To Pledge: The First Day (Joint Training)

[Tsajara Dread]

.

It had been....interesting. Redesigning her room. The space was....so very large. And tall. Looking up into that darkness that was....eventually, the ceiling, she could only tinker about.... moving things about with her reiatsu as instructed. And yet, when she felt that little cryst behind her ear. The piece of th quartz tree that she had taken from the desert....well....she didn't take much longer to decide. She knew what sort of place her room would be.

She lit up the entire room. The floor covered in grass, brilliant crystal blades that glowed a soft blue, filling the room from end to end. And in the center, a crystal tree that rose up through the center. At first it would appear that her room had gotten wider, having absorbed the bathroom and closet. But up in those branches....well....everything she needed was up there. A platform in which a birdbath was. So very high up that it was very much private despite no walls blocking her view of the ground below. The tree itself reaching to what she imagined MUST be close to the top, though she never DID see the ceiling. And of course... at  the very top. Was a massive ball of twisted, woven branches and twigs, all made of that quartz, woven into a very large nest. All of her clothing, her 'bed', everything was in there. All she would ever need.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}

It had been ages since she had felt so very....comfortable. The menos forest had heights, but there was always the constant worry of Gillian. And the Sands had far fewer hollows, but even thinking about having any place with heights in those milling sands was a fool's dream. This was...paradise. Laying in that bed of soft down, having shed plenty of it to make her little bed, mixing it with that crystal, she lay on her back, thinking about her situation. And the decision she was to make.

She knew that Sargon had much to offer her. But she was not blind. No matter how odd and unusual he was, no matter how protective. He had ambitions. He had goals. And with the quincy.....the akki......the shinigami? She was going to get pulled into some stupid, pointless fight for 'glory' or 'prestige' or some foolish young-man's crusade. Of course.....she expected that eventually.... there was no escaping that. Time and time again, she had found stupid men to try and fill her head with ideas of grandeur. Sargon would no doubt have them as well. And as....understanding as he was. She wasn't sure there would be anything she could do to dissuade this.

Her power would be his....and that meant... a lot of things. She frowned, sighing softly as she....closed her eyes. That such a place reclused from the chaos outside....should simply have it's own brand of.....silliness. There was no mistaking that there would be other espada. And the system being what it was? She would meet them, and they too, no doubt, might try to exort her to their whims and goals. She would not be any safer..... the conditions of her safety were simply....different. More....complicated.
Looking up at that quasi-sky..... drinking in the glow of her new room. She knew that this was all it was. A glowing mirage. A freedom she probably would never truly have.

She would regain her power....yes. But....at what cost? Slowly, she shook her head, thinking back to....different times. When arrancar.....at least....some of them. Had been.....different. They had had civility. Understanding. And had reached beyond the...conqueror's nature of the hollow. And so very long ago....the stories....of the Desert King... and that shattered blade. Alas.....merely stories.
She sighed to herself and closed her eyes.

She was not sure entirely when she had drifted off, as it was so very rarely that she was not disturbed when trying to rest. But when she awoke, she took a moment to realize where she was, and to simply sink into the feeling of....belonging. However false. Sargon's words flitted into her mind and she paused, staring for a moment into the roofless section of her nest and up into that dark sky. She had a feeling it would be no...leisurely foray into the desert, nor any peaceful tour of Las Noches. She knew very well what he would likely have in store for her. He would appeal to her as one would appeal to any arrancar..... the promise of power. And to fortify that promise.....she knew. He would demonstrate his strength. Wether directly or indirectly, she knew it was coming. And so....at least for now, until he arrived. She roosted. It would be a shame....to wake up early from such a wonderful dream.

[Sargon Denumic]

Sargon walking from his own bed chamber into the large main area looked around. From what he could tell so far Aurora and Zegram were both still asleep together and neither of them had paid enough attention to the reiatsu around the area to realize that there was a new entity. That was something else they would both need to learn especially considering that Sargon's own ability to sense reiatsu was lacking by a immeasurable margin compared to others of his power. It was the one area that he didn't have at least heightened capabilities in due to him focusing on making himself as close to immortal as possible for an Arrancar.

