Post by BEX on Aug 29, 2013 11:41:49 GMT -5
Finally, I’m whole.
With perfect simplicity the thought resonated through body and spirit. Lost within the violent storm of slashing steel Jack felt unhindered concentration permeate his every action. The katana fit flawlessly in his grasp and with each cut, it seemed to further enmesh their separate entities until finally Jack could no longer discern which held the brittle beauty of a sword and which a construction of flesh and bone.
Thick, dust-laden air kissed the blade’s edge as it carved a swath through the snaking mass of insects that collected around him. None passed the barrier created by the flowing series of his attacks. Where a thrust or a slash ended a whirring kick would create just enough space for Jack to continue his symphony of pain. All this was outside of his notice though. He’d never been obsessed with the killing aspect of fighting. The competition was endearing and the knowledge that his life was being gambled offered a visceral investment in his thrill-seeking desire for combat, but in truth it was the inescapable freedom of movement that always captivated Jack. In a fight, stillness meant death. Silence preceded lifelessness and the lack of feeling meant that one hung on the precipice of the never-ending sleeping. Only in pure warfare could an individual truly lose themselves in their senses and that was the thing that Jack longed to immerse himself in.
Buggy screeches chimed in the cramped space of the cabin, but he had already transformed from something human into a fiend who craved only the resistance that came with cleaving through a living thing. Arches of silver stained with black blood and severed wings spread about him like a cocoon until finally the angry chitter of his insect enemies died down leaving Jack breathless and disappointed that it was over so quickly. Recovering from his euphoric stupor he heaved the oaken chest over one shoulder, balancing it with his free hand and began to walk towards the ladder leading to the surface when it dawned on him that here in pitch darkness he’d been able to wield a sword as capably as he’d ever been able to. The hell? Am I becoming some kinda Zatoichi? he wondered when the barely audible clatter of six tiny legs tapped out a staccato just behind. For the first time in a long while his thoughts weren’t occupied with how his enemy lay within the blind spot created by his maimed eye instead he was absorbed with the detail of the tiny beads of silver that were an expansion of the auditory information filtering through his ears.
Without his sight, the Doka Doka no Mi saw everything for him. He saw more now than he’d ever had with both his eyes and suddenly the world was a lot larger than he’d initially believed it to be. Returning to the fleetingly present indications of a lone living thing besides himself Jack spoke to the shadows, “Figures you’d be the one to survive,” he muttered good-naturedly. Absolute victories like this one made him less of an ass than usual, “I guess we still got some unfinished business, eh, Kabuto.”
Two taps on the greasy wood beneath his feet told him that the valiant beetle had accepted his challenge. Turning slowly to face his enemy one Jack inclined his head and the shared silence whispered equal measures of respects between the two war veterans. The tenseness that followed held the killing intent of a final clash. Seeing with his eyes Jack listened as wings flared from behind the warrior bug’s back and it readied to take flight…just as a steel-plated heel smashed its tiny boneless body into a gooey paste and ground that paste into the ground for emphasis.
“Dumbass bug. Insects don’t get respect; they get squashed.”
Aching in more places than he cared to admit Jack began to the slow climb up the ladder as the first rays of light poured down into the dank darkness making his good eye hurt with the abrupt illumination as he threw back the hatch. Had it not been the for the welcomed clink of precious metals emanating from within the trunk he was lugging around he’d have decided to abandon the mission and sailed off with the pirate’s ship. He had a girl to bone and money for drinks—now he just needed to get to an island to take advantage of both. A sly grin curled the ends of his lips as he bathed in the faded light of the sunset.
With perfect simplicity the thought resonated through body and spirit. Lost within the violent storm of slashing steel Jack felt unhindered concentration permeate his every action. The katana fit flawlessly in his grasp and with each cut, it seemed to further enmesh their separate entities until finally Jack could no longer discern which held the brittle beauty of a sword and which a construction of flesh and bone.
Thick, dust-laden air kissed the blade’s edge as it carved a swath through the snaking mass of insects that collected around him. None passed the barrier created by the flowing series of his attacks. Where a thrust or a slash ended a whirring kick would create just enough space for Jack to continue his symphony of pain. All this was outside of his notice though. He’d never been obsessed with the killing aspect of fighting. The competition was endearing and the knowledge that his life was being gambled offered a visceral investment in his thrill-seeking desire for combat, but in truth it was the inescapable freedom of movement that always captivated Jack. In a fight, stillness meant death. Silence preceded lifelessness and the lack of feeling meant that one hung on the precipice of the never-ending sleeping. Only in pure warfare could an individual truly lose themselves in their senses and that was the thing that Jack longed to immerse himself in.
Buggy screeches chimed in the cramped space of the cabin, but he had already transformed from something human into a fiend who craved only the resistance that came with cleaving through a living thing. Arches of silver stained with black blood and severed wings spread about him like a cocoon until finally the angry chitter of his insect enemies died down leaving Jack breathless and disappointed that it was over so quickly. Recovering from his euphoric stupor he heaved the oaken chest over one shoulder, balancing it with his free hand and began to walk towards the ladder leading to the surface when it dawned on him that here in pitch darkness he’d been able to wield a sword as capably as he’d ever been able to. The hell? Am I becoming some kinda Zatoichi? he wondered when the barely audible clatter of six tiny legs tapped out a staccato just behind. For the first time in a long while his thoughts weren’t occupied with how his enemy lay within the blind spot created by his maimed eye instead he was absorbed with the detail of the tiny beads of silver that were an expansion of the auditory information filtering through his ears.
Without his sight, the Doka Doka no Mi saw everything for him. He saw more now than he’d ever had with both his eyes and suddenly the world was a lot larger than he’d initially believed it to be. Returning to the fleetingly present indications of a lone living thing besides himself Jack spoke to the shadows, “Figures you’d be the one to survive,” he muttered good-naturedly. Absolute victories like this one made him less of an ass than usual, “I guess we still got some unfinished business, eh, Kabuto.”
Two taps on the greasy wood beneath his feet told him that the valiant beetle had accepted his challenge. Turning slowly to face his enemy one Jack inclined his head and the shared silence whispered equal measures of respects between the two war veterans. The tenseness that followed held the killing intent of a final clash. Seeing with his eyes Jack listened as wings flared from behind the warrior bug’s back and it readied to take flight…just as a steel-plated heel smashed its tiny boneless body into a gooey paste and ground that paste into the ground for emphasis.
“Dumbass bug. Insects don’t get respect; they get squashed.”
Aching in more places than he cared to admit Jack began to the slow climb up the ladder as the first rays of light poured down into the dank darkness making his good eye hurt with the abrupt illumination as he threw back the hatch. Had it not been the for the welcomed clink of precious metals emanating from within the trunk he was lugging around he’d have decided to abandon the mission and sailed off with the pirate’s ship. He had a girl to bone and money for drinks—now he just needed to get to an island to take advantage of both. A sly grin curled the ends of his lips as he bathed in the faded light of the sunset.