The purple-haired woman stirred awake as an urgent message 'pounded' on her chamber's door, moaning and groaning as she staggered toward the door like a mindless drone. However, once she opened the door to find a messenger – whether from the third division or a lackey of her own, her lack of awareness faded and Ume rapidly became awake, alert and oriented. Judging by the news, this was quite the emergency.

It didn't take long to get dressed into proper attire; which consisted of her crop-top jacket captain's haori, her comfy shinigami uniform and shoes, then her zanpakutou's daggers, which rested upon her hips for a 'quick-draw', and the fabric that shielded her lower face and below. After dressing from head to toe, Ume then directed some awake members to call for the others, instructing her crew to muster courage, their wits, and actual supplies: wood and building resources, weapons, construction tools and their reiatsu. Simply, they didn't know when they would need to fortify an already built structure, or provide a wall of some sorts, and Ume wasn't going to 'battle' unprepared. Some troops stayed behind, just in case a retreat was in order and others needed to defend their post… or help evacuate the rukongai citizens into the division if it needed to be pushed back that far. The others followed Ume at quite some distance, and would likely begin to fortify the second district, or at least prepare a blockade for the 'refugees' and for the defenders to fall back on. Plus, a messenger could be sent to gather the fifth division troops if need be.

As late as she'd ever be, Ume quickly moved from the division's grounds toward the district that required aid: the 3rd district of Rukongai. Once she gave the game plan to her division members that halted in the second district, Ume set sail for the Third in a quick and semi-stealthy manner. Quietly she moved, pulling the hood of her haori up to conceal her face, although her pumpkin-eyes peered cautiously as she wandered down streets, intersections, searching high and low for any signs of chaos… and while she couldn't necessarily see anything, considering she was heading from the second district to the third and the horde had just entered the third district, Ume clearly heard distinct screams and wails, shouts and the like. She couldn't quite see the action, and given her short stature, she'd likely have a hard time noticing anything; so she decided to take her surveillance to the roof-top. She climbed upon a trash disposal and hoisted herself up to a window, jumping and using the strength of her arms to pull herself up, then moved from the windowsill to the rooftop above; climbing over the ledge to be on the rooftop.

Once standing, she'd wipe the dirt off her clothes and glance about, checking below the building and along the other roof-tops until coming to a sight: a group of shinigami, but more specifically, the captains. Well, majority, until they dispersed and settled back onto the roads. Still, some where preoccupied on the building, and they were only a few houses down, so it was within distance to catch up.

As she motioned to return to the street, she caught a glimpse of the incoming swarm from her perched position, blinking slightly as the foul smell penetrated her nostrils and an all too familiar taste of death crashed upon her being. The fifth division taichou hesitated slightly to move, but called out loudly, "MY TROOPS ARE GATHERED ALONG THE SECOND DISTRICT'S RIM PREPARING DEFENSES! SOME SHOULD BE ON THEIR WAY SOON ENOUGH! I'LL BE COMING OVER TO YOU!" She took note of the sluggish movement of those people... but they didn't seem like people with the horrific smell of decay, nor the way in which they trekked. Still, she had to rendezvous with her comrades, so the woman concluded that if they were coming from the outskirts of the 4th district, it was likely that closer to the second district, but remaining within the third district, the horde wouldn't have reached that far 'back'. So, she jumped from the building a block behind the others, taking the road and turning at the intersection to approach the group at the flank, assuming the zombies hadn't cornered the group from the back, yet.

If need be, she'd likely maneuver her body out of harm's way if there were a few stragglers, but even still, she paced herself so she wouldn't tire out easily. Her division members would likely come to help, but if anything a messenger could signal for those reinforcements.

Ume required more knowledge, seeing as she didn't exactly want to kill anyone without needing to... so she was hoping the 3rd division had already discovered whatever it was that needed discovering.

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AND SUI HAD DECIDED TO FOLLOW HIM THROUGH THICK AND THIN. And apparently zombies too. BUT THE ZOMBIE KILLING PART WOULD COME LATER (maybe). For now Ryuu would let them and the shinigami fight and hopefully thin each other out some more. Made sense from a tactical standpoint. But more importantly it would provide some great entertainment for Ryuu and his new friend.

"Pleased to meet you too Sui although I can't say the same for our foe.
We must check the doors and windows on this house for we can't afford to act slow.
Make sure that each one is locked and safe and sound.
And be sure to make no noise will attract any of these walkers that roam around."

Ryuu said as he closed and locked the door behind him. Taking note of the shinigami who were moving down the street, Ryuu decided that a backup plan could come in handy.

"If anything goes wrong I would suggest going towards the shinigami base.
Although if we think things through and act intelligently this won't be the case."

Ryuu stated as he indicated to Sui where the shinigami base was. Motioning to her to check the windows and doors in the back, Ryuu quickly checked the doors and windows in front. Finding them all to be locked, Ryuu judged that the doors and windows would hold for a bit if the zombies noticed them. Plus there were a few pieces of furniture that would be useful in barricading the doors. All in all they had found a pretty good home to take shelter in.

AND THEN ACTION OCCURRED. For Ryuu noticed outside that the shinigami and rukons were on the march. THEY HEROICALLY STOOD AGAINST THE ONCOMING ONSLAUGHT OF MYSTERIOUS CREATURES. And thus when the onslaught of mystery creatures began to murder them (they would die heroically though) the creatures would then become a bit less mysterious (at least for Ryuu). Plus it would be rather entertaining to watch even if the shinigami and rukons ended up gaining the upperhand.

"Sui is everything okay?
If it isn't then don't heisitate to say."

Ryuu said Sui. Making sure to check his voice in case it would attract anymore zombies, Ryuu figured that it was unnecessary yet still worthwhile precaution to take. The zombies probably wouldn't notice him due to the fact that the walls were reasonably thick and he wasn't very visible through the window. But Ryuu would still remain vigilant in case something went wrong and one of the creatures noticed them.

