Break their Backs[Shadow Fall Mission][FINISHED]

Mission Specs:

Styn marched slowly up the trail, face pointed downward as he hunched his body against the wind. He was currently over two thousand meters above sea level in a cropping of the Rocky Mountains, on the United States, Canadian border. The snow was thick this high up and would stay snowy for quite some time. The trail was little more then a ledge a few feet wide that hung off the sheer face of the cliff to his right.

Reports from the Eight Circle put a rebel group of humans in the vicinity. Apparently they had been operating since late November. Their specialty was guerrilla strikes against encroaching demon forces. When Mana finally moved in force to claim this part of the country, they'd stand no chance. However, resources were currently being allocated elsewhere as most of the nation had given up without much of a fight. Styn knew that the US talked a big game four hundred years ago, but they were a shadow of their former self in the face of the spiritual awakening.

Too much cheap entertainment for generations didn't exactly stimulate the imagination or nurture the soul. The United States had a horrible ratio of spiritually aware people. One of the reasons this group had been so difficult to locate, was because of how many different cities they had drawn their membership from. Apparently they had all met on some video game or other and this had started as an offline meeting. Styn wasn't exactly sure how the Eighth Circle had found them, the important thing was that he had his cover story and the rudiments of a plan.

He was dressed to blend in with the surroundings. Despite a marked lack of sensitivity to the elements, he was wearing cold weather gear. A light grey fleece cap was beneath the hood of a heavy winter jacket, which was also a light grey in color. Over his suit pant bottoms he wore a baggy and insulated pair of nylon snow pants. These covered the tops of his heavy boots, exposing the rubber bottoms. His hands were covered in a thick pair of full fingered gloves. Styn was the very image of a mountain hiker. Across his back was a large backpack filled with odds and ends.

After rounding a bend in the path, the trail opened up into a sloping valley. The site was an abandoned mine, repurposed now as a rebel camp. From this distance he could just barely make out one of the cavern openings. About halfway between him and the entrance was a small shack that two humans were standing outside of. They were clearly expecting him. The two made no gesture toward his location, and immediately bowed their heads together in what seemed to be a conversion he was too far off to hear.

He had been correct then that there was surveillance of the surrounding area. Just to be safe he had ported in a day or so out. The demon was a bit tired to be sure, but he'd pulled all nighters in the past. Granted there was an extra tier of energy drain when it was for a work related reason. He'd eaten very little in the last few days to help with the deception. Styn wasn't such a good actor that he'd be able to sell the tale without a few discomforts to lend credence to his appearance.

All too soon he found himself in hailing distance of the two individuals waiting. Both seemed to be young men, several years younger then his own physical appearance. More like high school age if he was any judge. The one on the right took the lead, a quaver of uncertainty in his voice. "Stop right there," the kid commanded.

Styn raised his hands palms facing forward to show that he meant no harm. He wasn't exactly sure why any sort of enlightened being would feel reassured by this gesture in modern times though. His current placement actually made it somewhat easy to fire off a Black Inferno Blast if he were inclined to do so. Still, humans had their own way of looking at the world and to them he would appear unarmed, not of any particular danger even.

On the the spiritual sphere he barely registered. Styn was currently holding a very small amount of demonic energy. He was however, holding it very tightly, in a physical form that's main benefit was conserving and masking that force from detection. "Its me, Vermillion," Styn offered when the kids seemed disinclined to continue any sort of dialogue. "Sorry it took me so long to get here, but its gotten pretty crazy out there."

"Vermillion?" the kid on the left said hopefully.

"Wait, can you prove that you're Vermillion?" The more suspicious boy on the the right said.

"Well I wasn't exactly the most social member of the guild," Styn said easily. "Why don't you tell me who you are, and I'll see if I remember a conversation we had. Can we get out of the cold though? I'm freezing."

"This is stupid, lets at least let him warm up in the hut," Trusting Fool on the left said as he briskly rubbed his own arms.

Mr. Paranoid sighed, and with a nod motioned Styn to proceed them into the small structure that served as their first line of defense. It was a bit cramped with three, but they all fit. On the desk was a radio that Mr. Paranoid picked up. The demon recognized it as a model with frequency encryption and wondered, not for the first time, who was funding this operation.

"Eskya this is Ponies, guy says he's Vermillion."

"Can you verify that?"

The voice on the other end seemed older and much more confident. Styn made a mental note of the name.

"Vermillion played nights, and Master Dope is out on that raid, with alot of the guys that would have known him."

It was quickly becoming apparent that they refereed to each other as their in game character names. Which the Fourth Circle had been more then happy to provide to Styn for his operation. The chat logs they had seized from the game had given him plenty of material to forge his back story from. A visit to Vermillion's house had provided the rest. The Ninth Circle was amazingly proficient at gathering information in their own way as well.

"Alright, take him to one of the rooms for now and lock him in, we can sort this out when they get back. Eskya out."

Ponies turned and gave Styn a half shrug that was utterly lacking in apology. The development suited him just fine though, and the demon allowed himself to be led out of the shack and into the mine. A curious gaze picked out a system of crude cameras for observation, and by the entrance were small fusion generators and a mess of cables. Inside, the rocky walls were smooth and unadorned. The edges of the hall were cluttered with the power lines.

He had been more then willing to be led deeper inside, but the look of this area seemed to indicate that most of their power needs were being met by the two generators that had just been passed. This was an opportunity too good to pass up. Ponies was currently holding him by the right arm at the bicep. Trusting fool was out of sight at the moment, back at the guard shack. Most importantly, they were in a blind spot of the rebels surveillance. Styn allowed himself a smile.

Demonic energy wasn't collected out of the surrounding spiritual force. It wasn't nurtured in a chakra point or molded at the bodies core. Za Koa filled every cell of a demon's body. At the moment that amount was small and held firmly to prevent it from escaping. It helped that Ponies, while spiritually aware, wasn't exactly great at sensing. At least the kid didn't seem to be, since he had been touching a demon for several meters of travel and didn't seem to suspect anything.

