[CB] 7 East (open)

The tranquil section of Rukongai was nestled between two more prosperous districts. This in turn gave the modest area some commerce from those traveling between the two. The 8 district was known for it's cloth and silk makers and the 6th had it's fair share or jewelers. While not large in size it was big enough to make trans-versing the zone in one day impossible. So many took their time and spent a few days there selling their products before heading to the larger district. Over time people came to appreciate the fruit trees that dotted the simple area. The seasonal harvesting soon became their claim to fame. It didn't take long for them to arrange festivals attracting more people. In Rukongai the more attention your district obtained the better. With popularity came shinigami. When not on duty people were reassured by the soul reaper's presence in the streets. The further one traveled from Seireitei the worse things got. Bandits ruled the outer edges, and people thanked their lucky stars to be in the more calm districts.

It was once again the season for the harvest for those of the 7th District, some had woke up early to begin their work only to find something horrible. Several of the orchards were ruined. Trees had been torn to pieces their fruit smashed upon the ground. There had been no storm or heavy winds the night before, but it looked as if a great hand had up rooted the trees and thrown them about on a whim. But this wasn't the only horror visited upon the people. While some trees had been cast about like blades of grass before a scythe, others did look as if they'd been cut clean. All branches had been removed from tall the trees that had stood in their district for many years. The people were besides themselves with grief. They wondered how such a thing could possibly happen. They tried to look for clues to no avail. Finally one suggested they try to contact the shinigami for assistance.

Ezrachek woke up with a start as he recalled his dream. It was filled with Rooms, corridors, an entire labyrinth covered in bloody stained walls. A man, tall and slender, greeted Ezrachek with a smile. He told him that this was his home and that he should definitely visit more often. He would grow to appreciate it. Ezrachek knew that without a doubt, it was Ansatsu Oji. He shook his head, ridding the thought from his mind. He looked around to see his room in the 12th Squad Barracks. He made a mental note to work towards promotion to the 12th seat, and eventually higher. He swung his legs over the edge and quickly got dressed. He wasn't sluggish like his usual morning. He could tell he was getting stronger. He moved to the door, as he grabbed Ansatsu on the way. He tied the sling across his chest, hanging the blade from his back. He walked towards the Captain's office, where he received his orders each day. The 12th squad had yet to establish a daily routine of work for Ezrachek, for up until recently, the squad had done without the seated position. He was still trying to adjust to the lack of routine that he was gifted. He rather enjoyed it, the not having a set chore to do each day, like he had in the 2nd squad. Ezrachek looked around the path that led to the Captain's office. The flowers had started to wither away and the trees started to lose their leaves, as the winter was slowly rolling in. The breeze rolled through the grass and blew against Ezrachek's face. It was cold, but enjoyable as the sun was beating down his back at the same time. He marched in a steady pace, as he decided to have a more militaristic style within the 12th squad. He took a turn in the path, and headed under an overpass, where his office was directly to his right. He only had a small distance between him and the Captain's Office. He passed numerous different members of the squad, and was saluted by many. He kept walking past them as he was approached by the Vice Captain. Ezrachek stopped and rose a stiff hand towards the brow of his forehead. The VC laughed and kept walking. It seemed the Ezrachek had not yet received the respect that he sought out from his leaders. He frowned as he arrived at the Captain's Office. He knocked twice as he waited for an answer.

"Come in, Rayone! I have a mission for you." The Captain answered with a strong sense of command in his voice. Ezrachek entered the room and saluted the Captain. He walked over and stood in front of the chair. "Sit Down, Rayone. Ezrachek nodded as he took his seat. The captain began talking, or briefing, Ezrachek on what his mission would be. Huh, an actual mission. I haven't been sent on one of these in quite a while. Ezrachek thought to himself. The Captain went on to instruct Ezrachek to build a team of 4 including him. He was to take his team over to District 7 East. They were tasked with taking samples of the vegetation there, and bring them back safely for examination. Ezrachek nodded as he stood. "I already know the shinigami I wish to take, Sir."