Like the rest of her companions, Mai turned to face the shinigami giving the briefing. The situation was worse than she could have imagined, regardless of the fact that she had implied her father would infect her with any variation of a quality that she did not want throughout her years of terrorizing the Tanaka Household (perhaps she'd blocked it out due to all the smacking around cuffing that the comments incurred?). Fortunately, it was her job to not get involved and stay within the impromptu medical ward...that she probably would have to assist in setting up.

Well, it was something to do, by the Maker, and she was going to do as told when told....As soon as Harupia said it. Yep.

[UGH x,x]

Zane inhaled sharply, then released the same breath only seconds later in a heavy exhale that was close in resemblance to that of a sigh, but less.. well it wasn't a sigh! Zane was soon approached by a fellow Shinigami who had informed him of the incident and he was drawn to where Sumie had called the rest of them to. He stretched out, his joints popping with every stretch he made, limbering his body up for the run that he was about to partake in.

A meeting? How fantastic this should be.

That was the only thing that Zane could think as he thought up the best route across the rooftops to his comrades. Zane wasn't really one for meetings and such, even though he attended them regardless, as he wasn't exactly the most social person out there. Zane turned his body and crouched down to grab his Zanpakutou before raising back to a straight-standing position. Zane grinned beneath his mask and began to run and leap across the rooftops, similar in style to Parkour, using his surroundings to get across the roofs and scale up to higher buildings.

The putrid scent that was plaguing the area finally reached Zane as he got within reasonable distance to the others who were gathered and it disturbed him greatly. He wasn't about to allow this to deter him though and he continued to move nimbly until he made it to the roof where the others gathered. The trip seemed to be a lot longer in his mind, but in reality it had taken only a few minutes to get there. Zane's thrill and rush of adrenaline were cut short as soon as he arrived just moments before Sumie's speech. Not seeing any other familiar faces about, Zane flanked his Taichou and crouched on the ground just behind Malik, his sword rested across his legs.

Zane "sat" quietly and listened to the situation at hand and how to handle this "Horde" that was inevitably heading their way. A blow to the head, huh? Looked like Zane wouldn't have much use for releasing his Zanpakutou in this battle. What good would it be to blow the eardrums out of a senseless being that was gonna attack him anyway? Oh well. Zane rose to his feet, catching his blade as he stood up, flanking behind Malik who called the First Division members to follow him.

"It's too early for this nonsense," grumbled Shigeo as he staggered out of the barracks, having just finished strapping his zanpakutou to his hip. A messenger had shaken the blond man from a deep slumber just minutes ago, hastily saying something about some sort of emergency in Rukongai's Third District, and then left before the eighth seat could ask for any details."Not even my division's jurisdiction..." Shaking his head in bemusement, Shigeo nonetheless broke into a brisk trot, employing shunpo every so often to reach his destination more swiftly.

The cool wind on his face as he traveled past the towering walls of Seireitei and into Rukongai shook the fog of sleep from Shigeo's mind, as did the sea of Rukon citizens...and the stink and unholy sounds, indistinct moans and shouts that came floating his way on the breeze. A scowl crossed his features briefly, caused as much from the stench itself as from his wondering what could possibly cause it. I'll find out soon enough, Shigeo thought grimly, and in an effort to avoid the press of the fleeing (for that is what they seemed to be doing, urged along by other shinigami) citizens, he took to the rooftops, now running full tilt to find the reason for this mass exodus.

He arrived a short time later on a rooftop where several others had gathered, just as Sumie was finishing some sort of speech to -- gods, is that the SouTaichou? All the Taichou were present, but for even Malik to show up...it must be serious. And indeed, the situation did seem dire: a mob of desiccated, putrid, just all-around nasty figures were steadily shuffling and limping inward from the fourth district, and several familiar faces, including Shigeo's own reckless Taichou, were charging forth to meet them. With a grimace, Shigeo turned to Sumie, saying curtly, "Apologies; I arrived a bit late, and missed the briefing. Would you mind giving me a quick idea of what's happening?"

Not unlike every other soul in range, Kurisuna listened attentively to what Sumie had gathered. Angry-browed, the gears in her head worked to liken the Lieutenant's description to known parallels; this synopsis was not unfamiliar to her, and the Taichou had flicked through enough fiction to juxtapose a viral upsurge compounded with the mindless, overpowering compulsion to contaminate others, to the prospect of undead.

''Notwithstanding Shuchiku-Taichou's customary lack of foresight, if this epidemic is as infectious as you say, we should temporarily isolate the district regardless of whether the threat is eradicated here. It is early fall; any vector, mosquito or otherwise, can theoretically transmit this so-called disease, no? We have the cure, but we don't know how viral the contagion is. I am more apprehensive of what will happen if one of the residents turn among their peers, with so little Shinigami allocated to manage them in comparison.'' That was the gamble, she supposed; priorities needed to be set straight, and they had not gotten word of any outbreak in the 2nd, but this was an unknown pathogen that could, worst-case scenario, be delayed in its onset if transmitted a particular way.

Kurisuna resumed with a more colorful manner of speaking, her hand swaying this way and that before she took a step back into thin air, ''This has the potential to be just as bad as the inception of Hollow-kind, too... Such a shame to nip it in the bud.'' She fell, then, curving at the knees and landing midway down the installation before bounding to ground level and joining the likes of Kiba, whose application of a Zanpakutou made Sumie's ''no ally killing'' stipulation a great deal more difficult to abide by.

With great care, every movement deliberate, she engaged the malodorous creature to his right, hands on her hilt and scabbard. Her thumb pressed against the guard, unhinging the blade, and she waited, thin lips twisted in utter disgust, for the undead to take that singular step into the broad arc of her katana; at the cue of its impending footfall, she unsheathed it masterfully, rotating the sheath as to prime the edge for the humanoid's festering neck.

