To the Sky and Sea of a Whole New World [Joint Training]

[Ippin]

Training for SP:

The woods were often peaceful from what she can recall now in days. Gentle breezes of the wind through the trees that made the leafs rustle and snap from the branches. The dirt kicks up every now and then. Echoes of the life outside of the water stream down to the appendages that made up the Squid's body, making her aware as to what was going on at her borders. Lake to lake, Ippin has been moving quite a lot to put some distance between herself and the Naga's territory. She didn't want to go back there, not as though there was anything to go back to. The Humans that resided within the area continued to grow in numbers. Those that belonged to the Shinigami also came around often to replace the numbers that she put down before. Like insects they kept on multiplying until they festered the area. Soon, it became too packed for her to remain there as they clearly out numbered her. She had to move.

Soon after the Naga Lake was consumed by the Humans, forcing her to look beyond what she was familiar with in order to survive. It was the only maneuver that she could do to insure her own survival. Though, unlike before she was a lot stronger that made her a bit of a threat. Humans, to her, use to be a considerable danger with their weapons and hunting techniques. Yet she adapted. All due thanks to the Naga and those that came to form packs with. She was relieved to find others like herself. Those that she can call a family. But as soon as she was becoming familiar with them, calling them a pack, they vanished. Each one disappearing to who knows where. All she could suspect was that the Humans got to them somehow. They did something to her pack that made them never come home again. The solitude began to settle in again, until she found out she was all alone.

Her hate for the Humans grew. First she was taken from her home. Ippin was forced to be a pet, in servitude to those that "owned" her to do whatever they wanted with her. A single Human child was what saved her. After, she met with the Naga and his allies. Soon after, they vanished. She was left alone to defend the Lake on her own before the White Tiger arrived. He too was never seen again after some time. One by one each that she came to seek comfort and companionship she was either betrayed or left behind. The Cecaelia had to fend for herself, as such she made sure that those that came into her territory were met with the upmost aggression. Especially when it came to Humans. Food was plentiful when there were no Humans in the area to scare them off and away. This was the peace that the Cecaelia always wanted for herself.

The water vibrated. Foot steps were felt. Five of them. Three had come to split away from the group while the two remained at least ten yards away from the lake. A single eye opened to view as who it would be that marched into her territory. All she can make out was they were walking on two legs. They weren't heavy to be that of the masked beasts considering they didn't stomp with each individual step they took. Something was going on beyond border of her waters. For a small group of Humans they were making quite a lot of noise. Though, there were more than usual. Images of black came to the water, two of them. The Shinigami were here. Did they track her down? No that couldn't be the case. There were too little numbers than the last time she fought them. There had to be another reason for it. Yet, that didn't matter. She had to get rid of them, and fast.

Her appendages swirled beneath her body before working in unison to jettison her body from the bottom of the lake up to the surface. From there, the fight was on with the squid propelling herself into the pair of Shinigami. Arms and tentacles squirming about trying to gain supremacy over each other, but to no avail. When it came to sticking to close range combat, then Ippin had the obvious advantage.

[Kritia]

It was.....rare that Kritia was forced to attack a Shinigami. Most times she ....avoided them like the plague. They were usually so angry. Dangerous. they were beings that she knew she should avoid if at all possible. After all, she didn't want to go back to that place. That awful violence-filled place. Full of things that could see her and hunt her. So when she suddenly saw a Senkaimon opening up, and a shinigami slipping through, zanpaku'to in hand, she felt..... an immediate sense of Panic. She dropped the fish that she had been playing with, momentarily forgetting the little pond she had been deciding to play about in. It wasn't something she did often, but all the same, it was promptly forgotten.

She had just been moving to a new town. Trying to find some place to stay. And suddenly this gate opened up, making her stop in place as the shinigami came through. Those eyes suddenly locking in her direction. Of course Kritia was.... an imposing figure. Massively tall. Hauntingly thin. With long, membraned arms, and long curling claws. Her legs were similarly stretched and grotesque. A black fur covering much of her body, up to a mostly human-seeming face. At least until she saw that shinigami. She was a nightmare.

