Soldier and Smith [Closed]

The smell of oil burned oil seemed to cling to his nostrils. Once again, someone had driven their vehicle well pass the point that it needed an oil change. Let alone the fact it hardly had any oil in the damn thing. Yet, here he was covered up to the elbow in grease and oil as he worked on the car, fixing someone else’s laziness. Though, Leon suppose it could have been because they couldn’t afford to get it done sooner. It didn’t seem to matter as it was easy money for the work done. That was, as long as the last person who changed it didn’t screw the plug in like they never wanted it to open again.

Topping the ‘old girl’ off, Leon climbed in the car and started it. The vehicle purred with a slight whine from the belt in the engine. That was another issue the owner would have to have looked at soon. Out of the car once more, he crawled underneath the vehicle to make sure nothing was leaking from the pan before checking the oil level and giving his seal of approval.

Driving it out, he parked it in front of the shop and headed back into the front of the shop. “You’re already.” He said horribly in Japanese. Leon had only the roughest of inkling of the language, making his stay here a learning experience. While only able to carry out a simply conversation, he could at least listen and understand.

Handing the customer their keys, they went along their merry way. Now, Leon had a chance to relax and maybe grab that last beer in the mini fridge. That was at least the one thing he did enjoy about the country - large beers. With a chuckle, the man headed back out into the shop to clean up his arms.

Washing himself up, he heard the faint chime of the bell at the front door. “Fuck.” He said dejectedly bowing his head in defeat. It seemed he would have that chance to enjoy his break after all. Grabbing the soiled red rag that hung over the edge of the stainless steel sink, Leon dried off his arms as he walked back into the shop. “Hello! How can I help you?” He said cheerfully despite wanting to choke the individual that ruined his opportunity to have a break. He placed his rag on the counter, placing his hands on either side of the rag as he leaned on the counter.

Now, here was a character that he certainly didn’t expect to coming into the shop. The guy definitely looked military. Especially when he glanced down at his shoes. That shine was something that was instilled into every soldier in basic. It certainly made him wonder what could possibly be wrong with this guy’s vehicle since most would rather work on it with their buddies then bring it to a shop.

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The man that came from the counter was clearly, not Japanese. As he stepped from the back, rag in hand, he got a clear examination of him-- his spiritual sensory was still weak, but he could at least feel the inkling of power from the man. It was likely he was the man he was looking for-- but there was the matter of one's manners.

"Mr. Wilhelm?" he would inquire calmly, speaking in fluent German, thanks to his time with Frey and the other Quincy he had rapidly allowed his originally limited knowledge of the language to have expanded quite a bit. Where he had originally been slow and jerky, now he was quite confident in his speech when it came to the language itself. As soon as he was given the clarification that the man was who he assumed him to be, Erek would offer a hand covered in scar's, to anyone with any understanding of torture-- he was clearly someone who had endured plenty. Thick calluses coated his hands, especially along his palm, thumb, and pointer finger- the sign of constant usage of firearms and blades. The tissue around his nails, fingertips, and his palm showing clear signs of having the nails ripped out, or the flesh seared repeatedly.

"Erek Blackmore, I'm here with a personal request, I'm from the Order," he would explain briefly, should his hand be accepted he would give him a firm, single shake before withdrawing it, placing it behind his back once more, fingers of one hand locking around the wrist of its twin as he retained his straight posture.

"Is there anywhere more private we can talk?" there was no reason to talk at the front desk where an unaware may stumble in and either think they were both madmen talking about spirits and ki, or have someone call the police, or even worse-- find someone that actually believed them and got themselves involved. Better to just keep talks of the spiritual nature away from the public eye, even a small waiting room or cluttered office would work, besides-- the man looked like he wanted a break. No reason he couldn't have one while they talked.