Harupia didn't manage to see any of his underlings in the whole commotion, but at least his question's were answered for the most part as Sumie called for some order before she explained the whole situation,or at least whatever she knew about it. And from the sounds of the situation wasn't pretty. Not only were these creatures extremely durable, they also could spread some kind of disease upon contact...and an infection was rather easy to catch in any sort of combat situation...He slightly wondered just how effective he and his colleagues could be,seeing how Au sort of wound from these creatures could cause the infection to spread.

Still, he needed to do the best he could. And they had the cure for the infection...though granted it had to be a limited amount. He thought about all the possibilities as he climbed the stack of boxes he was pointed to, joining all the assembled captains there... Including the Soutaicho, still recovering from his injuries. Still, he kept himself silent as the plans were discussed, with Sumie proposing razing the area in case this...horde would overwhelm them, while Malik himself laid out a general plan of attack. His only complaint was with the Fukutaicho's idea, but he knew that such measures would have to be considered. As long as casualties were kept to a minimum...though he was sure it would not go over the Rukongai populous...but they would worry about that if it all came down to that.

Blinking a bit as Kiba-Taicho marched on forward towards the enemy, he would nod to Malik's general plan saying "I can assist you down if you wish Soutaicho-san...though quite honestly I would rather have you here with the Medics, f not out of the distract altogether...Please take care of yourself if you intended on heading towards the front-line Tanaka-san..." concluding with an obvious hint of concern in his voice. Quite honestly he had the urge to grab his sheathed blade and thwack him across the head for coming here in his recovering state, but he guessed he could except that. It would be nigh impossible to hold this man down if the enemy was anywhere near. And then there was Kurisuna's remark about having to quarantine the area after the whole ordeal, which he would nod to slightly

After saying his peace to Malik he turned towards the Shinigami under him and called out "2nd Division members, assemble in front of me!"before he would turn to Sumie and then said "While I realize the cure will be more handy to the ones in fight Natsukoi-san, I would like to request a few doses of it in case one of the wounded brought back here turns out to be infected...of course, assuming there is some to spare. Just how much of the medicine do we have to our disposal?Also, Kurisuna-Taicho has a point. Assuming we manage to eliminate all the infected we know of, there is still a chance of the disease spreading...a quarantine would not be a bad idea" he concluded, addressing the last part both to Sumie and Malik, since it seems the two of them were the most interested in organizing the whole operation, the other captains heading of to the battlefield.

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SPOILER: Click to show

As there are 15 people in this thread presently, not including myself, I will be introducing the final ten enemies now. I'm apologizing in advanced for how messy this post reads. It's difficult to address multiple situations and Haru posted close to deadline so I worked to get this out fast. >,,>

Fliers - Though humanoid in shape and size like the others, these frozen blue and purple skinned abominations boast large bat like wings on their back and four inch talons on both hands and feet as well as fangs nearly rivaling those of the Biters. Their speed and strength are average, putting them beneath the Spitters and Biters respectively in each corresponding category. (Currently five in number.)

Beserkers - Giants in comparison to the other zombies at a staggering eight feet in height and four hundred pounds all cast in a sickly green shade, the Berserkers can be devastating forces of destruction. Spikes protrude from their bulging forearms, which they use to smash obstacles out of the way. The spikes are also their only means of infection aside from spilled blood. They are stronger than Biters and fast, though not as fast as the Spitters. (Currently five in number.)

From the frontlines, behind the original mass of attackers came the sound of a stampede and rushing wind. Now that the sky had lightened another shade, additional forms could be made out, if one did not have buildings in their way, those of hulking monsters who charged along the ground, bashing pieces of building and landscaping out of the way with spiked forearms. Above them, the scene was just as disheartening. Five of the fiends were equipped with wings that sped them along through the air over the bodies of the combined forces of Rukon and Shinigami.

Their path had them following along where many of the zombies had gone; down the street where Torako and Ryuu had taken to hiding. Five spitters, five biters, three of the fliers, and two of the beserkers, who cleared the area of obstructions by crashing through them, now surrounded the very building the arrancar and small girl were in. Despite Ryuu's efforts to barricade the house and their attempt to hide their presence, one of the beserkers made short work of the entire front wall of the house. The heads of the zombies craned in jerking motions from the left to the right. They were honing in on Ryuu and Torako's location. Eyes, ears, even their noses weren't necessary to track the prey down.

Meanwhile, the rest of the horde were headed for those who had charged them. Kiba, Sengoku, and Kurisuna would find plenty of work to do while others hung back. Kiba's sword would find its purchase in the neck of one of the biters. It managed a partial moan before its head completely free itself of its shoulders with a spurt of semi-congealed blood. Sengoku would have similar luck in his fight, but not in completeness.

Where Kiba had yelled prior to the decapitation, Sengoku's cry came as he swung and the effect was immediate as he cut into the neck of a spitter. With his mouth open, Sengoku was in line to get the full dose of blood and toxin as it came erupting out from the spitter's short lived attempt to to hit Sengoku in the face with it before his axe reached. Kurisuna's attempt didn't boast the cleanness of kill as the other two if that was any consolation to Sengoku. Skilled though she was, her physical strength didn't lend itself to a complete decapitation. It was enough to render the fiend dead, but the blade was well wedged in vertebrae and a tangle of decaying muscle and and other matter.

The timing for such was ill because from her right came another of the monsters, another biter like the one stuck on her blade. Its gnashing maw sought purchase on the flesh of her extended arm. For the three, things would look no better even with the success in various portions. Kiba had the immediate arrival of a beserker charging straight at him with another behind it to deal with and overhead the remaining two fliers were circling like vultures.

---

Back at the makeshift headquarters, Sumie was pursing her lips in response to Kurisuna's reasoning and leaving as well as Malik's orders. She disagreed with his orders for all the medics to stay behind; they were the ones who'd be able to administer the cure best and she'd voice as much to Harupia who had remained to question her, though only after saying, "One moment," to Shigeo who had arrived on the scene.

