Skirmish in the Rukongai

[Rafael]

Thread Title: Skirmish in the Rukongai
Participants: Rafael - Zadora - Lolth vs Ranth - Wycliff
World: Soul Society
Death Setting: Permanent Injuries Enabled
Rating: R
Location: The 75th Western district of the Rukongai. The district is dirty with poor underprivileged citizens of Soul Society trying to make a living on the streets. There are many stands selling different items most of low quality. All of the buildings in the district are made of old wood and most look to be in bad condition. The district is over flowing with citizens due to the recent attacks in the outer sections of the Rukongai.
Special Conditions: The battle is currently a 3v2 however another shinigami may join with permission from Ranth/Wycliff so long as they're Class 3-5. They may join at any time.
Circumstances: The Beasts have come to the Ruckongai looking for specific ingredients and supplies that they haven't been able to find in the wilds. While looking for a stand that possesses what they want they come across a few Shinigami who due to the recent Beast attacks wish to detain or speak to the Beasts and thus conflict ensues between the group of spiritual entities.

[Ranth]

"Look, I'm not saying that Cherry is bad, it's just my least favorite flavour". These words could be overheard in the bustling streets of the Rukongai from a fairly tall young man wearing distinctive white robes, pale white hair and golden eyes. Beside him strode a similarly young looking man of identical height and rather similar in build to boot. However unlike his companion, this second individual wore the distinctive uniform of the Shinigami- albeit with the sleeves removed- and possessed sandy blonde hair.

Their reason for being in the Rukongai was a simple patrol orchestrated by a joint initiative between the 13th division and the Kido Corps as both a training and team-building exercise. The patrol wasn't purely for training purposes however, but rather a response to a spate of recent attacks that had been blamed on members of the beast clan based on eyewitness reports and the injuries of those who had been involved.

In truth, Ranth had virtually no experience with members of the Beast Clan, as even within the academy they had been a minority that kept mostly to themselves- even going so far to have their own curriculum due to tensions between them and some of the noble families who frowned upon members of the Beast Clan even being allowed to undergo the training.

"But honestly, It's one thing to enjoy Pop Rocks, but I don't think I've ever seen you without them. Don't you ever get sick of them?" They'd been patrolling for most of the morning without incident and it was now approaching noon. In that time, the pair had taken to discussing their inclinations towards different human world sweets... or rather, Ranth had questioned- with genuine curiosity- Wycliff's bizarre addiction to the sugary confection.

The main reason for their pairing in this endeavor was because they had worked together once before, several months prior to the present day. It had in fact been Ranth's first mission as a Shinigami, having only graduated from the academy the week before. Granted, they hadn't exactly bonded during the task, but their respective superiors had obviously decided that it was as good a foundation as any to build upon and so now here they were.

"For what it's worth, I highly recommend Tim Tams if you ever decide to branch out. They have so many different varieties, you really can't go wrong with them", he sighed as he thought of the one time he'd had a chance to try them. Unfortunately, he'd later learned that even within the human world they were rather difficult to track down, as only the island nation known as Australia made them and he'd never had cause to visit.

[Wycliff]

The sounds of water softly dripping could be heard echoing out as Wycliff looked around the totally destroyed room. Darkness filled it as he entered in from the tunnel that he had been lead down. The smell of blood,bleach, and sweat filled the air making it heavy and hard to breath. What was this place? Why had he been lead down to this strange and dark room under the soul society by him? What was the reason for any of this at all? As he took the final steps into the room the heavy metal door slammed shut and locked him in the darkness and in here.

The sound of water dripping down was soon replaced by the sounds of a dog whimpering and crying for help. “Bacardi....” As if in a trance Wycliff continued deeper into the pitch black room the cries of the dog becoming more frantic as he got deeper into the room. Suddenly a single solitary light shined reveling a person chained to a wall behind a door. Her hair was as mess, her body slumped over without clothing on. He could tell instantly who it was, he didn't have to guess, he would know that hair anywhere and Bacardi only cared about one person.

Rushing to the door he tried to grab the handle only to have it not move, it was stuck in place. Not knowing what else to do he tried pulling on the door and slamming against it to make it budge, but it didn't do anything. As he did so he screamed out her name to try and wake her up to see if she was still alive. Only to have the light flicker off and on and the body of the woman rise and slam against the door reveling her face to be twisted and covered in a hollow mask and her skin turned solid black. She let out a horrid scream of pain and anguish as the door busted open.

Wycliff awoke with sweat covering his body and the sun starting to rise up. He looked out knowing exactly what had happened. “Fuck man..... Rose.... where did you go.....” He still hadn't gotten over the fact that something was wrong with his captain, the person who accepted him after he was thrown out of all the other squads simply because of his power. He didn't know why Rose said yes, but in that time she saved him from going to the maggots nest and when it was his time to save her he failed her as she vanished without a trace. Ever since then he's had nightmares reoccurring of the first meeting they had.

Knowing that he wasn't going to be able to sleep the shingami rose out of his bed and dressed quickly, there was somewhere he had to go. He knew the path so well, he could do it in his sleep, back then it was all because of a dog pissing on his uniform, but now it was due to the guilt he had over her. After a while he stood in the very same tunnel before the heavy metal door that locked her away and him in there with her. He didn't know what he was expecting, but as he opened the door he saw the same thing that he always saw since she had vanished.

Dust had coated the entire room, the smell of blood had dissapeared, yet the stains of blood remained. Walking into it he knew that she wasn't here, she wasn't going to pop out call him a bitch and demand for some of his nose candy. While he disliked the fact that she had a very powerful taste for everything horrid for someone he knew that it was to dull what she was going through and his stuff packed a punch. Maybe if he had been stronger back then, then he could have helped her, but he wasn't and now all that remained was this old place and the memories that it had.

Walking to the back room he saw the chains that held her against the wall he never got an answer as to who built this place and for why, only that she was using it. Sinking to the floor he sat down and waited alone in the dark for the time to pass. He had a mission today with a rookie that he had done one before, but right now he didn't feel like moving. Hours later Wycliff rose from the dusty ground and walked out of the tunnel tired, and lost, but his eyes would be hidden behind his shades.


Wycliff arrived late for the patrol of the rukongai, he smiled at the rookie and blamed the fact that he had overslept again and it wasn't a real big deal, after all there was a small chance that they would actually end up meeting what they were trying to catch. Part of him was excited to see some other beast clan. Besides the ones he saw in the academy he hadn't really interacted with them. He was sure that they could reach an agreement over what was going on and bloodshed didn't need to happen. After all, they were there to protect and maintain order for everyone including the beast clan.

Wycliff started off into the intended area that they were to guard opening up a packet of poprocks and shoveling them down into his mouth. Feeling the slight pop that they gave as they touched his tongue. Man he really couldn't ever get anything better than this when it came to candy and trust me he had tried. When they stopped making them for a bit he looked everywhere for something else to replace them, but nothing quite filled the void that they left. He even had to resort to stealing entire shipments of the stuff to fill his need. Mind you that probably didn't help in getting them back, but apparently they did bounce back and his favorite sweet was back.

