Countless Oddities [Closed]

Day two following the storms that had brought all air traffic to a halt, and Raphael was still stuck in Karakura Town. He was a little annoyed at the many planes that were allowed through, though he was told that his flight would be allowed out in a few days. But, as it was, he was still stuck in Karakura Town and thus he had yet another few days in the suburb of Tokyo. To make matters worse, someone had been releasing a ton of power, enough that any hollow or Shinigami in the area would’ve been able to find them. Only slightly aggravating.

He felt out the power further, it was undoubtedly a quincy, making Raphael wonder if there was something special about this place. It was almost like a nexus for spiritual power, making him wonder what exactly was so special about this place, what it was that drew almost everything spiritual here at some point or another in their growth.

He splashed his face with water. This wasn’t exactly the time to be worrying about why this place was the “it” place to be for spirits; for Raph he was more worried about this guy trying to tail him, and not even that he was being tailed. It took little effort for Raph to stay a few steps ahead of the man, always turning down an alleyway, or stepping into a shop and suppressing himself as far as he could go. Constantly doing his best to make the man work to find him.

But after a while Raph realized that it wasn’t happening, and to make matters worse, power was continuously pouring from him. This had to stop, or at least the man would have to learn to control it. Raph sighed. “I guess I should go see what he wants.”

He’d stopped at a bar, a place with tons of other people that he could be potentially putting at risk. If a hollow were to attack now… Though thankfully Raph couldn’t currently sense any. Still, he’d have to keep on his guard just in case something happened.

The bar was small, not exactly a place that Raph would’ve probably gone to get a drink, but it was a place nonetheless. He was sitting at a table, slightly removed from the rest of the bar, and he couldn’t help but chuckle just a little bit.

Raph sat down at the table in front of him and, in a low whisper, muttered. “You don’t have very good control yet, do you? It’s pretty obvious from the way that you’re letting your spiritual power just leak out all over the place.” He smiled. “From what I was feeling, you’re the one that’s been somewhat chasing me all over creation. Now, is there something that I can do for you?”

Words: 470
Total: 470

Erek had made his way into a small bar, sitting down at a table a bit from him and nursing a Highball, sipping it lightly between the pages that he was turning in what appeared to be a mystery novel of some sort. However, when he heard the door open his eyes briefly flicked up, about five nine, brown hair, grey-brown eyes, he matched the appearance. However, he made no assumptions and instead remained seated continuing to "read", though the pages no longer turned- his focus on his surroundings have suddenly sharpened significantly. He cursed his inability to sense energy once more, it would make this so much easier if he had the ability to do such.

Slowly, his head tilted however as the man came right up to him, sank into the chair across from him at his table. The murmur caused him to arch a brow slowly before he would chuckle lightly and close the book after carefully marking the page he was in. With that he would take a sip from the whiskey, examining the young man before him. Appearance fit, and with those words, there was really no doubt in his mind that this was the man, however, instead of starting with answering his questions, Erek first did the polite thing and offered the man a scar-covered hand.

"Erek Blackmore, newly awakened Quincy," he would state simply with a polite smile, should the man shake his hand he would be given a firm, single shake before he withdrew his hand back. Should the man refuse he would calmly pull it back, not overly worried by the action. Either way, he would continue smoothly- his fingers intertwining as he rested his chin in his palm lightly, "Now, to answer you," he would continue in a soft voice that could only be heard by Raphael, or those with the sharpest of ears. "I've not really realized I was tailing you, I was just wandering around hoping to find you, honestly," a soft, amused laugh left his lips. To think the man had thought he'd been tailing him- no wonder it had taken so long to make contact.

"I'm looking for you because I was told that you may have some information on spiritualists- non-Quincy that still possess spiritual capabilities, I'm new to the entire concept of spiritual powers you see, and the more information I have about everything the better. What people tend to consider as "Common Knowledge" are things that are completely unheard of to me," as he would explain this, he shrugged slightly and leaned back a bit in his chair, raising the drink to his lips once more as he patiently waited for the young man to continue. His fingertips lightly resting on the cover of the book, his adjusting causing the dogtags around his neck to clearly catch the light- combined with his dress, it would become apparent the man was originally a soldier.

Combat boots, leather jacket, cargo pants and a boot knife all summed up into a cold, hawk-like facial expression that tended to set him apart from a crowd of civilians.

