IC: La Bienvenida Sangriente

[KageYuuki]

[SIZE= 26px]Ryuuko Chikanari[/SIZE]
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Glancing to Sakura, Ryuuko nodded. "Alright, then I'll restrain the Host and help break Rhia- Oh dammit, Reilly!" Seemed the time for planning was over as the more hotheaded member of their group took off towards the Cess Pit.


Seems your student still needs a lesson or two knocked into that thick head of his, Ketsuga sighed.


If we weren't so pressed for time I'd probably just drag his ass back here. Ryuuko gave a low growl and pressed forward, just trying to close the gap between her and her squadmate. Sometimes she loathed being among the slowest of the shinigami there. Once the Host was in her sights, she came skidding to a halt. Her spells would strike just fine from the distance. Tucking Ketsuga in his sheath in order to free her hands, the white haired shinigami clasped them together but stopped before even beginning the incantation. Rhiannon was trapped under the thing's hand, Gochūtekkan was too likely to ensnare her as well. "Fine then!" Ryuuko pointed at the hollow, "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō sixty-one: Rikujōkōrō."


The spell hit the Host head on, freezing the creature in place and leaving it vulnerable to Reilly's blade. Though before Ryuuko even had a chance to sigh, a pair of powerful looking hollows sprang from the shadows. Tch, should have known better... She held her palms facing one another, "Sakura, Daisuke, take them out! I'll hold them!" A sphere of crackling, golden energy appeared between her hands, "Bakudō Nine: Hōrin!" The sphere launched from her hands, splitting into two ropes that seized the titan's fists. Jerking her arms back she redirected their blow from Reilly and into the ground, pulling them off their feet in the process.


With a shaky breath, Ryuuko merged the ropes into one to free up a hand. She ripped Ketsuga from his sheath and scanned the sands for any more surprises. As if right on cue, a trio of smaller hollows leapt at her from a stone slab. Snapping her blade up, one of the hollows howled in pain as its arm was cleanly severed. Not a drop of blood touched the white sands as Ketsuga drank any that touched him.


Ryuuko was forced to drop the spell in her left hand as she worked to avoid the swipes of rending claws headed right for her. The reckless beast now missing an arm lunged right for her only to meet Ketsuga's blade. The second found its mask obliterated with Byakurai. Though the final hollow raked its claws across the shinigami's back. "Tch," the wound was shallow, but still painful. Spinning to face her attacker, Ryuuko's blade pierced its chest before she slashed up through its mask. We're running low on time here . . . The white haired shinigami worked to catch her breath, Do they have her yet?

 

[Nada]

Daisuke Daigoro
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While Daisuke shared Ryuuko's frustration at the advent of Reilly charging ahead, at this point, he couldn't really blame him. This wasn't some random cave they could stand to take their time and be cautious about, this was a crisis in which his wife might have her brains munched on by a vile hollow. If Daisuke were in his shoes, he would have been charging on in with the same recklessness. From a certain point of view, the fact that any of them were here was already demonstrating their collective recklessness. With time wasting, Daisuke chose to charge right on after Reilly, with Kiritsu at the ready. Daisuke was going to break some hollow masks in half if it was the last thing he ever did.


It wasn't long after coming upon the host itself that Reilly got himself into a sticky situation. Blind to everything bar his wife, he couldn't see the enemies coming down on him from either side. Ryuuko was quick to act, binding the hollows with kido and setting them up for the kill. "I've got the one on the right!" Daisuke called out, charging ahead. He lunged forward and struck the huge hollow on the leg. The sudden paralysis, however brief, caused the hollow to loose it's footing and tumble over. Daisuke then followed up with a two handed smash to it's face, putting an end to the hollow once and for all. He had no time to celebrate, as the rest of the scum were massing for the attack. One hollow was reckless enouhg to be the first to charge Daisuke. He responded by jabbing it in the gut, and then hefting the disabled hollow over his head and hurling it into the others. With them knocked off their feet, Daisuke set about splintering the masks of as many as he could. If he could keep this up, he would be able to keep this lot off their backs for as long as need be.


