Post by Alain Merrick on Jun 13, 2017 11:20:23 GMT -5
When Merrick spoke about not making Junko a liar, it was not meant to be in any way mocking. He was merely referencing the facts which his fellow Shinigami had provided him earlier in the journey. Apparently, she didn’t view his comment the same way because her response was laced with sarcasm. No matter. I shall explain afterwards if necessary. From his perch within the tree, he observed the woman from Fifth Division. This is more like it. Alain had wanted to see the crimson-haired warrior spar her fellow squad members days ago. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to coax the exchange out of her and was instead forced into a training fight himself. His right hand slid to his side as he recalled the encounter which sent him to the hospital for the fourth or fifth time since graduation. The incident was further evidence of his lack of skill and the need to improve in the Shinigami arts. It was also one of the reasons why he had planned this excursion in the first place. However, Merrick had no illusions. Locating a revered zanjutsu master, who hadn’t been seen in decades, would be a difficult task, but one always has to start somewhere.
His tweaked Kyokko spell was working as intended because no arrows or crossbow bolts passed within six feet or so of his position. This allowed him to study Junko’s efforts unmolested. Once again, the first thing that he noticed was the woman’s lack of a katana. Merrick was sure that the bandits saw the same thing which likely helped spur on their attack. Though within seconds, they were learning the same lesson which he had been taught firsthand. The lady required no weapon. He didn’t know how skillful it was to catch an arrow in mid flight, but she at least made it look impressive. In particular, the ability to redirect projectiles back at her opponents was worthy of examination. He would undoubtedly try to incorporate the technique into his repertoire in the future. Interestingly, none of the bandits had been struck with mortal wounds from the redirected arrows. Clearly by design, but why? Alain didn’t advocate killing. In truth, he wanted to avoid fights altogether, hence, his current spot. At the same time, he didn’t relish being attacked either. An injured assailant wasn’t necessarily out of commission completely, but a dead one wouldn’t surprise you. I guess I will ask her opinion on the topic.
The first attack wave had ended with a little more than half of the bandits injured. Whether any of them would still be interested in fighting after being stuck with arrows was yet to be seen. The remaining few, however, had shifted to brandishing weapons as they prepared to charge their lone opponent. Merrick was hoping for an instructive display. During their bout of sparring, he wasn’t exactly holding back, but he couldn’t bring himself to attack an unarmed individual with his unsheathed zanpakuto. Now he would see how Junko handled not one, but multiple armed enemies who sought to inflict harm or worse to her person. He was tempted to retrieve his notebook and begin writing, but it really wasn’t the appropriate. Likewise, he knew that the exchange would be brief and didn’t want to miss anything. He would simply need to rely on mental notes for the moment. As he studied the bandit group, he tried to deduce the order in which they would attack. Just avoid being first.
581/14327
His tweaked Kyokko spell was working as intended because no arrows or crossbow bolts passed within six feet or so of his position. This allowed him to study Junko’s efforts unmolested. Once again, the first thing that he noticed was the woman’s lack of a katana. Merrick was sure that the bandits saw the same thing which likely helped spur on their attack. Though within seconds, they were learning the same lesson which he had been taught firsthand. The lady required no weapon. He didn’t know how skillful it was to catch an arrow in mid flight, but she at least made it look impressive. In particular, the ability to redirect projectiles back at her opponents was worthy of examination. He would undoubtedly try to incorporate the technique into his repertoire in the future. Interestingly, none of the bandits had been struck with mortal wounds from the redirected arrows. Clearly by design, but why? Alain didn’t advocate killing. In truth, he wanted to avoid fights altogether, hence, his current spot. At the same time, he didn’t relish being attacked either. An injured assailant wasn’t necessarily out of commission completely, but a dead one wouldn’t surprise you. I guess I will ask her opinion on the topic.
The first attack wave had ended with a little more than half of the bandits injured. Whether any of them would still be interested in fighting after being stuck with arrows was yet to be seen. The remaining few, however, had shifted to brandishing weapons as they prepared to charge their lone opponent. Merrick was hoping for an instructive display. During their bout of sparring, he wasn’t exactly holding back, but he couldn’t bring himself to attack an unarmed individual with his unsheathed zanpakuto. Now he would see how Junko handled not one, but multiple armed enemies who sought to inflict harm or worse to her person. He was tempted to retrieve his notebook and begin writing, but it really wasn’t the appropriate. Likewise, he knew that the exchange would be brief and didn’t want to miss anything. He would simply need to rely on mental notes for the moment. As he studied the bandit group, he tried to deduce the order in which they would attack. Just avoid being first.
581/14327