Not wanting to be too stingy with his candy he tossed a packet at Ranth and smiled. “Go ahead and have it I've got plenty.” Wycliff pulled back a jacket pocket to show that he was carrying an uncountable amount of poprocks in his uniform almost as if he had his own little pocket dimension for poprocks and poprocks alone. The packet in question that he had thrown to Ranth to have was cherry flavored one of the ones he liked the most. Grape was good, and the bubble gum one was cool, but nothing could beat cherry when it came to taste.

Before he could hear Ranth's complaint about it being cherry flavor he tossed the empty packet into a pocket in his pants. Even thought that this was the Rukongai, the literal slums of the soul society it still lead to the wilds which were pure and untamed nature, so he didn't want his litter to end up there even by accident. “Watch what you say about cherry flavor there bro, those are fighting words ya here me?” He had a smile across his face as he said those words being playful as he was just being a bit silly and trying to relax himself.

That was followed up by a question if he ever got sick of pop rocks. “Hell no bro, I aint ever get sick of these things. I went crazy last time they were discontinued.” He gave a soft chuckle as he continued walking with the other shingami. The last time the two of them had been together it was on a mission to capture a Vandenreich informant. While the mission was completed, he wasn't exactly too sure on the strength of Ranth, after all in that mission Ranth to him was still very green and it hadn't been that long since then.

“Ehh I've had them before, they just don't do it for me ya know? Listen, nothing out there got that pop that these guys carry. Every time I eat em I get a pop with each bag that really speak to me, besides they're tasty. Also, ehh chocolate ain't exactly my favorite either. It's different, sorta like how some folks like vanilla and other like chocolate, ain't nothin wrong with either of them. Just some like the other better ya know?” Even while talking Wycliff was keeping an eye out for the beast clan that he assumed he wouldn't see or find. If anything just walking and talking would make this assignment go by faster.

[Rafael]

Stepping throughout the streets of the Rukongai was the massive Beast by the name of Rafael who towered over virtually every other entity that he and his friends who made up the small pack had passed since arriving in the settlement of the spiritual community. Although Rafael held a great disdain towards humans and saw shinigami in the same light due to the experiences he had dealt with involving them since beginning his new life they were all here today. The small pack had been living a rather peaceful life the last few weeks since finding their new home in the far west of the wilds.

Although Rafael had continued to go through various other things such as fighting other Beasts and continuing to train Zadora in how to defend herself beyond those simple aspects of life everything had been peaceful. They had all decided to leave home for a few days though so that they could come to the Rukongai in order to get a few things that could make life a little bit better. Memories of being human were foggy at the best of times now for Rafael and he figured the same must be true for both Lolth and Zadora as well, but still he could remember a few things that he wouldn't mind trying to get now.

The most of which was coffee. Rafael wasn't the best at buildings things or growing things, but he could make due with simply hunting as could Lolth and Zadora. The idea of being able to grow coffee beans though and savor a refreshing drink was one that he missed and if he got the chance would gladly go for even if it meant having to stomach being around these people for a few hours. The district wasn't what he had been expecting though. He had been expecting to see these people living in comfort and ease yet he could see that virtually everyone in sight was just struggling to get by with what little was available to them.

He didn't like that they didn't have anything to conceal themselves with walking around with the normal attire that they all wore made it obvious beyond all reason that they were Beasts. He didn't like being treated different than others for simply being different and right now and since arriving the gazes of awe, fear and contempt were enough that he had to inhale slowly to keep his nerves down and his rage in check. It would be fine though so long as this trip proved to be worth it. These people weren't an issue beyond the constant gazes.

He just hoped that they'd find a stall soon carrying the two large deer on his right shoulder was starting to get annoying. The bucks on his shoulder both were above six points and weighed at least three hundred pounds each, but the positioning that was the issue. Having to carrying them both wasn't easy when they just seemed to want to fall. Perhaps they should have killed them earlier instead of finding and picking them up only a few hours ago. Nothing could be done about it now though. He just hoped that someone here would be willing to trade some seeds and whatever the girls wanted for the deer and that no one tried to touch his deer while he continued to walk.

"Any sign of what we're looking for yet?" Rafael asked addressing both Lolth and Zadora who walked beside him. Although he was by far the tallest he couldn't see quite well with the deer blocking his right side. Lolth and Zadora were much closer to eye level with the citizens of the district and being that they were girls perhaps they would be better at shopping then him anyway. He didn't really know all he knew was that if he could find some coffee beans and maybe some potato seeds then he'd be delighted. The faster the better though it didn't look like the people who lived here were very happy to see them.

[Zadora]

Bright liquid gold orbs looked about, trying to see over the tops of peoples heads who were at her height. A frown marred the tall feline female beast. Zadora soon gave up trying to look over them to look between the small gapes of the people. Her pawed hands curled up in a fist, cracking each knuckle in the process. Feeling the slight annoyance tingling in her torso with the crowd. She released a huff before turning to look at each of her friends.

She first glanced at her spider friend. Not sure of how the other female of their group was talking the crowd of people. The two of them could barely see over some of the head compared to their much taller feline friend who towered over the two of them. She glanced around the female to see if she had brought her 'Children' with her. 'Probably not. She wont risk them getting stepped on' She thought before turning her attention to the other feline of the group.

She stared at him in silence, following them. She dropped her glaze to the two bucks he had been carrying. She had been watching the carcasses for some time, watching them slide only for him to readjust them. "Are you sure you can keep carrying them?" She asked, worried as she lifted her head to look up at his face. She watched his body moved slightly as he took in a slow inhale. Was he getting annoyed as well.

Why was he getting annoyed? She moved slightly closer to him. Feeling his presence was able to calm her growing annoyance. "Its too crowded here.." She grumbled out. Having been used to just her friends around her then to come her and see the large amount of people. She just wanted to return back to their mountain. Mostly the river and waterfall was what she wanted to return to. The thought of the water made her want to turn around and head back home right then and there.

When he spoke about any signs of what they were looking for made her think about to what she could want. She turned her head from him to look back ahead of them. Chocolates could be nice. She wasn't sure on anything else. She turned to glance between the two of her friends. "What are you two looking for? I can only think of chocolate for myself." She questioned as she looked at the two of them. Hoping to get this trip over with. The crowd of people was making her fur bristle.

[Lolth Orbweaver]

The noises in the street were nearly as overwhelming to Lolth's sensitive senses, as the smells that assaulted her nose. When Rafael had told them that they were all going to go to the Rukongai to do some shopping, Lolth expected her nose to be clouded with the sweet pungent perfumes and colones of the smaller spiritual race. The smells were a far cry than what she was expecting. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She had gathered from the sensory information around her that they were in one of the outer regions of the city, which meant they were in one of the rougher areas, where beasts like them may be able to get something done. 

