Those that lurk within the Dark...

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

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

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

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

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~At senkaimon gates at Seireitei~
Fidgeting shifting from leg to leg Altria shivers from imagined chill,brushing hands down her arms.Eyes shifting restlessly over the passing shinigami,waiting for others to arrive she pulls out mission slip from inner pocket,reading through it for fourth time.'Investigating old castle..why do they always give me those creepy missions? T T I don't want to go...don't want to..' Shivering,Altria tucks mission slip back,looking perfectly miserable thinking over her conversation with captain and clear refusal to switch mission for another.'Captain is so cruel .." Face your fears and get over them",she says..but..there are going to be creepy things there for certain...vile,disgusting,creeping things..jumping out at you from dark corners suddenly..uwaah..I don't wanna go!!!! And it's going to be all dark too I bet...there's no electricity in the damn desert.. Shivering she wraps arms around herself,looking around,starting to contemplate quietly sneaking off. 'They'll leave even if I don't show..I'll just wait it out..and..and then say I got here late..and..and got lost in the desert!! Yeah..that would work!!' Uttering relieved sigh she quietly starts scooting towards nearby alley,trying to remain inconspicuous.

Having been strolling leisurely down an alleyway on his way to the senkaimon gates, he catches sight of Altria trying to slink away. He stops short a few feet from her, and remains perfectly still, watching her slowly advance closer towards him. He remains standing there when she runs right into him, then slowly wraps his arms around her, smiling. "and where are you slipping off to amae? the Senkaimon is that way..."

Checking behind herself to make sure no one coming see's her sneaking off she doesn't pay attention to what's in front of alley,turning her head at last moment while walking right into Shiro. "Uwaaah!!" Emitting surprised squeak walking into solid weight and feeling arms wrapping around herself Altria jolts,looking up startedly."Ah..S-Shibu...." Guilty look flashing through her features Altria laughs nervously,trying her best to look nonchalant. "Ah heh heh...slipping off?I wasn't slipping off..no sirree..I was just..uh..um..I forgot something..yes,that's it! I forgot something back in my room,"squirming she tries to slip from his grasp,"..so I'll uh..I'll just go and get it now.."

~Arcana HQ~
Loud knocking sounding at the door to his room Zero stalks out of the shower, flinging door open with annoyed,"What?!" Scowling at the messenger he gets further irritated when she quivers,murmuring something illegible,besides 'mission' and 'envelope'.Eye landing on black envelope in her hands he snatches it up,"Thanks,"shutting door in her face.Tearing paper open and reading through mission instructions on exploring a castle and looking for possible relic Zero sighs,toweling his hair dry,"Another stupid goose chase...pfeh..maybe this one'll at least be entertaining.." Some minutes later he emerges from his room fully dressed,heading through the common living room and out of the quarters.Getting to the entrance gates, noting no one is there yet Zero leans against one wall.Pulling headphones on he crosses his arms,zonning out to music while waiting.

~Arcana HQ~
Excited over the new mission and possibility of exploring castle ruins Yasei bounds down the hallway in hurry,happy smile on his face.'Castle ruins means monsters,yay.I've been itching for a good fight lately.' Coming to stop at entrance and seeing only Zero he smirks devilishly,ducking behind column.Slowly and ever so quietly Yasei sneaks up on him,suddenly tapping his shoulder,"Gotcha!" Instead of response all he gets is annoyed look from cold,lavender eyes."Your making too much noise,as always." Scowling at Zero he utters a huff getting further ignored,stalking off to opposite side, muttering,"Ice cube.
-.- " Settling down half balanced on staircase balustrade,waiting for rest of those coming,Yasei pulls out his twin dagger zanpakuto's,tossing them in the air and catching by the blade,staving off boredom.

