Ch 26: Casualty of War
The next day opened about the same. There was a small skirmish between Shinigami and hollow, then we were marching again. Despite assurances that we were fighting the Quincy, many among us felt we were just wasting our time chasing shadows. As we got farther away from Rukongai we expected to see less houses and homes but there were several dozen little houses grouped together, ruins of homes likely ravaged by hollows.
"Emma, send a scout team of twelve Shinigami ahead. We'll rest for now." Tobias ordered.
"Yes sir." I answered.
I picked the team and gave them their orders, they were to scout ahead and search for any signs of Quincy reiatsu. I linked the man I had chosen to lead the expedition to myself and didn't give them a second thought. My mind kept drifting to Maria, wondering if she was alright. I also wondered briefly about Captain Nakazume, whether she was doing alright as well.
"Ma'am. Hello?" came a voice, snapping me out of my reverie.
"Huh? Oh, Jerico. What is it?" I asked, wondering what he wanted.
"Ma'am, there's an odd reiatsu cloud coming from behind us." Jerico informed me.
"Odd? Is it hollow or Quincy?" I asked, probing around and finding a kind of block.
"We can't tell. It's like the reiatsu's blocked." Jerico explained.
"Alright. Continue to monitor the situation. I'll inform Lieutenant Tobias." I ordered.
"Yes ma'am." Jerico said, going back to his position.
I looked around and found Tobias, conversing with Captain Urahara.
"Excuse the intrusions sir's." I said, coming up to him.
"Hm? What is it Naomi?" Tobias asked, looking confused.
"I've just been informed that there is a cloud of reiatsu approaching from the rear. We cannot determine the texture of the reiatsu due to a block." I informed him.
"Alright. I'll take a few Shinigami and check it out." Tobias said. "You keep an eye on us."
"Understood." I said.
"Kisuke, can you cover her?" Tobias asked.
"She's going to use that technique? Of course." Captain Urahara said with a sigh.
I used the Kidou and my consciousness was soaring over the camp. I looked down and saw Tobias grabbing his Unit and departing behind our main body of troops. I watched them proceed via Shunpo and then stop. They had arrived at the cloud. As they entered, I lost sight of them! The reiatsu was blocking my vision!
"Jerico! The cloud of reiatsu is blocking my sight. I can't see Tobias and his Unit." I informed him.
"Understood ma'am." Jerico answered, grabbing a second squad.
"Emma! Ready….unit! It's…hollow! They're…too many
… for…hurry!" Tobias' voice came in static messages!
"Jerico hurry up!" I shrieked.
I watched the cloud, then suddenly, it broke! Disappeared completely! Tobias and the rest of his Unit were fighting for their lives! One had already fallen!
"Behind you!" I yelled at a man who had joined our division a few day's before the Quincy attack, his shikai being some kind of black key thing.
He jerked behind him and dodged a blow that would have been fatal.
"Tobias! Your left!" I yelled at the Lieutenant.
He turned and blocked a hollows claw, then his zanpakuto shattered! All that remained was a pair of handles! He looked down in shock and then leapt away, casting a restraining spell on the hollow. Another Shinigami finished it off.
"Retreat! There are at least two thousand of them coming up from the rear!" I shouted.
Tobias looked up, then he was ordering the retreat. The Shinigami were all running back to the camp, covering each others backs. They returned, shaken, but seemed alright. Tobias sent his unit to the medical tent, then he went and began ordering a counter.
"Naomi! Get five Overseers into the air now! We're pushing them back!" Tobias shouted.
"Understood!" I responded, sending the order around. I watched as in seconds, five other bundles of reiatsu floated up near me. I dropped back into my body.
"Tobias, are you wounded?" I asked him when I found him.
"Just shaken. The hollow that broke my zanpakuto took me by surprise is all." Tobias said, his voice shaking slightly.
"How much longer is it gonna be like this? Us getting attacked and not seeing a single Quincy?" I asked, frustrated by how this was turning out.
"We'll be at the staging area in another day or two. Then we'll take them down." Tobias said with a fierce look.
"Alright." I said, calming slightly. Then…
"Ma'am! We are under attack! Unknown assailants! They're using some kind of strange katana! We need immediate-" the Unit leader yelled, then he went silent.
"What is it!?" Tobias asked, seeing that I'd gone rigid.
"The expeditionary force is under attack!" I shouted.
"…Get in the air now! I'm going to help them! Get an order out that as soon as a unit is free they are to come after me!" Tobias shouted.
"What? But, if I come with you you'll have a better-" I began but Tobias cut me off.
"Get in the air. You're the only one I trust to watch my back right now. You'd be better placed in the air out of danger." Tobias said.
"But, your zanpakuto!" I asked, wondering what he'd do.
He ran to a tent and came out with an Asauchi.
"A nameless sword!? Are you out of your mind!?" I shouted.
"Just get in the air! That's a direct order!" Tobias shouted, sounding for the first time like he was angry. It caught me by surprise and he used the lull to Shunpo away.
I got my consciousness in to the air and locked onto Tobias. He was in a hurry so I had trouble keeping up with him, even in astral form. I decided to ignore him and shoot on ahead. I saw the carnage that had taken place. The expeditionary force was down to half it's fighting power. There didn't seem to be an fatalities but they were surrounded. Nearby was a ruin that looked vaguely like a large house. Those who could still fight had all released their zanpakuto and had the injured surrounded. Then Tobias arrived. The enemy were wearing tight fitting black clothes and each wore a zanpakuto attached to their arms.
