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As Bob rocketed himself towards the top of the mountain he would definitely find the number of smouldering corpses beginning to increase. Quite rapidly. Whatever man or beast that stood atop the mountain was not friendly to hollows and the feel of the spiritual energy confirmed more or less it was a Shinigami or at the very least it was extremely similar. It certainly showed no signs of Hollow within it. That alone was certain as the hollows surrounding perished bathed in flames. Their greed being their undoing.

It would not be long now before Bob was at the peak and found himself standing before a small wooden box. Without a single enemy currently in sight but the box itself ajar and radiating a heat so intense that it felt like anyone who took a step too close would evaporate on the spot. Yet sensing the reiatsu would tell Bob that this sensation radiating from the box and which glowed with a fearsome power could not be felt from the other side and that the lid itself was safe to touch.

Meanwhile lower on the mountain Rat and Kusari were having an interesting battle of their own. With Rat trying to launch himself onto the back of the beast and Kusari simultaneously trying to cause the beast to make a sudden jerky stop. Their lack of communication would cause problems here. As Kusari had managed to make the first move his plan came into action first and rather than as Rat would've expected (as he had not found time during his midair trip to process the actions of Kusari) the beast suddenly stopped sending the rider flying into the air. Or so Kusari would likely think as the speck that was the Rider shot off into the air. Unintentionally? Doubtful. One did not become an experienced Warbeast Rider without having experienced jerky stops a few times. It was a reflex for an experienced rider to recover from sudden stops.

As the rider shot off into the air hurtling towards the top of the mountain he brought one arm in front of him. At the current distance it was impossible to tell which. Then in the very same instant a Kido was cast. At full power. The Kido was Accelerator Plane and he had used it in mid air so that he could gain greater speed and then stand at the top alongside Bob though a fair distance from him nonetheless and still hard to make out. However now the Rider had managed to use the jerking motion to position himself so that he could reach the objective also while his enemies were stuck far behind him. Their battle had not all been in vain though as they had managed to separate the Rider from his main source of power however.

The Warbeast now simply stood around. Slightly bemused. Trying to eat the rocks on the ground. The creature was well and truly harmless when separated from its commanding force. A slight shift in its weight and the resulting ground breaking quickly dispelled that thought though. Leaving these things around wasn't a brilliant idea in truth. They would still eventually cause untold harm to the environment they lived in and would certainly draw attention. There was also the possibility that the force who had deployed them would somehow bring them back to base. All in all Kusari and Rat were now presented with an all important choice. They could either charge further up the mountain and join the fight against the Rider or they could explore their options to bring down the Warbeast for good.

❝Are you watching closely?...❞




Bob could see the exponential increase in charred bodies and heat as he continued you up the mountain. It was quite good that he had removed the top half of his robes so that he could continue up the mountain without losing too much water from his body because of the extra weight and thickness the top half of his robes would trap in. He glanced back seeing the rider launching through the air towards him using his superior positioning to reach the peak of the mountain at the same time Bob did, "Well it seems my teammates weren't able to keep the master from reaching the peak... I guess we'll have to do this the hard way" He muttered to himself as Bob skid to a stop reaching the peak of the mountain.

A sigh emanated from Bob as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The heat from that box at the top of the mountain was so incredible that it felt as if he was getting sun burnt just from standing near it. He saw the rider land a good distance from himself knowing that he would most likely have to fight this rider in order to retrieve and bring back that box. Though his priority was closing it. "What do you say we close that box and then we can have a little fight to see who want it more?" He spoke calmly but excitement was definitely laced throughout his words. Bob loved fighting people, especially those who seemed strong he couldn't help himself when he saw an opponent who could make him better he was just drawn to that person and couldn't think of anything else except fighting them.

