Kamiko
New York was always a city where the unexpected was, to put it in the simplest terms, becoming quite common. Perhaps it was because the city already had a reputation for its inhabitants being boisterous and rude. Or maybe it was the fact that at any given time of day, the streets were jam-packed with unlucky commuters who knew traffic conditions in the city were abysmal yet still made the decision to travel by vehicle. Not, of course, that traveling by foot was any better. It was a point of fact that New York was, for all intents and purposes, densely---bordering on over---populated. Even in spite of that, New York was generally a top tier choice for vacationers and tourists alike. Such a diverse population of people compacted yet divided into the different boroughs offered an admittedly refreshing medley of cultures to be experienced by both natives and travelers.
And this was just in the living realm.
It should be no surprise that a place with so many people from different walks of life would also be a beacon of spiritual energy. While most were blissfully unaware of the spectral world, there were some mortals who---due to having a certain affinity for picking up on spiritual power---simultaneously inhabited both worlds. But unfortunately these gifted mortals were not the only ones drawn to such a place. Hollows, beasts of ravenous and eternal hunger for souls, quite often used the place as a hunting ground, preying on both spiritually gifted mortals and those who were completely oblivious to their existence. Until some months ago, dealing with Hollows fell to the Shinigami, a race of spiritual warriors tasked with combating and purifying the corrupted souls of Hollows. As it stood now, that job now fell to the clandestine group known only as "The Committee." To their credit, they performed their job splendidly. In fact, it seemed that on this pleasant afternoon, that everything was peaceful and calm.
The keyword being seemed.
A cacophonous boom shattered the normal New York ambiance of car horns and street pedestrians, only to be followed shortly after by another. Then a third. Then a fourth. The first thought was that maybe it was construction; some old buildings being cleared away or new ground being broken for another skyscraper to be filled with overly expensive condos and apartments. Then another rapid triplicate of explosions replaced assumptive curiosity with apprehensive panic. These were far too frequent to be construction. Not to mention they didn't sound right. These explosions were more akin to military grade. Was there something happening? It was just the military performing a drill nearby, everything would calm down soon.
Except that was wrong.
Rolling thunder shook the eastern side of Central Park. Screams of terror filled the air as a large building began crumbling to the ground. This time, a visible explosion shattered a large portion of an apartment complex just a bit further up the block from the building that had just fallen. There was no denying it now, this had to be a terrorist attack. The military wouldn't perform such wanton destruction with civilians present. And yet again, that was the wrong conclusion. At least...it was partly wrong. Another wall exploded outward onto the streets, littering it with chunks of stone and steel and inciting further panic from those who were lucky enough to get away. For those that weren't, unfortunately, they were sent sprawling to the ground beneath building rubble and vehicle remnants.
A azure-locked woman who looked no older than a college freshman, came sprinting out of the newly wrecked building and vaulted over the ruined hood of a car. Judging by her attire, she seemed to be a soldier of some kind. Or at the very least, she certainly had military experience. But even then, her clothing wasn't particularly "soldier-like." In fact, she looked more like she would be on her way to a rock concert; a black leather jacket worn open to expose the Kevlar vest over a corseted tank-top beneath. She wore a pair of distressed blue jeans, her lower legs guarded by what appeared to be plated shin guards. Black combat boots and finger-less biker gloves completed the outfit. To those who were unable to view the spiritual world, it would appear as though the girl was just another bystander attempting to get clear of the destruction. For those that could, however, it would be another matter entirely. They would be able to see the pack of fleeing Hollows that had exited the building just moments before her as well as the glowing bow she held in one of her hands. Her next words would be all the confirmation necessary to prove that she was in fact responsible for the explosions thus far.
"Quit running, ya pussies! You're only making it worse for yourselves! Just let me kill you! I promise it'll really hurt!" She yelled with a gleeful lilt. She slid to a short stop and raised her bow again in the Hollows' direction. Her free hand rose and there was an ethereal hum as the bowstring was drawn back. The crackle of energy rippled through the air as a trio of arrows gradually materialized until the bow was fully drawn. Savage delight parted her lips in a sadistic smile. A moment later the arrows were loosed, none of which actually hit their targets and only served to cause even more destruction to the residential area they had been fired into; three more explosions toppled yet another building.
