Bleach Hereafter RPG

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"Oh my."

He reached past the woman to grab a handful of napkins from the dispenser on the counter and then handed them to her with a warm smile.

"Have a good day now, miss."

Iroh, who was wearing an open Hawaiian-style button up with red and orange iris flowers spattered over a black background and a pair of black swim trunks, offered a wave and then turned to walk away.

He was certain of it, the woman was undoubtedly a Quincy. How fortuitous! The Shinigami had initially come to the beach on his day off to relax in the sun with some of the other 10th Division Members. They often entered the Material World to partake in such activities on their days off. He never expected to run into an actual Quincy.

However, there were too many humans around, too much potential for collateral damage. Now was certainly not the time.

- - -

Later that evening...

Iroh stood atop a boulder that overlooked the beach. The waves washed up against the wet sand and the moon hung brightly in the night sky. The beach was empty, closed for the night. The shops nearby had all closed up and most everyone had gone home.

His flame patterned white cape flapped behind him as his unblinking golden-red eyes scanned the horizon. He liked the sound of the waves and the quiet of the nighttime. It wasn't often he got to enjoy it.

He stood there for some time, waiting for the Quincy to show. He expected she would have recognized his aura like he did hers.

BATTLE INFO
1d100

For a brief few, long moments Eisa felt herself paralysed by the situation, her pale cheeks reddening as she was lost in the handsome stranger#' face.

She took the napkins from him on auto-pilot, and thanked him as politely as she could.

She was completely aware of his aura, of course. And she had no doubt he was aware of hers.

Yet it was not entirely surprise at finding an enemy that made her so dazed, nor the heat and confusion of the moment.

Something about this well-built, fiery haired man made her blood quicken in a way that could not be attributed only to anticipation of a fight.

Walking back after the brief encounter with her husband's ice-cream, all thoughts of her own mishap and lost ice-cream forgotten, she struggled to sort out the fresh influx of feelings and thoughts that the chance meeting by the beach had caused.

Lacking clarity or experience with such feelings, she defaulted to her training, and began to assess him purely in terms of what was most obvious: that he was an enemy, with comparable Reiatsu to her own, and a presence here that demanded investigation, if not outright confrontation.

The beach was far too crowded for that, however, and she had no way of knowing what a fight at this time might bring in ways of attention. For all she knew he was here with his whole division on vacation. Shinigami had vacations too, she presumed.

Returning to where her husband was sullenly reading, she gave him his ice-cream, and he grunted out a small thank you, which would have annoyed her if her thoughts weren't already preoccupied.

"We have a problem, Tetsuo."
"Oh?"
"I ran into a Shinigami at the concession stand."
"oh...wait, what?!"
His emotional reaction was bittersweet. If only he could show so much animation about other things in their relationship, she thought.

"Relax. It was obvious to both of us that conflict at this time would be...inopportune."

Tetsuo began moving about nervously, scanning the beach, his own senses straining to detect Reiatsu. It was nice to see him take the situation seriously, but also sad that he seemed so nervous about it. True, Shinigami were sworn enemies, but it was hard not to see a lingering, shameful cowardice as the cause for his concern, rather than any sense of duty or protectiveness towards her.

"We should leave. Pack up the things. You know I can't fight right now." Tetsuo said, his tone frantic.
She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Relax. I wont let anything happen to you. Or to me, either. And since when have we run with our tails between our legs? I doubt he will do anything at this beach. Try to relax and enjoy yourself."
He stared at her like she was mad. She sighed, realising that in his agitated state any hope of a relaxing day at the beach was ruined.
I doubt the stranger or his associates are nearly as worried about encountering me. She thought bitterly.