It would be all too easy then to launch a surprise attack. Styn stopped suddenly, pulling Ponies back by virtue of massing more then the boy suspected. He didn't jerk his arm, instead the demon just refused to move forward another step. The boy turned to him with a huff of irritation and Styn stuck. He didn't launch a physical attack, one wouldn't be needed. Instead he willed demonic energy to fill every molecule of his body. It was shockingly fast, there was little to no warning. One moment an empty shell, the next overfilling with the red hot fire that was Za Koa.

Styn didn't shift to his true form, he didn't need to. Instead he forced every drop of the accumulated force into the offending hand that had tightened down on his arm. Ponies gasped in shock as a wave of Za Koa punched through his physical structure, bathing him in demonic power. Immediately the boy's muscled seized and his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. Styn carefully caught him and lowered him gently to the rocky floor. He wouldn't be recovering from this curse any time soon.

Another act of will brought about a second rush of energy. The demon filled himself with as much as he could hold in this form, still tightly clutched to avoid long range detection. Lifting his right hand Styn focused on the lines of reality that made up physical space. The problem with Kage Chokyo-shi at his level, was that one had to know their starting location very well to open a portal. However, he'd been walking this mountain for a straight day, and would only need a few more minutes to rip a hole in the universe.

To an outside observer he would seem to be just standing there imperiously, with a hand thrust straight forward, palm facing forward. If that same person were especially sensitive to the flow of energy, they might notice that the air in front of the demon shimmered and twisted. It was as if the world was fighting the flux of power that reached out to seize every piece of matter in a ten foot diameter.

It was a multistage process. First he identified the space he was in. Then he seized the current space directly in front of him, thinner then a hair, but round and circular, in an almost two dimensional shape. Next he reached out his mind to an area in the demon world where a small squad of soldier demons waited. This part was probably the most complex, as it involved bypassing the multitude of security checks that normally prevented connection to the demon world. However, Styn wasn't a member of the First Circle just for show.

There was finally a moment where he knew everything was connected. The mental bridge between realities was firmly established. All that remained was to tear and rend the laws of nature to fit his established image. Styn's hand clawed at the air, thrusting into the disturbance he spent a full minute generating, directly before him. Fingers seemed to find purchase and grip onto something. With a backward pull he tore a hole in reality, a portal into the demon world was born and a swarm of ten soldier demons, freshly saturated with hells own blessing, poured into the human realm and stormed the cave.

A moment of thought and his right hand hardened and morphed into a sharpened claw, a partial shift into his true form up to the wrist. A quick series of slashes severed every cable in reach. The immediate darkening of all nearby light was immensely satisfying. Faintly he could just make out the sounds of surprise from deeper in the mine. This should provide ample distraction.

The Human World was in constant disarray because of the battles and wars that were taking place because of the different organizations which fought to control earth. One of the most dominant ones that were on the opposing side of the Gotei 13 was Shadow Fall. The 2nd and 12th Division had been constantly gathering and analyzing data from around the Human world in order to either gain the advantage over the enemy organizations, assist in efforts in order to opposed those organizations or to stay up to date with the current situations in the Human World.

Calech was an up and coming unseated member in 1st Division. During the war in Australia Calech had helped in the efforts to push back the crime that had begun to rise in the Rukongai. With that being finished he was becoming stronger and would soon become a seated member. With that he made the decision to take a more active role in the efforts to help the human world for reasons including getting stronger, and because the fact that during the Australian War he was unable act in it because of his lack of strength.

With his Superior officer knowing his wishes he approached Calech in the 1st division barracks with a Mission the day before the Shadow Falls attack. Following his superior officer to their briefing room Calech walked in and the Superior officer immediately began the briefing.

"The 2nd Division has obtained intel on a small rebel group of about two dozen that are opposing Shadow Fall in the United States of America. It seems that they are a smaller group, but have been making successful efforts against Shadow Fall. With their recognized success we have decided to assist them in their efforts with security and operational stability. In short you are to go there and help the operation by any means necessary. That includes if needed helping the reorganization of the operation, leading the operation and providing security for it. As soon as you have verified the rebel group is a stable we will set a study group of Shinigami in order to reinforce this group."

Calech Listened to the entirety of the briefing and nodded his head in agreement with the mission parameters. With that Calech left and prepared for the mission. In his usual gear he wore cloth armor with strategically placed metal.

appearance:

On top of this he would be wearing a white cloak covered his body and head down to his ankles. He also was given a Denreishinki so that he could communicate with the Soul Society while he was in the Human World. Spending the last of his preparation time informing his brother of his departure and mission he went over to where the Senkaimon would be opening for his mission. As he approached it his Superior officer was waiting off to the left of it. Approaching it and stopping a few feet in front of it he looked at his Superior officer once more and he said

"If needed we have a 5 man strike team ready to back you up if needed. Move fast, stay strong and kick some ass if needed. Good Luck."

With that Calech nodded and walked into the portal. Entering it he entered into the area between worlds which was always an extremely creepy experience. With weird looking walls and no light at all, but the one he used to guide him it was his least favorite part of traveling between dimensions. Exiting the other side he stepped into about a foot of snow that surrounded a little under half way up his calves. As the portal disappeared Calech took a look around him to make sure to survey the area. There was a blizzard of which made visibility difficult, but he noticed a hut not too far as he had been placed right between it and the the entrance. Looking more closely he saw two wide eyed men inside staring at him with a funny and bewildered look. They had not contacted this group previously, so because he was making first contact he thought he better make a good first impression. He lifted his right hand from his cloak into the air and began to wave at the two men. After a few moments they did the same back. With this being successful he closed his hand and put up his pointer and middle finger in the universal peace sign. After a few moments they did the same. After that they rushed out of the hut in a stumbling fury and ran towards the man and as soon as they reached him blurted out a barrage of questions

"Who are you? What was that thing? What are you doing here? How did you find us?"