Today was the second day of Dread being with them and would the first that she would see him handle his own business. He had things to do in the forests of Hueco Mundo that were finally going to happen. So since he couldn't very well push it off and there wasn't really any reason too he decided without much thought to bring Dread along with him. If she got killed then she didn't have the potential that he believed and having her with him now would mean that he held something close that wasn't as unique or powerful enough to deserve such a accommodation. So now moving over to her room Sargon knocked on the door twice just giving her some respect to awake or prepare as he opened the door and stepped inside.

His stern gaze moved through the room for a brief moment taking in all that he saw and realized that she had indeed altered the room considerably. From what he could tell though this was a good sign and one that told him yesterday had been profitable for him as what she made her room was something she wouldn't ever be able to find anywhere else in Hueco Mundo. He looked up into the tree knowing that Dread would more than likely be up there. Yet this also gave him another piece of information that was also rather good. "More than likely some type of avian." Sargon thought as he saw how the tree was structured. "Dread it's time to get going."

[Tsajara Dread]

That little....prickle at the back of her neck was something that tipped her off.  When Sargon opened her door but a moment later, she paused, watching him from the heights of that Nest of hers, observing as he looked around, keeping hidden and out of sight. Interesting indeed, she thought to herself, as she began to silently slither down the branches of the tree, moving such that she kept that large objct between him and her. As all the loose twigs had already been taken to make her nest, she was quite able to avoid making any noise, and given the tree's sturdiness there was no way to make the thing move to give away her motion either, especially given her....diminutive weight.

She was actually creeping her way through the tall grass when he called out, pausing for a moment as she looked from him, up to where she'd been but a moment ago. Her memory suddenly flashing back to when he had spotted her among the crates. He had only managed to see her when he'd used a light, ontop of her being...well...not exactly actively hidden.... Did he not have any experience countering stealth? Admittedly it was something she usually only used in the Menos forest, largely because she wanted to avoid the Gillian. But it was actually....a bit....entertaining to her. With him looking up at that tree, the moment after he called out she simply...stood up, with that same passive smile on her face that she seemed to always have, hardly gloating as she nodded to him. She'd managed to get more than halfway towards him, though that wasn't ESPECIALLY close....given how large her room was.

But even so....immediately she got it into her head to find out just HOW well she would be able to sneak up on Sargon. And if it was so easy....she definitely was going to see about getting better at sneaking. Having a means of surprising him was a very....entertaining idea. And certainly would come in handy if they ever.......fought.... Huh.... The thought suddenly crossed her mind that she had a.... very distinct advantage over him. Especially if she ressurected, which would have only made it even harder for him to find her if he HAD a talent about him for sniffing her out when she was sneaking. She decided..... to keep this in mind. And....perhaps....this might be something that she keep to herself for a while.

She hardly had nefarious plans for it. And she doubted that if she ever had to fight him for real it would make that much of a difference. But at the very least, she could save it and perhaps at some point surprise and impress him. ....Impress him? She paused, furrowing her brows, unable to stop her expression. It had been.... a long time since she'd been unable to keep that smile on her face. At least shed managed to keep from visibly frowning. But she was a bit....surprised. Why did she feel compelled to impress him? She would.....have to reflect on that some other time... For now, she simply waited for him to either explain, or to simply start leading the way. Though if she were a mind reader, she certainly would have been pleased that the first place they were going would be the place she had pretty much spent a good thousand years of her life, if not much more. The Forest.

[Sargon Denumic]

Standing there for a few brief moments after he spoke was the Tercera Espada awaiting some kind of movement or sound from somewhere in the room. It would be rather obvious for Dread to sleep on the top of the tree and in all honestly there was no reason for her not too. Right now was another way for him to get to know about her though. If she was somewhat the same as Aurora or most of the other females she might not enjoy being awoken by a male or even anyone in general which normally was rather irritating without good measure.

Thankfully after a few moments and just prior to Sargon focusing his spiritual pressure to awaken Dread from below the tree her body popped up from the long grass on the floor about half way across the room. She was looking right at Sargon and for a moment the Espada was both surprised inwardly and quite impressed. Either she had been sleeping in the grass and created the tree as a rouse to hide that fact which seemed silly and unnecessary or she had been sneaking up on him while he waited. Either way he hadn't picked up on her.

He knew that he didn't have any sort of talent for spotting those that clung to the shadows and preferred to do battle through assassination measures, but the fact that Dread seemed to possess some skill in that art was all the better. Neither Aurora nor Zegram had such talent for a deadly art and Dread would make an even more valuable asset to his ever growing family. From what he could see Dread was smiling yet somewhat conflicted on the inside. She without a doubt was trying her best to go through the various things happening since yesterday in order to make her decision.