"Fine. Let's head out to a hotel. Once your secure I'll investigate this Shinigami's presence. I will observe from a distance, and only engage if it is very clear he is alone."
"You don't need to engage him at all! What if he's really strong?"
"Thank you for your concern Tetsuo." She said half-sadly, knowing he wasn't really concerned about her at all. "But I am a trained Leutnant, and a powerful Quincy in my own right. I can assure you, I sensed nothing to indicate he was a significant threat to me."
"Now, Eisa-san..."
The use of "san" instead of "chan" was not lost on Eisa, for all that she was not native to Japan. She had taken great care to become extremely proficient in the language and all its subtleties, a courtesy Tetsuo had never bothered to return by mastering German.

But she ignored it. She was determined, both about her duty and satisfying her own personal curiosity.

What kind of man is this Shinigami? An honourable adversary? Will he be alone? Will there be many? A despicable trap? Even if they intend to kill me, I must know. I will not be a prisoner to fear, like Tetsuo has become.
I will show him by my example how to be the man he once was.

She drowned out his voice as they packed up and left, mere minutes after they had arrived. She ignored him as they walked up the promenade, both his and her senses on full alert for any other possible reiatsu signatures, before they found a small hostel, booked a room, and set up to while away the day in relative safety.

Tetsuo eventually calmed down, and went back to reading.

She changed out of her bikini into her formal uniform, and he barely looked up from his book.

This seemed the worst insult of all that day.

Oh Shinigami, I doubt your blade will ever be sharp enough to cut me as deeply as this.

Affixing her pin, she admired herself in the mirror. She looked every inch the proud Quincy Officer, a hunter without peer. Her face was immaculate and emotionless, her eyes cold and unfeeling.

Perfect.

The hours before sunset fell were agonising, and she and Tetsuo kept mostly to themselves. He tried several times to convince her not to go, but she only got angrier and more determined to go the harder he tried. If she could believe for even a second that his words came from a place of true, unselfish concern for her well-being, that it was love that made him fear for her, then she might very well have given in to temptation, to abandon her duty as a Quincy in confronting this enemy.

But always, always she could see the frantic fear in his eyes. The fear that said "if you go, I will be alone, and they might come find me."
And it was that repulsive, manic, cowardly behaviour on his part that fuelled her determination.

When sunset came, it was almost a relief. Her vacation had been ruined, but she was determined to get some fun.

Despite what she had said to her husband, she had no intention of mere reconnaissance.

She would fight this Shinigami.

She found him, mercifully alone, waiting on a quiet, deserted stretch of sand.

She flew in until she was visible, some one hundred metres from him. Closer than she would have liked. Her preference was to snipe from extreme distances.

But she wanted him to be aware of her presence before she began attacking. She was no coward, and she wanted to show this foe, however hated, that she was a Quincy by blood and by nature. That they were enemies was a given. But there were -standards- to be maintained, after all.

She yelled out as she approached, though it was hardly necessary. He undoubtedly could detect her Reiatsu, now that they were both free of distractions.

"My name is Eisa Steinfeld. First Leutenant of the Vorhuts Brigade. Thank you for the napkins, Shinigami." She said with full formalness, bowing to him while still at a distance.

"Though I must fight you at range, I have no intentions of dishonouring you or myself. Our fight will be clean, according to the Old Rules."

She did not specifcy what the "old rules" were. if this Shinigami did not know, then that was his problem, not hers.

1d100

He took one last look at the moon above and then turned his gaze in the direction of the incoming Quincy. His smile returned as she landed some distance away from him. His instincts about her had proven true. Even for an enemy, she maintained decorum and honor. This would be a good fight.

"My name is Eisa Steinfeld. First Lieutenant of the Vorhuts Brigade. Thank you for the napkins, Shinigami."

Iroh offered a simple bow of the head in acknowledgment.

"Though I must fight you at range, I have no intentions of dishonouring you or myself. Our fight will be clean, according to the Old Rules."

The shinigami unfolded his arms. His left elbow rested against his zanpakuto, his fingers curling loosely around the cap of the sword's hilt, while his right arm fell to his side.

"An honor to meet you, First Lieutenant Eisa Steinfeld!"

His unblinking eyes shimmered and his voice carried over the distance between them.

