It was early morning as a mist of fog covered the ground as I walked from the gate of Los Noches. It was odd to see the fog as Hueco Mundo, at least since I had arrived, has always been rather dry when it came to weather. I kept alert with my eyes keen and my ears keener. I was not sure what brought on such an odd change, but I was not about to find out with my life if it was here because of a Hollow. I continued on my path farther away from Los Noches to the area I always train. The closer I drew to the Forest of Menos’ the thicker the fog became.
“Where is this coming from?” I questioned silently as I still moved forward.
At that moment I became more watchful of my surroundings. This was not some odd weather change; it was a Hollow that caused this fog, but why? I moved farther into the forest moving at a normal rate, when I started to hear a low howl coming from the right of me. There was no spiritual pressure that could be felt, but the noise was definitely a Hollow. I moved toward the noise to get a better look. Knowing this was probably a trap the Hollow had set. It could not have been a very strong Hollow the spiritual pressure I was feeling was near non-excising. I took a few more steps placing me in a clearing of the forest. Stopping I looked around to see anything that might resemble a Hollow. There was nothing nor was there the sound of the Hollow howling. I sighed softly to myself dropping my guard as I turned quickly and headed back the way I came. At my last step that would have placed me back in the thick of the forest a shadow leaped from the darkness. I quickly drew my sword and attack the shadow as a sharp sting then penetrated through my right cheek. I quickly spun around, annoyed at myself for dropping my guard so quickly, I growled into the nothingness of the forest.
“Show yourself coward!”
I heard a laughing as it bounced off the tress and echoed in the clearing.
“Of all things… I caught an Arrancar!”
The laughing continued becoming overwhelming from the sensitivity of my ears. Growing louder and louder as I grit my teeth.
“WHERE ARE YOU?!” I screamed.
My eyes darted from side to side and I quickly turned my body to see behind me every so often. The lighting was low only showing what the light of the moon touched. For anyone else their vision would not compare to mine in the darkness, but my eyes saw everything as they cut through the little night that the moons light was not upon.
“Are you scared?! Show yourself?!” I called out to the darkness.
“Scared? Of who? You?” the shadow replied.
The laughter started to die off as I heard footsteps coming toward me. I turned to my left as a human figure walked from the thickness of the forest. I did not recognize the figure as it moved closer and still closer. Finally, stepping into the light, a small group of Gillian’s crashed through the trees into the clearing. My eyes widened as I turned to my new attackers.
“Shit! I was so wrapped up in this jerk I did not notice them!”
When I turned back to look at my previous attacker they were gone.
“Should have known with a weak ass spiritual pressure as theirs they’d bail!”
I growled and charged the small group of Gillian’s that were now screaming and coming my way. I sprang from where I stood bringing my sword down on the lead Gillian’s head. He whaled turning to dust as I landed to the sand on one knee looking back over my shoulder. The other two still came toward me.
“Why can’t Gillian’s be like all pack animals? You kill the lead and the rest turn tail and run.”
I lifted to my feet and went to attack another; however, it did not work out quite as well as my first attack. The Gillian opened his mouth and fired a cero at where I was standing. I sonidoed around behind them and went to attack again taking myself above their heads once more. When out of nowhere I was hit in mid air by another body and brought crashing to the sand. I rolled a few feet stopping in the clearing. Quickly I looked around to find my attacker seeing them laying a few feet from the clearing edge. I went to stand as I heard the Gillian’s scream again. I look up to his an enormous black foot coming straight down over the top of me. I sonidoed out of the way and went for another attack. Still my previous attacker lay still in the sands where I saw them. I looked back at the Gillian bringing my sword quickly down.
“DIE!”
My sword hit, but it was not what killed him. The last Gillian left had targeted me and shot his cero the direction of me and the other Gillian. Luckily I was able to move fast enough to watch the last Gillian kill the other. I laughed to my self as I dropped my head as I kneeled down on one knee in the sand.
“Thank god they're stupid.”
Suddenly, I saw my first attacker move in the dim light of the moon and sonidoed over to him standing above him. The tip of my sword at his throat as he stood, I locked my eyes on him as he looked into my eyes. His mask covered half his face, his clothes ragged, and dirty. He was a little taller than me and well built. Still I held him at bay with the tip of my sword.
“Who are you?!” I ask him in an orderly tone.
“Ujik--”
Just then, the Gillian screamed again and I felt someone shove me back hard. I stopped when I hit a tree, and I watched the foot of the Gillian come crashing down where we were standing just seconds before. Mad and annoyed once more I sprang from where I was, getting back over the top of the Gillian. I quickly brought the tip of my sword down into the skull of the creature splitting him in half. I landed a few feet away from the Gillian and turned to watch the last little bit of him disappear with the wind. I then looked again for the one that not only started all this, but saved me as well. He was nowhere to be seen. I sighed heavily sheathing my sword. I then turned walking back to Los Noches.
“Enough training for today,” I rubbed the back of my head were it hit the tree, “I got my bruises today, that’s for sure.” I then touched my cheek feeling dried blood there. “Yuck!” I shook my head, placed my hand to the hilt of my sword and disappeared from the Forest of Menos’.
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- Part 4 Wasted Day...