With this barrage of Calech knew he would have to answer this in order to gain their trust and in order to help them, but if he did this here he would have to many times over because of how many people there was supposed to be in this militia, so he smiled and said

"I would love to answer all of those questions, but in the interest of time I would rather explain it to the entirety of the group."

So with that they muttered something to each other and one of them spoke into a radio and was replied with a stern voice. After their back and forth they nodded towards him on the condition if they show him in that he interlocks his hands behind his head. He agreed and did so as one of them went to the front of the group and the other kept an eye on Calech from behind him. Walking into these tunnels which were between 12-15 feet in height in assorted places and same length in width. These mines were much larger then originally thought. From the center to the outside in all directions it was around a mile long with tunnels that intertwined like roots from the base of a tree. The man to the front of him used a flash light, black light and some sort of markings distinguished by the black lights in order to navigate.

As Calech followed he was interested as to how a rag tag group like this had known how to use such a system in order to navigate so he needed to make sure that he found out how. With these tunnels dimly lit they came up to a large opening that opened to a room as large as a warehouse with paths going up and down in the area, but with a noticeable flattened out center. This seemed to be the nucleus of the mines and their headquarters as well. To the right of the right of the flattened out area there was two rectangular tables with a radio set up on top of them. To the left there was a white board with pictures of the local demon officers taped to it. Finally in the middle a large circular table with documents and maps. There were two dozen men and women scattered with a scruffier middle aged man in the middle giving the order. He seemed to be the leader which was a reinforced opinion when he yelled towards the two in a drill sergeant type voice

"WHO IN THE HELL IS THIS?!?!"

With all of the people now staring at Calech and the two men he took a deep breath and explained who he was where he was from and why he was there. After that the all the men including the leader type person stared at him silently for a minute or so and then the leader yelled

"WELL HELL WE COULD USE ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET!!!!"

From there the man introduced himself as Eskya. A former military officer and soldier of the US Army. His strength was considered much stronger than the others even though he only had the strength of someone 4-3 Tier. The rest which were about 15 other combatants including the two from the outpost were in between 5-3 and 5-1 tier with a little bit of training from Eskya. He explained the layout and how they did things. It was a bit crude, but Calech could work with it. He spent the rest of the day helping to improve operation wise. They had a raid scheduled the next day so after that they would start doing operation cooperatively. With that after a long day of working they all took rest.

The next day arrived, and a few hours after they sent off the group to it's raid they were planning their next plans as a transmission came in from the lookout. Eskya answered it and allowed him to bring the man in, but something was odd. Without any previous interaction someone showed up out of the blue in order to join. It wasn't as odd as when he arrived, but at the same time if it was someone they supposedly knew. Calech was suspicious of this so he sent out one of the men that was closer them and got on the radio himself.

"Outpost, this is Calech. I want you to follow behind from a distance and keep an eye on them."

With the man agreeing he took a mobile radio and followed behind from a distance. He witnessed the entirety of what happened next and in a panic went to his radio and in a frightened quiver said

"It's the enemy Vermillion was the enemy there are demons inside the hideout I rep..."

Right as was about to continue a blood curling scream could be heard. Calech's instincts were right. This was the opposition. Though they would have a hard time finding their way to the center they could not let this base become infested with demons. From what it sounded like there was multiple demons including the one whom let them in. This one seemed to be on a different level then the low leveled ones that had appeared. He would need to keep an eye out for them, but in the mean time he'd need to call in reinforcements. With Eskya, himself and 3 other combatants left there were 10 combatants out on mission. The ones that were left behind were some of the weakest so Calech could not allow them to do direct combat. First off he ordered the three to seal off easiest passages 3 times starting at 5 minutes into the passage and going back towards the center. With them doing that he connected to the Soul Society, specifically his Superior officer and said

"Sir we have an emergency situation. We are under attack by an enemy force of unknown size. I need that squad now."

In agreement Calech placed his communication device on the ground marking the coordinates for a Senkaimon after being told it would take 5 minutes for it to be opened and for the reinforcements to arrive. He looked towards all others except the man who was on the radio and told them to hide in the higher areas if need be find an escape route. His pieces had been set and his last order was to try to contact the outer team by any means in order to get more reinforcements. The base was blown and now they needed only worry about surviving and defeating the enemies.

"It's the enemy, Vermillion was the enemy!" Trusting Fool shouted from behind breaking Styn's train of thought.

"There are demons inside the hideout!" The young man continued, voice rising in a panic.

'Well the gig is up now,' Styn thought with a sigh of irritation. The time for stealth was done with. An instant of will was all it took to release his true form. This should not be confused with a shinigami's shikai or similar power augmentation though. The demon by no means was suddenly several times his inherent strength. It would be more accurate to say that he was no longer limiting himself and could now fight at his full potential. The release did come with certain advantages. Already he began to see the way that reality connected to itself. These perceptions would only strengthen as his third eye soaked up the information of the universe.

Now wasn't the time to get lost in his own senses, not with an enemy nearby who was reporting everything he saw to the command center. Styn connected to a nearby shadow and pulled himself to right in front of the terrified man child. Trusting Fool's eyes widened in shock. They were close enough to the mine's entrance that the faint light would allow his weak human eyes to make Styn out in all his demonic glory. The rest of the human's transmission was cut off in a shout of terror as the Styn's right hand seized his throat, choking off the scream short.

Normally the bladed insides of his claw like hands would have been more then enough to sever a human windpipe and soak his appendage in a shower of rich, red blood. However, as his hand lashed out, cobra quick, the demon shaped the bone white death into something softer. The radio tumbled from a limp hand as Styn sent a pulse of Za Koa into the young man. He fared no better then his friend, as weak human tissue submitted to an onslaught that was Styn's demon curse. Trusting Fool's rigid body was then casually tossed to rest on top of Ponies' own, who had since passed out from the agony.