"Lieutenant!" one of the men said in relief.
"How many injured?" Tobias asked, looking at the group.
"Eight sir. The four of us are all that's left." the man answered.
"Take the injured and go in that building." Tobias ordered.
"Sir! We can help-" the man began.
"Just get in the building. Are any of you capable in healing Kidou?" Tobias asked.
"Yes." a woman answered.
"Get to work on the injured. The rest of you guard her incase I fall." Tobias ordered, drawing his Asauchi.
"Sir!" the Shinigami answered, dragging the injured into the ruin.
"How many are there?" Tobias asked me.
"At least thirty." I answered, worried about Tobias. Hollow were one thing, but these looked like trained assassins.
"Alright. Keep me safe." Tobias said.
He cast a binding Kidou on the nearest assailant. The assailant dodged, lunging at Tobias. Tobias blocked the attack, and countered. Then the rest attacked. Tobias was twisting and turning, feinting and parrying, trying to keep the wave of blades from reaching him! He was casting Kidou at the same time he was attacking! Slowly, he managed to kill five of them. Then his arm was slashed open. And a blade managed to graze his chest. He cried out then grabbed the offenders arm and slashed him clean in half.
"Behind you!" I shouted.
He turned and blocked the blow, the blade being deflected, but the Asauchi breaking in half. Tobias looked at it in shock, then threw it at the nearest assailant.
"Tobias!" I shouted.
He began to fight using only his hands and legs, lashing out at any who got close enough. He got cut more and more, dodging blows and spilling blood. Another five of the assailants fell but Tobias' was cut in a dozen or more places. He reached up in a lull and tore the top of his shihaksho off, revealing a multitude of scars on his chest and back along with a finely toned body, marred by lacerations.
"Ma'am! We need another set of eyes!" Jerico shouted.
"Go!" Tobias shouted in my head.
"But!" I answered, but he cut me off.
"GO!" he shouted, lashing out at another assailant.
In my astral form I raced back to the camp and saw that we were near overrun. I floated over the enemy and began directing the rest of our forces. It was definitely a losing battle. Even the Captain duo were being overrun, as there were a number of Adjuchas in the enemy forces. I saw a flash from behind the enemy. Then hundreds of Quincy arrows flew over the Hollow.
"Any one who can, cast Bakudou 81 now!" I shouted.
No one heard. The arrows were drawing closer.
"Cast Bakudou 81!" I shouted. Nothing.
I glanced down and saw that my body was alone. And a hollow was drawing near! I wouldn't be able to make it in time!
"BAKUDOU 81, DANKU!" came over two dozen voices. A wall of reiatsu appeared, blocking all the arrows. The hollow paused, wondering about this new threat.
I saw the hollow going for my body lunge!
"Watch them, Mokuaito." came a voice I recognized.
Suddenly the hollows head shattered!
It was Maria!
"I'm coming up ma'am!" she shouted; then her astral form came up next to mine.
"Maria!" I shouted in shock.
"I come bearing gifts ma'am. Over three hundred Shinigami, ready to fight. Including…" Maria said, gesturing downwards.
"Flow like water, Ryu Kaji Da!" Ryan Ryuugi shouted, his zanpakuto and sword arm bursting into flames.
"Tear them to pieces, Ryuujin!" Michael Masurao shouted as well, his zanpakuto changing into a pair of gauntlets and grieves.
"There's no time! Maria, get an order out that a number of Shinigami with healing abilities need to head north! Tobias is fighting a large number of enemies by himself!" I shouted.
"He'll be fine." Ryuugi said, cleaving a hollow in half.
"He doesn't have his zanpakuto! And he's already severely injured!" I shouted.
"Understood!" Maria said.
I watched as several heads jerked up, then they were using Shunpo and racing north.
The fight took another hour. Even with the reinforcements, there were still a large number of enemies. The Quincy had disappeared. Eventually, the last hollow was defeated and my Overseers all returned to their bodies. I was overseeing clean up with Maria.
"Ma'am." came a voice behind me.
"What is…hey you're the one I had lead the expeditionary mission." I said, recognizing the man.
"Yes ma'am." he said.
"How many died?" I asked quietly.
"None ma'am." he answered.
"None?" I asked in shock.
"Tobias defeated all of the attackers." the man explained.
"How is he?" I asked.
The man gestured behind him. There were a few members of the 4th division carrying a stretcher back towards Seireitei. Laying cradled in the stretcher, a bloody and cut mess, was Tobias! He looked like he was barely breathing.
"Oh my god…" I whispered in shock.
"Emma Naomi?" came a member of the 4th.
"Yes?" I answered.
"We were instructed to give you our report. Tobias has appointed you as one of the three leaders of this force. It was written in blood. We have already informed Captains Urahara and Shihouin. Lieutenant Tobias has lost a large quantity of blood and he has seventeen broken bones. He is suffering from lacerations head to foot. His Shinigami powers are also slightly damaged as his reiatsu is fluctuating wildly. We are taking him back to Seireitei. He will not be returning to this battle." the woman said.
"Alright." I whispered, suddenly chilled.
Maria came over, wondering what was wrong. I explained it to her and she began to cry.