With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
Tallinn sealed his zanpakuto as he finished the three hollow laid on the table completely aware yet unable to move. Grabbing two he walked out of his room ignoring Gillroy, he tossed one of the bodies into Chesters room the hungry Komodo wasted no time snapping his jaws down on the shoulder before he dragged the body into the adjacent room crunching happily at the creatures flesh. Tallinn then spun tossing the remaining hollow at Gillroy not even bothering to warn the man as the six foot hollow went tumbling through the air towards Gillroy’s upside down back.
”For the rest of the day this is your training partner, your partner is your life if he gets hurt you get hurt if he fails you fail. Now stand up and head back out, there is a small cavern about a three days hike to the west of here, within the back chamber is a room made of crystal I want each of you to gather forty pounds of the crystal and carry it back here. No weapons, and you may not avoid any fights along the way. This means if you see a hollow you must engage. Also just for fun… No killing, you have six hours GO!”
Gillroy watched as the hollow hurled toward him. He reacted quickly. He was alsways alert, and on his toes. He pulled down his body on the left arm as if he was doing a push up. He lowered his body verticaly and then pushed off the ground. He arched his back as he kicked his legs backwards and brought is head into the air. He was facing the wrong way. He tucked his head in and twisted his body usign his torso. Still in mid air he put his hands out grabbing the hollow as it hurled at him. The force pushed him back. He landed the drop inches away from what seemed to be an antique statue. He listened to what the man said. He thought he heard a mistake when he said a three day hike in 6 hours with fighting and collecting involved. Gillroy walked up the stairs with the hollow on his right shoulder. He opened the door looking back at the old man who was motioning Gillroy to get a move on.
Gillroy walked in the white sand. Once he realized that a three day hike in 6 hours was near impossible he sprinted. The hollow seemed unconcious. Gillroy hated looking out for people, they seemed to get in his way rather than helping him. This thing would only slow him down. Gillroy continued to run due west. The sand trailed behind him as he ran out in the open. He started to slow down to check the time when he encountered the first hollow. Damn it, he thought to himself thinking he wouldn't be able to kill it. Gillroy dropped the hollow tot he floor. It wasn't going anywhere.
(OOC: The hollow is George to avoid confusion of hollows)
"I am not allowed to kill you, but I am going to make you close to that," Gillroy said creating a solid fist in his right hand. He watched as the hollow created a cero that aimed straight for Gillroy's hollow, George. He just thought of the name as the ceor blasted. Gillroy used sonido to get in front of George and deflected the blow with pure power. He gripped the cero with his right hand and pushed it to the side. Gillroy then used sonido to get behind the hollow. He chopped the hollow on the right side of his mask. His hand formed into a knife edge, not literally. He used just enough force to knockt he hollow unconcious. He picked up George and slung him over his shoulder.
As he continued to run he grew weary. An hour had passed and no sign of any cave arose. Pure white oasis of desert, only. Gillroy started to walk. He questioned himself if he was truely going west. He took a few steps forward and a gillian arose. A gillian with the face of a cat and the body of a worm burrowed from underneath Gillroy. He jumped back moments before an eruption of sand burst into the air.
Also just for fun. Gillroy thought of what the man said. Hmph, Gillroy said to himself. He could release a little more power now. He snapped hsi fingers and a flame blew above his fingers. He put his mouth near his fingers and ever so slightly blew the flame. It erupted into a burts of flames that engulfed the hollow. Waste of time, Gillroy thought to himself as the hollow fell to the ground burned but alive. It swirved and Gillroy shut it up by kicking it in the gut. Still alive however. He walked past it with George still over his shoulder.
Two hours had passed before Gillroy spotted the cavern. Four hours left, Gillroy thought to himself. He had used sonido to pick up the pace a bit. Gillroy ran into the cavern with George still slumped on his back. Running in he found the room of crystal. Another gillian blocked his way. This one was a snake with wings and it had a funny looking mask. Gillroy dropped George. Gillroy watched as the snake hurled himself at Gillroy. Gillroy side stepped it and grabbed it's tail. He then threw it onto one of the crystals impaling the hollow. He was alive but he was paralyzed. Gillroy pulled the crystals with his bare hand and reaitsu. Every once in a while a hollow would come in and Gillroy would impale it onto another spike. He had a collection of about ten hollows by the time he gathered twenty pounds of crystal roughly. Gillroy wondered what Sire was doing. His time was running short. Three hours had passed and three hours were left.
