Post by Alain Merrick on Sept 4, 2017 13:44:34 GMT -5
Son of a bitch that smarts. He had to get to his feet quickly in case the cloaked and hooded figure was ready for round two. How many times had their paths crossed in the last six months? He couldn’t recall, but he was getting fed up with the results of those meetings, once again being made to look like a fool. As he struggled to his feet, he could tell that a number of ribs on his left side had been broken by the assailant’s flame covered fist. He may have also had other internal injuries, but it was hard to ascertain without a more thorough accounting. He simply knew that it hurt and more than his usual combat injuries. His kosode was also singed, but that was a much lesser issue. Focus Alain. Stretching out with his innate sixth sense, he hunted for the spiritual signature of his attacker. It had grown more familiar in recent months, but their ability to hide themselves was uncanny. There one moment and then gone the next. He never understood how people accomplished the feat, one which he had yet to master. Thus, he simply waited for the next attack. One minute turned into two and then five. After a full ten minutes, he was confident that a second assault wouldn't be forthcoming. Nevertheless, it left him annoyed that the man or woman always fled, but in this instance at least, he was grateful. If he couldn’t handle them at full strength, then what could he do in his damaged state. I really need to talk to Aleith’Sor.
Believing there was no one around to see him, he stopped trying so hard to hide the pained grimace from his face. The exertion to maintain such control was taxing and more trouble than it was worth at present. Leaning back against the alley wall, his eyes drifted to the large hole in the building before him. I wonder what kind of story that they will tell. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to give it much thought as his reverie was broken by a static-like boom overhead. Not good. Merrick hadn’t even had the chance to heal his injuries yet. Maybe they will not notice me. What were the odds of that? He didn't believe in luck anyway. Still, it made him wish that he had the skill to hide himself like someone from Second Division. If he survived, it was going to be something worth pursuing. His immediate concern was getting out of the alley to find a more wide open space for what was likely to come. Leaping to the roof of the building behind him, he quickly scanned for suitable place to make a stand if necessary. Apparently, his chase of the tiny Arrancar had led him to the outskirts of town which bordered a rather sizeable forest. As good of a spot as any. He doubted he had time to lay ambush. As such, his first tactic was to hide. Unsheathing his zanpakuto, he inscribed a bluish-white circle above his head with his free hand. When he dropped his arm, a shimmery transparent column fell around him. As the pillar slowly dissipated, Merrick blended into the environment, fading from view.
Then they appeared on an opposite roof, two Arrancar and they couldn’t have been more different. Whereas the female humanoid was tall and lithe, the male was short and stocky. While the woman appeared to be middle aged and a veteran of combat with calm demeanor, the man looked little more than a teenager with too much energy. Merrick wondered if he even knew how to use the greatsword on his back. The same question didn't extend to the woman and her rapier. He was certain that she could use it and well. Looks could be deceiving at times, but in the absence of additional information, the male would be his first target if things devolved into a fight. In that moment, Alain would have loved to try and analyze their strength, but the act would have given himself away. Perhaps one day he would alter the Kyokko spell to detect others while remaining hidden, but the opportunity hadn’t availed itself yet. While ruminating on the idea, one of the Arrancar finally spoke. It was the boy. This was mildly surprising since the woman seemed like the leader, but Merrick really should have expected it. They were clearly the more impetuous of the two.
“Oy, Shinigami. Boss wants you dead. So come out and play.” Boss? Alain wondered if this was referring to the cloaked and hooded figure or someone else. If the former, then why hadn’t they remained? It was a thought for another time, as the teenager continued. “The longer we wait, the worse it gets.” Was the kid an idiot? Who rushed headlong into an unknown situation? As long as the bakudo functioned as intended, he was content to wait in motionless silence and let him ramble. The woman appeared to be doing the same thing, but after a few minutes more, Merrick noticed her eyes. Although she was standing still, her eyes were constantly moving. Dammit. He recognized the type. People like her, like Merrick himself, they might be slightly slower than their more instinctual counterparts, but they were smart and patient. He would also add, ultimately successful, so he wasn’t shocked when the woman looked in his direction. Freezing in place even more than he had been, he saw her right hand glow with green reiryoku as three bala blasts were fired in quick succession at his center mass. In a burst of his own reiryoku, he would appear seemingly out of nowhere and launch himself towards the forest. The hasty departure was quickly followed by a pair of static pops.