"My name is Iroh Tsukishima, 3rd Seat in the 10th Division of the honorable Gotei 13!"

Again, his voice carried his excitement for the bout to begin. His left foot slid back in a half circle motion against the hard surface of the boulder so that only his right side faced her. His left arm moved from resting on his sword to taking a firm grasp of the scabbard. His thumb pressed against the underside of the guard, ready to unsheathe the blade. His right arm moved around to his left side and his fingers wrapped firmly around the hilt of his sword.

"I'm looking forward to this! Come at me when ready!"

BATTLE INFO

Using her honed senses, she heard and acknowledged Iroh's response to her opening challenge.

Shedding her Quincy battle dress cape, She swung her arms wide, her Holy Bow-staff materialising horizontally into her white-gloved hands.

Without any further ceremony or hesitation, she immediately drew back the spirit string from her stave's cross-piece, and unleashed her first opening salvo against the waiting foe.

Her eyes blazed with power, and the shots arced and fell on Tsukishima's position with air-splitting force.

They weren't her most powerful shots, of course, simply an opening salvo, to test his reactions, and gauge the range between them better.

She anticipated that he would dodge this attack, and prepared herself to unleash a more fierce volley once he began moving. There was some distance between them, and she doubted a Shinigami of his reiatsu level could close the distance between them that quickly.

Then again, he might surprise her.

Though her face betrayed no emotion, inwardly she smiled. How long had it been since she'd had a fight to test her mettle like this?


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Iroh watched from his perch atop the smooth boulder as the First Lieutenant summoned her spirit weapon. Typically of the Quincy it was a bow-type weapon. His red-gold eyes were unwavering, staring ahead as she pulled back on the bow and then released her opening shots.

The shots exploded forth from the bow, flew up and then arced back down atop him. As they hit their mark, a smokescreen of sand, dirt, and debris kicked up all around the boulder where he was standing. Eventually his shadow could be seen and then the yellow-brown dust cloud cleared to reveal Iroh, unharmed, still standing atop the boulder. He had one hand outstretched and his palm was singed and slightly darkened from the impact of the blasts.

He opened and closed his fist a few times and then let it fall again to his side. For a moment, Iroh was disappointed. He hoped she would be stronger than that, but then he realized she was likely just testing him with a weaker salvo from her weapon. A smile quickly spread across his face as he returned his gaze back to her direction. Well then, he would reply in kind.

He unsheathed his zanpakuto and held it up in front of him, turning it so it was horizontal and parallel with the ground.

"Ignite, Izanagi!"

Suddenly his blade turned red and the air around it distorted due to the heat. Then it erupted in a burst of flames. His cape flew backwards and rippled from the sudden release of energy. His hair and uniform fluttered as the sword continued to burn brightly. His spot on the rock must have looked like some kind of huge torch from her distance.

He pulled back his arm, as if cocking it to eventually swing forward. The area around his person slowly became alight with fire and flames as his arm moved. By the time he arm was fully pulled back, the boulder and all the sand nearby was completely engulfed in flames yet Iroh remained unharmed in the center of the localized inferno.

The air outside the roaring fire was arid and harsh, like walking through a desert with the sun bearing down on you.

With one swift movement, his arm snapped around to his front. The sword swung forward in a half-circle and sent a torrent of rolling flames towards her. Just like her previous attack, this one was a weak blast of fire meant only to test her resolve.

BATTLE INFO
1d100·1d100+10·1d8

Even at this distance Eisa could feel the searing inferno that now roared around the Shinigami. She felt she could almost see the same heat and passion in his eyes. Taking her by mild suprise, he unleashed his burning, swirling wave of firey spirit energy without trying to close the distance. A ranged attack from a Shinigami was not something she had anticipated, but she had expected to be attacked, and so her guard was easily raised.

Her bowstaff and the reishi swirling around it intercepted the blast, and dissipated the scorching heat and crackling flames in firey streaks to her left and right, blackening the ground in ashen-trails around her.