There was also the fact that he did want a bike, but this place wasn't a dealership-- it was a repair garage. Still, if you wanted to get a nice vehicle of any sort he had learned long ago that you went to a garage, and generally they were happy to point you in the right direction because they knew the best deals, the best quality, and knew that it would lead to them getting more business down the line. Earning a customer was always a good thing. Still, that was a side goal, his primary concern had to do with the man's willingness to do a bit of training with him-- how far that went was still up in the air, and would be based entirely on how much the man was willing to fight with him.

He was still an amateur technically when it came to spiritual combat, even if his study into Blut with Frey had given some nice results, and he had plenty of normal combat experience. It wasn't quite the same as having experience fighting beings of a spiritual nature-- that was a whole new ballgame.

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Oh? So the man spoke German. That was an interesting turn of events. It certainly was a surprise to find this out. The man, Erek, certainly didn’t look like someone who would know the language. But, then again, the military was full of surprises. The man did look more Japanese than anything else. Leon just assumed he was just another man looking for a quick repair. That would teach him to just be presumptuous in this crazy world. I mean, after all, he did fight the supernatural.

With him calling Leon, ‘Mr. Wilhelm’, the man felt a little old despite the fact. No one seemed to call him that unless there was something formal going on. In fact, this man did seem a bit too formal for his good. Again, he thought that this man was military and pushed the thought aside and simply smirked. “Your German is good.” He said with a nod. “But, please call me Leon.” Grabbing the rag on the counter, he slapped the tail end of it on the counter before continuing to dry his hands off. “ Mr. Wilhelm is my father and until he passes, I won’t take that title.”

It was when Erek said he was from the Order, a sour taste seemed to take hold of his mouth. Once again, the Order seemed to be coming into his world. But the bigger question was why in the world the Order was poking its nose into his business. Far be it that they were after his head, but this man had yet to attack him. Perhaps he was more subtle than that and wanted to take this away from the normal citizens that would see their extraordinary acts in progress. What could he possibly do in a situation like this?

With a exasperated sigh, he gave the man a nod, pointing over his right shoulder as he lifted his left arm. “Meet me in the shop. I’ll lock up for the day.” Though, the owner of the shop might be mad, there weren’t any customers at the moment, so hopefully he would understand. The day had been busy enough with rudimentary fixes. The till would be more than full enough that she’d be happy. Walking from behind the counter, Leon walked past the man and went to the glass door and locked the latch, turning the sign from open to close.

The pair would need some privacy for whatever would be discussed. Leon hoped that the man wasn’t here for his head. That’d be the last thing that he’d want presented on his plate. A fight to the death just because him and his clan weren’t apart of the crown, this was the thing he needed right now. While through all of this they had yet to make a move against them. They were just a peaceful group trying to survive - just trying to get along so that in case the shinigami attempted another culling, they’d be able to fight against them as a cohesive group. The crown had turned their back against them - abusing their power to subjugate them. Even since the king leaving, their actions had left them guessing what they could possibly do in a crisis. They had even selected a young teenage woman to be their queen.

The pregnant woman didn’t even seem to stand a chance against all the odds that were before her. These people needed a constant perception of control. This is what the Quincy federation had; lead by a council of people that were heads of each clan, they were able to come to a conclusion that each clan could respect. While not the absolute powerhouse like the Queen, they had a dedication to the Quincy race that they were able to lead in a direction that was no less than military that everyone in the group could respect without abusing power.

Leon would lead the man behind the counter, through an open door and into the greasy confines of the shop. The shop was simple - it was a two car garage after all. The man would walk in to see various canisters of fluid for the cars, two lifts to hoist vehicles and pits to simply walk under the vehicles to do simple oil changes. Leon would simply walk in and close both garage doors, latching the pair before moving back into the center of the garage, folding his arms and looking at Erek.

“So, what does the Order want with me, Erek?” This was the moment that hinged on everything. Was this going to be a simple interaction or something that was made for the history books. Already, image of the headlines would play before Leon’s mind. ‘Explosion rocks K-town. Unable to explain the reason’. Would this be something civil or would this be something that would be for the movies. Already, Leon could feel the tension raising in himself as he crossed his arms. Maybe it was just him - honestly he didn’t know what the man’s intentions were at the moment.

