Crisis of the Heart [Klein, Lerna]

She wasn't used to this sort of excitement. She was so used to being the hunter. Even on earth, nothing of particular threat had ever waltzed up to her doorstep. Africa had still been an assault, a deployment with intent. But this? this was an attack on her home. And she felt an odd buzz of energy through her. The very same buzz she remembered from her old hunting days, whenever she'd been put into a corner.

She shot out from the Seventh Division barracks and drew her Zanpaku'to, and it didn't take her long in the slightest to spot a target. A flash of silver catching her eye. Someone not in a Shinigami uniform. No less, the dull crackle of arrancar spiritual pressure that caused her eyes to narrow. With a prompt shunpo, she promptly slipped into view in the path of the man and brought her zanpaku'to to bear on them as she promptly spoke up in a firm, authoritative voice. Already, other nearby members of the Seventh were closing in as well. Some of them seemed a bit put off by their enemy's appearance, the rather diminutive Arrancar certainly did not seem the most threatening, but all the same, they followed Lerna's example and drew their weapons.

"You're a long way from home, Invader. Surrender and I won't rip your spine out." The voice was harsh and violent, perhaps a bit startling to the other shinigami nearby given the 'little guy' that was before her. But she had plenty of memories of hueco mundo. The bright violet eyes that stared Klein down burned with the very clear intention that if he did not comply, she would be making good on her threat.

But of course, inside, she already knew that wasn't going to happen, and she was already prepared for attack, her skin glistening slightly, as if she were sweating bullets.

That didn't sound like a capitulation to her.

No less than half of Klein's sentence was gone before she was right in front of him, the hot patter of droplets flung from her body as a result of the movement. Intentionally giving herself a jarring stop so that the corrosive venom on her skin would fly at him. If the little perve wanted, he coudl catch the sheen off her tits right on that sly tongue of his before it promptly started chewing its way into his flesh.

With a fresh spritz of corrosive poison flung at his face, Lerna wasted no time sweeping her blade across his eyes, following through as she turned her body inward and upward. Black scales creeping along her free hand and forming her claws as she aimed to follow through and plunge her clawed hand into his chest, with the full intention of grabbing his spine through his insides.

Naturally, Klein was not helpless, and Lerna was at least at present, entirely unaware of the extent to the gap between her and her target. But if nothing else, he would get a front row seat to her clear intent to make good on her promise.

The prick of a needle sinking into her from behind caused a jolt of alarm through Lerna's frame. As a mod soul, she was incredibly resilient. Brutal damage was almost a non factor for her, and it made her the absolute toughest bitch when it came to taking raw punishment. The fact that it was mere puppet strings that moved her body. It truly was a marvel.

But that strength came with a weakness. Bare strands of her very soul, like roots of a tree. Before she had an opportunity to harden her flesh around that needle, the injection was already plunged and she clamped her teeth down as a HISS escaped her! She twisted her body and swung with all of her might, those black claws swinging back in an brutal reflex, her claws aiming to rip past his face and tear bloody lines right across his featyures as the needle smoked, the acid trying to eat through it, but failing thanks to that precautionary extra pump of reiryoku into its casing.

"GRRRRAH!" The sudden roar from Lerna came with the full might of her spiritual pressure raging outwards, and she could FEEL something sparking up inside of her. Reaching. But not for her. For a side of her that had been asleep for so incredibly long. She jerked her frame away from Klein and screamed out as she tore at her own face and uniform! Ripping into the cloth to try and tear the section of flesh that had been subjected to the venom with one clawed hand, as the other gripped her own head. As a voice slithered into her mind, and as instincts so very long ago quelled bubbled up to the surface.

She suddenly remembered.
Exactly how delicious all the shinigami around her smelled.

"Third seat Lerna!"
Some of the other squad members already were darting in, several of them aiming to jump Klein, as one of them with Kido training promptly, leapt to her side, but hesitated from gettng nearer as she thrashed around. "H-hold still!" She insisted, a small group of the squad members placing themselves between Klein and Lerna as the blonde screamed. Struggling against the effects of the poison. As what felt like a voice whispering in her head attempted to gently wrest control from herself.

She hissed, and yelled, and clawed at herself as she tried her best to resist whatever was happening.

But how could she resist such a reasonable voice?

One serpent to another.