As the flames dimmed around her, she noticed that some spectral flickers still clung to her uniform, charring her sleeves and arms. She beat at the flames, but found that their ethereal nature clung on, burning without consuming, hot but not destructive. Her fingers and hands hurt from the unnatural heat, but her skin did not blister or blacken.

A curious phenomena, and a disconcerting one. No doubt some sort of curse-fire, she surmised.  Straightening her hat, and focusing with the steely will that was her trademark, she raised her bowstaff again, her eyes watering only a little from the painful spirit-fire that clung to her sides.

She drew back her spirit string twice more, a sharp crackle of pain lancing through her, but affecting her aim but a little.  Undiminished, each white-blue bolt snapped forth with the speed of an eyeblink and the air-crack speed of a thunderbolt.

This was turning into quite a tidy exhibition, and she strongly suspected that her opponent was still warming up, much as she was. Usually she did not bother with such fancy courtesies- when fighting Hollows or other vermin, she usually unleashed her full, devastating power to eradicate them as quickly as possible.

But here she was taking her time, gradually escalating the conflict, seeing how her opponent would react, and trying to prepare herself against whatever he would try next.

No words were spoken, for none were needed. Her opponent's intentions, even at this distance, were as clear as day, for in the flickering fires that surrounded him, she could see the reflection of the icy, cold power that emanated from her own heart.

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From across the beach, he watched with a glimmer in his unblinking eyes. The ever changing, ever shifting flames played and danced about him, but somehow he suffered no burns or even scorch marks. The flames licked his cape and his uniform just like they did to her, but he was not harmed at all.

He gazed intently at her as she mitigated the fire from his swing of Izanagi by cutting into it and diverting the blaze to either side of her. However, little bits of hot embers floated through the air. Any that touched her burned immensely but did not start a new flame. It just hurt, a lot.

His smile grew a little bit. He enjoyed watching how Izanagi's flames affected others. It was not out of any sadistic nature or anything quite so twisted, no... he actually like to see if and how they can foil it to continue fighting. Deep inside, a part of him wants them to overcome them. He wants a strong opponent that can withstand these meager flames and force him to grow stronger, force Izanagi to evolve.

Suddenly the loud thunder-crack noise of Eisa's bow shots brought him back into the moment. He watched as the first blast dissipated against his flames. The next soared right past him. He didn't even have to move. It was close though, maybe a warning shot? He would give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that it was intentional.

Iroh nodded once it was his turn. They seemed to be trading fire in some sort of exhibition and he was having fun so there was really no need to change the beat. Not yet anyway.

His first swing had been light, barely any effort put into it. It was only meant to test her. This time, his next swing was heavier. He put more weight into it and sent a rolling wave of flames racing toward her. But then he swung with his backhand and sent a second wave following the first, just as powerful too. If they were to be escalating, this would suit that purpose well.

The charging blaze tore into the sand and left a smoking black trail behind, like a skid mark of sorts. It almost looked like lava that had just burst through to the surface. Bit of it glowed red-orange until it cooled and turned black.

All the while, he stood upon his perch on top of that large boulder. His cape fluttered in the hot air created by the flames that now surrounded him. He was almost giddy wondering what she would throw at him next.

BATTLE INFO
1d100+30·1d12·1d100+30·1d12

The massive burning waves that came at here were too massive to guard against, and too fast to dodge completely.

Nonetheless, she leapt into the air with preternatural grace and speed, the heated air whipping at her as she felt the rolling fire pass beneath her heels.

It was not enough to avoid the Shinigami's attacks completely however, and she had but a moment to throw her arms up in front of her face vainly as a firey strike engulfed her, her white sleeves and jacket blackening and burning, her skin blistering horribly beneath. 

She cried out, her pain was too great to suppress the reaction completely.

Her arms were on fire, and this would hinder her greatly as the fight progressed unless she stepped up her game considerably. 

Reishi would heal it all, of course, given time.

But her opponent was unlikely to give her any respite.


It was time to move, and fight smarter as well as harder. 