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The man seemed fine-- until the mention of The Order initiated-- a few bad experiences, it would seem. Still, he wouldn't comment-- instead, he would simply incline his head a bit as the man stated he wanted him to call him "Leon" and not his surname. Erek simply nodded his head in agreement, after all the idea was understandable enough, he'd met plenty of men that had said that same thing. Lacking a father, or any parents, the concept was lost on Erek personally-- but he had no issue with it, nor was he against the use of first names. Luckily, the man didn't need to be told to use his own first name.

Instead, he jumped to an odd conclusion-- and Erek waved a hand as he followed the man into the back garage, glancing around briefly before focusing on the man.

"Nothing," he stated bluntly as he allowed his brow to arch slightly in moderate confusion,"-- I'm certain I prefaced the request as 'personal'. I merely mentioned the Order to inform you that I was a Quincy, nothing more." As he explained this, he would offer a slight smile, one that fit oddly on his sharp features, Erek would then allow his face to settle back into a neutral state as he inclined his head a bit to the man before keeping his hands behind his back once more as he met the man's gaze and got down to the main point.

"I was curious if you were willing to do some training with me, actually," he would explain simply before he would move on to a more detailed explanation, "-- I'm a relatively new Quincy you see, up until two months ago I had no understanding of the spiritual realm at all. The Order has filled me in on quite a bit, but as a soldier, I'm annoyed at my own lack of spiritual combat experience-- when it comes to Hollow I'm at an odd crossroads. I either have to run, or I beat them so quickly that they offer me no real growth."

Intertwining his fingers of his hands behind his back, he would allow one to fall free of the others hold to motion toward the man slightly.

"When I inquired about Quincy roughly on my level of skill, or potential teachers, I was recommended you and a few others-- I don't know what The Order has done to you personally in the past, but it would seem they at the least have no issue recommending new Knights to you," he stated in a dry, but amused tone as he would then return his hand behind his back once more.

"My manner of combat is quite odd for a Quincy apparently, so there isn't really anyone that can teach me-- I have to patch it together and do what I can on my own. The only way to do that efficiently is combat experience," as he explained this last bit he would fall quiet, allowing the man to process the information as he kept his hands behind his back. Patient as ever as he would watch the man's reactions curiously-- part of him wondering what The Order may have done to the man, the rest of him simply not caring.

The Order was a military force-- no military force ever didn't step on someone's toes. He was sure there were plenty of people that took it purposely-- that's because they weren't soldiers. It was that simple in his eyes, really. He didn't doubt that those things that insulted others, to The Order-- it was all just business, nothing more. A way to get the desired result for the betterment of all-- like any other government. There was no such thing as making everyone happy, after all.

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Leon watched the man carefully as he replied. So it was nothing - that was good. It still didn’t put him at ease with someone from the Order under this roof. Even if it was just for a personal request, the fact that Erek had tracked him down so easily meant that anyone in the Order could probably do so. A slight scowl appeared on his face as he cursed silently to himself. How had he been found so easily?

“Yeah. Yeah. I heard you. It’s just…” He shifted his weight from the left foot to the right, fidgeting slightly. “You never can be too sure about it.” The man’s gaze met his own as he asked Leon if he was willing to do some training with him. So, he was a newbie. That made things interesting for sure. Leon had never had the chance to even think about training somebody before and now the opportunity suddenly arises.

The disconcerting fact was that the Order was recommending knights to seek him out. Wilhelm raised an eyebrow over this little fact that was told. Now why in the world would the Order even do such a thing when he and his family had left it over three years ago? It was such an oddity to him. And it wasn’t like they left on the best of terms. Sure, the group had slightly managed to get their shit together, but that didn’t mean anything right now.