Still the place was crowded. She could feel people constantly bumping into her followed by the growls of "Watch it" and curses to their race. Lolth had questioned Rafael what they possibly needed from the city that they couldn't get out in the wilderness. If it was something that had to be manufactured, they can learn to make it, or make due without it. They can find and hunt any food that they needed. Their home was teaming with life and resources that would sustain them for years at least. Lolth would have been irritated since stepping foot into the city, most likely being the most annoyed out of the three of them. There was nothing that she wanted here. She had her little ones, that was all she needed. 

"Its hard to see anything when all you see is darkness." Lolth replied dryly waving a hand over her five milky eyes. She knew that it was unlikely that Rafael would see the gesture from behind the body of the deer he was carrying on that shoulder, but her sarcasm would not be lost on him. It was her little way of both showing her agitation at him for dragging her into the city, but at the same time, showing that she was not completely upset with some sign of humor. Both of them asked what they were looking for, though so far only Zadora answered with chocolate. That was actually not a bad idea. Lolth could use some to attract food for her little ones. 

As for Lolth, she didn't really come looking for anything. She thought she had everything that she needed back in her cave. She had her little ones to take care of and her friends to keep her company. She had hunting for food, she wasn't particularly picky as long as she can liquefy it. The tall spider woman clicked her mandibles together using a sort of sonar to get a "visual" of the area around them. She could hear the foot steps of those around them. Most quickened their pace to get away from them, a few slowed in order to stare at the trio. Lolth's black hair stood out against her simple white dress made from the silk of her little ones and a few other materials she could gather. Four arms hung at her side one of her little ones stood on her shoulder. He insisted on coming with her. 

There was something that made Lolth pause. A strum of a stringed instrument had caught Loath's attention. The long note then changed to many quicker ones the pitch of the strings getting higher and higher. Lolth could hear the fingers pressing on the six strings and another hand plucking them. The sound was surprisingly pleasing to her. The other may not have noticed her stop, and kept going, but Lolth continued to follow the sound coming to a street performer with an instrument crafted from the human world, or at least designed by those of the human world. Lolth could sense others listening to the performer, not really noticing her thankfully. She found her head tilting a bit from the rythem of the song, and a slight smile spread across her face. 

[Ranth]

Ranth smiled politely as he tucked the brightly coloured packet of cherry flavoured pop-rocks into a pocket inside his robes. There was a less than 0 percent chance that he was going to eat them, but he didn't want to ruin the gesture by rejecting such a well-meaning gift. Perhaps he'd be able to give them to Artorius when he returned to the barracks, or better yet maybe Inara would enjoy them with that sweet tooth of hers.

"Well, I suppose we won't be breaking your addiction any time soon", he joked as they made a left turn to keep on the main street that formed a loop halfway between the border of district and its center. The route was meant to enable them to traverse the entirety of the district as smoothly as possible whilst also given them the best chance to encounter any problems- should there be any- throughout the district.

Speaking of problems, in the relatively short time that they'd been performing their rounds, they'd already had to resolve two civil disputes and break up 3 drunken brawls. It was a sobering reminder of what kind of life the souls this deep in the Rukongai led. Granted, he'd grown up much closer to the Seireitei and hadn't ever had to experience first hand the kind of poverty that prevailed beyond the 25th district.

In fact, as children they'd been told tales of the outer districts in much the same way that people shared ghost or bed time stories to keep them in line. 'Beware the child gobbler in the 88th district', or 'never make eye contact with the Toe Tallier in the 44th district' were just two examples he could immediately recall as he watched a barefoot urchin snatch an apple from a not-quite-vigilant enough vendor and dash into an adjacent alley.

Sighing as he pretended not to have noticed what was technically a crime, yet was at the same time not nearly worth the energy of punishing, he glanced at Wycliff to see if his face betrayed what he was thinking. It didn't, so Ranth broke the temporary silence that had fallen over the past couple of minutes. "Do you ever think that it feels wrong?"

Catching the questioning glance from his companion, Ranth hurried to elaborate on his words. "That people have to live like this I mean. They didn't choose to be here, they just got the short straw when they died. They could just as easily have ended up in the 1st district as here, but they didn't and everyone knows how close to impossible it is to move up from here... even if nobody ever wants to talk about it", he said quietly- not wanting to be overheard by any of the district residents as they bustled past.

It was an impossible problem to solve due to the very nature of the system that they existed within. People would continue to die and so the Rukongai would continue to expand indefinitely because of how long the souls here lived compared to their human counterparts. It wasn't as simple as just killing themselves to reincarnate back on earth either, as the system enforced a strict balance of how many souls existed in the living realm- or at least, that's what the Academy taught.

In the event of souls being devoured by Hollows or meeting their end from any number of similarly gruesome means at the hands of the various other races- including some Shinigami- their chances of reincarnation became zero as any sense of self they might have had became lost to whoever- or whatever- devoured them. No person, no organisation, nothing could break that cycle as far as Ranth knew, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty when he ventured out into the slums and witnessed the arbitrary disparity first hand.

Whatever Wycliff's response was, their discussion would be cut short as they came across a sizeable knot of residents. Or rather, a knot of residents came across them Ranth realised by the worried look in their eyes and the determined set of their jaws as they came to a halt in the street before the pair of Shinigami. For a moment, Ranth thought they were about to be assaulted, but as a middle aged woman stepped forwards to represent the others, he instantly dismissed the notion.

It was no secret that there was no love lost between the citizens of the Rukongai and the Shinigami. In fact, Ranth could hardly blame them for feeling largely abandoned by their so-called protectors since due to the vast population disparity, it was impossible to have each and every district adequately reinforced at all times. At best, shinigami were dispatched in response to reports to a potential threat. At worst, the Shinigami themselves were responsible for causing collateral damage in the line of duty.

"Is there something we can help you with?", Ranth asked with as much cheer as he could muster. The woman didn't smile in return, her expression remaining dark despite the bright midday sun beaming down overhead. "You're here about the Beast attacks, right?". Ranth shot a slightly bewildered glance with Wycliff before responding to the woman with a nod, "Yes, that's right... why do you ask?", he asked cautiously- half expecting and half dreading the woman's next words.

"They're here. Now. We've seen them". Ranth shot another glance with Wycliff, this time a look of alarm rather than bewilderment. Ranth's eyes widened and he felt a prickle of alarm on the back of his neck as the full implication of the woman's words dawned on him. She'd said 'they', which meant..."How... how many of them are there?", he asked slowly.

At this, the woman raised a hand and held up three calloused fingers. "There were three of them. They passed through this way less than thirty minutes ago, we think they were headed towards the markets". By this point quite a crowd had gathered around the pair of Shinigami as more and more of the concerned residents gathered around their so called protectors. Taking a deep breath, Ranth looked to Wycliff one more time before asking the dreaded question: "Can you lead the way?"