"The heat source is definitely coming from that box, though it seems that the box itself is completely unharmed by the heat meaning that I should be able to close the box and seal that heat if I can make it to the box without incinerating" He pondered how he would do this with an opponent in front of him who he assumed owned the box. "Tell you what I'll flip you for it, heads we close the box, tails it stays open" Bob spoke while pulling out his lucky half dollar from out of his pocket. He loved flipping his lucky coin to decide things because chance seemed to be the fairest way to determine how to go about things. Though Bob himself knew it was a double sided coin he wondered just how intelligent the thing before him was. So this question wasn't a serious proposition but more of a test for Bob to gauge just who this thing was before him. It also served as a good means to buy some time for his comrades to do whatever it is they are planning to do. "I've got enough distance where I should be able to evade considering he used the same kido I did to reach the top of this mountain. Though he could have been holding back... I suppose we shall see soon enough" He held the coin up with a friendly disposition about him while he mind attempted to read what his opponent would do.

As Kusari was arriving in the battle Bob and the mysterious Shinigami had a small exchange while he closed in on Bob slowly walking towards him.

"Sounds like a fine deal to me." The Shinigami shouted across the distance to Bob. As he came into view Bob was sure to notice this Shinigami was not clad like an ordinary one. Though he shared what could be called the same basic outline he wore no robes at all. Instead he was wearing a suit of silvery armour. His entire body was covered by the suit which concealed his face and masked his expression. At a closer range it could be seen that although he wore a skirt of plates that went down almost as far as the hakama of SHinigami he was also wearing further leg plating underneath. There was a chance that the armour was purely for show but the Shinigami should be watchful. Further investigation revealed that he was not wearing his Zanpakto. Could this mean the armour was his Zanpakto or that he had discarded it?

It was impossible to tell as of now.

"No need to flip the coin though." He responded. This man was impatient to say the least. He brought his left arm up to face Bob and a mechanism could be seen all around the arm with four holes that looked like they were for firing something. With a twang sound a small glass tube filled with a dark blue glow and with a metal pointed end was fired right at Bob's feet. If he was keen on sensing Kido he would've known that the dart just fired contained a live Mutilator Mine. Even if he didn't the fact it contained a Kido was plenty obvious. In a few seconds it was sure to go off with a boom.

As if the potential to kill Bob once wasn't enough another metallic sounds came from the enemy Shinigami. This time though a Kido wasn't being fired from the device. From the left arm a huge silver blade had extended onto the rider's arm covering it entirely and extending for about a meter's length. Given some of this suit's capabilities it seemed increasingly unlikely this was a Zanpakto. Kusari would probably arrive just in time to see the metal clad Shinigami extend the arm blade.

Meanwhile Rat worked on trying to take over the creature. He would find that throughout its' entire back there was literally no way of controlling it. No reigns. No seats. Nothing. However on its' back there was also a small black pool. Rather it was a strange permanent garganta that had been built into these creatures backs. Leading to some unknown place. Beside it lay one huge great stick however it felt like one element was missing to this equation. However even amongst all the fur there was no sight of any other apparatus and certainly no sign of a book called 'Warbeasts for Beginners'. Mostly because such a book had not yet been written.

If Rat wanted to take control of this warbeast some initiative and some on the fly learning was in order. He was lucky this one was accepting of him for now. Possibly though only because it had not yet worked out the creature on its' top was not its' rider. If he put one foot wrong now the beast was sure to do something unexpected.

[Presence +2]

Kusari came up to the top of the Volcano in time to see the mine fired. He tumbled away from it and looked at the Shinigami. "You don't have to do this." He said, attempting the diplomatic approach first. "You retract that blade and you can leave with your life, otherwise you're outnumbered. With any luck we kill you, but I'd rather drag you back to base if you're going to act like an a** clown. Hand you over to them for justice. Leave now, we grab the box, and you live to fight us at a later date, but if I see you run for your warbeast, or if you take out another hostile action," He unsheathed his zanpakuto, a black katar with silver engravings on it like tides. "I will consider it my duty to end you and take that warbeast to squad twelve, where they will torture it until they find out how you drive it. I know that you don't want that to happen though. Right?" He waited, ready to pounce if needed. Ready to end this guy's existance.

