Between Bow and Fist [DE, PvP, PG13]

Even though the relationship John had with his family members was tenuous, to say the least, he enjoyed returning to Ireland every so often to catch up with his grandmother. It was she who had taught him about the best part to being a Quincy, reishi manipulation. A breeze blew across the streets, carrying the sweet smell of the River Liffey. John had just finished visiting his grandmother, and was planning on visiting his grandfather's grave. He missed the old man. His grandfather had fought with his father over John's training, constantly trying to prove to him that this was no way to raise an Echt Quincy. His death was nothing grandiose, just the slow, painful demise of cancer. Ironically, his high reiatsu fuelled the tumour growth, instead of halting it.

John was lost in thought about the finer details of Quincy biology, when a man wearing a gas mask and dressed like... Batman, for want of a better description, dropped down before him. You. Boy. What are you doing carrying Ghost Energy around in your body. Shocked, John attempted a scan for reiatsu. The results were even more shocking. The man had either none, or very little reiatsu! How on earth could he sense John's own. John immediately took several steps back, putting a little distance between himself and the strange man.

Ghost Energy... Perhaps he isn't aware of who and what I am really... But he certainly has some strange notions about the world we live in... , John thought. The man looked strong and fast, certainly stronger and faster than John was. He also seemed to wear an armour of some kind, perhaps reiatsu resistant? John doubted it. No such thing existed in the World of the Living yet, but that it meant it had some other purpose...

"Look here sir," John decided the best approach may be to reason with him. "I realise that you have some idea about the kind of power I wield, you may even know that I am a Quincy. But I assure you sir, I wish you no harm. We're both human." It was a poor card to play, the 'we're both human' card, but John had no desire to fight this man. Maybe, if he could just find out what he wanted...

The man walked towards him menacingly, spitting on the ground at the word Quincy. Well... He certainly seems to have something against me... John thought. He shook his head in exasperation. Over the years he had encountered many jealous people, and this man certainly fit the type... But still, something didn't ring true about him. He claimed to hate Quincy, yet referred to their smell as their defining factor? He called spiritual pressure 'Ghost Energy'? It was certainly odd. Was he bluffing? John couldn't be sure. He certainly knew fragments of the truth, but nothing really substantial.

John continued to back away. There was definitely no way he was going to let that guy get those gloves anywhere near him. Still though, he didn't want to reveal the true nature of his Quincy power too quickly, in case the man was bluffing. He was running out of options. The man would certainly beat him in a standard hand to hand combat scenario. Diplomacy had failed, and the man didn't look like the type that would soften over time.

Hohle Schneide would probably provide the perfect way to fend him off so John could work out a strategy. With no reiatsu strength, the man wouldn't be able to break the blade, but John certainly wouldn't be able to do any damage on that suit with his current level of strength. With his mind set, he decided to go through with it. "I'm sorry sir but I don't think you've given me any other option..." By now they were a good distance down the street, in one of the more derelict areas of the city centre. Good. No one was going to get unnecessarily hurt.

John stretched his hand out in front of him. "Now! Smite the enemy with hollow steel!" John allowed Hohle Schneide to form, it's blade glistening in the sunlight. The drain on his reiatsu was immediate but of no concern. The beauty of this technique was in it's simplicity. No added extras meant no extra reiatsu costs. Perfect. Now, it was time to see what this man really wanted.


{600 reiatsu - 25 (Hohle Schneide) == 575 reiatsu}

John noticed the man changed his mind at the last second, exchanging one pair of gauntlets for another. He pointed at the ground, and there was an eruption of dirt. John didn't quite catch what he said beforehand, but it seemed it was like an incantation. Was he some sort of spellcaster? John doubted it. There was no surge of reiatsu, so the explosion was some kind of mechanical device in the glove, firing projectiles. The explosion wasn't like that of any bullets John had ever seen before though, so it was some other kind of projectile.

John checked around him for options, the man appeared to be pointing the glove at him now, he was also taunting John, goading him to do something stupid. John dismissed the thought, he wasn't going to use his bow unless he had to. Hohle Schneide would have to do. They were in a disused car-park, there wasn't much in terms of cover except a burnt out car in the far corner from John. He doubted he would be able to get to it by running, he'd be in the open for too long.