With a nod, the woman gestured down one of the dozens of sidestreets that connected the main thoroughfare to the inner and outer portions of the district. As best Ranth could tell, she was pointing West, which would take them closer to the center of the district where the majority of the markets were established. A nervous sweat had broken out upon his brow and his heart rate had accelerated over the course of the past minute as nervous energy began to course through him... which caused him to completely forget to ask after the appearance of the Beast Clan members in question.

[Wycliff]

Wycliff pushed his fist against the back of the head of Ranth and moved it back and forth for a bit messing up the shingami's hairdo in a playful manor. As this was going on Wycliff let out a soft chuckle before speaking. “It ain't an addiction ya goof, if ya got time to make jokes then ya don't need me around to help ya.” Of course this was Wycliff just being himself and not really meaning anything about it. Even if he hated doing actual work, if it was to protect people then he would do it, after all that's why he became a shingami, to protect those that can't protect themselves or so he told himself.

As they continued to walk down the streets of the rukongai he saw more and more of his past in the people living here and what they were doing. The first drunken fight that they had to break up was between two younger men, both couldn't be over twenty yet they were fighting over some money that the other owed or claimed that they owed. It really didn't take much to break up the fight, but it reminded him of his own time as a human and the fights he took part in for cash, what he did back then to survive and what lead him to his own death.

The first civil dispute that they had to take care of was rather boring, honesty it stopped after both Ranth and him just walked over, but the second one left a more impactful impression. While they were walking away from breaking up a fight a woman had gone to grab him on his arm, he assumed that she was a beggar and wanted some money. However as she spoke through her tears it was a cry for help with her children from her husband he saw the marks on her face and knew all too well where they came from. Wycliff asked that Ranth stay back as he dealt with it on his own.

Wycliff wasn't trying to protect Ranth, he just wanted to work out some old personal demons. It wasn't often that he ever fixated on his past, but in this case there was something he had to do. Call it revenge for being too weak back then, call it justice for others when no one could give it to him. Either way it would end the same with murder. Wycliff would enter the rundown and almost falling over shack alone with his blade drawn and leave holding two kids in his arms both of kids with a few bags of pop rocks. Without saying anything to Ranth he would continue walking down the street till they got grabbed to do something else.

As more time went on it seemed that the only thing they were doing was breaking up fights and arguments between the people of the rukongai. They had been at this for a while now and the only thing that they had learned was that they needed to send more people out here to the outer limits to help deal with the issues that were prevalent all the time. Sadly that wasn't why they were here, they were here looking for beast clan who had been stealing things, not being officers. They had been walking in silence now for a bit, that was till Ranth had broken the silence with a question asking if it ever felt wrong.

Wycliff just looked at his fellow shingami not really knowing what he meant by that. There were a few things that he could mean, but he would keep quiet till he heard more. Then the words came out, he spoke about how this whole situation was wrong and how it wasn't fair for the people who lived here and how there wasn't a chance for them to actually move up in the world. While normally people would think Wycliff would agree with Ranth's statement, he harbored the exact opposite feelings because of where he had been and what he did to get to where he was.

“It ain't wrong, it's just how much work they actually do bro. I wasn't from the fancy levels of the Rukongai either, but that didn't stop me from working my ass off to get outa here, heck the place I ended up in was a bit nicer than where I lived before I kicked the bucket. What you see is a result of them not picken themselves up and doing something. How many drunks and druggies we seen in the last block alone? Think it was this place that did that to em? Naw they just gave up, if ya give up life gives up on ya and ya can't get anywhere.”

He wasn't about to have a pity party for the people here, a lot of them made their choice to give up when shit got too hard for them. It made him upset to think that some of these folks who honestly probably had a better start than he did just gave up and accepted where they were. If they put in the effort they could at least do something with their lives. In both lives he had to work to get past the hand he was dealt. As a human he had to fight with everything he had and beat people to the brink of death just to have a meal. As a shingami he has to fight almost every day of his life to live. If you don't fight, life wins and beats you down.

However before he could get into a debate with Ranth a woman came up to them asking for help with the beastclan and knew where they were. She gave them directions and said that they were heading towards the market. To him it made sense that these beast clan were the ones that they had been looking for. If they wanted to steal things the market place would be the best spot to go and hit up. Plenty of food and other goods that they could use for themselves. With this information the two of them could go and deal with what they had been tasked with.

There was no need for her to come with them, he knew the place that she had pointed to and spoke about. “Thank's mam we got this.” He made sure to know that he meant for her to leave so that the two of them could get to work. Looking over at Ranth he saw the man starting to sweat, looking like he was in terror. He stopped for a moment taking a deep breath before placing a hand on Ranth's shoulder. “Relax bro, we got this, just let me deal with them huh.” He wanted to keep Ranth calm and collected, the last thing he wanted was for a fight to break out right away without at least trying a diplomatic approach.

Wycliff would make sure that he would be in front of Ranth, keeping him from seeing the beast clan first. He wasn't sure if his plan to calm down the man worked, if it did then there wasn't anything to really be worried about. However if it didn't that would make things so much harder. So for now Wycliff had to use his rank and authority, even if he didn't want to given that for the most part the two of them were talking like they were on the same footing, something that he wanted to keep going. He didn't like others sucking up to him because of his rank and the whole idea that others have to treat him better because he was a higher rank. If he was to get respect, it was because he earned it not given it to him from rank.

It wouldn't take that long till Wycliff would see the beast clan that the woman had told them about. All three of them just like she had said they were. From the distance he couldn't tell what they were doing, however the one thing he could tell is that one of them was carrying two large animals over it's shoulders. He stopped and turned to Ranth to face him directly. “Ranth, let me lead, don't attack unless we need to.” While he hadn't fought against beast clan before he had heard stories about their strength and what they could do.

Slowly getting closer he could tell what beasts they were or what animals they were born from. The first one was a spider like being, if it was like real life spiders they would have a lot to worry about, between poisons and webs that it could have it wouldn't be pretty. The one who was carrying the two large animals was a black cat like creature, possible a panther maybe a jaguar. The last one was a white cat, maybe a lion, possibly a leopard. From this distance he couldn't really tell, however he could see that two were female and one was male and all of them were looking around.

Keeping his distance Wycliff would speak up to the beast clan. Making sure that there was ample space between the two of them. Given that the beasts were looking around he assumed that they had stolen the deers and were looking for other things to steal. “Yo, Ya beasts over there, I need ya to drop the deer and come with us. I'm not looking for a fight, but ya can't go stealing things.” Wycliff had one hand on the hilt of his blade as he looked at the three of them and what they would do. “Come on we ain't got all day.”

[Rafael]

Continuing to move throughout the dirt streets that felt as if they were overflowing with humans caused Rafael's patience to quickly deteriorate. All he wanted to do was find a vendor that sold at least some of the things that they were looking for who would be willing to buy a portion of the deer he was carrying. Finding the right vendor though was surprisingly more difficult than Rafael had expected. He didn't know much of anything about this area other than it was populated by the lowest of the low in comparison to the shinigami. At least that's how they saw it themselves and that's what he had been told by a different Beast in the wilds. Beyond that and knowing that this was where to find things that he couldn't himself in the wilds he didn't know anything.