In the next few moments Sargon took in the sight of the attire that she had decided to claim as her own style. It wasn't really all that revealing yet at the same time he wasn't completely sure that he would be without sending another few disrespectful Arrancar to a medic for burn treatment. However, if she chose to wear the attire that was her decision and one that he held no sway on without asserting his complete authority. No she would just have to deal with the eye gawking of males by herself. Sargon then turned and began to his way out of Las Noches expecting Dread to follow behind him.

---

It would take them roughly four hours to get completely out of Las Noches and now they were just getting into the forest. Dread without a doubt would know what lied within the forest and whether or not she still held fear of the place was something only she would know for the time being. Sargon on the other hand had been in far worse situations and had lived around the forest for longer than he actually knew claiming much of it for his own so long ago that those inhabitants of the forests only know it as a legend.

Sargon had something very important to do today and it was just a matter of time now that it began to occur. He was entering the forest from a very specific location an knew of a few entities that clung together against the forces of all else in this realm for safety. He was to meet them today and deal with them however he wished for it was something that he felt might be enjoyable. "Dread you're going to want to stay alert. This area is known to have constant Adjucha activity." Sargon felt it would be wise to give her the warning yet Adjucha weren't those that Sargon was seeking.

[Tsajara Dread]

Dread noticed the expression on is face, a tiny smidgeon of pride entering her mind as she watched him about-face and start heading off. On the way of course he would find that she very much did not mind the attention at all. Walking directly beside him. There were a number of males that looked her way. But there was something that would happen. Before Sargon could have a chance to start pushing them to the ground and burning them. It was distinct. It was noticeable, and it was probably something that would surprise Sargon and the ogling males.

What happened, is that the moment she noticed that stare, as they looked at her. And to face it, they were going to stare. She was all white. Her eyes, her hair, her skin, her clothing. Twas as if the world had a living pigment, a being that made sure that all things had shade, all things had their proper form. That this nameless thing, with every glance, with every mote of light that shone from some far-off object, would utter a hue, a shade, a pigment to so dye this thing, tis new creation that needed flavor. To look upon Dread, it was as if the being had simply gasped. And in that moment, damned all that looked upon her to do the same. That enough was pleny to draw the eye.

But when it happened, and those pupils dilated to focus on her form. She turned to them, and smiled. And it was not a smile that was accidental or neutral. It was not the smile that Dread seemed to pain her face with every morning and renew every night. Nor was it some sultry look of allurement, no depraved look begging them to come hither. But rather, those lips curled, slightly, only a bit, fractionally, and those white eyes turned. It was nothing individual in particular, about the way her face oriented and shifted, but when it did, the warmth alone that came from Tsaj was like a sun. One that outshone even the fake orb above their heads. There was no aggression, there was no evil, no spite, no malice. It did not draw them in like some slithering serpent, but one that locked them in place, for want of simply basking.

She liked it. She enjojoyed being seen. And she enjoyed letting them know that she did. And, of course, she would wish that Sargon did not burn them. She was in no position to order him not to, but if he did, she would give him.... a disappointed look. She would not be angry. She would not be horrified. She was just....disappointed in him. Because it was not that the arrancar looked at her. She knew that some of them would look. Some would even be completely uneffected by that warm smile. But she simply liked to think that she was something to look at, that an individual who was once hollow could look upon a thing and not wish death upon it with it's first thoughts. She liked to think that the hunger was gone.
Because her hunger haunted her every day.




And when they finally arrived in that forest, she was already perfectly alert. Alas there was nobody to smile at here. Perhaps the wayward being here or there, but it was a place she had only recently managed to escape from. Her eyes catching the trees, and as they went, she fell silent. She began to move, so that when he turned to give her this warning, she was not there. She was following, yes, but she was keeping out of sight as she did. Moving through the enormous branches. Making herself hard to spot. Hard to hear. Hard to Sense. But in that wild expanse, Sargon would see, briefly, a confused face. As Dread simply slipped out of hiding for a moment, to simply look upon him as if he were confused.

So? Adjuchas were Adjuchas. Vasto were Vasto. She knew that (with WILDLY different rarities) both were in the forest. She had met members of both of these groups. They were dangerous. And they could kill you. Even slowly. She had seen adjuchas torture, rape, eat individuals bit by bit. But those were.....nothing. In the Forest. They were nightmares. If there was one thing that she feared: It was the Gillians.

