Mentes Errantes

[Vio]

^{Mericia #1}

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Endless wastes. Endless night. Endless lives. To say Hueco Mundo was a boring place was the understatement of the century, but alas, Mericia Battenberg had wandered back and forth across innumerable dunes in the ghostly white sands as she sought out something. Whatever that something was, she had yet to find it, greeted only by the shunning presence of Hollow souls from time to time, who sank themselves into the sands or disappeared behind the sharp crests of tall dunes as they sensed her approach.

She’d come to a halt, set herself upon the severed top of a protrusive tree from the dark forest below, and remained in quiet contemplation. Purple eyes gazed out over the dunes, vision wandering across the horizon. In the distance, imperceptibly far — like a mirage in the distance — stood a ruined tower. A hand raised to her face, finger tracing the edges of the fragments still sealed to her face, bringing to mind flashes of what had caused it. A sword flourishing as dark shapes danced. Did they experience the same? Did they find other means? Curiosity…

[z0pu]

Ywain #1

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Speed! The mighty king of beasts Ywain Galigan ran across the endless expanse that were the wastes of Hueco Mundo. Where he was going? He did not know. Why was he running? To get wherever he was going faster of course! One day he would be the king, one day everything would be his, but first he would need to get his true power back, and for that he needed training and exercise" therefore, more speed!

Ywain ran and ran, eventually cresting yet another of the giant dunes of the wastes, a dilapidated tower in the distance, remnant of a lesser being's failed ambition. However, this time something else was in the noble lion's path, a humanoid figure sat on the treetop of the bonny protrusions that passed as trees is this broken world, finally someone to test his powers against once more!

Ywain sprinted even faster and screamed with excitement as he approached! "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh!!!"

As he got closer he jumped in the air as high as his legs would take him and arched back readying a powerful blow, Aiming for a downward punch as he came crashing down on his target.

"Greetings stranger! I, Ywain Galigan welcome you in my path with my full power! WITNESS MEEEEE!!!"

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Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #2}

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“WITNESS MEEEEE…!!” Loud words echoed over the desolate dunes, carrying on the empty air like a roar. And as the roar echoed into the distance, it carried with it any hopes of a surprise attack. This wouldn’t have been the first time a Hollow had careened towards her in the hopes of an easy meal, but as Miss Battenberg turned to face the encroaching threat, she realised it was something far less common than a wandering Hollow — another Arrancar. Red-haired, muscular, sword at his belt and somewhat fierce, the intent of his descent was startlingly obvious.

“Ywain Galigan,” she recited half-heartedly, reacting to the leaping attack with the motion of an arm and a buzz of blueish purple spiritual energy — the swift flick of her fingers cast forth a high speed projectile at the challenger’s shoulder to knock him out of the air. “You aren’t much to witness… Mericia Battenberg,” the female Arrancar identified herself in the wake of projecting her Bala, allowing herself to stand upon the severed stump that she had been formerly seated upon…

[z0pu]

Ywain #2

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SPEED AND POWER! Ywain was coming down as if a mighty meteor upon the one who announced herself as Mericia Battenberg.

"A FINE NAME!" The king of beasts responded on his way down!

Yet the girl had fight in her, swiftly she responded with a Bala blast, the globe of purple energy flying at the leonine meteor with incredible speed.

No matter! Such small power cannot stop this body! Ywain did not even attempt to dodge or block, simply accepting the hit of ball of energy against his skin, a could of dust and smoke exploding all around from the impact.

Yet Ywain would not stop, the power in him would not be hinder by such a light attack and so came down he did. Aiming his downward blow at the woman with all his power and his greatest roar. Even she dodged her footing would be destroyed for a measly tree and even the ground below cannot contain the kings' power!

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Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #3}

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“Fine…? Mph,” Mericia questioned, grunting as she realised the threat had shown no real signs of stopping despite the blast that had hit him. It was hard to tell given the current perspective, but he most certainly towered over her and stood twice as wide through muscle mass alone — even through condensing her reiryoku and exerting reiatsu she would not have felt comfortable enduring the blow that was intended to be delivered. Firing a suitably powerful Cero would take too long, so in that case.

