An Eerie Energy [ Closed to Shi Ryorou ]

Shi was sitting on a street bench as the moon began to rise. He looked out to the horizen, bidding a farewell to the sweet sunset he loved. As the pink hue faded, the emptiness of space could be seen. Shi then closed his eyes and took a sip of the tea he had gotten from the nearby coffeeshop. He sighed after the warm liquid went down his throat, helping him relax.
Shi had always been tense in places like this. It was dirty, the place reeked. Long story short the place was a damn cesspool. The hardest part for Shi, was being so close to the supernatural feeling of the undead. The pressennce of something that defies death is a personal slap to the face for him. Shi felt so strongly thay he dedicated his entire day to slaying the reanimated corpses, and the decaying filth that dared to defy his will. He was happy for once that he wasnt hunting another human being, but in a place like this... it was a short lived relief. Shi only had to open his ears to bear a cry for help, or open his eyes to see men and women selling themselves for pleasure. With a final sigh he opened his eyes to the sound of deep 'tohcing' of heels against the cement sidewalk.
When he looked, he saw two women walking, the one holding her enlarged stomach and breathing heavily, sharp exhales of pain every so often in her unsteady gait. His head didn't move, but he followed them with his eyes. The sudden squeel of tires didn't brake his attention, but he would soon look to find a car crashing into a parked truck. The two women quickly ducked Into an alley way, but Shi watched as a man kicked his way out of the windshield. The man crawled out and stood up, eyes fixated on the ally way as be walked with a dirtbag slouch in his posture. He walked past Shi, glaring at hkm saying: "Yew gkh hohm naou!"The man mocked as he passdd and went down the ally. Shi rolled his eyes and threw his tea aside, standing up and trailing the obvious ner'do well.
He arrived to see the man pulling out a revolver, the two women cowering. He noticed many people with guns farther down, but they hadn't noticed any of this it seemed. The man held up the revolver and had his typical line, he acted like he was in a movie. Shi grabbed the hand with the gun and turned the man around. Nkw facing a fearful man Shi flipped the man, disarming him and throwing him to the ground with a sickening pop from his arm. Shi placed a sandal on the man's throat and chuckled saying. Yew dia nahow." in an obvious fake accent. With a twist of his foot, Shi snapped the fools neck and looked to the ladies.
"Hey look over there!"a voice came from the armed soldiers.
"Run.."Shi commanded. The ladies looked up to him.
"But what about you, they have guns?" The pregnant woman pleaded. Shi took in a deep breath, preparing for what he needed to do.
"You carry child. Every child, born into love is another victory against the evil of this world... Go!" Shi barked. The woman left babbling thank you's.
"Hey! DROP THE SWORD!" A gang member demanded holding up a pistol. The other three members pulled out guns too, of a similar model.
Shi hardened his heart, his resolve was pure and his senses hightened. Not a bullet would pass.

Shi was hardened in resolve, in this state he could easily defend the two women as they made their escape. But of course something managed to meddle it's way into his plans. Shi chuckled to himself almost satisfied that there was another obstacle. Much to his surprise it was another woman, but this on was hardly as defenseless as the other two.
This woman was something different entirely. While her attire was interesting and complimenting to the young woman, he was intrigued by her posture. She carried herself well, she was used to combat and it was obvious to Shi that the woman had known combat. The way she held her blade, the grip, even the in her nod to him. Her confidence was contagious, even when He didn't need any extra. 'I don't need to worry about this one...' He thought to himself. "Run!" He shouted at the ladies as he stepped forward. Keeping the three ladies behind him.
The gangsters fired. Shi flourished his blade and rotated his katana in front of him like a helicopter. He heard the women behind him managed to get out alive...except the one who nodded at him. She was already in the action. ' Let's see if she can keep up.' Shi smiled under his mask and began stepping towards the men, katana still spinning.