One could fight Vasto. Or Adjuchas. One mostly died. Certainly. But that was it. You were dead. BUt......as....Dread....so very....very....very well knew. When a Gillian ate you. You did not die. It was a submersion. It was a drowning. It was going back. Back to....the screaming. It was an ordeal that one was cursed to have to live through once. But she had endured it twice. And the very memory.....woke them up.

<sub>Please.......It hurt.... Don't you dare...Don't you Dare. DON'T YOU DARE!

I miss her, I just want her, I want One Day... Done Day...done Day
Nobody's Coming. Nobody's Coming. Nobody's</sub>

Her face never changed. Her expression stayed the same. Why would it? It had been...almost a century....since she'd been eaten. Since these voices had come back. And about Sixty years since she'd torn that fucking mask back off. But it had been...so very different. It didn't stop. When she'd been in that Gillian, she'd gone through it all again. Hundreds....of thousands of voices. All of them screaming. Not because it hurt. Not JUST because it hurt. But because if you stopped....you'd never speak again. And even when the voices dulled down, and it almost sounded quiet. You felt them in your head. The voices, pushing and shoving. Wills trying to break free. Others, just like her. Others that could still feel the teeth on their flesh, stuck in that sensation of the feast that had made the gillian in the first place. Stuck forever feeling that biting sensation. It was something that removing the mask had only ever shut them up. But only the first time.

How could she be angry... How could she want to kill. How could she want to fight. How could she give one rat's tiny little shit about Soul Society....knowing....that it wouldn't matter? It wouldn't make them stop. It wouldn't save her again. Nothing was. And she could only..imagine....that if she was eaten again. She wasn't going to take her mask off again. And so very few would. You'd be back to screaming. Back to trying desperately not to lose your mind, For thousands of years after it had already been lost, but you were simply too lost to realize it. When she'd first taken the name Dread.....after she'd felt her heart pulled out of her chest by a chain, and become a hollow. She would have never imagined just how new the meaning would be....a thousand years later.

She could only assume he didn't know. He didn't know what being eaten by a gillian was like. He didn't know what it MEANT. And so he was worried about a bunch of Adjuchas. About some pathetic soul reapers. About being respected. And in that moment, it didn't matter how old he was. It didn't matter how ancient. How experienced. How hard anything had been for him. In that moment, she realized that to her, he was a boy.

Because he did not know.

But this.....did not show. Her face went back to normal. She said nothing. And even he would not be able to sense that shift in what she considered him.
She simply spoke.
"Understood."

[Sargon Denumic]

Walking through the forest was as boring as ever it didn't matter where in the forest you were or what hollow was actually in what area. All there was for Sargon was continued boredom and disappointment. After he had warned Dread due to his less than knowledgeable information on exactly how powerful she might be at the moment. He didn't believe that she was incredibly powerful at least not yet. She had been trying her hardest not to let his spiritual pressure effect her yesterday when he hadn't in truth been flexing it. Based on that she was more than likely somewhere around Aurora and Zegram, but he couldn't be sure at the moment.

Fidning out that Dread was moving right beside him wasn't all that big a deal just something that she might not have wished to do. If she was beside him then she wouldn't have anything to fear inside of this forest simply because it wasn't her fight. Away from him though she would have to handle things herself and even though he could benefit from having her under him if she got into trouble he wasn't going to baby her by saving her. So Sargon simply turned and continued on his way through the forest and it continued that way with his hands in his jacket pockets for a few minutes as he looked over the forest.

Dread would then hear the sound of Gillian nearby as they sensed the presence of something of grand power. In the next moment Dread would see Sargon flew through the air past her and then through one of the large white trees. The tree would split in half falling to the ground sending the sand into the air with so much noise happening at the same time. So much had just started and for all she knew Sargon had been hit by whatever he was looking for. That was when a single Gillian stepped into view roughly five hundred feet in front of Dread. At the same time though the ground began to shake and sand was sent high into the air.