---

Post Words: 520
Thread Words: 1,175

Raph shook the man’s hand as he sat, and immediately noticed the scars. He took in all the information available. His attire bespoke the gruff, and grim, the tough, though appearances could be deceiving. From what Raph could sense, the man was a tad weaker than the telekinetic himself, but one’s abilities were far more important.

The man mentioned that he was a newly awakened quincy which surprised Raph ever so slightly. Yes, he’d heard of late bloomers, he himself was one after all, but this man was in his early thirties, at least. It wasn’t entirely impossible, Raph supposed, for someone to not discover their powers until such an age, but it did feel a bit unheard of.

Raph blushed, ever so slightly as the man explained that he hadn’t been tailing Raph. Just trying to find me? Shit…

Reaching up, Raph massaged the back of his neck embarrassed. “To tell you the truth, that’s kinda my fault. I’ve been attacked so many times that I’ve just become a bit paranoid. I’m on edge a lot of the time, and there is the constant possibility of a hollow attack. He shrugged, smiled and listened as the man explained why he’d been searching for Raphael.

“Information on spiritualists?” he smirked. “You are probably the first quincy to ever ask me that question, but, and don’t take this the wrong way, are you sure that you want to know about spiritualists? I can understand wanting a strong foundation of knowledge, but what would you really gain from knowing?” He chuckled. “I’m just screwin’ with ya, c’mon.” Raph took the man out and back onto the streets, before lifting the man with his abilities and then himself. He levitated them both to a nearby park, someplace where they might a bit more alone to talk.

Raph landed first and sat the man down about three feet away. “This should be a bit better. Now, about spiritualists…” He had to think of where to start first. “The most important thing to know about them is that, unlike with the quincy, there is no major unity, with the exception of a clan or coven. If you’re in someone’s territory as far as hollow fighting? You’re probably gonna have a problem with them. Second, each and every power is different, in a similar way to quincy, except that they have don’t even have Reishi Manipulation to tie them together.”

Raph held up his right hand, ground broke around him and he the stones below him floated into the air, holding Raph in the air. “Every spiritualist has different powers which make them all just a bit unique. C’mon. We’ll have a light sparring match, maybe you’ll understand how a bit more about spiritualists with this.”

Words: 460
Total: 930

Erek waved off the man's explanation with a slight smile, "It's no problem, I can understand the paranoia more than most, believe me," he constantly had his guard up, entering a building meant analyzing the room for all possible emergency exits, possible places to duck into cover and hide, the list continued on and on for quite some time, down to habits when he was out walking, training, or going for his morning runs. To him, there was no such thing as "too careful".

"Don't worry about it, in any case," he clarified once, before he would nod his head in agreement when the man repeated his question back at him, the request regarding information on the spiritualists causing him to smirk, before his chin would rest in his palm at the man's statement regarding Quincy asking such a question, and how rare it was, apparently. he supposed he could understand, the Quincy were after all "evolved humans", built on tradition and law for hundreds of years, they were, in many cases- superior to spiritualists.

Still, he saw no reason in seeking information on them, and if possible- making them allies of the Quincy in more than just fleeting "we're sort of the same" alliances. A solid foundation was key to an alliance, an understanding of one another without forcing one's idea's on the other. If the Quincy Order could find allies in the non-Quincy earthbound beings, the mortal realm's power could increase quite significantly. The idiotic Shinigami that thought themselves so superior to the mortals, and the Hollow that preyed upon them, would no longer feel quite so safe wandering Earth if they managed such a union.

As he inquired "what he could gain" Erek's gaze slid toward the man, hawk-like eyes staring into his own briefly- before the man broke into a grin and stating he was kidding, Erek simply let out a sigh before he pushed himself up slowly. A jokester huh, interesting combination of personality aspects. Still, he followed after the man casually enough, his hands tucked behind his back as he entered the back streets- of course when he felt a sudden defiance of gravity, he halted and instantly his hand went to his knife at his boot.