"Hitoshi-taichou, as Tanaka-taichou didn't call for a vote on a state of emergency, I'm asking you to reconsider his command for staying here. Medics are needed on the field. They're the ones who can transport injured people without causing further damage and can administer the cure most effectively. Your people can recognize the signs of a body with seized muscles from infection much easier than a limp body of the deceased, so of course I will give you as much of the cure as you need. Though obviously some will need to stay behind, but we could lose a lot of people without responders on the scene."

Sumie's entire body was showing the signs of her tiredness now. She had been awake all night, examining the situation. Not to mention that her body still had the ache from her own encounter with the infection, but she tried to keep her voice even and calm as she reiterated her tale to Shigeo. "The attackers are carrying some type of contagion which causes the victim to turn violent and unreasonable. It's transmitted through wounds caused by biting or scratching, or contact with open areas of your body and their bodily fluid. We have a cure, but it's best avoided altogether. These things can also only be killed, as far as we've seen, with decapitation, snapped necks, or injuries to the head that sufficiently damage the brain."

SPOILER: Click to show

Time - Ten past five am.

Enemies - Eight biters, nine spitters, five fliers, five beserkers.

Infected Characters - Mihamaru (can't post this round) and Sengoku IF he doesn't find a way to avoid the infection via his mouth/nose/eyes.

Grunting and turning his head from the kill, grinning for his success, Kiba paused before he could gloat; it seemed Kurisuna had lodged her weapon in a monster's neck and was getting bit at. Just like her, to leave a job only half-done. Another loud grunt, and his club-sword was swung in a hard downward arc aimed far over Kurisuna's arm - it would be very silly indeed for Kiba to threaten taking her limb, after all - in order to bite deeply into the dead center of the shambling figure's skull. Of course, presuming the chop succeeded, Kiba now had his own stuck weapon to deal with... but unlike with Kurisuna, Kiba couldn't claim to have much worry with this.

A rumbling would draw Kiba from his considered attempts to withdraw his weapon; turning, Kiba would see the cause of the shaking earth. Twin giants, barreling toward him, each taller even than his former Fukutaicho. With a growl, Kiba braced himself.

"Back me up, Kukuka-Taichoo!" He called, and following this, he vanished. Specifically, he vanished in a Shunpo, the angled jump carrying him upward and directly at the first giant. Kiba's goal, naturally, was to fly into the beast's upper chest, to plant his knees in soft flesh and put his strong arms to work, one hand pressed against the giant's chin, the other bracing the back of it's skull, and both twisting violently. Kiba knew how to break a neck, of course - when one had strength he did, it was shockingly simple - but he hadn't attempted it on an eight foot tall wrecking ball of a man-thing. This would be a fine example of science!

Harupia blinked when the Fukutaicho of Captain Kurisuna, instead of answering his questions, started to point out why he should not follow Tanak-san's orders. And as hard it was for him to admit, it made a lot of sense. If all the wounded were to be brought back from the front-line to get medicated, it might be to late, and they were the best prepared to both help them of the battlefield and assist them. It was pretty stupid of him to be oblivious to the fact...or maybe, it was simply fear, maybe not one as obvious to make him turn tail and run, but one strong enough to undermine the right choice in turn of the safer one...

Sighing as he run his hand over his face, Harupia looked up to Sumie with a determined look on his face saying "Yes,yes, you're right...I'm sorry this is just...A lot to process through. But I think it about time for me to stop making a fool out of myself, right?" he concluded with a wide smile, before turning around and hopping down towards the ground.

Turning to the medics which hopefully gather around by now he would say "Alright, ladies, gentleman, its time to move out. We will approach the battlefield, but preferably we will stand behind those who are more proficient in combat. Is we stand together and work as a unit we should be able to eliminate any infected which burst sneak through the first line..."

After a brief break he would say "Now, are main objective will be to provide aid to those wounded. Each of us will pair up with another member, and in such groups of two you will be sent out to recover anyone who becomes wounded. I also want each of us to have at least on vial of the cure provided be Natsukoi-san. Remember, the disease is spread through contact with fluids, and the contaminated show signs of muscle numbness. Ill need at least five of you to stay behind and hold this point, and also help all the wounded which we will be gathering around here. Alright man, group up and we head out!"

as the available members formed themselves in pairs, he spotted Mai out of the crowd and said "Mai-chan, you'll be paired with me. We've made quite the team last time, I'm sure today will be no different" he said with a warm smile to her. Then he would beckon Hotaru to come over and say "Hotaru-chan, I see you're here as well...It will be good to have you to assist as well. Seems we have a knack for tough spots lately, ehh?"

After everyone was group up, he would approach the bag left by Sumie for a portion of the medicine, and then lead the group towards the front line, making sure everyone was close together in case one of the infected managed to sneak by. It would be hard to tell, seeing how the noise and stench made everything blend into a rather chaotic mess...though at least Captain Kiba seemed to be having fun.

Turns out Kurisuna did have a certain proclivity for leaving things half-done, though this was largely unintentional and less a product of her strikingly short attention span for what did not have her plunging a blade into every inch of exposed flesh; she had underestimated the zombie's constitution, though it had undoubtedly been done away with, and as the ghoulish figure succumbed under the relentless drain of gravity, the Taichou stepped upon it and dislodged her Zanpakutou. She caught Kiba bludgeoning the entity across from her, then, and stood erect as the third undead collapsed: it was not a very good feeling, having your fellow Captain extricate you from your own predicament.

She was caught in a haze, embittered and ashamed that Kiba of all people had liberated her from the fiend, but could not afford to dull her senses with the emergence of a more pressing threat; while she was not totally ignorant of the foes circling overhead, it was not her intention to fall behind in terms of performance, and the descending giants were decisively more impressive than their airborne cousins.

With this in mind, she followed suit, applying Shunpo where Kiba had gone as the gargantuan brutes tore through every discernible obstacle; she would, as prompted, assist him in taking down the same beast he'd targeted, and emerge at the back of the creature's head. This time, she did not dare behead the thing; instead, it was her intention to sever the upper fibers of the zombie's neck to, if anything, facilitate Kiba's endeavor.