One that the Shinigami promptly pointed their zanpaku'to at. And she felt a sudden. Panic. Had they finally come to try and take her back? Or just kill her? She felt fear roaring through her body. And that fear quickly turned into anger. NO. She refused. She would not go back to that damn place, where she was always feared and attacked! Having to struggle even to find some place to observe humans! She crouched, bunching up her muscles.

And then she SPRUNG forward, launching herself at the shinigami with a burst of speed. She saw the look of surprise on their face as they raised their blade, just in time for her claws to slam into them just below the wrist, avoiding that sharp edge as she put the full force of her body into the attack. Of course, she wasn't massively strong, but her size did offer her some advantage as she Shinigami was slammed into the ground, and she HISSED, her face splitting open around her mouth, opening up and baring that menagerie of teeth toward them as she deftly avoided a swipe from that blade of theirs.

She was FURIOUS! Gritting her teeth as she wrestled with the little being, her claws scouring into the Shinigami's flesh, ripping, tearing, shredding their uniform as their claws began to reach into flesh. Of course, the sudden chanting did catch her attention, or well, no.....the sudden glowing finger is what really caught her interest. Eyes wide, crossing slightly as that finger began glowing blue. She JERKED out of the way as the Kido was fired, scorching her shoulder and punching a little hole through the skin. A graze, but still a painful one.

She screeched out and SHOVED the shinigami away from her, launching herself back and into the air as her arms stretched out, membranes flaring out as she promptly caught air and started to glide, racing away from that damned shinigami as she shot off to the other side of the little pond, latching onto the bark of a tree and panting as she felt her shoulder screaming in pain at her. It hurt. It hurt a LOT. But she couldn't afford to let this shinigami live! If one came, more would follow, she had to kill it!

She skittered around the trunk of the tree, climbing up, that long whip-like tail wsishing behind her as she narrowed her eyes, those big bladed ears of hers twitching overhead as she leered at them from her perch on the tree. They seemed injured. Her claws had gouged out some of the skin and muscle along their abdomen. Nothing deep enough to be fatal, but deep enough to impede their desire to stand as they wound up using their zanpaku'to like a walking stick, forcing themselves up onto their feet before taking up a defensive stance.

Hatred boiled from her once again. Die. Just die already. Fucking DIE. She thought to herself, slowly creeping up the length of the tree. Getting to the very tiptop of it. Her claws ripping into the bark as she went, not being her usual stealthy self. No she was far too angry for that. She bunched up, preparing herself before she then LAUNCHED herself from the top of the tree, her arms lancing out sideways, locking out, flaring her membranes and gliding as she suddenly dove for the shinigami.

It was in the very last second that she suddenly tucked her arms in, spiraling for just a moment before she dropped, ducking under the blade that lashed out, trying to slice her across the face as she slammed into the abdomen she had just finished clawing up. Driving the air out of the shinigami as she slammed into them, launching the both of them into a nearby rock with a loud THUMP, the Shinigami suddenly prostrated beneath her, recovering as she too took a moment to right herself, but having just enough cognizance to lunge for that sword arm, her face splitting open to lock onto that arm and BITE.

[Ippin]

The pair cried out and yelped as they struggled to be released by the never ending waves of suction cups that pulled on them. The two struggled to grasp the hilts of their weapons, the Zanpakutous to make quick work of their new foe. Yet, the Beastclan member knew how they operated, and went ahead to secure their weapons before they could manage to unsheath them. Her appendages were numerous, varying to that of six to keep their swords within their scabbards. She wouldn't allow their blades to be drawn and harm her with them. The group tussled as the gate was opened and the trio went on ahead. That meant that the dual had to take care of Ippin on all their own. A difficult task when all they had to use was just their own physical strength to fight back in fearing that their spells would strike their partner.