The Captain nodded and gestured with his hand for Ezrachek to leave. Just before Ezrachek left, the Captain stood. "Do NOT Fail Me!" Ezrachek nodded and left the office. He made his way to the sparring ground, where he was sure to find the first two of members of his team. He walked down the path, the breeze only slightly diminished from before, and the trees had not seemed to change. The grass was almost still, waving very slightly in the light wind. Ezrachek walked at the same pace as usual, and to the naked eye, it had looked like he was just taking a light stroll around the squad's district. He made his way to the academy, where the Gotei 13's sparring ground was. There was a second one assigned just for the 11th squad. Ezrachek, however, couldn't stand the 11th Squad, due to their rivalry with the 2nd squad. He arrived at the gates of the academy and entered with a smile. A class of students walked by, some almost his age, close to graduation, and some as small as a child. Ezrachek laughed and waved at them as he continued towards the Sparring ground. He arrived in a short time, with no complications or issues. He was happy to see that the first two members of his team were already there, sparring against one another. Ezrachek walked into the circle, sticking close to the edge.

"Don't you think it's a little out of place for you two to be fighting in the place made for students?" Ezrachek said laughing at his old classmates as they both stopped in the middle of a parry. The first was a tall slim woman who appeared to be recently wounded in a mission that she had recently attended. She was in the 6th squad, running as a support member for a mission with the 11th squad. Her midsection was wrapped in medical bandages. Her long crimson skirt was ripped and damaged at the ends, which accented her personality. She was willing to do whatever that needed to be done to prove her point. She was not a woman that you wanted to be enemies with.

Sara Oraku:

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The second shinigami was a younger man, well younger than Ezrachek. He was an old friend and classmate as well, as he playfully chucked his sword towards Ezrachek. Ezrachek waved a finger and quickly dodged from the path of the blade. He glared towards the shinigami. His actions were reckless, stupid and clumsy. He had white hair and a full set of armor, that was passed down throughout the generations of his family.

Lucas Walker:

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They laughed as they walked over to Ezrachek and joined him in conversation. Ezrachek wasted no time with telling them about the mission. "I have been instructed by my captain to gather three other people and travel to District 7 East. I'm assuming due to the lack of details given by my captain that it is to my discretion as to what I use this team for. You two will be used for the main battle force and security, if you choose to come along." Sara and Lucas laughed cheerily and quickly agreed to go along with him. They were always up for a fight, even if it meant to travel deeper into the Rukongai. Ezrachek instructed them to meet him by the gate in 15 minutes. They nodded and quickly left to gather their equipment.

Ezrachek turned and headed towards the 5th squad's sector. He arrived and was greeted with nothing but silence and stares. It wasn't everyday that someone from the 12th squad ventured into the 5th squad. When it did happen, rare as it might be, generally the 12th squad was there to pick out a test subject for their newest experiments. Ezrachek could make any sort of excuse for him being there, but no one in the 5th squad would've listened to him. He stopped in his track as the cold touch of a steel blade danced across his back. He dared not to look around, as he already knew who it was. The girl leaned in and licked along his jaw line. "Why did you take so long to come visit me, Ezra?" Ezrachek was annoyed as he shoved himself away from her. "You know you're a freakin' psycho right, Akane?" He said as he turned around to see the psychotic shinigami medic. He explained to her what the mission detail was and that he needed her to come along with them to provide medical support, given that they get into some mess, which was always a possibility in the districts of Rukongai. She agreed with a seductive chuckle and went to her dorm to gather her things. Akane was in the graduating class after Ezrachek's class, so she was the weakest in the team, however, she was definitely the scariest, due to her psychotic nature.

Akane:

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Ezrachek entered his room to gather his stuff, including a pack of bandages that he stuffed in the inside pocket of his uniform. He grabbed the R.E.F. Grenade and strapped it on his sling that held his sword. He gathered a few other food supplies and left his room, sliding the door shut behind him. He jogged over to the gate, and was greeted by the other three. " You're late. Don't make me decapitate you Rayone!" Lucas called out as Ezrachek jogged over to them.