An exasperated sigh left Leon as he bowed his head forward, pinching the bridge of his nose between his right index finger and thumb before running his hand through his hair, trying to set his mind straight about everything as the man prattled on about his manner of combat being different. What was he suppose to do with the man? Right now, Leon could easily push him out of the shop and be done with this, completely shutting the Order out of his life once again. Or, he could attempt to teach him.

Attempting to teach him was a whole other problem. Leon wasn’t exactly the teaching type. The way his clan did it, well, it was exactly conventional compared to most ways quincy were taught. Was that the way Erek needed though? Sure, he looked like a man who could take the abuse, but would that be the right way to introduce him into the world of the Quincy.

Leon looked over the man, tall and built - a fighter. Heavy steps fell upon concrete floors as he walked the small distance between them. Standing but three feet(0.9144 meters) away from the man, Leon clicked his tongue against his teeth. “I’m not entirely sure as to why the Order would send a knight to a disenfranchised quincy like me, nor do I know what I can offer you…” The man paused, sizing him up. “If you’ve got the balls, I suppose I have the time. May even turn you away from the Order.” He gave Erek a playful wink.

“You look like some like the type of guy that could handle it. Ex-military, right?”

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The man was definitely holding a grudge against the Order-- but that was fine, there was no point lingering on that fact. He would leave it be for now and simply move on, it would be simpler that way. Instead, he would watch the man struggle through the decision and put quite a bit of thought into it all-- until he managed to come to a decision it would appear. Stepping forward, he would look him over once more before finally clicking his tongue and stating that he didn't understand why they Order had sent him to visit the man-- before he agreed. As the man inquired if he had the balls, Erek's lip curled into a slow smile.

"If it's not going to make me bleed, and curse-- then it's not worth my time anyway," he stated simply before he would nod his head slightly as Leon inquired about his past occupation.

"Yeah-- though technically I'm still partially employed." He didn't go into details-- Blackrock wasn't entirely a public organization after all, better to keep it on the low just as he hadn't told them anything about the Order beyond the fact that he had found "other employment" in order to take up his time so he could only work for the company part time. After twenty years of service, they didn't really mind too much-- most operatives only lasted five after all at the most. Instead, he would simply glance around them slowly as his brow furrowed.

"Though I doubt this is the best area to train and practice-- anywhere, in particular, you can think of? I've been using the Orders training rooms up to this point." As he spoke, Erek would allow his hand to rise, rolling his shoulders out of habit-- then came the other thing the man had stated. That he wasn't entirely sure how much he could offer him-- Erek shook his head a bit as he focused on Leon once more instead of their surroundings.

"As far as what you can offer-- I just need practice, and maybe the occasional tip honestly. I've been taught the basics of everything, and I know the theories for different aspects-- but theory crafting and book knowledge isn't the same as being able to use that knowledge in combat. The more practice I can get, the better-- I need practice getting the hell beaten out of me anyway. Blut is my specialty, and the only way to break through the limits I have on it at the moment is to sustain damage, sadly." It was a bit of a pain-- but if he wanted to enhance his regeneration, and his ability to lessen the damage as it was, then he needed to take damage-- and there was no reason he shouldn't practice with his other abilities at the same time in an attempt to minimize that damage.

Really, fighting against a Quincy that utilized long range and traditional methods to fight him was perfect-- because that meant Ginto, Arrows, and other attacks. The more practice he had against that-- his weakness-- the better off he would be. A slight smirk formed on his lips, excited despite himself-- he hadn't gotten to truly fight anyone since Dresdren-- and that barely had counted due to how blindly he had been groping around in the darkness when it came to spiritual combat. Hell, he'd only used his reiryoku for the final attack against the man along with his instinctual usage of his blut.

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Perfect - this man seemed to have some brass balls. Leon did admire that in a person. It seemed to be a trait lost with the passing of time. Whether the world was going soft, he couldn’t be to sure anymore. That wasn’t really a thought at the moment as the man said he was still partially employed. So that meant he was still keeping in the thick of things with the military, or so Leon thought.