She snarled with each toothy motion of her small mouth as a crunch was heard from one. The male Shinigami pulled and whipped his own body about to draw that of the Cecaelia only onto himself. His fellow warrior, granting her the moment to scurry about and flee to the gate. She needed reinforcements in order to deal with the likes of Ippin. Bones and muscles twisted and were bent inward, turning large human shaped mammal into something smaller. A simple size that would fit into a small shoe box, and more convenient for the girl to deal with later.

A straight shot out did a pair of tentacles fire into the tree line. The two large masses of red magenta flesh coils and tensed to draw the massive body closer as the remainder kicked out. Every muscle either pushed, tugged, or whipped about in order to bring Ippin closer to her target before she managed to enter through the gate. Not even wondering what would come from entering it, she knew she had to stop Human from gaining aid. She reached out with another pair of ligaments to lasso the woman back towards her killzone, but it didn't happen. Ippin's small head jerked up as she bore witness to the Shinigami leaping forward into the white void. No. She thought to herself. She couldn't allow it to happen. Her arms reached out with a final push. Jerking her body further forward, the tips of her arms strapped themselves to the back of the Human to haul her back through the gate. However, didn't seem like that was the case.

Ippin squealed loudly as the Human's body felt heavier than before. A brush of cold wind was enveloping her arms from beyond the void of white light, only to slowly be dragging her own body through its mysterious holdings. This was perhaps the first time she didn't wish her tentacles clung to things as even when releasing the Human from her tentacles, the natural characteristics of her suction cups did not. The Beastclan member simply did not have enough leverage to peel herself off the Shinigami, and so, she fell through along with the Human.

Both races fell out into the open sky much to Ippin's surprise. They clear sky pummeled her with strong winds as her extended arms brought her and the Shinigami closer together. The two growing more inseparable than even as their bodies grew closer until the Human was nothing more than a mass of reddish-purple muscle. All of the girl's limbs came to enclse around the Shinigami until not a single opening was left to allow the Human to breath through. Lungs were being pushed inward. Arms tangled and twisting. The Human's slender body growing thinner with each passing second. Until only a few moments did the Human feel nothing more than a long twig snapping in multiple areas. She thought that was the end of it all until coming down crashing through a tree.

A tree? The Cecaelia didn't really get a good look as to where she was. She unnecessarily blinded herself by coiling into a ball, but it was thanks to that she didn't suffer much harm. Good thing she didn't even have bones to break, but rather just a sore arm from landing on it. Broken branches and....grass? Her second set of eyes that were located on the back of her head opened to search the immediate vicinity. Still a bit impaired from the fall, they whizzed from spot to spot to see any other Shinigami or Humans. Three Humans went through the gate that she and the other Human fell into. That meant that they would be in the area as well, three more of them. But she didn't see them. Dust was still clearing, yet fading quickly the more she searched. To find Humans would be the understatement, but what she didn't expect was to find something far larger than the Shinigami.

A black mass of fur was mounting a black robed Human being. From the sounds of their struggle it was definitely a Human that was driven to the ground. As for the other..... The sounds of swords were drawn from their holds, gleaming in the sun light behind the black mass. SHINIGAMI?! She thought loudly. They were drawing closer to the fur mass that was pinning one of their own. They were drawing closer to attack it. She couldn't let them. A sudden squish erupted from behind the pair as a Shingami's leg was coiled. Then, a sudden cry as his shin was squeezed and pulled. He clawed at the ground with a single hand to realize something was pulling on him effortlessly. In his own eyes did he catch only one of the Beastclan members. Not that of a bat, but one among the species that resided in the sea.

More tendrils sprouted from the ground in his sights to rain down, only to have a single one cut into. Another squeal erupted, in throbbing pain as a Zanpakutou was cutting through flesh and muscle. The nerves pulsated violently forcing the tendrils to withdraw back to their point of origin. The two Shinigami stared at Ippin as she mirrored their glances with that of her own. "Two... There are TWO of them?!" her supposive victim cried out as his head jerked between Ippin and the black furred creature behind them. Ippin couldn't allow the two to interfere with the other, not until it was done doing what it needed. Only when they were done would she be able to figure out what was going on, and what to do next.