It appeared Watson had flanked too wide, his path was quiet.

"Great, I'm not any use here"

The ground shook underfoot. The air buzzed overhead. The party after Torako and Ryuu were seemingly moving through the Third District unhindered.

"What are those fools doing!?"

That could not be allowed. Yoshiya moved after them, but their speed outmatched his, and the trail of devastation left behind after the Beserkers made the ground inefficient to pass, he would have to take a different path.

The path took him past the Notched Axe, by which he saw a collapsed man, having been infected by the horde.

"Looks like I got here just in time."

Yoshiya took out one of the needles and stabbed Mihamaru in the arm. Hopefully this would work as Sumie claimed.

"Drink up kid."

Watson stepped back and readied his weapon, should the antidote not work.

Noticing a glass of water on a nearby table, Ryuu saw that the water inside would move around in ripples as the berserkers drew near. This was probably explained by the very loud sound of buildings being demolished with the sounds getting closer and closer. Obviously that was not a good sound. Neither was the sound of the zombies surrounding the house. FOR SOMEHOW THEY HAD BEEN FOUND OUT. For now Ryuu figured that they should retreat to the second floor and from there move onto the roof of an adjacent building. It wasn't as if there were flying zombies right?

"Sui I would recommend that we move up onto the second floor.
For I can hear the approach of even more.
From there we can move to another roof through a hop.
And for it should be safer than the floors on the top."

Moving onto the staircase, Ryuu waited a few moments for Sui to move up to the top of the staircase. BUT THEN THEY BOTH FOUND OUT WHAT HAD BEEN MAKING THE LOUD NOISES. The source was an eight foot tall juggernaut of death and spiky arms. He also smelled bad and looked kind of mean. THIS MEANT THAT RYUU WOULD HAVE TO TAKE HIM DOWN HEROICALLY. Heroically in this case meaning with laser beams of death.

Quickly moving farther up the stairs, Ryuu fired two Bala's at the berserker from his left hand in order to slow it down. While with his right hand he charged up a cero and launched it at the berserker where it would undoubtedly kill it and anything near it. Quickly using a sonido to travel up the rest of the stairs, Ryuu would demolish the staircase with three more bala shots so the zombies would be unable to follow them up the stairs. For the moment it would make sure that him and Sui were safe.

Luck wasn't something that Sengoku had never felt to be on his side. However, it seemed today of all days that it was. The power of his swing brought him forward and down, turning his head and shoulders, so the spray of infections fluids caught him not in the mouth, nose, or eyes, but splattered over his shoulder and back. He came back up in time to see the hulking behemoth. Realizing how close he had come to being infected, he resolved to keep his mouth shut.

With Kiba engaging the giant monster, Sengoku moved to the side of the red headed Captain, axe up and ready to go again. He swung at another nearby zombie, aiming for the neck again. He didn't see much of a point in aiming lower, since it wouldn't even wound the bastards. He didn't know how they were going to handle the flying ones, but he had to hope that the shinigami were working on that one.

As Hitoshi-Taicho left her side and ascended the boxes to gain his position atop the building with the others, Hotaru moved forward to get a look at the medical cure they were to use. She was startled to see that there were actually two different medications; one green and one blue. She would have to find out what purpose each contained before administering these to the infected.

Things began to progress at a fairly rapid pace after that. Her eyes became wide as she heard the Soutaicho issuing orders to the medical crew unsure how she should react to this. Certainly they were in a state of emergency, but Harupia-san was here to lead them, was he not? The dilemma was soon rectified when her own Taicho directed them to assemble before him.

Moving forward as commanded, she listened to his orders about pairing up in teams of two to go out and retrieve the wounded. He had paired up with Mai before motioning herself to come forward. Nodding to his small jest once she reached his location, she took the vials and commented, "Yes, Taicho. There are two types of medicine here, one green and the other blue? What are the distinctions between them as to the infected?" She had to hustle along side him though to be heard as he was already leading them off to the front lines.

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SPOILER: Click to show

In my haste to get out a post within my break before my test yesterday, I failed to notice my wording for my bit about the medics. Thanks to Ki, whom noticed this and actually addressed what I meant to say, to some degree. In future I will make note to write a post in one break, reread it in another and edit it accordingly before posting to you know, make sure I don't make another screw up like that :v

As Zane along with other members of the Division falling in line (assuming npcs are indeed there) Malik made haste toward the front lines of the battle. Once there he would find the horde up to what hordes do best, in this case mass chaos. Taking a breath he narrowed his gaze and quickly gestured for Zane to stay on his flank. "If anything gets within a yard of me, intercept. As for the rest of you, spread out. Don't let anything by! We draw the line here!"

He then went onto the attack, moving toward the horde with a vengeance. No one, but no one threatened his brethren with suffering and death, without paying the price in kind.

Snapping his left wrist he shot up his arm, energy gathering in the tip of his finger as he aimed for the nearest flyer while he recited the first of two spells he was about to unleash. "Vindictive martyr, poised as flawlessly as the heavens, tear with thy lustrous claw! Hadou number Four! Byakurai!" The bolt of kido would then arc from his digit, intending to strike the flying beast upon the face and with any luck, slice right through the rotting skull. He would then turn his gaze upon the nearest ground leveled ghoul, and snap his hand toward it while reciting a second spell. "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat! Bakudou number Nine! Hōrin!" Similarly to before a burst of kido would snap out, moving toward the beast (and perhaps a second if it were near by) intending to coil around it's frame to hinder its movements allowing either Zane or some other Shinigami the chance to strike it down with much greater ease.

With his two spells cast, Malik quickly reached for his left sword and began to draw. He was walking into the thick of it now, simple firing off kido would not do in this situation. No, he would need to rely on steel as well as 'magic' this day. Though with any luck, he wouldn't need to sully his closest companion with blood. Though she would most certainly not have it no other way.

