Lurking in the Murk [Open]

[Director]

It is a fairly routine early morning for the overly dangerous 78th District of Rukongai, the people living there are prowling around doing the shady things that they generally do with no regard for law and order whatsoever. The few civil protection squads that get sent to this area have proven time and time again to be ineffective in restoring this place to a more orderly state, and today was yet another example of their inefficiency.

A rumble somewhere on the eastern side of the district shakes the very foundation of several buildings around that area, causing quite the scene as women and children race out of destroyed buildings to get to safety from a number of figures that lurk about in the dust. Of course, the squad that was supposed to be patrolling this area is nowhere to be seen, but luckily at least one Shinigami was around to send out a message to the Seireitei by means of a Hell Butterfly.

"Calling all available personnel, a substantial number of hollows have broken into Soul Society and are currently causing havoc within the 78th District. I repeat, a large number of hollows have broken into Soul Society and are currently causing havoc within the 78th District."

Hopefully that doesn't fall on deaf ears. Thought the lone Shinigami as he drew his sword and waded through fleeing civilians to approach the cloud of dust and hopefully prevent a few deaths.



Notable NPCs: (1) 3rd-Seat Level Shinigami Male
() Hollows
(15-20) Non-Combatant Civilians

[Hibiki Shimizu]

What is this disturbance? Hibiki thought as he sprinted through some fairly empty streets and towards the site of screaming civilians and origin of the abrupt rumbling. The Captain of the 8th Division hadn't any idea what was going on at the time especially given the area that he was currently in. The outer reaches of the Rukongai were well known for their rowdiness and unlawful behavior so the source of distress could be anything from a riot to a full scale hollow attack. It was a normal occurrence for Hibiki to be out and about in these parts of the Rukongai even though it would seem irregular for him to be there in the first place. Whenever he had the time, despite that it he might be better serving the Gotei 13 in the Seireitei, he always found his way back to the Rukongai - like it was beckoning him.

Now the Rukongai was once again in some sort of turmoil. "Where are the shinigami that are supposed to be patrolling this area? I haven't seen a single squad for quite some time, and I sense only a few low-power reiatsu presences." After using shunpo to make his progression through the district a bit easier, the Captain finally made it close to the site of conflict. He spotted a single shinigami wading his way through a crowd of fleeing civilians and quickly utilized shunpo once more to move himself onto the rooftop of a nearby hovel. A considerably large cloud of dust obscured any figures that were within the area in front of Hibiki, but this didn't bother him one bit. After analyzing the scene for a moment Hibiki sent out a few residual waves of his spiritual pressure into the surrounding area, alerting any nearby allies to his presence as well as any enemies.

"Expand, Kaze," Hibiki proclaimed at a tone barely more audible than a whisper. As he stated the release command he drew the corresponding blade that was of the four sheathed at his waist, and the weapon transformed in a low flash of green light. "Let us start with this cloud," Hibiki said calmly, slashing his blade out in front of him as a mighty blast of wind erupted from the weapon. The wind would dispel the cloud of dust almost instantly but wouldn't damage any of the persons inside the area of effect due to the power Hibiki implemented. "Now, what have we here?"

[Director]

Upon noticing the spiritual pressure of a Captain arriving on the scene, the lone shinigami drops his guard for a moment to see which one it was. "Oh, Captain Shimizu." The man stated as a claw swung at him from the shadows and raked across his chest, causing three long and bleeding cuts. "Ugh... damn." The man slashes his sword in the direction he was attacked, but meets nothing but air when a sudden gust of wind blows everything out of the way so that the opponents were now visible.

"Good... Now that we can... see them, we can fight them off... I'm Tanda-san, 5th Division. I'm glad you arrived Captain Shimizu" The man states as he turns back around to face the eight now visible hollow. All of which have risen their claws and begun to converge upon several civilians who still happen to be in the area, actually successfully killing about seven before Tanda was able to reach them.

Notable NPCs: (1) Tanda Soramu
(8/) Hollows: 1-3 are Demi-Hollow variety, 4-5 are Bulbous G, 6-7 are Numb Chandeliers, 8 is a Tentapodus
(13/20) Non-Combatant Civilians

[Captain Stelevein]

Stelevein hadn't really had much action fighting hollows in quite some time, and his schedule was free. "hmm what luck, finally I get to fight." He thought to himself as he shunpoed from the roof in which he was standing and made his way to the area that the hollows were in. He had noticed that shimizu had beaten him.

Stelevein walked up beside him and drew his zanpakuto while speaking, "Tanda; what in gods name happened? And where is the squad who was patrolling this area?"

OOC:Sorry it's not much I am on a phone xD

[Hibiki Shimizu]

As the cloud subsided Hibiki could now clearly see the multitude of Hollows running amok in the area. The lone shinigami in the streets caught Hibiki's attention when the Captain saw he had been stricken by one the creatures. The shinigami introduced himself as one Tanda from the 5th Division but as soon as that seemed to happen the Hollows had already dispatched a fair amount of civilians. Damn. I will not let their sacrifice be in vain.[/color] Hibiki was about to leap off the rooftop when a sudden spiritual pressure caught his attention - Captain Commander Stelevein. "Well met, Captain Commander. But if you will pardon me," Hibiki replied to his superior's appearance on the battlefield, quickly using shunpo to appear next to Tanda.