In all reality the entity that Sargon was looking for was a Vasto Lordes that he had been looking for over the last few weeks. A female that was small in stature with her entire body covered in white armor. The only thing that gave off the fact it was female was the bust and long pink hair that came down just under the helmet of her mask above her neck. At the moment she was on top of Sargon repetitively punching what she believed to be his now corpse. Her strength was incredible however the damage for the moment was being negated by his heirro. However, she drew back her right hand and punched breaking through his heirro and destroying his right arm at the shoulder. Dread wouldn't be able to see what was going on due to the sand surrounding them. She had her own problem now though.

The Gillian had her in its sight and was starting to move towards her. It got a few paces for it's size yet that was already enough that it was nearly a quarter of the way to her. It then opened it's mouth and in a little over two seconds a crimson colored cero of immense size was fired off towards her. Dread was going to have to think on her own while Sargon dealt with the Vasto Lordes. Overcoming fear was something only the truly valuable and powerful could achieve so it was time for Dread to either prove herself powerful or continue her life of running and hiding in hopes of survival.

[Tsajara Dread]

Something caught her attention just before things went....south. She'd been scanning the area for gilian, when she noticed something....odd. Something on the ceiling of the forest, like some sort of....vine. She thought it was simply part of the surroundings, when Sargon was thrown bodily through a tree, and that vine....moved. She paused, eyes furrowing, not sure what to make of it. But well....it seemed that she had other things to worry about.

Honestly? She highly doubted that Sargon had been attacked. She assumed this was a training. That he had bulled through the tree to whos off hos power. Of course....that very action...was going to bring an assload of Gillian. EVen now they were....roaring. The voices in her head started screaming. And she could FEEL the forest waking up from the commotion. As little by little....tens......then about twenty.....then thirty Gillian in the area began to converge.

Fear would do her no good, but concern was definitely in her mind. It seemed that Sargon wanted to see what she could do. The first Gillian to set it's eyes on her certainly seemed inent on eating her. She frowned, and so far as that gillian was concerned, she vanished. Using those steal skills she moved, using that insanely thick tree as cover for when that Cero obliterated the area she had stood but a moment before. Her arm twisted, her blade spilling out of her sleeve before she snared the dull little thing and she circled around that tree.

The big dumb thing was still looking around, those big... glowing red eyes sweeping the area, trembling with hunger as it looked for her. Of course, she wasn't going to just directly take it out. She was hardly some zealot looking for credit. She leapt up, fingers hooking into that enormous black robe, and slicing into it, crawling into those dark depths, and climbing up it's body through that little port. She wasn't going to chance climbing up the outside of it. If more Gillian showed up they wuold only attack this one to get at her.

IT was stuffy as all hell in there, and she kept quiet as she snuck her ass up along the inside of that robe, shifting now and then as the thing started to move around, searching for her. She felt a brief little calm as she eventually reached up to it's neck-level, her eyes turning into the darkness. It was not a special one....not even normal it seemed. Underneath it's cloak was a mass of white, but with no real solid form. She didn't know what was wrong with it, but this Gillian's insides had been scrambled or something, from the ribcage down. She shook her head and simply took her blade, slashing across the back of the neck before tearing through the cloak and leaping out as it staggered behind her. It was not dead in the slightest, but that thing dropped as it screeched, unable to lift it's hand to slap at it's neck.

The moment she emerged from that dusky cloak, she was hoping for a tree....she just didn't....expect it to be so close.
"OOF!" She grunted as not three meters from the cloak, she slammed into a tree, biting her lip and latching on, ignoring the impact as she glanced over her shoulder. The other Gillian had sensed the drop immediately, and....despite their confusion, they began lumbering over toward the Gillian, curious to see what had happened. It worked well enough she supposed....and....out of the corner of her eye....she spotted....something. Something she'd not seen in a long time. Her eyes fixing on it almost immediately through some of the trees.

It was Sargon....only he was being....straddled by... a Vasto? From behind the way the armor hugged her form, Dread knew a sweet piece of ass when she saw one. Had she been called out here so that Sargon could answer a booty call?! Of course, her thoughts were interrupted.... when one of those trees she was looking past blinked. She did a double-=take, her eyes snapping to the tree that had been there a moment before, when that camouflage dropped...and that aberrant Gillian suddenly smiled. Ohshit.

She dropped, releasing the treetrunk in order to put herself into freefall as that long, slender white limb emerged from that towering cloak, a limb so very unlike most Menos. It's hand was....skinny....and long as fuck. And that hand.....had long curving scythes for fingers. With a swipe of that arm, the tree she had been on a moment before was felled, and as she dropped she looked about frantically, trying to think of where it was she was to head... When a Gillian's face popped out at it's shin, and an insane, smiling Mask grinned up at her. It seemed....this Vasto had a following.