[Kritia]

IT was a matter of seconds before she tore her mouth away, blood dripping from her features as she had ruined the shinigami's arm, snagging the Zanpaku'to that had been dropped onto the ground and turning her attention to the new arrivals, her ears swiveling around to point in their direction. Two other shinigami and...... a Beast Clan? She was.......shocked to say the least. Where had they even come from? Was it another of her kind from the wilderness? She wasn't exactly the king of girl to go overthinking things, and so she pointedly turned her attention right on back to the shinigami in time to see another ball of fire.

This time she wasn't prepared enough to make a proper counter, simply stumbling back in surprise as that roaring sphere of flame burst out and barely missed her chest, freeing the shinigami she had been keeping down as she scampered away from them, dropping the weapon and LAUNCHING herself up and into the air, latching onto a tree as she took a moment to survey the situation.

The Swimmer had been injured. One of the shinigami had slashed them in the little exchange between them. Kritia narrowed her eyes slightly and braced herself. She bunched herself up, bracing her muscles before once again she launched herself from the tree! Her arms bracing out, gliding as she promptly slammed into the one that had it's zanpaku'to from the side, aiming to catch them off guard after they had only just finished fending off Ippin.

It would be her turn to attack again, aiming to sink those massive claws of hers into their body, shredding into their uniform and cutting into skin before the bat HISSED and her face split open, lunging forward in order to latch onto the side of the shinigami's arm, once again attempting to rip enough flesh from the shinigami's arm that they couldn't use those damn swords of theirs again. Of course she turned her back to the other shinigami to do this, and there was the possibility that the other shinigami she'd mauled would attack.

But she was focused. Intent on crippling these individuals enough so that she could safely finish them off and eat them. After all she was....hungry. She had had nothing but hollows to consume for some time now. And now, with the taste of shinigami flesh in her mouth, untainted by the rot of hollowfication, these soul reapers were seeming more and more appetizing to the beastclan. Especially since these seemed to be particularly weak specimen. She was practically starving. And her fear of these soul reapers was already deep enough that she knew she couldn't let them leave alive. Experience had taught her that.

[Ippin]

Just as she thought the Shinigami were going to have the upper hand in the situation, the black furred creature went rampant on the Shinigami. Before the pair could advance the fellow Beastclan member pounced, tackling onto one of the pair to pin them onto the ground. A well needed scenario to help shake the two. Her intrusion on the pair gave the opportunity to constrict the remaining Shinigami as her fellow Beast took care of the other. Wishing to defend his comrade the Shinigami shifted, drawing upon the Zanpakutou to drive it into the hide of the beast. In a single swooping motion the Human unsheathed his blade to meet with the creatures flesh. Ippin refused. The muscular appendage lassoed the weapon and arm with a single swing of her arm, entrapping the two, and drawing them together.

Ippin dealt with the last remaining Human that was capable of fighting at full strength. She had to keep her busy and away from the other creature. Both were struggling to survive against the Humans that hounded their kind, but not no more. The pair struggled for control as the distance between them lessened until the tentacles felt the thrashing about motion of the Human's legs. Spasming his body all over made no difference with the powerful pull of her body's natural characteristics. The suction cups beneath each of her limbs made it nearly impossible to lose her grip once it has been made. Soon the Human became nothing more than a fish in a bottle, merely waiting for her to consume him slowly the more closer she got.