The Rider now faced with two Shinigami making individual demands of him had to make some very difficult decisions it would seem. Certainly Kusari's threats of violence would be intimidating if he had the power to make true on his promises. There were multiple elements of truth to what he was saying. The Rider was undoubtedly outnumbered. That meant they had the tactical advantage for a start. The Rider however barely considered Kusari's other threat. To control the warbeast through violence was such a laughable idea that he couldn't stop himself from almost falling over. The fact that he also believed that there was any purpose let alone possibility for the Rider to be taken hostage only adding to the hilarity. The Rider was however a professional at his job and recovered quickly.

"Really? I didn't know they'd informed you this poorly." Even though the Rider's face was obscured it was clear he had a mocking smirk on his face. His voice was filled with arrogance. Misplaced or otherwise "This is why we betrayed you. Incompetent commanders with no vision and scumbags like you who have no reason to fight." It was questionable who the final comment was directed at since through the Rider's eyes it was possible both of them were violent scumbags seeking excuses for a fight. Seeing Kusari drawing his weapons the Rider Shinigami did so also and from inside his right arm his Zanpakto, a long pike with a green pole was produced, impossible to fit within the arm itself.

"I'm sure this is what you really wanted." The Shinigami said suddenly vanishing and appearing between Bob and Kusari making a jab for Kusari with his spear and pointing his retractable blade on his left arm at Bob. The pike wouldn't hit Kusari immediately but it would force him to go on his guard immediately as he had little more than a second to dodge or make a counter move. Meanwhile an explosion came from the left arm shooting another glass vial which exploded midflight into the Octablade Kido, it was an attractive way of handling the thing to say the least since it removed the threat of cutting one's fingers off.



Meanwhile below on the mountain Rat began a process which was extremely likely to kill him. A day in the life really. With a slightly squishy clonk sound the wooden pole hit something. Some weird material. The beast responded in turn lifting its front legs up and roaring loudly while Rat was forced to cling on for dear life. The powerful roar reached the top of the mountain and everyone for miles would hear it. Immediately after the Hollow settled down once more. Rat may be in danger himself but he had not yet caused danger to his comrades.

”WHOA!” Rat managed to let out as he gripped onto the pole and the hairs of the war beast the moment it reared onto its back, letting out a bone-shattering roar that could be heard for miles. Being on the things back, Rat almost made the mistake of covering his ears to shield them from the sound. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he didn’t. He ended up momentarily deaf for the next few seconds as noise slowly seeped back into his world, but at least he didn’t fall off. And look, Tufty was calm again. Rat wondered what gender Tufty was, he didn’t want to just refer to it as an it forever. He also wasn’t sure how to check the sex of a Hollow war beast. Maybe he could get someone else to do it for him. Who would though, was the question.

At the very least, now he knew that this Garganta pond had a part in the war beast’s actions. He just didn’t know what it really did. He had heard a squish plop and he had no idea what it was, but Rat felt no compulsion to go reaching in and feeling around for it. He wish he knew how this Garganta even worked. Was the war beast sustaining it or some outside source? Well, at least he could make the war beast do something .Well not really make, per se, more like accidentally encourage. He hoped he could master it though. He was pretty good in dealing with animals, and supposedly he was of Mongolian descent and the Mongols were good at riding horses but he didn’t recall his time alive and the Rukongai wasn’t very good about nationalities and the preservation of culture. Rat didn’t know how much it even influenced him, but all he knew was that this is exciting.

Most normal people probably would probably stop. In fact, most normal people probably would’ve gotten off by now. On the other hand, most normal people weren’t commonly referred to as Death Gods or Soul Reapers, rarely had access to giant war beasts in the first place, weren’t kleptomaniacs, didn’t have an affinity for explosives, even the normal-er Shinigami used swords or spears instead of war hammers, and they most definitely wouldn’t name an enemy mount Tufty. Thus, Rat decided to tilt the pole backwards and see what happened next.

[[Sorry for being a bit slow on this one. I haven't got a good excuse beyond finding the motivation.]]

Being now sandwiched inbetween the two fighters the Rider was at the disadvantage it would seem. With a Kido heading in to blow him to smithereens from one end and a blade flying in to cut him in half from the other it would seem that there was no way out of this sticky situation. However with the sound of a shunpo the rider was gone from the spot. Bob would've felt a strong gust between his legs as he began the slashing attack as the Rider had used an extremely strange Shunpo. He had done a sliding Shunpo between Bob's legs and had appeared in midair afterwards. This must've been his altered movement style on the Shunpo. The ability to do a sliding Shunpo certainly had its' uses. Perhaps this would incite the Shinigami into thinking of improving their own skills with the Shunpo.