There was little she could do in mid-air, cringing as it's mouth opened up and the roar of a Cero blasted her. There was a loud booming crash as the tree behind her had been taken out, and she herself dropped, slamming into the ground before rolling onto her side. Her left arm was...well... a mess. Gashes taken out of it as she flopped onto the ground, her mind already racing as her calm mind simply stilled in the face of the hit she'd taken. She let out a soft....silent breath as her eyes shifted to the side, her body twitching slightly as she bled a tad onto the ground. Without Hierro she wasn't as....tanky as most Arrancar. She got to her feet, swallowing hard as she took a moment to look around.

She didn't see those aberrant Gillian around. They must have lost sight of her during the explosion. She looked down at the gashes in her arm. They weren't too bad. With some agony she could move the arm, her face twinging a bit as she slowly began to recover, leaping to her feet as her mind simply....put up with the pain. If anything she could come back from a hit spectacularly. Swallowing hard she took a deep breath, a soft shudder escaping her as she began racing toward the nearest Gillian, and up it's cloak she went. Slicing little vents along the way, peeking outside as it movd with the rest of that crowd.

She could already mentally recall both aberrants. One of which, had some sort of camouflaging ability. No doubt it would have already gone back into hiding by now... and because of it's size, it seemed to disguise itself as one of the many trees. The other one seemed to have....something wrong with it. It either had the ability to manipulate what parts of it's body were where, or it had way more heads than just one, and she had happened to wind up infront of one of them. That meant it could probably fire out a cero from just about anywhere. The bleeding was starting to stop as she made her climb, swallowing hard as she paused at the shoulders, clinging to that cloak from the inside as she took a rest. The entire time hiding her reiatsu. If she showed herself, certainly Sargon might help....but then the Gillian would spot her, and those aberrants. She'd have to deal with this herself.

She had to be calm....she had to be smart..... She had to....think.

[Sargon Denumic]

Over and over again that's all it was constantly getting punched over and over again with little to no effect actually happening. Sargon continued to just sit lay there knowing that due to her immense physical strength he couldn't throw her off of him. It was after a few of those punches though that suddenly the next one connected with his face and the pain actually made itself present. His face was broken in more than one place and the Vasto female stood seeing the result. His nose, teeth and eyes were all destroyed and blood was flowing from his face to the point she couldn't in truth make out his face anymore.

Grabbing him by his leg she picked him up and threw him to the side sending him through the air and crashing into a series of trees that he smashed through causing to collapse. It seemed that the Tercera had been defeated without even being able to land a hit on the Vasto Lordes. She turned over towards the sight of the Gillian facing off against what she could only assume to be his Fraccion. This was over and it was time to get the trash out of her home.

Just as she was about to kill Dread though a bala came flying towards her and blocking only on instinct and reflex alone the Vasto raised her arms. In that moment the thick armor of her forearms broke apart accompanied by the sound of a thousand swords breaking at once. She stood horrified by what had just happened only to look up and see Sargon stepping towards her wiping his face clean of blood to reveal that somehow he looked as if nothing at all had even happened to him.

He took the moment to grin towards the Vasto and then gaze towards Dread. From what he could tell she was having some difficulty with the rarest that she was facing. Yet if she didn't get forced into dangerous situations there would never be a chance for her to grow stronger both physically and mentally. In order to face off against true monsters she would have to conquer her fears. In the next moment his own battle continued and it was up to Dread to stay alive.

[Tsajara Dread]

SHNNK

The sound of blade cutting into flesh sounded out, and that Gillian suddenly roared. The Aberrant beside them, those faces already opening up, turned in time for that Adjacent Gillian to swing it's arm, reaching for it's chest and promptly clocking the aberrant in the face, resulting in a gush of blood from it's face as it tumbled to the ground. Dread leaping from her spot, spinning through the air and flashing her blade, so that the glint would catch the eye of every single gillian in the area. She landed, neatly, on that many-faced Aberrant, dropping down onto one of those masks, and driving her blade down into one of those eyes before her body vanished, the soft THOOM of a sonido as she got the fuck out of the way.