“But, you’re more than right. Unless you’d like a fight to be done with wrenches and ratchets, then I suggest we’d do take this elsewhere.” Though the thought of a comical fight between two grown men using garage warfare did sound a bit like fun to him. Leon walked past the man and over to steel table laden with several tools. Grabbing a pen and a piece of paper, Leon scribbled down his number and handed it to Erek. “Text or call. I’ll set up a place for us outside of the city where we can ‘play’ without being disturbed. Now get out of my shop.”

Leon wasn’t to polite about getting the man out of the shop, after all, it wasn’t exactly his business and to keep it locked up to long would cause the ire of the owner - something Leon really didn’t want to deal with. Once his day was complete, he sought refuge at his apartment and prepared for the next day, gathering some food, water, and even a first aid kit, Once he got the message from Erek, he set up the location.

Several miles outside of the city, Leon had found a place that seemed cut off from the world. He had set them up in a large clearing just outside of the woods in a rolling meadow. There the man found himself a nice tree trunk to settle down on and wait for his training partner to come.


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Erek would keep his hands behind his back calmly as the man would comment that he was more than right-- he seemed pleased with his reaction, and Erek was similarly excited to have someone that he could spar with actively in order to help both of them grow a bit. As the man commented on getting out of his shop, Erek would simply smirk and incline his head a bit as he accepted the paper easily enough before turning with a slight wave and heading toward the exit.

"I'll contact you shortly," he responded simply before stepping out and moving toward his own apartment-- there was time to prepare and he should bring some things in order to deal with everything properly. Tucking the number into his wallet to make a note to place it into his phone and call him later-- Erek despised texting-- he would move forward along the alleyways, pondering just what the extensive training was. He was built hardier than most he knew, but he also knew that he was still struggling with even basic spiritual control here in Karakura-- everything was so damn dense.

His Blut was still functional but not at its best-- similarly, his spirit weapon he had managed to master perfectly fine while in Berlin, was overwhelmingly weak here. He knew it was effectively like training with weights, but that was precisely why this training was needed-- more than anything he needed more combat experience when it came to using his new tools and weapons.

--
A few hours later, and several miles outside the city-- Erek was calmly hiking outside into the forestry-- a pack on his back, the camouflage bundle blending into the surroundings well as his combat boots crunched the twigs and grass underneath them with each step. It didn't take him long before he had pushed the foliage aside and entered the clearing that Leon had given him the directions too. Stepping into it calmly as he simply raised a hand in greeting before he halted in the center and set the pack down lightly.

Figuring Leon would want to begin, he would remain patiently quiet as he removed his knife-- the holster for his sidearm that he wasn't allowed to carry around here just yet, only on missions-- and then his water canteen and leather jacket, tossing it all into a pile against a nearby tree with his pack as he began to roll his shoulders slowly in thought-- wondering exactly what the man had in mind.

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Leon settled down on the tree trunk with a soft grunt, slinging his brown leather messenger bag over his head, setting it down to the right side of himself. Now the man found himself playing the waiting game - fortunately, the area he had chosen was peaceful. The downside of all this was that once Erek arrived, the duo would quickly snuff out the peaceful existence of this place and replace it with the sounds of battle as the two would clash in hopes of giving the knight the experience needed to continue on in the spiritual realm. A sigh escaped Leon’s lips, his right leg bounced up and down in anticipation as the wait continued. As time carried on, his reiatsu began to flare in annoyance. The air surrounding him began to ripple as his red spiritual energy flowed off his body. “Damn it, man.” His lips smacked together.
A disturbance was felt - a familiar aura was approaching. It had to be Erek finally coming to the field. Perhaps he had gotten lost on his way here, Leon couldn’t be sure at this point. The man finally emerged from the trees, giving a silent greet with his hand. Leon gave a wave and return, stepping onto his feet afterward. Now was the time to show the man that if he really wanted to start this little spar, he would get one. As Erek began to his belongings, Leon called upon his reiatsu, summoning forth his spiritual weapon. He drew upon the bowstring, a red Heilig Pfeil notching into place. Focusing on the Erek, Leon let loose of the string, sending the arrow straight towards the man. As it came close to striking his target, the Heilig Pfeil dissipated into the air harmlessly, showering the man in bits of red reiatsu before disappearing.