"Chill out. I'm here now, barely late anyways. Let's go." He said as he made sure that all three of his companions were present and set out to District 7 East. They made good time as they traveled through some shortcuts that Sara had pointed out, all thanks to her experience in navigating through the many districts of the Rukongai. She had done numerous missions throughout the districts. They traveled non stop through the night and made it to the district in the morning. The residence were just waking. Ezrachek told Lucas and Anna to patrol the area and to check for suspicious activity, as Akane stuck with Ezrachek. The two set out, traveling together towards the biggest attraction of the district. The fruitful trees. Ezrachek gasped when he arrived at the spot where he was told would hold the trees. It was a disaster. Every tree had been destroyed. Ezrachek shook his head as he sat down. How did this even happen? I need to ask some people around here. He thought to himself as he stood up. "Where you goin', sweety?" Akane asked as she pulled out her blade, dancing towards Ezrachek. He raised a hand for her to stop. He told her to stay where she was, and to guard the area. He figured it dangerous and possibly reckless for a medical shinigami to guard an area, but she was psychotic enough to hold her own. He left the area to head into the center of town to find answers. He needed to investigate the area.

The leaves crackled beneath the shingami's feet as they progressed through the orchard. Most of the people take little attention to them as they were busy trying to salvage what they could of the fruit and trees. Some we literally sitting and weeping in despair before the ruined groves. People we devastated by the events that had befell them. A woman hugged Luca's leg crying. She was too emotional for word to even formulate upon her lips. But others looked upon the group with pleading eyes. Most of the district was devoted to their tree as the group tranversed the groves they could spot the actual village in the distance. There were fences built around the trees probably to keep animals at bay. The small wooden structures were untouched even after the strange attack on the orchard. They were well made fences for the simple district they were at least four feet high more then enough to to keep the shorter creatures out of the area. Even if they had penatrated the humble defense there was little they would have left some mark of their passage. Once the shinigami reached the town proper. A group of three middle aged men were the one to properly greet the shinigami.
"I'm Sid." the tallest of the group introduced himself. His shaggy brown hair falling about his face as he talked. He stood shorter than Ezra by a good foot at most. The man was of slight build and wore a simple brownish tunic. The fat man and shorter man beside him was quick to offer his hand to shake. His face bright red either from the sun or excited to meet the shinigami. He too had brownish hair, but was much shorter in comparison to Sid's.
"I'm Daren, and this" He gestured to the black haired main of the trio "Is Melk." The dark haired man only nodded, but said nothing.
"We've glad you all could come so quickly." They indeed did loo relieved to see the group although they we cast looks at their odd attire. Most shinigami wore the customary black robes. Still the presence they had and the swords they carried was proof enough they were soul reapers.
"Whatever happened to the trees came during the night. No one heard anything, and we usually have some people on patrol just in case."

Ezrachek thought about what the man had said, taking every detail into consideration. He had one main question, as the men on patrol would be of more immediate use to him than these three men. "Where are these men on patrol? If you like, I will have you accompany me to these men, and together we can all try to figure out either what happened, or how to fix it." He said as he waited for the three men to show him the way.

Akane had been bored of sitting around where Ezrachek had left her, and so she decided to take a walk throughout the orchard. She laughed and giggled as she skipped through the grass, paying no mind to all the people of the district weeping and in mourning of their trees. She approached one young girl that was holding on to what appeared to be her mom's leg. She was weeping and crying about the violated trees. Akane walked up to her with a big smile on her face. She touched the girl's cheek as she stopped crying and looked up towards Akane. "Why the long face, sweety? Look at it this way, me and the big monkey are here now, and we're going to fix it, or die trying." She said with a giggle as she stood up straight. She began to walk away as she spoke under her breath "Let's hope we find something interesting enough to make death a possibility." She said as a laugh escaped her lips. She skipped away, waving back to the little girl. She returned to the spot where she was previously 'guarding' to see that nothing had changed. She frowned as she sat down on a bench.

Meanwhile, Lucas and Sara were searching around the entire area. They radioed in with each other after they had finished their rounds. "I haven't found anything out of the ordinary. How about you, Sara?" Lucas called out as he started to return to the village.

"I haven't found anything either. I reckon we head back to Rayone and give him a sitrep, or the lack thereof." The silence on the other end of the radio was confirmation for Sara that Lucas was already on his way. They traveled quickly and silently, keeping further communication non-existant until arriving at their meet-up point.

Ezrachek had just finished asking the group of men to show them the way when he felt the two spiritual pressures coming in. "Actually, Gentlemen. You will have to excuse me for just one moment. A few of my associates are arriving very shortly and they will have some things to discuss." He said as he turned and walked away from the group. He stood in between two alleys that lined up as Lucas and Sara came walking out from opposite directions. They met up in the middle and exchanged information. Ezrachek shook his head. He was sure that bandits would be behind this, and they aren't the smartest of the bunch, so if it was bandits, either they had some unique leadership, or it just wasn't bandits. Ezrachek motioned for Lucas and Sara to follow him as he returned to the group of men. "So. These patrol men?"