“Sonído,” she uttered, kicking off of the stump and vanishing from view before reappearing a few yards off to the aggressor’s right — far enough to avoid the shattering of the stump and the subsequent upsurge of bone white sand. “What’s your purpose?” Miss Battenberg asked, calmness somewhat broken by the fact that this Arrancar had the gall to compliment her name, but still she observed. Caution given where caution was due, she stayed attentive of her surroundings in anticipation of Sonído, or perhaps a Cero…

[z0pu]

Ywain #3

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Good! That woman was fast, that meant she must have even more skills and power to show off. Ywain was crouched in a crater of his own making, having completely obliterated the tree Mericia had been standing on.

The tall red haired man stood up and hands on his hips burst out laughing from the top of his lungs. "HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! GOOD! GREAT! IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME SINCE I HAD A GOOD FIGHT!"

Eventually the purple one asked a strange question of the king of beasts. A purpose? Well there was only one true purpose for someone as mighty as Ywain Galigan.

The once Vasto Lord took on a fighting stance, left arm and foot forward, right ones back, ready to pounce for a powerful punch. He already judged this Mericia Battenberg was faster than him, he would not win by chasing after her, better to simply let her come then.

"My purpose? My purpose is that of the strong! I am to be the very best! Like no one ever was! THEREFORE!"

Ywain grinned, his amber eyes glinting with animalistic glee.

"COME AT ME!!!"

---

Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #4}

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What’s with this guy? A good fight?! What did I do to deserve this… Miss Battenberg’s thoughts trailed, though she remained now painfully aware of this Galigan fellow’s presence. Where she’d anticipated a surprise attack via Sonído or a stray blast from a Cero, she instead received the excessive volume of this Arrancar proclaiming proudly the answer to her enquiry. It was an answer, alright, but not exactly what she was expecting — a little stereotypical of a Hollow if she had to comment.

Silence persisted.

“Throwing punches at everyone you meet isn’t going to make you better at anything except p¡$$ing them off, dummy,” Mericia answered, ignorant of the man’s call for combat as she brushed a stray lock of purple hair from in front of her eyes. She saw no sense in mindless combat — not since her mask had been sundered and her Hollow energies seemingly leeched from her body. It was a question she had never found an answer to: Just where did the power she once had end up? Maybe she would find an answer one day.

“I’ve no intention of entertaining your childish need for battle,” the Arrancar commented, still and calm as she awaited an inevitable assault. Either he was an extremely predictable combatant, or he was biding his time until her guard was down. “My days of preying upon other Hollows to grow stronger are long gone, though… No, no matter,” she shook her head, making the crucial mistake of closing her eyes for just a second as she reminded herself of the darker side of her heartless nature still eating away at her being…

[z0pu]

Ywain #4

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This was about to get good! yes it was time for the good part of the fight to start! Or so that's what Ywain thought, however it would appear that Mericia Battenberg did not agree, stating she had no interest in fighting just for the sake of it, that it was all childish.

This may have brought anger to some, or been ignore by others, but to Ywain Galigan, it was disheartening. Fighting was everything he enjoyed and for someone to just refuse what he considered the greatest part of life... well there was just no point was there.

The purple haired woman may have given an opening by closing her eyes but the might king of beasts had stopped paying attention or caring.

Instead Ywain just crouched in the crater he had formed and started drawing a circle in the sand with his finger, a sad and dejected look on his face.

"Fighting isn't childish and I'm not a child. *sniffles*"

Eventually looking back up to the female hollow.

"You're no fun."

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Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #5}

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“N– No fun? Oh,” Mericia uttered, apparently having bested her assailant through little more than noncompliance. But, finally, he’d given her something to attach to — a saddened yet certain statement to critique her lack of energy. It wasn’t anything serious, but it was progress, and that made her wonder at least a little more about who this man was. He strived for strength, to become the best, and if that was reason enough, then she only had one point to make.