John noticed the man's fist was levelled at John, but his eyes didn't look like he was trying to kill John... But he would still fire. Judging from the size of the dust cloud the first shot had kicked up, John knew the projectiles weren't very large. He took two steps to the left, just as the man's hand shook from the recoil of the shot. John saw nothing, but felt a quick rush of air to his right-hand side. Compressed air!! Thats's what the shots were made of! The man DIDN'T have any spiritual pressure, but the lack of visible projectile fooled John into thinking his attacks were reiatsu.

John knew the shots didn't require any charging beforehand, the man had just fired two in quick succession. So he couldn't risk charging in just yet. There was only one thing for it. John let Hohle Schneide fade away, it had been completely useless after all. "Apologies sir, I fear I misjudged you..." John held out his right hand, and let his bow form. The man should be surprised, there weren't any weapons quite like it in the World of the Living. Thanks to his training, John didn't need to spend half as long firing arrows now, he could fire them quite quickly now.

He levelled his bow and discharged 3 arrows. The first was heading slightly left of the man, and the second slightly to the right. The third one, however, was heading right for him. If he dodged though, he should be hit by either of the two. John hoped the tactic would work, he didn't particularly want to the battle to drag on, or the man would slowly gain the advantage. He waited to see what the man would do next.

Reiatsu = 545/600; -30 for 3 class 7 arrows.

(OOC: Ok, will do. Will we stick to the car park for the moment?)

John stood, surprised, with the man's hands clasped firmly around his wrists. It was a clever trick, it meant John couldn't use Hohle Schneide to damage him. John checked through his options... Obviously, the man wasn't aware of the reverse grip of a sword. Holding Hohle Scheide with the blade pointing down would give John enough leverage to break free. However, he was aware that constantly switching techniques would do no wonders for his reiatsu.

He attempted to look through the glass of the gas mask, attempting to divine the man's true intentions. If he wanted John dead, he could have killed him now. He obviously wanted information. John didn't see a huge amount of harm in telling him a bit of Quincy folklore. Not even allowing his voice to tremble, he began: "You see sir, us Quincy are exactly the same as you. We are humans who discovered the truth of the world we live in. We worked out what Hollows and Shinigami were, and we felt a need to protect our world from spiritual attacks. We found ways to equip ourselves, much like yourself, and began our crusade against the Hollows. I assure you sir, I mean no you harm. But I would like you to let go of my wrists please."

John decided against mentioning the glory of der Kaiser, and how he was the god of all Quincies. It didn't really fit in with the idea of Quincies that John wanted this man to believe, and to be honest, didn't quite gel with his idea of a Quincy either. John may have imagined it, but he thought he felt the man's grip loosen. John decided to take it on good faith that he was going to let him go, but still prepared to summon Hohle Schneide in a reverse grip should he decide to try anything tricky. John also shifted his weight slightly, so the man would have a harder time throwing him to the ground if he planned on doing so.

John fell to the ground, his bow arm bleeding heavily. This was not going well at all. The man wouldn't listen to reason, nor would desist in what seemed like a 'punishment' to John. John picked himself up off the ground, and dusted down his coat. He desperately tried not to let the pain and humiliation appear on his face, but he couldn't stop his eyes from beginning to swim with tears. His vision became slowly blurred with the pain in his arm. He couldn't even attempt to use his bow now, his arm would become in even worse from the strain of sustaining it. There was only one thing he could possibly do, to even the playing field between him and this man.

[Music]

John could only hope that his man had no more tricks up his sleeve, as this was John's last card. "I'm sorry sir... All I wanted was to do some good for humanity, all I wanted was to help people... You see, I'm an ordinary person too, doing great things." John stretched out his arms, and this blood dripped to the ground, adding emphasis to his words. "I bleed the same way you do... I'm afraid though, you've left me no choice but to use our final technique. I will admit, it is not advisable for a Quincy as humble as I am to perform it, but I will not die here."

