The gem was indeed a great find. Reaching out his gauntlet like hand he picked up the gem. "This is an excellent start. However not enough for me to remove your mask. I must be sure of your loyalty before I can risk increasing your power to such a great level. Do not worry, as long as you don't betray me I will remove your mask when the time comes." A moment he stood insilence before turning his attention back to the menos. "Besides lord menos, how many of his kind can we cox into entering the mortal realm?"

Carter remained on his perch, even as the undead streamed past him in the attempt to escape. The stronger types of undead leapt from the top of the arena to the ground below, landing as though they hopped off the curb. The lesser undead who attempted such a feat broken upon the pavement below.

Carter noticed none of this. He only watched the battle. Memories flooded his mind. Battles waged in the wastelands of Hell. Hordes of screaming creatures charging towards each other on the blood red landscape.

Deep down, Carter felt a longing. A longing to join the battle. He was born a soldier. His every purpose was to fight and die at the whim of his lord. And even though he had cast off the bonds of his lord centuries ago, the desire to do battle still burned in him.

Carter stood. Almost without thinking, he shed his human disguise. The dark demonic aura surrounded him. He drew his long sword, now serving as the vessel for his demonic blade. The runes on the blade radiated a dark energy.

Carter spread his wings and descended into the midst of the melee. Regret, it’s shadowy form overtaking that of Carter’s long sword, proved to be enough to harm the hollows. Skills that had been honed by centuries of battles in Hell came back to Carter easily, despite the fact he hadn’t truly fought a battle since he came to the city. For long minutes, Carter fought, an veritable avatar of death against the hollows. Carter himself felt something akin to joy while he fought. He was fulfilling the purpose to which he had been born: combat.

“Get to the portal!”

This command cut through Carter’s haze. The joy of combat faded as Carter regained control over himself. With a movement of his wings, Carter was airborne. Hovering over the crowd, the demon landed near the portal. Dispatching one more hollow, Carter threw himself threw the portal.

Upon reaching the other side, Carter closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The battlelust was already fading from him. With a thought, he dismissed the essence of his sword back to it’s home plane, and returned to his human guise. Putting away his sword, he look up at this rescuer. Great. A lich. Carter thought to himself. Needless to say, he’ll want something in return for this.

Looking over towards lord menos and then beyond to the gathering of menos Mortis said "If you wish me to continue my experiment with the menos, theoretically each group of three or so should combine into a much greater being that has intelligence enough for us to coax them into coming into our world without expending as much effort as we would have to before." Mortis stop talking for a second as he collected his thoughts.

" Beyond that I was hoping I could accomplish that again with the newly formed creatures, combining the greater beings into a single being with our level of intelligence and a power we can only dream of. It would be harder to coax into the living world, it would develop its own agenda but I think we would be able to get it if we approached it as a new born. Dusting the floor with his wing Mortis continued "However the item I wish to accomplish this with is still experimental, it is unstable and I need more time to study and perfect it. If you I shall focus my time on it instead of having it as a peripheral" Mortis said to General

"But to your original question, at the moment I could" Mortis stopped his talk for a second as he thought then continued "Bring three or so menos into the world. However this would delay the other experiment I was talking about even more". Mortis addressed General with a question "I have some more devices that I shall give you, my minions are working on getting them right now, but what do you want me to do. Bring the menos in now and delay the other experiments to create the 'Menos Ajuukasu' I shall call the second form, and the eventual 'Menos Vastoorode' I shall name the third form, or work on creating those hollows.

"Neither, I merely want one of the weaker menos at the moment. It shouldn't be too hard to find a single replacement. If need be I can make another. As for what you should focus on, well first I want duplicates of this gem. I am aware you cannot create an exact copy, but you may be able to create a gem of weaker abilities. One that doesn't completely degrade their intellegence but doesn't enhance them as much."