@Red Thunder@KageYuuki

 

[Red Thunder]

At the moment Ryuuko began uttering her spell to bind it, the Host shifted its weight, pressing down even harder onto Rhiannon's form. The needle on the Hollow's face extended, piercing the Kido caster's shoulder, and she cried out in further pain. The color of her skin, and the brightness of her hair began to fade as reiatsu streamed out of her, and the Host began glowing with the huge amount he was taking from such a large source. The needle retracted as the spell left the Shinigami's hand, and the Hollow turned to scream right as the spell made impact. And it had the desired effect; the Host found itself frozen in place, vulnerable to Reilly's oncoming attack. 


But it was not vulnerable for long. It's eyes suddenly shown with power, and it broke the bind with a massive output of its newfound energy. With the free hand it caught Reilly's blade, gripping the Shinigami's hands to avoid the sharp edge. With its other, it cast Rhiannon at Sakura. With a strength that its size belied, the Host threw Reilly aside. Cursing, the Shinigami bounced across the sand, finally managing to catch himself. He looked up, fury in his eyes, seeking his enemy. But it was gone, having fled from the onslaught, its back up not yet arrived and its immediate companions falling to Zanpakuto. Yelling in anger, Reilly ran to Rhiannon's side, slicing through an unfortunately placed Hollow in his way. 


Sakura had just dispatched the Hollow to the left as Rhiannon was hurled toward her. She caught the wayward Kido caster, but only just, and the two tumbled to the ground. The Hollows that had appeared had been dispatched, but the howls of the Hollows beyond the hills was growing louder. Sakura yelled as she stood up, Rhiannon in her arms. 


"C'mon! We need to get outta here!"


Reilly ran by her and lifted his wife from Sakura's arms with a quick Thank you. Nodding, she followed the others, bringing up the rear. 


Outside it was chaos. Hollows swarmed about the bone white hills, apparently directionless. And unopposed; there in the path lay Landon in a pool of blood, missing much of his left shoulder and motionless. Nine Hollows lay about him, slashes and cuts scattered across each one's body. Reilly never looked; he was focused on keeping his wife safe, so he pressed on through the gathering horde. As she passed him, Sakura paused to kneel beside him, closing his eyes. 


"Rest well," she muttered. But the act was her undoing. Around her, six Hollows broke through the garganta, each eyeing her hungrily. The pause had separated her enough from the others, and the Hollows didn't turn to pursue them. Her face grew grave; she knew this was her end, but she would make her enemies pay for it dearly. It was perhaps fair: she'd help Mitsa send many to the Hollows; it was only fair she go the same way. Raising her voice, she beckoned them to press on. 


And Reilly did so, oblivious to the sounds of the Hollows behind him. When he'd cleared the crest of the nearest dune, he finally paused and lowered Rhiannon carefully to the ground. 


"Ryuuko!" he bellowed, panic in his voice. "Hurry! I need help!"


But a quick assessment would show beyond a doubt that she'd been stripped of every last drop of her reiatsu, and with it, most of her life. 


@KageYuuki @Nada

 

[KageYuuki]

[SIZE= 26px]Ryuuko Chikanari[/SIZE]
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Ryuuko cursed under her breath at the sight of the Host breaking free from her spell. A level 60 Kidō shouldn't have been broken so easily. She'd need to work more on her spells it seemed . . . The shinigami wasn't given much time to brood over the shattered binds as she cut through a few more hollows before turning to follow behind Reilly and Sakura. The situation wasn't getting any better with the swarm closing in on them.


"Dammit . . . " They were too late to aid Landon, the brave shinigami had been cut down by the swarm. Though not before dragging several of those bastards down with him. Ryuuko had to look away; he was dead, the shattered zanpakutō serving as proof, there was nothing more she could do for him. She had to keep moving, they had to get to safety and tend to Rhiannon's wounds. A shout drew her crystal hues back to the scene, Sakura had been surrounded and was beckoning them to continue and not turn back for her. Gritting her teeth, Ryuuki had to avert her gaze. She cut through a few small hollows that had gotten too close for comfort.


[SIZE= 9px]"So weak."[/SIZE]


Skidding to a stop beside Reilly and his wife, Ryuuko knelt beside the wounded shinigami. Ketsuga didn't need to be told anything before his blade dissolved into a thick crimson mist. The cloud enveloped Rhiannon as the weapon worked on tending to her wounds and pouring what reiatsu he could into her. A green glow wreathed Ryuuko's hands as she focused her own energy into Kaidō. She might not have been able to heal wounds all that well, but she sure as hell could help restore the stolen reiatsu.