Back at his home Tallinn was busy at work preparing, soon it would be winter which meant it would be time for his yearly training, an intense three months of grueling hard work that would make the toughest men cringe in agony. He sharpened swords and stocked food he fed Chester and mixed poisons. As the hour for Gillroy’s arrival closed in Tallinn opens a small door hidden beneath the rug, within that door is a pile of the crystal Tallinn had sent Gillroy to get. He swooped his arms down and engulfed the crystals lifting them in a single load as he walked slowly to the forge room dropping them the fire swirling blue, the green, then once again red.
On the table lie the remains of the last hollow quivering and twitching the creature was missing it’s mask and several sections of its plated armor. Thin layers of skin stretched over where the bone shielding should be. Leaning in close Tallinn grabs the hollow lifting it high into the air he observes the creature closely inspecting every inch of his body. Once Tallinn determined there was no bone left outside he shoved his hand into the creatures mouth driving hard until he reached the spine and yanked it out, quickly throwing it into a barrel of black bubbling solution. The body of the creature faded away into particles of red energy and the solution bubbled and boiled as if the temperature suddenly sky rocketed. Leaving the bones to cure he returned to the main room closing the trap door and opening a drink, Gillroy was due back soon.
Gillroy continued to pluck the colored crystals one by one. He was careful not to shatter any. He dropped them in a pile, next to George. They shined nicely. It was quiet for a while, almost too quiet. Gillroy had collected about 35 pounds of crystal when he heard hollows screaming as if they were dying. Every minute or so the screaches would get closer and closer. The sounds of dead hollows was a peculiar one. It was nothing like a soul dying or shinigami. It growls as loud as it can like if it was doing a cero, unlike how most people get softer as they die, hollows get louder. The noises echoed into Gillroy's ears. He heard footsteps. He made out what seemed like a human. The reiatsu trail told him otherwise. The trail told him it was an adjuchas. Gillroy stopped collecting crystals. A problem was transporting it all. He had fourty pounds worth. He used a little trick to figure it out. His glove weighed about a single pound. So he measured how many gloves equaled the crystal. He had about ten gloves hidden in his jacket. Ten pound sot emasure with. So he collected crystals in measurements of five and ten by tryign to balance it with the gloves.
The adjuchas came out of the dark and revealed his skin. He had most likely killed all the other hollows to get here. His entire body was white. His head was round. It had two eye that were as balck as can be. He had no nose, mouth, ears, or hair. Just a round head. His body was slim. He was minature even compared to Gillroy. He had claws on his hands and feet. He had a scorpion stinger coming out of his lower back, out of his tailbone. It was long and had a poitned tip with a syringue, needle like end. It was slim and long. The thing walked at Gillroy. His claws reached to his head. His claws ripped his skin where his mouth should have been. The top claw ripped up while the bottom claw ripped down. A dakr hole was revealed with no blood seepign out. Hundreds of white tiny scorpions came out. Damn.
Gillroy could not roast the place killing all the scorpions and crystals. And to make matters worse George was waking up. He was slowly regaining conciousness. Gillroy watched as the scorpions came at him. He recognized them. They were called hollowcsorps and could kill any race in one hit of poison. Gillroy had to think fast. He prepared a barrier around the crystals and George. This way he could not escape at least, for a while. Gillroy jumpred up lifting his left hand which pointed at the scorpion army.
"Inferar, El Toro," Gillroy said burning the scorpions to crisp. If one survived and stung him it would be all over. He watched as the adjuchas watched in disbelief. Gillroy stood there as the hollow ran forward trying to gauge his eye out. Gillroy sidestepped it watching the left claw slicing his left cheek. The hollow was impaled by the crystal it ran into. Gillroy let out a sigh of relief as he pulled Geroge and the crystals out of the barrier. The hollow was strong and freed itself pulling out of the spike. Gillroy punched George in the stomach rendering him unconcious and then ripped his arms from their shoulder scokets. He then wrapped George's hadns around the pile of crystals. It was as if George was giving it a hug.