Merrick’s hoho technique was sound, but as the little Arrancar had illustrated earlier in the evening, he wasn’t the swiftest of foot. Fortunately, his only concern at present was to reach the woods where he could use the environment as cover. Obviously, trees weren’t going to stop balas and ceros, but it could obscure vision enough to prevent a killing blow. The downside was that it worked both ways and they were still two to his one. As he suspected, the enemy was just as fast if not faster. He barely had time to land on the forest floor and turn around before he stood face to face with the boy barreling towards him, greatsword drawn. He plainly favored the brute force approach. Alain caught the weapon on his katana, but it required both hands on hilt in order to stop the blow. While their blades were engaged, Merrick attempted to locate the woman. She wasn’t anywhere within his visual range, but he had little doubt that she was out there, waiting and poised to strike.
Trying to utilize his innate sixth sense to locate the woman’s position would have been difficult at the best of times, but it was made all the more difficult by being locked in combat with someone else. A shift in focus at the wrong time could prove fatal. Thankfully, the jolt of adrenaline was mitigating some of the pain from his injuries, allowing him to fight with a reasonable degree of success. While this did little to help him find the woman, it did allow him to partially avoid her initial attack. Dropping down from above, she attempted to impale him through the top of the head. Instead, he was able to push away from the greatsword and spin to one side, resulting in a lesser wound to top of the shoulder. Though now he had to contend with two opponents. He knew that it was always going to be the case, but the reality hadn’t set in until he stood across from the pair with their weapons drawn. Merrick needed an effective plan and quickly.
Taking out one of the targets as fast as possible was the best case scenario. Well, avoiding combat altogether was best, but that ship had sailed. So removing the boy still seemed like the way to go. Despite having arrived first, his first attack gave the impression that he was the slower and less skilled fighter. Likewise, elaborate tactics would probably not part of his repertoire. It wasn’t a guarantee of course, but direct action seemed to suit him. The woman was another matter. She had attacked from the shadows while Merrick was distracted. Then there was her weapon. He didn’t relish contending with the rapier. She was deft of blade and foot and would undoubtedly require his full attention to match. Therefore, tackling the kid was his best option, but how best to go about it. Alain had a fondness for fighting at a distance. Sticking your nose somewhere that it didn’t belong, was good a way to get it cut off. As such, he tended to favor bakudo over zanjutsu, but he knew that both talents would be required to escape this situation. Eventually, he settled on a simple bakudo. Any unnecessary complexity was merely more opportunity for something to go wrong.
“Bakudo #4 Hainawa.” Forming a bluish-white rope of energy about his left hand, he threw it towards the heavyset youth. His goal was to bind either the weapon, arms or both. Any outcome would probably prove enough of a distraction to one whom he saw as an inexperienced fighter. Proving to be as slow as expected, the crackling rope of reishi wrapped around the blade’s length as well as both forearms, greatly reducing the effectiveness of the first Arrancar. Without a moment of hesitation, he dashed forward, lowering his zanpakuto into a thrusting position aimed at the chest. Out of the periphery of his vision, he saw the woman swooping in from his left. Releasing his end of the binding rope, he replaced it with a hastily formed spinning disc of condensed reishi. “Bakudo #39 Enkosen.” Due to crafting it quickly and with a single hand, the size was smaller than he would have liked and weaker than the normal spell. When the rapier tip struck his improvised shield, it penetrated and shattered his construct, applying another small puncture to Merrick's forearm. Likewise, the momentum of her strike was such that she knocked his thrust off target. He still had managed to run the Arrancar through, but the katana hit inches below and to the right of the heart, leaving him alive, but temporarily out of commission.
Whether the pair were on good terms was unknown to Alain, but the woman had just used a hit and run tactic which left her comrade to fend for himself. Still bound and writhing on the ground, Alain wasn’t taking any chances. He stood over the Arrancar, stepping on the blade to pin it to the earth as he severed head from body. Then his attention turned to the woman who had disappeared yet again. Moving to the center of the small clearing, he grasped the hilt in both hands. With the first Arrancar dispatched, the adrenaline was starting to fade, revealing that his forearm injury was worse than he had known. Similarly, the pain in his left side was almost back in its entirety, but now accompanied with even more labored breathing. On a positive note, he had completely forgotten about the shoulder wound, minor by comparison. In any case, he needed to make of show of being better off than he truly was. Regrettably, he doubted that this would work if the woman was as experienced as he believed.
