power within her too? Frustrated yet deep in thought, Nila sat down as she fiddled absent-mindedly with a butterfly knife and sulked about the lack of power and charisma she had compared to Protekt and the Infernal Five. The door suddenly opened, catching Nila off guard, the sudden suprise caused her to instinctively throw her weapon toward the target. Khlarc barely dodged out of the way, the sharp butterfly knife whistling past his head, missing millimetres of hair. The blade sank into the corridor wall behind him. "You have GOT to be more aware of your surroundings Nila!" Khlarc cursed, "How come I'm always the one that gets pummeled around by you guys when I open the door?" "That's because you have the natural ability to screen your rei ki... and you move silently." Nila replied sulkily. "I also have the ability to move at lightning speed if i have to. Otherwise i would've been stabbed in the head with those blasted knives of yours everytime i walk in." Khlarc shot back as he entered the room, almost casually, Nila summoned the butterfly knife with her mind; the crest of the Locust flared red for a moment before dislodging itself from the wall. Flipping backward it rotated at exhilarating speed toward Nila, the safety handle knocking Khlarc at the back of his head as it fell soundly into Nila's oustretched palms. "That didn't look lightning speed to me Khlarc." "Screw you kiddo. Shouldn't have told you the secret to mind summoning if you were to use it against me." Khlarc said as  slumped down onto the sofa next to her rubbing the back of his head. "Khlarc, how did you guys get to become so powerful?" The tall slender built man looked at her with suprise in his lime green eyes, "Excuse me?" "It can't just be the parentage of the KuroRei's right? There has to be some other factors, like age, or training or experience." Khlarc regarded her without expression, "You're thinking that we're more powerful than you are. It was Protekt's little energy giving stunt wasn't it? How you felt the sheer enormosity of Kuro Ki propelling that kick into Gorgon's head... that was purposely lent power, where two different types of kurorei ki come together in an attack. A very powerful technique which you, my girl, are able to use upon others because of your ability to absorb ki. Sol and i are training you the techniques of ki channelling  so that in future you will be able to selectively destroy, consume, keep or align other ki to your own will. It's a difficult concept for all of us to grasp because we don't really have that ability for ourselves, but Protekt's the man to talk to since he's doing all the relative Rei Ki research. but he believes you can do it. That's how powerful you are Nila, you're potentially up there with the big guns now that your powers are so much more mature." "Oh the flattery. I consume energy... and well, just destroy the living daylights out of Shiro and Kuro alike. What's with all the aligning and ki storing and jazz? If i was that powerful, Swcraft wouldn't have stood a chance against me by entering my asolute-death radius." Khlarc remained silent, not knowing what to say next. there was another knock on the door, "Come in." Nila called. "Something's come up Nila, you are to come with us immediately." gorgon said, his eyes glinting red in the shadows of the room.

[kraygrounds-blog]

#FIFTY. "You?!"

Xander enjoyed his training, it was tiring, annoying, but he felt he was learning and improving his ability, to him it made it worth while. He saw Laurel a lot, after what happened he still felt responsible for her. He promised himself that when this was all over, he would help her find her parents. Marcus had been training him hard and was always boasting about Xander's ability, Durum watched one of their training sessions and joked that Xander might surpass Marcus's own ability. Xander had already mastered moving objects up to his own body weight, destroying simple objects, both crushing and pulling apart. He'd even got a personal shield pretty good. "Xander, you've mastered the basics and done very well with the intermediate stuff, now I'm gonna show you the complex stuff, there's the group shield you've already seen, very useful, same as the personal shield but you project your ki outwards to form a protective bubble. Like the personal shield it won't last for ever and high level attacks can break through. But first, the most dangerous attack in your arsenal, this is a very dangerous thing to do and it will drain a lot of your energy. You concentrate on your target, feel their organs with your mind, tear them apart their insides. You basically liquify their organs. There's some test dummies outside, straw on the inside, practice on them, then we'll move you up to machines, then you'll practice on me." "You?!" "Yep, the subject has to be able to perfrom his attack on a humanoid body and it's my duty as your training to be that body, don't worry, you won't kill me, we'lll have 3 of the most powerful healers stood around me so as soon as your attack starts to work, they'll heal the damage. Now, time for practice."