His attention was grasped by Zadora as she asked if he could continue to carry the deer. It was true that he had been carrying them since finding and killing them quickly, but even the combine weight of the deer was nothing to Rafael. The problem was the size of them together with the constant motion of walking. If he hadn't killed them himself he would swear it felt like they were wiggling in order to try and get free from him arm. He didn't bother looking at Zadora as he wanted to find the vendor as quick as possible. "It's fine let's just find someone willing to trade."
He kept looking around until he heard Lolth's response which did bring a fanged grin to the large feline. "Yeah yeah well what do ya smell? Anything around us that sells meat?"

Rafael was curious if there was a vendor who sold meat cause if he sold it that might mean he would be willing to buy the deer right from them. If they managed to sell the deer for whatever type of money these people use getting what they were after would be much easier. "Yeah I'm not to happy with the crowds either Zadora just stick together and let's find the right vendor so we can go home." despite coming to the Rukongai it was unanimous that every member of the small Beast pack didn't want to be here any longer than was necessary to get what they wanted.

As they kept the slow pace of movement through the streets Rafael couldn't help, but take notice of the different looks they were all getting from around them. It was annoying, but what really caught his attention was the fact that some of them seemed to immediately turn away at the sight of them. Something had to of happened at some point it seemed like these people were afraid of them. They hadn't done anything to them although Rafael knew they would get judged this way by some of the people here. They were just like humans judging and fearing what they didn't understand for simply being different. "I'm hoping to get some beans for coffee and potatoes so we can start growing them at home." Rafael answered Zadora's question after she had told them she wanted chocolate. Lolth didn't answer, but hee pace slowed causing Rafael and Zadora to slow in response. Looking over towards Lolth hoping that she had found the vendor they were looking for he didn't see one for meat. The one on the left side of the street sold what looked like water. Could she smell water? Why had she slowed down and liked over there? Rafael was confused for a moment until he heard a knew noise m that had been mixed in with the noise of the crowd. "You like the music Lolth?"

Only a few moments would pass after Rafael had asked Lolth his question when the small pack of Beasts was addressed in a less than stellar manner. Rafael turned his gaze over to the source of the voice after only the first few words and saw they came from a shinigami. He saw the familiar black robes accompanied by a sword. There was another behind him slightly who wore white instead of black, but still had a sword so Rafael figured he must also be a shinigami. Perhaps he was a different type or . . wait he didn't care. "Deers ours shini got them hunting. All the same. Don't wanna fight yet treat others like trash. Go away if you don't want a fight." Rafael starred down the blonde shinigami who had spoken up. He was ready for this shinigami to attack him right away like so many of the others. This wasn't about getting rid of the deer anymore now it was about getting back home without either of the girls suffering any serious injuries at the hands of these monsters.

[Zadora]

He seemed to be to concentrating on looking of a vendor for the bucks he was carrying. He didn't even look towards her direction to answer her question. Hearing Lolth's sarcasm towards Rafael's remark about seeing anything they were looking for. Her paw rose and shuffled a small laugh that escaped her at the sight of their exchange. She glance between the two as Rafael asked if she had smelt anything.

Slowly she was becoming more and more annoyed with the people. And being next to her large friend was helping but not much. The looks that she and her friends were slowly getting to her. Her arms folding over her chest as she stared hard in front of her. The tip of her tail that wasn't pressed close to her back well the rest was coiled around her waist started to flick around rapidly behind her. Her usually small pupils were large and taking up most of her eyes leaving little gold to show.

She turned her head to glance towards her two friends for the moment before looking back to search for a place for the two of them to sell the bucks. She reached back wrapping her pawed hand around her stripped tail and pulled it close to her. Holding the precious appendage that just wants to show her growing emotion with the crowd and their stares. Her ears flicked back, flatting against her skull as she looked over a few head by standing up on her toes.

Why must this place be soo heavily crowded with people? Her thoughts were raging through her mind making her mood even more foul. She was biting down on her bottom lip as a growl seem to rise in her throat and she was preventing the sound from leaving her. Her fingers cracking as she balled them in a fist. One tighter than the other so she didn't hurt her tail. The tip of her tail patting her fist. Shaking her head as she released her grip on her tail. Unclenching her fist to have her arms fall to herself.

She blinked seeing as Lolth was no longer with them for a moment. She paused to turn her head to look at the female. She turned to look at Rafael seeing as he noticed her head towards a different direction. She moved to follow after the Spider-female. She cocked her head to look between her and Rafael. When he had asked about her liking the music had her straining her hearing to hear what they were hearing. She straightened her head when she heard it then looking back to Lolth to see her response.

She listened to the music in the distances until Rafael spoke of the deer being theirs. She turned to face him to see he was looking in a different direction. Turning on her large pad of her paws as she turned to face who Rafael was talking to. She blinked at their attire. They was dressed similar to each other but different from the rest of the people. One dress in black well the other dressed in white was just a few feet behind the man in black.

[Lolth Orbweaver]

The melody had nearly completely entranced the spider girl. The person playing the instrument must either not have noticed the beast woman listening, or simply didn't care who was listening to his performance. The music that the instrument created filled her with something. She felt more at ease, she felt a little...happier. Only the sound of Rafael's voice managed to drag her back to reality, and aware of her surroundings again. She smiled slightly turning back to face him. "Indeed. This is the first time that something other than my little ones made me feel a little bit at peace. I think that I might have--" She stopped snapping her head around picking something different up with her keen senses. 

She could smell something different in the air. Fabric mixed with cleaner, something she did not smell that much in this district. She would hear the foot steps changing around the smell. There were two sources, and there seemed to be a crowd gathering around them. She didn't like this. She immediately rushed to join the others already tensed. She clicked her mandibles aggressively when the shinigami addressed them. She didn't like this situation at all. She could smell the swords on the shinigami. Not only that, but they were vastly out numbered. Yes the pack of bests men outnumbered the shinigami in front of them, but Lolth didn't doubt that the citizens would join the fight to kill those different than them,

Apparently the shinigami that spoke to them first thought that they stole those dear or something like that. Lolth had to stop herself from hissing angrily at them. How dare they accuse them of theft! Lolth moved back slowly to get within whispering distance to Rafael. "It is not safe to fight here. We should retreat back home. I told you coming here was a bad idea." The last one had a hint of I told you so about it. She returned her full attention to the shinigami. Her senses made her aware of everything around them, but even so she was only able to keep track of so much at any one time. She couldn't process everything. She hoped that her friends would listen to her. 

What Lolth had lacked in strength, compared to other beast men, she made up for in intelligence. Yes she may not be able to think on the level of the human like race, but she was able to think a few more steps ahead than most beast men. She had to. She lacked the strength to stand toe to toe with an aggressor and slug it out. She relied on ambushes and out maneuvering her opponent for a good decisive strike, like what most spiders do. Though that didn't mean that she was a slouch when it came to close quarters combat. Her four arms gave her a means of constant attacks overwhelming most foes that she had ran into so far. More so, she had her friends to aid her now. 