Again he took notice of his army. "But what makes a strong hollow? Obviously being spiritually strong does, but what else? It also seems that hollows that willingly became what they are, are stronger. Through a ritual I was able to become a hollow while still keeping all of my old powers. For now only worry about making your 'Menos Ajuukasu'. After that we will talk about our next focus."

Grabbing his sword he stabbed it into the air and turned it like a key. Thus a door to the soul society was opened. "As for me, well I have some hunting to do." Before he entered he snapped his fingers and turned back. "Oh, find another way to enter the soul society. It won't be long before they can begin blocking my access."

It felt like someone was trying to jerk out the breath in him, yet Razma held strong. He gave it to the holy blood to why he was still standing, but didn't ponder on it long. He had his crossbow loaded, and even if it didn't have its enchantment, it's bolts still could peirce that things heart. He aimed the best he could in his state and let the bolt fly.

There was just one problem though, and he wasn't picking it up in this state. His senses would normally be telling him to get the hell out of there, for all around them the sound of fleeing undead was being heard. Whatever the hell was in the arena could start showing its ugly head any second.

"Yes General I shall do as you command" Mortis said with a bow as General exited into soul society. Turning away from the portal to soul society Mortis opened his own, this one leading into his laboratory and the place where he conducted most of his experiments. As he stepped through Mortis reached under his wing and when the portal closed behind him pulled out a Katana. Cradling it in his hands he thought to himself "The fool doesn't realize what a hollow taking of its mask means, he shall learn it when he takes off my mask. He shall pay for withholding it from me. But for now I will work for him since his goals are not completely adverse to mine."

With that thought in mind he called together he hollow minions. One by one that ripped through the fabirc of the universe to arrive next to him. Each one brought something in their hands, or bodies, mouths, and apendages and Mortis was pleased at what he saw "Good, good my minions this shall help us immensly"

Charon tried to dodge the bolt causing it to lodge in his upper arm. The bolt hurt alot and left an itching feeling as he pulled it out. Charon threw his dagger toward the human and pulled out his newest dagger and an evil looking steel dagger. He chanted and the dagger arced upward towards his head, cutting his cheek as it narrowly missed his eye. The dagger turned quickly and turned in it's flight. Charon kept up his chant.

OOC: ok this is my "first" post.

Not OOC: Bruenor floated slightly above the ground. As he passed by an unfamiliar area of town, he noticed a commotion. "What's all this?" he asked a nearby zombie. "Hollows," it said. Bruenor knew that’s all the information it would get out of this. "Zombies are so stupid," he thought. As he floated over to see the commotion, he noticed that hollows were everywhere. "This cannot be normal." Two hollows confronted him. "All right," he said, "Let’s do this." He began to create a bone wall, but when he did, the hollows disappeared. All of the hollows disappeared. "This is weird," thought Bruenor, "I believe its time to get to the bottom of this."

Razma just managed to sidestep the dagger. It wasn't no bolt, but that thing threw it faster than he was used to dodging. He tucked the crossbow back to his side and drew out his sword, almost preparing to charge when he saw another dagger come flying at him. He got his blade in the way and caused it to fly past his head instead of through it. He looked back on his enemy, who was still chanting. He ducked instinctivly, seeing the same dagger come flying back over him. "Why do you fight me. Do you think you going to get a meal after this fight?" He yelled at the thing, trying to distract it as he played defense.

Eff was angry. This was not in the least a new developement - a widely traveled lich of exceptional power, he had been constantly enraged, to a greater or lesser degree, for the past four centuries - but this was unusual, even for him. It was that kind of rage that excludes all else, lending the world a sense of perfect clarity.
Someone had stolen his experimental soul-gems- all four of them.
Now he stood in the summoning chamber of his part-time residence, barely able to utter the words to the series of highly volatile spell matrix he was preparing because of the blood red haze in his mind.
Power began to arch through the room, bolts of raw magic testing the limits of the re-enforced chamber, illuminating the words sown into the back of Eff's robe in a dull orange and chartreuse glow :

"'cause I'm a gods-damned LICH, thats why!"

someone was going to end up smeared across the planes like a single goblin across the walls of a dwarven garrison. then Eff would return to his normal state of 'really ticked off' and have some tea - it would end up on the floor, but it was the thought that counted.