[kraygrounds-blog]

#49. "Happy Birthday, Nila."

Sol had just received orders to retrain Nila in channeling her Rei Ki so that it remains in a threatening level as opposed to downright destructive.  The Infernal Five had issued Sol with the command considering his experience with his Rei Ki and his ability to contain how much of his explosive Rei Ki affects his targets.  He had a new hoodie, replacing the one torn by that young ShiroRei girl named Rizza.  He heard sounds of a scaffle in the hand-to-hand training room, figuring Gorgon to be her coach for the day.  He neared and opened the door of the room, just in time to see the look of mild discomfort on Gorgon's face which was two inches in front of his own.  This was going to be unpleasant.  Gorgon's massive body collided with Sol's comparatively miniscule figure, expelling Sol with the momentum carried with Gorgon.  Sol's body smashed against the wall, barely giving him enough time to recover.  As Gorgon's body followed suit, threatening to crush Sol into oblivion, Sol flipped backwards with his hands clasped onto the wall for leverage.  Sol, then, shot up towards the ceiling by pushing off with his hands to safety.  Oh, right, the ceiling here is rather low....  Sol's thought was interrupted with the loud noise of a skull thumping against the stainless steel material embedded with KuroRei energies to prevent it from collapsing.  Sol fell back down to his original position with the precise timing of Gorgon barreling into him, sending both KuroRei through the wall.  There was not enough dust to gather, but the prolonged period of time before either of them uttered a groan of pain signified the miniature level of havoc created. "Oh...whoa.  I haven't been flown around like that since the old days.  That Protekt, he had to instill her with his Rei Ki.  She couldn't have done that on her own....ugh...." "You oversized incredibly heavy plush bear.  Where is your reaction time?  You did not even change your speed." This conversation took place while both individuals were still laying in the debris, staring up at the ceiling. "Blasted ceiling.  For it to be so low..." "...shouldn't matter to such a tiny guy like you, haha!  Ow!" Sol had thrown a brick at Gorgon's head at his last statement. "Damn, Nila.  See how much more effective you can be?  I wasn't exactly expecting that but, well, perhaps I won't need to be as much of a guardian at this rate." "Protekt, you cheap bastard!  Come over here and help me up!" Gorgon shouted from the distance while still laying on his back.  Sol had already lifted himself from the floor, shaking off the rubble that had piled up on him.  His new hoodie was torn in different places now.  His gaze turned quickly into a glare, aimed directly at Protekt and Nila's direction.  Nila visibly hid behind Protekt. "Oh, come on now, Sol.  It's just a hoodie.  We'll get you a new one.  Nila's finding her powers again, you should be happy she was able to knock Gorgon way out." Sol's glare intensified with Protekt's comments.  Protekt, seeing how his words were only fueling Sol's anger, clamped his mouth shut and looked about the room nonchalantly. "Hey, hey!  I got new orders from the, WHOA!  What happened here?  Did Gorgon dive into the wall and miss everyone but Sol?  Now I find that to be highly unlikely.  Could it be...Nila?  No, her Rei Ki is not nearly at this level." "Hm, someone help me up.  I want a rematch." Khlarc had made his entrance, apprently with new orders from the superiors.  However, from the looks of the situation, their immediate new orders would be to clean up the mess and fix the corridor wall. Sol suddenly leapt from inside the corridor wall in the direction of the training ground.  He darted towards Nila and Protekt. "Sol!  Calm down for a sec--" Protekt was unable to complete his sentence as he instinctively went into a defensive stance.  Protekt shot out a palm strike at Sol.  Sol quickly evaded the attack, ducked under Protekt's arm, and sprinkled a few ball bearings as he rebounded up off the ground.  Sol then leapt over Protekt as the ball bearings exploded, sending Protekt flying back a few yards before Sol landed on the ground.  Protekt had shielded himself from the blast, not taking any damage.  Protekt jumped back onto his feet and prepared his next move when he stopped.  Sol had placed a hand under Nila's, holding it out and revealing her palm.  With his other hand, he withdrew from his hoodie pocket an elaborate dagger case, with a blade presumably inside.  It had a similar design to her Locust butterfly knife, but with distinct differences. "Happy Birthday, Nila." Sol spoke these words then quickly turned around, walking briskly towards the destroyed wall.  The crew had to fix it up.