As the Rider was now behind Bob he had more or less pushed Bob into the way of the Kido. In an attempt to make sure Bob took a good beating from it the Rider swung round attempting to kick Bob to the floor and into the path of the attack while planting his spear into the ground a small distance away. To really nail this traitor Bob and Kusari would have to make a concerted effort to work together because for now due to the fact that they were attempting to attack in different ways without consideration for the distance or status of the other they could not strike the Rider well enough.

"That's fine. I always intended to kill you." The Rider said frankly as they jumped back and allowed Bob and Kusari to get their bearings. The Rider was skilled, better armoured, better prepared and probably better informed however this didn't make them an impossible opponent. The armour didn't seem to add to the Rider's weight as they were able to easily Shunpo. This backed up the idea it was not especially protective of their body and that it likely served a greater purpose. This was further evidenced by the fact that the Rider could not afford to be hit by the Kido aimed at them or the slash. It was likely a Zanpakto would meet some resistance but still tear through it. Beyond the mechanisms already seen in the armour though it was hard to tell what other functions it may have.

"It would be convenient if this protected me from the heat I admit. The reason is far simpler though. I didn't have to walk the whole way." The Rider almost looked like they would shrug in an attempt to make Bob seem really unintelligent but they were fairly professional as always. However for now the mysterious armoured rider stood still. Their Zanpakto a little distance from them and the arm blade retracting itself. They were either biding their time, preparing something silently, or preparing a counter attack. All of those things weren't wonderful.


Meanwhile lower down on the mountain Rat's experiments with the Warbeast continued. Now having its' original name stolen from it and having been rechristened Tufty. The Warbeast was not too pleased this time. It had realised now that the person sitting on its' back was in fact not the Rider. Namely because Rat had managed to somehow push the self destruct mechanism. Tufty began to bulge slowly all over. Huge quantities of hollow reiatsu were bubbling underneath the surface of the beast's skin. The warbeast was going to explode and soon. Probably taking a good chunk on the mountain with itself.

Rat was as of now in mortal danger. Namely because if he did not gain enough distance very quickly he would be caught in the energy from the explosion. Rat had to think fast. He'd have to work out first what was going on, make a decision to escape and then do a very good, very efficient job of it. Running away on foot was sure to end up with a death. It was doubtful if a Shunpo alone would be enough. Rat really had his work cut out for him now.

Shiro's eyes went wide when the beast that was charging at them suddenly slipped, fell, and knocked into him sending him flying off to the side before he hit a pile of rocks making them fall on to him covering his entire body. He didn't know how long had passed, but when he awoke he woke with a grunt before he growled and used his brute strength to get the pile of rocks off of him. He stood up and rubbed his head, but gasped when he found the lower half of his cloth helmet ripped showing a bit of his jaw........and gleaming knife-sharp fangs. A bit of white fur could be seen as well since it stood out with his gauntlets. He shook off the pain and closed his eyes trying to find where everyone else went.

When he located them at the top (along with someone or something else) he began his own way up the rocky slope. He stopped, however, as he heard a loud noise, but shrugged it off and continued making his way up to the top before he hid himself amongst more rocks as he watched what was unfolding. Bob and Kusari were fighting someone that was holding a box. A box that made Shiro nervous for some reason. He shook it off as he waited for the perfect chance to strike. He waited and waited until he saw Bob make a strike at the Rider before he made his own move. He prepared a Bakudo, but held it as he suddenly used a shunpo to land in front of the Rider. He towered over the man before Shiro let loose a inhuman roar which in turn showed a mouthful of razor sharp fangs ready to tear the man apart, but the roar was meant to surprise them Rider. Shiro then jumped back a few feet before he pointed his finger at the Rider, whispered a few words, and let loose a bright yellow tendril that was meant to hold the man in place before Shiro came charging at the man again with a fist ready to send the man flying.