SPOILER: Click to show

Lol, because I'm an idiot who forgot what kido he had

Rip had ignored the calls to evacuate. A horde was coming? Sounded silly. And what a thing to wake up to, so early in the morning. And then the horde came.

He quickly came to regret his decision.

There was a base camp of sorts. A staging ground for the Shinigami and Rukon defence line. He was, unfortunately, on the wrong side of the line, being a resident of the Fourth District. However, he planned to remedy that. He made a bee-line for the camp, in front of him and to the left.

SPOILER: Click to show

Sorry for short post. Wasn't sure how to enter.

Vaguely as he had thought, the horde was being slowly being thinned by those who had rushed ahead. Though it seemed like the small group ahead could soon be overrun by numbers, even if two of the combatants were Captains. The other he didn't recognize, but judging by how he was using an axe, Yuigon figured it was probably a local fighter. Pretty much just as this thought passed through his mind, he saw the two huge beings thundering through the shuffling group. He wondered if perhaps any of the small fry were trampled as a result, but dismissed the thought as two of the Captains took on one. Now he ran, though he ran to the large being that they were not latched onto, hoping to at least slow it down. "Watch out for the other one, it might take it as an opening."

He spoke loud enough that the three already attacking the horde would likely be able to hear him (if they listened), but that was not in the forefront of his thoughts. Instead, he put his hands on the hilts of both weapons and lunged forward, aiming to dive between the legs of the large beast as he drew his swords. Then he spun around and slashed for the backs of each knee. His intention? Cut through the meaty limbs to knock the beast "down to size". Or in other words, to essentially amputate the legs so that the creature would be easier to deal with.

So much for being a good employee. He decided to check on the tavern, to make sure the place was safe from opportunistic looters. After making sure everything was locked tight and walking outside, he got cheap-shotted with some weird gunk without warning. While lying on the ground for who knows how long, he could feel his mind slowly slipping away. Luckily, before he could completely lose it, a stranger showed up out of nowhere and stabbed him in the arm with something.

And then, like magic, he’s back at 100%. Even better, the spit managed to slide off his face while he was on the ground. Looking to his savior, he gives him a grin. ””Hey man, thanks for the assist. When the owner left without me, I thought I was gonna die here, or worse. Just like the swords to pay more attention to their own things than the rest of u-” Cutting himself off quickly, a thought occurs to him. What if he wasn’t the only one left to fend for himself.

Crushing his hand into a fist, he looks over to his new best friend. ”Think I can take advantage of your generosity for a little while longer?” Not even waiting for an answer, Mihamaru throws his fist into the air, and launches a hell butterfly straight into the air with a fairly long message.

“Attention all citizens of Rukongai! If the fuckin’ Swords decided their party was more important than your life, let loose a flare in the skies, like you’re trying to shoot the flying bastards down, and it’ll be a Rukon who comes to your rescue!”

Mai had managed to regain some semblance of order in the situation; during the private briefing, she had busied herself with some tent-erecting for more critical cases. However, with Harupia's timely injection, she jumped at the chance to be at his side again. She too agreed that they worked well together last time, as she had done the majority of the work while under his supervision, and that was what she realized that she needed as a growing individual.

Now, it seemed that the time to fly on her own was at hand once again, and she too stepped forward to collect several vial-and-needle combinations; upon her retrieval, she noted the difference in colors as well, having seen a larger supply of the green ones as she tucked them into various folds within her obi. "Perhaps," she said, speaking for the first time since the ordeal began and answering Hotaru's question, "The bluer ones are for more severe cases?" It was a logical reasoning, as they were moving into the horde and bound to suffer some cases of infection. She said as much as she hurried slightly behind Harupia, not wanting to overstep her bounds too much and appear as though she was considering herself an equal to him. "Wouldn't you agree, Hitoshi-taichou-sama?"

[bgcolor=E86100] ... Son of a mother duck.

As their attempts on blocking off the house failed with a crash, quite litterally, they were now surrounded. Panic strikes this young child, as she was 5 seconds short of praying to the mighty cat god in the sky. But then..

[Mr. Lee evolved into... >>>>> Mr. BadAss]

Mr. BadAss took up the fight, and attacked the creatures with ancient japanese laser beams, just like any BadAss would. As he traveled up the stairs, Torako came following, as Mr. Badass destroyed the stairs behind them.

Hell yeah!

However, in the distance, a message flew into the sky, giving information about getting help for fellow Rukons, and being the person she was, y'know.. weak, she decided to reply with her own Butterfly Flare. She aimed her fist out into the clear parts of the sky.. y'know, the parts without flying zombies, and sent her message out loud and clear, the white butterfly shining brightly in the morning night-light.

"OVER HERE! DANGER OVER HERE~~!"

Shigeo's mouth turned downward in a frown at Sumie's summary of the chaos below. Lovely, he thought, turning his gaze out towards the battle, where Kurisuna and Kiba were making a coordinated effort to bring down a new enemy, some sort of behemoth, while another from Shigeo's own division was attempting to tackle a second of the beasts; on top of that, some aerial foes had begun to circle over the field. Just lovely.

Nodding briefly to Sumie, Shigeo unsheathed his blade and leapt down from the roof, sprinting towards the bellowing, spike-ridden giant that Yuigon was attempting to hamstring. Shigeo saw a potential opening in the creature's defenses, if his comrade succeeded in his maneuver; as he drew close, the fair-haired fighter would leap into the air, his movement amplified by a shunpo, and seek to drive his weapon's point down through the top of the titanic beast's skull as he dropped towards it. If that wasn't "sufficient damage to the brain," he didn't know what was.

As she moved forward to join the group, a realization dawned upon her: while she was in charge of the front lines, it was likely that her men and the Rukongai citizens needed someone competent and able to defend. She wasn't saying that her comrades were weak, per se, but it would be best to have someone of higher authority to instruct the lesser seated men and give orders. Simply to put, it wouldn't be chaotic with Shinigami running about with no direction if a Captain was around to make the difficult choices.