"Tanda-san, I need you to make a decision, and fast. If you harbor a single doubt in your mind that you would somehow hinder this battle, then please step back. I appreciate heroics but I'd rather not have any more casualties on my hands," as the 8th Division Captain continued his hasty instructions to Tanda, he sheathed the zanpakutou he had used prior and drew another. "Your no use to me, the Captain Commander, or any of the Gotei 13 if you die here. Understand?" Hibiki looked over his shoulder and nodded stoically to the shinigami and then leaped into the fray of Hollows.

"Grant me swiftness, friend" Hibiki whispered to his zanpakutou, and as a Demi-Hollow lunged forward to meet the flesh of a nearby civilian, the blade found its way into the Hollow's skull before it could strike. Hibiki twisted the blade and pulled out the embedded weapon in one fluid motion, content as the Hollow slumped to the ground, dead.

[Director]

"Ah, Commander Stelevein!" The appearance of the Captain Commander isn't exactly something that one can overlook. Tanda Soramu, being a fairly loyal shinigami when it comes down to it was no different. "Well, it would seem that there was a hollow attack... The 13th Squad was supposed to be patrolling this area today, but their soldiers are nowhere to be seen." The debriefing had to be swift however, as one of the Numb Chandeliers fires a flurry of acid bullets at he and the captain commander, prompting the 3rd seat to immediately leap to the side in order to avoid this onslaught. Luckily, Captain Shimizu appears next to them at that moment as well, prompting Tanda with an ultimatum.

"I will not abandon the civilians, sir. I may be a hinder in the battle, but I signed up for this job to die for them." Almost no point in speaking however, as Hibiki quickly leaped into the fray, zanpakutou at the ready and cleaving through a Demi-Hollow before it was able to slay another innocent civilian. The woman quickly thanks Hibiki before fleeing the scene, and Tanda quickly moves to cover another civilian who had come under attack but one of the remaining Demi-Hollow.

The brief skirmish between the two results in Tanda being disarmed, but overall still in control of the fight by relying upon a binding Kido to incapacitate his opponent. And with that, the pair of Bulbous G in the area immediately move to attack Stelevein, who at this point in time happened to be standing within the thick of things.


Notable NPCs: (1) Tanda Soramu
(7/) Hollows: 2-3 are Demi-Hollow variety, 4-5 are Bulbous G, 6-7 are Numb Chandeliers, 8 is a Tentapodus
(13/19) Non-Combatant Civilians

[Captain Stelevein]

Stelevein stood where he was for a moments time, though that proved to be stupid on his part as four cero's were shot at him. He didn't have time enough to react and the four cero's struck him and blew him across the feild of battle. Stelevein got up slowly and dusted his shoulder off as if nothing was wrong when in truth he had blood pouring from his arm which was caused from attempting to reduce the impact from the cero's which worked slightly.

After this he drew his zanpakutou and shunpoed beside one of the four hollows(Don't really care which hollow so you can decide that) and sliced his skull, open. After that he shunpoed to the hollow which was bound by tanda and proceded to do the same.

[Hibiki Shimizu]

The Head Captain seems to be as... efficient as ever, Hibiki notes as he witnesses his superior quickly dispose of two Hollows in a span of mere seconds. Hearing another shriek from nearby reminded Captain Shimizu that this was no time to be caught gawking though. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a child pushed to the ground by another one of the fleeing civilians. It wasn't too soon afterwards when a Bulbous G reared its ugly mug towards the helpless victim and then raised one leg high in the air to smash the child to death. "Not likely," Hibiki murmured, suddenly appearing behind the Hollow whose raised leg was now quite separated from its body. The Bulbous G let out a monstrous roar as it fell to one side because of the sudden change in balance, reaching out with anxious hands as it tried to assault the 8th Division Captain. As the Hollow landed on its side, breaking through the side of a shabby hovel in the process, the beast quickly raised to a sitting position. "Find peace in your demise, damned soul." Hibiki had already cut clear through the beast's torso just as it rose, a grotesque amount of blood spewing from the severed Hollow's remains.

As the 8th Division Captain sheathed his sword, barely having time to reach down and lay a single finger on his next blade, another Demi-Hollow flanked him from one side. The beast jumped over some wreckage and debris, jaws open and ready to taste shinigami flesh. Without even pausing to look at the creature, Hibiki swung one arm out with his forefinger extended. "Hado number fifty-four. Haien," the man spoke in a very relaxed tone of voice. The kido blast hit the monster at point-blank range, illuminating the beast in a bright flash of purple as it suddenly ignited. In the next second the Demi-Hollow was little more than a pile of ash. Overkill, perhaps, but Hibiki wasn't prepared to let these beast survive for another instant. He was hoping it would even serve to catch the attention of a few other Hollows nearby and focus their attention on the Captain rather than the civilians.