Klarke moved down the huge sewer tunnel towards the large gate that eventually would show up and block its route. Up ahead, it saw a bend in the tunnel...
...and stopped when a little girl emerged from around the corner. She couldn't be older than maybe eight years old, and yet, she was down here. Klarke would have found that odd if it could make its own mental observations.
"I pity you," the little blonde girl said, turning towards the massive flesh golem. Klarke didn't move.
"The gods who reign from the heavens above are merciful. They have implanted souls and free will into the bodies of all of their creatures." The girl continued. "You, however, serve a monster who imagines herself as a god. This is because she is not merciful enough to give you a soul. She believes that simply animating you is enough to make her a giver of life. However, she has only turned death into an abomination."
If Klarke had patience, it was wearing thin. The mighty flesh golem was not about to let this little girl impede its progress. It simply moved forward. The girl, standing near the wall, didn't move except to stare at Klarke as it easily tromped past her, eager to reach the end of the tunnel.
"When you are left without a god to serve and have no soul or free will, you will truely be one of the lost."
Klarke ignored the girl's final words and kept going down the sewer tunnel.

Charon kept his chant up, and smirked a smirk that said his intrests lay elsewhere than a quick bite. The dagger spun quickly and slashed at the man's crossbow severing the string. The crossbow reversed itself in the suddenly released energy. Charon put away one of his daggers and caught the obsidian dagger. He twirrled it in his fingers.

"I already ate my fill tonight, your parts will make an interesting golem or revnant."

Charon took a fighting stance. "Your knowledge of fighting the undead will prove useful to my goals."

A lone figure stood atop a peak. The air was dead, musky and dank.

"Foolish Undead. Have you forgotten that hell is still watching you? No? Well, I'm here to remind you."

The demon drew his cape around him, masking all but his head. He would wait for the opportunity to strike at the heart of these fools.

Last call for getting through the portal
 

"There's no more time," the lich hissed to the Death Knight on the other side of the portal. Lord Scoth began backing toward the dimension door, but before he would leave, he would summon a demon from the Abyss to provide additional cover. Calling them out, there was an explosion of hellfire in front of Lord Scoth, the smoke clearing to reveal a Vrock, clicking and clacking as it awaited its order.

"Destroy them," the Death Knight commanded, pointing at the remaining Hollows. The Vrock screeched loudly before rushing off into the fray, and Lord Scoth stepped back through the portal.

Valas closed it as soon as Scoth came through. The room was a bit crowded now with everyone they had "rescued", especially the guy on the horse. The lich wasted no more time than he had to, and quickly got around to explaining their actions.

"You cannot defeat the Hollows with what weapons or powers you may have, especially as they're coming in wave after wave," Valas stated. "I've done a little research, and have found out that only weapons imbued with pure, spiritual energy are capable of harming them. Seeing as how all of us are dead," the lich glanced around, making sure everyone here actually was dead, "we probably don't have much of that, but I have found out where we may be able to acquire what we need."

Before continuing, Valas asked, "How many of you are familiar with the history of this city?"

Taryth had commanded his winged nightmare to leave the stadium soon after the hollow attack. Most of the hollows couldn't fly, and those who could found much easier targets in the arena. The few that did go after the Dread Knight met firey death, in ball form.

Back at his mansion, Taryth decided to finish reading his spell book in solitude. The outbreak of hollows did not concern him at the moment, so he did not worry about it.

The soul society was littered with the scars of battle. General slashed off the arm of a soul reaper, the reapers sword landing in the General's hand. "Ah finally, a captain zapatou." A few more soul reapers came charging into battle. He took his new sword and the blade extended in an instant, sckewering them all. "I love shishcabob." He lifted them up then retracted his blade devouring them each as they fell.