Each and every one of those Gillian, thinking that she was on that multi-faced Gillian's body, dogpiled onto them. And began ripping into their body to find her. The noise alone was horrendous as they began tearing them apart. She herself slipping into the shadows, looking around for that other one. The trees....the trees. Her mind already racing as she tried to remember if there was anything unusual about the tree itself that she'd noticed... It had disguised itself clearly, so what would be different? She shifted her attention back to Sargon's fight, her brows furrowing slightly as she eyed them. It really was a testament to his....recovery. She'd sensed the blood. And the wya the gillian had almost ignored her in response to the injury. So seeing him wipe his face to have almost nothing....


She remembered her own wound.


He must have some fierce level of high speed regeneration. She took a moment, taking this int consideration as she shifted her attention off to the side, eyeing the Gillian around them for but a moment as she thought, looking at how tall the tree was that Sargon was on....It would take a bit of sneaking to make her way up there, she would probably have to.....have to.... Wait. That was it. Height! The Gillian was only so tall. And The normal trees of he forest went all the way to the ceiling. Aside from those that had been shorn down. But those had very obvious damage.

Her attention raced about, flitting from tree to tree until....she found it. Climbing the adhacent she watched it for movement, wondering where the Gillian was facing. She'd have to take a gamble. It could be facing in 360 degrees. She assumed it had about a 120 degree field of vision, that gave her 240 degrees of error. Swallowing softlly, she readied herself, eyeing the distance, before she leapt, slamming her blade into it, hearing cloth tear as the Gillian suddenly twisted around, that long, scythed arm slashin before she simply dove into the tear she'd made. Racing down instead of up, as it n doubt would expect her to go for the back of the neck. Rather, she dropped, to the base of the lower back, and then sank her blade in.

The result was rather quick, as the Gillian suddenly lost the feeling in it's legs, dropping down, only barely managing to catch itself on it's hands. Of course, Ajraka cut her way out of it's cloak, and whistled, another flash of that blade, before she used yet another Sonido to escape. She had to admit, that the camouflaging Gillian put up a much better fight. Slashing several of it's bretheren through the skull, deli-slicing their skulls until the rest of them simply piled on, tearing into it's body as it shrieked out to it's brothers and they simply opened them up to look for Dread, the Arrancaress herself? She was sneaking her way up the face of the tree, heading for that Vasto Lorde, and thinking about how to....proceed.

She could ressurect. Certainly. That might be her only method of taking down that woman. But....she would also wind up likely blinding Sargon for a while. Would she be able to trust him not to simply obliterate part of her Release? She wasn't sure, for now she simply sliced a little divot into the bark, and crawled in, a short ways from the top of the tree, where she waited and listened to see how her mentor/escort was doing thus far.

[Sargon Denumic]

While Dread continued to deal with the Gillian that surrounded the area Sargon was still dealing with the brute of a vasto woman. She was growing more and more impatient and getting more aggravated about not being able to simply finish for Sargon in a single blow. When Dread got into her position and listened for what was actually going on she might realize there was something already changed about this tree. Part of it had been blown off, actually what was little more than a few feet above her was flat like the top of a building.

Sargon and the vasto were standing on it in order to due battle as best they could. Well that's what most would believe in truth it fit for the vasto as she breathed heavily growing tired from combat. Yet Sargon the individual that had blown the tree in half with a cero had only wished for a place to stand and made one himself. Dread would be able to hear the sound of the heavily breathing vasto yet nothing of Sargon. "I told you no. I'm not interested now leave or else I will kill you."

The vasto whether she looked it or not had a rather nice voice, but the tone she was going for was intimidation and that was rather hard to pull off when breathing was getting problematic. She was kneeling on the ground parts of her white armored bone form burnt blade from damage. "If you had the power the kill me you would have done it at the beginning. As for whether or not your interested makes no difference to me. We need the strong. . and the strong need to get stronger." Dread would be able to hear the sound of Sargon starting to step towards the vasto slowly.

For a moment there was nothing the female hollow simply starred at Sargon horror flowing throughout her mind as she realized what he was going to do to her. In the next moment though there would be a massive eruption of force from above Dread. The tree burst apart in some places and one just enough that Dread would be able to make out the sight of what was going on. The vasto was right in front of Sargon and somehow had managed to destroy both of his arms in that single moment while at the same time a small portion of the left side of his face was missing. Blood was pouring off of him and it looked like he might be killed.