Thankfully, he quickly realized there was no ill intent meant, and instead would simply relax as they floated- so this was a power he had? Was he a mage then? Was that a common ability of spiritualists? It was hard to say. Releasing a soft breath, he would land lightly as the man touched down as well in a local park, a quick glance around clarified they were alone. Leaning back against a nearby trash bin, he would listen quietly as the man began to explain some differences- commenting that there was no major unity, as he had initially expected. They were all basically spiritual vigilante's, which was all well and good, but nothing in the face of an organized group- the power between them would be immense.

If he could find a way to help the other mortals come together, and work alongside the Order, their abilities and reach would extend tremendously. Nodding slightly as the man finished, he would consider the information he had been given- before he would feel a shift in the air as stones began floating into the air. That power again. His brow arched slowly as the man would explain regarding the "powers" and how each was different and unique before the man commented on having a sparring match. His brow arched slowly, that seemed like an incredibly odd way for him to demon straight, but then, it would give him information in the future. He also could use all the safe spiritual combat experience he could get.

A soft 'Hmm' filled his chest before he would nod and lift off of the bin, to instead turn and face the man as his hand lowered- grasping the knife in his boot and dragging it out in a single, fluid motion. The blade glinting in the light of the nearby lamps, before his footing shifted, spacing itself as the blade was held firmly at his side- his other hand open. Clearly not only experienced in the blades usage but martial arts as well with how he held himself. "very well, let's try not to harm one another too badly, however, stopping right before impact would be preferable, but if one of us slips occasionally, no bad blood," as he commented this, he waited for Raphael to make the first move patiently- watching the man with a keen eye.

---

Post Words: 766
Thread Words: 1,941

The man’s conditions were certainly acceptable, after all he’d had worse injuries from such combat before, his mind flashing back to Dew. Thankfully his arm had managed to heal back up, but still, that pain would stay with him forever. Flashbacks, thankfully were quick to fade away, as the man reached into his boot and pulled out a knife, the glint of steel startled Raphael ever so slightly.

“Absolutely,” Raph replied, with a bit of a nod. “This wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve been injured by a sparring partner.” He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Plus these can be good indicators of what you need to improve on.” Which was practically everything for Raph, but still he would try his hardest. That was really all he could do.

The man held his knife confidently, but there was justification in his eyes. Raph could see the comprehension behind the man’s eyes; this man knew what he was doing with the weapon and Raph would have to be careful. If not…then this guy could really hurt him.

“Just remember, use whatever skills you think could help you in this.” The man was taking Raphael’s turtle approach: wait for the enemy, see what they’ll do first and then counterattack. The man’s stance was calculated and precise, blade prepared to strike back. Raphael’s own attacks would have to be less direct.

With a few moments of preparation, Raphael reached out to the ground beneath the man’s feet. Hands of all shapes and sizes suddenly reached up and around, lashing out towards the man, grabbing for arms, feet, hands, legs, everything except for the man’s neck. He didn’t want to hurt this guy, but he did need to know what it was like to fight the mortals, he needed to know that the quincy weren’t the only humans with great power.

Words: 308

Erek felt the shift of the rocks beneath his feet, blinking in surprise as the attack came-- acting on instinct as he launched himself to the side in time to see the hands grasp at the air where he had just been, his eyes narrowing in focus at the odd power. He had been told by Mei that powers could be near "anything"-- so that included things like this? Geokinesis? Erek, despite his mass, landed easily before he immediately launched himself off the ground once more, giving the man no chance to try that once more-- landing on the nearby can once more, with practiced ease that spoke of years honing his flexibility and martial prowess, Erek launched himself off the can, grabbing the bag from it as he went.

It was from this, that Erek acted-- the bag suddenly bursting with the air of his propulsion in front of him sending trash, dirt, grime, and plastic in all directions. The aim simple: block off all visual movement by placing the cloud of debris between himself and the man, and as it rained down on Raph-- blasting from it with the knife in hand aiming to slam it into the smaller man's right thigh in a puncture. His motions were practiced, and smooth-- his superior experience in combat-- specifically close combat, rearing its head from the combination. He didn't hesitate even slightly to use the debris to fight dirty.

Erek wasn't taught by some martial artist that wanted to hammer the ideas of honor and pride into him-- he was taught by navy seals, by assassins, brawlers, hired killers, mercenaries-- he wasn't a trained fighter. He was a trained kiler, and that meant that you used everything in your bag of tricks in order to give yourself an advantage without hesitation. If the man had asked for a simple training round, that would be different. But he hadn't-- he had been specifically asked to use "whatever skills he could think of" and in Erek's mind-- that meant anything went.