At that moment he felt a strong spirit force. "Opps too many captains for me." He flipped the blade so he was holding it underhanded, then jammed it behind him and turned it. A new portal opened. He simply took a step back and the doors closed. "Too slow," he gloated as the doors shut moments before the captains could attack.

"You really have no idea who you are dealing with do you?" Razma said. He slanted his blade down towards the floor in one hand, and grabbed a flask in the other. he popped open the flask and poured a bit on the sword, then took a quick swig of it, popped it closed. He then put the flask back and started charging in the same motion. The blade held to his right, lowered a bit as he charged. Just as he reached in striking distance, He got into a stance that would swing his blade hard. And just as the blade started moving forward, Razma reversed direction, spinning as fast as he could and striking from the left side, with the blade still quite wet with holy water.

Charon caugt the blade on the blade of his silver dagger. Charon aimed the hilt of his dagger toward the man's jaw. the hilt clicked as the pommel stone popped open, splashing the man in the face with a green powder. The smell of the powder burned the nostils.

"You are foolish to think I don't have a trick or two up my sleeve."

For the man the room started to melt and his opponent took on more of a demonic appearance. He split into several demons who all began to laugh. filling the room with it's cacophony.

What the hell? Razma thought, as he slowly backed up, staying very defensive. He had forgotten his last trick, the one were he kept some holy water in his mouth, for he had no idea how to deal with seven of these things. Then all at once they charged him. He swung his blade, slashing through all seven. The demons all split into more, now surrounding him again. He slashed through them all again, only doubling their numbers again.

The next time they charged he felt their claws ripping at his armor. He felt his blade being tugged at. He felt their teeth sink in and drink his blood. He felt his limbs being ripped out, his eyes being torn out of the sockets they were in. He felt his heart slow, then come to a stop. And then he felt himself hit the ground.

Then it all faded, he was starting to fall, and he felt water flowing down his throat. He started to choke on it, but its effects were starting up. He stumbled back a few feet instead of falling, coughing a bit as he did. He had just enough time to see his opponent come after him before he fell through a weak spot on this second floor.

He landed with a thump, but besides the pain of landing on hard wood, he was relativly fine. He got to his feet, swaying a bit as the powder's effects are still giving him dissyness, and got into a defensive position, waiting for his opponent to follow.

Charon watched amused as the human fought himself. It was a simple distilation of the blood of midnight orchid. it's effects however were always unique. The drug was called "powder of waking nightmares" for a reason. The humans resistance to dark magic intrigued him. It was perhaps better to capture him alive. As the human fell into a hole he saw an opportunity. He followed to make sure the human didn't damage himself to badly.

"Why not submit, I don't know how long you can fight yourself?"

Razma looked at his opponent that followed him. For some reason he had grown tenticles and horns and his fangs where about 5 inches longer. Why not submit, I don't know how long you can fight yourself? And then it struck him like a lightning bolt. That powder was causing hallucinations, and he had to get it out of his system fast. So he did the only thing that he thought would do it. He yanked out his flask, popping the top and chugging. The waters purged any hold any vampire demon or lich held on a human. So hopefully it would purge this powder's effect.

After chugging a good bit of it, he had to take a break to gain his breath, but he felt it working. He could see his opponent for who he was again, he could see the hole he fell through. He wasn't going to go straightafter him, instead he would have to yeild him into a trap. He started to swing his sword madly around him. Then bunting imaginary targets, then acting like they were overpowering him. Comon, take the bait. He thought during his imaginary struggle.