[SIZE= 14px]Just hang in there...[/SIZE]

 

[Nada]

Daisuke Daigoro
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Daisuke was stuck into beating down hollows when he realised they were bugging out. He raced to join the rest in escaping the place. His heart sank when he saw that Landon had fallen. Daisuke had thought it might be too much to hope that they would all make it out of here alive. He took solace in the fact that the man had died with honour. The least they could do was escape this place, so that his sacrifice would not be in vain. It was only after pressing on with the others that Daisuke noticed Sakura had stopped by Landon, and ended up surrounded as a result. He cursed under his breath. It was the last thing they needed to happen now. He hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to go back for her or keep going. In the end, her own urging won out in his head, even if he felt sick to his stomach to turn away.


But the worst was yet to come. Daisuke approached the others to see that Rhiannon was clearly fading fast. Of all the terrible things to happen, they might lose the very person they had come so far to rescue? This was all like some great nightmare. Daisuke couldn't do anything to help Rhiannon himself, but he could keep watch for anything coming their way. "I hate to sound insensitive, but we can't stay here. If we linger, they'll surely come for us. Then we're all dead." Daisuke didn't know how long Rhiannon would hold out for, or how long it would take for Ryuuko to heal her, if she even could, but there was no way they were going to be able to sit here and find out. But if push came to shove, Daisuke was going to block the hollow tides with his corpse if need be.


@Red Thunder@KageYuuki

 

[Red Thunder]

~Reilly Kusenagi~
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Reilly ignored Daisuke's rather astute observation. All he could see was his wife, all he could hear was her labored breathing, and all he could think was Don't. Beside him, Ryuuko poured herself into her arts, striving as she might to return Rhiannon to functionality. And far behind them, a mass of Hollows stampeded toward the Hills, still drawn there by the Host's last call. 


It seemed that Ketsuga was doing the Kido Corps member good; color began to come back to Rhi's cheeks, and her breathing seemed to ease a bit. Reilly's face lit up. He turned to look at his white haired friend. 


"Thank you," he muttered, still apparently in shock that his wife wasn't dead. "I- It- There aren't words... She's still here..."


Rhiannon suddenly went rigid, stiffening harshly as a choking gasp fought its way out her throat. At the exact same moment, the familiar cry of the Host echoed up from the direction of the Hills. White fluid, viscous and thick, erupted from between Rhiannon's clenched teeth, and faster than even the fastest of them could follow, it covered her jaw and nose in a hard, bone white cast. It seemed to rot away the skin around her mouth, for teeth protruded through the cast, though they weren't human teeth. They were wickedly sharp, numerous and needle-like. Her eyes snapped open, but the kind brown of Rhiannon had been replaced by the hungry yellow of a Hollow. She opened her new maw and screamed. 


Reilly fell back in shock, horrified, as his arms released her to catch his fall. Kicking her feet under her, the Thing that was Rhiannon sprang up and with a outward pull from both hands, ripped the Kido restraints from her wrists. Then, without stopping to look at any of the Shinigami around her, she sprinted off, tearing across the red sands toward the Hills. 


Reilly didn't move. Confusion and doubt filled his face, still tinged with horror. He stayed that way for a few more moments, as if coming to terms with what had just happened, but finally he stood up. His face was grim and his expression haunted. 


"I have to get her back. By myself." He spoke flatly, hoarsely. He looked at Daisuke and offered his hand for a shake. "I guess I never got to know you that well, Dais, and I'm sorry for it. Thank you for coming with me, even if the Venture didn't pay off in the end.


"And Ryuuko." He paused, unsure of what to say. Finally he embraced her. "Thank you for all you've been through with me. I'm better for it. Good luck with your search for a new place; maybe I'll catch up with you, some day."


Reilly stepped to his fallen zanpakuto, lifting it from where he'd chucked it unceremoniously as he'd stopped with Rhiannon in his arms. 


"I'm sorry, my friend. But there's no sleeping yet." Turning toward the Hills, Tsume on his shoulder, he cast back one more look to his friends. "Let the others know about Mitsa and the Survivors. Maybe you can beat some sense into the bastard and shack up with them. I'll be seeing you."


With a final wave of his hand, Reilly was gone, running as fast as he could possibly manage, and soon he disappeared over a sand dune, following Rhiannon's path. 


(You guys feel free to make contact with the other groups. The Blood Plains arc is concluded.)


@Nada @KageYuuki