The vasto pulled back her right arm still having the massive sections of gauntlet like bone on her hands and swung forwards. However, just as she did Sargon's left eye opened and his face and both arms suddenly just sprung forth from the inner part of his body regenerating in a moment back to perfection. His left hand was up though and positioned in a way that looked like he was going to catch the hand of the vasto. In that moment though a small amount of grey reiatsu appeared and then Dread would see a massive bala shot from him.

The horrific sound of cracking and shattering followed as the gauntlet like hand of the vasto was shattered leaving her with just what was underneath which turned out to be what looked like a normal hand. She was sent back to the edge of the tree bloody and coughing while she tried to get air into her lungs. Sargon was suddenly right there without a sound standing over her as he reached down picking the vasto up from the edgy by her throat. "Time to see if you were really worth all this trouble." The eyes of the woman grew small and fear overwhelmed her as Sargon placed her left hand on her face. "NOOOOOOOOO!"

Whether Dread could see it or not she would then hear the sound of a small blast and then she would feel it. An overwhelmingly massive amount of gravitational pressure that would feel as if it might rip her apart at any moment. Then it was simply gone. Sargon stood in the same position now yet in front of him was a rather tall female with dark hair. Completely naked she stood looking at him and then herself only to grin for a moment. "Well now I see what all the fuse was about." "If you hadn't gone against what I said to begin with you wouldn't have been put through the pain." She looked somewhat angry for a moment then let it pass. "Now I'll be on my way, but remember to do as I told you. From now on your one of mine." In the following moment Sargon took off his coat and gave it to the female so she would have something to cover herself with until she found more than likely rags.

[Tsajara Dread]

Dread's attention was undivided as she witnessed the....proceedings. She was not quite sure what to make of it, but she was well aware of what...essentially was transpiring before her. Watching as Sargon ignored protest, the will of the Vasto. She seemed to have come in in the midst of an argument, and watched as the two exchanged reiatsu, all but destroying the tree they were on in the process.

But what suddenly struck her.....was how the conflict resolved. She did not know if they had wagered something in the early moments of the fight. But from her perspective, she simply.....watched, as Sargon forcibly removed the Vasto's mask, and something inside of Dread cracked, the voices in her head falling silent, only one of them speaking up, and screaming in her head. She had had her mask removed, of her own volition and strife. IT had been....an important process. One that was one of self-realization and absolvement of her vices. And sure, there were arrancar who asked for this gift, those unable to properly realize this journey on their own.

But....seeing this....forced on someone. It felt wrong. And even as she watched the new, tall Arrancar accept Sargon's coat, despite the lack of reaction that settled over her features, inside, she felt something very dear to her break. Watching as Sargon informed the Vasto that....essentially....he knew best, and that she belonged to him, she turned away from him, no longer certain that she would be able to properly keep her expression impassive.

She had retained some hope that Sargon was not quite so arrogant as he projected. But this.....was not arrogance. She did not know what to call it. She was hardly qualified to partake such a task, but she did know that she did not like it. Even as she heard the Gillian gorging on their fallen comrades, having completely forgotten about her for the moment, she thought long and hard about Sargon's offer. She would not make her decision yet. Not on this incident alone. Surely there was plenty he could do to redeem himself. Explain himself....of course....she doubted he would. The man commanded respect, and she doubted he would go out of his way to explain himself in any way to her.

So.....she took a deep breath, rubbing softly at the back of her neck before glancing over her shoulder, those eyes the same as they always were, though that usual smile quite....absent as she did. "Was there anything else you needed to do? Or is our mission here concluded?" She asked calmly.

[Sargon Denumic]

Sargon began to walk off through the forest back towards Las Noches. As he did so Dread asked if there was anything else that they were out here for or if they were actually done for the moment. Sargon thought over whether or not he wanted to test Dread further. However, after glancing over the surrounding area Sargon saw the devastation that Dread had been able to cause with the Gillians. The Espada was pleased to see what had happened and that Dread herself was perfectly fine.

Looking back at her Sargon glanced up and down her form for a brief moment. "No no. I do believe that you've been very efficient. I commend you're resourcefulness. Good work Dread." Sargon turned once again and began to lead the way for the both of them back to Las Noches. Dread had preformed good on the first day and Sargon had nothing else to do out in the forest right now. "Let's head back now. You can have the rest of the day off to do as you wish once we get back to Las Noches."

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

70 Paragraphs = 350 TP