The man had the advantage of superior spiritual knowledge and an unusual ability that Erek wasn't familiar with. But Erek had the advantage of experience, and being capable of fighting down to his teeth if he had too-- there was nothing too low if it meant that it led to his victory, and it was that simple. He wasn't like other Quincy that had their heads clouded by pride and uppity focus on blood, he was just a human, a soldier, tossed into a new war-- he saw no reason to change.

---

New Thread Total Wordcount for Erek starts here due to claiming the thread as abandoned previously.

Post Words: 431
Thread Words: 431

The man was quick to launch his counterattack, leaping above the hands, and landing on the trash can, leapt at him, ripping the bag from its container and then tossing it, or rather its contents, at Raph. What surprised Raphael, though, was the fluidity of the man’s movements; it was apparent that he had done some incredible training to perfect his movement to the point that he could move this well. Something to be envied, to be sure, though perhaps this was simply due to Raphael’s own movements being so mechanical, something he hoped to learn.

Without doubt the man was a master of martial talents, something that Raphael, could undoubtedly learn from. Though, Raphael had advantages of his own, though these were less of skill and more of knowledge; still power was power and Raphael would have to make do. He observed every twitch, jerk and movement of the man’s body as closely as he could. Each observation was aimed at trying to figure out a flaw in his movements, but they were incredibly precise, more so than Raphael would have thought. Military, perhaps? Didn’t matter.

The dust, grime and debris that the man caused with his trashbag trick, was certainly an effective smokescreen, and Raphael saw him, as the blade bit into his thigh with little effort. But, physics was a wonderful equalizer and, as the man’s blade was reaching him, blades made of stone shot in an upwards angle from Raph’s right side. These weapons would be aimed at striking the man as he landed. This man was far more powerful than Raphael, which made the telekinetic’s plan even crazier. He was quite certain that the blade had ripped almost entirely through his leg and even if it hadn’t, it certainly felt like it had. That one was going to be a bitch to try and heal…

Words: 310

He was definitely inexperienced-- no matter how unlikely it may be, you should never just take a hit. It allowed your opponent to have far too much leeway-- and even more than that, it gave them too many openings. This was proven, as even as he crashed through the trash, he felt his blade sinking into the man-- and at the same time, he saw the spines of the concrete shoot out of the ground toward him, trying to use his own momentum against him in an attempt to impale him from the side. Here, Erek's body control would become all the more apparent as all of his weight fell into Raphael-- and instead of falling toward the ground, Erek's arm yanked.

Using the knife as an anchor-- and in doing so, yanking Raphael himself toward him as Erek's arm snapped out grasping his shirt, yanking him with all his momentum, forcing the man to make a choice-- halt the movements of his spines and come with him, or continue the spikes and risk impaling himself alongside Erek as the mans legs snapped around his own body, leaving the knife buried in the man's leg to instead outright aim to wrap his thick tree-limb like arms directly around the man's body.

He was green-- allowing someone who specialized in melee combat to get close was a death wish, to make matters worse he had allowed him to ruin one of his legs, he wouldn't be putting much weight on an injury that severe-- meaning his defense against Erek's own grappling would be even weaker. If Erek had control over the man's body, then it didn't matter how many projectiles, spines, or other attacks from the ground the man used against him-- he could yank and control Raphs body to become a shield against his own attacks all while beating the man or choking him into submissive.

If he got a single firm grip on the man here, Erek knew all too well that it would likely end in a nearly guaranteed victory for him.

---

Post Words: 344
Thread Words: 775

This man was far more experienced as far as Raph was concerned in his movements, stabbing the young telekinetic in the leg and, using it as an anchor, pulled Raph towards him, shooting a hot, searing pain up through his leg. Realizing immediately, that this man was planning on pulling Raph into his own attack. Without a doubt, Raph wasn’t the most experienced in terms of these close quarters combat, but he had very little to lose, unlike most of the people that he often fought, unlike many that Erek had probably fought, least that Raph hoped.

