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Marta Nicole shot to her feet as Adán tensed and, grabbed at the hilt of his sword. She had felt the intruders as well. Zyne saw this and grew wary as well. So when the Primera and the Segunda came in to view they were prepared for an attack. What they were not prepared for were the two of them injured almost to the point of death. For a moment the Ternary just stared. Marta Nicole wished she could consult with the Exequias about what had happened but, there wasn’t time or an opportunity.

Marta Nicole answered Corona’s question, “We don’t know.” Then she asked one of her own, “What happened to the two of you?”

Adán moved to whisper in the working Salte’s ear, “Even if you can fix this damage you probably shouldn’t. She’s dead already.”

Having Salte here complicated things. Before her arrival no one would survive what the Segunda had undergone, whatever that maybe. In fact the Ternary was considering slipping a blade across the Segunda’s neck and, a sword in between Corona’s ribs. The only thing stopping was that Corona was loyal to Cillian Of course Cillian might not care about killing fellow Arrancar. That was how Arrancar gained power. Of course Marta Nicole didn't need more power. She already controlled Las Noches via the shadows. The Ternary had their Sedunda Etapa and their family. What more could they need? That didn’t change the fact that Zyne did move to step behind the Primera. He moved slowly. They didn’t want her to just dart off.

Zyne asked, “How badly injured are you Primera? Perhaps we should be more focused on healing you.”

That was a deflection. The Ternary wanted the information not because they care about how injured Corona was. Well they did but, only to make a list of weaknesses so that way they could take advantage of them in case things turned violent. They did not want to be caught off guard. Marta Nicole looked at Arbutus with a gaze that spoke volumes. They were Arrancar. They may have been odd but, it was important to remember that violence was how they gained power.

Tears as black as ink fell from Salte's eyes. Not out of comapssion, such tears were saved for her family. Altough her face remained passive, the tears were of frustration. Salte had prided herself on her healing talents. This was the first time they had failed to heal a patient. She dropped her hands to her sides before returning to her sealed form. She stepped back from the tables. She knew what was going to happen now.

Arbutus nodded to Marta Nicole. It was not a request an arancar made on a whim. Most would tear anything apart that they could as they died. He would do what was required of him. What worried him most was the sea of stones. He had bought them time, but a solution was needed rapidly. If two of the strongest arancar in las noches were laid to waste by what lived there, it spelled doom if the walls broke. Arbutus contemplated if his segunda etapa could reverse time on the sea and restore it. it would require a vast amount of power if he could even manage it in the first place.

Salte watched as Arbuts took the Zanpakto of the uncoincious woman and impale the said womans head with it, ending her suffering. The small arrancar moved a distance away as she quietly watched what happened next. Arbutus removed the blade from his victim and lifted her to his mouth and bit. Bone and tendon snapped and crushed. In a moment the second was gone, devoured by the seventh. "Your leagacy shall not be forgotten, not as long as I still draw breath." Arbutus said, his eyes closed and beard stained with the blood of the fallen. Despite having devoured one much stronger than he, he had not simply gained what was left of her, but gained what she could be. her potential would slowly add to his. the forgotten zanpakto dissolved into a vapor and disappeared.

The Old Man stood still and somber, waiting for Marta to make her move. It didn't matter that he never knew the two women. He had been offered strength and he took it. Power would not be wasted.

Arbutus craned his head back to look at the ceiling. His eyes were closed,his mind asimilating the cuna-born Arrancar's power. It was changing him, not just in terms of raw strength or reflexes. The old man's long white hair grew shorter, more silver now than white. His beard was still thick, but short, dispelling some of the old wizard look. Wrinkles soffened, but did not vanish entierly. The visor of bone across his brow grew sleek with a circular notch in the center. Even with out moving his new power thrummed through out him. His intimidating presence had grown more acute. A subtle edge to his presence that spoke a volume.

His eyes opened and he looked right into salte's eyes. She was standing not far off, scared but also a bit jealous he sensed. Well then, he could attend to that. He was the one that had modified her form before. He would do it again now.

Without so much as a gesture a four petaled plant snapped out of the ground faster than the nimble girl could escape from. the flower rose up and tipped upside down, filling with a thick red liquid. Sections of the petals were translucent, Salte beat on the inside of the flower to no avail, a needle tipped vine delivered a sleeping agent as she attempted to use a cero to break free. She collapsed with a muffled cry as the fluid filled the interior. Several other vines pierced her, her heirro doing nothing to stop the points. She hung in the vat, suspended by the vines. Her eyes drifted closed as she looked at Arbutus, terrified at his sudden cruelty.

All the while Arbutus had not moved, never blinked nor changed his expression. his face was as impassive as a scientist watching a culture in a petri dish. His mind controlled the plant holding his granddaughter, commands firing off rapidly, yet no sound came from him. He would make her strong. Strong enough to defend herself.