“If you intend to become the ‘best’ and ‘strongest’, Ywain,” she addressed him, disregarding cautiousness and taking steady steps towards him and his dusty crater. She was rather confident now of his demeanour and, while he still posed a physical risk, as long as she remained at least somewhat attentive she could cope. “Then that means you would have to challenge Hollows and Arrancar that are far stronger than yourself: An act which would certainly result in your death,” she explained, thoughtfully, as she sat on the crater’s edge and eyed the blade he carried — the half of a mask.

^{“What were you,” Miss Battenberg asked:
“Before you tore away your mask…?”}

[z0pu]

Ywain #5

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Ywain absent-mindedly looked at Mericia as she got closer to him, saying to be stronger he needed to challenge those that were stronger than him. Well of course, he knew that, he just hadn't run into anyone else until her, the odd feral hollow sure, but no one worth of note.

The she asked him who he had been before. Wasn't that a weird question?

Ywain looked to the empty black sky of Hueco Mundo and... reminisced? On everything he had been and everything he wished to be.

"I am what I always was..." The thoughts of countless fallen enemies and nearly as many friends, all devoured to feed his own power raced through his mind.

Ywain's eyes centred back on Mericia, the fire behind the amber visible, the absolute will and need to be strong radiating through.

"A King." There was weight behind that word, it encompassed everything Ywain Galligan was.

"I fought and clawed my way through every stepped and ruled over others, I climbed so high that barely any could rival me, but we are Hollow and nothing is ever enough, not even for a Vasto Lorde."

Ywain then relaxed again sighed looking down at his feet.

"So I turned myself into an Arrancar hoping I'd be able to meet super strong people and veome even better. I knew I'd lose most of my power in doing so but damn, I didn't expect it to be like... ALL gone you know?"

He added defeated sounding, as he sat in the large crater of his own making through a single physical punch.

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Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #6}

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“You were Vasto Lorde?” she questioned, legitimately taken aback by such a statement, though barely showing it. She’d never encountered one of them before, though she had certainly been warned of their existence — those who were few and far between in Hueco Mundo. Their name and status was almost mythical. Yet this one stood without any of the legendary strength she’d anticipated, proving a point, though she could not help but process the irony of his statement for a moment.

“Mm… Becoming an Arrancar was an experience,” Miss Battenberg added, hand resting upon the hilt of the sword strapped to her thigh. A Shinigami’s blade that had once severed a portion of her own mask, very nearly a fatal blow were it not for the writhing mass of additional Hollows present. Ywain had done it himself, Mericia had done it almost accidentally. “I was no Vasto Lorde,” she explained. “I wasn’t even Menos — just a regular Hollow — up until mine was broken. I have no metric. I’m not sure if I lost anything, gained anything, or remained the same,” the woman stated with cool ease.

“I still remember who I am… who I was,” Mericia added, hand hovering over her Hollow hole. “I’m painfully aware I am not that strong, either, and that does frustrate me,” she revealed, standing up and gazing at Galigan. “If either of us were to encounter another Shinigami of skill, in our current state of being we’d likely be slain, so… Allow me to reiterate,” Mericia declared, a little more intently. “I see pointless infighting between Hollow-kind as childish, but if it has a legitimate purpose? Then that is different…”

[z0pu]

Ywain #6

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The King of Beasts supposed the girl made some sense. Which really was all the more sadenning to him. Ywain still looked at the ground and whimpered slightly.

"Uguuuuuuuuuu... I get why most Vasto Lorde don't go for an Arrancar form, the potential is supposed to be so much higher but..."

Ywain looked at his right hand which he clenched and unclenched multiple times.

"I used to be able to level mountains and ate Gillians and Adjuchas for breakfast, now even a mid-tier feral would give me trouble."