A motion in the deep blackness of the now lightless tunnels caught Styn's attention. One of the short soldier demons had returned. The creature was a squat ugly beast, barely four feet tall, with pale yellow hide. It was a hairy thing, with black coarse bristles poking out of its head, across its naked chest, and on its arms and legs. It wore only a loincloth for modesty's sake. Long pointed ears sloped backward against a wrinkled face. The soldier demon had sharp teeth and its nose was little more then reptile slits. It's eyes were mere slits and shone, even in the shadows, with an infernal red glimmer.

The demon shuffled forward, animal like, drawing closer to what it must perceive as easy prey. Styn looked down at the immobile bodies, hesitating. There was no telling what waited him in the mines. One precaution he could take was to sacrifice the two humans now, in a rite to boost his own strength. The benefits would barely last long enough to be worth it though, sacrifice wasn't an area that he excelled at. Besides, to do such a thing was to give into a fear he didn't feel. It was also possible that they would be useful as captives. Still, he couldn't just leave them to be rescued, or to potentially recover on their own.

The soldier demon leered down at the twitching form of Trusting Fool, who had still not slipped into the embrace of unconsciousness. A drop of saliva dripped from its mouth to splash against the young man's face, where it sizzled and burned the skin slightly. Faster then the mindless beast could lurch, Styn seized it by the scruff of the neck, using his still dulled right hand. A shock of Za Koa froze the creature in its tracks. Lesser demons could be dominated and controlled in such ways. A semblance of intelligence entered into the soldier demon's eyes as Styn hoisted it up, bringing its repulsive face close to his own.

"You're going to stay here," Styn commanded. "If anyone comes, you will kill these two immediately, you will not fail to do so. If I don't return in thirty minutes you will kill these two. If they wake and have any sort of mobility at all you will kill these two. Do you understand?"

"Yes great one."

Dropping the creature, Styn flicked his hand in distaste bringing the edge back to the underside of his fingers. Setting off at a jog, the demon consulted his memory of the mine's layout that had been provided by the Eighth Circle. There was no telling where the rebels had set up their command center. There were several bottle necks that could serve the humans well. His soldier demons were even now exploring every side passage. The silence of the mines was broken every so often by the sharp yips and barks of their discoveries.

Although little more then animals, they were nonetheless well trained for their task. Each noise was a code that Styn hoped only he understood. He would know when they made contact with the enemy and then the real slaughter would begin. Styn's own destination was a large open area near the center of the mines. The demon doubted that the area would be of much importance. It was too unsecured and open, too many shafts led to what must have been a storage area when the mine was operational. It would however, be a great place to wait while his demons methodically scoured the tunnels.

Faintly, a shrill scream was cut off by a howl of victory. It seemed that the first true casualty was inflicted. Styn paused, breath not heavy in the least, as he drank in strength from the surrounding darkness. Cocking his head to the side, the demon waited for another bark that would indicate greater contact with the rebel group. Seconds ticked by in which no secondary signal was given. A straggler then, it wouldn't be so quickly ended.

Styn continued toward the center of the mines, eyes unhindered in the darkness. At his pace, he should be about six minutes out from the large central area. The demon felt no need to hurry, no urge to rush. At his tier of power he was all but spirit blind, lacking the ability to submerge his surroundings with Za Koa. He trudged on, easily avoiding the dips and bumps along the uneven ground, conserving his strength for the potential fight to come. The soldier demon's had their mission and would continue to explore the side tunnels, clearing the mine one stage at a time. Although cautious by nature, Styn had no reason to suspect the organized defense that awaited him at his destination, and time marched on.

His next move needed to be well thought out. At this point he had to assume the outpost men were dead. Two casualties already, and as a scream shot through the mine he had to assume a third. Moments after from the passage which was the easiest access had three reoccurring blasts one a minute after the other as one of the men that he had originally sent in ran out of the tunnel covered in dirt presumably from the blasts. He had done what Calech had told him to so his part was over in his opinion. As he approached Calech and Eskya, Calech put his hand on the guys shoulder and congratulated him on his good work

"Good Job. Obviously these are gonna be too strong to take on for you so go with the rest and try your best to defend them"

The brave young man was hesitant to leave them behind but did as he said and joined the rest in finding another exit to the opposite side of the mine. He also gave him enough explosive gear to help him blast his way out of hear. So with that the young man ran towards the rest of the group.

Now looking at Eskya a large man at 6 foot 6 inches and extremely muscular. He had short brown hair and a short scruffy beard. He wore blue jeans with a black jacket and a white undershit. His weapon of choice seemed to be two sawed off shotguns and a two handed axe. Calech knew that he'd be fighting along side this man and no matter the happening this man was one of honor and needed to live.

"Eskya I'm sorry about your men. It was never my intention or plan for anyone to die, and I promise as long as I am still here you will lose no more."

Eskya was angry about the deaths, but was a man who had experienced losses like this before. He simply nodded and replied

"What's next?"

It seemed extremely unlike him, but in light of what has happened no one person would be normal. Calech admired that he had the will to focus himself on what was next especially when he had lost men. It was something the he himself needed to work on and would hopefully one day be able to do as well.

Moving on from that thought it was about a minute until the back up shinigami arrived. Calech knew the position that they were in was a place that showed lacking of advantage, but with them knowing of the incoming they were able to set up something even if it was only a little bit it was much better than nothing.

Calech looked over to their radioman and said

"Any word?"

The man shook his head left and right. Calech didn't like this news, and what was worse is that he could sense that the demon was closing in. The smaller ones seemed to be just nuisances and easily dispensable, but the bigger one would be a struggle. He couldn't get the exact location of the small demons, but he could sense the general location of the demon and he was closing in at a good speed. At this rate he didn't have much time to prepare at all. Taking a quick survey of the area looking at the front passage he had to be read for them to enter from any of the at least front 5 entrances. The three entrances behind them lead to the back half of the mine where the others had chosen one to make/find an exit. The exit that was easiest and that was in front of them was closed off, but the other 4 were easily accessible. The two entrances to the west and northwest were at lower slopes and the ones to the north east and east were at higher slopes. The 3 behind them were at a higher platform that was led there by a slope. Taking it all in he realized what he must do.