Eff sat in his tower and fumed. He had miscalculated. Sure, the thief - a vampire, it turned out - was now reduced to a fine ethereal paste, but his experimental soul gems had been destroyed when he triggered his spell matrix. That was fifty years of work down the tubes. And to top it all off, he now had a ringing in his head that just wouldn't go away.
"Fuckin' rituals.... never go da way their supposed to."
Eff walked over to one of his few windows. He looked down upon Necropolita, with all of its thousands of dead, and wondered where he found the tolerance.
Eff couldn't stand the living - they tended to be disrespectful - but since moving here he'd found that the dead weren't much better. His personal book of grudges, the Book of Idiots - an enchanted grimoire containing the names and follies of just about everyone Eff had ever met - was as full as ever, and his rage continued to simmer at the same low boil that it always had.
A commotion over by the stadium caught the dull red glow in his eye sockets.
"Dat's different." he mumbled. "Prob'ly gonna end up costin' me money. Dis crap always does. Better see what's up."
One of his few remaining hairs detached from his gray, mumified skull and drifted slowly to the floor as he made stomped over to the pedestal that held his crystal ball, a cracked quartz sphere purchased at a major discount from a drunken seer. It worked about half the time he needed it too, and tended to turn itself on when he didn't. He waved one skeletal hand over it, and a tiny glow sputtered within. Eff was satified - at least it was working. He began to chant, mumbling swear words in between sylables. The crystal pulsed, indicating he had established a connection.
"Valas! Hey, Valas! Something's up down by da stadium, an' I got a skull-ache so I don't wanna bother scryin'. Fill me in would ya?"
Hopefully the other lich would respond. Eff hated scrying to begin with -it was far too passive for his tastes- and scrying with a post-ritual skull-ache would put him in a very dangerous state of mind, even by his standards.

Ishimaru noticed a creature coming to kill the rest of the hollows. He figured that it was time to leave. He sheathed Yashamaru, and receeded into the shadows. He resumed the snake-like movements and moved towards the exit of the arena. None of the hollows were following Ishimaru, but another Shade was. He picked up his pace.

Taiki left as Ishimaru did. Her movements in while in the shadow form, were more direct instead of snaking back and forth. Taiki followed Ishimaru to the exit of the arena, where he picked up his pace. "You aren't getting away!" she thought. She increased her pace as well.

Ishimaru veered his course to the left, he had to loose Taiki. His past with her was not a bright one, and she would only slow him down. Ishimaru looked back. "Damnit, what the hell!?" he thought. In an attempt to loose her, he came out of the shadows, which was painful to do fast, and broke into a full run. She did the same and chased him for a few yards, right under a building. Ishimaru jumped to the top of this building. After looking behind him, she was still following, so he re-entered shadow form and slid along the edge of the building. He continued on an aimless path until he came to room that held two beings, a human and what looked like a lich. They were fighting. He figured that it was time to hide and moved into the shadow of a nearby tree and combined with it.

Taiki would not let up her case on Ishimaru. She had chased him over a building, moving in and out of shadow form, and eventually came up to two beings fighting. She like Ishimaru thought that it might be wise to hide, and so she did so by combining her shadow with one of a nearby tree.

"Damnit. You found me." he said in a near inaudable tone.
"Just shut up and watch them," was Taiki's reply.

Klarke had reached the end of the large tunnel, where it heard the sounds of fighting. Esmerelda and Lucia were in the next room and it sounded like the fighting was pretty fierce. Klarke waited. And waited. And when the sounds suddenly stopped, it didn't want to wait anymore. Then, the large door rose up into the ceiling and Klarke hurried into the large chamber. Impossible. There was fighting right here! And now...no Esmerelda, no Lucia, no Murkmen or any bodies at all. Klarke rushed to the tunnel the vampires entered the room from. They definitely weren't in there. How did the large door open? Master is missing. Master's friend is also missing. The enemy must have took them. Klarke turned towards two other tunnels. When the chamber was cleared, the vampires would have gone down one of the tunnels and Klarke, being too large for that tunnel, would have gone down the bigger one. Those tunnels were closed off. Klarke decided to return to the mansion. Master would go there eventually. Klarke would be punished for abandoning the mission, but it didn't care, as long as it found its master.