Eyes watering from the pain, she forced her still blazing arms to respond. Stretching out twitching, aching fingers, she opened herself to her true nature, and Absorbed what lingering Reishi she could from the foe's attack. She would need all she could get to survive.

The trickle helped calm her, and deadened the pain somewhat. A reminder that she was not truly human, but something better, something more.

Concerntrating hard, she tried to pretend like her arms weren't engulfed in licking, corscuating spirit-fire.

As if she was conducting a drill, she inspected and examined her Heilige Bogen, and was relieved to see that the Shini's flames had not damaged her weapon. 

Still. She didn't have the luxury of continuing to fight like this was an exhibition.

Her opponent was clearly already getting ready for their next attack.

No time to think, she acted instinctively, changing her tactics on impulse and from long experience practising with her family and, later, her husband.

Eisa summoned her string once more, and this time prepared two very different and powerful bolts for her opponent, to be fired on the move.

Leaping to her feet nimbly and sprinting for the shore-side, she fired off the first shot, a white, scintillating bolt designed to inflict the First Bakudo, a Kido-shot designed to restrain and immobilise the Shinigami, not harm him.

Not pausing or waiting to see if the shot connected, she channelled a massive amount of Reishi, feeling her blood thundering in her veins as she did so.

It was that Blood that sang to her now, reminding her of who and what she was, and what she was fighting.

My blood is pure. My aim is true.

No time for ceremony or finesse. She unleashed all of the Reishi in a series of massive, crackling blue-lightning bolts, shrieking howitzer-like bolts of raw energy that made up her signature attack, Das Geweit Kannonade, arcing across the beach towards her foe.

Each bolt was easily the size of an artillery shell, and their impact cracked the earth and shattered the glass of distant buildings with its thunder-clap.

She began to dash along the wet, surf-crashed sand, letting the cool salty air sooth her skin and calm her nerves. She now did something counter-intuitive to her usual strategy as a Quincy: She began to close the distance.

Her bow still in hand, string drawn, she began to sprint towards the Shinigami, her eyes trained on him like a Hawk.

Lets see who blinks first.

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Iroh was impressed with the woman's tenacity. Even up against Izanagi's raging fire, she persevered. He hoped her strong will would hold out against his flames.

She darted towards the shore-side of the beach and struck her first shot, a quick bolt of reishi which felt almost exactly like Sai, a kido binding spell. The bolt struck him in the shoulder but quickly fizzled away against the flames and the binding effect never really took hold.

He never looked away from her, even after getting struck by her spirit arrow. His eyes glowed red-orange as she unleashed a massive burst of energy in the form of a barrage of reishi bolts. Each one fired echoed across the beach almost like the sound of thunder, a huge KRACKA-THOOM! upon firing.

Iroh braced himself, not intending to dodge or avoid these shots. He wanted to see how powerful they were. Upon impact, the bolts sizzled against his flames. Izanagi completely obliterated some of them before they even reached him, but others broke through the fire and pierced into him. They struck him in the chest, stomach, right thigh, and left arm. One even grazed across the left side of his head.

The bolts were quickly consumed by the flames, but his wounds started to bleed anyway. Blood trailed down the side of his face and down his mid-section, his leg and his arm. His uniform became damp with the warm liquid.

Yet through it all, his disposition never changed. His smile grew wider and his eyes glistened in the flames.

"Excellent!"

He said in a rush of excitement as she dashed swiftly across the beach and closed the distance between them.

Iroh was no stranger to close-quarters combat, having trained with his father since he was just a child. So when she approached, he was more than ready. Quickly, he charged at her and slid into the sand, using the momentum to power an uppercut. He pushed off of the soft ground with his foot and used his free hand to punch straight up, aiming for her chin. Whether it connected or not, while in mid-air, he continued the momentum by spinning his body into a roundhouse kick. His body twirled in the air and his sandal-clad foot lashed out aiming again for her chin.

The whole time, he held Izanagi close, but behind his back, not wanting to use it's flames for attack just yet.