Upon this thought, the woman pivoted, turned back and headed for the second district; scampering down the streets, through the foliage and onward to the second district to reinforce the district and give a secure and stable 'fortress' for her allies to fall back on. While she didn't blurt out her choice, if they needed to retreat, they'd be welcomed by brethren!

[Exit]

[bgcolor=555555]

"Green," Sumie's female assistant who was in charge of cure distribution chimed in before Harupia could answer Hotaru's question about which cure was appropriate to take. "Natsukoi-san said blue is for those who don't get the normal cure in time!" The aforementioned Natsukoi-san was busy jumping down from the roof as one of the fliers swooped over head. Her left knee buckled as she landed, planting itself in the dirt. Her muscles were still sore and her body tired from the overnighter.

"Get down," she hissed at the medics as the flier made for another pass, but it swept overhead, it diverted course for the kidou chanting Captain as his two kidou connected and took down enemies. The target was not necessarily Malik, but rather Zane who had followed. The flier's long talons caught the Shinigami along the back as it dove down like a kamikaze, leaving it on the ground to tangle with Malik while Zane crumpled into the dirt, the infection spreading through his muscles and paralyzing him as the wound on his back oozed. The flier wasn't the only one Malik had to contend with, a Biter and two Spitters were shambling past debris which had been tossed that way by the berserker's initial approach.

The Fourth Division unit with the Third Division Taichou and barkeep were having slightly better luck. The respective teams took down the berserkers with fair ease as the monsters were attackers, not thinkers, while Sengoku neatly beheaded his favorite; another spitter, though this was a cleaner kill by far, but the large bodies of the giant zombies did not lose momentum as they lost life. They teetered and tottered before falling downward, threatening to squish any before them. There was also the issue of another Berserker heading their way, it had been delayed by the destruction of several small buildings its brethren left in its path. There was also the biter and another spitter coming at them from the right of the scene.

Back at the hiding place of Torako and Ryuu, things were simply getting worse by the second. Though Ryuu's attack took down one of the berserkers, the blow off of the the cero did not kill the others around the building; it wasn't accurate or damaging enough to cause the type of injury that would kill these particular enemies. Given that Ryuu and Torako had not heard Sumie's briefing, it was no surprise they weren't aware of such. What they would be aware of as Ryuu caused more damage to the structure that was missing an entire support wall, was that the house was coming down hard and fast with them in it and the zombies still waiting outside.

On the brightside, at least Mihamaru, Yoshiya, and Rip were safe for the time being!

SPOILER: Click to show

Once again, I THINK I addressed everyone. If not, I apologize.

Time - About the same as last post.

Current Enemies - 2 Berserkers, 4 Fliers, 7 Biters, 8 Spitters (1 Berserker, 3 Fliers, 5 Biters, and 5 Spitters at Ryuu/Torako's location. 1 Berserker, 1 Flier, 2 Biters, and 4 Spitters at the Shinigami front; Malik is currently dealing with the flier, 1 biter, and 2 spitters, Kiba, Kurisuna, Yuigon, Shigeo, and Sengoku have another berserker coming, as well as 1 biter, and 1 spitter.)

Infected Characters - Zane (cannot post next round unless given cure)

Kiba wasn't well known for his grace or poise, and it was all too likely the weight of himself would guide the behemoth's fall, unfortunately: this meant he would surely find himself plummeting rapidly, and with a grunt tucked himself tight before bouncing off the ground, behemoth rebounding off of himself before falling to the side, leaving the Taicho on the ground, writhing for a moment. The rumbling of another giant, of course, got Kiba's attention soon enough, and he was on his feet and grinning as the beast charged.

"Keep 'em off my back!" The Taicho crowed at his allies, lowering his shoulders as he began his retaliatory charge at the behemoth, suddenly less upset that Kurisuna had clearly stolen his kill - this one was his. Of course, this meant as per his plea to his allies, he was utterly unawares of the horde otherwise, fliers and lurching, reaching ground-based enemies and all: Kiba's eyes were locked on the biggest bully on the playground, as it was obvious Kiba needed to assert himself as the biggest possible playground-goer.

And it appeared like Ryuu and Sui were BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE. But luckily Sui had called for more distractions er I mean reinforcements. Lets go with that one. But sadly it would be beyond anyone's abilities to save the building for Ryuu's attack had RAZED THE ROOF. Well technically Ryuu had razed the wall which had in turn caused the roof to fall down. BUT IT STILL COUNTED AND IT SOUNDED NICER DUE TO THE ALLITERATION. And at the end of the day that was all that truly mattered.

"Sui I believe it's time to run
So we can go to a safer place and have more fun.
I will need you to stay calm and hold on tight
And find a way to contribute to the fight."

FOR NOW IT WAS TIME FOR RYUU AND SUI TO MAKE A DRAMATIC ESCAPE. Grabbing Sui and putting her on his back for a piggyback ride of ZOMBIE KILLING AWESOMENESS. Ryuu fired a bala at the end of the hallway which made a new exit that overlooked the roof of the adjacent building. Sprinting toward it, Ryuu would use a sonido to HEROICALLY CARRY BOTH HIMSELF AND SUI ONTO THE ROOF OF THE NEXT BUILDING WHERE IT WAS 20% SAFER.

This was just in time too for soon after the pair had exited the building it would collapse and (hopefully) take out a few more of the nearby zombies. BUT THE TWO OF THEM WOULD HAVE NO TIME TO ENJOY THEIR NOT BEING CRUSHED BY THE BUILDING. For there were also flying zombies nearby. Pointing at the creatures as they flew around, Ryuu would fire off four balas at the three beasts and hope that would take one of them down. IF NOT THEN THEY WOULD JUST HAVE TO NOT GET EVISCERATED BY THEM AND HOPE THAT THE DISTRACTIONS WOULD ARRIVE SOON.

Yoshiya glared at Miharu.