Standing in the clearing for what seemed like an hour, he waited for her attack. At the same time, he was attempting to track her reiatsu signature, but his focus was lacking. So when the assault finally came, it was fast, furious and launched from multiple directions. One on one and at full strength, he probably would have bested her easily. Barring any foolish mistakes of course, but he wasn’t at full strength anymore. This was going to be death by a thousand paper cuts. She never caught him flush with one of her weapon thrusts, but he also didn’t avoid them completely. It left his body marred with multiple nicks on both arms, legs and sides. With each additional cut, the zanpakuto became heavier and more difficult to hold. When he was certain that the weapon was going to fall from his hand, the woman spoke. She must have sensed it too. “Nothing personal. We do what we must.” Alain could respect the familiar sentiment, but was this really how it was going to end.
2106/2106
Believing there was no one around to see him, he stopped trying so hard to hide the pained grimace from his face. The exertion to maintain such control was taxing and more trouble than it was worth at present. Leaning back against the alley wall, his eyes drifted to the large hole in the building before him. I wonder what kind of story that they will tell. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to give it much thought as his reverie was broken by a static-like boom overhead. Not good. Merrick hadn’t even had the chance to heal his injuries yet. Maybe they will not notice me. What were the odds of that? He didn't believe in luck anyway. Still, it made him wish that he had the skill to hide himself like someone from Second Division. If he survived, it was going to be something worth pursuing. His immediate concern was getting out of the alley to find a more wide open space for what was likely to come. Leaping to the roof of the building behind him, he quickly scanned for suitable place to make a stand if necessary. Apparently, his chase of the tiny Arrancar had led him to the outskirts of town which bordered a rather sizeable forest. As good of a spot as any. He doubted he had time to lay ambush. As such, his first tactic was to hide. Unsheathing his zanpakuto, he inscribed a bluish-white circle above his head with his free hand. When he dropped his arm, a shimmery transparent column fell around him. As the pillar slowly dissipated, Merrick blended into the environment, fading from view.
Then they appeared on an opposite roof, two Arrancar and they couldn’t have been more different. Whereas the female humanoid was tall and lithe, the male was short and stocky. While the woman appeared to be middle aged and a veteran of combat with calm demeanor, the man looked little more than a teenager with too much energy. Merrick wondered if he even knew how to use the greatsword on his back. The same question didn't extend to the woman and her rapier. He was certain that she could use it and well. Looks could be deceiving at times, but in the absence of additional information, the male would be his first target if things devolved into a fight. In that moment, Alain would have loved to try and analyze their strength, but the act would have given himself away. Perhaps one day he would alter the Kyokko spell to detect others while remaining hidden, but the opportunity hadn’t availed itself yet. While ruminating on the idea, one of the Arrancar finally spoke. It was the boy. This was mildly surprising since the woman seemed like the leader, but Merrick really should have expected it. They were clearly the more impetuous of the two.
“Oy, Shinigami. Boss wants you dead. So come out and play.” Boss? Alain wondered if this was referring to the cloaked and hooded figure or someone else. If the former, then why hadn’t they remained? It was a thought for another time, as the teenager continued. “The longer we wait, the worse it gets.” Was the kid an idiot? Who rushed headlong into an unknown situation? As long as the bakudo functioned as intended, he was content to wait in motionless silence and let him ramble. The woman appeared to be doing the same thing, but after a few minutes more, Merrick noticed her eyes. Although she was standing still, her eyes were constantly moving. Dammit. He recognized the type. People like her, like Merrick himself, they might be slightly slower than their more instinctual counterparts, but they were smart and patient. He would also add, ultimately successful, so he wasn’t shocked when the woman looked in his direction. Freezing in place even more than he had been, he saw her right hand glow with green reiryoku as three bala blasts were fired in quick succession at his center mass. In a burst of his own reiryoku, he would appear seemingly out of nowhere and launch himself towards the forest. The hasty departure was quickly followed by a pair of static pops.
Merrick’s hoho technique was sound, but as the little Arrancar had illustrated earlier in the evening, he wasn’t the swiftest of foot. Fortunately, his only concern at present was to reach the woods where he could use the environment as cover. Obviously, trees weren’t going to stop balas and ceros, but it could obscure vision enough to prevent a killing blow. The downside was that it worked both ways and they were still two to his one. As he suspected, the enemy was just as fast if not faster. He barely had time to land on the forest floor and turn around before he stood face to face with the boy barreling towards him, greatsword drawn. He plainly favored the brute force approach. Alain caught the weapon on his katana, but it required both hands on hilt in order to stop the blow. While their blades were engaged, Merrick attempted to locate the woman. She wasn’t anywhere within his visual range, but he had little doubt that she was out there, waiting and poised to strike.