“You’ve come to me of all people to spar. A man who can’t even seem to get away from the Order even in Japan.” Leon spat to his right as he dropped his bow arm to the side. “I can’t say that I like the fact that they’re recommending knights to come to me, but if it gives me a chance to have a little fun against your little coterie, then by all means.” This gave Leon the chance to through a few punches against the Order without fear of retribution from those who resided in those old stone walls of the castle. A half-cocked smile formed on the quincy’s face, “Are you ready for this, lad?” Certainly, the man was - he came all the way from Berlin to seek him out. A man of the military always had to try and be prepared.

“I’ve got medical supplies for the scrapes and bruises afterwards. So, as long as we don’t go breaking bones, we’ll be fine.”

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Erek was new to spiritual combat-- but he wasn't new to actual combat by any means. The moment the arrow flew, he was turning, ready to sling the bag in his hand to the side to smash the arrow away, of course-- it had no reiatsu in it, and the bag simply passed through the reishi particles harmlessly-- his eyes narrowed onto the man like a hawk. Of course, the realization that he forgot to infuse spiritual energy into the bag caused him to frown toward his hand-- he supposed that was an instinctual habit that he was still failing to properly grasp. Well, that was fine he supposed.

He ranted about the Order for a bit longer-- while Erek simply dropped the bag into the location he had been intending for once already before he slowly rolled his shoulders and focused on the man as he continued his little rant about the Order. Erek slowly tilted his head as he would nod slightly, before speaking in the same calm, cool-- yet polite tone as before.

"Since you've put it all out, I shall as well-- I don't give a shit about your feelings regarding the Order. I'm aware some clans are angry with them, and I don't really get it, nor do I care too. I'm not someone 'sent from the Order' I'm just me-- this is nothing more than two men training to grow stronger. Just because I'm a member of the order doesn't mean I somehow represent them twenty-four seven." As he stated this, he would raise a hand to his throat, unclasping his coat and shrugging out of it, tossing it on top of his bag before he would release a slow breath-- a hand opening as the reishi around him began to pulse. The draw on it was slow-- before his veins would pulse a dim blue glow.

He couldn't switch between vene and arterie in this climate-- he still wasn't used to how heavy the reishi was here-- but summoning vene was easy enough. Lifting a hand and clenching it a few times, he would then release a slight breath and lift his hands up, entering a simple stance, hands lifting to hover at the height of the center of his torso with two slightly open hands ready. Feet spreading slightly and bending at the knee's-- the pulse of the reishi flowing through his veins to harden his muscles, skin, bones, and organs.

"I'm not concerned about anything breaking-- in a real fight you can't stop just because your arm is fucked," he stated simply, before releasing a slow breath-- completely calming, before motioning once with his hand to show he was ready for whatever it was Leon decided to throw at him. The man had told him the training would be hell-- well, that was fine, that was the best way to gain experience and strength after all: trial by fire. Or as he was taught: Trial by a hailstorm of bullets and gunpowder.

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Now, watching Erek react so quickly pleased Leon, yet he didn’t show it for a moment. As the man’s eyes narrowed at him for putting on that little show of his, a slight smile curled at his lips. Even as the Order’s quincy put down his pack, Leon felt as if he could feel the ire building in the man- apparently he was right. Despite the fact that the man spoke in a calm, yet cool tone, he could tell it was far from the fact. Either that or he was reading far into it. Still, his small smile turned into a broad grin as he shook his head at the man. This guy, well he certainly had some passion in his belly and that was exactly what Leon like in a person.