[kraygrounds-blog]

#48. "What do you propose?"

The following week had been utter chaos in the K-Ray Grounds. Young Infernals had been recruited, assessed and put into different groups for further specialised training to step up on the defenses. Swcraft had been regularly attending numerous secretive meetings with the other Infernal 4 as well as with the various Elders and commanders of the Dark Nebula; though he had tried to keep in contact with Nila, he was rarely seen. Protekt had done a bit of research into the ShiroRei torture that had been administered to Nila, he came back three days later with a report that told her that the over-administration of this unknown form of ShiroRei Ki had caused some form of mental tainting in Nila's mind; any one of the Divine Shiroreiki to swamp her with their presence could initially cause a violent mind blank, so that any control over her powers would be lost, either rendering Nila vulnerable to attack or more likely to cause another massive annhilation work out without her even being aware until too late. Twenty years of the torture also repressed her bloodlust severely as a side effect of the mental tainting, by that, Protekt concluded had effectively led to the reason why Nila felt guilt after she killed the 15 ShiroRei in the alley rather than satisfaction. "So you'll be having huge guilt trips after kills from now on." Protekt told her as they went through the report over some coffee and snacks, " It's a cruel thing to do. True KuroRei are born with bloodlust within them, so no matter how much you repress the bloodlust, once it awakens, the kurorei will need to kill to satisfy him/herself. Which is why we're also known from the rest of the world as the "evil" race. We all possess what they call "demonic" abilities, like the spread of disease and the causes of darkness, but that's how we survive unfortunately, to live on evil. Otherwise, the bloodlust turns on itself and consumes us. We will just die out." Somewhere in Nila's memory, she remembered a conversation that also discussed the essence of the KuroRei, the memory itself was fuzzy but the meaning of the words were clearly the same. "So what's cruel about what they did with me?" Nila asked, fearing for the answer that came from Protekt.  "In your case, you will have satisfied the bloodlust whenever it is to awaken." he reached over the coffee table and put a hand over hers,  "but you're going to go on a pretty hefty guilt trip each time you do so. They've rendered your character humane, but not humane enough so you can't kill. I can only tell you that as your memory comes back entirely, you will only ever get nightmares whenever you close your eyes. " After the discussion with Nila, Protekt had proceeded to report it to Swcraft and the rest of the Infernal 5. After the two stunts she pulled, it was no use trying to keep her under wraps from the other Infernal 4 anymore. Swcraft, Gigan and Ulrich had no problems with Nila back on the KuroRei side again, but the other two had their doubts and suspicions. "It is just simply too coincidental that this girl appears again after twenty years, with her powers even more destructive and mature than what they were twenty years ago?" Rainart, the leader, eldest and the most powerful of the Infernal 5 spoke up after hearing the debate between Gigan and Felicea. "My point exactly. " Felicea said as she made herself comfortable in her seat again, "Luskaroth had planned the betrayal of the KuroRei for a very long time, killing everybody during his Betrayal except for Nila, whom he took with her. Desperate times could have been led to desperate measures, they could both be traitors, only that one is putting on a more elaborate play to get back to us. Didn't Protekt find Swcraft's information in her little organiser??" There was a period of silence before Swcraft spoke up, " Nila's destructive powers of the Locust can be used on both sides if given the right treatment. That is what i believe Rainart maybe worried about, to have her annihilate us in our own grounds for the good of ShiroRei. She was very young when she was taken, and this extreme maturation of her powers in  twenty years may have been calculated in Luskaroth's plan." "What do you propose?" Rainart asked. "She's a pure KuroRei, her blood, her essence is on our side. The 5 glorious years of her working in the Shadows is enough proof. Second in Command, Khlarc can bear witness to that.  The twenty years of torture may have had an effect on her, but that was only to her mental stability. A little suggestion and a bit of persuasion will get her right back on track again." So Swcraft devised a roster that was to be followed by Nila under the strictest of discipline as ordered by Rainart. Protekt, Gorgon, Sol and Khlarc were rostered to take turns  re-training her Rei ki also allowing her to ease back into the Kuro Rei community. But it was  mostly to keep check of her recovery and activity. Today, Gorgon had been drilling her with one on one combat which she suprisingly, easily picked up. He also drilled her on endurance, something she lacked in, until Protekt came in for a short visit. "Ah Gorgon, you're picking on the little girl again?" "Only what The High Five ordered." Gorgon grunted, he bunched his muscles together and pushed off toward her at great speed. Nila darted out to the left and leaped up to present a clean tornado kick at Gorgon's head, the impact made a sickening heavy thud as her foot landed squarely into his jaw. "that did not hurt at all. Where's your stamina girl?" Gorgon grinned, he lowered himself to get ready again. Nila backed a little to steady herself when Protekt came up from behind her and gently positioned her hands in front of her with his own. "They say, if you are to dodge, you must be able to do so with your ki, ki of any sort is as manouverable as water, also as forceful as water. If you are to attack, you suffuse your ki with your attack to bring out the life in the attack. Your techniques are perfect, but lifeless, let us bring some life into it." Gorgon suddenly leapt toward them at frightening speed. Feeling the blue black ki of Protekt suffusing into her own Kurorei ki, she felt herself almost dancing out of his attack, "Now, with this energy, use it to bring the attack to life." Protekt let her go, and Nila immediately jumped a powerful tornado kick into Gorgon's head with the remaining residues of the ki Protekt lent her. Losing all balance, Gorgon was sent hurtling face first toward the opening door, smashing into Sol and rolling with him into the wall out in the corridor.