Daren nodded to Melk. The silent man then proceeded down the street while the others stayed with the shinigami.
"They're helping out in other areas, but we'll bring them here." Sid said with a small wave. "They didn't see anything at all. Each of them finished their patrols without incident. Which makes this all that much more confusing." He pointed out to the ruined field and the people gathered there.
"The district has 4 orchards." Daren added "3 are for production and sales. The last one is for the local use." He pointed to the vast lines of trees the stretched in all directions around the town. It was much like they where surrounded by a lush forest. An odd design for a district, but it worked for them. In the passing moments Melk could be seen walking back down the road with two men at his side. Both were roughly the same size, but one was skinner the the other. They shared the same mop of shaggy brown hair, but the sturdy of the two had a stubble on his chin and mutton chops. As they drew closer the skinner man's hair was seen to be actually a more strawberry blonde than brown. It didn't take long for them to make their way to the group waiting.

"Here they are." Melk said simply in a deep voice that seemed not to match his face. "Maddow and Dinn."
"Heya!" The man with the goatee said with his bright green eyes. "Yall are here to find out what happened right? Let me show you around!" He walked past the group towards the eastern grove. Moments later they arrive to the scene of where the trees had been ripped to shreds. The other men clicked their tongues and shook their heads. The ground was littered with foot prints. It would seem that many people had come through the area since the incident. Any possible evidence of the culprit being there were lost. The cuts on the trees were smooth, clean even. As if a giant has sliced them with a massive sword. With the trees being so big, it seemed the only possible explanation. Such an explanation hardly fit a rational mind. Nearly half of the tall trees were butchered. Fruit, leaves, and branches littered the ground. "Takes maybe 30 mins or more to do a complete circuit. This is all I saw, didn't hear a thing." he said.

Ezrachek traveled along side the men, followed by Lucas and Sara close behind. They didn't particularly care for the conversation, as they knew their only job here was to provide security to the squad. They walked up the the grove and looked around. Ezrachek could see the grass covered in the mess of the crime. The two men on patrol hardly looked like the type that could hold their own in a serious battle, but they were more than enough for the districts use. Ezrachek noted that they had implied the lack of evidence, but he could only see a yard full of evidence. He walked over, quickly greeted by the always cheerful Akane. She was bored of sitting around 'guarding' the area, so she decided to come join Ezrachek and find out what he was up to. Ezrachek walked over to one of the destroyed trees and looked at the ground. "The first step to finding out who did this, is narrowing down our search results. Most of these footprints seem to be small footprints. The men who did this, and there must be multiple of them to be able to get the job done in the matter of 30 minutes, or less depending on the quantity of people, would have to be taller gentlement, in order to reach the branches with ease." Ezrachek said matter of factly, as he walked along the line of trees.

"Which reminds me, If these mean so much to your district, why only have two men on patrol over four sections? It would make sense to atleast have four. But in any case, the thing we need to do is find a path of larger footsteps along these trees." Ezrachek as he looked down into the dirt. He wasn't very good at examining footsteps, as he was more of the chemical scientists than a biologist. Sara came over and took a look in the dirt. She had spent much time on missions with numerous different squads as a special operative. One trick she learned was to track trails. She pointed down to a large foot print.

"Here. These foot prints. They fit the bill of being tall men, as tall men don't have balance with small feet. These men would have to be tall to be able to effectively reach the branches, snip them, get in and get out in a quick time. See how this footprint doesn't have a center detail. This means that the men had high arches, improving balance. Whoever was leading this organization was very picky on the character types. It won't be too hard to find atleast one possible match." She said as she rose back to a straight stand. Ezrachek moved closer to the men on patrol.

"So the bigger issue is actually finding someone. We need all the men that are able to patrol and live in a fight. We need every able bodied person to be searching for the men. We will be holding our own investigation in the bordering districts." Ezrachek said, handing a cellular phone over to Sid. "If the men find anything, they are to report to you. Then you call me on this phone. The number is already programmed to the first speed dial. We will be back within the first few hours once you contact us." Ezrachek said as he turned back to the rest of his own squad.