"Shit, I missed. That's totally on you! If you would've let me shoot you then this wouldn't be happening! Now come back here and let me kill you, goddamn it!" She practically sang it at the panicked Hollows as she sprinted along after them, all the while firing more arrows---and missing, possibly intentionally---as she went.
And this was just in the living realm.
It should be no surprise that a place with so many people from different walks of life would also be a beacon of spiritual energy. While most were blissfully unaware of the spectral world, there were some mortals who---due to having a certain affinity for picking up on spiritual power---simultaneously inhabited both worlds. But unfortunately these gifted mortals were not the only ones drawn to such a place. Hollows, beasts of ravenous and eternal hunger for souls, quite often used the place as a hunting ground, preying on both spiritually gifted mortals and those who were completely oblivious to their existence. Until some months ago, dealing with Hollows fell to the Shinigami, a race of spiritual warriors tasked with combating and purifying the corrupted souls of Hollows. As it stood now, that job now fell to the clandestine group known only as "The Committee." To their credit, they performed their job splendidly. In fact, it seemed that on this pleasant afternoon, that everything was peaceful and calm.
The keyword being seemed.
A cacophonous boom shattered the normal New York ambiance of car horns and street pedestrians, only to be followed shortly after by another. Then a third. Then a fourth. The first thought was that maybe it was construction; some old buildings being cleared away or new ground being broken for another skyscraper to be filled with overly expensive condos and apartments. Then another rapid triplicate of explosions replaced assumptive curiosity with apprehensive panic. These were far too frequent to be construction. Not to mention they didn't sound right. These explosions were more akin to military grade. Was there something happening? It was just the military performing a drill nearby, everything would calm down soon.
Except that was wrong.
Rolling thunder shook the eastern side of Central Park. Screams of terror filled the air as a large building began crumbling to the ground. This time, a visible explosion shattered a large portion of an apartment complex just a bit further up the block from the building that had just fallen. There was no denying it now, this had to be a terrorist attack. The military wouldn't perform such wanton destruction with civilians present. And yet again, that was the wrong conclusion. At least...it was partly wrong. Another wall exploded outward onto the streets, littering it with chunks of stone and steel and inciting further panic from those who were lucky enough to get away. For those that weren't, unfortunately, they were sent sprawling to the ground beneath building rubble and vehicle remnants.
A azure-locked woman who looked no older than a college freshman, came sprinting out of the newly wrecked building and vaulted over the ruined hood of a car. Judging by her attire, she seemed to be a soldier of some kind. Or at the very least, she certainly had military experience. But even then, her clothing wasn't particularly "soldier-like." In fact, she looked more like she would be on her way to a rock concert; a black leather jacket worn open to expose the Kevlar vest over a corseted tank-top beneath. She wore a pair of distressed blue jeans, her lower legs guarded by what appeared to be plated shin guards. Black combat boots and finger-less biker gloves completed the outfit. To those who were unable to view the spiritual world, it would appear as though the girl was just another bystander attempting to get clear of the destruction. For those that could, however, it would be another matter entirely. They would be able to see the pack of fleeing Hollows that had exited the building just moments before her as well as the glowing bow she held in one of her hands. Her next words would be all the confirmation necessary to prove that she was in fact responsible for the explosions thus far.
"Quit running, ya pussies! You're only making it worse for yourselves! Just let me kill you! I promise it'll really hurt!" She yelled with a gleeful lilt. She slid to a short stop and raised her bow again in the Hollows' direction. Her free hand rose and there was an ethereal hum as the bowstring was drawn back. The crackle of energy rippled through the air as a trio of arrows gradually materialized until the bow was fully drawn. Savage delight parted her lips in a sadistic smile. A moment later the arrows were loosed, none of which actually hit their targets and only served to cause even more destruction to the residential area they had been fired into; three more explosions toppled yet another building.
"Shit, I missed. That's totally on you! If you would've let me shoot you then this wouldn't be happening! Now come back here and let me kill you, goddamn it!" She practically sang it at the panicked Hollows as she sprinted along after them, all the while firing more arrows---and missing, possibly intentionally---as she went.