Sudden a shock jolted forth from the palms of the Human's hands. An electric current ran up along each of the Cecaelia's limbs, piercing each muscle that lined up towards her main body. It stung. Stinging every nerve causing them to spasm on their own as the jolts of energy danced her interior. Another squeal came about as Ippin made the only sound she could to mimic that of pain. Her body thrashed about along with the Human, the two tumbling off to the side. While Ippin's body did have a natural resistance to the electricity, the moisture that still clung to her made it more conductive than it would naturally. So, it didn't help ease the burning pain that layered over her skin. But she couldn't let go. Looking towards Kritia fighting as hard she was capable, if Ippin had released the Shinigami, then Kritia would be left vulnerable until her kill was assured. Her own opponent would be free to kill the Cecaelia, and that of the aerial member of the beasts. She couldn't let go.

No, she refused to let go. Being the only option that she could think of, the only means of keeping the Human away from Kritia was that of the lake itself. Her body lashed out and jerked itself with the Human in tow, both edging towards the water. The pain would be unimaginable, but it was necessary to protect her fellow beastclan member. She had to do it. The Human obviously resisted, forcing out as much reiatsu to enhance his spell understanding what the squid was attempting. Ippin shrieked once more, not caring to the pain her body had to endure for the sake of another. Thus, the two came to be submerged into the lake with hueing electrical current spreading through the squid's body, but also that of the Human. The two would frolic wildly beneath the water's surface, leaving only the Cecaelia alone to kick about.

She could only hope that Kritia was fairing better than herself.

[Kritia]

The Taste of flesh was enough to get her riled up. Even as she felt the Shinigami's fist beating into her as panic began to settle in. As she tore chunks of flesh from their arm until it went limp, and she found herself the warm relish of feeling the shinigami's flesh sliding down her throat without that acrid hollow taste to it. The Screams just being ignored, fading into the background as she pulled her face from that now-limp arm, and grasped the other in her claws.

Her attention shifted to the shinigami themselves, as blood dribbled down her lips, and down the split of her chin and cheeks from where her mouth opened up. She could see the fear, briefly, before she simply shut it out. And all she saw was the thrashing of prey. She lunged in and locked onto the shinigami's shoulder, latching onto their features as she began to rip and tear into the flesh of their neck and shoulder. Where the meat was so much warmer, and that shouting turned into screams.

It was only when those screams died down, and the body in front of her went still that she felf the zanpaku'to slice into her. Even Hunched over, she was too tall, and the weakened shinigami, numb with pain, could only manage to slide that weapon up and into her shoulder, unable to reach her head from the angle they came in from. Kritia herself SCREECHED out as she was suddenly stabbed. Adrenaline hitting her like a truck as she spun and lunged at the shinigami. She completely ignored everything but the face. Latching on, her teeth sinking into the face, the eyes, and into that screaming mouth as she began chomping away.

Unlike the other shinigami, this one didn't just go limp as they bled out. No the screaming just weakened, choking on blood and starting to suffocate as they struggled against her. That fist growing weaker and weaker, slamming into her furred hide in weaker and weaker strikes. When she was finally able to release her grip on them, she pulled her arm back, and for a moment she tore away, having to distance herself from that shredded fce in order to get the clearance for her next move.

Her claws raked in and suddenly opened them up, straight across the belly, slicing into muscle, until the bright red of blood and the flesh of intestines could be seen peeking from the gash. And she refused to let up. Again and again her claws ripped. Stabbed, pried open, and pulled the shinigami apart, their form going rapidly limp as she butchered them. When they finally stopped struggling, she went in and grasped the shinigami by the throat and began tearing the flesh away, taking thick chunks from them, the hungry Beast Clan taking several massive bites.

Finally, she pulled away from the two corpses, ignoring the zanpkaku'to that had been knocked to the ground. Her form riddled in red as she looked in the direction of the shinigami that Ippin was still engaged with. She .....hesitated for a moment. On one hand, she did feel inclined to help her fellow beast clan. But she didn't know this Swimmer, she didn't know if they were dangerous. But even more, she didn't want them to go stealing her meal.