"Akane and Lucas, you guys head back towards District 6 East, and check everywhere you can think of. Me and Sara will head over to District 8 East and look around. Contact me via cellular phone if you find anything or need help." Ezrachek said to his squad before turning back towards the group of men from the district. "Need anything from us before we head out?"

"Well, since there are richer districts in every direction around us. We've never had attacks. Thankfully we're close enough to Seireitei that bandit raids are scarce even then." Sid added as Ezrachek barked his orders. "The most Maddow and Dinn do is keep off the stray animals. We have nets to protect the trees from the birds, having scarecrows wasn't very effective. " He finished. The man with the beard waved his weakly.
"Yeah, me and Dinn are just here at night to keep the critters back." Maddow said. "If not for me we'd probably lose half our crops I'd think." Melk patted the other man on the shoulder.
"We're simple folk." Sid added "There's not much purpose in attacking us. Why steal apples?"

They all seemed surprised by Ezrachek's request of gathering men to fight. They all looked at one another and then back at the shinigami.
"Wait, you want us to fight against someone that can do that!?" Maddow exclaimed pointing at the tress that had been uprooted. A big man cutting the trees was one thing, but someone that could tear one out of the ground was another. There were cuts in the large tree's trunk, but it lay on it's side as if it was a weed being plucked from the garden. It's thick roots broken and snapped from the earth.
"Now, now, calm down. The shinigami mean we should gather more men for patrol, right?" Sid asked "We do have some willing men in our village, but we know less about fighting than we do about being blacksmiths." Daren and Melk nodded in agreement. "We can increase our guards, but if it's a fight we're not worth much help if a fight unfolds."

The foot prints Sara was tracking crossed back and forth through the area before heading back into the town. Upon further tracking the footprint originated from the town to begin with. There was the possibility that they belongs to the a member of the town that had come to examine the carnage done to the grove. As she examined the tracks she noted there were even cuts in the ground similar to those made on the trees.
The gathered villagers took the phone that the shinigami offered and nodded. They would take the device and keep on their guard. Still they had their doubts with the man's plan.
"Let's hurry back tell everyone what's happening." Melk said motioning back towards the town. There were already people waiting in the streets observing them from the distance. "I think we can get some men to volunteer for more patrol positions at this point." The other mumbled their agreement. With that being said they left the group to report everything they had been told.

Ezrachek nodded in agreement as Sid and the men turned around to gather men. "Hey! Sid, Don't worry about fighting so much. Just make sure the men won't go get themselves killed. We will do everything in our power to return as fast as possible. If something happens, We will call and give further directions." He said as he turned to leave. Another reassuring point popped in his head and was decided that it would be best to say it. "Our first priority is the safety of your district, followed by finding the men who did this." He said as he turned back around to his team. They all knew what to do. Lucas looked at Ezrachek and held out a fist. Ezrachek smiled and collided fists with him, followed shortly by the two ladies. It was cheesy, no doubt, but it boosted morale and got them morally prepped for a battle. Lucas and Akane turned and headed towards the east, towards District 6 East, as Ezrachek and Sara turned to head towards District 8 East. The plan was set in motion, and now the only thing left to do was play it out and hope for the best.

Akane and Lucas headed out into the forst, tracing back through their original tracks. They wanted to make sure to take the same path back, in case they had to take an alternate route to District 7 east. By taking the same path back to 6 east, they saved from exposing the alternate path to 7 east. They traveled quickly, and with the exception of a few complaints of boredom by Akane, silently. They reached the district and quickly emerged from the forest edge the second that no one was watching. They walked about the streets, checking for any sign of the plants. They couldn't find any. Lucas took an unspoken lead over the two of them and decided it would be best to ask someone around. They approached a store owner who looked like the kind of guy that if something happened, he would know about it. They approached to ask him some questions.