There wasn’t a need to even think about the Order at this moment as Leon raised his bow once again, drawing on his reishi to call forth yet another arrow. Looking down the glowing light, he called out to Erek as he felt the man draw upon his own spiritual energies, turning his veins blue. “Blut.” He thought to himself. “This should be interesting to see which way it goes.”

“I know, lad.” Leon called out the man. “And I can tell you, that’s what I like about you. You’ve got fire in your belly! Show me what you’ve got newbie.” His voice resounded with a slight giddy glee as spiritual energy rushed to his feet. As he did so, he focused his reishi, attempting to force it to his arms as he released a volley of three arrows at the man. As the distance began to close between them, he leapt into the air, soaring into the sky. The man drew his legs to his chest, causing him to roll in the air above Erek until he came close to a large oak tree. Quickly, he stretched his legs out, planting them firmly onto a large branch as he gazed down at his sparring partner with a greedy smirk. He had to figure out what this man was capable of in order to truly test. Hell, it may even be the other way around. There was no way to tell until the taste of blood was on his tongue.

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Erek clenched his hands, right as the man called out-- and released a volley of three arrows rapidly at him, and Erek remained poised-- his aim was excellent, and his skill with the weapon was clear-- but there was a slight differential between them that became more clear when Erek's wrists snapped rapidly, his fists open to limit the strain on his tendons to practically nothing as he collided the first two knuckles of his hands against each arrow rapidly-- they were the strongest bones on the body, and designed to do exactly that in martial arts-- deflect, and deal powerful piercing blows. The arrows were not shattered, nor outright blocks, that would take too much of his stamina-- instead, his skin pulsed blue briefly with each deflected bolt as he parried the force to the side.

Re-directing them so that the arrows slammed into the ground around him-- something that required and relied on skill, to use properly, but in a battle of raw power-- using your brute force to just clash with an opponent was idiotic. Not when you could parry the force to the side instead, re-directing damage took far less energy and stamina, and put far less strain on your body to do then an outright block. Only a foolish rookie that lacked combat experience tried to do it-- that, or a show off that was just as stupid. His body hunched as he dashed forward, arms raised in the same guard, prepared for the next volley of attacks-- however before he could get too close the man flickered backwards, landing on the tree-- hirenkyaku? It was hard to tell-- Mei had shown it to him, and in Berlin, he'd been flawless at it. But the reishi here was still too heavy, he couldn't properly formulate the platforms around his feet so that he could ride the currents and utilize it. His options were limited-- and so he did the next best thing that came to mind.

Clenching both hands briefly, he lowered them-- if he could switch to arterie, destroying the tree and his footing, while providing himself with a smokescreen would be simple. Sadly-- he knew right now due to the lack of growing used to the spiritual weight of the reishi here-- switching between the two effectively was going to be too difficult. His hand opened, and a single glowing knife of reishi snapped into existence in his hand-- it was rough, barely shaped like a knife at all beyond the loop at its end that marked it as a throwing blade-- if Leon was familiar with such weaponry.

But that didn't halt Erek, as the moment it was formed, he threw it-- expert precision and skill balancing the blade of reishi as it shot through the air like a missile-- where'as Leon's arrows were fast, and strong, split between them evenly-- Erek's throw was done through raw skill, precision, and power-- a single knife that would blast straight through the trunk of the tree if it missed, or deal varying amounts of damage depending on the mans durability, and how well he managed to dodge or deflect the force of the throw.

Erek was at a disadvantage, and he knew it. One spirit weapon at a time was all he could maintain right now. He couldn't perform hirenkyaku-- he'd never been that agile, to begin with. All he had going for him was his power, durability, and determination-- he had to be adaptive if he wanted to stand a chance against the more experienced Quincy. If nothing else, he seemed to have the edge in basic combat skill and experience-- but as far as he could tell, that was about all he had. His guard remained up instantly after his throw, he knew better than to ever lower it-- prepared for the worst case outcome.