So rather than lunging in to help them, she simply crouched over the two bodies she'd already created, narrowing her eyes as she leered, watching the fight. And ready. She would be prepared to lunge in and take them out if the Swimmer failed to take them down. But until then she didn't dare approach, knowing that this othr could just as likely turn out to be another opponent as they might be an ally. She would wait until one side fell before making her move. For the time being, she continued to rip the flesh from the two corpses, taking small, sparing bites. She didn't want to be weighed down if another fight broke out.

[Ippin]

Ippin couldn't hear anything that came over the surface of the water as she was busy with her own issue. The Shinigami she managed to steal away from the opening blow to Kritia had drowned in the lake. Her tentacles wrapped around the throat while maintaining absolute control over the Human's body, keeping their most dangerous weapon in its scabbard. Even without it the Cecaelia still suffered harm from the Human as the lake was turned into a pool running electric energy. That pool made her skin blister in many areas, but still came to end with the same result; the death of the Shinigami. Ippin broke him into small sacks of bones and limp flesh. She was done with her prey, hauling it back out of the water with her own burned body. She had to check on the other Beastclan.

The two sets of eyes blinked as the bulbous hind peeked up at the creature in front of her. As what she could see in front of her the Bat like creature was eating the Shinigamis that came into this new world. Eating? Hungry? She peeked to the body that she dragged along with her to shore and tossed it beside Kritia. The Cecaelia didn't eat Humans, at least not yet or wasn't feeling up to it right now. She did eat the flesh of those that fall victim to her attacks, or who tend to enter into her domain. But for right now, she wasn't hungry, so she would give the body to someone who would come to require it. "Guuueeeeuuuu." she stated directing her attention to the dead Shinigami she offered to the girl.

Her skin felt like it was burning, so she retreated back into the water. The freshness of the lake and its cool embrace kept the sensation away and looking to that of Kritia with her true head that resided beneath the fleshy hump on her back. She watched and observed to allow her wounds to heal for a bit, or at least cool down. "Gue nuuu Gueee...Ip...Ippin." she introduced tiredly, using one of the intact tentacles at her disposal to direct towards herself.

[Kritia]

As the fight finally fell away. It was almost.....startling how things went quiet. When the shinigami had been broken into bags of mushed bones. When the ones she herself had engaged finally stopped screaming. It was just the two of them. The Senkaimon having closed on it's own during the confusion. And now it was just the two of them. Kritia simply.....staring at the swimming one. Intrigued. Watchful as they of all things....threw their kill to her. She crept forward. Watching, careful, ready to react if Ippin suddenly lurched at her.

When she finally reached the body she snatched it and bolted back, addint it to the pile as she went right on back to munching on the one she had already taken a large chunk from. she kept her ears in the swimmer's direction as she ate, and of course she was......surprised, when the thing spoke, introducing themselves. And she paused. She didn't know ....entirely what it meant. It was saying it's name? Why? The concept of introductions was.....strange. She didn't bother doing so. She had only ever heard her name from her own mother. But she had never spoken it herself.

As she continued to pull chunks from the corpse she......pondered. But ultimately, she didn't respond. she finished eating two of the shinigami, the first one she'd killed, and the broken one Ippin had thrown her. The third she carried. She moved, keeping her distance, but dropping it off near the water's edge. A recognition. She didn't speak, she didn't make any noises, or anything of the kind. No, this was simply a gesture. Two whole shinigami was a lot of food for her. And it would be a while before she was hungry again. So long that the other body would be spoiled by then. As much as it pained her to give up non-hollow meat.

But all the same, it was....something. Recognition of a non-hostile force. And she did wonder. She patted the ground with her hand, and then backed up, patting again. Attempting to lure the other beast clan out of the water. she was curious, did she HAVE to stay around water? I was interesting. She was....curious. This was the first time she had seen one of these aquatic beast clan since she was very little. Mother had never taught her about these. She couldn't help but wonder.

Could this be a friend?

[Col Arana]

I count 44 paragraphs, halving that for JT is 22 and halving again for SP works out to a total of 110 SP to both participants