The Senkaimon opened with the 5 man team exiting, and each of them were wearing traditional shinigami attire. Calech quickly said

"Specialties?"

There were two Combat specialists, two Kido specialists and a Medical specialist. The first combat specialist had short black hair and was clean shaven with pale white skin. He was 5 foot 9 inches tall with an athletic build and was younger looking to be the age of around 20. His Zanpakutō was sheathed to the left of his waist. His Tier is 4-4

The other combat specialist had thicker brown hair down to his ears with a scar from his left eye across his nose down to his right cheek. He had a lightly tanned complexion and was at least 6 foot 4 inches tall with a muscular build. This man looked to be a bit older in his mid 30's at least age appearance wise. His Zanpakutō was sheathed to the left of his waist. His tier is 4-3

The first Kido specialist was a young asian lady at the age appearance of early 20's with black hair down to her mid back. It was tied in a pony tail behind her head. She was 5 foot 4 inches tall with a thin build. Her Zanpakutō was sheathed on her back. Her tier is 4-3

The second Kido specialist was bald with darker skin. He had a thin build and was 6 foot 1 inches tall. He looked to be in his late 40's with his Zanpakutō sheathed to the right hand side of his waist.His Tier is 4-4

Finally the Medical Specialist was a smaller young women with blond hair down to her shoulders. She had a light complexion and was a little over 5 feet tall and had a thin build. Her Zanpakutō was sheathed on her back. Her tier is 4-3

Calech knew what he wanted to do so he needed to point it out fast. He placed the combat specialist with shorter black hair in between and above the west and north west entrances ready for an ambush(25 meters away from the center) with the young asian kido specialist 10 meters behind him for support. He also placed the larger Combat specialist in the middle of the northeast and east entrances(25 Meters away) 5 meters away with the other Kido specialists 10 meters away for support. The Medical Specialist Stayed with Eskya and Calech as their support just in case.

With only moments before the Demon arrived Calech yelled over to the radioman saying

"IF THEY ARRIVE TELL THEM TO SWEEP THE MINES AND RID THEM OF THESE DEMONS!"

With that they all held ready for what was going to be a ferocious battle indeed.

Styn came to a sudden halt as a bright flash of light followed by a concussion of force lit the tunnel briefly. Three more explosions rocked the mines, sending bits of dirt and chips of rock scattering toward the floor. "What the fuck?" Just ahead he could have sworn he had begun to see some lighting, despite the fact that he had severed the power cables earlier. He could only imagine that there were a few back up generators powering their command center and other areas of importance.

By his own mental calculations, that should have been a wide entrance into the central area of the mines. There were not many side tunnels that didn't at least need to travel through that point. Was it possible that they were this close to the headquarters? or was this just a way to slow them down. It had been several minutes since the first human had been found, and no others since then. They could have all decided to abandon the headquarters completely for all Styn knew.

A tiny crackle at his ear let him know that his own mission command had something to say. Turning around Styn began to jog back the way he came. Making a mental note of the approximate locations of the other entrances, Styn set off toward a smaller tunnel. While doing so he reached up and tapped behind his ear lightly with a sigh. "Styn here."

"What the fuck was that you worthless piece of shit?" an irate female voice assaulted his ears.

"Nice to hear from you as well Sinthia," Styn replied dryly. Cold silence let him know that she was barely holding her temper from another outburst. "They set explosives in the mine, collapsed one of the tunnels. I'm working toward the center, where I'm beginning to believe there will be more resistance then expected."

"You damn well better. You aren't important to this mission worm, the blessed base shouldn't have more then one fucking person of note. If you can't manage to take him out don't bother coming back," Sinthia practically screamed in her high pitched shrill. A static whine as the communications cut off was enough to make Styn wince.

The truth of the matter was that the timing of this mission was not accidental. It had been a surprise that no one at the base could properly identify Vermillion, but it was not shocking at all that the rebels were out on a raid. The Eight Circle had assured them that this would be the case. Even now a force comprised of all demon Knights were ready to ambush the rebel strike force when they returned. Styn was sure it would be a short bloody massacre. His own job was to stir up enough trouble so that the headquarters radioed out for help. The Fourth Circle had been unable to break the encryption the team used, and would not be able to fake such a message.

Right now a Fourth Circle Knight was jamming communications from the Headquarters. The rebels would not be able to talk to each other while on mission. This had started shortly after Styn arrived. It was a win win really. The team would mostly likely break off their attack when they failed their next radio check. When they got close enough to get some sort of broken communications it would only put them in a larger panic as they began to hear talk of attack and casualties.

These young men and women might very well be spiritually aware and even getting some form of training. They were not, from anything Styn had seen, a disciplined military force though. It would be interesting to see who was providing them so many resources, but it would have been far more helpful if they had been given trained man power. Shiny toys could only take you so far.

Styn's role was very similar to the first strike of a of two tiered terrorist attack. The first bomb was his own presence, causing chaos and casualties. The second bomb would be the Knights, who would leap to attack the no doubt worried rescue efforts of the stronger rebels. These weren't just soldiers in arms. They were former civilians and friends.

A call up ahead brought Styn back to the present as one of the soldier demons scented a large and diverse group of lifeforms. Per instructions and training it was to back off and wait for Styn and the rest of its nest. The Knight of the First Circle was actually the last to arrive. He had been jogging at a steady pace, but the soldier demons had bled all of their hellish infusion racing down corridors. Other then that hoot they were silent as they shifted and milled about.

The tunnel bent at an almost ninety degree angle. The soldier demons were clustered before this point. Styn motioned for them to back up. Looking up he saw a camera. A small rock from the tunnel floor was enough to disable it. The demon couldn't be sure it had even been active, but there was indeed light coming from the center of the large central room. Well there was nothing to do now but charge in guns ablaze so to speak. Still there was something he could do for his minions.