As he pulled Raphael forwards, the spines stopped, their hail coming to an end, literal seconds before the two of them would be impaled, and they went sailing through the air together. Contrary to what one might call good strategy, he allowed Erek the opportunity to wrap his arms around Raph, though as this was going on, a new attack was coming up from below, a serpent made of stone, leapt up suddenly into the air and wound its way towards them, seeking to wrap itself around them and bind the two together even as Erek’s arms wrapped around Raph. Even another loss was a learning experience, and this was no different.

“I won’t lie to you,” Raph said. “Not many opponents that I’ve fought have had your kind of expertise for fighting in close quarters.” Not far from where they were going to land, the ground dropped down about five feet, with several spikes of rock erupting from the hole. It was the problem with the way Raph often fought: he wasn’t as concerned with his own well-being and was more than happy to let himself die, so long as he defeated a dangerous adversary. “But some foes aren’t exactly going to care about how good you are at that. “You’re much stronger than I am, I’ll admit, but in the end, maybe it’s more important that you don’t let the enemy win, than it is that you win.” Stupid? Reckless? Yes and yes, but with how much more powerful Erek was than Raph himself, it was about all that he could think to do. “At least you’ve helped me realize how much I need to learn!”

Words: 375

As soon as he felt Raph shift with him, Erek was already moving, his arms wrapping around his torso for a grip-- and as they fell, clenching around so that the tree-limb like arm constricted around Raph's throat instead, and immediately began to apply raw force and pressure. His limb constricting in an attempt to shut off the man's air as he began to talk, he seemed to misunderstand something: Erek didn't care if he wanted to take hits from his own attacks. Whatever ability Raph was using, it relied on his concentration-- and it was difficult to concentrate without oxygen.

His arm tightened, his other hooking around it and pulling it back even further, purposely using the man's own center of gravity against him to increased the effect of the suffocation, how used to this situation he became entirely clear as his arm was pressing into his jaw, using it as the anchor to not only cut off the man's air-- but blood-flow to his brain as well as he pressured the man from both angles in a standard rear naked choke-- his legs purposely wrapped around the man's waist, muscles constricting to cut off movement from his core muscles and make breaking it even more difficult.

Even as the snake constricted them both, Erek's grip didn't loosen-- he knew who had the advantage now, and like a wolf clamping down on the throat of a bucking deer, he had no intention of letting go. His head turtled, and he purposely shifted their weight forward so that instead of continuing their fall into the pit, the fell to the ground forward instead using his legs and core muscles to direct their fall, all the while maintaining his choke hold, tightening it to its limit, even as his own body screamed that his torso was being crushed by the stone snake-- he endured.

A battle of pain tolerance-- when he had the upper hand, and had his arm wrapped around the man's throat-- and had full concentration, compared to the man who was being choked out, and only had a constriction around his body, one that relied on the concentration he was purposely hampering-- was a battle Erek was fully willing to enter. He didn't reply to the man verbally, he didn't talk in a fight unless he had no choice-- talking could be done later. If he was teaching it would be different, but this wasn't teaching, it was a spar-- a fight to see who could win in a contest of skill and power.

Communication was only a weakness, a waste of breath-- something he could not afford.

---

Post Words: 440
Thread Words: 1,215

Raphael had grossly underestimated this warrior, and it was only occurring to him now just HOW much so. As the two sailed through the air, the man’s limbs clamped down on Raphael’s throat, correctly connecting Raphael’s powers with his abilities to concentrate. Worse still, Raph realized that it wasn’t just oxygen flow; the man was trying to cut off the flow of blood to his brain. This would prove disastrous. Worse still as he felt legs tightening around his abdomen, furthering the attempt to cut off his air supply.

Worse still, he’d taken control of their falling momentum, directing them away from injury by impaling. Even the serpent of rock, despite compressing Erek’s body, couldn’t convince the man to release him. Almost immediately causing Raph to realize several errors in judgement he’d made during combat. He still had one weapon, but he didn’t want to use it, especially not against a quincy. He had no way of knowing whether or not this man was with the Quincy Order, and if he was? There was no telling what kind of trouble he could get into. Thus deciding that he was out of options, Raphael tapped on the man’s arm, as his face turned a light shade of blue.

Words: 207

Erek felt the snake tighten, felt the man floundering, and still-- his merciless showed as he continued the mental countdown, that way, even if he somehow broke the hold, Erek would know how long he'd gone in the backward clinch so that he could provide accurate combat tactics afterward.