BATTLE INFO
1d100+10·1d8·1d100+10·1d8

What had begun as an exhibitionary match had quickly escalated into a desperate, close-range life-or-death melee of the kind that Eisa's instructors would have been dismayed to see her throw herself into.

She could easily have retained the distance, and continued to fight this Shinigami in the manner of the Jager,or Hunter- sniping at him, launching barrages, keeping cover and distance between her and him.

But something in her gut, in her deep instinct, told her that this would be unsatisfactory, a dishonourable way of prolonging a fight with a foregone conclusion.

For despite everything she had heard, everything she had believed, the evidence of her own eyes told her that this Shinigami could outmatch her at range. His fiery fury was such that it seemed almost unquenchable, and would likely knock her out or consume her entirely if she continued to try to trade shots with him.

So she did what seemed natural, for all that it was counter-intuitive and entirely against all her training and reason.

She ran -into- the fire.

She braced lightly as she was hit by the Backdraft from Iroh's flames, and had all of a second to react to his own head-long charge at her. She raised her Stave, meeting his sliding uppercut. She could see the reflected hell-fire in his eyes, the blood-dripping down his face, the wild joyous grin on his face. In every way this Iroh exuded an aura of the demonic, living up to the stereotype of Shinigami in a most unexpected and yet strangely satisfying way.

Fire against Ice. Passion against Intuition. His Fury against my Discipline.

Her face was stony and un-moving, even as her skin became red and sore, her eyebrows singed, bits of soot and ash from the fires raging around her staining her uniform. But her eyes matched his, an infinite coldness exuding from her deep blues.

His roundhouse kick came by suprise. She had been so busy gazing into his eyes she hadn't seen it coming. Her ears rung, and she felt blood dribbling from her nose. But she managed to keep her footing, and before he could attack again she raised her Bow-stave once more.

She swung at him with it, forcing some distance between them, not caring if the blow struck.

She backed up a few paces, but she was already gathering another huge, draining amount of Reishi. She could feel the combination of blows, cuts, and burns were wearing her down, whereas her opponent still seemed implacable, barely fazed by her attacks. She had to try to finish this, and quickly, before he finished her.

She split the reishi she was channelling, as she had done moments before. Drawing back her spirit-string, knowing she had no time to aim, she fired off icy-white bolts of the Bakudo Soegeki, each bolt exuding a numbing, icy cold designed to cripple and freeze the blood of those it impacted with.

But this was but the appetiser. She delivered her main-course, an enormous, unfocused, explosion of raw reishi power, a point-blank Das Geweit Kannonade.

The effect was tremendous. The ground beneath them cracked, Eisa's ear-drums burst, and her eyes were temporarily blinded by sand and ash. She kidded back another few yards, feeling the sea lapping at her feet.

As the dust cleared, her breathing ragged, she tried to focus, and see what had become of her foe after such a desperate and devastating series of attacks.

If that didn't finish him. She thought. Chances are I will be the one finished now.


1d100·1d100+20·1d100+20·4d10·1d10

Eisa had blocked his uppercut with her bow but his roundhouse made it through, yet even then the light kick was not enough to really do much damage. That was intentional though. Iroh didn't want the fight to end so instead of pressing her with Izanagi's fire, he was provoking her with quick melee attacks.

And from how she replied, it seemed to be working. Maybe even to Iroh's detriment.

She gained some distance and as she slid back, he could feel her siphoning off some of his reishi. He watched as the energy particles floated away from him and were absorbed into her body. It was a smart move to drain his energy reserves. If he had no energy, he couldn't fight at his fullest potential.

After replenishing her own reserves, Eisa came at him once more. She quickly fired off a few rapid icy bolts that were similar to Soegeki. The bolts struck him in the legs and thighs and he could feel his blood freezing up which was causing his muscles to lock up. Seemed like she was trying to inhibit him as much as possible. A clever tactic.