*Arcana HQ*

Having been just coming out of the Shower and replacing bandages over his scared midsection, he glances up upon hearing a small knock at his door. "ah..? " he glances at the clock for a moment, 'mm.... on the minute... they came this time again... another mission? ...', he takes a deep breath, stretching slowly, then dresses in his usual uniform, clothes sitting perfectly on his lithe and well built form. Mikiru walks to the door, a towel draped around his shoulders to catch the water droplets falling from his reddish-brown hair. He opens the door slowly at first, then opens it all the way to reveal a female arrancar with half of her face hidden behind a gargoyle looking mask fragment. She holds out a envelope to him and speaks in a short brush tone, "from Thoth-sama". Mikiru nods, and accepts the envelope, and watches the girl leave without another word. He sighs and closes the door while opening the envelope, mismatching eyes scanning over the mission mail briefly before setting the letter down on his writing desk, drying his hair with the towel. Upon finishing he gives his hair a shake with a flick of his head in a rather doggish fashion, getting his hair to sit properly,, only slightly more fluffed out than usual. Putting the towel away, Mikiru moves over to the bed and lifts Tatsutahime off of her stand above the bed, promptly moving to polish the blade before leaving the room, giving it a beautiful pale blue shine. He heads out along the corridors and to the main entrance, seeing Zero and Yasei are already there and waiting. He feels a slight pain in his midsection from previous injury caused from his fight with Destadi, never quite healing fully. He smiles warmly, "good day Zero... Yasei..." he hides his slight discomfort from his wounds making it near impossible to tell, "Let's be sure to execute this mission swiftly.... the less injury the better...." he smiles, "and less reason for Kei-chan to have our heads again... no?" ^^

~Seireitei Back Alley~

Shiro keeps a hold on Altria, knowing her all too well instantly knowing she's telling a fib. "uh huh... come on Amae.... I saw you pack up everything before you left...." he leans close, smiling, "besides.... you never forget things for missions.." he turns her around facing her in the direction she came from, and holds onto her shoulders all the while walking her back to the Senkaimon gates. He assumes a rather blank expression as he continues walking her towards the senkaimon, all the while hiding his amusement that she was actually trying to bale out on a mission, "alright.... come on... no more non-sense.... the others are probably waiting for us." He smiles widely, leading them both back to the gates.

*At the Senkaimon gates*

Yuriko fidgets nervously, shifting her weight back and forth on her feet, she looks around while somewhat shrinking away from the other shinigami passing by. Shivering slightly remembering the mission letter's description, not liking it in the least. '....... dark.... I don't like dark places... I... I don't know.... how to handle them...... I'm not that brave either..... their scary... a-a-and... ...' Yuriko quivers with anxiety shaking her head while murmuring the rest of her thought out loud, but so quietly that only herself could hear it. 'quiet.....' suddenly being snapped from her thoughts at hearing a familiar voice, she looks up to see Shiro guiding Altria towards the gates. Seeing them approach, Yuriko fidgets nervously, speaking quietly in her usual shy, but gentle manner. "oh.... s-shiro.... neesan.... y-you.... y-you're on.. the mission too?" Her amethyst eyes glimmer slightly, reflecting her nervousness, though she always seems nervous about something, or unusually shy and quiet.

Arriving at Senkaimon gates he looks around,catching sight of Shiro,Altria and Yuriko. "Ey,"waving he stalks closer,wearing wide grin of someone in anticipation of getting a long desired treat."Can ya believe this mission?We get to explore a real,abandoned castle! I hope it's haunted." Excited spark glittering in his eyes Loki smirks,voice gaining teasing edge."Are you going to be alright,Altri-chan?What with possible monsters,ghosts,dark scary things and what not.I just bet the whole place is infested with scaly,slithering monstrosities." Snickering Loki laughs,grinning widely.

seeing loki arrive next, Yuriko keeps quiet while taking a slight step back, fidgeting uneasily. The mention of monster and ghosts causes her to shiver slightly while making a hard swallow from dread. Yuri's amethyst eyes scan around the area looking for anyone else before going to stare at the ground, murmuring quietly. ".... p-please... d-don't s-say anything....." he voice drops into a quieter tone still sounding shy and a bit nervous, "a-about.... monsters... please?"