"How vexing." Klarke whirled towards the origin of the voice, and saw the same little blonde girl, staring back at the massive flesh golem. "Your master is most cruel, isn't she? Without her, you are simply out of luck, unable to make your own actions or anything. Because you lack a soul, you are simply a tool to be left around when she doesn't need you. However, I will not abandon you so."
Klarke stepped towards the girl, certain that this girl was responsible for Master disappearing. As Klarke drew closer, however, it slowly lost its strength and fell forward, blacking out...

...and awoke in the streets above, which were near the arena. Using the implanted swords and spikes, Klarke rose to its feet and looked at the fighting going on.

Just before Razma gave up on his 'trap', something happened. A long pointy finger object like thing came flying through the wall right at him. His first instinct was to slash at it, and he cut it back right before it hit. Then the finger went back out of the wall. "What the?" Was all the time Razma had to say before the fingers came flying back in.

Razma was a bit mroe ready this time, sidestepping a few and cutting at the rest. The thing shooting them was sick of it, and came crashing through the wall. Razma gripped his blade tightly, for he realized what the hell this thing was. He wouldn't be surprised if his friend nearby wouldn't know, or even be able to see it at that. "Damnit, what the hell are hollows doing here?" Razma said in fustration as he heard rumbling behind him. He turned, just in time to see a hollow come bursting through the wall, then gripping the broken part and hurling it at him. "Were going to have to put our fight on hold." Razma shouted at his former opponent and his prepared to charge the one with the fingers.

"I see your back General" Mortis said gleefully and from right behind the Generals back. He was rubbing his hands together and flapping his wing time to time stirring up dust, he was obviously excited about something big. "Come General follow me, I have something to show you that you might like" Mortis almots coed his voice soft and delighted. Flapping his wings he propeled himself forward and glided along the ground for a ways. Suddenly stopping he turned in midair to face back towards the Genearl. He said in a less excited voice that was like someone would speak buisness in. "Oh yes and I have completed some of the things you wanted me too"

The new weapon was indeed a great prize, one he will use very soon. Stowing it away he followed his new ally. "Hmm you seem in a good mood. To be honest I am suprise you completed any task so quickly. I see you are going to be a valuable ally. So tell me, what exactly have you completed?"

"My axe...has a bit of spiritual energy. The bad thing about it though is that it apparently has a conscience, because it starts dulling and bleeding as I keep fighting with it, though it returns to it's original state after some rest...it's also been corrupted a bit by the process of creating it. So it's still got a good touch of negative energy. However, if there's a stronger weapon, I'm willing to attempt finding it." Crimson said all of this within the span of a minute or so, speaking quickly and poorly pronouncing some words, but the general gist was recieved. He looked at all the books upon the wall..and marvelled a bit. Some of these books were from the human world.

"agreed." Charon said as he pricked his finger. he let the blood rop form as a hollow came to attack him. he spoke in a buzzing and clicking language. Red lightning erupted from the nearby hollow striking the blood droplet. Charon gritted his teeth as he absorbed the two hollows spiritual energy. He closed his hand into a fist and gripped his wrist as the black veins spread down it as the undead energy of the Hollows became blight in his blood stream. His skin paled to the color of the freshly dead and his veins turned dark blue as he embraced his undead heritage, to absorb the energy.

Another hollow enetered the room after seeing his allies destroyed. His white mask resembled a tiger. Charon licked his lips as his skin turned to a more human flesh tone.

"Shall I take this one or do you want him?"

"Of the two things I completed one was almost ready, though it was experimental. I just needed to expend energy and sacrifice devices to make it. The other I just needed to retrieve" Mortis said denouncing his acomplishment, it seemed he was in a very good mood. He normally would be bragging about his greatness, but at the moment he felt he could concede a point or two. "The thing I needed to retrieve was this" Mortis said as he held out a disked object with a hole in the center. The object had a silver sheen, it was unsettling to look at, not because of how it looked astethically but it let loose an aura. "This is a specialized hollow bait if you wish, you can key it to a single hollow. A Menos Grande in this case I think you would want. When broken, like a hollow bait it immediatly calls the hollow it is keyed to where it is broken." Mortis told General. "And for what I said before, about creating the Ajuukasu, it would have taken more time because of the energy needed to create and power the device. Along with the added chance of failures" Mortis laughed as only a hollow could, with an unearthly sound to it. He skimmed closer to ground speeding his flight as he rushed towards something in the distance.

