We Are The Hungry

As we stand beneath the gleaming moon, I see three figures emerge from the rocks ahead. The first, a large, spindly creature, separates itself from its group and approaches us.

"My name is Patre Salador. Welcome to Las Refugias. "

Camila snarls and prepares to pounce, but before I can even turn around, Joseph chides her and she steps back.

"You seem to be hungry, if you'd like something to eat, then you can come with me. Food is hard to come by in Hueco Mundo, but we have our means. "

Interested in finding food for my compatriots, I decide to follow Patre. Every step is a struggle as my feet slip into the sand, but eventually we reach rockier, more solid ground. As I get closer to Patre's group, I notice that they seem to be missing a few pieces. As we finally reach the rocks, I notice strange shapes strewn all over the surrounding boulders. Hundreds of hollows are lying completely motionless, and if my nose didn't tell me better, I would think they were dead. I don't think there is a single hollow there that is lacking an injury, but before I can ask about it, Patre begins to speak.

"Gather round everyone, it's comida time."

The hollows begin to drag their tattered bodies towards us, and while I have little love for my fellow hollows, the sight nearly makes me sick. The hollows begin to converge, and suddenly, as if a bell were rung, the hollows begin to feed upon each other. Regardless of size or strength each hollow allows themselves to be fed upon, and in turn feeds on their neighbors. However despite the growing number of wounds, not a single hollow dissipates into dust. As I sniff the air, the once overwhelming variety of smells begins to homogenize.

"Come, join us." Patre beckons.

Behind me, Joseph looks for a way to escape, but the hollows have us utterly surrounded.

'What is this?! I shout.'

"This, this is the answer. All Adjuchas must feed in order to avoid regression, and this is how I keep my people fed. It is not a pleasant sight, but it is who we are. We are the hungry. Our hunger is what defines us. It is this hunger that has brought us to a world where it is either eat or be eaten. A world where the strong take and the weak are taken from, but is that truly our fate? "

"No!"

The mass of bodies writhes as they slowly begin to approach, pressing in on us.

"By allowing ourselves to be consumed as we consume, we have brought our very souls closer together. Join us. With your power, the weak will finally be able to consume the strong. With the despair of thousands upon thousands of souls, we will show this world what we can be. "

I grab Camila and Joseph and pull them onto the nearest boulder as the hollows begin to converge, piling on top of Patre. Even as he is pulled under by the tide of hollows, he continues beckoning to us.

"If you won't join us by choice, then you will join us by force. With your power, we will finally have enough to reach the next stage, to become the legendary Vasto Lorde. "

The disjointed bodies of the hollows begin to press together tighter and tighter. Mask after mask is shattered from the sheer weight pressing in from all sides. Rather than dissipating into particles, the bodies begin to press together like lumps of clay. The shadows of the hollow holes begin to overlap, concentrating more and more until the shadows begin to flow like a thick, dark liquid. The shards of masks ride the fluid as it is completely consumed by the mass of writhing flesh. The gray mass pulls itself together into a ball, and after a few moments, all that is left is a perfectly spherical mass of flesh.

Suddenly, with a wet Schwelping noise, the ball begins to cleave itself apart like a seed trying to sprout. Black fluid seeps out before being pulled back in, and as I watch, four legs pull themselves out of the thick, greasy lobes. With a sickening tearing sound, the flesh rips apart again, opening to reveal a sickeningly yellow eye. The creature roars, and chaotic waves of spiritual pressure push me down to my knees.

The stench of rotting flesh fills the air, and for the first time since I arrived in this world, I feel fear. I know I should run, even my gut is telling me to run, but I'm curious. I want to know just how strong I've gotten, so I pull out my Zanpakotu and charge forwards.

I slash towards the leg of this monstrosity, and despite the frightening pressure, my sword slices cleanly through. The leg falls to the ground as a flood of black liquid pours out, pooling on the ground. In shock, I watch as gillians begin to pull themselves out of the fluid, and suddenly beams of concentrated spiritual particles fill the air. I do my best to dodge, but with hundreds of beams, I am forced to fall back and jump back into the distance. In horror, I watch the body of the creature squirming like a pile of worms, and suddenly a new leg sprouts from the stump I had left behind. The creature roars in rage, and I pale as the concentration of spiritual pressure in the air begins to steadily drop.

Rather than wildly releasing waves of sheer pressure, the creature starts to concentrate spirit particles around its mouth in a bright ball, overwhelming me with the scent of danger.

I move to dodge, but as I turn around, I see my friends struggling to get up under the spiritual pressure being released. As I hesitate, the ball grows thicker and thicker, until eventually it is released. A massive beam blocks out the sky as I pull out my Zanpakotu and brace for impact. With the weight of a mountain, the beam pushes me down as I struggle to remain standing. I try to pull on the world around me, to absorb this rampaging stream of spiritual particles, but the beam is simply too dense, too concentrated for me to sway it.

As my sword begins to fall towards my body, I give up on trying to absorb the spiritual particles and instead push back with my own. I push on the world around me as the air begins to glow with a dense, orangish color.

*ROAR*

I roar as I push the beam of pressure back with one of my own, and for a brief moment, the unstoppable advance of sheer power is stopped. The air is still until the beams burst like popped balloons. Spiritual particles are scattered everywhere, and the beast looks at me in surprise.

Smiling, I pull on the world around me, and the particles begin to gather around my Zanpakotu. More and more gathered as the dancing particles that had once filled the air became swallowed up by my grip.

'Swallow, Zentai no Ana!'

Like a fountain, the light begins to erupt from my sword in the direction of the monster. Like waves crashing against a rock, the beast is soon surrounded as rift after rift begins to open up on its body. The gillians that had surrounded it melt like shadows in the light as the very particles that make up their bodies are dissolved and assimilated. With a final piercing roar, the beast falls to the ground, large chunks missing from its body, as if a beast had ravaged it. Soon it is entirely engulfed and I smile as I pull back on my sword. Like a movie played in reverse, the waves of spiritual energy flow back into my sword, leaving behind the dissolving body of the hollow.

Before the body dissipates completely, my friends launch themselves forwards, using their jaws to chomp bite after bite out of the now still corpse. In mere minutes, the corpse is entirely gone, and I watch happily as the remaining spirit particles float back towards me.

*Burp*

I fall to the ground, and as the darkness closes in on me, I think to myself,

-This is kind of fun.