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Leon watched as Erek struck down his attack with his fists - that was impressive indeed. Odd, why hadn’t he thought of that. A smirk curled at his lips as he watched the man’s feat against the attack. For a man with limited knowledge of the spiritual world, he was good - perfect. It was then he felt a surge of spiritual energy. Erek had summoned what looked to be a small blade, hard to tell from its rough shape. This was an interesting turn of events. Most quincy he had encountered seemed to have a bow, yet here this man was bringing to life a knife.

Then it happened, Erek launched the knife right at Leon. The emanate attack caused the man to quickly sprawl into the air, sending his spiritual energy to his feet as he struck the ground, rolling with the force up onto his feet. The tree groaned from the attack, splintering into pieces, showering the area with debris. Leon didn’t stop - he called upon his bow. As he set sight on Erek to release yet another volley of arrows, the tree snapped from its own burden. Great limbs came crashing down with a loud creak and the sounds of snapping limbs while the what was now the top of the broken tree swayed from the force.

Now the Quincy’s view of the man was broken, dust lingering in the air as he focused on trying to get a pinpoint on Erek’s reishi. It was easy to do, having grown so accustomed to Japan after spending all those years here with his wife. “Come on, Erek. You can do better my little knight.” He started running to his right, drawing on his weapon to release another volley of arrows as he attempted to get close to the man. Already he was focusing his spiritual energy into his arms to be ready for the next move.


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Erek's intuition had been accurate-- the attack had been a failure, though it had forced Leon to become mobile-- that in itself was a small victory as far as Erek was concerned. The impact of the dust and wood flooded the area as the man fired another volley of the arrows at him as he rolled, causing Erek's hands to tighten, his guard had remained up the entire time, and this was why. He knew full well as he had charged the man that a counter was entirely possible, and so as he swayed slightly to the side, his fists shot out repeatedly, smashing into the sides of the arrows at the last minute in high-speed deflections, luckily, the arrows were only powerful en-masse, so deflection was relatively easy.

However, the distance was again an issue-- even as he charged toward the man, the dust flooded the air, hampering his senses-- his ability to read and sense energy at the moment was weak, he hadn't even bothered training it beyond the basics in Berlin. But Erek's experience showed, and instead of charging blindly into the dust, he waited for the next attack-- listening for anything that could lead him to the man, and sure enough, he heard the words fill the air. He was attempting to get a rise out of him, he could only assume, but his smirk was the only reply he gained-- not giving away his position so easily, the man could sense his reishi and reiatsu, of that he had no doubt. No reason to make it even easier to pinpoint him-- instead, he dashed forward, his reiatsu fluctuating as another volley of arrows shot toward him.

This time relying on a technique in boxing-- a way to counter opponents blows without lowering your guard, and staying on the offensive-- close the distance, minimize the momentum and power of the arrow, shut down its velocity. His guard remained up, and the arrows slammed into him-- he didn't stop, even as they pinged off his steely hide, drawing blood and slamming into the earth around him throwing up even more dirt. Erek relied on his senses, too much dirt and dust made sight and smell useless. So he would use hearing-- he knew the area the voice had come from, and he knew that he couldn't have moved much after firing the volley.

So even as he had been bombarded by the arrows he had continued his charge-- if the man tried to backtrack or dodge, then he'd follow the sounds of his movements, clothing rustling, reishi clicking, feet on the ground, the sound of a bow being drawn-- all of them could let him pinpoint him, and so, Erek went on the offensive-- ignoring the bruises and scrapes from the arrows, as he released his own barrage. This was different from the man's volley, instead, it was a flurry of jabs, one after the other focused entirely on hitting the man's torso, arms, and head-- sacrificing power for speed and precision, as well as the sheer mass of his blows. The first step was knocking his opponent off-balance, if he could manage that, then the next combination could be deadly.

That was, of course, assuming the man didn't find a way to escape or counter his initiation that he had obtained by blocking instead of deflecting the attacks against him.

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Thread Words: 4,379