[Ranth]

Ranth couldn't believe that this was happening. There were practically infinite districts and hundreds of Shinigmi just like himself and just like Wycliff who had been scattered like sprinkles throughout them in search of the rogue Beast Clan who were behind the attacks... and yet somehow he'd had the bad luck of actually finding them? It didn't feel fair, it didn't feel like what he deserved and yet it was happening anyway and he didn't feel at all capable of fighting whatever monsters had done 'that' to those defenseless souls.

It wasn't common knowledge just what kind of horrific injuries had been left upon the corpses of the victims, but it had been deemed necessary by the higher-ups to brief the Shinigami who would be patrolling so that they had a full understanding of what they were dealing with. This briefing had been performed the day before and had consisted of photographs of the crime scene and the victims being shown along with witness testimonies of what had transpired.

Thankfully Ranth hadn't yet had his evening meal before the briefing or else he'd have certainly lost it after the first picture had been presented. There were 5 victims in total, none who had been attacked had survived to tell their story, but Ranth almost felt like that was a mercy as he'd reluctantly studied the pictures. One man had been torn apart with- according to the autopsy- brute force.

Death would have been slow and excruciating as muscles tore and ripped, ligaments stretched and snapped and bones dislocated and fractured. What made it worse was that the man had been alive until the third limb had been torn away at which point he'd died from a combination of blood-loss and shock. Photos of the crime scene that showed where the corpse had been found displayed so much blood that Ranth could scarcely believe it had all come from only one of the 5 victims.

The second victim was a women whose corpse bore almost no recognisable features beyond the basic shape of a human being due to her body having been punctured over 128 times. Each puncture wound was roughly two millimeters in diameter and the only saving grace was that the coroner had determined that all of the punctures had been delivered simultaneously, resulting in near instant death. It was postulated that the puncture wounds were bites of some kind due to the presence of an unidentified toxin in the victims body, but it was difficult to say what kind of beast could be behind such a grotesque murder.

The third victim was a trickier case, as their death had been caused not by any kind of physical trauma but rather asphyxiation. Something had prevented him from being able to breathe, but the coroner had found traces of some kind of 'gunk' in the victims windpipe, suggesting that something had clogged their windpipe and eventually dissolved or dissipated.

The fourth and fifth victims had been killed in a more traditional sense compared to the others, with pictures showing enormous gouges across their chests and neck. It was obvious that something with talons or claws had been responsible for these deaths, but the depth of the wounds were varied, which the coroner decided was an indication that some of the earlier wounds had been inflicted for the sake of pain rather than killing, whilst the later wounds were deeper and in more vital locations.

Every single Shinigami who left that briefing had been left with no doubt that the monsters responsible for these atrocities needed to be caught and help responsible. It was also clear that they were exceptionally dangerous and possesses a myriad of ways to kill. Unfortunately, eyewitness testimony had proven extraordinarily unhelpful as all of the victims had been slaughtered in out of the way places where few witnesses existed.

Personally, Ranth had nothing against Beast Clansmen on principle like many of the noble families did. This was largely due to the fact that his limited association with them inside the academy had been largely positive and in a more general sense, he could separate the conflicts between Beast Clansmen and Shinigami spoken of in the history books as just that- history. With enemies like Hollows, Espada, the Vandenreich and even humans themselves at times, the Gotei certainly didn't need to go and add another enemy to the list if they didn't have to, right?

“Relax bro, we got this, just let me deal with them huh.

Wycliff's words of reassurance cut through the whirlpool of thoughts and emotions that had been threatening to engulf him like a buoy and Ranth was all to glad to cling to it as he swallowed his nerves and nodded. "Right, thanks Wycliff", he exhaled deeply and tried to look like a Shinigami rather than a frightened academy student- which was something he still felt like more often than he'd like to admit.

As he followed in Wycliff's wake, he tried to reassure himself by focusing not on his own talents- if he even had any- but rather upon Wycliff's. He'd seen at least a glimpse of this man's power during the first mission he'd undertaken had caused their path's to cross and it had been obvious even then that Wycliff was in a league of his own compared to the others who had been present- both allies and enemies included.

To that end, he truly felt reassured that even if they came face to face with the Beast Clansmen who were responsible for those murders and they refused to come quietly then Wycliff would be able to handle it. But even as the thought crossed his mind, a sudden flash of Senshi's bloodied body filled his mind and he almost stumbled under the weight of the memory and all of the feelings it carried.

Senshi was perhaps the most powerful Shinigami Ranth could claim to know personally and he'd felt like she'd been nigh invincible with her Kido mastery and her Shikai... yet she'd been almost killed protecting Ranth from an Arrancar attack in Karakura town. She'd been hurt because Ranth hadn't been able to pull his own weight and the terror of having that happen again, but this time with Wycliff caused a mixture of terror and resolve to wrap around his stomach like an iron fist.

"Maybe... maybe we should call for reinforcements", Ranth said quietly- remembering again those horrible pictures depicting the victims from the previous attacks. Some might have seen this encounter as a prospect for promotion or personal glory- taking down the murderous Beast Clansmen would have been quite an accolade after all- but Ranth wasn't such a person. Personal glory took a back seat to personal safety and to the well being of his colleagues and the lives of innocents.

To that end, Ranth dispatched a Hell Butterfly with Wycliff's blessing with the simple message that they were following up a very promising lead about the whereabouts of the culprits of the massacre in the Central Shopping plaza of the 75th district and that precautionary reinforcements and a medic were requested. It was just as well that Ranth paused to take care of this detail when he did, because no sooner had he and Wycliff turned the next corner than they found themselves face to face with the Beast Clansmen they'd come to apprehend and Ranth's breath caught in his throat.

There were 3 beasts exactly as the woman had said and they were impossible to miss thanks to two things. The first was that a large circle had formed around them. Within that circle no citizen dared to tread and so the Beast Clansmen served to act like a rock in a rushing stream which split the water- or in this case the people- around them. With the arrival of the Shinigami, this circle seemed to spontaneously grow larger as anyone with half a brain could tell that this kind of confrontation surely couldn't end well for anyone who might end up as a statistic under the heading 'collateral damage'.

The second major giveaway was even more obvious than the first and that was the appearance of the Beasts themselves. Each was far taller than the average person, whilst the tallest of the three was several heads taller than both Ranth and Wycliff. In addition, there was the fact that they very clearly lived up to the moniker of 'Beast Clansmen'. None of them could have been mistaken for a human and for a moment Ranth forgot any semblance of manners as he openly gaped at them with a mixture of fascination and revulsion.

The tallest of the three seemed to be related to some kind of large cat, perhaps a Jaguar or a Panther if the slick black fur was any indication. As he took in the sight of the Beast effortlessly carrying the weight of a fully grown deer across its shoulders, he couldn't help but think upon the briefing and the death of the first victim. 'Torn limb from limb by nothing but sheer force', Ranth swallowed heavily as his gaze moved to the next Beast.