"I don't care who you are or what you are doing, but I won't have you using such language, boy. I don't care that we are in the middle of a crisis, but you will keep a civil tongue! Do you have any idea..."""OVER HERE! DANGER OVER HERE~~!"

The voice came through clear in the air, a reply to Mihamaru's alarm.

"Great, that voice sounds young. Another mind corrupted." This was no time to press the issue though. Yoshiya shoved half of his vials at Miharu and ran towards the flare

"Come on kid, and aim for their heads!"

Watson came across the location the flare had been sent from to see the sender, the guardian and a fairly decent sized horde.

He grabbed his staff, and went to smack one of the Spitters in the side of the head with the end of his pole.

"HRRRUUUUUUUUAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!"

The hulking beast seemed to go down rather easy all things considered. Of course, he had the timely arrival of a fellow division member, the former Fuku-Taicho if he remembered correctly, to thank for that. Just one problem. When the beast started to calm down, his ally's assault made it so it's momentum would make it fall backwards, where Yuigon was currently located. So when the corpse started to come tumbling down, he had to dive out of the way, which almost resulted in a face plant. "Even dangerous when dead. What's next, these things going to explode?"

He slowly stood back up and brushed himself off, checking to make sure there were no serious wounds. To his surprise, it seemed he managed to avoid not only being crushed, but the spikes didn't even touch him. Today must be his lucky day! "Thanks for the assist." He turned his head towards the Shinigami who had stabbed the beast's brains out as he spoke, and then turned to the Taicho, who seemed to be about to intercept one of the remaining Beserkers. It was also then that he saw, or rather heard, the pair of flares go off. "So some Rukons haven't gotten away yet, besides our friend here."

Lastly, he heard some more shuffling and steps to his right, and turned to see another couple beings coming their way. One with a bulging eye, and the other with both covered. He idly wondered how they found their way around, but dismissed the thought and rushed towards them instead. The "Spitters" were faster, and so he would likely reach that one first. He aimed a slash with both words, right to left, aiming for the neck. Chances are, with his strength and momentum from the run, at least one of the swings would be able to take the head of the creature.

Moving forward with Harupia and Mai, she cast her eyes on the scene before them taking in the visible struggle of The Soutaicho and his companion. This was her first sight of the auspicious patient in the Infirmary of the night before since his treatment and was amazed at his ability to traverse the battlefield as well as he was considering the reported wounds he had received. His Kido clearly served him well despite his recent wounds. Well aware that this man was Mai's father, she could not help but have a look of concern upon her features when she turned her eyes toward the woman as she spoke about the vials of medicine.

Before she could reply though, one of the assistants to the Third Division's Fukutaicho confirmed Mai's supposition.

"Get Down!" Sumie's warning cut through the din and Hotaru instinctively crouched down with her right knee pressed into the ground. With a whoosh the flying beast cut over their position passing them by. It was with a certain sense of horror that she watched as Zane, though as yet she only knew him as Malik's companion, was raked with long talons causing him to crumple to the ground. "I'm pushing forward, Harupia-san", she informed her captain as she Shoved off from the ground with her left leg and sprinted toward the wounded man.

Upon reaching him, she knelt at his side not sparing time to mind what the flier was doing with Malik. Her part here was to administer the cure as swiftly as possible and she trusted the Taicho would once more handle the threat descending upon him. She did not yet know how long a time treatment could be postponed. Should Malik be infected she could administer a dose to him as well, but if she delayed treatment for his companion it might be too late for him. It was a triage decision she hope would prove to be the correct one.

Hotaru inserted the syringe into the green vial drawing back on the plunger to fill its chamber with the curative. She spoke to the man saying, "Do not fear. I have the cure here for you." Without waiting to see if he could respond, she stuck him in the thigh with the needle injecting the full does she had drawn. His body was already showing signs of Richter and she was amazed how swiftly this disease progressed. Being careful not to come in contact with any of the ooze from his back wound, she knew that even with the medicine this rip in his back would need tending.

Hotaru proceeded to deposit the empty syringe into her medical kit and then took out her gloves. As she slipped them on she intended to begin first aid upon the wound by using several trauma pads as she moved to apply pressure to the gash upon his back.

Hotaru did bring up an interesting query...what was the difference between the two different colored vial's. Mai made a suggestion, which while was welcomed, was a bit of a shoot in the dark. It was hard to guess a medicines effect only by how it looked...luckily, one of the assistants of the Fukutaicho cleared up any confusion. So it seemed that the blue one was indeed stronger...the question was where was the point in which the green cure stopped working, but that he would have to find out the hard way, when it came to it. Mouthing a small thank you as he took his portion of the medicine, he would move on towards the heat of the battle.

As him and his Division members moved forward, hopefully Mai and Hotaru with her selected partner nearby, he would be thrown into the thick of it quickly, as Sumie shouted out towards them to duck.However, they were lucky enough not to be the target of the flying infected. What worried him was the fact Malik was now being harassed by it, and there was familiar Shinigami of the 1st Division already struck down by it. and it was safe to assume that Zane was infected by the attack.

Seeing more of the foul creatures make their way towards the Soutaich, he knew he had to act quick. Luckily Hotaru found herself well in the situation, rushing in to assist the fallen Shinigami. Turning to his own partner he would say" Mai, stay close, we'll try to get that thing of your father.. Everyone else try and fend of the three creatures there and be on a lookout for any wounded!" he shouted out the orders, before moving in closer towards Malik, hopefully Mai near him.

Now, he knew that Malik was without question a more skilled swordsman then him, but still, in his wounded form the flier most likely had the advantage. Hoping he would come in close before the creature inflicted a major wound on the other Taicho, he would draw out his blade and swing it in an attempt to hack at its neck from the side of behind, however the creature would position itself, while letting out something that was somewhere between battle cry and squeak from his mouth. Now, this was mostly though of as a distraction, so that the more skilled Captain could find and exploit some kind of opening in the creatures defense.