[kraygrounds-blog]

#47. "Did you not hear what I just spoke of, Sol?"

The name struck Sol just as it struck everyone else in the room.  Sol knew that ShiroRei were not capable of torture regardless of how merciless Corinth was or how hot-headed Aurora could get.  This was the clear work of the Luskaroth the Betrayer.  At a level of intelligence challenging even Swcraft, the strength that could match Gorgon, the swiftness that was taught to Khlarc, the vitality almost equivalent to Protekt, and a specialty in quickly decimating individuals on par with Sol, Luskaroth was both a born leader and a fearful adversary.  The very fact that the Betrayer took part in Nila's disappearance and torment only angered Sol more.  "So at the time of The Betrayal, Luskaroth never intended to kill you." Almost in unison, the five former members of the Dark Nebula lowered their eyes and showed signs of agitation. "I should have been able to protect you.  It doesn't matter what Ulrich wants if your life is on the line." "Hey, hey, Protekt.  You either had to be there whenever he called or killed.  Frankly, her returning to us can let us all make up for our previous mishaps in being there for her." "Khlarc is right.  None of us did what we think we should have, we were all too stupid and distracted with those disgusting ShiroRei." "Quite right, Gorgon.  Most revolting they are indeed.  It is a wonder they were able to strategize such a maneuver even with my placement with the Dark Nebula.  Naturally, Luskaroth made their task much simpler.  But that's all in the past." "Nila, I need to ask you to remain as isolated from all other KuroRei and Infernal Rei Ki as possible.  We don't want a reoccurrence of what happened to you again.  You are too important to us." His four male companions all shifted their eyes in Sol's direction. "Ha!  Are you going to make her go red again, Sol?  You ruthless bastard, deadly on the battlefield AND with the ladies!" This last comment from Gorgon caught Sol off guard as he coughed a little to cover up his obvious embarrassment.  This issued laughter throughout the room, the sounds of all four of his companions which had not been heard for decades.  It was beginning to feel nostalgic, as if they were still members of the Dark Nebula. "Most amusing, Gorgon.  It is refreshing to witness Sol, also known as 'the Destroyer', to show any sign of emotion, much less concern for another individual.  I do say this is a rare event." "Whoa, whoa, let's not confuse the facts here.  Sol is still one hell of a killer.  Remember the two dead KuroRei upstairs right now?" "True enough, Khlarc.  I don't even know if I would be able to protect someone if Sol had them on his list." More laughter ensued, much like it was in the old days.  Sol began to narrow his eyes at the four KuroRei when he heard a sound.  It was not the sound of a loud guffaw from Gorgon, the shrill cackle of Khlarc, the stifled chortle of Protekt, or the low chuckle of Swcraft.  It was the sound of a giggle.  In an instant, the laughing ceased.  All five of them turned their attention to Nila, who was trying desperately to hide her amusement but seemed to be caught in a spell of giggles.  This was a sight the five of them had not seen for too long.  For the first time in decades, Sol heaved a sigh of relief.  He then decided the giggling had to stop. "So, you find this ridiculing of me amusing, do you?" Sol observed Nila shaking her head as the giggles continued with her hand over her mouth.  "Bwahaha!  It looks like her memory is finally back.  