Gillroy broke George's hands and twisted them around to tighten the grip. George had useless arms but was alive. Gillroy filled the crystals with reiastu so they woudl stick together and to George. Once the reiastu would break the large crystal would turn back into the individual ones. Then they would fall to the ground breaking. Some of the crystla impaled George. Gillroy infused it with reiatsu to try to stop the bleeding, but he was slowly dying from internal bleeding. The scorpion dude hurled hismelf at Gillroy cutting hid right shoudler open. Gillroy raised his knee into the adjuchas's jaw sending him into the ceiling. He was greeted by another sharp crystal which impaled him a little more to the right this time. He seemed to be rendered useless. He was engaged and not killed. Sucess. Gilrloy hurled George over his shoulder who was hugging the crystals hard.
Gillroy took off his 750 pound triple belt. He needed speed if he wanted to get there before George died. He used High Sonido to increase his speed. He felt his reiatsu quickly drain. He had 2 hours left, but George would die in a single hour. He heard George groan in pain. He was awake, again. Gilrloy ran fast. At three times the speed he took to get to the cavern. He saw hollow dead bodies. Must have been the Adjuchas, he thought to himself. He felt no reaistu trails as he traveled "home." He didn't find anyone so he did not have to engage. He was near Sire's cave when Gillroy saw a familiar face. Gillroy ran his hand over his cut cheek and shoudler. Scorpion was back. He was about to cero him when he noticed the hollow had his fist inches away from Gillroy's face. He was pretty fast, but not nearly as fast as Gillroy.
Gillroy slapped the hollow with his right hand before he could extend his punch. Sending him flying left he grabbed the hollow's stinger with his right hand and then raised his left hand. He made a chop motion with his left hand and cut off half the tail. The hollow fell to the ground and Gillroy tossed his half behind him. He checked and saw it was alive but was going to be unconcious far at least a day. He resumed his trip back. He found the door. He knocked repeatedly. He was an hour and five minutes early.
"I've brought crystals," Gillroy said hurried. He dropped George to the floor. He was near death, but not dead. He had about ten minutes to live at most, and that was pushing it. He didn't want to take out the crystals because it may have killed him instantly. Blood dripped and raced time itself.
Tallinn looked at the dying hollow on the ground; a word didn’t escape the creatures’ lips as Tallinn’s massive foot came down slamming on the creatures’ head crushing it. Looking at Gillroy he spoke in a stern and angered manner, ”GET UP NOW! I told you failure was not acceptable, I told you your partner was your life yet you bring him back inches from death. I never gave you permission to take your weapons or use your release. That cave is MY CAVE, the security in it is flawless I know everything that happens within. Now as punishment for your failure I am reducing your rest time by thirty minutes this week. Now, your next tasks… follow me outside.”
Tallinn shuffled up the long and winding stairs until he reached about a quarter of the way from the top. Here he stopped and turned to Gillroy asking the question, ”Are you tired?”. Tallinn waited for an answer and when it came out his foot snapped forward into Gillroy’s chest sending him tumbling back down the winding stairs.
Gillroy watched as George was murdered. He really didn't care about it. If he was a normal person he would have been like "you bastard, Geeeeeeoooooorge. Why did it have to end like this." Gillroy shrugged and watched as the man criticized him. Weapon? Release? Unless you considered the crystals he used to impale the hollows a weapon a weapon he did no such thing. The crystals were still attatched to the walls. He hadn''t wielded them. The hollows were just thrown at the crystals or fell on them. Release? He just made some fire. He didn't fully transform. However if the man said he failed, he did. He followed the man up the steps. The man turned around and kicked him mumbling something about being tired.
"Sorry, Sire for failing. Sorry for being in the way of your foot. I am not tired, sir," Gillroy said at the bottom of the staircase. It wasn't his fault that the man kicked him, but he thought it was wiser to say sorry than complain or talk back. The staircase was long and had many steps. Gillroy ran up the stairs trying to catch up to Master Tallinn. He caught up just before he reached the top. A new task? This would be interesting.