Trying to utilize his innate sixth sense to locate the woman’s position would have been difficult at the best of times, but it was made all the more difficult by being locked in combat with someone else. A shift in focus at the wrong time could prove fatal. Thankfully, the jolt of adrenaline was mitigating some of the pain from his injuries, allowing him to fight with a reasonable degree of success. While this did little to help him find the woman, it did allow him to partially avoid her initial attack. Dropping down from above, she attempted to impale him through the top of the head. Instead, he was able to push away from the greatsword and spin to one side, resulting in a lesser wound to top of the shoulder. Though now he had to contend with two opponents. He knew that it was always going to be the case, but the reality hadn’t set in until he stood across from the pair with their weapons drawn. Merrick needed an effective plan and quickly.
Taking out one of the targets as fast as possible was the best case scenario. Well, avoiding combat altogether was best, but that ship had sailed. So removing the boy still seemed like the way to go. Despite having arrived first, his first attack gave the impression that he was the slower and less skilled fighter. Likewise, elaborate tactics would probably not part of his repertoire. It wasn’t a guarantee of course, but direct action seemed to suit him. The woman was another matter. She had attacked from the shadows while Merrick was distracted. Then there was her weapon. He didn’t relish contending with the rapier. She was deft of blade and foot and would undoubtedly require his full attention to match. Therefore, tackling the kid was his best option, but how best to go about it. Alain had a fondness for fighting at a distance. Sticking your nose somewhere that it didn’t belong, was good a way to get it cut off. As such, he tended to favor bakudo over zanjutsu, but he knew that both talents would be required to escape this situation. Eventually, he settled on a simple bakudo. Any unnecessary complexity was merely more opportunity for something to go wrong.
“Bakudo #4 Hainawa.” Forming a bluish-white rope of energy about his left hand, he threw it towards the heavyset youth. His goal was to bind either the weapon, arms or both. Any outcome would probably prove enough of a distraction to one whom he saw as an inexperienced fighter. Proving to be as slow as expected, the crackling rope of reishi wrapped around the blade’s length as well as both forearms, greatly reducing the effectiveness of the first Arrancar. Without a moment of hesitation, he dashed forward, lowering his zanpakuto into a thrusting position aimed at the chest. Out of the periphery of his vision, he saw the woman swooping in from his left. Releasing his end of the binding rope, he replaced it with a hastily formed spinning disc of condensed reishi. “Bakudo #39 Enkosen.” Due to crafting it quickly and with a single hand, the size was smaller than he would have liked and weaker than the normal spell. When the rapier tip struck his improvised shield, it penetrated and shattered his construct, applying another small puncture to Merrick's forearm. Likewise, the momentum of her strike was such that she knocked his thrust off target. He still had managed to run the Arrancar through, but the katana hit inches below and to the right of the heart, leaving him alive, but temporarily out of commission.
Whether the pair were on good terms was unknown to Alain, but the woman had just used a hit and run tactic which left her comrade to fend for himself. Still bound and writhing on the ground, Alain wasn’t taking any chances. He stood over the Arrancar, stepping on the blade to pin it to the earth as he severed head from body. Then his attention turned to the woman who had disappeared yet again. Moving to the center of the small clearing, he grasped the hilt in both hands. With the first Arrancar dispatched, the adrenaline was starting to fade, revealing that his forearm injury was worse than he had known. Similarly, the pain in his left side was almost back in its entirety, but now accompanied with even more labored breathing. On a positive note, he had completely forgotten about the shoulder wound, minor by comparison. In any case, he needed to make of show of being better off than he truly was. Regrettably, he doubted that this would work if the woman was as experienced as he believed.
Standing in the clearing for what seemed like an hour, he waited for her attack. At the same time, he was attempting to track her reiatsu signature, but his focus was lacking. So when the assault finally came, it was fast, furious and launched from multiple directions. One on one and at full strength, he probably would have bested her easily. Barring any foolish mistakes of course, but he wasn’t at full strength anymore. This was going to be death by a thousand paper cuts. She never caught him flush with one of her weapon thrusts, but he also didn’t avoid them completely. It left his body marred with multiple nicks on both arms, legs and sides. With each additional cut, the zanpakuto became heavier and more difficult to hold. When he was certain that the weapon was going to fall from his hand, the woman spoke. She must have sensed it too. “Nothing personal. We do what we must.” Alain could respect the familiar sentiment, but was this really how it was going to end.
2106/2106