Suddenly coming out of nowhere like a small hurricane, Kyuri leaps and tackles Shiro to the ground which results in a loud clinking sound, knocking him off of Altria, "Niiiisaaaaaan!!!" She smiles widely while hugging him tightly around his midsection, "This is so awesome! I get to go on a mission with Niisan!" Kyuri gets up and takes Shiro by the arm and tries pulling him up, kinda surprised at how heavy and weighed down he is. "Buuuuhhh... geeze niisan...!! what the heck are you carrying?? you're.... nrrrrrr!!" she pauses while trying to tug him up, "you're too heavy... for someone with.. rrrg! your body type!"

Getting marched back to the portal she utters defeated sigh,tilting her head slightly to look at Shiro,"I was not!I did forget something,alright!" Seeing Yuriko has arrived she gives short nod in answer if they're on this mission,folding her arms.Hearing Loki calling out she stifles a groan.'Not him too..this mission is already bad enough,he's going to make it hell..' Shifting back from Shiro,looking sulky Altria turns progressively paler the longer Loki talks of possible monsters and ghosts.Shivering,she shoots Loki dirty look,growling darkly,"I'll be fine!You on the other hand are the overeager type that gets eaten first." Shifting back from the gates her mismatched eyes glance around as if looking for possible means of escape.Kyuri suddenly appearing out of nowhere Altria jolts,leaping backwards and landing near Yuriko.Calming down recognizing it's only Kyuri she laughs quietly seeing Shiro bowled to the ground,getting further amused when her attempts to pull him up turn up futile."Pfft..ah..he..he..i-it's..all the..n-ninja..s-stuff..." Snickering Altria keeps laughing,eyes shining with amusement.

staring at kyuri blankly as she tries to pull him up, he simply gets to his feet and dusts himself off. "Am I really that heavy? ... it's just a few kunai... sheesh.." he looks around to see that everyone is there for the mission. "alright... let's head out.. shall we?" He goes over to altri and takes her hand before heading to the gates.

~Arcana HQ~
Eyes flicking over to glance at Mikiru he gives brief nod of acknowledgment,lowering music volume down with brush of fingertips over Ipod's dial.Looking impassive and somewhat bored Zero turns his head,directing gaze at Yasei."If someone didn't charge in head first brainlessly each time,there wouldn't be any screw ups." Looking away to the doors he continuous on,obviously addressing Yasei despite not looking at him."Try not to screw up this time and be less of hot headed moron."

~Arcana HQ~
Looking up sharply hearing Mikiru approaching Yasei catches his dagger zanpakutou's without looking,gruff smile lighting his features."Hey,Mikiru-san." At mention of Akkei having their heads he rubs his head absently,spot from her last whack still twinging. "Yeaah..." Grin returning to his features he laughs,brushing it off."Nah,this mission's gonna be awesome!We get a castle to explore,monsters to fight..loot to plunder.." Eyes shimmering as he imagines scenes of glory inspired from numerous anime and manga, Zero's cold voice cuts him down to reality quickly.Flush of pink tinting his cheeks Yasei jumps down from his perch,eyes narrowing. Bristling he growls,pointing at Zero with one golden dagger,"What was that,you emo ice-cube?? You wanna fight!!?"

*Arcana HQ*

Letting out a sigh, Mikiru walks between Yasei and Zero, placing a hand on sei's dagger, he pushes it down. Mis-matching emerald and deep-sea blue eyes glittering darkly for a moment at Yasei, before turning to glance at Zero, eyes not looking so dark. "Come now you two... don't fight... One doesn't have the energy to keep up with it..." he walks over to the doors of the main entrance and turns, "Hasty decisions and actions are what drive you to an early grave..." he pauses and turns away, pushing open the doors before continuing, "and... it's those same actions that could cost those around you.... their lives as well..." though his words are serious, he still gives both Yasei and Zero a warm smile, "let's be on our way.... it doesn't seem anyone else will be coming..."