Tell me boy, what do you know of Zanpakuto?", Tallinn sat on the top step looking at the arrancar before him. Starring at the boy he couldn't help but feel nostalgic of his youth, of the old Tallinn fearless insanely powerful and unbelievably cruel. The boy in a way reminded him of his youth, the strive to become stronger and better burning through every vein like a white hot fire. As the boy finished speaking Tallinn realised he had not been paying attention at all in fact he hadn't heard a word that Gillroy had said, "For an arrancar a zanapkuto is the sealed form of his true self, a vessel for his strength and power that yields to it's master without hesitation. Except for mine, my zanpakuto weighs almost three hundred pounds and I have carried it every day since I awoke as an arrancar. To someone who doesn't own a particular zanpakuto the weapon rejects the wielder expressing it's dislike by increasing it's weight roughly a hundred fold. Which means my zanpakuto to you would way over thirty tons."
Dropping the large gourd strapped to his back to the ground the zanpakuto hits creating a small crater in the stone behind him. ”Carry it up and down the stairs three hundred times, and don’t you dare drop it.”. Moving slowly his priestly robes waving loosely without the weight of the gourd revealing that despite his already large six foot four height, Tallinn walked hunched over obscuring his true height. As Tallinn walked down the stairs he chuckled he had lied about the weight of his zanpakuto it was probably near double that, the task would probably take his young apprentice well into his limited fifteen minutes of rest.
Gillroy lifted the gourd and zanpakuto off the ground. Barely. As it hovered inches off the ground Gillroy slipped his right glove off. Thus revealing a stubby white hand. The fingers were pointed and only bent in one spot rather than the two in a human's finger. He pulled the gourd up and onto his chest. Gripping it as tight as possible. He sighed. The zanpakuto and gourd seemed to way much more than thirty tons. He couldn't tell how much but he guessed at least fifty tons. He made his way down the stairs. As said before there was many steps and they were steep. As he got closer and closer to the bottom his feet moved faster and faster. He could not stop. Hitting the last step he kept running from momentum alone. He put his right foot out stopping him from crashing into the wall. He was lucky he didn't kick through the wall. Luckily, there was not a scratch. He made his way up the stairs. As he moved up he realized his back was arched. He tried to straighten it, but it was no use. Gillroy took the stairs head on step by step. Reaching the top, he let out a sigh. This was harder than all the previous tasks combined. One trip. He figured he needed to make time. If he stopped his body would be in shock, so the best thing to do was to keep on moving.
He continued to go up and down the stairs. His hands breaking over and over again. The broken peices broke. His arm felt as if it was out of it's socket. Arm felt limp over all. He kept his grip which was now slipping every ten trips. He was at a hundred, and his body was already beating him up and yelling at him to stop. He got the top of the stairs. One hundred and one. He loosened his grip and lowered the gourd and zanpakuto to the ground.
[red]"Hell, you think you are doing?"[/red] El Toro yelled at him stopping his body until it was numb. What do I know about Zanpakuto, Gillroy asked himself. Gillroy was trapped in a inner world. Expereinced by vizards learning to control their inner hollow, Gillroy had felt this before. Before and after he became vasto lorde he met hsi inner hollow. El Toro snarled at Gilroy. They were in a bull fighting arena. Only Gillroy and the standing bull. Gillroy looked confused. It had been about a hundred years sicne he had seen El Toro. The bull charge at him in a matter of nanoseconds and thrusted both horns through Gillroy's body. Gilrloy screamed. Maybe Tallinn could hear, it maybe not.
[red]"Your pathetic. Weak. This is your chance to be strong. Don't fail. I'm telling you this because I'm the part of you that likes a fight. Get stronger so you cna fight longer and more battles,"[/red] El toro said as thrusted his horns deeper. Gillroy's vision blurred and he was back at Sire's stairs. He noticed the gourd was near the ground. What was he thinking? Gillroy picked it up and ran down the stairs. He was running at a five tiems faster pace than before. His body glowed an orange reiastu. El Toro laughign at him was more than enough to make him work past his limits. He reached the top of the stairs.
"That would be number three hundred, Sire," Gillroy said still holding the gourd on his chest. The zanpakuto as well was still there. Gillroy and El Toro were on the same page. They would blow right past this training.