The red haired man looked up at Mericia.

"I get why basics like you would do it, you don't have to risk ever losing yourselves or regressing either. Sure it's a bigger risk to go after a Shinigami but you've got only positives."

And back to looking at the empty sky.

"I guess I don't ever have to worry about regressing either now. Not that I ever lost a fight before so it was a non-issue. Vasto Lorde tend to keep to themselves so the only real threat to one are Adjuchas ganging up and one of those Espada sorts... AAHHH!"

The greatest idea that has ever been ideaed came to Ywain. The tall man stood up almost with a leap.

"That's it!" Get a little practice in then go do one of them, Espada in! I haven't got that much control over this form yet but once that's done if I eat one of them Espada I should get all my power back! You're a genius, of course we shouldn't fight weaklings! Only the very strongest!"

And then the king laughed.

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Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #7}

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“I get why basics like you would do it,” Ywain explained, prompting Mericia to put her face in her hands to stifle a dull blush at the fact she’d just been called ‘basic’. However, that moment of bizarre enjoyment was almost immediately shattered when he — a reckless and crazy imbecile — called her a genius. The moment was gone. Her hands fell from her face, any hue to her fair visage faded and replaced with a genuinely pensive expression as she made sense of what had just been suggested. And that pensiveness, for the first time in quite a while, gave way to something more aggressive as he laughed aloud.

“You are batsɦ¡ŧ insane, Ywain…!! You realise the Espada are among the most powerful Hollows, don’t you?” Mericia snapped, strangely conscientious of accidentally sending another Hollow to its potential demise. Why did she care? Self-preservation was irrelevant if he did it of his own accord, but she half-expected him to try and drag her along for the ride, and woe to any who conspired to usurp an Espada and fail. “Even their Fracciónes are dangerous to Arrancar like us… You’d be lucky if they let you live,” she followed, defusing her temperament as ennui started to grip her empty heart yet again.

“Well,” Miss Battenberg exhaled, standing up and balancing on the sandy crater’s edge. She was not yet certain of her own goals, but at least she was feeling something of a need to make progress. Perhaps this was what she needed — another Arrancar who didn’t simply see her as a waste of lifeless Hueco Mundo air. “I may not agree entirely with the idea of taking on an Espada, but I do think it’s worth obliging our world’s rules of nature until such a time as we can find lost or absent power,” she commented, raising her hand and focusing her energy, spiritual pressure imposing itself upon her surroundings.

^{“Besides, I want to know…,” she commented:
“What the difference between us is now…”}

[z0pu]

Ywain #7

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Accidentally deleted the post through sheer dumb. Jist was Ywain quietly walked up the slopped and released his reiatsu as he drew his blade. Calling for Mericia and him to find out what the difference between them was.

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Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #8}

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His reiatsu… it’s different to mine, Mericia noted, feeling the sudden surge from Ywain. From a former Vasto Lorde, it was far from what she expected, but that was surely a result of the shattering of his mask. For certain, the intensity of it had waned significantly, but a palpable difference existed — one she couldn’t exactly quantify. Arrancar always had a different flavour of spiritual pressure from other hollows, this was different still. But mine is stronger, she asserted as her own pushed back.

^{“Well then…,” Ywain growled:
“Let’s find out…!”}

If his punch was that powerful, then I can’t risk a direct hit — even my Hierro may not be enough, Miss Battenberg realised, eyeing the blade briefly. Disruptive Hollows I tend to just press down until they give in, but I likely can’t do that here, she assessed. Instinct drove her free hand to her blade, but she knew for certain she lacked skill with it. One thing was absolutely certain here: She could not remain within striking distance.

“Hm!” Air rippled, Mericia disappearing in a flash of Sonído, forcing distance. Energy gathered, dulling and yet breaking the eternal night as it erupted forth. “Cero…!” Blue-purple energy shot forth from her hand — a broad beam of spiritual force carving a shallow trench in the sand beneath it as it rushed towards Ywain…