Silently padding up to the bend Styn began to focus his Za Koa. Where before he was holding a comfortable amount in case of an emergency, he was now suddenly filled to the brim with demonic energy. No dust was kicked up to swirl about him, and no crushing spiritual pressure would flood down the corridor though. Styn felt that further empowering his passive Akuma Kyodo was a much more effective means of utilizing the slight bleed from harnessing a large amount of power.

This was going to have to be quick and dirty, since there was no hiding that there was someone in the tunnel. His energy might not bleed onto the physical plane, but only someone spirit blind would fail to realize that a stronger demon was mustering some kind of strike. If the rebels had placed explosives here then things were about to get messy. Fortunately, his minions were far enough back not to get caught in the blast. First though the incantation.

"Behold, the putrid embers of Zoa Koa," Styn whispered. There was no need to shout, the words were a focal tool and little more. At the same time the demon pooled a generous portion of his gathered force into his fingers and stepped out from behind the edge and thrust his digits forward. There was no one in immediate view, the path sloped gently upward into a large central room. Styn stood about ten meters back from the north entrance. He conjured his attack as far into the room as he could see, which would be about ten meters in the air around 15 meters in.

A small pulsing green orb formed and three seconds latter it would detonate sending a fragmentation of smaller green orbs sizzling outward in all directions. There would be more then enough time to take some kind of cover, but even as he summoned the necroflame shot, Styn motioned toward his minions who would swarm into the room, nine strong. While no longer infused with hellish might, they would briefly exhibit increased strength and speed from attacking out of the dead black darkness of the mine.

It would no doubt have been smarter to break up the force into smaller units, but Styn was hardly in a position to waste so much of his Za Koa enforcing those much more complex commands. After another three or so seconds Styn would follow the minions looking for whoever seemed in charge so that the real battle could start.

Battle was a difficult thing to endure. Not only for the soldiers, but for the superiors who made the decisions that sent their companions into battle, and possibly to their deaths. In the air was a sense of anticipation, but also a readiness. Most of the people held within this central area were younger, but they had blood on their hands. Each one of them had witnessed the deaths of their comrades and of civilians all the same. They had witnessed life leave the eyes of a comrade and gruesome sites given by enemies. This wasn't the highest grade team in strength, but each of them were chosen specifically for having real battle experience. This team wasn't a suicide team, but for this level of mission they were a team that could adapt to the ever changing aspects of battle.

Calech sensed and could hear the demons which had gathered for battle. Obviously they had been preparing for the battle that was about to ensue, but without proper formation or guidance, they would only have the choice of strutting right in and attacking. In this was his advantage, though he did not know what was to come he silently motioned to the two which were on the opposite side of the cave to change formation. The kido specialist which was the taller looking seasoned man repositioned himself with a flash step at a higher view point allowing to view down upon the entrances, and the Muscular man was repositioned 5 meters back from the other combat specialist. Finally the closest combat specialist was order to return back right as he had a green orb appeared and will only little warning if none at all the kido specialist which held the higher position dropped to the ground in order to take cover from the blast. The asian kido specialist managed to get a simple shield in front of the muscular man allowing her and him to be blocked from the blast. The most devastating damage caused was to the combat specialist whom was closest though. He rolled forward in an attempt to avoid being hit, but he was struck three times in the back. These injuries were dangerous enough to where if he continued battle he would bleed out.

Calech and Eskya easily side stepped and the blast hadn't reached the communications guy.

They were outnumbered, and in a tough situation, but strength was on their side. It was time for them to strike back. First the Kido specialist on higher ground formed a ball of electricity in his right hand and a ball of ice in his left hand as the demons raced up the slope. In order to stop their mindless charge first he threw the ball made of electricity right at the top of the slope in creating a 3 foot diameter burst of electricity in order to stop, and stun the first demon and immediately following the electric ball he threw his ice ball behind them causing it to shoot shards of ices in all directions in order to damage or immobilize the back end of the demons.

With this distraction the asian kido specialist helped up the injured combat specialist and moved him to where the medic was near Calech and Eskya.

The more muscular combat specialist stood at ready guarding the women as she helped the combat specialist to the medic. Calech would not allow one casualty, because even one casualty was too much in his book. So as the women brought back the specialist Calech began to walk forward and as he did he grasped the hilt of his Zanpakutō and slowly pulled it from it's sheath. It made a slight metalic ring as it pulled out of the sheath. Calech placed his left hand towards the bottom of his hilt and gripped it with a relaxed, but confident strength. The worst thing he could do now was allow fear to take hold of him. It would spread through him like a cancerous disease and end up being the foothold the reaper over his shoulder would need to end his life. His breath was slow and steady as he observed the battlefield ahead of him. A flat plain of earth until the outskirts which held their peaks and valleys. This was no where near the end of this mission.

Without any response from the team leaving the communication man here was just reckless so as he walked into the heat of the battle he yelled

"Eskya! Give him a mobile radio and protect him until he has left this main area, then join the battle!"

With that the man hesitantly left his post with a mobile to continue to work on as Eskya hurried him to the entrance the others had used.

Calech would use whatever was necessary in order to complete his mission, and stopping the momentum of these demons was all he could do as of now until they arrived so the last thing of preparation was he pointed his left pointer and middle finger above where the demons could be heard and shot a bolt of lightning at ceiling above them causing rocks to fall upon them if they were still around to be hit and hadn't avoided the previous kido