Sacrifice...a concept Shi knew all too well. He had a choice to make. Defend the pregnant woma, or the one who acted to help her up until he had met them. Save two lives, or one. Shi chose the two lives. They were safe now, away from the chaos that had just slain the beautiful woman who now lay in a pool of her own blood. Shi clenched his jaw and began grinding his teeth when he looked at the peaceful dead. Shi, being the embodiment of Death himself, felt her pass on and felt her every memory rushing, pouring into him. At six in the morning she woke up, at seven she walked into her office at her high-paying job, at five she got out of work, at six she made it to dinner, but her date was thirty minutes late. Dinner finished thirty minutes later than normal, she left at eight thirty, when she was on her way to her car she saw the pregnant woman. She aided the woman. At nine-fifteen....she passed. Had any of these events today not taken place....had her date even been only twenty eight minutes late...she would have lived. Shi held himself responsible. He should have been stronger. Shi understood that sacrifice was needed, that didn't mean he didn't work to minimize and eliminate it.
Shi watched as the woman in taut leather moved through the bullets and the fire. So graceful and elegant, yet deadly. She didn't have the same training as he did, but he still found himself amazed at the different style and stance. She danced through and impaled the murderer, and suddenly his head popped like a zit, the flesh deteriorating away almost by magic. Shi felt his heart leap to see the man brought to true justice. This woman was far from normal, and she could obviously keep up. He also felt like her heart was true to her cause. She wasn't showing off, she wasn't being boastful in her actions, she wasn't wasting any movment. She was straight to business, and so Shi would be as well.
Shi Shadow-stepped, appearing behind one of the gangsters, impaling him from behind and kicking him off the blade. Shi noticed one of the dirtbags aiming a shot for the woman's head. He positioned himself between the woman and the bullet out of his instinct to defend, he cleaved the bullet with the blade and sen the two peices in far angles where it wouldn't hit anyone. If this woman was waiting on him, then she's not anymore.

"Just a moment." Shi said hastily as he began tearing away at the shirts of the recently deceased gangmembers. Shi stopped only when he saw that the murderer's chest was marked by a tattoo styled image of a skull, the alchemical symbol of brimstone on the skulls forehead. The tattoo burned away, leaving not a trace in the physical nor spiritual realm. He sighed and punched the ground cursing in his native tongue. He stood up and turned to the woman known as 'Saileyra' and took her hand in both of his and bowed his head. "The honor was all mine. Anytime i get to meet a warrior in a place as dark as this." Shi said releasing the woman's hand and raising his head. He felt a chill shoot up his spine ans he knew his head jerked violently, however he had hoped this Saileyra had not noticed. He lookes off in the opposite direction.
"It is here...." He whispered to himself. He turned to Saileyra. I thank you again. It is good to see ours is not a dead practice. Walk with the Spirits." Shi said, hoping the woman wouldn't ask about what she had seen... The energy he felt. It was so familiar... he had to get there.

Shi followed his gut. The stench only worsened as he went. There were several times Shi passed some less than 'moral' characters, and where he wished be could help he couldn't risk losing the trace of the energy. The best he could do was when he saw a man bump into another, picking his pocket. Shi, in passing gave the man a fist to the stomach, a hand around the neck, and taking thr items back. Shi walked up to the man and bumped him in passing, stealthily returning the wallet back into the unsuspecting owner."My apolosies." Shi said as he passed the man.
Shi continued on to the edge of the city, he felt uneasy. Something was following him. He began picking up pace. He couldn't identify what or who it was, but he intended to find out. He went as close as he could to the energy source. It was a storm grate... it was coming from underground. Shi drew Kage's dagger and slipped the solid blade under and opened the grate. He looked around, seeing nothing, he went into the sewers. He kept following the call of the energetic vibrations. This energy was strong, but now was the time to learn whl was following him. Shi shadow stepped ahead, far enough to escape the line of sight in the dark tunnel. Once he was far enough ahead he used his dark cloak to blend in, as he slipped into a small inlet. Shi honestly could have gagged at the smell. It wasn't just fecees or garbage he smelled. It was blood, and with blood... he smelled the rotting of corpses. He wasn't far from his destination, but thay could wait a second. He heard the tapping of running steps approaching, hopfully they're the foolish sort.