One-- two-- three-- four--

He grunted, feeling the snake clench tighter, and so he did as well, and then he felt the man relax-- his hand reaching up and tapping his arm before Erek would calmly release him the moment he'd given in, the merciless nature evaporating like smoke the moment the spar was over. His hand even extending to grab the man by the shoulder to help him fall into a seated position instead of just faceplanting into the earth, Erek, remaining polite and calm as ever would let the man recover his breath and proper thought process before offering him a single scar-coated hand with a slight smile.

"Good fight. You have a lot of potentials-- I'm all for trying to injure your opponent by harming yourself as well, but you know," he would sink down, sitting on his heels, "It takes quite a bit of mental fortitude, it's worth a lot of praise-- few people can do it. But if you don't do it right, it's a wasted effort. Say that you did manage to impale us both-- how do you know it would affect me more than it would affect you? What if I had a power that let it just slip through me? What if I turned us so that it only hit you? There were too many unknowns-- panicking and falling back to rely on something like that will get you killed, and then what?" his brow arched a bit, as he offered that slight smile.

"Not going to be much help to other people if you're dead, you know?" Erek wasn't trying to undermine the man's tactics-- "suicide tactics" as they were referred to, or "sacrificial techniques" more officially were a part of many martial arts and combat training, but it wasn't something done lightly. The man had dozens of other potential combat options to try first, to get information, but instead, he had fallen back instantly on them-- something that showed impressive resolve, but also a streak of arrogance or lack of forethought, either of which could get him killed.

"Just food for thought, your abilities, however, are quite interesting-- Geokinesis?" he was curious-- if the man's ability was truly that, it had overwhelming potential and a few weaknesses. But the weaknesses were avoidable, the question was how far his control could go, how much he could change, what he could control, could he change and refine the earth and other materials? Shape them into detailed, unique creations? If that was the case, the only limitations the man had was based on concentration, imagination, spiritual stamina, and the molecular structure of all the different forms of earth, crystal, and so forth.

It was an incredibly potent ability, and could possibly be something even greater than simple Geokinesis-- pure and simple Psychokinesis, in which case it's potential was far, far greater depending on his universal molecular and atomic knowledge.

---

Post Words: 535
Thread Words: 1,750

The man took hold of Raphael far more gently than he had before and helped him land on the ground in a sitting position. The moment that he was sitting down, Raph began to take fairly deep breaths, as his thoughts returned to normal processing, or at least normal for Raph. The moment that he could again start calculating U-substitution, he took the man’s hand and got to his feet with an appreciative grin.

He listened intently to the man’s constructive criticism taking in each question slowly, and trying to process his answers to the question. Yet there was an answer to each one. “One of the great things about my power, until you started choking me out anyways, is that my mind can control every aspect of what I do with it, making it fairly versatile in just about any situation. In truth, had you evaded the snake and kicked off of me, it would’ve caught me. If you’d have thrown me at them they would have merely fallen apart as I neared.”

He nodded at the second. “I agree that dying isn’t useful and in truth it was a rather poor group of tactics to fall back on, just wasn’t certain what else to try.”

The question of his power, though, made Raphael smirk just a bit. “Geokinesis? No.” A tree, roots and all, lifted out of the ground, followed by a patch of stone and a park bench. All three of these floated in the air above Raphael’s head. “Telekinesis, pure and simple.” The bench shattered and Raphael the pieces to make a small serpent of stone and steel. It slithered up to Erek, and watching him. “I can usually maintain a few separate constructs and still utilize my abilities for combat.” The small serpent slithered around Erek once or twice before slithering back to Raph, up and around his leg before finally settling on his shoulder its little tongue even forked out every few seconds. “The problem becomes that rearranging things either at the atomic or molecular level takes more power than I have. Which is why I’m working on improving this ability of mine.” He couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t deny that I should’ve put more thought into my strategy, I’ve got no excuse, honestly. But what about you? You said you’re newly awakened, I suppose you mean exceptionally new. You never even manifested your weapon.” Then he laughed. “That or I’m that bad.” He shook his head. Raphael could feel the knife would already beginning to heal, the bleeding had already stopped and tissue was beginning to rebuild itself inside. Raph hoped that the man didn’t look at his leg, that was hard enough explaining.

Words: 477