-Outside the mines-

The 11 Rebels which went on a raid had already made most of the trek home. it had been a successful raid on a supply line to a demon base that allowed them to take a few melee weapons and allowed them to destroy necessary supplies that they would need. They were a cheerful group each of them stronger of the entirety of the ground 5-1 to 5-3 tiers. There were 3 5-1's 4 5-2's and 4 5-3's. Each having a small amount of training from Eskya in order to perform a certain task. There were 6 Close Combat specialists, 2 Mid Range Specialists, 2 long range specialists and a explosive specialist. This group was specifically made in order to destroy supply lines and combat small commuters. They had experience against demons, but only in small amounts. Returning from their raid they had tried twice all ready in order to check in, but each time was unsuccessful. They were high in the mountains, and it was getting rougher outside from the snow, but still this had never happened before, and they were against a massive power the worst could have happened. Each of the 5-1's were more spiritually aware than the others, with the others only being able to see spiritual beings. Sensing wasn't exactly in their skill set though especially at their level. Nervous, but curious they reached the general area of the mines which had been surrounded with like a bowl with higher up mountains. One of the 5-1's was especially nervous, because this was definitely against plan, so he had the long range experts check out the guard shack. It was empty. Upon further surveillance they were able to see multiple figures without exact description because of the snow. It was tough, but they did not have that many people so they could only believe the worst had happened. They did not want to believe that the others had died, but at the same time they needed to make sure. Instead of facing the large force of what appeared to be enemies they needed a different plan. It would take extra time, but if they could go around the rougher terrain and make a entrance on the back or top of the mine they could navigate it towards the center and figure out what happened so with that they started the trek which would take them time in order to finish. It may take too long, but it was worth it considering what was waiting for them. Because they each were spiritual aware, but didn't have any powers themselves any sensors would have a tough time finding them so they made their way around at the quickest speed they could.

Even as the necroflame shot detonated, the soldier demons were charging into the cave. Unlike the defenders, they knew the exact range and nature of the attack, there was no surprises in store for them. Although not especially strong individually, the creatures remained demons, if of the lowest levels. The first kido specialist was still falling prone, as the last of the stout demon's cleared the kill zone of any potential blunt to their charge.

The soldier demon's were fresh from several minutes of deep darkness. As green fire rained down they pulled away in all directions with shadow steps. The beasts were not smart, but had an animal cunning. All but one of the demons avoided the necroflame shot completely, one of the slower and dimmer ones caught a burning orb of shrapnel. Fortunately, its Akuma Kyodo reduced some of the impact. At it was, there would be no clear target for an area of effect attack. In fact, most of the demons had found small openings and nooks about the area to lay low in, if for only a few seconds.

No doubt the shielded shinigami of the group would call out the potential locations of the horde. As such, the attacks of ice and lightning would find their targets, the creatures were hardly swift or smart enough to dodge kido. Still, the effects would unlikely be what the shinigami had intended. In this way the necroflame shot more then provided its purpose, giving the soldier demons the cover they needed to scatter about the room. Even as Eskya exited the area they would get a brief lay of the land. Their job was simple, keep the extras busy.

If the lighting and ice end up striking one demon, this unlucky soul would be out of the battle. The lightning would paralyze the creature and overwhelm its Akuma Kyodo, leaving it an open target for the explosion of ice shards which would then pierce it all over its body. Most importantly, being unable to properly raise its arms, would stop the beast from deflecting a particularly nasty shard of ice. The shard in question would enter through its right eye socket, spearing through its brain, and out the back end of its skull.

Suffice to say the effects would be much less if the kido specialist decided to spread the pain around. Two demons would be more then able to absorb the damage. While the minions were undoubtedly weaker, Akuma Kyodo was a very nice defense against kido. The soldier demon inflicted with lighting would be slowed for the rest of the round. The one littered in ice would have an assortment of flesh wounds, bur raring to go.

The demons had enough observational data by the time Eskya and the radio specialist exited the room. The beasts split themselves between the remaining shinigami, avoiding Calech. This was their way to flag the fact that the more powerful foe seemed to be in command. Of course the creatures were simple, if anyone else had been shouting orders they might have been unable to identify the lead target at at all. None of the demons where specialized differently. In fact they were hardly powerful enough to have a specialty at all, but they had numbers and attempted to use them.

At this time, perhaps sensing Styn making his way through the tunnel, Calech launched his attack, that is unless the flow of battle had dissuaded the shinigami from doing so. After all he could be forgiven his failure to anticipate that the beasts would be willing to brave the blast themselves to obtain superior positioning. If the kido attack does go off Styn will be caught by surprise by the attack, and fortunate that it wasn't aimed at him directly. The force of a shower of rocks suddenly descending on him will drive the demon to his knees, but his strong Akuma Kyodo will prevent any real damage.

Regardless, Styn made his way into the battle field, perhaps covered in dust and irritated. A quick look about would identify his own role in this drama. A raised hand was his first act. The demon was already filled with Za Koa. He had been in a state of heightened awareness for several minutes after all. To hold Za Koa was to breathe, a natural and unconscious effort of living. This was simply a byproduct of being a demon. To be filled with Za Koa was to grasp and flex ones nature as a demon. It was the embrace of Toketsu's legacy, but it wasn't necessarily the same as fighting with that infernal resource.

In one moment Styn was surging with Za Koa in the way that a fighter is mentally ready for battle before the first swing. The next moment was taking that passive readiness and translating it to immediate combat potential. The directed force did not permeate his physical surroundings. There was still no stirring of air, or crushing of ground. Instead the excess energy continued to stop at the skin, reinforcing the demon's passive Akuma Kyodo. Even a spirit blind human would find it easy to move about in comfort, despite the danger in drawing so close to a battle ready demon. I guess I need to try an finish this quickly

The differing mental state of generating the previous attack and this next one was profound. The previous manifestation was little more then a training exercise, something done by rote with an expected result. This current strike was a true act of war, and yet was still just as natural. At times to be sure, Styn would spend more then was strictly required. Za Koa was not such a forgiving force to allow for gentle coaxing and coddling. To be filled with the energy of chaos in bondage was to battle for supremacy to echo the exchange the demon even now found himself embroiled within. Pleasant tingles raced through every cell as Za Koa pooled withing Styn's right palm. "Oh, Touketsu, unleash the lost souls upon these fools," Styn challenged.

Red light gathered in a blob of shadow substance. This amorphous looking swirl of Za Koa shot from Styn's hand like an arrow launched from a bow. After traveling several inches the shape resolved into that of a bone white skull with demon horns. Empty eye sockets were lit with a flare that surrounded the Psycho Skull in a red blaze. A second after the first skull cleared the demon's hand a second one followed. The skulls continued to appear at one second intervals, speeding toward Calech. Six in total rushed out.