Meanwhile, Ezrachek and Sara were making good time through the forest, traveling as fast as they could through the path that was the easiest to navigate through. Thoughts flooded Ezrachek's mind as he was reminded that time was the worst thing for the mind. The more time someone has, the more time they have to think about all the possible outcomes, even failure. Ezrachek shrugged the thoughts off his mind as an idea came into mind. He knew the capabilities of Sara to hold her own in a battle. He began formulating this plan in depth as he stopped his movement. Sara looked back confused. "What's wrong with you, Rayone? We need to keep moving." Ezrachek nodded in response, but something still didn't sit right with him. "You go on. I know you can handle yourself in a battle. If you need help, call me." He said as he turned back towards 7 East. She called back to him as he started walking, asking him where he was going, but no reply was said. He started to increase his speed, coming to a jog and then fully a sprint. He was stupid for making a mistake like he did. There was no way after something like that happened, that the town would be that calm, even the men. There was something suspicious about that town, and Ezrachek wanted to keep an eye on it. He neared the town and stopped before entering. He looked around the first street that appeared in the town. No one was there. He ran across the street and made his way to a tall building. He squatted down and pushed off with his legs and hard as he could. He made it almost to the top as he stuck out his long arm, clenching on to the ledge. He stuck his blade into the side of the wall and placed his feet on it. He reached his second hand up there and pulled himself up.

Once on top, he laid down, crawling over to the side. He leaned over the edge and retrieved his zanpakuto. He sheathed it across his back and stood up. He turned around, and saw noted the position of the tallest building in the city. It looked to be a church building with a tall bell tower. He made his way to it as the clock struck the hour and the bell rang. He looked up towards the tower and saw no person. It must be controlled by a rope, or possibly electronically. However this village seems too primitive for electric circuitry. Ezrachek thought to himself as he sprinted towards the tower. He needed to get an eagle's eye on the city and he needed it fast. He moved along the rooftops, jumping just as he arrived at the ends of the buildings. He had to stutter his steps every once in a while in order to time his steps to make the jump. He made his way to the tower in good time. He went to climb the tower as the memory of the last church he visited popped in his mind. He looked to the sky Hey big guy, how about no explosions this time, eh? He thought to himself as he began to scale the tower. He quickly reached the top, pulling himself over the edge. He scanned the area to search for anything suspicious, or areas of interests.

Meanwhile, Sara quickly made her way through the forest. Can't believe that kid made me go all this way without him. He better hope that I don't run into any trouble. She thought to herself as she traveled. Through their years in the Academy, she had grown to like him, however when she joined the 6th squad, and he the 2nd. They completely lost communication with each other. He had changed into a completely different person, and she could tell. She shook the thoughts from her mind as she neared the new district. She neglected to enter the town right away as she wanted to do more of a reconnaissance before entering the town, seeing as how she was now working solo.

District 7

The man waved as the two shinigami approached him. For the area it wasn't too rare for a soul reaper to bee seen. They were a welcome sight as they usual presence was enough to keep the less savory types at bay. Perhaps he could talk them in making purchase or two. Shinigami had plenty of disposable income. If the word of his shop spread between their group, he could make a killing that season. The many articles of clothing were laid out before the two as the came closer to the counter. He had several more for display behind him. His own apparel was quite colorful. A mixture of greens and reds with under shade of blue made up the shirt while his pants were a silken yellow. He gave them a wide smile and answered all the questions he could. For the most part there was nothing to tell. They weren't looking to buy anything rather they were curious to see if any suspicious activities in the areas. The only thing that he knew about what had happened in the previous district. In a matter of hours the story had reached their ears. Their hearts went out to the 7th District, but people were worried whatever it was might come to their area next. After relaying that information to the two, he began his sales pitch. He told them of the source of his fine clothing and the offered them to feel how soft they felt on the skin.

Back in the 7th

People milled about trying to keep the air of normalcy. But that was hard to do in light of the incident. They did what work they could as the day progressed. Some people spotted Ezrachek as he dashed across the rooftops and then scaled the church. Some were reassured by this presence others were too busy with their own thoughts to care. Down on the streets Sid, Daren, and Melk were busy trying to organize a large patrol group. Quite of able body men and women were willing. Some were eager for the chance to protect their livelihood. Still they politely refused some and selected others. Their was come took comfort in the fact it was being handled responsibly.