If there was one thing Eff hated, it was being out of the loop. Valas wasn't responding. It looked like scrying the situation himself was unavoidable. He waved his left hand over the crystal again, it sputtered, the light within almost dying completely. Eff began cursing- Then the light flared up into a steady glow. The two crimson dots that burned within Eff's skull gazed deep into the crystal.....
He saw Hollows. They were over-running the arena. They were fighting ghouls and vampires, and.... skull-ache. Eff lost his focus and the image dissipated.
"Grrraaaaaaaah!"
He swung one skeletal hand, smacking the crystal and sending it flying against the wall, where it shattered completely.
"Lousy piece'a crap..."
Eff reached into the bag of holding sewn into the folds of his robe and withdrew his staff, a weathered oak bough, strengthened with magic and enchanted to affect ethereal creatures. He took his battered Wings of Flight down from the wall above the entrance to his summoning chamber, muttered the command word to collapse them, and strapped them onto his back, then stomped over to the window and violently shoved it open. Tentatively, he stepped onto the ledge. Eff needed to work off some anger - he always did - and blasting some hollows sounded like just the thing.

The disk was of minor concern at the moment. When the new menos was created, then he would have use for it. Untill then he would keep it safe. "Well I think its time we found out just how strong these vampires are." Traveling to the mortal world he found himself at the doorstep of a vampiris castle. Taking his sword he placed it at his hip. "Knock knock." He swung his sword upwards and nearly split the castle in two. "Come out and play." He swung his second sword horozantally destroying most of the castle.

An angry vampire lord came from the rubble. His eyes were like fire as he flew towards the hollow. Because of this he didn't see the hollow's weapon. The sword he captured earlier now pierced the vampire's heart. "Gotcha," then he lifter up and it sliced the vampire in twain. "Is this all these creatures have to offer?"

"I'll take him," said Taiki as she emerged from the shadows. In the time that the hollows appeared, she and Ishimaru had mooved inside of the room that the two were fighting in, and hid in a shadowed corner. Now, she emerged, as neither combatants were moving to take out that hollow. Taiki stepped forward, and threw an enormous amount of shadow kunai. Directly behind the illusions were real kunai. The hollow blocked the illusions, but coincidentally had several kunai embedded in it. However, this hollow was persistant, and Taiki reached for her wakizashis.

"I won't let you take all of the glory!!" Ishimaru moved out of the shadows now. He swung out his zanbatou, Yashamaru. He took one long step, and swung it horizontally, which connected to the weakened creature. The blade went through the hollow wieht relative ease. Both pieces of the hollow disintegrated. Ishimaru rested the end of his sword on the ground, and leaned on it. "Oy," he said, looking at the two combatants that he and Taiki had just intruded on.

"I couldv'e handled that one a lot easier guys." Razma said. He looked at both of them quite closely, but they didn't seem hostile to him to much. Which seemed a bit weird in this town. Though knowing their luck more hollows where on thier way. The next one jumping straight through the hole he fell through earlier. Razma didn't waste know time, he slung his blade decapitating the thing and killing it immediatly.

"I know we can handle these things easily one at a time. But I am not sure I want to see how well we will fair against like 50 of these things." Razma stated, glancing around to see if another would come bursting in. No hollow just yet. Of course, he kept one eye on the newcomers, he wasn't sure they were friend or foe just yet.

"Keep them off of me. I need time." Charon pulled out a bag of salt and started to make a large circle in the room. Making a line of salt as he went. He spoke in an ancient tongue that sounded like the buzzing of insects.