[Director]

With Stelevein successfully dispatching two of the hollow with split second swordplay, it appeared that things were finally moving into the shinigami's favor. Hibiki further facilitates their advantage by defeating a Bulbous G to save a child before destroying a Demi-Hollow with a quick Kido spell. This captures the attentions of the final Bulbous G, and the last pair of Numb Chandeliers, who make their way over to Hibiki en masse to try to bum-rush him.

The tentapodus however, steadily makes it's way over to Stelevein, walking with a wide gait as it swings it's large tentacles around the area, leveling buildings and potentially squishing civilians as it recklessly destroys the area. Tanda is able to protect at least two civilians that were near him, at the cost of being struck by the tentacles himself. The injury is severe, and drives the brave 5th division patrol soldier to his knees immediately, his shattered Zanpakuto on the ground beside him, and one of his arms hanging limply by his side while the other one does it's best to withstand the massive girth of the tentacle that's crushing the shinigami.

[Captain Stelevein]

Stelevein noticed Tanda fighting for his life as the tentacles of the tentapodus began crushing him. Stelevein's reaction was emmediate, "Refract Illuminados" stelevein spoke and his zanpakutou was released into shikai. As this was done he sliced through the air sending a light pulse which killed the tenotapodus. As it disentigrated stelevein shunpoed to Tanda and proceded to pick him up and carry him somewhere out of the field of battle for him to rest and recover.

After stelevein had done that he shunpoed back to the battle field to dispose of the.final bulbous G which he did in mere seconds.

[Hibiki Shimizu]

"That tactic seems to have worked," Hibiki whispered as he closed his eyes and nodded his head slightly, extending his zanpakutou before himself. As he opened his eyes, the two Numb Chandeliers were approaching steadily but kept at a distance. "Adapt, Mizu." Hibiki's drawn blade suddenly transformed into a slender and elegant scimitar, wrapped in a dim mist of fading energies. Swiping the blade to one side, the Captain dispelled the mist that grew around his zanpakutou, brandishing the weapon clearly before his foes. "Now perish," With another display of his flash step knowledge and prowess, Hibiki appeared directly before one of the Hollows that challenged him. A flurry of tentacles lashed out at the Captain which all connected in full. Hibiki was essentially a few feet from the beast, taking the brunt of the attack with a stern expression on his face. Nothing seemed to phase him though.

"How tactless," the 8th Division Captain commented on the beast's feeble means of retaliating. The Numb Chandelier recoiled its tentacles, obviously confused and infuriated that none of its attacks were doing any damage despite hitting their target completely. It seemed like the creature was taking another moment to consider its options, and in that moment Hibiki realized that the last Bulbous G was circling around towards his right side. Regardless, the Captain didn't do anything. Apparently having no other option it could think of, the Numb Chandelier shot out another attack of tentacles to lash at the motionless Hibiki. "Far too slow," Hibiki replied to the assault, whipping his blade to and fro in one series of fluid movement. The three tentacles that the Numb Chandelier had just lunged out were now severed and slammed to the ground with a loud smack. "Like I said. Tactless," Hibiki appeared behind the wounded Hollow, swiping his zanpakutou to one side as a small amount of blood was thrown off the weapon. The wounded Hollow, motionless in shock, erupted into a bloody heap of gore, dozens of precise cuts lining its body as it slipped into lifelessness.

Turning to regard the other Numb Chandelier in the vicinity, Hibiki looked onto the beast with a stoic glare. "Are you prepared?" The Hollow lashed out in a similar fashion to how its fellow Hollow had only moments before, near-powerless tentacles looking to meet their mark. I don't have time for any more of this, the Captain concluded with a sigh, turning his body the smallest fraction of an inch to evade an incoming tentacle. The Numb Chandelier continued its barrage of mid range attacks, each one dodged by the 8th Division Captain as he executed turns and minor pivots with astounding precision and mastery. Hibiki literally dodged his way up towards the beast until he was nearly face to face with the Hollow, lazily thrusting his zanpakutou into its mask. The beast shrieked in defiance but eventually shuttered and fell down to the ground, twitching as its lifeblood spewed from a score of fatal injuries that Hibiki somehow made before the beast made its descent.

Landing on the ground gently, Hibiki turned to regard his final opponent - the last Bulbous G in the area. Just as the Hollow was approaching to attack, the Head Captain appeared just as randomly as ever, striking the beast down with a single maneuver. "My thanks, sir," Hibiki replied to the action, suppressing his zanpakutou back into its shikai form as he sheathed the scimitar. Is that all?... the 8th Division Captain thought as he panned his view across the ruined shambles of the community, searching for any possible survivors to aid or any remaining Hollows to execute.

OOC: Kinda got carried away with describing the battle, but hey, I was bored :D

[Director]

With all of the hollows in the area dispatched by the teamwork of Captains Stelevein and Shimizu, all looked well in this particular district of Rukongai. One almost would have thought that more monsters should have been around, but when a figure with a broken mask arrives on the scene with a scythe-like weapon in his hands it becomes eerily apparent that this hollow attack was no random occurrence. But before anybody would have been able to react to his presence, he disappears immediately, leaving behind nothing but the memory of him having been standing there moments ago.





OOC: Narrator posts no longer in this topic. Feel free to wrap up amongst yourselves and then this topic closes.