Each skull had a extra density to its shape, the shadows it cast especially pronounced. This was an effect from Styn's recent sojourn in darkness. The Pyscho Skulls moved at almost double their normal speed. The first exploding skull followed a fairly simple arc, moving straight until it was about to connect with the shinigami. At this point the projectile dived to land at Calech's feet. The resulting explosion was a fiery blast three meters in diameter, although the bottom half of this would be focused on the ground itself ripping a one and a half foot crater into the hard surface.

The following skulls played it a bit looser. They were smart bombs and many rushed to strike in a similar manner as the first, from a higher angle, toward the ground. This was an attempt to capitalize on their explosion radius. The second, fourth, and sixth Psycho Skulls took a roundabout path, trying to get behind Calech before detonation. In addition, the third and fifth skulls didn't drop down, but instead rocket straight for direct impacts on the shnigami.

Ultimately their true routes would be determined by the methods that Calech used to avoid their connection. No skull would ever be within three meters of another, the different trajectory and starting times would assure this to be true. A small nudge from Styn would ensure this remained the way of it. They were also capable, especially with their quickened speed, of dodging counter projectiles to avoid premature explosion. Their response to flash steps to avoid damage would be long turns, before locking back onto their target.

If Calech attempted to close the distance with Styn, the skulls would continue their assault. However, each would now attempt to land at the heel of the shinigami's anchoring foot. Styn would fight defensively, more then happy to take residual damage from the blasts, as the shinigami would be shielding him from much of it. Calech was assuredly faster then the Knight of the First Circle, but Styn's connection to the Za Koa that created the minions would be more then enough to avoid in full any blast that the shinigami saw fit to dodge. If Calech was particularly fast in closing the distance then the Knight would fire all remaining skulls straight into the air, while defending himself. This would hardly change their eventual target though. At some point Styn would take a moment to introduce himself. "Styn of Shadowfall, fancy meeting one of you here."

Spoiler:

Sometimes there were benefits to being the decoy. One of the main advantages of course was when the rest of the plan went so smoothly, you just weren't needed any more. The chirp of his communications device clued Styn in to his current role in the operation. "Oh by the way you piece of shit, good luck," Sinthia's abrasive voice chimed oh so gently into his ear. And that as they say was that. It really only left the demon with one thing to do, get the hell out of dodge before he became the next casualty of war.

Shadow Fall had nothing if not respect for its adversaries. Although Styn had seen no sign of it, it wasn't impossible that the humans had hacked their wireless signal and were even now listening in to relays between Styn and his superior. So the code work 'luck' had been used to illustrate that the plan was entering its optimal state. Since the plan was conceived by Sinthia, Styn no longer had to worry about her interference with his own escape. It was one thing when a ineffectual subordinate botched things up, but with things going so well it would only reflect poorly on the acting Grand Duchess if she were to have casualties. Not that there were not about to be some casualties.

Even as Styn was introducing himself, the demon activated his special talent, the thing that had him selected and placed into the first circle. With his third eye open, he was able to rip short range holes in reality faster then many Demon Lords. Then again, if he had been as strong as that he wouldn't be limited to such a short range, still it was a skill and he fully employed it in the current situation. Calech would still have to deal with his attacks, and the rest of the room was hard at work suppressing the plague of soldier demons. Just in case though, Styn formed his portal on the floor so that an untimely dive wouldn't result in being followed.

What happened next was classic Sinthia. The seals she had placed in the soldier demons detonated. This was not in time to Styn's getaway. This was a mere second after she had delivered her message to Styn. If he had been even a fraction less capable in crafting his own escape he would have been caught in the fallout. Each of the nine soldier demons exploded in a Black Inferno Blast equivalent to what a tier two individual could create. Their very bodies became the energy source of this detonation of force.

Styn was sure that the strongest shinigami would be fine, but between the distraction of his own pyscho skulls, his sudden portal, and the fact that these blasts would be coming from every direction, there was very little chance he'd be able to save Eskya as well. The demon Knight doubted that the young shinigami would be willing to bet his life on it anyways. Even if by some miracle Eskya lived, he'd have no group to continue his attacks with. If Sinthia was using the code word 'luck' then that meant that the returning force had fallen for her fake ambush and walked into her real one.

While Styn had spent the day walking toward the hideout to grant his cover story a certain degree of legitimacy, his counter part had spent that same day laying a mine field of explosive seals on one of the openings into the mines. The idea being to get the returning humans to stumble into this death zone unaware. It wouldn't matter if they could detect demonic energy, Sinthia wasn't the acting grand duchess for nothing. With a whole day to prep they were all but undetectable, and packed deadly force. Styn was sure that nothing remained of the strongest of the humans who called this place their base.

As far as the demon Knights destination, there was really only one thing left to do. Styn was sure that his former prisoner would have been picked up by now. That only left the fading spirit signature that was making its way away from what had been his former battle. The portal dropped him on top of the communications specialist that had been guided away from the fight. To say that the young man was taken by surprise would be an understatement. Death however was not on Styn's mind this day, had really never been on his mind at all. Much like the first prisoner he had taken, a quick application of his curse inflicted the human with an overwhelming surge of Za Koa that rendered him insensible.

The last step was just clean up. Another Kage Chokyo-shi was ripped open after several moments of concentration. It was possible that the Shinigami he had faced off against so briefly had survived, but to get out of that Black Inferno hell and then to follow him fast enough to stop the opening of this portal would be all but impossible. Styn had stretched his ability to craft a short range jump to its capacity, and he was no slouch at opening rifts into the demon world. No, this captive like the one before, was all but guaranteed. Not a bad days end to a messy piece of work. Best of all, he hadn't had to kill anyone. That always left the demon Knight in a good mood. He found himself humming as he stepped through the gate, returning to his home.