But then, a truly stunning move. She appeared dead center in front of him and let off one of her resounding Das Geweit Kannonade attacks. The bright burst of energy made a sound similar to a sonic boom and knocked him off of his feet and sent him tumbling backwards across the sand.

When the dust had cleared, he was still struggling to get to his feet, using Izanagi to lean on for support. The crippling effect of the ice bolt she used earlier was taking its toll. His uniform from the mid-section up was completely destroyed in the front and hanging down in tatters in the back. His sleeves and cape were completely gone. From the waist up he was covered in burns and open wounds.

His breathing was shallow but somehow that smile still remained. He lifted his chin to look at her once more.

"Splendid attack!"

Iroh genuinely meant it too and while he took a moment to center himself again, he charged her directly like before. Once more, he held Izanagi behind him and attacked using only his free hand and legs. Just before reaching her, he flipped backwards, letting his foot lash out to strike her in the face. Whether the attack hit or not, once he touched down on the sand again, he thrust his left fist forward in a quick jab. The jab was aimed at her mid-section, intended to knock the air out of her.

BATTLE INFO
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"Splendid Attack!"

His words were unexpected, and struck an odd chord. They were each of them sincerely trying to kill the other, and yet the Shinigami was showing her a degree of martial respect and honour that she hadn't even experienced from many other Quincies. It was an odd feeling.

But such thoughts were quickly scattered, as his rapid onslaught came out of the dust-haze. She narrowly dodged his fancy kicks, but couldn't avoid the follow-up punch to her solar plexus, driving her to her knees. She coughed and spluttered in the ashen-dust, her knees weak, blood flowing freely down her face, her uniform stained and torn. She held on to her Stave for support to keep from toppling over.

This fight was almost over, she knew. Her foe had survived her most powerful attacks twice, and was still coming at her. She was running low on Reishi too, even despite her efforts to absorb more.

She looked up at him, his blazing eyes, his triumphant grin. If she waited a second longer, he would deliver a coup de grace with his fiery blade, of that she had no doubt.

She couldn't draw her spirit string. Her strength was too depleted for more powerful bolts.

But there was something she could do.

Her eyes blazed with icy-blue light.

With her free hand, she pointed directly at her opponent, focusing all her remaining Reishi into this. If she couldn't channel the bolts through her Bow-stave, she would unleash them as raw lightning at him, point-blank.

"Blitzen!" She yelled, and white lightning crackled forth from her finger-tips, striking out wildly, seeking a path of least resistance through the earth and sky. Her hair stood on ends, and she could feel her badly injured body shaking violently from the strain.

If this didn't work, and she was still somehow alive, she wasn't sure what she could do next to hurt her opponent.




1d100+35·1d100+35·2d10·2d10

KRACKA BOOM!

The sudden bolt of lightning lit up the dark beach for only a second before it returned to the quiet darkness of the night.

Standing in the same spot as before, was the blonde and red haired Shinigami. Smoke rose off of his skin. His teeth and fists were clenched tight, his every muscle tensed up. He groaned a bit before allowing himself to relax his body. Everything hurt. He blinked a few times, finally opening his eyes.

Iroh turned to look back in Eisa's direction. He was hoping she could keep going but one look told him that she was done. Some of his comrades might have used this opportunity to strike her down, killing a Quincy and claiming victory. However, he felt no satisfaction in cutting down someone who could no longer fight back. Like a flame that burns ferociously, the fight was brilliant but short-lived.

He extinguished Izanagi by sheathing it once more. The floating embers and flames around them dissipated into nothing, leaving only charred remains and scorch marks along the beach.

The raggedy looking Shinigami took one pained step after another, limping towards Eisa. When he was but a foot or two away, he stopped and smiled.

"Wonderfully done, but this fight is over."

Iroh nodded in acknowledgement of her abilities.

"You are strong. I have enjoyed this encounter, Eisa Steinfeld, First Lieutenant of the Vorhuts Brigade."

He grinned, those wide unblinking eyes shimmering with excitement.

"Please become even stronger. I look forward to our next battle."

BATTLE INFO