This one was actually only a little taller than Ranth himself he was surprised to realise as he inspected the white and black Beast which, if he wasn't entirely mistaken, might have been female and his best guess was that she was perhaps in some way related to a white tiger. She, like her other feline companion was barely dressed in more than a strip of leather and a loincloth, but Ranth felt no embarrassment upon realising this fact. They were, after all, more like animals than people.

Last, but certainly not least, Ranth's eyes fell upon the final member their party and nearly recoiled as he realised what he was looking at. It was a giant spider-like creature. Upon close inspection, the obviously female Beast possessed a certain elegance, but this was nigh impossible for Ranth to see as his gaze was instead fixated upon the mandibles that partially covered her mouth, her extra set of eyes and the fact that she possessed four arms. It was almost too much for Ranth to cope with all at once and the colour drained from his face as he thought of the victim that had died from the puncture wounds and a truly nightmarish thought occurred to him. Spider bites!?

Whilst Ranth had been rendered dumb, Wycliff on the other hand boldly engaged the trio of Beast's with what seemed like zero hesitation. Perhaps he simply had more experience with interacting with Beast Clansmen, or perhaps he was just made of sterner stuff than Ranth, but whatever the case may have been, Ranth was envious of how nonchalant his companion was under the circumstances. Not only that though, but Wycliff was even giving the Beast's a chance to surrender without violence.

After all, although it was exceedingly unlikely, there was a slim chance that these three Beast clansmen weren't the same ones who had been responsible for the 5 murders less than one district away from where they were now. Even as he thought about it, Ranth found his ability to play devils advocate on their behalf drastically reduced under the circumstances. Be that as it may, Ranth listened to the brief back and forth between Wycliff, the tall beast and then the comment from the Spider and mustered his courage to speak.

But at that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps from behind them rang out and Ranth couldn't help but turn his head- the words he'd been about to speak dying on his lips. He was half afraid that a fourth Beast was about to ambush them, but to his surprise what he saw wasn't the hulking form of a beast, but rather a much smaller figure dressed in the disincentive robes of a Shinigami and Ranth felt a surge of relief. It was much sooner than he'd expected, but it seemed that reinforcements had arrived!

[Musuhina Kesshino]

It was a pretty rare day for Musuhina in the recent months of turmoil her squad was in. While normally she'd be ready to burst a blood vessel from stress by this time on a regular work day, she was instead enjoying a day off all to herself. After undertaking a dangerous mission in Osaka, it seems that a new sword wasn't the only reward she'd been given. What few superiors that her squad had left had decided to give her an extra day off to recover fully from the monstrous sights she'd faced. But first things first, she had to start off her day with a bit of extra insurance.

Wrapped and wrapped again in several tags, Musuhina's new sword, Bone Meal, had been bound in an attempt to keep any remaining evil in the sword either sealed away or purified. Of course Bone Meal hadn't shown any signs of evil yet nor did something seem odd on it on the outside apart from it's blade made entirely out of bone. But Musuhina couldn't shake the feeling of having something that was technically buried in her chest less than a week ago just hanging around her waist so freely. So to sate her superstitions, she'd taken Bone Meal to the nearest temple she could get to and have her new sword wrapped in blessed tags.

After sliding Bone Meal back into place next to Shinku Ko where she had it before, Musuhina pulled out a list of things she'd written out to do today. Relaxing in the woods, shopping in several districts to see what they'd have and even taking a nap on some random roof were on her list. Sure they weren't much, but it was a start. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a little black butterfly flitting it's way through the air. Her expression immediately turned sour once she'd heard the message attached to it and calmly ripped her list in half before making her way to the 75th district. "You've gotta be shitting me..." was all that the nearby civilians could hear her mumble as she stormed towards her destination.

She stormed her way past the other people, following the trail as the crowd grew thicker and thicker as they traveled away from where she was headed. After about half a minute more of walking, she could see a few distinct figures in the distance. One dressed in white. Two of similar height that resembled cats more than anything. One of them was even a spider, something that she hadn't expected to see today. And oddly enough, Wycliff, who she could recognize by the smell of candy and saltwater from practically miles away. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but seeing him again was a bit of a pleasant surprise. At least with him around, this interruption in her day might end up with another few rounds of alcohol. Though the more she thought about it, the less she'd imagine his enthusiasm would be judging by how it ended up last time.

Once she stopped in place just behind them, she'd speak her peace. "So, are these the ones that are giving you two trouble?" she'd start, sizing up the three in front of them "I'll admit, this is the first time I've seen a pack of clansmen, this ought to be interesting, if anything-else. Assuming they decide to give us trouble.". She'd then address the clansmen aloud and with a jolt of adrenaline in her voice after unsheathing Bone Meal "Well? What's it gonna be? Are you three gonna come quietly and let me get back to my day off or are we gonna handle this the hard way? Personally I'm fine with either.".

[Wycliff]

For now it seemed that the tree beast clansmen didn't attack right away, no besides the male that spoke first none of them seemed to bother with what he said. He sighed, as it was clear that the male beastclan was the leader of the trio and was the one making the calls. While it could vocalize what it wanted to say it seemed that it was a bit mistaken as to what Wycliff had said. That was to be expected given that they were beastclan. From his own interactions with them before and reports it seemed that often they mistook what someone said for something else with another meaning.

Wycliff wasn't treating them badly, he was just ordered to restrain and bring back any beast clan he found in the rukongai back to the Gotei for interrogation and possibly incarceration if they were the ones guilty of the crimes that had happened. If he wanted to get this point across he would have to go back over it and explain it to them again, however if he had time to do that given the way they were would be up for debate, besides it wasn't his job to clear up arguments especially when a clear command was given.

From the reports that he glanced at he saw images of what had happened to those that had come into contact with the beastclan that had been terrorizing the rukongai. Even though he had read the report, he didn't need to imagine what the scene would look like as he had personal experience with the ferocity of their kind. Unlike most shingami Wycliff had interacted with a few beastclan members before mostly during his time in the acadamy and those were fellow students in the same class as him.

The things he had experienced had be echoed into his mind. The sights of some were enough to make him sick at the fact that it had happened right before him. If he recalled those memories he could still smell the blood that had been sprayed everywhere as well as the chunks of flesh that were the leftovers of his fellow shingami. Being face to face with beast clan again made the memories start to rise up once more reminding him of what had happened.

Now those memories were bright in his mind and something that he could see clearly. While he had pushed them back given he really didn't want to dwell on the past all that much especially given how dark and upsetting those times were he didn't want to have those things looming around his head all the time. Which is why he didn't often think back about those times, along with other situations that he often gotten into back then, however with beast clan before him in the aggressive stance they started to arise.

One of his first encounters happened when he first came to the gotei and in the academy. See being a soul from the outer areas of the rukongai he wasn't exactly treated the best when it came to getting into classes or for that matter bunk mates. As such he was forced into the section with those who were probably going to the maggots nest and some of the beastclan. In his time at the academy he had interacted with exactly three different beast clansmen yet each of them left an impression on him.