It was a bold move, but it had to be done. He wouldn't be able to use his arrows anymore, as the World of the Living didn't have enough loose reishi, but it would be a VERY effective boost to his melee ability, especially given that his Vollstandig created two blades he could use. John could feel the glowing aura of reishi surrounding his body, strengthening his bones and muscles. All of a sudden, he was enveloped in a massive column of light, visible only to those with spiritual pressure. Maybe the man could see it through his goggles, maybe he couldn't. It was a desperate move on John's part, but it felt so good to have the rush of reishi in his veins. It was better than any drug.

The column shattered, and John emerged in his Final Holy Form. His full face mask gave the world a golden tint, and it distorted his words. "Apologies sir, I never expected it to come to this. This is our final power, Quincy Vollstandig. You can't imagine how much it pains me to use this, but I simply cannot cope with your abilities otherwise." John was not trying to flatter the man, it was true. His Vollstandig was the only chance he had of beating this man. His wings spread out, revealing the entirety of his majestic form. It was impossible no to feel beautiful in a form as elegant as this.

Before Kazura tried anything, John closed the distance between them, diving at him. His wings were pointed, like a hawk diving at it's prey. He held out one of his blades before him, trying to end the fight as quickly as possible. He just hoped Vollstandig would be enough to defeat this man.


Vollstandig 1/15
0/600 Reiatsu

John felt his sword being pushed away from the intended target. His Vollstandig certainly hadn't given him the power he had expected, the man was still far stronger than him. However, his sharp wings of reishi slid through the man, lacerating his shoulder like a hot knife through butter. He then attempted to disengage by firing his air cannons into John, pushing him away. The blasts of compressed air stung, but did no more than push John back across the yard. He looked up at the man, who was about to prepare for another attack. However, he had paused. He appeared to be checking something in the visor of his face mask, and he was obviously displeased with his results.

He had just finished talking about the arrival of 'Beasts' when two Hollows stormed into the car park, obviously drawn by the power being radiated by John's beautiful Vollstandig. The man was very annoyed however, and blamed John for their arrival. John didn't say a word as the man went off to tackle the other Hollow, because he was right. John was too weak, too pitiful. He couldn't even hope to maintain a fight without his Vollstandig, and now he had put people in danger by using it. These Hollows were drawn in by him, and he was going to take responsibility for them. Worryingly enough, he had heightened his Vollstandig's energy sensory abilities at all, meaning he hadn't had any notice of the Hollows' arrival.

He turned to face his opponent. He would deal with this one, and then move onto the one the man was facing. John doubted that the Hollow would be as easy an opponent as he was, given that the Hollow would have no reservations about completely obliterating the man. However, his train of thought was rudely interrupted by the sound of the Hollow charging a Cero. He had never come across one before, as he had never encountered Hollows powerful enough to use them before. He smiled. This was going to be too easy. Just before the Hollow discharged it's Cero, he lifted his left sword. This was the true power of his Vollstandig.

As the Cero approached him as a wide beam, he activated the power which Quincies were the master of. Reiatsu absorption. The Cero would appear to proceed normally until it came within about 5 metres of John. Then, any observer would see the Cero simply fade into nothingness. As John broke down the attack into reishi, the Cero would lose its colour and sound. He felt its power course through his veins, providing him with the perfect amount of power to use a few arrows. Not even moving his left arm, he raised his right sword, and laid it lightly over his right blade, forming a cross. As soon as the two blades made contact, a brilliant arrow of light was discharged, more powerful than any he had ever fired before. It's brilliant light illuminated the car park further, it was quite magnificent.

He hoped the Hollow wouldn't be able to dodge it, he would have liked this fight to end quickly. All the same, as his vision returned to normal, he prepared himself for another attack.

Meanwhile, the Hollow the man was facing would be starting an attack of its own. It resembled a butterfly, with its wings folded neatly behind it's back. It had six legs, all of which ended with vicious claws. Not even using its wings, it scurried towards the man, threatening to cleave him in two with its claws. The man would have to to do something about it, lest he wanted his suit to become a two-piece.



Vollstandig 2/15

Reiatsu 150/600 : +200 from Cero ; -50 for Vollstandig arrow

1/8 till John dies of Hollow Poison effect (He is currently unaware of this fact)