~Arcana HQ~
Turning cold steel lavender eyes on Yasei in frosty gaze his lip curls up in contempt."And here's a demonstration of exactly what I was talking about.Not only a hot head but you're an idiot too. " Shaking his head with a sigh Zero looks away."Real life is not like manga.Grow up." Eyes flicking to Mikiru his brow rises,"Who's fighting?It was statement of facts." Peeling away from the wall and pulling headphones down Zero shrugs,striding towards the doors.'Great..another mission with most hot headed person in the worlds..why do they keep putting us together? I'm tired of saving his ass and sharing blame. - - At least Mikiru is here this time..Still...I have a bad feeling about this one..last one proved true..and then..' Keeping thought to himself he steps outside and out of barrier protecting Arcana,single idea surfacing. 'But maybe I'll find it in this castle this time..eternal peace..or new disappointment with truth of reality..'

~Arcana HQ~
Backing off under Mikiru's gaze he lowers arm holding blade.Muttering something under his breath and scowling at Zero he slowly sheathes both daggers into their proper place at back of his waist.Crossing arms and reminding one of sulking child for a moment Yasei bristles again at being told to grow up,growling darkly,"For all you know I'm older then you are!!" Muttering random curses he stalks out the doors to outside,mood immidiatly switching to excited one once more with visions of fighting monsters,finding treasure and rescues damsels in distress rising.Shifting from leg to leg impatient to get going he fiddles with straps of his gauntlets.

Laughter dying out she looks around,as if searching for way to escape.Considering possible ways of slipping away Tsukiyomi's teasing voice washes over her thoughts.'Do you want to get teased as scaredy-cat again,Kichoo?' Biting her lower lip nervously Altria draws herself up,determined look settling in her eyes.'I will not..' Nearing gates she steps through hurriedly before she can change her mind.

Suddenly looming close,looking right into her eyes with azure orbs Loki grins,drawing back."Hey now,there's no reason to be scared,Yuriko-chan." Grinning brazenly he pats her shoulder."It's just an old,abandoned castle.I bet some Hollow made a nest there and that's why those disappearances..they come in to shelter from outside elements thinking no one's there and end up Hollow food.We're going in expecting something,so it'll be fine.We fight Hollows all the time,right?Nothing spooky or scary there." Smile softening he leans in close,whispering quietly."And I'll be there too.I'll be sure to keep Yuri-chan safe no matter what." Smiling at her Loki draws back,dropping his hand down to grasp her arm gently,tugging in direction of gates."Come on,let's go.The sooner we start,the quicker we finish."

Looking up when loki starts talking to her, she refrains from jumping back with him being so close. Yuri looks down slightly and nods and slowly moves closer to loki, murmuring quietly, "... loki-kun.... keeps yuri... safe...?" very carefully and a bit timidly, she kinda settles close to loki, giving him a slight hug, while also clinging to his uniform.

Kyuri jumps in place a few times impatiently, "Oooooooooooh!! Come on!! let's goooooo!!! >.<" Suddenly taking hold of both loki and Yuri, she literally drags them through the gates, and ends up not far from their destination in hueco mundo. Letting go of both Yuri and Loki, Kyuri bounds ahead of everyone leaving only a sand cloud in her wake.

"Ow..hey,let go,Kyuri!!I can walk!!" Getting dragged along Loki stumbles,almost face planting the ground when she suddenly lets go and takes off.Managing to balance himself out thanks to Yuriko having hold on his uniform Loki grumbles,dusting himself off."That girl's like a damn hurricane,sheesh." Looking down at Yuriko he smiles,taking her hand."Let's keep going,Yuri-chan." He starts for their destination,keeping medium pace,making sure she can keep up with it.

Stumbling slightly with kyuri grabbing them, Yuri looks at loki, then to his hand holding hers. she nods slowly, easily keeping up with loki, though, lagging back timidly.