The wind picked up, and a black spot appeared in the sky. It didn't take long for the spot to expand and as it drew closer to the district. A black cloud seemed to take over the heaven. The sun dipped from view as the unforeseen darkness arrived. There was no wind and yet the blackness continued to advance like river washing away all the light. It was not as dark as midnight without even a moon to see by. The people of the district were alarmed. Panic could be heard in the streets. As far as the eye could see was the patch of black cloud. Then as if the sky wasn't enough the dark mass moved downwards. It was almost like a living creature the way is spiraled down from the sky to the ground. Once it hit the earth there was an explosion. The dark cloud rushed forth in every direction and moved to swallow the town. It swept through the streets like a river. What little light was left in the district was lost as the black air enveloped the buildings. The obscuring cloud continued expanding. It rained down from the sky like rain and extended it's reign. The citizens of the district tried to get to their homes, but found the haze made it impossible to find their way. Running into each other and into buildings was happening left and right. Not that anyone could see left or right. Still for their efforts there was only pain and added hysteria.

There were a lucky few that were already in there homes with the darkness descended. Still they too were taken by surprise. Even in their own homes the were barely able to navigate in the pitch blackness. But among those few within their domiciles there were some that were able to find their lanterns. With much skill they managed to bring forth light. The first thing they did was walk outside with the lanterns in hopes to see what exactly was going on. The walked into the dark fog that now covered the entire district. A man walked out of his front door with the light aloft. The flickering flame barely reached a few feet in front of him. Although the metal lantern was more than enough to light his simple home, it did no good for him here. It was like walking into a sea of night. As if the entire district had been erased and his world consisted only of what existed within the boundaries of the light. A very small world, barely a foot,at best, in each direction. Still there were sounds to tell him otherwise. People screaming, children crying, footsteps, there was proof of life even if he could not see the signs of it. The young man stumbled as shoulder grazed a wall to his left. It was an odd sensation to be without sight and yet trying to walk a straight line. He put his hand out in front of him as to a void any further crashes. The villager went down what was once a familiar street. The current situation made it an alien experience. Several times he stumbled, but he seemed to make it along the lane without incident. Twice he thought he felt something brush by him
"Hello?" he called out weakly as if the darkness sapped him of the ability to speak loudly. There was no response. "Naiung!?" he called out his sister's name. The man stood there for a moment hoping to hear her reply. It was for her that he braved this world of shadow and sound. Sighing he continued onward to what he hoped to be the main road.

After no more than ten steps before he stopped again. This time was because his hand had encountered an obstacle. At first he thought it was a wall, but it took a moment for him to realize it was soft to the touch. He pressed more firmly against the object trying to figure what it might be. It was warm as well as soft. He brought the light closer and saw the whitish hair that was before him. His first instinct told him it was a farm animal loose in the confusion, but the fact that his hand was at head level said otherwise. The final clue came in the form of the deep low growl the rumbled through the whatever he held his hand against. It was like the roaring of a machine starting up. The sound sent vibrations through the man's arm and chilled him to the bone. Everything in his body told him to run, but he was froze as if everything was happening in slow motion. The growl came again, but this time louder and from his right. Finally free from his paralysis he looked in that direction and everything went black. The man's lantern hadn't gone out, no it lay on the ground still clutched in his disembodied hand. The new darkness was death as he was torn to pieces in a second. The shape that had obstructed the man was gone. He didn't have a chance wonder if his sister was alright it was over in an instant. Chunks of his body littered the area. Whatever had liberated the man of his life now gave a mighty roar that overpowered all other sounds. Everyone went silent.

And then the screams began. At first they could have been mistaken as those from the hysteria of the sudden darkness. But soon they could be identified as cries of terror. There was the sound of wind and then a wet sound. More screams and more cries like a large chorus. Sounds of explosions mixed in with the peoples' voices. Next the shattering of glass and the splintering of wood. All of these sounds blending together in the dark pandemonium. More screams. Something was hurting people, something was attacking under the cover of the unnatural darkness. The monstrous howling could be heard from time to time. Footsteps as many tried and failed to flee. There was no way for them to defend themselves from the unseen attacker. The whole district was in an uproar.
In sixteen minutes all the sound ceased. There were no more screams, no footsteps, nothing. A smell now permeated the area. The scent of blood and death.
Any veteran of the battlefield would recognize the smell. There was little mistaking it for something else. It took half an hour for the black haze to vanish. Those from neighboring districts had see the smoke and thought a fire had erupted. When they arrived on the scene they saw something far worse. The whole of the district had be torn to shreds. What had happened to the trees had now happened to the people. Body parts lay about the area, the very ground was bathed in the crimson lifeblood. Some people were lucky to only to be torn in half while there were literally piles of appendages impossible to identify.