The first beastclan he interacted with called himself Uchala, Uchala was a gorilla beastclan. The male was taller than Wycliff and had dark black hair darker than the uniform they had to wear. Uchala for the most part was really relaxed. Most of the time the beastclan did everything normally and had somewhat coherent speech tho every so often there was a grunt here or there when Uchala spoke. For a while Wycliff got along with Uchala, both of them being a bit lazy here and there and generally being relaxed individuals.

That all changed on the first joint training mission to the human world. This was the class mission and they were to explore and take out the weak hollows that the shingami had captured for training. By this time all of them had gotten an Asauchi  so that they could at least defend themselves properly. Their kido training hadn't been the best honestly, given that most didn't want to learn kido saying that it was a waste of time, so the only thing they had to defend themselves with was their blade.

For the first hour everything seemed to go well, most were killing the weak hollows left and right and not taking down any losses. Everything was going well for the first time out. Wycliff had been able to kill a few hollows here and there, nothing major as again these were weak and beaten down already honestly these hollows were nothing more than just a training exercise for the shingami. Near the end of the training it seemed that most people had taken down a hollow or two. Everything was ending normally that was till they came in for a role call and Uchala wasn't counted for.

While the teachers didn't really want to go out looking for the beastclan they had to at least attempt to look around for the beastclan given that the training ground would be used again in a few hours for another class and they didn't want to hear from other teachers about how they weren't doing their job. As such they called out for Uchala for a bit before one of them stepped away from the group to look around for the beast clan. It didn't take long for the sounds of screams and loud thumps to be heard from where the teacher had come from.

After the screams had been heard silence came after a few moments of silence Uchala could be seen coming out of the dark covered in blood. Wycliff looked at his friend who was now soaked blood and licked it's lips. Wycliff took a step back as the beastclan charged towards the rest of the shingami. The teacher stepped in and started to attack Uchala. Wycliff simply watched the fight go on. While the teacher did have his shikai the strength that Uchala had was more than enough to keep the teacher at odds end. The only thing that Wycliff could do was simply watch the fight happen between the two of them.

Eventually the fight ended and Uchala was dead, however it wasn't without a large price to the teacher who had his arm ripped off and his legs crushed by Uchala's strength. No one knew what had happened to Uchala to make him go crazy like that, but what everyone did know was that after that the other beast clan were forced to move to another class. Years would pass before the gotti would find out that the Uchala was possessed by a hollow and forced to do all of that, but that didn't make a difference when it came to the fact that all the damage done was done by Uchala's own strength.

While Wycliff could continue to remember more about his own past with the beast clan he needed to focus back on the situation on hand. There were three beast clansmen infront of him and Ranth and they didn't respond to his order to stand down and come with them. Letting out a sigh he knew what would come next, while he didn't want to really fight the three of them, he would have to do so, at the very least he would have some form of back up with Ranth. Sadly the only thing he knew about Ranth was that he was still a newbie and could cast a bit of kido here and there. Not sure as to how useful he would be in this sort of fight.

When Ranth offered to call for backup Wycliff agreed, it would be better for more shingami to come and back them up. Though that could always backfire on them. He wasn't sure as to who was in the area with them. The chances were was that in the area around them the only people for backup would be weak shingami that were less than useful in this situation, however there was the slim chance that an actual seated officer would end up joining them and be of benefit to them. So he waited with himself in front of Ranth waiting to see when backup would arrive.

Luckily it wouldn't take that long for backup to arrive, however it was a mixed result with the actual person who had arrived. Musuhina, while he was happy to see that she was the one to arrive he knew that she was from the medic squad, so while there would be another body here to help them fight against the beastclan he had a feeling that she would end up being only useful to be as a medic to heal him and Ranth. At the least this was going to be a bit easier if Mushina didn't get attacked right off of the bat.

Yet as Mushina spoke he got a bit annoyed at what she had said, while he understood where she was coming from it didn't help the situation that they were in one bit. When she was done speaking he knew that he would have to give out his own orders to the two of them as he was the commanding officer and it was up to him to keep the two of them safe in this situation.

“Mushina, enough.” He said at her with a bit of an angry tone in his voice, he didn't want to be mean at the moment, but he needed to express his authority at this moment. Finally he drew out his blade and kept his stance firm. While not visible to the beast clan members Wycliff moved one of his legs back using his feet he drew a line behind him in the dirt. “Both of you don't cross this line when the fighting starts.” At the moment he knew that the fighting would start it was just a matter of time. “All three of you beast clan, you need to come with us to answer some questions. Don't resist or we will be forced to respond with equal force.” With that said Wycliff was ready to fight, not releasing his shikai just yet, he knew that it wouldn't be possible to win without it, but he didn't want to bring more danger to the others.

[Rafael]

Always the same! The same no matter what! These Shinigami just like humans they were nothing more than bullies. Ordering others around with a false sense of superiority and authority. Rafael had met a handful of them already while he didn't know in any real detail he assumed that he had met more than both Lolth and Zadora. That didn't matter though because these ones were quickly revealing that they were simply like all of the others. Bossing everything that was weaker than them around as if they were in charge of everything in sight. Rafael had been informed about their stronghold and how the Shinigami were suppose to protect the people of this place yet what he saw around him was just further proof that such a statement was simply false.

These people while just as cruel to one another as humans weren't protected by the Shinigami. They lived in the dirt with little to no enjoyment. They knew hardship due to possessing so little. It dawned on him for a moment that perhaps they wouldn't be so horrible if only they had more to work with. Like this they simply fought one another in order to live the best they could. If they could rely on themselves more to fend and scavenge perhaps even humans could be good. His attention was pulled back though by the new additional who made it abundantly clear that there would be no talking out of this situation.

Rafael brought his right hand up and out to the side in front of Zadora as a sign to stay back as the blonde Shinigami drew his sword. Rafael had expected that this might be an outcome should they come here looking for some more comfort in their lives. Anything that could bring a reward carried with it risk that was simply how things worked something that Rafael was learning more and more first-hand since starting his new life. He knew that Lolth could tell what was happening and that if fighting did break out she'd more than likely be enough to escape. Zadora though he was worried would rush in and harm herself so keeping her back at least for the moment was the best choice.

After the blonde spoke ordering them to surrender and come with them for questioning Rafael's already angrily expression turned darker as a fury continued to blaze inside his heart. This Shinigami was an embodiment to everything that he hated about humans and everything like them. "You call us thieves. Assume we bad. Now plan to attack US! You are MONSTERS! You the BEASTS!" screamed Rafael angrily at the blonde. The citizens of the Rukongai now backing off even further yet some actually looking at the Shinigami instead of the Beasts. It seemed that Rafael's words were caught by some to make sense. "We do nothing wrong here. You have no right. You make a move and I'll put you down. Last warning. LEAVE US BE!"