After a long moment he turned from the vat, satisfied things would continue. "It has been long since I have eaten anything worthwhile." Arbutus seemed less grandfatherly at the moment, but his feelings had not changed. Age no longer slowed him nor his thinking. He was truly thinking like an arrancar ought.

Arbutus gazed at Marta Nicole. Just what had irritated her? They were stronger now it was not that, what other implication did their growth have? He had the answer in a moment. They had devoured top level Arrancar and now there was a power vacuum in the ranks. He supposed they would be promoted upwards, but hew would leave that until Cillian himself decided on that. He had been ranked seventh due to his passive attitude and sealed strength. He wondered what the Cero's opinion would be now?

He didn't need to look at the pod holding Salte Pichi. This method was a brutal way of getting power. He had manipulated Salte's form when he found her so long ago, he had grown too attached to her to put her through that again and she hated the experience. He still cared for her and the other naturals present, but training would take too long. Las Noches would take her from him and that was never going to happen. She would emerge stronger, more durable, and with a few of her own suprises as well. He was perfecting her body, but her skills were in a vein of their own. Spiritual powers were not so easy to manipulate. She would be stronger, and that was enough for now.
Salte made no response, hanging still in the fluid, but her spiritual pressure was steadily growing.

"Salte will be fine" he said to the boys, un fazed by their bloody appearances. He was not pristine himself. He ran a finger along his visor, the new shape was sleeker but not all that different from before. He stroked his short beard, annoyed it was too short for his liking but dismissed it. "What is to be done now? Do we obtain their seats or do we need an assessment of our strength all over again?"
"
It didn't matter if he changed seats, his garden was stronger as he was stronger. Any who ventured here would do so at their peril.

Arbutus sighed, being ranked higher might deter opposition, or it might invite it. Didn't matter as the result would be the same. As he watched the progress on Salte's pod he began thinking of a solution to the problem that loomed over the desert. He racked his mind over possible solutions. Nothing had ever had the strength among the stones to do significant damage. But the clash of the top naturals had ruptured the long sealed dam. The nature of the stones absorbed the reiatsu of the Sea of Purity and held it, but he had a hand in tearing down that mighty barrier.

"Even I never ventured all that near the Sea of Purity. The concentration of reishi is so dense it can kill you with its weight alone. But woe to one who finds the inhabitants of that Sea." A fate the late Preimera and Segunda had discovered. "I may need to start digging through my archive for anything that might repair the Sekkseki stone, do any of the arrancar know barrier type skills?" He wished the Lord Cero was home to discuss the matter. It was maddening to not be able to fight the impending doom.

Arbutus paid no mind to the boy's snarling. They had brought up a good point. The stone was just that, his control over plants did not effect it. But if what they said was true... He would need to look into this. If sekiseki stone could grow in such a fashion, he might just be able to help it along. His Segunda Etapa could speed up time. He needed to travel there, or obtain a sample at the very least. But if what Marta Nicole said was true, he would not be making the trip unless Cillian approved of it. And he wasn't here to give said approval, not to mention that the area had destroyed two of the espada already.

He looked into the pod and blinked. Salte was staring right at him. It was not hate, it wasn't anything he could see but her eyes were fixed on him. The fact that she was conscious this early was evidence that things were going well, or it might blow up in his face. The intravenous system was injecting her with compounds that were altering her very being. The results were often like opening a treasure chest, you never knew what it contained until you opened it. But her eyes bore into his soul, not with anything he could place, they just looked right through him somehow. It was unnerving to say the least.

"Is there any samples of Sekiseki stone here? Obviously we cannot leave on such an expedition at this time." he asked.

"As I do not wish death upon myself just yet, I'm afraid we must wait. Too much has changed without the lead." Arbutus frowned, it was not wise to leave Las Noches to its own devices at an age like this. For a creature as old as he was, patience was second nature, but this was a critical moment.

A gurgling sound signaled the pod was finished. The vines retracted from Salte's skin, the pierce marks vanishing quickly. The girl hung in the fluid watching through the translucent sides of the pod. Outwardly she had not changed, aged a few years physically maybe, losing a little of her soft edges, but not overly so.

Salte herself didn't feel anything toward her master. She felt like hell, but she had grown powerful in a short span of time. That would leave some side effects. Last time Grandpa had done this was when she first met him. She had been almost feral at the time, and had gained her mind back afterwards. Now she felt less energetic, no scratch that, she felt focused. Slowly the flued seeped out of the pod through slits in the base. Created quite the mess outside. As the fluid drained the pod began to split open, detaching from the stalk. Once the thing was fully open, Salte stood before the four, drenched in the fluid, hair slicked to her form. A hissing sigh slid from her lips before she was gone, blasting fluid all over the place. Her sonido was faster than before, and she didn't step out of it, only altering her path as she blazed around the tunnels, keeping to the rocky ceilings to avoid the plants. Sonic booms popped as went, echoing off the walls.

Arbutus let Salte run. She had done the same thing last time. He had thought her speed impressive before! Now she should have strength to back it up.