She knows how easy it is to make fun of you, short man!" "Kikikiki!  If it's anything he lacks, it's not brutality or ruthlessness, it's physical height!" "Kukuku, oh this is too much.  We brought out the height issue.  Watch out, Khlarc, I may need to protect you from the chibi menace!" "Hohoho, please, we must all discontinue before I burst an important facet in my body.  It may shoot out and crush our little friend." Sol's relief soon turned into annoyance.  Nila's giggling only increased.  Sol had never viewed himself as lacking in height.  He was a comfortable 5'9" since he last measured himself in a hospital before murdering everyone in it.  He could not portray this to his four companions who were indeed all taller than he was.  Thankfully, Nila's heigh did not exceed his own. "Yes, well, Nila is not...quite so tall.  She has less height than I do." This pathetic attempt to utilize wit and counterattack with a comeback only intensified everyone's amusement, the laughter getting louder accordingly. At a loss for words for the third time, Sol reached into his hoodie pockets and quickly launched them in the direction of the four male KuroRei.  "You like laughing?  Taste some in explosive measures!" A look of surprise filled the four's faces before they all reeled back in laughter again.  What had supposed to be ball bearings and a tiny explosion that would send the four flying back to the wall, mildly hurt, turned out to be replaced with...cheese balls.  This was most likely the work of Khlarc, being quick with his hands.  Furthermore, instead of exploding these cheese balls in front of the four, to at least cover them with its artificial cheese flavoring, Swcraft had teleported the cheese balls directly in front of Sol immediately after Sol initiated the explosion.  The scene was Sol extending his hand with a look of vengeful dread changing to a slightly confused look, then resulting in a shout as the cheese ball confetti splattered all over the front side of Sol.  As Sol sputtered violently from the remnants of the cheese balls, all laughing ended suddenly.  Sol had finally dusted off all the cheese ball particles when he noticed the reason for his companions' end to the fun and games. "Older brother." "It is most likely that Corinth has engaged him by this time.  We should make haste to contact him to pull back before he suffers heavy damage.  All of the Divine Five are in the same location as we speak." "I'm with Swcraft.  Let's move out." "All right, all right, little Nila, we'll need you to keep hidden again.  Sorry about the inconvenience, but you really need to stay out of sight." Sol, without saying a word, understood the current situation.  He turned around to speak a last word of farewell before the group headed off for their next mission.  What he received was an unexpected look of defiance.  The same look he had to face when he refused to train her many years ago. "Did you not hear what I just spoke of, Sol?  There will be no good of all five of us going after the ShiroRei right now, considering how the Divine Five decided to make an entrance.  I have already issued the command for Gigan to return." "Hm, I wonder since when Gorgon's older brother listened to you, Swcraft.  He would usually completely ignore Ulrich's orders when I used to serve under him." "Times have changed, Protekt.  I shall explain more later.  As for the rest of you, remain as calm and poised as ever because Gigan the Slaughterer will be amongst you in no time."

[kraygrounds-blog]

#46. "Luskaroth..."