Shi watched as the woman stood out in the open. She had done well in following him. Any mere human would have most likely been caught unawares. Shi was unsure of this woman, and almost threatened in all honesty. Here was a woman who had been able to masterfully assist in the dispatch of several thugs. The woman showed no fear, and when one can stand before Death without fear, they tend to leave an impression. The woman turned to check behind her, but Shi just watched. She eventually sighed and began to turn back.
"I heard it coming from this way!" A strange eccentric voice sang out. It was like listening to a crazy murderer sing his ABC's as he was stabbing something. There were almost violent breaths as the voice came. The woman turned to the source, only to see an approaching light. Shi shadow-stepped to her side and placed a had over her mouth in a way she would know he wasn't intending to harm her. The footsteps were clear now, they could see two men in blood-soaked white robes playing with a lantern. they hadn't noticed them yet, but they were about to hold it out and shed light on them. Shi wrapped his arms around Sai.
"Hold your breath." He commanded softly. He knew if she didn't her stomach wuld be sever;y upset in a moment. Without further warning, Shi shadow-stepped back to his position, taking the woman, Saileyra with him. Once in the inlet, in the sweet sanctuary of shadow they could hear the voices again.
"We don't have time for this, the ritual's almost ready." The voice said as it walked off.
"You go ahead...i'll check this out." Another voice said. Shi removed his straw hat and kicked it out onto the ground. now what've we here? The voice added, the footsteps approached. Shi began rummaging through the little sack he carried with him everywhere and pulled out a fully grown carrot. Shi removed his mask, being careful to not let the woman see his face and he bit off the carrot at an angle with a loud crunch. Shi quickly donned his mask again and looked to see the man just past them, looking down at Shi's hat.
Is it straw? The man mused. Shi stepped out behind him holding the caroot like a dagger, the shapened end of the thick carrot pointing back.
"Can you not tell? Here try a carrot." Shi said. The man froze with fear at the question, but Shi turned him by the shoulder and brought his arm across as he told the man to try a carrot. Shi drove the Carrot into the man's eye, feeling the force of the back end of the skull. "I hear they're good for your eyes." He said smugly as he bent over and picked up his straw hat and placed it back on his head. He turned to Saileyra. She wnet to speak but Shi spoke first.
"I know you already, even before you speak I know what you'll ask." He said very matter of factly. He shook his head and looked at the direction where this robed man had come from. " Listen... If you follow me, you follow Death himself. If you follow me, you're involving yourself in the affairs of the divines..." He warned her.

She was bold, proud, and perhaps just a little hard headed. Shi led the way as they want in the direction that the cultists had come from. The cultists would not be expecting them, but they would certainly outnumber Shi and Sai. The numbers never bothered him, what bothered him is the fact that the evil energy permiated through the air. Even the most mundane of humans could have felt it. It felt like walking into a sudden wall of humidity with the smell of rot and the ability to make you weak at the knees. This place had an unusual gravity about it, it suddenly felt as if there was a second Shi on his back piggy-backing on him.
"... it knows." Shi warned Sai. He suddenly realized that he could no longer match his energies with the earth beneath him. 'I cannot use my shadow step...how annoying.' Shi sighed to himself. They carried on for what felt like miles in the tunnel, but they finally came to an opening.
The area was a large circle, candles burning upon skulls, a dozen cultists at least chanting around a green, glowing pit of magma-like consistancy. Shi and Sai took one step in and the chant stopped. One cultist stepped into the pool and caught fire, his screams turned from those of pain to those of a primal nature. The man dropped into the pool, but it's not where he stayed.
Four black digits reached up, and suddenly a monster, an unholy visage burst forth. The creature climbed outof the pool and stood upright, glaring at Shi and his ally.

Spoiler:

"So the prodical son has returned... The beast addressd Shi with a menacing chuckle. Shj jumped down and drew his blade, as he stood he drew it. Kushalatatsu sent two spirit slashes, cutting the creature The creature staggered back but laughed as the semi-deep cuts healed. "Surly you have noticed Death, but I've taken great measures to bring you back to my folds. The energy fluxuation prevents your shadow step, my nee minions regeneration renders your technique useless...forefit.... let us recieve you. Death, I beseech you....return to the darkness." The creature purred. Shi responded after a mome t of deeo thought. Shi slashed the creatures throat, Kushalatatsu sending spirit slashes over the beasts head. Shi smiled at hiw fate had played in his favor. Had he been alone, this would have taken him hours....thankfully, he was not.