All Nila remembered was blind adrenaline rage that consumed her, she thought nothing but to open up her jaws and dive down onto the huge white aura's that surrounded the two ShiroRei who had been a part of the organisation that put Nila through the torturous brainwashing scheme for a large portion of the twenty years. She vaguely remembered a few moments of gibberish  spoken to her from a familiar male face, with her memory now, she only remembered the face, but the whiff of his ki stirred the memories of her own soul weapons, Durum the Conqueror The butterfly knives chimed in her mind as she stood there in fuming rage, the strength of 12 ShiroRei against her own barely controlled KuroRei Ki was beginning to overwhelm her senses, unable to attack. Nila had remembered that her own powers were beginning to eat away at the edges of Durum's ShiroRei Ki when she felt something resembling a KuroRei enter her mind so suddenly that it not only cut her off from her own powers but also took her away from her spot in front of the entire scene. All there was now as she slowly became conscious once again, was the intermingling sensations of many male kurorei ki looking down on her. "We know you're awake Nila, open your eyes." Protekt's voice spoke calmly. "Stop staring down at me like i'm some sort of display item in a museum then-" Nila opened her eyes anyway and immediately a searing white light smashed into her vision. Her head began to pound as she saw images of her younger self isolated inside a room of pure white with nothing in it. Psychadelic trails of shirorei ki pulsed around her mind as she felt herself consuming them. "Nila, nila. come back. Nila!" Her vision cleared, she was back in her room again, sitting up from the bed. Wasn't she at the table upstairs in the K-Ray Ground lobby before? As if reading her mind Khlarc answered, "there were too many infernals there and too many that are interested in getting closer to inspect you." "Which is the most foolish idea." Gorgon grunted. "It looks as though you've remembered some things now. What do you remember Nila?" Swcraft spoke. "Swcraft... " Nila tested the name on her tongue as she moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Swcraft smiled, "long time no see little girl. Not.. that you look so little anymore. " "The investigation.. " Nila began, recalling the details that had been searched earlier in the month. "when i woke up and got back from the hospital, anonymous clients had been sending me information about people linked up to you. the plan was to see what this group was up to and report back." "An infiltration back into our own people. How very very smart of them, this makes sense now. " Khlarc murmured. "What happened to you over the last two decades?" Sol suddenly asked. Everybody raised an eyebrow at his extremely rare expression of concern before looking back at her. Nila blushed visibly at the attention, "they put me through something torturous." The visions came back to her again like an old movie. " A white room, just choking with shiro rei ki. Because i take in ki to feed and increase my own power, they had done something with their own shuro rei ki. It was like.. they were drowning me in it... drowning in my own food source." Nila suddenly felt as if she was drowning, unable to breathe she clenched her teeth and crouched over. Protekt put a gentle hand on her back, "it's ok. it's over now." "The smell of shiro rei, too much of it. way too much of it." she rambled. " i can't breathe... i can't." Releasing a smidge of his own blue black kurorei ki from his hand, he let the ki slowly absorb into Nila's system as he murmured words of comfort to her. It took a few moments before she could relax again and begin her recount. "Faces at the window, there were faces at the window everyday, staring down at me while they pumped my system full of strangely modified shuro rei ki." faces flashed into her mind, "The white haired female... Aurora, with that other one.. the one with no concerns for the affairs of this battle, Alisha, Durum.., L'arpomet.... Cor-" The superior look on his face, the accusing stare as Nila lay curled up in a ball inside the room. the period of years she lay inside that torture chamber she saw those faces float past every so often to view what had become of her. "The modified ki, I could do nothing but let it seep into me, unlike normal shiro rei ki which i can stop consuming, this one would actually press onto me until my head felt like it would burst unless i consumed it." nila held her head as if she felt the pressure pressing onto her temples, " And while I consumed it, it would feel like it was drowning me. It increased my powers, my metabolism but at the same time, it was corroding me into something of their plans." Nila felt tears forming now, she could remember it so clearly, how was she able to forget these twenty years of torture? She began to shake at the thought of the mutated Shiro rei ki that was continually filtered into the experimental holding room. Her male KuroRei colleagues kept quiet, taking their time to digest what was being revealed about her. "The last day before i was rendered unconscious.. three faces stood by the window." nila grit her teeth, "I won't forget those faces... two up against the glass under the bright lights exchanging some plan...  The last in the shadows, the one piercing ice blue eye glowing in the dark, the other one i took out..before they took me." The silence in her room fell upon her as she tried to find the sound for the name everybody in the Kuro Rei despised. "Luskaroth..." Nila whispered.